Fundamentals: Redemption

look at the letter that we read Paul's letter to the Ephesians as always remember always try to remember myself these are not just Paul's words these are words of the Holy Ghost Holy Spirit of Christ Holy Spirit of God who is God to us and what a great blessing as I pray to be able to have God's word before us as we look at Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7 we look at Christ Christ in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace redemption it's a wonderful theme redemption it's the payment of debt which you'll look at that it's not my purpose really to go into the nuts and bolts of the work of redemption that refer to it but to consider some things that came to me while i was preparing this to speak on this passage it's a no doubt that some of you or most of you will have a good idea of what redemption is what it means however We do live in days when we forget.

We forget and it seems to me we forget some of what we call some of the fundamentals of the faith.

I'm always wary of the term fundamentals because sometimes well certainly in the States fundamentalists have got quite a reputation but there are certain fundamentals just like in engineering, electrical work there are fundamentals which are vitally important and it doesn't mean that we forget the rest of the scripture but there are certain things what the Reformation rediscovered which are essential to the Word of God to our salvation to the truth of God to be kept precious last fortnight ago I was preaching in Hagen on Romans 16 verse 17 mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine you have learned and avoid them why? because they're taking us away from the scripture they're taking us away from Christ it's interesting if we go back I'll just read Deuteronomy chapter 31 just a couple of verses verse 10 and 11 Moses commanded them that is the Levites and all the people at the end of every seven years in the solemnity of the year of release in the feast of tabernacles when all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose thou shalt read this law that's the book of the law that they had before all Israel in their hearing we turn to two kings and we see that there's been great negligence in keeping this commandment 2 Kings 22 verses 8 to 10 and Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord and Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan and he read it and Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought the king word again and said Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. and Shaphon the scribe showed the king saying Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book and Shaphon read it before the king and it goes on but this was an accidental rediscovery of the book of the law Josiah who was eight years old when it began to rain but when he became 18 they took over the reins one might say had sent Shaphon to go up to the high priest as we read through verse 4 and collect the money which was brought into the house of the Lord for the keepers of the door had gathered of the people it was purely accidental that the book of the law had been rediscovered now sometime in 400 odd years 750 years between the time of when Deuteronomy was written and Josiah's time sometime that had all been forgotten All been forgotten.

Who's negligent in this? Well, the priests. Essentially. King Josiah was 18 years old, so he should have heard it with some understanding as far as people go. At least once. But the priests... It's like, look what we've just found here. their great negligence this is historical how many times do we see this of even the Lord's people as it's written in the scriptures even in Galatians where the truth have been neglected error has been brought in the fundamentals of the faith we need to have understanding of what they are and we need to be sure of these things for the good of our souls, it's for the good of our souls that we learn these things and when we come to redemption We're going to sing that in our last hymn. It's often spoken of as the most glorious, most wonderful part of the gospel. I mean the whole gospel is wonderful. Sanctification, justification. But when we see Christ, when we see Christ obtaining our redemption, how wonderful, how wonderful. And it's something we should not less slip.

Briefly, Redemption, for those who don't know, is buying or purchasing. Common illustration is actually of a pawn shop.

And when we think of redemption, we think of something that belonged to you or somebody else in the first place. You're short of money, you take something valuable in, they'll give you an agreed sum and then you've either got to redeem it buy it back or after a certain time it will be sold that will be we needn't worry about that bit and we see this exercised in the rules laid down in Leviticus chapter 25 but the probably the best illustration most well-known illustration to us is in the book of Ruth we have Ruth main characters Naomi Ruth and Boaz we mustn't forget the Lord though the Lord's name is not really mentioned in it but we have in Ruth chapter 4 verse 3 Naomi Ruth's mother-in-law is going to sell a field and Boaz is aware of it and he said to the near kinsman that the law of redeeming was a near kinsman could redeem that whatever it was up to say in this case a field. Essentially it was a near kinsman, I mean somebody else could buy it back and then there was much more associated with it but in here we see him say Naomi that has come again out of the country of Moab selleth a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech. Boaz and this new kinsman and Naomi were of a all relating through marriage as well and I thought to advertise these saying buy it before the inhabitants and before the elders of my people if thou will redeem it, redeem it but if thou will not redeem it then tell me that I may know for there is none to redeem it beside thee and I am after thee we won't go into the rest of it but what happens is Boaz redeems it and in redeeming that field he also gains a bride Ruth because Ruth was attached to that attached to the purchase of that field It seems to be an added condition. I don't know much more about it.

But we see how it was a near kinsman, a redeemer. And that's important to us.

Because when we're talking of redemption, we're talking of Christ buying back his people. as we look in the scriptures he's buying his bride his people to redeem them from sin but it always intrigued me because I didn't have much understanding about redeeming because as I said it means buying back something that was yours in the first place my question was how so? if we were going to be redeemed we had to be the Lord's beforehand well the evidence of that being so is what we read because we were God's people from eternity if we look through Ephesians 1 verse 4 we've got according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that's the first blessing the second is that he declared us to be a holy people we were going to be his so he declared that we should be holy and without blame before him in love this is all according to his good pleasure the good pleasure of his will he predestinated us unto the adoption of children in verse 5 and then he accepted us in Jesus Christ again as it says according to the good pleasure of his will and it's interesting I know it's going aside just a moment that words I turned up in Ezekiel chapter 16 verse 13 and 14 this is the Lord speaking to Israel speaking to Jerusalem, sorry, speaking to the church, it's prophetical.

I've just come down to verse 13 and 14. Thou wast decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen and silk, embroidered work. Thou didst eat fine flour and honey and oil, and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom, and thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty.

For it is a perfect through my comeliness which I have put upon thee saith the Lord God now as I said it was concerning Jerusalem at the time but it's also prophetical of Christ everything Israel was God had made them all the blessings were upon them because he chose them as his people well we see how they didn't abide in that covenant that he made with them but for us in these latter days this is prophetical also but it's prophetical of the comeliness of Christ his righteousness this is the beauty of Christ given to us that we might be acceptable in his sight this is the wonder of redemption is that we're brought back but we also see there's more to it but there needed to be that first redemption or needed to be redemption that we might be brought back because we were born in sin we were gods in eternity we're always the lords but born as sinners and it's important when we consider the necessity of redemption it's because we were born as sinners in sin why was it? because that's how it goes we can't argue with the Lord but we seek the greatness of God's mercy in that He has redeemed us and redeeming us He showed something He showed that He is a righteous God He shows that He is just God it shows us that there is now no condemnation to those who in Christ Jesus think it's Romans 8. I get mixed up sometimes.

We can see that our salvation is short because of Christ. We can see that all our sin is paid for. God is just fulfilling the law's demands. The law's demands were met by Christ dying in our place under the penalty of the law. Penalty of the law is death.

And when we look at redemption, redemption through his blood, we can also think of the sacrifices made which point towards Christ being our salvation.

There should be no doubt in our mind that Christ is he who should come, who redeemed his people from their sin. It's interesting, the law, incapable of cleansing us from sin Hebrews 9 verses 7 to 10 but into the second this is speaking of the Old Testament worship into the most holy place made with hands Into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the error of his people. The Holy Ghost, this signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest or shown. while as the first tabernacle was yet standing which was a figure for the time then present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service the high priest perfect as pertaining to the conscience which stood only in meats and drinks and diverse washings and carnal ordinances I said the high priest but anyone who made an offering stood in only meats and drinks and diverse washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come, and high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building, neither with the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

Redemption. Just think back to what happened with Ruth, a near kinsman. Christ is the near kinsman of the church. the blood of goats and bulls cannot sanctify us it cannot obtain redemption because it's the blood of an animal that's why Christ came it had to be the blood of a man a perfect man to redeem us I can't redeem myself you can't redeem yourself it's an impossibility because you're sinners it's tainted blood but Christ's blood was pure It's interesting I know a pastor was saying only a few weeks ago Christ was the most sinful man that ever was but in this sense all our sin was laid upon him all the sins of his people he wasn't a sinner but all our sins were laid upon him and he bore them at the cross I trust you understand what I mean I repeat it he wasn't a sinner but all our sin was placed upon him he bore the sins of his people and therefore he bore the penalty of the law that was for us he stood in our place where we belong but instead of us what great mercy and we what great love but as we look through God's holy word We can see through time how the Lord has revealed these things.

It's like I've got an illustration. It's like me going home from here. There's a route I've got to take. I've got to get to the M27, go west onto the M3 on A34. But I'm looking for waymarks all the time. Signposts. Waymark is an old term. But I look for signposts. I look for signs for the M4. Then I look for Bristol, South Wales.

Newport then I look for Monmouth and then for Abergavenny and I follow those signs every time I know where they are I know the route well what a wonderful thing our brains are what a wonderful thing far better than a computer certainly better than AI that's for sure but we see when we plan a journey and the Lord has planned this I wouldn't call it a journey it was planned through time and we can look back through Genesis 3 verse 15 where he announces to Satan that one should come who would bruise his head and Satan would bruise his heel that's speaking of Christ and then we move through and it was Mr. Armstrong that sort of mentioned this in Agenda last week he mentioned about how things are revealed quite general terms to start with but then they become more specific Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14 a virgin shall give birth and they'll call his name Immanuel a virgin doesn't say the Holy Spirit but it's obvious as we look elsewhere the Holy Spirit was upon that virgin Mary and then Isaiah 9 a child is born but a son is given the language is very specific a son is given he is already there a child is born and that child comes into life starting from two components needed for life as well as the word of God the moving of God for any child it's the will of God people forget that it's a miraculous thing really but a son is given the son of God who was with God in eternity eternal father equals eternal son very easy equation we move through Isaiah 53 which speaks of what Christ would do what the Messiah would do We'll find it. Isaiah 53 verses 5 and 6 I'm going to read.

He was wounded for our transgression. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

There's more to it. I'm just giving you some of the way marks. There's some of the signposts that lead us to Christ. Isn't it strange that the Jews had these things and yet rejected him? Well it is strange in a way. It's not strange in another if we know what men are like. Daniel chapter 9 as well.

We've got Daniel's prayer to the Lord and then he's confessing their sin. versus 17 to 19 therefore O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant and his supplications and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline thine ear and hear, open thine eyes and behold our desolations and the city which is called by thy name. For we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

And again he pleads, O Lord, hear oh lord forgive oh lord hearken and do defer not for thine own sake oh my god for thy city and thy people are called by thy name and then we see the answer coming to his prayer Gabriel appears before I won't go into all of it, but Daniel was given a timeline verse 24 70 weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and the prophecy.

It works out to something like 490 years, 7 weeks. It's a mysterious way, but people have looked into it far more intelligent than I have, and that's what they see from it. that the Messiah would come in 490 years roughly I think there's a bit of discrepancy in how some people work it out I don't know but you know we're all pointing towards Christ in fact in Micah chapter 5 verse 3 we're even told where he's going to be born Micah chapter 5 verse 2 but thou Bethlehem Ephrata though thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been from old from everlasting not from ancient times as perversions of the scripture would read but from everlasting from eternity interesting Bethlehem Ephrata there's two Bethlehems so it's even got the right Bethlehem that's where Christ was born Bethlehem Ephratah the other Bethlehem is put it down somewhere is about 15 miles north of Nazareth up in Galilee I think so all these marks are there the Messiah the Redeemer of his people Israel Luke chapter 2 there were those waiting for Christ in the temple Luke chapter 2 and we've got Simeon mentioned but we've also got Anna the prophetess and there was one Anna verse 36 a prophetess the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher She was of a great age and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and she was a widow of about four score and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

And she, coming in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him, so all of them looked for redemption in Jerusalem. they will bring redemption in Jerusalem Christ Messiah she beheld the Messiah how long was she waiting for him by faith I don't know but she was waiting there ready to see him all these things pointing to the coming and arriving of Emmanuel God with us the incarnate God and as the Holy Spirit of God points out through them that he was the one who should come to redeem his people and to show the mercy of God to sinners. Redemption is a wonderful work of God. dealing with our sins, buying us back from under the curse of the law. In due time, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. At the right time, the appointed time. And God commending his love toward us, in that while we yet sinners, Christ died for us. Redemption, full and free.

Commendeth to introduce and approve favourably that's the implication behind the word it puts Christ before us sets Christ as the Redeemer for sinners for every sinner? no but for sinners for his people yes but that's in God's mercy and this is what the work of Christ's redemption does it achieves an objective it has a purpose I suppose there's two answers to the question does it achieve an objective is the first one or does it make something achievable well there's a thought in that for those who say well it makes something achievable well there's problems with that we can put verses together in the scriptures I've used two as an illustration Romans chapter 5 verse 8 which I just read God commendeth his love toward us in that while we're yet sinners Christ died for us and then I'll put it next to a verse like I've got a jigsaw puzzle I've put all the verses out and I put these two verses together God so loved the world gave his only son and I managed to get the two jigsaw pieces to physically fit can be done with an ordinary jigsaw it's got the wrong words it's got the wrong colours it doesn't actually fit why? well something to think about here is Galatians 3 verse 13 Christ hath redeemed us that word again redemption from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree we can look at two parts here the first one which relates to Ephesians chapter 1 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law Ephesians 1.7 in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace ok so we've got redemption no problems thus far be made a curse for us which is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree so it's redeemed us from the curse of the law who? everybody? was his blood shed for everybody? was there a potential redemption for everybody? be made a curse for us well he's made a curse for us who is the us? it's God's people did it achieve an objective or did

it make something possible? it achieved an objective because the answer to those who say it's perverting the word of God if Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us the curse is gone for every man Because that's what Christ did. He took the curse of the law upon himself. If he took it on himself for everybody, if he bled for everybody, every single person on this earth, whether they've heard Christ or not, has had the curse removed.

It's logical. The Bible is logical. maybe you think I'm wrong well you know fair enough but please come to if you do come to God's word read these verses if the curse of the law is redeemed you know we've been redeemed through his blood and the curse of the law was upon him made a curse for us and that's looked at in a general sense the curse is gone I'm wasting my time being here I'm not But do you see what, I trust we can all see this.

I have to admit that I've only seriously sat down and thought this through in this past week. I mean I knew it before, but the ramification of saying Christ died, Christ's blood is available for anybody and everybody. That's what's been said in my hearing. It's wrong. In fact, I consider it blasphemous because one is saying that people for whom Christ died are in hell. How many people acknowledge that? That it is a blasphemous statement. It's not just me saying it. But it gives no glory to God.

If we've got to hear, you know, preaching, hearing comes by the preaching of God's Word. Well, what about all those people from different places over the years that, you know, 2000 odd years since the Lord was upon the face of this earth when the gospel has been preached how many billions of people have died without hearing of the name Lord Jesus Christ? how many? I can't tell you is God unjust? is his redemption potentially for everybody? knock it on the head it's awful Confessions might say that Christ died for everybody.

Well, if we use Calvin, Gill, Wesley, the Westminster Confession, the GS articles to prove anything, it's an argument from authority. Useful those articles may be, but they are thoughts of men. Everything they say we must bring to scripture. Are they true? do they reflect the scriptural argument? not just one or two verses but do they see sovereign grace? do they see God is sovereign in everything? there is a certain lack of logic in saying that Christ died for everybody but there is certainly a lack of truth Why is it?

Why does it seem to be a fashionable thing to say that Christ died for everybody? Well I suppose because if you preach sovereign grace you'll be labelled many things so I won't bother going through them. OK, one of them is hyper-Calvinist, it's relevant. I'm a hyper-Calvinist.

I freely say I'm a hyper-Calvinist. because I go through Calvin I go past Calvin to the scripture I'm told that Calvin has had he developed as well like I did through the years the Lord brought us on and it's like a flower the plant grows the flower comes out blah blah blah but I've grown I believe things now which I never believed before because the Lord has opened my eyes bit by bit slowly in my case maybe but nonetheless he's shown me these things over the years and how wonderful that the Lord has revealed these things to someone such as me so I go through Calvin I'm thankful for Calvin I'm thankful for Gil and for all these men who've gone before I don't despise them at all but in the end you've got to come down to the scripture what does the scripture say?

Christ is redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us which is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree Christ in whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace just for a short while then look at the wonder of redemption that Job 1500 years before the incarnation could say I know that my Redeemer liveth I know that my Redeemer liveth not my Redeemer will come will live in the future although he does make reference to that come to that in a second 1500 years King David the end of Psalm 19 let the works of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight oh lord my strength and my redeemer David knew of a redeemer about a thousand years I think before the incarnation he was given this understanding that he was another one who looked forward to redemption in Israel as well as the prophet Isaiah Gospel of Isaiah as we call it and Jeremiah they all look to Christ and to the promises of that covenant of grace the understanding of one to come was Job and he shall stand that speaking of Christ his Redeemer he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and for David his understanding was a tabernacle worship pointed to a thousand years ahead So what's the wonder here? It's the wonder that our holy God confirms well before the advent of his son that his son was going to come and that there was a reality to that redemption and that redemption will be at Calvary. It demonstrates the love and mercy of God to wretched sinners down through the ages.

Why didn't it come beforehand? Because it wasn't the fullness of time. They haven't got to that part of the journey. We live in the latter day. We haven't got to the part of the journey where Christ has been revealed.

That was according to His good pleasure and to His will, but He's given the map, as it were, that we might see and that we might know that we don't, as John said, do we look for another? and then Christ gave proof of his ministry another wonderful aspect of it it's not that he redeemed some, this is not unique to me, I've heard this said but it's so true, it's not that Christ has redeemed some, it's that he redeemed any at all when we consider what we are the Lord God would be justified to send every single person to eternal condemnation because they are sinners but he doesn't to the praise of his glory and the glory of his grace what do we see Hebrews chapter 2 verse 9 where we see Jesus who is made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man he should taste death for every man well again look at it in the light of scripture for all his people Gil says the word man is not there it's all I don't know he's a better grammarian and linguist than I was but it's not for all man no not all mankind all the Lord's people all that he redeemed and it's still amazing to me that we who are in enmity towards God actual hatred towards and against God we oppose the notion of God we oppose the notion of any gods as the atheists or we oppose that there is only one God we can have many gods but the one God we will not have is Jehovah the Jehovah God we'll have anything else see that with idols men reduce God to a creature subject to our passions or subject to our will even but no the doctrine of sovereign grace is what we see in Ephesians 1 verse 7 and this is the God whom we have redemption through the blood of God Acts 20 the blood of Christ and grace grace not just grace but I would add a word to that the riches of his grace.

It does speak of the riches of his grace. But how full is that grace? What does riches mean? It means an abundance of something valuable and enduring and what we have in redemption is something which is very very valuable to the Lord's people and enduring to eternity into eternity something we can look look at and see that it never lose its value we shall never be lost the great mercy that the Lord has shown us in Christ what a blessing to us and let us hold fast to this declaration of God's mercy to sinners in a day when denominations or groups that historically took a stand upon these truths and opposed any downgrading of ideas of doctrine are now afraid of a label yes they're afraid of a label a label which really I consider to be a badge of honor today I don't like badges of honor I hope you understand what I mean so to close we have a redemption a full and free redemption and as it says we're going to sing it very shortly in hymn 514 in his highest work redemption see his glory in a blaze nor can angels ever mention aught that more of God displays grace and justice here unite to endless days and again it's all to the glory of God but for the good of sinners may if it be that you are still in your sins there is only one place to go there's one thing to know and that is to acknowledge that you're a sinner before God and that must be a work of the Holy Spirit but to the glory of God then we shall lift our voices in praise and remember it's in Him, in Christ we have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.

Amen.

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