1.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• The name “Jesus” means: The Lord is salvation.
• God’s Son was given the name “Jesus,” because he would save his people from their sin.
• Many people do not accept the salvation of Jesus.
  - In Jesus’ time the people wanted food and miracles from him, but they did not understand that he came to save them from sin.
  - Many people today are not interested in Jesus, because they think that he can do nothing about “real problems” such as poverty, war, and disease.
  - Many people today say that they believe in Jesus, but they think that Jesus is there to make them rich, healthy, and powerful.
• These people all make the same mistake:
  - They think that our biggest problem is outside of us.
  - According to the Bible, our biggest problem is the sin inside of us.

1.2 Matthew 1:18–25←⤒🔗

^18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

^19. Because Joseph, her husband to be, was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her privately.

^20. When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

^21. She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'

^22. This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled:

^23. 'Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will name him Emmanuel,' which means 'God with us.'

^24. When Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord told him. He took his wife,

^25. but did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named Jesus.

© NET Bible

1.3 Why the name Jesus?←⤒🔗

God the Son has always existed. He has always been with God the Father. The apostle John explains, “The Word [God the Son] was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him” (John 1:2–3).

But when God the Son became human, he was given a human name. His parents called him “Jesus.” It was not they who chose this name. Before his birth an angel told Joseph, “you will name him Jesus” (Matthew 1:21).

The name “Jesus” means: The Lord is salvation. When Jesus was born, there were many Jews who were called “Jesus.” That is because the Jews knew that God had promised salvation to them. The name “Joshua” in the Old Testament also has the same meaning: The Lord is salvation.

Jesus was “made like his brothers in every way” (Hebrews 2:17, NIV 1984). Even in his name, he became just like other people. No one thought that his name was special. But Joseph and Mary knew that there was a special reason why their son was called Jesus. He was the salvation promised by God! He would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

1.4 What kind of salvation?←⤒🔗

The word “salvation” means: to be rescued from a dangerous, bad situation and brought to a safe, good situation. In the book of Exodus, we find one of the greatest stories of salvation. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, but the LORD saved them and led them to the Promised Land.

In the time of Jesus, the Jews (Israelites) were in trouble again. There was another nation–the Romans–who ruled over them. The Jews were not free. They were weak and poor. Many of them suffered from hunger and disease.

When the Jews saw all the miracles that Jesus did, they were very glad. They thought, “Finally, God is going to save us!” They wanted to be saved from disease, poverty, and oppression.

But Jesus had a different plan. He knew that his Father had sent him with one purpose: to save his people from their sins. He also knew that he would have to die to save his people.

1.5 Not everyone accepts Jesus←⤒🔗

One day Jesus gave food to five thousand people, using only five loaves of bread and two fish. On that day the people wanted to make him king (John 6:15).

But Jesus refused. He told them, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51).

Most of the people who heard these words, walked away from Jesus (John 6:66). They wanted food from him. But they did not understand that he came to die, to give them eternal life!

Today, many people still respond to Jesus in the same way. They are not interested in the message that he came to die, to save us from sin. They will say, “Look at all the real problems in this world! If Jesus is so powerful, then why doesn’t he do something about it? Poverty, sickness, war, hunger… Stop worrying about sin, and let us do something about these problems!”

There are other people who say that they believe in Jesus. But they do not understand the salvation that Jesus wants to give to them. They think that Jesus must make them rich, healthy, and powerful. They do not realise that Jesus came to save them from their sins.

1.6 Sin is our biggest problem←⤒🔗

These people all make the same mistake. They think that our biggest problems are outside of us. But according to the Bible, our biggest problem is inside of us. Our biggest problem is our sin.

To sin is to disobey God. The first people who sinned were Adam and Eve. They listened to Satan instead of God (Genesis 3:1–6). On that day their relationship with God was broken. Because we are the children of Adam and Eve, we are born with sin (Psalm 51:5). Our relationship with God is also broken.

Sin separates us from God. Remember that sin is not only big crimes, such as theft or murder. Jesus said that sin begins in our hearts. For example, when we love money more than we love God, it is sin. When we think that we are better than others, it is sin.

Jesus warned that a day is coming when God will judge every sin. Every word that we have spoken will be judged (Matthew 12:36). God will send sinners to hell forever (Matthew 18:7–9). Even if you have all the riches in the world, you will not be able to save yourself on that day (Matthew 16:26).

Can you see why sin is our biggest problem? Poverty or sickness do not last forever. But hell lasts forever. Hell is the punishment for sin. In hell people are separated from God’s love and God’s blessing forever.

But God sent Jesus, to save us from this punishment! Jesus gave his life, so that our sins could be forgiven. When we believe in Jesus, he brings us to a place of safety: close to God, instead of separated from God. Through his death and resurrection, he has done exactly what his name says! He has become our salvation.