All right, well, last Sunday we heard Luke, the gospel writer, telling us about John the
baptizer, and this is in Luke chapter 3.
If you have your Bible, you can open it up to Luke chapter 3.
And as we heard, John did not hesitate to rebuke people because of their sins and hypocrisy.
He didn't hesitate to tell them the hard and unpleasant truth that if they did not repent,
God's wrath would come upon them and they would face the unquenchable fire at the judgment.
But that wasn't all that John said.
He said God was willing to forgive them if they repented and that he was willing to wash
them or immerse them in the Holy Spirit through the powerful one coming after John.
And as I was thinking about this, I appreciate how John didn't just tell people what they
wanted to hear.
He told them what God had to say to them as the word of God came to him.
And eventually this landed John in some trouble.
From Luke chapter 3, verse 19, Luke tells us that 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,
Herod added this to them all.
He locked John up in prison.
If there was anyone that John might have been tempted to go easy on or to just, you know,
adjust the tone of his message a little bit for, probably it was Herod.
Herod was the ruler of the whole region of Galilee, the Tetrarch of Galilee.
And yet what did John say to Herod?
He told him to repent too.
He pointed out very specifically the sins of Herod, one of them being his immoral marriage.
And more than just that, he rebuked Herod because of that.
And Luke says all the other evil things he had done.
So John was very consistent.
I think we see in this just that, you know, had you or I been there,
John would not have hesitated to say the same sort of things to us too.
To shine the light on specific sins in our lives and call us to repent as well.
Well, Herod didn't like that, of course.
And so he locked John up in prison and this brought John's public ministry to an end.
But now Luke rewinds just a little bit and lets us know about something that happened before John was put in prison.
When people were still being baptized by John,
something very significant took place that we don't want to miss.
From verse 21.
When all the people were being baptized,
Jesus was baptized too.
And as he was praying,
heaven was opened
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.
So picture this in your mind.
John is down by the water's edge.
There's a crowd of people on the shore.
John is teaching.
People are responding and they're going forward.
They're walking down into the water with him.
They're confessing their sins to God.
And they're being baptized,
immersed in the water.
And then in the midst of all this,
a man goes forward.
But this time something totally different
takes place.
The parallel account in Matthew
gives us some other detail here.
According to Matthew,
there was an exchange between Jesus and John
in this moment.
John actually tried to deter
Jesus from being baptized.
He said to Jesus,
I need to be baptized by you.
And do you come to me?
So John knew who Jesus was.
John knew
that this baptism
and what it represented
forgiveness,
repentance,
cleansing for sins,
John knew that this did not apply
to Jesus.
It made more sense
in John's mind
for Jesus
to come out there
and baptize
John
in that moment.
And yet Matthew
tells us that Jesus said
it's right
for us to do this.
Matthew chapter 3
verse 15,
Jesus replied,
let it be so now.
It is proper for us
to do this,
to fulfill
all righteousness.
So Jesus
neither Jesus
nor God
in heaven
was worried
about the people there
getting the wrong idea
about Jesus
in this moment
because as we just read,
something amazing
happens
after Jesus
is baptized
that is just
shockingly
different
than with everyone else.
Continuing on
in Matthew,
it says there
in verse 16,
as soon as Jesus
was baptized,
he went up
out of the water.
A careful reading
of this might suggest
that Jesus
was first
immersed
in the water
and then
he was on his way
up out of
the river
when something
spectacular
took place.
Matthew
in his account
says,
at that moment
heaven
was opened
and he saw
the spirit
of God
descending
like a dove
and alighting
on him.
At that moment
heaven
was opened.
Can you imagine
this?
According to Mark
who
has the same
thing in his
gospel,
as Jesus
was coming up
out of the water,
he saw heaven
being torn
open
and the spirit
descending
on him
like a dove,
being torn
open.
Luke
tells us
that at this
moment
Jesus
was praying
and as
he was
praying
heaven
was opened
and the
Holy Spirit
descended
on him
in bodily
form
like a dove.
So picture
this,
Jesus
has just
been baptized,
he's now
beginning to
walk up
out of the
water
towards
the shore
and he's
praying
when all
of a sudden
it looks
as if
the sky
is ripped
open
overhead
and out
of this
tear
in the sky
comes
the Holy
Spirit
of God.
Matthew,
Mark,
and Luke
all say
that the
Spirit of
God
came down
upon
Jesus
like a
dove.
In
Matthew
and in
Mark,
like a
dove
seems to
describe
the manner
in which
the Spirit
descended.
Something like
fluttering
gently
downwards,
slow,
gentle,
gracious.
Here in
Luke,
like a
dove
seems to
describe
the outward
visible
form
of the
Spirit.
And there's
two
understandings
of this.
I mean,
some kind
of take
this quite
literally,
in bodily
form,
like a
dove,
meaning
that the
Spirit
actually
resembled
a
dove.
This is
maybe
what people
saw,
only it
wasn't
a dove,
it was
the Spirit.
Others,
including
myself,
stress that
this is the
language of
simile,
like a
dove,
in bodily
form,
like a
dove,
not meaning
that he
was a
dove,
but that
he was
dove-like
in appearance,
manner,
in the way
he came
down out of
the tear
in the
sky,
and in
the way
that he
came to
rest upon
Jesus,
perhaps also
in color,
movement,
and shape,
dove-like.
As I read
this,
my imagination
conceives of
something maybe
a little more
like this,
exactly how
it looked.
We weren't
there,
so we
didn't see
it.
But can
you imagine
this?
What an
amazing thing
it must have
been for
those who
witnessed
this.
Jesus'
hair dripping
wet,
his mouth
moving with
prayer to
God,
and the
sky seems
to open
up,
and the
Spirit of
God
himself comes
down from
above gently
and gracefully
and rests
upon him.
And then in
that same
instant,
your ears
come alive
with the
sound of
a great
voice.
And a
voice came
from heaven,
you are
my son
whom I
love.
With you
I am
well pleased.
God
himself
speaks
from heaven
in an
audible
voice as
all this
is taking
place.
according to
both Mark
and Luke,
God speaks
directly to
Jesus.
You are
my son.
This is
amazing.
This message
is primarily
for Jesus.
These words
are for
him.
And what
is God
saying to
Jesus?
these are
the words
of family
relationship,
affectionate
family
relationship.
You are
my son.
I love
you.
I'm
pleased with
you.
I'm delighted
with you.
There's this
kind of
deep,
mysterious,
joyful
relationship
happening
here that
the people
witnessed.
nobody
else's
baptism
had this
happen
after it.
This
was
unique.
There's
also a
sense in
which these
words were
spoken not
only for
Jesus,
but also
for the
people.
Matthew
seems to
emphasize this
in his
description of
God's
words.
It's as
if with
these words
God was
saying to
the people,
this is
my son.
And so
part of the
point of
all this
is for
the people
who were
there to
understand
just who
Jesus is.
I want
you to
know,
says God,
this is
my son.
I love
him dearly.
I'm
delighted
with him.
And I
would suggest
to you
that this
is why
Luke is
careful to
include this
in his
record of
all that
happened
with Jesus.
Up until
this point,
we've seen
all kinds
of different
signs.
We've
seen
angels
visiting
Zachariah
and Mary
and the
shepherds
and we've
heard wonderful
messages from
them.
there's
been
miraculous
conceptions
of John
and even
more
miraculous
of Jesus.
There were
the prophetic
words
spoken by
Elizabeth,
Mary,
Zachariah,
Simeon,
Anna.
There was
the sign
of how
Jesus'
birth ended
up in this
town that
wasn't where
they lived,
which fulfilled
prophecy and
confirmed his
ancestry.
Luke's told
us about
the sign
of how
wise and
understanding
Jesus was,
even as a
12-year-old
boy,
discussing
things at
the temple
with the
teachers.
And now
there's this
great sign
of John,
the son of
Zachariah,
preaching in
the wilderness
and calling
people back
to God
and saying
to them,
there's
somebody
amazing
coming,
somebody so
worthy,
somebody so
powerful.
And now
this awesome
sign that
this Jesus,
the son of
Mary,
is the
son of
God.
God
himself
speaks from
heaven
audibly.
you are
my son.
We've got
the visuals,
the spirit
descending
upon Jesus.
Think about
this.
God is
making it
as clear
as it
can be
for us.
Up until
now,
he's spoken
through angels,
prophets,
both men
and women,
and in
case we
missed all
of that
or in
case we
doubt
those
messengers,
God now
removes the
messengers
altogether
for an
instant and
speaks directly
to the
people who
are there.
You are
my son.
This is
my son.
And he
gives them
this spectacular
thing to see
and to hear
so that there's
no doubt.
Do you see
this sign?
Do you
believe it?
From here,
Luke is
now going
to shift
from telling
us about
John's
ministry
to telling
us all
exclusively
about Jesus
and what
happened with
him during
this very
public and
well-known
time of
his ministry.
But we
should stop
here for
today.
I debated
whether we
should go
into the
genealogy of
Jesus, which
is listed
next, but
I thought,
no, we'll
save that
for next
week.
Genealogies.
Let's stop
here for
today.
Let's ponder
the significance
just a little
bit of the
Spirit of
God coming
down upon
Jesus.
What does
this mean?
What is
this all
about?
We've
already talked
about how
it's a clear
sign that
Jesus is
the Son
of God,
but what's
the significance
of the Spirit
of God
coming down
upon the
Son of
God?
Think back
to Old
Testament
times.
When the
Spirit of
God came
upon a
person,
amazing and
wonderful things
usually followed.
For Samson,
it was
superhuman
strength.
For Solomon,
it was
unrivaled
wisdom.
For Elijah,
it was the
ability to
perform great
miracles.
angels,
and for
the many
prophets of
the Lord,
it was this
ability to
hear and
speak the
very words
of God.
And so
for all who
witnessed this
that day and
who are aware
of all those
things written
in the
scriptures,
expectations
should be
high.
God is
God about
to do
or say
through this
man,
through Jesus.
Not only
that, but
several
prophecies
spoken by the
prophet Isaiah
specifically tell
us to watch
for a coming
man upon
whom God's
spirit rests.
Let me
remind us of
a few of
them this
morning.
Isaiah
11,
verse
1.
A
shoot
will come
up from
the stump
of Jesse,
that's the
father of
David.
From his
roots a
branch will
bear fruit.
The
spirit of
the Lord
will rest
on him.
The
spirit of
wisdom and
of understanding,
the spirit
of counsel
and of
might,
the spirit
of the
knowledge
and fear
of the
Lord.
And he
will delight
in the
fear of
the Lord.
He will
not judge
by what he
sees with
his eyes
or decide
by what he
sees with
by what he
hears with
his ears.
But with
righteousness
he will
judge the
needy.
With
justice
he will
give
decisions
for the
poor
of the
earth.
And it
goes on.
There's
coming a
man
descended
from
Jesse.
That's
the father
of King
David.
And what's
special about
this man
besides the
truly awesome
things that
Isaiah says
that he
will do
is that
the spirit
of the
Lord God
will rest
on him.
And Isaiah
points out
with poetic
parallelism
some of
what that
means.
It means
that this
son of
Jesse
will be
filled
with the
wisdom
and understanding
of God.
He will
be filled
with the
counsel
of God.
He will
wield the
power and
might of
God.
By the
spirit he
will have a
true knowledge
of God
and a
proper fear
of God.
So even
700 years
prior to
the birth
of Jesus
God has
told his
people to
watch for
and expect
a man
descended
from Jesse
who will
have the
spirit of
God upon
him.
And now
God here
at Jesus
baptism
God is
making it
clear.
This
is that
one.
Jesus
my son.
Another
one from
Isaiah
chapter 42.
This is
God speaking
through Isaiah.
God says
here is
my servant
whom I
uphold
my chosen
one in
whom I
delight.
I will
put my
spirit on
him and
he will
bring justice
to the
nations.
Again,
God speaking
through Isaiah
tells his
people to
watch for
his coming
servant,
his chosen
one.
And notice
how this
coming servant
is described.
My chosen
one in
whom I
delight.
It's the
same thing
God just
said to
Jesus,
with you
I am
well pleased,
delighted.
I will
put my
spirit on
him.
God said
through
Isaiah
700 years
before this.
And now
here,
what are we
witnessing but
God putting
his spirit
on
Jesus,
his son.
According to
this chapter
of Isaiah,
it's through
the spirit of
God that
Jesus will
bring justice
and show
compassion
to the
weak and
give light
to the
nations and
open eyes
that are
blind and
free captives
from prison.
As we'll
see in a few
weeks' time,
it's through
the spirit of
God upon
Jesus that
he will
proclaim good
news and
freedom to
the poor
and to the
oppressed.
So this
is huge.
The spirit
of God
coming down
like this
upon Jesus
is God
saying so
much more
than just
this is my
beloved son.
It's God
saying my
chosen servant
is here.
The son of
Jesse has
come.
I'm about
to speak to
you.
I'm about
to reveal
to you from
the depths of
my own
wisdom and
understanding.
I'm about
to counsel
you through
this one
like never
before so
that you
know me,
so that you
fear me
as you
ought to.
And even
more than
that, this
is the one
through whom
I will bring
justice to
the nations.
God is
saying a lot
through this
clear and
visible giving
of his spirit
to Jesus.
we're going
to see the
power of
God flowing
through Jesus
like through
no one
ever before
as we
continue on
through the
story in
Luke.
Do you
see the
signs which
God is
giving to
make it
clear?
We're now
going to move
into celebrating
the Lord's
table.
And as we
do, I want
to anchor our
approach to
the table in
this wonderful
truth that's
expressed by
John.
It comes from
1 John
chapter 4
verses 9
and 10.
The second
half of this
verse, this
passage, verse
10, is actually
printed on the
wall out in
the foyer
there.
Let me read
this for us.
this is how
God showed
his love
among us.
He sent
his one
and only
son
into the
world
that we
might live
through him.
This
is love.
Not that we
loved God,
but that he
loved us
and sent
his
son
as an
atoning
sacrifice
for our
sins.
This is
where the
story of
Jesus
eventually
goes.
It goes
to the
cross
where
Jesus
suffered
and died,
where the
son of
God
died
in order
to atone
for our
sins.
is love.
This is
how that
forgiveness
being offered
by John
is made
possible
for those
who repent
and believe.
It comes
through the
sacrificial
atoning
sacrifice
of
Jesus
at the
cross.
John
reminds us
that the
son of
God
has come
because
God
is
love.
So each
month
we remember
that.
We remember
that our
forgiveness
was purchased
by the
body
and blood
of Jesus
which was
broken
and poured
out
as he
died
on the
cross.
in keeping
with what
Jesus told
his followers
to do
we remember
that by
eating
bread
which represents
his body
and drinking
grape juice
which represents
his blood.
It's a
special meal
by which we
reflect
on God's
great love.
love.
Though we
are sinners
God has
made a
way
for us
to be
washed
clean.
Our
guilt
taken
away.
Our
sins
forgiven.
Our
relationship
to God
restored.
Life
given
to us.
and it
all comes
through
Jesus
the
son
of
God.
And so
we're going
to eat
and drink
again in
remembrance
of him.
I'll have
the elders
come up
and pass
out the
elements in
a couple
moments
here.
And if
you're here
and you
have
repented
and believed
in Jesus
then I want
to invite
you to
partake
with us.
This is
your
remembrance
too.
If
not
please
just
allow
the
bread
and
the
cup
to
pass
you
by.
We'll
take
the
next
minute
or so
to
just
reflect
to
pray
and
then
the
elders
will
come
forward
and
they'll
serve
the
bread
and
the
cup.
We'll
wait
until
everybody
has
been
served
and
then
we'll
eat
and
drink
together
in
unison
after
I
pray
!
give
thanks.