The account with which Luke presents us is in this passage is two-fold, much like fresh lychess, which can be rough and robust on the outside, and soft, juicy and delightful on the inside. It’s a fruit of great contrast, presenting two quite different sides.

Our passage is a bitter-sweet tale in which there is both rejoicing over the coming of Christ the messiah, and yet there are also pointers to the cross that is to come, and to the pain that Jesus will undergo. Our story has two sides that are very different. Jesus the infant baby was already the SAVIOUR: he was already very special, but as we will see in our text this morning, the MISSION of Jesus had began, which would ultimately lead him onto the cruel, harsh road to Calvary, where he would give up his life to redeem us from our sins.

Today I want us to look at the significance of what was happening in the temple with Jesus and Mary, as she presented her first-born male child to YHWH. If v.21 did not happen or Jesus failed here, His whole Mission to this Earth would have failed and we would have been hopeless and condemned in our sins. These verses are very important to understand. If you read even one of these verses too fast you can miss out on an enormous blessing.

"And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."" 
(Luke 2:21-24)

Joseph and Mary’s faithful obedience to the law of God shines brightly here in the account surrounding the birth of Jesus.

• The law of God required that every firstborn male should be circumcised as a sign of God’s promise and a seal of his grace. And so Jesus was circumcised.
• The angel told both Joseph and Mary to name the child Jesus, which they did without hesitation or reservation.
• The law of God required purification for Mary after giving birth to Jesus. She went through the forty days of purification, most likely while staying in Bethlehem, and then brought the offering required by the law of God in order to become ceremonially clean again.
• And finally, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to Jerusalem to consecrate him to God and also to pay his redemption fee, since Jesus was their firstborn son.

Their example is an example to us. I have no doubt that when get to heaven we will meet Mary & Joseph and worship our Saviour together. Their obedience was a clear indication of their faith in the Merciful Redeemer. The apostle John says in John 14:15; "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Our obedience does not earn us right standing with God but, rather, is an evidence of our right standing with God. Our obedience is a sign of our love for God. And the same was true for Mary and Joseph.

Joseph and Mary knew they were sinners who needed to be redeemed and they held tight to this promise of redemption. How tight do you hold onto this promise?

To be SAVED is to be purchased by God.  To be owned by God is to live as His possession.  You are no longer your own, you are bought with a price, therefore, glorify God in your body (1 Cor 6:19, 20).  All progress in your Christian life is a function of you giving yourself back to God – continually entrusting yourself to God so as to be transformed by His Word.

 It is such an immeasurable privilege to be God’s own treasured possession – to hold fellowship and intimate communion with the holy, majestic God of the universe so as to know Him better each day.  The cost on your side will be a life of dying to sin and self – a life of putting to death your lusts.  It will be living unto God and being satisfied with all that He is toward you in Christ.

The Message of Redemption is intended to transform our walk with God and worship of God. Christ came to save us from our sins, to free us from our sins, not so that we have a license to sin. The very nature of Christ’s mission was to secure the salvation of all those who are chosen to eternal life, His bride- a Pure BRIDE.   

 If you are born again, a genuine Christian, then the knowledge of completed salvation should be a special comfort to you.  Paul rejoiced that his life was bound up in Christ and His completed work on the cross. Remember what he said in 1 Timothy 1:15?  “Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief”.  The Apostle viewed the atonement in a most personal way and so should we.  Our life, our purpose, our hope, our future and our destiny are all wrapped up in the redemption of Christ.  Our security, comfort, praise, love and devotion are by union with Christ.  We celebrate the oneness He has with His people.

As we start this New Year, let us remember the example of Mary and Joseph. Their obedience was a clear indication of their faith in the Merciful Redeemer. Our obedience does not earn us right standing with God but, rather, is an evidence of our right standing with God. Our obedience is a sign of our love for God. Joseph and Mary knew they were sinners who needed to be redeemed and they held tight to this promise of redemption.

Let’s hold tight to this promise of redemption. As the author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 10:23-25; “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”