7 Things Churches Do: Baptism
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Intro
Intro
Today we continue the journey. We have talked about what a church needs to be and now we are discussing things that a church does. In some churches they call them the Holy Sacraments. They are as follows:
Penance (or repentance) - We provide opportunity for people to reconcile with God.
Eucharist/Communion - We provide opportunity for a person to remember all that Christ did for us and the covenant bad between us.
Communion - We provide opportunity for a person to remember all that Christ did for us and the covenant bad between us.Baptism - We provide opportunity for a person to demonstrate their commitment by symbolically and decisively dying to self and raising to a new life in Christ.Confirmation - We provide opportunity for people to receive the baptism of the Holy SpiritAnointing of the Sick - We provide opportunity for the sick to come and receive prayer for healing - in their body, mind, and spiritMarriage - We provide opportunity for people to be married and thereby demonstrate the unity not just between the couple, but also between Christ and the Church.Holy Order: We provide opportunity for training and sending people for works of ministry.
Baptism - We provide opportunity for a person to demonstrate their commitment by symbolically and decisively dying to self and raising to a new life in Christ.
Confirmation - We provide opportunity for people to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit
Anointing of the Sick - We provide opportunity for the sick to come and receive prayer for healing - in their body, mind, and spirit
Marriage - We provide opportunity for people to be married and thereby demonstrate the unity not just between the couple, but also between Christ and the Church.
Holy Orders: We provide opportunity for training and sending people for works of ministry.
Before we get started in today’s topic I want to let you know the main focus is to bring give you the what’s and the why’s more that the how’s. I do this for 2 reasons:
I want to leave you knowing what it is you are doing, and why you are doing it
More Importantly, the Bible doesn’t emphasize the how that often. Often with this type of thing people can develop strong feelings about the “how” but really, those are often just distractions based on style and preference.
Today’s Topic - Baptism
Today’s Topic - Baptism
What it Is?
What it Is?
Baptism - the religious rite of sprinkling water onto a person's forehead or of immersion in water, symbolizing purification or regeneration and admission to the Christian Church.
Purification
Regeneration
Admission
Almost every culture has some form of symbolic ritual because deep down everyone know that people are impure. In addition to that, even if you can become clean for a second, it doesn’t take long before the heart of man becomes dirty again.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
The world these days seems to be trying hard to tell you that “I’m ok, Your ok.” But really c’mon now. Everyone knows it’s not true. I don’t have to quote Bible verse after Bible verse to let you know that there’s something inside us that requires us to need grace, and mercy, and forgiveness.
I’m only human.
You don’t have to teach a child to take his friend’s toy.
You don’t have to teach a person how to lie.
Can I tell you that there is absolutely no one, including myself, that has not let me down?
Everyone since the beginning of time has tried to deal with this in one of 2 major ways.
They ignore it, or they excuse it, or worse yet, they try to convince themselves that it’s in their nature and they were born that way so it can’t be wrong.
They do things to got clean… ie.. various purification rituals.
In Jesus’ Day - 3 forms of “Ablution”
In Jesus’ Day - 3 forms of “Ablution”
Washing of the hands.
You can see this only once in the Bible .
Another example would have been Pilate… washing his hands of his blood. It was symbolically absolving him from guilt.
interesting to note was the cry of the people… Let his blood be on us and on our children… Taking both the guilt and the path to redemption.
Washing of the hands and feet.
“You shall also make a basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it, with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.”
ex 30:18-
This washing was in preparation for ministry.... you can actually see the ritual performed by Jesus to his disciples in a new way in . In the OT is you were to perform ministry without being clean you should fear death.
Trying not to preach this passage but one major difference is that is the the ministers in the OT washed their own feet because noone was clean enough to wash for them… Only Jesus is pure enough to clean a person.
The Mikvah.
You see this all through the OT, especially in Leviticus. If such and such happens… you are unclean.. you must bathe.
In the NT the pool of Siloam was a place of cleaning and baptism.
The Mikvah did a number of things.
It symbolized a recognition that you are unclean and you needed to be.
If you were a stranger to whatever group you were part of, you would perform the micvah to say I am no longer what I was, I am born new.
Baptizmo - often signified a washing or a cleansing where you went in one thing and came out another. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped'(bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change.
Why They Did It? - Main Text
Why They Did It? - Main Text
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ” Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 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.”
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ” Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Mt 3:1-
Why did Jesus need to be Baptized by John?
Behind John’s Baptism.
Behind John’s Baptism.
The Jewish people had a rich history.
They were God’s chosen people .. the descendents of Abraham… proud. Meant to inherit the earth and rule over it.
Their history is one of great failure.
They get rescued from Egypt and immediately start whining and want to go back. God’s chosen people complaining about God’s way of doing things.
The entire book of Judges is basically this story… The Israelites sin and God does what He said He would always do… Other nations enslave them. They repent. God sends a Judge and rescues them… they sin and the cycle goes on over and over again.
Kings and Chronicles more of the same.
The prophets always give the warning for not following Him and the hope for a deliverer once they blow it.
Their recent history .. The Maccabees lead a revolt and they are free but they begin arguing amongst themselves and in a nutshell hand there freedom over to the Romans.
For 400 yrs - no prophets - God is silent.
John the Baptist shows up with a new message. Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is near. And he began baptizing people in a mikvah.
The people are realizing that in order for the kingdom of heaven to happen… in order for them to be the chosen people God wanted them to be.. they have to change. The old ways won’t work
In this case people were symbolically agreeing that they had to shed the old ways and become something else. They were committing themselves to a new path.
That’s why we see the Pharisees getting so angry.
Challenge to the Pharisees
Challenge to the Pharisees
Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Mt 13:7-
The Pharisees and Sadducees were the Jewish leaders of the day and they were committing the same sin that had been committed over and over and over and over again. They were God’s chosen people that knew that they knew that they knew that there was one God and they were to serve Him only. They knew that they were to be a separate people set apart for God. Yet they - either by appointment or election - did not pursue God they pursued power and a false sense of peace.
They operated under the idea that they were ok because after all.. they were descendants of Abraham.
John was saying … that way won’t work. The ax is already at the root of the tree. The only way to survive is to micvah… repent and be born again into the new way.
What New Way?
What New Way?
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
mt 3:
The old won’t work… you must repent into this new way.. the way that was prophesied since the beginning.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
Jn 1:29-
He is sinless.
He is eternal.
His baptism doesn’t just forgive sins - it takes them away.
He purifies completely - as with fire to a precious metal.
The way of the Pharisees and Sadducees won’t work.
Why Did Jesus Need to Be Baptized?
Why Did Jesus Need to Be Baptized?
It’s the Mizvah
Part of that baptism is an agreement to the new way… the old way has to die.
The washing had to take place for Jesus to be symbolically cleansed just like every other man that was born of woman.
People would have known that Jesus was in the line of David. They would have known he was Rabbi. He wasn’t just a Jew… He was a Nazarite.. set apart to be pure and holy to minister to the Israelites. Because of all that, the Nazarite had to say… there is a new path. Not one the negates the principals of living wholly towards God but one that fulfills the principals, promises, and precepts.
Why Do We Do It Today?
Why Do We Do It Today?
It’s Commanded
It’s Commanded
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,
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
SIDE NOTE: People will often use this verse to say, “See you can’t be saved unless your baptized.” This verse actually says the opposite.
It holds up the standard of the commandment to be baptized - which should be followed or your acting out of disobedience - but only lists “believe” as the part that leads to condemnation.
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.
2. Still command carried.
Symbolism Intended
Symbolism Intended
By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 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.
Ro 6:2-
There is a picture here you should get.
Every believer was baptized
That baptism symbolized our micvah
I was a sinner following a wrong path, I have died to that path and come up alive someone different. I am a Christian. ( into one body)
I do this for His Glory.
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
When I go down I a pledging to others and appealing to God.. I die so that Christ lives in and through me.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So that’s what we do.... oh yeah … who?
One of my favorite passages. Philip and the Ethiopian.
Now Philip was one of the 7 but other than that he was a glorified waiter that happened to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He didn’t go to Bible College, but he knew how to hear the voice of the Lord.
Im asking … no begging… tune your ears to hear His voice. Be ready to lead a person to the Lord… and be willing to baptize… it’s what we do.