Jesus – The Hope for All People • 03.01.26
Nick Lees   -   March 1, 2026

Jesus – The Hope for All People
Luke 3:21-4:15

Beholding Jesus’ preparation, qualifications, and commitment to carrying out God’s plan

  1. Recognize Jesus is the Son of God
  2. Realize Jesus identifies with us as the son of Adam
  3. Rejoice because Jesus is faithful to perfectly fulfill the plan of God

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Good morning, church family!

Pray in response to the worship set (Abide follows) and in preparation of the teaching of Scripture and in light of world events.

Sermon

As we turn our attention now to the study of God’s Word…

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

Ushers + Bibles (Luke 3; page 1020)

Our focus for today is what we have been building towards for several weeks now, or in terms of Luke’s writings for several chapters. Week after week we have reiterated that Luke has written so that his friend Theophilus might have certainty concerning the things he had been taught – specifically what he had been taught about Jesus Christ. And since we began this Gospel account, we have been building in anticipation for the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. First, came the angelic visitations and foretelling’s of the birth of John the Baptist and the miraculous conception of Jesus. Then came their parents’ responses, both at the moment of the angelic visits and later at the delivery of their babies. Throughout, we’ve also seen and heard the reaction of the community – John and Elizabeth’s neighbors, the shepherds who came to see baby Jesus, the righteous old saints Simeon and Anna when Jesus was brought to the temple, and the religious leaders who interacted with Jesus as a young man in the temple. Their responses have been varied – awe, amazement, even alarm at what is taking place amongst them! There is a consistent recognition that God is up to something in their days, even though they do not fully understand what it may be.

Throughout Luke’s recounting of the early years of Jesus’ life, we have heard that Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Luke has been preparing Theophilus (and us) for the day when Jesus begins his public ministry. Yet first must come John the Baptist! Last week we studied Luke’s synopsis of John’s ministry – preparing the way for the Savior by calling sinners to a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John did not mince words when it came to warning of the severity of God’s judgment that awaits those whose faith is in anything other than God’s provided Savior. Yet when we closed our study last week in 3:20, we heard of John’s arrest without the introduction of Jesus!

If you’re familiar with your Bible, you may have thought that was a bit odd. Luke deviates from a chronological retelling of events by writing it this way. Why would he do that? Because he wants all eyes on Jesus. Perhaps it would be helpful to compare it to a play where the scenes change, the stage empties, and the spotlight is now on the main character. That is what is happening here. Though John was alive to baptize Jesus, Luke is not as concerned with emphasizing that detail as he is in putting everyone’s eyes on Jesus. In effect, Luke is saying, “the Savior is here so pay attention to him!”

So, let’s turn our attention now to the reading of God’s Word and see how Luke portrays the arrival of Jesus Christ for his public ministry.

Luke 3:21–22 (ESV)

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus has come! And, through these events, he has been prepared for his public ministry that is ahead. We will come back to the significance of what is happening here in a little bit. But for now, I want to keep reading the rest of our text for today, so we have a fuller picture of what happens at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Somewhat surprisingly, Luke moves from Jesus’ baptism to tracing his ancestry! Let’s read about this in 3:23ff:

Luke 3:23–38 (ESV)

23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

There are some important clues in this genealogy that tie into the message Luke is proclaiming about Jesus. We’ll come back to these as well. But for now, let’s keep reading in chapter 4:1. This is the continuation of what happens immediately following Jesus’ baptism.

Luke 4:1-15 (ESV)

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God,

and him only shall you serve.’ ”

9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,

“ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,

to guard you,’

11 and

“ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

What is your response to reading these passages today? Awe? Amazement? Skepticism? These are incredible events in world history that demand a response! Everyone must do something with the realities presented here about Jesus – the hope for all people. “Jesus, the hope for all people” – this is not a new theme for Luke, but it is becoming more pronounced as we continue through his gospel. Today as we study this text, I not only want to show you why Jesus is the hope for all people, but I intend to do so by helping us in…

Beholding Jesus’ preparation, qualifications, and commitment to carrying out God’s plan

Luke has been building up to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and he has just given us tremendous evidence for why our hope should be in him. If you look closely, there are three different segments to our text today. We first have Jesus’ baptism and the events that took place there (v21-22), then we have the genealogy of Jesus (v23-38), and finally we read about Jesus facing off with the devil (4:1-15). Yet throughout all three of these sections, there is a common thread emphasizing that Jesus is the Son of God.

V22 – “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

V38 – “The son of God” à or even in the comment in verse 23 “being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph” – this was highlighting that Luke and Theophilus really know that Jesus has a divine origin.

Twice Satan addresses Jesus – “If you are the Son of God…” (4:3, 4:9) in his temptations. Do not hear that “if” as a statement of doubt. Satan knew who Jesus was. The grammar of these statements indicates an assumption for the sake of argument. It might be easier to understand it as “Since you are the Son of God…”

The point being, throughout all these sections, Luke wants his readers to…

  1. Recognize Jesus is the Son of God

Jesus stands apart from everyone else. He is greater than John. He is greater than the prophets. He is the Son of God, fully divine – God taking on human form. This is not a mere man’s testimony but, as we have heard, the testimony of God the Father from heaven. Luke also includes the detail about God the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus in bodily form. This is an important detail because it affirms that this was visible to all who were present at that time. This was not done in secret; it was a public preparation and empowering of Jesus for ministry.

And though this takes place in two short verses, what happens in these verses is significant! All three members of the Godhead are active here. Jesus’ baptism is one of the clearest places in all of Scripture where we see that we have a Triune God (1 God in 3 Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) And each person is active in preparing Jesus for his ministry. The Father speaks from heaven affirming Jesus’ identity and obedience. The Spirit descends on Jesus to empower him for his ministry. And Jesus, the Son, is ready to obey and fulfill his calling!

Each of these observations carries so much weight behind it. Consider the Father affirming Jesus’ identity and obedience. What better source could you have for knowing these things? None! God himself has opened the heavens and made it known. The language calls back to the Old Testament, to Psalm 2:7, where it says:

Psalm 2:7 (ESV)

   7      I will tell of the decree:

          The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you.

Jesus is the Son of God long ago foretold (~1,000 years earlier for this Psalm) and before whom the nations would be wise to heed and humble themselves. There are also similarities to a passage we studied last year in Isaiah:

Isaiah 42:1 (ESV)

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

          I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Jesus is the Father’s Suffering Servant who again was foretold of through the prophet Isaiah, this time ~700 years earlier. Did you notice it was said “in whom my soul delights” and “I have put my Spirit upon him”? Both are fulfilled at Jesus’ baptism! In fact, in our study next week, we will hear Jesus quote from Isaiah 61 and apply it to himself.

Jesus is the Son of God. Fully divine. God in human form. And it is of paramount importance that each one of us recognizes that reality. His identity puts him in an unparalleled position to carry out the grand redemption plan of God. The Apostle John records additional details of John the Baptist’s testimony in his Gospel:

John 1:29 (ESV)

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Jesus’ identity as the Son of God is what qualifies him to be the perfect, sinless sacrificial lamb whereby many sinners can be made righteous. No mere man could provide forgiveness and atonement for so many!

But beyond Jesus’ identity being confirmed by the Father, we also see that Jesus does what pleases God. This is affirmed by Jesus’ own words in John’s Gospel, multiple times:

John 5:30 (ESV)

30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 6:38–40 (ESV)

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 8:28–29 (ESV)

28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

Jesus’ perfect obedience to the Father uniquely qualifies him to serve as our perfect representative, our Savior and our sacrificial lamb. He had a perfect track record heading into his public ministry, but it was about to be intensely tested by the enemy! Would he prevail or would he fall? We already know the answer. He prevailed over the devil and entered his public ministry in the power of the Spirit, bringing the kingdom of God to bear on our world. In fact, in Luke’s second book, after Jesus’ death/burial/resurrection, he records the following from the Apostle Peter:

Acts 10:36–38 (ESV)

36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

The testimony of Scripture and God’s church throughout the ages is that Jesus is the divine Son of God who is uniquely qualified to serve as the Savior from our sins. By his perfect sinless life and obedience to God he was qualified to represent us before God on the Cross and bear the penalty for our sins – the wrath of God – upon himself.

But wait! How could Jesus be our perfect representative? If he is divine and we are mere humans, then how does that work? Well, that brings me to our second truth to behold this morning…

  1. Realize Jesus identifies with us as the son of Adam

In addition to highlighting Jesus’ divinity, Luke also draws attention to Jesus’ humanity. Notice in verse 21 that Luke spoke of Jesus as being baptized alongside all the other people. He was just one of the crowd, so to speak.

Then, immediately following the baptism account, Luke chooses to share Jesus’ ancestry. This may have seemed like a bit of an awkward break in the narrative, until you realize why Luke has done this… He wants Theophilus (and us) to realize the humanity of Jesus.

Jesus is fully human as well. At the time of his public ministry, Jesus was a 30-year-old man sent by God to fulfill God’s plan. In fact, Luke highlights Jesus’ solidarity with us as humans by tracing his ancestry all the way back to the first man, Adam. Luke does this intentionally to remind us that Jesus is the son of Adam, or, as the Apostle Paul would later call Jesus in his letter to the Corinthians, Jesus is the “last” Adam.

Jesus is the culmination of God’s plan to send the seed of the woman to crush the serpent’s head, which he foretold all the way back in the Garden in Genesis 3:15! You couldn’t make this up if you tried. A plan of God revealed progressively through the Scriptures across 40 authors and written down over some ~1,500 years of time that is both internally and externally consistent! The Scriptures are amazing.

This genealogy also reminds us that Jesus is the descendant of Abraham, meaning he is also the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham’s seed. And he is the son of David, who fulfills God’s promises to King David that a king from his line would reign on his throne forever. There is a lot of biblical and world history wrapped up in this genealogy. Luke uses this tool to reveal much about Jesus’ identity and mission. Jesus, as the divine man, has been sent by God to fulfill God’s plan.

I understand that these revelations about Jesus’ identity and mission are a lot to take in. I want to encourage you to do your due diligence in investigating these truth claims. Take time to recognize that Jesus is the Son of God and realize that Jesus identifies with us as the son of Adam. Dig into the truth that Jesus is both fully God and fully man.

But, above all else, pray and ask God for faith. Luke is upholding these things to Theophilus as the truth. Theophilus is told that he can have certainty in his faith. And the same can be true for you and for me. Ask God to help you behold Jesus for who He is. And then…

  1. Rejoice because Jesus is faithful to perfectly fulfill the plan of God

This is what Luke captures and reveals to us in 4:1-15. As we are beholding Jesus’ preparation, qualifications, and commitment to carrying out God’s plan, it is necessary for him to face off against his adversary, the devil.

Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for this time of temptation. God’s will for Jesus is to face temptation and demonstrate his faithfulness to God’s grand redemption plan. Let’s walk through the significance of what is happening during these 40 days.

First, notice that Jesus is in the wilderness. This is not the first time we’ve heard this phrase in Luke’s Gospel. This time it is intended to call back to the days of Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, enduring temptation, which was representative of the 40 years that Israel wandered in the wilderness due to their sin.

Thankfully, Jesus is the better Israel. Unlike the nation, Jesus trusts God and does not give into temptation. He does not demand provisions or try to do things his own way. He stands in stark contrast, both to Israel and to people like us! Consider the circumstances he was facing… 40 days without food! How hungry would you be after 40 days? Ravenous. Possibly delirious for food. I have heard stories of people fasting for lengthy periods of time beginning to dream about food. And that’s not even the worst of the effects that such a lengthy fast would have on your body and mind!

And we are told, that when Jesus is at this point of physical exhaustion and extreme hunger, Satan is right there needling him with temptation. “Just tell the stone to become bread, Jesus!” And he could have! He could have satisfied his own hunger by using his divine power towards that end, but at what cost!? Disobeying the Father. Giving into the enemy. Failing the mission to glorify God and save many souls.

And so, Jesus refused by answering the devil with Scripture. He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, which was a call to remember how God provided for Israel in their wilderness wanderings. Each of these quotations of Scripture is from the same book, and each is a reminder of Jesus’ obedience where Israel disobeyed.

Jesus is committed to fulfilling God’s plan. Unlike the first Adam, he refuses to listen to the snake, even in a time of great need. Ironically, the first Adam had all he needed in the Garden, yet desired more. The last Adam was lacking basic necessities for life in the wilderness, yet he was satisfied in God. What a contrast! His satisfaction in God and commitment to fulfilling God’s plan led him to overcome the enemy.

Satan’s temptations were targeted at the call God had put on Jesus’ life. He tempted him to…

  • Care for himself over others
  • Worship someone other than the One, True God
  • Publicly draw attention to himself as God’s beloved through putting God to the test rather than quietly obeying him to the point of death on a cross

These were aimed at the very heart of Jesus’ identity and mission. Yet Jesus did not give in! In the face of temptation, he turned to God’s Word and refuted the lies with truth. The wisdom he had grown in as a young man through his study of the Word was now put to use in living righteously during temptation!

Jesus’ refutations of temptation through reciting truth are a powerful example for us. When I speak of going to war against temptation and sin, this is one of the primary ways I am thinking of. If temptation is based in a lie, then what does God say is true?! The answer to the enemy’s slithery speech, “Did God really sssssay…?” Is to know what God really said and to be satisfied in him!

It ought to give you incredible hope that Jesus did not seek his own gain but rather the will of the Father. (Main Points) Because the Father’s will is for our good! He sent Jesus to rescue us from our sin! Woe to us if Jesus had followed in the footsteps of the first Adam! But he did not! He obeyed. He endured. He remained faithful to the Father! Praise God for that!

We can learn some important things about our enemy, the devil, from this section of Scripture. First, he is a real adversary. The Scripture is clear that the devil is a real entity who opposes God and his people. He is a fallen angel who led many other angels astray and now does all that he can to deny God glory by enticing men and women into rebellion against God.

Second, the devil is limited. He is not omnipresent like God. He is nowhere near as powerful as God. Notice he departs from Jesus and waits for an “opportune” time to come back again. The devil is an opportunist who looks for easy prey. He doesn’t like to fight fair. And he is nothing in comparison to God! I love that Jesus defeats Satan at the outset of his public ministry. What a way to start! In each of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew/Mark/Luke), Jesus speaks of how he has bound “the strong man” (meaning Satan) and is now plundering his house (meaning rescuing sinners like us)! That is Good News for us!

Third, it is possible to resist the devil’s temptations through the power of the Holy Spirit and by the truth of God’s Word! These are resources that are only available to Christians as followers of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, Jesus would tell the people:

John 8:34–36 (ESV)

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

There are only two categories of people in our world, those who are set free from slavery to sin through faith in Jesus Christ and those who are still slaves to their sin/rebellion. Which category are you in? How do you know?

Right before this in verse 31, Jesus had said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Do you abide in Jesus’ teaching? Jesus’ teaching is the Word of God. Is that what governs your daily life?

For those who are willing to be honest, the reality of life in this broken, sin-cursed world is that it is not easy. It is full of temptation, full of suffering, full of opportunities to live selfishly rather than living the holy life that God has called us to live. The devil, ever the opportunist, pays attention to when we are weak and weary. He and his minions seek to tempt us to deny the truth of God and his word through our desires, thoughts, words, or actions. And let’s be clear, we don’t need his help because we still have a fleshly (selfish) nature remaining within us that entices us just the same. So please do not hear me blaming my sin or yours on the devil, we are each responsible for our own desires and actions.

Are you engaged in the battle with temptation and sin? Are you fighting for holiness? Are you rejoicing in Jesus as the Faithful One who perfectly fulfilled God’s plan?

These are questions I need to hear and be asked every single day. And so do you. The truth is there is great joy and peace available to us through faith in Jesus Christ. We can know the truth, and he can set us free from sin and death. That is why he came. That is what he will accomplish in his life and ministry. We will continue to read about it in the days and weeks and months ahead.

Praise God that we have a perfect Savior in Jesus. And as Hebrews 4 delightfully reminds us:

Hebrews 4:14–16 (ESV)

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Christian brother or sister, let us daily draw near to Jesus. May we never tire of beholding him. As we have been reminded today, he was prepared, he was qualified, and he was committed to carrying out God’s plan. And he has done it! Our salvation is secure in Christ’s finished work on the Cross and in the empty tomb. We have every reason to rejoice this morning. We, of all people, have hope and we need to remember that in the face of present temptation and when we are entangled again in sin. Jesus delights to hear our prayers. He stands ready to help us in time of need. I know I need to remember that, and I assume you do too.

May we remember that our satisfaction is found in God! Allow Jesus’ example in Luke 4 to motivate your own pursuit of delight in God. When you are satisfied in him, then you will be in the best position to resist the temptations your flesh and your enemy throw at you. I am praying that our church will be full of people satisfied in Him and living faithful, holy lives in our community.

For those of you who are not yet following Jesus Christ, my prayer has been for you that you would keep coming back to hear more about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. But beyond coming back, that you would have ears to hear and a heart to believe what you’re learning about him. These matters go beyond intellectual debates to the very matters of life and death, heaven and hell. So please be willing to sit down, whether with me or someone else you know here that is a Christian and ask whatever hard questions you need to ask. Be willing to wrestle through these matters. Ask me/them what convinced us that this is the truth. I pray that you too would realize that Jesus is the hope for all people, including you.

Let’s pray.

Pray

This Is Our God

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