Why Jesus Needed Baptism

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS MATTHEW 3:13-17

SBS: Start now inviting people to be here with us for the Easter service. The service times will be the regular times so please be here and be here early. We are hoping to have a packed house.

INTRO: I had breakfast on Friday with some men whom you would know if I said their name. why they wanted to have breakfast with me I don’t know, but I was honored. They were asking me about my past and I told them that I had graduated from Bob Jones and that was a little shocking for them. Then they had to know if I had ever been in any trouble at school. That is kind of a loaded Question. Exactly what do you mean by trouble? At BJ 75 demerits put your name on a list that meant that you were not allowed to leave campus and not allowed to speak to any member of the opposite sex except for academic reasons. My name happened to show up on that list. It took 150 demerits to be expelled from school and I am proud to say that I was never expelled. I kept my demerit level down to 149. Now I know the question that all of you are asking, it was the same question that came up at breakfast: WHAT DID YOU DO?

This same question haunted every person who read about or heard about Jesus baptism. What did he do that he needed to be baptized? WHAT DID HE DO? Right now you have two questions Why was Jesus baptized and What did I do? As to which one is stronger in your mind, I will not guess.

WHAT DID I DO? I stopped at a school sponsored trip to six flags and listened to a Lynard Skynard song (Freebird).

EVERY PERSON SHOULD STRIVE TO LEARN FROM CHRIST WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US AT HIS BAPTISM

Standard Outline (headings and body text)JESUS IS THE SERVANT V. 13 This entire Baptism reminds us of Isa. 42:1; God is bringing justice to the nations. Matthew 3:13 13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

He came all the way from Galilee.

His purpose to be baptized by John- this raised questions then and raises questions now, that is why Matthew adds the conversation between John and Jesus. Matthew 3:14-15 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD. -This is almost certainly the most important title that Matthew uses for Jesus in his gospel. Matthew 3:16-17 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son

What it meant to be God’s son in Hellenistic times

Greek mythology there were lots of sons of gods

Because Julius Ceasear was declaerd God, Agustus Ceasaer who was his adopted son, was the son of God.

What it meant to be God’s Son in the NT

JESUS IS THE SAVIOUR

JESUS SPEAKS FIRST IN MATTHEW IN V. 15

The first word he uses is a word which means permit or forgive. A key if not the key word in Matthew.

He fulfills all righteousness- v. 15 This word is very important in Matthew. Jesus is doing exactly what God wants him to do

He is beloved by his Father- All that Jesus does can be subsumed under the umbrella of obedience

Jesus at his Baptism began to do for us at his baptism what we could never do, to perfectly obey Christ. So that when we stand before God we stand before Him not as wicked sinners, not as sinners who have been forgiven, but as those who have perfectly obeyed the commands of God because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

When I was 14 I wanted desperately to be a member of a baseball team. The team that was in my area was the Knights of Columbus. There was something strange about a Baptist minister’s son trying so hard to become a member of the Knights of Columbus, but I didn’t care. I know that you will find this difficult to believe, but I was not much of an athlete. I had read a lot of books about how to play baseball. I just could not get my body to do what the books said that it should.

There were 22 people who showed up the first day of practice and the coach said that he had 15 uniforms. I knew then that I was in trouble. The only hope that I had was that I could outlast 8 other people because I knew that I couldn’t outplay them. Every day I rode my bike to practice making sure that I was there on time and trying as hard as I could, I was pretty fast so I had that going for me and that was about the only thing. I couldn’t hit, couldn’t catch, and couldn’t throw, all of which are pretty important if you are going to play baseball. My persistence paid off though, because as the days went by more and more people began to quit coming until the Friday when the coach had to hand out the uniforms. There were 16 people left and I knew that it was between myself and a very large young man whose skills were not much better than mine. I still remember his name. Borby Williams. He could catch pretty well and block the plate neither of which I could do so he had some advantage on me.

I knew that that last day I had to do something important. I had to get a hit, make a great catch, something that would show the coach that I had real potential. I remember that Friday afternoon because the players who made the team were to get their uniforms and go to the ceremony that night. The coach put me out in right field, I went there hoping that someone would hit a ball out there so that I could show how much potential I had.

As it happens a few batters into practice a high fly ball was hit to right field. I saw it coming out toward me and decided that I would either catch it or I would be killed by being hit in the head trying. I imagined the headlines the next day “Baseball world mourns the death of young star.” It seemed like it took forever as the ball traveled out toward the glove that I had borrowed. I ran to exactly where I thought that the ball was going to land, looked up, put up my glove, and heard a thump . . . as the ball hit the ground in front of me.

Practice came to an end and the coach had a box of uniforms and a list on a clipboard. The sun was going down and so were my hopes but I was not going to give up now. I stood there as he called off the other 14 names waiting for the 15th. I was waiting to hear the wonderful sibilant S or the horror of the name starting with a B. Borby’s name was called and I stood there in the parking lot knowing that this was fair and that I didn’t deserve to make the team, that I didn’t have the skills and that it would not have been right for me to be given the uniform instead of someone else.

Then, in a miracle that I still think of a much like the widow of Elijah’s Barrel of meal the Coach looked down into the box and said hey Sam! Huh, there must have been an extra uniform. For that season I was a member of the knights of Columbus.

That is what Jesus in his every action did for us. He gives us a uniform that we do not deserve and could never earn. The uniform of his righteousness in which he fulfills all righteousness so that we stand before God perfect.

If you today have never known what it means to be included in the kingdom of God. Jesus stands today, and he has an extra uniform. A uniform of perfect rightousness.