Here my sermon notes for “The WHY of the Incarnation,” preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville.
ADVENT WEEK 3: Gal 4:5a: “The WONDER of our REDEMPTION”
Intro: Friend visits and leaves; Possible to know why he came?
-If tells you while he is there; If he sends messages beforehand; If he leaves record after explaining
-This is what we have for Christ: 1 Messages before; 2 Explanation here; 3 Explanation after
–TODAY: Gal 4:5àExplanation for why God the Son came to Earth.
–Jesus came to Earth to redeem a people from our sins.
*REVIEW: 4 Weeks in Gal 4:4-5 (READ Gal 4:4-5)
-Week 1: INCARNATION; Week 2: TRUE HUMANITY OF JESUS (hypostatic union)
-This week: The reason for Jesus’ coming: REDEMPTION.
-Jesus came into this world in order to redeem a people from their sins for the glory of God.
1. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO REDEEM? 2. HOW DID JESUS REDEEM? 3. SO WHAT?
I. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR JESUS TO REDEEM US?:“to redeem those who were under the law,”
–“those under the law”
-Refers to ALL of us: we’re all born under God’s good moral Law (written on our consciences, published in Word)
-Not just Jewish people under ceremonial laws, but all of us.
–“to redeem”-DEFINITION: To “redeem” is purchase the freedom of another.
–1st century context: “redeem” a slave or prisoner
-BIBLE: Ex 6:6 “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.”
-OUR CULTURE’S DESIRE FOR FREEDOM:
-Free to follow our innermost longings and desires
-Freedom to be who I want to be
-Freedom to sleep with whomever I want
-THE FREEDOM WE ACTUALLY NEED:
–To be free from the power and penalty of sin (READ John 8:31-38)
CULTURE: 2 Peter 2:19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves
of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
-WE NEED TO BE FREED FROM THE POWER AND PENALTY OF SIN!
-ONLY JESUS CAN GIVE US THIS FREEDOM…
*SUMMARY: What does it mean that Jesus came ‘to redeem those were under the law’? It means that the reason Jesus became a human was to purchase our freedom from the power and penalty of sin.
II. HOW did JESUS REDEEM?
-By giving his life as a redeeming ransom (Matt 20:28);
-By offering himself as a redeeming propitiation sacrifice for sin (Rom 3:24-25);
-By PAYING for the debt of our sins on the cross to redeem us (Col 2:13-14)
*SUMMARY: How did Jesus redeem us and bring about our redemption during his incarnation? Jesus redeemed us by giving his life as a sacrifice for sins, by dying as the once and for all propitiatory sacrifice on the cross.
III. SO WHAT? HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE?
–QUESTION: Are we free to disobey God’s Law?
–ERROR of Antinomianism.
–Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as
an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
–1 Peter 2:16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but
living as servants of God.
–3rd use of the Law: the law, for the Christian, is a help in holiness and wisdom.
1 REJOICE IN FREEDOM FROM HAVING TO EARN OUR WAY TO HEAVEN: (Gal 5:1)
-Christianity is a religion of GRACE. (Eph 2:8-9)
2 RECOGNIZE Freedom the power and penalty of sin (Rom 8:2-4)
-ALREADY AND NOT YET
-NEED to be filled with the Holy Spirit
3. USE YOUR FREEDOM TO ENJOY GOD AND LOVE OTHERS (1 Cor 6:19b-20)
-This is the kind of freedom we really need!
*SUMMARY: What kind of freedom are we redeemed to? We are redeemed to enjoy and love God, to walk in God’s good ways, and to have peace of mind and conscience because Jesus paid for all of our sins. In addition to this, we are freed to do the good works God called us to do, for the glory of God.
CLOSE: RECEIVE THE GIFT THAT CHRIST CAME TO GIVE
1. If you are not a Christian, you are missing out the most important kind of freedom possible.
-The great gift you need this year is the gift of redemption, given freely in Christ to those who believe
-Believe on Jesus, receive the redemption from sins.
2. If you are a Christian, you must see yourself in light of this redemption.
-Once you were on the ‘Totally Depraved’ List, now on the ‘Redeemed in Christ’
-Let this shape how you think of your more than your success or failures
-The great gift we need this year: to see yourself as we really are in Christ!
-This is the Christian, growing in our understanding of the amazing salvation that is ours in Christ!
END: WHY DID JESUS COME? TO REDEEM US FROM OUR SINS.
