THE BELOVED OF GOD

 THE BELOVED OF GOD

TEXT: “And behold, a voice came from heaven and said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  Matthew 3:17

John the Baptist is called the forerunner of Christ. He was a cousin of Jesus and cared deeply for him. As Jesus began His public ministry He went to John and asked John the Baptist to baptize Him. Not because of His sins for He had none. Not because of any other reason than to inaugurate His ministry and set an example for all others to follow. In Matthew 3:15, Jesus said “suffer it to be so, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

 Here we see that Jesus was the great King whose coming the Lord has called John to announce and prepare men for that arrival.  Here He was anointed for service and granted strength for ministry. It was a visible, confirming sign to John and to everyone else who witnessed that baptism that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah!

Jesus is called the beloved because of the Father’s great love for the Son. The Greek word is “agapetos” which connotes a deep, rich and profound relationship the Father had with the Son. No imperfection was found in Him or His ministry. God the Father looked down from heaven and was well pleased with His Son. The phrase is used again in Matthew 17:5 and John 12:28.

Jesus is the beloved of God who came into this world to save sinners such as myself. And God loved Him for it! Ephesians 1:6 says we are accepted in the beloved ---meaning in Christ alone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11h8R6s35R0 

The Beloved was always in the arms of God!