EPIPHANY • 2

What’s the significance of Jesus’ Water Baptism and what does the ‘Baptized Life’ look like for those who follow Him and are Baptized in His Name?

SONGS FOR PRAYER

SET PRAYER

May We Recall Our Baptism

Creator God, our soul's delight,
your voice thunders over the waters,
liberating the future from the past.
In the Spirit's power and the waters of rebirth,
Jesus was declared your blessed and beloved Son;
may we recall our baptism,
and be disciples of the Anointed One. Amen.


reading for: Tuesday Night, 3 JANUARY

Matthew 3:13-17

Jesus’ Baptism shows us the start of an obedient, Spirit-empowered life

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17

  • READ

    At Christmas we celebrated the Lord’s Incarnation – when the Son of God, the 2nd Person of the Godhead puts on human flesh and comes into our world to dwell among us. But what does it mean that he dwelled among men? What did he do? How did he live? What did he teach? How are we to emulate him in our own lives? This week’s Gospel reading focuses on the water baptism of Jesus at the start of his ministry in Galilee, while the other readings help us grasp the significance of his baptism and what the baptized life looks like for ourselves.

    At Watchnight Service on 31st Dec a few days ago, Rev Calvin Lee taught that for a fortified faith, one of the necessary “P”s is Precept where every miracle begins with a problem or need and in the purposes of God there is a biblical balance between divine intervention and human cooperation.

    Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:13-17 is the moment of ‘Commissioning’ and ‘Commencement’ of God’s dynamic presence in the world through the person of Jesus. We see here a powerful display of Jesus, as a man, in full cooperation with God the Father, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, working together to effect the miracle of God’s salvation for all humanity and fulfilling the divine purposes and Will of the Father.

    This three-way partnership among the three-Persons of the Godhead, is display through Jesus the Son’s commitment to ‘fulfill all righteousness’ (v15), the manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s presence when ‘Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him’ (v16) and God the Father’s endorsement of Jesus’ identity and calling through an audible voice saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’ (v17).

    Jesus’ water baptism ‘fulfills all righteousness’ in this way - by getting baptized he identifies with Israel’s vocation and calling and succeeds where they failed. About 1500 years before Jesus, during the time of Moses, we see the People of God passing through the Red Sea. They have been called out of Egypt (slavery) and are enroute to the ‘Promised Land’. But they have to pass through water. Their Egyptian pursuers and slave masters die in the sea and the people are free from slavery and fear to completely obey the Lord and inherit the land. (Exodus 14:16-19) But they fail miserably in the wilderness because they keep wanting to go back to slavery. Jesus, in his baptism about 1500 years later, takes upon himself Israel’s vocation as God’s chosen servant and completes their calling (Isaiah 61:1-11, 42:6).

  • REFLECT

    1.      As we enter the new year, let us be reminded of what it is to live out the baptized life. How can you embody:

    a)      obedience to the Lord?

    b)      Dependence on the Holy Spirit?

    2.      Can you recall the original short film Beautifully Made which played on Christmas day? Share with your Life Group one of the more impactful moments for you or an example of characters embodying the baptized life.

reading for: Wednesday Night, 4 JANUARY

Isaiah 42:1-9

The baptised life comprises delighting God through loving our neighbour

1Behold 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.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
    or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
    he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
    till he has established justice in the earth;
    and the coastlands wait for his law.

5 Thus says God, the Lord,
    who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
    and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
    I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
    a light for the nations,
7     to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
    from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
    my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to carved idols.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
    and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
    I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:1-9

  • READ

In Isaiah 42, in this ‘Servant Song’, we see the Servant of God, as one who is filled with God’s Spirit, who will obediently carry out the task of establishing justice without force (v2), but accomplishes it through mercy (v3), faithfulness (v3) and perseverance (v4) and until it is completed.

In the first stanza (v. 1–4), God sings of the intimacy enjoyed between the Divine and the human one. “I have given him my Spirit” God says, which is a spirit of strength and purpose to establish justice everywhere.

In the second stanza (v. 5–9) we are reminded that creation itself is a gift. God is now speaking directly to the Servant, reminding those who would accept the call to serve that justice is the centerpiece of God’s creation, since “all who live on this earth” are intended to be in right relationship with God and with one another. It is a great and grand vision, out of the reach of human effort alone, but possible with God as its source enabler. Still, God assures His Servant that the “source of life” will always be close by as his Servant fulfills all righteousness.

Jesus who grew up with the Old Testament Scriptures, took the shape of his ministry from the images, symbols, hopes, and visions of Scripture. Jesus clearly felt addressed by the model of ministry evoked in passages like these. After all, when he came to the synagogue in Nazareth, he chose to read a very similar passage from Isaiah 61 to express the vision of his own ministry:

1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3

In his ministry of casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead, Jesus ‘fulfills all righteousness’ (Matthew 3:15), revealing the redemptive love of the Father, by loving his neighbours – freeing and restoring all who came to him for life.

  • REFLECT

    1.      In Isaiah 42:9, we’re reminded to focus on the new ‘things’. What must you let go in the new year? What must you move on from?

    2.      With Isaiah 61:1-3 in mind, think of a neighbour who is in need of prayer.

    a.      Do they need to hear good news?

    b.      Are they brokenhearted?

    c.       Do they need God’s favour?

    d.      Are they in mourning for the loss of someone significant?

reading for: Thursday Night, 5 JANUARY

ACTS 10:34-43

To live the baptised life is to live as witnesses of the Gospel to the world

34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:34-43

  • READ

    In this passage, the encounter of Peter with Cornelius is crucial in Luke’s attempt to explain how Our Resurrected Lord goes from being the “glory of Israel” to become ‘a light for revelation to the gentiles’ (all non-Jews) (Luke 2:32).

    Here in Acts 10, Peter is speaking to Gentiles in his final missionary sermon, preparing the way for Paul’s missionary journeys to the surrounding gentile nations.

    In saying, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34), he refers to the previous verses (v9 – 23) where he has discovered his own lack of understanding the larger purposes of God. As a result held to the strict separation between clean and unclean foods (v14) and like other Jewish Christians at the time, it also meant not associating with Gentiles. That’s why he was so confused (v17) about the vision where God announced everything was clean (v15). It was only when God intervened that Peter fully understood that the good news of Jesus Christ was also for the gentiles.

    In Peter’s sermon, we also see a sequential unfolding of the Gospel – starting with proclamation to Israel (v.36), fulfilling the prophetic hope and call for Israel to rise up to be a ‘light to the nations’ (Isaiah 49:6), with the good news of peace (Isaiah 52:7). Peter here proclaims that the hope of the OT prophets has been fulfilled in the person and ministry of Jesus.

    Also, in keeping with his gospel letter (gospel of Luke), Luke records Peter’s sermon here in a way that emphasizes the beginning of a new era “after the baptism that John announced” (Acts 10:37). Then he portrays the baptism of Jesus as the moment when the Holy Spirit empowered him for ministry (Luke 3:21–23) and indicates that “God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38) in the same way that he had commissioned David for service with anointing and the empowerment by the Spirit (1 Sam. 16:13).

    Hence Jesus’ baptism was the launching moment of his ministry (Luke 4:18) and Peter’s summary of Jesus’ healing and exorcism ministry (Acts 10:38) points back to Luke’s gospel where Jesus’ actions are recorded in greater detail.

    In conclusion to his sermon, Peter asserts that he and the other disciples were not only witnesses of Jesus’ ministry, they witnessed his crucifixion, death and resurrection. (Acts 10:39 – 41). The good news of the Resurrected Lord is no longer just news for the Jews but for the rest of the world. 

  • REFLECT

    The Christian faith cannot be reduced to a philosophy, and the baptized life cannot be reduced to a set of good values or moral teachings to abide by for a good and ethical life. Because Christ is risen and ascended and will return one day to rule and reign on this earth, God is not looking for mental assent and agreement from us. He is looking for total allegiance and commitment.

    In CNL we support the living of a baptized life through a proper preparation of heart, mind and soul for those who wish to be baptized, and after water baptism - a continuation of daily practices of “Wake Up Strong, Don’t Go to Bed Wrong, and Pause in Your Day to Pray”, Sunday corporate worship Services, and the shaping and sharing of a way of life through committing to a Life Group family within a Kampung.

    Who might the Lord be stirring in you to be a friend and prayer companion to this year as seek to live out their baptized life this year? Start seeking the Lord on this.

reading for: Friday Night, 6 JANUARY

PSALM 29

The baptized life is lived in hearing his voice and moving in His strength

1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
    and Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
    and strips the forests bare,
    and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
    May the Lord bless his people with peace! Psalm 29

  • READ

    Psalm 29 is a song of praise that describes God’s activity within creation, with a particular focus on God’s voice. It has the power to create, shake up, comfort, and destroy.  While we often focus on water when we think about baptism, this Psalm reminds us that the voice of God is the crucial factor in Christ’s baptism and ours.

    Verses 1 -2 is the call to praise.

    Verses 3 – 10 is where the psalmist describes God’s activity in nature through His powerful voice and spoken word.

    Verses 11 is where we see God’s action towards people.

    In the psalm, the phrase “the voice of the Lord” appears seven times. It causes the actions, produces all the effects. The voice of the Lord is over the waters (v3), the voice of the Lord is powerful (v3), the voice of the Lord is full of majesty (v3), the voice of the Lord breaks the cedars (v5), the voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire (v7), the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness (v8), the voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirls and strips the forest bare (v8).

    This voice of the Lord is the same “voice from heaven” that expressed pleasure and delight over Jesus at his water baptism because of his complete obedience and readiness to fulfill the Father’s Will. It’s this same voice that says “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17).

    This the same voice that speaks in Isaiah 42:1 – 9.

    In the psalm, all of God’s activity is summarized as God’s “glory,” a term for God’s majesty, demonstrated through His various activities (v. 3–8). Thus, divine glory and strength are revealed in divine acts of power and dominance, and recognition of these attributes is required on our part. Strength is initially attributed to God. Then, quite unexpectedly, the psalmist presents God as giving this same strength to His people (v.11).

  • REFLECT

    1.      Take time to remember your water baptism and recall your journey to that turning point in your life. Through which brother or sister in Christ did the voice speak through, that led you your decision? What was your journey like? Share with others to encourage them.

    2.      Take time to pray for yourself to hear the Lord’s voice more clearly this year. Your courage and confidence for the decisions, assignments, of life will come from hearing his voice with clarity and receiving the strength and authority that accompanies his voice.

Season of EpiphanyCNL