Acts 10:34-43     Jesus anointed with the Spirit and power             12/01/14

 ³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

 Today is set aside as a day for us to remember Jesus’ Baptism. Now it is very easy for us to say; what has this got to do with us here today.  Yet the connections and significances are great and important; hence the setting aside of a special day every year.

 Here in this reading we hear how Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of a very significant life, which in turn, has turned life upside down for us and given us a real hope for the future. Here God is at work, in our sinful world.

 So yes, to the person who is obsessed with a focus on themselves and the notion that spiritualty and what is important in life is about what they do, then Jesus and his baptism does not amount to much at all.  That is, until the chips are down and they are in trouble; which of course will inevitably happen to them all sooner or later. Eventually they will all come to the realization that that our sinful self and humanity all comes to naught, except an eternity of hell.

 That is unless Jesus and what he came to do is finally understood and taken seriously. Without Jesus we will finally realize that all that we do, no matter how good, will not achieve the things that we really need, but so often do not think about until it is too late. All too often we think that we can get through life without taking anything very seriously: particularly God. But when things get too tough then it is either God’s fault or he has to get us out of the mess that we have made for ourselves.

 This is where Jesus’ baptism becomes so important. Here God has done something very significant toward getting us out of the mess that humanity has created by not taking God seriously.  Here God himself has come into our world to do that which we are unable to do. God has set apart and empowered his own Son, Jesus to do what was necessary for us to have a way out.

 Jesus goes to where John the Baptist is preaching and baptising. Which is interesting because John was calling people to; ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ Then those who confessed their sin were baptised. Now Jesus has just come from heaven to earth and we are told that he was without sin, yet he asks John to baptise him.

 So what he is doing here is that he is identifying himself and joining himself with sinful humanity. He is connecting himself with the need for humanity to turn to God and take him seriously and recognise that God has come to give people the sure hope of being with God in heaven. God was anointing him; that is publicly setting him apart to do what was necessary for our salvation.

 So here is God’s answer to the death and hell that we have brought on ourselves. Here he is taking our sinful nature on himself so that he can be the sacrifice which takes away the sin of the world. He has turned to humanity so that humanity has one they can turn to in order to have the full assurance of being with God in heaven.

 That is where at his Baptism Jesus was also anointed with power. So that we, even us two thousand years later, can see that Jesus is God come into our midst to help us. He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil. All those miracles that are attested to Jesus, even by the pagan historians of the day, are pointers to the fact that here in Jesus God has come to help us. This is not just some fanciful story.

 Jesus did miracle after miracle that were impossible to anyone but God himself, so that we can know for sure that God has the power to help us and save us.

 But then also Peter goes on to remind us that he not only died on the cross, but that he was also raised to life again three days later. All so that we can know for sure that his death on the cross was vitally important for us and for our salvation. His death satisfies God justice with regard to our sin, so that we can be forgiven and once again accepted as his children.

 And even his resurrection from the death is widely acclaimed as real. Many people witnessed him alive again, so that we can be sure of this also. So that we can again know that here in Jesus, God himself is and has been at work for the good of humanity. Salvation and life is available to all who are connected to him.

 Even further than that Peter goes on to say that Jesus  is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. So at his baptism this was also part of what was set before Jesus as part of coming to be our saviour. He is then also the one who determines who will get to be with him in heaven, but also those who will be sent to hell. And here he has one simple criteria by which he will make this judgement.

 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Jesus died so that all could be forgiven and saved. All he is looking for then is those who believe that this is the case. Salvation and eternal life has been made available to all, but not all believe it or accept it.

 Many want the eternal life in heaven bit, but they don’t want to accept Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. They want to be free to live and do as they please and what they think is good for them, but reject that he is God and has a better way for them to live and act.

 Here we need to again recall what John the Baptist preached to the people; and also Jesus’ same call for all who want this good life that God has promised. ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ Turn away from self-focus and self-righteousness, to God and the forgiveness and hope that he has won for us. Recognise that we are sinful and have no hope of achieving heaven by and for ourselves, and turn to Jesus Christ and receive all these wonderful gifts that he gives as his free gift to us; all attained by Jesus Christ and his life, death and resurrection.

So surely we now would be only too willing to take on board God’s call and leading for us to repent. Surely we will gratefully receive and live under the leadership of this one who was anointed to do all of this for us. Surely, he would be for us ‘the best thing since sliced bread’: the greatest one that we could ever be connected to and follow.

 I for one know that I don’t in any way measure up to and are able to do what is good and right; and that I do not have the where-with-all to save myself; and so desperately need his forgiveness and help; and that he can do a far better job at guiding me in how to live and act in the right way. Does that mean that I always do it? Sadly not! But thankfully he forgives me again and sets me on the right path again. Here I know that Jesus is the one who was baptised and anointed to be our Lord and Saviour.

 So it is all of this that we remember today that has been set before us by Jesus and his baptism. He has joined himself to us, so that we might be forgiven and joined to him. He took on himself our sinful nature so that he could take the punishment that we deserve on himself; so that we might be forgiven and assured of eternal life with God in Heaven.

 He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, so may all glory and honour go to him now and always. Amen.

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish