Book of Luke

Luke Chapter 3

• Luke 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 
• 2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 
• 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

This is part of the gospel that we do not want to miss. Remission of sins. Sin has to be remitted before and after Christ came in the flesh in obedience to the will of the Father. It was generally understood that something had to be done about sin. That was why they had so many animal sacrifices and rules to follow.

John's ministry started before the ministry of Christ. He preached that we must repent of sin and be baptized in water signifying the washing away of sin. The water itself does not cleanse from sin but is an outward act to demonstrate what takes place within the person doing the repenting.

A person that turns from sin and comes to Christ is someone that will inherit eternal life. Christ came after John, preaching the same message but adding the promise of the fulfilling of God's Spirit to enable us to have power over sin and live an entire different lifestyle. We do not have to be a slave to any kind of sin after the coming of Jesus Christ into our lives.

Christ came to fulfill the law of sacrifices when He made an offering for sin in His own body. He took on Himself all our filthy sins. He did this so that we could have complete remission of sin and inherit eternal life. He was actually undoing the work of the first Adam who allowed sin to come upon the human race in the first place. This sacrifice will only count for us if we renounce or turn from sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as savior.

• Luke 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 
• 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 
• 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

This is God's message to all of us. God made a way to free us from the penalty of sin and grant us the eternal life that He intended for us to have from the beginning. He gave us life, we messed it up and He sent Jesus to make it right again. Unfortunately all of us do not believe this good way and so all the effort Jesus put forth to save us will not count if we do not come God's way. Some unfortunately prefer to remain in their sin. The coming of John the Baptist was foretold in Isaish.

• Isaiah 40:3  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 

There is no other way to be saved from sin. If there had been another way, the Son of God, would not have had to become into human flesh, suffer and die in such a horrible manner. The worst part of that death was when all of the sins committed by man since the creation of the world were placed on that pure sinless body of Jesus Christ.

• Luke 3:7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

There is a wrath to come. It seems to be taking a long time and we have heard preachers warn of wrath for 100s of years. It is still coming whether or not we believe it. God is patient and long-suffering, not willing that any of us should perish. Nevertheless, the day is coming when He will say, "It is enough." When God sees nations persecuting His people relentlessly, that may cause His patience to run very thin.  Persecution is happening all over our present world at this time. 

• Luke 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

This is a very important verse because it tells us that we cannot trust in any outward religion or a religion of our forefathers, infant baptism, circumcision or anything else to save us. True repentance will be accompanied by fruitful works so that we do not just say we believe but our outward actions show it. This is a growing period though as we learn the ways of God. Some take more time than others so we must avoid judging and fault finding by gently lead by example and compassion. All these gifts from God must be received first and the fruit follows.

If someone offers me a ten dollar bill and I don't reach and take it out of their hand. I can say all I want, "I believe you will give it to me," but if I don't accept it, the faith of believing is dead since it doesn't yield any fruit.

• Luke 3:9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

True repentance will bring forth fruit. We can't say, I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ and ignore what they have to say to us.

• Luke 3:10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 
• 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

This would be an example of the commandment to "Love one's neighbor as we love ourselves."

• Luke 3:12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 
• 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

True repentance means to live right in all parts of our lives, even in business affairs.

• Luke 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

Does this sound like some of our unions? Who in today's world is content with their wages? Try doing without any wages and see what that is like. If someone gets disabled and hospital bills mount up they are thankful for the steady wages they once had.

• Luke 3:15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 
• 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

This is the promise of a continual helper. After Christ left to return to the Father, He sent to us the Holy Spirit to abide with us so that we are not alone. If you do a study on the Holy Spirit you can begin to see the many things He does for us. Some of these are teaching, leading, comforting, empowering for service, and giving proper understanding of the word. The bible is more than just a book, it is God-inspired. We cannot understand it properly without the help of the Holy Spirit.

• Luke 3:17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

Like weeds and thorns that are burned, the evil will one day be burned up and destroyed. Judgment is surely coming. Are we ready? We complain of those who preach hell, fire and brimstone messages but this is the message that John preached. He went so far as to call them vipers. (Poisonous snakes.)

• Luke 3:18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

I would have liked to have been sitting there listening both to him and to Jesus. Well, we can if we study the written word of God.

• Luke 3:19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 
• 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

Alas but those that live godly do suffer persecution. People still today do not want to hear the truth but would rather listen to someone compliment them and tell them that they are okay, that God would never put anyone in hell, and that we are all human, no one's perfect. On and on they go making excuses for our sins instead of bringing us to repentance and eternal life. Praise God for those that still speak the truth in love.

• Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 
• 22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

The things Jesus did, He did as a man that was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was our forerunner and example that we are to do also the works that He did by the power of the Holy Spirit. Although Jesus had divine power, He did mighty works on the earth by the same power that is given to all that believe.

This doesn't mean that we equal Him in any way because He was our savior, our God and our king. We are still servants, not masters but we are empowered by the Holy Spirit for service.

We are not given the Holy Spirit to put on side shows and make ourselves famous. We are to lead others to salvation so that they will not be eternally lost and separated from God. This is not cause to exalt ourselves in any fashion. We have nothing that we have not received. It is God's to give.

• Luke 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 

Luke's gospel traces the lineage of Mary rather than Joseph. The lineage of Christ in Matthew is to show He is eligible to be king of Israel and in Luke to show the lineage from Mary. Notice that her lineage was from the son of David called Nathan rather than Solomon. Joseph's lineage in the book of Matthew shows that he came from Solomon making his seed eligible to be King of Israel. Even though Jesus was not the natural son of Joseph, He is still has the right of the throne because He was considered as the son, even though His birth was miraculous with no earthly father. 

• Luke 3:24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, 
• 25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 
• 26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Judah, 
• 27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Shealtiel, which was the son of Neri, 
• 28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 
• 29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 
• 30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Judah, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 
• 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 
• 32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Boaz, which wasthe son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 
• 33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Judah, 
• 34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Terah, which was the son of Nahor, 
• 35 Which was the son of Serug, which was the son of Reu, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 
• 36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Shem, which was the son of Noah, which was the son of Lamech, 
• 37 Which was the son of Methuselah, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 
• 38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

We see here that the seed of Seth was chosen to be the one through which the Messiah was to come. Seth was the son given to Eve after Cain killed Abel. Shem was also the chosen line after the flood as opposed to Ham and Japheth. Yet God still had plans for the seed of Japheth and Ham for salvation reaches their descendants also.

This is enough to rejoice about. Salvation was given to us through the lineage of the Jewish people but God's plan includes us if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ who was the descendant of the promised seed of the woman that was to bruise the head of the serpent. He did this by His death burial and resurrection. DC