REDEMPTION At HAND-IV—Luke 1:67-80
TOUCHING REDEMPTION
Attention:
God wants the “site” & permission to build!
Self-help is as useless as making repairs to a dilapidated building slated for demolition.
REDEEM—To purchase or exchange in order to make something/someone what it should be...with continuously lasting results from a point in time forward.
God initiated the redemption of His people thru John’s birth.
Redemption is touched/at hand thru God’s visitation.
When is/was God’s redemption realized?
Signs that God’s redemption is at hand.
Previously we had found that Redemption is at hand when God initiates/gives...
1. INSIGHT(:67)
2. BLESSING(:68a)
3. PRESENCE(:68b)
4. STRENGTH(:69)
5. WATCHMEN(:70)
6. FULFILLMENT(:71-74a-b)
7—Redemption is at hand when God initiates/gives...
SERVICE(:74c-75)
Explanation:(:74c-75)
:74—“To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,”
The purpose of Israel’s deliverance is that she would “serve” God.
Israel’s service is to be done without fear.
‘Service’ is a consequence of deliverance or fulfillment.
“Serve”—latreuw—Present Active Infinitive—1) To serve for hire; 2) To serve, minister to, either to the gods or men & used alike of slaves & freemen. Strong—from latriv(a hired menial); To minister(to God), i.e. Render, religious homage.
“Without Fear”—afobwv—Adverb—1) Without fear, boldly. Strong—adverb from a compound of A(as a negative particle) & fobov[alarm or fright]; Fearlessly. Strong—To minister(to God), i.e. Render, religious homage. Used 4X.
:75—“In holiness & righteousness before Him all the days of our life.”
Israel’s service is to be done “in holiness & righteousness” The word translated “holiness”(osiothv) is only used twice in the NT. It carries more the idea of devotion & piety in action rather than the more common separation from sin.
1)The service of God’s people can only rightly be done within the confines of God’s Holiness. Recognizing & accepting God’s standard in Pious living.
2)The service of God’s people can only rightly be done within the confines of God’s Righteousness. Righteous living. Right living. Doing that which is right...’the right thing’, acceptable, honoring to the One who originated the rightness.
So “holiness” chiefly involves a state/condition of the heart, while “righteousness” is the outlet of that “holiness.” “Righteousness” shows us that “holiness” must be put into action, shared, or lived out, engaging one’s actions by the heart.
This Pious & “Righteous” service is never to be temporary or momentary. It may seem momentary to the eye thru obvious events/actions, but it is lived out convincingly only thru a permanent change of state which lasts till our last breath is drawn. “Holiness”—osiothv—Noun Fem.—1) Piety[devotion] towards God, fidelity in observing the obligations of piety, holiness. Strong—Piety. Used 2X. Here & Eph. 4:24.
From—osiov—Right, or hallowed.
“Righteousness”—dikaiosunh—Noun Fem.—1) in a broad sense:--State of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God—1a) The doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God, 1b) Integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, & acting; 2) in a narrower sense--Justice or the virtue which gives each his due. Strong—Equity(of character or act); specially(Christian)--Justification.
From—dikaiov—Equitable(in character or act); by implication--Innocent, holy(absolutely or relatively).
“Before”—enwpion—Preposition—1) In the presence of, before‚—1a) Of occupied place: in that place which is before, or over against, opposite, any one & towards which another turns his eyes. Strong—neuter of a compound of en & a derivative of optanomai; In the face of(literally or figuratively).
“All”—pav—
“Days”—hmera—
“Life”—zwh—1) Life—1a) The state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate, 1b) Every living soul; 2) Life—2a) Of the absolute fulness of life, both essential & ethical, which belongs to God, & through him both to the hypostatic "logos" & to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature, 2b) Life real & genuine, a life active & vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions(among them a more perfect body), & to last for ever. Zwh denotes the period, means, manner, of existence. Hence the former is more naturally used of animal, the later of men; zoology, biography. NT usage exalts zwh & tends to debase biov. Strong—Life(literally or figuratively).
Argumentation:
“In Holiness”:—Being pious, & hallowing God.
Eph. 4:17-24—“This I say, therefore, & testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him & have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, & be renewed in the spirit of your mind, & that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness & holiness[osiothv].”
1Pet. 1:13-16—“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, & rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy[agiov], you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy[agiov], for I am holy”[agiov].
1Thess. 3:12-13—“And may the Lord make you increase & abound in love to one another & to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness[agiov] before our God & Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”
1Thess. 4:3-7—“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification & honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of & defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you & testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness[agiov].”
“In Righteousness”:—The condition which is acceptable(right) to God.
Lev. 19:15—“‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.”
Acts 17:30-31—“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, “because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
2Tim. 3:16-17—“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
SERVICE:
**Rom. 12:1—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
**Jn. 15:23-16:3—“He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen & also hated both Me & My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”
It is possible to have an inner conviction of “service to God” that is completely unfounded!
**Php. 2:12-13—“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear & trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will & to do for His good pleasure.”
**Eph. 6:5-8—“Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear & trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, & not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”
Rev. 2:18-20—“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, ‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, & His feet like fine brass: “I know your works, love, service, faith, & your patience; & as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach & seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality & eat things sacrificed to idols.”
**Josh. 22:5—“But take careful heed to do the commandment & the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, & to serve Him with all your heart & with all your soul.”
Zeph. 3:8-9—“Therefore wait for Me,” says the LORD, “Until the day I rise up for plunder; My determination is to gather the nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All my fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured With the fire of My jealousy. For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him with one accord.”
**Isa. 35:3-10—“Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come & save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds & rushes. A highway shall be there, & a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy & gladness, And sorrow & sighing shall flee away.”
Heb. 4:16—“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”
1Jn. 4:17-19—“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”
Illustration:
Service Stations ‘back in the day’/An attendant would come to your car—Clean windshield, check oil, water & tire pressure, & pump the gas for you/You would even pay the attendant...all without leaving your car!/Customer is king!/SERVICE
A hired worker/Upon their agreement to work for you, they agree to offer their labor for the specific particular service you need/They agree to a set pay with possible stipulations for raises/The employer is morally responsible to consider any wage increases based on labor supplied & cost of living, available funds, etc./SERVICE
Application:
?Is Redemption at-hand thru God’s SERVICE in you?
?Your Redemption at-hand in Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Redemption is at hand when God initiates/gives...
7. SERVICE(:74c-75)
1. INSIGHT(:67)
2. BLESSING(:68a)
3. PRESENCE(:68b)
4. STRENGTH(:69)
5. WATCHMEN(:70)
6. FULFILLMENT(:71-74a-b)
Pts. 7-only!! presented 01/31/2016am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
