The Christmas Key 5: The Key to Redemption

Intro

Luke 2:36–38 NASB 2020

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers. And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Tension

Truth

I. The coming of Christ is the key to a thankful heart.

Thankfulness is the purist response from those who recognise who Jesus truly is.

II. The coming of Christ is the key to our redemption.

The word here which we translate as “redemption” is the Greek word lytrōsis.

Lytrosis is used 3 times in the New Testament; twice in Luke and once in Hebrews.

The other place in Luke is in chapter 1 when Zechariah sings a hymn of blessing to God, recalling how through His Christ God has accomplished redemption for Israel.

In Hebrews it is used to describe an eternal redemption which Christ is said to have obtained through His work on the cross.

Hebrews 9:11–12 NASB 2020

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption.

The Lexham Theological Workbook gives us a good working definition of this word lytrosis; “ransoming, releasing, redemption. Being ransomed or liberated from an oppressive situation.”

This leads us to ask, “what oppressive situation have we been liberated from through Christ?”

Scripture defines this well. Namely, that we have been set free from slavery to sin and death.

Galatians 3:13–14 NASB 2020

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a Tree”—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Ephesians 1:7–10 NASB 2020

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

John 8:31–38 NASB 2020

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’ ?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. Now the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you are seeking to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak of the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”

It is our response to Christ which reveals where our hearts truly lay.

For all who see Christ as God’s redemption and He who delivers us from the evil within ourselves and within this world, setting us up as righteous sons and daughters of His kingdom from hence forward, we cannot help but to be awestruck by Him and full of gratitude.

If you find yourself offended by Christ, then your heart is exposed as one who remains in opposition to Christ; a friend of darkness, this world, and its wickedness rather than a friend to Christ and His light.

What is your response to Jesus this Christmas?

Application

Christ is calling you today, that’s why you are here.

Let us express our gratitude for Christ, who He is, and all He has done for us.

Let us join Christ in His work of redeeming those who are still enslaved to the darkness of this world.

This is why He came. He is setting captives free. The light of Christmas expels darkness, stripping chains of bondage to evil that we might walk in the freedom of the new light we have in Jesus Christ.

Rejoice, rejoice, Immanuel shall come to thee oh Israel!