Intro: since we are doing a baptismal service today, I thought it might be good to take a look at the Baptism of Jesus. When Jesus came to John the Baptist, John said, we are doing this all wrong, you don’t need me to baptize you in water, I need you to baptize me in fire. Jesus said, do this now because it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. The question that comes out of this baptism is why did Jesus get baptized, and what was so significant that it was essential for Him to do it.
The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:13:17
I. Jesus identified with us–people were coming to John to repent of their sins because of their weaknesses in the flesh. Jesus who knew no sin, was baptized to identify himself as the Son of Man. He was 100% God, but 100% man.
a. Jesus can be touched with the feeling of your infirmity. Because He was fully man, he feels what you feel, he knows sorrow, rejection, loneliness, pain and suffering.
b. Jesus understands our nature, our inclination to sin, our temptations and battles with the flesh.
ill) a while back a young man came into my office and said, I am really struggling with some things, and I am sure what I am going to tell you will shock you Pastor because you probably don’t struggle with anything like I do. I told him, if I didn’t struggle with things I couldn’t be a Pastor.
II. He offered Himself completely to God–baptism is an act of surrendering our lives to God. For Jesus to be the example for all to follow, it was necessary for the baptism. He was offering His life to the will of God. It may to some just be symbolic, but it is a step of faith that you die to yourself in burial, and are alive in resurrection.
a. God recognizes this from heaven by declaring this is my Son in whom I am well pleased.
b. as you get saved and confess Christ, the next step is profession and obedience to the will of God. We live in a society that preaches the first step but leaves out the second. The will of God becomes our life and Jesus becomes our profession of faith.
ill) years ago when I accepted the call of God on my life, I didn’t know where that call would take me, I didn’t even know what that call would require, but answering the call is a total step of faith.
III. He gave a Messianic preview–everyone else that was being placed in the water were only doing it as an act of repentance, but when Jesus went down in the water and was raised up, He was giving a dramatization of what he would do in reality three years later.
a. I don’t know how many standing there realized the full impact of what Jesus was doing, but it is quite clear that the water baptism of Jesus was the announcement to the world that Messiah has come and He will not only defeat sin, and sickness, but he will defeat death, hell and the grave.
IV. His Ministry was introduced to the world–he was no longer going to be a carpenter, but he was now going to build his kingdom that would never end. This was an exciting day, this was the announcement that the ministry of Jesus Christ was beginning.
a. I think this is so important for everyone who is baptized in water: it is the announcement that you belong to Jesus Christ and your ministry starts from this point on.
b. water baptism is an identification card–you are identified with Christ.
ill) for those in military service here you know that value of your identification card–it gives you access into all the important places on base. When you are identified with Christ, you gain access into all the privileges that come with serving Him.
V. The New Baptism is Revealed–as the dove descending on Jesus Christ, this was the fulfilling of John’s prophetic word that Jesus was to be the baptizer in the Holy Spirit. This was the day of a new anointing, greater than and Elijah anointing, greater than an Elisha anointing. Jesus would be the one who would pour out of the Spirit on all flesh. He operated in such a great power that people would say, we have never seen it like this before.
* this is our age, we live in the last dispensation of the church, where the Spirit doesn’t just move on us, but lives in us. For everyone who receives Jesus there are two more important steps: identification by water immersion, and Spirit empowerment for ministry.
Close: today, as we go into our baptism service, may everyone repent of sins, profess Jesus Christ, move into ministry, and receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you.
Here is the last thought: Jesus said, greater works shall you do because I ascend to the Father. This anointing for the church was to be so strong and so powerful, that the gospel would be preached in all the world before the return of Jesus Christ. God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.
