PROCLAMATION
“Just 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 1:10-11 (NIV)
EXPLANATION
EXPLANATION
These words are from the
gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, according to Mark, who was
not one of the twelve apostles. Mark was
a companion Simon Peter (1 Peter 5:13) and the cousin of Barnabas, (Colossians
4:10) a close associate of Paul. The
gospel according to Mark is presented differently than the gospel according to
Matthew. The gospel of Matthew was
addressed primarily to the Jews and presented Jesus as The Messiah, The King of
the Jews. However, the gospel of Mark
was addressed primarily to the Romans and presented Jesus as a good humble worker
and The Servant of God. Mark begins
chapter one with a quote from the prophet Isaiah regarding a voice crying in
the wilderness saying prepare for The Lord. (Isaiah 40:3 and Mark 1:2-3) There
is no presentation of the genealogy of Jesus because the ancestry of a servant was
not important to the Romans. He presents
John, the baptizer, then details the baptism of Jesus. (Mark 1:9-13) Afterwards, Mark focused more on what Jesus
did and not so much on what He said.
APPLICATION
Baptism is one of only two ordinances Christ left for us. The other one is The Lord’s Supper, or The Holy Communion. With respect to baptism, Jesus, The Christ, was sinless and did not need repentance. He was baptized by John because it was appropriate to do it in order to fulfill all righteousness. (Matthew 3:15) As Jesus came up out of the water God, The Father, spoke and identified Him as God, The Son, and sent God, The Holy Spirit, to Him as a visible sign in the form of a dove. (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:10-11, Luke 3:21-22, and John 1:31-34) Today our baptism by immersion in water is an outward sign to the world of our inner transformation. The water does not save us or transform us. The change which occurs in us due to the indwelling of The Holy Spirit of God within us after we believe, confess, repent, and accept Christ as our Savior.
Baptism is one of only two ordinances Christ left for us. The other one is The Lord’s Supper, or The Holy Communion. With respect to baptism, Jesus, The Christ, was sinless and did not need repentance. He was baptized by John because it was appropriate to do it in order to fulfill all righteousness. (Matthew 3:15) As Jesus came up out of the water God, The Father, spoke and identified Him as God, The Son, and sent God, The Holy Spirit, to Him as a visible sign in the form of a dove. (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:10-11, Luke 3:21-22, and John 1:31-34) Today our baptism by immersion in water is an outward sign to the world of our inner transformation. The water does not save us or transform us. The change which occurs in us due to the indwelling of The Holy Spirit of God within us after we believe, confess, repent, and accept Christ as our Savior.
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