Have You Been Baptized Into An Identity in Christ?
Good Morning Friends,
Just as there is one God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so too there is one baptism that takes different expressions. Today we explore these expressions in the hope that the foundation of our desires might be washed clean and born anew out of love. Today as a child of God we seek to discover Jesus living in us. Today we search for the healing formed by knowing a God that delivers us from I have to… to I want to… Here in Jesus is demonstrated the life we are supposed to live. In Him we receive a new born character. Have You Been Baptized Into An Identity in Christ?
Scripture: But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth– everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Isaiah 43:1-7 (NRSV)
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (NRSV)
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Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:13-17 (NRSV)
But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
Mark 10:38 (NRSV)
Message: During this time of the liturgical year we celebrate the Baptism of Christ and remember our own baptism. Today’s scripture helps us to start with the right foundation… a relationship with those He calls as His own. Now there are different types of baptism mentioned in the Bible. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to apply every reference of baptism in the Bible to only one type of baptism without understanding there connection. When you come across the word ‘baptism’ or the concept of baptism in the Bible, take some time to evaluate to which type of baptism the Bible is referring and meditate on how they are connected. Typically we think of a believer’s baptism which is a physical representation of a spiritual truth of our identity with the death and resurrection of Christ when we join a church. But there is also the baptism of Moses and its judgment that came by water. Then there is the baptism of John for repentance and identification with Christ. The baptism of fire as mentioned in the Bible can refer to eternal torment, trials and testing trials and conviction from the Holy Spirit. But there is also the baptism of the Holy Spirit which is the inward sign of salvation and the baptism of the cross is an even deeper immersion into an identification with Christ. So in the week to come we will be celebrating the baptism of Jesus and the first thing we need to realize is that it is unique. Jesus did not need to repent and did not need to identify with the coming Messiah. This baptism was a public submission to the will of God…an anointing for a purpose. Friends, if we believe in God and His plan of salvation through His Son, we have to trust Him. We have to be all in. Then in Christ Jesus as new creatures we too can carry the power and anointing of God in our lives to the lost, the hungry, the thirsty and the dying. Then in relationship with Christ we are new creatures living in the joy and assurance of repentance and forgiveness. Here we are called by His name into the life we are always meant to have. Here we remember our baptism with water and rejoice in the baptism of fire that gradually is making us the creatures God intended. Jesus is an example for us in many ways. There are some things that He did that we obviously cannot do; such as die on behalf of another for the purpose of forgiving their sin debt. However, we can follow the Lord in His example of baptism to help us identify us with the divine. Yes it announces to others that we have made a decision to accept and follow the Lord. Yes a believer’s baptism is an important step for those starting out in the faith, but friends, a fuller understanding of baptism is helpful for a mature believer as well.
Pray we stay one with our hearts in Christ. Pray that we realize that God loves us so much that He calls us His children…He calls us by His name. Pray we trust God. Pray we have ears to hear and eyes to see. Pray in our baptism, as in Christ’s, we can hear the Father say, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Pray we too are filled with the Spirit as a mark of the start of His work in our life and our work to His glory. Pray that the gift of the Holy Spirit that descended on Jesus at His baptism and was shared at Pentecost is experienced by believers today when the Spirit’s purpose is served in acts of faith and hope and love and unity. Pray we dive deep into a life giving relationship with Jesus.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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