Journey--COME: The Savior is Jesus
Our summer theme is Journey - the life-changing adventure of disciples who follow Jesus. Our theme verse reminds us that this adventure requires endurance– or the power to keep going even when the journey is difficult.
Hebrews 12:1 | Therefore… let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race (or the journey) God has set before us.
Our theme verse also reminds us that sin is a major problem that can keep us from the journey God has for us. In fact, last week we saw that we all sin and that sin carries with it a colossal consequence. We ended our first week of Journey as utterly helpless sinners needing a savior. The good news? God doesn’t want us to stay separated from Him.
2nd Peter 3:9b | He does not want anyone to be destroyed…
Why? The Bible unveils a story of relentless love from God to mankind. Even when man chooses to go his own way rather than the Lord’s, He still loves –
1st John 4:8b | for God is love.
His perfect love is patient (1st Corinthians 13:4), doesn’t keep count of our wrongdoings (1st Corinthians 13:5), never gives up (1st Corinthians 13:7), and never fails (1st Corinthians 13:7).
Psalm 136:1b | His faithful love endures forever.
Friend, remember your sin? Remember how recalling it made you feel? Even in that state, God loved you. And because of His great love, God made a way of rescue – a way for us to change paths from the one that leads to destruction to the one that journeys with Him–
1st John 4:9-10 | God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
You see, our sin acts as a barrier between us and God (Isaiah 59:2). To join the journey, we need our sins ‘taken away.’ Because of His great love, God sent His Son- Jesus, so that forgiveness of our sin would be possible–
Romans 5:8 | But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Jesus, God the Son, was also in on the plan. His great love for us is why He became human (John 1:14) in the first place. Jesus Himself said-
Luke 19:10 | “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
In case you’re unsure after last week, you were the lost who needed saving. Jesus explained Himself as God’s way of rescue many times. Once, He did so through this story–
John 10:1-4 | “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.”
When people didn’t understand, Jesus explained–
John 10:7b, 9, 11 | “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep… Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures… I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”
In this story, mankind - you and I – are the sheep. Jesus is the gate – the way to get off your own path onto the Lord’s. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus sacrificed His life to provide rescue when–
Hebrews 12:2b | Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross
That joy waiting for Him was you! It was a relationship with all who would join Him on the journey. Our sin was the barrier between us and God, but Jesus–
Colossians 2:14 | He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
Joining Jesus on the journey is only possible when we realize 1) we are sinners in need of a Savior and 2) the Savior we need is Jesus.
What does God’s love mean to you? How would you describe His love to someone who doesn’t know Him yet?
What does Jesus’ sacrifice mean to you? How would you describe what Jesus did to someone who doesn’t know about it yet?
Teens & Adults: What are some things people wrongly try to trust in for salvation or redemption? Why don’t these things deliver or why aren’t they enough?
Do you believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, the only source of salvation? Why or why not?