The Only Name That Saves

 

Sermon by Rev. John Zuidema on Lord’s Day 11

 

HC LD11 Q&A 29-30; “The only Name that saves”

BOW 9 vv 1-3,10; “Whole hearted thanksgiving”

BOW: 187 “O Father dear Father”

BOW: 119b vv 4-6; Teach me O Lord, Your way of truth.

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:22-40;

BOW: 334 “There is under heaven”

BOW 186 v4. “And can it be that I should gain”

 

Beloved people in the Lord Jesus Christ,

One of the things that identify us is our name. If I were to mention the name Barack Obama, or Tony Abbot, or Martin Luther, or John Calvin, or Charles Spurgeon you would all immediately know whom I am referring to. For along with those names you would immediately associate various policies, either good or bad, or that they were great reformers or preachers, whatever the case may be.

Now in Scripture names are very significant and often have very special meanings. For instance, Abraham means “The father of many.” Sarah means “Princess.” Jacob means “heal catcher” or “one who deceives.” Sometimes names have bad connotations. For instance, how many people that you know have the name Judas?

Now congregation, there are many meanings behind many names, but I put it to you that there is no name that has a more important meaning than the name of our Savour, Jesus. Usually, parents choose the name of their child and sometimes it can be a drawn-out process, especially if it is expected to be named after some relatives or royalty is involved.

Joseph and Mary didn’t have to think long about a name for their new born child nor its meaning. God, through his angel, had already told them that ‘Jesus’ was to be the child’s name, for as Matthew 1:21 reminds us, He would “save his people from their sins.”

Now the name “Jesus” was not all that uncommon in Jesus’ time, but when mentioned in Scripture, it is packed with meaning. Jesus or ‘Jehoshua’ literally means, “Jehovah Saves.” It is the name for God in the OT. “I AM the I AM” say Jesus. God saves, and He does it through his Son Jesus.

Jesus saves sinners who repent from God’s wrath by dying for them so that their sins are fully paid for and rising from the dead so that they are right with God! That is what Easter is all about.

Now for us who really love Jesus and know what he did for us, appreciate the meaning of his name. But there are so many in this world that have heard about the name Jesus, but haven’t really got a clue what it means and what it stands for and what he has actually done!

For many, ‘Jesus’ just another name along with so many other names! The Muslims consider Jesus as a prophet and perhaps even worthy to emulate, but not the Saviour of sinners. The JW’s consider Jesus the first and best created being that God ever created and worthy to emulate, but they don’t believe him to be the Son of God nor the Saviour of sinners. The Jews today believe that Jesus is the worst of all the false prophets.

Now this morning I don’t want you leaving this place of worship without knowing what the name Jesus means and that he is real for you! Yes, he is worth emulating in our daily lives, but the emphasis in Scripture is that he is the Saviour of sinners who repent. That is the primary message of Scripture.

And that’s not bad news as some suppose, but that is in fact the gospel, the good news! Even in our Lord’s Day, some people recognised that this Jesus was the Saviour of sinners. When Joseph and Mary’s came to the temple to give Jesus his name this old man Simeon makes a bee-line for Mary. This man behaves as though he has never seen a baby before.

This man, because of the work of the Holy Spirit, knew that this baby was special for he says, “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Lk 2:29ff).

Apart from his parents, this is the first man in Scripture to understand that this baby will save his people from their sins. Likewise, imagine Joseph and Mary’s surprise when Anna spoke to them about the child that was to be the redemption for Jerusalem.

So again please don’t leave this place of worship without knowing that that Jesus was sent by God the Father, to save sinners unto eternal life and my prayer is that every person here this day may know that he came to save them! I plead with you for far too many people are flippant about who Jesus is and what His name means.

For many Jesus is just a swear word or nothing more than a stop. When people hit their finger with a hammer they blaspheme his name and honour. When they need some extra help to win a soccer game they blaspheme his name and honour. When they tell an irreverent joke they blaspheme his name and honour.

I once asked as a Trivia question why it was that we never hear people use the name Mohammed as a swear word or as a stop word? Have you ever thought about that? Because the devil already has Mohammed in his grip! What’s more Mohammed has never saved a single person from their sins! But the devil doesn’t have Jesus and never will have Jesus in his grip, but his desire is to see his name ridiculed and brought into disrepute by as many people as possible! May he not use us for a moment!

Now as bad as it is to misuse the name of Jesus, far worse is their ignorance about the true meaning of his name. Far worse when people don’t know him as Saviour and Lord! If only people knew who Jesus really is and what he has done, then the swearing will cease and confession and genuine worship and praise will start.

I say that because the best news any repentant sinner can hear and know is that Jesus saves them from their sins! Another way of saying it is that Jesus’ death has paid for our sins and his resurrection guarantees us eternal life to the glory of God.

In Israel’s history, Saviours were people like the judges and the kings who fought their battles and broke the yoke of foreign tyrants. And that is indeed exactly what God sent them for. Yet all those judges and kings died! However, if we look in the NT, Jesus is introduced in a different way.

In Luke 5, when healing the paralytic, Jesus is introduced as a man who could forgive sins! Jesus came and removed our greatest tyrant, unforgiven sin before God! No wonder the Jews accused him of blasphemy when he said he could forgive sins! For them, only God could forgive sins!

In some strange way, the Pharisees of those days had greater insight into who Jesus was than many contemporary people have today. The Pharisees understood that our sins, both sins of omission and commission make us guilty before a holy God. They saw it as God’s prerogative to condemn or to forgive. Sadly, the Jews didn’t realize that Jesus was God personified. Forgiveness of sins and to heal a lame man are both beyond human power. Only God can forgive sins and make a lame man walk.

Again, brothers and sisters, what do you believe about Jesus? Do you believe that he has the power to forgive your sins, the very thing that stands between you and God and eternal life by his death and resurrection? Please do for God the Father was perfectly satisfied with his payment for Jesus rose from the dead!

I guess this is exactly where the rubber hits the road with so many people. For sinful people don’t quickly acknowledge that they need to be forgiven for their sins. As bad as the atrocities are all around us, people don’t want to admit that it is their “fallenness” and inability to do good at every instance that is the cause.

We have become so good at making excuses. Oh if only the world would acknowledge their need of forgiveness! In fact may it start with us! There are many things in this world that are dreadful – war, hunger, genocide, homelessness, and may we be busy trying to help where we can with real tangible relief.

But worse by far is to stand before the Judge who determines your eternity and not be able to say that Jesus died for your sin. That would be an unspeakable tragedy! I say this would be a tragedy because there are many in this land who are well fed, who have no need of food, no need of clothing and yet they don’t know who Jesus is and what He has done.

Interestingly, people have all sorts of Saviours. When it’s election time, people are looking at their politicians to save them. When the economy takes a nose dive people look to their bosses hoping for a raise to save their homes or new car.

Others buy a tatts ticket, hoping that this will save them from future poverty. Some even a hope a new husband or wife that will save them from future loneliness. Some hope that the stock markets will rally otherwise they will be ruined! Some put all their trust in doctors and specialists to save them. But the reality is that none of these ‘Saviours’ forgives our sins.

And that is where we should start! Scripture goes to the root cause of our misery, our sin, the very thing that separates us from a loving God! And because God is gracious, He not only goes to the root cause of our misery, by sending his only Son to be the payment, he also makes the blind to see and the lame to walk.

He also intervenes where there is injustice and poverty and sickness. All sufferers in hospitals will hear one day, “take up your bed and walk.” He makes life worth living. The greatest enemy is already defeated and the last enemy death is still to be destroyed. And congregation we look forward to that day when death will be no more!

And that’s why we don’t look anywhere else for our salvation. No one can do what Jesus does. This Jesus of the Scriptures is the only one who can say with God, your sins are forgiven. Perhaps He is not the Saviour people like, or the Saviour people want. Yet, one thing is sure, he is the Saviour that all people need. To have our sins forgiven is our greatest need and it is met in Christ.

Hunger is hard, and millions pray to be delivered from it. Poverty is a shame and multitudes are looking for a way out. Sickness is painful and debilitating, and patients and all who love them search for curing medicines.

Death is heart rending, and people are willing to spend all to keep living. Oppression by tyrants is intolerable for people who are meant to be free. All enslaved look for a Saviour. Yet, to live and die without Jesus as your Saviour is worst of all.

So what a marvellous blessing that God meets our greatest need in His Son. Jesus, Saviour, Redeemer comes to us! He starts exactly where we have our greatest need. Someone to forgive us our sins! Becoming aware of this reality is the first sign of salvation. The first sign of the Holy Spirit’s work!

At last we are being made fit for a new kingdom that lasts forever. Yes, we may get irritated at ministers and preachers who keep telling us that Jesus died to save us from our sins, but there is no better news. Indeed may we get annoyed when they stop telling us about Jesus!

Many Christian authors write many self-help books. Some of them are excellent, yet many leave a lot to be desired, because they do not mention Jesus as the one who forgives our sins. And if that isn’t mentioned, any solution offered has only a veneer of Christianity about it. It’s a fraud!

Our greatest need is not for greater self-esteem, or for that new job, or the new lounge suit, or retaliation against evildoers. Our greatest need is for Jesus, a Saviour who can and does forgive sins! And if we haven’t got that, then we have nothing! And God, our Father, the Creator of all things, sent him! Wow, pure grace, undeserved favour!

So please understand that not our works, not our good deeds, not our observance of the Sabbath of feast days, not even our baptism or profession of faith can save us. Christ alone by grace alone. Ephesians 2:8 reminds us that we are saved purely by grace. Don’t trust in your works, your affiliation with this church, or even your pious life style! They will not save you! Please don’t be deceived by them.

God’s desire is that every tongue confesses and every knee bows before Jesus Christ, to the glory of God. The fact is that Jesus alone is our Saviour. He is all or he is nothing. He is the only name under heaven by which people can be saved. My prayer is that you may know Jesus as your Saviour, for your eternal welfare and for the glory of our Saviour God. Amen.