Four Titles-Same Savior, Part 2

There are four New Testament writers who chronicled the life of Jesus Christ – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each one, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, recorded their observations about Jesus the Messiah, and each one provided a different vantage point while remaining consistent in their recollection. Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll invites us to follow along as he identifies four unique names that the writers ascribed to God. Through this exercise, we'll gain a whole new appreciation for the multifaceted nature of God. Chuck titled today's message, Four Titles, Same Savior.

From an old Anglo-Saxon word, good spell, meaning good news. So each of the four writers of the Gospels wrote good news about Christ. Why were there four?

Why not just one? Why did the Lord lead four people from varied backgrounds and different educational references to sit down and write of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, so that we might have four wonderful perspectives of the Savior. These writers have approached the Lord Jesus Christ from different angles so that once we study the snapshots, we see the Savior.

We come to know him in four different ways. Turn to the first of Matthew. Matthew, the tax collector who is converted to Christ before he writes the good news of the Savior, presents the Lord Jesus as the mighty king. Matthew 1 begins with the genealogy of Christ, but it doesn't go back to Adam.

That's Luke's job. Adam would link the Lord Jesus as a man among men. But Matthew wants his Jewish readers to see Christ as the king, as Jewish through and through, the king of the Jews. So he takes us naturally back to Abraham. No other Gospel writer emphasizes the kingship of Christ like Matthew.

He is the official ruler of the nation. No other Gospel writer spends as much time with Jesus on the mount as he presents his great sermon on the mountain because that's kingdom living and naturally it would flow into Matthew's perspective. Turn to Mark. Unlike Matthew, Mark writes of the Lord Jesus Christ as a lowly servant. He writes of the Lord Jesus as one actively engaged in serving his fellow man.

His favorite word is immediately. Matthew writes to Jews. Mark seems to write to the Romans who were people of action, type A's. Look at just chapter 1 for example, verse 12 of Mark. Immediately the spirit impaled him to go out into the wilderness. Verse 18, after addressing a few of the disciples, immediately they left their nets and followed him. Verse 20, and immediately he called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants. Verse 28, immediately the news about him went out everywhere. The same in verse 29, immediately after they had come out of the synagogue. Verse 42, immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. Chapter 2 verse 8, immediately Jesus perceiving in his spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves.

It's all the way through the book. You move from one scene to another, from one action to another because a servant serves. The key verse of Mark is chapter 10, turn will you, verse 45. For even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.

The son of God, Matthew says he's the king, Mark says he's the one who serves. When you get to Luke's gospel it's different from even the first two. Luke wrote of Christ as the ideal man.

Time and again we're given human interest stories. There are more dialogues, I should say discourses in Luke, more parables than any of the other gospels. Because people tell stories and the human interest of each one of these parables was of interest to the doctor. Luke is the one who alone presents that journey on the road to Emmaus where those men were stumbling along wondering what their future held. I'm in the last chapter of this gospel by Luke. After Christ has been raised from the dead and many doubted it and many knew nothing of it.

These men were walking along on the way to Emmaus and wondering about what the future held for them. And Jesus happens along beside them and they don't recognize him as being the Lord. Luke is the only one who tells of this wonderful dialogue between him and them.

Verse 26 chapter 24, was it not necessary for the Messiah, the anointed one, the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, now mark this carefully, Jesus explained to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures. By the way we never read where Jesus wrote anything down except when he fingered in the sand that day when the adulteress was taken. It's the only time we read that he wrote something down. One wonders what he wrote in the sand. I think if he had written anything we would have made such a shrine of it the Bible would have faded in insignificance.

We would have so worshipped what Jesus himself wrote that our Lord preserved us from such a tendency on our part. But how often he explained the things concerning himself in the scriptures. Now verse 28, they approached the village where they were going and he acted as though he would go farther. And they urged him saying stay with us for it's getting toward evening and the day is now nearly over. He went in to stay with them. They still didn't know who he was. This is a great scene.

It came about that when he had reclined at the table with them he took the bread and blessed it and breaking it he began giving it to them. And their eyes were opened. You've had that happen haven't you? You've been sort of drifting along and drifting along and your eyes are open. We say in educational terms it clicked. Haven't you struggled with an equation? You've had the teacher work on the chalkboard and work and work and all the other students are saying yeah right.

You're going what in the world is that about? And then wonder of wonders it clicks and you go hooray and everybody looks at you like they've seen it all along. But you didn't see it. Your eyes were opened. Doesn't mean literal eyeballs it means their senses were made aware it is the Christ. It's him.

It's him. It's been overwhelming moment. They recognized him and he vanished from their sight. They said to one another were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us on the road while he was explaining the scriptures to us. They arose that very hour. It was late but they didn't wait.

They returned to Jerusalem and they sit and it says in verse 34 the Lord has really risen. He has appeared to Simon. It's true.

It's true. We've seen him. Their eyes were open. A man among men. No one else presents that story but Luke. When you get to the gospel by John you move 30 years ahead in time toward the end of the first century and you come to the one who was the nearest to him during his earthly ministry. John the fisherman. John whose life has been changed and he presents our Lord not as a mighty king not as a lowly servant not as a man among men the ideal man but he presents him as the divine son of God. In fact John's gospel is the easiest to outline because John states his purpose and then goes about fulfilling what he said he would do.

Let me show you what I mean. The 20th chapter kind of like an algebra book you've got to go to the back of the book to get the answer and then you go back and work out the situation. John 20 30 and 31. 20 30 many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book but these have been written. These things I have included in these 20 chapters these things have been written that you who read may believe that Jesus is the anointed one the Christ the son of God and that believing you may have life in his name. That's the reason I've sat down to write another story of Christ. I want you to see he's not merely the king not just a man not only a servant he is very God and he never stopped being God while he was on this earth. And all the way through he presents miracles and stories and events that caused the reader to say that's God only God could do that only God could raise Lazarus only God could turn water into wine.

Only God could heal the man born blind only God could feed the five thousand. This is an extremely unique book by the way seven percent of Mark is unique that is only he includes it. Forty two percent of Matthew is unique fifty nine percent of Luke is unique ninety two percent of John is I call that book significant. I'm glad God led him to write it and when you read even at the beginning of the chapters go back to chapter one promise I won't take you through each chapter but you've got to see the prologue. No other writes a prologue like John does remember the purpose of the book to present that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that by believing you might have life in his name. At the beginning of the book in the beginning was the word the word was with God the word was God he was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of men. Verse fourteen the word became flesh this is Bethlehem the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory. Man has no glory a servant has no glory an earthly king has a diminishing glory and it's only for the time he is appointed but God has glory we beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth John says I touched him I sat beside him I ate with him I saw the glory.

The glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. Only in the gospel of John do you find seven times I am. I am the bread of life chapter six I am the light of the world chapter eight before Abraham was I am. I am the good shepherd chapter ten I am the resurrection and the life chapter eleven I am the way the truth and the life chapter fourteen I am the vine you are the branches only in John's gospel. Well you might think that was enough to cause even his disciples to believe without question. One more visit with John and that's in chapter twenty will you turn verse twenty four our friend Thomas with whom we can identify. Thomas wasn't there when they saw him raised from the dead Thomas questioned it. John twenty twenty four one of the twelve called Didymus it means twin one of the twins was not with him when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore were saying to Thomas we have seen the Lord.

Now we've seen him Thomas but he said to them unless I see in his hands the imprint of the nails and unless I put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hand into his side where that sword pierced him on the cross unless I can do that I will not believe. You have a big family probably one of your kids is like that. If you have a large family usually one of the kids has a temperament like that. If you have a large Bible class one of the people in the class will be like that there are there are not many but there are a few in every church there are a few. Every preacher looks out on a congregation and sees a few faces that are going. And they're always turning well over here.

It doesn't say the same thing is over there. They're Thomas's they don't mean to be ugly. They're not resenting it. They are resisting in that search. They have a searching mind. I want to see it. I want to look at the nail prints. I want to feel the spear.

I want to feel where the spear show me the scar. It's all I need isn't Jesus gracious. After eight days again his disciples were inside and Thomas was with him. Jesus came the doors having been shut and stood in their midst that should have gotten his attention. He comes through the door.

Nobody opens it and he's there in their midst. Thomas thought oh jigs up peace be unto you. Jesus said he said to Thomas. By the way, he didn't have to find out what Thomas had said earlier. See being God he never misses a thing. He walks right up to Thomas and he said reach here your fingers and touch the scars. And see my hands and reach your hand here and put it into my side. I think he must have pulled his robe aside and said touch that scar.

Thomas never bothered. Just as John began the book he ends it. My Lord my God. When you finish reading John's gospel you want to sing worship his majesty. Unto Jesus be all glory honor and praise majesty kingdom authority. Flow from his throne unto his own his anthem raise.

Four portraits of the same person and aren't you glad you have all four. What a balanced picture of Christ. Now how does it apply? Is this just another Bible lesson about the gospels and then we go on our way? I don't want it to be that. Two things linger in my mind when I think of the application of what we have learned and heard. Here's the first. We too fill various roles in life.

And they're all for God's glory. Think about your role. You may be a woman.

You may be single. You may be from such and such a family so you're a daughter. You may have a certain career so you have that role to fill. You have this circle of friends and you're interested in this realm of art. And that's an expression of your person. You have various roles. Your roots, your career, your domestic status, your realm of responsibility and your realms of interest.

All of these are roles that you're to fill and all for his glory. You may be a man, a son, a father. You may have three children and they see you because of their varied ages in three different frames of reference and you fill those roles. You may have a very small child who sees you as the model of life. You may have a teenager who sees you as a challenge and learns from you and the dialogue that you have with one another. You may have a grown son who sees you in yet another light. You have a career.

You have a realm of responsibility that doesn't even touch your family. An assignment in life that you're to fulfill and again for his glory. Wouldn't life be boring if you were just one slice, just one part of life? God is good in life to give us varied roles and they're all to be lived for his glory. Here's another thought. God wants to use each one of our roles to cause others to believe. When John wrote his gospel he said these are written that people might see that he is the Christ and that seeing they might believe. In your realm of responsibility do people see enough to believe? Do they hear enough to believe? Or have you veiled that?

Maybe out of a professional fear you've hidden that responsibility of telling them. How good of our God to give us a variety in life and how strategic in his plan to spread our lives like a fan in certain directions so that in each realm, whether it's our social or occupational or domestic or even family realm with our parents or our own children, each one is to be a stated witness for him. I sometimes think about the time we will see our Lord. We will be taken up to be with him and then the scales will be removed and all the earthly limitations will be gone. We'll see him as he is.

That must in the future be indeed the most significant moment in all of life. We'll see him in the beauty of his holiness. Our Father we this moment acknowledge that your son is our Lord and Savior. We thank you for his wonderful eternal presence. We thank you for the hope that he brings in a troubled and disturbing era.

Into a life that could be insecure, uncertain, though educated, he can bring that kind of truth. He is the way, the truth, and the life. We together acknowledge him as Lord and Savior. Not one among many, but the Lord and the Savior. Thank you for finding us in our lost estate, for bringing us to faith, and for giving us this hope. Give us a refreshing reassurance as a result of our time together, that our life spent in light of the way, the truth, and the life is not futile, but has purpose and meaning. In the glorious name of Jesus Christ, we pray.

Amen. Today's insight for living to hear a personal comment from Chuck and to learn more about this ministry. We invite you to visit us online at insight world dot org. This daily Bible teaching program and all of its companion resources are prepared just for you. And we love getting your emails, letters and phone calls because we love hearing your stories.

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Here's Chuck. On Sunday mornings, thousands of people attend the worship services at Stonebriar Community Church. But when I deliver the sermon, I like to imagine that I'm speaking to one person at a time. Matter of fact, when we built our church, we intentionally designed the worship center for intimacy. For instance, I don't preach in a dark theater-style setting.

Instead, all the lights are kept up high so that people can easily follow along in their Bibles. And it also allows me to look into the faces of those who are attending. Our hearts often connect through our eyes. Well, my one-on-one approach to preaching on Sundays parallels my relationship with you on the radio. With each sermon, I'm thinking about you.

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Thanks Chuck. By responding today, you can be the one who delivers this gift of grace to a listener in need. Jot down this contact information to get in touch with us. To give online, go to insight.org slash donate. Or if you prefer, you can also call us. If you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888. Or once again, you can give online at insight.org slash donate. I'm Bill Meyer. Join us again when Chuck Swindoll continues to present his study called His Name is Wonderful, Monday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, four titles, same savior, was copyrighted in 1988, 1992, 1998, and 2022. And the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.