TEXT: Matthew 3:13-17:
13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
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After preaching the Gospel every day for 367 days straight throughout the 2016 presidential campaign season, I am preaching the Gospel every day throughout the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s term. If you think a new president being in office is the only thing needed to save America and ‘make America great again’, you are woefully deceived. The church must follow through and “keep the main thing the main thing: and that is reaching unbelievers with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and praying for their salvation, for the problem in America is not only disobedient presidents, politicians, and people, but disobedient pastors, preachers, and parishioners who have refused to obey the Lord’s Great Commission which is to, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,’ and who have refused to obey God’s repeated commands to ‘pray without ceasing’ for unbelievers, believers, and political leaders.” So, we encourage you to pray for the new president, but not to get caught up in the political happenings like the world does. Nothing much is going to change until people get saved and get their hearts right with the Lord. And that is what this campaign is all about.
This campaign is inspired by the following three verses: 1 Corinthians 2:2 which says, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Acts 5:42 which says, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” And 2 Timothy 2:4 which says, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
This series is not for Christians necessarily. However, I do hope you are one of those saints who still loves to hear the “Old, old story of Jesus and His love” — As another hymn says, “For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.” This series is primarily for unbelievers, so they can hear and understand the Gospel and be saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is hell. This is message number 79, day 446 since Jan. 1, 2016.
John F. Walvoord said, “No one else has ever come from infinite heights of glory to such a shameful death. If there had been a better way or another way by which the sin of the whole world could have been taken away, surely God would not have required His beloved Son to submit to such a death.”
The baptism of Jesus was accompanied by the declaration of God the Father, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Throughout history, God has spoken through Spirit-filled men. Only rarely did man hear God’s voice directly. But God saw fit to speak from Heaven on behalf of His Son as He was being introduced to the world. The voice of the Heavenly Father is significant for several reasons.
First, God’s declaration on behalf of His Son emphasizes how central Jesus is in God’s heart and how important He is to God’s plan of redemption for man. God calls Jesus “my beloved.” The word beloved means “esteemed, dear, favourite, or worthy of love.” We cannot separate Jesus from the plan of God. We cannot please God without receiving His Son. At the Mount of Transfiguration, God spoke again saying, “This is my beloved Son. HEAR HIM.” Those who try to minimize the importance of Jesus and the work that He did are severely misguided. He is the messenger and He is the message. Jesus said, “No one cometh to the Father but by Me.”
Second, God’s declaration on behalf of His Son gives us a glimpse of the future for all those who trust Christ as Savior. Jesus is God’s Son, and we will be God’s Children. God is pleased with Jesus, and He will be pleased with us if our sins are washed away in the blood of Christ. Even though Jesus went through much difficulty while on this earth, even though He had the sins of the entire world placed on His shoulders, prompting God to turn His back on His Son, we can look back to Jesus’ baptism in order to see how things really stand. We face suffering in our lives as believers, but we can look back at the Baptism as well in order to be reminded of where we will end up. We are baptized with Christ, and we, too, are God’s children, His beloved, in whom He is well-pleased.
Third, God’s declaration on behalf of His Son highlights Jesus as an example for us. Jesus set aside His glory in order to identify with us in baptism and in death. Jesus was obedient, even in matters that would be considered beneath Him. He did not have to be baptized. He was God’s beloved Son! But He submitted to the baptism in order to fulfill all righteousness. How much more should we not hesitate to fulfill the righteousness that God demands of us? If we trust Christ as Savior and obey His Word, we will be met with the commendation of the Father: ‘This is my beloved child with whom I am well-pleased.’
F. Bland Tucker and Nikolaus Herman wrote:
Christ, when for us you were baptized,
God’s Spirit on you came,
as peaceful as a dove,
and yet as urgent as a flame.
God called you, “My beloved Son”;
you are God’s servant true,
sent to proclaim the reign of heaven,
God’s holy will to do.
Straightway and steadfast until death
you then obeyed the call
to serve with free and willing heart,
to give your life for all.
Baptize us with your Spirit, Lord;
your cross on us be signed,
that likewise in God’s service we
may perfect freedom find.
Only through Jesus can we be baptized by the Holy Spirit and become a child of God. If you are ready to place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.
He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
BCNN1 WP 