"Baptism, a Beautiful Picture of Grace"
Introduction:
* Question: Do you have to be baptized to be saved?
Answer: No, only trusting in the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross ever saved anybody.
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* Question: Does everyone who gets saved have to be baptized?
Answer: No, you don’t have to, but remember what Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments." It is the first step of obedience to let the world know that you have decided to follow Christ.
* Question: What is the significance of baptism to the believer?
Answer: It is a picture that only the master Himself could have painted. It is a beautiful picture of grace, and that is what I would like for us to focus on this morning.
Prayer:
Read Text:
Romans 6:1-14:
1: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2: God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3: Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7: For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8: Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10: For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11: Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13: Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
You see, baptism is a beautiful picture of the grace of God bestowed upon mankind. It is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son. It symbolizes just how God’s act of love and grace on the cross has already and will continue to affect your life as a believer. Let’s look at each part of this beautiful picture, one step at a time.
I. The Death of Jesus Christ.
A. Jesus died a physical death.
Mk:15:39, And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
Lk:23:46, And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Heb:10:12: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.
B. Baptism represents our dying to the old sin nature. We are to think of ourselves as being dead to sin.
Rom. 6:
3: Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
7: For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8: Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
11: Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gal:2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
II. The Burial of Jesus Christ.
Baptism represents the burial of the old man. Going down under the water in baptism is a picture of Christ when they laid Him in the grave. His dead fleshly body was buried. We are saying that we want to bury our old sinful nature and put our sinful past behind us in order to follow Christ. We are saying that we no longer are servants of sin; instead we are now servants of righteousness through Jesus Christ.
Rom:6:
4: (First part) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death...
5: (First part) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death...
6: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
III. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Baptism represents becoming a brand new person. Coming up out of the water in baptism is a picture of the resurrection of Christ from the dead. It is one of the most powerful pictures in the Christian experience. It represents a new life and a new walk with the One who shed His own precious blood to wash away all of our sin. Just picture a fresh winter snow on the ground. That is how God sees our life that used to be stained with sin.
Rom: 6:4: (last part)... that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5: (last part)...we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
2Cor:5:17: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Gal:6:
15: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
16: And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
Conclusion: What a beautiful picture baptism is. Only the Master could paint such a masterpiece. It is the picture of the death, burial and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It is the perfect picture of love, His love for you. Let’s all turn in our Bibles together to John 3:16 and read it out loud together. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In just a few minutes, we will see this beautiful picture of love and grace painted by God’s own hand for all the world to see.
Invitation: As we stand, and as you come forward this morning if God has spoken to you about what it means to be saved. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior I invite you to come. Or if you would like to become a part of the Church Family here at Angus, please come. Whatever your need is this morning come and lay it at the foot of the cross. Let us pray before we have the hymn of invitation.
Announce the baptisms.
