There was a small volunteer fire company just on the outskirts of a big city. Well the big City dept. had a huge warehouse fire and called the small volunteer fire company in for help. Now this warehouse was burning up. Flames could be seen from the space shuttle. The Big City Dept. was doing all it could do and they were desperate for the relief to get there. Well all of the sudden this older model fire truck came barreling down the road and ran right up in the middle of the warehouse and when it stopped it was surrounded by flames. The fireman jumped off the truck and started fighting fire like crazy and eventually they got the fire out. As they were reloading the hose back on their truck the Mayor and the Big City Fire Chief came over and started telling them what a great job they had done. The Big City Fire Chief was saying how impressed he was with their gumption and was asking how they learned to be so aggressive at their job and remain so fearless as to run up in the middle of the blaze. The mayor was talking about how brave and courageous they were.
Their truck Captain said “Sir Courage and bravery had nothing to do with the way things happened today, I told the men we would put brakes on this truck when I was good and ready, well today I’m good and ready.”
We do things when the time is right, we may put off stuff but when the necessary time comes we take care of business. When the car won’t start we get a battery, when the light blows we put another bulb in, when we get ready to settle down we get married. What I’m saying is this; we do things when we see a need to do them.
God is no different when he sees a need he takes care of it. The Scripture today says that when the time came:
When God saw it was necessary, when God decided we couldn’t do it by ourselves, When He decided it was time for a solution to the problem of Sin, When God decided we just weren’t getting it!!!
He sent His Mercy, He sent His grace, He sent His Son Jesus to bail us out and pay the debt we owed.
In the text today it says Jesus was born of a woman and born under the law. Now what that means is that Jesus was just like me and you. His parents made the proper sacrifices that the Jewish law required, certain ceremonies were done on the proper days, they held to the standards that were set forth by Jewish law.
Jesus was fully human in all ways, he was born a baby and grew into a man. He experienced hardship and trials, love and laughter, joy and pain, he laughed and cried, he was even tempted by the devil. So think about it, when you think Jesus doesn’t know how you feel, when you think he doesn’t know your pain, your suffering, your temptation, your wrong ; he was there, he experienced life just like you and I. But he persevered and became our redeemer.
You know what a redeemer is? A redeemer is someone who sets another free by paying a ransom or paying off a debt. When we are redeemed through the blood of Christ we are set free from sin and death, we are restored to favor in the eyes of God.
Brothers and sisters we have been redeemed and justified through Christ
The redemption afforded us through our savior Jesus Christ makes it possible for you and I to become a child of God, Redemption is what allows us to be adopted as a son or daughter of the most high God. When we are redeemed we become a part of the heavenly family.
When we accept Jesus as our savior we become children who are justified (Just as if I had never sinned) and not only do we become justified we become heirs.
As heirs we not only reap the benefits of that heavenly kingdom in eternity we start to take on the traits of God. We start to love a little more, we start to experience Joy a little more , we start to receive the abundance that God has to offer even now in this world. Who here hasn’t been blessed by God in their Christian life? When God is your father nothing can stand in your way.
Nothing can separate you from the love of God no height, no depth, no vast expanse of space. Gods love abounds in the life of his children.
When we are in the world we are all just slaves, we are people dominated by our influences, and our habits. Now before we are adopted into the Kingdom, before we are adopted in to Gods family we are just slaves to Satan, we are slaves to the worldly things that Satan offers us, we become slaves to our addictions, our habits, and our pride.
We think we are our own boss and we don’t need anyone to guide us that’s what the devil will put in our minds.
I used to think that way, I was a self - made man and didn’t need anyone, I looked at God like I did my earthly father, I saw him as someone who only showed up occasionally in my life. I didn’t think I needed God at all.
But guess what when the time came , when I was at tmy lowest he showed me his grace and his love and even though I didn’t deserve God’s love He gave it to me anyway.
Make no mistake about it; if you aren’t a child of God, you are a slave to the devil. Let me tell you this again. If you haven’t accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, if you haven’t pled the blood of Jesus over your life, if you haven’t made that commitment to become a child of God, and you think that just being a nice person is good enough, you think that having enough money is good enough, or warming a pew on Sunday alone is good enough, I urge you to think again because your wrong.
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one enters unto my father but through me.
The Good news is this; we don’t have to be in bondage, we don’t have to be slaves to the devil.
Here’s why, Jesus was born into this world and He lived a holy life and He died upon the cross at Calvary in order to become our redeemer.
He paid a debt we couldn’t pay to bring us out of slavery and sin.
When the time comes and we accept him and this gift that He has given us.
When the time comes and we accept the fact that He and he alone is our redeemer and we accept that grace that God has given us we become a child of the most high God and an Heir to all that God has to offer.
And when that time comes and we accept Christ as our Lord and our Savior then we to can cry out Abba, Father.
When the appointed time comes what will you do? Will you accept the redemption offered and become an heir or will you decide to remain a slave?
