Sunday Sermon Starter 3-13-12

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I try to take a very simple approach to my preaching (I’m not really smart enough to do anything different!). When we were in preaching school I remember one of my homiletics teachers telling us that when we get in the pulpit there were three things we needed to do: (1) tell the people what we were going to tell them, (2) tell it to them, and (3) tell them what we’ve just told them. There are various ways to do this and certain techniques that help it become more memorable like alliteration, rhyming words, acrostics, etc. However, at other times it is good to just lay out the truth on a matter in the simplest way possible – by simply allowing the Bible to speak for itself with little to no additional comment on the preacher’s part. A few months ago I wanted to preach a sermon using this method on a most vital Bible subject that is under heavy attack. All I did was state a truth and then read a Bible verse that stated that truth without minimum comment. If someone is going to disagree with a sermon delivered in such a manner they have no one with whom they can take it up but God Himself! I have included the video from my presentation above:

Title: What’s the Big Deal About Baptism?

Main Point: In Ezekiel’s day a man was needed to “stand in the gap,” to bridge the divide between Israel and God (Ezekiel 22:30). In similar manner, God has always provided law that would likewise function as a means of bridging that gap. Under Christ’s law an ordinance has been established to “stand in the gap” – that is baptism. The necessity and validity of baptism, though, is not only questioned but openly mocked saying, “What’s the big deal about baptism?” That is a valid question that deserves a Bible answer.

Discussion Points:

  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Remission of Sins (read Acts 2:38)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Washing (read Acts 22:16)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and the Death of Christ (read Romans 6:3)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Putting on Christ (read Galatians 3:26-27)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Forgiveness (read Colossians 1:13-14)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Jesus’ Blood (read Colossians 1:13-14 again)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Being a New Creature (read 2 Corinthians 5:17)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Cleansing (read Ephesians 5:26)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Sanctification (read Ephesians 5:26 again)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Putting Away Sins (read Colossians 2:11-12)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and the Kingdom (read John 3:5 – cannot be waters of physical birth)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and the Body of Christ (read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and the Church (read Acts 2:41)
  • Baptism Stands Between the Sinner and Salvation (1 Peter 3:21)

Not every verse, though most do, actually uses the word baptism, but where it does not I have tried to lay out the order of verses to allow the context to speak concerning the implication of baptism in the verse. For example, in the seventh point (“…Stands Between the Sinner and Being a New Creature”) Paul doesn’t specifically say that baptism makes us a new creature, but by being in Christ we are new creatures. However, by the time we get there we have already noticed that we enter into Christ by baptism (Galatians 3:26-27). There might be some need to indicate instances like that as I do in the video, but by and large the Bible speaks for itself on this vital subject. The big deal about baptism is eternal! Let’s help people see this vital fact.

-Andy Brewer

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