Looking back now at Matthew chapter
3, I'm taking the title for the message from what a glorious
statement is made in verse 17. The Father, God the Father, speaks
from heaven saying, this is my, my son, my
beloved son, It doesn't say with whom, it says in whom. In whom
I am well pleased. God the Father is well pleased
with our blessed Savior. Now we have, as far as I know,
only two occasions recorded in Scripture when the Heavenly Father
audibly, clearly, and loudly speaks from Heaven. which we
know we have as written word, but talking about audibly from
heaven. When the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by John and when
he was transfigured before the apostles, both times it was the
same message. This is my beloved, well-beloved
son. Hear him. This is my beloved
son. The father is always well-pleased
with his son and with all those in his son. by the Father's sovereign
decree and eternal purpose. He's pleased with the Lord Jesus
Christ and all those in Him by God's purpose, God's will, God's
decree. Listen to this scripture. We're
bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord. because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through the sanctification of the spirit,
which is regeneration, quickening from the dead by the spirit of
God, which leads to belief of the truth, whereunto he called
you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ. God is well pleased with his
son, and God is well pleased with those He has chosen in His
Son. And when did that choice take
place? From eternity, God chose a people unto salvation. Now
John, we know, son of God, a man son of God, John had been preaching
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ around the areas of Jerusalem. He's not in established religion.
He's not with the Pharisees and scribes and Sadducees. He's outside
the camp. He's outside the walls of Jerusalem. But he's preaching the message
of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ,
calling upon believers to submit to the Lord's ordinance of baptism,
confessing their sin before God, their need of salvation. Their
need of salvation. by and through the Lord Jesus
Christ. John faithfully administered
the ordinance of water baptism and also faithfully announced
the coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would
baptize with, not with water, but with power. Look at verse
11 and verse 12 of Matthew chapter three. I indeed baptize you with
water. That's all John could do. That's
all John could do. But he that cometh after me,
speaking of the Messiah, is mightier. He is the almighty God, mightier
than I, whose shoes I'm not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you
with the Holy Spirit, with the Holy Ghost, and with fire, whose
fan is in his hand, he will truly, completely, totally purge his
floor, that is, purging our sin away, and because he has done
that, he gathers us unto himself. He gathers us and he will burn
up the chaff with fire. Now, Messiah will come, and he
did come, And he did put away sin, not with the blood of bulls
and goats, but with his own blood. He purged away our sin by the
sacrifice of himself, not by water baptism, but rather by
his precious blood he put away our sin. The Messiah did come
and he did purge our sin. The Messiah will come and did
come and he is yet gathering those for whom he died. Those
from whom he died and purged and put away their sin, what
is he doing? He's gathering them. He's been gathering his people
for a long time. And one day when he gathers the
last of his elect into the sheepfold, that's when the Lord will come.
The gospel shall be preached and all the world then cometh
to the end. The Lord Jesus Christ will make
a righteous judgment against all those not found in Christ. Because it says, God commanded
all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day
in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man
whom he hath ordained, whereof he is given assurance in that
he raised him from the dead. God committed all judgment unto
the Son. I want you to turn, you hold
your place there in Matthew 3, and turn over here to John chapter
3. It's a spirit that quickeneth the flesh, profiteth nothing.
In John chapter 3, notice beginning at verse 27, John chapter 3 verse
27, John answered and said, a man can receive nothing except it
be given from heaven, you yourselves bear me witness that I said I'm
not the Christ, but I'm sent before him. He that hath the
bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom
which standeth and heareth him rejoices greatly because of the
bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase I must decrease. He that cometh from above is
above all. He that is earthly and speaketh
of the earth. He that cometh from heaven is
above all. And what he hath seen and heard,
that he testifieth, and no man receiveth his testimony. Verse
33. He that hath received his testimony
hath set to his seal that God is true. Now these are the words
of John concerning Christ. Listen, verse 34. For he whom
God hath sent speaketh the words of God. For God giveth not the
Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and
hath given all things into his hand. Now look at verse 36. We often quote this and don't
really realize who said this. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. That's the words of John the
Baptist. And he that believeth not the Son shall not see life,
but what the wrath of God abides on Him. And that's why I read
over here back in Matthew chapter 3, the fan is in His hand, in
the hand of the Almighty Savior, He will purge His floor, He will
gather His wheat, and He will burn up the chaff. He that believeth
on the Son hath life, he that believeth not The sun shall not
see light, but the wrath of God abides on him." When John's ministry
was over, then cometh, verse 13, then cometh the Savior. Then cometh the Savior. He comes
from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized in him, but John
forbade that, or forbid that, saying, I have need to be baptized
of thee, and you come to me? And the Lord answered and said, suffer
it now, right now. You baptize me right now. Don't
hesitate. Don't think about it. For thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he baptized
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus travels his three-day
journey. from Nazareth in Galilee to the
banks of Jordan to be baptized of John. We know from reading
Luke chapter 3 that when this took place, then cometh Jesus.
He was 30 years old when he began his public ministry. Now, why
30 years old? Why not 29? Why not 31? Well, the Lord Jesus Christ,
as the priest of God, the great high priest in honoring the law
of God, Those Old Testament priests, they began their ministry when
they were 30 years old. Everything he did was according
to the law of God, establishing a righteousness for us. In the
fullness of time, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made
under the law. Now, water baptism we know, talking
about believer's baptism. Believer's baptism is a symbol
and picture of our redemption and remission by the blood of
Christ It is not redemption from sin. It is a picture and symbol
of redemption from sin. Water baptism is not the remission
of sin. Water baptism is not regeneration. You're not regenerated in the
waters of baptism. Water baptism is a picture and
symbol of salvation by the life, death, and resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Water baptism is not salvation. Water baptism has no, with an
emphasis upon no, saving power or value. Much like the Lord's
Table, the Lord's given his church two ordinances, right? The Lord's
Table, he said, this do in remembrance of me, and then confessing of
believers in baptism That's how we publicly confess that Christ
is all of our salvation. But the Lord's table and believers'
water of baptism, those are not salvation, nor are they the means
of giving salvation. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ is
not being baptized to put away his sin, is he? He had no sin
to put away. The Lord Jesus Christ is not
being baptized to be saved, is he? That'd be interesting to
ask some of those people who promotes salvation by water baptism,
to ask them why the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized. I mean,
he's the Savior. He's the one who has eternal
life. But the Lord Jesus Christ, by submitting to his own ordinances,
is demonstrating to us by this ordinance that his death, his
resurrection is our salvation. Now a picture is not salvation. Christ is salvation. It is the
ordained means that is water baptism the Lord has given so
that believers can publicly confess the Lord Jesus Christ as all
of our salvation and our union and oneness with him. Go all
through the book of Acts. The gospel was preached, the
gospel was preached, and God revealed the gospel, and then
what did believers do? They confessed the Lord Jesus
Christ in believers' baptism. We've been all through the book
of Acts, not once, not twice, but three times, and we've seen
how they're sent to preach the gospel, and then those who are
saved by the grace of God confess their union and hope of salvation
by believers' baptism. Now, look at verse 14. We'll
have more to say about that in just a minute. Look at verse
14. Here the Lord, the Messiah, God
in human flesh, the Almighty God, comes to John to be baptized. And John said, no way, no way. John said, forbid this, it's
not going to happen. saying to the Lord, now here
John is saying, I need to be baptized of you. John is confessing
that I'm a sinner. I'm the one who needs to be baptized.
He's saying, you have no sin. You have no need to confess your
sin. I'm the one in need of salvation.
I have need to be baptized of thee. And yet he says, you come
to me? Now you put yourself in John's
place for just a moment. What would be your response?
I'm sure it would be the same, out of humility. John at first
objected to baptize the Lord, not out of a spirit of rebellion,
but rather out of a spirit of reverence before God. John knew
Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, the promised Redeemer. John knew
that he was the Lamb of God, sent to take away the sin of
his people. He said, behold the Lamb of God
that takes away our sin. John knew that he was a sinner
in need of salvation, though through Christ alone, in need
of confessing the Lord Jesus Christ in believer's baptism.
He said, I have need to be baptized of thee. Now, I've never read
in scripture. Now, I thought about this. I
thought about this after looking at this and studying this. We
never read in scripture where John was baptized. Was he? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe after this, and it's not
recorded, I'm just speculating, maybe the Lord Jesus Christ,
after John baptized him, maybe, I don't know, maybe the Lord
Jesus Christ did baptize John. something to think about, but
we don't know for sure. You come to me to be baptized,
we see John's humility, but we also see the willingness and
humility of the Lord Jesus Christ to be baptized in the muddy waters
of Jordan, to be identified with us. to show us His union with
us by the sacrifice of Himself. You see what I'm saying there?
Believer's baptism is demonstrating our union with Christ. Christ
is all of our hope, all of our salvation. The Lord's baptism
demonstrates to us His union with us through His sacrifice
and through His blood. Now, let me read this to you. I've got this written down. Don't
turn if you're familiar with this. Over here in Philippians
chapter 2. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men, Think about that. And being found in fashion
as a man, Philippians 2 verse 8, being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross, wherefore God hath highly exalted him and
given him a name which is above every name. You see something
of the humility of our Lord Jesus Christ, don't you? Submitting
to this ordinance of baptism, showing his union with his church,
union with his people. Now, look at verse 15. And the
Lord answered and said to John, right now, you baptize me, don't
even think about it, you baptize me right now. Suffer it to be
so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill righteousness. Now, how righteous? does a sinner need to be to be
accepted of God as righteous as God? Look just one page over
in Matthew chapter 5, one page, verse 20, Matthew 5, 20. I say
unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of God. The Pharisees and the scribes,
I mean, they were the most moral, upright, righteous, outwardly. But our Lord said, you need something
better than that. What is better than that? Christ
himself is all of our salvation. Now, the Lord answered John without
reservation, said, you suffer it to be now. Why did the Lord
Jesus Christ insist upon being baptized? He insisted upon it. John said, now, let's just back
up and think about this a minute. Paul said, uh-uh, right now,
right now, baptize me. Now, why did the Lord Jesus Christ
insist upon being baptized? He had no sin to confess, did
he? He had no need to repent of his
transgression. He had none. He had no need to
wash away his sin by water baptism. Our Lord Jesus Christ answers
with a word of truth to fulfill all righteousness, to fulfill
all righteousness. Now, a preacher friend of mine
years and years ago said this, Christ did not fulfill righteousness
by his baptism, did he? Christ did not fulfill righteousness
by his baptism, but rather by what baptism was a symbol and
picture of his death, his burial, and resurrection. That's what
fulfilled righteousness. You see that? And notice, suffer
it to be so now for us to fulfill righteousness. You see, what
he did, we did. When he died, we died. When he
was raised up, we were raised up in him. Us, he's given us
a righteousness in Christ. The Lord is showing by his baptism
the way of salvation by his grace through his redeeming blood and
glorious resurrection and his union with his people. That which
is true of the head is true of the body. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the head of his church. We are his body. What he did,
we did, justified freely by his grace. The baptism of our Lord Jesus
Christ was a picture and type and symbol of his redeeming work,
which he should shortly fulfill for us a righteousness that we
need. Now turn to Romans chapter 5. Let me show you this. We know when Adam all died, right? What Adam did, we did. What he
sinned, we sinned, right? Adam was a representative man.
The Lord Jesus Christ is a representative man. What he did, we did. Being
in him, being in union with him. Now, look at Romans 5 verse 19. Romans 5 verse 19. For as by
one man's disobedience, many were made sinners. Now who's
that one man? Adam, in the garden. By one sin,
one disobedience, many were made sinners. So, verse 19, by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Now how are we made righteous?
Through his death, through his burial, through his resurrection.
You see, he honored the law of God for us. establishing a perfect
righteousness for us. Look at verse 20, Romans 5 verse
20. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. Verse 21, that as sin hath reigned
unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life. by Jesus Christ our Lord. You
see, He established righteousness for us, honored every precept
of the law, honored every penalty of the law, thereby establishing
a perfect righteousness for us that He freely imputes unto us. It becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness. When He was immersed In the wrath
of God against our sin, it pleased God to bruise Him in our room
and in our stead. Remember the Scripture, 2 Corinthians
5, verse 21. God made Him to be sin for us,
right? Who knew no sin, right? He had
no sin, did no sin, knew no sin. God made Him to be sin for us,
the one who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Christ. He is the Lord, our righteousness. When he was buried in the borrowed
tomb, because sin brought death, he bare our sin in his own body. He really died being guilty of
our sin laid upon him. And when sin is finished, what
does it bring? Death. He died a real death. But he didn't stay dead, did
he? Why didn't he stay dead? Because he put away our sin.
Because he established righteousness for us. In his glorious resurrection
from the dead, he declared victory over sin, death, hell, and the
grave. Remember from our study in Revelation
1, I'm he that liveth and was dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore. I have the keys of hell and death.
He has the power. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. You see, He fulfilled all righteousness
for us. Now, never make the deadly mistake
like those Jews did in that day when Paul describes them in Romans
chapter 10, they being ignorant of the righteousness of God and
going about to establish the righteousness of their own, have
not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God revealed
in Christ. for Christ is the end of the
law, for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Never make the
deadly mistake of thinking that our morality is our righteousness. Our morality, and I'm all in
on that, be the best you can, do the best you can, but our
best morality in God's sight is what? Filthy rags. unclean. You see, the only thing
God will accept is that which God has provided. And what He
has provided is a perfect atonement in the Lord Jesus Christ through
His blood that establishes the ground of our salvation. We read
a moment ago, grace reigns through righteousness. Whose? Mine? His. He is the Lord, our
righteous. When he ascended up on high,
he sat down on the right hand of God, being accepted, God being
satisfied, and you know what the scripture says? It says,
we sat down in him. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ, and raised
us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenlies in
the Lord Jesus Christ right now. Now preachers, wait a minute
now. You're still here. Yeah, you're
right. But in Christ, I'm there. Because
of that union with Him. And that union we have with Him. My dear pastor used to have this
phrase, Brother Henry. He would always use this phrase
about our relationship, the believer's relationship with Christ. He
talked about a vital union. A vital union. This head is vital to this body. It's a vital union. If you take
the head off His body, the body dies and the head does too. We
are vitally united to the Lord Jesus Christ. Inseparably, eternally
one with Him. That's why He's talking about
their suffering to be so now. With us it becometh us to fulfill
all righteousness. I want you to turn and read with
me over here in Philippians chapter 3. Here is a confession of a Pharisee
that's been converted by the power and grace of God. You remember
Saul of Tarsus? Saul of Tarsus was a God-hater.
He was very religious, wasn't he? Saul of Tarsus. He went about
persecuting the church and killing those who called upon Christ. But when he met the Savior, look
at verse 7, Philippians 3, verse 7. Philippians 3, verse 7. But
what things were gained to me, those I count lost for Christ.
Yea, doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I've suffered
the loss of all things, and who count them but dung, that I may
win Christ. and be found in him. You go back
and read the earlier parts of chapter 3, everything that Paul
talked about that he was, the Pharisee, circumcised, tribe
of Benjamin, and all these different things touching the law, blameless,
he sums it all up as dung. Now you know what dung is, right?
Barnyard manure. That's what dung is. Barnyard
manure. He counted all things done, lost,
ruined, that I may win Christ and be found in him. Look, verse
nine. Not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, by the faithfulness,
the righteousness of God, by the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, back to the text. Now, I've
taken too much time on these first three verses, and we may
come back and visit verse 16 and following next week. Look
at verse 16, Matthew 3. And the Savior, when He was baptized,
He was not sprinkled, He was baptized. And the word means
to immerse. When someone dies, you don't
sprinkle dirt in their face, do you? You bury them. And that's exactly what baptism
pictures, a death, a burial, and a resurrection. And Jesus,
when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened
unto him. And he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and lighting upon him, verse 17, and lo, a
voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved son, in whom, in
whom I am well pleased. Here we see the whole Godhead
manifest in the salvation of God's elect. The Father speaks
from heaven. owns the Son, and the Holy Spirit
identifies the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah. In the salvation
of sinners, the whole triune God is involved in our salvation. The Lord our God is one Lord
manifest in three distinct persons. There are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. These three
are one. The whole of our salvation is united work of the eternal
Godhead. Read Ephesians chapter 1. The
Father planned and purposed from all eternity, planned and purposed
from all eternity to choose a people and give them to the Lord Jesus
Christ. We are bound to give thanks to God. God had blessed
us with all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ,
according as he had chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world. planned the purpose by God the
Father from all eternity, purchased and obtained by the blood atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of
his grace, to the praise of the glory of his grace. It says that
three times in Ephesians chapter one, the Father choosing to the
praise of the glory of his grace, the Son redeeming to the praise
of the glory of his grace, and then it talks about God the Holy
Spirit who seals us with that earnest of the eternal inheritance
we have in Christ Jesus, again according to the praise of His
glory. Verse 17, a lower voice from
heaven saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. God the Father is well pleased
with every aspect of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ,
His blood atonement for us. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
only one who can satisfy and please God for us. In Isaiah
42, it said, Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my elect, and
whom my soul delighteth. And then it says in Isaiah 42,
verse 21, the Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake, he
will magnify the law and honor it. If you read just over one
page in Matthew chapter five, it says, our Lord said, I didn't
come to destroy the law and the prophets. I came to honor and
fulfill all things for us. God the father is well pleased,
not only with the Lord Jesus Christ, but with all those in
him. It says again, Ephesians chapter
one, we are accepted in the beloved. The delight and pleasure and
satisfaction of God the Father with the Lord Jesus Christ is
immutable, unchanging, and everlasting, right? God has always been well
pleased with Christ and always will be. And he's also well pleased
with all those in him, eternally so. He said, I'll never leave
you. I'll never, I'll never forsake
you. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
Lord, excuse me, our righteousness. He said He would never leave
us. He would never forsake us. Now let me read you these scriptures
in closing. Suffer us to fulfill all righteousness. God said, this is my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased. Now three scriptures and I'll
be done, couple minutes. Colossians chapter one says this,
having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to
reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or heaven, and you that were sometimes alienated
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy, unblameable, unreprovable in
his sight. This is my beloved son in whom
I am well pleased." Now, what about those outside of Christ?
Outside of Christ, God is consuming fire. Now here's another scripture,
Ephesians 5. Husbands, love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that
he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but it should be that it should
be holy and without blame. That's how God sees us in Christ. God is well pleased with his
son and he's well pleased with everyone in his son. One more
scripture, I'll be done. You remember in the book of Jude,
verse 24 and 25. Now unto him that is able to
keep you from falling, and to present you faultless, faultless. Preacher, I'm full of faults.
Yes, you are. I am too, full of sin. But in the Lord Jesus Christ,
I'm faultless. Holy, without blame, before him
in love. Faultless before the presence
of his glory with exceeding joy. What God says of Christ, he says
of every son of God. I'm well pleased with him. enter
into the joy of the Lord. To the only wise God, our Savior,
be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, both now and forever."
And then it says, amen. Amen. So be it. So be it. Aren't
you glad we have such a Savior as the Lord Jesus Christ, who
performed all things for us?