What Pleases God?

Jesus is Baptized By John the Baptist

The center of attention had been John whose whole ministry was to point to another; the one who was to come.

All of Jerusalem and Judea were coming to be baptized by John. His ministry was front and center of all Jerusalem.

There was much excited talk of Him being the Messiah. But John resisted it all. “After me there is one whose sandals I am unworthy to untie.”

Jesus comes on the scene and insists that John baptize Him.

You have been pointing to me in your preaching now you must identify me through baptism to be the one you have been preaching about. NOTE - It is in baptism that Jesus is identified as God’s own Son and it is in baptism that we too are claimed by God as His children.

This is to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus was baptized into a mission of redeeming mankind by living a perfect life under the Law. His life was to be scrutinized by the demands of the Law to be seen as perfect in every respect. (talk about living in a fishbowl!)

So Why Is God Pleased?

Jesus is God’s only Son and He loves Him.

He sent Jesus to accomplish the redemption of mankind but it is not until this point that Jesus has begun his work. Now he is going to be doing the work God sent Him to do.

This would be heart wrenching, exhausting, demanding, frustrating, exacting work. Continually challenged by enemies, Satan himself would take on the challenge to trip him up, and even those whom he called friends would desert him. He would suffer and die to be successful at it.

But this was all part of God’s holy plan to redeem us.

Jesus knew what he would have to do and willingly took up the task. He would sacrifice everything for us. Salvation could come to man no other way.

this is why God is so pleased with Jesus. Because he loved us so much he couldn’t bear to see us forever separated from him. So He sent Jesus to do for us what we could not do for ourselves and in Jesus baptism he had begun that journey which God his Father had sent him to take to the cross.

So How do we please God?

It all begins in our baptism. God is a merciful God.

God gives us his Son’s righteousness and in his mercy and grace we are adopted again as his forgiven children through the waters of our baptism.

here in our baptism we are joined to eternity and a life of faith is begun which will lean upon God’s love and care for us to meet the challenges which lie ahead.

When we apply ourselves to the righteousness of Jesus we are pleasing God.

We are showing that his Holy Spirit lives in us and that we are walking by faith.

This praises all that Jesus has done for us and holds up his sacrifice as being our most precious treasure.

Conclusion: What pleases God is when his children honor His Son’s sacrifice for them and live by faith and love for one another.