Show Notes
1 Timothy 2:5, Galatians 4:4, John 1:14, Matthew 26:38
Pastor Christopher Chelpka
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Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] The first, who is the Redeemer of God's elect? And the second, how did Christ being the Son of God, become man?
[00:00:10] What we're going to do this evening is read these two teachings, these two doctrines, and then consider a few passages in Scripture where these truths are brought to the fore.
[00:00:23] And of course, they come in many, many places, expressed in many ways throughout the Old and New Testament. But hopefully in some of the passages we'll look at tonight and some that you that may come to your mind and even in some of the songs that we've already sung and will sing, you will come to understand more and more about who our Savior is.
[00:00:48] So let's begin by reading on these questions and answers. There are some scriptures there that you can look at as well. For now, I'll read the question in bold and then together, let's read the answer. So the first one, who is the Redeemer of God's elect?
[00:01:04] The only Redeemer of God's elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who being the eternal Son of God, became man and so was and continueth to be God and man in two distinct natures and one person forever.
[00:01:23] How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
[00:01:28] Christ, the Son of God, became man by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her, yet without sin.
[00:01:47] These, as I mentioned, are very, very important truths. They sit at the core of our faith and our life in the Lord, our lives together, our life in the world, and of course, the life to come.
[00:02:06] We can understand that when we remember what it is a Redeemer is or what redemption is.
[00:02:14] To redeem something means to buy it back. To buy it back.
[00:02:20] Sometimes it means it's used in the sense of making something free that was once a slave. So sometimes this is used in the context of manumission or the release from slavery. So a slave is purchased and made free.
[00:02:38] But it's used in other senses as well in, in the Bible. The Bible. In Romans 8:23, Paul talks about the redemption of our bodies. Interesting phrase, right? That our bodies are set free. And this is. He's talking about at the resurrection there is a freedom that we will receive, a coming into our own, a lifting of the curse in this very glorious way.
[00:03:08] Jesus Christ is the only redeemer of God's elect is how this question and the answer began.
[00:03:16] And even by using this word, it begins to describe our state that we find ourselves in before we are Redeemed, right. It implies that something was and then came to be. And if you remember the earlier part of the.
[00:03:34] The earlier part of the catechism, or if you look through that a little bit, you'll find it in the back of your hymnals, you'll see what's happened so far. As we have considered the various things and the way that man was brought into the world and the way in which he fell into sin.
[00:03:53] Remember, on the last times that we have considered the catechism together, we thought about the nature of sin, the destructive power on the curse that comes upon us, the misery that's attached to that, both in this life and in the life to come. We considered questions about the like 18 wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereunto man fell. What is the misery of that estate whereunto man fell? And then last time we left with this question, did God leave all mankind to perish in this estate of min. Of. In this estate of sin and misery? And the short answer to that is, of course, no, God did not leave us to perish. But we have to remember when we talk about a Redeemer, that's not just a positive word or a nice thing to say about someone. It's to say, we have been set free. We've been set free from slavery, we've been set free from bondage, we've been set free from. From the curse, from. We've been set free from the wrath of God and even from the power of sin. You can see why this is a big deal to talk about Jesus as our Redeemer.
[00:05:07] Let's look at some passages that talk about God's work in Christ.
[00:05:13] First, let's turn to Hebrews chapter two.
[00:05:17] Hebrews chapter two.
[00:05:38] So there are many places that we could legitimately start, but we're going to start in verse 10 this evening.
[00:05:45] So it's talking about Jesus and the way in which he has come into this world and what God is doing through him, what God did through him. And then it says this in verse 10.
[00:05:56] For it was fitting that he for whom by all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified, all who have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, I will tell of your name to my brothers in the midst of the congregation. I will sing your praise. And again I will put my trust in him. And again, behold I and the children God has given me since Therefore the children share in flesh and blood. He Himself likewise partook of the same things, namely flesh and blood, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
[00:06:56] For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
[00:07:13] Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is also able to help those who are being tempted.
[00:07:20] So several things going on in this passage that are worth noting and we'll do it just briefly. One, we see that Jesus comes to share in flesh and blood.
[00:07:32] This is what we describe as the incarnation. The Son of God became man. The Son of God who is glorious above all things. The Son of God who is eternally begotten. The Son of God who is perfect and infinite in every way, infinite in his perfection. He Himself becomes like us, flesh and blood.
[00:08:00] Now why did he do this? Well, it wasn't just to sympathize with us or something like that. It says here that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil.
[00:08:16] Through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death. That's a really remarkable thing to say then, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world to take on flesh like ours so that he could die.
[00:08:34] And he died so that he could destroy death. And the one who has the power of death.
[00:08:41] Look what verse 15 says. What does he do? He delivers those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
[00:08:52] There's a way in which Satan holds death over us, holds this punishment that we deserve for our sins. The wages of sin, its death. He holds this over to us and enslaves us. He creates, or I should say a fear is created in us. When we think about the wrath of God that is to come and the evil that is the curse, the evil that is the death. What do people do to try to escape death?
[00:09:25] All kinds of things. Sometimes they party it up in this life. Sometimes they study really hard. Sometimes they try to accumulate vast amounts of wealth. There's striving, striving, striving because they're afraid. And because when you're afraid of death, when somebody threatens you with death, often people will do all kinds of things that they wouldn't do otherwise.
[00:09:48] It's a power the fear of death is very, very powerful.
[00:09:54] But when Jesus takes away the fear of death by taking out the one who has the power, who has the power of death, that is the devil, all of a sudden, life changes in a really remarkable way.
[00:10:10] Life here and of course, eternal life to come for the believer. Because of who we are in Christ, when we are, when we die in him and rise with him when we are delivered out of this slavery through the work that he does as our Redeemer, as our substitute and mediator, something happens, a change happens in our lives where we don't fear death any longer. And instead, death in some ways even becomes a good thing, an entry point into glory, something that the Lord uses in the lives of his people to bless them.
[00:10:53] Now, who could take something like death and turn it into a good thing? Except, of course, God.
[00:11:02] Recently, as you know, we attended the memorial service for my grandfather. And it was an amazing thing, a blessing of such great value to be with him in his for a little bit in the few weeks before he died, and to see a saint resting in the Lord even in his death, to see one in his dying, to see one who was not afraid. He wasn't afraid, and he wasn't confused. And he wasn't just randomly hopeful or optimistic or saying just generally pious things. His confidence was in Christ, and the Lord, of course, was blessing him that the Lord had taken away the fear of death from him. And so he died in this really wonderful way, even though there was a lot of sadness in it. And in that, it, of course, was encouraging to me and to my children, our family and everyone to see the way that the Lord works in our lives.
[00:12:05] And when we think about the promises that are given to us after death, we have so much reason for hope.
[00:12:14] When we think about these things and we think about what Jesus has done, delivering us from this kind of slavery, it should really open up our lives and our thinking in such a way that causes us to reevaluate a lot of things in our own lives and perspectives that the world would teach us.
[00:12:34] The world tells us to clamor after things, to strive after things. You must make a name for yourself. You must establish generations for yourself. You must, you must, you must. Because it's all falling apart. Or instead of striving, you have giving up. That's all gonna burn anyway. It's all awful anyway. We're all gonna die anyway. What's the point?
[00:12:59] That kind of despair and darkness and hopelessness characterizes so much of our lives in this world. The Messages that the world would have us believe, but we don't need to. Why? Because we have a redeemer, one who has delivered us from death and even the fear of death. And. And the one who has the power of death, that is the devil. This power of the fear of death is no longer for us. There is no victory in the grave, no sting in it any longer.
[00:13:39] Let's look at another passage. Beloved. Let's look at Galatians, chapter four, a passage we considered a little bit this morning in our Sunday school class. We'll return to it now.
[00:14:00] Galatians 4. This helps us to answer that question. Well, how is it that the Son of God came to be a mediator for man, Right? That's a really remarkable thing, right? How is it that the One.
[00:14:16] How is it that the one to whom we, the one whom we have offended, the one whom we have committed treason against, the one who has promised to judge us for our sins, how can he become our mediator? How can he become a go between, an intermediary between us and himself, since we are the offenders and he is the one who has been offended?
[00:14:41] Well, he does it in part through the Incarnation.
[00:14:46] And notice, let's read the beginning here of Galatians 4. I mean that an heir as long as he is a child is no different from a slave, though he's the owner of everything. But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way also, when we were children, we were enslaved to the elementary principles of this world, or of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
[00:15:28] And because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, abba, Father, so you are no longer a slave, but a son. If you are a son, then an heir through God.
[00:15:40] Now, ladies, you will want to really own this son language here, right? There's various passages in scripture where sons refers both to sons and daughters, but not here. Here it refers to sons as those who receive an inheritance, where daughters do not. But here's the thing that you want to hold on to. He's saying that even though in these old context where daughters would not receive an inheritance, you do, even though you are a daughter, both men and women receive adoption as sons. Which isn't to say that you're not female, it's to say that you receive blessings that in other situations, in the context of the ancient world especially, would be restricted from you.
[00:16:37] God says no.
[00:16:39] Both sons and daughters will be adopted as sons and will receive an inheritance in this way.
[00:16:46] And so, with that understanding, both men and women can proudly say, I am a son of God. Not in terms of a gender switch, but in terms of getting a right that we would otherwise not have. Does that make sense? You're getting something, you're entering into a title, you're belonging to a position that would seem to be impossible otherwise.
[00:17:14] We can add to that. Then this goes for. And I should say that's true of daughters, but that's also true of sons, men, boys. We don't get to belong to God simply because we're men or boys. We need to be adopted, just like our sisters need to be adopted. We need to be brought in not as slaves, but as sons in order that we might be redeemed. And this is what God has done. He works in the lives of men and women, boys and girls, in such a way that our hearts change so that we can call God our Father and expect the inheritance that he promises to give us. Not slaves, but as sons. And if sons, well, then heirs through God.
[00:18:04] One of the things he's saying here, then, is that because of the redemption of Christ, you are an inheritor, right? You are an inheritor.
[00:18:16] An inheritance is. An inheritance is a gift that you receive when someone passes away.
[00:18:26] And in here, the gift to us is so great, it is the gift that Christ earns for us. We are brought into the family of God. And how did that happen? In verse four, we read in the fullness of time. When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth a son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, born of a woman. There's two pregnancy images here. First, there's the fullness of time, as if time itself were pregnant, ready to give birth at the perfect time. And then, of course, a Mary, at the perfect time, in the perfect moment, God sent forth His Son. And this son was just like us, born of flesh and blood. The Son was just like us, born under the law.
[00:19:17] Very remarkable things here. Right? First born of a woman, right? The Son of God, born of a woman. The Son of God, adding humanity to his divinity, having two natures in one person.
[00:19:32] Amazing, amazing. And then on top of that, we read, not only was he born as a man, but he was born as a man under the law.
[00:19:44] God became one who was required to be obedient, the one who makes the rules, the One who says, this is how it will be, you shall obey, became the one who needed to say, yes, sir. Yes, Father, I will do all your holy will.
[00:20:07] Jesus was born into the law, and he did that. Why? To redeem us who were under the law, trapped under the law, imprisoned by the law. To set us free so that we might be sons and receive inheritance as sons.
[00:20:25] Well, shall we look at one more passage? Let's turn to one Peter first. Peter.
[00:20:47] Here Peter talks about some of the implications of our redemption in Christ.
[00:20:55] I'll begin at verse 17. 1 Peter 1, 17.
[00:21:03] He says, and if you call on Him, His Father, who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed. There's that word again. Redeemed. You were ransomed from what? From the feudal ways inherited from your forefathers?
[00:21:26] How were we ransomed? Not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without spot, blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in the last times, or as we read, in the fullness of time. Peter says, then for the sake of you, who through him are believers in God, who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your faith, hope are in God, you see what God does through His Redeemer. In the fullness of time, taking on flesh and blood, he becomes for us a savior, a ransomer who ransoms us with his very own blood. He came to die and then to rise again from the dead. Victorious. God raised him from the dead as the Holy One, as the Righteous One, as the One who is victorious. And in him we have that victory. In him we have that freedom. In him we will not perish. In him we can conduct ourselves with fear throughout the time of our exile.
[00:22:48] Through him and his redemption and knowledge of that, we seek not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Through him and his redemption, we can act and live as free people, as people that are not afraid. Through him we have eternal life.
[00:23:05] My encouragement to you this evening is first to learn the truth of these things.
[00:23:12] We've looked at just three passages of Scripture here, and I hope you're already getting the sense that there's lots more. There's some that we didn't mention that are in your bulletins. There's some in the proof text that are listed in the Shorter Catechism. It's all over the pages of Scripture. My encouragement to you is to learn that truth.
[00:23:31] Who is Jesus?
[00:23:34] What did he do?
[00:23:36] Learn what it is and learn how to speak about it. Learn how to praise God for it. Learn how to live in light of it. Because we don't want to just know the truth. We want to believe it and trust it and live it out in our lives in such a way that many people will give all praise and glory to God.
[00:23:58] Let's pray.
[00:24:00] Our Heavenly Father, we pray to you and we thank you that through the work of Christ alone we have been set free. Through this marvelous, miraculous thing in which the Son of God takes on humanity, gains a nature and is forever our representative, our King and a mediator. A perfectly mediating between us and you.
[00:24:26] We find that we have hope, we find that we have confidence, we find that we have a new life.
[00:24:34] Lord, we ask that you would help us to live not according to the futile ways that we once lived, the ways that we were passed down through worldly generations, Lord, but help us to live as those who have been rescued, as those who have been brought out of a dominion of darkness and brought even ransomed into the kingdom of your beloved Son.
[00:24:59] Teach us to live as free people, courageous and bold, holy and righteous, loving you, loving one another with your praise and the hope of the coming kingdom on our lips always.
[00:25:16] Lord, we ask that you would bless us these things, bless these things to us. And we pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
