Our subject this morning is simply
redemption. Redemption. And our text is in
the first statement of verse seven. In whom we have redemption
through his blood. Now the whom here. Is Christ. In the verses that we read. It spoke openly of the fact that
our eternal redemption, salvation is a work of the triune God.
Beginning in verse three, blessed be God and the father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Verses four and five tells us
what the father did. He chose us in Christ. And then verse five, he predestinated
us under the adoption of children. And it was according to the good
pleasure of his will. Then he talks about the work
of Christ. In Christ, we're made accepted. In whom we have redemption through
his blood. That's a statement we're looking
at. And then there's several other things. The forgiveness
of sins is abounding toward us is having made known to us the
mystery of his will. And then in verses 13 and 14,
where we stopped reading, Paul emphasizes the work of the Holy
spirit sealed for that Holy spirit of
promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance. So it's a
threefold work, the work of the Trinity. But now, backing up
to verse 7, in whom we have redemption through his blood. Redemption is the very heart
of the gospel. It is a Bible word, both in the
Old Testament and the New Testament. In its various forms, the word
redeem, redeemed Redeemer, redemption. It occurs 162 times throughout
the Bible. Redemption. We don't hear that
word a lot in our everyday language. We sometimes hear of a professional
athlete or a politician that has made a big blunder. And the
statement will sometimes be made, well, he has the opportunity
to redeem himself. That is to buy back his credibility,
his respect. But I want to say in the spiritual
sense, redemption is not something we can do for ourselves. Of course,
nowadays, most people have not been taught that. Most people
have been taught that it is something you can take care of. In other
words, Christ is anxious to do it if you'll just give him permission.
And they are not taught that by nature we are in bondage to
sin and to Satan and need a Redeemer. We need one to actually take
the initiative, come and loose us from the chains of sin, from
the bondage of sin and Satan. One to take the initiative because
we can't. One to break the chains because
we can't. Of course, people are told they
can, but they can, but it's just not so. Now, the word redeem,
a verb, an action word, it means to secure one's freedom from
bondage by the payment of a price. In New Testament days, The idea
of redemption was a more popular subject, even in the secular
world, as well as the religious world. And the reason being,
many believe there were possibly as many as 60 million slaves
at the height of the Roman Empire, scattered throughout that empire. Of course, most of them lived
and died in slavery. Never knew what it was to ever
be free again. Occasionally someone in the free
world with financial means would pay the price and grant that
slave his or her freedom. We have a classic example in
the Old Testament in the book of Hosea, the prophet Hosea.
The Lord made him do some strange things, some hard things. to
teach him what God's attitude had been toward Israel. He told Hosea to go down to the
street corner and pick up a prostitute, not just to use her, but to marry
her. And Hosea did that. He obeyed
the Lord. Well, when she proved unfaithful
more than once and left Hosea, and wound up on the slave block
to be auctioned off as a slave, the Lord told Hosea,
you go down there and buy her and bring her home. She's already
yours, but she's gone out from you. She's fallen. She's in a mess. She's helpless. And I want you to go buy her,
you pay the price, you redeem her, you bring her home. Was that hard to do? Oh yes,
it was hard to do. But think what the Lord made
out of Hosea, the work God did in him for taking him through
that. Well, the first two words here
in our text, in whom? Now we've already said, of course,
the whom here is titled at the end of verse six, the beloved. It's the Lord Jesus Christ, the
beloved in whom in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have redemption through
his blood. No slave could afford to redeem
himself. It took another to redeem him
and no sinner. can redeem himself or herself
from sin. Redemption is in another, Jesus
Christ. Paul said in Galatians 3 and
13, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made
a curse for us. What was that curse of the law?
It was that lawbreakers could never in themselves be at peace
with God and could never in themselves find favor with God. But in redemption,
Christ has secured that acceptance with God and has made peace with
God for his people. So Christ is our Redeemer. One writer said it like this,
and I want to read you this. He said, it was not a mere rescue
as a slave liberated by the compassion of his master. In other words,
God did not just say, oh, well, I guess we've been alienated
long enough. I'll just wipe the slate clean and we'll start over. No, it wasn't that. It wasn't
that. He says this deliverance from
Satan's dominion is a redemption, something purchased back, a rescue
by a ransom price paid. It implies a valuable consideration,
as it were, a full discharge of all that was due to the law,
righteousness, and truth of God by a surety a daysman coming
between the offended majesty of heaven and us and making a
perfect satisfaction to divine justice on our behalf. Christ
hath in this manner and no other redeemed us from the curse of
the law being made a curse for us. That's how true it is. That's very good. Three things
were necessary to qualify one as a redeemer in redeeming a
slave. First, there was to be a kinship
in Israel. The book of Leviticus says it
could be a brother or any kin to the slave. Well, Christ was
born in a body of flesh, born of a woman. He became One with
us, one who could feel our infirmities, a man of sorrows, acquainted
with grief. He had to be kin. He came in
a body of flesh. Second, a redeemer had to be
one financially able to redeem. I mean, he must have the money.
He must have the necessary resources before he even started the legalities
of freeing a slave. The resource needed for our redemption
from sin was not monetary. No. But it was a perfect righteousness. That's what was needed. And Christ
had that perfect righteousness. He had the resources. He qualifies
as the Redeemer. And then thirdly, a Redeemer
must be willing. He must have a willing heart
to redeem. So Christ our Lord was well qualified
to be the Redeemer of His people. He had the relationship in the
flesh, a body like unto our sinful bodies, though He knew no sin.
He had the resources, perfect righteousness, and He had a willing
heart. Now notice further in these two
words, In whom? In whom? Christ is the whom. We understand it does not just
mean by whom, but in whom. In whom. Our redemption is in
him. Something a lot of people don't
understand. The Lord Jesus did not come into this world to tell
us what we have to do to redeem ourselves. No, He came to redeem
us. This is so simple and yet it's
so profound. And it's so impossible for carnal
minds and sinful minds like ours to grasp in ourselves. We just can't do it. Hardly a
Sunday passes But what someone will speak to me at the back
door on the way out and say, I'm trying. I'm doing my best. Well, we're
not here to celebrate our doing. We're here to celebrate his doing. He's the redeemer in whom we
have redemption. You can rest in him today. You
sure can't rest in your doing, because it'll never be enough.
You know it, and everybody else knows it. But you can rest in
Him, in whom we have redemption. Noah and his family weren't just
saved by the ark. They were saved in the ark. In,
see? There's no salvation by swimming
right along beside it. No. That wouldn't have worked
for long. No salvation in swimming alongside
it and touching it. That wouldn't have worked for
long. In the ark, it's where they were. And in Christ, it's
where his people are. Wow. In whom we have redemption. We are not redeemed by a bunch
of facts about Christ. We are redeemed by Christ and
his work. What was that work? What was
the price of redemption? Well, the Apostle Peter tells
us what the work was and what the price was. In 1 Peter 1,
verses 18 and 19, for as much as you know that ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things. See, that's what we're talking
about now is redemption, talking about being redeemed. He says, it was
not with corruptible things as silver and gold. Boy, we're so
materialistically minded, we take offense at silver and gold
being called corruptible things. Oh, no, we're going to have that
from now on. Is that so? Not redeemed with
corruptible things, which which he defines as silver and gold.
And certainly not from your vain conversation received by tradition
from your fathers. I want to tell you right now
it would surprise you what a great percentage of religion, and this
is part of the country, is nothing more than tradition of the fathers. But it's redeemed nobody. But We are redeemed with the
precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot. Our redemption could not be bought
with any amount of money. If it could, only the rich would
have it. But all the gold and all the
silver in the entire world could not pay for even one sin. Why? Because our offense was
against a holy God and He don't need gold and silver. The price
of redemption must be from a holy and righteous source. One like
God, yea, one who is God, One who did not have the blood
of sinful Adam running through his veins. And the Lord Jesus
Christ was that one. He's the only one. Now we're
coming. I'm fixing the sidetrack here
a minute. I guess it's okay. We're coming to the place in
our country. And I don't get on to this a lot because I hear
people talking about, you know, the government's going to come
through here and they're going to listen to this. through these
microphone and tapes and all this kind of stuff, and have
spies and all that stuff. And you've got to go along with,
and they're going to cut your head off if you don't. But now
listen, we're coming to a time in our country when these religions
has got to get together to survive. And they're going to do it. The
Muslims, the Catholics, the Baptists, all of them. I don't know how
on earth they're going to do it. But now the Southern Baptist
Convention, and of course all these little mountain churches
around here are going to go along with it, they are somehow going
to be able to get along with that crowd. And they're going
to have to do it using the name of God, agreeing with that crowd
that God and Allah is the same thing. but not using the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. That was the issue after Pentecost. If you'll study the first few
chapters of the Book of Acts, they never nailed Peter and John
and those guys for preaching. Here's what they nailed them
about. Don't preach anymore in that name. It's that name of
Jesus Christ that we hate. But what did God tell us? There
is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. So apart from Him, we don't have
any redemption. Apart from Him, we don't have
any salvation. Apart from Him, we don't have
any hope. Oh, but He is our hope this morning. Why? He did not have the blood
of sinful Adam running in his veins like you do and like I
do. He's the only one. And when we
read those words there in 1 Peter, as of a lamb without blemish
and without spot, of course, our minds go back to the Old
Testament. And I think about this often,
how difficult it must have been, what a never-ending chore it
was What a lifelong occupation it was for so many shepherds
to produce and to care for and to have available qualified lambs
for sacrifice day after day after day, year after year after year. Well, that little phrase, without
blemish, meant with no cuts or scratches. no sores, no outward
defect of any kind. And the phrase without spot meant
no spots of leprosy or any disease or sickness the animal might
have within. It had to be perfect without
and within. How impossible then for man to
ever find a man among Adam's race. To produce a man, a qualified
man, a perfect man without sin, impossible, impossible. But God, the very one who required
perfection, provided perfection in the person and in the shed
blood of his dear son." The thought goes way back to Genesis 22 that
we talked about last Sunday. You remember when Isaac asked
his father concerning the sacrifice, Behold the fire and the wood,
but where is the lamb? And Abraham answered, My son,
God will provide himself a lamb. What God required, God provided
in his only begotten son. So the blood of Christ is the
price paid for our release, for our redemption. Can I say those who object to a bloody religion, they say,
well, why couldn't we just say we're redeemed by his death? No. The scripture says in whom
we have redemption, through his blood. The blood is emphasized,
reminding us of all the Old Testament blood sacrifices, teaching the
lesson of what redemption is, that one's blood is shed for
the sins of another. So the New Testament does not
ignore the blood, in whom we have redemption through his blood.
We read from Peter, we're redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Romans 3.25, whom God had set
forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. Ephesians
2.13, but now in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Hebrews 9, 12, neither by the
blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in
once into the holy place. Hebrews 10, 19, having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. There is no bypassing the blood. Romans 5, 9, being now justified
by His blood. Oh yes, we're not ashamed to
talk about the blood. We're ashamed not to. It's by
the blood of the Lamb of God. Now, redemption was accomplished
when the price was paid. A lot of people are messed up
on this. This is a point of doctrine which many reject, but we sing
it often in the words of the old song, He redeemed me when
He died. All I need, all I need. I with
him was crucified. He is all I need. But now folks
today are being told, no, he's not all you need. You've got
to do this, that, the other. No, you don't need to do anything.
You need the spirit of God to quicken you to see that Christ
did it all. In him. In whom we have redemption. There are three terms that people
use as being synonymous. And I've watched this for several
years now. Redemption, regeneration, and
conversion. But they're not synonymous. And
of course, there's several others they throw in there too. being
born again, being saved, all of that. But these are not synonymous
terms. But people use all these terms
in reference to the new birth. But now, if you study your Bible,
you'll learn that redemption is a past work. The work of Christ
on the cross. People say, oh, I remember that
night when I was redeemed. If you're redeemed, you don't
remember it because it happened before you got here. Oh, I never shall forget the
day they wrote my name. No, if your name's there, you
won't even remember it. You can't even remember it, let
alone not forget it. Why? Because the name was written
before the foundation of the world. It's what the book says. Okay? Redemption is a past work. That's
what we've been talking about. The work of Christ on the cross. That's all the redemption there
is. Regeneration, on the other hand,
is the new birth. It's what most people refer to
as being born again or being saved. Well, being saved is from
eternity to eternity. You can't handle that word. But
regeneration is the new birth when we're born again. That quickening
work that takes place when we're brought to repent and to believe.
Dead sinners don't repent and believe. We're quickened and
regenerated to repent and believe. Then there's the term conversion.
It is a lifelong process which involves the wearing out of this
flesh, a conforming of our spirit to the image of Christ. So the price of redemption was
paid on the cross. It's completed. It is completed. All that ever have been redeemed
or ever will be, were redeemed that day. The price was paid
in full to set us free. Nothing is going to redeem sinners
but Christ's blood. And he's not going to shed it
again. He's already done it. It was done that day, paid in
full. But the process, the conversion
process, is not complete, not until we awaken His likeness,
not until sin has wore us out and killed these bodies in this
world. Ephesians 4.30, Paul tells us
to grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed
unto the day of redemption, not the redemption of our souls,
that was finished on the cross, but he's talking about the day
of redemption of our bodies. And the Holy Spirit of God is
the seal, the preserver, keeping us and bringing us to that day. Romans 8.23, Paul said, but we've
grown within ourselves Waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption
of the body You see these sin-cursed bodies must grow old and feeble
and Die and decay and we all know that and most of us are
feeling it more every day that we live But in redemption We have the
promise of a new body Philippians 3 21 Paul said that it may be
fashioned like under his glorious body. Oh, how good it is to know how
good it is to rest in the blessed truth that I was given to Christ
in a covenant of grace before the world was created. And I've
been his property and I've been his project. all the way. You say, I wish I could believe
that. I wish you could do. I wish you could do. Second Timothy
1.9, he had saved us from eternity and called us in time with a holy calling. Not according to our works, He never seen anything you done
right and decided, hmm, maybe I could use him. No, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Wow. It was given us in Christ
Jesus. Ephesians 1, 4, chosen in Christ. In whom we have redemption. See
this phrase, in Christ, is wow, it's just over and over and over
throughout the New Testament epistles. In Christ, in Him,
in whom. So he says this was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. but is now made manifest by my profession. No, that's
not what it said. But is now made manifest by the
appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel. whereunto I am appointed a preacher. Paul says, I'm appointed a preacher
of the gospel. It's not my business to tell
you how to talk, how to walk, where to go and not go, what
to do and not do. And a lot of folk would fall
out on me over that. A lot of preachers fall out on
me over that. The things I just named to you, that's the job,
that's the business of the Holy Spirit will do that if you belong
to God. How to walk, how to talk, what
to do and not do. That's the Holy Spirit's job
and he will do it in the hearts of his people. It's not my business to plead. with unregenerate churchgoers
to be faithful to the church. That does make me feel good when
there's more seats full than there are empty. It really does. And I don't mean to say this
in a negative way, but I'm saying it's not my business to plead
with unregenerate churchgoers to be faithful to the church.
It's not my business to plead with people who don't know the
Lord to be faithful to the Lord. That ain't going to happen. It's
my business to preach the gospel of Christ, that He came into
this world, paid the price of redemption for His people. And our religion is not an effort
to impress Him with what we can do. It's an effort to worship
Him for what He's done. First Timothy 121, it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching, not singing, not puppets, not
pizza, but preaching. Pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save. And there's that big word from
eternity to eternity. It simply means deliver. Please,
God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save or deliver them that
believe. 1 Corinthians 1.21 is that verse.
Preaching is not to make people believe. God has to do that. Paul said preaching is to deliver
them that do. It's to save them that do. John
3.16 says the same thing. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth, that
is, them that do, should not perish. It's a promise
to believers not to perish. It's not a proposition to unbelievers. And He does not say, and you
read some of your modern versions that somebody's got, I guess,
and I'm not going to get off on that, but some of them, John
3, 16, it'll say, whosoever believes, whosoever chooses to believe,
whosoever decides to believe, it's not what it's talking about,
whosoever believeth, that is, them that do, shall not perish. It's a promise to believers.
Thank God for redemption. in Christ, in whom we have redemption. Our being in him from eternity. Came into this world, secured
our redemption at Calvary. That's why we sing songs like,
I will sing of my Redeemer. Blessed Redeemer. Redeemed how
I love to proclaim it. I know my Redeemer liveth. We
sang this morning, praise Him, praise Him. Jesus, our blessed
Redeemer. For our sin, He suffered and
bled and died. That's why we sing these songs.
We have a Redeemer. And we don't sing that and then
go out of here wringing our hands. I wonder if I'll be able to,
I wonder if I'll be able to make it to heaven. I'm hoping to do
better tomorrow than I did today. No, we're here to celebrate one
who did it. One who redeemed us by his blood. Such a redeemer and such a redemption brings his redeemed to a vowed
servanthood forever. He set us free, but he put something in our heart
to want to be his servants. See, that's the irony of the
gospel of redemption. I read about a slave, a beautiful
young lady about to be sold, and a very godly man seeing her
face and fearing himself what might happen
to her, he bought her. And then he handed her the papers
granting her freedom. And she turned to the crowd and
started shouting, He has redeemed me! He has redeemed me! And then she ran after him and fell
at the man's feet and said, Oh, please let me be your servant
forever. It all works. It all works. That's how Christ's redemption
works. There is no work of redemption. There is no work of regeneration.
There is no work of conversion that does not include the divine
work in the heart of the redeemed. that results in a desire to be
His servant forever. Unto Him that loved us and washed
us from our sins in His own blood. Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus,
our blessed Redeemer. It's not talking anything about
a ticket to heaven. It's not talking anything about a fire
escape from hell. It's talking about in whom we
have redemption through His blood. And I close with this statement,
the statement we mentioned in the Bible class, Matthew 121, the statement of the angel of
the Lord to Joseph before Christ was born. And he said to him,
Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save, deliver his
people from their sins. He didn't say he's going to take
them to heaven. They're already in heaven with Christ from eternity. Didn't say He's going to save
them from hell. God's redeemed. He can't down
them out of their way into hell. But He said He's going to save
them from their sins. What is He doing in your heart
about your sins? That's the question. That's the
question. Thank God for such a Redeemer
as ours and the redemption he has accomplished for us. Let's
stand together.