Mat 3:13-17; How to Satisfy All Requirements.
length: 77:03 - taught on Jan, 14 2024
Class Outline:
Sunday January 14, 2024
On several occasions in His word, God calls His readers into a courtroom scene. One of these occasions is in Isa 41.
God presents Himself, the nations, and Israel as His blessed chosen nation. Evidence for the character of all are given. God is righteous, but all others, including Israel, fail the test of righteousness in the courtroom (Isa 41).
Just when we think the entire experiment with the human race is a complete failure, God presents His “Servant.”
41:8 "But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend, 41:9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. 41:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
"Formerly I said to Zion, 'Behold, here they are.'
And to Jerusalem, 'I will give a messenger of good news.'
28 "But when I look, there is no one,
And there is no counselor among them
Who, if I ask, can give an answer.
29 "Behold, all of them are false;
Their works are worthless,
Their molten images are wind and emptiness.
"Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 "He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 "A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."
But who is this Servant? Is it Israel, perhaps Judah specifically? But it can’t be. He already showed Judah and there were none there who spoke truth, and it turns out, they were idol worshippers like all the other nations who were not elected by God.
So, who is the Servant?
Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" 15 But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted Him. 16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
The Servant’s first act is to get baptized in water by a lowly man. Why does He get baptized.
Idea: Jesus gets baptized in order to fulfill all righteousness.
John rightly protests, but Jesus tells John why it must be done.
"Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."
He humbly submits to every divine ordination. This is unlike anyone else. One of those divine ordinations is to save the people from their sins - and to this also He agrees.
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
What does He mean by “fulfilling all righteousness?”
Voluntary submission to all divine ordinances. He identifies Himself with John’s message, Israel, believers (remnant) sinners, and He is anointed (high priest) by the Holy Spirit.
Particularly (for this lesson) - He identifies Himself with the Law to fulfill all its righteous demands in two ways.
Jesus fulfills the righteous requirements of the Law in two ways:
He keeps the Law Himself (virgin birth and sinless life).
He saves sinners by the only blood sacrifice.
The law will make no man righteous. All of us are born into the world and God’s law as sinners (sons of disobedience). By the virgin birth, Jesus is born righteous and remains so as not committing one sin.
As for the sinners, the only atonement in the Law of God is blood. A life must be given, but the blood of bulls and lambs etc. were not “well pleasing” to God (HEB 10:6).
Jesus atones for us by offering Himself.
Results to us of the Lord Jesus fulfilling all righteousness.
His baptism (death, burial, and resurrection) makes Rom 8 a reality for us.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
The law could not make anyone righteous. The flesh is born unrighteous. And our parents, Adam and Eve, showed that even if we were righteous, eventually our choices (if we were given the choice to disobey) we eventually would. The only solution to man was Christ.
God sent His Son to do what the Law could not - as an offering for sin.
In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast taken no pleasure. "Then I said, 'Behold, I have come …
God was not pleased with the blood of animals because they could not accomplish anything between God and man. The God/Man, the holy High Priest - He could.
“requirement” - dikaioma = ordinance, righteous action, justification.
“the righteousness of the law”
Look how this word is used in ROM 5:16, 18.
The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
Dikaioma is used of the act of Jesus that saved us as well as the result of that act - our justification.
Christ fulfilled the law on our behalf and now we are no longer under its condemnation or authority to make righteous.
Conclusion:
No ritual, no amount of repenting could do what Jesus did for you, the reason He came - fulfill all righteousness.
Saving you was a part of it. Glorifying the Father was the main part.
The courtroom scene did not close when mankind and Israel failed. The Servant entered and God has asked you to behold Him. Hopefully you have. Through the Gospels, and the rest of the Scripture, you can behold Him through His life, up to the cross, on the cross, and in His death, burial, and resurrection.
All of your priorities will change and you will find that which is life indeed, and you will live it with wisdom, power, and joy. That is a treasure that is guaranteed.
Connect
Subscribe to our mailing list |
Grace and Truth Ministries 1900 Hines S.E. Salem, Oregon 97302 |
 |
letters@cgtruth.org |
|
© Grace and Truth Ministries All Rights Reserved. |