Luke 3:21 - 4:30

And I'm going to turn to Luke chapter 3. Luke chapter 3. I'm going to look at that passage that we read together. It's on page 1030.

Luke 3 · chapter mention Luke 3 · chapter mention

Stick it in your Bibles. And so we're going to jump around quite a bit this morning.

Now, when you come to a passage like this, there are two approaches really that you could take.

And one we could call it the about me approach. And if you do that, you can get two sermons out of it.

The first sermon would focus really on verses 21 and 22. And it would be about the importance of being baptized.

And the first point would be from verse 21. Well, we should be baptized because Jesus is baptized.

Point two would come from verse 22. There's a threefold blessing that comes to those who are baptized.

There's a special touch of the Holy Spirit. There's a knowledge of the love of God. And there's the pleasure of God.

And then you could skip the genealogy, couldn't you? You could skip that from verse 23, really, to 37.

And go straight to chapter 4, verses 114. Genealogies are a bit like appendix, aren't they?

Very often people think, well, they're best totally ignored or even removed completely.

And that's what people think about genealogies.

So we come to our second sermon in chapter 4.

And it would be a three-pointer. It would be a strategy for avoiding temptation.

The point in verse 1 would be, be filled with the Holy Spirit.

And then the second then would be, from verse 2, be alert in times of weakness.

Jesus was hungry.

And then point 3 would be, immersed in the Bible. Jesus quotes the Bible.

And the conclusion to that three-point sermon, be filled with the Spirit, be alert in times of weakness, and quote lots of the Bible,

would be, if you follow that procedure, the devil will leave you, verse 13.

Now, any of that, some of that, very little of that, is true.

But there are sermons out there like that.

But let me tell you, I am absolutely convinced that that has got nothing to do with Luke 3 and 4.

Except in a very broad sense that we might come back to.

And the passage, although I talked about the Trinity in verse 22,

the passage is not actually a theological discourse on the Trinity.

There's lots of reformed preachers that take it like that.

What is Luke about?

Luke is about God.

The Gospel of Luke is about God and his purpose for the whole world.

Through John the Baptist and Jesus, Luke's project is to give us certainty about these things, isn't it?

That is why Luke has written the book.

Just flip back to Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

He has written to give Theophilus, this guy, an orderly account,

so that, verse 4, you may know the certainty of things that you've been taught.

It's not about how great baptism is.

It's not a doctrinal treatise on the Trinity.

It's not about a handy way to resist temptation.

To take it that way throws us back on technique or ritual rather than Jesus.

So the second approach I want to take this morning,

is the first approach it's about me,

and the second approach is it's all about Jesus.

It's about Jesus.

The reason why I'm taking a bigger chunk this morning is there's one big theme.

There's one big theme that unites the whole chapter,

and it flows from the earlier chapters of Luke.

Now John has just finished his work of preparation,

but in verse 20, Herod has locked him up.

Herod has put him in prison.

In verse 21, Jesus makes his first public appearance.

And our section here, from 321 to 413,

is concerned with Jesus' preparation, if I can put it like that.

Preparation for the start of his public ministry in the synagogue.

So from 14, verse 4, you see Jesus comes out in public.

He starts to teach.

Now, crassly, if you want to put it like this,

this section is a little bit like when you've left home,

and you've gone off to university,

or you're faffing around doing little jobs,

before you get your professional qualifications,

and you start your job proper.

Your career.

That is a crass description of what is going on.

But that is what is going on.

It is about the qualifications of Jesus to do the job.

To do the job he's called to do.

So what is the big theme of the passage?

You don't need to be a rocket scientist, do you?

Look down at the theme.

It is there.

It is Jesus, the Son of God.

So verse 22, you are my Son.

Verse 23 to 37 seems to have one big theme, doesn't it?

Which I think you can guess.

And the devil, verse 3 and verse 9.

It's there, isn't it?

That's the theme.

The climax of the baptism.

You are my Son.

The genealogy.

It is concerned with what?

Fatherhood?

No, it's not concerned with fatherhood.

It is all concerned with sonship.

And it comes to conclusion with the great declaration,

the Son of Adam, the Son of God.

Jesus is the Son of Adam, the Son of God.

And then as we move into chapter 4,

where does the devil attack?

His challenge is once again on the sonhood of Jesus.

So in verse 3 and in verse 9.

And it's been there right since, this theme has been there right since the beginning of Luke's Gospel.

So it just came back to chapter 1, verse 35.

The angel answered to Mary and said,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

Now we should expect, shouldn't we, as we read Luke's Gospel,

the connectedness.

Because we know, don't we, as we've just seen from Luke 1,

that Luke isn't writing randomly.

He's not writing a memoir of just different memories.

He is writing an orderly account.

So if our passage is about the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God,

what does it say about it?

Now we're going to jump around a little bit, a lot more than we usually do.

So tuck that piece of paper into Luke 3 as a bookmark.

That is base camp, alright?

My first point is this,

Jesus is the unique Son of God.

Jesus is the unique Son of God.

How are we to understand the baptism of Jesus?

Well, the best way to understand the baptism of Jesus

is to let the Bible,

and particularly let Luke himself,

interpret it for us.

We allow the Bible, don't we?

The Bible is a self-interpreting book.

It helps us.

If it is God who is speaking,

there is no higher authority for interpreting it.

We must allow God to interpret his own words.

Now how does Luke record the words of Jesus?

And the apostles,

so that we can understand this baptism?

Accompanied, isn't it,

by the visible descent of the Holy Spirit,

and the audible voice of God the Father.

So look at chapter 4 and verse 18.

Jesus speaks himself.

Jesus says,

as he begins his public ministry,

chapter 4 and verse 18,

the Spirit of the Lord is on me.

It's a reference back, isn't it?

To the baptism.

Because he has anointed me.

And he goes on to describe his task.

The baptism is an anointing for Jesus' work.

Now let's go to Acts chapter 10.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Right?

Acts chapter 10,

Acts 10 · chapter mention

which is on page 1104.

Page 1104.

Let's hear the sound of leaves rustling.

Alright?

Acts chapter 10,

Acts 10 · chapter mention

and verse 37 and 38.

Peter is speaking.

And he's preaching after the first Gentiles have believed the gospel.

And this is what he says.

He says,

You know what has happened throughout Judea,

beginning in Galilee,

after the baptism that John preached.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.

So Luke,

in both volumes,

he wrote Acts,

records Jesus and Peter saying about the reception of the Spirit at his baptism,

it is about an anointing.

So the question is,

what kind of anointing is it?

And the answer lies in Luke chapter 3,

Luke 3:22

verse 22.

You are my son,

whom I love.

With you I am well pleased.

Now we've become youth to this in Luke's gospel as we've read it.

But what Luke does is really interesting.

He doesn't quote in full and exactly passages from the Old Testament.

But he echoes.

He echoes in order to set up lots of connections.

So as we read Luke's gospel,

we think,

that reminds me,

that echoes,

that echoes.

Always follow those trains of thought if you can.

Alright?

There are two main connections,

two main echoes here.

So the first is in Psalm 2.

Okay?

Let's go there.

Psalm 2.

Which is on page 543.

Page 543.

What happens in Psalm 2?

I hope you know it.

The earthly rulers,

they get together and they plan

and they conspire against God,

against the Lord.

And against who else?

The Son.

The Anointed One.

And in verse 6 of Psalm 2,

God has installed this king,

his son,

on Zion,

my holy hill.

And God addresses,

he speaks to this king,

in verse 7.

And he says to them,

he says to him,

he said to me,

you are my son.

Today I have become your father.

And again in verse 12,

this king,

this anointed king,

is described as God's son.

And it makes total sense

against the background

of the Old Testament.

Where God's king

is anointed as a prophet

to speak the words of God.

And he receives the Holy Spirit

to do his job.

So let's go further back.

Let's go back to 1 Samuel,

1 Samuel 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16.

1 Samuel,

1 Samuel 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16.

When I get there,

I'll tell you the page number.

It's page 287.

Page 287.

1 Samuel,

1 Samuel 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16,

and verse 13.

Samuel is anointing

king David.

So Samuel took the horn of oil,

his horn containing oil,

and anointed him,

poured it upon him,

in the presence of his brothers.

And from that day on,

the Spirit of the Lord

came upon David

in power.

So back to Luke chapter 3.

Luke 3 · chapter mention

Can you see the same pattern?

John

baptises Jesus,

who receives the Spirit,

and is called God's son.

So the baptism of Jesus

is a coronation ceremony.

The anointing ceremony.

The baptism of Jesus

is where he is publicly anointed

as God's ruler

and king.

Now let's deal with the other echo.

Okay?

Maybe it's not such a clear echo to you,

but it's there.

It's in Isaiah chapter 42,

Isaiah 42 · chapter mention

and verse 1.

Okay?

Isaiah chapter 42,

Isaiah 42 · chapter mention

and verse 1.

Which is on page 727.

Maybe you're thinking,

I don't know my way around

the Bible very well.

Now is a great time to start,

isn't it?

Alright?

They can teach you the song

in Club 16.

Isaiah 42,

and verse 1.

It's on page 727.

And the prophet Isaiah

begins to speak

about his servant.

And these chapters

unfold what it's going to mean

for the servant of the Lord.

And he reveals

that he will be the one

who will suffer

and die in the place

of God's people.

And the New Testament

is very, very clear

that the suffering servant

is Jesus of Nazareth.

And so the prophet Isaiah,

speaking on behalf of God,

said,

Here is my servant

whom I behold,

my chosen one

in whom I delight.

I will put my spirit

on him.

And he will bring justice

to the nations.

Can you hear the echoes?

You are my son

whom I love.

With you I'm well pleased.

God's king, Jesus,

is also his servant

who will ultimately

suffer for the salvation

of his people.

And God has put

his spirit upon him.

Luke 3

is all about

Jesus

as God's suffering

servant king.

Now,

if you were here

last week,

you may remember

John's task for Jesus.

So let's just go back

to that in Luke 3.

And in verse 17 to 18,

there's that great passage

of what Jesus will do.

His winnowing fork,

that fork is in his hand

to clear his threshing floor

and to gather the wheat

into his barn.

But he will burn up

the chaff

with unquenchable fire.

He's going to sort out

who are his

and who are not.

And with many

other words,

John exhorted the people

and preached the good news

to them.

Although verse 17

doesn't sound like

good news to us.

But Jesus is saying,

Luke is saying,

how can he be the one

who separates the wheat

from the chaff?

How can he be the one

who delivers God's people?

And baptizes them

with the Holy Spirit.

And yet,

on the other hand,

judges those who refuse

to come to him.

And he consigns them

to everlasting fire.

Who is Jesus?

How can anybody on earth

have claimed

to have that kind of right?

Well,

you've got to understand

his identity,

haven't you?

Verses 17 and 18

set up the end

of chapter 3

and the start of chapter 4.

I searched for an illustration

for this,

but I really struggle

with it.

The only illustration

I can give you,

I was at

Cardiff Amherst Park

once before the

Millennium Stadium

watching the Army

seconds play the Navy

or something ridiculous

like that.

I don't know why I was,

I can't remember

why I was there.

But I was watching this game,

it's quite a good game,

it was one of those games

where you really

couldn't care less

who won,

you tried to work out

how many friends

you've got in the Army

or the Navy.

But there was,

at one point,

a streaker

who ran on the pitch.

There were only

about 300 people there,

but the military police

were there.

I was thinking,

what on earth

are the military police

doing at Cardiff Amherst Park

in a rugby game?

And the military police

ran on the pitch,

tackled him

like they should,

quite roughly,

and man-armed him

off the pitch.

Anyway,

what were the military police

doing at Cardiff Amherst Park?

Surely the military police,

their domain

is only

on a military base,

isn't it?

Well,

that's what I thought.

But the person

saying next to me

told me that,

bizarrely,

they could police

rugby matches

played by the Army

and Navy.

You see,

it's a rubbish illustration,

really,

but what it's saying to you

is it's saying

the domain of their authority

was far greater

than I imagined.

I thought they could

only have authority

on the Army base,

but it turns out

they can have authority

where,

I can't remember

exactly where,

but they could certainly

have it on that rugby pitch.

And that is Jesus.

His authority

is far,

far greater

than you and I think.

The domain

of His authority

is far greater

than you and I think.

Their identity

of those military policemen,

it covered them

to do the job

in a far,

far greater way

than I thought.

And this identity

of Jesus

as the unique

Son of God

equips him

for this task

of baptising

the faithful

with the Holy Spirit

and baptising

the unfaithful

with fire.

He has authority

as God's Son

to do it.

He is the final ruler

of heaven and earth

and He has the ability

as the suffering servant

to deliver His people

from the unquenchable

fires of judgment

to the fire

that will never end.

And in being baptised

He demonstrates

His commitment

to God's purpose.

So it's saying to you

trust Jesus.

Trust Jesus

because He is

thoroughly equipped

for spirit

and fire

baptism.

You've got no reason

to doubt Him

this morning.

If He is God's

unique Son

He can do

all that He's asked

to do.

He can rule

the nations.

He can sift

the wheat

from the chaff.

But equally

do not pass Him

off lightly.

Don't pass Him

off as a naive

teacher of the

pre-modern age.

Luke tells us

Jesus is the

unique Son

of God

who has come

to rule

His rightful

domain.

But Luke

wants us to know

more about the

nature of the

Son of God.

So secondly

let's look at the

second part of our

passage and see

that Jesus is the

obedient Son of God.

Verse 23

to chapter 4

verse 13.

Jesus is the

obedient Son

of God.

Now we've seen

echoes of this

already before in

Luke.

It's exciting.

The genealogy

it's not an

appendix is it?

That you either

ignore or you

remove.

The genealogy is

absolutely crucial

to God's purposes.

Genealogies in the

Bible do not

function as

precise family

trees.

So as you look

at the genealogies

in Matthew and

Luke and other

places they are

chopped and

arranged to make

particular points.

So let's just

imagine for a

moment that I

was going to

try and establish

the purity of

the Welsh line

in my blood.

I'm from Wales

but let's try and

imagine we were

going to establish

the purity of

the Welsh line

in my blood.

Well if we were

going to write a

genealogy of that

and draw up a

big family tree

there are certain

things that would

have to go

wouldn't there?

My father is

English and so

Jewish and so

that whole family

line would have

to go.

Let's say my

great grandfather

was married three

times.

Well you would

choose wouldn't

you the wife

that best preserves

the Welsh blood

and excludes the

other two.

My mother tells

me that there is

a distant relative

on her side who

was born in

Monmouth which

isn't really Wales

at all and so

we'd get rid of

him.

We'd exclude him.

The point is

not precision

but to establish

the point you're

after.

Now Luke is

precise in this

genealogy he

gives us but

that isn't what

we should be

reading him for.

When you come

to genealogies

you've got to

think what is

the point that's

being taught

here.

So here it's

obvious isn't

it?

It's got a

climax.

Verse 38.

Can you see

it?

The son of

Seth.

The son of

Adam.

The son of

God.

Who is

Jesus?

Draw the

family tree.

Follow the

line.

He is the

son of

Adam.

The son of

God.

Now how

can that

be?

Well the

account of

his temptation

explains what

Luke is up

to.

And to

understand it

we've got to

plunge right back

into the Old

Testament.

So this is the

most exciting

part of the

sermon.

Let's go back

into the Old

Testament.

Let's go to

Genesis chapter

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

2.

The thumb in

Luke 3.

Genesis chapter

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

2.

Now you know

this.

Genesis 2

Genesis 2:16

verses 16

and 17.

They're in the

garden aren't

they?

And what

happens?

God puts

Adam on

probation.

Call it

a covenant

of works.

God puts

Adam on

probation.

And in

chapter 2

verse 16

he says

Adam you are

free to

eat from

any tree

in the

garden.

But you

must not

eat from

the tree

of the

knowledge

of good

and evil

for when

you eat

of it

you will

surely

die.

Looks like

the three

comes along

doesn't it?

And we

know what

happens.

The devil

comes in

the form

of a

serpent

and he

tempts

Adam

and Eve

and they

give in.

And Adam

and Eve

choose to

disobey

God.

And God

curses them

and he

exiles them

from the

garden and

his presence.

And so

Luke

Luke wants

to present

Jesus as

another Adam.

Another

son of God

who will be

tempted by

the devil.

And he won't

be tempted in

the garden of

Eden where

everything was

going for him.

Where everything

spoke to him

about the

goodness of

God.

Where everything

pointed him

to keep being

obedient because

of the perfect

environment that

God has provided

you.

No, he is

tempted in

the wilderness.

And yet he

doesn't

disobey.

He doesn't

give in.

He is the

son of God

isn't he?

Like Adam

who was

tempted by

the devil but

this time

he was

obedient.

Can you see

how major

the issue

is in

chapter 4?

The whole

of human

history hangs

on this

encounter.

But as we

come to

chapter 4 we

discover another

dimension.

To Luke

the count.

There's

echoes out

there.

Echoes,

echoes,

echoes.

So the

experience of

Jesus is

deliberately

described in

terms that

would remind

them of

Adam but

even more

so would

remind them

of Israel's

experience.

So Jesus

finds himself

in the

desert near

the Jordan.

Ring any

bells?

And the

number 40

is used.

Ring any

bells?

It's used to

evoke in

verse 2

memories of

Israel's 40

years in

the wilderness.

And also

when Jesus

speaks to

the devil

of course

he's speaking

the Bible

but where

in the

Bible?

Deuteronomy

6-8.

So look with

me at

verses 3

and 4

of chapter

4.

What is

going on?

If I

spoke to

you

if I

said to

you this

morning

in a

Scottish

accent

there's

been a

murder

there's

been a

murder

what would

that remind

you of?

Anybody

tell me?

Taggart

isn't it?

Alex

Ferguson

No,

Taggart

isn't it?

If I

spoke to

you in

Elizabeth

Beethan

English

and I

started

mentioning

daggers

and ghosts

and blood

and Scotland

I would

be alluding

to Macbeth.

We do

that don't

we?

People do

that in

comedy shows

or in

films.

They allude

to something

by the way

that they

speak.

If I

was

putting on

an

American

accent

and I

had a

big brown

overcoat

and I

said

just one

more thing.

Who would

I be

alluding

to?

Columbo.

If I

could think

of any

more

international

applications

I would

be speaking

of

and that

is what

is happening

here.

The

illusions

of chapter

4 drive

us back

to Deuteronomy

6-8.

How do we

understand the

temptation of

the Son of

God to

turn the

stone into

bread?

Is

Satan

hitting a

hungry man

where it

hurts?

Well let's

go to the

Old Testament

and let's

go to Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8.

I think this

is the last

one.

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8.

It's on

page 187.

And Moses

says to the

people,

I read from

verse 2,

Moses says to

the people,

page 187,

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8,

remember how

the Lord your

God led you

all the way

in the desert

these 40

years to

humble you

and to

test you

in order to

know what

was in your

heart.

whether or

not you

would keep

his commands.

He humbled

you causing

you to

hunger and

feeding you

with manna

which neither

you or your

fathers have

known to

teach you

that man

does not

live on

bread alone

but every

word that

comes from

the mouth

of God.

Your clothes

did not wear

out and your

feet did not

swell during

those 40

years.

Know then in

your heart

that as a

man disciplines

his son so

the Lord your

God disciplines

you.

What's

happening in

chapter 4

of Luke 4?

In the Old

Testament God

made his

people hungry

to test

them and to

teach them

that they

should depend

on God's

word as he

calls them

once again

as his son.

So the devil

attacks Jesus

the son of

God.

It is an

attack on his

obedience and

his trust in

God.

So when Satan

asks Jesus to

worship him

in verse 7

and he tests

God in

verse 9

Jesus responds

with an answer

from Deuteronomy

6 to 9.

He responds

with an answer

that a faithful

Israelite would

have given

in those days.

We know

don't we?

We know the

tragic story of

Israel in the

Old Testament.

We know

tragically that

Israel desired

bread more

than they

desired God's

word.

They worship

other gods

than the true

God and they

constantly test

him.

And we know

that we do

that too.

Israel

failed

God's

test.

Israel just

like Adam

failed

God's

test.

And they

experienced

God's curse

and exile.

But all of us

have experienced

that too.

And so John

the Baptist

at the beginning

of Luke's

gospel in

chapter 3

which we

looked at

last week

quotes the

prophet Isaiah

to say

that Jesus

now comes

to deliver

his people

from exile.

Jesus

Luke wants

you and I

to know

is the

second Adam

or the

last Adam.

Jesus is

the true

Israel.

Jesus is

the true

son of God.

And when

he is

tested

he triumphs

through

obedience.

Adam was

tested and

failed.

Israel was

tested and

failed.

Jesus was

tested and

succeeds.

In verse

30 of

chapter 4

in Luke's

gospel when

the devil had

finished all

this tempting

he left him

until an

opportune

time.

He succeeds.

And that

brings you and

I enormous

comfort this

morning.

If we

trust in

Jesus.

If we're

believers.

Because you

and I are

very much

aware of

our sin

and our

failure

aren't

we?

Before

God.

And we

face

temptation

to sin

and we

give in.

And maybe

this morning

you are

weary of

giving in

to temptation.

And you're

wondering is

it worth

to continue

struggling

on?

Now let

me ask

you what

is your

security

when you

fall

prey to

temptation?

Do you

do

whether

you

want

to

admit

it

or

not?

What is

your

security

then?

What do

you do?

It's a great

test of our

Christianity and

our Christian

war.

What do

you do

when you

fall into

sin?

Do we

resolve not

to do it

again?

You think

I was

tired.

Next time

when the

temptation

comes I'm

going to be

more alert.

And it

won't happen.

Well if

that's been

your strategy

so far

you know

as well

as I

do

the sense

of utter

despair

that when

you are

most alert

you still

give in

to certain

temptations.

And the

comfort which

Luke gives

to you and

I this

morning is

not to

develop some

kind of

technique

from chapter

four but

it is the

certainty that

Jesus the

unique son of

God is

also the

totally

obedient son

of God.

And we

trust him

in our

fight against

sin.

And far

from rushing

for the

latest

technique

we hide

in the

obedience

of Jesus.

And the

answer to

your struggle

with temptation

and my

struggle as we

struggle with

it with our

whole lives

is to

realise

just how

great

Jesus is.

That is the

answer.

And maybe

we've got a

very small

view of

Jesus.

And that

is why

we so

often go

back to

techniques

or our

own

resolve.

Hand-me-down

ways of

handling

temptation.

And the

answer is to

realise just

how great

Jesus is.

That he is

the unique

son of

God.

He is the

unique and

obedient son

of God.

And the

answer to a

great temptation

is a

great Jesus.

Jesus.

A great

Jesus who

has been

completely

obedient.

But if

that is

true for

those of

us this

morning who

call ourselves

Christians,

it's got to

be true for

those who

don't call

yourself a

Christian.

Maybe you're

listening and

you think,

well what has

this got to

do with me?

And you're

too aware that

you, well

you are very

aware, aren't

you?

You're aware

that you do

things that you

don't want to

do.

And you're

aware in your

life as we

all are that

you can't do

things that you

want to do.

And maybe

there's a sense

isn't there,

you've reached

that point in

your life where

there's a sense

of slavery

at work in

you.

Now how do

you deal

with that?

Well you

probably know

don't you by

now that you

cannot deal

with that

yourself.

You can go

to counselling

and go to

the shrimp

but that will

not deal

with it.

Here is

God's solution

in Luke's

Gospel and

it is more

amazing than

you can ever

imagine.

God's unique

son, his

anointed ruler

and suffering

servant comes

and he lives

a life of

perfect obedience

and he offers

that life to

God on your

behalf at the

end of the

Gospel.

And trust

him and you

can be certain

God will

forgive you.

And you will

not undergo

the baptism of

fire which is

promised in

verse 17 of

chapter 3 but

you will be

baptized with

the Holy

Spirit into

the very

life of

God which

he promises

to those who

trust him.

So the

small answer

at the end

of this

Bible chasing

that we've

done this

morning,

the small

message is

this,

trust

Jesus.

Trust

Jesus.

Jesus.

To every

single one

of us.

However you

would describe

your relationship

with God,

trust Jesus.

Because it is

only his

obedience

which is

adequate

to cover

your

disobedience.

obedience.

It is

only his

unique

son.

As the

unique

obedient

son of

God.

That alone

is adequate

to cover

you.

As you

find yourself

cursed and

exiled from

God outside

of him.

Because we

too like

Adam and

like Israel

have failed

the test.

Trust Jesus

and in

him know

the

certainty

of

forgiveness.

And in

Robin

Weeks

gives

this

illustration

Gresham

Meech

is the

great

theologian

in the

1920s

started

Westminster

Salmonie.

He was

on his

deathbed

and he

telegrammed

his friend

and colleague

John Murray

and his

words were

the active

obedience

of Christ

no hope

without it.

There is

no hope

without the

active

obedience

of Christ.

Let's

go.