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THE IMPORTANCE OF BAPTISM
(WATER AND SPIRIT)
Matthew 3: 13-17
13Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Arguably, one of the most important, yet controversial doctrines in Christianity today is the doctrine of baptism. In our study, we will search the Word of God that we may more fully understand both the purpose and necessity of baptism. One of the great tragedies of the church is that we do things devoid of teaching. We hear statements like; It's a commandment, just do it in obedience. While God does indeed honor even blind obedience, it is His will for us to have wisdom and understanding concerning the truths of salvation. The Bible says in Proverbs 4: 7;
“Wisdom is the principle thing, therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
If we do not have an understanding of what transpires in us through baptism, (both water and spirit) it loses much of its significance in our lives.
The passage in our initial text portrays one of the most important and powerful moments of the New Testament. With his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, the ministry of Jesus is being launched.
It is important to note Jesus comes to be baptized and begin his ministry at age 30, not age 12. At age 12, Jesus may know about the Father's business, but it will only be at his baptism at age 30, that he is anointed to fulfill it. It is from this time forward that Jesus becomes known as “Jesus, the Christ.” While I am not against baptism at younger ages, I cannot in good faith baptize someone who has not made a conscious decision and commitment to walk with Jesus Christ. In order for baptism to be effective in your life, you must be old enough to be conscious of your sin state. Baptism is an open declaration of your death to sin and of your commitment unto God.
When Jesus comes to be baptized of John, He is just a face in the crowd. The premier preacher of the day is John the Baptist. He is drawing the crowds preaching just one message; repent. John the Baptist is fully aware that he is not the Christ, but that he is sent to bear witness of the Christ. Therefore, when John sees Jesus walking by the river, he will call out, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
This passage depicts one of the few shadows of the New Testament. It is an illustrated sermon signifying the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Through his baptism by the hand of John, Jesus is showing us his death, burial and resurrection. Even the place where Jesus was baptized is not without significance. John was baptizing in the Jordan River, just a few miles from where it flows into the Dead Sea.
Verse 16 of our text tells us,
“And Jesus, when he was baptized, came up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him,”
This is extremely significant. Because of sin, the first man Adam had closed up the heavens, but the second Adam opens them up! The heavens are now open to us through the finished work of Jesus Christ. One of the powerful aspects of this passage is that all three manifestations of the Godhead are present here. There is no controversy in this passage. The Sonship (flesh) is baptized, the Spirit of God (Holy Ghost, Christos) lights upon Him, and the Father from heaven speaks. It is from this point forward that He becomes Jesus the Christ, i.e. (Y’shua the Christos).
When the Apostle Paul was writing to the Corinthian church, he compared water and spirit baptism to the exodus of Israel from Egyptian slavery. In I Corinthians 10: 1-2, he writes;
“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud and passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
They left as slaves but came through the water free. They entered the sea in servitude but came out the other side in sonship. Their past tried to chase them in but it could not chase them out. The oppression and slavery of their past was destroyed by the water. Today, we receive the same benefits through water baptism.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COVENANT
GENESIS 17: 1-12
1And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 2And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, 4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. 5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. 6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
It is important to understand that baptism is covenant between God and us. When looking to understand covenant, we must begin with the father of faith, Abraham. Anytime that you see a covenant, you will also see a covenant name; Abram-before covenant, Abraham-after covenant. We are the seed of Abraham through faith. We must understand the covenant concept of blood sacrifice. Most Christians never grasp the real meaning of covenant blood sacrifice. God's salvation plan is awesome; I call it the “Transformation of the Lamb.” When man first sins in Genesis, God calls it an animal. When Abraham is about to offer up Isaac, God calls it a lamb. Later, in Leviticus it is to be a spotless lamb. When we get to Deuteronomy, it is to be a male lamb. The book of Exodus then shows us the covering of the blood of the lamb. As we read the book of Isaiah, we come to understand that the lamb is a man, and in the Gospels, we see that the man is Christ. John the Baptist understood this concept perfectly. That is why he can look up from the muddy Jordan River and say,
“Behold the Lamb of God, Which taketh away the sins of the world.”
We must understand that you cannot have a covenant without a cost! God had to pay a price, so do we! Deuteronomy 10:16, tells us;
"Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked."
God did not circumcise Abraham. Abraham had to circumcise himself. Don't look to God to circumcise your heart for you; that is something that you have to do! The problem with many so-called Christians today, is that they really don't want to circumcise their hearts. We all have little things that we don't want to cut off. It hurts us to circumcise our fleshly ways, but if we are to have power in covenant, it must be done.
EZEKIEL 44: 6-9
6And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, 7In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations. 8And ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but ye have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves. 9Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.
If you have been transformed through repentance and baptism of the water and spirit, you will be a new creature. Even Pentecostal churches today have far too many pretenders, strangers to a real covenant experience. We must heed the warnings of Ezekiel. No Stranger; no matter how talented, no matter how much tithes they pay, no matter how well they can sing, no matter how much property that they gave the church, must be allowed to pollute the house of God. We have people in churches today, flirting around, having affairs, gay and lesbian lovers, twitching in the choir, winking in the pews. NO!! NO!! God's house must have standards.
We must come to understand the importance of covenant names. You don't get into covenant through baptism because you're Baptist, Methodist, Charismatic, or Pentecostal. You enter into covenant by going through the name. There is no contradiction or controversy between Matthew 28:19, and Acts 2:38.
MATTHEW 28: 19
19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
ACTS 2: 38
38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 28:19 merely describes what Acts 2:38 explains. “Repent, (die out to sin) and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (remitting, cutting away, removing of flesh) and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” In other words, bury that old dead man, leave him in the water, cut it off. Only then can you arise to walk in the newness of life.
We must understand the importance of a covenant name in water baptism. What we are facing in the world today is many times coming right from the gates of hell. Were not just baptizing (burying) gossipers, liars, mild sinners, but people who were satanic worshippers, witches, warlocks, users of black magic, white magic, burning candles, using ouiji boards, calling 900 numbers. Yes, it's in our neighborhoods and even in some of our churches. When you bury them in baptism, Satan wants to know by whose authority do I have to let these people go. That is why we must boldly say, "In The Name Of The Lord Jesus Christ" (Yahweh Y’shua Christos) it's dead and it's buried and Satan, and you cannot resurrect it!!
THE PROGRESSION OF COVENANT
COL. 2: 11-12
11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
ROMANS 6: 3-5
3Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore 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. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
We must understand the progression of covenant that takes place between the Old and New Testaments. The entire Epistle of Hebrews is a book about better things. It is through the progression of covenant that we can come to an understanding of substitution and identification. Compare the progressions on the chart below.
OLD TESTAMENT/ NEW TESTAMENT
Tabernacle made with hands/ Tabernacle not made with hands
Blood of bulls and goats/ The blood of Jesus Christ
Literal circumcision - a part/ Now put off the whole body-
of your flesh/ Circumcision of the heart
A veil of fine-twined linen/ The bleeding flesh of Jesus
The Scapegoat/ The Lamb of God
If we ever fully grasp the significance of water and spirit baptism and its relationship with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our salvation will never be the same. We must cast aside tradition and recognize the urgency to truly apply this covenant in our lives.
Look at verse 12. “Buried (not sprinkled, not poured) with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God.” Romans 6:3-5 explains the “like-as” principle of the believer to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should arise to walk in the newness of life. If we identify with his death we should also identify with his resurrection. May God put his blessing upon us as we strive to bring ourselves into His perfect will instead of being content to stay in His permissive will.
THE TRANSITIONED CHRIST
(WALKING IN RESURRECTION POWER)
Scripture Text:
Romans 6: 3-5
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 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 the 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.
In our earlier study on the importance of baptism, we came to understand the significance of covenant as well as the progression of covenant that takes place between the Old and New Testaments. In short, the purpose of our last lesson was to teach us what is necessary for us to enter into covenant power. The purpose of today's lesson is to teach us the power of the transitioned Christ, in order that we may learn to walk in covenant power, i.e. resurrection power.
One cannot come into an understanding of the transitioned Christ without having at least a fundamental grasp of the Godhead. A different interpretation of the Godhead becomes the main reason that many churches cannot worship together. Many believers remain confused on this subject. Well, if it is of any consolation to us, during the time of Jesus' ministry before his crucifixion, some of his disciples were as well. Let us examine John 14: 4-10:
4. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5. Thomas said unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 10. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
To arrive at a fundamental understanding of the Godhead, let us look at the substance the God created the most of on our planet; water. As God is one, yet manifested through Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, so is water one molecular structure, H2O, yet manifested as liquid, solid, and vapor. Let us now examine the words of Jesus in John 14: 7-10, using this “water” analogy.
If ye had known me (the ice), ye should have known my Father (the water) also: and from henceforth ye know him (the water), and have seen him (the water). 8. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father (the water), and it sufficeth us. 9. Jesus saith unto him, Have I (the ice) been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me (the ice), Philip? He that hath seen me (the ice) hath seen the Father (the water); and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father (the water)? 10. Believest thou not that I (the ice) am in the Father (the water), and the Father (the water) in me (the ice)? The words that I (the ice) speak unto you I (the ice) speak not of myself but the Father (the water) that dwelleth in me (the ice), he (the water) doeth the works.
GOING THROUGH THE TRANSITION
When it was time for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, the angel simply said, "Thou shall call his name Jesus." It will only be after his baptism at age 30, and the beginning of his ministry that he becomes known as Jesus, the Christ. By seeing how Jesus is referenced in the Four Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles, we notice an interesting pattern. In the Four Gospels, the name, Jesus, is referred to over 500 times. However the terms "in Christ, or through Christ" are not mentioned at all. Neither is the term "Lord Jesus Christ."
When we look at the books of Acts, and the Epistles we notice something remarkably different. The term, "Lord Jesus Christ" is used 81 times, and the term "in Christ, or through Christ" is also used 81 times. Why would there be such a remarkable difference between the Four Gospels and the books of Acts, and the Epistles? The answer is really quite simple. The Four Gospels reveal the work of Jesus through his earthly ministry and crucifixion. On the other hand, the book of Acts, and the Epistles, reveal the power of the resurrected Christ and His relationship to the church. On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter explained this transition, and it shook the foundation of those who heard his words. Look at their response to this revelation from his message on the day of Pentecost, found in Acts 2: 36-37:
36. "Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly, the God hath made that same Jesus, (Y’shua) whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ (Yahweh and Christos). 37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
We will never walk in the power of His resurrection until we learn to take on the mind of Christ. When the great Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he said the following in Romans 12:2:
"And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Later, when the Apostle Paul is writing to the church at Philippi, he will pen the following in Philippians, chapter two, beginning with verse 5:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
The power of true covenant relationship with God is awesome. If we have been baptized (buried) through the water into this covenant, taken on the covenant name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and have arose to walk in the newness of life through the infilling of the Holy Ghost, then we too, should become transformed. We need to be using the authority that comes as a result of this covenant relationship.
God cannot lie; His word tells us, in Philippians 2: 10-11,
10. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When you are sitting in the doctor’s office and he gives you a death pronouncement because of inoperable cancer, you need to be able to speak to that affliction from the earth realm and command it through the name of Jesus, to yield and to bow down!! When the demons of hell come against you or your family to destroy them, it is with authority through the name of Jesus that you must command them to yield and to bow down!!
(I Cor. 1: 1-2);
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of our God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2. Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.
(Phil. 3: 10)
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.
As we come to the conclusion of this study, may we recognize the importance of covenant name, relationship, and responsibility. We are to be sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints for the glory of God!!
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