7/1/01 6.00 p.m. Luke 3:15-22 ( Romans 6:1-11 )
15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them. 19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison. 21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
PRAY
Melanie’s parents came to visit us over Christmas. Before they came we were both involved in getting the house ready for them ; cleaning, making beds, getting shopping in and so on.
Earlier in this Chapter John the Baptist had been preparing for an important visitor. He encouraged people to turn to God and baptised them in the River Jordan. Baptism was normally administered to Gentiles, non-Jews, who wanted to join the Jewish religion. For a Jew to submit to baptism required great humility. It was as if they were admitting to not being part of God’s people, and wanting to join them.
There was also the symbolism of washing. Baptism conveyed a spiritual cleansing, turning from what was wrong to make a fresh start with God. So this should affect the way they lived their lives. The chronological order of this was :
1) someone decides to turn away from living life their own way and start living for God.
2) they are baptised to symbolise this.
3) They have to live for God in a practical way. John spells this out for them in verses 11-14.
John’s ministry caused people to question if he was the Messiah or anointed one from God whom they were expecting. John makes it clear that he is not, and that the Messiah will be superior to him in a number of ways.
The most menial job that a slave could do was to untie someone’s sandal before washing their feet. That is why none of the disciples volunteered to do this job before the Last Supper in John 13. It was a vile job because people’s shoes and feet would be caked with donkey and/or camel dung from the streets.
John is saying that he is not even worthy to do this menial job for Jesus.
He said that he baptised in water. This Baptism was inferior to that of Jesus. John’s baptism signified that people wanted to turn from their sin to live life God’s way. But it gave them no power to live like that. It was not a Christian baptism because it did not involve the death of Jesus, or the work of the Holy Spirit. The first Christian baptisms were administered to three thousand people on the first day of Pentecost.
John said, "He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" ( verse 16 ). What did he mean by this ? This is not saying that putting a cross on someone’s head with water, or plunging someone under water will make them a Christian. It is saying that Jesus will give the baptism of, or immerse or flood his followers with, the Holy Spirit when they give control of their life to him.
In the Bible fire can be used in a number of ways. Here it is referring to the refining or purifying work on God’s Holy Spirit. A precious metal such as gold or silver is heated up to burn away any impurities. The Holy Spirit also works like fire, burning away our nasty bits, making us more like Jesus. God the Holy Spirit gives us the power to be holy. The word holy means set apart for God. He lives inside all Christians and being God, and being Holy is opposed to that which is unholy, not of God.
John goes on to talk of how Jesus will divide and judge people. Verse 17, "His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.".
The winnowing fork was used to toss wheat and chaff into the air. The wheat grains, being heavier would fall straight to the ground. The lighter chaff would be blown to one side, and be swept away to be burned. This represents the way that Jesus will one day judge people in the way that they have responded to him. Those who have accepted Jesus into their lives will be gathered up, taken to be with God for ever. Those who do not accept Jesus will be burned, condemned by God to an eternity without God. This is another way that fire is used in the Bible. To refer to the punishment that awaits the unrepentant.
Verse 18, "And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them." John exhorted the people. He admonished them, told them to live lives God’s way, condemned what was wrong. He also gave them hope. He preached the good news to them. The good news that he preached would not have been the gospel as we know it today. John didn’t have that full a revelation. Yet it would have pointed to a Messiah, one anointed with the Holy Spirit who would come and save God’s people.
John’s exhortation to people to live God’s way was not just restricted to those who came to be baptised. He also spoke out against King Herod. Herod’s wife, Herodias, had formerly been married to Herod’s brother Philip. She had left Philip to marry Herod. John spoke out against this, and against other things that he felt were contrary to God’s will. Herod had as much respect for John as he had for God’s ways, so he imprisoned him.
Luke tells us this, almost as an aside, then refers to the Baptism of Jesus by John. Clearly this is not in chronological order. It appears as if Luke does this to say that the ministry of John has been fulfilled. He has prepared the way for Jesus. In his baptism we see Jesus identifying himself with those who turn to God; we see who Jesus is; and this heralds the start of Jesus public ministry.
Bearing in mind what we have already seen about John’s baptism being one of repentance we need to answer the question "Why was Jesus baptised ?" After all, the Bible tells us that he was sinless and, therefore, there would be no need for him to be baptised. Jesus didn’t need to change and turn to God.
Luke’s gospel deals with Jesus’ baptism in two, short verses. Matthew’s gospel deals with it in more detail and tells of John trying to dissuade Jesus from being baptised. Jesus replied that it was necessary to fulfil all righteousness. That is to say that it was part of God’s plan.
Jesus was baptised not because he needed to, but because he wanted to identify with people who want to turn to God. He was saying to those who had been baptised by John, "I am with you. I am on your side."
We have a God who wants to draw alongside and help us. That is why God became a man. The Christmas event. Jesus identified with us supremely by dying in our place on a cross. The Easter event. God the Holy Spirit came to all believers to give them power to live for him. The Pentecost event.
So we see Jesus identifying himself with those who want to turn to God. We see, or hear who Jesus is. Verse 22b, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
God the Father proclaims his relationship with Jesus, his love for Jesus, and his approval of Jesus’ actions.
In the Bible the term, ’Son of God’ is used to refer to : the people of God ( Exodus 4:22 ); Kings of Israel ( 2 Sam.7:14 ); and the Messiah ( Psalm 27 ). A common theme to these is God’s choice and the response of obedience that this requires. In Jesus case this refers to his choice by God the Father to be the Messiah. Jesus will obey God, even though this means crucifixion. As well as these elements, the term ’Son of God’ here implies a unique relationship with God the Father. It also involves a oneness with God. Jesus is God.
In his baptism we have seen Jesus identifying himself with those who turn to God; we see who Jesus is; and finally, this heralds the start of Jesus public ministry.
The Holy Spirit anointed, or came upon Jesus, at his baptism. In the O.T. the Holy Spirit was given to individuals to carry out a specific task for God. The Jews expected that the Messiah would have the Holy Spirit. Indeed the word "Messiah" means one anointed with the Holy Spirit in Hebrew. The Greek is Christ.
At the start of his public ministry Jesus is anointed to equip him for his ministry. It shows that Jesus needed the Holy Spirit to fulfil his ministry. This does not suggest that Jesus did not have the Holy Spirit before his baptism because,, in Chapter 1, Luke has told us that the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus.
Joshua likes sweets. He recently asked me for one and I refused. Not because I didn’t want him to have one, but because I didn’t have any ! I can’t give what I haven’t got !
Jesus has the Holy Spirit and is able to give it to those who follow him. The Holy Spirit works in people to bring them to repentance and trust in God. To give power to live for God. To give gifts to serve God in his church.
How can we apply this to our lives today ?
We need to ensure that we have been Baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Acts 8:14-17 we read how there were people who had accepted Jesus. They had turned away from their sins, and believed in Jesus, yet they were doing this without the Holy Spirit. This is not the Christian way. The way of Christ is doing things in God’s strength, not our own. There are people today who would call themselves Christian, yet they are not because they have not received the Holy Spirit. A Christian is defined in the New Testament as someone who has the Holy Spirit living within them. These people have more to come, like the Samaritans in our reading.
My brother-in-law lives in Holland, as many of you will know. Like many people there he had a car that could be powered by one of two fuels. Petrol or low pressure gas. It didn’t make a lot of difference to the performance, it went slow on either ! He had a l.p.g tank in his boot which was cheaper to run. However, if he were to switch from petrol to l.p.g. and this tank was empty this would be of no use to him.
Some people have decided to switch from living life their own way to doing it God’s way but there is no power ! They feel helpless, until they invite God’s Holy Spirit into their lives. If this applies to you tonight and you would like to invite God’s Spirit into your life either for the first time, or for a ’top up’ there will be a chance to do so soon.
Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus "Be filled and go on being filled with the Holy Spirit", (5:18). Every Christian needs to be continually filled with God’s Holy Spirit to enable us to live for God. Like a car needs topping up, we need to be filled with God’s Spirit again and again. If you want to ask for that tonight we can do this at the end of this sermon.
Not only that but we need to be open to God’s Holy Spirit to refine us. Purify us. To make us more like Jesus. Unfortunately, the security that we have in Christ leads some Christians to complacency. Like a car that has been going along but the engine has cut out. It is still coasting along, but with no power, no drive, no energy. Perhaps you are expending energy on something else. Something that has replaced God in your affections, pushed him back in your list of priorities. If this applies to you and you want prayer for a change of heart and for power to live for God you can be prayed for tonight.
We will now have the opportunity to reflect upon our response to this using the words of 613, Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me, as a prayer.
PRAY
SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD,
Fall afresh on me;
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
