Baptism

Introduction

Johnny and his cat…

Johnny's Mother looked out the window and noticed him "playing church" with their cat.

He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work. A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back To the open window to see Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water.

She called out, "Johnny, stop that! The cat is afraid of water!"

Johnny looked up at her and said, "He should have thought about that before he joined my church."

Reasons People Get Baptized

1) Join the church - get baptized

2) Join heaven – get baptized

3) Wash sins away – get baptized

I What’s the Bible say?

A It’s to be done – Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20

1) Make disciples – followers of Jesus, not church, not religion, not groupies of ?

2) Baptize them

3) Teach them to obey Me.

B Does baptism save me? 1 Peter 3:20

1) Did the water save Noah? Did the water wash Noah?

2) Baptism a picture –

a) Water raised Noah up above a dying world – while he was in the ark.

b) Baptism separates us from a dying world. Changed conscience, through the resurrection

C Does baptism clean me?

1) Not the removal of the filth of the flesh.

a) A right heart.

2) Jesus’ blood cleans you. Revelation 1:5 and 7:14

D Does baptism get me to heaven?

1) Was Abraham saved? Moses? David? Elijah? John the Baptist? (I need to be baptized by You and are You coming to me?) Were they baptized?

2) The thief on the cross. Luke 23:39-43

a) Called on the name of the Lord. Romans 10:9-13

II Baptism is a picture of death and new life

A Death of the old man. Rom 6:3-4, Col 2:7

B New life – new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17

C Witness to the world - If you confess me before men…