First Things First: A Survey of Luke 3-5
Looking at key moments in Luke 3–5 reading this week
How did Jesus launch His earthly ministry?
A ministry that changed the world
And changed eternity for those who follow Him
How Jesus began His ministry shows us what comes first in a life that follows Him.
1. Baptism → Getting Started
Luke 3:21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” 23 Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.
Baptism signifies a start to something.
For Jesus this is the beginning of His ministry. It signified something new. Starting His earthly ministry changed everything.
For us, baptism signifies a new beginning, new life, being a new Christian, truly being born again. You are starting a new book with your life. Your old book is finished.
2. Tempted → The Fight We Have in Common
Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. 3 Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’” 5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” 8 Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” 9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. 11 And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” 12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
For you and I to have the Word of God shape our hearts and minds requires a change. Jesus never had to adjust based on what the Bible says because His eternal perfection. That’s not the case for us.
Repentance → Metanoia → New way of thinking → Stop believing lies / believe the truth
1 Corinthians 2:14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16 For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:18a Run from sexual sin!...
Resisting temptation is not a chance to prove how strong you are, but a reminder to admit how weak you are. Put distance between you and temptation!
You Will Never Know The Pain You Avoid By Making A Good Choice.
Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
If temptation never ended for Jesus, why would we think this is a one and done battle?
Hebrews 4:15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
He understands. He’s with us when we fail. With grace and forgiveness.
3. Declaration → Purpose
Luke 4:16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
Jesus knows His purpose. He knows why He came. He knows what He needs to do. He’s confident in it even to the point of upsetting everyone by declaring it publicly.
You and I have a purpose
We have a call to make a difference.
We cannot be the generation of Christians who are casual about our calling to make a difference.
You are called to be Determined to Make a Difference.
4. Ministry → Action
Luke 4:33 Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon - an evil spirit - cried out, shouting, 34 “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!” 35 But Jesus reprimanded him. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further.
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Luke 4:38 After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon’s home, where he found Simon’s mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. “Please heal her,” everyone begged. 39 Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and prepared a meal for them.
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Luke 4:42 Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.” 44 So he continued to travel around, preaching in synagogues throughout Judea.
Every single person has something that they are gifted to do. Doing it is fulfilling and joyful. The church doesn’t just need people who are willing to stand on a stage and preach.
We need people who bring whatever they have and trust that God uses it.
5. Make Disciples → Multiplication
Luke 5:1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me - I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
Jesus made disciples. The church has endured and fulfilled His plan by also making disciples and continuing to share the good news.
Disciples made disciples.
Matthew 28:19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The cycle goes on and on all for the glory of Jesus - all by the power of the Spirit -
all to bring people into eternity with the Father!!
Practical Steps
Baptism
For Jesus His baptism was the beginning of His ministry. It’s what propelled Him preaching about repentance and forgiveness and the promise of eternal life
It took Him from something into something new…and it does the same for us
Being rescued from sin moves us into something new…
Temptation
Satan tried and failed to pull Jesus away from His calling by promising the things he thought He cared about.
Satan miscalculated and misunderstood. Jesus’s values and understanding and perception was defined and established in the Word of God.
This is a reminder to have our hearts and minds transformed and aligned with God. And then temptation won’t keep dragging us down.
Purpose
The purpose that God has for you is never about getting more and more and being more blessed or more prosperous or more admired. It’s always about others.
You have a responsibility to figure out your purpose and then take a step forward.
Active
What can you do today?
We need help on a team
Get to church 10 minutes early instead of 5 minutes late and spend some time getting to know people.
Multiply
The gospel spread because Jesus made disciples. Disciples then made disciples.
Do the small things that make a difference everyday…do the big things when you can
If you look - you’ll find opportunities everywhere!
If you catch this, you’ll be a part of keeping this cycle going and changing lives. You’ll be a part of furthering the Kingdom of God.
When people take faithful steps, God has a way of multiplying them into something that lasts forever. Simply start somewhere.