Two for ONE
Introduction
A. Every so often we have the opportunity to combine baptism and the communion into the same service. We are going to do that again today. Today we get the two for one special.
Almost everyone loves the promotional … get two for one. If you could get two dinners for the price of one, you would go out to eat today. If you could buy two cars for the price of one, you would be on the lot this afternoon. The church also has a two for one special. It has two do with the two lasting ordinances Jesus gave the church to demonstrate ONENESS OF OUR FAITH IN THE WORLD’S ONE TRUE LORD.
B. There were two practices central to the early church. The church was so devoted to these two practices that they called them “sacraments”. The idea of a sacrament is that it is something ordinary, but God uses it as a vehicle for something extraordinary.
For example, Baptism uses ordinary water, but something sacred is going on in Baptism. In Communion, at the Lord’s Table, we use an ordinary piece of bread and cup of juice but it symbolizes something sacred.
C. Something ordinary becomes a window that you can look through to see something extraordinary that God is doing. These sacraments point us toward God and hold us there long enough to feel the presence of God.
At the heart of these two ordinances is the story that God is writing in the world and most importantly inside of us.
D. God is at work in the world to reconcile all things to Himself. Paul says in Colossians 1:19: “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things in earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross”.
God is doing a work of reconciliation. Why? Because sin has ruined the story. There is a gap that stands between God and me. The story of the Gospel is the God of the universe acting on behalf of the world to close the gap, forgive sin and reconcile the universe to Himself.
E. Sometimes we have a hard time grasping the reality of that work. We are hard pressed to understand the depth of the forgiveness God offers. Jesus wanted his followers to be clear on this – so He gave the early church two practices to bring clarity. These two gifts are from God and serve a unique purpose. They work in concert with each other. One proclaims that Jesus died for me and the other that Jesus lives in me.
They both are acts of association and allegiance.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper were not casual religious observances. People were baptized and received communion as public acts. They did so knowing of the possibility of long term consequences. The very act of participation would put people under a stigma in the first few centuries of the church. Initially as seen in the book of Acts, the followers of Jesus were expelled from the synagogues and sometimes chased out of town. Sometime later in the first century, people would lose their jobs and sometimes their lives. There are hints of these pressures in the books of 1 Peter and Hebrews.
F. For the next few moments, I want to clarify the meaning of these two ordinances.
Baptism is a one time event of association. Baptism is Christianity’s initiation rite. Now, it’s far more than that, as we’ll see in a moment, but it includes with it the idea that once a person admits his sin and turns to Christ for salvation, some public step has to be taken to show the world that this man or this woman is now a Christ follower.
G. When Jesus was growing up, the practice of baptism had been around for a long period of time. Although the term "baptism" is not used to describe the Jewish rituals, the purification rites (or Mikvah - ritual immersion) in Jewish laws and tradition have some similarity to baptism. In Jesus day, if a Gentile decided to become a part of the Jewish community, that conversion of faith could be expressed through the act of baptism. It was a way of saying, “this person, who has been an outsider, is now a part of the family”.
This idea that was practiced by the Jewish faith spread, and in Jesus’ day, we see it practiced in the life of John the Baptist. The reason he is called John the Baptist is because he baptized people in the Jordan River as an act of association. Here was a community of people waiting for the kingdom of God. Their solidariy was expressed in the waters of baptism. John was not a “Baptist” in the denominational sense. Jesus did not have other cousins like Simon the Methodist or Elieazar the Episcopalian. It was a way for the Israelites to say:
I want to repent. I want to be known as one who loves God. I know I need cleansing and I know that God can provide it.
Water on an ordinary level washes us clean and makes us feel fresh and new again. Baptism takes and adds the symbolism of cleansing and newness spiritually. THAT IS PART OF THE IMAGERY OF WATER.
The other part of the imagery has to do with death, burial and resurrection. We are born from the waters of the womb and something about a pool draws us to plunge back into it and cover ourselves. But if we stay under for too long, it means death. Coming up to the surface and breathing again is like being reborn.
H. The word "baptism" itself suggests going down into, or dipping under the water. And in the New Testament, the clear implication is that people were completely immersed, which reminds the person of being thoroughly washed and cleansed, of coming out, just dripping from head to toe, a whole new person just washed from head to toe.
The word "baptize" comes from the Greek word "baptidzo" which means "to dip, to plunge under, to submerge". Water baptism by immersion serves as a public pantomime of an inward reality. Paul says in Romans 6:4 "we were buried with Christ by baptism into death in order that we might rise to walk in the newness of life". Paul speaks here of the Spirit’s baptism at the moment of salvation. Water baptism tells of the spiritual change that has taken place in the life of the one who has believed. That spiritual change is two-fold: 1. Death to the old life in Adam (as illustrated by the burial in the water). 2. Resurrection to new life in Christ (as illustrated by the rising out of the water). It is an acted out statement of spiritual and positional realities. Baptism by immersion pictures the spiritual death, burial and resurrection with Jesus Christ of those who have trusted Him as their personal Savior.
Part of what is remarkable is that Jesus Himself was baptized as an expression of His solidarity with the human race. He commanded his followers to do the same. His final command in the Gospel of Matthew is to “go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).
Sometimes people will ask – how much water does it take when you get baptized? There are many different traditions. Some churches sprinkle, other will pour and others will immerse. There are differences of thought here, but the most important point is that they are all acts of association with Christ.
Sometimes people will ask – is baptism a guarantee of getting into heaven when I die? The answer is simple. NO. The offer of forgiveness and new life in this world and forever is given by the grace of God on the basis of faith alone (see Ephesians 2:8-9). We receive it by trusting in the finished work of Christ. We have to respond by faith not by baptism.
Baptism is critically important because it publicizes your faith. If you are a follower of Jesus and have never been baptized, it is a great moment in your spiritual journey. It is a moment of celebration. It celebrates in front of brothers and sister the fact that you belong to the family of God.
I. The other ordinance of the church is the Lord’s Supper. This sacrament is observed as the central act of remembering the Lord’s love as displayed on the cross.
When Jesus gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room, he celebrated the Passover with them. This meal had its roots in the great deliverance of God when the Israelites were delivered from Egypt.
In the course of the meal, Jesus took a piece of bread and broke it and said “this is my body broken for you”. Then he took the cup and said, “this is the cup of the new covenant in my blood which has been poured out for you” (c.f. Luke 22:7-19).
The early church took this an opportunity to celebrate the new Passover God was providing in His Son. Communion celebrates what God is doing in Christ. It is also an act of remembering.
There is a lot about remembering in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God would call on the people to build altars out of stone so they would remember. They would tie the Law on a string and bind it to their fingers and put it on their doorposts. They were to remember the importance of the Torah. God gives us an act of remembrance so we will never forget the One who fulfilled the demands of the Law and became the perfect, final sacrifice for sin.
Communion becomes a communal act of remembrance and renewal. It is done on a regular basis. It only has real significance for those who have become follower of Christ. Otherwise it would be an act of remembering something that has yet to be experienced.
Conclusion
A. Baptism is a one time act that shows the world that your have chosen to follow Christ. Communion is an ongoing ordinance to remember the grace of God given in Christ.
B. These two ordinances form a very special opportunity for anyone who wants to follow Christ, remember His grace and make it known to the watching world.
