Pr. DFD : Epiphany 1 - The Baptism of our Lord

Saturday, January 7, 2023

Epiphany 1 - The Baptism of our Lord

Epiphany 1
The Baptism of our LORD
08 January 2023
Matthew 3:13-17
Say What?

Almighty and eternal God, when the Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism in the Jordan, Your proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized into Christ faithful in their calling to be Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life. [2]

One step forward…one step back. Two steps forward…two steps back! Sometimes that’s how life works.

The internet goes down because of the snow. Two steps forward. One step back. The furnace goes out because of the cold. One step forward. Two steps back. The power goes out because of the wind. No steps forward. Three steps back!

The water goes out because of a main break in town! Say What! Enough already! Four steps back! Two steps forward. One step back. One step forward. Two steps back! Three steps down. Two steps up.

Jesus took three steps down.

He entered time and space.

He is baptized.

He will suffer death by crucifixion.

These downward steps happened deliberately. In preparation for two beg steps up. His resurrection. And his ascension into glory. To prepare a place for you.

Jesus makes it a habit of showing up where you wouldn’t expect Him. Where do the shepherds find Him? He’s housed in a stable. Resting in a manger. Not in a palace. Not in a mansion.

The Magi find Him in Bethlehem A tiny little town. Which time forgot. Not in David’s royal city of Jerusalem.

Now. At the banks of the river Jordan. We find Jesus ready for baptism. He desires to be baptized by John. Who was preaching a message of repentance.

He is baptized into a baptism of repentance. John baptizes him in a baptism intended for sinners. Say What! Jesus is fulfilling all righteousness.

In the waters of the Jordan. Jesus takes His place with sinners. And takes all the sins of the world upon Himself. He undergoes the Baptism of repentance in order to “fulfill all righteousness” for you. (Matthew 3:15)

H4e submits Himself to the curse of sin and death in order to redeem you. You are baptized with a Baptism like His. Thereby. Dying and rising with Him. So that. “You will also live with Him.” (Romans 6:8)

The messages of Jesus and John is the same. “Repent, for the kingdom is here.” “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sin.” Repent, and be baptized. ‘And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Say What! That is certainly not a place where Jesus ought to belong. Or is it? He is fulfilling all righteousness. By being baptized with sinners. Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem. His focus is on Calvary. There is not turning back.

Matthew tells of John’s reluctance to baptize Jesus who insists upon it in order that he might fulfill righteousness and identify with all who need repentance. The big question is this. If Jesus were sinless; why would He desire John’s baptism of repentance? He did this on account of you.

Lord, what are You doing here? By going to the water of the Jordan. Jesus is committing Himself to the way of the cross. He identifies with sinners. He stands with them. He stands for them. This baptism will take Him there to a place for executing criminals. As he entered those waters. Your sin became His. Your troubles His burdens. He died your death only to rise again.

Coming out of the water. The Father declared Jesus to be His very own child. Likewise. As you are baptized into Christ. The Father declares, “you are mind. I love you. I claim you. I pronounce you forgiven and forever free from sin.

The Father accepts Jesus as His Son at His baptism. The epiphany season deals with the manifestation of God’s glory in Jesus. At Jesus’ baptism. The Father is glorified in Jesus. By His voice. The LORD declares Jesus as His Son. And by the appearance of the dove. Indicating the gift of the Spirit. Jesus receives the Spirit. And is declared by God the Father to be His own unique Son.

Jesus. Whose very name means, “The LORF saves” is baptized. To fulfill all righteousness. “For He will save His people from their sins.” – Matthew 1:21

The entire salvation history of Israel is fulfilled in Jesus. He is Israel reduced to one. Everything the LORD God was doing with Abraham. Isaac. And Jacob. With Moses. And Joshua. With David. And all of God’s kind dealings. With. And for. And through Israel. Now come to fruition with the coming of the Christ.

The Father loves His Son. And He loves what the Son is doing.

In Jesus’ baptism. Heaven opens. The Father speaks. In your baptism. Heaven opens. And the Father speaks. Heaven is opened. And is now accessible to sinners. As your sins were washed away. You receive the righteousness Jesus fulfilled.

In Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit descends. In your baptism. You received the gift of His Holy Spirit. To enlighten and sanctify you.

Indeed. All of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus are anointed with His Spirit. And named by His Father as beloved and well-pleasing sons and daughters.

Two steps forward. On step back. One step forward two steps back! Three steps down. Two steps up.

When you experience tough times in your life. Remember. Jesus had to take three steps down before He could take two steps up.

He is born in a stable intended for sheep. He becomes the sacrifice for sin.

He is baptized in a baptism intended for sinners. He who knew no sin becomes sin on our behalf.

He dies on a cross intended for criminals. An innocent victim who had committed no treachery dies in a tranter’s stead. [3]

Yet on the third day the Savior rose from the sleep of death.

And He ascended into heaven to prepare a place for you.

He did these things to help you. As a result: “God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

Sometimes it works that way for us too. Sometimes the Father lets life humble us. But we can be sure that He has not abandoned us. He might let us fall. But we live in faith. He will never let us fail. Hi baptism proves it. You. Dear child. Are from God. And have overcome them. Because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. – 1 John 4:4

Christianity is not a solo endeavor. Not a private relationship between Jesus and me. Did you know that word does not ever appear in the Scripture!

As the LORD formed Israel in the Old Testament as His people. Forged together into a body by His covenant, so He has formed the church in the New Testament as His people. Washed together into a body by baptism.

Thank God it is this way. Heaven forbid that I should have a personal relationship with Jesus. For I know what would happen. I would end up, in my mind, reshaping my personal Jesus into a strikingly familiar image: The image of me.

As it is. Jesus is reshaping us into his image. In the church, surrounded by others, all of whom together, communally, and the one body of Christ.[4]

Words-1,315
Passive Sentences – 8.3%
Readability – 81%
Reading Level –3.5