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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Numbers 13:1-14:25

Explore The Promised Land
Numbers 13:1-14:25 Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 1-22-12
Key Verse 13:2 Inspired by the message delivered by P. Abraham Kim UBF director
“Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites.
From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”
The Israelites reached the border of the land God had promised them. At the Lord's command, Moses sent twelve spies, one from each tribe, to explore it. They discovered that the land was good, but the people were fearsome. Almost everyone was dismayed. Caleb and Joshua, however, believed that the Lord would give them the good land if they had faith that pleased the Lord. They were men of faith and obedience who followed God wholeheartedly. There is also a promised land God has given to each of us and every community in Christ. The land that needs to be conquered is the land of our inner person and the mission field we have been called to serve. It also is the Kingdom of God that Jesus has conquered for us. Through as study this passage may God fill our hearts with a spirit of conquest and a spirit of victory. May we conquer the promise lands that God has led us too, beginning with our own hearts. May we also be sources of encouragement to others, like Caleb and Joshua were. May God bless you.
Part I: God Commands Exploration Of Canaan (13:1-25)
The Book of Numbers begins with numbering the Israelites who could go to war at Mt. Sinai, a year and a month after the Exodus. During that time, the Israelites made a covenant with God and became a special people who had fellowship with God at the Tent of Meeting. In spite of their sin of idolatry, God forgave them and led them to the Desert of Paran where they could see the Promised Land. This took forty years. When they got there, God commanded through Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.” (1-2) Why did God want to send in explorers? There were several reasons. Let’s see…
First, to go and explore the land required faith. In the land were great, walled cities. The people were huge and known for their cruelty in battle. They even had iron chariots. Why not just overwhelm the enemy with vast numbers of Israelites, for they numbered two or three million? God had his reasons. They needed to trust God that God had the best strategy in mind.
Second, exploring the enemy camp is a basic step before any military operation. It is true that God wants us to do everything by faith, but he doesn’t want us to do things blindly not knowing the situation and developing a strategy. In fact, the Bible records wars in which God commanded his servants to explore the battle fields, instructed strategies and tactics, whereby they won victories….how?…by obeying God’s instructions with faith. May we find God strategy in the coming year for serving our mission field. I believe it is through 1:1 Bible study, discipleship and alliance building with local Christians and Christian ministries.
Third, God wanted to encourage and inspire his people. God repeatedly called the land of Canaan “the land I am giving to the Israelites” or “the land I promised them on oath” (13:2, 14:16, 23, 30, 15:2). God’s command to explore the land is similar to his command to Abraham when he said, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever….Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” (Ge 13:14-17) Just like Abraham, God wanted the explorers to encourage the Israelites by helping them to know the beauty of the land, be thankful to God, and be filled with desire to conquer and possess the land. God wants us to look at the land he gives us and explore it. He wants us to walk through the land by faith and possess it in our hearts. Maybe we should go the walk around the campus, see its beauty and pray.
Part ll: The Promised Land God Has Called Us To Conquer
The land, in every generation, in every locale, (without and within) is full of idol-worship and corrupt secular cultural forces that oppose the Gospel. God wants to bring about His kingdom through our spiritual conquest and taking possession of the land. We aren’t talking about literal war, for our battle is never against flesh and blood. (Eph 6:11-13) Spiritually, however, the world is at war and the war will continue until our Lord’s Second Coming. We are leaders and foot soldiers of the Lord’s army. There is battle to win. And so, what is the Promised Land for us to conquer? The first is conquering our own hearts with the gospel. Second is entering the kingdom of Heaven following our conquering general, Jesus Christ. This is the most important aspect. And the third is “conquering” the mission field that God has placed us into.
First, conquering ourselves...our inner hearts. This means overcoming our sinful nature and growing in spiritual maturity. God’s will for us is to restore us in the image of Christ (Ro 8:28-29). For this purpose, God has given us the word of God and the Holy Spirit and works in all things in our lives. Christ’s image is formed through continuous battle with our old self, that is, the sinful nature. When our old self dies through obedience to God, we put on the new self and become spiritual men and women.
We should check where we are in this spiritual campaign. We should press on like Apostle Paul to be united with Christ by following Christ’s example in his death and resurrection (Php 3:10-12). Ephesians 4:22-24 reads, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” To put off our old self, often requires a spiritual battle to the point of shedding our blood. The only way to do this is to repent of loving our sinful nature more than God and give our hearts to God newly. The moment our old self dies, we experience the power of the resurrection and receive freedom in Christ.
Our inner spiritual enemies, such as pride, self-glory seeking, and lust, to name a few, have deep roots. To uproot them, we need a hydraulic hoe and dynamite. When we dig deep with the hoe of the word of God, we expose the root of our sin and the Holy Spirit blows it off by his power and transforms us to be a new creations. When we put on the new self, we can enter into life to the full which the Lord Jesus promised in John 10:10b, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Which is our 2012 ministry key verse.
In order to conquer our hearts, we should also grow in love and righteousness until our own local church and the Christian community radiates the love of God. The kingdom of God comes when we obey the Lord’s new command, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (Jn 13:34). What a beautiful and precious community of brothers and sisters we have in our fellowship! Where can we find such wonderful friends in the world? Nowhere else, but in Christ! While focusing on our ministry, work, school and social life, we often miss the blessed love fellowship among those who love Jesus. Let’s continue building up a beautiful community of love among us so that the world may know God’s love through us. This is part of conquering our hearts with the gospel.
Second, conquering the land is entering the kingdom of Heaven following our conquering general, Jesus Christ. We can talk about the various “lands” that we need to conquer in this world, but by far, the most important land to conquer is the land that Jesus has already conquered for us, the Kingdom of God. Jesus conquered this land through his suffering, death and resurrection. (1 Cor 15:20-29) Jesus placed all of his enemies under his feet. That means sin, death and Satan and his cohorts. Jesus goes on ahead of us to prepare a place for us. We have assured victory because our Lord and Savior Jesus went ahead of us and fought for us and won the victory. All we need to do is repent and claim, through faith, what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross. We need to follow him and dwell in the kingdom of God, even now, for the Kingdom of God is within you. When you dwell in the kingdom of God, Jesus will reign over you with his peace and his love. It sounds easy but not always. There are still many spiritual battles to engage as we walk by faith. When we have done everything to stand, God’s grace will be shown to be sufficient.
Third, exploring and conquering our own mission field. For us, it is the campus that we are ministering to, NIU and the grade schools and the people of DeKalb. The mission field is also our homes and work places that God has brought us into. God wants us to lift up our eyes and look at the Promised Land, both locally and globally and continue the conquest.
How do we know that our land is being conquered? It does not necessarily mean that there are 1000 people worshipping together to a fantastic praise band. It does not mean when 16,000 of us gather for a Bible conference at the Convo Center? To conquer our land means that the Gospel message is being faithfully preached there. It is occurs when God’s people are praying that Jesus may rule in the hearts of the people in that mission field. It is when one person is being changed and transformed by the grace of God, and that heart could be the one called to that mission field. It can not be measured in numbers.
Part lll. Reports of Exploration (13:26-14:9)
The 12 leaders returned with a huge cluster of grapes, some pomegranates and figs after exploring the 250 miles of the land. They said, “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey. Here is its fruit.” (13:27) People must have shouted with joy. But when they heard the explorers saying, “But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there,” (13:28) the atmosphere changed. Peoples’ hearts sunk within their chests. They were filled with fear. How could the Israelites ever conquer a land occupied by such people? .
At this time of crisis Caleb stepped up as a true leader. He silenced them, and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” (13:30) But the ten men countered him and said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” (31) And they spread among the Israelites a bad report. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (32-33) What was their problem? Here, to “spread a bad report” means to “falsely accuse.” The land did not devour the people living in it, for if it did then those living in it, would have been ill-fed and weak. But that was not the case. They said, “All the people we saw are of great size.” They were exaggerating. They even exaggerated their weaknesses, reducing themselves to grasshoppers. (Which they were not!) When the ten leaders saw the land of Canaan with human eyes, they saw no possibility of victory in war, and so they gave up. Caleb, on the other hand, saw the same things the other explorers saw. But he could see the land with God’s eyes through the Holy Spirit who dwelt in him. He saw God at work among his people. He was convinced that God would use his people as His instrument and give them the land. So he could say, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (30).
All twelve experienced God’s power, character, and guidance together. Why then couldn’t the ten have the spirituality that Caleb and Joshua had? The problem was that these people had eliminated God from the equation. This was unreasonable. It is just as the Apostle Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 3:1 which reads, “1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.” There are believers who grow mature to live by the Spirit and believers who remain worldly, spiritually immature. What determines one’s spiritual maturity? It is one’s reverence for Jesus and their obedient attitude toward God. One who reveres God and lives before him experiences God in all things, learns from Him and thus…grows. On the other hand, one who eliminates God from the equation and sees things from a human point of view cannot grow spiritually.
We are fighting against secular humanism, materialism, the goddess of pleasure and the spirit of ambivalence in this post-modern era. From the time of inviting young people to Jesus to the time of raising them as disciples, we feel as if we are fighting with giants. When we see our mission field with human eyes, we are filled with negative thinking, fear and feel small and powerless. We are weak but God is strong. God is indeed great. When we fix our eyes on God, God becomes bigger and bigger in our minds and hearts and the problems become smaller and smaller until they disappear. And the Holy Spirit fills our minds and hearts with courage and conviction that “We can certainly triumph and conquer in Jesus’ name.” Amen.
People who heard the report of the ten leaders raised their voices and wept aloud all night. It was not tears of repentance and faith. It was tears of despair, anger and frustration. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron and said, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (14:2-3) “If only we had died in Egypt!”—this was the habitual grumble of the Israelites (Ex 14:11, 16:3, Nu 20:3). Think about the scene of two million people sitting and wailing under the light from the pillar of fire, which was a sign of God’s protection and love. This was a grave sin of forgetting the grace of God who had redeemed them from their miserable life of slavery. They even thought of going back to Egypt. Their reaction shows the tragedy of unbelief and leaving God out of the equation. Even though we forget all other things, we should not forget the grace of God who redeemed us.
These faithless people finally discussed about abandoning the place that God had led them and choosing a leader to take them back to Egypt. Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the congregation. (4-5) They were grieved. They might have expected God’s judgment at any moment. At this critical moment, Joshua and Caleb again stood up as true spiritual leaders and tore their clothes. In ancient times, clothes were rare and expensive. Therefore tearing clothes was a big decision as well as an expression of great sorrow and righteous anger. They said, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (7-9). What can we learn from Joshua and Caleb?
First, faith that believes God’s promise. Joshua and Caleb had a conviction of conquest because they believed God’s promise. God had promised Abraham to give his descendants the land and had foretold their slavery in Egypt, their exodus and return to the Promised Land (Ge 15:7-21). God confirmed this promise to Isaac and Jacob and later said to Moses, “So I have come down to rescue them from the land of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey”—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (Ex 3:8). God surely keeps his word. Faith is 100% of trust in God’s promise. This is faith that pleases God. We have the Lord’s promise, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt 28:19-20). When we believe in the Lord’s promise 100%, we can have the conviction and courage to challenge any situation and reveal God’s glory.
Second, faith in God’s sovereignty and power. Joshua and Caleb said, “If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, … and will give it to us.” (14:8) To them, the strong enemies in the land were not a problem, for no one can stand against God if God leads his people into the land. If God Almighty, the Sovereign Lord goes ahead of us, nothing is impossible. We must believe this and do his work. When people says, “It is not possible,” we can say, “God can do it.”
How can we please God? We can please God by believing in him 100% (Heb 11:6). God is pleased with our obedience, devotion and shepherd heart. We should pray for raising 100,000 UBF missionaries by 2041 to evangelize the world’s major campuses by faith. We should pray for the pioneering of all of the campuses in our nation by faith. We should be praying for the evangelization of the students of NIU and the people of DeKalb. God is with us. He will lead us into the Promised Land and he will give it to us when we have faith that pleases God.
Third, victory in spiritual battle. Joshua and Caleb said, “Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them.” (14:9) Other versions translate the latter part of this verse as “we will swallow them up.” Here we can see their appetite, confidence and desire to conquer in the Lord’s name. Joshua and Caleb were filled with the Holy Spirit because they defeated Satan’s attack. They were powerful servants of God. They remind us of the Lord’s promise, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Ac 1:8).
Satan attacks us with arrows of doubt and fear whenever we try to do anything. When we are hit, we lose our strength and desire, and fall into negative thinking and complaints. As commanders and leaders in God’s army, we must first win the spiritual warfare against Satan by holding on to God’s words of promise. When the Holy Spirit works, the evil spirits of secular humanism, materialism, and carnal pleasure seeking run away. Ephesians 6:16-17 says, “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can have a burning desire and vision from God and we can work by the power of God.
Joshua and Caleb warned the Israelites, “Only do not rebel against the LORD.” (14:9a) This verse teaches us that giving up the promised land due to unbelief is rebellion against God. Unbelief is a backward road that leads to failure and shame, while faith is a forward road that leads to victory and glory. In Christ we don’t have a backward road. The Holy Spirit points to only a forward road towards the Promised Land. Let’s not be afraid. Let’s not be disappointed because there seems to be little fruit in ministry. It’s all right if we love God with all our hearts and do what we should do each day by faith. We are doing what God wants us to do if we love our spouses, and our kids and those brought near to us. We are conquering our land when we raise the Bible students whom God gives us and our children to be spiritual men and women. God is working with us and He will fulfill His will in His way and in His time.
Part lll; Caleb’s Spirit
How did God see Caleb’s faith? Read verse 14:24. “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” The land Caleb went to was the hill country of Hebron. There lived the Anakites, the giants (Jos 14:12). God said, “my servant Caleb has a different spirit.” God was pleased with Caleb and promised that He would bring him into the land and his descendants would inherit it. Why could Caleb have a different spirit? God testified that Caleb followed God wholeheartedly. Here “wholeheartedly” means to fill a vacuum with something— 100%. Caleb filled his soul with God only. He did not allow anything else to occupy his heart along with God. He gave his whole heart to God. (Dt 6:5) God loved him and was pleased to dwell in him and wanted to bless him and his descendants. God leads those who follow Him wholeheartedly to the Promised Land and gives it to their descendants. Here we learn what kind of person God seeks. God does not seek able people. God seeks men and women whose hearts are wholly devoted to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9a reads, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him….”
In today’s passage, we learned to obey God’s command to go and explore the land and be encouraged by what you will find. The land that God calls us to conquer is first our own hearts and then the various mission fields that God has led us to. We must thank Jesus for being our conquering general and leading us into the Promised Land of the Kingdom of God. Let’s also pray to have faith that pleases God, like Caleb and Joshua and engage our faith in order to be a blessing to all of God’s people.

Mark 1:1-11

John’s Baptism And The Coming Of The Holy Spirit
Mark 1:1-11 Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF (University Bible Fellowship) ChristianfamilyonChristsmission.com
Key verse 1:11-12 Waterman Presbyterian Church 1/8/2012
“As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
What an honor and a privilege it is to be here to preach in this beautiful and historical church, a church where several of my friends have grown up and worship. I am eager to see them. Who am I and who is my family that I could be so blessed to stand in this pulpit where so many great servants of God have stood before? For example, I was here 1 ½ years ago when Dr @Prahbakar came to speak about his missionary work in India. Who remembers that day? @Jenn Kallas@ told me that there are families who have historically worshipped here for several generations. That makes me feel like you have included me in your family, by inviting me to preach. That is special to me and my family. It is also a privilege to preach at the beginning of the year. That is a pretty prestigious slot in my books. New Year’s is a time of new beginnings and new hopes for a fresh start. I was wondering what should I preach on? I asked Jenn, “what are the prescribed readings for this Sunday?” and she gave me a list. The passages were wisely chosen and a great choice for a New Year’s message!
In this passage we will talk briefly how Jesus’ Gospel ministry began, first through God’s promises and then through the ministry of John the Baptist. We will think about what John’s Baptism is and the importance of John’s baptism and its relationships to Jesus’ baptism of the Holy Spirit. I pray that 2012 may be a year where God can bless us with a spirit of repentance and brand new relationship with God with new beginnings in him, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Let’s see.
Part l: The Gospel Began With Prophecy (1-3).
Mark takes us to the beginning of Jesus’ Gospel ministry in verse 1. It reads, “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” “Gospel” literally means “good news.” This world is filled with bad news that saps us of strength. But good news fills us with joy, life, and hope. We all want good news. We all need good news. Especially at the beginning of the year! This good news is about Jesus Christ the Son of God.
“Jesus” means “Savior.” Our Savior, Jesus, came into this world as a tiny, baby in the manger, to save us from our sins (Mt 1:21). “Christ” means the “anointed king.” Jesus is descended from David, was anointed with Holy Spirit, and authority and power, to reign over all God’s people forever and ever, with peace and love. What a great king we have! “The Son of God” means that he is the promised Savior, sent by the Father, who can completely save all who put their faith and trust in him. Those who receive Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as their savior King, receive the forgiveness of sins, adoption as children of God, new hope, a glorious mission, the promised Holy Spirit as well as eternal life. What a great package deal. This is the Gospel. This is our Christ! How wonderful it is to learn about the Gospel this New Year! And so let’s see how this gospel began.
God prepared the peoples’ hearts for centuries. Look at verses 2-3. “It is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way’–‘a voice of one calling in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’.” Though Mark mentions only Isaiah, this verse is actually a quotation of both Malachi and Isaiah. (Mal 3:1; Isa 40:3) Isaiah was the most prominent prophet in the Old Testament and Malachi was the last Old Testament prophet. Malachi wrote around 430 B.C. He proclaimed the Messiah’s coming. But before the Messiah would come, God would send “his messenger”. (Mal 3:1). Isaiah wrote around 700 B.C. He foretold that God’s messenger would live in the desert and preach a message of repentance. (Isa 40:3-5) John the Baptist precisely fulfilled these prophecies. Jesus came according to prophecy. Only God, who knows the end from the beginning, can do this. This gospel is not some “man-made” story. The gospel is the truth from God supported by historical facts. This sets Christianity apart from all other religions. You can build your life and stake your future on the Jesus and the Gospel.
Part ll: The Baptism of John - A Baptism of Repentance (4-8).
Isaiah said that God’s messenger would “Prepare the way for the Lord.” This did not mean that John was going to finance the building of an expressway from Nazareth to Jerusalem. No. He was referring to the Lord entering into the peoples’ hearts in a spiritual sense. Jesus started his ministry when he was 30 years old. For this great work to begin, peoples’ hearts needed to be prepared. That’s where John the Baptist comes in.
Luke refers to the nature of John’s ministry in Luke 3:4-6, “As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’” Peoples’ hearts were not prepared to accept the Savior. Some peoples’ hearts were like valleys made impassable by self condemnation. Some peoples’ hearts were like mountains and hills, made impassable by varying levels of pride. Some peoples’ hearts filled with crooked ways, too crooked for God to navigate his way into them. Others had rough paths hindering God’s approach. And so thousands of people, with different hearts, came to John the Baptist, some self condemning, some proud, some crooked and rough. But despite of the varying condition of hearts, they all had one thing in common. They submitted to John’s baptism of repentance. They were attracted to his message. To be certain, they were tired of living without God and without hope and they wanted to see God’s Messiah. And so they humbly came to John.
John knew that there was only one way to prepare any heart. Let’s read verses 4 and 5, “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” John knew the eternal truth that hearts need to be changed in order for God to dwell there. God is holy and can not co-exist with sin. God is the powerful, almighty Creator. He opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6b) He is the King of the Universe and will not dwell amidst challenges to his lordship. But yet this holy, powerful, Creator God really wants to come and dwell among his people, personally. But how is it possible? Our own efforts could never produce a suitable pathway. But God did not give up. He has shown us the way. Look at verse 5b, “…Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” It is the way of humble confession and repentance. (James 4:5-6)

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. (Mk 1:4) Repentance is such a heavy word. Some pastors have been sued for using this word. But I feel safe around you all. To put it simply, to repent means to turn from sin and the world towards Jesus and his kingdom. It is a condition of heart, involving changing one's mind about something and dedicating oneself to the amendment of one's life. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repent) In a word, to repent is to acknowledge one’s sin before God and to ask for his forgiveness and then chart a new course.
Repentance is a good thing and a pre-requisite for receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When Peter was addressing the crowds in Acts 3:19-20, he said, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” Most people live in this world, loaded down with guilt, regrets and vague feelings of condemnation and failure. We don’t know how to unburden our hearts. But when we repent of our sins and come to Jesus, our hearts are strangely refreshed. The Lord forgives all of our sins. We are made right with God, by his grace, and have true peace. We experience the love of God. We can make a brand new beginning with new strength to follow the truth and to follow Jesus. With repentance we can become the happiest people in the world. Repentance is indeed a refreshing, healing balm to our souls.
There are different classes of repentance. First-class repentance is willing, and it is done with godly sorrow, recognizing the pain we have caused God and others. Second-class repentance may be done without emotional contents, simply as a matter of principle. Third-class repentance is the most reluctant, simply because we want to avoid punishment. Sometimes, our hearts are too hard to repent at all. It is never easy to repent. I will never forget one episode of Happy Days when Author Fonzerelli, better known as “The Fonz” had to say he was sorry. He stumbled and stammered and tried to force out the words, “I am sorry” and was barely able to do it. Repentance requires great humility. Mostly we must ask God for a spirit of repentance and when we do God will tenderize our hearts and help us.
People really want to hear the word, "repent". The response to John’s preaching was phenomenal. Look at verse 5. “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” This teaches us that deep down inside people really want to repent. They want times of refreshing and power to change. They want to find a solution to their spiritual problems. They just need to know the way.
John was an excellent instrument for God to reach the peoples’ hearts. Look at verse 6. “John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.” John lived a pure and poor life, studying the Old Testament and praying in the desert. He wore humble camel hair clothes and ate humble food, like grasshoppers. He lived the message that he preached. When a servant of God is like this then the words he/she speaks are very powerful and people will listen.
Part lll: Jesus’ Baptism – The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:7-8)

Repentance must not be half way. We need to follow through and come to Christ, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist also knew secret of following through repentance unto faith. He did not want to leave the crowds pummeling themselves with self condemnation. Let’s see how he helped them in verses 7-8, “And this was his message: ‘After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’” John explained that his water baptism was merely a first step in coming to God. It alone could not solve their sin problem. They needed forgiveness and to be changed in their “inner person”. In short, they needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit that only Jesus could give.

We see this same principle at work in Acts 19:1-7, Here Paul finds twelve new disciples who had only taken repentance half way. Let’s read verses Acts 19:1-3 together, “While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ 3 So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied.” These 12 disciples looked incomplete. They only received John’s baptism, which is a baptism of repentance. They admitted they were sinners. They knew they deserved God’s righteous judgment. But they did not know the marvelous grace of Jesus Christ or the work of the Holy Spirit. They remind us of people who always look grumpy and condemned, even after believing in Jesus.

Paul could not leave these young disciples in their misery. In Acts 19:4, Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.” He told the people to believe in the one coming after John the Baptist, that is, Jesus. Then, on hearing these words from Paul, they were baptized into the name of the Lord. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them. They were filled with power and joy. They could speak about God and his marvelous work. They could see the coming of the kingdom of God. It was the beginning of God’s great work in Ephesus.
Let’s think why this baptism of the Holy Spirit so important? There are many reasons. Countless books have been written on the subject…but let’s think of six of them in order to wet our appetites for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
First, Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit transforms our inner person. The Holy Spirit is God himself who comes to dwell in us. Where God dwell’s, nothing stays the same for the Holy Spirit is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Through the work of the Holy Spirit we die to sin and rise to newness of life with Christ (Ro 6:4). We are transformed.
Second, Jesus’ baptism of the Holy Spirit, enables us to live a new life in the holiness of God bearing good fruit (Gal 5:22) for his glory.
Third, the Spirit gives us a burning passion to seek God and serve God. After Jesus’ ascension into heaven, when the apostles gathered to pray together in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit came upon them in power. Their fear vanished and they became bold witnesses of Jesus Christ (Ac 2:4).

Fourth, the baptism of the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with power, love and self discipline. Young Timothy was willing to serve God together with Paul. But he was timid and weak. Paul believed he would be changed into a spiritual leader, by the Holy Spirit. That is why Paul said to him, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Tim 1:7).

Fifth, the baptism of the Holy Spirit sets our minds free from the gravity of sin and enables us to think of heavenly things. Romans 8:6 says, “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Sixth, the Holy Spirit gives a confirmation of the love of God. Verse 11. “And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” We will talk more about this in the upcoming section.

Wow! This sounds really great! The baptism of the Holy Spirit is good news for all people. Where can we get this Holy Spirit? Do they sell it at Walmart? God really wants to give us the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained that even human fathers, know how to give good gifts to their children. Then Jesus said, “...how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (Lk 11:13) God really wants to give us the Holy Spirit. He really wants to dwell in hearts. All we need to do is ask. Have you asked? If you have asked, you can ask again for God to come and dwell in your heart newly. As we begin this New Year, let each of us ask God for the Holy Spirit.

Part lll: God Anointed Jesus As Christ (9-11).
To inaugurate his ministry, Jesus humbly submitted to John’s baptism. Look at verse 9, “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But Jesus did not need to repent for he was sinless. Still, Jesus made sure he was baptized. Why? Jesus’ baptism by John was a time of decision. Jesus, was committing himself to God’s holy purpose to take up his cross and live and die as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29) This reveals that there is more to baptism than repentance. Baptism is also a decision of commitment.
After Jesus humbly submitted to John’s baptism, something amazing happened. Look at verse 10. “As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.” As Jesus was praying, the Holy Spirit descended on him (Lk 3:22), physically represented by a dove. This was literally God the Father, breaking through the darkness of the world, and anointing Jesus, his Son, with the Holy Spirit. What does this mean?
God’s great work always begins with a movement of the Holy Spirit. This is consistent throughout the whole Bible. Genesis 1:1-3 reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” There was a time, when this world was formless, empty and dark. Not much was going on. The earth was without beauty, without life, and with meaning. But God was there. His spirit was hovering over the waters. That formless, dark and empty world was ready to be changed into a world full of life, light, beauty and meaning.

Think about the beginning of the Christian church. 120 followers of Jesus gathered in the upper room. The Holy Spirit came upon them as the Risen Jesus promised. They were all transformed and powerful Christian church was born. God’s work always begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ anointing is unique. Being without sin, Jesus could receive the Holy Spirit without an atoning sacrifice on his behalf. Being without sin, Jesus could live in absolute obedience to the Holy Spirit all the days of his life. The Spirit was Jesus’ source of power and love. Jesus, in turn can baptize his disciples of all ages, with the Holy Spirit. Again, all we need to do is ask.
Another interesting event occurred in this passage. God the Father, declared his love for and his approval of his Son, Jesus. Look at verse 11. “And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’” God confirmed Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. God, the Father said, “...whom I love.” Jesus treasured his Father’s confession of love in his heart and lived in assurance that he was God’s beloved Son all the days of his life. Jesus always called God, “Father” even in his passion when he was suffering and dying on the cross. Jesus shares this love relationship, through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with all who come to him in faith.
In today’s passage we learned about the baptism of John. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. Repentance is a turning away from sins and a turning to God for forgiveness and newness of life. It is a necessary pre-requisite to receive Jesus’ baptism of the Holy Spirit. This New Year’s let’s enter into John’s baptism through humble repentance making a clear path for Christ to enter into our hearts. Let us pray newly for the indwelling of the holy spirit of God. We will enter into a new, life giving relationship with Jesus Christ. We will be enlightened to see new hope and new possibilities.
Let’s read the key verse together…
Key verse 1:11-12
“As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”