Forward In Faith: When God Is Pleased. A Baptismal Service Series

2013 01 13 ASH PM BAPTISM DAPHNE

Heb 11:6 - Mark 1:4-11

Baptisms are wonderful. I must be honest I was a little worried that we did not have a life guard on duty tonight.

It is so wonderful to see so many of you here this evening to witness this public profession of faith.

And didn’t Daphne’s testimony warm your heart.

To hear about just some of the journey she has been on in her life as a child of God.

Many of us have known Daphne for a long time - some longer than others - but I’m sure that each of us consider her to be a special lady with a real heart for God and a real heart for people.

I am pleased to be here this evening, and I’m sure you are too.

Actually, I think God is also very pleased that Daphne was willing to step forward in faith and ask to be baptised as a sign of her relationship with God.

Maybe you think about God sometimes, but do you ever think about what pleases God?

The Bible speaks in a number of places about God being pleased and what pleases God.

I want us to briefly consider a couple of those passages together tonight.

The first is a very famous baptism recorded in chapter 1 of the Gospel of Mark and speaks of God being pleased.

John the Baptist was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals.

I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

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 I am pleased with you.”

(Mark 1:4-11)

Prince Charles once visited a residential care home he met and spoke to many of the elderly residents. Apparently, as he walked around he met a man who just stared at him. The Prince said, “Hello, do you know who I am?”

The man looked up into Charles face and continued to stare blankly for a moment; then he slowly shook his head from side to side. “No,” he admitted, “I don’t know who you are. But if you ask one of the staff, they can tell you.”

The old man may not have known who Prince Charles was - he may not have recognised his voice, or who he really was...

When God’s voice from heaven spoke no one had to guess who Jesus might be. When God said “You are my dearly loved Son, and I am pleased with you.”

Tonight I believe that God would say to Daphne, You are my dearly loved daughter, and I am pleased with you.

I am pleased with you...

How do those words effect you?

Are you living your life in a way that pleases God?

Do you ever wonder what kind of life pleases God?

Perhaps, humanly speaking, there are many ways we could try to answer that question.

We could say that being a good person is a way to please God. - You know the do unto others thing.

We could say that following Jesus is a way that is pleasing to God.

We could come up with many things that we are comfortable doing that we think may please God. The Bible says that it is when we have faith in God that He is pleased with us.

Let’s look at the second passage from Hebrews 11 that speaks of faith that pleases God.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. (Hebrews 11:1,2,6)

God wants us to be faithful people.

The kind of faithfulness that means we trust God, that we seek His will for our lives, that we are in a real living relationship with Him.

A relationship that is more than a couple of hours on a Sunday.