From His Heart

Larry Nobles: What is the miracle of salvation? Here's Pastor Jeff Schreve.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Have you believed in the Lord Jesus? Have you received him? Have you experienced, as Joshua experienced, covered in his filthy garments, and there is the Lord who took those filthy garments and gave him beautiful garments to wear? He wrapped him in a robe of righteousness. He put on him the garments of salvation. Has that happened to you?

Listen, he'll save anybody who will come to him in repentance. You turn from sin and faith, you put your faith and trust in him and him alone. Of him all the prophets bear witness, that through his name, all who receive him receive the forgiveness of sins.

Larry Nobles: Have you personally experienced the miracle of salvation? Lots of people come to church every week and they talk about salvation. They sing about salvation, but they've never really experienced salvation. They know about it in their heads, but they haven't experienced a personal transition in their hearts.

You see, God would never force you to love him because that wouldn't be real love. You'd be a robot. We have to come to him willingly and repentantly. That's why he's given us free will.

And that is when the miracle of salvation happens, when we freely come to him. That's the title of today's lesson on From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve. Thank you for joining us for the third message in the Miracles of Christmas series. Merry Christmas Eve to you and to yours. And today we hear part two of the lesson called The Miracle of Salvation. Open your Bible to Matthew chapter 1. Here again is Pastor Jeff to explain the miracle of salvation.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Now I want to share with you three truths concerning the miracle of salvation: Jesus who saves from sin. First truth: Jesus came to earth for a rescue mission. It was a rescue mission. Salvation is used over and over again in the Bible. And it basically means to rescue from danger, to deliver from danger. So rescue and deliverance are part of salvation, and that's what Jesus came to earth to do, to rescue us. He came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Many people are familiar with John 3:16. That's one of the most famous verses in all the Bible: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." But verse 17 is very important: "For the Father did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world or to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him." He came on a rescue mission so that the world would be saved and could be saved through him.

Man, humanity, needed to be saved from sin. Sin is the big player here, and God sent his Son into the world to save man from sin. Now notice, he doesn't say he's going to save his people from their mistakes, from their faults, from their foibles. No, from their sins. We kind of like to water things down and make ourselves look better and feel better about ourselves. We're really not so bad. He came to save me from my mistakes. Sin is not a minor thing; it's a major thing. It's a cancer of the soul that will kill you forever and ever and ever.

Man needs a savior because we needed to be saved from sin, and we need a savior because we needed to be saved from divine wrath. We live at a time where God's mercy, the dam of God's mercy, is holding back the waters of God's wrath. And the waters of God's wrath are furiously beating against the dam of his mercy. One day, the dam is going to break, and the waters of God's wrath are going to flood upon those who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to earth for a rescue mission. Truth number two: Jesus came to earth to reveal God to us. This is what Matthew, led by the Holy Spirit, is saying to us. Verse 23, he adds in from Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means God with us." And so Jesus came to earth to reveal God to us. This is what God is like. He's the exact representation of his nature, and he holds everything together by the word of his power.

You remember at the Last Supper, Jesus in John 14, they said, "Lord, we don't know the way you're going." He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." And Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." And he said, "Philip, have I been so long with you and yet you are not knowing me? Do you not understand? If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. Because I am in the Father and the Father is in me. How do you say, show us the Father and it is enough for us?"

Jesus is God in the flesh, and he came not only to rescue us, but to reveal God to us. I was really landing on this point in verse 21. You shall call his name Jesus, Yeshua in the Hebrew, for he will save his people from their sins. The name is very, very important. That's what the angel in Luke chapter 1 told Mary: "Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you." And then he says, "You're going to bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus." You can't call him whatever you want to call him. You're going to call him Jesus.

In verse 25 of Matthew 1, but he kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son, and he called his name Jesus, Yeshua. That's an important name because that name means Yahweh saves, or Yahweh is salvation. It's not like nobody had that name before. That was a common name. It goes back to the Old Testament. When we run across that name in the Old Testament, it's Joshua. And Joshua's name was Hoshea, which means salvation. And Moses put a "Yah" on it, Yashua or Yeshua, and said Yahweh is salvation.

Joshua went from having a name salvation to Yahweh is salvation. And when Mary and Joseph were told, "You're going to have this baby and you're going to name him Yeshua," well, that would immediately trigger things in the mind of a Hebrew about other people in the Bible who had that name. There were three key people that had that name, and they're all pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ.

First one is Joshua. We all know about Joshua. There's a whole book in the Bible called Joshua, the Book of Joshua, Joshua the deliverer. Then there's another guy in the Bible, his name was Joshua. He was high priest, and he's in the Book of Zechariah. And then a third one is not named Joshua; he's named Hoshea, or as we call him, Hosea the prophet. Well, that's the root of Yeshua. Hoshea means salvation.

I was reading this Greek scholar. It's always fun to read Greek scholars. Those guys are just a barrel of laughs. Anyway, I was reading this Greek scholar, and he was talking about those three names and how they're so significant because to a Jew, they would connect those dots. Let's talk about the prophet Hosea. See, the prophet Hosea is a picture of the ministry of the Lord Jesus. When you think about Hosea, he's the first of the minor prophets, Hosea, Hoshea.

What was he told to do? "Hey Hoshea, go marry this woman named Gomer." Good night, Lord, can we give her another name? Let's change her name, Ginger or something. But no, her name's Gomer. Okay, but she is a woman of harlotry. She is going to be unfaithful to you, but you go and marry her and you have children with her, and you be faithful to her. Gomer represents us. We're the ones with a bad name. We're the ones with a bad reputation. We're the ones with bad morals.

We're the ones who step out in our relationship with the Lord. "You adulteresses," James 4:4, "do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to make himself a friend of this world makes himself an enemy of God." And Hosea, whose name means salvation, it's connected to Yeshua. Well, that shows us that the Lord is compassionate and gracious. The prophet was compassionate. He was gracious. He was patient. He was faithful with his unfaithful wife.

It says in 2 Timothy, even if we're faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. And then you think about Joshua the high priest in Zechariah chapter 3. This is what it says about Joshua the high priest: "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him." You have three people here: Joshua the high priest—what does his name mean? Yahweh is salvation—then you have the angel of the Lord, which is a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you have Satan.

Satan is accusing Joshua the high priest, and the angel of the Lord Jesus is there. And it says, "Then the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?'" Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes."

That's exactly what Jesus did on his rescue mission. He shall save his people from their sins. You and I are Joshua the high priest, covered in filthy garments. And Jesus takes our filthy garments onto himself, as the Bible says, that God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Jesus takes our sin and Jesus gives Joshua the high priest his righteousness.

As it says in Isaiah 61, "He has clothed me with a robe of righteousness; he has wrapped me in the garments of salvation." That is all pictured in that name Joshua. That's what the Lord did when he came to earth. He showed that God is forgiving and redeeming. I think often about the woman, Luke 7, the prostitute who wept at Jesus' feet. She never said a word that's recorded in scripture. We're not given her name; she's just the immoral woman who wept at Jesus' feet.

She was broken over her sin. And he talked about how she wet his feet with her tears, she washed his feet, she anointed him with her perfume, her costly perfume. He said, "Her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much." But he who's been forgiven little, loves little. Who have you ever known who's been forgiven little? Paul called himself the chief of sinners. When I think about my own life, I think, Lord, how could you have anything to do with me? I am such a sinner.

When you understand you've been forgiven much, you love much. And Jesus died for her sins on the cross. He rose again from the dead. See, he's the God who rescues, the God who takes away sin through his death, burial, and resurrection. Then the name Joshua, from the mighty conqueror Joshua, shows that the Lord is victorious and strong. He is our deliverer, just as Joshua was. Yeshua went from having the name Hoshea, salvation, to Yeshua, the Lord, Yahweh is salvation.

He led God's people into the Promised Land over the Jordan River into the Promised Land to fight the battle of Jericho and all those other battles. God used him, and he's a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our deliverer, who is our conqueror, who is the one who's victorious and strong. He delivers from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin, and one day from the presence of sin. It's really important that you call his name Jesus, Yeshua.

The Lord is salvation. The Lord saves. Yahweh saves. Because it's this one and this one alone who brings salvation. I did a little study. The word "name," his name, is used over and over in the New Testament. It says in Acts chapter 4 verse 12, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." The name is Jesus.

When Peter preached to Cornelius and his household in Acts chapter 10, he said this: "Of him," speaking of Jesus, "all the prophets bear witness that through his name, everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins." In the name of Jesus, Jehovah, Yahweh saves. Jesus came to earth for a rescue mission. And he came to earth to reveal God to us. If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. And lastly, he came to earth for you, for your salvation.

John 3:16 says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, and that's true. Jesus came for the world, but he came for you. He came for you. Galatians 2:20, Paul says, "Who loved me and delivered himself up for me." It's very personal, and that's a wonderful thing as you consider the Lord and his love for you. Jesus loves even me. He came for your salvation, God with us. He purchased salvation for everyone.

In Calvinism, the five points of Calvinism that you have, the L, the TULIP is the five points of Calvinism in an acrostic. The L stands for limited atonement. It says in Calvinistic circles, well, Jesus didn't die for everybody. He just died for the elect. He didn't shed his blood for unbelievers; he just shed his blood for believers. I don't believe that. I believe that Jesus died for everyone.

This is why: 1 John chapter 2 verse 1, "My little children, I am writing to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he himself is the propitiation," the atonement, the covering, the satisfaction for our sins, "and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." He died for everyone. He purchased salvation for everyone and he offers salvation to everyone. It's offered to everyone.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 11, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I'm gentle and humble in heart, and you shall have rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." He says to come. He says in John chapter 6, "The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out." Jesus says, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden." "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13.

We have that song that someone wrote that has the line in it: "Whosoever will, whosoever will, send the proclamation over vale and hill; 'tis a loving Father calls the wanderer home; whosoever will may come." The last chapter of the book of the Revelation, the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 22, almost the very last verse of the Bible, it's an invitation. The invitation says this: "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let the one who hears say, 'Come!' And let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost."

It's back to Matthew 11: "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden." God puts out the invitation. He purchases salvation for everyone, he offers salvation to everyone, and he gives salvation to anyone who will respond to him. That's the key. Limited atonement? No, he died for everybody, but it's just going to be applied to those who respond to him. If you don't respond to him, then his death on the cross doesn't help you.

His rescue—you were the one he came to rescue you and you went the other way when he was there. You were sinking deep in sin; he came to rescue you and you went under the water. You swam away from him. You didn't want his rescue. Well, if you don't want his rescue, then he can't rescue you. It's given to those who will respond to him. In Matthew chapter 1, when the angel revealed things to Joseph, what does it say he did? He responded.

Verse 24, "And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a son; and he called his name Jesus." He obeyed. He responded in obedience. What have you done with the call to come? Jesus has said, "Come to me." What have you done? The sad reality is so many people hear it and know it up here, but this part has never come to Jesus.

They've never given their heart to Jesus. John chapter 1, "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name." Have you come? Have you received him? Some people are just so rude when the gift is offered, they just say, "No, I don't want it. You can keep it."

Others are just, "Oh yeah, that's nice. Just put it in a drawer there," and they never open the gift. Listen, if you don't ever open the gift, you haven't received the gift. You've just neglected the Lord. You've done Isaiah 53: "All we like sheep have gone astray, each one of us turned to his own way." They're not shaking your fist in the face of God; you're not saying, "Crucify him" in your mind. You're just saying, "Oh, that's nice," and you just go your own way.

Either way, you haven't received him. As many as received him, welcomed him into their lives, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, the name Yeshua, Yahweh saves. Have you done that? Have you believed in the Lord Jesus? Have you received him? Have you experienced, as Joshua experienced, covered in his filthy garments, and there is the Lord who took those filthy garments and gave him beautiful garments to wear? He wrapped him in a robe of righteousness. He put on him the garments of salvation. Has that happened to you?

Larry Nobles: At From His Heart, we pray every day for those who listen to this program, and today we pray for you and that you are a child of God. If you're not, then you'd make that declaration today by genuinely repenting of your sin and turning all your life over to Christ. When you do, you will be changed. To help you better understand what this all means, we hope you'll go to fromhisheart.org, click the "Why Jesus" link where you'll find a lot of great information, get your questions answered, and realize fully what it means to be a child of God. He loves you so very, very much.

Again, that's the "Why Jesus" link at fromhisheart.org. It's amazing to think that someone would be just flipping the channels on the radio across the USA or across the TV channels around the world or scrolling the internet late at night, wrestling with doubt, that they could suddenly stumble across a message posted by From His Heart and hear that God loves them, forgives them, and has a plan for their life. Well, that happens every day because of the support that we receive from our listeners like you. That's what you make possible and why your year-end gift today is so important.

When you make that gift, we have a special thank you gift for you as well. It's Pastor Jeff's new devotional book, The Heart is God's Home. It's a beautiful, high-quality daily devotional book written by 39 respected and godly pastors and church leaders, including Pastor Jeff. It'll help you draw closer to the Lord who lives in you. 1 John chapter 4 verse 4 tells us, "Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world." Every one of the 365 devotions reminds you that God's presence is as near as your own heartbeat.

The devotional book includes powerful scripture reading, uplifting insights, and a heartfelt prayer to help you apply what you've read to your life. Just request your copy when you give your best gift before January 1st, knowing that your support will help more people around the world discover real truth, real love, and the real hope of Jesus with those who need him most. To get your copy of this year-long devotional book, The Heart is God's Home, call 866-40-BIBLE, 866-40-BIBLE, or go online to fromhisheart.org. Thank you so very much for your year-end gift.

I'm Larry Nobles wishing you a very happy Christmas. Join us tomorrow, Christmas Day, as Pastor Jeff will begin the last message in his new Christmas series, The Miracles of Christmas, when we'll open up God's word and share real truth, real love, and real hope from his heart. Merry Christmas!