Baptism of Christ

Introduce the Text

Read the Text

3. Preach the Text

Introduce

In this story there are two areas that I want to focus on. The first being the humility of John the Baptist and the second being the baptism of Christ and what that means for us.

As we encounter any account of Christ’s baptism, the question that many people think of is, “Why was Christ Baptized?”. This is the question we will primarily look at.

Mark’s Gospel is much shorter than the others and it moves very fast. In just a few verses we see what other Gospels may take half a chapter or even a whole chapter to cover. Mark’s Gospel is one that needs to be read slowly. It also helps to study it side by side with the others as well.

2. Read - Mark 1:4-11

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Baptism of Jesus

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 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. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

3. Preach

I. The humility of John the Baptist

II. The Baptism of repentance

III. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

IV. The Baptism of Jesus

V. God Coming Down

I. In our text we first encounter John the Baptist. When it comes to Christ’s Baptism, he is overlooked and kind of pushed aside. However, he is a very important person. As we first see him he is wearing camel’s hair and a leather belt, he is eating locust and wild honey, and he is out in the wilderness. Before Christ comes along and tells us not to be anxious but to trust that God will give us, clothes, food, and shelter John the Baptist is already believing this. Not only is he trusting in God, but he has been appointed by God to be the one who prepares the way for Christ and is proclaiming a baptism of repentance. He is fully trusting in God and has been appointed to prepare the way for Christ and he says that he is unworthy to untie his sandals. God’s most noble servants are always his most humble servants. This also was done to fulfill in Malachi 3:1 and Malachi 4:5. In Malachi 3 God tells the prophet that he will send his servant to prepare the way for the Lord. In Malachi 4 God tells the prophet that he will send Elijah before the Lord. Jesus later tells us that Elijah came in the form of John the baptist, which also testifies to Christ being Lord.

II. As we move away from who John the Baptist was and why he is significant, we begin to see what he was doing. As God’s servant who was preparing the way for Christ, he was proclaiming a baptism of repentance. If faith comes by hearing and by hearing the word of God, (Rom. 10:17) our regeneration begins when God has awakened us from the dead, (Eph. 2:4-5) we have repented of our sins, and have recieved faith in Christ through his word. Just as the baptism of repentance comes before Christ, our repentance comes before faith in Christ, and our continued repentance leads to a deeper belief in Christ.

As they were being baptized it is said they were confessing their sins. Why? John was not a priest, and the blood of Christ had not yet been shed that covers the sins of the world. Repentance accompanies baptism. If you did not repent of your sins or confess or acknowledge that you are a sinner then you did not have the same baptism as Christ and the water means nothing. It is the confessing that we focus on. At baptism or remembering our baptism we should always be undone and recognize that we are spiritually bankrupt and need Christ. The word “confessing” comes from the Greek word “exomologeō”. It doesn’t simply mean to confess, but also tells us to acknowledge and “repentance” comes from “metanoia” which means to change your orientation. In acknowledging our sins it is before God and not man because only God can take away the sins of the world. So when we repent we acknowledge our sins. If I was angry yesterday I would fully acknowledge that I was angry and then turn to Christ who takes away my sins and calls me to follow him. If you cheated on your spouse you fully acknowledge what you’ve done and you follow after Christ.

In confessing and repenting we do recognize that we are spiritually bankrupt, that we need nothing but Christ, and Christ for everything. Blessed are the Poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are the ones who recognize they have nothing and they are nothing apart without Christ. In Christ all things are freely given and we have all that we need. Blessed are they who, in acknowledging their sin, are broken because they recognize they have sinned against a Holy and perfect God. To truly acknowledge our sins is to be broken and know that following Christ is the only way. When we remember our baptism, let us acknowledge that we are sinners who need Christ for everything.

III. John baptized with water and tells us that Christ shall come and baptize with the Holy Spirit. It is here that we commonly get the understanding of baptism by fire. This is what it is called in Matthew’s Gospel (Matt. 3:11). Simply being baptized by water does not mean that the Holy Spirit has come into your life. Baptism is a call to repentance as well as means in which God’s grace is extended to us that we might brought closer to him. You must continue to repent of your sins and you must continue to persevere in your faith. This baptism of the Holy Spirit is simply a cleansing fire that burns away the sin in our lives. This is the promise of Pentecost (Acts 2). We will celebrate it in about twenty weeks, but for those alive during the time of Christ it was a time about three years later. On that day of Pentecost hundreds received the Holy Spirit and were baptized confessing their sins. the Baptism of repentance does not have to come before the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So, whether baptism is done as a way of preparing for Christ, or as statement of have receiving the Holy Spirit and repenting, all believers should be baptized if they have the opportunity. Baptism is one of the single greatest privileges that we have as Christians. It is central to our Christian faith. By our baptism we confess our sins and repent and God is made known in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit that has given us life.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit means that God has set you apart. You have been born again, you hate the sin you once loved, and love the righteousness you once hated. You have put to death the sins of the flesh (Rom. 8:13) and live to seek after Christ. The Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are a child (Rom. 8:16) of God and the evidence of this is the fruit in your life (Gal. 5:22).

IV. Now we come to the big question regarding Christ’s baptism; Why was Christ baptized? There are three simple answers.

The first reason comes from Matthew 3:15. This verse tells us that he was baptized in order to fulfill all righteousness.

The second reason he was baptized was to show obedience to the father by being truly human and being like us.

The last reason comes from John 17:19. Jesus tells us that he has consecrated himself so that we might be sanctified in truth.

1. Beginning with the first reason, to fulfill all righteousness, ties together the baptism of repentance that John proclaimed and Christ’s own obedience to the Father. If Christ was truly human he must be baptized. This baptism was the baptism of repentance, so, even though Christ had never sinned he was baptized in this way so that when we are baptized we are baptized into Christ’s baptism which was done for the confessing and removal of sins. It directly relates to the second reason, for is Christ was to be truly human and submit to the Father in perfect obedience he must do this so that we could submit to the Father as well.

2. The obedience to the Father was necessary because Christ was truly human and was truly like us. His perfect obedience testifies to both his humanity and divinity - perfect in that he was God, obedience in that he was human. Because he was perfectly obedient we don’t have to be. This is good news because even if we tried to have any form of perfect obedience we would fail, but because he was perfect it is enough for us. This obedience that we have is one that tells us to repent, to put to death the deeds of the flesh, to take up our cross and follow him, to seek him first, and desire to know Christ deeper and deeper everyday. Christ tells his disciples to baptize in his name. To be baptized is to be obedient to the Father.

3. The last reason was so that he consecrated himself so that we would be sanctified in truth. To consecrate something means to set it apart for holy service or a holy purpose. To be sanctified means to be made holy. So, Christ set himself apart for holy service so that we might made holy through him. This verse, John 17:19, comes from his high priestly prayer that he prays before being handed over. He prays to the Father on our behalf so that in all he did we would be made holy. From his baptism to the cross, he set himself apart so that we might be made holy through him. He has become our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30) and we are made righteous in him through the perfect and complete work of Jesus Christ. So, by consecrating himself he has made baptism holy and baptism has become a perfect and complete work of him, not us, so that if we are truly baptized we are made righteous not according to our own choice or devotion, but by him who has freely given us grace and forgiven our sins. This is why baptism is not about us. It is not about our choice or devotion it is about the perfect and completed work of Christ that is sufficient to take away our sins and lead us to a deeper belief in Christ. When we are baptized we are participating in what Christ has already done.

If you were baptized as a baby and you don’t remember your baptism it doesn’t matter because your baptism was about Christ. I was baptized as a baby so I don’t remember what happened. My parents told me that when I was baptized my brother started screaming and I think they said he ran out of the church. I don’t have to remember my baptism to know that in that moment, the grace of God was present in my life and I got to experience the perfect and complete work of Christ that worked in me. It wasn’t till later that I was baptized by the Holy Spirit.

Because Christ has consecrated, in himself, baptism, that is, set it apart and made it holy, when we are baptized we are participating in the completed work of Christ that made baptism holy, thus we are made righteous not by our choice or devotion, but by Christ himself. Righteous meaning to delight in God’s law, to reject wickedness, to seek repentance, and to have contrition in our hearts.

Baptism is not a stamp of holy perfection but a call to persevere in faith knowing, with full assurance, that our sins have been forgiven and that we have peace and life with our God.

When we are baptized we are not saved; however, we are reconciled to God, grafted in God’s covenant and we receive grace. Baptism is a call to persevere, not give up.

V. The baptism of Christ testifies to both his humanity and his divinity. Human in the sense that he was obedient to the Father, divine in the sense the fact that the heavens opened up and the Spirit descended upon him and the Father proclaiming him as his son. The son who is the exact image of God and was God himself.

Isaiah 64:1-2 says:

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,

that the mountains might quake at your presence—

2  as when fire kindles brushwood

and the fire causes water to boil—

to make your name known to your adversaries,

and that the nations might tremble at your presence!”

We see those words again, “come down”. On the night that Christ was born, God came down to earth in Jesus Christ and the heavens proclaimed his majesty with a band of angels singing praises to God. It’s as if the heavens tore open and God came down. We see the same thing here. The heavens being torn open and the voice of God himself testifying to the holiness and divinity of Christ.

The baptism of Christ shows to us his divinity, his humanity, his obedience. Being baptized into Christ’s baptism is the mark by which we are brought into a covenant relationship with God, grace is extended to us, and our sins are forgiven. Baptism tells us to pursue holiness and endure in our faith.