Matthew 3:13-17

Back in late 1920s Chicago had a problem. The tentacles of that problem affected not only Chicago but infested much of the nation. The problem had a name and that name was Al Capone.

Capone was a criminal. He was a wicked man who literally ran the city of Chicago. He owned most of the politicians and policemen. The ones he couldn’t buy he threatened or had killed. Capone and his mob ran prostitution rings throughout the city and sold bootleg liquor worth millions.

Then, one day, a young Treasury agent and eleven of his handpicked men decided it was time to declare war on Capone. Does anybody know the name of this young twenty-six year old Treasury Agent? (Elliot Ness). Ness and his team ran continuous raids on Capone’s operations and cost the mobster millions in lost revenue.

As you can image, Capone wasn’t very happy with this and attempted numerous assassination attempts on Ness and finally succeeded in killing one of Ness’s closest friends. But before Capone took out a contract on this Treasury Agent, he decided on a softer approach. He sent a messenger to Elliot Ness with an envelope. At the time, Ness was making $2,800 a year (this was back in 1929) and the envelope contained $2000. The messenger made it clear that this could be a weekly salary for Ness if he would only look the other way and lay off Capone.

Ness put the money back in the envelope and sent it and the messenger back to Capone. Then he called a press conference. Ness told the assembled reporters all about Capone’s attempted bribe and of made it clear how much contempt he had for the man who had offered it.

The next day, the headlines read “Ness and his men are UNTOUCHABLE.” And thus began the legend of Eliot Ness and his Untouchables.

In a day of corrupt officials and policemen who were on the take Ness and his Untouchables became heroes. They were righteous men who could not be bought. They were upright men of integrity who fought evil and corruption. They were the men of legend.

God calls us to be people of integrity. He calls us to live lives of righteousness, but we fail so many times.

A man went to see a psychiatrist. He complained, “I’ve been doing some bad things, Doc, and my conscience is troubling me.” The doctor asked, “And you want something that will strengthen your will power?” The man replied, “Well, no, I was thinking of something that would weaken my conscience.”

Many people don’t want God’s righteousness. They want something that will make them feel better about their own unrighteousness. But God does something even better. God sent his son to bring us righteousness. Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus took our sin and gave us his righteousness because he lived a perfect life.

Last week we looked at the baptisms that John was performing along the Jordan River. John didn’t go to where the people were in order to draw a large crowd, it seems like he went to the middle of nowhere. Yet he still drew a large crowd.

John’s message was simple and can be summed up in one word: repent. The people were to acknowledge their sin before God and turn from it asking for God’s forgiveness. That’s not usually a very popular message, but out in the middle of nowhere John drew a great crowd. We’re told that people came from Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and all around the Jordan. John’s message was simple, but it was powerful because it was the message of God for that time and place. As a result, people came not only to hear, but they responded.

Something we need to understand about baptism is that Jews weren’t baptized. Gentiles were baptized. If Gentiles decided to worship God and start following the laws of God then they would be baptized as an initiation. But Jews were already in by way of having been born a Jew. They didn’t need to be baptized. But they came to John and were being baptized for forgiveness as they repented of their sins.

Imagine someone going down to the Watauga River near the Twins Field and preaching that message. Imagine too crowds of people flocking to hear him and be baptized. I don’t know about you, but for me that would be hard to imagine. If he had a little bread I can imagine a flock of ducks gathering around him. But can you picture several hundred of people going to hear someone talk about confessing your sins? Our society is so busy – even overly busy – that they don’t take time for much of anything they don’t feel like they have to do. I have a hard time picturing too many people going to hear someone tell them how badly they’ve sinned and how they need to get right with God. But that’s what they need to hear. It’s what we need to hear.

John’s simple message was to repent and his reason was simple as well. The people needed to get rid of the sin in their lives that came between them and God because the kingdom of heaven was at hand. The kingdom of heaven would soon be upon them and they needed to prepare themselves by repenting of their sins.

And then, one day, out of the blue, John is surprised by a visitor, someone who has also come to be baptized.

Matthew 3:13-17 VIDEO

This is one of the spots in the video that I’m a little disappointed. I wanted to see the Holy Spirit come down. I wanted to hear the voice of God proclaim that Jesus is his son. Instead, the video just says these things happen. Imagine being there that day to see and hear what transpired.

We can understand why John would have hesitated when Jesus came to be baptized. Remember the purpose for being baptized. They were being baptized to repent of their sins (Jesus didn’t have any sins to repent of) and to prepare them for the coming of the Messiah (Jesus is the Messiah). So just what is the purpose of Jesus being baptized?

John wonders and Jesus explains: to fulfill all righteousness.

The word righteousness is about having a right relationship. In his baptism Jesus is demonstrating two relationships: first is his relationship with God. If there were any doubts about that relationship they were quickly dispelled with the filling of the Holy Spirit and God verbally recognizing Jesus as his son he loves and with whom he is pleased.

The second relationship is with us. In his baptism Jesus is relating himself with us.

In his sermon at the Men’s Fellowship last night Scott Fisher, who preaches at Borderview and is a big University of Florida fan, said that some people spend too much time rooting for Tennessee and Florida. I thought that was a little funny. I was sitting beside Michael Klaus, the preacher at First Christian. He’s from Florida too, but he went to Florida State. I can assure you he doesn’t spend too much time rooting for the Volunteers or the Gators. I am also pretty certain that Scott and his son were the only Gator fans there, so no one else spends too much time rooting for the Gators either.

If you were to buy a used a car and it a University of Florida decal on it what would you do? The first thing I’d want to do is get that decal off. I wouldn’t want anyone to think I might like the Gators. I wouldn’t want to associate myself with them.

But think about what Jesus does when he’s baptized. He is associating himself with us – sinners deserving God’s judgment. Jesus, who has committed no sins, associates himself with us. Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness. He came to demonstrate what a right relationship with God looks like. But he also came to live a human life with all its difficulties, heartaches, and temptations so that he could relate to us. The author of Hebrews writes:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus can relate to our problems. He can relate to pains. He can relate to our temptations.

What he can’t relate to is our sin because he never sinned. Instead, he took our sin. Paul says he became our sin.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Jesus, who was right before God, took our sin that we might be right before God. This is mission. Jesus can and did what we cannot do and at times don’t even want to do. Jesus perfectly obeyed the law of God thus fulfilling all righteousness. And then he does what is most unexpected, he takes our sin, our unrighteousness, and our rebellion upon himself at the cross. He allowed himself to be crucified on the cross. He allowed himself to suffer for the sins of the world. He then endured the wrath of God that we might become the righteousness of God.

Let me explain what this means by saying what it doesn’t mean. This doesn’t mean that in Jesus we a do-over. Jesus isn’t saying, “So far you haven’t done very well so I’ve wiped your slate clean. Now, go and do better.” Jesus certainly calls us to do better. To the woman caught in adultery Jesus said, “I don’t condemn you. Go and sin no more.” But Jesus isn’t offering us the ultimate mulligan of life. Jesus isn’t simply giving us a second chance to do it right.

Instead, Jesus has done in take all our sins: past, present, and future. He has taken the punishment. When you lied to your parents as a child – it’s not counted against you

When you flew off the handle in a fit of rage – it’s not counted against you

When you knowing cheated on your income taxes – it’s not counted against you

The list goes on and on. All those sins you know you’ve committed, all those sins that have come between you and God, those sins that cause guilt and shame, those sins you hope no one ever finds out about, those sins have been taken away and will not be counted against you. This is good news. This is the gospel.

Jesus was the perfect son who loved the father and obeyed all his father’s commands. In Jesus we have one who obeyed the law and fulfills all righteousness. He takes on our sin. Jesus has taken the shame and the guilt. He has taken God’s wrath. He has taken everything that we deserved. And if that weren’t enough, he’s given us what he deserved. We received what was credited to him. That perfect obedience is credited to us.

Now, when God looks upon us he doesn’t see our sin, but the righteousness of Jesus. The perfect son washed away our sin and gives us his righteousness.

But how many live as though the righteousness of Jesus isn’t enough? How many are thankful for what Jesus has done but still believe something more in needed? We receive what Jesus did for us, but we still have to do all this other stuff as well. If I really want to be forgiven by God I must also never miss a Sunday service. I’ve got to prove to God that I deserve it. I’ve got to prove to God that I’m worth saving. I’ve got to perfectly head towards without sin or else God will change his mind about forgiving me. The problem is we will inevitably fall. So we must pick ourselves up and try again.

If that’s the way I live what am I doing? I’m trying to create an alternate form of righteousness that exists in addition to the righteousness of Christ. I’m not looking to Jesus. I’m not accepting the righteousness that he gives me. Instead I’m acting like the righteousness of Jesus isn’t enough.

Of course the other extreme is to give. The other extreme is to believe I’ll never be perfect so why try to obey. Why not just give in to my passions and desires? Why fight temptation?

Both these reactions lead to despair. Remember the beatitude we read Sunday. Jesus said:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

To be spiritually poor is to recognize that we have nothing to bring before God. We have nothing to prove we deserve God’s love or forgiveness. We didn’t have it before God forgave us and we don’t have it afterward either. That’s why God’s grace is so amazing. If we deserved it his grace wouldn’t be amazing – it would be deserved.

Turn with me to Romans 8. If you’ve ever struggled to understand how God could love you enough to send his son to die for you know that you are not alone. Paul addresses this feeling.

31What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)

Re-read the two lists of things that cannot separate us from God’s love:

trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword (v 35)

death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation (v 38-39)

There are some pretty terrifying things in those lists. None of them can take God’s love from you. That should bring some confidence and assurance. Again, that’s what makes God’s grace so amazing. The righteousness Jesus gives us isn’t based on what we’ve done or ever will do; it’s based on what Jesus has done for us at the cross. God doesn’t look at what you’ve done in order to determine if he will allow you into heaven. He doesn’t see your greed, your materialism, lust, pride, or anger. Instead, he looks at what his perfect and obedient son did at Calvary.

So what should we do now? How should we respond? Give him glory. Thank him and give him glory. God who loved you and forgave you deserves your glory. Don’t try to obey out of some legalistic framework, obey out of thanks for what he has done. Allow your love for God grow and motivate you to serve him understanding that it will never be enough. Understand that you will never be able to pay God back so don’t bother trying. But out of your gratitude for all that God has done for you in Jesus love him and serve him. That’s all that’s left to do.

This may sound simple, but we know it’s not. What we must do is completely trust in his righteousness. When we try to make our own righteousness we will fail every time and we are not trusting in his righteousness. We are not trusting that it is really enough or that it is really ours. All that’s left for us to do is to trust in him.

The religious leaders asked Jesus one day what they needed to do to do the works that God requires. What must we do to have eternal life? What must we do to deserve God’s forgiveness and salvation? What work must we do? And Jesus replied:

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. (John 6:29)

That’s it. That’s what’s left for us to do. We must believe in the one God has sent. We must believe in Jesus. We must believe that Jesus has fulfilled all righteousness and done all that is necessary. We must trust that his righteousness that he has given us is all that we need. Can you do that?

In a minute we are going to stand and sing our invitation hymn. But before we do that I want to have a moment of silence. I want to give you a moment to consider the forgiveness that God has given to you. I want you to think about the righteousness that is yours through Jesus. And I want you to give God thanks and glory. Let us pray.