Matthew 3:13-17 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?” (15) But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. (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; (17) and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
THE NEED TO BE BAPTIZED
Text: Matthew 3: 13 - 17
Years ago at a continuing education gathering for a group I was in we started talking about baptism. While we were talking about it one of my good friends brought up the lyrics to a song I did not know about. Let me share some of the lyrics to that song by Randy Travis.
Everybody gathered where the river runs wider
At the edge of town
To see if that Eddie Lee Vaughn baptism
Was really gonna go down
Folks bet their hard earned money that water wouldn't change a thing
They set the odds at a hundred to one his soul wouldn't never come clean
Then the preacher said, "People take a moment or two
There's something we need to do, pray for the fish"
They won't know what's comin'
When the sin starts rolling off the like's of him
Lord, be with 'em, they ain't done nothin'
Please, won't you leave them just a little bit of room to swim?
Pray for the fish.
We find humor in stories like these. As long as the story is about someone else we can be amused by it. But, when it comes to baptism some people might think that they don’t need to be baptized. What are the reasons for that? Either they don’t believe in God or they see themselves as error free. But we all need to be baptized if we are going to be right with God!
Why did Jesus who was without sin need to be baptized? Jesus who was without sin, got baptized to identify with all sinners that He came to save. He was tempted just as we are. Jesus is the lamb of God who came to take away our sin (John 1:29). Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Without Jesus we cannot be right with God.
Today we want to explore sin, repentance and fruit.
SIN
Do you believe that sin is destructive?
1) Acronym: What could you do to make an acronym out of the word sin? You could make the “s” stand for subtle; you could make the “I” stand for invading; you could make the “n” stand for nullifying.
2) Grammar: Grammar gives us the rules of language---punctuation and meaning. One of the rules of grammar is the personal pronoun. Personal pronouns are I, me, we, he, she, they, them, us and it. Though sin may involve all the pronouns in this list, we have to remember the grammar rule of sin---- the letter “I” aka a pronoun is in the middle between the “s” and the “n”.
3) Blame: We might be happy to refer to all the other pronouns that exclude us as to where we place blame. But, when it comes to sin, we have to say its personal because the “I” that points to us individually. In Randy Travis’s song “Pray for the Fish” everybody seemed happy to focus on the sins of Eddie Lee Vaughn while neglecting that they were sinners themselves.
What would you say is the biggest danger of sin? One answer that comes to mind is denial. The late Billy Graham tells the story about some people who were in denial about the reality of sin. “Many years ago a distinguished Methodist minister was preaching on sin. Some deacons approached him afterwards and said, “We don’t want you to talk so plainly about sin; if you do, our people will become sinners. Call their mistakes if you will, but do not call their mistakes sin.”
The minister picked up a bottle and showed it to the group of deacons. The bottle was clearly marked Poison.
“Would you like me to change the label?” the minister asked. “I can mark that this bottle of strychnine is the essence of peppermint to make you feel better, but if you take it [drink it] you will still die. Don’t you see that the milder you make the label, the more dangerous you make the poison?” Talking about sin does not make someone a sinner.” (Billy Graham. The Reason For My Hope. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2013, p. 36). Isaiah_53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Rom_6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
REPENTANCE
Why did Jesus have to be baptized by John the Baptizer? If Jesus was without sin then why did He get baptized by John?
1) Forerunner: One reason was because it gave approval to John the Baptizer’s ministry who was the voice in the wilderness saying prepare the way of the Lord (Malachi 3:1).
2) Identify: Jesus got baptized to identify with sinners. As it has been said “Jesus was baptized because he was confessing sin on behalf of the nation, as Nehemiah, Ezra, Moses, and Daniel had done”; (Life Application Bible Study Notes). Think of it like this: Have you ever known someone who apologized on the behalf of another who refused to make amends? Have you ever apologized for someone who refused to make amends?
3) Lamb of God: A third reason is because Jesus was and is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Second Corinthians 5:21 helps to explain John 1:29 and John 3:16: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Corinthians 5:21 ESV).
What does it mean to repent?
1) Apologies: Anyone can apologize and say that he or she is sorry. Apologies can even become routine for someone when he or she apologizes but does not really make amends.
2) Repentance: True repentance means that we mean it when we say that we are sorry. We truly recognize that we were wrong and truly want to make amends. The Greek for repentance is “metanoia” which means to make an about face---a 180 degree turn where we strive to do what is right. That brings us to the point of fruit.
FRUIT
What does it mean to produce fruit in keeping with repentance? John Wesley argued that there are two ways to repent.
1) Legalism: He said that being convicted and saying I am sorry which is legalism. When we are being legalistic we are doing what is required without being changed within.
2) Change of heart: John Wesley also argued that true repentance is about a change of heart because f the transformation of the heart. The point is obvious that there is a huge difference between conviction and a change of heart.
Why do we need to be baptized?
1) An event: Some people might think of baptism as an event. We show up for worship and get wet with the water of baptism and magically we are changed. Baptism represents an outward sign of an inward and spiritual change.
2) A new way of life: Paul said the wages of sin are death (Romans 6:23). Paul speaks of sin being deadly in how it can create separation with each sin. Our baptism means that we are turning our backs on sin---dying to sin. I Peter 2:24 seems to say it the best: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (ESV). Death represents moments of “missing the mark of who God has called us to be” that separate us from God and from our neighbors because of sin. Before we were baptized we were dying---separating ourselves because of sin. Being baptized means that we are renouncing sin’s power and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives! 3) The Unpardonable sin: The unpardonable sin is to totally resist God’s grace, refusing to repent which means permanent separation from God and spending eternity in hell because of committing the unpardonable sin (Matthew 12:32). That mean that God does not send anyone to hell. Those whose hearts are so hardened that they refuse to repent to their dying breath choose the ultimate worse case scenario death--which -eternal separation---the second death (Revelation 21:8).
I have often heard it said that we are born twice and die only once if we are born again. If we are not born again (meaning baptized) then we die twice (Revelation 21:8) which means eternal separation from God.
Recalling Randy Travis’s story of Eddie Lee Vaughn’s baptism don’t pray for the fish, pray for the lost and how God can use us to reach them.
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
