The Blessing of Redemption
Ephesians 1:7

Introduction:

Glory to God in the Church!

Cassie Burnall was the Christian teen who said "YES" to God at Columbine and was killed. Cassie did not always follow the Lord. Cassie, up until two years before those Satanists killed her, was herself involved in Satanism and demon worship herself. The only difference between Cassie Burnall and Eric and Dylan, her two murderers, was REDEMPTION in Jesus Christ. Cassie was bought with a price and Jesus made all the difference in the world for her, the difference between heaven and hell. Today I want to speak about the blessing of redemption.

Ephesians 1 begins with a hymn and ends with a prayer.

Ephesians 1:3-14 is a hymn of God’s plan for the ages. It stretches from eternity past to eternity future. It magnifies the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We see the PLAN of the Father (3-6), the PROVISION of the Son (7-10) and the PLEDGE of the Holy Spirit (11-14).

In Ephesians 1:7 we read the bold words of Paul: "we have redemption through his blood!" Here is one of the most loved words in the Christian vocabulary, "Redemption."

We must keep on teaching and preaching about our redemption, and though the word is not used very often in our daily discussions, we ought to be very familiar with this word, "redemption."  And we ought to praise God for the redemption we have through Jesus Christ. "Redemption" means that a person has been in a captivity from which he or she cannot break free, but is set free on the payment of a price.

A custom in ancient warfare used this concept of redemption. It was a common practice for a conqueror in battle to take captives who could then be made slaves and put to work in all sorts of useful service. If a captive was a person of importance and would not be much use as a laborer, but would be highly valued in their homeland, then in such cases the captive could be set free and restored to their place by a process called redemption. The captive paid a sum of money, called the ransom price, to the conqueror, and they were redeemed. They were set free through the payment of a price.

Redemption is also associated with slavery. The Roman Empire had as many as six million slaves. Buying and selling them was a major business. If a person wanted to free a loved one or friend who was a slave, he would buy that one for himself and then grant him freedom. This was a common practice in the Roman Empire.

We see all around us in our city the slavery and bondage that sin brings. So many seem sold out to the world, the flesh, and the devil. Let’s not forget that redemption is still available through our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are four distinct words translated "redeem" in the New Testament:

ð Agorazo: to purchase in a marketplace. It comes from the word, agora, which was the marketplace.

ð Exagorazo: Here is a fuller and stronger word. It means, "to buy OUT OF the marketplace." It is especially used for the purchasing of a slave with a view to giving that slave freedom and never returning to it. It relates to the price paid. (Galatians 3:13)

ð Lutroo: which relates to the actual deliverance and the setting at liberty (Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 1:18).

ð Apolutrosis: A releasing on the payment of a ransom. Eph.1:7, Eph.1:14; 4:30; Romans 3:24, Colossians 1:14;

We are born into the world enslaved to sin and Satan, in total bondage to our nature that is corrupt, evil, and separated from God.

Notice that redemption is something that we have now. We have been loosed away from the curse of the law and the penalty of sin. We have been loosed away from the wrath and condemnation of God.

The first thing we see about our redemption is The PERSON who redeemed us:

The person who redeemed us was Jesus Christ Himself. To the Father, Jesus Christ is the "Beloved" who paid for our redemption and set us free. To those of us redeemed, He is PRECIOUS. This is why we have redemption. Who is Jesus? He is the eternal Son of God; the Creator of all things. Jesus is God manifest in the flesh; the Savior of the world. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; the Great High Priest who can hear all our prayers.

To the artist, Jesus is the Altogether Lovely One. To the architect, Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. To the astronomer, Jesus is the Sun of righteousness. To the baker, Jesus is the Living Bread. To the banker, Jesus is the Treasure of all treasures. To the biologist, Jesus is the Life. To the builder, Jesus is the Sure Foundation. To the carpenter, Jesus is the Carpenter of Nazareth. To the doctor, Jesus is the Great Physician. To the educator, Jesus is the great Teacher. To the farmer, Jesus is the Lord of the Harvest. To the florist, Jesus is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the valley. To the geologist, Jesus is the Rock of ages. To the judge, Jesus is the Righteous Judge, to the Juror; Jesus is the Faithful and True Witness. To the jeweler, Jesus is the Pearl of Great Price. To the lawyer, Jesus is Advocate with the Father. To the journalist, Jesus is the Good News. To the philanthropist, Jesus is the Gift of God. To the philosopher, Jesus is the Truth. To the worker, Jesus is the Servant of all. To the worker, Jesus is the Giver of rest. To the sinner, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. To the saint, Jesus is our All in All, the one in whom we are complete!

The second main point Paul makes is The PRICE of Redemption:

The price was the blood of Jesus Christ. What a statement to summarize and synthesize the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that brought eternal glory to God the Father: "we have redemption through His blood." The Bible is a bloody book and the death of Jesus Christ was a bloody death. The price was His blood because the wages of sin is death. The life of the flesh is in the blood. The blood of Christ redeems us. That means that all we are and have are now His: our time, our treasure, and our talents. We are His, and He is mine!

A.  There is POWER in this price:

What a price was paid to buy us! This is an abundant price, for it is the very blood of God, the life of God was paid so that I might not die. In business, when a company moves in to buy out another company, they pay a price that the board of directors cannot refuse. The blood of Jesus can buy you out and redeem you.

The blood of Jesus is such a mighty price that it will pay for our release from the curse of sin and an eternity in hell-fire. This is the all sufficient price that was paid once and for all. The blood that Jesus shed was sufficient for every ungodly sinner who ever lived. Romans 5:6 says Christ died for the ungodly and then Romans 5:8 says He died for us. It is a universal price sufficient to save every ungodly sinner, but only those who believe in the price paid will be saved. The invitation is given for all to come to Him. To be saved, you must answer this question properly:

"Is what Jesus did good enough to save me from all my sins and give me eternal life?"

Hebrews 9:14, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

B. There is PRECIOUSNESS in this price:

We were not redeemed with the blood of bulls and calves, but with the precious blood of Christ. The blood of animals never took away sin but was offered in obedience to the command of God as a type of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses every sinner who has ever been cleansed. No one has ever been saved apart from the blood of Jesus Christ, who was in principle slain from the foundation of the world! His death and shed blood is the basis of the salvation of every single soul who has been saved from Adam to this present day.

We were not redeemed with money, but with the precious blood of Christ. Money cannot earn our redemption. The price has already been paid, we must accept the price paid.

Many songs praise God for His redemption.

"Blessed Redeemer, Precious Redeemer, seems now I see Him on Calvary’s tree; Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading- blind and unheeding- dying for me!"

"Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, redeemed, redeemed, His child and forever I am."

Imagine if we went into a store and there was a diamond ring that you could not afford, so I bought it for you. If you accept my payment, the ring is yours. What if you reject my payment, and you do not claim the ring for yourself.

1 Peter 1:18,19: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

The third truth of redemption Paul emphasizes is The PARDON of Redemption:

"the forgiveness of sins…"

Through the precious and powerful blood of Christ we have been released from our transgressions. This describes our redemption. Forgiveness means our sins are no longer held against us. We are released from the guilt of sin. This pardon provides peace.

The forgiveness of sins gives us peace with God. This is the first and most important peace to have in the entire world.

Romans 5:1, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are free from the curse of sin! We are free from the guilt of sin! We are free from the condemnation and wrath of God. Oh, what a pardon!

The word "sins" (paraptoma) speaks of trespasses or a fall. This word is also used in Ephesians 2:1, 5.

The only way to have forgiveness of sins is through the pardon provided by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Hudson Taylor was explaining the folly and sin of worshiping idols when it is the true and living God we must worship.

"But," said one of his hearers, "surely you are too general in your statement. There are good idols as well as many that are good-for-nothing."

"And which are the good idols?" asked the missionary with interest.

Pointing through the window in the direction of a temple near at hand, they said, "They are in there. Many years ago two men came to our town with a boat-load of rice to sell. It happened that the time was one of famine. There had been no harvest and the people were in much distress. Seeing this, the strangers took the rice and gave it away among the poorest. Then, of course, they had no face to go home again."

"And why not?" asked Taylor.

"Oh, because they had given away the rice instead of selling it."

"Then the rice was not their own?"

"No, it belonged to their master. And as they dared not meet him again, they both drowned themselves here in the river, and the people said they were gods, made idols to represent them, and built this temple in which they have been worshipped ever since."

"Then your ‘good idols,’" said the missionary, "are men, only men to begin with, who stole their master’s property and then sinned yet further by taking their own lives."

It was a good starting point to preach that salvation is through Christ.

Oh, you may say that such and such a religion is a good religion, but if you look into it you will see that any other way to God other than through the Lord Jesus Christ is idolatry.

And finally Paul gives us The PRAISE for our Redemption:

"According to the riches of His grace."

“According to the riches” speaks of God abundantly lavishing us with his grace. Oh, the RICHES of God! We read in Ephesians about the riches of his glory, the riches of his mercy, and the riches of Christ. Riches speak of the inexhaustible supply of God’s character. His grace is a mighty, ever flowing river that never runs dry!

Ephesians 1:18: the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints…

Ephesians 2:4: But God who is rich in mercy…

Ephesians 2:7: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:8: …the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Ephesians 3:16: according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.

Have you been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ? Do you realize that Christ is the one who paid the ransom for your sins to set you free and gain your forgiveness? Do you have peace with God? Do you have the assurance in your soul that you are His child? Is this assurance because of Christ and not because of anything that you have done? Oh, come to Christ and believe in Him TODAY. Do not wait any longer!

Are you a soulwinner? Do you have a deep-seated love for God and the souls of men that all men must be redeemed? Are you concerned about the lost? Has Jesus left heaven’s glory to go to a bloody cross and you will not tell others of this wonderful love? Will you go to heaven and leave those all around you to go to hell? Oh, may God give us a passion for souls and a vision of the lost in hell as well as the glory of the saved in heaven so that we would have a desire to tell others of Christ. Let us not forget that a call to salvation is a call to service, and that Jesus calls us that we would become fishers of men.

Then, are you a forgiving person? I find that forgiveness is one of the most challenging aspects to life. Successful relationships are impossible without forgiveness. The way to be forgiving is to be forgiven by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. If you have been forgiven of all your sins, you ought to be a forgiving person.