You might expect the cost of receiving the gift of atonement provided by the eternal Son of God to be high and costly. You might expect the requirements for exchanging your sin for the righteousness of Christ and being made heirs with Christ, adopted as children of God, to be complicated and difficult to achieve. However, in simple language, the Bible declares that to be saved from your sin requires the confession of Jesus as Lord and the belief that God raised him from the dead.

The gospel of Matthew (2:20-23) tells us that God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to tell him that the child that Mary was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The angel also instructed Joseph that the son Mary would bear would be named Jesus because "he will save his people from their sins." The name Jesus is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means the Lord saves.

The New Testament celebrates the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophetic promise. One of the earliest books in the New Testament is 1 Thessalonians. In chapter 5, Paul gives instructions for how Christians are to live in the context of a wicked and broken world. Specifically, Christians are to live in a posture of expectation of the imminent return of Jesus.

The connection between Isaiah 9:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5 is one of timing and perspective. Isaiah is looking forward to the day that the Messiah will come. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, is rejoicing that Jesus the Messiah has come and is looking forward to when he will return. Isaiah looks forward to the Messiah coming to establish his kingdom. Paul is rejoicing that the kingdom of God has come and is looking forward to the day when the fullness of it is known.

From these two passages, we are encouraged to have a perspective of hope in the promise of salvation that enables us to persevere in the present.

The last two names listed in Isaiah 9:6 for the Messiah are Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. These two names point to the eternal nature of the Messiah and the work of redemption he has accomplished.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches that the resurrection of Jesus is fundamental to the work of redemption and celebrates the victory over sin and death that Jesus' resurrection has brought. The redemption of Jesus provides eternal salvation and eternal peace to those who believe in faith in Jesus.

Isaiah declares that Jesus will be called – wonderful counselor and mighty God. Wonderful counselor acknowledges that the Messiah will be one who reveals the glorious truth of God, and Mighty God declares that he is God and exercises the power of God. The Messiah will be God, revealing the truth of himself to the world.

In the New Testament, one of the clearest declarations of this comes in John chapter 14. Jesus was encouraging his disciples that he was preparing an eternal dwelling place in his Father's house for those who believe in God and in him. Thomas asked Jesus how they would know the way to his Father's house. Jesus responded that He was the way, the truth, the life, and salvation was only through him.

With this declaration, Jesus made it clear that the hope of the gospel was exclusively through and in himself.

Isaiah 9:6 is a familiar passage often read during Advent. This Advent season, I will be preaching each sermon from Isaiah 9:6 with attention to the names given to the Messiah.

Today, we consider the first two phrases of the passage: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.” In these two phrases, we have a foundational truth of the hope of the gospel declaring the nature of Jesus. Jesus is both and, at the same time, all God and all man. These two natures are united in the person of Jesus. He is all God and all man.

Isaiah prophesied this glorious mystery in Isaiah 9:6 when he declared that unto us would be born a child (man) and a son would be given (God). The gospel of Matthew tells us that God sent an angel to Joseph to declare to him that the baby that Mary conceived was of the Holy Spirit and was the one for whom the prophet Isaiah foretold and would be called Immanuel (which means God with us) (Matthew 1:18-25).

The glorious hope of Christmas is that God came, in the flesh, to redeem us from our sins. The prophet Isaiah declared this future hope, and the New Testament celebrates the fulfillment of this hope. Philippians 2:5-11

teaches this fundamental truth and testifies that Jesus coming in the flesh was an act of grace, a gift of love, and there is hope in the name of Jesus.

When lives are in danger, the first impulse is to think about how they can be rescued. The most horrifying situations are when there is no hope of saving those in danger. The gospel's good news is that God desires to rescue you and has provided a way for your salvation in Jesus.

Chapter two begins Paul's instructions to Timothy on the proper order of the church. Before addressing these issues, he lays the foundational truths of the church's call to prayer and the forgiveness of sin only in Jesus. In this sermon, I show the good gift of redemption, the desire of God to save, and man's only hope is in Jesus.

When you travel by ship, there is a moment when you realize that your safety is totally dependent on the integrity of the ship. When the ship leaves the dock, it does so slowly enough that the safety of the land seems to linger and remain within reach. However, as the ship sails further to sea, your sight of land grows smaller and more distant. At the distance of 2.9 miles, any sight of land finally slips beyond your site as the curvature of the earth limits your vision. When any sight of land is lost, and all you can see is water in every direction, is the moment that you realize that your life rests entirely in the ship's ability to reach the next port. As the sun sets and darkness cloaks all but what the ship's lights can illuminate, the feeling of dependency on the ship for safety is made all the more profound.

Paul knew something about shipwrecks. He had experienced near-death experiences in multiple shipwrecks. With these memories in mind, he writes to Timothy a charge to fight the good fight for the gospel and a warning of the grave consequences that come from rejecting the gospel.

For all the advancements in modern media, the most effective marketing approach has remained unchanged since the creation of time. The most effective and powerful persuasive tactic is personal testimony. It is helpful to hear about all the features of a product and how it could improve your life. However, what will draw your attention and acceptance toward purchasing something is when someone you know says, I use it; it helped me; you should use it too.

In this passage, Paul declares that the primary purpose of Jesus coming in the flesh to earth was to save sinners. In making this point, he shares his personal testimony of salvation, his sin before Christ, and the grace that he has now received. Through his testimony, we see the common depravity all experience, the hope of salvation through Jesus, and the testimony and worship that follows.

It is good and helpful for you to think about and work out issues of theology and doctrine. Those under the Lordship of Jesus rightly desire to be as obedient to His word and faithful to His commands as possible. Therefore, those who are disciples of Jesus spend their lives working out their faith and striving to understand God's word better. And yet the saving gospel is not complicated or hard to understand. Sometimes faith to believe is difficult, but understanding it is not. This is the beauty of God's grace; salvation is found through faith, by grace simple enough for a child to understand, powerful enough to save the most wicked sinner.

As we remember the triumphal entry, we recognize that these events point us to what will be. Jesus is coming again. There is coming a second triumphal entry. Having defeated sin and death on the cross, He will return as a King of kings. Having atoned the wrath of God, He will welcome the saints into the presence of God. Having received the worship of a few, he will soon receive the worship of everything that has breath.

Leaders naturally want to project an image of power and strength. Any perceived weakness threatens their ability to command the attention, loyalty, and support of those they lead.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7, Paul makes a radically different claim. He does not claim strength, power, ability, intelligence, or any other characteristic of worldly admiration. Instead, he identifies himself with the forgettable, ordinary, and disposable jar of clay. His identification with such humility is not made in despair but in glorious hope. He recognized that God uses the powerless and ordinary to display His glory and power.

The imagery that Paul references in 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 is of a Roman General’s victory parade. When the victorious general returned home, there would be a parade to celebrate his victory and the general’s success. The sights and smells of the event would be memorable. There would be incense burned in honor of the hero. There would be processions of soldiers and officers. There would be grand ceremonies and celebrations for the victors. These events would be grand and glorious for the ones in the parade and the citizens celebrating their war heroes. However, there would be others in the parade that would not experience it as a joyful event. Slaves and other captured people conquered by the victorious army would also march in the parade. They would not be marching to places of honor but toward the arena to die fighting each other and wild beasts to entertain the crowds. 

The sights and smells of the parade would be cause for joy for the celebrating Romans. The sights and smells of the parade would be cause for dread for those marching toward their death. 

With this imagery in mind, I want you to see from this passage that regardless of the reception you may receive, Christians are to bear witness to the truth and serve God, not man.

In the days of Jesus’ birth, Israel was not a free nation. They were unhappily under the control and rule of Rome. But God was doing more than bringing political relief. Jesus the Messiah brought freedom from the enslavement of sin.

Let us rejoice that Jesus, the Messiah, has come to set us free from the bondage of sin so that we might be transformed from slaves to sons and have the assurance of hope.

Scripture declares Jesus as the King of kings. But what does this title mean?

In the Old Testament, the title of king of kings is used three times to reference an earthly king with no equal.

In the New Testament, the first reference to Jesus as the King of kings is in 1 Timothy 6:15, where Paul encourages the church to remain faithful until Jesus returns. But the most often quoted biblical references to Jesus as the King of kings comes from John's revelation, where Jesus in His second coming is described as the King of kings.

In this passage from John, we have the first reference in his gospel account, referencing Jesus as king. I want you to see from this passage that you must submit to the King and invite others to follow the true king. And when you come to know Jesus as the true king, it is only the beginning of greater glories to be revealed and known.

Who you recognize Jesus to be determines how you respond to Jesus.

Suppose you see Jesus as an interesting historical figure of the first century. In that case, you may give a passing interest to his life and impact on the world but will pay little attention to him beyond what your curiosity will drive. If you see Jesus as a great moral person, you may respect him for the life he lived and think it may be a good idea to emulate his example. Suppose you see Jesus as a wise or insightful religious teacher. You may feel compelled to study his lessons and even incorporate his teachings into your life.

Toward the end of John's ministry and the beginning of Jesus', he saw Jesus coming toward him. He shouted for all to hear, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" He went on to say that Jesus was the son of God and the one for whom God had called him to prepare the way.

John wanted his disciples and all those who listened to him to know who Jesus is and what he came to do so that they might know true salvation found only in Jesus. Thus, he was focused on pointing the world to Jesus so that we might see who He is, know what He has done, and receive the gift of salvation.

The first chapter of John’s gospel is packed with some of the most amazing statements in all of scripture. John 1:14-18 is one of those passages. John declares in verse 14 that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The importance of this statement cannot be overstated.

• Jesus, who is all God and all man, came to dwell amongst humanity.

• Jesus, who is all God and all man, lived without sin.

• Jesus, who is all God and all man, died on the cross as a substitute and sacrifice for man’s sin.

• Jesus, who is all God and all man, rose from the dead three days later.

These truths are central and fundamental to Christianity. If you deny any one of them, you deny them all and the entirety of Christianity. John would say more about how Jesus worked to save us from our sins. Still, in these opening verses, he makes clear that Jesus is the promised Messiah, who demonstrates the grace of God so that we might know God the Father.

One of the marvels of modernity is the ability to push back the darkness. No longer are the schedules of our lives dictated by the sun's rising and setting. However, even with this transformational invention, man remains dependent on the presence of light. Light reveals what is. Light exposes the truth and deposes lies.

One of the most basic things we rely on light for is the ability to move around and find our way. Without light, we are lost. Not confused, not turned around but hopelessly lost. Without light, direction has no meaning. And yet even the faintest light can mean the difference between life and death.

John begins his gospel account with this most powerful introductory word: "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

Jesus is the genuine light of God that dispels the darkness of this world and has overcome the curse of sin.

The Gospel of Luke records in the fourth chapter that just after beginning His ministry, Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, which was His custom. That day, by the sovereign providence of God, He was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah to read to the congregation. He stood, took the scroll, unrolled it to where chapter 61 was written, and read the first verse and a portion of verse 2.

When He finished reading, He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. But Luke tells us that every eye in the building was still fixed on Jesus. He then spoke nine words that would forever change how we understand this verse. He said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Isaiah 61 comes in the context of God proclaiming His righteous judgment to His rebellious people. But God's judgment is not focused on Israel's destruction but on her redemption and restoration. The prophet proclaims a hopeful word for us today as well. This is an encouraging word to help us persevere and a promise of the glory that is to come. Jesus declares that the prophet's word has been fulfilled, and this is good news that comforts us presently and gives hope for tomorrow.

Matthew 11:28-30 is a beloved passage because of its pastoral care, gracious invitation, and the promise of rest. However, the context in which this passage comes is of Jesus speaking a harsh word of judgment on those who had rejected Him. But even as He warns of the consequence of sin, He offers a gospel invitation. Jesus invites all to come to saving faith and know the rest that is only known through the forgiveness of sin.

When you are carrying a burden greater than your ability, it creates all kinds of difficulties and dysfunctions. Hebrews 12 is a call to look toward Jesus and be clear in purpose, be confident in power, and be certain of your relationship with Jesus.