Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. The founder and perfecter of our faith. God's approval of Jesus was clear when a voice thundered from heaven. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. This took place when Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan.
Today, a look at that baptism and what it means. Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, today you begin a series of portraits of Christ, your calling, come and see Jesus.
Tell us about this series and how it came to be. Dave, I was struck by the fact that when the Greeks came to see Jesus, They indicated that that was their desire. They said, we would see Jesus. The story, of course, is in the 12th chapter of the book of John.
So as I read that, I said to myself, let's look at Jesus. What did the Greeks come to see? And what is it that we can see, even as we follow some of the events of Jesus in the New Testament?
So as we begin this series, I encourage you to call your friends. Be sure to listen carefully. Because all of us delight in what Jesus Christ did, who He was, and we are so grateful for the redemption. that is ours through Him. For now, let us listen.
Uh Um I think it is a scandal beyond irony. That the two ordinances that Jesus Christ gave to the church, namely baptism and the Lord's Supper, which were intended to unite the church, Would be the ordinances that would so strongly divide the church. Today, we're speaking about baptism, specifically Jesus Christ's baptism. This is a series of messages entitled, Come and See Jesus. And we're going to be looking at various incidences in the life of Jesus Christ, particularly from the book of Matthew, so you can be reading the book and anticipating them.
Just picking and choosing some of the most important. Events. in the life of our Lord. And the purpose of today's message really is the purpose for the entire series: namely, that we will appreciate Jesus Christ more, but specifically today.
so that we might better understand and appreciate Baptism Matthew chapter 3. Is the text, and I encourage you to turn there, third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, and we're going to pick it up at verse 13 in a moment. Except to say that John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan River. And in doing that, he was calling people to repentance. We read in chapter 3, verse 1: In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
And then he goes on to quote Isaiah: that I am in a voice crying in the wilderness, make way the name. The path of the Lord. What John was saying is this: Jesus is coming, the Messiah is coming, let's repent of our sins and let us therefore indicate our repentance through our baptism and let's get ready because Messiah is on his way. John the Baptist did not read Dale Carnegie's book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. When the Pharisees and the Sadducees came to him, he said, You brood of snakes, you generation of vipers.
Wow. And I don't think he baptized them because he says, you have not brought forth. fruits meet for repentance. All right, then we get to verse 13, and Jesus makes the journey of maybe 50 or 60 miles, depending on where John was there at the Jordan River. But Jesus comes from Galilee to the southern part of the Jordan, so far as we know, and it is there where John is baptizing, and Jesus comes and says, John, baptize me.
Have you ever been troubled at the baptism of Jesus? Have you ever read this and thought, my goodness, in context, it doesn't seem right that Jesus should be baptized? If you've ever thought that, I want you to know today that you're in very good company because that was John's problem too. He didn't understand it either. He tried to prevent Jesus and said, no.
You'll notice Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? But Jesus answered him, Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill. all righteousness.
So John was having a problem too. He's saying, you know, you could baptize me, but how can I baptize you? Interestingly, John did not baptize the Sadducees and the Pharisees that came to him. He didn't do that because they were too wicked, and not because they were so wicked, but because they wouldn't repent. But now he doesn't want to baptize Jesus, but for the opposite reason.
He knows that Jesus is the Messiah. Even though the two of them grew up independently, he has a good idea that Jesus is the Messiah. And so he knows that he's in the presence of divinity and humanity. He knows that he's in the presence of a sinless Messiah.
So he can't bear the thought of baptizing him.
So if Jesus did not have to be baptized unto repentance, Why then was Jesus baptized? Two reasons that I hope will enlighten us today. First of all, Jesus was baptized to manifest who he was, to manifest who he was. who he was. You know, there's an interesting passage of Scripture in Matthew chapter 21, Matthew chapter 21, where Jesus shows that he believed that John's authority came from heaven.
They were pestering Jesus. By whose authority do you do these miracles? By whose authority do you teach? He answered them. And said, I will also ask you one question.
He says, if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven? or from man. And they discussed it among themselves, saying, If we say from heaven, he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?
But if we say from man, we are afraid of the crowd, for they hold, they all hold, that John was a prophet.
So they lied, and they answered Jesus, We do not know. And he said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. They knew right well that John the Baptist was from God, but they wanted to hang onto their sins rather than confess them and forsake them.
So Jesus is saying, the baptism of John was not something that John thought up. His authority came to him from heaven. And Jesus is saying, my authority comes from heaven, just like John's authority comes from heaven. But we know that the real reason why Jesus, one of the reasons why Jesus was indeed baptized, was to reveal who he was, namely the Messiah. From John chapter 1.
I want you to notice here in John chapter 1, John the Baptist is now giving his take on what happened. He's looking back in retrospect to this event, the baptism of Jesus. And he sees Jesus coming to him in verse 29 and says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And then he goes on in verse 31. I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.
And John bore witness: I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water, that's God. We could read, God who sent me to baptize with water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God. The baptism of Jesus was a public event.
It wasn't just Jesus and John. John was there, but there's no doubt that there was a crowd also that was there. And as they saw Jesus baptized, And if we were to read the rest of the text, as we shall do in a moment, the heavens are opened and the Spirit of God descends like a dove. Upon Jesus, that was the sign. This is the Messiah.
Okay. John in effect was saying now to the people, I'm the one who prepared you for the coming of the Messiah. And now the Messiah is baptized The heavens open. The heavens didn't open for anyone else. The dove comes, the voice says, This is my beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased.
This is the Messiah.
Of whom? I was speaking. First reason why Jesus was baptized was to reveal publicly now. who he was. But there's a second reason why Jesus was baptized, and that was to reveal his mission.
And this gets to the heart. of the text. Notice it there. We're back in Matthew chapter 3, verse 13. John is saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?
Verse 15. But Jesus answered him, Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us. to fulfill all righteousness. Pause there for a moment. Why that little word us?
in the middle of verse 15. Why didn't Jesus simply say, it is fitting for me to fulfill all righteousness? He says for us. Does he mean him and John? Is John the Baptist going to have a part in the fulfilling of the righteousness of God?
Of course not. To whom is Jesus referring by using the plural us? I believe that he's referring to the Trinity. Because the Trinity is present here. We continue to read, he consented, John did, verse 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.
And behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. The Trinity. The sun is going down into the water. The heavens open when he comes up out of the water. The Holy Spirit is there descending like a dove upon him.
And you have the voice of the Father. Giving his declaration that his son is beloved and greatly, greatly loved. And so the Trinity is involved here, and it is the Trinity that is going to fulfill all. righteousness. And so Jesus here is baptized.
Well, you say, well, Pastor Lutzer, that's all fine. But what does baptism really mean?
Now we get to the nitty-gritty, as we sometimes say. What does it mean?
Well, the Greek word baptidzo, which is the word that is used here, literally means to dip. or to immerse, sometimes to plunge. One writer used it of a ship. that had gone down to the bottom of the lake. It was indeed baptized, and it stayed baptized, I'm sure.
When Jesus was giving what we call today the Lord's Supper. He said, The one of you is going to betray me. One of you will betray me. He said, He it is to whom I will give the morsel after I have dipped it, after I have baptized it. And in the 16th chapter of Luke's Gospel, you remember...
You have the rich man and you have Lazarus who's on the other side and he says to Abraham, the rich man does, because in those days they were able to talk to one another, though they were in separate compartments. You'll notice he says, he says, send Lazarus that he may dip his tongue, that he may baptize rather, send Lazarus that he may baptize his finger in water. and touch my tongue because I'm tormented in this flame. Baptism means to immerse. And so Jesus here was Immersed.
But The question still is: how else is baptism used in the New Testament? Another meaning is used metaphorically, of going under. You go under In calamity, you can be baptized.
Sometimes we use this when we say he was really baptized with fire, or he's getting baptized into his new job. What we mean is he's in the middle of the swirls and the pushes and the pulls. and the difficulties and the trials. That came with his vocation.
Now, I want you to notice in Mark chapter 10, Mark 10, Jesus speaks of his coming baptism. And he's using the phrase here now metaphorically. You'll notice Mark chapter 10 verse 35. And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said, Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you. I'm always amused by this passage for a number of reasons.
By the way, they came with their mother. And there's some indication here that they were actually the cousins of Jesus, if Salome and Mary were sisters. And so they maybe thought, you know, There's nothing like being a relative, even if it's a shirt tail relative, to get a perk. And then they come just like school kids do. If I ask you for a favor, will you do it?
Tell me what the favor is first, thank you. Jesus, will you do whatever we ask you? They didn't really understand the cross, and this really shows you the human nature of these otherwise very good disciples.
So they're coming to Jesus and You'll notice that they ask him this question, verse 36. Jesus asks, What do you want me to do for you? And they said to him, grant us to sit one on your right hand and one on your left. in glory.
Now, Jesus had promised them thrones in his kingdom, but they're saying it's not enough for us to just get a throne. We want to be to your right and to your left. I want to be the prime minister. And over here, this other guy wants to be the Secretary of the Treasury, right next to where you are. And Jesus said, you don't know what you're asking.
Because you don't understand the cross. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or to be baptized with the baptism by which I am baptized? And here again, it shows that they didn't know what they were talking about because they said to him, We are able. You see, Jesus knew that his suffering was going to be totally unique. His suffering was going to be for the sins of the whole world.
Nobody could participate with him in that kind of a baptism. But there is a sense in which, yes, they could be baptized. Jesus does go on to say, The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. In a secondary sense, they could do that. James later on was slain with the sword, and John endured a great deal of persecution before he died.
But to sit at my right hand or my left is not mine to grant it, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. And of course the other disciples heard about it and they were angry, getting to Jesus, before they had a chance to get to Jesus to ask for the same thing. But notice Jesus says, I'm going to go through a baptism. And in order for us to understand the baptism of Matthew chapter 3, we have to understand the baptism that took place later. He's talking about the cross.
He's speaking about a baptism that he will be going through personally where he is going to be under the water of God's wrath bearing our sin. in the Old Testament. being underwater. Meant being overrun by calamity. For example, it says in Psalm 69, verse 2: I sink in the deep mire where there is no foothold.
I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.
So Jesus is saying that As he's being baptized by water. In Matthew chapter 3, which is our text today. This baptism is a preview of the baptism that he is going to endure in the future. when he is going to be crucified on a cross, when he is going to be buried, and when he is going to be resurrected to new life. That's what the baptism really refers to.
Yeah. Um Well, this is Pastor Lutzer. Even as you listen to these messages, I want to remind you that running to win goes around the world. I hope that you rejoice with us. that thanks to people just like you, We are in 50 different countries in 7 different languages.
I'm holding in my hands a letter from someone who listens in Colombia. They say this, Every day I fall more in love with the Lord through your teachings. and they go on to say how that they appreciate the fact that we deal with so many difficult, Topics. Let me ask you a question. Would you like to help us?
Would you like to help us with a sense of consistency? even as you pray for this ministry and give to this ministry, Of course, the amount that you give is entirely up to you. I hope that you have a pen or pencil handy because I want you to check out some info. Here's what you can do. Go to rtwoffer.com That's rtwoffer.com and when you're there you click on the Endurance Partner button.
An endurance partner is someone who helps us run the race with endurance. as the Bible commands us to do. Or, if you prefer, You can write this down. You can call at 1-888-1. 218 ninety three thirty seven.
It's because of people just like you that this ministry continues to expand. and we're so glad that millions of people are impacted and you, my friend, are a partner in this ministry. Right now, go to rtwoffer.com, click on the Endurance Partner button. It's time once again for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life.
Sometimes it's the wife who's at fault for a failing marriage. this anonymous man's story may echo that of many listening right now. What should an aggrieved husband do if he's forgiven the deep hurts caused by his wife, but trust has been damaged, and there's no respect in the relationship. In the meantime, I'm trying to train our children, only to be hindered by the routine negative influence from this seemingly religious wife. What should I do?
Well, my friend, the answers aren't easy, are they? And I'm not sure that I have a perfect answer to your difficult question. I just want you to know, first of all, I feel for you emotionally. Must be very, very difficult for you to believe that you've forgiven your wife for whatever she has done. Maybe she's been unfaithful.
And yet at the same time, you're not getting any blessing back. You're giving, you're giving, and all that you're getting is negativity. and a hindrance to what you are supposed to be doing as a husband. May God be with you. Couple of suggestions, however.
And that is, first of all, there cannot really be real reconciliation until you deal with some of these issues. I always say that reconciliation involves forgiveness, but it also involves trust and it involves respect, and it does not appear to me as if all those elements are there in your relationship. If your wife is going to hinder the children from being trained, As you see fit. then you need to draw some boundaries with her. You have to enter into some kind of an agreement.
And of course this is very difficult. I suggest that this be done with a counselor. I think it's important for you to talk to your pastor. I think that your wife needs to understand and to try to see herself and her role and the damage that she is doing. I don't think she sees that now.
She's fully justified in her sight. And I think this can only be brought to the surface Bye. Counseling. by her willingness to deal with issues and in the process you may have some huge issues also with which you must deal. Bottom line.
Continue to be faithful in an unfulfilling marriage, Yes, indeed train your children? Enter into a relationship with your wife, a believing relationship, a relationship in which there is trust and faith and boundaries. Go for help. And pray. Seems to me You are doing the right thing.
I pray that God'll enable you to continue to do it. and we certainly hope that this listener, when he is tried, as Job was, will come forth as gold. Thank you, Dr. Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer or call us at 1-888-218-9337.
That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Running to win is all about helping you find God's roadmap for your race of life.
Next time on Running to Wind, more on why baptism is a public display of our belief in a life after death. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
