Sermon #21 Luke
Sermons
Title: Lessons
From The Master’s
Baptism and Genealogy
Text: Luke 3:21-38
Subject: Christ’s
Baptism
Date: Sunday Evening - January 9, 2000
Tape
# V-64b
Readings: Office:
Rex Bartley Auditorium: Merle Hart
Introduction:
Luke
3:21-38
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it
came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was
opened,
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily
shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art
my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty
years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
24 Which was the
son of Matthat, which was the son
of Levi, which was the son of Melchi,
which was the son of Janna, which was
the son of Joseph,
25 Which was the
son of Mattathias, which was the son
of Amos, which was the son of Naum,
which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge,
26 Which was the
son of Maath, which was the son
of Mattathias, which was the son of
Semei, which was the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Juda,
27 Which was the
son of Joanna, which was the son
of Rhesa, which was the son of
Zorobabel, which was the son of
Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,
28 Which was the
son of Melchi, which was the son
of Addi, which was the son of Cosam,
which was the son of Elmodam, which
was the son of Er,
29 Which was the
son of Jose, which was the son of
Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim,
which was the son of Matthat, which
was the son of Levi,
30 Which was the
son of Simeon, which was the son
of Juda, which was the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Jonan, which was
the son of Eliakim,
31 Which was the
son of Melea, which was the son
of Menan, which was the son of
Mattatha, which was the son of
Nathan, which was the son of David,
32 Which was the
son of Jesse, which was the son
of Obed, which was the son of Booz,
which was the son of Salmon, which
was the son of Naasson,
33 Which was the
son of Aminadab, which was the son
of Aram, which was the son of Esrom,
which was the son of Phares, which
was the son of Juda,
34 Which was the
son of Jacob, which was the son
of Isaac, which was the son of
Abraham, which was the son of Thara,
which was the son of Nachor,
35 Which was the
son of Saruch, which was the son
of Ragau, which was the son of
Phalec, which was the son of Heber,
which was the son of Sala,
36 Which was the
son of Cainan, which was the son
of Arphaxad, which was the son of
Sem, which was the son of Noe, which
was the son of Lamech,
37 Which was the
son of Mathusala, which was the son
of Enoch, which was the son of Jared,
which was the son of Maleleel, which
was the son of Cainan,
38 Which was the
son of Enos, which was the son of
Seth, which was the son of Adam,
which was the son of God.
We
know virtually nothing about the childhood, youth, teenage years, and early
adulthood of our Savior. We know he was born at Bethlehem, -- that Joseph and
Mary fled with him to Egypt when he was about 2 years old, -- and that he was
found in the temple conversing with the religious leaders of the temple worship
when he was 12. We know nothing else about our Lord’s earthly existence until
he was 30 years old. All three of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and
Luke), begin to describe our Lord’s life and ministry as a man in exactly the
same way – at his baptism. That fact alone makes his baptism and ours a matter
of tremendous importance. So, tonight, as we look at these last verses of Luke
3, I want to show you four important Lessons From The Master’s Baptism And
Genealogy.
I. A Lesson
about Baptism and Faith
In
the Word of God, baptism and faith always go together (Acts 8:36-38). Baptism
is distinctly an ordinance of the New Testament. It is a distinctly gospel
ordinance. There was nothing like it in the Old Testament, and nothing pointing
to it.
Many
have the notion that John’s baptism was somehow different from the baptism
practiced by our Lord, his disciples and us. But there is not a shred of
evidence for that notion.
·
There is no evidence that any of our Lord’s disciples were
baptized by anyone, except John.
·
John’s baptism, like ours, was the baptism of repentance
because of the remission of sins (v. 3).
·
John’s baptism, like ours, was the symbolic fulfillment of
righteousness (Matt. 3:13-17). It was a picture of redemption, a picture of the
gospel. – Not of Cleansing, but of Ransom! -- Not of Regeneration, but of
Redemption!
(Matthew 3:13-17) "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to
Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and
comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus
answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.
Then he suffered him. 16 And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the
heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And
lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased."
·
John’s baptism, like ours, was an act by which men and
women publicly renounced their former religion and publicly identified
themselves with Christ and his people.
Our
Lord treated this blessed ordinance of the gospel as a matter of highest
esteem, giving it great honor, and placing great importance upon it. He walked
all the way from Galilee to the Jordan River in order to be baptized.
Baptism
must not be regarded by us as a point of indifference, or of slight importance.
This is the ordinance of Christ, an ordinance of divine worship, which our
Master commands us to keep.
I
will say no more about this blessed ordinance tonight than is here specifically
spelled out by God the Holy Spirit. I have no creed to defend, no denomination
to uphold, no tradition to maintain. I make no effort to mold the Scriptures to
a confession of faith. Believers mold their faith, their doctrine, and their
practices to the Word of God.
A. Baptism is an ordinance of
worship, not a sacrament. – Our Lord’s baptism conferred no grace upon him. –
It washed away no sin from him.
B. Baptism is immersion. –
Immersion is not a mode, or even the mode of baptism. Immersion is baptism.
That is the word means. Without immersion, there is no baptism.
C. Baptism is for adults only.
– Our Lord was 30 years old when he came to be baptized by John.
D. Baptism is for believers
only. -- The necessary prerequisite to baptism is faith (Acts 8:36-38). We are
specifically told that our Savior was praying when he was baptized.
The
practice of sprinkling, of pouring, and of infant baptism, is as foreign to the
Scriptures as rosary beads. If we would worship God, we must not add to his
Word, or alter his ordinance.
E. Our baptism as believers, as
followers of Christ, is a reflection of our Lord’s baptism (Rom. 6:3-6).
(Romans 6:3-6) "Know ye not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so
we also should walk in newness of life. 5
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall
be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."
II. A Lesson
About The Trinity and Redemption
·
1 John 5:7
When our Lord Jesus was baptized, all three Persons in the
Godhead displayed a manifest concern in the affair of our redemption.
·
God the Son was baptized.
·
God the Spirit descended upon him.
·
God the Father spoke from heaven.
Throughout
the New Testament, we see the fact of the Holy Trinity and of the involvement
of all three of the divine Persons in the work of grace.
·
The Baptismal Formula
·
The Benedictions of Grace (2 Cor. 13:14)
(2 Corinthians 13:14) "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."
·
The Purpose of God
(Ephesians 1:3-14) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ: 4 According as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: 5 Having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,
according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved. 7 In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to
his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and
which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted
in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of
the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
(2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) "But we are bound to give thanks alway
to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he
called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ."
(1 Peter 1:2)
"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."
III. A Lesson About Grace and Mediation
We
have before us a marvelous display of our Lord’s covenant office as our God-man
Mediator. The voice which spoke from heaven said this. – “Thou art my beloved Son. In
thee I am well pleased.”
The
only way God almighty can or will save fallen, guilty sinners is through a
Mediator. And the Lord Jesus Christ is the Mediator, the only Mediator there
is, between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5).
·
Everything God has for sinners, everything God requires of sinners, and
everything God gives to sinners is “IN HIM,” in Christ.
A. He who is Mediator between
God and men must be both God and man.
B. He who is our Mediator must
be one in whom God is well pleased.
·
Well pleased with his nature.
·
Well pleased with his life.
·
Well pleased with his death.
·
Well pleased with his merit, the infinite merit of his obedience as our
Substitute.
C. God almighty is well pleased
with his people in his Son.
(Numbers 23:21) "He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,
neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them."
(Psalms 32:1-2) "
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit
there is no guile."
(Romans 4:8)
"Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin."
(Jeremiah 50:20) "In those days, and in that time, saith
the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be
found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve."
Bold shall I stand in that
great day,
For who aught to my charge shall lay,
While through Christ’s blood
absolved I am,
From sin’s tremendous curse
and blame!
IV. A Lesson About Humanity and
Death
In
verses 23-38 we have a long list of names. Here we are given the names of 75
people. Were it not for the fact that their names are in this genealogical
record[1],
most of the names would have long ago gone into oblivion. Who remembers them?
Who cares who they were, where they lived, what they did, or what they had? No
one! What frail, dying creatures we are!
A. Like us, these men all once
lived upon the earth. – They had the same joys we have, the same sorrows, the
same griefs, the same troubles.
B. As we all soon must, all
these men died and are buried in the earth.
C. Each one has now gone to his
own place, as soon we must.
Yes,
we too are passing away and soon must be gone. Let us forever bless God and
give thanks to him that in this dying world we have a living Savior! Let us
make it our one great concern to be joined to him who is the resurrection and
the life.
(John 14:1-3)
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe
in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be
also."
May
God give us grace to live day by day as dying men and women.
Amen.
[1] All who read the Scriptures with care know that there is some difficulty reconciling the records of our Lord'’ genealogy. If we compare Matthew's account with Luke’s account, there appears to be an obvious conflict in the recorded names given between David and Joseph. Between David and Abraham, Matthew’s record and Luke’s agree. But between David and Joseph, they appear to be two different family trees. In all likelihood they are. It appears that Luke was inspired to give us our Lord’s maternal genealogy, while Matthew and Mark give us his paternal genealogy. Heli, being Mary’s father, would have been Joseph’s father-in-law, his father by marriage. He would have been listed as such in the maternal genealogy of the family.