Redemption.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] In Jesus’ name, amen. [0:02] All right, go ahead and have a seat. [0:03] Welcome to Village Church. [0:04] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. [0:07] I’m one of the pastors here at Village. [0:08] And as always, I’m thankful to see

[0:10] each and every one of you. [0:12] If you have your Bibles this morning, [0:13] go ahead and open them to Colossians chapter one. [0:16] We’re gonna start in verse 12 this morning, [0:19] or you can open your phone or tablet, [0:21] or you can just look on the screen behind me,

[0:23] because it’ll be there too. [0:24] But we will go through probably verse 23 this morning. [0:29] Starting a new series this morning [0:31] called The Cross of Christ. [0:33] And so this is gonna be our series [0:35] for the next four weeks leading up to Easter Sunday.

[0:38] Now on Easter, we will talk about the resurrection of Jesus, [0:42] all of the implications that the resurrection has for us, [0:45] as well as the details as to why we believe [0:49] that Jesus physically rose from the dead. [0:52] But before we get to that, [0:53] we’re gonna spend the next three weeks today,

[0:56] and then the two Sundays to follow, [0:57] talking about different aspects [0:59] of the cross of Jesus Christ. [1:02] Because it is the cross that leads us to the resurrection. [1:06] And so if we are to live [1:08] what is often called a cross-centered life,

[1:11] it is vital for us to understand [1:13] just what was accomplished on the cross. [1:17] Not just the details of what Jesus went through, [1:20] but more than that, [1:22] what are the implications for our life [1:24] from the different perspectives of Christ on the cross?

[1:29] To start with, I just wanna kind of build a foundation [1:33] or a standardized line [1:35] of what we’re gonna be jumping off of [1:37] and why the cross is so vital. [1:40] And that’s because there is a God. [1:43] That is the most liberating fact

[1:45] and the most terrifying fact of the human condition. [1:50] It’s liberating because it gives life an ultimate meaning. [1:55] It means that it isn’t all just chaos and meaninglessness. [2:00] Purpose can be known and not just guessed. [2:04] There’s a source from which all came [2:07] and there may even be a direction toward which

[2:10] everything in this world and everything in our lives [2:13] is headed towards. [2:15] But it’s not just a liberating fact, [2:17] it can also be a very terrifying fact. [2:20] If there is a God, what if we are getting it all wrong? [2:25] What if he expects something from us

[2:27] that we aren’t giving him? [2:30] If there is a designer of everything, [2:32] then there is then necessarily a design. [2:36] And I submit that we all know that things aren’t [2:39] as they should or even could be in this world. [2:42] From the most religious to the most irreligious person,

[2:46] from natural disaster to shifting sands [2:49] of moral understandings from one generation to the next, [2:52] every one of us, I think, has a baseline understanding [2:56] that things are not quite as we hoped they would be [3:00] and things aren’t quite what we think they should be. [3:05] And in these universals, we can do one of two things.

[3:09] We can either deny God in anger [3:12] for not living up to our standards [3:15] or we can look within and find the responsible party [3:19] for all of those things. [3:21] And in both of these cases, understand, [3:23] you won’t ultimately find the answers you’re looking for.

[3:28] When speaking to people on these types of issues, [3:31] I always try to direct them to the only place [3:35] that I believe there is any answer to the terror [3:39] and any hope of experiencing real liberation. [3:43] And that is the cross of Jesus Christ [3:46] because there on full display is a narrative

[3:50] of both struggle and hope. [3:53] There’s a God incarnate displaying his sacrificial love [3:57] and ultimately his resurrection power. [4:01] And so over these next three weeks, [4:03] I want to look at the cross [4:05] from three different perspectives.

[4:07] And I wanna start today by looking at it [4:10] from our perspective. [4:12] And so today I wanna talk specifically [4:14] about the subject of redemption. [4:18] This is what we need out of this life. [4:21] This is what our need is for God to liberate us

[4:26] from our sin, to redeem us out of the situation [4:29] that we all know isn’t what we should be living for [4:33] and what we should be living with. [4:36] But it’s something that we receive [4:38] because of the cross of Jesus. [4:40] So look in Colossians chapter one

[4:42] and I’m gonna start reading in verse 12 [4:44] and I’m actually gonna join Paul kind of mid thought. [4:48] He starts, he says, giving thanks to the father [4:51] who has qualified you to share in the inheritance [4:55] of the saints in light. [4:57] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness

[5:00] and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son [5:04] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. [5:08] He is the image of the invisible God, [5:11] the firstborn of all creation. [5:13] For by him all things were created in heaven [5:16] and on earth, visible and invisible,

[5:19] where the thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, [5:22] all things were created through him and for him. [5:25] And he is before all things. [5:27] And in him all things hold together. [5:30] And he is the head of the body, the church. [5:32] He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead

[5:35] and in everything he might be preeminent. [5:40] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell [5:43] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, [5:46] whether on earth or in heaven, [5:48] making peace by the blood of his cross. [5:52] And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind,

[5:56] doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled [5:59] in his body of flesh by his death [6:02] in order to present you holy and blameless [6:06] and above reproach before him. [6:08] If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, [6:12] not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard,

[6:16] which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven [6:19] and of which I, Paul, became a minister. [6:23] Pray with me. [6:24] Father, you are so good. [6:29] Lord, this morning as we look at the cross [6:32] of your son, Jesus Christ,

[6:33] as we think about these things, Lord, [6:35] our prayer is that we would have a vision of you, [6:41] that you would show us our great need for redemption, [6:45] that you would show us why the cross is so glorious [6:48] and why it is the ultimate glory of your plan [6:52] through your son, Jesus.

[6:54] And Lord, I pray that we would build lives [6:56] that are centered with a vision on your cross, [7:00] that everything would come from the cross, [7:02] go through the cross, Lord, [7:03] and ultimately point towards you in worship. [7:07] In the name of Jesus, amen.

[7:10] Number one this morning, we need to understand [7:12] that we need to be redeemed from our sin, [7:16] that we need to be redeemed from our sin. [7:21] You know, you are living under one of two reins [7:25] in your life. [7:26] You’re either living under the reign of your sin

[7:29] or you’re living under the reign of God. [7:33] And what God would have us understand [7:35] is there’s no third way. [7:37] There’s no other option. [7:40] Those are the only two options that we have in this world. [7:44] And to receive redemption is to go from the reign of sin

[7:49] under the reign of God. [7:52] But for you to understand the greatness [7:55] of what it is to receive redemption, [7:59] you would need the joy of receiving redemption. [8:02] And it is hard to receive something with joy [8:05] until you know how desperately you need it.

[8:10] When we talk about Christianity, [8:12] it is based on the fact that Jesus died on the cross [8:15] to forgive you of your sins. [8:19] If you were to ask many people, [8:21] even in the culture outside of the church, [8:23] that is the basic understanding that many people have

[8:27] of just what was accomplished on the cross of Christ. [8:31] And that is why when we pick up in Colossians 1.12 [8:35] and following, deliverance and qualification [8:39] are spoken of in the past tense. [8:43] Because it is something [8:44] that has already been accomplished for you.

[8:49] But that’s not how most of us like to look at our lives. [8:52] Most of us enjoy looking at our lives [8:54] or find kind of value in our lives [8:57] by looking at what we are building, [9:00] by looking at what I can accomplish. [9:03] If you wanna know why I’m qualified,

[9:05] well, here’s a look at my resume. [9:06] Here are all of the things that I have done, [9:09] all of the things that I have built, [9:11] all of the things that are about me [9:13] and make me look good, that make me qualified. [9:17] Look at the value that I add.

[9:23] And when you’re thinking about life under that perspective, [9:27] well, it’s pretty hard to receive qualification [9:30] from somewhere else with ultimate joy. [9:33] Because your life is not about what you have received, [9:36] rather your life is about what you are building. [9:40] And to find joy in receiving the gift of God,

[9:44] to receive the gift of forgiveness, [9:46] you have to get down to a basic understanding [9:49] that you do not have a qualification to add to God. [9:55] God is not looking at the life that you have built [9:58] and all of the things that you have done. [10:00] God does not think to himself, well, aren’t you good?

[10:04] Oh my goodness, you are, I really did a good job there. [10:08] When I made you, that one, that’s the guy [10:12] that’s gonna break all the chains, he’s gonna do it. [10:14] No, you need to be qualified by God. [10:22] You need to be delivered by God. [10:25] And some of you, some of the weight

[10:28] that you are carrying through this life [10:30] is that you refuse to find joy [10:33] in what you can receive from God. [10:35] And instead, you attempt to build your identity [10:39] and to build your worth, to build your value [10:43] and to find your hope in what you can build

[10:47] and what you can accomplish. [10:49] And God says, so long as you do that, [10:52] that’s what it looks like to live under the reign of sin. [10:56] And so Paul, when he writes this, [10:58] he speaks in the past tense of qualified, [11:01] in the past tense of delivered,

[11:03] for you to understand that you cannot do this for yourself [11:09] no matter how hard you try, [11:11] no matter how much effort you put into it, [11:14] no matter how much energy you expel for it, [11:16] you can’t do what you need done for your life. [11:21] Only God can accomplish that, why?

[11:24] Because of sin. [11:26] Because of sin, we are unqualified to share [11:31] in the inheritance of saints in light. [11:34] That’s the vernacular that he uses in this passage. [11:38] He says that you are to have the inheritance of the saints. [11:41] You are to be delivered out of the reign of darkness

[11:44] into the reign of light. [11:48] Many times while Jesus was on this earth, [11:50] he stated that he was here to shine light in darkness. [11:56] It’s because he was speaking to us. [11:58] He was saying, we are in darkness [12:01] because that is what sin is.

[12:05] Do you know that some of the reason that you struggle [12:08] when you’re reading the scriptures [12:10] or when someone is telling you of a place [12:13] that you have fallen short in your relationship with them [12:15] or where you have not quite built up [12:18] what you should have built with your life,

[12:20] you immediately get defensive. [12:23] You immediately begin to shift the blame over here, [12:26] shift the blame over there. [12:27] You immediately begin to say, well, no, no, [12:29] it’s because you don’t understand what I need. [12:30] You don’t understand what I was trying to do

[12:32] because I have measured up.

[12:37] It’s because you’re under the reign of darkness. [12:40] See, it’s pretty hard to get a really good picture [12:42] of yourself in the dark. [12:45] I don’t see many people when they go in the bathroom [12:47] in the morning to, you know, [12:49] dussy themselves up a bit from what you, you know,

[12:51] you slept your hairs all off to this side, you know, [12:54] my beard’s all tilted over here. [12:56] I mean, you should see it in the morning, [12:57] never see it in the morning, [12:58] but you should see it in all the, [13:00] so when I go in the bathroom,

[13:01] I don’t just close the door and say, lights off. [13:03] All right, now I’m gonna fix this. [13:05] No, I got like spotlights coming out of the sky. [13:08] I gotta get, get really close lights [13:10] that I can just make this work somehow.

[13:14] You need light to be shined on the problem [13:17] for you to ever have any hope of seeing the solution. [13:21] And the problem with us is quite often, [13:24] we try to understand what Jesus has done for us [13:28] and what Jesus wants to do inside of us, [13:31] while we are defending the darkness that exists in us.

[13:36] And so for you to understand what it means to be qualified, [13:40] you have to understand the light [13:43] that Jesus brings into a very dark place. [13:46] Because if there is a God, and for instance, there is, [13:49] and you are not living the standard that he set, [13:53] which you aren’t, then you are living

[13:56] in the darkness of sin. [13:58] That is the same story for each and every one of us. [14:03] Jesus came in order to qualify you [14:05] to get you out of the state of darkness that you are in. [14:11] Because it doesn’t just shine a light on the problem, [14:13] instead, he shines a light on the problem

[14:15] and then qualifies you out of the problem. [14:18] But you’ve also been delivered, the scripture tells us here. [14:22] Because of sin, you need to be delivered. [14:25] You need to be delivered out of the sin [14:27] that has you in darkness. [14:29] To be in the light literally means

[14:32] to be living under the reign of God. [14:36] The authority over this world is Jesus’ authority. [14:40] So to be in the light literally means [14:42] to submit to his authority. [14:46] And so you need to be qualified. [14:48] You need to be delivered.

[14:50] Why? [14:52] Again, because of sin. [14:54] Some of you are trying to qualify yourselves [14:58] and deliver yourselves. [14:59] You deny it. [15:01] But whenever anyone asks you,

[15:03] what’s so good about you? [15:06] What does your brain immediately go to? [15:09] How strong you are? [15:10] How many words you can type a minute? [15:13] I mean, what goes into why you think [15:17] the positive things about you

[15:19] that it makes you worth something to other people? [15:22] It’s usually something that you have built in your life. [15:27] And that is why when Paul uses the language [15:29] of qualified and delivered, [15:31] he acts like a third party has to come in [15:33] and do it for you, namely Jesus.

[15:35] We have such a difficult time being thankful for that [15:39] because we’re working so hard [15:40] to do those things for ourselves. [15:42] And that’s exactly why Jesus said, [15:45] to those who have been forgiven much, [15:47] they love much, they are thankful much.

[15:50] But to those who have only been forgiven a little bit, [15:54] well, they’re less loving and they’re less thankful. [15:57] And we might read that and say, [15:58] well, Jesus is saying here that some people [16:00] need to be forgiven of more sin than other people do. [16:02] And I know who those people are.

[16:06] That’s not what Jesus is saying at all. [16:09] Jesus isn’t saying some are more sinful than other people. [16:13] Jesus is saying from your perspective how you see yourself. [16:17] All of us are completely sinful. [16:22] All of us need to be delivered from the most heinous of sin. [16:26] And that is that we did not give glory to God

[16:29] the way that he needed to give glory. [16:31] It’s just that some of us with what we are building, [16:34] we look over there and we say, this is what I have built, [16:37] an empire of dirt, a pile of crap. [16:41] That’s what it’s worth to God. [16:44] But on the other side, some of us look at a pile

[16:47] that, interestingly enough, has a lot of the same shape [16:50] as the other pile, but we’ve put a lot of polyurethane [16:53] on the outside of it and we’ve put a nice little veneer [16:56] on it, maybe put some reclaimed wood around it. [16:59] And we’re like, my pile’s better than that pile. [17:02] It’s all gonna start stinking in about 10 minutes.

[17:07] Just because one may look a little better [17:10] to your eyes than the other, the piles are the same. [17:12] You are a sinner who needs desperately to be redeemed. [17:18] You need to be qualified, you need to be delivered, [17:22] but you owe a debt for those things [17:25] that you cannot ever hope to pay.

[17:28] The problem that you have is that you don’t deserve [17:33] to be qualified. [17:34] You don’t deserve to be delivered. [17:37] None of us do. [17:38] You deserve the opposite of that. [17:40] Why?

[17:42] Again, because of your sin. [17:44] You did that. [17:46] You sinned against God and there are so many ways [17:50] to understand your sin. [17:53] You do not do right even by human standards. [17:57] We’ve covered this before.

[17:58] You know selfishness is wrong and even if you do [18:02] the right thing for the right motivation [18:04] eight times out of 10, there are usually at least two [18:07] where you do the selfish thing. [18:09] You’ve lied, you’ve cheated, you’ve stolen, [18:13] you’ve hated, you’ve been unkind to people

[18:15] and you have been 100 other things [18:18] and that makes you a sinner. [18:21] That means you are cursed. [18:24] You say, what do you mean cursed? [18:26] Well in Deuteronomy chapter 27 verse 26, [18:29] it states that if you do not confirm the law

[18:33] by living it, you’re cursed.

[18:38] And we’ve covered the base.

[18:42] You might measure up compared to me. [18:44] That’s not hard, ask my wife. [18:47] I’m awful.

[18:51] But I’m not the one that you’re comparing yourself to.

[18:55] You see when God stacks everything up, [18:58] when he gives us the law, [19:00] when he gives us what perfection is in Jesus Christ, [19:04] when he gives us pictures of his holiness [19:06] throughout all of his word and throughout all of history, [19:09] he’s giving us a revelation of terror

[19:12] and that is that when you wanna know [19:14] how good you really are, you don’t stack yourself up [19:18] to the worst criminal that you think exists in your country. [19:21] You stack yourself up to God himself.

[19:27] In Deuteronomy 27, he says, I gave you a law.

[19:31] And if you don’t measure up completely to that law, [19:34] you are cursed.

[19:40] And you may retort, which you often do. [19:44] That’s the Old Testament. [19:46] And what if the God of the Old Testament [19:49] isn’t the true God anyway? [19:51] And the key with that logic is that you are banking on [19:54] either God was not serious in the Old Testament

[19:57] or that God is that that God of the Old Testament [20:01] is not the true God. [20:03] And I would retort to you, that all depends on Jesus. [20:08] Because you see, if Jesus was who he said he was, [20:10] then the God of Deuteronomy is the real God. [20:14] Why?

[20:15] Because of Deuteronomy 27, the apostle Paul [20:18] who wrote Colossians stated in Galatians 3.13 [20:21] that Jesus came to redeem people from the curse of the law.

[20:29] He says, what was said of you in Deuteronomy 27 [20:33] is exactly why Jesus had to come. [20:36] Because you did not confirm the law by living it. [20:41] You cheated, you stole, you were unkind, [20:45] you had impure motives.

[20:48] And the list goes on and on and on. [20:52] See friends, every single one of us needs to be redeemed [20:55] from that curse. [20:58] Redemption, in a very general sense biblically, [21:01] means deliverance from liability to punishment. [21:05] Redemption means deliverance from liability to punishment.

[21:12] If you’ve broken God’s law, if you have not measured up, [21:17] then you are liable to the punishment of what that brings. [21:24] That’s the curse of the law. [21:26] If you want to be in the light, [21:30] then you must realize that sin is your problem. [21:35] You must also realize you can’t deal with it.

[21:39] Because you dealing with that curse means [21:41] that you owe God a debt for that sin. [21:44] And what is that debt? [21:46] The only way to pay that debt is to be cursed forever [21:51] under the penalty of that sin.

[21:55] Unless Jesus has paid the penalty of that curse for you. [22:00] And that’s exactly what we have in Jesus. [22:04] Number two this morning, only Jesus can redeem. [22:07] Only Jesus can redeem. [22:08] And yes, that sounds exclusive. [22:10] And it is, but the reason that it is so exclusive

[22:14] is not to our detriment, it is to our benefit. [22:17] Because only Jesus can redeem from the curse of the law. [22:22] Why? [22:22] Because he has paid the debt that we owe to God. [22:26] Because we are under the penalty of that curse of sin. [22:29] That debt must be paid.

[22:32] God cannot just the way that we try to deal with sin [22:34] sometimes, it’s kind of sweep it under the rug [22:36] and pretend it’s not there for a while. [22:38] If you’ve been married for more than five minutes, [22:41] you know that that doesn’t work. [22:43] I mean, it has happened in my marriage so many times

[22:46] that I will think that she really forgave me. [22:50] It’s like, oh, that was not bad, all right. [22:53] I’m sorry, it worked. [22:55] Good, good, good. [22:57] Two weeks later, totally different issue. [23:02] I knew when you did that other thing

[23:04] that you weren’t sorry. [23:05] Wait a second, you said you forgave me.

[23:09] See, this just swept under the rug [23:11] until the ammunition was needed a little bit later.

[23:16] But see, if that’s what we got from God,

[23:20] that’s not the type of redemption we need. [23:23] See, our sin actually needs to be dealt with. [23:27] The penalty actually needs to be paid. [23:30] And here’s what he talks about starting in verse 15. [23:33] He goes back, he says in verse 14, he says, [23:35] in whom Jesus, we have redemption,

[23:38] the forgiveness of sins. [23:40] Isn’t that what you want? [23:42] I mean, whenever I do wrong, I want forgiveness. [23:46] I want that thing to be gone. [23:48] I don’t want the guilt. [23:50] I don’t want the shame.

[23:52] I don’t want the weight on my shoulders. [23:54] So when I read verse 14, that’s liberation, [23:57] the forgiveness of sins. [23:59] And it seems like in verse 15, [24:01] Paul goes to a different subject, but he doesn’t. [24:04] Because there he gets very practical,

[24:07] and then in verse 15, he gets very theological. [24:10] And the reason for that is because he’s then, [24:14] starting in verse 15, giving you the reason [24:17] for forgiveness of sins. [24:19] Giving you the validity of why you can truly trust [24:23] that your sins are forgiven.

[24:24] Here’s what he says of Jesus. [24:26] Jesus is the image of the invisible God, [24:28] the firstborn of our all creation. [24:31] For by him all things were created, [24:33] in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, [24:35] whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities,

[24:38] all things were created through him and for him, [24:40] and he is before all things, [24:41] and in him all things hold together. [24:43] And he is the head of the body of the church. [24:45] He’s the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. [24:48] That in everything he might be preeminent.

[24:51] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [24:55] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, [24:58] whether on earth or in heaven, making peace, how? [25:01] By the blood of the cross. [25:04] There he gives Jesus’ resume.

[25:09] He says, you need to be qualified. [25:13] He says, you need to be delivered, [25:14] because you are cursed. [25:17] But you’ve been forgiven, how? [25:19] Because someone who is qualified, [25:21] someone who’s powerful enough to deliver,

[25:23] and someone who has endured the curse [25:25] by the blood of the cross, he’s done it all.

[25:30] See, in verse 15 through verse 20, [25:31] he gives the validity of verse 14. [25:34] He says, this is why you can trust [25:35] the gospel of Jesus Christ. [25:37] You see, friend, the curse has to be endured. [25:41] It can’t just be forgotten about,

[25:43] because that would be unjust. [25:46] And God cannot be unjust. [25:50] His morals matter. [25:52] His righteousness is intact. [25:54] His holiness is impeccable and uncompromisable. [25:58] And so justice must be had.

[26:00] For morality to mean anything [26:02] under the righteousness of God, [26:04] his standards must be met, and the penalty must be paid. [26:07] And that is why we need to be redeemed. [26:11] But I can’t redeem myself, and I can’t redeem you, [26:15] because I have a debt to pay for me,

[26:18] and you have a debt to pay for you. [26:20] And so long as I have a debt to pay for me, [26:23] I’m not qualified. [26:26] So Jesus has to do it.

[26:30] We can have redemption, which brings forgiveness, [26:32] because of Jesus. [26:34] Why? [26:36] Look at the text. [26:38] Jesus is God. [26:40] Jesus is the creator.

[26:42] Everything that exists comes from him [26:44] and is supposed to point to him. [26:46] And the penalty then is owed to him. [26:49] Why? [26:49] Look at the text. [26:50] He’s the head of all things.

[26:53] And since he is the creator, he is also the judge of sin.

[26:59] See, only in the gospel, only in Jesus, [27:03] do you have the judge of all sin, [27:06] the one to whom the debt is owed, [27:09] the one who has no sin. [27:11] He himself comes and says, [27:14] ha, I will pay it.

[27:17] You owe me, and I will pay what you owe. [27:22] See, Jesus had no sin. [27:25] So Jesus is not under the curse, [27:28] because Jesus himself can meet the standard [27:30] of the law of God. [27:32] And therefore, since Jesus doesn’t owe the debt

[27:35] of the curse of sin, he can pay that debt for others. [27:39] That’s what verse 18 is getting at when it calls Jesus [27:42] the firstborn of the dead. [27:46] That is where the redemption is found. [27:49] He died to pay a debt he did not owe. [27:55] Because you see, from our standpoint,

[27:57] when we look to the cross, when we consider, [27:59] if all of those things from verse 15 to verse 20 are true, [28:03] all of those attributes are Jesus’. [28:05] He’s the creator. [28:06] He is the one that’s over all of creation. [28:08] He is Lord.

[28:10] He is the head of all things. [28:12] He’s the source from which all things come. [28:14] He’s the source towards which all things must go. [28:17] And then we look to his real death on the cross. [28:21] We should look at it and say, that is unjust. [28:25] That is not right.

[28:28] He did not deserve to die. [28:30] And if you look at it from that standpoint, [28:32] you’re beginning to understand redemption. [28:34] Because when you look at it and you say unjust, [28:36] he would say, yes, it is, unless

[28:42] he applies that payment to someone else’s sin.

[28:47] And there is where the justice is.

[28:51] Because Jesus had nothing to pay for. [28:56] Therefore, he alone was qualified to make my payment, [29:03] to make your payment, to make all of your payment. [29:07] Jesus is the Redeemer. [29:10] He was and is the substitute for all of his people. [29:16] That is why it is very specific to point out

[29:19] in this passage in verse 18 [29:22] that he is the head of the body, the church. [29:26] Because the text is saying, [29:28] he is the one building the church. [29:30] He is laying his life down for his people. [29:36] And friend, make no mistake,

[29:37] this has always been the plan of God. [29:40] This was not a fourth quarter call [29:43] by a coach who was down by 14, [29:47] where God in heaven says, aha, I have an idea. [29:50] I know how to fix all of these problems. [29:51] This is always the plan of God.

[29:54] This was his plan to show how wonderful, [29:56] how merciful, how powerful he alone is. [30:01] Ephesians chapter one, starting in verse five, [30:03] puts it this way. [30:04] It says, he, God, predestined us for adoption [30:07] to himself as sons through Jesus Christ.

[30:10] According to what? [30:11] According to the purpose of his will. [30:14] Saying this was God’s plan [30:16] to the praise of his glorious grace [30:19] with which he has blessed us in the beloved. [30:23] That term beloved is not talking about you.

[30:27] It’s talking about Jesus. [30:29] And then in Jesus, we have redemption. [30:31] How? [30:32] Through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses [30:36] according to the riches of his grace.

[30:42] He’s saying that God in heaven said, [30:45] I want to make my glory known. [30:48] I want to make my power seen. [30:50] I want to make my love seem real. [30:53] I want to show them how great my sacrificial love, [30:56] how awesome my redeeming power is,

[30:58] how great my glory is, how will I do it? [31:03] The cross of Christ will do it.

[31:08] So Jesus’ mission to redeem is God’s plan [31:12] to give himself absolute glory, [31:15] not to your detriment, but rather to your benefit. [31:21] You see friend, the will of God was to redeem people [31:24] from their sin through the blood of Jesus. [31:28] Jesus did not sin so that he could pay the penalty

[31:33] for those who do sin. [31:34] That is you and that is me. [31:39] We owe. [31:41] And Jesus paid the price of redemption. [31:45] And if we dare retort and say, [31:49] but I didn’t know I was being held to a standard

[31:52] I would need to be redeemed of, [31:54] God says you are without excuse. [31:58] In John 15, 22, Jesus says this. [32:02] He says, if I had not come and spoken to them, [32:04] they would not have been guilty of sin. [32:07] But now they have no excuse for their sin.

[32:12] Friend, you are responsible. [32:16] Because not only did God give you a law, [32:20] not only did God give you a conscience [32:23] that shows when you are wrong, [32:25] for you to know your need of redemption, [32:28] Jesus himself, God the Son,

[32:33] creator of all things, stepped into his creation, [32:37] became a human being, walked among us [32:40] in the history of the world, [32:42] then died a sacrificial death, [32:44] and to put an exclamation point on the end of it, [32:48] three days later, he got up

[32:51] and he rose from the dead.

[32:56] God looks to us and he says, you must see it. [33:02] You must own it. [33:05] The life of Christ is looking through the cross hairs [33:09] at you and you are dead in its sight [33:12] and you are without excuse for your sin [33:16] because Jesus has come to redeem

[33:19] and there is no other way. [33:21] You must be redeemed through Christ.

[33:27] And I know some of you may be saying, [33:31] I had a rough week and I just came here to be inspired [33:34] and you just hit me with a stack of bricks, man. [33:38] I know I did it on purpose [33:41] because that is what we need. [33:43] As I said at the beginning, you will not receive it

[33:47] with joy unless you know how desperately [33:51] you are in need of it.

[33:55] Friend, you need the redemption of Jesus Christ [33:59] to come to intercede in everything that you are building [34:04] and to qualify you and to deliver you [34:07] from the curse of sin. [34:08] But good news, number three, [34:10] Jesus has paid our penalty on the cross.

[34:14] He has paid the penalty.

[34:18] The debt has been paid. [34:20] If you trust in Christ, you are free from sin.

[34:25] That stack of bricks that hits you like a ton,

[34:30] that weight can be liberated. [34:33] That weight can be removed. [34:35] It doesn’t have to weigh you down any longer. [34:38] The shame and guilt that defines you [34:39] under the curse of sin, it can be gone. [34:42] How?

[34:43] You see Colossians 1, 21 through 22 tells us the story. [34:47] Since we have been qualified, [34:49] since we have been delivered by Jesus’ work of redemption, [34:52] we are no longer alienated.

[34:56] You see, we can’t be hostile to God in our lives [35:00] if he has redeemed us to himself. [35:02] Note that in these texts, even in verse 21, [35:07] it speaks of the negative in the past tense as well. [35:12] You were alienated. [35:14] You were hostile in mind.

[35:17] You were doing evil things, [35:19] but now you’ve been reconciled [35:23] in his body of flesh by his death.

[35:28] You see friend, so long as it is about you, [35:31] so long as it is about what you are building, [35:35] so long as it is about you receiving the glory, [35:38] you building the life, you qualifying yourself, [35:42] you getting all the glory, [35:44] you will be alienated from God,

[35:47] you will be hostile towards God. [35:49] All that you can ever hope to build is evil [35:52] because it’s not for God, it’s for you.

[35:58] But here, he says, no longer.

[36:05] No longer. [36:07] Have joy because God did not wait for you to come to him. [36:11] He came directly to you.

[36:16] And he said, no, no, no, no, no. [36:18] Not alienated any longer. [36:21] No, no, no, no, no, no, no. [36:22] Not hostile any longer. [36:24] No, no, no, no, no. [36:25] Not defined by your evil deeds any longer.

[36:29] You are mine. [36:31] You are redeemed through the work of Jesus Christ. [36:35] And this is not a figurative or metaphorical redemption. [36:40] This is literal. [36:41] Jesus did not metaphorically die. [36:45] Jesus has worked reconciliation between us and God

[36:48] through a real flesh and blood death. [36:51] He has paid the price. [36:55] You see, when Jesus was on the cross, [36:58] he was truly enduring the pain for your sin. [37:01] He did this for you. [37:03] He did this because without him, you are alienated.

[37:06] Without him, you are hostile. [37:08] Without him, every action is evil, [37:10] but redemption has been accomplished in full. [37:15] Thank God for Jesus because you can be redeemed. [37:20] You know, redemption is very real, legal work of God. [37:27] Redemption is about justice.

[37:30] It is about the price for my sin and your sin being paid [37:33] in light of the righteousness of God. [37:36] One chapter, just a few verses down in Colossians 2, [37:41] starting in verse 13, it describes the cross [37:43] in this legal sense. [37:45] He says, and you who were dead in your trespasses

[37:48] and the uncircumcision of your flesh, [37:50] he means by that that you were dead in your sin [37:53] and you were not the people of God. [37:55] You were alienated from God. [37:57] You were hostiling towards God. [37:59] That’s what it means to be uncircumcised of the flesh.

[38:02] God made you alive together with him, [38:04] having forgiven us all our trespasses [38:07] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us [38:10] with its legal demands. [38:13] This he set aside. [38:15] Now press pause.

[38:17] Because that’s usually where our understanding [38:19] of redemption stops, but that’s so insufficient [38:23] because that’s how we deal with sin. [38:26] We just try to get over it. [38:28] We just try to move past it. [38:30] We just hope we can move it aside

[38:32] and it’s always gonna be sitting there in the corner [38:35] staring at us. [38:37] It’s always gonna be looking at me. [38:39] That’s what was true of you. [38:41] That’s what defined you. [38:43] You’re gonna carry this the rest of your life.

[38:46] You’ll never really get past it. [38:48] Oh, you know who you really are. [38:51] You know the truth of what you’ve really done. [38:53] You know the truth of what you really think. [38:55] You know where your identity really is [38:58] because we’re just trying to sweep it under the rug.

[39:04] Always comes back, doesn’t it? [39:07] Always leaves a mark, doesn’t it?

[39:11] The weight stays, the shame is felt. [39:15] But thanks be to God in Christ Jesus, [39:17] that’s not where the sentence ends. [39:20] The translator just put a comma there.

[39:24] This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

[39:32] Friend, I tell you that is the best news [39:34] that you could ever receive in your life [39:37] because God doesn’t say just get over sin. [39:39] God doesn’t say just get past sin. [39:42] God doesn’t say, oh, you gotta grow past it. [39:44] You gotta get over it.

[39:45] No, God says, I have dealt with your sin. [39:49] Justice has been had. [39:50] The price of redemption has been paid. [39:53] Your sin is truly set aside. [39:56] In this, verse 15 says, Jesus disarmed the rulers. [40:00] He disarmed the authorities.

[40:02] He put them to open shame by triumphing over them [40:06] in him, Jesus. [40:08] You were so much under the curse, friend, [40:11] that you were dead in view of your relationship with God. [40:16] There was no life, but Jesus took the record of your debt [40:20] and he redeemed you from it.

[40:23] The rulers and the authorities, they were waiting [40:26] and do you know what they were waiting for me with? [40:29] Hell.

[40:32] They were waiting. [40:34] Oh, Steve’s headed there. [40:36] We’re gonna have him. [40:38] He’s gonna endure the wrath of God for eternity. [40:42] He will pay. [40:45] I would have and I deserved it.

[40:53] But Jesus, but Jesus.

[40:59] See friend, the beauty of the cross [41:01] is that the King of Kings himself stood between me [41:06] and hell and he said, it is finished.

[41:15] You owe a debt that you can never hope to pay off.

[41:21] When Jesus dealt with my sin, [41:26] when my debt was nailed to the cross [41:31] and Jesus died, so did the penalty, I owe God. [41:40] To prove it, Jesus didn’t suffer forever.

[41:45] Consider that.

[41:48] Oh, he suffered and he suffered immensely, [41:51] both physically, also emotionally, [41:54] and then also spiritually, Jesus suffered truly. [41:58] But note that he came off the cross and suffered forever. [42:04] Then they put him in a tomb. [42:06] And to prove that my penalty was gone,

[42:09] Jesus rose from the dead, [42:12] winning victory over sin and death. [42:15] Three days later, he literally rose. [42:18] And that’s why Colossians 1.23 is the most hopeful verse [42:22] in this stanza. [42:25] Because it speaks of our life continuing in faith.

[42:31] It says, this is not the end. [42:32] It says, this is not the end of your story. [42:35] Redemption is the beginning of your story. [42:37] Redemption isn’t something that just affects a moment. [42:40] It changes your life forever. [42:44] When you are redeemed, you are freed

[42:47] so that you can live for God. [42:50] You can build a life of faith. [42:55] You can follow Jesus and live as you were designed to live. [43:00] You can walk in the light [43:04] because Jesus has redeemed you from the darkness. [43:09] How?

[43:12] By his wonderful, sufficient, enduring work on the cross. [43:20] For you and by God’s grace, for me. [43:26] As the band comes up,

[43:31] I tell you, I look to the word [43:34] and I know because God has been so clear [43:39] that there are many of you in here [43:41] who are carrying the weight of guilt and shame. [43:44] You are carrying the burden of the curse. [43:49] You are carrying it and saying,

[43:51] maybe someday I’ll deal with it. [43:54] Maybe someday I will feel redemption. [43:58] Friend, you don’t need to be under that weight any longer. [44:04] If you are in here today and you’re saying, [44:06] I wish I could have that relief. [44:09] I wish I could know that hope.

[44:12] Friend, I tell you, thanks be to God and Christ Jesus, [44:15] you can. [44:16] You can know it today [44:18] and you can know it the rest of your life. [44:22] You are carrying a weight that, friend, believe me, [44:25] you are not strong enough to carry.

[44:28] It will kill you.

[44:32] You’re carrying a God-sized burden [44:33] and the good news of Jesus Christ is [44:35] is that God wants to take that burden from you. [44:40] God wants you to know the truth [44:42] and that is that only Jesus can qualify you. [44:45] Only Jesus can redeem you from the curse of the law.

[44:49] But thanks be, he has delivered us [44:52] from the domain of darkness and into the domain of light. [44:56] So if that’s you in here today, [44:58] I ask you to do one thing.

[45:01] I ask you to trust Jesus.

[45:04] Not because I said so, but because the cross screams it. [45:08] Trust him. [45:10] Some of you in here, you’ve believed, [45:12] you’ve trusted in Jesus, [45:14] you’ve been redeemed.

[45:17] Man, those things that are behind you, [45:19] you’re letting them define you. [45:22] Those sins that you’re currently struggling with, [45:24] you’re letting them weigh you down [45:26] as if they have any power over you. [45:29] Yes, you were.

[45:31] Yes, you were.

[45:34] But now, you are in Christ. [45:38] And I tell you today, God has made this promise. [45:41] I want you to walk through this world, [45:43] not with your head down in shame, [45:46] not dealing with stuff that the cross [45:48] has already redeemed you from,

[45:49] but in full repentance and in full relief, [45:52] you need to walk with your head held high and say, [45:56] yes, I am redeemed. [45:59] I may have been, [46:02] but no longer. [46:04] I am in Christ.

[46:06] My sin will not shackle me. [46:08] My sin will not shame me. [46:10] It has been dealt with. [46:11] Guilt no longer reigns in my life. [46:14] Jesus saves.

[46:18] Every week, we reflect on the wonderful work of Jesus [46:23] through the cup and the bread. [46:24] The cup represents the blood that Jesus shed to save us. [46:28] The bread on the plate represents his broken body. [46:31] He was battered, he was broken, [46:33] he was bruised for you and for me.

[46:36] And when we eat and when we drink, [46:38] we eat and drink in celebration [46:41] of what Jesus has done for us. [46:43] And when it goes inside of us, [46:44] we are proclaiming to everyone, [46:46] Jesus reigns in my life.

[46:49] I am his and he is mine. [46:53] And if that’s you this morning, [46:54] if you believe, if you’ve trusted [46:57] in Jesus as your God and King, [47:00] I invite you to one of these tables. [47:01] Come, proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ

[47:05] that redeems from sin.