Baptism

The story is told about the baptism of King Aengus by St. Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. Sometime during the baptism ceremony, 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."

I have to wonder if God laughed, cried, or both when Paul wrote "...one baptism" in Ephesians 4:5. Baptism, perhaps more so than any other issue, is definitely not something on which there is one Christian viewpoint. Virtually every aspect of baptism is hotly debated. Who should be baptized, infants or converts? How should baptism be done, sprinkling, pouring, or immersion? What does baptism mean? Is it symbolically identifying yourself with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus? Or, is it when the Holy Spirit is received? Or, is it the initial act of obedience, after faith, that God requires before He grants salvation? Should baptism be done in Jesus' name or in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? The only thing that virtually all Christians seem to agree on is that baptism should involve water.

Soap Water - bath ....cats being bathed....

So, that’s a picture of baptism that we usually think of. Rid of sin....

And I think we can add to baptism’s significance from a slow and methodical reading of just one account of a baptism in the new testament. Jesus’ baptism.

Matthew 3:1–17 (NIV)

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea

…and so here we can talk just a second about John the Baptist. John was actually prophesied about in the OT.

2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”

Isaiah 40:3-5: This passage speaks of a messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord. It says, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” This prophecy is often associated with John the Baptist, who indeed prepared the way for Jesus

and.... Malachi 3:1: Another prophecy refers to two messengers—the first being John the Baptist. It says, “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.” John’s role was to prepare hearts for the coming of Jesus, the “Messenger of the covenant” (Malachi 3:1)

4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

This is very much what a person in that time period would associate with a prophet…sterotyped. haha!

5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.

6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

a baptism by John…preparing the way…John received the nickname (the Baptizer)

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John here references his baptism, and another, soon approaching baptism.

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

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

....John the disciple wrote that John the Baptist said…look…the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world...

14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Identity - Not just the washing…but with the putting off, the getting rid of my old self, to allow and to receive the recreated and given new life Jesus grants to us.

It’s not just a picture for us to remember, its an active way of saying, I now identify with Jesus. The old life buried, the new life, through Jesus, received.

I no longer create my identity. It’s not about me anymore. It’s all about what Jesus is now beginning to do to remake me into the person He wants me to be…and if it’s Him doing it, it will be the best and most awesome me that could ever be.

John…I baptize you for repentance. He will baptize you ....

Repentance = putting away the old you. Repentance is saying…I cannot live the way I’m suppose to. Repentance is the U turn saying this way of life will not ever help me for eternity. It really is the point of where you begin to say…I will now daily die to myself…so I can daily be remade by Jesus. This is a process…Paul talks about now, being transformed by Jesus instead of conforming yourself to the world.

Paul also points to this process of being saved....saved being a bigger picture than just forgiven. It’s about being forgiven so that you can begin the process of being remade into the image of God.

Ever think about that....baptism in water now symbolizes something more than just repentance…it now symbolizes new life…

The phrase was …will be baptized in the holy spirit....in…immersed in the spirit of God.

Not just God filling up that hole in your heart....but much much much more.

Romans 6:3–4 NIV

3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

New Life -