John the Baptist preached in the wilderness of Judea, and his message was,  "REPENT,  for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 

For those who responded to his message,  he baptized them in the Jordan river as a sign of their repentance,  and a cleansing,  for a new way of life.  

One day the Lord Jesus stepped out of the crowd and asked John to baptize Him.  .

WHY WAS THE LORD JESUS BAPTIZED?

John the Baptist was chosen by God to baptize the Lord Jesus.  

This makes him very significant.  

He was a remarkable man and the Lord Jesus gave a glorious compliment  to John the Baptist. 

  Luke 7:28 "For I say unto you,  Among those that are born of woman there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist;......"  

The Lord Jesus said that he was the greatest prophet of that time.  He was the last  Old Testament prophet.  He stands head and shoulders above all the others. 

Luke 16:16 "The law and the prophets were until John the Baptist;  since that time the kingdom of God is preached,  and every man presseth into it." 

John the Baptist had but one message,  "REPENT,  for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 

Only those who are born into the kingdom are greater than he.  

Luke 7:28 " .....but ye that is least  in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

WHAT WAS THE MESSAGE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST?

Matthew 3:2   "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  

This was John's message,  and the people that he spoke to, understood what he was talking about.  

They were waiting  for a King,  and you cannot have a kingdom without a King.  

John is saying,  

"Get ready for the King.  He is here.  He is in your midst,  REPENT.  Everything that was prophesied about in the Old Testament,  IS NOW HERE."  

John the Baptist was a subject of prophecy.  

Malachi 3:1 "Behold I will send my messenger,  and he shall prepare the way before me;  and the Lord whom ye seek,  shall suddenly come to His temple,  even the messenger of the covenant,  whom ye delight in;  behold,  He shall come,  saith the Lord of Hosts." 

John the Baptist was not part of the church and neither is he part of the church today.  He himself said,  that he was just a messenger,  and he was sent to proclaim the King's coming. 

 John 3:29-30  "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom,  but the friend of the bridegroom,  who standeth and heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice;  this my joy,  therefore,  is fulfilled.  He must increase ,  but I must decrease."  

John the Baptist told the people to get ready because the King is in their midst.  

Isaiah 9:7  "Of the increase of His government  and peace  there shall be no end,  upon the throne of David ,  and upon His kingdom,  to order it,  and to establish it with justice and righteousness from henceforth even forever.  The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

John was preaching in the wilderness, and Jerusalem went out to hear Him him preach. 

John 3:5  "Then went out to him Jerusalem,  and all Judea,  and all the region round about the Jordan,   And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.  

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism,  he said unto them,  O generation of vipers,  who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth ,  therefore,  fruits befitting repentance.  

And think not to say within yourselves,  We have Abraham as our father;  for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.  

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees,  therefore,  every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit,  is hewn down,  and cast into the fire."  

John the Baptist demanded to see results in their lives. 

He was a very strange man and looked real shaggy.  

He was a Nazarite, which meant that he never drank wine and no razor had ever touched his head.  His cloak was made from camels hair, and he wore a leather belt about his waist.  He lived in the desert of Judea until God called him.  

His diet,  was very strange - he lived on locusts and wild honey.  

He was called to perform a tremendous task:  

TO ANNOUNCE THE KING.

He did not know who the King was,  the Spirit of God revealed the Lord Jesus Christ to John.  

Water baptism is ritual baptism.  

It is an outward testimony of an inward decision.   

The Lord Jesus asked John to baptize Him and John was amazed.  

He felt that he himself needed to be baptized by the Lord Jesus, but the Lord Jesus said to him, 

Matthew 3:15-17  "Permit it to be so now;  for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.  Then he consented to Him.  And  Jesus,  when He was baptized,  went up straightway out of the water,  and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him,  and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove,  and lighting upon Him.  

And lo,  a voice from heaven,  saying,  "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON,  IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED."  

The Holy Spirit opened John's eyes and John stepped aside for the Lord Jesus.  

John 3:29   "I am a friend of the One  who has  the bride." 

THE LORD JESUS WAS NOT BAPTIZED  TO SET AN EXAMPLE FOR US.  

He was holy,  harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. He did not need to repent.  

The first reason why the Lord Jesus was baptized, was  to take on our humanity. 

He identified Himself with sinners.  

He identified Himself with you and with me as He begins His ministry.  

He is on His way to the cross.  

He was fulfilling prophecy,  the prophecy of  

Isaiah  53:11-12  "He shall see the travail of His soul,  and shall be satisfied;  by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;  for He shall bear their iniquities.  

Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great,  and He shall divide the spoil with the strong,  because he hath poured out His soul unto death;  and He was numbered with the transgressors;  and He bore the sin of many,  and made intercession for the transgressors."   

THE LORD JESUS WAS IDENTIFIED WITH TRANSGRESSORS,  THIS WAS TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The second reason why the Lord Jesus was baptized, was that water baptism symbolizes death.  

HIS VERY BAPTISM WAS A DEATH. 

This is what He said to James and John when they asked to be seated next to Him in the kingdom.  

Mark 10:38   "But Jesus said unto them,  Ye know not what ye ask.  Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of;  and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"   

Luke 12:50-51   "But I have a baptism to be baptized with;  and how am I constrained  till it be accomplished!  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth?  I tell you nay;  but rather division."  

The Lord Jesus entered into death for you and for me so that we can have peace with God.  

The greatest false teaching today, is that man can bring peace to this world.  

This is heresy.  

There will never be peace on this earth until the Lord Jesus Christ reigns.  

That is the truth of the Word of God, and those who are truly born again know that this world which we live in,  has no time for God.  They want to be rid of all His commandments, including the ordinance of marriage.  Read  Psalm 2.  

The only peace that is possible for mankind is found in Christ Jesus.  Man must first be at peace with God  -  born again - before he can ever have peace with his fellowman. 

This has proven true since the very beginning of time.  

The Lord Jesus said,  

John 16:33  "These things I have spoken unto you,  THAT IN ME YE MIGHT HAVE PEACE.  In the world ye shall have tribulation:  but be of good cheer;  I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD."

The third reason why the Lord Jesus was baptized, was that He was set aside for His office of priest.  

The Holy Spirit came upon Him for this priestly ministry.  

Everything the Lord Jesus did, was by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

He was to go to the cross.  

It was by the Spirit that He offered Himself up to God.   

His death was a baptism. 

 1 Peter 3:21 "The like figure unto which even baptism doth also now save us  (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh,  but the answer of a good conscience toward God)  BY THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST." 

We are saved by identification with Christ Jesus.  

He took our place,  our sin was put on Him  -  NOT IN HIM   -  and He bore our sin in His own body on the tree.  

He paid the ransom for me and for you.   

Have you come to Him?   

He is willing to receive you just as you are right now.  

The Lord Jesus said,   

  John 6:37   "....  and him that cometh to me   I will in no wise  cast out." 

His perfection and His righteousness can be yours also before the Father.  

There are only two classes of people in the world.  

Those who are lost  -  without Christ,  

and those who are saved  -  they are  in Christ Jesus.  

You have to be placed in Christ by the Holy Spirit  -    identified with Him in baptism.  

There is no middle ground.  

You have to willingly  come to Him.  

This human race is in rebellion against God.  

Today,  while there is yet time,  you can come to Him.  

Christ came to this earth and He identified Himself with you and with me.  Now  we  have to willingly  identify ourselves with Him.  

Then all  He is, will be made over, to you.  

Oh my friend,  how very glorious this is,  that the Lord Jesus is able and more than willing  "to save to the uttermost,  all who simple come to Him" (Hebrews 7:25). 

The only way to be placed   in Christ Jesus is  by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

This is the real baptism.  

In water baptism,  we declare publicly  that we are identified with Christ in His death and His resurrection.  

It is our duty -  we need to stand for Christ in this world. 

There are only two classes of people in this world today.  

We are  either in Him by baptism  -  identified with Him, or we are outside of Him  -  lost. 

There are 3 baptisms spoken of in the Word of God.  

1) Water baptism which is ritual baptism.  

2) Spirit baptism which is the real baptism.

EVERY BELIEVER IS PLACED IN CHRIST AND HIS BODY.    

3) Then there is the baptism of fire.  

This is judgement, and it takes place at the end of the age.  

All those who are lost will go to a lost eternity. 

EVERY SINGLE PERSON WILL BE BAPTIZED ONCE.

Oh, I do earnestly pray  and trust the Lord Jesus that the reader of this page will be baptized twice.

The  Word of God tells us very plainly that either our sin is on the Lord Jesus or it is on us.  

We either belong to Him completely or we do not belong to Him at all.  

If you have not trusted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour,  then judgement is ahead of you.  

Revelation 19:13  "And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood,   and His name is called the Word of God." 

Notice that His garment is red and that He is treading the wine press of God's wrath.  

Obviously this refers to Christ's second coming and takes us to  Isaiah 63:1-6.

Throughout the New Testament Christ is set forth as the judge of mankind. 

He Himself, declares this in 

John 5:22-23,  27, 30  "For the Father judgeth no man,  but hath committed all judgement to the Son. That all men should honor the Son,  even as they honor the Father.  He that honoreth the Son honoreth not the Father,  who hath sent Him."  

 27)  And hath given Him authority to execute judgement also,  because He is the Son of man."  

30) I can of mine own self do nothing.  As I hear,  I judge;  and my judgement is just,  because I seek not mine own will,  but the will of the Father who hath sent me."  

We are part of a race that is in rebellion against God.  

God says,  

2 Corinthians 6:17  "Wherefore,  come out from among them,  and  be ye separate,  saith the Lord,  and  touch not the unclean thing;  and I will receive you."  

Don't be a Christian unless you mean it. 

Don't say that the Lord Jesus satisfies you if really, He is not satisfying you.  

He knows your true heart.  

We have to willingly accept Him as Lord and Saviour,  and then we also have to make a decision to come out and be separate from worldliness,  "to touch not the unclean thing,"   -  to be separated unto Him -   and  to stand for truth and righteousness  -  the Lord Jesus Christ - and to keep His commandments  because we love Him and the deep desire of our heart is to bring glory, honor and praise to His holy name for as long as we have breath in this world.

Listen to the music of Psalm 2 and sing along.

Verse 1.

Why rage the heathen?  And vain things  Why do the people mind?

Kings of the earth do set themselves,  And princes are combined, 

To plot against the Lord,  and His anointed,  saying thus,

Let us asunder break their bands,  And cast their cords from us.

Verse 2.

He that in heaven sits shall laugh;  The Lord shall scorn them all.

Then shall He speak to them in wrath,  In rage He vex them shall.

Yet I my King appointed have  Upon my holy hill;

On Zion mount His throne is set,  Established by my will.

Verse 3.

The sure decree I will declare:  The Lord hath said to me,

Thou art mine only Son;  this day I have begotten Thee.

Ask of me,  and for heritage  The heathen I'll make Thine;

And for possession I to Thee  Will give earth's utmost line.

Verse 4.

Thou with a rod of iron shalt  Beat down and break them all;

Them,  as a potter's vessel,  Thou  Shalt dash in pieces small,

Now therefore,  kings,  be wise;  be taught,  Ye judges of the earth:

SERVE YE THE LORD IN HOLY FEAR;  

JOIN TREMBLING WITH YOUR MIRTH.

Verse 5.

Kiss ye the Son,  lest in His ire  Ye perish from the way;

For suddenly His wrath may burn:   Blest all that on Him stay.

AMEN.

ARE YOU WILLING TO MAKE A DECISION TO ACCEPT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND BE BAPTIZED?  

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THIS PAGE UPDATED:  14-4-2007.