In Whom We Have Redemption

Introduction to the Hymn of Praise and Trinitarian Focus

0:02 I would ask that you turn with me to the book of Ephesians, Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, and I shall read this morning the paragraph which contains all three stanzas of praise to the triune God, verses 3 through 14.

0:35 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him, in love having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace which he freely bestowed on us. In the beloved, in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him, unto a dispensation of the fullness of times, to sum up. All things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth, in him I say, in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose

1:57 of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will, to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, who had before hoped in Christ, in whom ye also, having heard the word of the Lord Jesus Christ, have been made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of his will, to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, which he Klarndm in him you have laid into yourselves as things of the spirit of your own hand which be brought to you, through the great great service of God's love and loving bounty, that thou, ye which had believers and keys of God's , devout of them Muchas which thou hast submitted at a time of delight in hisarshit. Verily tooga, tooga, tooga hodida, alma dum iten Whether he that band of gold, сказать of his glory, of his vision are called people I am like That God is so Emmanuel, and blessed and blessed be his people, is so obvious a duty that it��kleedizai sabbedkaihtaah acquaintance with the teaching of Holy Scripture. But the same Bible that teaches the duty of praise also teaches that that praise must accord with what God has revealed of himself, both as to his person and as to his works. And so the more we know of him and his works, the more intelligent and the more fervent should be our praise. And it was the Apostle's contemplation of the magnitude and the breadth of the scope of God's salvation in Christ, which drew forth from him this great

3:26 hymn of praise, which begins with those words, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now I'm sure that the most rudimentary, eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and eloquent, and praise of someone just brought into the family of God, who perhaps has very little background in Christian things, but he knows he was lost and that Christ has found him, and he renders praise on that basis. I'm sure that's acceptable to God. But I'm also sure that it's more pleasing to God when that babe in Christ begins to examine various facets of his salvation, and as he comes to a realization, expresses that understanding in a more intelligent and varied praise unto God. So as the Apostle gives us this expression of his own worship and praise, it is with a view that we with the Ephesians may follow out the lines of thought which he experienced, which caused this praise to break forth from his lips. We have seen that in general, this paragraph can be viewed

4:42 as a hymn of praise to the triune God, a hymn of praise in which the first stanza particularly focuses upon the work of the Father with reference to our salvation. And we saw that his works are, in general, he hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing, he hath chosen us in particular, he hath foreordained us unto adoption as sons. Now, when we studied those verses, verses three through six, we noted that though the Father was the particular focus of the Apostle's praise at this point in the hymn, he was not the exclusive focus of his praise, for he cannot think of the Father blessing us with spiritual blessings apart from Christ. So he says the Father hath blessed us where? In Christ. He cannot think of election apart from Christ, for he says the Father chose us with spiritual blessings apart from Christ. So he says the Father has blessed

5:42 us, but it was in Christ. He cannot think of the Father's work of predestination without Christ, for he says he predestined us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. He cannot think of the grace of God which was bestowed upon us apart from its bestowal in the Beloved One. And so I underscore this principle, lest we think that all right, now as we move out of these verses, we move from the Father to the Son, and from the Son to the Son, and from the Son to the Son, to the Spirit. No, this is decidedly Trinitarian praise and worship, so that the work of the Father is always viewed with reference to the work of the Son, and the work of the Son is always viewed with reference to the work of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit. But there is this basic transition, beginning now with verse 7, in which the focus is more particularly upon the Son. Notice, he says, having mentioned that grace has been conferred upon us in the Beloved, he then goes on to say, in whom, that is, in the Beloved, we have our redemption through his blood. And then

6:59 in verses 8 and 9, he speaks of the wisdom and prudence of God that has come to us in the unfolding of his will through Christ. And then in verse 10, he mentions that all things will be summed up in Christ. Verse 11, he speaks of our being made a heritage in Christ. Verse 12, he speaks of us as those who have hoped in Christ. And so, with the same, if I may say it reverently, actors upon the stage, the only difference is that the strongest floodlight is turned from the Father to the Son, but the Son and the Spirit are not the same. And so, with the same, if I may say it reverently, the Father and the Spirit are still very much in the general light of the stage, as we saw in our study of the first paragraph. So, please do not think of this division as an ironclad division. It would be convenient for the sake of homiletics to make it so, but it would upset the balance of the Scripture, and we must never do that for the sake of homiletical effect. And so, we come now

Outline of the Sermon and Importance of Precise Biblical Language

8:09 to begin a consideration of this second stanza. of this hymn of praise, in which we are thinking particularly of the work of the Son with reference to our salvation. And the first thing he says in verse 7 is this, In whom, that is, in the Beloved One, we have our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His blood. Now, there are at least six very distinct lines of thought in this text. I think we shall cover three this morning, I hope we will, and perhaps the next three next Lord's Day morning. First of all, the Apostle uses a word, in whom we have redemption. And so, our first task will be to define the word redemption. If your praise is to be intended for the Lord, then you are to enter in, not only with your words, but with your mind and your spirit, to this eulogy of paragraph one in this epistle. Then you must have in your mind what the Apostle had in his mind when he said,

9:31 Blessed be this God, who has conferred grace upon us in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption. The Apostle had a very lofty concept in his mind. And we cannot rise to the level of his praise unless we rise in some measure to the level of his understanding of the meaning of the word redemption. Then the second thing we will consider are the conditions which necessitate redemption.

9:58 Once we understand what redemption means, then we see that Paul was assuming there were certain conditions present in himself and in the Ephesians and in all men which demand redemption. So, that will be our second concern this morning, to consider the conditions which necessitate redemption. Then thirdly, the means by which redemption is effected. We have redemption, in Christ, but it is through His blood, and we must understand what that means. And then, the pivotal blessing of redemption, the forgiveness of sins, the measure of this redemption, according to the riches of His grace.ид are, And then last of all, the sphere in which redemption is experienced, in whom we have redemption through his blood. Now, this morning, just the first three. The meaning of the word redemption, the conditions which necessitate redemption, the means by which redemption is effected.

The Danger of Careless Evangelicalism and the Call to Seek Out God's Works

11:02 Now, as I come to consider with you the meaning of the word redemption, I'm constrained to just say something about why we should be careful with the meanings of biblical words. One of the fruits of the theological indifference of our generation is carelessness with biblical words. The Bible comes to us with such words as reconciliation, regeneration, adoption, sanctification, justification. Now, if we believe, and this is our confession, that the Holy Spirit speaks in precise words, 1 Corinthians 2.13, the Apostle said, which things we speak not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but in words which the Holy Ghost teacheth, then we must be careful with how we treat the words of the Holy Ghost. Jesus said in John 17.8, I have given unto them thy words, and they have received these words.

12:10 The mark of a Christian is that he is submissive to the words of God as they come in Holy Scripture. Now, these words are not arbitrarily chosen, but they have a distinct reference to the various conditions in which man finds himself in a state of sin. All of these great words of our salvation, reconciliation, adoption, regeneration, justification, all of them are words describing one aspect of our glorious salvation. As that salvation is brought to bear upon the various aspects of man's sinfulness.

12:53 Let me illustrate. Picture a poor chap, guilty, under the sentence of death, awaiting execution. Upon investigation, we find the fellow is not only in a prison awaiting execution, but he is blind. Upon further investigation, we find he doesn't have a penny to his name, he is a pauper.

13:14 Upon further investigation, we find the poor fellow's body is shot through with ten different kinds of diseases. And upon further investigation, we find the poor fellow is ignorant and illiterate. Now, he is in a bad way. You think you have got problems? Look at this poor fellow.

13:30 Under the sentence of death, blind, ignorant, illiterate, poor, diseased, Now, if that man is to be restored to society as a useful, normal citizen, he needs to have a lot of things done to him. He needs to have the activity of the judge, who will deal with the sentence of condemnation. He needs to have the activity of the physician, to deal with his disease. He needs the activity of the educator, to deal with his illiteracy.

14:00 He needs the activity of the philanthropist, to stick some money in his pocket. And he needs to have a Rockefeller throw a ballot. A bag of dimes at him. Now, I would be terribly insulted if I were the judge, whose function and privilege it was to declare him free from guilt, if somebody attributed the work of the philanthropist to me, and my work to the philanthropist.

14:28 You see, there is a distinction in these various activities, all of which are geared to the salvation of this man. His deliverance from his dilemma into a state of normalcy. Now, in the same way, God finds you and me bound in the prison house of sin. And we are not only guilty, but blind, and poor, and diseased, and illiterate about holy things.

14:55 And the various works of God in salvation have distinct reference to the various areas of our need. Propitiation has reference to the wrath that hangs over our heads. And when Christ is called the one who is offered a propitiatory sacrifice, that has a distinct reference to the wrath of God. When the Bible speaks about justification, that has a distinct reference to our guilt.

15:26 When the Bible speaks about sanctification, that has distinct reference to our pollution. And if you have Bible words, distinct words, meaning anything, actually, no words will mean anything at all. Let me repeat that. Words that can mean anything soon will mean nothing.

15:50 I didn't quite say it right. That's what I meant to say. Words that can mean anything soon will mean nothing. That's why Paul told Timothy, Hold fast the pattern of sound words.

16:05 Sound words. Timothy, don't you play footloose in fantasy. Don't you play footloose in fantasy with the words of God? God has spoken in words which convey distinct meanings.

16:21 And the grandmother of unbelief and rationalism and liberalism is a careless evangelicalism that is not jealously guarding the meaning of divine words. And you listen to the so-called hymns in our day, where the words redemption and salvation and all of these things are all jumbled up in a meaningless way. And you fear. Or you realize that's the grandmother or the grandfather of downright rationalism.

16:52 So then it's the duty of every Christian carefully to examine all the facets of his salvation and to have an appreciation of what these words mean. You say, but I'm no theologian. Neither were the Ephesians. They were slaves.

17:10 People of the artisan class. Mamas and papas and kids, as we see when we come to chapter 5 and chapter 6. And the apostle uses words such as election, predestination, redemption. All of these, why did he use them?

17:30 He didn't expect that they should understand what they meant and then hold fast to the pattern of sound words. The scripture says the works of the Lord are great. Sought out of all those that have pleasure in them. And if you're a child of God, you have pleasure in the work of God in reconciliation.

17:50 You want to seek it out and know what it means. You have pleasure in the work of God in redemption. And you want to seek it out, trace it out, understand what it means. So much then for that little polemic as to why we should be concerned about the meanings of words.

Defining Redemption: Release by Payment of a Ransom

18:07 Now then, what is the precise meaning of the word redemption? In whom we have redemption through his blood. Well, the concept of redemption goes way back into Old Testament times. Let me just refer to several Old Testament passages that will set the basic framework of the meaning of the word redemption.

18:33 Look please at Exodus chapter 13. Exodus chapter 13, verses 13 and 14. Perhaps we should back up to verse 11. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, that thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the womb, and every firstling which thou hast that cometh of a beast, the males shall be the Lord's.

19:14 Here's the command. Everything that first opens the womb of your own family, of your animals, everything is to be consecrated unto the Lord. It is his peculiar property. Now does that mean everything must be sacrificed unto him, including your child, including every beast?

19:35 Well, no. Look at verse 13. And every firstling of an ass shalt thou redeem with a lamb, and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck, and all the firstborn of man, and among thy sons shalt thou redeem. And it shall be when thy son ask thee in time to come, saying, What is this, that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.

20:07 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the firstborn of the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the womb, being males, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem. Now do you get the setting of the use of the word redeem? God says the firstborn of man and beast is my peculiar possession.

20:36 It belongs to me. Now if you want it back, you must get it back and release it by the payment of a price. If you want to release your son, if you want to release that animal from my clings over it, you must do so by the payment of a price. And that payment of a price to release something is called a what?

21:03 A ransom. So the concept of ransom is bound up in the thought of redeem. Turn over to Exodus 21. Now remember all we're seeking to do is to define the word redemption biblically.

21:19 We don't go to, we don't go to Webster or the Oxford Dictionary to define redeem. Biblical words are to be defined biblically. Exodus 21 and verse 30. If there should be, well again, let's back up, verse 28.

21:37 And if an ox gore a man or woman to death, the ox shall be surely stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall be quit. But if the ox was wont to gore in times past, and if it hath been testified to its owner, and he hath not kept it in, but it hath killed man or woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner shall be put to death. If there be laid on him a ransom, then shall he give for the redemption of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. See what happens?

22:12 Here's a fellow that's got an ox out there, and he's known to be an ugly ox. And people say, hey, one day he's going to kill somebody, you better get rid of him. And this guy's so tight fisted, and such a skin flint, he said, not on your life. I'm going to keep my ox.

22:23 He does lots of work for me. And lo and behold, one day he kills the neighbor's wife or the neighbor's kid. He says, alright, you've got a right then to demand that not only the ox be taken and killed, but that man be killed. But, he says, if he's willing to settle for a price less than the life, a ransom can be given for him, and if you ransom him from the claims of his neighbor, you have what?

22:50 You have redeemed him. Here the word redeem and ransom are used in the same context. The only way that man can be released from the claims of the offended neighbor is by the payment of a ransom, and when you pay the ransom, you have redeemed him. Now notice the same concept, essentially in Leviticus 25, this will be the last Old Testament reference we'll look at.

23:15 Leviticus 25 and verse 25. If thy brother be waxed poor and sell some of his possession, then shall his kinsman that is next unto him come, and shall redeem that which his brother hath sold. And if a man have no one to redeem it, and he be waxed rich and find sufficient to redeem it, then let him reckon the years, etc. Here he has a brother, a man has a brother, who's got more money than he does, and he sends out an SOS and says, Jack, I got in rough straits and I went to the local pawn shop and I sold ABC, can you buy it back for me? And if his brother's got the money, he goes down and he takes it out of hock. That's the closest thing I know in our present society, where you take something over which someone else has a claim, and you release it for yourself by the payment of a stated. Now B.B. Warfield,

24:19 in his excellent work on this subject, in his book collection of writings called The Person and Work of Christ, has shown that the idea of ransom cannot be taken out of the word redemption. Though at times it is not central in the use of the word, it is never to be divorced from the use of that word in Scripture. So we may define ransom as following. To ransom something, or to redeem something, is to secure its release by the payment of a price, or the payment of a ransom.

24:56 What does it mean to redeem something? It means to secure its release by the payment of a price. Now our Lord's words in Matthew chapter 20 are very clear that this is precisely what He came to do. If the word means to secure release by the payment of a price, the payment of a ransom, notice how docile and prominent this thought was in the mind of our Lord.

25:33 Matthew chapter 20 and verse 28. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, here's the purpose of this mission, negatively stated, He came not to be ministered unto. The Son of Man did not come that men should meet His needs, but He came to minister, that means to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Now at least three thoughts are very clear in this text.

26:18 Thought number one is that the work He came to accomplish was a work of ransom. The Son of Man came, here is the focus of His mission, to give His life a ransom. Secondly, not only did He come to accomplish a work of ransoming, but the giving of His life was the price. The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His teaching, no, to give His time, no, but to give His life.

26:53 His life was the price that had to be paid to bring release to that which He was going to ransom. And then the third thought in the text is that that ransom was given for others, it was substitutionary. He gave His life a ransom, not for Himself, but for many, on behalf of many, in the place of many. Now I trust then, this brief overview of the meaning of the word ransom will forever fix in your mind this biblical concept.

27:30 When you pick up a letter like Ephesians and read, in whom we have redemption, you can think of it in terms of securing release by the payment of a price, and you could well even translate it as Lenski does, in whom we are having the ransoming through His blood. The securing of release by the payment of a ransom. Now as I mentioned, sometimes the thought of the payment is not central. When Egypt, when the Israel is spoken of is being ransomed out of Egypt, it is more the concept of their release that is in focus.

28:10 And when the scripture speaks as it does in Ephesians, that we are sealed unto the day of redemption, it is speaking of coming to the full blessings of that release which was secured for us by the payment of a price. But then when you come to a passage like 1 Peter 1, ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. The thought of release, the payment of a price, is not only present, but it is central and it is dominant. Alright, so much for the meaning of the word.

The Conditions Necessitating Redemption: Bondage to Law, Sin, and Devil

28:48 Now, secondly, what are the conditions which necessitate redemption? If Paul praises God for securing release by the payment of a price, it is clear that he is presupposing that he and the Ephesians are in such a condition by nature that they need to be released. See, I can't get you excited today about freedom who live in this country. For the most part, all of us have never known anything other than personal, civil and domestic liberty.

29:23 Most of us. Not all of us, but most of us. It's hard for us to get excited about freedom, because we've never known anything other than it. You talk to someone who's known constant surveillance of the state, constant pressure from the civil authorities, they never cease to thank God for bringing them into a land that is relatively free from those restraints for being delivered out of that kind of captivity.

29:54 Now, the apostle blesses God for redemption because he was conscious of that from which he desperately needed release. And dear ones, until you have become painfully, personally, inwardly conscious of what your bondage is, you'll never get thrilled over the biblical concept of release, deliverance by the payment of a price. May I very briefly then underline what is that state of captivity and bondage from which Paul was conscious he had been redeemed? It has reference first of all to God's law. It has reference secondly to sin and thirdly it has reference to the devil. With reference to God's law, you and I by nature are in a state of bondage and captivity. We're in bondage and captivity to the law's demands unto life.

31:00 God says this do and thou shalt live. If you would live, you must keep my law personally, perfectly, perpetually. You must obey me if you would have life. This do and thou shalt live.

31:17 And God has bound all his creatures to his holy law. Whether that law has come to them in the scriptures as we know it or whether that law is faintly seen in the work of that law which remains written upon the hearts of men, you and I are bound to that obedience which God requires. And then if we fail to keep it, we are bound by its curse unto death. Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them. Galatians 3 and verse 10. Now that's our state by nature. We are in bondage with reference to the law. That law has its claims over us and says do this and live and life will be given on no other basis as long as we're bound by the demands of law.

32:11 And that same law says this fail to do and thou shalt die and we are held by the demands of that law. Now what a terrible state to be in. To be in bondage to that law which cannot change. There is no way that we can say God can you just relax the demands of your law unto life so that if I render partial obedience I may attain life. God says no. This do in its entirety and thou shalt live. But God is there no way to get out from under bondage from the curse of that law unto death. God says no.

32:52 For he will by no means clear the guilty. And that's our state. A state of bondage to that law that law given by God our conduct observed by God with reference to that law held in its condemning power. Let me ask you a very simple question this morning. Have you ever seen yourself personally, inwardly genuinely bound in the grip of God's holy law? Have you ever been haunted by the thought that the only basis upon which you can find acceptance before God through the law is perfect obedience. Every thought every motive, every attitude of every moment, of every day, of every week, of every year of your life. Have you ever felt yourself shut up under the curse of that law unto death and felt something of the haunting pressure of that law which you have broken?

33:54 Knowing that the God who gave will not relax its demands he will not in any way bleed its curses of their validity have you ever felt yourself held in captive by the law? If so, redemption becomes a precious word. Redemption becomes a precious word as we'll see in a few moments. But if you've not if you thought, oh well, you know God God's a good guy. That's the term used in our day. And if I do pretty well, everything will turn out alright my friend. You are living in a state of absolute spiritual ignorance and self-deception. Almighty God says this, do and thou shall live, fail to do it in any point and thou shall die. The curse

34:46 of that law is upon you. But then we are not only in bondage with reference to the law its demands for life its curse unto death but we're in bondage with reference to sin, both its guilt and its power. The Bible says that you and I are in a state of genuine guilt not just guilt feelings. But Romans 3.19 says whatsoever things the law saith it saith to them that are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty not before its own conscience but before God. It's one thing to have guilt feelings which may be purely psychological and purely culturally oriented it's another thing to recognize there's the living and the true God to whom I am accountable and He declares me guilty in the court of God before which I will one day stand and hear the sentence and we're in bondage to the guilt of sin and we're in bondage to the power of sin Jesus said in John 8.34

35:54 whosoever committeth sin is the bond slave of sin. Paul says to the Roman Christians in chapter 6 and verse 17 but God be thanked that ye who were the slaves of sin he assumes that they were all in that state of servitude in bondage to sin again what a terrible state to be in sin dictates and we obey sin demands and we run in its ways that's why Paul could say in Romans 6.19 as ye presented your members instruments of unclean righteousness unto unrighteousness it's the picture of a master who snaps his fingers and the servant comes and bows down and says master what do you have me to do he pictures sin as a master and every time sin snapped its fingers the members of our bodies yielded willing obedience servitude of the worst kind then the scripture indicates that we're not only in bondage to the law its demands for life its curse unto death in bondage to sin its guilt and its power but the scripture teaches we're in bondage to the devil the bible teaches there is a personal spiritual being into whose hands men have sold themselves and whose captives they are later on in chapter 2 Paul describes this he says you walked in your unconverted

37:23 state according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit now get it who worketh in the sons of disobedience and the same word work there is the one that's in Philippians 2.13 it's God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure now as God's working in us just an idea some kind of a distant religious concept bless God it's far more than that if you're a child of God and the spirit dwells in you he is actively at work moving your thoughts to heavenly things inclining your will and your affections to holy things Paul says it's the devil who works in the sons of disobedience inclining their wills inclining their minds inclining their affections they are slaves of the devil 2 Timothy 2.26 states it very graphically for the apostle Paul says that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him unto his will in a day that pooh-pahs the very existence of the devil how the devil must laugh the very ones who pooh-pah existence are being manipulated as it were as puppets at the end of his own strings taken captive by him unto his will captivity in bondage

38:51 to the devil all the horror of the unconverted state captive to the law its demands for life its curse unto death captive to sin its guilt its power captives of the devil and what makes it triply worse the scripture says in that condition Romans 5 we are without strength what can we do to release ourselves from the captivating power of the law can we tell God we don't like it that he's placed us under its demands and we'd like to be released can we change the conditions of life no can we somehow sweep away the curses no no sin can we blot out the record that is against us and in the place where the sentence is written guilty put not guilty we can't do it there's no juggling the record books of heaven there's no stacking of the evidence what can we do with its power the scripture asks the question can the leopard change its spots little Nelly leopard gets up one morning and looks in the mirror and says I'm tired of these same old spots I want to change the appearance so she powders herself up and paints herself up

The Means of Redemption: Christ's Blood Secures Release

40:20 with one good rain and she's reminded she's still a leopard can the leopard change its spots and the prophet goes on to say neither then can we who are accustomed to do evil do that which is good we're in captivity to sin it's guilt it's power and we're in captivity to the devil he works in the sons of disobedience now it's to such people that redemption comes the securing of release by the payment of a ransom price and what does that release give us what does that ransom secure ah these three points it secures our redemption listen to what the scripture says with reference to our bondage to the law read with me follow as I read Galatians chapter 3 and verse 13 Christ hath redeemed us not from the demands of the law you can't be redeemed from your obligation to love God with your whole heart and your neighbor as yourself but you can be redeemed from the demands of that law as the condition of obtaining life you can be redeemed from the curses of that law

41:48 demanding your death and now listen that's precisely what he redeemed us from Christ redeemed us secured our release by the payment of a price he redeemed us from the curse of the law how having become a curse for us for it is written cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree the whole of that curse in its unrelieved intensity became his that when he paid the price our release was secured by his obedience by his perfectly keeping God's law the scripture says the demands of law for life were met in Christ that's why Romans 5 19 says by the obedience of the one shall the many be constituted righteous and oh what a blessed thing to know that Christ in his perfect obedience met the demands of the law as a condition of life on my behalf when he hung upon that cross he swallowed up its curse into himself and fully met its demands that I might be released from the curse of the law

43:17 and so we are redeemed from bondage to the law secondly he redeemed us from our bondage to sin listen Paul describes what he did in redeeming us from the guilt of our sin Romans 3 24 Romans 3 24 being justified freely by his grace how through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus how are we to be justified declared accepted declared righteous before God's law instead of being declared guilty this text said it's through the redemption that is in Christ through the release secured by the payment of a price look at Hebrews 9 and verse 15 where the same thought is set before us for this cause he's the mediator of a new covenant that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant that they that have been called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions then it's his redeeming work that delivers us from the power of sin and that's

44:45 the thought that is central in Titus 2 14 not so much that he paid a price to release us from the guilt of sin but notice the focus of Titus 2 14 who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a people his own peculiar possession zealous of good works there his redemption has reference to the power of sin and his work of paying the ransom price has secured our deliverance and then what about the devil and our bondage to the devil John 12 and verse 31 in the context of his approaching death our Lord said this concerning the devil John 12 and verse 31 now is the judgment of this world now shall the prince of this world be cast out as our Lord thinks of his death and the payment of that price he thinks of it with reference to a destructive blow to the power of the devil and Hebrews 2 14 and 15 are the best commentary I know on what this means in the practical experience of the redeemed Hebrews 2 14 and 15 since the children are sharers in flesh

46:14 and blood he also himself partook of the same that through death he might bring to naught him that had the power of death that is the devil now notice and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject to bondage see the word deliver with reference to the power of the devil which finds his expression in the fear and the dread of death it is by Christ's death that redemption has come securing release from the power of the devil and so the apostle assumes when he writes to the Ephesians that by nature all of them were in this state of captivity bondage to the law bondage to sin bondage to the devil and at each point it was the payment of this ransom price that secured the release of the people of God now as we close this morning consider briefly our third area of study the means by which this redemption was effected we've seen that redeem means to secure release by the payment of a ransom we've seen the conditions which necessitated this release bondage

47:42 to sin to the law and to the devil now what is the price that was paid Paul tells us in whom we have redemption through his blood now we have to define terms there's a lot of careless use of the concept of scripture embodied in the words the blood of Christ what does this term mean it's the blood of the beloved one and the blood means nothing less and follow closely nothing less than the life poured out as a willing sacrifice to God on behalf of sin when you read the blood of Christ it's not simply speaking as a synonym of the life of Christ but it's the life poured out in sacrifice unto God and whenever you bleed the concept of those essential elements you've cut the nerve of the truth of the gospel and so the ransom price according to the apostle in this text is nothing less than the blood of the beloved one so the people of God are conceived of in scripture as a people who've been purchased by

49:10 the blood of Christ and that's a precious concept in scripture remember what Paul said to the Ephesian elders as he's trying to direct their minds to a jealous concern for the church and its purity of life and doctrine he reaches back for a concept that is most precious to him and he speaks of the church of God which was purchased by his you see what an effect this would have upon true elders how can they be careless in the work of Christ's church this is the church that is his possession by virtue of the payment of a ransom price and what was that ransom price his blood his life poured out unto death as a sacrifice unto God again the apostle speaks of this concept in first Corinthians chapter 7 and in verse 23 and I shall only read the text ye were bought with a price become not bond servants of men revelation 5 9 pictures of the redeemed as saying thou hast purchased us unto God by thy blood out of every kindred tribe and tongue

50:36 and nation oh may God move us this morning by this thought it is in him the beloved one that we have redemption through his blood you mean there was nothing less than the pouring forth of the life the blood of the beloved that could secure our release yes nothing less the life of the beloved one had to be laid down for an adequate price to be paid to secure release and mine from our bondage to the law our bondage to sin our bondage to the devil but blessed be God when that blood was poured forth he did not merely negotiate a potential redemption he redeemed his people he redeemed them he secured their release not the potential for their release but he obtained on behalf of his people the text which speaks of this so eloquently is Hebrews 9 and verse 12 and I want to read it to you back up to verse 11

52:04 Christ having come a high priest of good things to come through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this creation nor yet through the blood of goats and calves but now follow but through his own blood his life poured forth as a sacrifice unto God entered in once for all into the holy place having redemption when he went back into the presence of the father he had obtained something he had purchased that people with whom he was joined in eternity when the father elected them in him who were in his heart as he walked upon earth his obedience being reckoned their obedience who were in him when he died and was offered up as a sacrifice and when he went back into the presence of the father he had obtained now what he does by the outpoured spirit is to apply that redemption in the hearts of men

Application: Redemption Only In Christ and Call to Praise

53:31 through the grace of regeneration and he justifies them and he sanctifies them but all of those blessings are not to be equated with redemption they are the blessings which flow out of his work of securing their release by the payment of a ransom price oh dear person sitting here this morning who is not in Christ you have no redemption outside of him the text begins with the words in whom we have redemption and if you are not in Christ you have no redemption you say how can I know if I am in Christ the apostle answers your question he says if any man be in Christ he is a new creation old things have passed away behold all things have become new let me ask you something transpired in your life which has no explanation but that almighty God has savingly joined you to Christ thus making you a new creation is there anything about you that has no explanation but that almighty God has recreated me in Christ if not my friend you have no grounds to claim you are in Christ

54:59 if you are not in Christ there is no redemption in your life according to the standard of the law obey me perfectly and if you don't you will have the curse of that law you are under the curse of that law unless you are in Christ redemption, deliverance from the captivity of the law is only to be found in Christ you see our generation says well we will release ourselves from the captivity of the law by convincing ourselves there is no law have you convinced yourself there is no law almighty God still says this do and thou shalt live this fail to do thou shalt die what about the bondage to sin you say I am not in bondage to sin oh my friend you are you are in bondage to the worst sin of all the sin of pride and unbelief I will never come like a shriveling worm using such terms as sinner, ungodly, unborn and helpless I am a dignified person my friend yes you have some dignity because you are a creature in the image of God but if it weren't for God's covenanted forbearance in which he said he would never again overpass the earth with a flood

56:27 even though man's wickedness is manifest from his youth up if it weren't for his forbearance God would have blotted you and me and the whole bunch of us out a long time ago you are in bondage to your sin it's guilt and you are a dupe of the devil not me I don't believe in the devil no that's right you don't in that very confession is evidence that you are a dupe of the devil the best way to keep you in his clutches is to convince you he doesn't exist the best way to keep a people in political slavery is to try to convince them they have freedom that's what goes on in totalitarian countries they try to convince the populace that they have freedom and if they don't know what freedom is they will never seek it and the devil is convinced you have so called freedom freedom to do what? to move when he pulls the strings he blinds your mind to the glory of Christ that's why you can hear of Christ and his cross and his salvation your heart doesn't run out in love and affection to him you are blinded by the God of this world let me say as my last word of exhortation to you and to myself as believers may we pause and meditate and drink in the biblical concept of what it means to be redeemed until we cry out

57:56 with the apostle Paul blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who have blessed us in the beloved in whom we have redemption that we shall have our hearts so suffused with the sense of the grandeur and the magnitude of that release secured by the payment of that price that we will not only be filled with praise but filled with confidence that if he obtained eternal redemption and that redemption provisions nothing less than the totality of my deliverance then I can rejoice in hope of the glory of God that's why it's called sealing unto the day of redemption because there's a day coming when all that he secured will be fully and completely realized in the life heart and body of this poor sinner that's why Paul could say for the adoption to wit the what the redemption of our body even this body is going to be released child of God what a terrible thing to go through life with a spirit that's pressed down and a spirit that is fearful

59:24 when you're the purchased possession of the Son of God in whom we have redemption through his blood may God give us this aspect of his work that will fill us with praise move us to obedience and cause us to live as those who are the purchased property of the Son of God let us pray