Sermon: The Beloved Son of God

Would you turn your Bibles with me now to Luke chapter 3? We'll be looking this evening at the account of Jesus's baptism in Luke's gospel that is on page 859 and your Pew Bibles. And we'll look just at verses 21 and 22 of Luke 3 together. This is a short passage, but it's a significant one in Luke's narrative here. And before we read the text, let me bring you in on some of the context of what's going on in the early chapters of Luke.

In Luke 1 and 2 Jesus has been contrasted with John the Baptist in his birth and in his infancy. And last time we saw Jesus in Luke Chapter 2. He was 12 years old. Though as we come to this passage another 18 years have passed since that time Jesus here is about to be publicly revealed to his people. And so Luke chapter 3 begins with the ministry of John the Baptist. John there is preaching about the need for repentance.

And he's baptizing in the Jordan River. He's Preparing People to meet Jesus. And John in Luke chapter 3 John Fades into the background very quickly. Because John's role was to prepare the way for another. and so the one who sandals John was not worthy to untie is coming into the foreground as John is fading. into the back So we come to Luke chapter 3 verses 21 and 22. And before we read this passage together, let's pray

for God's help.

gracious Heavenly Father We pray as we hear your word read and hear it proclaimed this evening. That you would speak and that you would make us quick and sensitive to hear. Father where scripture is foreign to us. We pray that you would help us to understand. It's culture and its context and to apply it to our lives. Or scripture is familiar to us. We pray that we would hear it afresh tonight that our familiarity would not be a barrier to what your spirit

would have for us. Where scripture confronts us may we have the humility to hear it? Where scripture Comforts us may we have a sweet relief and believing it. For your word is at once a sharp sword. And a sweet balm to our souls. So we pray that as it's red here tonight. You would be at work for our good and for your glory in Jesus name. Amen. hear the word of the Lord now from Luke chapter 3

now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying. The heavens were opened. And the Holy Spirit descended on him and bodily form like a dove. and a voice Came From Heaven You are my beloved Son. With you I am well pleased. In thus ends this reading of God's holy inspired in an errant word. May he write its Eternal truth on all our hearts?

the worth And Excellency of a soul. Is to be measured by the object of its love. This sentence from Henry's Google's work the life of God in the soul of man became the impetus for another book A book many of you know, well the book by John Piper called the pleasures of God that sentence again the worth and Excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love. so if Google is right that sentence means that what you love most is the most important thing about

you. Whatever it is that you love anything else that you love more than anything else in the whole world. Is what reveals what your entire life orbits around? It's a challenging question to think about. It's Good question to ask what do you love most? As compelling as it would be to dive into that question for ourselves this evening. That's not what is in view in this text. See what John Piper will do in his book the pleasures of God as he flips this statement

on its head and he applies it to God. The worth and Excellency of a soul is measured by the object of its love. And so if it's true about you and me. Is it true about God? If it is it leads us to another question. What is it in all the world that God loves most? Our text tonight answers this question. So if the worth and Excellency of a soul is measured by the object of its love we look at this text tonight, and we find the

Supreme object of God's love. There's really one point to this text and one point to this sermon this evening. But before we get to that one point, we need to see what's going on in jesus' baptism. And we need to see how God reveals himself in the passage. So what's happening in jesus' baptism? Well, Jesus here being baptized by John is identifying with his people. Verse 21 tells us that all the people were baptized and like them Jesus was

baptized as well.

Of course in one sense. Jesus had no need to be baptized. He didn't have any sins to be cleansed of he didn't need the symbolic cleansing of baptism. Because he didn't have any record of guilt to wash away. But he submitting himself to this Covenant sign here to identify with his people. He is receiving in himself the sign of the New Covenant that he will go on to inaugurate with his blood. Now that's the point that Matthew draws

out in his gospel as he recounts this passage to us this event. Matthew unpacks Jesus's baptism Under The Heading of the active Obedience of Christ and that's because Matthew wants to show how the Messiah became like his people to save his people. But in Luke's gospel, although the baptism here gives us a hint of Christ's active obedience. The emphasis in this text really builds for the love of God revealed from heaven.

Look with me back in your Bible at verse 21 again. Notice it says now. When all the people were baptized and when Jesus had been baptized and was praying. So two times the word when is used? Signify what we call grammatically a subordinate clause. The main action in the sentence doesn't come until later. if two subordinate clauses and two passive verbs the people were baptized. Jesus had been baptized. And then even the end of verse 21, there is another passive

verb the heavens were opened. The baptism itself is not the main action of this passage. The baptism is actually the context of the passage. It's the situation we find ourselves in as Jesus is baptized. It's a bit surprising but the passage about jesus' baptism here is less about the baptism more about how God is revealed in the baptism. But Luke moves us towards this question. What does God love most? If the Excellency of a soul is measured by the object of its

love what is the object of God's love? He's about to speak from heaven and tell us. It even before we read of God speaking we read of who God is.

The role of John the Baptist here was to prepare the way for Jesus prepare the way of the Lord John was a fiery preacher. He preached repentance in the fire of John's preaching combined here with the Waters of baptism and it produces as it were kind of a cloud of steam. And so Jesus is baptism is shrouded in this mist. But then as that fog starts to clear and the dust settles. God has revealed to his people. He's revealed here

as the one true God. and in fact as the Triune God surely you notice God the Father God the son and God the spirit are all mentioned here. They're all active here. And that's because as the Redemptive work of Jesus Christ Begins the Triune God reveals himself as such. He's showing us that salvation is a work of the Triune God in unity all three persons of the godhead working together to accomplish Redemption. There's unity in the mission of God to redeem man,

even as there's an economy or a diversity in the particular roles of the persons. So let's look at each person of the Trinity here for just a minute. First as the dust settles Luke Zooms in on Jesus and what is Jesus doing in this text? He's praying to his Heavenly Father. son praise to the father the baptism here for Jesus Drew him closer to God his father. And it's echoing what we've seen earlier in Luke's gospel. Back in that scene when Jesus is an adolescent in Luke chapter 2

verse 49. Jesus said to his parents. I must be in my father's house. So now here is a grown man. Jesus is beginning his public Ministry. And he reveals the same thing. He must be in the presence of his father. Who is praying to him? This will become Jesus habitual practice. Of course throughout the gospels Luke 5:16 says he would withdraw to desolate places and pray Luke 6:12 says he went out to the mountain to pray and continued all

night in prayer. We could go on to multiply examples The Garden of Gethsemane. Even up on the cross as he is praying God the son prays to God the Father. notice also the God the spirit here descends on the son. there in verse 22 the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. in this miraculous scene Heaven is opened. And the Holy Spirit of God comes down upon the Messiah. Something there was visible. people saw it happen

Luke doesn't say it was an actual form of Dove. He says it was like a dove so he's describing the manner of the descending that as a dove floats down gently and gracefully the Spirit came floating down on Jesus. and the point is that God through his spirit is with Jesus in a unique way. It's the same. Holy spirit that caused Jesus's mother Mary to conceive. He's now feeling Jesus and empowering him for Ministry. So throughout Luke's gospel. This

is an emphasis. The spirit will guard Jesus in his temptation. He will Empower his ministry of healing and teaching Jesus relied on the spirit throughout his ministry. Because all the members of the Trinity are united in their work of redemption. Gregory of Asians said Christ is born. The spirit is his Forerunner. prices baptized the spirit Bears him Witness Christ is tempted. The spirit leads him up. Christ performs Miracles the spirit accompanies

him Christ ascends the spirit fills his place you just peer into what's going on in this text and you see this Unity of God the son and God the spirit together throughout the life of Jesus. So Jesus here is showing himself to be the one John spoke of who is coming and who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. God is revealing that this man Jesus is the one for whom the people had waited. He was the one of whom the prophets spoke.

And so as the father begins to speak from heaven. He alludes to or references two different Old Testament texts. The first is Psalm 2:7 which speaks of God's decree to send his son into the world. and the second text alluded to from Isaiah 42 But you'll recognize as one of the servant songs of Isaiah. These servant songs in Isaiah that described the coming Messianic figure known as the servant of the Lord. Isaiah 42 verse 1 says this

Behold my servant whom I uphold my chosen in whom my soul Delights. I have put my spirit on him. He will bring forth Justice to the Nations. See the God we find in Luke is the god who speaks? a God who reveals himself to his people and the people here were parked and thirsty for the word of God. They were eager for a renewal of the prophetic word. And John the Baptist is the beginning of that renewal. But these people will not just witness a renewal of the prophetic word.

They will actually witness the ministry of the Incarnate Word. And here in this scene as the heaven opens. and as the spirit descends They hear directly the Audible Voice. the very word of God

this will happen three times in total. Throughout the gospel accounts here at Jesus baptism. God speaks from heaven. Then at the Mount of transfiguration God says this is my son My Chosen One listen to him. And then finally as Jesus is teaching delivering his final teaching before he goes to the cross. Jesus will cry out father glorify your name. And the voice of God comes from Heaven a final time. It says I have glorified it and I will glorify it

again. every time we see God speaking audibly from heaven in the Gospels. He is declaring the Beauty and the worth and the glory of his son. the father speaks about the son see throughout Luke. Everyone will have their thoughts about Jesus. The angels in Luke's gospel declare him to be the son of God. Satan and the demons will even use that same designation for him but do so to disparage him. In all kinds of people as they interact with Jesus, they will

have their own responses and their own thoughts about him. Some of them will misunderstand Jesus they'll become disappointed when he doesn't meet their expectations. And some will ultimately reject him. but the definitive pronouncement comes only from this voice The Voice from heaven and the same is true in our lives. Look, everyone has their thoughts about who Jesus is. And it's worth asking the question. What voices are

we listening to as we think about Jesus? people will say Jesus is just a religious leader. or political figure or a good example for your life. Regardless of what anyone on Earth thinks about Jesus regardless of what the influencers say or the celebrity say or your professors say You must value what the voice of the Living God says about this man. The voice of God speaks from heaven and pronounces with authority who this

man. Jesus is. We must form our view of Jesus based on what God says about Jesus. So as we see the Trinity here, we see the sun praying to the father. We see the spirit descending on the son. And then we see the father speaking of his great love for this son. All three persons are are working together present here to reveal the glory of this one Triune God in the Redemption of man. And what is it in particular that God says about himself.

What does God say this is the great Crescendo of this text. It's what everything builds to the main action here is the voice of God speaking directly from heaven. And he speaks about Jesus and he says you are my beloved Son. With you I am well pleased. This is our one main point tonight. The Father loves the son father loves the son The two ways the voice describes the sun here. He says this is my beloved Son. With whom I am well pleased.

God the father is well pleased with God the son. He takes pleasure in his son. That is his son fills him with joy and happiness and warmth and Delight. and affection

just like the passage from Isaiah says the father Soul Delights in him. Think about that. God the Father Delights in Jesus Would you turn with me in your Bible over to Isaiah 42? I said is alluded to here. Isaiah 42:1 we already read. God says behold my servant whom I uphold my chosen in whom my soul Delights. But it's worth asking. What is it about this servant that fills god with such Delight? Why does God Delight in

Jesus?

Look at this passage from Isaiah. You see several reasons? God Delights in Christ because verse 2 he is Meek instead of ruthless. He's able to be quiet and tender. the father Delights in him verse 3 because he defends the weak. As if he's tenderly holding up a reed that's been bruised until that Reed is able to heal. Because when he comes to a smoldering Flame. He doesn't pinch it or snuff it out. He gently cups his hands around it and nurses back to

health the light and the Heat and the warmth how tender and careful is Jesus. Father Delights in him because verse 4. He never grows weary of his mission. He will not rest until the farthest coastlands have Justice. Because verse 6. He Faithfully brings the Covenant Promises of God to their fulfillment. Because he's a light to the Nations. Because verse 7. He heals the blind he sets the captives free. This is the servant.

Who's tender and meek and lowly? And yet at the same time Mighty and strong and Victorious. And God says in Isaiah 42:8, he will give his glory to no other. No one except himself. And so when God glorifies Christ he is doing just that. He's not giving it to any other. He's giving it to his only begotten beloved Son. Jesus is one with the father. The Divine Creator come to Earth in bodily form see God Delights in his son because God

Delights in himself. He loves to see his glory made known and made visible to his people in the person of Jesus. And so the worth and Excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of his love. Here's the Supreme object of the love of God. the son of God this is what the climactic event of the voice from Heaven is meant to teach us that God the Father loves God the son and there is no higher love in the entire universe than this

cherishing of Jesus the son by God the Father. This love shows us the depth of Happiness of the heart of God. Jonathan Edwards says it this way. God's happiness consists in enjoying and rejoicing in himself The Father loves the son He Delights in him.

And if you're a parent, you know this. Even if you're not a parent in this room. You know, there's something special and unique about the joy a parent feels toward their child. The parent says I was with you I was there when you were born. I watched you when you took your first steps. I watched you grow up and navigate adolescence and grow into adulthood. And then I watched as you experience the world. And as you grew to love literature and horseback

riding and really good seafood. You're just thrilled to watch your child. And the Earthly pleasure that you experience as parents in your kids is meant to mirror very heart of God. Because God loves his son. And here's the astounding thing. As we think about this. Eternal matchless love between God the father and God the son. You know in John 17 where Jesus prays his high Priestly prayer. He prays to his father and he asks this in

John 17:24. He asks that his people would see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. This love of the father for the son is not one that began at the Incarnation. You know, it's an eternal love it always has been before the world began. The father has always loved the son. And so Jesus concludes his prayer there in John 17 with this verse 26. Jesus says to God I made known

to them your name. And I will make it known why that the love with which you have loved me may be in them. And I in them. You hear that Jesus prays that you as his people. Would know the love that the father has for the son that you would be filled with that same love. He prays that the very love of the father has for the son would be in them. That that love would dwell in them. Just as Jesus dwells in them. Jesus wants his people to Delight

in Christ because God the Father Delights in Christ. That we might know the love that God has not just God's love for us. But that we might know the love God has for God. This deeper most foundational love of God. That's a good prayer to pray for yourself. Even tonight God help me to know your love Show Me Your Love. Not just the love that you have for me as wonderful as that love is but oh God, would you show me the depth and the riches of the love that you have for yourself?

The love that you have for your son. That Jesus would become my treasure just as he is your treasure. God the Father loves God the son. What does this mean for you? it means that when you come to a passage like this, you have the privilege of peering into this mystery of the eternal love of God. You get to know your God dear Christian. There's nothing that should thrill your heart more than to get to know who God is the plum the

depths of the nature of the love of God. and in his preface to the book the pleasures of God, John Piper says this He says there is never been an arrow in too many people thought too deeply about God. Or knew him too. Well. It is impossible to know God too. Well. He is the most important person. Who exists. Being infinite. He is inexhaustively interesting. It is impossible therefore that God be boring. It's not impractical to think deep thoughts about God.

Just the opposite. It's one of the most practical things you can do is to think about God to be caught up in his love to ponder the love of God as God. So we conclude this evening with five brief applications of God's love. first Love Is Fundamental to God love is fundamental to God God is love first John 4:16. He's loving to his core. That means without love you don't have God. At least not the god of the Bible. See the doctrine of the Trinity here is immensely practical.

The Trinity sets the true God apart from every other conception of God. Because God is perfect in his love. He always has been. even before the foundation of the world Christian God is a god of love. He is love. And since he's always been love that means that he is love whether you're experiencing. Joy and prosperity Or whether you're experiencing hardship and adversity he is just as loving in your suffering as he is when

you are soothed. So this means hardships in the Christian Life are not the withdrawal of the love of God. Because he is love. He's love in himself. He can't not be loved Love Is Fundamental to God?

second therefore God's love is not primarily defined by his love for his people. It's primarily defined by his love for himself. God is Triune meaning the three persons of the Trinity exist in perfect love and Perfect Harmony and they have for all eternity and they will for all eternity. But before you and I we're even a blip on the radar. God is a perfect community of love. The three persons of the Trinity existing in love together.

And so he didn't create because he was sad. He didn't make people because he was lonely. He didn't need something called A World to satisfy his desire to be loving. He didn't need something called a creature in order to express love. He was already expressing his love. Because he already was love. This was love is not primarily defined by his love even for us as his people. third therefore God Has No Need of Love or lack of love

He has no need of love and no lack of Love spend a long time. Here. We will. not but God's self-sufficiency implies God's impossibility his self-sufficiency means he's perfectly complete in and of himself. And then his impassability means he's not affected by any force from outside himself. He's not moved by something outside of him. Yes, God desires our love he desires that we love him. In fact, he commands that we love him.

But he doesn't need our love. Not in the way that you and I are needy for love. That means our love for God does not change God's emotional state. So you and I when we are desperate for someone's love. the love of a significant other or the love of a family member we will be sad without it. And then once we receive it. We become happy. But God's not like that. Why not? Because he's already happy in his own love. He already has an all satisfying

love within himself. And so for billions of years and Eternity past the father and the son and the spirit have been loving each other. So fully and so perfectly. That there's no lack. There's no need. and so even when we glorify God Or the chief end of man to glorify God to enjoy him forever. Even when we glorify God. We are not giving something to him that he does not already have For us to glorify God doesn't mean to take

God's glory and make it bigger than it already is what it means is that we help other people see how big it already is. You've likely seen before the Mercator Projection of the world map and you may have heard that that map is often deceiving in the size of the continents and the sizes of some of the states. So on the traditional world map Alaska is it looks much smaller than it actually is in North America looks much bigger than it actually

is in Africa looks much smaller than it actually is.

And we do well, we look at that map to remind ourselves. Oh Africa's not this tiny continent. It's a really big continent. So when we glorify God. What we're doing? Is just like what we're doing when we tell people look Africa is not this tiny continent. It's actually much bigger. It's much bigger than it is in the textbook. God's glory is much bigger than just some textbook definition. God doesn't need us to glorify him because

we're adding some land mass to his glory. but what the world needs is that we would show how great and wonderful. The glory of God really is. And since God Has No Need of Love or lack of love. It means he's supremely full of love. He's the Fountain of all love. He has no need or No Lack. so forth therefore When the father gave his son. He gave what he loved most.

The father Delights in the son more than anything in the world. And when God the Father gave his son for Sinners Like Us. He gave the thing that he loved most. What it means when we say Jesus was sacrifice. That God gave up. What was most precious to him in all the universe? That his people might be saved. Remember those words in John 3:16. God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal

life. Romans, 8:31 and 32 what shall we say to these things? If God is for us who can be against us. He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him graciously give us all things. When the father gave his son he gave what he loved most. and therefore Fifth and finally the fact that God does that his love on his people? Is an incredible privilege? That God does set his love on US is an

incredible privilege. This God. this Triune being who has created everything there is Who has existed in unbounded pleasure for all eternity and Relentless? Joy for billions of years in perfect satisfaction. This being who has no needs who has no desires that cannot be met in himself. This God. has chosen to set is white hot love on his people Jesus says the same love that the father has for the son. God has chosen to set on lowly Sinners

Like Us. Oh, it's an incredible privilege. An incredible joy to know the love of God. You can tell a lot about someone by finding out what they love most. in this world and God tells us that there's nothing he loves more in the universe than his son the Lord Jesus Christ. As Piper says the foundational Joy Of God is the joy. He has in his own Perfections as he sees them reflected in the glory of his son. God Delights in his son because he

Delights in himself. So the baptism of Jesus displays to us the love of God. In the public affirmation of the son in his baptism. God gives us a glimpse of this eternal love a love not diminished by our sin love not even diminished by Jesus shedding his blood on the cross. God's love is made known to us in Jesus because Jesus supremely is the object of God's love. Let's pray.

Our Father in heaven We Rejoice this evening to know your great love. We are immensely thankful. That you have love for your people. You know we give you thanks for what we've seen in your word that even more than you love us you love the Lord Jesus. You love yourself because you alone are supremely worthy of being loved. You alone are supremely worthy of our worship and our adoration. And so we pray father. Give us more and more of a glimpse of your beauty.

And we might adore you. We might see the Perfection of Jesus. even as you exalt in the Perfection of Jesus Thank you for your great. Love. We pray our father in the matchless name of Jesus Amen.