Jesus' Ministry Begins With Baptism
The Life Of Christ • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We have been studying, on Sunday mornings, the theme “The Life Of Christ.”
Up to this point we have looked a number of things that lead up to Jesus’ ministry.
That which brought about the fullness of time.
Jesus’ birth.
Jesus’ mother, Mary.
Last week, those that sought Jesus out before he ministry began.
Today we are going to focus on the “start to Jesus ministry.”
Specifically, how it started and why it started that way.
With that in mind let us examine our lesson for today.
We must begin by first acknowledging…
The Elijah Promised
The Elijah Promised
John The Baptizer
John The Baptizer
Thirty years had past since all Jerusalem was in trouble concerning the rumor of the Messiah’s birth.
Remember, King Herod had killed hundreds, if not thousands, of children two years old and younger upon hearing of Jesus’ birth (Matthew 2:16-18).
Those that were once possibly excited have now seemed to have their enthusiasm removed.
Those, who were in their 30’s before, are now in the 60’s.
And yet there remains this reality, this promise if you will, from God that when the Messiah makes his entry into society there will be an Elijah that comes preaching and proclaiming.
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
This is, as you and I know, John the Baptist or as other called him John the baptizer.
We read of this “prophesied one” in Matthew 3:4-6…
4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
John the Baptist’s purpose was three fold.
John was to be God’s herald.
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
A herald of God was one that spoke what God desired and not his own opinions.
John was to be God’s prophet.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”)
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
He prophesied of whom he was preparing the way for.
John was to be an alarmist.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
By alarmist I mean John’s message was a “cry of alarm” to the conscience of Israel, a call for immediate repentance because the Messiah’s ministry was at hand.
Summary
Summary
So, John the Baptist was going about preparing the way for the coming Messiah when one day Jesus comes up to him.
This is when we read…
Jesus’ Baptism
Jesus’ Baptism
A Significant Event.
A Significant Event.
In all four gospel accounts we can find this account of Jesus’ baptism.
This tells us of the great significance of this very act.
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.”
The Elijah prophesied, John the baptizer, had “spiritually awaken” thousands of Israelites.
He had, as we mentioned, been preaching that all who repented, acknowledged their guilt, and sought forgiveness of sins could be baptized.
This is why when Jesus’ desire to be baptized by John confused him so.
John Baptizes Jesus.
John Baptizes Jesus.
When Jesus appeared before John, John had no intention to baptize Jesus but rather be baptized by Jesus.
13 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?”
Now you and I know Jesus had no sin (Hebrews 4:15), but Jesus’ response to John was thus…
15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
So, we must ask the question then “How was the only begotten Son of God’s baptism supposed to fulfill all righteousness?”
First, Jesus’ baptism fulfilled all righteousness by way of “Identification.”
Jesus’ baptism identified him with our plight and need of salvation. Remember, Jesus took our place as a sin offering.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
In other words, Jesus’s association with our sin problem didn’t begin with the cross but rather his baptism.
“He was baptized with the baptism of repentance and remission of sins though he himself was guilty of none.” 1
Second, Jesus’ baptism fulfilled all righteousness by way of “Empowerment.”
Jesus’ baptism was an empowering moment.
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.
The Holy Spirit came down through the “torn heavens” and anointed Jesus. During O.T. times both kings and the high priests were anointed.
A few weeks after his baptism Jesus would stand up in Nazareth and read this from Isaiah in Luke 4:16-19.
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Thirdly, Jesus’ baptism fulfilled all righteousness by way of “Assurance.”
When Jesus was baptized it was an assurance of God’s favor.
11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
This was Jesus’ assurance that he was approved of by the Father.
In Matthew and Luke’s account we see these words for John the Baptist.
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
This was all mankind’s assurance that Jesus had God’s favor and approval.
Summary
Summary
Jesus’ baptism fulfilled all righteousness by allowing him…
To identify with out plight and need of salvation.
To be empowered to be our eternal king and high priest.
To be an assurance of God’s favor and approval.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus begins his ministry with a “bang” so to speak immediately after words, as we will discuss next week, he was led away to be tempted.
Thankfully, for you and I, Jesus showed us the way to the Father and it is through him (John 14:6).
If Jesus had never started his ministry we would never have known the fullness of God’s love for us and would never have been able to tell the world of his love for us.
But thanks be to God, that Jesus did indeed begin his earthly ministry preaching the good news, that he went through what he did for you and I to have salvation in him and spend eternity with the Father, Son, and Spirit one day.
Let each of us rejoice in this and proclaim in loudly to all that will listen.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Endnotes
Endnotes
The Prelude To Jesus’ Ministry by Truth For Today