Christ Our Savior
(4FG-1)
I. Why Do I Need a Savior?
A. Because of personal insecurities
B. Because of personal sin
C. Because I cannot save myself
II. What Is God’s Plan to Meet My Need?
A. A costly solution
B. The only solution
III. How Do I Receive Christ as My Savior?
A. Admit my need
B. Repent of my sins
C. Accept God’s gift
Introduction
We began this service by lighting the first candle of our Advent wreath. The season of Advent is celebrated by Christians throughout the world. In A.D. 600, Pope Gregory the Great decreed that all Christians should prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth by observing the four Sundays prior to December 25 with the symbolic lighting of candles. We continue in that tradition this morning of preparing for the first Advent of Christ.
The word Advent literally means “coming.” The coming that we are anticipating is, of course, that of the Christ-child, born over 2,000 years ago in a little town, in a lowly stable, the first son of a very ordinary couple. Yet, that single birth has altered the course of history. It is indeed the focus of history. That obscure and humble event gives meaning to all others that have preceded it and followed it.
Most of us would agree that the significance of the first Advent of Jesus cannot be overstated. It marks the initiation of God’s plan to reconcile His defaced creation to Himself once again. It is the beginning of His strategy to make all things new and to restore the innocence lost.
But what does the rest of the world think about this time of the year? Is there any sense of anticipating the arrival of the One who can rectify what is wrong? In all of the busy shopping and wrapping and planning, is there even a hint of looking beyond the giving and receiving of gifts, the visits from friends and relatives, and the colorful lights and festive decorations to an ultimate reason for celebrating? Is this really all there is for the majority of people? And if so, then why?
I suppose that as I observe the traditions that so many go through during this season—most of which are completely void of any biblical basis—I have to ask myself, “Why has it come to this? Why don’t we celebrate that which is really worth celebrating? Why have we drifted so far from the simplicity of the first Advent, and turned it into a commercialized event by which we determine the economic stability of our nation?”
I know there are lots of answers to those questions, but I believe that there is one prevailing reason: we have forgotten why Jesus came in the first place. No one is really certain why He came, so it is assumed that it mustn’t have been all that important. And if Jesus’ coming is not that important, then we have to find something that is, which has led us to where we are today.
This morning I am beginning an Advent series that focuses on answering the question of why Christ came. But I’m going to embark on this quest from a vantage point that is different than where you probably would expect me to begin. We will look at both the OT and NT references to Christ’s coming, but our central focus is going to be on our neediness—why Jesus needed to come.
Some of you have been in the C&MA for a number of years, while others are quite new to this denomination. Those who have been around for a while have undoubtedly been introduced to the Four-Fold Gospel, which our founder, A.B. Simpson, set as one of the cornerstones and distinctives of this church. Simply stated, the Four-Fold Gospel teaches that Christ is our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King.
We see these four roles demonstrated in the life and ministry of Jesus at His first Advent. But they are also roles that He continues to assume in heaven and ones that He will perfectly and eternally carry on throughout eternity. These four roles represent four basic needs of every human being. Each of us needs someone to save us, sanctify us, heal us, and govern us. And each of these needs is met for us in Christ.
Over the next four weeks, we will examine each of these inherent needs, what plan God devised to meet our needs, and how we are to respond in order to have our needs met. This morning we begin by looking at our need for a Savior.
Why Do I Need a Savior?
The first question we must ask is, “Why do I need a Savior? What am I in danger of that I need to be saved from it? What’s all this hype about anyway? My life is great. I have a loving family. My job is secure. All my bills are paid. I haven’t broken any laws. Why do I need a Savior?”
Because of Personal Insecurities
Perhaps your life is great in comparison to life that some others live. On the surface, everything is as good as it can get. Maybe you really do have it “all together” and you’re the envy of everyone who knows you. You may be well respected, a model of what can be accomplished when one plays by the rules and works hard to achieve success in life.
But I wonder…how is your life when the lights go out? Are you ever afraid of failing? Do you ever question what the future is all about, whether you are ready to meet any obstacle that may present itself along the way? Have you ever wondered about what will become of you when this life is over—is it the end, or is there life after death? And if this is not the end, are you certain about the outcome of your life in the life to come? If you have any of these kinds of concerns, then you need a Savior. You need One who can give you hope and certainty to face a hopeless and uncertain world. You need One to save you from these fears and give you courage to move ahead rather than becoming paralyzed because of the unknown.
Because of Personal Sin
But the Bible tells us that we need a Savior because of a deeper problem which is the source of all of our problems. It is the problem of sin.
“Wait a minute. You must be talking about someone else, Pastor. I told you I’ve never broken any laws. You won’t see me on America’s Most Wanted. I live a good, clean life. I don’t have a sin problem.” From a worldly point of view, you may not have a “sin problem.” There will always be those who commit heinous crimes, and when we compare ourselves to them, we can make ourselves look pretty good. But God doesn’t grade us “on a curve.” He looks upon us with another standard: righteousness, His righteousness.
Righteousness is defined as “purity of heart and rectitude of life; being and doing right” (TNCBD&C, p. 359). I don’t know if anyone here thinks that he/she has lived a perfectly righteous life and is without the need of a Savior or not, but I have a test for you in case you do. Have you done everything right everyday of your life, from the moment you took your first breath right up to this very moment? I mean, have you never said a cutting remark, never had a ill thought toward someone else, never taken liberties with the truth, never failed to obey your parents in everything, never taken something that didn’t belong to you, never acted violently toward another, never done anything of questionable repute? I think it’s clear that we have all failed to meet up to God’s standard of righteousness. Isaiah put it this way, All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away (64:6).
Every one of us has a root of sinfulness within that keeps us from doing the right thing all of the time. We have all sinned. Not only are we prevented from doing the right thing all of the time, our sinfulness predisposes us to continue to be sinful. It is our nature to do the wrong thing. Paul gives his own personal testimony of struggling with the power of sin in Romans 7:15, I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Our sinful nature keeps us from doing the right thing all of the time and even encourages us to do the wrong thing. God’s standard is absolute righteousness. None of us is righteous. Therefore, we all need a Savior.
Because We Cannot Save Ourselves
But there is still one more thing that we need to consider in this discussion of our need for a Savior. The Bible not only reveals that we are all guilty of sin, but it also tells us that there is nothing that we can do in our own power to get rid of our sinfulness. We cannot save ourselves. This is the greatest problem that we face. No matter how much we might wish to change or how hard we try to extricate that root of sin from our lives, we find that we are powerless to break its grip over us. This inability to save ourselves from the domination of sin is what the Bible refers to as being dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13). In our natural state, we are lifeless, helpless, hopeless beings at the mercy of sin’s desires. We cannot remedy our condition. We need a Savior.
What Is God’s Plan to Meet My Need?
We are in need of a Savior because of our sinfulness and inability to change our predicament. So what are we to do? How can we attain the righteous standing we need in order to have fellowship with God? Where do we find a Savior to meet our need?
A Costly Solution
God understood our plight and was ready with a solution. In the Garden of Eden we have the first indication that He was going to intervene on our behalf so that our sins could be removed. In Genesis 3:15, God said to the serpent that deceived Adam and Eve, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” This is the first prophecy concerning One who would come to restore what had been ruined by sin’s destructive power. It is not clear in this context who this One would be, but it points out that God had already determined a way to save mankind and that His plan was being carried out.
From that time on, many reaffirmations of that promise were given through prophets and priests and kings. Each time as the promise was restated, the picture became increasingly clear and the anticipation of the arrival of the Savior heightened. He was to come from a particular nation, a particular tribe, and a particular family. Centuries after the first promise of redemption was given, a prophet named Isaiah, proclaimed another clue of how God’s perfect but curious plan of salvation was going to be actualized. We read in Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Whoa! There must have been some miscommunication taking place here. Everyone knows that virgins don’t give birth—it just doesn’t work that way. It’s naturally impossible. And it’s exactly how a young girl named Mary, some 600 years later, reacted when she was visited by an angel and received the news that she was going to give birth to a son: “How will this be since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34). In response to her inquiry, she was informed that the child would be the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit. There’s just no other way to explain it other than God performed a miracle in order that the miracle of our salvation could be realized.
I want to look at two other passages in the NT that describe the coming of our Savior. Please turn with me to Matthew 1:18-25 (p. 717). [Read] Now flip over a few pages to Luke 2:8-11 (p. 762). [Read] In both of these passages, the said purpose of the coming of this Child was to be the Savior of the world: “give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21b). God’s plan of salvation was through the coming of a tiny, helpless baby who would one day pay the penalty for the sins of all the peoples of the earth—for all time.
The Only Solution
But why this plan? Why did God have to send His Son to save the world? Wasn’t there another way? The bottom line is, there was no other way for our salvation to be won except through God’s Son, Jesus.
The reason that Christ had to come and pay the penalty for our sins is due to the fact that the requirement for the debt was a perfect sacrifice. Since every man, woman, boy and girl has sinned and gravitates toward sinning, no satisfactory payment could be found among humanity. We were facing an account that we were unable to settle (talk about needing debt-reduction assistance!). Sin has embellished us and made us imperfect, therefore, an alternate, a substitute sacrifice had to be offered.
God’s plan was costly, but it was the only way that salvation could be possible. He sent His perfect, sinless Son to be the substitute sacrifice to pay the debt of sin that you and I and the entire world had accumulated. The God-man, Jesus Christ, is the only Savior of the world. That is why He said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
How Do I Receive Christ as My Savior?
We need a Savior. God has provided for our need by send-ing His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. This leaves us with just one last question: How do I receive Christ as my Savior?
Admit My Need
It begins by recognizing and admitting my need for a Savior. As long as I am content with the way my life is going and feel good about myself, I will not see the need for being saved. I have to come to the place where I see that there is nothing good inside me—that I am utterly helpless—before I can be saved. There can be no meeting of God’s standard for righteousness and salvation except through His Son, Jesus. C.S. Lewis once remarked, “A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world—and might even be more difficult to save.”
A Native American and a white man were deeply moved by the same sermon. That very night the Native American received Jesus as his Savior, but for days the white man refused to accept Christ. At last he, too, repented and enjoyed the sweet peace of having his sins forgiven. Later he asked his Native American friend, “Why did it take me so long, while you responded right away?”
“My brother,” he replied, “I can best explain it by this little story: At one time a rich prince wished to give each of us a new coat. You shook your head and replied, ‘I don’t think so; mine looks good enough.’ When he made the same offer to me, I looked at my old blanket and said, ‘This is good for nothing,’ and gratefully accepted the beautiful garment. You wouldn’t give up your own righteousness. But knowing I had no goodness of my own, I immediately received the Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness.”
Repent of My Sins
After admitting my need for a Savior, I must turn from relying upon myself. Another way of saying this is that I need to repent of my old ways.
Repentance is more than saying, “I’m sorry for the wrong things that I’ve done.” The Greek word for repentance (metanoia) means a change of mind; a change so as to reverse the effects of one’s previous state of mind. It necessarily involves a turning from sin and turning to God. It is a change in direction from doing and thinking my way to a new course set on doing and thinking like Christ. And the change is radical. Once I was traveling in this direction [left], but now I have turned around and am traveling in this one [right]—it’s a 180 degree about face. Repentance is telling God, “I have tried to live my life on my own and it didn’t work. I was wrong, and now I want to give up my past lifestyle and accept Your way of living. From this day forward I will follow where You lead.”
Accept God’s Gift
Once we repent we are ready to move into the final step of receiving Christ as our Savior—accepting God’s gift. When we give up trying to make ourselves pleasing to God on our terms and simply accept the gift of forgiveness He offers, then Christ becomes our Savior. We are saved from sin. We are saved from death. We are saved from hopelessness. We are saved from fear and uncertainty. We are saved!
In order for Christ to become your Savior, all you have to do is quit fooling yourself that everything is okay and receive His offer to make everything right. There’s no special prayer. No special posture. All you have to do is ask. A jailer once asked the apostle Paul what he needed to do in order to be saved. Paul replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). It’s really that simple. Submit your will and way to Him and ask Him to save you. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.
Conclusion
A striking Christmas card was once published with the title, If Christ Had Not Come. The card depicted a pastor falling into a short sleep in his study on Christmas morning and dreaming of a world into which Jesus had never come. In his dream he found himself looking through his home, but there were no little stockings in the chimney corner, no Christmas bells or wreaths of holly, and no Christ to comfort, gladden and save. He walked out to the street, but there was no church with its spire pointing to heaven. He came back and sat down in his library, but every book about the Savior had disappeared.
The doorbell rang and a boy asked the preacher to visit his poor, dying mother. He hastened with the weeping child, and as he reached the home he sat down and said, “I have something here that will comfort to you.” He opened his Bible to look for a familiar promise, but it ended with Malachi. There was no gospel and no promise of hope and salvation, and he could only bow his head and weep with her in bitter despair. Two days later he stood beside her coffin and conducted the funeral service. There was no message of consolation, no hope of heaven.
Of course, that’s only a writer’s idea of what life would be like if Jesus had not come. The blessed reality is that Jesus has come and that He is the Savior of all who will accept Him as Savior. He entered history as a little baby to save us from the ravages of sin. Because He came, new life can be ours just for the asking. Christ our Savior, what a glorious truth!
I feel compelled to close this sermon by providing an opportunity for you to respond. I have no way of knowing whether you have ever made Christ your Savior, but I do know that unless you receive Him a Savior, you are not saved—you’re still dead in your sins. The way to freedom from sin is through Jesus alone. All you have to do is ask Him to change your condition and He will. Turn from your way and follow His.
Maybe you’re not sure that He will do it for you. Maybe you think it’s just too late to or He won’t listen. Well, then let me tell you four things about God: 1) there’s no sinner He doesn’t love; 2) there’s no sin He doesn’t hate; 3) there’s no other way of salvation than through Jesus Christ; and 4) there’s no better time for salvation than now. If you’ve never invited Jesus into your life to be your Savior, why don’t you do that today? You can do it right where you’re sitting.
I’d like everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes. In the quietness of this moment, if you’ve never asked Jesus to be your Savior, you can receive Him right now in prayer. Tell Him that you’re tired of doing it on your own and that you’re ready to follow Him. Tell Him that you believe that He is the only way, truth and life. Ask Him to forgive your sins, come into your life and make you new. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.
While everyone’s head is still bowed and every eye is closed, if you prayed to receive Jesus as your Savior today, I’d like you to raise your hand so that I can say a special prayer for you.
