Luke 3In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—

2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’ ”

Something DifferentLuke 2:41- 4:13

Some things catch our attentionThey are interesting

ColorfulCreativeDifferent

Like a spoon…

Jesus and John were also interestingly different

They caught the attention of the people

The people had seen a child beforeBut not like Jesus

The people had seen a preacher beforeBut not like John

The people knew about kingsBut not one like Jesus

Jesus was with his parents in JerusalemAs they left they assumed the child was

with themBut Jesus stayed behind at the temple

He was not just in the templeHe was discussing God with the priests

Luke 249 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

This child was differentHe knew his place in life

His callingHis origins

The reason for his life

John the son Zechariah was also different

He did not preach obedience to the law

He preached about a change of heart and mind

Luke 32…the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance…

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11 John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”

12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” 13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

This preacher was also different in that he was clear of several things

That he was not the that importantThe messiah, the important one, was

comingHis baptism would change everything

16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.

Jesus was a different type of kingHe was willing to get his hands dirty

He was among the peopleHe could stand up to evil

He could win

Luke 4Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.

Jesus was temptedSatan offered him the “world”

Jesus addressed and fought every temptation

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Jesus could stand up to evilFace it head onHe could win

Most importantly, Jesus could win for us

Putting it all togetherSpirituality speaking there is nothing

new in lifeBut the way Jesus came, lived and

worked was differentHe came with a plan and was willing

to follow the plan to save us

Putting it all together

Preachers are nothing newWhat made John great was that

he knew he was not greatSeek out preachers and teacher who love the lord and his people

more than themselves

Putting it all together

Salvation is not a new idea eitherBut often our saviors are so

imperfect they cannot really saveJesus begins his ministry by

demonstrating he can defeat evil

This Christmas season is not newWe know what to expect

The Gospel writer reminds us…Jesus came to save us

Jesus sends loving preachers and teachersJesus still wins over evil

And being part of God’s family makes us part of a winning teamThat is the Good News!

We are the Federated Church.

Our Mission is to…Seek Christ, Serve Christ

and Share Christ.