Redemption Has Arrived | Viny Costa

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

Thank you so much for listening today.

We hope it encourages you and inspires you.

Here's today's message.

We love you guys so so very much.

Thank you for everything you have done for this church.

We are a better church because of you.

It's such a privilege and an honor to be here with you guys this morning and with you watching online, sharing what I believe God has for our hearts.

My name is Vini.

I'm 33 years old.

I get married for life with Juliana.

Would you please stand up so everybody can meet you and see how great you are?

And we have a daughter, um Serena, three years old.

She's you know part Brazilian, part American, kind of a Chinese a little bit.

So if you see someone that looks like this running around, it's probably her.

We were from Brazil, we moved here five years ago.

Our life was pretty okay in Brazil, and then we heard someone saying, Fool is the one who planted the same seeds expecting new results, and we were like, Oh, this is us.

Alright, should we try something new and crazy?

And my wife was crazy enough to say, Yes, let's go.

So we apply for a visa, and then in April of 2017, we arrived here in Orlando with a lot of suitcases, couple of hundred dollars, very, very, very, very rusty English, and a desire, a desire to learn a language, a desire to immerse in a new culture, and a desire to find a new community.

And here we are.

I appreciate everything you have done for our family.

Palm Sunday, who is excited for Easter next week, huh?

Alright, Palm Sunday, such an important season, and I believe the word God has for us this morning, it's very simple.

We're gonna be talking about one of the foundations of our faith, so it will be very simple, but I believe it could be powerful.

So bear with me.

I am not as Pentecostal as Pastor Keith is.

Amen.

Amen.

Jesus was in the third year of his public ministry, and he had already done many of the things for which for which he's known.

He had already resurrected Lazarus from the dead, he had already multiplied food, loaves, loaves, and fishes, he had already walked on water, he had already preached the most impactful and mind-blowing sermons ever.

And now the Bible says it's time to go to Jerusalem.

And then you would ask me, Why is that, Vinnie?

Well, they need to go to Jerusalem because it's Passover feast season.

Passover, it's a very, very important feast for a Jew.

It's important because it's when they celebrate their deliverance from the slavery in Egypt.

So it's common for a Jew to go to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.

Jerusalem is not a big city, but the scholars believe that around two million Jews were there.

The Bible says Jesus gathers his disciples and he says, Hey guys, we need to go to Jerusalem.

And the apostles are like, Yeah, we know that.

That's exactly what's expected from us.

But Jesus goes, Hey, listen, I know you know we need to go to Jerusalem, but I have a bigger plan for this trip.

I have a different purpose for this trip.

We're not only going there because we need to celebrate Passover, we're not going there because that's what we're supposed to do.

We're not going there because that's exactly what a good Jew would do.

We are going there, and now I'm about to tell you guys, so be ready.

We're going to Jerusalem because I'm going to die.

I will be killed in Jerusalem.

What a hard conversation to have, huh?

It is hard for Jesus to say it, it is hard for the disciples to listen.

I would have run away.

I don't know about you.

If I know, if I if I know I need to go to Alabama, but as soon as I get there, I will be I will be killed.

I would never go to Alabama.

I'm going to Wisconsin.

That's for you, Dave.

But not Jesus.

He's so brave.

And he loves too much.

He cares too much.

He knows that he's going to be killed in Jerusalem.

He knows the challenges he's going to face there.

But he gathers his disciples and said and says, This is what we need to do.

We need to go to Jerusalem.

And he arrives there five days before his death.

Can you picture yourself in that scene?

Can you picture yourself in a in a crowd?

Because Jesus is arriving.

Jesus is so close to Jerusalem.

And he tells two of his disciples, Would you please find a donkey for me?

And the disciples are like, What?

Wait, what?

A donkey?

Not a white horse, Jesus.

Not a white horse like Nero would ask for.

Like Julius Caesar would ask for, like Alexander the Great would ask for.

You need a donkey?

Yeah.

I need a donkey.

I need a donkey because I am not only brave enough to face this Jerusalem, but I am also humble enough to get into the city riding a donkey that it's not even mine.

I want to show my people that I am not here to scare anyone.

I am the Prince of Peace.

I am humble.

And they are very excited because Jesus is, you know, getting into the city, and we're talking about Jesus for God's sake.

It's not Justin Bieber, it's Jesus.

A couple years ago, my wife and I we had a chance to go to Los Angeles.

This is not in my script, so hopefully it goes well.

So we went to Los Angeles and um we were just driving around and we realized that Justin Timberlake was stopped on a sign right next to it to us.

Justin Timberlake.

My wife freaked out.

Because Justin was right, what was right there.

What about Jesus, huh?

Jesus going to Jerusalem.

The crowd is so excited.

Why is that?

It's because come on, it's Jesus.

He healed lots and lots of people.

He preached great terms.

They're excited because they can't stand the Rome Empire anymore.

So maybe Jesus is coming here to become our king.

If he is the Son of God, like everybody is saying, or at least half of the crowd is saying, maybe he's coming here to Jerusalem to become our king, to perform more miracles.

Maybe he's coming here to do something amazing.

So they don't know how to welcome him, so they get palm branches and their own their own clothes, they put it on the ground and they make a way to the Lord to welcome him properly.

They start singing a song.

I love that.

I don't know how that song look sounds like, but we know the lyrics of the song.

They sing Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna.

They sing, Blessed is he who comes, the King in God's name, all is well in heaven, glory in the high places.

They are so excited about Jesus.

Pharisees, they are there as well.

We know then religious people.

They don't like Jesus, they want to kill him.

They think he's a false prophet.

They think that he doesn't know how to discern and interpret the law.

They want to kill him.

They are ready to ask hard questions.

They are ready to rebuke him.

And we have Jesus looking at Jerusalem and crying.

So many different stuff happening at the same time, huh?

Let's look at this scene we're talking about through the lenses of the twelve apostles.

Let's think about John asking Peter, hey, remind me why we're here again.

Because Jesus told us that he would die here, right?

So what we're doing here, I'm so confused.

Why we're not as far as possible from here?

Let's think about the crowd.

Full of expectations.

This is probably our new king.

He will destroy Rome.

He will perform miracles.

He will heal my daughter.

My dad.

What about the Pharisees?

We're gonna catch him.

We have the hardest question for him.

We're going to rebuke him.

How many expected?

Apparently everybody's expecting something different from Lord Jesus.

But let me tell you something.

Jesus was not there to perform one more miracle.

Jesus was not there to become a king.

Let me tell you something.

Jesus was not there to teach one more lesson to his disciples or to bring any type of clarification.

Jesus was there because he had greater plans.

Jesus was there for a purpose.

Jesus was there to pay off a debt.

Nobody knew.

Everybody expecting something different from him.

And Jesus is like, you guys don't get it.

You guys don't get it.

I'm here to pay off a debt.

Have you been into a season in your life that looks like your expectations and desire doesn't match with God's expectations and desires?

Have you been into a season that you pray a lot?

You fast.

You kind of fight with God, saying, You know it.

You know I need it.

You know my desires.

You know what I'm expecting.

You know it all.

And everything you you hear and you see from heaven is maybe a silence.

Have you been there?

Yes?

It's probably because God has something different and bigger for you.

It's probably because his expectations are a little bit different than yours.

He was not there to perform a miracle, he was there to settle the score.

He was there to do something that only he could do.

This is not a man arriving in a city.

This is not Jesus going to Jerusalem for a party or something.

This is not an attempt to gain more fame and power.

This is Jesus coming to Jerusalem to become the redeemer of the world, to pay a debt that no one else could pay.

So many people labeled him with different labels.

Mary's son, God's son, a prophet, a healer.

But now he's going after a different label.

Redeemer.

I got it, Vinny, you would say.

I got it.

So you're saying that Jesus went to Jerusalem to pay a debt and also to be the redeemer?

But what debt is that?

And what's redemption?

So I would love to talk with you on the next 17 minutes and 36 seven.

37 seconds.

And I already know it will be impossible.

What's that debt?

And what's redemption?

If I would ask you, what does redemption mean to you?

I think you would say, well, redemption is just a different word for salvation.

This is correct.

You would probably say, redemption is forgiveness of sins.

That's correct.

I believe you would say redemption is a new life, that's correct.

But it's more than that.

All of the answers are incomplete.

Let me tell you something.

It's for me, it's always funny and interesting when I see a cultural difference between Brazil and America.

It's interesting and funny.

Some words, phrases, uh terms that you guys are well familiarized with, and I have no idea what it is.

Sometimes I'm just in the middle of a conversation and someone says something, and I pretend I know exactly what they're talking about, but inside of me I'll I'm like, I have no context what that means.

And I think a good example of this is the word shenanigans.

I have no idea.

I I and uh trust me, I have asked around, can you please teach me what shenanigans means?

I don't understand it.

And Lindsay, she's a great teacher.

She taught me the word flabbergasted, which is and discombabulated, which is two of the words that I love.

But shenanigans, I don't get it.

I don't get kerfuffle.

Even though it sounds amazing, I would love to name my my son comf kerfufel, but I don't know what it means.

Malarkey, no idea.

Lollygag.

And my favorite one, Bruhaha.

What's that?

Can you imagine how long it took for me to be able to say for the first time super califragilistic expialidocious?

Now we celebrate, but the struggle was real.

It's because we don't teach our kids how to say that.

It's part of your culture, but not mine.

So even though even though I know how to s how to pronunciate the word, I don't know what it means.

A couple months ago, Pastor Keith asked me, asked me this question: Do you like to cook?

And I I said, I love to cook.

And then he asked me, What's your favorite dish?

I get that a lot.

Dave asked me uh that question a couple of weeks a couple of months ago.

And my my answer is always the same.

My favorite dish is feijoada.

Now you know how I feel.

Feijoada.

And if you go to Brazil and you say the word feijoada, everybody knows what it is.

But here in the US, not so much.

And then Pastor Keefe told me, What's feijoada?

And even though you can see what it is, it's still so hard to explain.

And my answer when someone asks me what is that, I always I always reply, like, well, try it, try it first, and then I will explain what it is.

Because it's very hard.

Can you put it back up, Paula?

Thank you.

It's very hard to explain that this is the type of food that it's black beans that we eat with all of the animal parts that nobody wants.

Okay?

We're talking about tongue, feet, tail.

That's why it's so cheap to cook it because nobody wants it.

It's not Philamignon or revive, but it's it's delicious.

I love it.

But even when I show you what it is, it's hard for you to understand.

I think that's exactly what happened with the word redemption.

Because the Jew they know exactly what it is because the word redemption is part.

Of their culture.

But for us, we have heard about it.

But I don't think we know as deep as they know what redemption means.

So I would love to talk a little bit with you about redemption.

So bear with me as we try to understand the concept, the concept of redemption through through the lenses of a Jew.

And then in a couple of minutes, we're gonna go back to Luke chapter 19.

Luke 19 · chapter mention

This concept of redemption is presented to the Jews in the Old Testament.

That's why they are well familiarized with that.

A Jew knows exactly what redemption is in a deeper level because they knew the law.

You guys know what I'm talking about?

The law?

The law was some type of life manual that God gave it to the Israelites in the Old Testament.

It's like God's idea on how to live a life in society.

You know the Ten Commandments, right?

It's part of the law.

It's a tip from God.

Hey, you wanna you wanna be God's people?

You wanna be a peculiar nation?

Okay, so live like that, and you will accomplish that.

Well, one of the things in the law that it was a very important tip from God was like, the people of God don't owe money.

Bear with me.

Right now you're probably what he's talking about.

We're gonna get there.

The people of God don't owe money.

If you owe money to someone, you you you have to pay it.

If you don't pay it, the consequences of having a debt is harsh.

Is harsh.

The peculiar nation of God don't owe money to anyone.

To explain it better to you, I would need help up here.

So, Casi, would you please come here to help me out?

Can we put our hands together for Casi?

What's good in the hood?

Pastor Keith, come on.

Can we put our hands together?

What's cracking?

We're all Jews, okay?

We're all Jews.

We live in Jerusalem, probably in a college park in Jerusalem.

2400 400 years ago, okay?

And I have a great idea.

I think it's appropriate, I think the timing is correct.

It's time to invest in bitcoins.

I'm going to mine bitcoins in Jerusalem 2400 years ago.

I'm so ready for it.

Hey, I have the expertise, but I don't have the money.

Guess who has the money?

As you can clearly see.

So I go to Cassie and I say, hey friend, listen, I had an idea.

Have you heard about this thing called Bitcoin?

Oh, it's so hard to explain.

But I think I'm gonna mine it, and uh I know how to do it.

I'm I'm positive it will be profitable for me and for you.

You have the money.

What if you just invest on this?

Good idea, huh?

And then I just tell her, let's do this.

You give me a hundred, and in six months I'm going to return 200 for you.

Is that good?

Is that fair?

Yeah, it's fair.

Do you guys think this is a good deal?

All right, nice.

I got the 100.

I'm ready to invest in bitcoins, but guess what?

It was not good.

I thought I knew it, but I don't.

I thought I would have the enough equipment to mine it, but I don't.

I thought the internet in Jerusalem was good, but it's not.

So now, six months later, I don't have the a hundred dollars or a hundred money, whatever, or two hundred to give it back to Kasi.

I don't.

Actually, I have thirty dollars or thirty money.

Well, the law tells me I need to pay her back.

I can't own money.

So I go to Kasi and say, Hey Kasi, here is 30, this is what I have.

And then Cassie would tell me, Well, you know you need to pay me.

And I would be like, Yeah.

Well, you take my Nissan rogue, I'm sorry, 2013.

You take a couple of my shoes, and now this is probably what, 60?

And just because I don't have anything else to give it to you, I'm going to become your slave.

This is Exodus chapter 21.

Exodus 21 · chapter mention

I need to pay my debt, and if I don't have money, I'm going to be her slave for seven years.

Isn't it harsh?

Well, what if she's not a Jew?

What is she from?

Egypt.

She looks like an Egyptian to me.

Well, in that case, I don't have the money, I would become her slave not only for seven years, but I'm I would become her slave until the next Jubilee year that happens every 50 years.

You can check it by yourself, Leviticus chapter 25.

Leviticus 25 · chapter mention

Well, let's say the last Jubilee year happened 30 years ago, so I would become her slave for 20 years until I pay off my debt.

Are you guys here with me?

Well, there's one more option.

One more option.

If I have a relative, if I have family that has enough money to pay it off.

And if he decided to do this, he would become my redeemer.

Look what the what the Bible says in Leviticus chapter 25, verse 25.

Leviticus 25:25

If one of your fellows, Israelites, becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is come and redeem what they have sold.

There's no way for me to pay this out, pay this off.

No way.

But he has enough money.

So he pays her.

And now, listen, I am not her slave anymore.

I am free from this relation because I have someone who paid the debt for me.

Are you guys here with me?

Now listen, this is not an interesting transaction for Pastor Keith.

Because he's investing or paying something that he had other he had other plans for his money.

But because he's merciful, because he's my family, he decided to pay it off.

Now I am not slave anymore.

I am free.

But pay attention to this, and this is very important.

When he pays it off, my possessions, everything I had, it doesn't come back to me.

It goes to my redeemer.

Now he owns it.

And then you're gonna ask me, but Vini, what's the difference?

Well, the difference is clear.

Here I am a slave, here I am family.

Here, she's the master and I am the servant.

Here we're just brothers.

He redeemed, he paid a debt, and now I'm free to start a new life.

And he can choose if he wants to give me back my properties or not.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Redemption, right there.

Everything I am and everything I had, it's not Cassis anymore.

It's not mine, it belongs to my Redeemer.

Redemption is an act of love.

Now let me tell you this.

You and I, we have a spiritual debt.

Romans chapter 6, verse 23 says, For the wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23

Romans chapter 3, verse 23 says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:23

I become a slave to who defeats me.

As a man, I make mistakes.

As a man I fail.

I have a debt that I cannot pay.

My flesh, my natural desires tempts me.

Everything around me tempts me.

The devil tempts me.

And eventually I stumble.

Eventually I miss the mark.

Eventually I sing.

Sometimes I say things that I shouldn't have said it.

Sometimes I watch things that I shouldn't have watched.

Sometimes I do things I should have shouldn't have done.

I sing.

No man could solve this problem.

No man could redeem me from this condition.

No man could pay my debt, spiritually speaking.

Not even Pastor Keith.

Because guess what?

Pastor Keith has his own debt.

He cannot redeem me.

He cannot be my redeemer.

In fact, Psalms chapter 49, verse 7 says, no one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them.

Psalms 49:7

No one can be my redeemer.

No one can pay out this, can pay off this debt.

Only one person and one person only.

Just one.

His name is Jesus.

Jesus who came to the earth and lived his life with no sin.

Humble.

Holy.

He faced the difficulties and temptations that you and I we face.

So he could be victorious and purchase us back to God.

So he could pay the debt for me and for you.

And I don't have a debt anymore.

Do you understand now why Jesus needed to go to Jerusalem?

Do you understand now why Palm Sunday is important?

Because it's not about one sermon, it's not about a miracle.

It's not about teaching a lesson.

It's about Jesus thinking in you and me today.

And realizing I need to go there to pay the debt they can't pay.

I need to go there because they need a redeemer.

That's why on a cross Jesus said, Tetelistai.

Which for me is the most important word in the Bible.

Tetelisti, which means I did it, it's done.

I purchased back.

I'm the redeemer.

Where's the debt?

There is no debt anymore.

I pay it off.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption.

This is what the Bible says.

He's my redeemer.

He's your redeemer.

I have three little things that I would love you to walk out of this with.

Are you here with me?

First one is this.

He is the redeemer.

And I belong to him.

I don't belong to my wife.

I have a relationship with her.

I have sorry, here.

I'm sorry, German.

I don't belong to my wife.

And General doesn't belong to Cassie.

We have a relationship, we have a covenant, we're partners for life.

But I belong to God, not to her.

I love my daughter, I take care of her.

That's my assignment.

But my daughter, she doesn't belong to me.

And I don't belong to my daughter.

My job, very important, but I don't belong to my job.

The circumstances around me, of course, I watch it, I try to discern it, but I don't belong to it.

Because I belong to my Redeemer.

Revelation chapter 5, verse 9, it says, You are worthy to take this crow and open its seals because you were his lane, and with your blood you purchased, with your blood you purchased for God persons of every tribe and language and people and nation.

Revelation 5:9

1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9, it says, But you are chosen people, you are royal priest priesthood, you are a holy nation, God's special possession.

1 Peter 2:9

And because I belong to him, I am not I am not a slave anymore.

I was in that situation, but I am no longer a slave anymore.

Do you see change here?

Because I belong to my redeemer, there is no condemnation against me because I belong to my redeemer.

He purchased you back to God.

When I look at you, I don't see a barcode, but I see the blood of Jesus over you.

What if?

What if this morning we decide that we will accept the challenge to start living our lives like we belong to God?

What if we go with his ideas, not ours, his plans, not ours?

What if we go with his choices, not ours?

What if we go with his lifestyle, not ours?

You have a redeemer and you belong to him.

The second thing is he is the redeemer, and everything you have belongs to him.

Not only you belongs to God belong to God, but everything you have belongs to God.

Colossians chapter 2 verse 14, it says, Having blotted out the bound written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross, having despoiled.

Colossians 2:14

Having despoiled the principalities and the powers.

Do you know what that means?

It means that when Jesus purchased you back, he also purchased everything belonged to you.

And now it's not yours anymore, it's his.

Everything you have belongs to Jesus.

So your clothes?

Your time?

Your family?

Your possessions, your vans, your company, your money, your future belongs to Jesus.

And when I think about this, I rest in so much peace because I know God's take God takes care of everything.

It's His.

A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with this guy.

He scheduled a meeting with me.

I went there and he was like, Hey Vinny, can we have a conversation?

I'm struggling a lot with the whole tithing and tithing and all tithing, right?

Yes, an offering thing.

I don't, you know what he told me.

I don't know if this is a New Testament thing.

Vinny, I I don't know if I am generous enough.

Vinny, I don't even know what the church is going to do with my money.

So I don't know if I should be, you know, tithing and offering.

And then I told him, hey, can I be very, very, very, very completely 100% honest with you?

I don't think the issue there is because you're not generous enough.

I don't think the issue is because you think this is not a New Testament thing.

I don't think you're telling me this because you think, you know, what the church is going to do with my money.

I think you're struggling with this because you misunderstood what redemption means.

Because if you understand what redemption is, and you understand and realize that everything you have belongs to God, when you're tithing and offering, it's not you giving God 10% of what is yours, it's God allowing you to live with 90% of what is His.

Third and last thing, He's the Redeemer, and I am the steward.

How you take care of your body, and I am preaching for myself, how you take care of your soul, how you take care of your spirit, how you take care of the talents God has given to you.

Your kids.

Have you invested in it?

Are you spending time with it?

Because if I am the steward, I want to make sure I will do my best to take care of what's he in the same way that he's taking care of myself and my family.

Before we are out of here, I just need to pray.

Maybe you're here this morning and you think, like, you know what?

I need to accept this redemption.

I need this redeemer leave living inside my heart.

Or maybe you were here this morning and you say, like, you know what, Vini, for a second I completely forgot that I belong to him.

I have lived my life based on what I think is best for me.

I have ignored him so much.

Maybe this morning you needed to be reminded that everything you have belongs to God.

And you just wanted to surrender again.

You just wanted to surrender it again.

Maybe this morning you need to make this prayer, pray this prayer.

Hey God, I I got it.

You are the redeemer.

But would you please help me to be a better steward?

Maybe that's you.

If that resonates with you, if that's you, I I want to ask you to be brave for a second.

He was brave to go to Jerusalem.

I was brave to preach this in English.

Would you please be brave to raise up your hands if that's you?

Amen.

God bless you.

God, we thank you so much for this morning.

We thank you for being the redeemer of our souls.

And we accept and recognize you as such.

Thank you for your redemption.

Thank you for becoming my redeemer.

We want to surrender our lives back to you, Jesus.

And everything we have, and everything we are.

We belong to you.

We're not slaves anymore.

We belong to you and there's no condemnation.

We belong to you, and everything we have is yours.

We belong to you, and we are going to be a better steward of everything it's yours.

We thank you.

We thank you for being our redeemer.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Thanks again for listening.

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