************ Sermon on Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 29-30 ************
Doctrine: The Apostles' Creed, second line; the name "Jesus"
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on July 23, 2000
Q & A 29,30
Acts 4:1-12
"Jesus Saves"
I The Name "Jesus"
A When a child is born the parents have to give him or her a name. From personal experience I know this is not always easy. All names do not strike all parents in the same way. Often a name is rejected because one or both parents associate that name with certain and negative characteristics of someone else with the same name. Name picking isn't trouble free even if a child is named after a grandparent. The discussion then centers on which grandparent or great-grandparent and on which side of the family.
The baby born in Bethlehem had to have a name. But Mary and Joseph did not have to think of one or struggle about it. The angel commanded, "You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21). Mary and Joseph obeyed the angel because he was and is the Lord's messenger. So the Child's name became Jesus.
The Son of God was given a name. This indicates His full humanity. In this area too He became like us. And, for that time and place and among those people, it was a rather common or ordinary name.
B What's in a name? Our name is our designation. It is how we catalog ourselves; it is how others identify us. But our names don't say anything about us. All they serve to do is identify ourselves out of a teeming horde of humanity. When it comes right down to it, one name will suit us just as well as any other name.
This is not the case in Scripture. In the Bible a name is very important. It says something about the person with the name. The first man and woman, for instance, were given the name Adam meaning "mankind" and Eve meaning "mother of all living." Abram's name was changed to Abraham because he would be "the father of many nations." Issac means "laughter" and recalls the laughter and joy of Abraham and Sarah when they received a son in their old age. Hannah called her son Samuel because she asked him of the Lord.
Topic: Names
Subtopic:
Index: 3632-3640
Date: 7/2000.101
Title: Secret Name
When a male child is born in many African tribes, he is not initially given his true name. Rather, he is lent a temporary false one to confuse the spirits of death. Should the child survive his first few years he is given his permanent name.
But even this is not his real name. That he selects for himself at puberty, and will probably never tell anyone. Thus the African travels under an alias at all times, secure in the knowledge that nobody knows who he really is.
God, on the other hand, wants everyone to know the name of His Son. What we have to realize, congregation, is that in revealing to us the name of His Son, God is revealing to us something of His Son: His person, His being, His purpose, His mission. The name "Jesus" is part of God's revelation to us about the Son.
The name "Jesus" may have been a rather common or ordinary name in the first century, but when given to the Son of God it is a name of the utmost significance. The name Jesus is rooted in the Old Testament. Its Hebrew equivalent is Joshua. It means "Savior."
"Why is the Son of God called "Jesus" meaning "Savior"?" "Because he saves us from our sins." Jesus is exactly Who His name says He is: Jesus is Savior. That name sums up His being, His essence, His person. The name Jesus best summarizes the mission of the Son here on earth. The purpose of the incarnation and virgin birth, of Good Friday, of Easter Sunday, of the Ascension, can all be summed up in that name Jesus. The name Jesus is a constant reminder to us that Jesus is Savior, that He came to save, that He died and arose and ascended to save.
C Remember the day Mary and Joseph came to the Temple to present their firstborn son to the Lord? Try to imagine the scene: in the Temple are more parents with babies; men are standing in small circles and talking; women are standing and showing babies to each other. "And what is his name?" someone would ask Mary. "His name is Jesus," she would say. "What a nice baby and nice name," the questioner would respond.
Just then an old man comes straight to Mary. His eyes are shining and his voice is trembling. Mary hands over the baby to him because he has the face and appearance of a prophet. He holds the baby and looks to heaven and chants a song of praise to God "for my eyes have seen your salvation" (Lk2:30).
He is barely finished when a very old woman, a prophetess, comes hobbling over. "She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (Lk 2:38).
Can you imagine the reaction of the other parents: "why their baby?, why not ours?, what's so special about Mary's child?" You can well imagine that the other parents are somewhat insulted and irritated by the special attention paid to Jesus. Undoubtedly many of them dismissed the incident as the idle and wishful dreams of an old man and woman who no longer knew what they were doing or saying. But Simeon and Anna were not simply dreaming. They were the first to know that the Child is the name: "Call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins."
D Don't forget, we are talking about true faith, saving faith. True faith, saving faith, confesses belief in that name. We say, "I believe in Jesus Christ." So we, of all people, know the importance of the Name above every Name. For in that Name we are baptized. In that Name we offer up our prayers. It is that Name we daily confess before men. And, we know there is no other Name by which we are saved.
How sad that so many don't know the importance of this Name above every Name. Some have never heard of Jesus. Others profane His name: they call out the name Jesus when they hurt their finger or when they get mad at someone or when they tell a story or joke.
II Jesus Saves From Sin
A What does it mean that Jesus is Savior? From what does He save us? What is the result of salvation?
In the most basic sense we have to say that Jesus saves us from death to give us life. Think of a person drowning: a lifeguard jumps into the water and saves that drowning person from certain death. That's salvation from death to life! Or think of a person in a burning house: a fireman dashes through the flames and pulls that burning person away from certain death. That's salvation from death to life! Or think of a child who suddenly dashes into the middle of the road. A big truck is coming but the child does not notice. You jump and grab the child and keep him from being run over. That's an act of salvation – from death to life.
The best known Bible text speaks of this: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16). To perish means to drown, to burn, to go to hell. Its opposite is eternal life.
In its basic sense, salvation is always from death to life.
I think you all know why we need to be saved, why we need to be brought from death to life. We need this saving because of sin. The Bible says we are dead in our transgressions and sins (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13). But in Christ we are all brought from death to life.
B When Jesus came into the world, His own people did not want to think of Him as a savior from sin. The Jewish people were looking for a savior from the misery of Roman occupation. In Israel's history saviors were people, like the judges and the kings, who broke the yokes of tyrants. God sent those saviors for just that purpose. So the Jews of Jesus' day did not and could not accept or understand Him as a savior from sin.
Remember the time a paralytic's friends lowered him on his mat through the roof tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus? "Friend," said Jesus, "your sins are forgiven" (Lk 5:20). When Jesus said that, He surprised everybody and angered the religious leaders. "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Lk 5:21). The Pharisees were right: no one but God can forgive sins. The Pharisees were quite correct in accusing Jesus of doing what only God can do.
It was beyond the understanding of the Pharisees that Jesus, a man, was the Savior from sin.
C Jesus' redemptive work, however, cannot be limited solely to salvation from sin. Remember what Jesus did to the paralytic? Jesus said, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home" (Lk 5:24). To everyone's amazement the paralytic took up his mat and went out before them all.
What does this tell us? This tells us that Jesus' work of redemption not only includes salvation from sin but also the removal of sin's effects: hunger, poverty, sickness, death, and oppression. Jesus, in other words, brings a salvation that leaves no room for any of these; they must all disappear. The redemptive work of Jesus is cosmic in scope. His healing mercies extend to all of life.
But each in its own time. First, Christ goes to the cause of our curse and the heart of our misery: "Friend, your sins are forgiven." Only after this does He also make the blind see and the lame leap. First comes the forgiveness of sin; then comes the new creation. First comes the cross; then comes the crown.
Notice, all of our troubles start with sin. It is because of sin that there is sickness, death, pain, loneliness, hardship, and brokenness in our world. We have no hope and no future as long as our sin is not dealt with. But there is now no reason for anyone to remain in sin, because God has sent the Savior – the Lord Jesus. First He deals with sin, then He makes us ready to inherit a new creation.
III Jesus the Only, All-Sufficient Savior
A The Catechism reminds us of what the Scriptures say about Jesus: not only is He Savior, He is also the only Savior. The Apostle Peter, inspired of the Spirit, can say, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). In line with this the Catechism says, "Salvation cannot be found in anyone else; it is futile to look for any salvation elsewhere."
Many things, many people, and many ideologies promise salvation. But Jesus is the only Savior. He alone can save us from sin and He alone will give us the eternal Kingdom.
The Jesus of the Scriptures is the Savior we need because He alone can say with the voice of God, "Your sins are forgiven."
B Besides being the only Savior, Jesus is also the perfect Savior, the all-sufficient Savior. We have in Him all that we need for our salvation. It is not necessary for us to try and earn our own salvation. Salvation is not the result of living the golden rule. Jesus is all that we need for salvation. Nothing more is needed. No one else is needed. We don't do part and Christ does the rest. Salvation is totally and only a work of Jesus.
C Sin is our problem. Jesus is our only and all-sufficient Savior from sin. This means that Jesus is our first and greatest need. He is the only solution to the problems we face in life. That's why it is so important for us all to believe in Jesus, to say with the believing church of all ages, "I believe in Jesus." In fact, either we believe in Jesus or we have nothing.
Conclusion
"I believe in Jesus," says the articles of the Christian faith. This means I believe Jesus is my only and all-sufficient Savior from sin. This means I believe He not only forgives me my sin but someday will set all things right.
Right now Jesus is Savior. But He will not always remain this – as even the Creed makes clear – because someday He will return to judge the living and the dead.
Topic: Christ
Subtopic: Savior and Judge
Index:
Date: 8/1992.101
Title: Repent and believe now!
There is a story I told you once before of a frontier town where a horse bolted and ran away with a wagon carrying a little boy. Seeing the child in danger, a young man risked his life to catch the horse and stop the wagon.
The child who was saved grew up to become a wicked man, and one day he stood before a judge to be sentenced for a serious crime. The prisoner recognized the judge as the man who, years before, had saved his life; so he begged for mercy. "You saved me once," he said. "Can't you save me again?" But the judge said, "Young man, then I was your savior; today I am your judge, and I must sentence you to be hanged."
Yes, right now, today, Jesus is Savior. But there will come a day – the judgment day – when Jesus will be Judge. On that day Jesus will say to rebellious sinners,
"During that long time of grace I was the Savior and I would have forgiven you if you only had come to me. But today I am your Judge. Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire."