The story is told of Abraham Lincoln, who went down to the slave block and there noticed a young black girl up for auction. Moved with compassion, he bid and won her. Upon purchasing her, Lincoln told the disbelieving young girl that she was free. In surprise, she said, “What does that mean?”
“It means you are free,” he replied.
“Does that mean,” she said, “I can say whatever I want to say?”
“Yes, my dear, you can say whatever you want to say.”
“Does that mean I can be whatever I want to be?”
“Yes, you can be whatever you want to be.”
“Does that mean I can go wherever I want to go?”
“Yes, you can go wherever you want to go.”
And the girl, with tears streaming down her face, said, “Then I will go with you.”
This story was generic, with details. When I Googled it, I found it attributed to Abraham Lincoln, although my grandfather didn’t credit him in his sermon. He preached the sermon in 1970, well before Google, and he didn’t reference his source in his notes.
I want you to closely consider verses 18 and 19 of the Scripture text this morning. They tell us what Jesus Christ has done.
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 ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
I Peter 1:18-19
- The need
The key word in these verses is “redeemed,” which literally means purchasing a slave’s freedom from the slave market.
Every one of us has a need. We need to be redeemed or set free from the slave market of sin. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
There are three ways in which we fall under sin.
- Imputed sin – Adam’s sin credited to the whole human race
- Inherent sin – We have the nature of sin Psalm 51:5
- Personal sin – wrongs we have committed ourselves
We were all born in the slave market of sin, and our great need is for someone to redeem us. Good news! We are redeemed not by corruptible items such as silver and gold, but by the blood of Christ.
- The means
In II Corinthians 5:15 we read, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
To understand how Christ’s death can redeem us, we must look at his birth. Christ was born without sin (he is unique). Since He was sinless, He was not under the curse of sin. He alone could redeem us from sin. We are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish or spot.
When Christ died on the cross, He paid the debt of our sin. There is a striking analogy here. The Word says, “We are redeemed by the blood of Christ as of a lamb.” This refers back to the sacrifices that the Jews made for their sins before Christ came.
They had to find a perfect lamb. The individual’s sins were laid on the lamb. The lamb was then slain. This is precisely what Christ did for us on the cross, and He paid the penalty for all time.
- Your part
You are probably thinking, “Wonderful!” I am redeemed. The price of my sin is paid. I’m free. Wait just a minute!
You were in the slave market of sin. Christ came and paid the price to free you, but where are you? You have a choice. Either stay in the slave market or get out. Some people stay there because of unbelief and a lack of desire to get out.
How do you get out of the slave market? Faith! You must believe what Jesus has done and trust Him. A normal reaction to accepting what Christ has done would be just like the slave girl from our story. She wanted to serve the one who bought her.
Christ wants us to accept Him and walk in ways which He has shown us in His Word.
