Luke: The Depth and Breadth of the Gospel
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:14-30 The account of Jesus teaching in the synagogue is the story of Jesus teaching people who had seen Him as a boy. In the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus reads from a well-known prophecy about the coming of the Messiah, from Isaiah 61. He then proceeds to astonish the people there that day by saying, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk 4:21). We see here the nature of Christ's salvation, as it transforms us at our deepest levels. We also see the breadth of Christ's salvation, as it permeates all the world, in every tribe and...
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Isaiah: Attitudes in Prayer
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 1:10-17 Without thinking about it, many people probably feel they can approach God in any manner they desire and He will respond to their prayer. It's almost the idea that God is so desperate, He will accept anyone who will give Him the slightest glance or the weakest nod. This could not be farther from the truth. The Almighty is not desperate for attention, nor is He willing to compromise His honor. When we pray, there are conditions of the heart that are necessary if we expect to gain a hearing with our holy God. ... faith - Heb 11:6;...
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Luke: The Temptation of Christ
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 4:1-14 There are at least three fundamental lessons to be learned from the temptation of our Lord. The first is that these temptations reveal Jesus' divine holiness. His perfection, as God, is on full display. This is a great comfort to us to think that He triumphed where we fail so miserably. He is our righteousness in the day of judgment. We rejoice in His obedient perfections. Second, from this story we learn something of the nature of sin and of temptation. (1) The first temptation (Lk 4:1-4) is an appeal to our physical...
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Luke: The Baptism of Jesus
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 3:15-22 John the Baptist came with a single message: "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mt 3:2). Those people who accepted this message and confessed their sins with sorrow, were baptized by him (Lk 3:3). With that message in mind, it is curious that Jesus would come to John and ask to be baptized. He did not have any sins of which to repent of (Heb 4:15). At its root, baptism is an identification. Jesus came to identify with humanity and even though He was perfect in holiness, His baptism is an identification with a...
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Luke: The Nature Of True Repentance
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 3:1-14 John the baptizer came heralding the Messiah and he prepared the hearts of the people of Israel by calling them to repentance. They demonstrated their repentance by being baptized in the Jordan River. The announcement of the coming Messiah took place, not in the temple, nor even in Jerusalem, but it was delivered by a "voice, crying in the wilderness." John was an echo of Elijah, with plain clothes and eating locusts and wild honey. Nevertheless, he was very popular. Matthew says that "all Judea" went out to hear John (Mt 3:5). When...
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Luke: My Father's House
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:39-52 This account, found only in Luke's gospel, recalls Jesus as a twelve-year-old boy. It is the only story we have of Christ between His infancy and the beginning of His public ministry. What is revealed in this account is the union of humanity and divinity in one person. The humanity of Jesus is on display, not only in the fact that Jesus was twelve years old, but also in Luke's description of Jesus. "And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom" (Lk 2:40). "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and...
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Psalm 19: Better Than Gold
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Psalm 19:7-11 Our day is a day in which changes have profoundly affected the way life is viewed and the way it is lived. We have witnessed not only radical changes in communication and technology, but changes in values. A clear, unambiguous standard of what is right and wrong has eroded before our eyes. Fewer and fewer people still believe in absolute truth. What is needed is a return to the principles of the Bible. These principles are both absolute and eternal. Even as Christians, we need a fresh commitment to the notion that the Word of...
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Luke: Simeon and Anna
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:22-35 How refreshing it is to have the gospels deliver to us the accounts of the life of Christ in all His excellencies. Here, in Luke 2, we have another scene of the birth of our Savior. The whole meaning of Christ, in concise form, is found in the declarations of Simeon, an old man in the temple. He took Jesus in his arms and declared, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace . . . for my eyes have seen your salvation" (Luke 2:29,30). Simeon's remarks precisely bring into focus the purpose of Jesus' coming. Though there are...
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Luke: A Savior Who Is Christ, The Lord
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-14 Perhaps the best-known biblical passage recording the birth of Christ is found in Luke 2. Matthew has some other details concerning His birth, but this account (indeed, this entire chapter) occurs only in Luke. Here we have Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem, due to a Roman census. According to Micah 5:2, the Jewish Messiah would come from Bethlehem. This empire-wide census depicts the sovereign providence of God, who is orchestrating the birth of Jesus, down to the details. An angel appears to a group of shepherds, proclaiming not...
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Luke: Benedictus Dominus
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:67-80 Much like Mary's song of praise, upon hearing about the child she would bear, so Zechariah has a song of praise after his son is born. We might expect that Zechariah's expressions would center on his beloved son. He does mention the boy (Lk 1:76), but the focus of this blessed exaltation of praise is on the Lord God and the One whom He will send. The word 'salvation' is mentioned three times in this declaration (Lk 1:69,71,77). The song may be divided into two sections. First, Luke 1:68-75 refers to a future national 'salvation' in which...
info_outlineScripture Reading: Luke 3:15-22
John the Baptist came with a single message: "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mt 3:2). Those people who accepted this message and confessed their sins with sorrow, were baptized by him (Lk 3:3). With that message in mind, it is curious that Jesus would come to John and ask to be baptized. He did not have any sins of which to repent of (Heb 4:15).
At its root, baptism is an identification. Jesus came to identify with humanity and even though He was perfect in holiness, His baptism is an identification with a humanity which is sinful and needs to repent.
Our baptism is also an identification. In publicly declaring our faith in Christ as His follower, we proclaim our allegiance to Him. In baptism, we acknowledge our need to be cleansed of the darkness of our hearts ... and that Christ, alone, is capable of performing this washing.
On the one hand, we must not attach any superstition to the rite of baptism. There is no spiritual power in the water, nor in the ritual itself. It is symbolic of an inner reality of faith in Jesus Christ. On the other hand, baptism is an important ceremony because it is commanded by Jesus Himself (Mt 28:19) as the external sign of faith. Baptism does not bring salvation to any soul, but gloriously declares its wonder.