Respond to Your Redemption

Fear not.

Return to God.

How is it possible for someone to live without fear?  Even more, how can one return to God?

In so far as my standing place, identity, worth depend on me, I will fear.  As long as I believe that I my performance, holiness, and knowledge are what entitle me to God, I will not return to him.

Only when the One who created me, the world, and everything in it redeems me, I have nothing to fear.  He has called me by name.  I am His.  Nothing can even touch what is His!

"But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
'Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.'"
-Isaiah 43:1

Only when the Holy One, the One without blame or sin, blots out my transgressions and cancels my sins can I return to Him.  Like a cloud blown by the wind, my transgressions are gone.  Like a mist that disappears, my sins are erased.  I can come back to Him!

"I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you."
-Isaiah 44:22

Christian: Respond to your redemption.  Fear not.  Return to Him.  (For) He has redeemed you.

How can I give you up? How can I hand you over?

How can I give you up, O Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my burning anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.
(Hosea 11:8-9 ESV)

He is persistent. Return to Him.

[6] “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,

and lack of bread in all your places,

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the LORD.

[7] “I also withheld the rain from you

when there were yet three months to the harvest;

I would send rain on one city,

and send no rain on another city;

one field would have rain,

and the field on which it did not rain would wither;

[8] so two or three cities would wander to another city

to drink water, and would not be satisfied;

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the LORD.

[9] “I struck you with blight and mildew;

your many gardens and your vineyards,

your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured;

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the LORD.

[10] “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt;

I killed your young men with the sword,

and carried away your horses,

and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the LORD.

[11] “I overthrew some of you,

as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning;

yet you did not return to me,”

declares the LORD.

(Amos 4:6-11 ESV)

He is Your Praise. He is Your God.

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

(Deuteronomy 10:12-22 ESV)

Ephesians 1

I haven't posted in a dog's age, but I can't go without sharing this.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

(Ephesians 1:15-23 ESV)

As you can see in this text, Paul is encouraging the church in Ephesus by reminding them that he is praying for them. What makes this text stand out, though, is the content of his prayer. He prays that the Ephesian believers would have the eyes of their hearts enlightened to see two things: (1) He wants them to know the hope that they now have, namely the glorious inheritance in the saints; (2) He also wants them to deeply understand what is the power towards believers.

The part of this text that blows me away is how Paul handles the power he is describing. Notice that he uses strong language to note that the power that is towards believers is the same power that: (1) Raised Christ for the dead. (2) Seated Him at the right hand of the Father, thereby placing above ALL names and things in this age and in the age to come. This very power is granted towards those who are in Christ! What an amazing thought. God's raising and glorifying power is directed towards the saints!

Here's another kicker though. Notice that when Paul is describing this power, He is NOT praying that God would give the church this power as if they were lacking it. Instead, he is praying that they would know this immeasurable power towards them. What this means is that regardless if they realize it or not, this power is already at work within them! Yes, there is a benefit to knowing of this power. After all, Paul prays that the believers would know that it's present in their lives, and there are obviously benefits for knowing what power one has. However, isn't it uplifting to know that even when we as believers don't feel or trust that we have any ounce of power, IT'S STILL THERE! Praise the One who doesn't base His lovingkindness and providence of power on whether or not we know or trust that it is working in our lives!

Promise -> Motivation -> Means

Promise:
“Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
(Isaiah 45:22-23 ESV)

Motivation:
“For my name's sake I defer my anger,
for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
that I may not cut you off.
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
(Isaiah 48:9-11 ESV)

Means:
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 53:12 ESV)

Good News.

Boom

Law -> "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Hebrews 9:22

Grace -> "[Christ] entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption." Hebrews 9:12

Result -> "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified...I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Hebrews 10:14&17

Sick-Tight huh?