Redemption Sermon – God The Redeemer

1. Redemption is the idea of buying back.

1) We think of buying back a portion of a product with a coupon.

2) But in the ancient world, redemption was a much more important concept.

3) When conquerors overthrew your nation the individuals became slaves to that nation.

4) Everyone became a slave: men, women, children.

5) Many nations would then give them an opportunity to be redeemed.

6) This was done by giving the conquering king or general money and literally buying one’s self out of slavery.

7) Having done this, you were then redeemed, bought back.

8) One could also be redeemed by having a superior force come and conquer the conquerors.

9) In that case, one was redeemed through the efforts of someone else.

2. Consider the following examples.

1) Abram and Lot

a. In Genesis 14:11-12 we see the capture of Lot and his family by foreign kings.

b. Genesis 14:13-16 tells how Abram went after Lot and his family.

c. Genesis 14:16 “And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.”

d. Abram redeemed lot and his people from slavery.

2) The nation of Israel.

a. We find at the beginning of the book of Exodus Jacob’s descendents, now the nation of Israel, in slavery in the land of Egypt.

b. In Exodus 6:5-6 God told Moses, “And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:”

c. We know then that God was able to conquer Egypt and redeem his people.

d. David said hundreds of years later in 2 Samuel 7:23 “And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?”

3) The firstborn of Israel.

a. Exodus 13:11-16

b. God required the firstborn of Israel to be redeemed.

c. This was so that they would remember that God redeemed them.

d. In this way there was perpetual redemption for the nation of Israel.

e. Numbers 18:15-19 speaks to how much money could be used to redeem the firstborn.

4) When the Israelites came out of Babylonian captivity.

a. Nehemiah 5:8 “And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer.”

5) Many other things.

a. They were to grant redemption for the land (Leviticus 25:24).

b. They could redeem personal family possessions that went to someone else’s hand (Levitucs 25:25).

c. They could redeem property (Leviticus 25:29-30).

d. Family members could redeem other family members from slavery at any time (Leviticus 25:48-49).

e. And in the year of Jubilee, every 50 years, all slaves were to be redeemed regardless.

6) Devoted things, however, could not be redeemed. Leviticus 27:28-29 “Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.”

3. This is the concept of redemption.

1. God is not to blame.

1) God created man sinless and free (Genesis 1:27).

2) All children are born sinless.

a. Matthew 19:14 “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

b. Ezekiel 18:20 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

2. Man is to blame for his own sins.

1) Ezekiel 18:26 “When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.”

2) Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

3. When man commits sin he sells himself into slavery to sin.

1) John 8:34 “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”

2) Proverbs 5:22 “His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin.”

3) Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

4) Romans 7:14 “I am carnal, sold under sin.”

5) 2 Peter 2:19 “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”

4. All have sinned.

1) Romans 3:23

2) 1 John 1:8, 10.

5. All who sin sell themselves into slavery to sin.

1. Because we cannot redeem ourselves from the captivity of sin.

1) When we first committed sin, we gave everything that we had to sin.

2) Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

3) Psalm 53:1-3 “The fool hath said in his heart, “No, God.” Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

4) We have nothing left with which to redeem ourselves.

5) As Paul said, we are sold to sin.

2. Because our friends cannot redeem us from the captivity of sin.

1) They cannot do so with wealth. Psalm 49:6-7 “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.”

2) They cannot do so with their lives for they too are sold to sin.

3) There is no army that they can command to go and conquer sin.

a. Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!”

b. Jeremiah 17:5 “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.”

3. The blood of animals nor anything else can save us from sin.

1) Hebrews 10:4 “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”

2) Micah 6:6-8 “Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

3) No flesh can glory in God’s presence (1 Corinthians 1:29).

4. Only God can redeem us from sin.

1) He does so through His Son, Jesus.

2) 1 Corinthians 1:30 “But of him (God) are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”

3) 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:”

4) Hebrews 9:12 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

5) Revelation 5:9-10 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”