The Coming King through a mother's eyes

Acts 1:12-14 "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."

Introduction:

The last couple of posts have been devoted to viewing key episodes of Jesus' life and ministry through the eyes of Mary. The particular focus has been upon He as King of Kings and Lord of Lords in His incarnation and crucifixion. We noted how she experienced Him as King through His incarnation and crucifixion. Today we take one final look at Mary. Acts 1:12-14 represents the final time we see Mary in the Bible. The simple report of her gathered in the upper room with the other disciples communicates her profound and yet minimal role in the sweeping redemptive drama of Jesus' life and achievements.

When we say Mary's role was profound, we speak of her part in being the vessel of Christ's humanity. In His hypostatic union, whereby the humanity of Mary's DNA was conjoined to His Person as the truly Divine Son, we find the miracle of the virgin birth/conception (Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 1:35; Galatians 4:4). When we say at the same time that Mary's role was minimal, we mean that it was Christ alone who did the miracles and bore the wrath of God on the cross apart from her. Mary's role is to point to Christ. Thus we can use her view of Him to guide our thoughts to His actions on our behalf. 

In today's post we find Mary gathered in the upper room with the disciples. Why? The risen Christ had told His disciples that they were to tarry and wait until the promised Holy Spirit would come (Acts 1:8). Jesus had taught prior to His crucifixion that He would send another comforter (John 14:17, 26-27; 15:26; 16:8-12). His repeating of this promise in His post-resurrection appearances signified how He would tangibly prove that His ascension into heaven was completed. Thus, the events of Pentecost in Acts 2 confirmed that Jesus had indeed begun His inaugural reign upon His throne over His church, a point spelled out by the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:32-36. 

Now why labor over these details? Because what Mary was doing in her actions was identifying the fact that the One whom she experience in her womb as an incarnate infant and whom she saw crucified was no less than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His ascension into heaven began a sequence of events that would lead her to complete the full circuit of her faith to see Him as the coming King by faith. 

Now we know that Jesus, Who is ascended and exalted at the Father's right hand (Philippians 2:5-11) will return to this world. His role as King of Kings and Lord of Lords will be revealed fully when He returns. Revelation 19:11-16 states: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

What Mary's actions model for us is the importance of watching and waiting. We watch for the King to act. We wait. She was awaiting the coming Holy Spirit. He came. We Christians, having the promised Holy Spirit, wait for Jesus to return. He will come to take us up to be with Him (rapture of the church, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16). Then, (seven years after His taking us up), He will descend fully and complete to this earth to begin the physical manifestation of His earthly reign. It is exciting to think about that like Mary, we behold our King through eyes of faith. What is now faith will be made sight. Would it be that we watch and wait. The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords is coming soon!

The Crucified King Through a Mother's Eyes

John 19:25-27 Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household."

Introduction:

Mary's role in the Bible has been treated in one of two ways throughout church history. One group exalts her to the level of co-redemptrix with Christ, whereas another group says little to nothing. Such extremes do nothing to reflect the Bible's presentation of her. Mary's place in the Gospel records is both substantial and minimal. Such an observation must be kept in mind when we consider how God used her in His plan of bringing the Son into the world.

How Mary's life became intertwined with Jesus' journey to the cross
Mary had been prophetically warned by Simeon that a time would arrive when events connected with the infant Christ would pierce her soul. Luke 2:33-35 records Simeon's words: "And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 

What was spoken in the infancy of our Lord's humanity was fulfilled at Calvary. Mary, the virgin bearer of our Lord (Luke 1:43), beheld her King on the cross. The large sword would pierce her soul, severing the relationship of mother from child and leaving in its wake a worshiper gazing upon her Lord's bruised and bloody face.

Mary would witness the Incarnate God, her King, crucified

When we think of the sayings uttered by Jesus from the cross (such as the one quoted at the beginning of this post), we can see how the scene leads us to the moment when Mary would gaze upon her crucified King. The first cry was the cry of redemption: "Father forgive them, for they know no what they do" (Luke 23:34). The second cry was a cry of affirmation: "Today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:42-43). This third statement by Jesus to Mary and John, we could say, was the cry of separation: "Mother, behold your son, son, behold your mother" (John 19:25-26). None could bear the cross by He. Jesus bore it all alone.

It is then when we arrive at that middle cry: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" - the cry of isolation (Matthew 27:46). He had severed ties with the only woman who could comfort, and He felt the pain of separation as His view of the Father's face was obscured by the fierceness of wrath. 

It must be noted here that no separation ever occurred in the Divine nature - since the Son, the Father and Spirit are inseparably One God. The Son took into His Person through His experience as man the experience and pain of bearing the sins of the world. As truly Divine, the Son's view of His Father was that of the wrathful judge delivering the just demands for sin's penalty. 1

The value of seeing the cross through a mother's eyes

Mary's sword was thrust cleanly through her soul. She undoubtedly trembled when the sun's light was obscured, and the winds picked up. The darkness of humanity's frail plight settled in and only her King stood between the tsunami of just wrath that was poured out on Him. 

The remaining three sayings of Jesus would had been heard by Mary in that horrific scene. When Jesus cried "I thirst" in John 19:28; "It is finished" in John 19:30 and the final cry of "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46), he cried forth respectively cries of desperation, proclamation and resignation. Mary heard them all, witnessed them all and quite likely cried at them all. As those sayings brought into sharp relief the identity of the King of Kings, the cross went from horror to honor. The King of Kings crowned with thorns would be seen by faith as the King who would be crowned. 

To see this dramatic scene through a mother's eyes is to experience the sharp edges of that sword. The cross ought never be treated as a sterile, stoic event of history. It was real. Cosmic and earthly. For a woman with a mother's heart, the knees which bowed in anguish would become the knees of a worshiper. From this moment onward the son she lost that day turned out to had been the One who viewed her as an adopted daughter in the plan of redemption. 

Closing thoughts
We have taken the time to reflect on the crucified King through the experience of Mary. What she must had seen, heard and felt intensifies the reality of Christ's crucifixion. What can we gain from these reflections:

1. The cross is where we bring our pain
2. The cross is where we lay down our identity
3. The cross is where He takes up our pain
4. The cross is where our identity is transformed

Endnote
1. The Lutheran Formula Concord makes this illuminating observation concerning the crucifixion of Jesus: "
likewise 
in 
death,
when
 He
 died
 not 
simply 
as 
any other 
man,
but 
in
 and
 with
 His 
death
 conquered
 sin,
death,
devil,
 hell,
and
 eternal 
damnation; which
 the 
human
 nature 
alone 
would 
not 
have 
been
 able
 to 
do if 
it 
had
 not 
been
 thus
personally united
 and 
had 
not 
had 
communion
 with 
the 
divine
 nature." The SBC Baptist Faith and Message 2000 nicely pulls together our particular point of Mary's witnessing of the crucifixion of her Divine Savior and King: "Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin." 

The Incarnate King through a Mother's Eyes

Luke 2:16-19 "So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart."

Introduction:

In the history of Christian thought, Mary has been treated in two extreme ways. Either she has been venerated to the point of near devotion to that of Christ Himself, or she has been utterly ignored. Both treatments mishandle the Biblical portrayal of her. I find it an interesting exercise to consider the Person of Jesus through her eyes. What did she experience? How did she perceive His life, death and resurrection? In today's post we want to consider how Mary saw Jesus as the Incarnate King.

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, Hail the Incarnate Deity

The prolific commentator Herbert Lockyer writes these words about Mary's experience of the incarnate King: "When Mary willingly yielded her body to the Lord saying: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word,' The Holy Spirit, by His gentle operation, took Deity and humanity and fused them together and formed the love knot between our Lord's two natures within Mary's being."

Sometimes a familiar song can shed light. I'm sure we are all familiar with the Christmas carol: "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". The above heading to this paragraph is derived from that beloved carol. When coupled with the the opening verses in today's post, we are astonishing in what is recorded, and what seems to be absent. We see recorded the haste of the Shepherds. In Matthew's version (Matthew 2:1ff), we find the Christ-child a young toddler (since it would had taken the wise men two years to make the 800 mile or more journey from Babylonia to Jerusalem). The wise men bow down and worship the little one. The reverence and adoration is recorded in both scenes. However, the stark simplicity and absence of ornateness befitting for the Eternal King in human flesh is more prominent.

Mary's response in Luke's Gospel of treasuring all the things she experience in her heart gives us a glimpse through her eyes. A mother's love is the most powerful and intense expression of parental love that can be found outside of God's love. As she received the news of the miracle that would occur in her womb concerning the Spirit's joining of the Eternal Son to her human DNA, Mary simply said in response to the angel in Luke 1:37-38 "For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her." 

We see in these touching scenes a mother's response to the Incarnate King. By divine miracle, the forging of true humanity to the Person of the Eternal Son resulted in full humanity and undiminished Deity operating in concert in the Person of the Son. Such reflections as those above serve to aid us in considering the Incarnate King through a mother's eyes.

Closing thoughts for practical consideration
As we close today, notice a few points concerning Mary's regard of the Incarnate King that serve to instruct us as to how the Christ-follower ought to consider Jesus Christ:

1. She treasured the Incarnate King

2. She trusted the Incarnate King

3. She talked about the Incarnate King

That final thought especially is seen in her song that is called in the Latin Bible: "The Magnificant" in Luke 1:46-55 And Mary said:

“My soul exalts the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;
For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.
49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.
50 “And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. 51 “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. 52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. 53 “He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed.
54 “He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy,
55 As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

May we today do like Mary did and treasure, trust and talk about the incarnate King - Jesus Christ. 

A review of Rice Broocks’ book: Man, Myth, Messiah: The Evidence Behind God’s Not Dead 2

Book Review - Rice Broocks – Man, Myth, Messiah: The Evidence Behind God is not Dead 2. Thomas Nelson. 2016.

Note: For interested readers, this book is $9.99 on Amazon.com

Introduction:

Let me begin this review by inviting people to go see or download the movie: “God’s Not Dead 2”. Why? It presents compelling reasons as to why Jesus is not a myth, nor just a man but truly the Messiah who raised from the dead. In the movie, one of the characters is seen reading the book “Man, Myth, Messiah” authored by Rice Broocks. Dr. Broocks is a substantial author, senior minister of Bethel World Outreach Church in Nashville and scholar in his own right (research PhD from Fuller Seminary, with the focus on defining the office of the evangelist). The foreword of the book was written by world-renowned Christian apologist and Liberty University Professor Gary Habermas, who is among the world’s foremost experts and defenders of Jesus’ resurrection. For anyone concerned about the validity of this book as a sound resource: such fears can be laid to rest. Now to the book.

As Dr. Broocks unfolds his case over ten chapters, his arguments are accessible and well-researched. Chapter One deals with what he calls “The Great Question”, based upon Jesus’ question: “who do men say that I am” in Matthew 16. In chapter two, we find what is called the “Minimal Facts Approach” (“minimal facts” being those details of the Easter accounts agreed upon by skeptical and believing New Testament scholars and which are unmistakably demonstrated). 

Dr. Broocks’ central idea in these first two chapters is to show that Jesus was indeed a real, historical person who lived, died and resurrected from the dead. In chapters 3,4 and 5, we find sound arguments and evidence for the reliability of the Gospels, the crucifixion and resurrection.

It is from the credibility of Jesus’ existence and the resurrection accounts that Dr. Broocks unravels skeptical notions of Jesus’ resurrection mimicking pagan myths. This idea is actually turned on its head, since Christianity was situated in the soil of 1st century Judaism, rather than Greek Mythology. In many cases, either the myths turn out not to teach what skeptics claim or appear to actually borrow from Christianity itself! In chapter 8, Dr. Broocks addresses the so-called “problem of miracles”, wherein he writes on page 175: “In other words, in order to believe no miracles ever happened, one must begin by assuming that no miracles can happen. This logic is circular reasoning and therefore self-defeating from the onset.” I found this chapter to be particularly strong, since he appeals not only to logically sound arguments, but also to valid contemporary examples and further resources on miracles.

Undoubtedly Dr. Rice Broocks’ well-reasoned and very readable style makes a strong case for Jesus Christ being the Messiah who raised from the dead. However, the last two-chapters were perhaps the most helpful parts of the whole book with respect to the local church. In chapter nine, Dr. Broocks outlines a four step process for discipleship or following Jesus: engage unbelievers, establish foundations of faith, equip Christians to share their faith and empower them to do the ministry. Such a process is what he uses in the church he pastors and the ministries God has used him to plant. His definition of discipleship is right-in-line with Jesus’ teaching on the subject: deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.

Chapter ten then links together the tasks of Christian apologetics (articulating and defending the faith) and evangelism. Dr. Broocks’ discussion includes a four-step strategy for beginning evangelistic conversations through what he calls S.A.L.T: Start a conversation, Ask questions, Listen and Tell the story. To facilitate this method, Dr. Broocks mentions an app and a tool called “The God Test”. The tool has a series of questions that are designed for either those who believe in God or for those who claim they don’t. 

As a communicator, pastor and evangelist, Dr. Broocks’ process for sharing the Gospel and defending it also entails an acrostic that he calls “G.R.E.A.T” – Gospel, Reasons, Empathy, Approach and Tools. By combining his “S.A.L.T” into his overall approach to sharing the gospel, the author concludes by appealing to great figures of the past who as skeptics or hostile unbelievers were transformed by the Gospel. I commend this book to Christians who want to be equipped to handle contemporary objections to the Christian faith and be more adept to sharing their faith with friends and loved ones. As a final note: grab some popcorn and see the movie “God is Not Dead 2”! – reviewed by Mahlon Smith

A new, must read blog site for everyone to check out

Today I wanted to take this opportunity to promote a blog that my wife recently started to write. Debi has appeared in past postings as a "guest blogger", meaning that her materials, writings and thoughts have been placed on this blog site. It excites me to see her launching her own site. I would urge any readers here to explore what she has written. You will find encouragement and blessing! Here is the link: https://helovesmybeautifulmess.wordpress.com/ 

Discerning God's voice through His word

Proverbs 1:8 "Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching."

Introduction:

As a pastor who proclaims the words of the Bible every week, there is a conviction that the voice of God is heard through the words and their meaning. Once the meaning of the words of the Bible has been discerned, the voice of God connects with those who are ready to hear, listen and live out those words. Such words carry the authority of Divine revelation, inerrant and infallible and thus incapable of failure. The words of the Bible and the meaning thereof is the Word of God, whether the hearer is ready to receive or not. 

Without a doubt the first nine chapters of Proverbs are dedicated to character transformation. But how is this achieved? By discerning God's voice in His word. Solomon, by the superintendence of the Holy Spirit, instructs readers about the step-by-step process one undergoes when discerning God's voice in His words. After some opening remarks, Solomon writes in Proverbs 1:20-21 "Wisdom shouts in the street, She lifts her voice in the square; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings". Then near the latter end of Proverbs 1-9 we read these words in Proverbs 8:1 "Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice?" This rhetorical question is posed with the underlying premise that unless people have positioned themselves to hear God's word, with the intent to listen and for the purpose to do what God had said, then the only outcome can be disaster. 

Today I want us to briefly consider what all goes into discerning God's voice through the scriptures. Proverbs 1-9 gives what I would classify a repetition of a three-step process in grasping what we mean by this idea of "discerning God's voice through the scriptures". Let's consider each step....

1. Hear the word. Proverbs 1:8; 4:1,10

Gathering together at church, or at a Bible study or in front of our Bible for private devotions is getting into position to read and "hear" the scriptures. This first step to "hearing God" in the scriptures is simply a matter of positioning oneself. Just as a fisherman may bring his boat, fishing tackle and bait to a lake to prepare for an afternoon of fishing, the hearer of the Word is gathering to hear the Bible being spoken. Proverbs 4:1,10 notes: "Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding"; "Hear, my son, and accept my sayings and the years of your life will be many."

Little do we realize what all takes place in this first stage. Psalm 119:105 and 119:130 reminds us about the nature of the words of the Bible: "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path"; "The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple."

When I come to the Bible with the intent to "hear it", the aim is to find out my "duty" or "obligation". In the "hearing stage", God is granting a measure of light to me. If I choose to take in the light (which will entail the second step - 'listening'), then I will have all I need to carry out whatever God tells me (hence the third step of 'living out the word). If I should reject the measure of light given to me in this first stage of hearing, then a corresponding level of darkness will be permitted to work in my life. Thankfully God gives us more than one chance to "take another run". I think this is one reason why Jesus so often made the statement: "He who has ears, let Him ear" (see Luke 8:8 and the seven churches in Revelation 2-3). 

Hearers aim to know what "has to be done". At this stage of the hearing process, I may or may not conclude that the words have anything to do with me. Many people think they are judging the Bible, when in reality we are judged by it. My judgment of the Bible, whether accurate or not, does not affect its truth value nor its quality as God's word. James 1:22-23 states - "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror." The point James is making is that we begin at the point of "hearing" God's words, but we mustn't remain only hearers. Henceforth the second stage in Discerning God's voice through the scriptures is....

2. Listen to the word. Proverbs 2:1-6; 5:1,7

Some may question whether there is a difference between "hearing" and "listening". The case can be easily made that there is a difference. When a parent calls to their child to do their chores, the child may physically hear the voice and yet not move to action. The parent will then change their tone and say something to the effect: "are you listening?" Hearing entails the physical ears, whereas listening entails the ears of the heart. Again, Jesus so often spoke of how in reality, we have two sets of ears. All people can hear the Bible preached or taught with the physical ear, however not everyone will listen and respond with the ears of the heart.

Jesus makes the following statement about this second set of ears in Luke 9:43-45   "And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples, 44 “Let these words sink into your ears; for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement." 

Proverbs 2:1-6 details what happens in this second stage of listening: "My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." 

This second stage of discerning God's voice in the Christian life is a combination of God's supernatural grace having begun in the human heart and our being positioned to respond. The measure of light given by God in the first stage of hearing is agreed upon by the believer in this second stage. This is where we go from "having to do" God's word to "desiring to do God's word" (see Proverbs 5:1,7 and 7:1-2). If I have a jar of fresh honey in front of me (I really like honey by the way!); we could liken "hearing" to gathering facts about the honey (it is gold in color; it takes 2 million bees to make the jar I may have) and listening to opening up the jar and beginning to taste and savor it. 

We could summarize the difference between "hearing" and "listening" in the following way: hearing sees what needs to be done; listening responds with a desire to get it done." So, in discerning God's voice in His word, I must position myself to hear the scriptures, followed by a internal, Spirit-wrought, voluntary desire to hold firm and delight in what I've heard. However, these first two steps must be followed by a third and final step, namely....

3. Live out the word. Proverbs 8:32-36

Notice what Solomon writes near the end of his first section of Proverbs 1-9 in Proverbs 8:32-35 “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, for blessed are they who keep my ways. 33 “Heed instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. 34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.
35 “For he who finds me finds life
And obtains favor from the Lord." In the Jewish way of thinking, one cannot prove that they have "gotten God's truth and its meaning" until they are living it out for themselves. The three steps we have outlined in this post function as a three-braided rope. Jesus reaffirms what we just noted in Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them,may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” James echoes similar sentiments in James 1:18-25.

The point? We demonstrate we have discerned God's voice in His word when we are living it out with delight. 

Closing thoughts

The first nine chapters of Proverbs are dedicated to communicating the need for character transformation. But how is that accomplished? By discerning God's voice in His word. We discern God's voice in His word by the following three steps:

1. Hear His words (that is, position yourself in relationship to the words of scripture)

2. Listen to His words

3. Live out His words

Jesus Christ - Personal Lord and Savior

Titus 3:4-5 "But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."

Introduction and review

We began yesterday to think about the title given to Jesus in the New Testament: "Savior of the world". Such a notion is rooted in God's revelation of Himself in the Old Testament. We explored how God is the eternal redeemer. Further thought included how God subsists through the Three Persons of the Trinity, with each Person full expressing this Divine reality of God as Savior. We ended yesterday reflecting upon how the New Testament demonstrates Jesus Christ as Savior in two respects: Savior of the world and Savior of His people (the church). Today we want to move onto grasping what is meant when we say Jesus Christ can be your Personal Savior.

How the Savior of the world, who came to save His people, becomes each believer's personal Lord and Savior

The idea of God being the Personal Savior of His people isn't just a New Testament idea. In 2 Samuel 22:3, David speaks of God being his "Savior and Redeemer". Such personalized language was how the Old Testament saints came to understand their personal relationship with Yahweh. Granted, Yahweh's relationship with His people was understood in more national terms than personal. Nonetheless, the personal dimension was there, not only with respect to David, but with Abraham (Genesis 18); Moses (Exodus 33); Job (38-42) and others. 

When we come into the New Testament, we find Jesus Christ engaging in personal conversations with people. The acknowledgement of Jesus as "Savior of the world" by the Samaritans in John 4:42 follows on the heels of the Samaritan's woman trust in Him as Personal Lord and Savior. Clearly the understanding of Him as "Savior of the world" was illumined by the Spirit to her, with her in turn freely associating herself with the need to trust in Him by saving faith. 

Reflecting upon such conversion experiences as the woman at the well in John 4 reminds us of what is now the Holy Spirit's mission in drawing lost sinners to Jesus Christ. The Spirit's job in coming into the world - following Jesus' ascension - was to search and rescue. Search and rescue missions are distinct in that the prospect of finding life is included. In this instance, the Spirit is the one that imparts life to sinners at the moment of saving faith (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23). The sinner's genuine response of saving faith is necessary and sufficient for them to be justified or declared "righteous" by God and credited with all that Jesus did.  

The Spirit's search and rescue has the expectation of finding all kinds of people from every nation (John 16:8-12). The Bible doesn't teach universal salvation, but instead teaches the Savior offered to all in the Gospel in a legitimate offer. All who embrace Jesus do so because of grace (like Lydia the purple trader in Acts 16:14 who was the first convert to Christ on European soil).  All who reject Jesus due so because of their own accord and choice to reject such grace (see Acts 13:46-47). 

Salvation entails God opening eyes and hearts and people convinced in their free and genuine response to the Spirit's call to believe on Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Such an event is a Divinely wrought miracle in the human soul that is called by scripture "regeneration". 

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 summarizes:  Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.  

The result of the new birth involves the sinner embracing Jesus Christ - who being Savior of the world and Savior of His people, becomes Personal Savior and Lord (John 1:12-13; 16:8-12)

Closing thoughts

Time was taken today and yesterday to consider the meaning of Jesus as "The Savior of the world"; "Savior of His people" and "Personal Lord and Savior". In short, He always was and will ever be the Redeemer. He came into the world to save the world in one sense and to be the Savior of His people in another sense. Upon the reception of God's free offer of faith in saving grace, such a genuine response takes in Jesus Christ as one's Personal Savior. Such thoughts capture the overall scope of the Bible's revelation of Jesus as "The Savior". 

We also saw how the Son had agreed with the Father and the Spirit in eternity to come and incarnate Himself as the historic person of Jesus of Nazareth. He would, in His assumed humanity - die, rise and ascend. As God, the Son would ever remain Deity veiled in true humanity and humanity expressing forth the glory of deity. He is the God man, the One mediator, the Savior. The question is: have you trusted in Him as your own?