The Coolidge examiner., 1938-01-06

of the Lord.-Mark I:3.
PRIMARY TOPIC-When Jesus Was
Baptized.
JUNIOR ToPIC-when Jesus Was
Baptized.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOP
1C-Getting Ready to Serve.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOP
1C-Dedicating Our Lives to Service.
THE beginning Of the Gospel Of
Jesus Christ"-what an interesting
expression! Did it not begin back
before the foundation Of the world?
Yes, for the death of Christ was no
mere afterthOught in Gods plan.
But now we have the coming into
the world Of the One who was the
Lamb slain from before the worlds
founding. Jesus Christ is about to
appear to begin his ministry which
was to culminate at Calvary's cross.
Before Jesus comes the one sent
to proclaim his appearing, to her
aid the coming of the Servant Of
God. Mark begins his account with
the ministry of John the Baptist and
makes no reference to the birth and
genealogy of Jesus. How appropri-
ate that is, for after all the impor-
tant thing about a servant is not that
he came from a certain family or
was born in a particular place. The
point is that he is here now and
able and ready to do his work.
1. The Herald of Christ (yv. 1-8).
The prophets had pointed forward
to the coming of Christ. John the
Baptist, of whom our Lord said that
there was not a greater among the
prophets, now appears to proclaim
his presence and prepare the way
for him. OF him Joseph Parker
beautifully says that he was all
but a transparent veil: they could
almost see the coming God through
him If he stood aside for mo-
ment there was the One who was
TO Come"
John was a unique personality,
admirably fitted to proclaim stern
message Of repentance to a deca-
dent age. Let US not put aside or
ridicule strangely clad and unusual
folk who have a word for us from
God.
''Repent''-that was his message
from the Lord. America needs
that message today. The Christian
doctrine of repentance has been set
aside by some because they dis
like its convicting power. and by
others through theological readjust-
ment. 1t needs re-affirmation.
Johns greatest message, howev-
er. was the coming of the One who
was to baptize not with water but
with the Holy Ghost. Like every
true witness he humbles himself and
points to the Saviour. We need the
message, repent" but we need
even more to recall to our preaching
and our churches the Holy Ghost
power of the Son of God.
ii. The Baptism of Christ wv.
Gid.
The account in Mark is brief but
it brings before us the fact that the
sinless Son of God thus identified
his holy self with sinful humanity
which he had come to save. What
infinite love and condescension! God
the Father gives his approval.
Thou art my beloved Son, in whom
l am well pleased" ". III.
Let us learn the lesson that
obedience to the divine will, a will
lingness to humble ourselves to do
the work whereunto God has sent
us, are prerequisites to the filling
of the Holy Spirit with power and
grace for life and service.
iii. The Temptation of Christ (vv.
IL, 49,.
AS a final preparation for and an
intimation of what would be met in
his ministry the Holy Spirit led our
Lord into the wilderness to be
tempted of Satan. Around him were
the wild beasts. before him was
Satan, and in it all "the angels min
iStered unto him."
We recall as we consider the
temptation of Jesus, that he was
without sin, that there was no fallen
nature in him to which Satan could
appeal The temptation or testing
of Jesus was therefore along Mes
sianic lines, but the principles both
of temptation and victory are SIM
liar to those of our own experience.
Consider the parallel passages in
| Matthew and Luke 4.
The Devil has only three real
temptations to present, ''the lust Of
the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life" Il John 2:16).
These he used with Jesus as he
tempted him to make food for his
hungry body, to look at the king
doms of this earth and attain them
by a wrong method, and to pre-
sumo on Gods grace by throwing
himself from the pinnacle of the
temple. He uses the same three
types of temptation with us, vary
ing the dress" in which he pre-
sents them. Let us be on guard.
Victory came through the use of
Gods Word. We need to learn that
lesson and not attempt to defeat
| Satan with any man-made weapons