OUR SAVIOR

“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28 NKJV).

In just a few words, this verse tells us a great deal about the Lord Jesus Christ. It tells about the person of Christ, the purpose of Christ, the price for Christ, and the provision in Christ.

Person of Christ - “The Son of man did not come.” Both the deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ are evident in these words. The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is stated in the word “came,” because it is telling us that He already had to exist. The pre-existence of the Lord Jesus Christ testifies of His deity. The humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is seen in the title “Son of man.” In coming to earth, the Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself and became a man in order to be our Savior. He humbled Himself that we might we lifted up in glory in salvation.

Purpose of Christ - “To serve.” The Lord Jesus Christ came to earth for to serve. He did not come primarily to curse, judge, or destroy. He came primarily to rescue us from the condemnation of our sins. Those who reject His ministry will one day discover the Lord Jesus Christ as judge. Until then, His primary purpose is to minister to our soul’s need.

Price for Christ - “Give His life.” The Lord Jesus Christ paid the supreme sacrifice to save mankind. He gave His life that we might have life. He gave as no other has given in order that we might possess as we could never have possessed in ourselves because of our sin. The fact that He had to give His life to save us tells us something about the greatness of our sin. The tendency is to play down the seriousness of sin. But sin is so terrible that it required nothing less than the Lord Jesus Christ dying for us.

Provision in Christ - “Ransom for many.” Our sin debt was so great that we could not pay it ourselves. But the Lord Jesus Christ provided the ransom for our sin by His death on the cross. His blood, which was shed at Calvary, was the only thing that could pay the ransom. This provision in Christ is available to everyone. However, many folks will die and go to a lost eternity because they have rejected this ransom for their soul.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Salvation comes through a cross and a crucified Christ!”

Andrew Murray (1828 - 1917)

South African Christian Author, Theologian, and Pastor

Word Study

Exact truth (certainty)

In Luke 1:4 we read, “so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught” (NASB).

Exact truth (certainty) is the Geek word aspháleia (ἀσφάλεια =as-fal'-i-ah). It is made up of two words: “a’ which means without, and “sphallo” which means to totter or fall. Thus, the word means make no slip and describes that which displays firmness, security, and safety. Figuratively, it speaks of a stable statement (certainty, truth). In classical Greek aspháleia carries the idea of firmness. In the Septuagint, aspháleia also speaks of firmness, and was used to describe a position of safety and security. In the New Testament, aspháleia also spoke of firmness. Here in Luke 1:4, aspháleia is used figuratively and the thought is that the truth that Luke is writing about will keep Theophilus (and us) from tottering in our faith.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west” (Isa. 43:5 KJV).

Did You Know…

The Book of Esther is the only Book in the Bible that does not mention God by any name or title. In fact, there is no direct reference to God at all. (cf. Esther 1-10).

Bible Quiz

When the Lord Jesus sent the disciples out to minister on their own, what were they to do if a town did not accept them?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” According to the Book of Genesis, to whom were these words spoken? Abram (Gen. 12:1-3).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“INTERCESSOR”

"Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us!” (Rom. 8:34 NKJV).

1. Meaning – INTERCESSOR speaks of the Lord Jesus as the One who represents us before the throne of God, which means we do not have to represent ourselves.

2. Insights – As our great Intercessor and High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ is our Advocate, the Mediator between us and God. His purpose is to “intercede” on our behalf. He looks after our interests, presenting our requests to the Father. The Old Testament high priest went before God once a year to plead for the forgiveness of the nation’s sins. The Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, makes perpetual intercession before God for us. His continuous presence in heaven as the Priest-King assures us that our sins have been paid for and forgiven.

Did You Know – Christian History

John Williams June 29, 1796, in Tottenham, near London. He was an English missionary, active in the South Pacific.

Williams was reared in a Christian family but grew indifferent to the faith for some years as a youth. He worked as a clerk in an iron foundry, but also had an interest in metal work. Persuaded by his employer’s wife, he attended church and was convicted by the sermon he heard. This caused him to re-commit his life to the Lord. He became an active Christian worker and soon offered himself to the London Missionary Society.

With his new bride by his side, Williams sailed to Tahiti. Building his own boat, the Messenger of Peace, he navigated it across hundreds of miles of open sea. As a result of his initiative, he planted churches not only in Tahiti, but in the Samoan Islands, Raratonga and numerous other islands of the Pacific. He was able to affirm that every known island along a 2,000-mile line had received the Gospel and left Polynesian ministers at several of these outposts. On a visit back to England, he stimulated enormous interest wherever he spoke. A book he published about his work sold well. Additional funds poured in to enable him to make further mission trips.

The New Hebrides was a new region for him. No other missionary had visited those parts. Williams encountered hostility when he landed on Erromanga, New Hebrides (modern day Vanuatu) on November 20, 1839. Its inhabitants were out for revenge because of cruelties inflicted against them by others sailors. Williams was captured, killed and eaten. The missionary who had hoped to feast the natives with the Gospel became their feast instead.

When the inhabitants of scattered islands of the South Pacific heard the news, they wept. Since Williams was greatly loved. One of the most successful missionaries of modern times, he had learned their languages and customs and labored to uplift them morally, spiritually and economically. Williams’s story has inspired numerous other missionaries to venture to the islands, and several mission boats were named after him.

A Little Humor

During a Sunday service, the pastor asked the congregation for their prayer requests. There were the usual requests to pray for the sick, the unemployed, and the bereaved, etc. The somber mood was broken when a woman stood up and said, “My granddaughter turned 16 this week and received her driver’s license. Let us pray for us all.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Christ endured the fires of judgment that we might enjoy the forgiveness of God!”