Now turn in your Bible again
to Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter 1. The title of
this message is found in verse 11. And there came a voice from
heaven saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. God is only pleased with the
Lord Jesus Christ. God is only pleased with the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Mark 1, look at verse 9. We'll begin here. Mark 1, 9. And it came to pass. And it came to pass. Not by chance. Not by fate. Not by some other thing. It came
to pass exactly as God ordered it. exactly as God ordained it,
and it came to pass that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized of John in Jordan. And it came to pass. Now we read this statement at
least 60 times in the New Testament. And it came to pass. All things that come to pass
in time and in the lives of God's covenant people do so by the
eternal decree of God. Whatsoever the Lord pleased,
that's what He did in heaven, earth, seas, and all deep places. All things come to pass by God's
determinate counsel and decree. We call that the sovereign providence
of God. That which God has decreed in
eternity, fold out and roll out in time according to His own
will and purpose. Who is working all things at
the counsel of His own will. Furthermore, these things are
all working for our good. For our good. They're not working
against us, they're working for us. And it came to pass. Now hold your place here and
look at this scripture here. This will help us to understand
2 Corinthians chapter 4. It will help us to understand
that the difficulties and trials and heartaches that believers
suffer and go through in this life are for our good. They work for us. 2 Corinthians
chapter 4, notice verse 15, For all things are for your sake,
this is 2 Corinthians 4 verse 15, All things are for your sake,
that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many
redound to the glory of God. For the which cause we faint
not, but though the outward man perish, yet the inward man is
renewed day by day. Now look at verse 17, for our
light affliction, it is a light affliction, which is but for
a moment worketh for us. Our afflictions don't work against
us, they work for us. A far more and exceeding and
eternal weight of glory. These trials and heartaches that
we go through, that we suffer, that God sends our way, they're
for our good, and it came to pass. It came to pass. Moreover, these things all resound
to the glory of God. Find Romans chapter 11. They're
for our good and for His glory. Romans chapter 11 verse 36. Romans 11 verse 36. For of Him
and through Him and to Him are all things. Now that pretty well
covers the basis, doesn't it? Of Him through Him and to Him
for all things to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. For our good and His glory. And it came to pass. Now look
back to the text. And it came to pass. We see our
Savior, the Lord Jesus, coming from Nazareth of Galilee and
He comes to this river bank. where John was baptizing, and
he comes to John to submit to baptism. The Redeemer here begins
his public ministry. It says in Luke 3, verse 23,
that he was 30 years old when he began his public ministry.
This is the age, according to those Old Testament priests,
when they reach the age of 30 years old, they begin their public
ministry as the priest of God. And we know the Lord Jesus Christ
is called in Scripture, He is our Great High Priest who ever
lives to intercede for us. The book of Hebrews tells us
all about His priestly work for His covenant people as He represents
us. And notice here it says that
He came from Nazareth. Now we know, hold your place
here and find Matthew 2. We know that He was born in Bethlehem.
What's He doing in Nazareth? Well, turn over here to Matthew
chapter 2. Matthew chapter 2. Look at verse
23. And he came and dwelt in a city
called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophets, he shall be called a Nazarene. They were driven, actually, when
Herod sought to kill the infants and to kill the Messiah, they
were driven out of Bethlehem into a into Egypt, and when they
came back, they settled in Nazareth. But this is all according to
God's eternal purpose. Now, Nazareth. Turn to John chapter
1 and look at this. Someone said, can any good thing,
John chapter 1, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? He did. He is all that is good. He is goodness personified. In
John chapter 1, John chapter 1, notice verse 43. John 1, 43. The day following, Jesus would
go forth into Galilee and find Philip. And Philip, and saith
unto Philip, follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida,
the city of Andrew and Peter. And Philip findeth Nathanael,
and saith unto him, we found him. Now who really found who? The Lord found him. of whom Moses
and the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth,
the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said to him, Can
there any good thing come out of Nazareth? And Philip said,
You just come and see. You just come and see. Come and
see him. Now the Lord of glory comes unto
John to be baptized of him in Jordan. Now I want you to find
Matthew chapter 3 this time. Matthew chapter 3. Now this is This is something
to think about. The Lord of Glory comes unto
John to be baptized of him in Jordan. Matthew chapter 3, look
at verse 13. Then cometh Jesus, the Savior,
from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John,
verse 14, John said, wait a minute, wait a minute. Now John knows
who this is. Behold the Lamb of God. But John
said, Forbid him, saying, I have need to be baptized of you, and
you come to me? Notice verse 15, And the Lord
answered and said unto him, Suffer now. Notice the three, four words,
to be so, were added. Really it, Suffer, John, now. Right now. For thus it becometh. Now watch this carefully. Stay
right here in Matthew 3. For thus it cometh us, cometh
us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John, he baptized him. Now, the Lord of glory comes
to John to be baptized. What a mystery. John at first
says, well I'm the one, I'm the one who needs to be baptized
of you. I'm the one in need. He knew
he was a sinner in need of mercy. The best of men are in need of
Christ, in need of mercy. Are we not? John also says to
him, you come to me, a wonder of grace. You come to me, a sinner,
you're the Holy One of God. You're the just one of God. And
you come to me, the servant, you're Lord of all. And you come
to me, You can imagine the thoughts going through his mind. You come
to me and request of me that I baptize you? I'm a sinner? You're the Lord of glory? I'm
a servant? You're the sovereign God? And the Lord said, right now,
John, right now, the Lord speaks now. And John obeys this command
and baptizes the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's my question. Why? Why? Why? Well, the answer is found
in verse 15. For thus it becometh us, us,
to fulfill all righteousness. Now, stay with me here. Two things.
It is to fulfill all righteousness for His people as the representative
man. Now, listen to me carefully.
I've given this some thought. Hang with me. Stay with me. Now,
did his actual baptism fulfill righteousness? No. Not at all. Now, get a hold of
this. Did his baptism put away sin? He had no sin. I think that's
the supreme example to those who say baptism puts away sin. The Lord Jesus submitted to baptism,
didn't put away His sin. He had no sin! See what I'm saying? Scripture says of Him, He's high,
holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sin. But His baptism
is a type and picture of how sin is put away by his actual
death, burial, and resurrection. And again, he is picturing, as
the God-man mediator, he is picturing salvation by his death. Baptism
is a burial. When someone dies, you bury them. You don't sprinkle dirt on them,
you bury them. And what he's doing here, he
is picturing how his death, how His burial and how His resurrection,
that's how sin is put away. Again, it's a picture. It didn't
actually put away His sin, did it? He didn't have any. Not at
all. But it pictures His death. Now,
here's what it pictures. Turn over here to 2 Corinthians
chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. You see, the Lord Jesus came
as a representative man. The old timers called Him a federal
head. That is, He represents a covenant
people. And look what it says over here
in 2 Corinthians 5, that God made Him to be sin for us. And
this is what the Lord is demonstrating by His baptism in the first day
of His public ministry. He's demonstrating how sin will
be put away by Him being made sin for us. 2 Corinthians 5,
verse 21. For He hath made Him sin for
us. God laid on Him our sin. He was made sin for us. He knew no sin that we might
be made. That we might be made the righteousness
of God. The righteousness of Him. of
God in him. That's what he does for the believer. And his baptism pictures how
he would put away sin by his death. Secondly, his death, his burial. When you bury someone, you put
them out of sight. You put them out of sight. And
his burial is a type and picture of God putting away our sin. So much so that God said, their
sin and their iniquity will I remember no more. He says, as far as the
east is from the west, so far have I put your sin away from
you. He knows them no more. They're
cast into the depths of the sea. They're buried. They're cast
behind the back of God, whoever that is. They're gone. You see,
He died. He buried. And you know what
happened on that third day? He was raised again to justify
us. He was raised again because He
did justify us by Romans chapter 4. Romans chapter 4. You see, He demonstrated how
sin would be put away by His death, His burial, and then His
resurrection. He declared to be the Son of
God by the resurrection from the dead. God put His stamp of
approval on everything He did in that He raised Him from the
dead. Romans 4, verse 25. The Lord raised him from the
dead who was delivered for our offenses. He was delivered not
because he was a sinner, but because he took our sins upon
himself for our offenses. And was raised again, and this
word here is a better word, he was raised again because he justified
us. He was raised again because he
did justify us by his blood and did put away our sin. So why
was the Lord baptized? to demonstrate how sin was put
away, how we would have a justifying righteousness in Christ Jesus. His baptism did not actually
accomplish that. It pictured that which did, Christ
and Him crucified. Does that make sense? Secondly,
I want you to find Luke chapter 7. Luke chapter 7. Now look at this. The second
reason is this, why He was baptized. The Lord of glory. Luke chapter
7, Luke verse 29. Luke 7, 29. All the people that
heard him, that is John and the publicans, justified God. being baptized with the baptism
of John. Now here's the phrase, underscore
this with your pencil, justified God. These sinners justified
God being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and
the lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves being
not baptized of Him. They didn't confess they were
sinners in need of a justifying righteousness. Why was the Lord
baptized? To fulfill all righteousness,
to demonstrate how righteousness was fulfilled by His actual death,
burial and resurrection. Secondly, to justify God. To
justify God. Again, baptism does nothing to
satisfy God's holy justice. Not at all. But again, his baptism
pictures the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ
by which he did satisfy God's holy law and justice for us.
Now find 1 Peter chapter 3. 1 Peter chapter 3. Again he's demonstrating how
a sinner is justified by the blood of Christ. 1 Peter chapter
3, look at verse 18. For Christ also once suffered
for sin. He's the just dying for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit." Turn to Romans chapter 5. Romans
chapter 5. You see, by his obedience unto
death, this satisfies the holy justice of God for us. Romans
chapter 5. Notice this, if you will. Look
at Romans 5, verse 8. But God committeth His love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more than being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through Him. Now, turn to Romans 3. Look at this here. Romans 3,
verse 23, declares all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God. Romans 3, 23, being justified freely by His grace. That's what
baptism pictures. Justification in Christ by His
blood, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, His enthronement,
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, His redeeming blood. whom God set
forth to be the sacrifice for sin, the propitiation, the satisfaction
through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for
the remission of sins that are path to the longsuffering of
God, to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness that
He might be just and the justifier of them which believe in the
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Our baptism, now listen to me,
this is a key statement. I put a big red star by this.
Now listen to me. Our baptism, the Lord's baptism,
and our baptism, believers baptism, pictures exactly the same thing. Do you understand what I'm saying? Salvation through the righteousness
of Christ, salvation through the obedience of Christ, salvation
through His blood and His grace alone. Pictures exactly the same
thing. It's a picture of showing Christ
is our hope and is our salvation. Now, as an old preacher used
to say when he would come to Ashland back in the fifties and
sixties, well, back in the fifties, he died in 1954, but he preached
in that first Bible conference there in Ashland along with Rothbarnard
and those others. His name was A.D. Muse and he
was a Brother Mahan holds him up as a champion preacher, a
faithful servant of Christ. He used to have this saying,
when he was about to say something and he wanted to get everybody's
attention, he used to say this, now grab ahold of your seat,
we're going to jump a creek. Grab ahold of your seat, we're
going to jump a creek. Now, here's what I'm saying is
this, hold on to your seat. Any sinner that is baptized in
an attempt to remove his sin, Christ shall profit you nothing. Now you think with me. I've got
evidence. Turn to Galatians chapter 5. You say, why are you making this
a point? I tell you, because it's a point of contention in
our day. Old Luther said, if you don't
stand in your day on the point of contention, you're not standing
for the Gospel. Galatians chapter 5, if righteousness
comes by something I do, something I perform, something I give,
by my obedience, Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 2.21. But
now wash your ears out with this. Galatians 5 verse 1 Stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Oh I say I Paul
saying to you that if you be circumcised Christ shall profit
you What's it say? Nothing now the issue in that
day was circumcision Those old Judaizers came to those Gentiles,
remember our study in the book of Acts, and said, except you
submit to circumcision, you cannot be saved. They're saying that
Christ and His death, His blood, His sacrifice, His righteousness
is not enough. You must do something. My friend,
I'm saying that those who say that baptism saves, they're saying
the same thing that those Judaizers said that circumcision saves. I'm telling you, if you had yourself
baptized in running water or still water, it doesn't matter. Some folks think that they're
baptized in running water, that the water washes their sin down
the creek. I've had people tell me that.
But if you submit to baptism thinking that that puts away
your sin, Christ shall profit you nothing. Hold on to your seat. I'm not
done. Any sinner that is baptized to
be spiritually regenerated. Now Spurgeon fought that battle
in his day. There are some people that actually
think, and I've had a preacher recently, one of these water
and works preachers, tell me recently, that when a sinner
is baptized in that little water, and it has to be by them, you
know, they have the right authority, they set themselves up as God.
That you're actually spiritually regenerated. In water baptism,
give me a break. That is absolute tommy-rock! By the One Spirit, all baptized
into the One Body. It is the Spirit that quickeneth
the flesh, prophets, nothing! Nothing! Not only that, but they
say your sins are washed away. They say that you're regenerated. Furthermore, they say that you're
put into the Body of Christ by something I do! What nonsense. Now here's what
scriptures teach. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter
1. Say preachers shouldn't harp on that. I tell you, I have to.
I have to. If I didn't preach this message,
I'd die. I would. I'd feel like I'd die if I didn't
say these things. God put this on my heart. Now
look what it says here in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter
1 verse 30, But of him are you in Christ. Now does that make
it clear? But of him are you in Christ,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption, that according as it is written, He that glory
let him glory in the Lord." Only in the Lord. Furthermore, those
who are of the water and works crowd, They say not only that
your sins are washed away, that you are spiritually regenerated,
that you're put into the body of Christ, they also contend
that you put into the covenant of grace by something I do. That is totally contrary to what
the Scriptures say. Salvation is not of me. Salvation
is of the Lord. Is that what it says? Salvation
is of the Lord. Those who do those things, thinking
that those things recommend them to God, thinking that those things
actually accomplish salvation. Christ shall prophet you. Nothing. Nothing. Yet people in our day
have made baptism a savior. It's no new thing. It's no new
thing. There are many denominations
of which one I was raised in. who proclaim 13, 14 million people,
they believe that sins are washed away in that water and has to
be baptized by them. They have the right authority.
They say they are the body of Christ. They're liars. They're
liars. Let God be true in every man
a liar. Christ shall profit you nothing.
Now turn to Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter 1 again, our text.
Mark chapter 1, look at verse 10. And straightway coming up
out of the water, John saw the heavens open, and a spirit like
a dove descending upon him. He came up out of the water. And here is type and picture
of his resurrection glory. When He by Himself purged our
sin, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens.
It says here, the heavens were rent open, and the Spirit of
God owned Him as the God-man mediator. You see, sin and Adam
shut up. Sin and Adam shut us out of heaven. The heavens were closed, and
Adam all died. In Adam, all sin, sin has separated
us from God. By Christ's obedience, of which
his baptism is a picture of his death, burial, and resurrection,
by Christ's obedience and his satisfying atonement, the heavens
are open. He said, I am the door. By me,
if any man enter in, he shall be saved. I am the door. I am
the way. I am the truth. Now, my friend, we have liberty.
Turn to Hebrews 10. We have liberty to enter into
the holiest by the blood covenant of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
we enter in by faith, not by moving, not by doing. Salvation is not received by
doing. Salvation is received by believing. And faith glorifies God. Faith
is a gift of God. Hebrews 10. And therefore, because
He put away our sin, Hebrews 10, 17, And their sins and their
iniquities, I remember no more. Now, where remission of these
is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren,
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of the Savior, the
Lord Jesus. Turn back to Hebrews chapter
4. Here is our liberty. Here is our boldness. Hebrews
chapter 4 verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great
high priest that is passed into the heaven, Jesus the Son of
God, Hebrews 4, 14, let us hold fast our profession. For we have
not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmity, but was in all point tempted like it. We are
yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help. in time of need. Now, back to
the text. Mark chapter 1, verse 11. And there came a voice from heaven.
There came this audible voice from heaven. God Almighty rent
the heavens open, identified the Lord Jesus Christ as the
sacrifice for sin, justifying the ungodly by His blood atonement. And then He speak from heaven
and said, Thou art my beloved Son. I'm well pleased with him,
in whom, in whom I am well pleased." You see what he's saying there?
Now, sinner, is there any sinners out there? Anybody sinful? Here's our hope. Here's our hope. God the Father speaks from heaven
and declares the eternal love for God the Son. The Father loves
the Son, giving all things into His hands. God the Father speaks
from heaven and declares the Father's full, complete approval
of the Lord's mission to come to seek and to save that which
is lost. God Almighty speaks from heaven
and declares the acceptance of the priestly work of the Mediator,
the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom I am well pleased." Now here's
rich comfort for you who are sinners. Rich comfort. In all our doings, In all of
our doings, there is nothing that pleases God. In all of our
doings, there is nothing, I mean nothing with an emphasis upon
nothing, that pleases God. If salvation can be wrought by
what I do, why did He come? Why did He come? In all our doings,
in all of our righteousness, never pleased God, never satisfies
the law of God, never honors His justice, never! Never! Man
at his best state is altogether vanity. All of our righteousness
does are as filthy rag. Does filthy rag please you? Do
you think that our smelly rottenness of our self-glory would be pleasing
unto God? Absolutely not. Now here's this
sinner's comfort. God is well pleased with the
Lord Jesus Christ. He's my hope. He's my salvation. He is my Savior. The sinner,
as he's one with his Lord, God beholds them and regards them
in Christ, clothed with His righteousness. We receive Him by faith. Blessed
is the man to whom God would impute righteousness without
works. God beholds them and regards them in the Lord Jesus Christ,
invested with His merit, charged to them. Turn to Colossians chapter
1. With His merit charged to them,
invested to them, freely given to them. Colossians 1 verse 19. For it pleased the Father that
in Him should all fullness dwell. You see, there's that same word.
It pleased the Father. God is well pleased only with
Christ. Will you hear me? flee to Christ,
look to Him, be found in Him. No wonder Paul said, I count
everything else but lost, that I might win Christ and be found
in Him. For it pleased the Father that
in Him should all fullness dwell, having made peace through the
blood of His cross. And who made peace? He did. By
Him to reconcile all things to Himself. By Him, I say, Things
in earth or things in heaven, all are reconciled unto God in
Christ Jesus. And you, that were sometimes
alienated, enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He reconciled. It's not me and Jesus. Don't even talk that way. That's
irreverent. It's Christ the Lord alone who
is all salvation. He reconciled us to God. How?
He embodied His place through death to present you holy, unblameable,
unreprovable in His sight. God is well pleased with those
in Christ Jesus. Notice in Colossians 2. Colossians
2 verse 9, For in Him, you see, it's in whom the Father is well
pleased. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him, which is
the head of all principality and power. The sinner, as he
is one with his Lord, God beholds them and regards them in Christ
Jesus, holy, unblameable, unreprovable in God's sight." You see, my
friend, we're accepted in, what does it say, Ephesians 1, 6,
we're accepted in, what is it? who are accepted in the Beloved.
God is well pleased with the Lord Jesus Christ. His death,
His sacrifice, His obedience unto death, His righteousness
whereby He honored the law of God in every precept and every
penalty, satisfying God's holy justice. God is well pleased
for His righteousness sake, Isaiah 42, 21, He will magnify the law
and make it honorable. It's not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy, His mercy, He saved
us who was lost. We were lost dead in sin, and
He saved us. by His grace. Thou art my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased." Closing look to this. 1 John. 1 John chapter 3. God is well pleased with the
Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ and those
sons of God in Him. 1 John 3.1. Behold what manner of love. 1
John 3.1. The Father hath bestowed upon
us that we should be called sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth
us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we sons of God,
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that
when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see
Him as He is." 1 John 4. Verse 17, Herein is our love
made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment,
because as He is, so are we in this world. This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased.