In Matthew 26:36-46
Jesus knew that His time was nearly up to be crucified and He knew that was the reason He came to earth as a man to die for us all. So that we could be redeemed from the hands of Satan, and be reconciled back to His father. He prayed in the garden with deep pain because He knew the amount of suffering He had to go through.
In Matthew 26:47-56
Here, Jesus was arrested and from that time to His death on the cross his enemy did all sorts to Him: He was betrayed by Judas, He was treated as a robber, He was lied on, He was spat on, He was beaten, He was struck with the palms of their hands, He was bound, He took the place of another prisoner, they stripped Him of his garment, a crown of thorns was put on His head, a reed was put on his right hand, He was struck on his head with the reed, He was mocked by everyone of the soldiers and he was finally crucified.
In the account of his disciple John.
John 19:28-30
Jesus had come into the world to die for us as a living sacrifice to take away the sins of the world. And while He was on the cross He said " It is finished!" which means that through his death he had accomplished His Father's purpose.
This is why we know and believe that we are the redeemed of the Lord. And our redemption is a once and for all redemption.
What is the meaning of redemption?
The action of saving or being saved from sin, error , or evil.
The action of regaining, or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.
Jesus was God's plan for the redemption of His world.
We have been bought back from the kingdom of darkness by the death of God's Only Begotten Son Jesus who was born for this very purpose.
Jesus came because of His love for us and His love made him lay down His life for our freedom according to John 10: 17 -18
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Jesus voluntarily laid down His life for our redemption. This is the love He had for us all.
Psalm 107:1-2 records this
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.
In the light of this we are to give thanks to the Lord for His great works of deliverance from the hands of the enemy. He bought us back from the hand of the enemy through His Son Jesus. Anyone that God sets free is free indeed. We cannot be bought at that price and still be in captivity. If we have truly received Jesus as our Lord and Savior and we fully follow His WORD by obeying Him.
We are to believe in the finished work of Jesus and trust in his redemption plan for our lives, then we can live in the fullness of His blessing.
We are the children of God whom He as redeemed from the hands of the enemy and we are to enjoy the benefits of our redemption, because it's simply our right in Christ.
Galatians 3: 3-14
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.
How Did Jesus Become A Curse?
He was crucified on the cross which represents a tree.
he was a curse for us because He was hung on the tree.
Our sin became His sin on the cross - tree.
Everything that happened before the cross and on the cross was for us all to be set free from the curse of Adam, when he fell short of God's glory.
We were redeemed from the curse of the law, so that the full blessing of Abraham can come upon us. this is the love of God for us, to be blessed with the blessings of Abraham - this is the benefits of our redemption.
What are the blessings of Abraham?
Genesis 12: 1-3
Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
In Colossians 1:13-14 our redemption was done by God Himself which says
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
The contemporary version puts it this way:
God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, who forgives our sins and sets us free.
The Amplified version says:
For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty].
This is powerful. God Himself had to rescue us from the control of Satan and what He has done is already a settled case. There is no need to fight for what He has done, we do not belong to the kingdom of darkness anymore. All we need to do is to accept what God did through His Son and thank Him for it.
Faith in God and His redemptive plan is to believe in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and take our rightful place as written in the book of Ephesians 2:6
And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Not only did God transfer us from Satan's Kingdom to the Kingdom Of His Son but He also made us sit with Christ spiritually in the heavenly places, where we rule and reign with Christ over principalities, powers and every spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Our position in Christ is a position of power and authority. It took me awhile to understand this position as well but to God's glory He had to give me a deep understanding of what His Son has done for us all.
We are the redeemed of the Lord.
Our redemption is because of His sacrifice, and the sacrifice of His Blood forgave us of our sins, the sins of the past, present and future.
Jesus became our way back to His Father's Kingdom. We are not supposed to be weak but we are called to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
And with our redemption comes our freedom that Christ died for according to Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. NKJV
Freedom is what we have—Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again. GNT
Because of Jesus Christ we are free from the kingdom of darkness and with that we cannot be hot or cold. Jesus gave us a warning of this in the book of Revelation 3:16 which says
So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
What is the Spirit of God saying to us in this verse? He is saying that we cannot serve God today and turn around tomorrow to serve Satan. We are to believe in His redemptive plan and we are to love Him with all our heart, soul , mind and strength and also to live by faith in the finished work of His Son.
Jesus Himself said we cannot have two masters in Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other
Therefore, we either serve God or not but since He Himself delivered us from Satan's domain for our redemption why don't we take a stand against the enemy of our lives and proclaim our liberty in Christ by submitting to His will for our lives like Jesus did in the garden before He was arrested.
Once we choose to be a partaker of His Kingdom He says to us in 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
And in 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
The contemporary version writes it this way.
Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.
Now that we are in Christ we are a new person and a brand - new creation. we now find our new identity in Christ and in his WORD. All the things of the past has gone, our spirit man is made new totally and this is why we love God and obey His WORD.
Our redemption comes with promises from God.
Numbers 23:23
For there is no sorcery against Jacob,
Nor any divination against Israel.
It now must be said of Jacob
And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgement
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.
Psalms 91
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.
Scriptures on Redemption
Hebrews 9:15
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Isaiah 44:22
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you.”
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Psalms 111:9
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.
We are the redeemed of the Lord.
The price was paid and we can be free from this evil world by having faith in God, believe in His redemptive plan by standing on the promises of His WORD.
God never lies and can never fail has he said and would He not bring to pass? If we do our part by fixing our eyes on Jesus His Son who is our Redeemer we can enjoy life and be blessed in all we do.
Jesus became our substitute on the cross for our freedom. Amen
