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Another Reason to Fear the Lord: Our Redemption
1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Introduction
Last week we were talking about the “Fear of the Lord”. As I read this Epistle and by comparing verses in the Scriptures I came to realize that because the Lord redeemed us, we should fear Him. Fear the Lord who saved us? Should we not just love Him? Yes indeed we have to love Him for the great salvation He has given us. However, Psalm 130:4 tell us “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared”. When we realise the awful cost of redemption, we fear the Lord with a fear which causes us not to sin against Him. Our salvation is very costly since it caused the death of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ.
I. The meaning of redemption.
A. Redemption means bought and released, describing the act of buying a slave from the market in order to give him freedom.
B. Redemption is another term we use for salvation.
C. There are three Greek words translated “redemption” which give a wonderful picture of our salvation in Christ:
1. Agorazo – means to purchase in a market. This word is used in a general sense in Mt. 13:44, 46; 27:7; Lk. 14:18-19. In reference to salvation, agorazo is used in 1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23; 2 Pet. 2:1; Rev. 5:9 and Rev. 14:2-3. Agorazo pictures the Lord Jesus Christ paying the awful price required by our sin. Jesus Christ came into the slave market of this fallen world and paid the full price to redeem men by His blood and death.
2. Exagorazo – means to buy out of the market. This is the word agorazo compounded with the Greek preposition ex, meaning out from. Jesus not only paid the purchase price, He completely removed the believing sinner from the position of condemnation and from Satan’s dominion.
3. Lutroo – means to loose, to set free. The emphasis of this word is that God gives to the believer day-to-day victory over sin, Satan, and the world. We are purchased, brought out, and released to a life of spiritual freedom in Christ. Lutroo is used in Tit 2:14; 1Pe 1:18 and Heb. 9:12.
Illustration: Sing Redeemed
A story told by Paul Lee Tan illustrates the meaning of redemption:
When A. J. Gordon was pastor of a church in Boston, he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, “Son, where did you get those birds?”
The boy replied, “I trapped them out in the field.”
“What are you going to do with them?”
“I’m going to play with them, and then I guess I’ll just feed them to an old cat we have at home.”
Gordon offered to buy them, and the lad exclaimed, “Mister, you don’t want them, they’re just little old wild birds and can’t sing very well.”
Gordon replied, “I’ll give you $2 for the cage and the birds.”
“Okay, it’s a deal, but you’re making a bad bargain.”
The exchange was made and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Gordon walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue.
The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s coming to seek and to save the lost—paying for them with His own precious blood. “That boy told me the birds were not songsters,” said Gordon, “but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, ‘Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!”
You and I have been held captive to sin, but Christ has purchased our pardon and set us at liberty. When a person has this life-changing experience, he will want to sing, “Redeemed, Redeemed, Redeemed!”
II. The price of our redemption
A. We are redeemed through Christ’s blood (Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). Those who say the blood of Christ is only symbolic for death are wrong.
B. The blood of the O.T. animal sacrifices was symbolic, typifying the blood of Christ, but the blood was real and was required by the law of God (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22).
C. To change the word “blood” to “death” as some modern versions do is wickedness and is a denial of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Illustration: Marred Hands Settled the Issue
The price Jesus paid for our redemption was terrible indeed. When we think of the extreme suffering He endured to purchase our freedom from sin’s penalty, our hearts should overflow with love for Him. Leslie B. Flynn told a story that illustrates this truth.
An orphaned boy was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, perished in the flames. The boy’s cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron drainpipe and came back down with the boy hanging tightly to his neck.
Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child. A farmer, a teacher, and the town’s wealthiest citizen all gave the reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. But as they talked, the lad’s eyes remained focused on the floor. Then a stranger walked to the front and slowly took his hands from his pockets, revealing severe scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life. His hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the man’s neck and held on for dear life. The other men silently walked away, leaving the boy and his rescuer alone. Those marred hands had settled the issue.
Many voices are calling for our attention. Among them is the One whose nail-pierced hands remind us that He has rescued us from sin and its deadly consequences. To Him belongs our love and devotion. -D.C.E.
III. The Purpose of Redemption
A. To redeem us from eternal death and from Satan’s hold.
B. To bring us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Col. 1:13.
C. To forgive us. Lk. 7:47, Ps. 103:3.
D. To cleanse us from all sin. 1 Jn. 1:7
E. To bring us into heaven. Jn. 14:2
F. To make us holy. 2 Tim. 1:9
IV. What does redemption involved?
A. The term “redemption” is used interchangeably with “salvation.” It refers to the fullness of our salvation in Jesus Christ.
1. Redemption involves forgiveness of sins. Eph. 1:7
2. Justification. Rom. 3:24
3. Eternal inheritance. Heb. 9:15)
4. Resurrection. Rom. 8:23.
V. The permanency of Redemption:
A. It is eternal! “…having obtained eternal redemption for us”. Heb. 9:12.
VI. Three aspects of Redemption:
A. Past (Ga 3:13). We have been redeemed from the condemnation of sin and the dominion of Satan.
B. Present (Tit 2:14). We are being redeemed from the power of sin and Satan in our daily lives.
C. Future (Ro 8:23). We shall be redeemed from the very presence of sin when Christ returns and we receive resurrection bodies.
VII. Conclusion:
Our redemption should be one of the reason we should fear the Lord. Have you been redeemed? If you die now, do you know where you are going? If not yet, it’s time for you to repent and receive Christ as your personal Saviour

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