REFORMED CHURCH BELLVILLE: SUNDAY 16 APRIL 2006: MORNING SERVICE

Sing before:   Psalm:

Let us commence this meeting with God by declaring openly to one another and to God:
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Beloved grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the mighty working of God the Holy Spirit.
Amen

Psalm of praise: Psalm: 103:1+9

Confession of faith: Nicene

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, or us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was Incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.

And we believe one holy catholic* and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

After the reading of the Law we confess our guilt and pray for forgiveness and a new life before God with Psalm 19:4.
Law
Psalm: 19:4

Prayer:

• Doxology
• Worship
• Confession of sins
  • Forgiveness
• Gratitude
• Prayer for the need of the congregation for the church, the authorities and the sinful world and appeal to God's promises.
• General prayer
• Enlightenment from the Holy Spirit for the sake of the ministry of the Word.

Amen

Baptism: Daling

Hymn: 8-1:1+2
Psalm: 16:1

Scripture: Matthew 3
Text: Matthew 3:8

"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. "

John the Baptist preached that people be baptized so that their sins might be forgiven. Let us for a moment consider the significance of John the Baptist's baptism.

• He preached that his baptism related to repentance.
• The manner in which he baptized pictured repentance in the immersion as a death and resurrection.
• Furthermore, his baptism also embodied the forgiveness of sin.
• This was signified in the washing with the water that immediately made it plain that repentance and forgiveness go together so that the baptism preaches forgiveness for those who repent and compels them to continual repentance.
• His baptism is also related to the Holy Spirit.
• John the Baptist baptized at the command of God and God gives us an assurance in the baptism.
• That is why it is a holy sacrament that foresees that on which the Christian baptism looks back.

We should also remember that the ministry of John the Baptist undoubtedly reached its peak in his baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. His baptism was not an unrelated event in the Lord Jesus' ministry as Messiah. His baptism was indissolubly tied to His resurrection from death.

For this reason we must consider how the contents of John the Baptist's baptism is applicable to the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Immersion as repentance (death of the old self and the resurrection of the new self) could not apply to the Lord Jesus Christ who was without sin.
• It points to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
• In Him we died for our sin and were raised from the dead to live a new life. So it is written in the Epistle to the Romans. (Romans 6:3-4)

Likewise the baptism as a washing away of sins cannot apply to the Lord Jesus Christ.

• That is why John the Baptist at first objects.
• But the Lord Jesus Christ then tells him that this baptism as an order of God must take place – verse 15: "Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness". Then John consented."

The word "righteousness" in this sentence, means "vicarious". In other words – the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ takes the place of our righteousness (or rather our lack of it!).

• Jesus was baptized for our sins to allow us to share in His righteousness.
• He dies in our stead.
• He bears the punishment for our sins in our stead.
• He opens a path out of death – a path on which we can follow Him.

The same we find written in 2 Corinthians 5:21 where it says that God made the Lord Jesus Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us so that through Him we could share in God's righteousness. "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

The Lord Jesus satisfied God's righteousness by being baptized initially.

• In His case the baptism indicated that He fulfilled God's righteousness completely.
• This He subsequently did when on the cross He surrendered Himself to death.
• With this He reconciled with God those who belonged to God.
• But the reconciliation alone means nothing that is why He arises from death to ascend in body from earth to heaven.
• With that he reveals physically what He shall do to us all when we die and He raises us from death to a new and eternal life.
• He reveals what the end result of His baptism is.

Our baptism points to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ – put differently – when we are baptized it means that we share in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 6)

• Our baptism therefore is a baptism into the death of the Lord Jesus Christ for repentance and forgiveness of sins.
• It also is a resurrection with Him in a new and eternal life.
• That is why John the Baptist, after having baptised the Lord Jesus, preaches that the Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God who came to take away sin from the world.

When John baptised the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus also received the Holy Spirit.

• With His baptism He was thus anointed with the Holy Spirit to be able to do His Messianic ministry.
• From then on He was the Lord Jesus Christ or Messiah.
• The Lord Jesus is here also confirmed as the Head of His church.
• With our baptism we were therefore incorporated into the body (church) of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us consider what the significance is of this great event in the life of each of us.

• When we were baptised the future was suddenly and immediately opened for us.
• The future after death became a reality for us because the kingdom of God then came into our life.

We, you and I, are already saved, but it is because of this that we are directly under the command of Him who redeemed us.

• That is where the sermon of John the Baptist fits in: "repent for the kingdom of heaven is near".
• We are bound to the demand to repentance because we are bound to the Lord Jesus Christ.

God gives but God also demands.

• In this covenant of salvation we are not in a position to negotiate any conditions.
• We are only able to comply with the demands put to us and to enter the kingdom of God.
• Otherwise we subject ourselves to the terror of God's judgment.

Hence the call made by John the Baptist on the people of his day is still valid today.

• Repent!
• Its effect should be patent – our lives must produce the fruit in keeping with repentance.

We should read verses 7 and 8 in conjunction.

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers!" Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."

Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to attend John the Baptist's baptisms.

• The Pharisees and Sadducees were to factions who opposed each other in their religious views and who hated each other.
• But they stood together in their onslaught on the Lord Jesus Christ.

That is why John calls them a "brood of vipers". We use similar language today when we refer to a dishonest, untrustworthy person as a snake.

Thereafter John preaches that to escape God's wrath one should bear the fruit that is in keeping with repentance.

• This is a direct demand – there must be a radical change in the lives of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
• They were symbolic of the unrepentant (we?).

It must be clear – we must be like a fruit tree bearing much fruit – that is the simile.

• It must be specific fruit – fruit in keeping with repentance.
• We are repentant trees bearing the fruit of repentance.

Let us measure ourselves.

• How much is visible of our repentance? Repentance is nothing else but the effect that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus has in your life.
• The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to show it!
• Is it not perhaps true that many of us remain unrepentant?

Is it perhaps not so that most of us know of the salvation but do not live it?

• We can all give good answers to the difficult questions in our spiritual life.
• We know about sin and about principles and about obedience.
• But often we live a life that shows the opposite.

It is not the purpose of this sermon to shout against sins and tell how terrible hell and God's judgment on sin shall be. We therefore approach the issue positively.

• Firstly, we join with John the Baptist.
• Thereafter we join with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Firstly, then, John the Baptist.

• John the Baptist preached that we should bear fruit that is in keeping with repentance.
• That is not judgment.
• It means that we should think about our salvation and then know what is happening in this context.
• John the Baptist also preached that the axe is already at the root of the trees.
• Which means that the trees that do not bear fruit are to be cut down and thrown out.
• Note well – those that do not bear fruit.
• It means that all the trees have the power to bear fruit.
• John also preached that the kingdom of God was near.

The Lord Jesus puts all these matters together and we then see the following:

• Because of our sins we are outside the kingdom of God.
• But through the Lord Jesus Christ we are put inside the kingdom.
• Because He has already put us there we must repent.
• We must show our repentance.
• Our repentance must be so radical that it is shows clearly in what I do and what I refrain from!

That is quite is mouthful!

• No one of us is inherently of any importance to God - in other words so valuable that the Lord needs us.
• On the contrary, with our lives we usually tarnish God's glory – we really have no worth.
• In fact, next to the glory of God we are abominable.
•  Anyone who fails to realize this has a problematic faith for then he does not understand the greatness and glory of God and the sinfulness of mankind.

But God revealed His mercy to us in the fact that we are baptised.

• In the Lord Jesus Christ God decided that He would nevertheless accept us.
• The Lord Jesus Christ lifts us out of our dirty life into the glory of God through His sin-free life.
• He confirmed this to us in public before the entire congregation as witnesses when we were baptised in the Name of the Tri-une God.

But now we must remember the responsibility God placed on us.

• We must now live like people on whom this great gift was bestowed.
• We must continually be mindful of what God has done for me.
• And I must remain always grateful.
• We may not and cannot afford to allow our gratitude to lessen.

Practically this will have the effect that we will remove from our lives all the wrong things.

• To do this we must change our attitude. We must first be tuned correctly for this great issue.
• A wrong attitude can be changed – that is a fact for that is what the Lord Jesus Christ died for.
• A change of attitude is repentance and we can bring it about with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do not doubt. God has assured you that you are included in His Covenant of grace.

• He baptised you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• With it He assures you that you are part of the kingdom of God.
• Let us turn our lives into a life of repentance – to use the words of John the Baptist – produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
• Do not do so in order to be saved – do it because you are already saved.

Amen

Closing prayer
Closing Psalm: 20:1-4

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen

Dr MJ du Plessis
Reformed Church Bellville
16 April 2006 (morning)
Scripture NIV