In Him

Message Date: May 1, 2022
Bible

  • We are always either forming or strengthening beliefs. We strengthen beliefs so we don’t abandon them.
  • Some companies’ logos hold a deeper meaning. The Baskin Robins, Tostitos, and Amazon logos are examples. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. The logo gives us a deeper meaning into the purpose of the product.
    • There are situations like this in Scripture, where the Old Testament illustrates things that are later fulfilled in the New Testament. These are called types and shadows; they were “object lessons” that prophetically foreshadowed future realities.
      • ‭‭16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Colossians‬ ‭2:16-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
      • 1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
    • Jesus gave us two such examples. They represent the actual substance of what Jesus did for you and me. One is communion; the other is baptism.
      • Baptism is an outward expression of an inward reality. It’s a reflection of a decision that you’ve made to embrace what Jesus did for you in His death, burial, and resurrection.  But hidden inside is a deeper meaning–just like the logos.
  • Jesus is Who we look to.  He is our logo (logos).
    • We have to start with the baptism of Jesus.
      • 13 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. ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3:13-16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
        • Jesus didn’t need to repent of sin. He was consecrating Himself (by washing ) to be our high priest, and was then anointed by the Holy Spirit to offer Himself as our sacrifice. He ever loves to make intercession for us.
      • 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:16-17 NKJV
        • We were in Him when He did it.
  • In every instance that Paul teaches on baptism, he’s correcting and addressing the ditches we get into about sin.
    • In Galatians, he’s addressing legalism. In Corinthians, he’s trying to keep the recipients in the middle of the road. In Romans, he’s addressing hedonism.
      • Galatians
        • Context: blessing of Abraham; promise of the spirit through faith
        • 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3:26-29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
          • The curse of the Law is depending on something outside of us and never being able to live up to it.
          • Put on Christ. You don’t go by feelings of inadequacy. You put on Christ.
      • Corinthians
        • Context: a race–not a ladder, but a race
        • 1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭10:1-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
          • God passes judgement that allows the destroyer access.
      • Romans
        • Context: where sin abounds grace does much more abound (Romans 5:20); God’s hand isn’t shortened that it can’t save (Isaiah 59:1)
        • 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 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. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans‬ ‭6:1-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
          • A fresh start
          • Being dead to sin
    • 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
      • In Galatians, baptism proclaims that you don’t have to live under the burden of the law.
      • In Corinthians, baptism proclaims that you have God’s help in learning to leave your old life behind you.
      • In Romans, baptism proclaims a fresh start and being dead to sin.