BAPTISM

WHAT IS WATER BAPTISM?

Matthew 3 | Mark 1 | Luke 3

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“We believe that baptism is an ordinance of the Lord by which those who have repented and come to faith express their union with Christ in His death and resurrection, by being immersed in water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is a sign of belonging to the new people of God, the true Israel, and an emblem of burial and cleansing, signifying death to the old life of unbelief, and purification from the pollution of sin.”
- https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/what-is-baptism-and-how-important-is-it

Colossians 2:11-15 NLT – “When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”

Baptism begins with repentance and confession.
- Repentance for our sins
- Confession of Jesus as savior and king

Baptism comes after salvation.
- Jesus came to save the world from the penalty of sin
- Jesus came to re-establish the relationship between God and man

Matthew 3:1-6 NLT – “In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.”

Romans Road to Salvation
- Romans‬ 3:23‬ NLT “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
- Romans 6:22-23 NLT – “But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Romans 5:8-11 NLT – “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”
- Romans 10:9-10 NLT – “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

WHEN SHOULD WE GET BAPTIZED?

Matthew 3:6 - Baptism is connected with and comes after confession.

Matthew 3:6 NLT – “And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.”

BAPTISM IS A SIGN OF NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

Matthew 3:8 - Our new lives should prove and demonstrate our repentance. The way we live seals us!
Matthew 3:8-10 NLT – “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

Vs. 10 = fruit as a sign of effectiveness

New life in Christ means old things are dead and crucified with Jesus, and only the new is allowed to live.

2 Corinthians‬ 5:14-17‬ NLT‬‬ - “Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Rise from the water and embrace the new life.

HOW IMPORTANT IS BAPTISM IN MY SALVATION?

Matthew 3:11 (MSG) - The purpose of water baptism is not higher than the baptism of Jesus by the Spirit.

Matthew 3:11-12 MSG – “I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I’m a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”

Getting wet once (or ten times) isn't the sign of a changed heart; the lives we lead are. Jesus didn't come for a religious practice; He came (as stated in verse 12) to gather. Coming to Jesus is the most important part.

Matthew 3:12 NLT – “He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF BAPTISM? WHY SHOULD I GET BAPTIZED?

Matthew 3:17 = PURPOSE OF BAPTISM. We do it because Jesus insisted on it.

Matthew 3:15-17 NLT – “But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened[g] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

BIG IDEA – Water baptism is all about public identification with God the Father, by following the example of Jesus, as a result of the new life we live by the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. (Lu. 3:22)

Luke 3:22 NLT – “and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Baptism is like a wedding ring - it says "I belong to Christ"

DOES BAPTISM MEAN I WILL NEVER SIN AGAIN?

Satan will tell you when you mess up (and we will mess up at some point this year) that it means you aren't new.

New life doesn't mean we don't mess up. It means we don't react to messing up in the old way!

When the enemy suggests these lies, don't agree - pull out your baptism T-shirt and certificate, and remind him of the baptism.

Remind him that new life was granted at Calvary.

Remind him that old you has passed away and all things are new!

WHY SHOULD I CELEBRATE MY BAPTISM?

We baptize to celebrate the gift not ourselves.

1 Peter‬ 3:18-22‬ NLT - “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.”