I am a day late posting the verses because the library was closed yesterday for Memorial Day here in the US.
Proverbs 3:27 -- "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."
Romans 12:13 -- "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality."
Isaiah 1:17 -- "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."
It is once again time for another posting of the Weekend Sermon. Thank you for taking the time to read the message this week.
As you may know, we are currently engaged in a series of messages about the names and titles for Jesus that are found in the Bible. In today's message, I want us to focus on the fact that Jesus is called Savior. In fact, the very name Jesus means Savior.
Jesus was called the Savior when He was born into this world. In Luke 2:11, the angels proclaimed to the shepherds when they announced Jesus' birth, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, He is the Messiah, the Lord." The Bible says that Jesus was given His name because He had come to save His people from their sin.
In John chapter 4, Jesus had an encounter with a woman who had come to draw water from a well. She came to recognize who Jesus was. She went and told the people in her village that Jesus was the Savior of the world.
In Acts 5:31, the Apostle Peter calls Jesus both Prince and Savior. In another place in Acts, Peter says that salvation can only come through Jesus Christ.
In his many epistles, the Apostle Paul often refers to Jesus as the Savior. For instance in 2 Timothy 1:10 we read, "but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.
Peter refers to Jesus as Savior several times in his second epistle. One of these occurrences is found in 2 Peter 3:18 which says, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever, Amen."
The Apostle John calls Jesus the Savior in I John 4:14. There we read, "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world."
Many other times in the Bible, Jesus is called Savior. Now we have this question. What is Jesus saving us from?
On this point, the Bible is quiet clear. We have seen it in the verses that we have already quoted so far. Jesus came into this world to save us from our sin. The Scriptures are clear that all people have sinned and disobeyed God. God being a just and holy God had to punish sin. At the same time, God is loving and merciful. He sent His Son into the world to die in our place and bear our sins in His body on the cross. Whoever will place their faith and trust in Jesus will be saved from their sins and receive eternal life. No one has to die in their sins. Jesus is the Savior and will forgive anyone who comes to Him and asks to be forgiven.
In addition to being saved from our sins by the Lord Jesus, we have been saved from the consequences of sin. Because of sin, death entered into the world and death passed upon all people and all creatures. However, Jesus rose bodily from the grave conquering death, hell and the grave. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Him will live again and be with Him forever in the place that He has prepared for those who love Him.
Finally, Jesus saves the universe from the disorder of sin. One day, Jesus will return and restore this entire universe to the way that it was before sin came. All will be restored to the Edenic state. Jesus truly is the Savior of the world. You can know Him as your personal Savior today. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I am having a lot of pain. Please pray that I will get better. Thank you.
Please pray for those affected by the terrible storm in the Pacific. I know that Guam and other places had a lot of damage. Pray that people will receive the aid that they need.
Continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world. Keep praying for Sudan and Ukraine. Pray for all of the places where there is unrest and turmoil such as Haiti.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Cambodia and Senegal. Pray that many will come to know the Savior Jesus.
Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I might post something midweek. May God bless you all.
I Corinthians 1:18 -- "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God."
I Corinthians 4:20 -- "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power."
Thanks for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I hope that you are all doing well.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been looking at some of the names and titles of Jesus that are found in the Bible. Today, we will be looking at what I am calling an implied title for Jesus based upon something that He said and some other passages in the Bible. Today, we will consider the fact that Jesus is the Great Physician.
This term for Jesus is taken from an encounter that Jesus had with the religious leaders of His day after He had called Levi, also known as Matthew, as one of His disciples. Jesus saw Levi at the tax collection table where he was working. Jesus called Levi to follow Him, and the Bible says that Levi immediately left his tax collection booth and began to follow Jesus. Levi then held a banquet for Jesus, and Levi invited other tax collectors and those considered sinners to the banquet. Jesus went to the banquet and dined with Levi and his guests.
Jesus' action upset the religious leaders. They said why does this man eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus being God in the flesh knew what they were thinking. He said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous but sinners."
Jesus is also referred to as the Great Physician due to the fact that His ministry was marked by healing of many people. Time and time again as recorded in the Bible, Jesus opened the eyes of the blind, He made the lame to walk, He healed those who couldn't hear, and He healed many others of a variety of other ailments.
In Isaiah 53 and in I Peter 2:24, the Bible says that Jesus provided healing for us through His suffering and death. These verses tell us that by His stripes we are healed.
Now, let us look closer at what it means that Jesus is the Great Physician. First of all, Jesus came to provide the remedy for the sin sick soul. All of us have been afflicted with the spiritual sickness of sinfulness. But, Jesus through His death and resurrection has provided the cure for our sin problem. Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus and what He has done for them are freed from sin and are made a new creation in Christ Jesus.
Once we become a believer, it doesn't mean that all of our problems are immediately over. We still often struggle with sin and temptation. But, Jesus provides for us and helps us to overcome the sins and the spiritual problems in our lives.
Jesus is the Great Physician also in that He helps us with our psychological problems and emotional difficulties. He is always with us. He is always by our side. Whenever we are going through rough times mentally, the Lord Jesus strengthens us and helps us to make it through. He is our peace.
Just as Jesus healed people while He was here on this earth, Jesus is still healing people today. He is our Great Physician who we can go to when we are hurting and need help physically. I believe that we should pray for healing for ourselves and others. Jesus has healed me of a condition called vitiligo. He healed my friend Toby of many ailments when I prayed for him. Sometimes, we are not always healed in this life, but we who are in Christ will all be made whole when we see Jesus face to face in the home that He has prepared for us.
Whatever hard time or hard situation that you are going through right now, I urge you to place your difficulty in the hands of the Great Physician, and let Him bring healing and wholeness to your life. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I am still struggling with some health issues. Please keep praying. I am believing that the Great Physician will work a miracle in my life.
Please continue to pray for those affected by natural disasters around the world. I know that Myanmar and Bangladesh were recently hit by a bad storm. Pray that people will receive the aid that they need in these hard times.
Continue to pray for peace. Ukraine, Syria, Sudan and Yemen are just a few of the nations that need our prayers for peace.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Bosnia and Comoros. Pray that many will come to know Jesus.
Next week, I will try to post the sermon on Friday like normal. I will post the verses on Monday. May God bless you all.
This week, I will once again have to post the weekend sermon on Saturday instead of Friday. Thank you.
Romans 6:14 -- "For sin shall not longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."
I Peter 1:13 -- "Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming."
Titus 2:11 -- " For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people."
Welcome to the weekend sermon. I am sorry about posting the sermon a little later than usual. I am still having a lot of health problems, and I really need your prayers right now. I hope that you all are doing very well.
For the past few weeks we've been studying the names and titles given to Jesus in the Bible. Last week, we saw that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In the message for today, I want us to focus on the fact that Jesus is the Messiah.
As we begin, let us look at what the term Messiah means. The word Messiah means "the Anointed One". Christ is a Greek word that means the same thing. So, when we say Jesus Christ, we are saying that Jesus is the Messiah or the Anointed One.
Where did the concept of the Messiah begin in the Bible? The first proclamation that God would send a redeemer to His people is found in Genesis 3:15. God promised that one born of the woman would crush the power of the serpent. As we read on in the Bible, we see that the Messiah was one who would bring justice to the nations and would have the Spirit of the Lord upon Him. We see this in verses such as Isaiah 42:1. We also read about the Anointed One in Daniel 9 as well as other passages.
What was the Messiah supposed to do? Zechariah 9:9 tells us that He will bring salvation. We also read about the salvation the Messiah will bring through His sacrifice in passages like Isaiah 53. In addition to bringing salvation, the Bible says in passages including Jeremiah 23:5 that the Messiah will reign as king. He will rule in righteousness and bring justice to the entire earth.
As Christians, we believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah. One of the reasons that Christians believe this is that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies about the coming Messiah in the Old Testament. For instance, in Micah, we are told that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. That was the place of Jesus' birth. Isaiah tells us that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. Isaiah 53 tells us about the suffering Servant of God the Messiah. Jesus who suffered and died for us fulfilled this completely. There are many, many more prophecies concerning the Messiah that Jesus fulfilled. I urge you to study these.
Now, some will say that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies about the Messiah ruling and reigning. Jesus will fulfill all of these when He comes again. Since the prophecies of His first coming having all been fulfilled, we can have confidence that Jesus will fulfill all of the remaining prophecies as well.
The main reasons that we as Christians believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah is that He said that He was the Messiah, and God confirmed His word when Jesus was raised from the dead. In John 4:25-26 we read, "The woman said to Him I know that the Messiah is coming(He who is called Christ.) When He comes, He will tell us all things, Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am He." Right here, Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. When Jesus was raised to life after His crucifixion, that was the sign that the Father confirmed all that the Son had said and done. Jesus is who He said He was.
Jesus is the Anointed One. He has come to save us from our sin. If we accept Him as Savior and Lord, we will one day rule and reign with Him when He returns to establish His kingdom that will have no end. I hope that you will come to faith in Jesus Christ today. Amen.
Prayer Requests
In addition to my health concerns, I would ask that you pray in regard to my job. There is a lot of turmoil at work right now, and it is hard to keep going in to work everyday.
Please continue to pray for those who are dealing with natural disasters around the world. Pray that they will receive that aid that they need.
I believe that we should all thank the Lord that the coronavirus is not as much of problem as it was. Here in my country, the emergency order regarding covid has been lifted. I know that there are still people catching the virus, so we still need to pray that the sick will recover. Let us all pray for those dealing with long covid that they will get better soon.
Continue to pray for peace in Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen and the other troubles areas of this world.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Maldives and Mauritius. Pray that many will come to know Jesus as Lord.
Next week, we will continue with our current series. I will post the verses on Monday, and I may have a midweek post. May God bless you all.
