The Baptism of Jesus and Ours. by Geoff Thompson

 Below is the message I was going to share with the Renmark West and Renmark Town Uniting Church on 12/1/14.
I cancelled due to a health scare on Saturday morning.
I have posted for those who may be interested. 
Many thanks to Cyril Gulliksen who presented this in both services on the day and thanks to those who sent me a get well  card of thanks and prayers from Renmark.

Pastor Harold Long being baptised as a young man.

 

SERMON- THE BAPTISM OF JESUS and OURS

There are several Baptisms and types of Baptisms  mentioned in the Bible.

I want to touch on three of them today.

I want to look first at

John’s Baptism.

By that I mean the baptising that John the Baptist was doing.

We need to distinguish between the Baptism of John the Baptist

(the forerunner sent by God to prepare the people of Israel for the coming ministry of Jesus)

 and Christian Baptism.

Christian Baptism was the Baptism practised by the Apostles of Jesus and the early Christian Church.

This was after the Christian Church had been established as in Acts 2.

Just before Jesus began His ministry here on earth John the Baptist began to preach along the banks of the Jordan River.

His fiery preaching began to stir the people and ended with multitudes of people from all walks of life going out to where he was to hear him.

His preaching caused a national stir up.

He was so outspoken and fiery it was to later cost him his life.

Multitudes went to hear him and great numbers did repent and as a seal of their repentance they were baptised in the Jordan.

His baptism was a baptism of repentance calling on God’s people to change their lives in order to prepare for the coming ministry of Jesus.

The Baptism of Jesus

John was preaching a message of repentance , a repentance from sin that included Baptism as a demonstration that the people were serious about their intentions.

Jesus appeared and John was incredulous that He was asking John to Baptise Him.

He suggested that Jesus should baptise him not the other way around.

This Baptism was signifying repentance from Sin and John knew that Jesus was without sin.

None the less Jesus said he needed to be baptised to full fill all righteousness.

Jesus was not in any way expressing repentance as were all others being baptised by John.

Jesus came to John to fullfill  something his Father,God, required of him.

He couldn’t repent as he had not committed sin but he could indentify with those who are sinners by being baptised as they were..

In this way he was indentifying with our great tragedy, sin,and in doing so he was fulfilling all righteousnous.

Jesus’ baptism was an act in which he identified himself fully with the fallen Human race.

Jesus was Human, as human as any other human except for one thing—he had no sin!

Jesus’ sinlessness put a great gulf between himself and us.

In being baptised by John, sharing in a baptism that signified repentance of sin, Jesus came as near as it was possible for Him to identify with our fallen human condition.

Without sinning Himself He took our sins and sorrows upon himself in His baptism.

This was also foreshadowing His real Baptism which was His crucifixion.

If Jesus is in any way setting an example for us by being Baptised by John it lies in His inflexible determination to do His Father’s will.

We do well to do likewise.

I would like to now touch on our own Baptism.

Christian Baptism

This was the Baptism that was instituted as an instruction to the Jewish people listening to Peter’s very spirit filled sermon in Acts Chapter 2.

Peter was speaking after the amazing events of the  day of Pentecost when the apostles were engulfed by a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire and began speaking in the tongues of those present.

Acts 2

 ^"36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day."

This then was the institution of Christian Baptism as we know it today.

This was the call that we are all given, since the day of Pentecost, concerning becoming a Christian, and receiving the Holy Spirit and Forgiveness for our sins.

Our Baptism, as instituted by Peter,

the Baptism for the church age,

results in forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Note our Baptism is insignificant without real,

genuine repentance,

and belief.

In Romans 6  it tells us in our Baptism we are crucified with Christ, we are baptised into His death and as a result, into the power and wonder of His resurrection.

Romans 6

New International Version (NIV)

"Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 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.

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin."

Friends  when we read the words of the new Testament about the subject of Baptism, we must come to a conclusion that there is something profoundly spirtitually significant in our own Baptism .

It is more than, as some people say, just an outward sign of something that God has already done inwardly.

Jesus gave us, in the great commission, the expectation that Baptism was something essential for the Christian.

Matthew 28:

^"19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Is Jesus leading you today, 

through His example and obedience to His heavenly Father, 

 to find out more about what your Baptism really means to you?

We have only  scratched the surface a bit today.

What will open up to you as you discover what being crucified with Christ really means?

(In our Baptism we are sharing in Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.)

 and how your experience of Christian living can be so much more that what it is?

Perhaps you have already discovered that!

If you have never been Baptised you might like to study the subject more with a view to stepping out in Faith.

Shall we join together now in singing our closing Hymn.

Ps. as at 13/1/14. There was also a 4th Baptism that had taken place on the day of Pentecost
That was the once only not to be repeated Baptism of the Holy Spirit that ushered in the Church age.
This was the experience of the Apostles who full of the Holy Spirit were able to instruct new converts in Christian Baptism and how to become Christians and live the Christian life. 
They were using the keys of the Kingdom given to them.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not some secondary blessing to be experienced by Christians.
It was the making available of The Holy Spirit, The Comforter, to all who would seek to follow Jesus.
The beginning of the Church as we know it.
The transition from the Law to Grace.

READINGS

Mt 3:3-17

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”^[a]

⁴ John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶ Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹ And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ “I baptize you with^[b] 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^[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus

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?”

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

Acts 2

 ³⁶ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Romans 6:

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 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.

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.