It is a fact of nature that 99.44% of all women love to go shopping. It’s just the way they are. The major sporting event that all of them enjoy the most is to go shopping even when they aren’t looking for anything in particular. It’s in their blood and nothing can be done about it. My wife will say: “I think I would like to ride out to the mall for a few minutes and see if I can find something to wear.” “Do you want to go?” Now, she knows that I’m not going to let her go to the mall by herself during these dangerous times so I’m elected. Most of the time I choose to sit in the car and listen to music or the news on satellite radio. After some period of time, I see her coming to the car but I notice that there is no bag in her hand that might contain the merchandise she found and purchased. “Well, you ready to go?” “I guess so. There isn’t a thing in there that I want.” I think for just a moment and then this brilliant thought which entered my mind suddenly comes out of my mouth when I say…. “You mean to tell me that with all that merchandise in that huge store, you didn’t find something you liked?” Sound familiar to any of you?
When we go shopping or take our wives on that venture, we are taking them into the market place where merchandise can be bought with money and then taken out of the marketplace to our home. That is exactly what happened when Jesus came into this world (the “agora” from which we get agriculture), bought us (with His blood) in the marketplace, makes us a citizen of heaven and then He takes us home in God’s timing. This is the process we use to go shopping and it is also the one God uses on His heavenly shopping trip to buy us in the marketplace and take us home.
Scripture tells us that this world is the dominion of Satan. He was thrown down to the earth when he was kicked out of heaven. It’s his domain. The truth is that we are born into Satan’s domain and there must be a process of getting us out of this domain and into God’s heaven. Scripture teaches us that until we are bought out of the marketplace (managed by Satan) we are lost and doomed unless rescued. So, God sent Jesus on His Spiritual Shopping Trip. He entered the hostile zone of the earth just like we do. He was human just as we are. And, as a human, he was obedient to the father and finished His work of redemption thereby enabling Him to buy us out of the devil’s supermarket. His method of payment for my soul and yours is the blood of Jesus. There was no sale that day you were purchased (saved). Satan charged the fullest price ever and Jesus paid it in His Blood; the highest price ever paid for anything. Jesus didn’t come into the marketplace expecting to purchase you at a bargain price. He paid the full price and it was not an easy thing to do. I think most people never really understand how costly it was for Jesus to purchase them and rescue them from Satan.
One thing we must understand is that Jesus did not go into the marketplace and snatch us off the shelf whether we liked it or not. When he came into that environment, he did not force anyone to allow Him to buy them and take them out of the marketplace. We had to agree to be bought and taken home by Him. He had paid the price of our redemption and we, by faith, believed He had the power to pay the price and then we voluntarily gave ourselves over into His hands during our purchase. He bought us and was the only one who could do so. We are now His. Our ownership has changed and our homeland has changed also. We may have to live here on the earth (Satan’s domain) but he can no longer dominate us. We have a new owner and we are no longer a part of Satan’s domain. We are citizens of heaven because the Lord came on a Heavenly Shopping Trip, bought us and took us home with Him.
When a Christian dies, their spirit goes directly into the presence of the Lord (Philippians 1:21; 2 Cor 5:8) but our bodies are “planted” and are awaiting His return. One of these days, and only God knows the time, Jesus will return to the earth and resurrect all those Christians who have gone on before us. He will also, at the same time, change those Christians who are still alive and remaining and He will take all of us, in glorified bodies, with Him into our Eternal Home (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
You see, that Heavenly Shopping Trip bore a lot of fruit. It was not like our earthly shopping trips in today’s world which might or might not produce a thing. Jesus came into this marketplace seeking to save the lost and He was successful. He still seeks the lost and He will do today what He has always done when we agree to let Him purchase us and go home with Him. We do that by exercising faith in the One that God sent on the Heavenly Shopping Trip. And, He is still calling people to follow Him and let Him purchase them today. We must commit our lives to Him in faith and He will take us home with Him at the right moment.
Just make sure that you are one of those who are bought with His Blood. Trust Him and He will purchase you on His Heavenly Shopping Trip.
