Baptism sermon

  1. Intro to two part series on the Sacraments-
  2. Why this two part series?
  3. God has only given us two symbols, sacraments, or ordinances to remember the gospel so it is important that we understand and treasure these two symbols.
  4. This week is baptism and in a few weeks I will speak on the Lord’s Supper.
  1. Prayer
  2. Introduction
  3. There are many different views of baptism-
  4. The Quakers, Friends, Salvation Army, and hyper dispensationalists totally reject the importance of baptism and don’t think that it is important for a Christian.
  5. On the other hand the church of Christ teaches that you must be baptized to be saved. In fact, the church of Chris teaches that one can believe the gospel, not get baptized by immersion and go to hell.
  6. Mormons believe in baptizing other people for the dead. In other words, if you are a Mormon you can get baptized on behalf of one of your dead relatives. This happens over 3 million times in the Mormon Church.
  7. Roman Catholics believe the act of baptism actually regenerates infants. According to Roman Catholics if a baby dies unconverted he goes to the state of Limbo where he will never see God’s face.
  8. In the film Nacho Libre a young man is baptized by surprise.
  9. Protestant Presbyterian baptize infants other Protestants only baptize believers.
  10. Then there were the Anabaptists of the 16th century– this literally meant rebaptizers. They believed that only believers should be baptized and not infants. So all those who were baptized as infants were rebaptized as adults. The Anabaptists paid for their convictions with their life. Hundreds of the early Anabaptists were drowned by other Christians.
  11. Again there are many views of baptism proving there is much confusion.
  1. Proposition- since baptism is a picture of the gospel it must be understood!
  2. Baptism is mandated
  3. Baptism is meaningful
  4. Baptism is misunderstood
  1. Baptism is mandated
  2. Does the bible really mandate baptism? Yes.
  3. Matthew 28:19 (ESV) — 19 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,
  4. The first step of discipleship is baptism.
  5. FF Bruce- “The idea of an unbaptized Christian is simply not entertained in the New Testament. It is not a personal choice but a divine command.”
  6. Spurgeon- “Nothing is more plainly taught in the New Testament than that it is the duty of every believer in Christ to be baptized.”
  1. Does the bible mandate baptism? Absolutely.
  1. Who is baptism mandated for? Only those who profess faith in Christ.
  2. Acts 2:41 (ESV) — 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
  3. 3000 believe and 3000 were baptized.
  4. Acts 8:12 (ESV) — 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
  5. Again those who believed were baptized.
  6. Acts 8:34–36 (ESV) — 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
  7. notice the instant obedience
  8. Galatians 3:27 (ESV) — 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
  9. Since baptism is symbolic of putting on Christ it should only be administered to those who have put on Christ by faith and repentance.
  10. We can also say that baptism is only for believers because of what baptism means. More on this in a moment.
  1. Baptism is mandated for believers in Jesus Christ.
  1. Illustration –
  2. Have you ever seen a car driving down the road without wheels? I doubt it because wheels and cars go together.
  3. A computer without a hard drive? I doubt it because computers and hard drives go together.
  4. A table without legs? Tables and legs go together
  5. A house without out walls and a roof? Houses, walls, and roofs go together.
  6. A piano without keys? Pianos and keys go together.
  7. A guitar without strings? Guitars and strings go together.
  8. A pizza without pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, black olives, and onions? Pizza and these toppings must go together.
  9. A lawnmower without a blade? Lawnmowers and blades go together.
  10. Have you ever seen and unbaptized Christian? Hopefully you have never seen this, because the Bible mandates that Christians and baptism must go together.
  1. We have looked at the mandate for baptism….
  1. Application-
  2. If you have professed faith in Christ, Christ mandates that you get baptized.
  3. Here are some reasons people don’t get baptized-
  4. They are ignorant of the Bible’s teaching
  5. They are too proud or embarrassed to get baptized
  6. They think - God will forgive me if I don’t obey this command
  7. They are unregenerate and they have no motivation to get baptized
  8. They are waiting for just the right time!
  9. These are all bad reasons to put off baptism.
  10. If one is not willing to get baptized we have to wonder if the person is a Christian.
  11. Jesus says “if you love me you will keep my commandments” this is his first commandment to you as a Christian…
  1. Parents, you may be wondering if your child is ready to get baptized. Here are some questions to ask before they get baptized-
  2. Can they communicate the contents of the gospel?
  3. Is there evidence of sorrow for sin followed by repentance?
  4. Have they counted the cost of being Christ disciple?
  5. Do you see the fruit of conversion and spiritual hunger?
  6. In baptism interviews I often hear people say- “little Johnny invited Jesus into his heart so I know he is a Christian??? This is dangerous.
  1. Is there a minimum age for baptism?
  2. The Bible is silent on an age for baptism but the Bible is clear that there must be a believable profession of faith. This can come out of the mouth of an 8 year old but parents don’t be naive about your children.
  1. How the baptism process works at GCF
  2. Write up your testimony
  3. Come and meet with a pastor
  1. So we have seen that baptism is mandated…
  1. Baptismis meaningful
  2. What does baptism mean? Baptism means to immerse
  3. The Greek word for baptism (baptismos) literally means to “plunge, dip, or immerse something in water.” (Grudem, 967)
  4. It is a transliterated word which means we have not translated it into English. To translate it into English simply insert the word dip/immerse wherever you see the word baptize in the NT.
  5. Mark 1:5 (ESV) — 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized (immersed) by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
  6. Acts 8:36 (ESV) — 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized (immersed)?”
  7. The idea of immersion is very important to the meaning of baptism. More on this in a moment.
  8. Baptism means to immerse in water!
  9. What else does Baptism mean? Baptism means/symbolizes our union with Christ
  10. Romans 6:3–4 (ESV) — 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.
  11. Christians are united to Christ in a mystical way.
  12. Even though we live two thousand years after Christ, if we are Christians we lived, died and rose with him and our baptism symbolizes this.
  13. Being immersed into the water symbolizes our death with Christ.
  14. Water sometimes symbolizes God’s judgment in the Bible.
  15. Gen 7:6-24
  16. Ex 14:26-29
  17. Jonah 1:7-16
  18. In one sense we received our judgment of guilty in the waters of baptism and then we rise to new life with Christ.
  19. Coming up out of the water symbolizes our new resurrection life in Christ.
  20. This is why the immersion concept is so important, sprinkling babies does not communicate the same wonderful symbolism.
  1. Colossians 2:12 (ESV) — 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
  1. Application
  2. Next time you watch some symbolically dying and rising with Christ in the waters of baptism use that to remind yourself of what Christ has done for you.
  3. If you are a Christian the objective truth is that you have died with Christ and you will someday rise with Christ.
  4. Yes you and I are sinners and we often feel guilty and dirty but baptism reminds us of the objective realties of dying and rising with Christ.
  5. Since we were punished with Christ in his crucifixion we do not have to fear future punishment at the Day of Judgment.
  6. We are united to him in his death, burial, and resurrection which is the basis for all of our blessings in Christ.
  1. Baptism means immersion
  2. Baptism means union with Christ…
  1. What else does baptism mean? Baptism means your sins have been washed away
  2. 1 Peter 3:21 (ESV) — 21 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,
  3. It is not water baptism that saves us it is what water baptism symbolizes that saves us. Water baptism symbolizes that our sins have been washed away so now we have a clear conscience.
  4. Acts 22:16 (ESV) — 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
  5. It is not the act of baptism that washes away our sins. We are not saved by our baptism we are saved through the work of Christ alone. But baptism symbolizes or means that our sins have been washed away.
  1. Illustration- I was at a park in Browns addition the other day and saw some kids playing in the mud. As one of the kids walked towards me I realized that his face was literally covered in mud. He needed the mud washed away.
  1. Application
  2. We often feel dirty after we sin. For some reason sexual sin in particular makes one feel dirty and unclean. Baptism reminds us of the reality that no matter what we have done Christ promises to wash away the filth of all of our sins and make us clean.
  3. Claim to this objective truth.
  1. Baptism means to immerse in water
  2. Baptism means that we are united to Christ
  3. Baptism means that our sins have been washed away
  1. Baptism means you have entered into relationship with Jesus!
  2. Acts 2:41 (ESV) — 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
  3. Sinners were saved and they were baptized
  4. 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.
  5. Again sinners were saved and then baptized
  1. I want to talk for just a minute about how the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper relate.
  2. Baptism means you have entered into fellowship with Jesus.
  3. The Lord’s Supper on the other hand is a symbol of ongoing fellowship with Jesus.
  4. If the order is reversed then the meaning of both sacraments is obscured and lost.
  5. Wayne Grudem says- “Baptism [is] an ordinance that is only observed once by each person, as a sign of the beginning of his or her Christian life…The Lord’s Supper [is] an ordinance that is to be observed repeatedly throughout our Christian lives, as a sign of continuing fellowship with Christ.”
  1. Application
  2. Get baptized before you partake of the Lord’s Supper!
  3. Parents don’t let your children partake of the Lord’s Supper until they have been baptized. To do so is to obscure the meaning of the sacraments.
  4. You may be thinking- “I’m not sure little sally is saved so we are not going to baptize here but she can still take communion”.
  5. If you don’t think Sally is saved or you are not sure Sally is saved than Sally may be eating and drinking judgment on herself by participating in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner.
  6. 1 Corinthians 11:27–29 (ESV) — 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
  7. If you think little sally is saved than make sure she get’s baptized!
  1. Baptism means to immerse in water
  2. Baptism means one is united to Christ
  3. Baptism means one’s sins have been washed away
  4. Baptism means one has entered into fellowship with Jesus
  5. Baptism is very meaningful
  1. When one gets baptized they are saying something like this-
  2. “I here-by confess in my wiling submission to this divinely appointed ordinance, my glad obedience to my lord and savior. In this symbolic way, I show my identification with the one who bore my sins, took my place, died in my stead, was buried and rose again for my justification, as Christ went through the reality of suffering in death to secure my salvation. So by my immersion into water and coming out, I thus publicly declare my identification with my lord in his death, burial, and resurrection on my behalf with the intention to walk with him in newness of life and function as a member of his body.” (Chris Mueller)
  1. Baptism is mandated
  2. Baptism is meaningful
  1. Baptism is misunderstood
  2. How is baptism misunderstood? Some think that Baptism saves!
  3. For example the church of Christ teaches that one cannot be saved apart from baptism.
  4. The church of Christ points to several texts in order to prove that baptism is necessary for Salvation. Although they are sincere they take these texts out of their immediate context and out of the overall context of the Bible.
  5. There are some texts that seem to indicate that baptism saves because baptism is so closely related to salvation. This is because Christ expected all new converts to get baptized right away. As soon as one was saved he or she was baptized. At Pentecost 3000 were saved and 3000 were baptized. Baptism was the inseparable outward sign that one had been converted.
  6. Although baptism is mandated, one is not saved by their baptism. Unbaptized people like the thief on the cross will be in heaven.
  1. How else is Baptism misunderstood? Some (well meaning and intelligent) Christians think we should baptize infants.
  1. My journey with baptism
  2. Reading Sproul’s material
  3. Seminary
  4. History of GCF
  1. We don’t think one should baptize babies for several reasons.
  2. The meaning of baptism
  3. Means we are united to Christ
  4. Means our sins are washed away
  5. Means we have entered into fellowship with Jesus
  6. Furthermore, the nature of the new covenant
  7. The new covenant is not a mixed community of believers and unbelievers.
  8. In addition, there are no examples anywhere in the Bible of infants being baptized.
  9. Wait a minute Dave, what about the household baptisms
  10. Acts 16:33,34
  11. 1 Cor 1:16, 16:15
  12. Acts 18:8
  13. Acts 10:46-48
  14. Acts 16:14-15
  15. Faith of everyone baptized is mentioned except for Lydia’s household. No proof she had infants.
  16. Finally, the effect of baptism
  17. What does baptism do for an infant?
  18. My Paedobaptist friends are stuck
  19. Does it mean the child will have his sins washed away?
  20. Does it mean the child is regenerate?
  21. What does it mean?
  22. A Probably future regeneration???
  23. Many texts would not make sense if this is what baptism means-
  24. Acts 10:47 (ESV) — 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
  1. While I have great respect for my paedo Baptist friends I’m not persuaded by their arguments.
  1. There are probably three groups of people listening to me right now.
  2. First group, you have never been baptized- you need to get baptized!
  3. Second group, you are a convinced paedo Baptist. We respect your conscience, we respect your convictions, and you can be a member here in good standing.
  4. Third group, you were baptized as an infant but not sure if you should get rebaptized.