Posted on: December 23, 2018

Advent Series Week 4: JESUS THE SAVIOUR IS WITH US LK.2:11

Advent Series Week 4: Jesus the Savior is With Us Luke 2:11

Introduction
This has been a wonderful Advent season!! We’ve looked at Jesus as Creator and how He is still taking the chaos of our lives and bringing order.
We’ve looked as Jesus as Sustainer and how He continues to work and minister to us even today.
We’ve looked at Jesus as Sin-Bearer and how His humble beginnings in the cradle to His tragic death on the cross has paid the price for our sins.

This morning, I would like us to look at Jesus, as our Savior…

Luke 2:11; 
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

The Savior provides salvation to the people of Israel.
You are all very familiar with the story of the Children of Israel and their bondage in Egypt and how God used Moses in the deliverance of the Israelites and through the dramatic crossing of the Red Sea, God saved the people from bondage and led them to freedom. God was with them.

But we all know how the people would frequently get caught up in what was going on around them and they would be led astray into idolatry and forget all about God, their savior.
They forgot God

Then Jesus appears on the scene
Fast forward to 1500 years to 6 BC. An angel appears to some shepherds on a hillside. He told them that a Savior was born. And then, a whole bunch of angels came proclaiming:
Glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth.

Jesus, became Emmanuel, God with us. But this time, God wasn’t providing salvation from Pharaoh and Egyptian bondage. This time, God was providing salvation from sin and death.

But as can often happen, people took their eyes off Christ and got caught in the politics of the day and many turned their back on Jesus. And as was God’s plan from the beginning, Jesus died on the cross to salvation from sin. Freedom from the bondage that sin enslaves upon people.

Jesus came as the Savior for the world but many people turned a deaf ear and embraced the things of this world.

Fast forward to 2018
The Savior provides salvation for you and for me. Jesus is Emmanuel. Our Savior is with us! He is feeding us with His Word and His Sacraments like He did with the manna in the desert and with the loaves and the fish. He is sustaining us. He is here today calling out to you. He calls you by your name.

Conclusion 
Jesus is our Savior, and He is with us today but Christmas has, in some ways, become a distraction and there is a very real danger that what happened as recorded in Hosea that “they forgot God”. The danger is that the same thing is happening today and even Christians even though we profess Jesus May just be shutting Him out of our lives.

Spend some time this Holy Season in prayer contemplating how Jesus is your saviour and what you need to do to open all of yourself to him. Pray also that the world will come to a full knowledge of God. Pray even for family members who have left the faith that they too will come back HOME not only this season but beyond.

Posted on: December 15, 2018

Advent Series Week 3: Jesus the Sin-bearer is With Us

Advent Series Week 3: Jesus, the Sin-Bearer is With Us (From the Cradle to the Cross) John 1:29

Introduction
One day a little boy was excited to show his father what he could do. So, he kept saying, “Look-it daddy, look-it me, look-it, daddy, look-it…” But daddy had his nose in the newspaper. So the boy got even louder “Look-it, daddy….look-it me….look it…look-it…look-it”…
Finally, the dad could take it no longer; put his paper down and said, “Okay…I’m looking-it you”

I think that Dad paints the picture of many of us at Christmas time. We get distracted by all the trappings of life and we fail to notice the beauty of the true meaning of Christmas. We’ve got our nose in just so much other activity. 

John 1:29
The next day John sees Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

The word LOOK

According to Webster’s dictionary the word “Look” has various meanings…

to ascertain by the use of one’s eyes, to exercise the power of vision upon, to expect, to anticipate, to direct one’s attention, to direct the eyes

John tells his listeners to “Look” at Jesus
John sees Jesus approaching and he turns to the crowd gathered around him and says, “look”. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”, “direct your attention to the Person I’ve been talking about”, “get your eyes off the problems that you are facing. Get your eyes off all the busyness that you are involved in and, direct your eyes upon Jesus.

And John’s message is certainly appropriate for us today

We need to really LOOK! We need to make sure that we focus our attention upon Jesus. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the Babe in the Manger. For all the sale flyers and Shopping specials. Don’t get me wrong, like I mentioned last week, it’s a question of balance. There’s nothing wrong with shopping for presents. But if that is were our FOCUS is then we need John’s proclamation to “LOOK” because we need to make sure that we can SEE Jesus…

Sure, enjoy the times with family and friends. Enjoy the shopping and the music and the lights. But also make sure you enjoy some time with Jesus! 

Jesus is the Lamb of God

John says, “Look, the Lamb of God.” When John calls Jesus, “the Lamb of God”, he is referring to the sacrificial lamb. The people of Jesus’ day would be quite familiar with the idea of lambs and sacrifice.

The picture of lamb and crown of thorns says it well ….(describe pic of Lamb/crown of thorns)

Jesus Bears Our Sin

John says, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. We can’t just LOOK to see the Lamb of God, but we have to come to the realization that Jesus went from the manger to the cross to bear our sins.

Jesus in our Sin-Bearer. John recognized that and told the people to look at Jesus, He’s the Lamb of God and He’s here to deal with the problem of sin in the world. He is here to bear your sin and my sin.

Look at the picture (manger to the cross).That was the plan. That’s why Jesus came. That’s why we are celebrating Christmas. Jesus was born so that He could die. He was born under humble and humiliating circumstances; born to an unwed mother,  in a feed trough. And He died under humble and humiliating circumstances; Surrounded by criminals, treated like a criminal. And yet He did this for you and for me.

Conclusion(Picture)
Christmas is a perfect time to remember why Jesus came and what He did for you and for me. But before we do, I just wanted to make sure you had the opportunity to LOOK upon Jesus and focus your attention upon Him. Perhaps you’ve come to the realization that although Christ came to take away the sin of the world you are still are carrying the sin in your own life because you haven’t confessed your sin and allowed Jesus to heal you or maybe because you haven’t yet forgiven yourself or do not think God can forgive you.

But I want to give you the opportunity to do just that this Holy Season. Just go to Confession and watch Jesus your sin-bearer wash you clean and make you whole again.