"Fulfilled" 1-11-26
Overview
Fulfilled: The Baptism of Jesus and Ours
The first recorded words of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel come at the Jordan River, in response to John the Baptist's hesitation: "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness" Matthew 3:15. John knew his place—he was sent to prepare the way, not to be the Christ—and rightly recognized his own need to be baptized by Jesus rather than the reverse. Yet Jesus insists. Why? Not because the sinless Son of God needed forgiveness, and not merely to give us an example to imitate. Jesus is announcing the start of his earthly ministry, a mission that will lead to Jerusalem, the cross, and the empty tomb, where all righteousness is finally and fully accomplished.
At the Jordan, we are given a glimpse into the very life of the Triune God. As the Son comes up from the water, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father's voice declares, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased" Matthew 3:16-17. The same words echo at the Transfiguration, bookending the Epiphany season and revealing the Son's identity. But when Jesus later tells his disciples that he must suffer and die, Peter—like John before him—tries to prevent the mission, only to be told, "Get behind me, Satan" Matthew 16:23. Without Jerusalem, without the cross, the birth, baptism, and ministry of Christ would be in vain. To fulfill all righteousness, Jesus had to bear the wrath of the Father in our place, crying out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46—and rising on the third day.
This is why Christian baptism is not merely a symbol or a religious duty performed in proper order. The risen Christ commands his disciples to baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" Matthew 28:19, giving away in the waters what he himself secured on the cross. Paul puts it plainly: "All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death... so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" Romans 6:3-4. The old self has been put to death; the new life is Christ's own. As Paul says, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" Galatians 2:20.
Take heart, then, in your baptism. The demand of holy perfection has already been met for you. You have been washed with the full righteousness of Christ, given complete forgiveness, and freed from the burden of sin to live by the Spirit who now dwells in you. Jesus' baptism marked the beginning of his ministry; your baptism marks you as one who bears the image of God, so that when the Father looks on you, he sees the righteousness of his beloved Son—and sees that all has been fulfilled.
Transcript
Would you please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew the third chapter? 3s
If you're using a Pue edition of the Bible, this can be found on page 3 in the New Testament. 9s
We're in the Gospel of Matthew the third chapter. 16s
A couple of weeks ago, we heard Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, say, 22s
Why were you searching for me? 29s
Did you not know that I must be in my father's house? 32s
Last week, in the Gospel of Mark, we heard Jesus, say, 36s
The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near, 42s
repent and believe in the good news. 47s
And today we hear, let it be so now for it is proper for us in this way 52s
to fulfill all righteousness. 58s
Each of these words of Jesus that are recorded in the Gospel are the first words 63s
that are recorded in each of the Gospels, in each of the writers, in a unique way. 70s
And with each one, we hear something different and yet held together 78s
in the person of Jesus Christ. 83s
In Luke, we have this identification that Jesus makes as a young boy, aged 12, 86s
that he knows exactly who his father is and yet he is fully obedient to his father 93s
and have an end to his parents here on earth. 101s
In Mark, we have the adult Jesus who is proclaiming the good news in his ministry, 105s
proclaiming that the hand of God, the kingdom of God, the promises of God are present 114s
and are being fulfilled in Matthew. 122s
In Matthew, the first words that we have recorded that come from the mouth of Jesus, 127s
there are response, there are response that Jesus makes to one who is trying to prevent 133s
to prevent his mission. 143s
Look with me, please, at verse 13, then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized 147s
by him. John would have prevented him saying, I need to be baptized by you and do you 155s
come to me? You see, John knew John knew very well his inferiority to Jesus. He knew that his role 163s
by God was to prepare the way for the Christ not to be the Christ. And so when Jesus comes to him, 173s
John finds himself inferior and doesn't want to take a position over or above Christ. 184s
And so he tries to submit, he tries to prevent himself from baptizing Christ knowing very well 195s
that it is He who needs from Christ. But Jesus responds in verse 15, Jesus answered him, 204s
let it be so now for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness. 216s
Do Jesus words mean that He too needs the baptism for the forgiveness of sin? 231s
Jesus knows that He is God. John knows that Jesus is the Christ, 240s
being God fully God, fully man was Jesus in need of baptism for the forgiveness of sin. 250s
No, certainly, certainly not. So do the words mean that that Jesus has come for baptism 258s
as an example for those who are coming after Him. Does He need to give the example of being 267s
baptized so that those who would come after would see the example and be baptized? No. 276s
Jesus is not baptized as an example. So how do we understand this response of Jesus? Let it be so 285s
now for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness. We're going to come back to this. 295s
We're going to come back to His response and what it really entails. Let's continue on. 305s
He consented. Verse 16, and when Jesus had been baptized, just as He came up from the water, 314s
suddenly the heavens were open to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and a lighting on 320s
Him. And a voice from heaven said, this is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased. 327s
We are in the season of Epiphany. And the season of Epiphany is bookmarked by the baptism of Christ 336s
and by the transfiguration of Christ. And what's very interesting is in both of these scenes, 346s
we hear the voice of God the Father. And both times He says, this is my son, the beloved, with whom I am 354s
well pleased. And in the gospel of Matthew at the transfiguration, the Father also adds, 366s
listen to Him. So both scenes that bookmark the Epiphany season, we have, God the Father, 373s
recognizing Christ, saying, this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased and continuing to 384s
say, listen to Him at the baptism of Jesus. At this baptism, look again at verse 16, 393s
when Jesus had been baptized just as He came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were 401s
open to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and a lighting on Him. And a voice 408s
from heaven said, this is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased. Do you see? Do you see 415s
Trinity present? All three persons, the son, the second person of the Trinity, as He comes up 431s
out of the waters. The Spirit, the third person of the Trinity descends upon Him in the form of a dove 439s
and the voice, the voice of the Father, the first person of the Trinity is heard. This is a holy 448s
and blessed moment to which we are privy of the relationship of the Trinity, the relationship 461s
in the communion of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the baptism of Jesus 473s
that marks the beginning of His ministry here on earth, the beginning of His earthly ministry. 483s
So we're going to come back to the baptism looking at what Jesus said in the beginning of verse 15. 492s
The first words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of Matthew, let it be so now for it is proper for us 501s
in this way to fulfill all righteousness. This is not the gospel that we turn to to understand 509s
our baptism or to understand the purpose and the meaning and the command for our baptism. 519s
If we do, it diminishes the purpose and the meaning of our baptism. Because if we look to this, 530s
that it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness, we see it as a symbol. 540s
We see baptism as a symbol as something some work that we are doing in the right and proper order of our 550s
faith life. And it diminishes what baptism really is for you and for me. 559s
Jesus did not need baptism for the forgiveness of sin. We need baptism for the forgiveness of sin. 569s
We recognize or we receive the command to baptize. We receive the command from the 584s
prison Christ. At the end of Matthew in chapter 28, when he is commanding his disciples to go, 593s
make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 603s
Notice, notice they are to be baptized in the name of the Triune God. In the name of the three persons of the Holy Trinity, 614s
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism marks the beginning of Christ's ministry here on earth. 629s
Baptism. Baptism for the disciple. Baptism for the disciple. Marks new life. 645s
A new creation. A new being. Baptism. Baptism is not a symbol. Baptism is not just one more thing that we must do in proper order of our faith life and living out our faith. 656s
Baptism is so much more than that. Look again at verse 14. John would have prevented him, 681s
Jesus, saying, I need to be baptized by you and do you come to me the purpose of Christ's baptism. 696s
It was going to be prevented by John. That's not the last time that the purpose of Christ would be 711s
tempted or attempted to be prevented by one who knew better. In Matthew the 16th chapter, 723s
Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the 736s
elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised and Peter. 743s
Peter took him aside and began to review him saying, God forbid it, Lord. Peter attempted to prevent 749s
Jesus from going to Jerusalem. Peter attempted to prevent the very purpose of Jesus 763s
on earth and his ministry and just as Jesus responded to John the Baptist saying that 775s
it is proper to fulfill all righteousness. I need to be baptized. Baptized me. Jesus says to Peter, 785s
get behind me Satan. You are a stumbling block to me for you are setting your mind not on divine 796s
things but on human things. Peter wanted to prevent Jesus from entering into Jerusalem but if he had 804s
succeeded in preventing Jesus, then the birth of Christ, the baptism of Christ, 815s
the life, the ministry, the works of Christ, the teaching of Christ would all be for nothing. 826s
You see, it is right and proper for Jesus to fulfill all righteousness. 840s
In order to fulfill all righteousness, Jesus the Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity 851s
needed to enter into Jerusalem. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, 859s
having lived the perfect life needed to suffer at the hands of the Pharisees, the sadgesies, 868s
the Romans. It was proper for him to fulfill all righteousness by entering into Jerusalem, 882s
facing certain death, receiving a cruel crucifixion, and even more detrimental. 896s
By receiving the turning of his father. At the baptism of Christ, we have present the 918s
father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. And we hear the father say, this is my son, the beloved 934s
with whom I am well pleased. As he hung on the cross, fulfilling the purpose of all righteousness, 944s
we don't hear the voice of the father. We hear the voice of the son 961s
alone. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And he received the wrath of the father 971s
and gave up his own spirit and died. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, 990s
in order to fulfill all righteousness, died for your sin, died for my sin, 1007s
but did not remain dead. On the third day, the good news that he rose again to new life, 1018s
that he defeated death through his death, fulfilling the fullness of all righteousness for you 1028s
and for me and for all of the world, reckons, siling us to the triune, God, the father, the son, 1040s
and the Holy Spirit that we may have perfect communion with Him for all of eternity. 1050s
It is the risen Christ. The risen Christ who comes to His disciples and says, 1064s
make disciples of all the nations by baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the 1072s
holy spirit. Make new Baptists, make new disciples, make new people through the waters of baptism. 1080s
So we circle back once again to our baptism. When Jesus answered Him saying, let it be so 1099s
now for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus was not saying this is 1109s
work in the order of proper function of faith. Jesus says, this is the start of my ministry, 1117s
through which I end up in Jerusalem at the hands of the soldiers on the cross only to rise again, 1126s
fulfilling all righteousness and then giving it to all through their baptism. 1136s
So what is it that we receive in our baptism, in our Romans reading? 1150s
We hear, do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized 1159s
into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him by baptism into death so that just as Christ 1166s
was raised from the dead by the glory of the father. So we too might walk in newness of life. 1175s
In your baptism you have been given new life. The old Adam, the old Eve has been put to death. 1186s
You have been put to death and raised to new life and the new life that you have been raised to 1200s
life that is in Christ. As Paul says in Galatians, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. 1209s
And in that baptism that we receive, we receive the freedom to live. 1226s
The freedom to live as Christ calls us to live because the demand of righteousness, 1239s
the demand of holy perfection has been fulfilled. It has been fulfilled for you by Christ. 1249s
And in your baptism you are washed with the full righteousness of Christ. You are washed with the full forgiveness of your sin. 1266s
You are washed with complete salvation and released to live accordingly to God's Word. 1281s
You are released from the burden of your sin and able and empowered to live with God's own spirit that lives in you. 1302s
The baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of his ministry. 1326s
The baptism that we experience that we celebrate that we are washed in. 1338s
Marks the freedom of life marks that you bear the image of God and marks 1349s
that when the Father sees you, He sees the righteousness of Christ. 1364s
And He sees that all has been fulfilled. 1376s