Sermon Notes July 12, 2015 You Asked for It: Why Should I Be Baptized? Big Idea: Application:
Discussion Questions Have you seen someone baptized? What do you remember? Why was John the Baptist baptizing? Why did Jesus want to get baptized? Why does baptism cause such trouble for people in other parts of the world? Who are we identifying with through baptism? How does this happen? Bible Reading Plan 2014-15 Chronological 2-Year Reading Plan: Week 80 Monday Mark 8; Luke 9:18-27 Psalm 106:10-22 Tuesday Matthew 17; Mark 9 Psalm 106:23-33 Wednesday Luke 9:28-62 Psalm 106:34-48 Thursday Matthew 18 Psalm 107:1-7 Friday John 7:1-8:11 Psalm 107:8-19
Monday The Costs And when Jesus was baptized Matthew 3:16 Some present conversations are formed by past experiences. Our ideas and opinions may be spoken in the moment, but they are shaped across the decades. What we believe is largely determined by what we have seen. Baptism is one of those topics. When the word is mentioned, we immediately view it through the lens of our upbringing and the traditions of our pasts. Sadly, this beautiful act has been the source of some ugly disagreements. What was meant to unite us in Christ has divided us along unyielding lines. Because our culture often views baptism as a topic for debate, we completely miss the gravity of the decision. Baptism is our obedience to the commands of Christ and our identification with His mission. In our context, this obedience and identification cost us nothing more than a set of wet clothes and a moment outside our comfort zones. But in many parts of the world, this act of obedience identifies believers for persecution and even death. When Ali was seventeen-years-old, he converted from Islam and surrendered his life to Christ. In many Muslim countries, anyone who turns their back on Allah is considered an apostate and marked for death according to sharia law. When news of his conversion reached his neighbors in Pakistan, Ali was stabbed in the chest and left for dead. Ali escaped death that day and fled to England, but even moving thousands of miles away did not shield him from the cost of his new faith. His assailants tracked him down and threatened to finish the job if he did not deny Christ. A seemingly random encounter with an Anglican priest offered Ali some hope. He was matched up with a Christian family who wanted to provide refuge for converts from Islam. I can t tell you where I live not the town, not even which part of the country, Ali said. Now my life s ambition is to return and start a charity that would provide safe houses for Muslims who convert to Christianity. When we witness the costs paid by Ali (for his protection, we can't even use his real name) and the millions of converts like him, how can we refuse to obey and identify with Christ as He commanded? Read Matthew 3:13-17 and 28:18-20. Have you surrendered your life to Jesus as Lord and Savior? If so, have you been baptized? If you haven't, in what way are the costs too high for you?
Tuesday Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation? Repent and be baptized every one of you Acts 2:38 In the first recorded sermon after Jesus returned to heaven, Simon Peter stood before the multitudes in Jerusalem and firmly asserted, "Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. (Read Acts 2:36-39) The people were convicted by what they heard and asked, "What shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The people responded to Peter's invitation and about three thousand people were baptized that day. The Lord created this amazing and beautiful moment at the dawn of the Church, but the phrase "for the forgiveness of your sins" in verse 38 has caused more than a few ugly disagreements over the question: Is baptism necessary for salvation? In response to this same question, John Macarthur wrote: First, it is quite clear from such passages as Acts 15 and Romans 4 that no external act is necessary for salvation. Salvation is by divine grace through faith alone (Romans 3:22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 4:5; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 3:9, etc.). If water baptism were necessary for salvation, we would expect to find it stressed whenever the gospel is presented in Scripture. That is not the case, however. Peter mentioned baptism in his sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38). However, in his sermon from Solomon's portico in the Temple (Acts 3:12-26), Peter makes no reference to baptism, but links forgiveness of sin to repentance (3:19). If baptism is necessary for the forgiveness of sin, why didn't Peter say so in Acts 3? Paul never made water baptism any part of his gospel presentations. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul gives a concise summary of the gospel message he preached. There is no mention of baptism. In1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul states that "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel," thus clearly differentiating the gospel from baptism. Those passages are difficult to understand if water baptism is necessary for salvation. If baptism were part of the gospel itself, necessary for salvation, what good would it have done Paul to preach the gospel, but not baptize? No one would have been saved. Paul clearly understood water baptism to be separate from the gospel, and hence in no way efficacious for salvation. We are saved by grace through faith. It is not a result of works, not even the work of baptism. (Eph. 2:8-9) Baptism is merely a grateful and obedient response to the salvation we can have through Christ. It is not a prerequisite to receiving Him.
Wednesday Seven Reasons Why I Need to Go to Church Why should I go to church? This is not just a question someone submitted for our sermon series. It is a question most of us have asked at one point or another, usually in the early hours of a rainy Sunday morning. So while I am in the full light of a cloudless day, here are seven reasons why I know I need to go to church: 1. I need reminders. I have an uncanny ability to remember things. The problem is my ability to remember is limited to Jeopardy questions, movie quotes and song lyrics from the 80's. I have repeatedly failed to remember three items when my wife asks me to stop at the store. I always ask her to text me a reminder. On any given Sunday, I am going to be reminded of God's power, His love, and His plan for my life. I know my limitations, and I don't ever want to forget that I need reminders. 2. I need other people. I'm not strong enough to go it alone. In fact, I was never meant to be. You and I are constructed for community. Along with food, water and shelter, human interaction is one of our most basic needs. Beyond that, it is one of our most vital spiritual needs. Proverbs 27:17 says, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." If I try and go it alone, I will live a very dull life. 3. There are people who need me. Jesus did not call any of us to solitary lives. Just as I need people to lift me up and hold me accountable, God has called me to do the same for others. Therefore, we are called "to encourage one another and build one another up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). If I withdraw from the church, how will I effectively fulfill this role? 4. There is so much to celebrate. I would never forget my sons' birthdays. Their presence in my life has given me so much to celebrate. How much more do I have to rejoice in the life, death and resurrection of my Savior? The Sabbath of rest has become the Sunday of celebration. 5. My life needs leaders. God designed a system of accountability for the protection and growth of His flock. I am told to "respect whose who are over you in the Lord" (1 Thess. 5:12) and "obey and submit" to those who "are keeping watch over [our] souls." (Heb. 13:17) God's plan for my life is for me to follow His chosen leaders. I can't do that if I am not an active partner of a local church. 6. I am charged to go. Hebrews 10:24 25 says "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." These verses don't leave me any wiggle room. The Day when Jesus will return is drawing closer. I do not want to neglect the very thing He gave me to encourage, sharpen and sustain me until the time of His appearing. 7. I want to follow Jesus's example. Even the Son of God went to "church" on a regular basis. There are numerous accounts of Him attending the synagogue in town after town during their weekly services. At the end of the day, I am called to be like Him. If He thought it was important, who am I to argue, let alone roll over and go back to sleep?
Thursday Why Should I Be a Church Member? Response from Pastor Ed Stetzer Bring up church membership and watch people squirm. It isn t that people in culture are against membership as an idea Costco seems to be doing well. Perhaps it is because church membership is not often defined well The reality is we have often thought of membership like belonging to a select club, or like the old American Express commercial where membership has its privileges. That is not the way the Bible refers to membership. In fact, in 1 Corinthians Paul doesn t say the church is like a body. He says the church is a body. The phrase he uses to describe the individual connectedness is we are members of the body. Why then do we have membership? Because regardless of how the culture sees it or Christians misunderstand it, membership is not simply an opportunity to say, I m a part of a club, but rather a scriptural expression of covenant connectedness to a church. There are three things that help us understand why church membership is biblical and important. 1. Membership Reflects What the Church Is. First, membership is a reflection of the organic community already existing in the body. Paul says we are a body. Can one part say to the other, I m not part of you? No, it is already a part. But too often we live as if we are separated. As a matter of fact, too many churches or Christian gatherings look like piles of dismembered body parts, not a body knit together as God s agent, his body, his kingdom, at work in the world. To reject the value of membership is to deny what God has already established in fact. 2. The Bible Teaches Covenant Community. We find in Paul s letters to the church at Corinth that they were putting people out of the body. So Scripture teaches that we can be a part of the body, and we can be apart from the body. It is difficult to get around Scripture when it talks about being brought into the body and also being put out of it. And yet for most churches there s no way to put somebody out because they re not even in. While there seems to be flexibility according to various bodies, there is no such thing in the New Testament as a church without some recognition of belonging of membership in community. People need membership commitment because they need to be connected to a Christian community. 3. People Need Church Membership. Finally, we recognize biblical membership matters because people need it. People need membership commitment because they need to be connected to a Christian community. This is not just for the sake of the faith community, but also for the sake of the individual. Individualist Christianity is a myth and a damaging pursuit. At the end of the day we re redeemed. We re placed in the body. The Bible specifically says he has redeemed us. He has transferred us, Colossians 1 says, from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the Son he loves. A kingdom has a king. The king has subjects and his kingdom has a community together where we function as God s people.
Friday How Can I Get Involved? For we are his workmanship Ephesians 2:10 As we wrap up our week-long discussion of baptism, I want to conclude with one of its implications. When we are baptized, we proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and identify ourselves with His name and His mission. If anyone loves Christ and surrenders his life to Him, he is joined to Christ. Jesus even said He and His Father would "come to him and make our home with him." If we are in Christ, we have been invited into His family, but this invitation was not to come and be a spectator. We have been inducted into the family business of knowing God and making Him known. Virtually every aspect of our church is made possible through the obedient and generous help of volunteers. From teaching classes and leading worship to greeting guests and sharing Jesus with our children, we are blessed with amazing partners in ministry. They come each Sunday, and even every day in between, to share Christ's love with our church, our community and beyond. We are blessed to have them, BUT we need many, many more. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul wrote, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." If you are on the sidelines at our church, you are not only missing out on a great blessing; you are also neglecting one of the reasons you were saved. You were born again to do the good works God created you to do. You are His workmanship, and the tools He created should never collect dust. So if you are tired of sitting on the sidelines, here are some ways you can get involved: Join a Bible Study We have several ongoing Sunday morning Bible studies that met at 9:15 and 10:45. Some of them study verse by verse through the Bible. Others use sermon-based questions to discuss how we can apply the truths from each week's passage. Take a first step by visiting one, and then don't stop until you find a home. Host a Small Group Growth happens better in circles than in rows. If the Lord is leading you to host a Bible study in your home, please contact Pastor Kel for more information. (kcunard@fbcpalmetto.com) Serve in the church We have immediate needs for help on the greeting team, parking lot team, in the preschool and children's ministry. Please contact Mackenzie Ridenour if you would like more information about helping in one of these areas. (mridenour@fbcpalmetto.com)
Weekend Why Should I Believe the Bible? For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction Romans 15:4 Since the invention of the printing press, more than six billion copies of the Bible have been printed. Portions of it are 4,000 years old, and yet New Yorker magazine said it "is the best-selling book of the year, every year." In whole or in part, it has been translated into over 2,400 languages, and at least some of it has been translated into 90% of the languages spoken on earth. It has been banned by governments, burned by religious leaders and incessantly attacked by critics. No other book in history has faced greater hostility, but it has survived. And yet, none of these are reasons we should believe the Bible. These figures might highlight its economic impact. They might explain its pervasive influence on history. They might even convince some people to read it. However, the reason the Bible is worthy of our trust goes beyond all facts and figures. Read Romans 15:4 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and join us this weekend as we confront the question on the hearts of millions around the world: Why should I believe the Bible? Prepare for Worship As you prepare your heart for worship on Sunday morning read Psalm 65 and remember all the ways the Lord provides for your needs. Pray for the World: Iran Iran is situated between the Caspian Sea to the north and the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to the south. The Islamic Republic's population is dominated by Muslims, and less than one percent of the people are Evangelical Christians. According to the state, only Armenians and Assyrians can be Christian ethnic Persians are by definition Muslim, and therefore ethnic Persian Christians are by definition apostates. This makes almost all Christian activity illegal, especially when it occurs in Persian languages from evangelism to Bible training to publishing Scripture and Christian books. Yet the regime s harsh treatment of Christians only further fuels the flames of church growth. Pray that the body of Christ might continue to multiply and mature despite persecution. Also pray for Christians around the world to seize unprecedented opportunities to infiltrate Iran with the Gospel via the Internet, TV and media. (operationworld.org)