Dearly beloved in Christ,
I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord who created the whole universe and all that is there, created man in His own image and gave him authority over every other creation. But man disregarded His word, and transgressed and gave scope for his lust and did the sin of disobedience. Thereby he lost the glory of God that he had. Thus, the created man lost his speciality. To redeem such fallen man, the Lord God sent His only Son Jesus Christ and to restore his lost glory and speciality in new life. In Isaiah 61:3, He says that He was sent “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” This news was good for all. This is being celebrated all over the world as Christmas.
At Christmas, stars decorate the houses to declare as a sign that Jesus Christ born in a manger, having no place in an inn, is born in their hearts and houses. Decorations reflect the joy or mirth of the birth of Jesus Christ. They commemorate this day by wearing new clothes, making and sharing of delicacies in joy.
FROM WHAT DOES JESUS CHRIST SAVE?
1. He Saves Us from Sins
“...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...” (1 Timothy 1:15)
Man truly seeks to have a life of redemption from sins committed knowingly or unknowingly. In his own way he seeks remedy in yagas, pujas, in acts of alms and in sacrifices. But Jesus Christ died on the cross as a propitiation for our sins as the Lamb of God to redeem us from sins.
Sins separate us from God. They stop all blessings from the Lord God. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” Today, Brother/ Sister, you may be suffering from the damages of sin and be shedding tears. Jesus Christ lives to deliver you from sins and to restore to you peace and health. He does not forsake any sinner. He is ready to save you from the burden of sins and to make you free today itself. He has secured this redemption by shedding His blood on the cross for our sake. As it is written in scriptures, there is no forgiveness of sins except through the blood. To save us from sins, Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross. This act of the Lord is able to deliver us from sins altogether.
Once, a man came to me for prayer. At the time of prayer, the Lord pointed to a sin that had bound him. He was spending time at night times without sleeping in watching certain abominable things in his smart-phone for long durations. That had spoilt his mind and his life. He was not able to do anything properly. The lust of the eye became lust of the flesh and was leading him to immoral relationships. I pointed to those things and told him that Jesus Christ loved him. But he should repent and give up those sinful habits. The Lord would help him and deliver him from such practices and would love to give him the joy of redemption. When I told him so, he realized his mistake, and asked for forgiveness from Jesus Christ. He committed to live for Christ. He had unexpected success in his life and profession.
Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us from sins. The word ‘Jesus’ itself means “He will save His people from their sins.”
In this world encircled in darkness we do not know where we are heading. But here Jesus Christ leads us with His light, in His Way and through His Words without allowing us to stumble. As He takes us along in the right path in darkness, in the wilderness or in problematic situations, let us praise and thank the Lord God at all times.
2. He Saves Us from Sickness
“...He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17)
The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to take upon Himself all infirmities and to save and deliver us. Today many of us experience several infirmities. Some are manifest in the body and some others dwell in the realm of the spirit. Some may be hale and heathy physically, and yet suffer spiritually. They live in sorrows and tears. 3 John 2 states: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” Only when the soul rejoices in the fact that Jesus Christ bore our weaknesses on the cross, there is real prosperity in our life and physique.
Dear child of God, you who are dismayed and disturbed in the midst of diseases, know that the Lord Jesus Christ who bore our weaknesses on the cross is still alive. He came for our sake, took upon Himself our infirmities and sufferings on the cross to relieve us. Think of the love of Jesus Christ toward us in making the atonement for our sins, and commit to look up to Him for help. We are healed by His stripes. According to the word, you will be healed. He will do great things for you. He has assured us that He will never forsake us or go away from us. You will see great things. He who saved me from my weakness will definitely save you too.
3. He Saves from the Clutches of the Devil
“... For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.” (Luke 8:29).
It is the plan of the devil to make us go astray, away from the path of God and to take us to eternal punishment. He works towards it daily. Luke 19:10 says: “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” The devil spoils the heart of man. As a result, there arise wicked thoughts and evil nature. Man strives to amass wealth in wicked ways. There are envy, anger, hatred, deceit, and other evil traits. These are tares sown by the enemy Satan. Thus, wonderfully made man loses his speciality and goodness, and is in untold miseries. He suffers in loneliness. But Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the enemy and also deliver us from the consequent diseases. A man under the influence of the devil loses his cloak of salvation, his relatives, and lives in the midst of the graveyard. He cannot remain at home. His life is in the wilderness and he harms himself.
I have heard of the sufferings of the people who were under devil-possession. Some hate to live the way they live and come to the conclusion that it is better to die than to live. Such evil spirits induce in them the desire to commit suicide by falling from the terrace. Such wrong ideas are planted in their hearts. They teach them the ways of ending their lives. They pester them to commit suicide. Some succumb. But Jesus Christ came to give us life and that too to the extent of abundance.
A few years back, two sisters brought their brother to me for prayer. He was a handsome youth. In his hands there were wounds. As I prayed for him, the Spirit of the Lord revealed certain things. Even when the house is properly closed, he would break open the door and escape. He would go to a particular place and would cause wound to himself with a tool and suck his own blood. Such wounds were there on both his hands. We prayed for him and he was delivered by the Lord on the third day. He came to his senses. All his wounds were healed. Presently he is in a foreign land doing a good job. Such a transformation came over him who could do nothing. Thus, the devil works havoc not only on the body but also in the family relationships, in business and circumstances and causes a lot of disturbances.
The Lord Jesus Christ saves us from the works of the devil by destroying them and delivers us to be free.
4. He Saves Us from Fear
“and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews 2:15).
Fear is another thing that causes untold problems in life. It prevents sleep and makes one suffer in worries. Fear harms the body and the spirit. 1 John 4:18 says: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” Fear opens the doors for the devil to operate. Job 4:14,15 says: “Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.” Job 3:25 says, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” According to Revelation 21:8, those who fear and are cowardly would have their portion in hell-fire: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, got the permission of His master to walk on the sea and stepped out of the boat with confidence. He began to walk and experience the wonder. But all of a sudden, he looked at the boisterous waves of the sea and fear took hold of him. Then he began to sink. Fear stopped the wonder from happening. It set aside the faith in the wonder working power of the Lord. His life was sinking. Today many are in the state of Peter who are afraid of the circumstances in which they are placed. Then fear, depression and worries engulf them. As Peter was sinking, he cried for help to the Lord Jesus. He extended his hand and helped him at once. He was rescued. Thus, Jesus Christ rescues us from fearful situations and from fear itself. It may be fear of death, or the fear of the future or the fear of financial losses. The Lord Jesus Christ can deliver you from fear and its consequences.
5. He Saves Us from Temptations
“then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:9)
Temptations entrap man and lead to disastrous consequences. He realizes his fault only later and guilt consciousness torments him. “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (James 1:14). We know that temptation is common to all, regardless of age.
Once I noticed a man known to me riding a new cycle at the time of worship. After the worship, I found my new cycle missing. I went to the house of the person who took my cycle, and asked his parents to send the cycle to my house. But the mother defended her son saying that he would never do such things. So, I had to take a bus to go to the place of my work. I was looking for an occasion to assault him. It was the feelings I had before I was saved. One day I found him smoking near a bus-stop. So, I got down from the bus and went to him. I took him by force and gave a thrashing and asked why he did not bring my cycle to my house. I took him by the collar and took him to the Police Station nearby. Then the Inspector of Police said that they had been looking for him for a long time. The police made him sit on the floor and began to question him. He shared with them his lust for new cycles and new motor bikes. Wherever he found them, he would immediately steal them. He confessed to have thus stolen 6 motorbikes and 250 cycles. He had not sold them, but kept them in a pit.
In schools, we have seen persons stealing pencils, and rubbers. Even though they know that it is wrong to steal, they are not able to overcome the temptation. This lust conceives sin which in its fullness leads to death.
After Jesus Christ got baptised and came to the bank of the river, He was induced by the Holy Spirit to go to the wilderness. There He remained for forty days fasting. On completing fasting He was hungry. Then Satan came and began to tempt Him cunningly. But Jesus Christ resisted them and got victory through quoting the verses of the scriptures. The day we want to draw near to Jesus Christ, temptations arise and try to overwhelm us. When we have no money in our hands, the desire to buy something haunts us. The shopkeeper further comes forward to give the object and get the payment in instalments. Immediately we buy them. We trespass the Word of God. The Word tells, “You shall not borrow.” Jesus instructed His disciples to keep vigilant and pray to escape temptations. In the Lord’s prayer too, He taught them to pray, “Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.” 1 Cor. 10:13 tells us, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” The Bible also cautions us, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.” We find so many people resorting to wrongful means to become rich within a short time.
Once a woman was enticed by the words a person. She was assured that she would get back ten times what she invested with a company in a month’s time. She was deceived by the advertisement. She gave Rs. 1000 as deposit and got back Rs. 10,000 after a month. She was elated. She introduced the company to many people. She also invested all the money she had with the company. One day the company vacated and absconded. Those who had invested in the company came to her and blamed her as they invested in the company only because she advocated for it. She was in tears as she lost everything she had. The words of the devil are deceitful and tempting, but finally the devil disappoints you.
Job in the midst of sufferings did not fail to hope in the Lord. “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). “But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). Similarly, he was blessed two-fold at the end of the testing he underwent.
The Lord will deliver us from temptations and would bless us with all good things in our lives also. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12). Thus, we would have eternal blessings.
May the Lord bless us!
In the service of Christ Jesus,
Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.