5. A Spiritual Emancipation Proclamation - Part One (Eph. 1:7-10)

A. Chains. Backbreaking work. Long hours. Sweat. Toil. Agony. This is the language that Israel was familiar with in the early chapters of Exodus as were

held captive by Pharoah.

1. The Pharaoh was a brutal taskmaster.

“So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.” (, ESV)

B. The bondage of Israel is a sort of portrait of every human being born into this world.

1. We have considered this bondage in recent days and have learned that sinners are totally depraved. We have learned a bit about the devastating

effects of sin and have been struck with the hideous nature of sin.

and have been struck with the hideous nature of sin.

2. Each sinner faces:

a. Spiritual death ().

b. Spiritual blindess ().

c. Spiritual inability ().

d. Spiritual alienation ().

e. Spiritual deafness ().

f. Spiritual slavery and bondage ().

3. “Everyone who practices sin,” says Jesus is a slave to sin” ().

4. Apart from grace, sinners are foolish, disobedient, led astray, corrupted by malice and envy, and are slaves to various passions and pleasures (See

C. So Israel had a desperate need. Israel needed to be emancipated. Israel needed to be set free! And so imagine what ran through Moses’ mind when

he heard these words from God:

“Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.” (, ESV)

D. Like Israel, the greatest need of every person, then, is emancipation. —

We need to be set free!

E. The title of the message is A Spiritual Emancipation Proclamation

F. Raising Need - Two Kinds of People

1. Some of you need to experience spiritual freedom (Non-believers)

a. When I describe the bondage of slavery, you understand exactly what I’m talking about.

b. You are cut off from God. You are cut off from people. There is a disconnect and you know it.

c. Sin has you by the throat. Simply put you do not have the ability to please God, love God, or worship God. And it’s tearing you up inside.

d. So today is the day of reckoning. It’s a day where you exchange your orange jump suit for the robe of Christ’s righteousness!

e. Today is the day to receive forgiveness for every past, present, and future sin.

f. Today is the day when you will experience spiritual freedom.

2. Some of you need to appropriate your spiritual freedom (Christians)

You need to stop, listen, and learn.

a. You need to stop living like a slave to sin.

b. You need to listen to what the Word of God says about you.

c. You need to learn about your new position in Christ.

Illus: When President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, it paved the way for the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States on December 6, 1865.

Imagine the morning when you are set free after years of abuse on a plantation. The slave owner takes the chains off your hands and feet. You change into a pair of clean clothes. And you begin your walk of freedom.

On that first day, you are captivated by your new life. For the first time, you don’t have a slave master barking into your ear. For the first time, you don’t have to endure beatings when your work is not productive enough. For the first time, you can utter the words, “I am a free man or woman!”

At the end of the day, you make your way back to the slave-master’s plantation. You check into your tight, stinky quarters. And you change back into your slave clothes. Worst yet, you subject yourself to the tyranny of the slave-master. That’s precisely what Christians do who have been set free from sin when they go back to their old way of living.

G. Text - [1]

1. Prayer

H. When we gaze upon the words of Ephesians chapter 1, we are witnesses of a letter that Paul writes to the Christ-followers at the church of Ephesus.

In the first two verses, we are witnesses of the divine favor that Paul celebrates and commends them with. It is important to understand that we are not only witnesses of the celebration of divine favor; we are participants as well! We are in Christ! We are not merely bystanders in the bleachers who are watching “the game.” We are participants in this drama!

I. The apostle begins to unpack the spiritual blessings that belong to every follower of Jesus Christ in verses 3-6. In these verses, we learn about five

massive pillars.

1. The preeminent blessing originates from the hand of God the Father (1:3).

a. We learned that these blessings are spiritual blessings, which are intimately linked to the Lord Jesus Christ and that each of these blessings is totally undeserved.

2. The priority of election (1:4).

3. The plan of election.

a. We learned that the people of God were chosen by God the Father.

b. Chosen in Christ.

c. Chosen in eternity past.

4. The purpose of election (1:4).

a God chooses us to be holy and blameless in his sight.

5. The praise that election generates (1:4).

J. Last week, we saw the point of predestination, which is ultimately according to the purpose of God’s will and to the praise of his glorious grace.

K. This morning, we will dive deeper into the spiritual blessings that belong to us in Christ. More specifically, what are the benefits of spiritual

emancipation proclamation?

1. (We have been granted freedom, forgiveness, and focus) - Truth Point.[2]

The Trauma of Redemption

Why have we been redeemed?

WHAT?

What does redemption mean?

HOW?

The Triumph of Redemption

How have we been redeemed?

I. WE HAVE FREEDOM ().

Q: Exactly why do we have spiritual freedom?

A: We have been redeemed!

A. THE TRAUMA OF REDEMPTION[3]

There is no greater trauma than the one who is lost and without hope and without God.

1. Every person is conceived in sin.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (, ESV)

2. Every person is compelled to obey sin.

“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (, ESV)

“Sin is a cruel tyrant. It is the most devastating and degenerating power ever to afflict the human race … It corrupts the entire person - infecting the soul, polluting the mind, defiling the conscience, contaminating the affections, and poisoning the will. It is the life-destroying, soul-condemning cancer that festers and grows in every unredeemed human heart like an incurable gangrene.”[4]

3. Every person is cooped up by sin.[5] Indeed, this is a cage that is locked tight and holds each person with an ironclad grip.

If you are still trapped in this cage of sin, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It is a daily reality.

· You are a slave to your addictions - drugs and alcohol rule your life.

· You are a slave to your passions - sex and pornography dominate your every thought.

· You are a slave to your emotions - anger is out of control; fear consumes your every thought; jealousy clouds your judgment.

“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (, ESV)

“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,” (, ESV)

“Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” (, ESV)

“Because we as sinners are in bondage to sin and to Satan, we need someone to provide redemption and thereby ‘redeem’ us out of that bondage.”[6]

4. Every person “in Christ” has been redeemed.

B. THE TRUTH OF REDEMPTION[7]

1. Three Greek words paint a picture of the story of redemption.[8]

a. ἀγοράζω - “to purchase in the slave market.”

“for you were bought (ἀγοράζω) with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (, ESV)

“You were bought (ἀγοράζω)with a price; do not become bondservants of men.” (, ESV)

“And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed (ἀγοράζω) people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,” (, ESV)

b. ἐξαγοράζω - “to buy out of the slave market; to buy for oneself.”

“Christ redeemed (ἐξαγοράζω)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”—” (, ESV)

“to redeem (ἐξαγοράζω) those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (, ESV)

The word suggests this: The redeemed belong to Jesus forever. They will never be for sale in the slave market of sin!

c. λυτρόω - “to liberate by payment of ransom.”

“who gave himself for us to redeem (λυτρόω) us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (, ESV)

“knowing that you were ransomed (λυτρόω) from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,” (, ESV)

Here’s what λυτρόω means: If you are in Christ, you are set free from the penalty of sin. You are set free from the power of sin. And one day, you will be set free from the very presence of sin.

2. Redemption is definite.

a. “The doctrine states that the death of Christ actually put away the sins of all God’s elect and ensured that they would be brought to faith through regeneration and kept in faith for glory, and that is what it was intended to achieve.”[9]

b. There is no ambiguity in this definite atonement. There is no hesitation. There are no roadblocks. When Paul says, “In him we have redemption,” he really means it! This redemption is not merely a possibility or even a probability. This redemption will come to pass in each one of God’s elect![10]

he really means it! This redemption is not merely a possibility or even a probability. This redemption will come to pass in each one of God’s elect![10]

Scripture speaks of a redemption that really redeems; not merely one that makes possible the deliverance of captives, but one that actually delivers them!

c. What kind of redemption is this where a large number of captives are still being held?

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”” (, ESV)

3. Redemption is effectual.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (, ESV)

4. Redemption is irreversible.

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (, ESV)

5. Redemption is God’s appointed way of rescuing his people.

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” (, ESV)

Illustration: The Boy and His Boat[11]

C. THE TRIUMPH OF REDEMPTION[12]

1. Redemption is through his blood.

a. The Passover and the death of Jesus ().

· The lamb becomes the substitute for the firstborn son, dying in his place.[13]

· The NT helps us understand the connection between Jesus’ death and the Passover. Just as the first born sons were saved from the judgment of God because a lamb had been sacrificed on their behalf, God’s people will be saved from judgment because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

“knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (, ESV)

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (, ESV)

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (, ESV)

2. The blood of Christ is costly and the blood of Christ is precious. “In him we have redemption through his blood.” This is the triumph of redemption.

We have been redeemed! We have been purchased out of the slave market of sin, never to return again!

Conclusion

A. This morning, we have seen the trauma of redemption, the truth of redemption and the triumph of redemption.

1. We have learned that the benefit of spiritual emancipation is spiritual freedom – Truth Point

B. As I look around our congregation, I wonder about something. As I survey the

evangelical world, I wonder about something. I wonder if professing Christians are

living in light of the reality of . I wonder if they are truly experiencing

the freedom that is theirs in Christ.

C. I want to close by telling you a story about a Christian man who was not living like a

free man.

1. It was one of the most difficult and painful days of my life. It was the day I got in my car and drove to the county jail. I had visited inmates before. I

had visited thieves. On one occasion, I visited a man at the Penitentiary in Walla Walla who was serving a life sentence for putting a contract on his wife to be executed in cold blood. He succeeded. And so visiting an inmate was not a new experience for me. But this day was different. I got out of my car with my copy of Knowing God by J.I. Packer, thinking that Dr. Packer’s words would be encouraging for my friend. I heard a voice over the intercom say, “The prisoner will not be allowed to receive any literature.” After emptying my pockets, I was taken to a small room where I waited behind a sheet of glass. And I was completely unprepared for what I was about to see. My friend who I served with on staff at church walked into the room (on the other side of the glass). His hair was disheveled. A somber look was on his face. And he was wearing an orange jump suit.

2. As we talked briefly, I remember being thinking to myself, “How does a professing Christ-follower go from teaching about Jesus to the jailhouse?”

3. My conclusion is this: My friend was not living like a free man. And the irony of this story is that he actually ended up in jail!

D. Are you fully experiencing the freedom that is yours in Christ – or have you returned to the slave market of sin? (What does it look like?)

to the slave market of sin? (What does it look like?)

1. Enslaved to anger.

2. Enslaved to lust.

3. Enslaved to deceit.

4. Enslaved to porn.

5. Enslaved to gluttony.

6. Enslaved to pride.

7. Enslaved to power.

8. Enslaved to money.

9. The person trapped in the slave market of sin develops patterns that slowly dominate ones life.

E. When all along, the Bible says, “In him we have redemption through his blood.”

F. For every person who is in Christ - You have been delivered! You have been set free! You have been set free!

free! You have been set free!

G. If you are a Christian and you’re living in bondage to sin, God is calling you to repent and to begin to live out your freedom.

and to begin to live out your freedom.

1. Repentance Matrix.

H. This is a Spiritual Emancipation Proclamation - It’s time to trash the orange jump suit. For you have been clothed in the robe of Christ’s

righteousness. Your chains are gone! You are free!

suit. For you have been clothed in the robe of Christ’s righteousness. Your chains

are gone! You are free!

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1

Corinthians 15:57, ESV)

[1] We will only focus on the first few lines of this verse, “In him we have redemption through his blood …”

[2] We will only explore freedom here. Next week, we will discover how God graciously grants forgiveness and focus to his elect.

[3] Why is redemption necessary? Why have we been redeemed?

[4] John MacArthur, Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010), 121.

[5] Every person is in bondage to sin’s power.

[6] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 580.

[7] What does redemption mean?

[8] Thanks for the reminder! Wuest, K.S. (1997). Wuest’s Word Studies From the Greek New Testament For the English Reader (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans).

[9] J.I. Packer, Concise Theology (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1993), 137.

[10] My intent here is not to to specifically teach definite atonement but to slowly build the foundation so the people of God will begin to “connect the dots” and see the compelling evidence for this theological reality.

[11] See Kent R. Hughes, Ephesians: The Mystery of the Body of Christ (Wheaton: Crossway, 1990), loc. 410-419.

[12] How have we been redeemed?

[13] See Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, Andrew Sach, Pierced For Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution (Wheaton: Crossway, 2007), 37.

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