An Old Testament Baptist Mathew 04

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An Old Testament Baptist

Matthew 3:1-17

“John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”

Mark 1:4

1. John’s Ministry (1-6)

· “those days…” What days? Old Testament days>>> Israel is in a covenant with God; God is beginning to prep Israel for the coming of their new covenant. Hebrews 8:8-10

· Who is John “the Baptist?” (Not the startup of a “Christian” denomination) He was prophesied to come, according to Isaiah. Matthew 3:3 He was the greatest man ever born, according to Jesus. Matthew 11:11

· What was the message John was preaching? –“Israel, repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.” Sound familiar? Acts 2:38

· John was filling the position of a priest, yet he did not dress, eat, or perform as a “normal priest.” Camel’s hair for clothes, locusts for lunch, and not performing in the temple was “weird.” It got some attention, even by the “religious” class.

2. John’s Baptism (7-12)

· What is baptism? There is more than one kind, and it is not always water. Baptism, in itself, is a word that simply means “to immerse” and/or “to identify.” Each identification or baptism, in the bible, has 3 Parts. In John’s case:

- 1.)A baptizer (John)  -2.)A substance (water)  -3.)A purpose (remission of sins)

· Repentance, Good Fruit, and Water Baptism were the three things John was emphasizing to his audience, but to what end? He was “preparing the way of the Lord.” Jesus was coming.

· He was warning Israel, chastising the “religious,” and was preaching the kingdom come, while reminding the entire nation of Israel that it was to be priests unto the Lord (Exodus 19:6, Isaiah 61:6). –The importance of their baptism was for repentance, but he was also preparing them to fulfill their prophesied role; a nation of priests.

3. Baptizing Jesus (13-17)

· John knew that Jesus was sinless; he knew Jesus to be the Messiah. Jesus has no sin… Why did Jesus insist on being baptized by a sinner? The answer: “to fulfill all righteousness.” How?

· Jesus was baptized for two reasons: 1.) To justify John’s ministry (Luke 7:29) 2.) To make Himself know to Israel.

· Through participation in the water baptism of sinful Israel, Jesus identified Himself with Israel looking for a kingdom come, and then presented Himself as the One who would fulfill all righteousness.

· The baptism of Jesus was the unveiling of Immanuel to Israel.

4. Our Baptism

· Many in today’s church, in some form, try to imitate the baptisms mentioned in this passage.

· “Baptism for the remission of sins” “to fulfill all righteousness” “following in the Lord’s footsteps”

· The most classic, denominational, misuse of the passage is “not for remission, but (Greek word “eis” vs. English word, “for”) ‘because’ of remission of sins.” Look at verse 11 for some clarification. No one can change “unto” to mean “because of.”

· In the Body of Christ, today, there is only one baptism. (Ephesians 4:5) It is not water. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

· Our baptism is one that none of the “gospel of the kingdom” believers ever experienced. Our baptism has a different function than theirs. Luke 12:50 vs. Romans 6:3-4

 

John, Jesus, and Peter: Repent and be Water Baptized

Paul: Believe the gospel of God’s grace(1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 4:25) and you are baptized into the body of Christ. (Ephesians 1:13)

John- Repent, ne baptized, the Messiah is coming.    Jesus-Repent, be baptized, I am the Messiah.

Peter-Repent, be baptized, you killed the Messiah.

Paul- Trust what Christ has done and you will be baptized, by the Holy Spirit, in to the body of Christ.

 

We need to know about the ministry of John, the baptism of Jesus, and the preaching of the kingdom, but we also need to be able, by right division, to understand that we, as the body of Christ, were not even in the picture yet when John came preaching repentance.