"Come To The Waters"

Come to The Waters Matthew 3:13-17

1. Consider the Value of Water Water is the most valuable resource on the planet. All living things -- fish, animals,

plants and humans -- need water to survive

Jesus journeys from Galilee to the Jordan Waters

1. It is in the waters of the Jordan Jesus desires to be baptized

2. Jesus desires not only to be baptized in the Jordan but desires to be baptized by John

3. John tried to detour Jesus from being baptized by him, instead John felt that Jesus should baptize him Jesus tells John this is the proper thing for you to do to fulfill all righteousness

4. As soon as Jesus comes up out of the water Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased .” …

2. There is images of Water in the beginning of the bible in the book of Genesis waters covered the face of the earth water ends in Revelation with a vision of a river that flows from the throne of God.

• Even Our ancestors understood the value of water for both our physical and spiritual lives.

• Water In the Exodus story, brings the Hebrews a great deliverer Moses floating down a river as a baby,

• The Waters of the Red Sea are divided providing a road of escape then the same waters destroy the foe

• The waters flow from a rock once Moses takes the staff and hits the rock in the desert supplying the people with refreshing waters because they are dry and thirsty.

• Joshua leads the children of Israel across the Jordan waters which allowed them to cross over into a

land of great promise the promised land, Beulah land , the land that flows with milk and honey

3. Water is associated with much of the life of Jesus himself.

• Jesus and his disciples, several of whom were fishermen, also spent a good bit of their time around water.

• Jesus walked on water, calmed a storm while they were on a boat on the Sea of Galilee

• Jesus talked about living water with a woman who had come to a well to get water for her house.

4. Water is symbolically related to cleaning of sins, Washing away our sins, offering us salvation,

1. The faithful enter the waters aware of their separation from the holiness of God due to the sin in their lives, and emerge renewed, refreshed and spiritually clean.

2. The water serves as a reminder of how God is always ready to forgive when we repent

5. The purpose of the waters for baptism

• Waters of baptism is a sign of death to our old lives and resurrection into new lives in Christ.

• In the waters of baptism we celebrate the grace of God as we are born a new and receive forgiveness.

• In the waters of baptism, we remember we are the children of God, loved by God and pleasing to God.

• In the waters of baptism we encounter affirmation as did Jesus in the Jordan the Spirit of God fell upon Jesus and God said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." God is just as proud of us

6. The waters of baptism is an unending supply so “Come to The Waters”

• In waters of baptism there is the never ending grace of God and the never ending forgiveness of God

• The good news is that the waters of our baptism never run out or lose their effectiveness.

We are baptized only once because Jesus is living water, growing inside of us into a fountain. Once we have had a taste of that water, we will never thirst again.

• From the waters of chaos, (The Flood) God brought order and life.

• From the waters of the flood, God preserved life, giving righteousness a new beginning. Through the waters of the sea, God led Israel out of slavery into freedom and the Promised Land.

• By the baptism of his own death and resurrection, Christ sets us free from sin and death.

• In the waters of baptism, we are claimed as Christ's own He Knows my Name .

• In the waters of baptism, we are reborn by the power of the Spirit.

• Let one and all come to the water! Let us meet Christ here and receive his new life in us. Come to the water