What your Baptism Proclaims

Matthew 3:13-17

Matthew 3:13–14 NIV

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Matthew 3:15–16 NIV

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

Matthew 3:17 NIV

17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

We really have two main goals today in studying this passage:

We want to ask and answer two questions:

What is baptism? What does it mean? What are we doing when we do baptism?

Why is Jesus baptized? What’s so significant about Jesus going through with this baptism by John?

What is Baptism?

For centuries, the baptism of Jesus has been a confounding event— John the Baptist was baptising people as a sign of repentance. What we know of Jesus, even at about 30 years old right now, is that he didn’t need to repent of anything— he was sinless.

So, we read right away, John initially backs away from the task of baptizing Jesus— It’s as if John is saying “You don’t need what I have— I need what you have!”.

Remember— (about a year ago, I preached the previous passage—) John states earlier:

Matthew 3:11 NIV

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Here’s a bit of history that you may not have heard:

The Jewish people knew about baptism, but not for themselves— only for those who were “outside” the faith. You see, no Jewish person would have considered themselves in need of baptism, (they were God’s chosen people, right?)— and John appears on the scene to prepare the way for the Messiah. Even John himself doesn’t quite know how to handle this. The culture sees baptism as a cleansing. Jesus states that although John’s evaluation of their status’s is correct— it is FITTING for him to do this, to fulfill all righteousness.

That is the answer to our first study question: What is baptism?

Identifying with God’s plan.

(SLIDE OF FANS)

College Football has begun— We will once again see a bunch of people wearing Scarlet and Gray, or some other prominent colors to identify themselves with a particular team or school. They will extend time, money, energy and resources to cheer for and “identify” with their particular team.

We saw that this past weekend— and all around Ohio, people said (regarding the game against Notre Dame)— “We won”. Somehow, “we” are a part of this.

Sometimes the pronouns can even change— It’s “We won”, but “they lost”.

How about this guy— I’m thinking we can assume that he is identifying with a particular team.

(SLIDE OF BIG NUT OSU FAN)

He probably stated “We won” after the game. He’s not a coach, he’s not a trainer, he didn’t even hand out any water to the players— but he identifies so strongly— he says’ “we won”. He’s identifying with the team, and most likely the victory they won.

It’s a crude connection, but Baptism is “identifying” with a victory too. We, through baptism, are identifying with the victory Jesus would accomplish.

If we believe and connect with Him and the resurrection power He displayed,

Baptism is our public statement.

Romans 6:3–4 NIV

3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

We go down into the water, or in some cases that water is poured out over us, that represents us joining Jesus in his death on the cross—we do under dirty, but there is symbolic connection with cleansing---a cleansing that happens in our hearts as we believe in Jesus, and what he did for us...then we emerge from that water— rising up to new life, just like Jesus coming out of the grave.

Have you ever been underwater for a long time, and you’re holding your breath— and suddenly you yearn for the surface— you may almost jump out of the water, and take that deep, fast first breath? That’s what we are illustrating in baptism. Paul is stating here that we have been “buried” under the water, and then we are “raised” to newness of life! We die to sin, and we are raised to Life.

Matthew is reminding us here that through baptism, we go down, but Jesus doesn’t leave us down there— Jesus doesn’t leave us in our sin. He brings us up from the grave, and so through baptism, we are identifying with Jesus’ victory over sin and identifying God’s plan for our life.

A second way to describe what Baptism is:

Proclaiming God’s righteousness

We are making a proclamation:

Proclamation: “the public or official announcement of an important matter.”- Oxford Languages

Three ways we are proclaiming:

To God: “Thank-you for loving me, saving me, and giving me purpose”

To other believers: “Come celebrate with me, hold me accountable, let’s do this together”.

To unbelievers: “I’m showing you how wonderful a life in God is”.

Some clarity is needed:

"Baptism is a sacrament that reflects what has already happened— not a ceremony to get you in “the club”.- Pastor Charlie

Baptism is not salvation.

That was a critical issue for our earliest Anabaptist forefathers.

Balthasar Hubmaier was a teacher and priest in Zurich Switzerland in the early 1500’s. He and many others debated this very issue, as many, who believed baptism was indeed a ceremony that committed a soul to heaven, would baptize infants, or small children who may not have developed the maturity to understand the act.

“You ask, “what or how much must I know if I want to be baptized?” The answer is that you must know this much of the Word of God before you receive baptism: you must confess yourself a miserable sinner and consider yourself guilty; you must believe in the forgiveness of your sins through Jesus Christ and begin a new life with the good resolution to improve your life according to the will of Christ in the power of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”

That much you must know. To know and to believe this is to believe that Jesus is the Christ, which belief is necessary before baptism.”- Balthasar Hubmaier, 1523.

Thus through belief— we “identify” and “proclaim” the will of God in our lives. We get that… That’s fine, right?

Ok, but that leads us to our second big question for today in this passage:

Why did Jesus get baptized?

That’s were we want to go next.

John is out in the wilderness, in the Jordan river, calling people to repent and turn from evil— to be baptized and identify and proclaim what God has done in their hearts… Then Jesus shows up, and John’s a bit confused.

Matthew 3:14 NIV

14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

You’re the Messiah— you’re not a sinner. You don’t need to be baptized by me— I need to be baptized by you!

But Jesus doesn’t go along with the logic— He doesn’t stop him and say, yep, good job John, your theology is spot on ---

Matthew 3:15 (NIV)

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

(I added some emphasis on a couple words)

Jesus is actually “identifying” and “proclaiming” something with his baptism also.

He’s identifying with you and me.

He’s identifying with sinners.

He’s identifying with mankind— even though he wasn’t a sinner, he was a man.

He’s saying — I’m going to submit myself to the waters, to the death, to the sinfulness - just like you, and your sin. So we can rise together in the newness of life. This will allow you to identify with me— because I have identified with you.

It’s the sovereign king, identifying with the impoverished soul.

The perfect identifying with the imperfect.

This is an indication of the way Jesus is going to live his life on earth— by submitting, by identifying with us.

Philippians 2:5–7 (CSB)

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity.

He is a God who knows what we are going through. He, in every way, is familiar with what we are going through.

Hebrews 4:15 NIV

15 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.

Jesus was baptized to identify with us.

But he also was baptized to proclaim somethings!

He did not stay in the water— nor did he stay in the grave. He rises up out of the water.

Jesus was baptized to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

Charles Spurgeon was an influential English pastor and author. In his commentary and reflections on these passages, he simply says:

“In due time, the Prince quit his obscurity”- Charles Spurgeon

We need to remember that Jesus lived in a quietness, in obscurity for about 30 years up until this point in his life. A nobody, working as a laborer perhaps.

We don’t get to see Jesus as a middle school-er, or a high school aged young man, or a twenty something young adult trying to figure out life. We need to remember, that although we don’t get to read much about it— He indeed was those things. He did live through those years. Don’t think that Jesus doesn’t know what it’s like to be an elementary student, or a preteen, or a college-aged adult. He knows what that feels like— The KING OF KINGS, and LORD OF LORDS walked in obscurity, as a teenager— and no one even knew.

I think that’s part of the process of us realizing that he identifies with us— and here we see this first big public exposure.

The baptism happens-

And God speaks: This is like the first time that God has been heard for about 400 years!

He says these words:

Matthew 3:17 NIV

17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

He could have said a lot of things— but this is what God chooses to say.

Think about that. “This is my son.” Anyone who was there and could’ve heard that— what do you think they were thinking?

Powerful, meaningful, but actually not original words. Did you know that? This isn’t the first time God had said that! In fact, the devout Jewish people who would have known their “scriptures” would have recognized that phrase...

Isaiah 42:1 NIV

1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.

This passage goes on to describe Jesus! This is what was implied by God—

Isaiah 42:6–7 (NIV)

I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Doesn’t that sound familiar… Hmmmm Open the eyes of the blind, free captives from prison, and release those who sit in darkness. I will give YOU as a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles… These are almost the exact words Jesus himself reads in the temple later— he reads from Isaiah 61— The spirit of the Lord is upon me…

READ THIS ONLY

Isaiah 61:1–2 NIV

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

Jesus comes up from the water- He hears a word from Heaven, it’s like “ok— it’s on.” Here I am, and Here we go. He identifies with us as humans— fallen and sinful, in need of a savior. But he also comes out of the water to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

Take a look at the very next verse:

Matthew 4:1 NIV

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

It’s like he came up out of the water— God took notice, but the devil took notice also. He comes up out of the water, and hears a word from God— and he immediately hears a word from Hell too. We look forward to having Nick take us through that next week— but Jesus came up out of the water, and into the war. Satan takes notice that Jesus has turned on the lights here— and the temptation will happen right away.

I’m going to save humanity. He is landing in enemy territory.

He proclaims “This is who I am”.

The trinity plays itself out within these last couple of verses.

God the Father— God the Son— God the Holy Spirit

are all presented here together.

There’s only one other place in Scripture where we can observe this:

Genesis. The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit are all present at creation.

For Jesus, his baptism brings two eternal certainties:

The certainty that he was indeed the chosen one of God. The Messiah sent to save humanity.

And the other certainty was that in order to fulfill God’s ultimate plan, it would include the cross.

It’s like Matthew knew that— he describes for us a moment of a new creation. After 400 years of silence---God is still active, God is still moving, God has a plan. It’s Jesus.

SO what do we do with all this? I know these are huge big concepts of our faith, but Pastor Charlie, I gotta go to work tomorrow— I gotta soccer game coming up, I have life happening here. How can we get something out of this that will make a difference for all that I got ahead of me this week:

Let me give you three things that come to my mind:

1. Consider the power of the Holy Spirit

The Spirit of God is upon Jesus here— and the Spirit leads Jesus into the battle

That same Holy Spirit is working within you! Are you sensitive to God’s Spirit’s leading? He is present with us, if we will listen and follow.

2. Consider the work of Jesus

Through baptism, we are identifying with Jesus and his victory over sin and death. Jesus was baptized to identify with you. Jesus is the righteousness that is given to you and me. When we believe and claim Jesus as our Lord— God the Father looks at us and sees Jesus’ righteousness. If you’ve never been baptized, we would love to have you pursue that here with us. It is your public proclamation that you have identified with the work of Jesus.

3. Consider the love of the Father.

Some of us look at that and say— oh yeah— that’s great that Jesus got that from his Father. Some of us have been waiting a long time to hear that our father or our mother is pleased with us. Some of us deal with those relationships in really hard ways, those relationships haven’t been easy. But I want you to know that God has a plan for you— and at the moment of your faith, looks right at us and says “this is my child, in whom I am well pleased!”

Again— he looks at you. I am well pleased. Some of you need to know today that God is pleased with you— because you are in Christ.

Part of our inheritance is knowing that because of our faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for us— we can please God.

A.W. Tozer once said:

“The Lord takes peculiar pleasure in His saints. Many think of God as far removed, gloomy and mightily displeased with everything, gazing down in a mood of fixed apathy upon a world in which He has long ago lost interest; but this is to think erroneously. “ A.W. Tozer

God is delighting in us because of Christ- Christ has identified with us. Let’s pray.