First Presbyterian Church                                                                  Rev. Michael J. Imperiale

Salt Lake City, Utah                                                                             July 9, 2006

                                                                         “We All Need a Savior”

                                                                 Matthew 1: 18-25; Romans 3: 9-24

Introduction

A large department store chain took on a commercial venture that didn’t work out so well. It was a doll in the form of baby Jesus. It was advertised as being unbreakable, washable, and cuddly. It was packaged in straw with a satin crib and plastic surroundings. Appropriate Bible verses were added here and there to make the scene complete.

Well, baby Jesus just didn’t sell. In his panic, one manager pushed a last ditch promotion to get rid of those dolls. He posted a huge sign outside his store that read: JESUS CHRIST - MARKED DOWN 50% - GET HIM WHILE YOU CAN.

As you can see, this week our children will spend five days in Bethlehem Village for our Vacation Bible School. This Christmas in July program will focus on why Jesus came into the world and why he comes into our lives. The themes include needing a Savior, making room for him, the birth of Christ, telling about him and giving yourself to the Lord. Songs, dramas, games, and crafts all tie together to reach our children with the saving message of God in Christ. Because we all need a Savior.

Inspired by God’s Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome with an explanation of the gospel in all its fullness. Martin Luther claimed that Romans 3: 21-26 is “the chief point… the very central place” not only of the epistle but also of the whole Bible. Martin Lloyd-Jones, a great British preacher, wrote a massive commentary on Romans. He said that “there are no more wonderful words in the whole of Scripture than these two words” in verse 21, “But now…”

You have to agree that the whole Bible concerns itself with these two contrasting descriptions: the hopeless state of us human beings and the marvelous hope that God offers us in Jesus Christ.

I. Hopeless (vs. 9-20)

Using the longest string of Old Testament quotes that are found in the New Testament, Paul insists that the starting point of faith in Jesus is a recognition of the desperate condition of every human being, Jew or Gentile, religious or non-religious. He universally applies the Hebrew Scriptures to all of humanity. From Psalms he quotes, “There’s nobody living right, not even one, nobody who understands, no one who seeks God.”

So where does that put us? Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders (Jews and Gentiles alike) start out in the identical condition. We all start out as sinners. The Bible leaves no doubt about it. “Their throats are open graves, their tongues practice deceit… Every word they speak is tinged with poison. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness… Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways.”

Please tell me there is a person, or a family, a nation or a culture that has been able to live in a better way! Jesus said, “From within, out of your hearts come obscenities and evil thoughts, lust and sexual immorality, thefts and murders, adultery, greed, malice and depravity, deceitful and deceptive dealings, lewdness, envy, slander and mean looks, arrogance, and foolishness.” Is there anyone here who hasn’t experienced one or two or three or more of these within themselves, toward others, and toward God? Paul agrees here. “There is not even one… Every mouth will be silenced and the whole world will be held accountable to God.”

“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.” That’s the first step in AA’s twelve step program that has helped countless people deal with their drinking problems. What a surprise that a biblical model using different words has been effective in the lives of so many. Today there are 12-step programs for alcohol abuse, drug addiction, eating disorders, gambling, ADD, sex addition, credit card debt, workaholics and others.

Here’s the beginning and continuous process of the Christian faith. Admit we are in need; admit we have a problem. That’s why we have a prayer of confession in our worship service each week. I hope that you include this in your daily prayers, talking with God about the things you’ve said, thought or done that hurt others or betray your faith, talking with the Lord about the struggles or problems you are having with relationships or emotions, decisions or memories.

God’s word is clear and our human experience bears it out. We all need a Savior.

II. Hope in Christ (vs. 21-24)

“But now… a righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Something new has been offered. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us.

Many thought Karl Marx had a great idea. The basic human problem was the unequal distribution of wealth. The communist governments that came to power in the 20th century forced rich people to distribute their resources with the poor. But taking the place of rich landowners was a new privileged class of bureaucrats. Communism simply changed one privileged class for another. It could not eradicate the basic human selfishness that inevitably leads to the hoarding of wealth and the fostering of class distinctions.

Many people think that education is the answer. Teach children how foolish and dangerous it is to smoke and they will never start. The problem for many is a peer pressure that leads them to smoke. Many are enslaved to that pressure.

People are by nature addicted to sin. This is why God sent us not a teacher or a politician, but a Savior, a liberator – one who has the power to set us free from our sins.

The second and third steps in AA’s twelve step program are, “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity, and  Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.”

“There is no difference (between you and me or any other human being), for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But now… we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Paul uses two commonly understood situations in his day to explain this good news. The first is in the court of law. Justification is what a judge does when he declares innocent the defendant in a trial. The second is in the slave market when someone redeems slaves by purchasing their freedom. Although all analogies are incomplete, these two show what Jesus has done and what he offers to you and me by faith in him. Forgiveness, justification, vindication, freedom.

Here’s the great transfer of faith. “There is no one righteous, not even one… But now a righteousness from God has been made known.” Ephesians 5 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” Colossians 2 says, “Once you were alienated from God… But now he has reconciled you by Christ.” Peter writes in his first letter, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God… For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (I Peter 2:10, 25).

Conclusion

Bethlehem Village, Christmas in July will be a good reminder that every day is Christmas Day. Every day we live in the joy that Jesus came into our world and comes into our lives for a very specific purpose – to save us.

Without Christ, I am a self-centered, angry, frustrated, hurtful, foolish person. But now, with Christ, I am a child of God, a redeemed person, a forgiven sinner, a saved believer. Without Christ, you will ultimately pay the price of your own rebellious nature. But now, with Christ, you will experience the healing, reconciliation, and peace of forgiveness and new life.

Let us pray together.