YOU ARE MY SON - MATTHEW 3:13-17
Steve Simala Grant, June 1, 1997
INTRO:
We’ve come this morning to celebrate who God is and what he is doing in our lives. To worship Him and to praise Him and to meet with Him face to face in a way that changes our lives. We’re going to continue to do that as we look into Scripture this morning, looking first at Jesus’ baptism, then at what happened immediately after his baptism, and then concluding by listening to what the voice of God had to say to Jesus and also to us this morning.
read Matthew 3:13-17
We know virtually nothing about Jesus’ childhood and early adult life. We have the stories of his birth, and one brief mention of a trip to Jerusalem when He was twelve. It is then about 18 years later, Jesus is about 30 years old, and we head out into the desert and meet John the Baptist, who is calling people to repentance and baptizing them in the Jordan river.
The story begins with Jesus coming to John and asking him for baptism. John, recognizing who Jesus is, is understandably reluctant, and tries to deter Jesus by saying that it is he that should be baptized by Jesus. Can you identify with how John must have felt when Jesus asked him for baptism? I can. When I come before God in prayer, I sometimes feel the same way John did: inadequate. "I can’t share my faith with my co-worker, I’m a sinful person who doesn’t have enough faith - I need you to give me more faith." And God smiles and says, "No, I need you. I have placed YOU in that job beside those people so that you can be my witness to them. And I will be with you in the middle of it. Now go and do it." Jesus’ response convinces John, and so he baptizes Jesus, and as Jesus comes up out of the water he sees the heavens open, the Holy Spirit descend upon him, and he hears the voice of God speak directly to him.
The fact that Jesus came to John for baptism makes me ask a simple question: Why? John was preaching a baptism of repentance - of turning from sin. Jesus was sinless; why then did he ask John to baptize him? We understand John’s hesitation - "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?", and we recognize with John that something is a little strange here: The God of the Universe asking John to baptize him. Why is that?
Let me suggest three quick reasons: first, Jesus embraced his humanness fully. Jesus chose to become completely man, and to participate fully in that experience. As a man, Jesus identified with the people around Him - he celebrated feasts like Passover - though he had watched from heaven when the Israelites were in Egypt painting the blood of the Passover lamb on their door frames; he went to the weddings and laughed and celebrated; he cried when his friend Lazarus died, even though a couple of minutes later he raised him from the dead; and he went out to the desert to participate in the baptism of John. Luke’s version of this same story begins like this: "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too." (3:21). By accepting John’s baptism of water, Jesus identified himself with the people of Israel who were being purified and committing to live in obedience to God. I think that is what Jesus has in mind when he says: "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." And isn’t it great to know that we have a God who has identified himself with us? Who has walked among us and experienced everything that we experience? We are not alone - we have a God who has come to us and walked with us and cried with us and loved us.
second, Jesus desired to be baptized to set an example for us to follow. Jesus led by example; he said to his disciples "Come and follow me; learn from what I do; become like me". Baptists baptize believers by completely immersing them in water simply because that is how Jesus was baptized.
and thirdly, Jesus’ baptism was a spiritual experience. It seems strange to think of God having a spiritual experience, and yet that is exactly what happens to Jesus: the heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and he hears the voice of God from heaven. And while I am sure that part of what God was doing was for the benefit of the others around witnessing Jesus’ baptism (we know that John saw the Spirit from John 1:32), I’m willing to bet that most of it was for Jesus’ benefit.
Why did Jesus need a spiritual experience? What was happening here that made it important for Jesus to have this supernatural revelation - the heaven’s opening, the dove, and the voice? I mean, Jesus was God, so why was it important that this happen? The answer is really very simple (at least its simple after Dave explained it to me this week... - I even tried to do the "Dave-Spate-Friday-Pace-up-and-down-the-hallways" routine... and still I had to ask Dave for the answer...), and now it is very simple: Jesus needed his father’s touch. He needed the Father to reach down from heaven and touch his son - that’s why the Holy Spirit descends in a the form of a Dove, and that is why he hears the voice of God speaking. Jesus needed that touch; and so do we. That is why worship and small groups are so important - worship because we experience the touch of God directly, and small groups because we experience the touch of God indirectly through being loved by one another.
Why does Jesus need this touch from his father now? This experience launches Jesus’ ministry as the Messiah; Jesus’ baptism was the start of his ministry. It was a beginning, a time when Jesus was publicly set apart and commissioned to begin to minister to people. It was his ordination. And so, here, at the beginning, God reaches down and touches his son and affirms him and expresses his love for him. Knowing what lay ahead for Jesus the Messiah, receiving this confirmation and encouragement right at the beginning would have been meaningful and important for him, and would have been an anchor to hold on to in places like Gethsemene.
We need that same encouragement as we start something new - a new school, a new job, a new ministry responsibility. We need someone alongside us to say "I believe in you, and I know you can handle this." As parents, you have the joy of being the ones there most often to do that for your children, and as the family of God we have the joy and responsibility of being that encouragement to one another.
Let me suggest that, just as Jesus’ baptism was the start of his ministry, your baptism marks the beginning of your ministry in a new way. It’s a challenge growing up in our world today - being a teenager in the 90’s. Adults sometimes ask and expect you to contribute and to be productive, then deny you very many opportunities to do so, and then complain that you are lazy. Worse yet are the conflicting signals that our society sends you about when you become an adult: at sixteen you are adult enough to drive a car, at eighteen you are adult enough to vote, and at fourteen you are adult enough to pay $8.50 to see a movie. As a result, youth in our society are often confused, and often feel a sense of hopelessness. For those of you teens here today, and especially those of you baptized this morning, the step of spiritual maturity that you have taken today qualifies you to take your place as full, contributing members of our church. It launches your ministry as one of God’s own children, both here in our church family, and also in the world you live in. What an opportunity the confusion and hopelessness among your peers is for you who have a clear sense of who you are and what you want to accomplish: what an opportunity to share the hope that you have in Jesus Christ.
While our society does a very poor job of giving young people opportunities to make important contributions to our world, I’m proud of our church’s track record. We have two people on our staff team that are under 20 years old - Jeff and Joylyn. Each summer we run a day camp that entrusts leadership to 5 young paid staff (average age = 17) and another 15-20 junior high volunteers. We recruit young helpers for our children’s ministries. I’m 26 years old, and I’ve been working here since I was 19. I want to commend our church, and continue to challenge us to consider our youth when looking for someone to teach a Sunday school class, sit on the finance committee, lead corporate prayer, or preach a sermon, so that we can continue to be proud of giving teens significant opportunities to serve in our church.
But for my teens, the broader, more important ministry of winning your peers to Jesus Christ is one which no one needs to give you permission to do, and which no one is going to approach you and ask you to do. Instead, it needs to grow from your contagious enthusiasm and love for Jesus Christ.
TEMPTATION
Look at what happens to Jesus immediately following his baptism, in Matthew 4. Jesus goes from his baptism straight to the desert, where he is tempted by the devil. What is going on here in Jesus’ life is helpful to understand, because the pattern repeats itself in our lives. Jesus takes an important step, he gets baptized and is about to begin his ministry, and that is where Satan tries to nail him. Satan is like that - he watches, and just when we are beginning to get excited about our faith and about to get really active in serving the Lord and utilizing the gifts he has given us, Satan slips in and tries to get us to sin. He knows that sin robs us of the enjoyment of life and the effective use of the gifts God has entrusted to us, and so just when we are about to become a threat to him, he levels the attack - just like he tried to do with Jesus.
As a sideline note - realizing Satan’s pattern actually turns his spiritual attacks, meant to discourage us, into something that encourages us. Here is why: if Satan is expending effort on you, it is because he sees you as a threat to his rule, and thus in the middle of the battle, be encouraged! Stand firm! Fight with the knowledge that Satan is turning up the heat because he is worried about how God is going to use you in someone’s life. And that is our job! That is what we are called and equipped to do! And on the reverse, if Satan is ignoring you, it may be that you are no threat to his kingdom because your not doing anything to extend God’s kingdom.
The seven of you who were baptized this morning need to expect Satan’s attack. This morning you have taken an important step in your spiritual lives; you have made a decision and publicly stated that "Jesus Christ has full right to my life of service". I look at you, and I get really excited seeing who you are now, and how your entire life of service stretches out before you. God has gifted each one of you uniquely, and will place unique opportunities in each one of your paths to witness to who Jesus is and what he has done in your life. This morning we have teens doing all of the ministries in our Worship service, and to all of you, I want you to know that as I’ve grown to know you, I’ve also grown to care deeply for each of you. I want to tell you this morning that I believe in you. I believe in you, in who you are as individuals and in what God is going to do for his kingdom through you. I really am excited as I think about who you are and what God has in store for you. And you need to know that you don’t need to wait until you grow up to experience God and ministry: in fact, opportunities are all around you right now - on the soccer team, in the gymnastics competition, among the drama cast, at the swimming pool, in the choir, in the band, and in the midst of your school community. Did you know that 9 out of 10 people who choose to follow Jesus do so during their teen years? Put that stat next to the incredible power that peers have to influence each other, mix in the opportunities that you have because of where God has placed you right now, and add the power of the Holy Spirit working through you, and we have a radically different soccer team, radically different drama production, and radically different schools. I want you to taste the potential you have for impacting your world for Christ - and get excited: first about who you are as a child of God, and then about what God can do in the lives of your friends around you as you obey Jesus’ command to be his witnesses.
And that is the last thing that Satan wants, and so, just like he did to Jesus, he is going to tempt you and try to get you to sin. If he can do that, he can rob you of the power to impact your world. Have you looked at how Satan tempted Jesus? Each and every one of the temptations made sense. Jesus hadn’t eaten for forty days; Satan says, "turn the stone into bread and have some food." Jesus was just beginning his public ministry; Satan takes him to the top of the temple and invites him to dramatically demonstrate who he is by throwing himself off and letting the angels catch him. Jesus looks down the road three years and sees the cross that he must die on to rescue mankind from Satan’s power; what does Satan do? "Here, you can have mankind back. All of the kingdoms of the world are yours. Just worship me and its all yours" Each and every single one of the temptations made sense. Except for one thing - they meant Jesus had to compromise. Turning the stones into bread would compromise Jesus’ faith in God’s word: "It is written: man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes form the mouth of God." Jumping off the top of the temple would compromise Jesus’ faith in God himself, in God’s very character - "It is written: do not put the Lord your God to the test." Jesus says, "I know who He is and I know I can trust him." And bowing down to Satan would compromise Jesus’ very identity as that Son of God. Sure, Satan promised to return all of the kingdoms of the world, if only Jesus would compromise his identity as the Son of God and bow down to Satan.
In the face of sin and temptation, never, never compromise. Do not compromise your faith in God’s word. Do not compromise your faith in God’s character. And never compromise your identity as one of God’s precious children.
Satan’s temptations to you will make sense also - they wouldn’t be tempting unless they did! You need to be accepted and to have friends; it makes sense to do what they ask so that you will be accepted. Except for one thing: their request may make you compromise your faith in God or your identity as his child. Your friends may invite you to watch an inappropriate video, to steal a chocolate bar, to smoke a cigarette, to make a chippy play on the soccer field, to cheat on a test or to lie to your parents. And at the time, their invitation may make sense - except for one thing - going along may lead you to compromise: NEVER COMPROMISE YOUR FAITH IN GOD OR YOUR IDENTITY AS HIS CHILD!
YOU ARE MY SON
I want to close by looking closely at the final part of Jesus baptism. As I’ve prayed and prepared for this morning, I believe the Lord led me to this passage because the message that he had for Jesus as he came up out of the water is the same message that he has for each of us this morning. Jesus heard the voice of God speak to him from heaven, and that same voice wants to speak that same message to us this morning.
In my young couples small group we’ve been talking about hearing the voice of God, and someone asked "How do you feel about hearing the voice of God"? As we talked about this, the common denominator was "well, I’m really nervous about what he will say. I guess I’m kind of scared because I know how my life doesn’t live up to his standards." I think that is a common reaction! To imagine coming face to face with God and hearing him speak makes us nervous about what he is going to say to us. My friends, that fear is based on a totally wrong conception of who God is. God is not first and foremost a policeman, waiting and watching for us to make a mistake so that he can capture us and make us pay! No, instead, God is first and foremost our Father, longing to talk with us and love us and support us! Those of you who are parents, what is the main message that you want your children to know from you - that they have made a bunch of mistakes but if they ask you nicely you will forgive them? No, I bet that the main message you want them to know is that you love them and that you accept them. And that is God’s main message to us as well - that is the message of life that God wants each of us to hear this morning. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?"
My prayer has been that you hear the voice of God this morning - that you receive a touch from him like Jesus did at his baptism - and that while I speak the following words to your ears, the Holy Spirit will speak them to your heart. I picked this passage as the Holy Spirit showed me that these words from God to Jesus are also his words to us this morning. I’d like you to close your eyes, and listen with your spirit to the voice of God. Here is the message that the voice from heaven, of God the Father, spoke to his Son, Jesus, and that also speaks to you this morning: "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said:
You are my son. Do you hear that? You are my child. The Father is looking at you, and identifying you as His very own child. You are my child - that is who you are, and just as there is nothing that can stop your earthly mother and father from being your earthly parents, there is nothing that can stop me from being your heavenly father, and nothing that could ever make me abandon you. You are my child,
Whom I love. Can you feel that? The God of heaven - your Father, is telling you that he loves you. Enjoy that! Holy Spirit, speak the love of God the father to our hearts. Allow his love to fill your heart, and overflow from your heart to all of the people around you. You are my child, whom I love.
With you I am well pleased. Your Father is affirming you for who you are in Him. Remember Jesus had not yet begun his ministry, so obviously God is not commending him on his activity; he’s not saying "I am pleased with all that you have done, but with you. With who you are. With your character and your identity as my child. "
You are my child, whom I love. With you I am well pleased.
prayer.
