Born to Redeem!
Christmas 2019 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 16 viewsThe purpose of Jesus' birth. The purpose and role of the law.
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this morning we are going to turn our attention to what happened shortly after Jesus’ birth
before we do so, I want to remind you of where we have been in the Word of God the past 2 Sundays
we have been studying Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus
Matthew birth narrative is really a continuation of Jesus’ genealogy
he begins with a statement in v.1 summarizing Jesus human connection to David and Abraham,
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
genealogies of Jesus - shows his connection to David and thus his being the fulfillment of God’s promises to him - shows his connection to Abraham and thus his being the fulfillment of God’s promises to him]
Jesus Christ = a name and a title
Jesus is his given name and means “he will save his people from their sins”
Christ is his title
it means: the chosen one of God, the Messiah promised in the OT
Son of David: demonstrates that King David is his ancestor through Joseph and thus that he is the fulfillment of God’s promises to him
a never dying King with and everlasting kingdom based on righteousness and truth
Son of Abraham: proves his connection to Abraham and thus his being the fulfillment of God’s promises to him
a blessing to the nations = the knowledge of God and the blessing of salvation
the blessing of salvation
Matthew concludes his genealogy in vv.18-25 by showing Jesus’ direct connection to God
Jesus is the Son of God
we are now going to turn our attention to what followed Jesus birth 1 week later and his presentation to the Lord 33 days later
I know that some of you may be thinking, “what about the visit of the angels?”
our focus has been Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth
Matthew’s purpose to demonstrate that Jesus is not only a King but the King of kings, promised hundreds and thousands of years before
Luke’s purpose to give Theophilus certainty about the things he had been taught
therefore he compiled a narrative of Jesus’ life (), an orderly account ()
Note: those with a predisposition to suppress the truth and exchange it for a lie use differences like this to say that the bible is full of contradictions and cannot be trusted
so that’s where we have been
today we are going to focus our attention on what Joseph and Mary did for Jesus shortly after he was born
before we begin I want to remind you about a vital fact of Jesus’ birth
if Jesus had not been a perfect man he could not have died a substitutionary, atoning death on our behalf
and if Jesus did not die a substitutionary, atoning death there would be no Christmas
it wouldn’t have mattered that Jesus was born in a manger, that he lived an exemplary life, did miracles and taught some amazing things
If Jesus had not been the perfect Son of God in human flesh he would have lived and died like all other men and been long forgotten!
there wouldn’t be a church, we wouldn’t be here today and we would still be lost in our sins
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)
Lk 2:23
Lk
Paul’s Description of Jesus’ Birth
Paul’s Description of Jesus’ Birth
as the perfect Son of God it was critical that Jesus keep the whole law, in word, thought and deed for all of his life, even when he was an infant!
before he himself was able to keep the law his parents had to do it for him
thus Joseph and Mary were a critical part of his upbringing!
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
“the fullness of time”
Jesus’ coming to earth and being born as a baby was not a random act, a coincidence or an accident.
God formulated his plan for Jesus before anything existed
when God created all things he also determined all the events of the world’s history
everything from creation to the destruction of the heavens and the earth to the creation of the New Heavens and New Earth was planned by God
The centre point of history is the 33 year life of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.
the most important thing to happen in the history of the world was the incarnation of the Son of God: his birth, life, death and resurrection
everything recorded from Genesis to Malachi was moving toward this pivotal event
birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, return, millennial rule, final judgment and eternal rule over a new heavens and new earth
since the resurrection of Jesus wherever the Good News of his life, death and resurrection have gone, peoples and nations have been eternally impacted
at the end of history every single person who has ever been conceived will stand before Jesus Christ and confess him to be Lord!
“God sent forth his Son”
at the exact moment determined by God, he sent his Son into the world
who was this “Son”?
the 2nd person of the Trinity, equal with God yet a distinct person with a distinct role
existed with God before time and creation
Prior to Jesus’ birth he was an eternal spirit.
Children’s Catechism:
Q9: Who is God?
A: God is a spirit and does not have a body like men. (; ; )
that God sent Jesus forth implies:
a specific mission, a particular purpose
when we send someone away without a purpose we are banishing them
implies pre-existence
you can’t send someone forth who does not exist!
testimony of John the Baptist about Jesus’ pre-existence
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”)
testimony of Jesus himself
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
John 17:
most importantly it implies divinity
remember the attitude of the Pharisees when Jesus called himself the Son of God
33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:
John 6:
33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”
“born of a woman”
“born of a woman”
not of a man and a woman but of a woman alone
It is impossible for a woman to conceive apart from the contribution of a man but there was one exception in all of history, the birth of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
however there was one exception in all of history, the birth of Jesus Christ by the power of the HS
prior to Jesus being sent forth he was a spirit
Children’s Catechism:
Q9: Who is God?
A: God is a spirit and does not have a body like men. (; ; Tim 1:17)
Paul describes how this happened in
although he shared the nature of God he willingly set it aside (6)
he emptied himself (7)
by taking the position of a slave (7)
by being born in the likeness of men (7)
found in human form (8)
he humbled himself (8)
by becoming obedient to the point of death (8)
by dying on a cross (8)
“born under the law”
as the Son of Abraham Jesus was born a Jew and lived under the OC
he was therefore subject to the Law of Moses
was born as a Jew, under the OC, and was therefore subject to the Law of Moses
he followed the dietary restrictions
he kept all of the Feasts
he kept the 4th commandment and was found worshipping with God’s people every Sabbath day
offered all of the required sacrifices and offerings
in everything, thought, motive and deed, he was without sin (; ; )
remember that it says that Jesus was born under the law
As an infant Jesus was not capable of understanding and obeying the law!
we know that infants are not capable of understanding and applying the law so until they are capable it is the responsibility of their parents to do this for them
so until Jesus was capable of understanding and obeying, it was the responsibility Joseph and Mary to raise him according to it
given that Jesus had to be without sin in order to be our Saviour this was indeed a tall order!!
we see in this another reason why Joseph and Mary were chosen to be Jesus’ parents!
Principle:
even though we are not required to keep the ceremonial and civil laws of the OT we are required to walk in obedience to the commands of Christ
Parents have a high responsibility to understand the Word of God so that they can raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Eph 6:4)
one of the ways he perfectly kept the law was in being circumcised on the 8th day
even as an infant God ensured that Jesus would keep his law by giving him godly parents in Joseph and Mary
Jesus was circumcised according to the law:
21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
According to the law God gave to Moses, male babies were to be circumcised on the 8th day.
what is the importance of circumcision?
Circumcision was a sign of the everlasting covenant between God and Abraham and through Abraham all of his descendants (; ).
just as circumcision could not be reversed so the covenant could not be destroyed
the penalty for not being circumcised was being cut off
either the foreskin was cut off of the person was cut off
you are either in the covenant or out, there was no having one foot in and one foot out
Circumcision was a seal of Abraham’s righteousness by faith.
no uncircumcised male could eat the Passover
Circumcision was to be a sign of a submissive heart towards God.
- circumcision is not outward and physical
when God’s people sinned and were punished God promised that if they repented and turned back to him and he would circumcise their hearts so that they would love God with all their heart and soul and live
God’s people commanded to circumcise their hearts or the Lord’s wrath would come upon them because of their evil deeds
God will punish those who are only physically circumcised but not their hearts
Jewish Christians taught that salvation was not possible without physical circumcision
circumcision only has value for those who obey the law
fast forward to the NT and Paul’s and the importance of circumcision in the life of the believer
Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s faithfulness and confirm his promises
11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Col 2:11
to accept circumcision as the sign of salvation means that person must keep the whole law in order to be saved
all true believers are circumcised by the HS by the putting off of the body of flesh by the circumcision of Christ by being buried with him in baptism in which you were also raised from the dead
Jesus was presented to the Lord according to the law:
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
Joseph and Mary went to the Temple to make atonement for her uncleanness from childbirth. (Lev 12)
First: to make atonement for her uncleanness from childbirth
according after a woman bore a male child she was unclean for 7 days
on the 8th day the child was circumcised
she continued to be purified for 33 days during which time she could not touch anything holy nor enter the Temple
at the end of the 40 days from from giving birth to a male child she was to bring a lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering
the priest would offer them up for her and she would be clean
those who could not afford a lamb and a bird were permitted to offer 2 birds ()
according to Luke, Joseph and Mary offered a pair of birds, showing that they had little in the way of financial resources
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
they could not afford a lamb
they could not afford a lamb
would anyone have called them poor?
with the required offering atonement was made and she was considered clean
Principle:
that Mary offered a sin offering shows that she was a sinner in need of a Saviour
the RC teaching that Mary was born without sin and lived a sinless life has no support in scripture
Joseph and Mary went to the Temple to present Jesus to the Lord.
takes us back to Egypt when God’s people were enslaved there
when the angel of death passed through Egypt the firstborn of Israel were protected by the blood on the doorposts
when the angel of death saw the blood he passed over that home
as a result every firstborn male of man or beast automatically belonged to the Lord
every firstborn male of man or beast automatically belonged to the Lord according to his command
1 The Lord said to Moses,
2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
clean animals were to be sacrificed
unclean animals were to be redeemed
human beings were to be redeemed
served as a reminder to successive generations of the the Lord’s deliverance from Egypt
15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
Joseph and Mary went to the Temple to pay the redemption price for Jesus because he was the firstborn. ()
Joseph paid the 5 shekels required by the law for Jesus being exempted from priestly service
according to God set apart the tribe of Levi to serve as priests before him instead of all the firstborn of Israel
in return for the rest of the firstborn of the rest of the tribes of Israel not serving as priests a redemption price of 5 shekels had to be paid ()
Joseph paid the 5 shekels required by the law for Jesus being exempted from priestly service
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
As the perfect Son of God it was critical that Jesus keep the whole law, in word, thought and deed for all of his life, even when he was an infant!
before he himself was able to keep the law his parents had to do it for him
shines a spotlight on the critical role Joseph and Mary played in Jesus’ life!
Paul’s Reason for Jesus’ Birth
Paul’s Reason for Jesus’ Birth
“to redeem those under the law”
Paul describes what it means to be under the law
5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.
remember the purpose of the law is to show us our sin
all the law can do is point out our sin
the very law we must keep if we are to be accepted by God stirs up our sinful passions
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.
5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.
6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
rather than give us the life we needit brings death
we must therefore be redeemed from the law
Paul tells us that God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to redeem those under the law.
redemption in the OT = deliverance from bondage by the payment of a price by a redeemer
in some cases money was paid to deliver a person from death
it was the duty of the next of kin to perform the redemption
though we too are under the law we have not kept it perfectly and therefore are under its curse
The problem for every single person: they are in bondage to sin right from the point of conception! (; , 6:23)
when David finally repented of his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband he said,
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
the Apostle Paul tells that this reality applies to each and every one of us
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and only the atoning death of Jesus can make free
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
in the NT the plight that requires a ransom is moral in nature
therefore we are under its curse, the curse of sin and death
the curse of sin and death
all the law can do is point out our sin
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.
5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.
6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
therefore we are under its curse, the curse of sin and death
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and only the atoning death of Jesus can make free
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
the curse of sin and death
all the law can do is point out our sin
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.
5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.
6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
Rom 7:4-6
it was the duty of the next of kin to perform the redemption
in the NT the plight that requires a ransom is moral
humankind is slave to sin and only the atoning death of Jesus can make free
“that we might receive adoption as sons”
when a son was adopted in the Roman world, he was given all the rights and privileges of a biological son
a famous biblical example is Moses being adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh ()
as such he enjoyed and the rights of belonging to Pharaoh’s family
according to Gal 3:26 we are sons of God through faith
Jesus taught that every person begins life as a child of the devil. ()
according to before we were adopted we were slaves (of sin and death)
When a person is born again they are adopted by God and become heirs of God! (Gal 3:23-29)
listen to how Paul explains this in
according to believers were predestinated for adoption
according to believers were predestinated for adoption
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
as such he enjoyed and the rights of belonging to Pharaoh’s family
because Jesus was an infant and unable to keep God’s law he ensured Jesus kept the law by giving him godly parents who did so
Luke 2:
21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
according to the law God gave to Moses, male babies were to be circumcised on the 8th day
what is the importance of circumcision?
Gen
10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.
11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.
12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring,
13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.
14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
-14 - a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham
a sign of the everlasting covenant between God and Abraham and through Abraham all of his descendants (Acts 7:8)
just as circumcision could not be reversed so the covenant could not be destroyed
the penalty for not being circumcised was being cut off
either the foreskin was cut off of the person was cut off
you are either in the covenant or out, there was no having one foot in and one foot out
- circumcision a sign but also a seal of his righteousness by faith
no uncircumcised male could eat the Passover
physical circumcision was to be a sign of heart circumcision
- circumcision is not outward and physical
heart circumcision was needed so that he would love God with all his heart and soul and live
God’s people commanded to circumcise their hearts or the Lord’s wrath would come upon them because of their evil deeds
God will punish those who are only physically circumcised but not their hearts
Jewish Christians taught that salvation was not possible without physical circumcision
circumcision only has value for those who obey the law
Rom 15:8
circumcision is not outward and physical
Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s faithfulness and confirm his promises
to accept circumcision as the sign of salvation means that person must keep the whole law in order to be saved
all true believers are circumcised by the HS by the putting off of the body of flesh by the circumcision of Christ by being buried with him in baptism in which you were also raised from the dead
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
Lk 2:22-
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
Joseph and Mary went to the Temple for 2 reasons:
to atone for her uncleanness from childbirth
according when a woman bore a male child she was unclean for 7 days
on the 8th day the child was circumcised
she continued to be unclean for 33 days during which time she could not touch anything holy nor enter the Temple
at the end of the 40 days from from giving birth to a male child she was to bring a lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering
the priest would offer them up for her
athe lamb was for a burnt offering
for those who could not afford a lamb, 2 birds were offered (Lev 12:8)
atonement would be made and then she would be clean
Mary offered a pair of birds, the offering of the poor
they could not afford a lamb
atonement would be made and then she would be clean
to present Jesus to the Lord
that Mary offered a sin offering shows that she was a sinner in need of a Saviour
the RC teaching that Mary was born without sin and lived a sinless life has no support in scripture
to present Jesus to the Lord
every firstborn male of man or beast belonged to the Lord according to his command when the angel of death passed through Egypt ()
clean animals were to be sacrificed
unclean animals were to be redeemed
human beings were to be redeemed
served as a reminder to successive generations of the the Lord’s deliverance from Egypt (Ex 13:15)
when the firstborn of Israel were protected by the blood on the doorposts
the firstborn of Israel were protected by the blood on the doorposts
also at that time Joseph paid the 5 shekels required in the law for being exempted from priestly service
according to God set apart the tribe of Levi to serve as priests before him instead of all the firstborn of Israel
in return for the rest of the firstborn of the rest of the tribes of Israel not serving as priests a redemption price of 5 shekels had to be paid (Num 18:15-16