100 Sermon Illustrations on Baptism

Jesus says to identify new believers with God through baptism. Baptism in the Bible is used to mean identification (1 Corinthians 10:1-2; Romans 6:3-4). The relationship between water baptism and spiritual baptism is similar to the relationship of a wedding to a wedding ring. The ring doesn't marry you, but it clearly identifies the wearer as one who is married. The ring identifies one who has made a total, lifelong commitment to another person. Baptism, then, identifies us with Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection into new life. This identification is not only with Christ but also in the name of the Father and Holy Spirit. This is significant because it shows that our lives are to be totally encompassed by the Triune God.

The fish was the earliest and most universal of the Christian emblems; partly as the symbol of water and the right of baptism, and also because the five Greek letters which express the word "fish" form the anagram of the name of Jesus Christ. We find the fish, as a general symbol of the Christian faith, upon the sarcophagi of the early Christians, on the tombs of the martyrs in the catacombs, and as an ornament in early Christian architecture.

In a Chinese Christian family at Amoy, a little boy, on asking his father to allow him to be baptized, was told that he was too young; that he might fall back if he made a profession when he was only a little boy. To this he made the reply, "Jesus has promised to carry the lambs in his arms. I am only a little boy; it will be easier for Jesus to carry me." This logic was too much for the father. He took him with him, and the child was ere long baptized.

A young man, by the name of Henry T., from England, was converted in Dartmouth, Mass., about 1835. Before his conversion, he was a very intemperate, profane, abandoned man. His exercises in conversion were marked and clear; and he soon made application for admission into the church. But it fared worse with him than it fared with Saul when he came to Damascus: Christians were not only afraid of him, but they thought he had better wait a month, till the next covenant meeting. They were inclined to think he would turn back to his cups. But he manifested a Christian spirit, and determined not to forsake his brethren or neglect any of the public or private duties of religion. The next covenant meeting came, and Mr. T., full of hope, presented himself for admission again. The confidence of the brethren in the genuineness of his change was decidedly increased by his conduct during the month; but owing to his former habits, some of the brethren hesitated about having him baptized, and they put him off another month. He said he felt anxious to be soon baptized, for he said he might die without receiving the ordinance; still he would patiently submit to the church's decision, and persevere in doing duty. And he did; he was a regular attendant upon public worship; on conference and prayer meetings, and in the latter took a regular and active part. Indeed he often told how much he loved his brethren—those who were so suspicious of him. Another month passed, and another application was made. His conduct had been so exemplary as to secure the confidence of the minister, and all the members of the church in his steadfastness, but that of one of the deacons. He alone objected. When Mr. T. was told he must wait one month longer, he was deeply grieved. "But," said he, "if you never receive me I shall love you still!" This he said as he went out and closed the door.

"That is too much for me," said the deacon; "call him back." He was called back, received a unanimous vote, and united with the church. By pursuing such a course, by overcoming the temptation to quit the church, he had gained the confidence of the church, and confidence in himself; and a candidate is rarely found more happy than he was, when baptized and received into the fellowship of the saints. He proved to be a happy and steadfast Christian.

Concerning the error of baptismal regeneration, an Indian once said: “The Great Spirit wants clean here (pointing to his heart), never mind face. Jim Beech-tree mad as ever with strong water (or whiskey). Baptize on face do him no good; he old Jim still.”

Dr. R. F. Horton, in the _Christian Endeavor World_, tells the following story:

There is a scene in my earlier ministry that used to make the best woman I ever knew laugh till the tears ran down her cheeks whenever she recalled it.

A father, a tall and dignified man, with his wife, a gentle, quiet little lady, had brought the baby to the font that Sunday morning. As I read the opening words, the baby woke and began to scream. For my own part I was imperturbable, nor was the mother upset. But the tall, dignified man could not endure it; and just as I was approaching the actual rite, and required the baby, what the congregation saw was the father rapidly striding to a side door, with the white clothes of the screaming infant streaming behind in the haste of the flight. Happily parental authority worked miracles in the corridor, and the infant, vastly pacified, was brought back just in time to save the service from being a fiasco. And the humor turns into a deeper joy when now I see that child grown up into a beautiful girl, the joy of her parents and of all who behold her.

Baptism sermon for Palm Sunday. Acts 16:22-34

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IT'S A BEGINNING

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I. When is a person ready for baptism?

A. For much of world this is a mute question. Babies!

B. Baptism is for believers only. Acts 10:44-47; 16:34

II. Baptism is for those who are babies - in a SPIRITUAL sense.

A. We must be born again, and then be baptized. Acts 2:38

B. We are ready for baptism when we commit ourselves to Jesus.

C. Baptism isn't for those who are mature.

III. What baptism doesn't do for you.

A. Bible stresses that the water itself has no magical power.

Mt 3:6-8,1 Pet 3:21

B. It doesn't make you a perfect Christian.

IV. Baptism is a beginning.

A. Early Christians were baptized just knowing Jesus saves. Acts 16:33

B. Baptism signifies the beginning of Christian life not, maturity.

C. Baptism incorporates us into the body of Christ, the church.

V. Baptism is not the end of the Christian life.

A. On earth, we are judged by our impact.

B. What impact are you making as a Christian?

#2462

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Baptists are having a dramatic impact on theology and churches around the world.

I. Article by Martin Marty on "Baptistification."

II. Impact of Baptists on churches across America:

A. Personal faith.

1) Faith more than list of beliefs.

2) Ability to share with another our core beliefs.

3) Personal walk with God.

B. Choice in religion.

1) Choose faith/beliefs.

2) Choose church.

a) They don't "own" us (parish system).

3) Choose pastor.

C. Autonomous churches.

D. Bible emphasis.

1) Sermon is supreme.

Sarah Jo Sarchet is a Presbyterian pastor in Chicago. A 10 year-old boy in her congregation named Cameron, walked into her office and said he needed to talk to her. Fresh from soccer practice, and wearing his Cincinnati Reds baseball cap, he had a request for her. “I'd like to be baptized,” he said. “We were learning about Jesus' baptism in Sunday School. The teacher asked the class who was baptized, and all the other kids raised their hands. I want to be baptized too.”

Using her best pastoral care tone of voice, she said, “Cameron, do you really want to be baptized because everyone else is?” His freckles winked up at her and he replied, “No. I want to be baptized because it means I belong to God.”

She was touched by his understanding. “Well, then,” she said, “How about this Sunday?” His smile turned to concern and he asked, “Do I have to be baptized in front of all those people in the church? Can't I just have a friend baptize me in the river?” She asked where he came up with that idea.

“Well, Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in a river, wasn't he?”

Caught off guard, she conceded, “You have a point. But, if a friend baptized you in the river, how would the church recognize it?” Realizing this was a teachable moment, she climbed up on her foot stool to reach for her Presbyterian Book of Order that was located on the highest shelf. But before she placed her hand on the book, he responded.

“I guess by my new way of living” he said.

She nearly fell off the foot stool and left the Book of Order on the shelf. Cameron's understanding was neither childish nor simple. It was profound. Baptism calls us to a new way of living.

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From a sermon by Sarah Jo Sarchet preached at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago; secondary source: Illustrations, http://www.cybersaltlists.org

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[Original illustration at this number was deleted for being obsolete]

With time being so short, don't put off seeking for God.

Emperor Constantine put off baptism - he thought he wouldn't be able to sin after doing it. He thought only one sin was allowed after baptism, and being a politician he knew that would be tough. So he waited till he was on his death bed, hoping he would die immediately after.

#1694

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Ralph Wood was visiting a former student, now a minister, who invited him to a special baptism in a prison. It would be a small affair — Wood’s presence would double the congregation.

The man was in prison not for stealing cars or selling dope but for the crime our society is perhaps least prepared to pardon. In a drunken stupor this man had molested his ten-year-old daughter. He had thus committed a triple violation — of the girl’s sexual integrity, her filial trust, her moral innocence. No wonder that child molesters are the most despised of all criminals and that their fellow inmates call them “short eyes.” Convicts understand, as many do not, that no clearly considered human motive -however sinister — could prompt such an act: it must spring from a blindness made all the more terrible for being self-inflicted.

Wood’s suspicions were instant and numerous. Was this a convenient jail-house conversion that might lead to a quicker parole, a sentimental turning to God because there was nowhere else to turn, a desperate search for pastoral acceptance when societal rejection was sure to come?

The Baptist pastor told Wood something that caused him to doubt his doubts, however. He said this criminal did not make his profession of faith amid abject panic. His conversion was not prompted by the dread that, unless he reformed his life, no one — least of all his family — would ever accept him again.

The real turn had come several days earlier when the man’s wife and daughter had visited the prison in order to forgive him. It was only then — when freed from the burden of his sin by God’s humanly mediated grace — that the molester got on his knees and begged for the mercy of both God and his family. Surely, Wood thought, this is the true order of salvation: our repentance is always the consequence of, not the condition of, divine grace.

A guard escorted the prisoner from behind a fence topped with razor wire. His family was not able to attend because their broken-down car had failed yet again. There were just the three of them, with the guard looking curiously on. To the strumming of the chaplain’s guitar, they sang a croaky version of “Amazing Grace.” They did not balk at declaring themselves wretches.

After a pastoral prayer, the barefoot prisoner stepped into a wooden box that had been lined with a plastic sheet and filled with water. It looked like a large coffin, and rightly so. This was no warmed-and-tiled First Baptist bath, with its painted River Jordan winding pleasantly into the distance. This was the place of death: the watery chaos from which God graciously made the world and to which, in rightful wrath, he almost returned it.

Pronouncing the trinitarian formula, the pastor lowered the new Christian down into the liquid grace to be buried with Christ and then raised him up to life eternal. Though the water was cold, the man was not eager to get out. Instead, he stood there weeping for joy. When at last he left the baptismal box, Wood thought he would hurry away to change into something dry. He was mistaken. “I want to wear these clothes as long as I can,” he said. “In fact, I wish I never had to take a shower again.”

“I’m now a free man,” he declared. “I’m not impatient to leave prison because this wire can’t shackle my soul. I know that I deserved to come here, to pay for what I did. But I also learned here that Someone else has paid for all my crimes; my sins against God.”

Before returning to the prison yard, the new Christian made a final affirmation. He said that he had once doubted he could ever go back to his home town, so great were the shame and scandal of what he had done. But now he was determined to return there, to take up his work as a carpenter, and to become a faithful father and husband. More important by far, he declared his hope to join a local church and to live out his new life in Christ as a public witness to the transforming power of God’s grace.

Perhaps this man’s conversion is a sham. He may return to his old habits. But it is wrong to insist — as many voices would insist — that this man’s family should never have forgiven him, that to do so was to sanction his violence, indeed to collude in rape. This mother and daughter brought a dead man back to life. Their act of forgiveness opened him to the one reality by which our common slavery to sin can be broken: the power of salvation in Jesus Christ.

#2500

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Evangelicals have de-emphasized the concept of the church. It is not discussed and people are not as often encouraged to join. Some churches have abandoned the concept of membership altogether. Baptism and the Lord's Supper have also lost their distinctiveness for bonding a church's identity. Churches have taken over society's emphasis on individualism.

Sermon for baptism of Ned Patterson and Jennifer Brady. Matthew 3:5-11

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WHAT HAPPENS AT BAPTISM?

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I. A dramatic event.

A. Baptism is at the core of what Baptists are all about.

B. Baptizing in Ohio river.

C. What does baptism do for a person?

II. Baptism portrays salvation.

A. Acted-out parable. Isaiah 20; Ezekiel 4

B. Signifies death of old self.

C. Signifies birth of new self.

III. Baptism provides a public witness.

A. Testimony at event.

B. To be effective, must be continued.

C. Baptism can be phony. Matthew 3:7

IV. Baptism proclaims a commitment.

A. People want benefits, but not commitments.

B. Commitment to Jesus.

C. Commitment to fellowship of church.

V. Baptism is for real life.

#4009

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It is related that in a certain community there lived a very wicked

man. However, there was a certain minister who insisted that he should

be baptized. The wicked man insisted that he was not a Christian and

was not ready to be baptized. But the minister insisted that he would

become a Christian when baptized and would then be all right. The man

declared that he was desperately wicked and full of the devil and he

feared it would require more than water baptism to fix him up. Still

the minister insisted. Finally the sinner replied, "Well, I will

comply with your request. I will let you baptize me, and I can tell if

any change has taken place in me. I will know. And if there is a

change and I am all right, I will consider myself a member of your

church; but if there is no difference, and I am still wicked inside, I

am going to beat you up right there on the spot for deceiving me." The

minister answered, "Well, I fear you are not ready for baptism now!"

He doubted his own doctrine.

William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

Suppose you looked out your window and saw a tornado coming for your house. T.V. is telling everyone in your area to go to basement, go to west wall, get under heavy object. Would you reason: "A tornado hit my parent's home years ago; they didn't go to the basement and they're o.k. I'm not going either!" Or, "My neighbors don't even have a basement and they're good people. If they can't go then I'm not going to either." NO! Go to basement--go to west wall--get under object and then, if there's enough room, you might let your

wife and children under!

When we say with intensity of “supplication” (Acts 1:14), “Father, baptize me with Thy Spirit, now,” then He will come. A cultured woman who had long sought the fullness of God rose from an altar and said to Bro. Keen, “I have given all to the Lord, and I believe in His own time He will fully save me. He replied, “When is His own time?” “When He thinks best.” “The Lord has told us when His own time is. He says now is the accepted time, today is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2). She saw it; said “now” to God, and was baptized by the Spirit.

A clergyman wrote once to Bro. Keen, “I have been long persuaded of a fullness of blessing in the Holy Spirit that was my privilege; but while I preached it to others I did not know how to receive it myself.

Yesterday I asked ‘definitely, urgently, expectantly, now,’ and He came; not the blessing but the Blesser. O it is wonderful! I had been looking for a blessing and trying to prepare myself to receive it; but it never occurred to me that I must first receive the Blesser. I need not tell you of the surging billows of glory that have been rolling over my soul.”

"James," said the American planter, "suppose I take an ink-bottle and cork it tight and put a string around the neck and drag it through the river. How long will it take to clean out the inside?" James' face lighted up in a moment, and he replied: "Massa, you'll never get it clean that way in the world." The master seized upon this confession and showed James that baptism by water availed nothing apart from the inward cleansing by the Holy Spirit.

--Sunday School Chronicle

[Holwick - I wonder when this illustration originated...]

Army Spc. James Kiehl did not know death was around the corner. No one did. No one ever does.

But on that day in the Kuwaiti desert, with his unit preparing for battle, Kiehl responded to God's call and accepted Christ into his heart. He was saved. His baptism was captured by a television crew, providing joy for friends and family members back home.

Kiehl's walk as a Christian, though, lasted not years, but mere days. In late March, in the heart of Iraq, he was killed, leaving behind a wife who was expecting their first child.

Fittingly, Kiehl was buried April 14, 2003, the day after Palm Sunday and six days before Easter, providing a reminder to the overflow crowd at Comfort (Texas) Baptist Church of the glorious simplicities of the Christian faith. God saves sinners -- not through works of their own -- but through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Man is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It is simple yet complex, and it is the core of Christianity.

From the youngest to the oldest, God's grace and mercy are displayed whenever someone repents and believes. As Kiehl's testimony demonstrates, it is never too late.

Before he went off to battle, Kiehl asked Dallas television reporter Robert Riggs to pass a message along to his friends and family members: Tell them I've accepted Jesus as my Savior.

Kiehl's newfound faith provided hope for those at his funeral.

“It was solemn, but there was Christian joy throughout because of the decision for Christ that he had made,” said Comfort Baptist Church pastor Jim Holt, who preached the funeral message.

Kiehl's faith, along with that of other believers, hinges on what the Christian church celebrates this Easter weekend -- the death, burial and bodily resurrection of Christ. Baptism is a picture of this.

The Christian faith stands or falls on Christ's bodily resurrection, the Apostle Paul argued nearly 2,000 years ago. Responding to those who said the dead cannot be raised, he wrote:

“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is without foundation, and so is your faith,” he wrote to the church at Corinth. “In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ -- whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised” (1 Corinthians 15:13-15, HCSB).

If Christ was not raised from the dead, Paul continued, then “your faith is worthless” and “you are still in your sins.”

But Paul concluded, “Christ has been raised from the dead.... O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Christ's death, burial and bodily resurrection are the crux of the Christian faith. Without them, Paul says, a Christian's faith is “worthless.”

This weekend, Christians in the small town of Comfort, Texas, are rejoicing, knowing that one of their own brave ones, James Kiehl, accepted Christ shortly before his death.

They have the joy that the angel at Jesus' tomb expressed to the women in Matthew 28: “Don't be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said.”

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #10866]

A minister was seeking to explain the significance of Baptism to a new convert. He was gesturing as he talked and noticed that as he was using his hand its shadow fell on the ground. So he said to the convert, "Do you see the shadow of my hand on the sand? Now this is just a shadow. the hand is the real thing. And when you came to Jesus, when you believed in Jesus, that was the real baptism. You were joined to him, and what happened to him also happened to you. Jesus was alive, then he died and was buried, and then he rose from the dead. That is what happened to you when you believed in him." He pointed to the shadow on the sand and said, "When you go down on the water and are raised up again, that is a picture of what has already happened." Water baptism is a picture, a symbol to teach us what happened to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus.

One of the earliest patients at the dispensary in Toro (Uganda) was an old man who came to receive medicine for an ulcer. He became possessed with a desire to know the truth, and was put into the old men's Bible class for instruction. One day he came to the missionary with streaming eyes and said, "I want to be baptized." The missionary asked him, "Mpisi, will baptism save us?" And he answered, "Oh, no, only Jesus who died on the cross." "Then what is the use of baptism?" "Well," said he, "Christ told us to believe and be baptized, and it shows we want to leave our bad habits and follow the habits of Christ."

That simple-minded, untutored old man had caught the true meaning and purpose of baptism - salvation from sin through the Savior's atonement; an act of obedience to Christ's command; and a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, followed by a life of true devotion.

The Sunday School Times

The gambler had been converted in a revival meeting and was being baptized in the river. As he was put under the water, five playing cards (including four aces) slipped out of his sleeve or pocket and floated momentarily on the river. The preacher wondered out loud if the conversion was genuine. A friend on the bank called out, "Don't worry about him, Preacher, with a hand like that he can't lose!"

Hoover Rupert, Why Didn't Noah Swat Both Mosquitoes? (Lima, OH: CSS Publishing Co. 1994), 14-15

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| My Source:

| POWER, Volume 8, #3, March 1999

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| Author: L.E. Wishum

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A FALSE USE MADE OF JESUS' BAPTISM

by L.E. Wishum

Jesus commanded, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:15-16). In carrying out this command, Peter told believers to "Repent and be baptized... in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). The Bible teaches that water baptism is a condition of salvation (1 Peter 3:21).

Most religious men readily agree with the conditions of hearing, believing, confessing, and repenting, but refuse to believe that water baptism is a condition of salvation. In seeking to show that water baptism is not essential to salvation, some tell us that Jesus was not baptized to be saved and since He is our example, then baptism is not for the remission of sins (Matthew 3:13-17). This is a false use of Jesus' baptism! It is true that Jesus was not baptized for remission of sins, but neither did he believe, or repent, in order to be saved. Now if the fact that He was not baptized to be saved makes water baptism non-essential to salvation, then the fact that He did not believe, or repent, to be saved would also make believing and repenting non-essential to salvation. With this kind of "reasoning," one could eliminate the whole gospel, for Jesus was not saved by the gospel. But, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16), and Mark 16:15-16 commands baptism to be preached as part of the gospel. The very same verses that command believing and repenting also command water baptism for the remission of sins, or to be saved (Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38).

The truth is that Jesus was never saved, because He was never lost. Jesus never did sin (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15). Jesus is the ONLY one baptized who was not baptized for the remission of sins. Jesus is our example in obedience to God, but not in the conditions of salvation. Since Jesus was not saved by sacrificial blood, would any one dare argue that His sacrificial blood is non-essential to salvation? Jesus was not lost! Therefore, He was not saved by grace, faith or the blood! But men are lost (Romans 3:23).

John, aware that he was baptizing for the remission of sins (Mark 1:4), was faced with a problem when Jesus came to him seeking baptism. John knew that Jesus had no sin. So, John said, "I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?" Jesus answered, "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:14-15). The word "suffer" means "allow," as in Matthew 19:14, thus, Jesus was encouraging John to allow this one exception so that Jesus might obey each and every command of God (Psalms 119:172). Jesus IS our example in obeying all the commands of God!

Jesus was never lost in sin and therefore could never be saved from sin. But sinful mankind is lost and Jesus (and the Holy Spirit) said that each sinner must repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Since Jesus is the Saviour, and since He commanded baptism in water as a condition of salvation, then no one can be saved without obeying the gospel of the Saviour (Hebrews 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Romans 1:16).

God chose, through mercy, to forgive sins through the blood of Christ when a sinner's faith meets the conditions of repentance and baptism in water (Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38). One who believes and even repents of sin, but refuses to be baptized in water for the remission of sins, is refusing to obey the Lord of salvation (Mark 16:15-16) and thus, is not saved (Revelation 22:14). Paul had believed and repented, but was told to "arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins" (Acts 22:16). Paul knew that newness of life was available only after being buried and raised up from baptism (Romans 6:3-22).

By Rev. Marvin McKenzie

Heartland Baptist Bible College, Oklahoma City, OK

Text: Hebrews 2:5-9

Introduction: As a means of introducing this morning's message, allow me to give you a little material concerning the context of the passage. The Book of Hebrews is one of the most important and yet most difficult of the books of the Bible to grasp. The authorship is uncertain, however, most Fundamental scholars agree that Paul is most likely to have been its author. It is interesting to me that, those who are not so fundamental almost always ascribe the authorship to someone other than Paul.

Some say it was Barnabas, some say it was Peter, others say it was written after all of the apostles had died away, by some strange person no one knows about anymore. I have come to the place that I just about determine whether a person is a theological liberal or fundamentalist based upon their view of the authorship of this book!

We believe that Hebrews is written to a persecuted and scattered population of Jewish Christians.And the writer's desire is to encourage them in their faith by telling them about some BETTER THINGS! As you study through Hebrews you hear repeatedly about Better Things and New Things.

A BETTER PRIESTHOOD A BETTER SACRIFICE A BETTER COVENANT A BETTER REST A BETTER FUTURE and so forth.

In chapter 2, the author is writing of Jesus Christ, explaining how he is BETTER THAN THE ANGELS. Now, notice in our text a few points concerning man's present condition;

His worthlessness - What is man? (vs. 6) His powerlessness - Lower than the Angels (vs. 7) His Helplessness - Not all things put under him (vs. 8)

***Man was created the crowning point of God's Creation, now he is so sinful and wicked that it is a wonder that God would even take note of him.

***Man was created with glory and honor. A being, unlike the angels, in that we were made in the image of God and for the express purpose of fellowship with God. Now, through sin and rebellion, we're just "lower than the angels."

***Man was created to subdue the earth and conquer it. Now, due to the curse, this earth is the death of us. We earn our bread by the sweat of our faces. We suffer and struggle to scratch out a living from the earth, but eventually, time, and the forces of the nature of this earth take its toll on us and we return to the dust.

The author is being honest.

THAT'S WHAT LIFE CAN BE!

If he had tried to pull one over on these Christians, he would have been laughed out of town. No one would have given him a second thought.

THEY KNEW THEY WERE SUFFERING!

And, when a man is hurting, some pie in the sky by and by type message won't be much help to him! So the author admits times are tough. But then, look at verse 9

BUT WE SEE JESUS!

As bad as it is, the author, under divine inspiration says,

THERE IS A BRIGHT LIGHT TO LIFT UP AND LOOK AT!

We see Jesus!

No matter how rough things get in this life.

We see Jesus!

No matter how hard it may be to feed the family

We see Jesus!

No matter how wicked this world seems to be

We see Jesus!

And I want to submit to you today, that, when we see Jesus,

-- We can find the hope to hang in there. -- We can find the strength to keep on for Christ. -- To keep doing what is right. -- To keep a joy about our countenance

I saw this phrase this week and began to think about all of the ways we might see Jesus today. And I want to tell you what I found, because I believe when Jesus is lifted up, you can't help but want to come to Him!

First, We See Jesus

I. AS WE LOOK BACK THROUGH BIBLICAL HISTORY

Look into the pages of history and, nearly everywhere you look, you will see the Lord Jesus Christ!

1. We see Jesus as the Promised Seed

Promised first to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15

Again to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-2

This seed was then promised to Jacob, then Judah, and then David.

He is promised in Isaiah 7:14 thus;

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (KJV)

He is promised in Isaiah 9:6 like this;

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (KJV)

And He is promised in Micah 5:2 with these words;

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (KJV)

All of the hopes of the world, both in the Old Testament and in the New, rested upon this one promise made by the God. And one day. Not when men would have expected it, But in the fullness of God's time

GOD KEPT HIS PROMISE!

A special Star singled His arrival, the Angels of God sung about His appearance, and Even the sin filled world today celebrates His birth. That Promised Seed came for you and me!

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Secondly

2. We See Jesus as the Powerful Son of God

I refer here to the miracles Jesus did in His life on earth.

Walking on water Calming the storms Healing the sick Raising the Dead Feeding the Multitudes The centurion had it right when, at Christ's cross he exclaimed "...Truly this was the Son of God..." Matthew 27:54

Every miracle Jesus did in His earthly lifetime has some application for you and me today. They tell us how to be free from sin How to live victorious over our self and How to be servants to those around us.

Third, whenever we look through Biblical History

3. We See Jesus as the Impoverished Servant

While the promised seed was expected, He was not expected to come in the way he did. They all figured He would come in glory and splendor to defeat the Roman bad guys and make the Jewish nation the greatest one in the world. Frankly, most of the world of Christ's day were not ready to receive Him the way He was.

Isaiah says Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (KJV)

Christ came in humility for two very important reasons:

First,

So people would be attracted to Him through faith and not because of what He could do for them. I can tell you this with absolute certainty. If you come to Christ for the wonderful things He can do for You, You will be disappointed! Christ isn't our personal genie who makes all our troubles go away and smoothes out every rough spot in out road. He just won't work like that! But, if in faith you come to Him as the only hope for to have you sins forgiven and to have an eternal home in Heaven. Christ will grant you those, AND MAKE LIFE MUCH MORE ABUNDANT TOO!

Second,

To teach us to serve and live humbly. Jesus taught the disciples that the servant is the greatest of all. There is no greater endeavor a man can put forth than an endeavor to serve others! When we look through Biblical History

4. We See Jesus as the Spotless, Sinless Sacrifice.

Hebrews 4 says

"He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

While that has countless points of significance for us, the greatest of them all is that Because He is sinless, He can pay for our sin!

2 Corinthians 5:21

He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

And, finally, as we look back at Biblical History

5. We See Jesus as The Risen Saviour.

Matthew 28:6

He is not here, He is risen, as He sad, come see the place where the Lord lay.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (KJV)

Jesus is alive today! And because He is alive

He is able to save all who will come to Him He cares about what you and I are going through, and He is praying before God the Father for us right now!

We see Jesus as we look back through Biblical History

Number two

Theme. WE CAN STILL SEE JESUS TODAY

The influence Christ had on the world in the first five centuries AD was enormous.

His influence can be seen today in the fact that we call this 1998 AD a reference to Christ's coming. His influence can be seen when we look at the most civilized nations of this earth, all of which use an Judeo-Christian system of law. His influence can be seen in our code of morality. His influence can be seen in the shear numbers of churches which exist in the world today.

1.--- We can see Jesus whenever a person trusts Jesus as Saviour, and especially as they grow in spiritual things.

***Those who once were vial become victorious

***Those who once were lost became found

***Those who once were hateful and proud become humble and loving.

2.--- We can see Jesus today in His local Church.

This congregation as the body of Christ, demonstrates the truths about Christ to the world around us.

The only thing some people will ever know about Jesus is what they see through this church!

THAT'S SCARY, ISN'T IT!

3.--- But as I considered it, I think there is one way in which Christ can most clearly be seen today.

If you want to see Jesus today

Look into the Bible.

One of the names of Jesus is "The Word."

John 1:14

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1 John 5:7

There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.

The relationship between Jesus Christ the Living Word and the Holy Bible, the written Word and undeniable to any who would only study this Book! And because of that relationship, wherever you look in the Bible, you see Jesus!

In the Genesis, He is the Word which Created all things.

In the Pentateuch, He is the Passover Lamb, and every other Sacrifice.

In the Historical Books, He is the angel of the Lord who fights for Israel.

In the Poetical Books He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.

In the Major Prophets, He is the stone, cut without hands and

In the Minor Prophets, He is the soon coming King.

In the Gospels He is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.

In Acts, He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

In Pauline Epistles, Jesus is the purchaser of our salvation and the builder of His Church.

In Hebrews, Jesus is the one Better than all before and any after.

In the Petrine Epistles, Jesus in the lively cornerstone.

In the Johannan Epistles, He is our Advocate when we sin.

In Jude, Jesus is the only Lord God and Our Lord Jesus Christ and

In Revelation, He is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.

AND HE IS COMING BACK.

I am saying, We see Jesus when we look in the Bible! Sometime, just for fun, read through the Bible looking for things that remind you of Jesus. It may not appear to have anything to do with Him on the surface, but think about a chapter, a Book, or a section of the Scriptures and see if you can see Jesus in it! It will bless your soul!

We See Jesus as We look to Biblical History

We Can See Jesus Today as We Study His Word and Finally,

III. WE WILL SEE JESUS IN THE FUTURE

Revelation 1:7 says of Jesus

"Behold, He cometh, and every eye shall see Him..."

There are three most notable events in the future in which we see Jesus very prominently;

1. When He Calls His People to Heaven

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Vs 16 "For the Lord Himself shall descend ...."

What an experience that is going to be!

Jesus described it in Matthew like this;

---Two people will be working in the fields: one shall be caught up and the other will be left.

---Two women will be working at a grindstone: one will be caught up, and the other left.

Imagine a husband and wife. One is saved and the other is not. Jesus calls his own to heaven, and there is a wife, suddenly, without warning, alone! A young man and his brother are playing together. One is saved, and the other isn't. There is a great crash of thunder and the unsaved one is standing by himself! You know, many of the things that are the biggest blessings to the Christians are the worst curses to the unsaved. I heard a lady on a radio talk show one time complaining about her pastor. She said "He likes to preach over and over about how Jesus is coming soon. WHY CAN’T HE BE MORE POSITIVE!"

For the Christian THERE IS NOTHING SO POSITIVE AS THE BLESSED HOPE OF JESUS’ RETURN. But that which we look for and long for is going to be a terrible experience for those left behind! We'll See Jesus Again in the Future

2. When He Comes to End the Tribulation

Revelation 19:11-13

After all the Christians are taken off of this earth, Satan will have a chance to have almost complete dominion here. And those left on this earth will experience seven years of events so horrible that the Bible says there has been nothing like it!

Natural disasters such as the world has never seen. Wickedness and violence running rampant. Demonic forces torturing and tormenting men.

Jesus said that it will be so horrible that, if he didn't come to stop it, there would no flesh be saved.

Matthew 24:22

Finally, well see Jesus in the Future

3. When He Climbs on to His Eternal Throne

Revelation 21:22-23

Imagine what a wonder that will be! No sin, No sickness, No death and No tears. The Bible says there isn't even any sun or moon there, because Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is the light of the place. Just think of how wonderful it would be to live in a place where there was no hunger no worry about unemployment no fear of being robbed, mugged, or murdered. Where the news can never report anything horrible because nothing horrible happens. Where loved ones will not die. Where friends will not move away. And where everyone will get to see Jesus face to face!

This dreamland is real, but it is not for everybody (Revelation 21:27).

Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life get to go there!

Everyone else goes to the Lake of Fire and Brimstone.

Oh Listen, today, if you are not in that Lamb's Book of Life, please let us show you from the Bible how to be saved for sure and forever!

One Sunday, the "Minister" was giving a sermon on baptism and in the course of his sermon he was illustrating the fact that baptism should take place by sprinkling and not by immersion. He pointed out some instances in the Bible. He said that when John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the River Jordan, it didn't mean in - it meant close to, round about, or nearby. And again when it says in the Bible that Philip baptized the eunuch in the river, it didn't mean in - it meant close to, round about, or nearby.

After the service, a man came up to the minister and told him it was a great sermon, one of the best he had ever heard, and that it had cleared up a great many mysteries he had encountered in the Bible.

"For instance," he said, "the story about Jonah getting swallowed by the whale has always bothered me. Now I know that Jonah wasn't really in the whale, but close to, round about, or nearby, swimming in the water.

"Then there is the story about the three young Hebrew boys who were thrown into the furious furnace, but were not burned. Now I see that they were not really in the fire, just close to, round about, or nearby, just keeping warm.

"But the hardest of all the stories for me to believe has always been the story of Daniel getting thrown into the lions' den. But now I see that he wasn't really in the lions' den, but close to, round about, or nearby, like at the zoo.

"The revealing of these mysteries have been a real comfort me because I am a wicked man. Now I am gratified to know that I won't be in Hell, but close to, round about, or nearby. And next Sunday, I won't have to be in church, just close to, round about, or nearby. Thanks. You have really put my mind at ease."

(Matthew 23:15) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Consider the matter of the growth of Southern Baptists. Usually the subject is approached from the positive point of view - "How shall we grow?"

View the subject from the other direction - "How did Southern Baptists not grow?" What are some of the courses which may lead to mediocrity if not to oblivion? Several suggestions may be listed:

1. Practice open church membership; this will devaluate our Baptist position.

2. Disregard the Scriptural meaning of, and invitation to, the Lord’s Supper; this will cheapen communion.

3. Play down the importance of baptism; this will stifle our testimony.

4. Emphasize ecumenicism; this will erase our distinctives.

5. Be apologetic regarding the use of the name "Baptist"; this will weaken our prestige.

6. Deny direct kinship with the New Testament Christians; this will cut the root of Biblical and doctrinal strength.

7. Minimize the importance of training; this will close the churches on Sunday evenings.

8. Take the side track of fanatical conservatism or radical liberalism; this will produce a series of splinter groups.

9. Solicit financial support from non-Baptists; this will make beggars of the churches.

There are other roads which might open the way to denominational nothingness, but this combination would probably make others unnecessary.

-- Robert G. Lee