I Am Redeemed

Isaiah 43:10-11KJV…Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11…I, even I, am the Lord: and beside me there is no saviour. 12…I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

Isaiah Old Testament Book contains some of the most powerful prophesy’s found in the Bible. If you are having a conversation with someone who doubts God’s Omnipotence (POWER and GREATNESS) have them read this book. In this 43rd Chapter verse 1…God tells Israel, He created them and formed them and they should not fear because He, The Holy One, The Lord Thy God, Creator of Everything has redeemed them…called them by their name (Jacob or Israel) and made a closing statement…Thou art mine.

These passages are a look back to God’s deliverance of the Children of Israel from Egypt which was one the most amazing works of God. You would think that after such a miraculous event God’s children would gladly obey anything He told them to do. Unfortunately, they did not.

Before you say those people had to be crazy, we are no different. The miracles God performs for us is equally as dramatic as crossing the Red Sea, yet like those in history we continuously resist God’s leading us to where He wants us to be…which is close to Him.

Proverbs 3:5&6 KJV…Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy path is my favorite passage because my mother taught it to me as a kid. What it means is exactly what is say’s…before you do anything, buy anything, say anything…seek God’s guidance. We will say, I can make this decision, I have done my research and asked a few friends only to discover our understanding lead us to a problem that would not have happened if we had sought God first

Redemption is the word God uses in verse 1, so readers of these passages will know from the start, God did this for them. When I was growing up in Chicago, my mom would shop for groceries at stores that gave her a number of stamps when she bought from them. They were called S &H Green Stamps. The objective was to collect as many stamps as possible, putting them into a stamps book that could be used in lieu of money when taken to the redemption center.

The redemption center had furniture, appliances and other items people needed for their homes, Pick the item you wanted, if you had enough stamps in your book you did not have to come out of pocket with any money. One of the things I noticed while in the grocery store was stamps were on the floor, stepped on, dirty, seemingly unusable. 

We recently celebrated the magnificent birth of God’s Son, Jesus who came to earth to redeem man back to God, His Father. Why? Because in Genesis after God created man and woman in chapter 3, by chapter 6 of Genesis, God was so angry with His creation that he said in verse 6 KJV…And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7…And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Jesus was God’s magnificent plan all along to redeem us back to Him because of our sin nature. Jesus paid the price on that cross, a debt you and I could never repay. Regarding the S&H Green Stamps, the redemption center did not care about the condition of the stamps, they just wanted the back. God does not care about how nasty we have become as we live our lives on this earth, He just wants us back with Him.

As we begin the start of this new year 2022, if you are aware that your life needs a change for the better and asking, what do I have to do to be redeemed? Romans 10:9 KJV…If thou shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10KJV…For with the heart man believeth unto to righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

To assure the acceptance of Jesus into your life redeems you back to God, The Holy Spirit will lead you for the rest of your life to enable you to reach God’s goal of your redemption and eternal life. You will have God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit and the guarantee of eternal life in God’s Heaven where there is everything you have read about in the Bible and heard preached. Resting in God’s presence forever.

May God’s Abundant Blessing and Peace abide with you and your family.

Elder Tom Burgess