Baptism and Lord’s Supper
Today we are going to talk about the two ordinances of
the church.
We observed one at the beginning of the service when
Alyssa was baptized.
The other one we are going to observe near the end of
our service, the Lord’s Supper.
What does the word ordinance mean?
It means an authoritative command or order.
Catholics and other churches use the word sacrament to
describe these and other rites of the church.
What is a sacrament?
It is a rite believed to be a means of or a visible form or
grace, especially.
Catholics believe baptism and Eucharist (another word for
the Lord’s Supper) were given to confer sanctifying grace
upon those who receive it.
That means that they believe the acts of being baptized
and receiving the cup and the bread actually save you.
The Bible teaches us that we are saved by grace
through faith and it is not by our works.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved
through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is
the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one
may boast.”
Titus 3:5 “ he saved us, not because of works done
by us in righteousness, but according to his own
mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal
of the Holy Spirit,”
BAPTISM
What does the Bible teach us about baptism?
Baptism was Commanded by Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to
them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.”
This was not a suggestion or recommendation.
It was a command.
These verses are not just for the apostles. They are for
all believers. We are all called to the great commission.
Baptism was Performed by John
Mark 1:1-5 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’ ”
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea
and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were
being baptized by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins.”
John proclaimed the baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. Repentance means to turn from one
direction to the opposite direction.
Notice what was happening…people were confessing their
sins.
And John baptized them in the Jordan river .
This leads us to the next truth about baptism.
Baptism is for Believers.
Baptism is for those who understand God’s grace and
receive His forgiveness.
It’s an act of obedience.
It’s a public display to identify that you follow Christ and
are not ashamed of it.
Acts 18:8 “Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue,
believed in the Lord, together with his entire
household. And many of the Corinthians hearing
Paul believed and were baptized.”
Acts 8:12-13 “But when they believed Philip as he
preached good news about the kingdom of God and
the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both
men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and
after being baptized he continued with Philip.”
Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will
be saved, but whoever does not believe will be
condemned.”
Some people use the Mark Scripture as a proof text for
baptism providing salvation.
When we examine all of Scripture we see that baptism is
not required, but it is an act of obedience.
Baptism in Not Essential for Salvation
It’s commanded by Jesus.
It’s an outward display of an inward decision.
But, Listen to Jesus’ words to the thief on the cross who
asked for forgiveness.
Luke 23:43 “And he said to him,
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The water doesn’t save us, Jesus does.
Baptism was Modeled by Jesus
Jesus went to John the Baptist and told him to baptize
Him.
Matthew 3:13-17 “Then Jesus came from Galilee to
the Jordan to John, 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 thus it is
fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he
consented. And when Jesus was baptized,
immediately he went up from the water, and
behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from
heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I
am well pleased.”
Jesus didn’t need to be baptized, but He modeled it for us.
Baptism is a Picture of the Gospel
The Greek word for baptism is baptizma.
The word means immersion or submersion.
When Jesus was baptized John took Him under the water
and brought Him back up.
Sprinkling or pouring water on a person is not Biblical
baptism.
Also, baptizing infants or children who don’t understand
the gospel is not Scriptural.
There are no examples of infant baptism in the Bible.
The Bible describes people hearing the good news and
responding by being baptized.
I Corinthians 15:1-4 “Now I would remind you,
brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which
you received, in which you stand, and by which you
are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I
preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I
also received: that Christ died for our sins in
accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day in accordance
with the Scriptures,”
Baptism is a picture of what Christ did for us.
It shows us His death, burial and resurrection.
When we go under the water we are saying goodbye to
our old life. We are putting it to death, just like Christ
died on the cross for our sins.
Coming out of the water represents the resurrection.
Christ is not dead. He is no longer in the grave.
He is alive and seated at the right hand of the Father in
heaven.
We too, one day will be united with Him in heaven.
Romans 6:4 “We were buried therefore with him by
baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we
too might walk in newness of life.”
LORD’S SUPPER
What does the Bible teach us about the Lord’s Supper?
The Lord’s Supper was Commanded by Christ
I Corinthians 11:23-26 “For I received from the
Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord
Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took
bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it,
and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this
in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper,
saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of
me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink
the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Notice the words “do this” in verse 24 and 25, the Greek
word is in the imperative which is a command. Jesus
expected His followers to observe the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper was Modeled by Christ
Luke 22:14-20 “And when the hour came, he
reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he
said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I
will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of
God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given
thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among
yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will
not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom
of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he
had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them,
saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do
this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup
after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is
poured out for you is the new covenant in my
blood.”
Jesus shared in the Lord’s Supper with His apostles to
show them how they should do it in the future when He
was gone.
How often should we observe the Lord’s Supper?
The Bible doesn’t give a frequency, but it does imply that
it should be done often.
“For as often as you eat this
bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s
death until he comes.”
We must never stop observing the Lord’s Supper .
Notice that last phrase of the verse, proclaim the Lord’s
death until he comes.
Who is the Lord’s Supper for?
The Lord’s Supper is for Believers
I Corinthians 11:27-30 “Whoever, therefore, eats
the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the
body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine
himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of
the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without
discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on
himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill,
and some have died.”
The Lord’s Supper is a Symbol of Christ’s Sacrifice
When we eat the unleavened bread we should be
reminded of Isaiah 53:5-6 “But he was pierced for
our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
When we drink the cup we are reminded of His blood that
was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.
Matthew 26:28 “for this is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins.”
The Lord’s Supper is an Opportunity for
Self-Examination
I Corinthians 11:28 “Let a person examine himself,
then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
Before we observe the Lord’s Supper this morning let’s
take a few moments to examine ourselves, confess our
sin and ask God to prepare us to remember His incredible
sacrifice.