Basic Sermon Outline

Baptism;

T= he sacrament of our NEW life in Christ

Romans 6:1-11

Sermon Introduct= ion

We continue our series on the Pathways of Grace, those = means by which we can walk with God and serve his purposes. We are addressing the area of fellowship, the means of grace of being part of a community of believers. Today and next week we are going t= o talk about the sacraments. The roo= t of the word sacrament means mystery, not the mystery you find in a good detect= ive story but the type of mystery of something that is deep and unfathomable, k= inda like the mystery associated with the dark depths of the ocean, the word sacrament signifies the deep truths these practices convey. But sadly, the sacraments are often a mystery of a different type for many believers. We don’t really understand w= hat they are about and we have relegated them to a minor role in the Christian life. Recently USA Today ran = an article on the decline of baptisms among professing Christians.

“… this Easter, the holy day of resurrection, statistics find Americans slowly drifting away from the ancie= nt baptismal ritual. The Catholic Church has more than doubled in size in the = past half-century, but its rate of infant baptism steadily has fallen, Sullins s= ays. Methodists and Lutherans have seen both baptisms and their membership numbe= rs slide for years. Even Loy's denomination, the Assemblies of God, which has = had a boom in membership since 1980, saw its annual baptism numbers peak in 199= 7, then inch downward. The Southern Baptist Convention has seen a half-century decline in baptisms and stalled growth in membership. In response, the Rev. Bobby Welch, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, is leading a national campaign to reverse the trend.”[1]

Well, I believe the scriptures have much to teach us ab= out the sacraments to adeqautely deal with this bad trend, so let’s pray = as we prepare to listen to the living God through his living word.

Text =

¹What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound= ? ²By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? = ³Do you not know that a= ll of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Chr= ist was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵For if we have been united with him in a dea= th like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.= ⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin migh= t be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. ⁷For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ being raised f= rom the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. ¹⁰For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he li= ves to God. ¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to= sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. - Romans 6:1-11 (ESV)

1. Background

1= .1. = T= ext’s main point.

Now the = main point of this text isn’t about baptism.&nb= sp; It is so important when we look at scripture to be careful to distinguish main points from side points.&= nbsp; If we do this it will keep our theology and therefore our spiritual = life in proper balance. Many error= s and even heresies come from neglecting this simple practice. Nevertheless, we can learn much fr= om the side points of scripture because they are God’s points and therefore worthy unto themselves. The main point in Romans 6:1-11 is an answer to a natural question that flows from all that Paul has been saying for 5 chapters. That is this, righteousness is a free gift from God to be received and not earned. Righteousness, the quality and sta= te of being rightly related to God and rightly regarded by God is not to be earned but a free gift. Only Jesus e= arns righteousness and only those who put their trust in him share in the gift.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Only Jesus lived a righteous life = and died a sufficient death to pay for our sins. Only he is righteous and only those trusting in him are counted righteous as a free gift. That is the central point of Romans. And the question that follows is, “Why than give a hoot about our behavior if righteousness= is a free gift. Why not go out a= nd sin to the max if we are forgiven merely because we trust in Jesus?” These are natural questions the fo= llow from the scandal of free righteousness in Jesus. And scandal is the right word folks – it is a scandal that any of us are counted righteous before God. If people knew all the details abo= ut my life and then saw that God considered me righteous, they would be very upse= t! If there is anyone I know in all of history who doesn’t deserve anything but eternal separation from God = and just punishment it is me. And so it is scandalous that I could be counted righteous in Christ as a free gift. But that is the good news of Romans.

So how d= oes Paul answer this question? Well, look at the text. “ = ²By no me= ans! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who= have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too = might walk in newness of life.” In other words, no way, a= ll of us who have been baptized into Christ are so united with him that we have d= ied with him to sin and risen with him to new life. There is a reality greater = than mere intellectual assent and belief. For the one who puts their faith in Christ as their righteousness is joined in union with Christ that brings radical transformation and newness = of life in such a way that the old sinful orientation is replaced with a new orientation to the love of God and others.= Now there still will be struggles but this union with Christ is more fundamental to the believer than any indwelling sin.

1= .2. = S= ignificant Side Points

1.2.1. = Baptism as the marker of our life in Christ.

Now that= is the main point but I want to focus on a side point in this text. Did you notice how Paul identified= those who are united with Jesus in his death and resurrection? Are they those who have prayed the= prayer? Are they those who have felt the feeling? Are they those who h= ave read the bible? No. The way he identifies the faithful= is they are those who have been baptized into Christ Jesus. And he is not speaking figuratively here. Whenever the term “baptized into Christ Jesus” is used in scripture it is speaking about the actual sacramental act of dunking a new believer under the water = in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as a initiatory sign of their new life in Christ (see Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5, Gal 3:27). This is actually getting wet with = real water that Paul is speaking of here. So how are those who have been united with Jesus Christ in his death= and resurrection described? They = are those who have been baptized into Christ Jesus!

1.2.2. = Is my view and practice biblical?

&n= bsp;

Does tha= t rock your world a little bit? I kn= ow it rocks mine. When you think of= how to identify a believer do you reference baptism? When you tell your story of coming to Jesus and becoming a true believer is baptism the key event that testifies to your new life? O= r are there other events that you use to mark this conversion? In our culture we often use the pr= aying of a special prayer or walking forward in response to a message as the even= t to mark our conversion. While th= ese events may be special in some ways this is not the biblical pattern of mark= ing off our conversion. Baptism i= s the key event, baptism is how we mark our conversion, baptism is the outward expression of the new reality of our life in Christ, not prayer, not walking the aisle, not joining a church, none of these but baptism! As a matter of fact, the associati= on between baptism and conversion is so close in scripture that it is hard at times to distinguish them and many have fallen into the error of actually confusing conversion with baptism and teaching that baptism saves us or in baptism we are converted. Sad= ly, I believe much of the disuse of baptism has come about as a reaction to this error. My prayer is that thro= ugh the word of God and this message we may come to a right understanding and practice of baptism as a church.

2. BAptism is a sign and seal

2= .1. = N= ot salvific

So, firs= t and foremost of concern, is that we understand that baptism does not save us. There is no inherent power or grac= e in the mere performance of the sacrament of baptism. Baptism doesn’t save the Tri= une God does; God the Father as the one who has loved us from before the founda= tion of the world and has chosen us to be his very own, God the Son, Jesus, as the worker of our salvat= ion through his perfect life, death for our sin, and resurrection from the grav= e to eternal life; and God the Holy Spirit as the one who brings understanding, conviction of sin, new life, repentance and faith in the Son because of the Father. And we are saved as a free gift from the Triune God through faith.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Faith is the only essential means = of our salvation and this itself is a free gift from God but a necessary gift for = our salvation. So, we don’t= see people being saved through baptism in scripture. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1 "For Christ did not send me to bapt= ize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross= of Christ be emptied of its power." (1 Corinthians 1:17, E= SV) If baptism was how people got saved certainly Paul would have not only preached the gospel but baptized people. Yet he knew it was the hearing of the gospel with faith that saved people. Also, in Acts 10 we see this clearly. Peter is preaching t= he gospel to Cornelius and his household it says: “⁴⁴<= /i>While Peter was still saying these= things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. ⁴⁵And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ⁴⁷<= span lang=3DEN style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN'>“Can anyone withhold water f= or baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptiz= ed in the name of Jesus Christ.” Acts 10:44-48 (ESV) These folks clearly came to Christ as they responded to Peter’s preaching through faith, received the Spirit at their conversion and then w= ere baptized not SO they could be saved but BECAUSE they WERE saved. You can see the same pattern in Ac= ts 11 and Paul’s conversion in Acts 9.

So, the = scriptural basis for denying that baptism is salvific is pretty clear. But we must not swing the pendulum= the other way and think that baptism is therefore insignificant. It is in now w= ay a trivial event.

2= .2.      = N= ot trivial

As I sai= d earlier, the association between baptism and conversion is so tight that at times it seems to be together. In Acts= 2 when the people respond to that first gospel message after pentecost they a= sk Peter, “What shall we do.”&nbs= p; And Peter responds: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.= For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”" (Acts = 2:38-39, ESV) Peter calls on them to express their repentance and fai= th in Jesus through baptism as their initial response to their new life in Christ. Their act of being ba= ptized is a walking out of their repentance and faith.

Later, Peter says in his first epistle: "Baptism, which corresponds to this [Noah’s Ark], now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body b= ut as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ," (1 Peter 3:21, ESV) Again, Peter associated baptism and faith so closely together that he actually says baptism now sav= es you. But then he qualifies it= by saying it is not the mere act of baptism, getting wet and removal of dirt, outward things, but the heart of repentance and faith that is the means, expressed through baptism. Fo= lks, this is a very significant sacrament. Though it doesn’t save us, only grace through faith saves, it = is to serve as the marker of our repentance and faith and if we refuse this God ordained marker we have reason to be concerned about the genuineness of our repentance and faith.

2= .3.      = A= sign and seal.

Not only= that, but we are missing out on the tremendous blessing God would bring to us through this sacrament. You see, bapt= ism is to serve as the sign and seal of our new life in Christ. John Calvin said t= his about the sacraments, "it is an outward sign by which the Lord seals on our consciences the promises of his good will toward us in order to sustain the weakness of our faith; and we in turn attest our piety toward him in the presence of the Lord and of his ang= els and before men"[2] and he says elsewhere, “the sacraments, t= herefore, are exercises which make us more certain of the trustworthiness of God̵= 7;s word… Augustine calls a sacrament “a visible word” for the reason that it represents God’s promises as painted in a picture and = sets them before our sight, portrayed graphically and in the manner of images.”= ;[3]

Folks, baptism is meant to be a bless= ing to God’s people. It is = to operate as a sign of our life in Christ and as a seal of its reality to our minds and hearts. A sign poin= ts to a reality, a seal secures something. This is the role of baptism – to be a sign and seal of our salvation. And that is why Pa= ul can use baptism to communicate to the Romans the realities of their life in Christ. And it should work th= is way for us too!

There are few things more exciting than a baptism. We have had the privilege of five baptismal celebrations in our five years of church life. And each time has been a glorious celebration of life in Christ. The way we do baptisms is we have the candidate share while in the water why th= ey want to be baptized. Usually = it is a simple public profession of repentance from sin and faith in Jesus. Then we dunk them under water brie= fly and bring them back up. While= they are covered with towels we gather around them, lay hands on them and pray f= or them and share encouraging words we believe God would give us to edify. They have been rich and wonderful = times and I trust each person baptized will treasure that time and refer to it the rest of their life. It is a s= ign and seal of our new life in Christ and as such, as we practice this sacrame= nt in faith God is faithful to show up and bless and pour out his grace in this important step of response and obedience. I am so looking forward to our ne= xt time together!

2= .4.      = o= f our union with Christ.

In parti= cular, baptism signifies and seals our union with Christ. As we are dunked under the waters,= so we die with Christ to sin and self. And as we are lifted out of the waters, so we are raised with Christ= to newness of life for the love of God and others. Colossians 2 puts it this way: "having been buried with him in baptism,= in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead." (Colossians 2:12, ESV) So baptism is a vivid sign of the reality of our death and resurrection with Christ, a present reality to be completed and finished upon the return of o= ur Lord and Savior. And it is a = seal for our soul of the truth that we are indeed counted in him. What a wonderful assurance this sacrament grants us! And what= a wonderful additional blessing the Lord’s supper is in assuring us tha= t we remain as his.

2= .5.      = o= f our in cleansing in Christ.=

Also, it= is a picture of our cleansing from our sins.&nb= sp; In Acts 22 Paul has just repented and believed and Ananias has laid hands on him and prayed for him, after receiving the Holy Spirit and healing for his blindness Ananias says, = "And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling = on his name.’” (Acts 22:= 16, ESV) So our baptism is also a sign and seal of the cleansing from si= n we have received in Christ.

And we should so celebrate baptism and so remember it t= hat we are freshly reminded of the wonders and blessings of being forgiven for all= our sins, past, present and future. What a blessing and what power for obedience and joy and gratitude!<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Baptism should remind us as a sign= and seal of the wonder that we are united with Christ! Chew on that for a while! We belong to him and are one with = him and will be one with him forever! The Triune God has welcomed us into the most exclusive and glorious fellowship in the universe.

This past week I played golf with some friends.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I don’t get to do this much = but love it when I can, though my golf scores don’t show much for it. Have you ever played at a really n= ice country club? You know, one of those clubs that has a membership that costs more than you make in a whole = year and shows it? Back in the 90’s I got to attend the US Open at THE Country Club in Br= ookline. It was fantastic and what a course= . But when I am at those places I al= ways feel like a second class citizen, like a member of the rabble. They are so exclusive and ritzy. I am sure those who are members fe= el very good about themselves and their position in society. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be one of those folks? Well, if you are one who is in Chri= st your baptism serves as a sign and seal that you are a member of the most ri= tzy and prestigious club in the universe, the very fellowship of the all glorio= us eternal infinitely holy Triune God. We are one with Christ who is one with the Father and the Spirit, fr= om eternity past to eternity future. That is exciting and that is glorious and baptism is an irreplaceable sign and seal to this reality for us.

3.      So let’s joyfully and obediently practice = this sacrament!

So what = are we to do with all this? How do we r= ightly respond to this truth?

3= .1.      = G= et baptized

Well, first, if you are a believer who has repented fro= m and self and placed your faith in Jesus Christ and his life, death and resurrec= tion as the only Savior from sin and Lord of life then you should get baptized as soon as possible. And your ba= ptism should occur in the context of the covenant people of God because to be in Christ is to be united with his people.&nb= sp; The usual practice in scripture is to be baptized publicly before God and his church. Baptism is to= be a public and corporate celebration and a blessing to all involved. And we plan to have a baptismal ce= lebration in late summer/early fall.

3= .2.      = I= nfant Baptism

I would = also encourage you to consider getting baptized if you were previously baptized = at a time when you did not repent and believe.&= nbsp; The scriptural example and instruction is that those professing fait= h in Jesus are to be baptized. Whi= le we respect the other Christian communities that practice infant baptism we can= not find scriptural justification for this practice and so we only baptize those who are able to profess conscious volitional faith in Christ. Also, we in good conscience can not recognize infant baptism as biblical baptism and would encourage those who = were baptized as infants to examine the scriptures and determine if they should = be baptized as those who now exercise conscious faith.

3= .3.      = C= hildren.

A questi= on that naturally arises in light of this is, “When should my children be baptized?” And that is = a good question. The bottom line is = that baptism is something a believer participates in and when our children are o= ld enough to responsibly and knowledgeably profess and demonstrate their repentance and faith in Christ they are ready to be baptized. The particular age this occurs at = is up for debate. There are many who advocate waiting till the end of the teen years. While there are benefits to waitin= g till a child is fully developed to baptize them, I believe the scriptural hints = at an age of accountability point more to the early teens or late childhood ye= ars – sometime around 12 or so.

We leave= a good bit of latitude here and rely on the careful judgsment of the parents in consultation with our leaders. It is important in all this that we reserve baptism for believers and are care= ful to not provide false assurance to our children when it is not clear yet whe= ther they truly know Christ. While= we want to do all we can to encourage them to follow the Savior, it will serve them and the church better if we are careful here. But also, if they are tr= uly ready it would be improper and even disobedient to withhold baptism from th= em. I would be glad to answer any furth= er questions you might have after the message.

3= .4.      = F= all baptism.

Well, li= ke I said, we have a wonderful opportunity to put these truths into practice in our upcoming baptismal celebration. If you are interested and believe God wants you to respond to him in this, ple= ase talk to me and/or sign up to be baptized.&= nbsp; After listening to this message and succesfully going through a short interview we will be glad to celebrate with you this precious sacrament that serves as a sign and seal of our new life in Christ! I am so looking forwar= d to this. THANK GOD……        =     Let’s pray!