Two of the greatest privileges
we have as God's people in this world is privilege of weeping
with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. And as a pastor, that privilege
is multiplied hundreds of times. I have the great, great privilege
of, carrying the joys and the heartaches of a lot of God's
people in this world. And it is a privilege to carry
the joys and the privilege to carry the burdens and the heartaches. I try to preach to you all the
time with the awareness that your heart is either now heavy
or it soon will be. We have trials. temptations,
troubles, one after another in this world, arranged by God's
providence for our good and His glory. And I want to minister
to folks in just that awareness. And I think perhaps the most
joyful, most comfortable, most soul-cheering revelation of God
in Holy Scripture is redemption. Turn with me, if you will, to
Romans chapter 3. If God will enable me, I want
to talk to you tonight about the redemption that's in Christ
Jesus. Romans chapter 3. Now we know that whatsoever things
the law saith, Romans 3.19, we know that whatsoever things 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. Therefore, since the whole purpose
of the law is to condemn sin, to identify and condemn sin,
to stop our mouths so that we have no excuse for our sin, Therefore,
by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in
God's sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. The law was not given to be a
rule of life for believers. The law was not given to be a
code of conduct. The law was given to expose,
to identify, and to condemn sin, so that men and women everywhere
once exposed to God's law, are made to be aware they have no
excuse, no covering for sin. Verse 21, But now the righteousness
of God without the law, that is, without our obedience to
the law, without us doing anything, is manifested, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets, The law given by Moses and all
the word of the prophets in the Old Testament witnessed this
very thing. Even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ. And that's not a mistake in translation.
We tend to read it by faith in Christ. Righteousness is received
by faith. Righteousness was obtained for
us by the faith of Jesus Christ our mediator 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 Being justified
freely. I love that word without a cause
without a cause in us There's no reason under heaven why God
should justify you or me or anyone else except the sacrifice of
his son. Being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Grace
accomplishes what the law never could. The free, complete, everlasting
justification of our souls. the justification of every guilty
sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus. And this justification
by grace, through the blood of Christ, by blood atonement, is
a righteous justification. It is in complete agreement with
God's holy law, his justice and his truth. It's free grace justification
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Verse 25. whom
God has set forth to be a propitiation, a sin-atoning satisfaction through
faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness. The reason
God set forth His Son as our substitute is to declare His
righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through
the forbearance of God, To declare, I say at this time, God's righteousness,
that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus. Brother Scott Richardson used
to say frequently, before God could do anything for you, he
had to do something for himself. Before God could justify you,
he must satisfy his own law and justice. And Jesus Christ is
that one by whom God has satisfied his law and justice. To declare,
I say at this time, his righteousness that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? Where is boasting then? What is it that we can stick
our fingers on and say, there, I did that. Where is boasting? Where can we say, now, this I
attribute to me, and this is what distinguishes me from other
men and women. This is the thing that gives
me acceptance with God. Where is boasting then? Read
what it says. It is excluded. It's pushed out the room. It's
pushed out altogether. It's excluded. By what law? Of works? Of course not. If there's
something that depends on you, something that you do by which
you distinguish yourself, and give yourself acceptance with
God, eternal salvation and justification, then you have every right to
boast as most religious people do. Where is boasting then? Brother Bob read back in the
study of Matthew 16, our Lord teaching his disciples to beware
of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. And they understood
after he made it clear to them that he was talking about the
doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But their doctrine
wasn't the same. There was as much difference
in the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees as there is between
the most absolute conservative fundamentalist and the most rank
liberal theologian in the world. The Sadducees denied the resurrection. They denied all things with regard
to the spirit world. They denied life after death.
They denied all those things. The Pharisees, on the other hand,
were strict legal fundamentalists, but their doctrine was the same.
Their doctrine was, you make the difference between yourself
and others. God saved you because of something
you do. There's plenty of room for boasting
there, but not here, not here. Nay, boasting is excluded by
the law of faith. By faith in Christ Jesus, we
with the empty hand of faith receive the free gift of God's
grace, which is life eternal by complete free justification
in Christ Jesus. I can't think of anything in
the world revealed by God Almighty, more cheering and comforting
and sustaining to our souls in the midst of difficulty than
this declaration of redemption that's in Christ Jesus. In fact,
when the Lord God would comfort his people in the midst of difficulty,
this is what he says. Fear not, for I have redeemed
thee. What could be more cheerful?
Fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I called thee by thy name,
and thou art mine. I'm now 61 years old. I get it right just about once
or twice a year. I'm 61 years old. And I've lived long enough
now that I have a lot of friends I'm anxious to see again around
the throne of the Lamb. One of them is Brother Harold
Martin. Mother Martin was a deacon in
the Church of Pastor at Lookout in Lookout, West Virginia. He
died shortly before I came here as your pastor. Mother Martin
suffered from prostate cancer. The surgery didn't do him much
good. About a year, maybe a little
less than a year after he had the surgery, And he was very
sick and his only daughter took him out to Virginia, northern
Virginia, and to be with her during the last days of his pilgrimage
on this earth. And when I found out that he
was in the hospital, I bought a ticket and flew out to Washington
to spend the day with him. Went out early in the morning,
stayed with him all day and flew back that night. And we spent
the day together. I had no idea how sick and how
near death he was. But I had the privilege of spending
the last day with my friend when he was cognizant of what was
going on. And most of the day, of course,
he was sleeping, wake up now, and then we'd talk. I'd read
to him, and then I'd sit and read and wake up again. These
are the last words he said to me. He took me by the hand and
grip that was once so strong, now very weak. And he said, Pastor,
it's good to come here and know that everything is under the
blood. It's good to come here and know
that everything is under the blood. Oh, what joy, what comfort,
what peace to the redeemed center, to no redemption by the blood
of Jesus Christ. Everything is under the blood. The redemption of our souls by
the Lord Jesus is that which our God constantly holds before
us as a source of consolation. Now, for the comfort of your
hearts and my own, I want us tonight to think about this matter
of the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. Turn back to Psalm 130. We're going to look at, oh, half
a dozen passages of scripture. Psalm 130. David says, Out of the depths
have I cried unto thee, O Lord. The fact is, that's the only
time we really do cry out to God. when he's put us in the depths
of darkness and isolation and difficulty from which we know
we cannot extricate ourselves. Lord, hear my voice. Let thine
ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou,
Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? If God marks your sin, mark your
goal. But there is forgiveness with
thee. Oh, what grace. There is forgiveness
with thee, that thou mayest be feared, that you may be worshiped. I wait for the Lord. My soul
doth wait. And in his word do I hope. Because
there's forgiveness with my God, I wait in the anxious anticipation
of faith for his deliverance. And I wait in hope. My soul waiteth
for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. I say
more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope
in the Lord, for with the Lord there's mercy. And with him,
watch this, is plenteous redemption. What a word. What a word to describe
redemption. Plenteous redemption. Redemption
from everything. Redemption for everyone who wants
it. Plenteous redemption. And he,
the Lord Jehovah, shall redeem Israel, shall redeem, shall deliver
by blood atonement all his chosen. He shall redeem Israel from all
his iniquities. We hope in the Lord because with
him there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption. We hope
in the Lord for he has promised that he shall redeem Israel from
all his iniquities. From his iniquities and from
all the consequences of his iniquities. That's all our hope, all our
joy, and all our comfort. The only hope for fallen, guilty,
depraved sinners is redemption. A redemption that includes atonement
for sin. Redemption by the satisfaction
of justice. A redemption that includes deliverance
not only from the sin itself, not only from the curse brought
upon us by God's law because of sin, but redemption at last
from all the evil consequences of sin. Complete deliverance
by the blood of Jesus Christ. Such redemption should be or
could be accomplished only by one person. And that person is
our Lord Jesus, the God-man mediator. Not only is he the only one who
could do it, he has done it himself alone. Listen to what he says.
I looked, and behold, there was none to help. I wondered that
there was none to uphold. Therefore, mine own arm brought
salvation to me, and my fury it upheld me. This redemption
of our souls is set forth so many ways in the scripture. It's
declared repeatedly throughout the scriptures, and it is pictured
for us countless times in the word of God, in the Old Testament
and in the new. We have many, many pictures of
redemption given in the scriptures. Tonight, I want us to look at
five of those pictures, which were shadows of good things to
come. Redemption. I remind you again, is not just
atonement. Redemption is deliverance by
a price. Deliverance by a price and by
power. It is that work of God by which
God's elect are brought out of sin, out from under the curse,
out from all the consequences of sin, into the glorious liberty
of the sons of God. The Apostle speaks of us waiting
for the redemption of our bodies. And there he's talking about
resurrection glory. So redemption takes in the whole of God's salvation,
the complete deliverance of our souls, all of it based upon a
ransom price, a ransom price paid for a specific people, a
ransom price that effectually accomplishes the salvation of
those people. Now, I can't stress this adequately,
and it's not merely a point of doctrine. It is a vital aspect
of gospel truth. The redemptive work of our Lord
Jesus Christ is for his own elect and only his elect and all those
for whom Christ obtained eternal redemption shall at last be with
him in glory. Our Lord Jesus said he laid down
his life for the sheep. He bear our transgressions in
his body on the tree. And when he had done so with
his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us. The idea that people have
these days of redemption, that somehow Jesus sort of had something
to do with it, that he came here and lived a good life and died
on the cross to make it possible for you now to believe on him
and make it possible for you by your choice of your will to
bring yourself at last into heaven is no consolation to anybody.
If Christ died for Judas, then his death has nothing to do with
my redemption. If Christ died for folks who
went to hell, his death ministers comfort to no one. Any comfort
you get from such a sacrifice is a delusion and not truth. But Jesus Christ, God's darling
son, took on himself our sins, the sins of God's elect, satisfied
divine justice, and obtained eternal redemption for us. Now
let's look at some pictures of it. Turn to Psalm 106. Psalm 106. I've heard Brother Mahan say
countless times, any man who cannot preach the gospel from
the Old Testament simply doesn't know the gospel. And he's exactly
right. In the Old Testament, we have
countless pictures of redemption. We'll begin with the deliverance
of Israel out of Egyptian bondage as described here in Psalm 106.
Look at verse 6. We have sinned with our fathers.
We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. Our fathers
understood not thy wonders in Egypt. What wonders? turning the water to blood, covering
the land with lice, sending hail, murain on the cattle. God's wonders
in Egypt. Oh, yes. You see, all that God
does in providence, all that God does in providence is but
the outworking of his eternal purpose of grace in the accomplishment
of our ultimate redemption and resurrection glory. Our fathers
understood not thy wonders in Egypt. God teach me to understand
your wonders. What you read in the paper today,
that's just one of God's wonders. His wonders in Egypt. Wonders
by which he brings Israel out of Egypt. Read on. They remember
not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea,
even at the Red Sea. They came out of Egypt after
the Passover sacrifice and still murmured against God. They didn't
remember his wonders, but provoked him. Nevertheless, what a great
word. Nevertheless, he saved them for
his namesake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up. So he led
them through the depths as through the wilderness, and saved them
from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from
the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their
enemies. There was not one of them left. Then believed they
his words and sang his praise. Oh, what a remarkable picture
of our redemption. Israel was brought down into
Egypt by an act of sin, by a single, solitary act of sin. You remember
Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, and that's how Israel
was brought down to Egypt. Oh, and there were many other
things. The famine that will send in the land, all those things
that finally brought the nation of Israel down to buy corn from
Joseph. But Israel was brought into Egypt
by a solitary act of sin. And so it is with all mankind. We were brought into death and
sin by one man's sin. By the sin and disobedience of
our father Adam, we all sinned against God and when Adam died,
we died in him. Sometimes folks say, I don't
like that, that's not right, that's not fair. Well, you haven't
done any better on your own. Thank God for a fall through
a representative. Thank God for a fall through
a representative. If we had fallen like the angels
one at a time, there's no hope for the angels who fell. They're
shut up in chains of darkness. But since God arranged the fall
of the race by a representative man, maybe, maybe he'll deliver
his own by another representative man. And that's exactly what
Adam typified. Israel was redeemed by the hand
of a man. A man whom God raised up by the
name of Moses, the deliverer. God sent Moses, Philip tells
us, I'm sorry, Stephen tells us, to be a ruler and a deliverer
by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
And God had a special price for redemption. Turn back to Exodus
chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12 is one of my
favorite texts. Verse 13, God required the Israelites each
to take a lamb and sacrifice it on the night of the Passover
and sprinkle the blood on the doorpost and the little. And
he says in verse 13, and the blood shall be to you for a token,
a sign upon the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, not when you see the blood, when
I see the blood, Bill, he saw a long time before you did. And he sees it when you see it.
And the time may come and it may come soon when you can no
longer see the blood. There's a disease that runs rampant
with old folks called Alzheimer's disease. And there's nothing
at all pleasant about it. The worse it gets, the worse
it is for everybody associated with the person who has it. The
man forgets everything. The woman forgets everything.
They recognize nothing. They can see nothing. Their personality
changes. Mind is completely altered. And
for believers, Many of them had the same problem with that horrible
disease. I remember Brother Marvin Starnaker's
dad, Gerald, faithful man all his life. Big man, they called
him Papa Bear. I knew him well. He got Alzheimer's
disease and Marvin's mom tried to take care of him the best
she could until at last she just couldn't control him anymore
and had to put him in a nursing home He didn't know her and didn't
know his sons, didn't know his daughter, didn't know his grandchildren,
and didn't know anything at all about seeing the blood. Thank
God, he said, when I see the blood, when I see the blood,
I will pass over you. You see, our acceptance with
God does not hinge on us. It's altogether his doing and
his work. I will pass over you and the
plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the
land of Egypt. What's he saying? The power of
redemption was altogether by the omnipotent hand of God. A picture of both redemption
and regeneration as the children of Israel sang of it. Turn over
chapter 14 of Exodus. Exodus 14 verse 13. You see, blood atonement and
Holy Spirit regeneration always go hand in hand. One of the first
sermons I heard Brother Jesse Gestan preach a long time ago,
he made a statement as only a black preacher could make it. He said,
where the blood don't flow, the spirit don't go. And wherever the blood flows,
the spirit always go. Redemption by blood means the
forgiveness of sins and is followed by the sovereign work of God,
the Holy Spirit, giving life to dead sinners. Look here, Exodus
14 verse 13. Moses said to the people, fear
not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which
he will show you today for the Egyptians whom you have seen
today. You shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall
fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. Stand still,
watch God work, and the sins that plague your soul and torment
your conscience will be gone forever when God causes the blood
to be sprinkled upon your conscience. Verse 1 of chapter 15, Then sang
Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and
spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed
gloriously. The horse and his rider hath
he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my
song. He's become my salvation. He's my God. I will prepare him
in habitation. My Father's God, I will exalt
him. Look at verse 16. Fear and dread
shall fall upon them. By the greatness of thine arm,
they shall be still as a stone. Every foe, every accuser, all
who assault you, till thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people
pass over which thou hast purchased." What are the characteristics
of this redemption, the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt? It was
the redemption accomplished by blood, a redemption of a specific
people. When Moses was commanded of God
to tell Israel to take the lamb and prepare the lamb for sacrifice
and offer the blood and sprinkle it on the doorpost, he said,
go tell it to the ears of Israel. He didn't even tell the Egyptians
about it, let alone make a sacrifice for the Egyptians. This was intended
as a distinction between Israel and Egypt. The Passover sacrifice
was for Israel alone. And the redemption was an effectually
accomplished redemption. Israel went out of Egypt. They went out of Egypt. Not only
did Pharaoh let them go, the Egyptians and Pharaoh said, what
do you want here? Take the gold, the silver, take
this, take that, get out of here. And so it is that God's people
are redeemed by the blood of Christ, bought, ransomed, purchased
and delivered by the blood of Jesus Christ. Turn to Exodus
chapter 30. Exodus 30, here's another picture. Once a year, God required all
the males of the children of Israel to be numbered. He required
that under the law. It was to be done for the maintenance
of the worship of God, not for the glory of the people of Israel,
but simply he gave this law. Now remember, judgment fell on
David because David numbered Israel. Judgment fell on David
for that because David was seeking some word some number that would
give him great admiration in the eyes of men apparently Whatever
the reason when David commanded Joab to number Israel judgment
fell upon him in Israel But here is a law where God required the
numbering of Israel Reckon why? Reckon why? To teach us something
about redemption. Look at verse 11, Exodus 30 And
the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the
children of Israel after their number, then they shall 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, every one that passeth among them that
are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary.
A shekel is 20 givers. And half a shekel shall be the
offering of the Lord. Everyone that passeth among them
that are numbered from 20 years old and above shall give an offering
unto the Lord. Verse 50, 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 atonement for
your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement
money of the children of Israel and 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. Now, this, too, is a picture
of our ransom by Christ Jesus. None but the Israelites were
numbered. And none but the Israelites were
ransomed. The ransom money was paid for
a specific number of people. A specific number. We don't know
the number of God's elect. The 10,000 times 10,000. 10,000
times 10,000. We have no idea the number of
God's elect. A great multitude that no man
can number. But there is a specific number.
God's chosen a specific number, they're called the 144,000. All
the host of God's elect are those people numbered by Him among
His own. The ransom price was given for
the numbered people and only for them. And it was the same
ransom price for all. For the rich and for the poor,
a half shekel, what's a year? Those who were ransomed were
thereby preserved from any plague. What can that mean? Didn't the
Israelites get sick and die? I think you can pretty well say
they did. Of course they did. Well, how
is it then that they are saved from the plague that plagues
the rest of the world? The reference has got to be to
something more than a carnal disease, more than the death
of the body. Listen to this. There shall no
evil happen to the just. There shall no evil happen to
the just. No possibility, no possibility,
no evil. Those things that men think are
evil. Those things that we, in our
folly, think are evil. Those things where, oh, I wish
I could get out of this. I wish I could prevent this.
There shall no evil happen to the just. Won't happen. Won't happen. If you're just,
just before God, justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. No
evil has ever happened to you and no evil ever shall. But the wicked shall be filled
with mischief. There shall no evil befall thee. We read in Psalm 91. Neither
shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. How come? I'm redeemed. Christ bought me
with his blood. He ransomed me. And if he gave
himself for me, he will preserve me from all evil, now and forever. All right, turn to Leviticus
chapter 25. Leviticus 25. We have a law given here concerning
an Israelite who by some means has gotten himself into a pickle. He's in deep poverty. Deep poverty. Shall we just talk to some friends
today? Family getting ready to move out of their house, losing
everything. Deep poverty. Deep poverty. He sold his land, his possessions,
and sold himself into slavery. But God provided a law, especially
for such circumstances. Watch it. Leviticus 25, verse
47. And if a sojourner or a stranger
wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor,
and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the
stock of the stranger's family, After that he is sold, he may
be redeemed again. One of his brethren may redeem
him. Either his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him, or
any that is nigh akin to him, of his family, may redeem him.
Or if he is able, if he can recover himself, he may redeem himself. This law of the kinsman redeemer
was beautifully portrayed in the story given to us in those
four chapters of the Book of Ruth. You remember Limelech took
his wealth and his property in time when famine came to Bethlehem,
Judah, and he abandoned God's people and God's house and God's
worship and went down to Moab. And while he was in Moab, his
sons married Moabitess women and Limelech died. and his sons died. And Naomi
was left with Ruth and Orpah, and she heard that the Lord had
sent bread again to Bethlehem Judah, and she determined to
go back to Bethlehem. But she sent her daughters away,
daughters-in-law away, and Orpah went back. At first she said,
no, I'll go with you. But Ruth was steadfastly minded
and would not depart. Ruth had heard what Naomi told
her. Ruth had heard the gospel message
of a kinsman redeemer, the possibility of recovery back in Bethlehem,
Judah. And she went back with Naomi.
And she went out one day to glean, and her hap was to fall in the
field that belonged to Boaz. And Boaz came by and saw Ruth. And he asked his servant, he
said, who is that? That's Ruth, the Moabites. Naomi's daughter-in-law. Oh, I've heard about her. I've
heard about her. He said You drop some handfuls
of purpose for her. And he said to Ruth, I've commanded
my servants to leave some handfuls for you. Bring some grain over
here and dump it in her lap. And when you get thirsty, you
go over there and drink out of their cup. And come today at
noon and eat dinner with me. And he dipped his cornbread in
the gravy and gave her a little bite of it. enticing her after
him. And Ruth came home and dumped
out her grain. And Naomi said, Oh, honey, where
have you been today? She said, I went out the field
and out yonder. There's a nice parcel of ground
full of barley. And it belongs to a fella named
Boaz. Bless God. He's a near kinsman. He can redeem us. He can redeem
us. Tell you what you do. You go
tonight while the men are threshing, and you go in quietly and lay
down at his feet and ask him to take you." And she did, and she came home
and told her what transpired. And she said, the man will not
rest until he's accomplished everything. That's Christ, our
Redeemer, our near kinsman. He took on himself our nature.
And he bought the whole world as our mediator. God gave him
the rule of the whole world as our covenant surety that he might
give eternal life to as many as God had given him. And the
Lord Jesus throughout the ages of time lets fall handfuls of
purpose. Leading us at last right to him
He's our kinsman Redeemer Near kin to us He bought back all
that we lost in the sin and fault of our father Adam. He restored
that which he took not away All right, look at Isaiah 49 Now
you turn to chapter 61 I'll just read Isaiah 49 Isaiah 61 The scriptures also speak of
the deliverance of a debtor out of prison. Isaiah 49 verse 8
says this. Thus saith the Lord in an acceptable
time have I heard thee. In the day of salvation have
I helped thee and I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant
of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherit the
desolate heritages that thou may say to the prisoners go forth
To them that are in darkness, show yourselves. They shall feed
in the ways and their pastures shall be in all high places.
They shall not hunger nor thirst. Neither shall the heat nor the
sun spite them. For he that hath mercy on them
shall lead them even by the springs of water shall he guide them. Isaiah 61. Our Lord Jesus is
speaking. The spirit of the Lord God is
upon me. because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings
to the meek. He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening
of the prison to them that abound, to proclaim the acceptable year
of the Lord and the day of the vengeance of our God, to comfort
all that mourn, to point to them that mourn in Zion, to give to
them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment
of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees
of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be
glorified. In ancient times, actually not
so terribly long ago, men who became greatly indebted to another,
and they were not able to pay their debts, would be cast into
prison until they were either able to pay their debts, as if
somehow by spending time in prison you could accumulate enough money
to pay your debts, or someone else came along and paid the
debt for them. And there they would spend their lives in drudgery. Our sins in this book are compared
to debts. And we don't have a penny to
pay. But the Lord Jesus came into
this world and paid our debts. All of them. Canceled the whole
score. Blotted out our transgressions.
Removed our iniquities from us by his blood. And comes and proclaims
liberty to the captive. And says, show yourselves. Step
out now before God and show yourselves. the ransomed of the Lord, wearing
the garments of salvation and praise and joy, the salvation
that he gives freely by his grace. We have a picture of it in Luke
chapter seven. There was a woman who came and broke an alabaster
box and she stood behind the Savior and anointed him for his
burial. realizing what he was about to
do for her. And she seems to have been the
only disciple who did understand. Her heart begins to break and
she weeps and washes his feet with her tears and wiped them
with the hairs of her head. And folks began to mock. And our Lord Jesus said to Simon
the leper, in whose house this feast was taking place, said,
if a man owes 50 pence, and another owes 500, and the one who holds
the debt freely forgives both, who do you reckon would love
most? And Simon the leper, he said, I suppose he to whom most
was forgiven. And the Lord Jesus said, you've
well said. This woman owed everything to the Savior. And he had all her heart's love,
for he paid all her debt. And then in Zechariah chapter
nine, Zechariah nine, there's another picture of a slave. In
Old Testament times, godless, reprobate men often took their
slaves and threw them into deep, dark, filthy pits. And they only
took them out to perform menial tasks that slaves performed or
to sell them. The only reason they took them
out. That's the condition we were in by nature. Slaves to
sin and Satan. Our old master the devil kept
us ever in the deep dark dungeon of filth and degradation. and
the Lord Jesus has delivered us. Look at this, Zechariah chapter
nine, verse 11. As for thee also by the blood
of thy covenant, I have sent forth, what a great word, thy
prisoners. Yes, I was a prisoner in the
dungeon of filth and degradation and sin, but all the while I
was his prisoner. He bought me. I sent forth thy
prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. The price of deliverance
was his own precious blood. Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature's night. Thine eye diffused a quickening
ray. I woke the dungeon flamed with
light. My chains fell off. My heart
was free. I rose, went forth and followed
thee. No condemnation now I dread. Jesus and all in him is mine.
Alive in him my living head and clothed in righteousness divine. Bold I approach the eternal throne
and claim the crown through Christ my own. Because of the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. Oh, may God make it yours and
cheer your soul with the knowledge of it every day of your pilgrimage
here until at last we see him face to face who loved us and
gave himself for us. Let's stand together and sing
redeemed. I believe it's number 475, Lindsay.