20241006 The Outward Profession of an Inner Possession
Baptism • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Welcome to Vertical Church
Acts 2:42 (LSB)
And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
As a church we seek to uphold the values of the NT church as seen in Acts 2:42 -
We are Trinitarian - while God is one in essence, He is three in person: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the sovereignty of God - sovereign over all creation, sovereign over the affairs of men, sovereign over salvation
We believe in the authority of the Bible - Scripture alone is the Word of God
We are Biblical in our theology - we are a bible teaching church
We believe that the Church is not a building or a denomination but a people - those who are truly in Christ and embrace the truths that were embraced and confessed by the New Testament Church, the apostolic church.
We are evangelical - we believe that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
We are a Vertical Church - we believe that all true worship and living is Vertical, God directed and for the glory of God alone.
Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, For the glory of God alone - join us on Sundays
Call to Worship - Psalm 9
Psalm 9 (LSB)
For the choir director. Almuth-labben. A Psalm of David. 1 I will give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart; I will recount all Your wondrous deeds. 2 I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
7 But Yahweh abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, 8 And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will render justice for the peoples with equity.
9 Yahweh also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of distress; 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O Yahweh, have not forsaken those who seek You.
11 Sing praises to Yahweh, who abides in Zion; Declare among the peoples His acts.
Scripture Reading - Romans 6:1-4
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Believer’s Baptism: The Outward Profession of an Inner Possession
Introduction:
Two word statements that should only need one word: Born again Christian, Believer’s Baptism
There are simple truths that need to be taught by the Church. The purpose of this teaching is to allow Biblical truth to saturate our hearts while we live in world that is saturated with half truths and unbiblical teachings.
What is a local church?
A fellowship of believers in Christ who gather for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission of Christ through the biblical worship of the Triune God through the teaching of the Bible with the purpose of edification and evangelism and with the practices of the Lord’s table and baptism.
What is the Great Commission of Christ?
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
How does edification take place?
To edify means to strengthen or to build up. Our faith is built up and fortified by the means of grace, that is, the ways God has provided for us to grow in grace and truth. Those ways are the preaching of the word, prayer, baptism, and the Lord’s prayer. These acts confirm our faith in Christ.
What does it mean to be “in Christ”?
“In Christ” is the most common description of salvation in the New Testament. Those who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit are given the gift of faith and the ability to believe. By faith we believe the gospel of Christ and move from spiritual death into spiritual life, from God’s enemy to God’s child. This is the work of the Holy Spirit and this act of placing us into the body of Christ is called “the baptism of the Holy Spirit”.
And this leads us to the ordinance of baptism
(1) The purpose of baptism
13 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. 16 And after being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him, 17 and behold, there was a voice out of the heavens saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Let’s focus on vs 15
The active obedience of Jesus - Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, every requirement of the OT Law.
While John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, it was also a baptism of Identification
Not just a baptism FROM but a baptism TO
4 “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! 5 “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
Baptism is the outward confession of an inward profession
It is an identification with Christ, it is an indication of commitment to Christ, and it is an internal decision evidenced by a public proclamation
(2) The method of baptism
36 And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 [And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38 And he ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.
There is a greek word for pour, a greek word for sprinkle and a greek word for plunge or immerse. The word for plunge or immerse is the greek word baptizo from we get our word baptize
Notice that John baptized in the Jordan river, notice that Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water to be baptized and came up out of the water.
Notice this OT reference to the pagan general Namaan seeking healing:
13 Then his servants approached and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet spoken with you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy and he was clean.
His faith and obedience healed him and he dipped himself in the Jordan
13 For also by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
You have been placed permanently and fully into the body of Christ through the Spirit’s baptism - body, soul, and spirit. Not partially but fully, completely. And baptism by immersion is a symbol of this baptism, a baptism which took you from spiritual death and placed you into eternal life
(3) The requirements for baptism
37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men, brothers, what should we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
Baptism has come to be known as believer’s baptism because the first requirement is salvation
36 And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 [And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”]
30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your house.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his household. 33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household.
Every person in the New Testament who was given the opportunity to be baptized was baptized
And this leads us to a final warning:
41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for what we have done; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Those who died before they could be baptized
The Lord Jesus instructed the church to visibly profess and demonstrate their faith through baptism - will you obey the Lord and follow Him in the waters of baptism?
Benediction
Now to the One who keeps on loving us and who has set us free from our sins at the cost of His blood, glory and dominion belong to Him into the ages of the ages. Amen.
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.
