July 4, 1776; December 7, 1941; September 11, 2001 – these are all important dates. What do they have in common?
July 4, 1776 was the day on which the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America was signed. It has come to mark the birth of our nation. December 7, 1941 was the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, leading to our country's entrance into World War II. September 11, 2001 was the day terrorists commandeered planes to hit the twin towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., bringing much loss of civilian life. It marked the official start of the war on terror.
What do these dates have in common? Each brought about a major turning point in our nation's history and meant a whole lot in the direction our country took.
Turning points are times of weighty significance. Can you think of some major events in your past that marked great turning points in your life? (a few examples.)
For me I thought of June 3, 1971, the day I graduated from high school; July 18, 1982, the day I was ordained into the public ministry and began my service to God as a pastor; July 7, 2007, that day Liz and I joined our lives together in marriage in God's House; and perhaps the biggest one of all, March 8, 1953. Can you guess what that was? It was the date of my baptism, the greatest turning point in my life; a day that means the most.
On that day God made me holy in Christ, washing away my sin for Jesus' sake (Ep.5:26). On that day He clothed me in Christ and made me His son and heir through faith (Ga.3:26. On that day He saved me, bringing me into His Kingdom of Grace (1Pt.3:21; Tit.3:5). Without it I don't know what direction my life might have taken apart from Him. But because of it I am His, He is mine, and I trust His promises now and forever. The same is true for all of you who were baptized into Christ. It's the day your real life began, A Day that Means a Whole Lot, a great turning point for you.
I. It was a turning point in Jesus' life.
The same is somewhat true in the life of the Savior. At first that may seem strange to you. How was Jesus' baptism a turning point in His life that meant a whole lot? How could we say it was the day His real life began? Well, let's go back to that time and see.
You know how the Old Testament Scriptures had said that before the Messiah would come, God would send a forerunner ahead of Him to prepare the hearts of people everywhere. “And so John came,” we are told, “baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” His message came with heavenly power for it seemed like everyone in the country and in the city came out to hear him. They were moved by his message, and, “confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”
Then one day a special person approached. It was the Lord Jesus. At the age of 30 He was stepping forward to take up the task the heavenly Father had given Him of saving the world. Up to this point in His life, nothing had been done by Him to do that which God expected of Him. Oh, He had led a sinless life as a child, as a teenager, and as a young adult, obedient in everything. But, as our OT lesson from Isaiah pointed out, God had “formed Him in the womb,” and even before that “had called Him” to be His instrument in bringing fallen Israel back to Him. In other words a specific task awaited Jesus that He had been appointed to carry out, and that task had not yet been taken up officially. So here He comes at the right time to John to begin it all. In that way this day was a great turning point in Jesus' life, a day that meant a whole lot.
John wasn't prepared for this. He had just confessed to others that someone else was coming, someone more powerful than he, someone of greater importance and honor than John ever was. And now that One stood right in front of him, wanting to be baptized!
Wanting to be baptized? What is this? Jesus was sinless; Jesus was holy; Jesus was God Himself come in human flesh! For such a perfect One, baptism is entirely unnecessary. What sin does He need to have washed away? He doesn't have any. So John hesitated (Mt.3:14). What could John possibly give to Jesus that Jesus needed? If anything John needed what Jesus could give him.
Think of John's surprise this way. Suppose all of a sudden today the holy Jesus comes and stands in front of you. He shines with heaven's purity. In contrast to that glory, you stand in your weak and dull human nature, darkened by doubt and sin. Now, imagine that Jesus asks you to do something for Him, and you wonder what in the world you could possibly do for Him who can do anything? You need His help; He surely doesn't need yours.
John hesitated; yet Jesus insisted saying, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt.3:15).
It's almost like Jesus said, “I agree. I really don't need this for myself, since I am sinless. Yet, I must be baptized because this is what God demands of sinners. And I have come for them, to do what they need. I want to do what is pleasing to the heavenly Father, and He wants me to fulfill every righteous act that He requires of sinful man which man has failed to do.”
With that said He took up our part and stepped into the waters of the Jordan to be baptized for us because it was our sin which He would carry. And so He fulfilled the will of God to make us righteous. It all began here, this day, the day of Jesus' baptism.
You know, to be honest, this is something that I still can't fully comprehend. My mind can't grasp it. But one of the greatest prophets of all times, John the Baptizer, scratched his head over it, too. He didn't fully understand. But he accepted it and did what Jesus asked. And I will trust it, too.
This baptism was necessary before God. This baptism was for the righteousness that we needed. This baptism set Jesus on His course to the cross to save us. This baptism was a great turning point in His life as Savior. This day meant a whole lot. It was the day the appointed Messiah took His place alongside sinners to do for them what needed to be done.
II. It was a turning point in my life.
It is a day that ought to remind us also of the wonderful things God did for us the day we were baptized. The day of your baptism meant a whole lot, too ; it was the turning point in your life . Think of what took place there in relation to that which Jesus saw at His baptism, for there are similarities. Mark describes it this way, “He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'”
First of all you could say that just as the heavens were “torn open” when Jesus was baptized, so heaven was “torn open” for you when you were baptized. You see, heaven had been closed because of your disobedience and sin. Even though you were only a baby, sin was still upon you for the Bible says we “are sinners from birth, sinful from the time our mothers conceived us” (Ps.51:5 ). It's the sin of Adam and Eve; and it closed heaven. But when God declared you righteous in baptism, heaven opened again in a glorious way.
Then, just as the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus when He was baptized, so He descended on you invisibly when you were baptized, giving you the gift of saving faith in Jesus. For the Bible says, “Be baptized, every one of you…for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Finally, when Jesus was baptized, God the Father said, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” When you were baptized, He quietly said the same thing because on that day He united you to Jesus and His saving work. The Bible says, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.”
Are you baptized? You're God's son! That means a whole lot and ought to be a great turning point for you daily in your life, especially when Satan gets you down. Think of it this way.
The story is told of a man lying in a hospital, recuperating from a serious fall in which he broke his spine. The break was so severe that it took a long time to mend. Weeks turned into months. But it seemed like he was getting no better. After much therapy, exercise, and treatments he could do no better than to move his leg just a bit. He thought he would never walk again and fell into great despondency. One day he told a friend how worthless he felt. “I wish I could die,” he said. It was an overstatement of despair.
Sometimes our feelings can be similar. Have you never felt despondent, like you were of little importance to anyone? Sin and its consequences can so overwhelm and break us down that we function no better than a sick man lying in a hospital. How could anyone, let alone God, care?
But here enters our faith in the gospel. Feelings don't dictate worth; God's saving promises do. Broken, worthless, despondent, lying helpless before God – true! That's where I was in sin. But then I was baptized, and Christ mended, enriched, and lifted me out of the devil's grasp. In those waters God made me His own and clothed me in Christ's righteousness. I am His son, dearly loved, because of it.
So you see, dear friend, as it was for Jesus, the day of your baptism is
a day that means a whole lot for you, too.
It was a great turning point in your life. God grant you the faith to believe it, and the joy to live in it for Jesus' sake. Amen.