The Baptism of Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
Please consider this note I cam across in the MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke:
Throughout redemptive history fearless preachers have paid the price for boldly confronting sin.
It should come as no surprise then that the Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest preacher who ever lived, was executed by His enemies.
According to traditions (of varying reliability) handed down from the early church, the same fate befell all of the apostles except for John, who was exiled to Patmos.
Peter was crucified (upside down, at his request, because he felt unworthy to be crucified as his Lord had been).
His brother Andrew reportedly was also crucified; tied instead of nailed to the cross to prolong his suffering.
James the brother of John is the only apostle whose death is recorded in Scripture; he was executed by Herod Agrippa I.
Philip was said to have been stoned to death in Asia Minor, but not before multitudes came to faith in Christ through his preaching. The traditions vary concerning how Philip’s close companion Nathanael (Bartholomew) died.
Some say he was bound and thrown into the sea, others that he was crucified.
Matthew may have been burned at the stake.
Thomas likely reached India, where some traditions say he was killed with a spear.
According to the apocryphal Martyrdom of James, James the son of Alphaeus was stoned to death by the Jews for preaching Christ.
Simon the Zealot, according to some traditions, preached the gospel in Egypt, North Africa, and Persia, where he was martyred by being sawn in two.
Other traditions place his ministry in Britain, where he was eventually crucified by the Romans. Thaddeus (also known as Judas the son of James) reportedly took the gospel message to what is now modern Turkey, where he was clubbed to death.
Paul was likely beheaded at Rome during Nero’s persecution of the church.
The New Testament also records the martyrdoms of the fearless evangelist Stephen and Antipas, a faithful pastor of the church at Smyrna.
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In the postapostolic era faithful preachers continued to face martyrdom.
Ignatius was martyred at Rome early in the second century.
Diligently carrying out his ministry to the end, he wrote a series of letters to various churches while he was being taken to Rome for execution, exhorting them to stand firm in the faith.
Polycarp, facing martydom at Smyrna in the middle of the second century, refused to renounce Christ.
“Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury” he replied.
“How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”
When the proconsul threatened to burn him alive Polycarp fearlessly replied, “You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly.
But why tarry you? Bring forth what you will.”
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John Chrysostom, fourth-century bishop of Constantinople, was perhaps the greatest preacher of the early church (the nickname Chrysostom means “golden-mouthed”).
He was exiled when his bold, uncompromising preaching offended many of the rich and powerful in Constantinople.
No longer able to preach, Chrysostom turned to writing.
So powerful and effective was his continuing ministry that he was banished to a more remote location.
Treated harshly by the soldiers escorting him, Chrysostom became ill and died along the way.
Historian Justo Gonzalez describes the scene:
“When he perceived that death was near, he asked to be taken to a small church by the roadside.
There he took communion, bid farewell to those around him, and preached his briefest but most eloquent sermon:
‘In all things, glory to God. Amen.’ ”
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Two notable medieval forerunners to the Reformation were John Wycliffe and Jan Huss.
Wycliffe (1329–1384), sometimes called the “Morning Star of the Reformation,” was an English reformer who affirmed the Bible to be the only authority in matters of doctrine and practice.
He sought to translate it into English, so more people could read it.
Wycliffe taught that Christ, not the pope, was the head of the church, denied the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation and (like Luther later would) opposed the granting of indulgences (remissions of some or all of the punishments of purgatory, often sold in the Middle Ages to raise money for the Catholic Church).
Wycliffe and his followers, the Lollards, helped pave the way for the Reformation in England.
For his bold opposition to the false teaching of his day, Wycliffe was condemned and forced to leave his position at Oxford.
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Wycliffe’s younger contemporary, the Czech reformer Jan Huss (1373–1415) paid a steeper price for opposing some of the false teaching of the Roman church.
Huss, like Wycliffe, taught that the Bible, not the pope, was the supreme authority.
He also rejected indulgences.
When the pope issued a decree that forbade preaching in chapels such as the one Huss preached in, Huss ignored it and continued to preach.
For doing so, he was excommunicated.
Huss was summoned to appear before the Council of Constance (1415) and was promised safe conduct to and from the council by the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
But Huss was condemned and burned at the stake, the emperor’s guarantee of safe conduct notwithstanding.
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Among the hundreds of Protestants martyred in England during the reign of Mary Tudor (“Bloody Mary”) was the great preacher Hugh Latimer.
As he was about to be burned at the stake along with fellow reformer Nicolas Ridley, Latimer said to him, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as I trust shall never be put out.”
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In modern times many faithful preachers of God’s Word have faced persecution or martyrdom in such places as China, the Middle East, parts of Africa and India, and elsewhere.
Nevertheless, as Paul wrote during his own imprisonment for the cause of Christ, “the word of God is not imprisoned.”
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The first of many through the ages who would be martyred for faithfully testifying to Christ was His forerunner, John the Baptist.
By human standards, John’s career does not appear to have been very successful.
His brief ministry of about a year was spent in the Judean wilderness, and ended with a long stretch in prison followed by his being beheaded.
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But such an evaluation of John’s career is misguided.
The truth is, he was eminently used by God to accomplish the task for which he was born—so much so that Jesus said of him, “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!”
John accomplished precisely what God purposed him to.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 3 and focus on verses 15 through 22.
Our message this morning is called, “The Baptism of Jesus”
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As you are finding your place in God’s Word...
I would like to share that this message will focus on four main points...
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit...
The Preaching of the Gospel...
The Imprisonment of John...
And...
The Baptism of Jesus.
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
Watch over your servants...
Protect and guide us into a a better relationship with You.
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We praise your holy name that is set apart from all of creation...
The only true God...
No one is like You.
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Thank You for you patience with us...
We don’t deserve Your mercy...
We don’t deserve Your grace...
But You have not abandoned us...
Again we say thank You!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,
16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,
20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) Baptism of the Holy Spirit
1) Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Verses 15-16: As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Last week we covered the message John the Baptist preached...
It was a message of repentance...
It was the same message of the Old Testament Prophets...
And it is the same message Jesus, the Apostles, the early church, and all faithful followers of Christ preach and teach.
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In fact, John’s preaching was so powerful that the people thought maybe he is the promised Messiah...
For his message was not like the Pharisees, Sadducee and Scribes...
His message had the full backing of Scripture...
Yet despite this...
He was not the Messiah but was called to be the person to prepare the way for Him.
As John 1:19–23 says:
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
Not only did John deny being the Messiah...
He had some pretty bold statements regarding the coming of the Anointed One.
For example, in our passage, John says, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
So, in the rabbinic schools, a student did not pay his teacher.
He was required to perform services but not the loosing of the sandal, which was considered too menial for a student and was reserved for the lowest of household servants and this act was a preliminary to washing the feet.
In fact, this was a task that only non-Jewish slaves had to do for their Jewish masters, for Jewish slaves were exempt from this demeaning act.
So, John recognizes his lowly place in contrast to the supremacy of the coming Christ.
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Next John the Baptist says this regarding the Messiah, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
So, Church, consider this note from the New International Commentary on The New Testament on Luke:
“John then points out that, no matter how important and necessary his preparatory work and baptismal ministration are, they are of quite subordinate value in comparison with the work of the coming Messiah.
He can only administer the outward baptism, but Christ will bring about the inward purification and renewal.
He will administer the true baptism (with the Holy Ghost and with fire)—a baptism which gives inwardly what is outwardly symbolised by the baptism in water.
Just as fire consumes what is destructible and thus works in a purifying and cleansing manner, so the Messiah will through the Holy Ghost consume sin and the sinners in so far as they cling to sin.
In this way those who persist in sin will be destroyed, but those who sincerely confess their sins and flee to Him for refuge will be purified from sin to their own salvation, and delivered from its penalty and power.”
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Consider too what Christ Himself said in John 3:5:
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit...
Being Born Again...
Is not an option for the followers of Christ.
If one plans on being in the Kingdom of God then being Born Again and being filled with the Holy Spirit is a necessity.
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You see Church...
One is baptised by the Holy Spirit when they have their heart of stone melted...
God, by His grace and mercy, opens their blind eyes and makes them something new...
Or as Ezekiel 36:25–26 says:
25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
This is the promise from God from the days of the Old Testament...
And with the coming of the Messiah we witness this promise coming to fruition...
Specifically after Christ’s Resurrection at Pentecost.
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Look with me Beloved at Acts 1:4–5 as it says:
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
John’s baptism of water was an outward sign of real repentance...
However, the Messiah’s baptism is what transforms us...
And we experience this from above.
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Now if we fast forward just a little more a head to the day of Pentecost...
Take a look at what Scripture records...
Acts 2:2–4 says:
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
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Now that we live in the post-Pentecost area...
All who believe in the Lord...
Only believe because the Lord baptized us with the Holy Spirit...
Making wretched sinners into a royal family...
And the Holy Spirit which in the Old Covenant rested on some usually for only a specific period of time in order to fulfill a task...
Now dwells within us and the Holy Spirit seals us and is our guarantee that we will make it to glory.
As it says in Ephesians 1:13:
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Not only are we all sealed in the Holy Spirit and guided to always be on the narrow road...
But we are all also united in the Holy Spirit .
As 1 Corinthians 12:13 says:
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Since we are baptized into one Spirit...
Then we operate with a much more unified mind...
A mind renewed and focused on Christ and the commands of Christ.
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Additionally, along with the Holy Spirit, fire is mentioned...
Biblically speaking, fire is presented as purifying or an instrument of judgement.
So, whether being baptized “with the Holy Spirit and with fire” will be positive (involving the coming of the purifying fire of the Spirit at Pentecost) or negative (involving the divine judgment of fire) depends on the response of the individual person.
So, the repentant will receive baptism with the Holy Spirit, but the non-repentant will receive the baptism associated with the fire of judgment.
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As we saw last week...
This is an urgent warning for all hearing this message...
Whether that be the original audience or those of us hearing it in our day today.
And it is with that that we turn to our second point.
2) Preaching of the Gospel
2) Preaching of the Gospel
Verses 17-18: His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.
Note the warning here...
Then pay attention to what Luke records...
John the Baptist preached the Good News to the people.
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Many would not see this message as good news...
They would see it as depressing...
However, it really is Good News...
Why?
Because the wrath of God is just one part of the story...
An essential part but not the end if one positively responds to God’s warning.
For those who seriously take the warning that is essential with any Good News message then eternal life is what awaits them.
That is why sharing about God’s wrath is good and proper...
Without it...
Why would anyone repent and believe?
Why surrender to Christ is one is blind to God’s wrath?
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So, what is this image that John presents fore us?
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Well, the winnowing fork is another symbol for judgment.
Workers in Jesus’ day use the fork to throw harvested grain into the wind, letting the grains fall directly to the ground as the chaff blows away.
When the threshing floor was cleared, the chaff would be burned.
Or as the Baker Exegetical Commentary on New Testament on Luke says:
“John explains the baptism of Spirit and fire through the picture of sifting grain at harvest time.
A winnowing fork was a wooden forklike shovel used to lift the grain in the air, so that the wind or a winnowing fan could separate the wheat from the chaff.
The heavier, usable grain would fall directly down onto the threshing floor, while the lighter, useless chaff would be blown away.
Of course, the sifting illustration is the point.
Jesus is ready to divide among people.
Just as wheat is saved for the storehouse, so those who draw near to Jesus will be spared.
But also just as the chaff is tossed to the wind, gathered, and burned, so will be the fate of those who refuse him.
Jesus separates between people, and the winnowing fork is in his hand already.
The picture indicates not only a separation within humanity, but a cleaning up of the threshing floor.
His purging brings decisive judgment.”
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Jesus often spent a majority of His teachings talking about the warning of eternal punishment as seen in Matthew 25:41 which records:
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
And in Revelation 14:10–11 which says:
10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
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Unquenchable fire portrays the horrible nature of the final judgment...
That is why we as believer need to get serious about warning others of the danger at hand.
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Can you imagine knowing that your neighbor's house had a carbon monoxide leak...
And knowing your neighbor and their spouse and their kids where all sleeping peacefully...
None of them the wiser that the danger of the odorless poisoness gas was slowly filing their bodies...
And with that imperative life saving knowledge...
You decide...
To keep it to yourself!
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Because if you wake them up in the middle of the night they may be unhappy that you disturbed their sleep...
And if you warn them of the gas leak they may think your crazy and cut you off as a friend...
So, you do nothing and in the morning....
Lives are lost...
But hey...
At least your neighbors liked you!
At least they never thought you were weird or offensive!
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Is it any different when we, who have the truth that leads to eternal life, keep it to ourselves?
Or worse yet...
Are we like Jonah...
Who knew that if he preached repentance...
Then the people would respond and God would hold back His wrath...
And in some twisted way we don’t think other need to hear this message...
We are okay if they don’t hear the Gospel because...
Well they deserve to be in the dark!
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No, Beloved!
If we currently believe it is only because God had mercy on us first...
So we should be merciful to others and share His life saving message to all who will hear it!
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But of course the their is a cost to share the Gospel...
Some times one’s freedom will be lost...
Other times one’s life may even be call for...
And this takes us to our next point.
3) Imprisonment of John
3) Imprisonment of John
Verses 19-20: But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
John didn’t just preach the Gospel when it was convenient...
John didn’t just preach the Gospel to those with little power or influence...
But John put his neck on the line to even reach a corrupt ruler...
Knowing full well that his freedom and life could be taken in in instant.
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The situation with Herod’s marriage was filled with sin and rebellion and John publically rebuked the ruler.
As John MacArthur says:
“Antipas’s marriage to Herodias was wrong on several counts.
First, they divorced their spouses to marry each other.
Second, their relationship was also incestuous, since she was his niece.
Finally, Antipas’s marriage to her was a flagrant violation of the Mosaic law, which explicitly prohibited a man from marrying his brother’s wife.
The only exception was to produce offspring if his brother died (levirate marriage).
But Philip already had offspring.
Moreover, he was still alive.”
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The Gospel of Matthew shares some more details about this encounter...
So read with me Matthew 14:3–5 as it says:
3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.
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Herod wanted John the Baptist dead...
But we was afraid of an uprising because of the reputation John had...
But Herod’s wife wanted John dead even more and she was devilishly clever...
And she got want she wanted.
Matthew 14:6–12 features this evil plot that lead to the death of John the Baptist:
6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod,
7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.
8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”
9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given.
10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison,
11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.
The biblical rebuke of John to Herod cost him his life...
But it was necessary...
Every individual...
No matter how lost needs to hear the Gospel...
We don’t know how people will react...
But we know what we must do.
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Luke now shifts the focus from the lead up to Jesus ministry to directly being on Jesus and His ministry starting with verse 21 and going all the way through until the end of the book.
And this leads us to our fourth and final point.
4) Baptism of Jesus
4) Baptism of Jesus
Verses 21-22: Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
We find some more information about the baptism of Jesus in Mathew’s Gospel...
So, let’s take a look at that too so we can get the full picture...
Matthew 3:13–17 says:
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus submits to John’s baptism of repentance to identify with Israel’s sin, foreshadowing the judgment he will endure at the cross.
So, Jesus was baptized, not because he was a sinner in need of repentance, but as a way of identifying himself with those he came to save.
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To better understand this please consider what it says in Matthew 17:24–27:
24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?”
25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?”
26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.
27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”
So, as the Son of God, Jesus was exempt from paying the temple tax.
However, to do what righteous people do, He paid it anyway.
This is when we see Jesus submitting to John’s baptism even though He really did not need to for He has nothing to repent of...
Our Lord and Savior is sinless.
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Luke’s account of Jesus’ baptism also recorded details only found in in this Gospel...
For example, Luke writes, “When Jesus also had been baptized and was praying.”
From beginning to end Jesus’ earthly ministry was marked by frequent times of prayer.
All throughout Luke’s record we see this point being stressed.
Prayer is vital and no one models it better than Christ.
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Jesus prayed:
At His baptism,
During His first preaching tour,
Before choosing the twelve apostles,
Before feeding the 5,000,
After feeding the 5,000,
Before feeding the 4,000,
Before Peter’s confession of Him as the Christ,
At the transfiguration,
For some children brought to Him,
After the return of the seventy,
Before giving the Lord’s Prayer,
Before raising Lazarus from the dead,
As He faced the reality of the cross,
At the Last Supper,
For Peter,
In Gethsemane,
From the cross,
With the disciples He encountered on the road to Emmaus,
At the ascension...
And, supremely, in His high priestly prayer in John 17.
So, Church...
If Jesus who is perfect prayed like this...
Shouldn’t we who are in desperate need be in prayer all the time too.
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Next Luke records this, “The heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven.”
That the Spirit descended upon Jesus in bodily form like a dove does not, as is commonly assumed, mean that the Spirit appeared in the physical form of a dove.
The phrase does not describe a birdlike visible manifestation of the Spirit’s presence, but rather that visible manifestation’s manner of movement as it descended upon Jesus.
What was visible was not a dove, but rather what was seen is compared to a dove.
The manner of the Spirit’s descent was like the way a dove floats gracefully through the air.
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Ending our passage we hear the words of the Heavenly Father as He said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
This divine affirmation will be repeated at the transfiguration in Luke 9:35 which says:
35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
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This affirmation of the Father’s pleasure with the Son is likewise also found in the Old Testament in Isaiah 42:1:
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
We see this connect in Matthew’s Gospel too...
Just take a look at Matthew 12:18–21 which says:
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
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So, in summary of this section, theologian Darrell Bock says this:
“Jesus’ choice to partake in John’s baptism probably has a threefold role.
First, it represents an endorsement of John’s ministry and message.
Jesus by accepting baptism links his cause to that of John.
Second, it shows how Jesus identified himself with people as he began his ministry.
He identifies with John’s message of repentance and so endorses the need of people to repent.
Third, in the Spirit’s descending, Jesus emerges as the Coming One to whom John pointed and who brings this greater baptism.
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Luke places the heavenly voice after the actual baptism, as do Matthew 3:16 and Mark 1:10.
But Luke uniquely notes that Jesus was praying when the voice came.
This focus on prayer is an emphasis of Luke.
Many key events in Jesus’ life are noted as having been accompanied by prayer.
The prayer adds solemnity to the setting, as if Jesus knows he is about to embark on his mission.
The Coming One stands in supplication before the Father as he receives the Father’s endorsement and enablement.
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Luke 3:21–22 shows that with Jesus’ baptism comes the divine confirmation that Jesus is the Messiah-Servant.
What his task will be, how he will rule, and how he will deliver are questions that the rest of the Gospel will answer.
But the emphasis here is that heaven has spoken.
God has revealed his choice.
Much as a political party puts its stamp on a presidential candidate, so here God has shown who will accomplish his plan.
Having received God’s confirmation in the Spirit’s testimony, Jesus can prepare for ministry.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
As this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this that I came across in my study this week:
Dr. Cornelius Plantinga, a senior research fellow at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, says his studies have convinced him that worship services in many churches do not mention sin.
Plantinga says some more traditional churches still include confession as a part of worship, but many others do not.
He says leaving out the topic of sin in worship is not wise because people encounter sin and its consequences in their daily lives.
Based on Christian Copyright Licensing International worship usage reports, Dr. Plantinga believes some churches leave out the topic of sin because they do not want to turn off non-Christians or new Christians.
He says there are “very few penitential songs,” and the “biblical tradition of lament, which is all through the prophets and the Psalms is gone, just not there.”
Plantinga added, “Lots of evangelical churches these days are unrelievedly cheerful.”
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The Gospel message of Hope is lost if we don’t first share our helpless position.
The Gospel message of the Savior Jesus is lost if we don’t first share the need of being saved.
The Gospel message of God’s Grace is lost if we don’t first share the reality of God’s wrath for those who refuse to repent and believe.
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To censor Hell...
To censor sin...
To censor Satan from one’s Gospel presentation is to present no Gospel at all.
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Share with the world the full counsel of the Word of God...
Share all of it!
And watch the power of God’s Word take root in the lost!
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.