I. Like Israel at the Red Sea, we were trapped on the wrong side

    A. They were in the wilderness because of sin

    B. Only God could open the way to the other side--v10 (schizoo–"divide, open, rend")

II. Jesus is certified to open the gate

    A. Isaiah’s prayer (Isa 64:1) is answered in Christ’s coming--v10

    B. The Father certifies Jesus’ work in advance--v11 (eudokeo–think well of, approve, have pleasure)

        1. He is the holy only-begotten Son of the Father

        2. His sacrifice will be sufficient for all mankind--cf Heb 7:26, John 1:29

III. He still does open the way today through Baptism--cf Rom 6:4ff; Eph 4:5; Col 2:12; 1 Pet 3:21; Titus 3:4-7

"But now behold how glorious a thing Baptism is, also how sublime a spectacle Christ’s Baptism presented. The heavens opened, the Father’s voice was heard, and the Holy Spirit descended, not as a phantom but in the form and figure of a natural dove. Nor was the Father’s voice an illusion when He pronounced these words from heaven: "This is My beloved Son; with Him I am well pleased." And this dove, in the form of which the Holy Spirit was seen, was real and natural. Nevertheless, it was the Holy Spirit. All this was done in honor and praise of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism; for this is not a human institution but something sublime and holy. Eminent personages are involved in it: the Father, who bestows and who speaks here; the Son, who receives and is baptized; the Holy Spirit, who hovers above and reveals Himself in the form of a dove. Furthermore, the entire heaven stands ajar. If Baptism were a human act and institution, such scenes would not be enacted here." --Luther's Works, vol 22.

The hymn writer Nikolaus Herman refers to the angel who guards the gate of Paradise in Gen 3:23-24: