The Awesome Significance of Jesus' Baptism | Mark 1:9-11 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark)

It's always a joy to open God's word with you. And so would you meet me in the gospel according to Mark in chapter chapter one? I know we're still early in this book, but I cannot help but feel when studying this gospel and teaching it that we're treading on holy ground. When speaking about Christ, as much as we have liberty in him, there's there's this this sense of reverence. There is no one like him, and and because of that, we need God's help in understanding him.

And how we communicate him and speak of him demands something from us that no other person demands. And so if you're there in Mark one, meet me in verse in verse nine. It says, in those days, Jesus from Nazareth rather 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 the voice came from heaven, you are my beloved son.

With you I am well pleased. Lord we pray again. Help us with this. Help us see the awesome significance of the baptism of Jesus. Lord, we pray that the spirit of God would open the eyes of each heart in this place.

Lord, break through familiarity. Break through all distraction. And Lord, win our devotion and draw out fresh affection for the person of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that you would indeed empower the ministry of the word this afternoon. And that we would sense something of the radiating glory of God in Christ Jesus.

Bring us to our knees. Wipe away every tear. Restore the joy of your salvation. We need you, oh Lord, for we are we are so able to become hardened in light of these truths. So able to become indifferent.

But Lord, rescue us again. Rescue us, Lord, and receive from us what is your due. Supreme love, adoration, and devotion. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

Our time together last week hopefully provided some clarity in understanding the meaning of the baptism of this wild prophet named John, John the Baptizer. And the main idea behind John's baptist baptism is that it was a means to dismantle this false confidence that the Jewish people had in their heritage, in their ethnicity, in their culture, in their race. This was a community that believed wholeheartedly that because they had a certain ancestry, that they had automatic access into the kingdom of God, that they were saved based on that. And here comes John, the son of a priest, after four hundred years of silence and begins to proclaim, repent. Repent, you Jews, and be baptized.

You cannot depend upon your culture. You cannot depend upon your history. You must make an individual commitment to realizing your need for the mercy of God. You must recognize that your culture doesn't erase your sin. Only God can do that.

And so would you join with me in this water and would you make a declaration to your people and before God that you need him? Because the kingdom of God is at hand. And so we understand that that is the emphasis of John's baptism. It clarifies the emphasis of the baptism that you did, right, in the name of Jesus where you identified with his death. I'm dying with Christ.

My salvation is because of Christ. And you clothe yourself in him by faith, but that water envelops you as a way of signifying your burial and your resurrection in his name. But with this fresh insight in our hearts, right, with this fresh insight about what John's baptist baptism was all about, we come now to a new, a new challenge. A new challenge in trying to understand John's baptism. And the challenge is, as we try to interpret it, is that this baptism for sinners, this baptism that called those who realized their need to repent and confess their sins was something that the Lord Jesus Christ himself participated in.

How can it be? And so significant is this that we must understand it. It may seem intimidating to engage with, but as we dig and as we discover why Jesus did this, oh, I pray that you would have another reason to give him glory and worship. And so we understand that Jesus was in fact baptized by this man who baptized people for them to repent. And in seeking to understand the monumental moment that this was in Jesus' life and ministry, this afternoon, you and I will only answer two questions.

Two questions. And the first one was this, why is it that Jesus was baptized by John? And the second one will be, what happened when the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by by John? And you may be surprised to understand that the the first answer to that first question, why? Why did he come to this point?

Why did he come to the shore of the Jordan to experience this? To experience this campaign that was called to humble and identify sinners. How can it be? And I present you the first reason and it is to affirm the deity of Jesus Christ. When you read verse nine, I'm sure the first question that comes to mind is why?

Why is the sinless, spotless savior who is God in the flesh responding to this call for sinners to humble themselves? And many who vehemently deny the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ will come to a verse like this as some kind of a proof text that he was not God. That he did not share in the Father's nature. He was a good man, but he was a man still. A man who shared Adam's sin.

And the very same place where people would try to repudiate the character, the perfect nature of Jesus Christ is the very same occasion where God actually wants to affirm his perfection. But how? How can it be? How do you get that out of this? And the only way that you can get it is when you see the snapshot taken by the other gospel writer, Matthew.

And in Matthew's telling, Matthew by the spirit knows the questions that we would come, that would come through this text and and desires to answer it. And this is how he answers it, but you have to go there. In Matthew chapter three and verse 13. Would you know that the answer to this question is in the response of John and his reaction when he learns that Jesus desires to be baptized by him? Matthew three thirteen.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? This is nothing short of incredible. This prophet who called every man, every woman, every politician, every ruler, even a religious one to repent and be baptized has come now to a point where he is faced with a Jew that occupies a category that no one else shares. A Jew flesh and blood who does not require to respond to John's baptism.

How can it be? Well, it's very simple. John here is not just trying to be nice. He's not trying to just be humble. He's not respecting Jesus as someone who might be slightly more superior than him by saying, you know, you should actually do this for me.

No. John here is highlighting that this Jesus who is from Nazareth does not need to undergo his heavenly commissioned baptism because there is nothing that Jesus needs to repent of. John bearing witness to the the sinlessness of Jesus, the deity of Jesus is not only found in that famous statement, behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It is also recognized in his refusal to baptize him. This does not apply to you.

This is not something that you need. You are too worthy for this. And so he protests And he calls Christ to be at bay. You do not need to join me in this. And what's so amazing is when you think about the crowds on that day, because Luke tells us there was a multitude on that site when Jesus was baptized.

And what a sight it must have been that for the first time in John's short ministry, but nationally powerful ministry that touched the entire people, for the first time, there is a man who doesn't need to go on under the water, in the waters of repentance. He doesn't need to be immersed because this man who asked to be immersed was too worthy for it. Therefore, even before looking at the words of Jesus and his reasoning why he must be baptized, we have John the Baptizer who is telling us that whatever is about to take place is not because, it is for the remission for sins. And before moving on, I would like to make a comment about John's response here to Jesus' request. It's a practical thing.

It's very very important to realize. Because John was a unique preacher. He was a unique preacher because he was a confrontational preacher. He was one who was disturbing the consciousness of men who were comfortable in their disobedience. He was somebody that rumbled the message of repentance.

And he would even call out specific sins that he knew that some of his audience members were harboring and living in. He was indeed like Elijah. And some admired John's approach. Some really liked this fire breathing kind of preaching. And so they longed to emulate it themselves with the hopes that they would see the same fruit.

And they wanna confront false teachers in such a bold way. And they wanna call out hypocrisy and Christendom, and God can use that. And I am of those who believes that we need a revival of such preaching to such an extent. But what God can use in that can actually be counterproductive if it is done in the wrong attitude. Hear me if you're a person who loves truth and not just loves truth but desires to proclaim it uncompromisingly.

Notice what John says to Jesus. He says, I need to be baptized by you. This is not just his attempt to try to elevate Christ. This is also a declaration of his own inferiority. I need to be baptized by you.

I love that. And the reason why I so love it is because this man, this preacher who looked at crowds and he says, you're a bunch of snakes. You know that? And you're sinners and you need to repent and the wrath of God is coming upon you. That same man realized that he was a sinner himself.

This minister who was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother's womb still saw the need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit by Jesus Christ. I need to be baptized by you. I need that inward cleansing that only you can offer. Nothing can be more ineffective than someone calling people to righteousness in a self righteous spirit. John was no such man.

Even with this man's hard words, it could be received because people could perceive this man's humble. This man's broken. This man is aware of his own his own need for this Christ that he speaks of. For repentance that he's calling us to. And I think that is very important because the gospel will only sound sweeter when it rings from a vessel who realizes his own need for it.

I I I think I'm speaking to a people who love the truth and some of you go beyond that. You wanna tell people about this truth. So please hear what I have to say. That even something as harsh as rebuke can be received well by those who would recognize in you and me a person who is fully convinced that they need the mercy of God themselves. There's something in the tone.

There's something in the approach. There's something in the eyes that even the prophetic like ministry can be embraced because people see a man who is preaching about something that he needs himself. And if we love truth and wanna declare truth, then would you and I be a people who can prove to other people that we are just as much of a sinner as they are? And we need that message. We need to understand that the more and more we see the darkness in the world.

Do you really believe do you really believe in your heart that the potential of your own wickedness can be that of what we see today apart from Christ? The answer should be yes. Apart from the intervening grace of God, you and I can be among those who think the same way as those people think and march in the same way and present their crazy ideas in the same way. Blessed be the name of the Lord that he has saved us. And let the world hear it.

Let the world see it. Let them perceive like they perceive in John, a man of great humility who preached a truth that he himself needed. Jesus in his baptism, baptized by John, does not contradict the concept of his deity. It actually affirms it. It was a very platform in which the lamb of God was seen and recognized by a prophet for his purity and holiness.

But more than that, why was Jesus Christ baptized by John? Not just so his deity could be affirmed, but that he can identify with sinners. Think about it. If John's reaction is not sufficient to satisfy the skeptic, then the words of Jesus in response to John's protest should be the final nail in the coffin. Look what the Lord says in verse 15 of Matthew three.

But Jesus answered him, let it be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. The phrase to fulfill all righteousness is the heartbeat of Christ's decision to do this. And it begs the question, if if Jesus did not share the Father's nature, if if Jesus is not in fact God in the flesh, then then wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity for him to say something along the lines of let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for for my sins to be cleansed and for me to repent and and for me to to to be an example to these Jews that I am like them and and I and I must also receive the mercy of God and I confess it. That would have been the perfect chance. But the obvious answer is it doesn't happen because he he doesn't need it.

So why is he saying to fulfill all righteousness? Well, you and I can understand that that phrase in the following way. To fulfill all righteousness is to fulfill all the requirements of God. To fulfill all righteousness is simply to fulfill all the righteous requirements and decrees and demands that God has made. And that's exactly what Jesus is doing.

Because the scriptures are clear that John's baptism was authorized by God. It was something that heaven mandated. It had a divine origin. John didn't just wake up in the wilderness one day, says, I think I'm just going to baptize some people. God told him to do it.

And when we understand it that way, when we couple it with the understanding of Jesus' purpose on the earth to fulfill all that the father had told him to do, to walk in perfect obedience, then he is perfectly obeying by doing what? Submitting to what God had ordained, namely John's baptism being surrendered to. When Jesus is coming to John's baptism, what Jesus is actually doing is obeying the father. He's obeying God. In other words, think of it this way.

If John's baptism was commissioned by God and Jesus, our Lord, the Son of God, seeks to obey God, then he will gladly respond to the mandate to join John's baptism. You know why that's important? Here's why it's important. Because the Lord Jesus, by doing this, is securing the obedience that you and I need to stand right before God. The Lord Jesus here, since our faith in him is a transfer of our disobedience for his obedience, is in a sense walking out our obedience on our behalf.

He's identifying with sinners. He is telling us through this, I'm in your place. I'm in your place. Think about it this way. When you have entered into the waters, of baptism in Jesus' name, what are what are you doing there?

I hope you know. I hope you did know. And if you don't know, let me remind you, you identified with Christ. I am declaring that I am I am linking myself to this reality, and I'm symbolically showing it through this dramatic ordinance. I'm going in, bear with Christ, coming up, resurrected with Christ.

You going into that water is identifying with Christ's work. Now now let's look at it in the flip side. Jesus going into the water, though without sin, though perfect, is identifying with you. And he is now coming to this point in the beginning of his ministry to say, I am standing in the place of a fractured humanity, and in this moment, I am foreshadowing what I will do on the cross. In this moment, I am saying I will die.

I will be buried, and I will come to life again. And so very clearly we see that Christ's heartbeat is to satisfy God's righteous righteous decree and to publicly identify with sinners as their substitute. I I worship the Lord for that. What an incredible sight. And if someone still can't see the distinction of Jesus' baptism through John's reluctance and Jesus' own explanation for why he's doing it, then we have another person who is testifying in this.

God the father himself who audibly speaks from heaven and says, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased in whom I am well pleased. It was audible. It was there. It was a manifestation. And why did that happen?

Well, I mean, that statement means so much, but at least in one thing, he's telling all those people who were there that day, my son is going into that water not for the same reason why you will go into that water. I'm pleased with him. I am well pleased with him. Sinless. My beloved son, sharing my nature, perfect in my sight.

And so we see that he is identifying with sinners. And that is something that we can rejoice in and and close and and just worship over this table. But I love the thought that as much as the perfect obedience of Jesus was primarily lived out so that mankind can have the the righteous representative for them. Jesus also did all that he did as an example. The Lord Jesus Christ humbled himself to come into those waters.

Do you know why? You just heard it. Because God demanded it. And what I think is so amazing is that John tried to prevent Jesus from being baptized not knowing at this moment that he was intending to please the father. Jesus in this moment possessed a revelation that John did not have.

I have a clarity of what this is all about. And because I've received clarity, I have this clarity, there's an urgency for me to satisfy what God demands of me. And with that clarity and with that urgency, Jesus provides an example. Here's why I'm bringing this up. Because the attitude of the savior unfortunately stands in such contrast to the attitude of many of his followers and how they communicate their obedience to God, especially and even with water baptism.

The one in the name that is greater than John's, by the way. How many are convinced that what Jesus said about being baptized in his name, the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, is in fact an ordinance for those who claim faith in him, And yet at the same time, treat such a thing as though it is a suggestion, as though it is something nonessential, as though it is a thing that can be delayed based on convenience. I'm not just talking about water baptism. I'm talking about anything that God had decreed clearly in his word. You do not see this in Jesus even in the beginning of his ministry.

He sets the tone of his desire to obey the father. By doing this, and if you are one who feels hesitation in the face of obedience, would you look to your master? Would you look to him as your example and see that he was determined to obey the father's will. And it doesn't matter what kind of protest came or what kind of praise came, even if it came from a great man like John. I must obey the father and no one will stop me.

What a savior. What an example. If the father said it, then no man can stop me from doing it. And so we see here that Jesus is giving us practical practical instruction. Is there more practical instruction in the baptism of Jesus?

I believe so. But it's only when you marry it with the different accounts. Because Luke tells us that Jesus did something else while he stood in those waters that no other gospel writer tells us. And you would see it if you go there in Luke three twenty one. Look what Luke tells us that no other gospel writer tells us.

In Luke three twenty one, now when all the people were baptized, so there is more baptisms that day. And when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying and was praying. The heavens were opened. Luke gives us a precious sight of Jesus on that on that day, in that scene. He told us that Jesus was praying during his baptism.

And no wonder, when you go to Luke, you'll see that he has a desire to give a portrait of of Jesus praying. He mentions Jesus praying more than any gospel writer. And and it's in that gospel account even where you have the revelation that Jesus' close disciples were so intrigued about some aspect of Christ's ministry, and it was his prayer life. It is in that place where you see where the disciples asked directly something that they have not asked anything else about and that is, would you teach us to what? Pray.

Would you teach us to pray the same way John taught his disciples? You do not see the disciples asking for anything else to be taught directly to them except for prayer. I wonder what they saw. I wonder if it was the early mornings when they woke up and Jesus was not on the campsite because he was some somewhere deep in the bushes communing with the father. I wonder if it was the way he prayed.

Hebrews tells us that he prayed with reverence. I wonder if it was the liberty that he had in calling God father. Whatever it was, it so moved the disciples that they said, oh, would you teach us to pray? And as we know, Jesus used that opportunity to give what we know as the Lord's prayer. And it's not so that we just pair it exactly what Jesus said, but it gives us, a formula to frame the way we commune with God.

What to include. What we should be asking for. How we should speak to him. But can I challenge you further? Don't just look to the Lord's prayer as an example of how to cultivate a prayer life.

Look at how he prayed. Look at when he prayed. And one of the things I see in Jesus' prayer life is that he prays here during his baptism. And what I learned as I desire to be like him is that there is the liberty for my prayers to be legitimate in any place at any time during any activity. In other words, we see here that as Jesus is standing in the presence of a multitude and as Jesus is undergoing a certain thing, he is still able to commune with the father.

You know what that means? That means that you don't have to go to a specific place and and get on your knees and be on a certain angle for the reception to be right, for God to to give you his ear. What I see in Jesus is that while I'm in my car, I can pray and he hears me. While I'm at the doctors waiting in that room and needing peace, I can pray. That while I am in a business meeting, not knowing how to bring a solution to this, I can pray for wisdom.

And the father will heal. While I clean, I can turn that that scene into a worship center and praise him and pray him. And this is what Jesus is showing here that in any arena, that with any activity, I can do what Paul says that we should do and that is pray without ceasing to walk in a way in which I am continually in communion with the Lord, inviting him in all things, bringing all things to him. This is what we say. Do we not as evangelicals?

We have a personal relationship with the Lord. Well, who's more personal to the father than Christ? And here's Christ exemplifying it. While he's being baptized, he's speaking to the father. Would you do the same?

Do you feel a legalistic limitation that you cannot have that freedom with your father? Look to Christ. He is my example and yours. And we have access to the heavenly father and he will hear us. And this idea of Jesus praying is a perfect transition.

Because you heard three reasons, brief reasons to why Jesus was baptized. To affirm his deity, to identify with sinners, and to also be our example to a certain extent. But now we come to the second main question before we break bread. And that is not why the Lord Jesus was baptized, but what happened when the Lord Jesus was baptized? And that is an important question because two things happened and they were supernatural.

One was visible. One was audible. The visible has to do with the person of the Holy Spirit. The audible has to deal with the father. And what we see in verse 10 is our focus for the rest of the message.

And when he came up of Mark one ten. 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. I don't know about you, but in answering the main question, I have more questions. What happened when the Lord Jesus was baptized? Well, I read it in verse 10 and I think to myself, well, why is that happening?

Why is the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus now? And for what purpose? There is no explicit statement that seeks to give us a look into the relationship with the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus before his commencement into the ministry. Yes. He was there during the the incarnation, but between those silent years, we don't have any clear window into how it is that the Holy Spirit related to Jesus being in the flesh, walking in this world until we come to this moment and we see that it is so clear that he descends upon him and John tells us that he remains on Jesus.

And when you look at that, you have to be careful because that does not diminish the deity of Jesus Christ. Why this is brought up is in fact to emphasize on the humanity of Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man, truly God, truly man. And as we come to this moment, we see that the humanness of Jesus, the essence of his humanity was in fact true. He did not come to this earth taking on an earth suit only to appear as though he was human.

No. He really came in the flesh. And in the flesh, he knew real human limitations. He knew real human temptations, though he did not share in the corrupt nature that Adam introduced to the human race. And so when you and I look at this, we have to consider that the reality of the human nature of Jesus is on full display.

Why? Because as a man, by being anointed by the Holy Spirit, he is showing that he is in need. In his humility, in humbling himself, he is in need of the of the power of the spirit, of the guidance of the spirit, of the anointing of the holy spirit. This is just as much as a declaration of Christ's humility as him going to the cross and submitting to the father's will. He is also submitting to the Holy Spirit's influence as a man.

And the scriptures are so clear. They tell us that in order for for us to honor the humanity of Jesus, we see here that the source of his divine power when he was doing all those supernatural works throughout his ministry was supplied by the third person of the trinity. This is Jesus showing that he was truly a man being clothed by the power of the Holy Spirit that does not assault his deity. All that does is highlight the sincerity of his humanity. And if you want a verse to confirm what I'm saying, Peter preached to Cornelius' household and he made it so obvious that you cannot debate it unless you really wanna deny the truth of the word of God.

If you if you take notes, take this reference down. In Acts ten thirty seven to 38, he's preaching and Peter says, you yourselves know what happened. You yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea beginning from Galilee that after the baptism that John proclaimed Here's the sequence. After the baptism that John proclaimed, verse 38, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. To do what?

He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him. For God was with him? Well, I thought he was God. And are you saying that God wasn't with him before the Holy Spirit? No.

There was a unique anointing that took place in that moment for the sole purpose of a ministry being fulfilled. It would be blasphemous to say that he was not in connection to God or that he was not God or some crazy people would say that it was at this time Jesus was born again. It was solely a clothing of power from on high in a way that no other man has known, unmeasured, unmeasured power so that he can fulfill what prophets have told us would happen when the Messiah would come. Jesus was clothed with power. But let us consider the manner in which the Holy Spirit enters into the scene and comes upon Christ.

You know what Mark says? Something that Luke doesn't say, something that Matthew doesn't say, and it has to do with the entrance. Go back to Mark and look what it says in verse 10 of chapter one. What happened to the heavens when the Holy Spirit came? Torn open.

Torn open. That is a dramatic word. That is almost a violent word. It means to rip something. It's the very same word that Mark uses when he describes what happened to that veil in the temple, how it was torn from top to bottom.

And yet we see here that in the beginning of Jesus' ministry, not just at the end, there was a tearing of the heavens for the Holy Spirit to come down, not as a dove. So the idea now is a white bird with an olive branch in the mouth has to be erased. That's not how the Holy Spirit showed himself. Like a dove. Not as a dove.

He didn't come like a bird. I know that's gonna ruin your painting at home. Like a dove with certain qualities that we would see in that unique creature. But what's so amazing here is is that Mark for some reason finds it so important, and it's obvious because the Holy Spirit is riding through him, that the the sky above on that day was ripped. Why does it matter?

I'm sure there are different reasons, but may I present to you one option and it is that in this moment, God answered a prayer and it wasn't the prayer of Jesus only that he answered. Jesus was praying in this moment. And I believe that what he was praying for is what he received, for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to come upon him. But there was another prayer that was prayed. There was another appeal, another cry many many years before this time that I believe was answered at this scene.

It was a prayer given by a man who is used by God to give many many many many prophecies about the very Messiah that we are speaking about, Isaiah. Isaiah the prophet at one point in his ministry comes before God in such a beautifully written prophetic prayer because the nation of Israel have come to a point of such destitution to such a degree that even the enemies of God trampled upon the sanctuary of God. They just brought the house of God to rubble. And Isaiah was so stirred by this because on top of that, there seems to be this long and extended silence from God. He seems to not to not intervene.

He seems to not come and rescue his people to the point where Isaiah's concerned that the nations are saying, does this people even have a God who rescues them, who hears them, who saves them? And with all of that in his heart and all of that bubbling in the hearts of the remnant of the people of Israel, Isaiah comes to a point where he makes this desperate cry. And the cry is in Isaiah 64 verse one. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down. That the mountains might quake at your presence as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil, to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence.

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down. God answered Isaiah's prayers seven hundred years later. He did rend the heavens and he did come down, but who was it that entered into into our world? Who is it that descended? The person of the Holy Spirit.

Telling me what? Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is the same Yahweh that Isaiah is appealing to. Come down. And God hears that prayer and fulfills it in the Messiah's ministry and he does come down.

He He comes down, yes, in the person of Jesus Christ, but he rends the heavens and he comes down in the person of the Holy Spirit. And as much as he has fulfilled this prophetic prayer, I believe that he did not answer it in the exact same way that Isaiah had desired. Because when the heavens were rent and God did come down, there was no quaking. There was no shaking. There was no Sinai like symptoms.

The nations did not tremble at the presence of God. No. Instead, when God came down after rending the heavens, he did so in such majestic gentleness. He comes down with such an elegance. He comes down with such a tenderness and a softness, a delicacy.

And he he approaches the scene not with judgment crashing through, but with divine blessing instead. For God to tear open the sky with such force, you would think and anticipate that you are going to see what they saw on Sinai. Fire, smoke, quaking, fear. And instead, what you do see is grace. Softness.

Gentleness. Meaning what? That yes, the force was still there and the heavens being rent, but that force is only declaring something about the eager desire of God to break through into our world as one would break into a sealed room to try to save a dying man. That sky splitting moment is to show, yes, in almost a forceful, zealous way, but not to pour out judgment, but to come and to save man. That is what it is saying.

And there is a time where the sky will be opened again. But when the sky will be opened again, you're not gonna see a dove coming down. You're not gonna see something like a dove coming down. You're gonna see a man on a white horse. And that will be more closely to what Isaiah was asking for.

But between now and then, the heavens have been torn open. And the openness of the heavens, in a sense, is still there to declare God's eager desire to rescue you in this place if you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. That he wants to descend upon your life to save you and to redeem you and to rescue you and not to judge you and condemn you. And I wonder if you believe that about God, That he broke into this world to come to save you from your sin before it's too late. See, again, him breaking through the world's roof and descending upon the Messiah so that he could commence his ministry in the power that he needed is a visualization of the rescue mission of God from heaven trying to get you into his fold.

And I wonder if you believe that today. How can you be so casual with the gospel being preached if you do not know Christ when Christ commencing his ministry in the Holy Spirit and the Father, that Trinitarian relationship being on full display was nothing of being casual or light, but being very intentional and forceful to save you. That's what I'm bringing forth to you today. And some of you have responded that some of you have beheld and understood the significance of Jesus and the heart behind him coming to save. And some of you haven't got it yet.

I'm just gonna be honest. And that's okay. Because today it can all change. Today, it can change. Today, it can all change through the message that you just heard.

Because the heavens will open again. And it could happen in our lifetime. People are more convinced of that truth today than ever before. And if that is true, then what will come your way when the heavens do open? Will it be what that dove, at least the manifestation of dove like qualities on that day, be what you experience?

In other words, the peace of God through Jesus Christ? Or will it be what revelation talks about? With that era of peace, the invitation has been made out, you've heard it, you're accountable, and now he comes to judge. I hope you be on the side of knowing his peace. He loves you more than you can imagine.

He died for you. He came for you. And as we come to this table, we are remembering that. And this is really for those who have embraced that truth and have been changed by that truth. And so as we come to the table, can we prepare our hearts to receive and remember what Jesus has done for us?

Well, we thank you for just a glimpse of the significance of your baptism. We thank you for the practical truths. We thank you for the truths that make our faith unique. Lord, as we come to the table and observe the ordinance that you've established for your church, may be an act of worship on our part. And may it bring healing, reconciliation, and reviving to our own hearts.

Lord, we thank you that you took our place. You stood in our place. We thank you that you are willing to identify with us and receive the wrath that we deserved. Lord, for those in this place who do not believe that, would you open their eyes? Would you open their eyes to see the force of your love even in the skies being opened in such a way to come and reach down and rescue us so that we can be with you forever?

Lord, we love you for this and we give you glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.