Buried With Him, Raised With Him (Baptism Of The Lord, January 8, 2023)

BURIED WITH HIM, RAISED WITH HIM

Text: Romans 6:1 – 6, 13 - 14

Romans 6:1-6  What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?  (2)  By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?  (3)  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  (4)  Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  (5)  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  (6)  We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. …. Romans 6:13-14  No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.  (14)  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace (NRSV).

Our Bishop, Jonathon Holston has a brother who works with the funeral home. One time when they were in the same town, his brother sent a hearse to the Bishop’s home. People who rode by got curious and began to have questions. The Bishop called his brother to tell him that the unnecessary presence of the hearse had caused lots of questions and conversation. Couldn’t you just imagine some of those conversations and phone calls about who died? It was a joke. Nobody died but, it got everybody’s attention.

We always associate a hearse with death. What about baptism? How do we look at baptism? Doesn’t baptism represent death to an old way of life and the beginning of new life as a new creature in Christ? Paul said it did!

Why do you think this artificial turf is up here on the floor? Where have you seen turf like this before? (I actually borrowed an artificial grass (turf) used at Funerals from Shives Funeral Home and had it rolled out as the scripture was read).

SACRAMENT OR RITE?

Is baptism a rite or a sacrament?

1) Sacraments: The word sacrament is not in the Bible. The word “sacrament” comes from a Latin word “sacramentum” which meant an “oath producing an obligation” according to Webster’s Dictionary.

2) Alpha and Omega: Both baptism and the Lord’s supper are connected with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Could that be one of the reasons that Jesus says that He is the alpha and the omega----the beginning and the end” four times in the book of Revelation?

3) The difference: “The sacraments—baptism and the Lord’s Supper—are vital practices of any church that confesses that Jesus is God and Savior of the world”. https://corechristianity.com/resource-library/articles/what-is-a-sacrament/ What is the difference between a rite and a sacrament? Rites are ceremonial and the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion initiated by Jesus.

How do some people view baptism?

1) Obligation: Remember how we just mentioned that a sacrament was associated with an obligation? In his book Actions Speak Louder Than Verbs, Herb Miller mentioned a disturbing statistic from 1989. “In some European countries where only 3 percent of the population attends worship, 99 percent have been baptized.” (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989, p. 101). How does that statistic compare to our world today?

2) License to sin: He goes on to say that many view baptism “a rite” or as others say “like fire insurance” where they can break the rules and continue to sin because they have their “cosmic ticket stamped” because of their baptism.”. (Herb Miller . Actions Spek Louder then Verbs. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989, p. 101). Is their point of view true or false? It is a false point of view!

Is baptism an inoculation?

1) Inoculation: Every year people get flu shots to avoid getting the flu. In an inoculation, they introduce a pathogen or an antigen to cause one’s body to start building an immune response. An inoculation stimulates the immune system to recognize and destroy a disease causing germ. Inoculations do not have obligations!

2) Baptism: By contrast, in baptism our sins are taken from us because Jesus is the sacrificial lamb who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). That means Jesus took our sinfulness to the cross. That means we are obligated to keep producing fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8).

BAPTISM and BURIAL

“… [A] recent seminary graduate, who was appointed to his very first congregation. He and his wife went to visit his family one Saturday afternoon for lunch. This preacher's mother sensed that her daughter-in-law was not all that happy, but not wanting to be one of those nosey, meddlesome mothers-in-law, she pretended not to notice. She figured it was just a lover's spat.