Redemption Believed

“And she shall bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

These were the words spoken to Joseph by an angel in his dream. It was the exact thing he had said to Mary. This was the same angel. “And behold! You shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS.” (Luke 1:31) Mary didn’t seem perturbed about how this was going to play out with her intended husband Joseph. But God took care of everything. When it’s a God thing, God will take care of the particulars. We worry about “how and when.” God takes care of the “how” and the “when” is always in His perfect time.

God can literally speak to us through dreams. How do you know which dreams and words in a dream are from God? The criteria is the same for anything we have to judge. Three questions should be answered in the affirmative. Does it glorify Jesus or God? Does it align with Scripture? Does it give you complete peace? Joseph knew this dream was from God. Instead of putting Mary away, He married Mary, raised Jesus as his own and obediently named Him Jesus.

A virgin birth had been prophesied. “So, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Isaiah also prophesied about the land of Zebulun and Naphtali where Jesus started His ministry. “Yet there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish, as in the former time. He degraded the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, so afterwards He will glorify the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; they who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:1-2) And again Isaiah reveals about the Messiah. He will be a Child descendant of David who will reign eternally, “...from now on, even forever.”  “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6-7) The words “...from now on, even forever,” reveals it will be a divine reign. In this world nothing is forever. Only God is forever.

So how do we know Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of the whole world? Besides the witness of the Holy Spirit and the miraculous work in our personal lives there is one other witness. None of us, neither the faith fathers, the apostles, asked the Father, the I Am, and got a direct answer from Him. Even John at the last minute wondered. He had been moved by the Holy Spirit under the anointing to declare Jesus, the Son of God, the Lamb Who would take away sin. John the Baptist and the apostles were not able to go before the Throne of the Creator and ask Him, but He came to them to bear witness. “The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me comes a Man who has been before me, for He preceded me. And I did not know Him, but that He be revealed to Israel, therefore I have come baptizing with water. And John bore record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and He abode on Him. And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water, that One said to me, Upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon Him, He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I saw and bore record that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29-34) Matthew records the same incident. “And Jesus, when He had been baptized, went up immediately out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him. And lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17) So that is John’s witness, but how about the apostles?

Jesus and His disciples are in Caesarea Philippi for the Feast of Tabernacles. This is the time that Jesus asks His disciples who they think He is. “And Jesus and His disciples went out into the towns of Caesarea Philippi. And in the way He asked His disciples, saying to them, Who do men say that I am?” (Mark 8:27) When Jesus begins to prepare His disciples for His coming crucifixion, Peter is influenced by satan to refuse to acknowledge God’s Will in Jesus’ life and is rebuked by Jesus. “But He turned and said to Peter, Go, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you do not savor the things that are of God, but those that are of men.” (Matthew 16:23) And after six days at the festival, Jesus takes three of His disciples with Him to Mount Tabor. “And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart. And He was transfigured before them. And His face shone as the sun, and His clothing was white as the light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him.” (Matthew 17:1-3; Mark 9:2-4; Luke 9:28-32) Jesus chose these three disciples to be witnesses of His true identity. Not only did they witness His glory as God, but they heard the voice of God. “And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My Son, the Beloved, hear Him.” (Luke 9:35; Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7) While the other apostles were witness to the miraculous deeds Jesus did, these three, Peter, James and John were witness of His divinity and heard the voice of God.  When Peter and John are forbidden by the Council to speak in the Name of Jesus, they reply, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20) Later in his Epistle, Peter declares what He has seen and heard. “For not having followed fables having been cunningly devised, but becoming eyewitnesses of the majesty of Jesus Christ, we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord. For He received honor and glory from God the Father, when was borne to Him a voice from the excellent glory, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And we heard this voice being borne from Heaven, being with Him in the holy mountain.” (2Peter 1:16-18) John also testifies in his Epistle that what he writes is what he saw and heard. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life, (for the Life was revealed, and we have seen it and bear witness, and show to you the everlasting Life, who was with the Father and was revealed to us), that which we have seen and heard we declare unto you, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And we write these things to you so that your joy may be full.” (1John 1:1-4) These witnesses, our own witness of the miraculous work of God in our own lives and the witness of the Holy Spirit in us confirm to us that Jesus is the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Bread of Life that the Father sent to us.

Summing up, our redemption is quite a work of God. It’s miraculous and only God could have done what was done. And it was done all for us, his enemies at the time, sinners and worse. Paul puts it in his letter to Titus. “For we ourselves also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, slaving for various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.” (Titus 3:3) Yet the Lord God’s mercy and love did the impossible for us and freed us from our bondage to sin and made us children of God with all the inherited blessings of sons and daughters of the Only True God.

Let us pray:

Father God, You are great and mighty and able to do all You Will in Your creation and for Your creation. It’s so incredible that the Gospel is rightfully called the “better than Good News.” Everything was perfectly fulfilled as You declared it. Thank You Lord that You didn’t leave me guessing as to what You accomplished for me, but You left witnesses who saw and heard what You did. And I believe them because of the witness of the Holy Spirit in me and the miracles You did and continue to do in me. Thank You for the merciful love that was done in and through Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Your Will is perfect. Your timing is perfect. You proclaim and it is done in heaven then on earth for Your children, Your chosen people from the beginning of the world. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.