September 20
Isaiah 33:10-36:22 | PS 64:1-10 | Prov 23:23 | Gal 5:13-26
To understand redemption we have to understand where we all were. No matter how good we might consider ourselves, we were desperate sinners with absolutely no hope of standing before a perfectly holy God, as we read in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”. Perhaps you might want to point out the faults of others, thereby elevating ourselves, but we read in 1 John 1:8-10, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Now that we understand who we are, redemption is a term applied to slaves, which meant they were purchased from their slavery. That’s who we either were or are, depending whether or not you have accepted the payment. Since, we are unable to pay back enough in the way of good works, we needed Someone to do it for us. This is what Jesus did. By His death on the cross, He bled and died, He paid the price we were unable to, because though we are imperfect, He is perfect, and therefore His sacrifice was perfect. He didn’t need to die for Himself, He loved us and died for us, as He said on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
We read in Isaiah 35:8-10, “A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Being ransomed goes hand in hand with being redeemed as Jesus paid the price for our sin and our punishment. What are some of our benefits from being redeemed: eternal life, forgiveness of sins, deliverance from bondage, adoption into God’s family, peace with God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
With all of these amazing gifts bestowed on us by His act, not our own, why wouldn’t everyone claim it? They think they don’t need it. Most prefer to measure themselves horizontally with others rather than vertically with God. Never underestimate the power of pride, as this was the sin which caused Satan, one of God’s angels, to fall. Horizontally you might think you measure up. Vertically we have no ability to stand, no matter how good we deem ourselves. Once accepted, though our souls are secured life still must be lived on this earth. We read in Galatians 5:16-17, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Focusing our minds and hearts daily and continually on Him enables us to walk as free people rather than the slaves that we were formerly.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: