What I learnt from Isaiah / Redemption talks

Back from Oak Hall skiing in Hotel Staubbach, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. Had a great time, and there were some excellent Bible talks too by Paul Mayo, mainly on Isaiah.

There was loads of great stuff and I won't go through it all, but just highlight what particularly challenged me...

Isaiah 42 - Jesus by his grace (vs2-3a) is fixing the world (3b-4). And he will definitely succeed (vs 8-9). So what am I spending my life doing? All aspects of life on earth ultimately are futile and pointless by themselves - we try and make a difference, but it is minimal and ultimately doesn't matter. But if Isaiah 42 is true, being involved in Jesus' mission is the only thing to live for, and the only thing to be part of in which I can make a real difference to the world. So many people are 'addicted to trivialities' - and so am I most of the time. My conversations (to both Christians and non-Christians) are usually about trivial things, very rarely about the great things of God and his work in the world... I ask God to help me to change and speak more of him in my everyday life.

Redemption - on Good Friday Paul Mayo did a systematic overview of redemption in the Bible which was really helpful in thinking about what Jesus' redemption through his death on the cross means. According to the Bible, there are three sorts of people who need to be redeemed: the condemned (e.g. Exodus 21:28-30), the homeless (e.g. Leviticus 25, Ruth 2:20) and slaves (Lev 25, Hosea 3:2). We are all like these people as we were condemned because of our sin, homeless as thrown outside Eden, and slaves to sin (John 8:34). Yet because of Christ's payment of the price of himself on the cross, if we are in him we are now not:

Condemned > but Loved

Homeless > but Inheritors

Slaves > but Freed and yet owned (1 Cor 6:19-20, Gal 4:8, 1 Peter 1:18-19)

I was particularly challenged by having be redeemed from slavery to sin. Firstly, it reminds me how foolish it is to go back to what I was a slave to and sin (though we all stupidly do!). Secondly, I am not my own, but belong to the redeemer, Jesus, and so am bound to serve him. This may sound restrictive, but he is my loving God who redeemed me and wants the best for me. This is in fact where true freedom (i.e. to live as I was made to live) is found.