REDEMPTION BY CHRIST In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Eph. 1:7 Redemption! what a glorious plan; How suited to our need! The grace that raises fallen man, Tis wonderful indeed! Twas Wisdom formed the vast design, To ransom us when lost; And loves unfathomable mine, Provided all the cost. Strict Justice, with approving look, The holy covenant sealed; And Truth and Power undertook The whole should be fulfilled. Truth, Wisdom, Justice, Power and Love, In all their glory shone; When Jesus left the courts above, And died to save his own. In the works of creation, the power, wisdom and goodness of God are admirably displayed; but in the far greater and more glorious work of human redemption, his love shines in full resplendency. How glorious was the design of God to redeem a lost world! How magnificent the plan of eternal redemption! This redemption originated in the infinite love of God the Father. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ is the gift of the Father– a precious gift, indeed, to a lost world. He is given to redeem his people; given that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Jesus Christ is therefore called the unspeakable gift of God. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. In the counsels of eternity, Christ was chosen to be the Redeemer of his people. God gave him as a free gift to the Church. A greater gift he could not bestow upon lost sinners. Had the Almighty given us ten thousand worlds to possess, they would have been as nothing in comparison with Jesus Christ, his unspeakable gift. Oh! how good our God is. How great is his power, wisdom and goodness, as manifested in the creation of the universe; but oh! how astonishing is his love, as exhibited in the redemption of a captivated world– in sending his only begotten Son to die for sinners! Oh, everlasting lover Of our unworthy race! Your gracious eye surveyed us Ere stars were seen above; In wisdom you have made us, And died for us in love. The gift of a Savior, and redemption through his blood, afford the grandest view of the eternal love of God. Around this sacred theme, beam glorious rays of divine love. God is love; and redemption is but the effect of that love, in which the Deity is enshrined. Love enters into the very essence of the Divinity; and we see that it has blazed forth from the eternal throne, and shone on our benighted world. Yes, the glorious light has shone from heaven. It shines all around us. God loves this world. Blessed truth! Every page of divine revelation gleams with his love. Redemption is full of it. Here contemplate it– God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Jesus Christ willingly undertook our redemption. He cheerfully offered himself to bear our sins, to bleed on the altar of divine wrath, to redeem us from eternal misery. O blessed Savior! your love never had a beginning; it is like yourself, eternal. Love always glowed in your blessed bosom for a sinful world. All the glories of Paradise could not keep you from leaving your throne to ransom a guilty race. When there were no merciful arms to embrace us; no joyful heaven to welcome us; yes, when we were lost sinners, you, blessed Jesus, pitied us, and hastened on the wings of your love to redeem us, to bring us to glory, to seat us around your throne, in the celestial palace. How wonderful is your love, O Friend of Sinners! When that momentous question was asked by the Almighty in the counsels of eternity, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Our blessed Savior came forward and said, Here am I; send me. Christ was delighted with the glorious work of redeeming a lost world. When the morning stars sang together, and all the immortal sons of God shouted for joy over a rising world, the Savior rejoiced over its redemption. Then his delights were with the sons of men. Redemption was his chosen work, and in its execution he took the greatest delight. Ages rolled away, and earth groaned beneath the burden of its sin; idolatry and superstition reigned in triumph over the vast empires; moral darkness, obscuring the light of eternal day, enshrouded the human race, until the star of Bethlehem pointed to the infant Jesus as the glorious Redeemer of his people! A new light then burst from heaven upon them. Christ, the bright and morning star, that issues in the light of a blissful eternity, appeared in a human form, and trod the valley of humanity. He willingly, yes, joyfully, left his throne of glory to bring redemption to us. His language was, Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me; I delight to do your will, O my God; yes, your law is within my heart. Our lost, pitiful condition called for a Redeemer. When Christ came to redeem us, we were on the verge of everlasting destruction. Man, created in the image of his Maker, was once holy and happy. But sin soon entered our fair world, and spread ruin and devastation all around. Pain was felt; disease and suffering endured, and death embraced in his dismal arms, a fallen world. Sin brought death, and all our misery, into this world. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. How deplorable was the condition of the human race! An awful eternity of suffering opened to their view. Then God in infinite love said, Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him. Jesus Christ was set apart for the great work of redemption; and at the appointed time, God sent him to redeem us from the curse of a broken law, and to guide us safely through the mazes of a bewildering scene, to the Paradise above. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. To redeem lost sinners was the very object for which the Son of God was sent into the world; for which he was made of a woman; for which he was made under the law. O matchless grace! O sovereign love! that God send his Son, his only Son, to save sinners! Here we behold a way of access opened to perishing sinners through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Blessed Lord! may the knowledge of this unspeakably precious redemption through a crucified Redeemer fill my soul with gratitude and praise. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. Let us see HOW the redemption of sinners was effected. We find that an immense sum was paid for their ransom; that it required the blood of God to redeem a world of perishing sinners. The Church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood. It is expressly declared that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. The blood of the Deity must flow or else a world be irrecoverably lost. But the Son of God assumed human nature, and freely poured out his blood for our redemption. Oh! the boundless love of Christ, that he should shed his precious blood for sinners. Oh! the infinite efficacy of that blood to cleanse from all sin. The blood of Jesus Christ cleansed us from all sin. We see then that our redemption is by price. For God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. What a price was paid for our redemption! The precious blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God! For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. Costly price of mans redemption; the infinitely precious blood of Christ! O my soul, look with wonder and amazement at your ransom the precious life and the precious blood of Jesus, He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right. The Son of Man came, to give his life a ransom for many. It is a blessed consolation for the sinner to know that he has redemption through the blood of Christ- that he has access to a holy God through a crucified Jesus. How sweet are those words, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. The blood of Christ is the fountain-head of all felicity. It is the blessed source from where emanates the living water of life; from where flow pardon and peace to a guilty world. It is that river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God. Thirsty soul, come and quench your thirst it the fountain of life. Dear believer, come and draw water with joy out of the wells of salvation. Long before a bleeding Savior hung on the cross, it was prophesied, In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. The fountain has been opened. The rock has been smitten. Christs side has been pierced! The sacred streams have gushed from the cross– have flowed around Calvary. When our Savior instituted the sacramental supper he said, for this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many. This, this is the fountain of joy– the well of endless life. Here, sinners may drink and never thirst again. And all are invited to come to the waters. The gospel invitation extends to all classes of mankind without exception; to the vile as well as to the good; to the poor as well as to the rich; to the young as well as to the old. The blessed call stands emblazoned on the pages of inspiration. With the authority of the majesty of heaven, I repeat it to a thirsting and famishing world, Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—its all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen, and I will tell you where to get food that is good for the soul! Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David. Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Blessed be God for that whosoever. None are forbidden to taste the water of life. The vilest sinner may come to the waters and drink, and live forever. None are excluded from the way of salvation through the atoning blood of the Lamb of God. What encouragement is there for all to come to the bleeding side of Immanuel, there to receive the pardon of sin, obtain eternal life, and imbibe immortal joys! Here is redemption offered to you. Will you receive it? Here is the bread and water of life. Will you eat that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness? Will you drink from the fountain of immortality? But those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them at the last day. All who eat my flesh and drink my blood remain in me, and I in them. I live by the power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake of me will live because of me. I am the true bread from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever and not die as your ancestors did, even though they ate the manna. Oh! who would not come and he made a partaker of such inestimable blessings as cluster around the cross of a loving Redeemer. Here is all that a dying sinner requires or his redemption. Here is all that a feeble saint needs for his comfort and support during his pilgrimage through a bleak and barren world which is far from his home. What joys are to be found in redemption by Christ! They are unspeakable and full of glory. They flow down the narrow stream of time and expand into the boundless ocean of eternity! Redemption by Christ affords sweet peace to the soul. The blood of Jesus poured out from the cross makes peace between God and the sinner. Having made peace through the blood of his cross. It brings us near to God. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ. Precious blood, that brings us so near our heavenly Father! You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which graciously forgives instead of crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel did. This is the blood of Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant. This blood satisfies offended justice, redeems the sinner and prepares him for glory. The blood of Jesus atones for all sin. There is redemption for all sinners, then, if they will but apply to the atoning blood of Jesus for cleansing. There is justification to acquit all; there is righteousness to clothe all. The people will declare, The Lord is the source of all my righteousness and strength. In the Lord all the generations of Israel will be justified, and in him they will boast. The sinner rejoices to find in the Lord Jesus, complete redemption. Being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Blessed Savior, speak a word, Bid all my sorrows cease; Oh, be my great atoning Lord, My Righteousness and Peace. Oh, let your precious blood divine, Wash all my sins away, Then shall my soul resplendent shine, Through heavens eternal day. How merciful is our God! How free is his grace! How plentiful is that redemption which is in Christ Jesus! Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy Gods anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus. O sinner, come and taste the joys of redemption. Exercise a lively faith in the atoning blood of the Son of God. We would lead you to the bleeding sacrifice; we would point you to the cross of Christ as your only redemption. We would tell you in the tenderest language that there is redemption for you. Christ is made unto us redemption. Cleaving to him you shall be redeemed from all evil and sin, and finally admitted into the Paradise of God. Our blessed Savior has obtained eternal redemption for us, and he will soon lead us to glory. This is the grand object of Christs sufferings and death, or in other words, of his redemption– to bring many sons unto glory. Redemption by Christ, then, is an eternal deliverance from sin and sufferings, and the permanent enjoyment of the highest bliss in heaven. All the happiness of the redeemed in glory results from redemption by Christ. All the future felicity of the whole household of faith, through eternity, will flow from that redemption completed on Calvary. He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever– holy and awesome is his name. By shedding his own blood, the Redeemer has purchased everlasting salvation for his people. So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that great, perfect sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands and not part of this created world. Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever. Here we may see the eternal, matchless love of Christ, in shedding his precious blood for our redemption. Love was the impelling motive that led him to undertake our redemption; and love enabled him to exclaim, It is finished. Love made him offer himself a sacrifice for our sins. Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Christ calls the church, his beloved. Oh, how delightful you are, my beloved; how pleasant for utter delight! He loved the church so ardently as to redeem it with his own blood. Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Christs love to the church is eternal. I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. And again, Since you were precious in my sight you have been honorable, and I have loved you. Paul thus celebrates the redeeming love of Christ to his church, You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. God Bless You All Amen.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 17:18:03 +0000