Outer Banks Community Church

Worthy Walk Series - Week 2 (Ephesians 1:7-10)

Text: Ephesians 1:7-10 (NKJV)

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.” 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him.”

Intro: Redemption Center

When I was a child, I remember my mother collecting S & H Green Stamps at grocery stores. These trading stamps were given out in exchange for dollars spent in the store. The stamps were then pasted in a book. There was a catalog published by S & H Green Stamps that featured items that could be acquired in exchange for the books of Green Stamps. An item from the catalog was selected, the proper of number of Green Stamps was collected and then the books of stamps were taken to a redemption center and exchanged for the catalog item the shopper wanted.

Redemption is one of the central themes in the Bible. When we experience redemption, there is far more to it than just trading one item for another. Redemption isn't a trade. We do not collect enough points to get God to let us off. Redemption is a gift. A gift that God gives to us based on nothing we have to offer in return. While redemption is a gift to us, redemption was not free. It cost God far more than we can ever imagine. Because of this free gift God is to be praised for His sovereignty, but as we will see in our text today God is also to be praised for His work of Redemption. Last week we talked about God’s work and His plan from eternity past and how that plan can be worked out in the present.

1. God is to be Praised for His Redemption: vs. 7

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

The Character of His Redemption: Every person born into this world since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden is a slave. No one is free. No one is free from sin or from its consequences. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. Sin is a cruel master. It enslaves its victims and demands a high price for their release. It demands death as its price. Death is the price that had to be paid for man's redemption. That is exactly the price Jesus paid when He went to the cross to liberate us from our sins. Jesus gave Himself, the innocent for the guilty, that the guilty might go free. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14

When Jesus Christ died in our place on the cross, He literally redeemed us from our sins. He shed His blood to satisfy God's just demands for sin. He accomplished everything that was necessary to secure our freedom. The word “redeemed” means “to do business in the market place; to purchase something for oneself”. It was used to the person who entered the market place to purchase a slave. That is what Jesus did when He died. He entered the market place of sin and paid the full price for sin, purchasing us for Himself. When Jesus redeemed us, He not only paid the price of our redemption, He forever removed us from the sale. As a result, he has purchased us. He owns us, and He never intends to allow us to be enslaved or sold under sin again! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

That is the nature of redemption. Have you experienced its power in your life? Have you been redeemed from the power of your sins and set free to serve the Lord? If you have been redeemed, you have plenty of reason to praise, worship and honor the Lord Who bought you with His blood!

The Cost of His Redemption: Anyone who will believe can be saved without cost. While the redemption the Lord gives His people is free, it was anything but cheap. This verse reminds us that, “we have redemption through His blood”. When you believed on Him by faith, you were saved by grace. It did not cost you a dime. When Jesus died, shedding His blood on the cross, He satisfied all the just demands of Almighty God regarding sin. Now, God is satisfied.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

When Jesus Christ shed His perfect blood on the cross, He did what the blood of animals could never do. When He shed His blood, He was shedding the blood of a perfect man. His blood was the blood of a man who was free from sin. His blood was the only blood that could pay the debt created by Adam when he sinned in Eden. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” The word “propitiation” means, “that which satisfies”. Jesus died for sin and God is forever satisfied. When sinners come to Him for salvation, there is nothing left to pay. Jesus paid it all and lost sinners receive new life, forgiveness of sins, and adoption into God's family, all without cost. Come to Him and there will never be a fee. Come to Him and salvation will be freely given. Come to Him and He will save your eternal soul and give you everlasting life and forgiveness of sins.

The Cause of His Redemption: When God redeemed us, He did not do it part way. He did not set limits on His grace toward us. When He redeemed us, He did it “according to the riches of His grace”. That means that we cannot sin beyond His grace. It means that we cannot sin beyond His grace: “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” Romans 5:20

2. God is to be Praised for His Results: vs. 7

The redemption God offers us through Jesus Christ does far more for us than just by us back from the slavery of sin. The redemption we have been given in Jesus provides some glorious benefits that change our lives and our eternities.

The Redeemed Have Been Released: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

Paul tells us that the redeemed enjoy “the forgiveness of sins” through the redemption they have in Jesus. The word translated “forgiveness” refers to “a pardon”. When it comes to our sins, it means, “Our sins have been put away from us as though they never happened.” “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

The Redeemed Have Been Reconciled: vs.6 “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”

When we come to Jesus and are redeemed, everything changes. Old, wicked sinners like us are brought into a grace relationship with God. Our sins are forgiven. Our stains are washed away in His blood. Even our very natures are changed through the new birth. God accepts us, not as we are in ourselves, but as He has made us in Jesus!

3. God is to be Praised for His Reasons: vs. 7-10

Surely we can find ample reasons to praise God for His redemption. After all, His redemption delivers us from our sins and adopts us into His family. Surely we can praise Him for the results of redemption. Because we have been redeemed our sins have been forgiven and we have been made acceptable to God. His redemptive work in our lives is something for which we can all praise the Lord.

Why does God redeem the lost? God has His reasons and those reasons cause us to stand in awe at the wonder of His redemptive work.

The Wonder of His Grace: vs. 7

“In Whom we have redemption…according to the riches of His grace.” Paul tells us that everything we have in Jesus flows to us from the bottomless well of His amazing grace. What is grace? “God's riches at Christ's expense.” It has also been defined as “the unmerited love and favor of God for the undeserving”. God reached out to us in love to save us when He had every right and reason to send us to Hell. That is the wonder of God's grace and that is what makes salvation so special! We have been given everything that God has to offer and we deserved nothing. We have been brought out of death into life. We have been adopted out of Adam into Jesus, We have been delivered from Hell and now we are on the road to Heaven. Do you want to know what the wonder of God's grace is? The wonder of God's grace is that He would save the likes is us. That He would love us, chose us, call us, save us, keep us, bless us, honor us, use us and adopt us is a wonderful thing! Thank God for the wonder of His grace! The Wonder of His Glory: vs. 8-9

God's redemptive plan flows from “the mystery of His will”; that He did what He did for us “according to His good pleasure”; and that God devised and carried out all of this because He “purposed” it “in Himself”. In other words, God's whole redemptive plan exists to bring Him glory.

Every soul that is saved fulfills God's plan to redeem sinners and it beings Him glory. Every soul that is saved is saved because God, in order to accomplish His plan, in order to advance His Own glory, has revealed the deep things of God unto us. It is through this “wisdom and prudence” that God has “made known unto us the mystery of His will”.

“But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 “Praise God from whom ALL Blessings Flow!”

The Wonder of His Goal: vs. 10

This verse speaks of “the dispensation of the fullness of times”. The word “dispensation” has the idea of “management, oversight, or administration”. It refers to “control”. This verse reminds us that God is in control of this world. He is working out a perfect plan that He devised before this world was ever formed. Everything that takes place is part of that plan. One day, God will perfect that plan and Jesus will receive the glory, the honor and the worship due to Him. In the end, God will reveal Jesus Christ to be the head of all things to all people. The world ignores Him today. The world acts like He doesn't matter. The world refuses to bow to Him, to worship Him, to obey Him, or to love Him. This world appears to be spinning out of control, but that is merely how things appear. Our God is in control and when the time is right, He will demonstrate His power through His Son the Lord Jesus. Here is the wonder of all this: God has made us a part of His plan. He has a plan to exalt His Son and He has allowed us to be part of that plan! He has placed us in Jesus by grace through faith. He has blessed us in Jesus with all spiritual blessings. He has promised to keep us, use us and to allow us to reign with Christ one day. These things make Him worthy of our praise!

“If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.” 2 Timothy 2:12

Conclusion

God has blessed us! In Christ we are wealthy people. All spiritual blessings are ours in Him! These truths should cause us to bow before Him in absolute submission. These truths should cause us to worship, praise and honor Him for His grace and His gifts. If you are in Jesus, are you giving Him the obedience, the reverence, the love, the worship and the praise He desires and deserves? Are you doing your part to accomplish God's plan of exalting Jesus Christ? If you are not saved, and you know you need to be redeemed, I want to invite you to come to Jesus for salvation today. If you will come to Him, He will forgive your sins, save your soul and bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Is He calling? Come to Him!

“Praise God from whom ALL Blessings Flow!”