“Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.
Boys and girls, the central topic of the Bible is the LORD JESUS CHRIST!
He is everywhere spoken of from the very beginning of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation.
“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins,” Acts 10:43. “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself,” Luke 24:27.
If all the prophets spoke of the Saviour we can see that were we to attempt to consider all the things said about Him we would be a very long time at this subject!
I am going to select a few of the sayings contained in the New Testament. I will start with this one spoken by an angel. This angel was likely Gabriel, who had appeared to Zacharias and later appeared to Mary, Luke 1:19, 26.
From these words we can easily see:
THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH THE SAVIOUR HAS COME INO THIS WORLD.
He came to save His people from their sins.
1. Salvation has been planned for a long time. “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”
1 Peter 1:19-20.
2. Please note the certainty of the Saviour saving His people. ‘He shall . . ’
There is no doubt about the matter. No possibility of failure. He shall accomplish His purpose and bring His people to glory.
3. The Lord has a chosen people. Note the words: ‘His people’. The Saviour states this same truth in John 10:14. “I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine.” Note the words ‘my’ and ‘mine’. The same truth is set forth in verses 26-28. What a mystery this is that we should have been chosen of God before time began, Rev 17:8.
Notice what the Saviour has come to do for His people. “Save his people from their sins.” The word save means to ‘rescue from danger and destruction’.
God’s people are like sheep - they very often don’t know the danger they are in!
The gospel warns us of the danger we are in. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” Romans 6:23. See the danger you are in if you have not come to the Saviour in repentance and faith!