Introduce kids to the Savior of sinners. This is a series of audio podcasts for kids who want to meet with Jesus by using Meeting with Jesus: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids (RHB). Listen to previous episodes here.

Do you ever hear a little voice telling you to do something really bad? Sometimes that little voice becomes a big voice. Sometimes it goes on and on. Sometimes it sounds really evil. Sometimes it’s really hard to fight it. Temptation is a horrible experience isn’t it?

Jesus had that experience too. In Luke 4, he heard the devil’s voice telling him to do bad things. But he never gave in to these temptations.

Temptation comes to the most holy (1-2)

We sometimes think, “If I was a Christian, I wouldn’t be tempted like this. If I was a child of God, I wouldn’t be attacked like this.”

Well, remember, Jesus was the perfectly holy Son of God and yet he was tempted by the devil. The devil assaulted him with multiple temptations.

 Temptation is a test of faith (3, 5-7)

The devil tempted Jesus to doubt God’s provision for him (3) and to doubt God’s plan for him (5-7). The devil was basically saying, “Do you really believe in God’s provision? Do you really believe in God’s plan?” It was a test of faith.

All temptation is a test of faith. Will we believe and trust God or the devil? Will we believe and follow God’s Word or the Devil’s Words. Temptation reveals who we really believe.

Temptation is beaten by truth (4, 8)

How did Jesus beat the devil’s temptations? He quoted the Bible. He used God’s Word to silence the devil’s words.

That’s a perfect model for us too. Use God’s Word to silence the devil. When that little voice starts, talk back to it with a verse from the Bible. Truth tapes the devil’s mouth shut.

 Use the temptations of Jesus to understand and beat your temptations.

Listen to this episode on Living the Bible podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Spotify.

Introduce kids to the Savior of sinners. This is a series of audio podcasts for kids who want to meet with Jesus by using Meeting with Jesus: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids (RHB). Listen to previous episodes here.

How can I escape the penalty of sin? How can I overcome the power of sin? Two questions that often trouble us, don’t they? We not only want to be freed from the punishment of sin but from the power of sin in our lives.

John 1:29-34 points to Jesus as the answer to both of these problems.

JESUS FREES FROM THE PENALTY OF SIN (29)

•  Jesus came to this sinful world
• Jesus took away the sin of the world

Jesus frees from sin’s penalty by becoming the sacrifice for sin and taking the penalty of sin upon himself.

But we want and need more, don’t we? We not only want free from sin’s penalty, but from sin’s power. Can Jesus do that?

JESUS FREES FROM THE POWER OF SIN (30-33)

• Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit (32)
• Jesus fills us with the Holy Spirit (33)

Jesus frees from sin’s power by filling his people with his powerful Spirit, his HOLY spirit.

Follow John’s finger and John’s words and behold Jesus, look to Jesus to free you from the penalty of sin and the power of sin.

Listen to this episode on Living the Bible podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Spotify.

Introduce kids to the Savior of sinners. This is a series of audio podcasts for kids who want to meet with Jesus by using Meeting with Jesus: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids (RHB). Listen to previous episodes here.

Some people put preachers in place of Jesus. They end up admiring and following the preacher rather than Jesus. That’s not good for them, the preacher, or Jesus.

People admired and followed John the Baptist. John was preaching so powerfully that people started thinking he might be the promised Savior (15). As soon as John heard this rumor, he stopped it. He stopped it by explaining how the Savior would be far better than he was.

Jesus has greater power: “He who is mightier than I is coming” (16).

John says, “Compared to the Savior, I am weak.”

Jesus has greater position: “The strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie” (16).

John teaches, “Compared with the Savior, I am lower than the lowest servant.”

Jesus has greater cleansing: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (16).

John explains, “I can only put water on the body, but the Savior will wash your heart.”

Jesus has greater judgment: “He will baptize you with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (16-17).

John warns, “I can only announce judgment, but the Savior will actually judge.”

Jesus has greater salvation: “To gather the wheat into his barn.”

John preaches, “I can only point you to salvation, the Savior will actually save.”

Faithful preachers point away from themselves to the Savior. Follow the finger of the faithful rather than the fame of a few. John had a faithful finger that never pointed to himself and never let anyone point to himself. Instead, he pointed faithfully to Jesus.

Listen to this episode on Living the Bible podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Spotify.

Introduce kids to the Savior of sinners. This is a series of audio podcasts for kids who want to meet with Jesus by using Meeting with Jesus: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids (RHB). Listen to previous episodes here.

How many times have you said sorry for doing something bad, but you haven’t actually changed? We say sorry but we just keep doing. We say sorry but we don’t change our behavior.

We’re like the Pharisees in Luke 3:7 who wanted to get away from the consequences of their sin but not get away from their sin.

That’s why Jesus said in verse 8, “Produce fruits that prove repentance.” If we don’t, we will be cut down and thrown in the fire (9).

Let’s have a look at the tree of repentance and see what repentance fruit looks like.

Repentance fruit involves doing (10, 12, 13)

Three different groups came to Jesus, but all asked the same question. “What shall we do?” They realized Jesus demanded doing right, not just feeling sorry or saying sorry about doing wrong.

We need God’s help to get from feeling and saying to doing.

Repentance fruit involves money (11, 13, 14)

Repentance fruit varies. Jesus told some to share clothes and food, others to stop over-taxing, and others to stop stealing and be content with their wages.

Do you notice what they all have in common? Money. How they got and used money. Why? Because Jesus knows that’s the hardest area for us to change and therefore this is the greatest evidence of change. It’s the rarest fruit but also the most beautiful and delicious to God.

Let’s not just be sorry or say sorry. Let’s do sorry by producing the rare and delicious fruit of money repentance.

Listen to this episode on Living the Bible podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Spotify.

Introduce kids to the Savior of sinners. This is a series of audio podcasts for kids who want to meet with Jesus by using Meeting with Jesus: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids (RHB). Listen to previous episodes here.

A few years ago there was a bad earthquake in a remote part of Guatemala. The Government and relief agencies had lots of supplies for affected areas in the mountains but they couldn’t get there because the roads were blocked with trees and rocks, some roads had fallen into the valleys, and others had huge cracks in them. There was a lot of need in the villages and there were lots of supplies in nearby towns but the roads were such a mess that nothing could get through until they brought in cranes, trucks, tractors, etc., to clear and repair the roads.

This is a picture of our hearts. Sin has caused an earthquake in our hearts. Our hearts are broken and falling apart. There are big holes, huge cracks, and massive boulders barring the way. Jesus is available with Gospel supplies but can’t get through. He therefore sends repentance ahead of him to clear the rocks, repair the cracks, fill in the holes, and smooth out the rough places.

That’s why John the Baptist’s ministry was so important. In Luke 3:1-6, we learn that John was sent ahead of Jesus to prepare the way for Jesus by preaching a baptism of repentance with a view to the forgiveness of sins (3)

Repentance prepares the way for Jesus (4-5)

• Valleys filled
• Mountains lowered
• Crooked roads straightened
• Rough roads smoothed

Repentance prepares the way for salvation (6)

• Clear roads for Jesus
• Clear sight of Jesus

Prepare the way for Jesus coming into your heart by asking God to give you repentance, sorrow for your sin, and a desire to turn from it.

Listen to this episode on Living the Bible podcast. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Spotify.

Joe was brought up in a Christian home and went to a good church. When he was 11-years-old, a friend told him about the pornography he was viewing on his smart-phone. Joe was shocked and angry with his friend and said he should stop this right away. However, it made him curious. He had a smartphone too and started thinking about visiting the websites his friend had mentioned. The more his friend talked about it, the more Joe thought about it.

Although he resisted for several weeks, eventually Joe gave in. He decided to have a quick look, just once, then stop. Within weeks he was addicted. He wanted to stop and didn’t want to stop. He felt sick about it and yet he also enjoyed it.

His parents eventually discovered his habit and they had a long talk about it. Joe felt ashamed but also resentful. Although his parents put certain safeguards on his phone, he soon found a way around them. Then his parents found out again. And so it became a cat-and-mouse game between Joe and his parents over many years.

His parents were in despair. They had done everything to raise Joe for the Lord and had great hopes that he would be a strong Christian when he was older. Now they were so depressed, not just about Joe but their other kids too. “What did we do wrong? How can we help Joe escape this impurity? How can we prevent our other kids going down the same track? How can anyone stay pure in such an impure world?”

But Joe was also in despair. He felt terrible guilt. God was far away. He knew things were going from bad to worse. In his better times he would ask himself, “How can I escape? How can I ever get back to purity and back to God?”

I’m sure many of us can identify with Joe or his parents. We have asked these questions and are still asking them. Why are such stories so common today? And what hope can we offer Joe and his parents?

For more see my sermon notes here.