Baptism

Can you believe it is only one month (31 days) before Easter?  Time goes by so quickly.  Between now and Easter Sunday, I'd like to look at the book of Matthew.  Specifically, I want to look at the ministry of Jesus leading up to his persecution, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.  We're going to start with the baptism of Jesus by John at the river Jordan.


John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness in Judea telling his followers that they needed to “repent”.  He wasn’t talking to merely feel sorry for their sins, but to change directions, to turn away from them.  He was also preaching a message that the “Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  The main message being that the Messiah is coming.  Charles Spurgeon said “Men’s hearts were like a wilderness, wherein there is no way; but as loyal subjects throw up roads for the approach of beloved princes, so were men to welcome the Lord, with their hearts made right and ready to receive him.”  We, too, need to prepare our hearts, to make our paths straight for the coming of the Messiah. 

Many were being baptized by John.  John would completely immerse those he baptized.  As John was baptizing those in Judea, Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized. 

Matthew 3:13-17 says,

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  14 John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?"  15 Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed him.  16 After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him.  17 And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

We often ask ourselves, why would Jesus need to be baptized.  Isn't He the Messiah?  If He never sinned, why would he need to be baptized?  John was even hesitant to baptize Jesus.  John recognized that Jesus was without sin and had no reason to repent.  But, Jesus wanted to be baptized to "fulfill righteousness".  He knew that this was part of the fulfillment of God's plan. 

There were three things that happened at the moment that Jesus came up out of the water:  the heavens opened up, the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, and the Father's voice was heard from heaven.  Jesus' baptism became the anointing of Jesus as the Messiah.  

As believers, we too, must submit ourselves to baptism.  For a long time, I struggled with baptism.  I am of a firm belief that baptism is not what brings about your relationship with Christ, nor does it guarantee our entrance into heaven.  Our salvation does not rest on baptism, it our hearts and attitudes of submission, as well as repentance that brings about salvation.  Baptism is an outward symbol to others that you've submitted your life to Christ.  It's obedience to the will of the Father.

If you, like I did myself, are struggling with baptism, go ahead and do it.  You will not regret it.   

Failure

Do you ever feel like a failure?  Especially when it comes to God?  I can tell you, a lot of the time, I feel like I have failed God.  Take Lent, for example.  I go into Lent every year with good intentions.  I want to pray, fast, immerse myself in scripture, spend time with God.  But, for some reason, I am a complete failure at it.  Maybe that is the point. 

I’m sure you’re thinking, “What in the world is she talking about?”, but I assure you, I have a point to this.  I recognize my shortcomings.  Do you?  If you are anything like me, then you do recognize your failures and shortcomings.  I’m saddened by the fact that I have no willpower, that I allow other things to influence what I spend my time doing, that I don’t spend the time that I should with my Savior. 

But read this:

Hebrews 2:14 – 18: “14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest pin 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.”

See that?  Jesus had to come to this earth to defeat my “slavery”.  My slavery to material things, my slavery to self, my slavery to others.  He did the same thing for you.  Jesus came to “make propitiation” for my sins, for your sins.  What does propitiation mean? Propitiation means “the turning away of wrath by an offering.”  That is what God sent Jesus to do for us.  He sent Jesus as an offering to cover our many sins. 

So, yes, I feel guilty for not being about to fully surrender myself during the Lenten season, for being a failure.  Yes, I feel guilty for not spending time with God in prayer, scripture study and supplication.  Yes, I feel guilty when I break every law He has told me not to break.  But, Jesus is there for me.  He is there to be my intercessor, to be my Savior, to be my defender.  And, he can be the same for you. 

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, like Lent, is not mentioned in the Bible.  However, Ash Wednesday is set aside as the beginning of the Lenten season.  Lent is a time of reflection and repentance, a time of turning our hearts back to God, and a time of preparation for the resurrection of the King. 

Joel 2:12-13 says this, “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God.”

Ashes were of significant importance in the Old Testament.  Ashes are a symbol of sacrifice and of mourning.  Esther 4:3 tells us of a time when the Jews were to be killed, and says, “And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.”  The mourner puts ashes on his or her head.  In the case of Esther, the Jewish race was about to be destroyed.  Her nation showed intense grief and distress.

When God appointed Jonah to tell the people of Nineveh that God was going to destroy them for their wickedness, Jonah 3:5-7 tells us of how they responded:  “And the people of Nineveh believed God.  They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.  The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.  And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles:  Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything.  Let them not feed or drink water.”

When you think of these two instances, how do you feel?  I feel ashamed.  I feel ashamed because when I face trouble or I face my sins, I’m not mournful.  I’m not mournful for the sins of the world around me.  I’m not mournful when disasters happen.  I’m not mournful when terrible things happen.  Are you?  Be honest with yourself. 

True mournfulness is when we express true grief, woe.  That is what Ash Wednesday and Lent are all about.  It is about a time of realization that we are not mournful of the things going on around us, nor for the sin in our own lives and for the lack of recognition of sin in our lives.  It’s a time to ask God for forgiveness and to turn from those sinful attitudes.  When we do this, God will bless us for it.  Turn back to him.  Create in me a clean heart, O Lord!

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a right spirit within me.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from They presence;

Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;

And renew a right spirit within me.”

Lent

To my readers, I apologize for the absence.  Life just seems to get in the way.  Pray for me and my family that we can dedicate more time to the important things in life, and developing a life pleasing to Christ.  On to my next subject…

 

Lent is the forty days before Easter, excluding Sundays.  It begins with Ash Wednesday., which this year is February 18th, 2015. the seventh Wednesday before Easter.  Next week, we’ll talk about that.  But, Lent is a season in which Christians are to focus on simple living, prayer, and fasting in order to grow closer to God.  Daily life, culture, society, school, work, too many outside activities often take us away from living a life with Christ.  So, Lent is a time when we focus on Jesus and get our lives more in line with His.  It’s a time of soul-searching and repentance, reflection, rededication and self-denial.

 

The word “LENT” is not in the Bible.  The word “lent” actually means “spring”, the season between winter and summer.  Lent, however, is set aside as a time of prayer and preparation to celebrate Easter.  Some churches chose to use the color purple in their sanctuary.  Purple is the color of royalty and also an anticipation of the suffering and death of Christ and the hope of newness that the coming resurrection represents.  Jesus can give you the hope of a new life.

 

After Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit sent Him into the wilderness where Jesus spent 40 days fasting and praying.  While He was in the wilderness he was tempted by Satan and resisted.  After His time in the wilderness, Jesus began his ministry.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”  But he answered, “It is written,

 

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

 

 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple  and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

 

and

 

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,

    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

 

 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”  Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God

    and him only shall you serve.’”

 

 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”  Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV)

 

Lent is a time of fasting, service and prayer. 

 

What is fasting?  Most of us think of giving up food.   You can give up food.  Some people opt to give up candy, sweets, soft drinks, cigarettes, or even meat. But giving up food isn’t the only way to fast.  You can fast by cutting out anything that distracts you from God.  How about staying off of Facebook or Instagram?  How about cutting off the television?  Why not, rather than spending time on the internet, go outside and enjoy God’s creation.  What clutters your life?  When you answer that question, you’ll know what you need to give up during Lent.

 

Serving is another practice for Lent.  You can volunteer at the local soup kitchen, collect food for the needy, or you can even collect food for the needy.

 

Finally, Lent is a time of intentional prayer.  Did you see that?  I said INTENTIONAL.  You need to set apart time to spend with God.  You can pray while you walk, exercise, driving down the road, or while you’re cooking dinner. 

 

Here are some things you could try this Lenten season:

 

 

1.  Volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
2. Set apart 30 minutes of quiet time each day for silence and prayer.
3. Give up an addiction (cigarettes, alcohol, tv, internet, sugar).
4. Read a chapter in the Bible each day.

Lent begins next Wednesday.  Drop me a note and let me know what you plan on doing to prepare for the Easter season.  Thanks for stopping by!