A voice from heaven thunderously declared, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” There had never been a more stunning bestowal of divine favor upon any one man. As a descendant of Adam and as the perfect, one and only Son of God, Jesus was uniquely qualified to be the Savior of the world. But the Devil responded, “Prove it.” Immediately following his dramatic baptism and anointing by the Holy Spirit, Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness where he is tested. Jesus passed the test, proving and perfecting his credentials to save. As God’s dearly loved children we too are tested daily, assailed by temptations to follow our own pleasures rather than the plans and precepts of our Heavenly Father. Jesus’ example is both inspiring and instructive for all those who wish to be his disciple.

After his baptism by John, Jesus began his public ministry, on his way to accomplishing the mission for which he had been sent. However, Luke interrupts the narrative to add a piece of historical data that might seem insignificant to some and even boring to others; the genealogy of Jesus. Biblical genealogies should not just be skipped over or ignored. In them we find hidden gems of truth. And so it is here at the end of Luke chapter 3. Jesus’ ancestry uniquely qualified him to be the Savior because not only was he a descendant of David, born to be the King of the Jews, he was a descendant of Adam, born to be the Savior of the world. Because of who Jesus was we can all become children of God. 

[Guest Speaker: Curt Isaacson | Worship Pastor | PassageWay Church] John the baptizer comes on the scene in Luke 3 nearly 20 years after the close of chapter 2. Like a good historian, Luke paints a picture of the date John enters the scene, as well as the state of both the Roman and Jewish political systems (and it wasn't good). John's ministry of repentance would stand in stark contrast to the self-sufficiency, power politics, religious pedigrees and ritual practices of the day (and so, too, ours). He understood his prophetic assignment to "prepare the way of the Lord" by calling people to repentance: a change of mind that would result in a change of conduct. Through repentance, John was calling the people to prepare the way for Jesus (both spiritually and physically) and would play the key role in inaugurating Jesus' earthly ministry and confirming Him as the Messiah. This Messiah would finally establish the reality of true and lasting forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God.

Jesus grew up like any other devout Jewish boy in first century Palestine. The Bible is silent about his childhood, which indicates that it was probably quite normal. Normal except for one episode recorded in Luke 2 when Jesus is separated from Mary and Joseph. After a frantic search he’s found interacting with the rabbis in the temple at Jerusalem. Luke reveals that from a young age Jesus was aware of his divine sonship, which would require single minded devotion to the mission entrusted to him by his Heavenly Father. This single-mindedness would be the cause of pain and division, not just for him but for anyone who wishes to be his disciple.

Perhaps you received a gift this Christmas but you weren’t quite sure what it was, or perhaps how it worked. Appreciation for a gift is diminished when we don’t fully understand it. We may even misuse it. The first part of Luke chapter 2 describes an incredible gift, Jesus born to save us from our sins. We know that the story ends with Jesus’ death on the cross and his victorious resurrection, but is Jesus really the only one who can save? What qualified him to be the Savior? After the birth narrative, Luke explains that Jesus did something no one else has ever done. He perfectly fulfilled the requirements of God’s law. He was the perfect Israelite. Not only does Jesus take away our sin, he gives us his very own righteousness. This incredible exchange is what makes the gospel so great.

Good news, great news, isn’t kept to oneself. Birth announcements, graduation announcements, engagement announcements are all moments that can’t be fully enjoyed unless shared with others. And so it was when the eternal Son of God entered into human history, born to save us from our sin. An angel shared this good news with a group of ruffian shepherds who went and saw the thing that the angel had told them about. And when they saw it, like the angels before them, they went and shared that good news with others. Both the angels and the shepherds went about praising God for the wonderful things He had done. In the peace and stillness of Luke’s salvation story we find a loud and clamorous call to evangelism, to joyfully proclaim the good news of Jesus.

In 31 BC Cesar Augustus ascended to power in Rome. Historians regard this date as the beginning of the Roman Empire. Caesar Augustus ushered in a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity referred to as the Pax Romana. He issued a decree that everyone in the empire should be registered for the purpose of taxation. So a Jewish carpenter from the town of Nazareth went up to his hometown of Bethlehem in obedience to Caesar’s imperial decree, along with the young woman to whom he was engaged who was with child. While they were there the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to a son. None of this was coincidental or by chance. The eternal Son entered into human history at the perfect time, in the perfect place, according to the perfect and predetermined plan of God.

God had made some amazing promises by the angel Gabriel. He told a childless couple advanced in years that they would have a son. He told a young virgin that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit. This elicited praise. But what’s even more remarkable than promises made are promises kept. Luke records the fulfillment of God’s word with the birth of John the Baptist. Not only did God keep His word to Zechariah and Elizabeth, but to the people of Israel as well. Zechariah blesses God because the birth of John marked the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promised salvation. That’s a promise for us all; a promise we can live by.

After the angel Gabriel’s incredible announcement, Mary hurriedly went to visit her relative Elizabeth. Like a child on Christmas morning, Mary discovered all of the wonderful gifts God had bestowed upon her. She was truly blessed among women. Mary then poured out that blessing in a hymn of praise. Mary’s song reveals a profound and sometimes perplexing truth, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Mary was blessed because she was a willing vessel for God to magnify his greatness. God uses weak, lowly, overlooked people so that He might receive more praise. 

After 400 years of silence, God had burst into human history with the angelic announcement of John’s birth. While the news of John the Baptist’s miraculous conception was good, that of Jesus is even better. Luke’s salvation story builds as he introduces us to the Savior. By an act of divine grace, Mary would conceive and give birth to a son. God had miraculously opened the womb of barren women in times past. But never had anyone heard of a virgin birth. The angel Gabriel’s announcement to the virgin Mary along with her response introduces us to the fundamental character of our Savior and the fundamental characteristics of our salvation. In this salvation story we contribute nothing. We are saved when we humbly submit to God's amazing, miraculous grace.