By Landon Coleman
Pastor, Immanuel
Several years ago at Immanuel, I preached through the gospel of Luke. For well over a year, I did my best to make sure our church never forgot the words of Luke 19:10, For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. We came back to those words over and over again because those words represent the heartbeat of Luke’s gospel.
This year at Immanuel, I am preaching through the entire New Testament as our church reads through the entire New Testament in 2022. Tomorrow we will circle back to the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, which means we will circle back to Luke 19:10, For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Luke 19:10 is a beautiful, summary statement of the gospel. Jesus, the Son of Man, the Son of God, came to seek and to save human beings who were lost in trespasses and sins. Luke 19:10 doesn’t explain how that happened. To understand how Jesus sought us and saved us, one must turn elsewhere in the New Testament, and to that end there is no better book than Hebrews.
- Jesus’ mission began with the incarnation. The Son of God became human without ceasing to be God so that he might die for the sins of lost human beings. This is the miracle of the incarnation, and it is wondrously described in Hebrews 2:14-15.
- Jesus’ mission also involved obedience. Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness. He was tempted in every way just like we are tempted, yet he was completely and totally without sin. Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to the Law of God (Hebrews 4:14-15).
- Jesus’s mission also involved atonement. Jesus died a sacrificial death. At the cross, Jesus offered a single, perfect, complete sacrifice for the sins of his people. His death provided atonement that makes us “at one” with the Father (Hebrews 10:11-14).
- Jesus’ mission also involved resurrection and ascension. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Hebrews describes Jesus as the founder and perfector of our faith who endured the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended to the throne of heaven (Hebrews 12:2).
- Jesus’ mission involved intercession. Jesus lives to help his people, even today. Christians often forget that Jesus’ work isn’t done. He is a great High Priest who is able to sympathize with his people and who is able to help those who are being tempted (Hebrews 2:17-18).
- Jesus’ mission will one day involve Parousia, which is a fancy word for the second coming of Jesus. One day, Jesus will return in power and glory. On that day, Jesus will not be coming to die as a sacrifice for sinners but to save his people who are waiting for him (Hebrews 9:28).
Tomorrow at Immanuel, we’re going to talk about Luke 19:10. We’re going to talk about Jesus and incarnation, obedience, atonement, resurrection, ascension, intercession, and Parousia. We’re going to celebrate all that Jesus has done to seek us, to save us, and to make us his people. We’d love for you to join us as we make much of Jesus.
