The Blessing

Jesus is essentially receiving from his father. This commendation call it up and ordination as his private life as his public ministry is now about begin in God the father here and in human terms.

Think that's what sort of cheering them on. This is your mission and I want to know that even before you begin that all plot and sheer words for you already. Please fathers sometimes give a blessing to their children.

Potential grooms might ask the bride's father for a blessing in the Bible God gives one particular blessing. That's not only recorded in history but sets the stage for history. What words of blessing did God the father give to Jesus as he commissioned his son for earthly ministry. How did those words carry Jesus through the next years. Welcome to wisdom for the heart. Today Stephen baby looks at the meaning of God's most powerful blessing of all time been with us over the last few weeks we've been out there by the river Jordan is John the baptizer is preaching in the entire nation as it were, is crowding out to the Jordan to hear him and is been willing to identify with the message of this Old Testament prophet. Remember, were still in the Old Testament until the church is created. The spirit said all those that go out there they they end up believing his message identifying with it, and then waiting out into the Jordan River to be baptized that so immersed in the Jordan River is a sign of obedience. Certainly harkening back to the idea of Jewish ceremonial cleansing. Let's pick it up when we left off because Lucas can interrupt this scene by telling us something. This could happen in the future were now in verse 19 in Luke chapter 3 where we left off last Lord's day. The text says, but Herod the tetrarch who had been reproved by him. That is by John because of 44 Herodias, his brothers wife and for all the evil things that paradigm, adding this to them all that he ends up locking up.

John in prison not want to spend much time here because will deal more with John's imprisonment and death, when we get to Luke chapter 7 in a couple of years, but for now John is thrown into prison by Herod. This is Herod unsurpassed. This is one of the sons of Herod the great. Remember Herod the great was the one who ordered the killing of all the boys two years of age and under in order to try to stamp out Jesus was born King of the Jews and of course he didn't succeed. He dies and is kingdom is divided up into fourths. That's what tetrarch means and so this particular sign is ruling over one of those fourths in in the kingdom he has begun an affair with his brother Philip's wife.

His wife, Herodias, and she by the way also happens to be that injury to insult his blood relative. His niece and so Herod is guilty of incest and adultery and John telling them no back instead of doing with so many religious leaders and are they doing to get invited involves a power and effectively baptize leaders into the faith he takes an opportunity to say you know you're actually in sin you're involved in adultery and incest and because of that he's thrown in the jail and Herodias, as you know later will get her revenge. More on that later. But now, with that brief comment added Luke rather abruptly returns to the current scene in here out of the Jordan River verse 21 now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying the heavens were opened up something visible is going to happen. Something audible is going to happen. But before we get there. Let's ask and answer a critical question. I've certainly been tested, and you may have it in your heart my maybe even answered as over believer in the faith. And that's the question why was why was Jesus baptized by the prophet Johnny didn't have any sin to repent of what was happening here give you several reasons quickly number one first to respect the command of God the father Jesus. In fact, himself, will tell us in through Matthew's gospel that he was baptized. Quote to fulfill all righteousness.

Matthew 315. In other words, here's God the father commanding John to baptize people who identify with this message and and Jesus is joining those who are identifying with those were getting right. That's what righteous means right with God. He's identifying with the crowd that is right with God by obeying the command of God the father and identifying with the message of this prophecy of the whole country is sort of moving out here in master the Jordan River.

This is an unprecedented movement toward God and Jesus joins the movement identifying with the truth of this Old Testament prophets message.

Secondly, Jesus was baptized to be recognized for who he was. John is going to introduce Jesus in that account as remember the Lamb of God who is coming to take away the sin of the world John the Baptist will also say in John 134 chapter 1 verse 34 that that he John is bearing witness that Jesus is the son of God you not understand, people have no idea about Jesus. There there. They're not looking at the sky and he's yet Jesus to them a name tag is as I am the Messiah. In fact he's not even showing up here at the river Jordan with in a halo of resentment angels singing in the background as he arrives the idea that he's the son of God you wanted, but I would've said really look like one. This is an ordinary peasant stonemason carpenter fact is interesting to me through the centuries, the church, the medieval church particular romanticize this baptism seen in many scenes of his classic paintings of Jesus and in no show Jesus as having this singular event with John Beck died, I saw my study one more, those paintings came across in my research can interestingly be because Jesus is standing in ankle deep water. John is a little saucer over his head. Sprinkle them nevermind John the baptizer.

The Mercer is another study weeks were covered anyway.

But, here and here in verse 21 Luke is making it clear that this is some singular event. In fact, Jesus is being baptize with all these other people he's in line is in line with a lot of people and they would never let Dennis and here you need to move up front you're obviously the son of God.

You know something about you hear the messiahs. No, I an ordinary individual fully human though fully divine, and he waits to be seen him waiting to be baptized. Call.Dr. Buchman caught him as he was being taken to the airport in New York to head back this way you may know Dr. Morgan increase for me a couple weeks ago, is a professor New Testament here and II said I said to Sadako that done all the research I've done all the reading all the word studies I need to do, but I want to call you. Did you you got things in your head and you know you get a lot of things rattling around in his head, and I said I want to give you a phrase and you tell me what comes to your mind is okay. I said baptism of Jesus and man was a great to listen to him for about three hours I made about the 50 is is great in any and he said that what some wonderful things. The title of the research when he said something I had not come across any said you know, most often we think of this as being his first act of public ministry, and it isn't. It's his last act of a private life. This ordinary common peasant carpenter is stepping out with the common people, identifying with them as just an ordinary man. Finally, keep in mind that Luke here makes it clear nothing unusual happens until after Jesus is immersed. This is where it becomes unusual we put it into the outline is 1/3 reason Jesus was baptized thoroughly to receive the blessing from his father is going to verse 21 now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying. Another was he standing resist dripping wet spray the heavens were opened. I would've liked to seen what that meant they sought but they just kinda scroll back in and maybe they're given this vision more than likely is just a really bright light that they see something and then they see something else noticed in the Holy Spirit descended on him.

Jesus in bodily form like a dove.

In other words, you need to get this straight. So follow me here. The manner of the Spirit's descendents was like the way dove descends in the air. I know this is gonna run a lot of bumper stickers and and a lot of T-shirts and coffee mugs. But the Holy Spirit didn't take the form of a dove. What Luke says here is that what ever the bodily form of the Holy Spirit took the Telus again with the bodily form or manifestation of the spirit was, but it descended like a dove descends through the air. This mysterious moment that they observed just sort of floating down, but I can verse 22, and a voice came from heaven, you are my beloved son with you. I am well pleased.

Well you dig into this but first this verse were told was heard in other accounts by everyone. John specifically records hearing it in and you gotta wonder what does the voice of God the father's like so I did a little ransacking you find out that that most often the voice of God reference to God the father sounds like thunder. It sounds like a clap of thunder second Samuel 22 Psalm 29 the snow when that Job rights keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the run Lane that comes from his mouth. Job 37 verse two.

So you have it of this booming thunderclap of a voice that articulates these words. By the way this event happens to be a wonderful expression of the triune God. Don't miss it. If you want a good text on the Trinity. The fact that it exists here. You haven't yet got the father speaking from heaven. Jesus standing there dripping wet, and the Holy Spirit in some form floating on a blog Jesus. Now let me just pause for a moment and say what we need to remember here is that Jesus is not only God the son fully divine. He is fully human, and in all day. I probably air as well and it being so quick to defend his deity that I overlook some of the implications of his humanity. Yet, I think we can do that with Mary.

We we we we don't want to deal fire. We don't want to exalt her, but we often miss the beauty of her testimony. Jesus is fully human. He's grown up any sort of grown into this understanding of who he has been and who he was. His origin he's been guided by the Holy Spirit theologian said he is vouchsafed by means of the Holy Spirit information he's been guided he's learned the Scriptures at home from Joseph primarily and Mary as they implement the passion of Deuteronomy 6 to model and teach the word of God, Jesus would have been instructed in the local synagogue. He would've been tutored along with the Jewish boys by the rabbis in the rabbinical school where the rabbis taught them the word perfect just a few years ago synagogue was discovered and excavated dating back to the days of Jesus and there in the front was this rabbinical school used to teach children sort of similar to our idea, but day school today. Just keep in mind that Jesus doesn't have Bible date way and lob costs hardwired that he never had to memorize anything. Now it is rather stunning to think about the fact that he's gonna run off to the little synagogue school to Jewish boys and these can be taught to sing songs about himself but for the time being understand he's humanity goes through the. The events of of of growing up. The last glimpse of him. The only glimpse part of this is when he's 12 of what's he doing. He's asking the rabbis the teachers really hard questions, probably questions it doesn't matter so will just wait where to be the temple would just hold that one and then ask when you get the car to stump us with questions overnight.

He's 30. Suddenly he's 30. He has spent his entire life into his early adulthood years in absolute obscurity. One of the problems we have this as we protect his deity. We overlook and underestimate what it means for him to be touched, seized with all the feeling of our infirmities to be weighed down with sorrow to the point where the prophet would say his nickname is a man of sorrow acquainted with grief. Hebrews 4 and Isaiah 53. Jesus didn't just paste humanity.

He wants human in our well-meaning attempt to protect his divinity.

We miss than the incredible joy that must have swept over him as he hears his father's blessing with that is the background let's go back to the statement you are my beloved son with you.

I will please only point out several elements that we ought a model in our own lives as we understand what it meant in his life. First of all I see here the element of acceptance you are my beloved son, you are right now. I love that you you right now you are my beloved son that you will be mine and I know you know right now it is you as my publicly have to reduce America's after you get through the wilderness to get through that testing. Okay, I'll tell people you belong to me.

Here Jesus is being told your mind in the special way I publicly identify with you right now and all people know of you is your peasant, but to me, your mind to our children and grandchildren to one another in the body of Christ, that we belong to the same family not because we've done something great because we didn't do something wrong but because were related to model I see here. Another element, it simply love that's pretty obvious in this. The element of love. Loyal love. You are my beloved son, that he just change the unit in the sense of the word and is essentially saying from heaven with his booming thunderclap.

I love you I love you. Now you think that just pause Jesus. Jesus doesn't need to hear this.

Does the evidently that and what a sweet gift of words.

This would have been to Jesus I see here. Thirdly, the element of encouragement. You are my beloved son with you. I am well pleased that this is nearly a word for word quote from a messianic prophecy in Isaiah 42 so it's deeper than face value. This is related to the messianic mission of Jesus. So Jesus is essentially receiving from his father. This commendation you could even call it up and ordination as his private life ends his public ministry is now about to begin. Then God the father here in in human terms.

Think of this like he's a sort of cheering them on.

This is your mission and I want to know that even before you begin that applauded Sheeran route for you. I'm already pleased with you and you would think that Jesus doesn't need to be encouraged. Jesus doesn't need to be patted on the back but yes, we tend to forget that Jesus depends his life on the same resources we depend on.

He's going to depend on his father to meet his needs.

It's like he often thanks his father for his food, giving us a model thank the Lord for food. He's going to depend on the Holy Spirit to guide him through difficult times.

Look for is going to depend on the father to sustain them through difficult times with 22 duties in a depend of the father, given the words to speak. John 827. He's easy to make this statement, which is really stunning to be think about it. He says this in John 530. By myself I can do nothing. Jesus depended on the father and of the spirit providing for us this wonderful model that as we go through life just what we depend on the father for our needs and our food in our strength and our guidance and wisdom Mentor word, just like Jesus. So in a very real sense, beloved, I want you to hear God the father cheering you on as well.

This is for you. Ellie drops in the genealogy of Jesus appropriately. Here you can approve his lineage. Just drop in a couple of thoughts on this text. Luke gives the family tree here through Mary. Verse 23 mentions that Joseph is the son of Heli you are Eli. This was Mary's father Joseph was his son in law you might write that margin your Bible. It's not unusual to leave out the woman's name and a Jewish genealogy and refer to the son-in-law as the sun. This genealogy of Mary takes you all the way back through David.

She is related to David as well go through Nathan and a lesser-known son goes all the way back to Adam. If you look at the end of the chapter called the son little ass son of God and that he was crafted by God without any human origin. Adam didn't have a biological mother.

Jesus doesn't have a biological father. Adam is the fountainhead of the human race.

Jesus and Paul calls the second or the last Adam is the fountainhead of a redeemed race.

But what look I think is emphasizing here in his genealogy going all the way back to Adam is to say, don't forget Theophilus is a human, fully human descendent of Adam, a member of Adam's race. So with this, Jesus is standing on the threshold of his public ministry is private life is is moments away from being over his carpentry vocation will be set aside and he now prepares to enter the wilderness of temptation and I want you to imagine with me this blessing now because as he goes into the wilderness to me, Satan's temptation, he has ringing in his ears the words you are my beloved son, and with you, I will please acceptance, love and encouragement when's the last time you passed along.

Words like that to your spouse or children or grandchildren and great-grandchildren brothers and sisters in Christ.

The truth is, everybody needs a blessing every eye. We know that we know that because Jesus, even Jesus, made perfect human being sinless needed cleaning. So the so close by giving you the blessing from the apostle Paul delivered this to the congregation and Corinth now may the grace of the Lord Jesus and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks for being with us today. This time God's will. This is wisdom for the heart. With this message. Stephen concludes a series from Luke one through three, entitled good news of great joy if you missed any of the messages in this series, or if you want to go back and listen to them again. We've posted them to our website. You'll find us online@wisdomonline.org right on the homepage.

We have a link to the current days message as well as the previous messages.

Another area of that website you might want to explore is the teaching archive in the archive. You'll find a full-length version of each message because we just wrapped up this series will also take a moment and mentioned that we can put this or any of Stephen's teaching series on a set of CDs for you. We can give you information about that if you call us at 86 648 Bible if you'd like to send a note of encouragement to Stephen, he'd enjoy hearing from you.

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