Below is the message I was going to share with the Renmark West and Renmark Town Uniting Church on 12/1/14.
I cancelled due to a health scare on Saturday morning.
I have posted for those who may be interested.
Many thanks to Cyril Gulliksen who presented this in both services on the day and thanks to those who sent me a get well card of thanks and prayers from Renmark.
Pastor Harold Long being baptised as a young man. |
SERMON- THE BAPTISM OF JESUS and OURS
There are several Baptisms and types of Baptisms mentioned in the Bible.
I want to touch on three of them today.
I want to look first at
John’s Baptism.
By that I mean the baptising that John the Baptist was
doing.
We need to distinguish between the Baptism of John the
Baptist
(the forerunner sent by God to prepare the people of Israel for the
coming ministry of Jesus)
and Christian Baptism.
Christian Baptism was the Baptism practised by the
Apostles of Jesus and the early Christian Church.
This was after the Christian Church had been
established as in Acts 2.
Just before Jesus began His ministry here on earth John
the Baptist began to preach along the banks of the Jordan River.
His fiery preaching began to stir the people and ended
with multitudes of people from all walks of life going out to where he was to
hear him.
His preaching caused a national stir up.
He was so outspoken and fiery it was to later cost him
his life.
Multitudes went to hear him and great numbers did
repent and as a seal of their repentance they were baptised in the Jordan.
His baptism was a baptism of repentance calling on
God’s people to change their lives in order to prepare for the coming ministry
of Jesus.
The Baptism of Jesus
John was preaching a message of repentance , a
repentance from sin that included Baptism as a demonstration that the people
were serious about their intentions.
Jesus appeared and John was incredulous that He was asking
John to Baptise Him.
He suggested that Jesus should baptise him not the
other way around.
This Baptism was signifying repentance from Sin and
John knew that Jesus was without sin.
None the less Jesus said he needed to be baptised to
full fill all righteousness.
Jesus was
not in any way expressing repentance as were all others being baptised by John.
Jesus
came to John to fullfill something his
Father,God, required of him.
He
couldn’t repent as he had not committed sin but he could indentify with those
who are sinners by being baptised as they were..
In this
way he was indentifying with our great tragedy, sin,and in doing so he was
fulfilling all righteousnous.
Jesus’
baptism was an act in which he identified himself fully with the fallen Human
race.
Jesus was
Human, as human as any other human except for one thing—he had no sin!
Jesus’
sinlessness put a great gulf between himself and us.
In being
baptised by John, sharing in a baptism that signified repentance of sin, Jesus
came as near as it was possible for Him to identify with our fallen human condition.
Without
sinning Himself He took our sins and sorrows upon himself in His baptism.
This was
also foreshadowing His real Baptism which was His crucifixion.
If Jesus
is in any way setting an example for us by being Baptised by John it lies in His
inflexible determination to do His Father’s will.
We do
well to do likewise.
I would
like to now touch on our own Baptism.
Christian Baptism
This was the Baptism that was
instituted as an instruction to the Jewish people listening to Peter’s very
spirit filled sermon in Acts Chapter 2.
Peter was speaking after the amazing
events of the day of Pentecost when the
apostles were engulfed by a mighty rushing wind and tongues of fire and began
speaking in the tongues of those present.
Acts 2
"36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has
made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart
and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “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. 39 The promise is for you
and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God
will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded
with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those
who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to
their number that day."
This then was the institution of Christian Baptism as
we know it today.
This was the call that we are all given, since the day
of Pentecost, concerning becoming a Christian, and receiving the Holy Spirit
and Forgiveness for our sins.
Our Baptism, as instituted by Peter,
the Baptism for the church age,
results in forgiveness of sins and the gift of the
Holy Spirit.
Note our Baptism is insignificant without real,
genuine repentance,
and belief.
In Romans 6 it
tells us in our Baptism we are crucified with Christ, we are baptised into His
death and as a result, into the power and wonder of His resurrection.
Romans 6
New
International Version (NIV)
"Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on
sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin;
how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or
don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? 4 We were therefore
buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new
life.
5 For if we
have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united
with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For
we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin
might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
7 because anyone who has died has been set
free from sin."
Friends when we
read the words of the new Testament about the subject of Baptism, we must come
to a conclusion that there is something profoundly spirtitually significant in
our own Baptism .
It is more than, as some people say, just an outward
sign of something that God has already done inwardly.
Jesus gave us, in the great commission, the
expectation that Baptism was something essential for the Christian.
Matthew 28:
"19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Is Jesus leading you today,
through His example and obedience
to His heavenly Father,
to find out more
about what your Baptism really means to you?
We have only scratched the surface a bit today.
What will open up to you as you discover what being
crucified with Christ really means?
(In our Baptism we are sharing in Christ’s crucifixion
and resurrection.)
and how your
experience of Christian living can be so much more that what it is?
Perhaps you have already discovered that!
If you have never been Baptised you might like to
study the subject more with a view to stepping out in Faith.
Shall we join together now in singing our closing
Hymn.
Ps. as at 13/1/14. There was also a 4th Baptism that had taken place on the day of Pentecost
That was the once only not to be repeated Baptism of the Holy Spirit that ushered in the Church age.
This was the experience of the Apostles who full of the Holy Spirit were able to instruct new converts in Christian Baptism and how to become Christians and live the Christian life.
They were using the keys of the Kingdom given to them.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not some secondary blessing to be experienced by Christians.
It was the making available of The Holy Spirit, The Comforter, to all who would seek to follow Jesus.
The beginning of the Church as we know it.
The transition from the Law to Grace.
Ps. as at 13/1/14. There was also a 4th Baptism that had taken place on the day of Pentecost
That was the once only not to be repeated Baptism of the Holy Spirit that ushered in the Church age.
This was the experience of the Apostles who full of the Holy Spirit were able to instruct new converts in Christian Baptism and how to become Christians and live the Christian life.
They were using the keys of the Kingdom given to them.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not some secondary blessing to be experienced by Christians.
It was the making available of The Holy Spirit, The Comforter, to all who would seek to follow Jesus.
The beginning of the Church as we know it.
The transition from the Law to Grace.
READINGS
Mt 3:3-17
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
3 In
those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and
saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This
is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice
of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”[a]
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”[a]
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a
leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People
went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the
Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in
the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who
warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in
keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to
yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these
stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is
already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good
fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with[b] water for repentance. But after me comes
one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He
will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His
winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering
his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be
baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I
need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us
to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the
water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice
from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Acts 2
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has
made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart
and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “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. 39 The promise is for you
and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God
will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded
with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those
who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to
their number that day.
Romans 6:
6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on
sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin;
how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or
don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? 4 We were therefore
buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new
life.
5 For if we
have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united
with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For
we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin
might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
7 because anyone who has died has been set
free from sin.
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