Jesus Identified with Us

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ ” (Mark 1:9-11)
  Passage: Psalm 108:1-5 

        John the Baptist had a ministry of preparation to get people ready for the coming of the Messiah. He called on people to repent and turn to God to be ready for the arrival of the Messiah. Thousands came to hear him preach and many were baptized in the Jordan River. That baptism was a symbol of new life, the washing away of sin and their commitment to God. When Jesus came to be baptized, John knew Jesus didn’t need to repent of any sin He had committed, so he couldn’t understand why Jesus would want to be baptized. Jesus told him, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15)
       Jesus was baptized to identify with you and me and every other sinner. Through His baptism, He was showing how he would die for our sin, be buried and then be raised to life again. Salvation comes when one believes in Jesus, receives Him as Savior and confesses Him as Lord. The Holy Spirit comes into that person’s life, and he/she is born spiritually into God’s family. Jesus instituted the ordinance of baptism as an act of obedience and identification as a disciple and a symbol of showing how Christ changed our lives through washing away our sin and raising us up to new life in Him. That is good news for everyone!    

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)