Intro: On July 3l, 1838 on the Island of Jamaica, a man named William Knibbs, gathered 10,000 slaves for a great praise gathering. They were celebrating the New Emancipation Proclamation Act that would abolish slavery on the island. They had built an immense coffin and into it were placed whips, branding irons, chains, fetters of all kinds, slave garments and all the things that represented the terrible slavery system that was now coming to a welcome end.
At the first stroke of the midnight bell, Knibbs shouted out, "The monster is dying." At each stroke of the bell that followed this cry was repeated and the great crowd began to join in the cry. At the twelfth stoke 10,000 voices cried out, "The monster is dead, the monster is dead, let us bury him." They then screwed the coffin lid down and lowered it into a huge grave and covered it up. That night, every heart rejoiced and 10,000 voices grew hoarse, shouting and crying with joy. Once they were in bondage to slavery, but now they were free.
There is a tragic side to this story. While many rejoiced in their new liberty and freedom, there were some slaves, that lived in remote areas of the island, that did not know they had legally been set free. Because they didn’t know, for many years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been made a law, they still continued to serve their slave masters. Their former masters successfully kept the news from them as long as they could. By law they had been declared free men and did not have to live as slaves any longer. However, ignorance of the truth kept them in bondage.
Now let me tell you an even sadder story. Today, if we’d hear a story of something like that happening, we’d be shocked, sympathetic and even angry. But the truth is, the same type of thing is happening in our day. Jesus Christ, because of his victory against sin on the cross, has issued an Emancipation Proclamation of liberty and freedom from sin to everyone on this earth. But like some of the Jamaicans were, there are those today that just don’t understand that they no longer have to live as slaves to sin any longer, and the devil is trying to keep them in that mind set.
The message of the cross is this: Satan has been defeated and sin’s penalty has been paid, you have been redeemed. We no longer have to surrender to sin or be controlled by Satan. We can belong to Jesus and live to please God.
This is the theme of this morning’s message and I want to begin with a reading of [vs. 11b-12].
This reminds us of our assurance that believers will receive an inheritance. It is the same inheritance as that of God’s chosen people, Israel. That is the reason why we joyously give thanks to God the Father. As we move into [read vs. 13] we learn what Christ has done for us.
I. You Can Live Victoriously Because Christ Rescued You (vs. 13). You have been delivered! So often we forget from what it was that Christ has delivered us. I say that because if you were raised in a Baptist church, it is likely that you made a confession of faith at a young age. You may find yourself doubting that you have a real witness story to tell because you do not see or remember much change in your life.
On the other hand, the drunk, druggie, and the prostitute who have been saved have a dramatic story. Stories of darkness and debauchery fill their witness account. If you never lived through that side of this dark world you must never think your witness is less effective. You have a story of God’s providential hand protecting you. Satan knows you are not his and he wants you to keep quiet and he will whisper in your ear that your story of coming to Christ is boring and useless. You must never doubt the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit working thru your testimony.
A. Delivered from the Authority of Darkness. Regardless of your walk before you believed, you were under the Authority of Darkness; this is what vs. 13 is telling us. The literal reading of “rescued” is “to draw to oneself” and that is what God does. The Father draws us to Himself, out of darkness, out of Satan’s kingdom and into His light.
Darkness is the realm of Satan. The Non-believer is controlled by Satan. Satan in essence takes them by the hand and leads them to do what he pleases. The lost person thinks they are living the free life. In reality they are not free. Satan wants them to think they are free so he whispers into their conscience that they are not under any authority and that is the way all people should be – I’m free to do as I please.
He whispers, “This free life that is away from the rules of the church is better. Those Christians say, ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that. Where is the fun in that?’ Not you free man. You can do as you please.”
Aliester Crowley at one time was called the most evil man on earth, the beast himself and that was by his own mother. He became a follower of Satan. He designed his own tarot cards and penned a few books with the most famous being “The book of the law” This book was to read once by the owner and then burned so nobody else could read it; including the owner of the book as there was a curse for whoever reads it twice. In this book he summed up Satan’s desire – “Do what thou wilt.” Do what you please. Satan is still telling that to people to today as he carries them down to what seems like a dark, bottomless pit. …he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. (Jhn 12:35b).
Illustration. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, but we used to go on vacation every year to Alabama. About midway between there is a set of caves. Mammoth cave is the most extensive cave systems in the world. There are more than 360 miles of explored and mapped caves there. We stopped and went thru these caves a couple of times. There is one point that the guide takes you into a big room and has everyone stand still and then the lights go out. Then they tell you to put your hand in front of your face and look at your hand. You can’t do it. There is no possible way you can see your hand because there is absolutely no light. Then they turn the lights on and you can see again. At that point everyone sighs.
This is what happens in the life of everyone who places their faith in Christ as the text says He transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. Instantaneously we are taken out of the grip of darkness and placed into the light. It was not gradual like turning on like a dimmer switch. We are immediately placed into God’s grip and His light as we become new creatures in Christ.
When you are in the light, Satan has no authority over you. His grip is gone because darkness hates the light. You can live victoriously because Christ has delivered you from the dominion of sin. What you need to do now is to act as a person who has been delivered. You’ve been taken out of darkness, now act like it.
Paul wrote a letter to the church in Rome stating that same theme. He wrote, “consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead,” (Rom 6:11-13a)
The kingdom you have been transferred to is Christ’s kingdom where He reigns. Believers are the citizens. We have gone from being subjects of Satan to royal subjects and that is cause for you to live victoriously. Because you belong to Christ, you should strive to walk worthy of your calling.
II. You Can Live Victoriously Because Christ Paid For You (vs. 14). Before we became subjects of Christ, we needed redemption. This is what we find in 14 [read vs. 14]. Redemption is a slave term. When a slave was purchased they were redeemed. At the heart of the ransom idea is the concept of exchange. Christ exchanged places with you.
Redemption is a word that expresses a great aspect that Christ has done on our behalf. “Alongside such terms as sacrifice, offering, propitiation, ransom, justification, adoption, and reconciliation, it attempts to describe the riches of our salvation. It means “to deliver by payment of a ransom,” and was used to speak of freeing slaves from bondage.”
Illustration: J. Vernon McGee spoke this story many years ago on the radio to explain an undeniable Biblical truth.
In your mind go back in time about 150 years or so to the days before the Civil War. Imagine you are visiting one of the great cities of the South like Savannah, Atlanta, Birmingham, Jackson or New Orleans. As you approach the center of town you hear a commotion as a crowd gathers for a public auction and you gather round to watch the proceedings. The first thing you notice in the crowd is an uncouth, foulmouthed, loud, boisterous man who you know, by reputation only, as the meanest, cruelest, most hateful man around.
You also notice in the crowd another man who stands out for his dignity, genteel mannerisms and soft-spoken tone, and recognize him also by reputation as a most kind, gentle, and gracious man. Both men, along with the crowd wait for the auction to begin.
Finally the auctioneer steps to the podium and begins rattling his words as the first item to be sold is brought to the auction block. There before you is a beautiful young black girl, about 20 years of age. Her dress is old and torn, but remarkably clean. She is obviously filled with anxiety and fear as the bidding begins.
From the outset the loud obnoxious man seemed to have his evil eyes set on this lovely, innocent, young lady. She obviously knew of his reputation and cringed in fear as he opened the bidding.
When the kind gentleman saw her fear, he too placed a bid. Soon only these two men were involved in the bidding as the price of the girl rose higher and higher. Finally the evil man bowed out of the bidding when realized that the price of the girl was more than he was willing to pay.
When the auctioneer closed the bidding the kind gentleman paid the price for his purchase, was handed the Bill-of-Sale and turned to leave. The young girl started to follow her new master.
He then turned to her and asked, “Where are you going?” “Why, I’m going with you,” she responded; “You bought me and I belong to you.” “Oh! You misunderstood,” the man said, “I didn’t buy you to make you my slave, I bought you to set you free.” Then he took the Bill-of-Sale and wrote across in big block letters – FREE! – signed his name and gave it to the girl. “I don’t understand,” the girl said. “You mean I am FREE!” “Yes, you are FREE!” ‘I can go wherever I want and do as I please.” “Exactly, You are FREE!”
“Mister, I don’t know who you are, but no one has ever shown such love and kindness to me. If I am free to do as I please, nothing would please me more than to go with you and serve you till the day I die.” And that day she went home with Abraham Lincoln, not as his slave, but as his willing servant.
While the story may be true, my guess is that it is an allegory. But it appropriately illustrates the great doctrine of Redemption! It tells the story of our slavery to Satan and sin; the cruel intentions of the enemy of our soul; and the gracious purchase, at an incredible price, by Jesus; not to make us his slave, but to set us free. How could we respond in any other way than to say, “If you love me that much, I’ll serve you forever!”
You can Live Victoriously because Christ has Rescued you, He Paid for YOU and He Releases YOU! Redemption results in the Forgiveness of sins. That forgiveness is what releases you.
III. You Can Live Victoriously Because Christ Releases You (vs. 14). Christ releases you to live a life of freedom from the darkness. Forgiveness in the Greek text is a composite of two Greek words, "apo", “from,” and "hiemi, “to send.” Because Christ redeemed us, God has sent away our sins; they will never be found again. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12).
“So Christ’s death on our behalf paid the price to redeem us. On that basis, God forgave our sins, granted us an inheritance, delivered us from the power of darkness, and made us subjects of Christ’s kingdom. Those wonderful truths should cause us to give thanks to God continually, as did Paul in his prayer. And when we contemplate all He has done for us, how can we do any less than pray to be filled with the knowledge of His will?” (John Mac Arthur).
Conclusion. There was a WWII movie that came out a few years ago called “Saving Private Ryan.” It was based on a true story about four brothers who fought in WWII, and three of them died. This is a quote from Pastor David Dykes,
"In “Saving Private Ryan,” Tom Hanks plays Captain Miller, who has been assigned to find private James Ryan after the Normandy Invasion. Because three of his brothers had already given their lives, military command decided to find Ryan and send him home.
The movie depicts the horror of the Normandy invasion and the sacrifice that was paid by the 6,000 brave soldiers who gave their lives. Captain Miller leads his Ranger platoon deep behind enemy lines to find a single soldier. When they finally reach Private Ryan, they find themselves defending a bridge against overwhelming German odds. They man a brave defense, and in the process of the battle most of the Rangers die and Captain Miller is mortally wounded.
In one of the most powerful scenes, Private Ryan, played by Matt Damon, kneels before Captain Miller. The captain, who was a high English teacher, husband and father, is bleeding badly and knows he’s about to die. So, he grabs Ryan by his collar and says, “James, earn this...earn it!”
Then the movie flashes forward 50 years to an elderly James Ryan visiting the Normandy American Memorial Cemetery. With his family in the background, Ryan kneels before the grave of John Miller, overcome by emotion. He thinks back on his life and how he tried to live a life worthy of the sacrifice made by those brave soldiers. As he sinks to knees, his wife rushes to his side, and he asks her, “Have I led a good life? Am I a good man?” Realizing why he is asking that profound question, his wife pauses and says sincerely, “Yes, of course you are. You are a good man.” It’s at that moment James Ryan feels he has honored John Miller’s charge to “earn this.”
In a sense, Private Ryan represents you and me. We were lost in an epic battle between good and evil, and the High Command of heaven sent His most precious person to seek and to save us. And Jesus would have come to this earth for us if we had been the ONLY sinner needing a Savior. He is the kind of good shepherd who leaves the 99 safe sheep and risks His life to find that one lost lamb. Just as those Rangers and Captain Miller died to save Private Ryan, my Lord went to the cross to die for me. Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (Jhn 15:13)
The movie causes the viewers to debate the issue, “Is one life worth saving, even at the risk of other lives?” Private Ryan never did anything to earn that kind of sacrifice. He was a stranger to those soldiers who saved him. In the same way, we can’t earn our salvation either. Captain Miller didn’t die for Private Ryan because he had earned it. He didn’t say, “Earn my sacrifice. Show me you’re worthy, and then I’ll die for you.” No, he died for him before he earned it. And that’s what Jesus did for us. The Bible says in Rom 5:8 “But God demonstrated His love toward us that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
This is a great illustration of the relationship between salvation and good works. There is nothing you can do to earn your salvation, but once you have been redeemed, you will forevermore want to live a life full of good works. Because of the cross we should live all of our days in a way that reflects our gratitude for the gift He gave us."
That’s what Paul wrote in Col 1:10, “We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way.” You see we don’t live a good life in order to earn our salvation. But because of the death of Jesus on the cross, we strive to live a good life in order to demonstrate our gratitude for His sacrifice. You had no chance nor power to earn that kind of love before Jesus died, but you have every single day now to honor His sacrifice by your devotion and obedience.
Pastor Dr. David Dykes says redemption is a lot like catching and releasing fish. Jesus is a fisher of men. “Salvation is all about Jesus. Jesus sought you, caught you, brought you, bought you, and taught you; then He released you into this world to live a life worthy of that kind of love. And when you stand before God, He won’t ask you, “have you lived a good life?” He will ask you what you did in relation to His son Jesus. And if you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus, you can kneel before God and hear Him say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matt 25:21)”
