Key Response: You can turn to Jesus and trust him because he knows you and your needs.

Mark 1:9-15 One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

His Baptism

• Mark 1:9-11 One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
• Last week → looked at John’s practice of baptism
• Recap: what was it for? Repent and turn to God…
• But what actually is baptism? Describe the practice of baptism.
• So one day, among all the crowds coming out to receive John’s baptism → Jesus showed up
• Did Jesus need to repent and turn to God? (4)
• No, the Bible says he was without sin. (We’ll look at this below.)”
• So why baptism?
• Jesus was going public.
• Note that this is his first public act, and note the heavenly signs that accompanied it to put God’s stamp of approval on Jesus. God agrees with and adds to John’s testimony of Jesus.
• Always did / said what the Father led him to do / say.
• John 8:29 “For I always do what pleases him.
• By the way, Jesus’ baptism reveals the triune nature of God.
• Even though he was fully human, he was still fully God → 2nd person of the Trinity
• All of them seen here: Father, Son, Holy Spirit (dove)
• Jesus was identifying with humanity.
• Baptism reveals his real humanity. He didn’t just appear to be human. He entered fully into our reality. 
• Hebrews 2:14 Because God’s children are human beings - made of flesh and blood - the Son also became flesh and blood….
• To the point of being baptized, even though he had nothing to repent of.
• Application: I hope you come away realizing how amazing Jesus is! Truly worthy of our attention: fully God, yet truly one of us.
• Application: get baptized!
• When you turn from self to follow Jesus…
• Baptism doesn’t save us, but it is a way that we identify with him
• Romans 6:3-4 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
• He identified w/humanity by being baptized even when he didn’t need to
• We now identify with Jesus by being baptized in his name

His Temptation

• Mark 1:12-13 The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.
• Saw last week → significance of wilderness
• People would have thought of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai
• Jesus’ 40 days in wilderness reminds us of the 40 years Israel spent there.
• What this points to = Jesus was identifying with fallen humanity
• We saw = Israel failed their wilderness test
• By contrast, Jesus passed his 
• Keep in mind Satan’s goal of temptation = to entice all people to sin. 
• To choose something that looks good / feels right vs. what God says
• Started in very beginning with Adam and Eve.
• If Jesus didn't pass this test, all of humanity would be lost in their sin. 
• The devil's scheme was to take Him out before the ministry even started. He does this to us too!
• Jesus is greater than Israel and fulfills everything God desired from Israel
• Where we fail before God, Jesus succeeds
• Application: Where we get it wrong, Jesus gets it right. That’s why he is qualified to be our Savior. That’s why we can trust him to represent us before God.
• Here’s where this gets practical. It’s a great comfort to know that Jesus has been tested / tempted in all the same ways we are, so he understands our weaknesses.
• Hebrews 4:15-16 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we did, yet he did not sin. So let us boldly come to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
• Application: We can & should come to him for help when we face temptation.
• Another thing is going on here: God was preparing Jesus for his work.
• (12): The Spirit compelled him to go into the wilderness → it was God’s idea
• Because Jesus was fully human, he veiled & limited the use of his divine attributes 
• Phil 2:6-7 (NLT) Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
• Illustration: kenosis (Phil 2) = a Roman officer taking off his badge/insignia of rank before going into battle

TRANS: We can respond to a God who gets us. 

Our Response

• Mark 1:14-15 Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
• Jesus’ message was “God’s good news”.
• We didn’t see it coming, but he can be our Savior now. He became one of us. 
• Who doesn’t need good news?
• Hebrews 2:14 (ESV) Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
• “The time promised by God has come at last”
• God had been preparing the way → that’s what John was about
• And God keeps his promises
• “Time” here is not chronological time
• But refers to a season of opportunity that opens up
• We might say: “This is your moment.” Or “Seize the moment”
• IOW: people do not have to wait any longer for salvation 
• Now is the time to make a decision
• The Good News is that God’s kingdom is near
• We’ll talk about this more next week = what the kingdom is
• For now look at the response
• Repent 
• Believe / trust
• Application: We have reason for hope!
• Application: Don’t wait any longer to respond to Jesus. You don’t have to. Your season of opportunity is now.