Our Redemption in Christ: Ephesians 1:7-10

[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. I'm going to get started here, so just bear with me real quick. When we speak of redemption, we're talking about how Christ paid the price for sin, for our sins on the cross.

[0:36] He paid the ransom in full. And ask yourself the question, have you felt a deep transformation because of Christ's forgiveness?

[0:47] Have you ever felt that weight that was on your shoulder be lifted before? You see, with Jesus Christ, we are delivered and we are redeemed.

[0:59] And we are moved, or at least we should be moved, to share in the good news of the gospel. Because salvation is free, it is available for all, and it is because of Christ's sacrifice that we are redeemed.

[1:16] We think of the words one and done, or as Christ said, it is finished. Let us now turn to our scripture reading in the book of Ephesians.

[1:28] So 1,159, it's going to be Ephesians chapter one, verses seven through 10. All right? Will you read it with me?

[1:40] Let's read it together. In him, we have redemption through his blood. The forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him, in heaven and things on earth.

[2:14] It's a small section of scripture, but there's a lot of depth that is in it. When Christ said on the cross some of his last words, it is finished. I'm referencing John 19, 30 for those of you curious.

[2:29] Through his blood, the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross was the one sacrifice for all. Amen, one and done, it is finished.

[2:42] Christ did not need to die many times, but once. And this goes to show that because of his sacrifice, because of this redemption, it was no longer this continual sacrificial system that we see in the Old Testament, but rather Christ being the sacrifice for all sins.

[3:07] Do you see the difference? Because you see it a lot of other traditions and other religions even, that they'll tell you you need to continue to offer sacrifices if you will, much like how it was in the Old Testament.

[3:23] But with Christ coming in, one and done. Christ did not need to die many times. That really should encourage us. It's all about what Christ has done for us.

[3:38] It is Christ who forgives us of our sins and delivers us from the debt that we cannot pay on our own. I wanna put this up here. I want you to consider this.

[3:49] What if all the work that you did, all of the work that you did, I'm talking your academic study to your work and your career, everything that you've done was just a drop in the ocean of debt that you could never pay off.

[4:03] That would be first off, incredibly discouraging, right? It is Christ who paid it all because of love for humanity. Just like in John 3.16, will you read it with me?

[4:14] For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. When we're talking about the perishing here, it is the weight of that debt that could never be paid by what you do, but by believing in Christ, you will not perish but have eternal or everlasting life.

[4:35] And then it also reminds me of Romans 6.23, the wages of sin is death, but what the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[4:48] This redemption is the paying off what we could not pay off on our own. We simply cannot do it. And I know that's hard for some of us to hear because we like fixing things.

[4:58] I know as a man when I have a problem, I want to fix it immediately. So maybe you can relate, maybe not. But I know that for some of us, we wanna fix things immediately.

[5:09] And this is something that has been fixed though. This verse goes on speaking about being forgiven for our trespasses. I'm gonna put Ephesians 1.7, right?

[5:21] So it's saying, in him we have redemption through his blood, right? The blood on the cross, the forgiveness of our trespasses. And this means forgiveness for the error or the offense or the sin, so to speak, against the Lord.

[5:38] For it is sin that separates us from the Lord. You find that people who are habitually sinning, it seems that they're more separate.

[5:51] They're living a very different life. When you believe in the Lord, your sins are forgiven, past, present, and future.

[6:03] However, must make this very clear. It doesn't give you a ticket to ride, right? It sounds good to me, Pastor. Past, present, and future.

[6:15] I can't wait to go start sinning again. Well, now, hold up. It doesn't give you a ticket to ride, right?

[6:25] To habitually sin, what it does do though, it's a call for you to live for the Lord and love like him. In a previous sermon I mentioned metanoia, right?

[6:38] Repentance to change your mind, right? And the idea of repentance is you're changing your mind about who God is to help you believe in the Lord.

[6:49] But it doesn't stop there. Your mind is still continuing to be changed about who God is. And you wanna know how you can see if you are truly a Christian?

[7:03] It's by the fruit, right? They will know them by their fruit. So as you continue to being changed, you will produce good fruit for the Lord.

[7:16] And so in all of this, past, present, and future, it's a call for you to live for the Lord and love like him. In giving of this grace abundantly, God does all of this in the wisdom and insight, which means spiritual wisdom, insight, or what we would call understanding, like I mentioned earlier, right?

[7:42] The wisdom of God is, well, it's beyond our human understanding, right? Just like in Proverbs chapter three, trust in the Lord, right? And lean not on your own what?

[7:55] Your own understanding. I know that's not in your notes, that's not even in what I'm saying here. Trust in the Lord, lean not on your own understanding, but in all of your ways, acknowledge him and he will what?

[8:10] Make your path straight. Well, the implication of that means when I do it my way, I'm on this crooked path, right? I'm kinda just going my own way, but God's giving you clarity.

[8:25] Did you know that in that Proverbs passage, when it's talking about lean on your own understanding, the Hebrew in there is talking about leaning as though you're leaning on a wall.

[8:39] And so the implication of that is that our human understanding is like leaning on a wall that can fall over as opposed to the firm foundation that exists in Christ.

[8:51] So it's very interesting, but I'm getting back on track. God did all of this, right? Spiritual wisdom and insight because of his divine wisdom and understanding.

[9:05] Those of you that love the Old Testament, Isaiah 55 verse 8 through 9, that God's wisdom and understanding is beyond ours.

[9:16] So verse 9 speaks of making known to us the mystery of his will. According to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ.

[9:28] Beautiful language here, right? Think of the mystery, that's kind of an odd one. God will make certain things unknown to us that we are to discover.

[9:40] Perhaps it's God's timing on when it will be revealed. And in other times, God will reveal things for us, but in this specific context, the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, is speaking of the coming of Jesus Christ.

[9:56] What was once a mystery is now revealed in Jesus Christ. The story of redemption, which was foretold in the Old Testament, it was hidden away and it was revealed in Christ in the New Testament.

[10:10] That is why you see in the New Testament so much saying, hey, the prophecy was fulfilled here, right? It is because of Christ that we have salvation available for all.

[10:22] It is through Christ that we have been redeemed. Just as we receive salvation through belief, we are redeemed by this sacrifice. As I've mentioned, God will actively work in and through your life.

[10:37] God will transform our lives into making us more like him. And like salvation, let us choose to follow him, choose to believe in him, believe in him and choose to follow in his divine plan for you.

[10:56] Live a life, live the redeemed life. In living such a life, the journey is still imperfect. In being saved, we are secure, but does that make the earth perfect?

[11:14] Does that make other people perfect? Knowing that we are redeemed, we live a life that exhibits the light and love and truth of our Lord, but we still live in a fallen world.

[11:27] And that is the opportunity for us in knowing that we're not alone in this journey and knowing that we are called to be a part of the body of Christ, the spiritual family.

[11:42] But also, it's a call for us to love one another, love our neighbors, share in the gospel story, share in the redemption, the story of redemption and maybe even your own testimony.

[11:58] In being redeemed from our sin and secure in the salvation, why wouldn't we want to tell others about this faith that we have? We live out our redemption by sharing the gospel and our testimonies.

[12:13] Every single one of us has a story in Christ. You may not think it's a great story, but it is still yours. How you came to know the Lord, I know we always think of someone who was, at their lowest point, for some people that is the case, for others it's not, but it is still uniquely yours.

[12:38] And God has a plan and will use it for His glory. Let us be moved to share in the redemption story. And I challenge each and every one of you to share in your faith.

[12:55] How is God's restorative plan working in your life? It's a good question to ask yourself. Because as God works in your life, you should be that beacon of hope for others.

[13:10] Who is your neighbor? You remember when I brought up the empty chair? Who is the empty chair? Who can sit next to you?

[13:20] Tell others about the beauty of salvation and that life offers more than the superficial, than the material of this world.

[13:31] The ultimate redemption was paid in full by Jesus Christ on the cross. There is no greater gift than the gift of salvation received through faith.

[13:46] Let us live each day as a testament to God's glory and invite others to discover the new life that He offers to us.

[13:57] Let's pray together. And Father God, as we close our time in the message for this morning, may we be filled with thankfulness and gratitude towards this story of redemption through your Son, Jesus Christ.

[14:14] May we take to heart that to be redeemed is knowing that Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and knowing that in believing Him, it is paid in full.

[14:27] We have been called into having a relationship with you, into your marvelous light. Your grace is enough for us and we have been redeemed because of the love that you have for us.

[14:43] Encourage us to go to our neighbor and to share in the story of redemption and our testimony with others. We want to see others turn to you and believe in you.

[14:56] As we sing this last song, oh God, you are my God and I will ever praise you. May we know that we are not alone in this life.

[15:09] You provide us with all that we need. Be with us as we sing and as we leave this place. It is in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.

[15:21] 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.

[15:33] May God's blessings be with you.