Luke 3:21-22

What do a dove a genealogist and the devil have in common?  Why would Luke include these three very different episodes to describe the start of Jesus ministry?  They help us answer the question: Is Jesus of Nazareth the son of God?

When the dove (Spirit) comes down he is giving the Father’s affirmation of Jesus and making a statement about who He is. In the same way, for us, what the Father says about us should be the first thing we should know in our hearts and about ourselves.

Luke gives us a long list of Jesus’ genealogy right after describing Jesus baptism.  Why is this?  Luke understands that he must show why Jesus lineage matches up to the prophesies of the coming messiah.  He wants to show how Jesus fulfilled God’s promises.

Immediately after His baptism the devil leads Jesus into the desert to tempt Him.  Satan’s temptation shows Jesus’ authenticity and the truth of who He is both by the devil’s questions and by Jesus responses.

Romans 10:14-21, 11:1-10

Paul after his conversion would go back to the prophesies and promises of God to show his people that Christ was the fulfillment of the scripture and not a deviation from them.  The New Testament isn’t really that new, in fact much of it is reiterating, reinforcing or explaining what had previously been said.  Connecting and tracing the whole story will add depth and understanding for the people.

Romans 10:14-21, 11:1-10

Paul after his conversion would go back to the prophesies and promises of God to show his people that Christ was the fulfillment of the scripture and not a deviation from them.  The New Testament isn’t really that new, in fact much of it is reiterating, reinforcing or explaining what had previously been said.  Connecting and tracing the whole story will add depth and understanding for the people.

Romans 10:8-13

Salvation has many aspects to it.  We are saved from physical death, from spiritual death, and from bondage and despair.  Our salvation is achieved by faith and trust in Jesus.  Salvation operates outside of the confines of time; it reaches back to cover over the sins we have committed in our past, it brings freedom in the present, and it assures our future in heaven.  Jesus came that we may be saved.  We know that anyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved and become a new creation.  Are you saved?

Romans 10:1-4

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  What do you care about and what is your heart invested in?  God wants your zeal for Him; your great energy, enthusiasm and passion.  Our zeal should come out of humility before God and be acted upon based on our knowledge of Him.  We must pursue truth.

Romans 9:14-33

It is only by the mercy of God that there is a “People of God”.  We don’t get what we deserve but instead we have been given mercy, forgiveness and salvation.  God’s plan was that His mercy would be offered to all people, not only to the Israelites.  We were included in Christ when we heard the truth of the gospel and believed and were given the Holy Spirit.  It is not our lineage or our good works, it is our humility and faith in Christ that saves us.

Romans 9:1-13

Christ is the fulfillment of the promises of God.  God made a promise to Jacob that His people would share in God’s promise.  God’s grief is therefore great when His people do not follow Christ or accept His gift of salvation.  Everyone must come to Christ in their own time and on their own terms and those of us who love them cannot take their place.

Romans 8:35-39

Nothing can separate us from the love of God.  Not trouble, not hardship, not danger, not persecution.  We are strong when we honor God’s priorities, when we treasure Him, because our hearts will be where our treasure is.  In this we will be more than conquerers, not through physical struggle but through the triumph of the cross.  For Jesus conquered sin once and for all.

Romans 8:31-39

We are reconciled to God, we are loved by God.  God is for us, therefore it matters not who could be against us.  He gave His only son and sacrificed Him for us, because of His great love.

We can make the mistake of letting our experiences and internal baggage inform our view of the world.  But nothing in our experience separates us from God’s love.  Our feelings do not make reality.  Whether we feel it on any given day we are in fact truly and completely loved,  We are more than conquerers.

God’s love is ready and waiting for us to simply accept it and live in it.

Romans 8:28-30

God works all things for good.  He didn’t create and then abandon us, he continues to work and create a new thing inside us.  God’s providence is still at work in the world.  Even in the hard thing God is at work.  He brings beauty out of ashes.  He searches our hearts and His spirit intercedes for us.  Our job is not to run the universe, our job is to love God.  With all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds … Love God and love the people around us.