The Saviour

[0:00] The Savior.

[0:13] You know, there's a song, Save the World.! I won't attempt to sing it to you this morning.! You've got billionaires who fund rescue campaigns to save stray penguins.

[0:38] You've got people who say, Save the Planner. You know, put your rubbish in recycling. Turn your lights off. Reduce your carbon footprint.

[0:49] Plant a tree. Recycle. Save the world. As if it was man's effort that would save the world. And of course we know it's not. They might sing Save the World, but their efforts are in vain.

[1:01] Man needs a saviour. The world needs a saviour. And the good news is there is such a saviour. Matthew 1, 21 it says, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.

[1:21] Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Man needs a saviour because of his sin.

[1:33] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, we read in Romans 6, 23.

[1:45] I believe this sermon will impart some seasonal cheer to you today. But first the bad news. We've got to start with the bad news. Sin. We need a saviour.

[1:56] Why? Because we're sinners. He shall come and save his people from their sins. Sin pays death.

[2:07] And the paymaster must deliver your pay packet. If you're old and great like me, you'll remember those times when they actually delivered your wages in a little paper envelope.

[2:19] And they came to your door or your desk and delivered it to you in cash. The paymaster would deliver your pay.

[2:31] And friends, the paymaster must deliver the pay packet. The wages of sin is death. It must be paid. And some of you have been working overtime. The wages of sin is death.

[2:47] Payment must be made. Who will collect it for you? The wages of sin is death. I read this way of putting it. Death.

[2:58] Death is working right now to choke out your life. I told you this is not a cheering part, this part. Death is working right now to choke out your life and leave you a rotting, stinking corpse.

[3:12] You were born dead to God. And everything good. And will die physically very soon. In the scheme of things. And without the Saviour you will be cast into eternal torment forever and ever.

[3:24] Which is the second death. You were born spiritually dead. In a dying world. So you cannot do what you desire and need to do.

[3:36] And find any good in this life that truly satisfies. It's just out of your reach. You are discontent, frustrated, miserable and unable to help yourself.

[3:47] Death is consuming. And devouring you even now. Death is sucking the memory out of your brain. The sight out of your eyes.

[3:58] The hearing out of your ears. The teeth out of your mouth. The taste out of your tongue. The moisture out of your mouth. The elasticity and clarity out of your skin. The firmness out of your flesh.

[4:10] The hormones out of your body. The form out of your shape. The strength out of your bones. The power out of your muscles. The flexibility out of your joints. The colour and the shine out of your hair.

[4:25] The hair off your hair. I love that one. The brightness out of your eyes. The desire and ability out of your libido. The insulin out of your pancreas.

[4:35] The processing out of your kidneys. The courage out of your mind. The remaining beats out of your heart. The blood out of your soul. Death is eating us alive.

[4:46] While I speak. And the conclusive finality is about to take us all down. You will decay. Until you are a rotting and weak lump. Unable to eat, swallow or breathe.

[4:58] And this death is good news. For it ends the painful connection of your spirit to your body. And when you die. Your body lying cold, pale. And still in a casket.

[5:09] Your spirit will be sent down. Down and further down. Into the black abyss of infernal wailing. For eternal torment. Without relief. Or any hope at all.

[5:20] Of any lastening. Of the misery and pain. For all ages to come. You were born dead. You cannot live forever. Or even for long. And a worse death comes.

[5:31] This is death. And it is the just and right wages. For each of your sins. And this is for all. For all have sinned.

[5:41] We read. And you will be paid. For you have sinned. The sins deserve the pain. And God is faithfully just. Sin. It's a trap. It's a chain.

[5:52] It's a stain. Sin. It hardens. It separates us from God. It deadens us spiritually. The wages of sin is death. But.

[6:03] But. The glorious but. Says. But. The gift of God. Is eternal life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[6:16] Bless the Lord. Forget not. All his benefits. Who forgiveth all. Thine iniquities. Brethren. We are bound to give thanks to God. Always. For. This unspeakable gift.

[6:28] What did the angels say. In pronouncing his coming. Glory to God. In the highest. He's the almighty God. He is the blessed God.

[6:39] The dreadful God. The eternal God. The faithful God. The great God. The holy God. The immortal God. The jealous God. The loving God. The omnipotent God.

[6:50] The mighty God. The powerful God. The redeeming God. The saving God. The true God. The wonderful God. The excellent God. The call goes out worldwide.

[7:02] To sinful man. The call is extended worldwide. God commandeth all men everywhere. To repent. That includes you.

[7:13] Whoever you are. We must have a saviour. And his work. Is all sufficient. His grace. Is a gift. It is not earned.

[7:26] All have sinned. All are commanded. To repent. And Acts 4.12. It says. The sin. Has one. Remedy only. One remedy.

[7:36] Acts 4. Verse 12. Neither is there salvation. In any other. For there is. None other name. Under heaven.

[7:47] Given. Among men. Whereby we must. Be saved. There is none other name. No other name. No other way. No alternative. But Jesus. The saviour.

[7:58] Thou shalt call. His name. Jesus. He is your only. Saviour. He is the only. Alternative. I. Even I. Am the Lord.

[8:09] And besides me. There is no. Saviour. Isaiah 43. 11. And the Lord. Jesus. Jesus. Says. To the Pharisees. I said. Therefore. Unto you.

[8:19] That. Ye shall die. In your sins. For. If you believe. Not. That. I. Am. Here. Ye. Shall.

[8:30] Die. In. Your. Sins. The. Paymaster. Must. Deliver. The. Pay. Packet. The wages. Of.

[8:40] Sin. Is. Death. But. Thank God. But. The gift of God. But. Thou shalt call his name.

[8:52] Jesus. When we call him. Jesus. It means Saviour. The name. Jesus. Means. Saviour. The greatest. Of all names.

[9:02] Is. Jesus. The greatest. The great God. And our Saviour. A complete. Saviour. A preacher said.

[9:13] There are 256 names. Given in the Bible. For the Lord. Jesus Christ. And I suppose. This was because. He was infinitely. Beyond all.

[9:24] That any. One name. Could express. Wonderful. Saviour. The Lord. Jesus. Christ. Jesus. Saviour.

[9:37] The Bible. Is true. It's good news. It's good news. The wages of sin. Is death. But. The gift of God. For whosoever shall call.

[9:49] On the name. Of the Lord. Shall. Be saved. Thou shalt call. His name. Jesus. This is the name. That whosoever.

[10:00] Can call upon. Can be saved. And thank God. This name. It's a name. The name. The name of the Lord. Is a strong tower. The righteous run into it.

[10:12] And is safe. Proverbs 18. 10. When we're at the end of ourselves. He is the source of our strength. Now we've had some. Times of.

[10:23] Frustration. We've had some challenges. Even. Today. Yet. The name. Of the Lord. Is a strong tower. The righteous run into it. And is safe. Jesus name.

[10:35] It's a sure. Uncertain. Trust. It's a strong tower. And what should we do? We should run. Into it. Run.

[10:45] Into that strong tower. When you're feeling. Like. You need. A saviour. Run. Into that name. Friends. Today. He is the source of strength.

[10:56] Of safety. He is mighty to save. We read. And 1 John 4. 14. It says. And we have seen and do testify. That the Father sent. The Son.

[11:07] To be the saviour. Of the world. The Father sent the Son. To be the saviour. Of the world. It's not just the saviour. From hell.

[11:18] It's not just some kind of fire. Insurance policy. He is the saviour. From ourselves. He is the saviour. From our sin. The saviour. Of the world.

[11:30] Thou shalt call. His name Jesus. 1 John 2. 2. And he is the propitiation. That. Which satisfies. God's. Righteous. And just.

[11:41] Anger. Against our sin. The one who. Our Lord spent that anger upon. In his person. He is the propitiation. For our sins.

[11:51] And not for ours only. But also for. The sins. Of. The whole. World. It was a comprehensive. Transaction. Calvary.

[12:04] He is a worldwide saviour. He can be. 1 Timothy 4. 9 and 10. It says. We trust in the living God.

[12:15] Who is the saviour of all men. Especially of those. That believe. He is able to say. Them. To the uttermost. That come. Unto God.

[12:25] By him. Hebrews 7. 25. Thank God. His ability to save. Is still. Present day. I don't believe. He's rounded up the last one.

[12:37] That he's going to save. When. When that is the case. Then. There will be no. More saving. But thank God. He is able. Even this very moment. To save.

[12:48] To the uttermost. Thank God. When he saves. He saves. To the uttermost. Them. That come. Unto God. By him.

[12:58] Salvation. It's Jesus. Jesus. Plus. Nothing. You can't add to it. Any works of righteousness. Or claim any credit. Even for.

[13:10] Your faith. Really. Thou shalt call. His name. Jesus. It says. People came to him. John 6. And. Asked. What can we do. That we might work.

[13:21] The works of God. Jesus said. This is the work of God. That you believe. On him. On him. Whom he hath seen. There's only one work. One work.

[13:32] We can do. And that is. To believe. And the credit. Is all God's. God. Grants. Repentance. God. Imputes. Righteousness.

[13:42] Without works. Romans 4. 6. You need the righteousness. Of the saviour. But to him. That worketh not. But believeth on him. That justifieth the ungodly. His faith.

[13:53] Is counted. For righteousness. Romans 4. Verse 5. Have your faith today. Faith to think. Of the saviour. That payment. He can make.

[14:05] On your part. Of his debt. Paying those wages. That you. Are due. That he can take that pay packet. As it were. He can unfold that envelope.

[14:16] And extract. That payment. That you. Are due. That you have earned. By your sin. That I deserve. For my sinfulness. He opened the pay packet.

[14:27] And took. The very penalty. The very wages. Of death. That were due to us. And thank God. Simple faith. Makes this saviour. Yours. In Christ.

[14:37] We have. A love. That can never be fathomed. A life. That can never die. A righteousness. That can never be tarnished. A peace. That can never be understood. A rest.

[14:48] That can never be disturbed. A joy. That can never be taken away. A hope. That can never be disappointed. A glory. That can never be clouded.

[14:58] A light. That can never be darkened. A purity. That can never be defiled. A beauty. That can never be marred. A wisdom. That can never be baffled. And resources.

[15:10] That can never be exhausted. He's an absolute saviour. And his grace is extended still.

[15:22] The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Titus 2.11. The grace of God. It's appeared. It brings salvation. It's worldwide.

[15:33] A universal offer to mankind. Will you respond in faith? We read of how it's not by works of righteousness. Lest any man should boast.

[15:46] It's by grace he are saved through faith. And that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. It's a gift. Friends. The grace that he extends is still a gift today.

[15:58] The great joy is his saving power. Is able to save the most wretched. Thank God for that. He doesn't look at some and think they're beyond the scope of him reaching.

[16:10] He's able to save the most wretched. And he's able to save them to the uttermost. Thank God for the simplicity of the gospel. He comes to the humble and to the contrite.

[16:20] Not to the proud. Not to the righteous of themselves. And he extends that gift. He offers to pay that payment. And it's free. It cannot be purchased.

[16:31] It comes as little children will receive a gift. It's that simple. Friends today. Will you come? There was a lady Charlotte Elliot. Came to a preacher one day.

[16:45] And asked how she could become a Christian. And the old man replied. My dear it is very simple. You have only to come to Jesus. And she said to him.

[16:55] But I am a very great sinner. Will he take me just as I am? Come. And he said yes. He will take you just as you are. And no other way. Some people think they've got to come.

[17:07] They've got to be good enough to come. He says come just as you are. And come no other way. And she said if he will take me just as I am. Then I will come. She went to her home.

[17:19] And sat at her desk. And wrote the beautiful words of the gospel song. Just as I am. Without one plea. O Lamb of God. I come. I come.

[17:31] There was a godless workman one day. Laboring on the wharves. And he slipped. From the gangplank. He fell into the water.

[17:43] Between the wharf and the boat. And his last utterance was a horrible oath. He coasted and swore. With the foulest words. He did not surface but. After some time he was rescued and brought to shore.

[17:57] Apparently drowned. Strenuous efforts were put to resuscitate him. To bring him back to life. With his first breath he cried out. Praise God. I'm saved. Yes you are almost gone.

[18:10] Someone replied. Oh he said. I mean. I don't mean from drowning. I mean saved inside. The Lord has taken my sin away. Then he told them.

[18:22] That when he felt himself being sucked under the waves. He thought that the end was come. In his eye he saw himself. As a boy kneeling. At his mother's knee. As she poured out her earnest prayers for him.

[18:35] His sin. High as the mountain. Rose up before him. And in desperation he cried out to the Lord. To save his poor soul. And in that moment he realised forgiveness.

[18:46] And cleansing. And he lapsed into unconsciousness. However. When he regained his senses. He knew the great transaction. Had been accomplished. So he praised God.

[18:58] With his first breath. Praise God. I'm saved. Do you know that today? Will you come? Come just as you are.

[19:09] There's no other way. Come. Come. Believe. Without faith it is impossible. To please him. For he that cometh to God. Must believe. That he is. And that he is a rewarder of them.

[19:21] That diligently seek him. Only believe. And she shall bring forth her son. And thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins.

[19:36] The saviour from sin. Friends. If our greatest need had been information. God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology.

[19:46] God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money. God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure. God would have sent us an entertainer.

[19:58] But our greatest need was forgiveness. And so God sent us a saviour. God manifest in the flesh. Clothed in skin.

[20:09] Yet God. Fully God. While fully man. The saviour from sin. Thou shalt call his name Jesus. Friends. We are going to wrap up.

[20:20] As it were. This gift. As we consider. The name of Jesus today. Let's prayerfully. Just consider that gift. Consider the wages.

[20:32] The pay packet. For some. Perhaps you still. Are due to take that payment. Of death. For your sin. Yet in Christ. His death. Can be full payment.

[20:44] Made for you. Those wages of your sin. He can pay. In the death. Of the blood. Of the cross. They can be the payment. Friends. Come.

[20:56] Come to him. And believers today. Be encouraged. For that unspeakable gift. Run into. The name of the Lord. Whatever faces. These days ahead. Challenges.

[21:06] Of health. And testing. Of one kind or another. There is a strong tower. The name of the Lord. Is a strong tower. The righteous run into it. And are safe.

[21:18] Thank you.ยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยยย