Jesus Our Savior
Selected Passages from Luke
Series: Exploring the New Testament
Community Bible Experience
March 2, 2014
Morning Service
You may not recognize the name Arland D. Williams Jr. but he is a great American hero. Arland Williams was traveling from Washington D.C. on Florida air flight 90. The plane was flying in freezing conditions and shortly after takeoff was unable to gain the necessary altitude. The plane struck the 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the icy waters of the Potomac River.
Rescue efforts started almost immediately and Williams was one of only six people who survived the crash. The survivors were struggling to stay afloat in the freezing waters when helicopters arrived to extend lifelines to those still alive. The chopper shone its light on Williams and extended him a line to pull him to safety. Williams grabbed the line and immediately took the line to someone struggling worse than he was and they were rescued.
Helicopters returned to where Williams was and extended the line again and again Williams took the line to someone else in greater need. The copter lifted the person to safety and lowered the line a third time to Williams. Without hesitation, Williams again gave the lifeline that would have carried him to safety to another survivor. The line was lowered to Williams again but he was gone.
This week we have been reading the gospel of Luke. One of the key themes that runs through Luke’s work is the fact that Jesus is our savior. With this in mind, I want to look at one of the key verses in Luke’s gospel.
9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:9-10
Jesus came to us
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Christian faith is the fact that God chooses to come to us through the person of Jesus. Jesus is the embodiment of the presence, power and power of God in human flesh. Luke makes it clear in the opening pages of his gospel that God was doing something radically different than He had ever done before. The coming of Jesus was going to mark not only a change in history but also a change in the way we can know God. Jesus was both God and human in the same person.
Jesus came through the manger
The birth of Jesus reveals the depth of His humility. Jesus left heaven to walk the sin filled streets of earth and does so through the means of the manger. Remember that the manger was a feed trough used for livestock. The manger was the only thing available to lay the baby Jesus in for a crib. Jesus started His rescue mission for humanity in a stable and laid in a manger.
Jesus came to earth in the combination of the mortal and the divine. God chose to send Jesus through the human means of birth and a divine means of placing Jesus in Mary’s womb through the Holy Spirit. The miraculous means proves both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus. He is both God and human in the same person. In essence, Jesus was everything that we needed in a savior.
Jesus came with a mandate
I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to other towns also, because that is why I was sent. Luke 4:43
Jesus tells those who are asking Him to remain in the area of Capernaum that He needs to go to other towns to spread the good news. There is a sense of both calling and urgency in Christ’s words. The reality is that Jesus was called to come to earth to spread the good news to as many places as possible. The calling was to connect with people and help them see the love of God. The mandate of Jesus was to reach lost people. The urgency that comes through His words flowed out of His passion for people.
Jesus came with a mission
Jesus came to earth with a mission to fulfill. He came with the mission to communicate the message of the Kingdom of God. Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God to earth and bring it to those who needed it most. He gave a promise to those who followed Him that they would have the right to enter into the Kingdom of God. The mission of Jesus was to bring the needed salvation to offer entrance to the Kingdom to all.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost
People mean everything to the Kingdom of God. There is no more important priority than reaching people. Think about the way that Jesus reached out to people in unexpected ways.
• The people of Nazareth
• Zaccheus
• Levi (Matthew)
• Peter
• Mary and Martha
Jesus best illustrates His attitude toward seeking people through the parables of Luke 15: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. Notice that these parables act as a mirror for the behavior of Jesus. They form a kind of principle that Jesus put into practice.
What would cause one of the sheep to become lost?
Sheep would have the tendency to be attracted to things that would draw them away. They would pay no attention to the rest of the flock and wander away. A stray sheep might simply choose not to follow the rest of the flock in following the shepherd. A stray sheep might not have attached itself to the flock and it gets left behind. A stray sheep might not follow the shepherd’s voice and thus become lost. Whatever the reason, the result is the same, the sheep is lost and separated from the rest of the flock and the protection of the shepherd.
Notice how Jesus embodies the shepherd
1. The sheep is sought out
The shepherd leaves the 99 to go and search for the one that is lost. Jesus left the comfort of heaven to search for the hearts of humanity. Jesus still searches today for the hearts of His sheep. He comes with power and seeks us out to follow Him. The 99 were safe and in the fold. The shepherd leaves everything to prove his desire for the lost. The one desperately needed the shepherd and so the shepherd leaves everything to pursue the lost.
2. The search was urgent
There was a sense of urgency on the part of the shepherd. The shepherd understood the need of the sheep and immediately sought the sheep. The shepherd pursued the sheep with drive, dedication and desire. The one lost sheep is the only thing that matters to the shepherd. Lost people are the highest priority of Jesus and they should be the highest priority of the church.
3. The shepherd refuses to stop
The only reason that the shepherd stops the search is that the sheep is found. The shepherd puts his full attention and effort into the search. He will never give up and keeps searching, keeps striving until the lost sheep is found. The shepherd is nothing short of relentless.
4. The shepherd carries the sheep home
When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he lovingly embraces the sheep. He tenderly puts it on his shoulders and carries it home. What an image of grace, mercy and unfailing love.
Arland Williams Jr. gave his life extending life to others. Wlliams was awarded the Coast Guard’s Gold Lifesaving Medal for his heroic efforts in the Potomac River. Nothing illustrates the work of Jesus more than this. Jesus came to extend a lifeline to earth and did so by giving His own life.
We are called to extend the lifeline of the gospel to those around us. We are called to reach people dying in the freezing waters of sin with the message of the kingdom. We are called to be ambassadors of hope and life to those who need it the most.
