Would you turn to Matthew's Gospel
chapter 1? Matthew chapter 1. Our text this
morning is a very familiar one to you. And it's also one that
seems to only be spoken of in many places at just a certain
time of the year during the Christmas season. But thank God the truth
expressed by the angel here, this angel who was sent from
God Almighty with this message to ease Joseph's troubled heart
concerning that holy thing that was in the womb of his espoused
wife Mary. It eased his mind to hear these
blessed words and I trust by the grace of God they'll ease
your mind as well if you're troubled today. Do you ever get discouraged
as a little flock as we are When you look around at this big religious
world, and it seems like any sort of religious nonsense can
draw a crowd, and that gospel of God's grace goes begging for
a hearing, that gospel which alone declares that Christ Jesus
came into this world to save sinners, that's good news. The multitude of people today
don't think that it is. They turn a deaf ear to it, and
it breaks our heart to see among them our own children, our own
loved ones. But my brothers and sisters in
Christ, as Paul exhorted the church at Corinth, I exhort myself
and you, don't be weary. Don't be weary in well-doing,
because in due season you shall reap, you shall reap, if you
faint not Jesus Christ, is the same glorious, triumphant, omnipotent
redeemer that he always was. As we sang a moment ago, Jesus
Christ changes not. He cannot change. As we read
in Hebrews chapter 1 a moment ago as well. Jesus Christ will
never ever change. Thou art the same. Thou art the
same. The same mighty Savior, the same
Redeemer, has the same purpose. He hasn't changed. He will accomplish
all of His will. He'll accomplish all that the
Father gave Him to do. He is still living up to His
name. We sometimes hear the expression,
what's in a name? I've been It's been pointed out
to me many times, more than once, that I have two first names,
Larry and Chris. Simple name, plain name, doesn't
mean anything that I'm aware of, all but not so concerning
this name. Jesus, Jesus, Savior, the salvation
of the Lord, that's what it means. And he's still living up to that
name, meaning the reason he was given that name in the first
place still holds true. Look at verse 21 of our text.
In Matthew chapter 1, is this not good news? I need to hear
this again. I need reminded of this again.
And she shall bring forth a son, and that shall call his name
Jesus. Joshua, Joshua, our salvation,
the salvation of the Lord is what it means. For he shall,
he shall, not that he'll try, or he'll attempt to, but he shall
save his people, all of his people, a multitude of people, of all
that multitude that the Father entrusted into His hands and
He agreed to be their surety, meaning that He became responsible
for it. Aren't you glad and isn't it
comforting to know that your salvation the reality of it,
the beginning of it, the completion of it, that your salvation in
its entirety is not dependent upon you in any way, but it all
depends upon that just God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is mighty to save. He shall save his people from
their sins. It is as true today. As when
Joseph first heard these words, there is no name so sweet that
can ease our troubled hearts other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In him alone, Bobby sang a moment
ago, Joshua is the word, the same as in the Hebrew and has
the same meaning, and all we write such glorious songs about
him. We sing of him in a way that
we speak of none other. For example, the name of Jesus
is so sweet. I love its music to repeat. It
makes my joys full and complete. The precious name of Jesus. Oh, Jesus, how sweet the name.
Jesus, every day the same. Jesus, let all saints proclaim
his worthy praise forever. You know that between the Old
and New Testament, there was 400 years. Bible commentators
refer to that time as the 400 silent years. That is, silent
because God Almighty did not speak. It wasn't a prophet. It
wasn't a word from God for 400 years until the word that we
read just now. the Joseph concerning the Son,
then the time that God had determined came. When this would take place,
when the fullness of the time was come, oh this is the hinge
upon which eternity revolves, upon which eternity pass so to
speak, and eternity to come revolves upon this glorious hinge of God's
predestination. When the fullness of the time
was come, what happened? God sent forth his son. Made of a woman, because his
brethren were flesh and bone, he likewise took part of the
same. Made of a woman, made under the law, to do what? To redeem
them that were under the law. What a marvelous, marvelous undertaking. What a work. What an accomplishment
by the Son of God. John chapter 1, we read, and
the Word, the eternal Word. That Word by which all things
were made. That Word which was in the beginning
with God and indeed Himself was God. That Word was made flesh. That Word wrapped itself in a
body of flesh and dwelt among us. And John said, we beheld
His glory. Glorious, glorious. That God
Almighty should become a man in order to redeem His people.
God can't die, and man can't suffer to satisfy God's wrath.
Oh, but God, man, He can do both, and He did. And John said, we
beheld His glory. The glory is the only begotten
of the Father. When I was a young boy, I used
to like to read biographies of men before the day of the day
of gadgets. Children today keep their eyes
in a gadget of some sort but didn't have those when I was
a young man growing up so I'd like to read books and I'd read
about explorers and inventors and adventurers and we can read
in history about Caesar. Well, what did he do? We read
about Alexander the Great. Well, what did he do? Compared
to this What did they do? What did any man do? What did
all men combined do compared to this? He shall save his people
from their sins. Is it any wonder we sing? Oh,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves. I've heard the glorious sound.
Jesus saves, Jesus saves. There is no name so sweet on
earth. nor name so sweet in heaven that name before his wondrous
birth was to the Savior given. Call his name Jesus. This is
what they sing of in heaven. Who's worthy? Who's worthy? Well, I'll tell you what. There's
no question about it in glory. There's no question about those
who have already entered the ports of heaven. There's no question
about who deserves the praise in heaven. Turn, if you will,
to Revelation chapter 5. Jesus he shall save. That's the first word, save.
Highlight that. Save to the uttermost and whoever
does that Whoever is able to do that, who's able to bring
sinners from the pit of depravity and sin and raise them up, save
them, give them life, keep them, and bring them all the way back
to the Father's house to be with Him forever, whoever's able to
do that deserves everlasting praise, do they not? and there's
only one that deserves that and that's the Lord of Glory. That's
that one that Joseph heard the name Jesus, God's salvation. Here in Revelation chapter 5
It's his praise that they sing. Revelation 5 and verse 5. And
one of the elders said to me, weep not. Weep not. And the reason
John was weeping was because none was found worthy to open
the book of God's decrees and God's purposes. There was none
worthy to take that book and to make them be realized. That's
why John wept. And indeed he should. Behold. Oh John, behold. Behold. All weary pilgrim behold. Tried believer, behold. Heavy-hearted Christian, behold. The lion of the tribe of Judah,
the root of David, hath prevailed. He always does. That's why they
gave him that name. He always prevails to open the
book and to loose the seals thereof. And I beheld and lo, in the midst
of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the
elders stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns
and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth
into all the earth. And he came, he came." Oh, I
love that, don't you? When the fullness of the time
came, Jesus came. God sent forth his son. He came. Somebody was found worthy. to
take the book out of the right hand of God because it's his
book. He thought it not robbery to
be equal with God. He wasn't taking something unto
himself that he did not deserve. Oh, no. He is in all respect
God, the God-man. Therefore, he came and he takes
the book out of the right hand of him that set upon the throne.
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four
and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of
them harps and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers
of the saints. And they sung a new song saying,
Thou art worthy. Thou art worthy, Joshua. Thou art worthy, Jesus, that
should save your people from their sins. You're worthy to
take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou was slain.
Thou was slain. And by that death, Thou hast
redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue
and people and nation and has made us unto our God kings and
priests and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders and the number of them were 10,000 times
10,000 and thousands and thousands. Oh, our great King and Savior shall have a
glorious crown. He shall see it through the veil
of his soul and be satisfied. For the joy that was set before
him, he endured the cross. If a corn of wheat fall into
the ground and die, unless it does, it abides alone. But if
it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit, thousands and thousands. Saying with a loud voice, worthy
is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and
wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And if
you're a believer, If you've been redeemed by the precious
blood of Christ, if you've been given life and faith to lay hold
of eternal life that is in His Son, you'll be among that number. There's just no question about
that. There's no doubt about that. Oh, we sometimes doubt
and we sometimes wonder, but there's no question about the
Son of God. There's no question about his ability to keep that
which I've committed unto him against that day. There's no
question that those that the Father had given him, he shall
give eternal life to, and none shall ever pluck them out of
his hand. There's no question about that. Oh, he is the mighty
God and Savior. Call his name Jesus, he shall
save, save to the very uttermost. That's why he was given the name.
And why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't he save to the uttermost? If he is who he claimed to be,
why would he not save to the uttermost? Listen to this. Hundreds
of years before that word was given to Joseph, it was said
of him, unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given, and
the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall
be called Wonderful and Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Why would he not save his people
from their sins? If this is who he is, who's going
to prevent him? Of the increase of his government
and peace, there shall be no end. And upon the throne of David,
and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even forever, the zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform it, will get the job done. Oh yes, Jesus shall save his
people from sin's penalty, which is death, death. The soul that
sinneth, it must die. Oh, but the Lord Jesus Christ
suffered in our stead. He was our substitute. He was
our substitute. He really took our place in His
own body on the tree and He bore all the sins of all of His people
affectionately and completely away so that now, now, there
is therefore right now, or where does now find you, child of God? Where does now find you? Hurting,
weeping, discouraged, cast down, where does now found you? But,
but, in spite of all that, this is
yet true. Now there is no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus. I love that expression, Billy.
In Christ Jesus. Oh, how safe I must be, how secure
I must be, how loved by God I must be, how accepted I must be, and
I can never be condemned. If I'm in Christ Jesus, there's
no condemnation. We've been saved from sin's penalty. We shall be saved from sin's
power, the dominion of sin. And one day, one day, will be
saved from the very existence of sin. Think about that. We'll
be saved from the very existence of sin, the very being of sin. In heaven you'll never hear anyone,
you'll never hear this expression, you'll never hear this cry, this
mournful cry that we hear now, and rightfully so because it's
true, old but not thin. Not then. Oh, wretched man that
I am. You'll never hear that. Who's
to deliver me from the body of this dead? All the things that
I would not do, I find myself doing. You'll never hear that
in glory because we will be, as the scriptures tell us we
are in Revelation chapter 14, concerning the redeemed, John
said they are without fault, without fault before the throne
of God. of God. Imagine that. In the very presence of the omniscient
God, in the very presence of a holy God, we stand without
fault, being so thoroughly redeemed by the great God and Savior Jesus. Oh, that matchless name. Christ
took the stinger out of sin. That's why we can sing, O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
He has given us the victory over death and the grave. Paul tells
us in 1 Corinthians 15 that Christ is the firstfruits. Afterward? Afterward? Oh, there's an afterward,
child of God. There's a better day coming.
There's a better day coming. There's a day coming where there'll
be no more sickness and no more death and no more pain and no
more crying and no more sorrow of any kind. And God himself,
by his omnipotent, loving Heavenly Father hand, shall wipe every
tear from her eyes. Whatever makes you weep now,
you won't weep for that in glory, because it will no longer exist.
God will wipe every tear from the weeping eyes of all of his
saints. Christ the first fruit's an afterword. Thank God there is an afterword,
after death. And after heartache, after the
grave, you remember what our Lord told Peter? That night when
he told him, I'm going away. I'm leaving you. I'm leaving
you. And they felt like orphans. They just felt like orphans.
Man, you talk about confused. I mean, they kept looking for
him any time, any day, to set up an earthly kingdom. And they
would have a prominent place in that kingdom. to overthrow
the power of Rome and to set up an earthly kingdom. And he
said, no, that's not what I came here to do. My kingdom's not of this world,
that he would tell Pilate. He said, I'm going away. And you can't come with me now.
And Peter said, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa. He said, Lord, I'll go
with you to death. Why can't I go with you now?
And he said, Peter, you can't follow me now, John 13. But Peter,
you'll follow me afterwards. Afterwards. Thank God there is
an afterwards to this valley of death. There's an afterwards
to this, to these tears. Listen, 1 Thessalonians chapter
4, here it is. But I will not have you to be
ignorant, my brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that have
died, that you saw or not, even as others which have no hope.
If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, the first fruits,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with
him. They're with him now. For this
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive
and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent, that
is proceed, go ahead, of them which are asleep. For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel and with the trump of God. and the dead in
Christ shall rise first. They and we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air and so shall we ever, ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort ye one another
with these words. There was a dying saint, a minister,
a preacher, was visited by another minister, a brother, And when
he came into his room, he asked the dying man, well, brother,
what are you doing now? And he answered, doing? Doing? I'll tell you what I'm doing.
I'm gathering up all my prayers and all of my sermons and all
my good deeds and all my bad deeds, and I'm throwing everything
overboard to gather in one pile And I'm swimming the glory on
the plank of God's free grace alone. Oh yes, in Christ alone
my hope is found. We believe. We believe through
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that we shall be saved. It's
by grace that you're saved. Through faith and that not of
yourselves it is the gift of God. Next notice this word shall. Call his name Jesus for he shall. It doesn't say he might. No. Religious folks talk that way.
Preachers talk that way. But the Word of God never talks
that way. It never offers one hint anywhere,
ever, not once, that the Son of God would not accomplish everything
that he came to do. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been
given the name. Jesus means he shall save. It means God's salvation. And
if he doesn't do that, he doesn't live up to his name. His name's
a sham. He doesn't deserve it. Oh, but
bless his glorious name, he lived up to it. It doesn't say he will
try to save. It doesn't say that he'll make
salvation possible and lead the success of it to be dependent
upon something the sinner does in time. No, no, no, no. It doesn't
say that he will offer salvation. What good is that? No, no. If that's all he did, he doesn't
deserve the name. But the name means he shall save.
He'll save certainly. He'll save completely, and he'll
save everlastingly. Our Jesus, concerning him who
was written, the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his
hand. He shall see the reveal of his
soul and be satisfied. How could he be satisfied? How
could he be content if one for whom he suffered and died is
not with him in glory? How could he ever be satisfied?
Oh, but he prayed that night, Father, I will, I will. This is the will of that one
who always pleased the Father. This is the will of that one
who accomplished the will of his Father. This is that one
who did everything God Almighty entrusted into his hands to do.
And he prays to his father before he goes to the cross. Father,
I will also that all those you gave me, all those you entrusted
into my hands, all those I became responsible for, I want them
with me where I am. Now let me ask you this. If Jesus
Christ wants me to be with him, who's gonna hold me back? Who's
gonna stop me from seeing the glorious face of my glorious
redeemer? Oh, this is the reason. We'll
cast our crowns before him, shouting, thou art worthy, you're worthy,
because he is. He shall save his people, is
what the angel told Joseph. He'll save all of his people.
All of his church, all of his bride, all of his elect. Now I know that that's a nasty
word in most Baptist churches today, but there is such a thing
as an election of grace. An election of grace. God has
determined who he shall save. How could he do otherwise? When
I hear people object to that, I ask myself and want to ask
them, how could he act otherwise? I mean, does God do like I do? I wake up in the morning and
I have an idea that I didn't have when I went to bed, a new
thought. Is that God? Is He like that?
Is He no greater than me? Oh, no. God's from everlasting
to everlasting. He's God. And God never changes. God chose a people in Christ.
Whatever he does today, he purposed to do before today. What takes
place in time takes place because God determined that's how it
should be before he ever created the world. He chose a people
in Christ and committed them into his care and trust. Look,
if you will, in John's Gospel, Chapter 6. I know this is a familiar
passage to you, but look in John's Chapter 6. There's no question
about what the Son of God came to do. He said it himself. There's
no question about it. But I say unto you, John 6 and
36, that ye also have seen me and believed not. Well then,
does that make the purpose of God of none effect? If some hear
the gospel and they believe not, that that means the purpose of
God falls to the ground? It becomes ineffectual that God's
will and purpose and desire returns back to him void? Is that what
it means? No. Look what he says. You may not
believe, but all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. There's
no doubt about it. And him that cometh unto me I
will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which
He had given me, listen, listen to our great Captain, listen
to King Jesus, of all that He had given me, I should lose nothing,
nothing, nothing, but raising up again at the last day. And
this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone would
see at the sun, and believeth on him may have everlasting life,
and I will raise him up again at the last day." The Lord Jesus
Christ is nothing if he's not a Savior. If he's not a Savior,
then he's an impostor. His very name is a sham if he
doesn't save his people from their sins. Jesus of Nazareth,
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is the one and only Savior. He and none else can save his
people from their sins. He does it singly and he does
it unaided, without our help. We read it, didn't we? In the
reading, Hebrews 1, when he had by himself, O child of God, behold
him, behold him, He enters the winepress alone. He endures the
wrath of God alone, of the people that were none with him. He cries
out, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And all of that was for a
perhaps, or a hope so, or a maybe? Nonsense, nonsense, oh no. He completes the work of redemption,
and he obtains eternal salvation for his people. He did all the
work, and he left none of it undone. He that began it shall
carry it on and he'll complete it and therefore he's given the
name Jesus Savior because he shall surely and entirely and
perfectly save his people. That's why he's given that name
above all names and every tongue shall confess and every knee
bowed to him that he is Jesus Christ. the Son of God. Let's notice this last thing,
He. Circle that, He. He shall save. No one else can. No one else
can. None under the name of heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved. No one else is able
to do it. In John 5, he said, as God hath
life in himself, so he has given the Son to have life in himself,
and power, so that all that hear the voice of the Son of God shall
live. Dead sinners, when they hear
his voice, they arise just as certainly, just as surely as
Lazarus arose. And Lazarus didn't aid Christ
in his resurrection. No, the Lord did it all. Lazarus
come forth, and he that was dead came forth. Even so, You that
were dead in trespasses and sins had he quickened. He's given
life to you. He raised you up to spiritual
life, the newness of life, the walk after Christ. You had he
quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. Our Lord said, which
is harder? Which is harder? On one occasion he said to a
man who had been let down before him, a cripple, He said, son,
be of good cheer. Be of good cheer. Rejoice. Be
happy. Why? Because your sins are all forgiven
you. Happy is the man to whom the
Lord will not charge sin, to whom the Lord will not impute
iniquity. That's a happy man. And those standing by the Pharisees
looked down their self-righteous nose and said, well, who does
he think he is? Nobody can forgive sin but God. And they were right. And God
had just forgiven sin. And he said, which is harder,
to say, arise, take up thy bed, and walk, or to say that thy
sins be forgiven thee? Oh, thank God, thy sins are all
forgiven thee. And he'll continue to keep his
own, each of his own, no matter what, until that day, until this
happens, until this happens. Revelation chapter 22, a text
that I've attempted to preach from a few times and have always
felt didn't do it, didn't get it done. I think this is the
greatest promise in the Word of God. They shall see His face. His people that He saved from
their sins shall see, shall, another blessed reality. They
shall see. When I stand before the throne
dressed in beauty, not my own, when I see thee as thou art,
and love thee with an unsinning heart, then, Lord, shall I fully
know, not till then, how much I owe. They shall see his face. What did old Ralph Barnard used
to say while he was preaching so often? Oh, my soul. Oh my soul, let's do it. Think
about that. They shall see his face, oh my
soul. Face to face with Christ my savior. Face to face, how can it be?
When in rapture I behold him, Jesus Christ who died for me. Jesus that shall save his people
from their sins. Brothers and sisters, He won't
forget us. He won't forget us. Listen, Isaiah
chapter 51. Isaiah chapter 51. Our Lord says, hearken unto me,
my people, and give ear unto me, my nation, for a law shall
proceed from me, and I will make my judgment the rest for a light
of the people. My righteousness is near. My
salvation is gone forth. And mine arm shall judge the
people, the owl shall wait upon me, and on my arm shall they
trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look upon the earth beneath. For the heavens shall vanish
away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment,
and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. But my salvation
shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. Hearken unto me, ye that know
righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law. Fear ye
not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their rebellions.
For the moth shall eat them like a garment, and the worm shall
eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be
forever, and my salvation from generation to generation." Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. There's something about that
name, is there not? King and kingdom shall all pass
away. Oh, but there's something about
that name. God bless you.