The Promised Savior

Notes from Nick Gainey's sermon on Sunday, Decmeber 14, 2025.
Sermon text: Luke 2:1-11

A Savior – someone who saves someone or something from danger or death. In other words,
someone who is a rescuer, liberator, deliverer. This would be a picture of a Savior.

God progressively revealed Himself to mankind by making promises and keeping them

- God’s promise with Abram
- God’s promise to deliver Israel from captivity
- God’s promise to forgive sins through the law and sacrificial system
- God’s promise for a Savior

What has Jesus saved us from?
The power and bondage of sin and death
Guilt and shame
Separation from God both now and for eternity.

Romans 5:10-11 “ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

What has Jesus saved us for?

A life of holiness.
Freedom in Christ
Purpose
To join the mission
To worship and enjoy Him forever


Discipleship Questions:

1. In what areas of your life are you most tempted to look for a savior somewhere other than in Christ?
2. Jesus has saved us from the power and bondage of sin and death, as well as from guilt and shame. Which of these areas do you tend to forget and slip back into? How does that most often surface in your choices, relationships, daily life, etc.?
3. Jesus has saved us for a life of holiness. In what areas of your life do you tend to slip into worldly patterns rather than being set apart as a follower of Christ?
4. Jesus has saved us to walk in freedom in Christ. What are some practical ways this can look in your life?
5. Jesus has saved us for a life of purpose. Identify where you may struggle with understanding and living with purpose, and then discuss how an understanding and application of 2 Peter 1:3-11 could help with this.
6. How does our understanding of Jesus as our Savior affect our desire to join him at work in his mission for all to know and worship him?
7. Jesus saved us to worship and enjoy Him forever. In John 10, Jesus said he came that we would have life and have it abundantly. What gifts can you identify this Advent season that he has already given you that can stir your heart to worship him? Recount these blessings with your group.