Luke 2:41-3:38

Turning to the One Who Can Save Us

Big Idea: Jesus, fully human and fully divine, is the one who can save us. God's preparation through John the Baptist calls us to turn from our sins and embrace Jesus, our qualified and divine Savior.

Introduction

Over a hundred years ago, in 1912, the incredible and unsinkable ocean liner Titanic was four days into her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City, when she struck the infamous ice berg and sank - with a loss of about 1,500 lives, the majority of the people on board.

The tragedy is known to many of us, but what might surprise us was how preventable the whole thing was.

Beyond the foolish belief that the ship actually was unsinkable, and the pressure from the financially-strapped White Star Line to have Captain Edward Smith arrive in New York ahead of schedule, and therefore his decision to maintain a high speed...

The Titanic actually received several warnings from other ships in regard to ice bergs in the area. These messages were sent using the Marconi wireless telegraph system. Basically, a morse code was converted into electrical signals and transmitted via radio waves using a transmitter, and the receiving ship would have operators on board that received the message and wrote it down.

At 7.50 P.M, on the night of Titanic’s sinking, the SS Mesaba sent Titanic the following message:

To Titanic In Lat. 42 N. to 41.25 Lond 49 W to Long - 50.30 W saw much heavy pack ice and great number large icebergs also field ice. Weather good, clear

The message was received at 9:40pm, by which time the second operator Harold Bride had gone to bed and Jack Phillips was alone by the receiver. The radio receivers, however, were actually not employed by the ocean liner, but by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company. Their primary responsibility was to send message on behalf of the passengers, with weather reports for the crew a mere secondary concern.

Because of faulty equipment, the operators on Titanic were working with a backlog and at the time Jack Phillips, working alone, was busy relaying messages on behalf of passengers via a relay station on Newfoundland. The report from the Mesaba lay in a queue of a pile on the desk.

The message from the SS Mesaba never left Titanic’s radio room.

The titanic steamed ahead at near full speed and a few hours later struck the ice berg that would become her demise.

The ship received it’s warning, but when it came down to reality - the warning was not heeded. It was secondary to personal and trivial matters. The message that could have saved them was wasted, tossed aside.

In our text today, we will look at a message that has similarities, but of which the impact is world-altering and world-changing. We are going to look at the ministry of John the Baptist preparing the way - urging the people to repent of their sins and to turn to Jesus. But, we are going to dive in and look further at who this Jesus is - and specifically how His humanity as well as His divinity qualifies and affirms His ability to save us.

Transition: The Titanic could have had a crazy passenger in the third class, shouting at the crew that there was danger ahead and that they needed to return to Southampton - but nobody would have listened. Why? Because he would not have been qualified to deliver the news. The SS Mesaba was qualified. It passed through the area Titanic was heading for. John’s message today is not unlike that of this warning. Turn, because there is danger ahead - turn from danger, turn to the Messiah who has come to bring salvation.

So let’s open the glorious Word of God [PAGE: _____] and hear His message to His people today. We are staying in the Gospel of Luke, and will move through the end of chapter two and all of chapter three. ----

I. The Humanity of Jesus Qualifies Him to Be Our Savior [Luke 2:41-51]

Let’s read:

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

Jesus, along with Mary and Joseph, are traveling from Nazareth to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. This was a trip that typically took 2-3 days, and for protection, it was custom to make the journey in a caravan of people and animals - lots of people were making the journey. Lots of commotion.

Now, we read that when the festival was over, Jesus… kind of stayed behind. The 12-year old Jesus stayed behind in the temple. Only, Mary and Joseph didn’t realize it. To fully understand what happened here, we need to make some assumptions.

There are a lot of people and there is commotion everywhere. Everybody’s spirits are high from the festivities and, well, Jesus is now twelve years old. He’s almost a man! I’m going to assume that Mary believed that Jesus was with Joseph, and that Joseph thought that Jesus was with Mary… but he wasn’t. They lost him.

Parents, I know you’ve made mistakes. I know you’ve fallen short. I sure have. Just the other day I promised my daughter that we’d play Monopoly Junior… but I ran out of time. I let her down.

But at least I haven’t lost the Savior of the World.

We laugh at Pete & Kate McCallister leaving Kevin behind in Home Alone, but here it happened for real.

The story is funny, but it actually reminds us of the obvious - that one thing that we focus on at Christmas.

Jesus, the Son of God, came to this world as a human. He was fully human.

Mary and Joseph, his parents, were human. And they did not only welcome a baby to this world, but they also parented a twelve-year old.

Panic and anxiety begins to ensue. They begin to look for Jesus among their relatives and friends in the caravan, but he’s not there. They’ve travelled for over a day from Jerusalem, and need to turn back to find him.

46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Three days after losing him, they find Jesus at the temple. He’s been sitting with the teachers, listening and asking questions. Obviously, Jesus is beginning to stand out to everybody. Who is this young man? How does he know these answers? How is he so wise as to ask these questions? But, Mary, understandably - pummels through the door and in that weird mix of emotions where you are so thankful that your kid didn’t kill themselves, but you’re frustrated… she blurts out, “Jesus! Why have you treated us like this? Your dad and I have been looking everywhere for you!”. She’s parenting a 12-year old, of course she’s been sick with worry. 3 days is a long time. She’s probably full of shame and guilt, too. “Oh, so you’re the mom that left her kid behind for 3 days?”

We are reminded thoroughly here that Jesus was fully human.

He looked like a human.

He smelled like a human.

He ate and drank like a human.

He interacted with his parents, family and friends like a human.

He grew up like a human

Mary and Joseph held him as a baby, helped him to learn how to walk as a toddler, probably saved him from choking on a grape and now he’s all of a sudden twelve and they don’t yet fully understand everything that is about to happen. They know that God miraculously brought this child to them, and used them, but for what? And when is this child going to begin to fulfill his destiny? They have not known the answer to this question, but they have been faithful in their task of raising him. Their worry and anxiety makes sense. Jesus as a twelve-year old is still under their care.

“Why were you searching for me? “ Jesus asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

Jesus is describing his calling in his own words. By calling the temple His Father’s house, he is revealing who He is. But so much of it is still a mystery, and Mary and Joseph still don’t fully understand what it all means.

But while Jesus was fully human, like you and me, this is what is fundamentally different about Him. He is of the Father. He is fully human, but He is also the Son of God. He was without sin.

Most twelve-year olds would probably find it annoying that mom and dad interrupted something they felt were important. Maybe slightly embarrased by their parents storming through the door. But Jesus loved his mom and dad, and he realizes that as a child he is still under their authority. He picks up his stuff and returns to Nazareth with them, and he was obedient to them.

There is much to reflect upon when it comes to the humanity of Jesus, but in light of our text this morning - we want to focus on this one point:

The humanity of Jesus qualifies Him to be our savior.

Jesus, being fully human, qualifies Him uniquely to be our Savior. His experience of living a human life means He understands our struggles and sympathizes with our weaknesses. Yet, unlike us, He lived without sin, making Him the perfect, blameless sacrifice for our sins. As a human, He could stand in our place, taking the punishment we deserve. This identification with humanity, combined with His sinless life, enables Jesus to be our substitute, fulfilling the prophecies and providing a perfect example for us to follow.

The humanity of Jesus qualifies Him to be our savior. Jesus was of the Father, One with the Father, sent by the Father, - to save us. God came to be with us. To be as us. To bear our sins. Our failures. Our shortcomings. To the cross in our place. Jesus has come for all of humanity.

But, he’s not ready yet.

Transition: Let’s pause to reflect on the humanity of our Savior. On what it means that Jesus was one like us, yet unlike us in that He was without sin.

Reflection (John)

Poem

We come (Chorus)

II. God uses John the Baptist to prime the people for Jesus & His ministry [Luke 3:1-20]

Now, we will move to look at the ministry of John the Baptist - and specifically how God uses John, according to Old Testament prophecies, to prime the people for Jesus and His ministry.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness

John’s ministry is firmly planted in a historical setting. Both John and Jesus were born during the reign of Caesar Augustus, who died in year 14. We learn then, that we are talking about the end of year 28 or the beginning of the year 29. Jesus is almost thirty at this point. And the word of God comes to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.

The wilderness is a common meeting ground for God and his people. We see it throughout Biblical history. In the silence, in the loneliness, in the wilderness… God finds and calls his people.

So, what is John doing with this Word of God?

3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’ ”

He’s preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He is the voice calling in the wilderness, prophesied by Isaiah, to prepare the way for the Lord.

The Messiah is ready to come, but the people are not ready. The people are unclean. The paths of Israel have become crooked. The religious leaders are corrupt. The church of the day is faithless. A new era is about to start.

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Now, John isn’t necessarily very nice… you brood of vipers! He is brutally honest. He’s telling other jews that they can’t rely on their lineage to Abraham. They can’t count on their traditions. Traditions and birthright is not enough to ensure a place in the family of God, in His kingdom.

The Messiah is at the door. The axe is at the root of the trees. Judgment is near. There is no “comfortably” sliding into the kingdom of God. You must fall flat on your face and repent of your sins. You are guilty as charged and the verdict is coming. Saying that you “go to church” or “i’m a good person”, does nothing. Saying that you’re a descendent of Abraham will do nothing - unless you repent and turn to Him who can save you.

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” 13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

There’s three distinct groups here. First, we have the crowd. “What should we do then?” In light of the reality that the Messiah is coming, judgment is coming - and the people are not ready… the people want to know what they must do. Well, once you’ve turned and repented of your sins… look around you. Are you carrying around two shirts while there’s a guy over there without one? Do you have a closet full of food while the family next door decide to skip dinner again?

The kingdom that Jesus is going to usher in is a different kingdom. It’s not about status or might. If you are running around, only looking out for yourself, you are going to miss it. You are going to miss Jesus. You’re going to fly right past him.

In the same spirit, more people are circling around John at this point - even tax collectors, the despised traitors and a group of soldiers.

John’s response to all three groups are very simplistic. There is no elaborate religious process of preparing oneself for the Messiah. There is no set of requirements for earning salvation.

It is about alignment. John is calling the people to align themselves with the Messiah. He is not coming to raise an army, he is not coming to abuse the weak, he is not coming to fight his way in to the seats of power. He is coming to love. He is coming to care. He is coming to reveal the New Covenant, the New Kingdom - if you want to prepare yourself for Him and His ministry, if you want to even think about a sliver of that kingdom and of what it is like - it doesn’t matter who you are. But if you don’t want to align yourself with Him now, why would you want a seat at His table?

To John, it doesn’t matter. It does not matter who you are. The Messiah is inaugurating His ministry and if you want to join Him - you can. And you should begin to align yourself with Him. Soon, nothing else will matter anymore.

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps 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 he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

And the people, mistakenly, begin to wonder if John is the Messiah. Can you imagine John’s face? NO. “I baptize you with water,” he says. But He that is coming “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

John’s message is important. But he’s just the forerunner. He’s just the prophetic voice, the herald of what is to come. Jesus is coming, and his baptism will be of the Spirit and fire.

The imagery of the winnowing fork is powerful. Jesus is going to clear the floor, and the wheat will land in His barn - in His house. The chaff, the remains, the unusable stuff, well… it is going to perish. It won’t have a place in His house.

The Spirit’s baptism will gather some, while others will be left to the wind. Luke, in writing this, puts the good news of Jesus right next to the reality of judgment. There is no escaping the reality of God’s judgment and the concept of true justice. We have all fallen short of God in our sin, and without Jesus, without the baptism of the Spirit, there is not a possibility to stand before God.

We hear the word judgment and we cringe because in our culture it’s a bad word. We don’t like it. We don’t like to judge or to be judged. But the reality is that judgment is good news. Because where there is judgment, there is the offer of mercy. Christ, the Messiah, is coming to redeem mankind - but He is also coming to pronounce judgment. The judge of all of heaven and earth is stepping into world history, and His coming is the moment by which all of us ultimately will be judged.

And it is what that in mind that we can understand the urgency in John’s voice. The judge is at the door. The one before whom each one must ultimately stand and give an account for their life is here. He is coming now, but you are not ready.

John’s preaching was not lighthearted. And it was directed at everybody. He preached to the crowd. To the religious authorities. To the military leaders. And, even to the king.

19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

Not everybody likes the message. Not everybody likes to be confronted with the reality of Jesus. Some hear judgment, and they decide they will take the matter into their own hands - and that is precisely what happens here, and John is tossed into prison.

But we know that this method is only effective for so long. God is supreme above all human methods and schemes.

John’s ministry is ending here, but his mission is fulfilled. He’s done his part. Next, Jesus is finally stepping into His ministry.

Transition: But before we move there, we will pause and reflect on all that God has said through John. And, specifically, let’s reflect on our own sin. John came to preach a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin, and he told us of the reality of judgment - which helps us to understand why the Good News are Good News.

Where do we need to repent? Where, in our lives, is God calling us to turn from our sin and to turn to Him? What does God tell us when we ask him, “What, then, must we do?”

Reflection (John)

Silence for prayers of repentance

Jesus our Judge and Our Savior

Responsive Reading

We come

III. The Divinity of Jesus Affirms His Ability to Save Us [Luke 3:21-38]

There is one piece that is missing, that is crucial for us to understand. And we will answer it now. We must not think that Jesus came to this earth, as fully human, and that He therefore was only human. His humanity qualifies Him to be the Savior of humankind, but if He was only human - He would not be able to save us.

You might think that is silly, but that is a very common cultural thought. That humans can save other humans. Throughout history, we have seen example after example of this.

After the French Revolution, many french citizens saw Napoleon as a savior who would restore order and bring glory to France.

In ancient Rome, Julius Caesar was seen by many as a leader who could finally bring stability and prosperity to the Republic.

During the Chinese Communist Revolution, Mao Zedong was viewed as a revolutionary leader who would liberate the country and provide a path of salvation for the nation.

Joseph Stalin, perceived by many in the Soviet Union, to be the leader that could transform the Union into a global superpower.

In Cuba, Fidel Castro was seen as a national liberator - who would free the country from foreign influences.

In the early 1930’s, many Germans saw Adolf Hitler as the savior who could restore Germany’s former glory and adress the nation’s pressing problems.

With history in hindsight we can review the accomplishments of these men and gauge the effectiveness of their ability to save - and what we ultimately find are false promises and botched attempts.

Ships like the Titanic are not, after all, unsinkable. History proves this to us.

We might think that we are better today. We are smarter today. We won’t ever fall into those traps again. And the world is contantly changing and evolving.

Everywhere you look, there are voices of promises.

Beyond politics, what about technology? Or successful business leaders?

Maybe it’s not a politician that will save us - but what about Artificial Intelligence? Maybe supercomputers built by private equity can save us? Maybe we can elevate humanity by allowing technology to work for us?

While the humanity of Jesus is an incredible reality - the Incarnation of Jesus into this world is fantastic and miraculous, if Jesus was only human - our hope would not be very deep.

And at the end of our text today, we are reminded that Jesus is also divine - He is the Son of God, and His divinity affirms His ability to save us. His humanity qualifies Him, but His divinity enables Him.

21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

We might want to ask why is Jesus getting baptized? He is without sin - and baptism, historically, is a cleansing rite and in the rest of the New Testament a sign of dying to the old self and rising to new life in Christ.

Well, here, it really means that Jesus is affirming John’s ministry. Jesus is embarking on a mission, and part of that mission is to fulfill all righteousness. As the Messiah, the ultimate sin-bearer, Jesus had to fulfill the law of God to the minutest detail. As our sin-bearer, he took our debt before God - even here. Jesus knew that in order to fulfill all the requirements of the law, he had to be baptized.

But as He is praying, the heaven is opened and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him. And the voice of the Father speaks, “You are my son, whom I love.” God the Father speaks to confirm the consecration of Jesus, the Son of God, as Messiah - the savior of mankind.

Here, we have an incredible image of the Trinity itself. God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit.

The humanity of Jesus qualifies Him to save us, but His divinity - as the Son of God, affirms His ability to save us. It is God Himself who has come to be amongst us.

Luke affirms this reality by pointing to the genealogy of Jesus.

23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,

And through Joseph’s line, via King David, Abraham and all the way to Adam, the first Son of God.

Luke is showing how Jesus, the Messiah, indeed is the legal descendant of David - since the Scriptures have foretold that the Messiah is of the Davidic line. But Luke keeps going, and He doesn’t stop at Abraham, like Matthew does, because he is not only preoccupied with revealing the Jewish credentials of Jesus, but he takes him all the way back to Adam.

The mission of Christ is universal. Jesus did not just come for the jews, but for the Gentiles, for all of humanity. Jesus is the new Adam. The Second Adam. The author of a new humanity who has come to redeem and reconcile men, women and children from every tribe and nation - not just giving himself as a ransom for the lost sheep of Israel, but who is pouring himself out as the substitute for the children of Adam’s race, sinful each and every one of them.

Jesus has come to offer salvation to all of humanity. And He alone is in a position to do this - as the Son of Man and the Son of God, qualified and able.

The question is for us to answer. Will we turn to Him? Will we repent of our sins and turn to Jesus? Will we labor to spread the Good News of Him who has come? Will we set aside all false hopes and turn our energy and concentration to the incarnate Son of God?

What do we do when the telegram comes for us? When we are confronted with the danger and reality of our own sin? Will we stay on our own course, or will we turn to the only One who can save us? Will we place our hope in false places, or will we rest our hope in the Everlasting One?

Imagine the world we could all live in if all considered their neighbor and loved their neighbor more than themselves.

Imagine the Great Kingdom of God where Jesus reigns on the throne and where He invites us to join Him.

John’s call is also for us. Will we join this Kingdom of God, or will we close in on ourselves and miss Jesus altogether?

John shows us that if we want to join this Jesus and follow Him into His kingdom, our lives on this earth should look different. It’s not about success or status, it’s certainly not about personal gain. It’s a lot more like sharing your shirt with someone who needs one, or sharing a meal with someone that needs one. Now, it’s not our deeds that save us - only Jesus is qualified and able to save us.

Let’s lay aside all of our distractions and false idols. Let’s hear the message heralded by John the Baptist, that the Messiah has come and the time for us to turn from our sins is now. Let’s not blindly believe in our own abilities as mere fools and steam head-first into our own ruin, but lets turn to Jesus - our Savior, our King - and let’s join Him at His table. Let’s labor to love and to care and to sacrifice, as He did. Let’s share in the joy of seeing new saints join us in baptism and at the table. Let’s long for the Kingdom of God, where death and darkness no longer reigns.

Let’s rest in the reality of Jesus, our Savior.

Reflection (John)

Turn Your Eyes

In Christ Alone

We Come

Benediction (David)