Sermon – Baptisms – How Many?

  • This sermon, is going to be about baptisms, but not in a manner that you may have heard before or maybe haven’t even thought about before.  Hopefully, after this morning, we will all have a better understanding and appreciation for what Scripture says about baptisms.

  • Opening question … How many baptisms are mentioned in the New Testament?  I’m not asking about how many times different believers were baptized, but the different types or kinds of baptism.

  • If you have said “1,” then a safe bet would be that you are thinking of Ephesians 4:5 (NLT), which says, “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, … which continues into verse 6 with “one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

  • If you have said “1,” then you may just be thinking of water baptism.  Am I correct?  But would you believe that the Bible speaks of multiple baptisms?  Some that all believers in Christ partake of; and some that others in the Bible went through, even Jesus Himself.

  • 1st Corinthians 10:1-3 speaks of the baptism of Moses.  In this passage we are told that when the Israelites were rescued from Egypt – and slavery – that they were guided by a cloud and walked through the sea on dry ground; and that in the cloud and sea, they were baptized as follower of Moses and went from a life of slavery in Egypt to a life of Law following and more freedom as they headed to the Promised Land.

  • This baptism, of course, doesn’t impact us personally because we did not come out of Egypt and slavery.  However, when we are baptized with water, we are initiated into a new life.  Instead of following Moses, we follow Jesus; and instead of falling the Law, we have a life of freedom and grace.

  • John’s baptism is mentioned in Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1.  John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus and wanted to prepare the people for Jesus’ appearance.  John preached repentance and those that were baptized were the ones that believed what John said, and they did so after they confessed their sins.

  • This baptism, of course, doesn’t impact us personally because we are not baptized by John the Baptist, nor are we baptized in John’s name.  We are baptized in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and that means much more.

  • Jesus underwent 2 baptisms; one by John the Baptist and the other on the cross.  Jesus was not baptized because He had anything to confess – He did not need to repent; but rather did so to fulfill all righteousness. 

  • Jesus also endured a baptism while on the cross.  In Mark 10:38 (NLT), Jesus says, “Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?  Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with? 

  • Jesus was answering a question by James and John who wanted to know if they could sit in the places of honor next to Him.  We of course, are not Jesus, and those 2 events were specifically for Him.  He did one to fulfill all righteousness and to identify with mankind; and the other He did to offer salvation to everyone that will believe and endure.

  • Even though those baptisms are not for us personally, it is still good to know about them, understand them, and respect them.  From this point on in the sermon, the baptisms we will look at are the ones that impact us personally – the ones that we can have – and the ones that we must have if we are to be saved, serve the Lord, and inherit eternal life.

  • Hebrews 6:1-3 (NLT), says, “So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again.  Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.  Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.  You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.  And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

  • Matthew 3:11 (NLT) says, “I baptize with (or in) water those who repent of their sins and turn to God.  But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am – so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with (or in) fire.

  • These passages speak of multiple baptisms, so what are these baptisms?

  • From my reading and studying, there are 4 baptisms that all believers must go through in order to be saved, live a life serving Jesus, and inherit eternal life.

  • 1 …Baptized into Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
     
  • 2 … Baptized with water.

  • 3 … Baptized with the Holy Spirit.

  • 4 … Baptized with fire.

The Holy Spirit Baptizes Us Into Jesus

  • The baptism of our spirit, by the Holy Spirit, into the spiritual body of Christ.  This occurs at the new birth when receive our new spirit.
  • 1st Corinthians 12:12-13 (NLT), says, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body.  So it is with the body of Christ.  Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free.  But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

  • In John 16, Jesus told His disciples that when He went away, He would send the Holy Spirit – the Advocate – the Counselor – the Encourager – the Counselor (depending on your translation; and none of them are wrong).  Jesus said the Holy Spirit would convict the world of its sin, of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment (verse 8). 

  • It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us of our sins.  It is the Holy Spirit that tells us we need a Savior.  It is the Holy Spirit that tells us that what is written in Scripture is true.  It is the Holy Spirit that prompts us to confess our sins, repent of them, turn our lives over to Jesus and make Him the Lord and Savior of our lives.  This is our spiritual rebirth.

  • John 3:3,5,7 (NLT) … Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again (or from above), you cannot see the Kingdom of God.  Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

  • Our new spirit is placed into the spiritual body of Christ, and is sealed in that spiritual body by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30).

  • Ephesians 1:13 (NLT) …  And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you.  And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

  • Ephesians 4:30 (NLT) … And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.  Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

  • Remember, you are saved by grace when you believe (Ephesians 2:8); and that salvation comes openly declaring that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised him from dead – this belief makes you right with God (Romans 10:8-9).

  • When a person believes in the blood of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins, and surrenders to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, they are born again, baptized by the Holy Spirit into the spiritual body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit comes to live within their spirit forever – provided they maintain their faith in Christ unto death.

Being Baptized With Water – The Baptism of Believers

  • In the early church, those who believed, confessed, repented, and made Jesus their Lord and Savior where baptized with water.  It didn’t happen the other way around.

  • Acts 8:12 (NLT) … But now the people believed Philip’s message of the Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.  As a result, many men and women were baptized.

  • Acts 16:29-33 (NLT) … The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.  Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”  And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.  Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds.  Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.

  • Why were they baptized with water?  Why did the apostles and other believers of the time baptize other people?

  • Matthew 28:19 (NLT), says “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  The early church was following the Lord’s command. 

  • Even though they were following Jesus’ command, what does it mean?
  • Romans 6:3-4 (NLT), says, “Have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.  And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
  • When we are baptized with water, we are separating ourselves from the world and our old, sinful lives; and we are identifying ourselves with Jesus, His Church, and our new life.
  • The old self is dead and buried and does not need to be brought back.  2nd Corinthians 5:17 tells us that if anyone belongs to Christ they are a new person; and the old life is gone; and the new life has begun.
  • Colossians 3:10 tells us to put on our new natures and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
  • Baptism with water symbolizes our new life – our new walk – our new self – with Christ at the center.  No longer do we live for ourselves, but God is #1; and everyone in the Church needs to help, encourage, teach, and hold accountable all other members.

Being Baptized With The Holy Spirit

  • All four gospels, (Matthew 3, Mark 1, Luke 3, and John 1) tell us that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. 

  • In Scripture, being baptized by the Spirit or with the Spirit happened either alongside water baptism; or through the laying on of hands by the church leaders and prayer.

  • The baptism with the Holy Spirit is performed by Jesus to His body, not to unbelievers.  It includes a giving of supernatural power to Jesus’ body to be more effective witnesses of His resurrection.

  • When a person is baptized with the Holy Spirit, they receive strength, power, and boldness to accomplish work and overcome sin.  Your life is changed in one stroke.  God’s power often passes through your body like a powerful current and fills you with joy and happiness.  Without this gift, we can do nothing, lasting, for the Kingdom and do everything in our own power.

  • One sure fire way to know you have received the Spirit are if you have and are using your spiritual gifts.  If you are not, then perhaps you have never been filled with the Spirit – in that case, you need to pray and have your church pray and have the elder pray for you and lay their hands upon you so you will receive this gift.

Being Baptized With Fire

  • The final baptism is the one that happens with fire; and there are 3 theories on this.

  • The first is that when the Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost that the tongues of fire that appeared was how the people were baptized with fire – but that doesn’t happen today.
  • The second deals with suffering, trials, and temptations.  As we go through this life, we will be faced with difficulties, will have tough decisions to make, will be pruned by God, we will have to choose to get closer to God and deny ourselves or we will deny God and be selfish.  The purpose of all the pruning and suffering and trials are to get us closer to God and to become more Christ-like.  The Holy Spirit can be seen as our purifier – and we are told not to quench or grieve the Spirit when He works in our lives; and this can go hand in hand with being baptized with the Holy Spirit.

  • The second deals with fire when the world is judged.  Those who are saved, those who endure, those whose lives have demonstrated faith and who are not blotted out of the book of life will get eternal life; but those who are not saved, those that do not endure, those who are blotted out will be punished.  How will those people be punished?  They will be cast into the lake of fire.

Summary / Closing

  • I do hope that this wasn’t too much information in such a short amount of time.  Much of this information we have discussed during our evening studies and when we start our next study over the book of Acts, some of this will be covered again – and covered in much more detail.

  • In summary and in closing, here are the list of baptisms again.

  • The 1st baptism is into the body of Christ.  It occurs when we repent, believe, and receive Jesus Christ into our lives.

  • The 2nd baptism is with water.  Jesus lived as an example for all of us when He was baptized by John in Matthew 3.  Water baptism is not just a ritual.  It is a powerful action that separates us from the world.  It is a personal identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.  Jesus gave baptism as a command in the Great Commission and after we make new disciples, we are to baptize them, and teach them about everything Jesus taught.

  • The 3rd baptism is with the Holy Spirit.  When we are saved, we are sealed with the Spirit and are told not to grieve or quench the Spirit.  Even though that is the truth, Jesus wants to do more.  He want to literally immerse and fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is a gift that allows us to overcome sin and be a powerful witness for Jesus, lead others to Him, and grow His Church and our local church.

  • The 4th baptism is by fire.  This occurs in the life of the believer when they are tested, tried, tempted, and are forced to prove themselves.  They are refined by this fire and this can also be seen as a work of the Holy Spirit who is purifying us so we will be more Christ-like.

  • The baptism by fire can also be viewed as what happens to the enemies of Jesus after Judgment day comes.  Those who are not saved will be thrown into the lake of fire.

  • So, if you have not went through any or all of these baptisms, then there is no better day than today to start.

  • If you have never confessed and repented of your sins, confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, believed that Jesus is the Son of the God and that He came to earth, lived a holy life, willing went to the cross and died for you, and rose on the 3rd day, then do that today.

  • If you have never been baptized with water, then we have a baptistery and can take of that.  If you don’t have the Holy Spirit leading and purifying your life, then pray for that gift; and make sure you do not quench the Spirit when He leads, moves, or acts.

  • It is far better to serve Jesus here and be baptized into Him and by Him; than to face the fires of judgment for all of eternity.  You are responsible for both your life and afterlife.