The NXR Podcast - THE SERMON - Fulfilling All Righteousness： The Active Obedience Of Christ

00:00:00.000 amen please stand for the reading of god's word we're preaching through the book of matthew right

00:00:08.320 now for this lord's day our text is matthew chapter 3 verses 13 through 17. again that's

00:00:13.920 matthew chapter 3 verses 13 through 17. i'll read our text for us in its entirety when i finish

00:00:18.960 reading the text i'm going to say this is the word of the lord at which point i would appreciate

00:00:22.760 very much if you would respond by saying thanks be to god one final time our text for today is

00:00:28.000 Matthew 3, verses 13 through 17, the Bible says this, Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to

00:00:35.440 John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, I need to be baptized

00:00:42.520 by you, and do you come to me? But Jesus answered him, let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for

00:00:51.740 us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented and when Jesus was baptized immediately he went

00:00:59.960 up from the water and behold the heavens were opened to him and he saw the spirit of God

00:01:06.200 descending like a dove and coming to rest on him and behold a voice from heaven said this is my

00:01:14.300 beloved son with whom I am well pleased. This is the word of the Lord. All right please be seated

00:01:21.240 let's go ahead and dive right in. Three primary points that I hope to express and espouse by the

00:01:27.740 grace of God today. Number one, the humility of John. And yet, despite his humility, in the final

00:01:34.060 analysis, his submission, which means that it was true humility and not false humility. It was not

00:01:41.740 humility as a guise, truly masking his refusal or unwillingness to obey. John was humble,

00:01:51.240 And yet, at the end of the day, with this humility, he still obliged the command of Christ.

00:01:58.100 He was taken aback.

00:01:59.580 Who am I?

00:02:00.500 I'm not worthy to baptize you.

00:02:02.520 Not worthy to unlatch even the straps of the sandals on your feet.

00:02:09.340 And yet, what does he finally end up doing?

00:02:13.160 He ends up baptizing Jesus.

00:02:15.800 Why?

00:02:16.060 Because his humility, and our humility also for that matter, so long as it is true humility,

00:02:23.020 and not just humility as a euphemism for inactivity or apathy.

00:02:29.780 So long as it is true humility, humility will never stand in the way of obedience.

00:02:35.600 John is taken aback.

00:02:37.500 Because of his humility, he says, I can't do this.

00:02:40.900 But in the end, he obeys.

00:02:43.480 He does what Jesus commands.

00:02:44.880 Humility will never stop you from courageously obeying Jesus, whatever the commandment might be.

00:02:52.220 That's the first point.

00:02:53.120 The second is not only the humility of John, but the humility of Christ,

00:02:58.240 as well as in his humility, his willingness to be baptized by a sinner,

00:03:03.640 although he himself was sinless.

00:03:05.540 That is the humility of Christ.

00:03:07.700 And in that, the reason he's willing to undergo baptism to allow John,

00:03:12.080 who needs ultimately the baptism of Christ.

00:03:15.920 And yet Christ is willing to submit

00:03:17.620 to the baptism of John.

00:03:19.340 Why?

00:03:19.980 Because of the humility of Christ,

00:03:21.460 but also because of His active obedience,

00:03:24.560 which is an incredibly important doctrinal truth

00:03:27.380 that we must understand.

00:03:29.160 It is not merely that Christ died as our substitute,

00:03:32.140 that is, dying in our place.

00:03:34.980 But the Bible teaches plainly

00:03:36.440 that He also lived as our substitute.

00:03:39.140 He lived in our place.

00:03:40.480 and so in dying in our place he took our guilt he took our sin and he took the punishment due to our

00:03:49.820 sin that is the wages of sin is death he took the death that you and i deserve that we stored up

00:03:57.560 by doing the work of sin we worked hard in our vocation of sin and we earned rightfully the wage

00:04:04.900 for that work of sin, which is death.

00:04:07.800 But Jesus took our sin.

00:04:09.500 He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf

00:04:12.260 so that we might inherit the righteousness of God.

00:04:14.560 So Jesus, as a substitute, first, He takes our sin.

00:04:18.400 Our sin imputed to Him.

00:04:20.760 Secondly, He then on the cross

00:04:22.800 takes the wrath of God in His death.

00:04:25.540 He takes the wages of sin.

00:04:27.980 And so that is the substitutionary death of Christ.

00:04:31.980 Penal substitutionary atonement.

00:04:34.000 which is the linchpin of the gospel but it is also important that we understand not only penal

00:04:41.580 substitutionary atonement that behold the lamb of god who takes away the sins of the world that

00:04:46.160 jesus died in our place and took our sin and took the wages of our sin the punishment we deserve

00:04:52.040 death but also he lived in our place it is not only that jesus is our substitute in his death

00:05:00.740 with our sin, but he is also our substitute in his life with his righteousness. So it is not only

00:05:08.940 that by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, all sin is removed from us in

00:05:15.460 justification, but it is a double imputation. That is, all of our sin is removed and imputed to Christ,

00:05:22.620 but also all of his righteousness is imputed to our account. So we don't just lose our sin and go

00:05:30.280 from a state of guilt to a state of innocence. No, we go from a state of guilt to a state of not

00:05:36.560 mere innocence, but perfect fullness of righteousness. And not only, as you've heard me say

00:05:43.340 many times, but it bears repeating, not only the righteousness of angels. Think about that for a

00:05:49.800 moment. All those angels who did not ultimately side with Lucifer, Satan, the great dragon who

00:05:56.100 was cast down to the earth all those angels who did not side with him they still remain in heaven

00:06:01.220 and those unfallen angels those that are still in heaven how many times over the course of their

00:06:08.120 life which has been thousands of years how many times have these unfallen angels sinned or rebelled

00:06:14.660 against god zero and yet the righteousness that you have christian which is a righteousness that

00:06:23.420 It is not attained by your works as done unto the law,

00:06:26.400 but a righteousness that comes by grace alone,

00:06:28.700 through faith alone, in Christ alone.

00:06:30.940 Your righteousness infinitely

00:06:33.100 supersedes the righteousness of sinless angels.

00:06:38.620 Angels that stand before God

00:06:41.420 in His throne room night and day

00:06:43.340 and have to cover their faces

00:06:45.220 because they cannot fully look upon His holiness.

00:06:48.980 Those angels who have never lifted a finger

00:06:51.600 nor even has the thought crossed their mind

00:06:54.260 of sinning against God or rebelling against Him.

00:06:57.320 Perfect, sinless angels.

00:06:59.340 And yet, their righteousness pales

00:07:01.740 in comparison to yours.

00:07:03.620 Because you have not been clothed

00:07:05.260 by grace through faith in Christ

00:07:06.560 with the righteousness of cherubim or seraphim

00:07:09.640 or the four living creatures covered in eyes

00:07:12.000 or the 24 elders on 24 thrones.

00:07:14.960 Your righteousness is the righteousness of God.

00:07:18.100 Not an angelic righteousness,

00:07:19.860 but a divine righteousness.

00:07:22.120 It is the righteousness of the second member of the Trinity,

00:07:24.600 Jesus Christ, the God-man who is for you.

00:07:28.420 And this is because not merely his death

00:07:30.980 in taking your guilt and sin,

00:07:33.040 but because of his life in giving to you

00:07:35.760 the fullness of his active obedience.

00:07:38.880 The passive obedience of Christ

00:07:40.560 is that he was willing to humble himself

00:07:42.560 to the point of death, even death on a cross.

00:07:45.900 The passive obedience of Christ in theological terms

00:07:48.620 is His willingness to submit to the Father in His death,

00:07:51.840 to die as the Lamb of God slain for the sin of the world.

00:07:56.180 The act of obedience of Christ

00:07:57.800 is everything from the moment of His birth up until His death.

00:08:02.100 It is not only that Jesus obeyed God

00:08:04.340 in His willingness to go to the cross.

00:08:06.480 Jesus obeyed God from the moment He was born

00:08:09.800 to the moment that He died.

00:08:12.900 He obeyed God in everything.

00:08:14.620 And that's precisely why in our text today,

00:08:16.840 He obeyed God not merely in the end and going to the cross, but in even subjecting himself to John's baptism.

00:08:24.500 What is the reason that Christ gives in our text today for his baptism?

00:08:29.100 It is fitting.

00:08:31.300 That is, it is necessary and appropriate.

00:08:34.480 It is good and right for us to fulfill all righteousness.

00:08:40.680 That in the mind of Christ, in his purpose, in his calling,

00:08:44.560 it was not merely necessary that he should avoid all sin, but that he should fully engage in all

00:08:53.720 obedience. Not merely avoiding all sin, but fulfilling all righteousness. Why? Because in

00:09:01.620 his death, he takes your sin and guilt. But through his life, you receive not only innocence,

00:09:09.360 but perfection.

00:09:12.040 Not only a freedom from guilt

00:09:13.840 but a presence

00:09:15.560 of the active, perfect,

00:09:18.760 righteous obedience

00:09:19.840 of Jesus Christ.

00:09:21.180 He died in your place

00:09:22.760 but we must also understand

00:09:25.760 that He lived in our place

00:09:27.960 and both are important.

00:09:30.740 That's the second point.

00:09:31.920 The humility of Christ

00:09:33.020 willing to subject Himself

00:09:34.340 to being baptized by a sinner 0.74

00:09:36.400 namely John.

00:09:38.400 But doing this for the purpose of fulfilling all righteousness,

00:09:41.300 that is his active obedience, his perfect life.

00:09:44.880 Lastly, God's encouragement to his Son

00:09:48.920 and not only to Christ, but in Christ

00:09:52.940 for all those who have union with him by the Spirit,

00:09:55.560 by grace and through faith,

00:09:58.840 we find God's immense pleasure

00:10:00.680 and his encouragement to his Son,

00:10:03.280 but also his pleasure and encouragement to us.

00:10:06.940 The final point, simply put, is the good news.

00:10:11.460 It is the gospel.

00:10:13.400 So the first point, the humility of John and his submission.

00:10:16.420 We find this in the first two verses of our text to read them once more so that they're fresh in our minds.

00:10:21.560 Matthew 3, 13 and 14 now says this.

00:10:24.600 Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan, that is the river, to John to be baptized by him.

00:10:31.680 John would have prevented him saying, I need to be baptized by you.

00:10:35.500 and do you come to me first and foremost jesus does not correct john he doesn't say no no you

00:10:42.140 don't need to be baptized by me no he does when john says this john's not lying and he's not

00:10:48.760 theologically inaccurate what john says is absolutely true and jesus knows that it's true

00:10:54.480 but that's not what needs to happen now the key is verse 15 going on just a little further but

00:11:01.840 Jesus answered him, let it be so now. Later on, John, yes, John and all those who have union with

00:11:10.360 Christ must receive Christ's baptism, a baptism of the Holy Spirit, a baptism that comes not by

00:11:17.460 water, but by fire. But now, that is in this present moment, as Jesus is standing before John,

00:11:23.780 what needs to happen is that Jesus must receive John's baptism and not the other way around.

00:11:29.340 So when John says, I must be baptized by you, Jesus doesn't say, no, that's not true.

00:11:35.640 Implicitly in the text, we're meant to assume that Jesus agrees with John saying,

00:11:39.400 you most certainly need to be baptized in my baptism.

00:11:43.460 But for now, today, I must be baptized with your baptism, the baptism of John.

00:11:51.100 Why? Because the baptism of John was a remission of sins.

00:11:54.680 It was coming and having your sins washed away.

00:11:57.060 Jesus had no sin.

00:11:58.280 so what's the purpose of jesus subjecting himself to the baptism of john it's not for the removal

00:12:05.060 the removal of sin it's to fulfill all righteousness it's to subject himself as he

00:12:12.260 did all throughout his life to every jot and tittle of the law of god there's not one portion

00:12:17.880 of the law of god that jesus does not fulfill he's not just avoiding sin he's not just keeping

00:12:25.100 himself pure and clean by avoiding sin and maintaining innocence, but he is subjecting

00:12:31.320 himself to every jot, every tittle, every commandment, every precept of the law of God.

00:12:38.100 He is fulfilling all righteousness, not merely avoiding all sin. That's the difference. Jesus

00:12:45.040 is not just avoiding sin, but fulfilling righteousness. And this is why the reason he

00:12:50.980 gives, that he subjects himself, submits himself in humility to the baptism of John that was a

00:12:58.620 baptism for sinners, even though he himself had no sin. Matthew Henry, the late great Puritan,

00:13:05.260 in commentating on verses 13 and 14 of our text, he says the following. The objection that John

00:13:11.680 made against baptizing Jesus was similar to the objection that Peter made a little later when

00:13:19.040 christ went about to wash his feet in the 13th chapter of the gospel of john right remember

00:13:24.920 peter says i'm not worthy for you to wash my feet jesus says if you don't allow me to wash

00:13:29.860 your feet then you have no part in me and then you know peter classic peter response he said

00:13:34.920 then wash everything my head and my hands my body also but initially peter objects and it's very

00:13:43.460 similar the objection that we see here with John. I'm not worthy. Note Christ's gracious

00:13:49.820 condescensions. His willingness to remove his outer garment, wrap himself with a towel,

00:13:56.500 get down on his hands and knees, and wash the feet of his disciples. Or likewise, his humility

00:14:02.300 and being willing to subject himself to the baptism for sinners, although he himself was

00:14:07.300 without sin. This is what would be known as the condescensions of Christ. And just for the record,

00:14:13.600 that word, very much used by reformers and Puritans, it's an old word, which means it's a good word.

00:14:21.700 But that word does not mean what we typically think. When we think of condescension, we think

00:14:25.960 of demeaning someone. He's being condescended. Now condescension just means to lower oneself to

00:14:32.140 the level of another, of an inferior. So to condescend is only demeaning if it's someone

00:14:39.980 who is your superior or a peer, and you are treating them as though they are beneath you.

00:14:46.780 That's a demeaning form of condescension. But any time that God, we see in reference to God or to

00:14:54.000 Christ, who is God, we see this term condescensions. It's not meant to be demeaning. It's simply that's

00:15:01.820 the only way that god can interact with man all of god's revelation of himself to us is a

00:15:07.840 condescension all of it every time god has spoken to us be it by dreams and visions and the prophets

00:15:15.140 of old where all the things inscripturated and kept for us in the canon of holy writ all of these

00:15:24.460 things that god has done for us and that god has said to us and revealed to us it is all underneath

00:15:30.300 the banner of grace. It is all a condescension. God lowering himself in the way that a father

00:15:37.800 would get on his hands and knees with his very young child. Not to demean the child, but to

00:15:43.700 condescend to their level so that they might be understood. We condescend physically by getting

00:15:50.920 down on our knees with a young child and speaking eye to eye. We also condescend verbally, meaning

00:15:56.880 that we speak on their level in a way that they can comprehend, in a way that is intelligible

00:16:01.820 to a younger child. And this is what God does with us. This is what God does in the Scripture.

00:16:08.920 Everything that God speaks about Himself in the Scripture is a condescension.

00:16:14.880 It's all true, for God is not a man that He should lie. So God has never lied. So everything He says

00:16:21.680 in scripture is true but you heard me say this last week not all of it is literally true well

00:16:28.860 then what's God doing is he trying to trick us is he is he trying to be is he trying to be

00:16:33.660 unnecessarily complicated no no he's trying to be clear and when God speaks to us as finite

00:16:41.200 creatures about himself he can he can't do so in any other means but by condescension but by using

00:16:49.880 the language of analogy

00:16:51.380 so that we can understand something

00:16:52.780 that is true about God,

00:16:54.100 although it may or may not be literally true.

00:16:58.860 He's speaking to us in the way

00:17:00.320 that we would speak to a child,

00:17:02.560 in a way that can be understood.

00:17:05.840 When God says He has eyes

00:17:07.440 that roam to and fro over all the earth,

00:17:09.900 we know that God is a spirit

00:17:11.540 and those who are to worship Him

00:17:13.640 must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

00:17:15.580 This is what Jesus says

00:17:16.540 to the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4.

00:17:18.640 So God does not literally have a body, and therefore, He does not literally have eyes.

00:17:23.840 But God's not lying. He is telling us something true about Himself.

00:17:27.260 What He's saying is that He is all-knowing. He is omniscient.

00:17:30.100 He is seeing everything that happens on the face of the earth.

00:17:33.440 His eyes roam to and fro across the earth.

00:17:35.340 So He's not lying to us as His children.

00:17:38.000 He is condescending and speaking to us in such a way that we might understand.

00:17:42.620 Saying something true about Himself, but it may not be literally true.

00:17:46.580 And he does this as a condescension, and that condescension is not demeaning, and it is not deceitful, it is grace.

00:17:54.940 It is a humility of sorts.

00:17:57.500 And this is what Jesus did with Peter and the disciples in washing their feet,

00:18:02.260 and this is what Jesus does with John in subjecting himself to his baptism.

00:18:07.380 So note, Matthew Henry says,

00:18:08.920 Christ's gracious condescensions are so surprising as to appear at first incredible to the strongest

00:18:15.120 believers so deep and mysterious that even they who know his mind well cannot soon find out the

00:18:21.840 meaning of them. John's modesty thinks this an honor too great for him to receive and he is right

00:18:29.240 and yet he must also oblige. He thinks it an honor too great for him to receive. John had now obtained

00:18:36.820 a great name. By this point in his ministry, by the point that Jesus now approaches him at the

00:18:42.200 Jordan River to be baptized, John has been baptizing for some time. And John, his name, that is his

00:18:48.660 fame, has spread throughout the known region. John is a celebrity at this point. John is very great

00:18:56.020 in the sight of men. Even those who hate him dare not speak against John because they know that the

00:19:02.280 people perceive him to be a prophet and that the people would oppose them. So even the Pharisees

00:19:07.520 are coming to John's baptism. They hate it, but they have to play the man. They have to tip the 0.66

00:19:13.760 hat. And John, of course, you know, speaks to them saying, who warned you to flee from the wrath to

00:19:19.620 come? You brood of vipers. John is not politically correct. John is a man. Jesus even says this of 0.73

00:19:27.300 John speaking of his masculinity he said what did you go out into the wilderness to see

00:19:31.300 a man in soft clothing that is an effeminate man no where do you find them you find them in

00:19:37.960 Washington DC seriously Jesus says you find them in palaces Jesus he's he's knocking on politicians

00:19:45.980 he is he said you want to find a soft man in soft clothing we call those politicians you find them

00:19:53.980 in palaces or in our current, you know, structure, you find them in D.C.

00:19:58.460 If you want a soft man, then go and go and find a senator.

00:20:03.600 Go and find a congressman.

00:20:07.500 But if you want a hard man, a masculine man, well, then you go out into the wilderness. 0.81

00:20:15.000 You find a guy dressed in camel skin who's eating locusts and honey.

00:20:19.680 John was a masculine man and he referred to the Pharisees in masculine tones.

00:20:23.980 And none of this was sin, for the record.

00:20:26.400 It was perfectly righteous, perfectly permissible in the sight of God for him to say,

00:20:30.740 Oh, you're coming to be baptized too?

00:20:33.060 Who wanted you to flee the wrath of God, you brood of vipers? 0.96

00:20:35.840 You're here on pretense. 0.96

00:20:38.680 You're here deceptively.

00:20:40.480 You're here to tip the hat and pretend because you know that the people are on my side.

00:20:44.820 You're outnumbered.

00:20:46.300 And so you're going to subject yourself outwardly to what would put you into the good graces of the people.

00:20:52.720 but your hearts are wicked and hardened. 1.00

00:20:55.900 You're hypocrites and liars, you're snakes. 1.00

00:21:00.020 That's John. 1.00

00:21:01.620 And by this point, when Jesus comes to John,

00:21:03.960 that's his reputation.

00:21:05.960 And his reputation is not known

00:21:07.600 amongst a few people in Israel.

00:21:09.620 He is known universally in the known world,

00:21:12.400 even beyond Israel at this point.

00:21:14.460 He is, for all intents and purposes, a celebrity.

00:21:17.860 And he is not a TikTok celebrity.

00:21:19.580 See point A, soft men, soft clothing.

00:21:22.720 No, he's the type of celebrity who is known not only for his righteousness and not only for being a prophet, but for being a masculine man.

00:21:33.840 And yet at the height of John's popularity, that is when Jesus comes to him.

00:21:38.880 And notice, despite all his esteem, all of his fame, John's immediate response to Jesus is a response of humility.

00:21:48.980 And that's what Matthew Henry is getting at

00:21:50.560 when he says, John's modesty thinks

00:21:53.000 that this is an honor too great for him to receive.

00:21:56.320 John had now, by this point, obtained a great name,

00:21:59.540 and yet, he was universally respected,

00:22:01.840 and yet, see how humble he still is.

00:22:06.120 Sadly, it is a rare occurrence

00:22:07.860 for someone to attain greatness in the sight of men,

00:22:11.640 and even perhaps greatness in the sight of God.

00:22:14.160 True greatness, but to remain small in their own eyes.

00:22:18.380 As comes fame, often as comes, as well, pride.

00:22:24.960 But not so with John.

00:22:27.560 And so, in this instance, we should follow the example that he sets.

00:22:32.080 That he became great, and yet he stayed low.

00:22:36.280 Low in his stature. Low in his opinion of himself.

00:22:41.660 And what are the great defenses that we have in this age

00:22:45.560 as we wage war against the three great enemies of the Christian, 0.98

00:22:48.680 that is the world, the devil, and the flesh. 0.99

00:22:51.660 One of the great weapons that we have, I think,

00:22:55.080 is a weapon of being able to laugh at yourself.

00:22:59.660 I have found that it seems to be an unbroken test of character.

00:23:07.820 Who can laugh at himself and who takes himself too seriously?

00:23:11.740 i found that again and again i basically at this point i based uh virtually all of my life

00:23:20.900 especially when it comes to friendships off of that principle like many of you are familiar with

00:23:26.400 you know brian silvey brian silvey is a friend one of the reasons why is not just because i think

00:23:32.480 he's smart or i think he's godly in this aspect or that aspect or whatever because he has podcasts

00:23:37.280 that I like. Part of the reason, one of the main reasons that Brian is my friend is because I think

00:23:42.640 he's genuine. I think he's the real article. And the reason I think he's the real article

00:23:45.900 is because I can say, hey, Brian, you're being gay. And Brian will laugh. 0.97

00:23:54.020 John MacArthur would not laugh. John MacArthur is not my friend. Brian is. Okay. So going further,

00:24:03.060 Matthew, Henry, he says, God has further honors and reserve for those whose spirits continue low

00:24:09.620 when their reputation rises. So if God is exalting you and you want by the grace of God to be exalted

00:24:17.280 further, then become progressively more and more great by the grace of God, but stay low.

00:24:25.860 God will make you great, but your responsibility in your own eyes is to remain small. What's going

00:24:32.940 on with John here is precisely the opposite of what happened with King Saul, who was once, it's not

00:24:38.500 that Saul was always arrogant. There actually was a time when Saul was small in his own eyes, that he

00:24:44.620 was, in fact, humble, that he regarded himself as of little account. But as God made him great,

00:24:53.260 he was not only built up by God, but puffed up by pride.

00:25:01.240 And so we must avoid pride if we desire by the grace of God

00:25:05.600 to not only receive one honor, but to receive further honor.

00:25:10.260 If God has trusted you with little, be faithful and also be humble.

00:25:15.600 If God has given you some honor and you desire to expand and grow and receive more,

00:25:20.240 then as you become great also remain small that's the first point in the humility of John

00:25:29.640 further Matthew Henry now another quote in your notes he says this John thinks it necessary that

00:25:35.780 he should be baptized of Christ I have no need to be baptized of thee with the baptism of the

00:25:42.120 Holy Spirit as of fire well I'm sorry I have need I said no I do have need to be baptized of thee

00:25:49.500 with the baptism of the Holy Spirit as of fire,

00:25:52.440 for that was Christ's baptism.

00:25:54.840 Though John was filled.

00:25:56.200 Here's the thing. 0.99

00:25:57.020 So John's saying, I need your baptism.

00:25:58.460 John knows it's a baptism with fire,

00:26:00.300 a baptism of the Holy Spirit.

00:26:01.700 Not merely water, the remission of sin,

00:26:04.440 but the Holy Spirit coming upon him.

00:26:06.440 And this is John who does have needed that baptism,

00:26:08.820 but take into account for a moment here

00:26:11.820 that this is John who was filled with the Holy Spirit,

00:26:15.860 the Holy Ghost from the womb.

00:26:17.380 and this John who had the Holy Spirit from the womb is saying yeah the Holy Spirit I could always

00:26:25.460 use more so too this is another example that John sets for us here in this instance the instance of

00:26:33.660 Christ's baptism we see he who is filled with the Holy Spirit from birth saying I always have need

00:26:41.320 of more. Subsequent refillings of the Holy Spirit. More of the Holy Spirit's power, his anointing,

00:26:49.760 and his grace in my life. Yet John acknowledges that he had need to be baptized with Jesus'

00:26:58.040 baptism. He was filled with the Spirit from birth, and yet he knows he needs more. Continuing, note,

00:27:03.920 they who have much of the Spirit of God, yet while here in this imperfect state, see that they have

00:27:08.980 need of more and need to apply themselves to Christ to receive that more. So John has at least

00:27:15.420 two things here. One, he has the Spirit, but he knows he needs more. And two, he knows that more

00:27:21.640 of the Spirit comes from Christ. He applies himself to Christ to receive the Holy Spirit.

00:27:29.480 He doesn't go around Christ or neglect Christ or emphasize the Spirit at the expense of Christ,

00:27:35.960 But rather, he says, I need more of the Spirit, and that means leaning in to Jesus.

00:27:41.720 Where does the Spirit come from?

00:27:44.200 From whom does he proceed? 1.00

00:27:46.020 Eastern Orthodox, hardest hit, Christ. 0.83

00:27:48.380 From both the Father and the Son.

00:27:51.520 If I desire more of the Spirit, because I acknowledge that I have the Spirit,

00:27:56.140 and yet I have need of more, then I need Christ.

00:27:59.800 Because the Spirit comes from Him.

00:28:01.980 furthermore

00:28:05.060 Matthew Henry goes on and says

00:28:07.240 John has need to be baptized

00:28:08.680 though he

00:28:09.500 though he was the greatest

00:28:12.660 that was ever born of women

00:28:14.420 that's what Jesus himself said of John 0.77

00:28:16.380 yet being born of a woman 0.72

00:28:18.020 he is polluted as others of Adam's seed 0.98

00:28:20.700 and owns that he has need of cleansing

00:28:24.100 note the purest souls are most sensible

00:28:26.960 of their own remaining impurity

00:28:29.000 this is key

00:28:29.720 I'm going to stop here for a moment

00:28:31.060 and seek most earnestly for spiritual washing.

00:28:34.740 The best and holiest of men have need of Christ

00:28:38.380 and the better they are, the more they see of that need.

00:28:43.400 You've heard me give this illustration before,

00:28:45.400 but this one, some things I repeat, you know, 17 times.

00:28:47.940 This one, I think I've only said once or twice.

00:28:49.860 So this one definitely bears repeating.

00:28:52.360 It's not the best illustration,

00:28:54.100 but it gets the point of cross.

00:28:55.980 The process, the lifelong process

00:28:58.080 from the point of conversion, being born again,

00:28:59.900 justification to the point of death from the time you become a christian to the time you breathe

00:29:05.580 your last breath in this life that is the process of not positional righteousness which is

00:29:10.920 justification being declared righteous through faith but that is progressive righteousness the

00:29:16.240 process of being conformed progressively gradually more and more into the image of christ the work

00:29:22.360 of the holy spirit in and through the believer sanctification not justification but sanctification

00:29:29.440 And here is what sanctification looks like

00:29:31.660 if I was to make it a visible,

00:29:33.620 something you could visualize in illustration.

00:29:36.240 It's like getting closer and closer to Jesus,

00:29:39.120 being conformed gradually, further and further,

00:29:41.580 progressively into his image.

00:29:43.260 But here's the way it works.

00:29:45.240 One, the Holy Spirit is dragging you to Jesus.

00:29:50.340 So it's not just you walking towards him

00:29:52.300 because you're great.

00:29:54.480 No, it's you often digging in your heels

00:29:56.980 And the Holy Spirit is kind of, sorry, but you will be made more like Christ.

00:30:03.980 And praise God for the Holy Spirit and His gracious work, even against our willingness at times.

00:30:09.140 So the Spirit is dragging you towards Christ.

00:30:11.460 You know, it's been said, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman.

00:30:13.960 Have you ever heard that?

00:30:16.400 Don't like it. Not great.

00:30:18.880 The Holy Spirit was not very gentlemanly when He knocked Saul off of his donkey 0.65

00:30:25.180 when he was on his way to go and murder more Christians.

00:30:27.880 The Holy Spirit didn't come and knock at the door of his heart.

00:30:30.500 Would you like to invite me in and be a Christian? 0.98

00:30:32.740 He said, hey, Saul, you murder Christians. 0.99

00:30:35.280 And guess what? 1.00

00:30:35.960 I don't care.

00:30:36.960 You're going to be a Christian. 1.00

00:30:38.440 Like it or not. 0.99

00:30:39.260 Here you go.

00:30:41.020 Blinds him, right?

00:30:42.180 Right.

00:30:42.420 We all know that that's a typical, you know, 0.99

00:30:44.160 MO of gentlemen is you blind people. 0.99

00:30:47.360 Right. 0.95

00:30:47.820 That's the Holy Spirit is not a gentleman.

00:30:50.820 Not in that regard.

00:30:51.720 The Holy Spirit, every time someone's saved, for the record,

00:30:54.280 it's because God is not being a gentleman. It's because God's saying, you hate me and love death.

00:31:00.020 All who hate me love death. And yet I love you so much, like a father loves his child. That child,

00:31:05.500 that two-year-old child, their father could plead with him, blue in the face, and say, do not

00:31:10.080 disobey. Trust your dad. Stop. I know the ball just went into the street. Stop chasing it down.

00:31:16.940 Trust me. And the son could say, I don't care. I don't trust dad. And in this moment, I'm choosing

00:31:24.040 not to love dad and I'm not going to obey dad. And then what does a good dad do? Well, he sits down

00:31:29.720 and he watches that semi-truck barreling down the street and he lets his son learn a lesson, right?

00:31:35.020 No! A good dad runs over, grabs his kid and says, I love you so much, I won't let you choose death.

00:31:40.920 Oh, but there can be no true love without free will. Stop that! Bad theology. No, true love

00:31:47.340 overrides the will of the child in order to ensure life. What's best for the child, whether he wills

00:31:54.660 it or not. And then that true love, in the case of God, when it comes to regeneration, a work of the

00:32:00.140 Spirit, changes the nature and disposition of the child in such a way that he actually now

00:32:06.200 does become willing. He now does pursue holiness and righteousness with a desire, a bent towards

00:32:12.520 righteousness because his nature has been changed. He's a new creature in Christ Jesus. And as a new

00:32:20.360 creature with a new nature, he has a new disposition and that affords him new choices. This is the way

00:32:25.980 the gospel works. And all the pretty language to negate God's sovereign election and regeneration

00:32:35.280 and salvation all that pretty language is just that it's pretty language but it's not true

00:32:42.900 it's not biblical it's not right so how does this illustration work one the spirit is dragging you

00:32:53.600 towards christ further and further i think christ in this illustration is holding two things in one

00:32:59.420 hand. He's holding a fire hose. And as you get closer and closer, you're getting blasted. And

00:33:06.280 all the gunk and all the grime and all the sin that still remains is getting further and further

00:33:11.740 washed away. Again, hear me in theological categories. Justification. You've been clothed

00:33:17.180 with the perfect, spotless, pure righteousness of Christ from the moment you believed. And there are

00:33:22.780 no further degrees of righteousness when it comes to positional righteousness. That is justification

00:33:27.880 being declared righteous in the moment you believe.

00:33:31.460 That's not what I'm talking about.

00:33:32.680 I'm talking about over here,

00:33:33.920 not justification, declared righteous,

00:33:36.260 sanctification being progressively made righteous.

00:33:39.940 And in terms of sanctification,

00:33:41.220 we do go from glory to glory to glory.

00:33:45.280 We do gradually, progressively

00:33:46.680 be further conformed into the likeness of Christ.

00:33:51.080 We grow progressively in obedience and in holiness.

00:33:54.700 And so the spirit is dragging us closer and closer to Jesus.

00:33:58.660 As we're being dragged closer to Jesus, he's holding a fire hose in one hand,

00:34:03.000 and it's blasting away the gunk.

00:34:05.600 The closer we get, the cleaner we get.

00:34:08.900 But in the other hand, he's holding a mirror.

00:34:11.580 And the closer you get, in objective terms, you are progressively getting more righteous.

00:34:17.380 But in subjective terms, you are becoming more aware of all the grime and the filth that still remains.

00:34:23.260 and that is why in the category of sanctification progressive righteousness although you are

00:34:30.060 objectively becoming holier if you're a christian you are being sanctified there is no question

00:34:36.720 there it's not like hey christians are justified and some of them will be sanctified no if you're

00:34:41.640 a christian you are being sanctified you are if you've been walking with the lord for five years

00:34:46.980 by the grace of god in progressive righteousness terms you are holier than you were five years ago

00:34:52.700 and yet here's the thing that's objectively true but what is also subjectively true is although

00:35:00.960 you are objectively being made more holy as you are sanctified and walking with christ you are

00:35:06.920 also subjectively becoming more aware painfully often aware of all the unholiness and the sin

00:35:15.120 that remains. And that's why

00:35:16.780 some of the holiest saints, like

00:35:18.920 John, could

00:35:21.020 be, in one instance, objectively

00:35:23.100 by the word of Christ himself

00:35:25.280 the greatest born of

00:35:27.040 women. And yet also

00:35:29.260 say, I'm

00:35:31.180 not worthy to untie the sandals

00:35:32.980 around your feet.

00:35:35.560 John, this isn't false

00:35:37.080 humility. This isn't false modesty.

00:35:39.080 John's not just saying that as

00:35:41.000 pretty poetic prose.

00:35:43.600 No, John means it.

00:35:45.120 John is acknowledging how sinful he really is.

00:35:48.940 He knows that he is a vile sinner.

00:35:52.080 And yet Jesus knows that he is the greatest man born of women.

00:35:56.840 John, at that time, was the most sanctified guy on the planet.

00:36:00.720 You have to wait a little later for the Apostle Paul.

00:36:03.700 He was the most sanctified man on the planet,

00:36:05.980 barring Jesus, the God-man himself.

00:36:09.020 And yet, John, not just saying it because it sounds humble,

00:36:13.240 He meant it. I'm not worthy because that's the way true sanctification works. You get holier

00:36:19.920 by the grace of God, but you get more aware of the holiness that's still lacking also by the

00:36:26.500 grace of God. The most seasoned saints that you will find will be the holiest and the humblest.

00:36:34.000 Humility and holiness always come as twins, as a pair. Whatever holiness you might be gaining

00:36:41.120 at the expense of humility is not true holiness lastly matthew henry says this with the will of

00:36:47.840 christ and this reason for it john was entirely satisfied so he said i'm not worthy but christ

00:36:54.460 says yeah but we still got to do it and that's enough john says oh it's jesus he is god he's

00:37:01.900 given his command i gave my reservation and he said we still got to do it and at that point what

00:37:08.340 does humility do? Humility doesn't balk twice. Humility doesn't say, I'm unworthy. And then God

00:37:15.880 says, yeah, but you still need to do it. And it says, no, but I can't. At that point, it's no longer

00:37:20.400 humility. At that point, it's just disobedience. And as I just said previously, holiness and

00:37:27.120 humility, true humility, is always accompanied by true holiness. So whatever we might deem as

00:37:33.940 humility, if that humility becomes a mechanism or an excuse to keep us from actively obeying

00:37:40.380 Christ, then that's not actually humility. We might call it humility, but what it really is,

00:37:46.180 is cowardice, fear, apathy, laziness. It could be a whole host of things, but it's not true humility.

00:37:55.660 True humility will never hinder us from true obedience.

00:38:00.840 Never.

00:38:02.860 And yet in the name of humility, a mere pretense to humility,

00:38:07.620 many have made excuses keeping themselves from obeying God.

00:38:11.740 Do you know what false humility is?

00:38:13.920 False humility is not just one sin, but two.

00:38:17.280 It's both pride and deceit.

00:38:20.200 The person who has false humility is actually prideful

00:38:23.660 and they're lying about it. 0.97

00:38:25.660 Better to be blazingly arrogant.

00:38:29.140 At least then you can be honest and prideful. 0.97

00:38:33.640 But the one who has false humility is a lying, prideful individual.

00:38:39.980 Let it not be so with us.

00:38:42.540 Yes, acknowledge that we are but unworthy, undeserving servants.

00:38:47.800 But in the final analysis, when Christ gives the command, we must obey.

00:38:52.700 and notice that one of the things

00:38:54.580 that Jesus says

00:38:56.420 and this caught me off guard this week

00:38:58.160 as I was studying preparing for the sermon

00:38:59.500 I knew, I know this text

00:39:01.360 I reference it quite often

00:39:03.640 when speaking of the act of obedience of Christ

00:39:05.500 he doesn't just avoid sin

00:39:06.640 but he fulfills all righteousness

00:39:07.920 but the text

00:39:08.740 it actually says not only Jesus saying

00:39:11.120 it is necessary that I subject myself

00:39:13.100 to your baptism

00:39:14.060 so that I might fulfill all righteousness

00:39:16.420 but this one

00:39:17.440 gave me pause for a moment

00:39:19.740 he says I need to be baptized by you

00:39:23.220 And do you come to me?

00:39:24.360 That's the end of verse 14.

00:39:25.560 That's John speaking.

00:39:26.460 But Jesus answered him,

00:39:27.940 Let it be so now,

00:39:29.700 for thus it is fitting for us

00:39:31.620 to fulfill all righteousness.

00:39:35.320 Now, Jesus is the one,

00:39:37.060 by His substitutionary life,

00:39:38.800 as I've already spoken of,

00:39:40.540 He is the one who fulfills all righteousness for us

00:39:43.600 in our place as a substitute.

00:39:46.120 You and I are not fulfilling all righteousness

00:39:48.140 as the Lamb of God,

00:39:50.660 as a substitute,

00:39:51.400 in order to be accredited to someone else's account.

00:39:54.960 So I'm not saying that.

00:39:56.000 Jesus is not saying that.

00:39:57.200 The text is not saying that.

00:39:59.720 But in terms of a moral imperative

00:40:01.300 of what we ought to do,

00:40:04.000 it is fitting, according to Jesus,

00:40:06.400 not only that He fulfill all righteousness,

00:40:08.860 but it is fitting, which is the word He uses,

00:40:11.780 for us to fulfill all righteousness.

00:40:14.060 And I don't believe that it just is in reference

00:40:16.380 of Jesus and John.

00:40:18.120 But I think, in this case,

00:40:19.640 it is in reference of Jesus and all those who would be His disciples.

00:40:24.160 It is not only fitting that Jesus fulfill all righteousness,

00:40:27.220 He does so on our behalf,

00:40:29.140 but all of us who claim to follow Him,

00:40:31.420 all of us who've been born again by grace to faith in Christ alone,

00:40:35.780 we all should not merely avoid sin,

00:40:37.780 but like Christ, following His example,

00:40:40.020 seek to fulfill all righteousness.

00:40:43.000 What that means is that we must be active in our obedience as well.

00:40:47.540 not as saviors of the world but as those who are responding with gratitude for the free salvation

00:40:54.120 we've already inherited because of Christ and his work alone we too should not be merely content

00:40:59.960 with avoiding sin but should apply ourselves further to fulfilling all righteousness waking

00:41:07.400 up in the morning and not merely asking the question what temptations lie before me today

00:41:11.740 and how can I seek to avoid them but further asking what opportunities in the province of

00:41:16.620 God stand before me today and how can I achieve them going further not just avoiding sin but it

00:41:24.860 is fitting for us for Christ and those who would follow him to fulfill all righteousness second

00:41:31.120 point now the humility of Christ we've seen John's humility but now the humility of Christ

00:41:36.380 and his act of obedience I've already covered much of this so I'll just go very quickly

00:41:40.060 this is verse 15 let it be so now my baptism the baptism of christ it comes by fire the baptism

00:41:48.360 the holy spirit yep everyone has need of that but for now it is fitting for us to fulfill all

00:41:54.620 righteousness by me that is christ subjecting myself not to my own baptism but to the baptism

00:42:00.360 of john that's what needs to happen now for what purpose because jesus had sin that needed to be

00:42:06.680 washed away? God forbid. No. For what purpose? To fulfill every jot and tittle of the law of God.

00:42:13.200 To fulfill all righteousness. The act of obedience of Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry, commentating on

00:42:19.640 verse 15, he says it like this. It was an instance of Christ's great humility that he would offer

00:42:25.060 himself to be baptized of John. That he who knew no sin would submit himself to the baptism of

00:42:32.080 repentance. The reason that Christ gives for it. Thus, it is necessary for us to fulfill all

00:42:38.300 righteousness. Note, there was a propriety, that is a purpose, in every single thing that Christ did

00:42:45.040 for us. It was all of grace. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 10 and chapter 7 verse 26 tells us this.

00:42:51.760 It's all condescensions. It's all gracious. Everything that Christ does. But not only was

00:42:56.640 it all grace. It was all grace with a purpose. None of it is unnecessary. All of it is purposeful

00:43:03.240 with intention. Gracious intention. And we must study to do not only that which behooves us,

00:43:10.680 that is that which we must, but if we're serious about following Jesus as we grow in spiritual

00:43:17.420 maturity and further sanctification, we don't merely beg the question what behooves us, but

00:43:23.180 that which becomes us. The mature believer doesn't merely ask what must I do, but what may I do as I

00:43:31.560 seek to give God the most glory possible. How far can I go in honoring him? Not merely that which

00:43:38.820 behooves us, but that which becomes us. Not only that which is indispensably necessary, but that

00:43:45.260 which is lovely and of good reports. Our Lord Jesus looked upon it as a thing well becoming of him

00:43:51.700 to fulfill all righteousness.

00:43:55.520 That is, to own every divine institution

00:43:58.860 and to show His readiness to comply

00:44:01.260 with all of God's righteous precepts.

00:44:05.200 And lastly, point three,

00:44:07.560 which we'll see in verses 16 and 17 of our text,

00:44:10.080 the point being this,

00:44:12.040 God's encouragement,

00:44:14.520 His affirmation,

00:44:16.720 the reception of His only begotten Son,

00:44:19.560 And that all that encouragement, that pronouncement, that reception, that affirmation is not only belonging to Christ, to whom it belongs first and foremost, but also to us, all those who have union with Christ by grace and by the work of the Spirit.

00:44:37.160 verses 16 and 17 of our text say the following when Jesus was baptized immediately he went up

00:44:43.660 from the water and behold the heavens were open to him and he saw the spirit of God descending

00:44:51.240 like a dove and resting on him not merely touching and then lifting off but resting

00:45:00.360 pleased to dwell with him.

00:45:03.660 And behold, not only was there the sight

00:45:06.340 of the Spirit as a dove resting on Christ,

00:45:10.100 but also there was heard a voice from heaven

00:45:12.800 saying this,

00:45:15.180 This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.

00:45:19.120 So many things in this text,

00:45:20.600 and I don't have time to get to them all,

00:45:21.960 but one, here we find the Trinity,

00:45:25.280 the voice of the Father,

00:45:27.700 the descent of the Spirit,

00:45:29.340 and the baptism of the Son.

00:45:31.840 All three persons of the Trinity,

00:45:33.880 not modalism, which is a heresy.

00:45:36.220 Not all three of the Trinity

00:45:38.080 appearing at different times.

00:45:39.520 Not the Father then coming as a Son

00:45:41.880 and then becoming the Spirit.

00:45:43.520 But all three persons simultaneously at once.

00:45:46.460 Father, Spirit, and Son.

00:45:49.900 So we have the triune God

00:45:51.600 present in this text.

00:45:54.440 And also we have the pronouncement

00:45:56.700 of the good news of the Gospel.

00:45:58.500 that God the Father is pleased

00:46:02.040 in Jesus Christ the Son.

00:46:07.300 Matthew Henry says it like this,

00:46:09.620 the heavens were opened unto Him.

00:46:11.720 Remember that the heavens previously

00:46:14.220 had turned to bronze.

00:46:17.980 For 400 years, the word of the Lord

00:46:20.760 was rare in Israel.

00:46:23.420 This is what we find throughout the biblical text

00:46:25.740 that after the time of Malachi,

00:46:28.160 that passes a 400 year period

00:46:30.160 where the word of the Lord was rare.

00:46:31.940 And the scripture even says

00:46:32.880 that the skies, the heavens

00:46:34.560 had turned to bronze or brass.

00:46:37.960 Some translations say.

00:46:39.220 Meaning that there was, as it were,

00:46:41.500 a barrier between God and man. 1.00

00:46:44.660 That Israel that was always wicked 1.00

00:46:46.600 and always, for the most part, unbelieving 1.00

00:46:49.240 had become particularly wicked and unbelieving

00:46:52.180 leading up to the proper time,

00:46:55.600 the coming of Christ.

00:46:57.380 Remember that God has only ever forgiven sins on account of Jesus Christ.

00:47:01.260 How were Old Testament saints such as Adam and Eve and Noah, Moses, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,

00:47:07.940 how were they saved?

00:47:08.900 By grace alone, through faith alone and Christ alone.

00:47:11.640 The same way that we are.

00:47:13.040 They were saved by the finished work of Jesus,

00:47:15.660 which chronologically at their time had not yet been finished.

00:47:19.800 But it was the work of Christ retroactively applied by the Spirit that God passed over.

00:47:25.900 Hebrew says this, he temporarily passed over former sins so that at the proper time he could send Christ.

00:47:32.760 Now there are many things about the coming, the timing of the incarnation of Jesus that made that time proper.

00:47:40.180 Part of it had to do with the sins of the people being stored up. 0.86

00:47:44.600 Part of it had to do with the Romans and this kingdom being brittle and fractured, iron mixed with clay. 0.71

00:47:50.760 and the particular techniques of crucifixion of the Romans

00:47:55.380 so that Isaiah and all these prophecies might be fulfilled.

00:47:59.460 But one of the things, the aspects or elements

00:48:02.260 that makes this time of Jesus and His coming fitting and proper 0.94

00:48:06.740 is because it was the height of Israel's sin. 0.95

00:48:12.200 That Israel progressively had become, in many ways, 0.91

00:48:15.520 more and more rebellious. 0.69

00:48:17.440 that they had had this long-standing pattern for centuries of three generations being rebellious

00:48:25.160 towards God and then one generation that is okay, decent. Never really great, but decent. And then

00:48:32.560 three or four or five more generations in rebellion against God and then another generation that's 1.00

00:48:37.840 decent. But at the time that Christ comes, it's on the heels of 400 years. And during that 400 years, 0.96

00:48:47.440 from the accounts and extra biblical accounts that we have it appears as though we don't have 0.96

00:48:53.220 the typical Israel pattern that we've previously had three bad generations and one good no it 0.99

00:49:02.000 seems as though very likely for 400 years leading up to the coming of Christ you just have bad 0.67

00:49:08.840 generations in Israel that the word of the Lord is rare the skies have turned to bronze that God

00:49:15.160 in many ways has cut off his people, that he has severed and separated himself from them

00:49:21.520 because of their heart and hearts, because of their unbelief. And then Jesus comes into the world

00:49:27.380 in that moment. And here we have in the baptism of Jesus, these skies which had been turned to

00:49:34.620 bronze all of a sudden, broken open. And the word of the Lord, which had been rare for four centuries,

00:49:43.100 is now booming forth in such a way

00:49:45.700 that all who were standing there present

00:49:47.280 could hear it.

00:49:49.340 And after 400 years of virtual silence

00:49:53.260 and separation from God and His people, 0.97

00:49:57.280 God now bypasses Israel

00:49:59.300 and speaks directly not to them, plural, 0.69

00:50:01.900 but to Christ, singular,

00:50:03.460 and says, this is my Israel.

00:50:07.720 This is my Son.

00:50:10.500 In Him I've always been.

00:50:13.100 well pleased. And so how do you escape the wrath that is to come? There is a judgment

00:50:20.320 that is coming to flood the earth, much like the days of Noah. But there is an ark

00:50:26.720 that God has provided in which He Himself, just as in the case of Noah, is the Lord who seals up

00:50:33.680 the door. Christ is that ark. He is the one in whom the Father is well pleased. And all those

00:50:41.040 who hide themselves in the cleft of

00:50:43.020 the rock, who find themselves secure

00:50:45.240 in Christ, have the eternal

00:50:47.240 and perfect pleasure of God.

00:50:49.080 Outside of Christ, there is only

00:50:50.960 wrath. There is only judgment.

00:50:53.360 There is only destruction.

00:50:55.480 God had cut off Israel. 0.69

00:50:58.040 And in AD 70, 0.72

00:50:59.400 all of God's severing was

00:51:00.940 completely done. By the time

00:51:03.000 Jesus comes on the scene, you have 400

00:51:05.060 years of silence, of

00:51:07.020 God's

00:51:08.260 divorcing of israel not full but certainly underway but all of a sudden the skies which 0.90

00:51:17.720 have been turned to bronze are shattered and broken apart for god to say to israel i'm taking 0.76

00:51:22.660 you back nope to say to jesus you have always been the point you have always been the object

00:51:30.200 of my desire who is the apple of god's eye jesus who is a true israel jesus

00:51:37.560 where's the hope where's the salvation jesus at the time that jesus comes the word of the lord

00:51:46.340 for 400 years had been rare or as john the baptist says the axe was already at the root of the tree

00:51:52.280 and that tree that the axe was at the root of that was the tree of the priestly tabernacle

00:52:00.320 temple, animal sacrificial, Jewish system.

00:52:06.720 And the axe was laid at the roots. 1.00

00:52:09.400 And God was already cutting them off.

00:52:12.020 And by AD 70, they were cut off with finality.

00:52:16.860 The floodwaters truly came.

00:52:20.220 But before the floodwaters came,

00:52:22.800 the ark was given.

00:52:25.080 And all those who were willing

00:52:26.700 to hear the word of the Lord

00:52:28.520 as He pronounces His pleasure in the Son,

00:52:31.720 all those who are willing to get on the boat,

00:52:34.740 all of them would be saved.

00:52:37.920 And I believe that leading up to AD 70,

00:52:40.220 initially He came to His own,

00:52:41.780 but they received Him not.

00:52:42.960 Isaiah says this,

00:52:44.660 many Jews rejected Christ.

00:52:47.140 But leading up to AD 70,

00:52:48.560 I believe there was a great revival

00:52:49.840 because they saw the very words of Christ

00:52:51.680 fulfilled before their eyes.

00:52:52.880 This generation, Matthew 24,

00:52:54.900 will not pass away

00:52:55.880 until all these things come to pass,

00:52:57.680 including the destruction of the temple,

00:52:59.640 not one stone left on another.

00:53:01.760 And all those things did come to pass.

00:53:04.360 And many in Israel who did not heed the word of Christ,

00:53:07.380 they died and perished.

00:53:08.380 But many, I believe, repented of their sins,

00:53:11.200 put faith in Jesus, were taken up into the ark.

00:53:13.660 And the pleasure of God the Father towards Christ

00:53:15.860 became His pleasure towards them as well.

00:53:19.220 And that same pleasure remains for all those today,

00:53:22.060 for you and I, if we will trust in Christ.

00:53:25.860 There is no other ark.

00:53:27.420 There's no B plan. 1.00

00:53:29.380 There's no Christian adjacent. 1.00

00:53:32.780 There's Christ and then there's Beelzebub. 0.97

00:53:37.140 There is Christ and there's Satan. 0.63

00:53:41.140 There is Christ and truth and then there are lies.

00:53:44.920 That's it.

00:53:46.560 There is no halfway house between heaven and hell.

00:53:50.480 There is salvation in no other name

00:53:52.780 but the name of Jesus Christ alone.

00:53:55.140 and outside of Him,

00:53:57.480 all you have is a bunch of water slides

00:53:59.560 that all end in the lake of fire.

00:54:01.360 You want to go do three turns 0.72

00:54:03.580 before you go to hell?

00:54:04.660 Or you want to do two turns 0.97

00:54:05.900 before you go to hell? 0.88

00:54:06.600 That's it. 0.99

00:54:07.620 Those are the options.

00:54:09.560 There is no halfway salvation 0.97

00:54:11.540 for Israel.

00:54:14.960 No, no. 1.00

00:54:15.520 Muslim? 1.00

00:54:16.620 Damned. 1.00

00:54:17.940 Jew? 1.00

00:54:19.180 Damned. 1.00

00:54:20.540 Atheist? 1.00

00:54:21.480 Damned. 1.00

00:54:22.300 Hindu? 1.00

00:54:23.260 Damned. 0.99

00:54:23.860 christian saved only in christ he is the true israel and he alone is the object of the father's 0.99

00:54:32.960 full pleasure and jews can be saved in him but only in him and we can be saved in him

00:54:39.780 and the same offer that was made that day this is christ my son in whom i am well pleased 0.92

00:54:46.660 you want to be saved you want to pass through the waters of baptism which is likened to no

00:54:52.060 and the flood and the ark by Peter elsewhere in the scripture? You want to go through these waters

00:54:57.480 of baptism without drowning, without being destroyed? Then be taken up and sealed in the ark.

00:55:03.560 My pleasure belongs to him because he earned it and you didn't. But if you want to receive that

00:55:09.000 same pleasure, you can do so on the basis of his merit, not your own, which comes by faith

00:55:14.700 and by grace and by the work of the spirit union with Christ. And that is the gospel.

00:55:22.600 And we see that in the baptism of Jesus,

00:55:25.000 the pleasure of God for Him

00:55:26.280 and the pleasure of God for us

00:55:28.440 so long as we are found in Him.

00:55:31.680 Let's pray.

00:55:32.300 Father, thank You for Your Word.

00:55:34.440 Help us to trust in Jesus.

00:55:36.380 We pray this in His name.

00:55:37.840 Amen.

The NXR Podcast - August 26, 2024

THE SERMON - Fulfilling All Righteousness： The Active Obedience Of Christ

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