January 18, 2026 | Zach Schlegel
Passage: Luke 3:1-22
If we were to fast forward to the end of Luke’s gospel and see Jesus on trial, He was sentenced to death. Why did they choose capital punishment? Why did they choose to kill King Jesus? There are a lot of answers, but one of the driving reasons was envy. The governmental and religious leaders saw Jesus as a threat. Rather than seeing the evidence of who His is, they chose to kill Him. They wanted to silence Him. We see the same thing in Romans chapter one. All of creation is shouting, “this didn’t just ‘happen;” “there is a Designer, a Creator - God!”
God is not hiding. The problem is that mankind, by their unrighteousness, suppresses the truth. That is true of all of us. Left to ourselves, we want to be in charge. Simeon prophesied that Jesus would be a light. Light exposes the darkness of sin in the hearts of man. We don’t like that. We’re okay with God being God when we need help, but when it comes to being accountable to God or to deny ourselves when it comes to money or sex, or when it comes to change in exchange for something better, we are prone to close our eyes and plug our ears and do what we want.
If Jesus is King, and He is, He demands obedience. Not just in parts of your life but in every nook and cranny of your life. That’s a tall order! When you make an expensive purchase, you want some guarantee that you will get your money’s worth. You want to be certain. How much more do you need to be sure if you are going to give your life to Jesus? How can you be sure that He is good and that He is the Son of God? Luke’s purpose in writing this book is found in chapter 1, verse 4. Luke wanted all to have certainty about Jesus. This text begins and ends with the word of God. The word came to John and after Jesus' baptism, God spoke.
Sermon Outline
1. Believe God’s word through John. Vs. 1-20
2. Believe God’s word to His Son. Vs. 21-22
Series Information
