Acts 10:38

Thank you for the opportunity to be here and to teach God's word here today. I know that you're very accustomed to a Celtic accent from this lectern already so I hope that if I have one at all that it won't be too challenging.

There have been many happy coincidences here already in my visit, my first visit to IPC. I believe in coincidence. I just don't believe in mere coincidence.

And God is the ruler of all coincidences and it's been really good to be part of this service not least because of the free church connection.

But the happiest coincidence is really that I had intended to pitch this morning on a subject very closely related to the whole theme of baptism in the Bible.

And I want to begin at this point, although we're going to focus on the passage from Acts that was already read, I want to begin by reading about the baptism of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and chapter 3.

So if you have a Bible, you can turn to Matthew chapter 3 and we're going to read verses 13 to 17.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him.

John would have prevented him saying, I need to be baptized by you and do you come to me?

But Jesus answered him, let it be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.

Then he consented.

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water and behold the heavens were opened to him.

And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.

And behold a voice from heaven said, this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.

And the words that I want to focus on are to be found in Acts chapter 10 and at verse 38.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Which is, I think, one of the best one-line summaries of the whole ministry of Jesus that we have anywhere in the New Testament.

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.

He went above doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him.

If you want a one-line summary of all the material of the four Gospels, there it is.

God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power as a consequence of which he went about doing good,

healing those who were oppressed by the devil and God was with him.

I'm sure they're familiar words and I'm sure the context in which they are found is equally familiar.

They are spoken by the Apostle Peter in the course of a great sermon in the book of Acts.

Peter was a great preacher, not least in the book of Acts.

And here he is preaching the Gospel.

And the events that have led to this occasion are themselves remarkable and arresting.

Peter is preaching in the home of Cornelius, who is a Roman centurion, a Roman soldier.

The Bible describes him as a devout man who feared God with all his household

and gave generously to the people and prayed continually to God.

And we're told that Cornelius had had a vision and God sent through Cornelius for Peter,

who was 40 miles south in a place called Joppa, just because he was going everywhere preaching the Gospel.

And Peter too had had a remarkable supernatural vision of a sheet coming down from heaven

with all kinds of animals on it, clean and unclean.

And Peter was told to rise and kill and eat.

But he responded instinctively,

I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean, so I'm not going to do what you're asking.

And a voice said to him,

Listen, what God has called clean or made clean, don't call common.

And it's remarkable, it happened three times and then the vision disappeared.

And Cornelius, in response to God, has sent men to Joppa for Peter

and they come and they tell what has happened and Peter is taken then by them up to Joppa.

And that story is so important in the book of Acts that it's referred to in the following chapter

and again referred to in chapter 15.

Because it's all about the enlargement of the Gospel circle.

That's really the theme of these chapters.

As we were reminded in baptism, the Gospel came to Abraham and his descendants

and it was very much identified with the nation that descended from Abraham.

But it was never God's intention to keep the light of the Gospel within the immediate, ordinary, natural family of Abraham.

Even in the covenant promise that God gave to Abraham,

there was more than a passing hint that the Gospel would reach to the ends of the earth

because of God's call of Abraham.

In fact, as one theologian puts it, the call of Abraham was a particular means for a universal end.

It was the call of one man, a particular means through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed.

And if you are familiar with the Great Commission, at the close of Matthew's Gospel,

go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations,

that is really simply the Christianizing of the Abrahamic promise.

It is, just to put a spin on words,

it is the baptizing of the covenant promise in the name of Christ.

Who is now bringing the covenant promise into its own

and making that particular means of the Old Testament

now to be fruitful to the ends of the earth.

So we are mandated to go into the whole world to pitch the Gospel because of that promise.

But it took a while for the people of God in the New Testament era,

after the resurrection of Jesus, just to realize what was happening.

And now God is directing the Gospel to be preached wonderfully and powerfully to the Gentiles.

Which is why the Holy Spirit comes down on this occasion,

just as he had come down on a previous occasion in Jerusalem.

The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Jerusalem.

And then again in Samaria, where Peter was preaching.

And now again in the household of Cornelius, where Peter again is preaching.

The Gentile Pentecost of which we read here is simply reminding us

of what Jesus said at the beginning of the Book of Acts,

that the Gospel would be preached in his name beginning at Jerusalem,

and then in Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth.

So the Spirit coming down at this point in the Book of Acts,

in the household of Cornelius, is the marker that now the Gospel is going to be proclaimed all over the world.

And the purpose of the vision that Peter saw was that these unclean Gentiles

were no longer regarded so in God's scheme of things.

So now Peter comes and he preaches the Gospel.

He tells them about Jesus.

And about the good news that God gave first of all to Israel, verse 36,

and then through Jesus Christ,

you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea,

beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed.

Here is our text.

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth, you know this,

with the Holy Spirit and with power.

He went about doing good and so on.

Now, I suppose that I'm coming here today,

preaching this message, and I can say,

you know this.

If you don't know this, then listen carefully.

If you do know this, then listen carefully.

Because every one of us needs this great message

of the Gospel

that is personalized in Jesus

and that is proclaimed in His Word

and in His Gospel

all over the world.

We need it.

We are all sinners before God.

We need the good news of God's salvation.

And it is, for us,

wrapped up

and bound up

in the person

and in the work

of Jesus Christ.

And in this summary,

Peter is really emphasizing two things,

isn't he?

He's telling us,

first of all,

what God did

to Jesus.

God anointed

Jesus of Nazareth

with the Holy Spirit

and with power.

And then he's telling us

what God did

through Jesus.

As a consequence

of that

anointing,

Jesus went about

doing good

and healing

because God

was with him.

So I want,

very simply,

to think about

these two things

today.

What God did

to Jesus

and what God did

through Jesus.

So what did God

do to Jesus?

God, we are told,

anointed

Jesus of Nazareth

with the Holy Spirit

and with power.

Now, one of my interests

in coming to this statement

is to see

what it is telling us

about God himself.

It is about the gospel.

But the gospel

is rooted

in the doctrine

of God

who is

Father

and Son

and Holy Spirit.

We were reminded

of that

in baptism too.

Baptizing them

in the name

singular

of the Father

and the Son

and the Holy Spirit.

We only have one God.

There is

only

one God.

God,

our God,

is numerically

one.

But the Christian

name

of God

is

Father

and Son

and Holy Spirit.

It is a great mystery.

It is a mystery

around which

our finite minds

cannot wrap themselves.

But here is

the remarkable thing

of the unfolding

revelation

of the scriptures

that when one

person

of the Godhead,

that is the Son

of God,

when he becomes

man,

when he takes

our nature

in addition

to his own,

so that now

he appears,

this divine person

appears in the world,

the Son of God

and the Son

of Mary,

these two distinct

natures

in this one

person forever,

when he

becomes

man,

he enlarges

our understanding

of the

triune God.

it takes

the incarnation

of one

person

of the

Trinity

to enlarge

our understanding

of who God

actually is,

that God

is Father

and Son

and Holy Spirit.

No one

has seen

God at any

time,

but the only

begotten

Son

who is

in the

bosom

of the

Father,

he has

shown

God

and revealed

God

to us.

and in

his

incarnation

we see

the glory

of God

as

Father

and Son

and Holy

Spirit.

And actually

that is what

undergives

this remarkable

statement

of Peter's

in Acts

10.38.

Who

is doing

the anointing?

Well,

God is doing

the anointing.

He's the subject

of the

verbo.

Who is being

anointed?

Jesus

of Nazareth

is being

anointed.

And who is

he?

According to

the testimony

of scripture,

he is

himself

God.

He was

in the

beginning

with God

and in

the beginning

and now

and always

is

God.

So God

is anointing.

God

in the

person of

Jesus

is being

anointed

and

with

whom

is

God

anointing

God.

He's

anointing

him

with

the

Holy

Spirit.

And who

or what

is the

Holy Spirit?

Is that

just some

kind

of

ephemeral

power

that

operates

in human

experience?

Well,

not at all.

the Holy

Spirit

is also

God.

The

testimony

of

scripture

is that

the

language

that

applies

to

the

Father

and

applies

to

the

Son

also

applies

to

the

Holy

Spirit.

One

God,

Father and

Son and

Holy Spirit.

And God

the Father,

according to

the testimony

of Peter,

anoints

God the

Son in

the person

of Jesus

of Nazareth

with

God the

Holy

Spirit

and

with

power.

So this

remarkable

phenomenon,

this

remarkable

fact of

the

anointing

of

Jesus

actually

shows us

the

whole

Godhead

at work

for us

and for

our

salvation.

And when

does that

anointing

take place?

Well,

it takes

place at

the point

of Jesus'

baptism,

at the

inaugural

point of

his public

ministry.

He had

had the

Holy Spirit

right from

the very

beginning

of his

existence

in the

world.

Through

the Holy

Spirit,

he is

conceived

in the

womb

of his

mother,

he is

filled

with the

Spirit

without

measure,

he is

a

spiritual

man,

this

Son of

Mary.

But at

his baptism,

he receives

the Spirit

by way

of

anointing.

Now,

that itself

is remarkable,

that itself

draws on a

whole trajectory

of Old

Testament

teaching and

theology.

Because in

the Old

Testament,

all the

important

functionaries

and officials

and office

bearers of

God's

covenant

and God's

kingdom,

they were

anointed.

There was a

recipe given

to Moses

for the

making of

special

anointing

oil.

It had to

be done

God's way,

engineered

God's way,

and it

could be

used for

no other

purpose but

to be

poured out

on the

head of

kings and

priests and

prophets who

would function

in an

official capacity

for God's

people and

for God's

service.

And now,

drawing on that

remarkable

strand of

Old Testament

teaching,

this is what I

read about

Jesus.

He is

anointed.

God

anoints

him,

not with

specially

created

oil,

because that

oil,

like so much

else in

the Old

Testament,

only spoke

of something

greater and

signified

something

greater.

He is

anointed

with the

Holy Spirit

and he

needs to be

anointed

because he

too has

come to

be an

official

and a

functionary

and an

office

bearer

for God

in God's

kingdom

and for

God's

people.

And he's

beginning a

public ministry

of three

years that

will culminate

in the

cross and

for this

ministry

Jesus of

Nazareth

is set

apart and

he's equipped

and empowered

with this

outpouring

at his

baptism in

the River

Jordan.

So there

is the

closest connection

between Peter's

statement and

the baptism

of Jesus.

Now let's

just go there

for a moment

because that's

a remarkable

occasion isn't

it?

When Jesus

comes to

the River

Jordan to

be baptized

by John.

Well what's

happening at

the River

Jordan?

John has

been preaching

all about

sin and

the need for

repentance and

turning away

from sin and

trusting in

God and

people have

been convicted

of their

sin and

they come

now to

the Jordan

to be

baptized.

A

baptism of

repentance

for the

forgiveness

of sins.

So if

you can

just imagine

that for a

moment in

the River

Jordan there

is John

the Baptist

and he's

baptizing people

who have

come to

hate their

sin and

they want

to get rid

of their

sin.

They don't

want to

live in

sin any

longer or

for sin

any longer.

They want

to find

sin put

away.

And into

this drama

of the

crowd in

the Jordan

comes Jesus.

I want

that baptism

too.

Well you

can understand

why John

said no

I'm not

going to

baptize

you.

You have

no sin.

I'm the

sinner I

need to be

baptized by

you.

Why are you

coming to

me?

Here is this

remarkable

Jesus of

Nazareth

who had

committed

no sin

for which

repentance

was necessary.

It's one of

the great

things isn't

it?

I have a

savior who

is absolutely

flawless,

blameless,

sinless.

There was no

fault in this

man, no

guile in his

mouth, there

was no action

on his part

that could not

be defended

in the light

of God's

word and

God's law.

There was not

one word of

his tongue

that he wished

he could

recall, there

was not one

thought in

his mind that

was impure,

not one

motive in

his heart

of self

interest.

Everything

that he

was,

everything

that he

could be

was committed

entirely to

God to

do your

will, I

take delight.

That's how

he came into

the world.

By that

will, says

the writer

to the

Hebrews, you

are sanctified.

Because he

came down

from heaven

to do the

will of

the God

who sent

him.

Do you

know today

your entire

salvation and

your perseverance

in grace and

your entrance

into glory at

last all hinges

on the

uncompromised

obedience of

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

And so he

is perfect

and sinless

and flawless

and he does

not need to

repent.

And yet here

he is

at the

Jordan

numbered

among the

transgressors

standing

where sinners

are standing

coming into

these waters

where sinners

are wanting

to be baptized.

What's he

doing there?

He doesn't

need to be

there.

He doesn't

need to

repent.

But you

see, they

want to

get rid of

their sins.

And he

comes in

order to

take their

sins on.

He comes

to be

identified with

them and

numbered among

them because

he's going to

bear these

sins at last

in his body

to the

key of

Calvary.

And that's

going to be

for him a

different kind

of baptism

by his own

admission when

he offers

himself without

spot through

the eternal

spirit to

God.

And for

this task

he needs

an anointing.

He needs

a public

declarative

empowering

from heaven

both to

show that

he is

God's

savior

and to

show that

he is

the sinner's

savior.

And actually

in a

remarkable

way if

you want

to defend

the uniqueness

of Jesus

and therefore

the uniqueness

of Christianity

the stand

aloneness

of the

gospel

you know

that Christ

is the only

way to God

because God

anointed

him.

There's a

sense in

which anointing

means

means pointing

It's almost

as if when

God

anoints

someone

he points

to him.

He

anoints a

king

he points

to the king

that's my

chosen king.

When he

anoints a

priest he

points to

him.

And the

oil of

anointing

drips off

the finger

of God

onto the

head of

the official

and God

says this

is my

man.

And that's

what's

happening at

Jordan among

other things.

God is

pointing at

Jesus of

Nazareth

and the

pointing is

in the

anointing

and God

is saying

this is

my man.

So I

look at

all the

religions

of the

world

with all

the promised

saviors

and all

the offers

of salvation

that these

religions

give me

and I

say but

God hasn't

pointed to

any of

them.

God only

ever

pointed at

Jesus.

And if I

want to

get to

God and

find my

way to

heaven I

can't go

looking around

the marketplace

of religions

and simply

choosing the

one that

appeals to

me.

It's no

use me

pointing out

the religion

that I

think will

get me to

God.

I need

God to

point out

the way

to himself.

And that's

what he

does at

the Jordan.

magnificently

publicly

declaring

this is

my beloved

son in

whom I

am well

pleased.

You want

a savior?

I give you

a savior.

I'm

pointing at

Jesus of

Nazareth.

Actually God

had been

pointing to

him all

through the

Old Testament.

And now

the great

words of

Isaiah come

into their

own.

Do you

remember

these great

declarative

words of

God in

chapter 42

of Isaiah?

Behold my

servant whom

I uphold,

my elect

one in

whom my

soul delights.

I have

put my

spirit upon

him.

And the

gospel writers

recognize that

now in

Christ these

words have

their fulfillment

and at the

Jordan God

is anointing

Jesus of

Nazareth and

saying behold

my servant

whom I

uphold.

And what

happens at

the Jordan?

God,

God the

Father,

whom we

hear but

whom we

do not

see,

he says

this is

my son.

And

Jesus,

the son of

God,

in the

rivers of

Jordan with

his robes

dripping from

the water

of the

river,

we see

him and

hear him

and he

wears the

anointing

and carries

the anointing

with all

the dignity

of God's

great king

and God's

promised

Messiah and

God's

great saviour,

his only

Christ,

with the

Holy Spirit

whom we

see but

do not

hear as

he descends

in the

form of

a dove.

And in

that one

action of

anointing,

Father and

Son and

Holy Spirit

are engaged

for us

and for

our

salvation.

It's

remarkable.

It's

actually one

of the

greatest

moments

of the

revelation

of the

triune

God of

Scripture.

In this

remarkable

spot

of

baptism

that

becomes

the

inauguration

of the

ministry

in public

of Jesus

of Nazareth

who has

been concealed

from our

view up

until this

time but

now the

heavens are

opened.

Remarkable

word actually

that is

used of the

veil of the

temple when

Jesus dies,

the same

word,

torn apart

so that

the Spirit

will come

down on

the head

of Jesus

and at

last he's

going to

die so

that through

the open

veil we

will enter

into

heaven.

So what

does God

do for

Jesus?

To Jesus?

He

anoints him

with the

Holy Spirit

and with

power.

And I

want you to

see one of

two things

in that

great act

of anointing.

I want you

to see how

serious

sin

actually is.

What will

wash away

my sin?

What will

get rid of

the stain

on my

conscience?

The shedding

of my blood

won't do it.

The

reformation

of my life

won't do it.

Filling

my mind

with good

doctrine

won't do it.

What is

going to

deal

with my

sin?

Sin is

such an

immovable

object

that it

actually

requires

the

combined

weight

of the

three

persons

of the

Godhead

to act

together

in a

confederacy

and to

work

covenantally

for me

and for

my

salvation.

God

God

the

father

will

not

send

God

the

son

if

God

the

son

will

not

come

into

the

world

to

be

a

savior

if

God

the

Holy

Spirit

will

not

be

willing

to

be

poured

out

by

one

person

onto

the

head

of

another

person

if

this

doesn't

happen

I

will

not

and

cannot

ever

be

saved.

My

sin

is of

such

magnitude

that

God

literally

must

move

heaven

and

earth

in

order

that

I

might

be

atoned

for

and

reconciled

and

my

sin

dealt

with.

And

that's

exactly

what

he

does.

In

eternity

past

God

God

not

simply

in

his

oneness

not

simply

in

his

undifferentiated

oneness

but

in

the

unity

and

fullness

of

his

triune

being

covenanted

to

save

sinners.

God

said to

the son

you

go.

He

had

said to

man

in

paradise

at the

very

beginning

when

Adam

sinned

he

had

said

to

man

go

out

of

paradise

into

the

wilderness

world

you've

made.

But

he

said

it

to

his

own

son

too

go

out

of

paradise

into

that

wilderness

world

and

God

sends

the

only

begotten

son

into

the

far

country

to

rescue

prodigal

sons

who

had

wandered

far

away

from

him.

And

so

the

son

comes

I'm

in

the

world

he

says

in

John's

gospel

as

the

one

sent.

I'm

here

as

the

one

sent.

I

came

but I

came

as

the

missionary.

I

came

as

the

one

who

was

given

the

command

to

go

not

by way

of

banishment

but

by way

of

rescue

to

save

sinners

and

so

the

son

of

God

appears

and

he

needs

the

empowering

and

anointing

of the

Holy

Spirit

for

that

task

and

I

come

before

this

great

moment

and

this

great

fact

of

revelation

and

I

realize

that

for

the

salvation

of

me

in

my

sin

it

takes

the

whole

of

God

to

move

don't

ever

think

that

it's

an easy

thing

to get

to

heaven

it

took

heaven

to

come

to

earth

for

that

to be

remotely

possible

and

on

earth

it

now

takes

the

engagement

of

the

triune

God

to

make

it

actual

and

real

and

when

I

get

to

heaven

it

will

be

in

praise

of

father

son

and

holy

spirit

who

acted

in

this

way

and

cooperated

in

this

covenant

of

redemption

for me

and for

my

salvation

my

praise

today

is

of

Jesus

because

in

him

is

concentrated

the

entire

work

of

God

so

I

want

you

to

see

the

seriousness

of

sin

but

I

want

you

to

see

too

the

sovereignty

of

grace

I

want

you

to

see

that

here

is

God

willing

to

do

all

that

is

necessary

for

you

and

your

salvation

here

is

God

the

father

willing

to

send

his

son

he

did

not

spare

him

says

Paul

in

Romans

I

could

think

of

any

number

of

reasons

why

he

might

have

spared

him

why

he

might

have

kept

his

beloved

son

back

from

the

hell

of

Calvary

back

from

the

bitterness

of

the

cup

that

he

had

to

drink

back

from

the

curse

of

judgment

that

is

poured

out

on

my

head

he

has

done

nothing

worthy

of

death

but

he

didn't

spare

!

a

human

body

didn't

spare

him

the

infinitesimally

small

space

in which

he is

incarnated

in the

womb of

Mary

didn't

spare

him

the

sufferings

of

this

world

didn't

spare

him

the

ignominy

of a

bad

reputation

we

were not

born of

immorality

said the

Pharisees

we know

that Mary

wasn't

married

when you

were

conceived

we were

not

born of

immorality

God

didn't

spare

him

the

shame

of

that

disgrace

that

reputation

so

ill

deserved

so

ill

founded

God

didn't

spare

him

the

loneliness

of

long

nights

God

didn't

spare

him

the

sufferings

of

friendless

days

God

didn't

spare

him

the

experience

of

betrayal

it's a

terrible

thing

to

betray

a

friend

God

didn't

spare

!

His

son

that

experience

didn't

spare

him

the

sufferings

of

the

garden

didn't

spare

him

at

last

from

the

cross

no

he

delivered

him

he

was

willing

to

do

that

and

the

son

willing

to

come

willing

to

have

a

veil

drawn

over

his

glory

didn't

stand

on

his

own

rights

as

Philippians

2

puts

it

didn't

say

I'll

come

into

the

world

unconditioned

that

they

recognize

me

for

the

God

I

am

he

didn't

come

into

the

world

insisting

that

every

knee

should

bow

and

every

tongue

confess

that

he