The Savior Of The World – Part 1
Isaiah 42:1-25 (1-4)
February 25, 2024
It is quite possibly the first verse that many of you ever learned as a child.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
It is a tremendous statement made by Jesus.
Unfortunately it is often misconstrued and distorted.
It is important to know what this verse does not mean.
For one, it is not teaching UNIVERSALISM.
While Jesus rightly focuses on the love of God here, He DOES NOT SAY that God sent His Son “that everyone would be saved.”
• That is clearly not the message.
• There is a limitation in the redemption.
• It is limited only to those who believe.
But this verse is also not teaching PROVISIONISM (Arminianism).
Those who reject God’s sovereign election like to use this verse as their text to say that, if the offer is for “whoever” then election cannot be true.
• This verse does teach that whoever believes is saved.
• But it says nothing about why they can believe, or where faith comes from.
• Jesus actually answered that question earlier in the chapter when He said it is only those who have been “born again” who have this capacity.
So we don’t use this verse to teach universalism
And we don’t use it to teach provisionism or Arminianism.
SO WHAT DOES THIS VERSE TEACH?
This verse teaches the whole world
About the matchless and marvelous love of God
Whereby despite their rebellion, God has sent the world a Savior.
He didn’t send multiple saviors, He only sent one.
He didn’t send just any savior, He sent His Son.
God would have been perfectly just in simply destroying humanity for their rebellion.
• He could have ended it all in the garden.
• He could have ended it all at the flood.
But instead God loved the world
And chose to offer salvation to it through His Son.
And the use of the word “world” is important in John’s gospel
• Jesus reminds us here that He is also NOT ONLY the Savior of Jews,
• But that in fact He is the entire world’s Savior.
John calls Him
John 1:9 “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”
Jesus reiterated this in:
John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
In his epistle John also said:
1 John 2:2 “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
This does NOT INDICATE that Jesus has in fact propitiated all the sins of every person, if that were true, no one would go to hell.
What it does teach is that He is the Savior of more than just Jews. He is the whole world’s Savior.
Paul based his ministry upon it:
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Jesus is not the Savior of Jews only.
He is not only the Redeemer of Israel.
JESUS IS IN FACT THE WORLD’S SAVIOR.
When God sent Peter to Cornelius and they were saved and received the Holy Spirit, the Jews then consented:
Acts 11:18 “When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”
When debate broke out about circumcision and whether God was saving Gentiles apart from them converting to Judaism, James stated:
Acts 15:15-18 “With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’ SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO.”
When Paul wrote to the Ephesian church he reminded Gentiles of what Jesus had done for them as well as the Jews.
Ephesians 2:11-13 “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Jesus is the world’s Savior.
Jesus Himself said:
John 10:16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”
And so His saving call goes out to the entire world.
John 1:9-13 “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Anyone who will call upon Jesus will be saved whether they are Jewish or not.
Romans 10:11-13 “For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
Jesus appearing on this earth in such a capacity
Is a tremendous testimony to the love of God.
Our God delights in saving sinners.
He sent His Son to be the world’s Savior.
And you might be saying, that’s absolutely true,
BUT WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ISAIAH 42?
If you will remember what we covered last week in Isaiah 41
We saw a “Town Hall” meeting with God.
• God addressed “the coastlands”
• They were people filled with anxiety and fear because Cyrus of Persia was on
his way.
• God told those people that Cyrus was coming at His command,
• That should have led those people to seek God in repentance similar to what
the King of Nineveh did at the preaching of Jonah.
However, instead of seeking God and seeking mercy,
The coastlands sought idolatry.
The decided to work hard and make a god who might be their deliverance.
This was a foolish decision and God even told them so,
For unlike the God of Israel,
These gods they made had no knowledge of anything.
• Israel’s God had promised to be with them in Chaos.
• Israel’s God had promised to help them in Conflict.
• Israel’s God had promised to answer them in Crisis.
And then God looked at those nations with their idols and asked, “What has your god promised to do for you?” And there was no answer.
God pronounced judgment upon those impotent little carvings.
Isaiah 41:24 “Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.”
Everything in that statement is true.
• Idols aren’t worth anything.
• Idols can’t do anything.
• And everyone who chooses to worship idols instead of the living God is in fact an abomination and deserves judgment at the hand of God.
As our youth have been studying in Romans 1:
Romans 1:18-25 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
• If you suppress the truth about the true God of creation
• And instead choose to give His glory and honor to some carved image
• Then you absolutely deserve every ounce of judgment that you will receive.
God deserves honor and gratitude
Those who give it to some hunk of stone instead of Him
Deserve to be punished.
IDOLATRY IS AN ABOMINATION.
THAT IS WHY God went on to say that
He was sending Cyrus of Persia to meet out judgment.
Isaiah 41:25 “I have aroused one from the north, and he has come; From the rising of the sun he will call on My name; And he will come upon rulers as upon mortar, Even as the potter treads clay.”
• Cyrus will come and he will crush you.
• He will trample you under foot.
• He will walk on you like gravel.
And God asks if any other god is going to be able to stop him?
Isaiah 41:28-29 “But when I look, there is no one, And there is no counselor among them Who, if I ask, can give an answer. “Behold, all of them are false; Their works are worthless, Their molten images are wind and emptiness.”
• No one helps.
• No one delivers.
• No one can save.
All of your idols are false and worthless and empty.
AND THAT IS HOW THE CHAPTER ENDED.
God telling the coastlands that on the day Cyrus arrives
They are going to be sorely disappointed in the saviors they have made.
And we know that God WOULD BE TOTALLY JUST if He just said, “See ya, good luck with the coming judgment!”
But what did we learn about God in John 3:16?
“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Even though they have rejected Him.
Even though they have become an abomination.
Even though they have given the glory He deserves to idols.
God still loves humanity.
And God still offers them salvation.
And that is what we read about in Isaiah 42.
We find here an invitation from God to the world
To come to Israel’s Savior.
Jesus is not only the hope of Israel, He is the hope of the nations.
He is the hope of the coastlands.
He is the Savior of the world.
And now, after having revealed to the nations that their plans of salvation won’t work, God offers to them the Savior who will.
Let’s look at this amazing invitation of God
Which is given even to an idolatrous, pagan, Gentile people, who do not deserve it.
5 points here
#1 THE SAVIOR ANNOUNCED
Isaiah 42:1-4
I hope as we read these verses you have something in you that is saying, “That is familiar, have I seen that before?”
Because you have.
TURN TO: MATTHEW 12
I wish I had the time to fully develop for you the entire setting that prompted Matthew to quote this passage, but here is a quick synopsis of what you need to know.
The first 11 chapters of Matthew’s gospel primarily do 2 things.
• They reveal Jesus as the Messiah (lineage, birth, coronation, miracles)
• They reveal how badly man needs Him (Sermon on the Mount)
Most of the first 11 chapters of Mathew’s gospel
Are very convicting if not totally condemning.
It reveals man’s unrighteousness and unwillingness to hear the truth.
In fact, it is in chapter 11 where Jesus announces that
Israel is unwilling to hear what He has to say.
• That is where He pronounces judgment upon Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum
• Saying that even Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon would have repented if they had received the amount of truth these cities had seen.
Jesus was living among stubborn sinners who hated the truth.
But it was at this time that Jesus offered the great invitation of the book.
(11:28-30) “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
It is an invitation, NOT TO the strong OR TO the righteous,
BUT TO the broken and the meek and the exhausted.
He promised to remove their burden and give them rest in exchange.
It is all bound up in His ability to fulfill the Law on behalf of sinners and impute that earned righteousness to their account.
• He will do the work for them.
• He will pay off their debt.
• They will go free and can now enjoy rest from their labors.
It is the glorious invitation of Jesus
To save those who know they cannot save themselves.
We love that about Him.
We do, but the religious leaders did not.
They just hear Jesus declare free all of those people they had spent a lifetime enslaving.
• Remember they were the ones who tied up heavy burdens on people?
• Remember they were the ones who kept people in bondage under their added commands?
Jesus coming and declaring men free did not set well
In chapter 12 the battles began to break out.
• You see the Pharisees attack Jesus and His disciples for supposedly working on the Sabbath (1-8)
• You see the Pharisees bring a man with a withered hand into the synagogue to test to see if Jesus will break their Sabbath rules. (9-14)
And it ends ultimately with the Pharisees seeking to destroy Jesus.
He was setting all their prisoners free, they had to do something.
And then we get to verse 15.
(READ 15-21)
We see that Jesus withdraws.
• He doesn’t stay to debate the hard-hearted religious elite,
• He withdraws to continue to share the gospel to others.
He continues to work miracles.
• Unlike the Pharisees He actually demands to be kept in anonymity.
He’s not looking for earthly popularity or power,
• He is looking to save those who need saving.
And as Matthew sees this humble Savior,
Willing to save anyone who is broken, anywhere and anytime,
It clicks with Matthew.
(17-21) “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”
Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-4
He is the One Isaiah talked about.
• The One who would save anyone, even Gentiles.
• The One who would save the broken and hopeless.
• The One who unlike the false saviors came to set sinners free not bind them
Matthew, like Isaiah, reminds that Jesus is the world’s Savior.
He saves sinners from every people tribe and tongue.
THIS IS THE LOVE GOD IS OFFERING
Even to these pagan coastlands
Who thus far have preferred a hunk of molten metal to God.
So let’s look at this competent Savior whom God has sent to the world.
I want to break this down into 5 facts about him.
1) HIS CALLING (1)
“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.”
If you want to talk about a fully loaded statement, this is it.
How many ways can God endorse Him?
• He is “My Servant” – the One who is with Me.
• He is the One “whom I uphold” – the only One I’m supporting.
• He is “My chosen one” – the One I have selected.
• He is the One “in whom My soul delights” – the only One I’m pleased with.
• “I have put My Spirit upon Him” – the only One I have equipped.
How many ways does God have to say it?
JESUS IS HIS CHOSEN AND APPROVED SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.
In all the conversations that are had about competing religions today…
You know someone says “There are many roads up the same mountain”.
• People like this so-called god because of this reason…
• People choose this so-called savior because of that reason…
But continually overlooked by these people
Is the one question they ought to be asking.
You ought not ask what Savior you are willing to accept.
You ought to ask what Savior God is willing to accept.
We talk about this in the book of Hebrews with the conversations regarding the High Priest.
Hebrews 5:1-4 “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.”
• We have a man here whose sole purpose is to mediate between God and man.
• He is selected to take the sacrificial offering before God to appease His wrath.
• He is presenting the offering for his sin and for your sin.
• But key to the understanding is the statement, “And no one takes the honor
to himself, but receives it when he is called by God”
That is to say, the priest will do you no good if God won’t deal with him.
You must use the priest that God has agreed to deal with.
And how true must this also be of the Savior.
It is of little consequence if you like him
If the God to whom you must be reconciled does not.
Well, the beauty of this passage is that
God mentions from the beginning that this coming servant is
His chosen, approved, acceptable, even delightful Savior.
Jesus is endorsed by God.
John 5:36-37 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.”
God not only ACCEPTS Him, God ENDORSES Him.
God UPHOLDS Him.
“My Servant, whom I uphold;”
• Do we not see God protecting Him in infancy?
• Do we not see God sending angels to ministry to Him after His temptation?
• Do we not see God testifying to Him through His miraculous power?
• Do we not see God strengthening Him in all hardship and suffering?
God DELIGHTS in Him.
“My chosen one in whom My soul delights.”
• Did God not speak audibly at His baptism that “this is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased”?
• Did He not audibly testify again at His transfiguration?
• Did God not raise Him from the dead?
God EMPOWERS Him.
“I have put My Spirit upon Him”
Certainly in His deity Jesus is omnipotent, but in His humanity
He had to be clothed with power from on high.
And God did that.
• The Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove.
• And Jesus went in the power of the Spirit doing all manner of miraculous works that could only be attributed to God.
This is God’s Savior.
And about this Savior God says:
“He will bring forth justice to the nations.”
First we see the guarantee: “He will”
There is no chance that He will not succeed.
Your pathetic idols that sit there not tottering
Can’t even speak let alone deliver.
THIS ONE WILL SUCCEED.
He will succeed in bringing “justice”
• Do you moan and grieve over the injustice of this world?
• Do you grieve corruption?
• Do you grieve suffering?
• Do you grieve death?
• Do you grieve hunger, sickness, poverty, cruelty?
All those things are here because of the idolatrous heart of man.
But God’s Savior will bring “justice”
And not just to the Jews, but to “the nations”.
HE IS THE WORLD’S SAVIOR.
So all of you coastlands
• Who are languishing under the load of a created idol that can’t do anything except not fall over…
• Who are terrified at the prospect of Persia coming in and trampling you under foot…
WHY NOT LOOK TO GOD’S ENDORSED SAVIOR?
He is the Savior whom God sent to save the nations.
That is His Calling
2) HIS COMMUNICATION (2)
“He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street.”
It is a simple way to speak of His gentleness and compassion.
• He is not a bully.
• He is not a carnival barker.
When this verse is quoted by Matthew in the New Testament he uses a couple of interesting words.
Matthew quotes this verse as “He will not quarrel or cry out”
“quarrel” translates ER-ID-ZO and it means “to wrangle” or “argue”.
One commentator noted that, “used to describe the calm temper of Jesus in contrast with the vehemence of the Jewish doctors wrangling together about tenets and practices”
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2051/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/
In other words, where you might see doctors arguing or complaining about what a pain all the patients are and fighting over the best ways to treat them, not Jesus.
• We think of that hemorrhaging woman who had endured so much at the
hands of the doctors and had only grown worse.
• We think of the synagogue official who actually scolded the woman who was
bent over double for coming to be healed on the Sabbath.
And Jesus is nothing like that.
• If you come to Him for SALVATION He won’t attack you, He will save you.
• If you come to Him in your INFIRMITY He won’t belittle you, He will heal you.
• If you come to Him in your SIN He won’t mock you, He will forgive you.
He is a Savior, not a carnival barker.
The other word Matthew uses is “cry out”
“cry out” translates KROW-GAD-ZO it actually means to “squawk like a bird”
Some ancient Greek writings use it for people who cry out in the theatre, we might think of it as a roaring crowd at a football game.
IT IS THE OBNOXIOUS CRY OF THE FAN.
That is not Jesus.
• He isn’t trying to manipulate you or exploit you.
• He isn’t trying to use you.
• He is content to save you without making a big deal about it for everyone to see.
• He didn’t parade the woman at the well, she did that on her own.
• He didn’t walk Matthew through the streets boasting about how powerful He was.
• He didn’t use Zaccheus or the woman caught in adultery as website headlines to garner attention.
He didn’t come to bully.
He didn’t come to threaten.
He didn’t come to exploit.
He didn’t come to enslave.
HE CAME TO SAVE.
His Calling, His Communication
3) HIS COMPASSION (3)
“A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.”
We know what “a bruised reed” is.
• If you take one of those reeds like a cane pole you fish with,
• Once you bend it in two there’s no supporting it again, it’s broken.
We know what “a dimly burning wick” is.
• It is a candle wick that is no longer flaming, it’s just smoldering.
THE FIRST IS a broken person who has nothing left that the world sees of value.
THE SECOND IS a hopeless person who feels as though they have nothing left to give.
One is cast off by the world the other is cast off by themselves.
JESUS CASTS OFF NEITHER.
• Mary Madalene had 7 demons…
• The woman at the well had 5 husbands…
• Matthew and Zaccheus had ruined reputations…
• The woman in the synagogue had been bound for 18 years…
• Countless others had physical liabilities…
AND JESUS HAD TIME FOR THEM ALL.
He wasn’t like a typical world ruler who only wanted to surround Himself with the strongest and most obvious victors.
He saw the broken, the cripple, the lame, the exhausted, and the hopeless
And He welcomed them.
In fact, He offered mercy to them.
• Who could forget the woman of ill repute in the Pharisees house?
Luke 7:44-50 “Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Where the world sees only people they can use for their advantage
Jesus was filled with compassion.
He didn’t come to use people, He came to save people.
• Even broken people.
• Even people who seemed to have no value.
• He doesn’t reject the outcast.
And God even announces a promise here at the end of verse 4
“He will faithfully bring forth justice.”
If you read the translation Matthew gives in his gospel it says, “until He leads justice to victory.”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
It means He will totally succeed in His mission
And actually save everyone He came to save.
He will not fail in His mission for one single person He came to save.
Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
• He will do it.
Matthew 18:11 “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”
• He didn’t come to potentially save some, He came to actually save them.
1 Timothy 1:15 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”
• Again, to actually save sinners.
Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”
• He actually bore the sin of many and brought salvation to them.
Do you see that Jesus didn’t come to potentially save?
He came to actually save, and “He will faithfully bring forth justice.”
John 6:37-39 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”
This compassionate Savior will actually save the broken and the outcast.
If you are broken and weary, then I have good news for you.
He is a real Savior who actually saves.
His Calling, His Communication, His Compassion
4) HIS COMMITMENT (4a)
“He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth…”
This verse is omitted in Matthew’s quotation, but Matthew certainly believed it.
What do we make of it?
• He won’t quit before He is finished.
• He won’t stop when it gets hard.
• He will push through and accomplish it all.
Certainly we see this in years of ministry…
Certainly we see this in that prayer in the garden…
But if there was ever any doubt as to whether or not Jesus would endure and go all the way, it is settled in one verse.
John 19:30 “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
While Jesus was on earth the enemy threw everything he had at Him.
• He tempted Him with every temptation.
• He persecuted Him with family and religious leaders.
• He attacked Him at every turn.
AND JESUS NEVER QUIT.
Even when facing the eternal wrath of God for sin He did not commit,
JESUS ENDURED.
• Sweating drops of blood in the garden, JESUS ENDURED.
• Being wrongfully arrested by the Romans, JESUS ENDURED.
• Being tried and beaten, mocked and scorned, JESUS ENDURED.
“faithfully He bore it, spotless to the last, brought it back victorious, when from death He passed.”
5) HIS CONSUMMATION (4b)
“And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
Or as Matthew quotes it, “In His name the Gentiles will hope.”
That is to say again,
He is not just the savior of the Jews, He is the savior of the world.
1) These coastlands were facing judgment
• To try and alleviate it had decided to build idols to save them.
2) God told them it was foolish
• And pointed out that trusting idols only leads to ruin.
3) And then God introduced the one Savior who could save us all.
He reached beyond the lineage of Jews
And offers salvation to all the nations.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
JESUS IS THE HOPE OF THE NATIONS.
He saves rebellious sinners
He saves broken sinners
He saves seasoned sinners
He saves weary sinners
He saves Gentile sinners
Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners…sinners like us.
This morning, we celebrate that the best way we know how in the church,
With the taking of the Lord’s Supper.
We eat this bread and remember the body God gave Him in which He fulfilled the Law of God and earned the righteousness He imputes to us.
We drink this juice and remember the blood He shed as a payment for the sins which we committed.
And we partake in gratitude and in faith that Jesus did this for us,
Even Gentiles, even the broken and outcast, even unworthy sinners.
HE CAME TO SAVE US.
This morning we’ll have a TIME OF PREPARATION
And then partake of the Lord’s Supper.
LORD’S SUPPER
• Deacons come forward
1 Timothy 1:12-15 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”
• Give bread to deacons
• Deacon prayer
• Deacons pass out bread
Matthew 26:26 “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
• Take bread
Luke 19:8-10 “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
• Give juice to deacons
• Deacon prayer
• Deacons pass out juice
Matthew 26:27-28 “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”
• Take juice
• Deacon Prayer
• Parting Hymn
