Redemption At Hand-3 Series

REDEMPTION At HAND-III—Luke 1:67-80

TOUCHING REDEMPTION

Attention:

A man owned a huge warehouse complex in a large city & had trouble leasing it because it was dilapidated & had been vandalized. He decided to sell it. But before he could properly repair it & get it ready to show, a man called immediately wanting to look over the property. The owner hesitantly agreed.

As they were looking over the property, & at every turn, the owner kept apologizing for the sad shape of the building & promised to have this, that, or the other thing repaired.

Finally the prospective buyer turned to the owner & said, “Please sir, you don’t need to repair anything here. I’ll give you top dollar for the property as is. It’s the perfect site & size for our business. We are going to demolish the building & build something completely new & perfectly useful for our business!”

Self-help is as useless as making repairs to a dilapidated building slated for demolition.

God wants the “site” & permission to build something perfectly useful for His business!

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—Redemption is at hand when God initiates/gives...

WATCHMEN(:70)

Explanation:(:70)

:70—“As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began,”

or rather... “As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who...since the world began, salvation from...”

The promise had come thru the prophets of the Old Testament. The nature of the salvation would be expressed as salvation from Israel’s enemies. However the enemies which Israel acquires are enemies against God...i.e., when Israel is truly living according to God’s perfect will. Israel’s sin would acquire for them many more enemies opposing Israel’s fleshly pursuits.

There has never been a time when God did not leave Himself a witness....Some special revelation & some general revelation.

Special Revelation:

2Chron. 36:15—“And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early & sending them, because He had compassion on His people & on His dwelling place.”

Jer. 7:25-26—““Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early & sending them. Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.”

General Revelation:

Rom. 1:18-23—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, & changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--& birds & four-footed animals & creeping things.”

“Holy”—agiov—Adj.—1) Most holy thing, a saint. Agiov has probably as its fundamental meaning separation, i.e., from the world to God's service. If not the original meaning, this at any rate is a meaning early in use. This separation, however, is not chiefly external, it is rather a separation from evil & defilement. The moral signification of the word is therefore the prominent one. This word, rare & of neutral meaning in classical Greek, has been developed in meaning, so that it expresses the full N.T. conception of holiness as no other does. Strong—sacred(physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated).

“Prophets”—profhthv—) in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things; 2) One who, moved by the Spirit of God & hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, & in particular such as relate to the cause & kingdom of God & to human salvation; 3) A poet(because poets were believed to sing under divine inspiration). Strong—A foreteller("prophet"); by analogy--An inspired speaker; by extension--A poet:-- prophet.

From—pro—a primary preposition; “Fore”, i.e. in front of, prior (figuratively--Superior)to—&—fhmi—To show or make known one's thoughts, i.e. Speak or say.

“Since the world began/From of old/In ancient times”—aiwn—1) For ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity; 2) The worlds, universe; 3) Period of time, age. Aiwn is usually better expressed by age, it is the world at a given time, a particular period in the world's history. Kosmov has very frequently an unfavorable meaning, denoting the inhabitants of the world, mankind in general, as opposed to God. A similar meaning is often attached to aiwn, it means the spirit of the age, often in an unfavorable sense. Strong—properly--An age; by extension--Perpetuity (also past); by implication--The world; specially(Jewish)--A Messianic period(present or future).