Our Christian Life on Earth
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Seventh Sunday in Trinity
Our Christian Life on Earth
July 11, 2010
TEXT: (Romans 6:3-11 NKJ) Or do you not know that as many of us as
were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we
were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness
of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death,
certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this,
that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away
with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been
freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live
with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.
Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to
sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you
also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
This is the traditional text used by some church bodies to proclaim the doctrine
of baptism by immersion—but we need to go beyond that—we can see a physical
picture of a person being buried in the water and rising from baptism a new man
in Christ—but is that Paul’s complete message?—NO!—Paul is using the example of
baptism to teach us about the Holy Spirit—we know this because his message
continues in the eighth chapter of his letter
(Romans 8:10-11 NKJ) And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin,
but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
When we read the words of our text—we need to understand that Paul was looking
at the events and teachings of Jesus’ life from an Old Testament perspective—for
example, Paul knew that the Holy Spirit was promised by God in the Old
Testament—God said through His Prophet Joel that the Holy Spirit would be poured
out upon all men
(Joel 2:28 NKJ) "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out
My Spirit on all flesh;…
If the Holy Spirit is poured out upon all flesh—why do we need baptism?—that is
what Paul is teaching us in this lesson—adults need baptism to openly confess
their faith in God the Son—Jesus Christ, their Savior—God gave us baptism when
He sent John the Baptist into the wilderness to proclaim repent and be
baptized—this became the mark of God’s people—just as in the Old Testament the
mark of God’s people was circumcision
(Genesis 17:10-11 NKJ) "This is My covenant which you shall keep, between
Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be
circumcised; 11 "and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins,
and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
In those ancient times of the Old Testament—God spoke—His people obeyed—and God
saved them from worldly harm—today we have a new covenant with God—He saves us
by His grace—and we show ourselves to be obedient by obeying His commands—but
what are His commands?—Jesus told us that there are only two commands that we
must remember and obey—love God—and love your neighbor
(Matthew 22:36-40 NKJ) "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the
law?" 37 Jesus said to him, "`You shall love the LORD your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and
great commandment. 39 "And the second is like it:`You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.' 40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Jesus taught us to love Him and obey His commands—and we will receive the Holy
Spirit
(John 14:15-17 NKJ) "If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 "And I will
pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you
forever-- 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it
neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and
will be in you.
Paul uses this example of the Holy Spirit and baptism because Paul was among the
Pharisees who despised Jesus and tried to destroy Him and His followers—Paul
quite possibly witnessed John the Baptist as he washed Jesus in holy baptism in
the River Jordan—if Paul wasn’t there, he certainly heard the very voices of
those Pharisees who did witness the event—Paul knew that baptism brought the
Holy Spirit to the man being baptized—hear Matthew’s account—first the account
of John the Baptist speaking with the Pharisees and Sadducees who came out from
Jerusalem to watch him—then the baptism of Jesus and the coming of the Holy
Spirit
(Matthew 3:1-11 NKJ) In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the
wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand!" … 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went
out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he
said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8
"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance … 11 "I indeed baptize you with
water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire.
(Matthew 3:13-17 NKJ) Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be
baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" 15 But Jesus answered and said to
him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all
righteousness." Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up
immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And
suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased."
Paul knew that baptism in Christ brings on the Holy Spirit—and he understood
that our sins are forgiven by the grace of God through the Ultimate
Sacrifice—Jesus the Christ!—and Paul knew that Jesus spoke with Martha at the
grave of her dead brother, Lazarus—and that Jesus promised Martha that if we
believe in Him, we will never die
(John 11:25-26 NKJ) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the
life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 "And whoever
lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
Paul properly understood that this life is a journey—he describes our natural
body as a tent—it is a temporary place to live until we go to our heavenly
home—it will eventually wear out and die an earthly death—and Jesus promised us
a new body—a heavenly mansion for us to wear for eternity
(2 Corinthians 5:1 NKJ) For we know that if our earthly house, this tent,
is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens.
(John 14:2 NKJ) "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not
so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
we are in this world but we are not of this world—our citizenship is in heaven
(Philippians 3:20 NKJ) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we
also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
And Paul understood how we received our citizenship in heaven—it is not by
anything we do—it is a gift of God—it is by the love of God through Christ—it is
by the power and strength of the Holy Spirit that we are saved
(Titus 3:4-7 NKJ) But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior
toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become
heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
(Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJ) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and
that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone
should boast.
Peter explains that our baptism brings the Holy Spirit
(Acts 2:38 NKJ) Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Paul understood that we are living in a sinful and evil world—this is the
devil’s playground—and the devil would like nothing more than for each of us to
be tempted to follow the pleasures and sinful things of this world—but in our
text, Paul is trying to help us understand that when we are filled with the
things of God—that is, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit—we have no room
for the sinful things of this world—sin and death have no power over us—we are
instruments of God—and we will never die—we will end our journey of life and go
home to our heavenly Father for eternity—we are dead to sin—we are alive in the
Spirit—Peter sums this up nicely
(1 Peter 3:18-22 NKJ) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for
the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but
made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in
prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few,
that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype
which now saves us-- baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the
answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and
authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
The Holy Spirit comes through baptism—and He resides within us—He reminds us of
all things for our salvation—sometimes we take the dwelling of the Holy Spirit
too lightly—consider the Temple in the days of Jesus—towering walls of solid
rock—the interior of the walls covered with gold—the priest’s tools of gold—the
shields of the guards mad of bright and shining gold—everywhere you looked there
was wealth and beauty—and with that vision, consider that Paul says each of us
is a temple for the Holy Spirit of God to dwell within
(1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NKJ) Do you not know that you are the temple of God
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of
God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
You are more beautiful and more valuable to God than all the bright and shining
gold on earth—you are dead to sin and alive in Christ—you know right and wrong
because the law of God is written on your heart—Paul points out that the law is
written on the hearts of believers and unbelievers—we know right from wrong—do
what is right—and you will be living in the Spirit—follow the teachings that are
within you
(Romans 2:14-15 NKJ) for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature
do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to
themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their
conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing
or else excusing them)
In closing the lesson—consider the simple words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ
(Mark 16:16 NKJ) "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he
who does not believe will be condemned.
ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!