Naas Presbyterian Church

Whereas God’s people in the Old Testament repeatedly gave in to temptation and disobeyed God’s law in the wilderness (Exodus–Deuteronomy), the Lord Jesus repeatedly resisted temptation and remained obedient to God’s law during his time in the wilderness — and throughout his time on earth.

By his perfect obedience to God’s law on our behalf, and by his sacrifice on the cross to pay for all our sins, the Lord Jesus has fully satisfied the justice of God and purchased reconciliation and everlasting life for all his people.

John the Baptizer and every Christian minister after him are only able to administer the outward sign of baptism. All John can do is make people wet with water. Only the Lord Jesus can baptise us, or wash us, with his Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of our sins. By referring to wheat which is gathered into the barn, John means Christians who are gathered into eternal life. By referring to the chaff which is burned with unquenchable fire, John means to warn us of the eternal punishment which awaits all who reject the Lord Jesus and his salvation.

In the account of the Lord’s baptism by John, the three persons of the Trinity are clearly revealed. There is the Son who is baptised. There is the Holy Spirit who descends in the form of a dove. And there is the Father who speaks from heaven. Since we are united to Christ by faith, believers may take comfort from the knowledge that in Christ, and because of his righteousness, we too are well-pleasing to God and may look to him as our loving Heavenly Father.

The Lord Jesus is the Saviour of the world. It is therefore fitting that at the time of his birth representatives from the nations should travel from their homes to greet him.

The Lord Jesus is kept safe from Herod even though the reason he became incarnate was in order that he might die for sinners. However, before he could die to pay for our sins, he first had to live a life of perfect obedience so that we might receive, by faith in him, his righteousness. Until such time his life was kept safe.

The significance of the genealogy is to teach that the Lord Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham, the one through whom God will bless all the nations of the world (Genesis 12:3). Furthermore, God, who cannot lie, commands that the son to be born to Mary should be called ‘Jesus’ (which means ‘The Lord saves’). Sinners are therefore assured that they can find salvation from their sins in him.