“EIGHT UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS CHRIST”
“His Baptism”
Matthew 3:11-17
We’re studying some of the unique characteristics of Jesus Christ and last week we looked at the uniqueness of His birth. What this means is that when we last saw Jesus he was a toddler returning from Egypt. For the next three decades we know very little about his life. Luke records an event when Jesus was 12 years old and visiting Jerusalem, but other than that, the Bible is silent about his childhood and adolescence. Jesus remained in the carpenter’s shop doing His stepfather’s work, until He was prompted by the Spirit to begin His Heavenly Father’s work. I can’t help but wonder if there was a bit of reluctance on Jesus’ part as He left the familiar sights and smells of the quiet carpenter’s shop to step out and face the opposition He knew would come. I wonder if Jesus worked with two large beams and thought about the cross. I wonder if He ever handled a hammer and large nails and thought about how one day they would be driven into His hands and feet.
But in the fullness of time, Jesus came on the scene to begin His 42-month ministry of redeeming the world. The Bible says in Galatians 4:4 “When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, to redeem those under the Law.” This morning we are going to be reading from Matthew 3:11-17. In Matthew 3 we read that John the Baptist is prepare the way of Jesus and the message of John the Baptist was a simple message of repentance. Repentance was not a new concept to the Jews, but it was a difficult one to accept, especially for the proud Pharisees and Sadducees. John preached this message to the people to prepare them for the coming Christ. This message, readily accepted by many, became a stumbling block to religious officials who saw John as a threat to their control of the people. Jesus went to John and asked to be baptized. This baptism confirmed John’s message, confirmed Jesus as the Son of God, and inaugurated Jesus’ public work. In other words, His baptism was the event that launched His ministry. Read Matthew 3:11-17.
John the Baptist didn’t invent baptism. For many years the Jews had baptized Gentile converts. At the ruins of Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were found, there is evidence the Essenes regularly immersed themselves in a ritual bath called a mikvah. But John called upon everyone to repent and be baptized. John 3:23 tells us John was baptizing in a place called Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. He wasn’t pouring water or sprinkling people, he would have only needed a trickle of water for that. John’s baptism was a full immersion. After Jesus was baptized, a miracle took place. The Holy Spirit visibly came upon Jesus and God spoke these amazing words, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” What a miracle! I want us examine Jesus’ baptism and learn four important messages that God has for us.
(1) GOD’S MESSAGE TO EVERYONE: Repent of your sins and follow Jesus’ example in baptism
Jesus had no need to turn from sins, but He was baptized for “righteousness sake.” That just meant it was the right thing for Him to do to set an example for us. On the Day of Pentecost, Simon Peter preached a powerful message about Jesus being the only way to heaven. At the end of the message, people asked him, “What shall we do?” Peter’s reply is found in Acts 2:38 and his words still apply to each of us today. He said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of the Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) And the Bible says on that day more than 3,000 people turned from their sins and were baptized.
To understand what water baptism is, let’s talk about both the sequence of baptism and the meaning of baptism. First, the timing of baptism is important. The correct sequence is to first repent and place your faith in Jesus and THEN be baptized. It’s not my desire to criticize any other Christian denomination or group, but if you were baptized as an infant, your baptism is out of sequence. It wasn’t your fault, because you didn’t have a choice in the matter. But the Bible teaches baptism is only for those who are old enough to understand that they are sinners and need a Savior. There is no scripture in the New Testament that supports infant baptism. Baptism is an expression of faith by the individual. It cannot, therefore, be practiced by an infant who is incapable of expressing any faith of his own. Only the baptism of believers is authorized in the Bible.
In the New Testament and in the first 300 years of church history, the only people who were baptized were believers. The reason some churches still baptize infants by sprinkling them is because in the fourth century, the Catholic Church made baptism a sacrament, meaning it was an act through which salvation was bestowed. Now I understand why some churches still sprinkle or christen babies; they are using it as a time of dedication of that child to God. We do that at Crossroads Baptist Church, we just don’t use water, and it’s more of a parent commitment than anything.
The second important element of baptism is the meaning. Baptism doesn’t save you. Instead, we believe it is a powerful symbol of death, burial and resurrection. Because of this, we believe the only proper baptism is by immersion—not by sprinkling or pouring. The word baptizo appears more than 80 times in the New Testament. It’s a word that simply means “to immerse or submerge.” Not sprinkle or pour!
This means that from the beginning, Christian baptism was always by immersion and for people old enough to repent and place their faith in Jesus. When you go under the water, it’s a picture of a burial—the old you before you trusted Christ is dead and buried. And when you come up out of the water, it’s a picture of your resurrection to a new life!
Baptism is a lot like a wedding ring. Baptism is symbolic of the washing away of our sins. It is also symbolic of a new way of life. It has been said that Baptism is to the Christian faith what the wedding ring is to a marriage. It is a symbol. "Like the wedding ring, baptism draws a mark on the ground between the past and the future. Like the wedding ring, it says, "From this day forward, I stand with God." In other words, baptism is like taking a wedding vow. You are identifying yourself with Jesus and pledging your love and loyalty to Him. It’s letting the world now that you are not ashamed to admit that you belong to Him!
Have you been baptized by immersion after you put your faith in Jesus Christ? If not, why not? We usually baptize on Sunday mornings, but for some people who prefer, we can baptize on a Sunday or Wednesday night at a time convenient for you and your family. If you are interested in taking this important first step of obedience to Jesus, come forward at the end of this message.
(2) GOD’S MESSAGE TO THE BELIEVER: Make Jesus the Lord of your life, so He can baptize (immerse) you in the Holy Spirit
When Jesus was baptized, the Bible says the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove. Although the dove has come to symbolize the Holy Spirit, the text doesn’t say the Holy Spirit looked like a dove, but that the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in much the same way in which a dove lands with a fluttering of wings that slows it down. There are several different kinds of baptisms in the New Testament and water baptism is only one. You also have baptism in the Holy Spirit and it is so important that it is mentioned six times in scripture.
These words appear in all four gospel accounts, and just before Jesus ascended back to heaven He said, “John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:5) Jesus was referring to what was going to take place on the day of Pentecost when the disciples would be filled with the Holy Spirit. The sixth time this statement appears is in Acts 10 when Peter mentions it in conjunction with Cornelius, a Gentile, being filled with the Holy Spirit. There are some well-meaning Christians who describe the “baptism in the Holy Spirit” as some kind of second-blessing experience in which you do strange things like faint or speak in tongues.
You may be asked by them if you’ve been baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoken in tongues. If you haven’t, they may try to make you feel inferior and tell you there is “something more” for you. Because many Christians sincerely want to experience everything God has for them, some have been deceived into seeking some kind of freaky experience instead of seeking the Lord. I strongly believe in the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I believe it is the same as being filled with the Holy Spirit, but the Bible makes it clear that all believers will not speak in tongues. The initial filling of the Holy Spirit may be called the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but we are commanded to continually be filled with the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit is not for our enjoyment it’s for God’s employment!
To be filled or baptized in the Holy Spirit means you are totally immersed in the life of God. There are many Christians who are still living according to the desires of their flesh—the Bible calls them carnal or casual Christians. A carnal Christian is saved, but they aren’t experiencing the joy and victory of the Christian life. It’s like a carnal Christian has taken a glass of the Living Water and splashed it on them—they have just enough of Jesus to save them, but not to really bless them. But a Christian who is baptized in the Holy Spirit has jumped head-first into a swimming pool filled with the Living Water, and their entire being is surrounded, covered, and supported in the life of Jesus.
To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is the same thing as being baptized into Christ, because Jesus and the Holy Spirit are completely identical. Look at these three verses that speak of being baptized into Christ. “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ... For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body ... for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Romans 6:3; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27) Making Jesus the Lord of your life and being baptized in the Holy Spirit are two sides of the same coin.
Now Christians debate about whether the baptism in the Holy Spirit happens simultaneously when you are saved, or if it is a subsequent experience. I don’t think we can put God in a box and say it has to happen in any particular sequence. In Acts 8, 9, and 10 there are three separate conversion stories and in each one, the sequence is different. So, forget the argument over WHEN it happens. A much more important issue than WHEN it happens is HAS it happened?
William P. Barker tells of a machinist at Ford Motor Company in Detroit who became a Christian. He responded to the invitation and was baptized. As the Holy Spirit began renewing this man he became convicted of his need to make restitution for some parts and tools he had stolen from the company prior to becoming a Christian. So the next morning he brought all the tools and parts back to his employer. He explained how he had just been baptized and asked for his foreman’s forgiveness. This was such an amazing turn of events that Mr. Ford, who was visiting a plant in Europe at the time, was cabled with the details of the matter and asked his response. Mr. Ford immediately returned a cable with his decision: “Dam up the Detroit River, and baptize the entire city.”
Not too many years ago newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who repented, who came to faith in Jesus Christ. What made his story so remarkable was not his conversion, but the fact that as a result of his newfound faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had participated in when he was nineteen years old. Because the statute of limitations on the case had run out, Johnson could not be prosecuted for the offense. But because of his complete and total change of heart, he not only confessed his crime, he voluntarily repaid his share of the stolen money! That’s repentance – radical reconstruction of the heart. Of all the decorations you have, this one is the most important of them all. It’s invisible, because it first takes place in your heart. The Holy Spirit changes you through the Word, and through baptism. It’s visible, because you become empowered to show your repentance in your life – just like that former bank robber.
Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power (dunamis) when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” Can you honestly say the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is upon your life? That only happens when you allow the Holy Spirit to fill you and empower you.
(3) GOD’S MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH: Introduce people to Jesus, baptize them, and teach them to be disciples
The last words Jesus spoke to His disciples are called the Great Commission. Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Jesus considered baptism such an important act of faith and obedience that He made it a part of His command to the church. There are many things that a church can do, but nothing is more important than seeing people come to know Jesus and following Him in baptism. Jesus said there is joy in the presence of angels over one person who repents. That’s why baptism is a celebration at our church. Whenever someone is baptized, we applaud and praise God because we are obeying our Lord’s command.
Jesus commanded us to baptize all nations. The word for nations is a word that means “people groups.” We practice and support Global Missions because we believe God wants every person to be saved. How are we doing as a church and as a denomination of baptizing new converts? You may be surprised to learn some baptism statistics. In 2007, our Southern Baptist
Missionaries were responsible for 609,968 baptisms—that factors out to 120 baptisms for every full-time missionary! We baptized many more people overseas than in the U.S., because the total baptisms in SBC churches in 2007 was 345,941. (That factors out to 7.7 baptisms per church). In the same year, CBC baptized 27 people. That means for the people who attend our church, it took about 10 of us working 12 months to win one person to Jesus. I rejoice over every person who is baptized, but I believe we really should be baptizing about 200 people each year. We have all kinds of wonderful ministries and activities, but we must never forget the main call of Christ is for us to introduce people to Jesus and to baptize them. As you’ve heard before, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And the MAIN THING for us is reaching, baptizing, and teaching new converts.
Before we leave the topic of baptism, notice John the Baptist said he baptized in water, but that the One come after Him would baptize in the Holy Spirit and with fire. You may scratch your head and wonder what a baptism in fire is all about. Immediately after that, John spoke of the Messiah having a winnowing fork in his hand. In Bible times, a threshing floor was an elevated platform located where there was always a constant wind. The wheat that had been harvested would be piled on the threshing floor and a worker would take a big wooden pitchfork and toss the wheat up into the air. The wind would catch the lighter husks, or chaff, and they would blow to one side, and the heavier grain would fall down on the floor. John said the Messiah would gather the grain into the barn, but the chaff would be burned in an unquenchable fire.
So, in one respect, there are only two kinds of people in this world—the lost and the saved represented by the wheat and the chaff. Everyone will be baptized—either in the Holy Spirit or in the fire. The choice is yours. What is God saying to you today? Do you need to experience water baptism as an act of identifying with Jesus? Do you need to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus in your life, so He will fill you with His supernatural power? Do you need to be more active in sharing your faith with your loved ones and friends who don’t know Christ so they can be baptized? Just listen and you’ll hear God speaking to you today.
“EIGHT UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS CHRIST”
“His Baptism”
Matthew 3:11-17
God’s Message:
(1) To ___________: Repent of your sins and follow Jesus’ example in ___________.
(2) To the ____________: Make Jesus the Lord of your life, so He can baptize (immerse) you in the _______ ________.
(3) To the ____________: Introduce people to Jesus, baptize them, and teach them to be ____________.
