The Spirit-Filled Son of God

All right, well, last Sunday we heard Luke, the gospel writer, telling us about John the

baptizer, and this is in Luke chapter 3.

Luke 3 · chapter mention

If you have your Bible, you can open it up to Luke chapter 3.

Luke 3 · chapter mention

And as we heard, John did not hesitate to rebuke people because of their sins and hypocrisy.

He didn't hesitate to tell them the hard and unpleasant truth that if they did not repent,

God's wrath would come upon them and they would face the unquenchable fire at the judgment.

But that wasn't all that John said.

He said God was willing to forgive them if they repented and that he was willing to wash

them or immerse them in the Holy Spirit through the powerful one coming after John.

And as I was thinking about this, I appreciate how John didn't just tell people what they

wanted to hear.

He told them what God had to say to them as the word of God came to him.

And eventually this landed John in some trouble.

From Luke chapter 3, verse 19, Luke tells us that when John rebuked Herod the Tetrarch

Luke 3:19

because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done,

Herod added this to them all.

He locked John up in prison.

If there was anyone that John might have been tempted to go easy on or to just, you know,

adjust the tone of his message a little bit for, probably it was Herod.

Herod was the ruler of the whole region of Galilee, the Tetrarch of Galilee.

And yet what did John say to Herod?

He told him to repent too.

He pointed out very specifically the sins of Herod, one of them being his immoral marriage.

And more than just that, he rebuked Herod because of that.

And Luke says all the other evil things he had done.

So John was very consistent.

I think we see in this just that, you know, had you or I been there,

John would not have hesitated to say the same sort of things to us too.

To shine the light on specific sins in our lives and call us to repent as well.

Well, Herod didn't like that, of course.

And so he locked John up in prison and this brought John's public ministry to an end.

But now Luke rewinds just a little bit and lets us know about something that happened before John was put in prison.

When people were still being baptized by John,

something very significant took place that we don't want to miss.

From verse 21.

When all the people were being baptized,

Jesus was baptized too.

And as he was praying,

heaven was opened

and the Holy Spirit descended on him

in bodily form

like a dove.

And a voice came from heaven.

You are my son

whom I love.

With you

I am well pleased.

So picture this in your mind.

John is down by the water's edge.

There's a crowd of people on the shore.

John is teaching.

People are responding and they're going forward.

They're walking down into the water with him.

They're confessing their sins to God.

And they're being baptized,

immersed in the water.

And then in the midst of all this,

a man goes forward.

But this time something totally different

takes place.

The parallel account in Matthew

gives us some other detail here.

According to Matthew,

there was an exchange between Jesus and John

in this moment.

John actually tried to deter

Jesus from being baptized.

He said to Jesus,

I need to be baptized by you.

And do you come to me?

So John knew who Jesus was.

John knew

that this baptism

and what it represented

forgiveness,

repentance,

cleansing for sins,

John knew that this did not apply

to Jesus.

It made more sense

in John's mind

for Jesus

to come out there

and baptize

John

in that moment.

And yet Matthew

tells us that Jesus said

it's right

for us to do this.

Matthew chapter 3

Matthew 3:15

verse 15,

Jesus replied,

let it be so now.

It is proper for us

to do this,

to fulfill

all righteousness.

So Jesus

neither Jesus

nor God

in heaven

was worried

about the people there

getting the wrong idea

about Jesus

in this moment

because as we just read,

something amazing

happens

after Jesus

is baptized

that is just

shockingly

different

than with everyone else.

Continuing on

in Matthew,

it says there

in verse 16,

as soon as Jesus

was baptized,

he went up

out of the water.

A careful reading

of this might suggest

that Jesus

was first

immersed

in the water

and then

he was on his way

up out of

the river

when something

spectacular

took place.

Matthew

in his account

says,

at that moment

heaven

was opened

and he saw

the spirit

of God

descending

like a dove

and alighting

on him.

At that moment

heaven

was opened.

Can you imagine

this?

According to Mark

who

has the same

thing in his

gospel,

as Jesus

was coming up

out of the water,

he saw heaven

being torn

open

and the spirit

descending

on him

like a dove,

being torn

open.

Luke

tells us

that at this

moment

Jesus

was praying

and as

he was

praying

heaven

was opened

and the

Holy Spirit

descended

on him

in bodily

form

like a dove.

So picture

this,

Jesus

has just

been baptized,

he's now

beginning to

walk up

out of the

water

towards

the shore

and he's

praying

when all

of a sudden

it looks

as if

the sky

is ripped

open

overhead

and out

of this

tear

in the sky

comes

the Holy

Spirit

of God.

Matthew,

Mark,

and Luke

all say

that the

Spirit of

God

came down

upon

Jesus

like a

dove.

In

Matthew

and in

Mark,

like a

dove

seems to

describe

the manner

in which

the Spirit

descended.

Something like

fluttering

gently

downwards,

slow,

gentle,

gracious.

Here in

Luke,

like a

dove

seems to

describe

the outward

visible

form

of the

Spirit.

Spirit.

And there's

two

understandings

of this.

I mean,

some kind

of take

this quite

literally,

in bodily

form,

like a

dove,

meaning

that the

Spirit

actually

resembled

a

dove.

This is

maybe

what people

saw,

only it

wasn't

a dove,

it was

the Spirit.

Others,

including

myself,

stress that

this is the

language of

simile,

like a

dove,

in bodily

form,

like a

dove,

not meaning

that he

was a

dove,

but that

he was

dove-like

in appearance,

manner,

in the way

he came

down out of

the tear

in the

sky,

and in

the way

that he

came to

rest upon

Jesus,

perhaps also

in color,

movement,

and shape,

dove-like.

As I read

this,

my imagination

conceives of

something maybe

a little more

like this,

exactly how

it looked.

We weren't

there,

so we

didn't see

it.

But can

you imagine

this?

What an

amazing thing

it must have

been for

those who

witnessed

this.

Jesus'

hair dripping

wet,

his mouth

moving with

prayer to

God,

and the

sky seems

to open

up,

and the

Spirit of

God

himself comes

down from

above gently

and gracefully

and rests

upon him.

And then in

that same

instant,

your ears

come alive

with the

sound of

a great

voice.

And a

voice came

from heaven,

you are

my son

whom I

love.

With you

I am

well pleased.

God

himself

speaks

from heaven

in an

audible

voice as

all this

is taking

place.

according to

both Mark

and Luke,

God speaks

directly to

Jesus.

You are

my son.

This is

amazing.

This message

is primarily

for Jesus.

These words

are for

him.

And what

is God

saying to

Jesus?

these are

the words

of family

relationship,

affectionate

family

relationship.

You are

my son.

I love

you.

I'm

pleased with

you.

I'm delighted

with you.

There's this

kind of

deep,

mysterious,

joyful

relationship

happening

here that

the people

witnessed.

nobody

else's

baptism

had this

happen

after it.

This

was

unique.

There's

also a

sense in

which these

words were

spoken not

only for

Jesus,

but also

for the

people.

Matthew

seems to

emphasize this

in his

description of

God's

words.

It's as

if with

these words

God was

saying to

the people,

this is

my son.

And so

part of the

point of

all this

is for

the people

who were

there to

understand

just who

Jesus is.

I want

you to

know,

says God,

this is

my son.

I love

him dearly.

I'm

delighted

with him.

And I

would suggest

to you

that this

is why

Luke is

careful to

include this

in his

record of

all that

happened

with Jesus.

Up until

this point,

we've seen

all kinds

of different

signs.

We've

seen

angels

visiting

Zachariah

and Mary

and the

shepherds

and we've

heard wonderful

messages from

them.

there's

been

miraculous

conceptions

of John

and even

more

miraculous

of Jesus.

There were

the prophetic

words

spoken by

Elizabeth,

Mary,

Zachariah,

Simeon,

Anna.

There was

the sign

of how

Jesus'

birth ended

up in this

town that

wasn't where

they lived,

which fulfilled

prophecy and

confirmed his

ancestry.

Luke's told

us about

the sign

of how

wise and

understanding

Jesus was,

even as a

12-year-old

boy,

discussing

things at

the temple

with the

teachers.

And now

there's this

great sign

of John,

the son of

Zachariah,

preaching in

the wilderness

and calling

people back

to God

and saying

to them,

there's

somebody

amazing

coming,

somebody so

worthy,

somebody so

powerful.

And now

this awesome

sign that

this Jesus,

the son of

Mary,

is the

son of

God.

God

himself

speaks from

heaven

audibly.

you are

my son.

We've got

the visuals,

the spirit

descending

upon Jesus.

Think about

this.

God is

making it

as clear

as it

can be

for us.

Up until

now,

he's spoken

through angels,

prophets,

both men

and women,

and in

case we

missed all

of that

or in

case we

doubt

those

messengers,

God now

removes the

messengers

altogether

for an

instant and

speaks directly

to the

people who

are there.

You are

my son.

This is

my son.

And he

gives them

this spectacular

thing to see

and to hear

so that there's

no doubt.

Do you see

this sign?

Do you

believe it?

From here,

Luke is

now going

to shift

from telling

us about

John's

ministry

to telling

us all

exclusively

about Jesus

and what

happened with

him during

this very

public and

well-known

time of

his ministry.

But we

should stop

here for

today.

I debated

whether we

should go

into the

genealogy of

Jesus, which

is listed

next, but

I thought,

no, we'll

save that

for next

week.

Genealogies.

Let's stop

here for

today.

Let's ponder

the significance

just a little

bit of the

Spirit of

God coming

down upon

Jesus.

What does

this mean?

What is

this all

about?

We've

already talked

about how

it's a clear

sign that

Jesus is

the Son

of God,

but what's

the significance

of the Spirit

of God

coming down

upon the

Son of

God?

Think back

to Old

Testament

times.

When the

Spirit of

God came

upon a

person,

amazing and

wonderful things

usually followed.

For Samson,

it was

superhuman

strength.

For Solomon,

it was

unrivaled

wisdom.

For Elijah,

it was the

ability to

perform great

miracles.

angels,

and for

the many

prophets of

the Lord,

it was this

ability to

hear and

speak the

very words

of God.

And so

for all who

witnessed this

that day and

who are aware

of all those

things written

in the

scriptures,

expectations

should be

high.

God is

God about

to do

or say

through this

man,

through Jesus.

Not only

that, but

several

prophecies

spoken by the

prophet Isaiah

specifically tell

us to watch

for a coming

man upon

whom God's

spirit rests.

Let me

remind us of

a few of

them this

morning.

Isaiah

Isaiah 11:1

11,

verse

1.

A

shoot

will come

up from

the stump

of Jesse,

that's the

father of

David.

From his

roots a

branch will

bear fruit.

The

spirit of

the Lord

will rest

on him.

The

spirit of

wisdom and

of understanding,

the spirit

of counsel

and of

might,

the spirit

of the

knowledge

and fear

of the

Lord.

And he

will delight

in the

fear of

the Lord.

He will

not judge

by what he

sees with

his eyes

or decide

by what he

sees with

by what he

hears with

his ears.

But with

righteousness

he will

judge the

needy.

With

justice

he will

give

decisions

for the

poor

of the

earth.

And it

goes on.

There's

coming a

man

descended

from

Jesse.

That's

the father

of King

David.

And what's

special about

this man

besides the

truly awesome

things that

Isaiah says

that he

will do

is that

the spirit

of the

Lord God

will rest

on him.

And Isaiah

points out

with poetic

parallelism

some of

what that

means.

It means

that this

son of

Jesse

will be

filled

with the

wisdom

and understanding

of God.

He will

be filled

with the

counsel

of God.

He will

wield the

power and

might of

God.

By the

spirit he

will have a

true knowledge

of God

and a

proper fear

of God.

So even

700 years

prior to

the birth

of Jesus

God has

told his

people to

watch for

and expect

a man

descended

from Jesse

who will

have the

spirit of

God upon

him.

And now

God here

at Jesus

baptism

God is

making it

clear.

This

is that

one.

Jesus

my son.

Another

one from

Isaiah

Isaiah 42 · chapter mention

chapter 42.

This is

God speaking

through Isaiah.

God says

here is

my servant

whom I

uphold

my chosen

one in

whom I

delight.

I will

put my

spirit on

him and

he will

bring justice

to the

nations.

Again,

God speaking

through Isaiah

tells his

people to

watch for

his coming

servant,

his chosen

one.

And notice

how this

coming servant

is described.

My chosen

one in

whom I

delight.

It's the

same thing

God just

said to

Jesus,

with you

I am

well pleased,

delighted.

I will

put my

spirit on

him.

God said

through

Isaiah

700 years

before this.

And now

here,

what are we

witnessing but

God putting

his spirit

on

Jesus,

his son.

According to

this chapter

of Isaiah,

it's through

the spirit of

God that

Jesus will

bring justice

and show

compassion

to the

weak and

give light

to the

nations and

open eyes

that are

blind and

free captives

from prison.

As we'll

see in a few

weeks' time,

it's through

the spirit of

God upon

Jesus that

he will

proclaim good

news and

freedom to

the poor

and to the

oppressed.

So this

is huge.

The spirit

of God

coming down

like this

upon Jesus

is God

saying so

much more

than just

this is my

beloved son.

It's God

saying my

chosen servant

is here.

The son of

Jesse has

come.

I'm about

to speak to

you.

I'm about

to reveal

to you from

the depths of

my own

wisdom and

understanding.

I'm about

to counsel

you through

this one

like never

before so

that you

know me,

so that you

fear me

as you

ought to.

And even

more than

that, this

is the one

through whom

I will bring

justice to

the nations.

God is

saying a lot

through this

clear and

visible giving

of his spirit

to Jesus.

we're going

to see the

power of

God flowing

through Jesus

like through

no one

ever before

as we

continue on

through the

story in

Luke.

Do you

see the

signs which

God is

giving to

make it

clear?

We're now

going to move

into celebrating

the Lord's

table.

And as we

do, I want

to anchor our

approach to

the table in

this wonderful

truth that's

expressed by

John.

It comes from

1 John

1 John 4:9

chapter 4

verses 9

and 10.

The second

half of this

verse, this

passage, verse

10, is actually

printed on the

wall out in

the foyer

there.

Let me read

this for us.

this is how

God showed

his love

among us.

He sent

his one

and only

son

into the

world

that we

might live

through him.

This

is love.

Not that we

loved God,

but that he

loved us

and sent

his

son

as an

atoning

sacrifice

for our

sins.

This is

where the

story of

Jesus

eventually

goes.

It goes

to the

cross

where

Jesus

suffered

and died,

where the

son of

God

died

in order

to atone

for our

sins.

is love.

This is

how that

forgiveness

being offered

by John

is made

possible

for those

who repent

and believe.

It comes

through the

sacrificial

atoning

sacrifice

of

Jesus

at the

cross.

John

reminds us

that the

son of

God

has come

because

God

is

love.

So each

month

we remember

that.

We remember

that our

forgiveness

was purchased

by the

body

and blood

of Jesus

which was

broken

and poured

out

as he

died

on the

cross.

in keeping

with what

Jesus told

his followers

to do

we remember

that by

eating

bread

which represents

his body

and drinking

grape juice

which represents

his blood.

It's a

special meal

by which we

reflect

on God's

great love.

love.

Though we

are sinners

God has

made a

way

for us

to be

washed

clean.

Our

guilt

taken

away.

Our

sins

forgiven.

Our

relationship

to God

restored.

Life

given

to us.

and it

all comes

through

Jesus

the

son

of

God.

And so

we're going

to eat

and drink

again in

remembrance

of him.

I'll have

the elders

come up

and pass

out the

elements in

a couple

moments

here.

And if

you're here

and you

have

repented

and believed

in Jesus

then I want

to invite

you to

partake

with us.

This is

your

remembrance

too.

If

not

please

just

allow

the

bread

and

the

cup

to

pass

you

by.

We'll

take

the

next

minute

or so

to

just

reflect

to

pray

and

then

the

elders

will

come

forward

and

they'll

serve

the

bread

and

the

cup.

We'll

wait

until

everybody

has

been

served

and

then

we'll

eat

and

drink

together

in

unison

after

I

pray

!

give

thanks.