Book of Luke - Ch. 3, Vs. 23-Ch. 4, Vs. 1 (01/19/2003)

Alright, this afternoon we're not going to take very much in the way of verses, but starting with the third chapter of Luke, verse 23, if you will please.

This takes up where Jesus and Jesus himself begin to be about 30 years of age, being as it was supposed the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 3 .23,

did I say 4, Luke 3 .23,

and the rest of the chapter is devoted to the lineage of Jesus, and it has lots of names in it that I cannot pronounce.

But it gives the line by the son of, all the way back to Adam, and the 38th verse of that chapter reads, which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

Now in chapter 4, which follows 3, just a few preliminary remarks.

You must understand temptation. God is the originator of everything.

Satan can originate nothing except sin. He can use only what

God sends to us, and Satan is a fallen angel.

In Romans 8 .28, if you'll turn over there please, we get an insight on temptation.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love

God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

So everything that comes to us is first good. Do you believe that,

Russell? I can't see your head.

Everything is a test. Everything, everything is a test.

Our life is made up of tests. I used to hate tests, or trials, designed to cause us to grow closer to him.

Everything that happens to us, Roger, is designed to draw us closer to him.

Now in our minds, we have a will. Satan uses the test that God has sent to get us to serve, not

God, but him, and he never fails.

If we in our mind give in to Satan, then we've been tempted to do that which is not good, which we should not do.

If our thought is to serve God and use the test as God sent the test, we recognize the blessing and thereby we grow.

You grow from the blessings of the test. I can't emphasize that enough.

All blessings are spiritual, not physical. That's carnal. From Jesus' viewpoint, he was not tempted.

From his viewpoint, he was not tempted. Remember, that's all

Satan can do, so he was doing all he could. Our will is the only thing we have that is variable.

From God's viewpoint, it isn't even that. From our viewpoint, it is. We can change nothing because God's sovereign.

We need the Holy Spirit in order to do the pleasing of God or displeasing of God.

We need the spirit of Satan to displease, the spirit of God to please. In James 1 .13,

let no man say when he is tempted,

I am tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.

You cannot tempt God with evil. Satan could not tempt

God. He could of us because we're not God. Let no man say when he is tempted, so we will be tempted.

But it's not God that's doing it. Now, one verse.

And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan and was led by the

Spirit into the wilderness. Russell, did he want to go to the wilderness?

He was led by the Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit was here, but on the outside of man.

He had the power of the full Holy Spirit, we know. If men can be tempted, it means that there is something in them to respond to it.

To yield to the temptation. If man can be tempted. And he can be tempted.

He was led by the Spirit, meaning that he did not seek this. Now, Jesus being full of the

Holy Ghost. When did the man,

Jesus Roger, become full of the Holy Spirit? Besides this.

Was that for Jesus' advantage? Alright.

So, when did he become full of the Holy Spirit? Yes. Well, we don't know.

I think it was from his birth. He was always full of it. But I can't prove that.

Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit. We know he was full here. Now, full means what to Russell?

Alright. He couldn't take any more. And he returned from Jordan.

What had he been doing in Jordan? Alright.

So, when he returned, and he returned where? Charlotte, where did he return from?

From where? Well, I wanted to know where he went.

Was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Now, this Spirit, is that the same

Spirit that he is full of, Russell? Yes, sir, it is.

And he was led by that Spirit into what, Roger? Into the wilderness.

Why the wilderness? Alright. He's by himself with Satan.

Now, the way it's written, I don't know if he was tempted the full 40 days, I doubt it.

Or at the last, when he was so hungry. Are you wanting to ask something?

Just scratching your head. He was led by the

Spirit, meaning that he did not seek this. He does the will of the

Father only. We're going to stop here because I don't want to break up the temptations.

And we'll let David take up here. Now, does anyone have anything to say or to remark about where we've been?

I know it's not much. Noram?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

That's right. He had it from the very beginning, before the beginning.

He became a fetus and a small child, was born of a woman.

He existed before that, not as Jesus, but as Christ. And when he was born, it was the

Holy Spirit, God the Father, and God the Son. So I think he had it all the time.