Sermon Tone Analysis

Living our Baptismal covenant

Intro: News years resolutions.

Stop smoking!

watching the diet!

We resolve to change our lives in some way.

Transform our lives!!

How often do we succeed with the New Years Resolutions??

More often we fail!

Proposition: We have a God that transforms us from the inside out!

To resolve to live for and in Christ is better than any other resolution we will ever make.

Eph.3:20

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

~* Our transformation begins at baptism:

o Bishops guidelines: Baptism is the sacrament given too the church to make disciples.

o At our baptism we made vows that essentially said we will follow Christ (Disciples) infants ~/older at confirmation

o Our lives are to show evidence of holy transformation,

~* Cast from us- Gal 5:19 adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like;

~* Cultivate over time Gal 5:22, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,3gentleness, self-control.

o Baptism is 1st step in our discipleship.

(journey of learning)

~* Luke 3:21,Mt3:13,Jn1:32,Mk1:9 all record Jesus Baptism:

o John considered last of OT style prophets, Moses, Elijiah,

~* Strange behavior, dessert living, ate locusts

~* Strange clothes, camel hair

~* Strong message to turn from old life to God's life.

o Prophets always appeared at times in History when god's people strayed away from him and his ordinances and so needed someone to call them back to right living once again.

o John's baptism was to repent from sin, wrong behavior- Water-wash away dirt.

o Mankind's effort to change.

Like a new years resolution.

Relied on the wills of the individual to change.

o Baptism in John's day not new:

~* Intertestament: Gentiles converting to Judaism were baptized but Circumcision (Gen 17:10) remained primary sign of conversion.

~* Essenes - Jewish Mystical sect stressing purity of life (separated themselves) practiced baptism.

~* John' message to purify and cleanse themselves was powerful and it had impact.

(many repented)

BUT

~* The people began to think he was the messiah that was to come.

He quickly and clearly told them he could only exhort then to repent and assure them of forgiveness upon repentance ;but he could not work repentance in then, nor confer remission on them.

~* SO

~* He speaks to them of the one who is mightier than he.

~* The Christ who will give the Holy Spirit to cleans and purify the heart.

(Mathew Henry)"Not only as water washes off the dirt on outside but as fire clears out the dross that is within, and melts down the metal, that it may be cast into a new mold."

~* Jesus the Son of God Baptism for believers:

o Baptize-Gk, -Baptizo - totally soaked, submerged.

Aquarium scenery.

Car,ship,

~* Water invades every part of that ca, ship,etc.

it becomes on with the tank.

~* So it is with the Holy Spirit at baptism.

The Spirit dwells within Jn 12:16,17"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-17the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

o The Holy Spirit that all believers are Baptize into is:

o Same Spirit that moved over the waters at creation Gen 1:2

o Gives life Job 33:4

o Omnipresent( Ps 139 )

o Omniscient ( knows all) 1 Cor 2:10

o Omnipotent (Lk 1:35

o Spirit of glory

o Inspiration of Scripture (God's Revelation of the Word)

o Source of wisdom

o Source of miraculous power

o Co equal with the Father and Son

o List goes on!

(but your gonna want to get to Tims or dinner)

~* The Three persons in the Godhead were present at Jesus Baptism:

~* (Jesus didn't require baptism as repentance from sin.)

~* Ws baptized as to identify with humanity.

~* Some say there is no TRINITY .

But look here what is says in Lk 3:22 "the heaven was opened.

22And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

~* Col 2:6 says: "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him"

~* When we make Jesus our Lord, He will transform us into His likeness.

~* We will become a disciple (a learner and a doer)

~* To learn we must be reading his word Daily, meditating and praying on it.

~* But We are not only to be readers of the word but doers of it.

~* Conclusion: Baptism was and is an important step in the lives of all believers.

I find many people today take Baptism much too lightly ( the term DONE says It all it implies ignorance of what is being asked for).

There has been a lot of confusion and false notions of what baptism is these days.

So maybe it is time in our parish to relearn what baptism is all about.

If everyone who was baptized lived out their covenant that was made to God not man; inside these church doors would not be able to contain it because the outside world would be crawling over each other to be in Christ Jesus.