Sermon Tone Analysis
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Prayer
So this week, we’re actually going to PAUSE from our walk through the gospel of John...
and we’re going to stay on this topic that we’ve come across in the 1st chapter of John...
Baptism
Two weeks ago, we looked at how John the Baptist was sent by God the Father to prepare the way for Jesus Christ...
to prepare the way for - The Word Becoming Flesh...
And what we saw was how John came on the scene - WATER BAPTIZING people with a Baptism of Repentance...
John told us that he was SENT BY God to - Baptize with Water…BUT...
That Jesus Christ would baptize - ANOTHER WAY…with the Holy Spirit...
John’s baptism was - POINTING to another type of Baptism that was coming!
And then last week, we looked at the Baptism of Jesus Christ...
When He came to be baptized BY JOHN....
And what we saw was that the Baptism of Christ REVEALED 3 things...
it revealed the Lamb of God to the world… (John tells us this)
it happened in order that all righteousness might be fulfilled… (Jesus tells us this)
it revealed the power that sustains the Christian life (Holy Spirit)
And so with that now in our MINDS - this week, we’re going to look at what Baptism is for us today...
As you can see from the title today - baptism for us - on THIS SIDE of the cross...
…is an Outward Sign of an Inner Reality
It is a public testimony to the faith we claim to have...
NOW...
We need to start out with a question today...
Does Baptism save us?
OK - let me FLIP the question - lest you all are just sleeping...
Who believes that Baptism does NOT save us?
Ok, well let’s look at what the Bible says...
Peter says here - Baptism NOW saves you.
This is important.
Why did we all get that wrong?
We all got that wrong, because when we hear the word - baptism - we think...
WATER
I myself was baptized when I was 21.
Prior to getting baptized - I had never looked into the matter...
I never studied the topic...
I just knew what I had learned growing up -
that water baptism was a command of Christ...
That Jesus commands us to be water baptized...
That’s what I learned growing up...
And so - NOT UNTIL I became an elder here at Abiding Faith...
And not until the elders here started having conversations about Membership…and requirements for membership...
ONLY THEN did i begin to look into baptism - as we practice it today.
That was 5 years ago…and I’ve been looking into it ever since...
WHY?
Because - the more I looked into water baptism, the MORE QUESTIONS i had about it.
The more I read the Bible - The more I saw in Scripture that made me - SCRATCH my head… (lost my hair)
And I realized this -
That the TEXT of the Bible, IF YOU STUDY this topic, will BEG the QUESTION....time after time...
DO WE HAVE THIS WRONG?
And so the point of the sermon today is NOT to give you 3 solid points of APPLICATION that you can take home with you work into your life...
I’m just being HONEST with you - the point of the sermon today - is to LAY out before you SOME of the THINGS that I’ve seen in Scripture regarding water baptism...
And the questions that have arisen in my heart regarding this topic.
UNDERSTAND THIS - I get it - I KNOW this is a TABOO topic within Christianity...
I’ve taken multiple theological Master’s classes in recent years - and I can tell you this...
I’ve asked professors AND pastors about the things that I’ve seen....
And I’m just being honest - I’ve been ignored.
By and large - I’ve been ignored.
And so before we “DIVE” in to this topic today - Let’s look again at our title for this sermon...
You need to see this again...
SLIDE: Baptism Today: Outward Sign of Inner Reality
BAPTISM TODAY
The point of this sermon - is NOT to bash baptism.
If someone came to the elders and wanted to get baptized, and they professed to be a follower of Jesus Christ, I would water baptize them.
It is a testimony of the faith we claim to have...
That WON’T change...
The point of today’s sermon though - is to examine this question:
Is water baptism a command of Jesus Christ?
And so - right now - I’m going to give you this in response - “I’m not 100% certain”...
And I’m thinking - after the sermon today - you may not be 100% certain either...
So let’s begin...
The verse that Christianity looks to - to say that YES - Jesus does command us to be water baptized...
Is found in Matthew...
It’s what Christianity has deemed - The Great Commission...
It’s Matthew 28:16-20
EXPLAIN what mainstream Christianity believes regarding v19
Ok, so let’s look at v19
Most of Christianity looks at this verse and thinks - Ok, it says - Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...
and the thought is - well obviously that’s water baptism.
It says - baptism.
It must mean water.
AND we see some water baptisms in the book of Acts, so it must be referring to Water Baptism...
BUT YET - there are so many angles to approach this thinking from...
And when you truly look into this - the TEXT itself BEGS the questions!
- Now - first thing i want to say is this - Don’t FORGET the past 2 weeks.
Don’t forget John’s baptism…and it’s PURPOSE
Don’t forget Christ’s baptism…and what it revealed...
Remember - what did Christ say to John when John was DOUBTING whether he should baptize Jesus?
Now - Christ said this to John BEFORE His ministry...
BEFORE He fulfilled ALL righteousness...
Right?
Remember - when Christ was baptized, what came down UPON HIM after He came up out of the water?
The HOLY SPIRIT came and rested on Christ -
Last week we walked through ALL that the Spirit did in the life and ministry of Christ....remember?
Birth
Baptism
Temptation
Public Ministry
Miracles
The Resurrection
NOW - in the Great Commission - back to it…THINK of WHEN Christ spoke THESE WORDS…of the GREAT COMMISSION
Mainstream Christianity believes THIS Great Commission is speaking of WATER BAPTISM...
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