A.  This world desperately needs to know Jesus.
B.  To know Him, we must see Him as both human and divine.
C.  We want to look at the divine side of Jesus; to see Him in His divine roles.

  I. CHRIST IS OUR REDEEMER, v. 14

A.  He has brought us into His kingdom.
B.  He has brought us out of the dominion of darkness.
C.  He has granted us forgiveness.

A.  He is the image of God.
B.  All things were made by Him.
C.  All things were made for Him.
D.  All authority is His.

A.  God and man were separated.
B.  Sin was the cause.
C.  The cross was the cure.
D.  Peace is the prospect.

    Recently, a man in Danbury, Connecticut, defended himself in a murder case on the grounds that he was possessed by demons.  That kind of defense was ruled inadmissable!  It is true that evil has great power and influence, but it is also true that we have freedom of choice.  We decide to come under the influence of evil or under the influence of Christ. We live in a dark world - dark with temptation, danger, anxiety, and fear.  But we have the privilege of walking in the light.
 

    When General Franco was the dictator of Spain, he often went to the palace to read his proclamations from the throne room.  But he always stood beside the throne.  He never sat on the throne of Spain.  Christ, however, does not hesitate to occupy the throne at God's right hand nor to occupy His place as Head of His spiritual kingdom, the church.
 

    Have you ever seen a child who was learning to walk reach up and take the hand of a parent?  Have you seen him then, wanting more stability, reach up and take the hand of the other parent?  It almost looks as if the child is drawing the parents together, as many a child has, indeed, done.  Have you ever seen a friend trying to reconcile two enemies?  He puts his hand on one arm of each and seems almost imperceptibly to draw them closer together.  Have you ever seen the father of the bride take the hand of his daughter and the hand of the groom and draw them together?  That is what Christ has done.  He did it for Jew and Gentile.  He did it for slave and master.  He did it for male and female.  He did it for man and God!
 

    Constantine thought he had the original crown of thorns.  He gave it to the Venetians as collateral for a loan!  It was later bought by Louis IX of France.  He built Paris lovely cathedral of Saint Chapelle to house it and other relics he had purchased.  Think of it!  The crown of thorns as collateral for a loan!  But wait a minute.  The cross was more than collateral for our debt of sin.  It paid the debt in full!
 

    In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi meets Darth Vader.  He says, "Now you must kill me, but know that in my death, I will defeat you."  That is what Christ says to evil. "In my death, I will defeat you!"  That is what He said to the vested interests that put Him to death:  "In my death, I will defeat you!"
 

    The Russian Orthodox church will not allow statues; but holy pictures, or icons, are acceptable.  The most famous is the Virgin of Vladimir.  Both Ivan the Terrible and Nicholas II carried it into battle.  They believed they could not be defeated if the picture were taken to the battlefield.  It is something quite different that we have in mind when we sing:
        Onward, Christian soldiers
        Marching as to war;
        With the cross of Jesus
        Going on before.