International Sunday School Lesson December 21, 2025
Hi, I’m Donnie Bryson. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Welcome to another issue of the International Sunday School lesson. Today’s lesson is entitled, “Christ the Savior”. It’s taken from Luke 15:3-7 and Romans 5:6-10. We’re not focusing on the birth of Jesus this Christmas season but the work of Jesus. Why did he come into this world? Well, our ancestors, Adam and Eve, fell in the garden of Eden. They were created sinless. They only had one requirement in the garden. Don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They disobeyed and sin entered the human race. Every one except Jesus is born into sin. We all have a sinful nature. We all have flaws. Some folks are drug addicts and drunks. Some folks are promiscuous. Some folks live good moral lives but are prideful. Everyone is born with some flaws and we all develop others along the way. None of us are able to save ourselves. The baby in the manger didn’t stay a baby. He grew up and gave his life on the cross for our sins. He rose from the dead three days later. He ascended into heaven and now sitting on the right hand of God the Father. The writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
1. Seeking the Strayed
Shepherds were very common during the day of Christ. Everyone saw the care a shepherd took with their sheep. They would seek the lambs that wondered away. Jesus used that knowledge to teach about saving the list with this parable of the lost sheep.
Luke 15:3–4 NIV
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
It’s obvious that the expected answer was “Yes”. God is the one who calls us to repentance. Isiah said in Isaiah 65:1 ““I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’” We have to accept his amazing grace but He is the one that initiates the call to salvation. He wants all to be saved. Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:3–4 “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
2. Joyful Redemption
God rejoices when sinners come to Him. Isaiah said in Isaiah 62:5 “As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.”
Luke 15:5–7 NIV
And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Sheep are heavy. This vision of the shepherd carrying the sheep on his shoulders is not a vision of an easy task. The shepherd would be struggling to balance the sheep on his shoulders. Jesus accepted the horrible death on the cross for our sins. Peter said in 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”
3. Incredible Sacrifice
The death on the cross was one of the worse deaths devised by mankind. Jesus died that death to pay our penalty.
Romans 5:6–8 NIV
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
So, what is the difference between a righteous person and a good person? It could be that it’s just saying the same thing twice. It could also be that Paul was making a distinction between someone that mostly obeys the Law and someone that is generous and good to others in addition to obeying the law. I believe the latter is the case. Paul was saying that rarely someone would die for someone that just obeys rules but more often someone would die for someone that has been generous to them in addition to obeying the rules. A sacrificial death normally is still rare. in the natural But, Jesus died for us when we were despicable. That is why we call it amazing grace.
4. Secured Reconciliation
The victory is ours through Christ. Jesus bought our freedom.
Romans 5:9–10 NIV
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Jesus bought our victory. Like the old song says, there’s victory in Jesus.
Concluding Thoughts
A couple of concluding thoughts. First, we have nothing to be proud and arrogant about. It is the work of Jesus that saves us. Second, there is complete victory in Jesus. He purchased our salvation completely with His death on the cross. Well friends, good Lord willing, I’ll be back with you next weekend.
Leave a Reply