WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.839 Well, as I said, I want us to turn back to this chapter together tonight. 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:14.800 We're going to be looking at passage towards the end from verse 12 to verse 17, and our 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:17.980 title is A Medium Jesus. 00:00:17.980 --> 00:00:23.539 I want to start by thinking about some of the biggest moments in history, those pivotal 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:26.640 occasions when something absolutely massive happened. 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:30.560 The things that you learn about in school, the things that appear in quizzes, often these 00:00:30.560 --> 00:00:32.200 can be very high profile. 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:38.079 So you've got things like the first landing on the moon, the first person to climb Everest, 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:43.799 the coronation of a king or queen or a big election or something like that. 00:00:43.799 --> 00:00:49.799 Often the big moments in history are very high profile, but at the same time, many 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:57.399 of these big moments in history have happened in obscurity, and a seemingly insignificant 00:00:57.399 --> 00:01:01.599 event can actually change the world. 00:01:01.599 --> 00:01:03.719 Let me give you some examples. 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:09.239 25 years ago, two students in America called Larry and Sergai invented a computer program 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:15.039 called Backrub, and it used internet links to determine what the most important websites 00:01:15.039 --> 00:01:19.640 were so that when you search for something, the most important sites would come up. 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:26.319 They later changed the name from Backrub to Google, which I'm very relieved about because 00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:29.000 if I say I'm going to Google Derek Lamont, that sounds fine. 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:33.280 If I say I'm going to Backrub Derek Lamont, no, no, no, no, that's not good. 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:39.879 So, 250 years ago, a chap called Edward Jenner grabbed a boy. 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:43.840 I don't know if he made a cut in the boy's arm or if he found a cut in the boy's arm, 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:48.719 but anyway, grabbed a boy who had a cut in his arm, and he put some pus into that cut. 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:54.799 That pus had come from a cow that was infected with cowpox, and as a result, the little boy 00:01:54.799 --> 00:02:00.680 who was just grabbed by Edward Jenner became immune to smallpox, and the first vaccine 00:02:00.680 --> 00:02:06.480 was invented, and it's called a vaccine because vacca is the Latin word for cow. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:09.439 I wouldn't probably pass health and safety tests today. 00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:15.120 Not many people probably knew what he was doing, but that was a turning point in history. 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:21.360 And 500 years ago, a monk in Germany called Martin Luther hammered 95 discussion points 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:27.759 onto a door of a church which were questioning some of the practices in the Roman Catholic 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:28.759 Church at the time. 00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:31.280 That, of course, sparked the Reformation. 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:37.640 When all those events happened, they would have seemed so insignificant at the time, 00:02:37.640 --> 00:02:41.800 but all of them changed history forever. 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:49.320 2,000 years ago, a carpenter walked out into the wilderness of Judea to the Jordan River 00:02:49.320 --> 00:02:53.360 to be baptized by a preacher who was known as John the Baptist. 00:02:53.360 --> 00:03:01.800 At that moment, history changed forever, and that's what I want us to think about tonight. 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:09.200 You see, in verse 13, Matthew records, Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to 00:03:09.200 --> 00:03:11.760 be baptized by him. 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:17.599 And this is a pivotal moment in history, but it's also a moment that's very easy to misunderstand, 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:21.079 or it's one that we sometimes find ourselves thinking, well, I don't really know what's 00:03:21.079 --> 00:03:22.079 going on here. 00:03:22.079 --> 00:03:26.359 And I want us just to expand on that a wee bit tonight under two headings, which look 00:03:26.359 --> 00:03:32.120 at ways in which we could potentially misunderstand what's going on here. 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:37.239 And our two headings are to say that it's very easy for our, that our view of Jesus 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:45.000 isn't high enough, or that our view of Jesus isn't low enough. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:49.800 And in looking at both of these, what I hope we'll see is that all too often, our view 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:55.680 of Jesus is far too medium. 00:03:55.680 --> 00:04:00.280 So first of all, our view of Jesus isn't high enough. 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:05.200 So imagine you were back in the crowd at the Jordan River watching Jesus and John speaking 00:04:05.200 --> 00:04:06.760 from a distance. 00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:10.079 You would not have noticed anything significant about it. 00:04:10.079 --> 00:04:12.719 Jesus would not have looked any different to anybody else. 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:16.639 That's confirmed if you look in John's Gospel, because in John's Gospel it tells us that 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:20.839 when John the Baptist saw him, he had to point Jesus out to his disciples to say, oh, look, 00:04:20.839 --> 00:04:23.800 that's him, because on his own, he didn't stand out. 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:30.120 So he wasn't glowing or shining, or he wasn't a foot taller than everybody else, or anything 00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:31.120 like that. 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:32.759 He had to just blend it in. 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:37.279 Most people would not have realized that something historic was about to take place, but John 00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:42.319 the Baptist knew that something special, that there was something special about Jesus, he 00:04:42.319 --> 00:04:47.439 knew that his role was to prepare the way for him, that one was coming. 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:52.599 We read about that in verse 11 when it spoke about John saying, he who's coming after me 00:04:52.599 --> 00:04:57.439 is mightier than I, whose sandals are not worthy to carry you. 00:04:57.439 --> 00:05:02.519 He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 00:05:02.519 --> 00:05:09.399 But of everyone standing at the Jordan that day, John is the only one who is anywhere 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:15.680 close to realizing just who Jesus is. 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:20.560 Now, I don't think that there would have been many in the crowd who would have been opposing 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:22.199 Jesus. 00:05:22.199 --> 00:05:25.719 That didn't really happen until later in his ministry. 00:05:25.719 --> 00:05:30.199 Right now, Jesus just looks like a faithful Jew who's heard about John the Baptist and 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:35.279 who wants to come and be baptized by the man who's telling everyone about the importance 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:36.959 of repentance and forgiveness. 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:42.039 In other words, I think at the moment, everybody's view of Jesus would have been pretty medium. 00:05:42.039 --> 00:05:44.759 The same thing has been repeated throughout history. 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:53.120 Yes, Jesus has had some fierce opponents across the centuries, but for so many people, their 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:55.839 view of Jesus isn't particularly negative. 00:05:55.839 --> 00:05:59.240 It's just pretty medium. 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:03.160 Over the years, Jesus has been admired as a good teacher. 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:06.879 He's been appreciated for his acts of kindness. 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:10.000 He's been highlighted as a noble example. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:13.680 And I'm pretty sure that that is still the majority view in many places today. 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:18.439 I think I'm fairly confident that that's still the majority view in Scotland today as well. 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:22.439 So yes, in some parts of the world, the gospel faces huge opposition. 00:06:22.439 --> 00:06:27.079 But I don't know many people who think that Jesus is awful. 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:30.919 There are some, there are few, but not many. 00:06:30.919 --> 00:06:33.039 So some people might deny that he worked miracles. 00:06:33.039 --> 00:06:36.479 They might be skeptical of how accurate the gospels are. 00:06:36.479 --> 00:06:40.039 They probably don't believe that the resurrection actually happened, but they still think that 00:06:40.039 --> 00:06:42.279 Jesus is okay. 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:47.879 And as Corey was saying this morning, even Islam would revere Jesus as a prophet. 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:52.519 And I'm fairly confident that in Scotland, in Edinburgh, that's the majority of majority 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:53.519 position. 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:55.360 I don't know many Jesus haters. 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:59.639 There aren't many Friedrich Nietzsche's today. 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:04.639 I'm sure there's some people that don't think about him very much. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:06.439 There's some people who are quite respectful. 00:07:06.439 --> 00:07:08.240 There's some people who might even admire him. 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:12.319 And this week with Easter coming up, that's probably even more prominent people will think 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:13.319 more. 00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:17.920 People might be like, oh, well, this is the one Sunday next week that I should go to church. 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:22.240 Some people might think a little bit more about Jesus over the next seven days. 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:30.079 But the key point is that it's all far too medium. 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:35.519 And the ironic thing is that medium is the one option that in reality you just don't 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:38.840 have with Jesus. 00:07:38.840 --> 00:07:42.360 Rabbi Duncan was a free church minister 170 years ago. 00:07:42.360 --> 00:07:46.079 He was a missionary and a professor, and he puts it wonderfully. 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:51.560 He says, Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or was himself deluded and 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:54.839 self-deceived, or he was divine. 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:57.600 There's no getting out of this trilema. 00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:00.360 This is a kind of riddle, if you like. 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:05.360 Not really a riddle, but like a dilemma, a trilema that's been used by many theologians 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:14.160 since either Jesus deceived people, or he was deluded himself, or he is the divine Son 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:16.680 of God that he claimed to be. 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:21.680 That's highlighting that a medium view of Jesus makes no sense at all, and yet even 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:29.400 for us as Christians, all too often we can have a view of Jesus that's too medium. 00:08:29.400 --> 00:08:35.960 So on a Sunday, we might come here and acknowledge that Jesus is our Savior, but then we go into 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:39.240 the busyness of Monday and the rest of the week, and we just don't think about Him too 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:42.680 much, and it doesn't affect our lives. 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:48.319 We might come here in body to worship Him, our minds might be all over the place. 00:08:48.319 --> 00:08:53.439 We might pray to Him, and yet all too often we're niggled by the thought, will this make 00:08:53.439 --> 00:08:55.719 any difference? 00:08:55.719 --> 00:09:01.319 And for anyone who's maybe not yet a Christian or not sure where you stand, maybe you hope 00:09:01.319 --> 00:09:04.639 that one day you will become a Christian, maybe you think, yeah, that is what I want 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:08.120 in my life, but not right now. 00:09:08.120 --> 00:09:16.399 All of these thoughts are far too medium, and they're all examples of when our view 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:21.000 of Jesus is not high enough. 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:23.360 So what should our view of Jesus be? 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:28.919 Well, this is where verses 16 and 17 are really helpful. 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:35.000 These verses are crucial for showing us who Jesus really is, and that's because they're 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:39.759 making a huge statement about His identity. 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:46.759 Verse 16 tells us that the heavens were opened, and that immediately is showing us that this 00:09:46.759 --> 00:09:49.399 is a pivotal moment in history. 00:09:49.399 --> 00:09:53.279 And we have to stop and pause there because one of the challenges that we will often face 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:58.519 is that because the world is so beautifully balanced, because it's sustained so wonderfully 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:05.360 by God's providence, we can easily forget that it's all part of something bigger. 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:09.919 It's maybe a wee bit like being at the theater where you can look at the stage and you're 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:12.879 so captivated by what's been performed there. 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:17.159 Everything that's going on is just grabbing your attention and you're totally focused 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:18.399 on what's going on. 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:23.879 You can so quickly forget that behind the curtain, there's a writer and a director and 00:10:23.879 --> 00:10:30.639 a whole crew of people on whom the whole thing depends for its existence, and it's exactly 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:33.439 the same with the universe. 00:10:33.439 --> 00:10:38.159 It's all so orderly and impressive and beautiful. 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:44.360 It's so easy to forget that behind the curtain, there's a writer and a director on whom the 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:50.360 whole thing depends. 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:56.800 But every so often, God opens the curtains for a brief moment. 00:10:56.800 --> 00:11:06.120 And this is one of those moments in Matthew 3, heaven and earth, time and eternity, God 00:11:06.120 --> 00:11:10.720 and humanity all meet with the curtain opened. 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:14.759 And it's reminding us that the whole universe is in the hands of God, our Creator, all of 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:20.439 time is just a moment in eternity, all of humanity is under the watching eye of God. 00:11:20.439 --> 00:11:26.559 So as Jesus comes up from the baptism, the heavens open and two massive things happen. 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:30.600 First of all, the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus as a dove. 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:34.200 The Holy Spirit comes to rest upon him. 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:40.439 And in that moment, we're seeing Jesus being identified as God's chosen servant. 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:46.400 And through the indwelling Spirit, Jesus is being empowered to accomplish the work that 00:11:46.400 --> 00:11:48.440 God needs him to do. 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:54.720 And that's why from this point on, Jesus is able to go and perform mighty miracles and 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:57.280 cast out demons in the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:11:57.280 --> 00:11:59.680 This is a huge turning point. 00:11:59.680 --> 00:12:06.080 From this moment on, Jesus is about to become the most influential figure in all of history. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:11.040 And the fact that it's a massive moment is confirmed by the fact that the Spirit descends 00:12:11.040 --> 00:12:12.800 like a dove. 00:12:12.800 --> 00:12:14.960 The dove is pointing us backwards. 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:18.480 Corey mentioned that in the morning, that so often in Matthew, we are being pointed 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:20.320 backwards to the Old Testament. 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:23.200 This is a brilliant example of that. 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:26.960 The dove definitely points us back as far as Noah. 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:31.800 At the end of the flood, Noah sent forth a dove to see if the waters had subsided from 00:12:31.800 --> 00:12:32.800 the face of the ground. 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:38.519 And then we can go back even further, right to the very beginning of the Bible, when in 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:44.759 the creation account, we're told that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:49.839 The key point that this shows to us is that both of these that you've got there are turning 00:12:49.839 --> 00:12:52.559 points in history. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:56.639 So is this in Matthew 3. 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:59.079 Jesus is about to begin his ministry. 00:12:59.080 --> 00:13:04.440 But as he does so, God pulls back the curtains, he opens the heavens and God, the Holy Spirit 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:10.160 Himself, comes to rest on Jesus and a mighty work begins. 00:13:10.160 --> 00:13:11.600 That's the first thing that happens. 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:16.840 The second thing that happens is that God speaks. 00:13:16.840 --> 00:13:22.920 When God opens the curtain, he speaks. 00:13:22.920 --> 00:13:25.040 Now we need to recognize what's happening here. 00:13:25.040 --> 00:13:27.360 This is a pivotal turning point in history. 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:30.480 Heaven and Earth, time and eternity are all colliding. 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:33.360 This is the point when Jesus' ministry is beginning. 00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:35.560 This is when the battle really starts. 00:13:35.560 --> 00:13:37.000 The waiting is over. 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:38.480 The moment has come. 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:43.000 John is no longer saying, he's coming, he's coming, he's saying, he is here. 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:44.940 This is where it all kicks off. 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:47.960 This is what everyone has been waiting for. 00:13:47.960 --> 00:13:56.600 And at this moment, what does God the Father want you to know? 00:13:56.600 --> 00:14:00.600 Does He want you to know that the battle has begun? 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:05.960 Does He want you to know that victory is certain, that the devil is doomed, that God is almighty? 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:11.279 All of that's true, but that's not what God wants to tell us. 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:20.840 At this pivotal moment in history, God wants us to know that he loves his Son and he is 00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:25.680 so delighted with Him. 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:33.879 And that tells us that our view of Jesus has got to be at the highest level. 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:36.199 He's not some good teacher. 00:14:36.199 --> 00:14:37.639 He's not some impressive leader. 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:39.239 He's not a noble example. 00:14:39.239 --> 00:14:43.399 He's the treasured, beautiful, beloved Son of God. 00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:51.679 In other words, to God the Father, He is utterly and indescribably precious. 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:53.959 And that means that if you can pull back the curtain of heaven, if you can pull back the 00:14:53.960 --> 00:15:01.320 curtain of heaven, if you can look behind the scenes, if you can dig as far into God 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:03.800 as you can, what are you going to find? 00:15:03.800 --> 00:15:08.200 You're going to find that at the very foundation of all reality, at the core of the being of 00:15:08.200 --> 00:15:15.840 God himself, at the very heart of the whole of Christian theology is a Father who utterly 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:20.400 loves His Son. 00:15:20.400 --> 00:15:23.800 That love is carried by the Holy Spirit. 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:29.519 It's a beautiful, loving relationship of Father, Son, Holy Spirit. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:44.240 And if that's true, then a medium view of Jesus is blasphemy. 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:49.519 It's utterly unthinkable. 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:59.319 And for all of us, far too often, our view of Jesus is nowhere near high enough. 00:15:59.319 --> 00:16:08.159 From this moment on, we are starting to see who Jesus really is. 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:16.439 But at the same time, we're also being shown what Jesus has come to do. 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:20.480 And that brings us to our second point, that all too often, our view of Jesus isn't low 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:21.480 enough. 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:24.400 Now, that might sound like a bit of a weird thing to say, especially after everything 00:16:24.400 --> 00:16:26.040 that I've just told you. 00:16:26.040 --> 00:16:29.320 But I hope that you will understand what I mean. 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:33.760 And I hope that you're also going to see that this is a very easy and dangerous mistake 00:16:33.760 --> 00:16:34.760 for us all to make. 00:16:34.760 --> 00:16:37.880 In fact, it's a mistake that John the Baptist made. 00:16:37.880 --> 00:16:45.480 In verse 14, you can see that when Jesus comes to be baptized by John, John's first response 00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:46.920 is to say, no way. 00:16:46.920 --> 00:16:48.840 I can't baptize you. 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:51.440 You should be baptizing me. 00:16:51.440 --> 00:16:55.360 John knew that he wasn't worthy even to carry Jesus' sandals. 00:16:55.360 --> 00:17:01.399 So in his mind, he's like, well, there's no way it's appropriate for me to baptize Jesus. 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:06.680 Now, just to note that this is one of several occasions where God's plan involves someone 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:08.880 saying, I'm not worthy of doing this. 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:12.360 And God's response is, I know you're still doing it. 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:17.279 And that's a pattern that God has used throughout the whole history of his church. 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:24.559 The key point, though, is that this is an example of somebody whose view of Jesus wasn't 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:25.559 low enough. 00:17:25.559 --> 00:17:31.279 Now, when I say that, I don't mean that we should be looking down on Jesus in criticism. 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:37.319 What I mean is that it's incredibly easy to think that there is no way that Jesus would 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:42.199 stoop down to our level. 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:45.400 And so many people fall into this misunderstanding. 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:47.880 We recognize that Jesus is special. 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:49.880 We see that he's remarkable. 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:54.440 And then we're immediately confronted by the fact that we do not match up. 00:17:54.440 --> 00:18:01.319 So if Jesus is here, we are down there, nowhere close. 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:04.920 And because of that, we can so easily think that, well, if we're going to meet Jesus, 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:07.200 we need to kind of get a little bit further up. 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:12.160 We need to sort ourselves out, get a little bit closer to him so that at least we can 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:16.400 tie and reach his standards, or at least get a little bit closer. 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:20.480 And that can manifest itself in so many ways in the lives of Christians and in the lives 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:22.800 of those who are not Christians. 00:18:22.800 --> 00:18:25.800 We can think that our prayers are rubbish. 00:18:25.800 --> 00:18:27.120 So God's not going to bother listening. 00:18:27.120 --> 00:18:29.360 It's like other people's prayers are much better. 00:18:29.360 --> 00:18:30.960 Mine, there are no use. 00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:33.120 God's not going to listen. 00:18:33.120 --> 00:18:37.960 We can think that other people are far more worthy than us, that they're going to be far 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:39.360 more effective serving Jesus. 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:44.559 And you think, well, you know, God is going to be much more happy with them than he is 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:45.639 with me. 00:18:45.639 --> 00:18:51.240 We can think that on the whole, Jesus is disappointed with us. 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:57.959 That we maybe started off good, but that we've messed up more times than we've succeeded, 00:18:57.959 --> 00:19:00.399 and Jesus is generally going to be disappointed with us. 00:19:00.399 --> 00:19:08.359 We can even think that Jesus has given up on us. 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:12.719 We can think that our chance has gone. 00:19:12.719 --> 00:19:17.439 We can think that we're just too far gone for Jesus to reach us. 00:19:17.439 --> 00:19:22.000 So easy to think that Jesus has only come for the good ones, or, well, at the very least, 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:27.240 the medium ones, for the people who aren't as bad as me. 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:31.000 But I'm just not at that level. 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:38.400 And if you think like that, then this is where it's absolutely crucial that we understand 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:44.119 why Jesus came to be baptized by John. 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:49.799 John preached a baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins. 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:51.759 So repentance is when you turn around. 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:56.039 So the idea in the Bible of repentance is when you stop walking away from God, you 00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:59.400 stop rebelling against God, you turn around, and you start following God. 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:00.400 You change. 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:05.360 You change the way you behave and return to God. 00:20:05.360 --> 00:20:06.600 Forgiveness, you all know what that means. 00:20:06.600 --> 00:20:10.480 It's just the fact that we're guilty, and God forgives us for that. 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:14.800 John preached a baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins. 00:20:14.800 --> 00:20:18.600 Jesus needed neither. 00:20:18.600 --> 00:20:21.320 He had no sin to repent of. 00:20:21.320 --> 00:20:24.160 He had no sin for which he needed to be forgiven. 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:27.320 So why did he come to be baptized? 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:38.559 The reason was that he came to identify himself with the people that he's come to save. 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:42.759 And this is a crucial aspect of how God's whole plan of salvation works. 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:45.879 Jesus has not come to be above us. 00:20:45.879 --> 00:20:48.639 He's not even come to be near us. 00:20:48.639 --> 00:20:51.159 He's not even come to be right alongside us. 00:20:51.159 --> 00:20:55.480 He has come to take our place. 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:57.480 And there's a word that we use to describe that. 00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:01.680 We say that Jesus' work of salvation is vicarious. 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:04.319 V-I-C-A-R-I-O-U-S. 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:07.240 Vicarious means in the place of another. 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:10.640 Jesus' work of salvation is in the place of another. 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:12.440 It's vicarious. 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:18.519 Here Jesus comes to receive a baptism of repentance and forgiveness, and in doing so, he's making 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:25.799 it clear that he has come to turn us back to God, and he has come to secure the forgiveness 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:28.519 that we all desperately need. 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:29.920 He's come alongside us. 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:31.759 He's come to represent us. 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:37.720 And in that vicarious work of salvation, he's going to go all the way to the cross, where 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:42.119 he's going to die as our substitute and save us from our sins. 00:21:42.119 --> 00:21:46.839 That work of salvation is going to fulfill all righteousness, as Jesus himself describes 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:47.839 here. 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:52.039 The public stage of that journey starts here at his baptism. 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:59.519 And this is incredible, because all of it means that no matter how low you are, Jesus 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:04.639 will meet you there. 00:22:04.639 --> 00:22:10.679 And this is why so often our view of Jesus is not low enough. 00:22:10.679 --> 00:22:16.519 We think that we need to improve in order for us to meet with him. 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:19.680 We think that he's only looking for the best out of all of us. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:24.480 We think it's only when we succeed in life that Jesus is going to have any interest towards 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:28.559 us, or we can think that we're just never going to be good enough for him. 00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:36.079 If you think like that, then your view of Jesus is nowhere near low enough. 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:43.960 Because Jesus is not some medium religious snob who likes the religious middle classes. 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:51.559 Jesus is the vicarious Savior who will meet you at your lowest point. 00:22:51.559 --> 00:22:57.279 The people who were going out to John for baptism were realizing that they were broken, 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:59.039 that they needed forgiveness. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:05.279 Jesus joins them in baptism, because these are exactly the kind of people that he came 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:06.400 to save. 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:11.880 And it's crucial that we think about this, because these two misunderstandings are so 00:23:11.880 --> 00:23:13.279 easy to fall into. 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:16.319 All too often our view of Jesus is not high enough. 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:19.319 All too often our view of Jesus is not low enough. 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:24.639 All too often our view of Jesus is far too medium. 00:23:24.639 --> 00:23:30.119 And it's crucial that you recognize and understand this, because if your view of Jesus isn't 00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:39.839 high enough, then you will end up thinking that you don't need to bother with him. 00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:42.559 And isn't that true of so many people? 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:43.879 They've got a medium view of Jesus. 00:23:43.879 --> 00:23:46.399 They're going to go to church next Sunday, because it's Easter Sunday, and then they're 00:23:46.399 --> 00:23:50.399 going to spend the rest of the year not bothering with him, because their view of Jesus is not 00:23:50.399 --> 00:23:51.399 high enough. 00:23:51.399 --> 00:23:55.079 If your view of Jesus isn't high enough, you'll end up thinking that you don't need to bother 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:56.159 with him. 00:23:56.159 --> 00:24:01.480 But if your view of Jesus isn't low enough, then you're going to end up thinking that 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:07.759 he won't ever bother with you. 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:12.519 That he's got better people to love and care for. 00:24:12.519 --> 00:24:20.160 Both of these conclusions are totally wrong, and both of them will lead you to hell. 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:27.000 And it's telling us all that our view of Jesus must never, ever be medium. 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:32.879 We need to understand more of how high he is, and we need to understand more of how low 00:24:32.879 --> 00:24:37.240 he is, because this is what makes Jesus so amazing. 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:43.440 Because if you look up to the heights of theological truth, what do you see? 00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:48.680 You see the beloved Son of God in whom the Father is well pleased, who's so beautiful 00:24:48.680 --> 00:24:51.799 and glorious and majestic and wonderful. 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:55.799 If you look up to the very heights of theology, that is what you're going to see. 00:24:55.799 --> 00:25:00.759 And if you look down into the very depths of all your failures and mistakes and sorrows 00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:03.000 and scars, what are you going to see? 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:13.799 You're going to see his arms open and ready to catch you, ready to bring you home again. 00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:18.319 Jesus is high enough to utterly captivate us. 00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:25.839 Jesus is low enough to always catch us. 00:25:25.839 --> 00:25:34.159 And at this moment, we've got a turning point in history, after this baptism, Jesus' ministry 00:25:34.159 --> 00:25:38.159 began, the world was never the same again. 00:25:38.159 --> 00:25:45.559 And all of it means that tonight can be a turning point in your history as well. 00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:52.199 And if you're not yet a Christian, if you're thinking about things, do you look at your 00:25:52.199 --> 00:25:55.799 life and think to yourself, ah, I'm so glad I've not become a Christian. 00:25:55.799 --> 00:25:59.879 Do you really think that? 00:25:59.879 --> 00:26:04.079 And if your answer to that question is no, then make tonight the turning point in your 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:07.399 life. 00:26:07.399 --> 00:26:10.039 Make tonight the night that you follow Jesus. 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:14.480 And to do that, you've got to ask yourself, what's the next step? 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:16.599 What's the next step that you need to take? 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:19.119 Is it to pray for the first time? 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:20.559 Is that the next step that you need to take? 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:25.079 I've got no idea if there's people here who've never prayed before, but if you've never prayed 00:26:25.079 --> 00:26:28.799 before or if you haven't prayed in years, maybe that's the next step you need to take, 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:29.960 to pray. 00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:34.319 And praying is so easy, because all you've got to do is just talk to God. 00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:35.399 That's all it involves. 00:26:35.399 --> 00:26:36.839 You can talk to Him. 00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:39.439 You don't need to use fancy language or anything like that. 00:26:39.439 --> 00:26:43.679 If that's your next step, take it. 00:26:43.679 --> 00:26:47.759 Maybe you are praying, maybe you are thinking about things, but no one else knows. 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:52.720 So maybe the next step for you is to tell somebody to speak to Derek or Corey or to 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:58.640 any of the Christians here and to say, I really want to become a Christian. 00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:00.640 I want to follow Jesus. 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:01.640 I've got questions. 00:27:01.640 --> 00:27:03.160 I'm not sure. 00:27:03.160 --> 00:27:07.079 If that's where you are, if you need to talk to someone, do it. 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:08.240 Take that step. 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:10.880 Talk to somebody. 00:27:10.880 --> 00:27:16.319 Maybe you're further on than that, but maybe you haven't quite taken the step of professing 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:18.200 faith and saying, yes, I'm a Christian. 00:27:18.200 --> 00:27:23.160 Maybe inside you know that you are, maybe inside you're bursting. 00:27:23.160 --> 00:27:27.680 Take the next step and profess faith. 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:30.880 Or maybe it's to take the next step in terms of serving Him. 00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:34.200 Some of you guys are nearly finished, uni. 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:39.080 The next chapter in your life is maybe something you're not sure of. 00:27:39.080 --> 00:27:40.279 What does God have for you? 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:43.400 Maybe He's got an amazing door for you to serve Him. 00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:44.400 Maybe you're a bit afraid. 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:47.920 Maybe you can hear God's voice pointing in a direction that you feel a bit scared of. 00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:48.920 Go for it. 00:27:48.920 --> 00:27:50.480 Take that next step. 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:51.480 Don't be afraid. 00:27:51.480 --> 00:27:55.240 Make tonight a turning point. 00:27:55.240 --> 00:28:01.160 And if when I say that, you're like, well, I don't know. 00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:04.840 I don't know. 00:28:04.840 --> 00:28:12.320 If you're reluctant, is it because your view of Jesus isn't high enough? 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:19.439 Is it because your view of Jesus isn't low enough? 00:28:19.439 --> 00:28:28.119 Make no mistake, Jesus is high enough to make Him worthy of giving every day of the rest 00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:31.799 of your life to Him. 00:28:31.799 --> 00:28:38.799 And Jesus is low enough to look after you every step of the way. 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:39.799 Amen. 00:28:39.799 --> 00:28:46.359 Let's pray. 00:28:46.359 --> 00:28:56.680 Lord Jesus, we worship You, our God, the one who's higher, higher than our minds can take 00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:59.680 in. 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:06.639 We praise and thank You as the one who's low enough to reach us at our very depths, that 00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:12.400 no matter how low we go, underneath are Your everlasting arms. 00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:17.080 We praise You, Lord Jesus, because You're so high. 00:29:17.080 --> 00:29:22.280 We praise You because You've come so low. 00:29:22.280 --> 00:29:24.759 Blessed be Your name. 00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:36.960 Amen.