I love that acapella rendition
like that. That's a blessing. Thank you. John was baptizing some 2000
years ago, and Christ came to him to be baptized. I'm going
to speak this evening on the subject of the baptism of Christ.
Now, This took place 2,000 years ago. How many hundreds of millions
or perhaps billions of times have people been baptized? How many of those people understood
what baptism is? I think of how many people I
have baptized that are not here any longer. A bunch. A bunch. The Lord came to John the Baptist
and was baptized. Now I can see why we are to be
baptized, but why was the Lord Jesus Christ baptized? You ever thought much about that?
Why was Christ baptized? I mean, it's not like our baptism.
We're sinners. He's not. Why was he baptized? Now, in order to answer that
question, we must understand what baptism means in the first
place. The word baptism or baptized
means to immerse. That's all the word means. Immerse. The translators didn't translate
this Greek word Bab did so, if they would, they would simply
call it immersed. Whosoever believeth and is immersed shall be saved. That's all the word means. We're given a transliteration
of it, and I think it's interesting, you know, people that, for the
King James only, I love the King James Version. And I think it's
by far the best version. But it's still translated by
men. And the men who translated this did not practice immersion. So instead of translating it,
immersion, they translated it the English way. We'd spell the
Greek, baptizo, baptize, baptize. The word means to immerse. to submerge and to emerge. Go down all the way under and
come back up. It's first used in Greek language
with regard to dyeing garments. You would take a garment and
immerse it in the dye, submerge it completely under, and then
bring it back up. In Hebrews chapter 6, verse 2,
we read of the doctrine of baptisms, the doctrine of baptisms. That's
such an important scripture. He gives those six foundational
truths, not laying again the foundation of repentance from
dead works, first thing he mentions, and faith toward God. the doctrine
of baptisms and laying on of hands and the resurrection of
the dead and eternal judgment. Those are the six foundational
truths. But one of those was the doctrine, not the doctrines,
the doctrine of baptisms in the plural. Now we read of several
different baptisms in the New Testament. We just considered
a couple of weeks ago, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There's water
baptism, and there was the baptism the Lord spoke of when he talked
about fire coming down from heaven and how am I straight until that
baptism be accomplished. He'd already gone through water
baptism, but he hadn't gone through that baptism of fire yet. And
that is what he was so straightened about. Now, what is the doctrine
of baptisms? The doctrine of baptisms All
of the baptisms in the scripture have one doctrine, union with
the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what baptism means.
That's the doctrine of baptism. Somebody says, well, I've got
the form right. I've got the mode right. Well,
good. But do you know the meaning?
That's what counts. Do you know the meaning? Meaning
of baptism has something to do with union with the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, when we're baptized in water,
this is the believer's confession of Christ. Baptism. When we're baptized in water
and we're immersed under and we come back up, we're saying,
my hope of salvation is that I was united to Christ so that
when he lived and kept the law, I did. I really did. When He
died, I really died. My sins were paid for and punished. When He was raised from the dead,
I was raised from the dead, too, because I was in Him. That's
my only hope of salvation. Really, no doctrine of the Scripture
can really be understood apart from this thing of union with
Christ. This is bigger than anything else in the Bible. My union,
my eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ. the baptism of
the Holy Spirit, I am given this regeneration is what that's talking
about, this new nature because of union with the Lord Jesus
Christ. He died for me. He put away my
sins. He gives me this life. It all
comes to me because of union with Christ. When The Lord spoke
of that, I've come to send fire on the earth. I've got a baptism
to be baptized with and how is my soul straight until it be
accomplished? Talking about him being immersed
in the wrath of God. The reason he was immersed in
the wrath of God was because of union with his people. He
became what I am. One, he became what I am. He became sin and he was immersed
completely in the wrath of God and put it away. But union with
Christ is the teaching of all those baptisms. Now, what is
meant by union? Well, turn with me to Hebrews
chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2. Verse 11, for both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one. Now it doesn't mean
they're very close, closely joined together. It means they're all
of one. I'm one with the Lord Jesus Christ
so that when God looks upon me, he sees his son. I really am
one with him. Both he that sanctifies and they
who are sanctified are all of one. I want you to think about
that. If you're a believer, You are
one with Christ. You cannot be distinguished from
Christ. That's how perfect and complete
you are in Christ. I love this scripture, Ephesians
chapter 5 verse 28, where He's talking about the relationship
between the husband and wife, and he tells us, I speak concerning
Christ and the church. So I'm not really talking about
physical marriage. I'm speaking concerning Christ
and the church. But he says in Ephesians chapter five, verse
28, he that loveth his wife loveth himself. You see, when Christ
loves you, he's loving himself because you're united to him. That's why this is not unconditional
love. You're lovely in Christ. You're united to the Lord Jesus
Christ. There's no such thing as unconditional love. He loves
you because you're all together lovely, because you're united
to him. That's why the Father says, that's why Christ said,
as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. That's why,
because you're united to the Lord Jesus Christ. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and the two shall
be one flesh." One, eternally united together. 2 Thessalonians
2.13 says, if we believe not, he abideth faithful. He cannot
deny himself. You see, for him to deny any
of his people, I don't care who they are. for him to deny any
of his people would be for him to deny himself. Now that's just
how close this union is. I love the example of Hebrews
7. Would you turn with me there?
You're there in Hebrews. Verse 9. And as I may so say,
Levi also who receiveth tithes paid tithes. It doesn't say it's
just as if he paid tithes. It didn't say he was counted
as paid in tithes. It said he paid those tithes. Now, Abraham was his great-grandfather,
and when his great-grandfather, Abraham, paid tithes to Melchizedek,
Levi did too, because he was in the loins of his father, Abraham. Now, whatever Christ did, I did
too. That's true of every believer
because we are one with Him. Every believer has been eternally
united to the Lord Jesus Christ from all eternity. Water baptism
says union with Christ is my only hope. The Spirit baptism,
baptized with the Holy Spirit says I was born, birthed because
of union with the Lord Jesus Christ. The baptism of fire that
He spoke of I'm come to send fire on the earth. It's because
of my union with Christ and my sin actually became his sin to
where he owned it as his own. That's how close this union is. Turn with me for a moment to
Matthew chapter 20. Now the doctrine of baptisms
is the doctrine of union. I think this illustrates it so
clearly, Matthew chapter 20. Then came to him the mother of
Zebedee's children with her sons, worshiping him and desiring a
certain thing of him. Matthew 20, verse 20, verse 21. And he said unto her, what wilt
thou? She said unto him, grant that these my two sons may sit,
the one on thy right hand and the other on thy left in thy
kingdom. That's a motherly desire. You can see that. I'm sure my
mom would have asked for the same thing. Verse 22, but Jesus
answered and said, you know not what you ask. Are you able to
drink of the cup that I shall drink of? And to be baptized
with the baptism that I'm baptized with? Being immersed under the
wrath of God? They say unto him, we're able. We're up to the task. They were
so vain, they were so, wrong. They didn't know what the Lord
was talking about. They said, sure we're able. Sure we're able. But did the Lord rebuke them?
No. He said, you shall drink indeed
of my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I'm baptized
with. When I'm submerged under the wrath of God, you will be
too. You're gonna drink of that cup.
You don't understand it right now. You don't even know what
you're talking about. But when I'm submerged under the wrath
of God, you will be too because you're united to me. But to sit
on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it should
be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. Now here's the reason he was
baptized. The reason we're baptized is
we confess We publicly confess, this is all of our salvation,
union with the Lord Jesus Christ. He was baptized because he was
confessing union with us. We confess union with him, that's
our hope, and he confessed union with us. And now he comes to
be baptized of John the Baptist. Now John the Baptist, The son
of Zacharias and Elizabeth was the cousin of the Lord Jesus
Christ. John was in his mother's womb
when he first heard of Christ when Mary came to visit Elizabeth.
And you remember the scripture says he jumped in the womb when
he heard the salutation. And the scripture says he was
filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb. Now that's
just one of those things I don't understand. Evidently he was
regenerated when he was in his mother's womb. Somebody says
explain that to me. I wouldn't dare. I have no idea
how to explain that. But it's so. It's so. He was regenerated from his mother's
womb. And the scripture says that he
spent his childhood in the deserts and in the wilderness. And the
grace of God was upon him. But he didn't, I guess he didn't
live with his mom and dad. He lived out in the wilderness.
The Lord took care of him and he didn't know anybody. So when
Christ first came to him, I don't believe he'd ever seen him. I
don't believe he knew who he was at first, but God had already
told him. When the Spirit descends like
a dove upon him, you'll know it is He. Now turn with me for
a moment to John chapter 1. Gospel of John chapter 1. These
are the words of John the Baptist beginning in verse 19. And this is the record of John
when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask
him, who art thou? You know, they saw him doing
this baptism and they were saying, what business do you have doing
this? What's your credentials? What's your authority? Who are
you? And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, I'm not the
Christ. And they asked him, what then, art thou Elias? And he
said, I'm not. Art thou that prophet? He answered,
no. Then said they unto him, well,
who are you? that we may give an answer to them that sent us.
What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I'm the voice of one
crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord,
as said the prophet Isaiah. And they which were sent were
of the Pharisees. And they asked him and said unto him, why baptizest
thou then, if thou be not the Christ, nor Elias, neither that
prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water,
but there standeth one among you whom you know not. He it
is. who coming after me is preferred
before me, whose shoe latchet I'm not worthy to unloose. These
things were done in Beth Bar, beyond Jordan, where John was
baptizing. It was out in the wilderness.
And the next day, John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith,
behold, the Lamb of God. Now, I think this time he'd already
baptized him when he's saying this. Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom
I said, after me cometh a man which is preferred before me,
for he was, he eternally was before me. And I knew he not,
but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore am I come
baptizing with water. And John bear record saying,
I saw the spirit. descending from heaven like a
dove, and an abode on him. And I knew him not, but he that
sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom
thou shalt see the Spirit descending. and remaining on him the same
as he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear
record that this is the Son of God. Now he knew at this time
exactly who this is. This is the Son of God. This is the uncreated second
person of the blessed Trinity, God manifest in the flesh, the
Lamb of God. Now turn to Matthew chapter three
for a moment. Matthew's account of the baptism of Christ. Verse 13. 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. Now put yourself in John's shoes.
What if the Lord came up to you and said, I want you to baptize
me? How would you feel? Well, you'd
feel about the same way John did. He thought, This doesn't
feel right. This doesn't look right. I'm
the one that needs to be baptized by you, not me baptizing you. I need you to baptize me. Maybe
he felt like Moses did when the Lord told him to go speak, and
he said, I don't want to. It just seems inappropriate.
I feel totally unfit. I feel totally unqualified to
do something like this. Well, verse 15. And Jesus answering said unto
him, suffer it to be so now. Suffer it to be so now. And I
almost hear him saying, I know you feel like that's inappropriate.
I understand that. But still, suffer it to be so
now. And then he makes this statement.
For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Now, if you
would understand the gospel, If I would understand the gospel,
we're going to have to understand this statement. He said to John
the Baptist, thus it becometh us, everything the Lord did,
he did as an us. Thus it becometh us. He wasn't
only talking about John the Baptist. He was talking about the whole
company of God's elect. Thus it becometh us. The same us of which Paul said,
if God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not
his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not
with him freely give us all things? Suffer to be so now for thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Now this tells
us what he meant by being baptized. He didn't say I need to fulfill
righteousness and then credit to your account. He didn't say that at all. So you can be viewed as righteous.
I'm going to fulfill righteousness. Now I'm going to credit to your
account and you can be viewed as righteous. You know, that
doesn't comfort me at all. If I'm viewed as righteous, it
doesn't comfort me at all. I've got to be righteous. That's
the only thing that gives me any comfort. I must be righteous. And when the Lord said, Thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. That is what was
taking place. When he kept God's law perfectly,
I did too. Isn't that wonderful? I did too. Now this is infinitely more than
having righteousness charged to my account. I myself, kept
the law when he did. There's a record in heaven that
says, I never sinned. I kept the law perfectly. I don't have anything to feel
guilty about. I'm holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in the very
sight of God. What good would his death do
if he didn't first fulfill all righteousness in union with his
people? It wouldn't do any good at all.
And if he did fulfill all righteousness, what good would it do for us
if he didn't die? The two go together. Thus it
becometh us. Oh, what a blessed group. Thus it becometh us to fulfill
all righteousness. Now let me give you a story within
this story. When our Lord is being baptized
with fire on Calvary's tree. You know, when I talk about that, I feel so foolish trying to even
talk about it because I don't understand what all the Lord
was experiencing when he was being immersed and emerged in
the wrath of God. I know this. I do understand
this. He put it away. He drank the
cup dry and it's now gone. But what he was experiencing
at this time, I can't really enter into this. But while he
was being immersed under the wrath of God, There was a notable
prisoner in prison. He was a murderer. He was a thief. That word notable prisoner means
notorious. He was a very wicked man. He
was a guilty man. He was a sinful man. He was scheduled
to be on that cross with Christ, dying the death of a felon. And there he is laying in prison. And can you even begin to imagine
what, how would you feel if you knew that maybe that day or the
next day you're laying there knowing you're going to be nailed
to a cross? What a horrible feeling that must have been for that
fellow. I don't know how hard hearted he was. I don't know
how hard he was, but he couldn't have been hard toward that. Anybody
would dread that. And so he, Here's the guards
coming in and I can't even imagine the sense of dread he felt as
he heard their steps. And they opened the door! And
he heard these words, you've been set free. Can you imagine how that must
have felt? Try to put yourself in his place. You have been set
free. Somebody took your place. Now, do you remember how Pilate
said, it was a custom, it was a custom, and it was a necessity
that he would deliver somebody on the Passover, a prisoner,
and set him free. And he said, you want me to set
free Christ or Barabbas? They said, not this man, but
Barabbas. They chose Barabbas. That's who
they wanted. They wanted to murder him over
the Lord Jesus Christ. And so because of that choice,
Barabbas was set free. Now here is something to think
about. When Barabbas was set free, the
guilty was set free and the innocent was punished. The guilty was set free and the
innocent was punished. Question. Is that just? Is it just for the guilty to
be set free? Is it just for the innocent to
be condemned? How many times has that happened
over the years? Where someone who was guilty
got off scot-free. And maybe someone who was innocent
was accused and punished. What a horrible thing. that would
be. I want to say this reverently. I hope and I preach and preach
reverently, but I want to say this reverently. Is that okay
with God? For the innocent to be condemned and the guilty to go free, Listen
to this scripture from Proverbs chapter 17, verse 15. He that justifieth the wicked,
and he that condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination
to the Lord. Now here is the mystery of the
gospel. When Christ died, it was the
guilty being punished. And when every believer is set
free, it's the innocent being set free. Now that, my dear friends,
is the mystery of the gospel. Though he never sinned in his
person, and let me repeat that, though he never sinned in his
person. He said, I do always those things
that please the Father. He could look at his detractors
and say, which of you can convince me of sin? Not one of them could
do it. You know why? Because he never sinned. He never
sinned in his person. Remember, thus it become of us
to fulfill all righteousness. Part of the fulfilling of all
righteousness is never sinning. He never sinned in his person. But you know what He did? And
only He can do this. He took my sins and my sorrows
and made them His very own. Now you read in Psalm 40 where
He owned my sin as His sin. You see, when the Father forsook
Him, It's because He in His person deserved to be forsaken. Because He was the sin bearer. He was made sin. He became guilty
of the commission of every single sin I've ever committed. It actually became His to where
He became guilty of it. That's why the Father forsook
Him. Now that is the mystery of the
Gospel. When Christ died, it was the guilty being punished. And when I'm set free, it's the
innocent being set free, the one who has nothing but righteousness,
the one who has never sinned. Now that is all because of union. My union with Him, His union
with me. He became what I am, sin. What all that means, I don't
know. And somebody that tries to think that they could explain
all that, please don't. Please don't. That is so mysterious. It's so, he was made, you wanna
know what sin is? Look at the cross and there you'll
see what sin really is. Only there, he was made sin. And I become united to what he
is. I'm made the very righteousness
of God in him. I'm holy and unblameable and
unreprovable in his sight, having fulfilled all righteousness. It's what the scripture calls
justification. It's exactly what it is, justification.
Now remember this, if you're justified, what that means is
you've never sinned. You know when people, preachers
particularly, they talk about believers being judged for the
works, and you'll get a higher award in heaven based upon how
good you've been here on earth, or you'll get a lower place.
Those people have no clue as to the gospel. No clue. I don't have anything to be judged
for. I'm perfect, justified before God. That's what my Redeemer
did for me. Now go back to Mark chapter one. Verse 9, it came to pass in those
days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized of
John in Jordan. And straightway, coming up out
of the water, he, John the Baptist, saw the heavens opened. Now, that word opened is the
same word used with regard to the veil being rent, torn, cleaved,
torn apart. Now, I don't know exactly, obviously
here's something else that we can't totally grasp, but somehow
he saw a rend in the heavens, and he saw into a dimension that
perhaps no one had ever seen before. He saw a dimension into
heaven. And you know what happened? The
heavenly dove came down out of that rend. And remember the Lord
told John the Baptist, the one you see the spirit descending
in bodily shape like a dove and abiding on him, that's him. That's
how I know John, I don't think John the Baptist ever seen Christ.
He didn't know who he was for sure until he saw the heavenly
dove descending down upon him. Now, what I love to think about
John said, God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him. You
see, me and you, if we're believers, we have a measure of the spirit.
We're born of the spirit. We have a nature, a new nature,
a holy nature. We have a measure of the spirit.
He had the fullness of the spirit. So that everything he did was
God doing it. God-like. Perfect. Everything
he said was the Word of God. Everything he thought was the
thoughts of God. He had the Spirit without measure. And the Spirit of God comes down
and descends upon him. And John the Baptist bears witness
to that fact. And a voice After he came up
out of the water, the spirit comes down and then there was
a voice from heaven. This is only three times that
this took place. Here at his baptism and on the man of transfiguration
where Peter said, let's make three tabernacles, one for thee
and one for Moses and one for Elijah. And all of a sudden,
a bright cloud overshadowed them. And a voice came out of that
cloud saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased. Hear ye Him. They didn't see
Moses and Elijah after that. They saw no man save Jesus. Only the other time was in John
chapter 12. Right before he began that last discourse with his
disciples, the last between John chapter 13 and John chapter 17,
he prayed, Father, glorify thy name. And the father replied,
I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. And then in the Lord's baptism.
What is the saying? Well, same thing as a man of
transfiguration. This is my beloved son, the son
of my love in whom I am well pleased. And what I love about
that statement is he didn't say this is my beloved son with whom
I'm well pleased. If that's all he said, what good
would that do me? But he said this is my beloved
son in whom I am well pleased." Now you know what that means?
That means if you're in Him, God is as well pleased with you
as He is with His Son right now while you're sitting there. That's
how pleased God is with you. Lord, how we thank you for the
baptism of thy son. We thank you for his water baptism,
what he says to us, and how we thank you that he was baptized
and immersed under your wrath as the almighty savior, putting
away the sins of your people. Now, Lord, accept our thanks
for your gospel. Lord, we ask that you would give
us the grace to believe your gospel, to believe that you're
well-pleased with all in him because you're well-pleased with
him. Give us the grace to preach this message in this generation. Enable us to believe and to preach
thy gospel. How we thank you for thy son,
in his name we pray, amen. Matt Cuddlely is closing.