Religious Ritual or Sacred Sacrament? Luke 3:15-22 Rev. Michael D. Halley January 10, 2016 Suffolk Christian Church Suffolk, Virginia First Sunday After the Epiphany Baptism of the Lord ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As the family was driving home from church on the Sunday their baby girl had been baptized, Mother and Father noticed that their six-year old son was sitting very quiet in the back seat of their car. What s wrong, Son? they asked. Well, he said, when the pastor baptized my sister, he said he wanted us to be raised in a Christian home, but I wanted to stay with you guys. This is the Sunday in the church calender when we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. And being that the new year has just begun, it is also a good time for each of us to look back upon our own baptism and renew our vows to live a Christian life. Three gospels record the baptism of Jesus: Matthew chapter 3, Mark chapter 1, and Luke chapter 3. All three accounts describe the ministry of John, whom we have come to call John the Baptist, who was calling the people to repent of their sins in preparation of the coming of God s Chosen One 1, Jesus. Imagine the scene for a moment. There is John, standing in the shallow part of the river. Crowds of people were around, probably forming some sort of a line, waiting for their turn to undergo baptism as a sign of their 1
Page 2 repentance and sorrow for their sin. Surely John did not take a lot of time with each candidate. Possibly he was acquainted with some of them, and if so, greeted them by name. And then, as the newly-baptized person moved on, John looked to the next candidate and there was Jesus. John knew who Jesus was and John knew that his own calling was to prepare the way for the ministry of Jesus. Matthew 3:14 records John s reaction when he saw Jesus standing before him: But John tried to deter him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? John was serious, because the Greek word translated deter can mean to utterly prohibit 2. But Jesus assured John that, yes, this was necessary. It was necessary that Jesus identify with sinners. It was necessary that Jesus portray in baptism what was going to happen to him later: his death, his burial, and his resurrection. Luke s account of Jesus baptism is just a bit strange, it seems to me, in that in the middle of the story of the baptism he tells about John getting into trouble with Herod, the Roman governor or king, as they called him. John got locked up because he called Herod out for all the evil things he had done. And then Luke goes on to describe Jesus baptism, which of course happened before John went to prison. All three accounts of Jesus baptism do agree that as he came out of the water God s Spirit came upon Jesus, descending upon him like a dove. But only Luke tells us that this happened as he was praying. In Luke s account the Spirit did not descend upon Jesus at an odd moment, but came upon him as he was in prayer, silencing the world around him so that he could more fully be in his Father s presence. This was serious business for Jesus. This was his coming out event, if you will, coming out as the Son of God. This was no mere religious ritual for Jesus, it was a sacred time, a special and meaningful act, or as we would call it, a sacrament 3.
We can forgive Luke for his sketchy details of Jesus baptism because we can read other details in Matthew s and Mark s accounts. Luke, we discover, is more concerned with what happens when the water dries 4, so to say. So what did happen next? Lots of people witnessed Jesus baptism. I am sure they were all very touched and moved by his humility and his obedience to God. But somebody else was looking on this scene of Jesus baptism. And this somebody else did not like what he saw. This somebody else goes by several names. Sometimes we call him Satan 5, sometimes the devil. Some believe he exists, others dismiss such belief as untenable in the scientific age. Whatever you might believe, Jesus immediately was attacked and tempted in those forty days spent in the wilderness. Only after he resisted Satan in the wilderness was he ready for his public ministry. And his baptism began it all, truly a sacred moment. What has your baptism meant to you? What does it mean to you right now? How has your baptism shaped your life as a Christian? Was it just a religious ritual, something everybody does, or was it more than that? Page 3 One church adopted a very clear statement of their belief about baptism. Let me read it to you: We believe that baptism is an ordinance [or command] of the Lord by which those who have repented and come to faith express their union with Christ in His death and resurrection, by being immersed in water [and some would say that sprinkling is an acceptable mode of baptism] in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is a sign of belonging to the new people of God, the true Israel, and an emblem of burial and cleansing, signifying death to the old life of unbelief, and purification from the pollution of sin. 6
Page 4 Serious business, this thing of baptism. Sacred, even. I remember my baptism. My home church, Highlawn Baptist Church 7 in Saint Albans, West Virginia, had just concluded a revival meeting. It was during that week that our pastor and the visiting evangelist came to our home and talked to this young boy -- me -- about Jesus. They asked me if I would like to follow Jesus, and I said, Yes. In proper church tradition, baptism follows a person s confession of faith in Jesus, so I, along with probably 20 or 30 other new Christians were baptized following the revival meeting. Did I understand fully what I was doing? No, not fully. Maybe not much at all. I was just a child, probably 7 or 8. But it was a beginning. And had I not affiliated with the community of faith, the body of Christ, that flicker of faith I had would no doubt have grown cold and died out. In baptism we identify with the Saviour who died, was buried, and who rose again for our salvation. It is not a magic religious ritual, it is a sacred moment, a beginning of a life of faith. In a moment I am going to invite you to renew your baptismal vows. But first let me speak to any of you who may never have gone into the waters of baptism. No matter what your age, you, too, can be baptized. You, too, can confess your faith in Jesus Christ and follow his example and be baptized. In our church we offer two modes of baptism: total immersion and sprinkling. It is preferable that baptism be done publicly, in a church service, but we can also conduct baptisms at other times. Pray about this and ask God what you should do. I invite you today to think about your baptism and how it has shaped your life in Christ. Please stand as you are able and let us all reaffirm our baptism, declaring our allegiance to the risen Christ and our continuing commitment to follow Him in all our ways:
All: I, state your name, believe in God the Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit. I accept the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity, and believe that through faith in Him we are saved from sin and its penalty. Page 5 Renouncing the world and its sinful ways, I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour, and I believe that God, for Christ s sake, has forgiven my sins and given me a new heart. Henceforth it is my intention to live a life worthy of the name Christian. I believe that the Bible is God s inspired word, and that it constitutes the only rule of faith and practice for the Christian. I believe that the church is the Body of Christ, representing the presence of our Lord in the world. I reaffirm my promise to participate in the life of the church and to support its ministries and mission by my tithes and offerings, and my personal effort and influence. I renew my baptism vows this day and ask God s help to be faithful to my calling to serve Him daily. So help me God. Amen. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. +==+==+==+==+==+==+
Page 6 Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome! 1. Chosen One is the English translation of the Hebrew Messiah and the Greek Christ. 2. The Greek word is diakolýo. From Strong s Greek Dictionary (1890), http://greeklexicon.org/lexicon/strongs/1254/. 3. The simplest definition of sacrament is a Christian rite recognized as of particular importance and significance (Wikipedia). The classic definition is an outward and visible sign of an inward grace. 4. This phrase is used by the Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad in her sermon Baptism-Shaped Life, preached on January 07, 2007, found at http://day1.org/1024-baptismshaped_life. 5. Satan is the transliteration of the Hebrew word meaning adversary. The Bible is clear that Satan (the devil) can tempt us, but not coerce us. 6. Bethlehem Baptist Church (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Elder Affirmation of Faith (Section 12.3). This is quoted in a sermon by their pastor, John Piper, What is Baptism and How Important is It?, preached on July 20, 2008, http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/what-is-baptism-and-how-important-is-it. 7. See www.highlawnbaptistchurch.org.