Sermon Tone Analysis

*Some Who Should Not Be Baptized*

(Acts 8:26-38) 36

 

*Introduction:*

1.                   Johnny's mother looked out the window and noticed him 'playing church' with their three kittens.

He had the kittens sitting in a row, and he was preaching to them.

She smiled and went about her work.

A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window to see Johnny baptizing the kittens in a tub of water.

She called out, 'Johnny, stop that!

Those kittens are afraid of water!'  Johnny looked up at her and said, They should have thought about that before they came to my church.'

2.                   Truly there are some who should not be baptized!

3.                   While we believe the Bible teaches that one must be baptized in order to be saved (*Mk.16:16* is very clear), we also believe the Bible teaches there are some who should not be baptized (this is the focus of our lesson today).

4.                   The purpose of the lesson is 3 fold 1) to instruct 2) to persuade those who have not been baptized to, and 3) to make everyone here who has been baptized in one way or another to consider whether or not it was NT baptism.

*Discussion:*

 

*I.

**THOSE WHO ARE UNACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR SINS SHOULD NOT BE BAPTIZED*

 

A.

Those who were baptized in the NT always submitted to God in genuine faith, were convicted of their own sins, and were able to receive the word of God being taught to them (*Acts 2:36-41*).

B.

From the examples of baptism found in the NT, we can make 2 conclusions.

1.

Those who are under an accountable age should not be baptized.

a.

Infants would be ruled out for more than one reason - They cannot understand the gospel, they cannot receive the word of God, and there is not a single precept for, nor example of this practice in the NT.

                                                                       b.

Those children, who do not totally understand the gospel plan of salvation, and do not assume responsibility for his~/her sins, should not be baptized.

i.

When does one assume responsibility for their self?

When is there a real understanding and not just knowing the right words to say? 

ii.

The Bible does not give an age.

The person must face the consciousness of sin (which to some degree may come quite early) and the necessity of assuming responsibility for actions (that may come very much later).

2.                  Those who are mentally deficient should not be baptized.

a.

What do I mean by mentally deficient?

b.

Those who cannot discern right from wrong.

Those who cannot understand the gospel and those who cannot receive the word of God and it’s requirements.

C.

Infants and mentally challenged, have neither the /need/ nor the /ability/ to respond to the gospel of Christ and thus baptism does not apply.

*II.

**THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE JESUS IS THE CHRIST SHOULD NOT BE BAPTIZED*

 

A.

Faith is always required in order to come to God, and is always a prerequisite to being baptized (*Mk.16:16;

Mt.28:19; Ac.8:36, 37; 11:21*).

B.

If one is “baptized” without a sound faith basis, his ritual would be of no avail.

1.

One might feel, for instance, that Jesus was a good man (perhaps even a “perfect man” – as the “Jehovah’s Witnesses” allege), but deny that Christ is the Son of God (i.e., deity), and yet, for various other reasons, desire baptism.

2.                  No baptism, grounded upon such a spurious “faith” could be accounted as genuine.

C.

Belief in Jesus alone will not cut it, sure he was a “good man,” but he was much more than that, he was God in the flesh (*Jn.1:1,

14; Phl.2:5-11*).

*III.

**THOSE WHO PLAN TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN SIN SHOULD NOT BE BAPTIZED*

 

A.

Baptism is for the remission (forgiveness) of sin (*Acts 2:38; 22:16*).

1.

In order to obtain forgiveness of sin, one must believe (*Acts 10:43*), one must be baptized and one must repent or at least be willing to repent (*Acts 2:38*) in order to be baptized.

2.                  True repentance will lead to a reformed manner of life (Matthew 3:8 John demanded proof from these men of the new life before he baptized them).

a.

Repentance is a change of mind, resulting in a change of action.

b.

Someone who wants to be baptized does not need to be perfect but willing to repent and this willingness must be seen in their actions.

ILL – A man was taught the gospel.

He had been a truck driver for many years, and did not have the cleanest vocabulary, but he was willing to give it up for a life in heaven.

The preacher baptized him and as he was walking out of the baptistery he hit his head on the top of the doorway ($&%! curse word).

The preacher replied, “we’ll that’s something well have to work on some more.”

B.

If one is not willing to turn to God and live under His terms, there is no point in being baptized (*Rom.6:12,

13*).

C.

Immersion alone is powerless to save; one must have a serious desire to turn away from sin in order to truly obey the gospel.

*IV.

**THOSE WHO HAVE ULTERIOR MOTIVES SHOULD NOT BE BAPTIZED*

 

A.

If one has yielded to baptism for some purpose other than that which is supplied by inspired teaching, he, in reality, has not obeyed the Lord.

B.

Sometimes people are pressured into being baptized, and just get baptized so others will get off their back.

ILL – Let me give you a real-life example.

A man once decided to be baptized.

He was baptized by immersion.

When he came up out of the water, he looked at his wife and said, “I hope you are satisfied!”

He was immersed according to New Testament teaching.

But who would consider this a /scriptural/ baptism?

He was not sincere, and in my opinion should not have been baptized (*1 Pet.3:21*).

C.

I have also heard of people studying the Bible and being baptized for the sake of getting financial help from the church.

1.

Only those whose motive is to be set free from sin and alive to God in my opinion should be baptized.

2.                  One should never become baptized because their parents~/peers~/spouse pressured them into it, but because they realize if they died w~/o Christ, they would have no hope.

*V.

**THOSE WHO BELIEVE THEY ARE SAVED BEFORE BAPTISM SHOULD NOT BE BAPTIZED*

* *

A.                The c.o.c. is known by some for its distinctive beliefs and practices.

1.                  Vocal music, LS every Sunday, baptism is for remission of sins.

2.                  In the matter of baptism some have accused us of being “those people who believe in water salvation.”

a.

If we believed it was the water that saved, we could just get a few strong men, go around and bind people up, dunk them under the water and forget about everything else, but we do not believe nor practice that at all.

                                                                       b.

We believe the Bible teaches baptism is for the remission of sins, and we know of not one example where anyone was saved from their sins before they were baptized and yet we basically stand alone today in making that claim.

B.

Most, if not all denominations practice some form of baptism, whether it be by /immersion /(which is what the word baptism means), or by /sprinkling/.

1.

Many denominations do not believe baptism is necessary for salvation, and definitely do not believe it is for the remission of sins because they believe sins are forgiven in prayer.

2.                  *Chart 4 *(all scriptures referenced, none were saved before baptized).

C.

It has been my experience, those who have been immersed in a denomination, believe they have been baptized for the remission of sins, when actually they have not.