church

INI
The Baptism of Our Lord
January 13, 2013
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

A TALE OF TWO BAPTISMS
Jesus’ and Yours!
Matthew 3:13-17

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus
our Lord. Amen. The Word of God to which we direct our attention this
morning comes from the Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 3, beginning with the
13th verse, as follows:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14
And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are
You coming to me?" 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so
now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed
Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the
water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of
God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice
came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased." This is the Word of God.

In the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, Who fulfilled all righteousness for us,
Dear Fellow Redeemed,

“A Tale of Two Cities” is one of Charles Dickens’ most famous novels. You
may have read it if you’re a fan of Dickens. Even if you’re not, you may have
been required to read it when you were in high school or college. As the title
implies, it’s a story that is set in two cities – the two great capitals of Europe,
Paris and London, - at the time of the French Revolution. At first glance one
might think the two had little in common, particularly during a period when
France was in tumult and England was at peace. But in His masterful prose,
Dickens demonstrated that much of the abuse and corruption suffered by the
citizens of France was also perpetrated upon citizens of England, only in
different ways. You'd think the two cities could hardly be more different, but
seen through Dickens eyes, they have much in common.

You and Jesus have something in common, did you know? You both were
baptized! There are differences, of course. Jesus had no sins to wash away. Jesus
had no need to repent even once, while we have need of repentance every day.
At first glance, the two baptisms might seem as different as day and night. As
different as Paris and London. But there are important similarities as well. If
you haven't thought about your baptism for a while – in fact, if you don't think
about your baptism every day! – then you're missing out on a source of comfort
that can make a tremendous difference in your life. Our theme this morning is:

A TALE OF TWO BAPTISMS
Jesus’ and Yours!
I. Both are opposed by man.
II. Both are required by God.
III. Both bestow the Holy Spirit.
IV. Both identify a beloved child of God.

One week from now our nation’s president will be inaugurated for his second
term in office. Did you know that Jesus had an official inauguration, too? It
happened when He was baptized by John in the Jordan river. In a sense, that
was Jesus’ first day in office. The peaceful days of his youth Nazareth were now
at an end. For on the day of His baptism, He was officially “inaugurated” by
God the Father. Not to be the president of a country – nothing so modest! – but
to be the Savior of all mankind! In the Old Testament, kings and prophets were
anointed with oil as a sign that they were designated by God to fill that office.
On the day of His baptism, Jesus was anointed, only not with oil. He was
anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our Prophet, High Priest and King. That
fact is striking enough by itself, but what’s really amazing is that your baptism
does many of the same things for you that Jesus’ baptism did for Him!

We could almost call it A TALE OF TWO BAPTISMS. And the first
commonality we notice is that both are opposed by man. The resistance to
Jesus’ baptism came first from a very unlikely source – John himself! The text
says, Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14
And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are
You coming to me?"

John was a very great prophet. He was very sincere and devout. He knew who
Jesus was and he recognized him as the Messiah. But he didn't understand Jesus
mission. So he tried to prevent him; he literally interrupted him in his work, and
tried to keep him from what he needed to do! "How can I baptize you, Lord
Jesus? If anything, I'm the one who needs to be baptized by you!" By the way,
have you ever noticed how often this happened during Jesus ministry? Devout
followers of Jesus – his very disciples! – would often obstruct him and try to
keep him from carrying out his mission as the world's Redeemer. They tried to
keep him from going up to Jerusalem when it was time for him to suffer. When
he told them frankly about his coming death, Peter said, "Far be it from You,
Lord; this shall not happen to You!" But He turned and said to Peter, "Get
behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the
things of God, but the things of men." (Mat 16:22-23).

You know, many Christian churches are still getting in Jesus’ way,
misunderstanding the mission of the church, even trying to prevent baptisms.
They claim that baptism is merely "an optional human ordinance," even though
God's Word clearly commands baptism. Our Lord Jesus said, "Go ye therefore
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and
of the Holy Ghost." Many say that it's wrong to baptize babies, because their
human reason tells them that babies are too young to have faith. But God's
Word clearly says that little babies are part of “all nations," even little babies
are sinful and need forgiveness and that – as little sense as it might make to us!
– even little babies can have faith in Jesus! That's why Jesus said "Let the little
children to come unto me and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of
heaven."

And what about you? Are you ever guilty of trying to "prevent Jesus?" Does
your religious faith depend upon what makes sense to you? Does God's word
have to pass the test of your understanding and your feelings and your emotions
before you will obey it? If there's some part of God's word, or God's will for
your life, that you don't understand, does that mean you're free to disregard it?
May it never be! In fact, it's one of the joys of the Christian faith that we don't
have to understand everything God reveals to us in His Word, we only have to
believe it. The Bible gives us all the answers we need. As the psalmist says,
"Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." As for the
mysteries, the things that are beyond our human comprehension, we leave those
to the Lord (just as John finally did).

Maybe you’re beginning to see that this is A TALE OF TWO BAPTISMS,
Jesus’ and yours. And the second thing we note is that both are required by
God. Jesus’ baptism was not optional, and neither is yours. Jesus answered and
said to [John], "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all
righteousness."

Jesus had no choice in the matter. His baptism was part of God's plan. It was
part of what the theologians call Jesus “active obedience." We talk a lot about
his passive obedience: all the things that were done to Him, all the suffering He
endured to redeem us. But equally important was His active obedience – the
fact that Jesus stepped into our shoes. That He kept the law of God perfectly in
our place, as our substitute. Jesus obviously had no sins to wash away in
baptism, unlike us. Still God required His baptism, because it was part of His
keeping of the law for us. Jesus himself said, "Do not think that I came to
destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For
assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will
by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." –Mt 5:17-18.

Jesus’ baptism wasn't optional for Him, and baptism isn’t optional for us either.
I'm old enough to remember the energy crisis of the 1970s, when the national
speed limit was lowered to 55 in the interest of conserving fuel. And I
remember the slogan the government came up with: "55 miles an hour – it's not
just a good idea, it's the law!" Baptism is like that for Christians. It's not just a
good idea, it's the law. It's required of believers. Jesus said to Nicodemus,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter the kingdom of God. -- John 3:5. And, “He who believes and is
baptized shall be saved.” God is not bound by baptism; he can save even
without it. He saved the thief on the cross. But God has bound us to baptism.
No Christian should forgo baptism for himself, and no Christian parents should
withhold the tremendous blessings of holy baptism from their children.

This is indeed A TALE OF TWO BAPTISMS. And there is a third – and quite
wonderful! – similarity that you’ll notice between Jesus’ baptism and yours:
both bestow the Holy Spirit. Our passage reads, When He had been baptized,
Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were
opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
alighting upon Him.

Last week, on Epiphany, we heard about how aged Simeon was tipped off by
the Holy Spirit that he would meet the world's Redeemer in the Temple in
Jerusalem. Well, John the Baptist had received advanced warning from God too.
John said of Jesus, "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with
water said to me,`Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on
Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' “-- John 1:33. And that is
the very sign John observed after Jesus baptism, the Holy Spirit coming down
from the sky in the shape of the dove, and settling upon Jesus. It’s the figure
that is depicted here in the east window of our church. And it was the
fulfillment of Isaiah's ancient prophecy that we heard in our Old Testament
lesson this morning: "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in
whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him.” -- Isaiah 42:1. Why
this visible sign? Why were the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit made
visible to John? So that there would be no mistake! So that John might be
certain that this truly was the Messiah, the fulfillment of God's ancient promise.
It was for our assurance, as well, that this miracle was recorded in God's Word.
As John said in his Gospel, and as we sing in our liturgy: "These things are
written, that you may believe, that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.” – Jn
20:31.

But this is A TALE OF TWO BAPTISMS, for you too received the Holy Spirit
that your baptism! And again, with their false teaching, the reformed churches
want to strip away the miraculous from the sacrament. They say baptism is just
of symbolic act. It merely represents the Holy Spirit coming into the heart of the
believer. But that's not what God's word says. In his Pentecost sermon, Peter
told the people of Jerusalem, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit.” -- Acts 2:38. The reformed say nothing actually happens in
baptism. Nothing is really given, no sins are washed away, no salvation is
bestowed. The Bible says different. In a very clear statement, the Apostle Peter
says simply, “Baptism now saves you.” – 1 Pet 3:21 (NAS).

What a miracle! You've been baptized, and your baptism saves you! You've
received the Holy Spirit; all your sins have been washed away; and you have
become a member of God's kingdom of grace! Is it any wonder that, at the
moment of Jesus baptism, Jesus and John saw the heavens opened wide? For
that is what God has done for you in your baptism – he has opened heaven to
you, made you his child, and an heir of everlasting life!

And that’s why this is A TALE OF TWO BAPTISMS. Because finally, both
identify a beloved child of God. We read, And suddenly a voice came from
heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

This is one of the main passages used to support the doctrine of the Trinity,
and you can see why. All three persons of the Triune God were there. The Son
of God presents himself to be baptized. The Holy Spirit appears in the form of a
dove. And now we hear the voice of God the Father, speaking from heaven in
approval of His beloved Son and the work that His Son is doing. Do you know,
all three Persons were present at your baptism as well! You were baptized in the
name "of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." The Father
brought you into his kingdom, by applying to you the shed blood of his Son, and
bestowing upon you the Holy Spirit.

And now that you've been baptized, God expresses his approval of you as well.
Can you imagine that? In Christ, God says of you, "This is my beloved son! This
is my beloved daughter. In you I am well pleased!" It’s true! For now that
you've been baptized, your heavenly Father sees you not as a wretched sinner,
but justified and pure. He sees you not with the filthy garments of your sinful
flesh and your own good works, he sees you rather covered with the pure white
robe of Christ's righteousness. Do your sins bother you and weigh on your
conscience? Martin Luther had the same problem, but he found a solution. He
took a knife and carved the words “I have been baptized” into his study desk.
When he was disgusted with himself because of his weakness and sinfulness,
those words reminded him that He was, nevertheless, a child of God. They
reminded him that the blood and righteousness of Christ applied to him, and
covered all his sins. The same thing is true of you! You probably won't go home
and carve "I have been baptized" into your kitchen table. On the other hand,
maybe you should! For your baptism is a wonderful blessing that you should
think about – and take comfort in – every single day of your life! As Luther
says, it is “…a gracious water of life, and a washing of regeneration in the Holy
Ghost.” It “…works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and
gives eternal salvation to all who believe, as the words and promise of God
declare.”

Yes, today is a special day, and the account of Jesus’ baptism is a special text
for so many reasons. But by now you can probably tell which part of this
passage is my personal favorite. It’s verse 16: And behold, the heavens were
opened to Him. My Christian friends, as you file out of church this morning,
you can say the very same thing: “Today the heavens were opened to me!
Today I was reminded of so many wonderful truths about Jesus’ baptism, and
about my own baptism, too!” For this is indeed A TALE OF TWO
BAPTISMS: both opposed by man, both required by God, both bestowing the
Holy Spirit, and both identifying a beloved child of God. As we commemorate
Jesus’ baptism, may God grant us ever to be mindful of – and take comfort in –
our own precious baptism. In Jesus’ saving name, AMEN.