Pickled in Christ
Notes
Transcript
Handout
The Gospel
The Gospel
Is Preached (1 Cor 15:1)
Is Preached (1 Cor 15:1)
Is Received (1 Cor 15:1)
Is Received (1 Cor 15:1)
Is Our Foundation (1 Cor 15:1)
Is Our Foundation (1 Cor 15:1)
Is Our Salvation (1 Cor 15:2)
Is Our Salvation (1 Cor 15:2)
Is Of First Importance (1 Cor 15:3)
Is Of First Importance (1 Cor 15:3)
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
What is the Gospel?
What is the Gospel?
Is the gospel that Jesus died for our sins?
14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
If Jesus came preaching the gospel, then the gospel must be more than His death and resurrection
Gospel — good news
To understand the “good news”, we must first understand the bad news. What makes the good news good?
The Gospel — that humanity sinned against God, that humanity can’t save themselves, and that God loved His creation so much He stepped into time and space to redeem and save us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The gospel is something that is received.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received
The gospel is completed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
The gospel does not end with the death of Jesus
4 and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
No one deserves or earns the gospel
9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We simply accept and live out the gospel
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
What is Baptism?
What is Baptism?
Differences of Water Baptism
Differences of Water Baptism
The Method
Is it baptism by immersion or sprinkling or no baptism at all?
The Person
Does it need to be a pastor, or a priest, or a friend, etc.
The Wording
Does it need to be “in the name of Jesus Christ” or “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”?
Baptism Defined
Baptism Defined
Baptism — to immerse, to saturate, to overwhelm
Baptism often includes water, but it does not mean water.
Paul was called to preach the gospel, not to baptize with water.
Why?
The gospel, the good news of what Christ has accomplished, is what saves.
Baptism is important and beautiful, but it is only a public, outward sign of a present, inward reality.
What inward reality?
That Jesus has immersed you with the Holy Spirit and a purifying fire
30 “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ 31 “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” 32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 “His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Cucumber to Pickle
Cucumber to Pickle
A 2,000-year-old pickle recipe best describes what baptism represents.
Take the cucumber and dip (bapto) it in water
Take the cucumber and immerse (baptizo) it in the vinegar solution
When you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells you.
You are immersed in the Holy Spirit
You are immersed in purifying fire
Cucumbers don’t become pickles by being dipped in vinegar. They are immersed in vinegar.
In the same way, being a Christian is more than just saying a prayer or being baptized. Being a Christian is living a lifestyle that identifies with Jesus Christ.
When you gave your life to Him, He gave you a new identity. Live like it!
14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. 16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
When we eat pickles, we taste more vinegar than we do cucumber.
In the same way, your faith (Sophia and Briella) that has led you to get baptized today should leave you tasting, looking, and sounding more like Jesus than yourselves because you have been immersed in Him.
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
The Purpose of Water Baptism
The Purpose of Water Baptism
Water baptism is publicly declaring your decision to believe by faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and confess Him as Lord of your life.
Water baptism is publicly declaring you identify with Jesus: with His death and His resurrection — dying to yourself and being raised to live a new life for Him.
Water baptism is more than just asking friends and family to celebrate with you. It is publicly declaring you need them to:
Support you in your walk with Christ
Encourage you in your walk with Christ
Equip you in your walk with Christ
Hold you accountable in your walk with Christ
Disciple you in your walk with Christ
Water baptism is testifying that you will no longer live for yourself, but for the One who died and rose again on your behalf (2 Cor 5:15)
Water baptism is testifying “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal 2:20)
19 “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Baptism Questions
Baptism Questions
Do you believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose death and resurrection paid the sacrifice for your sins?
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, who now dwells in you as a Christian?
Have you invited Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior?
Do you trust Jesus to guide and direct you?
Is there anything you did to earn your salvation?
With the help of the Holy Spirit, will you seek to follow the commands of Jesus so that your life may be a living witness to others to the glory of God?
What does it mean that the Gospel is both preached and received according to 1 Corinthians 15:1?
How does understanding the 'bad news' about sin help us appreciate the 'good news' of the Gospel?
In what ways can you actively live out the message of the Gospel in your daily life?
How can the concept of being 'immersed' in the Holy Spirit change the way you view your identity as a Christian?
What are the key elements of the Gospel as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4?
What does the term 'Gospel' mean, and why is it called 'good news'?
Why do we need to accept the Gospel instead of trying to be good on our own?
What does it mean to have Jesus as your Savior, and how can you show this to others?
What does being baptized show about your love for Jesus?
What happens during the act of baptism, and why is it important?
How can you embrace your new identity in Christ as described in 2 Corinthians 5:17?
