2002-01-01
Good Morning Treasured Believers,
This morning we begin a subtopic of messages in this spiritual warfare series about the six traits that make a true kinsman-redeemer. Those of you who have been reading my messages for a long time know that I wrote a series on the concept of kinsman-redeemer in the past. However, God shows me that there are times to revisit a topic, because He has more to reveal to us about it. Such is the case here. I never cease to be amazed at how one book, the Bible with the OT and the NT, could contain so much vital information to benefit us. Yet, it does.
1) A kinsman-redeemer must be a blood relative:
You’ll remember that I cited a section from Leviticus 25 on the release of slaves in a recent message. One passage from it explains this trait. LV 25: 48-49, “After he [the Israelite slave] is sold, he still has the right to be bought back. One of his brothers or his uncle or his cousin or another of his close relatives may buy him back; or if he himself earns enough, he may buy his own freedom.” The problem that mankind has is that they are slaves to sin inherited from Adam, and there is no way they can ever buy themselves out of this marketplace of sin. That is why we needed our Kinsman-Redeemer to die on the cross and be the perfect, once-for-all sin sacrifice that fully paid the price for our freedom [JN 8: 32; RO 3: 24-25; HE 10: 10]. How Christ was able to do this is revealed in HE 2: 14-16, “Since the children, as He calls them, are people of flesh and blood, Jesus Himself became like them and shared their human nature. He did this so that through His death He might destroy the devil who has the power over death, and in this way set free those who were slaves all their lives, because of their fear of death. For it is clear that it is not the angels that He helps. Instead, as the Scriptures [PS 95: 7-8; NU 14: 9] say, ‘He helps the descendants of Abraham.’” Because Gentile believers have been “ingrafted” with Jewish believers, they are included in the term “descendants of Abraham” [RO 11: 17].
A passage in Romans, specifically RO 4: 12-21, explains the relationship between the first Adam-the Adam who committed the original sin in GN 3: 6, and the second Adam- Christ, who never committed any sin. We are so blessed that the first Adam’s sin didn’t seal our fate. Without the sacrifice of the second Adam, we would have been relegated to an earthly life of evil and misery followed by a one-way trip to the lake of fire and sulfur. However, because of Christ’s death on the cross for us, those who repented and came to faith can look forward to an eternal life of joy and fellowship with the Father in heaven. This sacrifice is an undeserved gift out of the grace our Father offers us. RO 4: 17-18, “It is true that through the sin of one man, death began to rule because of that one man. But how much greater is the result of what was done by one Man, Jesus Christ! All who receive God’s abundant grace and are freely put right with Him will rule in life through Christ. So then, as the one sin condemned all mankind, in the same way the one righteous act sets all mankind free and give them life.” By Christ’s death on the cross, Satan’s eventual fate is sealed, and he knows it.
MT 1: 18 helps us to better understand how Christ could be a Man Who never sinned. “This was how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit.” Luke’s account supports this amazing fact in LK 1: 35, [The messenger angel speaking to Mary] “The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come down on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.” This offspring would be born of mankind, but born of the seed of God. Only a God Who loves His creation would carry out this supernatural act in an effort to save them.
You may wonder why I so often repeat words about the magnificence of the great sacrifice that the Father made for us, namely His own Son’s death on the cross. It is because the Spirit Himself leads me to do this. We should get this message so well, that we can’t help but remain in obedient faith to Him. Without that, our fate would be sealed as the devil’s is. Obeying Christ is the only way to happiness, if my own experience is worth sharing. When I don’t obey Him, things go wrong in my life. The Spirit communicates His displeasure by removing the inner peace we have when we are engaged in sinful behavior. On the other hand, when we do something that pleases God, we remain peaceful in our inner selves. Perhaps I’m sounding simplistic or naïve, but this peace can settle on a person amidst awful chaos around them when he is acting in a godly way. Recently, my husband went through job transition for the second time in the last three years. We are selling our home, and yet, both of us are feeling peace. God has commanded that we remain in Woodbury in a smaller place and that my ministry continue; both of us are ready to obey His command. That’s an example of how this principle works. We all need to examine our lives and listen carefully for God’s direction in them. Our Kinsman-Redeemer is there for us.
PRAYER: O Lord, in IS 11: 1-9, You give us a view of the peace in heaven that our Kinsman-Redeemer will deliver to those who endure in their faith. “The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new King will arise from among David’s descendants. The Spirit of the Lord will give Him wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rule His people. He will know the Lord’s will and will have reverence for Him, and find pleasure in obeying Him. He will not judge by appearance or hearsay; He will judge the poor fairly and defend the right of the helpless. At His command the people will be punished, and evil persons will die. He will rule His people with justice and integrity. Wolves and sheep will live together in peace, and leopards will lie down with young goats. Calves and lion cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them. Cows and bears will eat together, and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace. Lions will eat straw as cattle do. Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous snake. On Zion, God’s holy hill, there will be nothing harmful or evil. The land will be as full of knowledge of the Lord as the seas are full of water.” So many of our questions are answered here, Dearest Abba. Animals will be with us in heaven, peace will reign between all living things, and You will impart answers to all our questions sharing Your knowledge freely. The physical laws that govern our present world will not govern Your Kingdom. Every being there will have eternal life, and there will be no evil. All of this is made possible by the sacrifice of Your Son, making Him our Kinsman-Redeemer, and our willingness to repent and believe in Him. We stand before You in humble adoration and thanks for what we never deserved. We acknowledge our gratitude that You extended these blessings to us and pledge to be good and loyal covenant partners with You. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow, we will look at the second trait of a kinsman-redeemer. It is my hope that knowing these traits, all of which Christ has, will bless you as much as it blesses me. Satan’s place is so diminished and his power has lost its punch by what Christ has done for each and every one of us. Our loving Abba keeps on showering us with His blessings when we are willing to listen for His commands, obey them, and trust Him. We live for His pleasure, and in return when we live “in Christ,” He grants us real freedom, peace and happiness. Only a Deity Who loves His children and protects them from evil would do this. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn