GREAT GRACE & FREEDOM #6: REDEMPTION: ON SLAVES AND SAILBOATS
INTRO TO TOPIC: One of the most important concepts in the Bible is that of redemption. But – what is redemption, and what significance does it have in our life?
THE BIG IDEA: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law so that we can receive the blessing of Abraham in our lives.
1. THE EXPERIENCE OF THE GALATIANS:
“1 Oh, foolish Galatians! What magician has cast an evil spell on you? For you used to see the meaning of Jesus Christ's death as clearly as though I had shown you a signboard with a picture of Christ dying on the cross.
• Paul calls them foolish for abandoning simple faith in Jesus. It’s all about Him!
2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the law? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 Have you lost your senses? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 You have suffered so much for the Good News. Surely it was not in vain, was it? Are you now going to just throw it all away? 5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law of Moses? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.” (Galatians 3:1-6, NLT).
• Paul challenges the Galatians to look at their personal experience of God’s grace.
• They were saved by grace, received the Spirit by grace, experienced miracles by grace.
• He tells them they are foolish to think that now they must do it by keeping the law.
• Everything we received from God is by grace through faith in Jesus.
• Paul then moves from their experience to an example from the Old Testament:
2. THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM:
“6 In the same way, "Abraham believed God, so God declared him righteous because of his faith." 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are all those who put their faith in God. 8 What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would accept the Gentiles, too, on the basis of their faith. God promised this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, "All nations will be blessed through you." (see Gen. 12:1-3). 9 And so it is: All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.
• Paul says that Abraham was made right with God by his faith, not keeping the law.
• And all believers who put their faith in Christ receive Abraham’s blessing.
10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all these commands that are written in God's Book of the Law." 11 Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever be right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." 12 How different from this way of faith is the way of law, which says, "If you wish to find life by obeying the law, you must obey all of its commands.” (Galatians 3:7-12, NLT).
• The only way to be right with God by keeping the law is: do it perfectly your whole life.
• Obviously, that is impossible, so the only way to be saved is through faith in Jesus!
3. THE EXCELLENCE OF REDEMPTION:
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Galatians 3:13-14, NKJV).
• Redemption: exagorazo = by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off; to buy up, to buy up for one's self. Literally: out of the market place.
ILLUSTRATION OF REDEMPTION #1: THE SAILBOAT:
The story is told of a little boy who built a sailboat. He built the sail and had it all fixed up, tarred and painted. He took it to the lake and pushed it in hoping it would sail. Sure enough a wisp of breeze filled the little sail and it billowed and went rippling along the waves. Suddenly before the little boy knew it, the boat was out of his reach, even though he waded in fast and tried to grab it. As he watched it float away, he hoped maybe the breeze would shift and it would sail back to him. Instead he watched it go farther and farther until it was gone. When he went home crying, his mother asked, "What's wrong, didn't it work?" He said, "It worked too well."
Sometime later, the little boy was downtown and walked past a second hand store. There in the window he saw the boat. It was unmistakably his, so he went in and said to the owner, "That's my boat." He walked to the window, picked it up and started to leave with it. The owner of the shop said, "Wait a minute, sonny. That's my boat. I bought it from someone." The boy said, "No, it's my boat. I made it. See." And he showed him the little scratches and the marks where he hammered and filed. The man said, "I'm sorry, boy. If you want it, you have to buy it." The poor little guy didn't have any money, but he worked hard and saved his pennies. Finally, one day he had enough money. He went in and bought the little boat. As he left the store holding the boat close to him, he was heard saying, "You're my boat. You're twice my boat. First you're my boat because I made you, and second you're my boat because I bought you!"
1. WHAT WAS THE PRICE FOR OUR REDEMPTION?
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Eph. 1:7).
“knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
“And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9).
• The price that was paid for our redemption was the blood of Jesus!
ILLUSTRATION OF REDEMPTION #2: ABRAHAM LINCOLN:
The story is told of a man visiting a slave market, who was deeply touched by the agony of a slave-girl, who feared that she should fall into the hands of a rough master. The gentleman inquired her price, paid it to the slave-trader, then placed the bill of sale in her own hands, telling her that she was free, and could now go home. The slave-girl could not realize the change at first, but, running after her redeemer cried, "He has redeemed me! he has redeemed me! Will you let me be your servant?" The man was Abraham Lincoln.
2. WHAT HAS CHRIST DONE FOR US?
• He has redeemed us from the curse of the law by His death on the Cross.
• He has made it possible for us to receive the blessings of Abraham.
• He has made it possible for us to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
3. WHAT ARE THE BLESSINGS OF ABRAHAM?
“1 "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.” (Deut. 28:1-6).
• God wants us to be blessed in our health, finances and every area of our lives.
CLOSING STORY:
When A.J. Gordon was pastor of a church in Boston, he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, "Son, where did you get those birds?" The boy replied, "I trapped them out in the field." "What are you going to do with them?" "I'm going to play with them, and then I guess I'll just feed them to an old cat we have at home." When Gordon offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, "Mister, you don't want them, they're just little old wild birds and can't sing very well." Gordon replied, "I'll give you $2 for the cage and the birds." "Okay, it's a deal, but you're making a bad bargain." The exchange was made and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Gordon walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue. The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ's coming to seek and to save the lost -- paying for them with His own precious blood. "That boy told me the birds were not songsters," said Gordon, "but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, 'Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!"
ALTAR CALL FOR SALVATION: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved!”
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://pastorchrisjordan.wordpress.com/
