Introduction
In Luke 3:21-22, the public ministry of Jesus began. When he participated in John’s baptism, God the Father announced his pleasure in Jesus. Immediately, the Spirit of God visibly descended on Jesus, anointing him to serve as the Christ. The sermon, in part, will explain why Jesus participated in a cleansing ritual (baptism) intended for sinners.
The hymn selection reflects key ideas in the text: Jesus came to “make our cause his own” and, though the Lord’s Anointed, he was stricken and afflicted for us.
PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 95:1-8
Invocation
PROCLAMATION
Hymn HBC 40 Give Praise to God
Note: We begin the service with a call to praise. Quoting Jeremiah 9:23-24 in Romans 11: Paul encapsulated the difference true Christian faith and all other religions. Those who follow other gods seek their own themselves, but we boast in the Lord who took the initiative for our salvation. Therefore, we sing “give praise to God alone.”
Worship through Giving
Response: HBC 14 Lord, Thou Lov’st the Cheerful Giver
Hymn HBC 34 Perseverance
Note: This hymn first appeared in Olney Hymns, a collaborative work by John Newton and William Cowper. Then is bore the title “Perseverance,” though today it is often simply called, “Rejoice, Believer, in the Lord.” We might ask, what cause have we for joy? Newton’s answer is that the Lord “make our cause his own.” We see this in the fact that Jesus submitted to baptism in today’s sermon text.
Scripture Reading 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Note: There is a connection between the sermon text and the occasion of David’s anointing as king of Israel. The remarkable manifestation of the Spirit of God following Jesus’ baptism was a divine anointing that empowered Jesus, David’s perfect Son, to serve as our King.
Pastoral Prayer
Hymn HBC 27 Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted
Note: Thomas Kelly’s serious but joyful hymn reminds us of the identity of the One who owned our cause: David’s Son, yet David’s Lord; the Lord’s Anointed. “See him dying on the tree! ‘Tis the Christ by man rejected; yes, my soul, ‘tis he, ‘tis he!”
Message Jesus, the Anointed Christ
Luke 3:21-22
Pastor Steven Thomas
RESPONSE
Hymn HBC 5 Jesus! The Name High Over All
Note: God the Father has made “Jesus,” the name high over all other names. Because he owned our cause, this name is “dear” to all whom he has saved. Therefore, we declare, “’Tis all my business here below, To cry, Behold the Lamb!”
Prayer Response John Miles
Benediction John Miles