January 11, 2009

Matthew 3: 1-17

   John the Baptist & Baptism of Jesus 

Matthew 

In those days John the Baptist began preaching in the Judean wilderness.  His message was, "Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near."  Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, "He is a voice shouting in the wilderness:  'Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming!  Make a straight road for him!'"  Johns' clothes were woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey.  People from Jerusalem and from every section of Judea and from all over the Jordan Valley went out to the wilderness to hear him preach.  And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them.  "You brood of snakes!" he exclaimed.  Who warned you to flee God's coming judgment?  Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God.  Don't just say, "We're safe--we're the descendants of Abraham.  Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever your roots.  Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

I baptize with water those who turn from their sins and turn to God.  But someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am--so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork.  Then he will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire."

Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John.  But John didn't want to baptize him.  "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you," he said, "so why are you coming to me?"

But Jesus said, "It must be done, because we must do everything that is right."   So then John baptized him.

After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him."          

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Thoughts...

First I need to apologize this morning for leading you astray with a wrong reference last week.  Please forgive me.  I neglected to correctly put the reference as coming from the Gospel according to Luke.  This tells me a couple things.  One, I need to be more accurate in overview prior to linking to the world.  And two, although I appreciate your trust in me, it is my hope you will pick up the Bible to verify that what I tell you is true.  You must protect yourselves in a world gone astray.  There are many who will come saying they are coming in the name of the Lord, and they are not.  You can prove them by what they teach you.  Is it scriptural, is it historically factual by documentation, can it be proven by the testimony of others in Christ?  Have you received confirmation from Holy Spirit that it is true?  This last one is for the mature Christian's understanding.  For those who are new to the Lord, let me tell you that if the Lord is telling you something directly or through someone else, there will be confirmation, either through another, or His word...the Bible.  The last thing my error tells me is that I am lacking in conveying to you that I need to hear from you, either through email, prayer on the prayer page, or by telephone.  I would have loved to have heard from anyone telling me of my error, so that I might have it corrected.  I do not want to give false information or be labeled as someone giving false testimony.  This was mere error on my part due to the fact that I am leafing between the gospels to choose which one to quote and made an error in the name, not in the numbered referemces.  I have also corrected such on the 'Scriptures' page for future reference.  Please feel free to question me.  About anything.  I am open, and honest, and if I cannot give you an immediate answer, I will get back to you with one that is accurate.  Thanks for hearing me out on this.  NOW, let's talk about John the Baptist and our LORD!

John the Baptist was Zechariah's son.  As you may recall, John leapt in Elizabeth's womb when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, arrived to see her.  We can consider that John and Jesus knew each other growing up as relatives.  Although  'I' don't have documentation as such, it would be unreasonable for them not to have known each other.  And Zechariah, John's father, prophesied Jesus birth and about John preparing the way for the Lord as a prophet of the Most High as referenced in LUKE 1:67-79.  I am right this time about the reference, I double checked.  Laugh.  

Luke also gives us a time line as being the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor, and tells us that Pilate was governor over Judea, Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee and his brother Phillip was ruler over Iutea and Traconitis, etc., as found in the opening to Luke 3.  This is pertinient to let us know that both boys had 'grown up'.  Luke tells us that John received a message from God.  A seemingly rebellious person by our standards...a man living in the wilderness.  Or was he?  Had he perhaps been called out there by God, so as to better find the peace necessary to hear God's voice?  Now I am not advocating we all go to the wilderness to hear God.  Sometimes we live in the wilderness in our hearts...they are barren...or they are fruitfully alive, willing to receive all nourishment.  We can hear either way...if we so choose. 

So John heard God speak to him and he went forth calling people from all walks of life to turn from their sins and turn to God.  To open their hearts to God.  I find it interesting to note that he chose who would be baptized.  Only those totally understanding that they sinned would he baptize.  He rebuked those who he knew would go on sinning or had not prepared their heart.  In the traditional Christian world, there are essentially 2 schools of thought on this.  One is that you should baptize someone almost immediately after they commit to belief that Jesus came to earth by God, died for their sins and was resurrected, allowing us forgiveness of sin and eternal life, confess their sins and be willing to receive all the Trinity has to give.  The other school of thought is that once a person is told about all the Trinity has to offer, they should be schooled with more information as a support mechanism put into play to help them understand more and the importance of such.  UNFORTUNATELY, what traditionally happens is that what is taught is mostly church law, not just God's law.  Please note that many times there exist conflicts between the two.  I am not advocating that the churches that do this are wrong.  I am suggesting that you need to be aware that man's law per church doctrine and God's law are not always in alignment.  Expect imperfection in the church, by humans, but do not expect imperfection in God's plans and laws.  Go where God leads you, and respect leadership authority, if they are indeed of God.  

Quantifying that, I will say that God speaks to all of us in our hearts and minds...our conciousness.  Sometimes that information is for us, other times it is for the world.  Since ministers are human like the rest of the world, receiving information from Holy Spirit  can be very difficult:  to know what is for personal use and redemption, if you will, and what is for the world.  Technically everything we learn can be taught and the tricky part is that some people are still young/new in Christ, and some people are mature Christians.  What the mature Christian understands, the new in Christ may not.

John is speaking to many people about to become Christians.  He is also speaking to people who know God in the old school way of things.  He walks a fine line.  But he is adamantly sure that there are people who will continue to sin regardless of their public profession of faith.  While he baptizes immediately the majority it seems, he does not immediately baptize these people or send these people to school to baptize, but he schools them in the basic principles as to why bother to be baptized.  Later we learn the phrase to 'go and sin no more'.  He is telling this in his words.  Don't bother unless you choose to go and sin no more, otherwise your actions are worthless and will hurt others.  In LUKE he admonishes, "Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God.  Don't just say, 'We're safe....'."  He goes on to say, "Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire."  He warns with an everlasting judgment.  Salvation, then, is NOT forever.  Many churches teach that it is.  It is clear from this passage and many others, that salvation is not forever.  We have a responsibility to produce good fruit.  Be a giving, honest, Christian of integrity, so he goes on to say.  And 'produce fruit' means to bring others to him to help grow the family tree if you will.  The family of Christ.  Be a Christian in the fullness of the understanding...living and being.

So John offers water baptism, to cleanse of sins, but Jesus offers the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I can hear you now....what is that?!?  Baptism of the Holy Spirit is when we are filled with his presence.  When we open the door to our lives fully to accept all that God has to give us...the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the gifts.  Allowing him control over our lives...making him LORD, after we make him Savior.  In Galatians 5:22-23  we learn of the fruits: "But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.  Here there is no conflict with the law.   Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.  If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.  Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another."  In 1 Corinthians Chapter 12, we learn of the gifts of the Spirit through Paul.  I encourage you to read the entire chapter, here is a list in part  which states, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church."  Holy Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice, the gift of special knowlege, special faith, power to heal the sick, power to perform miracles, ability to prophesy, ability to know whether it is really the Spirit of God or another spirit that is speaking,  ability to speak in unknown languages, and the ability to interpret what is being said.  "It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts.  He alone decides with gift each person should have."  These are the reasons that compel one to desire John's baptism and Jesus' baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

So John went forth and Jesus went forth...to John...to be baptised with water.  It is the necessary order according to Jesus.  And as Jesus received the water baptism by John and prayed, "the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.  And a voice from heaven said, "this is my beloved Son, and I am fully please with him."

Have you listened to God calling you?  Have you answered him?  Have you followed what he said to do so that you do everything right....his way?  If you have not made the choice to follow God, make that choice now.  Is God pleased with you?  Do you believe in him?  Ask him to come into your life and give you a new life.  Make him Lord of your life today.  Do it now.....

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Let Us Pray

Dear God, Jesus and Holy Spirit you have allowed me to see who you are...in part.  Enough to realize I want you fully in my life.  I want to receive all that you have to give me.  Forgive me of my sins....please.  Heal me in all the ways I need to be healed to be a cleansed vessel to receive you in your fullness.  Show me how to make you LORD of my life.  Help me to praise you and share you with others.  Not just you in me, but show them the way to you, too, so you can be LORD of their lives as well.  Help me to grow in you the way YOU want me to, not the way I think...my thinking is faulty, Lord, not now tempered by you and others and your word.  Bring others to suround me that love you and have accepted you as LORD of their life, so that I might have examples of how to live and how to love...the right way....your way.  Bring me closer to you.  Make me whole....complete...with you.  I love you, Lord.  Thank you for showing me this new path and thank you for giving me this new life.  Help me to be grateful, Lord, for everything you give me.  May I forever praise your holy name....God.....Jesus.....Holy Spirit....Thank you.  Amen.     

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Wise men...and women...still seek him.

  Give him your finest gift....your self.   

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"What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a Shepherd, I'd give him a lamb.

If I were a Wise Man, I'd do my part.

But what I can, I give...my heart."

Christina Rosetti   

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Give him your heart today.

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"Do you hear what I hear?

Said the king to the people everywhere,

"Listen to what I say!

Pray for peace, people, everywhere,

Listen to what I say!

The Child, the Child sleeping in the night

He will bring us goodness and light,

  He will bring us goodness and light." 

 

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Definition of a Christian:  Anyone who believes in God, Jesus and Holy Spirit, and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Regardless of church name or religious affiliation.  

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If you feel that the Church of the Holy Spirit has inspired or helped you, we'd like you to prayerfully consider tithing regulary to us or gifting us, so that we can further the work and carry out the will of the Father as proclaimed in Matthew 28:16 NLT

to

"Go and make disciples out of all the nations

baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.  And be sure of this:

I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

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  Our Current Cause

We have a family in crisis who could desperately use your prayers and support.  The Mom, a good Christian woman, is young still...she just turned 50, and she has 3 young children under 15.  She has just been diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer.  Her husband died 3 years ago from Cancer, and her Mother, who has her own health issues, is trying to care for her and her children and help her along life's way.  They do not have enough money to meet their everyday expenses right now.  But I am confident that, with your help, we can find some balance for them.  If this touches your heart, we hope you will pray earnestly for her to be healed, and pray for her family.  And, if you would, please send any amount of money you can to help them.  Please note 'Elizabeth and kids' in your note line on your check and we will see that all funds go directly to them.  Please consider reaching out to help them.  I know they will be sincerely grateful for anything you can do to help.  

Please accept our sincerest thanks....and may God bless you.

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Church of the Holy Spirit

and sent to

Church of the Holy Spirit

P.O. Box 86076

Tucson, Arizona

85754-6076

If you have any questions, we can be reached at:

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In the meantime, we hope you will trust us to direct them to where the need is the greatest.

We will be integrating Pay Pal soon for your convenience.

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    One last thing....

 Jesus' Prayer of Thanksgiving

"The Unforced Rythms of Grace"

"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer:  "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.  You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.  Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work."

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly.  "The Father has given me all these things to do and say.  This is a unique Father - Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge.  No one know the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does.  But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen."

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and lightly.

  Matthew 11:  25-30

  The Message

And the people said,

"Amen."

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