01) Baptism - It Is...
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning all. We have been working through Paul’s letter to Timothy as he charges him to set right some issues that had developed in the church.
He sent Timothy a letter of encouragement and correction for the church to conduct themselves in a righteous and God honoring way.
One of the underlining issues that Paul started his letter on was the false doctrines that were being taught. He states that these doctrines are
1 Tim 1:10-11..., and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.
Paul would continue to remind Timothy and the readers of this letter the impact of the good news of Jesus had on his life.
12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
He gives thanks to God, the God that strengthened him, and appointed him to the ministry that he has been called too. His interaction with Jesus brought him to the pitiful place of seeing all of his sinful actions in contrast to the perfect Lord. The reality of his life was held before him.
For three days he was blind and must has spent much time looking at his life. He saw himself as a blasphemer of God, a persecutor of God church and spiritual household, and a violent man against all who stood in his way. He would come to believe and see God’s grace overpoweringly extended to him, and he would come to profess and believe as he pens in Romans
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
He would give thanks for the mercy he recieved and the example that his life would be.
16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.
Paul’s sight would be restored. He would open his eyes for the first time and see the world in a different way. He would be a new creation. He would be saved by his faith and not by his works.
2 Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh—4 although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. 7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.
Paul had every right to claim to be righteous by his life under the law. But this was only in relation to man. In his blindness he must have thought about all of the things he has accomplished. He was a leader, a pharisee of Pharisees. He was blameless in the leaders of Isreal but he was not saved. All of his works could not and would not save him. The motives of his heart must have been revealed and in the darkness of his own mind he would come to believe in Jesus as the one who came to save. The only one who could save. His blindness would come to pass as Ananias walked into the house he was at.
17 Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.
The grace of God has saved this man. The self proclaimed worst of the worst sinners. He claims that his own life was used by God to show the patients of God and that if would save him, then anyone can be saved. Three days of blindness, he sees a vision of the man how would heal him, his sight is returned. He receives the Holy Spirit and what is the very first thing he does.
18 At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.
I am sure everyone who has been here before has noticed that the service order this morning has been changed. I promise you are not having a moment. I did not go on vacation and forget the order. Today we are going to take a slight detour and look at the sacrament of baptism.
Why are we going to stop what we have been doing to look at baptism? well for a couple of reasons.
The first being that like Paul God has done a work in another of his children. We have a sister in the faith who like Paul has come to the same realizations and realities and has confessed with her mouth “Jesus is Lord” and she has come to saving faith that Jesus has been raised from the dead and has saved her.
Second, I know that there are others here who are in the same place she was before she asked to speak with me about baptism. I am hoping today that the sermon today will help you in your walk as a believer.
Third, There are many different ideas about baptism out there. There are many different arguments and beliefs that people have. Having a solid understanding of the scriptures will help you when you are teaching your children, talking with co-workers or family, or other people you may be walking with.
Fourth, God puts high importance on baptism and so should believers. It deserves the attention of the church. Let us treat it with the honor it is due.
Fifth, After I was called to be the Pastor here, I started meeting with people who wanted to be baptised. I little interview if you will and quite often I find that there is uncertainty and lots of questions so I am assuming many of you may have questions as well.
Today is not going to be exhaustive on the doctrine of baptism but it is my hope that it will provide a solid start for your study to be built on top of.
We are going to look at five aspects of baptism that every believer should know.
It is a Proclamation
It is a Symbol
It is an Identification
It is a Trial
It is a Demonstration
It is a Proclamation
It is a Proclamation
It is true that Paul’s experience was unique compared to most believers in the new testament it doesn’t mean that his salvation is any different than ours or that of Isreal. The author of Hebrews speaks in the 10th chapter of the single sacrifice that accomplishes the work of sanctification
14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
He goes on to speak of the new covenant that is inaugurated in the death of Jesus as guarantor of the promised reward and he encourages them to be bold and assured in the promises of God.
37 For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.
The next chapter is the famous faith hall of fame that demonstrates the faith that save the ancestors of Isreal.
1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. 2 For by this our ancestors were approved.
and Paul writes in Ephesians
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
It is by grace through faith that a person is saved, there in no other way than this. Like Paul’s like and all of the ancestors of Isreal pointed out in Hebrews and for every christian since then, it is by faith alone that that a person is saved.
The words of Jesus tells the disciples to go and make disciples
19 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, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
To be a disciple was to believe. To be saved by faith in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus. Those that believed were to be baptised in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. They were to continue to teach them afterwards. The order is to believe, be baptised, and then to be instructed to obey. This is the exact path that Paul took. Belief, baptism, and instruction.
The only requirement for baptism was faith. To repent and believe. Baptism is a proclamation of faith. It is a statement of faith. For Paul and many others that is all that they had at that time of baptism. We see this multiple times in the scriptures.
41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized.
Over time other rituals and requirements have made there way into the traditions of men in regards to baptism. We see requirements added, restrictions laid upon people. You will find periods in the church where convenience and ritual would cause the church to only baptize on a certain few days of the year. Peoples proclamation is delayed for the whims of man.
There is nothing wrong in proclaiming that you are saved and have come to faith in Christ as your savior, but the only way that is required and commanded by Jesus is to be baptized. It is a very narrow command. And one that every believer is to be faithful in obeying.
It is a Symbol
It is a Symbol
We can think of untold ways that a believer could proclaim that Jesus saved them so why this way? The scriptures are full of symbols and shadows that point people back to God or to his promises and purposes. Proclaiming our salvation in this very specific way grounds the church on the only foundational building block that it has. The work of the cross.
Mankind likes to come up with new ideas. It is everywhere. Who here withes that engineers would just leave things alone. Why do cars have to change every year. Why can I just keep my phone for more than a year or two before it is obsolete. Why does every generation just make up new words? Why couldn’t Isreal just stick to the law? Why was the new testament church constantly dealing with false teachers and false doctrines. Because the desires of sin and the schemes of the enemy constantly draw us away to our own minds and devices.
So we see over and over in the bible that God provides symbols and ordinances that were to aid in staying focused on God. The old testament is saturated with them. The women on Wednesday night started in Genesis 1 two years ago and have made it to Deuteronomy and most weeks Tricia tells me of the connections that are being made between the laws and symbols of the old testament with the realities of the new testament.
These symbols were specifically established by God for his chosen people. Many of the old testament shadows and symbols pointed toward the death burial and resurrection of Jesus and all of the symbols of the New testament point back to the same. In the new testament there are two such symbols. Baptism and communion.
My wife will jokingly make the comment that you have to connect the dots very closely for us boys. Keep it very simple and the reality is is that she really isn’t joking. It is proven that the more complicated something gets they more prone to issues it has.
During vacation last week we go rained in a couple of days and we started to watch a couple of shows about restoring old cars. Where someone finds a model T in barn that hasn’t ran for 40 years. They steal a couple parts from an old tractor, put some gas in the engine and turn it over. And guess what it starts. Over and over again they pull stuff that looks past dead and with very little work they can get it running. Not on today's cars. You have to be part mad scientist, have the luck of a lottery winner, nerves of a skydiver just to attempt to work on your own car anymore. So much can go wrong in a complex machine. The simpler the machine the easier it is to understand, the easier it is to use.
God made it so simple that any person can understand. It takes no schooling. You don’t have to be able to read or write. you just have to believe and not the simple parts. He simplified the deepest truths that exist into two symbols that use the very rare ingredients of water, bread, and wine.
Baptism symbolizes the gospel and the work of God on a person. The physical element of water is used to symbolize the good news of Jesus, The Gospel.
In Romans Paul uses the metaphor of the physical baptism to explain the spiritual one.
4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin.
The believer stands in the water symbolizing their life before salvation as they are immersed under the water they are symbolically buried with him in death and as they come out of the water they are symbolically raised with Christ in life.
The old has been crucified with Christ and the new has come in Christ. The person has been made spiritually clean, washed, and purified by the work of the cross.
9 Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males, 10 no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. 11 And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
The spiritual washing that takes place when a person come to faith in Christ in demonstrated in baptism. The old, the dirty, the sin has been removed as a person is washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. The person that was condemned before is now justified before God.
Each and every baptism proclaims the Gospel in the simplest of terms.
This is why method matters.
The Greek word for baptism is transliterated. That means that is wasn’t translated. It was brought from the original language into the English. The act of baptism was performed in this way as symbolism for repentance and forgiveness before the symbolism of the Gospel was put into place by our Lord.
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. 3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. 10 As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
We see the people going out to public bodies of water to be baptized, to be immersed in the water. There was plenty of water in homes and in the cities so why go through all of the extra work and hassle to be in a body of water that a person could be immersed?
23 John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water there. People were coming and being baptized,
Simply because there was plenty of water. Baptism itself regardless of symbolism was the act of immersing a person in water. This is like me asking Max to go fishing with me. Meet me at the gym at 12:00. Max shows up and I am standing there with a basketball. There are certain things that are required for me to go fishing. maybe some water, with the possibility of fish, and maybe a method to catch those fish. Anything else is not fishing. It may be swimming, or floating, or practice but it is not fishing.
Has anyone ever been traveling and got caught in a rain storm or fallen into water by accident. It is not fun. It isn’t anything that someone would want to do on purpose. So why did the Eunuch do just that?
36 As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s water. What would keep me from being baptized?” 38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him any longer but went on his way rejoicing.
This man is on his cart. He would have had to have water on board. Why would he have them stop the cart get down and go into the water and then come out rejoicing. He went into the water to be immersed because that is how to be baptized but he rejoiced because of the symbolism that it ment for him. He rejoiced because he had been saved, not because he is dripping wet in the middle of a road trip.
Read from Adrian Rogers on Baptism
For over 1000 years baptism was maintained to be immersion and was the method of the church. But for various reasons, to baptize the sick, to make it more convenient or what ever, they decided that you no long have to have tackle to go fishing. As you have a fish on your key chain we will call it fishing. You no longer have to go to water. Just got to the fridge and get a glass of water. Now you can sit in the living room with your buddies and go fishing.
Over time that is what happened to the word baptism. The word was used to describe things that it was not until it ended up with a new definition.
The problem with this is that we do not have the authority to change the symbolism the God established with the early church. remember he was there and they followed his teaching. The symbolism was to be a central part of the church along side of the Lord’s Supper, Singing hymns and spiritual songs, prayer, and the preaching of the word. All of which point us back to Christ.
It was baptism that God chose to use as his symbol of the Gospel. So if we change how baptism is performed, then we lose the symbolism.
3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
We lose what is was supposed to represent what is most important and then it allows for it to be modified and changed. It no longer identifies us as it should.
It is an Identification
It is an Identification
Each and every baptism is a profession of the work that God has done in a life of a person and is the beginning of their new life in Christ.
This new life in Christ leads us to another aspect of baptism. That is that a person identifies as united with Christ. Let us look at Romans one more time
4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin.
When a person was baptised they were showing that they were under the new covenant and united with Christ. That they were in God and he is in us.
13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
To be publically identified in this was was to be associated with those “Christians”. This was the mark of those that Paul persecuted. You identified yourself as not ashamed of the gospel and would be cut from family, friend, and religious community. Many time fleeing with only what you could carry.
Baptism identified those that were Christs bride, co-heirs, citizens of heaven, part of God’s household, adopted sons and daughters. The person was identified as the church and thus were in the fellowship of believers.
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
Today it can be hard to picture in our mind this type of identification. But there was risk, boldness. it was costly to go through with it. But today what sets the church apart from the world. It should be all that baptism represents. Men and women thankful for the grace that has been given, the mercy recieved, the love demonstrated, the hope of salvation all because of the sacrifice of the Son of God.
To be identified as a Christian should be evident in ways that are contrary to the world around us. Over and over again we are warned, commanded, rebuked, to not continue in sin. Not to live in the old and to be encouraged to live in the new. Our words and actions, should be different because of our salvation and because God is at work in us.
Baptism in itself is a form of trial.
It is a Trial
It is a Trial
In Matthew we saw that it was a command to go and make disciples baptizing them. We are commanded to be baptised as believers.
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Baptism does not save but it is a demonstration by those who are saved. If baptism was required for salvation then what about the criminal that was crucified next to Jesus?
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Or those that find themselves in situation where they are unable to make it to a body of water. Like those that find their faith in a hospital as their body fails them, would they be denied salvation because they could not be baptised. No. Baptism always came after salvation.
The book of Hebrews is rich in the work of Jesus. It is details and deep in its teaching on salvation, the sacrifice of Christ, and what was accomplished and still being accomplished and at no time does it mention baptism. He was talking to believers who would have already been baptised and does not find the need to address baptism in any way.
Baptism is a trial of the profession that is made in the confessing of Jesus as Lord. Jesus commanded that new disciples were to be baptised and so a new believer is to follow through with obedience to the will of his Lord. Is Jesus the Lord of someone who will not follow through with his commands.
Like the rich young man that asked What must I do to inherit eternal life, Jesus responded sell everything and follow me. The man could not call Jesus Lord as he could not give up his own desires to obey Jesus.
So the command of be baptised is a trial to the Lordship of Jesus in a person’s life.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands.
It is a Demonstration
It is a Demonstration
The last point we will look at is that baptism is a demonstration of God’s Glory. It shows the character of God.
17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
It demonstrates God’s power over all. As a person can only be saved by the power of God in being united in his death and resurrection. No scheme of man, no work of anything created can save.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.
Baptism demonstrates that it is only by the power of God alone that lost men and women are reconciled back to God.
It demonstrates his continued purposes and plans.
3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
God in his sovereignty is working out his plans, plans that were established before the foundations of the world.
It is also a demonstration of his love.
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
For it is God’s love that he sent his Son into the world to save sinners. Jesus fully man and fully God. The priest and the sacrifice. As he willingly went to the cross to save his people from their sins.
Each and every baptism is a demonstration that God is still at work. That people are still being saved and that his church is still being built. God is at work, amen.
Conclusion
Conclusion
There is so much more that could be spoken on about baptism but we have seen today different aspects of baptism.
It is a proclamation of faith which means one must be capable to proclaim faith to be baptised.
It is a symbol of the gospel so the method matters. As it identifies a believer as a part of the body of Christ his bride.
It is a trial of obedience to take a step in “follow me”.
And it is a demonstration of God’s power, plan, and love among many other things.
The Baptist Faith and Message reads this way
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.
I took this detour this morning because I believed it was the right time to for us to remind ourselves of the importance of this sacrament that was established by our Lord. To bring it forward to the place it deserves in the life of the church.
Today we will be baptising one of our own as she obey Jesus and proclaims her faith before all of us today. I know there are others here who are thinking about baptism and I hope that God’s word today has impacted you and you have clarity on being baptised. Maybe you still have questions and are working through things in your head. I would love to sit down with you and answer those questions for you.
Let us pray.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Communion
Warning
Children, Lost, Sin
19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Prayer
Song
Closing
Blessing/Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.