Luke chapter 1, please, if you'll
turn there. The first song we sang this morning happened to be My Redeemer. And
that happens to be the title of our message today, My Redeemer,
Christ, My Redeemer. is what I want to talk to you
about this morning. And I'm going to read a few verses,
skipping some to save time, in Luke chapter 1, beginning with
verse 67. In a miraculous manner, God loves
to deal in miracles. In a miraculous manner, this
old man and his wife, brought forth a son, and his
name was John, J-O-H-N, John. And the father was Speechless,
he couldn't talk. Because of unbelief at the announcement
of Elizabeth's conception, he couldn't talk until the moment
the baby was born. The family gathered around, what
are we going to name him? What are we going to call him?
Zacharias, what are we going to call him? His wife said, J-O-H-E-N,
John. And they looked at his father
and he said, give me a motion for a piece of paper, I guess.
And they gave him a piece of paper. And he wrote J-O-H-N. His name is J-O-H-N John. And that's John the Baptist.
Very exciting times. It had been 400 years since God
sent a fresh word. 400 years since God sent a prophet
to these people. They'd been going on in their
religion, happy in their religion, bragging and boasting in their
religion, and yet God wasn't in it. He told them 400 years
ago, He said, you won't hear my word. You won't take it to
heart. You won't give me the glory.
And I'm going to curse your blessings. In fact, He said, I already have.
I'm not going to receive anything, nothing, nothing. They worship,
they go to church. Every Sabbath they go to synagogue. But God said, I'm not going to
receive anything, nothing at your hand. He said, when you
come before me to worship in your most solemn feast, it's
like playing in the manure. It's a dung feast! And I won't
have anything to do with it. And after 400 years, all through
those 400 years, there had been some people who waited for the
redemption of Israel. When Christ, the child at eight
days of age, was brought to the temple to do to Him according
to the law, There was a woman named Anna, an old, old woman
named Anna, just happened to come by at that time. And the
Bible says she went and told all those that waited for redemption
in Israel. There were some. Most of them
were waiting for some kind of physical redemption, some kind
of ruling king like Solomon or David, but there were some. God
has always had His people. There were some who were waiting
for redemption in Israel. Now, after John's mouth was opened,
he was able to talk again. This little baby was born. And
here is verse 67. Let's begin there. And his father
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost. And he prophesied. He told forth the truth. The first thing he did is the
first thing all of us ought to do all the time. Blessed be the
Lord God of Israel. For he hath visited and redeemed
his people. And he hath raised up a horn
of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. as he spake
by the mouth of the holy prophets which have been sent, the word
began, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the
hand of all that hate us, and to perform the mercy promised
to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant. The oath which you swear to our
father Abraham, which reaches throughout the Gentile nations,
and whereby he visited us here and brought us together. We're
the children of Abraham. That he would grant unto us that
we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve
him without fear, might serve him in holiness and righteousness
before him all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt
be called the prophet of the highest. Talking about his own
son, John. Shalt be called the prophet of
the highest. For you shall go before the face
of the Lord to prepare his way. And that's what Isaiah said a
long time ago. To give knowledge of salvation. This is wonderful. to give knowledge
of salvation unto His people by the remission, the forgiveness
of their sins through the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ. not be too long this morning.
But let's think about Christ, our Redeemer. Christ, our Redeemer. You know, people use words that
they don't really ever look up, look them up, see what they mean.
Christ, our, what does it mean, Redeemer? What's redemption mean? Can a man be partially redeemed,
halfway redeemed? Man may make it his chief concern
in religion, to study doctrine, theology, and creeds, and confessions,
and all the while Christ is in the background. They do it all
the time. Brother Mahan said years ago,
they talk about redemption, but not the Redeemer. They talk about
salvation, but not the Savior. It's all in the Savior. It's
all in seeing Him. The man who makes it his chief
concern to learn of Christ and know Him, you'll see all the
doctrine and all theology in Christ. It's all in Him. He is God's message. He's not only our Savior, He
is salvation. He's not only the peace-bringer,
He is our peace. Our Lord Jesus Christ. As we
follow the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven to earth, In His
incarnation, we're bound to ask ourselves,
why? Why? Did Almighty God come down to
this earth to become one of us? Well, that's what this book is
all about. That's what it's all about. You study Christ, you
see all the doctrines, all in Him, the Lord Jesus Christ. We see man's desperate need.
And we see God's infinite love and grace, His sovereign wisdom
and purpose, all in the Lord Jesus Christ. If men can save
themselves, then Christ came for nothing. That's what the
Bible teaches. If men can establish righteousness,
as David talked about that, they can do it by themselves. They
don't need Christ. Christ came for nothing. But
they can do it. When we see who the Lord Jesus
Christ is, who He is that became one of us in all things that
behooved Him to be made like us. Seat of Abraham. To live and to die and to rise
again from the grave and return to glory. When we see that, We do not doubt. We cannot doubt. But that whatever
He sets His hand to, He'll accomplish it. If He could come down here
and become one of us, and still remain the unchangeable, immutable
God, if He could say, no man takes my life from me, I have
the power to lay it down, I have the power to take it up, and
He did lay it down, and He did get up one morning and walk down
that grave, that too. And we can't doubt but that he'll
accomplish everything he set his hand to do. God said, I'll
hold him by the hand when he comes. He's my favorite. I'll
hold him by the hand. He'll not fail nor be discouraged. But he shall accomplish that
which I do I send him. He is the W-O-R-D, the Word of
God. He is the message from glory.
The Lord Jesus Christ. You study him and all the doctrines
in him. It's all in him. When we see who He is and what
He became, that He came down here to live and die, and He
got up out of that tomb and went back to glory, then we do not
doubt but that whatever He sets His hand to, He will fully, satisfactorily,
successfully accomplish. He never faints. Never faints. It was with infinite wisdom and
purpose that he became a man. Infinite divine wisdom and purpose
that this one became a man. Divine wisdom and purpose that
there was a conception in the womb of a virgin. That a virgin
brought forth the Son of God. Son of Mary, Son of God. It was
with infinite and divine purpose that He lived His days out in
this world as a despised Nazarene, meek and lowly, and yet holy. Holy. The Holy One of God. That's what He's called. It is with infinite wisdom and
purpose that he died on that Roman cross. And his sufferings on that cross,
leading up to the cross, are described in the Old Testament.
The purpose of God. Peter said on the day of Pentecost,
you men of Israel, listen to me now. He was delivered by the
determinate counsel of predestination of God. Determinate counsel and
full knowledge of God. With wicked hands you took him
and crucified him and slew him. But God raised him up. All the purpose of God. The purpose
of God being fulfilled. Acts 2.23. Now all is the planning
and purpose of infinite wisdom carried out in infinite power,
proposed and planned in infinite love and grace. Everything the
Son became and did. Everything. Thus, those who know
the Son, they realize that He rules over all. that the Father
delivered all things into the hands of the God-man, the Lord
Jesus Christ. And he shall not fail, nor be
discouraged in the way. With him, those who see and know
him, they know that with him there are no vain trials, there
are no futile efforts. Whatever he sets his hand to
accomplish, he shall do. as it's said of the Father in
Isaiah chapter 46. He said, if I've said it, I'll
do it. If I purpose it, I'll bring it to pass. Bring it to
pass. That's the God with whom, well,
that's Christ. He's God. He's God. He's not the little pigment that
the world sees in our day. When we see the Lord Jesus Christ,
we see the purpose of God, the success of God in Christ, the
accomplishments of God in Christ. He went forth conquering and
to conquer, and He still is. He still is. On the cross, He
conquered death, hell, and the grave, and Satan. And today,
I see him riding gloriously, triumphantly, and the question
arises, who is this that comes from Bozrah, traveling in the
greatness of his strength? Blood-stained garments. Oh, bless
God, it's Jesus, the mighty to save. Mighty to save! Not trying to save. Not hoping
to save. Mighty to save. Those angels
appeared to the shepherds. They said, unto you is born this
day in the city of David a Savior. Christ the Lord. Not a would-be
Savior. Not a hoped-to-be Savior. Not
a trying-to-be Savior. A Savior. A real, successful,
efficient Savior. Savior, Christ the Lord. Thus,
when we see the words of old Zacharias, we share his confidence. It was revealed to him who John
was, what he would do, the great office he would have, and he
would announce the coming of Christ and preach to the people. What is it? Remission of sins. Salvation! by having your sins
forgiven. Verse 77. Oh, what did He say in these
verses we read? He said, My son John shall announce
the coming of that prophet, the Messiah, the Redeemer. The Redeemer. Redeemer. And this Redeemer is coming out
of the house of David. David's son and David's Lord. Surely God hath visited and redeemed
his people. These people, Zacharias called
his people, they're redeemed. They are redeemed in Christ.
He is the Redeemer. John shall bring them to this
knowledge. Redemption and the forgiveness
of sins. Redemption and the forgiveness
of sins. Now when men get to know the
Redeemer, they will not doubt the certainty of redemption.
He never died on the cross trying to redeem somebody, but he died,
he redeemed. He died and he obtained with
his blood, through his blood, through his death, the eternal
redemption of his people, whoever they are. He fully accomplished
that for which He came, that for which He was sent of the
Father. He is a successful, victorious Redeemer. However, merely looking
at the word redemption, it tells us the same thing. You either
redeemed or you aren't. No halfway point or no part of
redemption. Christ either redeemed some or
He didn't. And if He redeemed them, they're redeemed. Redemption means to buy back.
Redemption means paying what's due to deliver. Paying a ransom to redeem. The
ransom in the Bible is the redemption price. Price of redemption. And my friends,
sinners are under the curse of the law of God, born that way.
They're born in sin, under the law, under the curse of the law,
in bondage to the law, they can't get out. And Christ came to redeem. What good news? Here we are,
the whole human race, by one man sinning into the world, and
death by sinning. Death passed upon all of us.
We're all dead in trespasses as it's said. We're all by nature
children of wrath. And we can't get out. In bondage. Christ came to those in John
9 and said, I come to set men free. They said, we don't need
you. We've never been in bondage.
Then in John chapter 8, Christ said, I came to give sight to
the blind. Well, they said, go somewhere
else. We see real well. Until a man sees the need, he'll
never see the remedy. Never see the remedy. Sinners
are under the bondage of the law of God and the awful curse
of that broken law. And not one man ever, not one
man will ever go free without paying the full ransom, the full
redemption price. Never. God can by no means. Exodus 34 says, God can by no
means. No means. Clear the guilty. Well, then how does He clear
people? He makes them innocent. His Son redeems them. He satisfies
the law for them. He satisfies justice for them.
Like David said this morning, no charge against them. The law
had no charge against them. None whatsoever. The same law
that condemned them and cursed them. Now, He said, let them go free. No charge against them. What a Redeemer, what redemption
we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. Redemption. And no one will ever
go free until a full ransom has been paid. And when the ransom
has been paid, dear soul, they're redeemed. And they'll go free. In God's time, they'll go free.
Christ died for them. Christ redeemed them. They'll
go free. Let me say it again. Here we
are, all of us under the wrath of God, dead in trespasses and
in sins. We've already been tried and
convicted and sentenced, and we're just waiting for the judgment.
And I hear the news. Christ has redeemed some people. Oh, maybe me. Maybe me. What
good news that is. God loves some people. Here I
am in this prison house on death row. Maybe me. Maybe He'll forgive
me. Maybe. But ransom, what I'm trying
to say is that ransom equals redemption. The Bible says in
I believe Matthew 20 and verse 28. He came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom, a ransom
for many, to redeem many, to redeem many from bondage. If ransom doesn't equal redemption,
then you can forget about ransom and forget about redemption.
There is no such thing. You know, you used to get the
steel can, I guess. You used to get coupons in the
mail, and they'd stick it in your mailbox. A coupon, you could
take it to Hardee's and redeem it. One coupon, one burger. One coupon, one fries. Whatever
it was. But you take it down there and you offer the coupon,
you get the redemption price. You get the price of that coupon.
You redeem that coupon. And my wife used to gather green
stamps. I don't even know why they give
them out anymore now. Different places in town give out green
stamps and you bring them home and lick them good and put them
in a book, you know. And when you get as many as you want to
get what you want out of the book, you take it down to the
redemption store. Give them the stamps. They give
you the price of those stamps. That's redemption. That's redemption. You redeem those stains. You
receive their value. That's what it means. Now, what
is the price of redeeming a sinner? I wonder how many people in the
world today and the Baptist churches around the country today understand
what that is. What's the price? How can a sinner
walk away free? How can God be just and justify
such ungodly people? How can that Job said, he which
is born of a woman be clean in the eyes of God? Let me show
you. Look at Psalm 49 just a moment. I believe that's what it is.
Psalm 49. Verse 6. Psalm 49.6. They that trust in their wealth
and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, and a lot of
folks do, none of them can by any means redeem his brother
or give to God a ransom for him. For the redemption of their soul
is precious, and it ceaseth forever." What's the price of redemption?
Well, I won't turn to all these places, but it's the precious
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing less. Nothing else. The precious blood of the Lord
Jesus. That's the price of redemption. The price of redemption. My life, my death, sacrifice
of myself, all the money in the world cannot redeem my soul or
anyone else's. You know those Old Testament
priests, they went in daily, over and over and over and over
again, offered the same sacrifices, which never put away one sin,
never redeemed any sinner from any sin, never paid the ransom
price. for their sins. I've got some
good news for you. Turn to Galatians 3. Galatians
chapter 3. Look at verse 13. Christ, that's the big name there,
above every other. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to every believer. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law. How? by being made a curse for
us, He became our curse on that cross. He bore our sin, our guilt,
and the curse of God. And for the first time throughout
all of eternity, God turned His back on His only Son, only begotten
Son. And no wonder He cried out, Why hast Thou forsaken me? Now
look at chapter 4, verse 4. When the fullness of time was
come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the
law, that qualified Him to redeem us. He was made of a woman, seed
of Abraham. He's one of us. Made of a woman,
made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law. that we might receive the adoption
of sons. Now listen to me, everyone for
whom he died, everyone whom he redeemed, they're going to receive
the forgiveness of sins. They're going to be set free
and receive the spirit of adoption and be the sons of God by adoption. Christ's sacrifice was satisfactory
because of two things. Innocence and infinite in one
person. Innocence, that man was innocent. That man had no sins of his own.
The Bible says concerning him he had no sin, he did no sin,
and he knew no sin. He was qualified to take ours
upon himself. He didn't have to suffer for
his own, he had none. But He took ours upon Himself, and He
redeemed us from the curse of the law. He was innocent, but
He was also infinite. How much, how do you value that
sacrifice? How do you put a price on it?
How do you put a value on it? Well, just call it infinite.
You can't put a value on it. You can't. Infinite! God died. God shed His blood. That man who died was God. The
man who shed His blood was God. Peter said in I Peter 1.18, We
are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Not by gold
and silver and these kind of things, but by the precious blood
of Christ. We are redeemed unto God. Hebrews 9.12, by His one offering,
He obtained for His people eternal redemption. He redeemed somebody.
Boy, I'm interested in that. I want to be one of those somebodies.
I sure do. He obtained eternal redemption
for somebody. Why not me? Why not you? Somebody, His people, whoever
they are, are set forth in the Scriptures as believers. Let me show you some other things
in the Scriptures. You write these down if you want. I'm not
going to turn to all these passages. And there are numerous others
I could turn to. Matthew 20, 28. They're called
many. He came not to be ministered
unto, but to give his life a ransom for many. Whoever that many is,
they're redeemed. He paid the price. He paid the
ransom. They're redeemed. And the Latin word for ransom
is redemptio. Redemptio. R-E-D-E-M-P-T-I-O. Whatever that is. 1 Corinthians 6.20. You're not your own. You're redeemed by the blood
of Christ. You are bought with a price. That's what the Bible says. You're
bought with a price. And Christ was that price paid.
Gave Himself. Luke 1.58, Zechariah said, He's
redeemed His people. Whoever they are, He's redeemed
His people. Isaiah 53, verses 8 and 10, it
called His people and His seed. He redeemed them. He shall see
of the travail of His soul and be satisfied, verse 11, for His
people, with His people. Acts chapter 20, I believe that's
28. I think I have it down wrong.
No, maybe 20. Acts chapter 20, verse 28. He purchased the church with His own blood. The blood
of God. That's what it said. The blood
of God. John chapter 10. He said, I have
some sheep. I know my sheep. I love my sheep.
Lay down my life for my sheep. I call each one of them by name
and they follow me and they won't follow anyone else. And I give
them eternal life. Eternal life. Eternal life. Redeemed under
God. by the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25.
Husbands, love your wives even as Christ loved the church. Gave himself for it. The church. His people. Abraham's
seed. His seed. Different ways they're
taught about. They're talked about. Ephesians chapter 1, Romans chapter
8, they're called plainly and clearly the elect of God, the
chosen of God. He redeemed them. They're redeemed. And just as sure as they're redeemed,
they're going to be forgiven. Made aware of what he did. In
whom you trusted after that you heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation. And the Holy Spirit will bring
that truth to them. He's going to take that truth
through the preaching of the Gospel and show them, show them
the things of Christ. Show them the things of Christ.
Let me show you in Revelation 5 just a moment. I want to show
you something. Most people in this city, throughout
the state, throughout the United States, all around the world,
think that God loves everybody alike and that Christ died for
all men. But it's not so. He loves His
people. He died for His people. He redeemed
His people. He calls His people. He keeps
His people. One day, He's going to stand
before the Father, David, and say, behold, I and the children,
here we are. Here we are. And you know what
they're going to look like? Just like Christ, like Him, like
Him, like Him. Hebrews, Revelation chapter 5,
look at verse 9. This is what we're all going
to sing. They sing whatever they want to down here, it doesn't
matter. The ones that make it to glory, the ones who are saved
by the grace of God, by the purpose of God, the love of God, the
power of God. They sung a new song in heaven
saying they are worthy. Christ, singing of Christ, Thou
art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof.
For Thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood. Look at those next words. Out
of, out of all the kingdoms Kindreds and tongues and peoples and nations
of this world, God redeemed these unto God by His own blood. Boy, I won't sing about that
as long as God gives me breath in this life and forever. Christ
redeemed me. I was in the kingdom of darkness,
in the kingdom of Satan, under the bondage of sin and death,
and He came down here and snatched me out. Snatched me out. Translated me into the kingdom
of His dear Son. Gave me a new nature. Gave me
the spirit of adoption. I've been changed ever since.
Not like I'd like to be changed, but there's been a change. And
then in Revelation 14, turn there just a moment. Revelation 14. These people here, verse 4, are
they which are not defiled with women. They're perfect and pure,
spotless and blameless, without blemish in the sight of God,
in the sight of the universe now. They are virgins. They're pure
and innocent in Christ Jesus. These are they which follow the
Lamb with us wherever He goes. These were redeemed. What's it
say next? From among men. Every kindred and tongue and
people and nation. God's redeemed the people unto
Himself. These are redeemed from among
men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. Christ hath redeemed the people. And this is sure, if two and
two is four, or even if two and two ceases to be four, they're
going to be brought to glory. God's going to see to it. It's
God's purpose. It's God's plan. It's God's wisdom. It's God's power. It's God's
love and grace. He'll see to it. He'll see to
it. And his people forever and ever
are going to sing of his sovereign, free, redeeming grace. the effectual, successful, conquering
Redeemer. Somebody might be sitting here
this morning and say, Preacher, what about me? I'd sure like
to be numbered among these. You're not the only one. I want
to. I want that more than anything else in this world. And the older
I get, the more urgent it is. I want to know that I've been
redeemed by the blood of Christ. Everybody in America thinks they
have, but they don't understand what redemption is. I want to know if I've been redeemed
by the blood of Christ. Well, I'll tell you this. You'll never know this redeeming
grace of God until He brings you to see your need of redemption. I need this redemption. I have nothing to offer unto
God but filthy rags. But He showed me that in Christ I can stand before God, accepted
of God, accepted in the Beloved through faith in His name. Turn
to Romans 3, just a moment. Romans chapter 3. This is plain
and clear and doesn't need any comment. Verse 23, all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. Then verse 24 just jumps out
at you. We're all sinners. Being justified
freely. by His grace, through the redemption
that's in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in His blood, redeemed us to God by His own blood, and
we trust in His death. We trust in Him and the death
He died for us. To declare His righteousness,
God's righteousness in forgiving us of our sins through the forbearance
of God, past and present. Every time God saves a sinner,
Christ enables Him to do so. And the death of Christ is a
declaration of how God is righteous in doing so. How God is, what
did John say? Faithful and just to forgive
us. He not only may forgive us, He's faithful and just to forgive
us. How can He be faithful and just?
Faithful to the sacrifice of Christ. And just according to
the law, His own law. In Christ we've come to the end
of the law. We've satisfied the law. Paul
said in Galatians 2.19, He said, I, through the law, through the
law, I am dead to the law, that I might live unto God through
the law." What do we mean through the law? We mean Christ satisfied
the law for me. I didn't bypass the law. I didn't
try to skip around the law. I satisfied the law in my substitute. In the next verse, Paul said,
I through the law am dead to the law that I might live unto
God, for I am crucified with Christ. That's when he died. I am crucified with Christ. That's
when his sins were punished. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. The life which
I now live in this flesh, I live by the faithfulness of the Son
of God, who loved me, gave himself for me. Redeemed me unto God
by His own blood. Keeps me, day by day, looking
to Him, leaning on Him, loving Him, and waiting for Him. May
God bless these words to every heart. If you haven't believed
on Him, why haven't you? He's trustworthy. It's impossible
for God to lie. And He says these words, Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. You shall be saved. It's beyond
question. It's a shall. You shall be saved. Mark, may God enable you to do
just that. Okay, David.