Untitled Sermon

Worship call 0592

Tuesday February 8, 2022

Baptism

Friends, are you burdened with a heavy laden? Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. We have a Christian friend who constantly talks about her problems. Every single time we talk to her she tells us how bad things are going in her life and how much she is lacking. Interestingly, in all the years we've known her and prayed for her, things have only gotten worse. Though she has come to believe in the God of victory, she is not living a victorious life. How many of us are in this boat? We have another friend who has experienced many hard things in her life. But ever since this friend gave her life to the Lord some years ago, her attitude has changed completely. She is grateful, so very grateful for God's salvation and goodness toward her. Though she began her walk with the Lord with nothing, she has been excited at what God has in store for her life and has often spoken in great faith for her future. This girl has come so far. We have watched her blossom as God has done amazing things in her life. She is now part of a thriving ministry and the Lord is using her mightily. He has blessed her with a home, a car and finances and she reaches out to many with all that she has. It's beautiful. It seems clear, yet took us some time to realize that the thoughts we think and the things we say are so much more powerful than we can imagine. They are life or death to our ministry, our relationships, our finances and everything else. Friends, are you struggling something today? It's time to start looking up! Stop complaining! Start speaking in faith! Watch how the Lord turns things around! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah Dallas, Texas

And this is another fine Day in the Lord to serve our great Master in heaven and to fellowship in his word.

Today we continue with the subject of Baptism.

John’s Baptism was a Baptism of Repentance.

1. Baptism was a response to the Message that John gave.

“Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

2. Water Baptism, being a response to the message never saves.

a. Salvation comes through faith and not by ritual

3. Baptism is a physical manifestation of a spiritual reality that took place within the heart of the believer prior to entering the water.

4. Baptism parallels the repentance of the people of Jacob who were returning into the land, burying their idols prior to coming to the alter. Genesis 35:1-8

5. Baptism parallels the purification ritual of the people prior to coming to the mountain to meet God. (Exodus 19:10-11)

6. As a public proclamation water baptism is a witness to others and to the angels.

Luke 15:7 (NASB95) — 7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

1 Peter 1:12 (NASB95) — 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

7. baptism removes the guilt and the shame of past sins in the pre-salvation life that would anchor the believer from advancing forward in the spiritual life.

Acts 26:20 (NASB95) — 20 but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

this does not call for being rebaptised when one fall into sin.

John 13:10 (NASB95) — 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

1 John 1:9 (NASB95) — 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

8. is Baptism necessary for Salvation in the Church age?

a. No.

i. Not in the time of John the Baptist

ii. Not in the Church age

b. Salvation has always, in every age been a matter of faith.

IN the age of the church at the point of Salvation the believer who is born again is at that very moment baptized by the spirit of God who is then identified in Christ.

Acts 19:2–5 (NASB95) — 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Romans 8:16–17 (NASB95) — 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

9. Is water Baptism a Christian mandate in the Church age?

Matthew 28:16–20 (NASB95) — 16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The Apostles understood what Jesus meant as they themselves would continue to baptize by water.

Following scripture, it would be the first test of a true conversion in the early church and may be now in areas of the world.

Where there is a public proclamation, there is a surrendering to a death sentence where there is persecution against God’s people.

If what Jesus meant was water baptism, where do find in the bible to stop being baptized by water.

The argument to this may be the fact that we are washed with the water of God’s word in Ephesians 5.

The other counter is Matthew 3:

Matthew 3:11 (NASB95) — 11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

As a teacher of God’s word, I cannot tell you that Water Baptism is no longer a mandate unless I am convinced otherwise for the fear of God’s wrath.

Matthew 5:19 (NASB95) — 19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Is water Baptism necessary for salvation

No.

If one is not water Baptized, does it mean he or she is not saved?

No.

For me as a believer and as a teacher, Water Baptism is in keeping with obedience with the understood meaning of the word of God and a clear conscience.

Matthew 3:5–10 (NASB95) — 5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; 6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 10 “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

In the Gospel of Luke, John addresses the crowd with this stinging rebuke. But here John is rebuking face to face nose to nose the Pharisees and the Sadducees

What are these sects?

5330 Φαρισαῖος [Pharisaios /far·is·ah·yos/] n m. Of Hebrew origin 1 A sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile. In addition to OT books

1. the Pharisees recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief and life. They sought for distinction and praise by outward observance of external rites and by outward forms of piety, and such as ceremonial washings, fastings, prayers, and alms giving; and, comparatively negligent of genuine piety, they prided themselves on their fancied good works.

2. They held strenuously to a belief in the existence of good and evil angels, and to the expectation of a Messiah;

3. they cherished the hope that the dead, after a preliminary experience either of reward or of penalty in Hades, would be recalled to life by him, and be requited each according to his individual deeds.

4. In opposition to the usurped dominion of the Herods and the rule of the Romans, they stoutly upheld the theocracy and their country’s cause, and possessed great influence with the common people.

5. According to Josephus they numbered more than 6000. They were bitter enemies of Jesus and his cause; and were in turn severely rebuked by him for their avarice, ambition, hollow reliance on outward works, and affection of piety in order to gain popularity.

The Pharisees were the super legalists.

The other sect is the Sadducees.

4523 Σαδδουκαῖος [Saddoukaios /sad·doo·kah·yos/] n m.

1. a religious party at the time of Christ among the Jews, who denied that the oral law was a revelation of God to the Israelites, and who deemed the written law alone to be obligatory on the nation, as the divine authority.

2. They denied the following doctrines:.

a. resurrection of the body.

b. immortality of the soul.

c. existence of spirits and angels.

d. divine predestination,

The Pharisees were your ultra-Legalist

The Sadducees were the Liberal theologians

Neither group agreed with the other nor were by no means friendly toward another, except in their hatred of Jesus.

In such a case

“The Enemy of my Enemy is my friend.”

John squares off with these, what John and what Jesus Calls

“The offspring of vipers.”

The Bone of Contention with both of these groups was the message of John and of the Baptism of repentance.

The repentance was not in regard to the message of the Pharisees.

Nor was it a message of the Sadducees

The message that the people were responsive to was the message of the Coming authority which will take off the religious shackles that these groups had put on the souls of the people.

Jesus would be their hated enemies. These two sects would come together to destroy Jesus.