Now if you will turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 3 verses 13 through 17
as we look once again at the theme for this spring of glorifying Jesus Christ.
Now I often wonder what football coaches say on the first day of practice especially for
their athletes who have not really played football before.
I wonder if they say, boys, this is a football.
Something basic.
Well you gotta have basics.
Well, at the Christi Church we gotta have basics too.
And one of the basics is that we are called together as servants of Jesus Christ to glorify
Him as the first question of the Catechism says we are to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Well today we're gonna look at another passage in which Jesus Christ is glorifying.
It occurs at the beginning of His ministry when He is baptized by John.
Now this passage created some problems and one of them was why did Jesus need to be baptized
and we're gonna get into that.
But I want you to notice the end of it.
Jesus is glorifying by the Father.
Let's look and see what God's word says to us this morning.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
But John tried to deter him saying I need to be baptized by you and do you come to me?
Jesus replied, let it be so now.
It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.
And John consented.
And 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 a lighting
on him.
And a voice from heaven said this is my son whom I love.
With him I am well pleased.
Let's pray and ask God to illuminate our hearts so that we understand what His word is saying
to us.
Holy Spirit work in our hearts so that we are a people who glorify you and enjoy you
for who you are.
Bust upon us now and help us to see the glory of our Savior.
I make this prayer in His name.
Amen.
Have you ever heard one say He thinks He's so righteous or she believes that she is so
spiritual?
A lot of times those come from non-Christians and they may not like our morality.
They may feel threatened by what we believe and how we act.
They just may not like us.
And that's the reason you hear such words as she thinks she's so spiritual or he thinks
he's so righteous.
Now here's something else you've got to consider.
Sometimes when you hear those it's not by people who are outside the church, it's by
people who are inside the church.
They say it about each other and it may be because they're jealous.
It may be because they also feel threatened.
They realize that they're not living up to the standards of the kingdom of God.
There are all sorts of reasons why people may say that and they're pointing it out as
if that other person is a hypocrite when they don't know the other person's heart.
Now let's think about this.
What happened if you actually ran into Jesus Christ?
Would you say the same thing about Him?
Oh, He's so righteous.
He's so spiritual.
Well today we're going to look at a passage in which that question comes up about Jesus
and why is He getting baptized here?
Does He need to be baptized?
We're going to see what it all means.
But before we get into that let's also remember here that at the end of this passage Jesus
Christ is glorified not by people but by the Heavenly Father when He says in verse 17,
This is my Son in whom I love with Him I am well pleased.
You're saying, Jesus, I am pleased with what you are doing.
He's glorifying the Son because the Son truly is righteous.
Now we've got to get some background material out of the way here before we get into the
righteousness of Jesus and here's the big issue.
No one is righteous.
No one.
And that gets you and I in a lot of trouble because we often forget that we're a bunch
of sinners and we forget how much we need the remedy of Jesus Christ.
We think we can run on our own track record but not really because that record is flawed.
And one of the best ways to see who we really are as human beings is to look at the Bible.
Now let's go back to Genesis where God created Adam and Eve and He put them in a garden.
They had everything they wanted or needed and God just gives them one commandment not
10 as we looked at earlier.
One commandment do not eat of the tree of good and evil.
Now we often think oh if we had everything we ever wanted we wouldn't sin.
What does this tell us here about human beings?
You can give them everything they wanted.
God can give you one commandment.
What would you do?
You will break them and that's exactly what they did and that turned our world upside
down and it shows what human beings are really like and it doesn't end there, does it?
A couple chapters later what have you got?
First murder and look at what it was a murder about.
Worship.
Murder.
It goes on in the Bible to the time of the flood and God looked down on mankind and He
saw all the violence on this earth.
Everything had to be done and then we move on after He gives the law to Israel what do
they do?
Come up with a golden calf.
You go to some of their greatest kings like David.
He commits adultery and murder and is also at times full of pride and it goes on and
on and on.
It is no wonder that when we get to the New Testament we hear the words of the apostle
Paul for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and if you were in Sunday
school this morning as we looked at 1 Corinthians 5 how there was incest in the church of Corinth
and people were proud of it.
That's what human beings are like.
Now that's the word of God.
Let's just say you're skeptical of that.
Well look around and observe life for a change.
Let's see what's going on in the world today.
Right now the media is consumed with the trial that is going on with a former president and
a porn star.
And if you listen to the testimony you are left saying all these guys are just messed
up.
And then if that's not enough for you then there was the Met Gala and look at all the
things these people are wearing.
And then you've got the Tom Brady roast.
Have you read about some of those jokes?
Oh my goodness.
It's sin.
Now if you would have asked any of those people are you a sinner?
Did you do anything wrong?
They would all say oh no we did not do anything wrong.
But yet there is a big problem and it's sin and it's all around us.
It's no wonder that when we look out at society if you're Christian you're saying man I don't
know if I want to have anything to do with this and maybe that's what you should feel.
And it should bring you some disgust that the power brokers of our land and the entertainment
leaders promote this type of sinful behavior.
But you were thinking to yourself ah but look at me I have fulfilled all the laws.
Now you have.
Now you have it.
How did we read this morning?
To fulfill the law of God it says that you are to love the Lord your God with all your
heart with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and to love
your neighbor as yourself.
It's a quote from Scripture.
Have you done that?
No one has.
I haven't.
You haven't.
No one in the world has done that.
You may look at other people's sin and say oh look at them but you don't look at yourself.
We lack righteousness and throughout human history people have understood that and they've
come up with various rituals so they could purify themselves.
Washing rituals.
Now it's not just the Old Testament Hebrews.
There were other societies as well.
But if you do look in the Bible there were rituals.
Some are in the Bible in which they washed before meals or before sacrifices.
Some were so wealthy that they had pools where they could go and wash.
And even baptism had somewhat of a background in pre New Testament times.
Guess who got baptized?
Gentiles.
If you were a gentile and you wanted to become a Jew you had to go through a baptism ritual
in which you were washing away your old self with all of those sinful attitudes to become
a new person in Judaism.
That is the background.
Now here's what's happening in this passage.
John is telling the Jews you Jews you need to go through the same ritual that Gentiles
do because you're just as sinful.
And look at when John the Baptist is preaching.
Look at what this is all about.
Verse 2 repent for the kingdom of God has come near.
In verse 6 confessing their sins they were baptized and in verse 8 it says produce fruit
in keeping with repentance.
John is baptizing and he is asking for repentance.
He is saying your sins need to be washed away.
You guys you Jews who think you are righteous.
No you're sinners.
You need to become pure.
Now why do I make such a point of this?
If you forget how sinful you really are you will forget your need of Jesus Christ.
Now what often happens is when you first become a Christian oh I need Jesus yeah I'm a sinner
but go on a few years down the line.
How many of you still think that you need Jesus Christ to wash away your sin?
You do.
It's a constant need because you're constantly sinful and God he needs you to repent and
ask for forgiveness and bathe in the cleanliness of his grace and his mercy.
Now we are conscious of our needs aren't we?
About two weeks ago we'll just say I had a procedure we don't want to name it you know
polite company and all that but I had to fast.
I don't like fasting.
I got up and the first thing I'm thinking on on Sunday morning is man I'm usually eaten
by this time and that thought doesn't go away.
It's just there man.
I'd like to scramble some eggs right now and get some toast with some butter on it and
it's always there.
Well we do that for our physical needs but you have a spiritual need that's just as great.
It's the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and if you think you have ever gone beyond that no
you haven't.
Think of it this way.
It's like a snake.
The snake charmer may think he's got that snake in control but just when he thinks he
has it in control that snake can strike.
Same with sin or think of it this way.
You wash your hands, you use the soap and then you look under your fingernails what
you got.
Dirt and grease.
Same with sin.
Needs to be washed away.
That is the state we're in.
Now no one is righteous but Jesus was and part of what this passage is pointing out is yes
he is righteous.
Did Jesus need to be baptized because he needed to repent of sins?
No.
He didn't break the Ten Commandments.
He did love the Lord, his God, with all of his soul and with all of his might.
He went to the cross obeying God and he did it because he loved people.
He fulfilled the law.
So no he did not have to have a baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
You can read the rest of the Bible.
Notice what it says.
In 2 Corinthians 5, 21, God made him who had no sin to be sinned for us so that we
might become the righteousness of God.
In Hebrews it says he is our great high priest who has been tempted in every way we are yet
without sin.
And if Jesus was a sinner you're not saved.
There is no atonement.
There had to be a perfect sacrifice.
So no when Jesus comes to John the Baptist he did not have to be baptized for the forgiveness
of sin.
He is perfect.
Holy, all the things that you are not.
So why did he get baptized?
I want you to know something here.
John who is the cousin of Jesus knows that Jesus is righteous.
He says I don't need to baptize you at all.
You need to baptize me.
So somehow or another John knew of Jesus' moral character.
They were cousins.
So why is he doing this?
Well Jesus gives us our clue.
It is to fulfill all righteousness.
And a little later on in the sermon on the Mount Jesus said I didn't come to destroy
the law I came to fulfill the law.
So what has that got to do with baptism?
Jesus gets baptized not because he needed purification.
He gets baptized because he is acknowledging God's claim on his life.
He is acknowledging that he will go to the cross to die for sinners.
That is what he's doing.
And later on Jesus refers to his death as a baptism.
For example in Luke 12.50 the baptism that I am going to undergo, oh it distresses me
and I am distressed until it is complete.
In the early part of Jesus' ministry he is telling us I am going to go through the baptism
of death.
And he also undergoes baptism for a second reason to identify with us.
He's basically saying these are my people.
Sinners yes.
And I am going to represent them before God.
They are unrighteous but I am going to purify them with my righteousness.
That is the second reason he gets baptized because he is righteous and you will share
that righteousness as well.
Now at the end of this keep in mind this is where Jesus gets glorified because of what
happens.
Jesus goes into the water.
He comes out.
The heavens break open and the Spirit descends upon him.
Now this should remind us of one thing.
Genesis chapter 1 where the Holy Spirit was hovering upon the water.
Here it is upon Jesus.
And just as Genesis 1 was a creation, Christ's ministry is to recreate in the newness of
life.
And the dove, the Holy Spirit is like a dove.
What does that remind us of?
Should remind us of the flood where it's the dove of peace.
And we hear those words.
This is my son in whom I am well pleased.
It is God's approval and glorifying Jesus for the ministry he willingly undertakes which
will lead to the cross.
If the heavenly Father is willing to glorify Jesus then you too must be in the business
of glorifying Jesus.
And do we glorify for that?
Now what we've seen so far is what we can glorify for those miracles where he heals
us.
We can glorify him for his resurrection from the dead such as Lazarus and that is certainly
something on that day when Jesus comes again we're going to be glorifying him.
We can glorify him from turning the water into the wine to saving someone from social
embarrassment that is certainly worthy of glory.
But we've also got to glorify him because the barrier that keeps us from God is our
sin and our lack of righteousness.
But Jesus came into this world to take that barrier away by being our righteousness, by
being God's approved Savior.
And when we look at Jesus Christ there are many churches today and many people who will
say he's a political Savior.
Well one day Jesus Christ is going to change things politically.
But when he came into this world he came to save you from your sin by being righteous.
Some will say Jesus is a social activist.
Well Jesus does change society but he also came primarily to save you from your sin.
And why is it today as we look out at the walls and those people who are outside why
don't they come and want to glorify God?
Why?
I'll tell you why.
Because they don't think they need a Savior who is righteous.
That's why.
They don't see themselves in need of a Savior who is righteous because they think oh I'm
alright, I haven't done anything wrong but that's not the verdict of God.
And that is the reason why this church is not full.
Because we've got too many people today who think they're alright, that nothing is wrong
with them and yes they do bad things but it's alright.
It's alright.
It's still with me.
They have no view of sin and no view of Jesus Christ as their righteous Savior.
But he is our righteousness from God and the only way that anyone can ever approach the
holy God of the Bible is because of Jesus Christ who was baptized into death for our
resurrection into new life.
What is the chief end of man?
To glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Miracles.
Yes we can glorify him for those but let's also glorify him because he was righteous
and he underwent a baptism in which he relates to us in our sinfulness so that you can become
what you are not righteous.
And that's the glory of Jesus Christ.
That's why we should worship him because without him there is no approaching the holy God.
And my great fear is for our nation we have forgotten our need for Christ and we have
forgotten it because we no longer think that we are sinners in need of his righteousness.
Let's pray.
We ask now that your Holy Spirit will help us to become a people who desire to glorify
our Jesus Christ as the righteous one of Israel.
And I also ask Holy Spirit that you will work in the hearts of this community and our nation
and the world to convict people of sin and to bring them to the truth that they need
Jesus and his righteousness.
Hear our prayer and we beg of you Holy Spirit to ask.
Amen.