Sermon Tone Analysis

*What Does The Bible Teach About Baptism?*

*Matthew 28:19*

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*            I want to say from the beginning, I do not want to talk about Baptist doctrine.

What we need is Bible doctrine.

The thing that makes us Baptist is that we believe the Bible.

It's Bible doctrine that Baptists believe, not Baptist doctrine.

I am going to share from the Bible, what the Bible has to say about baptism.

I am not going to share Baptist doctrine.

Let's take a look and see what the Bible has to say about baptism.

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*FIRST -- THE EMPHASIS THAT JESUS PUT ON BAPTISM.

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*A.

JESUS STARTED HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY WITH BAPTISM.*

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*            Jesus believed that baptism was so important that He initiated and commenced his public ministry by being baptized (Matthew 3:13-17).

Do you remember that before Jesus began to minister He was baptized by John the Baptist?

But, why was Jesus baptized?

John the Baptist tells us why Jesus was baptized.

Look at John 1:32-34 and notice what happened when Jesus was baptized.

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*John 1:32-34** *

*32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.

33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, **`The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (NIV)*

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*            The reason Jesus was baptized was so that John the Baptist would recognize that Jesus is the** Messiah.

As Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove.

And John the Baptist was told, "The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.''

**Jesus** was baptized to John the Baptist would know who the Messiah was.

Jesus commences His ministry with baptism and:*

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*B.     **JESUS** CONCLUDED HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY BY COMMANDING BAPTISM.*

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*            Not only did Jesus commence His public ministry with baptism, He also concluded His public ministry by commanding baptism.

Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He called His disciples to His side and He said something very important about baptism.

There He gave them a command.

Look at: *

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*Matthew** 28:19** *

*19** Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (NIV)*

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*            These are the last words of Jesus to His disciples.

When someone is about to depart from this life, their last words are very important.

If someone was to fall down with a major heart attack, and began to speak.

You would expect them to say something very important.*

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*            What I am saying is this, it is foolish to say that baptism is not important.

When someone refuses to get baptized, they're actually saying Jesus is not important to them.

Jesus made it very clear that baptism is important by commencing His ministry with baptism and He concluded His ministry by commanding baptism.

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*SECOND -- THE METHOD OF BAPTISM.**

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*A.

IT REQUIRES WATER.

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*            I want to take a look at John 1:26 and see that water is needed to be baptized.

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*John** 1:26** *

*26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know.

(NIV)*

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*If you're going to be baptized, your going to have to have some water.

But there is something else that is needed.

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*B.

IT REQUIRES A LOT OF WATER.

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*John** 3:23** *

*23 Now** John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized.

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*            John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon.

Was he baptizing there because it was such a beautiful place?

No, John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon because there was a lot of water there.

Not only does it take water to be baptized, it takes a lot of water.

If baptism was just sprinkling, all John the Baptist had to do was to carry a thermos and pour some water on someone's head.

But John the Baptist went clear out of his way, where "there was plenty of water" **to baptize others.

And Jesus even went from Nazareth to the Jordan River, a 30 mile one way trip to be baptized.

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*            Not only do you need water to baptize, and not only do you need a lot of water to baptize, there is something else that is needed to be baptized.

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*C.

IT REQUIRES GOING DOWN INTO THE WATER.

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*            In Acts chapter 8, we meet the first biblical hitch hiker.

He is an evangelist named Philip who hitches a ride on a chariot and meets a man reading the Bible.

Philip, being an evangelist shares the *

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*Gospel with the man.**

The man trusts Jesus Christ as his Savior and he asks if he can be baptized.

Look at Acts 8:38 and see what happens.

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*Acts 8:38** *

*38 And** he gave orders to stop the chariot.

Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

(NIV)*

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*            They went down into the water.

Again, notice that if baptism was sprinkling, all Philip needed to do was to gather a cup full of water and pour it upon the head of the eunuch.

You see, the Bible teaches baptism is by immersion.

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*THIRD -- THE MEANING OF THE WORD BAPTISM.**

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*            Do you know how we got our word "baptize?"

In 1611, King James commissioned some scholars to translate the Bible from Greek into English.

The translators were doing a fine job until they came to the Greek word **baptizo** **(baptize)**.

**King James** was an Anglican.

What is the counter part in the united States?

The Episcopal church.

How do the Anglican and the Episcopal Church baptize?

By sprinkling.

Now, here are the scholars, they are about to translate the Greek word baptize with the English word immersion.

But what would that do to the King of England who believes in sprinkling?

If they translated the Greek word baptize by sprinkling, they would not be faithful Bible translators.

So what were they going to do?

They came up with what they thought was a great idea.

They transliterated it.

That is, instead of translating the Greek word  baptizo** they transliterated it by placing the English letters for the Greek words.

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*baptizo**  **Baptize*

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*            So a new English word "baptize" was created.

You will never find anywhere in the Bible where someone is being baptized by sprinkling.

Well, how did they start sprinkling?

Sprinkling started years ago, when someone was dying.

Maybe they fell, maybe they were run over by a run-away horse.

The injured person may have been a recent believer, but was not baptized.

Someone said, "It is a shame that they can't be baptized."

Someone else said, "Well, it is not the amount of water that matters.