I am a woman who have been redeemed by the Lord, a sinner who was once lost, but now found, a child who once left home, but has now returned. Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.“ (KJV) Notice, friends, let the redeemed of the Lord say so… not the redeemed of man, not the redeemed of momma, not the redeemed of daddy, not the redeemed of granny or granddaddy, but the redeemed of the Lord!
Before I could get into the message of being redeemed, I looked in the King James Reference for the word “redemption” and it gives me a simple definition, “salvation by sacrifice”. In other words, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came and redeemed the world by the sacrifice of His blood.
In Hebrew “Redeem” means to regain possession of
Other definitions I found: Save from sin, restore the honor or worth of; to rescue, to recover, to deliver from (King James online reference)
What does Salvation by sacrifice do? It restores our honor or worth of. In other words, God sent His only begotten Son to restore our honor and worth. For my sisters, we are restored to queens, restored to royalty, we are joint heirs with Christ. This is where we say thank you Father.
Let me tell you of a true example of redemption…the Samaritan woman at the well. Yes, that’s right, the woman at the well. Powerful conversation between that Samaritan woman and Jesus. I read the King James version, but I want to break this down simple, so I went to my study Bible, the New Century Version. John 4, Verses 16-18, “Jesus told her go get your husband and come back here. The woman answered, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, you are right to say you have no husband. Really, you have had five husbands, and the man you live with now is not your husband, You told the truth. And the conversation continued and she recognized Jesus as someone special, she asked him if he were a prophet. She knew the Messiah was coming and Jesus told her, “I am He”. You know the story, the disciples showed up, they were surprised. Now, here is where she run tell dat…she went back to town and told the people all about Jesus, so they all left to come and see Jesus. Many saw, many heard, many believed. Many came to Christ. True redemption, my friends, redemption, my Sisters. You see, Jesus did not judge her because of her past, but He made her so comfortable, He gave her the free gift, that is, redemption through salvation.
Sisters, what keeps the redeemed from saying so? Why do we say by mouth we are redeemed but we do not run and tell anyone what our Lord and Savior has delivered us from? Our Lord and Savior Jesus was crucified for our sins. Jesus went through all the pain and suffering so we can be redeemed and yet still we do not open our mouths to let the world know that we have been redeemed.
Let me answer this for you, from experience, I am answering.
1) Our past. Ashamed of how we used to live in the past;
2) Guilt. This is when we have done something to someone and we never asked that person for forgiveness;
3) Idea of unforgivable sins – abortion, adultery, abuse;
4) Image issues - physical scars on our bodies, gaining weight, surgeries;
5) Waiting for perfection to say so. Try to change first because telling someone of God’s goodness and forgiveness and love for His people.
My friends, before I truly got serious in my walk with Christ, I was that woman who went to the well… Yes, I was all of those things I just told you about. I have been there, done that—my past, yes, guilt, yes, unforgivable sin-yes, image issue – don’t even talk about that, yes, waiting for perfection- yes. But see, we serve such an awesome Savior that me too me had that conversation with Christ one fateful Sunday morning at the well (in the parking lot of Crossroad Christian Church in Lexington, KY). All glory and honor to God, I am proud to say, to yell, to jump and run and let you know I am redeemed.
My friends, are you redeemed? Are you redeemed? Are you redeemed?
It is not the clothes, not the house, not the car, not your money, the job, oh no, it is Christ’s mercy and grace that hath redeemed us.
If you are not redeemed, now is the time to get redeemed, today is the day, do it today, do not delay.
Redemption is simple and easy. Just go back and re-read John 4. God redeems us through:
1) His power – Deuteronomy 7:8
2) Christ’s blood – Ephesians 1:7
3) God’s grace – Romans 3:24-25
What is even more beautiful is that there are benefits to being redeemed. In these crazy times, redemption pays.
It pays because:
1) We are Forgiven. When we are forgiven God wipes our slate clean; no one can throw anything in our face. We have been found not guilty.
2) We receive an Inheritance – inheritance not only for ourselves, but for our children and grandchildren and for everyone that is associated in our circle. That neighbor who is struggling, that co-worker with problems, the husband or wife who is acting the fool. Let us not be selfish, let our children be blessed.
3) We receive Eternal Life – most importantly. We will have a room in God’s mansion!
My friends, as I close, let me remind you, Christ is coming, you best believe and He is coming soon. I do not know when, I do not know the hour. All I know is that He is coming. I suggest you get redeemed before He comes because He will come like a thief in the night. Will you be redeemed?
God bless.
Ta ta,
Therese from Belize
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