Title: You Are My Beloved Son
Contents
you are my beloved son
Today, as the Sacrament Sunday, where we celebrate the baptism, we would like to share a word about the event where Jesus was baptized. Jesus, the Son of God, who came to this earth in human form, began his public ministry when he was baptized by John the Baptist at the age of 30.
However, in today's text, when Jesus was baptized with water by John the Baptist and came out of the water, three events happened to Jesus.
In other words, the first event was the opening of the heavens, the second was the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove, and the third was Jesus hearing the voice of God himself. These three events are, of course, very unique events that only happened to Jesus, but in a way, they are events that should also happen to us Christians who believe in Jesus. Jesus is the savior who came to save this world. In Hebrew, he is called the Messiah, and the word Messiah means the anointed one. And through these three events that occurred when he was baptized, Jesus received the office of the Messiah from God, and from that day on, the kingdom of the devil began to fall on this earth, and the work of expanding the kingdom of God began. However, we who believe in Jesus must become little Messiahs in some way. In other words, you must be able to be anointed by God and be used in God's work of saving the world. In that sense, it can be said that the three events that happened to Jesus should also happen to us today.
Then what were the three events that happened to Jesus when he came up from the water after being baptized by John the Baptist?
First of all, there was an event that opened the sky. In other words, Jesus saw the kingdom of heaven before starting God's work in this world. Jesus saw the glorious and splendid kingdom of heaven where God's throne is and glorious angels minister to God. There were many difficulties and hardships for Jesus to carry out the work of the kingdom of God on this earth. However, Jesus was able to boldly carry out the work entrusted to him by God without succumbing to such difficulties because he saw the heavens open at the beginning of his public ministry and saw the glory of the kingdom of heaven. The problem with many people today is that they have never seen anything of heaven. The reason Christians who are said to be the people of the kingdom of God live a worldly life that is not much different from those of this world is because they have never seen the glory of the kingdom of heaven.
We call a person with a vision who sees something that others have not seen, but a true Christian must be a person with a vision. Man can live as much as he sees and work as much as he sees. As in Richard Bark's 'The Seagull's Dream', a high-flying bird can see into the distance. Even though we live on this earth, those who have seen heavenly things can forsake earthly things and do things that are heavenly. The prophets of the Old Testament were people who saw the heavenly visions that God had given them. Because they saw the vision of the glorious kingdom of God, they were able to live their lives as faithful servants of God without succumbing to the harsh reality. What we also need today is the heavenly vision that God shows us. Those who have seen the vision of the kingdom of heaven do not despair or become discouraged. Even in the midst of an unrighteous world, we boldly proclaim the righteousness of the kingdom of God and pursue the righteousness of the kingdom of God. I pray that all of our members will also have their spiritual eyes opened to see the secrets and visions of the glorious kingdom of heaven.
Today's modern churches have silver and gold, but are losing the anointing of the Holy Spirit. There are institutions, programs, and human zeal that imitate the world's organization and business methods, but there is no power because there is no anointing of the Holy Spirit in all of these activities. It seems that the church is doing a lot of gospel work, but the kingdom of the devil is not collapsing. Therefore, the work of anointing with the Holy Spirit must take place again in the church today. When the church is anointed with the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of the devil will be destroyed through that church, people will be changed, and the evil spirits and the forces of darkness that are dominating this earth will recede. Today, the only power that can give hope to this country, this nation, and this society is the church that has received the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the church must be renewed and, above all, must be anointed with the Holy Spirit.
Finally, the event that occurred when Jesus was baptized and came out was the event of hearing the voice of God. In today's text, when Jesus was baptized and came out of the water, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove, and God's voice came from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:3: 17). It was that God loved Jesus so much, and that He was so happy to see Him. Why did God see Jesus and be so loving and pleased with Him? It is because Jesus was the one who decided to live a life of suffering, humility, and service only to obey God the Father. Jesus not only heard this voice of God the Father at the beginning of his public life, but also heard this voice from heaven when he decided to take steps toward death on the cross (Matthew 17:5). What does this mean? It is said that Jesus heard this voice from Heavenly Father and was comforted, refreshed, and overcame hardships.
I pray today that our saints will also hear the voice of our Heavenly Father, saying, ?쏽ou are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.??However, this voice cannot be heard by nominal Christians who live in pursuit of their own self-interest and comfort. Those who want to obey Heavenly Father's will rather than my own, those who choose to humble themselves and choose the path to be a servant, those who want to be accepted by Christ rather than accepted by the world, those who deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus To those who want to sleep, God says from heaven, ?쏽ou are my beloved Son. He is the one with whom I am well pleased.??Those who hear the Father's voice are not discouraged. You can persevere in the midst of hardship and rejoice while looking forward to the future glory. And finally, you will be able to overcome hardships and win. Today, I earnestly hope that I and all of the saints can live while listening to Heavenly Father's voice.