WHAT BAPTISM SAYS-I—Luke 3:21-23
Significance of Baptism
Attention:
Ralph goes to visit his grandmother & brings his friend , George with him.
While Ralph talking to his grandmother, Jim starts eating the peanuts on the coffee table, & finishes them off.
As they’re leaving, George says to his grandmother, "Sorry I was such a pig but thanks for the peanuts."
She says, "Don’t you worry sonny, you can have all the peanuts you want any time you come over.
You see, I can’t eat em anymore since I lost my dentures, All I’m able to do is suck the chocolate off them."
The baptism of the peanuts made a significant difference in the peanuts & thereby, for George.
And baptism makes a significant difference for you.
Need:
Public baptism revealed/secured Jesus’ significance.
Public baptism reveals/secures our significance.
What does baptism say about us/our significance?
7 statements of baptism.
1—Baptism says that...
IDENTIFICATION BLESSES(:21a)
Explanation:
:21—“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; & while He prayed, the heaven was opened.”
We identify with a particular group of people.
Jesus identified Himself with the Jews. Those who recognized & accepted the law as authoritative, & the covenants & particularly the relationship with the Creator God. He identified Himself with humanity—Its struggles with temptation & sin(He understood it fully though sinless—Heb. 4:15).
Argumentation:
Mat. 28:18-20—Mat 28:18-20 “And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. “Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
These words— "in the name of...— can be waved over someone but do they have significance? They are not magic but rather a public recognition of a change already wrought.
Acts 8:26-38—“Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise & go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose & went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, & had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near & overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, & heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, & said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up & sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip & said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, & beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered & said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip & the eunuch went down into the water, & he baptized him.”
Acts 16:23-34—“And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison & fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul & Silas were praying & singing hymns to God, & the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; & immediately all the doors were opened & everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep & seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword & was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, & fell down trembling before Paul & Silas. And he brought them out & said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, & you will be saved, you & your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him & to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night & washed their stripes. And immediately he & all his family were baptized. Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; & he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.”
Baptism becomes an immediate Identifying & corroborating of yourself with the doctrine of the baptizing church. It is an alignment with the ideals & purposes of the body the baptism represents. If not that, then the baptism is unimportant & is merely for show.
Illustration:
Remember when it was discovered that Barak Obama was baptized at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, & was a member there for 20 yrs./Trinity is a ‘church’ that preached(under Jeremiah Wright) & still preaches Black Liberation theology but NOT the Gospel!/Such baptism says much about the President/He accepted that IDENTIFICATION BLESSES
Application:
?Your Baptism tell others that IDENTIFICATION BLESSES?
?What does your Baptism say?
2—Baptism says that...
OBEDIENCE BLESSES(:21a)
Explanation:(:21a)
:21—“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; & while He prayed, the heaven was opened.”
Jesus Himself was baptized by John following the baptism of “all the people.” It is not important to Luke, but we are told elsewhere that John questioned Jesus’ wisdom regarding John’s preparatory water baptism.
Remember John’s statements of comparison between his baptismal ministry & that of Jesus’.
Lk. 3:15-16—“Now as the people were in expectation, & all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit & fire.”
Even John saw no point in baptizing Jesus & did not take it lightly. John must have known something of Jesus’ story as their mothers, Mary & Elizabeth, were close kin.
Mat. 3:13-16—“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, & are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered & said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; & behold, the heavens were opened to Him, & He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove & alighting upon Him.”
Water baptism was John’s ministry to the people to get them on the same page with God regarding the seriousness of their personal sin.
This is a testimony to Jesus’ known sinlessness. John knew his water baptism was inappropriate for Jesus.
Simple obedience opens up a new, wider & more exciting world to us than disobedience could ever promise or provide.
Argumentation:
DISOBEDIENCE:
Js. 4:17—“Therefore, to him who knows to do good & does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Mk. 8:34-38—“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, & take up his cross, & follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake & the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, & loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me & My words in this adulterous & sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.””
OBEDIENCE:
Jn. 13:16-17—““Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
Jn. 15:13-14—““Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”
Ps. 119:1-3—“.....Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.”
Mat. 7:22-27—““Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, & done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, & does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: “& the rain descended, the floods came, & the winds blew & beat on that house; & it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, & does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “& the rain descended, the floods came, & the winds blew & beat on that house; & it fell. And great was its fall.””
Mat. 12:47-50—“Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother & Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered & said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother & who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples & said, “Here are My mother & My brothers! “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother & sister & mother.””
Gal. 5:6—“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”
Rev. 22:12-14—““And behold, I am coming quickly, & My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End, the First & the Last. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, & may enter through the gates into the city.”
Mat. 15:7-9—““Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me[Isa. 29:13]. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’””
Deut. 8:20—““As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.”
*Isa. 1:19—“If you are willing & obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;”
If this is taken to heart & spiritualized it is pregnant with meaning for the obedient Christian.
Rom. 1:1-6—“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, & declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace & apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;”
2Cor. 2:9—“For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.”
2Cor. 10:4-6—“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Col. 2:18-19—“Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility & worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, & not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished & knit together by joints & ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”
Heb. 10:35—“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.”
What is the ‘reward’ or the ‘blessing’ of obedience?...
...To be the recipient of God’s love in all its fullness & in every realm of your life!
Illustration:
We have monkey grass(Liriope) on both sides of a cobbled walkway that winds around to the back patio/In the spring the leaves have been battered & look unkempt/My wife discovered that it loooked better to mow them down to ground level in winter/Stimulates new growth & removes last season’s scraggly leaves/Seems counterproductive but OBEDIENCE BLESSES
Parents to daughter—Take this meatloaf over to Mrs. McCullogh— ‘But mom, I don’t want to’—‘Just do what you’re told’/To that young(uninformed) mind it doesn’t make sense to invade her private time/Teaching her many valuable lessons—Respect for parents, friends & neighbors; Concern, Care & Compassion for others; Sacrifice; Hard work, Giving your best; etc./OBEDIENCE BLESSES
Application:
?Your Baptism tell others that OBEDIENCE BLESSES?
?What does your Baptism say?
3—Baptism says that...
PRAYER ATTAINS(:21c)
Explanation:(:21c)
:21—“When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; & while He prayed, the heaven was opened.”
“While He prayed”(“was praying”—Only in Luke. Prayer is the key to open heaven. Fellowship with God is the key to envision, discover, re-discover, & reconnect with our God-ordained purpose.
Contact made with God.
World has lost contact...
Isa. 59:2—“But your iniquities have made a separation between you & your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.”
RELATIONSHIP established.... & maintained with God.
What is the prayer that opens this relationship?
For everyone there is personal ADMISSION of sin.
What prayer maintains the relationship?....Sincere effort in mutual communication...To both relate truth(confession, fears, felt need, etc.) to God, as well as receiving truth(direction)from God)!
“Prayed”—proseucomai—1) To offer prayers, to pray. Strong—To pray to God, i.e. Supplicate, worship.
Argumentation:
Deut. 31:18—““And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.”
Isa. 1:15—“When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.”
*Isa. 59:1-2—“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
God’s holiness is such that He cannot compromise His own nature.
1Jn. 5:14—“And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
Js. 1:5-8—“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously & without reproach, & it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven & tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
Js. 4:2-3—“...You do not have because you do not ask. You ask & do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
Illustration:
Dwight & Sheryll Patten were our next-door neighbors in Whigham, GA/Ellinor(~7-11yrs. old) played with their daughters Carolyn & Katy/She practically lived over there/When we needed our daughter we called the Pattens/No one else had Ellinor/We must go to the neighbors/Without asking we do not attain/Upon our asking, we attain our need/PRAYER ATTAINS
Application:
?Your Baptism tell others that PRAYER ATTAINS?
?What does your Baptism say?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Holding back from God’s purpose?
Embarrassed to get involved?—No membership/commitment/power due to no baptism?
?Do you need to be baptized?
Action:
Baptism says that...
1. IDENTIFICATION BLESSES(:21a)
2. OBEDIENCE BLESSES(:21a)
3. PRAYER ATTAINS(:21b)
Presented 01/22/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
