The Son of God

A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through Facebook and came across a post in one of the pastor’s groups that I’m in.

And though it’s not super surprising I was somewhat taken aback by what I saw.

This is the image I saw

This image is disturbing.

There was a survey done by called “The State of Theology”

It’s done every few years and what they do is poll Evangelicals.

That’s the camp of Christians that we fall into.

They could be Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, or non-denominational churches.

Evangelicals are historically those who place a great importance on evangelism, that means going out and telling people about Jesus.

This study would make statements and the people they polled would respond with whether they agree or disagree with the statement.

The statement in this photo says “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”

In the most recent polling, 43% of those responding agreed with this statement.

43% agreed with the statement that Jesus was not God.

Now you could say to me, “Josh, this is a survey, the results could be tainted.”

The polls could be off.

or any other excuse.

And I would respond that if the answer to the statement has more than one affirmative then that’s too many.

If even one person who claims to be an evangelical says that Jesus isn’t God then the church has failed in it’s duty to convey the truth that is revealed in Scripture.

Why am I bringing it up this morning?

B/c the authors of the New Testament in their letters and in the gospels want us to see that Jesus isn’t simply a good teacher.

He isn’t simply a moral leader.

He isn’t a philosopher.

He isn’t simply a prophet.

The Scriptures attest time and time again that Jesus is God Made Flesh.

And listen this question about Jesus’ identity isn’t a new one.

Later on in Luke’s Gospel we will read about a conversation between Jesus and Peter where this exact thing is brought up.

But even before this question is asked of Peter, Luke has already given us the answers.

Jesus is truly God and truly Man.

This has been Luke’s teaching since the announcement of Jesus’ conception.

And this morning we are going to look at two instances where Luke tells us exactly who Jesus is.

The first is going to be at his baptism.

And the second is going to be through a Genealogy.

And trust me the moment I said Genealogy, I heard the eyes roll.

I know that going over a list of 77 names doesn’t sound like fun.

But I also want to remind you that if they weren’t important God wouldn’t have kept them in the Scriptures.

He would have omitted them altogether.

Even when we go over lists of names and other things in the Scripture that we deem as unimportant to us, we have to recognize that God saw they were important and that Paul writes

2 Timothy 3:16 CSB

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

That means even all those names and “obscure” passages are meant to be profitable for us.

So when we dive in let’s have an open mind and heart to what God has revealed to us.

Now, before we get to examining the Genealogy covered in Luke, we are going to first look at Jesus’ baptism.

Luke 3:21–22 (CSB)

21 When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying, heaven opened,

22 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.”

Jesus’ Baptism

Last week we looked at John the Baptist and his calling for people to repent and be baptised.

He was calling for a change of heart and a return to God.

And following John’s call, we get this picture of Jesus getting baptized.

And maybe you didn’t think it, but what is the purpose of Jesus’ baptism.

A couple of weeks ago I was scrolling through social media, and I saw an excerpt from a Children’s Book about Jesus.

In this Children’s book, it shows Jesus getting baptized.

And in this book, Jesus states that the reason he is Getting baptized is b/c he needs to have his sins washed away.

That is patently untrue.

Jesus was perfect, sinless, without need to be purified.

Yet we are told earlier in Luke’s Gospel that John’s Baptism is a baptism of Repentance.

If Jesus is perfect, holy, and sinless, there would be no reason for him to repent.

He doesn’t need to change his mind or change his ways b/c he is perfectly aligned with God and his mission.

So then, Why would Jesus get baptized?

And why would he get baptized by John?

Here’s what is going on here.

Jesus’ baptism is a baptism of identification.

First he was identifying with the message and ministry of John the baptist.

Through his baptism he was showing the crowds and those that witnessed that John’s message is validated by the one comes after him that is greater than him.

John’s baptism had Jesus’ stamp of approval.

Meaning that John wasn’t a rogue, but rather what he taught and did was truly from heaven.

He is identifying with the sin of the world and with Sinners.

The baptism by immersion, that is dunking under the water, is a symbol of Christ’s death.

For Jesus it is the foreshadowing of his death, burial, and resurrection.

Death is the penalty for sin, but resurrection is the new life that is found in Christ.

So in his baptism Jesus is demonstrating our need for cleansing and God’s forgiveness.

Now, the baptism of Jesus by John carries with it some undertones too.

Do you remember what we learned about John’s parents, Z and E?

They were descendants of Aaron the first High Priest.

John though not in the vocation of a priest is acting as a priest here.

He is symbolically offering up “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”

Now those reasons are all really cool and interesting, but the main reason why Jesus gets baptized is b/c it is the inauguration of his ministry on the Earth.

In Jesus’ baptism we see something so magnificent, so spectacular, so amazing that we should be overcome with awe and wonder.

In these two verses of Luke’s Gospel, we see that the work of Jesus is not his singular work.

Rather it is the full work of the triune God.

The Father, the Son, and the HS are all present at this event.

What do I mean by that?

Luke tells us that Jesus was baptized, began praying and the heavens opened up.

Let’s begin with the fact that Jesus is praying.

I want us to remember that whenever Luke mentions someone praying in his gospel and in Acts, we need to anticipate something big happening.

Earlier in chapter one we read about the people praying outside the temple when Z went in to offer up the sacrifice.

and that’s when Gabriel comes to announce John’s conception

We will later see that Jesus prays before he chooses the 12 disciples, the transfiguration, and the crucifixion just to name a few.

So prayer is a prominent theme throughout Luke’s writings.

And I will continue to point it out as we move through his gospel account.

So for Luke, Prayer was a time for divine revelation and divine action.

When God’s People prayed, the Lord moved.

So here we see that Jesus gets baptized and begins to pray

and what happens?

The heavens open up.

In the Scriptures when the Heavens open up it is a revelation from God.

In the opening line of Ezekiel the heavens were opened and God revealed to Ezekiel a vision.

In Rev. 4.1, John recieved revelation when the heavens opened up.

So here in Luke, we should expect that there is going to be a divine revelation at Jesus’ Baptism.

God is going to act in history, in this river of Jordan.

And what is the divine revelation?

What happens when the heavens open up?

Luke 3:22 “22 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.””

After Jesus prayed and the heaven’s opened up, 2 things happened.

First, the Holy Spirit descended on him.

At this moment, Luke tells us that the HS had the physical appearance of a dove.

Not that the HS was a dove, but that he looked like a dove.

The Spirit rested upon Jesus.

This is a direct call back to the Suffering Servant in Isaiah

Isaiah 42:1 “1 “This is my servant; I strengthen him, this is my chosen one; I delight in him. I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring justice to the nations.”

Jesus is being anointed by the HS to go out and accomplish what the Lord has set him apart to do.

In Isaiah we also see that this servant is going to be the one that dies for the sins of his people.

So in this brief picture of Jesus’ baptism, we see the breadth of Jesus’ ministry.

Not only that, but the coming of the spirit probably represents the beginning of a new creation.

A dove was released when Noah was on the Ark to go and find land after the Lord had washed creation from the wickedness of humanity in the flood.

And the fact that the dove was hovering over Jesus in a body of water rings with a reminder of Gen 1.2, where the spirit hovers over the waters of the earth to begin the act of creation.

So with Jesus we can see that God is doing a new thing.

Jesus is the one through whom the Lord is going to bring about a new creation.

Whatever Jesus’ life and ministry looks like is going to be the standard for this new creation.

As we will see late the Last Adam has come to restore what the first Adam had broken.

And yet, that’s not all that happens at Jesus’ baptism.

We also hear a word from the Lord.

“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

What truths can we unpack from this phrase.

First, we can see that Jesus is the unique son of God.

He is the only begotten of God.

He is the beloved son of God.

He is the one promised by God in the OT.

The savior that is going to establish a new covenant.

And this is something that has been evident since the announcement of Jesus’ conception to Mary.

This language is a clear allusion to Psalm 2:7 “7 I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”

Which as we have talked about before is Messianic in it’s essence.

Ps 2 is about the promised divine son who will come to redeem the world.

Who will come to set things right.

When I preached on Psalm 2 several months ago, I told you that the key purpose of this Psalm was to identify the one who would reign over God’s people.

It was spoken over the King on his inauguration day to highlight the reality that God sets up the rulers over his people.

At his Baptism, the Lord of heaven is affirming Jesus’ calling and his mission.

The Baptism of Jesus and this proclamation from the father is the inauguration of God’s Kingdom on Earth.

The Father’s voice from heaven demonstrates that Jesus is uniquely qualified for this task.

And the reason why is b/c Jesus is God in flesh.

Jesus is the Son of God.

The Lord told Mary this in Luke 1:35.

And here again he is restating it to the crowds and to Jesus’ himself.

The Lord wants us to know that Jesus is unique and set apart.

He isn’t like everyone else.

As the Son of God he had supernatural power, wisdom, knowledge, and authority.

Jesus could speak on God’s behalf b/c he represented the Lord on the Earth.

He could perform miracles.

Heal the blind, Make the Lame walk, and raise the dead, because he is the Son of God.

As the Son of God he alone, could atone for the sins of humanity b/c he is the perfect, spotless sacrifice.

He is the Son of God.

Who is going to live a life of perfect obedience and submission to the Father.

Even to the point of death on a cross.

It is through Jesus’ unique sonship that those who trust in his sacrifice are made to be sons and daughters as well.

Let’s not overlook the point that this is a miraculous event.

The baptism of Jesus and all it includes is nothing short of supernatural.

And yet it’s different from other miracles in Luke’s gospel.

Often the Miracles are accompanied by a description of the crowds reaction.

Yet here we don’t get any of that.

Instead, Luke wants us as the readers to see primarily how the Father views the Son.

He wants us to know that Jesus’ life and action has pleased the father.

And this is curious, b/c what exactly was the Father pleased with?

We could expect this phrase at the resurrection or even during the life and ministry of Jesus.

But up to this point Jesus hadn’t accomplished much in the form of ministry.

So what was the Lord pleased with?

First, the Father was pleased with the incarnation of Jesus.

Jesus’ humanity meant living in a humble state.

He lived a life of humility by not exercising for his own gain his divine sonhood.

He lived in a secluded area of Nazareth for 30 years, and did the things that boys who grow into men do.

He learned, he worked, he provided when Joseph died.

He was obedient not just in the big things, but in the rules and way that the Lord had designed life to be.

Also as we read a couple of weeks ago, in Luke 2:52 “52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.”

For 30 or so years, Jesus’ life marked that of one devoted to God.

He grew in the grace of the Lord and in favor with people.

He never took for granted his position or authority.

Rather he understood his mission, a mission of faithfulness, and stood steadfast moving toward that goal.

I love how this one theologian put it

During these silent years the shaping of the second Adam was accomplished. Throughout infancy, childhood, adolescence, and on into manhood, Jesus grew from grace to grace, from holiness to holiness, in subjection and in love, without a single stain of sin—he was perfectly righteous. Jesus took his righteousness to the cross and there died in our place, the just for the unjust, “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Now by faith we receive his righteousness as a gift. After thirty perfect years, the Father was “well pleased.”

I touched on this a minute ago, but let’s not forget that the baptism of Jesus.

This event in the Jordan river is a demonstration of the triune God at work.

The trinity is present here in

The three persons of the Holy Trinity are present for the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry and mission.

This is amazing in that it shows us that God is unified in the redemption of his people.

All three persons of the trinity are concerned about the salvation of our souls.

The gospel message is in the mind and heart of God.

There is no one who is outside of the saving power of God.

There is no one who is worthy of God’s salvation, but the good news is we don’t have to be worthy b/c the Son is worthy.

There is no one who is unsaveable.

B/c of Christ’s work on the cross and his resurrection we can have salvation.

That’s good news b/c if it was up to us we would absolutely fail every single time.

There would never be a saved soul if our salvation was up to us.

So it’s not, salvation is a work of God.

Done thorough the sacrifice of Jesus the Son of God.

So Jesus was sent to accomplish what is in the heart of God.

The salvation and redemption of his creation.

And in our salvation through faith and trust in Jesus’ sacrifice, we then get the living God within in us.

The HS makes us a new creation and we are empowered to walk in the way of Jesus.

A life of obedience.

A life of sacrifice.

A life that is pleasing to the Father, but the first step is trusting in Jesus for our salvation.

It is through faith in Jesus that we are made right with God.

When we believe Jesus bestows upon us his righteousness and we are now sons and daughters of God.

Adopted into his family.

We are made heirs and recipients of God’s grace, mercy, and love.

This means that those who haven’t trusted in Jesus are not the Father’s children.

It is only through faith in Jesus that we can become the children of God and recipients of his kingdom and grace.

So here I want us to see that at Jesus’ baptism there is more going on than meets the eye.

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Likewise, there is more going on in the genealogy of Jesus in Luke than meets the eye as well.

Luke 3:23–38 CSB

23 As he began his ministry, Jesus was about thirty years old and was thought to be the son of Joseph, son of Heli, 24 son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, 25 son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, 26 son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, 27 son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, 28 son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, 29 son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, 30 son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, 31 son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, 32 son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Salmon, son of Nahshon, 33 son of Amminadab, son of Ram, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, 34 son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, 35 son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, 36 son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, 37 son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalalel, son of Cainan, 38 son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.

Jesus’ Genealogy

I know that this was a long list of names.

There’s a lot of history to go through.

But my desire here is to highlight the theological reasons that God gave us this list.

First, God gave us this list b/c to the Jewish people genealogies are extremely important.

This information tied you back to the people you came from.

It established the land that belonged to a certain family.

In some cases, it would determine what your job or calling could be.

For example the Levites were the only ones who could be priests.

And the Descendants of Judah was God’s Royal line, the line from which kings come.

Jesus is descended not from Levi, but from Judah

Again marking his kingly heritage.

Now there are some differences between Matthew and Luke’s Genealogy.

And it brings up some questions for biblical scholarship.

Why are there differences?

I don’t have the time to go in depth about the differences, but I will tell you that most agree that the reason for the differences stem from Luke and Matthew’s purpose in giving the genealogies.

Here’s what I mean:

It is understood that Matthew follows the royal line for Jesus b/c he wants to demonstrate in his Gospel that Jesus is the rightful King of the Jews.

Matthew wants the Jewish people to see that Jesus is the heir to the throne that God established.

Luke, though he does point out that Jesus is king, that’s not the focus of Luke’s Gospel.

Luke wants his readers to see that Jesus is not just the King and savior of the Jewish people, but that he is the savior of all mankind.

This is why Luke’s genealogy doesn’t stop at Abraham, but goes all the way back to Adam, and even to being Son of God.

Jesus is the universal savior for any who believe, Jew or Greek, Slave or Free, Male or Female.

And this is tied to his connection to being the Son of Adam.

Jesus is related to all mankind.

To go one step further, the fact that Luke goes all the way back to Son of God.

Also is a reminder of Jesus’ origins.

He is the preeminent Son of God.

He is the new Adam.

Like Adam Jesus’ birth was miraculous and intervened by God.

Without Human input.

Jesus is sent to begin and finish what Adam couldn’t.

The great thing about this is that Jesus exercises his perfect, eternal Sonship as he takes on Adam’s (and our) flawed sonship—and therefore he can redeem it. Paul put it this way: “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.… So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:22, 45). And again in Romans 5:17, “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.”

Jesus is then in both Baptism and Genealogy identified as God’s true and perfect Son.

And in Luke’s genealogy we see that Jesus has a claim to God’s eternal throne and relates to all humanity through his universal sonship.

The ending that Jesus is the Son of God is unique in all genealogies.

There is no one in the OT or even NT that traces their lineage all the way back to being the Son of God.

If it goes this far, it always stops at Adam.

So here again Luke is making a tremendous theological statement about who Jesus actually is.

He is the Son of God.

The works that he does can only be done by the one and only son of God.

And just to highlight the beauty of this genealogy, we can see God’s hand in all of it.

God has orchestrated and designed Jesus’ family tree in a magnificent and beautiful way.

Also showing us the divine providence and sovereignty of God.

From before the very creation of Man, God had a plan to save sinful people.

His hand was never removed from the path of Salvation.

The triune God of the universe knew that one day, the Son would come, put on flesh and in order to be both the Son of all humanity and the Son of God, He planned and purposed that this family would be the line where his Family would come from.

If you can’t see God’s hand in human history it’s time open your eyes.

The beautiful thing about God’s salvation is that it is available for all who believe.

If you trust and believe in the Lord Jesus as the sacrifice in your place then you will be saved.

He came to save sinners just like you and me.

He came so that we could be invited into the family of God.

So, where do you stand today?

Do you trust Jesus as the savior?

If you haven’t, I pray that you will today.