Mark Chapter 1. I titled this message, WHY WAS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST BAPTIZED? WHY WAS HE BAPTIZED? When I began to study the Gospel of Mark, I was working on the first 11 verses to bring couple weeks ago. But when I got to verse 9, I got stuck. I got stuck on verse 9 because the question came to my mind and it just never really struck me like it did when I was reading this a couple weeks ago. And I thought, Why was Christ baptized?

So I stopped on verse 8 and last time I preached so I'm going to pick back up on verse 9 and 11 and I'm going to try to answer this question a question I asked myself I was curious you know our Lord knew no sin baptism is for sinners baptism of repentance is for those who believe God and repent of their sins and here's a man HOLY, HARMLESS, UNDEFILED, SEPARATE FROM SINNERS and he's being baptized. Would that cause you to ask why? It did me.

I know this, the ANSWER to this question is the Gospel. If you can answer this, if you can understand why Jesus Christ was baptized, you understand the gospel. Now it says in Mark chapter 1 verse 9, And it came to pass that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. This phrase, And it came to pass IS USED 727 TIMES IN THE SCRIPTURES. IT WAS THE HEBREWS WAY OF TELLING A STORY. WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO TELL A STORY THEY WOULD START IT THIS WAY. OR IT WAS USED AS MAKING A TRANSITION IF IT WAS GOING TO GO FROM ONE SUBJECT TO ANOTHER. BUT I KNOW WHY IT'S THERE.

I KNOW WHY IT'S WRITTEN AND IT CAME TO PASS. because everything God has ordained comes to pass in time that's exactly why that's written and it came to pass 727 times that statement is made in the scriptures and that's because everything that God has ordained comes to pass in time now it says here that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized at John in Jordan. Now this journey that our Lord took to be baptized shows something of the importance of baptism. Not that it saves because our Lord was not lost. So baptism doesn't save because He wasn't even lost. But it shows here the importance that our Lord put on baptism. He made a I looked this up.

It's like a 3-5 day journey from where John was supposedly baptized and where our Lord was at in Nazareth. It was like 80-100 miles. He walked from 3-5 days depending on which course He took. That's a long time. And He did that to be baptized by John the Baptist. And this also initiated His public ministry. You know if you look in verse 14. Now after that John was put in prison, his ministry's done.

He was the forerunner. He did what he was supposed to do. He was the herald of Christ. He pointed out the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, behold the Lamb of God. Now they knew what that meant. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. And then Christ comes on the scene. baptizes Christ.

Now John's got to fade it, he's got to fade away. John said he must increase and I must decrease. Every time I stand in a pulpit, every time this John stands in a pulpit, I must decrease and he must increase or I've missed it. I've missed it if I don't do that.

But now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom. It initiated His ministry. Now to answer the question, why was Christ baptized? I know why we are baptized. I know why. The Lord said to, number one, the Lord said to. That's enough there, isn't it? If the Lord said to, then do it, if you believe. If you believe the gospel, if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord said to do that.

And then secondly, it is our confession of Christ. It is a confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And thirdly, it is our identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. We are identifying with and we know what we're doing. We're not going to be baptized because it is a Baptist doctrine, it's not a Baptist doctrine, it's Bible doctrine. It's Bible doctrine, Christ said to us.

And when a sinner is saved, that sinner wants to confess Christ, that sinner knows that they are confessing and identifying themselves with His death THAT'S WHAT GOING UNDER THE WATER SIGNIFIES. HIS RESURRECTION, THAT'S WHAT COMING UP OUT OF THE WATER SIGNIFIES. AND WALKING IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.

CHRIST IS DONE WITH SIN. HE'S DONE WITH SIN. WE'RE DONE WITH SIN. IT'S NOT OUR MASTER NO MORE. WE STILL SIN, I KNOW THAT. I'M NOT SAYING WE DON'T, WE DO. IT'S NOT OUR WAY OF LIFE, IT'S NOT OUR MASTER. SIN SHALL NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER YOU. THAT NATURE YOU WERE BORN WITH WILL NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER YOU. IT WILL NOT REIGN OVER YOU AS A KING. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING OF HEAVEN NOW REIGNS OVER YOU. So you have risen to walk in newness of life just like Him. He's done with sin and we're done with it.

Now why was he baptized? Well first let me read this to you. I said it's his death, burial, and resurrection. It says in Romans 6 verse 5, For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, that's what we do in water baptism, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. We don't stay under that water, we come up out of it. Now why was he baptized? First, first in obedience to his father, in obedience to his father's will. That's the first reason. Now this answers the question, why was he baptized?

Why was I baptized and you who have been baptized, you've asked for baptism, you followed the Lord in baptism, I already told you why. IDENTIFICATION. That's identification. Jesus Christ was baptized in IDENTIFICATION, UNION WITH US. That's why He was baptized. It was in IDENTIFICATION WITH US. In UNION WITH US. It's why he was getting baptized.

Christ owned my sins to be His. He did, He owned them to be His. Listen, Psalm 38, verse 4. For mine iniquities, and it's a Messianic Psalm. For mine iniquities are gone over my head, as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. Those are my sins, but He took them and made them His. He took them and made them His. THOUGH CHRIST KNEW NO SIN, HE SUBMITS TO BAPTISM MEANT FOR REPENTANCE, MY REPENTANCE, MY SIN. HE'S STANDING IN THE PLACE OF THE SINNERS HE CAME TO SAVE. HE'S STANDING RIGHT THERE, REPRESENTING THEM, IDENTIFYING WITH THEM, IN UNION WITH THEM. HE'S NEVER ASKED US TO DO SOMETHING HE HASN'T DONE.

If He asks us to do something, He's the example. He's the example. This foreshadows His role in bearing the sins of many in Isaiah 53, is what it does. And then it was a public witness of who He is, the Son of God. John's the forerunner, He points Him out. God the Father points him out. God the Holy Spirit points him out. It was a public witness. This is the one that was said to come. The Old Testament says someone coming and here he is. Here he is. And by being baptized by John, Christ validates John's ministry as the forerunner. He validates his ministry. Now, here's what I want to look at.

I want to look at about five ways we are in UNION with Jesus Christ. Once I got to studying this and I realized His Baptism was an IDENTIFICATION, His IDENTIFICATION with US, being in UNION with US. And I'll show you something at the end of this message where He says, IT BECOMES US TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

First, our union with Jesus Christ is a real spiritual union. I don't believe, I think we don't really think about that union and how real it is. We don't think of it enough. We don't give enough weight to it. WE HAVE A REAL SPIRITUAL UNION IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

John 15 verse 4 and 5 he speaks about BEING IN HIM. ABIDE IN ME AND I IN YOU. AS THE BRANCH CANNOT BEAR FRUIT OF ITSELF, EXCEPT IT ABIDE IN THE VINE, NO MORE CAN YE EXCEPT YE ABIDE IN ME. I am the vine. You are the branches. You look at a grapevine. When you look at a grapevine, what do you look at? You look at the whole grapevine.

But those branches that you see came out of the vine. they are vitally the old writers used to use that word vitally attached to the vine i'm the vine you are the branches he that bideth in me and i in him the same brings forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing without me you are dead you're dead without christ But in Christ you're ALIVE!

In Christ you BEAR FRUIT! What's the fruit? It's the fruit of the SPIRIT! LOVE, JOY, PEACE. You know, it doesn't say FRUITS of the SPIRIT. It says FRUIT, singular. LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONG SUFFERING, GENTLENESS, KINDNESS. You bear FRUIT because you're in the VINE! You draw LIFE from the VINE! YOU DRAW NOURISHMENT FROM THE VINE.

2 Corinthians 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. If any man be in Christ, see it's a spiritual union that we have with Christ and it's a very real union. It's a very lively union that we have in Christ. Old things are passed away, behold, all things become new. I think it got me a mouthwash and it's not working. It's supposed to keep your mouth dry mouth. I don't know what's going on with my dryness. I just hope it's not my personality. All right, that's enough of that.

Secondly, secondly, first we were in Christ spiritually. There's a real union, a real living, active union with Christ. And secondly, we were crucified in Christ buried with Christ and raised with Christ. You know that actually happened for us? That was 2,000 years ago, I wasn't even born. You were in Christ. I'll get to the representative part toward the end.

Paul says this in Galatians 2.20, I, and he says, he used this word I five times in this one verse. I am crucified with Christ. When they nailed Him to the cross, I was nailed to the cross. Is that real to you? Is it real? I see that now. There was a time it wasn't real.

But I see that when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was nailed to the cross, when He was mutilated, He was whipped by His stripes, you were healed. That's me, that's Christ in my place. I spiritually, and we'll understand this when we get to heaven, right now we've got too much flesh going on, but I was in Christ. You were in Christ, you who believe, you were in the Lord Jesus Christ when He was crucified. I am crucified with Christ. And I like what Paul said, he doesn't say I was crucified with Christ, I am.

I am. John saw a lamb as it had been slain standing before the throne of God. I am in that lamb. My sacrifice is a living sacrifice. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless. I live, I'm not dead. I'm not dead, I live. I live. Yet it's not I Not I, but Christ liveth in me.

Christ, that's the reason I had him sing that song. When I saw that, it just, that song came to my mind, kept coming to my mind. But Christ liveth in me, Christ living in me continually, He doesn't come and go. The Lord Jesus Christ does not come and go. He does not visit us. He lives in us. This is astounding. It's over our heads, I know, but it's astounding. He's living in me. That's why I desire to come here. He's living in me. He has created in us all our good works. He's created those works, those desires you have. The desire to be here and hear the gospel is of Him. He's living in you, He's active in you.

But Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in this flesh. And we live in this flesh, don't we? We have a life, we're living in this flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God. I live trusting Him. One time, Paul didn't. Paul trusted Paul. Paul says, the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, I live BELIEVING ON HIM, TRUSTING HIM, FEEDING ON HIM, LOOKING TO HIM, THAT'S MY LIFE! THAT'S MY LIFE! I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME. CHRIST IS MY REAL LIFE. Colossians 3 verses 3 and 4, FOR YOU ARE DEAD You're dead. You're dead to the world.

That doesn't mean you don't know what's going on. That doesn't mean that. That means the world doesn't have you no more. The world doesn't own you no more. You're not part of the world no more. He says on John 17, they are not of the world. You're dead to the world. That's why you should never be offended of anything that the world says about you. You're just dead to it. IT'S NOTHING MORE THAN A BARKING DOG. FOR YOU ARE DEAD IN YOUR LIFE.

YOUR LIFE IS HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD. AND WHEN CHRIST, WHO IS OUR LIFE, SHALL APPEAR, THEN SHALL YOU APPEAR WITH HIM IN GLORY. YOU'LL SEE HIS GLORIOUS APPEARING AND YOU'LL BE WITH HIM IN GLORY AND YOU'LL SHARE IN THAT GLORY. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear. If you do not have the Lord Jesus Christ, you do not have life.

You've got this physical life, you know, my dog has life. He doesn't have human life, he's got dog life. We have human life, but when a man or a woman is born of God, they have the life of God. That's eternal life. That's the quality of life, not how long it is. That's the quality of it.

We were crucified, buried, and risen with Christ spiritually. And someday we're going to experience all of that. I don't want to say physically, but spiritually. Because it'll be a spiritual body that we'll have when we're raised out of the grave. THIRDLY, WE ARE JOINED TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST BY ONE SPIRIT.

1 Corinthians 6.17 BUT HE THAT IS JOINED UNTO THE LORD IS ONE SPIRIT. Christ said, I and the Father are one, I and them, thou and me, we are one. Christ is one with His people. You know that new man is created in righteousness and true holiness is in Christ and Christ is in that new man and they are one. They are one. That's like trying to comprehend the Trinity. I can believe it but I can't comprehend it with this peanut brain I got.

Ephesians 5.30 verse 30 for we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones we are members of his body we are born of the spirit we are one spirit you know it's like this we are one spirit with christ like a husband and wife are said to be what one flesh Now in God's sight, when man and woman are married, they are one flesh. You know, I've got two. That's the problem of today. We don't become one. We stay independent. What if the church stayed independent of Jesus Christ? Well, it's not possible. It's not possible. He would not let that happen. It's not possible.

Turn to Ephesians chapter 5. Look at verse 25, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. but that it should be holy and without blemish.

So ought men to love their wives as they love their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourished it and cherished it, even as the Lord the church. A man is to love a wife, if he really loves his wife, if he loves his wife, he loves himself.

Because that's part of Him. That's part of Him. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. If you're shaking your head, this is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ and the church. They are one Spirit. They are one. There is no separate. They are one. They are one. And then fourthly, HERE'S ANOTHER SPIRITUAL UNION WE HAVE IN CHRIST.

CHRIST LIVES IN THE BELIEVERS. I'VE ALREADY BEEN COVERING THIS, BUT IN COLOSSIANS 127, TO WHOM GOD WOULD MAKE KNOWN WHAT IS THE RICHES OF HIS GLORY, WHAT IS THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF THIS MYSTERY AMONG THE GENTILES, WHICH IS CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY. SO WHEN I'M PREACHING TO YOU RIGHT NOW, I REALIZE THIS, YOU WHO BELIEVE, I REALIZE THIS, JESUS CHRIST IS IN YOU.

You're not the only one hearing me preach. You're not the only one hearing me preach. Angels hear me preach right now. Angels hear me preach. But the Lord Jesus Christ is in you. And that's why when somebody's preaching the gospel and you say, Amen, you may not say it out loud, but in your heart, you say, that's right.

You take rejoice in you. HIS SPIRIT BEARING WITNESS WITH OUR SPIRIT THAT WE ARE THE SONS OF GOD. That's what's going on. When you are really enjoying the gospel, it's HIS SPIRIT BEARING WITNESS WITH OUR SPIRIT WE ARE HIS CHILDREN. THE LORD LIVES IN YOU. CHRIST IS IN YOU. THAT'S THE HOPE OF GLORY. Not you straightening up and living so-called right.

It's YOU ARE POSSESSED OF THE SON OF GOD, THE SPIRIT OF GOD. EPHESIANS 3.17 THAT CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS BY FAITH, THAT YOU BEING ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE. BUT CHRIST DWELLS IN YOUR HEART BY FAITH. FAITH IS THE VESSEL THAT RECEIVES HIM. IT'S THE CUP THAT RECEIVES HIM. AND HE DWELLS IN YOUR HEART BY FAITH. HE DOESN'T DWELL IN A HEART THAT DOESN'T BELIEVE. Jesus Christ does not dwell in a heart that does not believe, but He does dwell in a heart that believes Him. You believe, you truly believe, Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief. That's evidence that Christ is in you. That's evidence.

And then here's fifthly, we are united as one body in Christ. You know, there's many different local assemblies scattered throughout the world, but there's only one body. There's only one body. 1 Corinthians 12, verses 12 through 13. For as the body is one, and you know, I have one body standing here in front of you. That's what you see is one body.

And has many members. ALL THE MEMBERS OF THAT ONE BODY, BEING MANY, ARE ONE BODY. SO ALSO IS CHRIST. FOR BY ONE SPIRIT WE WERE ALL BAPTIZED INTO THAT ONE BODY OF CHRIST, THE CHURCH. WE MAKE UP THE BODY OF CHRIST. Romans 12.5, SO WE, BEING MANY, Just like my body has arms and legs and feet and hands and a head. So we being many are one body in Christ. We may be different locations but we are not different. We are one body, we are one.

There may be a body of believers over in Africa or China and Mexico We are one body they're part of the body It's called the old writers called the mystical body of Christ That's it we are his body We are his body And he loves his body He loves his body.

It says that the man who loves his body, what does he do? He nourishes it and cherishes it. Jesus Christ nourishes us and takes care of us, his body. So as he's taking care of us, it's like us taking care of this body. I like my body. I do take care of it. I try to take care of it. Christ loves his body. He loves his body. He cherishes his body. He's going to take care of his body because it's a holy body he has. Just as the head is holy, so is his body.

Now because of this union that we have in Christ, NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS. That's why it tells us in Romans 8 38 39 Paul said I'm persuaded that neither death life no and he goes through this whole list of things shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus nothing now verse 10 Straightway coming up out of the water.

You see he was immersed he was He went under the water. That's what it is Baptist. It's immersed He saw the heavens opened and the spirit like a dove's descending upon him We learned by this verse that baptism is by immersion Sprinkling does not resemble death burial and resurrection. You cannot make sprinkling But resemble that But John, it says here, he saw the heavens opened. When he came up out of the water, he came up out of the water, John baptized him.

The heavens opened. Now in my margin, it says, the heavens rent, or cloven. And in another translation, it said, torn open. John was not looking into the heaven we look into, this blue sky we got above us. John looked into the heaven from where Jesus Christ came from.

God, it's like the veil of the temple was open. God Almighty for a for a brief time opened heaven and John looked into it and when he looked up into heaven he saw this dove coming down representing the Holy Spirit. He came down in the form of a dove. I mean what a sight! What a sight! But this is a witness for us. He saw this.

And the Spirit, He said, like a dove descending upon Him. From heaven the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove, like a gentle... Is there anything more gentle than a dove and a lamb? But a dove... You know what I thought about? It just struck me. I don't know if I can make anything out of it. And Noah, in the ark, he sent out a dove. And that dove had no place to land except back at that ark. He came back to the ark. And that dove, the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove and lit on his shoulder. And Jesus Christ, it says, had the Spirit without measure.

But here's something interesting, here we have the Trinity, this is one of the few times in Scripture that we have the whole Trinity together revealed. We have God the Son, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit, ALL THREE, right there together, being witnessed by John.

Then God speaks from heaven, and there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. It was a public witness of who Jesus Christ is, the Son of God, but here's something comforting. Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Are you in Christ? I've been talking about this union of you and Christ. God is well pleased with you and Him.

Now, let me try to answer something here without taking too long. I want to close with our union to Christ in representation. Turn over to Matthew chapter 3. Matthew chapter 3. Let me see where I'm at. Look in verse 14, let me see where I'm at. Look in verse 13, 13, 14, 15.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me and Jesus answering said unto him suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness then he suffered then he baptized him this is this is this is beautiful if you can understand it john said i need to be baptized of you the lord said suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness Who are the US he's talking about? Is he talking about him and John? That works, but that's not what he's saying. I don't think so. That includes what him and John are doing. This is beautiful.

The US are the whole elect of God. IT BECOMETH US TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS." Everything He did, we did. Every law He kept, we kept it. US. US were in Him. And everything He did, we did it. He didn't say, IT BECOMES ME TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THEN GIVE IT TO YOU. He said, IT BECOMES US. So what He did, we did. That's representation, it's taught all the way through the scriptures. All the way through the scriptures. What our Lord did, as our representative, we did.

You remember back in Hebrews chapter 7 verse 9, and the writer said this, and as I may so say, he's talking about paying tithes, he said, Levi also who receives tithes, Levi were the Levites, the priests, who receives tithes, tithes is paid to the priest. Levi paid tithes in Abraham. Levi wasn't even alive, but he's talking about representation.

Over in Romans 7, it speaks of by one man's sin, many were made sinners. By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. By the obedience of one, many are made righteous." That's representation. That's representation. This shows our union to the Lord Jesus Christ. It becomes US. US. The second Adam, what he did, we did. Just like the first Adam.

When he fell, we fell. Did Christ pay the penalty for our sins? Then I paid the penalty. We paid the penalty for our sins. We did it. It was paid. Did He keep the law? We kept the law in Him, in our representative. Everything Christ did, we did. Christ made my sins to be His, and His righteousness to be mine. Boy, what a mystery the gospel is. God has to reveal this. In Christ, all of God's elect are justified because they are as holy as He is. They are without sin.

Listen to this, 1 Corinthians 1. But of Him are you in Christ Jesus. That's how you got in Christ. That's how you ended up in Christ. God put you there. He put you there. But of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. This is what He is to US. US. Now, our union with Christ means this, you're in Christ and justified. Christ is in you and you are sanctified. You share in His death and resurrection. You are part of His body and you are secure forevermore in the Lord Jesus Christ.