For Bibles, you can turn once again to Ephesians chapter 1. We are thinking about verse 7 as we approach Easter.
! We read in verse 7, in Him, in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us.
So we're thinking about the reality that Jesus gives true freedom. When we look at this verse, the key word, the word that jumps out at us, I am sure, is the word redemption.
And it's a word that belongs in the freedom family. And when we think about freedom, that's something I imagine we all want, and we all want in different ways.
We value the freedom of choice or the freedom of expression. We hear people talking about the freedom to be me, and we understand.
Think about in a family. As children grow older, they say, we need more freedom. That's what they want.
As parents, perhaps we are tempted to say, well, you need less freedom. When we're at work, we want freedom to use our talents to avoid being micromanaged, or we want freedom from all the distractions so we can focus on the task that needs our attention.
Think about our time, day to day, week to week. How often do we want simply a free day in the calendar?
Maybe just a few free hours so we can see the people we want to see, perhaps to do nothing and find rest or to pursue our hobbies or our interests.
Freedom matters in so many different ways. But how do we think about freedom? Often, perhaps instinctively, we think freedom is about freedom from. Freedom from rules. Freedom from authority. Freedom from demands.
But is there another way to define it? What if the freedom that we're pursuing all along really isn't freedom at all?
What if we're missing what true freedom really is? We were at a family wedding this weekend, and it was a beautiful day, and in the evening, there was a few kids out on the lawn, and they were having the best time stargazing, looking at the moon, spotting a satellite.
And there was a sense of joy. And there was a sense of wonder. And I was talking with someone, and they were saying to me,
I don't know, I don't know, the last time I looked up at the sky at night.
There is wonder there, but sometimes we miss it.
There is joyful wonder and freedom in the good news of Jesus.
To hear this text is to hear a joy everywhere.
Paul begins with thanks and praise, because in Jesus, there is the freedom to enjoy all of God's spiritual blessings.
There is joyful freedom, because in Jesus, we can know the love of God as Father.
There is the joy and the freedom in Jesus of discovering God's goal for the universe,
that the whole universe would be united under Christ, including us.
But I wonder if we've missed the magnitude of God's mercy,
if we've stopped gazing with joy at the wonder of God's redemption.
So today, we have a chance to slow down and to look up and to discover or to rediscover
the wonderful freedom we have on offer to us in Jesus.
We're going to ask three questions.
We're going to ask, why do we need freedom?
And we're going to think about guilt, and we're going to think about sin.
We're going to ask, where do we find freedom?
And we're going to go to the cross of Christ.
And we're going to ask, how do we get this freedom?
And we'll think together about God's grace and God's love.
So why do we need freedom?
This morning, we're going to borrow from a few classic movies from the 90s to help us.
I don't know how many of you have seen the Truman Show.
If you've seen the Truman Show, you'll know the central character is a man called Truman Burbank.
And halfway through the show, he discovers that his whole life is a sham.
He's been trapped in a TV show that everyone around him is an actor playing a part.
And from that moment, the goal of Truman's life is to escape.
And to escape Christoph.
Think about that name.
Christoph the director.
There's freedom in escaping.
Now, I would suggest that movie helpfully captures what we might think of as our default setting when it comes to freedom.
Freedom is escaping the director.
Freedom is escaping authority.
If we go back to the book of Genesis, freedom comes.
If we could just escape God and his word over us.
Wasn't that the idea of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?
We've been tracing it for weeks.
Adam and Eve, as they listen to the serpent, they begin to doubt God's generosity.
And they stop trusting God's word.
And they question his love.
And the root of sin is this desire to be free from the God who we don't really trust.
We don't really trust loves us and has our best intentions at heart.
And so there is this misguided belief if we could just break those shackles, if we could escape the TV set, then there would be freedom.
Jesus in John's gospel makes a really powerful statement and I think helps us if we're thinking in these lines.
He says to us,
Everyone who sins doesn't find freedom.
Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
And it could be that in pursuing a false view of freedom, we're actually selling ourselves to that which would destroy us.
Mercifully, Jesus continued, but if the Son sets you free, then you're free indeed.
So when we come to Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7 and we come to this idea of redemption, the big idea, first of all, is that you and I, we need redemption.
The picture is a biblical picture of someone who has been sold into slavery.
For some reason, got into a debt that we cannot pay off and cannot break free from.
And the only way to be delivered is by the payment of a price.
A price that will be paid by another.
The classic Old Testament redemption story is the book of Exodus.
And in the book of Exodus, we find that Israel as a nation, they are slaves.
And the wonderful truth is that God himself will deliver.
He will send Moses as mediator.
And the price that will be paid is the price of the Passover lamb to ensure the freedom of God's people.
So when we hear the word redemption, it reminds us that we need freedom.
But maybe it makes us ask the question, well, what does this have to do with us?
I've never been a slave.
I've not been sold.
I feel quite free.
To help us to understand what Paul says, there's a second idea within verse 7 that we need to recognize.
Verse 7, in him we have redemption through his blood.
How does that redemption come?
Through the forgiveness of sins or literally the forgiveness of our trespasses.
So moving from the idea of being sold into slavery to the idea of trespass.
So we're familiar, I think, with the idea of trespassing.
There is a portion of land or a site that is private.
And if we cross over the boundary line, then we are in forbidden territory.
That might be a farmer's field.
It might be a secret government site.
You might see warning signs.
Trespassers will be prosecuted.
Keep that image in your head.
What is the line that we cross when we sin?
The line that we step over is the line of God's law.
Like Adam and Eve who ate the forbidden fruit.
We trespass when we do what God forbids.
God says no and we say yes.
And we trespass when we fail to do what God commands.
God says yes and we say no.
Think about the summary that Jesus gave of God's law.
We are to love God all the time, all the way.
And when we fail, when we ignore God in His world,
when we reject His rule over us,
when we give our hearts to other things,
when we don't honor His name or honor His day,
we are guilty of sin.
We are liable to prosecution.
We have trespassed against God and His law.
Back again to Jesus' summary of the law.
We are not only to love God,
we are to love our neighbor as ourself.
And so when we fail,
when we disrespect,
or when we snub the other person,
when we despise and dishonor them
in our hearts or with our words,
in our lust or in our lies,
in our anger, our envy, and our pride,
again we become liable to judgment.
We have trespassed.
We become slaves.
And because God is God,
He is both the King who has ultimate authority over us,
but He is also the righteous judge
who cannot simply turn a blind eye to sin,
and He is also the holy God
who hates sin and its effects
in our lives and in our world.
So when I sin,
when you sin,
we trespass against God's command,
or we pile up a moral debt
that we cannot repay.
In a spiritual sense,
we become slaves
because of the guilt
of our sin.
In response to that one common answer
that people might give,
perhaps we might give,
is to say,
but I'm basically
a good person.
I feel like looking back on my life,
my good deeds,
they outweigh my bad deeds.
I feel like I've been a pretty good family member,
a good neighbor,
a good citizen.
Surely God will accept me.
If you're here today,
and that's what you think Christianity is,
if you're trying really hard
to prove yourself to God,
or maybe you're new to Christianity,
and you're wondering,
is it some kind of
moral self-improvement religion?
And again,
we need to hear what God says,
because according to God,
it is folly.
No mere human
can perfectly keep God's law.
And recognize, too,
that it's not true.
It's not true to say
that our good deeds
can ever outweigh our bad deeds,
because even our best efforts,
the Bible says,
they still have defects.
The best thing that I do
if I'm not truly honoring God
with my heart,
still sin.
If I don't seek God's glory
where I seek to be a good neighbor,
the Bible says it's still sin.
Whatever does not proceed from faith
is sin.
And as importantly,
we need to understand
that trying to make our good deeds
outweigh our bad deeds,
that has never been
and will never be
God's way to save anybody.
Salvation does not come
from balancing the records
and the scales.
Salvation comes from
cancelling the record
at the cross.
And that's what Jesus came to do.
And that's the fundamental freedom
that you and I all need.
So having said that,
let's ask ourselves
a second question,
and it's this,
where do we find this freedom?
Just to continue
with a couple of different
90s movies,
think about Braveheart.
If you've seen Braveheart,
think about that famous
battle speech
of Mel Gibson
slash William Wallace
as they're about to face
the army of England.
Freedom for the land,
freedom for the people,
will require
courage
and cost
and bloody sacrifice.
saving Private Ryan,
which tells the story
of a U.S. squadron
sent to rescue
said Private Ryan
from the heat
of World War II
to bring him home
to his mother.
She'd already lost
all his brothers.
And freedom for Private Ryan
in that movie
came as many
of that squadron
died on their
rescue mission.
And again,
sacrifice
and cost
brings freedom.
It's a theme
that plays through
so many
of our stories
and it is
right at the heart
of Christian faith.
At the heart
of Christianity
is freedom
that comes
through costly
sacrifice.
And the one
who sacrifices
is Jesus,
the Son of God,
in order to be
our Redeemer.
forever.
That's why
the note
of this section
is so full
of praise
and joy.
So look back
with me again
at verse 7
and notice
these two
little phrases.
First of all,
it's in Him,
it's in Christ
we have redemption
and then notice
we have redemption
through His blood.
So it's in Him,
in Christ
we have redemption.
So this is the idea
that we find
in the Bible
of union,
being united
with Christ,
with the idea
of Christ
as our representative.
And again,
this is something
we're familiar with.
We're familiar with it
in the world
of politics.
The Prime Minister
signs a peace treaty
and a whole nation
enjoys that peace.
Or a sports team
wins a trophy
and every supporter
of that team
shares in the victory.
This idea
of representation
matters
because what Jesus,
our head,
does as our Redeemer
is ours
as His body.
And what Paul
is telling us here
is that Jesus,
our representative,
He frees us
from our debt
of sin.
Remember,
we are sold
as slaves
because of our guilt
and Jesus
comes to represent us,
to free us
from our debt
of sin
by taking our guilt
on Himself,
by taking the liability
on Himself.
Now,
maybe we're really
used to that idea,
but let's just think
personally about it
for a moment.
Think with me
of the worst sins
that you have been
guilty of.
think for a moment
about the most
shameful words
or actions
of your life.
Even just scan
through the last
seven days
and think about
those moments
of regret.
And then hear
Jesus say,
place all of those
sins on me.
I will be regarded
for you
as the worst
sinner
who ever lived.
I will take
all of your guilt.
We heard
Colossians chapter 2,
the assurance
of our forgiveness,
and there's a wonderful
image there
of there being
a written record
of all our
moral and spiritual
debt before God.
God.
And as Jesus
dies on the cross,
that record of debt
is nailed
to the cross
as Christ
is nailed
to the cross.
And Paul's
message is
that Jesus
endures
the condemnation
that we deserve
so that we
can receive
salvation
from Jesus,
our
representative
who takes
our guilt
and gives
us his
righteousness.
And the
effect of
Jesus dying
on the cross
for us
is that our
record is
ripped up
because the
payment is
made in
full and
it will never
be asked
of us.
When I
trust in
Jesus,
when you
trust in
Jesus,
you are
totally free
from any
condemnation.
In Christ
Jesus,
you will never
experience
God's
justice
against you
because it
was fully
met in
Jesus.
That's what
it means to
be in
Him.
In Him,
when He is
our representative,
when we're
united to
Him by
faith,
what is
true of
Jesus is
true for
us as
His people.
So when
Jesus dies
for sin,
we are to
reckon and
regard ourselves
as having
died to
sin too.
As justice
is satisfied
against our
sin as it's
placed on
Jesus at
the cross,
our debt
is cancelled.
When Jesus
is raised to
new life,
we,
with Him,
are justified
and not
condemned and
we enjoy
resurrection life
with Him.
And that's
why we can
say you can
find freedom,
God's freedom,
at the cross
of Christ.
It's in
Him.
we have
redemption.
But the
second phrase
backs this
up,
doesn't it?
In Him we
have redemption
through His
blood.
Because that
really underlines
what is the
cost for us
to be free?
What's the
price that is
paid?
And the
price that is
paid is the
precious blood
of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
That to be
saved and to
enjoy freedom
for us
means being
saved by
sacrifice.
Jesus dies
in our place
to cover over
and cancel
our sin.
Now what do
you think
about when
you hear
the word
sin?
Sometimes we
might think
it's out of
date.
Perhaps we
hear it and
sometimes it
comes across
as offensive.
Sometimes we
want to limit
it and justify
ourselves,
well I'm not
doing any
worse than
others.
We're not
guilty of
any gross
immorality.
What does
God think
about sin
though?
Do we
understand that
God thinks
that all
sin is
infinitely
offensive
against an
infinitely holy
God?
Those sins
that we write
off as small,
well maybe
they didn't
harm anyone
else, it was
just in my
thoughts.
Never a
small thing,
but always
an act of
cosmic treason.
It's turning
our back on
God or
positively
shaking our
fist at the
God of the
universe.
Sin is
serious,
and sin is
worthy of
death.
The cross
shows us
that, but
wonderfully the
cross also
shows us
God's mercy
because it's
the blood of
the Son of
God which
is spilled.
Think about
that for a
moment.
Who stands
in our
place, whose
blood is
shed?
It's the
Son of God.
And it's the
infinite worth
of Christ
Jesus and
His blood
that covers
the infinite
offense of
our sin.
God's
love.
love
falls on
Him so
that when
we are
covered by
His blood,
it's God's
mercy and
God's love
that falls
on us.
That's why we
celebrate God's
freedom through
Jesus.
If you're here
today,
you're not a
Christian.
I wonder if
you ever feel
a sense of
guilt, perhaps
in your
conscience,
perhaps fearful
at the mention
of God and
the idea of
God's judgment.
Maybe you're
here today and
you sense that
something is
missing, there's
something that
you need.
Today there is
an invitation to
come to
Jesus,
to look to
Him to be
your Redeemer,
to understand
that our debt
is so great,
only a divine
sacrifice could
pay it.
And Jesus,
the Son of
God, has
paid it,
and has paid
it in full,
so you don't
have to.
So you can
come to Jesus
in faith as
your grace
rescuer, the
one who came
to smash the
shackles of
sin, to
unlock the
dungeon, to
storm the
gates, to
purchase your
freedom at
the cost of
His own
life.
But let me
speak to those
of us who
are Christians.
When we
fall into
sin, as
we know we
do, when
we are
tempted to
despair, as
sometimes we
can be, when
we doubt
God's love,
when things
grow dark,
the answer
for us is
the same.
We come to
Jesus, we
look to
Jesus, as
Murray McShane
put it so
helpfully, for
every one
look at
ourselves.
we take
ten looks
at Jesus.
Let me
encourage you
today to
look to
Jesus as
your great
high priest.
Two things
Jesus does for
us as our
high priest, he
sacrifices for
you and he
prays for you.
On the cross, in
that sacrifice, he
has fully paid the
penalty for all of
your sins.
Justice has been
fully met, that
record of debt, the
letter now reads
paid in full, his
perfect sacrifice
has more merit than
all of our sin, he
is able to cover
it.
He's done that as
your great high
priest, but
recognize where is
Jesus now?
Jesus is in
heaven, he's in
glory, he's at the
Father's right hand,
and what's Jesus
doing now?
He is constantly
praying for you.
I came across this
phrase from the
Puritan Thomas
Goodwin this week,
he says this, the
life of Jesus and
the intercession of
Jesus keeps God and
us friends.
Our relationship with
our Father is
steadfast and sure
because Jesus
ensures it.
He mediates to
ensure our
reconciliation.
salvation.
So if you are in
Christ today, your
past sins, your
present sins, your
future sins are all
covered by the
sacrifice of Jesus
and the praying
life of Jesus.
And so our security
does not rest in
ourselves, it rests
in him.
His perfect sacrifice,
his perfect prayers, so
you and I, we get to
look, we get to
rest, and we get to
rejoice.
And that takes us
towards our third
question.
How do we get this
freedom?
So think about what
we've said so far.
We need freedom
because of our guilt
and our sin.
And Jesus came to
secure freedom by his
death on the cross.
I hope for all of us,
God is helping us to
see, to see why this
matters.
To see why we need
our idea of freedom
to include a freedom
to know God and to
know life with God and
to receive his
forgiveness so we can
be assured of his
love.
But it leads us to
that one final question.
How do we get this
freedom?
And it takes us to
one last connection
with another of those
90s movies.
Back to Saving Private
Ryan.
So the closing scenes
of the movie, we
find Private Ryan, so
he is rescued from
the front lines and
he's taken home to
the States where he
lives out the rest of
his days and we find
him, an elderly man,
visiting the grave of
one of those soldiers
who purchased his
freedom at great
sacrifice.
And there at the
gravesite he remembers
words spoken to him.
and those words
were, earn it.
And what we see and
sense is that Private
Ryan is haunted by
those words.
Have I done enough
with my life to earn
that sacrifice?
it was a terrible
burden upon his
shoulders.
Friends, this is
not the gospel.
That is not the
message of
Christianity.
And that's really good
news.
It's really good news
when we understand God
is perfectly holy and
just.
And that without
perfect, 100% perfect
love and obedience we
could never earn our
way into the freedom of
forgiveness.
That is good news when
we understand God
doesn't expect that.
He knows that we
failed.
He knows we will
always fail.
And he's provided a
way.
He's given to us a
better message and a
better story.
that Jesus, his son,
he has earned it for
us.
And it has nothing to
do with your worth.
And it has nothing to
do with your work.
And it has everything
to do with his.
In preparing for
Easter, I've been
reading a lovely little
book by John Piper.
It's called 50
Reasons Why Jesus
Came to Die.
And one of those
reasons is this.
Jesus died to show
the wealth of God's
love and grace for
sinners.
Look at the last
clause, the last
phrase in verse 7.
In him we have
redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness
of sins in accordance
with the riches of God's
grace that he lavished
on us.
God's overflowing grace
poured out on us.
How do we see it?
We see that grace in the
degree of his sacrifice
to save us from the
penalty of sin.
So we've already said it.
Who is it that dies on
the cross?
It is Jesus.
Remember, Jesus' name
means God saves.
Who is Jesus?
According to verse 3,
he is none other than
the Lord.
Who is Jesus?
According to verse 3,
he is Christ.
He is the anointed
king.
So it's the eternal son
of God who becomes one
of us.
He is the one who dies
on the cross.
Now think about that
for a moment.
Think about the immense
cost to God the Father
and God the Son
in our freedom,
in our redemption.
Cost to the Father
in sending the Son he loves.
Cost to the Son
in lovingly sacrificing
for us.
And wonderfully
understand the Bible
says that both
Father and Son
freely chose it
in love
to purchase
our freedom.
And see this grace
too
in the degree
of our
unworthiness.
God didn't look at us
and say,
there's a guy,
there's a girl
who'd be perfect
for my kingdom.
That's not the way
it works.
In fact,
he spells it out
in chapter 2,
the opening verses
of chapter 2.
It is
rebels
who are redeemed,
Paul says.
It is
the disobedient
who are delivered
into God's kingdom.
It is
objects
of God's wrath
who are made
objects
of God's
love.
And all of that
to the praise
of his glorious grace.
So that for you
and I
to experience
freedom from Jesus,
freedom from guilt
and sin,
freedom to enjoy
life with God,
the love of God,
what do we need to do?
We need to fall
into the arms
of our loving God
and Savior.
And if we have
any doubts,
if we have
any suspicions
about the goodness
of God,
about the good
intentions
of God
for us,
God's
love,
let me urge you
to look again
to the cross.
Consider
the cost
that the
Father and the
Son
paid
that we
might go
free.
Because,
friends,
this is
true
freedom,
to be free
of the guilt
of sin
that would
condemn us
to death
and to hell.
true freedom
is enjoying
eternal life
from God
and with
the God
of love.
True freedom
comes through
Jesus'
death for us
on the cross.
And that freedom
comes all
because
of God's
love
and God's
grace.
This is the
deep,
deep love
of Jesus,
which is
vast,
unmeasured,
boundless,
free.
And we're
going to
sing of it
in a moment.
It's a love
and it's a freedom
that you and I
can receive
today.
And we can
rest in it
every day.
And when we're
in Jesus,
we will rejoice
in this freedom
for all
eternity.
Let's give
thanks as we
pray.
Amen.