FOREWORD FOR THE WEEK: 30 AUGUST 2020

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REDEMPTION: CROSS AND CONSECRATION OF JESUS

Jesus on the way to becoming our Redeemer, paid the price (cost) of shedding His blood (Heb 9:22, Heb 5:7-9), the just for the unjust (1 Pet 3:18), sinless life for the sinful life (2 Cor 5:21), all on the Cross and this He accomplished by voluntarily Consecrating (gave up) His deity, glory, reputation, throne, and position. This process made Jesus worthy (Rev 5:1-12) as both the Lord (Master, Supreme Being) and Redeemer (Eph 1:7, Eph 2:13). As the Master, we become His servant, and as the Supreme Being we are subject to His leadership and principles. This whole process is the mystery of redemption establishing the Redeemer-Redeemed relationship.

Redemption Process

  1. The Cross – Heb 12:1-2, Col 2:14. The cross symbolizes Substitution and Exchange. Jesus purchased our redemption (buy-back) by His blood (Eph 1:7, Col 1:13-14). He exchanged our loads of sin and its consequences with eternal life (Rom 6:23). He also took our pain, suffering, sicknesses, and death (Isa 53:4-5, 2 Cor 8:9).
  2. The Consecration – Phil 2:5-8 made us understand what Jesus had to let-go that qualified Him as potentate redeemer (1 Tim 6:15). He substituted and voluntarily relinquished (John 10:18) His deity (Godhead), glory, and reputation. Heb 5:8a “Though He were a Son, heir apparent to the throne (Gal 4:1-7), yet He learnt obedience by the things He suffered or let go”.

The cross and consecration is the Cost of Redemption, which makes Jesus the only Redeemer (Heb 5:9), and us as the Redeemed (Isa 51:11 – Zion is the place of the saved, redeemed of the Lord).

Redemption Challenge

  1. As a leader – our cross is the feeding and care of the sheep – Act 20:28, John 21:15-17, 1 Pet 5:2, Prov 27:23, Jere 3:15, and Jeremiah 23:4. There are required consecration – life, time, and self – that we need to make (Luke 15:3-6).
  2. As the led – our allegiance, sacrifices, and obedience (Rom 13:1-7, Hebrews 13:17).

The challenge to us is who is willing in this generation to consecrate his/her life, service (1 Chro 29:5), take up his/her cross daily in following Jesus (Matt 16:24, Luke 9:23), and projecting the cross through crossed “I” into “others”.

Pastor Reuben Adeleye

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