Post by wandashort on Jan 3, 2011 9:08:06 GMT -5
Here is the transcript from Pastor Alan Bondar during the Messiah Reformed Church's Coffee Shop Christmas service on 12/24/10.
If you would like to hear this message with the music that goes along with it go to the website: www.messiahreformed.com.
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Why was Jesus born? Was it so that God could give us a wonderful Christmas story? Year after year, people flood the doors of churches all over the country in celebration of Jesus Christ. Yet for many, it has become nothing more than a tradition you do at Christmas. It's another holiday in the year, like Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, or Valentine's Day. It's just what you do at Christmas. It's the one time a year that people crack open the Bible to read the Christmas story, or at least, listen to a preacher tell the Christmas story.
And sure, those of you have been to church especially on Christmas have heard about how Jesus was born to save sinners. You've heard about how Jesus was born so that He could die on the cross for us. And you've heard about how Jesus is going to return any minute now, so you better be ready. Some of you have heard this same story for 20, 30, 40 years. And it's the same story your grandparents and their grandparents have heard. And after 100, 200, 2000 years, the same story is being told that Jesus was born, died, resurrected, and is coming again any moment. It's no wonder so many people have come to believe that this story is nothing more than a fairy tale, a tradition, a celebration to be done at Christmas.
Yet there are also people who flock to churches week after week believing the same story. They tell you that Jesus is coming back any moment, but when you look at their life, you wonder, why don't they live like it? Why don't they leave their jobs and their homes living with the same urgency that the apostles did in the first century when they proclaimed that Jesus was coming soon? Surely, we're missing something. If Jesus is the Son of God, and the Son of God was born into this world, you have to wonder, what was that all about? If all of this is true, then why is it that for so many, Jesus is just an icon that is celebrated at Christmas? Could it be that there is more to the story than is usually told? I venture to guess that what you will read here will be a different take on the Christmas story than you've ever heard or read.
So why was Jesus born? The story of the birth of Jesus does not begin at His birth. In order to understand why Jesus was born, we have to go back, way back to the beginning. In fact, in Galatians chapter 4, the apostle Paul tells us about the birth of Jesus. This is not usually a text you hear about at Christmas time, but I want you to read what Paul wrote:
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Paul tells his readers two very important things that define the birth of Jesus:
He was born under the Law. Why?
So that He might redeem those who were under the Law.
This tells us something fascinating about the birth of Jesus. He was born under the Law because there were people before His birth that were under the Law that needed to be redeemed. Who were these people that were under the Law? And what in the world is the Law? You see, in order to understand the birth of Christ, and the meaning of Christmas, we must understand these two things. Without them, the birth of Christ is robbed of all its meaning. And so is Christmas.
They were known as Israel. The people of God called out from the rest of the world. God took this people out of their bondage and slavery in Egypt through the leadership of man named Moses. Israel leaves Egypt and heads towards the land of freedom that God promised them. And on their way, God gives them the Law, usually called the Mosaic Law, because it is associated with Moses. Now the Law is the Ten Commandments that we are all at least somewhat familiar with. You know, do not steal, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not have any other gods before Me. But the Mosaic Law contained far more than just Ten Commandments. Did you know that? Oh man, it contained all sorts of things. There were feasts, ceremonies, sacrifices, priests, a Tabernacle, a Holy Place, a Most Holy Place. Why all of this? Why the Law? Because in order for Israel to have a relationship with God, they had to be holy as He is holy. And the Law embodied the holiness of God. God does not tolerate sin. So there were sacrifices of animals put in place that would demonstrate that death is the necessary consequence for sin. Oh, these sacrifices didn't actually accomplish redemption. But they pointed to something greater that would, just like the Ten Commandments pointed to something greater, or should I say someone.
You see God requires absolute, 100% fulfillment of the Law. He didn't just give it as a suggestion. He gave it because absolute obedience to it was required. So we have a problem here, don't we? Who can obey the Law perfectly? Only someone who has never sinned because once you sin once, you can no longer obey the Law perfectly. That's why the sacrifices were added. They pointed to atonement from sin, a redemption that could be had if the death of another could take your place. Oh sure, animals couldn't really accomplish that. But a spotless lamb, one that was pure of any defects, would be sacrificed in faith that the one who could accomplish redemption would come. And that is why John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
This Jesus came to take away sin, to become sin for those who were under the Law, in order to bring redemption from the curse and consequence of breaking the Law. The Gospel of Matthew tells us about this in the account of the birth of Jesus in chapter 1:
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
Who are Hispeople? Well, consider what the Gospel of Luke has to say in chapter 3 about the birth of John the Baptist, who was prophesied as the one who would prepare the way for Jesus :
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying … 76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins … 80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Zacharias was a Jew. John was born a Jew. And he was born to appear to His people, Israel, to prepare the way for Jesus. Jesus was born a Jew. He was born under the Law so that He might save Hispeople – Israel – from their sins. And just so there is no mistaking about who this Jesus was, Matthew went on to state that Jesus was the Messiah that Israel was promised would come, none other than Yahweh – God Himself:
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
So God became man through being born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem Hispeople who were under the Law. Now, your probably wondering, "Hey wait a minute, what's all this Israel stuff? Where do I come in?" Well, read what Luke wrote about the birth of Jesus:
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, 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."
Notice the distinction between the Gentiles and Israel? Israel is called "Your people." Simeon was quoting from the prophet Isaiah. Simeon understood that Jesus would be the consolation of Israel. Why? Because Israel was God's people. They were the ones given the promises. They were the ones given the Law. But when Jesus was born, He was a light of revelation to the Gentiles. We non-Israelites were Johnny-come-lately's. The apostle Paul taught in Ephesians 3 that the inclusion of the Gentiles into the salvation of Israel was a mystery hidden in ages past. The Gentiles got to receive the inheritance, the salvation of Israel, but only if and when the promises and the Law given to Israel were fulfilled. If Israel isn't saved, ain't nobody saved.
The Gentiles were living in darkness. But in comes Christ, and a light of revelation is given to them. The Gentiles could now share in the promises given to Israel, God's people. But you see, if we non-Israelites are going to understand how we could be saved, we need to first make sure we understand the salvation of Israel. Our salvation is contingent upon the salvation of Israel. This is the part of the story that is rarely taught in churches. But the truth of the matter is, our salvation is intimately connected to the salvation of Israel. And that is why it is of fundamental importance to understand that Jesus was born under the Law in order to redeem Hispeople who were under the Law. So follow closely, because I've got some really good news for you: Salvation has arrived for us because Jesus was born to save His people from their sins.
Of course, Jesus had to be spotless, without any defect in order to do this. So a perfect man, innocent in every way, took the sin of lawbreakers to the cross and died the death that was required in their place. He fulfilled the picture, the type, of the spotless Lamb. He had to do this in order to fulfill the Law and redeem those who were under the Law. But there was more to it. You see, in order for redemption to be accomplished, the death of the Lamb was not enough. That was only the beginning of what God required for redemption.
Once a year, Israel had what was known as the Day of Atonement. A high priest, not just any priest, but only one priest had the title and the task of taking the blood of an animal past the curtain or veil where the ark of the covenant was, where God's presence awaited to meet that high priest. The high priest was required to take the blood from the animal that had been poured into a bowl and sprinkle the blood onto the Ark of the Covenant. Now, before the high priest would go past the curtain into the most holy place, he had to go through an extremely intense ritual of purification because, after all, he was about to enter God's presence. If he didn’t follow the ritual precisely, God's wrath would unleash on him and he would drop dead.
But it gets worse. Not only did the high priest have to enter the most holy place under these conditions, but he had to do it twice in a row. The first time he would enter would be for his own sins. If he was not pure when he entered the first time, he never came back out. You see, entering the most holy place was a representation, a picture of death. Coming back out was a picture of resurrection from death. So ifthe high priest came back out the first time, he would then have to go back in a second time for the sins of the people. And this was even more frightening because now he is carrying the sins of a nation into the presence of God. So the high priest would represent the people when he went in. And only if he came out the second time would the people know that God's wrath had been averted because the sacrifice was accepted on their behalf. Only then could they celebrate knowing that atonement, the picture of redemption, had been made. Leviticus 16 recounts this for us:
11 "Then Aaron (the high priest) shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12 "He shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil. 13 "He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the covenant, otherwise he will die. 14 "Moreover, he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 "Thenhe shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 "He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities. 17 "When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel.
I know this isn't really exciting stuff. But this stuff wasn't recorded in the Bible just so we could read the accounts of an ancient people that has no bearing on us today. There is a reason why all of the details of the Law were recorded, as boring as they might be to read. They are recorded to show who the true Messiah would be. He would be the one that would fulfill all of it perfectly. You see, if Jesus doesn't fulfill all the aspects of the Law, including the role of the high priest, there is no redemption for those who were under the Law. No one was allowed in the tent of meeting on the Day of Atonement, much less the Most Holy Place where God's presence was. But Christ, who became sin, even though he had no sin, entered death. He died the death that the Law required. In the very presence of God, while on the cross, He cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me." Christ died in the presence of God. But this was only the beginning of what Jesus came to do.
Christ died on the cross. But the fact that the veil in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, proved that Jesus was sinless, unlike the high priests of old. What did this demonstrate? That Jesus Christ wasthe presence of God – He was God with us! The separating veil was gone. And three days later, when Jesus resurrected from the dead, unlike the high priest who came out of the most holy place the first time, He was the presence of God that walked out. He needed no redemption.
But redemption for the people was not yet complete. While Christ died "for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant" (Heb. 9:15), it was through this death that He became a mediator of a new covenant (Heb. 9:15-18). And unlike the first covenant, that required repetitive sacrifices because of sin occurring under that covenant, the new covenant would not require any further sacrifices because Christ, the sinless high priest, appeared before the face of God on behalf of His people. Consider Hebrews 9, which was written after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus back to heaven – the real holy place that the most holy place in the earthly temple was picture of:
24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
According to the writer of Hebrews, following the pattern of the Old Testament copy, or picture, if Christ, the high priest, hasn't appeared a second time, redemption has not yet arrived. It is still future. Why? Because He is still appearing before the face of God on our behalf. And nobody was allowed in the tent of meeting until the High Priest came out. You see, until Jesus Christ, the true sacrifice, the man who could actually take the place of those under the Law, unlike the animals, that ritual had to be repeated often. But once Christ comes back out, sin will have been dealt with once and for all because the way in the holy places will have been opened. Consider again Hebrews 9:
8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy places has not yet been opened while the first tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a symbol for the present time.
So the way into the holy places was not yet opened while Christ was appearing before the face of God on behalf of His people. But once Christ comes back out, people who were once cursed and separated from God's holy presence, would then be able to go into the holy place and be in God's presence because their sins have been taken away. But, as I hope you've made the connection, if Christ has not yet completed the task of the high priest, then nobody has redemption, and nobody can enter the presence of God, that is, nobody can appear before the face of God.
So Christ was born under the Law in order to redeem those under the Law. He has accomplished half of the duties of the high priest by dying in the presence of God and resurrecting from death. But what about the rest? Has redemption been accomplished yet or are we still waiting?
When did Jesus and the apostles, who were alive 2000 years ago, speaking and writing to real people in their generation, say that the second coming of Jesus would happen? Read a few passages and decide for yourselves:
Matt. 10:23: for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
16:27-28: 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. 28 Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.
24:33-34: …when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
James 5:7-8: 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Revelation 1:1-3: 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
And three times in Revelation 22, Jesus says, "Behold, I am coming quickly."
There are about a hundred more passages in the New Testament that repeatedly teach that Jesus was coming again within the generation that lived in the first century.
Sound crazy? Well, that's probably because we've become accustomed to believing that the Bible teaches about a physical second coming of Christ. But the fact of the matter is, the Bible teaches nothing of the sort. The Bible was written to Israel, so it would make sense to read it the way they would have understood it. They were very poetic in their use of language. All you have to do is read the Old Testament to see that. The point being that much of what we have been taught about the Bible is not actually what the Bible teaches. But the point of this article is not to demonstrate the nature of the second coming of Christ, but to demonstrate that the second coming of Christ had to occur already in order for salvation to be accomplished. And that second coming occurred in 70 AD when the holy place was destroyed along with the rest of the Temple buildings in Jerusalem.
Why is this important? Because if Jesus didn't do what He said He would do, and if He hasn’t come a second time, then redemption has not been accomplished, because not only would the Law not have been fulfilled yet, which is absolutely necessary, but it makes Jesus a false prophet, one we should not be following. It means that this Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas was not really the Son of God, the Messiah that the prophets spoke of. And this means that nobody over the last two thousand years has entered the presence of God. Nobody has gone to Heaven when they died.
But Jesus was not a false prophet. Jesus did what He said He would do, when He said He would do it. Redemption is here. And Heaven awaits us when we die. Why? Because Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, born under the Law in order to redeem those who were under the Law. Christ fulfilled the Law in its entirety so that we, today, never have to be under the curse of the Law. Instead, we can live among a redeemed people who have entered into the presence of God forever because Jesus fulfilled all that He promised to Israel right on time. And the Gentiles who were brought in to those promises, receive salvation as well. And that is why Christ was born. That is the meaning of Christmas.
If you would like to hear this message with the music that goes along with it go to the website: www.messiahreformed.com.
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Why was Jesus born? Was it so that God could give us a wonderful Christmas story? Year after year, people flood the doors of churches all over the country in celebration of Jesus Christ. Yet for many, it has become nothing more than a tradition you do at Christmas. It's another holiday in the year, like Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, or Valentine's Day. It's just what you do at Christmas. It's the one time a year that people crack open the Bible to read the Christmas story, or at least, listen to a preacher tell the Christmas story.
And sure, those of you have been to church especially on Christmas have heard about how Jesus was born to save sinners. You've heard about how Jesus was born so that He could die on the cross for us. And you've heard about how Jesus is going to return any minute now, so you better be ready. Some of you have heard this same story for 20, 30, 40 years. And it's the same story your grandparents and their grandparents have heard. And after 100, 200, 2000 years, the same story is being told that Jesus was born, died, resurrected, and is coming again any moment. It's no wonder so many people have come to believe that this story is nothing more than a fairy tale, a tradition, a celebration to be done at Christmas.
Yet there are also people who flock to churches week after week believing the same story. They tell you that Jesus is coming back any moment, but when you look at their life, you wonder, why don't they live like it? Why don't they leave their jobs and their homes living with the same urgency that the apostles did in the first century when they proclaimed that Jesus was coming soon? Surely, we're missing something. If Jesus is the Son of God, and the Son of God was born into this world, you have to wonder, what was that all about? If all of this is true, then why is it that for so many, Jesus is just an icon that is celebrated at Christmas? Could it be that there is more to the story than is usually told? I venture to guess that what you will read here will be a different take on the Christmas story than you've ever heard or read.
So why was Jesus born? The story of the birth of Jesus does not begin at His birth. In order to understand why Jesus was born, we have to go back, way back to the beginning. In fact, in Galatians chapter 4, the apostle Paul tells us about the birth of Jesus. This is not usually a text you hear about at Christmas time, but I want you to read what Paul wrote:
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Paul tells his readers two very important things that define the birth of Jesus:
He was born under the Law. Why?
So that He might redeem those who were under the Law.
This tells us something fascinating about the birth of Jesus. He was born under the Law because there were people before His birth that were under the Law that needed to be redeemed. Who were these people that were under the Law? And what in the world is the Law? You see, in order to understand the birth of Christ, and the meaning of Christmas, we must understand these two things. Without them, the birth of Christ is robbed of all its meaning. And so is Christmas.
They were known as Israel. The people of God called out from the rest of the world. God took this people out of their bondage and slavery in Egypt through the leadership of man named Moses. Israel leaves Egypt and heads towards the land of freedom that God promised them. And on their way, God gives them the Law, usually called the Mosaic Law, because it is associated with Moses. Now the Law is the Ten Commandments that we are all at least somewhat familiar with. You know, do not steal, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not have any other gods before Me. But the Mosaic Law contained far more than just Ten Commandments. Did you know that? Oh man, it contained all sorts of things. There were feasts, ceremonies, sacrifices, priests, a Tabernacle, a Holy Place, a Most Holy Place. Why all of this? Why the Law? Because in order for Israel to have a relationship with God, they had to be holy as He is holy. And the Law embodied the holiness of God. God does not tolerate sin. So there were sacrifices of animals put in place that would demonstrate that death is the necessary consequence for sin. Oh, these sacrifices didn't actually accomplish redemption. But they pointed to something greater that would, just like the Ten Commandments pointed to something greater, or should I say someone.
You see God requires absolute, 100% fulfillment of the Law. He didn't just give it as a suggestion. He gave it because absolute obedience to it was required. So we have a problem here, don't we? Who can obey the Law perfectly? Only someone who has never sinned because once you sin once, you can no longer obey the Law perfectly. That's why the sacrifices were added. They pointed to atonement from sin, a redemption that could be had if the death of another could take your place. Oh sure, animals couldn't really accomplish that. But a spotless lamb, one that was pure of any defects, would be sacrificed in faith that the one who could accomplish redemption would come. And that is why John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
This Jesus came to take away sin, to become sin for those who were under the Law, in order to bring redemption from the curse and consequence of breaking the Law. The Gospel of Matthew tells us about this in the account of the birth of Jesus in chapter 1:
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
Who are Hispeople? Well, consider what the Gospel of Luke has to say in chapter 3 about the birth of John the Baptist, who was prophesied as the one who would prepare the way for Jesus :
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying … 76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins … 80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Zacharias was a Jew. John was born a Jew. And he was born to appear to His people, Israel, to prepare the way for Jesus. Jesus was born a Jew. He was born under the Law so that He might save Hispeople – Israel – from their sins. And just so there is no mistaking about who this Jesus was, Matthew went on to state that Jesus was the Messiah that Israel was promised would come, none other than Yahweh – God Himself:
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
So God became man through being born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem Hispeople who were under the Law. Now, your probably wondering, "Hey wait a minute, what's all this Israel stuff? Where do I come in?" Well, read what Luke wrote about the birth of Jesus:
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, 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."
Notice the distinction between the Gentiles and Israel? Israel is called "Your people." Simeon was quoting from the prophet Isaiah. Simeon understood that Jesus would be the consolation of Israel. Why? Because Israel was God's people. They were the ones given the promises. They were the ones given the Law. But when Jesus was born, He was a light of revelation to the Gentiles. We non-Israelites were Johnny-come-lately's. The apostle Paul taught in Ephesians 3 that the inclusion of the Gentiles into the salvation of Israel was a mystery hidden in ages past. The Gentiles got to receive the inheritance, the salvation of Israel, but only if and when the promises and the Law given to Israel were fulfilled. If Israel isn't saved, ain't nobody saved.
The Gentiles were living in darkness. But in comes Christ, and a light of revelation is given to them. The Gentiles could now share in the promises given to Israel, God's people. But you see, if we non-Israelites are going to understand how we could be saved, we need to first make sure we understand the salvation of Israel. Our salvation is contingent upon the salvation of Israel. This is the part of the story that is rarely taught in churches. But the truth of the matter is, our salvation is intimately connected to the salvation of Israel. And that is why it is of fundamental importance to understand that Jesus was born under the Law in order to redeem Hispeople who were under the Law. So follow closely, because I've got some really good news for you: Salvation has arrived for us because Jesus was born to save His people from their sins.
Of course, Jesus had to be spotless, without any defect in order to do this. So a perfect man, innocent in every way, took the sin of lawbreakers to the cross and died the death that was required in their place. He fulfilled the picture, the type, of the spotless Lamb. He had to do this in order to fulfill the Law and redeem those who were under the Law. But there was more to it. You see, in order for redemption to be accomplished, the death of the Lamb was not enough. That was only the beginning of what God required for redemption.
Once a year, Israel had what was known as the Day of Atonement. A high priest, not just any priest, but only one priest had the title and the task of taking the blood of an animal past the curtain or veil where the ark of the covenant was, where God's presence awaited to meet that high priest. The high priest was required to take the blood from the animal that had been poured into a bowl and sprinkle the blood onto the Ark of the Covenant. Now, before the high priest would go past the curtain into the most holy place, he had to go through an extremely intense ritual of purification because, after all, he was about to enter God's presence. If he didn’t follow the ritual precisely, God's wrath would unleash on him and he would drop dead.
But it gets worse. Not only did the high priest have to enter the most holy place under these conditions, but he had to do it twice in a row. The first time he would enter would be for his own sins. If he was not pure when he entered the first time, he never came back out. You see, entering the most holy place was a representation, a picture of death. Coming back out was a picture of resurrection from death. So ifthe high priest came back out the first time, he would then have to go back in a second time for the sins of the people. And this was even more frightening because now he is carrying the sins of a nation into the presence of God. So the high priest would represent the people when he went in. And only if he came out the second time would the people know that God's wrath had been averted because the sacrifice was accepted on their behalf. Only then could they celebrate knowing that atonement, the picture of redemption, had been made. Leviticus 16 recounts this for us:
11 "Then Aaron (the high priest) shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12 "He shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil. 13 "He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the covenant, otherwise he will die. 14 "Moreover, he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 "Thenhe shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 "He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities. 17 "When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel.
I know this isn't really exciting stuff. But this stuff wasn't recorded in the Bible just so we could read the accounts of an ancient people that has no bearing on us today. There is a reason why all of the details of the Law were recorded, as boring as they might be to read. They are recorded to show who the true Messiah would be. He would be the one that would fulfill all of it perfectly. You see, if Jesus doesn't fulfill all the aspects of the Law, including the role of the high priest, there is no redemption for those who were under the Law. No one was allowed in the tent of meeting on the Day of Atonement, much less the Most Holy Place where God's presence was. But Christ, who became sin, even though he had no sin, entered death. He died the death that the Law required. In the very presence of God, while on the cross, He cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me." Christ died in the presence of God. But this was only the beginning of what Jesus came to do.
Christ died on the cross. But the fact that the veil in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, proved that Jesus was sinless, unlike the high priests of old. What did this demonstrate? That Jesus Christ wasthe presence of God – He was God with us! The separating veil was gone. And three days later, when Jesus resurrected from the dead, unlike the high priest who came out of the most holy place the first time, He was the presence of God that walked out. He needed no redemption.
But redemption for the people was not yet complete. While Christ died "for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant" (Heb. 9:15), it was through this death that He became a mediator of a new covenant (Heb. 9:15-18). And unlike the first covenant, that required repetitive sacrifices because of sin occurring under that covenant, the new covenant would not require any further sacrifices because Christ, the sinless high priest, appeared before the face of God on behalf of His people. Consider Hebrews 9, which was written after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus back to heaven – the real holy place that the most holy place in the earthly temple was picture of:
24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
According to the writer of Hebrews, following the pattern of the Old Testament copy, or picture, if Christ, the high priest, hasn't appeared a second time, redemption has not yet arrived. It is still future. Why? Because He is still appearing before the face of God on our behalf. And nobody was allowed in the tent of meeting until the High Priest came out. You see, until Jesus Christ, the true sacrifice, the man who could actually take the place of those under the Law, unlike the animals, that ritual had to be repeated often. But once Christ comes back out, sin will have been dealt with once and for all because the way in the holy places will have been opened. Consider again Hebrews 9:
8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy places has not yet been opened while the first tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a symbol for the present time.
So the way into the holy places was not yet opened while Christ was appearing before the face of God on behalf of His people. But once Christ comes back out, people who were once cursed and separated from God's holy presence, would then be able to go into the holy place and be in God's presence because their sins have been taken away. But, as I hope you've made the connection, if Christ has not yet completed the task of the high priest, then nobody has redemption, and nobody can enter the presence of God, that is, nobody can appear before the face of God.
So Christ was born under the Law in order to redeem those under the Law. He has accomplished half of the duties of the high priest by dying in the presence of God and resurrecting from death. But what about the rest? Has redemption been accomplished yet or are we still waiting?
When did Jesus and the apostles, who were alive 2000 years ago, speaking and writing to real people in their generation, say that the second coming of Jesus would happen? Read a few passages and decide for yourselves:
Matt. 10:23: for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
16:27-28: 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. 28 Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.
24:33-34: …when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
James 5:7-8: 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Revelation 1:1-3: 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
And three times in Revelation 22, Jesus says, "Behold, I am coming quickly."
There are about a hundred more passages in the New Testament that repeatedly teach that Jesus was coming again within the generation that lived in the first century.
Sound crazy? Well, that's probably because we've become accustomed to believing that the Bible teaches about a physical second coming of Christ. But the fact of the matter is, the Bible teaches nothing of the sort. The Bible was written to Israel, so it would make sense to read it the way they would have understood it. They were very poetic in their use of language. All you have to do is read the Old Testament to see that. The point being that much of what we have been taught about the Bible is not actually what the Bible teaches. But the point of this article is not to demonstrate the nature of the second coming of Christ, but to demonstrate that the second coming of Christ had to occur already in order for salvation to be accomplished. And that second coming occurred in 70 AD when the holy place was destroyed along with the rest of the Temple buildings in Jerusalem.
Why is this important? Because if Jesus didn't do what He said He would do, and if He hasn’t come a second time, then redemption has not been accomplished, because not only would the Law not have been fulfilled yet, which is absolutely necessary, but it makes Jesus a false prophet, one we should not be following. It means that this Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas was not really the Son of God, the Messiah that the prophets spoke of. And this means that nobody over the last two thousand years has entered the presence of God. Nobody has gone to Heaven when they died.
But Jesus was not a false prophet. Jesus did what He said He would do, when He said He would do it. Redemption is here. And Heaven awaits us when we die. Why? Because Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, born under the Law in order to redeem those who were under the Law. Christ fulfilled the Law in its entirety so that we, today, never have to be under the curse of the Law. Instead, we can live among a redeemed people who have entered into the presence of God forever because Jesus fulfilled all that He promised to Israel right on time. And the Gentiles who were brought in to those promises, receive salvation as well. And that is why Christ was born. That is the meaning of Christmas.