23-1015p Transcript

Preacher: Mike Mathis

(0:33) I hope everybody had a good afternoon this afternoon.

(0:39) It is my privilege to be your speaker again tonight. (0:52) And my topic is going to be fulfilling all righteousness. (1:01) And I appreciate Roger reading the scripture readings.

(1:12) We’re going to get to that in just a minute. (1:18) But first of all, I’m going to be in Matthew 3, verse 13 through 17. (1:37) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

(1:48) And John tried to prevent him, saying, I need to be baptized by you. (1:59) Are you, and are you coming to me? (2:02) But Jesus answered and said to him, permit it to be so now. (2:12) For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

(2:21) Then he allowed him. (2:24) When he had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water. (2:35) And behold, the heavens were opened to him.

(2:39) And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him. (2:49) And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. (3:02) Now, there are some things here that when they read this, (3:14) that those who will misuse this scripture (3:22) and then try to get away from the necessity of baptism for us, (3:35) because immediately they will conclude, or raise the conclusion, (3:44) well, you know, Jesus did not have any sin.

(3:48) I mean, John’s baptism is for the remission of sins. (3:55) That is, for these people that John came to in the wilderness of Judea, (4:08) saying, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (4:14) And saying, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

(4:20) For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, (4:26) the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. (4:35) John himself was clothed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. (4:43) His food was locusts and wild honey.

(4:48) Then Jerusalem of Judea and all the region around the Jordan went out to him (4:56) and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (5:06) And Mark 1, and I believe it’s verse 3 or 4, Mark 1, verse 4, (5:28) says John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. (5:44) Now, people will say, well, Jesus didn’t have any sins.

(5:54) So, the conclusion that might be drawn from this is, (6:04) and it is what a man told his son, (6:12) and he was in this particular context about Jesus being baptized. (6:22) And he was telling his son concerning baptism, but he made this statement to him. (6:38) Baptism has nothing to do with salvation.

It washes our sins away. (6:45) Huh? (6:49) I mean, he was telling his young son that it had nothing to do with salvation. (6:58) It washes your sins away.

(7:03) That doesn’t make sense. (7:05) We have sins, and these sins condemn us. (7:12) The wages of sin is death, we are told.

(7:18) Well, if baptism washes away sins, what does that imply? (7:28) We’re saved. We’re saved from sin. (7:36) But anyway, people will bring that up.

(7:42) But, what is this? (7:45) He told John, we’re permitted to be so now. (7:51) For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. (8:00) Now, in John 14 and verse 15, Jesus tells his disciples, (8:17) If you love me, keep my commandments.

(8:23) And some translations will say, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. (8:34) Now, if we really love him, we will keep his commandments. (8:40) Well, what does that mean? (8:42) We will obey his commandments? (8:47) In verse 21 of that same chapter, John 14, he says, (8:53) He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me.

(9:02) And he who loves me will be loved by my Father. (9:08) And I will love him and manifest myself to him. (9:15) So we see that fulfilling all righteousness is keeping the commandments.

(9:26) And as Roger read in Psalm 119 and 172, (9:39) we find that all the commandments of God are righteousness. (9:45) So, and it is from the word. (9:49) He further states in John 14, (9:54) Jesus answered and said to him, that is Judas, but this is not Judas Iscariot.

(10:03) When Jesus said that I will manifest myself to him, (10:11) Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? (10:21) Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word. (10:31) And his word has commandments as we saw in Psalm 119, 172. (10:42) And my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.

(10:55) But on the opposite side, he who does not love me does not keep my word. (11:04) And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me. (11:14) Now, the religious leaders in Matthew, the 21st chapter, confronted Jesus and was asking him questions.

(11:36) And in the 21st chapter of Matthew, reading from the 23rd verse through the 27th, (11:51) Now, when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted him as he was teaching (12:03) and said, by what authority are you doing these things? (12:11) And who gave you this authority? (12:15) But Jesus answered and said to them, I will ask you one thing, which if you will tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. (12:33) The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men? (12:46) Well now, they had to go aside and talk amongst themselves. (12:53) And they reasoned among themselves, saying, if we say from heaven, he will say to us, why then did you not believe him? (13:06) By the time the Baptist was baptizing those who came to him, the Pharisees and these leaders came there.

(13:21) Well, what did John call them? He called them brood of vipers, because he knew that their heart was not really believing what he was doing. (13:32) And it would do no good for them to be baptized, because they weren’t going to confess their sins anyway. (13:48) He said, and he will say to us, why then did you not believe him? (13:55) But if we say from heaven, we fear the multitude, for I will count John as a prophet.

(14:07) So they answered Jesus and said, we do not know. (14:13) And he said to them, neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. (14:21) Yet Jesus over and over and over throughout his ministry told them that he was sent by his Father and what he was saying and doing was what the Father wanted him to do and say.

(14:43) And so, for now, we’re going to find a little bit about fulfilling our righteousness. (14:59) Now, no, Jesus did not sin. He kept the law perfectly.

(15:12) But we find in Romans 3, reading Romans 3, 9 through 12, that we won’t find all the sins except for Jesus. (15:37) But quoting from Old Testament scriptures, Paul was telling them, letting them know that now the Jews did have the law. (16:01) And yet, for these Jews, they did not keep the law perfectly.

(16:13) Gentiles did not have this law that came through Moses. (16:20) But yet, we know that they did some things that were good. (16:27) But for the most part, there were things that they did against God that was really what God hated.

(16:40) He called abomination. (16:44) But listen to what Romans 3, 9, Romans 3, verses 9 through 12 says. (16:53) What then? Are we better than they, that is, of those that were not Jews? (17:05) For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks, or meaning Gentiles, that they are all under sin.

(17:17) As it is written, there is none righteous. No, not one. (17:23) There is none who understands.

There is none who seeks after God. (17:30) This is something that it just seems that, you know, there’s just no one looking for God. (17:47) And it seems like that they had no intention of believing in God and looking to God.

(18:01) But they were filled with sin. (18:09) And yes, Jesus kept the law perfectly. (18:18) Now when he died and he was buried, the grave could not hold him.

(18:23) Because when he was put to death, he was put to death illegally. (18:31) He was put to death, and what these Jews were thinking was blasphemy. (18:39) They did it out of envy.

(18:42) But they put him to death, but Jesus didn’t do anything that would be causing him to die. (18:56) Such as sinning. He did not sin.

(18:59) He was that perfect law. Lamb, rather. (19:05) He was that perfect lamb.

He sacrificed his life for us. (19:11) And he did not have to be put to death over and over as the animals were. (19:22) You know, they had to sacrifice these animals, and it was morning and evening every day.

(19:33) And then every year there was this special day. (19:37) The Day of Atonement. They made these sacrifices.

(19:43) They offered all these animals for sacrifices. (19:49) But Jesus had to die only once. (19:55) Because he didn’t sin.

(19:59) The grave could not hold him because he died illegally. (20:05) Meaning that it wasn’t right for him to die, but he died at the hands of these wicked men that did not believe in him. (20:24) Now, what is at the root of some of these people’s thinking? (20:31) They want to argue about baptism.

(20:39) You know, I just do not believe some of the things people will say. (20:49) You know, you give Mark 16, 15, and 16 that says he told the apostles, (20:58) Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (21:03) He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.

(21:10) You can’t be any plainer than what that says. (21:15) I mean, that’s elementary. A child can understand that language.

(21:23) And he says that he that believeth not shall be condemned or damned. (21:34) So we see that, you know, without faith, they say, well, it doesn’t say he that does not believe and is not baptized shall be condemned. (21:51) It doesn’t say that.

It doesn’t have to. (21:54) Because if we have unbelief, it doesn’t make any difference if we’re dipped a thousand times in the water. (22:04) It’s not going to save us because we’re not doing it through faith.

(22:10) But if it’s faith, but not baptism, we’re still not going to be because we don’t have what will really put us into Christ. (22:28) What will wash away our sins. And it’s not the water that washes our sins away.

(22:35) It’s not that we are cleaning the filth off of the body. (22:43) But it’s an answer of a good conscience toward God, as Peter said. (22:50) And I hope I got this right, 1 Peter 3, 21.

(22:57) Where he’s given that. I hope that’s right. (23:00) I don’t have it written down, but I hope that that’s the correct passage.

(23:08) But anyway, why can’t they believe what Jesus says? (23:16) That he that believes and is baptized. (23:25) Now, and connects two things. (23:29) They may differ from one another.

(23:35) Here’s one believes and is baptized. (23:44) Faith, baptism are two different things, but they are joined together. (23:52) And he says, it shall be so.

(23:55) But they yell loud and long about, we’re trying to work our way to heaven. (24:11) Whenever we’re talking about baptizing. (24:17) Oh, you’re trying to work your way to heaven.

(24:21) No. (24:25) Was that what Jesus was doing? (24:28) No. (24:30) What he was doing, when he did this, was fulfilling all righteousness.

(24:38) He was fulfilling some right things. (24:45) There he is, a man. (24:49) And to us, he’s more than just a man.

(24:53) But to these people, he’s just another man. (25:01) Now, he was talking about John on one occasion. (25:07) Talking about how John was a prophet, and even more than a prophet.

(25:16) Well, John was baptized. (25:21) You know, they could have questioned him. (25:25) Now, why didn’t you be baptized with John? (25:31) Or why didn’t you let him baptize you? (25:37) Well, you know what he did? (25:42) He went to John, and he told John to baptize him.

(25:50) John was wanting to prevent him from being baptized. (25:57) Well, I need to be baptized with you. (26:03) You see, John the Baptist was thinking that he just wasn’t worthy to baptize him.

(26:14) At this time, he was realizing who he was. (26:19) But Jesus fulfilled righteousness, because it was from God, yes, from heaven, (26:32) that this command to be baptized, that John was telling them to be baptized, (26:43) telling them to repent and to be baptized for, that is, unto, not because of. (26:57) These people weren’t being baptized because the sins were already remitted.

(27:03) They were baptized to have those sins remitted. (27:09) Now, this was, and we notice that Jesus kept the law. (27:18) Well, he told the people that he did not come to take away or destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them.

(27:35) But while he lived under this law, he was living under this law along with all the others. (27:47) And he kept it. (27:49) And he even condemned those who would teach against following that law.

(27:58) Now, in Hebrews 5, 8, and 9, Paul is talking to these Hebrew brethren and speaking of Jesus. (28:19) He says in verse 8, and also in verse 9, (28:24) And having been perfected, though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. (28:38) You know, he was tempted like we are, but he did not give in to these temptations.

(28:52) And he suffered greatly because of this. (28:59) And having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obeyed him. (29:13) He obeyed his father, and he did not reject the baptism, being without sin.

(29:29) Still, he was baptized because it was a commandment from heaven. (29:40) And he said, it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. (29:49) And we fulfill righteousness when we obey what is in the scriptures.

(29:58) Because the scriptures are the word of God. (30:02) They are inspired. (30:05) They are God breathed from God, of God.

(30:10) And we need to obey them. (30:17) So, with that in mind, let me give you an invitation here, that all of us, this is an invitation for all of us. (30:31) Let us obey God and fulfill all righteousness.

(30:38) That is fitting. (30:41) If you need to put on Christ, it is necessary that we do so by being, through faith, (30:52) be baptized for the remission of sins. (30:57) And put on Christ, as it says in Galatians 3, in verse 27.

(31:09) We need to put on Christ. (31:12) And if we are put on Christ, let us continue and fulfill all righteousness by being obedient to the word. (31:22) And keeping the commandments of God.

(31:28) For, I leave this with you, and if we want to fulfill righteousness, let us learn to obey God. (31:39) And you know, after he was baptized, the Spirit descended upon him as a dove and lighted on him. (31:54) And a voice from heaven said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

(32:02) You see, God was well pleased with what Jesus did. (32:07) And God let us know that he is well pleased. (32:14) He obeyed his Father, let us obey.

(32:16) And if you need to do so, if there is something on your mind, why not now? (32:24) Let us know. (32:26) We’ll help you take care of it. (32:29) We’ll pray to God for you.

(32:31) We’ll do what is needed. (32:34) Why not do so while we’re standing still?