← Back to sermon library

We have the baptism of Hannah 
Kim and Marissa Porter this morning. And oftentimes 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 wanna suggest 
that we baptize because of the two baptisms of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and I want to make that clearer as we proceed, but 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 three in 
Matthew's gospel at verse one. 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 path 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 axe 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, a shorter, briefer section, but one that does demand our 
attention this morning. Matthew 20, 20 to 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 it's 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 giving of 
himself for the ransom of many. And God, may we see in this 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 are good 
intentions, but it's solely and alone what Christ has accomplished 
on behalf of His people. He is our sole 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 understanding, and we pray for the ministry 
and the aid of Your Holy Spirit as we work our way through these 
passages of Scripture. And we ask this in Jesus' name. 
Amen. Well, I mentioned the active 
and 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 him. And that 
is intimately connected to what we find here in Matthew 3 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 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 that he obey 
God. He must absolutely positively 
obey God. And that's what he says in verse 
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 5311 says, by his knowledge, my righteous servant 
shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Jesus 
identifies with his people. Jesus himself is a public person. Jesus himself is a covenantal 
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, permitted to be so now, 
For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. 
The Apostle Paul in Romans 5 will highlight the deadness that we 
have in Adam 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 it, 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 519. 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 ever 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 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 
sinned. The Bible doesn't tell us that Jesus sinned. 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 2 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 none. 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 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 a holy God. You don'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 text in Isaiah three. It's antiphonal 
praise. They never stop. They stand in 
the presence of God. There's a class or a group or 
an 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 evil doers. as those who are called by God 
to obey his commandments, by God who calls us to conform to 
his law. We don't do that. So in order 
for 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 opened 
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. 
We'll hear the Spirit of God is brooding over the new creation. 
He comes down upon the Son. And some would suggest it's 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 favored 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. He saw the Spirit of God descending 
like a dove and alighting on Him. And then notice what we 
find in terms of the statement. Verse 17, 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 affirmed 
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 uphold my elect one in 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 he had 
never had the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. But 
it's come upon him in such a way, without measure, as John tells 
us, to earmark 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 guide. 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 three, 
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 Savior's 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 Lord God create? He does it by His Word. Christ 
is the Logos, the Word of God. All three persons are present 
in Genesis chapter 1. Let us make man in our image. 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 
look forward to, 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 in 
human nature on earth, on whom the Spirit had descended and 
now abode. The ancients looked upon this 
as so clear and full a proof of this truth that they were 
want to say, go to Jordan and there learn the doctrine of the 
Trinity. That's 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, that there 
was some hypostatic union that obtained there and that the Spirit 
now is a dove. No, He came like a dove. He descended upon Jesus 
and He alights on Him. Again, not that He had never 
had the 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 and the 
salvation of sinners. 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 that you 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 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. This is not water baptism. I'm using this in a theological 
sort of way. But we have the 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 ape them. We don't like the crosses associated 
with the Christian life. We just want the crown. We just 
want a car to take us out and 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 
wanna be with Jesus. We don't wanna have to deal with 
the various things that we see in this world and not just out 
there, but right here, that proneness to wander and proneness to leave 
the God that we love. It is intriguing. Notice in verse 24, when the 
10 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 prestige, then they themselves would have 
been excluded. So you gotta get the point. The mother of Zebedee's 
son says, you know, Jesus, can 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 we can't fault them 
in this, 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 discourage and to crucify, and the third 
day he will rise again. So you see context there. 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? Let's 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 going 
to 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 die. And one of you tonight, call 
my wife and say, hey, can we have his library? He has some 
really good books in there. And I've had my eyes on those. 
Whenever I visit him, I have this tendency to want to cover 
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've got problems 
and you need to sort of sort that out. Jesus has said, I must 
go to Jerusalem. I must be tried. I must be crucified. And then they come up and say, 
can we sit on your right and your left? That's callous, brethren. That's not being sensitive 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, and 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 acknowledges 
that, I think, in the sort of tenor of Psalm 103. He knows 
our frame, he knows where dust, 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 you don't want the 
difficulties or the afflictions or the hardships. Brethren, as 
Christ's 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 2 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 Galatians chapter 
6, he says, from now on, let nobody trouble me, for I bear 
in my body the brand marks of Jesus. What does 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 it will differ in degrees. 
I don't think all of us are going to be Job's 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, 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 cup is in the Old Testament. This cup is in Gethsemane. This cup 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 in the prophets 
with reference to God's judgment of, say, Babylon. You see this 
cup in 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 it 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, even so Father, not my will but yours be done. 
He knows what lay behind Gethsemane. This is what provokes the exceeding 
sorrow, the sorrow even unto death. It's not the hands of 
men, it's not the crucifixion per se, but rather it's the wrath 
and fury and judgment of God. So he says, you don't know anything 
about this cup 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 gonna be sprinkled 
with God's wrath and judgment. Jesus isn't gonna have a bit 
of God's wrath and judgment poured upon him, but Jesus is gonna 
be overwhelmed by it. That's the point. Immersion shows 
that. Immersion demonstrates that. In Luke 12, 50, 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 them. 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 going to suffer, you 
are going to have issues, you are going to have problems, but 
you're not able the way 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 Padmas. Now, Padmas 
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 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 10 heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two 
brothers. Now, Jesus uses this occasion to guard, or to 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 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 lorded 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 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 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 gonna be tried. 
He knows that he's gonna be crucified. He knows that these men are gonna 
rise up and 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 gonna 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 and he goes the opposite direction. That 
would have been me. That would have probably been 
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, we know that Jesus, when he gets 
to Jerusalem, bad things are gonna happen to him. Jesus provides 
the theological 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 going to 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 does that baptism look like? Well, look at all the things 
that happened 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, 
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 cup, this baptism. It's seen vertically 
in terms of what the Father is going to inflict. 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 the disciples forsook Him. They fled away. What a horrible 
thing for these men to do. On the one hand, they're saying, 
can we stand or 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 we know 
nothing of. And then the trial before the 
Sanhedrin. I mean, 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 men of the Sanhedrin smacking him. It's the men of the Sanhedrin 
lifting their hands and striking the Holy Son of God. Some try 
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 friend, but in the midst of friendship, 
there are times when we have best friends. You had the 12th, 
didn't you? But then you had these three 
that are mentioned specifically, Peter, James, and John. They 
go to Gethsemane with the Lord. They're, 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 laid his head upon the bosom of our 
Lord. It'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 cup and what 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 to give his life a ransom for many. 
And then, of course, the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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 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 flesh 
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 hearts, we're 
not omnipotent, I can't read, there's no E on the backs of 
persons that should be baptized and are not. But upon a credible 
profession of faith and repentance toward our Lord Jesus Christ, 
those who manifest in some degree or other good works that demonstrate 
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've 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 
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 passive, active participant in it. There's 
reasons why it's distinguished that way, but the passive obedience 
refers to his substitutionary atoning death on the cross. So 
in other words, Hannah and Marissa aren't baptized because they're 
great girls. They may be great girls, and 
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, with reference to the whole issue of salvation, 
it's based upon Jesus. He really is the Savior for sinners, 
isn't he? 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's salvation is perverse? Because if God has purpose 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. It's MacArthur well said, 
if we could lose our salvation, we would lose our salvation. 
What's Paul saying? Philippians 1, I'm confident 
in 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 in 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 subject 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 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 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 unique into that water 
and there's a buzz to it, no. It is a public affirmation of 
my siding with Jesus Christ and to follow Him wherever He bids 
me to go. That's the exhortation I give to you young ladies. When 
you identify 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's, 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. It's 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 rite. I've shared before, I know that 
Long-timers here are probably tired of hearing me share 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 cow water, 
you know, those metal things. They put them in there, water 
for the cows so those would freeze. 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 gotta kind of reach your arm in there, and 
you got this little wrench, and if you drop the wrench, forget 
it, so we put a lanyard on it, and you just unloose it, and 
then that water's gonna pour right out into the parking lot. 
Well, that Roman Catholic neighbor that visited that time said, 
all that holy water's going into your parking lot. It's not holy 
water, it's water. Like 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 his death, 
burial, and resurrection from the dead. And then finally, we 
do not believe that baptism is commanded, or 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 an appointment. 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, 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 re-baptists 
in that sense. Okay, how many? No, no, no. But 
you get the point. It's 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 believed, when they were saved, they entered into the 
water of baptism in obedience to their master. I want to end 
with this quote from C. H. Spurgeon. I've read this before. 
Some of you will remember. He reports in his autobiography 
about his own baptism. I always think this is a good 
one for young people. Spurgeon was baptized as a young 
man. I mean, he was preaching at 16. And interestingly, his 
parents were Paedo-Baptists. 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. I'm just sharing that because I think it's demonstrative 
of Spurgeon's quick wit and of his consistent testimony as a 
Baptist. But notice what he says concerning 
his baptism. Again, I say this primarily for 
Hannah and for Marissa. May 3rd. In the afternoon, I 
was privileged to follow my Lord and to be buried with Him in 
baptism. Blessed pool, sweet emblem of my death to all the 
world. May I henceforward 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 shrink from 
owning thy name. Witness, ye men and angels, now, 
if I forsake the Lord. I vow to glory alone in Jesus 
and his cross, and to spend my life in 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 
hast supported me through the day. It is thy strength alone 
that could do this. Thou hast, thou will. Thou hast 
enabled 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, and 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 a privilege 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. It's Christ. Look 
to Him in faith. Believe on Him. He is the one 
alone in whom there is forgiveness and righteousness that avails 
with the Father. Well, let's pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for these 
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 into the water. And may these 
things that Spurgeon records 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 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.