Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Voice of God
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 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. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:9-11 ESV
Mark 1:9-11 ESV
Oh, to hear the literal voice of God! I have always wondered what it would sound like. Elijah heard it in a whisper; Israel heard it in the thunder on Mount Sinai. Here, it appears as a simple voice. How I long for the Day where I will hear that voice say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
When The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, He was anointed to begin His ministry. This was not Jesus becoming God, as some teach. This was not when Jesus “realized” his mission, as others teach. Jesus was God from birth, and looking at the encounter of the boy Jesus in the temple, it is clear that He knew who He was at an early age.
Every king was anointed by a prophet at the beginning of His reign, or before, as in the case of David. Oil would be poured on the king’s head, symbolizing the Spirit of the Lord resting on his chosen servant. This was a picture of the event here today, where King Jesus would be anointed by the Holy Spirit, not just a representation of Him.
None of our ministry will be effective if the Holy Spirit has not anointed it. Without the Spirit moving in out lives, in our ministries, the best efforts are simply man’s works. But when we rely on the anointing of the Holy Spirit, it is not our work, but God’s. Let us pray today that we can learn to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us and anoint the works of our hands.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Beginning
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Jews had not heard from God in over 400 years. Generations past without hearing a word of prophecy, without seeing the glory of the LORD in the Holy of Holies. I’m sure some of the Jews simply went about their lives, not knowing any differently. But there were many who were waiting for the Messiah to appear in their lifetime. So when John appears in the wilderness of Judea, wearing camel hair and preaching that the Kingdom of God was at hand, people began to listen.
Today, very few people would pay attention to some crazy looking man, standing in a river and shouting, “Repent!” Most would probably carefully walk away, calling the police to come take away the “crazy man” down by the river. But the Jews were ready for this message. God had prepared their hearts for this moment.
Unless the Lord prepares a person’s heart, the message of repentance will never take root in their lives. Are there people in your lives that need repentance? Then the best thing you can do for them is pray that God would soften their hearts. No amount of preaching, no amount of apologetic evangelization will ever effect change in a person’s life without the Holy Spirit preparing the ground for the seed of the Gospel.
Today, pray that God would soften hearts, including your own. Perhaps there is a message that you need to hear today, and you will need a softened heart in order to understand it.
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