Sermon Tone Analysis

*Intro* – Randy Pausch was a renowned computer design expert, but that did not carry much weight with his mother.

After he got his PhD, she introduced him to friends by saying, "This is my son.

He’s a doctor -- but not the kind who helps people."

Well – the Son we will meet today got amazing affirmation from His Father – and models how the same can be true for us.

Our subject is Jesus’ baptism.

Mentioned in all 4 gospels, Luke gives it less space, probably aware of other versions already around.

This is a milestone in the life of Christ -- His official initiation into public ministry.

And the whole Trinity is involved.

Amazingly, Father, Son and HS all invade our material world at the same time.

This is a crowning event of great import.

Numbers 8:5-20 tells how Levites were set apart for ministry at age 30 thru a ceremony of cleansing and sacrifice.

This is remarkably like the anointing of Christ.

Luke 3:21-23, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph.”

For 30 years Jesus has labored as a carpenter preparing for this moment.

Now, it’s time for the work of atonement.

Jesus’ preparation is seen in 4 ways.

*I.

Identifies With Sinners*

Big question -- why was Jesus baptized?

Lu 3:3 clarifies that John was “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

But Jesus has nothing to repent!

John himself was perplexed.

Mt 3:13-15, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

To fulfill all righteousness.

What does that mean?

Well, there are two steps – and Jesus’ mention of righteousness points us to the OT law.

Hang tight as we wrestle thru this.

God gave the law to Moses on Mt.

Sinai after the Israelites came out of captivity in Egypt – written in stone by God’s own hand.

But when Moses descends the mount in Exod 32, he finds a full-blown orgy around a golden Egyptian calf.

The people have broken every commandment in the code before they even see it.

Every one!

Moses throws the stone tablets down, breaking them, and calls Aaron for explanation.

Exodus 3 tells us that Moses had a speech impediement, stuttering.

But I think Aaron was the one stuttering here!

I love Aaron’s comment.

“Well, Moses.

Don’t look at me.

You know these people.

They thought you had deserted, and they insisted on having some other gods.

Exod 32:24, “So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’

So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire -- and out came this calf.”

Wow! Do you believe in magic, Moses?

I admit I put gold in the fire – but voila!

Out came this calf.

Who knew?

Seldom has the sinfulness of man and holiness of God been seen in such contrast.

There lies the law, broken on the ground, symbolizing graphically what has happened in orgiastic reality that greeted Moses.

Listen, if you thought God brought Israel out of Egypt because they were better than the Egyptians, think again.

They were not better, just chosen.

But we are no different, are we?

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

And because the wages of sin is death, we are all condemned unless there can be cleansing from sin.

Which is exactly why the law didn’t just have commandments – it had sacrifices!

On the annual Day of Atonement, two goats were brought.

One was killed symbolically giving its life for the people.

The other, the scapegoat, symbolically bore the sins of the people away into the wilderness never to be seen again.

It took 2 goats to perfectly picture one truth -- substitutionary atonement.

The payment for and removal of the sins of the people.

Lev 16:21, “And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins.

And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.

22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.”

Before the goat goes, all the sins of the people must symbolically be placed on it – do you see?

It bears all their iniquities.

That was the law.

Of course, everyone realized this was symbolic.

No goat or lamb could take away sins in actual fact.

God says emphatically in Heb 10:4, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

OT sacrifices were only symbols looking forward to some greater reality.

Thus even in OT times, Isaiah predicted an ultimate sacrifice in Isa 53:4) Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

5) But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Isaiah was seeing the Messiah in his priestly role as the one who would bear the sin of the world in reality.

Now, Jesus comes to John for baptism of repentance by which Jesus is saying, “I’ll do it.

I who have no sin of my own, will identify with those who do.

I will take their sin as my own.”

In the words of Paul in Gal 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”

II Cor 5:21 says God made him to be sin who knew no sin."

Jesus starts His ministry saying, “I’ll do it.

I’ll become the curse.

I will be sin for them.

Lay it all on me.

I’ve identified with them by taking a human nature.

Now I take their sin, too.

Put it all on me.”

If that doesn’t touch your heart, you can’t be His.

So, step one – He identifies with us in our sin.

He takes our sin.

Now, step 2 that many people miss.

In bearing sin, Jesus fulfills half the law, gets us back to neutral.

Now, we don’t have sin.

But, something else is required.

Jesus said it this way in Matt 5:20, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

It is not just the absence of sin; it is the presence of righteousness that is required.

Adam and Eve in the Garden were without sin – but they were also without righteousness, right?

That would come by obedience.

That was the test.

And of course, they failed.