Luke 3

Written on 05/10/2024

Verses 1-6

  • When John knew that it was time for him to go and preach the message that God gave him, he went and worked diligently. He lived his life for nothing else.

    • He knew that His purpose was to make it perfectly clear to people how to get right with God, so that when Jesus came, they would be ready to receive Him.

      • He “leveled the playing field”, so to speak, so that everyone would know that salvation was available to them equally, and know how to obtain it.

      • It is an important task to make the way to God clear to people. Work on being able to communicate clearly what a person must do to be saved. 

        • People having a clear understanding of the gospel is the first step for them being able to obey the gospel! Without understanding, they cannot obey.

 

Verses 7-14

  • John's message, which we can apply in preaching the gospel and receiving salvation today, is this:

  • Verses 7,9. God's wrath is real, and it is coming. If you don't turn away from sin, to follow Christ, there will be wrath (Luke 13:3-5).

  • Verse 8. Don't just talk about repentance. You must take action to change your ways.

    • And don't excuse your lack of action with the claiming that your family is religious. This doesn't matter. Only your own actions matter.

  • Verses 10-14. If you want to know how to start repenting, change in a way that you know how—where you're familiar. This could mean integrity at your job. Start repenting anywhere—even if it's ordinary things! This is still meaningful repentance.

 

Verses 15-18

  • John then adds that repenting and being baptized is just the beginning. After repenting and being baptized, even as Peter preaches, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)!

    • Understand that Christ came to give you the power of the Holy Spirit—the same Spirit that came upon Jesus and empowered Him for His ministry (Luke 3:21-22, Acts 10:38).

    • Do not stop with turning away from some sin. Seek to obey the Word in all ways and know that the Holy Spirit gives you the power that you need for this task!

  • See teaching on Matthew 3 for more details.

 

Verses 19-20

  • John was bold about sin. He didn't shy away from telling a person that something they were doing was wrong, even if it cost him his life (which it did, as John was beheaded).

    • Don't be afraid to say that certain actions are wrong. Be bold about the truth! Just make sure that your words are based on Scripture and not on personal opinion.

 

Verses 21-22

  • See teaching on Matthew 3 for details.

 

Verses 23-38

  • Verse 23. There is significance to Jesus beginning His ministry at 30 years of age. He needed 30 years to prepare for His work.

    • Understand that preparation is important, and it takes time. Work diligently to grow in obedience to the Word, but be patient with your own growth. Know that God will grow you as He sees fit.

  • Verses 24-38. These verses let us know with confidence that Jesus was qualified to be the Messiah because He was of the lineage of important figures in the prophetic scriptures, such as Abraham, Judah, and David.

    • These verses would have been most important for the Jews to have confidence in Jesus.