HoHum:
There is an old legend that Abraham Lincoln went down to the slave block and saw a girl being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Lincoln joined in the bidding. As the slave girl looked at this man bidding on her, she figured he was just another white man, going to buy her and then abuse her. Lincoln won the bid and as he was walking away with his newly purchased property, he said, "Young lady.... you are FREE!" She said, "What does that mean?" "It means you are FREE."
"Does that mean," she asked, "that I can be whatever I want to be?" Lincoln said, "Yes, you can be whatever you want to be." "Does that mean I can go wherever I want to go?" He said, "Yes, you can go wherever you want to go." Then the girl, with tears streaming down her face, said, "Then I will go with YOU."
WBTU:
We often think of redemption as a religious word. In the NT world, it was not religious at all. It was a word used in business especially in regard to slaves. To redeem is to buy or buy back, whether as a purchase or as a ransom.
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13, 14.
C. Redemption is a colorful way of looking at what Christ did on the cross.
Thesis: This vivid picture emphasizes 3 truths
For instances:
People are by nature slaves to sin
In modern world we throw around word “addiction” and this is a true to life picture of what sin does. People will sell their own mother just to get another hit. Live each day to reach a high, buzz, feeling no pain or at least comfortable numb. Do anything, and I mean anything, to get more drugs. There is a strong physical component, we are not slaves like this, are we?
Some people believe that this way of life is not how we really are. We have just been educated or conditioned wrong. At the core we are all good.
“What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean’. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’.”” Mark 7:20-23, NIV.
The sins we do are not accidental or occasional. They arise out of what we are. And being what we are, we can never break free. Some people are able to reform from a particular sin, but instead of being free they become slaves to something else. Redemption reminds us to face the facts of life realistically.
“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” John 8:34, NIV.
There once was a boy named Billy. His grandfather had a sling shot. One day he asked his grandfather if he would teach him how to shoot the sling shot. His grandfather took into the back woods and began to teach the boy. The grandfather told Billy to go and practice for a while. Billy was in the woods, alone, and kept missing everything he shot at. Billy, on his way back to the house, saw his grandfather’s duck and decided to try his aim with the sling shot once more. Billy took aim and shot at the duck and hit his mark! The duck fell over dead! Billy took the duck, buried it in the ground. As he looked up he saw his sister, Sally standing there watching him attempting to hide his deeds. Sally and Billy went back into their grandparents’ house. As they did so, Billy told Sally not to say anything. Sally said, sure, no problem. The kids’ grandfather told Sally to go into the kitchen and help her grandmother wash the dishes. Sally said, "Billy is the best dish washer in the family, he would love to wash the dishes. Remember the duck?’ Billy washed the dishes that night. The next day Billy’s grandfather said, "Billy, lets go fishing today. Sally, your grandmother needs your help around the house, so stay here and help her out." Sally responded," Billy hates fishing but loves housework. Isn’t that right Billy?" Billy stayed at home that day while Sally went fishing. This went on for several days. Sally blackmailed Billy into every unpleasant chore around the farm and out of every enjoyable opportunity. Finally Billy had had enough and he decided to confess his crime. Much to his surprise, his grandfather said, "I know you killed the duck. I saw you through the window. I also saw your sister standing there watching you. I forgave you. I just wanted to know how long you would let yourself be your sisters slave." We no longer have to be slaves like this because...
Christ paid the price of freedom
In the extreme, think about this (most masters were more humane than this): As a slave we have nothing. Everything we have belongs to the Master. If we find some money in a field, it is really the master’s. If someone gives us money for work done, it is really the master’s. If we try to buy our own freedom, the master would question where we got this money. That money is really his and so the master takes it. Need someone else to pay the price for our freedom. Cannot do it on our own.
Christ paid the debt and set us free. Christ’s death was the payment that removed our bondage to evil. Needed someone to come and pay the price. It is finished- paid in full
The price of redemption from slavery was high. We are not just talking about someone who has some money to buy people and set them free. Commendable for what some are doing today with human trafficking. Buying people out of slavery. Not quite what Christ did.
When we are talking about the whole human race, the price is very high indeed. But the price is paid. Christ’s death is the price that made it possible for all mankind to be set free.
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19, NIV.
Edwin Ray- On a business trip to California, I realized that I had forgotten my wife’s birthday the day before. Expecting I was in big trouble, I went to the jewelry section of a department store. After explaining my situation the saleswoman, she said, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have anything that expensive.”
I’ve done terrible things; there just isn’t any way God can forgive. We could not pay the price but Christ did. Precious blood to us, but costly to Christ.
Many slaves, even after the Civil War, stayed on or near the plantations of the South because they were familiar with that life. It is scary to change, they played it safe. Free but still living like slaves.
The Redeemed should be free
Christians agree that sin is strong and that we cannot break free from it by ourselves. The wonderful thing about the Christian way is that it is the way of freedom. The evil that is part of our nature has been defeated in Christ. Christians live in that freedom. Since the price has been paid the bondage is ended. We are no longer in slavery to sin.
Even after we become Christians, we need to live in freedom. Freedom is demanding and too often we settle for some form of bondage. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1, NIV. Then Paul talks about how the Judaizers want them to follow the Law of Moses. A way of life that is not really Christian but leads us to believe that we are Christian but we are just slaves again. “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” Colossians 2:20-23, NIV.
“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13, NIV. We are freed from sin to be able to serve one another in love. I can worship the Lord by watching a program on TV. True, but we come together to serve each other. We grow closer as we worship together and learn how we can serve each other.
We must understand that we all need a master. Rather have God as my master than sin. “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” 1 Peter 2:16, NIV.
Sin will take you further than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you want to pay.
Sin is a harsh master. Jane Christiansen was addicted to heroin. She turned to Christ and He delivered her from her addiction and from her sins. She says, “I’ve heard people say, ‘Christianity is so hard.’ I think, if you want to know what’s hard, try walking up to your knees in snow to get to a drug dealer for a fix.”
“a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” 2 Peter 2:19, NIV.
Conclusion and invitation:
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36, NIV.
Plan of salvation: Belief, confession, repentance, baptism
When we comprehend the riches of His grace extended to us, we, too, will say, "Then I will go with you." How can WE not follow a Savior like that?
