WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT BAPTISM? (2 OF 4)
Scripture: Mark 1:9-11
This content is part of a series.
What's the Big Deal about Baptism? (2 of 4)
James Merritt
Mark 1:9-11
Introduction
How did Jesus commence His ministry?
Answer: (Show Video)
How did Jesus conclude His Ministry?
Answer: (Show Video)
1. Jesus had a ministry that lasted a little more than three years. Of all the things He could have started His ministry with and ended His ministry with, He started it by being baptized and concluded it by commanding the church to make disciples and baptize others. Now, since baptism was the bookends of the ministry of the Son of God, that alone should tell us that baptism, is a big deal. It is-but not because of what some people think.
2. There are two extreme ways that people have of looking at baptism. There is one group that says baptism is necessary to go to heaven, therefore it is a big deal. There is another group that says baptism is unnecessary to go heaven, therefore it is not a big deal. In this case the truth lies exactly in the middle, because both groups are half right. Baptism is unnecessary to go to heaven, but it is a big deal.
3. We are a Baptist church. Webster defines a baptist as a ''member of a protestant denomination holding that baptism should be given only to believers after confession of faith and by immersion than sprinkling.''
4. Now having said that I want to make something very plain. Baptism is important, not because baptists say it is, but because the Bible says it is. In fact, the Bible talks about baptism seventy-four times. Baptism is not a baptist idea, it is a Bible idea. In order to understand why baptism is a big deal, I want to answer three questions.
I. What Is The Symbolism Of Baptism?
1. Mark 1: 9-11 which is our starting text tells us in vivid detail about the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.
''It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And immediately, coming up from the water, He was the heavens parting and the Spri ...
James Merritt
Mark 1:9-11
Introduction
How did Jesus commence His ministry?
Answer: (Show Video)
How did Jesus conclude His Ministry?
Answer: (Show Video)
1. Jesus had a ministry that lasted a little more than three years. Of all the things He could have started His ministry with and ended His ministry with, He started it by being baptized and concluded it by commanding the church to make disciples and baptize others. Now, since baptism was the bookends of the ministry of the Son of God, that alone should tell us that baptism, is a big deal. It is-but not because of what some people think.
2. There are two extreme ways that people have of looking at baptism. There is one group that says baptism is necessary to go to heaven, therefore it is a big deal. There is another group that says baptism is unnecessary to go heaven, therefore it is not a big deal. In this case the truth lies exactly in the middle, because both groups are half right. Baptism is unnecessary to go to heaven, but it is a big deal.
3. We are a Baptist church. Webster defines a baptist as a ''member of a protestant denomination holding that baptism should be given only to believers after confession of faith and by immersion than sprinkling.''
4. Now having said that I want to make something very plain. Baptism is important, not because baptists say it is, but because the Bible says it is. In fact, the Bible talks about baptism seventy-four times. Baptism is not a baptist idea, it is a Bible idea. In order to understand why baptism is a big deal, I want to answer three questions.
I. What Is The Symbolism Of Baptism?
1. Mark 1: 9-11 which is our starting text tells us in vivid detail about the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.
''It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And immediately, coming up from the water, He was the heavens parting and the Spri ...
There are 18718 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
