18 December 2021 - Christmas and Redemption

Luke 2:36-38 (NKJV) “Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Anna is not a well-known figure in the Bible. We however find her in Luke 2:36 where she proclaims that Jesus will bring redemption. God put the plan for our redemption into motion with Jesus’ birth.

The lyrics to O Holy Night express this beautifully: “O holy night. The stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till he appeared and the soul felt it’s worth.”

The birth of Jesus had one thing in mind, and that was to redeem us.

The word redeem has the basic meaning “to buy back.” Ephesians 1:7 teaches us that a Christian has been redeemed by Christ through His blood, that is, His death.

Ephesians 1:7 (NASB) ”In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”

With regard to Christ's shed blood, redemption essentially means deliverance from death by means of payment of a very high price. The imagery emerges from the marketplace. To redeem is to buy back, whether as a purchase or a ransom price. Jesus Christ redeemed us from the effect of our sins, buying us back by paying a very steep ransom price.

Galatians 4:4-5 (NKJV) “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

Ephesians 2:1-7 (NLT) “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”

Though the Bible was written over sixteen centuries by at least forty authors, it has one central theme--salvation through faith in Christ. - Max Lucado