Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons Podcast, where you can listen to audio from our most
recent sermons and more. Thanks for listening, and be sure to add this show to your library
if you'd like to automatically receive new episodes each week.
Good morning. If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, I want to invite you to join us in Matthew
chapter 3. Echo a couple of things that Pastor Dave said. For our first-time guest, thank you
again for being here at the end of the service. My wife Erin and I will be back here at our
connections table. We'd love for you to stop by for just a moment. We would love to meet you,
introduce ourselves to you. We'd love to be able to learn your name. And then by chance, if you have
any questions about who we are as a church, about any of our ministries, we'd like to have the
opportunity to answer those questions for you. So please stop by. Also, at the very end of the
service, where's mine at? Right here. We'll be partaking in the Lord's Supper together. So if
you're a follower of Jesus Christ, whether you're a member of this church or not, and you would like
to participate in partaking of the Lord's Supper, we would invite you to. And if you did not get
your elements as you came in, they are right back here. And at any point in time, you can slide back
there and then grab those. I do want to echo what Pastor Dave said about our soup and chili
night next Sunday at five o'clock. We would love for you to be there. We'd love for you to be a part
of it. It's one of my favorite nights that we can gather together as a church family. There's not any
programming. It's just an opportunity for us to sit down, fellowship, sit around a table together. And
we got a lot of new faces around here. And so that for you, for the new faces, it's a great opportunity
for you to come in and meet some of those of us that have been around here for a while. And if
you've been around here for a while, it's a good opportunity for you to come and to meet some of
the new people and interact and fellowship and have that. So make sure that you come back next Sunday
night. And then our discipleship studies, you know, we're, we're in that new year. We're in that new
time. Like we've all got, uh, we're either going to eat better. We're going to exercise more. We're
going to save more. You know, we're going to spend less. We're all setting our goals for the new year.
We need to do that. And I would argue that that one of the greatest goals that you can not only set
for you, but for your family is involvement and engagement in discipleship. Families making sure
that you've got your kids here for discipleship, for the youth, for their discipleship, but also for us
parents that we can come together. And whether it be a part of a small group, a women's group,
a men's group, any type of study that we do outside, uh, outside of the campus or the ones that we do
on here in the discipleship studies, we want to encourage you to do that. There's a lot of wonderful
ones that we've got lined up for this next quarter. Uh, we've got one for moms. We've got one for,
uh, for men. So ladies and men's, we've got walking through the new Testament, uh, every thought held
captive will be led by Tawana and Brent. Um, but also, um, Aaron and I are leading one. And I'll be
honest with you. Uh, we feel a little bit, um, intimidated by, by leading this one. Um, so the first
message that I ever preached, I was 24 years old, uh, Donald Pope, who was the pastor at Town Creek
Baptist Church where I served at the youth pastor. He said, I want you to preach next Sunday and I want
you to preach on parenting. It's like, okay, I didn't have kids. Right. And so I walked up feeling
very inadequate with talking about this. Right. Um, and Aaron and I, uh, felt, felt led this past
spring break. We were off, we were camping and we were reading through and you guys know Emma and
Grace and her seniors in high school this year. And, and we're talking through college stuff as their
junior year last year and looking forward and kind of coming to the realization that, you know,
they're, they're, they're entering into like that adult phase. And we begin to talk about, you know,
like each stage of life, you parent a little bit different than you had before. And so, um, uh,
Aaron was, was reading a blog, I think at the time or an article online. And it was about a couple of
different books. And one of them was this book, doing life with your adult children by Jim Burns.
And we read through some of the aspects of that. And here's what I say. If you are a parent of a child
who is an adult, and I'll say like looking through this, I don't think it really matters what age of
adult they're at, whether it's 18 years old or, or, or anywhere above that. Right. And, and you're
wanting to grow as a parent with them and grow as a parent with us as we walk through this. I want to
encourage you to sign up and be a part of that. I will say we are coming to facilitate a discussion
by no means. Do we feel like, uh, we have perfected this as our kids haven't even made it to 18 years
old, but, but a lot of wonderful opportunities, uh, for you guys to get connected. I guarantee you,
there is absolutely something for everyone that we have through small groups, through our studies,
and would love for you, uh, to be a part of that. But I'm excited as we get into Matthew chapter three,
as we continue on in that. And so I want to read to you from this morning's passage, Matthew three,
when we read verses 16 and 17, before we go into our time of prayer, it says,
and when Jesus was baptized immediately, he went up from the water and behold, the heavens were open to
him. And he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice
from heaven said, this is my beloved son with who I am well pleased. Would you pray with me?
God, we thank you for the beauty and the perfection of your word. God, as we come to it this morning,
Lord, would you speak fresh to us? God, would you communicate to us and would our minds and our ears
and our hearts be receptive to your message? God, if any part of this is, is of me, by me, or for me,
Lord, may you remove it and may it all be of you and by you and for you, for your name and your glory.
And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We started our Christmas series this past month, the first
Sunday in December, and Josh opened up our Christmas series by preaching in Matthew chapter one,
starting in verse 18. And so we were looking at where we're going to go. I was like, let's just stay
in Matthew and keep journeying through there through 2026. Now, Matthew starts his gospel through an
interesting narrative. And it's one that, as we've talked through it in December, we've mentioned it,
but we haven't really focused in on it. And I want us, as we go through this, to kind of focus in on this
aspect of Matthew, because it'll help us understand how Matthew flows through the life of Jesus of what
we're going to see. And, and this is that Matthew is going to continually point to the kingship of
Jesus, that Jesus is King and the kingdom of Jesus that we are called to be a part of both the King
Jesus and the kingdom that he is over. So as we read through, as, as we piece through, we see what it
looks like for Jesus to be King. And then what it looks like for you and I to be a part of his kingdom.
Now, when you look in Matthew chapter one, you can see this in the lineage of Jesus. It is through
King David. Matthew 1, 1 starts off by talking about Jesus, the Christ from the son of David,
the son of Abraham. Abraham came before David. So why is David first? Because he's the king. And we see
Jesus in the lineage of King David. The angel appears to Joseph and Joseph is the descendant of King
David. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the town of the kings from King David. So we see very early on
in Matthew chapter one, this emphasis that Matthew is going to give that Jesus is King. Then in Matthew
chapter two, the wise men come and who are they looking for? The King of the Jews. They're looking
for Jesus, the King of the Jews. That's the title that they're looking for. Who feels threatened by the
birth of Jesus? King Herod. Why is he afraid? Because he's afraid that Jesus will come and take his throne.
So from Matthew chapter one, Matthew chapter two, what we get in the birth of Jesus is this baby
has come and he's King. And he's King. So what's this King going to be like? What's this King going to
come and do? What's it going to look like for the King to call people to him? Well, when we go from
Matthew chapter two to Matthew chapter three, there's about 30 years of time that spans from the end of
chapter two to the beginning of chapter three. So there's a large gap in the life of Jesus that we
miss out on, but what we'll really capture is his three years of earthly ministry all the way until
Matthew 28 until Jesus gives the great commission following the resurrection of Christ. So join with
me. Let's read Matthew chapter three, verses one through six. It says, in those days, John the Baptist
came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he who
was spoken by the prophet Isaiah when he said, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the
way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt
around his waist and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all of Judea and the region
about the Jordan were going out to him and they were being baptized by him in the river Jordan
confessing their sins. So let's pause here for just a few minutes. And as we look to Jesus, we're going
to look at this guy known as John the Baptist or maybe better translated John the baptizer. Now when
most people read through or think through Matthew, we think through the birth narrative of Jesus in
Matthew chapter one, and then we can kind of skip over, I know at least in my mind, I can skip over
Matthew chapter three and I can jump and land in Matthew four, right? It's the temptation of Jesus. And we
see Jesus, we'll look at this next week, right? And see Jesus overcoming the temptations of Satan. And then we
come into a very powerful passage in Matthew chapter five, the greatest sermon that's ever been preached, Jesus
in the Sermon on the Mount. But sandwiched right in between there, between the birth of Jesus and the
temptation of Jesus is this interaction by John the Baptist and he's going to have an
interaction with Jesus and what John the Baptist is doing. And this is very important, what John
the Baptist is doing. John the Baptist is serving as a form of Elijah. That God in God's word tells us
that before Jesus comes that there's going to be someone like an Elijah who is there proclaiming and
preparing the way for Jesus to come. And this is what we see. This is why in a lot of ways we see this
difficult or different dress that he's wearing in the practices of his life of being set apart in the
wilderness is he's the prophet who God has chosen to come before Christ to pave the way to proclaim that
Jesus is coming. And so what I want us to do this morning in looking at John the Baptist is to look at
John the Baptist and look at John's method and his message. To look at his method and his message.
Because it's not just important for Jesus coming, but it's important for us even though Jesus has come.
That we look and we understand John's message and John's method. It says there in verse 1,
And those days John the Baptist came preaching. Preaching. Like what I'm doing now. That he came preaching.
But it looks different. It's a little bit different. This word to preach is the word to herald. To herald.
What in the world does that mean? What does it mean to herald something? Well to herald would be a responsibility
or an activity that was given to someone who would then be called a herald. A herald would herald.
And they would go before royalty. Very specifically they would go before a king. So before a king would
come into the palace room or the king would come into the courtroom, the herald would come before him
and announce and declare and to give the titles and to say that the king is coming. But there was also
another aspect of a herald that I think is important for us to know. That is the king would move maybe from
the palace to a town, right? Like sometimes the king would send messengers out there or ambassadors.
And in fact in the New Testament when it says that we're ambassadors of God, that's a royal title.
That we come with the message of God, speaking for God as ambassadors.
But a herald would go from town to town to announce to the people that the king was coming.
So imagine if you got the announcement that coming to your town that the king was going to be there.
Right? That you are hearing that announcement so that you can prepare, so that you can be ready.
So John is saying to the people, make sure that you're ready because the king is coming.
Well, who's the king? The king's coming. You better be ready. You better be ready.
But then the second thing that the herald would do is it says prepare the way or to make the paths
straight. You see, a herald would also not only go forward and announce that the king is coming,
but literally the herald would go on the road that the king's caravan would travel down.
And if a bridge were washed out, the herald would be responsible for getting the crew together to
rebuild the bridge. If there were holes in the road, the herald would be responsible for making sure
that the road was removed of all holes. That literally, that the pathway to the destination
is made clear, is made smooth. So here's what John the Baptist is doing.
He is saying to the people, you need to prepare because the king is coming
and I'm going to prepare the way through the message that I tell you.
You see, John's not going and making the roads smooth for Jesus.
John's preparing the road of the message of the gospel to the hearts of the people who are going to hear it.
And this is what we see from John the baptizer, that he brings a message and he's bringing a method.
So what is his message?
What is his message?
Very simply, his message is repent.
Repent.
The king is coming.
Repent.
The king is coming.
Repent.
Matthew 3, verse 2.
Repent.
For behold, the kingdom of heaven
is at hand.
The kingdom of heaven
is here.
Jesus
himself
and your response
is to repent.
Coming to Jesus
means being willing to deal with your sin.
Dealing with your sin
doesn't mean perfecting yourself.
I think a lot of times what we think coming to Jesus means is
once I've got my life a little bit more in order,
once I've got my life laid out a little bit more the way that it needs to be,
once I've worked through some of these issues in my life,
once I've worked through the work that the Holy Spirit is designed to work in me to do,
but once I've done the work without him,
then I'll be ready to come to Jesus.
The problem is,
you and I can never do the work that we need to do apart from the Holy Spirit to ever come to Jesus.
So what we're called to do
is not figure ourself out,
but what we're called to do
is to repent of the sin that's in our life.
Now,
what does it mean to repent?
What does that mean?
That's a word in church
that we throw out all the time.
Well, you need to repent.
You've got sin in your life.
I've got sin in my life.
What do we need to do for the sin that's in our life?
Well, we need to repent.
But what does repentance mean?
When you look biblically at this concept,
this command that God gives us to repent,
the aspects of repentance are actually a threefold part.
That we can actually do things that look like repentance,
but they're not repentance.
They're self-serving when done isolated.
But when we see biblical repentance,
we see the fullness of what God has called us to.
So the first aspect of repentance that we see
in the context of scripture is confessing.
It's confessing.
We need to confess our sin.
So what does that mean?
What does it mean to confess?
And how can we practice that?
So here's what I'm going to do.
I'm going to randomly call on one of you
to come up here
and display confession for us.
All right, y'all ready?
Jack.
Just kidding, buddy.
Just kidding.
That's my daughter's boyfriend.
Just kidding.
I love you, man.
I love you.
I'll pay for that one later by my daughter.
That's not confession.
That's manipulation, folks.
That's what that is.
Confessing our sin is not in an aspect.
Now, there are parts of that, right?
Where we confess our sins to one another
is what James calls us to do.
That we are to do that.
And it's a biblical concept that we have
and it's a beautiful piece of what it looks like
to be in community.
That we can come to one another,
confess our sins,
hold each other accountable,
and there's great healing in that.
But here's the true heart of confession.
The true heart of confession is this,
is I take responsibility for my sin.
I take responsibility for my sin.
It's not my mama's fault.
It's not my daddy's fault.
It's not my wife's fault.
It's not my kid's fault.
It's not my neighbor's fault.
It's not my boss's fault.
It's not your fault.
It's not God's fault.
It's my fault.
Confession is God, I've done this.
And here's the beauty of confession.
God's never surprised when we do it.
He already knew.
He saw it.
He was there.
But it's me taking ownership
in what I've done.
The second is not just confession,
but it's sorrow.
Sorrow.
Being sorrowful for your sin.
You know, we use this statement
when we parent sometimes,
when we're disciplining our kids
and they're sad, right?
Especially when they're little.
Like, are you sorry because you did it?
Or are you sorry because you got caught?
I think sometimes we are sorrowful
because we got caught.
And God says, no, no, no, no, no.
You need to be sorrowful
because of what you've done.
And ultimately, our sin is against Him.
That's why David,
after his encounter with Bathsheba,
comes in confession
and repentance before the Lord
and says,
against you and you alone have I sinned.
Had David sinned against Bathsheba?
Absolutely.
Had David sinned against Uriah?
Absolutely.
Had David sinned against the whole nation
as he negated his kingly duties
to give in to a moment of lust?
Absolutely.
But in his sorrow,
what David knew was his sin
was against God and God alone.
So we're confessing.
We're taking responsibility for our sin.
We're in sorrow,
so we're grieving over our sin.
And then the third is to turn.
To turn.
Turning from your sin.
Literally, to repent
means to change path,
to change direction,
to change one's mind.
So now I no longer,
in repentance,
choose this sin
that I've pursued
and that I've gone after
and that I've worked for,
but I literally,
within me,
there's a change
and a turn
and a new direction
away from what I long for
and pursuing what God has.
You see, repentance
is more than saying,
my bad.
Repentance
is more than saying,
I'm sorry.
Repentance
is more
than saying,
maybe I'll do better next time.
Repentance
is an open,
honest
response
before God.
Because here's the deal,
I can confess my sin,
I can announce it
to all of you right now,
but not grieve it
and not desire differently.
You see,
I can be sorrowful
for my sin,
but blame others,
carry it with me
and choose to remain
in my own sin.
You see,
I can,
I can in my own power
choose a different path
in life,
but yet never take ownership
of my sin
and never grieve over
my own sinful choices
and behaviors
that I've created
and that exist
in my life.
You see,
repentance is not taking
what is easy
and then I'll do that
and live on this island
of repentance,
but repentance
is embracing all of it.
And John is going out
and saying,
Jesus is coming,
prepare for the king.
Prepare.
Jesus is coming.
You don't know,
you can't wait,
you can't stop it.
Jesus is coming,
so repent,
confess,
grieve,
turn.
Confess,
grieve,
turn.
So today,
not just simply say,
will you repent,
but today,
would you confess?
Today,
would you grieve?
And today,
would you turn?
It's what it looks like
to come to Jesus,
but it's also
what it looks like
to be obedient
to Jesus.
So John's message
is to repent,
but John's method
is baptism.
John's method
is baptism.
Read me verses 7
through verse 12.
but when he saw
many of the Pharisees
and Sadducees
coming to his baptism,
he said to them,
you brood of vipers.
Who warns you
to flee from the wrath
to come?
Bear fruit
in keeping
with repentance
and do not
presume
to say to yourselves,
we have Abraham
as our father.
For I tell you,
God is able
from these stones
to raise up children
for Abraham.
Even now,
the axe is laid
to the root
of the trees.
Every tree,
therefore,
that does not bear
good fruit
is cut down
and thrown
into the fire.
I baptize you
with water
for repentance,
but he who is
coming after me
is mightier than I.
He's talking
about Jesus
whose sandals
I am not worthy
to carry.
He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit
and fire.
His winnowing fork
is in his hand
and he will clear
his threshing floor
and gather his wheat
into the barn,
but the chaff
he will burn
with unquenchable fire.
John's message
is repent
and John's method
is baptism.
During the days
of the Old Testament
and at this time
as well,
baptism was not
a common practice.
The only people
who were actually
baptized
were Gentiles
who decided
to become followers
of Yahweh.
So when they wanted
to come in
to the Jewish faith
and to be followers
of God,
these Gentiles
would be baptized.
but we see
something different
with John's baptism.
You see,
if you were born
in ethnically Jewish,
then you didn't
have to be baptized.
But look back
at verse 5 and 6.
Then Jerusalem
and all of Judea
and all the region
about the Jordan
were going out
to him
and they were baptized
by him
in the river Jordan
confessing their sins.
these are Jewish people
getting baptized.
And the Pharisees
and the Sadducees,
they don't like it.
Now if you're new
to the Bible,
I want to encourage you
to stay here
with us week in
and week out.
And what you'll find
as we go through
the New Testament,
as we go through Matthew,
that what we'll see
is when God works
and when God moves
and when Jesus
is doing what Jesus does,
the Pharisees
and Sadducees
always have something
to complain about.
And that's what we see
right here.
Jewish people
were coming out
to be baptized
and this enraged
the Pharisees
and the Sadducees
in fits of anger
because they
and their ethnic Jewishness
were like,
we don't have to do this.
We are sons of Abraham.
Why should we have to do
what the Gentiles
have to do?
John says,
bear fruit
in keeping with repentance.
I don't care
that this is
who you belong to
if you're apart
from the work
and the plan
of God.
You see,
the Pharisees
and the Sadducees,
all they thought
they needed
was their ethnic standing
in order to stand
as holy
before God.
In John's hand,
brothers,
you need the king.
You need the king.
And the way
to the king
is found
in repentance.
And when these people
were coming,
they're coming
as a symbol
to show
the change
of what God
has done
and what God
is doing
in their life.
You see,
when we celebrate
baptism,
baptism
is not
you coming
to do an act
to get yourself
saved.
It's not.
And anyone
who preaches
that,
anyone who teaches
that,
preaches a gospel
of works.
Not of the Lord.
But baptism
is both,
I want us to get
this,
baptism is both
a symbol
and a command.
Jesus commands
us to baptize.
We are commanded
to be baptized.
So while it
doesn't save us,
it is an act
of obedience
that God
has called us to.
So I don't want
to lighten
the importance
of it
and just say,
well,
it's just a symbol
because it is a symbol
but it's a symbol
with meaning
and it's a symbol
that we're commanded
to obey
in coming
to God
through faith,
through repentance
to Him.
And this is
what we see.
this is what
we see happening.
As they prepare
the way
for the King,
the message
is repent,
the method
is baptism,
and then what
is happening
is people
are being pointed
out,
oh,
those are
the disciples
of John.
those are the ones
who are waiting
for the King.
Those are the ones
who are prepared
for His arrival.
They've repented,
they've made
their path
straight.
So He
comes to them.
Baptism
is a symbol
and it's a symbol
that paints
a powerful picture.
For us,
we practice
believer's baptism
when someone
has put their faith,
hope,
and trust
in Jesus Christ
as their Lord
and Savior.
And if you
are here today
and you've put
your faith,
hope,
and trust
as Jesus Christ
as your Lord
and Savior,
whether you did it
in here
during a worship service,
whether you did it
younger when you're
at a VBS
or at a youth camp,
whether you did it
on a job site,
whether you did it
on Bible study,
I don't care
where you did it
when you put,
whether you've done it
through filling out a card,
through saying a prayer,
through having a conversation.
If you put your faith,
hope,
and trust
as Jesus Christ
as your Lord
and Savior,
God has commanded you
to obey Him
in believer's baptism.
And then with that,
what it communicates
and what it speaks to
in your relationship
with Him.
Number one,
it's a picture
of you saying,
I can't save myself
from my sins.
I needed to be saved
and Jesus saved me.
And Jesus saved me.
And He did it
not when I was clean,
not when I was good,
not when I was right,
not when I was made perfect,
but He did it
and that old person
walking into that water,
that person is a symbol
of who they were
before Christ,
covered and filthy
in their trespasses
and sins.
And then they walk
into the water.
And in doing so,
the Bible tells us,
I've been crucified
with Christ.
I've died to myself.
I die to my sins.
And as Christ went
into the tomb,
they go into the water.
And as Christ came
out of the tomb,
we come out of the water,
being washed
and made clean
by the blood of the Lamb.
To not live
and walk
of who we were,
but to be
who He's called us
to be.
That I am now,
the Bible says,
a new creation
in Christ.
The old has gone,
the new has come.
And that's
who we are
in Him.
John looks at
these Pharisees,
he looks at
the Sadducees
who are picking apart
all that's going on,
all that's happening,
and he points
to a different aspect
of Jesus' future ministry.
He says,
not only is the King
coming,
but the King
will also serve
as the righteous judge.
The King
will also
serve
as the righteous
judge.
We're back
at verse 12.
His winnowing fork
is in His hand
and He will clear
His threshing floor
and gather His wheat
into the barn,
but the chaff
He will burn
with unquenchable
fire.
He paints a picture
of what Jesus
will do
in judgment
in the separation
of those
who are part
of the kingdom
and the removal
for those
who are not part
of the kingdom.
You see,
the beauty
of the gospel
is that
the gospel message
says,
for whosoever
will come,
for whosoever
will come.
So I'm going to tell you,
I don't care
how dirty,
how nasty,
how filthy
your past is.
I don't care
how sinful
you were last night,
how sinful
you were this morning.
I don't care
about any awful
evil deed
that you think
that you've done.
The greatest lie
that you could ever
believe is God
could not forgive you.
And Jesus says,
John says,
that He can
and He will
and He loves to
and He delights in it.
So whatever you've done,
whatever you're doing,
the message
is repent.
Repent.
And come to Jesus.
Repent.
And come to Jesus.
Repent.
And come to Jesus.
But the Bible's clear.
That in judgment,
there's going to become
a time.
The image that John gives
is what a farmer would do
after his grain was harvested.
He would go in
and the grain
would be in a pile
and he would take
his winnowing fork
and he would go
into the pile of grain
and he would throw it up
in the air.
And see,
the grain
was heavier
than the chaff.
And so the grain
would fall to the ground
and the chaff
would blow
through the wind
and it would land
on the other side
of the floor.
And he would go through
and he would separate
the good
from that
that would face destruction.
And at the end,
as the grain
was separated
from the chaff,
the kingdom
would be separated
from the others.
and it would be swept up
and it would be tossed
into the fire.
Because you see,
there's a message.
All can come.
All can repent
because there's going
to become
a time.
Here's the question
I have for you this morning.
When that fork
is put in
and that grain
is tossed up
in the air,
where would you fall?
Where would you fall?
John says to the Pharisees
and the Sadducees,
you're going to be
the ones burned up.
You try to stand
in your self-righteousness.
You try to stand
in your heritage.
You try to stand
in your ethnic eliteness
and none of that
is going to find you
acceptable before God.
The only way.
The only way
is Jesus.
So now verse 13.
It says,
when Jesus came
from Galilee
to the Jordan
to John
to be baptized
by him.
Now John
would have prevented
him saying,
I need to be
baptized by you
and do you
come to me?
But Jesus
answered him,
let it be so
now
for thus is fitting
for us to fulfill
all righteousness.
Then he consented.
And when Jesus
was baptized,
immediately
he went up
from the water
and behold,
the heavens
were opened
to him
and he saw
the Spirit
of God
descending like
a dove
and coming
to rest on him.
And behold,
a voice from heaven
said,
this is my
beloved son
with whom
I am
well
pleased.
I want to be honest
with you,
this is a difficult
part of the Bible.
This is a hard
passage.
Because what we
know
is that
John's calling
people to repent
and then after
they repent,
they're baptized.
well,
why do they
need to repent?
Because they're
sinners.
So Jesus
comes up
to John
and says,
baptize me.
Now John
knows.
John knows.
John's like,
Jesus,
I'm not saying
you're wrong,
but
I don't know,
man.
I think
you should
baptize me.
And Jesus
says,
no,
no.
This
is what
must be
done
for it's
fitting for
us
to fulfill
all
righteousness.
So John
says,
okay.
And he
goes
and he
baptizes
Jesus.
Why?
I think
there's
two,
all right,
I've got
two,
I've got
two reasons
that are
going to be
on the
screen.
This
one's
not
going to
be
on the
screen.
It
should
have
been
on the
screen.
I
apologize.
Why
was
Jesus
baptized?
First
one,
not
going
to
be
on
the
screen.
This
is the
picture
of the
trinity
that we
get.
This
is the
picture
of the
trinity
that we
get.
And we
see what
just
happened.
We
see the
obedience
of the
Son.
The
obedience
of the
Son.
The
obedience
of Jesus.
In 30
years of
his life,
sinless.
And
he's come
and he's
come for
a purpose.
Don't
forget,
don't forget,
the
journey
to
his
kingdom.
The
means
of
a
crown
will
be
through
a
cross
and
a
crown
of
thorns.
We
see the
obedience
of the
Son.
The
second
thing that
we see
right
through
here
in the
trinity
is the
anointing
of the
Holy
Spirit.
The
anointing
of the
Holy
Spirit.
Now
this
does
not
mean
that
Jesus
did
not
have
the
anointing
of
the
Holy
Spirit
before.
But
what
this
is
this
is
a
marking
of
the
ministry
of
Jesus
of
what
will
happen
and
what
will
take
place.
So
we
see
the
obedience
of
the
Son.
We
see
the
anointing
of
the
Holy
Spirit.
Oh,
and then
we see
the
approval
of
the
Father.
We
hear
the
voice
of
the
Father.
All
of
this
coming
together.
I think
in the
baptism
we
see
the
clearest
evidence
of
the
Trinity
in
Scripture.
But
then
other
reasons
and these
will be
on
the
screen.
Why
was
Jesus
baptized?
Jesus
came as
an
example.
Jesus
came as
an
example.
When
we go
through
we look
and we
see
Jesus'
life.
Jesus
loves
man
he
loves.
He
loves
some
difficult
people.
He
serves
some
difficult
people.
The
greatest
traitor
the world
has ever
known,
Judas,
is going
to
experience
the
depth
of
relational
intimacy
with
Jesus
only to
sell him
for a few
pieces of
silver.
And
Jesus
loves.
And
Jesus
serves.
And
Jesus
speaks
truth.
And
Jesus
points
people
to
God
and
he
calls
people
to
repent
and
Jesus
loves
the
unlovable
and
Jesus
pursues
all that
he has
encountered
and
Jesus
is
obedient.
And
I think
we can't
miss
this.
That
Jesus
comes
and
sets
an
example
of
what
we are
to not
just
do
but
what
we are
to be
in
what
it
means
to
be
obedient
to
God.
But
then
lastly
and I
think
there's
probably
the
strongest
evidence
from
this
is
Jesus
came
as a
substitute.
Jesus
came
as a
substitute.
I
believe
that
there was
never a
point of
time
where the
cross was
not on the
mind of
Christ.
and
that
what
Jesus
is
going
to
do
is
being
free
from
sin
identify
with
us
as
sinners
and
become
the
substitute
atonement
the
substitute
recipient
of the
penalty
that we
deserve.
The
Apostle
Paul
writes
in 2
Corinthians
5
21
for our
sake
for our
sake
he
made
him
to be
sin
who
knew
no
sin
so
that
in
him
we
might
become
the
righteousness
of
God
that
he
free
from
sin
lived
a
sinless
life
came
to
substitute
himself
to
take
on
our
punishment
and to
give
us
his
perfection
and so
now
that I'm
in
Christ
now
that I'm
the new
creation
now
that I'm
the new
man
and who
God
has now
created
me
to be
covered
by the
blood
of the
lamb
that
while
I'm
still
flawed
I
still
got my
issues
and
repentance
needs to
consistently
be
a part
of my
daily
moment
by moment
life
because
of
Jesus
when
God
looks at
me
he
sees
the
perfection
of
Christ
so
that
on
that
day
when
it's
tossed
from
the
floor
not
through
my
own
works
but
through
the
works
of
Christ
I'll
be
found
holy
will
you
will
you
I'm
going to
ask the
band
if they'll
come back
to the
stage
as we
prepare
for our
time
of
response
number
one
for
you
today
have
you
repented
have
you
repented
whether
it's
the
first
time
or
many
times
have
you
repented
have
you
confessed
your
sin
and
owned
your
sin
and
your
responsibility
have
you
been
sorrowful
and
grieved
over
your
sin
before
God
and
God
alone
and
turned
to a
different
way
Jesus
way
have
you
been
obedient
in
baptism
publicly
telling
the
world
your
public
profession
of
faith
that
Jesus
is
the
way
and
Jesus
has
become
your
way
but
you
seek
to
follow
him
your
substitute
and
if
so
if
so
during
this
time
of
worship
will
you
prepare
to
take
the
Lord's
supper
with
me
as
we
will
look
at
the
bread
representing
the
body
of
Christ
that
was
punished
and
paid
for
the
price
of
your
sin
and
mind
and
to
take
of
the
cup
the
new
covenant
and the
representative
of the
blood
that
washes
us
and
makes
us
clean
makes
us
new
God
we
come
to
you
today
in
response
to
your
word
or
if
there's
anyone
here
who
does
not
know
Christ
as
their
Lord
and
Savior
God
I
pray
that
today
through
the
leading
of
your
Holy
Spirit
Lord
they
would
know
that
there's
no
religious
act
that
can
save
them
there's
no
self
righteous
work
that
can
perfect
them
it's
simply
to come
to
Jesus
through
faith
and
repentance
and
God
if
there's
anyone
here
Lord
as
we
as
followers
of
Jesus
prepare
to
take
the
Lord's
Supper
before
we sing
a note
of a
song
before
we
participate
in
the
taking
together
Lord
may we
first
come
to
you
in a
heart
of
brokenness
in the
heart
of
repentance
God
we
confess
our
sins
to
you
sins
Lord
to
numerous
to
name
they're
ours
we
did
them
we
chose
them
God
and we
choose
the
lesser
when
the
greater
is
there
God
we
grieve
over
the
sin
that's
in
our
life
Lord
may we
know
that while
we have
sinned
against
those
near us
around
us
in our
lives
Lord
above all
else
we have
sinned
against
a holy
God
and we're
sorrowful
for what
we've
done
God
may we
turn
to
no
longer
pursue
the
ways
of the
world
the
ways
of our
sinful
heart
but
pursue
the
obedience
that you've
called us
to
because
your way
is better
your way
is satisfying
your way
is filled
with hope
and with
goodness
and love
and it's in
Jesus name we
pray
that's it for
this week's
message
be sure to
check back
next week
for a new
episode
and in the
meantime
you can
visit us
online at
willowridgechurch.org
or by searching
for Willow Ridge
Church on
Facebook
Instagram
and YouTube
thanks again
for listening
you