2Timothy 2:15

Monday, May 4, 2026

“The Start of Jesus’ Ministry” (Luke 3:23a)

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/4/2026 8:45 PM

My Worship Time Focus: “The Start of Jesus’ Ministry”

Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: “Luke 3:23a”

Message of the verses: “23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age,

I have to say that this will be one of the shortest SD’s I have ever done, but I am trying to keep with the outline from John MacArthur’s commentary. We see that Luke did not give a specific age for the Lord Jesus Christ when He began His ministry but wrote “Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age.”

Now except for the incident at the temple when Jesus was twelve years old (2:41-51), Jesus had spent His life up to this point in obscurity. We will look at these verses in order to review them.

(2:41-51)

“41 ¶ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”

MacArthur writes “He grew up in the small village of Nazareth, living in subjection to His parents and working with His father (cf. Matt. 13:55 with Mark 6:3).

(cf. Matt. 13:55 with Mark 6:3)

“55 Is this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?”

“3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.”

“Jesus began His public ministry at His baptism (cf. Acts 1:21-22; 10:37-38), at which point He was about thirty years of age.”

(cf. Acts 1:21-22; 10:37-38)

“21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.’”

“37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

“That was a customary age for men of God to begin their ministries. Ezekiel began his prophetic ministry at age thirty (Ezekiel 1:1). Joseph was also thirty years old when he became the prime minister of Egypt (Gen. 41:46), and David was thirty when he ascended to Israel’s throne (2 Sam. 5:4). Thirty was also the age at which the priests began to serve (Num. 4:3, 35, 39, 43, 47; 1 Chron. 23:3). Jesus thus began His public ministry at an age that people would consider appropriate.”

5/4/2026 9:03 PM

PT-3 Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage” (Luke 3:23-38)

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/4/2026 9:18 AM

My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage”

Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: “Luke 3:23-38”

Message of the verses: “23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was commonly held, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

I pick up writing about differences from John MacArthur’s commentary in this morning's SD.

“Other differences are more significant. Luke identifies Jesus’ grandfather as Eli, while Matthew calls him Jacob. Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry through David’s son Nathan, while Matthew traces it through his son Solomon. Finally, while the names from Abraham to David are identical in both genealogies (except that Matthew skips Admin), all but two of the names from David to Joseph are different. Two possible explanations for those differences have been proposed.

“Some hold that both genealogies are Joseph’s noting that Mary’s name does not appear in Luke’s genealogy and that the Jews traced ancestry through the father’s genealogy, not the mother’s (but as Leon Morris points out, ‘We have no information as to how a genealogy would be reckoned when there was no human father. The case is unique’ [The Gospel According to ST. Luke, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975), 100]). They explain Jesus’ different grandfathers (Eli in Luke and Jacob in Matthew), as well as the different names from David to Joseph, by invoking the principle of levirate marriage (Gen. 38:8; Deut. 25:5-7; Ruth 4:10). According to this view Eli and Jacob were half brothers, having the same mother, but different fathers. One of the two died childless, and the surviving brother married his widow. That would make Joseph the biological son of the surviving brother, and the legal son of the deceased.

“Though plausible, that view is based largely on utterly unprovable conjecture (that Eli and Jacob were half-brothers, and that a levirate marriage took place). A far better explanation is that Mathew records Joseph’s genealogy and Luke Mary’s (Luke omitted her name in deference to Jewish custom). The two different names given for Jesus’ grandfather actually refer to two different men, Joseph’s father, and Mary’s father. The difference in the names from David to Joseph are also to be expected, since the genealogies are those of two different people. Mary traced her ancestry through Nathan, while Joseph traced his through Solomon. This view is also consistent with the purposes of the two writers, as noted above. Matthew’s desire to prove Jesus’ legal claim to the throne of David led him to include Joseph’s genealogy. Luke addressed a broader, largely Gentile audience and thus gave Jesus’ actual, physical descent through Mary. Finally, this view explains how Jesus could legitimately be Israel’s king despite being a descendant of Jeconiah through Joseph. That avoided the curse that the Lord pronounced on Jeconiah, that none of his descendants would ever be king (Jer. 22:24-30). (For further evidence that Luke presents Mary’s genealogy, see Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry, A Harmony of the Gospels [Chicago: Moody, 1978], appendix 9.)”

Now I want to go back and look at Jeremiah 22:23-30 as this section speaks about the Lord’s pronouncement on Jeconiah, that none of his descendants would ever be king.

Jeremiah 22:23-30

“23 O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in labor!" 24 "As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off 25 and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. 27 But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return." 28 Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot, a vessel no one cares for? Why are he and his children hurled and cast into a land that they do not know? 29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD! 30 Thus says the LORD: "Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.’”

MacArthur goes on to write “The genealogies in Matthew and Luke established beyond doubt that Jesus was a descendant of David. Not even His bitter enemies among the Jewish leaders denied that. They surely would have rejected His messianic claims out of hand had He not been, and silenced the crowds who enthusiastically cried out at the triumphal entry, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’ (Matt. 21:9). But the genealogical records, which they undoubtedly carefully checked, provided irrefutable proof of Jesus’ Davidic descent.

“The remainder of this chapter will focus on four highlights from this passage: the start of Jesus’ ministry, the supposition of His ancestry, the similarity of two of His ancestors, and the significance of four names from His genealogy.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today: Now ever since I became a believer in Jesus Christ, being saved from my sins on Jan. 26, 1974, and as I began to grow in the Lord I have never doubted the accuracy of the Word of God, and blessed to be able to study it each and every day.

My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to work out which treatment that my wife should go on next in order to fight the cancer that is in her body. May her life bring glory to the Lord. 5/4/2026 9:51 AM

Sunday, May 3, 2026

PT-2 Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage” (Luke 3:23-38)

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/3/2026 11:17 PM

My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage”

Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: “Luke 3:23-38”

I will continue from where I left off this morning as I continue to copy the introduction to these verses from the pen of John MacArthur.

“Because of the significance of genealogies in the ancient world, Luke’s readers would have understood why he included the genealogy of Jesus Christ. It was an essential credential for one claiming to be the Messiah to be a descendant of David. Luke has already given several credentials that establish irrefutably that Jesus is the Messiah. The account of John the Baptist’s miraculous birth to an elderly, barren couple introduced His prophesied forerunner (Luke 1:17; cf. Isaiah 40:3-4; Mal. 3:1). Then the angel Gabriel announced to a young virgin named Mary that she was to be the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:31-33). When Mary visited her older relative Elisabeth, John the Baptist’s mother, ‘Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?’’’(vv. 41-43). Her husband, Zacharias, also filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 67), prophesied that John the Baptist would be Jesus’ forerunner. The angels who announced His birth to the shepherds (2:8-11) testified that Jesus was Savior, Messiah, and the Lord (v. 11). Two righteous and godly individuals, Simeon and Anna, also added their testimony that Jesus (see especially vv. 15-17). Then at His baptism, the Holy Spirit and God the Father gave the ultimate affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God, and thus the Messiah and the Savior of the world.

“The genealogies of Jesus recorded by Matthew and Luke prove that He was not a self-appointed Messiah; a misguided reformer caught up in popular acclaim who began to have delusions of grandeur. Nor was He merely a good teacher of morality and ethics, or a revolutionary out to overthrow Rome’s rule. His genealogies, tracing His ancestry back through David and Abraham to Adam and ultimately to God Himself, show that Jesus was Israel’s rightful king.

“A comparison of the genealogies in Matthew and Luke reveals marked differences. Some reflect the writers’ different purposes. Matthew placed his genealogy at the beginning of his gospel where it fits chronologically into the life of Christ. Luke, however, inserted Christ’s genealogy later in the context of His messianic credentials (see discussion above). There are no women in Luke’s genealogy goes from the present to the past; Matthew’s from the past to the present. Thus Matthew’s genealogy begins with Abraham and moves forward in time, while Luke’s begins with Jesus and moves backward in time to Adam. Matthew’s genealogy begins with Abraham, while the first name (chronologically) in Lukes is Adam. The different starting points in their genealogies reflect the different purposes of the two Gospel writers. Matthew wrote primarily to the Jewish people, so it was natural for him to begin with Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel. Luke’s approach was more universal. He was concerned to present Jesus as the Son of Man, and demonstrates His solidarity with the entire human race. Therefore, he took Christ’s genealogy all the way back to Adam. Matthew’s emphasis on Joseph (Matt. 1:16, 18, 19, 20, 24; 2:13, 14, 19-21) and Luke’s on Mary (Luke 1:27, 30-56; 2:5, 16, 19, 34) in the early chapters of their gospels also reflects their complementary strategies.

“Luke’s genealogy, therefore, was longer than Matthew’s, containing seventy-seven names as opposed to forty-two names in Matthew’s genealogy. Neither genealogy was intended to be exhaustive, but rather both were compressed or abridged. Matthew’s genealogy contains three groups of fourteen names, which was evidently done to make it easier to memorize. (It should be noted that the term ‘father’ in Matthew’s genealogy does not necessarily denote a father-son relationship; it can be used in the more general sense of ‘ancestor.’ See for example Matthew 1:5; several generations must have elapsed between Salmon, the husband of Rahab, who lived during the Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua, and Boaz, who lived much later during the period of the judges. Note also verse 1 where Jesus is referred to as the son [i.e., descendant] of David and Abraham.) Luke’s genealogy also skips generations. The repeated term son does not appear in the Greek text; in each pair of names the first named individual is merely said to be a descendant in some sense of the second one (cf. also v. 38; Adam obviously was not the Son of God in a physical sense).

“Other differences are more significant. Luke identifies Jesus’ grandfather as Eli, while Matthew calls him Jacob. Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry through David’s son Nathan, while Matthew traces it through his son Solomon. Finally, while the names from Abraham to David are identical in both genealogies (except that Matthew skips Admin), all but two of the names from David to Joseph are different. Two possible explanations for those differences have been proposed.” I will plan on getting to those proposals in tomorrow morning’s SD.

5/3/2026 11:51 PM

Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage” PT-1 (Luke 3:23-38)

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/3/2026 7:51 AM

My Worship Time Focus: Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage”

Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: “Luke 3:23-38”

I will now begin to quote the introduction to these verses from John MacArthur’s commentary.

“There is a rising interest today in genealogy, as people attempt to trace their ancestry and uncover the famous and infamous in their family tree. For most it is purely recreation, a hobby motivated by simple curiosity. Some, however, do it out of a desire to bring meaning to their disconnected lives and build their sense of self-esteem. It makes them feel better about themselves to know that even if they are not significant, they are connected to someone who was.

“In pursuit of their ancestors, people pore over census, data, obituaries, and other historical records. Some even travel to the hometowns or countries of their forefathers to do research, making the hometown or expensive hobby for them. Others, such as Mormons, have a religious motive for tracking their genealogies, spending vast sums of money and time researching their ancestors so they can be baptized by proxy for them. Tat is a prerequisite for the spirits of the dead to enter the celestial kingdom, the highest level of heaven in their cultic pseudo-theology.

“Genealogies were legitimately critical to the people of Israel. First, ancestry determined the original division of the land of Cannan among the twelve tribes (cf. Num. 26:53-55). Second, ancestry also established the right of inheritance to property formed the basis of the principle of kinsman redemption. If a poor man was forced to sell his property, one of his near relatives were to purchase it *Lev. 25:25; cf. Ruth 4:1-6). Fourth, ancestry played a role in taxation. Thus Joseph and Mary had to return to Joseph’s ancestral city of Bethlehem to register for the census…Fifth, ancestry determined one’s eligibility to serve as a priest (cf. Ezra 2:61-62). Last, and most important, any claim to be king or Messiah would have to be backed up by the genealogical records.

“Genealogies play a significant role in Scripture by rooting the biblical account in history. Because of their importance, the Jews kept very careful genealogical records, which survived until the Romans sacked Jerusalem and burned the temple in A.D. 70. In fact, the genealogical are cords, which were still in existence when they wrote. In addition to the official public records, many families undoubtedly kept private genealogical records. The Old Testament contains numerous genealogies (e.g., Gen. 4:5; 10; 11; 1 Chron 1-9). The New Testament also alludes to the availability of genealogical records. For example, Anna is identified as a member of the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36), Barabas as a member of the tribe of Levi (Acts 4:36 [cf. Luke 10:21]), and Paul as a member of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5). Also as noted above, Joseph knew that he had to go to Betelhem for the census ‘because he was of the house and family of David’ (Luke 2:4).

Spiritual Meaning for my life today: I really don’t know much about my genealogy on either my mom or dad’s side, but I do know that I am a part of the family of God because of being born-again on the 26^th of January, 1974.

My Steps of faith for Today: Continue to trust the Lord on what He wants my wife to do regarding her treatment for her cancer.

5/3/2026 8:27 AM

Saturday, May 2, 2026

“The Father’s Testimony” (Luke 3:22b)

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/2/2026 8:04 PM

My Worship Time Focus: “The Father’s Testimony”

Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Luke 3:22b

Message of the verse: “and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

I have to say that this is going to be a very short SD, but hopefully very meaningful.

Perhaps the best way for all to understand the things in this SD is for me to again quote from John MacArthur’s commentary.

“Grammatically, this is the main clause of the passage, and the ones that have preceded it are subordinate to it. The Father’s testimony to the Son is the primary point of the passage. The Father’s audible voice from heaven expressed His approval of His beloved Son, in whom He is continually well-pleased. The Father’s expression of approval protects Jesus from any misunderstanding as to why He was baptized (see the discussion earlier in this chapter).” You can look at previous SD’s in order to accomplish this. “If Jesus were not sinless, He would not have had God’s approval, since His ‘eyes are too pure to approve evil and [He] can not look on wickedness with favor’ (Hab. 1:13).

“As He did here, the Father would once again audibly state His approval of the holy perfection of Jesus at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-5).”

(Matt. 17:1-5)

“ 1 ¶ And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’”

“His reference to Jesus as His Son affirms that Jesus is of the same essence as Himself, and thus fully God…It is also the fulfillment of Psalm 2:7, where God says to the Messiah, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’

“To have the Spirit descend on Him and the Father express love and approval for Him was the most auspicious way for Jesus to launch His public ministry. Their public confirmation should have been more than enough to compel belief in Jesus as the Messiah. Sadly however, such was not to be the case. In spite of such manifest testimony and all the mighty words and works that followed, most of those there that day, along with the majority of the Jewish people, would ultimately reject Jesus and demand that He be crucified. But His sinless life and sacrificial death brings salvation to ‘as many as received Him, to [whom] He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name’ (John 1:12).”

Now it has taken me a while to understand the love that God has for His Son, and I suppose that one of the reasons is the relationship that I had with my father, especially when I was growing up, as there were things that were tried to be done to me that were not good at all, but very bad. My father had a very difficult childhood and was actually on his own when he was very young, and even in children’s home where a couple came in to adopt him, but would not because he wore classes, as my father had very bad eyesight. With that said it was still difficult for me to look back on some of the things that were done to me. With all this said that has made it difficult to understand the perfect relationship between Jesus and His Father as His Father, while Jesus was on earth stood by Him as He was doing His ministry.

5/2/2026 8:28 PM

PT-2 “The Spirit’s Anointing” (Luke 3:22a)

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/2/2026 10:30 AM

My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “The Spirit’s Anointing”

Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Luke 3:22a

Message of the verse: “and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove,”

I want to continue writing from where I left of in yesterday’s SD, and so if you have not read my SD from yesterday then you probably will want to do that.

Now the Old Testament also taught that God would give the Spirit to the Messiah. Isaiah 11:1-2 predicted that “the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him.” In Isaiah 42:1, God said of the Messiah, “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him,” while in Isaiah 61:1-2 the Messiah says,

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.”

MacArthur writes “Throughout Christ’s entire life, including His development (Luke 2:52), sinless obedience, triumph over temptation, preaching, healing, casting out demons, death (cf. Heb. 9:14), and resurrection (cf. Rom. 1:4), His deity was mediated to His humanity by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s power was essential—in His humanity Christ would not have done the miraculous deeds He did, or say the divine words He spoke. The reason for that is found in Philippians 2::6-7, which says that ‘although [Christ] existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.’ Jesus voluntarily surrendered the independent use of His divine power, and submitted Himself completely to the will of the Father. And though His human nature was sinlessly perfect, it nevertheless did not have supernatural power. Thus much so that to attribute His works to Satan is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32).”

(Matthew 12:31-32)

31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Now let me try to explain a little more about these verses in the context of which they are in. The 12^th chapter of Matthew is a turning point in the book of Matthew. In this chapter the Pharisees stated that Jesus was doing His miracles in the power of Satan, “(24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.’” As mentioned when they said this, Jesus then began to teach in parables so that no one would be able to understand His teaching, but He explained the parables to His disciples.

“It must be stressed that in no way limits Christ’s full deity and equality with the Father (cf. Col. 2:9).”

(cf. Col. 2:9)

“9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”

“But in the wonder and mystery of the incarnation, He set aside the independent use of His divine attributes.

“That the Spirit descended upon Jesus in bodily form like a dove does not, as is commonly assumed, mean that the Spirit appeared in the physical form of a dove. The phrase does not describe a birdlike visible manifestation of the Spirit’s presence, but rather that visible manifestation’s manner of movement as it descended upon Jesus. ‘What was visible was not a dove, but rather what was seen in compared to a dove,…The manner of the Spirit’s descent was like the way a dove floats gracefully through the air’ (Carrel L. Bock, Luke 1:1-9:50, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids, 1994] , 338). The visible reality of the Spirit’s presence indicates His approval of and involvement in the Son’s ministry.”

It was truly a shame that the Pharisees and the other “religious” groups did not understand who they were dealing with when the Messiah, the Lord Jesus came to earth, and because of that in the year 70 A.D the Romans would come into Jerusalem and tear down the beautiful temple that Jesus ministered in from time to time while on earth, and that began the dispersion of the Jewish people which is still going on today. However they do have a choice now as the Jews are free to move into the state of Israel, which began again, this time on May 14^th, 1948. God is still watching over Israel and is prospering them, but there will come a time in the “Tribulation Period” that Israel will fall into the hands of the Antichrist as he will make a deal with them for seven years, but will then turn against them half-way through that time period and again the Jews will be persecuted until they all turn to the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Spiritual meaning for my life today: After the Lord Jesus went back into heaven as seen in Acts chapter one He said that the Holy Spirit would come upon those 125 believers that were gathered. This happened on the Day of Pentecost and that is when Peter preached that first great sermon of the church age and many came to know Christ as Savior, and Lord. The Holy Spirit comes on all who accept the forgiveness that Christ offers and that is an amazing power we as believers all possess. Because we are still sinful people the Spirit cannot do the things He did in the life of Christ, but He can do wonderful things in believer’s lives to cause them to do the things that God has called each believer to do.

My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to have His Spirit work in my life so that I can do the things that He has called me to do for the cause and glory of Christ.

5/2/2026 11:07 AM

Friday, May 1, 2026

PT-1 “The Spirit’s Anointing” (Luke 3:22a)

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/1/2026 10:31 PM

My Worship Time Focus: PT-1 “The Spirit’s Anointing”

Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Luke 3:22a

Message of the verse: “and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove,”

Now as I look through some of the things that John MacArthur writes in his commentary on this verse I see that he has included many Bible References and so I think that it will be important for me to include many of these in this evening’s SD.

“That the Holy Spirit descended and remained (John 1:32-33) upon Jesus does not imply that up to this point He did not have the Holy Spirit.”

(John 1:32-33)

“32 And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’”

Let me just say that there is no doubt that Jesus had the Holy Spirit in him when John saw Him and baptized Him, but once Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit came on Him with power in order to be able to work through Christ in order to do His ministry. MacArthur goes on “The members of the Trinity have been eternally in communion with each other with no breach in their essential unity. Jesus and the Holy Spirit have always been in perfect communion, so much so that Romans 8:9 calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ (cf. Acts 16:7; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1:19; 1 Peter 1:11).”

(cf. Acts 16:7; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 1:19; 1 Peter 1:11)

“7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”

“6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!’”

“19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,”

“11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.”

“The Spirit’s descent here was merely a symbolic act, indicating publicly His empowerment for Jesus’ life and ministry.

“A way to understand this empowerment is to consider that the Son ‘emptied Himself’ (Phil. 2:7) of the personal prerogative in the use of His divine attributes and allowed Himself to submit to the will of the Father and the power of the Spirit. In effect, the Spirit mediated between our Lord’s divine and human natures.”

(Phil. 2:7)

“7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

“Beginning with His miraculous conception (Luke 1:35; cf. Matt. 1:18-20), the Spirit was involved in every aspect of Christ’s life (cf. 4:1, 14; 10:21; Matt. 4:1; 12:28; Acts 10:38; Heb. 9:14).”

(Luke 1:35; cf. Matt. 1:18-20)

“35 And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

“18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

(cf. 4:1, 14; 10:21; Matt. 4:1; 12:28; Acts 10:38; Heb. 9:14)

“1 ¶ And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness”

“14 ¶ And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.”

“21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”

“1 ¶ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

“28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

“38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

“14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

“The Old Testament records many instances of the Spirit coming upon individuals to anoint them for special service, including Moses (Num. 11:25), Joshua (Num. 27:18), the seventy elders of Israel (Num. 11:17), Saul (1 Samuel 10:1, 6), David (1 Samuel 16:13), Elijah (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16), Azariah (2 Chronicles 15:1), Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:20), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:1-2), and Micah (Micah 3:8). All those men, however, were limited in their ability to be empowered by the Spirit by their sinful, fallen human natures. But since Jesus was God in human flesh, God gave Him the Spirit without measure (John 3:34).” Here is how I will look at these verses from above, as I want to quote the name and the verse.

Moses (Num. 11:17)

“17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.”

Joshua (Num. 27:18)

“18 So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.”

the seventy elders of Israel (Num. 11:17)

Saul (1 Samuel 10:1, 6)

“1 ¶ Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.”

“6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.”

David (1 Samuel 16:13)

“13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”

Elijah (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16)

“12 And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the LORD will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth.”

“16 And they said to him, "Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the LORD has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send.’”

Azariah (2 Chronicles 15:1)

“1 ¶ The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded,”

Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:20)

“20 Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.’”

Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:1-2)

“1 ¶ And he said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.”

Micah (Micah 3:8)

“8 ¶ But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.”

Now we will look at John 3:34, and that will be the last verse to look up this evening.

(John 3:34)

“34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.”

5/1/2026 11:22 PM