Let’s look at the context of Matthew 6:33, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

Immediately it is obvious that there are three parts to the verse:

1. Seek the kingdom of God
2. Seek His righteousness
3. All these things shall be added to you

In our last message, we focused on Seeking the Kingdom; today we will focus on Seeking His Righteousness.

Matthew chapter six covers four important areas of a Christian’s devotional life.

1. Charitable deeds, compassionate acts towards the poor, alms giving.
2. Prayer, communication (dialogue) with the Lord.
3. Fasting, giving up food, and then taking that time to draw closer to God.
4. Avoiding the seeking of wealth as a means of having confidence in life. Our confidence must be in the Lord alone. (Hebrews 10:35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise

As we will see these four areas should be central to every Christian Believer life. We all know that we should be doing these things, and I am sure that we do to some degree. However, Jesus is not just saying that these are things that we should do, but that we must do them with the proper attitude and motivation. In other words, what’s our heart attitude? Are we doing these things to please some (1) religious system, (2) to please man, or (3) to please the Lord?

Trying to please or satisfy a religious system.

This is a common occurrence to those who believe that belonging to a particular denomination or group is the means of salvation and righteousness. This kind of thinking might be true if you were a Jew living under the Old Covenant of the Law. However, it’s not true if you are a Christian living under the New Covenant. Jesus provided the New Covenant when He went to the Cross, died, was buried, and then resurrected on the third day. 

The heart of the New Testament salvation message is found in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Reading carefully, we see that we are saved by GRACE, Grace means that it is undeserved and unearned; it is a free gift of God. This Grace is received through FAITH, that is, repenting and believing that what Christ provided through the Cross was sufficient to receive the love, forgiveness, and acceptance of God.

Verse 9 is critical to the point that I am making that it is not about trying to please or satisfy a religious system, “not of works, lest anyone should boast.” This speaks to the heart of Grace; you don’t deserve it, and you can’t work for it. All of the religious exercises, practices, and rituals cannot save you. Only by turning (repenting) to Jesus and believing in Him can one be saved. Right living or righteousness is the evidence that you truly believe in Him! Right living is not the means of salvation! This is what James meant when he said, “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18 Your righteous deeds or works is the evidence of your salvation. 

Now I am sure that someone is thinking about Romans 4: 22, but hasn’t the righteousness of Christ been imputed to me? “22 And therefore “it was accounted to him (speaking of Abraham’s faith) for righteousness.” 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”

The answer is yes, the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us because we are born-again, and the seal of the Holy Spirit is upon us, the Holy Spirit living in us. Spiritually speaking, we are righteous, but it is in the natural realm that we must learn to be led by the Spirit, to walk in righteousness so that the world would see that we are (1) Christians and (2) see that is why we receive the blessings of God.

Pleasing man is an age-old problem. 

Jesus had to deal with this during His ministry. As you know, Jesus did not hold the religious Jews, the Pharisees in particular, in high regard because they often sought to circumvent the “spirit of the Law” with the “letter of the Law.” The Pharisees were more concerned about how they appeared to people. They wanted to appear pious and holy in public. In effect, they were man-pleasers and not God-pleasers.

 Jesus said of the Pharisees, Matthew 15:14, “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” This is a rebuke to those who lead others astray with false teaching and a warning to those who follow a person, a leader, or authority figure blindly. I think the Apostle Paul said it best as to what our attitude should be in 1 Corinthians 1:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Perhaps you can begin to understand the tendency to obey the letter of the Law and not the Spirit of the Law when you realize that the Old Testament had 613 laws, rules, and regulations. Six hundred and thirteen laws tended to lead people into the attitude of religious ritual or practice—thereby neglecting the motivation of love for obeying the Lord. The term “legalism” describes the literal interpretation of the Law and missing the Spirit or purpose of the Law. Whereas we are to operate with the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15)

When you understand that the Lord desires to bless us and that we punish ourselves when we violate His commandments. For example, everyone knows John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now, look at verse 17, which follows, 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Can you see it! God doesn’t need to punish; people punish themselves when they disbelieve what He has said in His Word.

Keep in mind, God cannot bless what He doesn’t approve of. That is why righteousness is so important. The purpose of the Law was to show the Jews what was right in God’s eyes. This is what righteousness is, “doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.”

In the book of Judges, we see a series of seven military leaders called judges whose sole purpose was to deliver the Jews out of destruction by their enemies. The destruction was of their own making. They walked away from the Lord and sinned. The people continually did “what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6, 21:25). This simply means that people did what they wanted, ignoring the principles of God. They got themselves into serious problems because they were unrighteous. Sadly, many Christians do the same thing. They violate the principles of God and expect the Lord to bless the mess! 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “obedience is better than sacrifice.” In other words, it is better to be obedient from the heart than it is to be sorry afterward with tears and regret or penance.

The Lord has created a moral universe.

What I mean by a moral universe is that the Creation described in Genesis operates in the following way: obey the Ten Commandments, and you will be blessed, break the Ten Commandments, and you will suffer the consequences. Even before the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses in the Book of Exodus, every human being then and today has a conscience to know right from wrong. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, God was simply codifying or putting in writing the moral principles put in place at Creation. Ever since Adam and Eve ate of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” mankind has a built-in compass that can distinguish good and evil. Now, it is true that as human beings, we can choose to over-ride our conscience and do evil or neglect to do good. After all, the Lord has given us the ability to make free-will choices. However, make the wrong choices, and you must pay the consequences; in a sense, the moral universe “punishes you”! It is no different from breaking civil Law; if you commit a crime, you will be caught and have to pay the consequences. So, it is in the spiritual realm.

When a person does wrong or evil in God’s, it is not God who punishes you! It is the consequence of living in a moral universe. For example, gravity is a scientific law; essentially what goes up must come down. So, if you jump off the roof of your home and you are badly injured as a result, should you be surprised? Did you really expect to fly? You don’t have to learn the principle of gravity in school before gravity takes effect. Gravity is always in effect. The same is true of the principles associated with the Ten Commandments. They are always in operation.

So, what are we to do?

If you want your needs met by the Lord, follow these guiding principles from the Word, and you will do well!

Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Matthew 22: 37, “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law (613 of them) and the Prophets.”

Romans 13:8, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the Law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.”

Col 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

But before that let me tell you about some changes we are making here at the ministry.

1. To all those who listen to my podcast I want to make you aware of two things:
   1. Downloads of the audio mp3 file and the transcript documents are available at my website pastorvic.com or pastorvicsnuggets.com
   2. The numbering of the podcast will jump from 55 to 110 in order to be in sync with the video blogs.
2. Something brand new that is being offered for free downloads are what I call “Sermon Helps”. These are sermon outlines and notes that you can use for your own study and preparation. They cover 8 areas:
   1. Gospel Sermon Helps
   2. Christ Centered Life Sermon Helps
   3. Discipleship Sermon Helps
   4. Holy Spirit Sermon Helps
   5. Faith Sermon Helps
   6. Finding Purpose Sermon Helps
   7. Stewardship Sermon Helps
   8. Miscellaneous Sermon Helps

New Sermon Helps will be added every two weeks or so.

The Message: Seeking the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness…

As we begin to enter a new year, I think we can all agree that the last year has been a challenging year in every respect. The Covid 19 pandemic has affected all of us. Some more dramatically than others. However, if we “get stuck” at looking at the past we will miss our future. It would be like driving a car and only looking at the rear-view mirror. We would see where we have been but miss out on what is ahead. Life is the same, it is dangerous to focus on the past for we shall surely miss something important in front of us.

Our God is the God of the present as He prepares us for the future. The present is the only thing we have influence over and if we prepare rightly, we will impact our future. We don’t have to operate in fear wondering what tomorrow brings, but we can operate in the assurance that God is with us and for us. His word says that He will never leave us nor forsake us. His Word also says if He is for us, who can be against us. 

• Hebrews 13:5b, … For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
• Romans 8:31, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Fear is the enemy of Faith

Fear is a natural emotion and is appropriate in certain circumstances, but we should not have the “spirit of fear”. The spirit of fear arises when we start to believe the lies of the Devil and it causes paralysis which prevents us from acting in the wisdom of God. 

Paul the apostle wrote to Timothy his son in the Lord, that God has not given us the spirit of fear, this statement alone makes it clear that it is a wrong spirit. However, what God has given us is the ability to substitute that spirit of fear with the spirit of love, Power and a sound mind.

• 2 Timothy 1:6, Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

 Love is a powerful antidote to fear and our focus is to love God first and then others. Power is the power of the Holy Spirit and the spirit’s ability to destroy the works of the enemy, Finally, a sound mind so that we don’t make judgements and decisions based upon fear, but judgments and decisions based upon the mind of Christ.

So, how should we approach the coming year.? We must go back to the basics and place our focus on the correct goals and outcomes based upon what God has said in His Word. In other words what should we be seeking, remember, we are told to ask, knock and seek. The promise is that if we ask, seek and knock correctly the Lord will make the provision available.

• Luke 11:9, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Resolutions:

The beginning of a new year is often a time when we make all kinds or resolutions to change. It is in fact a good time to examine where you are and where you want to be in the coming year. For most of us life is about seeing the opportunities or doors the lord opens in our journey through life. If we are looking to the past, we will miss what He is doing right now. If we look to ourselves to accomplish a better life, then we miss out on the opportunity for the holy Spirit power and authority that has been purchased for us through the Cross of Jesus. 

Most of the time resolution to change have to do with,

1. Losing weight
2. Exercising to become more physically fit
3. Improving our education, trade or skill
4. Making more money
5. Finding a wife or husband
6. Being a better husband or wife
7. Being a better mother or father

And, the list goes on. Making resolutions to change, only to break that resolution in a short time.

So, what is the problem? The problem is that the focus is upon “you”. These resolutions have to do with what you want and your ability to attain the goals you set for yourself.

The question we should be asking ourselves is, “Lord, what would you have me do? What should I focus on what should I be seeking?” Fortunately, the answer can be found in the scriptures. 

What should I seek?

• Matthew 6:31, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.”
• Seeking the kingdom means that you are to seek the King, King Jesus!

What should I seek to do:

• Micah 6:8, He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

Seek to fulfill the Two commandments

• Matthew 22:36, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Feed a man a fish.

I am sure you have heard the saying, “Feed a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime!” In the same way if you seek the hand of God, what He can give you, then you satisfy for the moment. However, if you seek the face of God you will be satisfied for a lifetime! 

If you have Him or I should say if He has you, you will have access to everything in the Kingdom of God!

• Proverbs 8: 17, I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. 18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and righteousness. 19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold
• Psalms 27: 8, (David) When You said, “Seek My face,”My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

This is the real challenge for the coming year, to seek the face of the Lord and to trust Him that He will fulfill His Word to take care of all of our needs.

What is a Disciple?

In the last three or four episodes, I made some statements about what a disciple of Christ is. 

1. You must be Born-again. This means that you have repented of your sin; the sin of not believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Also, to believe that He died for you and you are forgiven.
   • 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
   • You are not a Christian by elimination! Testimony of intake at CPC, not a Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist therefore, I must be a Christian?!
2. Baptized in the Spirit. This means that you are embracing the work of the Holy Spirit in you and through you.  Learning to be led by the Holy Spirit is necessary to become the person the Lord wants you to be, and the Holy Spirit essential to fulfill the call of God upon one’s life. 
   • 2 Peter 1:2, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
   • Testimony of my experience. As a Believer, it is impossible to produce lasting change without the Holy Spirit’s work in your life.  
   • Zechariah 4:6, “So he answered and said to me: This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.”
3. Recognizes the mission Jesus was sent for and has accepted the manner in which he or she is called to fulfill that mission. My testimony of surrendering to the call of God.
   • Learning how to be a “voice for God and not an echo of man!”

Commission

Before we take a look at what Jesus said in each of the Gospels about making disciples, let’s define the word commission.

The word commission is made up of two parts, com and mission.

The prefix Com– is defined as to be “with” or “along side.” Think of these two important examples:

1. Communion – “to be with”, fellowship, kinship, friendship, fellow feeling, community, togetherness, closeness
2. Comforter – the Holy Spirit who is with you, or the one who comes beside you.

The word Mission is defined as- “The vocation or calling of a religious organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its truths or faith.”

In the Great Commission, Jesus is asking us to join Him in His mission of “Destroying the work of the devil.”

Commissioning of the Apostles/Disciples/Us

Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Mark 16:15, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Luke 24:46, “Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

• Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

John 20:21, “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

We are working with Jesus; we are not working for Jesus.

Recall what Jesus said in John 15:15, He call us His friends! As Jesus’ friends we become partners in His mission remember what Jesus said in 1 John 3:8b, “…  For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. The devil is at the root of every kind of pain and suffering and by the Spirit of God we have the authority and power to overcome Satan’s plans and deeds!

The works of the devil cover three of the miseries of mankind.

1. Spiritual loss 
2. Emotional loss (Soul)
3. Physical loss of health

So, what would be the evidence that Jesus has overcome the works of the enemy? The answer is obvious; Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom of God by healing those who were sick and oppressed. He used the scriptures and He used the Holy Spirit’s anointing to heal the sick, in body and mind.

• John 10:37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

In Closing

When I was a full-time pastor, I would preach on the threefold message of Hope, Healing, and Wholeness!

1. Hope- The Gospel is the message of Hope. (John 3:16)
2. Healing- The ‘Laying on of hands” for the healing of the body and soul.
3. Wholeness- The making of disciples and helping them find their place in the Body of Christ.

May God richly bless you in this season of time…

Secondly, Jesus tells us in Acts 1:8 that we shall receive power to be witnesses to Him. To be a witness is to speak and act upon what Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is doing in our lives. A witness can only attest to what he has seen, heard, or knows as fact. 

Jesus experienced this empowering of the Holy Spirit while He was in the wilderness being tempted by the devil. The scriptures say that Jesus came out of the wilderness in power to do ministry. As Believers, we receive that empowerment to do ministry when we surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Gospel writer Luke calls this the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts. 

Salvation and receiving the Holy Spirit is about believing in Jesus Christ; empowerment by the Holy Spirit is about believing in the Holy Spirit in you!

The final step in discipleship is to recognize your mission. Then to say or do, in the name of the Lord, which the Holy Spirit shows you.

The mission is the subject of today’s message.

Many Christians go through life wondering what they are called to instead of learning how to fulfill the single mission all believers have in common!

1. The “what we are called to” is the Universal call to all believers – the Great Commission is that all Disciples of Christ are commanded to make Jesus known.
2. The “how we are to fulfill the call” can happen in several ways.
   • Gifts to the Church – “Five-Fold Ministries” – Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher described in Ephesians 4:11.
   • Ambassadors of Christ – The Motivational Gifts – prophecy, ministry, exhortation, giving, leading, and mercy described in Romans 12:4-8.
   • The “fruit of the Holy Spirit,” “Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23.
   • The “Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” “Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Gift of Faith, Gift of Healings, Gift of Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits, Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues” 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

As we will see, the commission is easy to know when we look at Jesus’ mission statement.  You don’t get to choose your calling; Jesus calls you to partner with Him.

STEP THREE: RECEPTION OF THE MISSION OR PURPOSE JESUS WAS CALLED TO

We find a general statement of Jesus’ purpose or mission in 1 John 3:8, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

A more detailed statement of purpose is found in the words of Jesus in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

The first part of the statement is so important to understand, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me because He has anointed Me.” Any work that you do in the name of the Lord must be a result of the Spirit of the Lord directing you and, in the authority, and power of the Holy Spirit.

So many, in their desire to please the Lord, try to accomplish in their own strength what only the Holy Spirit can do. The anointing is the work of the Holy Spirit. Don’t confuse anointing with style or performance, or mannerisms.  

Let’s continue with the rest of Luke 4. What do these six statements of His intent mean? And, how was He to do all of this? First, we must recognize that Jesus has a double meaning in each of these six statements. One is spiritual, and the second is physical. In each case, Jesus was speaking in spiritual terms, but to prove He had the authority and power of God to touch these spiritual needs, He also demonstrated His ability to bring physical and emotional healing to those who heard and believed in His message. 

1. To preach the gospel to the poor. The word gospel means “good news,” and in the original Greek is “evaggelizo,”, from which we get the word evangelize. The good news is that the Kingdom of God is present and available to all who would put their trust and faith in Jesus Christ. The poor are those who are spiritually impoverished as well as those who are in physical need or lack.
2. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted. Jesus came to bring hope, healing, and wholeness to those who have been broken or crushed by the choices or circumstances of life.
3. To proclaim liberty to the captives. Liberty to those in spiritual bondage to the Devil as a result of worshiping the creation rather than the creator.
4. Recovery of sight to the blind. Jesus came to give sight to those spiritually blinded by legalistic religion.
5. To set at liberty those who are oppressed (downtrodden); 
6. To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.

All debts are canclled. The prophecy of Is. 61:1, 2 describes the deliverance of Israel from exile in Babylon in terms of the Year of Jubilee, but its ultimate fulfillment awaited the coming of the messianic age. Jesus boldly claims to be the promised Messiah, and His defined ministry here becomes the ongoing essence of the good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God. 

Luke later makes it clear He passed this same ministry on to the disciples in Luke 9:1-2, “1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 

Then ministry is given to the entire church in Acts 1:4-5, 8, “4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus did all of this through the Holy Spirit by which He was anointed. “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me.” How can we expect to do any less than to learn how to trust the anointing of the Holy Spirit that is in us?

Because Heaven was open, Jesus could hear and see what the Father was doing.

• John 5:19 “Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”
• John 8:28 “Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.”
• John 12:49 “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

Even in the Lord’s prayer – we say, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” How do we know what is done in Heaven unless it is revealed to us through the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit?

Now we are ready to look at the second event that Jesus encountered before entering into his ministry and purpose. THE RECEPTION OF THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Jesus went from His Baptism, where He was filled with the Spirit to the wilderness where He received the Holy Spirit’s power and authority. Now, the question is what happened in the wilderness that was key to Jesus’ preparation for starting His ministry? 

Heaven was open, and the Holy Spirit was upon Him, but now Jesus had to show that He was totally committed to doing the Father’s will. The three temptations in the wilderness were the universal temptations that all of humanity must resist. Jesus shows us how to resist the Devil by standing upon the Word of God! 1 John 2:16 describes these temptations best, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

1. The lust of the flesh – lust in this sense means a desire for that which is forbidden. The lust of the flesh then is a desire for forbidden physical pleasure.
2. The lust of the eyes – is the forbidden desire for those things that appeal to our sight or mind.
3. The pride of life – is the arrogant desire for money, power, and influence. 

I have heard these three temptations described as the “3 G’s – Guys/girls (sex), Glitter, and Gold.”

These three temptations were there in the Garden of Eden when Eve and Adam were tempted. In Genesis 3:6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (physical pleasure), that it was pleasant to the eyes (appealing to the eyes), and a tree desirable to make one wise (pride of life), she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Let us take a look at Jesus’ temptations by Satan in the wilderness, Luke 4:1-15.

Luke 14:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the Devil. And in those days, He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

I want to remind you to notice that each time Satan attacked Jesus, Jesus responded with the truth- the truth of Scripture. 

The lust of the flesh! (Jesus was hungry)

3 And the Devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.( Deuteronomy 8:3)’”

The lust of the eyes! 

5 Then the Devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the Devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve. (Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:10)’”

The Pride of Life!

9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you, 11 and, in their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. (notice that Satan can use Scripture too (Psalms 9:11-12), but he uses it to create doubt in your mind)” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, You shall not tempt the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 6:16)”

13 Now, when the Devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. (The Garden of Gethsemane.)

Jesus did not lose sight of who He was as a Son. He was called to serve the Father; He was sealed by the Holy Spirit and Heaven was open to Him! (Mark 1:12 account of the Temptations states that the Angels of the Lord ministered to Jesus while in the wilderness, in other words, Jesus was not cut off from the Father). 

Luke 4:14 “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.” The signs of the Spirit’s power was in the preaching and teaching of the truths of the Kingdom and in the notable signs and wonders He performed.

In the Gospel of John, seven supernatural miracles are attributed to Jesus:

1. Turning water into wine in Cana (2:1-11)
2. Healing an official’s son in Capernaum (4:46-54)
3. Healing an invalid at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (5:1-18)
4. Feeding the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee (6:5-14)
5. Walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee (6:16-21)
6. Healing a blind man in Jerusalem (9:1-7)
7. Raising dead Lazarus in Bethany (11:1-45)

AS A BELIEVER YOU HAVE POWER AND AUTHORITY AVAILABLE TO YOU – DYNAMIS AND EXOUSIA 

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

2Tim 1: 5 “…when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, which was the Seal of the Father at His Baptism.  Jesus then received the Power and Authority of the Holy Spirit during His Wilderness experience and temptations.  Now Jesus was ready to receive His mission statement or the purpose for which He was called. 

Jesus gave us the pattern of His life as the path of discipleship. 

As a Believer in Jesus Christ, the Lord has placed His seal upon you, which is the Holy Spirit, which shows that you are His. The seal of the Holy Spirit means that you are “filled with the Holy Spirit” this in turn, means that you can be led or directed, if you choose, by the Spirit to do the Father’s will. The release of power and authority comes through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This means that you have received the power and authority, or the anointing, to fulfill the Lord’s mission or the purpose for your life.  

More about that purpose next time. 

Remember to download the notes of this message go to www.PastorVic.com.

1. The Seal of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ case, it occurred while He was baptized by John the Baptist.
2. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Wilderness Temptations– Equipping- receiving of the authority and power of the Holy Spirit (The empowerment for service!)
3. Receiving the mission or call to fulfill the Lord’s purpose. In Luke 4:18 Jesus said, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me…” For us, it is the Great “Com-mission.” The call to partner with Jesus and His mission, ministry, or assignment. In other words, your purpose.

STEP ONE: THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The first significant event in Jesus’ life is His baptism by John the Baptist. (Matthew 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21-22, John 1:29–34). It is here that Father seals Jesus with the Holy Spirit.

THE SEAL OF THE FATHER IS THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The evidence of our salvation is the Holy Spirit of God living in us. Christianity is not a religion of rites, traditions, and formalities, but a living relationship with our Lord. The Holy Spirit is the evidence of our “sealing” by the Lord. 

• 2 Corinthians 1:21 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

• Ephesians 1: 13” In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

• Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Now of course, Jesus did not need salvation for Himself for He is the ” the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus.” (John 14:6). However, the Lord allowed this so that all would see that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah, Savior) and the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him. This is instructive for us as believers. We need to recognize and trust in the Holy Spirit in us as believers of Christ.

Before I get to Jesus baptism by John the Baptist, I need to discuss two other areas for context. (1) How is a person saved, and (2) what is the significance of John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance?

How is a person saved?

I think Jesus made it very clear in Mark 1:14, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” 

Repentance

The first point is that a person must repent! In this sense, the word repent means to “turn around” or have a “change of mind,” a change in direction. A person repents when they turn back to God.

Turning back to God means the following:

1. One has to acknowledge that they did not believe in who and what Jesus accomplished on the Cross, the forgiveness of sin. 

• One has to acknowledge that Jesus is God incarnate. 

• They must also acknowledge that, up to this point, they were not following the teachings of Jesus Christ, the teachings on love, forgiveness, and acceptance.  

It is easy for us to repent of specific acts that are unrighteous; it is another thing to repent of being totally wrong about the Lord’s grace, mercy, and character and then deciding to “turn-around” and walk towards the Lord. 

Believe in the Gospel

The second part of the phrase is to “believe in the gospel or the Good News. The spiritual Kingdom of God is present on earth today. As a result, the Good News is that you are forgiven of all of your sins. You are declared justified or innocent and have taken on the righteousness of Jesus Christ, our Savior. You are declared to be a “son” and co-heir with Christ. God is “for you” and not “against you”! You see, believing is not a matter of saying the right words, like a salvation prayer. Believing means that, from the heart, you demonstrate through your actions and behavior that you are a child of God!

Now a look at Christian Water Baptism

I recognize that some people believe that Christian Water Baptism is the means of receiving Christ. But, as I look at Romans 10:9-13, I see that the only requirement is to believe and confess Jesus as Lord. Now, if we look at Water Baptism as our confession, then Water Baptism becomes an outward sign of an inward decision and change. Here is  

Let’s get back to Jesus’ account of His baptism by John the Baptist.

The Matthew three account:  

• John the Baptist, who was Jesus’ cousin, was baptizing with the baptism of repentance. This baptism was an opportunity to be symbolically “cleansed” in the Jewish tradition and recognized that there was an inward change of heart towards God.  John realized that Jesus was the Messiah and felt unworthy to be baptizing Jesus, but Jesus said, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” He said to fulfill the Jewish Law of cleansing, enabling Him to enter the synagogues and teach and preach.

16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

• The Lord had taken this time to make known that Jesus had the Spirit upon Him. We know that after Jesus was resurrected and ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit as a gift, to live in every Christian Believer. I believe that this was the opening of direct communication and relationship between the Father and the Son! As Born-again Believers, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, and we can be sure that the Lord hears us, and we can hear from the Lord! (Read 1Corinthians 2) 

The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, in my mind, represents the first experience that we should take note of in His preparation for ministry. It is in this experience that the Holy Spirit falls upon Jesus. The fact that it took place during Jesus’ baptism could lead some to think that the baptism was the primary experience. Focusing on the baptism would lead us to miss the fact that although Jesus is the Lord incarnate, He was still a man when He walked the earth for 33 ½ years and He was limited by His humanity. 

Jesus experienced something that God wanted all of humanity to see that to serve the Lord; you must have the Holy Spirit first. As Jesus would say in the Gospel of John, “you must be born-again to see and enter the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:1-21) 

As to the Baptism of John, it was not Christian water Baptism as we know it today. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. It was an opportunity for people who had walked away from the Lord to change their minds and “turn back” to God. Remember, the Jews of Jesus’ time were discouraged, depressed, and defeated. They were under harsh Roman rule. They were a conquered people and, in some sense, gave up hope that God would deliver them. 

John’s message was a breath of hope! Matthew 3:2-3 John’s proclamation was, “… “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’”

John was preaching good news stirring up hope and anticipation! Then Jesus comes to John to be baptized. Now, did Jesus need to be baptized with the baptism of repentance? Of course not. However, He did it so that the Son could glorify the Father. Listen to what Matthew 3:16-17 says, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The Spirit of God descending like a dove, gently resting upon Jesus. Note that the heavens were opened to Him, which simply means open communication between Jesus and the Father. Open communication is what is promised to us when we become born-again. Heaven is available to us as believers.

SIDE NOTE: The interval between the Old Testament and the New Testament is often referred to as “the 400 years of silence.” During this interval it was as if Heaven was closed because there were no Prophets. Now because of Jesus, Halleluiah, Heaven is open again! 

Next time we will look at the Three Temptations of Christ in the wilderness… and its significance.

Bonus Material:

Let’s take a moment to look at the tradition of baptism in Jesus’ day. 

The following is taken from www.oneforisrael.org. A Messianic Jewish Resource.

Ritual Bathing in the Old Testament times

7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, lest they die. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”Exod 30:17-21

Immersion in Jewish Tradition

The Jewish laws which had been passed down orally from generation to generation had several things to say about the need for ritual washing, and the most desirable places to do it.

There are six different options suggested that satisfy the requirements, starting with pits or cisterns of standing water as acceptable but least desirable, moving up to pits that are refreshed by rainwater as slightly more desirable, then the custom-built ritual bath, or “MIKVEH” with 40 se’ahs (300 liters) or more of water, then fountains, then flowing waters. But “living waters” (as found in natural lakes and rivers) which were considered to be the best possible situation.

So, John’s immersing people in the “Living waters” of the River Jordan was perfectly within Jewish law and practice at the time.

So, immersion in a mikveh was quite common at the time of Jesus, but the New Testament also describes baptisms taking place not only in rivers, but in any available body of water. In Acts 8, we read of a visiting pilgrim from Ethiopia, who came to believe in Jesus as he read the book of Isaiah on his way home:

“As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” (Acts 8:36)). 

By this point, baptism had come to signify, or symbolize, a decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.