Paul had a special relationship with the church at Ephesus. He helped start the church and stayed there for a couple of years before sending Timothy to be their pastor.
I. Redemption is only possible through the blood of Jesus.
What is redemption? Preacher story example... A boy and his father build a sailboat and take it to the lake to sail it. While at the lake the boy loses his sailboat. He was very sad. Sometime later the boy and his father were in town and the boy saw his sailboat in a shop window. The boy told the store owner that it was his sailboat in the window. The store owner said sorry but I bought that from a fisherman and if you want it you will have to buy it. The boy was sad, but also was glad that he knew where his sailboat was at. So the boy worked hard and earned the money that he needed to buy the sailboat back. When he finally got his hands on his sailboat he told it how much he loved it and not only did he craft the boat but he gave all that money so that he could buy it back. That is redemption...to be bought pack, to be set free, a price is payed so that you can redeem something.
Did Jesus have to die for our sins? Some people believe that a loving God have to hold sins against people. They don't believe that there was a need to shed blood. But that is not what scripture teaches us...and songs... "There is power in the blood"..."What can wash away my sin"..."The blood that gives me strength".
Scripture says...
Matthew 26:39 (ESV) "And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'"
1John 2:2 (ESV) "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."
Galatians 3:13 (ESV) "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us- for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'-"
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Isaiah 53:3-6 & 10 (ESV) "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgression; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned-every one- to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand."
Jewish people do not like to hear Isaiah 53 read because it describes Jesus and his death.
It seems like there is a "cosmic rule" that sin brings death and it requires blood to cover the sin. Adam & Eve sinned and the first blood shed in the world/garden was to provide "covering" for their "nakedness" their sin. This means that something had to be "sacrificed" for their sin. The Old Testament had a sacrificial system, but it was only a temporary covering of the sin, it was insufficient. Then Jesus arrived and John the Baptist said of him "behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Jesus took our place and our sin was placed on him. God punished Jesus for our sin.
Colossians 2:13-15 (ESV)
1John 3:8 (ESV)
John 12:31-33 (ESV)
Matthew 28:18-19 (ESV)
Jesus' blood was necessary to pay your ransom
II. How vile and disgusting is your sin.
We often don't see how awful our own sin is, but we notice our neighbors sin.
Luke 18:11-14 (ESV) "The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Jesus had a problem with the Pharisee. They honored God with their lips, but their heart was far from him. The high priest Annas' family had a hold on the office of the high priest. The lied, cheated and murdered to stay in power. They cheated people in the temple. This family is believed to have had a lot to do with things being sold in the temple. Jesus does not only look at our actions, but also our hearts.
Romans 3:23 (ESV) "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Your stuff is disgusting too...unforgiveness in your heart, hate, gossip, sowing discord, back biting. These things destroy you, your relationship with God, with your family, the church, your sin will destroy everything.
1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV) "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost."
You have got so much to be forgiven for. Jesus shares the parable of the Unforgiving Servant. The unforgiving servant owes his master a HUGE amount and his master forgave him of his debts. The unforgiving servants goes to another servant who owes him money and demands him to pay his debts. When the master finds out what the servant had done he was punished. There is a connection between our forgiving of others and God forgiving us. You can never out forgive God. We have to forgive one another. Nothing will ruin your life more than the bitterness that comes out of unforgiveness. We need to do some self evaluation.
III. Yet how precious you are in the sight of God.
Romans 5:8 (ESV) "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
John 3:16-17 (ESV) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
God, even though we were so reviled, then God you so much that he sacrificed his Son for YOU!
Who killed Jesus? The Jews killed Jesus, but also the Romans killed Jesus, God the Father killed Jesus, Jesus killed Jesus, and YOU killed Jesus. God loved us so much that he sent his Son to die on the cross for YOU.
IV. God dumps grace on his people.
You didn't need a little grace sprinkled on you, you needed to be immersed, to be baptized in grace. God lavishes grace on his people.
John D. Rockefeller one of the richest men of the in the world at his time. He was not well liked, so he thought he needed to help his "image" so he dressed up in a suit and top hat and loaded his pockets down with dimes and nickels. He gave nickels and dimes to poor children and took a photographer along to document. This is nothing like God's grace! He LAVISHES his grace on us, his never ending grace.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV) "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."
So what are we doing with God's grace? What good works are flowing out of the grace you've been shown? Are you sharing? Are you caring? Are you forgiving?
V. God will bring about the perfect ending.
Ephesians 1:10 (ESV) "as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him."
Jesus is the answer to every problem. He will right every wrong, heal every hurt. We believe that Jesus is coming back. The most quoted Old Testament verses in the New Testament is Psalms 110.
Are you ready? No time like the present!
Revelation 21:1-5 (ESV) "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.' And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"
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