www.rrcholland.org Tel 06-20638762 : Sunday 24 March 2013 WATER BAPTISM PART 1 Introduction: Beloved, every moment God is always ready to move in the life each one of us. We are the one limiting God s supernatural work in our lives. God will not move in your life without your cooperation. So also the devil will not do anything in your life without your cooperation. Whoever of these divine entities you yield yourself to will, operate His supernatural power Rom 6:12-13. Your free will is something that the Lord will not violate. You may desire to see prosperity, blessing etc manifesting in your life but you won t see them if you live in disobedience to God s word which is God s law. Unbelief of people prevents God from doing what He wants to do in their lives Matt 13:58. God gave us a free choice. Even the medical doctors says that when some looses the will to live, he will die. Your personal will is very powerful and important. God desires to do great things in your life but He needs your cooperation, your belief and your will. You can t yield yourself to the devil and expect to reap the benefit of godly life which is peace, joy, health etc. Cooperate with God and you will enjoy the benefit of salvation. In our today s study, we will be teaching on the WATER BAPTISM Water baptism is one of the Christian doctrines that the church is commanded to teach, do and observe. Understanding of water baptism will have a positive effect in one s Christian journey. It is a command to be taught and obeyed. Water baptism has an important symbolism for a Christian. The command of Jesus to preach the gospel goes with the command to baptize the converts or disciples Acts 2:41 What is Water Baptism The Greek word for baptism is Baptizo. It means washing. The baptism in water is an outward symbol of the inward change. It is an outward sign of a true repentance. Baptism pictures the believer being immersed in death s dark waters { in the person of the Lord Jesus } and also it pictures the new man in Christ rising to walk in newness of life. It is a believer attending the funeral of old self. As he goes under the water, he is saying all that I was as a sinful son of Adam was put to death at the cross. As he goes up out of the water, he is saying It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me Gal 2:20. In baptism the convert confess his identification with Christ in death, burial and resurrection Eph 4:5. When people came to the light { in Christ } they need to be baptized. It is a public sign typifying what has taken place in the inward man. A believer should be baptized on the basis of his profession of faith in Christ. If someone is not bornagain and is baptized, it will not have positive effect as we saw in the case of Simon Acts 8:13. His heart was not right with God. He was poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity. The person being baptize is literally agreeing with God that he is dead in Christ to the principles of sin and death and he is now alive in Christ to God. Baptism is a volitional agreement with God about effect of the death of His Son. He willingly, gladly and with joy associate himself with the redemptive work of Calvary. Baptism is the public profession of Faith in Christ and discipleship. Every disciple of Jesus should observe the command of water baptism.
www.rrcholland.org Tel 06-20638762 : Sunday 31 March 2013 WATER BAPTISM PART 2 Introduction: Brethren, as a Christian, it is important to realize that there is battle going on everyday in the spirit realm between the forces of light and darkness. We all are caught up in this battle. God wants you to win and walk in victory. God wants you to yield to Him so that His power and blessings can be released in your life. Satan also wants you to yield to him so that destruction and death can be released in your life Jn 10:10 Matt 13:24-25. Both are willing and able to move and manifest in your life but you are the one to determine what happens. In order to gain an entrance into your life, the devil is constantly trying to snare you with hatred, worry, fear, bitterness, unforgiveness and all kind of ungodliness. Therefore, your thoughts, choices, and actions make a huge difference in your life. No matter what you do, you are either obeying God or obey the Devil. There are times in life when we are faced with difficult situation that may affect our thought and emotion. We should be careful on what we say and the choices we make in such difficult times. We should weigh the doors that are available. We shouldn t make hasty decision but should ask for God s help and direction. Our decision decides our destiny. You are a child of God and God want to lead you in every area. If you can let Him, He will walk with you in every situation and bring you to a place of victory. Life may be hard and difficult but God is there to help you to get through it and have victory in all. Victory is what God desire for you in all situations 1 Cor 15:57. In this segment of our study, we will teach Why should a believer be baptized in water Something understanding the why of doing what we do enables us to do it well. What are the reasons for water baptism? 1. It is an express command Jesus gave to His disciples Matt 28:19 Jn 14:15 Mk 16:16 2. It was one of the foundational doctrines the early church practiced Acts 2:41, 10:47-48, 1 Cor 1: 16, Acts 9:18 3. It is an outward confession of what has happened within. In baptism we give visible expression to the spiritual deliverance we ve experienced. Acts 8:35-38, 16:14-15, 19 4. It expresses our identification with Jesus Rom 6:1-11 Col 2:12 5. It is because Jesus Himself was baptized in water Matt 3:13-17 Lk 3:21 6. It is because water baptism symbolizes washing or cleansing Acts 22:16 Lk 3:3 7. It is a kind of circumcision of death and life Col 2:11-12 Rom 2: 29 8. It is a pledge of good conscience towards God 1 Pet 3:21 Heb 9:14
www.rrcholland.org Tel 06-20638762 : Sunday 14 April 2013 WATER BAPTISM PART 3 Introduction: Brethren, Christianity is not meant to be boring or passive but an active and productive lifestyle. It is something that affects your career and the environment around you. If you just go to church on sundays, drop some religious money as offering, read the Bible once a wile and obey its golden rules that does not make you an active Christian. An active Christian is one who is committed to Jesus, committed to learning from His Word and committed to obeying His teachings. When you are committed to Jesus, you become someone better Mk 1:17, 10:28-30 Acts 4:13. Let the best of you be found in anything you are involved in. Don t leave your life to chance, leave it to choice. You are a creature of choice. The instructions in the Bible are the highest instructions in all human affairs. Whatever is declared in it is superior to any circumstances on earth Jer 23:29. The instructions of the Bible are designed to bless humanity. Neglecting those instructions are the reasons for tragedies today. You are a person destined to succeed. It will take your willingness, right thinking and cooperation with God to make it happen. God s Word has more value than gold and silver. When you value it and go for it, it will give life plus silver and gold. In our teaching today, we will teach on. Who should be baptized Since baptism is one of the commands of Jesus Christ to His disciples, It is important that we follow the examples written down in the Bible. Those who were baptized in the Bible paid allegiance to Jesus. Therefore we believe that we should follow such examples. Those who are be baptized are Anyone who has made Jesus His Lord Mk 16:16 Acts 2:41; 8:12 Churchgoers but not yet been baptized by immersion Acts 9:18, 8:36-38 Not infants but one understands from the why of being baptized A believer should be baptized after his conversion Acts 8:36, 9:18, 16:33 How baptism should be done In most examples we saw in the Bible, baptism have been by immersion and not by sprinkling of water as some do. Baptism should be By Immersion. As Christ died for sin, so he is dying symbolically to sin during baptism. As he goes into the water and is completely immersed, the burial of the old sinful nature is symbolized. This nature is left under the water and the person is then symbolically raised up to new life in Christ. He is declaring that he will live for Jesus as His disciple Gal 2:12, 20 Jn 3:23 Rom 6:4 Acts 8:38, 39 It should be conducted by a minister of God Jn 4:2 Jn 3:22 Acts 8:36-38 In the name of the Lord: Matt 28:19 Acts 2:38, 8:12, 16, 19:5, 10:48 On the bases of believer s profession of faith in Christ Acts 9:18, 16:15 It should be voluntary and not by compulsion Lk 3:12 Acts 2:41
De Krullevaar Gebouw, Bentelostraat 313, 2545 RD Den Haag www.rrcholland.org Tel 06-20638762 : Sunday 19 May 2013 WATER BAPTISM PART 4 Introduction: Beloved, It is true that some Christians do not know what is rightfully theirs. Some think that God is happy in their bad situation. Some believe that poverty, sickness, sadness, failure, bad habit and immoral life are accepted in God s kingdom Rom 14:17. Life in the kingdom is a higher life. We are expected to live a righteous and holy life. You are called to live Christ-like life; life filled with purpose, faith, joy, happiness, love and goodness. If man is to be blessed, it must be by the grace of God. Grace is the principle upon which God justifies; faith is the means by which man receives it. Faith is our human response to God s grace. We have been given power and authority to live a higher life in Christ Jesus. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, God gives life and more abundantly John 10:10. If something is life and good, it is God. But if something is bad, it is the devil. Good things come from God and bad things come from the devil Jam 1:17. You must demand Satan to quit, stealing, killing and destroying the blessings that are rightfully yours. In the natural realm, if someone stole something of yours, you have the right to press charges. You could demand for that person to be picked up by the police and prosecuted. If they are found guilty, some kind of punishment or prison, retribution or reimbursement, could be assessed. However, it is all dependent upon the person who was wronged exercising their rights and pressing charges. You have to take your authority and say, I m going to receive what s rightfully mine. It is the same in the spiritual realm. Just like every other believer, you have God-given rights and privileges. He has established His will for you, but it s up to you to claim what God has done for you. You have to take your authority and enforce what have been made for your benefit. Ignorance of the spiritual laws will keep you from pressing charges. It will prevent you from keeping Satan out of the picture. You must not allow the devil to take away what belongs to you Eph 4:27. In this segment of our study; we will conclude our lesson with Some of the result of water baptism Water baptism is not a means to salvation but what we do after salvation as a public declaration of our union with Christ. Some of the effects are as follows 1. It gives confidence, good conscience and solidarity that one belongs to Christ. 2. It speaks to a person that his sins are washed away as water washes dirt. 3. It is a sign of one s participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. 4. It gives a believer courage and responsibility to walk in newness of life. 5. It publicly identifies a believer as a member of the body of Christ with its rights, privileges and responsibilities Central Truth: Rom 6:4 because we are buried with Christ in baptism; we are risen with Him and can and should walk in the newness of life.
. We should know that God is a law abiding God. He never violet His Law. His Word is His law. Jesus came to fulfil those laws man could not fulfill. We could not obtain righteousness by law because the law demands total fulfillment. The law was meant to show men what hopeless sinners they were so they would cry out to God to save them by His grace. The law demonstrated the unworthiness of man to receive free and unconditional blessing. If man is to be blessed, it must be by the grace of God. The law was given as a temporary measure until the coming of Christ. We fulfil God s law by placing our faith in the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is by this faith in Christ that we receive the power to obey God. Grace is the principle upon which God justifies; faith is the means by which man receives it. Faith is our human response to God s grace. As we now places our faith in Christ, we are justified to enforce the laws of God. We act as place officers who do their duty is to enforce the law of the land.