211219 Luke: God's Christ, Perfect Under The Law

OPENING SLIDE

To all who have participated in the Christmas Program - WARM TONE Thank you!

To Rachel and Heidi, thank you for organizing and masterminding all the different components. Well done - I know that God was glorified in our praises.

PAUSE

The wonder of celebrating Christmas is incomplete without remembering why Christ came… PAUSE

Why did Christ come? PAUSE TWO SECONDS ONE ONE THOUSAND...

INTRO SLIDE

READ SLOW Christ came because God so loved the world that He sent Him, He sent His only begotten Son, He sent Jesus, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Christ came because God loved those made in His image and spared no expense to rescue us from our sin.

Christ came to meet every expectation God had of humanity - because all of us had gone astray. We were supposed to be sinless, we were to be perfect, we were to be as pure and holy as God is Himself and experience relationship with Him and yet, from Adam until now, all of us broke God’s Law. Because we were sinners, our sins necessitated that we pay the penalty that they earned us - which is always and in every case, death. PAUSE

Why did Christ come? PAUSE TWO SECONDS ONE ONE THOUSAND...

He came because God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to live perfectly under the Law He established. Abiding by every stipulation, every standard - perfectly. And then to pay for our sin with His perfection on the cross - rejected by the very ones He came to save.

The wonder of celebrating Christmas is incomplete without remembering why Christ came...

Christ came to fulfill the law in every regard and die for our sins. PAUSE

Today, we will continue with Luke’s Gospel account and the main thing that he wants to communicate in our passage this morning is this.

MAIN POINT SLIDE

God's precious Christ kept the law perfectly, establishing righteousness for Jew and Gentile alike and was appointed to be rejected so that He might redeem those who believe

Let’s pray,

BLANK SLIDE

PRAYER

Father God, Your love for mankind can never be doubted because You sent Your Son to die for all of our sins and to exchange His righteousness for our sins.

Oh, how we love Jesus, how we rejoice to know Him! Today, as we worship, as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, please help us understand His perfection under Your Law. Please help us understand what You gave up when You purchased for Yourself, at the cost of Your Son’s life, a people from every tribe and tongue.

We worship You and we are so grateful to know You because of Christ.

It is in His name I pray, amen.

SERMON

The passage that we will be in today is Luke 2. Luke 2:21 SLIDE

Again, Luke wants us to understand that Christ kept the Law perfectly - even as a newborn.

It had to be this way, He had to be perfect so that He could establish righteousness for those who believe in Him.

I.The Law Perfectly Kept (v21-24)

Luke 2:21–40 | 21 And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Two Old Testament texts are referenced here, both from the five books of the Law. Luke uses them intentionally, to shore up his point of Christ’s perfection under the law.

SLIDE

In verse 23, the passage referenced here is from Exodus chapter 13 verse 2, a verse that is specifically related to that particular time when God destroyed the firstborn of Egypt and redeemed Israel out of slavery.

When Luke references this text from Exodus it is so we can understand that Christ is not only perfect under the Law, holy to the Lord, but also sent as our salvation from bondage of sin.

SLIDE

The second passage, verse 24, is from Leviticus 5 and 12 and had to do specifically with Sin Offerings after the birth of a child

These passages are not just meant as a commentary on how poor Mary and Joseph were - yes, they were poor, yes, but don’t miss how they were the means by which Jesus, even as an infant, kept the Law perfectly.

He did that to establish righteousness for Jews and Gentiles alike. SLIDE

Verse 25

II.Righteousness Established (v25-33)

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,

Pause here, again, the Law is emphasized… Luke cannot let us get away from the fact that Christ came to fulfill the Law.

VERSE SLIDE

In Matthew’s gospel in chapter 5 verse 17 Jesus said... He didn’t come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. PAUSE

I also want to add something about the story of Simeon - something that I marvel at and that whet’s my appetite for the day when I see my Savior.

The same Spirit that came upon Simeon is the one that indwells the Christ child, and had made this magnificient promise to him and has drawn him to the temple at just the right time. Christ is the means whereby Simeon experienced Christ and his response was one of incredible happiness.

When we experience Christ, indwelt by His Holy Spirit, we will be overcome with gratitude and joy - just as Simeon did, just as the unborn John did when he kicked at being in the presence of His Savior.

Simeon’s excitement, his joy cannot be contained when the Holy Spirit indwelling him comes into contact with the Son of God, he cannot help but bless the Lord and that increases my anticipation all the more.

verse 28 SLIDE

28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” 33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

Simeon now quotes Isaiah’s Servant Song in verse 32. VERSE SLIDE

He quotes this prophecy, spoken 700 years before Christ was born, to show that He would be the means by which God’s very own righteousness would be extended to people from every tribe and tongue - salvation may have its origin from the Jews but is not limited to Jews - it is for Gentiles as well.

We actually studied this passage, Isaiah 49, and Luke includes it in the narrative because the context of the passage is the extreme injustice done to the Servant of God - how He would be rejected.

SPEAK SLOW This One, who was the only truly innocent One, blameless, perfect and holy who came to serve, to save, to redeem was also appointed to be rejected. Verse 34

SLIDE

III.Appointed To Be Rejected (v34-35)

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

The One who loved us the most, would be rejected by us. The One who was sinless under the Law would be tried as a criminal and crucified - He was innocent, and He was sent by God to do this work that no one else could do.

He took on flesh and abided by every Law that God had established so that He could be rejected and submit Himself to be sacrificed to redeem for Himself a people.

CONCLUSION SLIDE

Today, as we celebrate Christmas let us not forget that Christ came to make available His righteousness to those who believe.

Christ obeyed the Law, even as an infant, and came in fulfillment of every prophecy - His righteousness is the only righteousness that God will accept.

Today, if you are without Christ, if you believe that God will be satisfied with your sin soaked life - that better than average should be good enough for God - I tell you no, it is not good enough.

God made one way to have relationship with Him and that was His perfect Son, whom He was pleased to crush. Do not spite God’s gracious gift supposing that He will wink at your sin when such an incredible cost was paid.

We are only righteous, if we believe that Christ’s gift of perfection can be ours. We are only able to experience relationship with God if come in Christ’s perfection, alone.

This Christmas, Let's not forget why Christ came.

Please stand and I will pray,

PRAYER