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TEXT: Matthew 26:26-28; 28:19
TOPIC:  Baptism and Lord's Supper
Baptist Faith and Message Sermon 7, *Written by Calvin Wittman*
May 11, 2009
* *
Introduction: I remember hearing a story about a young pastor in the northern part of our country who was called to serve his first church as Senior Pastor.
After several months there he noticed that every time he administered the Lord’s Supper, there were people who were noticeably upset with him.
Not willing to let the problem fester he approached one of the members he knew would be honest with him and asked him what was wrong.
The older member proceeded to tell him that he and some of his friends were upset with him because he was not administering the Lord’s Supper in the right manner.
The problem was that the former pastor, who had been there for several decades, would usually go over to the side of the church and move his hands over it in a ceremonial fashion before administering the Lord’s Supper.
The young pastor had failed to do this and thus had not been faithful to administer the ordinance in the right way.
This was somewhat puzzling to the younger pastor so he called his retired predecessor to find out what he had done and why he had done it.
Seems the weather was often cold in that part of the country and the pastor, not wanting to drop any of the plates or cups would go to the heat radiator before the Lord’s Supper to make sure his hands were warmed up before the service.
But because he had never told anyone why he was doing what he was doing, many of the people in the church had attached some spiritual significance to his warming his hands.
* *
As is so often the case, when things are done in the church over and over and over again, and there is no ongoing explanation for why they are done, people often assign their own meanings to these activities and this leads to all manner of problems.
It is to that end that this morning we will address two of the most important things we do here at Applewood Baptist Church, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Those of you who have been attending our church or another evangelical church for any amount of time, may have a pretty good understanding of what these two things are and why we do them, but as we continue to make our way through our foundational doctrines, these two ordinances demand our attention.
As we shall see, these are two of the most important things Jesus has commanded us to do.
They are not merely ceremonies we are to execute; they are holy ordinances, rich in spiritual significance and are directly tied to our walk with God, at the deepest level.
Article 7 of our confessional statement The Baptist Faith and Message, says: “Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead.
Being a church ordinance, it is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.
“The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.”
We find our scriptural mandate for these ordinances in Matthew 28:19, which we know as the great commission.
Jesus tells us, /“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”/
And in Matthew 26:26-28 Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper.
It says, /“As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take and eat it; this is My body.’
Then  He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He gave it to them and said, ‘Drink from it, all of you.
For this is my blood that establishes the covenant; it is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.’”/
Additionally we find teachings about both of these ordinances throughout the rest of the New Testament revelation.
From the outset it is important to note why we call these ordinances and not sacraments.
The word sacrament comes from the Latin word, “sacramentum,” which described the oath of loyalty a Roman legionnaire would swear to his commanding officer, and in the sense that we observe baptism and the Lord’s Supper in allegiance to our Master, Jesus, we could call these events sacraments.
But over the years the word has taken on a different meaning.
According to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, a sacrament is something which, by its very nature, is a means whereby the grace of God is conveyed.
In other words, they teach that when one is baptized or takes communion, by that act itself their sins are forgiven.
As Baptists, we believe that grace comes by faith alone and is given as a free gift by God.
God’s grace is not ours to control, to give out or to deny to someone else.
Thus we refer to Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as ordinances.
An ordinance is a command which our Lord has directed us to obey.
It is symbolic in its nature and carries with it all of the blessings which normally accompany obedience.
As we consider these two ordinances this morning I want us to look first at what they are and how they are to be observed, and then I want us to reflect on what they have to say about our daily Christian walk.
Let’s begin by taking a look at Baptism.
*I.
The Ordinance of Baptism –*
 
When I explain baptism to those who come to me and wish to be baptized, I like to explain it in three ways, each of them speak to a different aspect or element of this ordinance.
*1) First of all baptism is a personal step of obedience.*
If someone is truly a disciple of Jesus Christ, if in fact they have chosen to surrender control of their life to Him, then the natural thing which should follow is obedience.
In the Great Commission, after commanding His disciples to baptize He directs them to teach the new disciples to observe or obey all that He has commanded.
Baptism is the first step of obedience in a lifelong journey with Jesus Christ.
Many Christians fail to get off to a good start in their Christian walk because they have not been obedient to follow the Lord in this area of Baptism.
Baptism is a step of obedience.
The idea of it being a step of obedience is why we feel so strongly that people must be baptized if they are to become members of our church.
We only want church members who are obedient followers of Jesus.
When we talk about baptism, as Baptists, we are talking about believer’s baptism.
Only believers, or disciples of Jesus, are called to obey Him.
We hold that scripture teaches us only to baptize those people who have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Some denominations practice infant baptism, also known as pedo-baptism.
But since babies have not come to a personal faith in Christ, baptism is not for them.
Again, those churches which baptize babies teach either that by baptizing the baby they are washing away its original sins or that they are initiating the child into the community of faith, thus enabling it to get into heaven should it somehow die before making a decision for Christ on its own.
As Baptists we don’t hold to infant baptism because we cannot find anywhere in scripture where it was practiced or prescribed.
To the contrary we find that baptism is reserved for those who have made a conscious decision to allow Jesus Christ to be the Lord of their lives.
Furthermore, we don’t believe baptism has anything to do with your salvation; it is merely a step of obedience for those who have already been saved.
There are some who believe what is called “baptismal regeneration,” that is, they hold to a belief that the act of baptism somehow works hand in hand with our faith and is a necessary step to complete our salvation.
But scripture teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are /saved by grace through faith, and that it is a gift of God, not of works, so no one can boast /about having helped in their own salvation.
Baptism does not save us; to the contrary, it is an act of obedience on the part of those who are already saved.
Thus believer’s baptism is something which is reserved for believers.
Secondly,
 
*2) Baptism is a public statement of faith,* that is, baptism is a public way of giving testimony to the fact that you have chosen to follow Jesus Christ.
While actions do speak louder than words, truthful words are always followed up with faithful actions.
If a person is truly a follower of Jesus Christ they will not be ashamed of Him or of identifying with Him and His body, the Church.
Baptism is a public statement of our faith in Christ.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:32-33, /“Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before me, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven.
But whoever denies Me before me, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.”/
Many people in our country are afraid to stand before the church and be baptized because they are shy or uncomfortable in front of people.
For Christians in many parts of the world the stakes are much higher.
Publically professing Jesus in some countries can cost a person their home, their job or even their life.
As American Christians we should keep this in mind when we find ourselves squeamish about taking a public stand for Jesus.
I like to remind people that Jesus was put to public shame and humiliation on the cross, His asking us to take a public stand for Him in the baptismal waters is a small thing by comparison.
*3) Finally, baptism is a perfect symbol of death, burial and resurrection.*
It symbolizes our death to our self, our burial or immersion in Christ, and our resurrection to walk in a new way of life.
That’s one of the reasons that baptism by immersion makes so much sense, it symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord.
Furthermore, the Greek word from which we get our word Baptize, the word, baptizo, literally means “to immerse.”
And being people of the book we believe this to be the proper method or mode of baptism.
Romans 6:4 says that, /“We are buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.”/
That’s what Baptism is; it is a personal step of obedience, a public statement of faith, and a perfect symbol of death, burial and resurrection.
Now let’s turn our attention to the Lord’s Supper, or Communion for a moment.
*II.
The Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper – *
 
In many Christian circles these days, the Lord’s Supper has lost some of its significance.
I recall going to a church last year of a different denomination where it was their tradition to take the Lord’s Supper each and every week.
At the end of the service, right before the announcements, they passed out the cup and the bread simultaneously and within a couple of minutes it was over and done with.
It seemed to have become just another tradition they went through every week, like shaking hands or having a donut in Sunday School.
But that’s not what it is intended to be.
But from a biblical point of view Lord’s Supper has deep theological and spiritual meaning.
In Luke 22:19 Jesus tells His disciples that they are to observe this ordinance in remembrance of Him.
Thus the overarching truth is that it is a time to remember what Jesus did for us, as 1 Corinthians 11 tells us that whenever we take it we proclaim the death and return of our Lord.
By reading our Lord’s word we are told of at least three things the Lord’s Supper memorializes or calls to our remembrance.
*First the bread is symbolic of the broken body of our Lord.*
Like the Passover lamb, Jesus, the Lamb of God, laid down His life as a sacrifice for sin.
His body was broken, His hands and His feet, His side and His brow were pierced for us.
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