Jesus' Baptism

Text…” Then  Jesus came from Galilee to            John  at the Jordan to be baptized  by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptize by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to  him?  “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting  for us to ful- fill all righteousness.” Then He allowed Him. When He had been baptized Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came  from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” …………………………………(Matt. 3: 13-17).

Topic:……..”Jesus’ Baptism ”

Introduction

            Baptism  is like a wedding ring: they both symbolize transaction. A wedding ring symbolizes marriage,  just as baptism symbolizes salvation. Wearing a wedding ring does not make you married any more than being baptized makes you saved. To extend the parallel, if a person, especially a woman, does not wear a wedding ring you can almost  always  assume that the person is not married.

            So it was in the New Testament times. If a person was not baptized, you could probably assume that he or she   was not a believer. On this we must be clear: baptism is a  symbol  of salvation and only a symbol. But, like a wedding ring, it is such an  effective  symbol that if should never be taken for granted. 

Jesus was not baptized to confess His sins (v  5), since He was sinless. His baptism  was His presentation to Israel (John 1:31)as well as a picture of His future baptism  on the cross  when “all the waves and billows” of Judgment would  go to Him. In (Matt.20:22), “ But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup I Am about to drink , and be baptized  with the baptism that I Am baptized with.” In ( Psa. 42:7)  “ Deep calls unto deep at the noise of your waterfalls; All your waves and billows  have gone over me.” The baptism of John looked forward to the coming of the Messiah (Acts 19:1-7). Christian baptism today looks back to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the witnesses of the believer’s identification with Him. In (Col.2:12 ) the apostles Paul says: “ Buried with Him in baptism, in which you were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead .  “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be  baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked Him to stay a few days” ( Acts 10:47-48). Jesus’ Baptism.”

            We’ve the trinity revealed here: the Son is baptized, the Spirit descends like a dove,  and the Father speaks from heaven. As He entered His ministry, the Son was approved by the Father, as He approached the cross. “And now, O Father glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory  which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5) He received that commendation.

            This text suggest the following  points:  1). The Sign, the act of baptism. 2). The Spirit, the presence of God;  and  3). The Sonship, attested by the voice from heaven (3:13-17).

I.              The Sign of Baptism ( v. 13).  “Then

Jesus came from Galilee to John  at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying,  “ I need to be baptized by You, You are coming to me?”  John  says, in effect, “ I need your spirit-fire baptism. You do not need my water baptism.”

           The  fame of the Baptist Preacher : John the Baptist had reach the little town of Galilee. The hour had come for the presentation of the King. “Then”  refers  to Jesus’ hour. But it involves more. It speaks of the exact moment when Jesus appeared before John. What a meeting this was!  The  grizzly son of the desert and the quiet carpenter of Nazareth.

           When John protested that he should be baptized of Jesus rather than to baptize Him, Jesus replied, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it become us to fulfill all righteousness” (3:15). So both John and Jesus   went down into the water, and John buried the King in the waters of baptism. “The  Sign of Baptism.”  “ Jesus’ Baptism.”

II.            The Spirit The Presence of God (v.16)

“ When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;  and behold the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting  upon Him.”  Heaven itself bent low for the occasion. For as Jesus,  the Son, came up out of the water, God the Spirit, as a dove descended and lighted upon Him. God the Father spoke in approval of the Son. Thus we see the triune God   joining in the presentation of the King. “ The Spirit The Presence of God.”

“ The Spirit  of  God.” The third Person  of the Trinity.  This is not the Spirit’s first entrance into the world. He was active both in the Old Testament   and in the birth of Jesus.  By the Spirit Jesus had been born and developed into manhood.  The deity of the Holy Spirit ought  to  be clearly recognized in the Scripture. Look at these facts:

Christ is born: the Spirit is His forerunner. Christ is baptized; the Spirit bears witness; Christ is tempted; the Spirit leads Him up. Christ ascends, the Spirit takes His place.

“The Spirit The Presence of God.”

III.           The Sonship , A Voice From Heaven.

“ And suddenly  a voice came from