CHRIST THE SAVIOUR (Part one)

By: His Lordship Bishop The Honourable Andres Quow OM

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us so that we can be called sons and daughters of God. We are into the season in which we remembered and celebrate the birth of Christ. I’ll be encouraging us from the Gospel of St. Matthew 1:18-25.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise. When His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child, of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “ Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and shall call His name Emmanuel, which is being interpreted, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from his sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him and took unto him his wife and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn Son, and he called his name Jesus.

Now, this is the coming of God into the human race, in order to save those who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. There has never been anyone like Jesus Christ! We see this in His birth through a miraculous conception. No one has ever been born like the Lord Jesus Christ. My God!! ‘’ That which is conceived in her is of The Holy Ghost ‘’. Now the Holy Spirit is never called the Father of Jesus. God is called the Father of Jesus, but it was through the agency of The Holy Spirit ofGod that this conception took place in the body of the virgin Mary. Beloved, no man had anything to do with the conception of Jesus. There was no taint of human sin whatsoever. That is the reason why this body was perfect, into which God the Son stepped and become one of us. He stooped to us, in order that He might lift us to God and Heaven and eternal salvation. The name Jesus carries with it the thought of God’s salvation, Saviour, the One Who is to do the saving, Jesus came to be the Saviour of all who would believe in Him. The bad thing is so many people think they can save themselves. Others think they can add to His work and help Him in the saving. Beloved, You and I cannot save ourselves, because Christ is the Only Saviour. You and I cannot add to what He has done; He is the Perfect Saviour. He is The Saviour and there is no other. We are to trust Him as our Saviour…. To be saved, we must trust the Lord Jesus. There are hearts can rest, just trusting Him to do it, just trusting ourselves over to Jesus, looking only to Him, depending on Him in utter confidence that He will keep His word, that He is The Saviour, Our Saviour and that He has done everything that needs to be done and is doing and will do everything necessary to bring us safely to heaven to share a happy eternity with Him. That is what it means to Believe!!! We commit it all to Him, in full trust that He will take care of everything for us. That is what the name Jesus means. He is the Savior, we are the saved if we trust Him.

Jesus was the Messiah, the Old Testament promised us a Deliverer who was to come into the world to deliver people from their sins. It was to be a two-fold operation. The first time, He will come and save people from sin by dying on a cross for us. The second time, He will come to deliver from sin and the devil completely and fully, to put sin out of business. All of this is involved in the word Messiah. The Messiah was to do two things…. Die for the sins of those who trust Him and deliver the world from the curse which was brought on by Adam’s sin. Jesus is wonderful not only in that He is a Savior and Messiah, but also He is the Son of David. This links Him to the Kingdom… God promised David a kingdom that will never end. Jesus Christ is the Descendant of David, and He will come again and sit on the throne of David, which He will raise up again. He will rule over this earth a thousand years as the Son of David. He has the Legal right…. What a wonderful thing. As we go through this Christmas season, let us pause for a moment and reflect on the main purpose of His birth.

I will continue with Part 2 of this message in my next writing. May Christ the Saviour continue to live in and around you.