Please have a seat and turn back to Matthew chapter 3, that's on page 808.
If you're needing a Bible, they're just out the door as you came in.
We're beginning a short two-part series in Matthew over this week and next week,
so we're in Matthew 3 today and we'll be in Matthew 4 next week.
If you're anything like me or if you're anything like John the Baptist,
Jesus' baptism is a bit of a surprising and confusing moment, isn't it?
Just before Jesus begins his ministry, his three years of public ministry,
before any preaching or miracles, he's first baptized.
Why? Why do we have this passage?
And why the Spirit? Why a voice from heaven?
Why did Jesus need to be baptized?
Well, to answer this, I want us to look at three key persons in this passage.
Three persons who are revealed in this baptism.
The Son, the Spirit, and the Father.
We're going to look at these three persons in this story,
and when we do, we will see why this baptism happens
and why it's so significant for us today.
But first, let's look at Jesus.
Let's look at the Son, and this is my first point.
The first thing to see, the Son.
So just look at the scene in front of us.
John the Baptist is in the wilderness of Judea,
out in the sticks, middle of nowhere,
probably central Israel to the east,
because John's at the River Jordan.
The River Jordan is this big river that runs north to south
to the east of Israel.
And so John is out in the middle of nowhere,
and what's he been doing there?
Well, it's the best job description in the world.
He's been preaching and baptising.
It's the dream job.
And look what he's been preaching.
Verse 2.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
And all sorts of folks are coming to him to be baptised.
But what's this baptism all about?
Well, look at verse 11.
It's a baptism for repentance.
And what were people doing when they were baptised?
Verse 6.
They were confessing their sins.
This baptism is about being made right with God.
Now, we don't need to think that this is a magical baptism
that suddenly makes you sinless.
No, just like our baptism,
this is an outward sign of what needs to happen to the heart.
Our sins need to be washed,
and we need to be made right with God.
And that's because all of John's ministry here,
all that John is doing in this wilderness,
is to get people ready for something.
For something big.
Verse 3.
It's to prepare the way of the Lord.
John knows that the Lord is coming.
God Almighty is coming here to earth.
And so the heart of his message is,
repent and be baptised.
Your sins need to be dealt with.
You need to be washed.
Because God is coming.
And when he comes, he's going to do something.
Verse 11.
He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
He's talking about salvation and judgment here.
John washed with water,
but when the Lord comes,
he will bring true washing with the Spirit.
Salvation.
But he will also bring fire upon the earth.
Judgment.
And so John has been saying,
be prepared.
And look who has been coming to him.
Verse 5.
Then Jerusalem and all Judea
and all the region about the Jordan
were going out to him.
And they were baptised by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins.
Crowds have been flooding out to him in the east.
Jerusalem, the capital,
and then all the surrounding region.
It's like people flocking from London
and all the home counties
and then all the southeast.
And they're all getting in their cars
and they're all heading off
to the wilderness on the east coast.
What would that be?
Essex, let's say.
And this shows,
this shows the spiritual state of Israel.
The spiritual state of humanity.
God is coming
and we can't sit back.
We can't ignore it.
No, we need to be prepared.
And that goes for all of us.
God is coming
and we need to be right with him.
And so you have the crowds
all queuing up
along the bank of the River Jordan,
eager to be baptised,
confessing their sin,
knowing the mess of their lives,
cues of sinner
after sinner
after sinner.
And you can imagine
them all lined up.
And imagine if you could ask them
their stories.
They'd say,
you'd find out
he hasn't thought about God
since he was a teenager.
She's been cheating
on her husband.
No one knows it,
but he committed murder
three years ago.
He's full of lies.
She's full of anger.
He's been worshipping
another God.
She's been living for herself.
All of us
could be in that queue.
All these sinners
preparing themselves
for the Lord to come,
bringing their sins,
looking for God
to wash them.
And as you look along
and you reach
the end of the queue,
who joins
to be baptised?
You see
Jesus Christ.
Look at verse 13.
Then Jesus came
from Galilee
to the Jordan
to John
to be baptised
by him.
The sinless
son of God,
the saviour
of the world,
the spotless lamb,
he joins the queue
to be baptised
for repentance.
But how can that be?
Jesus is sinless.
Hebrews tells us
that that man
at the end of the queue
is without sin.
That man
has no uncleanness,
no spot
or blemish
or impurity.
He has never
and will never
do any single thing wrong.
So why is he there?
What's going on here?
Well,
John is as shocked
as we are,
isn't he?
Verse 14.
John would have
prevented him saying,
I need to be baptised
by you
and do you
come to me?
Hold on,
Jesus.
I'm preparing
the way for you.
We're all getting
ready for you.
You're the Lord
and you've come
to be baptised
by me.
No,
no,
no.
I need to be
baptised by you.
I need you
to clean me.
And look at
Jesus' answer,
verse 15.
But Jesus
answered him,
let it be so now
for thus
it is fitting
for us
to fulfil
all righteousness.
For John
to baptise Jesus
and for Jesus
to join this queue
and be baptised
by John,
this needs
to happen
because
it fulfils
all righteousness.
it's God's
will
that this
should happen
and to do
God's will
that is
righteousness.
This
baptism
fulfils
God's
big plan
of salvation,
his will.
John,
if we are
to be obedient
to God
right now,
you need
to baptise me
and I need
to receive
that baptism.
It's the
righteous thing
to do
because
this is
God's plan
that I should
do this.
but why
is being
baptised,
why is
this
God's
plan
of salvation?
Well,
it's because
in this
baptism,
in joining
this crowd,
Jesus
is publicly
identifying
with you.
He is
joining
this
queue
of
sinners
numbered
among
them,
washed
in the
same
water
as
them
to
show
he
is
identifying
with
you.
Jesus
is
identifying
himself
with the
sinner
here.
He's
saying,
I'm
with
them.
These
sinners,
I'm
with
them.
I'm
walking
the same
footsteps
as
them,
the same
water
as
them.
What
they need
to do,
I will
do as
well.
And not
because he's
a sinner,
but because
this is how
he's going
to save
them.
This is
Jesus being
numbered with
the
transgressors.
He's going
to save
them,
he's going
to bring
the spirit
of salvation
to sinners
by first
identifying
with them.
walking
among us,
knowing
us,
joining
us,
carrying
our
burdens.
This
is
Jesus'
first
step
on the
road
to the
cross.
The
cross
where he
bore
our sins,
carried
them,
where he
was
identified
with
them.
For
our
sake,
God
made
him
to be
sin.
Jesus
said,
your
sin
will be
put to
my
name.
And
your
payment,
I will
pay.
All that
you need
to do,
I will
do it
for you.
If you
need to
die,
I will
die for
you.
If you
need to
suffer,
I will
suffer
for you.
And so
if you
need to
be
baptized,
I will
be
baptized
for
you.
And so
this
baptism
is the
first
step
to
the
cross.
The
first
step
in
identifying
with
you.
As the
water
goes over
him in
the
Jordan,
we are
publicly
seeing and
God is
declaring,
this is
the sin
bearer,
the one
who will
carry the
sins of
his people.
And it
is through
this,
this is
how he
will bring
the baptism
of the
Spirit.
This is
how he
will bring
salvation.
He will
be identified
with sinners.
can you
see the
sheer
humility
of Christ
in this
moment?
Christ
didn't
stay up
in heaven.
He didn't
stay up
there just
to keep
his hands
clean the
whole time.
He didn't
stand on
the edge
of earth
avoiding
the muck,
staying
ten feet
away,
saving us
with a
barge
pole.
No,
he came
down into
the dirt,
down into
the water
water
to be
numbered
among
sinners
and to
join
this
queue.
When
we're
making
Christ
known,
maybe it's
to our
neighbours,
our
friends,
maybe even
family,
when we're
making
Christ
known,
we don't
run away
from the
sinner,
do we?
We don't
avoid those
who need
Christ.
No,
we go
to them.
We share
our lives
with them,
don't we?
We spend
time with
them,
we identify
with them.
And why?
Because that's
what Christ
did for
us.
If you
think no
one knows
you,
if you
think no
one cares
about you
or wants
to be
with you,
think
again.
Jesus
came to
identify
with you,
to be
numbered
with you,
to walk
alongside
you and
carry your
burdens.
the Lord
cares.
And if
you don't
know him,
he wants
to know
you.
This was
God's
will,
his big
plan of
salvation,
and Christ
in all
his humility,
he came
to be
obedient to
this task,
to fulfill
all righteousness.
So as we
look at this
scene,
at the sun,
in this river,
why did
Jesus need
to be
baptized,
to be
identified
with you?
But there's
more going
on here,
isn't there?
A lot
more.
Jesus is
not only
baptized,
but the
spirit appears
in this
scene too.
And so to
appreciate what's
going on here,
we need to
look at the
next person
in this
scene,
the spirit,
the spirit.
Look what
happens at
his baptism,
something
remarkable,
verse 16.
And when
Jesus was
baptized,
immediately he
went up from
the water,
and behold,
the heavens
were opened
to him,
and he
saw the
spirit of
God
descending
like a
dove,
and coming
to rest
on him.
The heavens
opened up,
the sky
parts,
and something,
someone comes
down.
The spirit
of God
descends on
Christ,
and he
comes
floating
down like
a dove.
Now we
don't need
to think
that this
is an
actual dove
with feathers.
No,
the spirit
descends
like a
dove.
He's in
some visible
form but
descends in
a dove-like
way.
But that
isn't what
should catch
our attention.
No,
pay attention
to where
he lands.
The spirit
of God
descends and
comes to
rest on
Jesus.
Now hearing
this,
it should
make our
ears tingle.
It should
make us
remember
a very
special
promise by
God.
That God
is going
to send
a saviour,
the Messiah,
the coming
king,
his chosen
servant,
and that
servant
will have
the spirit
of God
upon him.
Just listen
to Isaiah
11 for a
moment.
Just listen
to this.
This is the
promise of
the Messiah
written centuries
before.
There shall
come forth
a shoot
from the
stump of
Jesse,
and a
branch
from his
root
shall
bear
fruit,
and the
spirit
of the
Lord
shall
rest
upon
him,
the
spirit
of
wisdom
and
understanding,
the spirit
of counsel
and might,
the spirit
of knowledge
and the
fear of
the
Lord.
In this
moment,
in this
water,
God is
showing the
world,
this is
the Messiah.
This is
the one
who will
save the
world,
to carry
the sins
of his
people and
be identified
with them.
Now,
we don't need
to think that
this is the
first time
Jesus had
the spirit.
Remember,
he's conceived
by the Holy
Spirit in
Matthew 1.
The spirit
is with him
as soon as
he's conceived,
but this
baptism is
showing in
public for
all the world
to see,
and before
Jesus enters
his ministry,
God is
showing that
this is
the Messiah,
and my
spirit is
with him.
All that
he's about
to do
from now
on,
you need
to realize
he's doing
this as
the Messiah,
and so
all that
he will
do,
his life,
his ministry,
his journey
to the cross,
his obedience,
even to
death,
it will be
done in
the power
of the
spirit.
Jesus
is truly
God,
he is
the almighty
God,
but he's
also truly
man,
and as
man,
he didn't
rely on
his own
strength,
he didn't
live a
godless
existence
just relying
on his
own human
abilities,
no,
as a
man,
he relied
on God,
he relied
on the
Holy Spirit,
and that
doesn't make
him any
less of a
human,
that makes
him the
true
human,
we are
designed to
rely on
God,
we are
made to
have his
spirit,
and we
see here
Jesus is
being the
true man,
one theologian
helpfully said
that the
Holy Spirit
was Christ's
inseparable
companion,
and so
all that
he did,
all that
he did
fulfilling
all righteousness,
bearing our
sin,
achieving
forgiveness,
securing
salvation,
he does
all that
with the
spirit,
that's why
in the
next chapter
we'll see
it next
week,
Jesus was
led up
by the
spirit
into the
wilderness,
the spirit
is with
Jesus
every step
of the
way,
and so
you can
imagine,
as Christ
is walking
this earth,
achieving
all his
work,
the spirit
is with
him,
gathering
all the
blessings
of salvation
as he
goes,
as Christ
achieves
forgiveness
for his
people,
the spirit
gathers that
blessing in,
as Christ
is perfectly
obedient,
the spirit
gathers in
that righteousness,
Christ
achieves
atonement,
the spirit
gathers that
in,
the resurrection,
the spirit
gathers that
in,
all of that
now attached
to the
spirit,
which means
when Christ
pours out
that same
spirit,
when you
get the
Holy Spirit,
what do
you get?
You get
all that
Christ has
achieved.
When Christ
baptizes you
with his
spirit,
pours out
his spirit
on you,
you get
all the
blessings
of Christ,
you get
Christ.
This same
spirit,
the spirit
who rested
on Christ
in the
river
Jordan,
he,
this spirit
is given
to you,
which is
why you
need the
Holy Spirit.
You need
this Holy
Spirit.
Jesus had
him,
Jesus needed
him,
and this
Holy Spirit
has everything
Christ has
achieved,
and so you
need him.
If you've
ever heard
Presbyterians
don't think
the Holy
Spirit is
important,
that is
utter
nonsense,
okay?
We are
nothing
without him.
We are
entirely
lost without
him.
There is
no salvation
without the
Holy Spirit.
Kids,
when you
open up the
suitcase of
salvation,
what does
the letter
H stand
for?
Holy Spirit.
God
we need
him.
And it's
when you
follow the
Lord Jesus,
that's when
he gives
you his
spirit.
This
same
spirit,
trust in
him,
and you
get
everything.
But there's
one final
person to
see in this
scene,
or in fact
one person
we need
to hear.
It's the
Father.
And it's
my third
and final
point,
the Father.
the Spirit
comes down
from heaven,
but there's
something else,
isn't there?
A voice,
verse 17.
And behold,
a voice from
heaven said,
this is my
beloved Son,
with whom I
am well
pleased.
This is the
voice of the
Father.
Do you see
that?
He's saying,
this is my
beloved Son.
I am the
Father and
this is my
Son.
You can
open up
textbooks about
Jesus to
hear what
academics have
to say about
him.
You can
read history
books to
see what
history has
to say about
Jesus.
You can
listen to
the news
or politicians
to see what
they think
about Jesus,
or you
can hear
straight from
heaven to
hear what
God thinks
of Jesus.
And it
needs to
stop us
in our
tracks.
What does
God think
of this
person in
the River
Jordan?
This is
my
beloved
Son,
with whom
I am
well
pleased.
One of
the most
important
questions that
you can
be asked,
maybe the
most important
question,
is who
do you
think
Jesus is?
And we
can have
all sorts
of thoughts
about that,
all sorts
of ideas
about Jesus,
but if you
want the
right answer
about him,
we need
to ask,
what does
the Father
think of
Jesus?
us?
And there's
no mistake
here,
God is
tearing open
heaven and
booming down
with crystal
clear voice
to tell us
without doubt,
this is the
Son of God
and the
Father delights
in him.
Now,
the Son of
God,
this is a
really big
full title.
It's three
words,
but it means
so much.
It's kind
of like
saying,
you know,
saying Rafa
Nadal is
a good
tennis
player.
Three
words,
yeah,
sure,
yeah,
he is a
good
tennis
player,
but there's
so much
more that
those three
words mean,
doesn't
it?
Well,
the Son
of God
means a
lot in
the Bible.
Adam
was called
the Son
of God.
Israel,
as a
nation,
was God's
son.
David,
King David
was called
God's son.
The second
person of
the Trinity
is the
eternal
son of
God.
The future
king of
Israel,
who will
rule over
all the
nations,
he was
promised to
be the
son of
God.
The future
Messiah would
be called
the son of
God.
And so,
ever since
the fall,
there has
been this
agonizing
weight.
Who will
this true
son of
God be?
When is
he coming?
Well,
when God
tears open
the heavens
and that
voice comes
down,
God is
saying,
finally,
this is
him.
This is
the second
Adam.
This is
the beginning
of a new
creation.
This is
the true
Israel.
This is
my king
to rule
over the
whole world
and he
is perfect.
I delight
in him.
And so,
let me ask
you,
is this
the Jesus
you know?
this is
why Jesus'
baptism is
so important.
As Jesus
enters into
his ministry
before he
walks the
road to
the cross,
God declares
to the
world who
this man
really is.
This is
my son
who has
come to
save the
world.
God
will
saved.
And we
must never
forget what
the father
thinks of
Jesus.
Whenever we
get embarrassed
or ashamed
of how other
people see
Jesus,
you know in
that moment,
when you know
that moment is
coming,
in that
conversation,
and you know
you're going to
have to say,
yes,
I am a
Christian.
or you
know you're
about to
say,
yeah,
I really
do believe
in Jesus.
And in
that moment,
we can be
embarrassed to
attach our
name,
ourselves to
his name,
can't we?
We know
how awkward
we can feel,
especially when
people look down
on us and
hate us because
of who Jesus
is.
In those
moments,
and this is
important,
in those
moments,
do not care
what they
think about
Jesus.
Care about
what the
Father thinks
about Jesus.
The
Father loves
his Son.
He is
never anything
to be ashamed
of.
He is
worthy.
And when
you have the
Spirit,
when Christ
pours all
that is
his onto
you,
this is
how the
Father thinks
of you.
When you
are in
Christ and
God looks
at you,
he delights
in you
because of
his Son.
You are
his child
in whom
he is
well-pleased.
And so
Christ has
come to
identify with
us so
that we can
identify with
him,
so that the
Father would
love us
along with
him.
And so
will you
come and
follow him?
will you
come and
know him?
Because
he's come
down to
know us.
He's
come down
into these
waters to
know us,
to be
one of
us.
So
praise God.
Jesus
has come to
identify with
you.
Let's
pray.
Thank you.