Ephesians 1:7 says:

“In Him [that’s Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.”

So, through the blood of Jesus we have redemption, we are redeemed. To redeem means to buy back, to ransom. We were exposed in Satan’s slave market for sale as slaves, as has been the practice in many nations over the past century. In the Roman Empire when a person was for sale as a slave he was stood on a block and a spear was fastened to a post behind him stretched out over his head. And so, to be sold as a slave was said to be sold under a spear. Paul says we are sold under sin. In other words, the spear that’s thrust out over us is our sin. We are exposed for sale as slaves in Satan’s slave market. And a person who is sold as a slave has no choice as to what that person will do. A woman might be chosen to be a cook or she might be chosen to be a prostitute. But, she wouldn’t have any say in it. And that’s how it is with slavery. So, we may be the respectable kind of slaves but we cannot point a finger at the less respectable because they didn’t have the choice and we didn’t have the choice. They are no worse than we are and we are no better than they. We’re all slaves.

But the good news is one day Jesus walked into the slave market and He said, “I’ll buy that one.” And then when He buys us He releases us, we’re no longer slaves. And you know what He pays? He pays His precious blood. We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We have redemption through His blood. And Psalm 107:2 says:

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom He has redeemed out of the hand of the enemy.”

So, if you are redeemed you ought to say so. That’s what makes your redemption effective. It’s the word of your testimony. Let’s try and say it. Don’t say it if you don’t believe it. I’ll give you the example and then we’ll say it together.

“Through the blood of Jesus I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.”

Can you make that testimony? All right, you say it with me.

“Through the blood of Jesus I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.”

Praise God! I think we could afford to say thank you.

1John 1:7 says:

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

What’s the operation of the blood there? Cleansing from sin. But notice that that begins with an if. It’s conditional on meeting certain conditions.

Having grown up for years among Pentecostals I have to say that Pentecostals make a fetish out of the blood. They say, “I plead the blood, I plead the blood, I plead the blood, I plead the blood.” That may be perfectly all right, it depends on whether you have the right to plead the blood. But the right is conditional. If we walk in the light, that’s the condition. The first result is we have fellowship one with another. So if we’re not walking in the light and we’re out of fellowship, it do

How to Overcome Guilt, Shame and Rejection

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