Welcome to the Daily Blade . The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit , the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil . Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson , and they stand ready to equip men for the fight . Let's sharpen up .
Speaker 2This week we're spending some time with an Irish prayer from St Patrick , called St Patrick's Breastplate or the Deer's Cry . So let me read from the beginning of it here I rise today through a mighty strength , the invocation of the Trinity through belief in the threeness , through confession of the oneness of the creator of creation . I rise today through the strength of Christ with his baptism , through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial , through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension , through the strength of Today . We're going to key in on this line I arise today through the strength of Christ with his baptism . So let's go to the Gospel of Matthew , chapter 3 . In this chapter we see John the Baptist , who's the cousin of Jesus of Nazareth , baptizing people in the Jordan River . So since this is before the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus , john isn't baptizing people as a public declaration of their faith in Christ , but instead this was a symbolic baptism of repentance for sin , and it was about preparing people for the coming King . So let's go to the text here , matthew 3 , starting in verse 11 . I baptize you with water for repentance , but he who is coming after me is mightier than I , whose sandals I am unworthy to carry . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and father . His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn , but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire . And now the baptism of Jesus , verse 13 . 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 Luke , in his gospel , he gives another detail . He says that while he was being baptized , that Jesus was also praying at that time .
Speaker 2So the baptism of Jesus is incredibly significant for a myriad of reasons , but let's just look at a few here . The first one is this was a public identification with sinners , so Jesus himself was without sin . You know , the writer of Hebrews says this in Hebrews 4 , verse 15, . For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses , but one who , in every respect , has been tempted as we are , yet without sin . So yet , by being baptized , even though he himself was sinless , jesus was displaying that , while being God , that he was still and indeed a man , he could identify with human experiences like the rest of us .
Speaker 2Second reason is Jesus was modeling what he would later command . So Matthew 28 , 18 through 20 says this . And Jesus came and said to them all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me . Go , therefore , and make disciples of all nations , baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit , teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you and , behold , I am with you , always to the end of the age . So , guys , at the beginning of Jesus's public ministry , he . So , guys , at the beginning of Jesus's public ministry , he was baptized , and at the end of his public ministry he commanded his followers to baptize one another .
Speaker 2And the third reason is this Jesus's baptism was a revelation of the Trinity . So non-Trinitarians and Christian skeptics alike have kind of poo-pooed the idea of the Trinity of God the Father , god the Son and God the Holy Spirit , because the word Trinity doesn't appear in the Bible . But in Matthew 3 , we see the first and clearest picture of the existence of the triune God . God the Father is present because he speaks from heaven and says this is my beloved son , with whom I am well pleased . God the Son is present , as Jesus himself is the one being baptized , and God the Holy Spirit is present , as the text says , spirit of God descended like a dove and coming to rest on Jesus . So again , the baptism of Jesus is a really big deal , and it's no wonder why St Patrick included it in his prayer .
Speaker 2We'll close out today by reading the end of St Patrick's breastplate . Let it fill you with strength . Christ with me , christ before me , christ behind me , christ in me , christ beneath me . Christ above me . Christ in me . Christ beneath me . Christ above me . Christ on my right , christ on my left . Christ when I lie down . Christ when I sit down . Christ when I arise . Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me . Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me . Christ in every eye that sees me . Christ in every ear that hears me . Amen .
Speaker 1Thank you for listening to today's episode Before you go . If you want to help equip other men for the fight , share this podcast around and leave us a five-star rating and review . Stay sharp .