Fulfilled Protocol Releases Necessary Blessings

Rev Enoch Thompson | JANUARY 12, 2023 | MATTHEW 3:16-17

KEY VERSE: Matthew 3:16-17 (NIV)

¹⁶As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

MESSAGE:

The baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ at the beginning of His ministry has been shown in the last devotional to have been a necessary part of His total mission. Today we want to stress that when we follow divinely mandated protocols we naturally attract divine approval and unleash divine benefits to ourselves, and to the group dynamics of family, business, the Church and society.

Our text asserts that “¹⁶As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17).

The time element of THAT MOMENT is meaningful. It means that the fulfilment of the baptismal requirement brought the God-Man Jesus Christ to the point where God the Father would announce and showcase Him to the world. There are many of us who want to see Heaven opened, without wanting to stand in some cold Jordans, or be “reduced” by abiding by some church requirement we think below our dignity. Many seek for God to announce us when we have not shown by our new transformed character and a new way of thinking, which is scorned by the world, that God has come into our lives as Saviour and Lord. O, how the Holy Spirit descended upon the self-humiliated Christ, to announce His divine identity because He had identified with lowly humanity by His baptism.

FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:

Ask God to show you what things He expects of you to do, as part and expression of your submission to His will, from His Word and from Church requirements. Do you have to regularize your “marriage” or submit yourself to baptism? Do you have to revise your financial contribution to the upkeep of the Church? What about your roles as a Christian, as a father, or as a mother of a child?

PRAYER:

Lord, help me place myself where the moment arrives, from today, where Heaven is opened over me, and Heaven announces me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!