Mark 1:9

 Mark 1:9 says, And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. As John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing for repentance, Jesus came to him and was baptized.  We know that Jesus had nothing to repent for, but He gave validity to baptism as a symbol of His coming death, burial and resurrection and also to validate the ministry of John the Baptist.  John had always said that he was just a forerunner of the coming Messiah, and Jesus was and is the only Messiah.   Verse ten adds, And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened, and the Spirit descended on Him like a dove.  This is the only baptism that this happened at, and it was God's endorsement of Jesus and His baptism.  Still, as followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit descends on us, not at baptism, but at the moment that we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and then we are baptized to symbolize Christ's sacrifice for our sins.  Baptism did not bring salvation to anyone in John the Baptist's day, and it still doesn't.  Verse eleven continues, And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  After the dove descended on Jesus, a Voice came from heaven saying, “Thou art My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased."  Today, even though we may not see the heavens open nor hear a Voice, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, God will always be well pleased.  Verse twelve says, And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness.  After Jesus' baptism, He was immediately led by the Holy Spirit into the desert.  Once more, we should not attempt to make Jesus and the Holy Spirit into two God's, because They are One with the heavenly Father.   We accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, which restores us to a right relationship with the heavenly Father, and then we are led by the Holy Spirit, but these are not three Gods, but One God Who manifests Himself in three ways.  After we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we should immediately be led by the Holy Spirit to do what the heavenly Father has for us to do.  Verse thirteen adds. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.  Mark does not say what temptations by Satan Jesus faced, only that He faced them and was ministered to by the angels after defeating Satan's temptations.  We do not have to know what temptations another person has faced in their Christian life, but it is good to know that they have overcome them.  Matthew gives us an account of the temptations, but Mark was not led to do so, which is why we need to read and understand the whole Bible to the best of our abilities under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  We will never understand it all and will never understand any of it without God revealing His truth to us.  Bible study is not an intellectual understanding of what the Bible means but is a spiritual understanding of what the Bible means.  Verse fourteen continues, Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, Mark tells us that after John the Baptist was imprisoned that Jesus began preaching the gospel in Galilee.  Jesus preached that the kingdom of God was at hand, and people needed to repent and believe the gospel.  Verse fifteen concludes, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.  Jesus was and is that gospel, and since He died on the cross for our sins, the kingdom of God has been at hand.  It doesn't matter when Jesus Christ returns, because God's kingdom has already been ushered in.  As followers of Christ, we are not going to be a part of God's kingdom one day, but we become a part of God's kingdom as soon as we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Of course, we must first believe the gospel, which tells us that Jesus Christ died for our sins and if we put our faith in Him as our Savior and Lord that our sins are forgiven forever.