Sermon Tone Analysis

Today we are taking a detour.

We have been studying through 1 Peter.

Today we will be setting that aside to talk about Baptism.

We have a number of children in our church who have received Christ, and have been talking about baptism with their parents, and at Kids Club on Tuesday evenings.

These children do believe in Jesus as their savior, and want to be baptized, so we will have a special service on Sunday, June 11th to baptize them.

I thought it appropriate today to talk about baptism as we look forward to that baptism.

I want us to understand what baptism is, and to encourage anyone here who has not been baptized to consider being baptized.

As often happens, there is a lot of different teaching among different groups about baptism.

There are different groups with different traditions regarding baptism.

We are not going to get into the different traditions.

Rather, we are going to look to God’s word for direction.

What is Christian baptism?

From where does it come?

What does it signify?

Who is to be baptized?

Why be baptized?

These are some of the questions we need to consider this morning.

Christian Baptism - What are its roots?

Ceremonial Washing

Signs of Covenants

Christian Baptism has its roots in two different practices in the Old Testament.

1. Ceremonial Washing

The Mosaic Law had a lot to say about being clean or unclean.

There were animals that were clean, and those that were unclean.

There were foods that were clean, and those that were unclean.

A dead body was considered unclean.

In order to participate in worship at the temple, people had to be clean, clear from ceremonial uncleanness.

This was all to help them learn about God’s holiness, and perfection — as was the case with the whole law — to remind them of their need for cleansing from sin.

Numbers 19:17-

deals with this.

There are a number of passages in Leviticus and Numbers that deal with this concept of ceremonial washing and bathing to become ‘clean’.

This is the basis for what you see in the gospels when it speaks of the pharisees washing their hands when they return from the market place, and before meals.

It is also the root of the practice of proselyte baptism.

Jews were considered clean.

Gentiles were considered unclean.

For a Gentile who wanted to become a Jew, a man would have to 1) be circumcised, 2) take on the ‘yoke’ of the law, 3) be ‘born again’ by a ritual baptism.

There have been baptismal pools found by archaeologists in the steps leading up to the temple for this purpose.

This baptism to be ‘born again’ was referenced by Jesus when talking with Nicodemus in .

These baptisms were identifying.

They identified the person who was baptized as being clean, ready to worship the One True God.

Then there was John’s Baptism.

When John came baptizing, he told Israel to repent, and be prepared for the coming of the Lord.

People who believed his message were baptized.

What did they believe?

Repentance is a change of mind.

A recognition of one’s sinfulness, or disobedience to God, and a change of mind in wanting to follow the Lord.

Repentance comes as one believes God’s word.

Faith is necessary for forgiveness.

All who believed John’s message and repented were baptized.

When John came baptizing, he told Israel to repent, and be prepared for the coming of the Lord.

People who believed his message were baptized.

What did they believe?

Repentance is a change of mind.

A recognition of one’s sinfulness, or disobedience to God, and a change of mind in wanting to follow the Lord.

Repentance comes as one believes God’s word.

Faith is necessary for forgiveness.

All who believed John’s message and repented were baptized.

This identified them as believing John’s message to receive forgiveness, looking forward to the Messiah, the lamb of God who would take away sin!

John told them that he baptized them with water.

But another was coming who would baptize with fire and the holy spirit.

Another, better baptism.

Another better identification.

So, one root of Christian baptism stems back to the ritual washings to be ceremonially clean.

It identified that the person was spiritually clean.

John’s baptism identified people as having repented, believing his message they looked forward to the Messiah for forgiveness of sin.

Baptism is a means of identification.

Signs of Covenants

Christian Baptism also has its roots in the Signs of Covenants.

God at times gives signs, outward things that can be seen which identify a person as being under his covenant.

Matthew 3:11

For example, the Rainbow...

Genesis 9:8-17

After the flood, God gave the sign of the rainbow as reminder that He would never again destroy the world by flood.

After the flood, God gave the sign of the rainbow as reminder that He would never again destroy the world by flood.

Then, to Abraham...

God gave the circumcision as a sign to Abraham and his descendants.

The sign showed that they were distinct from the world.

It identified them as being descendants of Abraham, and recipients of God’s covenant.

This new circumcision, the cutting away of the flesh was pictured in the Old Testament circumcision, but now done spiritually.

God removes the sin from us when we receive Christ as our savior.

It is no longer the identifying part of us.

We were sinners, through and through.

We were identified as slaves to our sinful nature.

But when we are saved, God removes that identity.

He takes us out of slavery to sin, and puts us into Christ.

Baptism is a sign of our identity in Christ.

Something we can look to and remember what Christ has done for us.

Just like the rainbow did not save Noah, nor us.

It is a sign to remind us of how God saved Noah, and promised not to flood the earth.

Just as circumcision did not make the covenant with Abraham, but rather was a sign, a reminder that God made this covenant, so too, baptism does not save us, but rather is a sign, a physical reminder that God saves us through Jesus death and resurrection.

Christian baptism has its roots in ceremonial washings, which identified as person as being ‘spiritually clean’ and able to participate in worship.

Christian baptism has its roots in the signs God attaches to His covenants.

Reminders that He saves.

Reminders that He is at work for us.

What does Christian Baptism signify?

Christian baptism began after Jesus died and rose again.

Jesus, the night before he died for us, initiated the New Covenant.

He told His disciples this while eating their last supper.

He gave them the last bread and cup of the meal, and told them that it was this cup that was the symbol of the New Covenant in His Blood, which He was giving for the forgiveness of sins.

Then, Jesus died.