The Emptied Christ Who Saves

Jesus came into this world, doing good, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, feeding the hungry, making the deaf to hear, and the lame to leap. Yet what happened? Men cried, away with him, and nailed him to a cross, and from that cross his love flowed to a world of guilty sinners. Christ left the comforts of heaven to come to this incursed world and become a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.

He bore our sins on that ignoble cross at Calvary. The prophet Isaiah writes about the sinful state of man in Isaiah 53, 6. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way.

And that's what sin is, friends. It's going our way, when we know it isn't God's way. The rest of the verse reads, And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Christ was made a sin offering for us, and redeemed us from the curse of the law. Listen to me, friend. I know I am a sinner, and I need a sin substitute in the person of Jesus Christ.

And so do you, friend. So do you. The title of my message today is, The Emptied Christ Who Saves.

And my text can be found in the book of Hebrews, in chapter 5. You can turn your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 7 through 9. Well, let me read us this moving passage of Scripture at this time. And it is my prayer that the Spirit of the Lord will attend the reading of his holy word.

Who, in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared, though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. Here's that glorious Christ who emptied himself of the glories of heaven to save lost sinners.

J. Sidlow Baxter used to say, How can a man, full of himself, preach to Christ who emptied himself? The emptying of Christ, friends, to reconcile sinners back to God, that's what Christ has done. Jesus Christ left the comforts of heaven to endure the sufferings of this sin-soaked earth, to seek and to save that which was lost. Salvation is in Jesus, friends.

In John 14.6 Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Let me ask you, friends, why did Christ set aside his royal robe, and exchange it for a rough robe, and suffer and die on a bloody cross? Because of his obedience to the Father, and his love for poor lost sinners.

There's a true story which illustrates this point. I want to share it with you now, friends. I heard the great preacher, Dr. Stephen F. Alford, relate the following incident in his life.

Born in Africa to missionary parents, Stephen Alford grew up in the African bush in a humble little cottage. It was Christmas time, and young Stephen decided to sneak out of the cottage early that morning to go bag a wild goose for Christmas dinner. Before daylight, he left his parents' home quietly, so not to awaken them.

Into the darkness he walked with his rifle beneath his arm. Making his way to the gate, he unlatched it, but it made a squeak. He kept going into the dark bush to a distant field, where he knew wild geese would be.

Slowly he moved in the darkness, but unfortunately his next step landed him in a treacherous bog of mire. There he was, sinking in the miry bog, as he held his rifle above his head with one hand, while frantically trying to extricate himself with the other. He realized he was in grave danger, and sinking to his death.

But unknown to him, the native servant of his father's house was awakened by the squeak of the gate, and this African had followed him in the darkness, without his knowledge. There stood the African. As the morning sun began to break over the field, he was attired in a colorful robe of silk, which was wrapped around his naked body.

Quickly, the native began to unfold his cloak about him. It unfolded into one long piece of material, and as he unfolded it, he reached the garment over to the desperate Stephen Oford. Stephen grabbed it and hung on for dear life, as he was pulled to safety.

Dr. Oford would relate that this action of the African was like the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus stepped out of the glories of heaven to come to earth to save lost man, who was sunk in the mire of sin. And in his great mercy, he unfolded his royal robe of righteousness, and reached it out to us to grab hold of.

Jesus saves his people from their sins. Once we acknowledge that we are sinners, lost and without God in this world, we see our great need of a savior from sin. And when we turn to God in repentance and believe on his son, Jesus Christ, then our sins are placed under the blood.

Salvation is in Jesus, friend. Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Listen to me, friend. The gospel is for the hungry, the weary, and the thirsty. Let me ask you, are you hungry for God? Are you weary of your sins? Are you thirsty for Christ? Christ is the bread of life.

He invites poor sinners to come to him and believe on him. The duty required, friend, is to come to Christ, and he has a pure gospel promise to all who come. And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.

Come to Christ, friend. He emptied himself so you could have life and have it more abundantly. Let us pray.