3 The King s Baptism Matthew 3:1-17

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1 3 June 17, 2001 The King s Baptism Sunday Devotional Satisfaction of a Good Conscience, 1 Peter 3:18-22 The lesson theme for this week is the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist. The devotional thought is concerned with the baptism of those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. What does a believer s baptism do? Is it necessary for personal salvation, or does it perform some other function? Baptism is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and a picture of what has occurred when one passes from death unto life in Jesus Christ. It goes without saying that baptism is complete immersion in water. One is buried in a watery grave and raised from the burial in obedience to Jesus Christ who commanded baptism. Daily Devotionals See Daily Devotional Quarterly M. Requires Much Water, John 3:22, 23. T. Pictures Death to Sin, Romans 6:1-14. W. Pictures New Way of Life, 1 Corinthians 10:1-11. T. Three Thousand Baptized, Acts 2: F. Ethiopian Is Baptized, Acts 8: S. Saul Is Baptized, Acts 9: Baptism is a declaration that one has become a child of God. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist as described in the Text for this lesson, He was not baptized in order to become the Son of God. He already was the Son of God when He came to John. At Jesus baptism, God the Father said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:17). The Father was not declaring that Jesus had just become the Son of God but that in His baptism He was announcing to Israel and the world that He truly was the Son. We are not baptized in order to become the children of God, but we are announcing to the congregation of the church and to the world that we are already the children of God. Peter said that baptism is an answer of a good conscience toward God. A good conscience is one that has been taught what is right. Baptism is an important teaching of the New Testament. When one follows the command to be baptized, he is obeying that teaching. He is satisfying his conscience. It is important that all of the children of God be instructed in the meaning and method of baptism. They must be encouraged to be obedient to Christ and will be rewarded with a satisfied conscience toward God. 11

2 12 The King s Baptism ON TARGET Aim: By the conclusion of this lesson the student will understand and appreciate the purpose of baptism. Since much misunderstanding, confusion and controversy surround the subject of baptism, this is a constructive time to address it and to refute the claim that baptism is required for salvation. Your Aim is to lead the students to have an appreciation of the purpose of baptism. As you strive to achieve this goal, you may wish to stress four requirements for scriptural baptism. Scriptural baptism first requires a proper candidate. In the lesson Text you will find that John the Baptist required fruits worthy of repentance before he baptized anyone. Only those who have repented of their sins and placed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior are proper candidates. The proper method for baptism is important. Baptism has been trivialized by many declaring that how one is baptized does not really matter. As long as one is sincere, they say, you can be baptized any way you chose. Biblical definition of the word baptize and biblical example stress that baptism must be by immersion. The purpose of baptism is very important. One is baptized in obedience to the command of Christ picturing the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. He is baptized not in order to be saved but because he has already been saved. Finally, one must be baptized by the authority of a New Testament church. No one has the authority to immerse a believer except one of the Lord s churches. Hopefully your class members will leave the class with a clearer picture of the meaning of scriptural baptism. COMMENTARY OUTLINE Introduction: A. John s example of faith and service B. Key words in the lesson: repent, confess, baptize and righteousness I. THE KING S MESSENGER A. Came preaching (Matt. 3:1, 2) B. Came fulfilling prophecy (Matt. 3:3) C. Came lowly (Matt. 3:4) II. THE MESSAGE (1) A. Is for all (Matt. 3:5) B. Produced confession of sins (Matt. 3:6) C. Warned of wrath to come (Matt. 3:7) III. THE MESSAGE (2) A. Demanded repentance (Matt. 3:8) B. Does not accept personage (Matt. 3:9) C. Declared judgment at hand (Matt. 3:10) IV. THE COMING ONE A. The Mighty One (Matt. 3:11) B. The baptizing One (Matt. 3:11) C. The judging One (Matt. 3:12) V. THE KING S BAPTISM (1) A. Pictures the importance of baptism (Matt. 3:13) B. Pictures the humility of baptism (Matt. 3:14) C. Pictures the righteousness of baptism (Matt. 3:15) VI. THE KING S BAPTISM (2) A. Pictures the proper mode (Matt. 3:16) B. Pictures the proper blessing (Matt. 3:16, 17) Conclusion: The first step of an obedient child A. What does it mean to repent? B. What is scriptural baptism? 1. Proper candidate 2. Proper mode 3. Proper authority

3 Text: 13 1 LET S BE PRACTICAL 2 LET S BE PRACTICAL Quarterly Outline THE KING S BAPTISM Lesson Focus: Matthew 3:1-9, HEAVEN CAME DOWN Luke 3:21, 22 Introduction. Luke records the event of the baptism of Jesus Christ. You may use his account to enhance your lesson from Matthew. In Bible times when a king planned to visit a certain place, he sent an advance agent to prepare everything for his coming. Jesus had a great advance agent John the Baptist. He came to prepare the way of the Lord. It is important to understand the meaning of the word baptize as it was used in biblical times. I. THE COMING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (Matt. 3:1-6) A. John s appearance in the wilderness of Judea B. John s message was one of repentance. C. John was baptizing in the Jordan River. II. THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES COME TO JOHN (Matt. 3:7-9) A. John called the Pharisees and the Sadducees a progeny of snakes and demanded fruit of repentance from them. B. They insisted that they needed no repentance because they were the seed of Abraham. I. HOW THE SON OF GOD IS IDENTIFIED (Luke 3:21, 22) A. As with sinners He is identified. (His baptism identified Him as the One who came to save sinners.) B. As the Son He is identified. Thou art my beloved Son. II. HOW THE SON OF GOD IS CERTIFIED (Luke 3:21, 22) A. As the Son He is certified. And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him. B. As the servant He is certified. Jesus also being baptized. III. HOW THE SON OF GOD IS GLORIFIED (Luke 3:22) A. As the Son He is glorified. In thee I am well pleased. B. As to His second coming, He will be glorified. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory (Mark 13:26). III. JESUS COMES TO JOHN (Matt. 3:13-17) Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. One is not baptized in order to make him a child of God.

4 14 The King s Baptism LESSON ASSISTANCE Teacher: Write the word baptize on the board and discuss its meaning with the class. Be sure to emphasize that it means to dip, plunge or immerse in water. Do not leave the impression that biblical baptism is by the means of sprinkling or pouring. Most of your class members probably can recall their personal baptism and the church that administered it. Ask those who will to share their baptismal experiences with the class. Have them to tell where they were baptized; whether it was in a baptistry, a river, a lake or a pond. Have them tell who the preacher was who did the baptizing. Emphasize the elements of scriptural baptism. Write these on the board before class and discuss each of them with the class. 1. A proper subject a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ 2. A proper mode complete immersion in water 3. The proper authority a scriptural New Testament church 4. The proper purpose to demonstrate that one has been saved A comparison of the Pharisees and the Sadducees: The Pharisees and Sadducees were the two major religious groups in Israel at the time when Jesus came to earth. The Pharisees were more religiously centered, while the Sadducees were more politically oriented. Although these groups disliked and distrusted each other, they became allies in their common hatred for Jesus. The Pharisees were a close-knit religious sect. They took an oath to remain true to the principles of Pharisaism. They were committed to obeying all of the Word of God, but they also considered their own religious rules equally important with the Word of God. They were correct, morally zealous and self-denying, but they also were self-righteous and legalistic. They had no sense of personal sin and their need of salvation. They believed in the bodily resurrection, eternal life, angels and demons. They were more concerned with appearing to be good than obeying God. The Sadducees believed that only the first five books of the Bible were the Word of God. They denied the existence of angels or other spirits, all miracles and especially the resurrection from the dead. They were strongly entrenched in the Sanhedrin Court and the priesthood. They did not identify with any affirmative doctrine, but were firm deniers of the supernatural. They were bitter enemies of the Lord and later the apostles especially Peter and Paul. They relied on logic and placed little importance on faith.

5 Text: 15 CLASS AGENDA Warm-up 5 Minutes Greet students. Introduce and welcome visitors. Be sure that each student in the class has access to a Bible, pupil s quarterly and Adult Lesson Commentary. Bible Exploration Minutes Carefully explore the biblical account of the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist. Be sure to emphasize the authority, the manner of immersion and the purpose for His baptism. Application 5-10 Minutes Make personal applications by stressing the importance of every believer having scriptural baptism administered by a New Testament church. Emphasize to the class that baptism is absolutely not necessary for salvation. Closing 5 Minutes Quickly review the lesson and link it to the lesson for next week. Close with prayer including requests made in class. Teacher s Notes