He will save his people from their sins.

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“She will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus; for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).

Jesus was a common name among the Jews at that time.

“Yeshua” or the full name “Yehoshua” means “The Lord will save” or “Salvation is in the Lord.”

The news of the Savior was in the minds of every sincere Jew. Many mothers, having given birth to a son, cherished the thought in their hearts:

“Or maybe my son will be the “Savior of the people”? And they gave him the name “Jesus.”

Therefore, there were many such names at that time.

And we, who have reached the 21st century, when we talk about the name “Jesus,” we mean the One about whom the apostle wrote. Paul:
“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name.
So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.

And every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11).

We are filled with reverence for this name. Is not it?

To us this name sounds like something wonderful. And we, together with Solomon, can exclaim:

“Your name is like ointment poured out from the perfume of the ointment” (Song of Solomon 1:2).

The name of Jesus for a Christian is full of fragrance and enchanting charm.

But the question arises: What made this name so famous?

Why has it become so outstanding and popular in the world?

After all, in order to become famous, you need to distinguish yourself in something? Is not it?

There are many famous people in the world today: leaders, liberators of nations from domination and violence, war heroes; heroes who saved people during a disaster, during an earthquake.

But what is the glory of the name “Jesus”?

We read: “He will save His people from their sins.”

Tell me, is sin and salvation from it such an urgent problem?

Aren't there problems today that are more pressing and need to be resolved?

Is the world today facing problems such as:

Hunger, lack of drinking water, depleting fossil resources, ecology?

And diseases such as:

Cancer, AIDS, brain worm, chicken and swine flu?

What about enmity:

Interethnic, interracial, intra-church, family?

Who on earth can solve at least one of these problems:

Scientists, psychics, maybe the State Duma?

These problems are facing humanity in full force and are getting worse.

But there is one more problem. Problem #1. It is the most global – it is an epidemic across our entire earth. This is a sin problem.

Is there such a person in the world who can solve this problem?

There is such a Person!

“Call His name Jesus; for He will save people from problem #1 (sin).

To save man from sin is the main purpose of Jesus' saving work. No wonder He is called the Savior.

But before we can fully understand the work of Christ as Savior, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of the destructive work of sin. And then we will better understand why Christ saves people.

We will look at some aspects of the destructive effects of sin and salvation from it.

First: CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR FROM JUDGMENT

We read:
“Speak thus and act thus, as if you are to be judged according to the law of freedom.
For judgment is without mercy to him who has not shown mercy; mercy prevails over judgment” (James 2:12-13).

Imagine this picture: Sin brings a person to the court of the Law, determines the punishment for the crime.

This law of sin, like a prosecutor, passes judgment on the sinner. But here Jesus appears as a Defender, Advocate, Intercessor and calls for mercy.

Remember, they once brought a sinner to Christ, caught at the scene of a crime, and they said:

“And Moses commanded us in the Law to stone such people: What sayest thou?” (John 8:5)?

But what did Jesus answer?

“I do not condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11).

The law demanded just punishment, but Jesus protects the sinner by silently rebuking her judges and freeing her from judgment.

Because Jesus saw her heart. He saw her deep repentance and determination not to sin again.

“...mercy prevails over judgment” (James 2:13).

But Christ does not only protect the sinner or intercede for him. He becomes the sinner's Substitute. He states:

“Yes, the sinner is guilty, but I take his place. I take his guilt upon myself and bear the punishment for him.”

Therefore, a repentant sinner is forgiven of his sins, and he is freed from condemnation for them.

2. CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR FROM THE SLAVERY OF SIN, FROM CHAINS AND PRISONER.

A criminal of civil law is kept in a pre-trial detention center (pre-trial detention center) before trial, and so is a sinner:

Sin, having brought a person to judgment, keeps him in the chains of slavery in prison until the verdict.

Oh, how many such souls!

They want to get rid of sin, make vows not to do this or that, but after that they do even worse.

Yes, because they are chained.

“Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34).

“... being ourselves slaves of corruption, for whoever is defeated by someone
and the servant" (2 Peter 2:19).

A person is born in sins, drowns in them all his life, and on his own he cannot break out of these chains.

Meanwhile, Christ makes man free. The Son of God has won this freedom and offers it to all sinners.

True, many people still do not know about this freedom.

In America, after a fierce war between the Northern and Southern states, freedom was proclaimed to all Negro slaves. But even after this announcement, in many places in the Southern states, blacks still lived in bondage, because the authorities, in agreement with the slave owners, did not announce their freedom.
And then a lady from the north came to one village of such slave blacks and told them that they were free. And the slaves rose up and threw off the bonds of slavery forever.

My dear friends! Do everyone in the area where you live know that Jesus granted complete freedom from the chains of slavery and the prison of sin?

Do they know that Christ declared this freedom to all people?

They tell about one man who, passing by a bird shop, stopped... began to look at the cages in which the birds were fighting in vain,
wanting to fly free. Tears suddenly rolled down his cheeks.

After standing, he asked: “How much do they cost?” When they answered him, he silently paid and, opening the cages one by one, released all the birds to freedom. At the same time, his face shone with incredible joy.

People thought: “How crazy he is” and were indignant: “What are you doing”?

Looking at the birds flying away, he said: “I remembered how I too was in the cage of sin. But Jesus set me free, and now I cannot indifferently watch these birds sit in a cage. And I decided to free them.

I named it:

I opened the door from the dungeon
The singer is my captive.
-Fly, nightingale singer,
Be a queen among the fields.

She fluttered up as if knowing -
Freedom is something like heaven.
I remembered how I was in prison;
Now I'm free like a bird.

Tell me, is the human soul smaller than these birds?

Can we, delivered from the chains of slavery to sin, be indifferent?

When people around us are in the chains of sin, can we remain silent and not tell them that Christ has set them free?

What else does the Savior save a person from?

3. CHRIST – SAVIOR FROM DEATH

“The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

We are talking here, of course, not about the death that all people die today. We are talking about the second, eternal death.

Sin leads a person to death, that is, by committing a sin, a person breaks with God and, continuing to sin and not repenting, although he is shortening his physical life, he is already spiritually dead. Without God, he is already a candidate for eternal death.

Christ does everything on His part to raise a dead sinner to a new spiritual life.

And then a miracle happens. Under the influence of His sovereign power, the dry bones of the spiritual dead come together, are clothed with flesh, and a person comes to life spiritually, his living spiritual nature returns to him again.

This is the life-giving power of I. Christ quickens us to new spiritual power.

“For if through the transgression of one death reigned through one, much more will those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through one Jesus Christ.
Therefore, just as through one crime there was condemnation for all men, so through one righteousness there was justification for life for all men” (Rom. 5:17-18).

And the last thing:

4. CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR FROM ERROR

This is also an important aspect. How many errors are creeping into the church!

Even after Jesus resurrects a person dead in trespasses and sins to new life, sin does not leave him.

The resurrected man wants to go to the highest city of Jerusalem, to the land of eternal bliss, but sin tries to distract him from his intended goal and from the right path.

Do you remember:

How many times did sin lead the Israelites away from the path along which the Lord led them?! How long did they wander in the desert?! And all because of their sins.

But now the people were entrusted into reliable hands, into the hands of the one whose name was also Jesus. And he brought the Israelites, under the guidance of God, to the promised land, despite any obstacles.

So it is now: sin leads a person astray from the right path, but God has entrusted His people into the hands of Jesus Christ, and He will certainly bring all those who trust Him to their intended goal.

So, what is the glory of the name “JESUS”?

He is the Savior:

1. From the court.
2. From slavery to sin, from chains and prison.
3. From death.
4. From delusion.

This is the main thing from which He saves us.

What conclusion can we draw from this?

What is the basis of Christ's saving work?

FREEDOM FROM SIN!

Sin is leprosy!
Sin is a cancer!
Sin is the plague of humanity!
Sin is the root of all evil on earth.

Therefore, Jesus calls people to repentance.

Do you remember where He began His preaching work?

“From that time Jesus began to preach and say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17).

What did John the Baptist preach?

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand
Produce therefore fruit worthy of repentance” (Matt. 3:2,8).

What was the purpose of Peter's preaching?

Peter also led people to repentance with his preaching:

“When they heard this, they were amazed in their hearts and said to Peter and the other apostles: What should we do, brothers and sisters?
Peter said to them: Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38).

Now everyone can ask themselves a question:

Have I accepted the atoning sacrifice of the Savior Jesus Christ, and, moreover, not superficially, but seriously and thoroughly?

Has Jesus found refuge on the throne of my heart?

They tell one incident from the time of the Napoleonic wars. It is known that the soldiers loved their emperor very much.
One day a soldier was wounded in the chest. The surgeon, using a scalpel, looked for a bullet stuck somewhere close to the heart cavity. (Anesthesia was not yet used at that time).
“A little more,” the soldier whispered, “and you will find the emperor.”
By this he wanted to say:
“I die for the emperor, and my heart is filled with the emperor I love.”
Or in other words: “The Emperor is in my chest, and I die with him in my chest, and for him I die”!

Oh, if we could exclaim:

“Look a little deeper into my heart, and you will find in it Jesus, my Savior, the one whom I love so much and am ready, if necessary, to die, but just not to upset Him with my unworthy behavior.

Dear friend! Dear brother! Dear sister! Jesus, our dear Savior, wants to live in your heart and mine.

Let us accept Him with all our soul and heart and glorify Him with our lives.

I named it:

JESUS ​​IN THE INVISIBLE CONSCIOUSNESS

At the top of the pedestal
A soldier froze in marble.
He accomplished many feats
Someone's son, and someone's brother.

This is from mountain granite
A grandiose monument.
In honor of the unforgotten heroes
This stand was set up.

In a blaze of glory someone's name
Someone's face is so tired;
The company heroically rushed into battle,
In hand-to-hand combat, bayonet to bayonet.

On the Golgotha ​​"pedestal"
Between heaven and earth,
Two blades made of durable steel
Bayonet to bayonet crossed in battle.

The bet is that the earthly world is vicious.
Evil, good - the struggle of ideas;
And it seemed that the strong one trembled
Plan to save people.

The one who gives life has died -
Lord, Prince of Heaven.
But in vain the enemy rejoices, -
He resurrected on the third day!

From Golgotha ​​to the outskirts,
Love has passed through centuries.
So that we can live without knowing evil,
Holy blood was spilled.

Glorious is the name of Jesus!
But neither marble nor granite,
And in the invisible consciousness
The man keeps it!

Alexander Serkov

. “But when he thought this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David! Do not be afraid to receive Mary your wife, for what is born in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

“Why are righteous people rewarded with heavenly visions at night, during sleep, and not during the day, while awake? The reason, it seems, should be the following: the Lord, according to the plans of His highest wisdom, reveals His miracles only in cases of extreme need and mostly shows His economy in a natural way. The appearance of celestial beings in a dream to righteous people is a very common and natural thing: the soul of such people communicates with the invisible world in a dream, because its connection with the body at this time is weakest and can comfortably perceive the subtle influence of the spiritual world. Meanwhile, during the day, in a waking state, righteous people are more or less surrounded by the vanity of the world, which does not allow the soul to fully ascend the mountain and converse with the bright spirits of the heavenly world. Only a special, miraculous action of God’s grace can completely direct them into the heavenly region and give them the full opportunity to contemplate the world of spirits! Do you want the edifying conversation of the celestials - keep yourself in perfect purity day and night, and, like Joseph and other righteous people, you will be rewarded with the appearance of the inhabitants of the heavenly world, who carefully monitor our life, like brothers, directing it so that we become worthy of their saint community here, but especially there, in heaven."

. “She will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

“Christian hope is our hope in Christ and in the eternal bliss promised to us by Christ. He is the edge of our desire: He will save His people from theirs. “I would be glad to go to heaven, but sins are not allowed in,” say many Christians who have no idea about Christian hope, as if sins are some kind of unbreakable wall. No: I will say that our Savior destroyed her with the cross and death and opened the paradise of God to the repentant. This is where we stand to teach how to hope in Christ, because not every hope is Christian, true, saving. We will show the properties of Christian hope: its solidity, firmness and completeness and those signs by which one can know whether there is Christian hope in us; Let us show that Christian hope breathes through prayer like air, is supported and strengthened by the life-giving Mysteries, reading or listening to the Word of God and the writings of St. fathers, each by his own good deeds. Here we will reveal that since a Christian is a free and rational being, created in the image and likeness of God, but, moreover, fallen (by his own will) or removed from God through iniquity, he must himself, through faith, hope and love, approach his Prototype. We advise every Christian to carefully consider what in him actually constitutes a god-like and immortal person; we ask him to pay attention to his heart, listen to its demands, which very often appear before a person’s consciousness, and satisfy them without delay. Our heart requires faith in God and union with Him, in Whom it finds peace and bliss, but it is also seduced, through the action of the dark spirit and innate corruption, by all earthly blessings, which do not constitute its peace, life and bliss, but only sorrow and tension . To unite this heart with faith and hope with Christ is our last desire when talking with you about hope; to interrupt your hope for earthly blessings: for people, for honors, for wealth, for the pleasures of sensuality - this is our only desire. We drown in sins and often become discouraged, despair, and perish from their multitude; to turn everyone's eyes to our hope - Christ the Savior - in all sins, in all sorrows, in all the vicissitudes of life, happiness and misfortune, to show that He is the God of the repentant and the Savior of those who sin - this is our desire. To show in Christ our life, our bliss, our light, our wealth, food, drink, everything, and throughout our lives to teach everyone to strive for Him as the end of all our desires - this is what we desire most. Jesus is the Source, always living. I would like to bring you to the point where each of you from the heart calls Jesus your Jesus, your Savior. God forbid that we should have to exclaim: God! Who believes our hearing and opens the arm of the Lord to whom? [

Celebrating Christmas with the whole church is more than wonderful. Christmas is a holiday because on this day more than two thousand years ago the world received hope. But Christmas is not just something that happened sometime in the past, Christmas is our present. Therefore, we, as believers, celebrate this great day together.

The very beginning of the service culminated with a specially allotted time to wish each other a Merry Christmas and give gifts. This was followed by a creative block of dances, songs and poems. It is amazing how much God has invested in everyone and how wonderful it is that we choose to honor Him with our talents. The dance flash mob smoothly flowed into worship and the Holy Spirit filled every heart, His presence was incredibly palpable.

"Royal Children"

"Royal Children"

"Church of Jesus Christ"

Pastor Dmitry shared with the church a message about why Jesus came to our world. God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and gave them over two thousand trees, the fruits of which they could eat. But the devil focused Eve's attention precisely on that one thing from which it was forbidden to feed. Surprisingly, she believed the words of the enemy more than what the Father told them. God had to drive the people out of Eden. However, this heavenly peace, tranquility and perfection can be in the heart of every person if they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Because the internal vacuum can only be filled through a personal relationship with God. This is what Jesus came for. His mission is to restore the connection between God and people.

She will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

By the way, at this service there were much more notes with thanks than with needs. In fact, each of us has something to sincerely say “thank you” to God for. So let us think about this and thank Him from the bottom of our hearts.

We have a wonderful week ahead of us, where we are heading with the peace of God. Merry Christmas, dear Church!

The prophets of the Old Testament foreshadowed the coming of the Messiah - God's anointed one, the one who would bring salvation. By the time of Christ, the anticipation of His coming had become especially intense. People imagined the Messiah as a mighty, victorious warrior who would punish the wicked pagans who oppressed the people of God and establish a kingdom of fabulous peace and abundance. When the Messiah turned out to be anything but, the majority of the people rejected Him. It is easy for us to reproach the people of that time, to marvel at their unbelief and hardness of heart - but don’t the people of our time show the same qualities? Christ brings Salvation, purchased at the Price of His own death on the Cross - and so many find it unclaimed. Why?

Let's see what kind of salvation we are talking about - and what kind of salvation people are looking for. The Gospel says about the coming Child that “He will save His people from their sins. (Matt. 1:21).” This is salvation from something within ourselves - from corruption, from sin, from madness and rebellion. The salvation that the ancient Jews - and modern Russians - were mostly looking for was salvation from something external. From unpleasant, oppressive circumstances, from other people who treat us unfairly. People of the first century lived from hand to mouth - and dreamed of a messianic era when there would be plenty of food; They lived under the tyrannical rule of both the Herodian dynasty and the Roman occupiers above them - and they wanted the Messiah to restore order with a strong hand and establish a more just rule. The Messiah was expected to satisfy the aspirations and needs of the people - both innocent ones, such as the need for satiety and security, and more dubious ones - such as the need to finally trample on the wicked pagans and rise above them. However, this desire could easily be interpreted in a pious way - shouldn’t the worshipers of the true God be exalted above the vile idolaters? Is it not an insult to the name of God that His people should suffer under the rule of the wicked?

When it became clear that the Messiah would not do this, dashed hopes resulted in disappointment and even hatred, the cries of “Hosanna” were replaced by cries of “Crucify Him!” But already in the events of Christmas it is clear that something is happening that people do not expect - and do not really want. The Messiah comes into the world as a baby in a poor family. His Most Pure Mother has no place in the hotel. He does not bring deliverance from all troubles - on the contrary, He himself needs to be saved from the wrath of Herod; the people closest to Him not only do not receive satiety and security, but are forced to become refugees.

He clearly doesn't bring people what they want. And this is very important to note. Salvation is unexpected - people want salvation in the categories of this world - prosperity, security, sometimes, worse, revenge and power, when God exalts us above our enemies. But God has a different plan - to make us holy and involved in the true good. From the point of view of fallen man salvation must consist in having his desires satisfied; God is seen as a means to getting what we want. Very often and almost imperceptibly - both in the 1st century, and in the 16th, and in the 21st - people declare their desires to be the will of God (“God told me to attack Iraq”) and see in God the heavenly patron and heavenly guarantor of their ideals, their values ​​and their projects. Secular religious scholars who see in God a projection of the collective “I” of a religious or ethnic group, the embodiment of its values ​​and expectations, are somewhat right - people constantly form their image of God based on their desires. And when the real, living God becomes the Baby in Bethlehem, they find themselves tragically unprepared for this - they are not ready even now.

But God does not fulfill our desires. In order for us to find the true, eternal joy for which He created us, we must learn to desire other things. A small child wants toys and sweets, but he needs to grow up and enter the world of adult joys and adult responsibilities. The desires of fallen man are often not for his true good. There is a cynical saying “don’t teach me to live, better help me financially” - and, as a rule, the person who says this needs to learn to live, and material help will be of little use to him.

God wants to teach us to live - and transform us from the inside with His grace, which He gives through prayer and the Sacraments of the Church. To make us different people - people capable of accepting the eternal joy that He has prepared for us. The salvation that Christ brings is not that God changes external circumstances or other people, but that he changes us.

Nowadays, people live much more well-fed, safer and freer than in the 1st century, but they are also full of indignation at circumstances and at other people. They are also sure that these are circumstances and other people must change - and do not see the need to change themselves. This is precisely the root of the misunderstanding between the world and the Church. Why doesn't the Church take up arms against our enemies? Why does the Church try to teach us to live, instead of doing as we want? The answer that can be immediately given will be somewhat discouraging - because Christ himself is not going to do as you want. Because it wouldn't be good for you.

Christ does not come to change other people or the circumstances around us that we are unhappy with. He comes to change us. We must change - change our views and preferences, values ​​and ideals, main goals in life and everyday actions. Then we will see how to remove the knots from other people's eyes - but not before. It is pointless to ask the question “how can I fit Christ into my goals, aspirations, ideals and interests.” The only question that makes sense is “Lord! what do you want me to do? (Acts 9:6).”