Title: In Christ, the Father is well pleased with you!
Text: Mark 1:4-11
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Being well pleased is something I think we all would enjoy. At times we are pleased to be recognized for things we do. It might be at church, work or school where the work we do is seen by others, or it just might be a self awareness of things we have done that we are pleased about.
In our lesson today:
11 … a voice came from heaven [saying], “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
It is great to know that in Christ the Father is well pleased … because:
In Christ, the Father is well pleased with you!
As I mentioned in last weekend’s sermons, the next time we will read about Jesus, after his sitting in the Temple as a 12 year old boy, is when he is 30, beginning his ministry and recognized by John as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Here, Jesus goes out to where John is Baptizing. We know very little about what went on over the last 18 years of Jesus’ life from his sitting in the Temple questioning the teachers of the Law to now the beginning of his earthly ministry. But Mark’s gospel begins with a quote from the prophet Isaiah:
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way. He called the people to repentance – to recognize their fallen state as sinners. To this water and to this repentance Jesus comes to John as one, who is mightier than John and even the sandals of Jesus, John is not worthy to untie.
So why baptism, why Jesus and why by John?
Well, John was sent to prepare the way. He was sent to fulfill what the prophet had foretold. He was to be the herald to the one who would come. Mark believes that his gospel and Jesus’ baptism is a fitting place to start.
John had had great success and the people were going out to John, to repent of their sin and to receive this Baptism of Repentance from John. Jesus came to this baptism not so much to replace John, but to replace you.
When Jesus was baptized he fulfilled what was promised and was marked as a sinner in your place. He had no sin, he needed no repentance, but he came for you and for all who are born in the natural way, conceived and born in sin. His baptism was a baptism of death, in that Christ Jesus was marked to be the Lamb of God who takes away your sin, and the sins of the whole world, so that you can be marked not for death … but for life.
With Christ the Father is well pleased and:
In Christ, the Father is well pleased with you!
We daily fall short and are not well pleasing to the father and others most of the time.
Ill.
Thomas Edison's manufacturing facilities in West Orange, N.J., were heavily damaged by fire one night in December, 1914. Edison lost almost $1 million worth of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, walking about the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, the 67-year-old inventor said: "There is value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew."
Alan Loy McGinnis, The Power of Optimism (A longer version of this story is found below).
But not for you and not for me … the disaster of sin and all of our mistakes are not burned up. Because of sin and its consequence we live with the reality of being separated from God and of being God’s enemies. We live with this disaster and we die with this disaster because the wages of sin is death. Rom 6:21
And you [and I] are dead in trespass and sins. Eph 2:1
We are born dead. Sounds funny? But spiritually we are dead. We are separated from God and it will take an act of God to restore us, to make us right with God and this is done only by Christ and only in Christ. With you and with me God is not pleased as we stand in our sinfulness and covered by our own righteousness.
But, Jesus came to be your substitute; to stand in your place; to be marked as a sinner, in your place, for you.
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
Here Jesus takes your place as the repentant one, he is without sin and acceptable by the father to be the once for all sacrifice.
10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
The Father is well pleased with Christ and in Christ the Father is well pleased with you!
The Baptism of Christ leads from the waters of repentance by John to Jerusalem Jesus and ultimately to the cross for you.
Luther in his Large Catechism brings to light the importance of Baptism as instituted by Christ and who baptism is by and for whom it is intended.
Luther writes:
3] In the first place, we must above all things know well the words upon which Baptism is founded, and to which everything refers that is to be said on the subject, namely, where the Lord Christ speaks in Matthew 28:19:
4] Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Likewise in St. Mark 16:16:5] He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
6] In these words you must note, in the first place, that here stand God's commandment and institution, lest we doubt that Baptism is divine, not devised nor invented by men.
…
10] For to be baptized in the name of God is to be baptized not by men, but by God Himself.
Therefore, although it is performed by human hands, it is nevertheless truly God's own work. From this fact every one may himself readily infer that it is a far higher work than any work performed by a man or a saint. For what work greater than the work of God can we do?
Jesus Christ has gone into the water of repentance for you. He then goes to finish the work for which he came and to give you what you need and could never attain on your own merit. He gives you life and salvation by his death and resurrection and he give you the kingdom of God by his saving act for you.
Sound improbable?
Ill.
In WWI, the American 308th regiment was surrounded by enemy forces and under severe mortar and machine gun fire. Casualties were heavy and supplies were short. The unbearable situation intensified when American artillery began shelling the sector where the 308th had dug in. The only communication was by carrier pigeon. In desperation, a sergeant released the last bird with a note pleading for the Americans to hold their fire. As soon as the pigeon lifted off, a stray bullet grazed the side of his head and tore out his left eye. Then a piece of shrapnel hit his chest, shattering his breastbone. But his homing instinct was strong and he struggled onward. Somewhere in the flight another piece of shrapnel tore off his left leg, leaving the message canister dangling from torn ligaments. The pigeon made it to his loft, however, and the order went out immediately to stop shelling. The 308th survived.
Source Unknown.
In Christ, the Father is well pleased with you!
Though may seem improbable for some it is not with God who makes all things new in Christ. Dear friends you are made new by Christ and in Baptism you are united with him in his death and resurrection and:
In Christ, the Father is well pleased with you!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit!
Amen
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