"The Good News of Redemption "

Hi there, this is long Solomon and I like to welcome you to our program today. You know it's a tremendous honor to God's given us to be on stations all around the nation bringing the truths of God's word as it is uncompromising and straightforward and I'm so glad you tuned in to listen and be part of that. Thanks again for your support and your generosity that keeps us on the radio and now let's get to the word of God this morning as we continue our study in the life of Christ meets all the people who waited a long long time to see their dream fulfilled in the dream that they wanted to see fulfilled was the dream of living long enough to see the Messiah of Israel be born, and in his mercy, God allowed them to do just that.

Their names were Simeon and Anna were going to read and study about them and then asked the question that really is the most important question and that is so, what right. All right.

Luke chapter 2 verse 21 follow along with me only a day when it was time to circumcise him.

He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived and when the time of their purification according to the law of Moses had been completed. Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord and they took him to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of dogs or two young pigeons.

When a boy was born in the Jewish culture.

There were a couple of ceremonies that were very important. The first one was his circumcision carried out on the eighth day and that was the day on which he was given his name in the Bible says that his mother and father named him Jesus. Just the way Gabriel told him to. Now, in the case of a firstborn son. There was another ceremony that was very important and that is that that son was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem, and in a very special way consecrated to God in light of what happened in the Passover, when the Egyptians all lost their firstborn son in the 10th plague, but none of the Israelites did, and as a result, God said the firstborn son therefore always belongs to me. You take him and you consecrate them to me at the temple and this is what's going on in obedience to God. Mary and Joseph take Jesus their firstborn son to consecrate him at the temple know what happens when they arrived. Verse 25 now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him, and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ or the Messiah. The word Christ in Greek simply means Messiah we know about this man, Simeon, what we know virtually nothing. Hebrew tradition says he was 113 years old. I don't know that's right or wrong, the tradition is that he was a very old man and that the important thing is that God made him a promise.

God promised him he would not die before he saw the Messiah born now to God making a promise to be have a dream. Did he have a vision. I don't know but God made them that promise so here he was, he was in Jerusalem and on this fateful day for some reason he felt compelled to go to the temple. Now your hundred and 13 years old going anywhere is a big deal, and so getting up go to the temple that day was a big deal.

Nonetheless, he did it because God moved into look at the Bible says verse 27.

Moved by the spirit.

He went into the temple courts and when the parents brought the child Jesus to do for him what the law required.

Simeon took him in his arms and began to praise God.

Here were Simeon the old man shuffling into the temple courts. They were crowded. It was noisy. There was all kinds of confusion and hear the old man is shuffling through the courts of the temple, when suddenly he spotted a very young girl with a little bundle in her arms coming in. Something said to him you should go see this girl is only well over an entity got close. Something inside of him began to leap and as he got there. His heart began to beat quicker and quicker and he slowly peeled back a little blanket from over this baby.

Space and the spirit of God said to him, Simeon hears what you been waiting for. Here is this is the one that you been looking for in Simeon was so moved that he couldn't control himself. He actually took her baby from Mary and held the baby in his arms and squeezed the little baby to his breast, and possibly even lifted the little baby up and began to praise God at the top of his voice here in the temple courts. Look what he said. He said sovereign Lord, as you have promised.

You may now dismiss your servant in peace.

I'm ready to die God. You promised me I would make it to the Messiah and here he is, take my life now seated for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel is one thing about what he said that I want you to pay special attention to what you notice in verse 30 that Simeon said my eyes have seen your salvation. Now I have a question for you. What had his eyes seen at his eyes just seen a church membership certificate and you guys just seen a baptismal certificate had his eyes just seen a church attendance record at his eyes just seen the 10 Commandments at his eyes just seen a list of all the good deeds that you and I've done in all of our lives had his eyes just seen a ledger listing all the money and time of service.

Whoever gave to the church. You see, these are the things that so many people think and if so many people look to as the basis for their salvation is the basis of earning God's favor and getting into heaven. But that's not what Simeon saw was about two weeks ago I had to go see the doctor and had to have a little bit of surgery on my my thumb. I had a war that got under my fingernail and began growing and growing and growing and began wrecking my fingernail and it just wasn't getting any better. They thought it was a yeast infection. It wasn't and I went to see another dermatologist.

He looked at insets of Wartburg and have to laser surgery it out so okay so I went in for the surgery and he cut a hole in my thumb deep enough for me to drink soup out of that's really no live doctor to get up and drink it right on my phone to cut my thumb all the way to the bone to cut this out and in fact when he was done he got out and had that little giggle, you know that the doctors have ago you want to see the whole, no, no I don't. I really don't because I did look, I'm not stupid. So, in the process of us talking.

I told him I was Jewish, so was E. And we got to talking a little bit also told him I was a pastor and told them that I believed in Jesus and talked a little bit about my background as I was sitting there and the charity was using his laser to cut this part way to China really for my phone. We began talking about eternity maybe because at that moment I look like I was on the verge of going there I'm not sure but that's how I felt, because then you are right not to say just finish okay just finish and as we got to talking about eternity, he said to me well.

He said you know the way I see it, it's all based on the golden rule you know doing to others the way you want them to do unto you.

And he said the way I see it is if we all did that. I can imagine that God wouldn't be happy with this. If we all live like that and I think that's what salvation is all about trying to live and keep the golden rule see, but that's not what Simeon said and that's not what the rest of the Bible says either.

Simeon said, my eyes have seen your salvation, God, and what his eyes had been was the person of Jesus Christ.

Salvation is a person and when you have that person you have salvation. And when you don't have that person you don't have God salvation just that simple. As a matter fact is another verse in the Bible, I'd like you to look at.

It's in the back of the New Testament.

It's in John's first letter we call it. First John first John chapter 5 like you look back there for just a moment with they were coming back to Luke, so keep your finger there, but in first John chapter 5 and if you're using our copy of the Bible is page 864, first John chapter 5 I want you to see verse 11. First John five verse 11 it says this and this is the record that God is given us eternal life, and this life is in his son a look at verse 12 he who has the son has eternal life, and he who does not have the son of God does not have eternal life to be any simpler than that healer has the son has eternal life, and he who does not have the son does not have eternal life. Salvation is not based on what you do or what you don't do is not based on your merit your achievements or your religious activity. Church has nothing to do with it either doesn't matter with your grandmother is buried behind the church, or even if you were born in the samurai way doesn't matter. None of that makes any difference. Salvation comes to us to a person when we have a person. Salvation comes when we do with that person. What Simeon did with Jesus Christ. He took them in his arms. He embraced him. He hugged into his breast, and he made Jesus Christ his own personal Lord and Savior, and I want to urge you this morning.

The most important thing you gotta do here this morning is make sure when you leave your Simeon that you've done with Jesus Christ. Just what Simeon did with it and that is that you hug into your breast and made in your personal Lord and Savior as well because salvation is whether or not you have him as a personal savior, not what you do what you don't. That's why Simeon said, my eyes have seen Jesus Christ my eyes have seen your salvation, well it's going. Mary and Joseph Connor were shocked to have this happen. They were expecting this. But before they could recover the same thing happened again. Verse 36 there was also a prophetess Anna there in the city.

She was the daughter of Manuel of the tribe of Asher, and she was very old and she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage and then she was a widow until she was 84. So this was a lady or Hebrew name actually was Hannah with an age and she chew it seen a few sunsets and sunrises.

She was 84 and when she who never left the temple.

The Bible says that she looked at says she never left the temple but she worshiped night and day fasting and praying and she heard the commotion and so she came over to them at that very moment and she began giving thanks to God. The Bible says she was a prophetess and as a result of that God immediately testified to her that this indeed was the Christ, the Messiah, that Simeon was right and so immediately she began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem and so is Mary and Joseph stood there here they got Simeon raising his little baby up to heaven and praising God.

And they got Anna running around and selling all of our friends the wall of her friends, the one who is bringing redemption to Israel has arrived here. This happened to Mary Joseph everywhere they went something like this would seem like and I'm sure they began to wonder inside of themselves. What have we gotten ourselves into what in the world is going on here will that's where our passage ends this morning, but when we come to asking the question so what is something that Anna said that was Bible tells us about ammo that I want us to concentrate on rather than something that Simeon said because the Bible says that Anna went around and began speaking about the child.

Look at this verse 38 to everyone who was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem, and in connection with and of the Bible uses one of the most important words in the word of God. The word redemption. I want to talk to you about that word because I want you to really understand what the Bible means when it talks about Jesus Christ redeeming us have ever been in a situation where you are completely unable to help yourself. I mean, totally, completely unable to help yourself. I was thinking this week.

Now what's the greatest example of that I can think of in my own heart life and I don't know that this is the greatest example, but it certainly one of them. When I was a child maybe six or is probably about eight at the time, maybe nine I went out to go ice skating on one of the ponds near our house. I went without my mom's permission. I went by myself and defiance of my mother I was good at that.

In those days, I went to go ice skating. I don't know if it's just me but does it seem to you that the winners are as cold as they used to be mainly your kid every winter seems cold. I don't know but I remember ponds freezing over in lakes freezing over and going ice-skating and I live down in Virginia Beach which is not Minnesota. You know I mean so I mean it just seems like is not as cold as it used to be upon this little lake was frozen over and I went ice-skating while there was one little section of it that was not frozen over. Although I didn't know it at that point and I went over there.

I was completely by myself and I fell through the eyes but all of me didn't fall through the eyes only one leg fell through the ice and so one leg fell completely through and the other leg if you can imagine, it was like completely ban up next to my chest and my body and the other leg was completely straight through the ice and there was nothing around for me to grab a hold of and I was completely and totally immobilized. I could not move. I mean, there's nothing to get any leverage on because I'm right there on the very edge of the ice is no stick or branch or tree to grab onto and pull myself out and I was absolutely stranded, I could move. I must've been there. Well over an hour yelling and screaming for help with this part was way out will.

That's why my mom said never go by yourself and not of been there to spring. Really, there was no way to get out absolutely no way my mom got worried about me after I did show up home after Wally called a bunch of my friends and said you have any idea where he went. No we don't. Would you go out and look for it in about an hour maybe two hours. I don't know how long it was, but it was long enough that I was freezing to death my friends showed up and found me there one leg still see the hole in the eyes, one leg still all oiled against my chest. The only thing that a change was I was horse now from screaming for an hour and they threw me up twig a long stick that I could grab a hold of and they pulled me out.

I've never been so helpless in my whole life completely and totally unable to pull myself out of that ice and help myself.

Now for those friends who pulled me out of that eyes what they did for me is a perfect example of what the word redemption me redemption is actually a word that was a very common word.

The Greek word military on was a very common word in the Greek marketplace. Because this was a term that was taken from the world of the Roman slave trade and explain to you how it works in the ancient world when a man was in debt and he couldn't pay, they didn't offer him a visa with revolving credit and they didn't offer him a home equity loan to consolidate his debts. What they did is they sold him into slavery and they took whatever money they could get from selling them into slavery and they apply that towards his desk, but once they sold you into slavery. There was no way for you to ever get out of slavery. No way. There was no way for you to ever earn any money to pay off your debts to buy yourself back out of slavery you became what you were sold into slavery, you became like a person with one leg to the eyes and the other one completely up against her chest and absolutely unable to help yourself. Now the only way for person to get out of slavery that was sold in for this reason was for someone who was free someone who was not a slave to come along and be willing to pay off all of your debts that you owed as a slave and in that sense to buy you back out of the slave market to buy you back into freedom. You couldn't do it.

Please tell somebody else had to do it for you. This was known as redeeming a slave and the Greek word that is translated redeeming the New Testament, the Greek word translated redemption Hill's carry-on in the New Testament is actually a word that originated in the slave market to refer to that practice of a free man coming along and paying off the debts of a slave who was completely helpless to help himself and buying that person back from the slave market and making them a free man again.

Now when using this word. Therefore the Bible is giving us a very beautiful picture of how Jesus found us and what he did for us a picture that every person in the day and time the Bible was written would've clearly understood easily understood how to Jesus, find us, he found us as sinners who owed a debt to God, we could never pay and as a result, the justice of God left him no choice but to condemn us to the slave market of sin where we were helpless captives of the one who owns the slave market and that's the devil himself. We had no hope of ever freeing ourselves. In fact, the Bible says John chapter 8 verse 44 that we were the property we were children of the devil and the Bible says. Second Timothy chapter 2 that we were caught in the snare of the devil and were held captive by him to do his will. We were captives we were slaves in a slave market owned by Satan himself. We belong to him and we were captives. In his slave market and there wasn't anything you and I could ever do to buy our way out. That's how Jesus found us.

The Bible says Jesus demonstrated just how much he loves us. In this way. While we were yet sinners before we had ever done anything to deserve it. Christ died for us and so in the word redemption, God gives us a dramatic picture of what Jesus did for us when he saved us. We were hopelessly condemned to the devil slave market of sin and the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on the cross to pay our debts to bias back to set us free.

However, here's the big so what Jesus Christ did and set us free to go do whatever we felt like he adopted us and is a way he wants us to live. Look what he says. First Corinthians chapter 6, verse 19.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you received from God. I watch and you are not your own. You were bought with a price because they would Bible is saying it's talking about redemption and saying Jesus Christ bought and paid for you with a price and you are not your own. You don't belong to yourself anymore. Your body doesn't belong to you anymore. It belongs to Jesus Christ. He was the one who paid for. He was the one who bought it back.

It's his property, not yours.

And since your body is now God's property.

There's a specific way in which God wants to use just God set you free. But he set you free to do something very specific with your body. Look what he says.

Therefore honor God with your body. Honor God with your body in the way you talk.

Honor God in the way you eat and exercise honor God in the way you handle sexual matters. Honor God in the way you treat other people. Honor God and what you watch on television.

Honor God and what you read and look at in magazines honor God in everything you do with your body in every place you take your body in everything you allow your body to be a part of honor God.

Why because not your property belongs to Jesus Christ. He bought it he paid for with his own blood is not yours. Therefore use it the way the owner wants to use your hate to borrow the people's cars.

I've had to do it a few times. I hate doing. I hated I'm so nervous I mean I'm obsessed with taking good care of it and using it only the way I think the other person would want to use it on me. I haven't come to complete stop at stop signs when I'm driving somebody else's car. I don't.

Size. I'm too afraid I'll get it. I roll with my car but I don't know anybody else's car and as Christians we need to have that same obsession with how we take care of our body and what we do with them because you see there really somebody else's property. Your body is God's property and the one of the things the Bible does is the Bible tells us how the owner of your body wants to use dear friend may challenge you if you're careful with somebody else's car and its replaceable doesn't belong to God's belongs to the person than above everything else we need to be careful how we use our body because it belongs to God himself and God's going to hold us responsible eternally for how we use his property. Therefore, the Bible says you are not your own. You been bought with a price. He been redeemed. Honor God in the way you use his property to God, help us to do that. They got help us to think in those terms.

God this is your property. Would you want to go in here would you want watching this. Would you want it. Doing this is not can help me not to use it that way. They got help you do that dear heavenly father, thank you so much for the Scripture this morning which teaches us that we have been redeemed for so many of us as Christians that's been such a fuzzy concept redeemed.

I guess that means I'm going to have what helpless this morning to get a good grasp on what it means that we were slaves we were slaves to sin slaves to our own passion slaves that belong to the devil in his slave market totally and completely helpless to extricate ourselves and Jesus Christ redeemed us he paid our debts and bought us back and made us free, but he made us free not to go do whatever we wanted to do with our bodies, but to use them to honor and I pray that as Christians we would indeed do that the people might look at the way we live and understand that we have had an interaction with the living God that has transformed our life forever. And they can to thank you Lord Jesus you loved her so much that even though we were like Ben Hur we had not done one thing to deserve it. You still willing to come in bias back. We love you for that Lord help us reflect that love in the way we live.

We pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.

They went with Dr. Lon Solomon said, when is an outrage and online, found in ministering to listen to today's message, or for more information visit our website. Lon Solomon ministries.org.

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