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.   

Times of Trouble

Well, it’s time for me to get back into the groove.  I’ve been absent from the blog long enough.  This just seems to be the busiest time of year, not just for me, but for everyone.  So, without further ado, let’s get immersed in God’s Word by taking a look at Psalm 3.

Notice, this Psalm is titled “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.”  If you’ve ever read 2 Samuel 15, it tells us of a time when Absalom, David’s son, wanted to be king, and he would stop at nothing to attain that goal.  So, Absalom plotted to have David killed.  His own son plotted his death, just so that he could become king.  Powerful is the temptation of power itself.  David finds himself fleeing Jerusalem to protect himself.  Now, put yourself in David’s position.  How would you feel if you own son was trying to kill you for a position of power?

David could have done what we all think about.  He could have taken matters into his own hands.  But, his faith allowed him to call out to God for help.  Do we call out to God in our times of trouble?  Sometimes the answer to that question is no.  But, David provides us a simple prayer that we can sing out to God when we are facing troubles in life.  Prayer begins when we realize that we cannot help ourselves.  This Psalm can be broken down into four sections.  Let’s look at each one.

The first section of this Psalm says,

“¹O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
² many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God"

David is saying that his situation is so bad that his companions think that he is beyond God’s help.  They didn’t feel that God was able to help him.  Have you ever felt that your situation is so dire that God cannot help you?  Or, that because of past sin, that you deserve this trouble?  Do your friends fell like you are just getting what you deserve?

Now look at the second part of the Psalm:

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,

my glory, and the lifter of my head.

I cried aloud to the Lord,

and he answered me from his holy hill.."

Faith.  That is what David had.  He felt that his situation could and would be handled by God alone.  David says that God is his shield.  Like in war, if you’re under attack, you need a shield.  It is your first line of defense.  Notice, David isn’t asking God to be his shield.  This is a statement of fact, that God is David’s shield.  The image of God being out shield is mentioned several times in the Psalms.  David goes on and says that he is the “lifter of my head.”  David was recognizing that God is more than just his protection.  God is the one that shows him glory.  What do you find your glory in?  Fame?  Power?  Prestige?  Possessions?  Beauty?  Position?  Achievements?  David found his glory in the Lord.  David cried out to the Lord.  Charles Spurgeon said this, “Surely, silent prayers are heard.  Yes, but good men often find that, even in secret, they pray better aloud than they do when they utter no vocal sound.”  Do you cry aloud to God?  Sometimes I have a hard time saying my prayers aloud.  What if what I say doesn’t make sense to others?  I know God hears my heart rather than what comes out of my mouth when I pray to him.  But sometimes, I just find it difficult. 

The third part of this Psalm says,

“⁵ I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
⁶ I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around."

David says that because God is able to sustain him, he is able to rest.  David was under a lot of pressure.  When you’re under pressure, you have a tendency of not being able to sleep, to toss and turn.  David also points out that he was able to wake.  When you’ve got a son out there trying to kill you, waking up is a blessing indeed.  God is also makes it possible for David to be unafraid even when ten thousand people surround him.  God makes it possible to stand against any foe or trouble that we may face.  God will deliver us in our times of trouble if we turn to Him.

The last section of this Psalm says this,

“⁷ Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked..
⁸ Salvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people!”

David’s faith was on what God had done in the past, this gave him the confidence of what God was going to do in the future.  David isn’t looking for just protection, but victory as well.  He knew that the victory was his if he relied on God to see him through.  When you face a threat, who do you rely on? 

What kind of trouble are you facing right now?  Use this Psalm to help you pray to God for help in your troubled time.  Place your trust in God to deliver you from your trouble.  God is the source of salvation and blessing to His people.

Prayer:  "Heavenly Father, you are a shield in times of trouble.  Thank you for providing protection to me when I face trials and temptations.  I ask that you continue your protection, even when I know I don't deserve it.  As the Psalm says, "Salvation" belongs to you alone.  Thank you for salvation from my enemies, from my troubles, and especially, thank you for your Salvation that was offered through your son, Jesus Christ.  Give us, O Lord, strength to stand against the enemy.  In Jesus name I do pray, Amen.

Interference

I'm sorry for being so behind.  I would say I have an excuse, but I do not.  See there, the topic of conversation today.  Sin.  The devil didn't want me to post again.  And, he succeeded.  Why do I let it happen?  Why do you let it happen?  Do you ever feel like you can’t get away from sin?  Well, so do I.  But, as John tells us in 1 John 2, there isn’t any way around it.  We’re all going to sin.  It’s inevitable.  It’s a fact of life.   I wanted to post about something completely different and that isn't where God led me. 

So, let’s talk about our relationship to sin.  Once you became a Christian, did you think you wouldn’t ever sin again?  Well, I didn’t think that I wouldn’t ever sin again, but I did think it would be easier.  Let me tell you first hand, it’s not easier.  If anything, it’s harder because that ol’ devil just wants you to cave.  And, sometimes we do.   What happens though is that our attitude toward sin changes.  We no longer love sin like we used to.  We no longer brag about those things we did the other night at that party.  We no longer even plan to go to those parties, because we just don’t enjoy them any longer.  Charles Spurgeon said of sin, “We cannot bear sin – when it is near us, we feel like a wretch chained to a rotting carcass; we groan to be free from the hateful thing.”  We just cannot stand to be around sin any longer.  1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”  

John wants us to know that there is always forgiveness for any sin we confess.  We have an “advocate”, someone who will speak up for us on our behalf.  That “advocate” is Jesus.  Verse 2 of 1 John says this:  “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”  What in the world does “propitiation” mean?  I used to even struggle with how to pronounce it, much less what it meant.  Let me tell you what it means.  “Propitiation” is defined as “the action of propitiating or appeasing a god, spirit, or a person.”  For the Christian, this means that Jesus is the one that is appeasing the Father.  We’re guilty, but Jesus runs interference for us.  He is our defender.

There is so much more in this chapter.  But, these first couple of verses stood out to me for some reason.  I guess I needed the friendly reminder that Jesus is there to be my defender.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I know I am not worthy of your presence, so, I thank you so much for sending Jesus to be my defender.  Help me to recognize when I am tempted with sin and help me make the decision to avoid it at all costs.  Give me a heart where I recognize those sins and change my attitudes toward those that I don’t.  In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Last Days

An important reminder.  That is how Peter describes this second letter.  He knew that it was important to remind his readers of the scriptural message.  He knew that there would be opposition to the gospel message. 

2 Peter 3:3 tells us “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” 

Let me point out “last days” does not mean “end of times”.  “Last days” is specifically the time between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming.  He is pointing out in this verse that Christians shouldn’t be surprised when someone scoffs at the idea of Jesus coming again.  These people will do their best to distract us, feeding our fears and unbelief.  These scoffers will make light of sin, mock the salvation that is offered by Jesus.  They believe that this is the only life, that there is nothing in the hereafter, and thus enjoy, indulge and have the mentality of “eat, drink and be merry.”  They don’t believe that Jesus will come back.  But I know in my heart of hearts, He WILL come back.    Charles Spurgeon said this:  “Every time a blasphemer opens his mouth to deny the truth of revelation, he will help confirm us in our conviction of the very truth which he denies.  The Holy Ghost told us, by the pen of Peter, that it would be so; and now we see how truly he wrote.”  Have you ever faced this kind of opposition?  I have.  Each time, it just makes that knowledge in my heart stronger.  I know the feeling that Spurgeon speaks about. 

So, what does Peter say about the second coming?  Well, let’s look at verse 10.  It says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”  Personally, I think Jesus hasn’t returned because of God’s true love of his people.  He wants his people to love him, to come to Jesus.  But, he is going to come back.  It says in this verse that he will come back like a “thief in the night.”  That means we aren’t going to know when.  It’s going to be a surprise.  It could be today.  Peter also tells us that there will be a transformation of this world.  Heavens will pass away and be burned up and dissolved (this means by fire).  He goes on to tell us this in verse 13, “but according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

So, what are we to do in the mean time?  Well, Peter tells us in verses 12 and 14 to “wait with patience” and to be “diligent”.  But he also issues a warning in verse 16, “There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.”  He wants us to be wary of those who try to twist the scriptures to say what they want it to say, to mean what they want it to mean.  But, his final words to us are that we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.”  (verse 18)