Christ as Redeemer | Isaiah 53:1-12 and Romans 3:23-24

[0:00] Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we're dedicated to encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ. Located in Ontario, Oregon, Pastor Patrick Daley preaches insightful sermons from the Word of God, offering practical applications for modern living.

[0:16] We're delighted to share this sermon with you. Good morning Ontario Community Church. How are we all doing? Well, it's great to be with you this morning as we are continuing our sermon series on Christ as the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sustainer.

[0:35] As a reminder, I want all of us to know that this series is based off of three different passages in Scripture. In your notes, you'll see that Christ as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer is biblically based off of Colossians chapter one, verses 15 through 20, John chapter one, verses one through 14, and Hebrews chapter one, verses one through three.

[0:58] So it's a pattern that was found in Scripture. You know, when we discover patterns in the Word of God, it is something that should not be ignored. It is something that should be studied and shared with others.

[1:12] And with this in mind, we're going over Jesus Christ as the Redeemer. And that is a very exciting message. I'm very excited. And I hope that all of you are excited for the message this morning.

[1:26] We're going to be focusing on Christ's sacrifice on the cross for us. In his death, we have the ability to receive everlasting life.

[1:36] It's his death, his burial, and his resurrection. You know, what makes Christianity different than any other faith in the world has to do with God sending his own son to die for our sins rather than us continually doing this never ending checklist of paying for our own sins, basically, to please God for a moment.

[2:00] It's like having this never ending payment, if you will. And God forbid you miss a payment, right? Oh man, I don't want to miss that payment. But you know what? I believe in Jesus Christ who died on that cross for my sins.

[2:14] Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you recognize that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, the Messiah? Because Christ, as the Redeemer for our sins, is the greatest sacrifice for us.

[2:29] We can't redeem ourselves. We cannot. We cannot earn salvation on our own merit and our own works. We are all sinners who are in need of a Savior.

[2:41] And what is great about God, like I said, is that he sent his own son to die on the cross for us rather than what all the other religions say.

[2:53] It's all about what you do as opposed to what has been done for you. On the third day, he rose again from the dead. Christ, our Redeemer, rose from the dead conquering death itself.

[3:07] This was to fulfill the prophecies of the holy scriptures or the sacred writings of the Old Testament. It was to show us the love that God has for us.

[3:20] And I pray that today we may come closer to God, that we will have that saving knowledge of him, and that we can grow in such knowledge with the implanted word going from milk to solid food of the word.

[3:35] But before we go any further, I'd like for us to pray. Will you pray with me? Father God, we thank you for this time for us to gather together as the community of believers, as the church, as the assembly.

[3:50] We have sang praises to your holy name, for you are holy God. Your name is above all names. We worship you. We adore you. We sing praises.

[4:02] And we wish to enter in this place with thanksgiving, with gratitude for who you are, for we are in awe and wonder of who you are and what you have done.

[4:12] How can we not be thankful for what you have done for us? How can we not worship you for loving us and saving us through faith in your son, Jesus the Christ?

[4:24] I pray that this morning lives will be transformed, that the mind will be open to receive your word, and that the heart will be open to live and love like you.

[4:34] Your word is living and active. We pray that your word is with us this morning. For the ones who do not know you, we pray that they will come to know you.

[4:45] They will have that saving knowledge, and that they will believe in you through faith. For the ones that have been distanced, or the ones who feel lost, or they feel broken, or they feel separated, may you comfort them, may you work in their mind, in their heart, and heal them where healing is needed, that they may heal and be restored in you.

[5:05] Oh, how sometimes there are situations where we feel distant, but you, God, are always there. And for the ones that know you, may they grow in you today.

[5:16] We love you, God, and we are in awe and wonder of who you are. You are one amazing God. You are everlasting to everlasting.

[5:27] Your love never fails. We thank you. Be with us this morning as we go into our message today. It is in Jesus' holy name that we pray, and we all say together, amen.

[5:40] So I'd like to start off with our opening question. Do you feel that the world is going mad? Right? I think maybe we all can answer that question by saying, yes, the world's going mad.

[5:54] Have you turned on the news just for a moment? Maybe you've scrolled through Facebook. Maybe you've gone on TikTok, or you've read Yahoo News, or whatever. And you're reading all of these stories about all of the trying times that are going on.

[6:12] More than ever before, the world is changing. There's all these recent events that have happened locally, nationally, internationally.

[6:22] And it seems that there's this long, never-ending list of bad event after bad event after bad event that's happening. And reading the news and hearing the stories, doesn't it drain you?

[6:34] Doesn't it suck the life out of you? I mean, when's the last time you've read good news online? Maybe you raise a hand here, because I'm thinking about it.

[6:46] I can't think of the last time that's happened. Usually, when we go on the news, it's nothing but bad news. And it makes you wonder, will things ever get better?

[6:56] When will Jesus come back and really put to order this chaos of this world that we're living in? We live in this changing culture, and where what is right seems wrong, and what is wrong is being proposed as right.

[7:13] Living in a world where truth is presented as a lie, and lies are being presented as truth, what a twisted world we live in. And it reminds me of Proverbs chapter 14, verse 12, that there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

[7:31] That's how it works with sin. It seems right, but it is not right. It may feel right, but it is not right. In a time of lies, we need truth.

[7:43] In a culture of death, we need life. In a place where there's no direction, don't we need the way?

[7:54] There is no greater time than the here and the now for us to come to Jesus Christ, and for those of us who know Jesus Christ to share in our testimony, in the love of Christ, share the gospel with other people.

[8:10] Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the constant in this ever-changing world. For no one comes to the Father except through Him, through Jesus Christ.

[8:23] For in Christ, there is new life. There is salvation that is available for all who believe in Him. There is security.

[8:33] There is safety and assurance in knowing God. There is confidence in knowing the Lord. There is peace that comes from Him. There is joy that comes from Him.

[8:45] For Christ, He is the Redeemer, and it is in Him that we do not need to worry. How many of us worry when we read the news?

[8:56] May we be reminded to have our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ, the solid rock, the firm foundation.

[9:07] We don't need to worry about anything, not war, not changing culture, not the ways of man, not the ways of this world. We don't need to worry.

[9:17] Our faith should be in Jesus Christ. For Christ is the Redeemer for our sins. He provides an alternative. And let me tell you, this alternative is a better way than the way that seems right.

[9:32] I wish to place my trust in what is right, not what feels right, not what seems right, but what is right. A better way than the ways of this world or what other faiths have to offer.

[9:46] Other faiths tell you they give you a list of things that you must do, like I was saying, it's this never-ending list of things that you have to constantly do.

[9:56] Religion will tell you, ABC, dress this way, pray that way, or pay this much for your salvation. That's what they'll tell you. It's like that monthly payment I was mentioning a little bit earlier, right?

[10:10] God forbid you miss a payment. Well, the thing about Christianity is Christ paid once for all his salvation by dying on the cross, by being buried and being raised again on the third day.

[10:23] Once for all who believe. Christ offers a once for all payment for all sins, his life, his death, and resurrection for us.

[10:34] It is finished, as Christ said on the cross. It is done. All we need to do is have faith to believe in him. And it is then that we receive salvation and we are secure in his love.

[10:50] Yes, it is Christianity that is different than the ways of the world. It is what is done. It is finished, as opposed to that never-ending list of what you have to do.

[11:04] In a world of constant change, we need a constant, don't we? We need a foundation that exists in our life. In a world that is full of the sinking sand, don't we need that solid rock?

[11:16] In a world that is fading away, we need the everlasting God. We need a Redeemer to be with us. We need a Savior who will save us from our sins.

[11:30] The words Christ as Redeemer. In our series, we've gone over. We've seen the connection with the three passages in Colossians, in John, and in Hebrews.

[11:41] It's the foundation of our series. And going from there, we're going to see that God the Father provided a way for us to have everlasting life.

[11:52] Christ as the Redeemer, it's Christ our Savior, who loved us first and foremost and offers salvation through faith in Him.

[12:02] We need love in a time where there is hatred. We need hope where it seems like the world is just going mad and there's no hope. We need peace where there is time of division and separation.

[12:17] And we need that constant in a time of uncertainty. And God provides a better way. And this last week, we went over the foundational belief that we are made in the image of God.

[12:30] We are given the breadth of life. We are given purpose. And God given potential. For God knew us before we were born. He helped make our inward parts like I mentioned last week.

[12:43] He clothed us with skin and with flesh, such grotesque language, but such beautiful language, if you think about it. God knowing us before we are born, breathing breath of life into us.

[12:56] For the time that we are born here on earth, we're given a certain amount of time, time for us to know the Lord and to live this life for Him. The Bible tells us that our days are numbered here on the earth and our days are like grass.

[13:10] It is like a flower that it is gone. Scripture also mentions that this life is like a mist that appears for a little time, then vanishes away. Some of us have seen mist before, right?

[13:22] Maybe it's the morning dew, if you will. But then it's gone. It disappears. And to think of that as our life, that's kind of scary. Place your trust in God though, for He is everlasting.

[13:35] And compared to the consideration of eternity, the life that we live here on earth is fleeting. God gives us all a choice to choose Him or to not choose Him.

[13:47] Because of the time in which we live, there's this limitation of days on earth, we need a constant, we need that peace, we need that joy, we need that love and the promise of life after death.

[14:00] Just as our life goes from useless to useful, when we believe in the Lord, our lives go from meaningless to meaningful. Christ as redeemer.

[14:11] Christ came into the world and became a man to atone for our sins. Because sin had entered the world and separated us from God, just as found in Genesis chapter two and chapter three.

[14:25] We've learned about the fall of mankind, where Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, disobeying God's command. And because of this sin, sin entered the world and separated humanity from God.

[14:38] I do not wish to be separate from God. And I hope and I pray that you don't wish to be separate, but rather to be connected with the Lord.

[14:48] And instead of God forcing all to believe, God had a plan to send his son to atone for our sins, giving us the choice to believe or to not believe.

[15:00] God sent his son, Jesus, to reconcile our sins. This means that Christ redeems us from our sins so that we can no longer be separated from God, that we can receive salvation and live life everlasting in him.

[15:16] The thing that we must remember in all of this is we cannot do it on our own. We cannot earn our salvation. We cannot buy our salvation. We need Christ to provide salvation for all.

[15:28] It is through belief that we receive salvation. And it is through belief that we are born again, a spiritual birth. God provided a way, a permanent way for salvation as John chapter three, verse 15 says, everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

[15:48] It's right before John 3.16, right? Everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. And I want us to turn our Bibles. We're gonna open to Isaiah 53.

[16:01] It's gonna, we're gonna put that on the slide here. It's gonna be paid 729. And as our scripture reading, we're gonna find here something that's very interesting.

[16:16] It's God, through the prophet Isaiah, is painting a picture of Jesus Christ before he was born. It goes to show that God had a plan to save all of mankind through his son, Jesus.

[16:33] So again, it's gonna be Isaiah 53. It's gonna be page 729 in your ESV Pew Bible. You are welcome to use really whatever translation you want. So Isaiah 53 or page 729 in the ESV Pew Bible.

[16:50] So are you there? Are we all there, amen? All right. Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

[17:03] For he grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or majesty that we should look at him and no beauty that we should desire him.

[17:15] Verse three, he was despised and rejected by men. Didn't we just sing this? A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

[17:27] And as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

[17:43] Verse five, but he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.

[17:56] And with his wounds, we are what? We are healed. And like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way.

[18:08] And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Christ bearing our sin. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, like a sheep that is before its shearers is silence.

[18:31] So he opened not his mouth by oppression and judgment he was taken away. And as for his generation who considered that he was cut out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people, and they made his grave with the wicked.

[18:50] Read this. And with the rich man in his death. Joseph of Arimathea. Right? Although he had done no violence, there was no deceit in his mouth.

[19:04] Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him. He has put him to grief. When his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring.

[19:14] He shall prolong his days. The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul, he shall see and be satisfied. By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

[19:33] Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors.

[19:45] Yet he what? Bore the sin of many. And what makes intercession for the transgressors?

[19:57] In the Old Testament. God had a plan. And in verse five, that verse stands out to me so much.

[20:08] Christ as our redeemer took upon our sins on the cross. It is the sacrifice that Christ made for us. And it is through his sacrifice that we can have life in him.

[20:22] Believe in the Lord Jesus. And the great reminder is knowing we do not need to sacrifice ourselves, rather we need to believe in him.

[20:34] Seek first the kingdom of God. The peace that surpasses all understanding comes from Christ. Salvation, life, peace, joy come from him.

[20:49] Healing comes from the Lord. And that verse six, we like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to our own way.

[21:00] Isn't that so true? A lot of people, they are doing things their own way. Like I mentioned earlier, a way that seems right. It appears right, right?

[21:10] It seems like the right thing to do, but is it? For we know that the right thing to do is to believe in the Lord, to believe in Christ.

[21:21] A life without God is like going astray and doing things on your own. There is a way that seems right. But in the eyes of God, the right way is the way of Christ to believe in him.

[21:35] And I love that ending in verse 12, for he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. Centuries before Jesus was born from the prophet Isaiah, like I said, it goes to show that God had a plan all along.

[21:57] Amen? We can see that's the beauty of Christianity. That's the beauty of our Bible is knowing that it is written over a span of hundreds of years.

[22:09] God mentioning about Jesus Christ before he's even born, just like how we looked at how Christ was in creation when we went over proverbs. The redeeming act of Christ dying on the cross was done so so that all can be saved through faith, through believing in him.

[22:30] Is that some people? Is that only one race of people? Is that one socioeconomic type of people? Or is it everyone?

[22:42] Because we believe in scripture, just like John chapter 10, verse 28, I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

[22:56] John 3 16, who so ever? Everyone, everybody. It's not bound by who's wealthier, who's taller, who's shorter, right?

[23:09] It's not how much weight you have or it's not any of that. It's all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was done so that all can be saved through belief.

[23:20] It was a one and done deal. There was no longer this need for this constant sacrificial system that even existed in the Old Testament when you learn about the Levitical priests and the constant need for sacrifices.

[23:33] Think about that once and for all. It is done. It is finished. And when I mentioned that John chapter 10, verse 28, we are secure and we'll go more into that next week, that God will sustain us, that God will hold us together.

[23:53] But I wanted to share that verse with you. They will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. Much like how 1 Peter chapter one, verse 23, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and the abiding word of God.

[24:14] And as a final, final verse, I want us to turn to Romans chapter three, verse 23 through 24. Let's put that on the screen. You'll see it on there.

[24:27] And it's gonna be page 1118. Some of you know the famous verse, right?

[24:44] All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. All right, are we all there? All right, so it's Romans chapter three, verse 23 and 24.

[24:59] For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Many of us know that. That next verse though, and are justified by his grace as a gift through the what?

[25:15] The redemption that is in Christ Jesus. I mean, we can go on in Romans, which is very beautiful verses that are in Romans, but God provides grace that we are justified by his grace as a gift.

[25:33] And you decide whether you're going to believe in the Lord or not, that is on you. And I pray that all of us will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[25:44] We're talking about grace, unmerited favor. We're talking about God sending his own son because he loves us and is providing a way for us to be secure.

[25:59] You wanna talk about transformation? You wanna talk about how the world is changed? Talk about making a decision for Christ, choosing to believe in him.

[26:12] Because let me tell you, in choosing Christ and believing him, God will work in and through you. Some of us may have bitter hearts.

[26:25] We may have anger. We may have hatred in our hearts. Doesn't God soften our hearts? Doesn't God work in us?

[26:36] I can tell you, God has worked on my heart in the many years that I have been a Christian. There were times where I was so bitter and angry towards people, but to know that through reading his word, through praying, and allowing for God to work on my heart, he worked on my ability to love, to love neighbor, to love others.

[27:01] God calls us to love one another as he has loved us. And that certainly, it's a difficult thing to do, but to allow God to work through you. It's a wonderful thing.

[27:14] And then the closing question that comes up is, in light of Christ's redemptive work, how will you respond?

[27:25] How will you respond knowing that Jesus paid it all, that he died on the cross for our transgressions, for our sin? Do you believe in the Lord?

[27:38] Is he at the center of your life? Is he your savior and Lord? Think about that. I wanna take us to our key takeaways that's found in your notes.

[27:53] That Christ is presented as creator, redeemer, and sustainer, as seen in the Colossians, John, and Hebrews passages. Jesus' death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice to atone for our sins once and for all.

[28:12] We could never redeem ourselves. When we put our faith in Christ, we are redeemed and reconciled to God. We move from separation to salvation.

[28:26] Belief in Christ is what saves us. Not works, not rituals, not money. It is through faith.

[28:38] It is through belief. And all of us have sinned and fall short of God's glory, but Christ bore our sins so that we could have new life.

[28:49] Our days on earth are fleeting, but in Christ we have the promise of eternal life, for Christ conquered death. And even in an uncertain world, being born again through Christ offers us an imperishable hope grounded in the enduring word of God.

[29:08] And ask yourself that final question. Will you accept God's gift of salvation through Jesus today? Believe in him and receive redeeming grace.

[29:19] And in the days that we are facing today, it seems that the world is going mad. It seems that there's a lot of trials that are going on. It seems that there's so much uncertainty in the world.

[29:32] There's so much sin and evil that's at hand with all of the things that are happening, war, division, hatred, uncertainty, confusion. Isn't it time to try something different, to run to the arms of the Father, to know God is to have confidence that no matter what happens in this world, we are safe in him.

[29:55] We're not to worry about what happens in the world. In fact, we are to look forward for Jesus's returning, amen. We are to believe in Christ, grow and share in our faith, and do good in the name of the Lord.

[30:10] We have an opportunity to share the love of Christ, the light of Christ, and the hope for others in such uncertain times. It is more critical today, and it seems it's becoming more critical to share in your faith with others.

[30:26] Show someone a Bible. Show them John 3.16. There's a lot of people who are discouraged by this silly thing called the phone. I love the phone, I hate the phone, right?

[30:40] We can communicate with people. We can talk to people. At the same time, messages get sent to us, or we see on this never-ending list of news.

[30:53] Let me tell you something. There are people out there who don't know the Lord. There are people out there who are discouraged and hopeless. And if we have the hope that is in Christ, we share our faith with others.

[31:06] We show them a better way. We show them the truth and the life that comes in Jesus Christ. And I pray that all of you may come to know the Lord, that you'll have that saving knowledge of Him, and that you will grow in Him, and that you'll go into the world sharing the good news of the Gospel, whether that's your testimony, sharing in the Word of God, or just by simple everyday living.

[31:36] They will know we are Christians by our love. Amen. Let's pray together. Father God, we thank you for giving us the time today to hear from your Word.

[31:49] We are in awe about the fact that you hid about your son Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, but one day to be revealed about the suffering servant as that verse talks about, about your son Jesus Christ.

[32:04] I pray that we may see the truth of your Word, and that lives will be transformed by hearing the Word. I pray that everyone here today, that you are with us, especially in these uncertain times, in these trying times.

[32:23] We know that there is a way that seems right, but I pray that we all know that you provide the right way in your son Jesus the Christ. We ask for healing in this congregation and in this community.

[32:38] We ask, we pray for transformation and for people to believe in you. We pray for the city of Ontario. We pray for our neighbouring towns, that there will be people who make decisions for Christ, that they will believe in you.

[32:55] Hearing about events that have happened, the sin that's existing here in this city, it really does something to us, but we pray to you, we come before you, we pray for transformation in this community, much like we pray for transformation in this nation, much like we pray for transformation in the world.

[33:16] You provided a means for salvation, and that salvation exists in your son Jesus Christ. And we are grateful, we are thankful, and we are in awe of who you are, how you love us, and the way that you make for us.

[33:34] Be with us as we conclude in this final song today. We love you, we thank you, we praise you and we glorify you. It is in Jesus' name that we pray, amen.

[33:47] Thank you for tuning in to the Ontario Community Church sermon podcast. For more about our church and how you can get involved or support our mission, please visit ontariocommunitychurch.org.

[34:00] May God's blessings be with you.