R889 The Priority of Baptism

God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton and a message on baptism. In just a moment. He had strength in Matthew chapter 3 with Dr. Don Wilton is reopen God's word and gain some fresh perspective on baptism as we do so we want you to know that we're here for you love to pray with and for you not just now being broadcast but anytime you can reach us at 86689866899673 or keyboard keyboard as well online at tewonline.org be our joy to pray with you and for you. Remember you're not built for isolation.

We are built for community this time of separation. Sometimes a phone call connection online is just what we need to grow in the body of Christ. Now today's message massive outpouring of God's spirit in this moment is going to be no exception at all. I'm going to invite you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 3 I want to speak to you from the word of God today on a most marvelous subject. The priority of baptism. Some of you might say to me, will foster why preach on such a subject well. Christian churches like ours practice basically two ordinances.

The first ordinance is the ordinance of the Lord's supper communion service and we practice that together as a churches people as believers across the nation. Number one because Jesus demonstrated to us in the upper room.

He told us to do it. He showed us how to do it in the monitor that we knew it. And so we gathered together and we all observe the Lord's table together and every time we do it so wonderful expression of God's love and of his grace. The second ordinances the ordinance of believers baptism and I may not make a statement to you right up front and then we going to take a look at the life and ministry of Jesus, I have become convinced in my heart that I have become far too soft on the issue of believers baptism and I'm going to show you why this is not a personal preference. It's not a personal conviction. I believe this to be absolute truth and there is a huge difference between absolute truth personal convictions and personal preferences.

This falls into the category of absolute truth, why do we believe in believers baptism, why is it so very important for all people who have given their hearts and lives to the Lord Jesus Christ to follow him in believers baptism and what exactly is it I want to take us back a little bit to lost, we can begin in Matthew chapter 3 and verse 11 because John known as John the Baptist drawn the baptizer.

That's where his name comes from, you know, we Baptists like to a carton onto that name is John the baptizer, the one who was baptizing and he was baptizing people as he was announcing the fact that Jesus Christ was about to make his appearance and then something raw, the somewhat extraordinary happened not Amy is John baptizing by motion. But Jesus arrives on the scene and the moment Jesus arrives on the scene. The first thing he does is he gets baptized. I should imagine Jesus could have a lot of other things to do. In fact, as we go through this journey in God's word we going to discover the manifold ministries and instructions.

What Jesus did and what he talked and what he left us to do its Boston extreme, extensive, and God is going to teach her some marvelous truths. But Terry Matthew chapter 3 John makes the statement, he says, I baptize you with water for reprint in the emphasis is on John that I baptize you John C with water for repentance, but often me will come someone who is formal, powerful than I and if I can just say to you very quickly that would be a powerful is very very interesting because it is implied in John's statement that he himself is powerful. Drawing here is making a statement, not just about Jesus buddies making it about himself.

Now why would John the Baptist consider himself powerful because he was, you must remember Jesus having had arrived. Jesus hadn't yet gone to the cross Jesus hadn't hit instituted the New Testament because of his blood. So when you go back from Genesis to the book of Malachi you going to discover that the Jewish people.

There had a profound sense of appreciation for and respectful. The priest well you would to because if a Jewish man, a lady wanted to gain access to God. How did they do it well.

I had to go through a priest. Remember, the high priest, who was the chief of all priest was the only one who had access to the holy of holies and you will remember right throughout the Old Testament that the Jewish people. It was customary for them to go through all kinds of purification rituals. They were bound by legalism and I had to work through the priest.

What if you came to me today and said to me foster.

The only way that you can gain access to God is through your preacher or your minister or your bishop or your priest, I'm going to tell you right now.

I'll agree 100%.

He's a very powerful person that got better treat him right.

Get to know him do whatever he says because he is the only means by which I can come to God the father, but something is about to happen. It's all about the changes in. In fact, Jesus has come to this earth. He's going to minister on the earth.

And then he's going to go to the cross and he's going to hang up on the cross and then he's going to die. He's going to be buried in a grave and on the third day God is going to raise him from the dead and the Bible tells me that because of Jesus Christ, I now have direct access to God, my heavenly father in heaven. I no longer need to go through the priest go through John the Baptist or through Don Wilton or through my church. I can go straight into the presence of God, my heavenly father Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I want to think about this John here says they someone coming who is far more powerful than I sandals.

I'm not even worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and he will baptize you with fire. This is, he will baptize you with fine verse 12 he's winnowing focusing his hand and he will carry stretching full gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the trough with unquenchable fire.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John tried to deter him say what if that were to open right now and God himself walked through that door in the flesh, and walked up on this platform and said to me foster I want you to baptize me.

What would you say and you knew that he was God.

I want to show you something here folks, because this is very important. If the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God would say to John the Baptist drawn you baptize me and he did what he did much more banal not to be willing to do what God tells me to do because he tells me that what's what happened. The Bible says Jesus replied in verse 15. Let it be so now because now is the time now is the beginning of the dispensation of the new covenant, I want you to know that we are in your writing. Then you complement which is my blood, which is shed for you. From this time on because of my sacrifice upon the cross, the curtain is going to be renting claim from top to bottom. I want you to know that what is happening now has to happen in order to fulfill all righteousness.

And so John consented.

And as soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water and at that moment, the heaven was opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him and a voice from heaven said this is my beloved son in whom I am will please what happened at the river that day. I'm going to submit to you in the first place that Jesus arrived with a rather important announcement, but I want to mention to you in parsing that just before Jesus stepped onto the scene just before he came down from Galilee to the upper regions of the Dead Sea in the lower part of the Jordan Valley. Just as Jesus was about to commence his long journey to the cross and ultimately to the empty tomb, just as Jesus was about the safety sites on being exalted to be seated at the right hand of the father which is in heaven, making intercession for you and me. John made a statement about three baptisms.

It was a rather important announcement starting at verse 11.

First of all, it was the baptism that was that John's baptism, he said, I am baptizing you with water. Why did he call it my baptism. Why was this the baptism that laws simply put, my friends, because the symbolism of John's baptism had its roots in Old Testament purification rituals go back and read Leviticus I been so this week it's an amazing set of instructions and the Levitical law which was applied to the hearts of the Jewish people contained major elements whereby both men and women during periods of uncleanness in the cycles of their bodies in the emissions of their bodies that win man or woman went through cycles of uncleanness that in order to be able to go back into the temple in order to be able to go back into fellowship with God that had to go through literal purification rituals, washing of themselves and going through all kinds of regular roles that would allow them relieve me and religiously to come back into the temple and make sacrifices to God and as John the Baptist came on the scene. This was tied into John's preaching about the coming Messiah, and so Jews associated this ritualistic cleansing. This water cleansing, which was not uncommon with them with repentance concerning the attitude toward what John was telling them about concerning the coming Messiah. So there was the baptism that was the second one he mentions is the baptism that is and that's baptism of the Holy Spirit and he talks about the one who comes off the readers. Jesus will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.

He wasn't talking about a second blessing it wasn't talking about an addendum wasn't talking about.

In addition to one's Christian faith. He was talking about conversion about salvation because Jesus Christ is God is God.

God is the father in the sun and the Holy Spirit.

And because Jesus Christ comes and lazy his life down for you and for me it is through the finished work of the cross, the conviction of the Holy Spirit that I'm droning to the heart of God and converted to righteousness whereby I receive the imputed righteousness of God in Christ Jesus my frame is conversion that is baptism by the Holy Spirit. It is the baptism of what is and then he spoke about the baptism of that which will be baptism of fire and Jerry's talking about the imputed righteousness of God.

When I give my life to Jesus Christ. Fire baptism is judgment. Baptism. It is in the fire of God that you will live through the Holy Spirit are purified under righteousness, thus eliminating the possibility of God's judgment.

I'm sick free from ever being judged by God because I walk through the fire of God's baptism by his Holy Spirit.

And I'm purified by iniquity. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from my righteousness and I'm presented unto God the father who is holy and righteous as blameless in these prisons only because of the blood of Jesus Christ you're listening to Dr. Don Wilton back with the rest of today's message in just a moment to remind you that you connect with us online. There is a wonderful opportunity to connect with Dr. Don more poorly connect with God's word on a daily basis with the daily Encouraging Word email if you haven't signed up you could do so on our website right now@tewonline.org that CDW online.org daily email give you insight to God's word some encouragement from Dr. Don and wonderful application to God's word.

As we grow in Christ.

Again, that's online@twonline.org. Now back to today's message well when Jesus came he came with a rather important announcement but secondly it came with a determine priority verse 13 and Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. Any questions Jesus came with a determine priority now folks we going to look over the next long period of time. The life and ministry of Jesus, we gotta be dealing with every subject you can possibly imagine. We guided the talk about healing and about temptation and about preaching in ministries and actions and activities, and so yes Jesus Christ is the son of God, and he arrives right there at the topping of the Dead Sea in the Jordan River Valley and he says baptize me to priority. That's why become compelled.

That's the heartbeat of mission. Jesus, I wasn't one of the lost things that he said in the great commission going old will preach and teach and baptize every instance in the Scripture, they guide their hearts to Jesus and were baptized. Folks I'm getting all of this you need to go through courses in counseling and be interviewed and given permission from ruling elders and junkers and declared to be profitable in the sight of God by human beings.

I want you to know the Bible says if you given your heart to Jesus Christ. It needs to be a determine priority in the Oscar simple question. Jesus was willing to be baptized.

What are you waiting for nothing to do with your church or this or that of the next thing, folks. Let's focus on Jesus. This is absolute truth. He came with a determine priority but when he came with a determine priority number three. He heard a wonderful confession. John's student Lauren said to him I need to be baptized by you folks. I believe that this is the first declaration of the Lordship issue when it comes to Jesus Christ. You remember when Jesus had his disciples up at Caesarea Philippi up on the Syrian border. We were they just a couple weeks ago and Jesus gathered his disciples around this Damascus gathers Baghdad right there, and Jesus look to these disciples and he said gentlemen who do people say that I am I said well you know some people say you're Elijah, and some people say you this property. Some people say you're a good man and then he looked into their hearts, and he said, but Hooton you say that I am and Peter stepped forward and he said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. Now watch this. Folks, that's Lordship, John was making a statement about the Lordship it was the ultimate confession inextricably bound into our salvation. Without it, you cannot come to know Christ.

Paul said in Romans chapter 10 verse nine he said if you book on France that Jesus Christ is Lord and then once having confidence that Jesus Christ is Lord, that you will believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be so, and it begins with the fact that you stand in the presence of an incredible in the holy and righteous God inside because you are holy and righteous, and you will of God, see friends Lordship and because Jesus Christ is Lord means that you can only conference to him.

It means that you can only be saved by him and it means that you can only be judged by him. That's Lordship anyone ever says to you, what is the definition of Lordship it's threefold you can only conference to Jesus. You can only be saved by Jesus, and you can only be judged by Jesus. Hello, they all three baptisms. John's baptism, my friend had to do with the confession of man-to-man Lordship means I cannot confess and I don't need to confess demanding terms of the forgiveness of my sin only confessed to Jesus baptism of the Holy Spirit means that I can only be saved by him, not by my church membership Obama rituals or by any other means, and the fact that I can only be judged by him points to the baptism by fire, which comes down because Jesus Christ proclaims me from all my on righteousness. There is Lordship in the not show what was Jesus doing.

I've grown up all my life. Nice little stories about a lovely little baptismal service.

Jesus was looking into my heart, friends, listen to me. He arrived with a rather important announcement came with a determine priority and heard a wonderful confession, but not before he gave a soul-searching monster out of the on syndrome. He looked into the heart of John in verse 15 and he said the time has come.

The New Testament order is about to begin, let it be now because they can be no other way. This is the proper time in order to fulfill righteousness in order for sinful man to come into the presence of a righteous God. This is the only way it can happen. And I'm going to demonstrate to you what happens and what is about to happen through my purse and then work and life in this world. In other words, what Jesus said in a soul-searching response was simply this, that it must be done now so that reconciliation can take place between a righteous God, and unrighteous people God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, it must be done now this is the means by which righteousness is from food because Jesus didn't come to replace the Lord. He came to fulfill the law and so number five.

Jesus did what was necessary to do and we love that statement. Actions speak louder than words or yell we have Jesus in this rather important announcement in a determine priority and he is a wonderful confession and he gives a soul-searching response about the fulfillment of righteousness. And then he does what's necessary to do and he says I want you to baptize me and he steps into the river. Now why did Jesus do what was necessary to do is God folks he didn't need to be baptized. If I could say. Very respectfully, he was a Christian. He wasn't going to go back to God the father in heaven as God because he was baptized.

So why did he do it. What was the necessity well, if for reasons I want to just get them to.

These are very important folks. They master number one. He did it as an act of public identification with sinners. It was an act of public identification with the very centers for whom he was about to die and Jesus said this is how you been T5 and I'm identifying with you when I tell you to take up the cross. This is what I mean. It was an act of public identification with me. Number two.

It was an act of demonstrated prophecy folks listen to this very carefully. Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. He hadn't even begun his ministry.

If you sent John the Baptist down and all those people around and say listen, I'm about to take a walk down the Via Dolorosa B ministry and I'm going to be feeding the 5000, and I'm going to be going to the Mount of Beatitudes domicile across the sea and calm the storm and then I'm to be crucified and and people going to mock me tell you they wouldn't have known what was going on, so he just showed he did it as an act of demonstrated prophecy because folks for the rest of Jesus life and ministry. Those who were witnesses to his baptism he sold the practical expression of the prophetic outworking of the truthfulness of who Jesus Christ is. Baptism is the place of your public witness when you stand in the baptistery you are giving a practical act of demonstrated witness what Jesus did on the cross he's done in the crucified Christ. Why did Jesus do this is an active public identification with sinners is an act of demonstrated prophecy. Number three is an active clear-cut instruction we gonna discover as we study the life and ministry of Jesus that nothing ever happened by accident or by Charles without the termination.

Everything he did was with the purpose everything and everything has a practical application. It translates into what God expects of each one of us.

He didn't need to be baptize. He was giving us an active very clear-cut instruction folks and what was the instruction that baptism is something that all believers need to do so because what happens when you're baptized, and stand in the water with me.

The water takes you up to about here is not the river Jordan. We even heated over here when you stand. It's like Jesus was standing there like he was standing upon the cross, facing mankind 20 did in the cross, he faced the world and then I take you as John the Baptist took Jesus and Satan because you've given your heart to Jesus Ottawa John said he might've said because you are God. I now baptize you in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. Then when I take it was drawn to Jesus and I put you down and I use the words buried with Jesus in day that's why believe his baptism is the practice and instruction of the New Testament baptism by immersion and the Bible tells me that when I'm buried with Jesus – I am raised up to walk in newness of life with him. I want you to know my beloved friend that I know that I know that I know that one day when I die that I'm going to be arranged to newness of life, and it's all because this one Jesus Christ practically demonstrated to me everything that he was willing to do upon the cross just for me. A powerful message that the practical demonstration of the reality that God has has done it has taken care of our salvation is death on the cross to take a moment before we get away and hear these closing thoughts from our pastor chief encourager Dr. Don Wilton are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that on the center and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart.

In Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news cuts to your heart. Let's talk more about it. Let's pray together.

It 866-899-WORD that's 866-899-9673 talk and put some free resources in your hands if you give your life to Christ.

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Hope to see you. It's been a great day, Bible study, but there's more to come same time tomorrow. Dr. Wilson's messages on the seriousness of temptation. Hope you will join us between now and then.

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