Jesus Is Saviour Series

Theme: Jesus is Saviour

Text: Luke 2:8-14

Happy Christmas!!

Illustration: Christmas always means a Gift.

After the Christmas holidays,

A boy told his uncle, ‘Thanks uncle, for the electric guitar you gave me for Christmas’ "It's the best present I ever got."

His uncle said ‘Oh, nice to know about it. That's great,"

Then his uncle asked, "Do you know how to play it?"

The boy said "Oh, I don't play it," because

"My mom gives me a dollar a day not to play it during the day,

and my dad gives me five dollars a week not to play it at night”.

On this Christmas eve, I would like to share three points about the special characteristics of the Saviour. Remember that we had meditated about Jesus as the Prince of Bethlehem, Emmanuel, Holy one, Grace, and a horn of Salvation. Take home message tonight is:

Jesus Saves us

Jesus Values us, and

Jesus Sends us.

1. Jesus Saves us:

The Gospel writers significant theme was Jesus, the humble man from Nazareth is the Saviour of the world, who was called Jesus to refer that he will save his people from their sins(Matthew 1:21). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua. The earlier saviours who were mentioned in the Old Testament had saved people from their slavery, from fear of enemies, thieves and foreign kings. But Jesus would save his people(refers to Jews) and the whole world from their sins.

1 John 1:4:14 says that Jesus is the saviour of the world. John the Baptist introduced Christ to his followers as the Lamb of God, who takes away the SIN of the World. Here two different things are put and expressed. One is Jesus will save his people from their SINS (Matthew 1:21), and He is the Lamb of God who takes away the SIN of the World.

First, he saves us from the effect of the Original Sin of Adam, which we have inherited by birth through our sinful nature(Romans 5:12, 7:25). The death came to us (Romans 6:23).

Secondly, he saves us from the sins we have committed by our knowing and unknowing acts. The efficacy of the SIN was passed on to everyone. The curse and its aftereffects are chasing us (Numbers 32:23). To save us from that common SIN and Curse Jesus came to this world as the Lamb. He is that crushed Lamb without blemish (Isaiah 53:7,1 Peter 1:19) for the salvation of the whole world. He takes us into his Kingdom (Luke 19:10).

He saves them from lame and sick (Zephaniah 3:19). Paul says that Jesus is the Saviour of all people (1 Timothy 4:10). Jeremiah 34:22 says that Jesus brings them into one flock. He saves them from their wicked ways (Ezekiel 3:18). He saves the perishing (Matthew 8:25).

Luke wrote in the Book of Acts and said that there is no other saviour than Jesus (Acts 4:12). Prophet declared that there is no other Saviour besides God (Hosea 13:4). I am your God and no other Saviour (Isaiah 43:11). Jeremiah says that the saviour is amidst of you (Jeremiah 14:8-9).

So yield to Jesus and be washed by the blood of the Lamb from the Original SIN of Adam. And be relieved from all the bondages and problems you are facing. Let this night become the night of Salvation.

Let Jesus become your personal Lord and Saviour. Let Christmas bring real meaning to you to understand who you are and how Jesus values you. Let me move on to my second point Jesus Values us.

2. Jesus Values us:

“I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this rock will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church—my legislative assembly, and the power of death will not be able to overpower it!” (The Passion Translation)

Peter’s revelation from God the Father and his confession of Jesus as the Son of God becomes the “bedrock foundation” for the church. The earliest writings of the church fathers all acknowledge that the Rock is Jesus Christ, not Peter. His confession is the Rock.

Peter was fisherfolk. His original name was Simon. He was a son of Jonah and married (1 Corinthians 9:5). His family was from Bethsaida in Galilee (John 1:44). He was taking care of his mother-in-law (Mark 1:30-31). Peter was a slender person, of a middle-sized, inclining to tallness, his complexion was whitish. He had a short, thick, curled beard, thin eyebrows. His eyes were black but flecked with red due to frequent weeping.

Jesus saved Simon and renamed him Cephas meaning Petros, "rock." The word Keefa, the Aramaic word for “stone” or “pebble.” God turned an ordinary man into an extraordinary person through his confession.

Jesus empowered him. He has given the keys of heaven. Jesus ascertained to Peter that nothing can overcome him (Matthew 16:17-19). The Greek word for “church” is ekklesia and means “legislative assembly” or “selected ones.” It is not a religious term at all, but a political and governmental term it is used many times in classical Greek for a group of people who have been summoned and gathered together to govern the affairs of a city. For Jesus to use this term means he is giving the keys of governmental authority in his kingdom to the church(R. Scott and H. G. Liddell).