The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

Sermon: Reception Without Repentance (Luke 4:31-44)

Reception Without RepentanceSunday, March 29th, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 4:31–44
Prayer
O Father, we thank you for the power of Christ’s Word, to teach us the kingdom of heaven, to heal us from all our diseases, and to cast out from us the demons of uncleanness. Fill us now with Your Holy Spirit, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
This morning we are picking back up in Luke’s gospel, and since it’s been a few weeks since our last sermon in Luke, let me briefly remind you of where we are in the story.
The Lord Jesus has just begun his public ministry. And the first scene that Luke gave us was of his homecoming and return to Nazareth. And so just before our text, in Luke 4:14-30, we considered the dangers of being familiar with Jesus, without loving Jesus. We said that the people of Nazareth, Jesus former neighbors, committed a sin called “fatal familiarity.” They knew a lot about Jesus, they had watched Jesus grow up living a perfect life among them, but when Jesus comes to preach to them, to confront them about their sins, they are moved from amazement, to indignation, to attempted murder. All in one sabbath sermon.
The people of Nazareth rejected the true diagnosis that the Great Physician was giving them. And because they rejected that bad news about their sinful terminal condition, that they are the problem, and not someone else or something outside of them, they also closed their ears to the good news that would save them.
Jesus read to his former neighbors the words of Isaiah 61, which goes on to say, that he came, To comfort all that mourn…To give unto them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they might be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
This is the good that God would do for them if they would receive Him. This is the great exchange that is offered to all who will repent and believe on Christ.
It says in 1 Timothy 2:4, God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
But the people of Nazareth, like the Pharisees and lawyers, rejected the will of God for themselves(Luke 7:30). They denied and cast out and even tried to murder the very God who gives them life.
It says of Christ in John 1:10-11, He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
So Nazareth becomes for Luke, the first cautionary tale in how not to respond to the preaching of the Word. Don’t kill the preacher who is telling you the truth. That is the lesson of Luke 4:14-30, Fatal Familiarity.
And now here, in verses 31-44, Luke gives us a contrast to Nazareth,a counterexample of how Jesus is received by the people of Capernaum.
So while Jesus was disowned by his own countrymen, he does find a welcome reception in the city of Capernaum. And it is here in Capernaum where the power of Christ goes on display, and as it says in verse 37 one of the results is that, the fame of [Jesus] went out into every place of the country round about.
Capernaum becomes the central ministry hub for Christ, and from that epicenter, the shockwaves are felt all around.
Outline of the Text
And so this morning I want us to the consider the power of Christ and how we as disciples of Jesus should respond to such power. Luke highlights for us here three aspects of Christ’s power, and this is how we’ll divide our text:
In verses 31-32, we see The Power of Christ to Teach.
In verses 33-37, we see The Power of Christ to Conquer Demons.
In verses 38-44, we see The Power of Christ to Heal.
Christ has the power to teach, to conquer demons, and to heal all who will come to him.
Verses 31-32 – The Power of Christ to Teach
31And [Jesus] came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
First observe that Jesus teaches on multiple sabbaths, sabbath days in the plural. Whereas in Nazareth he preached only once and was never invited back, in Capernaum they welcome him week after week after week after week to hear him expound his doctrine.
And what is the effect of Jesus’ regular preaching to them? It is that they are astonished. And what astonishes them most is that he speaks to them with power, with real authority. Whereas the priests and prophets of old would say, “Thus saith the Lord,” Jesus says, “Truly Truly I say to you.”
This is the difference between Jesus and every other preacher. We speak in the name of the Lord, Jesus is the Lord who speaks. We say, “this is what God says in His Word, so do it,” Jesus says, “I am the Word. Whoever loves me keeps my commandments.”
So Jesus is the source of all power because He is divine, whereas every other prophet, preacher, apostle, evangelist, derives their authority from God. Jesus is the source, because Jesus is God. Jesus is the Word made flesh, Jesus is the Eternal Word from the Father, He is the Word that created all things and continues to uphold them by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3).
And so as the officers say in John 7:46, No man ever spake like this man.And in Matthew 7:29 it says of Him, For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
So Jesus speaks with power, and his power astonishes. Perhaps you have had a similar experience reading and hearing the Word of God. There is special power here unlike anywhere else. Well, that is good to be astonished at Christ’s power, but BEWARE, lest you confuse astonishment with repentance and faith.
We learn from Luke’s gospel that many people were amazed by Jesus’ teaching and authority, but the vast majority of them in Capernaum did not repent as a result.
We know this because Jesus will later condemn Capernaum for their unbelief. He says in Luke 10:13-16, Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes…And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. And in Matthew 11:23-24 Jesus expounds on this saying, for if the mighty works which were done in [Capernaum] had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.
So as you hear of Capernaum being astonished at Christ, be warned, they are also a cautionary tale of unbelief.
Unbelief can come in many forms. Capernaum is proof that Jesus can do mighty works amongst you, preach and heal and cast out demons, and yet all that demonstration of divine power is for nothing but your judgment. Unless you repent in sackcloth and ashes, unless you like Simon Peter fall down at Jesus’ knees and say, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord (Luke 5:8), all that power is for nothing if you do not repent.
The disciples are the few in Capernaum who believe and follow Jesus, while the rest just enjoyed the show, but never changed.
So does your astonishment at Christ lead to real repentance and confessing of your sins to Christ? If not, then it doesn’t matter who the preacher is. Capernaum is proof that God himself could preach in your church, stand in this pulpit, and still you would not believe. And Jesus says, it will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for many people sitting in churches today.
Be warned Christ Covenant Church. You are blessed to hear the Word of God week by week. At home, you have full access to full Bibles. You have a complete New Testament with four gospel accounts, and 23 other new covenant books to instruct you in The Way. Moreover, you have the whole Old Testament law, the prophets, the Psalms, wisdom and history and proverbs to meditate upon. You have far more access to Christ’s doctrine and power than even Capernaum had, for you are living on this side of his resurrection and ascension on high. And so what will be the judgment for us if we do not repent at so great a light, at so many a testimony to the truth of Jesus?
Astonishment is useless, even damning, if it does not produce in you repentance and faith.
There is the sin of Nazareth to hear and get angry and drive Jesus away. And then there is the more “respectable” sin of Capernaum, to give Jesus a warm welcome, to receive him as a preacher week after week, but still to go unchanged.
So what kind of hearer of Jesus are you? What kind of church are we?
This brings us a second demonstration of Christ’s power.
Verses 33-37 – The Power of Christ to Conquer Demons
33And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
35And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
37And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
First observe that there is a devil in this synagogue. An unclean devil, in the place that is supposed to be pure, holy, and set apart for the worship of God. We see this pattern throughout the gospels and on into the book of Acts, that demonic activity is frequent in the places where the saints are supposed to gather.
So don’t think, that just because you are in a church, that this is somehow a safe space cordoned off from demonic activity. No, this is the place that demons target. This is the place where demons would love to divide, conquer, and rule. Recall it was from heaven that Satan was cast down.
And this is why the Apostles are constantly warning the church about Satan and demonic attacks.
For example, James 4:7-8 says to Christians, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you…Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Peter says likewise to Christians in 1 Peter 5:8, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Where there are sheep, wolves, cayotes, lions prowl.
If devils did not attack Christians, then Paul would not have said in Ephesians 4:25-27, Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.
Think about this. How do demons enter the church? They enter through people, through us. We are the ones who track them in. We give them space in our life to do mischief by letting the sun go down on our anger. By not resolving grudges in our marriages and families and friendships. We give the devil a foothold by complaining and murmuring. We don’t forgive people or seek forgiveness from those we sinned against. And this how churches can become what Jesus calls in Revelation 2:9, and Revelation 3:9, synagogues of Satan.
Entire churches, entire denominations, can become so corrupt, divisive, bitter and devilish, that God removes their lampstand altogether. They are no longer places where God is worshipped, they are places where the idols of man’s heart are enthroned. And this is many a church in our day, and we as a church must guard against this!
Recall this is a major theme of the prophets, especially Ezekiel. In Ezekiel, God shows him in a vision the true spiritual state of the temple in Jerusalem and why it will be destroyed, why the glory will depart.
It says in Ezekiel 8:9-10, 12, And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.” So I went in and saw, and there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls…“Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.”
This is how the synagogues in Jesus’ day, and many churches in our day, became haunting places for demonic activity. Men and women worship the god they imagine in their hearts, not the God who calls them in righteousness, and then that idolatry and uncleanness provides a space for the devil to gain a foothold.
And so we need in our day, what Capernaum needed in Jesus’ day.We need the power of Christ to expel our wickedness, to topple our idols, to overthrow the power of the devil. And this is what Jesus comes to do, to liberate those who are in bondage to the evil spirits of this age.
Notice in verse 34, the fear this demon has in the presence of Christ. He cries out in a loud voice, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
Here we see what James 2:19 also tells us, You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
How powerful is Jesus? He makes the demons to quake with fear. And they fear him because they know he can destroy them. As we sing in that great hymn, I Know That My Redeemer lives, “He lives to the crush the fiends of hell, Glory Hallelujah! He lives and doth within me dwell, Glory Hallelujah!” Can you sing that song in truth? Does Jesus dwell within you, because he has cast the devil from you?
It says in 1 John 3:8, For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
And how does Jesus destroy the devil’s works? It says in verse 35, And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
Jesus silences and casts out this devil with a word. And the devil has no choice but to obey.
So fear not demons, fear the one who can destroy demons. Fear the one whom the demons fear!
This also means that no matter how enslaved you may feel to sin and uncleanness, defiled by your past, abused and ashamed, Jesus has the power to save you, to purify you, to make you His prized possession. He is the one who gives beauty for ashes, if you will give your ashes to him. Christ is more powerful than the devil’s lies.
And if you doubt this, consider, Who was the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection? It was Mary Magdalene. It says in Mark 16:9, Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
Luke will tell us in chapter 8 of his gospel that this Mary also followed Jesus, and ministered to him from her own substance. She supported the ministry of Christ early on.
And so if there’s hope for Mary Magdalene there is hope for you, if you trust in Jesus, and follow Jesus, and cling to Jesus, if you hope in his power and love him like Mary did. Jesus lives to crush the fiends of hell, Glory Hallelujah.
This bring us to the third revelation of Jesus’ power, and that is his power to heal our bodies.
Verses 38-40 – The Power of Christ To Heal
38And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
40Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
First observe how Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law. He heals her with a word. Earlier he rebuked the unclean devil, now he rebukes this great fever. And just like the devil had to depart, so also this sickness must depart.
Jesus has power and dominion over spiritual things and physical things alike. Jesus can cast out, bind, and destroy spirits. And Jesus can cast out sickness, and bind up our bodies with a word.
And then we see in verse 40 that as night approaches, all the sick are brought to Christ, and he lays his hands on every one of them and heals them.
This is real personal care, physical touch, from the Great Physician of body and soul. And then in verse 41 he does the same for all who are demon possessed.
Verse 41
41And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
We may wonder, Why does Jesus silence these devils? Because he knows they are liars at heart. The devil was a liar from the beginning and the father of lies. And as it says in Psalm 31:18, Let the lying lips be put to silence.
And so because these demons would only use the truth to deceive men and mingle with it their errors, Jesus does not permit them to announce who he is.
Truth should come from those who love the truth, whereas the devils hate the truth that they know and rage against it.
So do you love the truth? When other people are walking away from the truth because they find it offensive, and Jesus says to you, Will ye also go away? Do you say in return with Simon Peter, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? (John 6:67-70).
Jesus calls Judas Iscariot a devil, because he dwelt with Jesus, heard the truth from Jesus, but loved the darkness more. That is the sin of the devil. To prefer darkness to light. To prefer one’s own opinion to the Word of God.
So be not deceived, physical proximity to Jesus is insufficient to save you. Membership among the people of God is insufficient to save you. Many people heard and saw and marveled at Christ’s power, and some like Judas were intimate with him, but unless you repent and believe it is all for nought.
Conclusion
The sign of love is that you desire to be and remain with your beloved. And we learn from the crowds in Capernaum that there are many other reasons besides love, that people seek for Jesus and want him to remain.
And so what separates the elect soul from the reprobate? What separates the Simon Peters from the Judas Iscariots? It is that the elect soul clings to Christ in love, and although we may wander at times, stumble and fall like Peter, we always return to the One our soul is married to. We return to the One whose grace abounds wherever our sins have abounded. We return to the One whose mercies are new every morning, and who has loved us with an everlasting love.
And so are you resolved to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, even to the slaughter?
It says of the 144,000 virgin souls in Revelation 14:4-5, These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
How can a man stand faultless before the throne of God? Only by the blood of the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. Only by real repentance and faith in the blameless one, in whom no deceit or guile was ever found.
It says earlier in Revelation 5:12-13 that all creation worship this Lamb was slain and now lives evermore saying, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
May God grant you to follow this Lamb wherever he goes, that you be found faultless on the day of Judgment, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Easter Sunday 2026 - The Resurrection Body (1 Corinthians 15:31-58)

The Resurrection BodyEaster Sunday, April 5th, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA1 Corinthians 15:31–58
Prayer
O Father, we thank you for the loving labors of Your Son, through which we may enjoy victory over death. Make us in this life to be more steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in good works for You, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
How do you know if you are a born-again Christian? How do you know if the risen Lord Jesus is alive within you? The Bible says that one of the surest signs that a person is born again, is that their life is characterized by a living hope, and specifically a hope in the resurrection of the dead.
The Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We are born again by an act of divine mercy, and the resurrection of Jesus is God’s instrument to make us alive.
Paul puts it this way in Romans 8:22-25,For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
So when a person is born again as Jesus says, by water and the Spirit and enters the church, his life then becomes a life of groaning, of yearning, of waiting in hope for the resurrection of the dead. Paul says, it is in this hope that we are saved.
So do you have this resurrection hope alive within you? Does this hope occupy and animate your thoughts and prayers and desires? Do you ever pray to God, “Lord, grant me a holy death.Lord, give me a death that will honor You and magnify Christ. Lord, prepare me now to persevere in the faith, to hope in You, to trust in Your mercy, so that when death visits me I am not found unprepared. Lord, give me a name that is great with You, grant that I may be numbered amongst those in Hebrews 11 of whom this world was not worthy.”
That is the prayer, the desire, of a mature born-again Christian, whose whole life has become a kind of hope-filled preparation for death. It is hope-filled because we know that death is the beginning of a perfect forever. Death is the door to joy inexpressible, life everlasting, and the beholding of our Creator face to face. Hope is what makes that glorious future present to our minds. Hope is what brings that future good into the present, so that our heart is flooded with divine love.
Paul describes this experience in Romans 5:2-5, we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
And so I ask again, do you have this Spirit-filled hope alive within you? Because whether you do, or whether you don’t, God offers it to you today, even now, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The good news of the empty tomb is the grounds of Christian hope. And indeed, that is what our text here in 1 Corinthians 15 is all about: Telling you the truth about Jesus, who died and rose again, and that because Jesus is risen, you too shall one day rise. The righteous shall rise to the reward of eternal glory, and the evil shall rise to eternal damnation and punishment.
And so in order that you may rise to glory, I want you to hear from the Word of God, three effects of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Three blessed realities that Christ causes us in those who believe and confess that “He is risen.”
And so with that as my hope, let me give you the outline of our text.
Outline of the Text
In verses 31-34 we see that Christ’s resurrection Removes Our Fear of Death.
In verses 35-56, we see that Christ’s resurrection Reveals What We Shall Become.
In verses 57-58, we see that Christ’s resurrection Gives Purpose to Our Lives Here and Now.
Three effects of Christ’s resurrection: the removal of fear, the revelation of what we will become, and purpose now, as we live in the present.
Verses 31-34 – How Does Christ Remove Our Fear of Death?
31I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is there to me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
33Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
34Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
Here, Paul is in the middle of arguing with someone who denies the resurrection, and he is giving his own life as evidence, that because Jesus rose from the dead, Paul is now willing to put his own life in jeopardy every hour (vs. 30) so much so that he can say, I die daily. Paul is willing to risk his life, to suffer dangers, to endure stonings, and shipwrecks, plots and imprisonment, all because Jesus has the power over when and how Paul dies.
One example he gives is of fighting with beasts at Ephesus. And this most likely refers to the riots that would erupt as result of his preaching. You can see an example of this in Acts 19. And because the crowds in Ephesus were so deranged and irrational like wild animals, it was as fighting with beasts for Paul to preach the gospel to them. But he did it nonetheless.
And so the point is, who would choose to live this way, unless Jesus really rose from the dead, otherwise, eat and drink and get pleasures while you can.
Paul would not choose to live like he does, to suffer as he does, to preach as he does, unless Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Unless he believed what the risen Lord Jesus says in Revelation 1:17-18,Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore…and I have the keys of hell and of death.
Paul knows that Jesus has the keys. And because Jesus has the keys to death, he is willing to die every single day, for the sake of the one who died for Him. This is what the resurrection does for Paul, and it is what the resurrection should do for you. It should make us know that we are invincible until God is done with us. That the Father will not let one hair of our head perish apart from His will. Jesus has the keys. Jesus holds your life in his hand. And if Jesus laid down his life for you, how can you not lay down your life for him?
From Paul’s perspective, it is an honor to die daily, to risk his life for the gospel of Jesus, Nay it is a debt he owes to Christ, because formerly he was the one persecuting Christ (he was like a beast towards God consenting to the murder of Stephen), and yet Christ saved him in act of divine mercy.
Paul says earlier in 1 Corinthians 9:16, For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
In Romans 1:14-16 he says, I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Paul knows in the depths of his being how great God’s mercy has been towards him. He says in 1 Timothy 1:15, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
So listen dear sinner, listen dear Christian, would you like the courage to overcome the fear of death? And not merely the dying part or the possible pain that you may feel, but the fearful judgment that follows death for all your sins, when you will have to give an account for every careless word. Do you want judgment day to go well for you? Well if so, you must say Yes to the mercy of God.
Listen to how Paul preaches this news of mercy and judgment in Athens in Acts 17, he says, Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” [And] some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them (Acts 17:30-34).
So how will you respond to this news of both a future judgment and a future resurrection? Will you mock these things to the damnation of your soul? Will you ask to hear more and stick around? Or will today be the day you choose to believe and surrender your whole life to Christ?
Well for those who believe, and for those who want to hear more, Paul has more to tell. And in verses 35-56, this long section in the middle, is all about answering the question, What is the resurrection going to be like?
And he answers this question in two parts.
In verses 35-41 he gives some illustrations from the natural world.
And then in verses 42-56 he describes five qualities of the resurrection bodies of the righteous.
Verses 35-38 – How will the dead be raised?
35But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
First Paul thinks this is kind of a foolish question, because the answer is all around us. And he starts by pointing our noses to the dirt and saying, have you ever gardened before? Have you ever planted anything? And have you ever noticed how what you put in the ground does not look the same as what comes out of the ground later?
And so just as a tiny seed can become a great tree, or a beautiful flower, or a delicious fruit, so also with the resurrection of the dead.
Jesus says in John 12:24-25, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. [And then he explains that parable saying] He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
In other words, you are a seed that must be planted. And just like oranges do not grow from apple seeds, and figs do not grow from olive seeds, so also with us. If you die in Jesus, you will rise in Jesus. But if you die apart from Jesus, you will also rise to be eternally apart from Jesus. As you are planted, so you shall rise.
If you are planted in grace, you will rise in glory. But if you are planted and die apart from grace, there is only rising unto judgment.
So what kind of seed are you? Because God says, there is a real continuity between this life and the next, how you live and how you die, determines how you shall rise again.
Paul then goes on to give two more examples. One from the diversity of animals, and one from the diversity of elemental bodies.
Verses 39-41 – Celestial Bodies and Terrestrial Bodies
39All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
Here Paul starts to illustrate how among the saints who die in grace, the kind of glory we shall have will be different.
All the saints shall be glorious, all the saints shall be happy in God, but that resurrection glory will differ kind of like stars differ in the sky.
The Prophet Daniel describes this diversity in Daniel 12:2-3, And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
And Jesus says in Matthew 13:41-43, The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
So star differs from star in glory, and all who love Jesus, shall reflect the light of Jesus. If Jesus is the sun, we will reflect the sun, because we are his body and bride.
And then after giving us these illustrations from the natural world, Paul gives some specifics what about what exactly our bodies will be like in the resurrection.
So our glory will differ although all be glorious if they are planted in grace, but what qualities will our bodies possess if we are raised like Jesus was raised?
In verses 42-56, we have give qualities of the resurrection body.
Verse 42 – The First Quality is that we will be Incorruptible
42So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
Whereas in this body we get hungry, thirsty, cold, tired, and sick. In the resurrection we shall not need food or drink or sleep to restore us. Our bodies will be perfectly healthy and unable to get sick or weary.
It says in Revelation 7:16, They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Now lest you who are foodies are disappointed, we learn from the gospels that although we will not need food, we can still eat food in our resurrected bodies, if indeed we want to.
It says of Jesus in Luke 24:42-43, And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. And in John 21, Jesus cooks up some fish for the disciples on the beach.
And so whether we will want to eat physical food and drink in the resurrection, I don’t know, but at least we won’t need to to sustain our bodies, because they will no longer be corruptible. We won’t nutrition to counteract our corruption.
So that’s the first quality, our bodies shall be raised incorruptible.
Verse 43 – The Second Quality of our resurrection bodies is that they will be Glorious
43It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory…
Here, glory is contrasted with shame/dishonor, which all of us experience to some degree, because of original sin (like Adam and Eve felt naked after disobeying), and sometimes also because of our own personal sins. Sins that we have done against our body, or sins we that have suffered because of how others have treated us, abused us, used us against our will.
Sexual sins especially can bring a deep sense of shame and dirtiness, and unworthiness, feelings that can linger for years and years. There are scars we feel, physical and emotional, that seem impossible to remove.
Well, the hope of the resurrection, is that although we are sown in dishonor, we are raised in glory. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:2-4 saying, For in this [body] we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
So the Bible describes our resurrection glory, not as a return to nakedness in the garden, but as being further clothed in glorious garments living in a garde-city. What exactly the kind of clothes we shall wear, we know not. But the image we are given is of white robes, pure, spotless, washed in the blood of the Lamb.
So if you feel dishonorable, if you feel ashamed. Hope in God. He is the One who gives beauty for ashes, and glory for shame. This is the great hope of the resurrection. We may die in the stench and filth of our own refuse, but Jesus raises us up in glory.
The first quality is incorruption, the second is glory…
Verse 43 – The Third quality is Power
It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
In this body we can get hurt. In this body our bones can break, our joints wear out, our muscles atrophy, our minds become feeble and forgetful, we feel our frailty.
But in the resurrection, our bodies become powerful, agile, strong with an eternal youth. Imagine the most vigor and strength you’ve ever felt, when you were at your peak, lifting your max. That is nothing compared to the power you shall one day possess, man and woman alike.
In the resurrection the woman is no longer the weaker vessel. She is made strong by the power of God.
By way of an aside, Jesus says, there is no giving in marriage in the resurrection. Instead, we are distinguished according to merit, according to what we did for God in this valley of tears. Whether this means we are all equally strong or not, we do not know, but we do know that our reward differ according to our actions.
This is what Jesus teaches in the parable of the minas/pounds. He says in Luke 19:15-19, And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’
So what you do with whatever talents God has given, God shall reward accordingly. So are you being faithful in the little, that you may be made ruler over much? For it says in Revelation 14:13, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Now is the time for work, and your good works God shall reward.
So our bodies shall be raised incorruptible, glorious, and strong.
Verse 44 – The Fourth Quality is that our spirit will govern our body
44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
Here spiritual body does not mean that your body becomes immaterial, or airy, or ghostly like the wind, but rather that our glorified spirit will so rule our body, that whatever our spirit tells the body to do, it will do with perfect harmony.
This is hard for us to imagine because in this life, our body so often rebels against our spirit. Our mind tells us we should get out of bed, but our body says, I want to sleep more. Our mind tells us, stop eating after the first donut, but our body says, give me all the donuts.
This is what it means to have a natural body, we are subject to bodily desires. The body says one thing, our spirit another, and too often the body wins. Elsewhere Paud describes this reality in the Christian as a war between the spirit and the flesh.
He says in Galatians 5:16-18, I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust/desires of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. He says something similar in Romans 7.
Well in the resurrection that war between flesh and spirit, body and mind, goes away. This is because your spirit will see God, your mind will know God and want nothing else but God, because there is nothing greater than God that a person could desire. And because your mind and spirit will be so perfectly satisfied, you will enjoy perfect rest, you will never ever sin again because you will never want to. That is what it means to have a spiritual body. For your spirit to see God, and for your body to do exactly what your spirit tells it to, which is to glorify God in your body.
Verses 47-49, 53 – The Fifth quality is that our resurrection bodies will be heavenly or immortal.
47The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
53and this mortal must put on immortality.
Here Paul contrasts the first man Adam, with the second man, Christ. And whereas from Adam we received these bodies made of dust (and to dust we shall return), from Jesus we receive a new body like the Lord from heaven, that is, an immortal body, a body that cannot die.
When Paul calls Jesus, the Lord from heaven, he is referring to how although Jesus was born of a woman, and assumed our earthy human flesh, it was always united to Jesus’ divinity. And because Jesus is heavenly and divine, when he lays down his voluntarily life for us, he also has the power to take it up again at will.
And so now we who love and believe in Jesus, discover that God has destined us for immortality from the foundation of the earth. As Paul says in Romans 8:29-30, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
The resurrection of the dead is our glorification, and that is when we shall receive immortal bodies, even as Jesus is immortal and divine. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Finally, in verses 57-58, Paul extols the purpose that this future hope instills.
Verses 57-58 – The Purpose of Our Lives Here and Now
57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Three ways the resurrection gives us purpose:
1. When you believe in the resurrection, you cannot help but give thanks to God. And where there is thanksgiving, there also is joy. And where there is a future victory guaranteed, there is firm ground for living hope.
And so the life of the born-again Christian is well described in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
If you are lacking purpose, if you are unsure of God’s will for your life, start here. This is God’s will for all Christians. Constant joy, constant prayer, constant thanksgiving. That is pleasing to God.
2. Because there is a future resurrection, we must be stedfast, unmoveable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord.
This means, whatever you set your hands to do, you should be doing it for the glory of God. Whatever your work is, you should be offering that work to the Lord.
Moreover, we should be abounding in the work of the Lord. There are millions of people who do not know Jesus, who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and we have the honor of making that truth known in whatever sphere of influence the Lord has given.
3. Third and finally, the resurrection assures us that our labors are not in vain.
So often we tell people about Jesus, we invite them to church, we give them biblical advice, we pray for their conversion, but it seems to bear no fruit.
Well, here we have God’s promise, that if our labors are in the Lord (done from faith formed by love), our labors are not in vain. It is true we may not ever see or know in this life, what impact our work has had, but in the resurrection, Jesus assures us, that there is reward for all our good works.
Conclusion
And so I close where we began: How do you know if you are a born-again Christian? Do you have this living hope within you? Because Paul says in Romans 10:9, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. And so may you believe that He is risen, He is risen indeed, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Good Friday 2026 - The Glory of the Cross (Galatians 6:14-18)

The Glory of the CrossGood Friday, April 3rd, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WAGalatians 6:14–18
Prayer
Father, we thank you for the cross of Christ, through which we may die to this world, and the world may die to us, grant us to walk more faithfully according to this rule, that we may enjoy the peace and mercy of Thy Holy Spirit, we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
That text that you just heard is how the Apostle Paul ends his letter to the Galatians. And if you’ve ever read Galatians, you know that the churches in Galatia are in danger of sliding into heresy.
Paul begins his letter by saying to them in chapter 1, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not [actually] another [gospel]; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:6-9).
So Galatians is that letter where Paul comes out swinging, he pronounces anathemas on anyone who preaches a different gospel than what he had already preached to them.
And so the main message of Galatians is: Don’t forget the gospel of grace. Don’t forget how you were justified. Don’t forget that you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. [Heirs of the whole world!] (Galatians 3:26-29).
Your salvation depends upon you not abandoning this truth. You must cling to God’s grace. And thus, Paul dedicates six whole chapters in this letter to comparing, contrasting, and defending the true gospel, over against the heresy of the Judaizers.
Who were the Judaizers? We are told in Acts 15:1 that, certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren [saying], “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
So the Judaizers were a group of Jewish Christians, who taught that the ceremonial law of Moses, especially circumcision, was necessary for salvation. And therefore, if a Gentile was converted and baptized and believed in Jesus, he also needed to be circumcised. He needed to become a Jew according to the flesh, if he would be saved. For the Judaizers, circumcision was just as necessary as faith for salvation. Faith is good, faith is important, but you also need to observe the Jewish rites and ceremonies as well.
We see in Galatians 2 that even the Apostle Peter stumbled on this point, not by teaching that circumcision was necessary for salvation, but by living as if Jews and Gentiles were not equally one and holy through faith in Christ, apart from the law. How did he do this?
Paul writes in Galatians 2:11-14, Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?
And so Paul teaches that it is not only heretical to make circumcision and Jewish observances necessary for salvation, it is also hypocritical to try to make Gentiles live like Jews, especially given that the Jews themselves cannot keep their own law.
As Paul says in Galatians 6:13, For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law.
And in Galatians 2:21 he says, I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
And so assuming that Galatians was written prior to Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council (which is the chronology I take), The Apostle Peter stood corrected by Paul. And we are told that at the Jerusalem council, which was called to settle this question about circumcision, And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe [think of Cornelius in Acts 10]. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” (Acts 15:7-11)
If laws and ceremonies and circumcision could make us righteous, then Christ died in vain. But we believe that God is no respecter of persons, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and that God in his mercy, purifies Jew and Gentile alike through the grace of living faith.
Well, this brings us to our text, and how Paul ends Galatians with a contrast between two kinds of glory.
The Judaizers are those who glory in the flesh. They boast in their fleshly descendance from Abraham. They boast in keeping the law of circumcision which Moses gave them. They boast in keeping the Jewish festivals and laws for what you can and cannot eat. They boast in observing days, and months, and times, and years (Galatians 4:10), as if those observances are what make them righteous.
Whereas Paul says in verse 14, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
And so tonight, on this Good Friday, I want us to consider what makes the cross glorious. Why should you, like Paul, glory in the cross to the exclusion of all the other things you could glory in? What makes the cross of Jesus Christ so glorious?
To answer that question let us consider verses 14 and 15 of our text.
Verse 14a
14But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…
First we should ask, What does it mean to glory in something? Some translations have boast.
To glory in something means to esteem or regard something as making us great. We glory in that which gives us greatness (or at least in what we think will give us greatness).
Boasting then (in its most proper sense) is when we use our words to exalt what makes us great.
In its sinful form, boasting is to lift oneself above oneself.
But in its righteous form, as Paul is doing here, to boast in the cross, this is to lift up God who lifts us up.
And so we learn from this passage and many other places of Scripture that glorying can be good, boasting can be good, but only if the object of your glorying is God and His grace.
It says in Jeremiah 9:24, But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
This is favorite verse of Paul because he quotes it in both 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians and repeats this theme in many letters.
In 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 he says, But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” For [it is] not he who commends himself [that] is approved, but whom the Lord commends. And then he goes on for two more chapters boasting/glorying in his sufferings and weaknesses and persecutions to show the Corinthians that Christ is more glorified in our weakness than in our strength. For Jesus said to Paul about his thorn in the flesh which God would not remove, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
So this is the logic of Christian boasting: We boast in what God’s grace has wrought in us, for us, and through us. In ourselves we are nothing but dusty broken images of God, but by grace we are remade.
As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:10, But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
And so the cross becomes for Paul and the church the supreme symbol of Christian glory. It is the banner of our triumph. Because by the cross, we confess to the world that any good or greatness we have is ALL OF GRACE.
Righteousness comes by grace. Faith comes by grace. Election is by grace. Predestination is by grace. Effectual calling is by grace. Sanctification is by grace. Even our perseverance to the end and our good works on the way are all a work of grace. This is what it means to glory in the cross.
While the Judaizers boast that keeping the law makes them great. The Christian boasts in Christ and him crucified.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God…And then he goes on to say in verses 29-30 that God has done all of this so, That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: [so] That, according as it is written (again in Jeremiah 9), He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
God hates boasting in the flesh. And God loves boasting in the Lord, in the cross, in the grace of Christ.
Well if we boast in what makes us great, what greatness does the cross secure for us? Many things.
First, we see in verses 14-15 that by the cross we are able to die to the old world and become a new creation.
Verse 14-15
14But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
15For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Paul glories in that our faith unites us to Jesus. And because Jesus is great, even the Greatest, those connected to Jesus now share and participate in His greatness. The glory of our head redounds to the whole body, and we are the body of Christ.
Paul puts it this way in Romans 8:17-18, he says we are joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
The sufferings of this present time are all the ways that the world, the flesh, and the devil tries to seduce you, persecute you, shame you, and harm you. That old world does not like to be crucified, it wants to go on living and boasting in the flesh. The sin of the devil was to exalt himself above himself, to dethrone God and take his place, and that is the sin that our world incites humanity to commit. It is the sin our first parents committed.
It says in 1 John 2:16-17, For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Why do we glory in the cross? Because by the cross our flesh is crucified, our heart becomes dead to the things that are temporary, and alive to love the things that are eternal. This is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.
The cross gives us new eyes to see beyond the grave. To see that Jesus died to this world, and then received the world as his inheritance.
The cross makes us to see through the bait of sin so that we can shun the Devil’s hooks. We can see through the fear of pain, and the intimidation of death, and we believe that after the cross, we shall rise again.
The cross is our glory, because Jesus was glorified on the cross. He says in John 12:32, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Jesus turned the cross, an instrument of death, into His instrument for destroying death. What men used to kill the Son of God, the Son of God now uses to save mankind. What men esteemed as the most shameful way to die, Christ selected/chose to be His monument of love.
From the cross Jesus says, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We glory in the cross, because we glory in being forgiven.
So what do you consider glorious? What are you tempted to boast in? Most of us here are not Judaizers, but we are all tempted to glory in things other than the cross. Or, like the Judaizers, we are all tempted to add things to the cross to boast in, and to try to distinguish ourselves from others so that we can stand out, or look better than him or her. Where are you tempted to, what the Bible calls, vainglory?
As we close, I want to highlight a few commonplaces where men and women are tempted to glory, and then I want you to show you how Christ offers you something better.
First, it is common for people to glory in riches, in wealth, in status, in what their hard work has produced. But God says in 1 Timothy 6:6, We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And so why would you glory in what you cannot take with you, especially when the true riches, everlasting riches are offered freely upon the cross of Christ.
Jesus not only forgives our sins, he also makes us citizens and heirs of an everlasting kingdom, a new heavens and a new earth, and a new Jerusalem, where the gates are made of pearls and the streets are made of gold. What men treasure down here, we walk on up there.
To glory in the cross is to glory in the true riches.
Second, some people glory in their appearance, in their health, or in their diet and exercise routine, in how they avoid seed oils or processed food, or in how they don’t avoid anything. The Bible says, Men glory in their strength, and women glory in their beauty. But as we all find out, if you haven’t already, Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall (Isaiah 40:30).And Proverbs 31:30 says, Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain: But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
And so again, why glory in what is temporary and fleeting, beauty, strength, vitamins, a diet? When the cross is the Christian’s wellness program. Death is our end regardless of how long we live. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:8, For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
 It is good for young men to be strong. It is good for women to be beautiful. But it is infinitely better to be godly. So exercise yourself accordingly.
Moreover, because the cross is not the end of the story. Good Friday is not the end of the story. We await a glorious resurrection of this body, where every sickness is healed, every allergy and inflammation and gut problem removed, every blemish and scar made beautiful, every disability reversed. Whatever you don’t like about your present self, when you die in Christ, he promises to raise you up far more radiant, strong, and beautiful than your heart dare imagine.Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man. The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Cor. 2:9).
If only you could see now by faith, what one day you will become, then you could say with Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:17, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
This is the glory the cross works for us.
Third, some people glory in having great power and influence, in being a leader and not a follower. But what is all that power and influence compared to sitting with Christ in heavenly places, ruling the world by having our wills united to God’s will?
This is what the cross offers us, not only in the future, but here and now. Jesus says, the kingdom of God is within you. Our prayers are heard and Christ shall answer.
It says in Revelation 1:5-6, Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
And in Revelation 5:9-10 it says, And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Whose power do you glory in?
Fourth and finally, some people glory in their connections, in their friendships with famous people, geniuses, billionaires, they glory in who they know.
But what does the cross of Christ offer? It offers the most intimate friendship with God, communion with all the saints, and myriads of angels as ministers for your salvation.
By the cross of Christ you are welcomed into the fellowship of the Holy Trinity. And there is no glory or fellowship greater than that.
And so I close with the words of Jesus and his high-priestly prayer before his arrest. He says in John 17:20-26, “I do not pray for these [my disciples] alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” Let us pray.

Sermon: Fatal Familiarity (Luke 4:14-30)

Fatal FamiliaritySunday, March 22nd, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 4:14–30
Prayer
O Father we thank You for the meekness of Your Son, who although rejected by his own countrymen, and cast out of his own city, passed through their midst unscathed, all so that in due time, he might lay down his life for us, dying for our sins, rising for our justification, that we may ever share in Your joy and blessedness. Grant us to hear Your voice now anew, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
The title of my sermon this morning is Fatal Familiarity. Fatal Familiarity. It is dangerous, even fatal, to know about Jesus without loving Jesus. It is dangerous to be familiar with the life and teaching of Jesus, his cross and his resurrection, but then to go on living just like you were living before.
Here in our text, Luke shows us how Jesus was received (or rather rejected) by the people who were most familiar with him, people who had watched Jesus grow up, people who knew Jesus’ as a boy, as a teenager, as a young carpenter in his 20’s. The people of Nazareth had more information about Jesus than anyone else, they were most familiar with him, and yet that familiarity did not help them.
Think about this scene. In just one sermon from their own hometown prophet, the people are moved from amazement, to indignation, to attempted murder. Truth and love incarnate is standing there in front of them, proclaiming God’s Word, and their response becomes, “let’s kill him.”
Now that may seem like an extreme response, but are we not also guilty of similar sins, of similar violence in our hearts against the will of God for us? Are we not also guilty of casting out Christ from the city of our soul by a stony heart, by how we treat one another, by our enmity and greed and lies, by how we make ourselves judges over the law rather than faithful servants under God’s authority?
The great preacher J.C. Ryle, said of the church in England in the 1800’s, “It is vain to conceal from ourselves there are thousands of persons in Christian churches, in little better state of mind than our Lord’s hearers at Nazareth. There are thousands who listen regularly to the preaching of the Gospel, and admire it while they listen. They do not dispute the truth of what they hear. They even feel a kind of intellectual pleasure in hearing a good and powerful sermon. But their religion never goes beyond this point. Their sermon-hearing does not prevent them living a life of thoughtlessness, worldliness, and sin. [So then], let us often examine ourselves on this important point. Let us see what practical effect is produced on our hearts and lives by the preaching we profess to like. Does it lead us to true repentance towards God, and lively faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ? Does it excite us to weekly efforts to cease from sin, and to resist the devil? These are the fruits which sermons ought to produce, if they are really doing us good. Without such fruit, a mere barren admiration is utterly worthless. It is no proof of grace. It will save no soul.”
So how do you hear the Word of God preached? What change has all your church attendance and worship bought about?Do you listen and obey like Jesus is the one talking directly to you? Or do you brush Him off and esteem Him lightly? Do you think to yourself that the sermon must be for my neighbor, to help them stop sinning, to help my wife or my husband get it together? Or do you receive every sermon as if it is God speaking directly to you?
Perhaps you wonder sometimes when I get to a specific point of application, “Was pastor thinking of me when he said that?” Maybe. But does it matter? A better question to ask yourself is, “Was God thinking of me when God said that?” And the answer will usually be, “Yes.” The whole Bible is for the whole people of God and there is application for all of us on every page. All of us can stand to learn something, even if we are not the immediate class or group of people being spoken to. What does God tell us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17?
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
The wise man listens and learns from everything he hears even if he is not the one being directly addressed, whereas the fool thinks nothing is directed at him, and he can hardly be taught by anything but the rod.
And so lest we sit in judgment on this murderous crowd at the church in Nazareth, first we must sit in judgment upon ourselves and examine how we hear the Word of God, and what we do with it Monday-Saturday. Is preaching having the effect in your soul that God commands? Or does the devil like the birds snatch up the seed as soon as I say to you, “Go in peace.”
Familiarity with Jesus without love for Jesus is fatal, eternally fatal. And so let us hear this cautionary tale from Luke, lest we commit the same sins as Jesus’ own countrymen.
Outline of the Text
Now we see in our text that Luke highlights three aspects of Jesus’ public ministry.
In verses 14-22, we have The Centrality of Preaching.
In verses 23-27 we have The Boldness of Jesus’ Preaching.
And in verses 28-30,The Demonstration of Jesus’ Power.
The centrality of preaching, the boldness of preaching, and the demonstration of divine power.
So starting in verse 14, notice how central preaching of the Word is to Jesus’ mission.
Verses 14-15
14And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
Here Luke summarizes Jesus’ ministry around the Sea of Galilee. After his combat with the devil in the wilderness, the next thing Jesus does is teach in the synagogues, being glorified of all. Jesus is quickly gaining in popularity, word is getting around, and his star is rising.
Now what exactly is a synagogue? The synagogues were the places where the local community gathered to worship, to hear the Word of God, and to receive instruction. They are not unlike our local churches today. And this is where Jesus goes every sabbath. We are told in verse 16…
Verse 16
16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Here we see that Jesus was not only a attender but a participant in the local synagogue service. This was his home church for almost 30 years, and he was likely invited by the ruler of the synagogue to read and on this occasion to preach to them.
Elsewhere in Acts we see that this is how the gospel initially went forth, to the Jew first by preaching in the synagogues, and then to others in the public square or private homes.
It says in Acts 13:42, after Paul’s sermon in Antioch, And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
And in Acts 19:8 it says, And Paul went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
And so Jesus is modeling here how the apostles will later evangelize. He stands up and reads the text, and then he preaches how it is fulfilled in Him. This is what we find in verses 17-21. Here he reads the text for his sermon.
Verses 17-21
17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias (Isaiah). And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
The passage that Jesus reads to them is a composite of Isaiah 61:1-2 and Isaiah 58:6. And if you have ever read Isaiah, you know that the first 39 chapters are pretty grim and very confusing. There is a lot of sin and judgment and punishment for idolatry.
Chapters 40-55 are when the book takes a turn and begins to extol the glory of God despite the exile to come. Isaiah 40 begins with that famous line, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
And then in chapters 56-66, Isaiah prophesies a glorious future that God has in store for those who love Him. He foretells a time of blessing, and prosperity after they return from exile and return to God. God will come and vindicate His name, He usher in a new heavens and new earth, He will punish the wicked, reward the righteous, He will set to rights the many things that are wrong. This is what Isaiah prophesies 700 years before the birth of Christ.
And so when Jesus reads from that last section of Isaiah, chapters 61 and 58, he is saying that the future glory, that eschatological age that Isaiah spoke of is fulfilled in Him.All the hopes of Israel, all their hopes for salvation, redemption, deliverance, healing, freedom, are come to pass in this Jesus of Nazareth who they are familiar with, and now standing in their synagogue.
This message is a message of good news and great joy. However, it requires them to believe that Jesus is indeed how those promises are fulfilled. It requires them to believe that Jesus is The anointed one, full of the spirit, full of grace and truth, The Prophet, The Priest, The King.
Notice also how Isaiah 61 describes his ministry. What is Jesus anointed to do?
He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
to heal the brokenhearted (which is done by preaching the truth that consoles)
to preach deliverance to the captives, to preach recovering of sight to the blind,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to be a Preacher in the first instance. And all his miracles and healings and casting out of demons are ordered towards confirming the Word preached.
This is the main purpose of signs and wonders in the Bible. They are given to confirm the Word that God has spoken. And if you think about it, what is more miraculous? A person’s soul being saved for eternity, or a person’s body being healed temporarily until it dies. A person’s eyes being opened to see physical things that are passing away, or the eyes of the heart being enlightened to see God and embrace Him.
So the primary work of Jesus is preaching. To use the words of His mouth to reshape, to reform and to refashion us into images of God. This is what the gospel call is: an invitation to become a new creation. Repent and believe because the kingdom of God has arrived in Christ. And as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
Well, how do the people of Nazareth respond? Luke tells us in verse 22 that at this point they are amazed.
Verse 22
22And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
Wonderment, or amazement (marveling) happens when we see an effect without seeing its cause. We see or hear or notice something, and then our mind starts to wonder: What is this? How can this be? How can he say that? What is the explanation for what I am perceiving?
Wonder is where inquiry begins. But it is the kind of questions we then ask that reveals what kind of person we are. Our questions reveal our character. Our words reveal our heart. And for the people of Nazareth, their question reveals that their hearts are far from God, even though physically he is standing there in front of them.
In Acts 17:10-11, Luke gives us a good illustration of how different people receive the word differently. He writes, And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
So compare the noble-minded Bereans with the people of Nazareth. The Bereans received the word preached with readiness of mind, and so their questions are: Does the Bible teach this? Is this consistent with what God has said elsewhere? And then they search the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul and Silas are teaching is true. This is the mark of noble mind, to trust God’s authority and seek out the truth from Him.
Whereas what do the people of Nazareth ask? “Is this Joseph’s son?” Notice, they pass over the content of what Jesus is preaching, and start questioning his family origin. This is the mark of an evil mind.
A noble mind delights in truth wherever it may be found, whereas the carnal mind, Paul says in Romans 8:7, is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
So rather than studying the law of God or Isaiah more closely, or asking Jesus to further explain these glorious truths, they decide to question him on account of his heritage.
When people cannot refute the content of what Jesus preaches, they resort to personal attacks, they try to discredit him by making up stories, spreading lies about him, this is the habit of the carnal mind, and if they did this to Jesus, they will do it to those who preach Jesus. The carnal mind cannot hear spiritual things, and the book of Acts and church history bears this out.
So preaching is central to Jesus’ ministry, and yet despite living a perfect life for 30 years among the people of Nazareth, their hearts are hardened to hearing the truth from His mouth. Sometimes it does not matter how loving, honest, and blameless you live, evil people will still question you, look for ways to discredit you, and despise you.
This brings us to verses 23-27 where Jesus boldly confronts their unbelief.
Verses 23-27
23And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
24And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
25But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias (Elijah), when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus (Elisha) the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
Here Jesus reads their minds and tells them their thoughts. If you were sitting in that synagogue hearing him preach, you would feel naked and exposed, this man sees into your soul.
However, when people are exposed for what they actually are by the word of God (sinners), they either confess and come clean and seek God’s forgiveness, OR, they get angry, they deny it, they start to rationalize and explain to themselves why they are actually innocent, and it’s their fault, and who is this guy to judge me anyways. How dare he! Is he God or something?
In this case, yes. God is speaking directly to them, reading their evil thoughts, and putting them under conviction. And this is an act of love; Jesus is loving them by rebuking them and giving them the opportunity to repent.
And he does this is by giving them two examples from their own inspired history, their own scrolls that they claimed to regard as authoritative.
Those two examples are that of Elijah and Elisha, and you can find these stories in 1 Kings and 2 Kings.
And what Jesus is doing by selecting these two examples, is helping them recognize who they are in this story. They are not the godly seed of Abraham showing hospitality. They are not the righteous remnant keeping the faith. They are not among the 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal in Elijah’s day. Who are they? They are Ahab and Jezebel hunting down Elijah. They are apostate idolaters who refuse to be healed. They have murder in their heart because they do not actually love God. They are so sick with sin, that they don’t even know how sick they are.
Think back to what Jesus just read them from Isaiah 61. If Jesus is preaching the gospel to them, then that means they are spiritually poor. If Jesus is preaching healing to them, then they are desperately sick. If Jesus is preaching liberty to them, then they are the ones enslaved. If Jesus is preaching the acceptable year of the Lord to them, then the day of vengeance draws nigh, and they need to repent before it’s too late.
The gospel is only good news to people who first accept the bad news. If you refuse to believe the diagnosis that you were born in sin, and that your sins deserve eternal punishment, and there is no remedy except to cast yourself upon the mercy of Jesus Christ, then there is no salvation for you. You must accept the diagnosis in order to receive the healing.
This is the fatal danger of a faithless loveless familiarity with Jesus. You can deceive yourself into thinking you don’t need him as much as you actually do. And this is all of us to some degree. We are all tempted to trust in the Lord with some of our heart, and to lean too much on our own understanding. We are all tempted to be selective in allowing God to direct some of our paths, but not all of them. We say to God, “you can have this part of my life, but I’m keeping this part to myself. You can have my Sundays for a couple hours, but not much more. You definitely can’t have my bank account, or my sex life, or how I parent, or what I say to my friends in that group chat.” We are all tempted to not give Jesus full access, because we are afraid of what it might cost us.
Well Jesus has come to demand everything. But it’s not because He doesn’t love you, it’s precisely because He loves that He says forsake all and follow me. Because your whole life needs transformation. Everywhere that sin has touched, grace must go as well. Everything that sin has broken, God wants to repair. But you have to be willing to surrender completely to Him.
The people of Nazareth had that opportunity, but chose not to use it.
And this leads us our third and final section, where Jesus demonstrates His divine power.
Since they will not hear his preaching, since they will not repent at His bold application to them, He chooses to do one act of miraculous power, which is also an act of mercy. He prevents them from following through on their murderous intent.
Verses 28-30
28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
30But he passing through the midst of them went his way.
Recall that earlier in this chapter Satan attempted to get Jesus to cast himself down from the Temple, and here now his own countrymen are seeking to do the devil’s will by force. They are like Cain, Jesus is like Abel. They are like Ahab and Jezebel, Jesus is like Elijah.
So Jesus manifests His divine power by passing through their midst. And he goes his way, leaving them to ponder what He just prevented them from doing, murdering God.
Think of how many evil desires God has prevented you from doing. How many times has God mercifully kept you from following through on your sinful intentions?
So behold how merciful Jesus is, even amongst people who want to kill him. Behold how patient God is, to not immediately destroy us, but to give us time to repent.
Of course, the bigger purpose in Jesus avoiding death at this early stage, is because Jesus wants to die in a specific way, in a specific place, to make known to all the world, the great love God has for sinners.
Jesus still has more preaching to do. Jesus still has disciples to call and train, people to heal and feed, dead people to raise, demons to cast out, spiritual powers to bind, more miracles to work on His way to Jerusalem. And until that work of the Father is completed, no one can take Jesus’ life from him. For as he says in John 10:18, No one takes my life from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
So do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you love this Jesus, and desire to become familiar with Him, not like the people of Nazareth, but as a most intimate friend? Because this is the friendship Jesus offers to all who will accept the diagnosis and accept the treatment. Who will acknowledge their sins and how they deserve eternal punishment, and who trust in Jesus to give them eternal life.
This is the gospel call, the invitation to a new creation, may God move you to accept that invitation, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: How To Overcome Temptation (Luke 4:1-13)

How To Overcome TemptationSunday, March 8th, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 4:1–13
Prayer
O Father Your Word tells us that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. And  so we ask now that You would teach us from the life and example of Your Son, how we may become more than conquerors through You who love us. Fortify our faith, our hope, and our love, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. 
Introduction
How would you tell the complete story of your life? Your birth, your youth, your maturation, your death? If you had the opportunity and ability to write your autobiography, what metaphors would you use to describe your life story? What genre would the movie version of your life fall into? Tragedy? Comedy? Adventure? Romance? Some mix of all the above?
Well in the Bible, God gives us many different metaphors to describe the history of the world, and the story arc of individual people and families.
Perhaps the most common metaphor the Bible uses is the metaphor of life as a Journey, as a long walk from one place to another. From the garden to the wilderness, and back again. From Egypt to the wilderness to the promised land.
We see this in the book of Proverbs that there is a way/path of wisdom, and the fear of the Lord that leads to life, and then there is the way/path of folly, which leads to death.
Jesus uses this Journeying/Walking metaphor in his Sermon on the Mount when he says, Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:13-14).So according to God’s Word, you are on a journey in some direction. You have a choice between good and evil, right and wrong, the easy way to death, or the difficult way to life. Life is a journey, a coming of age story, towards either heaven or hell. Do you believe this?
Now another metaphor the Bible gives us, is the metaphor of life as a Battle. Life as Warfare. Life is a competition, a showdown, a duel to the death between sin and righteousness, between good and evil. And under this metaphor, every Christian is a kind of soldier in the Lord’s army. Yes, there are people who switch sides, there are people who betray the cause, there are deserters, there are cowards who shrink back in fear. But the Christian life is a warfare, against the evil inside of us, and the evil outside of us.
Paul in 2 Timothy 2:3, Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
In Ephesians 6 Paul tells us to, Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
In Colossians 3:4 he says, Put to death your [own] members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. These must die!
What is the life of a Christian? It is a journey, it is a voyage, it is a competition, it is a coming-of-age story, it is the romance of heaven and earth, and it is a war to the death to win your soul.
Do you think about your own life in these terms? In Biblical terms? Do you see yourself the way God wants you to see yourself? Where there are real enemies who hate you and want you dead, the world, the flesh, and the devil, and so you must put on the armor of God every single day until God gives you permanent victory and peace.
Well in our text this morning, we see that the life of Jesus, was a life of warfare. It was a battle of wits and wills for the salvation of the world. Jesus and everyone who wants to follow Jesus is like a warrior signing up to enter the Colosseum. This life is a gladiator match. Your opponents are the devil, and your own sinful flesh, and heaven is the great cloud of witnesses cheering in the stands.
The great puritan John Owen once said, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.” And that really summarizes what is at stake every day that you wake up and get out of bed. You are entering the Colosseum again. You must put on your armor again. You must pick up your Bible and read it again. You must get on your knees and pray again. You must forgive your debtors again. You must seek forgiveness again.
And this is because, the devil is an experienced tempter, your flesh is weak, and Satan loves to exert all his force on the weakest part of your soul. And so how can you withstand such temptations? How can you fortify your heart and mind against the many schemes of the devil?
This Jesus shows us how to do in his own showdown with Satan.
And so this morning I want us to walk through this text to answer one big question, and that is: How do you overcome temptation? How do you win in this battle for your soul? Let us see how the Lord Jesus teaches us.
Outline of the Text
Our text divides into two basic sections.
In verses 1-2 we have The Occasion of Temptation.
In verses 3-13 we have Jesus Resisting Temptation.
The Occasion, and the Resistance.
Verses 1-2 – What was the occasion for Jesus being tempted?
1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
First recall that Jesus has just been baptized by John the Baptist. Heaven opened, a dove descended, and the Father announced, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased (Luke 3:22).
And then we see that Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus chooses to go to the place of testing. Why does he do this?
Jesus is reenacting the history of Israel. Israel was chosen by God to be His priestly nation. God says to Moses in Exodus 4:22-23,Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.”
And then because Pharaoh refused to comply, hardened his heart, and would not let them go, God fulfilled His Word.Pharoah and all of those without the Passover lamb, suffered the loss of their firstborn son.
So just as Israel was led out of Egypt and baptized in the Red Sea, so also Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river. And just as Israel was tempted for 40 years in the wilderness, Jesus is tempted for 40 days.
Recall that the journey from the wilderness to the promised land was only an 11-day journey. But because they complained, rebelled, and broke God’s covenant, gave in to temptation, that 11-day journey turned into a 40-year punishment.
As the saying goes, “You can take Israel out of Egypt in a day, but you need 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel.” This was true for them. And it is often too true for us as well. God redeems us from this sinful world in a moment of Divine grace, but the rest of our lives is then God continuing to get that sinful world out of our hearts.
So Jesus goes into the wilderness to succeed where Israel failed. Jesus is the natural firstborn Son of God, He is the new Israel, and He has come to re-write all our failures by His own perfect obedience. Jesus goes to be tempted in the wilderness as an act of divine grace for you and me.
A second reason Jesus goes into the wilderness is to teach us that after our baptism, tests will come. We thought becoming a Christian would make our lives better and easier, and in many ways it does. It says in Proverbs 4:18-19, The path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.
But there is this important caveat: Now that you are on the side of the angels, a child of God, Satan hates you far more than he hated you before. The more full of the Holy Spirit you are, the more Satan would love to take you down.
We see in this in the Old Testament with the story of Job. Who does Satan attack with every weapon he’s got? The most righteous man on earth. And then after Job suffers the loss of his children and his possessions, and still blesses God, God says to Satan in Job 2:3, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.
So learn this lesson well: Satan hates you when you are sinning, but he hates you even more when you are not. Satan hates those he rules over, but he hates those he does not rule over even more. This was true of Job, it was true of Christ, and it will be true of all those who desire to follow Christ.
And this is an important lesson in how to overcome temptation: Be aware that after spiritual highs, after great successes, after your baptism and your filling with the Spirit, after fasting and prayer, Satan often comes to tempt. When we are weak and we know we are weak, we rely upon God and are protected. But sometimes we start to think our strength is from ourselves, and that becomes a new weakness.
And so what this means is that you must always be on guard and constantly casting yourself upon Divine mercy. There is a reason Jesus taught us to pray daily, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Because every day temptations come. Whether from the devil himself, or other people, or hard circumstances, or from our own sinful desires. Remember you are in a battle on at least three fronts: the world outside will assault you, the devil will shoot his fiery darts, and your own flesh wars against the spirit.
Do not underestimate your foe, or forget the foe within. If you do, you will easily fall into the Devil’s snare.
So that’s the first thing we need to learn from Jesus. Note the occasions when the devil likes to tempt. And don’t think that just because you are full of the Spirit or baptized, that temptations will not come, assuredly they will.
And this brings us to verses 3-12 where we see the kinds of temptations that devil uses against Christ, and there are three principal temptations here.
The first is an appeal to the human appetite. (vs 3-4)
The second is an appeal to human ambition. (vs 5-8)
And the third an appeal to human presumption. (vs 9-12)
So let us see how the devil tempts and how Christ responds.
Verses 3-4 – An Appeal to Human Appetite
3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Notice that the devil begins by questioning Jesus’ identity. Most likely at this stage in Christ’s ministry, because he has not yet performed any miracles, the devil is unsure whether Jesus is a mere man or something more. And so he tempts to find out, and he also tempts to make him fall.
And this is also how the devil often assaults us. He questions whether we are really the children of God. He sows seeds of doubt in our heart: “If God really loved you, would He let you suffer as you do?” “If you are really a child of God, wouldn’t God want you to be happy? Wouldn’t He want you to satisfy your appetite?”
How many Christians have been seduced by this lie. That God is not actually as good as He says He is, and because God must want me to be happy, He must want me to take and do what I think will make me happy. This is America’s sin. God blessed us in many ways, we forgot God in our prosperity, and now we are paying the consequences for elevating our own appetites above the will of God. This we must repent of and resist with all our might.
This first temptation is very similar to the first temptation in the Garden. Remember the serpent comes to Eve and questions God’s goodness saying, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”… “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen. 3:1, 4-5) The devil appeals to Eve’s appetite for knowledge, for god-likeness, for the forbidden fruit.
And now Jesus is being tempted like our first parents were tempted. The first Adam gave in to his appetite for what God had prohibited, and now the Last Adam, Christ Jesus fights how Adam should have fought, using the word of God. How does Jesus respond?
He responds by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the context of that quotation is Moses reminding Israel, before they enter the promised land, how God has provided them with manna for 40 years. Deuteronomy 8 goes on to recall God’s faithfulness in the past and His promise for the future saying: Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you. “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
So while Satan tempts us to take right now what God has promised to give us later, Jesus fights back with those promises, and the remembrance of God’s faithfulness.
And this is how you and I must fight. We must keep heaven before our eyes, a world in which there is no sorrow, no tears, no death, no pain. Because that is what awaits us if we persevere in the faith: joy inexpressible and full of glory. When Satan tempts you with a good, look to the greater good that God has in store for those who love Him.
Moreover, you should also fear the consequences of giving in to temptation. Because every time you sin, you weaken your will to resist the next time. And if you give in now, and don’t repent immediately and go in the opposite direction, you are running the risk of self-deception unto destruction. And then once you die, there is no more opportunity to repent, and even if there was, you would not choose it. A will that turns away from God in this life, will remain that way forever. And that should make you fear and tremble and beg for God’s mercy to sustain you.
As it says in 2 Peter 2:19-21, For by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
This brings us to the second temptation.
Verses 5-8 – An Appeal to Human Ambition/Vainglory
5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. [this likely some kind of vision]
6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
First observe the lies, the sinking sand, that Satan builds his temptations on.Satan offers to Jesus what he does not actually have the power to give.
He says to Jesus, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
But who is the one delegates authority? Who is the one who owns the world? It is God, not Satan. Satan is a usurper. He claims what does not belong to him and then tries to trick as many as he can to enthrone him above God.
This is why Jesus calls Satan a thief, a liar, and a murderer from the beginning. He says in John 10:10, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
When King Nebuchadnezzar committed this sin of Satan, attributing to himself a power and glory that belong to God, God rebuked him saying, King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.
Satan cannot give what he does not possess. And while Jesus could have refuted Satan with many other possible passages and truths, like “I am the God who has all authority,” instead he chooses to quote from Deuteronomy.
And this is because Jesus wants to help us overcome our temptations.Jesus alone can say I AM GOD, whereas you and I cannot. And so Jesus uses a weapon that we also can use. And that is appealing to the written Word, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
This is first commandment stuff, “No other gods before me.” And with this weapon of loyalty to the one true God, Jesus rebukes the devil.
Third and finally, the devil appeals to the vice of presuming upon God to intervene.
Verses 9-13 – An Appeal to Human Presumption
9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Now the devil is using Scripture to try to force Jesus’ hand.
It says in Psalm 91:11-12, For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
And so Satan is weaponizing the promises of God to protect His people, to get Jesus to kill himself.
Make no mistake. This is the devil inciting self-harm, suicide, death, and he is willing to use Scripture to convince Jesus that, “If God really loves you He will stop you, so give it a try.”
Do you see how cruel the devil is in his temptations? He cannot help himself. He wants Jesus to eat rocks, not bread. He wants Jesus to bow down to him, not God. He wants Jesus to kill himself, and he baits the hooks with the Word of God. Satan will take what God intends for your salvation (Holy Scripture), and he will twist it for your damnation.
Are you aware of the ways that you are tempted to be presumptuous, to be passive when God tells you to be active, to blame God when you are the one responsible for your actions?
As my former pastor Doug Wilson likes to say, “God does not steer parked cars.” So are you moving in faith? Walking by faith? Working out what God is working within? If not, then you are tempting God, you are being presumptuous.
Well how does Jesus overcome this temptation? He could have refuted Satan’s exegesis of Psalm 91. For the Psalm begins by saying, He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. In other words, God’s promise of rescue is contingent upon remaining in God’s house, dwelling with Him, not casting yourself away from His presence. Moreover, the kind of deliverance that God promises is eternal and spiritual, not merely temporal and physical. For the Psalm concludes saying, With long life will I satisfy him, And shew him my salvation.
But Jesus does not choose to engage with Satan on Psalm 91. Instead he goes back to Deuteronomy for the third time, and selects a verse that clearly condemns what the devil is suggesting, it says in Deuteronomy 6:16, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
And this itself is instructive for us. There are times when we are outmatched by our opponents, by heretics, by wicked smart false teachers. Their knowledge of Scripture and history surpasses our own. And yet if you Christian, know the Ten Commandments, if you know the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed, the basics of loving God and loving your neighbor, and are whole-heartedly seeking to honor God, then you have more weapons than you might think.
And if Jesus, who knows everything, fought the devil with the same Scripture that you and I have, then that Scripture is also sufficient for us to overcome temptation as well.
Moreover, we have this promise from God in 1 Corinthians 10:13, No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Conclusion
Learn to fight like Jesus fights. Review the armory of truths you already know, and then add to that armory when you meditate on God’s Word. When you hear these sermons. When you pray and sing the Psalms.
Paul says to Timothy, Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Tim. 6:12).
The same can be said to you who confess the Creed every week. Who confess your sins every Lord’s Day. Who confess that Jesus is LORD to the glory of God the Father. Hold fast to that confession of faith steadfast till the end.
If you make gaining Christ your highest ambition, one day you will be able to say with Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7,I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
May God grant you to gain the victory and triumph, through the power of Christ’s love working within you, to the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Son of Adam, Son of God (Luke 3:21-38)

Son of Adam, Son of GodSunday, February 15th, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 3:21–38
Prayer
O Father, we thank You for the revelation of Your Son Jesus Christ, in whom the human race may now find salvation. Grant us now to behold the wonders of Your law, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
When do you most feel the good pleasure of God? Have you ever felt as if God is in heaven, looking down upon you with a big smile, loving who you are, loving what you are doing, delighting in your thoughts and actions because they bring glory to Him? Have you experienced the Father’s good pleasure before?
Well, here in our text, Jesus shows us both what God takes pleasure in, and how we also may share in his Father’s delight. Moreover, Luke shows us by this long genealogy that God has been planning this revelation of His love from the foundation of the world.
The revelation of the love of God in Son of God is the centerpiece of human history. The patriarchs looked forward to it, we now look backward to it, and as it says in John 1:12, as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
In other words, by believing in Jesus, you are now included in that long genealogy of Jesus, not according to the flesh, but as a descendant of His according to the Spirit, and indeed that is what your baptism signifies: Your rebirth into the family of God. Your connection to the royal line of God’s Son. Your adoption by the grace of the Heavenly Father.
Innumerable blessings flow from this union with Christ, and yet far too many Christians neglect these blessings, or live in ignorance of them. We forget to make use of the many diverse graces God offers us in His beloved Son.
It says in Psalm 103:2-5, Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. And on and on it goes!
And so if you are weary, if your strength is waning, if it has been a long time since you’ve felt the Father’s good pleasure, here in our text Jesus will show you the way to enjoy that good pleasure again. Or if you have never known the love of the Father before, perhaps today can be that day for you.
Outline of the Text
Our text divides into two basic sections.
In verses 21-22, we have The Baptism of Christ.
In verses 23-38, we have The Genealogy of Christ.
And as an aside, we won’t spend much time on the actual contents of the genealogy, but if you want to how this harmonizes with Matthew, or why it has 77 names in it, there are plenty of books I can recommend to you ifthat’s a puzzle you want to explore.
The big question we should ask though is, Why does Luke wait until the 3rd chapter of his gospel to give us this long list of names? Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy, but Luke reserves this information so he can link it up with Jesus’ baptism? Why is this?
The main reason is because: who Jesus is, is the explanatory key to unlocking the rest of the book. If you do not know and believe that Jesus is both perfect God and perfect man, that He is both human and divine, you will not understand what Jesus is doing and why he is doing what he does.
And so in this baptism, and in this genealogy, Luke points us to the twofold sonship of Christ. He is the earthly son of Adam, and the eternal Son of God. He is the most beloved Son of the Father, in whom the Holy Spirit abides, and He is the adopted son of Joseph. And it is this twofold sonship that mirrors and reflects the way that God saves us.
Jesus is by nature divine, the natural son of God, but he has a legally adopted human father according to the flesh, Joseph. Whereas we are all natural sons of Adam, children of wrath, dead in sin, but God legally adopts us as His own.
So what Jesus is by nature, we are by adoption, and what we are by nature, Jesus is by adoption. This is the beautiful harmony and touchpoint of how God saves the human race. The son of God became the son of man so the sons of men could become sons of God. That is the main point of this genealogy.
So already Luke is priming us with the truths that we need to understand Christ. Because Jesus is going to do and say things later that are hard to understand, but if we remember that He is perfect God and perfect man, we will see the purpose for his actions: 1) They are to save us, and 2) they are to teach us. They are to reveal to us the true nature of God, and they are to show us how we may become partakers of God, conformed in our sufferings to Christ. And this is especially evident in Jesus’ baptism.
Verses 21-22 – The Baptism of Jesus
21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
There are three amazing mysteries here: The mystery of the Holy Trinity, the mystery of the Incarnation, and the mystery of our Salvation. And in order to understand a little bit of these mysteries, we can ask some Why questions that this scene provokes.
First of all, Why was Jesus baptized? We know that John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, but if Jesus is God and he is perfect, he has no sins to repent of. So what then is the purpose for Jesus undergoing this ritual?
There are at least five reasons for the baptism of Christ.
1. The first reason comes from the mouth of Christ, who says to John, when John is insisting that he needs to be baptized by Jesus, Jesus says to him in Matthew 3:15, Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus is baptized to fulfill all righteousness.
That means, Jesus came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law, and it was the righteous thing to do at that time to be baptized by John. Jesus is a new Israel, doing what the law of God required.
2. The second reason for undergoing baptism is to teach us humility. Jesus, who is John’s superior, and who has a superior baptism to John (with fire and the Holy Ghost), voluntarily makes himself inferior to John. And by this action Jesus shows us what his whole ministry is about, serving those inferior to Him. And thereby, teaching us how we may fulfill all righteousness, by serving even those who are inferior to us.
In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul calls this “the mind of Christ.” Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
So Jesus begins his public ministry the way he will end it. By voluntarily subjecting himself to his inferiors. By doing what is not personally necessary for himself, but which is most necessary for us sinners. Jesus is the God and King and Lord who stoops low to serve us, and is exalted on high because of his humiliation.
So do you follow in his train? Does this kind of humility and service characterize your life? Do you submit to those who are superior to you? Do you honor those who are equals with you? And do you humble yourself to serve even your inferiors for their good? For this reason, Jesus was baptized by John.
3. The third reason Jesus undergoes baptism, is to bury the Old Adam. This is another reason Luke links the genealogy to his baptism, because in Christ, the old man dies, and the new man is reborn.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
How does a person get into Christ?
Paul says in Romans 6 that it is by baptism. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Jesus was baptized to teach us how the old man dies. He dies through union with Jesus’ death, and he rises again in union with Jesus’ life.
Elsewhere Paul tells us to reenact our baptism on a daily basis.He says in Colossians 3:9-10, Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.
And he says in Ephesians 4:22,that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
4. The fourth reasons Jesus was baptized, was to remove any excuse for us not being baptized.
If you believe in Jesus but refuse baptism, you are failing in your very first step as a disciple. Are you more holy than Jesus? Are you wiser than God as to the necessity for baptism? Are you not actually a sinner in need of cleansing? If Jesus was baptized and had no need for repentance, how can you refuse what you do need, and what the Lord commands?
In the very first sermon of the Apostle Peter, what does he say? It says in Acts 2:38, Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
This brings us to our fifth reason for Jesus’ baptism.
5. Jesus was baptized to show us that through Him heaven is made open to us.
No man can enter heaven’s door unless he is perfect. Unless his sins have been blotted out, washed away by the blood of Christ. And in baptism, this is what God does for us, He forgives our sins.
Jesus says in John 3:5, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
And Paul says in Galatians 3:27, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
And that means that wherever Christ goes, you may go also. If Jesus has access to heaven, so may you through Him.
This is how Paul can say in Ephesians 2:6, that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places.
And in Hebrews 9:24 it says, For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
So Jesus is baptized to signify that he is the anointed high priest in the order of Melchizedek, He is the one mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5).
This is why Paul tells us in Hebrews to keep our hope and our heart anchored in heaven, because that is where Christ is right now interceding for us.
He says in Hebrews 4:14-16, Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
So do you see what your baptism into Christ gives you access to?
You now have a direct line to heaven! You have high-priest who can sympathize with your weakness. And so do you make use of that direct line? Are you constantly on the horn with God, making your requests known to Him? Because God wants to hear from you far more than you want to be heard, and so go to Him “in Jesus’ name.” Baptism gives you access to heaven, but you still have to make use of that access through prayer.
And in fact we discover that this is also something Jesus does when he is baptized. It says, in verse 21, Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened.
This bring us to a second Why question: If Jesus is God, if Jesus is perfect man, why does He pray? Is He just talking to Himself? Yes and No.
This is where we dip into the mystery of the Trinity and the mystery of the Incarnation. As God, according to His divine nature, Jesus is one with the Father and the same One God who hears and answers prayer. But as man, according to His human nature, Jesus prays to be heard and to teach us how to pray.
It says in Hebrews 5:7-9, who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death [God the Father], and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
As God, Jesus answers prayers together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, they are the One God who answers prayer. But as man, Jesus prays, he cries out, he cries tears, in order to be heard, in order to teach us how just how essential and necessary prayerful obedience to God is. This is why Jesus prays, because according to His divinity He answers.
We may also ask the question: In what sense did Jesus praying and obeying make Him “more perfect?” How do you perfect perfection?
The greater perfection that Jesus achieved, was not a moral perfection (which he always had), but the perfection of his body and ministry. The perfection of glorification. The perfection of completing his mission to the cross.
Prior to his death, Jesus’ body could suffer. He hungered, he was thirsty, he felt sorrow, pain, and deprivation. His body could be cut and it could bleed. But after his obedience unto death Jesus is perfected by his resurrection, never to die or suffer again.
And so Jesus is perfected as the author of our salvation, as the immortal man, the immortal king, who begets immortal sons and daughters who by dying shall never die again. This is the hope of the Christian faith.
As it says in 1 Peter 1:3-4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
So Jesus was perfected in glory to perfect you for glory. And he did this by a prayerful and constant obedience to God.
And so if Jesus was devoted to prayer and he was sinless, how much more should we be devoted to prayer who still struggle with sin?
St Augustine says, “once we are washed in baptism, daily we are washed in prayer.”
Prayer is how we renew our minds. Prayer is how we renew our love for God. Prayer is what keeps us in heaven with Christ,which is why we are told to pray without ceasing.
Prayer is what gives us the peace of God, as it says in Isaiah 26:3, You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
And so see what results from baptism and prayer. See what God reveals at the baptism and praying of Christ?
It says in verse 22, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
A third and final Why question we may ask is, Why the Holy Spirit descends likes a dove?
1. First because a dove signifies innocence. And Jesus is the innocent one.
2. Second is because a dove signifies peace. And the Holy Spirit is the peace of God, and Christ the one who will make peace by his death.
3. Third is because in Noah’s day, the dove was sent out after the flood to find a place to rest. And Jesus is the final resting place for those who desire eternal rest. Jesus is the new creation, who ascends from the flood waters of death. And by hiding yourself in the Ark that is Jesus, you may find refuge from the flood of final judgment. He will carry you safely to the new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Conclusion
And so I ask again as we close: Have you felt the good pleasure of God? Have you experienced the peace that comes from prayer and baptism, and taking refuge in Jesus? Have you experienced what we sing about in Psalm 149? For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.
It says in Hebrews 11:6-7, But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
So if you would please God, if you want to feel the Father’s good pleasure, then diligently seek Him. Trust in Jesus as your reward. Condemn this world like Noah did, by living a life of faith, and you shall enjoy for all eternity the good pleasure of God. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: Fruits Worthy of Repentance (Luke 3:1-20)

Fruits Worthy of RepentanceSunday, February 1st, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 3:1–20
Prayer
O Father, we thank You that while evil rulers may try to imprison and behead your messengers, Your message of truth conquers nonetheless. We thank You for the bold preaching of John. We thank You for Christ’s greater baptism, with the Holy Spirit and fire. We thank you for converting us, for setting our hearts ablaze with divine charity. And we ask that our love would increase and bear fruits worthy of repentance. For we ask all of this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
After two long chapters looking at the birth and youth of Christ, Luke now jumps ahead in time to when John and Jesus are grown men. John and Jesus are now around 30 years of age, and it is John’s preaching that will go before Jesus’ preaching. John’s baptism will go before Jesus’ baptism. And so already God is fulfilling what He promised earlier in Luke 1:16-17 when He said to Zacharias (John’s father), And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
And so how does a person prepare to prepare to meet Jesus? How should you prepare to meet your Creator one day before Whom you shall give an account?
Well, that is what this passage is all about answering. It is John’s job, his special calling, to prepare people, not only for Jesus’ earthly ministry, but for final judgment. And in that respect, you are not very different from John’s 1st century audience. You too are either wheat or chaff, a dead tree or a living tree, and depending on your state, you are headed in one of two directions: Either for God’s heavenly kingdom in glory, or for the flames of eternal punishment.
This is the gospel John comes preaching, “repent and believe, or else.” This is the same gospel Jesus comes preaching. He says later in Luke 13:3, Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Jesus says in John 8:24, If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Jesus says in Mark 11:26, But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive you.
And so your salvation is dependent upon repentance, faith, forgiveness, bearing fruits for God. All of those actions are effects of divine grace, but they are effects that you must choose to manifest.
God does not merely ordain the final destination of His elect; He also ordains all the intermediate steps between. God does not merely predestine us for heaven; He predestines all the means for us to get to there. And those means include your free choice to repent of your sins and to follow Jesus, not just once, but every single day. God is so powerful that He can move us to freely will what He wills.
This is the meaning of what Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Jude says likewise in Jude 20-21, But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
So are you keeping yourself in the love of God? Are you working out what God is working within? Because this is what John charges his hearers to do if they would be ready for Christ and Christ’s judgment.
Outline of the Text
Now our text here divides into three sections:
In verses 1-6 we have The Prophet’s Mission
In verses 7-17 we have The Prophet’s Preaching
In verses 18-20 we have The Prophet’s Imprisonment
Who is John? John is a man on a mission, that mission is to preach, and because of his preaching he will end up in prison. That’s the basic flow of the text.
Verses 1-2 – The When & Where of John’s Ministry
1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Observe the state of Israel when God’s kingdom comes. A Gentile Roman Caesar Tiberius is the most powerful man militarily speaking, and he has governors beneath him called tetrarchs. A tetrarch just means a ruler of 1/4th. And so Israel is divided into four different provinces/jurisdictions, Herod’s sons govern three areas, and the Roman Pontius Pilate governs the fourth.
We see also the Jewish high priesthood is divided between two different men, Annas and Caiaphas. We know from Josephus that Annas was basically a mafia Don. He would put out hits on people, he would pay people off. He was like the godfather of a Sadducean crime family. And although Annas had been deposed by the Romans, his son-in-law Caiaphas had been appointed in his stead. Nevertheless, Annas still had so much sway in Jerusalem, that when Jesus is brought for his trial, we are told in John 18:13, they led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. So Caiaphas may be high priest, but Annas is the real power behind him.
So the world of John the Baptist is a world governed by corrupt and evil men, both in the civil realm and in the religious realm. Luke is giving us the names here of men who will later conspire to kill Jesus. So church and state have become offices/institutions of oppression, injustice, and heresy.
The Sadducees were essentially Jewish heretics (they denied the resurrection, they denied the immortality of the soul, Acts 23:8), and compared to the Sadducees, the Pharisees almost look like the good guys.
The Pharisees have the distinct honor of being that class of people Jesus most frequently argues with. So Jesus at least thinks the Pharisees are worthy of debate, and indeed a number of prominent Pharisees will convert to Christianity. Nicodemus being one of them, and others later in the book of Acts (Acts 6:7), most importantly The Apostle Paul.
Now all of this corruption at the top is what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamt about some 600 years earlier. When Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great statue of four kingdoms, he tells him in Daniel 2:43-44, As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
So the Romans are the iron kingdom, and the Herodian/Jewish alliance is the clay, and while they rule together, they will never be able to adhere and achieve a unity, and Daniel says this is when the kingdom of Christ shall begin.
So Luke gives us these seven different names of priests and kings because Jesus is coming as the final priest-king Melchizedek. The dominion belongs to Jesus both in the church and outside the church, and none can escape His everlasting rule. This is what Daniel prophesies, it is what John comes to prepare people for, and it is what Jesus Himself will come proclaiming, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
Verses 3-6 – John’s Mission
3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
4As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Here Luke quotes from Isaiah 40, and he identifies John as the voice who comes before the Word. Jesus is the eternal Word made flesh (he is the salvation of God), and John is the voice who shall speak of Him.
We observe also that John is baptizing in the Jordan river, and he is a voice crying out in the wilderness.
Why the wilderness? The wilderness is where God first formed Israel into a nation. The wilderness is where God tests people, it is a place of purgation, of cleansing, of learning to trust God and forsaking the vices of Egypt. The wilderness is where God makes for Himself a holy people, and enters into a marriage covenant with them. The wilderness is also where the holy prophets take refuge and gather when tyrants are on the throne.
So John is a man of the wilderness. And he is showing by his location what Israel most needs, where Israel needs to go. They need to be re-constituted as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. They need to be re-sanctified, re-born, and the way they do this is by repentance unto life. John comes preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. This is what the wilderness is for: purging us of evil.
It is also significant that John baptizes in the Jordan river. The Jordan river was where Israel crossed and followed Joshua to enter the promised land. The Jordan River is where Elijah crossed and gave a double portion of his spirit to Elisha. The Jordan river was where Elisha told Naaman the Syrian to be baptized and cleansed of his leprosy (2 Kings 5).
And so by baptizing in the Jordan, John is coming in the spirit and power of Elijah, and he is saying to Israel that they are unclean like Naaman the Syrian. They are lepers in need of a miraculous cleansing, and only God can heal them.
We see also that John is a voice that cries out in the wilderness. John does not speak softly, he preaches loudly, he shouts at people. Why?
There are three basic reasons we shout at someone.
1. Because they are deaf or hard of hearing.
2. Because they are far away from us.
3. Because we are angry.
And all three of these conditions apply in John’s case.
Israel is deaf to God’s voice, and so John cries out.
Israel is far away from God and so John cries out.
Israel is suffering under God’s anger, and so John cries out.
And what does God do with those loud cries of John? He uses his voice to pave a straight path into people’s hearts, to turn them and prepare them to receive and embrace Christ.
John’s preaching is like a bulldozer, an excavator, the concrete trucks and rollers to make Christ’s entrance smooth. The proud must be humbled. The humbled must be encouraged. The perverse must be made pure, the crooked man made straight.
John preaches with hard words because our hearts need the pounding. We all need to be softened to receive the Word that is Jesus. Jesus will say the same thing in his parable of the soils. And James 1:21 says likewise, Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness (softness) the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
John cries out to awaken our deaf hears, to call us nearer to God, and to warn us of the wrath of God, the final judgment. John is the first trumpet blast to warn us of God’s kingdom. Only the righteous may enter, and the righteous enter by faith.
This brings us to verses 7-17 where we hear The Prophet’s Preaching. How does John begin his sermon to Israel? Well, he begins by insulting them.
Verses 7-9 – A Loving Rebuke
7Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
9And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Now one of the first rules of rhetoric, or public speaking, is that in your introduction you want to endear people to what you have to say. And usually insulting your audience is not the best way to do that.
However here a strong rebuke is a most kind introduction. And that is because John loves these people, he loves this brood of vipers and wants them to be converted from snakes to saints.
John wants everyone to know up front, “I know what you are. And I have not come here to tell you stories or to entertain you, I am not here to gain a following for myself or to build some platform, I don’t really care about your esteem or admiration. I am simply here because the way you are living right now will destroy you.”
Moreover, John says to them, “You think you can escape the wrath of God just by going through the motions of getting baptized and professing repentance (cause everyone else is doing it). Or maybe you think you are too good for that, you aren’t unclean, because you can trace your lineage back to Abraham. Abraham was holy, so you must be holy to.”
John says, “No. None of that.None of that matters unless you personally live differently than you are living right now. There’s a time for talk, but the time for talk is over. The time for action is now. Bear fruits keeping with your baptism, keeping with your profession, otherwise you are a hypocrite or self-deceived.”
John rebukes them, he shouts at them, because he loves them. These crowds coming out to him are the seed of the serpent, the offspring of Satan, the devil is their daddy, and they are in denial about it. And so John is trying to wake them up to what they really are, to their true serpentine nature, and to that poison within that will kill them. Remember what God says will happen to serpents? They get their head crushed. And John would spare them that, if only they will repent.
And so he begins by calling them what they are: A generation of vipers.
How do those vipers respond to this? Those who hear and fear for their lives ask him, “What shall we do then?” And in verses 10-14, there are three classes of people who ask this question, wanting to be baptized, and receive an answer.
Those three classes are the 1) the common people, 2) the tax collectors, and 3) the soldiers.
Verses 10-14 – What shall we do then?
10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
12Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
13And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
To the common people John says,He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.
This is a call to love your neighbor as yourself, to clothe the naked and feed the starving.
And this is not actually a work of mercy, it is actually a work of justice. It is due to man as man, as made in God’s image, to not be naked, and to not starve to death. And if a society is unwilling to feed and clothe those who are destitute, that is a society that has lost touch with its own humanity. It says in Proverbs 12:10, The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
Right now, America is a place where food is abundant and clothes are cheap. It might not be healthy, but you will not starve. Our bigger problem is obesity, cancer, heart disease. Even many of the homeless have more than two tunics, some of them have smartphones. But that was not always the case, and it will not always be the case if we persist in our rage against God and His law. We are still living off some of the Christian capital (moral and financial) of the past. But those accounts are dwindling, we could drain that in an instant.
For example, it is not just or humane to let drugs and immigrants cross our borders unchecked, or to give people clean needles so they can do their drugs more safely. It is evil to legalize things that turn people into zombies, that deface the very image of God within them. And yet this is what we do.
It is a scourge on our nation and our laws, that we tax our citizens to pay for people’s vices, and then people profit off those vices and so now there is a financial incentive to keep those vices going, and to expand them. This is casinos. This is marijuana shops. This is online gambling. This is all kinds of government programs and regulations that actually hurt the poor in the name of helping the poor, that actually oppress people in the name of liberating them.
And so to quote Psalm 11:3, If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do? John’s answer is the same as the Psalmist: You do what is just in the eyes of God.
Psalm 11 goes on to say, The Lord is in his holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous: But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, And an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; His countenance doth behold the upright.
This is the justice God wants from the repentant: Feed the starving, clothe the naked, and seek what is truly good for the poor in the eyes of God.
The second class of people are the tax collectors, what should they do? To them John’s answer might be surprising. John does not tell them to quit their job. John does not tell them to stop collecting taxes. Instead he says, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. In other words, keep the law. Collect for Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but don’t use Caesar as pretext for your own greed and envy.
Later in Luke’s gospel, the tax collector Zacchaeus will be a shining example of what bearing the fruits of righteousness looks like in this vocation.
It says in Luke 19:8-10, Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Zacchaeus was someone ready for Jesus. And so when Jesus says to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house,” Zacchaeus obeys. It says, So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.
We could think also of Matthew the tax collector, who becomes a disciple of Jesus, and the author of the first gospel. John’s ministry was not in vain.
The third and final class of people who ask John, “What shall we do?” are soldiers. If the common people are like the valleys and the hills made level by caring for one another, and the tax collectors are like the crooked made straight, then the soldiers are the rough ways made smooth.
How does a rough military man make ready for Jesus? John says,Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. That phrase “do violence to no man” likely refers to extortion, or taking money by threats and intimidation.
John just gives the soldiers the 6th commandment, the 9th commandment, and the 10th commandment. No murder, no bearing false witness, no coveting. This is basic stuff. But we are bad at doing the basics.
And so John is calling them back to basics. Use your strength and sword to defend the innocent and punish the wicked (Romans 13). Use your authority and power to seek out the truth, don’t lie and intimidate to get your way. And be content with what you have.
These are the fruits of righteousness. These qualities and actions reveal whether you are truly alive or dead inside. And lest you think these fruits are optional, John seals his sermon with a warning, a warning that points us to Jesus.
Verses 15-17 – A Warning
 15And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
16John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
17Whose fan (winnowing fork) is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner (storehouse); but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
John is saying in effect, “However great or holy you think I am, I am nothing compared to Jesus. Jesus is the Judge with whom you have to do. If you think water baptism and my preaching is powerful, the one who comes after me is All Powerful, He baptizes with fire and the Holy Spirit. I can see your outward actions, but He can see your secret thoughts, He can see into your very soul, and most importantly, He can transform your soul by His grace.”
This is the hope of John’s gospel: that those who are ready to receive Jesus, receive from Jesus a greater baptism, a baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost.
And this is how God prepares us for judgment day. He gives His Holy Spirit, so that we can bear the fruit of the Spirit. He tries us and tests us by fire, to remove what is dross, chaff, and evil within us.
It says in 1 Peter 4:12-13, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
And Paul says likewise in 1 Corinthians 3:12-17, Now if anyone builds on this foundation [that is Christ] with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
So the baptism of Jesus in fire and the Holy Spirit, makes us into temples. And then our job is to adorn that temple with good works. Works done poorly or half-heartedly are like wood, hay and straw, they will get burned up. But works done from genuine love, justice, mercy, charity, these are the gold, silver, and precious stones that glorify God and make us glorious.
And this is what John is calling people to do when he says, bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do good works worthy of the God who saved you.
Or as Paul says in Ephesians 4:1-3, walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
These are the fruits that glorify God, and God rewards those who bear such fruits. And how does God reward John for his ministry?
We see in verses 18-20, that John’s preaching was rewarded with imprisonment, and imprisonment that ended in martyrdom. John was rewarded by sealing his testimony to Christ in blood.
Verses 18-20 – The Prophet’s Imprisonment
18And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
19But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
20Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
John reproved Herod for his adulterous marriage to his half-brother’s wife. And because of that stand for justice, for his defense of marriage, John was rewarded with imprisonment and martyrdom.
 We call this a reward because Jesus says in Luke 6:22-23, Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
So John received and is now enjoying a great reward in heaven. He was faithful unto death, and so received the crown of life.
And so imitate John’s faithfulness. Heed John’s warning. Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus. Kill the snake within you, and bear fruits worthy of a saint.
And if you are godly, God might reward you with imprisonment, with false accusations, with hatred, martyrdom, and a name written in heaven’s book. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sermon: The Boy Jesus (Luke 2:41-52)

The Boy JesusSunday, January 25th, 2026Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WALuke 2:41–52
Prayer
O Father we acknowledge that while one person plants, and another person waters, it is You who give the growth. And so as we hear now Your Word preached, and we desire to make progress in grace, we ask that you would give the increase, make us to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, even fruit that remains, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
Children, Teenagers, I have a question for you: What would you do if you had three whole days to do whatever you wanted? No parents. No grandparents. No babysitter. No restrictions. No school. Let’s say you had the whole weekend all to yourself, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. What would you do with three full days of freedom?
While you think about that, I’m going to ask your parents a question.
Parents, how would you feel, if your children, your teenagers, were left all alone for three days without your supervision?
Would you be stressed out, or relieved? Would you be anxious and worried about them, waiting for the police to call, or would you not sweat it?
Granted, a lot depend on the ages of your children. I know I would be stressed out, I don’t think my children could survive three hours without supervision! So how would you feel?
Alright, thought experiment over. Everyone come back from that dream (or nightmare).
Children, what you want to do when nobody else is watching, reveals if you are good or bad, whether you are good and deserve more freedom, or whether you are bad and need more discipline.
Teenagers, What you do when nobody is telling you what is right or wrong, reveals whether you deserve more freedom or less. Whether you are mature enough to drive a car, or have a smartphone, or hang out with those friends, or play that sport, or be in a relationship, or be left alone at all. What you do with the small measure of freedom you have, reveals whether you deserve more freedom or less.
And this is because, age and maturity are not the same thing. God intends for your age and maturity to grow together, but because of our sin and our stubbornness, it often does not happen that way. In fact, some people never mature into who God created them to be. There are people in their 50s and 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, who are still like toddlers and teenagers in their heart, petty, bitter, entitled, resentful, and there is nothing more tragic than that.
It says in Proverbs 19:29, Judgments are prepared for scoffers, And beatings for the backs of fools.
It says in Proverbs 1:32, For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
Too much freedom given too early will destroy you. Adam and Eve plunged our whole world into sin because they were impatient with God. Because they thought they were smarter than God, that they could handle right now what God had reserved for them later. And because of that disobedience, that failure of the test, God kicked them out of His house. They could not be trusted to tend and keep God’s garden sanctuary, because they could not tend and keep their own heart.
It says in Proverbs 4:23, Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it flow the issues of life.
It says in Proverbs 16:32, Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit [is stronger] than he who takes a city.
It says in Proverbs 14:12, There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. And this our first parents learned the hard way.
So what about you? Are you impatient? Are you quick to get angry? Have you learned yet that shortcuts are actually the long way around? Does your maturity match your age? Does the wisdom of your soul fit with the stature of your body?
You see none of us can stop growing older even if we wanted to. But to grow in maturity requires a deliberate choice. A choice that you must make each day to follow Jesus or not. To obey your parents, or not. To obey God, or not.
God says to His people (after 40 years in the wilderness taking the long way to the promised land) in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cleave to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.
Paul says likewise in Ephesians 6:1-2, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
God wants you to grow in maturity, because maturity means life. Maturity means eternal life. And isn’t that what you want?
If so, the boy Jesus will teach you. Here in our passage, we have Jesus at twelve years of age, with his parents, and without them. With supervision, and then without supervision for three whole days. And at the end of this scene, what does Luke tell us? And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
So what we can learn about maturity from the boy Jesus?
Outline of the Text
There are three principal actions that contribute to our advance in grace, and we’ll use these three actions as the basic outline for our text, and then note some lessons connected to these actions.
In verses 41-45, we have the Public Worship of God.
In verses 46-47, we have Personal Study of God.
And then in verses 48-51, Obedience to God-Given Authorities.
Three actions: Public Worship, Personal Study, and Obeying God’s Authority, these are the three principal actions that Jesus models as the path to maturity.
Verses 41-42 – Jesus Worships with God’s People
41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
42And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
So first observe that Jesus has godly parents with godly customs, and therefore Jesus follows them in those customs.
Joseph and Mary have made it a habit every year to attend the Passover in Jerusalem. How much time did that take?
It’s about 90 miles from Nazareth to Jerusalem. And so to walk that distance would take at least 3-4 days or more depending on the pace and the roads. And altogether this would have been 2-3 weeks away from home, 2-3 weeks of not working, of living on the road, of lodging with strangers, or just sleeping in tents outside, and yet that journey was formative for God’s people, and something Joseph and Mary wanted to do together as a family.
We know from Exodus 23 and Deuteronomy 16 that grown men were required to appear before God three times a year (for Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles). And yet Mary and Jesus accompany Joseph on his journey, because they too want to appear before the Lord. They want to partake of the Passover and remember God’s great deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
So this was the custom of Jesus’ parents, and Jesus embraces these customs as his own.  Of course, according to His divine nature Jesus is the one who gave these customs, and now according to His human nature he gets to observe them.
So parents, do you have godly customs? Do you prioritize the public worship of God over everything else? Do you “remember the sabbath day to keep it holy?” Do you honor God with the first fruits of your increase? Are you showing by your actions where you heart is. Are you teaching your children what is actually important to you?
If not, you are putting a stumbling block in the way of your children following Jesus. How can you say to them, “follow me as I follow Christ,” if you are not following Christ?
Children, do you walk in the same godly customs as your parents? Do you choose not only to walk in them, but also to enjoy them and make them your own?
You have a choice about whether you will conform or not to the ways of God. And this is one of those places where you should not try to stand out, you should not try to distinguish yourself, you should not pretend or think you are too cool for church. Too cool to raise your hands and sing, or get on your knees and confess your sins. Corporate worship is not the place for individual personal self-expression, it is the place to conform yourself to the Word of God, and to the customs of the people of God, not to invent your own. These are the old paths, and God wants you walk in them.
It says in Proverbs 4:10-15,Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.
This Jesus models for us by conforming to the customs of His parents, customs that He had no need to observe being God-in-the-flesh and yet observed for our example.
If ever there was someone who did not need to go to church, it was Jesus. And yet Jesus travels to Jerusalem, he observes the Passover, to teach us what we need. To teach us that we need to go spiritually up to Jerusalem, we need to ascend in our affections to the city of peace, to heavenly Zion, and by keeping that custom of seeking those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God (Col 3:1), we shall attain to that peace.
So this is Lesson #1 from the boy Jesus: When your parents go to church, go with them joyfully. Go with them willingly. If they are sick and you can drive, ask if you go without them. Make corporate worship the thing around which everything else revolves, sanctify this day like God commands.
Can you say with the words of Psalm 84:10,For a day in God’s courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Because that is the desire of a mature soul. And if you are old enough to sin, you are old to enough to be godly, but godliness will not happen on its own, you must choose to walk in the ways of the godly, and dwell where the righteous dwell.
This brings us to a second lesson which we find in verses 43-45, and that is: Love God’s house even more than your parents do.
Verses 43-45 – “I Thought He Was with You!?”
43And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
So observe first that Jesus is twelve when he stays behind in Jerusalem, he’s not 5. Joseph and Mary have made this trip many times before, for 11 years straight they have done so without losing the Messiah.
Second observe, that Joseph and Mary traveled with friends and family, kinsfolk and acquaintance. There was a large caravan of people making this journey, and it would be very easy for Jospeh to think Jesus was with Mary, and for Mary to think Jesus was with Joseph. I am sure that this has happened to some parents in this room (I thought he was with you). Meanwhile little Johnny’s hanging out with the deacons cleaning up.
Now it is one thing to get left behind, another to choose to stay behind. And one of the things Jesus is illustrating for us here is what he will say later in Luke 14:26, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
In other words, your loyalty and love for God must take precedence over your loyalty and love for anyone else (even yourself). As much as Joseph and Mary are godly parents and indeed far more godly than any of us, Jesus is more loyal to His Father in heaven and desires to linger with Him for as long as he can.
So Children, praise the Lord if you have Christian parents who bring you to church. But do your parents proud and surpass them in your own love for God, in your own obedience to Christ, in your own humility and holiness and pursuit of God.
Nothing makes godly parents happier than seeing their children outdo them in godly and holy living, to turn out far better than we taught them. And so children, you have that choice. You have that responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required, and you cannot love God too much. This Jesus shows us, by staying behind in Jerusalem.
This brings us to verses 46-47, where we see what Jesus did with his three days apart from His parents.
Verses 46-47 – Personal Study of God
46And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
First note that doctors here refers not to medical doctors but to the professional theologians or teachers of the law. These would be the most respected authorities when it comes to interpreting Scripture, and it is there, sitting in their midst, that Jesus hears, asks, answers and astonishes.
When Jesus has three days apart from His parents, what does he want to do? He wants to have a three-day Bible conference. He wants to be about His heavenly Father’s business, and that business revolves around discussing the Word of God with the wise.
Now again remember, Jesus was already full of grace and truth, wisdom and knowledge from infancy. He was already the God-man. Luke told us earlier in verse 40 right before this scene, And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him [that at 40 days old].
So Jesus did not acquire divinity at some later stage of development, he was born Christ the LORD. He was born worthy of worship, and as the one In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3).
And so when Jesus is said to increase in wisdom in verse 52, this either refers to the increase of human experience, or the increase of revealing to other the wisdom he already has.
And so here’s the lesson: If Jesus knows everything, and yet chooses to sit with fallible human teachers, to hear them, and question them, and answer them with understanding, then how much more do we who were born in ignorance and sin?
Jesus is already perfect, and so he is modeling for us how we can become perfect/complete/mature, even in our youth.
Paul says in Colossians 1:28 that the goal of his ministry is to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” And how does Paul intend to accomplish that? He says, Christ is in you, the hope of glory Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
So perfection comes from hearing good preaching, receiving stern warnings, and being taught in wisdom. And this is exactly what Jesus’ ministry will consist of as well.
And so Children, are you making use of the preaching, teaching, and warnings you hear from this pulpit? Do you like the boy Jesus, seek out the wise and listen to them, and ask them questions?
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:4, there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit.
And it says in Proverbs 24:6, For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.
It says in Proverbs 13:20, He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: But a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
So young people, do you surround yourself with older wiser counsellors? Do you learn from and imitate the strengths and graces that are diversely shown in God’s people.
We are not all equally expert in the same field, we are not all equally wise and mature in the same areas, we need one another to see what we can’t see, and we should imitate the best qualities in every Christian we know.
The fool is the one who does not ask advice, who refuses to be taught what he does not know.
It says in Proverbs 18:1-2 of such people, Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
It says in Ecclesiastes 9:17-18, The words of wise men are heard in silence more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.
So where can wisdom be found? Chiefly in Christ and keeping His Word.
It says in Psalm 119:24, Thy testimonies also are my delight And my counsellers.
And in Psalm 119:9 it says, How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
The purity of your life will only be as great as your taking heed to God’s Word. If you fill your mind with TV shows, video games, social media, and vanity, it will hollow out your soul. Whatever stokes your desire for carnal things you must forsake. You must avoid. You must hate. This is the love of God, to hate evil.
It says in Psalm 97:10-12, Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of his saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Finally we come to where Jesus is found by his searching parents.
Verses 48-51 – Obedience to God-Given Authorities
48And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist [know] ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
50And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
Here we see that Jesus is subject/submissive to God in the first instance, and to his parents in the second instance. This is the biblical order of authority for children. God first, parents second.
No human authority is absolute, no king, no pope, no pastor, no parent, no husband or master. All authority is derived from God and is therefore limited by the Word of God. If ever we are commanded by our superior to sin, we say with the Apostles, we must obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29).
And so see how Jesus, the absolute sovereign of all and source of all authority, voluntarily submits himself to many imperfect and sinful authorities throughout his life. And he does this without ever sinning himself.
This is the mindset of Christ. It says of him in Philippians 2:6-8, Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Jesus submitted to his parents. He submitted to Caesar. He submitted to Pontius Pilate and suffered for His righteousness. And because of this, it says in verses 9-11, Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Conclusion
The test of youth is, Will you be patient? Will you wait on God to give you the desires of your heart? Will you cheerfully obey the authorities He has placed over you, even if or when they are unjust, even when they hurt you, or sin against you? Will you forgive them? Will you love them? Will you refuse to revile them in return?
Parents are not perfect. No human authority is perfect. But if the perfect boy Jesus submitted himself to God, and obeyed the authorities over him in the flesh (both godly and ungodly), then how much more should we who are not divine?
Jesus so loved you that he suffered crucifixion to save you. He spent three days in death, to save you from death. And that is maturity in the fullest sense: To love deeply, and to suffer for those you love.
Jesus says in John 15:13,Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
If you want to be mature then you must love unto death. For this is what Christ did for us, and what we must grow up to do for one another. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.