You are listening to the sermon podcast from Rocky Creek Church. Find more resources online at Rocky Creek dot church. I'm talking to you to turn with me on my favorite passage of scripture. We're going to be looking at Luke chapter three verses 21 through 38 today.
Walking through the entire gospel and today talking specifically about how to live in the Father's delight. I was so excited to be able to share with you guys that we were baptized in eight people in our three services today which is a wonderful way to celebrate. And I do think about if you don't know this about our history here at Rocky Creek, this church was birthed in 1834. Some of you are part of the original plant team.
Thank you for your service and your continued faithfulness. So back in the day, you guys actually got baptized in the Rocky Creek down there. Kind of right off the parking lot a little bit. And so can you just imagine some of those cold days?
You know what I'm saying? We try to make sure those got baptized today. The water feels great. But there was a day.
I can remember it was February 13th, 2022. I come to church on a Sunday morning and I pass your day to come to me and says, Hey, try out the heater in the bad. It's not working. I'm like, that's cool.
That's how bad is it? You might want to come up here, okay? Which is never a good sign. So I remember I went in there and I, you know, dip my toes down and I'm just be honest, like something changed inside of me.
You know what I'm saying? It was cold. How cold was it? It was like colder than a church business meeting with somebody says I have a question.
You know what I'm saying? It was colder than a traditional service in 1995 when the youth group is playing every move I make. You know what I'm talking about? Some of you all get that.
Some of you don't. It was so cold that I put my foot in and I started shivering at such a level you thought I was speaking to them. It's in a Baptist church. That's how bad it was.
It was that cold that day. And I remember I was looking at Clark. I was looking at Josh. I was looking at Bill and I was like, Hey, I'm willing to do this.
But y'all, y'all really want to be baptized and little Clarky was like, I love cold water. I'm like, no, you don't know. You don't know. When you're talking about Josh is like, now I'm doing anything for Jesus.
I'm like, I don't know. And Bill had had a post phone with baptism twice because of sickness in previous months. And he's like, I just feel like something's keeping me from these baptism waters. I don't care.
I'll quote it as I'm getting in there for Jesus. I'm like, I guess I'm getting in there too. You know, and it just is moment. Right.
You think about like somebody was so passionate they wanted to get into the baptism waters for Jesus. But have you ever thought that Jesus got the baptism waters for you? Like the whole point of this passage we're going to look at today is Jesus actually getting into the baptistry waters of which he did not need to do. Right.
When we look at this, this was a baptism specifically geared towards people who needed repentance for the forgiveness of their sins, which some of you know Jesus was not in that category. So why did he do that? Now what we're going to see is because of the Father's delight that Jesus had, this is why he wanted to do that. And even to continue the next section of scripture we're going to look at today as well is going to scream that the reason Jesus lived his life was because he knew secure in the delight of his father.
And that's what changed everything. So last week we looked at John the Baptist baptizing the Jordan River and people were coming from all sections of society out there to the wilderness be baptized. And now we're going to point where somebody steps in line at the river and everything changes. Okay.
So chapter three verse number 21, it says it this way. All the people were baptized. Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven. You are my beloved son with you. I am well pleased. Okay.
Let's pause there for a moment to see because here this line at the river, you see the John the Baptist verse 21, it said that he was baptizing all the people, right? Well, in the previous passage we saw who some of those people were, tax collectors, soldiers, all types of sinners. Honestly, just the kind of the rough kind of part of humanity was coming out there saying, hey, religious and rebellious, we know we need to be able to be right with the Lord. And they're in this long line at the river waiting for their turn.
And if you were to go by, you would basically say, okay, here's a sinner, here's a bully, here's some nice extorting people, here's someone who's hurt people. And then all of a sudden there's one in the line who none of that applies to, right? None of that applies to. And yet here they are coming for a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins is what verse three told us last week.
But in this time we see that Jesus steps down into the waters very uniquely. Jesus stepped down into the waters to immerse himself with sinful humanity. So he's not going down to be baptized because he needs forgiveness. He's going down to identify with those of us who do need forgiveness.
This is the ultimate undercover boss, right? God, his son comes down in flesh and he's waiting in line with a dirty rotten scoundrels of society. And all of them are coming for cleansing. They're hearing the preacher's warning and they're wanting a new start.
He's bumping elbows with every single one of them. If you're reading the Bible reading plan today, we were reading the Psalm chapter eight and I just thought about this morning, I was reading, it says, Lord, how much justice is your name and all the earth. And when I think about your heavens, when I think about the stars, when I think about all the things you made, who are we that you didn't even think of us, you know? Like who are we that you didn't even consider us or care for us?
And here he is. Jesus has left heaven to be able to come and dwell among people. And so now one thing that's interesting and different gospel accounts will kind of describe Jesus' baptism a little differently. Same thing happens when we have a comment here or comment there.
Matthew says in chapter three verse 15 that John the Baptist says, Jesus, I can't baptize you. There's no way. I would deserve to baptize you. You don't need to be baptized.
And Jesus said, permit it. So this will fulfill all righteousness. So weird statement. What do you mean fulfill all righteousness?
Like, well, what exactly does that mean? Well, what's happening here is kind of a point to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 who says, he who knew no sin became sin so that in him we might have the righteousness of God. So what's taking place is Jesus is stepping down with unrighteous people as the only righteous one. And there's really an exchange taking place.
He's going to fulfill all what's necessary for our righteousness so that when we go to the Baptist on waters, we are actually able to be having our sins forgiven when we repent. Now in this, as he steps down the waters, he's immersing himself with sinful humanity. One thing that you may have noticed in this passage that it really highlights three main characters in this. And honestly, John the Baptist isn't mentioned.
He's referenced, there's three. You're like, well, who exactly do you see here? Well, in this passage, we see something amazing. We're observing the Trinity in this passage.
Now, some of you, if you grew up in church, we've heard that phrase or that word and you may not know exactly what this means. The word is never used. We're trending. He's never using the Bible.
You won't find it in the index or anything like a word search. But the concept and the doctrine is literally all over the pages of scripture. And the concept is that the eternal triune God reveals himself to us as Father, as Son, and as Holy Spirit. Now, many people will think, okay, so he was like God the father in the Old Testament and during the Gospels, he was Jesus and then actually got turned into the Holy Spirit.
But in this account, do we not see all three active? All three of them are doing something. Well, God the Father is speaking because he says, this is my beloved what? Son, so this is the dad that's talking, right?
And the son is being baptized. And also the spirit comes down in the form of a dove. All three are active here at Jesus' baptism. So, revealing himself as Father, Son, and Spirit.
And yet, distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature or essence or being. And this is one of the most complicated doctrines to get. And you say, pastor, can you explain this to me in simple terms? No, I cannot.
You know why? Because people have been trying to see for years and they come up with horrible illustrations that just don't work. You know? I think that if the triune God could be described in really minuscule terms, I don't think he's that impressive.
I think this is a doctrine that is hard to comprehend, but we see laid out right here. And what do we notice about it? Well, first off, we see that the Father has a willing affirmation. Okay?
The Father's willing affirmation here in this, because we hear him say, you are my beloved son and whom I am well, what? Please. All right, side note, but I'll just go ahead and tell you this. God the Father is telling every single one of us parents what every single child wants to hear.
You're my kid and I'm proud of you. I love you. And get this. This happens chapter three before Jesus ever preached the sermon.
Before he ever healed anybody, before he ever rescued anybody, before he ever said anybody. God the Father says, that's my boy. I love him. I'm pleased in him right now before he did everything.
Now that is a beautiful, beautiful thing. We're seeing the Father affirming Jesus and also saying, this is my beloved son. Jesus was the son of who? God.
Well, Jesus was also born in the time Luke, chapter two tells us during the time of Caesar Augustus. And you know what Caesar Augustus wanted everybody to call him? The Son of God. And Jesus is born under this emperor who thinks he's the Son of God.
And God the Father screams out from heaven. Nope, I got one, but he's not Caesar Augustus. He's right there in the baptism waters. This is the Son of God.
Now, Jesus is affirming, obviously. The Father is affirming Jesus. But can I also tell you he's affirming in this moment? He's actually affirming us.
And you go, how is that? Did you not catch where it says that Jesus was praying that the heavens opened up? And if I'm God, I'm closing the doors and y'all aren't getting in. Y'all are crazy.
I've been watching the news. Y'all are completely wild. I don't want anything to do with you. And when Jesus is baptized and Jesus is praying, something dramatic happens.
The heavens are opening up. Now, I don't know if that looks like sunbeams coming through the clouds. It's probably something cool to them what you and I have ever seen. But I'll just say this.
He's basically saying heaven is open for business everybody. Your sins shut the door, but my son just opened it back up. It really describes very closely what we're going to see at the end of this book in chapter 23 verse 45. When Jesus is crucified, there's a veil in the temple that tells people you can't come in the holy of holies.
And just as the heavens are opened up, the veil in the temple is opened up saying you can have access to God again. Through the baptism of my son, through the baptism to death of my son, you get to come in in a relationship with him. This is what's taking place. We see the Father's willing affirmation.
We also see observing the Trinity that we have the son's obedient intercession. Luke mentioned something that the other gospel writers do not say. Matthew, Mark, John, don't talk about this element, but Luke does. At the baptism of Jesus, he was praying.
Now, what was he praying? I don't know, but had something to do with those heavens opening up. He's praying. He's being baptized and the heavens are opening up.
And whenever you go through the gospel of Luke, whenever Jesus prays, something's about to happen. Okay. Right after something really opens up, something changes. And so he's praying here.
And really, if you think about intercession is just kind of a fancy way of talking about praying, but it also can mean to intervene. You're getting in the middle of something and trying to fix this. Well, Jesus is doing both here. It's very appropriate because he is obedient to this.
And we hear God the Father say about God the Son. This is my son and whom I am well. What again? Please.
Now, let me ask you a question. I know you love all your kids. Are you always well pleased in everything they do? Okay.
Don't lie on church now. Okay. I'm going to listen. Okay.
Are you always well pleased? They always bat a thousand, always get it right? Or maybe every so often, every so many months, you know that little perfect child of yours does something a little bit off, right? Okay.
I would imagine any honest parent can say, I love my child, but perfectly well pleasing. Maybe not, right? And yet what do we see here? Jesus is obedient.
He is interceding for the people and he's stepping in because he is completely. This is what the Bible will tell us. Jesus, the Son of God, was perfect. Perfect.
That means sinless. We even see through Luke chapter one verse 35, the angel Gabriel says, this son that's about to be born will be holy. He'll be set apart. He'll be different.
Chapter two, verse 51, Jesus as a 12 year old boy does something that no 12 year old boy has done perfectly. It said he went home and was obedient to his parents. He was obedient at 12 years old. He was perfect, sinless.
Chapter four, verse 13, we're going to look at next week. Jesus says, after facing every temptation, he did not buckle his knees. He did not go with the enemy. He was obedient, even in temptation.
Do you know that fast forward to when Jesus is arrested? Chapter 23 verse four, a political leader named Pilate says, why do you want me to kill him? I don't find any guilt to this man. What has he done wrong?
So it passes him off to the next governmental leader named Herod. Chapter 23 verse 15 goes, I don't find anything. He's done guilty. Why do you want to kill this man?
They put him on the cross and there's two thieves around him. In chapter 23 verse 41, one of the thieves says, he's done nothing wrong throughout the entire gospel. They're saying, Jesus is sinless. He doesn't need to get baptized.
He doesn't. So why is he? So we see the sons, obedient, intercession. We also see the spirits, tangible, dissension.
The spirit comes down here. It says, descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. So this is not like, it was kind of like, it was something physically that people could see that looks like a dove that's descending on Jesus. Now, I want you to put you thinking caps on for a little bit.
I know it's not about a promise you can do this, okay? If I were to ask you might think it's a trick question, so I'm going to set you up. But a lot of people say, what does the Holy Spirit show up on the same? Most of you would say, well, the book of Acts, that's Pentecost, well, no.
He's right here in this, right? In fact, if you go all the way back, when is the first time the Holy Spirit's ever mentioned in scripture? Can I tell you, Genesis chapter 1 verse 2, the second sentence in the Bible and what is happening, it says, the spirit is hovering over the what? The waters.
There's something going on here, right? That where there was nothing God is creating something and making life and at Jesus' baptism, the dove comes down, touches and over the waters where Jesus is now causing recreation to happen. Now, if you go a little bit further, you might go, okay, dove water, dove water, is there anywhere else in the Bible where doves and waters are representing? You might want to guess?
I heard it, right? Noah and the what? Noah and the art. So here he goes, God is going to judge sinful humanity for all of their issues.
Noah and his family get in a boat, the rain's calm, the boat takes the wrath of God on their behalf, they're floating among it. And then all of a sudden Moses is like, can we get out of this boat? It's really starting to smell bad. I'm going to get a little stir crazy.
Okay, so he sends out a dove to see if there's dry ground and the dove comes back and he's like, nope, still fluttering here. Got nothing. He's hovering over the waters. Then also the dove comes back a few days later and he's got an olive branch in his hand basically saying this, the waters have subsided and there's dry ground to walk on.
We can live again. Jesus, being baptized and here is the spirit hovering over him like a dove, there's dry ground to walk on. Life is back again. You can walk with God.
Now, if you never have the opportunity to baptize somebody, let me tell you what happens. You put them under the water and then you bring them back up again. It's really simple. Okay, I didn't go to seminary for that but I learned how to do that there and you can too, friends.
Okay, now, if you think that's complicated, let me tell you what's so cool about what happens is when you put somebody under the water and I get this wonderful vantage point and I bring them back up, it's like the waters are parting. Just for walking through the red sea, like what should be death, just life again. Like we were in a tomb of our sin and God brings us back to life and it's this beautiful picture and as Jesus is coming and the heavens are opening up and saying this, there's life to be found. You are dead in your sins and transgressions but Jesus Christ has found a way for us to live again and in this moment we see the Trinity all of them interacting for this beautiful moment.
Now, I know that all those people that were listed in the last passage we looked at, we looked at soldiers, we looked at tax collectors, we looked at all kinds of people and did God love all those people? Of course he did. But were any of those people in that line at the river besides Jesus? Well pleasing perfectly and God dies.
The answer is no, here's what's cool to see. While God perfectly loved all those at the river, he was fully pleased only with Jesus. I mean love them. I love the soldier.
I love the tax collector. I love the guy who actually cut that lady in line right now. Okay, right. I love this one who's gossiping about how someone so came up there, here it goes all the way up.
I love all of them but I'm only perfectly pleased in one. See God is describing Jesus through his voice. This is my son and who I'm well pleased. Did God ever speak about everybody else in the line at the river?
Well, he actually did in chapter 3 verse 7 but it's through the mouthpiece of John. You remember what John said? He looked at all that line at the river, ready to be baptized. He goes, you, brood of vipers, what are you doing here anyway?
Who told you to flee from the wrath to come? So when God looked at all the people in the river, you know what they look like? A bunch of snakes. And when you looked at Jesus, he looked like a perfect son.
Now, you know, exactly how does that fit with me? Because okay, if you were in the baptism waters, what would you look like, Franny? You're like, is there a third option? Well, I don't read of one, okay?
And I want to assume this on you. I'll just say this for me. If God was to look at my heart, would he see a son that is perfectly pleasing to him? Or would he see somebody who likes to roll with a den of snakes?
I'll tell you what, slither, slither, here I go, okay? I look more like I belong there than someone who always gets it right. Baptism for us is an indication that we need forgiveness but Jesus' baptism is an indication. He's willing to offer it.
He's willing to do what's necessary so that we can be transformed from a den of snakes. To what is mentioned here in verse number 22, he or a beloved child in whom I am well pleased. So let me just kind of lay it out for you this way. When you think about Jesus going into the water, he is being baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
It says, right, everybody else around him, going in to repent of forgiveness of sins. We've already established Jesus has no sins. He doesn't need forgiveness. So he's not repenting.
Why is he doing that? So why is he going down into the water? Let me just think about it this way. Let's just imagine for some crazies, somebody comes to the back door and says, hey pastor, Travis, it actually is snowing out there.
I wouldn't believe them. But let's just say that, okay? And we said, time out everybody, let's just go have a snowball fight and we'll come back in and get the last second half of the sermon. Okay?
And y'all will run out there. You know, I'm so excited. And then you come back in and say, hey, before you touch your Bible, before you touch your seats, can everybody just wash their hands? I'm going to pass this towel around.
Just God, you know, it's why this is clean. Everything's good. Just everybody clean your hands before we continue on. Okay?
Because some of y'all go, look, you're like, let's snow, right? Is it that big of a deal? So we start passing this around and also I get the towel back after going doing this. And it looks like this, right?
And you go, why would a snowball fight look like this? Because there's not snow in South Carolina. That's why if you have a snowball fight, you've got some dirt, you've bought it up and you hit somebody with it. Okay?
If we were to go out there, this is what this would look like. It would look like a nasty kind of completely combination of everybody's dirt, everybody's hand. And then all of a sudden one of you was like, I don't want to go out there and go out there and go out there and they're going to snowball fight. Just have my nails done yesterday, pass your jobs out here and pray for everybody.
Then I'll say, okay, everybody clean their hands with this towel. Why don't you clean yours with this? Would you like to use this towel at this point? Why not?
Some of you are already like, I'm already having a, okay, like you wouldn't want to clean your hands with this towel. Why? Because it is dirty. Okay?
Now I want you to, I mean, that's this question. Symbolically, when people are going into the Jordan River to be baptized, it's like your sins are being washed off of them, right? Symbolically, they're coming for baptism, every pintence for the forgiveness of what? Why the dirt off of me?
God, clean me up. And when Jesus goes down in the water, what's he doing? Give me that towel. And he, with clean hands, is submerged completely in our dirt and our filth and our sin and our wickedness.
And so when he comes back, he's not necessarily clean. He's identifying with all of our uncleanness. And then he starts making a march to the cross. So if he goes down to the back of the water, not because he needs forgiveness of sins, he does it for us.
Now he's soon in three years, he's going to go to the cross, not because his sins need to be at times four, but ours do. In this moment, he takes his hands, he takes his entire life and completely submerges himself in sinful humanity and comes back up and says, put that on me. I'll take it. I'll take it for them.
This was the line at the River, why Jesus got in it. Now, we look at verse 23, we see another line. This is a line through history. Now, I know because you weathered the entire winter blizzard that was to get here, I know you're looking for something encouraging.
I know some of you were like, I hope Pastor Travis preaches us on a genealogy today. Well, friends, you are in luck because look at verse 23, there's a bunch of names there, right? And it's a long list. I'm going to tell you, the reason we preach through books, I would never wake up on Monday morning going, what's that preach?
No, I'm feeling the genealogy this week, okay? We went look at these passages of scripture, but are they important for us? They are. So I want you to consider a little bit, Jesus is standing in a line at a baptismal river, right?
We're also going to see Jesus standing in line very similar, waiting his turn to do his part as well. Now, I told you last week if you ever have to read a Bible passage with a lot of names, read it confidently and securely and act like you know what you're doing. Here we go. All right, verse 23, as he began his ministry, Jesus was about 30 years old and was thought to be, I love that line.
The son of Joseph, son of Eli, son of Levi, son of Melchai, son of Genai, son of Joseph, son of Matthias, son of Amos, son of Naom, son of Esli, son of Nagai, son of Math, son of Matthias, son of Simeon, son of Joseph, son of Jonah, son of Risa, son of the Rubable, son of Chilteal, son of Mary, son of Melchai, son of Kosan, son of Elmodom, son of Er, son of Joshua, son of Elazyar, son of Jorim, son of So you did great everybody. Okay, wonderful. Listen, okay, here we find, right? I know that genealogies are never anybody's favorite part to study.
I get this, but they are valuable. God put them here for a reason. Why? These are real people.
Jesus had a real family tree. We're not making a story out. You can go back and check the family. Like this is serious, right?
Okay, it's also real people, real stories, real bearing on our lives. And as Jesus is waiting in line in the group of sinners to be baptized. He's been waiting in line through history for this moment. In the same way if you look through all the line at the river, center, center, center, center, center, oh, Savior.
Look through the line of genealogy. You find center, center, center, center, center, center. Oh, wait, here comes one. Here's the Savior.
See Jesus stepped down into history, not to immerse himself this time, but incarnate himself among simple humanity. He stepped down in the waters to immerse himself in it. He's now stepping down into history to incarnate, to become one. Stepping now did not regard a quality of God, a thing to be grassy, emptied himself, taking a form of a servant, an appearance of a man and having become obedient to the point of death, even to death on a cross.
So he leaves heaven, comes stepped down into flesh. And now he is incarnating himself, incarnation. And also says he started this ministry at age 30. He's not 30 in Jewish life, so you better have it together at this point.
Not altogether, but you better know what's going on. Check the battery if you don't at this point. 30 was the time that some of the people in 40, Joseph in the Old Testament, became an opposition authority in Egypt, age 30. David became king, age 30.
Levites took their priestly role, age 30. There's something significant about that year that kings and priests stepped into their calling, and this is when Jesus kind of flips a switch and starts moving in his ministry. Now, as we observe the Trinity this passage, I want to observe the genealogy. And if you were counting, you have names over there?
77. 77 names from Adam to Jesus. Now, I don't know if this is intentional, but I don't think it's accidental, but seven in the Bible is always a number of completion. So we get from Adam to Jesus, we find ourselves completion upon completion.
Like this is the one we've been waiting for to give us our wrist. And so there are many names list list we don't know. Some of you are like, I know David and they're like, who is Jonah? I thought that was a guy in Star Wars, but apparently it's not.
I've never heard of a thought before. I've never heard a story about him, but I have heard of Abraham. And so while there's many names we don't know, God knows every single name, and he cared for every single person. And he knows your name.
I mean, I know your name. There's new faces here today. I'm glad that you're here. But I don't know if he knows your story.
He cares for you. He's loved you. In fact, he's actually put things together so you'd be here today. It's amazing to think about how intentional it is.
And when you observe this genealogy, what do you see? You see a bunch of fathers and their sons. And some of the stories that you know, you realize this. This is not the most impressive family tree I've ever read about.
Yeah, their names in the Bible. That doesn't mean they're there for holy reasons or like they got it all together. What we see here is that there are a bunch of fathers sinful decisions. There's a lot of fathers sinful decisions.
So with these names of people that you know, or maybe you don't, let me ask you a question. The one that comes down to the universe 38 as the son of God was the governor of Adam. Did Adam always live fully pleasing to the Lord? Yes or no?
No. I can't really think of anything. I will say he did anything right. It's kind of there.
You know what I'm saying? And then we know he really messed up. He messed up. He disobeyed God in the garden.
We find Noah, well, Noah was more righteous than everybody on the earth. And do you remember what happened when he got off the boat? He got completely drunk and started running around naked and his son's been even going to the therapist because all of them had drowned in the flood. You know what I'm saying?
This is how bad sinful humanity is at this point. Noah, the most righteous man, this is what we got. Abraham, like twice about his wife, tried to secure God's promise through Hagar, his wife's servant. There's a noble guy, right?
Isaac repeated his father's examples and a lot about his wife and nobody, bullies were messing with him. Jacob was a deceiver, a thief, a manipulator. Judah, act of corruptly. David committed adultery and murder.
And we look at this family going, whoa, I thought my family had issues. You know what I'm saying? Something else you're feeling courage right now. What do we see in these fathers?
We see a brood of wipers. We see a bunch of snakes, man. We see a lot of people who just bit people and hurt people and slivered around making it all about themselves just like the garden serpent. You know, rejecting God's rules.
These are the list of men. So just like the line of the ministry, center, center, center, center, savior, now genealogy, center, center, center, center. We find Jesus and we see in this genealogy the son's miraculous conception. I love how verse 23 it says it.
It says, Jesus is about 30 years old and was thought to be the son of Joseph, supposed to be the son of Joseph. That word is typically meant when somebody assumes something and they're wrong. You know why? Because if you thought Jesus was the son of Joseph, you were wrong.
He wasn't the son of any man. He was the son of God. And on this sanctity of life Sunday, we remember that all of these names were known by God while they were stamped in the womb with his God's image right upon them. We see how that God had loved every single one of them and yet the son was known by his father when he was in the womb.
His cousin knew that he was a forerunner. John about his in that womb of his mother could call out and literally just turn circles in the womb out even the thought of Jesus. It's a picture that all of these family lines are pointing to something important. Now there's two genealogies in the gospels, Luke here and Matthew goes, but Matthew starts the guy by Abraham.
You know why? Matthew is writing to Jews. He's the father of the Jewish nation where it was Abraham. Luke is a Gentile.
He's not a Jew. So you know what? He goes by Abraham and says, let's keep going back. Let's keep going back.
You know why? Because I know that you've heard of racism, but there's really only one race. It's called the human race. And we're all part of it.
And at some point I know that things diverge at different points throughout history, but we all come from one source. We're all one family and one day we're going to live in the same place together. No matter where you're from. So this is awesome.
Luke is going back to this. Now if you look at Matthew and Luke, I know that today you're like, I can't wait to study all these names side by side. Okay. So if you do that, you're going to find something out.
Those names are different. Matthew's names are Luke's names. They're some that are different. Some that are different.
Some people think that once you move past Joseph in verse 23, this is actually Mary's genealogy. Jesus actually comes from her actual line necessarily. And so yes, they come from certain same clients and have certain people. Some people think that Matthew is showing the legal line as Jesus is the rightful heir to the throne of David to be king.
And this is just Joseph's biological line. But we don't really know that. But the names are different for some reason. And one day I guess we'll find out.
But right now, does it change anything about the fact this wasn't tracing the Jewish line or the regal line. This was tracing solidarity with all people. Just like all the people were baptized in verse 21. We come from all the people starting in verse 38 where Adam is.
This is pretty incredible to think about. The God was a father. So we see fathers in four decisions in genealogy. We see the sons in miraculous conception.
We also see the spirits prophesied salvation. The spirits had prophesied to many of the men that are listed in genealogy about how the Messiah would come. When the Messiah would come. What details of his life that would help you indicate when you had come in face to face with Messiah.
Did you know that the son of God in verse 38 Adam chapter 3 of your Bible actually says that Adam knew that one day somebody would be born of a virgin and that would be who defeat the enemy when his heels got struck. Is that specific enough? That's pretty specific if you think about. There's going to be the seed of a woman that is going to come and going to strike the head of the enemy as soon as he strikes him in the heel.
See Adam didn't know all the details. But he knew him when Messiah was coming. He got a little bit further and we see that Abraham knew that all nations would be blessed through his family. Judah knew that someone from his family was going to come and have the scepter.
He was going to be the lion of Judah who was going to reign on the throne of God's people. We see that David knew someone from his family was going to come that would not be a son Solomon but someone who would reign on the throne forever. The spirit was prophesying to these people get ready in this long line throughout history of all sinful humanity. One is going to come.
It's going to change everything. And while do I believe that God loved John and Chilthiel and Coseam and Jorim absolutely. But just like that lion at the Baptist waters while God perfectly loved all those throughout history he was fully pleased only with Jesus. He loved all of these.
He cared for all of these. He formed all of them in his image. And yet I know without a shadow of doubt Abraham was not fully pleased to the Lord. I don't know Coseam's story but he sounds like somebody cheated on his taxes.
You know what I'm saying? I don't know a story. Something's off of that guy. You got to do these guys.
Every single one of them they got sin. They got issues. So perfectly loved throughout all history fully pleased only with Jesus. This genealogical tree looks more like family drama than it does our religious hero should be.
This is a who's misfit list in many ways the people that we see of what they should have been but could not do with their life. Now why is that important? Because friends if you feel like you're at the place in your life where you can't get it together join the line. It's all of us.
Every single one of us. If you were recovering still from all the family gatherings at Christmas time right? So we had wonderful things and everybody's happy. Some of you are like I'm still trying to recover.
There's a lot of stuff that happened. I tell people all the time that in any family there's always one crazy and someone goes I don't think we have one. Guess what? There's always somebody out there.
But honestly I can think of this family and this family and this family is doing that. Can I just be straight? Everybody and every family has got issues. If they seem like they have it together that's what you really need to worry about.
We all have issues. We all have problems. Every single one of us we don't have it together. Center, center, center dysfunction dysfunction dysfunction but then we are waiting on Jesus.
That's about his waters through history line. So this is where the line for us comes in place because you're probably saying okay that's really cool a lot of people know about baptism and genealogy so what preach you know. How's this going to affect money morning for me because that's why I came. I need some encouragement.
I hope you know that if the thought of Jesus stepping down into our mess to be our substitute that encouraged you. I don't know what I can give you today. I don't know what else I can give you that Jesus is willing to bump elbows with sinners and walk down into water so you can take our own righteousness on us to go to the cross for our sins to step down into history when he could have said y' y'all are on your own crazies. He stepped down and if that can affect the way that you wake up every single morning that I've got a God who sent his son Jesus to take my place.
I don't know what encouragement you're looking for but nothing can rival that. We've got to know this and so what do we see. John the Baptist, he was preaching for us today. He's a bunch of vipers.
Why'd you come to church today? What you looking for? A bunch of snakes. But because I've been changed by the gospel and I've been baptized.
I've been baptized. I've been found Jesus baptism and I've been brought back to life for my spiritual death. You know what I'm no longer seen as a snake anymore. I'm seen through the eyes of what verse 22 says because when scripture says, God now looks at me, he sees the track record of Jesus.
And so this is hard for some of us to understand here today but I want you to know this. If you were in Christ, he didn't see you like a snake anymore. He sees you like his kid. Jesus came to turn a brood of vipers into a family of beloveds.
He wants to turn us, all of us snakes in the grass going on, conniving, slithering through life, making it about us and dangering other people. He wants to change us. So a family of beloveds, who are securing him. You know, Jesus one time got a bunch of friends when he gave this line to a bunch of religious people, John 844.
You're just like your father, the devil. You know, that really encouraged everybody around there. They're talking about how Abraham's our father. He's like, no, actually the devils are dead.
You act like him. In fact, it says, you want to carry out his desires. Now I'm not asking for a show of hands but how many of us in this room could at least admit at points in my life I was carrying out the desires of the devil. I was slithering through life.
I was making it about me. I was hurting other people. That too, I was. God has changed me through the gospel from being a snake in the grass to having a seat at his table.
That's how amazing this is. He says, I want to welcome you in. You have a place for me now. Now, this is really cool, right?
Because verse 38 says, Son of Adam, Son of God. But if we look at the end of the baptismal line in verse 22, who's being called the Son of God? Jesus. So Adam had a role at the beginning.
Did Adam fulfill his role? He was completely disobeyed God, walked away from this. And so Adam, and just like every person came after us, we have sinned against God, and we are spiritually dead. And so Jesus comes and does what Adam could not do.
Jesus does what you and I cannot do. In Scripture, sometimes we say like this way, the second Adam. That's what Jesus comes in to do. The second Adam did what the first could not do.
So God could walk with man again. And the reason why I put man in quotations is he won't take a wild guess of what the name Adam actually means. Man, God created Adam. God created man.
That's what this is. And because of what take place, Adam, whose name means man, he sinned. He lost the privilege of walking with God. Jesus, the Son of God, enters our world so he can walk among us again.
Jesus, God in the flesh, walking among people, where we have once kicked out. And his fatherhood is so incredibly important. Chapter 1 verse 32, Luke, Gabriel says, he will be the Son of the Messiah. Chapter 1 verse 35, this holy one is the Son of God.
Chapter 2, 49, 12, you're all Jesus. Why are you worried about me? Don't you know I had to be in my what? Father's house.
That's where I'm at right now. Then he go down into chapter 3 verse 22. This is my beloved Son. Chapter 3 verse 38, this is the Son of God.
Second Adam. I want to just go ahead and move just a couple verses forward. I don't want to spoil next week. I want to tell you something so amazing.
Jesus was baptized. This is my son. I'm well pleased then. Then we have this reference about Adam.
And then all of a sudden Jesus walks into the wilderness. He is tipped by the devil. And the first words are the devil's mouth. If you are God's son.
Why are you so hungry then? You can take care of you. Wow. Pretty good dad.
You got there, huh? See Satan even knows how to attack at your identity to break you down. This fatherhood of God and sonship is so incredibly important. Now I want you to see something where we're all hopefully come together for you.
If you were to see me in my sin, you know what you'd see? A brood of vipers. That's what I am. I'm an enemy to God.
I am selfish. I am sinful and prideful and rebellious. That's who I am. But scripture says that when Jesus went to the cross, just like when he went down to the baptist and waters, he did not get baptized because he needed forgiveness.
He got baptized because I needed forgiveness. He did not go to the cross because he needed forgiveness. He went to the cross because I needed forgiveness. It's an exchange takes place.
So when God looks on Jesus at the cross, he sees Travis' sins. But now because I believe in good news, you ready for this? When God sees Travis, he sees Jesus' track record on me. So you know what God, if there was an audible voice from heaven right now, if you have trusted in the good news or Jesus Christ, the good news, what Christ has done, not what you have to do, if an audible voice from heaven would come down, he would not say you're a bunch of brood of vipers.
He'd say, that's my boy right there. I'm pleasing you. That's my baby girl right there. I'm pleasing you.
I have washed you clean. The reason why this is so important, we have to realize in Christ, we don't live for the Father's delight, we live from it. That changes everything. I don't have to earn my dad's love.
I've got it. You all ever had that moment watching your kids, your grandkids, they're on that stage and they're performing and you see them when it's just kind of nervous, they're like this kind of stuff and they look out and they go, and I always look going, who is that? You don't say like somebody in the crowd is encouraging that child out there because I'm a big guy. I always stick my head up and try to make sure my kids are sleeping on stage or something.
I'm probably like a muppet giraffe. Okay, you know, it's a violin on everything. Like here I am, trying to get their attention and what you want is that child who's nervous, like am I going to do enough on this stage before you just look out there and go, my father's proud of me. I haven't even sang it yet.
My father's proud of me. I haven't gotten my lying yet. My father's happy. He's smiling at me.
He goes, I can do this. I can do this. See, right next week, Jesus is going to walk into temptation and he can face it because he is loved, not because he has to earn love. You and I can face temptation because I am loved, because I have to earn love before Jesus ever administered to anybody he was loved.
And now in Christ, that is my framework. Before I ever preached a sermon, God said that's my boy. Before I ever held anybody out of a ditch in their life, God said, I love you. Before I ever read my Bible, God said, I'm crazy about you.
I love you the way that you are, not the way you're supposed to be. In Christ, you don't see my track record anymore. You see, Jesus is. If you were to ever come to me, and this happens from time to time where someone will say, Pastor, I need to talk to you and go into those kinds of stuff.
And if you ever doubt God's love for you, I'm going to do an exercise with you. Okay, so I'll go ahead and prepare you because I do this all the time to people. I don't know if God loves me. I don't know if I've messed up too much.
I don't even have any concerns. I'll look at somebody and I'll say, look at me real quick. Can you share the gospel with me? They're like, what do you mean?
Like, can you share the gospel with me? Well, you're a pastor. Do you really need it? Just humor me, right?
Okay. What do you want me to say? Share the gospel. Like I've never heard it before.
You're created by God. And he loved you before you ever born. And he made you specifically. And you messed up a lot.
And you send a lot. But he sent Jesus to down the cross for you. Keep going, keep going, keep going. How much am I sent?
He's washed all of them? Yeah, Pastor, Pastor, I have to use your. He loves you so much. He would take your sins upon the cross.
And now you're forgiven. I said, and now what? You're just going to be with him forever. You mean I get to be in his house forever?
Even how sinful and dirty and rotten I am? Absolutely you can't. So now what's my life supposed to be about? You're supposed to be walking and enjoying with him.
That's what your life is about. It's amazing how just going back to the basics can remind us who we are. Friend, in Christ, you're not a snake anymore. You're a son and a daughter.