JESUS SAVES HIS PEOPLE!

“And you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
—Matthew 1:21

JESUS MEANS “Jehovah is salvation” and that’s why Joseph must call Him Jesus— He is the One who shall save His people from their sins. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And we all need to be saved because we are all sinners; every one of us! The Apostle Paul declares in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Sometimes people deceive themselves into thinking they are pretty good, but the Bible is clear: “There is none righteous, no not even one; there’s none who understands, none who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is none who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12). But how often do you think about your many sins? How often do you humble yourself in repentance before God?

NOW WHAT IS SIN? According to 1 John 3:4, sin is lawlessness. Sin is rebellion against God’s law, which produces disastrous results. Because of sin our natural inclination is to think evil, speak evil and do evil. Because of sin lives are ruined, families are wrecked, children are abused, babies are aborted, women are raped, people are murdered, lies are told, alcohol is abused, men and women fornicate and commit adultery, etc. But these are only consequences in this present life. Far more devastating are the eternal consequences of our sin. You need to realize that your sin makes God extremely angry and His wrath is kindled against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Romans 1:18). You need to realize that the wages of our sin is eternal death in the everlasting flames of the lake of fire (Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:41).

BUT THE GOOD NEWS of the Gospel is found in Matthew 1:21, “The angel said to Joseph: You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” The angel clearly tells us the reason for the birth of Jesus Christ; “He will save His people from their sins.” The Greek text has the pronoun at the beginning of the clause for emphasis; “He (and no other) will save His people from their sins.” In other words, Christ alone! Has this truth shaken loose every excuse and idolatrous reliance in your life? Everyday people try to add something to what Christ has done for the salvation of sinners, but to no avail.

SO, WHAT’S the implication declared by the angel? There is salvation from the penalty of our sins through Jesus Christ. “He will save His people from their sins.” Christ’s death on the cross has paid the penalty for the sins of all who trust in Him. John reminds us, “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins” (I John 3:5). And we read in Hebrews 9:26 that “He (Christ) has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” And Matthew says, “He will save His people from their sins.” This tells us of the definite, securely accomplished work of Christ! It tells us that the death of Jesus Christ did not have mere potential to save but declares the assurance that His death actually saves from sin all those who believe in Him. This means we do not look to the Church to save us. We do not look to our water baptism to save us! We do not look to the Lord’s Supper to save us! We do not look to what we can do to save us! To do any of these things would make us an idolater, as the Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 95 reads, “What is idolatry? Idolatry is to conceive or have something else in which to place our trust instead of, or besides, the one true God who has revealed Himself in His Word.” The only One who can save us from our sins is Jesus Christ! How glorious is the birth of Jesus Christ! For He was born to save His people from their sins! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!! AMEN!!

Christmas Day Devotional: December 25, 2024
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry