Jesus: Savior, Christ, Lord
Chuck Sligh
December 15, 2013
TEXT: Luke 2:7-11 – “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
INTRODUCTION
Illus. – Years ago there was a popular Country and Western song sung by Johnny Cash titled “A Boy Named Sue.” It was a story set to music about a boy whose father left him, and before he did, he gave him the name of Sue. Sue hated the name and was taunted all his life about it, which caused him to get into fights over his name. One day he met an old man who teased him about his name and he got into a fight with him and beat the tar out of the old man. It turned out the old man was his long lost daddy and it was revealed that the father gave him his name to make him tough to be able to survive without his daddy.
Well, we certainly don’t agree with the sentiments of child abandonment in that song, but it was a funny song that taught an important truth: THAT NAMES ARE IMPORTANT.
Over the years, I’ve preached a number of series on names in the Bible. I preached a series of sermons on “Names for the People of God.” We’re doing a series now on Sunday mornings on the 5 titles for the Messiah found in Isaiah 9:6: Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
The reason for this is that in our culture names serve merely to distinguish one person from another, but in Bible times, names had other significant functions. In Bible times, someone's name not only designated who the person was, but suggested the traits of the person.
This is especially true of the many titles given to Jesus from the Old Testament. Several of them are prominent in the Christmas story, and they each tell us little nuggets of truth about Jesus and who He is and what He came to do.
So we are going to look at three of these names today. Next Sunday we’ll interrupt this two-week study and give you a Christmas I.Q. Test (which will be fun, by the way). On the last Sunday in December, we’ll finish this two-part study by looking at the name “Immanuel.”
In our Scripture reading this morning, we read part of the Christmas story from Luke 2. In verse 11 we read these words: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Here in this little verse are three titles for the Jesus. We use such terms as SAVIOR, and CHRIST and LORD quite frequently. But what do they actually MEAN? If you understand WHO it was who was actually born in the city of David almost 2,000 years ago, you’ll enjoy and appreciate Christmas so much more.
So let’s look at these three titles today. Our verse tells us three things about Jesus:
I. FIRST IT TELLS US THAT JESUS IS “SAVIOR.”
The word Savior in verse 11 is the Greek word swtnr (sōtēr) which means: “One who makes safe, delivers, or preserves from harm.” That’s what Jesus came to this earth to do—to make you safe, to deliver you, and to preserve you from sin and hell, and a life of sin and sorrow.
Note three quick things about this title Savior:
• First, “SAVIOR” implies a need for help.
Help is not needed—that is, we don’t think we NEED a savior—if there are no threatening circumstances.
D.Q. – What threatens us spiritually, revealing our need for a Savior?—There are actually many, but the Bible emphasizes 4: POSSIBLE ANSWER: Sin, Satan, judgment and hell.
You need to be SAVED from these things—to be delivered and preserved from them!
• Second, “SAVIOR” holds out the promise of hope.
Jesus, the Savior, is our hope today. He is the promise of hope.
From what?…
From the PUNISHMENT of sin (hell). (EXPAND)
From the POWER of sin. (EXPAND)
From the PRESENCE of sin in heaven. (EXPAND)
• Third, “SAVIOR” suggests a better way of life.
It’s hard to believe anyone would turn a savior away.
Illus. – Suppose you are in the ocean about to drown and a lifeguard come out to you in a boat and throws you a life line and you say, “No thanks. I’ll try to handle this on my own, thanks.” (EXPAND)
DISCUSSION QUESTION: Why would ANYONE turn Jesus away?—I can think of three reasons:
1) They have not seen themselves in a threatening circumstance. (EXPAND)
2) They have been blinded by Satan and sin. – In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Paul said “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (EXPAND)
3) They have not realized that there is a better life – John 10:10 – “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
That’s the bad news; the good news is that whoever will receive Jesus and believe on His name can have this life – John 1:12 – “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
II. JESUS IS THE “CHRIST.”
Christ is the Greek form of the Hebrew word for Messiah, which literally means “the Anointed One.” In the Old Testament there were only three offices that were anointed with oil: prophet, priest and king.
In the Old Testament God prophesied He would send someone who would come to save and deliver the Jews and that this person would fulfill all three offices of prophet, priest and king. That was one way they would know He was their Messiah, along with signs and wonders that would accompany His ministry.
In all of history, Jesus, and only Jesus, fulfilled all these prophecies and fulfilled all three offices in one person:
• Jesus was the greatest PROPHET who ever lived. – No man taught like Jesus taught.
• He was the great HIGH PRIEST who made atonement for our sins through His death on the cross. (EXPAND)
• Finally, he is the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.
Though He has not set up His kingdom yet upon this earth, He is the King of the Universe and all creation and every human being owes their allegiance to Him. Someday, Jesus will set up a LITERAL kingdom and rule on this earth for 1,000 years, and then rule in a new heaven and a new earth throughout eternity.
So Jesus is the Messiah—the Jews’ long awaited prophet, priest and king. The Jews have rejected Jesus as their messiah, but someday, every Jew will acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Messiah. – Philippians 2:9-11 – “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
III. LASTLY, JESUS IS “LORD.”
The title LORD has two meanings in Scripture with reference to Jesus:
• First, Jesus is VERY GOD
The title LORD in the Old Testament is a very significant one and was always a reference to God. When applied to Jesus Christ, it was a clear reference to the deity of Jesus Christ; that is, the doctrine that Jesus was, is and always will be God, that He was, is and always will be a part of the Trinity.
You say, Brother Sligh, how do you explain that? I can’t. It is a doctrine that is essentially impossible to explain or understand in human terms. It must simply be accepted by faith.
The Old Testament Scriptures prophesied that the coming Messiah would be God:
Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name IMMANUEL.”
Immanuel means “God with us.”
We’ll spend a whole lesson on this title, so I’ll say no more today.
Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, THE MIGHTY GOD, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
(TIME PERMITTING) Compare those with John 1:1-4 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
Several things are told us about “the Word.”
1) The Word was “in the beginning,” that is, the Word existed before the world was created. (Verse 1)
2) The Word was WITH God, implying that the Word was a distinct personality from God the Father. (Verse 1)
3) He WAS God (Verse 1). That is, besides being a distinct personality from God the Father, the Word would nevertheless BE God. This is a clear reference to the Trinity—the fact that God exists in three separate personalities—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
4) The Word was as old as God the Father (who is eternal) (Verse 2)
5) The Word created all things (Verse 3)
6) In the Word was life and light (Verse 4)
What or who is “the Word” spoken of here?—Well, you’ve probably figured that out by now, but just in case you haven’t, we are told the answer to that question in John 1:14-18 – “And the Word was made flesh [became human], and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. [THAT’S who “the Word” was] 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
• The second meaning of the title LORD is that Jesus is the MASTER.
The word lord had a secondary meaning of master or ruler or governor or controller. Many wealthy farmers and merchants in Jesus’ day had many servants and slaves. A person who was master over many servants and was called a “lord” (with a little “l”).
JESUS is your MASTER, that is, your RULER, if you are a Christian. And one thing that was true in that day regarding this word was that MASTER DEMANDED OBEDIENCE!
Now let me apply this truth to our lives—let me get personal: Is Christ the MASTER or RULER or LORD of your life?
Is He LORD in your habits?
Is He MASTER in your temper?
Is He SOVEREIGN in your feelings towards those who have offended you?
Is He your KING in your thought life?
Is He your RULER in your use of your tongue?
Is He LORD in your activities? – 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Is He MASTER in the music you listen to?
Is He SOVEREIGN in your TV or movie viewing?
Is He KING in your what you wear and how you present yourself and what you reveal of your body?
Is He RULER in your companions—who you spend your time with?
Proverbs 13:20 – “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
Is He LORD in the jokes that you tell or listen to or laugh at?
You see, JESUS WANTS YOU TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS LORDSHIP IN EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE BY YOUR OBEDIENCE TO HIM.
Illus. (GO OVER AND ILLUSTRATE HOUSE GRAPHIC):
Illustrate Jesus coming into your life, represented by Him moving into your house and taking over each room, one at a time.
But God wants not only wants every room, but also…
the CLOSETS,…
then the shelves…
and even the boxes on the shelves.)
(EXPAND AND CLOSE)
CONCLUSION
Jesus is many wonderful things.
Three of them are expressed in these three titles:
• He is Savior – Is He YOUR Savior; Have you accepted Him and let Him into your life?
• He is the Christ—the Messiah. – Have you realized that He is the fulfillment of millions of people’s dreams?—The one who will rule for all eternity.
• His Lord – Are you being an obedient servant to your Lord and Master, Jesus Christ?
