Baptism Leads To Total Restoration

Baptism Leads To Total Restoration

January 12, 2024:
Readings: Isaiah 42:1-9
Acts 10:34-38
Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22

1st Sunday of Epiphany 2025

This is the Season of Epiphany, meaning, “The Lord is with us.” But Christ is not only with us for one season, He is with us at all times. Today, we reflect upon the baptism of Christ. When we celebrated Christ’s birth, there was still no real power manifested in a baby. But now as a young man and being baptized, here was something so awesome that had taken place. When Christ was 12 years old, He went away for three days, and His parents became very anxious. Later on they found him speaking, debating and discussing important topics with the scribes, teachers and scholars and He was wise beyond His years. God was already preparing Him for the future.

When He came to this point in His life that He was fully prepared to minister to people at age 30, when He was to be baptized, it was when the Holy Spirit came upon Him to empower Him to fulfill God’s tasks for Him. God’s plans are very detailed. There is always a pattern. John the Baptist was conceived in his mother Elizabeth’s womb. Mary visited Elizabeth when she was 6 months pregnant and Mary was just new in her pregnancy. John rose to become the one to prepare the way of the Lord. We see Jesus coming to the wilderness to the River Jordan to be baptized. When John saw Him coming, he told the people that here was a man coming to him, whose sandals he’s not even worthy to untie. But Jesus told him, “let it be for the sake of righteousness.” The symbolism here is that people needed to repent and be baptized for cleansing. Jesus waited until all the people were baptized. He waited in line. He was placed in the water, and when He came out, the heavens split open. Heaven and earth became one again. Then the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like in the shape of a dove, and gave Him the power. A voice from heaven sounded; “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus receives from God the Father the ability and the power to do the tasks set before Him. Going from Baptism to temptation, going into Ministry to change the water into wine, to healing, to raising the dead, to the calming of the sea, the trial, the crucifixion, the death, resurrection and ascension. This is why we should give baptism its due attention. He had to go through all these things in order to restore us.

Isaiah 42 “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”

Ephesians 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” God chose us, predestined us. He sets everything in order. How the sun, moon and stars function are all according to a pattern. Everything was perfect from the beginning, until sin came when Adam fell. But when the fullness of time came. God sent Christ to redeem us by going to the Cross in our behalf. The Church teaches us that Christ bore our sins and this is true. But what she fails to teach us is that we are being restored back to His creation. The plan of God is total restoration. In the New Jerusalem, there will be no temple because God will be with us all the time.

We must prove the will of God. God is not going to give up on His creation. We have hope in Him. His provisions are more than enough. Baptism is a sign that humanity is restored.

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