Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized there by John. John didn’t want to do it. “This isn’t proper,” he said. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you.”

But Jesus said, “Please do it, for I must do all that is right.” So then John baptized him. After his baptism, as soon as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God coming down in the form of a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, and I am wonderfully pleased with him.”

Why did Jesus ask to be baptized? It was not for repentance for sin because Jesus never sinned. He was baptized because (1) he was confessing sin on behalf of the nation, as Nehemiah, Ezra, Moses, and Daniel had done; (2) he was showing support for what John was doing; (3) he was inaugurating his public ministry; and (4) he was identifying with the penitent people of God, not with the critical Pharisees who were only watching.

Let Go of Ego

Put yourself in John’s situation. Your work is going well, people are taking notice, everything is growing. But you know that the purpose of your work is to prepare the people for Jesus (John 1:35-37). Then Jesus arrives, and his coming tests your integrity. Will you be able to turn your followers over to him? John passed the test by publicly baptizing Jesus. Soon he would say, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” (John 3:30). Can you, like John, put your ego and profitable work aside in order to point others to Jesus? Are you willing to lose some of your statuses so that everyone will benefit?

1. U

 

John 1:24-28

Then those who were sent by the Pharisees asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

John told them, “I merely baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you have never met, who will soon begin his ministry among you, and I am not even fit to be his slave.” This incident took place at Bethany, a village on the other side of the Jordan River where John was baptizing.

John the Baptist said he was not even worthy to be Christ’s slave. But according to Luke 7:28, Jesus said that John was the greatest of all prophets. If such a great person felt inadequate even to be Christ’s slave, how much more should we lay aside our pride to serve Christ!

To Forgive Sins

John was baptizing Jews. The Essenes (a strict, monastic sect of Judaism) practiced baptism for purification, but normally only non-Jews (Gentiles) were baptized when they converted to Judaism. When the Pharisees questioned John’s authority to baptize, they were asking who gave John the right to treat God’s chosen people like Gentiles. John said, “I merely baptize with water”—he was helping the people perform a symbolic act of repentance. But soon one would come who would truly forgive sins, something only the Son of God—the Messiah—could do. Jesus can forgive your sins, no matter how big or small they may be. Have you accepted his forgiveness? Confess to Christ.

Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool

Luke 12:13-21

Then someone called from the crowd, “Sir, please tell my brother to divide my father’s estate with me.”

But Jesus replied, “Man, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.”

Then he gave an illustration: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing—he couldn’t get everything in. He thought about his problem, and finally exclaimed, ‘I know—I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones! Then I’ll have room enough. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you!”’

“But God said to him, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?’“Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.”

The rich man in Jesus’ story died before he could begin to use what was stored in his big barns. Planning for retirement—preparing for life before death—is wise, but neglecting life after death is disastrous.

The Good Life

Jesus is pointing to a higher issue—a correct attitude toward the accumulation of wealth. Life is more than material goods; far more important is our relationship with God. Jesus says that the good life has nothing to do with being wealthy, so be on guard against greed (desire for what we don’t have). This is the exact opposite of what society usually says. Advertisers spend millions of dollars to entice us to think that if we buy more and more of their products, we will be happier, more fulfilled, more comfortable. How do you respond to the constant pressure to buy? Learn to tune out expensive enticements and concentrate instead on the truly good life—living in a relationship with God and doing his work.

https://fromtimetoeternity.com/?p=3238&preview=true

September 10, 2018

Promises Promises Promises

Greetings My friends in the name of God our Father and His Son and The Holy Spirit.

Thank God for you and your families. Lord please lead and guide me as I speak to my friends,

my brothers, and sisters that know you and my friends that don’t. It is my which that after hearing

these words they will be drawn closer to you than ever before. Thank you, Lord  God, in Jesus Name,

Amen.

When we say I promise, it means something to the person we are making the promise to.  When you or I promise

someone,  You are saying you can depend on me to carry out or give to you whatever is within the promise.

We are saying don’t worry, I give you my word, it shall be done. When we promise someone we are asking them to place

their trust in us. Just as when we borrow money from the bank, we sign contracts promising to pay the money back in

a timely manner. If we don’t pay the money back in a timely manner and we break our promise . If we pay on time

we build up trust with that company and they want to lend you more money, any time.

we all have made promises that we were not able to keep. The attitude in the world is that promises are meant to be broken.

we are taught to take most promises with a grain of salt.

 

God take promises very seriously, He wants you and I to believe the promises that He makes. God is Immutable, He never changes,

His purpose never changes. To those of us who are heirs of God’s promise, He wants us to believe.

  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: (6:17). 

God’s promises are grounded in His character, He has the absolute ability and uncompromising integrity to fulfill them. It is so

important to God that His Children believe His promises that on several occasions He confirmed them with a sacred oath.

He was voluntary sworn by the highest authority in the universe, Himself (Gen 22:16, Isa 54:23, Jer 22:5). God’s promise and God’s oath

are two unchangeable things. They are fixed and they are immutable. They are as certain as the setting of the sun. The writer of Hebrew makes

clear that not all of God’s children will be heirs of God’s promise (Heb 6:12). The fault is not with God, but with men not fulfilling their part

in order to receive the inheritance. God by His grace made a promise of giving eternal life to who so ever believe that, God sent His only begotten Son

into the world to die for the sin of the world, and whoever believe that God’s Son died for their sin shall not perish but shall have everlasting Life. (John 3:16).

My friends God cannot break His promise, you can trust Him. God will never let you down.

Do you believe in Jesus?  Do you believe that He is the Son of God? Do you believe He died for your sin? Do you believe that He is alive right now?

If you do Congratulations, You are going to inherit eternal  Life.

God Bless You

Rev. Reginald Stevens

1. 

https://fromtimetoeternity.com/?p=3235&preview=true

Jesus Got You

Greetings my friends’ grace and peace to you in the name of The Father and The Son and The Holy Spirit.

I thank God for giving me this wonderful opportunity to share with you concerning all of the corruption that is taking place in the world today.

All around the world, people are allowing Satan to rule in their hearts and minds.  People are using every source of evil they can possibly use.

There is no limit to what Satan will have these people who are inhabited by demonic spirits. There is now an all-out attack on humanity.

Lord Help me to impress upon my brothers and sister’s how important it is to stay the course, keeping their eyes on the prize, In Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thank You, Lord, in Jesus name Amen.

They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst about each other.

They gossip and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude and conceited and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They do not obey their parents. 

They are foolish, they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to other people. 

They know God’s law says that those who live like this should die. But they continue to do these evil things.

And they also feel that those who do these things are doing right. (Rom 1:29-31).

Paul brought it to our consciousness how as human beings we have fallen to a state of total depravity. People are capable of doing any amount of evil.

Jesus told us that these days are coming. My friends, they are here now. Police are killing those who they are sworn to protect, the president of the most

powerful country on earth is promoting violence and racism, the government is putting truth on trial, saying the truth is not truth.

People are being denied medical treatment and robbers, rapist and murderers just openly commit their crimes knowing that they won’t be caught.

My friends don’t fear, we serve an awesome God. Our God created the universe, with billions of galaxies and billions of stars,

and He currently holds everything together with the will of His power.  every atom, and every molecule of every galaxy, and every atom

and every molecule of everything on and around the milky way. It is this same Jesus who died on the cross for your sin and mine and the world.

It is He who this world and this earth belong. He is returning to rule the world. He is going to judge the world and all of its wickedness. If you have not been saved.

Jesus said that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that who so ever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life (John 3:16)

If you believe, God has blessed you. If this is so Let me know. https://fromtimetoeternity.com/?p=3235&preview=true

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus Got us.  Amen.

God Bless You

Rev. Reginald Stevens