Sermon Tone Analysis

*BAPTISM*

 

This past month we’ve been discussing the all-important question */What must I do to be saved?

/* How can I know that when I stand before God at the end of my life that  my sins are forgiven and I have the promise of eternal life?

Almost all Christians agree that the first step is faith.

Paul said to the Philippian jailer, “*Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.”*

We also concur that a person coming to Christ must repent of sins.

Jesus said, “*If you don’t repent, you will perish.”

* Christians aren't expected to be perfect, but we are expected to turn from our sin and walk toward Christ in behavior and attitude.

We also acknowledge that the Bible commands us to publicly confess our faith in Christ.

Romans 10:9 says, “*If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”*

But there is some disagreement about the role of baptism as it relates to salvation.

* There’s a controversy about */who/* should be baptized.

Should infants be baptized, or only those who are old enough to make a personal decision?

* There’s a disagreement about */how/* a person should be baptized.

Some groups, such as ours, completely immerse a person in water.

Other groups just sprinkle a little water on the head.

* But the greatest disagreement is over the */purpose /*of baptism.

Some will say that baptism saves you.

Others insist, “/No baptism is just a symbol of what has already taken place in the heart.”

/ That controversy really arose because the significance of baptism was exaggerated in the past.

During the dark Ages when it was believed that people were born with Original Sin, it became the practice of the church to baptize infants immediately after they were born so their sins would be forgiven and they would have the promise of eternal life should they die.

And people began to trust their baptism for salvation.

And it didn’t matter how they lived later on in life or what they believed; after all, their parents had them baptized as Christians when they were born.

Today, let’s examine what the Bible has to say about baptism as it relates to our response to God's offer of salvation thorough grace.

*I.

WHEN DID BAPTISM ORIGINATE?*

When did baptism originate?

Well, the practice of immersing a candidate in water began with a man named John who was a predecessor of Jesus.

The Gospel of Mark 1:4 reads,* “John came baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

* In the Greek language, in which the N.T. was written, the word */baptizo/* simply meant to immerse in water.

John was dipping people in water as a sign that they were going to change their behavior, they were repenting.

John 3:23 reads, “*Now John was also baptizing at Anon near Salem because there was plenty of water there and people were constantly coming to be baptized.”

*

 

Now, there were some religious groups of that day who practiced a sort of ceremonial washing in order to be a part of their sect.

But baptism was so unique to John's ministry that they nicknamed him “*John the Baptist”*; one who is noted for immersing in water.

Jesus later asked His enemies, *“The baptism of John, was it from God or from man?”*

And if John the Baptist had just copied it from somebody they could've just said, */“Well, he got it from man.

He’s copying the practice of this other group.”/*

But they couldn’t say that.

Baptism was so unique to John’s ministry that he was the one who popularized it.

And John kept telling his followers that there was going to be Another who would follow him who was going to do more than just immerse in water.  in Matthew 3:11 John said, *“I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come one who is more powerful than I; whose sandals I'm not even fit to carry, and He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”*

John was stunned one day when Jesus of Nazareth came to be baptized by Him, because Jesus had no sin that he needed to repent of.

So John said, *“Jesus, you ought to be baptizing me, rather than vice-versa.”

* But Jesus said, *“Let it be so.

For it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”

* Jesus wasn’t baptized to repent of sins, but He was baptized to set an example and to demonstrate to us how important baptism really is meant to be.

Now, at the end of His ministry, Jesus commanded His followers, *“Go and make disciples of all nations, and baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...” *  Now, in the bible, */“in the name of” /*simply means, */by the authority of/*.

Now, we are commanded to make disciples of as many people as possible and baptize them by the authority of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

That’s why baptism plays a prominent part of our worship service each Lord's Day.

 

*II.

HOW WAS BAPTISM PRACTICED IN THE N.T.?*

 

Well, how was baptism practiced in the N.T. church?

The book of Acts in the Bible contains the history of the church.

I’d like to take a few moments today to survey with you some of the conversions in the book of Acts, and I want you to pay particular attention to the role that baptism plays in each of these conversions.

Turn in your bible to Acts 2.  120 disciples were waiting in the Upper  Room praying and fasting and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2 says, */Suddenly there was a sound in the room as of a rushing, mighty wind.

And, mysteriously, cloven tongues like fire sat on their heads and they began to speak in foreign languages they had never studied./*

It was a miracle.

They were empowered to preach and they went out into the streets of Jerusalem and boldly began to proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the grave.

Peter lifted up his voice and began to preach.

He said, */“People of Israel listen to me.

Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and you have crucified Him.

But God has raised him from the dead and one day you're going to have to stand before Him as your judge.”/*

And in verse 37 we read, *“When they heard this they were cut to the heart.

And they said to Peter and the others, What should we do?

Peter replied, Repent and be baptized every one of you for the remission of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”*

Look at verse 41, *“Those who accepted his message were baptized and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.”*

You see they believed the message, they repented of their sins, they confessed their belief and they were baptized that day.

Turn with me to Acts 8.

There we read about the conversion of a group of people in Samaria.

Phillip the evangelist was telling them about Christ and verse 12 of Acts 8 says, “*When they believed Phillip as he preached the good news about the Kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.”*

Acts 8 also records the conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch that we touched upon last week.

Philip along the road, saw this man in a chariot reading from Isaiah the prophet.

And he asked him, *“/Do you understand what you're reading?” /* And the Eunuch replied, *“/No, I need some help.”/*

Phillip got into  the chariot and began to explain to him the scriptures.

Verse 35 reads, *"Phillip began at that passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

And as they went along the way they came to water.

And the eunuch said, See, here is water.

Why shouldn’t I be baptized?

And he commanded the chariot to stop and they both went down into the water, both Phillip and the eunuch and he baptized him.

And when they both came up out of the water, the Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing.”*

Notice that they went down into the water, and came up out of the water.

That's significant because baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Acts 10 records the first Gentile convert.

Peter went to visit a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius in the city of Caesarea.

Now, Cornelius was a God-fearing man, but he didn’t know about Christ.

So Peter, even though this man was a Gentile, began to preach to this man about Jesus.

As Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit came on Cornelius and all that were in his house.

I take it that cloven tongues like fire sat on their heads and they began to speak in tongues.

Because Peter said, *"The Holy Spirit fell on them like it did on us at the beginning.”

* And in Acts 10:47 we read, *”Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water?

They’ve received the Holy Spirit just as we have.

So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”*

As soon as Peter was convinced that God was going to admit Gentile directly into the Kingdom of God, he commanded them to be baptized.

Acts 16 records the conversion of Lydia.

While in the city of Philippi, Paul went down to the river, found a group of women who were studying and praying and he began to tell them about Jesus.

Verse 14 reads, *“One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God.”*

The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message and when she and the member of her household were baptized, Paul writes, *“she invited us to her home.”*

Also in Acts 16 there is the conversion of the jailer in Philippi.

Paul and Silas were thrown in prison.

The earthquake released them.