Matthew 3:13-17
As a child, I’ve watched pastors baptize people and it was
only after moving to Spring Texas, I attended a church that allowed a dad, who
was a follower of Christ, to baptize their child. Watching a dad baptize his child is the most
moving picture of death to self, and entering into a relationship with the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Often we miss the message of baptism and try to add it as a
requirement for Salvation, but that is a Jesus plus, and would mean our action
had something to do with our being made right with the Father, but Ephesians
2:8-9 tells us that is wrong. God has
always painted very clear pictures in the Scripture of what He will do to
rescue a sinner, and we know that “All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus. God
presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his
blood—to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:23-25a)
You recall
the story of Abraham and Isaac and how God had required Abraham to take his son
his only son, and in the eyes of God, for God did not accept the child of Hagar
for he was not of the covenant. And God
told Abraham to take Isaac, who was now a grown boy, who carried the wood up
the mountain for his own burnt offering.
And we know that Abraham did the next morning what God had required of
him, and I’m sure when Isaac ask his dad where is the lamb for a burnt
offering, it was a very emotional voice that came back with these words; “God will provide for
himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son?” (Genesis 22:8) I’m
sure you recall after binding his son and placing him on the altar, he was
ready to slaughter his son, but the angel of the Lord spoke, “But the angel of
the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said,
“Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him,
for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your
only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold,
behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and
took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. (Genesis
22:11-13 ESV) What a picture of God the
Father allowing His Son, His only Son to be slaughtered, to be the Lamb who
took away our sin. And do you believe
there was no emotion when God looked away from Jesus as He took on our sins?
As we read these verses of Jesus baptism, ask this question,
was John the Baptist a little emotional?
“Then
Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John
would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you
come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be
so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately
he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and
behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17 ESV)
It was John that saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming
to rest on Jesus it was John who heard the voice of God speaking; “This is my beloved
Son, with whom I am well pleased.” God
was painting a picture of what was to come, and each time you see someone go
under the water in baptism, it is a reminder of the gift of grace and love that
the Father has given to each of us who by faith believe God will give if you
ask, and you will experience Galatians 2:20.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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