Jesus!

Jesus!

Series: The Gospel Truth

Text: Luke 3:21-4:15

Introduction: (What?)

Christianity is all about Jesus. I remember back in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s there arose a “God is Dead” movement. Interestingly enough, the proponents of the movement like Jesus. It was OK with them for you to talk about Jesus as long as you didn’t bring God into the picture. Their ignorance of who Jesus is was glaring. In our efforts to Tell Lake Placid, let’s remember to talk about Jesus; who He is and what He has done for us, and then invite others to know Him.

Examination: (Why?)

1. Jesus; His Credentials

Luke 3:21-38 “When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying, heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” As he began his ministry, Jesus was about thirty years old and was thought to be the son of Joseph, son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Salmon, son of Nashon, son of Amminadab, son of Ram, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah,” son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah son of Nahor, son or Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalalel, son of Cainan, son of Enos, so of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.”

Since Jesus came to experience life exactly as every human being, He also experienced baptism. Since He had no sin, His baptism was on behalf of all those who had/have sinned and who would sin. His baptism is an example for us to follow. Once we surrender to Christ, then we should seek to emulate Him in our lives. Those who have skipped being baptized have opened themselves up to doubts about their salvation. Not only was the baptism of Jesus an example, but later He commanded baptism for all who would become His followers (The Great Commission).

Upon His baptism Jesus prayed. We don’t know if He prayed while still in the water, or after He stepped out on the shore. But we do know that He prayed…and suddenly the Trinity…Father, Son and Holy Spirit, were all in the same place at the same time and were observed by on-lookers. The Father spoke to the Son after the Spirit had descended on Him and said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

I believe that the moment anyone surrenders to Christ and the Holy Spirit comes to live in them, God says, “You are my beloved son/daughter; with you I am well-pleased.” And just as God’s declaration launched Jesus into an earthly ministry, we also are launched into our earthly ministry at that very moment.

The genealogy of Jesus that Luke presented is unlike that of Matthew. Essentially, Luke traced the genealogy through Mary (although she is not mentioned), and Matthew traced through Joseph (the legal father of Jesus). Luke also reversed the genealogy, starting with Jesus and going all the way back to Adam, while Matthew started with Abraham and progressed through Joseph. Both genealogies show the physical descent of Jesus through Mary’s lineage, as well as the royal descent through David. Thus we have the credentials of Jesus as Messiah.

2. Jesus; His S.E.A.L. training

Luke 4:1-13 “Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone.” So he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The devil said to him, “I will give you their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. If you, then, will worship me, all will be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” So he took him to Jerusalem, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you, and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. And Jesus answered him, ‘It is said: Do not test the LORD your God.’ After the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.”

Navy Seal Training consists of: 12+ months of initial training that includes Basic Underwater Demolition School, Parachute Jump School and SEAL Qualification Training, 18 months of pre-deployment training and intensive specialized training.

It is one of the most difficult human conditioning and military training tests in the world. During this program, students overcome obstacles designed to test their stamina, teamwork, and leadership. For every 1,000 people who start Navy Seal training, only around 200 to 250 succeed.

In much the same way Jesus was subjected to intense testing that would prepare Him for His earthly ministry. Not until He had completed this test would He be fit for the ministry to which God had deployed Him. Notice that this was not something that Jesus chose, but rather He was “full of the Holy Spirit and led by the Spirit”. As a fully invested human being Jesus had the free will to choose not to follow the Spirit’s leading. What we must understand is that to ignore or willfully disobey the Holy Spirit’s leading in SIN. Had Jesus refused to go into the arena of testing He would have sinned and could not be the Savior. When we sense the leadership of God’s Spirit, in line with God’s Word, and we choose not to obey…it is sin. Every sin requires CONFESSION and REPENTANCE in order for our relationship with the Father to be restored.

The testing or temptation of Jesus that both Matthew and Luke reported included three specific temptations. This was not an inclusive list. Note that Luke said “after the devil had completed EVERY TEMPTATION”.

Jesus was tempted physically (food). He was tempted emotionally (power). And He was tempted mentally (special protection).

The devil used a twisted interpretation of scripture as his primary tool of temptation. Jesus parried every thrust with the CORRECT interpretation of scripture. One major problem in our world today and even in the church today is the fact that by and large we DON’T KNOW SCRIPTURE. Paul pointed out the necessity of carefully examining the scriptures when he commended the Bereans in Acts 17:11 “The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” They didn’t just take Paul’s word for it, but spent time in the scriptures, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, to verify what Paul was teaching.

Because, as a Christ-follower you are called to ministry, YOU WILL BE TESTED. The devil can’t read your mind, but he can see your tendencies. If you tend to obsess about food or sex or power or money or fame, he sees it and will use those as bait to lead you into sin. Use the tools that God has provided to overcome the tests you will face.

2 Cor 10:3-5 “For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

Eph 6:17-18 “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.”

James 4:7 “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

3. Jesus; His Ministry Begins

Luke 4:14-15 “Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity. He was teaching in their synagogues, being praised by everyone.”

Having overcome the devil in round one of their life-long battle, Jesus launched His earthly ministry IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. God became His PR man. Without newspapers, radios, TV or any of the modern tools we depend on, “The news about Him spread throughout the entire vicinity.”

When we function in the power of the Holy Spirit, God will see to it that we get all the publicity that we need to continue the ministry to which we are called.. As a matter of fact, if God shows up today in our service, by tomorrow that news will go around the world.

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

Are you totally surrendered to Christ?

Are you overcoming temptation daily through the power of the Word of God, prayer and the Holy Spirit?

Are you available to God so that He can do what He wants to do through you?

If your answer to any of those questions is “no” then you need to repent today.