Welcome back to another week of Who I am in Christ. The truth that we are focusing on today is Who I am in Christ: I am Redeemed
Col. 1: 13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Eph. 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.
What does it mean to be redeemed?
Redeemed means?
1a : to buy back : repurchase b : to get or win back
2: to free from what distresses or harms: as a : to free from captivity by payment of ransom b : to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental c : to release from blame or debt : clear d : to free from the consequences of sin
3: to change for the better : reform
5a : to free from a lien by payment of an amount secured thereby b (1) : to remove the obligation of by payment (2) : to exchange for something of value <redeem trading stamps> c : to make good : fulfill
6a : to atone for : expiate <redeem an error> b (1) : to offs
Redeemed is about saving someone or freeing someone from a situation from that he can’t get out of on his own. A ransom. Someone has been kidnapped and can’t free himself.
Redemption is a biblical word that means “to purchase” or “a ransom.” Historically, redemption was used in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom. A slave was “redeemed” when the price was paid for his freedom.
God spoke of Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt in this way: “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” (Exodus 6:6).
The use of redemption in the New Testament includes this same idea. Every person is a slave to sin; we are held ransom to sin and only through the price Jesus paid on the cross is a sinful person redeemed from sin.
When we are redeemed, we become different people. When God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt, He made them a new nation and gave them a new land. Likewise, as a Christian we have a new identity in Christ. No longer is the Christian a captive to sin and death. Instead, he has become a citizen of God’s kingdom.
About 3 years ago I was sitting in church and I had this picture of myself sitting in a prison cell pop into my mind. I was all huddled in the corner. with ragged clothes, dirt all over. The shackles were laying at my feet. They weren’t on me they were laying at my feet. Jesus said Barb, get up and walk out. You don’t need to be in this prison I have set you FREE! That was the beginning of me coming out of my hole.
I found this scripture this week while looking up verses it is
Job 33:28 “He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit, and my life shall look upon the light.”
Ladies, we do not need to sit in the prison cell of shame, guilt and condemnation. If we are in Christ our shackles are off our feet and Jesus is calling us and telling us to get up and walk out.
I heard a preacher once say that in our hearts are lots of little compartments. These compartments have doors on them. Some doors we open wide to Jesus and others we slam shut and don’t let anyone in.
Jesus wants all of our heart! He wants to redeem (to buy back) the parts of our hearts that are being held captive.
He is a gentleman and will not barge in and MAKE us do something. He is patient but while we have stuff locked up we are missing out on the blessings He wants to give us- Freedom. He sees us sitting in a prison cell huddled in the corner while he has all these things he wants to give us.
“Freedom comes overnight but maturity takes a lifetime.”
Walking out of our self-imposed prisons is the beginning of maturity.
Lifework:
While you are having coffee with God this week, ask Him if you are living a redeemed life? Do you have any locked doors that He’s knocking on? Write down what He shows you.
Is there an area in your life where you aren’t forgiving yourself? Is there an area of life where you are sitting in a prison cell?
Are you believing any lies? Write those on your lie list. Then ask Him to help you find the truths to the lies. Then using the prayer from last week and renounce those lies.
Go through your concordance or do a Google search for scriptures on being redeemed. Pick 3 that jump out at that grab you and write them on a 3 x 5 card and read them daily.
If you’d like to follow along in this series you can find the rest here:
Who I am in Christ: I am a Member of the Body of Christ
Who I am in Christ: I am God’s Child
Who I am in Christ: I am Christ’s Friend
Who I am in Christ: I am Justified
Who I am in Christ: I am a Saint
I’d love to have you follow along and catch the rest of this series. You can subscribe to my RSS Feed or sign up to receive daily Emails delivered to your inbox . You can also follow along viaFacebook, Google + or .Twitter.
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