Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter
3. I want to look at one verse this
morning, verse 24. It says, being justified freely
by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Our
subject is the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Sinners are
justified freely. That means apart from our works,
apart from our doing anything, God makes our record to be totally
without sin. Past, present and future is totally
without sin. We have no record before God
of sin. And it's by God's grace that
means it's apart from our works. This is Paul's main point that
he's declaring. This all is apart from our works. None of our works towards the
law makes any of this come to pass. It's by grace. Unmerited
favor. Some have called it demerited
favor. Because we not only did not merit
it, we demerited it. And yet He was gracious to us.
But it's through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Now,
what is redemption? What is redemption? We say that
word a lot. Do you know what redemption actually
means? To redeem is to deliver by the
payment of a price. It's to deliver by the payment
of a price, the payment of a ransom price. It's liberation by the
payment of a ransom. Now, every sinner that God saves,
we had to be redeemed by Christ. Look back up at verse 23. It
says, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
All Adam's race sinned when Adam sinned. Verse 9 says, Both Jew
and Gentiles are all under sin. As it is written, there's none
righteous, no, not one. When we sinned in Adam, and then
when we were born by our own transgression, We sold ourselves
under sin. We sold ourselves under sin. We started in bondage slaves
to sin and under the curse of the law. And then he says, and
all have come short of the glory of God. The image of God is called
the glory of God over in Corinthians. image of God. We've come short
of the image of God. Man was created by God in the
image of God. But by sin our nature became
corrupt so that we fall short of the image, the glory of God. So Christ must come forth and
he must pay the law what his people owed to the law. The price demanded is his blood,
his life, in the place of His people. He had to pay what we
owe. The wages of sin is death. He
had to pay what we owe to justice. And by that He redeemed His people
from the curse and condemnation of the law. There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. because
Christ purchased His people. He redeemed His people back to
Himself from the curse of the law by paying the ransom price
that was owed. And Scripture says not only that,
but one of these days when He returns, we're talking about
falling short of the glory of God and our body is not in His
image anymore, but one day He says that He shall redeem our
bodies from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the sons of God. So redemption beginning to end
is all of Christ apart from our works. Now I want us to see this
today by first going over to Leviticus 25. Let's go to Leviticus
25 and we're going to see the law of redemption. Under the
old covenant, God provided a law for the man who became bankrupt. He was totally insolvent. He
could not pay what he owed. And so God provided a law to
protect him, to provide for him. And in this law, He pictures
all His people and why our redemption is necessary. Look here, Leviticus
25 verse 47, He says, If a sojourner or stranger wax
rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor,
and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the
stock of the stranger's family, after that he is sold, he may
be redeemed again. One of his brethren may redeem
him. Either his uncle or his uncle's
son may redeem him. Or any that's nigh of kin, any
that's near kin to him, of his family may redeem him. Or if
he be able, he may redeem himself. Now all who God calls to faith
in Christ are pictured in this poor man. in this bankrupt center. All that God shall save, we all
have to take our place right here. This is a picture of us. He became so poor that he was
bankrupt. He had nothing with which to
pay to those he owed. He could not pay them. And so
what he was forced to do was he had to sell himself to them
and become their slave to work off what He owed to them or to
merely work for them. But the Lord said they could
be redeemed. By sinning, this is us, we became
bankrupt. By sinning we became bankrupt.
We sold ourselves under the law, to the law, to the curse and
condemnation of the law. And we owe the law something
we can't pay the law. We owe the law perfect righteousness
from the beginning of our life to the end of our life. We owe
the law justice. Wages of sin is death. We owe
the law eternal death for all our sins. We can't pay the law
what we owe. But God said here, if He's able,
He can redeem Himself. But we can't. We're not able.
We can't redeem ourselves. But look at this next thing.
God said, any that's near of kin unto him of his family may
redeem him. Now secondly, I want you to go
over to Ruth chapter 2 and let's see a picture of Christ our kinsman,
redeemer. Christ our near kinsman. We went
through this whole book of Ruth, but I want to look here now at
this kinsman redeemer. Now you remember, I'll give you
a little review. By one sin, just one sin, Elimelech
departed from the house of bread. He departed from Bethel, where
God promised to meet with his people, where he was feeding
his people. He departed from there because God gave a test.
He gave a famine. And Elimelech left there and
went down to the cursed land of Moab where God said he was
not even present. And by that one sin, he plunged
his wife Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth into total bankruptcy. But then they heard the good
news. They heard that God had visited His people in providing
bread in Bethel. They heard the gospel. And so
they went back to Bethel. And the scripture says, Ruth
2.1 says, And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man
of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz. Boaz is
the main figure in the book of Ruth. He's a type of Christ Himself. He was near kin. Christ is the
near kinsman of all His brethren. He's the firstborn among many
brethren. He's the elder brother. He's
near of kin, born of our bone, flesh of our flesh. He took upon
Him the nature of God's holy seed, of God's elect people. He's our near kin and He has
the ability. Boaz here was a man of great
wealth. His name means in Him is strength. That's what Boaz means. Christ
is the God-man of great wealth and in Him is all the strength
of His people. He has the ability to save us.
He's near of kin and He has the ability. But the third thing
that's needed is a willingness. And Boaz was willing. Look down
at Ruth. Let me see here. Look at Ruth 3 and verse 11. He says, Now my daughter, fear
not, I will do to thee all that thou requirest. Boaz was willing,
Christ willingly, nobody coerced him, he willingly came down from
heaven's glory and was made flesh so that he could go to the cross
and redeem his people from the curse of the law. He willingly
did this. Now, the whole purpose that Christ
came was in order to redeem us, God's holy character, required
that Christ must honor and magnify the law by fulfilling it in perfection. He had to honor and magnify the
law. God's holiness required it. It was a must. God's justice
must be poured out. So God remains just. It was necessary
to uphold and magnify His law. Now look at Ruth 3 and verse
12. Boaz said, Now it is true that I am thy near kinsman, howbeit
there is a kinsman nearer than I. Terry this night, and it shall
be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part
of a kinsman, well, let him do the kinsman's part. But if he
will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part
of a kinsman to thee. Look at Ruth 4 verse 1. Then
went Boaz up to the gate, and he sat him down there. And behold,
the kinsmen of whom Boaz spake came by, and unto whom he said,
Oh, such a one, turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside
and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders
of the city and said, Sit ye down here, and they sat down.
Now this near kinsman, he represents the law. This near kinsman represents
the law. Just look at what was taking
place here. He had lawful right to redeem Ruth first. He was nearer of kin than Boaz,
so the right of redemption fell to him first. And so Boaz has
got to deal with this nearer kinsman in order to fulfill God's
law. If God's law is going to be honored
and it's going to fulfill this law, then Boaz has got to go
and deal with this nearer kinsman first. Because he wants to honor
and magnify God's law. Christ came to declare God's
righteousness. He came to honor and magnify
the law of God. That's why he came. He came to
declare God just and justifier. Remember whom God set forth a
propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His righteousness
for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God. To declare, I say at this time, His righteousness
that He might be just and the justifier of him that believeth
in Jesus. This was the whole reason Christ
came was to declare God righteous. To manifest His righteousness,
His holiness, His perfection. And so, to honor God's law, in
order to honor God's law, Boaz went to the gate of the city.
He goes to the gate of the city. That's where God commanded that
His judges publicly judge the people. The gate of the city. It was a public place. It was
out in the open. Everybody could see it. And God
commanded that's where His judges were to judge the people. So
it would be public and it would be in front of everybody. And
when they judged, they were to judge justly. See, God's painting
us a picture here of what Christ would do on the cross. This gate
pictures the cross of Christ. This thing was not done in a
corner. It was done open in public for all to view. That's what
the significance of the gate was. And God said everything
has to be done justly, because it's showing how God judges.
Go to Deuteronomy 16 and let's look at verse 18. Hold your place
in Ruth, Deuteronomy 16, 18. He says, Judges and officers,
shalt thou make thee in all thy gates. See there, that's where
Boaz went, up to the gates. Judges and officers shall thou
make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee
throughout thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with just
judgment. Thou shalt not rest judgment,
thou shalt not respect persons, not even if the person is your
only begotten son. No respect of persons. Neither
take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise and
pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just
shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live and inherit the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee. So this nearest kinsman
and these ten elders represent the Ten Commandments and all
the ceremonial law. These ten elders Ten commandments
and this near kinsman, this represents all the law. That public gate
pictures the cross, the most public place where all can see
God's judgment upheld, where they can all see God's righteousness. And when Boaz called these ten
elders and this near kinsman, it's a picture of Christ. Christ
is spotless. God's going to do this thing
in perfect righteousness. And God said He hates those who
condemn the just and He hates those who justify the wicked.
Even they both are an abomination to God. God said, you judge justly. And so Boaz goes in there and
he takes these ten elders and this Nero Kinsman, he's putting
himself under the law. And it's a picture of Christ,
spotless Lamb of God who had to be made sin for us. He had
to be made sin for His people on the cross so that God could
judge Christ in just judgment. And that's what happened. He
was made sin for His people on the cross and God judged Him
in just judgment in place of His people. And God did that
to manifest His righteousness. He didn't even have a respect
of persons towards His Son but delivered Him up when sin was
found on Him. He's showing that He's perfectly
righteous. He will by no means clear the
guilty. He will not. God is righteous. He's righteous. He's the rock
and His work is perfect. All His ways are judgment. A
God of truth and without iniquity. Just and right is He. And we
see why Christ had to come. Because we see what the law cannot
do. because it's weak through our
flesh. We can't do this through the law. Look here at Ruth 4
and verse 3. So he sets this nearer kinsman
down and he said unto the kinsman, Naomi that is come again out
of the country of Moab selleth a parcel of land which was our
brother Elimelech's. And I thought to advertise thee,
saying, Buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem
it. But if thou wilt not redeem it,
then tell me that I may know. For there's none to redeem it
besides thee, and I am after thee. And the nearer kinsman
said, I will redeem it. I'll redeem it. Then said Boaz,
what day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must
buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead. Her husband
had died. And so this was the law that
he had to marry her and raise up the name of the dead upon
his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot
redeem it for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. Redeem thou
my right to thyself, for I cannot redeem it. Now, the near kinsman
now, you look at the law now, the near kinsman was willing
to take Naomi's land. He was willing to take Naomi's
land. And the picture here is, all the law can do is take from
the sinner. That's all the law can do and
remain just is take from you. If you think you have earned
a righteousness or a holiness by your deeds to the law, the
law will take that from you and declare you guilty. Paul said,
he said, I was alive without the law once. He thought he had
life because he was keeping the law, he thought. I was alive
without the law once, but when the commandment came, And I heard
what the law said. Sin revived. Sin became alive
and I died. All my goodness died. All my
holy living died. And the commandment which was
ordained to life I found to be unto death. He found out what
the law was given for. To shut our mouths and declare
us guilty. All the law can do is take from
us. Brethren, it cannot give you
anything. And then when the kinsman heard that he had to buy Ruth
and he had to produce children to preserve the name of her dead
husband, the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it lest I mar
my own inheritance. You see, the law is incapable
of giving a sinner life. The law can't put life in you
just like that nearer kinsman could not put life in Ruth unless
he marred his inheritance. The law cannot give you life,
it can't show you mercy, it can't forgive you of sin because if
it does, it's going to mar itself. It won't be just to do so because
we're guilty. We're guilty by nature. If there
had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. But there wasn't given a law
that could give life. So this Nero Kinsman, what did
he say? He said, I cannot redeem it.
He said, but Boaz, you can. You can. What do we read in Romans 8.3? What the law could
not do. in that he was weak through the
flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh
and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the
flesh but after the Spirit. Now notice here, brethren, when
Boaz went up there to that gate, Naomi and Ruth are nowhere around. They're not with him. They're
not with him. He went by himself. to handle
this matter of the law. He did that by Himself. And when
Christ went to the cross, His people didn't go with Him. We
were in Him, but we were not there adding to the work. Christ
had to do this alone. He had to answer to the law alone
for His people. He hath made Him sin for us who
knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God.
And here's what he did. Galatians 3.13 says, Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law. How? He gave the law
the purchase price that it demanded. Being made a curse for us. He gave the law what it demanded.
He was first made sin so that he could be made a curse. That
means He had to bear all the condemnation that His people
owed to justice. In those three hours of darkness
on the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ satisfied the law because
He died the second death on the cross. The second death is separation
from God. If you meet God in judgment and
God judges you, And you are without Christ, you will be punished
by the second death, which is eternal separation from God and
from the glory of His presence. It says that in Thessalonians.
It's separation from the glory of God, from the glory of His
presence, from the power of God. It's a place where men can do
whatever they want to do. Gnash upon one another with gnashing
of teeth and know all things that they could have had by Christ
and they refused. and yet not be able to leave
that place, be tormented day and night with all these things. Our Lord Jesus Christ on the
cross suffered that second death for His people. He didn't have
to go to a place called hell. He suffered it on the cross when
God forsook Him on the cross and He cried, My God, My God,
why has thou forsaken Me? He was bearing that second death. And when He said it's finished,
He finished it. It was finished. He has satisfied
divine justice. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law being made a curse for us. For it's written, Cursed
is everyone that hangeth on a tree. And He did this that the blessings
of Abraham might come on us Gentiles through Christ Jesus. That we
might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. He
did this so we could have all the free blessings that God gives
to His people. Now, be sure to get this. It
was a must. There was no other way. Christ
had to pay the ransom price demanded by the law in order to redeem
His people from the curse and condemnation of the law. Christ
had to pay the price God's justice demanded. He had to in order
for God to remain just. And so in place of His people,
He had to be made sin. And then He had to be made a
curse. First He had to be made flesh.
He had to be made under the law. And then He had to be made sin
because He knew no sin. And He had to be made a curse
for us and bear our punishment. And so then He paid with His
own precious blood. He laid down His own life. The
Lord said, the life of the flesh is in the blood. For it's the
blood that maketh atonement for the soul. Almost all things are
by the law perched with blood and without the shedding of blood
there's no remission. So that was the price and Christ
paid it. And He paid it in full by paying
that ransom price. He honored the law perfectly
by His perfect obedience unto death. He gave the law perfect
righteousness and He justified His people from all our sin.
And Christ redeemed us from the curse of that law. He redeemed
us. He bought us to Himself so that
Scripture says now all His people are His purchased possession. and He did it that He might give
us freely all the blessings of God. Scripture says because you
are sons, the Spirit of Christ has come upon you and He's given
you all the blessings because you are sons. Because you are
sons. Now lastly, I want to show you
the result of Christ redeeming His people from the curse of
the law. What did He accomplish by this? What did He accomplish? Are we clear on what redemption
is? It's deliverance by the payment
of a price demanded. Christ delivered us from the
law, paying the price the law demanded. His precious blood,
life for life. So He has effectually redeemed
His people. So now, He did it that they might
receive the blessing. So they all must receive the
blessing. because He's redeemed them, He's
satisfied the law for them. They've got to be given eternal
life because God's just. That same justice that demanded
Christ give His life for His people, that same holy justice
and that same righteousness of God demands now that all for
whom He died must be given eternal life. Because God's just. He's righteous. He does everything
in perfect righteousness. Isn't that wonderful to know
when we live in a world where our leaders are so crooked and
so corrupt? I thought Louisiana was bad.
I grew up near Louisiana, went to school in Louisiana. I thought
it was bad. I grew up during the Edwin Edwards era. And I
thought it was bad then. But it's just as bad now all
over. But we have our Lord who does,
He judges right, He judges justly. And He's going to do what's right
for His people in this earth. He already has and He will. Now
lastly, let's see the result of Christ redeeming His people
from the curse of the law. Ruth 4.7. Now this was the manner in former
time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing. for
to confirm all things. This is how it was confirmed.
When one was redeemed and a change took place, a change of ownership
took place, this is how it was confirmed. A man plucked off
his shoe and gave it to his neighbor. And this was a testimony in Israel. And therefore this kinsman said
to Boaz, buy it for thee. And so he, the nearer kinsman,
drew off his shoe and gave it to Boaz. In Deuteronomy 25, he
says that it was shameful if a near kinsman would not build
up his dead brother's house. If he would not redeem his dead
brother's relative and marry her and build up his house with
children, it was a shame. It was dishonorable. And what
the woman was to do was she was to go to the gate and she was
to loose the shoe off this man and spit in his face publicly
and he was known from then on as the one who would not redeem.
It was a shame and it was a dishonor. But here, here, the near kinsman
himself takes off his shoe. He takes off his shoe and he
confirmed that Boaz had redeemed Ruth. Now what's the picture
there? What's the picture there? Christ didn't come to dishonor
the law. He didn't come to make the law
shameful. He came to honor the law. He
came to honor the law. And the Lord is well pleased
for His righteousness sake, He magnified the law and made it
honorable. Now, to show this, this man who
represents the law took his own shoe off. before Boaz who pictured
Christ. He took it off and he's showing
by that that he is the servant to Boaz. And what is the law
called? It's called a servant to Christ. It was a schoolmaster. It was
an aid to Christ until Christ came. And then once Christ comes
and He gives you faith, you're not under that schoolmaster anymore.
So that's what we have pictured here. And you remember Moses?
Moses goes to the burning bush, and in that burning bush was
Christ. And when Moses came to that burning bush, Moses is a
picture of the law. What did Moses do? He took his
shoes off. The Lord said, take your shoe
off, this is holy ground. He took his shoe off. See, the
law bows to Christ. The law, He came and fulfilled
it, and honored it, and upheld it, so that the law takes its
shoe off and confirms, yes, Christ has fully redeemed us. He has
fully fulfilled everything that He came to fulfill. And so these
ten elders and the people in this near kinsmen, they're picturing
the law and they're picturing the prophets and they bear witness,
right there in public, they bear witness that Boaz has lawfully
redeemed Ruth. That's what the law and the prophets
do. wrote Ruth 4.9, Boaz said unto the elders and to all the
people, your witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was
Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Melon's, those
were the, Elimelech was the father and Chilion and Melon was the
husbands. or the sons, and they married.
One of them was Ruth's husband. He said, I bought everything
that belonged to them from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth
the Moabitess, the wife of Malon, have I purchased to be my wife. Get that now. He's saying, I
redeemed her to be my wife. I purchased her to be my wife. Verse 11, And all the people
that were in the gate and the elders said, We are witnesses. What did Romans 3 tell us? Romans
3.21. Now the righteousness of God
without our deeds to the law is manifested. But it's witnessed
by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God
which is by the faith of Christ Himself. That's what you have
pictured here. These ones that pictured the
law, the near kinsmen and the ten elders and all the people,
they bore witness. They pictured the law and the
prophets and they bore witness. Boaz redeemed Ruth. And so the
law and the prophets bear witness. Christ has redeemed all his people. All his people. And so at last
now, with the law being honored, the law was totally honored,
Ruth was redeemed, she was purchased, so now it was lawful for Boaz
to take his bride and to produce children. Look here, Ruth 4 and
verse 13, it says, So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife, and
when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and
she bare a son. having redeemed His people, having
made us His purchased possession, having completely, perfectly
fulfilled the law of God by giving that purchased price His own
blood. Brethren, the Lord sends this
good news to His people and He quickens us to life and He gives
us faith and He, as it were, betroths His bride to Himself. He gives us a covenant that we
are going to be married to Him in the marriage feast of the
Lamb. We're His. He purchased us to marry us.
That's why He bought us. Just like Hosea purchased Gomer when she
was on the slave block to be his wife. And the Lord purchased
us to be His bride. And He is the one now who produces
fruit in us. He's the one who produces good
works in his people just like Boaz produced that child through
the Lord in Ruth. He's the one, Christ is the one
who produces good works in us. Let me ask you this question.
Do you imagine that Ruth ever went back to that nearer kinsman
and said, now what do you want me to do? What is it that you
want me to do so I can be a faithful husband to Boaz? No. Why? Because Boaz totally, completely
redeemed her from that near kinsman and that near kinsman has nothing
else to say to her now. Go to Romans 7 verse 4. Wherefore, my brethren, you also
are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that you
should be married to another, even to him who is raised from
the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Look, for
when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins which were by
the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
But now we're delivered from the law, that being dead wherein
we were held, that we should serve in newness of spirit, not
in the oldness of the latter. We don't go back to the law just
like Ruth didn't go back to that nearer kinsman. Where does she
look now? Where does she get her fruit
from? Where was she made to bear her children now? from Boaz. And we don't go back to the law.
We're married to Christ. And the way we're going to be
fruitful now, we never were fruitful when we tried to bring forth
fruit by the law. The way we're fruitful, all God's
people are fruitful is by Christ producing fruit in His people.
It's called in Philippians, fruits of righteousness which are by
Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of God. That's where our
fruit comes from. People can't understand why we
don't preach law and send a sinner back to the law for sanctification.
It's because Christ is our righteousness and our sanctification. He is
the sanctifier just like He is the Redeemer. And all the fruit
that's going to be produced is produced by Christ that He might
get all the praise and all the glory. To show us that, it's
said there in that text that the Lord is the one that gave
Ruth conception. Through her husband, the Lord
gave her conception. And through our husband, the
Lord gives us fruitfulness and makes us bear fruit. Now, to
show us that all this is a type of Christ, look at this last
part, Ruth 4.14. And the women said unto Naomi,
Blessed be the Lord which hath not left thee this day without
a kinsman. that His name may be famous in
Israel. That's why the Lord didn't leave
His people without a kinsman, so that His name might be famous. And it's famous. His name is
famous. Look here. And He shall be unto
thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old
age. For thy daughter-in-law which
loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath
borne Him. And Naomi took the child and
laid it in her bosom and became nurse unto it. And the women,
her neighbors, gave it a name. And they gave it the name of
Obed. Obed. And he's the father of
Jesse, the father of David. You know that through Obed, and
through Jesse, and through David, Christ came. and He is the restorer
of our life and He is the nourisher of our old age. Because if the
Son shall make you free, if He shall redeem you from the law
and make you free, you shall be free indeed. Totally free. This is why, brethren,
in the New Testament, all His redeemed are said to be bought
with a price, were said to be His purchased possession. Listen
to this. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 6.
I want you to see this. And we'll close. 1 Corinthians
6. All our motivation, all our constraint,
it's not law. It's what Christ has done for
us. It's what we are because of what Christ has done for us.
1 Corinthians 6. Look here at verse Verse 19. What? Know ye not that your body
is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have
of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. You are bought with a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which
are God's. Look at chapter 7 and verse 23. You are bought with a price,
be not ye the servants of men. You are bought with a price.
Ephesians 1.4 talks about the Spirit being given to us for
an earnest of our inheritance. And it says until Christ returns
to redeem His purchased possession. He's already redeemed us from
the law, but one day He's going to purchase us back from this
corruption of this flesh. Fully, finally, freely, forever. And we're going to be perfectly
conformed to His image. We won't come short of the glory
of God. He begins this work by creating a new spirit in us,
but He's going to complete it when He brings us into His presence.
And we're completely conformed to His image. So you see, brethren,
redemption is by the purchase price that Christ paid, redeeming
us from the law, redeeming us from the corruption of our flesh,
so that we're going to be made completely delivered into the
glorious liberty of the sons of God and be just like our Redeemer. That's good news. That's good
news. If you're bankrupt, if you're
bankrupt, that's the greatest news you'll ever hear. I pray
God make us bankrupt. Alright, let's observe the Lord's
table. Brother Kevin. Brother Scott.