Corona Chronicles 2: (Ep.2) The King Gets Ready For Ministry
91 sermons
Welcome back to episode 2 of season 2 of the new Corona Chronicles. We're thinking crowned thorns, the Jesus who came to give his life for us. And today, we're gonna be having a think about more of who Jesus is and this message that he's come to, come to bring. And I'm gonna read from verse 9 here. At that time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galile, was baptized by John in the Jordan.
Just as Jesus was coming out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven. You are my son whom I love. With you, I am well pleased. At once, the spirit sent him out into the wilderness.
And he was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels attended him. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into gambling proclaiming the good news of God, the time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe the good news. So here we are.
Again, you're seeing how amazing Jesus is. There's so much in these few verses. It's difficult. I quite don't know what to go. To go for, but this king has come, and yet he's come into this town called Nazareth in Galile, And then he starts his ministry, his preaching ministry by going to John.
And being baptized to John, which which is always sort of confusing to to people in many ways. So did Jesus need to repent of his sin, of course, the answer is no. But he's identifying right at that moment, isn't he? With those of us that do need to repent of our sin. So you've got this king is coming.
The king has come. He's now following on from John the Baptist who stands for all of the prophets of the old. This is the message. This is the 1 who's hit the world, and it's just great news. And this is all this is all this whole chapter is testifying to who Jesus is.
So we've looked last time and you've been saying it. John the Baptist who stands for the prophets, the Scriptures, the Scriptures, the prophets of old have foretold the coming of Jesus. And then you've got the most incredible witnessing going on here at his baptism. So as Jesus is coming out of the water, the spirit descends upon him. And the father from heaven proclaims that this is my son, whom I love.
And so you've got the trinity all saying, this is the ministry of the Christ. You know, you need to listen to this. And this is 1 of the best passages to go to with perhaps muslim friends or, you know, people who who have big problems or questions about the trinity, and they ask about the trinity. And this this is a great place to go, isn't it? To show these divine this divine god, 1 god, 3 persons.
And it's all about Jesus, equipping Jesus for his ministry, announcing him to be the son of God. And and then we're gonna get into that ministry. Yeah. And the whole thing that God is love. You know, God if God was singular God, you you you if you're gonna love, you have to have someone to love, and you've got the father's son and spirit loving.
So you've got this whole loving thing there. And and and God's witnessing to Jesus and saying, this is this is the real son. And then he goes straight into something that that should remind us of Adam and Eve. Now, of course, Adam was called the son of God. But Adam went into a garden, and he failed.
He sinned. He he he walked out on that relationship with God. And here's Jesus now, you know, taking that place as it were, and he goes into a garden, and 40 days, he's tempted by Satan, And although Mark's gospel doesn't sort of expand that, especially that. Jesus won. He didn't fall for the temptations like Adam did.
And so he really is the 1 that obeys the father. He is. And we've called this season 2 crown thorns. And the fact that 1 of the very first things Jesus starts before he even really begins his public ministry is to go into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan, is to show that this this king is going to be a suffering king. You know, he is he is a man of sorrows.
He is gonna experience that life in a broken world. He is gonna be faced with the temptations and conquer them and therefore, be able to sympathize with us in our in our temptations. So, right at the beginning, this is not this is not what you would expect of the, you know, the try you son of God. He's gonna go straight king. Yeah.
The king. He's gonna go straight into the the place of victory. Because you wouldn't expect So John started as we saw yesterday. The the beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, which means king really. And then the preparation for the king coming.
The king is gonna come. He's gonna demand his his money from the town he's gonna be set up on the throne, and that's it. But we've got this king coming. People testify to who he is, God says he's my son. And He identifies with sinners in in in the baptism, and he's now battling away in the wilderness against Satan.
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. You're right. Yeah.
And it's just a little It's a little indication of what life is going to be like for the followers of Jesus as well, isn't it? You know, that we too you know, are going to on our road to glory are gonna go through difficult tempting times. And then, John's been in prison, and Jesus comes back into the gallery and he's gonna forclaim the good news. And this is just 1 of the most simple, lovely verses, isn't it, verse 15? It just summarises what what the message is all about.
You know, that a kingdom of God has come here. God's God's eternal rule has come to earth, and it's time to turn from your sins and believe in him. And to follow him and to come into his kingdom. And that is good news. That is good news.