Ephesians 1.7-10 (1)
Pray Psalm 42.1-3.
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”
Sing Psalm 42.1-3
(Nettleton: Come Thou Fount)
As the deer pants for fresh water let my soul, LORD, pant for You!
Let my soul thirst as it ought to for the Savior, ever true!
Tears by day have been my portion, tears by night have been my food,
while my foes add to my sorrow, saying, “Where now is your God?”
Read Ephesians 1.1-10; meditate on verse 7.
What is redemption? How is that term used in our day? What examples can you think of? What do these suggest about our redemption?
Preparation
1. What is the first spiritual blessing mentioned in verse 7?
2. How do we gain that blessing?
Meditation
When I was a kid, a typical summer’s morning would include rousing one of my pals to join me in patrolling the alleys of our neighborhood, looking for soda bottles. Modern-day gleaners, gathering select leavings for our personal needs. Our needs involved baseball cards with chewing gum included, five cents a pack. Our gleanings could be redeemed for two cents a bottle at the neighborhood confectionary.
On a good day, we could collect half-a-dozen bottles each, a burden to carry and a load to dump onto our redeemer, the owner of the store. He was always happy to see us and to relieve us of our burden. He paid for our burden, and we were the beneficiaries of his largesse: a ten-pack of ball cards.
And that’s something like the way redemption works. We come to God with a burden of sin. We’ve been gathering it all our lives, carousing down alleyways of disobedience, scooping up the trash of this world, thinking we were getting rich. But our “gleanings” soon failed to satisfy; in fact, they became a burden. We sought to be relieved of it and, if possible, gain some improvement.
God invites us to bring our burden to Him, for His Son has already paid for our sins with His blood. But, unlike our shopkeeper, God has nothing to gain from redeeming us. It’s all of grace, solely because of His infinite and unfathomable love. He lavishes us with “the riches of His grace” and sends us on our way, counting our blessings with joy.
Redeemed. How we love to proclaim it!
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Not too long ago, when newspapers made of paper were still a thing, it was always a good idea to glean useable coupons for Buy One Get One Free, or fifty cents off, or even this item free with proper paperwork.
But God’s gift to us required nothing from us. Not a coupon or a good work in sight—none needed; none would suffice. Only belief and a word: “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10.9). And even those two things are a gift. Even those we could not muster on our own. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” (Eph. 2.8).
Presenting a coupon would have been an unacceptable act of works (Eph. 2.9).
We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
“You, O LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from everlasting is Your Name” (Is. 63.16).
The “redeemed…and the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Is. 35.9, 10).
“…you shall be redeemed without money” (Is. 52.3).
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us…that we should be saved from our enemies…” (Lk. 1.68, 69, 71).
“Christ has redeemed us…” (Gal. 3.13).
“In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…” (Eph. 1.7).
This is God’s wondrous redemption plan for His people.
Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
redeemed thro’ His infinite mercy, His child, and forever, I am.
I think of my blessed Redeemer, I think of Him all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent; His love is the theme of my song.
Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
redeemed thro’ His infinite mercy, His child, and forever, I am.
(Fanny J. Crosby, 1882)
Redemption through Jesus—full and free—no empty bottles or coupons required or allowed.
Reflection
1. How would you explain “redemption” to an interested non-Christian?
2. For every believer, redemption is a “done deal”. Explain.
3. To whom will you proclaim the redemption of Jesus today?
The apostle is still illustrating the material cause, ― the manner in which we are reconciled to God through Christ. By his death he has restored us to favor with the Father; and therefore we ought always to direct our minds to the blood of Christ, as the means by which we obtain divine grace. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Ephesians 1.7
Pray Psalm 42.4-11.
In prayer, lay all your burdens on the Lord, your Redeemer. Give Him your sins, sorrows, and sadnesses, and receive in exchange the warmth of the riches of His grace. Give thanks, then commit your day to Him.
Sing Psalm 42.4-11.
(Nettleton: Come Thou Fount)
Now I pour my soul out in me as these thoughts come to my mind.
And I long to once again be where true worship I might find.
Oh my soul, be not despairing! Hope in God, and praise His Name!
For the LORD, your burden bearing, will restore your peace again.
Oh my God, my soul is weary, therefore I remember You.
Let Your grace and goodness near be, and Your promise, firm and true.
LORD, when trials and fears surround me, Your commands will be my song!
When distresses sore confound me, Your great love will keep me strong.
LORD, forget me not in mourning ’neath my foes’ oppressing hand.
See their mocking, hear their scorning; help my weary soul to stand.
Hope in God, praise Him forever when despair on you has trod.
Look to Jesus; never, never doubt your gracious, saving God.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are looking at grace, which is the currency we use to make our way in the divine economy. In our Read Moore podcast this week, we continue our readings from the book, Such a Great Salvation. Our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert finds the saint preparing for his second voyage to visit The Promised Land of the Saints. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
