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March 17, 2022 12:01 am
Baptism is a naming ceremony, and the whole of the Christian life is to be lived in the context of this new name that has been given to us. Today, Sinclair Ferguson conveys the biblical significance of baptism.
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Coming up next on Renewing Your Mind. If you ask the Christian how much was your baptism meant to you this week will give you a blank stare. Because as far as they are concerned. The important thing about baptism was that they did so many years ago in the past under has no real ongoing function in the present Christian life we think about baptism, we often concentrate on the debate over sprinkling or whether infantry received the sacrament perhaps lost in the debate is why God has given us this sign and seal of his covenant promises when we address that issue. We come to appreciate its significance long after we been baptized. Dr. Sinclair Ferguson will at some point in our studies together on what it means to have good foundations in our Christian life. When was thinking about what Christians often call the means of grace and with come now to two of these in particular that are often found to as the sacraments on I want to emphasize again, especially in the case of baptism and the Lord's supper, but these are not instruments. We use to get grace. These are instruments God uses in order to bring us into fellowship with himself and to know him.
I'm going to look in this study, and then in the next study of the two sacraments saw ordinances of the New Testament. The two special signs of the gospel. Baptism on the Lord's supper, but first of all, I think, what are some things that we need to say in general, partly because as you know, but of often being debate. Some controversies about both baptism and the Lord's supper and so often Christians come on their first question is about the controversial issues. Usually when people's first question is about the controversial issues.
It's a sign they've never really grasp the fundamental issues I'm so it's not my purpose in this study are the next study to deal with matters of controversy, but to try and help us understand why it says that God has given us these physical realities but we often refer to as the ordinances of the gospel or sacraments in order to understand them.
We need to go back to the beginning and by going back to the beginning.
I mean going back to the beginning of the Bible you notice the people often start with baptism of the Lord's supper and then they want to discuss the controversial issues what they need to do is to go back to the beginning to notice, but that is something very characteristic about the way in which God reveals himself and his purposes.
He does that by means of promises which we often see in the Bible of his confidence when he pledges himself, and he gives a promise to us, and he pledges as it went on his own existence, but he will keep these promises unrefuted the Bible from the beginning to the end which is quite a good way to meet the Bible as well as from the and back to the beginning, he began to notice something, but gently time God makes one of these special promises without exception key. Alongside that promise gives a physical slaying of the promise that he has given that you see that already in the garden of Eden. God gives Adam and Eve's often promises and he gives physical signs.
These trees that are related to the promises you move on to the flaunt and to this new covenant, or promise that God makes with Noah and God access sign to that promise. No sign doesn't make God's promise anymore trust Molly is God's word is God's will from one point of view. God could've said will have given you my wide ticket or leave it, but he understands our frailty unsold.
You remember he says to no one, nor notice this bull in the sky. This rainbow and when you see that rainbow I want you to remember that I am remembering my promise that I will never again flood the I'm so you can imagine the village we live in was flooded a couple of years ago. Half of the villagers lost their homes in the flood and went over the reins of come again in the last two years.
You can sense the now nervousness, but that will be best renewed destruction. You can imagine that would be true for North when is this going to happen again. There is the rain. Noah looks up and he sees the rainbow and he is to remember God is remembering his promise and assess what that sign is it's assigned to which noise is to Luke, but it's a sign of what God does God remember six promise the same is true when God makes his covenant with Abraham he gives to Abraham and his family assigned of that covenant to remember how Paul speaks about this in Romans chapter 4, he says, when Abraham wasn't justified by grace through faith when he was constituted righteous in God's presence. God gave him this sign. It was a sign of the righteousness that God gave to Abraham and Abraham received through faith but just let your mind linger on that for a moment, because it is very important to understand the dynamic in the direction of what Paul is saying notice he is not saying circumcision was a sign of Abraham's faith. He was saying. Circumcision is a sign of God's gracious justifying. That's what it's a sign off which Abraham receives through faith in a surreal clue to us for understanding what we call the sacraments, but they are first and foremost, not a sign of our response to God's will and not first and foremost a sign of our faith, but signs of the gospel, but draw from us the response of faith and because God understands that we need to these signs. He gives the signs to us. I met Christians have had students who said I know my faith is strong enough.
I don't really need. Please sign so I'm fine without them. I say two things to them I say first of all, if God gives you signs you need signs argument over now say to them, just like you to do a little experiment you mounted. Yes, I mounted here's my experiment for the next six months. From time to time, say to your wife honey I love you. Do not touch do not embrace do and then come and tell me how long it is before she explored and says to you, do you still love me soon as I've been telling you every three days, sometimes every four days that I love you my one good enough for you that you haven't embraced me. You haven't showing your affection fondly signs don't matter. Of course they must they matter not alternately life but we need to understand their significance. As you know I'm not from around here, and it took me some time when people asked me out for meals in restaurants to understand something in Scotland when you're finished your meal, you just leave the knife and fork on the plate in time and time again a waiter or waitress would come to me and say you finished done, but my mother said unclear.
The play up this I was finished.
Could he not see I was finished. What was the problem.
The problem was I hadn't put the knife and fork in the American dilation and then when I understood the significance of the selling iLounge how to communicate the reality that I'd finished the meal to the waiter and baptism and the Lord's supper just like there's a sign and when we understand the significance of the sign. Then, like a kiss between a man and his wife, and vice versa. That is strange, wet, sometimes noisy motion doesn't only signify love, but strangely enough it seems to be an important way of communicating love is the kind of world we live in a world where that are some sirens that pointers to a reality that is absent, but that are other signs that we have and use the one we understand them. We understand that not only telling us something, but they have the means we used to communicate the reality to the person who understands the significance of the sign. I must have baptism and the Lord's supper work. They are signs.
There's nothing inherently magical about them.
The water is water that usually comes out of the top. The bread is bread somebody somewhere baked the wine is wine nothing happens to any of these elements, but when we understand the gospel understanding of them. They not only silently preach a message to us about what Jesus has done for us but when we respond to these realities and faith justice when we respond to the fallible signs of the preaching of the gospel in faith, then we are able to enjoy and enter into the reality to which the signs pointed. This is very important for us. I think if they're going to benefit from baptism and the Lord's.
I say that because in my experience is often been true but when you say to Christians what did your baptism mean or didn't mean to you to go to the Lord's table. They start talking about themselves and that means that there are going about it the wrong way around there thinking about what is happened in them and the dynamic of baptism and the Lord's supper has been kind of thrown into reverse gear which is supply often if you ask a Christian, how much is your baptism meant to you this week will give you a blank stare. Because as far as they are concerned.
The important thing about baptism was that the digit so many years ago in the past and has no real ongoing function in the present Christian life.
Then when you turn to the New Testament letters what do you discover you discover that baptism is such a sign of what God has done for us in Christ. But in a sense, it hovers over the whole of our Christian lives and is not so much that I follow Jesus into the waters of baptism is what Jesus did for me in the waters of baptism that was signified to me in the waters of my baptism that I take hold off by faith not only when I was baptized but for the whole of my Christian life I was going to understand what baptism means to suggest to you that letter a couple of things that we need to try and work out together the first of them is this. We need to understand the baptism of the Lord Jesus. Remember when Jesus came to the job done. He asked John to baptize them in something another John understood well enough that the Messiah did not need to be baptized and so he he had this argument with Jesus and under no hint he has strongest argument was Jesus. You don't need to be baptized by me if anybody's going to be baptized here on the wonder needs to be baptize and you said about interesting thing to me noises John do it, even although you don't fully understand this. Do it no what was happening when Jesus was baptized. John's baptism was a baptism for sinners wasn't on. The symbolism was that as you as you came to that of a job done on John baptized you how he did it is really irrelevant when he baptized you. It was symbolic of God as it was washing away your sin and your guilt into the river.
Job done. If I can put it this way, the river job done was fool all the symbolism of the guilt of sinners. That's why Jesus said he needed to be baptized.
It's as though what Jesus was saying no.
John that water… Fool of live guilt. That is the water in which I need to be baptized and so symbolically Jesus is being baptized with the waters of the divine judgment. Remember how he later on the size of a baptism to be baptized with and I'm I'm held in until it's accomplished. What was he talking about. He was really saying is baptism in the Jordan was a sign of his baptism for our sins on the cross of Calvary. That was the real baptism of which is baptism and Jonathan was the sign and said you see what was happening in the river Jordan, those who were baptized were being remember the words Jesus uses being baptized into the name of Jesus, and Jesus was being baptized into the name of sinners and this is what baptism points to the points to the way in which in his baptism on the cross, Jesus bore our sin in his baptism on the cross, Jesus was baptized into mine name is a sinner in order that I might be baptized into his name as the Savior and of course that's exactly what he says is entered in Matthew 28, 18 to 20 go into all the world preach the gospel and baptize them into the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit. So what is baptism. Baptism is a naming ceremony in which I who have been cleared in the family of Adam given the sign of the new family of Jesus Christ and I am being named for Jesus Christ know this is the Western world. I imagine everyone here has actually gone through a naming ceremony that there is a law in Scotland but you have to name your child within a certain number of days almost rendered one of our children illegitimate by not getting the name and then time what happens you go along to the official and the official says filling in the papers.
What is the name of your child and apparently at some point my parents decided the answer would be Sinclair Buchanan Sanderson what did that settlement to do to my heart absolutely nothing but in another sense it was determined the whole course of my life. I don't hear the name Sinclair without unsightly I don't hear the name Sinclair Buchanan Sanderson without that's who I am. Strange though it may seem, I don't know who I unless I'm Sinclair, Buchanan, Ferguson, but the giving of that name did nothing to transform my heart but by the same token, the fact I was given that name has been this aware that the parameters of lowlife that I've had to live. It's true, I could have said to my parents.
I no longer wish to belong to this family I'm going back down to that office and I'm going to suggest another form and asked me another question and I'll give you a completely different name. My whole life has been determined by the I could've rebelled against. I could've rebelled against the family, for which I was named or I could make that my all in and live for somebody who belongs to that family elect out parents saying chose not remember when you go there. Your Ferguson on the same is true of baptism, the waters of baptism do nothing to transform our hearts. And yet, according to the teaching of the New Testament being baptized means that a new family name is placed upon you, and having that family name does determine the whole course of your life in a sense having that name is a reminder to you of all that God of the Trinity is done for you in and through Jesus Christ and is willing to do for new through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and so forth faith dollars is respond to to say all heavenly father to think that you have sent your son to be baptized on the cross, but I might be baptized with forgiveness all father to think that you have promised to give me your Holy Spirit so that my normal life may begin to match the name that I've been given and it will become clear that I really am a child of God and belong to the heavenly father and so the whole of the Christian life is going to be live in the context of this new name that has been given to me the whole of my Christian life will be determined by how Paul spoke to the Romans about this in Romans chapter 6 and eight. Yes, a very interesting question. We start thing is an interesting question. He says don't you know that all of us will be baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death and raised into his resurrection in order that we may walk in newness of life slowly saying he's noticing it. Do you remember that you follow Jesus into the waters of baptism and you did that five years ago or 10 years ago, remember that you did that noticing. Don't you understand what you're baptism means today. Don't you understand that your baptism tells you what your name is, but you're somebody who belongs to Jesus Christ and you of being under the dominion of sin and knowledge through sharing in his death and resurrection that dominion is being broken on the foot in the light of the fact that you've been baptized lives in a baptized way and in the same way he says the same in Colossians chapter 2 and three. He says not if you understand what it means to be baptized and live in the light of the soul to toss what belongs to the old and live out what belongs to you and live as a baptized Christian, so that baptism is not just something that I did is not just something that was done to me. It's the sign of a new name that's been given to me. I've been named for no other family and the family of the father the son and the Holy Spirit.
What a family letters to belong to and so is a member of my family. I will live for the glory of the father that a wonderful student.
Years ago from the Far East extremely able student time I got to know him quite well and that he was always known to me as Timothy.
But I knew that wasn't his real name.
I mean he didn't.
He looked as though he had a name that I probably wouldn't be able to pronounce and so I sent them rather daringly.
One day as intimate as your real name. He taught me a lesson they give me a little smile. He said Timothy is a no-no as a come on you pulling my leg push her real name. He said Timothy I sent for was the name your parents gave you and then he gave me the unpronounceable name. All I said that sure real name. He said no. Timothy is my real name. That's the name I was given when I was about time and he was consciously being taken out of one some unknown lived in the light of his baptism is a new creature in Jesus Christ for the wonderful finances to know about submitting and what a wonderful story to conclude our time together today are baptism reminders whose we are that we belong to Christ are part of his family doctor.
Sinclair Ferguson is joined us all we care on Renewing Your Mind to explore some of the basic aspects of the Christian life church membership, Bible study, prayer, and how we discover God's will for our lives. Whether you're a new believer or someone is been in the faith. For years that this series will be an encouragement to you will send it to you two DVDs 12 messages at all for your donation of any amount to look in your ministries. You can reach us by phone at 800-435-4343 or if you prefer you can go online to Renewing Your Mind.org if you have a link interconnect subscription. This full series is available to you there as well.
When interconnect features more than 1100 lessons across more than 100 courses you can find helpful messages from trusted leader teachers on biblical studies, theology, Christian living worldview and culture and church history by the course that fits your discipleship needs when you login@connect.loginnear.org will wrap up Dr. Ferguson series tomorrow with a look at the other sacrament of the church the Lord's supper is part of church life that we are so familiar with those who are ministers in teachers would feel a little embarrassed about saying to you to understand what this means, don't you, the rich meaning and significance of baptism tomorrow here on Renewing Your Mind.
I hope you'll join us