by Bruce Mackay | Download PDF | Purchase Hardcopy

Between twelve and thirty years of age, Jesus worked with his father Joseph, as a carpenter in the family business. During this time, the Bible says Jesus increased in stature and wisdom and in favour with God and man. Interestingly, within three short years a dramatic change took place. He became despised and rejected by men. One thing stayed consistent. He continued to find favour with God. He kept doing the works and will of God, even to Gethsemane. There, in deep agony of spirit He sweated drops of blood as He cried out, 'Not My will but Your will be done'. Luke 22:42.

This is a great lesson for us all to learn. If you do the will of God through serving as a committed member of His church, you will know seasons of favour with man and also seasons of rejection. Jesus said, 'They persecuted Me and they will persecute you'. John 15:20. Unfortunately, there is a great temptation to seek the approval of others. In our endeavours to keep the approval of others, it is too easy to compromise our relationship with God, and stop doing His will to please man.

Regardless of man's actions, we must never deviate from the will of God and from pleasing Him. In another passage in the Gospels, Jesus said, 'Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell'. Matt 10:28. It is good to accept the reality that we will know times of favour and times of rejection. But in all things let us fear the Lord, keep favour with Him, and do His will.

His baptism

The gospel writers record Jesus' baptism, 'Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptised by him. John said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world".' John 1:29. 'And also trying to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptised by You, and are You coming to me?" But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness". Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptised, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased".' Matt 3:13-17.

From this passage we will make five important points and draw several lessons from them.

1. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
2. To fulfil all righteousness.
3. Jesus was baptised and came up out of the water.
4. The Spirit of God descended upon Him.
5. This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

The Lamb of God

1. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

We are to take note and behold! Don't let this man, and who He is, pass you by. Behold Him! He is the Lamb of God. He is from God. He is God's perfect, spotless, provision. He is without blemish. No sin has tainted Him. He is the true offering that can take away sin. The blood of bulls and goats offered up in the past could never take sin away. His blood was poured out. This is the blood that God agreed could establish a right relationship between man and God.

He takes away the sin of the world. What a freeing reality. The only begotten Son of God was offered up to death and came to be the total, acceptable sacrifice. Christ became sin for us and we must join Him as God's perfect provision. There is no forgiveness outside of Him. And there is no life from God without joining Christ in His offering. In Him is life, the seed and provision of our eternal life. We must accept that when He died it was our sin that was upon Him. We are involved. We must confess that Christ died for our sin.

Righteousness

2. To fulfil all righteousness.

At no point did Jesus use His privilege of being God to bypass His earthly accountability as a man. He did all that was rightly required of every other human being. Nor did Jesus expect John to make an exception when He called all men to be baptised. Jesus included John when He said, 'It is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness'. Matt 3:15. Like John, we also must keep doing the works that we are given to do. The only way that you and I can fulfil all righteousness is to receive the life of Christ and live by it. The life of Jesus is to be lived now in our earthly life. This is what the Bible says, 'That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit'. Rom 8:4.

He is the righteousness from God and if we live by His life we will not practise sin and self-centred living. We will do our whole duty as citizens of both earth and heaven.

Baptised into Christ

3. Jesus was baptised and came up out of the water.

We also join His baptism. We are to die with Him and be buried with Him. We must put off all of our former life and self-centred ways and be raised in newness of life. The Bible explains it this way. 'Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death?'. Rom 6:3. 'Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.'

As we continue these articles on the life of Jesus, we will discuss the subject of baptism further. At the end of Jesus' time on earth, before He returned to His Father in heaven, Jesus called all to be baptised.

The Holy Spirit

4. The Spirit of God descended upon Him.

Jesus was baptised with the Holy Spirit. And He is now the One who baptises those who believe on Him with the Holy Spirit. 'And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptise with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptises with the Holy Spirit'" .' John 1:32.

From this point on, Jesus began His public ministry. Even though He was obviously born of the Spirit, He didn't commence any ministry until He had the Holy Spirit upon Him. This is the pattern throughout the New Testament. The disciples waited until the Holy Spirit was upon them, before they began fulfilling Jesus' commission to preach the gospel to all nations. This is also how it was for Paul, who became an apostle to the Gentiles.

Beloved Son

5. This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus is the only beloved and begotten Son of the Father. But He was sent into the world to bring forth many sons. This was the very purpose for which Jesus was born. He fulfilled all righteousness and had the Holy Spirit upon Him, so that you and I might become sons of God. 'But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.' John 1:12. We cannot become children of God by natural birth, regardless of godly parents. We cannot become children of God by our efforts or good works, nor by the will and desire of any other person. We must be born of God. When Jesus met Nicodemus, He made it very clear that we must be born from above, or be born of God. Flesh can only beget flesh, so we must be born of God.

Jesus went on to say that it is impossible to go to heaven unless you come from heaven. And we know that Jesus is the only One who has come from heaven. Therefore, it is only through Him that we can become sons of God. Only by receiving and believing in the only begotten Son who fully pleased the Father, will we be sons of God and do the will of the Father. The Father calls all who believe on Christ to join and participate in the fellowship of His Son. This is the body of Christ on earth, which is the church.

Jesus further said, 'And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life'. John 3:14-15. In Moses' day, the people had sinned and they were dying through the poisonous snakes God had allowed to come amongst them. Their only means of deliverance was to look to the brass snake God had told Moses to erect on a pole. As they looked, acknowledging their sin and culpability, they were healed.

In like manner, Jesus, the Lamb of God, became sin for us. He was lifted up on the cross bearing our sin. We must look and believe and come as sinners, being fully accountable for our sin. In participating with Christ, we are to be baptised into Christ and be baptised with the Holy Spirit. We are to be established in His church, so that all ungodly works can be removed from our lives. By the enabling power of His life, we can fulfil all righteousness.

Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship - Cairns | CCFC
Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship | TCF
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