Intro
Is it important to remember your baptism? Purpose: Let us examine history’s most important baptism and see some relevant lessons for our own baptism. Plan: We will look at the baptism of Jesus in Luke 3:15-22.
Baptism with the Holy Spirit
“Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, ‘I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’” (Luke 3:15-16 NKJV)
John the Baptizer explained three distinctions. 1) The Messiah would be mightier, 2) that John was not worthy, and 3) The Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Fire?
“His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.” (Luke 3:17-20 NKJV)
The Bible speaks of a lake of fire (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8). The chaff will be tossed into the fire. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended like flames of fire (Acts 2:3). Either way there is fire, Holy Spirit fire or hell fire. Judgment begins with our response to Jesus’ first coming, but will not take place until after His second coming.
Jesus’ Baptism
“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22 NKJV)
The Bible does not tell us the mode of Jesus’ baptism. He could have come up out of ankle deep water. But 1) Heaven was opened, 2) the Holy Spirit descended and 3) a voice came. God is well-pleased with his Son, Jesus.
Outro
Let’s remember that we were baptized “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), “to wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16), baptized with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:8), “baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13), and that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
