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Today is Saturday May 29, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of II Chronicles, chapters 28-30. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-may-29

Title: Bible Study: Redeemed = Free
To be redeemed means to have a debt paid off, to be clear and free from any debts that one has acquired. We all have or had debts in our lives from time to time and it feels great to be redeemed from them. Perhaps one of the most overlooked debts of all is that of sin. Yes, there is a debt owed for sin and that debt is death and hell. Since we sin every day in some way unknowingly that means we would accumulate a huge debt over the years. However, there is a way, praise God, to be redeemed from that debt and that way is Jesus Christ. Praise God! As Christians the greatest redemption of all is our salvation, we know that is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ we are redeemed of all our sin debt. The second we went to Jesus and said, I believe in You, Jesus, come into my heart, remove my sin debt, and save me. We are saved and redeemed. If any of us have forgotten what that means, the means we no longer owe the huge debt we acquired, it is paid off, we are clear and free of all of our sin debt, once and for all and forever. Praise God. Does that mean we will never sin again? Of course not, everyone sins, even men of God sin. Does that mean we have to get redeemed all over again? Of course not, once redeemed, always redeemed. Now, we do have to repent and ask for forgiveness, but even if you have gotten away from God and lived the most sinful life, you are still redeemed. God is just waiting for you to go to Him and say, I'm sorry God, forgive me. God is and always will be faithful and forgiving, even to the most ruthless sinner, as long as he truly repents.

After king Jotham died, Ahaz, his son reigned, but he was perhaps one of the most ruthless and wickedest kings in the history of Judah. He brought and encouraged false god and idol worship into Jerusalem, causing all of Israel to sin. He even sacrificed one of his own children. “Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.” - II Chronicles 28:1-5. Ahaz robbed the Temple of its gold and costly furnishings, drained the national treasury, confiscated the resources of leading citizens, and gave it all to the Assyrian king to have him attack the Northern Kingdom and Syria. Because of his wickedness, his kingdom suffered serious losses of territory and strength During his reign he encountered many defeats in war, and thousands of his people were taken as slaves by neighboring nations. God would never allow a human life to be a sacrifice, that is why He sent Himself as Jesus to be the sacrifice for us. God will not stand for anyone hurting one of His people and or causing them to sin. He will end a saved persons life here on earth and bring them to heaven if they continue to sin and cause others to live in sin, but He will make them suffer for a time.

The amazing thing is that while we may all suffer from others sinning, it all comes to pass and we can overcome it. Either the person causing the sin will return to God or get redeemed or God will see your faithfulness and we will be blessed through it. Suffering always brings about blessings. Praise God! Now, Jerusalem was suffering severely because of the sins of Ahaz, Hezekiah began to reign and had a very big job to do to get Jerusalem back on his feet. Hezekiah was a godly man, just as David was, and he was determined to get the people right with God and redeemed, even the priests were found to be unholy and were called to cleanse themselves. “Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.” - II Chronicles 29:1-5. Hezekiah began restoring biblical principles and true worship of God. He recognized the blessings of God as of utmost importance and as most essential. He repaired and cleansed the Temple. Under extreme difficulty and danger, he was determined to do God's will, no compromise, no half-measures, no delay was going to stop him. Even if every other person in your family was against God do not stop serving in and believing in Him. He will take care of every person who truly wants to live his life for Him.

After the Temple was repaired Hezekiah encouraged all the people of Israel to come to worship God the way they were supposed to. It did not matter if they had gotten away from God, they were His people and they all had a change to be redeemed. “And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel....Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem....For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.” - II Chronicles 30:1,8-11,18-20. Many of the people mocked Hezekiah and laughed at him, but those who truly wanted God in their lives humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem to be redeemed. While God created every one, only a small portion of people are His people and they are the ones who will humble themselves and return to God. As Christians, God assures us that we are His people we are redeemed, and all we need to do to get right with Him is return to Him. He still loves you and always will. If you are hiding from God and feel ashamed over something that has happened, He will forgive you. Just go to Him and get right with Him. All who have accepted Christ into their hearts are saved and redeemed and God's people. He will get us right with Him one way or another, praise God for His love, patience, forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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