Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of age.”
Richard Craig, Author at GraceAndWorks - Page 52 of 59
Baptism is such a topic of debate in the religious world. It shouldn’t be. As we look at baptism, let’s avoid all attitudes such as “I think”, “I feel”, “In my opinion”, “My grandma felt”, etc. Let’s look at what the Bible says about baptism. There’s two areas we’ll look at today.
1) Examples of baptism in the 1st century. There are so many examples of people being baptized in the New Testament. On the day of Pentecost, after Peter had delivered a convicting sermon, the crowd was cut to the heart and cried out to Peter, “Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved?” Peter responded, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:37-38) Peter ‘s response addressed how and why to be saved. We’re 1) Baptized in the name of Jesus and 2) for the remission of sins.
Some of the other examples of baptism in the New Testament include: 1) The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:35-38), Paul (Acts 9:17-18 and Acts 22:16), Cornelius (Acts 10:47-48), Lydia (Acts 16:14-15), The Philippian Jailer (Acts 16:30-33) and Crispus (Acts 18:8).
Paul explains the importance of baptism to the Christians in Rome (Romans 6:3-4). He compares our “Death To Sin”, immersion in baptism and us being raised out of the water of baptism to a “Newness of Life”, to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
2) The Example and teaching of Jesus. Everything Jesus did was an example for us to follow. We see Jesus being baptized in Mark 1:9-11. Jesus taught of the importance of baptism 1:9-11. Jesus taught the importance of baptism in Mark 16:16 when He said, “HE WHO BELIEVES AND IS BAPTIZED WILL BE SAVED.” How can one argue with the words Jesus of Jesus?
We all have choices. We can choose to follow the words of Jesus and the examples of people being saved in the 1st Century, or, we can reject those many examples. The choice is yours, just realize that choices have consequences and this choice is for eternal salvation.
A Big Thank You goes to Bruce Eubank for writing this blog for me. Bruce is a full time teacher and coach at one of the High Schools in Las Vegas, Nv. He also fills the pulpit for the South Valley Church of Christ.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordon to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water, and behold, the Heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on Him; and lo, a voice from Heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that He is the one ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word. And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can any one forbid WATER FOR BAPTIZING these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” AND HE COMMANDED THEM TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.
Now before Faith came, we were confined under the law, kept under restraint until Faith should be revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by Faith. But now that Faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through Faith. FOR AS MANY OF YOU AS WERE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE PUT ON CHRIST. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
For Christ also died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit; in which He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. BAPTISM, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into Heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be consistent in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the Saints, practice hospitality.
Many times, as we go through life, someone or something will speak to us and we just don’t pay any attention. Thus the words and or actions fall on deaf ears.
In Jeremiah 1:4-19 God approaches Jeremiah and tells him he is going to give a speech and no one will listen. He tells Jeremiah that when he gets done the people he’s speaking to will want to kill him. God says don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you. Jeremiah, approximately 15-17 years of age, tells God he is but a youth and doesn’t know how to speak. God touched Jeremiah’s lips and puts the words in his mouth. God then says to not worry because I have given you the words to say and I will be there with you. God then tells Jeremiah that He is calling all the tribes from the North. God says they have a wickedness about them for forsaking Me, they have burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. He then tells Jeremiah to stand strong and say to them everything that I command you.
In Jeremiah 7:1-11, Jeremiah, now about 30 years of age, delivers the words God had given him. Jeremiah tells them to amend their ways and their doings, and don’t trust in deceptive words. But, BEHOLD!!, he says, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. You steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Ba’al, and go after other gods you have not known. And then you come and stand before me in this house , which is called by My name, and say, “We are delivered”–only to go on doing all these abominations. Jeremiah had delivered the words God commanded of him.
In Jeremiah 26:1-9 is the reaction of the people God’s words were delivered to by Jeremiah. The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah in the House of the Lord. And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die!” Then in verse 16 the princes and all the people said to the priest and the prophets, “This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” God said he would take care of Jeremiah and He did. The people did not see themselves in God’s message. They rationalized it away. Their gross, ugly, self deception was an abomination towards God. Yet they didn’t see it and wouldn’t change.
Faith lessons from those deceived of God: 1) Spiritual advantages can be lost quickly. 2) Lost spiritual ground can be recovered through humble repentance. Reform your ways and actions–Change your ways–Pride will fight against spiritual repentance. If your life is in a place where repentance is “Right”, then you will never be at peace until you repent. 3) False trust produces deception–Sin deceives!! The deceived believe they will NOT reap what they sow–our own desires are what produces sin. A mind led astray from pure and sincere devotion is deceived. Ultimately–Deceivers only deceive themselves!!
Jeremiah was told by God what to say–He said it–It fell on “Deaf Ears.” The people were deceived into thinking they were OK in God’s eyes. Be careful–don’t be deceived AND Don’t let God’s words fall on “Deaf Ears.”
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is ONE body and ONE spirit, just as you were called to the ONE hope that belongs to your call, ONE Lord, ONE Faith, ONE Baptism, ONE God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. But Grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to Him.” And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized and there were added that day about 3000 souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
And on the day of Pentecost the Lord’s Church was established. It has never changed and is the same today as it was then. And will be the same tomorrow. AMEN!!
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