Why a Savior? Luke 2:8-20

By Ysrael De la Cruz

 

Most of us enjoy watching movies; my preference is action where there is a hero who saves the day.  The main character of the movie is called “protagonist” (the main star, the hero); then there is the antagonist (the rival, adversary) It doesn’t matter the type of movie, or cartoon you watch.  You will always find a protagonist and the antagonist.  In most cases the protagonist or hero becomes a Savior.  For instance. (Neo and the Metrix, the avengers, superman, batman, xmen, etc)

A savior: someone who rescues someone or something  from danger or destruction.  One that brings salvation.  We see this in movies and cartoons, where a hero saves people or things from harm or destruction.  We also read about this on the news, watch it on tv. (soldiers, fire fighters)

 In order for someone to become a savior, there must be a danger, a conflict, something bad from which you can’t save yourself. 

Some situations are beyond your control, you are drowning and someone pulls you out.  Your car is catching on fire and you cannot free yourself, then someone comes along and get you out right before the car exploded.  You will always be indebted to that person who saved you or recue you.

 

During this time, every year, we celebrate Christmas and even though it has been so commercialized, many Christians try their best to remember the time when God became man coming to earth as a baby.

In order for someone to become a savior, a conflict or danger must exist first. The Bible called this conflict sin; it is what separated us from God back in Genesis 3.  There humans declared their independence from God.  Then from that time on chaos entered our world; death. Corruption, murder, perversion, etc.  Creation itself was subject to decay due to the choice of man to go against God.  Even though man ran away from God; God began to pursue him.  God took the initiative to fix the problem man had created.

God began to announce his plan to certain people. 

–The Savior would be the seed of the woman (Gn.3:15)

-To Abraham God said, I will bless the whole world through your descendants. Gn.12:3

-The Messiah would be a descendant of King David. 2 Sam7:12-16

-The Messiah would be born of a virgin Isa.7:14

-He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace. Isa.9:6-7

-He will be called Son of God. Ps.2:1-12

-He will bear or carry our sins and be pierced for our rebellion.  Isa.53

-He will bring a new covenant.  Jer.31:31

-He would be born in Bethlehem.  Micah 5:2

-He will be preceded by a messenger. Malachi3:1

God spoke to the prophets to announce the coming of the Savior.

To Mary, an angel told her that she would be the mother of the Savior Luke.1:26-38

To Joseph an angel said that the Savior’s name is Jesus and he will save his people from their sins. Matt.1:21

 

When Jesus was born, God sent an angel to announce the news to shepherds in the field.  In other words, the awaited Savior is here.

Luke 2:8-14

(v.11) Today in the town of David (Bethlehem) a Savior has been born to you; he is Messiah the Lord.

Right here the angel announced who the savior would be.  Christ(Messiah the Lord).

The baby in a manger, whom the shepherds went to see would become the Savior of the world. (This is when God became a man; the fulfillment of all the prophecies just arrived in a manger that day. (Indeed, News of great joy for all people v.10)  As a baby, Jesus could not save anyone, in order for him to save the world, he must become a man and accomplish his mission by which he saves the world.

Why a Savior?  Because we have a problem that can’t solve.  A disease we cannot cure.  Sin is that problem, that disease.  We cannot free ourselves from sin, it’s in us, in our DNA; It doesn’t take much for it to be exhibited in us and through us. (a conversation, someone looks at you the wrong way, someone cuts you off in traffic, etc. lust, greed, murders, addictions,). You cannot free yourself from sin even if you tried.  You and I are imprisoned by it.  It’s in our system, in our minds.   This conflict has been around for millennia.  We are born into this sinful world and feel the effects of it daily in our lives.  We become victims of sinful acts.  It has been affecting our world ever since we decided to go against God.

 

Sin really makes us the antagonist in this story.  This is the role we chose to play when we decided to rebel against God.  We are the adversary in the story because Sin makes us enemies of God and deserving of his wrath. Rom.5:10

Col.1:21-22  playing the antagonistic role will lead us to destruction.

See Why we need a Savior?

You and I have been playing the antagonist role for a while, and if you keep on playing it, you will lose at the end, the Savior came to change our role, he will rewrite the script of our lives so that you become a winner.

Jesus sacrificed himself to change our status with God, to change the part we play in the redemption story. He came to fix what is wrong with the world.

God love you and I so much that he decided to give us a chance by sending someone to clean up our sinful mess.  You can also become protagonist in the story of redemption, all you must do is believe in Jesus as God’s solution to our sin problem.

He came for all people, but not everyone one wants him.  He can only save those who believe in him.  Those who acknowledge that without him there is not salvation.  Do you believe that Jesus is the Savior, the Christ?  Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12)

Without Jesus you lose at the end.

Stop being the antagonist in this story, God came to change your role so that you win at the end, but you must choose Jesus.  In Jesus, we are winners. More than conquerors  Thank God for Saving us!