Sunday, January 10, 2021 - Luke 3:21-4:13 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd

Sunday, January 10, 2021 - Luke 3:21-4:13 - Freedom Community Church - Pastor Rob Lloyd - Battle Ground, Washington, US

Sunday Service Time: 10 AM
Sunday Service Location: 1919 SW 25th Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: (360) 975-9356
Email: info@freedomcommunity.church
Prayer Request: wepray@freedomcommunity.church
Mailing Address: 1400 NE 136th Ave, Ste 201, Vancouver, WA 98684

Sermon Notes:
Luke 3:21-4:13

Well, it’s hard to imagine each and every week we can say it’s been more interesting than the week before, but I think that’s a fair statement. And as always, we wonder where we should go in our bibles to get what we need for the moments we are in. Folks, the best thing we can do now is keep our eyes on Jesus, so the gospels are the place to go.
• Last week we heard of all who came to John to be baptized for the remission of their sin. That’s where we pick up today.

21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

Last week we took a little time to consider what it would have been like for us personally if we were there on the shore, and after having been baptized, saw this whole thing went down between Jesus and John. And I for one can say as I spent time pondering that, all I could do was be in complete awe of even the thought.
• But John and Jesus weren’t the only ones involved in the baptism, for in these verses we see the Holy Spirit come upon Jesus and hear the Father make a proclamation about Jesus.
• So, all three persons of the God head are in this scene, once again affirming the trinity.
• And for those who wonder if Jesus is God, go to the internet and look for “Is Jesus God?” at gotquestion.org. And for one clear answer, in Heb. 1:8 God the Father is speaking and says “But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;…””.

And of the two verses quoted by God the Father about Jesus, coming out of heaven, both are Messianic passages. Meaning Jesus was clearly proclaimed, at the beginning of His ministry, to be the Messiah.
• So, one has to ask, with such clarity about who Jesus is, why is there so much confusion? Because the enemy is a liar and those who have not the Spirit of God are being deceived.
• Folks, there is a spiritual war going on and those without Jesus are blind to the truth. Some might see the physical realities more clearly, but without Jesus they are still in delusion.
• And the fact that sinless Jesus was baptized for the remission of sins, when the entire world was without the gospel of grace, once again reminds us God died for all while they were still in sin. Even those who are deeply immersed in that place today.

So now we get a genealogy counting backwards starting at Joseph, going through King David and arriving at its origin in God.
23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Both Matthew and Luke record the genealogy of Jesus, but they are not the same. Matthew records the genealogy from Joseph, who was Jesus father legally but not biologically. Luke records the genealogy from Mary’s side although her name is not mentioned because women were not to be listed in the official records of that time.
• So instead of her name, we get the clues from the text that this is Mary’s genealogy. The first is it tells us Jesus was the supposed son of Joseph (meaning all knew Jesus was not born of Joseph). And second, Heli was a descendant of Mary.
• But of real importance is that in both Mary and Joseph’s genealogies it is proven they are descendants of David (because Messiah had to come through this line),
• and with 1) Mary’s genealogy beginning with God and moving to Adam reminds us God is the God of all people, and 2) Jesus lineage shows He’s the Messiah for all people.

4:1Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan (presumably intending to head back home) and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil.

This speaks powerfully to the humanity of Jesus as He was moved by the Spirit to go into the wilderness.
• And this is of monumental importance not only because Jesus was the perfect example of a perfectly lived life. But also, because He reveals the pattern of how we are to live life.
• You see, if Jesus used His own instruction and His own divine power to live His life, then we would say “that pattern is of no help to me because unlike Jesus, I’m not God”.
• But Jesus was led and empowered by the Father and the Holy Spirit. And since we have received Jesus, our relationship with the Father was reconciled so that we’re told to enter boldly into the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). And the Holy Spirit did more than come upon us, He took up residence (2 Tim. 1:14).
o So, Jesus starts His ministry by operating in a way that is fully accessible to us.

And before we move on, I want to quote David Jeremiah here because it really hits home this week. “Sometimes believers think that encountering difficult circumstances means they have somehow missed Gods will, but the Spirit of God may lead the faithful into the wilderness, just as with Jesus.”
• Folks, the wilderness (or dessert) is not a punishment here. It’s an opportunity to stand on the truths of God when they are put to the test (Deut. 8:1-2).
o And when we get to verse 14, we’ll see great things came out of this.
• Also remember it’s the same God who leads us beside still waters when that’s what we need (Psalm 23).
• And He does know what is better and loves us enough to provide the experience we need. If it was all still waters, we would become lethargic. If it was all dessert, we’d become overwhelmed.
o But in either of those places, or anywhere in between, for those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High (as Psalm 91:1-4 tells us), we are also tucked under the shelter of His wing!

And now we come to the first of three temptations.
2bAnd in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If (since) You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”

The minions of our enemy seem to always show up when we’re drained in one way or another in order to temp us into focusing on our own self-interests over the will of God.
• Certainly, they are waring with us in other occasions too, but when we’re low on personal reserves it seems the temptation is to use the divine for the feeding of our flesh more than for the fulfilling of the perfect will of God.
• And this is an interesting temptation for if Jesus was to command the stones to become bread, He certainly didn’t need the devil to do it. Satan offered nothing but the temptation here, which is often true in our lives also.
• And it was a legitimate temptation, for after fasting that long, food would be a real thought and need.

But Jesus again laid out a spiritual battle strategy which is 100% accessible to us; He quoted the Word of God (specifically Deut. 8:3) to reveal that life comes from and is only really sustained by God.
• We are told God spoke us into existence (Ge. 1:26-27, Psalm 33:6-9) and by His word we know He is the only one who can sustain us both physically and spiritually (Heb. 1:3).
• So where do we find this nourishment? In the Word of God.

I just posted Psalm 91 a few days ago with no commentary (because Jesus will quote from it today) and let me tell you it started getting hit quickly because it contains Gods promises to us and people know this is what they need right now! It’s what will sustain them in the trials and temptations of life. It nourishes the soul.
• And folks, using scripture is how Jesus is going to undo any plans of Satan in all three of these trials.
• You want to be victorious in the battles, follow the example of Jesus. Know the Word of God!

Now we come to the second attempt.
5Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

In both this temptation and the next, it says the Devil took or brought Jesus to different locations. No one knows for sure but its likely these are visions and not actual changes of location. But it brings up the question of Satan’s abilities. Can he really relocate a person physically like the Holy Spirit did to Phillip in Acts 8:39-40?
• The bible doesn’t say, but it does tell us Satan can’t do anything unless God permits it (Job 1:12, Luke 22:31). And if God permits it, it’s for our benefit or His glory. Either way, we win because Jesus won.
• But Satan really did have the authority to give these things to Jesus, because God had given them to Adam (Gen. 1:26-28) (and therefore to mankind) and Adam forfeited them to Satan (John 12:31).

So, what was the temptation; to offer Satan worship for a perishing world. When said like that it doesn’t sound so tempting, but it says Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. What that means is Satan offered Jesus something that had great structures, amazing technologies, and great power, from a human standpoint.
• But besides the fact Jesus made all the really impressive stuff like atmosphere, the heavens, the sun and moon (Col. 1:16) what Satan offered Jesus is one day going to burn (2 Pet. 3:10-12). It was temporary at best.

And you know Satan has offered so many temporary things that look enticing or maybe even beautiful now but are only temporary. But unlike Jesus, many have taken the deal that can’t last.

But here’s the real temptation. Satan knew Jesus was coming to win back and take control of what Satan temporarily had, because the devil knows scripture. And Rev. 11:5 says of a time coming in the near future “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” So what Satan was offering was a way for Jesus to take it all back without going to the cross.
• I can almost hear Satan saying, “why should you have to go through all that suffering. Look at these people. They have done nothing worth your suffering to save them.” And he would be right.
• But he missed an important point. If it wasn’t for those same people, Jesus could’ve simply wiped out everything including Satan and declared it justifiable cleansing; although He has no one to answer to.
• But the rebuke Jesus gives Satan again comes from the Bible (Deut. 6:13), by declaring there’s only One we are to serve and One worthy of worship, and it’s our God!

Folks, this life has seasons of wilderness and still waters, times of loss and gain, times of sorrow and times of joy (Ecc. 3:1-8). And in all those times the enemy will send his, to tempt you. And there’s nothing better than proclaiming truth and then doing it. So,1) know your bible, 2) go out and serve the Lord with the days you have, and 3) worship and revere Him the entire time, in every season of life. Including this one.

And now we come to the last of three attempts of Satan.
9 Then he brought Him (Jesus) to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’ 11 and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Satan does a scriptural hack job here (much like many today) as he deletes a section in the middle of Psalms 91:11-12 which would defeat his objective. And he leaves out so many other pieces before and after to mislead people from the main point. It says “Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
• The prerequisite of this great blessing of shelter is making the Lord your dwelling place. And the angels spoken of here were to help if needed, but Jesus wouldn’t call on them and instead simply kept all His ways, which was to glorify God in everything.
• And of course, Satan left out the fact that in doing so (which Jesus did), the result would be the crushing of all that would come against Him, which certainly is focal against Satan.

But why this temptation? Why did he think it would be enticing to Jesus? I dare say it’s likely because in watching mankind, Satan saw the frequency in which many have attempted to use the gifts given to us by God for our own elevation before other people.
• We see it in ministries that try to use the sensational instead of sticking to the inspired. And we often hear people tell us all their own personal experiences where the Lord did this and said that, in attempts to show their special connection with God that you can’t have, and therefore why you should follow them.
• But in truth you can get to the same place by another route, and that’s when we purposely get out in front of God and then expect Him to respond according to our will. In those moments we are testing or tempting the Lord. It’s not the same as being bold. It’s trying to be in charge.
• But for the third time Jesus shuts him down with what God has spoken.

And we see after Satan knew he couldn’t win; it says he departed from Him until an opportune time. What does an opportune time look like in your life? Do you know when you are more vulnerable than at other times. You should, because he does. And my guess is the last 8 months has probably revealed a few of them.
• And if you know them, then in those time might I suggest you get in the word and find the verses which defeat the lies and temptations that are common to you.
• Know them in advance, learn them by heart and place them where the temptation resides. Quote them out loud so your neighbors looking in the windows think your nuts. Because it’s better for them to know you’re crazy for Jesus than just plain crazy 😊.
• Jesus our Savior and our example has not only shown us the way to victory, He provided the victory for us. We just need to follow His leading.