Bible Text: Matthew 5:3 | Speaker: Jim Shepherd | Above are the
Sunday audio and YouTube recordings

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
(Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
March 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar
 

 

March 5, 2023
“Blessed Are The Poor in Spirit”
Matthew 5:3

Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

 

Introduction

 

 

First half of the Beatitudes describe what we need to become.

 

Second half of the Beatitudes describe how we are to help.

 

 

Blessed – What does this mean?

Does “blessed” mean happy?

Blessed means, “being near to God.”

Each step we take toward God we are more blessed.

 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

 

Who are the poor in Spirit?

 

Traits of the spiritually poor:

 

No need to justify themselves (they are who they are) (sinners),

Humble (nothing to offer a righteous God),

In need of righteousness,

They understand sin separates them from God and a need for Jesus.

They have total dependence in and openness with God.

 

We are all beggars before God.

 

“Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”

 

It’s what all of us hunger for above all other things.

It is what we are starving for.

It’s home for each of us. (Are you homesick?)

It is ultimately wherever Jesus is.

 

Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me,

he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

 

 

 
Jim Shepherd
 

 

Bible Text: Luke 7:31-35 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the
Sunday Audio and YouTube recordings

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
February 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
March 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar
 

 

February 26, 2023
“Parable of the Ill-mannered Children ”
Luke 7:31-35

 

Last week we read and studied Luke 7:29-30.  Let’s look at those two verses again, before we move on.

Both John and Jesus were fairly well accepted at the beginning of their ministries; but over time, some of the common Jews, and most of the religious leaders, grew tired of hearing them preach the need for people to repent of their sins, get right with God, and do what pleases God, or suffer His wrath to come.

The religious leaders rejected John’s message, who was executed by Herod; just as they rejected Jesus’ message, leading to His execution, a couple of years after John, because Jesus didn’t fulfill the expectations off the religious leaders in Israel, that the Messiah-King would free Israel from the oppression of Rome and usher in a time of peace and prosperity, as the Son of David.

     Read Luke 7:31-35…  Jesus compares those who reject John and Himself, to being like bratty children, who are disobedient and discontent, with an uncooperative and obstinate attitude toward authority.

Disobedience was considered a capital crime in Israel.

Deuteronomy 27:16, “‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’”

Deuteronomy 21:18-21, “If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them, then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown. They shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst.”

Aren’t we glad we are not living under OT Law, for disobedience is so offensive to God that it was punishable by death in the OT; and that shouldn’t surprise us, for the first act of humanity that brought the curse of sin upon all of us was an act of disobedience (Genesis 2:16-17), The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Aren’t we glad we live under the Grace of the NT?

Romans 3:21-26, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

But you know, apart from the love of God that is given to us in and through Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us (Genesis 8:21), “the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”

2Timothy 3:1-5, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men.”

In Luke 7:31-32, Jesus is providing an analogy [or parable], comparing how Israel has responded to God’s Prophet (John the Baptizer) and God’s Messiah (Jesus).

Last week we studied how John called people to be repent and be baptized and then directed them to Jesus Christ for salvation, as we read (Matthew 3:8-12), “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance… The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. …I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I… …He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Water symbolizes a desire for a clean conscience (cf. 1Peter 3:18-21), to acknowledge your sins publicly, seeking God’s forgiveness. The Holy Spirit speaks of the spiritual birth (John 3:5-8) of each genuine believer who (Ephesians 1:13-14) is indwelled by God’s Spirit, and has been (1Corinthians 12:13) spiritually placed into the Body of Christ, the Church (Colossians 1:18), of which Christ is the Head. Fire symbolizes judgment for those who reject Christ; for they do not have the Holy Spirit, and are therefore doomed to a fiery and eternal destruction.

Look again at Luke 7:31-32…  Jesus is comparing the current generation to children playing in the market place.  The word generation is used in Luke’s narrative regularly as a term for an unbelieving and wicked people.

Luke 9:41, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you?”

Luke 11:29, “This generation is a wicked generation.”

Luke 17:25, “He [Christ] must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”

We also see the negative use of the word generation when comparing those who belong to God and those who reject Him, as Peter proclaimed in Jerusalem (Acts 2:40), “Be saved from this perverse generation!”  Paul, exhorting the believers in Philippi declared (Philippians 2:15), “prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”

What Jesus says in Luke 7:32 is really interesting, when you look at the significance of the two major events in Jewish culture: weddings and funerals.

Jerusalem had no playground areas or parks, but it did have a large open area [agora = a place for public gatherings] in the middle of the town, used as a market place where commodities could be sold and purchased; but when it was not being used for business, the children would often play there.  And what is one of the first things little children often play? dress up, I’ll be the daddy and you be the mommy, or vice versa.

Jesus seems to first be telling a story of some children who were trying to engage other children in playing a make-believe wedding, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance.”  Jewish weddings were extravagant and sometimes lasted a week, with lots of music and dancing and feasting, in houses and through the streets.  Evidently some of the children chose not to participate, but instead to mope and brood and resent those who were having fun.

Jesus also seems to be speaking of the other major event in Jewish culture that children might play, a make-believe funeral, “We sang a dirge [lament, burial hymn], and you did not weep.”  Funerals would involve both private and public mourning, a long procession of friends and family taking the dead to be buried, and all the while there was fasting and weeping.

In this analogy, the spoiled, dissatisfied, ungrateful, and ill-mannered children who wouldn’t join in and play, represent the unbelieving in Israel who rejected the message of the gospel that came through God’s Prophet and God’s Messiah, as it will become more clear in verses 33-34, these unbelievers remain at enmity with God, dead in their sins.

Read Luke 7:33-34…  Jesus now uses the illustration of a wedding and a funeral to apply to Himself and to John.  Jesus says John came neither “eating nor drinking,” i.e., John didn’t live like the common Jew, he wore camels hair clothing (far from wedding attire) and ate locusts and wild honey, and lived out in the desert away from civilization, associating with no one and never participating in normal Jewish culture or religious celebrations.

John demanded that the people of Israel repent and do what is right; the people, especially the religious orthodox, were resentful of this wildman from the desert, some evidently said John must have a demon to live the way he did.  People soon tired of his crude and uncivilized look, and his constant call for them to mourn over their sins, repent, and get right with God or suffer God’s wrath.  John’s life and very short ministry was like a funeral without any celebration or joy.

Jesus, the Son of Man [His favorite name for Himself], grew up and lived a fairly normal Jewish life, compared to John.  Jesus traveled throughout Israel, attended the major feasts and celebrations in Jerusalem, and He had close contact with hundreds (if not thousands), teaching, comforting, feeding, healing, forgiving sins, and challenging others to follow Him.

Although Jesus attended funerals (Luke 7:11-16; 11:1-44), he always raised back to life those who had died; but Jesus’ life was much more like a wedding, and His disciples (cf. Matthew 9:15) were called, “The attendants of the bridegroom.” Jesus’ first miracle (cf. John 2:1-11) was at a wedding, where He made wine out of water, the best wine anyone had ever tasted.

It was said that Jesus came eating and drinking and that He was a glutton and a drunk who associated with sinners.  The religious leaders were appalled that Jesus would gather with sinners (Luke 15:1-2), “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them,” and so they confronted Jesus’ Disciples (Matthew 9:11), “When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?’”

But the truth is, although Jesus mingled with sinners, He never sinned Himself; for He came to save us from the consequences of our sin, by taking our punishment upon Himself at the cross, as the Lamb of God.

John 1:29, “John saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”

2Corinthians 5:21, “He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Hebrews 9:22, “All things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness,” 26-28, “But now once at the consummation [completion, fulfillment] of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him,” (Hebrews 10:10), “We have been sanctified [made holy] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all,” 14, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified,” 17-18, “‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

Read Luke 7:35… Jesus said (John 8:32), “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free,” (John 14:6), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Wisdom [the truth of God’s Word] is vindicated [validated, justified, made effectual, proven to be true] by her children.  In Matthew’s parallel account of this narrative it says (Matthew 11:19), “wisdom is vindicated by her deeds,” i.e., true believers demonstrate new life in Christ (2Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10).

 

There are two main responses to the gospel in every generation, one of wisdom, and one of folly:

 

Those who hear and believe in Jesus Christ are children of wisdom (Proverbs 4:11), “I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in [the way of righteousness], (Romans 11:33), “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

 

Those who hear and don’t believe in Jesus Christ are like ill-mannered children who have chosen the way of the fool that ends in destruction (Psalm 53:1), “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God,’” (Romans 3:16), “Destruction and misery are in [his] path.

 

Both John and Jesus called Israel to repentance, all those who genuinely repented and trusted in Jesus received forgiveness; all those who rejected God’s messengers and God’s message, received judgement.

 

The same is true today, those who reject the message of Christ remain outside of the Kingdom of God, dead in their sins; but those who repent of sin and believe in God’s Son for salvation, receive forgiveness and eternal life, for they are children of God and citizens of God’s Kingdom, now and forever!

 

1John 5:11-13,

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 7:29-30 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Above are the
Sunday Audio and YouTube recordings

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
February 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar
 

 

February 19, 2023
“John and Jesus: Similar but Not the Same”
Luke 7:29-30

 

Read Luke 7:26-28…  For the past few weeks we have been studying how, John the Baptizer is the greatest person to be born of a women, in the natural way; where as, Jesus was born of Holy Spirit, as the Son of the most High God.

Today we’ll compare the ministries of John and Jesus, for although they had similar missions, the results were quite different.

John fulfilled his purpose as the forerunner of the Messiah, calling people to baptism of repentance.  Whether a person accepted or rejected John’s baptism, had a polarizing effect in the nation of Israel, just as the angel of the Lord had told Zacharias at the temple, concerning the son to be born to his barren wife Elizabeth (Luke 1:15-17), “For he [John the Baptizer] will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Read Luke 7:29-30…  Many of the common people of Israel, along with some tax collectors, hearing John’s call to repent and be baptized, they came repenting of their sins, being baptized by John, as a public testimony of their confession.

Baptism was uncommon for Jews, and was normally for Gentiles, those outside the kingdom of God, who but desired to turn from their pagan gods, beliefs and practices, to worship the God of Israel and practice Jewish culture.

For a Jew to be baptized, like a Gentile, was basically a confession of being outside of God’s kingdom, acknowledging that their ancestry, covenants, traditions, and rituals, could not save them; they must repent of their sins, trusting in the Lord for salvation like all other people, or remain outside of God’s kingdom.

The Pharisees and the lawyers [experts in the Mosaic Law] rejected the very thought that they were sinners, outside of God’s kingdom; so they refused to repent and be baptized by John.  Being self-righteous law keepers, they considered themselves ceremonially clean before God and spiritually superior to everyone else.

Most of the common people in Israel were excited to a have John, a prophet of God, among them, for there had been 400 years of silence since God departed Israel, and no prophet had come from God; not until John came preaching, as the forerunner of the Messiah, just as Isaiah and Malachi had prophesied.

Matthew 3:7-12, “But when [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I…  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John had made it clear that the One coming after him, the Messiah [Jesus Christ,] would declare a similar message, saving all who repent and believe, while bringing judgement on all who reject His message.

Luke 3:10-14, “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, ‘Then what shall we do?’ And he would answer and say to them, ‘The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.’ And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’. And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.’ Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, ‘And what about us, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.’”

John, the forerunner of the Messiah, was telling the people what kingdom behavior looks like, for it had been written (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might,” (Leviticus 19:18), “You shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.”

John’s preaching in Luke 3 was a preview and a practical application to what Jesus would teach and the Bible declares (Matthew 22:36-40), “’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets,” (Luke 6:31), “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.”

Most of the religious leaders of Israel weren’t happy with the attention that John had received; they were glad that he was now in prison, unable to publicly proclaim his message that all of Israel needed to repent of sin and change their ways, or suffer the consequences of God’s judgement.  The religious elite of Israel would soon turn their attention to Jesus, seeking how to silence Him.

Both John and Jesus openly rebuked the Pharisees and scribes for their insolent and prideful indifference toward their sinfulness (Matthew 3:7), “When [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?.’”

Jesus called them hypocrites (Matthew 23:13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29), blind guides (Matthew 23:16, 24), sons of hell (Matthew 23:15), fools (Matthew 23:17), whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23:27), serpents and a brood of vipers (Matthew 23:33).

The ministries and styles of preaching were quite different between John and Jesus; although, in the beginning of both their ministries, they were popular; but as time went by many of the people who heard them were offended by what they had to say, and some of their enemies became hostile.

Hostility toward John led to his own execution.

Matthew 14:3-5, “When Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Having been prompted by her mother, she said, ‘Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.’ Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.”

After Jesus had begun His ministry and John had been beheaded, Herod so closely linked the ministry of Jesus with that of John, that he thought Jesus was John resurrected from the dead.

Matthew 14:1-2, “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Hostility toward Jesus led to His own execution, but then, He didn’t stay dead.

Luke 4:16-22, “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.’ And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’”

Luke 4:28-30, “And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.”

Many attempts were made to arrest, capture, and kill Jesus, but it would only happen when God ordained it to happen, as Peter declares (Acts 2:22-24), “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

The religious leaders of Israel refused to confess their sin, let alone would they repent and be baptized.  They rejected the authority of John as a prophet of God; they rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and they held contempt for anyone who would receive the teachings of either John or Jesus.

Both John (Matthew 3:7) and Jesus (Matthew 23:33), called the Pharisees, “a brood of vipers,” and they also condemned them (John in Matthew 3:7; Jesus in John 8:24) for their unwillingness to repent and be saved.

Israel’s religious leaders considered themselves to be righteous [right with God], because as Israel they considered themselves God’s chosen, God’s people of the covenants made through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David.

Israel’s religious elite were superficially/outwardly keeping the law, and so, in their corrupted thinking they had no need to repent, let alone to be baptized.  Truth be told, they had no need for John the Baptizer or Jesus of Nazareth, for they considered them to be enemies of Judaism and therefore enemies of God.

John’s baptism of repentance was a one-time public declaration of a person’s awareness of being outside of the kingdom God, it was a statement of the condition of one’s conscience to which, at that time, there was no remedy, for Jesus had not yet been crucified.

Earlier we read from Matthew 3:11 where John said, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Water symbolizes a desire for a clean conscience, i.e., to acknowledge your sins, to publicly state that you have offended God and are seeking God’s forgiveness.

Holy Spirit symbolizes spiritual birth (John 1:12-13; 3:5-8) of each genuine believer (Ephesians 1:13-14, marked and protected by God’s Spirit; 1Corinthians 12:13, baptized [placed, immersed] into one body, the Church; Colossians 1:18, of which Christ is the Head).

Fire symbolizes judgment, those who reject Christ do not have the Holy Spirit in them, and are therefore doomed to a fiery destruction (Matthew 3:10, 12).

True repentance [the turning away from sin to salvation, from loving self to loving God] involves a deep sorrow brought on by the realization that you are a sinner, separated from the love and life of God, until you repent of our sin and believe in God’s Son for salvation, placing you in Christ.

2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

True repentance that leads to eternal life will bring about obvious, verifiable, observable, undeniable changes in the way you think, speak, and act; this teaching is reiterated throughout the New Testament, which declares that salvation, the eternal forgiveness for sins, is granted only to those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Mark 1:15, Jesus said, ”The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Peter at Pentecost preached (Acts 2:21), “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” (Acts 2:38), “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Peter, standing before the rulers and the elders of the people (Acts 4:12) declared, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 10:34-43, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

1Timothy 1:15, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

John came calling Israel to acknowledge their sins, repent, and change the way the live, by treating others the way they themselves want to be treated.

Jesus came calling all people to repent of their sins and believe in Him for forgiveness, so that we might be forever changed by God’s Spirit living in us.

 1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.  These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 7:28b | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the
Sunday audio and YouTube recordings

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
February 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar
 

 

February 12, 2023
“The Least in God’s Kingdom is the Greatest of All”
Luke 7:28b

 

     Last week in Luke 7:28a, we studied Jesus’ declaration concerning John the Baptizer that, “among those born of women there is no one greater than him.”  That is indeed perplexing, especially when you consider Galatians 4:4, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.”

So, both John and Jesus were born of women, and yet Jesus says no one has been born of women who is greater than John.  How can that be?  Both John and Jesus had mother’s, however, Jesus had no earthly father for He was the Son of the Most High God; where as John was the son of Zacharias.

How can John be greater than God’s Son?  He can’t, so let’s try to sort this out.  First, every person who has been born, and all those who are yet to be born, are born via the sexual union between a human male and a human female, bringing about conception, pregnancy, and birth.  That is the normal process for all human beings, all except for One; Jesus [God’s Salvation], Immanuel [God with us] was both God and man; and although He was born of a woman, there was no human male involved with the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary (cf. Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-35).

Jesus was indeed born of a woman, but there was absolutely no human participation in His conception.  In Matthew 1:20, Gabriel said to Joseph in a dream, “the Child who has been conceived in [Mary] is of the Holy Spirit.”

In Luke 1:30-35, Gabriel said to Mary, “You have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… …Mary asked, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ Gabriel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”

The terminology in Galatians 4:4, used of Jesus, “born of a woman,” is similar to that in Luke 7:28, used of John, “born of women.”

John the Baptizer is said to be greater than anyone who is born of a woman; but Jesus was also born of a woman, and there can be no comparison in greatness between John the Baptizer and Jesus Christ: God’s Son, Creator, Sustainer, Lord, Savior, and Judge over all.

Let’s see if we can’t come to an understanding of not just what Jesus said, but what He meant (Philippians 2:5-11), “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant [slave], and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The humiliation of Christ, the willful emptying of the glory and majesty that belongs to Him as God the Son, is not fully illustrated by His taking on humanity (while remaining to be God), but by His submitting to death on a cross for our sins.

The phrase Son of God signifies that Jesus was the Son of the Most High God, and yet He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped; but instead He emptied Himself of all glory and majesty, in order to take on the role of a slave.

The phrase Son of Man signifies that Jesus was indeed born of a woman, born under the law, but there is one very important distinction between Jesus who was born of Mary, and every other person who is born of a woman, including John the Baptizer.

See Hebrews 4:14-15, Jesus the Son of God, is our great and heavenly high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, as “One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet [being] without sin.”

Hebrews 7:23-28, “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing [they were just mortal men], but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He [Jesus] is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those [former] high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever” [Jesus is that Son, the once for all sacrifice, for all sin, for all people, for all time; being not only the Perfect Priest, but also the Perfect Sacrifice].

Hebrews 9:26-28, “now once at the consummation [fulfillment, perfection] of the ages [Christ] has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

At the end of the day when the Lord was crucified, before He gave up His spirit and died, He said, “It is Finished!”  What was finished?  The enmity between the Holy and Righteous God of Creation and all of sinful humanity, was mercifully and eternally resolved, concluded, finalized, terminated, over and done with, because.

Hebrews 10:16, “‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, 17, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

2Corinthians 5:21, “ He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf [He took our sins upon Himself], so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

John the Baptizer, in comparison to all other humans, was the greatest, and if Jesus had merely been the biological son of Mary and Joseph, not God’s Son, then John the Baptizer would have been greater than Jesus, because John’s mission and purpose was to prepare the hearts of the people for God’s Son, the only One who could save them from an eternal condemnation in hell, as John proclaimed (John 1:29), “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 3:25-26, “Some of John’s disciples came to him and said, ‘Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan [speaking of Jesus], to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.’”  John answered saying 28,  ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, I am not the Christ, but, I have been sent ahead of Him.’” 30-31, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease [i.e., Jesus must become greater, I must become less]. He [Jesus] who comes from above is above all [first in position and priority, preeminent], he who is of the earth [John] is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all’ [Jesus came from heaven, therefore, He is greater than all].

Everything Jesus did was divine (see John 3:34-36), ‘For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God… The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand [making Him the greatest of all]. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.’”

Jesus is from heaven, not from the earth [He is God the Son, the Eternal Word of God, see John 1:1-4, 14-15, 18].

All people on the earth are born the naturally way, being the product of a human male and human female conceiving a child, no one is greater than John the Baptizer.

Look again at Luke 7:28, and this time let’s read the whole verse, “I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Oh boy, yet another one of God’s great conundrums for us to try and make sense of, “he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John.”  The kingdom of God is made up of all those who belong to God the Father, by faith in God the Son, having been born-again into God’s family, by God’s Spirit.

John 1:11-13, “[Jesus] came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 3:1-3, “‘Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God,’” 6-8, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

All humanity is born through a natural biological physical birth.  But you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven through human birth or human flesh.

John 3:13-18, “No one has ascended into heaven, [except] He [Jesus] who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

But if no one born of women is greater than John, how can the least person in the kingdom of God be greater John?  John’s ministry, although greater than the ministries of all the prophets, was not on par with the ministry of Jesus, who died as God’s sacrificial Lamb, for the sins of all humanity.

In Luke 7:24, John’s disciples left to bring word back to him concerning what Jesus was doing (healing diseases, afflictions, casting out demons, and raising the dead); this would answer John’s concern as to whether or not Jesus was the Messiah.  But it would do nothing to save John, for very soon he would be executed, long before Jesus went to the cross to pay for our sins, and rose from the grave to demonstrate eternal life.

John would not see the fulfillment of the kingdom of God, nor would he have an understanding of all that was yet to be revealed concerning what has been promised to those who belong to God by faith in Christ.

John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and even though he was the greatest among men, he did not fully understand the mysteries hidden in the OT, that would be unveiled and revealed in the NT.

The saints in Hebrews 11, the Old Testament heroes of the faith like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and many others who listed there (Hebrews 11:39-40), “All these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”

These men and women of the OT are godly examples, but while they lived on this earth, they didn’t really understand all God had promised, not until they died, or were caught up, like Enoch, to be with God, forever.

The hope that we have is made effectual through the sacrificial death and sovereign resurrection of God’s Son; for you see, the cross, the empty tomb, the post resurrection appearances and ascension of Jesus back into heaven, all mark the point in history when the promises of the OT became fulfilled for those who would live during New Testament times and beyond..

The OT Believers listed in Hebrews 11, as well as John the Baptizer, never realized the fulfillment of the NT revelations concerning God’s Son and the completion of the Canon of Scripture that tells of the rapture of the Church when Jesus returns in the air to gather all those still alive, who are His, and His subsequent glorious return to earth at the end of the Great Tribulation; after which, peace, prosperity, and longevity will be experienced by those who live during the millennial kingdom, at the end of which will be the White Throne Judgment; and after that will come the creation of the new heavens and new earth, where all those who belong to God will live forever, with Him.

John preached a baptism of repentance, telling the people that the Messiah had arrived; but John died before Jesus went to the cross, paying for all sins, then rose from the grave to demonstrate eternals life.

As Christians, we believe Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, and as ambassadors for Christ, we are to plead with sinners to be reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of God’s Son.

Jesus told His hearers (Luke 7:28) that, “among those born of women there is no one greater than John,” and yet, “he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than [John].”  John is the greatest human to ever be born, and yet, he could not proclaim the death and resurrection of the Savior, because it hadn’t happened.

John knew nothing of the great mysteries and revelations of Scripture that were inaugurated and made effectual at the death and resurrection of God’s Son, but we, as believers and followers of Christ have been given all of these being something John didn’t live to see.

But on this side of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, everyone who believes in Him for the forgiveness of sins, is saved and equipped for a mission that is much greater than anything John the Baptizer could ever do.  He couldn’t preach the death and resurrection of God’s Son, for it was still yet to come; but we like Paul (1Corinthians 2:2), must be “determined to know nothing… …except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

2Corinthians 5:17-21, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

What does that look like?  For a person to become the righteousness of God in Christ?  John the Baptist didn’t experience that until he died; where as, every believer and follower of Christ who has lived, is living now, or will live in the future, is able to realize the righteousness of God in Christ (being on this side of Jesus’ death and resurrection); and therefore, even he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than John, for we can say, along with Paul (Galatians 2:20), “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
     And all of God’s people said, Amen! 

Pastor Mike

>’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 7:24-28a | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke | Above are the
Sunday audio and YouTube video recordings

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
 Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
February 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar
 

 

February 5, 2023
“The Greatest Earth Man to Ever Live”
Luke 7:24-28a

 

Read Luke 7:24-28a…  Last week we studied how Jesus demonstrated His Messiahship in the presence of John’s disciples, who had come from John (himself in prison at Herod’s summer palace).

Luke 3:19-20, “When Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by [John] because of [his affair and unlawful marriage to] Herodias, his brother [Phillip’s] wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.”

Read Luke 7:24…  As soon as John’s disciples left to tell John what they had seen and heard, Jesus began to speak about John, asking a rhetorical question, and by doing so, saying that John was not like some reed being blown back and forth by the wind; he was a man of God, and quite frankly, he didn’t care what popular opinion or majority consensus was in Israel or the rest of the world.  John had been born for this sovereign mission.

In Luke 1:15-17, the angel Gabriel comes to Zacharias at the temple and says, “He [your son John] will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

In Luke 1:67, we read, “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying” at John’s birth, (vv. 76-80), “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Jesus was the promised Messiah, who would fulfill all the promises and Covenants of God: His blood would be shed and His life would be given to pay for our sins; He would be buried, but He would rise from the dead on the third day to demonstrate eternal life for all who believe in Him; everyone who believes Jesus to be God’s Son, Lord, and Savior, becomes a child of God and is eternally indwelled by God’s Holy Spirit, free from all condemnation for sin, forever!

 

Jeremiah 31:31-34, “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord. ‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’”

Hebrews 10:14-18, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

See Luke 3:2-18…  Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people traveled 40-80 miles through the wilderness, to the Jordan River, north of Jerusalem, where John the baptizer was calling people to acknowledge their sin before God and repent, to turn away from sin and to turn to Jesus Christ the Savior for the forgiveness of sin.

Read Luke 7:25…  Jesus poses another rhetorical question to the people in order to tell them something about John, he did not wear clothing that was “soft” from the Greek word “malakos,” which is translated “effeminate” in 1Corinthians 6:9, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals.”

When the word malakos is used in reference to clothing, it brings to mind the lacy, frilly, puffy, effeminate clothing of royalty, like the English Kings gone by.

In direct contrast to the soft effeminate look, John was a rough and tough man’s man, not a wimpy male who, at a glance, could be taken for a woman.  John was a wilderness man; he didn’t live in luxury like the nobles who lived in “royal palaces.”  No doubt, this was a criticism of Herod who had incarcerated John for speaking out against Herod’s adultery, incest, fornication and other evil deeds.

 

John didn’t wear fine tailored clothes or eat a diet of expensive foods served on silver platters (Matthew 3:4), “John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”  John was the last of the Old Testament Prophets, and by Jesus’s own commendation, John had the most preeminent duty of any prophet, for although Isaiah, Daniel, and Malachi foretold the coming of the Messiah, John His cousin, witnessed, prepared the way for, talked with, and baptized the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Read Luke 7:26-27…  Jesus now speaks to the prophetic fulfillment of John’s calling and mission, saying to the people, “what did you go out into the wilderness to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’”

The coming of John was foretold in the Scriptures, for John was God’s prophet who would declare that the Messiah was now among men (Isaiah 40:3), “A voice is calling, clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God,” (Isaiah 40:5), “the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

John was so full of the Holy Spirit that many of the people thought maybe he was the Messiah (Luke 3:15), “Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,” and so they came asking him (John 1:19-23), “when the Jews sent to John priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ They asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ And he said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

Malachi had prophesied the words of the Lord saying (Malachi 3:1), “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me,” (Malachi 4:5), “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.”

 

Was John actually Elijah somehow resurrected and returned before the coming of the Lord?  No!  Any erroneous confusion about John and Elijah is cleared up by comparing Scripture with Scripture, where it becomes apparent that John is the fulfillment of an Elijah-like prophet.  In Luke 1:17, Gabriel tells Zacharias that his son John, who is to be born to Elizabeth in her old age, “will go as a forerunner before [the Messiah] in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

John was not a reincarnated Elijah, but a prophet of God who came in the “spirit and power of Elijah.”  Jesus declared (Matthew 11:13-15),“For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

John is the last Old Testament prophet, meaning that he was the last messenger to come from God before the commencement of the ministry of Jesus Christ, through whom the covenant of God’s Grace would replace the covenant of God’s Law (Hebrews 10:8-10), “‘sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the Law), then He said,‘Behold, I have come to do Your will.’He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Israel had disobeyed, turned away from, and rejected God’s authority, the priests offered defiled sacrifices, and the people worshipped pagan deities; therefore, God removed His presence and didn’t send a messenger to Israel for 400 years, not until the coming of John the baptizer, who would proclaim that God’s Salvation, the Messiah, had come, and John called all Israel to repentance.

From Genesis to Malachi, the Law and the Prophets tell of God’s plan, purpose, and provision of the Messiah. Up until John came and broke the silence between God and Israel, the prophets had written, “the Messiah is going to come!”  But when John came as the forerunner of Christ, He declared, “The Messiah is here!”

John’s mission was foretold by the prophets long before his birth.  The last words written by Malachi (Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6) tell us that God is going to send Elijah before the great and terrible Day of the Lord; Luke tells us (Luke 1:15-17) “that [John] will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah!”

I

 

John wasn’t Elijah, in fact, he himself (cf. John 1:21) declared that he was not Elijah, nor was he the Christ.  But Jesus tells us that John “came in the spirit and power of Elijah.”  And as we read earlier (cf. Luke 3:18), it was John the baptizer who first, “preached the gospel to the people.”  John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and yet he is the first preacher in the New Testament to proclaim the Gospel of Christ!  No wonder Jesus said to the crowds (Matthew 11:14), “if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.” And then Jesus said (Matthew 11:15), “He who has ears, let him hear.”

The phrase, “He who has ears, let him hear,” is quoted three times in Matthew, once in Mark, and two times in Luke, and each time, Jesus is testing the spiritual responsiveness and heart understanding of those who are there to hear what He just said, but more than that., too understand the deep meaning of what He said.  John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and he came in the spirit and power of Elijah.  John came to fulfill God’s purpose and to display God’s presence and power, just as Elijah had done about 1,000 years earlier.

Listen! Jesus is saying that John came preparing the way for the Messiah, calling people to repent of their sins and believe in Him alone for forgiveness, as John declared (John 1:29-34), “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water. John testified saying, ‘I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me,’ ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.’”

John knew his priority was to present the Savior (John 1:15-18),  John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

 

It is all about Jesus Christ: Crucified, Resurrected, and Coming again.  Have you called upon Him to forgive your sins and save your soul?  Do you have the assurance of eternal life (Romans 3:23), “all have sinned,” (Romans 6:23), “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 5:8), “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 8:1), “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 10:9-10), “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” 13 “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Jesus provides forgiveness for all your sins: past, present, and future].

Don’t leave here today without being absolutely sure that you have received forgiveness for your sins and that you spend eternity in heaven with God..

1John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((>

Bible Text: Luke 7:18-23 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the
Sunday video and audio recordings

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
 Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
January 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
February 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar
 

 

January 29, 2023
“Are You the Expected One? ”
Luke 7:18-23

Between November 20 and last Sunday (except for January 1), I gave a series of teachings from Luke 1-2, covering the narratives about Christ’s birth, His infancy, and His childhood, up to the age of twelve, at which time Luke records

 

(Luke 2:52),

“And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

 

Today we will return to Luke 7, where we left off last November.  We will be picking up our study in chapter 7:18-23, but because it has been two months since we were studying in chapter 7.

 

I want to give you a little recap from chapter 7:1-17, so that today’s study will be in its proper context. 

 

Luke 7:1-10,

1 When He had completed all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

2 And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die.

3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.

4 When they came to Jesus, they earnestly implored Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him;

5 for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.”

6 Now Jesus started on His way with them; and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof;

7 for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

8 For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

 

has Jesus returning to Capernaum, located on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee.  This was His adopted home town and base of operations for His Galilean ministry,         

 

A centurion had sent a message to Jesus to come and heal his servant who was dying, for the centurion believed Jesus could heal him just by speaking the words. 

 

In Luke 7:9,

9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”

 

Jesus says to the crowd, “not in all of Israel have I found such great faith,” i.e., that centurion [a Gentile] exhibited greater faith than any Jew in Israel. Luke 7:10 tells us, “the servant was healed.”

 

The incident in

 

Luke 7:11-17,

disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd.

12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.

13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.”

14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”

15 The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

17 This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

 

happens soon after the healing of the centurion’s servant.  Jesus, with a large crowd following Him, goes to Nain, a small village about 20 miles SW of Capernaum, just 6 miles SE of Nazareth).

    

As Jesus arrives in Nain, a dead man, the only son of a woman (who is also a widow), is being carried out to be buried, accompanied by a large crowd. 

 

In Luke 7:13, 

13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.”

 

the Lord expresses compassion for this woman and her loss, basically saying, “Don’t cry, it will be okay.” 

 

Jesus (Luke 7:14-15)

14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”

15 The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

 

walks up to stretcher, on which the dead man lays, and He touches it, causing the procession to stop.  He then speaks to the dead man saying, “get up!”  The dead man sits up and begins to talk; fully restored to life, he is now returned to his mother.

 

We are told

 

(Luke 7:16),

16 Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

 

that fear and awe gripped the hearts of the people who were there that day, and the people begin to give glory to God saying, “a great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited His people.”

    

The people in Nain, like all of Israel, had been waiting hundreds of years for God to return to them, to speak to them, and now God in the flesh of Jesus [Yeshua, God’s Salvation; Immanuel, God with us] had come to Nain; yet it would seem that the people are blinded to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, He is God in the flesh.

    

Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, equal in power, nature, and majesty, with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  God was present among the people of Nain, but they, like most of Israel, failed to recognize Him. 

 

We are told

 

(Luke 7:17)

17 This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

 

that the report of this dead man being raised backed to life, by Jesus, went out through Judea and the surrounding areas.

 

Read Luke 7:18-20… 

18 The disciples of John reported to him about all these things.

19 Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?”

20 When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’”

 

Some of John the Baptizer’s disciples were evidently among those who had witnessed the healing of the centurion’s servant (near Capernaum), and/or the raising of the dead man (in Nain) back to life. 

    

According to Luke’s narrative, John is now in prison, and has been for a very long period of time. 

 

Both

 

Matthew 14:1-12;

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus,

2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

3 For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.

4 For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

5 Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.

6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod,

7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.

8 Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests.

10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.

 

Mark 6:14-29

14 And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.”

15 But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”

16 But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”

17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her.

18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

19 Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so;

20 for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.

21 A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee;

22 and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.”

23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom.”

24 And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”

25 Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her.

27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison,

28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

29 When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.

 

tell the story of John’s long incarceration at Herod’s summer palace, east of the Dead Sea at Machaerus.  John was eventually executed (by beheading), at the request of Herod’s unlawful and incestual wife Herodias, for she hated John for rebuking Herod about his marriage to her (for she was actually the wife of Herod’s brother Philip, as well a niece to both of them).

    

John the Baptizer’s mission was to announce that the Messiah had come, the long Expected One.  John’s mission was to point Jesus out, and to direct the people to believe in Him, as their Messiah/Savior, for the forgiveness of their sins.

 

John 1:23,

[John] said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said

 

[Isaiah 40:43],”

3  A voice is calling,

“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;

Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

 

(John 1:29),

29 [John] saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,’

 

(John 1:35-36),

35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

 

The Scriptures tell us that while John was in prison, some of his disciples followed Jesus

 

(cf. Matthew 9:14)

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

 

and also brought back testimonies to John of what Jesus was doing

 

(Matthew 11:2).

2 Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples

 

John sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask Him, “Are You the Expected One, or should we look for someone else?”  Wow!  John’s ministry was indeed the most important of any of the Old Testament Prophets, for they only told about what was going to happen; and John declared that what had been spoken of by the prophets had indeed taken place, God’s Servant, God’s Son, the Savior-King Messiah had come.

    

The Expected One [the Messiah] was promised throughout the Old Testament.  He is the one of Whom Moses spoke

 

(Deuteronomy 18:15-19),

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” “The Lord said to me, ‘I will raise up a Prophet…

…and I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.”

 

Remember when Peter, James, and John were on the mountain with Jesus who He was transfigured before them

 

(Matthew 17:2-3, 5),

“and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.”  “A bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’”

 

Jesus spoke the very words of God the Father

 

(John 14:10),

“The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works,”

 

(John 14:24),

“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”

 

Micah 5:2

2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Too little to be among the clans of Judah,

From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.

His goings forth are from long ago,

From the days of eternity.”

 

tells us that the Expected One would be born in Bethlehem, He will be the One whose “goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

    

Isaiah 7:14

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

 

tells us that the special birth of the Expected One to a virgin, will be like no other birth, for this Child will be Immanuel [God in the flesh].

    

When Jesus entered the synagogue in His home town (Nazareth), on a Sabbath Day

 

(cf. Luke 4:18-19),

18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

 

He was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, as He stood to read the text from

 

Isaiah 61:1-2,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

 

Luke tells us

 

(Luke 4:20-21)

20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

 

that after Jesus read the passage, “He closed the [scroll], gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

    

Consider all we have studied these past two months about how God clearly confirmed Jesus to be the Expected One, the Messiah, the Christ, Lord and Savior.

    

The angel Gabriel came to both Mary and Joseph; some angels came to the shepherds out in the field, telling them to go find the Savior, Christ the Lord, who had been born in Bethlehem, and was laying in a manger; Simeon, and Anna, declared Jesus was the Expected One, the consolation of Israel; the Magi came with gifts for Jesus, who was both King and Savior.

 

So, why is John doubting that Jesus is the Expected One? 

 

John is (Isaiah 40:3)

the “voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’”

 

The angel Gabriel came to Zacharias at the temple saying,

 

(Luke 1:15),

“[John] will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.”

 

John was filled with the Spirit of God, heralding the coming of the Long Expected One, God’s Son, the Savior-King.  And yet, John had doubts, most likely caused by an incomplete understanding of God’s plan.  John didn’t understand why God was allowing him to be left in prison, like many of the circumstances we might find ourselves in during the course of our life; but we forget that whatever happens to us in this life is subject to the sovereign purpose of God, whether or not we understand or don’t understand the why of what is happening to us.    

    

I believe the main reason John had any doubts at all was because of the misunderstandings within Judaism concerning the coming Messiah, the Expected One, and the chronology of what and when He would accomplish the fulfillment of both the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants. 

 

Orthodox Judaism was and still is focused on the Messiah’s victorious conquering of Israel’s enemies [at that time Rome], and establishing the glorious millennial kingdom, when Christ will rule on earth with peace, prosperity, and plentifulness for all of Israel. 

    

Orthodox Judaism totally ignores the prophecies of Psalm 22; Isaiah 53, that speak of the rejection, the suffering, and the atoning work of the Messiah; taking our punishment for sin upon Himself, even to the point of death on a cross. 

    

Jesus repeatedly told His disciples that He would be killed, and He would rise from the dead on the third day

 

(Mark 8:31;

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

 

Mark 9:31;

31 For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.”

 

Luke 9:22).

22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

 

On one occasion, Peter took offense at the thought that the Messiah would suffer in this way

 

(Matthew 16:21-23),

“From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You. But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.’”

 

Even after Christ’s death and resurrection, the eleven apostles seemed to still be focused on the restoring of Israel to it’s former glory

 

(cf. Acts 1:6-7),

“So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

 

The main point there is that we should be focused on being His witnesses, wherever we are, whatever we are doing, for we belong to God the Father because of our belief in God the Son, which means we have the testimony of God the Spirit being demonstrated in and through our life.

 

Read Luke 7:21… 

21 At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.

 

At the very moment that John’s disciples come to Jesus, He is healing people of all kinds of infirmities, birth defects, and diseases, casting out demons. 

 

Read Luke 7:22… 

22 And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.

 

Jesus tells John’s disciples to go and report to John all they have seen and heard.  Jesus knows this will encourage John and fully answer His question, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?”  The miraculous healings Jesus was doing, testify that He is the Expected One, “the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

    

Then Jesus says

 

(Luke 7:23),

“Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

 

That doesn’t seem to fit in this context.  Jesus just listed a group of miracles that prove He is the Messiah, and then He basically says, those who aren’t offended by Me will be blessed. 

 

What does that mean?

 

Matthew 5:3,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,”

 

Before anyone can be saved, they must realize they are a sinner in need of the Savior, i.e., they must be poor in spirit, realizing their spiritual indebtedness to God for sin, only then will they confess their sin, believing in Christ for salvation.

 

Mark 1:14-15,

“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”

 

What is the gospel? 

 

Acts 4:12,

“There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved,”

 

(Acts 2:21),

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord [for the forgiveness of their sins] will be saved.”

 

In Luke 4:18-19

18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

 

Jesus stands up in the synagogue in Nazareth and reads the following passage from

 

Isaiah 61:1-2,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

 

Jesus then sat down saying

 

(Luke 4:21),

“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”

 

And then, in

 

Luke 4:28-30 we are told,

“All the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.”

 

They took offense at Jesus declaring He was the Expected One, the Messiah, both Lord and Savior.  What about you?  Does it offend you that Jesus repeatedly said, the only way to receive forgiveness for sin, the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven, the only way to be saved from an eternal hell, is to believe in Him as Savior and confess Him as Lord;

 

(cf. Romans 10:9-10,

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

 

Romans 10:13),

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

 

 
and by the way,
He turns no one away.
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 2:39-52 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the
Sunday video and audio recordings

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
 Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
January 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar
 

 

January 22, 2023
“The Childhood of God’s Son”
Luke 2:39-52

The Gospels provide narratives foretelling Christ’s birth, the events surrounding His birth, His adult ministry, His death, resurrection, post resurrection appearances, and His ascension back into heaven; but Luke provides the only narrative of the singular childhood event where Jesus’ words are recorded in the Scriptures.

    

We have studied testimonies, that Jesus is the Son of God, from the angel Gabriel, Mary’s aunt Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna; but today we will look at the testimony of Jesus Himself.

 

Read Luke 2:39-40… 

39 When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth.

40 The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

 

There is an event missing from Luke’s narrative that occurs between the testimonies of Simeon and Anna at the temple, and the return of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus to Nazareth, and so we go to Matthew’s account.

 

See Matthew 2:1-12… 

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,

ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;

FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER

WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’”

7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

 

The Magi came from the east to find the One who had been born King of the Jews.  The Magi visited Mary, Joseph, and Jesus (who was at that time a toddler, not an infant; and Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were staying in a house, no longer at the place where Jesus had been born.

 

See Matthew 2:13-18… 

13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”

14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.

15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.”

16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.

17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

18 “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH,

WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING,

RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN;

AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED,

BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.”

 

Herod goes into a murderous rage in an attempt to kill Jesus, but God protects Him by sending Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to Egypt to escape, as Herod has all the infant males in the vicinity of Bethlehem (ages 2 and under) slaughtered by his soldiers.

    

See Matthew 2:19-23… 

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said,

20 “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”

21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,

23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

 

Only after Herod is dead do Mary, Joseph, and Jesus return to Nazareth.

 

Back to Luke 2:40,

“The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”  This verse is all that we know about Jesus’ childhood until He steps out at the Jordan River to be baptized by His cousin John.

 

 

Jesus grew up like any other Jewish child in Israel, but Luke’s major emphasis is on the spiritual nature and growth of Jesus in the wisdom and grace of God, until He finally appears at the Jordan River to be baptized by John, when

 

(Luke 3:22),

“a voice came out of heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’”

 

John 1:1-4,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”

 

John 1:14,

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

 

John 1:18,

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

 

From the moment of Jesus’ conception in the womb of Mary, He was God the Son, fully human, yet fully God.  Jesus’ birth to a virgin, in Bethlehem, was foretold in the Scriptures, saying He would be the eternal God and Savior of all who believe in Him

 

(cf. Isaiah 7:14,

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

 

Micah 5:2;

2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Too little to be among the clans of Judah,

From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.

His goings forth are from long ago,

From the days of eternity.”

 

Matthew 1:21;

21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

 

Matthew 2:5).

5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

 

Read Luke 2:41-51… 

41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.

42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast;

43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it,

44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.

46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.

47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”

49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

50 But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.

51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

 

The main event in this passage takes place about twelve years after Jesus was presented and dedicated to God at the Temple, as we studied last week.  By the time Jesus was twelve, eighteen years before He would step out at the Jordan River and begin His ministry, He already knew who He was and what He had been sent to do as God’s Son, Christ the Lord. 

 

Mary and Joseph, being orthodox Jews, went to Jerusalem “every year at the Feast of Passover.”  Passover was one of the three major annual feasts in Israel, the other two being Pentecost and Tabernacles.  At this specific Passover, Jesus was twelve, and His family was there for the whole eight day period (one day of Passover, followed by seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread).

    

Old Testament Law

 

(Exodus 23:17;

17 Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

 

Exodus 34:22-23;

22 You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

23 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.

 

Deuteronomy 16:16)

16 “Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread and at the Feast of Weeks and at the Feast of Booths, and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.

 

required all Jewish men to attend the yearly feasts; but because of the dispersion of so many Jews outside of Palestine, many would only attend Passover.  Women were not required to attend, although most devoted women did attend, along with their children.  Many Jews would travel in large groups, as did Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.

    

Notice, Luke states that Mary and Joseph went up to Jerusalem every year for Passover; but this year was very special, because Jesus was now twelve, and all Jewish boys became accountable to the law of God at the age of thirteen, through a ceremony known as Bar Mitzvah [“son of the law”].

    

Usually, the last two Passovers, before a boy turns thirteen, were very important in preparing the boy for manhood, to be treated under the law as a man.  Luke doesn’t record anything out of the ordinary during the eight days of Passover, but does give an account of what happened when Mary and Joseph were returning home to Nazareth, thinking that Jesus was with other family members.

 

We are told

 

(Luke 2:43)

43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it,

 

that “the boy” Jesus [affirming He was not yet 13] stayed behind in Jerusalem; although His parents didn’t know He was staying longer, for we are told

 

(Luke 2:44-45),

44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.

45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.

 

“they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.” 

 

As I mentioned before, it was common for a large caravan of people to travel together.  Mary and Joseph searched for Jesus but couldn’t find Him, so the next morning, they returned to Jerusalem to look for Him. 

    

Some commentators try to infer that either Jesus was being disobedient to His parents, or His parents were being irresponsible to not make sure He was in the caravan leaving for Nazareth: both of those deductions are totally wrong.

    

God’s wisdom and grace were inherent in Jesus from His very birth.  He never disobeyed His parents, but showed them respect, as the Law decrees, but mostly because He was God in the flesh, without any sin, and most likely, Mary and Joseph thought Jesus was traveling with friends in relatives, but He wasn’t.

 

Jesus was becoming a man, increasing in God’s wisdom and grace, transitioning from acting like the child of Mary [His birth mother] and Joseph [His legal father], to being the Son of God.  Jesus’ responsibility was moving from His earthly parents to His heavenly Father, in order to fulfill His mission.

     

It would, no doubt, be painful for Mary and Joseph, as Jesus distanced Himself from them, in order to fulfill the plan and purpose of God the Father, that His Son would be the Savior to all those who believe in Him, becoming children of God. 

 

Matthew 12:48-50,

Jesus was speaking to the crowds when someone told Him that His mother and brothers had come to see Him, and He responded, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.’’

     

In John 6:40

Jesus says, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

 

Back to Luke 2:46-47,

“After three days [one day away from, one day back to, and the 3rd day searching in, Jerusalem] they [Mary and Joseph] found Him [Jesus] in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.”

     

During Passover week, many prominent teachers were at the temple.  Jesus, transitioning from childhood to manhood [at age thirteen], was at the temple engaging in dialogue with some of the greatest religious scholars in Judaism.  At age twelve, He is reasoning with the Rabbis, Pharisees, and Priests of Israel; and they were amazed at His understanding and His answers, perhaps instructing them on messianic prophecies, the sacrificial rituals, and the Law of God.

     

This is the only place in the Gospel accounts where Jesus is portrayed as a student, everywhere else He is said to be the Teacher [didaskalos]; in fact, once He begins His ministry, only Jesus and John the Baptist were referred to as Teacher.

 

See again Luke 2:48-50…

48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”

49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

50 But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.

 

Mary and Joseph had searched for hours and finally found Jesus at the temple with the teachers of Israel.  No doubt Mary and Joseph were relived, but also upset that Jesus had stayed in Jerusalem without telling them, instead of leaving with the caravan of family and friends for Nazareth.

     

Mary said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”  Jesus’ response is amazing, “‘Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?’ But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.”

     

Jesus knew He was God’s Son.  This is the first time in Scripture that anyone openly claimed God to be their Father.  Jesus made it clear that His ultimate purpose was to do what His heavenly Father wanted Him to do. 

     

Jesus repeatedly refers to Himself as the Son of God, saying that God is His Father, that He and the Father are One [equal], and that those who have seen Him have seen the Father.  This infuriated the Jewish religious leaders who hated Jesus and opposed Him to the point of finally having Him executed.

 

John 10:30-33,

“‘I and the Father are one.’ The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?’ The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.’”

 

Matthew 26:63-66,

“The high priest said to Him, ‘I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus *said to him, ‘You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?’ They answered, ‘He deserves death!’”

 

We know that Jesus would not disobey or do anything to hurt Mary or Joseph.  Jesus kept the fifth commandment

 

(Exodus 20:12),

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.”

 

But it seems that His parents don’t understand that their Son, God’s Son, has a responsibility to His Father in heaven and He must now begin to do His will, as He would repeatedly declare, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me”

 

(cf. John 3:13;

13 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.

 

John 6:38,

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

 

John 6:42;

42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?”

 

John 4:34;

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

 

John 5:30).

30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

 

See again Luke 2:51-52…

51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

 

Mary and Joseph did not understand the magnitude of the statement Jesus made to them, but they would soon realize, as they we’re told early on, that their son did not belong to them, He belonged to God.

     

Jesus grew in wisdom, as His intellectual understanding grew to know fully the divine truth of God; He grew in stature, physically growing in strength and ability as any child growing to manhood would experience; and in favor with God, knowing His place as God the Son, and with man, as He increasingly matured and interacted with His culture, gaining the respect that was do Him.

     

The life lived by Jesus was the One and Only perfect life; a life He would give to pay for the sins of all those who would believe in Him

 

(Luke 2:40),

“The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him,”

 

(Luke 2:52),

“And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

 

William Hendriksen, a well respected New Testament scholar (who died in 1982), writes [in his New Testament Commentary on Luke, pg. 180], “The development of this child was therefore perfect, this along every line: physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual; from the beginning to the end, whether inherited or acquired, He was unimpaired and unimpeded by sin.  Between the Child Jesus and His Father… there was perfect harmony, limitless love.”

 

It is only through Jesus Christ [God the Son] that we can know God the Father, and be known by God the Father, receiving forgiveness for our sins and eternal life.

1Peter 1:18-19,

“For you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

 

Jesus Christ died to set you free from sin and eternal judgement, but you must believe in Him to receive forgiveness for your sins.  He took all our sins upon Himself, and gave us His righteousness

 

(2Corinthians 5:21),

“He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,”

 

(Acts 4:12),

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved,”

 

(Romans 3:23),

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

 

(Romans 6:23),

“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,”

 

(1Timothy 2:3-4),

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

 

If you have never asked God to forgive your sins, believing in Jesus’ death on the cross as God’s payment for your sins, and Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb, as God’s demonstration of eternal life, why not do that right now, right here?

 

Romans 10:9-10,

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation,”

 

Romans 10:13,

“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

 

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: Luke 2:25-38 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke, Luke | Above are the
Sunday video and audio recordings

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
January 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar
 

 

January 15, 2023
“Simeon and Anna Testify About Jesus”
Luke 2:25-38

Last week we studied

 

Luke 2:22-24,

22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”),

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

 

where we learned how Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the temple to pay the required five-shekel redemption price for Jesus and to dedicate Him to God, since he was their first born son.  They had also come to offer the proper sacrifice since Mary’s 40 days of purification was completed, i.e., it had been 40 days since Jesus’ birth.

 

Read Luke 2:25-32… 

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,

28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,

According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

 

Simeon is not spoken of anywhere else in the Scriptures, only here; but we know that his name means “God has heard.”  We are told that Simeon, a righteous and devout man, has come to the temple, led by the Spirit of God, in order to see the consolation of Israel [the One who would console and bring comfort to Israel = the Messiah, God’s Son, Savior and Lord].

 

Simeon who was elderly, is told that he would not die until He sees the Messiah, the Savior, the One who would  fulfill the Abrahamic and David covenants given to Israel.

 

Jeremiah 29:11-13,

“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’”

 

Jeremiah 31:31-34,

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord. ‘>>>>>>>>>>

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, ‘or I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’”

 

Hebrews 10:10,

“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

 

Hebrews 10:14-18,

 “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

 

In Jesus’ first synagogue appearance in Nazareth

 

(cf. Luke 4:16-19)

16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,

BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.

HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,

AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

 

He stood up and read from

 

Isaiah 11:1-2,

1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,

And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and strength,

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

 

which is a Messianic passage that foretells the fulfillment of the Messiah’s coming, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.”

 

When Simeon came into the temple and saw Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, moved by the Spirit of God, he knew Jesus was

 

(cf. Luke 2:25-26)

25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

“the consolation of Israel,” “the Lord’s Christ”[Messiah]. 

Taking Jesus into his arms he proclaims that he has now seen the fulfillment of God’s Salvation [Immanuel] who has come to earth, Simeon could now die in peace

 

 

(cf. Luke 2:29-30).

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,

According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

 

Read Luke 2:33-35… 

33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed–

35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul–to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

 

Joseph and Mary are amazed at Simeon’s words, especially considering all that has happened prior to this meeting at the temple. 

 

Joseph and Mary had been personally selected by God, to care for His Son.  God’s angel had independently told Mary, and also Joseph, that Mary was to conceive and give birth to God’s Son, and Joseph was to take Mary as his wife, and to raise God’s Son, as his very own. 

 

Mary was in her ninth month of pregnancy when they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem (4-day journey) to register in a census, in the hometown of their ancestors. 

 

In Bethlehem they find no suitable lodging and are forced to shelter at a place where animals are feed, when the time came for Jesus to be born.  Some shepherds soon show up with a fantastic story of how they were watching over their sheep when an angel of God proclaimed to them that the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, had been born in Bethlehem, and they were to go find and worship Him. 

 

The shepherds return to their sheep, telling everyone they see what has happened, that the Savior, who is Christ the Lord has been born, and God’s peace has now come to all those who will believe in Him.

 

Eight days after Christ’s birth, Mary and Joseph have Him circumcised and give Him the name Jesus [God’s Salvation], as they were told to do.  According to the Law, they paid five-shekels to redeem Jesus, and made the appropriate sacrifice

 

(Leviticus 12:8)

8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

so that, “the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.”

 

About 40 days after Jesus had been born, with everything else that had happened, Mary is now being told by Simeon that her son is

 

(Luke 2:32),

“A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

 

(Luke 2:34-35)

“Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

 

Wow!  Simeon

 

(cf. Luke 2:34)

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—

 

prophecies that many Gentiles will come to be saved through their belief in God’s Son, and many Jews will stumble over Him, rejecting Him, bringing judgement upon themselves. 

 

1Corinthians 1:21-24,

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

 

Ephesians 2:11-22, 

“Remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the common-wealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off [non-Jews] have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups [Jews and non-Jews] into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.  And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

 

Galatians 3:26-29,

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

 

Most of Israel would reject Mary’s Son, opposing Him to the point of crying out for Him to be crucified

 

(Luke 2:35a),

“and a sword will pierce even your own soul.”

 

How painful it would be for Mary when Jesus began to distance Himself from her, in order to fulfill the purpose of His coming. 

 

Matthew 12:48-50

48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”

49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!

50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

 

(Jesus was speaking to the crowds when someone told Him that His mother and brothers had come to see Him, and He responded) “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.’’

 

Mary would witness most of the Jewish world turn against her beloved Son, rejecting the very Salvation He provided

 

(Luke 2:35b),

“to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

 

In John 19:25-30,

25 Therefore the soldiers did these things.

But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”

29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.

30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

 

it is recorded that Mary was standing by the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished!” Then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit..

 

Early in the Gospel of John we learn the reason for Christ coming into the world; but also, that most people will reject Him

 

(John 3:16-19),

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”

 

Read Luke 2:36-38…

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,

37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.

38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

 

Just as Simeon finishes giving testimony about Jesus as the Messiah, Anna, a woman in her 80’s, from the tribe of Asher, comes up to Mary, Joseph, and Jesus; and she begins giving thanks to God for Jesus, the Savior.  We are told that she continued to speak to all those “who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” 

 

It is possible that Simeon and Anna knew each other, for Simeon, being a righteous man, frequently came to the temple; and we are told that Anna most likely lived in the temple complex (there were rooms in the outer courts, where priests stayed while fulfilling their two weeks of annual service in the temple); Anna may have been allowed to stay in one of these rooms, since she was a godly elderly widowed woman who served at the temple day and night with “fasting and prayers.”

 

At the moment Anna came up to Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and Simeon, she began to give thanks to God for baby Jesus.  All her years of fasting and praying at the temple gave way to an outburst of praise, which she continued to proclaim to everyone who was waiting for God’s Salvation to come, through Whom the Abrahamic, Davidic, and Final Covenant (through the death and resurrection of this Child), was made effectual

 

(cf. Hebrews 1:1-3).

1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

 

Both Simeon and Anna testified that Jesus was indeed God’s Son, the Savior. 

 

How about you? 

 

Do you believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life? 

 

Are you proclaiming the marvelous message of God to others, like Simeon and Anna did at the temple? 

 

If not, why not? 

 

Eyewitnesses give testimony and history confirms all this to be true

 

 

(Romans 3:10-12,

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

 

Romans 3:23;

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 

Romans 5:8;

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Romans 6:23;

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Romans 8:1;

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

Romans 10:9-10,

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

 

Romans 10:13)   

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

 

Everyone is guilty of sin, but anyone who asks God to forgive their sin, believing in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, will be saved.

 

 
Pastor Mike Hale

Bible Text: Luke 2:21-24 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the Sunday Morning
audio recording and YouTube video

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
January 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar
 

 

January 8, 2023
“Mary and Joseph Dedicate Jesus at the Temple”
Luke 2:21-24

Our last time together in Luke 2, was three weeks ago when we studied verses 15-20, about how some shepherds near Bethlehem were watching over their flock, when they received an announcement from God’s angels, telling them that God’s peace had come to earth in the form of God’s Son.

 

The shepherds hurried off to find the baby Jesus, along with Mary and Joseph, just as they had been told.  After worshipping God’s Son, the shepherds went back to their flock, but on the way they proclaimed the good news to all who would listen, that indeed the Savior had been born, He is Christ the Lord.

 

Read Luke 2:21…

21 And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

 

It has been eight days since the birth of Jesus, and according to the law of Moses, it is time for Him to be circumcised

 

(Genesis 17:9-14),

9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

 

for it was through the covenant of Circumcision that God set Israel apart from all the other nations on the earth. 

 

It is not a coincidence that vitamin K (blood coagulant) is at its highest level in a male baby on the 8th day of life.  The practice of naming a son on the day of his circumcision had become common place, because Abram [exalted father] received his new name Abraham [father of a multitude] on the day he was circumcised

 

(cf. Genesis 17:5,

5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram,

But your name shall be Abraham;

For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

 

Genesis 17:23),

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.

 

when God made a covenant with him, and all of Israel.

 

Jesus’s name had been previously given to Mary

 

(Luke 1:31),

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

 

and also to Joseph

 

(Matthew 1:20-21).

20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

 

Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Yeshua, which translates into English as Joshua, meaning “God Saves,” or the “God’s Salvation,”

 

(John 3:16),

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

 

Romans 5:8,

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Read Luke 2:22-24…
22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”),
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

It is really Mary who must be purified according to the Law, but this period of time affects both Jesus and Joseph, also.

 

Leviticus 12:1-4,

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:’When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean. On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed,’”

 

(Leviticus 15:19)

“When a woman has a discharge, if her discharge in her body is blood, she shall continue in her menstrual impurity for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.”

 

So, according to Jewish law, a women is considered unclean during the time of her menstrual cycle, but also from the day of the birth of her baby, for seven days; if her baby was a male, then on the eighth day he was to be circumcised, after which the mother would be ceremonial unclean for another thirty-three days.

                     

After the 40 days of purification was completed

 

(cf. Luke 2:22),

22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.  This was done

 

(Luke 2:23)

because “it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord.’”

 

Exodus 13:1-2,

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.’”

 

Exodus 13:11-12,

“Now when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, you shall devote to the Lord the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the Lord.”

 

Exodus 13:14-15,

“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’”

 

We find reference to God claiming all the firstborn males from the Tribe of Levi, to be set apart for priestly service,

 

In Numbers 3:12-13,

“Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.”

 

In order for the rest of the firstborn males from the other tribes of Israel to be exempted from priestly duty, a redemption amount had to be paid by the parents

 

(Numbers 18:15-16),

“Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. As to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.”

 

Note:

A gerah was the smallest measure of weight in biblical times.  There were 20 gerahs per shekel, so 5 shekels equaled 100 gerahs, which was about 2 oz. of silver.

 

Israel was a theocracy, a nation ruled by priests not by a king.  Money was needed to run the government, and to carry out all the rituals and sacrifices at the temple, and so taxes were levied for all adult male Israelites to pay, of which the five shekels (no small amount) required under Jewish law, was paid by parents of all firstborn males, as a redemption price to the Lord.

 

Back to Luke 2:24… 

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

 

God says all firstborn males of people and animals, belong to Him.  Therefore Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the temple to dedicate Him to God; having already paid the five shekels to the priest they had come to the temple “to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.’”

 

Earlier today I told you that under Jewish Law, a woman was considered unclean from the day of the birth of her baby, for seven days; and then, if her baby was a male, on the eighth day he was to be circumcised, after which the mother would be ceremonial unclean for another thirty-three days, for a total of 40 days of ceremonial purification

 

(cf. Leviticus 12:1-4).
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean.
3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
4 Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed.

Mary’s 40 days of purification are now over and she has come to offer the appropriate sacrifice, so as to be pronounced “clean” by the priest

 

(Leviticus 12:6-8),

“When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

 

The normal purification sacrifice was “a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.”  But if a person couldn’t afford a lamb, then pigeons or turtledoves could be used instead, one for the burnt offering and one for the sin offering.  Evidently, Mary and Joseph couldn’t afford a lamb, so they offered pigeons or turtledoves instead.

                     

I believe the main priority of Luke’s narrative here

 

(Leviticus 12:2-4),
2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:
‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean.
3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
4 Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed.

is to show how dedicated and obedient both, Mary and Joseph, were to God.  We know, from the biblical record, that Joseph and Mary were personally selected by God, to care for His Son.  God’s angel came independently to Mary, and to Joseph, with very specific words and instructions: Mary was to conceive and give birth to God’s Son; Joseph was to take Mary as his wife, and to raise God’s Son, as his very own son. 

 

Matthew 1:18-25,

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’ And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.”

 

Luke 1:30-31,

“The angel said to [Mary], ‘Do not be afraid; for you have found favor with God [with you, God is well-pleased]  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.’”

 

Luke 1:34-35,

“Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’”

 

Luke 1:38,

“And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bondslave [is used to distinguish a purchased slave who is owned by (bound to) his master from a servant who is simply hired help but is free to go elsewhere] of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”

 

Joseph and Mary’s devotion to God, along with their demonstrated faith and belief, is the essence of this passage, which must also include along all that happened before they came to the temple: Two Jewish young people, committed to God and to each other, had received a message from God telling them what was going to happen and why.

                     

In obedience to God, and to the laws of the land, they travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem (a 4 day journey) to be registered in a census; even though Mary is nine months pregnant and close to the time of giving birth.  In Bethlehem they find no suitable lodging and are forced to shelter at a place where animals are feed. 

                     

The time comes for Jesus to be born, after which some shepherds show up with a fantastic story of how they were watching over their sheep when an angel of God proclaimed to them that the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, had been born in Bethlehem, and they were to go find and worship Him. 

 

The shepherds locate Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus, telling them about the angels, then as they return to their sheep, they are telling everyone they see what has happened, that the Savior, who is Christ the Lord has been born, and God’s peace has now come to all those who will believe in Him.

                     

Eight days after Christ’s birth, Mary and Joseph have Him circumcised and give Him the name Jesus, just as they had been told.  In accordance with the Law of the Lord, they pay the five-shekel redemption amount, and after Mary’s time of purification is fulfilled, the appropriate sacrifice is made, so that

 

(Leviticus 12:8),

“the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.”

 

What a testimony of obedient submission and devotion we see expressed in the lives of Mary and Joseph.  How about you?  Are you living in a manner that is pleasing to God?  Have you admitted that you are a sinner, believing in and following Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected, and coming again?

 

Romans 3:23

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 

tells us all have sinned and are unacceptable to God;

 

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

tells us all sinners deserve death, but God offers forgiveness and eternal life through His Son Who

 

(Romans 5:8)

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

died in our place on the cross; therefore

 

(Romans 8:1),

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

The good news is that God turns no one away

 

(Romans 10:13),

“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

Have you done that?
Have you admitted you are a sinner and asked God to forgive you, believing in Jesus Christ for salvation?

 

1John 5:11-13,

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

 
Pastor Mike
>’(((><

Bible Text: various | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: New Year, New Years | Above are the
Sunday YouTube Video and audio recordings

Links from Our Website:
 
Bulletin (pdf)
 
 (AM Insert) – Sermon Notes (pdf)
 
January 2023 Calendar (pdf)
 
YouTube Video Sermons
 
Upcoming Events
 
FBCW Website Calendar

January 1, 2023

“Look Back and Consider, Then Look Ahead and Commit”

 

             God’s Word provides encouragement,

                 guidance, strength, and wisdom.

 

Isaiah 43:18-19, 

“Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the
past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth;
will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the
wilderness, rivers in the desert.”

 

Ezekiel 11:19-20, 

“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within
them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and
give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes
and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My
people, and I shall be their God.”

 

God wants us to learn from the past, but not to dwell on
it.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your
own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He
will make your paths straight.”

 

Philippians 4:6-7,

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.”

 

Philippians 4:12-13,

“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know
how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have
learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of
having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things
through Him who strengthens me.”

 

1Timothy 2:3-4,

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth.”

 

2Peter 3:9,

“The Lord is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish
but for all to come to repentance.”

 

Ephesians 2:10,

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk
in them.”

 

Ephesians 1:13-14,

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the
gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed
in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge
of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own
possession, to the praise of His glory.”

 

1Corinthians 12:13,

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether
Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made
to drink of one Spirit.”

 

Acts 1:8,

“you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 

2Corinthians 4:4,

“The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving
so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God.”

 

2Corinthians 4:6,

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the
One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

 

Ephesians 5:1-2,

“Be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love,
just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an
offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

 

John 10:30,

“I and the Father are one.”

 

John 14:7,

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;
from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

 

Colossians 1:15,

“He is the image of the invisible God.”

 

Colossians 2:9,

“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”

 

Hebrews 1:3,

“He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation
of His nature.”

 

We imitate God the Father by following God the Son.

 

1John 5:1-5,

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and
whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this
we know that we love the children of God, when we love God
and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are
not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the
world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our
faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

 

Hebrews 10:24-26,

“Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good
deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the
habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more
as you see the day drawing near.”

 

2Corinthians 5:17-21,

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all
these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself
through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to
Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He
has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an
appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be
reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on
our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God
in Him.”

 

John 14:1-3,

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also
in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were
not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for
you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

 

See 1Corinthians 11:23-26… 

23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to
you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed
took bread;

24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is
My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as
you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you
proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

 

John 6:35,

“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger,
and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

 

John 6:51,

“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone
eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which
I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

 

John 6:63-64,

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the
words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there
are some of you who do not believe.”

 

John 5:24,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes
Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into
judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

 

Hebrews 10:10,

“We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all.”

 

Hebrews 10:14-18,

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are
sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us…  …saying, …‘I
will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write
them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I
will remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of
these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

 

Romans 10:9-10,

“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe
in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved; for with [your] heart [you] believe, resulting in
righteousness, and with [your] mouth confess, resulting in
salvation.”

 

1John 5:11-13,

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he
who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal
life.”

 

 
                       That is the good news,
                         the very best news,
                 as we enter this new year.
                          Pastor Mike
                               >’(((><