|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
READ: Mark 1:4
CHALLENGE: Come Clean
WHO IS JOHN THE BAPTIST
John was a forerunner of Christ. We know that he was a cousin of Jesus. He was part of a revival preparing humanity to meet Christ and connect to God. It’s interesting when you think about the forerunner as a positive identification as to who the Messiah truly is. Do other major religious leaders have a forerunner announcing their coming? That’s interesting in and of itself and another affirmation to Jesus being the real thing.
John baptized people in the Jordan River. I was curious about where that practice started, and baptism had been practiced for centuries ahead of John the Baptist. It was typically for people CONVERTING to Judaism or purifying themselves from some defilement so that they could rejoin the community of faith and participate fully. It did signify ridding oneself of defilement.
Before John the Baptist, baptism was part initiation but they also repeated it whenever they thought they needed to. So, if you touched something dead or were involved in something that defiled you, you would dip in the water for cleansing before you came back into fellowship with the community. It was a repeated process. They had immersion pools in Jerusalem for these ritual cleansings.
Immersion in the mikvah represents a change in status in regards to purification, restoration, and qualification for full religious participation in the life of the community, ensuring that the cleansed person will not impose uncleanness on property or its owners. It did not become customary, however, to immerse converts to Judaism until after the Babylonian Captivity (586–539 BCE). This change of status by the mikvah could be obtained repeatedly, while Christian baptism, like circumcision, is, in the general view of Christians, unique and not repeatable.
John’s Baptism was not just a momentary cleansing, it was a momentous change. It was extra. It was CONVERSION which was a new path heading to God. You abandoned old ways and followed the Lord. To convert is a strong term. You are taking on a new belief you didn’t hold before. You’re coming to a new place spiritually and theologically – you’re converted.
By way of analogy, you might convert an attic into a bedroom. Or a van into a camper. Or a garage into an Airbnb. It becomes something different – reformed – dedicated to a different use than it was before. The same is true with us spiritually speaking – our life is going a different direction. This is a pursuit of God! This is different than going to church or having intellectual knowledge. This is an all out pursuit of God!
John preached a baptism of repentance. So, part of baptism was CONVERSION (Change) and part was CLEANSING and those two things are two sides of the same coin. It brings up a question – can we CONVERT without COMING CLEAN? This new direction is leaving selfish and sinful ways to follow God, so conversions includes righteous living. It’s interesting that his baptism was open to tax collectors, soldiers, and sinners. We should challenge ourselves as a church to make sure that the “sinners” are included and welcome. If we only ever connect with the converted and clean, how is that a new work of God? If the work isn’t including people who have been far from God, how can it be much of a work? Sinners are welcome to seek God here.
The Baptism of John was a one-time initiation rather than repeated, so that adds another layer of understanding. Christian baptism is something you typically do once in your life although sometimes people use it as a way to recommit themselves to following God.
Let’s compare this to salvation. Do I have to keep coming to God and asking for salvation and doing the sinners prayer or is once enough? The thing with baptism and also with coming to Jesus is that once I’m a believer, I’m a believer. My sins are forgiven both past, present, and future and will never bar me from entering into God’s presence. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for sins once and for all. So, this is both an initiation and a purification because it’s about forgiveness of sins.
1 Peter 3:18 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”
So, part of baptism was a “conversion” and “cleansing”. There’s an overhaul and there’s maintaining. And it all takes commitment to walk the path and see it through. So, baptism includes Conversion, Cleansing , and Commitment.
There was a point in our house history where we went through a renovation. We went from it being a disaster to it being a place of beauty. We overhauled it in one period of time. That was conversion. It went from a Radison for rats to a place for humans. Since then, we’ve maintained it. We’ve painted what needed painted. We’ve renovated certain spots that needed redone. We’ve made improvements. We recently replaced a door. We built a patio and firepit, had a roof built over decks, planted an orchard, etc. We maintain what we have and fix what gets broken. That’s life. And if you’re not doing that it gets to be fairly noticeable.
Getting married is a big step. I don’t get married over and over again to Jeri. I get married once but I do work at “staying married”. And that’s important. And if something is lagging or getting out of step you fix it. You maintain and you repair after you make that life altering decision. It’s convert – cleanse – commit. It’s change – maintain – fix.
I convert and maintain in a commitment to follow Christ.
(trans.) Let’s pick out the pieces
- REPENTANCE FOR FORGIVENESS IS CHANGE
V4 – And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Repentance is about change. Inside out kind of change! It’s been described as doing a 180. You were following sinful desires and then you turn from that and embrace God. You have changed the direction of your life. The word, repentance, refers to a change of mind and that leads to a change of direction. It’s an important first step in truly making necessary changes. You reverse direction. “It indicates a radical change of mind and heart leading to a complete turnabout of life”.
John the Baptist preached repentance and forgiveness. Jesus’ called sinners to repentance. He left us with the mission of preaching repentance and forgiveness in his name. It’s obviously a consistent message for the world. Jesus’ love for us was never meant to justify bad behavior. He didn’t come to justify the worst behavior imaginable under a banner of love. He’s an agent of change.
What if Jesus came to you today and “called you to repentance”. Come and walk this path of change! Convert your life from the dark to the light.
Colossians 1:13-14 – For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Where is there darkness instead of light? Let’s pray to reform that area. It could be that you’re dark because you’re doing the wrong thing. It could be you’re dark because you’re not doing the right thing. You need to have a change of heart.
I could think of praying more at home. Just enjoying time praying with my wife. If I don’t could that allow darkness? If you’re not reading the Bible is there dark instead of light? If you have a bad attitude, is it dark where you need light? I told someone recently that dark thoughts need light, not more darkness. Let God challenge you.
When you realize you have been going the wrong direction, you turn around. If you miss a turn and realize that you missed the turn, you don’t keep driving that direction, you U it!
When God has laid on my heart that I did something wrong, I need to walk away right then and there. No sense in dabbling with it. Burn the bridges and don’t look back. When Jonah preached to Nineveh, the residents repented in sackcloth and ashes. They were sorry for their sins and turned to God. That’s conversion. That’s what it looks like. People who are changing take it seriously.
I remember a friend of mine got a DUI. He said, guaranteed, that will never ever happen again. He felt horrible and he reversed the behaviors that got him there. He was awakened! I’m not allowing darkness to exist here.
So repentance is doing a 180 and that leads to forgiveness. Change precedes forgiveness. You’re much easier to forgive when you walk away from what you were doing to hurt people. Then the debt that you accrued is not held against you. You’re allowed to walk free.
In real life, forgiveness, and the ability to be forgiven is directly proportional to your willingness to change. I can forgive you but if you keep hurting me, how is that going to work? The change and forgiveness allows a broken relationship to be healed. How could there ever be true healing without that change?
Change is reversal! Renewal.
- CONFESSION FOR CLEANSING
V5 – The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Confessing their sins, they were baptized. I’m not a fan of public confession of sins although none of us are perfect and I freely admit that. We’ve certainly got no business looking down at others. However, I can just see a person telling John that they were stealing. Or that they were hateful. Or that they were cheating. What a chance to spot the area for change and do business with God.
In some cases, John the Baptist was telling the people how they needed to change. They knew they wanted God and they were surrendered to whatever God had for them.
1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
There is hope for change when you have clearly identified exactly what you’re changing. You can see the specific issue and admit the wrong. If I’m counseling a couple, I like to have a target to hit. What needs to change specifically? And the more specific, the more chance of change.
Get particular about particular sins and you’ll tend to quit because you’ve identified the line. My daughter’s dog doesn’t seem to know it shouldn’t be on the road and we need it to learn that the road is dangerous! The dog needs to understand that line. When you cannot see it, that is leading to all kinds of other issues.
We humans don’t always successfully identify the traps we can fall into and that becomes a problem. When you can’t see the problem you tend to repeat. Confession of sin is seeing the line you crossed! It agrees that there is a line.
As they confessed their sins, they were baptized in the Jordan River. And there, in that river, they were leaving their sins behind. Much as Naaman left leprosy in the Jordan River! It was off of him – gone from him.
Conversion is a one time event. I believe and repent and my life is changing. Our confessing sins to God is recurring. What’s the Lord’s Prayer say? Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. We come to God daily. This is the maintenance, right? I change my life and then I confess and keep myself in check. This is sanctification that continues throughout our lives.
It’s great that we can confess sins and put sins behind us. What a beautiful thing to not be attached to our worst decisions. To not be chained to your past. It’s like the crazed demoniac. After he met Christ, he wasn’t filled with demons any longer. He wasn’t cutting himself. He wasn’t naked. He wasn’t living in tombs. He was free!
Shawn Durkovic just had a great post up with a before and after video of a house he rehabbed. Yes, it’s the same house. However, you’d never know it by looking at it. All the bad ceilings or walls and old fixtures – it was all replaced. All that old stuff went out and the new place was truly stunning.
I love ridding our property of debris that no longer need to be there. When we first moved in we got a dumpster the size of a train car and we filled that up. I burned quite a bit of debris as well. In recent years, if something is in my way and I just can’t get rid of it, I drag it to the end of the driveway and it usually doesn’t last long. I got rid of a harp case that way! And I’ve never had anyone bring anything back! At times, it’s like a weight has been lifted because it’s now gone and I don’t have to worry about it any longer.
That’s confessions and forgiveness. Sins are gone in the current of God’s grace. You don’t have to carry it with you forever. And baptism would symbolize this truth. We are cleansed of it.
- COMMITMENT to LIVE IT OUT
Vv6-8 – John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.”
John was like the prophets of old. He was powerful but he felt unworthy to touch the sandals on Christ’s feet. John had one mission and that was to point people to Jesus. That’s our mission too.
Luke 3:7-14 – John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. …. 10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” 13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
Many different types came out and John said, bear fruit in keeping with repentance. If you’re serious about change, show it. Where’s the evidence that you’re changing? It drives me nuts when people make no efforts to show evidence of stated beliefs. Why should people trust you if there is no fruit?
This is where it takes commitment to walk the line. John told them to share. Be content with your pay. Don’t over collect. There was evidence. When you make changes in your life, there will be proof.
We have help because we have the Holy Spirit. Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit. And it’s a HOLY Spirit! This is the difference maker! One of the biggest things I’ve noticed about how a property looks is who is living in the house. You can have a pristine property turn into a junk yard based on a change of occupancy. Who is occupying space in your heart will impact how the spiritual landscape looks.
He pointed people to Jesus and that’s what we’re doing too.