Redeemed: How I Love To Proclaim It

Ephesians 1:7

Paul opens this wonderful letter to the church at Ephesus with a most blessed description of what Jesus means to the believer. He tells us in verse 5 that God has adopted us to himself by Jesus Christ, showing forth the mighty power of His grace, accepting us in His beloved Son (verse 6). This means that as believers, we are as accepted in the eyes of God as is Jesus, His beloved one. This is great news!

Through the shed blood of Jesus, we have redemption, meaning that we have been bought off of the slave block of sin. This doctrine of redemption is the New Testament doctrine, and literally means, “to deliver by paying a price”. Actually, there are three Greek words used in the New Testament which all mean “redemption”.

The first word is “agorazo” which means, “to purchase in the market”. This is why I stated that redemption bought us off of the slave block of sin. Christ’s blood took us off the market, as we were “sold under sin” (Romans 7:14).

The second word is “exagorazo”, “to buy out of the market”. This denotes that not only did Jesus buy us from the slavery of sin with His blood, but we have been removed from circulation, assuring us that we will not be slaves to sin ever again.

Finally, the word redemption is rendered “lutroo”, meaning, “to loose”, or “to set free by paying a price”. This shows us that we are purchased from sin, with no chance of being sold back and then we are set free to live our lives in total liberty. This final step is what makes the Christian walk one of absolute beauty. The Holy Spirit in our life brings liberty to live in abundance.

Redemption provides “forgiveness of sins”. All of your sins, past, present and future have been taken care of in the body of Jesus at Calvary. You are no longer viewed as guilty, and you never again can be. Only God’s rich grace can provide such a promise, for only with grace can great things be granted with no payment expected in return.

Consequently, did you notice the term “accepted in the beloved” in the previous verse (Ephesians 1:6)? That is one of two times that the Greek word ‘kharetoo’ is used, which means “highly favored”. The other time is when the angel Gabriel tells the virgin Mary that she is “highly favored among women” (Luke 1:28). This promise is for all who have accepted Jesus as Savior; you are “highly favored” by God!

Do not feel that you owe God today, for Jesus has already paid your debt for sin and righteousness. This gift of abundant grace is yours for the taking. Allow that grace to minister to you of who Christ is and how He wants to live through you. Don’t worry about sin anymore, as the Holy Spirit in you will render sin and its dominion, obsolete (Romans 6:14).

Go in God’s rich grace today, knowing that you are free in Jesus.

The Sleeping Habits of the Redeemed

Acts 12:1-7

Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great and was a strict observer of the law. This made him extremely popular with the Jews, and to maintain this popularity, he turned his hand against the early church to kill some of the apostles. Having killed James with the sword (Acts 12:2) he turned his attention to Peter. He captured him and imprisoned him, intending to kill him publicly following the Easter holiday.

Peter was held in prison under the watch of four quaternions of soldiers. This was a rotation of 16 soldiers, four at a time working 3-hour shifts. This was done to keep the soldiers fresh and alert. What a threat this fisherman from Galilee must have been! On the night before Herod was to have him executed, we find Peter sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains with soldiers standing outside of the door of the prison house (Acts 12:6).

There must have been some kind of confidence in Peter’s heart that would allow him to sleep in such a moment of crisis. I don’t think that I would have been as calm as Peter was, knowing that the next day might be my last on the earth, yet we find him snoring the night away. The secret to his calm was not in any supernatural talent on his part, but in his understanding of His Savior’s words to him.

Peter was in the boat the night that a storm raged and all of the disciples became afraid for their lives (Matthew 8:23-27). He remembered seeing Jesus asleep, so peaceful while the ship rocked to and fro. He recalled that moment when he woke Jesus from his rest and asked if the Master cared that they perished. He saw the sky break and the waves cease to roar as Jesus commanded the storm to flee. What wonder must have risen in his heart as he realized the key to surviving the storms of life was to learn to rest in the midst of them.

He also remembered one of the last things that Jesus had said to him while He was still on the earth. Following the embarrassing incident of denying Christ, Peter had decided to leave the ministry and go back to professional fishing, only to meet Jesus on the shoreline one morning. The Master never mentioned Peter’s failure; but rather invited him to breakfast and then commissioned him to preach the gospel again (John 21:12-17). Following that commission, Jesus prophesied of Peter’s life and death, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, When you were young, you girded yourself, and walked wherever you would: but when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you, and carry you where you would not” (John 21:18). This told Peter that he would live to be an old man and then die a martyr’s death. The incidents of Acts 12 take place less than 10 years after Jesus made that statement, and Peter is far from being an old man. He has learned to trust the statements of Jesus, and if the Master said that he will live to be old, then this incident with Herod cannot be the end. With that information, he sleeps the sleep of the redeemed.

Take your rest in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). Do you believe those words? If you do, then you have nothing to fear; God is not leaving you, so rest in His goodness and sleep the sleep of the redeemed.

Redeemed: How I Love To Proclaim It

Ephesians 1:7

Paul opens this wonderful letter to the church at Ephesus with a most blessed description of what Jesus means to the believer. He tells us in verse 5 that God has adopted us to himself by Jesus Christ, showing forth the mighty power of His grace, accepting us in His beloved Son (verse 6). This means that as believers, we are as accepted in the eyes of God as is Jesus, His beloved one. This is great news!

Through the shed blood of Jesus, we have redemption, meaning that we have been bought off of the slave block of sin. This doctrine of redemption is the New Testament doctrine, and literally means, “to deliver by paying a price”. Actually, there are three Greek words used in the New Testament which all mean “redemption”.

The first word is “agorazo” which means, “to purchase in the market”. This is why I stated that redemption bought us off of the slave block of sin. Christ’s blood took us off the market, as we were “sold under sin” (Romans 7:14).

The second word is “exagorazo”, “to buy out of the market”. This denotes that not only did Jesus buy us from the slavery of sin with His blood, but we have been removed from circulation, assuring us that we will not be slaves to sin ever again.

Finally, the word redemption is rendered “lutroo”, meaning, “to loose”, or “to set free by paying a price”. This shows us that we are purchased from sin, with no chance of being sold back and then we are set free to live our lives in total liberty. This final step is what makes the Christian walk one of absolute beauty. The Holy Spirit in our life brings liberty to live in abundance.

Redemption provides “forgiveness of sins”. All of your sins, past, present and future have been taken care of in the body of Jesus at Calvary. You are no longer viewed as guilty, and you never again can be. Only God’s rich grace can provide such a promise, for only with grace can great things be granted with no payment expected in return.

Consequently, did you notice the term “accepted in the beloved” in the previous verse (Ephesians 1:6)? That is one of two times that the Greek word ‘kharetoo’ is used, which means “highly favored”. The other time is when the angel Gabriel tells the virgin Mary that she is “highly favored among women” (Luke 1:28). This promise is for all who have accepted Jesus as Savior; you are “highly favored” by God!

Do not feel that you owe God today, for Jesus has already paid your debt for sin and righteousness. This gift of abundant grace is yours for the taking. Allow that grace to minister to you of who Christ is and how He wants to live through you. Don’t worry about sin anymore, as the Holy Spirit in you will render sin and its dominion, obsolete (Romans 6:14).

Go in God’s rich grace today, knowing that you are free in Jesus.

The Sleeping Habits of the Redeemed

Acts 12:1-7

Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great and was a strict observer of the law. This made him extremely popular with the Jews, and to maintain this popularity, he turned his hand against the early church to kill some of the apostles. Having killed James with the sword (Acts 12:2) he turned his attention to Peter. He captured him and imprisoned him, intending to kill him publicly following the Easter holiday.

Peter was held in prison under the watch of four quaternions of soldiers. This was a rotation of 16 soldiers, four at a time working 3-hour shifts. This was done to keep the soldiers fresh and alert. What a threat this fisherman from Galilee must have been! On the night before Herod was to have him executed, we find Peter sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains with soldiers standing outside of the door of the prison house (Acts 12:6).

There must have been some kind of confidence in Peter’s heart that would allow him to sleep in such a moment of crisis. I don’t think that I would have been as calm as Peter was, knowing that the next day might be my last on the earth, yet we find him snoring the night away. The secret to his calm was not in any supernatural talent on his part, but in his understanding of His Savior’s words to him.

Peter was in the boat the night that a storm raged and all of the disciples became afraid for their lives (Matthew 8:23-27). He remembered seeing Jesus asleep, so peaceful while the ship rocked to and fro. He recalled that moment when he woke Jesus from his rest and asked if the Master cared that they perished. He saw the sky break and the waves cease to roar as Jesus commanded the storm to flee. What wonder must have risen in his heart as he realized the key to surviving the storms of life was to learn to rest in the midst of them.

He also remembered one of the last things that Jesus had said to him while He was still on the earth. Following the embarrassing incident of denying Christ, Peter had decided to leave the ministry and go back to professional fishing, only to meet Jesus on the shoreline one morning. The Master never mentioned Peter’s failure; but rather invited him to breakfast and then commissioned him to preach the gospel again (John 21:12-17). Following that commission, Jesus prophesied of Peter’s life and death, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, When you were young, you girded yourself, and walked wherever you would: but when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you, and carry you where you would not” (John 21:18). This told Peter that he would live to be an old man and then die a martyr’s death. The incidents of Acts 12 take place less than 10 years after Jesus made that statement, and Peter is far from being an old man. He has learned to trust the statements of Jesus, and if the Master said that he will live to be old, then this incident with Herod cannot be the end. With that information, he sleeps the sleep of the redeemed.

Take your rest in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). Do you believe those words? If you do, then you have nothing to fear; God is not leaving you, so rest in His goodness and sleep the sleep of the redeemed.

Redeemed: How I Love To Proclaim It

Ephesians 1:7

Paul opens this wonderful letter to the church at Ephesus with a most blessed description of what Jesus means to the believer. He tells us in verse 5 that God has adopted us to himself by Jesus Christ, showing forth the mighty power of His grace, accepting us in His beloved Son (verse 6). This means that as believers, we are as accepted in the eyes of God as is Jesus, His beloved one. This is great news!

Through the shed blood of Jesus, we have redemption, meaning that we have been bought off of the slave block of sin. This doctrine of redemption is the New Testament doctrine, and literally means, “to deliver by paying a price”. Actually, there are three Greek words used in the New Testament which all mean “redemption”.

The first word is “agorazo” which means, “to purchase in the market”. This is why I stated that redemption bought us off of the slave block of sin. Christ’s blood took us off the market, as we were “sold under sin” (Romans 7:14).

The second word is “exagorazo”, “to buy out of the market”. This denotes that not only did Jesus buy us from the slavery of sin with His blood, but we have been removed from circulation, assuring us that we will not be slaves to sin ever again.

Finally, the word redemption is rendered “lutroo”, meaning, “to loose”, or “to set free by paying a price”. This shows us that we are purchased from sin, with no chance of being sold back and then we are set free to live our lives in total liberty. This final step is what makes the Christian walk one of absolute beauty. The Holy Spirit in our life brings liberty to live in abundance.

Redemption provides “forgiveness of sins”. All of your sins, past, present and future have been taken care of in the body of Jesus at Calvary. You are no longer viewed as guilty, and you never again can be. Only God’s rich grace can provide such a promise, for only with grace can great things be granted with no payment expected in return.

Do not feel that you owe God today, for Jesus has already paid your debt for sin and righteousness. This gift of abundant grace is yours for the taking. Allow that grace to minister to you of who Christ is and how He wants to live through you. Don’t worry about sin anymore, as the Holy Spirit in you will render sin and its dominion, obsolete.

Go in God’s rich grace today, knowing that you are free in Jesus.