Why Call Him Savior?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
SERMON OUTLINE #4
WHY CALL HIM SAVIOR?
The Glory of God’s Promise of a Savior
How many of you struggled with coming up with a name for your newborn child?
What is in a name? Choosing a name for your expected child takes months of discussions and research to find just the right name.
In Biblical days, names expressed a person’s essence. To know their name was to know their character and nature.
Names were given primary by their mother. However, some names were given by God such as Issac and Jesus.
Matthew 1:21 (KJV 1900)
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Jesus is the name of the Lord’s personality
Jesus is what He will do.
Immanuel is the name of His proximity to us.
Emmanuel is who He was.
The Prophets called Him
Matthew 1:23 (KJV 1900)
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
The incomparable Lord Jesus Christ was called Lamb of God, Man of Sorrows, Prince of Peace, Good Shepherd, Mighty God, Bright and Morning Star, Immanuel, Dayspring, Rock, Judge, Bread of Life, King of kings, Teacher, Light of the World, Servant, and the only Way to heaven.
The Bible uses more than three hundred names and titles to describe Jesus, but Jesus can no more be contained in these names and titles than we can contain the ocean in a collection of beautiful bottles.
But the name Savior?
Mary rejoiced in her Savior.
Luke 1:47 (KJV 1900)
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
But Savior! Oh that name! Savior is a name of Potency.
That is the name of the Lord’s earthly mission.
Luke 2:10–11 (KJV 1900)
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 Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Joseph was to call Him “Jesus”. That is His name.
Saviour is the purpose and power He came.
Israel’s past abounded with human saviors, but Jesus took the title of Savior and gave it new and eternal meaning. The title defines both His life and His death.
Savior means to save or deliver.
For Luke 19:10
Luke 19:10 (KJV 1900)
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
His Performance as Savior.
His Performance as Savior.
Luke 2:11 (KJV 1900)
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
If we accept the Bible to be the Word of God, we are obliged to believe in the supernatural birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The process of birth was natural, but the conception was divine.
The “seed of woman” (Gen 3:15) was united by the Spirit with the holy life of the Father to produce the incarnate Son.
Luke 1:35 (KJV 1900)
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
You can not afford to ignore a person who was born into the world in this unique way.
His Providence as Savior
His Providence as Savior
Luke 2:11 (KJV 1900)
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Have you ever considered the timing of the circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ?
You can see the supernatural overruling of God’s providence being performed.
According to historians, this was the very first census of its kind.
Caesar Augustus didn’t even realize his part in the birth of the Savior. He provided the right time and the right place for the birth of Jesus.
But notice the scripture here, “this day”.
There was a specific moment in which the Lord God was born into humanity, when He arrived through the virgin Mary.
On a certain day, in a certain place, at a certain time, He was born into humanity.
The Bible is clear that Jesus’ birth was a historic event. His birth is not the beginning of a spiritual force, but the record of a Person who had an actual birthday.
Understanding God performance and providence of bringing a Savior into this world, naturally, this leads us to check the prophecies surrounding the Savior.
His Prophecy as Savior
His Prophecy as Savior
Luke 2:11 (KJV 1900)
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Out of the 333 prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the first advent of our Lord, a fair number were fulfilled at His birth.
This is one of the greatest proofs that the Bible is the Word of God.
“The city of David refers to Bethlehem that was prophesied, seven hundred years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, this prophecy is nothing short of a miracle!
Micah 5:2 (KJV 1900)
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
This promise follows up Isaiah’s Old Testament prophecy:
Isaiah 9:6 (KJV 1900)
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, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
And just months before Jesus’ birth, God reiterated the same promise to Joseph: “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Matthew 1:21 (KJV 1900)
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
His Purpose as Savior
His Purpose as Savior
Again, Luke 2:11 says,
Luke 2:11 (KJV 1900)
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks very frequently about the purpose of His incarnation. Why did Jesus come? In essence, to do His Father’s business.
For example, one day He encountered a strange little man named Zacchaeus, a man of wealth and distinction. Yet when Jesus passed through his town, this Jewish tax collector ran ahead of the crowd and climbed into a tree to get a better view. Jesus called him by name and invited him to lunch. And when the towns people heard about it, they were angry because they hated Zacchaeus’ fraudulent ways. And when they questioned Jesus about eating with such a person, His response was,
Luke 19:10 (KJV 1900)
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
We did not seek Him, but He sought us and accepted as as we are.
We weren’t seeking the Lord; He was seeking us.
In Luke, we are told about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. All of them had to be sought to be found. And observe the music and majesty in Jesus’ statement in Luke 19:10.
There is one focus: the lost; and two actions: to seek and to save. Jesus came to earth on a rescue mission. Aren’t you glad you’ve been rescued?
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
We need Acceptance!
We need Acceptance!
Savior is a title of Acceptance. This is what he did at His first coming.
At His 2nd Coming he will not be so accepting.
He want be a Savior but a judge.
Man’s greatest need is to be saved. That’s why Joseph was to call Him Jesus.
Matthew 1:21 (KJV 1900)
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Man has everything that he could ever need but one thing. Man had Prophets, priests, and lawgivers. Man had sacrifices, but none of this was a final solution to man’s problem.
Man does not just need a message from God, a way to worship God, or even a standard to live before God, No, man needs a Savior.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We are dying because of sin and we need saving.
We need Access!
We need Access!
Luke 2:11 (KJV 1900)
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Christ means “the anointed one”. Christ is a title of Access.
Christ is the title that marks Him as Prophet, Priest, and King.
You are more than a body and soul: you are a spiritual being; and until you are quickened to life from spiritual death, you are totally unqualified to stand in God’s presence.
You are dead and need to be made alive.
We need Authority!
We need Authority!
Luke 2:11 (KJV 1900)
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Lord is a title of Authority.
The world will never be put right until Jesus Christ reigns as King of Kings and Lord of lords.
Not only is this true worldwide, but individually as well.
You will never know peace, purpose, or power until Christ reigns with unchallenged Sovereignty.
He was born to be Lord and He died to be Lord, and He rose again that He might be Lord.
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
We celebrate Christmas in order for God to reign on the throne of your heart through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.
Let’s just be real open and honest for just a moment.
You and I have broken the rules, haven’t we?
We are all guilty of sin. We have lied, hated, and coveted.
But one day, the Lord Jesus came into our world, laid aside His righteousness, stretched Himself out on a wooden beam and took the stripes we deserved. And that day He became our Savior.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Do you know Him as your Savior?
It’s not enough to believe that He is the Savior of the world. You must acknowledge that, because of your sin, you deserve God’s punishment; and then you must trust in Jesus as your Savior from God’s wrath. To express your desire to be saved, just pray from your heart, “Lord Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for me. That’s what I deserved, and I know it. Today I accept Your punishment for my sin and receive Your forgiveness; I accept You into my heart and life to be my Savior.” Let this day be the day when you invite Christ to be your own personal Savior and Lord.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why do you think the name "Savior" was chosen for Jesus? How does it signify the purpose of His life and death on earth?
2. What does it mean to you that Jesus came to "seek and save the lost"?
3. How do the various names of Jesus (e.g., Man of Sorrows, Prince of Peace, Good Shepherd) help us understand His mission and character?
4. How did Jesus fulfill the ancient prophecy from Isaiah by being born in Bethlehem? Why is this significant to His identity as the Savior?
5. Jesus had to seek us first before we found Him. How does this resonate with you personally?
6. In what ways does the story of "Big Ol' Tom" illustrate the sacrifice and salvation offered by Jesus?
7. Reflecting on Luke 2:10-11, what does it mean to you that Jesus was born as a Savior for all people?
8. Describe an instance where you felt like you were "rescued" by Jesus. Can you describe your journey from being "lost" to "saved"?
9. Why do you think it's important for people to acknowledge and accept Jesus as their personal Savior, and not just as a general Savior for humanity?
10. How does recognizing Jesus as the Savior affect how you live your everyday life?
11. Discuss the statement, "God entered into humanity so that humanity would be able to enter eternity." What implications does this hold for your faith or life perspective?
12. How does focusing on Jesus as the true meaning of Christmas change how you approach and celebrate the holiday season?
Notes
1 Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “A Greater Than Solomon,” 02/06/1881, http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/1600.htm.
2 Adapted from R. G. Lee, Grapes from Gospel Vines(Nashville: Broadman Press, 1976), 7.