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The One Baptism
A goal for 2011 was to read and study good books, especially
those written by faithful Christians. One I mentioned was
Voyage of Faith by
Frank Chesslr. It was published in 2010 and I intended to bring two
lessons from it.
Body:
I. Man’s Most
Basic Problem
- Economic crisis – This is very real and very serious. It has
affected countless numbers of people.
- World hunger – Millions face death due to a lack of food.
- Nuclear war – There are stockpiles of nuclear weapons. What
about terrorist groups?
- Overpopulation
- Environmental damage
None of these are man’s most basic problem.
Isaiah, the prophet of God, reveals man’s most serious problem.
Isaiah 59:1-2,
Isaiah 53:5-6
- Sin separates us from God. This has the most long-lasting
result. Sin has consequences. Sin has brought horrible
tragedies upon the world. A drunk driver kills an innocent
young child or a doctor rips and cuts the unborn infant out of
the mother’s womb.
- Sin’s antidote is divine blood. Baptism is the culminating
act of gospel obedience that enables man to reach the blood of
Christ. Baptism is faith acknowledging the sovereignty of God.
Matthew 26-28
- Sovereignty denotes power – immeasurable power. It
signifies authority – absolute and unlimited. The Bible opens
with a demonstration of His sovereignty with the creation of the
world.
Psalms 115:3 “. . . He does all that He pleases.”
I Chronicles 29:11,
Daniel 4:34-35
II. Divine
Sovereignty and Law
- In spiritual matters, God possesses exclusive rights to
legislation. That right is based upon who He is. It is God’s
right to command and man’s responsibility to obey.
- When man attempts to legislate in spiritual and moral
matters, he has entered a realm where only God belongs. When
man opens marriage to those of the same gender, when man grants
doctors the right to open wombs with instruments of death, he is
seeking to dethrone God and make himself king.
III. Divine
Sovereignty and Faith
- Every Biblical example of obedience is man’s faith
acknowledging the sovereignty of God. Biblical faith is based
upon, “God said.” “So then, faith comes by hearing.”
Romans 10:17
- The voice of the sovereign God instructed Cain and Abel on
the mode of approaching Him in worship. Abel offered his
sacrifice “by faith.”
Hebrews 11:4
Abel understood God had every right to tell him what to do. God
was the creator. Abel was the created. Biblical faith does not
question God, argue with God, or insist on having its own way. It
listens to sovereign God and obeys.
Romans 9:20
IV. Divine
Sovereignty and Rebellion
- Every example of disobedience in Biblical record is man
refusing to walk by faith and raising a fist of rebellion in the
face of God’s sovereignty.
- Cain heard the same divine voice Abel heard. But Cain did
not believe God had the right to tell him what to do and hold
him accountable if he failed to do it. John records that Cain’s
works were evil. Cain’s problem was a lack of reverence for the
sovereignty of God.
I John 3:12
V. Divine
Sovereignty and Baptism
- What is baptism? Is it a command of God or an ultimatum of
man? Jesus asked this question to certain Jewish rulers.
Matthew 21:23-27
- Did not Jesus say in
Mark 16:16, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,
but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Is someone
submitting to God when he puts
John 3:16 against
Mark 16:16.
- Who put water in the new birth? God joined water and
salvation – entering the kingdom of heaven. What does it reveal
about one’s heart when they reject Christ’s authority?
John 3:5
- Did not the Holy Spirit promise forgiveness of sins to those
who repented and were baptized on Pentecost?
Acts 2:38
- Does man have the right to put asunder or separate what God
has joined together? What is man doing when he believes and is
baptized? He is acknowledging his sins and his need of God’s
grace and blood.
- What is a believer doing when he repents and is baptized for
the remission of sins? He is submitting to God’s authority and
to God’s right to set the conditions for faith to meet in order
to enjoy redemption by grace through blood.
Conclusion:
Are you prepared to yield to the sovereign rule of God?
Bobby Stafford
March 20, 2011
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