One Salvation Luke 2:21-40

-Jesus is our One Salvation

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Savior

Two construction workers once fell into a deep pit. One said to the other, “Save me from this wretched place. Please get me out of the dirt and mud.” The other replied, “You idiot, how can I? I am in the same plight as you.” Since they were both in the pit, neither one could help the other. Then they heard a voice from above calling to them to grasp a rope. A third worker had not fallen into the pit, so he was the only one who could save them. He brought help from above.

The very best man among the prophets could not save us from the pit of sin because he, too, was a sinner just as we are. He landed in the same pit we did. But Jesus was God and thus was not sinful. He came from above to save us from the horrible mess we are in. Like the two workmen, we cannot save ourselves. Only Jesus Christ can save us.1193

I. Raised in Obedience vv. 21-24

When we pick up the story, Mary and Joseph continue to walk in obedience, bringing up their son in the commands of the Lord

They fulfill the Law, by circumcising Him and taking Him to the Temple for rites of purification

They fulfill the command of the angel, and they name the baby Jesus, an indicator of His mission. He is the Lord’s salvation

As we look at the obedience of Mary and Joseph, we understand the value of His participation in these rituals:

He is identifying with us in our sin and separation from God; He does not need to participate, but He does to fulfill all righteousness under the Law

Second, He is identifying with us in suffering, as His life is shockingly ordinary; His parents must give the offering of the poor. He is not going to be raised by the rich or the powerful, but by a common couple of no repute

Jesus manages to be 3 things at one time:

Just like us- with no form or beauty that we would recognize Him

Nothing like us- without sin and perfect in holiness

Completely with us- He joins us in our experience so that we can join Him in His Kingdom

Jesus is the substitute who took our place

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Substitution, Example Of

During the Civil War, a company of irregulars known as “bushwhackers” was arrested by the Union soldiers. Because they were guerrilla fighters and not in uniform, they were sentenced to be shot.

A courageous young boy in the Union Army touched his commanding officer on the arm and pleaded, “Won’t you allow me to take the place of one of the men you have just condemned? I know him well—he has a large family who needs him badly. My parents are dead and I have few friends. No one will miss me. Please let me take his punishment!” The officer hesitated, but finally gave his consent. Pulling the husband and father to one side, the young man filled his position in the death line. On the stone that marks his grave in a little southern town are these words: “Sacred to the memory of Willy Lear. He took my place.”

II. Proclaimed by the Spirit vv. 25-38

Next, we see that the Spirit brings two faithful saints into the pathway of Jesus and through them proclaims His identity for all of us:

Jesus is:

Savior vv. 28-30- Simeon recognizes that when God’s salvation comes, it is not as a supernatural saving act, but as an invasion; Isaiah’s prayer that God would rend the heavens and come down has been answered in Jesus

Light vv. 31-32- Jesus is the light of God’s revelation:

To the Gentiles, He reveals God’s plan of redemption and opens the door of salvation for them, removing their ignorance of Him

To Israel, He reveals God’s faithfulness to the covenant, removing the shame of His silence and their suffering

Sign vv. 33-35- Jesus is a “sign to be opposed”

Many will rise and fall in Israel: Ones who were supposed to be righteous will be revealed as unrighteous and vice versa

He is the sign of our disposition towards God, whatever we believe or feel about Jesus is the indication of our relationship with God

Hope vv. 36-38- Anna is an elderly widow whose life has been marked by loss, loneliness, and faithful waiting

Now, in Jesus, her hope of redemption is revealed

Interestingly, her life is filled with practical problems, but God’s answer is spiritual, a Savior

The Lord makes it completely clear that the answer to our greatest problems are His Son Jesus

Life is filled with practical needs and we should never ignore them

However, if we miss the most critical problems of our life, the guilt of sin, the finality of death, and the reality of separation from God’s purpose for our lives, we have missed the most important thing

As Jesus releases us from sin and death and places us on the path of obedience, we can then begin to face the other problems in the grace and knowledge of the Lord

Jesus is the answer to our problems

I have been with countless believers as they have faced the most serious kinds of trials and they all say the same thing: “I don’t know how anybody could face this without the Lord.” In a simple way, they are illustrating this truth; with Him, you can face anything. Without Him, you can never experience life, whether the best or the worst, with any real confident hope.

III. Favored by God vv. 39-40

The early life of Jesus is marked by continued obedience from Mary and Joseph

They raise their son and take Him back to Nazareth of Galilee

Jesus will grow up in an out of the way place and in an unremarkable way.

He grows physically, which is the normal course of events

He grows intellectually, which is the expected course of events

However, there is one really critical piece here:

The favor of God was on Him; God makes His blessing known on the life of Jesus

If we want to experience God’s blessing and favor on our lives, we find that as we commit our lives to Jesus

Jesus is our access to the Father

We have all fallen in love with the GPS, because it gives us a way to get from where we are to almost anywhere we want to go. Unfortunately, every now and then, the GPS cannot find a path because no such path exists. Jesus has something very exclusive to say about the way that we get to God:

John 14:6

[6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (ESV)

How is it that He can say such a thing? It’s because there was no way to get to the Father before Jesus made that way possible through His sacrificial death. If we want to get to God, we have to come through Him and the way that He made!