Tag: save

The Savior Who Saves

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(Titus 3:4-7)

Admittedly, the title of this post might be one of my least creative yet. It’s the equivalent of calling a plumbing company to fix a leaky toilet and asking if their plumbers have any plumbing experience, or asking an electrician if he’s ever worked with the electrical in a house. Duh. So I get that the title would appear to be stating the obvious.

But the Savior’s role also happens to be only the most important detail about Christmas that we absolutely must get straight. Since Christmas has been celebrated for generations and generations, that means centuries of people attaching their own meaning and significance to it. While it’s one thing to have our personal traditions and fond memories tied to Christmas, it’s another to redefine Christmas altogether. Christmas first began to be observed for a reason; it was first about something notable. And perhaps because that reason is so easily lost in our world today, it’s always the right time for the simple reminder of what Christmas is really all about: the Savior who saves.

So what exactly does it mean that we call Jesus “Savior?” Over time, the meaning of words can change or be lost. Certain words that were spoken regularly in the past would cause great offense today. Words that used to carry a certain weight or significance don’t pack the same punch today. Other times the meaning of the word is simply lost over time.

“Savior” might be one of those words, if we aren’t careful. If you asked someone outside of Christianity if they’ve heard the word “Savior,” if they’ve heard it applied to Jesus, or if they understood what Christians mean when they refer to Jesus as their Savior, I imagine you’d hear a number of uncertain responses. And even though we may see the word “Savior” more frequently around the holidays, that “overexposure” can also sometimes lead people to tune it out.

It’s like one of our local Mexican places that offers new menudo. If you live nearby you may not even realize they had new menudo? Why? Because they’ve had the words “new menudo” on their sign for at least the past ten years. You see it every time you drive by, nothing changes about the sign, and so you tune it out. And since you tune it out, it doesn’t even matter if you know what menudo is or not, because you never notice it on the sign!

That is the last thing we’d ever want to happen with the word Savior, and not just the word Savior, but the Savior himself, Jesus Christ. Perhaps more than any other church services of the year, Christmas services will have the widest variety of attendees. The makeup of guests, friends, and extended family attending hold to numerous backgrounds and beliefs, which means different experiences and understandings about religion, church, and most importantly, Jesus. Here are a few of the more common views people hold to about the Savior.

People view Jesus as a wise teacher. Anyone with a little bit of knowledge of Jesus’ teachings would be right to conclude that he was indeed wise. The way he wove parables into his teaching helped enlighten his listeners. He had a knack for simplifying some difficult concepts with relatable parables.

On more than one occasion, Jesus outsmarted those trying to trap him between a rock and a hard place with their trick questions or hypothetical scenarios pitting one answer against another. They attempted to frame him so that no matter how he answered, he could not avoid giving his enemies ample ammunition. Each time, though, he turned the tables and displayed profound wisdom – so much so that still today people view him primarily as a wise teacher, and perhaps nothing more.  

Many also see Jesus as a good person, a moral example to follow. Regardless of what religion a person is or isn’t, there is a certain level of respect that people have for Jesus. He was someone who lived an upright life and encouraged others to do the same. He not only taught with wisdom, but also walked the walk. He practiced what he preached and treated people the way we would like to see everybody treat others. His encouragement to love and forgive others has great appeal in an often loveless and unforgiving world. We look at how he lived his life and we want our children to learn to follow in his footsteps.

This view of Jesus as an example or guide for good living became quite a trend years ago when the letters “WWJD” found their way onto wristbands, accessories, and apparel. In a bind? Stuck in a tough situation? Unsure of how to decide to move forward? Just let the letters serve as a reminder to guide you by asking “What Would Jesus Do?”

A third popular view of Jesus is to see him as a finish carpenter of sorts. This view is a little bit more of a religious take, holding to the idea that Jesus is for those who do their best in life, who try their hardest, who are mostly pretty good people. Jesus is the guy to fill in whatever gaps our lives leave (after all, nobody’s perfect, right?). So long as we’ve completed most of the work in our lives, we have him on standby to come in and finish everything so that our lives are satisfactory before God. 

While these views – and many others like them – are not uncommon, they miss the mark on Jesus’ role as Savior, and end up stealing the real joy of Christmas, and ultimately compromise a person’s eternity. 

So who is Jesus, really? The angels announced in clearly in Luke 2.  “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord’” (Luke 2:9-11). You heard it from the angels. They didn’t tell the shepherds that Mary had just given birth to a wise teacher. It wasn’t a good example who was born. It was “a Savior” that had been born.

They announced the source of good news for all people: a Savior for everyone all over the world at that time and everyone all over the world today. That, dear friends, includes everyone. That includes you. Regardless of past behaviors or beliefs, that Savior came to save you.

The verses from Titus 3 reinforce this. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 4:4-5). What drove him to save us? His kindness and love. What described the actions he took to save us? His mercy. Not our righteous works or best efforts or good intentions. These amount to nothing before him. We cannot do a single thing to save ourselves.

You may have heard some version of the story about a boy and his mother at the beach. When he asked if he could go into the water to swim, he had to agree to remain close enough so that his mother could keep an eye on him. After some time had passed, the mother looked up to spot him, as she had been doing, but this time she couldn’t spot him. She started scanning back and forth through the waves and eventually found him, but she noticed he was clearly struggling in the water. She immediately ran to the nearby lifeguard station to get help for her son.

The lifeguard grabbed his binoculars and peered through them until he spotted the boy, and kept an eye on him. The mother pleaded for him to go into the water to rescue her son, but he didn’t move. She looked out again at her son and could tell that he was starting to have a hard time staying above the water. The lifeguard looked through his binoculars again but remained right where he was. Again the mother looked at her son, who was now really struggling, waving his arms and doing his best to keep from sinking.

“Why are you just standing there?” she asked the lifeguard, “Please swim out and rescue my son!” The lifeguard looked one more time, left the tower, and swam in to successfully rescue the boy. While the mother was grateful, she resented that the lifeguard had waited so long to come to his rescue. At that point he explained that any attempt to rescue the boy while he was still frantically kicking his legs and swinging his arms could have put both of them at risk of drowning. Only after the boy had given up and was no longer putting up a fight could the lifeguard safely rescue him. 

I don’t know whether the account is based on a true story or not, but it illustrates the truth about our salvation: we can do nothing to save ourselves. In fact, if we want to take it a step further to speak the way the Bible does about us on our own, we aren’t just drowning on our own, but are actually dead to begin with (see Ephesians 2). That’s how we come into the world ever since the fall into sin, and that is how we would remain, spiritually speaking, unless someone saves us.

That someone is Jesus Christ our Savior. He came to save. Christmas is proof, and it fills us with newfound joy when we know and celebrate what it’s all about: the Savior who saves.

As our verses clearly state, God’s mercy alone saves. His mercy moved him to live the required sinless life in our place so that his holy obedience could attain the perfection we need for heaven. His mercy moved him to meet his fate as our Substitute when he was sacrificed for us on the cross. His mercy alone made the final judgment on all people: because of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who came to save by paying for our sins, we are not guilty (“justified”). It is only the grace of God, his undeserved love for drowning sinners, that makes this so.

The result of his work on our behalf – all of which began on Christmas, is that we are heirs of eternal life. So Christmas means that death isn’t the end. Christmas means that condemnation is not a legitimate fear. Christmas means that joy endures. Christmas means that peace is real. And all of this is true because of the Savior who saves. 

He Is Coming to Save Us

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(Mark 11:1-10)

“What’s he doing here?” Depending on the circumstances, that question could be asked for a number of different reasons. It could be an expression of delight if someone showed up unexpectedly and made a surprise appearance. It could also be asked out of disdain or disbelief, implying that for one reason or another, it is out of line or inappropriate for that person to be attending. Or, the question could be because the inquirer is unaware of any connection between that specific person and this unique event. Regardless of the motivation or intent behind asking the question, the one asking it is looking for an explanation as to why that person is present. 

As we begin The King Shall Come series, before we feverishly race to get to the end of the month and rush to the base of the tree to tear open presents, we want to pause during this season of Advent to ponder. We do so by starting out reflecting on that very question: “What’s he doing here?” “Why does it matter that Jesus came in the first place?” 

I am aware that if you look at the title of this post, you might be able to provide a pretty quick answer to that question and conclude that this post could be much shorter. But would you agree with me that having certain information or knowledge in your head is not always the same as having it in your heart?

We can learn facts. We can receive information about certain topics. We can be taught to regurgitate answers. But knowing something (head) isn’t the same as knowing something (heart). Through this series, we want to make sure that, regarding the coming of our King, this knowing (head) connects with this knowing (heart). 

It’s one thing to know a headline in the news about a tragedy (head). It’s sad anytime we hear reports of accidents that result in injury or death. Nevertheless, the news cycle continues, right on to the next story and to another one after that.

But when the news report of injury or death involves your family member or friend, the world seems to stop. While the news may continue right on to the next story, you’re stuck; your heavy heart is weighed down more deeply. Suddenly it isn’t just news; it’s your life. A part of your life has been directly impacted and now the head knowledge and the heart are connected.

As we look at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, it’s more than just information that is being passed onto us; what happened there impacted our whole life, even our eternal life.

The event recorded in Mark 11 is a little bit like the movie that starts out right in the beginning by showing a flash forward. As we start out the new church year and are still looking forward to celebrating Jesus’ birth, Mark takes us on a flash forward to the week of Jesus’ death. So why are we focusing on the days before Jesus’ Good Friday death while just weeks away from the celebration of his Christmas birth? We’re here because it provides a crystal clear answer to our question, “What’s he doing here?” Kind of. 

I say “kind of” because while we have the right answer from the crowds, but the answers are not given for the right reason. You know how that can happen sometimes. A student in the classroom who has not been paying attention at all suddenly gets called out by the teacher with a curveball question. Out of nowhere, the student’s long-shot answer to that question is… shockingly, totally correct! But if you press further and ask the student why that’s the answer, he wouldn’t have a clue.

So the onlookers crowding Jesus as he entered Jerusalem gave the right answer to the question we’re asking, but they didn’t really know why it was the right answer. 

Their answer to the question was, “Hosanna!” Yes – that was why Jesus had come. The meaning of that exclamation is essentially, “Save us, Lord!” That was what God said he would do through the Messiah promised by the prophets. He promised to do just that – save his people.

Their answer was also “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Yes – the crowds knew Jesus was not just your garden variety prophet or preacher, but was representing the Lord himself. As such, blessing would most assuredly accompany him, as is always the case for the Lord’s representatives in one way or another. 

Their answer to the question, “What’s he doing here?” was “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” Recall the prophecy from Ezekiel, the promise of the Shepherd King, David. Remember that Ezekiel wasn’t speaking about King David of the Old Testament, who had died generations ago, but rather David’s greater Son, Jesus. The crowds were acknowledging that the One riding into Jerusalem had come as the fulfillment of God’s promise through Ezekiel to send another “David” whose kingdom would never end.

Yes, the shouts of the crowds were all correct answers to the question, “What’s he doing here?” But they were correct in the wrong way. They were the classmate who got the answer correct, but couldn’t begin to explain why it was correct.  Yes, Jesus had come to save them… but not in the way they had assumed he would save them.

To better make sense of their understanding, we don’t really have to look all that much further than the present day conflict over Israel. The expectation of a promised temporal kingdom or state, a reality tied to real estate and boundaries and nationality and earthly government – these same expectations still exist today. 

And still today they miss the point, as they did when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The peoples’ refusal to pay attention to Jesus’ own words, their failure to understand the Old Testament prophets, has resulted in people that are still today looking for the wrong thing. The kingdom Jesus came to usher in has no border or geographical location. The deliverance Jesus came to bring wasn’t a deliverance from physical slavery, oppression, or racism. None of those misunderstandings grasp why Jesus came to save.

But it is hardly just those with Jewish roots or ties to Israel who miss why Jesus came. Like those Jerusalem crowds, people – even those professing to be Christians – can provide the right answer to the question of why Jesus came without being able to explain why their answer is correct. He came to save. Yes, that is the correct answer. 

Some, however, degrade his saving work by redefining it. They believe and teach that Jesus merely made it possible for people to be saved. They contend that Jesus made salvation possible for everyone who does their best and tries their hardest. So long as we give it our best shot trying to be like Jesus, then Jesus will generously fill in the gaps and pick up any slack for us. By that token, what Jesus did hinges on the assumption that you’ve done your best. Only then is Jesus of any benefit.

But he is no Savior who requires or depends on anything at all from us. If we are a part of the equation when it comes to our salvation, then the only thing we can be sure of is our disqualification. For all we can bring to the table even on our finest days are works that are nothing more than the filthy rags described by Isaiah.

Others wrongly conclude that Jesus coming to save means that everyone is guaranteed heaven, regardless of what is believed (or not believed!). All people everywhere, regardless of religious affiliation or any faith at all, will ultimately end up in “a better place.” Call it heaven or paradise or whatever else you like.

While that might seem a nice thought, to hold on to such a thought is to turn a blind eye to the clear teachings of the Bible that warn repeatedly of hell and souls condemned to it specifically as a result of their unbelief and rejection of Jesus. So neither of those misunderstandings of Jesus saving can be correct, no matter how much one’s heart might tell him otherwise.

What then is the correct meaning to attach to this answer that Jesus came to save? The apostle Paul seemed to have a pretty good handle on it. He wrote, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15).

There you have it: Jesus came to save sinners. What exactly is a sinner? It’s the person who acknowledges that his sin slams shut the door to heaven, leaving only the one-way path to hell and eternal suffering. Such a person confesses her wrongs and inability to do right 100% of the time as God demands. Jesus came to save sinners.   

And know that Jesus’ joy and delight is not to judge and condemn, but to save. Jesus explained, “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” (John 12:47). Jesus came to save!

What’s he doing here? Jesus came to save! He came to save us from our sins. “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins” (1 John 3:5).

What’s he doing here? Jesus came to save! He came to save us from the devil’s work. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).

Are you a sinner? Good news – the best news of all: Jesus came to save you! Believe it!

“What’s he doing here?” Depending on the circumstances, the question could be asked for a number of different reasons. When it’s asked of Jesus, make sure we have not only the right reason for asking it, but more importantly, the right answer to the question. The King came on that first Christmas to save, to pay with his life the price necessary to save us. The King will come again on the Last Day to complete the final act of saving and whisk us away from all sin and accompanying sorrow. And who did he come to save?

He came to save sinners. He came to save you.