Baptism of Anne Smith

Welcome

Welcome to our special service this morning when we shall baptise Anne Smith AND anyone else here who decides that this is what they should do this morning. We are prepared!

Let us hear the Words of Scripture as we come to worship:

Hebrews 9:11–14 ESV

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Let’s pray.

HYMN Jesus is the name we honour

Notices & Collection

I am a new creation

Children leave to Sunday School

Sermon

Titus 3:3–8 NKJV

3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

The central verse to this is verse 5, so let me read it again:

Titus 3:5 ESV

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

I’ll break this down a little later but I want to pair this with a famous verse in John 3:

John 3:5 ESV

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

This is about our newness in Christ.

First, the Apostle Paul tells us a list of words about former lives. And notice the ‘we’. He is including himself in this list:

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 32: 1, 2 Thessalonians / 1, 2 Timothy / Titus The Doctrinal Basis for Good Works

he adopts a list of sins as his very own. And what a line of credits! “We ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.”

We mustn’t forget that Paul was a good man by all reasonable human standards. His list of good things prior to his conversion to Christ was set forth in Philippians 3:4–6. How can he point to himself as blameless concerning the righteousness which is in the law (Phil. 3:6) in one breath and then admit to this list of sins in the next?

The apparent dissonance dissolves once we get a handle on the pervasiveness of indwelling sin. We tend to measure sin and unrighteousness primarily in terms of outward acts. But the Bible penetrates more deeply into the inner recesses of our very being.

Look again at Paul’s list of sins in our passage. Recall that as Paul lists them as his own, this is Paul the Pharisee, Paul the religious perfectionist, Paul the striver-for-goodness, who now admits to these elements of his former behavior.

Do you get the point? Sin is not necessarily a matter of destructive or unacceptable outward behavior. It is also a matter of inner attitude and maturation. How clearly Jesus spoke to the “good” people of His day: “For from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts… . All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (Mark 7:21–23)

Let’s look again at these sins each in turn:

Foolish. That is the opposite of wisdom - some think that they are wise but ignore God and His ways - they might be wise about the world and completely foolish when it comes to standing before God - and it might only be when they stand before Him on Judgement Day that they will realise too late. Of course, it is also foolish to act in a way you know is not wise but do it anyway. We are helpless, this, in fact, is what we do both inwardly and outwardly.

Disobedient.

John 3:36 ESV

36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Since God made us He has the right as creator to say what we can or cannot do. Now His command is to put your trust in Jesus to save you. It is sheer disobedience to God not to.

Deceiving and being deceived

Slaves. (We are slaves of whatever we serve.)

Living in pleasure.

Living in malice and envy.

Hated and hating. This may seem obvious in our current political climate and debates. Hatred is on the rise especially in the public sphere. But how about personal withdrawal or withholding of love from someone; this can be the most devastating form of hate.

And then Paul moves to the contrast between then and now: He uses four words to describe this one wonderful change (saved, washed, regenerated, renewed) but all describe a single event. - the day we put our trust in Jesus.

We are told two things: We have been

1. Justified. Just if I’d never sinned - in its most simplest term this is what justified means - in truth it means that our sin will not be counted against us. In the Old Testament

2 Timothy and Titus: A New Covenant Commentary Live Godly Lives in the World (3:1–8)

on the Day of Atonement all sins were placed on a goat who was released outside the city and, thereafter, the Jews, cleansed from sins, were now “clean” before the Lord.

But we are in the New Testament era and the sins that were placed on a goat are now put upon another, who is much more precious:

2 Timothy and Titus: A New Covenant Commentary Live Godly Lives in the World (3:1–8)

Jesus permanently took on the sins of the world to purify those who believe in him.36 Because of Jesus’ death, the unrighteous who had no inheritance but now believe in Jesus have been declared righteous heirs of God’s kingdom by the righteous Judge

Scripture puts it like this:

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2. Heirs of eternal life. And this is something that begins now and, of course, will go on forever, known as eternal life. The inheritance that we have can never decay, perish, be defiled or fade and is awaiting our resurrection.

And how is this possible?

II. Here Are Two Important Facts

A. We are not saved by works of righteousness. So many people think that if they do good whether little or a lot that this will balance out all the bad. Doing charity or going to Church do not save us but they are things we do once we have been saved. Try standing before a magistrate and say “ignore my speeding of 100 mph, your honour, look at all the good I have done!” How is what good you have done relevant? It is not. You still have to pay for the crime.

So, if we are not saved by our good deeds how are we?

B. We are saved by God’s mercy and grace. We do not deserve to be saved. We rebelled against the One who created us and told us how we ought to live and we said ‘no’ to Him. And this makes it all the more wonderful that He sent His own Son into the world to save and reconcile us to Him. Mercy is not being given what we deserve. Grace is being given what we don’t deserve. We deserve judgement but instead we have been set free. God’s love for us is plain in the most famous verses in the Bible:

John 3:16 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Once we have trust in Jesus we are washed, born again and renewed:

Today we are symbolically showing what is our reality in Christ when Anne is baptised. But it is not the water that cleanses us for we have been washed by the Word of God and by the blood of Jesus shed for us.

1 John 1:7–9 ESV

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

And to make it clear Peter declares:

Acts 2:38 ESV

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And so Jesus says

John 15:3 ESV

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

The word regeneration in Titus 3:5 means the same thing as the words born again in John 3:5. We now have a new life in Christ and we are made new creatures as a result. We can never be the same.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Paul elsewhere writes of this new life:

Romans 6:4 ESV

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

All these things reveal the character of God

God has done everything to reconcile us to Himself, gone the extra mile and more. He gave His own Son for those He should have simply wiped off the planet but God had mercy, loving kindness, mercy because He is good.

Conclusion

What we do today is only in response to what God has already done. It is always true that we are saved by grace. It is always true that we are washed in the blood, even though we are baptised in water. What we do today is highly significant. It shows our willingness to obey Christ’s commands. It shows our understanding of the proper response to grace. It illustrates the benefits of salvation. Most of all it illustrates the great deeds of Christ’ death, burial and resurrection.

The Baptism:

On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter proclaimed the good news of God and called his hearers to repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Following in that tradition, we baptise those whom Jesus Christ has led to repentance and new life in faith.

Jesus was baptised in the river Jordan by John. In baptism, believers take their stand in union with him, and declare their faith in his death and resurrection. Their baptism marks an ending and a beginning in life: they are washed free of sin to begin a new life in the power and joy of the Spirit. The public confession of faith in Christ is also an act of obedience to God, and the means of entry into his Church.

Baptism is our response to all that God has done for us in Christ, and a celebration of all that he gives of himself in his Spirit. The initiative is God’s, and in baptism his grace is displayed.

Baptised into union with him, you have all put on Christ like a garment.

Declaration of Faith - Q&A of Anne

My friends, today we celebrate the work of God in the life of Anne who is about to be baptised. She is here because Jesus Christ found her and through the work of the Holy Spirit she discovered new life in him. The love of God has become real, the call of Christ has beckoned her and the life of the Spirit has renewed her.

I am going to ask Anne a series of four questions which will establish verbally all that we, also, believe to be true. This fulfils Scriptures requirements:

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Anne, do you believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

I do. I believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?

I do. I confess that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour.

Do you turn from sin, renounce evil and intend to follow Christ?

I do. Christ is my way, he is the truth and now he is my life.

Will you live within the fellowship of the church and will you serve Jesus Christ in the world?

With the Spirit’s help, this will be my witness.

ANNE, THIS IS WHERE YOU SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY

Anne’s Testimony

When we walk with the Lord (Trust and obey) (Changing into what one is wearing for the water)

Children come back in.

Baptism (in the water)

Prayer

Almighty God, we give you thanks that at the beginning your Spirit moved upon the face of the waters and you said, “Let there be light”. We give you thanks that you led your people through the water of the Red Sea, out of slavery, and into the freedom of the Promised Land.

We give you thanks for your Son, Jesus Christ, who was baptised in the river Jordan. We thank you that he passed through the deep waters of his death on the cross and was raised to life in triumph. Send your Holy Spirit that this baptism may be for your servants a union with Christ in his death and resurrection that, as Christ was raised from death through the glory of the Father, they also might live new lives. Send your Holy Spirit anew upon them that they may be brought into the fellowship of the Body of Christ and may grow in Christ’s likeness.

The Act of Baptism

Anne, we have heard of your repentance and faith. You are called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I now baptise you in the name of God, the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Under you go! Buried with Christ…Rising to Resurrection Life. CLAP!

As you have heard the testimony of Anne you may want to know more about the good news. Perhaps you have just made the decision that you want to follow Jesus and now want to respond to the call. You heard what is necessary:

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

If this is the case please indicate by coming forward and we will pray with you for there is no need to be embarrassed or ashamed as there was also a time when we responded to his call. Anyone else willing to be baptised this morning?

Let us sing as we come up out of the water:

O Happy Day!

and then sing the final hymn:

I surrender all

Benediction - Julie

Bibliography

Demarest, G. W., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1984). 1, 2 Thessalonians / 1, 2 Timothy / Titus (Vol. 32). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

Shannon, R. (1995). Sermon Outlines for Special Days. (S. E. Stone, Ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Standard.

Spencer, A. B. (2014). 2 Timothy and Titus: A New Covenant Commentary. (M. F. Bird & C. Keener, Eds.). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.