Jesus, Lessons for Life 1
Welcome. In the coming posts we will examine the three to three and one-half years of Jesus’ ministry on earth. He did a lot of teaching during that brief time. More importantly, the four books of the Gospel share a lot with us about what Christ did and said.
Our focus will be to learn key principles or lessons from his actions and words during his ministry. He is our role model, our reference point for life’s many questions. We will follow his actions and teaching sequentially, as they occurred over these brief years.
What was the first act by Jesus in his ministry? What did he do first? What initiated His ministry?
He was baptized, and this was by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. John was reluctant, as he thought he should be baptized by the Savior, not the other way around. With Jesus’ gentle persuasion, John consented.
Matt 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” [1]
This is a beautiful passage.
- God actually spoke in such a way that gave validation to Jesus' authority in beginning his ministry
- The Holy Spirit of God was witnessed descending and resting upon Christ
These two miraculous elements accompanied the Savior's obedience in baptism. That is why we are baptized; to demonstrate our obedience to the Lord whom we have accepted in our hearts.
The doctrine of baptism differs across the many Christian denominations and churches. We will not go into all of that here. Please go back and reference our past blog posts by clicking on the key word “baptism” for a refresher on our previous studies and discussions.
The point to be made now is simply that the decision for baptism is important.
- Our Savior made that decision, as a young adult preparing for his ministry. Jesus was baptized.
- So, regardless of the endless debates, we can take His lesson to heart and realize that baptism is an important step for each of us in our walk with Christ.
Key Lesson — Baptism is important.
New believers then should be encouraged to follow the model of Christ in this behavior and to be baptized.
Blessings,
Larry
[1] Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-23
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