Alfredo Harp is worth around $1.2 billion. He made his fortunes in finance and banking in Mexico. He also owns two Mexican baseball teams. But Alfredo is noteworthy for another reason other than his substantial monies. In 1994, he was kidnapped by a gang that demanded an initial ransom in the neighborhood of $100 million. His family went on local TV on June 25 only minutes before the deadline to tell the kidnappers they would agree to pay the negotiated ransom to free Alfredo. Because of the prevalence of this kind of thing in Central America in recent days, his company actually had kidnapping insurance. So Alfredo was released when K & R Insurance paid around $30 million for his release after 106 days in captivity. His ransom was on the largest in the world at the time.
In a sad twist to the story, Alfredo would later attend the funeral for a young 14-year-old boy named Fernando around a decade after he was released. Fernando was on his way to school in an armored BMW with a bodyguard. The car was stopped by officers wearing the uniforms of Mexico’s version of the FBI. It turns out the police themselves were in on the crime. Even though the family paid the ransom, the kidnapped boy’s body was found in the trunk of a vehicle. His father spoke at the boy’s memorial service and in the midst of wiping his eyes from tears, said, “…no more Fernandos!” Sadly, ransom is a part of life from Jesus’ day even to our own.
And one of the central elements to Christianity and a relationship with Christ is this: you’ve been ransomed much like Alfredo And Fernando. SomeOne has been paid for your release. Spiritually, I want to show you how the cross of Jesus also says, “…no more Fernandos!”
Find Ephesians 1 with me (Page 1159 in the pew Bibles). This morning I want you to look at the classic teaching of what makes Christianity so unique. What is the essence of Jesus’ mission and what did He come to accomplish, you’ll find it wrapped up in this word “redemption.”
As we celebrate what Jesus did on the cross at the holiday we call Easter, let’s look at three questions this morning:
What is Redemption?
Why Do I Need Redemption?
How Do I Get Redemption?
1) What is Redemption?
The word “redemption” there is a rich word. The word really means ransom like Alfredo’s a moment ago.
1.1 What is Redemption?
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7). The word ransom has two aspects to it. First of all, there is captivity, bondage, or slavery. Secondly, there is an exchange made to get the person out of slavery. There is a payment made. It’s when you make someone free who was a captive like a prisoner of war. Today, even kidnapping and ransom have gone digital.
1.2 Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malicious software designed to deny you access to your computer until you pay a ransom. This stuff is terrible and the people behind the attacks have no conscience.
The University of Vermont Medical Center October, a cyberattack knocked out 5,000 computers on the hospital's IT network. Hundreds of hospitals, big companies, and educational systems have their files locked up so they cannot access them. And these criminals ask for a ransom.
Again, the word “redemption” really means ransom. Just like the computer files are locked up so you are until Christ died for you. Christ frees you from your bondage to your sin, your ego, and your selfishness.
1.3 One Long Sentence
The Bible teaches Jesus’ work of redemption inside the longest sentence in the New Testament. You cannot tell it from your English version but Ephesians 1:3-14 is really one long sentence in the original language of the New Testament. Now, no English translation attempts to make it just 1 sentence because the sentence is so complicated. Paul got so excited that he couldn’t stop.
Have you ever gotten that excited — you just keep on talking? A teacher asked a young man if he knew how to spell banana? The young man said, “Yes! B-a-n-a-n-a-n-a-n-a-n-a-n…” The little boy didn’t know when to stop! And neither did Paul.
1.4 Panoramic View
The is perhaps the single greatest, most panoramic view of all that Christian salvation entails in one place. Have you ever looked at your house or your city from a panoramic view? You may have lived in the same place and the same city for years but when you look at your home from a mountaintop or the advantage of a drone, you’re overwhelmed by the panoramic perspective. Paul sees salvation in Christ from a panoramic viewpoint in this long sentence.
Over in chapter two, you’ll see salvation in Christ from a human perspective. But here in chapter one, the Bible is showing you what God did for you in Jesus Christ from God’s perspective, the mountaintop view. Paul is just trying to cram it all in, and he just won’t stop, he can’t stop. He just keeps talking and talking and talking like the boy trying to spell banana.
Paul is so excited about what he’s seeing. I hope you’ll share in his excitement.
1.5 This Is Your Life
This is your life. Verses 3-14 is the very best about you if you follow Christ. Here the Lord is simply giving your biography only it’s from God’s perspective: from eternity past to eternity future.
Now, friend, if you’re not interested in what you have in the Lord Jesus, and you’re not interested in your own personal spiritual welfare, what on earth would you be interested in? What excited Paul ought to excite you.
Now I want you to listen carefully because this sentence is about you.
1.6 To His Praise
Now, when you speak of redemption you get to the heart of Christianity and the significance of Jesus Christ. Let’s circle back to verse 6 again: “to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).
The Bible praises God’s grace. Why? Because it is God’s grace that fuels redemption. If can name stadiums for corporations, name hospital wings and civic centers for the generously wealthy, and pin soldiers for their bravery… … what should we offer for the One whose grace has claimed that which was lost, raised that which was dead, freed that which was enslaved, and restored that which was broken!
It’s God’s grace that fuels redemption.
1) What is Redemption?
2) Why Do I Need Redemption?
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7).
The Bible says your sin is so bad it required Jesus to die for you. Think back to Alfredo and Fernando. The only reason anyone would offer the kind of money their loved ones paid to such criminals is because these two were in such dire straits. We were in the slave market if you will. Jesus bought us with the silver of His tears and the gold of His blood. Jesus Himself said, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). This means He pulls you to freedom from all the addictions that seek to chain you.
2.1 Sin Calculation
God says you are drowning in debt – moral debt. You are over your head in debt to God. Just how much do you owe the Lord? If I pushed you to take a pen, sit down immediately and calculate the cost, where do you think your personal debt would come to? If it were me, we would quickly pass the millions and then into the billions. When calculating my sin debt, my calculator shortly stops because the amount runs to infinity.
2.2 737 Max Plane Crash
Many of you know the story of Boeing’s 737 Max where the plane crashed in 2019 in Ethiopia and then another crashed in 2018 in Indonesia. In all, 346 people were killed in those two crashes. Recently, Boeing has admitted to defrauding the FAA and is forced to pay $2.5 billion to settle the claims. They will likely face lawsuits against the two individual airlines as well. In fact, the nation of Ethiopia has reportedly been offered between $500 and $600 million to settle their claims out of court. But experts are telling them to reject this offer for more. In all, Boeing has set aside around $9 billion dollars to clean up the 737 max debacle. Just how much would you find someone for taking 346 people's lives? And does money really cover the emotional and moral cost of something like this?
2.3 Sin Calculation Continued
Let’s get back to you again. Again, if I pushed a pen over to you, asking you to calculate the cost of your sin, where do you think your personal debt would come to? If we could tally up your lying and your cheating? What if I approached those closest to you about the hurt your ego and selfishness have caused? If it were me, we would quickly pass the millions and then into the billions. When calculating my sin debt, my calculator shortly stops because the amount runs to infinity. Now, you don’t want to hear that but deep inside of you, you know this is true. When you’re told that the fine of your sins is unbelievably high, people don’t like to hear this kind of thing.
2.4 Mid Air Collision
Let’s stay with air traffic crashes for a moment. On July 1, 2002, a Russian passenger jet and a cargo jet collided in mid-air over southern Germany. 69 people were killed and 45 Russian school children were killed. The official investigation discovered the main cause of the collision was the Swiss Air Traffic Controller. And specifically, Peter Nielson who was working two workstations at the same time was found responsible. Peter needed medical attention due to the traumatic stress caused by the accident. I watched a movie about this just last night where you could see it simply devastated this man. He could function as a father and his marriage was in jeopardy. Peter experienced at an extreme level what we have all experienced when we realize the impact our sins have made.
God sent Jesus to redeem you, to ransom you. The fine of your sin was too high for gold and silver. Christ paid the fine, the enormous fine you had incurred. You are in dire striates.
1) What is Redemption?
2) Why Do I Need Redemption?
3) How Do I Get Redemption?
God has ransomed and redeemed only those who have accepted His Son. The only way to be ransomed is to be in Christ: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7).
When you are reading the book of Ephesians, you’ll come across one phrase over and over again – “In Christ.” That phrase or a similar expression occurs 39 times in the book “In Christ.” It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of Jesus Christ here. In the first 14 verses, Jesus is mentioned 15 times either by name or by pronoun. Can you find them all? God has accepted those of us who have accepted His Son.
3.1 Religious Buffet
Now, there are some 4,200 different recognized religions in the world right now. It seems there is an endless stream of spiritual possibilities in our day. If religion was a buffet, you have all these “god” choices before you. It looks like it is coming from the same cook, the same restaurant, and the same table. Yet, in the restaurant called Christianity, there is only one item on the menu – Jesus. Christianity says He is the only food both good for you and lasts forever. But while there are over two billion people who claim to follow Jesus Christ, nearly 7 out of 10 people have refused to eat from the Christian menu.
How can Jesus alone be true and everything else be leftovers? It’s because of His life, death, and resurrection. No one else did what He did and can accomplish what He accomplished.
Yes, the Bible begs to differ: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7). Your sins needed to be fined and not even $9 billion is enough in God’s mind. The Bible says the fines of your debt were so high only Jesus’ blood, His life, was enough to pay your sins. The death of Jesus was an enormously costly payment.
The Bible is clear that sin is so costly, the only way to pay for the fines sin incurs is by blood: “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22b).
The Bible says the cross was God’s payment for you: “You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men” (1 Corinthians 7:23). In Jesus, we are free men and women. Whatever has enslaved you or wants to enslave you (drugs, alcohol, food, sex, gambling, fears) makes no difference. Jesus has redeemed you, He’s bought you, and He’s paid for you – He ransomed you. You are free to be who God made you be, free to do what God wants you to do, and free to go where God wants you to go.
3.2 Substitute
He died a death I deserved so I could live a life that He deserved. Substitution is an important concept to grasp if you want to benefit from Jesus’ blessings. Jesus was our substitute. All this upcoming week, there will be substitute teachers in place of regular teachers in school classrooms.
This past Monday, I was scheduled to do a fitness class with my youngest. I stepped out at the last minute and my oldest son joined my youngest son in the fitness class. I went to Rudy’s BBQ later that day instead. My son was my substitute. But fitness doesn’t work like Jesus and the cross (if only it would!). When my oldest son stepped in for me and was my substitute, the benefits of exercise were not transferred to me. All the benefits of that hour of exercise remained with him and him only. I received no physical benefits whatsoever from his workout. But when Jesus is my substitute, I do receive the spiritual benefit the benefits from His death.
3.3 Jesus’ Blood Continued
The blood of Jesus is enormously powerful. I was interested to read that in 1994, authorities seized 1/5 of an ounce of plutonium in Adolf Jakle’s garage. Jakle was a German traveling salesman and this weapons-grade plutonium likely was stolen from Russia. It’s alarming to think that so little of something could be so potent.
To show you the strength of such a small amount of plutonium, in 1959, they had an accident at the Oak Ridge Atomic Laboratory in Tennessee. A door exploded, blew open, in the processing cell there in that laboratory, and 1/5 of an ounce of plutonium was broadcast out into the air—one-fifth of an ounce. Do you know what they had to do over at Oak Ridge when 1/5 of an ounce of plutonium got out into the air? Everybody that was within four acres had to turn in their clothes to be decontaminated, and everybody had to take special medical tests. All of the buildings were washed, and all of the roofs were resurfaced. Why the surrounding lawn was even dug up and buried very deeply. They even took a chisel and chiseled off one hundred yards of a road. And all of the buildings were repainted, and everything had to be done because of 1/5 of an ounce of plutonium.
How can so little of something be so powerful? And yet, there’s no sin, not a blot, not a blur, not a blemish, not a stain, that the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse. The blood of Jesus conquers and cleanses us.
3.4 Forgiveness
Look at the effect Jesus’ blood has on those who trust Him: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7).
Your sins are forgiven.
Dear friend, if you put your sin under the blood of Jesus Christ and it comes up again, it’s not God bringing it up.
3.5 Layers of Grace
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7).
Imagine with me if all of God’s great character traits were personified at the beginning of time. That is, each and every one of God’s traits could walk and talk as if they were their own person before anything else was created or Adam and Eve walked in the garden. And if all of God’s rich character traits assembled in one conference room for the purpose of increasing our worship of God Himself. Imagine if His Justice sat in one chair and His Grace sat across the table along with His Justice and Wisdom. God’s Mind would foresee that humans would fall into chaos, confusion, and selfish bedlam. His Justice would rise up to say, “If people are to fall and broke God’s commands, they must be punished!” Grace stood to inquire that if humans could be saved, they should be saved all the while Justice remains satisfied. Wisdom answered Grace’s question by saying that only God’s own Son was an answer to this dilemma. Wisdom promised that the Son would come in the fulness of time and would become man for us. He would become man for us to secure our redemption and absorb all of God’s rightful wrath for humanity’s sins.
While all of God’s traits were active in the conference room that day, it was God’s Grace that seemed to preside over the meeting. It was God’s grace that inspired Wisdom. It was God’s grace that defended us when Justice seems to rightfully speak against us. It was God’s grace that was our advocate. Grace pleaded our cause and devised the plan in the council chambers of eternity.
Grace wears the crown of glory and honor on His head forevermore! Yes, God is the source of each and every blessing we enjoy.
Conclusion
I wonder this morning, while heads are bowed and all eyes are closed how many in this building can say, “Scott, I have received Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Plus, I have confessed Jesus Christ openly and publicly before all my friends and co-workers. And, I have followed my Lord Jesus in the obedience of believer’s baptism by immersion after I’ve been saved. And, lastly, I am now living for the Lord Jesus as part of a New Testament, Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church.”
If you can give me that kind of testimony, would you just lift your hand right now? Hold it up and wave it at me, please. Let this be your testimony right now. Just keep it for a minute, and say, “Thank you, Lord. I could say, ‘yes.’ Hallelujah! Thank you for that, Jesus.” Now, take your hands down.
Prayer
