Baptism
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2011-09-24 (pm) Mark Van Koughnett’s Baptism
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we’ve gathered on the bank of this river to witness and receive God’s grace in baptism.
How do we receive grace in baptism? As we noticed this morning, grace is related to justice and mercy. Just to remind us again, justice is getting what is deserved. Mercy is not getting what is deserved. Grace is getting what is not deserved.
So what is Mark getting, that he doesn’t deserve? What is God graciously giving to Mark and reminding all of us who have been baptised? We’ll look at three things graciously given in Christ: 1. washing, 2. dying and rising and 3. the Spirit.
Water, everyone knows, is excellent for washing. I can make my hands absolutely filthy with mud, and with a bit of water, they are clean again! Many laws in the Old Testament describe the proper process for cleansing people, articles of clothing, dishes, you name it. Indeed, it is a recurring theme.
God is concerned with cleanliness because it relates to his holiness. As God is Holy, his people are to be holy, sanctified, set apart. Dirt and mould and mildew and all kinds of other things could render an object unclean, unfit for service. So, God mandated all kinds of processes in order to clean people and items.
There were some problems with this, though. The Old Testament sacrifices pointed toward Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. They didn’t actually make anything clean. Only Christ makes everything clean. But they were necessary, for showed what Christ was going to do.
For, real problem isn’t dirt, mildew, or whatever, the problem is on the inside, the problem is sin. Sin, which is passed down from generation to generation, needs to be completely washed away. No amount of scrubbing with water, soap, whatever, can clean it. Jesus pointed this out to the Pharisees, saying, “You work hard to make pots and hands clean. But it isn’t what’s outside of you that makes you dirty, it is what comes from your heart. Dirty heart, dirty life, clean heart, clean life.
Only Jesus can wash our hearts clean. In the passage I read, Jesus, who was perfectly clean, sinless, submitted to baptism. Why? He didn’t need it; he was the only one who didn’t! He did it because the Father commanded it. When he stepped into the water, when he was baptised, when the Father and the spirit honoured him, that tells us that Jesus is the one who can wash away sins. His baptism pointed forward to the cross, where, he took all God’s wrath against sin. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” ().
How do we become righteous? Only through Christ, this baptism is nothing more than a meaningless ritual without him. No amount of spiritual fervour on Mark’s behalf, my behalf, or on behalf of anyone here can make this washing effective. Only Christ, only what he did, nearly 2000 years ago, has any meaning. Today, Mark acknowledges his sin, his need to be washed, and his full trust in Christ.
The second element of baptism is the dying and rising with Christ. Those who have been baptised in the name of the Father and the name of the Son and the name of the Holy Spirit, have died with Christ and are raised with him.
Now, in a wee while, Mark will be baptised, immersed in the water. Though the water is extremely cold, he is not going to physically die and come to life again. He is symbolically die to his old self and be raised with Christ to his new self. And that has already happened. If it hadn’t he would be here right now! It is necessary for us to do and to witness this because Christ commands it.
Baptism isn’t like Christ waving a magic wand and saying, “be holy!” Christ begins the process of holiness in us, even before we are aware of it! The spiritual reality of every person born in sin is death. The scriptures say, “The wages of sin is death,” eventual physical death, immediate spiritual death, unless God intervenes. God stepped into Mark’s life and breathed life, spiritual life into him. He began to see what God had done, to understand Christ’s sacrifice, and that produced in him a desire to glorify God and acknowledge his faith publicly. He is bravely going to submit not only to the frigid water, but also most importantly, most terrifyingly, to Christ.
He is loudly proclaiming, “Christ, I have died to my old way of living, I have died to the old nature, and all its sinful desires. I have died with you, that is, with your sacrifice, acceptable to God, which gives forgiveness, justice, mercy and grace. I have died, and in you, I now live. As Mark goes down into the water, we will have a visual symbol of his dying to sin, and as he comes up out of the water, we will see the symbol of his new life.
Just as a ritual washing is ineffective unless it washes away the source of sin, the heart, this symbolic dying and rising is useless apart from Christ. Unless Christ first works in Mark, putting to death his old nature, and then giving him life in his new nature, nothing is gained. But Christ has promised life. Just as he said to Nicodemus, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The only way a man or woman can be born again, is by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Now, before we get to the Spirit’s work, one last observation concerning this dying and rising: this dying with Christ and rising with him, this moment of baptism does not have any power in of itself. It is not as though from this time on, that you somehow become a spiritual superman.
It would be great if, like bullets bouncing off Superman, sin and temptation would just bounce off. But that’s not what happens. Sin and temptation still come at you. Sometimes from the unlikeliest places, sometimes from the most obvious places. This is why we’re told to be on guard. We have to watch out for the evil one. He is prowling around like a hungry lion, always looking for someone to devour.
Be aware that he will tempt you. Be aware also, that since you are washed in Christ, since you have died and are raised with him, even seated with him already in heaven, Satan can’t actually touch you. He cannot steal you away from God’s love, no one, nothing can do that.
What he can and what he will try to do is reduce your effectiveness. Sin and temptation will try to render you spiritually useless. And that’s all it can do. Temptations, struggles, hardship, and even worse, good times, will all try to derail you from doing what God has planned for you to do.
And that leads us to the third point, the Spirit. You see, God didn’t start the world off and then sit back saying, “Watch this! Let’s see what happens! God has worked in and through his creation throughout history, the incarnation of Christ being the most incredible, unbelievable, extraordinary event ever, God, taking on humanity, for the purpose of taking on the Father’s wrath against sin, in order to demonstrate God’s loving forgiveness toward those who were his enemies. It just blows you away! God is involved in his creation and he’s involved in your life, Mark.
Look at our passage. Mark sets the scene; it is Jesus’ baptism. God the Father pronounces his love and his delight in his Son. God the Holy Spirit descends upon the Son, anoints him, blesses him, prepares him for his ministry, preaching, teaching, healing, casting out demons, suffering and dying. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, present, at work, blessing the world.
And God the Holy Spirit is present here this afternoon. He is in our hearts; the Father and the Son are in heaven. The Spirit has been with you, Mark, for a long time. He has brought you, led you, throughout your life. Even during those times, which you aren’t so proud to describe, the Spirit was with you. He has led you to this time and place. And he will lead you forever.
Mark, what happened immediately after Jesus came out of the water? The Holy Spirit immediately hurled him into the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for 40 days and 40 nights. Incidentally, the word rendered as “sent” in our translation, can also mean, hurl violently, like when Jonah was vomited out of the whale. What we need to know is that a Spirit-led life is not safe. It is not boring, dull, or sedate. The Holy Spirit immediately led Jesus to where he would face challenges that Survivor contestants would simply refuse to do.
The same Spirit that led Christ into the wilderness, into Capernaum, into the Galilee, throughout Israel, through the Garden of Gethsemane, to the cross, the same Spirit leads you.
All you have to do is follow. All you have to do is know what God is busy doing in your life and obey his commandments, and walk in step with the Spirit. Most importantly though, Mark, I want you to remember that the Spirit led Christ first. Jesus went through it all. There is nothing you will face, nothing I or anyone else here will face, that Christ hasn’t faced already. No temptation has ever come at anyone except that which all people have had to endure. Nothing Satan throws will ever surprise Christ or the Holy Spirit. In fact, Satan can’t do anything to any of God’s people without God’s prior permission.
So prepare yourself. Become familiar with God’s word. Read Matthew’s account of Jesus’ temptation in chapter 4. Every temptation thrown by the devil was conquered by God’s true Word. Even when Satan tried to confuse and trip Jesus up with half-truths and half-scriptures, Jesus stuck with the main and plain Word of God. Know this book, understand it, and quote it to the devil!
Mark, brothers and sisters in Christ, now is the time. Mark will enter the river, but he is already clean. Mark will go down, but he’s already died to his old self. Mark will come up, but he’s already raised with Christ, seated with him in heaven. The Spirit is already in him, leading and guiding him at work, at home, at a friend’s at family.
As he submits himself to Christ, let us all ponder and reflect on our lives with Christ. Let us also submit, and renew our commitment to Christ, for his glory and honour, amen.