Jesus' First Sermon - Luke 4:16-22 - July 24, 2022

 Luke 4.16-22 Jesus’ First Sermon

Good morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 4, this morning we are going to look at verses 16-22, and that’s on page 859 in the pew Bibles.

As I said last week Luke jumps over almost all the events of the first four chapters of the Gospel of John, but here in our text for this morning he records Jesus’ first sermon, in fact, His only sermon in His hometown of Nazareth.

There is a lot for us to learn from Jesus’ first sermon about who he is and what He was sent to do as well as how He continues to do it and what we should do about it. So let’s look at the text and then we’ll ask the Lord to guide us in it.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.

Let’s pray

So just like last week, there are some quick hit facts and some things for us to learn from Jesus right on the surface of this text. 

Not the least of which is found right there in verse 16, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day…”

Why did Jesus go to the synagogue on the Sabbath? Because it was His custom. He wasn’t compelled to go, He wasn’t driven there by the Holy Spirit or anything, He went to church because that’s just what He did. Alistair Begg called it, “a fixed point in His Life.” Going to Synagogue was part of His regular routine all of His life and there is something to be learned from His example of regularly gathering with the people of God for corporate, family worship. Watching online is great if you don’t have any other option, that’s why we are still live streaming, but it’s no replacement for gathering with God’s people for worship and teaching, fellowship and prayer. It’s God’s design for us and it’s the example given by Jesus for us to follow. We can’t call ourselves followers of Jesus if we don’t do the things that He did.

The second idea just on the surface was the makeup of Jesus’ sermon. I can see four things.

It was grounded in the Word of God, the Scriptures; it was applicable to its hearers; it was short; and it nearly got Jesus thrown off a cliff.

There’s a lot to learn about the work of preaching right there!

In truth, the scholars believe that Jesus actually said a lot more but Luke only recorded this brief introduction, either way, we got what we needed. Secondly, Jesus’ sermon demanded a response, some people marveled at His gracious words and others wanted to kill Him as we’ll see later on in this chapter.

That’s what good preaching should always do, it should demand a response, it should have an effect whether people are encouraged, convicted or offended. The worst thing a sermon can do is to leave people confused or indifferent… I’m still working on that…

Well, let’s look at the content of Jesus’ brief sermon.

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus was handed the scroll of Isaiah the prophet and read from Isaiah 61:1-2, but what Isaiah wrote as prophecy, Jesus read as history. Isaiah said it would happen, Jesus said it is happening. Isaiah was describing the person and work of Messiah and Jesus, in His sermon said, I am He, I am Messiah. “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

We often get stuck on Jesus’ work on the cross when he paid the price for our redemption, for our forgiveness with His own life. It’s the most important event in history, but that wasn’t His only work.

What was it that Isaiah said was the work of Messiah? To proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

In Greek the word to proclaim good news is where we get the English word: evangelize. But who was it that Jesus was to evangelize? The poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed. And who was that exactly? The short answer is: everybody.

JP Lange called them, “the whole suffering mass of mankind.” 

Martin Luther wrote, “Christ finds all those to whom He comes blind, without the knowledge of God, bound of Satan, and kept prisoners under death, sin, and the Law. For out of the gospel there is nothing but utter darkness and captivity, so that even if we have some little knowledge, yet we cannot follow the same because we are bound.”

The poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed are all those who need the freedom of the gospel, this is us! Everybody apart from Christ fits in this category no matter how wise, or rich, or enlightened they might be according to the world’s standards.

The truly poor are the spiritually poor, without help and without hope, truly destitute. But those who hear the Good News who are humbled by it and truly sorrowful for sin will truly be made rich in Christ, not monetarily but spiritually.

The meat of Christ’s message was liberty to the captives, those who are bound by guilt, and shame, and pride, and corruption, and legalism, and traditions of men.

Galatians 5:1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” That’s slavery to empty religious practices and the Law of Moses.

And Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:16, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

Liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. 

Though Jesus did heal the physically blind He went far beyond that by granting sight to the spiritually blind, shining light on those unregenerate souls lost in spiritual darkness.

John 1:4-5 says, 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Preaching was the first work of the Lord, to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, but His work was also to “set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

Not to just preach freedom but to provide freedom. Those who are oppressed, again, is everybody apart from Christ, they are oppressed by spiritual bondage and spiritual debt. 

Ellis Crum wrote a song back in the 70’s that said,

He paid a debt He did not owe

I owed a debt I could not pay

I needed someone to wash my sins away

And now I sing a brand new song

Amazing Grace

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay

The Good News to the poor is that Jesus paid the price to make us rich, to the captives, He took our burden of sin and shame upon Himself, to the blind, He can open our eyes by the power of His Holy Spirit, He has set us free from sin and its eternal consequences by His death on the cross, if we will only trust in Him.

This was the work Jesus was given to do but it is also the work that has been given us to do and we should follow His example: by knowing the Word of God, and preaching the truth, the Good News to the spiritually poor, blind and captive around us.

We all want to see miracles, just like the crowd at the synagogue that day but there is truly no greater miracle than a life made new by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ray Stedman wrote in his book, Body Life, “The physical raising of Lazarus from the tomb was truly amazing – yet it was nothing compared with the miracle of a sinner whose life has been completely redirected by the grace and love of God. All the bodily miracles and healings which Jesus performed were just temporary cures. Lazarus, for example, eventually had to go through death again. But the works that Jesus did within the human heart and human soul was an eternal work, yielding blessing that went on and on without end.”

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Let’s follow Christ’s example and join Him in that work,

Amen.

The Power of the Spirit - Luke 4:14-15 - July 17, 2022

 Luke 4.14-15 The Power of the Spirit

Good morning, turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 4:14-15, page 859 in the pew Bibles.

We have been at Camp MACC all this past week so this sermon may not be that long… Maybe you’re relieved to hear that!

I would like to consider this morning what was on display at camp this week for us, and that is the power of the Spirit.

Let’s look at Luke 4:14-15.

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

Let’s pray.

So in Luke’s record he skips over a pretty sizable chunk of events in the life and ministry of Jesus. In fact he skips over what John, in his Gospel takes the better part of four chapters to describe. If you’d like to see what happened in the gap between Luke 4:13and Luke 4:14 you can read John 1:19-4:45.

Luke skips over the calling of the first Disciples, Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana, the first Passover of Jesus’ ministry which is how the scholars determined the approximate length of Jesus’ public ministry by the number of Passovers were recorded in the Gospels.  Luke skipped over Jesus interacting with Nicodemus, as well as the woman at the well in Samaria.

These were all important events with a lot to learn from…That’s why John recorded them…

Luke, however, skips from Jesus’ baptism, to the temptation in the wilderness to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee.

All three of these events, or summaries of events have one major thing in common, and that is the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus’ baptism in chapter three, while He was praying, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in bodily form like a dove. At the beginning of chapter four, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil. And here, in verse 14, Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about Him went out throughout all the surrounding country. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

So what is the significance of the presence and power of the Spirit? 

This, again, speaks to the doctrine of the humanity of Jesus. We know that Jesus is the Son of God, He is divine, He is God, fully God. But He is also fully man. 

John 1:14-16 says,

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, fully God, now fully man.

Philippians 2:5-8 says, 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

When Paul says that Jesus, “emptied Himself,” He didn’t empty Himself of His divinity but of His power and glory, fully man while still fully God.

What this means is that Jesus was dependent on the Holy Spirit for the power to accomplish God’s will.

Jesus needed the power of the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish His work on earth. Without the power of the Holy Spirit there would be no miracles, there would be no resistance to temptation, no effective preaching, there would be no redemption. Nothing good was possible, nothing productive for the kingdom of God was possible in Jesus without the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee…

What is the importance of this truth, beyond seeing the cooperation of the Trinity in the life of Jesus, what is the significance of the dependence of Jesus on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, and what does that have to do with us? 

It’s simple really, if Jesus needed the power of the Holy Spirit to do anything good, how much more do we need Him?! 

Jesus reminded His disciples of His promise of the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter one. This was after the resurrection just before he ascended to the Father. Acts 1:4-8.

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Power to do what exactly? To accomplish the Father’s will just like Jesus.

In John 14:12-17 Jesus said,

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

The same power that dwelt in Jesus to accomplish the Father’s will dwells with and in Jesus’ followers, those who have put their trust in Him.

Charles Spurgeon, known as the “Prince of Preachers,” said, “[Jesus] was a divine teacher, and yet, when He went to His work, it was ‘in the power of the Spirit.’ Tarry, brother, [wait with eager expectation] till you have that power; it is of no use for you to go without it.”

Without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit Jesus couldn’t accomplish anything and the same is true of us, our work is different but the source of power to do that work is the same, the power of the Holy Spirit.

Maybe one major difference that you might notice between you and Jesus is that he was really good at operating under the power of the Holy Spirit, and you… not so much.

We are never going to be perfect at this but we can definitely learn to connect to the Holy Spirit better by following Jesus’ example.

Jesus’ recognized His dependence on the Holy Spirit, He submitted to the Spirit’s work through Him, and He took advantage of the opportunities to do the work that the Spirit empowered Him to do.

With the Spirit’s help we can do those same exact things. 

We must recognize that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit to do anything good, no good comes from ourselves but from the Lord working through us.

We must submit to the Spirit’s work in and through us, we must recognize that we have been given work to do by the Lord, to be His witnesses to the world, to tell our friends and family and coworkers and strangers about the love of Jesus and the forgiveness of sin that is available through faith in Him alone.

And we must learn to take advantage of the opportunities that are given to us to do that work, to let the Spirit speak through us, to pay attention and look for those opportunities, and walk through those open doors, or at least jiggle the handle!

Trusting in the Lord is so much more than just trusting Him to deal with our sin through the cross, we need to trust Him in every moment to lead us, to protect us, and to empower us to do His work and his will on the earth that he may be glorified by all.

Amen.

Temptation in the Wilderness - Luke 4:1-13 - July 10, 2022

 Luke 4.1-13 Temptation in the Wilderness

Good morning, turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter four, we are going to look at verses 1-13, that is on page 859 in the pew Bibles.

We are going to look at Luke’s record of the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness this morning but before we look at Luke’s record I want to first read from the book of Hebrews to give us an idea of the purpose of this passage in Luke.

Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-16

…he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted…

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.

Let’s pray.

So understanding that Jesus had to be made like us in every respect, who was tempted in every way that we are tempted yet without sin, when we look at Luke four we can see that Jesus was indeed tempted in every way that we are tempted and that He also provided a strategy for dealing with that temptation.

So let’s take a look at the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness and consider the image of the whole conflict of the Christian life.

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.

So here’s the Lord Jesus, fresh off His baptism, fresh from the voice from heaven, fresh from the  Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove, full of the Holy Spirit and led into the wilderness for forty days. 

The scholars believe that this wilderness was near the Dead Sea and was in fact a wilderness, a desert, a dry, rocky, desolate place. And there Jesus fasted for forty days alone and was tempted by the devil.

Here are some quick hit facts that we can learn from this passage: first of all, because we know that Jesus is without sin though He was tempted in every way just like us, temptation to sin is not sin. Jesus did not sin by being tempted.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

There is always a way out of temptation, we just need to be willing to look for it and avail ourselves of it when we are tempted to sin.

The second quick hit fact is that the devil is very real and very powerful. The devil is not just a concept or a symbol of evil, he isn’t a mythical figure, nor is he a little red imp with horns, a pointy tail, and a pitchfork. He is very real, he is powerful, though not omnipotent, and he wants you dead.

So as we consider the three temptations that the Gospels list for us we can keep those things in mind, Jesus obviously thought that the devil was a real entity, he was tempted but didn’t sin, and also shows us a way out of temptation, a way to fight it.

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.’ ”

So in this first assault, what was it that the devil was tempting Jesus with? Is this really a matter of just getting something to eat? It says that after forty days He was hungry, what’s the harm in turning a stone into bread?

The answer to that question is found in Jesus’ response. (and you’ll notice a pattern in His responses) He quotes from Deuteronomy 8, I’d like to read His response in its full context, verses 1-5.

The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.

What was at stake for Jesus, what was the devil attacking? He was attacking Jesus’ trust in His Father to provide for His needs. 

Just as the Father provided manna in the wilderness for Israel, He could provide for Jesus. As the Son of God He could have turned a stone into bread but that would only be using His power to serve Himself which was contrary to God’s purpose.

What about the second temptation, what was under attack there?

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.’ ”

So what was the devil offering here?

Psalm 2:7-8 says, The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

If the nations were already Jesus’ heritage and the ends of the earth His possession, what was the devil offering? He was offering a way to take possession of the nations and the ends of the earth without the cross, without the agony of the scourge, without the nails, without the tomb. All Jesus had to do was turn from God’s will, turn from God’s plan and bow to Satan.

What was Jesus’ response? Deuteronomy 6 and I’ll add a little context to help us understand.

13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

So the devil now tries a new tactic. He says, “You’ve got Scripture, fine, I’ve got Scripture too!”

 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.

What is the temptation here, what is the devil attacking? The devil twists the Scriptures to tempt Jesus to put God’s power on display in full view in the most public place there was. 

If Jesus was to jump off the top of the Temple everybody would see that the angels wouldn’t let Him fall to His death and everybody would see it, they would all see that He is Messiah and worship Him. 

So what’s the temptation? It’s the same as the other two, turn from the Father’s plan and it will be a lot easier for you, a lot better.

And how did Jesus respond? You guessed it, more Scripture! Deuteronomy 6:16-19,

16 “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. [Exodus 17] 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers 19 by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness is an image of the conflict of the Christian life and what is constantly under attack is our trust in God.

Jesus was tempted over and over to depart from the will of God to stop trusting Him. 

The devil tried to motivate Jesus with a sense of entitlement, of pride, and of ease and celebrity, these are not uncommon to us!

John Calvin wrote, “The Son of God did not choose to undertake any contest of an unusual description, but to sustain assaults in common with us, that we might be furnished with the same armor, and might entertain no doubt as to achieving the victory.”

In every way Jesus was tempted to reject God’s will, to stop trusting Him, and in every case Jesus answered with Scripture. 

In Ephesians 6:10-18 it says,

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

The devil was asking Jesus, “Isn’t enjoyment better than hunger, isn’t honor better than shame, isn’t riches better than poverty, isn’t life better than death?” 

I think, if we’re honest, we would all be tempted to say yes to that question. 

But the truth is that none of those things are better if they are outside of God’s will. 

Jesus proved that hard doesn’t always equal bad, what matters is that we trust in the Lord whether we perceive our circumstances as good or bad, hard or easy. 

The victory is found in trusting the Lord. And He has already paid the penalty for all the times that we would fail.

Jesus trusted the Father even though it meant His death on the cross in our place. We must also trust the Lord no matter the cost for His glory alone.

Amen.