Today we will be in Ephesians
1. Ephesians 1, the name of the
message is the riches of His grace. The riches of His grace. Ephesians 1, verse 7. Last week
we looked at verse 6 and we saw how God does all things to the
praise of the glory of His grace. Today we'll be looking at verse
7. Verse 7 says, In whom we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of His grace. Last week again we looked at
verse 6 and how we are accepted in the Beloved. We are accepted
in Christ. The message that we preach, if
you take Christ out, we have nothing. He's everything. He's everything. He's the heart
of what we believe. He's the object of our faith. And this Scripture here starts
out with, in whom? In whom? And remember this. Let's remember this. Last week
we also did a review of verses 1-6, and we looked at how all
those things that are stated are to the praise of the glory
of His grace. This verse also, to the praise of the glory of
His grace. We have redemption. We who believe, we have redemption.
In Christ. Well, let's unpack this verse. I pray the Holy Spirit will illuminate
it for us and that we can learn. Look at this. It says, in whom?
In whom? So this connects with the verse
above. And we can see that Christ is the One spoken of here. To
the praise of the glory of His grace, verse 6, wherein He hath
made us accepted in the Beloved. That's Christ. And then it says,
in whom? Speaking of Christ. So it connects
with verse 6. And we know from verse 3 that
all spiritual blessings are in Christ. They're all in Him. But
in whom here is Christ again? Now Paul's writing to the saints
at Ephesus. He's writing to believers in
Christ. He's writing to believers in
Christ. He says, "...in whom," being Christ, "...we have redemption
through His blood." Now in the Greek, the little words there,
we have, in the Greek, means this. And what great joy this
will bring the believer. It means to possess. To possess. We have. We possess. Believers in Christ
possess redemption through His blood. And this is wonderful
news for sinners. That's why what we proclaim is
good news for the lowly. It's good news for the lowly. We have to possess redemption. Redemption. Redemption in the Greek is defined
as this, a deliverance procured by the payment of a ransom. Deliverance
by the payment of a ransom. Oh, we have. The believer possesses
deliverance. Deliverance. The payment of a
ransom. Now who needs redemption? Those who are lost. Those who
are fallen. Those who are sinners before
a holy and righteous God. And we know that when Adam fell,
all of humanity fell with him. All of humanity. He was our federal head. So all
of humanity is lost. and born dead in trespasses and
sins. And we know that from chapter
2, right? It says we come into this world dead in trespasses
and sins. There is no one who is not guilty before God. And then, just flip over, let's
just look over quick, just real quick, because we've looked at
this many times. We'll look at chapter 2, verse 1. And you hath
he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. And then
look at verse 4. But God, there it is. But God,
who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us, born and dead, God has mercy upon sinners. So who needs redemption? Sinners need redemption. Sinners
need redemption. The lowly need redemption. Now,
naturally, we're not lowly. Naturally, we're full of pride
and full of self-righteousness, but God makes us lowly. He brings
us down. He brings us down. So all who
fell in Adam are in the same condition, right? We who believe
are no different than everyone else, except that we've been
saved by the grace of God in Christ. But when we come into
this world, there's no difference. None. None. And think of this, all who fell
in Adam are in the same condition as they have no way to obtain
redemption for themselves. So when we come into this world
dead in trespasses and sins, we have no way to obtain redemption.
We also have no ability to obtain redemption. So we're in a desperate state. And this is also a fact, we don't
even know we're lost when we're in that state. Remember how you
were? Did you think you were lost? I didn't think I was lost. I
thought I was going to heaven because I was a good person.
Wow. We find out, no, no, we're not
a good person. No. God saves bad people. He saves sinners. He didn't come
to save the righteous. So one must be lost before they
can be saved. You see? And this is what the
Gospel shows us. The Holy Spirit shows us that
we are lost sinners. We flee to Christ. I'm only a
sinner saved by grace. We see ourselves for what we
are. So who needs redemption? Sinners. Sinners need redemption. And this is why it's absolutely
vital to preach Christ. Because where do sinners find
redemption? In whom? We have redemption. It's only in Christ. It's nowhere
else. It's nowhere else. This is why
we must preach Christ to a lost and dying world. We don't know
who the elect are, but God knows who they are. So we proclaim
the gospel, the general call it's called, out it goes. And
the effectual call of the Holy Spirit, God draws his people
by the preaching of the word. And this is why a preacher can
preach with confidence. Confidence in Christ, not in
themselves. Confidence that God's word will
accomplish what it sets out to do. So every time a man gets in the
pulpit and preaches Christ, God's Word is going forth with power
and accomplishing whatever He wills. So what must we be redeemed from?
Turn, if you would, to Matthew 1, verse 21. What must we be
redeemed from? We must be redeemed from our
sins. We must be redeemed from our sins. Why did Christ come? Oh, look at this wonderful Scripture
in Matthew 1.21. What must we be redeemed from? Our sins. Why did Christ come? And she shall bring forth a Son,
and doubt shall call His name Jesus. And look at this. I love
the verbiage. For He shall save His people
from their sins. He shall. Successful Savior. He shall. The reason Christ came
into this world was to save His people from their sins. To satisfy
God's law and justice in their place. To live a perfect life
that they could never live. To save His people from their
sins. And He did it. He did it. We proclaim a successful Savior.
He's not a failure. Oh, He's a wonderful, merciful
Savior. And God's law and justice is satisfied in Christ. Sin has utterly ruined us. We
must be redeemed from our sins. We must be paid in full. We're bankrupt. I like what Brother
Tom Hardin says, we're bankrupt sinners, mercy beggars. Not the
feet of Christ. No ability to save ourselves. How shall we be saved? For He
shall save His people from their sins. He shall. And look at our text again. In
whom we have, we possess this redemption. Now to obtain redemption,
sin must be removed. And this is accomplished by our
Redeemer through the shedding of His precious blood. Look at
our text. In whom we have redemption? Through
His blood. Through His blood. Christ pays
the price for the sins of His people. Now remember the Greek meaning
of redemption. A deliverance by the payment
of a ransom. A deliverance by the payment
of a ransom. In Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ
has delivered His people from their sins. He paid the ransom
in full. In full. But here's the cost. Here's the cost in our text.
Through His blood. Through His blood. Through the
shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the
shedding of the blood of the perfect sinless sacrifice, through
His blood, there's a cost. There's a cost for the redemption.
The precious blood of Christ. The precious blood of Christ.
Our sins, which were as scarlet, become white as snow. The crimson dye becomes white
as wool. White as wool. Through His blood.
The redeemed of the Lord have forgiveness of all their sins
through His blood. Through His blood. We're caught
up by the cords of sin, aren't we? We can't get up. We have
no ability. Christ pays the redemption price
for all His people. Turn, if you would, to Colossians
1.13-14. We are held captive by our sins. Captive by Satan in darkness
before the Lord saves us. But praise be to God, He delivers
His people from the bondage and condemnation of sin. He delivers. Redemption. He delivers us. by the payment of His own precious
blood. Look at Colossians 1, 13 and
14. "...who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and
hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son, in whom..."
And remember what we're looking at in Ephesians 1, 7. I'll read
Ephesians 1, 7 before we read that again. "...in whom we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of His grace." And look what Paul writes to
the Colossians. "...in whom we have redemption..." Deliverance.
"...through His blood..." Even the forgiveness of sins. This
must be preached. This must be proclaimed. I'm
not here to tell you 15 ways to live a better life. No. Because
that's just useless information. And we have redemption through
His blood. Even the forgiveness of sins. Right there. That's the truth. That's the
precious truth. There's the cost for the believer
in Christ. There's the cost for the forgiveness
of all your sins. Through the precious blood of
Christ. Through the precious blood of Christ. He shed his
precious blood. He bore our sins in his body
on the tree. Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. The
Lord Jesus Christ. The Lamb of God. The Sinless
One. Perfect, spotless, sinless, dying
in the room and place of sinners. Why? To redeem His people from
all their sins. At the shedding of His own precious
blood. And He pays everything that God demands for the sins
of His people. And think of this too. I mentioned
this before, all the elect of all the ages. Scripture says
that's a multitude that no man can number. And he purchased
with his life, with his blood. He purchased them. He redeemed
them. And he paid it all. And if you're
a believer, you're included. Purchased by the precious blood
of Christ. Purchased. The Lord hath laid
on Him the iniquity of Esau. All the sins of all the ages
were laid upon Christ, and He pays it all. And He cries out,
It is finished. Finished means done. Finished
means perfect. Why do people want to keep working?
I don't say that in a condescending way because I was there. Why
do people try to gain merit and favor with God or heaven? Christ
paid it all. He paid it all. In whom we have, we possess redemption. Through His blood. Oh, what a
wonderful Savior. What a wonderful Savior. Nothing
to be added. Nothing to be added. And we just
say, praise His mighty name. That's what we say. We just give
Him all the glory. Now look at the next part of our text. In
whom we have, we possess, redemption. Through His blood, there's the
cost. There's the cost. What's the great result of this
redemption? In and through the Lord Jesus
Christ, the forgiveness of sins. The forgiveness of sins. Now
this is boundless grace. Those who were enemies to God
by our thoughts, by our actions, by our deeds, by our nature, receive the forgiveness of sins. Is there anyone left behind?
Any one sin that Christ didn't pay the price for for one of
His people? No. The forgiveness of sins. It's
a complete salvation. It's a complete forgiveness. I've mentioned this before too.
People always say, what about future sins? Folks get all tied
up. And just if they ever say that to you, just say, all my
sins were future of Calvary's cross. Every single one of them.
Either he paid it all or he didn't pay for anything. But here it
says before us in our text, the forgiveness of sins, boundless
grace, boundless grace. All who have been redeemed by
Christ Jesus our Lord have this, right? Because remember we saw
we have, we possess redemption through his blood. The forgiveness
of sins. All who come to Christ. Heavens. Heavens. We know our sinful state and
sometimes we think, oh, how can I be a believer and think like
that? Thank the Lord that my salvation
does not depend upon what I do. It depends upon what He's done. what He's done. See, religion's
got it backwards. They tell you you've got to do
all these things. Grace says Christ has done it
all. He's done it all. The forgiveness
of sins. And we marvel at that. Sins that
we spoke, sins of affection, sins of deed, Sins that we didn't
even know we sinned, that we did. Because there's a lot of
them too. The forgiveness of sins. The
forgiveness of sins. May we just marvel. We who have
been redeemed at this wonderful truth. The believer in Christ
has the forgiveness of sins. Now, there was a cost, wasn't
there? Through His blood. May we never forget that. Christ
shed His blood for us to have the forgiveness of sins. And
it's a complete forgiveness. Turn, if you would, to Romans
chapter 3. It's a complete forgiveness. Now, the law of God is honored
by Christ's obedience. Think of this. The law of God
is honored by Christ's obedience, and the justice of God is honored
by Christ's death. The law of God is honored by
Christ's obedience, and the justice of God is satisfied by His death. Look at Romans 3, verses 19-26. We have a full, complete forgiveness. Now we know, verse 19, that what
things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. Now, the law of God brings the
whole world to a position where we're all guilty. Rich, poor,
it doesn't matter what your state is. All guilty before God. All guilty before a holy and
righteous God. Therefore, now here's a good
verse for lawmongers. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in His sight. You can't
justify yourself by the works of the law because Christ did
it all. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. So the law shows us our sinfulness. We become guilty
before God. But now the righteousness of
God, which is in Christ, without the law is manifest, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe, for there is no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. There's the level playing field
for the whole world. Everyone's guilty. Being justified. Now, think of this in light of
our text that we've been looking at in Ephesians, right? In whom we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches
of His grace. Being justified freely by His grace. By His grace. Through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus. whom God has set forth to be
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 His righteousness for the remission of sins through
the forbearance of God. To declare, I say at this time,
His righteousness that He might be just that His law and justice
might be upheld, and a justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Oh, this forgiveness of sins
is a complete forgiveness. The remission of sins through
the precious blood of Christ. And what can we say? Praise His
name. That's all we can say. We can't
take any glory, and we don't want to. We give Him all the
glory. He'd done it all. And then look at the latter part
of our verse here. In whom Christ we have, we possess
the believer. And remember, Paul's writing
to the saints. So in whom, being Christ, we have possessive. We possess redemption through
His blood. There's the cost, the result,
the forgiveness of sins. And it's all according to the
riches of His grace. It's all according to the riches
of His grace. Oh, here we come to the cause
of the wonderful blessings that we have looked at so far, not
only in this verse, but in this whole chapter so far. Here's
the cause. According to the riches of His
grace. According to the riches of His
grace. How rich is our God in grace. How rich is He. He sits upon
the throne of grace. He's the God of all grace. Hebrews says, let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. The deliverance of His people
is according to the riches of His grace. His covenant is a
covenant of grace. Have mercy on undeserving sinners
in Christ. His salvation is what? By grace
alone. Through faith. But we believe that through the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they.
Acts 15 and 11. His salvation is through grace
alone. His thoughts are of grace. His
ways are of grace. Is not this word a word of grace? Oh, He's rich. His treasure house
is stored with grace. Stored with grace. And all His gifts and manifestations
to His people are the results of His grace. Christ coming into
this world was all about the grace of God in Christ. Think of this too, the grace
of God planned and purposed salvation in Christ alone. The grace of
God accepted the ransom in Christ alone. The grace of God determined who
would be redeemed in Christ. And the grace of God makes those
who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ willing in the
day of His power by the Holy Spirit of God. We're
born again by the Holy Spirit of God according to the riches
of His grace. Remember this too. The grace
of God keeps those who've been redeemed until the end. Oh, what a wonderful Savior. Those who have been saved will
be kept and glorified. And it's all according to the
riches of His grace. May we meditate on this this
week. May we meditate on the riches of the grace of God in
Christ towards His people. Just think about it. When things
are going rough or when they're going good, May we magnify the
name of our Lord. May we sing praises unto Him. Why? For all the blessings and
goodness and mercy to we sinners who have been redeemed. Oh, we
have much to be thankful for, don't we? Much. I know life gets us down, I know.
I know it does. I know it wears on us sometimes,
the different things that go on. But we are redeemed. We who are
saved, we're redeemed in whom we have redemption. Through His
blood. The forgiveness of sins. According to the riches of His
grace. May we just praise his name.