SCRIPTURE
Luke 3:21-22, 4:1-13
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased…”
4:1-13…
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” 9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11 and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
OBSERVATIONS
What do we learn about Jesus?
How does this help us learn to love Him?
When we study God’s Word, it should lead us to both rejoicing and repenting.
- What stands out to you from the text?
- What questions or comments do you have about it?
- In what ways did you find yourself encouraged and/or rejoicing when you heard the message?
- In what ways were you challenged to repent or change when you heard the message?
- How did the teacher connect this passage to Christ? What other connections do you see between this message and the redemptive work of Christ?
CONCLUSION
- What is one thing that you want to remember from this sermon?
- Why is that important to you?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Heb 4:14–16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Heb 7:23–28). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 8:45–47). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jn 14:30–31). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Jn 3:4–10). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Co 5:21). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Pe 2:22–25). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Like the Nicene Creed, which opposed the heresies of Sabellianism and Arianism (see chapter 22), the Chalcedonian Declaration opposed heresies at two extremes of the debate: Monophysitism,1202 or Eutychianism,1203 maintained that Jesus had only one nature. Nestorianism1204 taught that Jesus’ deity and humanity were so divided that he was in effect two persons living in one body.1205 Against the Monophysites, the council affirmed that Jesus had two distinct natures, divine and human. Against the Nestorians, it affirmed that these two natures were indivisible and belonged to one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. The four famous adverbs, “without confusion [asugchutos], without change [atreptos], without division [adiaretos], without separation [achoristos],” address these issues, the first two emphasizing the distinctness of the two natures, the second two emphasizing their inseparability and therefore the unity of Jesus’ person. This language reverses the language used in the doctrine of the Trinity. That doctrine affirms three persons with one nature;1206 Chalcedonian Christology affirms one person with two natures. A nature (physis) is a group of attributes; a person is a being who bears those attributes. So Chalcedon teaches that the one person Jesus Christ bears divine attributes and also human attributes. His divine attributes include all those I discussed in chapters 12–19. Jesus, like God the Father and the Holy Spirit, is perfect love, righteousness, holiness, omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, immense, self-contained. His human attributes are all those I discussed in chapters 34 and 35: God’s image, offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, the intellectual, physical, and moral qualifications for these offices, responsible, free. As we saw in chapter 36, man is also sinful. But sin is not an essential component of human nature. God made man good, but he became a sinner by violating God’s command. In Jesus, the human race marks a new beginning. He is the “last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45) and the “second man” (v. 47). As such, he is conceived and born without sin, as we indicated earlier. And the NT writers affirm the sinlessness of his life: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Heb. 4:15; cf. John 8:46; 14:30; Heb. 7:26; 1 John 3:5) It is amazing that people who knew Jesus intimately through the years of his ministry would affirm his sinlessness. No other human being could sustain such a claim.
Frame, John M.. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief (pp. 888-889). P&R Publishing. Kindle Edition.