Up to this point in Luke, God has spoken through angels and prophets about who Jesus is, but in our passage this Sunday, we hear God’s voice from heaven declaring His divine endorsement.

“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)

Well pleased. Ever since the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the garden, this has not been true of a single human being. “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek for God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one (Psalm 14:2-3).”

Jesus came to change this, to redeem us from our guilt and make it possible for God to speak this same word over us: “With you I am well pleased.” How is this possible? Question 60 of the Heidelberg Catechism answers like this.

Only by true faith in Jesus Christ; that is, although my conscience accuses me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still prone always to all evil; yet God without any merit of mine, of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never committed nor had any sin, and had myself accomplished all the obedience which Christ has fulfilled for me; if only I accept such benefit with a believing heart.

Isn’t that incredible?

This Sunday Fred Sanders will be preaching Luke 3:21-22. Would you pray for him as he prepares? And pray that God would increase our delight in Jesus and our confidence that, in Jesus, He delights in us.

See you Sunday, Grace. Come hungry!

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Song Link of the Week

My Worth Is Not in What I Own by Shane and Shane

Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed, my ransom paid
At the cross