Baptism Announcements
Notes
Transcript
All four gospels begin with John the Baptist… and introduce Jesus’ ministry by his baptism at John’s hands. Father, Spirit and Son: the Trinity in action giving definitive beginning to Jesus’ season of ministry. For thirty years Jesus lived in obscurity and almost complete silence, living out perfect and simple human life. With a baptism for forgiveness of sins he doesn’t need, from a man not fit to carry his sandals, and words from heaven he already knows… Jesus begins. This is the starting point for Jesus’ three year graduate program in life: Jesus’ Masterclass. Only one other man sees it: the prophet, the forerunner, the one who first recognizes and introduces Jesus and sends disciples his way, John the Baptist. He proclaims “behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Recognize the Master.
New Baptism. Who ‘dis?
New Baptism. Who ‘dis?
Logan wasn’t the only one to graduate this year. My mom sent me this text of Cash being baptized. And that’s my sister on the right, and Keith over on the near left.
But who is that stranger on the far left? That’s my niece, Brielle.
I showed the picture to the kids, they all had the same reaction. “That’s Brielle??!”
Haven’t seen her in person for 4 years. We are headed out to California with the family in a couple days here, SO excited… but it’s like getting to know a whole new “technically adult” kind of person.
Last week we ended with this line: anyone who is in Christ is a new creation.
Can you imagine if Baptism did that literally. You come up out of the water and… wait… who is that guy???
Tim Rood being baptized
Chris Rood being baptized. That’s Pastor Herb Saunders doing in the honors in 1986. What a place to be baptized! They are at least 30% more baptized than the rest of us!
When we baptize we are making an “outward declaration of an inward reality.” The Baptism of Spirit and Fire that Jesus brings has already occurred, we are now celebrating that outwardly.
It is a powerful symbol and a special time.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if God made that outwardly visible in some way?
Here we go. Baptism announcements, you are invited to the best baptism of all time.
Same place as those… or at least same river. Near enough. Closer than the hot tub I was baptized in :D.
The whole region, the province, is going down to the river to be baptized by John the Baptist. And here comes Jesus.
Book
Book
Recap: John the Baptizer
11 “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.
Here comes cousin Jesus:
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?”
Note that. John had some reluctance here.
It doesn’t say why… but we can put forward some guesses.
Maybe he knew Jesus was the Messiah already? More about that later.
But he at least knew this: Jesus was more righteous than he was. And if Jesus lived a perfect life, cousin John had to have noticed something. At the very least his mom saying “Why can’t you be more like your cousin Jesus?!”
Reasons Jesus doesn’t need baptism:
Reasons Jesus doesn’t need baptism:
Doesn’t need forgiveness for sins he doesn’t have
Doesn’t have “original sin”
John isn’t worthy to carry his sandals
Already knows He is the Son of God
John recognizes that Jesus doesn’t need his “baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” Or that, if baptism proceeds from the righteous to the unrighteous, it should be Jesus baptizing him!
John knows there is something special about Jesus.
15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
Reasons for Jesus to be baptized:
Reasons for Jesus to be baptized:
- Jesus identifies himself with our need for repentance.
- Jesus humbles himself before all men, for all men
- Jesus models baptism for all of us
- Jesus submits himself to the Father
… and does all through the power of the Holy Spirit. (And seems to need the encouragement of the Father in his full humanness).
What’s the reason he actually gives?
To fulfill all righteousness
To fulfill all righteousness
To “fulfill all righteousness.”
Righteousness before God? I don’t think so. Jesus is already righteous before God.
Righteousness is Right relationship with God which leads to right living, which leads to right relationship. Right relationship with others, which leads to right living with others, which leads to right relationship… Jesus already had that.
“To fulfill all righteousness.” Not just his own, Jesus left no stone unturned, no excuses for the enemy, spirit or men. No sin of commission, omission, original or brand new.
Every possible definition of righteousness you can think of. Jesus had it. Jesus lived it. Jesus walked through it.
There is no possibility of accusation, no fault, no stone left unturned. Righteousness? All of it.
16 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.”
(Funny thing: how often 3:16 ends up being an awesome verse. Matthew 3:16 is crazy good.)
So cinematic.
Here we have the Trinity in action.
Father speaking from heaven,
Spirit of God like a dove, Son. Love proceeding from the Father to the Son, and such that that favor, that love, is itself Person. The embodiment of God’s love, proceeding eternally from Father to Son.
Father Son and Holy Spirit.
Adoptionism?
Adoptionism?
But Jesus knew from the time he was 12, at least. Remember in the temple? But Jesus knew from the time he was 12, at least. Remember in the temple? Luke 2:49 “49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?””
And before that, John says “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word ‘tabernacled’ among us.” Jesus was always the Son, from the beginning before the beginning.
Know, this declaration was something that was already true. The Father announcing his favor on the Son.
Almost Ordinary
Almost Ordinary
We know almost nothing about Jesus’ first 30 years. The “missing” years. Wouldn’t we love to pour over every detail of his upbringing?
But Jesus comes on the scene out of obscurity. Quietly living life for 30 years. An exciting birth, a couple of moves, one trip to the temple… that’s all we know. Quiet and ordinary enough that his neighbors don’t believe there’s anything special about him. His brothers don’t believe there is anything special about him.
So perfect… but quietly so. Humanly so. Ordinary, to all watching observers.
And the Master of all life has been quietly living on the planet for thirty years. Walking out life as a man. Birth, adolescence, puberty, manhood, job, siblings.... all of it.
Carpenter or Mason or Handyman or “General Contractor”. Almost Ordinary.
And then the signal comes. At least to Jesus’ eyes, the heavens are torn open, and God says “go”, and the Spirit descends like a dove, the Trinity as a whole acts, and everything changes. Jesus enters temptation in the wilderness and then its time to start calling his core disciples.
… and it’s like a “Go” signal. A starting pistol. It launches Jesus into ministry. The time is now!!!
See it in the movie in your mind:
Mark says it was “torn open”
10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
Who saw it?
Who saw it?
“he saw”… just Jesus saw it?
This incredible witness from heaven. and… nobody reacts. No one runs screaming from the scene.
No one is amazed that the Spirit descends like a dove… or even if they just saw the dove… or a beam of light pierce the clouds.
Maybe nobody saw it.
Or maybe… one other guy did.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Now, some want to see a contradiction here. There isn’t one.
John knew before there was something special about Jesus.
But he didn’t know this. He knew Jesus was righteous. Better than him. But something happened.
32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
If no one else saw it… John saw it.
John saw it… and he knew what it meant.
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
Now he knows this is the Son of God… and so know when John sees him… what does he say?
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Behold the Lamb
Behold the Lamb
This is the Son of God
You can know a whole lot of things about Jesus. You can like him a lot. Think good things about him. Know that he is righteous and great…
There’s a world of difference between “Jesus is cool” and “Behold, the Son of God. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
We shared about Chris at the park last night. One thing I heard again and again as people heard the news: “she was just here!” Moments before, walking around, hanging out. Next thing… gone!
We don’t know what was in her heart. We know she was more open to the things of God than she was, starting to listen, starting to stick around on Tuesdays to hear the Word, she was there at lunch on Thursday.
God knows her heart, is listening for even the smallest step, the “Remember me, Jesus....”
Pray for her, and trust that God loves her more than we ever could hope to.
But it also communicates the urgency. We don’t ever know the hour. We don’t know the appointed moment.
John’s eyes were open to the appointed moment, ready to see Jesus. Ready to behold Jesus. Ready to recognize Him as Lord and Savior.
How many hundreds of others were there? And I think they missed it. Some of them got more chances. John pointed more to him. Andrew ran and got his brother Simon, aka Peter, and this was a starting point for them.
Let this be a starting point for you.
Maybe God opens the heavens for you know and you see the shining beam of light and a dove flying down and Jesus appearing in the water.
Maybe God is speaking in the quiet of your heart and mind right now. Maybe he was showing himself in the music earlier. In the love of a believer reflecting the love of Jesus for you.
Maybe He is speaking through the struggle, even through the loss of a friend.
In a thousand ways, Jesus is showing Himself to you. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Behold the Son of God.
That is who He is. Who He has always been. Recognize him, believe on him and be saved.
“Behold”
And why do we know what John saw? Because John declared what he saw. He proclaimed it. He saw Jesus, pointed to Jesus, “Behold… there He is… and who He is...” And said to his own followers, people he influenced… go follow Him!
To recognize Jesus.
And to declare Him.
Lamb of God. Son of God.
Let’s “Behold” Him.