The Appearance of the Son of Man (The Gospel’s First Words)

Luke 3:1-6

L/W: We concluded Luke’s two-chapter account of the birth and early life of Jesus Christ, ending with Luke recording that Jesus, “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

Today: We begin a five-week look from Luke 3 to Luke 4:15, at the Son of Man—Jesus Christ’s appearance. These weeks will lead us to the start of Christ’s public and earthly ministry, which would cover 3 1/2 years, culminating in His true purpose, the atonement of man’s sins.

As we start, we will cover the next two weeks, looking at John the Baptist, his role in the most pivotal point in man’s history and his simple message to the world

(READ LUKE 3:1-6)

Words often bring and leave indelible imprints or marks on us, marks or imprints which cannot be removed or forgotten.

Some leave imprints of love & joy

The “I do,” to a marriage proposal

The first time a spouse says, “I love you.”

The first time a baby cries out “mamma,” or “dada,”

Some leave impacts of burdens and brokenness

The spouse who sits down and says, “Honey, we need to talk,”

The boss who calls you in and says, “We really like you, but we are moving in a different direction.”

The doctor who sits you down and says, “We’ve got some options,” or “We’ve tried all we could,”

The indelible nature of words also see an impact in Scripture. The Greek word “euangelion” translates out to mean “good news.” It is used of the writers of God’s Word to align the “good news” with Jesus Christ (see Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”)

For there to be good news, we must surrender to the truth there’s bad news. Sin is to transgress (to go beyond or outside) of God’s Word—it’s to think, say, do, or act contrary to God’s Word—it’s missing the Mark. Sin bears a curse, in that it has severed the relationship b/t man & God—and carries a wage-death (eternal separation from God)

The bad news become worse, in realizing we can do nothing in and of ourselves to lift the curse or pay the wages. Left in this state, a person is hopelessly bound & shackled to sin—they are lost.

What’s the good news—the euangelion— in all of this? The Son of God Himself stepped into our mess; He came, not to condemn us, but to save us—how? 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Good news such as this, needs a forerunner—needs someone who could go before and preach, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.” JTB’s message of preparation for the people in Jesus’ time, is the same message people must respond to today, if they desire the good news Christ brings. This brings us to another indelible word, which when rightly understood, impacts a person’s heart—-leaving the imprint salvation for the unbeliever and sanctification to the believer.

—————

I. (v.1) The most pivotal point of human history was launched by JTB

Luke 3:1 “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,”

(CONTEXT)—The most pivotal point in human history is the coming of Christ. His coming serves as the hinge within human history. In and through Him, the chasm created by sin, which separates man and God has been traversed. Many dispute, others ignore, and some deny this fact and for those people, but ignorance doesn’t overcome the truth. Scripture proclaims that one day “every knee will bow and every tongue confess.” Luke, in v.1, draws on the events of the time, to draw people to the truth of Jesus

Luke’s who of who

Tiberius Caesar was in the 15th years of his reign. He was in the 2nd Roman Emperor who began his reign in A.D. 14

Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, both a civil and military commander—who took over from Archelaus when things in Rome had grown so bad

Herod Antipas was tetrarch (ruler of a fourth part) of Galilee and Perea

Philip—tetrarch of two towns

Lysanius—tetrarch of Abilene

Annas and Caiaphas—High Priests

Herod, along with Annas and Caiaphas give us all we need to know about the climate which the Son of Man entered

Herod is mentioned three times in Scripture (the execution of JTB, when some Pharisees warned Jesus Herod was looking to kill Him, and when he stood face to face with Jesus at Jesus’ trial)

He lived a gross life a life of immorality—he seduced his half-brother’s wife and coerced her into returning with him

He put his own wife away and stole another one

He persecuted/imprisoned/and killed God’s prophet (JTB)

He had a mind for the world and the things of the world

He had a love for luxury and extravagance

He was envious and covetous—especially of JTB, a main reason he imprisoned him

He lived a life of foolishness in his fleshliness

He was given to extreme lust

He was given to extravagant and immoral parties, feasts, and suggestive gatherings

He was given to drunkenness

He was full of unholy pride and weakness

He demonstrated savage cruelty

Herod is representative of the sin and evil which existed and exists in this world.

Annas and Caiaphas—This detail of Luke’s sheds light on the corruption and defilement of the high priesthood

There was never to be more than one priest at any given time—the priesthood was to be for life and was supposed to be hereditary

This reveals the role of the High Priest became more of a political base, rather than a basis for ministry

The high priesthood had become an oppressive, thumb-on-their-own-people entity, who were in the pockets of the Roman government

Annas and Caiaphas are representative of the poison that “religion” had become, being referred to as a “brood of vipers.”

What do we need to see here:”

Christ came into a world that was lost and desperately broken, to a poisonous religion, so that man could be found and healed and the false gospel of religion replaced with the truth of the gospel.

(BIBLICAL APPLICATION—You and Me)

Scripture is inundated with God interceding for man and his mess (here’s one example)

(Give brief backdrop of Israel and Gideon’s condition/situation)

Judges 6:12 “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

Note what the Angel of the Lord said—in the middle of Gideon and the Israelites “mess;” “The Lord is with you…”

Throughout Scripture, God continually stepped in to intervene on behalf of man, amidst a culture of lostness, sin & wickedness. Ultimately, God stepped in on our behalf to intervene once and for all

Galatians 1:4 (Jesus Christ) “who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”

Through His earthly and public ministry He ushered people towards the cross—through (1) His living and active word and (2) by His finished work on the cross and empty tomb, He is directing to look back at the cross—so that we might see, that

The victory over sin and death has been defeated

Romans 6:6–9 “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.”

The bondage of sin which has yoked man (you and me)—can be lifted

Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

We no longer have to live in foolishness of our flesh, but in the strength of His Spirit

Galatians 5:24 “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

We no longer have to live under the bondage of religion but live in the liberty from a relationship

Galatians 5:13 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

II. (v.2) JTB was a man called by God—out of the wilderness

Luke 3:2 “while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.”

(CONTEXT)

God’s call to JTB was in the obscurity of the wilderness

The place where JTB was reared was so slightly populated it was known as the wilderness

The place where JTB was reared consisted of six small towns, scattered about

God’s call and finding of JTB was in the most obscure place

God’s call to JTB was a very personal matter

JTB never revealed how God spoke to him—whatever the means, we only know that he kept the matter in his heart

JTB’s call to serve Christ was too intimate, too meaningful, and his heart was genuine and pure

JTB was not willing to lower his intimacy with God, for the sake of boasting about it

God’s call to JTB was a call to serve God rather than institutional religion

JTB was to become a full-fledged priest by descent—it was in his gene’s as they say (Zacharias was a priest)

JTB was supposed to be in training for some five years—and by the age of 30, he was to be serving in the temple

JTB, however, was given a different ministry—a ministry that met God’s will and plans much more than institutional religion

JTB’s call had one singular purpose: to proclaim the appearance of the Son of Man—that Christ had come

(BIBLICAL APPLICATION)—The application is a brief look at God’s call on our lives to minister and be ambassadors of Christ

The “where” a person is called to be used is of no consequence—its the hear that God is after

If a person’s heart is right towards God, God can and will use them—no matter where they live, or the obscurity they live in

A man’s devotion to God, a person’s dedication to God, and a person’s sincerity of faith towards God serve as the posture of heart God desires in calling a person to serve Him.

The nature of God’s call is a personal one:

Whether God calls a man to “the” ministry, to serve “in” ministry, and just be a part of “ministry,” it always His doing and not to be man’s. That He calls a person in the first place is act of His mercy—and He makes a person sufficient to be an ambassador and witness of Christ

A person is never to boast in what God has called him to do

I hear so my people make this statement, “Well in my ministry….” “Look what I’ve accomplished and done,”

Talking about ministry using the word, “I” is a slippery slope into the idolizing oneself in whatever role God has given them

Ministry is NEVER achieved, ministry is ALWAYS received

2 Corinthians 3:5–6 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

God moves just outside of institutional religion as well as inside: But note two things

Institutional religion often frowns upon those ministering “outside” the lines, “outside” of the instution

Institutional religion often feels threatened—as though the “outsider” is against them (Sometimes this may be right—but if the “outsider” is truly ministering—support and encouragement from the institution should be in order)

Institutional religion, sadly however, fails to cooperate

Churches become territorial and possessive

Churches reduce themselves to their own method

Churches waste time struggling against one another, arguing over tertiary issues

God’s call on a person’s life—for any born again believer—is to be a sweet smelling aroma, in sharing, testifying, and carrying the message of Christ and Him crucified.

III. (v.3) JTB simple and yet dynamic message—was repentance for forgiveness/remission of sin

Luke 3:3 “And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,”

(CONTEXT)—Note what JTB is preaching: “The baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”

This simply means if a man wished to be forgiven—he repented; here’s the “order”

A person wanted God to forgive his sins

A person therefore made a decision to repent (to turn from their sinful ways and to change their life

A person was then baptized (immediately)—baptism was the proclamation—the sign and the act which said to the world they had decide to change in their life of sin for a life pursuing God

This also teaches us two things:

Forgiveness of sins is conditional—repentance must exist in order to be forgiven, and if he truly repents

Baptism follows—baptism is therefore part of the act of repentance

(BIBLICAL APPLICATION—You and ME)

*Remember in our opening—this impactful mark which must be rightly understood*

The first words of the gospel—or good news, ARE NOT:

“Be a good person and then…”

“If you work your way, then…”

“If you more religious, then…”

“If you follow the rules, then…”

“Just stop sinning, then…” (Romans 7:15, 19).”

What the first word of the gospel is, is found in Luke 3:3 “repentance”

Repentance is

To change & to turn—to change one’s mind & turn one’s life

Putting sin out of one’s thoughts and behavior

Being resolute never to think or do a thing again

Repentance involves two turns

Negative—a deliberate/intentional turn from sin

Positive—a deliberate/intentional turn towards Christ—towards God

Repentance does not come from mere sorrow.

Sin causes sorrow—but sorrow, by itself, has no healing power—it cannot heal the heart of a man—mere sorrow is what the Bible refers to as worldly sorrow:

Worldly sorrow is the sorrow one feels over wrongdoing or coming up short; it is the sorrow from being caught/found out, or suffering consequences or punished for sin

Worldly sorrow produces death. How?

Worldly sorrow leaves a person embittered with guilt and shame; in mere sorrow, repentance is exchanged for resentment, rebellion, and regret, living lives of remorse & depression, despair & defeat

Repentance is the product of godly sorrow

Godly sorrow is what is wrought (beaten out and shaped) in the heart of the believer. How? Through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

When a believer falls short and does wrong (when we sin), the Holy Spirit is grieved (Eph 4:30) and His ministry of conforming the believer like Jesus is hindered & hampered (1 Thes 5:19)

The Holy Spirit then begins His convicting work on the heart of the person and under the weight of this conviction, a person (1) either repents of sins in salvation, or (2) repents of his sins in sanctification.

The person changes his mind and turns his behavior around to what it should be

Godly sorrow ALWAYS leads to repentance, while worldly sorrow is ALWAYS devoid of repentance

Repentance remits our sins (again, we’ve talked of remittance of sin, but again, lets draw this out together)

Remission (aphesin): means to send of or send away—wrong is cut out and sent away from the wrongdoer—sin is separated from the sinner—-it is what is also referred to (more commonly) as forgiveness

Forgiveness/remission is

Needed (Romans 3:23)

Once and for all (1 Peter 3:18)

What restores a disturbed fellowship with God (Psalm 32:4-5)

Forgiveness/remission of sins is a releasing from guilt

Man’s forgiveness:

When man forgives man, it can NEVER remove the guilt that his friend feels

When man forgive man, he can NEVER remove the resentment he himself feels in his own heart

God’s forgiveness accomplishes both; in His forgiveness He

Removes the guilt and removes the resentment

In other words, in God remitting your sins (in forgiving your sin) He gives up His right to condemn you and frees you from the guilt from sin

Repentance produces something in us: a lack of regret

2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

Absolutely nothing can be regretted in turning from our sins to God. I can’t think of one person who’s ever “regretted” salvation

Repentance also includes and leads to baptism

“The Baptism of the Holy Spirit”

This is where a person is indwelt with the Holy Spirit—b/c they’ve surrendered their lives to Christ

This is when a person is “born again” (John 3:3)

This is moment of radical and miraculous heart change

Believer’s baptism

This is the sign-act-witness that a person has truly repented unto salvation and trusted their life

No one can “see” the transformation God accomplishes in a person’ heart, we can only see the ripple effects—one of those ripples is believer’s baptism

John 3:7–8 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.””

IV. (v.4) JTB prophetically proclaimed to prepare: make the paths straight for the Lord

Luke 3:4–6 “as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ””

(CONTEXT)—JTB was quoting Isaiah (from Isaiah 40:3-5), taking the points Isaiah made and proclaiming them to the people. It was a warning as much as a teaching:

Prepare—for the humble shall be exalted

Every valley, which are the humble believers of the earth, shall be filled, which is to say

Received, enriched, raised up, and exalted

Prepare—for the proud shall be abased

Every mountain and hill, refers to the self-sufficient, self-confident, and self-righteous; the arrogant, conceited and boastful—these shall lose everything that have and be abased (brought low) and become as the dust of the earth—if there is no repentance

Prepare—for the crooked shall be straightened

The crooked refers to the

Crooked thief or businessman

Crooked husband and wife

Crooked student and professor

Crooked sinners of the earth—who are bent out of shape

Shall be made straight, indicates that no matter what you’ve done

In true repentance, you can be made straight (you can be saved)

Prepare—for the rough ways shall be made smooth

Refers to all the roughness of the world (hopelessness, helplessness, loneliness, emptiness, insecurity, guilt, shame, sin, death, false religion, and empty worship—shall be made smooth

The good news turns the world, religious institutions, false teachings, and deceits “right side up,” and removes the misery and roughness brought upon by sin/shame

God’s salvation shall be seen by all flesh

All man shall see the Messiah, God’s means and message of salvation

(WORSHIP/CLOSING)

Often times—the word “gospel” is used to express concepts such as this:

“Good news, God loves you!”

“Good news, Jesus died for you so that you don’t have to go to hell.”

“Good news, justification is by faith alone through grace alone.”

Other times, the word “gospel” is used to simply describe the first four books of the New Testament or the Bible itself

While these are ways to express “good news,” what exactly does the word mean

Drawing back to our opening, I want to unpack the Greek word “euangelion” As mentioned before—the most indelible (impactful) word man (you and I) need to know, comes not from the English language, but from the Greek.

Yet in digging deeper, the impact of “euangelion” is felt even more

(Remember—context is key in understanding more of God’s Word).

“Euangelion as we know it, means “good news,” but in the context Jesus’ earthly ministry it didn’t mean just any kind of good news. It is a strong word and a word used in the secular/pagan world of the time (Rome)

Describes the “good news of victory,” which “comes about b/c of the ending of a decisive battle.”

Carries with it the idea that in this victory, a “new king took the throne,” or some kind of regime change, takes place and with the it the riches/spoils/blessings the “new king brings.”

Can you see where we are going?

When “euangelion” is rightly applied to Scripture, we can see the “gospel” unfold:

Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

We face a decisive battle. A battle against sin and its wages. This is bad news. What makes bad news worse—we don’t have a weapon in the fight (not by any stretch of the imagination). And as long as we remain in mere sorrow—we keep the wrong king enthroned in our lives.

What makes the good news, the good news? Through Jesus Christ—the decisive battle against sin and its wages as been fought and won. How? Through the cross our debt was paid and in resurrection—eternal life was given. We then given the blessings of being born again:

Ephesians 1:3–14 (turn and read)

Indelible words leave indelible imprints. The gospel—this “good news” has a focal point—Jesus Christ; and it has a starting point:

The gospel doesn’t start with “climb the mountain,” b/c you can’t climb the mountain

The gospel doesn’t start with “clean yourself up first,” b/c you can’t clean yourself up first

The gospel doesn’t start with, “work hard to earn your faith,” b/c nothing YOU do can earn it

The gospel doesn’t start with, “the law,” because the law reveals we are sinners in need of a Savior

The gospel doesn’t start with, “be better with the next guy,” because all have fallen short of the glory of God

The gospel doesn’t start with, “the fight over sin and death is yours to fight,” b/c it’s already been fought and won.

The gospel start…repentance!

In repentance, God dethrones an evil king and enthrones Himself in our hearts as the rightful King.

You want a marriage restored—-repent

You want chains unshackled—repent

You want victory over sin and death—repent

You want burdens lifted and yokes lightened—repent

You want addictions destroyed—repent