WEBVTT 00:00:03.860 --> 00:00:07.200 Thanks, Gene. Please keep our musicians in prayer. 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:09.160 Tomorrow night is the biggest night of the year 00:00:09.160 --> 00:00:12.119 for them in terms of ministry. And some of them 00:00:12.119 --> 00:00:13.740 are not feeling well, including that guy right 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:15.859 there, although he didn't want you to know that. 00:00:16.539 --> 00:00:19.699 But he has a bad cold and is weak in his throat. 00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:22.440 So pray for all of them, that God will give them 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:25.359 strength for a wonderful evening of ministry. 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:29.239 I want to thank you for working especially hard 00:00:29.239 --> 00:00:33.079 to be out for the first service. This is a... 00:00:33.020 --> 00:00:36.399 a larger group than I thought might be here. 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:40.500 Last night my wife and I were at someone's home 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:44.140 in Victoria when this thing hit and what took 00:00:44.140 --> 00:00:47.759 us 40 minutes to drive to took us an hour and 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:50.460 45 minutes to get back from and some of you had 00:00:50.460 --> 00:00:55.280 the same experience I think. But we thank the 00:00:55.280 --> 00:00:57.320 Lord for your safe arrival here and I imagine 00:00:57.320 --> 00:00:59.159 we'll have others who will be coming in for the 00:00:59.159 --> 00:01:01.770 second service. this morning who normally are 00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:07.530 in the first service. Yesterday I was visiting 00:01:07.530 --> 00:01:10.730 in a hospital in an elevator and started giggling 00:01:10.730 --> 00:01:15.049 to myself and I was the only one in the elevator 00:01:15.049 --> 00:01:18.269 at the time that's why I was free to giggle because 00:01:18.269 --> 00:01:21.329 I was recalling something my wife and I heard 00:01:21.329 --> 00:01:25.829 on a talk radio program about a week and a half 00:01:25.829 --> 00:01:28.469 ago. Do any of you ever listen to Garage Logic? 00:01:29.930 --> 00:01:32.349 Joe Soushery in the afternoon some of you are 00:01:32.349 --> 00:01:34.430 able to do that normally I can't but I happen 00:01:34.430 --> 00:01:38.310 to hear it this day and and he was he was reading 00:01:38.310 --> 00:01:42.049 something he had gotten from a listener called 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:47.390 fun things to do in an elevator and That's what 00:01:47.390 --> 00:01:49.370 I was remembering as I was giggling yesterday 00:01:49.370 --> 00:01:50.829 So I thought I would share a couple of these 00:01:50.829 --> 00:01:53.109 with you this morning. These are fun things to 00:01:53.109 --> 00:01:59.469 do when you're in an elevator Grimace painfully 00:01:59.469 --> 00:02:02.310 while smacking your forehead and muttering shut 00:02:02.310 --> 00:02:08.490 up in there all of you just shut up or you might 00:02:08.490 --> 00:02:11.430 want to crack open your briefcase or your purse 00:02:11.430 --> 00:02:15.189 and while peering inside ask got enough air in 00:02:15.189 --> 00:02:21.050 there or you might want to greet everyone who 00:02:21.050 --> 00:02:23.849 gets on the elevator with you with a warm handshake 00:02:23.849 --> 00:02:28.719 and ask them to address you as Admiral And then 00:02:28.719 --> 00:02:31.300 he suggests you might want to meow occasionally. 00:02:32.360 --> 00:02:34.560 These are all fun things to do in an elevator. 00:02:36.180 --> 00:02:38.699 And then you might want to wear a puppet on your 00:02:38.699 --> 00:02:40.979 hand and use it to talk to the other passengers. 00:02:42.099 --> 00:02:44.080 Now just suppose you were in an elevator with 00:02:44.080 --> 00:02:47.060 someone acting that way. What would you want 00:02:47.060 --> 00:02:50.460 more than anything else? To get out of there. 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:52.699 Of course, you would want, let's get out of here. 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:56.050 You would want to run. And you wondered how I 00:02:56.050 --> 00:02:57.949 was going to get to my sermon this morning, this 00:02:57.949 --> 00:03:01.389 is it, because we're going to talk about a wonderful 00:03:01.389 --> 00:03:05.650 Christmas name, and that is the name for Jesus 00:03:05.650 --> 00:03:09.870 of Savior. Because the Savior is someone who 00:03:09.870 --> 00:03:15.370 comes to rescue you, to get you out of that situation 00:03:15.370 --> 00:03:19.650 that is more than uncomfortable, that is right 00:03:19.650 --> 00:03:23.240 down dangerous and perilous to your soul. I invite 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:25.740 you to open your Bible with me to Luke chapter 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:32.520 2. Here we have the familiar account of the birth 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:38.419 of Jesus. And to the shepherds in their fields 00:03:38.419 --> 00:03:41.039 outside the city of Bethlehem, the angels appeared 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:46.199 and made an announcement. In verse 10, the angels 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:50.770 said to them, do not be afraid. I bring you good 00:03:50.770 --> 00:03:54.370 news of great joy that will be for all the people. 00:03:55.509 --> 00:03:58.629 Today in the town of David a Savior has been 00:03:58.629 --> 00:04:03.909 born to you. He is Christ the Lord. Notice that 00:04:03.909 --> 00:04:09.870 statement, a Savior has been born to you. A Savior 00:04:09.870 --> 00:04:14.889 is one who rescues another. It may mean pulling 00:04:14.889 --> 00:04:18.139 a person out of a burning house or dragging an 00:04:18.139 --> 00:04:21.279 unconscious individual out of a wreck. It could 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:24.279 involve paying off a debt that jeopardizes another 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:27.959 person's future or intervening to get someone 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:31.680 out of prison. There are many ways in our contemporary 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:34.959 culture in which a savior might be illustrated. 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:39.439 I think we have a good one in the New Mexico 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:43.500 congressman Bill Richardson, who was this week 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:47.670 appointed to be the new UN ambassador. Mr. Richardson 00:04:47.670 --> 00:04:50.250 has gone around the world in several situations 00:04:50.250 --> 00:04:54.290 to negotiate for hostages and most recently was 00:04:54.290 --> 00:04:57.790 able to secure the release of a young man who 00:04:57.790 --> 00:05:00.509 was imprisoned in North Korea. Apparently he 00:05:00.509 --> 00:05:04.189 was a Christian, a new Christian, and in his 00:05:04.189 --> 00:05:06.829 zeal to serve the Lord he went to Korea and broke 00:05:06.829 --> 00:05:09.269 some laws and witnessing and passing out literature 00:05:09.269 --> 00:05:12.310 and they put him in prison for it. And this congressman 00:05:12.310 --> 00:05:16.050 was able to rescue him. Well, there is an illustration 00:05:16.050 --> 00:05:22.069 of a savior. But the word savior is used uniquely 00:05:22.069 --> 00:05:24.370 of one person, really, in the history of the 00:05:24.370 --> 00:05:29.029 world. This one was also given the name Jesus, 00:05:29.209 --> 00:05:36.329 or Jehoshua, which means Jehovah saves. And the 00:05:36.329 --> 00:05:38.490 reason, said the angel, that he was given that 00:05:38.490 --> 00:05:42.189 name was that he would save his people from their 00:05:42.189 --> 00:05:46.389 sins. When we talk about this glorious Christmas 00:05:46.389 --> 00:05:50.490 named Savior, we're talking about it in reference 00:05:50.490 --> 00:05:54.629 to one who was in another class of Saviorhood 00:05:54.629 --> 00:05:58.290 altogether than the illustrations I used earlier. 00:05:59.930 --> 00:06:05.029 For Jesus, in a singular way, is God's only Savior 00:06:05.029 --> 00:06:09.250 for the condemned human race. There is no other 00:06:09.250 --> 00:06:13.089 Savior but Him. and there is no other salvation 00:06:13.089 --> 00:06:16.930 for the human race but that which this Savior 00:06:16.930 --> 00:06:21.290 provided for. As it says in Acts chapter 4 and 00:06:21.290 --> 00:06:24.290 verse 12, salvation is found in no one else, 00:06:24.949 --> 00:06:28.750 for there is no other name under heaven given 00:06:28.750 --> 00:06:35.310 to men by which we must be saved. This morning 00:06:35.310 --> 00:06:38.009 before we go our way and shovel some more snow, 00:06:38.149 --> 00:06:41.370 I suppose, I'd like for us to consider three 00:06:41.370 --> 00:06:46.089 facts, three crucial facts, about this one who 00:06:46.089 --> 00:06:51.490 is our Savior. The first fact is this, that a 00:06:51.490 --> 00:06:57.290 Savior is aware. A Savior is someone who knows 00:06:57.290 --> 00:07:04.209 the need. He's able to grasp the peril that another 00:07:04.209 --> 00:07:08.610 person is in. Not only does he know it, but he 00:07:08.439 --> 00:07:15.040 He feels it, and he cares about it. Now this 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:19.360 may seem to you rather obvious, but I want to 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:24.620 reiterate that it is a crucial fact. For one 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:30.680 who would rescue must first know the facts of 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:37.829 the peril before he can rescue. The first occurrence 00:07:37.829 --> 00:07:42.209 of the word savior in the Bible underscores what 00:07:42.209 --> 00:07:45.350 I'm saying. The first time the word savior is 00:07:45.350 --> 00:07:49.610 used is in Deuteronomy chapter 32. Let me read 00:07:49.610 --> 00:07:53.949 to you some verses from that chapter. The Lord's 00:07:53.949 --> 00:07:57.949 portion is his people, Jacob, his allotted inheritance. 00:07:58.870 --> 00:08:02.410 Listen to these words now. In a desert land, 00:08:03.350 --> 00:08:11.360 he found him. God found Jacob, Israel, in a barren 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:17.019 and howling waste. He shielded him and cared 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:23.660 for him. He guarded him as the apple of his eye, 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:28.319 like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:34.240 over its young, that spreads its wings to catch 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:38.580 them and carries them on its pinions. Notice 00:08:38.580 --> 00:08:43.440 all of those verbs that describe God coming to 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:48.159 the rescue of his people. Later in the paragraph, 00:08:48.259 --> 00:08:52.419 it says, however, that Jeshurun, which is a poetic 00:08:52.419 --> 00:08:58.059 name for Israel, it means the beloved one, Jeshurun 00:08:58.059 --> 00:09:02.259 grew fat and kicked. Filled with food, he became 00:09:02.259 --> 00:09:06.659 heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made 00:09:06.659 --> 00:09:12.019 him and rejected the rock his Savior. That's 00:09:12.019 --> 00:09:14.860 the very first time the word Savior is found 00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:18.259 in the Bible. And you see it's in conjunction 00:09:18.259 --> 00:09:21.659 with how God intervened for Israel, although 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:26.960 Israel did not in the end submit to him. It's 00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:29.480 referring back to the time when God delivered 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:33.440 Israel from Egypt. Listen to these words again 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:38.419 from Exodus chapter 3. Then God said, I am the 00:09:38.419 --> 00:09:41.019 God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God 00:09:41.019 --> 00:09:44.399 of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:47.639 hid his face because he was afraid to look on 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:53.980 God. The Lord said, listen to this now, I have 00:09:53.980 --> 00:09:58.559 indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. 00:09:59.470 --> 00:10:04.210 I have heard them crying out because of their 00:10:04.210 --> 00:10:08.710 slave drivers, and I am concerned about their 00:10:08.710 --> 00:10:13.009 suffering. So I have come down to rescue them. 00:10:15.190 --> 00:10:19.009 You see my point here? The one who would be a 00:10:19.009 --> 00:10:24.309 Savior must be aware of the situation. We see 00:10:24.309 --> 00:10:27.029 the illustration in the fact that God was aware 00:10:27.029 --> 00:10:31.899 of Israel's trouble in Egypt. God had seen their 00:10:31.899 --> 00:10:36.059 misery. He had heard their cries. His heart was 00:10:36.059 --> 00:10:43.240 concerned about their suffering. He is the Rock, 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:48.340 the Savior of Israel. But I want you to know 00:10:48.340 --> 00:10:53.480 that our Savior was aware of our need when He 00:10:53.480 --> 00:10:58.970 came into the world. Of course, as the eternal 00:10:58.970 --> 00:11:03.590 God Himself, He understood fully the judgment 00:11:03.590 --> 00:11:06.450 we were under because it was His own judgment. 00:11:08.809 --> 00:11:12.190 It was the condemnation that He Himself had to 00:11:12.190 --> 00:11:15.590 pronounce upon us because of our sin and rebellion 00:11:15.590 --> 00:11:20.429 against Him. He knew. He knew the peril of our 00:11:20.429 --> 00:11:26.669 souls. And He was concerned for us. And that's 00:11:26.669 --> 00:11:30.370 why He came. That's why he came down to rescue. 00:11:31.309 --> 00:11:35.470 He was aware. But the second crucial fact for 00:11:35.470 --> 00:11:39.149 a Savior is that a Savior not only knows the 00:11:39.149 --> 00:11:43.769 situation, he is able, he is qualified to do 00:11:43.769 --> 00:11:48.110 something about it. Both things are necessary. 00:11:50.269 --> 00:11:53.009 One who would be a Savior not only has to understand 00:11:53.009 --> 00:11:57.820 the danger, he has to be able. to do something. 00:11:59.620 --> 00:12:03.960 Jesus' mission was to rescue sinful sinners from 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:12.179 God's holy wrath. This rescue that he came to 00:12:12.179 --> 00:12:15.679 carry out must necessarily mean his own death. 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:22.240 And why is that? Because nothing will avert or 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:26.470 deflect or nullify God's judgment. God's judgment 00:12:26.470 --> 00:12:29.929 calls for death upon the sinner. The soul that 00:12:29.929 --> 00:12:33.370 sins, it shall die. The wages of sin is death. 00:12:34.470 --> 00:12:39.590 And that judgment must be carried out. God's 00:12:39.590 --> 00:12:43.889 wrath must be satisfied in order for those that 00:12:43.889 --> 00:12:46.330 are under the judgment, under the wrath, to be 00:12:46.330 --> 00:12:50.610 rescued from it. That is the only means by which 00:12:50.610 --> 00:12:54.750 a sinner can escape his peril. God cannot merely 00:12:54.750 --> 00:12:57.889 overlook the sin God cannot merely ignore the 00:12:57.889 --> 00:13:01.809 sin The sin has to be dealt with it has to be 00:13:01.809 --> 00:13:08.850 paid for Someone must die the sinner or his Savior 00:13:08.850 --> 00:13:15.669 And when Jesus came he knew that for Jesus to 00:13:15.669 --> 00:13:21.669 be able to act as our Savior He must have to 00:13:21.820 --> 00:13:26.940 essential positions. First, he must be in a position 00:13:26.940 --> 00:13:31.340 to represent us. He has to be in a position to 00:13:31.340 --> 00:13:36.139 represent the interests of humanity. When he 00:13:36.139 --> 00:13:38.820 would die, he could not merely die for one man. 00:13:39.980 --> 00:13:45.419 He had to die for all men. He must be a man who 00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:48.539 could act as a representative of all of the rest 00:13:48.539 --> 00:13:54.870 of his race. just as Adam did in the garden when 00:13:54.870 --> 00:14:00.350 he was tested and failed. The one who would come 00:14:00.350 --> 00:14:02.789 to be our Savior had to come in the likeness 00:14:02.789 --> 00:14:06.990 of Adam so that he could represent all of us. 00:14:09.789 --> 00:14:12.330 He had to be in a position to represent man. 00:14:12.350 --> 00:14:15.309 That's why he was born in the manner that he 00:14:15.309 --> 00:14:22.950 was. For unto you is born this day in David's 00:14:22.950 --> 00:14:27.450 city, a Savior. He had to come into the human 00:14:27.450 --> 00:14:30.129 race as one of us. He had to be in a position 00:14:30.129 --> 00:14:35.110 to represent our interests. But the second position 00:14:35.110 --> 00:14:37.190 that he had to have was that he had to be in 00:14:37.190 --> 00:14:43.090 a position to represent God's interests. This 00:14:43.090 --> 00:14:45.309 one who would be the Savior had to be righteous 00:14:45.309 --> 00:14:50.679 according to God's holy law. He had to be one 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:57.039 who was undefiled by Adam's sin. He had to be 00:14:57.039 --> 00:15:01.200 one who would voluntarily accept the role as 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:07.659 a substitute for the guilty. He had to represent 00:15:07.659 --> 00:15:12.460 the interests of God. The wonderful truth is 00:15:12.460 --> 00:15:15.220 that Jesus perfectly and uniquely filled both 00:15:15.220 --> 00:15:18.039 of these positions through the miracle of the 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:22.799 incarnation. He came to live, to exist as man. 00:15:24.299 --> 00:15:26.360 And as we've talked in the last couple of weeks, 00:15:26.659 --> 00:15:30.840 without our sin, because of his unique virgin 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:36.139 birth. But he was born as a man, yet without 00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:40.460 our sin. At the same time, he continued to exist 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:47.019 as infinite God, as infinite God. Therefore, 00:15:47.309 --> 00:15:51.370 He was infinitely righteous. And when he, the 00:15:51.370 --> 00:15:55.110 infinitely righteous one, would suffer and die, 00:15:55.490 --> 00:16:01.090 he would die an infinite death, thus satisfying 00:16:01.090 --> 00:16:08.230 the wrath of God for all of humanity, not just 00:16:08.230 --> 00:16:15.509 one. And so the Apostle John writes, he is the 00:16:15.509 --> 00:16:20.389 atoning sacrifice. for our sins. And not for 00:16:20.389 --> 00:16:22.669 ours only, but also for the sins of the whole 00:16:22.669 --> 00:16:27.129 world. Later he says, this is love, not that 00:16:27.129 --> 00:16:29.830 we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His 00:16:29.830 --> 00:16:35.509 Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. That 00:16:35.509 --> 00:16:39.490 new international version translation, atoning 00:16:39.490 --> 00:16:45.269 sacrifice, means propitiation. He is the propitiation. 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:51.519 for our sins. That is an old word for us. It 00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:53.879 comes out of the old English as a matter of fact. 00:16:53.980 --> 00:16:58.779 It means to appease. Thus, propitiation expresses 00:16:58.779 --> 00:17:02.159 the idea that when Jesus died on the cross, he 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:07.779 died to appease God's wrath. He died to satisfy 00:17:07.779 --> 00:17:11.059 God's wrath. He died to pay the price for sin, 00:17:11.900 --> 00:17:14.940 which a holy God demanded of man the sinner. 00:17:16.360 --> 00:17:19.980 Originally the idea of propitiation was a pagan 00:17:19.980 --> 00:17:26.500 idea. In pagan thinking, one who would appease 00:17:26.500 --> 00:17:30.099 their gods was one who would bring a sacrifice 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:33.720 of his own hands or offer his own blood by splitting 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:37.559 himself or doing something to appease God's wrath. 00:17:40.460 --> 00:17:42.160 In putting this word into the New Testament, 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:45.859 God picked up that word and washed it off and 00:17:45.859 --> 00:17:49.680 sanctified it and gave it a new setting. For 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:52.119 in the New Testament, it's not what we do to 00:17:52.119 --> 00:17:55.759 satisfy God. It is this wonderful truth that 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:59.160 God demanded the price and then paid it himself. 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:06.400 This holy God pronounced the judgment of death 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:10.460 upon sinners, but then came into the world himself 00:18:11.210 --> 00:18:14.789 to pay that price and to satisfy His own judgment. 00:18:16.309 --> 00:18:21.349 There's a wonderful truth. A Savior must not 00:18:21.349 --> 00:18:26.130 only be aware, He must be able. Jesus Christ 00:18:26.130 --> 00:18:30.809 is supremely able because of His unique person 00:18:30.809 --> 00:18:36.369 as God and man to represent both and thus to 00:18:36.369 --> 00:18:41.099 rescue the sinner justly. But there's a third 00:18:41.099 --> 00:18:44.700 crucial fact I want to get to regarding saviorhood. 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:49.940 A savior is aware, a savior is able, and thirdly, 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:55.119 a savior is actuated. That is, he's not only 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:59.079 able to save, he does save. He is motivated to 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:03.180 intervene. He takes the steps that are necessary 00:19:03.180 --> 00:19:07.259 to rescue those who are in danger. And the wonderful 00:19:07.259 --> 00:19:09.680 good news that we have from God's Word is that 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:13.359 Jesus did all that was necessary. Listen to the 00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:17.720 words of the writer of Hebrews. When Christ came 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:23.059 into the world, he said, quote, sacrifice and 00:19:23.059 --> 00:19:29.059 offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared 00:19:29.059 --> 00:19:33.339 for me. With burnt offerings and sin offerings, 00:19:33.720 --> 00:19:42.789 you were not pleased. Then I said, here I am. 00:19:46.509 --> 00:19:51.650 This is God the Son speaking to the Father. And 00:19:51.650 --> 00:19:54.250 He is recounting what happened when He came into 00:19:54.250 --> 00:19:59.210 the world. And He says, you were not satisfied 00:19:59.210 --> 00:20:01.869 with the burnt offerings and the sin offerings. 00:20:03.029 --> 00:20:08.470 And my response, Father, was, Here I am. Here 00:20:08.470 --> 00:20:19.390 I am. And you prepared a body for me. It is written 00:20:19.390 --> 00:20:23.650 about me in your scroll. And I have come to do 00:20:23.650 --> 00:20:29.890 your will, O God." What a wonderful response 00:20:29.890 --> 00:20:33.980 of our Savior. For he not only understood the 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:39.279 peril of our souls, not only was he able to save 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:43.660 us, but he actually came and undertook that work. 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:48.039 I have come to do your will, O God, and the writer 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:50.359 of Hebrews goes on to say, and by that will, 00:20:51.359 --> 00:20:54.640 we have been made holy through the sacrifice 00:20:54.640 --> 00:21:00.380 of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. By 00:21:00.380 --> 00:21:04.430 God's will. We have been made whole Listen to 00:21:04.430 --> 00:21:07.529 the words of Jesus in John chapter 10. I am the 00:21:07.529 --> 00:21:09.950 Good Shepherd I know my sheep and my sheep know 00:21:09.950 --> 00:21:13.529 me Just as the Father knows me and I know the 00:21:13.529 --> 00:21:19.950 Father and I lay down my life for the sheep Again 00:21:19.950 --> 00:21:24.210 he says later I lay down my life Only to take 00:21:24.210 --> 00:21:27.710 it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay 00:21:27.710 --> 00:21:36.319 it down of my own accord He acted on our behalf. 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:39.579 He laid down His life. He went to the cross. 00:21:41.319 --> 00:21:49.599 And there He made the propitiation. There He 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:56.220 pleased God. There He satisfied God. Just demand 00:21:56.220 --> 00:22:00.980 His condemnation upon us so that He might save 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:06.490 us. Not only did He die though, But what? He 00:22:06.490 --> 00:22:10.250 rose from the dead. He was raised from the dead. 00:22:12.529 --> 00:22:15.349 His saving death was necessary, but so was his 00:22:15.349 --> 00:22:19.009 resurrection, and now he lives to apply the salvation 00:22:19.009 --> 00:22:23.170 that he purchased at the cross. So the writer 00:22:23.170 --> 00:22:26.849 of Hebrews says earlier in the book, because 00:22:26.849 --> 00:22:30.970 Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 00:22:32.130 --> 00:22:36.950 Therefore, He is able to save completely those 00:22:36.950 --> 00:22:39.630 who come to God through Him because He always 00:22:39.630 --> 00:22:45.190 lives to intercede for them. Our Savior was actuated. 00:22:45.470 --> 00:22:48.430 He was motivated. He came down. He offered the 00:22:48.430 --> 00:22:51.170 sacrifice. He was raised from the dead. He was 00:22:51.170 --> 00:22:54.849 exalted to the heavens. And today, He is carrying 00:22:54.849 --> 00:22:59.230 out the work of saving those who come by faith 00:22:59.230 --> 00:23:04.430 in Him. Jesus is God's only Savior for the world. 00:23:06.210 --> 00:23:10.450 I began with that and I close with that. That 00:23:10.450 --> 00:23:16.650 Jesus is God's only Savior for the world. The 00:23:16.650 --> 00:23:19.789 human race, and that includes all of us, is under 00:23:19.789 --> 00:23:23.269 the just condemnation of God for its rebellion 00:23:23.269 --> 00:23:28.309 against him. The human race is under the sentence 00:23:28.309 --> 00:23:34.559 of eternal death in hell. And that includes you 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:40.180 and it includes me. But Jesus is aware of our 00:23:40.180 --> 00:23:44.220 peril. He is able to rescue us from our damnation. 00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:50.000 He is actuated to intervene. And He is able and 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:53.420 available to save anyone who will come to Him 00:23:53.420 --> 00:23:59.740 right now. As I envisioned this Sunday morning 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:04.140 and prepared this message. I envisioned a larger 00:24:04.140 --> 00:24:08.119 crowd than this, and I envisioned Christmas visitors 00:24:08.119 --> 00:24:11.579 who would be here at this season and who would 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:13.579 need to hear this message. But you know something? 00:24:14.940 --> 00:24:18.700 Every one of us who knows the Savior not only 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:23.039 loves to hear this message again, but we need 00:24:23.039 --> 00:24:27.539 to hear this message again. We need to fall upon 00:24:27.539 --> 00:24:32.279 our hearts with a certain freshness. Because 00:24:32.279 --> 00:24:34.900 we hear this and have heard it so much throughout 00:24:34.900 --> 00:24:38.599 the course of our lives, that it becomes almost 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:44.700 common and ordinary. It is good for us to be 00:24:44.700 --> 00:24:50.839 reminded, I hope in a fresh way, that we have 00:24:50.839 --> 00:24:56.579 a Savior because we needed one. And that Savior 00:24:56.579 --> 00:25:00.299 who delivered us from the guilt of our sins when 00:25:00.299 --> 00:25:05.240 we trusted Him is able also to deliver us from 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:09.460 the power of sin. You see, He was not only the 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:11.880 Savior when I was nine years of age and trusted 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:15.759 Christ, and when you trusted Christ of whatever 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:19.319 age and wherever that was, but He is still our 00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:25.079 Savior. He is saving us today and every day from 00:25:25.079 --> 00:25:29.339 the power of sin in our lives. And one day, thank 00:25:29.339 --> 00:25:31.880 God, He's going to come again and save us from 00:25:31.880 --> 00:25:40.240 the presence of sin. As we enter into this very 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:43.279 heart of the Christmas season, I hope that you 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:46.160 and I will be able to look up to the Lord afresh 00:25:46.160 --> 00:25:49.859 and say, Jesus, thank you for being my Savior. 00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:57.220 And Jesus, thank you for saving me today. from 00:25:57.220 --> 00:26:00.240 the impulses of the sin that still is at work 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:04.019 in my body. Thank you for saving me today from 00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:12.819 the transgressions where I have failed. Thank 00:26:12.819 --> 00:26:16.460 you for saving me today from the circumstances 00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:19.579 and situations I have gotten myself into in my 00:26:19.579 --> 00:26:23.660 life. Because you see, not only was He your Savior, 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:28.579 He is. your Savior in mind. And He will continue 00:26:28.579 --> 00:26:33.359 to be that until that day that we are safe at 00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:44.859 home in glory with Him. Martin D. Hahn, who has 00:26:44.859 --> 00:26:48.779 inherited the work of the radio Bible class, 00:26:49.259 --> 00:26:51.180 a great ministry in Grand Rapids that many of 00:26:51.180 --> 00:26:53.119 us are familiar with, from the Day of Discovery 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:56.710 television broadcast wrote an article a couple 00:26:56.710 --> 00:26:58.710 of years ago in which he was talking about D 00:26:58.710 --> 00:27:02.230 -Day in Europe and what it meant to the Europeans 00:27:02.230 --> 00:27:05.690 to have the Allied forces land on the beach. 00:27:05.829 --> 00:27:08.210 Within the course of just a few weeks a million 00:27:08.210 --> 00:27:11.910 soldiers from the Allied forces were there to 00:27:11.910 --> 00:27:16.849 liberate Europe. Let me have this to say, each 00:27:16.849 --> 00:27:19.549 year in December we celebrate the anniversary 00:27:19.549 --> 00:27:24.829 of another D -Day. Although it was also the beginning 00:27:24.829 --> 00:27:28.130 of a campaign that would liberate millions from 00:27:28.130 --> 00:27:30.410 the most evil empire the world has ever known, 00:27:30.829 --> 00:27:36.250 this invasion army controlled space did not begin 00:27:36.250 --> 00:27:39.069 with the roar of amphibious troop carriers or 00:27:39.069 --> 00:27:42.509 the deafening explosions of incoming fire. This 00:27:42.509 --> 00:27:46.589 invasion, he says, began with the cry of a newborn 00:27:46.589 --> 00:27:50.829 baby. Through the unwitting actions of a godless 00:27:50.829 --> 00:27:52.930 king and the confusion of a young couple whose 00:27:52.930 --> 00:27:55.890 dreams were interrupted by an unplanned pregnancy, 00:27:56.730 --> 00:28:01.329 Kevin established a beachhead in Bethlehem. And 00:28:01.329 --> 00:28:04.849 30 years later, that son would sacrifice his 00:28:04.849 --> 00:28:07.430 own life to carry out the greatest liberation 00:28:07.430 --> 00:28:12.349 the world would ever know. That's a savior. That's 00:28:12.349 --> 00:28:16.289 a savior. And I like his statement, that God 00:28:16.289 --> 00:28:21.660 established a beachhead in Bethlehem and 30 years 00:28:21.660 --> 00:28:25.299 later carried out the liberation and the ramifications 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:29.099 of that are still being felt around the world 00:28:29.099 --> 00:28:34.380 and can be felt in your heart today if you have 00:28:34.380 --> 00:28:40.380 not experienced that liberation if you have not 00:28:40.380 --> 00:28:43.460 yet experienced what it means to be rescued from 00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:46.980 the guilt and the condemnation of sin you may 00:28:47.079 --> 00:28:51.039 experience that today. And there only may be 00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:54.480 one person here in this small crowd this morning 00:28:54.480 --> 00:29:01.180 who has not done that. But Jesus knows your situation. 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:08.200 And He loves you. He cares. And He's able to 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:12.240 do something. He has acted on your behalf and 00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:16.279 now He's available for you. Just one person. 00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:20.519 if you will open your heart and receive Him as 00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:24.599 an act of faith. Will you do that today? Will 00:29:24.599 --> 00:29:28.259 you trust Him? Will you receive God's Christmas 00:29:28.259 --> 00:29:34.819 gift to you? For unto you also, to you, a Savior 00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:44.420 has been born. Let's pray together. And if there 00:29:44.420 --> 00:29:47.630 be someone here who does not have that personal 00:29:47.630 --> 00:29:51.670 relationship with Christ who has not experienced 00:29:51.670 --> 00:29:56.730 his saving act in your own life. I want to invite 00:29:56.730 --> 00:30:01.069 you to come up afterward and to greet me. And 00:30:01.069 --> 00:30:03.450 to say, Pastor, I'd like to know more about what 00:30:03.450 --> 00:30:06.230 you were talking about. I'd be glad to make an 00:30:06.230 --> 00:30:09.710 appointment with you to talk later today or this 00:30:09.710 --> 00:30:18.440 week. To give you an opportunity to You don't 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:20.339 need to wait until later this week. You can do 00:30:20.339 --> 00:30:22.480 it right now. You just open your heart and say, 00:30:22.619 --> 00:30:27.779 Lord Jesus, I invite you to come in. I understand 00:30:27.779 --> 00:30:30.960 that you're my Savior. You're God's only provision 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:36.200 for my salvation. So I receive you into my life. 00:30:39.660 --> 00:30:46.750 Forgive me of my sin. Wash me make me clean your 00:30:46.750 --> 00:30:53.650 eyes Friends when you do that Jesus begins to 00:30:53.650 --> 00:30:57.849 live in you And he will keep on saving you from 00:30:57.849 --> 00:31:01.750 the ravages of sin and the patterns of sin in 00:31:01.750 --> 00:31:07.750 your life And one day will take you home Where 00:31:07.750 --> 00:31:09.809 you won't need to deal with sin at all anymore 00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:18.200 Father, I thank you for Jesus, that he was born 00:31:18.200 --> 00:31:24.180 for us, that he might rescue us from the condemnation 00:31:24.180 --> 00:31:29.539 we so richly deserve. Thank you that in him we 00:31:29.539 --> 00:31:33.460 have been liberated. Help us to live that way 00:31:33.460 --> 00:31:37.380 this week. Help us to experience the saving life 00:31:37.380 --> 00:31:41.539 and power of Jesus as we walk through the week 00:31:41.539 --> 00:31:46.910 ahead and and show Him, and demonstrate Him to 00:31:46.910 --> 00:31:54.170 others around us. Would you stand with me please, 00:31:54.190 --> 00:31:56.029 and with our heads bowed, let's sing this little 00:31:56.029 --> 00:32:03.589 chorus. All of my heart, take all of my heart, 00:32:03.650 --> 00:32:09.730 Lord Jesus, let's sing that. All of my heart, 00:32:10.369 --> 00:32:48.440 all... All of my heart, take all. You are worthy 00:32:48.440 --> 00:32:52.519 of all of our devotion, all of our hearts. So 00:32:52.519 --> 00:32:56.240 receive our worship and receive our devotion 00:32:56.240 --> 00:33:00.279 as we go from here this morning. Thank you for 00:33:00.279 --> 00:33:04.119 bringing us safely here to worship. And now would 00:33:04.119 --> 00:33:09.380 you bless as we continue in fellowship or get 00:33:09.380 --> 00:33:12.299 on the roads and travel, would you bless with 00:33:12.299 --> 00:33:18.869 the joy of your presence. God bless you. Thank 00:33:18.869 --> 00:33:21.170 you again for being here this first service this 00:33:21.170 --> 00:33:21.470 morning.