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Ephesians 1:7-14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Imagine if you would imagine, for just a moment, that before I started this sermon someone came running in. Breathlessly that person says:

“A money truck just turned over on the Santa Fe Pike right in front of the Church. The owner of the money has said that we can have all that we want – first come, first serve!”

How many people would be left to hear the sermon? Could it just possibly be that I myself would be at the head of the line? But let’s suppose that the same thing happened, and a person breathlessly bursts in here to tell us:

“A money truck carrying monopoly money just turned over on the Santa Fe Pike right in front of the Church. The owner of the money has said rather than pick up all that play money that we can have all that we want – first come, first serve!”

In the first case we probably all would run to the door. But for play money? I suspect most of you would rather stay here, and let someone else clean up that mess. What’s the difference? Play money has no inherent value – it’s just paper. But U.S. currency has value because of what is behind it. It’s not just paper. It has authority, because an authority backs it. The United States government backs that currency.

There is a greater Government than that of the United States – the greatest Government that has ever been. It is the Government of God. The currency of that wonderful Government is not printed on linen paper, nor stamped on gold or silver. That which Heaven and God Himself finds valuable – valuable above all things – is the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no entry into Heaven without the Blood of Christ.
All other means are but monopoly money, play paper.
It is trendy and progressive to say that “there are many ways to God”.
Trendy and progressive, it is not truth.
You would more likely pay a utility bill with crayon and paper,
Than you would get to the Father without Christ!

This Offensive Message

Every great Preacher I know of has spoken on “The Offense Of The Cross”.

• In 1958 Evangelist Billy Graham spoke on the Offense Of The Cross in San Francisco, California.
• Pastor C.H. Spurgeon spoke about it in 1856.
• Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones said “As long as we are natural men and women, the Cross is an offense”.

It is popular in America to wear crosses as jewelry, tie pins, and earrings. The cross that is produced by the jewelry makers is pretty, gold or silver or some type of precious stone. Most people who wear crosses have no idea what the cross actually represents.

The Cross is the throne of torture that
the King of Glory willingly ascended!

The bloody Cross of Calvary and Golgotha is no pretty thing, but a tree on which Jesus hung. The One Who hung on that Cross is the Only One in all of human history that can redeem humanity and change the human heart. Our text starts with In whom. In Jesus Christ alone we have redemption.

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through His blood ..

The Cross reminds us that God is not pleased with the world as it is. And you aren’t pleased with it, either. Every time someone does something evil, whether it be …

a sniper killing people from a motel room while they are on vacation
a man getting upset at a traffic stop who kills many innocent people.

a serial killer or pedophile who creeps into schools or churches.
a high ranking Pharisee who is caught abusing women.
a group of religious madmen who destroy, bomb, and kill thousands on 911.
the senseless abortion of children justified by a hedonistic society.

We look around us, at the news casts, and it seems as if the world itself has gone mad. People hurt one another daily. Church people abuse other church people. People use one another, then throw them away like so much garbage. We see these things on the news casts. We hear politicians trying to get elected by supporting some “new” scheme or law. Everyone has a solution, but no solutions seem forthcoming. When 9-11 terrorist attacks occur or people take advantage of one another when they are suffering, the cry goes out.

Where is God?
Why doesn’t God do something about this?

God did do something about this. God sent His Beloved Son Jesus into this world to save it. Beloved, we all need to be saved!
We all need to be REDEEMED!

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through His blood ..

To “redeem” something is to “purchase something from another owner”. When God created this earth, He placed man and woman in it. To this first couple the Bible says:

Genesis 1:28 … God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over {it} …

The first couple were placed over the earth to have dominion over it. They were to rule the earth as they followed the Lord. But they made a bad decision to depart from God and follow themselves. And doing this, they plunged the world into sin.

Sin and satan became the masters of us.

Rather than follow God, sin bids us to follow and pleasure self. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 59:2 … your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your SIN have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Sin erected a barrier between mankind and God. Sin became a master that owned humanity. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 8:34-35 … Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever …

Sin binds us as a Master binds the slave. How did the alcoholic become an alcoholic? Was it not the first drink that set in motion that terrible state. How did the young woman become a murderer? Did she not allow that which is sin to enter her body, then, becoming with child, choose to remove that young life?

Sin not only BINDS us, it BLINDS us.
Those enslaved to sin redefine it.
It is “Family Planning”, not abortion or murder.
It is “Falling in love”, not fornication.
We say “He deserves to be happy”, not “He committed adultery”.

The Master called Sin does not want us to know that what we are doing is wrong and ultimately destructive. God does not want us following sin’s dread leadership. This is why God sent His Son to die for us. Jesus Christ came to redeem us from sin’s hold. Again our text tells us:

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through His Blood….

We are not redeemed from enslavement to sin by our own efforts. We are redeemed by Jesus Christ. Jesus told us:

John 8:36 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

And the Apostle said in:

1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain {way of life} received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot …

For years and years people believed that they could effect their own salvation. They thought that they could do penance, or do a good work, or follow a ritual, or gain a title such as “Brother” or “Doctor”. Humanity thought that there was some self help method to fix our position with God and our broken, sin filled hearts. But Beloved, the truth is:

The slave does not have the currency necessary
to purchase his own freedom!

The slave says, “I’ll work it off”. No, you cannot. Every work that the slave does he owes to his master. The slave is expected to work for the master. Work is no currency. The person enslaved to sin has brought the condemnation of God on themselves. The sinner is a sinner because their master tells them to sin. But – praise God – the Lord chose to offer us redemption through Christ.

Romans 5:6-10 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

When Jesus Christ went to the Cross of Calvary He not only purchased us from sin’s mastery but He also saved us from God’s wrath.

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

We stand forgiven before God the Father is we have received Jesus Christ as out Lord and Savior. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We sin, knowing that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Sin eventually destroys the life that serves it. But sin also brings the wrathful judgment of God on the sinner. But because of Christ we have forgiveness of sins. What did Jesus say?

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

To believe in the name of Jesus is to come to Him surrendered, believing that He is both Lord and Savior. It is to let Christ purchase you with His Blood.

This is a message that the world finds offensive, but is nonetheless clearly presented in the Scripture. Jesus said:

John 6:29 This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.

To reject Jesus is to reject the One Whom the Father set forth as Lord and Savior. Jesus assured us all:

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

We cannot make ourselves right with God – but Jesus can! When we come to Him as Lord and Savior we receive the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. God’s gift of salvation and freedom is given freely through Jesus Christ our Lord.

BEFORE a person meets and receives Christ he or she is a child of Adam, enslaved to the flesh and sin. AFTER a person meets and receives Christ our position changes. Read again with me:

Ephesians 1:10-11 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times {God} might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

What is the Apostle saying? He said in the dispensation of the fulness of times God gathers all things together in Christ. Do you see the phrase “fulness of times”? When the time was right God sent forth His Christ, His Beloved Son, to purchase whosoever would believe on Him from the world and the flesh. We see this phrase again in:

Galatians 4:3-7 … we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

After surrendering to Christ Jesus by letting Him be your Lord and Savior, His Blood is applied to the entire history of you. Because of what Jesus did for you you are no longer enslaved to the sins of this world. You, dear Christ follower, are changed from servant of sin to Son of the Savior. The Apostle exultantly said that we are redeemed specifically so that we might receive the adoption of sons. You do not belong to satan. You do not belong to this world. You do not even belong to yourselves. Your identity is changed to that of a son of God. You belong to God, to Heaven, to eternity.

What of that old master we call “sin”? Is it our master anymore? NO! A thousand times NO! The Scripture says:

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Romans 6:11-14 … reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Sin is not the Christian’s master. Christ is our Master. God is our Father. The Holy Spirit is our Enabler. When we sin, we upon recognizing it repent and reject of it, and hasten back to the Blood of Christ. Sin is not my ruler nor should it be your ruler, dear believer.

Ephesians 1:12-14 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

God indwells His people, sealing us to Himself. We do not belong to evil. We do not belong to sin. We do not belong even to ourselves. We belong to God, our Triune God, both now and forevermore.

Death for the Christian is therefore no defeat, but a victory. Those who have been redeemed by the Blood of Christ belong to God, and we will one day go to our God – where there is joy forevermore.

May God cause you to examine yourselves as to whether you know Christ or not. I pray that all who read this will one day be in Heaven with me. God bless you all!