There is one word in the Bible which in itself forms an entire library, one word which is the sum and substance of the entire Bible, one word which comprises all truth. That word is Christ. He is he uncreated, living, eternal Word, whom to know is life eternal.
When chosen, redeemed sinners are brought out of darkness into light by the irresistible, regenerating grace and power of God the Holy Spirit, when Christ is revealed in the chosen vessels of mercy, when they become savingly acquainted with this Divine Word, they are "made wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (Tit. 3:15).
As we are led by the Spirit in the life of faith, enabled by his grace to live upon, walk with, and rejoice in the glorious Person and finished salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are brought into what the Apostle describes as - "All the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:2-3).
Our Lord's own statements with regard to this "mystery, of God," the mystery of the perfect unity and oneness of the Persons in the eternal Godhead are plain and clear.
John 10:30 "I and my Father are one."
John 14:7-11 "If ye had known me," (He said to Thomas), "ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. (8) Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. (9) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? HE THAT HATH SEEN ME HATH SEEN THE FATHER; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? (10) Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (11) Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake."
1 John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
The Scriptures undeniably reveal the fact that the revelation of the holy Trinity is found in Christ alone. Christ, and Christ alone, is the visible Jehovah. The invisible God is seen and known only in him who is "the image of the invisible God."
John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."
Colossians 2:9 "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
"In those scriptures we derive authority to say that our most glorious Christ, being the only visible Jehovah, is the sole Executor, Administrator, and efficient Source of all the works and ways of God, as revealed to the church in all the departments of nature, providence, grace, and glory. And as his person is the only visible Jehovah, so his obedience is the only means of recovery from the Adam-fall and transgression." — Robert Hawker
Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
It is never written in Scripture that if a person believes in God, or if he believes in the Holy Spirit, he is saved. It is written throughout the Word of God, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). The fact is - No one believes God and no one has the Spirit of God, except those sinners who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, as he is revealed in the Scriptures, as the Savior of his people.
Proposition: As the all glorious Christ is alone the embodiment and revelation of God, he is also the only Savior of sinners.
With those things in mind, I want you to turn with me to Matthew 1:21 and give me your undivided attention, as try to show you something of the greatness and glory of The Son Of God Our Savior. These are the words of the angel of the Lord to Joseph concerning the incarnation, birth, and work of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:21 "And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
Divisions: Let me raise and answer four questions. I pray that God the Holy Spirit will be pleased to give me your attention and drive home his word to your hearts as only he can.
I. First, it seems to me, that anyone who reads or hears that the Son of God assumed human flesh and came into the world as a man would want to know why. WHY DID THE SON OF GOD COME INTO THIS WORLD?
Our text tells us plainly that God the Son came into this world for a specific purpose, to do a specific thing, on a specific mission. Read it again - "Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
My mind is lost in wonder and admiration when I think of the fact of Christ's coming into this world. Is it not astonishing to you that the Son of God would become the Son of Man, - That he who created all things would become the woman's Seed, - That he who is Lord of all would take upon himself the form of a servant to be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, - That in the fulness of time he might die the painful, shameful, ignominious death of the cross in the place of guilty sinners? These things utterly astonish me! I say with Paul, "Great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh!"
Matthew 1:21 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
2 Corinthians 8:9 "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."
2 Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."
II. Second, WHO IS THIS JESUS?
That may seem to be a strange question. You have heard about Jesus all your life. Perhaps you think, "Everyone knows who Jesus Christ is." You are mistaken. The fact is, very few people in this world know who the Lord Jesus Christ is. The Christ that is worshipped in the average church is nothing but an idolatrous figment of man's imagination.
Our Lord himself warned us of these days, saying, "There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." So when men come to you and say, "Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not" (Matt. 24:24, 23).
Now, that makes this question very important - Who is this Jesus? Who is the Christ of the Bible? I know that I must know, trust, and worship this Christ, if I would know God and be accepted of him (John 17:3). But if I trust a false Christ, no matter how sincere I am, I am lost, under the delusion of Satan. If you care for your soul, give me your attention. I want to show you from the Scriptures who this Jesus is, of whom it is written, "He shall same his people from their sins."
A. This Jesus is the Son of God.
When the Bible speaks of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, it is declaring to us that Jesus Christ is God the eternal Son, the second Person of the Holy Trinity (1 John 5:7), in every way equal with the Father and the Spirit. We who believe are the sons of God by adoption. But Christ is the Son of God by nature.
To say that he is the Son of God is to declare that this Man, whose name is Jesus, is himself God over all, blessed forever. He is not just a God, a likeness of God, or a creature of God. Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh (John 1:1-3).
John 1:1-3 "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."
John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."
NOTE: If Jesus Christ is not God, if he is anything less than almighty God, we have no Savior.
NOTE: That man who was born at Bethlehem, who died upon the cross, who rose again the third day, and now sits upon the throne of heaven is God (Col. 2:9).
Colossians 2:9 "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
B. This Jesus, who is God almighty, is the sinner's Substitute.
He is the Daysman, the Surety, the Representative, the Mediator, the Substitute by whose obedience sinners are reconciled to God, without whom we could never be accepted of God.
The key to understanding this Book is to understand the gospel doctrine of substitution. When I say that Jesus Christ is the sinner's Substitute, I mean that...
Revelation 13:8 "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
Ephesians 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:"
2 Timothy 1:9 "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,"
2. He lived in obedience to God as our Substitute in this world to fulfil all righteousness on our behalf (Rom. 5:19).
Romans 5:19 "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."
3. He died under the wrath of God as the Substitute, in the place of his people, upon the cross (Gal. 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:21).
2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Galatians 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"
4. He intercedes for us today as an advocate in heaven (1 John 2:1-2), as our Substitute before the throne of grace.
1 John 2:1-2 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
5. And he will stand before God in the last day as our Substitute at the bar of justice, as the grounds of our eternal salvation (Jer. 23:6).
Jeremiah 23:6 "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
Now understand this - If Jesus Christ is indeed God, (and he is!), then all that he has under taken to do as our Substitute must be effectually and completely accomplished by his own omnipotent arm.
Those people whom he undertook to save must be saved. Read the text - "He shall save his people from their sins." "He shall not fail" (Isa. 42:4).
C. This Jesus, the Christ of the Bible, who is almighty God, is the Savior of his people.
We will look at this more fully in a few minutes. But let me say this...
D. And this Jesus, who is God, in order that he might save his people, is the sovereign monarch of the universe (John 17:2).
John 17:2 "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."
Acts 5:31 "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."
Romans 14:9 "For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living."
Do you understand who Jesus Christ is?
If the Christ you worship is not this Christ, your Christ is a false Christ, nothing but the idolatrous figment of your imagination.
III. Now, thirdly, our text declares that this Christ shall save his people from their sins. So I want to know - WHO ARE HIS PEOPLE?
Who are those people whom the Bible says Christ shall save? This much is made clear in our text. His people were his people long before he saved them. Our text says, "He shall save his people." It does not say, "He shall save those who shall be his people." Whoever his people are, they were his people before he saved them. And they were his people before he came to save them (Psa. 110:3; John 10:16).
Psalms 110:3 "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth."
John 10:16 "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
All men naturally think that Christ came to save everyone in the world. All men think that Christ died for everyone in the world. But that is not the doctrine of the Scriptures. What does the Word of God say? This Book is our standard. If a man does not speak according to the words of this Book, it is because there is no light in him. I am telling you that those preachers who declare that Christ died to save everybody in the world do not have one ray of spiritual light in them. To teach such a doctrine is to deny the very Deity of Christ.He cannot be God...
Christ did not come to save all people. He came to save his people, his peculiar people. Who are his people?
A. They are his seed (Isa. 53:10-12).
Isaiah 53:10-12 "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. (12) Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
B. They are his sheep (John 10:11, 15, 26).
John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
John 10:15 "As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep."
John 10:26 "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you."
C. They are his chosen Bride, the Church (Eph. 5:25-27).
Ephesians 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
D. They are his elect (Eph. 1:3-7).
Ephesians 1:3-7 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"
His people are those whom God chose in Christ before the foundation of the world, whom he loved with an everlasting love, whom he predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will (Rom. 8:28-31).
These are the people for whom the Son of God lived, died, and rose again. Those who teach that he came to save all men, that he lived, died, and rose again for all men blaspheme God in the doctrine they preach. Their doctrine…
IV. Fourthly, I want you to see the answer to this question - HOW DOES THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS?
Whoever his people are, they shall be saved from their sins. That fact cannot be disputed. But how does he do it? Here are three distinct and distinguishing works of grace by which Christ saves his people from their sins. It is Christ who saves us. We do not save ourselves! (1 Cor. 4:7).
1 Corinthians 4:7 "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"
A. BY REDEMPTION - He has saved us from the penalty of our sins by the particular, effectual redemption of our souls from the curse of God's holy law (2 Cor. 5:21).
2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
This is "How" Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3).
B. BY REGENERATION - Christ saves his people from the power of their sins by the power of his Spirit in sovereign, effectual regeneration (John 5;25; Eph. 2:1-4).
John 5:25 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."
Ephesians 2:1-4 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,"
Psalms 65:4 "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, evenof thy holy temple."
The Lord Jesus Christ saves his people from their sins by making his people righteous before God.
C. BY RESURRECTION - And Christ shall save his people from the presence and the consequences of their sins in the resurrection of the just (John 5:28; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
John 5:28-29 "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
There shall be a resurrection of the just and of the unjust. The wicked shall be raised to suffer the consequences of their sins. But the righteous shall be raised to be forever freed from the consequences of sins.
Application:
I want to know the answer to one more question - Do I have any grounds upon which to believe that I am one of his people? Indeed I do (1 John 5:9-13).
1 John 5:9-13 "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. (10) He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. (11) And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (12) He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (13) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
Galatians 1:6-8 "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (7) Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."
2 John 1:7-10 "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. (8) Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. (9) Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (10) If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:"
Revelation 18:4 "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."
2 Chronicles 19:2 "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD."
Psalms 139:21-22 "Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? (22) I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies."
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