DECEMBER 5 AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME By David Payne Pastor, Flemings Chapel Baptist Church
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)
In these days of online ordering, it is not unusual to click on your purchase and for it to arrive at your door the next day. Some companies even specialize in same-day delivery: a logistical marvel. Years ago, generations grew up with a Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog on their lap, eagerly hoping the item they longed for would be wrapped and under the tree in time for Christmas. All the way back in Genesis 3:15, God promised a Redeemer. But for centuries, the world languished in sin. Through Moses, God instituted the law which allowed the faithful to have their penalty for sin postponed for another year through the blood of a sacrificial animal on the Day of Atonement. At last, when Jesus was born to a virgin in Bethlehem, God’s promise of the Redeemer was finally realized. Wrapped with bands of cloth and laid in a manger, Jesus came to deliver those who would believe in Him from their weight of sin and the burden of the law. Jesus came, Matthew 5:17 reminds us, not to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill every requirement so that our debt of sin could be paid in full and not merely postponed. What had been anticipated for thousands of years was realized when Jesus was made flesh. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, came to be our sin-bearing substitute on the cross. Through faith in His death and our Savior’s victory over the grave, we are freed from sin’s penalty. Therefore, we are adopted as God’s own dear children and are given eternal life. That is grace. It is the best gift anyone can receive any time of year!
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