He Comes to Save His People – December 21, 2022

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21

He Comes to Save His People

What does your name mean? Most names have some meaning behind them. You might be able to trace the roots of your name to another language. Maybe you were named after someone in your family. Or maybe your parents picked your name simply because they liked it.

Mary and Joseph didn’t have to flip through baby name books to land on the name Jesus. God, through his angel, instructed Joseph to give him the name Jesus because he would save his people. In Hebrew, the name means “salvation.” For anyone else who ever bore that name, it was a nice name that perhaps served as a reminder of God’s salvation. However, for anyone else, it was just a name.

This time, it was different. This Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, would be the first and only in history who truly lives up to the name. His name means salvation, and he is the only source of salvation from all sin for all people. His name and all it means came into clearest focus when it was written on a notice and placed above him on the cross—JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS (Matthew 27:37). There on the cross, he was dying to save you. From cradle to cross he came to save.

What does the name Jesus mean to you? His name means salvation for you! It means that the guilt of your sin is taken away. Through Jesus, your Savior God has declared you not guilty. It means God does not hold your sins against you. He nailed them to a cross where not only the name “Jesus” was nailed, but also Jesus himself was hung, his life in the balance for you! It means that as you remain on this earth for a time and still see the impact of sin and imperfection salvation from sin is already yours. It means he will come again rescue us from this perishing world to bring us to live everlasting.

From cradle to cross, he came to save you. And he will come again!

Prayer:
Come Lord Jesus, with your salvation full and free. Amen