Family Matters
Luke 3:21-38 ·February 5, 2023· Joel Passmore
Part of: Luke
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Today's sermon and next week's sermon is really about kind of introducing us to Jesus as he is an adult now. He's beginning his public ministry. Last week we heard a sermon from our guest preacher, Pastor Arnold Lavare. He preached on John the Baptist. Jesus was there. Now we're going to read about what happened right after that. So this is like an introduction to Jesus for us today. The Messiah is getting introduced. Now, think about this. When you've got a big problem, something you can't handle, you reach out to find someone who can help, how do you know that you found the right person for the job?
Doctors put diplomas on the walls of their office. I'd like to think it's not just because they're trying to brag about, look at where I went to school, but they're trying to put it there to reassure you. Because after all, you're not there to talk about the weather. You're not there to talk about the results of last week's game. You're there to talk about something really important. Something, maybe even a matter of life and death for you. Something about your future, maybe the future, the health of your loved one.
That's why you're there in the office. And as you're hearing their diagnosis, the recommendation they have for the way forward, might reassure you to look on their wall and see Johns Hopkins behind a piece of glass as opposed to Medical Institute of the local strip mall or something like that. It's reassuring to see that name there, to know that they went someplace reputable.
Humanity has a big problem. We are alienated from God. That's the state of things. We have a big problem, and this passage is all about Jesus' credentials. How he's the right person for the job. The right person to rectify that problem, to solve that problem. This passage is about who he is and what he can do. And what we learn here that he is not only the right person for the job, he's the only person for the job. He's the only one who could be the redeemer.
I want you to keep that in mind as we're reading because you might read this and be like, why is this even in the Bible? So turn with me to Luke 3. It's going to be up on the screen, and it's also in your bulletin. This is the word of the Lord for us today. Let's pay attention to it, let's learn from it, and let's be led by God in it, because he is trustworthy, starting in verse 21 of John 3. Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, The heavens were opened, the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, you are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased.
Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about 30 years of age, being the son as was supposed of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Elsie, the son of Nagai, the son of Mattathias, the son of Simeon, the son of Joseph, the son of Jodah, the son of Johanan, the son of Rasa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Adai, the son of Kosim, the son of El-Madam, the son of Ur, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Joram, the son of Matat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam the son of Eliakim the son of Meliah the son of Mena the son of Matatha the son of Nathan the son of David the son of Jesse the son of Obed the son of Boaz the son of Selah the son of Nashon the son of Amenadab the son of Admin the son of Arni the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Sarug, the son of Ru, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Canaan the son of Arphexhad the son of Shem the son of Noah the son of Lamech the son of Methuselah the son of Enoch the son of Jared the son of Mahalalel the son of Canaan the son of Enos the son of Seth the son of Adam the son of God.
Pray with me. Lord Jesus, your word is true. By the power of your spirit, work in us. Bear fruit, Lord. Show us who you are more clearly and help us to worship you, to rejoice in you, to rest in you. That's our prayer today, Lord. Jesus, we pray this in your name.
I feel like I should get some kind of prize for reading that. Jesus' baptism and his genealogy. Now, let me just tell you, if you have never read that before or if you've read it and you've like skipped it you know in your bible reading plan or just speed read through it i just want to tell you that never before has somebody else's big moment at his baptism and somebody else's family tree been so important for your life for your future for your present never before there's a reason why this is in scripture. This is a reason why God's given it to us. Here's a title for today's sermon, Family Matters. Family Matters. Finding Hope in the Beloved Son Who Came for Us. Let's start with the Beloved Son, verses 21 and 22. Now, many people came out to hear John and be baptized, including Jesus. Something special happens when his baptism is complete. He's praying, the heavens were opened the holy spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove and a voice came from heaven i've seen a lot of baptisms i've even done a few myself i've never seen this happen i feel sure that you haven't either this is one of the very few times in scripture when all three persons of the trinity are observed at the same time father son holy Spirit. People saw the Spirit come down. Whether he was temporarily in the form of a dove or whether he just moved about like a dove, we don't know. That's not clear to us. But we do know this, it was visible. It was not just a feeling. It was visible to the eyes. He landed on Jesus.
And then the voice came from heaven. People heard that voice. John the Baptist heard it. the other gospel writers heard it. God the Father is speaking. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all manifested to human senses at the same time. And they're all in agreement. They're all in cooperation. They're all working together in this moment. You see the inner, just for a moment, the inner workings of the Trinity. They are not in conflict. They're not tugging at one another.
They don't have different priorities. What do you want to do today? No, I don't want to do that. perfect unity and cooperation among the three persons of the Trinity. Now, when the Father speaks, he makes explicit what is already implied to everyone watching here. You are my beloved son. Now, take note, Jesus is not becoming God's son here. He's not an ordinary guy that kind of got his little special sauce at this point. And now he's really God's son.
He's always been God's son. He was the Son of God before he had the name Jesus. He was the Son of God even before he took on human flesh, when the Holy Spirit conceived him in Mary's womb. He was the Son of God. In John 17, the day before his arrest and his trial, Jesus says this. He's praying, and he says, And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Here in this baptism, in this moment, we see what is always true. We get a small glimpse of the reality of God, that he's three in one, eternally. Now, Jesus is not just the Son. The Father calls him my beloved Son. God the Father is not some deadbeat dad that has to be dragged into court in order to be forced to pay child support. He doesn't have to be brought on the stage of the Jerry Springer show for the big reveal of the paternity test to finally be called to account.
Admit it, this is your son. God the Father willingly, joyfully, publicly declares that Jesus is his son and that he loves him. I love my son. The next thing the Father says is just as important. With you, I am well pleased. These are not just fluffy words. This is not a Hallmark card. This is very, very important. Think about who's saying this. The Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the living God who is holy, holy, holy. The one who does not merely love, but who is love.
The one who does not merely practice righteousness and justice, but who is the standard of righteousness and justice. What does it take to please this God? Well, he tells us, Psalm 147 says, The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Micah 6.8 says, He has told you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
What does it take to please God? It takes being like him completely in his character and his actions. having a mind and a heart and a will that is completely devoted to Him.
If you hear these words and you're starting to shrink down in your seat a little bit, you're right to do that. It's a problem for us. We don't have what it takes to please God. We have a debt that we were born with. And we have a heart and a will that is inclined away from Him. We have a problem. Romans 3 and 8 describes us well when it says this it's going to be on the screen none is righteous no not one no one understands no one seeks for God there is no fear of God before their eyes this word fear it's not talking about cowering in fear it's talking about awe respect, adoration, humility, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
That's the problem. Now just hold on to that for a second. Let's look back at Jesus. Jesus is different. Jesus is in the Jordan. The Father says to him, I am well pleased with you. Completely pleased with you. Jesus is like God the Father in his character. Jesus obeys completely. This is why he receives this baptism, even though he didn't have anything to repent of. Because God wanted him to do this. It endorsed the ministry that John the Baptist had and the path that we were supposed to walk.
He was there in our place. When he stands in the Jordan River and the voice booms out, it is a divine affirmation of everything Jesus is. This son is mine. I love him dearly and he has my complete approval this is Jesus's public presentation this is his endorsement this is the credentials on the wall for him at this point you might be wondering well so what okay I'm glad the father loves him so much what does that do for me how does that impact my life why does it matter that Jesus had his big moment that the voice boomed out so what that the Trinity was there. What does that mean for me? I just want to tell you that's the right question to ask. You should read this and be like, well, okay, he was baptized. It was probably pretty awesome, but I'm not the one there in the Jordan. God is saying that about Jesus. This is my beloved son. What does that do for me? Well, that is exactly why Luke gives us the next section.
that's why the genealogy matters let me tell you why let's go to the genealogy now I'm not going to read it again I couldn't read it again let's talk about the son who came for us starting in verse 23 Jesus's genealogy it might first strike you as a parentheses some kind of weird aside or footnote Luke was just really obsessed with people come on Luke let's get back to the story well this is part of the story this is an important part of the story in the Lord of the Rings saga lineage comes up a lot if you've ever watched the movies read the books the Lord of the Rings people are all the time saying who they belong to who they come from I am Aragorn son of Arathorn heir to the heir to the throne of Gondor for example it tells us the reader the watcher the viewer what kind of authority they have what they have the ability to do what they have the right to fulfill what how they might shape the story now we don't live in a world like that i don't go up to someone and say i am joel son of steve i would like a refill we don't talk like that at all right so this is so weird to us the lord of the rings is about the best contemporary example that we can give. This genealogy tells us who Jesus is, where he came from, and what he is poised to do. Poised to do for you and for me. First off, this lineage tells us that he is really human. He's flesh and blood. He's got chromosomes. He had a blood type. He could have donated you his kidney. He was actually flesh and blood, genetically human like you. Don't miss that.
That's really important. He's not some angelic being that kind of looked like a human. He is really human. If there were things like Ancestry.com and 23andMe back then, he could have swabbed his mouth and submitted a sample and gotten results. He didn't need to. The records were all there. His lineage could be traced. Now this list contains a lot of men that we know nothing about. These men and their wives played an important role in God's story, even though we don't know anything about them. So that's just a little side note here. God works through people, ordinary people, anonymous people, hidden people, people whose stories will never make the front page. But the more important thing that this genealogy tells us is that God keeps his promises.
He intends to keep his promises through this man, who is his son, standing in the Jordan River. Even though Joseph was not Jesus's biological father, he was his adoptive father, his legal father. And so this line is traced back and back and back. In verse 31, we see that Jesus stands in line to the throne of David. God made a covenant with David, a binding promise. He swore that David would have an heir that would take the throne forever. God reiterated this promise in Isaiah, the prophet.
Isaiah said a child would be born, a son would be given, and of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. That was a promise that God's people were still waiting for when this happened with Jesus in the Jordan River. They were still waiting for it, waiting for word about it when Luke was writing his gospel.
And Luke is saying, this is the one. He's in David's line. This is exactly what the angel Gabriel told Mary when she conceived Jesus. Now you might be thinking, what does a promised king have to do with me? You know, I'm an American, we don't do kings here. What does a king have to do with me? That's a good question. Let's keep going. In verse 34, Jesus, his lineage goes back to Abraham. God had made promises to Abraham too. Promises of land that he would inherit.
People that would come from him. A great nation that would be born from him. But there is also this promise. A promise that was sometimes forgotten. In your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. God would bring someone from the line of Abraham who would bless all nations. this person is also the one that the prophets reminded people about look again at isaiah in that day the root of jesse the same jesse that we read about in this genealogy david's father in that day the root of jesse who will stand as a signal for the peoples of him shall the nations inquire and his resting place be glorious so now we're beginning to see this promise to all nations this promise of a king, they're related. This king is going to be the one that draws all nations to him. Jesus is the one who brings this promise to fulfillment. The offspring of Abraham, the root of Jesse, the heir of David. Of him shall the nations, like you and me, inquire and be blessed.
His resting place will be glorious. People from every tribe, tongue, and nation will come to him and find their peace. But how can one man do such a thing? How could he do that?
Well, he traces the lineage all the way back to Adam. Because God made promises to them too. Matthew has a genealogy too. Matthew doesn't go back to Adam. Luke is trying to make a different point. He takes it beyond Abraham all the way back to Adam. Because God made promises to Adam too. Right after Adam and Eve sinned, God speaks to the two of them, and he speaks to the serpent. And here's what he says to the serpent, the one who has deceived him.
Her offspring shall crush your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Jesus is that offspring. Though he would be bruised in his suffering and his death, he would deal a crushing blow to the enemy, the great enemy of God, on the cross. he will die on the cross but he will win victory because he was he's going to fully pay for the penalty of sin this is his mission as the messiah not only is jesus going to pay the penalty that adam incurred you might be familiar with that you might think well i know one thing and that's jesus died for sin that's good hold on to that there is another reason why luke traces this back to Adam. He will also do what Adam failed to do, which is to obey God completely. That's why Luke takes the genealogy all the way back to Adam. There has to be a new Adam. There has to be another one that's going to represent the human race, that's going to step into the commands that Adam failed to do and fulfill everything that Adam should have done. All of the obedience. That's what Jesus has to do. Not just for the Jewish people, but for the whole world. All the tribes and tongues and nations of the whole world. That's the picture that Luke is giving of Jesus today for us. The one who comes all the way from the beginning. The beginning of mankind. One who stands completely ready, completely qualified. He has the human lineage and the divine approval to be the savior of the entire world.
That's what Luke is getting us to see today. Only Jesus can do that. He is the only man for the job. When you put your trust in Him, when He's your Savior, His death for sin counts for you and His life of obedience counts for you. Both of those things are for you. That means you're saved from your eternal separation from God and you are clothed with Christ's righteousness.
Look at this verse from Romans 5. As the one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners. By the one man's obedience, the many will be made righteous.
This is the point I'm driving to today. If you were in Christ, God doesn't see you the same way anymore. You're still you, but now you are clothed with all of His obedience. The righteousness that He earned through obeying God. It's like you're wearing it, like a suit, like a dress. You are clothed in it, and that is the way God sees you now.
His full devotion to the Father that made the Father well-pleased, it has been credited to you. It's as if you did it. What I'm saying to you is this. If you belong to Christ through faith, then the same declaration that God the Father made about God the Son when He was baptized, it's what he says to you right now you are my beloved child with you i am well pleased if you don't take away anything else from today's sermon you've got to take that away please when you trust in christ you're forgiven of your sin god the father looks at you and he says you are my child. With you I am well pleased. And that doesn't change. It's not going to change later today. It's not going to change tomorrow. It never changes. He never changes his mind about what he says about you. Most days you and I just don't grasp the full impact of this. Now look, my parents were not perfect. They made lots of mistakes. I'm grateful for the times that they looked at me and they said, I'm proud of you.
Some of you don't have a story like that. What's more important than any of that is that the God of the universe, the one who made you, says that about you. You are my beloved child. With you I am well pleased.
How much difference would it make if we lived in this reality all the time? If we walked in it? If we fellowshiped with other people and related to other people in light of it. How much I want for myself and for you that this truth never leaves our minds, never leaves our hearts. We would feel more secure. We would face the future with greater confidence, greater boldness. We would endure trials and hardship and pain and suffering with more endurance, more abiding joy, more patience. We would use our resources with greater purpose and greater freedom. We would live our lives with more hope. This is the one application we have for today. This is why it matters that Jesus stood in that river and that people heard the Father declare this about him. And this is why the genealogy was given, so that you and I could see yes it's great that the father said those things about him and the father could say those things about you too if you put your trust in him because he came for you and me and all of humanity anyone who puts their trust in him he's the one he's fully human and fully divine he has done it on your behalf walk out today remembering and believing that the father delights in you and is pleased in you. Jesus has changed your relationship to God, if you trust in him.
If you haven't put your trust in him, would you at least consider everything that I'm saying? Do you want it to be true for you? Do you want to have a new relationship with God? Do you want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the God that made you looks on you with approval? Do you want that to be true of you? it can be true of you today. Through faith in Christ alone, the Father looks on you and smiles and says, this is my child. Look at him. Look at her. With them, I am well pleased. Pray with me.
Lord, you know how slippery our grasp is of this truth. It comes and it goes. Sometimes it's right there and we can feel it and we know it. And then sometimes we just forget it so easily. Hard things happen and we forget. We think that you're against us. Good things happen and then, Lord, we start thinking that we can make it on our own. That you're pleased with us because we tried really hard or because we're somehow more special than someone next to us.
Lord, help us to remember that it's our relationship with Jesus that really defines our identity and that that's what makes you look at us. Despite everything we've done to run away from you, all the wrongs that we've done, Lord, they're covered in Christ. And now you look at us and you say that you're well pleased with us. Lord, will you please help us to hold on to this just with a little bit tighter grip, Lord. And when we forget, Lord, rush in with your spirit to remind us.
Help us to live differently today and tomorrow because of our adoption as your beloved sons and daughters. Jesus, we love you. We pray this in your name.