Bethel Baptist Church

Scripture Reading: Luke 4:31-41

In Luke 4, Luke begins to relate the healing acts of Jesus. Such miracles make up a significant part of what Jesus did during His three-year ministry. The two stories found in our passage in Luke 4, depict the authority of Jesus. What we have in this passage is a glorious demonstration of Jesus' authority over the demonic world and authority over sickness.

Again, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, this time in Capernaum. A demon-possessed man was present, and Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the man ... which the demon promptly did. What else could this wicked spirit do, in the face of omnipotence.

Interestingly, the demon's words displayed that he knew the identity of Jesus. He called Christ "Jesus of Nazareth" and "the Holy One of God" (Lk 4:34). There is a significant lesson to be drawn from this encounter ... namely, that it is possible to be completely theologically orthodox without belonging to God. It is possible to know all the right doctrines and not be a Christian.

Further in the passage, Jesus heals the mother-in-law of Peter (Lk 4:38,39) and then all the sick people who were brought to Him, which included more demon-possessed folks (Lk 4:40,41).

Christ has conquered sin and death and all the powers of darkness. We have every reason to be of good cheer ... and no reason to fear.

Scripture Reading: Luke 4:14-30

The account of Jesus teaching in the synagogue is the story of Jesus teaching people who had seen Him as a boy. In the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus reads from a well-known prophecy about the coming of the Messiah, from Isaiah 61. He then proceeds to astonish the people there that day by saying, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk 4:21).

We see here the nature of Christ's salvation, as it transforms us at our deepest levels. We also see the breadth of Christ's salvation, as it permeates all the world, in every tribe and tongue. The basic theological question in this section is, "Who is Jesus?" And then we see the hometown reaction to Jesus' declaration that He is the Messiah ... and the revelation that the mission of the Messiah would go far beyond the nation of Israel.

The Jews of Nazareth summarily spurned the words and person in a murderous anger. Their reaction to Christ is very instructive to us, giving us a perspective which serves as an encouragement when we find that someone is cold to the gospel or to spiritual things in general, or when they ridicule us for being Christians. The Jews' rejection of Christ's good news is not basically different than the rejection of Christ that has persisted from that day to ours.

Let us neither be surprised when people refuse Christ and His news ... nor deterred in declaring His glories. The truth cost Jesus His life. Let us be true to Him ... whatever the cost to us.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 1:10-17

Without thinking about it, many people probably feel they can approach God in any manner they desire and He will respond to their prayer. It's almost the idea that God is so desperate, He will accept anyone who will give Him the slightest glance or the weakest nod. This could not be farther from the truth. The Almighty is not desperate for attention, nor is He willing to compromise His honor.

When we pray, there are conditions of the heart that are necessary if we expect to gain a hearing with our holy God.

... faith - Heb 11:6; Lk 7:1-10; Jas 1:5,6

... reverence - Ecc 5:1,2; Mt 6:9; Lev 10:1-3

... sincerity - Mt 6:5-8; Heb 10:19-22

... willingness to obey (spirit of submission) - Mt 26:39; 2 Cor 12:7-10; 1 Jn 3:21,22

... humility - 2 Chr 7:14; Jas 4:6; Lk 18:9-14

... passion (whole-heartedness) - Jer 29:13; Psa 119:2,58,145

... perseverance - Lk 18:1-8

... purity of heart - Psa 66:18; Prov 15:29

The stern warning of God to the Israelites of Isaiah's day ought to make us sober about prayer and rid us of silliness and superficiality. After cataloging their sins, God says to them, "When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen . . ." (Isa 1:15). The Lord is a holy God. He tenderly attends to the cries of the humble and contrite (those who seek Him), but the wicked (those who truly care nothing for God), though their prayers be filled with sorrow and anguish, God rejects. "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. . . . The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous" (Prov 15:8, 29).

Scripture Reading: Luke 4:1-14

There are at least three fundamental lessons to be learned from the temptation of our Lord. The first is that these temptations reveal Jesus' divine holiness. His perfection, as God, is on full display. This is a great comfort to us to think that He triumphed where we fail so miserably. He is our righteousness in the day of judgment. We rejoice in His obedient perfections.

Second, from this story we learn something of the nature of sin and of temptation. (1) The first temptation (Lk 4:1-4) is an appeal to our physical appetites. The sin here is to see satisfaction of our physical desires as an end in itself, apart from communion with God. To enjoy the pleasures of life apart from the God at whose right hand is fullness of joy (Psa 16:11) is idolatry. (2) The second temptation (Lk 4:5-8) appeals to our desire for riches and honor. The sin here is to attempt to gain what may be legitimate through means that are sinful. To gather wealth and glory at the sacrifice of communion with God is to play the fool. (3) The third temptation (Lk 4:8-13) is the temptation to put God to the test by our arrogance and foolishness. To call on God to help us when we have acted out of pride or folly is tempting Him. He never promises to save us from the consequences of our foolishness.

The third great lesson in this account is this: the key to standing in purity in the day of temptation, is to be ravished by the beauty of God and His truth ... by means of being saturated by the Word of God. In every temptation, Jesus answered Satan by the truth of what His Father had spoken. We cannot hope to resist the many temptations in our lives through any other means. The Bible is essential to our having a passionate communion with God ... and thus essential to our purity.

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:15-22

John the Baptist came with a single message: "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mt 3:2). Those people who accepted this message and confessed their sins with sorrow, were baptized by him (Lk 3:3). With that message in mind, it is curious that Jesus would come to John and ask to be baptized. He did not have any sins of which to repent of (Heb 4:15).

At its root, baptism is an identification. Jesus came to identify with humanity and even though He was perfect in holiness, His baptism is an identification with a humanity which is sinful and needs to repent.

Our baptism is also an identification. In publicly declaring our faith in Christ as His follower, we proclaim our allegiance to Him. In baptism, we acknowledge our need to be cleansed of the darkness of our hearts ... and that Christ, alone, is capable of performing this washing.

On the one hand, we must not attach any superstition to the rite of baptism. There is no spiritual power in the water, nor in the ritual itself. It is symbolic of an inner reality of faith in Jesus Christ. On the other hand, baptism is an important ceremony because it is commanded by Jesus Himself (Mt 28:19) as the external sign of faith. Baptism does not bring salvation to any soul, but gloriously declares its wonder.

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:1-14

John the baptizer came heralding the Messiah and he prepared the hearts of the people of Israel by calling them to repentance. They demonstrated their repentance by being baptized in the Jordan River.

The announcement of the coming Messiah took place, not in the temple, nor even in Jerusalem, but it was delivered by a "voice, crying in the wilderness." John was an echo of Elijah, with plain clothes and eating locusts and wild honey. Nevertheless, he was very popular. Matthew says that "all Judea" went out to hear John (Mt 3:5).

When the Pharisees and Sadducees showed up, John was not exactly welcoming to them. "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (Lk 3:7,8; cf. Mt 3:7,8). John then outlines for people what true repentance looks like in everyday living (Lk 3:10-14).

What this passage teaches us about the nature of repentance is this. Genuine repentance results in a changed life. This is what John meant when he referred to the "fruit of repentance." The man whose life is characterized by selfish and stubborn disobedience to God's truth will bear God's wrath in the day of judgment. His life will give ample evidence that he has not truly repented of his sins. He continues to pursue them.

Repentance is not simply a hand raised in a church service ... an aisle walked ... words spoken in a prayer. By God's grace it is a genuine and actual turning from sin, the evidence of which is a changed life and a seeking after eternal things. No one is saved on the basis of such seeking ... and no one does this perfectly ... but no one is saved without such seeking.

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:39-52

This account, found only in Luke's gospel, recalls Jesus as a twelve-year-old boy. It is the only story we have of Christ between His infancy and the beginning of His public ministry.

What is revealed in this account is the union of humanity and divinity in one person. The humanity of Jesus is on display, not only in the fact that Jesus was twelve years old, but also in Luke's description of Jesus. "And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom" (Lk 2:40). "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man" (Lk 2:52). Jesus was truly human, in need of physical, mental, and spiritual growth.

We also see in this passage the divinity of Christ when He spoke of being in His Father's house. What is uniquely revealed here is that, at a young age, Jesus was aware of His being the Son of God and that His work was of a divine necessity. "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Lk 2:49).

In the union of divinity and humanity in Christ, we see the magnitude of His merciful condescension. The Creator becomes a creature. The Sovereign becomes a servant. He who is life subjects Himself to death. The Judge becomes the judged. Such love and sacrifice call us to a consuming love, a heartfelt contrition, and a humble, sacrificial service ... all the days of our lives.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 19:7-11

Our day is a day in which changes have profoundly affected the way life is viewed and the way it is lived. We have witnessed not only radical changes in communication and technology, but changes in values. A clear, unambiguous standard of what is right and wrong has eroded before our eyes. Fewer and fewer people still believe in absolute truth.

What is needed is a return to the principles of the Bible. These principles are both absolute and eternal. Even as Christians, we need a fresh commitment to the notion that the Word of God is:

(1) complete so as to restore us (Psa 19:7);

(2) reliable in making us wise (Psa 19:7);

(3) right so as to cause us to rejoice (Psa 19:8);

(4) pure so as to enliven us (Psa 19:8).

The Bible contains everything we need, both to view life and to live life properly. It is a stabilizing ballast and strengthening fountain of truth. We neglect it to our own ruin. It is one thing to affirm that the Bible is a supernatural book, given from God. It is another thing to taste its nectar and know that it is a delight to the heart. In submitting ourselves to God's precepts we discover the rich glories of God's life. May God help us to know, in our minds, in our affections, and in our experience, that the Word of God is sweeter to our soul than ripened fruit is to our tongue ... and it is more precious than the money in our bank accounts.

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:22-35

How refreshing it is to have the gospels deliver to us the accounts of the life of Christ in all His excellencies. Here, in Luke 2, we have another scene of the birth of our Savior. The whole meaning of Christ, in concise form, is found in the declarations of Simeon, an old man in the temple. He took Jesus in his arms and declared, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace . . . for my eyes have seen your salvation" (Luke 2:29,30).

Simeon's remarks precisely bring into focus the purpose of Jesus' coming. Though there are many wonderful emotions surrounding the birth of Jesus, Simeon's declarations keep us from undefined sentimentalism.

Jesus came to be a light shining in the darkness (Lk 2:32) and this light brings a sharp division, separating all people into two groups. On one hand, there are those who rise in Christ's redemption, and on the other hand, there are those who fall under His judgment (Lk 2:34). Every person either embraces the King or rejects Him. Judas rejects and Peter repents ... one thief blasphemes and the other confesses his sins. There is no middle ground.

Because of Christ's coming, the heart of every person will ultimately be revealed. The response, deep in the soul, to the Son of God is the fundamental question of life. No other question even comes close.

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-14

Perhaps the best-known biblical passage recording the birth of Christ is found in Luke 2. Matthew has some other details concerning His birth, but this account (indeed, this entire chapter) occurs only in Luke.

Here we have Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem, due to a Roman census. According to Micah 5:2, the Jewish Messiah would come from Bethlehem. This empire-wide census depicts the sovereign providence of God, who is orchestrating the birth of Jesus, down to the details.

An angel appears to a group of shepherds, proclaiming not only the birth of Jesus, but His nature ... Savior, Messiah, Lord (Lk 2:11). Upon announcing the birth of Jesus, the angel is joined by a host of angels glorifying God, which was also the response of the shepherds (2:20).

The incarnation of the Son of God was essential in order for Jesus to be the necessary substitute for sinful people (Heb 2:17) ... both in His perfect life (Gal 4:4; Heb 4:15) and in His sacrificial death (2 Cor 5:21). Both His righteous obedience to God's law is credited to people who trust in Him, as well as His substitutionary death. If there is no incarnation, there is no salvation. The mysterious wonder of God the Son taking on flesh is essential to Christianity. If there is no incarnation of God the Son, Christianity is not weakened, it vanishes.