The Cross - Redemption Series

THE CROSS - REDEMPTION

A gem dealer was strolling the aisles at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show when he noticed a blue-violet stone the size and shape of a potato. He looked it over, then, as calmly as possible, asked the vendor, "You want $15 for this?" The seller, realizing the rock wasn’t as pretty as others in the bin, lowered the price to $10. The stone has since been certified as a 1,905-carat natural star sapphire, about 800 carats larger than the largest stone of its kind. It was appraised at $2.28 million. I hope you understand your value to God today. You may feel like a worthless rock but God sees you for the Gem you are. It took a lover of stones to recognize the sapphire’s worth. It took the Lover of Souls to recognize the true value of ordinary-looking people like us.

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

What is redemption? The word means ’to buy back’. To truly understand what God’s redemption means to us you need to know the heart of God. Sometimes God demonstrates his heart for us by practically calling us to participate in an event which shows us in a way we can understand. A great example of this is found in the book of Hosea:

Hosea 1:2 When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. 5 In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel." 6 Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call her Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them. 7 Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them--not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the LORD their God." 8 After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. 9 Then the LORD said, "Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am not your God

Hosea 3:1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes." 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. 3 Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."

Put yourself in the place of Hosea. He was a young prophet who was a contemporary of Isaiah. The Lord came to him and told him that he had a wife in mind. Imagine the excitement! Maybe Hosea started naming off all the godly Jewish woman he could think of. God ends up saying something that Hosea did not expect;

1. Marry Her -

God calls Hosea to go and to marry a prostitute. Certainly this is an unusual request. If God had asked me to do this I know how I would have answered, ‘No Way’. What about being unequally yoked and all that? What about my reputation? But God was wanting to communicate His heart – showing what He has done for us. He came to us while we were far from Him and showed His love for us.

Romans 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God redeemed the human race when we were still spitting in his face. -- Oswald Chambers

Not only did Hosea have to deal with an unfaithful wife but also with children of unfaithfulness. The fact that the word ‘children’ is plural means that at least 2 of the children born to Hosea and Gomer were out of adultery. He had to deal with children that were not even his. Look at the names: