Redemption and Forgiveness - Keys to Victory Over Evil

This week I’ll be continuing with the theme which I commenced last week: How to Overcome Evil.

In my talks last week, I explained that evil is not something, but someone—someone known as Satan or the Devil.

Now, let’s look at certain statements made in scripture about the blood of Jesus.

We’ll turn first of all to Ephesians 1, verse 7.

“In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

There are two things that are provided for us by the blood of Jesus. The first is redemption. The second is forgiveness of sins. Let me read those words again, and you listen for those two provisions of the blood of Jesus.

“In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

So, through the blood of Jesus, we are redeemed. And our redemption is based on the fact that through the blood of Jesus, our sins are forgiven. Thus, the two things there stated to be provided by the blood of Jesus are, first, redemption, and second, forgiveness. But in order to make them effective in our lives, we have to make the appropriate testimony.

This is clearly brought out in regard to redemption in a verse in the Old Testament, Psalm 107, verse 2, which says,

“Let the redeemed of the Lord ‘say so,’ whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the ‘enemy.’”

So, to make our redemption effective, we have to say so. We have to declare boldly. We have to make our personal testimony: I am redeemed from the hand of the enemy. The enemy, of course, is Satan.

Now, we need to understand briefly what redemption is. Redemption is buying someone back. We were, as sinners, exposed in Satan’s slave market, exposed for sale. We had no option. We had no choice. The grace and mercy of God is that Jesus walked into Satan’s slave market and bought us back out of the hand of Satan with his own precious blood.

Listen to what Peter says in 1 Peter 1:18 and 19:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

Notice again the use of the word ‘lamb.’ Again, Jesus is compared to the Passover lamb. And with his precious blood, we have been redeemed from the hand of the enemy because our sins have been forgiven.

Let’s go back to Ephesians 1:7 and just go through that verse once more. It’s the key to what we’re speaking about right now.

“In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

So, we have two things made available through the blood of Jesus: redemption and the forgiveness of sins. So, we make that effective by our personal testimony. And now, I’m going to show you how to do it.

We say it like this: Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Through the blood of Jesus, I have been redeemed out of the hand of Satan. That testimony, when we make it personally with our own lips, is like the hyssop. It transfers the blood from the basin to the place where we need it, where we live.

I’m going to say that again, and then I’m going to give you the privilege of joining with me once more in repeating those two decisive testimonies. First, through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Second, through the blood of Jesus, I have been redeemed out of the hand of Satan. Now, if you can do it, I want you to repeat those after me as I say them, phrase by phrase. Are you ready now?

Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Remember that word ‘all.’ That’s important. The second, through the blood of Jesus, I have been redeemed out of the hand of Satan. I think we’ll say that second one again. It’s so good, isn’t it? Didn’t you feel better when you said that? Now, follow me again. Through the blood of Jesus, I have been redeemed out of the hand of Satan.

So, that’s how we sprinkle the blood of Jesus with our testimony. We say out loud with our mouths what the Word of God says the blood of Jesus does for us. That’s the hyssop with which we take the blood from the basin and sprinkle it over our lives.