What A Savior
April 23, 2019
I’ve had the opportunity to celebrate a few significant victories in my lifetime. The first was when my High School Basketball Team, the North Salem Vikings, defeated the Number One Ranked Team in the Nation on our home court. We screamed, rushed the floor, hugged our players and celebrated like crazy. We were so happy. It was an amazing achievement. It was great. Then I remember when the Blazers won their only NBA Title championship in 1976. For the first time in my life we had a championship team in Oregon. Something I’ll never forget. Then in 2014, when the Seahawks won their only Super Bowl, nearly a million people attended the celebration parade. It was great. But it was short-lived. You win, but then you’ve got to start all over again. And there seems to be a whole lot more agony of defeat than the joy of winning. But when you think about it, we love to celebrate a victory. That’s what makes this day so sweet. Every year, after remembering the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, we all know, Sunday’s coming. That Sunday isn’t just Easter Day. It’s Resurrection Day! Jesus rose from the grave and defeated sin and death! He is Risen! The battle is over. And we get to celebrate a Risen Savior not just today, but everyday until He returns for His Church!
And all I want to say as we celebrate Jesus today is this: What A Savior! There is No One Like Jesus! He is a one of a kind Savior. No other religious leader even comes close. So as we have this chance to celebrate Jesus today, I want to lift up Jesus and show you what sets Him apart as our matchless Savior. So if you brought your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to open it to 1 Peter 2:22-25, where Peter lays out for us what Jesus did that sets Him apart as our One of a Kind Savior. But before we do that, let’s just read this passage together.
“He committed no sin,and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:22-25
So what makes Jesus our matchless Savior? Well the first thing we see is something Jesus didn’t do: “He committed no sin,and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
What Jesus didn’t do, was to commit sin. He was innocent, pure, faultless. There was not one single instance when He succumbed to temptation. He never rebelled against God’s will. He never spoke a deceitful word. He never took advantage of anyone. He loved God with all his heart, mind, soul and strength; and loved His neighbor as himself. Jesus Christ lived a completely sinless life. Christ’s sinlessness is explicitly declared in 2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who hadno sin to be sinfor us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God; in Hebrews 4:15; For we do not havea high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin; and in 1 John 3:5, But youknow that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. But the best description of Jesus’ sinless life came from the thief who was crucified with Jesus, when he said,“We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Luke 23:41
Because Jesus never sinned he was able to take our place on the cross and take the punishment our sin deserves. He was a perfect substitute for us. John Stott describes this substitution perfectly when he wrote these words: “For the essenceof sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself only where man deserves to be.”
Why did Jesus do this? Why did Jesus live a sinless life? Because we cannot not save ourselves.We can try to live good lives, but that’s not enough. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So God did for us what we could not do for ourselves:
Jesus gave Himself as a sinless sacrifice to save all mankind. That is why Jesus is a One of a Kind Savior. Jesus took your place on that cross. Jesus took my place on that cross. Jesus took the punishment we deserved for our sins. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. No one else could do that for us. Only Jesus. Only Jesus was without sin. Only Jesus could satisfy God’s wrath. There is no one like Jesus. “What a Savior!”
Now there’s something else Jesus didn’t do. Look at how Peter describes Jesus’ character in the face of suffering: When they hurled their insultsat him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23
Jesus was innocent, yet He was treated unjustly at the hands of wicked men. He was betrayed, arrested, falsely tried. He was punched and spat upon. He was brutally flogged, bits of his flesh torn from his body with every lash. Then as he hung there on the cross, pain ripping through his body with every breath, He was bombarded with pure hatred by all the insults and mocking from the very people he was dying for.
And yet, never once did Jesus cease loving those who beat, mocked or ridiculed him. This is a key. Because up to this point Jesus had lived a perfect sinless life. And yet, even in the midst of this onslaught of evil, Jesus could have broke down and called down judgment on his torturers, but he never did. Rather, he chose not to retaliate but to trust in God who judges justly. Rather than take matters into his own hands, He left his destiny in the hands of God. He obeyed the Scriptures that say not to seek vengeance but leave vengeance to God. When he could have complained, could have judged, could have retaliated, he chose not to.
Rather, He chose to believe God was just, so he committed himself to God. He believed God’s justice would prevail, and so endured His suffering in love. For even as the worst of evil was thrown at Him; even while dying in agony, Jesus is focused on loving those around him. He tells one thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” He tells his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” He tells John, “Here is your mother.”And then over the mocking voices of the crowd He tells the Father: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”Luke 23:34
That’s matchless mercy:Jesus Chose Not to Retaliate But To Trust in God If you have ever doubted that God loves you, look at how Jesus loved. He took the worst evil could muster and trusted God instead. He is matchless in His mercy. And now anyone who trusts in Him will be saved. What a Savior! But there’s more…
Let’s now look at what Jesus did for you while He was on the cross: Peter writes:“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, 1 Peter 2:24a Jesus suffering had purpose. Jesus himself bore our sins in his body. This is picture is of ritual sacrifice – the same picture of Abraham bringing his son Isaac up to the altar. But here, it is Jesus giving His body as the offering. Jesus himself, the sinless One, was so identified with our sins that He bore the consequences of our sins. He took the blame for them. He gave His body as the offering for our sin. But that’s not all, for in giving his body to be sacrificed on the cross, he also took upon himself the ‘curse’ we deserved.
And that “curse” goes all the way back to Deuteronomy 21:22-23 which reads: If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a tree, you must not leave the body hanging on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. So when Jesus died on that tree He carried the deepest shame of a criminal. His death was the worst from of public humiliation.
And what that means for us is this: Jesus didn’t just take away your sin on the cross, but He removed your shame. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Galatians 3:13
In other words, by his death for you on that tree: Jesus Took All the Blame and Carried Your Shame Every sin you’ve ever committed or will ever commit was paid for on that tree. And the curse of the law was removed. So now when anyone puts their trust in Jesus, they are saved from the curse of the law. You will not be judged for your sin, because Jesus redeemed you from the curse of the law. That’s what makes Jesus one of a kind. No one else can remove your sin and shame, but Jesus. Jesus took your blame and carried your shame. What a Savior!
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 1 Peter 2:24b
Jesus took your place on the cross, so He could end sin’s place in your life. When Jesus died, sin’s dominion was destroyed. Now when you put your trust in Jesus, sin looses its power. For when Jesus said,“It is finished” sin’s power was finished. And Jesus set you free. That’s what Jesus did: Jesus Terminated Your Relationship With Sin to Set You Free
He set you free to live a new life. For once you believe in Jesus, you are united with Jesus in His death on the cross, His burial in the tomb and his resurrection from the grave.. And with this new union comes a new power, the power of the Holy Spirit, who enables you to live this new life. All of the sudden you are free to love like Jesus loves. You are free to give of yourself without expecting anything in return. You are free to serve others simply for the sake of others. This is why Jesus broke the power of sin on that cross.
And that’s what makes Jesus an incomparable Savior. He died for you not to just take the punishment you deserve, but to give you a life beyond your wildest dreams. For no one has the power to end the tyranny of sin, but Jesus. He died to set you free. What a Savior! And with this freedom he did another amazing thing…
Peter tells us: “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24b When Jesus’ flesh was torn by his scourging, when nails were pierced into his hands and feet, when His innocent blood flowed from His wounds – all of this, every blow, all the agony was done to bring healing to you in your relationship with God – to bring peace between you and God– to reconcile the sinful rebel with your loving Father.
In other words, by His wounds you have been forgiven. For anyone who receives Jesus, receives His forgiveness. And with His forgiveness comes complete restoration with the Father. What was broken by sin has been healed by the wounds of Jesus. Jesus healed your relationship with God. And that’s amazing grace. Jesus died for you to bring you to God. So you can know the One who loves you. Jesus did that for you. That’s why there is no one like Jesus. What a Savior!
And finally Peter writes: For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:25 Here Peter gives us a final picture of what Jesus’ sacrifice does for you. The picture is this: You were headed in the wrong direction, away from God. But what you didn’t realize when you did this was that made you just like a lost sheep. And that’s not a good thing. For when a sheep strays, it puts itself in immediate danger. It could fall into a crevice and die. It could fall into a stream and drown. It could fall prey to a wild animal and be devoured.
This image of a lost sheep is meant to help you understand the danger of straying from God. Apart from God is a life without meaning, without hope and without help. You are left to battle your insecurities, your fears, and your uncertainties alone. You are left to struggle with your sins, your selfishness and your brokenness with no help. But God never meant for you to go it alone. That’s why God sent Jesus to die for you. That’s the message of Good News. Jesus died for you to bring you back to God. Jesus is the way to the Father. Jesus is the good shepherd who feeds His sheep, cares for His sheep, and lays down His life for His sheep. And its in the hearing of His voice that turns us back to God. Because through His message of mercy at the cross, we find a way back home.
That’s why Jesus died for you: Jesus died for You to Bring You Under His Loving and Watchful Care For once you hear his voice and trust in Him, you are no longer lost and alone, but safe in the arms of the Shepherd and Overseer of your soul. You are home because you turned to Him who loved you and gave Himself for you. This is why there’s no one like Jesus. For when you turn to Jesus you come home to God, where you can find rest for your weary soul and find life with God forever.
And this is why we celebrate Resurrection Day. For the moment Jesus rose from that grave, Jesus destroyed the very things that keep you from God.
And now because Jesus rose form the grave… You no longer have to try and save yourself. You no longer have to defend yourself! Now because Jesus rose form the grave… Guilt has no longer has hold on you, sin has lost its power over you. For Jesus has set you free to live the life you were meant to live, and come home to the Father who loves you and watches over you.
All because of Jesus: He is matchless in His mercy. He is incomparable in His grace. And He is alive today! There is no one like Jesus. So the resurrection is the greatest victory we can ever celebrate!
So who here is looking for a victory this morning?
Who is tired of trying to save yourself?
Who is tired of trying to defend yourself?
Who is tired of living with guilt and shame?
Who wants to live in freedom and come home to the God who loves you?
That’s what today is all about. For when Jesus rose from the dead 2000 years ago He made it possible for you to be saved and come home to God. So let me ask you: have you heard His voice? Have you heard the good news of all Jesus has done for you? For if you have, all you need to do is answer His call and turn to him in faith. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! What a Savior? Is He your Savior? Have you called on Him?
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