The Consummate Redemption
I.
Creation’s Consummate Redemption (Isaiah
35:1-10; Romans 8:22 -25)
A. Streams in
the Desert (Isaiah 35:1-7)
(Isa 35:1) The wilderness and the
solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and
blossom as the rose.
(Isa 35:2) It shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon Carmel Sharon
(Isa 35:3) Strengthen ye the weak hands,
and confirm the feeble knees.
(Isa 35:4) Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not:
behold, your God will come with
vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
(Isa 35:5) Then the eyes of the blind
shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
(Isa 35:6) Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb
sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
(Isa 35:7) And the parched ground shall
become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of
dragons, where each lay, shall be grass
with reeds and rushes.
God made all things well in the beginning. Obviously, all things are not well now. Unbelievers accept the current state of the
world as normal. We should know
better. Isaiah was privileged to look
ahead and see a time when the nation he loved would be restored and redeemed,
both the land and the people. The
oppressions and occupation will end, the physical troubles and diseases will be
healed, and even the topography and geology of the land will transform. Only God can and will do these things for His
chosen people. The extent of the healing
will not be limited to the Middle East , but
will envelope the globe and the universe beyond.
B. Joy and
Gladness (vv. 8-10)
(Isa 35:8) And an highway shall be there,
and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not
pass over it; but it shall be for those:
the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
(Isa 35:9) No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall
not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
(Isa 35:10) And the ransomed of the LORD
shall return, and come to Zion
Life springs not from chemical and biological
processes. These physical manifestations
are just that only. Life flows from the
Creator. Logically, this implies that
life can only continue if it is connected to the Source. Creation is dying because sin has separated
it from God. The healing and restoration
of creation will happen as sin is judged and all created things reconnect to
God. We live spiritually as we pursue
and worship our Lord, and the worship of God will be integral to the fabric of
the redeemed universe. His name will be
exalted by all living beings. The daily
life of the new world will be the constant worship of the Father, Son, and
Spirit.
C. Waiting for
Redemption (Romans 8:22 -25)
(Rom 8:22 ) For we know that the whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now.
(Rom 8:23 ) And not only they,
but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to
wit, the redemption of our body.
(Rom 8:24 ) For we are saved by hope: but hope that is
seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
(Rom 8:25 ) But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Paul discussed the misery of a creation separated from the
life of the Creator. We are conscious,
as believers, of this misery as well as of the hope of reconciliation. As we groan and desire to be with our God, so
does the entire created universe. God’s
vision and plan for redemption is bigger than we can comprehend. Everything will change, including all the
expectations we have always had about “normal” existence. Death will die, and life will be the only
change agent in the redeemed reality.
This is not a fabricated fantasy of desperate, gullible people, as the
unbelieving world regards it. It is
concrete certainty, because the Lord of heaven and earth has decreed it so.
II.
Israel
A. God Will
Redeem Israel
(Psa 130:7) Let Israel
(Psa 130:8) And he shall redeem Israel
God has always demonstrated His plan for mankind by way of
His interaction with the covenant nation of Israel . He will continue to do so as He implements
His will for the future. Israel may not
accept that Jesus is their Messiah in this present time, but the day will come
when they will.
B. God Will
Heal Israel
(Hos 14:1) O Israel, return unto the LORD
thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
(Hos 14:2) Take with you words, and turn
to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of
our lips.
(Hos 14:3) Asshur shall not save us; we
will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our
hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the
fatherless findeth mercy.
(Hos 14:4) I will heal their backsliding,
I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
Over and over again the Jews have sought deliverance in
something or some one other than God.
Over and over again God has called them back and by chastisement and
judgment turned them to the truth.
Hosea’s life and words were powerful testimonies to the love and
patience of Jehovah. When they repented
and returned to Him, the blessings of His life flowed to them again. The cycles are not yet finished, but there
will come the day of final repentance and recommitment to God, and Israel will be
the preeminent people God chose them to be from the beginning.
C. God Will
Revive Israel
(Hos 14:5) I will be as the dew unto Israel Lebanon
(Hos 14:6) His branches shall spread, and
his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon
(Hos 14:7) They that dwell under his
shadow shall return; they shall revive as
the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall
be as the wine of Lebanon
(Hos 14:8) Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols?
I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit
found.
Redemption and restoration have been happening for Israel in
stages. The 70-year captivity was one
such stage that cured them of the repeated national idolatry. They found other ways to backslide, but God
hasn’t finished with them. He hasn’t
finished with us either. We sin and make
huge blunders in our relationship to Christ, but He is faithful to continue the
redemptive work of the cross in our lives as long as we are willing to follow
Him.
III.
The Believer’s Consummate Redemption
(Job 19:25 -27; Psalm
49:15; 1 Corinthians 15:50 -52;
Romans 818-21; Revelation 5:8-13)
A. Redemption
and Resurrection (Job 19:25 -27;
Psalm 49:15; 1 Corinthians 15:50 -52)
(Job 19:25 ) For I know that
my redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth:
(Job 19:26 ) And though
after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
(Job 19:27 ) Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes
shall behold, and not another; though my
reins be consumed within me.
(Psa 49:15) But God will redeem my soul
from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
(1Co 15:50 ) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom
of God
(1Co 15:51 ) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
(1Co 15:52 ) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
It is great that we can rest assured God will redeem
creation. It is awesome to regard His
unflagging love for Israel
and to know He will never let His people go.
What is most important to us this day however, is, how He will redeem
and restore us individually. God acts
universally and globally, but He always relates to us personally. He will make a new heaven and new earth, but
He will come to take us to be with Him in the new creation, never to be
separated from Him again. That is our
anchoring hope, whatever we face in our lives.
B. Waiting for
Redemption (Romans 8:18 -21)
(Rom 8:18 ) For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us.
(Rom 8:19 ) For the earnest expectation of the creature
waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
(Rom 8:20 ) For the creature was made subject to vanity,
not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
(Rom 8:21 ) Because the creature itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God.
Paul unified the hope of universal redemption with the
certain promise of eternal life for believers.
God is accomplishing His redemption now.
He has been working on it since creation itself. As He restores a sin-free universe He
eliminates the sin nature that has tormented man since Eden .
He has said it, and we can count on it.
C. Redemption
by Christ (Revelation 5:8-13)
(Rev 5:8) And when he had taken the
book, the four beasts and four and
twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and
golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
(Rev 5:9) And they sung a new song,
saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for
thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation;
(Rev 5:10 ) And hast made us unto our God kings and
priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
(Rev 5:11 ) And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many
angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
(Rev 5:12 ) Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory, and blessing.
(Rev 5:13 ) And every creature which is in heaven, and on
the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
It is the greatest irony and the greatest paradox of history
that we are being and will be saved from death by the submission to death of
the Giver of Life Himself. Defeat became
victory at the cross, and all of creation saw the triumph at the tomb. How He loves us! The final fulfilling of the saga of
redemption hinged upon Jesus’ submission to death, paying a debt He did not
owe. We can spend the remainder of our
lives here and all of infinite eternity praising Him, but it will not be
enough. This is the essence and power of
the Gospel, the message we should be living and sharing daily.
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