“The Coronation of the King” Matthew 3:13-17

TRANSCRIPT

Date: January 23, 2022 Author: Wayne J. Edwards

Leonard Ravenhill once said, “If John the Baptist were to come back today, he would not be crying in the wilderness, but a voice crying in the church, “repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Why? Because the Church Growth Movement failed Christ’s Church in two ways. First, it failed to keep the Church faithful to the Scripture. Just think of the many different translations and paraphrases of the Bible that have been published in the last 50-years. Chart that with the decrease in the lack of biblical knowledge, the dumbing down of doctrine, and the absence of a cohesive theology among the majority of church members. Second, it failed to provide TRUE growth to the Church. Not only are most churches not increasing in size, but those that are expanding are doing so at the expense of other churches. More than 80% of the adults counted as new members are transplants from other churches. According to a recent report by CBN, more than 4,000 churches closed their doors in 2020, and over 20,000 pastors left the ministry. While some of that is due to the onset of Covid, the fact that the attendance has not returned after two years indicates a much deeper problem – i.e., perhaps they were never truly saved. We will explain this further in our next sermon in this series – “Behold the King: The Coronation of the King.” The subtitle might be “The biblical basis for baptism!”

Leonard Ravenhill once said, “If John the Baptist were to come back today, he would not be crying in the wilderness, but a voice crying in the church, “repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Why? Because the Church Growth Movement failed Christ’s Church in two ways.

According to a recent report by CBN, more than 4,000 churches closed their doors in 2020, and over 20,000 pastors left the ministry. While some of that is due to the onset of Covid, the fact that the attendance has not returned after two years indicates a much deeper problem – i.e., perhaps they were never truly saved.

We will explain this further in our next sermon in this series – “Behold the King: The Coronation of the King.” The subtitle might be “The biblical basis for baptism!”

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Matthew presents the evidence, event by event, to prove to his Jewish friends that Jesus was the Messiah; the Christ; the King.

– Verse 13 – “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan to be baptized of him.” (John)

“He who had no sin at all took His stand with those who had no righteousness at all. He who was without sin went down in the waters of baptism designed for sinners, to prove He was a friend to sinners.”

– Verse 16 – “ When [Jesus] was baptized and went up out of the water: lo, the heavens opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him.”

Jesus told us to baptize those who believe the gospel and receive Him as their Savior, as an act of righteousness, and to do it in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus “like a dove” lights upon a perch.

When God required a sacrifice for sin, it had to be perfect, without spot or blemish.

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