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welcome to everyone it's good to be in the house of our God on this Lord's Day if you would take your Bibles with me and turn to psalm 32 for our call to worship psalm 32 david rejoices in the forgiveness of sins and the blessing of god salvation so beginning in psalm 32 at verse 1 a psalm of david a contemplation blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit when I kept silent my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long for day and night your hand was heavy upon me my vitality was turned into the drought of summer say law I acknowledge my sin to you and my iniquity I have not hidden I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin say law for this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when you may be found surely in a flood of Great Waters they shall not come near him you are my hiding place you shall preserve me from trouble you shall surround me with the song with songs of deliverance say law I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go I will guide you with my I do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding which must be harnessed with bit and bridle else they will not come near you many sorrows shall be to the wicked but he who trusts in the Lord mercy shall surround him be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous and shout for joy all you upright in heart amen will please turn in your hem books to number 213 hymn number 213 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] well let us pray our God Most High we gather together on this Lord's Day to sing the praises of our great God and Savior we acknowledge your glory and your majesty and your power we acknowledge your tri-unity that you are Father Son and Holy Spirit we acknowledge your handiwork in creation and Providence and in the salvation of our miserable souls we give praise to you for so great a salvation we give praise to you for the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ that one who came down from heaven for us men and for our salvation who lived a life of obedience to the father's law the diet is a sacrifice and as a substitute on that cross and who was raised the third day and who has ascended on high he's led captivity captive and he gives gifts to men we give praise to you for his current session at the right hand of God Almighty and we look forward to that day when he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead our earnest plea is that each and every one here would be clothed in his righteousness when that occurs Lord God we pray that the blessing of the Lord Most High would be upon the preaching of the word today that those who have come here this morning that are dead in their trespasses and sins those who are strangers to the covenants of promise those who are our without God and without hope in this world we pray that today would be the day of salvation we appeal to you in your goodness in your graciousness and in your mercy we know father that heaven rejoices over one sinner that repents and so we pray that such would take place in our midst this morning that you would be pleased by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit to produce that conviction of sin and to set forth the glory of Jesus Christ as the one in whom alone there is forgiveness God we pray that in all things you would be honored and glorified that we would not be sidetracked or led astray in our own thoughts wandering away from you but God help us in this glad hour to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ help us all to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and may you be well pleased to further conform each and every one of us onto the image of your beloved son we thank you Lord God for the for the wonderful day that we have this morning or this this afternoon we thank you for the blessing of baptism and we pray for these two young ladies as they identify publicly with the triune God that this would be a most memorable occasion that it would be a means of grace for both of them and that father you would further strengthen this local body and cause us all to walk in communion not only with you but with one another and our Father we pray now that you would forgive us for our sins and our unrighteousness when we look at your law when we look at your perfections when we see ourselves in comparison God we can only cry out with the Apostle who will deliver us from this body of death how we thank you and praise you for the Lord Jesus how we thank you and praise you for his precious blood and how we thank you and praise you for those promises that if we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness so even now Lord God wash us in that that precious found and Lord God caused us to see the the wretchedness of sin and help us by your grace to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and to make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lust we ask God that you would look with favor upon this congregation there are many who suffer physically in our midst and we just commit them to you into the word of your grace we know God that you not only care for the inner man but for the outer men as well and we would ask that you would undertake on behalf of those suffering today that you would come to their aid and their rescue that you would caused them to reflect upon your goodness and your mercy even while they're on a sick bed we also pray for each and every one of us we all have spiritual afflictions we all have many hardships and trials in terms of living in this sin cursed world living where there is a devil roams about like a roaring lion and in many ways the worst of all having that remaining corruption in our own arts father give us Grace and the power and the presence of your Holy Spirit and cause us Lord God to love your word to read that word each and every day and as we come together this morning and this evening as we preach the word may the Spirit come and take these things and apply them to our hearts may you Gerdes off and may you strengthen us with might in the inner man so that Christ may dwell richly in our hearts through faith and our God we pray that you would be glorified in this we asked you would bless other churches here in our city we thank you for those that are preaching faithfully the Word of God and our heart's desire and our earnest plea is that you would prosper them we ask God that you would use the ministry of the churches that are preaching truth to save sinners in this community for God as we look upon our city we know there is great need and ultimately the greatest of needs is reconciliation between God and sinners we pray for the work in Surrey thank-you for pastor Kirkpatrick and for the brothers and sisters there we pray that you would bless them today that you would be found in their midst encouraging and strengthening them we also pray for the work in Vernon that you would set apart a man for them to labor in the word and doctrine on a regular basis and God for the persecuted Church we are reminded each and every day that this is not the norm that sorts of liberties that we enjoy all over the earth the people of God suffer for the cause of God and truth and we pray that you would be merciful to them those in prison and those dispossessed from business and home those who are ostracized by family we just pray God that you would grant them the grace to not shrink back but to continue to persevere to continue to bring glory to you and in the midst of these situations may their good and faithful witness be used by the spirit to provoke interest in the people in their persecutors to ask questions and to find out about the gospel of our salvation and Lord send forth that word conquering and to conquer Matt run swiftly and be glorified and may men women boys and girls from every tribe tongue people and nation come to know God through Jesus Christ the Lord and father we pray as Paul tells us to pray for the governing authorities we would ask Most High God that you would be merciful in this land we are grieved at the sins that see openly promoted we are grieved by abortion we are grieved by euthanasia were grieved by the sexual perversion that is being openly promoted in our schools and our Father in Heaven we cry out to you that in your wrath you would remember mercy we know ultimately God that it's the the power of the Spirit changing the hearts of people causing them to reflect upon your holy law that is what is necessary yet father in the midst of these things we pray for your the exercise of even common grace she would restrain the wickedness of men in high places that you would restrain the wickedness of society as a whole that father you would be merciful to to do good and glorious things for your namesake scripture tells us the foundation of your throne is righteousness and justice and God this is what we ought to pursue with reference to civil authority and yet god it's so often not the case and again we just pray that you would be merciful that you would be gracious that you would continue to protect your church in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and give us boldness to shine as lights and to hold forth your word of truth father we ask now that you would continue with us bless our singing may we truly meditate upon the words that we are singing to you and may it be a means of edification for those around us and may in all of this God Almighty be glorified and we pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well please turn with me again in your hymn boats to number 275 275 we'll stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] we have the baptism of Hanna Kim and Marissa Porter this morning and often times the question arises why do we baptize people and I guess the most basic answer is because the Bible tells us so but when we start to tease that out we see that one of the reasons why we baptize is based on our view of God's covenant why we baptized is based obviously on the text of Scripture and this morning I want to suggest that we baptize because of the two baptisms of our Lord Jesus Christ and I want to make that clearer as we proceed that you can turn to Matthew's Gospel we're going to be looking this morning at Matthew chapter 3 and Matthew chapter 20 in Matthew chapter 3 Jesus undergoes water baptism and in Matthew chapter 20 Jesus uses the metaphor of baptism to highlight his coming death so in short we baptize because of the active and the passive obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ beginning in chapter 3 in Matthew's Gospel at verse 1 in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand for this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah saying the voice of one crying in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord make his paths straight now John himself was clothed in camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist and his food was locusts and wild honey then Jerusalem all Judea and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan confessing their sins but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism he said to them brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance and do not think to say to yourselves we have Abraham as our Father for I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones and even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he who is coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to carry he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire his winnowing fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him and John tried to prevent him saying I need to be baptized by you and are you coming to me but jesus answered and said to him permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness then he allowed him when he had been baptized Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were open to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him and suddenly a voice came from heaven saying this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased you can turn to Matthew chapter 20 shorter briefer section the one that does demand our attention this morning Matthew 20 22 28 Matthew 20 beginning in verse 20 then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons kneeling down and asking something from him and he said to her what do you wish she said to him grant that these two sons of mine may sit one on your right hand and the other on the left in your kingdom jesus answered and said you do not know what you ask are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with they said to him we are able so he said to them you will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my father and when the ten heard it they were greatly displeased with the two brothers but Jesus called them to himself and said you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and those who are great exercise authority over them yet it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great among you let him be your servant and whoever desires to be first among you let him be your slave just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many amen well let us pray our Father we thank you for your written word we thank you that it's given by inspiration of God and that its profitable to us and even now Lord God we pray for that prophet we pray that we would see what Christ underwent for his people that we would see his life of obedience always perfectly to the Father and that we would see that sacrifice that atonement that that giving of himself for the ransom of many and God may we see in this the the hope of our salvation may we see in this the foundation of our salvation that it's not our good works it's not our conformity to the law it's not our merit it's not our our good intentions but it's solely and alone what Christ is accomplished on behalf of his people he is our soul righteousness and in this we greatly rejoice even now Lord God we pray for forgiveness of all of our sins and transgression and everything that would darken our in our understanding and we pray for the Ministry and the aid of your Holy Spirit as we work our way through this these passages of Scripture and we ask this in Jesus name Amen well I mentioned the active in the passive obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ our confession of faith reflecting accurately the Bible tells us that that is the basis upon which sinners are saved we're not saved because we're good we're saved because Christ is good we're saved because he fulfilled the law at every step for his people we are saved because he went in our place upon that cross and took in himself the penalty that was due for our sins as the Apostle clearly specifies in Romans 4:25 Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised for our justification with reference to justification basically what's involved with that is God forgiving us of our sins and God's giving us a righteousness that avails with them and that is intimately connected to what we find here in Matthew three and then again in Matthew chapter 20 so let's look at this first baptism of Jesus in Matthew chapter 3 verses 13 to 17 the context is obvious John the Baptist is in the wilderness he is baptizing people it's a baptism unto repentance and here comes Jesus to be baptized by him according to verse 13 then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him and John tried to prevent him saying I need to be baptized by you and are you coming to me John understood that Jesus was greater John understood that he was a forerunner John understood that he was consistent with the prophet Isaiah pointing forward to one that was greater one that would come from heaven one that was in fact Messiah so you can see his hesitancy at this particular point he doesn't want to baptize Jesus because he understands that he should be the one baptized by Jesus in John 1 31 which is something of a parallel John says I did not know him probably means he didn't know the full ramifications that he was in fact the Messiah he knew that he would be greater he knew that he would announce his coming he knew that he would be sort of a forerunner to him but he didn't fully appreciate or understand all of the the details involved with who Jesus was and then in John we see that when he baptized him the Spirit came upon him and the spirit resided upon him without measure and the same instance is going on here so he humbly says I need to be baptized by you and are you coming to me now notice the Lord's response in verse 15 we see something here of what's called the act of obedience Jesus identifies at the outset of his public ministry that it's absolutely crucial video Bagon must ha ha he must absolutely positively obey God and that's what he says in verse 4 1/3 of 15 but jesus answered and said to him permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness the prophet Isaiah announcing this one in 53:11 says by his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many he shall bear their iniquities Jesus identifies with his people Jesus himself is a public person Jesus himself is a covenant 'el person Jesus as scripture tells us is the last Adam and so Jesus must represent us and he does so by obeying even this activity of baptism he says permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness the Apostle Paul in Romans 5 will highlight the the deadness that we have an atom and the aliveness that we have in Jesus and in Romans 5:19 he says so also by one man's obedience many will be made or constituted righteous so here's the point you and I are sinners you and I are apart from God's grace dead in Adam you and I apart from God's grace cannot please God we do not obey God's law we may give it lip service we may have some sort of external compliance we may engage in at least at a surface level but in terms of obeying God with hearts purified by faith obeying God in a manner commanded by God and obeying God with the end being God's glory we don't do that we are transgressors of God's law we lack conformity unto God's law all we like sheep have gone astray but you see God demands perfect righteousness so therein lies the problem if you and I have no perfect righteousness how are we ever going to be accepted into the presence of God it's through what Paul says there in 5:19 he says so also by one man's obedience many will be made or constituted righteous before God so the idea is is that when we by grace believe the gospel and if you by God's grace believe that gospel this morning as it is proclaimed by the power of the Holy Spirit the Lord Most High will provide you a righteousness he will provide you a garment necessary to go to the marriage supper of the lamb apart from God's provision no one will have be in the presence of God Almighty there will be no marriage supper of the lamb for those who do not have the garment of Christ's righteousness and so Christ at the outset of his public ministry highlights that element of his life he's an obedient figure the way that Adam transgressed Christ never did Adam was given a paradise a paradise environment with one prohibition concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and yet he sinned against God in the next chapter Jesus is not sent into paradise but rather he's driven out into the wilderness and there for a period of 40 days and 40 nights he is tempted by the devil and yet he withstands that he resists that and at every step of the way he fulfills the righteousness of God again he needed to do that as the mediator of the Covenant and he needed to do that in terms of the provision of covenant blessing for all those whom the father had given him if we do not have that righteous garment we will not enter into the presence of God Almighty it was crucial that Christ does what Adam didn't do it is crucial that Christ performs in obedience to God's law every step of the way and that is precisely what we find in the gospel narratives I know there's fools out there that would suggest that Jesus sent the Bible doesn't tell us that Jesus sent the Bible tells us that he was holy harmless and undefiled he was separate from sinners in the sense that he wasn't defiled alongside of them the Lord Christ is the champion the Lord Christ is the victor the Lord Christ is the one in whom we have the righteousness of God this is what Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 that God the Father made Christ the son who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him it's a legal forensic transaction and it is the very basis upon which we have a righteousness that avails with the father now at this point we should all say Amen and praise God Almighty because this is what is demanded of us it's not the best attempt God doesn't grade on a curve he doesn't say well you know he really tried that one no he demands exact obedience to the law he demands entire obedience to the law and he demands that not just for 20 seconds in our lives but the entirety of our lives if you ever want to actually see what righteousness looks like look at the 33 years of Christ's existence on this earth beyond that there ain't none beyond that there is not beyond that we all have to have that righteousness credited to us in order for us to stand in the presence of a thrice holy God see we often forget that right oftentimes preachers preach Jesus so that people can be happy people need to be complete people need that that hole in their life sort of filled no people need a righteousness people need to be clothed with that righteous garment and they'll never stand in the presence of only God you didn't understand it in the prophet Isaiah he sees the Lord the Lord of Hosts exalted lofty high and the angels it's not just the three times that we find in the tax in Isaiah three it's antiphonal praise they never stop they scan in the presence of God there's a class or a group or a an identification identifiable body of angels whose job it is to stand in the presence of God or stand or fly or whatever it is they do and confess God's holiness that's what they do holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is filled with his glory you see God's eye is too pure to approve of any evil which ought to terrify us as evildoers as those who are called by God to obey His commandments by those who are or by God who calls us to conform to his law we don't do that so in order for a righteousness it must come from another Luther called this an alien righteousness it's imputed by God and it's received by faith alone and that's the announcement of the Savior at the very beginning of his earthly ministry he had to fulfill all righteousness but as we look at this passage in more detail there's a lot of good things going on here notice in verse 16 when he had been baptized Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were open to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him so in terms of the act of baptism when he had been baptized Jesus came up immediately from the water certainly suggestive of baptism by immersion he comes up out of the water it wasn't just that the water had come upon his head but rather he had come up out of the water but then we have heaven open and then he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him I think we need to make a connection here between this text and Genesis 1 what do we find the Spirit of God doing in Genesis 1 he's brooding over the creation well here the Spirit of God is brooding over the new creation he comes down upon the son and some would suggest sits here that Jesus is adopted and becomes the son of God that is absolutely positively not the case Jesus had the spirit but Jesus is being marked out here as the favorite of God as the Messiah of God as the anointed of God as the chosen of God to do the task the father had given to him this happens according to his humanity according to his function as mediator and this is what is being highlighted the spirit or that he saw the the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him and then notice what we find in terms of the the statement verse 17 a son and suddenly a voice came from heaven saying this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Jesus receives affirmation Jesus is prepared here when the Spirit comes upon him without measure Jesus is publicly a firm by and confirmed by his father and we are revealed something about who he is in terms of his function and role Isaiah the prophet tells us the spirit of Yahweh shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord Isaiah 11:2 in 42:1 behold my servant whom I hold my elect one and whom my soul delights I have put my spirit upon him he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles isaiah 61:1 the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted to proclaim Liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound again this isn't that that he have never had the presence in the power of the Holy Spirit but it's come upon him in such a way without measure as John tells us to ear mark him as the servant of Yahweh consistent with the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah that would come it is the approbation of the father and that is even testified when he says this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased now I said just a moment ago this is not when Jesus becomes the son of God this is a heresy that Jesus was this normal guy that lived in Nazareth and at this particular time of his baptism he's adopted specially as God's Son in order to do the task that the father had given him that's not the case at all our confession of faith is a much better guy in Chapter 8 of Christ the mediator paragraph 2 it tells us the identity of the second person of the Trinity who took on our humanity with all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof yet without sin and then in paragraph 3 it tells us the Lord Jesus in his human nature thus United to the divine in the person of the son was sanctified and anointed with the Holy Spirit above measure having in him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in whom it pleased the father that all fullness should dwell to the end that being holy harmless undefiled full of grace and truth he might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of a mediator and surety this is not definitionally what Jesus became Jesus always was the second person of the Trinity who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven he took on our humanity what's happening here in this account is not him becoming God's son it is God's approbation of his son it is God's affirmation of his son it is God's publication of his son marking him as the Covenant mediator who will fulfill righteousness and will ultimately die and be raised again for the salvation of his people it's a glorious and a wonderful passage in the very beginning of our Blessed saviours ministry but before we leave this text we ought to appreciate what we see concerning the triune God as the triune God is active in the original creation account Genesis chapter 1 some would say well we don't meet the Trinity until the New Testament no the Spirit of the Lord is brooding over the waters how does the the Lord God create he does it by his word Christ is the law goss the Word of God all three persons are present in Genesis chapter one let us make man in our image that's did that that's undebatable but here at the new creation the creation of redemption the creation of redemptive blessing the creation that the Old Testament prophets looked forward to this this new heavens and new earth begun now fully realized in the age to come but this is what's happening the Trinity is present at the redemption of sinners the Trinity is present at the new creation John Gill commenting says it would be almost unpardonable not to take notice of the testimony here given to the doctrine of the Trinity since a voice was heard from the father in heaven bearing witness to the son and human nature on earth on whom the spirit had descended and now abode the ancients looked upon this as so clear and full of proof of this truth that they were want to say go to Jordan and their learned the doctrine of the Trinity what you tell the Jehovah's Witnesses standing out there on Yale Road send them to the Jordan and show them the Trinity the father says this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased again it's not adoptionism this is not the beginning this is rather Christ as mediator being publicly affirmed by the father the spirit like a dove not a dove the Spirit is not a dove don't get that in your head that the Spirit is a dove there's some hypostatic Union that there and that the spirit now is a dump no he came like a dove he descended upon Jesus and he lights on him again not that he had never had this spirit but the Spirit has come upon him without measure so that he can function as the mediator of the New Covenant to save wretches like you and me from our sins that's the end game of it all I mean glory of God in the salvation of sinners so so if some of this theological language sounds a bit confusing I would hope that it doesn't but I hope that you would learn I hope it would take not only the Bible the book of Romans the book of Galatians but our confession of faith and learn something concerning justification concerning the imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ so that we are clothed in that garment so that we are able to fellowship with Father Son and Holy Spirit at that marriage supper of the lamb now let's look at the second baptism of Jesus in Matthew chapter 20 it's not water baptism I'm using this in a theological sort of way but we have this second baptism of Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 20 or alluded to we don't see it fully until the cross when he's overwhelmed with suffering and death but Matthew chapter 20 it's a very interesting passage we see what's happening the sons of Zebedee are jockeying for position they want to be closest to Jesus which isn't bad I think all of us want to be closest to Jesus don't we but with reference to their particular expression of this wanting to be closest with Jesus they show a fundamental flaw in their thinking concerning the kingdom they think that the crown will come without the cross and Jesus has to remind them the crown will come but there's a cross prior to it and in this they imitate or rather we imitate or ate them we don't like the crosses associated with the Christian life we just want the crown we just want you know a car to take us out and you know we end up in heaven at the end of the day I mean wouldn't that be great maybe the hitting us with the car may not be the greatest but the end game is there we want to be with Jesus we don't want to have to deal with the various things that we see in this world and not just out there but you know right here that that proneness to wander and ponents to leave the God that we love it is intriguing notice when in verse 24 when the ten heard it they were greatly displeased with the two brothers I don't think they were greatly displeased with the two brothers who were jockeying for position because the ten said you know you shouldn't do that you should be humble lowliness earmarks the kingdom of heaven no it's because they wanted that position they were greatly displeased because if James and John got those places of a prestige then they themselves would have been excluded so you got to get the point the the mother of Zebedee son says you Jesus can can't contain come on give my beloved boys sit on your right and your left I mean again that's a natural sort of reflex on the part of a parent we want the best for our children and the best for our children is close association with Jesus Christ so can't fault them in this but but we can when we consider the context because if you go back for just a moment to verse 17 in chapter 20 it says now Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them behold we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify in the third day He will rise again so if seek contacts there then then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons kneeling down and asking something from him and he said to her what do you wish she said to him grant that these two sons of mine may sit one on your right hand and the other on the left in your kingdom do you see how callous that is go back to the illustration I actually had this thought the other day a lady was drinking coffee as she turned the corner I was walking my dog and she looked like she was gonna get out of you know get out of control there and wipe me out I don't really have this wish as I walk that I get wiped out but the thought occurred to me I could get wiped out so let's say I got wiped out and I died and one of you tonight call my wife and say hey can we have his library here some really good books in there and I've had my eyes on those whenever I visit him I you know I have this tendency to want to club it that would be callous it would be insensitive that would not be a kindness expressed to my beloved would it if you answer yeah well that would be all right you got problems and you need to sort of sort that out Jesus has said I must go to Jerusalem I must be tried I'm Speak rusev I'd and then they come up and say can we sit on your right and your left that's calles brethren that's that's not being sensitive to the to the turmoil that a person is undergoing it's like when Jesus goes into Gethsemane and his soul is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death when he goes to his disciples and he says you couldn't watch with me for one hour you're sleeping I know the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak he he acknowledges that I think in the sort of tenor of Psalm 103 knows our frame he knows where does he knows where and he pities us but nevertheless it's sort of a callous expression of one's allegiance to the master and the same sort of thing obtains here he has said he must die and they said we want to be on your right and your left so that's the context now notice what Jesus responds with in verses 22 to 27 first he tells them they do not know what they ask verse 22 jesus answered and said you do not know what you ask are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with you don't know what's coming you want the crown but you don't want the cross you want the good things associated with the kingdom but but you don't want the difficulties of the afflictions of the hardships brethren is Christ people we know you don't get one without the other we don't just have this crown in our future with easy sailing in the here-and-now there's trial there's difficulty there's heartache the Apostle tells us in 2nd Timothy 3:12 all those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution Paul's message in Acts chapter 14 as he had just been stoned on the previous day or day before he comes into the city and he says through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven in a Galatians chapter 6 he says from now on let nobody trouble me for I bear and my body the brand marks of Jesus what's he mean by that he means scars associated with his commitment to the Lord Christ so the point is there's always a cross before the crown now we'll differ in degrees I don't think all of us are gonna be jobs or all of us are going to be what Paul got but if you soar through life with no affliction no heartache no trial no difficulty your exception you're an exception rather than the rule with reference to the particular context our Lord Jesus tells them they don't know what they're talking about and then he speaks of drinking the cup notice in verse 22 are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink now this cop is in the Old Testament this cop is in death cemani this cop is metaphorical it refers to judgment it refers to wrath God's judgment God's wrath you see that cup in Psalm 11 or Psalm 75 you see that Cup and the prophets with with reference to God's judgment of say Babylon you see this Cup and Gethsemane where the Lord Jesus Christ asks the Father according to his humanity if it be possible take this cup from me let this cup pass what does that mean it didn't mean that was some sort of a drink or some sort of a beverage some sort of thing that was displeasing to the Savior he's talking about the wrath of the Father that's why he resolves not even so father not my will but yours be done he knows what lay behind Gethsemane this is what provokes the exceeding sorrow this sorrow even unto death it's not the the hands of men it's not the the crucifixion per se but rather it's the wrath and fury and judgment of God she says you don't know anything about this cop that I'm about to drink and then he refers to baptism again it's metaphorically used here theologically in terms of passive obedience but this is what he says are you able to drink the cup that I'm about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with this is not his first or water baptism as we saw there in Matthew 3 13 to 17 but rather the suffering that he will undergo on the cross now if we would have just translated instead of transliterated the word baptizo we would read the word immerse instead of baptism immerse fits the picture well Jesus isn't going to be sprinkled with God's wrath and judgment Jesus isn't going to have a bit of God's wrath and judgment poured upon him but Jesus is going to be overwhelmed by it that's the point immersion shows that immersion demonstrates that in Luke 1250 our Lord Christ says but I have a baptism to be baptized with and how distressed I am till it is accomplished so he's using it metaphorically and I'm using it theologically metaphorically but I hope that you get the point he is telling these disciples he is telling these two men I have a cup to drink and it's the cup of God's judgment and it's the cup of God's wrath I have a baptism to undergo and it's an overwhelming influence of God's wrath and judgment upon me that is obvious from this context and from the Luke 1250 passage John Gill says but the baptism of his sufferings is meant which are compared to a baptism because of the largeness and abundance of them he was as it were immersed or plunged into that sea so you see the point he says I have to go to Jerusalem and there I have to be crucified they come and say hey Lord can we sit on your right and your left he says you don't know what you're asking I have a cup to drink and I have a baptism to undergo that you haven't really contemplated yet you obviously missed what I said in verses 17 to 19 but go back to the text because Jesus leads them by the hand to appreciate what he is speaking to verse 22 at the end we are able no you're not that is not the case you are gonna suffer you are gonna have issues you are going to have problems but you're not able away that Jesus is able that public man that last Adam so he said to them verse 23 you will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with now this is a historically accurate statement not that Jesus needs me to tell you that but the James here we're gonna meet in a couple of weeks in our studies in the book of Acts James gets his head chopped off by Herod this John ends up on the island of Patmos exiled for the Word of God and the testimony of the Lord Jesus as best as I can tell after they'd already tried to kill him by boiling him in a vat of oil I used to think that the boiling of him in the VAT of oil was the way that he met his end no it was sort of a precursor to his life in Patmos now Patmos was a rock out in the Aegean Sea it wasn't sandals it wasn't a retirement facility it wasn't golf course Laden it wasn't you know with a with an entertainment sort of wing it was a place of Exile so you see what Jesus says to these two men you're gonna drink a cup you're gonna be baptized you're gonna have some suffering you're gonna have a cross before you get the crown but in terms of you being able to do what I'm gonna do you don't know you don't have a clue and then he says in the end of verse 23 but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my father so verse 24 and when the ten heard it they were greatly displeased with the two brothers now Jesus uses this occasion to guard or two hopefully guard his disciples or to promote in them thinking that is contrary to the world they live in a world where power structures are evident they live in a world where power structures structures are obvious and typically in the world you've got all the low life at the bottom and then you've got sort of the dictator the tyrant the leader at the top and that's their mindset and that's what they're thinking in terms of greatness in the kingdom how do I be great in the kingdom well it isn't stepping on people the way it often is in politics stepping on a mass of people so that you can be the guy on the top and everybody serves you see that's the structure that they had in mind so Jesus wants to disavow them of that verse 25 you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and those who are great exercise authority over them yet it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great among you let him be your servant you see what he's doing you want to be great in the kingdom guess what you better start to serve you want to be great in the kingdom you'd better start to put others first you want to be great in the kingdom don't demand that everybody serve you you want to be first in the kingdom you need to be the last or the least of all you see the kingdom ethic is not the guy on the top with everybody under him the kingdom ethic is the guy at the bottom serving everybody else up the way that the son of man does and that is precisely where he takes this argument and highlights the nature of His redemptive act for his people so verse 27 whoever desires to be first among you let him be your slave now notice this in verse 28 just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many so this indicates something of the cup that he's going to drink and this indicates something of the baptism that he is going to be baptized with and that the the beauty of Matthew the theological author of this gospel verse 28 tells us what he's going to do in Jerusalem and then the rest of the narrative takes us to Jerusalem with the Savior he knows that he's going to Jerusalem he knows that he's going to be tried he knows that he's going to be crucified he knows that these men are gonna rise up in vehement opposition to him if you and I knew that we'd go the other way wouldn't we if I knew that in Jerusalem bad things were gonna happen I would go somewhere else I'm sorry I'd like to tell you I'm more courageous than that but if I knew that horrible men were gonna do horrible things to me and I was going to suffer at their hand I'd probably say okay I think I'll go the opposite way go to Nineveh that great city Jonah is told what does he do he gets on a boat he goes the opposite direction that that would have been me that would have bribe on all of us right we don't like discomfort we don't like crosses we don't like hardship we don't like pain we like comfort thank you very much we like all the good things that we have in this affluent society so when we look at this particular narrative and we know why Jesus or in it we know that Jesus when he gets to Jerusalem bad things are gonna happen to him Jesus provides the feel logical rationale for that in chapter 20 at verse 28 just as the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many so that shows us what's involved in the cup that he drinks and what's involved in the baptism with which he is baptized it shows us as well why he continues why he sets his face like a flint to go into the city of Jerusalem knowing the horrific things that are gonna meet him there he's doing it not to be served but rather he's doing it to serve and to give his life a ransom for many so Matthew's Gospel at this particular juncture gives us the theological rationale for as to why he goes to Jerusalem to do what he's doing and then when we start to ask the question further well what does that cup what is that what does that baptism look like well look at all the things that happen subsequent to this the Garden of Gethsemane Matthew chapter 26 he says if it is possible let this cup pass from me now that's Christ speaking according to his humanity remember hypostatic nature and the one person the two natures hypostatic Union rather the one person the two natures here he speaks according to his humanity as the covenant mediator as the one who is facing down the very wrath and judgment and fury of God all of us according to our humanity would say the same thing as well we have the betrayal by Judas this cop this this baptism it seemed vertically in terms of what the father is going to inflect it pleased Yahweh to crush him according to the prophet Isaiah but he's let down as it were by those closest to him I mean Judas betrayed him and in that very context it says all of it all the disciples forsook him they fled away what a horrible thing for these men to do well on the one hand they're saying can we sit right on your can we stand and sit right on your right and right on your left and then the push comes to shove and what do they do they bail they abandon him this is a baptism that that we know nothing of and then the trial before the Sanhedrin I mean it's a it's a kangaroo court isn't it it's terrible what they do to him and I think in Matthew's Gospel what we see at the end is the man of he'd run smacking him it's the men of the Sanhedrin lifting their hands and striking the holy son of God so I'm trying to say well no dignified men in the Sanhedrin wouldn't have done that oh they absolutely did do that because they put an innocent man on a Roman cross of course they would slap him and smack him and spit in his face he's denied by Peter one of his closest associates in fact when you look at the gospel records and everybody needs to get this there's a doctrine of friendship not everybody is going to be everybody's best friends but in the midst of friendship there are times when we have best friends you had the twelve didn't you but then you had these three that are mentioned specifically Peter James and John they go to Gethsemane with the Lord there you know at the Mount of Transfiguration it's always Peter first that's mentioned I can't prove that he was the closest we know that John was the Beloved Disciple we know that John at the supper Lane has had upon the bosom of our Lord that's always Peter first Peter is a close associate if not the closest associate and he bails he denies the master not to the Sanhedrin not to the Roman Emperor but to a slave girl he denies the master we see the mocking of the soldiers again just to flesh out for you what this cop and what this this baptism looks like in terms of what the Savior announces the Son of Man didn't come to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many and of course the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ that that cry of dereliction on the cross my God my God why hast thou forsaken me it doesn't mean what I think at times it's explained to me but suffice to say what it does Express is that Christ according to his humanity understands the displeasure of father of the father against sin and against rebellion not that Christ was a sinner not that Christ was a rebel but that it was imputed to him and so all of these things flash out for us in the context of Matthew's Gospel what this baptism is and I suggest to you the only reason anybody ever goes into that tank now there's fakes there's false professors we don't know the horror we're not omnipotent I can't read there's no e on the backs of persons that that should be baptized it or not but upon a credible profession of faith and repentance toward our Lord Jesus Christ those who bet manifest and some degree or other good words that demonstrate that the fruits and evidences of a lively faith the only reason they go in there it's not because they're good it's not because they're wise it's not because they're smarter than others it's not because they decided to follow Jesus it's because of what God in Christ is doing in terms of reconciling the world to himself it is by virtue of the active obedience of the Lord Jesus that every Scott every step of the way he rendered obedience to the Father and it is based on what we call the passive obedience of Jesus not suggesting that he was not a path an active participant in it there's reasons why it's distinguished that way but the passive obedience refers to his substitutionary atonement in other words Hannah and Marissa aren't baptized because they're great girls they may be great girls and a well they are great girls in one context but they're not going to heaven because they're great girls they're going to heaven because Jesus says I must fulfill all righteousness and I must undergo this baptism unto death it is the active and the passive obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ it is not our doing it is not our keeping it is not our observing because we don't we can't and we won't if God had not taken into his hand the salvation of sinners none of us would ever go to heaven God did make him Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him so with reference to the warrant for baptism the rafa with reference to the the whole issue of salvation it's based upon Jesus he really is the savior for sinners isn't it it's not that he's partial Savior he aids us don't you love what Paul says in Hebrews 7 he's able to save what to the uttermost he's able to save completely you see why this concept of losing one salvation is perverse because if God has purposed to save a sinner he doesn't let them go he doesn't say well I've got you for a time and then based on your power and based on your will I'm gonna let you go MacArthur well said if we could that is our salvation we would lose our salvation what's Paul saying Philippians 1 unconfident to this very thing he who began a good work in you will complete it unto the day of Jesus Christ you see Christ is the savior it's based on his obedience to the law it's based on his death in the place of sinners it's based on the resurrection from the dead it is based on what Christ has accomplished and that's why it's good news see if I came to you this morning and said you know you just need to try a little harder in your life how do we quantify try a little harder that's not the demand of God he never says to you try a little harder you need to do exactly and precisely and specifically what he has commanded every jot and tittle that's not good news brethren that's why we don't preach law as gospel go out and be better that is to kill people spiritually the good news is is that Christ came Christ lived Christ died Christ was raised and everyone who looks to him in faith will have everlasting life and when they have that they should be baptized and obedience to their master they should follow wherever he calls them to go they should embrace the reality that before the crown very often there's going to be a cross in fact he says this in Matthew 16 you need to take up your cross daily and follow me and this might be a good place to transition to some practical exhortation with reference to the subjects of baptism this morning this isn't just a religious Rite it's not just a formula it's not just something that Christians do but it's rather a a significant expression of your faith in the master it is for the party baptized we're just happy participants and we get to witness but it's a means of grace for these two young women it's a day when I hope they'll look back in his in the future and say man I remember that day I remember going into that water I remember coming up not because it's magic not because we sprinkled something you you know unit unique into that water and there's a buzz to know it is a public affirmation of my siding with Jesus Christ and to follow him wherever he bends me to go that's the exhortation I give to you young ladies when you identified publicly you should have already been doing this but when you identify publicly with our triune God you follow the master and we all need to be reminded of this because there are many points where we don't follow the master we are still prone to wander and prone to leave the god that we love baptism hopefully will remind us of our own station before God most high as blood-bought children of the living and true God and therefore I hope we all leave today happy delighted and rejoicing that Christ is ours and we are Christ and I want to follow him wherever he bids me to go it's a beautiful thing that that baptistry expresses as well we need to understand with reference to believers and baptism we do not believe that baptism saves is not the case that we put people in this water so that they'll get saved we put them in the water because they are saved as well we do not believe that baptism is a magical right I've shared before I know that long timers here probably hearing tired of hearing me shared before but years and years ago we brought a little Roman Catholic neighbor with us to church and we had a baptism and you know just to show you how non-magical and non mystical it is that's just regular tap water I started the flow yesterday and put those heaters in I guess they heat up towel water you know those metal things they put them in there and water for the cow so those are fries there's no magic here and then in order to get that water out there's a hole in the wall on the other side and you got to kind of reach your arm in there and you got this little wrench and if you drop the wrench for so we put a lanyard on it and you just unloose it and then that water is going to pour right out into the parking lot well that Roman Catholic neighbor that visited that time said all that holy water is going into your parking lot it's not holy water its water with the bread and the wine sanctified from a common use to a sacred use that's how we should view this it's not magic it's not hocus pocus there's been no sort of incantation delivered over it it is a symbol it is an element it is a means by which we typify or rather demonstrate and show forth Christ and his burial his resurrection or as death Reza's burial and resurrection from the from the dead and then finally we do not believe that baptism is commanded and we do believe rather that baptism is commanded by Christ and is an ordinance of the New Covenant that believers must obey I usually say this when we have a baptism if you're a believer and you haven't been baptized why not what is it about Christ's command in baptism that you struggle with if you do struggle set up at a point where we can talk and I'll tell you don't struggle obey Jesus it's a wonderful thing if you are a believer in Christ you need to be baptized if you are a believer in Christ you need to be baptized not so that you'll be saved but because you are saved and this is an expression of one's obedience to the master in water baptism it's a beautiful and a wonderful and a glorious thing and every time we have one huh maybe not every time but most of the time I think back to when I was baptized I don't ever look back on that day and say what a terrible thing how horrific how bad how horrible no it was great remember al Martin one time I was at his church for a conference and there was a baptism and he says whenever we have a baptism I want to get baptized all over again now take that for what it's worth we're not rebaptised in that sense okay Helmut and you get the point its glorious it's a wonderful thing so if you're not baptized this morning and you are a believer in Jesus Christ I want to encourage you to search the Scriptures I want to encourage you to look at the book of Acts and see what people did who believed the gospel see what people did who when they believe when they were saved they entered into the water of baptism in obedience to their master I want to end with this quote from CH Spurgeon I've read this before some of you will remember he reports in his autobiography about his own baptism now I think this is a good one for for young people Spurgeon was baptized as a young man I mean he was preaching at 16 so and and interestingly his parents were paedo Baptist that means they practiced infant baptism so he got saved and embraced Baptist principles and obviously was baptized as a believer and when his parents said something to him he said something back like this well God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think not only am I saved but I'm a Baptist just share that because I think it demonstrative of Spurgeon's quick wet and of his consistent testimony as a Baptist but notice what he says concerning his baptism again I say this primarily for Hanna and for Marissa may 3rd in the afternoon I was privileged to follow my Lord and to be buried with him in baptism blast pool sweet emblem of my death to all the world may I hands forward live alone for Jesus accept my body and soul as a poor sacrifice tie me unto thee in thy strength I now devote myself to thy service forever never may I straight from owning thy name witness ye men and angels now if I forsake the Lord I vowed to glory alone in Jesus and his cross and to spend my life and the extension of his cause in whatsoever way he pleases I desire to be sincere in this solemn profession having but one object in view and that to glorify God blessing upon thy name that thou has supported me through the day it is thy strength alone that could do this thou hast thou will though has to enable me to profess thee help me now to honor thee and carry out my profession and live the life of Christ on earth may that be your report or may that be the significance of this day for you too I've known these girls since they were tiny I've watched them grow up and it's which for me to get to baptize them and share in this special moment in their lives if you're not a believer today it's not that that's going to save you its Christ look to him in faith believe on him he is the one alone in whom there is forgiveness and a righteousness that avails with the father well let's pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for the sacraments that you've given to the church for the confirmation of our faith for increase of faith for a means of grace and God may it function this way today for us and may you be glorified as these young ladies go in to the water and may these things that Spurgeon record so many years ago be true in their own lives and may they walk in newness of life may they follow the Savior wherever he bids them and may we as a church help them may they in this church help us and may we collectively and together encourage and exhort one another while it is called today lest we be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin we thank you not only for sacraments we thank you for it the church and for the blessing that we have in this local body and we pray that you would strengthen us we pray that you would increase our affection for one another increase our unity and may we endeavor to keep that unity in the bond of peace and we ask these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ amen well our brother Steve is going to come up and lead us in a hymn that hymn will be 500 I'm sorry 452 452 while we go change our clothes and get into the water and just before we get my singing [Music] [Music] we bring our children to the fond there's a reason for that because in Baptism and in the Lord's Supper we see the gospel one man is rightly described reformed worship and reformed worship we sing the word we pray the word we read the word we preach the word and we see the word we see that word in Baptism which is the initiation or the initiatory right on the front end of Christianity and then we see it as well in the Supper which is that ongoing provision by the father and the household to help his weary pilgrims along the way and so these sacraments are means by which we see so it's good for us to have the children forward so that they can see what's happening in terms of baptism I do want to remind us with reference to our confession of faith it speaks first in chapter 29 there was spiritual significance of baptism it says baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament ordained by Jesus Christ to be unto the party baptized a sign of his fellowship with him in his death and resurrection of his being and grafted into him of remission of sins and of his giving up unto God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life so that's what's happening in terms of the spiritual significant significance of this right and then in terms the proper subjects our confession speaks to that as well those who do actually profess repentance toward God faith in and obedience to our Lord Jesus are the only proper subjects of this ordinance so we see that reflecting obviously what we find in Scripture they believed and they were baptized they believed and they were baptized so that's why in terms of the subject of baptism we baptized believers in terms of the outward element the mode it says the outward element to be used in this ordinance is water we're in the party is to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and then finally it sort of emphasizes that in a bit more detail where it says immersion or dipping of the person in water is necessary to the do administer of this ordinance so that's why we do what we do now typically I asked the candidates for baptism to either give a testimony in terms of their conversion or I ask them questions and these questions are designed to elicit from them a profession of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ so that's what I'm going to do do you believe there is one true and living God who exists eternally is Father Son and Holy Spirit yes do you believe that you have sinned against God and justly deserve his punishment for your sins yes do you believe that Jesus Christ the Son of God lived in obedience to God's law died as a sacrifice and substitute for sinners and rose on the third day do you believe in Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sins and do you commit to walk and obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ all right all right i baptize you in the name of the Father as I said I've known them since they were very little their brother married one of my daughters we are very much fans of the porter family and it is a great privilege to see them baptized publicly okay Marissa do you believe there is one true and living God who exists eternally his Father Son and Holy Spirit do you believe that that you have sinned against God and justly deserve his punishment for your sins do you believe that Jesus Christ the Son of God lived in obedience to God's law died as a sacrifice and substitute for sinners and rose on the third day do you believe in Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sins and do you commit to walk in obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ all right baptize you [Applause] while prey and then I'm going to ask everybody to stand so we can sing the doxology and praise to God Father in heaven we thank you for your your sovereignty we thank you for your graciousness your goodness and your kindness revealed to us in the gospel we know that creation itself manifest your goodness your power your wisdom but in the cross and redemption in the gospel we see that that grace that mercy that forgiveness of sins that giving us your sinful creatures a righteousness that that avails with you we thank you for both Hannah and Marisa and we do commit both of them to your to your grace today we pray that you would watch over them that you would govern them that you would keep them and God give them all that they stand in need of to live the Christian life in a world that is openly hostile to that Christian life give grace to each and every one of us to be strengthened and be encouraged and further conformed us unto the image of your beloved son and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well Stan will close by singing the doxology and praise to our God it's page five six [Music] be with us now cause your face to shine upon us I pray that we would know your peace and that you would keep us and help us to have a good lord's day to sanctify the day bring us back together tonight so that we may worship you in spirit and truth and we pray these things in Jesus name Amen you