Strathalbyn Church of Christ

Matthew 3:11-17. Theme: Baptism of the King. Sermon by Pastor David Williams. Strathalbyn Church of Christ. 2 Oct 2022.

1. The coming King, v11-12

John’s role, as we heard last week, was to announce the coming of the Messiah.

Israel had long hoped for a Messiah, but this Messiah was not at all what Israel expected. For starters, the man Jesus was divine. Over 700 years earlier, Isaiah had prophesied,

Behold! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’. Mt 1:23, Isa 9:6.

John perhaps had some inkling of this, for he saw his water baptism as but a shadow of the Spirit-fire baptism that the Messiah will bring.

11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

This baptism could only come from God. For only God can pour out the Spirit of God. Only God can purify and cleanse us with fire. Only God is Judge (Mt 3:12).

Why the mention of Spirit and fire in the one breath? What is this Spirit-fire baptism? Jesus told his disciples that he had to return to his Father, but promised to send one like him, the Paraclete (Jn 14:16, 16:7). On the day of Pentecost, this promise began to be fulfilled when the Spirit came upon all believers - along with what? With fire.

3 And tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit … Acts 2:3-4.

Spirit and fire, baptism and cleansing are linked in several OT passages.[1] Joel prophesied that God would pour out his Spirit on all – meaning all believers.

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh …32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, Joel 2:28-32.

The Spirit will be poured out on all who shall be saved.

What is Baptism in the Spirit?

It is being born again – Jesus spoke of being born again of water and the Spirit. That is, when our sins are washed away, we receive the Spirit, and we are born again (Jn 3:5). We receive the Spirit when we receive Jesus. Now this is at odds with the Australian Christian Churches (who used to be the Assemblies of God). Their doctrinal basis says:

4:13 The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit_**, which is a transformative experience, distinct from and subsequent to salvation**. It is available to all believers and accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in tongues. It results in empowerment for effective witness to the world._[2]

They say Spirit baptism is distinct from and subsequent to salvation. I hesitate to criticise a whole denomination – as they do and teach many good things. But this teaching is wrong and has troubled many Christians. Many are confused about this. So, I cannot ignore this issue. To investigate what the scriptures say on this issue would take over an hour. All I can do now is make a couple of comments, but I’m happy to discuss this in detail with anyone.

There are different views on this within Pentecostalism. Some teach that Spirit baptism is the same as salvation. Some teach a second or even a third blessing is needed after salvation. So, how did this idea come about? The idea that after being saved, we should look for another experience called baptism in the Spirit? It all gets back to some encounters in the book of Acts. There were four Pentecost type events - where the Spirit was given - with four very different groups of people – Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles & John the Baptist’s disciples (Acts 2, 8, 10-11, 19). The way God revealed himself in each case was different. Each was unique. To pick one of these unique events and try and replicate it and make a rule for all believers is to miss the underlying message. One of those groups in Acts was Cornelius and the first Gentiles to hear the gospel. Peter later explained,

If then God gave the same gift [of the Spirit] to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” Acts 11:17

God gave the Spirit … when we believed.

The teaching that believers need a later Spirit baptism also flies in the face of other scriptures. For instance,

And Peter said, “Repent and be baptized … for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38. (see also Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 12:12-13).

When we receive Christ’s forgiveness, we also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is not like getting one package from IKEA and you try and put it together. But after 5 hours you still can’t seem to figure it out. And then you discover that you need a second package to finish the job. No, Christ and the Spirit come in one package.

The scriptures are clear - there are no 2nd class Christians! There are not those with the Spirit and those without the Spirit. Either you are saved, and have the Spirit, or you are not saved, and do not have the Spirit. Indeed, we are warned about making comparisons and judging others (1 Cor 1:26-31; 4:6,7). Such comparisons can lead to pride and envy, to factions and inadequacy. There is only one that we should compare ourselves to and that is to Christ.

Don’t get me wrong. Many have experienced times of great spiritual insight and been deeply moved. Praise the Lord – and may you all experience such times – not once, but again and again. But don’t confuse things by claiming that such experiences are an improvement on receiving Christ as your saviour. How could we possibly improve on that? When you received Christ, you received the Holy Spirit, the paraclete he promised.

Like a lot of Christian controversies, both sides end up missing the great truths of scripture by focussing on side issues. All believers, whether evangelicals or Pentecostals – need to hear this. We have been baptised with the Holy Spirit. We have been purified – our sins are forgiven! We are temples of the Spirit. The Spirit is present in us and with us. The Spirit of Jesus who conquered death. The Spirit of God who is bringing about a new heaven and a new earth. That is who we have living in us. We should take a leaf out of John’s book – who is worthy to stand before the King? Let alone receive his Spirit-fire baptism? Yet this is what we have. Let us proceed in great awe and faith, in gratitude and obedience, for we have the Holy Spirit of God.

2. The servant King, v13-15

Every year, there is a Secretaries Day – where bosses are encouraged to do something to show their appreciation. Instead of bringing me my morning mug of coffee, I jumped the gun and made my secretary a cuppa. Now I’m not known for my barista skills. Tactfully, she said, David, it was a nice gesture, but could we try something different next year? Today’s story also starts with a reversal of roles.

Now John knew his cousin – and knew that his life was blameless. The unrepentant Pharisees were not worthy of John’s baptism. Now John felt he was not worthy to baptise Jesus.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee …

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Baptism involved confessing sins. Jesus is the only man who did not need baptism, for he had nothing to repent of (Isa. 53:9; 1 Pet. 2:22). So, why did Jesus need to be baptised? And why did it “fulfill all righteousness”?

15 Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Righteousness in Matthew is all about obedience (Mt 5:17, 20). Jesus came to obey his Father – to fulfill God’s plan. As Messiah, he fulfilled God’s plan for Israel. Israel was God’s son. Israel was chosen to be a light to the nations. Yet Israel was a faithless son. They spent 40 years in the wilderness for their disobedience. Jesus was the new Israel, the faithful son of God, who fulfilled Israel’s mission as light for the nations (Mt 2:15, Lk 2:32). He came also in the wilderness to confess – not his own sins – but those of Israel. In his gruesome baptism on the cross, he bore the sins of Israel and of us all.

In becoming a man and in his baptism, and in his death, at each stage – Jesus completely identified with us. He suffered humiliation for us. He was the servant of us all. There is no temptation that you have experienced that Jesus has not understood (Heb 4:15-16). There is no sense of failure, of guilt, of shame, of fear – that Jesus has not also known and felt (2 Cor 5:21). Wherever you are at today. Whatever load you are carrying. Jesus knows it. He stands with you. Some loads, we must carry till our dying day. Other loads – we can let go, if only we would trust. Will you trust Jesus to take your load from you? Your load of bitter memories? Of terrible words or deeds - given or received? Those reminders of guilt? Reminders of shame? Will you let Jesus free you of them today? (Jn 8:36).

2000 years ago, Jesus stood in the mud of that river confessing those sins that so trouble you. He confessed your sins and my sins as though he had committed them himself. Such is his love – his humble servant heart. And he carried those sins to extinction on the cross. Will you let Jesus set you free today?

3. The King commissioned. V16-17

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Again, we see that this man was God, for here we have Father, Son and Spirit working together. The word Trinity doesn’t appear in the Bible but was coined by the early church fathers as a helpful name for a scriptural truth. The Trinity – three persons operating as one – this Trinity appears in many scriptures.

And they were working together. Jesus was not some helpless victim of a detached and brutal God as some say. Nor was the cross some tragic accident. No, all members of the Trinity were working together at his baptism, and his baptism looks forward to the cross. And have you noticed how terms of great affection and respect are often used when one member of the Trinity speaks of another. Hear the Father’s words,

This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

Notice too that the three members appear at critical times – at the start and end of Jesus’ ministry.

and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Jesus had just endured public dishonour – confessing sins that he did not commit. God’s response was to immediately and publicly honour his son – in three ways.

a. The Heavens opened

the heavens were opened to him

In the OT, the opening of the heavens signalled that God was about to reveal himself or deliver his people (Isa 64:1; Ezek 1:1).

b. The Spirit descended as a dove

and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;

Some try to argue that Jesus was a mere man who received some special zap from the Spirit at his baptism.[3] But Jesus always had the Spirit, from the time of his conception (Mt 1:20). The visible descent was just public confirmation of the fact.

Why a dove? The dove was sent from the ark after the judgment of the flood (Gen 8:8-12). It signalled hope for mankind; a new beginning. Here the Spirit again signals hope for humanity.

c. The voice of God spoke.

Actually, three voices spoke of who Jesus was.

· The OT prophecies

· The voice of the Baptist

· And the voice of God.

What did this voice say? God quoted two well-known scriptures. But by combining the two, God let loose a bombshell. The Jews had long expected a Royal Messiah, a conquering King. Psalm 2 is all about his great victory. It includes,

The Lord said to me, “You are my Son … (Ps 2:7).

Which picks up Matthew’s,

“This is my beloved Son,

And he then adds:

with whom I am well pleased.”

Where do we find the second part? This is where it gets interesting. Isaiah 42:1 says

“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.
He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring justice to the nations.

The servant of the Lord is a mysterious figure who appears in four or five passages in Isaiah. The Jews did not know what to make of him because of his bleak future. In Isa 53 we read

3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief …

12 because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors.

Doesn’t sound much like a conquering king, does he? Yet God connects these two images in the person of his son.

“This is my beloved Son – the royal Messiah

My Servant – the suffering Servant - with whom I am well pleased.”

They are connected because Jesus’ mission was to suffer and reign. His servants are promised a similar mission involving both suffering and reward (Mt 5:11-12; 10:22; 16:24-27; 19:27-29; 24:9-13).

Our King has come. He has sent his Spirit to live in us and with us. Our king is humble and lowly of heart. He understands our weakness. Our king triumphed over all his enemies – over Satan, sin and death. He defeated them by dying in our place. What a great King we have. Let us spur one another on to follow him, in trust and obedience, to the end of our days.

Let me pray using another trinitarian passage - Paul’s great prayer in Ephesians 1:

I pray for you, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called. In Jesus name, Amen.

Sources:

- Green M. (2020). The message of Matthew : the kingdom of heaven (Revised). InterVarsity Press USA.

- Carson, D.A. (1984). “Matthew”. In Gaebelein, Frank E. (ed.). Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

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[1] Ezek 39:29; Zech 13:9.

[2] www.acc.org.au/about-us/doctrinal-basis/

[3] A heresy called Adoptionism. Mormonism is one modern day variety.

Series: Matthew

Topics: #Matthew , #Baptism , #Holy Spirit , #Baptism in the Spirit