Last Sunday, we talked about wedding ceremonies. We talked about how they differ from country to country and from culture to culture.
We spent a considerable amount of time talking specifically about one type of a wedding ceremony that was practiced during Jesus day, among the Jewish people.
And in talking about that type of ceremony, we saw through the scriptures, how that same ceremony paints a beautiful picture of the wedding between Jesus Christ and his church.
And in that picture we saw how each member of the Church has been a participant in that type of a wedding ceremony.
We also noticed that the Church is in waiting. Waiting for the bridegroom to complete all the necessary preparations, so that those who are in the church can spend eternity with the one who loves her most, Jesus Christ.
And we saw that when that day arrives, the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, the trumpet of God shall sound and there will be great rejoicing in the fact that, we who loved his appearing will be forever with him.
So, what we talked about last week was the union between Christ and His Church. We talked about the church as a whole, and how it, as a whole, belongs to God, because of what his son was willing to pay for her.
And I hope that you keep that in mind as we continue on with today’s lesson, because that was only part of the picture, that I will be presenting to you this morning.
Today, I would like to continue talking about a wedding ceremony. But this time, rather than looking at wedding ceremonies of different countries and cultures.
I would like to use our American wedding ceremony, as an analogy of how people come into and become a part of the Bride of Christ.
To begin with, I would like to start out by asking of you, two questions.
#1 is this: “Have you ever pledged your love, your commitment, your devotion and your faithfulness to Jesus Christ?”
#2 question is this: “By what specific act, did you use to show your love, your commitment, your devotion and your faithfulness to Christ?”
The answer is:
“Through the Act of baptism.”
It is in and through the Act of baptism that we pledge our love and commitment and faithfulness to Christ, as a bride aught to do toward the one she belongs to and vis-a-vers.
So this morning, I would like to compare our American Wedding Ceremony with the act of baptism, as an illustration of how we enter into an everlasting covenant with Christ.
Let us review some aspects of an American Wedding Ceremony.
(Many types of Ceremonies today - But talking about the traditional one here)
First of all, almost every couple that has come to me for pre-marital counseling, believes that marriage is a life-long commitment - one man for one woman, for life.
That is an accurate picture of what marriage is to be, from the beginning marriage was always intended to be a life-long commitment.
In (Matt.19) Some Pharisees came to test Jesus with a question and so they asked him; Is it lawful for a man to diverce his wife for any and every reason?
Aand then in Verse 8 he responds to that by saying to them; Moses permited you to diverce your wives because your hearts were heard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
And so we see that from the beginning to this very day, marriage was and is intended to be a life-long commitment.
Next, we know that in every marriage there is a best man.
Traditionally, it was the responsibility of the best man to take care of the little details, as far as the groom was concerned.
For instance, it was the best man who was to arrange for the bachelor party. It is the best man who is to pay the preacher for services rendered.
It is the best man who holds the rings, until the exchange of vows are made.
It is the best man who was to chauffeur the bride and groom as they made their way to the reception Hall.
Basically, it was the responsibility of the best man to ensure that all was prepared in advance for the groom to enjoy his wedding day.
Also, we know as in almost every wedding ceremony that there is none so beautiful as the bride on her wedding day, as she is adorned in a beautiful white gown, with a flowing veil, and a radiant glow about her.
Everyone there admires her beauty. She is the one person, who all in attendance, with great anticipation desire to see, they are all looking for her and at her.
And when she begins her walk down the aisle, everyone stands in honor of her.
And of course, at every wedding there is singing.
The songs which are selected have the most meaning for either the bride or the groom. These are songs that often capture the love that the couple feels for one another.
And they have selected these songs for the ceremony because they want their family and friends to also share in their love.
We know, that in a marriage ceremony there is also the exchanging of vows.
Promises made to each other , about their undying love, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, they promise to remain together, until death does separate them.
And then we know that there are the rings, which serve as a visual reminder of the promises they made to each other. A symbol of the seal that binds them together for life.
When the Vows are made and the rings exchanged and the preacher has pronounced them as husband and wife, there remains but one thing to do.
Turn, face the audience and proclaim them as a family with a new name.
And then, after the ceremony and usually during the reception is the opening of the gifts. Gifts for that occasion, which can be used to help the marriage start off on the right foot.
Now, I think that about covers our traditional American Wedding Ceremony.
And now I would like to back track and compare the act of baptism to this Ceremony to show the similarites between it and all the elements of Baptism.
As we saw last week, when a person submits to baptism, they are added to the church and therefore become a part of the body of Christ, the Church, which is His bride.
First of all, Like the act of Marriage, the act of baptism is the first step to one’s commitment to a life-long relationship with Jesus Christ.
And like the commitments made in marriage, the act of baptism, is that visual sign of our commitment to Christ, not only of our love and faithfulness to Him, but also of our time and talents and energies, as well.
And like any good marriage that starts out with two individuals committed for life to each other, in order for it to last a life time, it will take work.
And so it is with baptism, it is only the first step in our life long relationship with God through Christ. But, in order for it to be a life-long relationship, we must work, be willing to work at it.
That is why in (PHILIP.2:12) the writer says: “Therefore, my beloved friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”
So, you see, like commitments made in marriage, the act of baptism, is your commitment to Christ, until death do you part.
That is why, in (Rev.2:10) scriptures says: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
Our next point of comparison between our American wedding ceremony and the act of baptism, is with the part that the best man plays.
As I said earlier, it was the responsibility of the best man to make sure that the last minute preparations had been taken care of, so that the groom would be able to fully enjoy his wedding day, without distraction.
Well, when it comes to the act of baptism, it was John the baptizer, who did all the preparations necessary, in order that the hearts of the people would be ready for the coming of Christ.
John, in a sense, was the best man of Christ. Scripture tells us in (Mk.1:2,3) that it was He, who was sent ahead to prepare the way for Christ.
His was the voice of one calling in the desert saying: prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.”
John came preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And scripture tells us there in (Mk.1:5) “That the whole Judean country side and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him, confessing their sins.”
And so, like the role of the best man in a wedding ceremony, the act of baptism was ushered in, by one who also was sent ahead to prepare the way, for our coming to Christ.
Next, we said that in every wedding ceremony, there is a beautiful bride, a lovely lady that radiates warmth and purity.
She is the center of attention to everyone who is attendance on that day. She is clothed in a beautiful gown, that flows behind her and adds to her beauty.
And when she walks in, people gasp in awe of her, but none so much as do her futre husband.
Well, baptism is like that also. You see, when we are baptized, we too are beautifully adorned with garments of Christ’s righteousness.
(Gal.3:27) “For all of you who were baptized into Christ, have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
And like the people in a wedding ceremony, who stand in awe of the brides beauty, but none more so than the brides future husband.
So does God the father, as you are buried in the waters of baptism, He sees you clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and there is none so beautiful to Him as you are at that very moment.
And then, in almost every wedding ceremony, there is singing and the songs selected communicate the love the couple feels for each other, to all those in attendance.
And so it is with baptism, scripture tells us that the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents.
And their song also communicates to all those in the heavenlies the love that exist between Christ and the one who is baptized, as they sing: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lamb.”
And then, just as there is an exchanging of vows in every wedding ceremony, so there is in the act of baptism, as we come before him, confessing our sins.
Promising to live a life from that day forward that would be pleasing to him.
And in our act of baptism, we are promising to God, that we will devote are lives to his service, and that we too will be faithful unto him until death does separate us.
And then, there are the rings. The rings in a wedding ceremony are a visual reminder of the promises made to each other on that day. They are like a seal that binds them together.
Well, in the act of baptism, we too are given a seal, which also serves as a reminder of our promises made to Christ, and that seal, is the Holy Spirit.
In (II Cor.1:21,21) Scripture says: “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He has anointed us, He has set his seal of ownership on us and put his spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
And then again in (Eph.1:13) “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”
And it is God’s Holy Spirit, which is spoken of as a seal, that is given to those who believe, at the very moment of their baptism.
Acts 2:38 tells us so with these words: “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
And then at the end of every wedding ceremony, when the promises have been made and the rings exchanged and after the groom kisses his bride, they are for the first time introduced as a family with a new name. Mr. & Mrs. So-and-So.
Well, when we are baptized, we too take on a new name, it is the name of Christ, as we are called Christians from that day forward.
In that name, like the bride who takes on the last name of her husband, we take on the first name of him to whom we belong. Christ.
And lastly, in our American wedding ceremony there is at the reception, the opening of gifts. Gifts that will help the couple make their marriage better.
At baptism, we too are given a gift, it is the gift of the Holy Spirit. And this gift, will also serve as an instrument in making our marriage to Christ better, if we will let Him.
And so there you have it, Baptism is the act in which individuals are joined to the body of Christ.
And it is an American wedding ceremony, that so beautifully portrays for us, what the act of baptism does in our relationship to Christ.
And as each of us submits to the act of baptism and are added to the body of Christ, together we become, the church, which is the bride of Christ.
So, the next time that you are at an Wedding Ceremony and as you witness each phase of that ceremony, think about your relationship with God and how each element of that ceremony symbolizes your baptism and all that it means.
If you are here this morning and you have never been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, you need to know, that there is one who loves you more, than a husband or wife or mother and father, ever can.
He is the God, who created you. He is the God, who sent his son Jesus Christ to die for you, so that you could be united with him through the act of baptism.
Baptism, it is a beautiful picture of the believers wedding ceremony
And you are invited to be a part of it. Won’t you be united with Christ?
As together we stand and together we sing
