WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.759 My heart and soul. 00:00:10.560 --> 00:00:11.519 Please be seated. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:15.620 It's good to be with all of you this morning, this Lord's Day. 00:00:15.939 --> 00:00:20.300 If you would, please open up your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Ephesians. 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:23.559 To the book of Ephesians, chapter 1. 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:26.359 We'll be reading verses 3 to 14. 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:30.879 Now, this is a passage that we have been going through a number of times. 00:00:31.019 --> 00:00:35.899 When I've been preaching in the morning, I've been trying to take the next few verses of this passage. 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:37.560 This is one of my favorite passages. 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:39.519 It's a passage of blessing. 00:00:40.100 --> 00:00:49.280 Where Paul begins his great epistle by a great prayer showing forth the blessings that we have in Jesus Christ. 00:00:49.899 --> 00:00:55.039 What we've basically been doing as we've been going through this passage is counting our blessings. 00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:59.140 And I want you to do that because no matter where you are in the Christian life, 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:01.899 no matter whether times are good or whether times are bad, 00:01:01.979 --> 00:01:06.719 it is good to have these blessings on the shelf ready to be picked up 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:09.579 and ready to be admired and meditated on. 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:13.700 Whether our lives are going horribly, whether our lives are doing well, 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:19.420 it is always good to have a timeless, evergreen blessing from God 00:01:19.420 --> 00:01:26.200 to meditate upon, to direct our thoughts towards in order for us to praise Him and love Him 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:29.260 no matter how dark the world may get. 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:32.620 Now, earlier we've talked about the blessing of election. 00:01:32.780 --> 00:01:37.480 We did that in verses 3 to 4, how God has predestined us from before the foundations of the earth. 00:01:37.960 --> 00:01:41.040 Then in verses 5 to 6, we talked about the blessing of adoption, 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:43.879 how God has adopted us as His children in Jesus Christ. 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:48.939 We're able to approach Him as His children, not as just a judge or a master. 00:01:49.699 --> 00:01:51.879 And today, even though we're reading the entire passage, 00:01:51.979 --> 00:01:55.840 I want you to focus in on verses 7 to 8. 00:01:56.060 --> 00:01:59.840 Verses 7 to 8, that's really going to be our core sermon text for today. 00:01:59.919 --> 00:02:04.120 And we're going to be looking at what I'm calling the blessing of Christ's blood. 00:02:04.819 --> 00:02:07.899 Now let's begin. Let us read this passage together. 00:02:07.900 --> 00:02:13.340 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:02:13.640 --> 00:02:19.680 who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 00:02:20.500 --> 00:02:27.400 For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:34.140 In love, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:36.879 in accordance with His pleasure and will, 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:39.419 to the praise of His glorious grace, 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:43.559 which He has freely given us in the one He loves. 00:02:44.299 --> 00:02:48.459 In Him, we have redemption through His blood, 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:50.500 the forgiveness of sins, 00:02:50.839 --> 00:02:53.519 in accordance with the riches of God's grace, 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:56.019 which He lavished upon us. 00:02:56.639 --> 00:02:58.179 With all wisdom and insight, 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:00.859 He made known to us the mystery of His will, 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:02.599 according to His good pleasure, 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:04.400 which He purposed in Christ, 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.319 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment, 00:03:08.799 --> 00:03:10.840 to bring unity to all things, 00:03:11.519 --> 00:03:14.459 in heaven and on earth under Christ. 00:03:15.099 --> 00:03:17.240 In Him, we were also chosen, 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:20.139 having been predestined according to the plan of Him, 00:03:20.180 --> 00:03:23.759 who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, 00:03:24.319 --> 00:03:25.479 in order that we, 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:28.039 who were the first to put our hope in Christ, 00:03:28.459 --> 00:03:30.759 might be for the praise of His glory. 00:03:30.759 --> 00:03:34.280 And you also were included in Christ 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:36.060 when you heard the message of truth, 00:03:36.359 --> 00:03:37.899 the gospel of your salvation, 00:03:38.359 --> 00:03:41.459 when you believed you were marked in Him with a seal, 00:03:41.959 --> 00:03:43.199 the promised Holy Spirit, 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:46.739 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance 00:03:46.739 --> 00:03:50.419 until the redemption of those who are God's possession, 00:03:50.919 --> 00:03:52.919 to the praise of His glory. 00:03:53.579 --> 00:03:53.959 Amen. 00:03:54.099 --> 00:03:55.639 The grass withers and the flowers fall, 00:03:55.739 --> 00:03:58.299 but the word of our God stands forever. 00:03:58.300 --> 00:03:59.020 Let us pray. 00:04:00.380 --> 00:04:02.760 O most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, 00:04:02.860 --> 00:04:05.760 Lord, we are thankful that we have the opportunity today 00:04:05.760 --> 00:04:07.719 to gather together as your people 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:10.360 and to open up your word given to us. 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:13.700 Lord, we pray that you would use it upon our hearts, 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:16.160 use it to strengthen us, 00:04:16.580 --> 00:04:17.519 to comfort us. 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:21.139 We pray that you would work in us your spirit 00:04:21.139 --> 00:04:24.300 and conform us more and more into the image of Christ. 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:26.979 And may we leave here today 00:04:26.979 --> 00:04:30.779 proclaiming the great news of your gospel 00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:33.800 and the redemption that we have in Jesus Christ 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:34.879 and His blood. 00:04:35.419 --> 00:04:35.819 Amen. 00:04:37.819 --> 00:04:42.300 Now, blood is something that often makes us squeamish. 00:04:42.300 --> 00:04:44.720 No doubt some of you, 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:47.540 when you have your blood drawn at the doctor's office, 00:04:47.699 --> 00:04:51.759 you begin to look anywhere else besides your arm. 00:04:52.400 --> 00:04:56.980 You suddenly find those ceiling tiles tremendously fascinating. 00:04:57.139 --> 00:05:00.600 You begin trying to read those medical posters across the wall 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:03.680 and you are interested in every word. 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:07.400 Now, that's because when you see that blood coming out of your arm, 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:08.759 it can be an instinctual thing. 00:05:08.840 --> 00:05:10.580 You can begin to panic a little bit. 00:05:10.579 --> 00:05:11.500 You can feel faint. 00:05:11.599 --> 00:05:13.419 You can even pass out, potentially. 00:05:14.479 --> 00:05:15.959 And if that's your reaction, 00:05:16.219 --> 00:05:18.159 that's a pretty normal reaction, actually. 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:22.839 There are even soldiers who cannot stand the sight of blood. 00:05:24.419 --> 00:05:26.819 Ulysses S. Grant, the head of the Union Army, 00:05:26.919 --> 00:05:28.500 later the President of the United States, 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:33.439 he was a man who saw a great many very, very bloody battles. 00:05:33.860 --> 00:05:36.019 But he saw them from a distance. 00:05:36.659 --> 00:05:38.479 And he actually became nauseous 00:05:38.479 --> 00:05:40.279 whenever he got near the battlefield. 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:43.139 And whenever he was able to see that blood up close. 00:05:43.239 --> 00:05:46.519 Famously, he ordered all of his steaks well done. 00:05:47.019 --> 00:05:49.299 Because his revulsion to blood was so deep 00:05:49.299 --> 00:05:50.959 that if there was the slightest hint of pink, 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:52.659 he lost his appetite. 00:05:53.799 --> 00:05:56.159 Now, that's a rather extreme reaction. 00:05:56.239 --> 00:05:58.919 But there's something visceral about blood, isn't there? 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:02.319 It gets into our brains and causes an immediate reaction. 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:08.659 But blood is also especially disconcerting for modern people. 00:06:09.339 --> 00:06:12.800 In our everyday lives, most of us never see it. 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:15.459 Even though many of us probably eat meat, 00:06:15.540 --> 00:06:18.819 remarkably few of us have ever had to realize today. 00:06:18.819 --> 00:06:22.680 We know that shedding blood is necessary. 00:06:22.680 --> 00:06:25.500 But it's something that we don't like partaking in. 00:06:25.599 --> 00:06:30.079 It's something we don't like to see on a deep, instinctual level. 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:34.699 But the Bible talks a great deal about blood. 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:39.740 You know, Leviticus goes into all sorts of nauseating detail 00:06:39.740 --> 00:06:41.120 about the blood of sacrifices. 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:44.120 How it is sprinkled, where it is sprinkled on, 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:47.000 the instruments of worship, the altar upon the people, 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:47.879 the Ark of the Covenant. 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:50.420 Blood is everywhere in the Old Testament. 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:53.860 You cannot escape it when you worshiped. 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:58.420 Everything was carefully designed to make you look at that blood 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:02.560 and make you associate that blood with your salvation. 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:05.100 You know, the calendar in ancient Israel 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:07.459 was quite literally counting down the days 00:07:07.459 --> 00:07:12.019 till there would be a sacrifice for you and for your sins. 00:07:13.079 --> 00:07:16.439 But blood is not only important for Old Testament saints to see. 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:19.539 It is important for us to see and think about as well. 00:07:19.899 --> 00:07:23.419 In verses 7 to 8, there's a lot that we see there 00:07:23.419 --> 00:07:25.279 that we've received in Jesus Christ. 00:07:25.659 --> 00:07:26.939 In Him we have been redeemed. 00:07:27.459 --> 00:07:28.740 In Him we have been forgiven. 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:30.439 And we have received grace. 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:33.959 But at the center of all of it is Christ's blood. 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:36.019 Paul places blood at the center. 00:07:36.019 --> 00:07:38.939 We have been blessed with Christ's blood 00:07:38.939 --> 00:07:41.099 and because of that we receive everything else 00:07:41.099 --> 00:07:43.159 in those verses. 00:07:44.299 --> 00:07:46.759 And what I want to do today is I want us to look 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:49.240 at what may make us uncomfortable. 00:07:49.799 --> 00:07:52.240 What I'm calling the blessing of Christ's blood. 00:07:52.339 --> 00:07:54.060 I want us to see what it does for us. 00:07:54.359 --> 00:07:56.359 To see what it means to receive it. 00:07:57.240 --> 00:07:59.539 This is a sight that we as Christians, 00:07:59.659 --> 00:08:00.839 we're called not just to tolerate, 00:08:01.079 --> 00:08:04.319 not just to steal ourselves for as we look at it. 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:05.919 It's supposed to be our joy. 00:08:06.599 --> 00:08:09.539 It's supposed to be the theme of our song, 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:12.479 just as it is the theme of Paul's prayer. 00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:15.959 And so as we're looking at the blood of Christ today, 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:19.339 I want us to have three points as we go through this passage. 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:22.939 First, I want you to see that Christ's blood ransoms. 00:08:23.919 --> 00:08:26.659 Second, I want you to see that Christ's blood pardons. 00:08:27.060 --> 00:08:31.079 And the final thing I want you to see is that Christ's blood is gracious. 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:34.600 Those are the three things I want you to see about Christ's blood. 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:40.759 But the first thing I want you to see is that Christ's blood ransoms us. 00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:44.600 And we can see that in the first half of verse 7. 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:49.379 In him we have redemption through his blood. 00:08:50.060 --> 00:08:53.300 Now if we had a vocabulary list for Christian words, 00:08:53.379 --> 00:08:57.279 if you were trying to give this list to someone who's not from Christianity, 00:08:57.460 --> 00:08:58.180 is not from a church, 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:03.360 and these are the words that you need in order to really understand what's happening inside a church, 00:09:03.779 --> 00:09:06.540 redemption would probably be in the top 10. 00:09:06.539 --> 00:09:09.139 We use it a lot. 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:13.059 It is an extremely important theological word. 00:09:13.439 --> 00:09:15.219 But there's a bit of a problem with redemption. 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:21.139 It's that we use it so often that it can become a bit of a throwaway term. 00:09:21.500 --> 00:09:26.819 We often use it and don't think about what precisely it means. 00:09:27.639 --> 00:09:31.839 But redemption is not just a fancy word for salvation you throw out there. 00:09:32.219 --> 00:09:35.419 It is, at its core, it means deliverance. 00:09:35.419 --> 00:09:40.219 And here particularly, it means deliverance by ransom. 00:09:40.939 --> 00:09:45.479 And if your eyes are ever tempted to glaze over at the side of redemption, 00:09:45.699 --> 00:09:47.539 just substitute in the word for ransom. 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:51.659 That's what's going to get you thinking in the right direction. 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:56.099 You see, redemption is not just a $10 spiritual word. 00:09:56.179 --> 00:09:59.339 It is, at its core, a financial word. 00:09:59.340 --> 00:10:07.320 The idea of redemption is that payment is delivered for someone who has been enslaved or kidnapped. 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:10.960 I want you to think about Somali pirates. 00:10:11.580 --> 00:10:12.980 They're often in the news. 00:10:13.420 --> 00:10:15.500 They sail around the Somali coast. 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:19.460 And their goal is not actually to loot your cargo. 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:25.259 If they were able to get away scot-free with an entire ship filled with goods 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:28.799 and no one knew that they had them, they wouldn't know how to sell them, really. 00:10:29.019 --> 00:10:29.939 That's not their goal. 00:10:30.200 --> 00:10:32.159 Their goal is to capture you. 00:10:32.580 --> 00:10:34.960 To capture the various passengers and the crew. 00:10:35.340 --> 00:10:39.659 And then to ransom you back to your friends, your family, your government, 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:41.779 trying to get money for you. 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:45.039 And if you send money to a Somali pirate trying to get someone freed, 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:47.519 you are redeeming that person. 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:52.840 And this idea of redemption and ransom is all over the Old Testament. 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:59.559 And it is something that God does, particularly for the nation of Israel. 00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:05.360 The first use of redemption in your Bibles is Exodus 6.6. 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:10.379 When God promises, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, 00:11:10.939 --> 00:11:15.720 and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you. 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:22.820 God redeems Israel from their slavery by buying them and bringing them out of Egypt, 00:11:22.940 --> 00:11:28.160 out of the house of slavery, into the promised land where they can be free. 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:32.639 And when Paul here in Ephesians says that we have redemption, 00:11:33.420 --> 00:11:39.860 he means that Jesus himself ransoms us with his own blood. 00:11:39.860 --> 00:11:45.519 You see, just as surely as the Israelites in Egypt, 00:11:45.800 --> 00:11:48.899 you too are born into slavery. 00:11:49.680 --> 00:11:52.779 You may not feel it, but spiritually speaking, 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:54.580 there is a chain around your neck. 00:11:54.680 --> 00:11:57.639 There is a bit between your teeth. 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:00.860 Sin is what dominates our lives. 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:03.620 It has mastery over us. 00:12:04.500 --> 00:12:07.139 Everything we do is tainted by it. 00:12:07.139 --> 00:12:12.159 Even our best works are tainted by sin. 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:16.279 If you were judged by God for your best day, 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:18.980 he would still find you wanting. 00:12:19.100 --> 00:12:23.059 He would still find you to be a servant of sin. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:29.259 And indeed, we are so enslaved to sin that really we are addicted to it. 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:31.559 But we desire it. 00:12:31.559 --> 00:12:34.419 We cannot help but desire it. 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:40.779 Just like drugs or alcohol, sin promises to give us pleasure and comfort. 00:12:41.500 --> 00:12:44.219 But after that fleeting pleasure is gone, 00:12:44.319 --> 00:12:49.379 we discover the only thing left that sin pays us with is death. 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:56.299 And yet, we just keep going back over and over and over again. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:57.320 We keep on sinning. 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:01.799 Sin has a grip on your very soul, 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:06.120 so much so that your will is in bondage to it. 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:10.340 And if you doubt that, just try to stop sinning. 00:13:11.019 --> 00:13:12.080 Just try it. 00:13:13.100 --> 00:13:14.559 You know, if you really try, 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:18.419 I suspect you might be able to stop one or two bad habits. 00:13:19.459 --> 00:13:22.879 But what you'll find is that those habits just shift to a different habit. 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:27.579 You'll find sin still popping up in your life over here and over there. 00:13:27.819 --> 00:13:29.839 You still won't have true peace. 00:13:30.699 --> 00:13:34.359 If you really put your life under the microscope of God's law, 00:13:34.479 --> 00:13:37.819 you will still find yourself dominated by sin. 00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:42.359 You may be able to make yourself a little bit more respectable. 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:45.720 You may be able to make yourself a little bit more functional. 00:13:46.580 --> 00:13:51.100 But you're still a slave to sin at your very core. 00:13:52.139 --> 00:13:55.659 But Jesus, he sees you in the midst of that slavery. 00:13:56.399 --> 00:14:00.039 He sees your misery and he sees the price tag. 00:14:00.860 --> 00:14:04.080 And what he does is he comes along and he doesn't open his wallet. 00:14:04.560 --> 00:14:06.019 He opens up his veins. 00:14:06.519 --> 00:14:08.539 And he pours out his blood for you, 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:12.159 redeeming you from sin and death. 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:17.019 This is the greatest ransom payment in history. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:25.899 In 1192, Richard the Lionheart was captured while returning from the Third Crusade. 00:14:25.980 --> 00:14:29.879 He was captured by his rival, Duke Leopold of Austria. 00:14:30.620 --> 00:14:38.720 And this Duke demanded a ransom from the Kingdom of England of 100,000 pounds of silver. 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:40.940 And that ransom was paid. 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:44.519 It's literally worth billions of dollars and pounds today. 00:14:45.420 --> 00:14:47.440 And it crashed the entire English economy. 00:14:48.540 --> 00:14:52.259 But as dramatic as that ransom of Richard the Lionheart was, 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:58.420 you are ransomed with something far more valuable than gold or silver or mere money. 00:14:58.419 --> 00:15:02.059 As it says in 1 Peter 1, 18-19, 00:15:02.059 --> 00:15:06.839 you were ransomed not with perishable things like gold or silver, 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:09.439 but with the precious blood of Christ, 00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:14.620 like that of a lamb without spot or blemish. 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:23.459 Christians, we need to see that nothing on earth compares with Christ's blood. 00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:27.740 Its worth is quite literally infinite. 00:15:28.940 --> 00:15:31.060 Now, if you had a vial of his blood, 00:15:31.139 --> 00:15:33.639 and we were able by some miracle to have a vial of his blood here, 00:15:33.700 --> 00:15:36.540 it would look like the blood of any normal man. 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:41.040 If you put it into a microscope, it would have a blood type. 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:43.160 It would look like ordinary blood. 00:15:43.560 --> 00:15:46.460 It would not be special for a blood transfusion. 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:51.440 And yet, you would be able to look at it, 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:54.560 and you would be able to see, if you had spiritual eyes, 00:15:54.900 --> 00:15:56.500 that it is of great worth. 00:15:56.840 --> 00:15:58.900 Because that is not just the blood of a man. 00:15:59.080 --> 00:16:01.019 It is not just the blood of a sinless man. 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:03.620 That is the blood of the God-man. 00:16:04.180 --> 00:16:06.820 The eternal Son of God Himself. 00:16:07.040 --> 00:16:08.940 And that's why in Acts 20, 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:13.560 it says that God redeems the church with His own blood. 00:16:13.559 --> 00:16:18.059 The blood of God has been shed for us. 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:21.659 Even though God, by nature, He does not have a body, 00:16:21.979 --> 00:16:27.379 He took on flesh in order to spill blood for you. 00:16:28.619 --> 00:16:31.119 When Jesus dies upon the cross, 00:16:31.459 --> 00:16:32.919 He is paying our ransom. 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:35.139 We know that we are redeemed. 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:38.739 No matter how much sin may have a hold or claim on us, 00:16:38.740 --> 00:16:44.000 His blood is worth more than enough to free us from slavery. 00:16:45.060 --> 00:16:49.519 And once we see how valuable the blood of Jesus is, 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:51.879 we will understand what Paul says elsewhere, 00:16:52.220 --> 00:16:54.340 that we were bought with a price. 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:59.519 You have not been redeemed from slavery to continue sinning, 00:16:59.799 --> 00:17:03.399 and to continue to act like you are a slave of sin. 00:17:03.860 --> 00:17:05.579 That life is beneath you. 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:06.859 It's not what you're called to. 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:09.199 Once you were in bondage to sin, 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:11.679 once you were unable to escape its clutches, 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:15.619 once your fight against sin was a spiritual game of whack-a-mole, 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:16.599 hopeless, 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:19.319 but now God has freed you, 00:17:19.699 --> 00:17:23.819 that you may live a new life of victory in Christ by His Spirit. 00:17:24.939 --> 00:17:29.379 And if we live as Christians like we're still in bondage to sin, 00:17:29.659 --> 00:17:34.459 then we don't understand the full price that was paid for us. 00:17:34.460 --> 00:17:40.900 We don't understand the sheer cosmic magnitude of the love that was displayed. 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:43.539 In that while we were sinners, 00:17:44.059 --> 00:17:46.620 and while there was nothing in us that was desirable, 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:53.279 our Savior redeemed us by His blood and bought us for Himself. 00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:59.079 One of Paul's favorite ways of introducing himself in his letters 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:02.179 is not by saying that he is an apostle. 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:05.399 Sometimes he likes to just say, 00:18:05.659 --> 00:18:08.059 I am a slave of Jesus Christ. 00:18:09.199 --> 00:18:15.819 And on its face, you can think of a few ways that are really more shameful and degrading to introduce yourself. 00:18:15.819 --> 00:18:22.659 But Paul says this proudly because he knows the price that was paid for him 00:18:22.659 --> 00:18:25.399 and because he knows the glory of his master. 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:32.579 Slavery to Christ is unlike any other slavery that ever has existed or ever will exist. 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:36.599 You see, the yoke of Jesus is easy. 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:39.200 His burden is light. 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:42.819 He will not break a bruised reed. 00:18:42.819 --> 00:18:48.279 And the sign of this is that Jesus is the only master in all of history 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:53.579 who not only willingly but joyfully died for his slaves. 00:18:55.419 --> 00:19:00.419 He made sure that He's not going to use you or abuse you. 00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:02.839 And He bought you in order to say to you, 00:19:02.980 --> 00:19:06.339 I will be your God and you will be my people. 00:19:06.339 --> 00:19:11.459 And once you see that price that was paid for you, 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:15.519 you will learn how serving your new master is not a legal obligation 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:17.539 but an act of love. 00:19:18.519 --> 00:19:25.019 Because He first loved us with the most valuable display of love imaginable. 00:19:25.019 --> 00:19:30.079 But the second thing I want you to see is that Paul says 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:32.559 is not just that Christ's blood ransoms us 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:35.319 but it does something else, that it pardons us. 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:36.519 That's our second point. 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:41.079 And you can see that in the next phrase in verse 7. 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:43.019 In Him we have redemption through His blood, 00:19:43.480 --> 00:19:45.639 the forgiveness of sins. 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:50.359 Paul adds in that extra phrase to fill out 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:52.419 what the blood of Jesus does 00:19:52.419 --> 00:19:55.159 and what our redemption looks like. 00:19:55.679 --> 00:19:58.559 Alongside this financial image of ransom, 00:19:58.719 --> 00:19:59.879 he puts a legal image. 00:20:00.179 --> 00:20:02.079 The legal image of pardon. 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:03.879 And he does that 00:20:03.879 --> 00:20:07.199 because the salvation that we have in Christ's death 00:20:07.199 --> 00:20:09.819 cannot be simplified down to one or the other. 00:20:10.500 --> 00:20:12.779 We have a multifaceted salvation. 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:17.939 And that's because we have a multifaceted problem in sin. 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:22.259 You see, sin is not just something that we suffer under. 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:26.539 It isn't just a taskmaster that we need to be freed from. 00:20:27.299 --> 00:20:29.380 It's not just an external problem. 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:32.620 It is an internal problem as well. 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:36.880 Sin is something that we ourselves have committed 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:40.519 that we are guilty of before God. 00:20:41.799 --> 00:20:46.400 It's not just enough for us to be delivered from the power of sin 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:48.580 and no longer live under its tyranny. 00:20:48.900 --> 00:20:51.740 We need to be forgiven of our sins 00:20:51.740 --> 00:20:54.620 so that we are able to stand before God 00:20:54.620 --> 00:20:56.640 with a clean conscience. 00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:00.500 And the Bible says that to be truly forgiven, 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:03.480 to be truly clean before God, 00:21:03.580 --> 00:21:05.860 what we need is a sacrifice. 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:08.320 That's one of the main points 00:21:08.320 --> 00:21:12.500 about the entirety of the Old Testament worship system. 00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:15.119 There are constant sacrifices 00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:18.680 that you had to repeat over and over and over again. 00:21:19.240 --> 00:21:22.920 And that blood is constantly being shed for you 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:24.339 and for the rest of the nation. 00:21:24.660 --> 00:21:27.980 So much so that in Hebrews 9.22, as we read, 00:21:28.059 --> 00:21:28.440 it says, 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:29.460 Indeed, under the law, 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:32.640 almost everything was purified with blood. 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:34.200 And without the shedding of blood, 00:21:34.359 --> 00:21:37.680 there is no forgiveness of sins. 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:40.900 And each time that blood was shed, 00:21:41.299 --> 00:21:44.120 each ancient Israelite was supposed to be reminded, 00:21:44.340 --> 00:21:45.039 I am a sinner. 00:21:45.940 --> 00:21:46.920 I am a sinner. 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:50.220 I am the one who is supposed to be on that altar. 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:53.100 My blood is the one that is supposed to be shed. 00:21:53.360 --> 00:21:56.100 And that sacrifice is taking my place. 00:21:56.180 --> 00:21:59.560 It is enduring the punishment that I deserve. 00:21:59.559 --> 00:22:04.799 But just a few short verses later in Hebrews, 00:22:05.079 --> 00:22:06.179 in Hebrews 10.4, 00:22:06.759 --> 00:22:08.700 it mentions that there's an issue 00:22:08.700 --> 00:22:10.419 with this entire Old Testament system. 00:22:11.099 --> 00:22:13.839 And it's actually a pretty massive problem. 00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:18.559 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:20.759 to take away sins. 00:22:21.539 --> 00:22:24.879 All of that blood that was spilled in the Old Testament 00:22:24.879 --> 00:22:28.960 was on one level absolutely useless. 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:32.039 It was powerless blood. 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:35.399 It never forgave sins. 00:22:36.399 --> 00:22:40.079 Now, obviously, they needed to still make those sacrifices. 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:42.220 God told them to make those sacrifices. 00:22:42.639 --> 00:22:43.279 But why? 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:48.419 Why did God make Israel go to all that trouble? 00:22:48.419 --> 00:22:52.359 Why did God have Moses write the entire book of Leviticus at all? 00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:53.599 Why? 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:58.639 Well, it's because God wanted to train Israel. 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:00.360 He wanted to prepare them. 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:04.160 He wanted to prepare them to appreciate the true sacrifice 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:05.300 that was coming, 00:23:05.540 --> 00:23:07.880 that would truly forgive sins. 00:23:08.520 --> 00:23:12.460 It was to prepare them to understand Hebrews 10.19, 00:23:12.800 --> 00:23:16.180 where it says that we can enter into heaven with confidence. 00:23:17.020 --> 00:23:17.580 Why? 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:19.620 Because of the blood of Jesus. 00:23:20.340 --> 00:23:22.380 That blood was shed for us. 00:23:22.380 --> 00:23:28.000 All the blood of bulls and goats were preparation to see this blood. 00:23:28.840 --> 00:23:32.180 To see the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 00:23:33.300 --> 00:23:37.760 And the sign for us of the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice 00:23:37.760 --> 00:23:42.380 is that he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 00:23:43.020 --> 00:23:49.080 Our high priest sat down because no more sacrifices are necessary. 00:23:49.079 --> 00:23:54.480 Not one of your sins can ever make Jesus rise again. 00:23:55.299 --> 00:23:59.099 He has been sitting for almost 2,000 years, 00:23:59.220 --> 00:24:03.619 and he will continue to sit until he comes again to meet us. 00:24:04.639 --> 00:24:10.659 And his divine blood is even now in heaven crying out eternally 00:24:10.659 --> 00:24:13.419 a better word than the blood of Abel. 00:24:14.099 --> 00:24:16.059 It is not crying out justice. 00:24:16.059 --> 00:24:18.519 It is crying out mercy. 00:24:19.399 --> 00:24:22.859 It is crying out pardon and forgive them. 00:24:24.039 --> 00:24:26.819 And as a Christian, when you look at the blood of Christ, 00:24:26.919 --> 00:24:32.000 what you need to feel most of all is an incredible sense of assurance. 00:24:33.299 --> 00:24:35.559 No better salvation exists. 00:24:36.819 --> 00:24:40.119 No better salvation is even possible. 00:24:40.399 --> 00:24:42.779 When you stand before the throne of God, 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:46.599 you were redeemed by and washed in the blood of the Lamb. 00:24:46.899 --> 00:24:49.920 You know that your sins are dealt with once for all. 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:52.480 And if you ever start to doubt that, 00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:53.920 if you ever start to think, 00:24:54.139 --> 00:24:56.379 my sins are unforgivable, 00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:00.019 what you need to do is you need to look at the blood of Jesus. 00:25:00.899 --> 00:25:03.259 You need to realize that it was shed for you. 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:05.119 Realize that the Son of God, 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:06.579 the second person of the Trinity, 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:10.079 died in your place on the cross. 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:13.159 And you need to remember the words of that hymn, 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:17.379 my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. 00:25:18.679 --> 00:25:23.619 That blood is even now sprinkled on the mercy seat of the heavenly temple. 00:25:24.359 --> 00:25:28.460 That blood is an eternal testimony of your redemption. 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:30.960 No other blood, 00:25:31.099 --> 00:25:33.619 not one of your sins can close the doors of heaven 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:37.019 because Jesus, your high priest, has opened them wide. 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:42.279 You are always welcome to come in with the people of God, 00:25:42.420 --> 00:25:44.119 to come before your Father, 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:46.319 and to kneel and worship. 00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:50.519 And the wonder you should feel at the blood of Jesus, 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:54.440 that is what you need because that will banish your doubts. 00:25:55.259 --> 00:25:56.500 It will crowd the mount, 00:25:56.879 --> 00:26:00.519 and it will make you draw nearer to your Savior and God. 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:06.220 Now what we really need to see when we see the blood of Jesus is our third point. 00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:07.980 We need to see not just that it ransoms, 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:09.019 not just that it pardons. 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:12.639 We need to see that the blood of Jesus is gracious. 00:26:13.879 --> 00:26:17.299 Look with me at the next few bits of these verses. 00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:19.599 In Him we have redemption through His blood, 00:26:19.700 --> 00:26:20.519 the forgiveness of sins, 00:26:21.339 --> 00:26:24.879 in accordance with the riches of God's grace 00:26:24.879 --> 00:26:27.740 that He lavished upon us. 00:26:27.740 --> 00:26:32.240 Now this is really the goal of every single blessing in this entire prayer. 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:37.539 The goal of Paul in this prayer is not just for you to be able to say, 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:39.880 look at how great my condition is. 00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:42.440 Look at how much I am worth. 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:45.819 Look at how great my spiritual condition is. 00:26:46.640 --> 00:26:48.259 Now that is something he wants you to see, 00:26:48.339 --> 00:26:49.359 but it's only part of it. 00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:51.859 What he really wants you to see 00:26:51.859 --> 00:26:54.759 is after the greatness of your salvation 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:59.440 to realize the wonders of God's grace. 00:27:00.299 --> 00:27:03.359 We're supposed to look in astonishment at God and His grace. 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:06.799 What we have here in these verses is a two-fold salvation, 00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:10.279 a picture of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, 00:27:10.759 --> 00:27:14.259 and it is a picture painted with Jesus' blood. 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:17.019 And we're called to look at that 00:27:17.019 --> 00:27:19.819 and wonder at God's grace. 00:27:19.819 --> 00:27:23.599 That is a picture that is beyond our comprehension. 00:27:24.919 --> 00:27:27.220 I want you to notice that it says here 00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:31.059 that it is in accordance with the riches of God's grace. 00:27:31.159 --> 00:27:33.639 It is not merely from God's grace. 00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:37.299 It is in accordance with God's grace. 00:27:37.919 --> 00:27:39.960 Now what difference does that make? 00:27:40.019 --> 00:27:44.179 Well if I can borrow an illustration from one commentator, 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:48.460 John D. Rockefeller was an incredibly rich man. 00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:50.940 He lived over a hundred years ago. 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:52.200 He was a rich oil baron. 00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:54.720 He was worth literally billions upon billions. 00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:57.000 He was until very recently considered 00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:59.600 the richest man who had ever lived. 00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:03.819 And one of the most famous pictures of Rockefeller 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:05.799 is where he is all dressed up 00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:08.140 and he's handing a dime to a small child. 00:28:09.700 --> 00:28:12.460 Now what we can say about that, 00:28:12.840 --> 00:28:13.920 we can say in that picture 00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:16.700 that John D. Rockefeller is being generous. 00:28:16.700 --> 00:28:20.799 But he is only giving from his riches. 00:28:21.299 --> 00:28:23.640 He is not giving according to them. 00:28:24.220 --> 00:28:25.720 Actually from one perspective, 00:28:25.920 --> 00:28:29.680 that act of generosity is the least generous act 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:31.559 that has ever occurred in human history. 00:28:32.660 --> 00:28:35.960 It cost more for him to reach his hand into his pocket 00:28:35.960 --> 00:28:39.539 than for him to give out that dime to that small child. 00:28:40.180 --> 00:28:43.539 In order for him to give in accordance with his riches, 00:28:43.539 --> 00:28:48.019 he would have to give an unimaginable amount of wealth. 00:28:49.079 --> 00:28:51.139 But God gives us redemption 00:28:51.139 --> 00:28:53.659 and he gives us forgiveness by the blood of Jesus 00:28:53.659 --> 00:28:56.859 according to the riches of his grace. 00:28:57.740 --> 00:28:59.839 And the true wonder of that statement 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:03.759 is once you realize that God's riches of grace 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:06.359 are quite literally infinite. 00:29:06.359 --> 00:29:09.719 And yet, what we have still received 00:29:09.719 --> 00:29:12.019 is in accordance with them. 00:29:13.179 --> 00:29:14.619 Now as Paul says in verse 3, 00:29:14.699 --> 00:29:16.779 we have been given every spiritual blessing 00:29:16.779 --> 00:29:17.719 in the heavenly places. 00:29:18.359 --> 00:29:19.599 We have been given it all. 00:29:20.399 --> 00:29:22.399 He has held nothing back from us. 00:29:22.439 --> 00:29:24.299 He is not pinching pennies with you. 00:29:24.519 --> 00:29:26.039 He is giving you it all. 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:28.439 And he has even given you the blood 00:29:28.439 --> 00:29:30.079 of his own son. 00:29:31.219 --> 00:29:35.000 Now these riches are simply lavished upon us. 00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:37.400 It is out of the overflow of his riches 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:40.880 that he gives you his own son's blood. 00:29:41.220 --> 00:29:42.539 Christ pays for everything 00:29:42.539 --> 00:29:43.900 and he continues to pay 00:29:43.900 --> 00:29:45.880 out of his bottomless wealth. 00:29:46.940 --> 00:29:49.480 He's giving without care or concern. 00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:52.480 He simply gives and gives and gives 00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:56.319 and yet he is still as rich as he was before. 00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:00.359 You know, Christians, we need to be stunned 00:30:00.359 --> 00:30:04.019 at the reality of God's grace. 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:06.279 We need to realize that it has nothing 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:08.460 to do with us at all. 00:30:08.779 --> 00:30:10.200 God simply blesses. 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:12.319 We do not merit it. 00:30:12.940 --> 00:30:14.420 Nothing we do deserves it. 00:30:15.019 --> 00:30:17.059 As Jonathan Edwards so famously put it, 00:30:17.099 --> 00:30:18.420 the only thing we contribute 00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:20.579 to our salvation is the sin 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:22.019 that made it necessary. 00:30:23.420 --> 00:30:24.920 And the deeper we peer 00:30:24.920 --> 00:30:27.420 into the wonders of God's grace, 00:30:28.119 --> 00:30:31.240 the miracle that God shed his own blood for us, 00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:33.680 the more we need to become absolutely convinced 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:36.000 that Christ's work upon the cross 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:37.160 is sufficient. 00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:41.940 Christ's sacrifice was not just 90% effective 00:30:41.940 --> 00:30:43.220 or 99% effective. 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:44.859 It was completely effective 00:30:44.859 --> 00:30:47.700 because the grace that we have been given 00:30:47.700 --> 00:30:50.700 is literally limitless. 00:30:51.700 --> 00:30:55.819 The grace of God is simply lavished upon us 00:30:55.819 --> 00:30:57.659 beyond our wildest dreams, 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:00.039 beyond our greatest thought 00:31:00.039 --> 00:31:01.240 or our greatest desire. 00:31:01.439 --> 00:31:04.419 We are given it all in Jesus Christ. 00:31:06.419 --> 00:31:07.439 But as we close, 00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:08.679 there's one final thing 00:31:08.679 --> 00:31:09.759 that I want you to see 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:12.039 about Christ's grace. 00:31:12.299 --> 00:31:13.439 It's going to be a little confusing 00:31:13.439 --> 00:31:14.799 because some of your translations 00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:15.899 are going to know what I'm saying. 00:31:16.259 --> 00:31:17.139 Others of you aren't. 00:31:17.140 --> 00:31:21.080 The last phrase of verse 8 00:31:21.080 --> 00:31:22.300 where it says 00:31:22.300 --> 00:31:24.020 that it was lavished upon us 00:31:24.020 --> 00:31:25.320 with all wisdom and insight, 00:31:25.860 --> 00:31:27.960 I think the period comes after that phrase. 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:31.480 Some Bible translations put it before, 00:31:31.660 --> 00:31:32.600 some put it after, 00:31:32.900 --> 00:31:34.940 but I think the way that it should be 00:31:34.940 --> 00:31:39.140 is that we are lavished with God's grace 00:31:39.140 --> 00:31:42.700 in all wisdom and insight. 00:31:42.700 --> 00:31:45.660 And what that means 00:31:45.660 --> 00:31:49.299 is that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, 00:31:50.080 --> 00:31:52.420 the sacrifice of Christ's blood 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:53.920 that has been shed for you, 00:31:54.340 --> 00:31:55.480 that is wise. 00:31:56.319 --> 00:31:59.340 That is a display of God's wisdom, 00:31:59.660 --> 00:32:02.019 of His knowledge, of His power. 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:06.000 And isn't that really strange 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:07.960 when you actually think about it, 00:32:07.960 --> 00:32:12.980 of Christ's sacrifice being wise? 00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:16.559 You know, when you see Jesus 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:17.900 dying upon the cross, 00:32:18.600 --> 00:32:20.039 when you see how He is mocked, 00:32:20.220 --> 00:32:20.900 how He is beaten, 00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:21.980 how He is scorned, 00:32:22.620 --> 00:32:25.440 the natural reaction is to view that 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:26.519 as shameful, 00:32:27.220 --> 00:32:28.880 to view that as foolish, 00:32:29.019 --> 00:32:29.860 not as wise. 00:32:31.720 --> 00:32:33.640 Have you ever actually seen 00:32:33.640 --> 00:32:36.059 the first picture of the crucifixion 00:32:36.059 --> 00:32:36.700 ever in history? 00:32:36.700 --> 00:32:38.840 It is not by a Christian. 00:32:39.660 --> 00:32:41.160 It is actually by a pagan 00:32:41.160 --> 00:32:42.799 making fun of Christianity. 00:32:43.600 --> 00:32:45.920 It is graffiti in Rome, 00:32:46.500 --> 00:32:48.259 basically toilet graffiti, 00:32:48.580 --> 00:32:50.000 where there is a stick figure 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:50.920 on a cross, 00:32:51.840 --> 00:32:52.960 and that stick figure, 00:32:53.360 --> 00:32:54.259 head is replaced 00:32:54.259 --> 00:32:55.160 with the head of a donkey. 00:32:56.039 --> 00:32:57.840 And underneath is the inscription, 00:32:58.620 --> 00:33:01.299 Alexa Minos worships his God. 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:02.400 Someone has come along, 00:33:02.600 --> 00:33:03.799 and they're making fun 00:33:03.799 --> 00:33:04.960 of Alexa Minos 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:06.420 for worshiping Jesus. 00:33:06.700 --> 00:33:09.080 Because he died upon a cross. 00:33:10.779 --> 00:33:12.360 That may shock some people 00:33:12.360 --> 00:33:12.740 in the church, 00:33:12.779 --> 00:33:13.640 because we think about 00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:15.019 the cross as something great, 00:33:15.140 --> 00:33:15.960 but really, 00:33:16.080 --> 00:33:17.259 that's the most natural reaction 00:33:17.259 --> 00:33:17.740 in the world. 00:33:18.840 --> 00:33:19.880 The Romans thought that 00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:20.620 that was the most 00:33:20.620 --> 00:33:22.380 undignified death imaginable. 00:33:22.960 --> 00:33:24.920 It was foolishness to think 00:33:24.920 --> 00:33:26.900 that salvation could come by that. 00:33:27.240 --> 00:33:28.980 But God chose to use 00:33:28.980 --> 00:33:30.920 something shameful 00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:32.779 to shame the wise. 00:33:33.980 --> 00:33:35.980 In 1 Corinthians 1, 00:33:36.039 --> 00:33:36.820 22 to 24, 00:33:36.920 --> 00:33:37.539 it says this, 00:33:37.539 --> 00:33:39.160 For Jews demand signs, 00:33:39.259 --> 00:33:40.300 and Greeks seek wisdom, 00:33:40.620 --> 00:33:42.560 but we preach Christ crucified, 00:33:43.300 --> 00:33:44.759 a stumbling block to Jews 00:33:44.759 --> 00:33:46.160 and a folly to Gentiles, 00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:47.740 but to those who are called, 00:33:47.820 --> 00:33:48.840 both Jews and Greeks, 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:50.860 Christ the power of God 00:33:50.860 --> 00:33:52.380 and the wisdom of God. 00:33:52.920 --> 00:33:54.400 For the foolishness of God 00:33:54.400 --> 00:33:55.480 is wiser than men, 00:33:55.480 --> 00:33:57.259 and the weakness of God 00:33:57.259 --> 00:33:58.279 is stronger than men. 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:01.539 We need to be careful 00:34:01.539 --> 00:34:02.140 to make sure 00:34:02.140 --> 00:34:03.200 that we are not ashamed 00:34:03.200 --> 00:34:04.000 of the blood of Jesus 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:05.960 and that we are not ashamed 00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:07.140 of the cross. 00:34:08.199 --> 00:34:09.159 One of my professors 00:34:09.159 --> 00:34:10.380 in seminary, 00:34:10.440 --> 00:34:12.139 he said that one of the signs 00:34:12.139 --> 00:34:13.840 a church is losing its power 00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:15.840 is when it stops to talk. 00:34:16.360 --> 00:34:17.900 It begins to talk less 00:34:17.900 --> 00:34:19.599 about the blood of Jesus. 00:34:20.940 --> 00:34:22.159 Some churches will talk about 00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:23.579 how wonderful Jesus is. 00:34:23.579 --> 00:34:25.279 They will talk about 00:34:25.279 --> 00:34:26.119 how loving he is, 00:34:26.199 --> 00:34:27.000 but they'll never talk 00:34:27.000 --> 00:34:27.840 about his blood, 00:34:28.920 --> 00:34:30.779 how his blood has been shed for us. 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:32.259 That's something 00:34:32.259 --> 00:34:33.159 that can seem primitive. 00:34:33.340 --> 00:34:34.400 It can seem foolish 00:34:34.400 --> 00:34:36.019 to many people today, 00:34:36.679 --> 00:34:38.199 but God delights 00:34:38.199 --> 00:34:40.440 in using foolish, 00:34:40.900 --> 00:34:41.759 shameful things 00:34:41.759 --> 00:34:43.519 to show forth his wisdom 00:34:43.519 --> 00:34:44.779 and his power, 00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:47.079 and we need to have eyes 00:34:47.079 --> 00:34:48.440 to see that wisdom. 00:34:49.380 --> 00:34:51.259 But if you are not a Christian, 00:34:51.360 --> 00:34:52.239 if you have come here 00:34:52.239 --> 00:34:53.619 and you are searching 00:34:53.619 --> 00:34:54.319 for peace, 00:34:54.699 --> 00:34:55.639 if you are searching 00:34:55.639 --> 00:34:57.099 for comfort for your soul 00:34:57.099 --> 00:34:58.699 and you don't know 00:34:58.699 --> 00:34:59.539 where to find it, 00:35:00.319 --> 00:35:02.299 look at Jesus' blood. 00:35:03.399 --> 00:35:04.759 Look at something shameful. 00:35:05.759 --> 00:35:07.959 You will find in that blood 00:35:07.959 --> 00:35:09.599 matchless riches, 00:35:10.439 --> 00:35:11.399 matchless grace. 00:35:12.019 --> 00:35:13.579 You will find sufficiency 00:35:13.579 --> 00:35:15.439 for every part of your life. 00:35:16.079 --> 00:35:17.899 You will find redemption from sin, 00:35:18.259 --> 00:35:19.679 forgiveness of your sins. 00:35:19.679 --> 00:35:21.799 You will find peace 00:35:21.799 --> 00:35:23.079 for your soul. 00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:25.239 But you must come 00:35:25.239 --> 00:35:26.059 to an end of yourself. 00:35:27.379 --> 00:35:28.619 The answer is out there, 00:35:28.679 --> 00:35:29.339 but it is in, 00:35:29.839 --> 00:35:30.960 not in the world, 00:35:32.139 --> 00:35:33.219 but in Jesus Christ. 00:35:34.219 --> 00:35:35.500 And once you see it, 00:35:36.139 --> 00:35:38.460 you will sing Christ's praises 00:35:38.460 --> 00:35:40.000 just as Paul does 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:41.199 in this passage. 00:35:42.039 --> 00:35:42.859 Let us pray. 00:35:44.460 --> 00:35:45.419 Most gracious 00:35:45.419 --> 00:35:46.559 and loving Heavenly Father, 00:35:46.559 --> 00:35:46.820 Lord, 00:35:46.820 --> 00:35:47.559 we are thankful 00:35:47.559 --> 00:35:48.739 for the redemption 00:35:48.739 --> 00:35:50.219 that we have in Jesus Christ. 00:35:50.219 --> 00:35:50.599 Amen. 00:35:50.599 --> 00:35:51.219 Amen. 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.219