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He Will Save His People

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember the joyous Christmas story starting on the first page of the New Testament.  "Mary will give birth to a son, and … give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Matt. 1:21.

 

Sin is a terrible thing, the birth of Jesus was to save us from sin. It is the best gift God could give. It would not be easy and would required a supernatural war with infinite suffering to fight and win. Isaiah predicted this battle eight centuries before the first Christmas. Calvary’s suffering would be so severe that it would appear sub-human, Isaiah 52:14. 

 

Somehow human sin was placed on Jesus and He suffered that we could be saved. It is difficult to understand, but it is what God did for us. The anniversary of the fulfillment of this ancient prophecy is this month. It all came true on the day Christ died.

 

Have you ever received a gift you could never afford? Has anyone ever sacrificed outrageously just to give to you without any strings attached? Jesus did, He suffered the whip and the cross to give sinners salvation and eternal life.

 

 

 

 

He Will Save His People
Matthew 27:27 - 31

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 KJV

 

Sin is terrible. It destroys marriages, cripples babies, triggers wars, and causes horrible pain.

 

The birth of Jesus was to save us all from sin, but that would not be easy.

 

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:5-6 KJV

 

I. The Fulfillment

Jewish leaders envied Jesus and conspired to get him killed.

 

Imagine yourself as one of the Roman soldiers.

 

Pilate did not want to crucify Jesus, so he ordered a torturous beating instead.

 

Such beatings sometimes killed a man because he bled to death.

 

II. The Crowd against the Christ

Pilate may have hoped the public beating of Jesus would satisfy their thirst for blood and they would call off the crucifixion.

 

Everyone came to watch Jesus' beating, for them it was a game.

 

III. The Game of Torture

The soldiers initially played a game of psychological torture with their prisoner.

 

The scarlet robe was put over Jesus to look like the purple robe worn by royalty.

 

Imagine the additional pain of a rough cloth on an open wound.

 

The game reached its peak with the soldiers taunt Him with, "Hail, king of the Jews!"

 

IV. The Cruelty to Crucifixion

The crowd was unimpressed by His torture and screamed for His crucifixion.

 

Jesus went voluntarily having predicted his death by crucifixion for a long time.

 

Has anyone ever sacrificed outrageously just to give to you without any strings attached? Jesus did.

 

Jesus suffered the whip and the cross to give sinners salvation and eternal life.