Document By: Deacon Jerome Smith SR

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Topic Jesus Baptism And Temptations

• Only one person should talk at a time.
• No side conversations when somebody is speaking.
• Appreciate the other persons view.
• Give freely of your experience.
• Say what you think courteously.
• Confine your discussion to the topic.
• Thanks,
• Combining Topic The Spirit Driveth Him Into The
  Wilderness.
• Study Text Mark 14-13v(John 316v) (2nd Kings
  510-12v).

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Biblical Importance

• Jesus was human and divine.
• Jesus is the Door through which to enter into the
  Kingdom of Everlasting Life and Peace (John
  316v).   He also is the Door Keeper Himself.
• Jesus was ushered into His own ministry through
  baptism and the temptations.
• God sustained Jesus, His beloved Son, through the
  temptations of Satan.
• Jesus authority was declared, both by human and
  divine voices, at the time of His baptism.
• Youth and adults know how hard it is to resist
  temptation.
• Youth and adults recognize that the consequences
  of yielding to temptation often include damage to
  physical health and interpersonal relationships.

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Divine

• Meaning Heavenly, Godlike, or pertaining to God,
  the Supreme Being.
• The Voice In The Wilderness
• John the Baptist was recognized as the forerunner
  of the Messiah, whose coming was prophesied in
  Isaiah.
• Forerunner means
• A person who goes or is sent in advance to
  announce the coming of someone or something that
  follows, in this case Jesus the Messiah.

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The Forerunner Of The Servant1-1

• John the Baptist was born just a few months
  before Christ. Johns mother name is Elizabeth,
  and his father name is Zachariah, who was a
  temple priest.
• The description given in the Scripture suggests
  that John the Baptist was a Nazirite, like Samson
  and Samuel in the Old Testament.
• The word was used to indicate someone who was
  separated from the general population and
  consecrated to God. The word Nazirite also means
  a person who had taken certain strict religious
  vows.
• These men of radical faith never drank wine and
  never cut their hair.

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The Forerunner Of The Servant 1-2

• John seemed even more radical than most. He wore
  camels hair, a coarse and tough hide that would
  have abraded the skin. He ate locusts, which were
  the cockroaches of the ancient world, and honey,
  which involved challenging a hive of bees. John
  the Baptist was living in conditions most of us
  would find intensely uncomfortable living
  conditions.
• John was not a man of leisure and materialism,
  like most Americans today. He was a prophet, a
  truth teller, who called the people including
  religious leaders to repentance.
• The baptism of John by water was for repentance,
  a symbolic washing away of sin. This symbolic
  washing away of sin also represents the coming of
  Jesus Christ the Messiah, One of whom would very
  soon come after John the Baptist baptizing with
  fire, (Holy Spirit).

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The Forerunner Of The Servant 1-3

• Without the modern convenience of a baptistery or
  swimming pool, John administered his baptism in
  the polluted Jordan River (2nd Kings 510-12v).
  The people didnt seem to mind. They flocked to
  John in droves to hear him preach and be Baptized
  by him.
• John didnt allow his popularity to go to his
  head. He had a clear understanding of who he was.
  He was a messenger, an opening act for the main
  attraction. The real star, Jesus Christ, had yet
  to appear on the horizon.
• John said he was not even worthy to loosen the
  strap of Jesus shoe, identifying Jesus as the
  main attraction. The streets was commonly shared
  by animals and people, were not clean, and the
  sandals people wore did not prevent their feet
  from becoming very soiled at times.

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The Baptism Of The Servant1-1

• Just like His ancestors forefathers, Jesus was
  the most unlikely. He was a country boy , Jesus
  is Gods glory, the mine of God. In other words,
  He was the prime example of God using the common
  to do the uncommon, the foolish to confound the
  wise, the expected to do the unexpected.
• John in realizing exactly who his cousin Jesus
  was, Johns sense of unworthiness and reluctance
  to baptize the One he recognized as the Messiah,
  and also Jesus own motives for being baptized.
  Other words, John felt that he was not worthy to
  Baptist Jesus, but Jesus told John to suffer it
  to be so for now that they would fulfill the
  scriptures.
• John baptizing Jesus wasnt for repentance from
  sin, because Jesus was without sin, but it served
  to show us the example we are to follow.

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The Baptism Of The Servant 1-2

• Jesus was born under the Law, and He obeyed every
  part of it. Still, Jesus baptism was a turning
  point in His life. Thats what repentance means
  to turn around. In a very real sense, Jesus
  baptism occurred at a crossroad in His life. He
  needed to choose His direction to leave His
  earthly fathers business of carpentry to partner
  in His heavenly Fathers kingdom business.
• Jesus had known He was sent to fulfill a great
  purpose, and when He heard His Father say, Its
  time, He began to follow Him all the more
  earnestly and purposefully. 
• Having made that choice, Jesus heard a voice from
  heaven. It was a voice of benediction, a divine
  blessing and ordination. God the Father was
  pleased beyond measure that Jesus, the Beloved
  One, was accepting His call and stepping out in
  obedience.

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The Baptism Of The Servant 1-3

• God was also recognizing Jesus as His Son and
  Anointed One, acknowledging Him before the
  witnesses gathered there that day and
  commissioning Him to take on the ministry of the
  Gospel. God was one proud Father, and He wanted
  the would to know, Hey, this is My Beloved Son!

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The Temptation Of The Servant1-1

• Again, a fuller record of this period in Jesus
  life can be found in Matthew 41-11v and Luke
  41-13v. All three Gospels agree on the timing of
  the temptations directly after Jesus baptism.
• The Gospels also affirm it was the Spirit who led
  Jesus into the wilderness. However, where Matthew
  and Luke record the Spirit drove Him, a far
  more aggressive and less comforting image. In
  each Gospel account, however the expression
  implies a sense of urgency and impulse without
  violence on the part of the Lord, by which Jesus
  was compelled to leave society for 40 days.
• The 40 days Jesus spent in the desert was
  reminiscent of Israels 40 years in the
  wilderness. The Israelites were wandering because
  of their own lack of faith. They were led by
  Gods presence in a pillar of fire and smoke and
  fed by God with quail and manna from heaven. When
  they grew thirsty, water flowed from a rock.

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The Temptation Of The Servant 1-2

• Jesus was alone for 40 days, no food, and no
  water. In fact, except for the angels and the
  wild animals, which would have been more
  threatening than comforting, mentioned by (Mark
  verse 12), the only one who bore Jesus company
  was His enemy.
• The devil was there to test and tempt Jesus,
  pushing every button of human weakness hunger,
  power, pride, and a desire for security. Luke and
  Matthew clarify that only after the devil
  retreated in defeat did the angels come and
  minister to Jesus in His time of need.
• It was for our sake Jesus stayed close to His
  Father. If it was important for Jesus to remain
  close to the Father, how much more should that be
  true of us? If we are to follow Jesus supreme
  example, what can we take from Jesus baptism and
  temptation to help us in our own walk of faith?

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The Temptation Of The Servant 1-3

• The temptation of Jesus serves as a daily
  inspiration for Christians to find strength in
  the power of the Lord. Because Jesus remained
  faithful to God for 40 days with non-stop
  temptation all around Him, we can do our best to
  avoid temptation even if others dont think its
  the cool thing to do.
• The closer we get to God, the more we can expect
  the enemy to attack us, because He knows God
  gives us the power to be effective for Him.
• Jesus having been ordained and blessed with
  divine recognition and approval, and then driven
  into isolation to wrestle alone with His human
  weaknesses, Jesus took up where John the Baptist
  had left off, preaching a baptism of repentance
  and calling all who would to take up their
  crosses and Follow Me.

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Time For Questions, To Test Your ability of how
well you understanding the lesson. 1-1

• 1. The forerunner of the Messiah, the bible
  describes him as the voice of one crying in the
  wilderness, whats the name of this person?
• (John the Baptist)
• 2. John came baptizing in the wilderness doing
  what?
• John came baptizing in the wilderness and
  preaching a baptism of repentance for the
  remission of sins.
• 3. Why did God send John His messenger for the
  people before Jesus?
• God sent His messenger John the Baptist to
  prepare the people for the way of the Lord.
• 4. Describe John and the clothes that he wore?
• John was clothed with camels hair and with a
  leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts
  and wild honey.

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Time For Questions, To Test Your ability of how
well you understanding the lesson 1-2

• 5. What does forerunner means?
• A person who goes or is sent in advance to
  announce the coming of someone or something that
  follows, in this case Jesus the Messiah.
• 6. John in which river baptized Jesus?
• John in the Jordan River baptized Jesus.
• 7. What did Jesus see after immediately, coming
  up from the water?
• Jesus saw the heavens parting and the Spirit
  descending upon Him like a dove.
• 8. Who Voice did Jesus here?
• Jesus heard the Voice of His Father came from
  heaven, You are My beloved Son, in whom I am
  well pleased.

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Time For Questions, To Test Your ability of how
well you understanding the lesson 1-3

• 9. What did Jesus do immediately after He heard
  the Voice of His Father?
• Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the
  wilderness.
• 10. Jesus was there in the wilderness how many
  days, and tempted by whom?
• Jesus was there in the wilderness forty days,
  tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts
  and the angels ministered to Him.

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End Of Presentation

• Topic Jesus Baptism And Temptations
• Combining Topic The Spirit Driveth Him Into The
  Wilderness.
• Study Text Mark 14-13v(John 316v) (2nd Kings
  510-12v).