My Redeemer Lives

Scripture: Isaiah 43

This morning as we celebrate Easter – the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, I want to talk about how His death, burial, and resurrection from 2,000 years ago still impacts your life today. Maybe you’re wondering whether it was worth getting out of bed this morning. If you were here for the brunch – that alone may have been worth it. But you’re here right now, and what God’s Word has to say is worth so much more. Stay with me. You’ll see.

Over the last two weeks as we celebrated Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and today Easter, we have been focusing on the Redeemer of Scripture, promised by God to save His people. In Isaiah 43 we hear God saying “I am the Lord and besides me there is no Savior. I am your Redeemer the holy one of Israel. I am the Lord your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

God tells us that He alone is our Redeemer. He wipes out the record of sins of my past; He is the Savior of my present giving me new life; and He gives hope for my future – He will deliver me, He will not hold my sins against me, and He will be with me tomorrow and for eternity.

My Redeemer

Unfortunately, we all break God’s perfect law and His standards. No one could declare our innocence. We are clearly guilty. So unlike a lawyer who presents a case to prove his client’s innocence, instead Jesus Christ did the unthinkable – He actually took the punishment for us. His death on the cross and His life blood paid our penalty. All through the OT, God instructed His followers to sacrifice a perfect spotless lamb in payment or redemption for sins. As part of His redeeming plan, the Son of God, the promised Messiah, finally came to earth, and offered Himself as the perfect, once and for all sacrifice. He is our Redeemer. His life, death, and resurrection enables God to declare all believers “not guilty” and stand innocent or righteous before Him.

My Past

Romans 3:23 and 11-12 tell us that we are all sinners and not one person on earth is righteous or pure before God. That’s really bad news. Not only are we missing God’s standard, but there are serious effects of our sin. What we sow, we reap.

Here are five ways the difficulties in my past can be redeemed and can actually help me. These are found in a booklet at the Welcome Center called Redeeming Your Painful Past. Pick up a copy if you want to read more.

  1. It can help us handle trials. – I can see how God used adversity to shape my character and faith.
  2. It can help us forgive. – In one of Jesus’ parables He taught about a merciless man who collected threw people in jail after his own debts had been forgiven. We are called to forgive others as we recognize how much God forgave us.
  3. It can keep us humble. – When we see our sins repeated and forgiven time and again, we recognize and appreciate God’s great mercy and grace.
  4. It can help us repent. – When we look back at our past sin failures, we should be quicker to recognize current sin and getting off God’s path now.

My Present

If we look back to the passage in Isaiah 43, we will see more of God’s promises for those who trust in Him.

God will be with me

  • v 2 When I face trials and difficulties I am not alone
  • v 5 I don’t need to be afraid – God is with me

God loves me and values me

  • v 4 I am precious in His eyes, honored, and loved by God

I have a purpose

  • v 7 I am called by His name – I represent God to others

I was created for God’s Glory – all that think, say, and do are meant to reflect God’s character to those around me.

I was uniquely designed by God – my body and mind are God’s plan

  • v 21 made to praise God

I am meant to know God

  • v 10 We may know, believe, and understand who God is. He is not just a spirit in the sky.

God moves from the past to the present

  • v 19 God is doing something new in me
  • 2 Corinthians 5:14-5, 17           I am controlled by Christ’s love instead of my sin.
    I no longer live for myself, but to serve Christ. I am a new creation!

My Future

God’s redemption plan ends with Jesus Christ returning for His people, a marriage supper, eventually and the earth created new again with God living in perfect fellowship with His people – just as He planned. Listen to these passages from Revelation.

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.” Revelation 19:6-8

No matter what is happening in my life today, I have eternity in view. We have clear promises from God about His plans for taking His children to heaven. It will be a new creation with none of the effects of sin. No pain, no death. Eternal life with God our loving Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Do you know the Redeemer?

At the cross of Jesus Christ, God’s Redemption Plan came to climax. Death and sin were defeated, and when Christ rose from the dead, He brought new life to all you would believe. That is why this event, over two thousand years ago, was the turning point for all of history. That is why it still matters to your life today.

Jesus said anyone who believes that I am the Messiah and Redeemer of the world has eternal life. If you never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can do that today. He will redeem your past, give you new life today, and an eternal home with Him in the future.

  • Admit you are a sinner and need to be saved.Here are three responses to the Gospel message of God’s Redemption we must make:
  • Believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross to redeem you and rose from the dead defeating death and sin.
  • Confess or declare that Jesus Christ is your Lord of your life.

Contact the church office if you want to talk about this with Pastor Mark.

Have you been Redeemed already?

If you have already trusted in Jesus as your Savior, are you living a new redeemed life?

Are you letting your past go?

Seeking to glorify God today?

Are you living with a view of eternity and trusting our faithful God with your future?