Raised to new life

September 17, 2017
Erlo Stegen
Arise, ascension, born again, Confession, death, Faith, Jesus, obedience, Parenting, Repentance, Resurrection
1 Corinthians, Romans

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Sunday service, Erlo Stegen, 17 Sep 2017
(Today was a special service combination of baptism and holy communion)

Rom 6:3-7
3 Or are you without the knowledge that all we who had baptism into Christ Jesus, had baptism into his death?

4 We have been placed with him among the dead through baptism into death: so that as Christ came again from the dead by the glory of the Father, we, in the same way, might be living in new life.

5 For, if we have been made like him in his death, we will, in the same way, be like him in his coming to life again;

6 Being conscious that our old man was put to death on the cross with him, so that the body of sin might be put away, and we might no longer be servants to sin.

7 Because he who is dead is free from sin.

In the Bible we read of different types of baptisms, the baptism of fire, of tribulation, of water, of John etc. At that time some had received the baptism of John and then later of Jesus.

What does this baptism mean? That we died with Christ and is raised to new life in Christ. But that happened already on the cross. The baptism is simply a testimony that it is so; that you died to grudges, hatred, anger, and all the sins of the flesh.

God put us into Christ that we’re one with Him. We died with Him on the Cross. By going into the water you testify that you died to your old ways of sin and are living for Christ. Forget what is behind and stretch forward to what lies ahead.

So this baptism of Jesus is not the baptism of John or of fire, but it is a testimony of your new life in Christ.

John Newton was involved in the slave trade and lived like a pig. But he got converted and repented and became a preacher in England. He even wrote hymns that are sung today. He was so deep in sin but Jesus saved him to new life and his life bore testimony to that fact.
The water doesn’t change you. If you enter as a liar you will come out the other side a liar still, and even worse since your baptism was a lie too!

In Russia in a certain congregation when someone got saved they first had to live as a Christian for two years before they could be baptised to prove that they’ve truly repented. We see in the Bible how people sometimes were baptised immediately upon repentance. But it’s sometimes good if you who repent prove that you’re truly saved before being baptised lest your baptism prove to be a lie and God’s wrath come upon you.

1Cor 11:26-32
26 For whenever you take the bread and the cup you give witness to the Lord’s death till he comes.

27 If, then, anyone takes the bread or the cup of the Lord in the wrong spirit, he will be responsible for the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let no man take of the bread and the cup without testing himself.

29 For a man puts himself in danger, if he takes part in the holy meal without being conscious that it is the Lord’s body.

30 For this cause a number of you are feeble and ill, and a number are dead.

31 But if we were true judges of ourselves, punishment would not come on us.

32 But if punishment does come, it is sent by the Lord, so that we may be safe when the world is judged.

The Bible says if you partake of this cup in an unworthy manner you bring judgment upon yourself.

The Bible says a man should love his wife as Christ loves the church (Eph 5:25). And a wife should be submissive to her husband as the church to Christ (Eph 5:22). But she has to obey her husband in the Lord, in that which is good and not evil.

Moses was a real man, a great man. And the Bible says there was no one as meek and humble as he (Numbers 12:3)! Maybe that was why Zipporah was so cheeky and refused their son to be circumcised on the eighth day. But God didn’t excuse Moses and wanted to kill him. When Zipporah saw that her husband was dying she quickly circumcised the child and threw the foreskin at his feet saying he was a bloody husband. And God spared Moses (Ex 4:24-26).

Your children are not your own. They belong to God. You must bring them up in the fear of God.