Category: Redemption
Subject: Redemption
The Blood of the Cross
God’s plan for redeeming man has been referred to as a scarlet thread that runs throughout the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the primary thrust of scripture is God’s effort to deal with the sin of man.
It is prophesied in Genesis 3:15 when Satan, in the guise of the serpent, was told by God, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
Sermon: Why Jesus Came
There are a number of answers which Jesus Himself supplied while on earth. This lesson examines the reasons Jesus came to earth 2,000 years ago.
Sermon: Philip and Nathanael (1:43-51)
Lesson 2 in series (John 1:43-51)
Jesus’ conversations with Philip and Nathanael are discussed. It is revealed that Jesus is the means of God’s provision, as He serves as a mediator between God and man.
The Veil is Taken Away
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:14).
The image of the veil accurately expresses the significance of passing from the Old Law to the New. Moses, in giving the law to Israel, paved the way for the redemption of mankind. The Old Testament contains so many things —types, prophecies, law — that God used to prepare mankind for His plan to bring salvation through His Son.
But, that Old Law of Moses was preparatory. It was a harbinger of what was to come. And so, when one looks exclusively at the Old Law, he gets neither the entire picture, nor the full benefits of God’s redemptive plan.
Paul wrote, “Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Corinthians 3:16). When the gospel is preached to man, some believe it and place their trust in Jesus Christ. In Him is that which allows believers to “be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).
The blessing we receive by this unveiling? “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Praise be to God for His great blessings toward us.
Click below to…
Spiritual Surgery
Recently I came across a sermon outline by Joe Price titled Spiritual Surgery. (He preached it a couple of months ago). This article is basically a fleshing out of the three main points in his outline.
The apostle Paul, in Colossians 2, refers to a spiritual circumcision, using the token of the covenant between God and Israel to make an important point. “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (2:11-12).
As physical circumcision was surgical removal (a cutting off, cf. Genesis 17:10-11; Galatians 5:12). Paul uses the same language to indicate they were to remove or put off the body of the sins of the flesh. This was not an unfamiliar concept to the Jews. In fact, Moses said something similar as he called upon the Israelites to repent of their transgressions against God in Deuteronomy 10:16, “Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.”
Sermon: The Preacher and the Penitent
Luke’s narrative of the conversion of Cornelius and his household is unique in its use of two viewpoints to relate the facts. Both the preacher and the penitent are followed, with the two meeting as the gospel is preached and souls are saved.
Sermon: The Promises of God
The lesson shows that some of God’s promises are unconditional in nature, while others are conditional. God’s most wonderful promises are available through His Son Jesus, showing God’s mercy and grace.
Sermon: How Heaven Views Sinners
The Parables of Luke 15 explain the view that Heaven holds regarding lost souls.
Sermon: A Plan is Needed!
A plan is needed for the salvation of men. The lesson discusses why men are in need of salvation.
Sermon: Propitiation
What does the term Propitiation mean, and how does the term relate to God’s scheme for redeeming man?
Sermon: Jesus in the Temple
Second in a series on the life of Jesus. Jesus’ obeyed His Father, and accomplished His will in redeeming man. We too have a stewardship from God, and we too must be faithful.
Lessons Learned from the Remnant
The book of Ezra records a remnant of Judah returning to the homeland after 70 years spent in Babylonian captivity. The reason they had been conquered by the Babylonians was their rejection of God. As Jeremiah put it, “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number” (Jeremiah 2:32).
However, after 70 years (prophesied in Jeremiah 29:10), God stirred up the heart of King Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to their homeland (cf. Ezra 1:1). Not all were interested in leaving the place where they had lived for two generations. But, a remnant was moved by God (1:5), and returned to the land. Here the Jews reestablished their worship to God, and ultimately rebuilt the temple.
The Good Shepherd
In the gospel of John, Jesus identified himself as the “good shepherd” (John 10:11). The work of the shepherd in New Testament times was challenging. He would train the sheep or goats to obey his commands, feed and water them, and protect them from harm. The young David is an good example, as he saved his sheep from both a lion and a bear (cf. 1 Samuel 17:34). Obviously, if the sheep belonged to the shepherd himself, the investment was a precious one. This explains Jesus’ words, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (11). In contrast, “The hireling flees [when he sees the wolf] because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep” (13). Jesus used this imagery to describe His sin sacrifice, “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (15).
Sermon: Drawn to Jesus
This sermon expresses why we should desire to be drawn to Jesus, as well as how it is done.
Sermon: God’s Plans
Sermon by Brantley Gallman
Daniel 2 gives a good example of the grand and sovereign plans of God.