STP Devotional for the Week of 9/23/24
Jesus is our Savior Luke 1:31-33
Savior: one that saves from danger or destruction; one who brings salvation. Salvation: deliverance from the power and effects of sin.
I’m the director of the Christmas class and I love how the Christmas story shows how we can know Jesus is Savior. I’d like to talk a little about the angel Gabriel who spoke to Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph. I’d like to focus on what he tells Mary. First, he tells her: “you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:31). The name “Jesus” means “God saves.” God intends to save all sinners through His only Son.
In the very next sentence, Gabriel tells Mary that Jesus will be called the Son of the Most High (v. 32). Only God’s Son can redeem us. Only God’s Son can save us from our sins. He’s not “a” way to salvation, or even the “best” way to salvation, He’s the only way. John 14:6
Next, Gabriel says that Jesus “will reign over the house of Jacob forever” (v. 33). Through Jesus, the promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David all came true. Although Jesus reigns with God in heaven, He also has an earthly realm. He holds all power over heaven and earth.
Finally, Gabriel says that Jesus’s kingdom will “have no end” (v. 33). Every earthly kingdom has an end. Earthly kingdoms are ruled by humans and, as such, will eventually come to an end. The fact that Jesus’s kingdom will have no end shows us His eternal nature. His power is over the past, the present, and the future.
Now that we understand the pronouncements of Gabriel, let’s look at what Jesus saves us from. He saves us from our sins. He frees us from eternal condemnation. Because God is holy, He does not tolerate sin. Because God is love, He sent His Son to rescue us. This meant that Jesus had to offer Himself on the cross and die for us. Because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, we no longer have to be separated from God. We can come straight to Him with our prayers and petitions. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Jesus not only saved us from sin and separation from God, He saved us “for” something. He saved us so that we could have a relationship with a heavenly Father who loves us. (John 3:16-18) He saved us so we could become ambassadors for Christ and share the gospel with the world. (2 Corinthians 5:20) He saved us so that we could do good works here on earth (Ephesians 2:8-10) and draw others closer to Him.
We need only look to the final prayer of Jesus to see how much He loves us. Rather than call down the angels to rescue Him, He prays, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
(Luke 22:41-42) He saw you as He prayed – all your trials and struggles. He saw you happy and sad. He saw you calm and anxious. He saw you and wants you to know that He experienced all of that. He knows what it’s like to be loved, betrayed, pursued by Satan, torn with concern, to pray and have God say “No.” He is our Savior and He makes life worth living.
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