To Fulfill Righteousness

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the first Sunday after Epiphany, the 8th of January, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

Family, today is the first Sunday after Epiphany, and the day when we celebrate the baptism of Jesus.  An epiphany is defined as a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something.  It is a revelation of the truth that comes in a flash.  The Epiphany we celebrate today is when the Messiah was revealed to the Gentiles.  This happened when the wise men from the east, the Magi, visited the Infant Jesus.

Epiphany was this past Friday, January 6th.  And although we only step ahead a few days, we leap forward 30 years on our Christian calendar.  Jesus is now an adult, about to begin His ministry, the three year journey that ends at the cross.  Please listen and follow along to how the Apostle Matthew recorded this, in the 3rd chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 3, 7 through 11, and 13 through 17, and I’ll be reading from the New American Standard Bible this morning…

1 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,

“The voice of one calling out in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

Make His paths straight!’”

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance; 9 and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham. 10 And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?” 15 But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. 16 After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, 17 and behold, a voice from the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

--Matthew 3:1-3, 7-11, 13-17 (NASB)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for giving John the mission of preparing the way for Your Christ.  He let the people know that the Messiah was coming, and when Jesus approached, John acknowledged Him as the one promised.  Thank You, Father, for speaking from heaven and announcing to all who could hear that Jesus was Your Son.  Please forgive those, Father, who refuse to believe.  And forgive us, please, when we ourselves begin to doubt and our faith falters.  Please help us be more righteous in Your sight.  Help us fulfill the task You have set before us.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who are so willing to carry out his evil works.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  We are Your servants - help us serve.  This we pray in the wonderful name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Today in our Christian calendar, we celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John in the River Jordan.  But I'd like to share a little story about the baptism of King Aengus by Saint Patrick in the middle of the 5th century.  It seems that sometime during the ritual, St. Patrick leaned on his sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the king's foot.  After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king's forgiveness.  "Why did you suffer this pain in silence?", the Saint wanted to know.  The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual."

Maybe the king should have attended services more often where he might have become familiar with how baptisms were performed.  But today here at Pilgrim, part of our focus is on service, and specifically, being called to serve.  In the 11th century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch.  He made application to Prior Richard, the head of the local monastery, asking to be accepted as a contemplative, a person devoted primarily to prayer, and to spend the rest of his life in the monastery.  "Your Majesty," said Prior Richard, "do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience?  That will be hard for you because you have been a king."  "I understand," said Henry.  "The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you."  "Then I will tell you what to do," said Prior Richard.  "Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you."  When King Henry died, a statement was written: "The King learned to rule by being obedient."

When we tire of our roles and responsibilities, it helps to remember that God has planted us in a certain place and told us to be a good accountant or teacher or mother or father.  Christ expects us to be faithful where He puts us, and when He returns, we'll rule together with Him.  Jesus was faithful to the job God gave Him, and so was John, in preparing the people for Jesus.  John had a role, and it included baptizing Jesus, even though he felt that he was not worthy to do so.  But in accepting and carrying out that role, John, with Jesus, fulfilled righteousness by doing what was right by God.

We each have a role, too.  We each have been given a mission by God, by Jesus.  We may not know or understand or realize all aspects of that mission, or a particular role God has in store for us, but we must be ready to carry it out when it is made known to us.  We may not feel worthy of God’s love or His attention, or even of the task He has assigned us, but we must still do what is right in His eyes.  For in this way we fulfill righteousness and become worthy of our calling.  Here is how the Apostle Paul puts it, in the 4th chapter of his letter to the Ephesians, verses 1 through 6…

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

--Ephesians 4:1-6 (NASB)

We have been called to believe in Jesus as God’s Christ and to serve Him in this life.  The crucial part of that service we already know: to help others come to believe in Him and follow Him, too.  But how to carry out that role may elude us, or confuse us, or even scare us.

By loving others unconditionally we show the love of God.  We show that love by acting with humility and gentleness, by being patient with one another and not dwelling on what they might have done to hurt us or cause us harm.  And Paul adds that we must make every effort to keep ourselves united in the Spirit, binding ourselves together with peace. 

We are loved.  We must show our love so that others can see the love of God through us, in us.  For in this way, we fulfill righteousness.

In a few minutes, we will share the bread and the cup, and then we’ll sing a hymn, just like Jesus and His friends did so long ago.  By this Communion, we are all joined together with one another and with our Lord.  The Apostle Paul warns us not to come to this table until we are right with God.  So please take this time to silently confess any wrongs to our Father God and seek His forgiveness.

Remember what Jesus did for us, for you and for me.  He died just for you, just for me, so that we might live.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, You have chosen us to be Your children and to follow Your Son Jesus.  You call us to be Yours and to serve Your will, Your purposes.  Thank You, Father, for giving us the faith to carry our Your calling.  Thank You for sending Your Son to show us how to fulfill righteousness as we walk through this life.  Forgive us, please Father, when we falter in our task.  We don’t always understand what we are supposed to do, the task often scares us.  Forgive us when we hesitate, when we are timid, when we doubt our worthiness to serve You.  Please help us be better servants in all we do.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, everything You did was in fulfillment of our Father’s plan for the salvation of mankind.  Everything You did was out of love.  Thank You, Jesus, for remaining faithful to God and to us.  Thank You for showing us what it means to fulfill righteousness, to do what is right in God’s eyes.  Please help us remember the example You set.  Help us love unconditionally, with patience and gentleness and humility.  And Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.