Sermon Tone Analysis

*Baptism by Truth*

*September 15, 2002*

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*Scripture Reading:*

 

*Introduction:*

 

We have several adults this evening who have come for baptism.

Baptism is an act of further obedience to Jesus Christ for those who have received him as Lord of their lives by faith.

We say "further obedience" because the first step of obedience is to believe that he is the way to eternal life – the way to God - because he himself is God, God in the flesh come down to dwell for a time among us.

Like God said about Abraham, the father of the Jews, "He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness."

We all need this righteousness because, "We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

So these tonight who have believed God that they need the righteous sacrifice of his son, Jesus, as the way to eternal life through the forgiveness of their sins (he paid for their sins on the cross) will take the further step of faith in baptism.

Why is baptism an act of faith?

It is because it is a witness to themselves, to the church and to the world that they have made a choice, with God's help, to cross over from death to life, from darkness to light, from rebellion to obedience, from disbelief to faith in the Son of God who died that they might live in righteousness.

Baptism enacts or pictures for us this holy phenomenon of crossing over from death to life.

Jesus himself spoke of it in terms of being "born again."

Jesus said that without it, no one would see the kingdom of God.

In fact, he said that the only way to enter the kingdom of God was to be born of the water and the Spirit.

Since the Holy Spirit of God goes where he pleases, and you cannot see him, like the wind, his spiritual birth in the body and soul of the believer is enacted in baptism.

Jesus said that flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Through faith in Jesus, the spirit of man can be revived from its deadness, retrieved from death.

Just like we see the sign of water breaking forth when flesh is born, so we break forth from water to visibly enact the birth of the Spirit within the flesh.

Baptism is a sign of willingness to be seen as belonging to a new tribe upon the earth – it is a tribe of victors, of overcomers, of heaven dwellers upon the earth – a tribe of Jesus people who follow him to the green pastures and still waters of a soul at peace with Almighty God.

When you believe in Jesus, then God lives in you through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

These who will be baptized tonight are those in whom the Holy Spirit of God dwells by faith in the Son of God.

Each of them will give an account of their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and the new life they have received - indeed will continue to receive - as they live out what God has given them.

But I want to talk to you further this evening about something my wife wanted clarification about just the other day when we were talking about the sinful human condition and the difficulty in breaking through the barrier that people have built up around themselves – a resistance to spiritual truth.

She asked, "How can we convince people of their need for God through faith in Jesus Christ?"

I told her that all we can do is baptize them with the truth – in other words immerse them with the truth.

Our model for this is, of course, Jesus Christ.

In his ministry to mankind he did four things in regard to the truth as he lived among us in an attempt to break through to us.

So the question we are addressing is this:

 

*Big Question:*

 

/How can we convince people of their need for God through faith in Jesus Christ?/

 

*I.

Jesus told the truth.*

*          A.

Narrative*