"13 Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *permitted Him. 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is my privilege to have you
here with us today. We are especially grateful for those of you who have
been sharing the ministry website with all of your family and friends.
Your faithfulness and commitment to share God's Word with others
continues to bring about tremendous results. People are responding to
God's Word! This is all so amazing. We ask you to pray that God will
continue to give us boldness to speak the truth in ministry in the face
of adversity in the coming days! As you may have noticed, it's becoming
more and more challenging in the day in which we live.
I want to let all of you know how grateful I am for all of you. We are so thankful your prayers and continue to pray for all of you. Prayer is such a powerful tool, and a mighty weapon against the adversary. And through your sharing, God continues to bring a number of people to faith in Jesus Christ. Praise God! May He continue to use you and this ministry mightily to effect change in even more lives. Let's give God some praise for all He has done!
Whether we like it or not, there are times when our lives provide us with defining moments, moments which set the course of our lives, sometimes it's good, and sometimes, it's evil. One is example, are the events of September 11, 2001, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon, was a defining moment for our nation. President George W. Bush, suddenly became very presidential, and his leadership during our
time of crisis propelled him to a prominent place in history.
As we study the Scriptures, we can see defining moments in the lives of men and women.In the first chapter of the Book of Daniel, Daniel’s defining moment came where he purposes, along with his three friends, not to be defiled by the king’s choice food. Then, there was Peter's denial of our Lord. And, of course, there was Judas Iscariot's betrayal. I believe that our Lord’s baptism and temptation was a defining moment in His life and ministry. In fact, every one of the Synoptic Gospels includes an account of our Lord’s baptism and temptation.In was in this moment, that John emphasizes the deity of our Lord, beginning in the very first verses of his Gospel. Not only do these events provide a defining moment in the life of Jesus, but I believe they are a crucial prerequisite to the saving work of our Lord.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
O Lord, I ask and pray this in Christ's precious name
Amen
As we have already established, Matthew wants the world to know that Christ is the promised King, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. And, it is certainly no different, as we come to the end of chapter 3. However, this time, the Lord Jesus actually comes to the scene. Up until this time, it has has all been preparatory. Matthew has been up to this point, presenting His genealogy, His right to rule as King, His birth, several events surrounding His birth, John the Baptizer, which is the forerunner. Now, Jesus takes the place of prominence. The anticipation that has been building since the beginning of this record is now fulfilled. This is a rich portion of the Scripture, His commissioning and the beginning of His ministry. After 30 years of seclusion, peacefully preparing to manifest Himself to the world. The time has now come.
John the Baptizer, the voice crying in the wilderness, has already made the way ready. The path is now made straight, and from Nazareth, Jesus comes to inaugurate His work. First, we see the baptism of the Son. Second, we see the anointing of the Spirit. Thirdly, we hear the word of the Father. I'd like you to notice, that all the Trinity is involved here. I believe that this is a very important passage for instruction on the Trinity. If you're looking for some sort of verification of the Trinity, this passage is as good as any. In addition to all of that, we will learn much about Satan and how to deal with temptation in our lives. Let us now look to the Spirit of God to make these words come to life in our lives.
It
is my honor and great privilege to minister the Word of God to you
today. Open your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 3.
Matthew 3 verses thirteen through seventeen.
I invite you to follow along with me as I read, to set the text in our
minds, as we prepare our hearts for the Spirit of God is saying to each
of us. Matthew 3:13-17. Listen for the voice of our Lord.
"Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he *permitted Him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
Let's begin with verse 13, "Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him." Matthew begins with the word "then," a very vague word, that really doesn't tell us much of anything. We don't know when the "then," was. Other than it connects us with the ministry of John the Baptizer.
In Luke's account, in chapter 3, it appears that Jesus comes on the scene after everyone else had been baptized for the day. "Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased." I believe the implication here, is there were no large crowds standing around watching when Jesus was baptized. So, sometime during the ministry of John, it was then that Jesus came. We have no idea for how long John ministered, but we do know it was long enough for Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about the Jordan to come. Which would have taken several months. We really do not know exactly where on the Jordan River John was. There is no way to reconstruct the specifics.
We know from Luke's account, when He was about 30 years of age, He began His ministry. Supposing that John began his ministry when he was 30, he would have been ministering for about six months, because John was born six months before Jesus. However, there's nothing in the Scripture that tells us that John was 30, so we cannot be dogmatic. It's just a thought. And, in Numbers chapter 4, there is some indication that David embarked upon certain aspects of his ministry to the Lord when he was 30. According to Numbers 4, that's the time when the priests began to function. By the time you get to the 8th chapter, the age was lowered to twenty-five. In I Chronicles 23, David lowered the age to 20 for special reasons. So, we can't really believe that 30 is too significant. But, John is about to pass the baton to Christ.
We don't know if they knew each other, we do know they knew about each other. Jesus knew that John was the forerunner. One reason is that Elizabeth called Jesus Lord, and if she believed He was Lord, there's no doubt in my mind, she would have passed that knowledge down to John. Combine that with the fact, John immediately recognizes Jesus here. So, He comes to John and He has a very specific purpose in mind.
We know that John had a problem with baptizing Him, many today still do, unless you really examine the text carefully. Verse 14, "But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" Remember, John was baptizing people based on the message of "Repent." In verse 11, John said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance." John was refusing to baptize Jesus because He was sinless and had nothing to repent of. In John 1:29, John sees Jesus coming and says, "Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." Then, in verse 31, he says " I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water."
And, in verse 33, "I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’" John was saying "I knew Him physically, but I did not yet divine confirmation. " Now, look at verse 32, "John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him." God told him, "You'll know for sure with divine confirmation. That's the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit." So, what John what saying is, "You can't be baptized with my baptism, my baptism is for sinners." If anyone questions whether or not Christ was really without sin, this is a fantastic place to start. Some people claim that Jesus was just a prophet, John, look at Matthew 11:11, "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." The greatest man that ever lived exalts Christ above his own category. "Jesus, You aren't in my class. You're sinless." John makes a public declaration of the absolute sinlessness of Jesus Christ.
Then, in verse 15, "But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *permitted Him." The only reason Jesus gave for this was that "it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."
Notice John didn't stop hindering Jesus until Jesus told him why. Jesus does not deny that He is a superior. In other words, "I know it's unusual, but it's necessary. It is proper for us to do this. You must do this to Me, and I must have it done." John is conscious of the sinlessness of Jesus. Jesus came into the world to identify with sinners, in order for Him to fulfill all of God's righteousness, so it had to be done. In His birth, He identified with sinners. During His life, He identified with sinners. Even in His death, He identified with sinners, one on each side of Him. Isaiah 53:11, says "My righteous servant shall bear the sin of many." Jesus submitted to John's baptism as a symbolic act of identifying with sinners who were seeking salvation. I believe that His baptism was a symbol of His death and resurrection. Listen, I'll explain to you why I say that. Luke 12:50, "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!" He is referring to His death. Jesus was using this baptism as a symbol of His death and resurrection, which implies "immersion."
As a footnote, verse 14, these are the first recorded words of Jesus since He was 12 years, when He said to His mother He had to be about His Father's business.
In verse 16, "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him." Here, we see the second part of His commission, the anointing of the Spirit. Notice, He is called Jesus, the name means "Savior." Is it fitting here, to see Jesus as the Savior. By the way, there is no reference to sprinkling anywhere in the entire New Testament as a means of baptism. Proselyte baptism, in the Old Testament, was always immersion. It is the picture of death and resurrection.
So, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened. I do not believe this is figurative here, I believe that heaven very literally. We see in Ezekiel 1, Acts 7, Revelation 11 and 19. By the way, Jesus did gain His deity when the Spirit descended upon Him, as some have claimed. The Spirit came to anoint Him for kingly service. His divine nature needed no anointing. He was being anointed for service. And, He was being granted strength in His humanity for what He has to do.
Listen to Acts 10:38, "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." This is His human identification. He was empowered for ministry. Please don't misunderstand this, we do not need a dove to descend upon us, we already have the power when the Spirit was given to us at salvation.
That brings us to verse 17, "and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Whenever a sacrifice is offered to God, it has to be perfect,without spot or blemish. That is what God is saying here. "I am well-pleased. I accept Him as the sacrifice." In this picture, the Trinity is completed, "this, my beloved Son." God is delighted. He is chosen to be a king, His throne will be a cross. Jesus was divinely designated as the promised Messiah by the pronouncement of the Father and by the presence of the Holy Spirit. What a worthy sacrifice!
May it be so..
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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