Well, my subject this morning,
the subject, the title of the message is the redemption of
God's Israel. And I want to take for the text
a verse or two in First Chronicles chapter 17, which we read earlier. First Chronicles chapter 17 and
verse 21 and 22, I suppose. Let's just read those now. This is David speaking. David
before the Lord. He's in a situation of great
peace and calm has descended on everything that he did. He's
in control. These are the glory days of Israel
in the days of David the king. And he's before God saying, he
was so of such lowly background, he of such lowly background has
been so highly exalted by God and he says, and what one nation,
verse 21, what one nation in the earth is like thy people
Israel whom God went to redeem to be his own people to make
thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out
nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of
Egypt. For thy people, Israel, didst
thou make thine own people forever, and thou, Lord, becamest their
God." Redemption. God went to redeem. God redeemed
his people out of Egypt. Redemption. Israel whom God went
to redeem out of the house of bondage as Egypt is described
many times in the scriptures. This idea of redemption is something
that is very little known in our society yet it's got a place
in popular culture. If you ever, I'm not recommending
it, but if you ever watch songs of praise on the BBC they often
sing guide me O thou great Jehovah but they don't like the word
Jehovah so they've changed it and they sing guide me O thou
great Redeemer. And I wonder, of all those in
the Albert Hall who are all singing, Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
have they got the foggiest idea of what they're singing? Or they
go and listen to performances of Handel's Messiah, and they
love to hear the soprano sing, I know that my Redeemer liveth.
and that he shall stand at the latter day." But do they know
what they're talking about? There's great ignorance about
this concept of redemption, of redeeming, of the Redeemer. And
yet Scripture is full of redemption, and the idea of redemption. God
delights to call Himself. You know the names of God are
so significant because names are not just labels. Names have
meaning as to what the person did, what the person is like,
what the person does. and God delights to call Himself
the Redeemer, the Redeemer of Israel, God the Redeemer. And
His people are called the redeemed of the Lord, Psalm 107 verse
2, let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those whom the Lord has
redeemed. What does it mean? What is the
meaning of this word redeem that used to be in much more common
use in our society and language than it is in these days? Well
first of all some definitions. In the scriptures there are three
words for redeem. Now I'm not trying to give you
a Greek lesson this morning and you know that you can write the total amount
of Greek that I know on the back of a postage stamp so don't think
that I'm claiming any expertise I look up the words of those
who know a lot better about these things than me and there are
three words one is agoradzo which means to buy simple as that agoradzo
means to buy as in what they sing in Revelation 5 verse 9,
talking about the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, our glorious Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lamb, and they're all singing His praise for He
has redeemed us to God by His blood. We have that same concept
in 1 Corinthians 6 and verse 20, where you're told, believers,
all of us are told, you don't belong to yourselves, you're
not your own, you are bought with a price, and the price is
the precious blood of Christ. In Acts chapter 20 and verse
28, again I think it was Paul that was speaking there, he talks
about the church of God which he, God, purchased, bought, agoradzo,
with his, God's, own blood. The church of God which he bought
with his own blood. Boy, doesn't that say something
about the deity of Christ? God bought the church with the
blood of God! That's what that text is saying.
So that's agoradzo, to buy, to buy something. And then there's
ekagoradzo, which is the same word but with ek added, meaning
out of, to buy out of. it's to buy out of the possession
of one person into the possession of another person so for example
again it's not something that's very common these days but they
do still exist you know the pawn shops the P.A.W.N. shops and
uh... if you're short of money you
might have a best suit that you want to wear again you don't
wear your best suit at the weekend but you know you used to do years
and years ago the man would have his working clothes through the
week but he'd have his suit to go out at the weekend and uh... if he didn't have much money
On the Monday morning, he would sell his suit into pawn, and
the pawnshop would give him some money for his suit on which he'd
live until he got paid on the Friday. And then on the Saturday,
he'd go to the pawnshop and redeem his suit out of pawn. He'd buy
it back. He'd buy it back out of the possession
of the pawnshop owner. and so Galatians 3.13 Christ
has redeemed us out of the possession of from the curse of the law
he's redeemed us from that situation because the curse of the law
of the law is the possession of the justice of God that the
sinner, the soul that sins it must die, it shall die but Christ
has redeemed us, echagorazo out of the curse of the law by being
made a curse in our place for us And then the third word is
this, Lutru, Lutru, L-U-T-R-O-O, Lutru, which is to buy freedom,
to buy liberty, liberation from bondage. Echoes of the idea of
the jubilee year, where the slaves were set free, but slightly different
because in the jubilee year they were set free for nothing, but
this is the idea, it's the slave market. where slaves are being
sold as they were not that many years ago in the history of humankind
and they probably still are in some places today underground. And someone would go with a gracious
beneficial intent in mind to the slave market and there out
of pure grace would see a slave and would say I'm going to buy
that slave. What? To be your slave? No. to
set them free to set them at liberty that's what it is to
buy to set free the slave market to purchase the freedom and so
the idea again in scripture is as Job 33 verse 24 where God
says this of the sinner deliver him from going down to that pit
of slavery, of bondage, of judgment, of justice, why can you deliver
him from that situation? Why can you set him free from
that situation? Why can you looter him from that
situation? I have found, says God, a ransom. He's found the price that pays
You know, the slave market trader's happy, he's yours, do what you
want with him. He's your slave, you can set him free if you want
to. The price has been paid. Deliver him from going down to
the pit. I have found a ransom. Those
are the meanings of the word. To buy, to buy out of, to buy,
to purchase freedom. This is the concept. Now why
is it important to us? It's important to us all the
time. we want to know about redemption we sing about redemption we praise
God for redemption we remember redemption we're going to share
bread and wine at the end of this service the communion of
the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord's table where he said this do in
remembrance of me because we're remembering that price that ransom
that was paid for the souls of his people deliver him from going
down to the pit for I have found a ransom deliver each one of
you who believe from going down to the pit for I have found a
ransom, what is that ransom? It's not bread and wine but it's
what bread and wine symbolize because we're weak human flesh
we need reminders, reminders of what it cost to save the souls
of his people, the broken body and the shed blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. So to bring some structure to
these thoughts about redemption let's think about the cause of
redemption the cost of redemption. I'm not very good at doing all
the same letter but it just so happened that this week I managed
to find four. The cause, the cost, the consequences
of redemption and the confidence that redemption results in in
those who are its objects. So first of all the cause of
redemption. Look at our verse in verse 21.
And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom
God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name
of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before
thy people whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt? What that verse
is speaking about is God's particular sovereign grace. Why do I say
particular? I mean he's talking about Israel
and nobody else. He drove out other nations that
he might save Israel, that he might redeem Israel out of Egypt. Don't do any historical leap
forward to say that there is anything in the scripture, in
the Old Testament scriptures relating to peoples and types
All one in Christ Jesus. No racial distinctions whatsoever.
No superiority of one race over another at all. These are symbolical
of eternal realities. Don't go thinking that God has
got it in for Egyptians these days any more than he has it
in, as it were, to use those words for anybody else that is
outside of the Lord Jesus Christ, irrespective of race. You know,
just don't go making those false connections. Egypt is symbolical
Even though there is a country today which is a real country
with 80 odd million people in it, it's just symbolical of the
slavery in which God's people, the redeemed of the Lord are,
by nature, before Christ comes and frees them. Frees them from
the curse of the Lord by being made a curse for us. No, don't
make any of those false leaps. But what this is talking about
is particular redemption. Israel only was the object of
his redemption. And why Israel? He told us elsewhere. I think Stephen mentioned it
in his prayer. Why? Because they were special and
they were good? No, not at all. Because they were great? No,
not in the slightest. Why them? Because he loved them. That's
all he said. Because he loved them. Because of love. Love for
a particular people. For no reason at all of anything
to do with them. They weren't better, they weren't
better disposed, they weren't more likely to believe him, they
weren't in any way different from anybody else but by God's
sovereign grace he particularly for his own reasons I don't know
whether we'll ever know, but we'll praise him for it. He chose
a people, in Christ, from before the foundation of the world.
He loved them, and he did that which was necessary to satisfy
his justice, that he might remain just, because he couldn't be
God if he didn't remain just. He couldn't be God if he didn't
punish all sin, for all sin must be punished. But he did all of
that, and yet he justified, justified in the person of his son, those
whom he had chosen before the foundation of the world, and
in time his Holy Spirit comes and gives new life to those.
The Father chose, the Son redeemed, and the Holy Spirit regenerates
in time. It was love for Israel which
was the cause of redemption. To redeem them out of Egypt was
love for Israel. You know who Israel was? Israel
was Jacob, the swindler, the cheat, the sinner, but Jacob
was made Israel, and Israel is a prince with God. Who are princes
with God? Who is Israel today? Yes, I know
there's a political country called Israel, and I know that there
are Orthodox Jews who live there, who think that they are the Israel
of God, but the scripture tells us otherwise. Galatians 6.15
talks about the Israel of God. The Israel of God. The Israel
of God is the church of God, which was chosen by the Father
in Christ from before the beginning of time. Paul tells Timothy that,
2 Timothy 1 verse 9, before the beginning of time. We were chosen
in Christ before the foundation of the world. God the Father
chose a people. All of those people are the Israel
of God. All of them are. Christ came
to redeem them in that particular land in the Middle East. at the
appointed time, when the fullness of the time was come, God sent
forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem
those, redeem those who are under the law, to buy them back, those
under the law. Who were they? They were all of His people,
Jews and Gentiles. Romans 9, 23 and 24, they're
what is called vessels of mercy. He's using the idea of the potter,
making of the same lump different vessels for different use. Some
for, you know, you've got your best china, Though if you live
in our house there isn't much of it that survives usually because
it gets used and it gets broken. But there's the vessels of honour
and then there's the common things that are just the rough cast
pots that are just for common everyday use. Go down the end
of my garden you'll find an awful lot of rough common everyday
pots and I don't mind if they get broken because they just
get broken anyway. He talks about vessels of mercy. Listen, afore prepared for glory,
before the foundation of the world, that's when, that's before
prepared for glory, even us he says, even us whom, what's the
sign? Whom he hath called, not only
Jews but also Gentiles. That's what the scripture says.
The Israel of God is not only Jews but also Gentiles. And Romans
9.13 Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated particular sovereign
grace Esau have I passed by and left to himself but Jacob have
I loved and verse 25 of the same chapter I will call them all
of these all of this Israel of God my people which were not
my people and I will call her beloved which was not beloved,
because by nature we're children of wrath, even as others. But
by regeneration, by the redemption that is in Christ, by the sovereign
grace of the Father, he calls beloved those which by nature
were not beloved. The cause of redemption is the
love and grace of God. The grace of God which chooses
on the grounds of just pure, unexplained love. That's the
cause of redemption. that God might be gracious to
me, oh that God might love me to redeem me. You know when you
love somebody, when there's somebody close to you whom you love, a
husband or a wife or a child or a parent, there's no limit
to what you'll do. for that person when you truly
love them. I couldn't think of a better example and I'm not
sure whether I know any of the details of that family's background
but do you remember that couple who were sailing in the Indian
Ocean and they were kidnapped by Somali pirates and they were
held captive for an awfully long time, about 18 months I think,
and as I say I don't know the details of the family but I imagine
that all the resources that that family, if they loved that couple,
if the children loved their parents, if the relatives loved that couple,
they would muster together all the resources they possibly could
to try to find a ransom. Why would they do that? Love. Would it be because they would
pay them back one day? Not in the slightest. Love. Why do you go and do what you
do for your children? Love for them. They may not understand
it at the time, but it's love for them. That's what drives
it. That's the cause of redemption. God's great love, says the scripture,
wherewith he loved us. His great love. That's the cause
of redemption. That's why he found the price
that the ransom might be paid. So what was that ransom? What's
the cost of redemption? Let's think about that. How much
does it cost? What is the price of redemption? What's the price that has to
be paid to God for the liberty, for the salvation of a soul?
What's the price? You know, all things have a price. You know, we talk about knowing
the price of all things and the value of nothing. and parents
often think that about some of their children, that they're
always thinking in terms of just pure figures but they don't really
appreciate the value of anything. I heard on the radio the other
day that if you want a corporate hospitality ticket at this afternoon's
men's Wimbledon singles final, that those that are providing
it, you know, if you're in business and you know somebody who wants
a special deal with you, do you know what it is? For one ticket,
for this afternoon, to go in through the posh entrance and
to have really nice plush food and be with other people with
loads of money and then get a plum seat to watch the men's single
final, do you know it's over four thousand pounds? just for
one ticket to watch one tennis match. Do you know why they charge
£4,000? Because there are more than enough people queuing up
ready and willing to pay it to be there. That's the way it is. What's the price? So then, what
is the price to buy a soul out of the pit? What's the ransom
price? That pit of corruption, that
pit of bondage to sin and judgment, to God's justice, what is it? What's the price that we'll buy
out of that situation? What's the size of the ransom?
that God found according to Job to deliver from the pit. What's
the size of that ransom? Well let's look at some scriptures.
Look at Psalm 49. Psalm 49 and verses six to nine. Psalm 49 first of all. Because you see, you say I don't
understand these things. You see the book you've got in
your hands If you'll read it, and you'll dig, and you'll meditate,
and you'll ask God's guidance, and you'll use the helps that
he's given to his church, you'll find the answers, because they're
all in there. How much does it cost? well the scriptures tell
us in Psalm 49 what it doesn't cost Psalm 49 verse 6 they that
trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of
their riches and lots of people do that don't they they boast
in their wealth they boast in the multitude of their riches
none of them can by any means redeem his brother. Not one of
them, you can't buy it with money, not one of them can redeem his
brother. Nor give, look he's so explicit,
nor give to God a ransom for him. Can't redeem his brother.
None of them can redeem his brother by the money that we have, the
very richest of them. the very richest of them, the
Russian oligarchs who are the richest people around, the Indian
and Chinese millionaires, billionaires, richer than Bill Gates was by
a long way now already, none of them can by any means redeem
his brother or give to God a ransom for the redemption of their soul
is precious, costly. the redemption of a soul, your
soul, even your soul, even my soul. I'm not talking millions
of souls, though that's the case, I'm just talking each individual
one. The redemption of their soul
is precious and it ceaseth forever. Old-fashioned language for it's
unattainable. It can't be attained. that he
should still live forever down to verse 15 that he should still
live forever and not see corruption sorry that's in verse 9 isn't
it that's the point of it that he should still live forever
and not see corruption the corruption of judgment but now verse 15
but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave the rich
man can't do it but God will do it will redeem my soul from
the power of the grave, for he shall receive me. You see, riches
and gold can't do it. Isn't that exactly what Peter
tells us in his first epistle, chapter 1, verses 18 and 19? Ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things. Not with things that decay in
their value, even in this world. I don't think Marguerite's old
enough to remember this. I ought to say Marguerite is
nowhere near old enough to remember this. But if you'd been alive
and doing trade in the 1920s in Germany, the currency became
absolutely worthless. People would need a washing basket
full of banknotes to go and buy a loaf of bread. It became utterly
worthless. It was corruptible, as is all
currency. You know, we see these currency
crises, and we see this worldwide confidence in economics, you
know? It's corruptible. But you are not redeemed with
corruptible things as silver and gold, for they're all eternally
corruptible. They look so solid. Why is gold
valuable? Because chemically it's pretty
much inert. It's incredibly difficult to
get it to react with anything else. Whereas, that's why you
don't wear an iron wedding ring, because after a few years of
doing the washing up it would rust away. But a gold one won't,
because it doesn't react with things. But even gold and silver
Peter says they're corruptible, eternally corruptible. They can't
be used to buy the redemption of a soul. No, not with those
things, but with the precious blood of Christ. That's what
redeems his people. You're not redeemed with corruptible
things, but with the precious blood of Christ. As of a lamb
without blemish and without spot, that precious blood. Think back
to when Israel came out of Egypt, the night they came out of Egypt,
the Passover night, the very first Passover and they were
told sometime before to take a lamb, to choose a lamb of the
first year without blemish and without spot and to keep it and
observe it and look at it and check that it was perfect and
without blemish and without spot as Peter says. Make sure it's
like that and then on the Passover night through Moses he told them
God is going to come through the land and all the firstborn
will die under the just judgment of God upon sin without exception
all but where the blood of the lamb was painted over the doorposts
the angel of death would see the blood and would pass over
hence the name the Passover can you imagine how precious you
say blood precious if you're in need of, if you've had a serious
accident and you've lost lots of blood I can imagine then you
might imagine blood as being precious to you because if you
don't get some you're going to die you need it for your life but
can you imagine how precious that lamb's blood must have appeared
to those Israelites that night They knew that the angel of death
with the sword of judgment was coming through the land and that
every firstborn of all the families of Egypt and all the animals,
every firstborn would die under the judgment of God that night.
And what was their hope? Blood. Precious blood. Precious blood of a lamb without
blemish and without spot painted on the doorposts and on the lintel
of the door. They knew what it was. Precious
blood. And so it is with Christ. The
precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot. We sung in the hymn, Amazing
Grace, how precious did that grace appear? And it's that grace
that led to Christ shedding his blood. How precious did that
grace appear? the hour I first believed. Oh
that's what it is, precious blood. As we partake of the bread and
the wine and we partake of those symbols remembering that precious
blood, think of those Israelites. Think of those Israelites and
how precious that lamb's blood must have been to them. Because
do you know something? Paul tells the Corinthians, Christ,
our Passover, our lamb without blemish and without spot is slain
for us, he's sacrificed for us. Christ has indeed redeemed us
from the curse of the law, being made a curse, that the infinite,
pure, holy Son of God should be made a curse for his people. That he might become man, that
he might redeem those who are under the law, that we might
receive the adoption as sons. What an immense cost. But does
its cost, which is clearly immense, does its cost make it unattainably
rare? You know usually I mean gold's
worth quite a bit because I believe I am told that if you've got
all the gold in the earth that's ever been found together and
you think well we've all got a little bit of it somewhere
I mean I don't wear a ring but you know most of you have got
gold rings on so you'd think taking the billions of people
that there are in the world there must be an awful lot of gold
around but apparently I'm told that you know, you wouldn't need
more space than in an Olympic swimming pool to put all the
gold in the world that's ever been found. It's rare and that's
partly its value, is in its rarity. So is this grace so rare? You know, is it valuable? Is
it precious? Because it's rare and does its cost make it unattainably
rare? You know, is its value in its
rarity? This is the question. Is it beyond you? Is it beyond
me? Is it beyond our reach? Turn back to Exodus chapter 30.
Exodus chapter 30. I want to read some verses from
verse 11 to 16. Exodus chapter 30 and verse 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel
after their number, Then shall they give every man a ransom
for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them, that there
be no plague among them when thou numberest them. This they
shall give everyone that passeth among them that are numbered,
half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, a shekel is
twenty giras, and half shekel shall be the offering of the
Lord. Everyone that passeth among them that are numbered from twenty
years old and above shall give an offering unto the Lord. The
rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less
than half a shekel when they give an offering unto the Lord
to make an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the
atonement money of the children of Israel and shall appoint it
for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation that it may
be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the Lord to
make an atonement for your souls." First of all, it had a very practical
use. It was for the upkeep of the temple and the service of
the Lord. It was just the standard offering that everyone had to
give. Don't read into this any lesson at all that salvation
costs an individual, that there's a price to pay by an individual
yes there is a cost, Jesus spoke about the cost of forsaking all
other things and following him but this is not saying that this
is purchased by the works that we do at all but here's the lesson
of it every one of them that were numbered without exception
and without distinction all in God's Israel all had to give
half a shekel for the ransom of his soul is what it said.
Now then nobody is excluded by inability to pay because half
a shekel I don't know what it would be in our modern day money
but I bet just in the loose coins in my pocket I've got the equivalent
of what was the half shekel. When John Gill wrote his commentary
on it he put it into the money of that day and it was two or
three pence. It was just a trivial amount
of money even in those days. It wasn't beyond the means of
anybody. Nobody was excluded by inability
to pay. Now this is it. Do you long? Do you yearn? Do you thirst or
hunger, to use the language of Scripture, to be redeemed from
the curse of the law that hangs over your immortal soul? Do you
yearn for that, to be redeemed? Well, hear what the Scripture
says. We've seen the principle there. Affordable by everybody. Nobody excluded by inability,
half a shekel, but every one of them without exception. The
rich paying no more than the poor, all paying exactly the
same, exactly the same. Nobody excluded at all. Now hear
what the scripture says. Isaiah 55. verse 1, ho everyone,
I'm just picking from those scriptures, ho everyone that thirsts he that
hath no money come buy wine and milk without money and without
price the result and your soul shall live without money without
price John 6 37 having said that all that the father gives him
will come to him he then says and him whoever he is that comes
to me comes to me With this thirst, with this hunger, I will in no
wise cast out. Nobody turned away who comes
to Him. Revelation 22, 17, right at the
end of the whole canon of Scripture, among the last words written,
We read this, let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will,
whosoever will. So the Armenians say there you
are, it's not about election, it's about whosoever will. Ah,
whosoever will is the question that I would ask. I'll tell you,
whosoever he makes willing in the day of his power. Psalm 103
I think it is, isn't it? He makes them willing. He makes
his people willing. His people are willing. So whosoever
will, has he made you willing? Whosoever will, let him come
and take of the water of life freely, freely. The cost was
the precious blood of Christ. Who can afford that cost to ransom
their soul? The scripture says whosoever
will can afford that price, that half shekel. Whosoever will can
afford that precious blood of Christ. No, there's no bar, no. So what then are the consequences
of this redemption? Well we read in our text in 1
Chronicles 17, 21, Whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt, redeemed
to be the people of God, to make thee a name of greatness, but
redeemed out of Egypt to be the people of God. This is the consequence
of redemption, the redemption that Christ purchased with his
own precious blood. It's to redeem his people out
of the bondage of Egypt, not literal Egypt today of course,
but the bondage of sin. the bondage of Satan, the bondage
of the curse of the law. He's redeemed his people, redeemed
out of Egypt, out of that bondage to sin. Romans 8 21, because
the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage
of corruption into the glorious liberty, freedom. Lutero glorious
freedom of the children of God and then again that passage in
Galatians 3 verses 12 to 14 listen to these words and the law is
not of faith you see if you're living by the law that's not
that's not according to the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ this
is this is living according to the law the man that doeth them
shall live in them you know that's you who hear the law You who
say you want to be under the law, don't you hear what the
law actually says? Well this is what it says. Cursed is everyone
that does not continue in all things, it's in Deuteronomy and
it's quoted in Galatians 3, all things that are written in the
book of the law to do them without exception, without faltering. Those who go making you know,
a Sunday into a Sabbath day these days, they don't do that. They
don't come anywhere close to doing that. They don't continue
in all things written in the book of the law to do them. They
make up their own version of it so that they can keep it in
their own way. You know, they say, well, all
right, we won't pick up sticks on a Sunday, which is now our
Sabbath day, but we will turn the electricity on in the house.
to cook the food. You see, it's just total hypocrisy,
continuing all things written in the book of the law to do
them. If that's what you're going to do, the man that doeth them
shall live in them. But Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed
is everyone that hangeth on a tree, on that cross of wood, that tree
of wood that the Lord Jesus Christ hung on. This is the consequence,
remember, we're talking about the consequence of redemption,
that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ. That we might receive the promise
of the Spirit through faith. What's the blessing of Abraham?
It's the blessing of justification. it's the blessing of being counted
just and sinless before the law of God that's the blessing of
Abraham the blessing of justification on the basis of the faith now
listen to my words carefully on the basis of the faith of
Jesus Christ for he was faithful unto death he was obedient unto
death that he might purchase his people he did what was necessary
as our substitute But it's apprehended, you know about it, you appreciate
it by the faith which God gives his people to believe and trust. That's faith in Christ. We believe
because God gives us faith to believe it. And that blessing
of Abraham is the blessing of justification that comes through
all that Christ has done and experienced through the faith
that he gives us. What was the consequence? Exodus
30 verse 12, you don't need to turn back to it. The consequence
of the half shekel was this. Read it for yourself. The redemption
price, this was the consequence. That there be no plague among
them. No plague. That's what it says.
It says it a couple of other places in the scriptures, in
Proverbs and in the Psalms. That there be no plague on those
whom God has redeemed. What was the plague? The plague
of the judgment and justice of God. The plague of the curse
of the law. The plague of the penalty for
sin. That plague, that there be no plague among them. And
it says no plague, absolutely none. You think about standing
before that judgment seat of Christ and you think, oh am I
only saved by the skin of my teeth? Is God going to call to
account all my failures as a Christian and is he going to reward me
less than others because I've not been as good a Christian
as I am? Perish the thought. No plague among his people. No
plague. They will all stand there. All
of his people will stand there. And their righteousness and their
justification and their sanctification. What does 1 Corinthians 1.30
say? He, Christ, is made unto us. Wisdom from God and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption. Which brings me to the final
point. What confidence does redemption give then? Do you know that you're
the redeemed of the Lord? Psalm 107 says this, let the
redeemed of the Lord say so. Do you know that you're redeemed?
Well if you are, what confidence does it give you? Have you ever
been worried? that a bill hasn't been paid
or you think you've paid it but maybe they've not received it.
I'm sure you have, it happens to us all from time to time and
you can't find the receipt and you're thinking what if they
come and they want the money again and I haven't got it and
I know I've already paid it but they're saying that I haven't
got it. When we drove down to our holiday it was not that I
had any worries of this at all but you know it's comforting
to know that there was a piece of paper in my pocket from the
owner of the place where we were going and it said paid in full
stamped across it that's a comforting thing paid in full he's not going
to say when we get there ah what you thought you paid there's
still a whole load more to pay no that wouldn't have been a
good idea that wouldn't have been a pleasant experience no
paid in full it was all paid for well look redemption has
paid the price in full and this is the confidence that it gives
to the people of God this is why particular redemption is
so distinct from that which is preached under the guise of Calvinism
but really isn't, it's really Arminianism dressed up as Calvinism
And really it's this kind of fullerite idea that provision
was made for all if only they will accept it. And then you
go on that basis and you think well I wonder if my accepting
was good enough. I wonder if my accepting actually made it
apply to me or not. Have I? No. Particular redemption
is this. Who went forth to redeem Israel
according to David? God went forth to redeem Israel. God said He did it. God has redeemed
His people. God promised that He would do
it, and has done it. It's certain. We sang that hymn
about, right at the start. It is finished. When Christ said
that, He wasn't saying, I am finished, I've had enough. He
was saying, the work of redemption is finished. It is finished.
It is paid in full. It's based on God's Word. And
God is omnipotent and unchanging. And if He's said it to you, child
of God, believing in Him and trusting in Him, you're redeemed
from the curse of the law. You can have confidence. And
what does that confidence result in? Hebrews 10 verses 19 and
20, having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest. You know the holiest in the temple
was where the high priest went just once a year on the day of
atonement and only with an acceptable blood sacrifice. And if he went
in there without that blood sacrifice he would be struck dead. Because
they'd seen it happen. And they must have looked anxiously
every year. Has he been accepted? Because
if he hasn't been, we haven't been either. And he went in there,
behind that veil, through that veil, into the Holy of Holies,
where nobody was allowed to go, on pain of death, with a blood
sacrifice. Therefore, brethren, boldness
is what we have. To enter into the holiness by
the blood of Jesus. Not of a bull, or of a calf,
or a goat. By the blood of Jesus, precious
blood. By a new and living way. which he hath consecrated for
us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh. His flesh,
his body, was broken for us. His precious blood was shed to
make that way into the holiest, into the presence of God. And
we have confidence. We have boldness. No doubting. No wondering. Am I going to be
good at it? Without any question at all. Boldness. Because this
is what I'm going to close with. 1 John chapter 2 verse 28. John
says this to believers, to those who have faith, the faith of
the Lord Jesus Christ, abide in him, abide in that faith,
that when he shall appear, because he's coming again as a judge,
when he shall appear as a judge, we may have confidence and not
be ashamed before him that he's coming. What would the shame
be a result of? Being found wanting, being found
lacking, that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.
But when he comes, we shall be found, we shall have confidence
and not be ashamed before him. So redemption, a great cost,
yet open to all who will. Redemption from the bondage of
sin, from the consequences that there be no plague of judgment
and the confidence that it gives his people that we shall not
be ashamed before him at his coming.