There are some texts in scripture,
some subjects, that when I feel, I hope, led of God's Spirit to
preach about, I am simply overwhelmed with my inability, my lack of
understanding, their magnitude, and think the best thing for
me to do is just read the passage, make a few
comments, and point you to the scriptures that explain the passage,
or at least will help you to get hold of it. And such is our
text tonight, Luke chapter 12 and verse 50. God just read to us out of Mark
10 how the Master said to His disciples, I have a baptism to
be baptized with. Can you be baptized with that? As you read that, I thought how
merciful our God and Savior is. They said, we can't. But he said, you shall. You shall. Do you ever notice how often
in the New Testament, particularly in the life of our Lord on this
earth, his disciples would ask him for
something, ask him to do something. And he refused. ought to teach us something about
our ignorance of what's right and what's best and what's needful.
Ought to teach us something about prayer, submitting to His will,
seeking His will. He refused to give what they
asked and always gave something better. They said, give us to
sit on your right hand. Make us chief in your kingdom.
He gave something better. He's met us all to sit on His
right hand and made us to be baptized with that baptism with
which He was baptized. Look what it says here in the
opening words of our text, Luke 12, 50. I have a baptism to be baptized
with. Our Savior here compares that
which he was to endure, the pain, the agony, the shame, the ignominy
of the death he must die as a baptism with which he was appointed of
God to be baptized. The death he must die Something in which he must be
immersed, plunged, covered, overwhelmed, and then rise out of. As I was preparing this message,
as I normally do, I pull down the commentaries that I commonly
use. I was saddened, astonished, disgusted,
and reprieved at the number of men who took
these words and raised issues of controversy
and debate about baptism. Particularly those who took this
word here and said, see here, baptism doesn't always mean to
immerse. It can mean other things, trying
to defend the pagan practice of infant baptism. Sprinkling, calling it baptism. But our Lord here says, I have
something to be immersed in. something that's going to overwhelm
me. He's talking about His death. This is a baptism that He had,
a baptism which He must be baptized with because it was His Father's
will. It was appointed to Him from
eternity. decreed it, the Father ordained
it, and he willingly submitted to it as our substitute. It must
be accomplished for this reason he came into the world. He said,
I must go to Jerusalem, suffered many things at the hands of the
Jews, rise again the third day. He obliged himself to it in the
counsels of grace, and he came here to do it. It was necessary
because of us. Our sins could not be put away.
Divine justice could not be satisfied. We could never have lived before
God except He be baptized with this baptism of wrath and death
and shame and sorrow. I have a baptism to be baptized
with. Now look at this. How am I straightened
till it be accomplished? You remember Moses and Elijah
on the Mount of Transfiguration spoke to our Savior about his
death in a very unusual way. They spoke to him about the death
that he should accomplish at Jerusalem. He said, how am I
straightened till this thing be accomplished? He's got his mind, his heart
focused. focused from eternity upon this
crucial thing. And as the time comes and draws
near when he is about to lay down his life as our substitute,
he appears here to speak as a man in trouble, in distress, a man
tossed inwardly, with many faults and apprehensions. And I've already said more about
that than I understand. A man is facing an approaching
enemy who's mighty and is in distress. Our Lord said, now
is my soul exceeding sorrowful even unto death, but I can't turn back. The Son of God, as He walked
on this earth in order to redeem and save us, really did become
one of us. And he really did experience
all the passions of a human heart except sin. And now, he's about
to experience that. No sin of his own. Nothing evil in him, but he's
about to drink it and make it his, which was ours alone. He's like a woman whose time
has come to be delivered of child and she's anxious, anxious to
have it done. She's going to have to go through
terrible, terrible pain. She's going to have to go through
terrible, terrible agony. But she's anxious to have it
done. The time's come. Let's get this over with. Not
just get it over with. That wouldn't give any satisfaction
at all. Let's get it over with and hear that baby cry. Hold
that baby on my breast. Hold that baby in my arms. The
time's come. I've been here long enough now.
Let's get through this. And our Savior speaks of the
death that he must die as our substitute, as our mediator,
as our redeemer, with restless, anxious anticipation. The time's come now. Let's get
this thing done. His eager desire, his thirst, the panting of his heart
to suffer all the horrid wrath of God in our room instead is
displayed throughout this book. In the Old Testament, From the
very beginning of time, even before he assumed human flesh,
he came down here and spoke to men and women in human form,
as if to say, I'm coming. My mind, my heart is on you,
and I'm going to redeem you. Remember how he came and showed
himself to Manoah and his wife? The Lord has done gloriously. Surely He's not determined to
kill us, but to save us. And he did so many times. It was he who came and spoke
to Adam in the garden in the cool of the day. It was he who
came and killed an innocent victim and clothed Adam and Eve with
the skins of that victim. It's he who came and spoke and
revealed himself to Abraham. It's he who came down on Sinai
and gave the law to Moses. He is the one by whom God speaks
to men. He's the one who comes as the
angel of the Lord and appears on behalf of his people. Our
Lord's determination to suffer and die in our room instead is
displayed by the fact that throughout the scriptures, he sent messenger
after messenger after messenger after messenger to tell his people,
I'm coming. I'm coming. Don't give up hope. Don't cease to believe. I'm coming. I'm coming to redeem my people.
When he finally came into this world, he lifted his hands to
God the Father. as he's breaking the womb of
the virgin. And he says, lo, I come now to
do thy will, O my God. And he was ministering in the
temple. His parents missed him. And his mother reduced him. And he turned and spoke to her
and said, I must be about my father's business. not expressing
a lack of love and respect and reverence and obedience to her,
not expressing a lack of concern for her feelings, but declaring
plainly, even as a boy, even as a boy, I've come here for
something more important than what you think and what you feel. I've come here to do my father's
will. and I won't be deterred from
it. Our Lord Jesus, when it came time for Him to suffer at Jerusalem,
when the time had come, when the due time had finally arrived,
set His face like a flint to go up to Jerusalem. You remember
when He gathered His disciples to observe the Passover for the
last time. He said, with desire have I desired
to eat this supper with you. He said, This is what I've had
my heart on since before the world was made. This is what
I've had my heart on since the day I came into this world. This
is what I've had my heart on all through these years of preaching
to you. This is what I've been talking
about. This is what I've been set for. I desire to come here
now. and eat this supper with you,
this very last Passover supper, because now I'm fixing to fulfill
it." Our Lord Jesus made haste and went out to Gethsemane. Judas
had gone out to betray Him. And the Scripture tells us that
He He made haste and went out. He seems to cut his last discourse
short. Look at the passage in John 16
carefully. He seems to have just cut it
short, lest there be any missing of the appointment. He went out
to Gethsemane to meet the soldiers who came to arrest him. And he
cries out to the father, not my will, thy will be done. And as the soldiers came, he
confronts them. And he said, whom seek ye? I'm
here. I'm ready. No resistance, but
complete, voluntary, determined purpose. He goes and gives himself
to be arrested as a common criminal. And they take him to Pilate's
judgment hall. And Pilate, being the weakling,
the politician that he was, seems to have set every opportunity
before him to find an excuse for setting him free. He set every opportunity possible
before him and still saved face with his fellow politicians,
still saved face with the public, just to find an excuse to set
him free. But the Lord Jesus would have
none of it. He would have none of it, but
rather submitted himself willingly to be taken as a common criminal,
beat, mocked, spit on, scourged, and finally crucified. But all
this was done because he said, I am straight. I'm straightened. My whole being is pressed, pressed to this point. I'm straightened. It's like taking
and pushing an object through a narrow hole, and you just...
I'm straightened until this thing stops. Well might the Lord God speak to His prophet and say,
behold, my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth. I put my spirit on him. He shall
bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He'll bring justice to the Gentiles,
righteousness to the Gentiles. He shall not cry. He never once
going to ask for help. He never once going to cry out
in distress. He's never once going to speak
as though somehow this is contrary to his will. He shall not cry.
Nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. He's
come to save, so a bruised reed shall he not break. The smoking
flax shall he not quench." I don't know all that that means, but I know
this. There's not anything on this earth more useless than
a bruised reed and a smoking flax. What are you going to do
with a bruised reed? You can't even suck water through
it. It's useless. What are you going to do with
a smoking flax? It's nauseous. Doesn't give any
light. Just gives off smoke and stinks.
And he says he'll not break the bruised reed. He'll not quench
the smoking flax. He shall bring forth judgment
and truth unto truth. He will show forth God's righteousness
and God's truth. God's punishment of sin and God's
forgiveness of sin and truth, never bending His word, never
bending His character, never compromising His holiness. He shall not fail nor be discouraged. till He has set judgment, righteousness
in the earth, and the isles shall wait for His Word. You remember
the law given back in Exodus 21 concerning the bond servants.
God gave that law concerning the bond servants specifically
because he gives the law in anticipation of the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ, who would not go out free, who would be a voluntary
servant to Jehovah, because he loved his father, his master,
loved his wife, and loved his children. And so Jesus Christ
came into this world, God the Son, as Jehovah's voluntary servant,
And he says, I have a baptism to be baptized with. And how
am I straightened till it be accomplished? Turn to Isaiah
chapter 50. Isaiah 50. Here Isaiah speaks prophetically.
But the one speaking is not Isaiah. He's just writing the words. It is the Word of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, who comes into the world in the fullness of
time. And before ever He came, this is what He says. The Lord
God, verse 7, hath opened mine ear. You want to be my servant
forever? You come here now. Come here
before all the people. Come here before all the witnesses. I'm going to take this boar,
this owl, and I'm going to pierce your ear. I'm going to pierce
it right here at this place so everybody can see it. And hereby,
you voluntarily give yourself to me to serve me. to do my bidding,
to do my will, all the days of your life, and you declare now
that you willingly, of your own volition, of your own purpose,
will never give up this servitude. The Lord God, He's opened my
ear. And it wasn't because I couldn't
help it. I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters. Our Lord said to Pilate, don't
you know? Don't you know you had no power over me? He said to his disciples, don't
you know I can now call my father and he'd see ten legions of angels
come down here and protect me. I gave my back to the smiters. I didn't die as a helpless victim
of circumstances. I didn't die because the Jews
wouldn't let me do what I came here to do. I gave my back to
the smiters. I gave my cheeks to them that
plucked off the hair. And when men in their vehement
hatred of me, came to clear their throats and
spit in my face. I stuck my face right in front
of them. I gave my face to shame and spit
in. For the Lord God will help me. Therefore shall I not be confounded. Remember last week, our Lord
speaks and says, he that believeth on me shall not be confounded. How come? Because I'm not confounded. Therefore have I set my face
like a flint. His disciples looked at him and
said, he set his face as if he would go up to Jerusalem. That's
what he's talking about right here. I've set my face like a
flint. But Lord, don't you know the
Jews are determined to kill you? But Lord, don't you know what's
waiting you there? Thomas says, let's go with him. He's fixing to die. Let's go
die with him. I've set my face like a flint. And I know I shall
not be ashamed. What I've come for is going to
be done. What I've come here to accomplish
shall be accomplished. I won't be ashamed. In those words, we have a description
of our Savior's sacrificial obedience unto death, even the death of
the cross, as our voluntary surety and substitute. The most wonderful, mysterious,
astounding thing in the history of the universe is this baptism
he must be baptized with. God died in our room instead. He who is life being put to death,
that we might have life from Him. Nothing that is, has been, or
hereafter shall be, can be compared to it. And yet, as He was suffering
the wrath of God in our room instead, The Lord Jesus Christ speaks
a word of lamentation that's astounding. Turn over
the book of Lamentations and read it. I'm convinced, I'm absolutely
convinced, that any place in Scripture where we fail to see
that the scripture is dealing with and speaking about the Lord
Jesus Christ in his redemptive grace and glory. We just simply
do not understand the scripture. This 12th verse of chapter 1
in Lamentations cannot possibly, it cannot possibly in its ultimate
final analysis be a word spoken by anyone except the crucified
Son of God." It was written by Jeremiah. Jeremiah here expresses
what he felt in his soul. But he wrote by inspiration.
And he wrote as the mouthpiece of the Son of God. And listen
to what he says. Try to picture it, if you will.
Here hangs the incarnate God. naked, spit running all over
his face, blood covering his body, bearing our sin, bearing the horror of God's wrath. In this word he speaks, is it
nothing to you? All ye that pass by, behold and
see. If there be any sorrow, look through the ages of time. Look through the annals of history. Read the biographies of tormented
men and women. Look if you dare into the screeching
pits of the damned in hell. And tell me if there is any sorrow
like unto my sorrow, which is done to me. Wherewith the Lord God hath afflicted
me in the day of His fierce anger. Is it nothing to you? Is it nothing to you? Is it nothing
to you? To you who pass by, it's nothing. It's nothing. But to you who are made to see and arrested
by the sight, and cannot pass by. This is everything. This is everything. And it will
be everything forever. Now, let's see if we can find
some explanation for this sorrow, this suffering, this baptism.
Turn over to John chapter 10. John chapter 10. We'll look at these verses here,
and I'll wrap this up. Our Lord declares plainly here
that His death at Calvary, His sorrow, His agony, His torment,
His baptism was the result of His free, voluntary,
deliberate, purposed obedience unto God the Father as our mediator. The Son of God took the cup of wrath. the vinegar and the gall of the wrath of Almighty God with both hands and drank it
more willingly than any thirsty man ever drank cold water. He took that cup and drank it
dry that we might take the cup of
salvation from His hand and drink it forever as Jehovah's voluntary
servant. And now it tells us why. Look
at verse 17, John chapter 10. In verse 16, he says, other sheep
I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring. I'm going to gather them in,
every one of them. They're my sheep. They're not
here now. He looks through the ages of
time and sees Don Fortner. He says, I must bring him. I must, because I promised my
father I would. I must bring him. And there'll be one fool
and one shepherd. He has a people whom he must
save. Now watch this. Therefore, doth
my father love me? Because I lay down my life that
I might take it again. No man taketh it from me. But
I lay it down in myself. I have the power. I have the
authority. And I have the ability to lay
it down. And I have the power. I have
the authority. And I have the ability to take
it again. This commandment have I received
of my father. There are three things in those
two verses that just overwhelm me. First, our Savior died by the commandment of the Father. How can that possibly be understood? The death of the Lord Jesus Christ
was not accomplished by the arrangements of men or by the arrangements
of hell, but by the arrangements of the triune God. We read it
this morning. Peter said he was delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. He died as a lamb verily
slain from the foundation of the world. He died. by the arrangement of an eternal
covenant, by the arrangement of God's sovereign providence,
and by the arrangement of His infinite love, because it was
the command of His Father. But Pastor, how can it be said
that Jesus is God, that He is God the Son, that there is an
absolute equality between the Father and the Son when He here
says He is commanded to do something of His Father and He must do
it because the Father commanded it. Our Lord is speaking as our
mediator, our substitute, our surety. And in the covenant of
grace, in order to redeem and save us, he voluntarily assumed
total responsibility for our souls and said, I will go, I'll
pay the price, I'll redeem them. And the father said, go, pay
the price, redeem them. And now he's honor bound to keep
his word because he voluntarily submitted himself to the will
of the father. And this text speaks of our Lord's
obedience, His free, voluntary obedience. I laid down my life that I might
take it again. No man takes it from me. I had the power to lay it down.
I had the power to take it again. The Lord Jesus Christ willingly laid down His life for us. Yes, God the Father appointed
Him. Yes, the Lord God afflicted Him. Yes, the Lord God cried, old
sword against one that is my fellow, smite and slay the shepherd."
But God did not force him or compel him in any way to do anything. He says so. He said, I could
pray my father right now and he'd send ten legions of angels
to come down here and take care of this business. There was no
compelling him. There was no force in him. There
was no constraining of his will. There was no bending of his mind. But rather willingly and voluntarily,
the Lord Jesus says, I lay down my life. And he says specifically,
I lay it down for the sheep. He poured out his soul unto death. He laid down His life that justice
might be satisfied. He laid down His life in the
room instead of chosen sinners. He laid down His life for the
glory of God. He laid down His life because of His great love for
us that He might take it again. I lay it down so that I can take
it again. I lay it down. To this end, he
both died and rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of
the dead and the living. He said, I laid down my life,
man. But he said, I laid down that for this purpose, that I
might take it again. That is, that I might rise up.
and with my blood enter into the Holy of Holies, obtain eternal
redemption for my people, and take my seat on the throne of
universal dominion, and receive power over all flesh, to give
eternal life to as many as my Father gave me. And then here's
an astounding word. Doth my Father love me? Yes, the Father loved Him as
His Son in infinite, eternal love because He is God the Son. There's folks having puny notions
of God, they say, God had to come because there was a great
vacuum in God. There was no one to love. Nonsense. The father
loved him as the son. But this text says, therefore,
does my father love me? Therefore. And it's speaking of him and can only be understood of
Him. The language can only be understood. And I use the word
understood real loosely. It can only be understood of
Him as the God-Man, our Mediator, the surety, the substitute of
His people. And it speaks of God's love for
Him as the God-Man, our Mediator, He speaks of it, Rex, as a love
that was earned, a love that rightfully belonged to Him, a
love the Father gave Him freely but could not justly withhold
from Him. It speaks of a love of approval,
complacency, delight, and satisfaction that was justly His because He
laid down His life and took it again. to save His people from
their sins. Therefore, doth my Father love
me. He sees what I've done and why
I've done it, and He loves me. And let me show you something. Turn to John 17. John 17. Verse 22. The Savior is praying. And He
says, The glory which thou gavest Me, I have given them, that they
may be one, even as We are one. I in them, and thou in Me, that
they may be made perfect in one, that the world may know, that
the whole world may know. Sooner or later, when the Lord God Almighty has
gathered all His elect into the glory of His dear Son, the whole
world, all of hell, fallen angels and forever damned men, the whole
world will know to the endless torment of the damned The whole
world will know. The angels of God will know. And we'll know that Thou hast
sent me and that Thou hast loved me. Exactly. As thou hast loved me. Loved them from eternity. just as you loved me from eternity
as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Loved them because by my obedience unto
death as their substitute, they fully deserve that you love
them.