I AM HERE TO BE BAPTIZED MATTHEW 3:13-17

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1 I AM HERE TO BE BAPTIZED MATTHEW 3:13-17 Matthew 3:11-17 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? 15 But Jesus answered him, Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,2 and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son,3 with whom I am well pleased. Introduction The baptism that we celebrate in the Christian churches today had its beginnings in the Old Testament. Water was used as a religious tenet. The Pentateuch teaches about the requirements for those that had unclean offenses. Ritual purification was required: Touching a corpse (Num 19:10 13; 31:23 24; Lev 11, 22:4 6) Eating or picking up a dead animal (Lev 17:15) Nocturnal and seminal discharges (Lev 15:6 8, 11 12, 13, 16) Coming into contact with a menstruating woman s items (Lev 15:21 22, 25 27) Contagious skin infections (Lev 14:8 9) Since its origins in Jewish religious life, Christian baptism has continued to serve as a symbol of passing from death into life through Christ s resurrection, and the church has continued to contemplate the paradoxical mystery and concreteness of the practice. Baptism began as a ritual to initiate new believers into the Jewish religion and continued to serve as a purifying mechanism in Jewish religious life. After the

2 time of John the Baptist, baptism took on a slightly different meaning, as it signified turning from death to life through the power of Christ s death and resurrection. Over time, the apostles and early church fathers developed this doctrine further, and the practice began to take on new meaning for different communities of faith throughout the centuries. 1 Baptists in general, celebrate only two ordinances: the Lord s Supper and baptism. The Apostle Matthew is credited as the author of the Gospel of Matthew. It appears that his purpose was to show the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. He quotes more scripture out of the Old Testament than the other three Gospels. The third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew opens with the description of Jesus second cousin, John the Baptist. John the Baptist was an odd person, even for the first century. He preferred the wilderness to the city and he preferred to live off the land. His appearance wouldn t get him seated at the finest restaurant. But he was given one of the most important duties of the New Testament; his job was to preach repentance to the Jews or anyone who would listen. His message was simple: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. His life was foretold by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3). Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. The message of John s preaching was for his hearers to repent. The result and the act of obedience to his message was to be baptized. Baptism is important to God. Baptism was God s idea. Baptism was and is to be an important point in the life of a believer. Jesus began His ministry on earth by being baptized. Baptism was an important part of Jesus ministry as His disciples baptized Jesus followers (John 4:1-2). The early church baptized their converts because Jesus commanded them to. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (ESV) 1 Espinoza, B. (2012, 2013, 2014). Baptism. In J. D. Barry, L. Wentz, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair- Wolcott, R. Klippenstein, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

3 Therefore, baptism was Important to God Important to Jesus. Important to the early church. Baptism should be important to believers in Proposal I am here to be baptized Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. (ESV) What is baptism? Jesus goal and main purpose in seeking out John, was to be baptized by the prophet of God. The word baptism is derived from the Greek word; baptizo" which means to dip in or under water. It is the act of dyeing clothes; the cloth is submerged into the colored water in order to take on the color of the dye. Baptism is a ceremony that was practiced in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Very little is written concerning baptism in the OT, but baptism was required for those who wanted to accept the faith of the Children of Israel. It wasn t until after the Babylonian captivity that the practice of baptism was required for those who were converted to the Jewish religion. We are introduced to John s baptism which was a baptism of repentance. John proclaimed that men should repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. The remission of sins was the act of repentance, and the baptism was a sign to all present that they were fully acknowledging their repentance and dedication to a new life. The act of being baptized by John was taken as an act of betrayal by the organized Jewish religion of the day. This was a very big step that was met with dire circumstances from the religious elite. Jesus command to the Apostles was Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matthew 28:19). So today the church carries out His command; we are to spread the Gospel, baptize the converts and disciple them so that they can carry on the Gospel to others.

4 Most of the scriptures concerning baptism are found in the New Testament and was a means for joining a local body of believers; the church. There are different practices and forms by various denominations and branches of the Christian church. Baptism involves the use of water to sprinkle, pour or immerse the body. Who can be baptized? There are two differing thoughts about baptism. One is the belief that only a convert of Jesus Christ can be baptized. Baptism then was a way for a believer to enter the fellowship of a local congregation or the church. The other thought is that infant baptism is the act of sincere agreement that the family, god-parents or a community will ensure the upbringing of the child in the ways of the LORD which has nothing to do with salvation. The Baptist s believe in what is termed; Believers Baptism. This means that only believers of Jesus Christ can be baptized. This practice does not then allow for the baptism of children. John told people to repent and be baptized. Theirs was a spiritual decision made and followed. John did not preach Repent and be baptized, and bring your babies so they can be baptized as well. No this was a conscious effort on the part of the believer. What is the method of baptism? There are three approaches towards the method of baptism used among Christian groups today; sprinkling, pouring and immersion. The reason for this is that there are varying interpretations of the scriptures among the different Christian religions concerning baptism. Baptists believe in the last method; immersion. Baptism is not about washing away sins but instead is an act of obedience. Baptists follow that Jesus was not baptized to wash away His sins ; as he was perfect and sinless. Instead He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness (we will discuss this further later in this sermon). This was the announcement that every area of His life would be righteous and blameless before all. This included the Father and the Holy Spirit. Panic I can t baptize you, I am not worthy Matthew 3:14 John would have prevented him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? (ESV) Matthew s account gives us the objection of John to baptize Jesus. Remember that John s baptism was one of repentance of sin. John knew that Jesus did not meet the requirement for his baptism

5 since Jesus had nothing to repent of since he had never sinned. (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 1 John 3:5). As a prophet of God, John recognized that if one of them was going to be baptized it would Jesus baptizing him and not the other way around. John knew he was a sinner. In the Gospel of John, John is busy preaching and baptizing when he looks up and sees Jesus approaching; The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 ESV) So, like John, the question needs to be posed. Why would the Son of God need to be baptized? Well Jesus was obligated to fulfill all righteousness. To understand this statement it was important for Jesus to take part in every part of the Law, particularly the ceremonial law, which required the priests to be washed in water as they began their office. (Exodus 29:4). This was a consecration of His office as priest for mankind. His baptism by water was the ceremonial cleansing and the baptism of the Holy Spirit followed as the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: Jesus gave his approval of the ministry of John by allowing John to baptize him. This gave the seal on John s ministry which gave credence to the people following John. Jesus is identified as the Lamb of God to the Jewish nation. (John 1:31) The water baptism was a type of the death that Jesus would suffer on the cross. This is the baptism of his suffering. (Matthew 20:22) By Jesus submitting to John to be baptized, Jesus identified Himself with sinful men and gives illumination to the name He called Himself the most; The Son of Man. Patience Do it now Matthew 3:15 But Jesus answered him, Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented. (ESV) Jesus speaks but 15 words (KJV, 17 in the NKJV). Jesus understands the feelings that John is going through. They were family, but John understood that Jesus was Immanuel. Jesus is so patient with John, but the baptism must take place. The word suffer means to permit. The NKJV quotes this verse as Permit it to be so now The time was now. There wasn t to be any hesitation on John s part.

6 This explanation; Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness was enough to satisfy John that he should baptize the Messiah. Jesus was identifying himself with those that John had baptized, the redeemed. Jesus was not baptized because He needed to repent. Nor was He baptized for remission of sins. He was baptized because that was God s will for him. Jesus baptism was a signature of the ministry of John the Baptist. Secondly, he was associating himself with the very people He would give His life for. It was also a sign of his death, burial and resurrection. Purpose Fulfil all righteousness Matthew 3:15 for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented. fulfil all righteousness means that He is the One in whom the prophets foretold. Jesus means he will complete all that is required by God as the Messiah. He was fulfilling every aspect of His earthly ministry. He was circumcised on the eighth day, kept the feasts, kept the law, etc. Praise This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; [17] and behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. (ESV) Through the years I have held positions of leadership and every now and then I will receive a request for a letter of recommendation. I am always pleased and honored to be asked. I put time and effort into them as I realize this letter could ultimately mean the difference of that person getting the job or not. I must say that Jesus had all the right credentials; virgin birth, perfect life, born in the right place at the right time, followed all the laws and traditions and so far had fulfilled the prophecies concerning the Messiah. But when God said; This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, that is quite a letter of recommendation. Who would dare question Jehovah?

7 Conclusion As Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial law by his baptism, we today should fulfill the righteousness of the moral law. We are to follow Jesus the Messiah in all His commands. Baptism in the early church was not just for converted Jews or converted gentiles, or any one specific church. It was practiced for all converts in all the churches. We know of no unbaptized believers (except the thief on the cross, Luke 23:43). For example, in Romans 6 Paul says "How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?" (Romans 6:2-3). Paul assumes that the hearers of the epistle to the Roman believers were all baptized, and he was simply reminding them what it stood for. Baptism should be one of great celebration, done in public as a testimony of what has transpired in the life of the believer. If we are to be like the New Testament church, then we must take the same attitude and seriously approach scriptural baptism and practice it faithfully. Robert C. Crowder