THE SERMON - Fulfilling All Righteousness： The Active Obedience Of Christ
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Summary
In Matthew 3:13-17, we see how John, the disciple of Jesus, was willing to submit to the command to be baptized by the Lord. Why did he do so? What was the reason behind his willingness to obey? And why did he allow the water to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Transcript
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amen please stand for the reading of god's word we're preaching through the book of matthew right
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now for this lord's day our text is matthew chapter 3 verses 13 through 17. again that's
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matthew chapter 3 verses 13 through 17. i'll read our text for us in its entirety when i finish
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reading the text i'm going to say this is the word of the lord at which point i would appreciate
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very much if you would respond by saying thanks be to god one final time our text for today is
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Matthew 3, verses 13 through 17, the Bible says this, Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to
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John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, I need to be baptized
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by you, and do you come to me? But Jesus answered him, let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for
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us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented and when Jesus was baptized immediately he went
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up from the water and behold the heavens were opened to him and he saw the spirit of God
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descending like a dove and coming to rest on him and behold a voice from heaven said this is my
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beloved son with whom I am well pleased. This is the word of the Lord. All right please be seated
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let's go ahead and dive right in. Three primary points that I hope to express and espouse by the
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grace of God today. Number one, the humility of John. And yet, despite his humility, in the final
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analysis, his submission, which means that it was true humility and not false humility. It was not
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humility as a guise, truly masking his refusal or unwillingness to obey. John was humble,
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And yet, at the end of the day, with this humility, he still obliged the command of Christ.
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Not worthy to unlatch even the straps of the sandals on your feet.
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Because his humility, and our humility also for that matter, so long as it is true humility,
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and not just humility as a euphemism for inactivity or apathy.
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So long as it is true humility, humility will never stand in the way of obedience.
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Because of his humility, he says, I can't do this.
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Humility will never stop you from courageously obeying Jesus, whatever the commandment might be.
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The second is not only the humility of John, but the humility of Christ,
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as well as in his humility, his willingness to be baptized by a sinner,
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And in that, the reason he's willing to undergo baptism to allow John,
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which is an incredibly important doctrinal truth
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It is not merely that Christ died as our substitute,
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and so in dying in our place he took our guilt he took our sin and he took the punishment due to our
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sin that is the wages of sin is death he took the death that you and i deserve that we stored up
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by doing the work of sin we worked hard in our vocation of sin and we earned rightfully the wage
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so that we might inherit the righteousness of God.
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So Jesus, as a substitute, first, He takes our sin.
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And so that is the substitutionary death of Christ.
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which is the linchpin of the gospel but it is also important that we understand not only penal
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substitutionary atonement that behold the lamb of god who takes away the sins of the world that
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jesus died in our place and took our sin and took the wages of our sin the punishment we deserve
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death but also he lived in our place it is not only that jesus is our substitute in his death
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with our sin, but he is also our substitute in his life with his righteousness. So it is not only
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that by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, all sin is removed from us in
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justification, but it is a double imputation. That is, all of our sin is removed and imputed to Christ,
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but also all of his righteousness is imputed to our account. So we don't just lose our sin and go
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from a state of guilt to a state of innocence. No, we go from a state of guilt to a state of not
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mere innocence, but perfect fullness of righteousness. And not only, as you've heard me say
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many times, but it bears repeating, not only the righteousness of angels. Think about that for a
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moment. All those angels who did not ultimately side with Lucifer, Satan, the great dragon who
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was cast down to the earth all those angels who did not side with him they still remain in heaven
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and those unfallen angels those that are still in heaven how many times over the course of their
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life which has been thousands of years how many times have these unfallen angels sinned or rebelled
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against god zero and yet the righteousness that you have christian which is a righteousness that
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It is not attained by your works as done unto the law,
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supersedes the righteousness of sinless angels.
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because they cannot fully look upon His holiness.
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of sinning against God or rebelling against Him.
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Your righteousness is the righteousness of God.
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It is the righteousness of the second member of the Trinity,
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The passive obedience of Christ in theological terms
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is His willingness to submit to the Father in His death,
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to die as the Lamb of God slain for the sin of the world.
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is everything from the moment of His birth up until His death.
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He obeyed God not merely in the end and going to the cross, but in even subjecting himself to John's baptism.
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What is the reason that Christ gives in our text today for his baptism?
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It is good and right for us to fulfill all righteousness.
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That in the mind of Christ, in his purpose, in his calling,
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it was not merely necessary that he should avoid all sin, but that he should fully engage in all
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obedience. Not merely avoiding all sin, but fulfilling all righteousness. Why? Because in
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his death, he takes your sin and guilt. But through his life, you receive not only innocence,
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But doing this for the purpose of fulfilling all righteousness,
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that is his active obedience, his perfect life.
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for all those who have union with him by the Spirit,
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So the first point, the humility of John and his submission.
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We find this in the first two verses of our text to read them once more so that they're fresh in our minds.
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Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan, that is the river, to John to be baptized by him.
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John would have prevented him saying, I need to be baptized by you.
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and do you come to me first and foremost jesus does not correct john he doesn't say no no you
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don't need to be baptized by me no he does when john says this john's not lying and he's not
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theologically inaccurate what john says is absolutely true and jesus knows that it's true
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but that's not what needs to happen now the key is verse 15 going on just a little further but
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Jesus answered him, let it be so now. Later on, John, yes, John and all those who have union with
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Christ must receive Christ's baptism, a baptism of the Holy Spirit, a baptism that comes not by
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water, but by fire. But now, that is in this present moment, as Jesus is standing before John,
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what needs to happen is that Jesus must receive John's baptism and not the other way around.
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So when John says, I must be baptized by you, Jesus doesn't say, no, that's not true.
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Implicitly in the text, we're meant to assume that Jesus agrees with John saying,
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you most certainly need to be baptized in my baptism.
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But for now, today, I must be baptized with your baptism, the baptism of John.
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Why? Because the baptism of John was a remission of sins.
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It was coming and having your sins washed away.
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so what's the purpose of jesus subjecting himself to the baptism of john it's not for the removal
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the removal of sin it's to fulfill all righteousness it's to subject himself as he
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did all throughout his life to every jot and tittle of the law of god there's not one portion
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of the law of god that jesus does not fulfill he's not just avoiding sin he's not just keeping
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himself pure and clean by avoiding sin and maintaining innocence, but he is subjecting
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himself to every jot, every tittle, every commandment, every precept of the law of God.
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He is fulfilling all righteousness, not merely avoiding all sin. That's the difference. Jesus
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is not just avoiding sin, but fulfilling righteousness. And this is why the reason he
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gives, that he subjects himself, submits himself in humility to the baptism of John that was a
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baptism for sinners, even though he himself had no sin. Matthew Henry, the late great Puritan,
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in commentating on verses 13 and 14 of our text, he says the following. The objection that John
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made against baptizing Jesus was similar to the objection that Peter made a little later when
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christ went about to wash his feet in the 13th chapter of the gospel of john right remember
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peter says i'm not worthy for you to wash my feet jesus says if you don't allow me to wash
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your feet then you have no part in me and then you know peter classic peter response he said
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then wash everything my head and my hands my body also but initially peter objects and it's very
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similar the objection that we see here with John. I'm not worthy. Note Christ's gracious
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condescensions. His willingness to remove his outer garment, wrap himself with a towel,
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get down on his hands and knees, and wash the feet of his disciples. Or likewise, his humility
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and being willing to subject himself to the baptism for sinners, although he himself was
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without sin. This is what would be known as the condescensions of Christ. And just for the record,
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that word, very much used by reformers and Puritans, it's an old word, which means it's a good word.
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But that word does not mean what we typically think. When we think of condescension, we think
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of demeaning someone. He's being condescended. Now condescension just means to lower oneself to
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the level of another, of an inferior. So to condescend is only demeaning if it's someone
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who is your superior or a peer, and you are treating them as though they are beneath you.
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That's a demeaning form of condescension. But any time that God, we see in reference to God or to
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Christ, who is God, we see this term condescensions. It's not meant to be demeaning. It's simply that's
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the only way that god can interact with man all of god's revelation of himself to us is a
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condescension all of it every time god has spoken to us be it by dreams and visions and the prophets
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of old where all the things inscripturated and kept for us in the canon of holy writ all of these
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things that god has done for us and that god has said to us and revealed to us it is all underneath
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the banner of grace. It is all a condescension. God lowering himself in the way that a father
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would get on his hands and knees with his very young child. Not to demean the child, but to
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condescend to their level so that they might be understood. We condescend physically by getting
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down on our knees with a young child and speaking eye to eye. We also condescend verbally, meaning
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that we speak on their level in a way that they can comprehend, in a way that is intelligible
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to a younger child. And this is what God does with us. This is what God does in the Scripture.
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Everything that God speaks about Himself in the Scripture is a condescension.
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It's all true, for God is not a man that He should lie. So God has never lied. So everything He says
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in scripture is true but you heard me say this last week not all of it is literally true well
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then what's God doing is he trying to trick us is he is he trying to be is he trying to be
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unnecessarily complicated no no he's trying to be clear and when God speaks to us as finite
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creatures about himself he can he can't do so in any other means but by condescension but by using
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So God does not literally have a body, and therefore, He does not literally have eyes.
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But God's not lying. He is telling us something true about Himself.
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What He's saying is that He is all-knowing. He is omniscient.
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He is seeing everything that happens on the face of the earth.
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He is condescending and speaking to us in such a way that we might understand.
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Saying something true about Himself, but it may not be literally true.
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And he does this as a condescension, and that condescension is not demeaning, and it is not deceitful, it is grace.
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And this is what Jesus did with Peter and the disciples in washing their feet,
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and this is what Jesus does with John in subjecting himself to his baptism.
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Christ's gracious condescensions are so surprising as to appear at first incredible to the strongest
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believers so deep and mysterious that even they who know his mind well cannot soon find out the
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meaning of them. John's modesty thinks this an honor too great for him to receive and he is right
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and yet he must also oblige. He thinks it an honor too great for him to receive. John had now obtained
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a great name. By this point in his ministry, by the point that Jesus now approaches him at the
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Jordan River to be baptized, John has been baptizing for some time. And John, his name, that is his
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fame, has spread throughout the known region. John is a celebrity at this point. John is very great
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in the sight of men. Even those who hate him dare not speak against John because they know that the
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people perceive him to be a prophet and that the people would oppose them. So even the Pharisees
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are coming to John's baptism. They hate it, but they have to play the man. They have to tip the
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hat. And John, of course, you know, speaks to them saying, who warned you to flee from the wrath to
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come? You brood of vipers. John is not politically correct. John is a man. Jesus even says this of
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John speaking of his masculinity he said what did you go out into the wilderness to see
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a man in soft clothing that is an effeminate man no where do you find them you find them in
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Washington DC seriously Jesus says you find them in palaces Jesus he's he's knocking on politicians
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he is he said you want to find a soft man in soft clothing we call those politicians you find them
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in palaces or in our current, you know, structure, you find them in D.C.
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If you want a soft man, then go and go and find a senator.
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But if you want a hard man, a masculine man, well, then you go out into the wilderness.
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You find a guy dressed in camel skin who's eating locusts and honey.
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John was a masculine man and he referred to the Pharisees in masculine tones.
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It was perfectly righteous, perfectly permissible in the sight of God for him to say,
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Who wanted you to flee the wrath of God, you brood of vipers?
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You're here to tip the hat and pretend because you know that the people are on my side.
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And so you're going to subject yourself outwardly to what would put you into the good graces of the people.
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You're hypocrites and liars, you're snakes.
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He is, for all intents and purposes, a celebrity.
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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.
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And yet at the height of John's popularity, that is when Jesus comes to him.
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And notice, despite all his esteem, all of his fame, John's immediate response to Jesus is a response of humility.
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that this is an honor too great for him to receive.
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John had now, by this point, obtained a great name,
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for someone to attain greatness in the sight of men,
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and even perhaps greatness in the sight of God.
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True greatness, but to remain small in their own eyes.
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And so, in this instance, we should follow the example that he sets.
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Low in his stature. Low in his opinion of himself.
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And what are the great defenses that we have in this age
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as we wage war against the three great enemies of the Christian,
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that is the world, the devil, and the flesh.
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One of the great weapons that we have, I think,
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is a weapon of being able to laugh at yourself.
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I have found that it seems to be an unbroken test of character.
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Who can laugh at himself and who takes himself too seriously?
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i found that again and again i basically at this point i based uh virtually all of my life
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especially when it comes to friendships off of that principle like many of you are familiar with
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you know brian silvey brian silvey is a friend one of the reasons why is not just because i think
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he's smart or i think he's godly in this aspect or that aspect or whatever because he has podcasts
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that I like. Part of the reason, one of the main reasons that Brian is my friend is because I think
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he's genuine. I think he's the real article. And the reason I think he's the real article
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is because I can say, hey, Brian, you're being gay. And Brian will laugh.
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John MacArthur would not laugh. John MacArthur is not my friend. Brian is. Okay. So going further,
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Matthew, Henry, he says, God has further honors and reserve for those whose spirits continue low
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when their reputation rises. So if God is exalting you and you want by the grace of God to be exalted
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further, then become progressively more and more great by the grace of God, but stay low.
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God will make you great, but your responsibility in your own eyes is to remain small. What's going
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on with John here is precisely the opposite of what happened with King Saul, who was once, it's not
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that Saul was always arrogant. There actually was a time when Saul was small in his own eyes, that he
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was, in fact, humble, that he regarded himself as of little account. But as God made him great,
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he was not only built up by God, but puffed up by pride.
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And so we must avoid pride if we desire by the grace of God
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to not only receive one honor, but to receive further honor.
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If God has trusted you with little, be faithful and also be humble.
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If God has given you some honor and you desire to expand and grow and receive more,
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then as you become great also remain small that's the first point in the humility of John
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further Matthew Henry now another quote in your notes he says this John thinks it necessary that
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he should be baptized of Christ I have no need to be baptized of thee with the baptism of the
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Holy Spirit as of fire well I'm sorry I have need I said no I do have need to be baptized of thee
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with the baptism of the Holy Spirit as of fire,
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And this is John who does have needed that baptism,
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that this is John who was filled with the Holy Spirit,
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and this John who had the Holy Spirit from the womb is saying yeah the Holy Spirit I could always
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use more so too this is another example that John sets for us here in this instance the instance of
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Christ's baptism we see he who is filled with the Holy Spirit from birth saying I always have need
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of more. Subsequent refillings of the Holy Spirit. More of the Holy Spirit's power, his anointing,
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and his grace in my life. Yet John acknowledges that he had need to be baptized with Jesus'
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baptism. He was filled with the Spirit from birth, and yet he knows he needs more. Continuing, note,
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they who have much of the Spirit of God, yet while here in this imperfect state, see that they have
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need of more and need to apply themselves to Christ to receive that more. So John has at least
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two things here. One, he has the Spirit, but he knows he needs more. And two, he knows that more
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of the Spirit comes from Christ. He applies himself to Christ to receive the Holy Spirit.
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He doesn't go around Christ or neglect Christ or emphasize the Spirit at the expense of Christ,
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But rather, he says, I need more of the Spirit, and that means leaning in to Jesus.
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If I desire more of the Spirit, because I acknowledge that I have the Spirit,
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and yet I have need of more, then I need Christ.
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The best and holiest of men have need of Christ
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and the better they are, the more they see of that need.
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but this one, some things I repeat, you know, 17 times.
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This one, I think I've only said once or twice.
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from the point of conversion, being born again,
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justification to the point of death from the time you become a christian to the time you breathe
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your last breath in this life that is the process of not positional righteousness which is
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justification being declared righteous through faith but that is progressive righteousness the
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process of being conformed progressively gradually more and more into the image of christ the work
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of the holy spirit in and through the believer sanctification not justification but sanctification
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being conformed gradually, further and further,
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And the Holy Spirit is kind of, sorry, but you will be made more like Christ.
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And praise God for the Holy Spirit and His gracious work, even against our willingness at times.
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You know, it's been said, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman.
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The Holy Spirit was not very gentlemanly when He knocked Saul off of his donkey
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when he was on his way to go and murder more Christians.
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The Holy Spirit didn't come and knock at the door of his heart.
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Would you like to invite me in and be a Christian?
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He said, hey, Saul, you murder Christians.
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We all know that that's a typical, you know,
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The Holy Spirit, every time someone's saved, for the record,
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it's because God is not being a gentleman. It's because God's saying, you hate me and love death.
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All who hate me love death. And yet I love you so much, like a father loves his child. That child,
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that two-year-old child, their father could plead with him, blue in the face, and say, do not
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disobey. Trust your dad. Stop. I know the ball just went into the street. Stop chasing it down.
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Trust me. And the son could say, I don't care. I don't trust dad. And in this moment, I'm choosing
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not to love dad and I'm not going to obey dad. And then what does a good dad do? Well, he sits down
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and he watches that semi-truck barreling down the street and he lets his son learn a lesson, right?
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No! A good dad runs over, grabs his kid and says, I love you so much, I won't let you choose death.
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Oh, but there can be no true love without free will. Stop that! Bad theology. No, true love
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overrides the will of the child in order to ensure life. What's best for the child, whether he wills
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it or not. And then that true love, in the case of God, when it comes to regeneration, a work of the
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Spirit, changes the nature and disposition of the child in such a way that he actually now
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does become willing. He now does pursue holiness and righteousness with a desire, a bent towards
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righteousness because his nature has been changed. He's a new creature in Christ Jesus. And as a new
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creature with a new nature, he has a new disposition and that affords him new choices. This is the way
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the gospel works. And all the pretty language to negate God's sovereign election and regeneration
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and salvation all that pretty language is just that it's pretty language but it's not true
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it's not biblical it's not right so how does this illustration work one the spirit is dragging you
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towards christ further and further i think christ in this illustration is holding two things in one
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hand. He's holding a fire hose. And as you get closer and closer, you're getting blasted. And
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all the gunk and all the grime and all the sin that still remains is getting further and further
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washed away. Again, hear me in theological categories. Justification. You've been clothed
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with the perfect, spotless, pure righteousness of Christ from the moment you believed. And there are
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no further degrees of righteousness when it comes to positional righteousness. That is justification
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being declared righteous in the moment you believe.
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sanctification being progressively made righteous.
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be further conformed into the likeness of Christ.
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We grow progressively in obedience and in holiness.
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And so the spirit is dragging us closer and closer to Jesus.
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As we're being dragged closer to Jesus, he's holding a fire hose in one hand,
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And the closer you get, in objective terms, you are progressively getting more righteous.
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But in subjective terms, you are becoming more aware of all the grime and the filth that still remains.
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and that is why in the category of sanctification progressive righteousness although you are
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objectively becoming holier if you're a christian you are being sanctified there is no question
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there it's not like hey christians are justified and some of them will be sanctified no if you're
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a christian you are being sanctified you are if you've been walking with the lord for five years
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by the grace of god in progressive righteousness terms you are holier than you were five years ago
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and yet here's the thing that's objectively true but what is also subjectively true is although
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you are objectively being made more holy as you are sanctified and walking with christ you are
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also subjectively becoming more aware painfully often aware of all the unholiness and the sin
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And yet Jesus knows that he is the greatest man born of women.
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John, at that time, was the most sanctified guy on the planet.
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You have to wait a little later for the Apostle Paul.
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And yet, John, not just saying it because it sounds humble,
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He meant it. I'm not worthy because that's the way true sanctification works. You get holier
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by the grace of God, but you get more aware of the holiness that's still lacking also by the
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grace of God. The most seasoned saints that you will find will be the holiest and the humblest.
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Humility and holiness always come as twins, as a pair. Whatever holiness you might be gaining
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at the expense of humility is not true holiness lastly matthew henry says this with the will of
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christ and this reason for it john was entirely satisfied so he said i'm not worthy but christ
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says yeah but we still got to do it and that's enough john says oh it's jesus he is god he's
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given his command i gave my reservation and he said we still got to do it and at that point what
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does humility do? Humility doesn't balk twice. Humility doesn't say, I'm unworthy. And then God
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says, yeah, but you still need to do it. And it says, no, but I can't. At that point, it's no longer
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humility. At that point, it's just disobedience. And as I just said previously, holiness and
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humility, true humility, is always accompanied by true holiness. So whatever we might deem as
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humility, if that humility becomes a mechanism or an excuse to keep us from actively obeying
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Christ, then that's not actually humility. We might call it humility, but what it really is,
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is cowardice, fear, apathy, laziness. It could be a whole host of things, but it's not true humility.
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True humility will never hinder us from true obedience.
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And yet in the name of humility, a mere pretense to humility,
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many have made excuses keeping themselves from obeying God.
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The person who has false humility is actually prideful
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At least then you can be honest and prideful.
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But the one who has false humility is a lying, prideful individual.
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Yes, acknowledge that we are but unworthy, undeserving servants.
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But in the final analysis, when Christ gives the command, we must obey.
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when speaking of the act of obedience of Christ
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He is the one who fulfills all righteousness for us
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in order to be accredited to someone else's account.
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And I don't believe that it just is in reference
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it is in reference of Jesus and all those who would be His disciples.
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It is not only fitting that Jesus fulfill all righteousness,
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all of us who've been born again by grace to faith in Christ alone,
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What that means is that we must be active in our obedience as well.
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not as saviors of the world but as those who are responding with gratitude for the free salvation
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we've already inherited because of Christ and his work alone we too should not be merely content
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with avoiding sin but should apply ourselves further to fulfilling all righteousness waking
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up in the morning and not merely asking the question what temptations lie before me today
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and how can I seek to avoid them but further asking what opportunities in the province of
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God stand before me today and how can I achieve them going further not just avoiding sin but it
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is fitting for us for Christ and those who would follow him to fulfill all righteousness second
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point now the humility of Christ we've seen John's humility but now the humility of Christ
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and his act of obedience I've already covered much of this so I'll just go very quickly
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this is verse 15 let it be so now my baptism the baptism of christ it comes by fire the baptism
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the holy spirit yep everyone has need of that but for now it is fitting for us to fulfill all
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righteousness by me that is christ subjecting myself not to my own baptism but to the baptism
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of john that's what needs to happen now for what purpose because jesus had sin that needed to be
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washed away? God forbid. No. For what purpose? To fulfill every jot and tittle of the law of God.
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To fulfill all righteousness. The act of obedience of Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry, commentating on
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verse 15, he says it like this. It was an instance of Christ's great humility that he would offer
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himself to be baptized of John. That he who knew no sin would submit himself to the baptism of
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repentance. The reason that Christ gives for it. Thus, it is necessary for us to fulfill all
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righteousness. Note, there was a propriety, that is a purpose, in every single thing that Christ did
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for us. It was all of grace. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 10 and chapter 7 verse 26 tells us this.
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It's all condescensions. It's all gracious. Everything that Christ does. But not only was
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it all grace. It was all grace with a purpose. None of it is unnecessary. All of it is purposeful
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with intention. Gracious intention. And we must study to do not only that which behooves us,
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that is that which we must, but if we're serious about following Jesus as we grow in spiritual
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maturity and further sanctification, we don't merely beg the question what behooves us, but
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that which becomes us. The mature believer doesn't merely ask what must I do, but what may I do as I
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seek to give God the most glory possible. How far can I go in honoring him? Not merely that which
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behooves us, but that which becomes us. Not only that which is indispensably necessary, but that
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which is lovely and of good reports. Our Lord Jesus looked upon it as a thing well becoming of him
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which we'll see in verses 16 and 17 of our text,
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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.
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verses 16 and 17 of our text say the following when Jesus was baptized immediately he went up
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from the water and behold the heavens were open to him and he saw the spirit of God descending
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like a dove and resting on him not merely touching and then lifting off but resting
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This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.
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This is what we find throughout the biblical text
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and always, for the most part, unbelieving
1.00
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Remember that God has only ever forgiven sins on account of Jesus Christ.
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How were Old Testament saints such as Adam and Eve and Noah, Moses, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob,
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By grace alone, through faith alone and Christ alone.
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which chronologically at their time had not yet been finished.
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But it was the work of Christ retroactively applied by the Spirit that God passed over.
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Hebrew says this, he temporarily passed over former sins so that at the proper time he could send Christ.
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Now there are many things about the coming, the timing of the incarnation of Jesus that made that time proper.
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Part of it had to do with the sins of the people being stored up.
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Part of it had to do with the Romans and this kingdom being brittle and fractured, iron mixed with clay.
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and the particular techniques of crucifixion of the Romans
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so that Isaiah and all these prophecies might be fulfilled.
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that makes this time of Jesus and His coming fitting and proper
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is because it was the height of Israel's sin.
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That Israel progressively had become, in many ways,
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that they had had this long-standing pattern for centuries of three generations being rebellious
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towards God and then one generation that is okay, decent. Never really great, but decent. And then
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three or four or five more generations in rebellion against God and then another generation that's
1.00
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decent. But at the time that Christ comes, it's on the heels of 400 years. And during that 400 years,
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from the accounts and extra biblical accounts that we have it appears as though we don't have
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the typical Israel pattern that we've previously had three bad generations and one good no it
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seems as though very likely for 400 years leading up to the coming of Christ you just have bad
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generations in Israel that the word of the Lord is rare the skies have turned to bronze that God
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in many ways has cut off his people, that he has severed and separated himself from them
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because of their heart and hearts, because of their unbelief. And then Jesus comes into the world
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in that moment. And here we have in the baptism of Jesus, these skies which had been turned to
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bronze all of a sudden, broken open. And the word of the Lord, which had been rare for four centuries,
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well pleased. And so how do you escape the wrath that is to come? There is a judgment
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that is coming to flood the earth, much like the days of Noah. But there is an ark
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that God has provided in which He Himself, just as in the case of Noah, is the Lord who seals up
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the door. Christ is that ark. He is the one in whom the Father is well pleased. And all those
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divorcing of israel not full but certainly underway but all of a sudden the skies which
0.90
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have been turned to bronze are shattered and broken apart for god to say to israel i'm taking
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you back nope to say to jesus you have always been the point you have always been the object
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of my desire who is the apple of god's eye jesus who is a true israel jesus
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where's the hope where's the salvation jesus at the time that jesus comes the word of the lord
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for 400 years had been rare or as john the baptist says the axe was already at the root of the tree
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and that tree that the axe was at the root of that was the tree of the priestly tabernacle
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And many in Israel who did not heed the word of Christ,
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put faith in Jesus, were taken up into the ark.
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And the pleasure of God the Father towards Christ
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And that same pleasure remains for all those today,
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There's Christ and then there's Beelzebub.
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There is Christ and truth and then there are lies.
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There is no halfway house between heaven and hell.
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christian saved only in christ he is the true israel and he alone is the object of the father's
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full pleasure and jews can be saved in him but only in him and we can be saved in him
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and the same offer that was made that day this is christ my son in whom i am well pleased
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you want to be saved you want to pass through the waters of baptism which is likened to no
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and the flood and the ark by Peter elsewhere in the scripture? You want to go through these waters
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of baptism without drowning, without being destroyed? Then be taken up and sealed in the ark.
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My pleasure belongs to him because he earned it and you didn't. But if you want to receive that
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same pleasure, you can do so on the basis of his merit, not your own, which comes by faith
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and by grace and by the work of the spirit union with Christ. And that is the gospel.