Empowered Identity: Following Jesus with Anointing and Approval

We then delved into the concept of anointing, which is the surrender to the power and leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus' baptism marked the beginning of His public ministry, and it was accompanied by the Holy Spirit descending upon Him. Similarly, when we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, empowering us to live out our faith and fulfill the purpose God has for us. This anointing is not reserved for a select few but is available to all believers, guiding us in truth and helping us overcome the challenges of this world. [00:00:00]

The third aspect we discussed was approval. Before Jesus began His ministry, God declared His approval, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased." This approval was not based on Jesus' works but on His identity as God's Son. In the same way, our approval from God is not earned through our deeds but is a result of our relationship with Him. As we walk in obedience and align our lives with His will, we experience the fullness of His love and approval. [00:00:00]

As we prepare for the trials and temptations that come with following Christ, we are reminded that Jesus has shown us the way to overcome. By walking in His steps, we can navigate the challenges of life with confidence, knowing that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and approved by our Heavenly Father. [00:00:00]

Identity in Christ: Recognizing our identity as children of God is foundational to our faith. Just as Jesus identified with humanity through His baptism, we must identify with Him, acknowledging our need for a Savior and embracing our role in His kingdom. This identity shapes our purpose and guides our spiritual journey. [00:00:00]

Anointing of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit's presence in our lives is a powerful anointing that empowers us to live out our faith. As believers, we are called to surrender to the Spirit's leading, allowing Him to guide us in truth and equip us for the challenges we face. This anointing is available to all who follow Christ. [00:00:00]

God's Approval: Our approval from God is not based on our works but on our relationship with Him. Just as God declared His approval of Jesus before His ministry began, we too are loved and accepted by God because of our identity as His children. This approval gives us confidence and assurance in our walk with Him. [00:00:00]

Obedience and Purpose: Following in the footsteps of Jesus requires obedience to His commands and a commitment to fulfilling the purpose He has for us. As we align our lives with His will, we experience the fullness of His love and approval, and we are equipped to make a difference in the world. [00:00:00]

Overcoming Challenges: Jesus has shown us the way to overcome the trials and temptations of life. By walking in His steps and relying on the Holy Spirit, we can navigate the challenges we face with confidence, knowing that we are empowered and approved by our Heavenly Father. [00:00:00]

In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, repent. Now, notice this. He says, repent. In other words, before you could repent, you have to realize you have something to repent of. In other words, that repent means you need to be aware that you are a sinner. You need to be aware that we fall short of the glory of God. He says, in those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. And he's speaking of Christ. Now, you've got to remember, Christ was already there. [00:55:56]

And he says that John knew that he was getting ready to start his ministry. And verse 3 says, this is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, a voice of the one calling in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord and make straight the paths for him. And I want to stop here and explain something to you. Notice how Matthew's going back to the Old Testament and saying things that actually the Jewish people today still quote these verses, but they don't believe Jesus was the Messiah. Okay? They think he's still coming, that he has not come yet, that Jesus wasn't the Son of God. Now, this is just a little plug for our men's meeting. This year, we're studying an overview of the New Testament. And one of the things we learned was that the book of Matthew was written. Now, the primary audience, you've got Matthew, Mark, looking down the four Gospels. [00:56:46]

They're basically the same, but Mark only has 16 chapters. Matthew has a bunch more and goes into a bunch more detail. Why is that? You see, Matthew was written to Jewish people. So, he referred to the Jewish scriptures, the Old Testament scriptures, time and time again. Again, all four Gospels lead people to Christ. But Matthew was primarily written to Jewish people to believe. That's why he references so many Jewish customs in Matthew. And he references scripture with this that the Jewish people were looking forward, waiting for the Messiah. Remember, Sadducees and Pharisees kept saying, Are you the Messiah? Are you the Messiah? But when he would tell them, yeah, he's, oh, you're full of baloney. Right? They were looking because they knew that he's coming, but they didn't believe it was him. But then, second thing that we learned this week in Mark, the book of Mark, again, Matthew was written to Jewish people. So, it has that mindset. [00:57:46]

But Mark was actually written to Roman Gentiles. So, he doesn't go into all the Jewish legalism and all their things as much. And it's a much shorter chapter. So, again, that's just a little... Ladies, I'm sorry. You can't come to the men's meeting. But that's what we're learning, things like that in the overview of the New Testament. So, we see. Let's go back to verse 3 there. He says, This is the one who has spoken through the prophet Isaiah. He's making sure that he goes back to scriptures that the Jewish people believe in. And he says, A voice of the one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths for him. Verse 4 says, John's clothes were made of camel hair. [00:58:46]

I've never felt a camel. But don't that sound itchy? I don't know if it was or not. But every time I read that, I want to start itching like I lay down in some insulation or something. He says, John's clothes were made of camel hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey buns. I really believe he would eat honey buns if they had them there. They just didn't have them yet, you see. But he knew. Amen. Verse 5 says, People went out from him, from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of Jordan, of the Jordan. And notice what happens here. Confessing their sins. In other words, they had to come to the point in their life where they realized they were a sinner and they needed a Savior. And he says they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. Okay? So now we know as followers of Christ, we are called to walk in his steps. And that's what, follow his example in every way, which includes baptism. And then next week we'll get into the testing in the wilderness when we face the trials and temptations of this life. But these events in his life are marking his public ministry that is getting ready to start. [00:59:46]