“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” — John 1:29
What an amazing declaration we read in the Gospel of John! A Savior has come into the world and has the ability to take away all of our sins! Then, in Matthew 3:13 we read, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.” Wait, what? Why does Jesus need to get baptized? He is the Messiah. He has no sins to repent of!? This very thought confused even John the baptizer! In verse 14 he says, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
At first glance, this can be really confusing. But, when we take into consideration God’s incredible love for us, it is not confusing at all! This event in history demonstrates God’s pursuit of us in a truly powerful way. At Jesus’ baptism, it not only declared that He is the Promised Messiah (who God’s people had long been waiting for), but it also revealed that Jesus is a Personal Messiah who publicly identifies with sinners. That is just one of many things that makes baptism so special. His baptism identifies Jesus with us, and our baptism identifies us with Him.
Let me ask you — has your love for Jesus been demonstrated by your baptism into Him? The answer to that question is integral to one’s obedience to Jesus. I know many of you reading this can reflect back to the day in your life when you were baptized; we praise God for that display of obedience! (Above is a picture with Pastor Tony after he baptized me the day after Thanksgiving, 2007. BRR!) I also know there are many of you who have still not seriously considered obeying Jesus when it comes to baptism.
Maybe life keeps you too busy and you continue to put it off? Or, maybe you’ve been a Christian for years and you would be too embarrassed to get baptized this late in the game? Or, maybe you were baptized into another faith when you were young and you’re not sure what to do? These are just some of the reasons I’ve heard on why Christians have not been baptized. If any of those sound like you, would you consider these words from Jesus?
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
What Jesus has done to demonstrate His love for you (by His life, death, burial, and resurrection) is worth living for. Will you obey Jesus by getting baptized? He has commanded us to. Will you show the world that He is yours and you are His? In Christ’s baptism, He was identifying with those He came to save. Will you publicly declare that you are loved by such a great Savior? I hope you will!
Bryan
We invite you to get baptized this Easter at The Rock Church on March 31 & April 1!
Posted in A Word from the Pastor