#348 "Baptism Sunday"
Notes
Transcript
Handout
God Bless each and everyone of you, and thank you for joining us here @ Word of Life, we know you could be anywhere this afternoon but we’re glad that you chose to be with us.
Let’s Pray
Repeat after Me
A Warriors Confession
I AM,
Somebody…
I AM,
A Warrior…
Therefore I AM,
Victorious…
And that’s because I AM,
A child of God!!!
#348 "Baptism Sunday"
What is Baptism???
It’s not the fact that because you haven’t had a bath in awhile you want to take a dip.
It’s not so you can overcome the fear of water.
It’s about showing others you're a follower of God.
It’s a symbol of your new life in christ.
It’s a bout letting your sins die in the water and come up being liberated!!!
Having Freedom from your past sins!!!
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
We must believe!!!
When the Bible is using the word baptized; the ancient Greeks understood that word to mean “immerse, to submerge.”
Illustration: Think about a pickle, it starts out as a cucumber and is submerged in vinegar until a total change takes place, producing a pickle.
There is a change that happens...
And today theres a change that will happen in your life, in that water!!!
Who Should be baptized???
Those who believe that Jesus is the son of God, and have become followers of Jesus.
So we must repent, believe, and follow Jesus Christ.
To repent is to turn away from our life of sin, and take hold of our new life in Christ!!!
In taking this step of baptism we are asking God to change us from the inside out.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Confess your sins and ask God to cleanse you in those waters.
The Baptism of Jesus
John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus Himself was baptized; symbolizing the new life and ministry He was beginning.
So if Christ did it, and the Word tells us to follow Jesus, then I believe we ought to be baptized as well.
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,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
What happens to me once I’m baptized???
Your old way of living is buried in the water and you are resurrected into a new life.
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
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.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Just as Jesus died , was buried and then rose again, so are we symbolically, when we get water baptized.
When Jesus died, He died with all the sins of the world on His shoulders.
When He was buried in the tomb, all the sins of the world were buried with Him.
And when Jesus arose in three days, He left those sins buried.
So when were baptized what happens is we leave all that stuff we don’t need in our lives, buried under water.
We are set free of those sins that have had us bound.
We are now purified!!!
2. We establish a covenant with Jesus
Before Jesus came, God made a covenant with the Jews. He would be their God, and they would be His people.
A covenant with God is more than just an earthly promise, or a contract that we sign with our phone carrier so they can lock us into a very expensive deal.
When you make a covenant with God, you commit to uphold your end of the bargain.
A covenant shouldn't be broken, no matter what!!!
And so our symbol to Jesus is water baptism.
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.
With the New Covenant we need to get it right, we need to stay connected to the Lord and not go back to our old ways.
Q & A
Q: If I’m not baptized, will I still go to Heaven???
A: Yes!!!
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
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.
But the word say’s we should… So why not!!!
Q: Is being sprinkled the same thing as baptism???
A: No! The word baptism means “to immerse, to submerge”
Some of us are really dirty and a sprinkle isn't going to cut it.
Q: If I was baptized as a baby, isn’t that good enough???
A: No!!! Infant baptism as a baby is not taught anywhere in the Bible. Also baptism is supposed to come after salvation.
As a baby you cannot actually decide whether you choose to be baptized or not.
Q: Is baptism just an old church tradition for old people???
A: No!!! Baptism is scripture based and therefore inspired by God.
Age doesn’t matter as long as you are saved, and understand the commitment you are making today.
Closing:
Baptism is a beautiful symbolic experience and should not be taken lightly.