Download - Confirmation 16 & 17 done
God’s Tools
Holy Baptism - A Work of God
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INTRODUCTIONWhat is the most important thing
that has happened to you since we last met? Why was that so
important? God says that the most important thing that has
happened to each of us is when we were baptized. Let’s see why
God would say that.
THE MEANS OF GRACE
The Gospel in WORD and SACRAMENTS (Baptism and Lord’s
Supper).
Latin: Sacramentum—something a soldier left behind that was sacred as a pledge or oath of loyalty or commitment to return. This sacred thing was left behind as his
honor of His word.
What is a sacrament? A Sacrament is a Sacred Act:
1.) started by Jesus
2.) God’s Words are connected to something you can see or taste
3.) by which God offers forgiveness, new life and salvation
STUDYING GOD’S WORD
What is Baptism?
Mark 7:3-43 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not
eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the
tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the
washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
The Greek Word “baptize” means to use water in various ways: pour, immerse,
sprinkle. A sponge bath, regular bath or a shower all get you clean. Some, such as Baptists, insist on only immersing, that is
dunking. But according to God's Word we can immerse, pour or sprinkle.
Matthew 28:19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit,
God’s command is that we baptize in the name of the Triune God. Baptism without
the word is like a check without a signature. God has to validate it and make sure that
what is promised God can cover.
Ephesians 5:26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the
washing with water through the word,
Baptism is water used together with God’s Word. Try washing a greasy pot
with cold water and no dishwashing soap. It will take you longer and the pan may never get fully clean. Using water
without God’s Word will get nothing accomplished. No sins are washed away and the sinner is never made
squeaky clean. No word means faith is not being created or strengthened.
Baptism is the applying of water by God’s command, water that is connected with God’s Word.
GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
Agree or Disagree and why? Water that has been used in Baptism should not be poured down the drain because it is special water.
Evaluate the situation: Meg, a teenager, wanted to be baptized standing in a river instead of standing by a baptismal font in front of church.
STUDYING GOD’S WORD
What really happens when we are baptized?
Titus 3:5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the
washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
The Holy Spirit is at work in Baptism. A poor uncle of yours whom you know has
no money and says he will give you $100,000. You know he can’t do it because he doesn’t have that much
money. Then a rich uncle tells you that he will give you the same. You know that he can do it and will do it because he has
millions. The Holy Spirit is like the rich uncle. The Holy Spirit is God and since he is at work in baptism he can deliver.
Ephesians 5:25-2625 Husbands, love your wives, just as
Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the
word,
The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God connected to the water. Naaman was cleansed of leprosy in the Jordan
river and not because it was such special water since in reality it was very dirty
water. He was cleansed solely because of God’s promise that Naaman would be
healed.
What really happens is that the Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts through the Word of God connected with the
water used in baptism.
GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Why do you write your name inside the front cover of a new book? Explain why God does the same thing to you when he writes his name on your head with water and the Word in baptism.
Agree or Disagree and why? Other than fulfilling Jesus’ command to apply water, the water in baptism doesn’t really serve a useful purpose.
STUDYING GOD’S WORD
What gifts did the Holy Spirit offer and give me when I was
baptized?
Acts 2:38-3938 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the
Lord our God will call.”
God offers me the forgiveness of sins for Jesus’ sake. Imagine a shirt has been soiled with many different food
stains. Not only is it washed completely clean, but it is treated with Scotchguard
to keep it from being stained again.
1 Peter 3:20-2120 who disobeyed long ago when God
waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through
water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the
removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves
you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
God offered and gave me deliverance from death and certain destruction. Imagine being inside
the ark, hearing the cries outside of people drowning and the
tremendous crash of water, yet inside you are safe and under God’s
protection and promise.
Zechariah 3:1-51 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the
LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The LORD said to Satan,
“The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke
you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua
was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.
Zechariah 3:1-54 The angel said to those who were
standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put
rich garments on you.” 5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him,
while the angel of the LORD stood by.
God gives me deliverance from the devil and his accusations. When the
devil reminds us of the bad things we’ve done, he tries to put us on trial and
make us despair. Jesus is our defense lawyer and our baptism is the wonderful
evidence that we don’t have to fear God’s punishment.
Mark 16:16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will
be condemned.
God offered and gave me eternal life with him in heaven. Martin Luther once said that
when his last hour on earth came he intended to be clothed in the little garment
he wore when he was baptized as an infant.
God gave me forgiveness of sin, deliverance from death and the
devil and eternal life.
CHRISTIAN VOCABULARY
Institute: to begin or start something
Sacrament: a sacred act started by Jesus through which the Holy Spirit creates or strengthens faith
Means: a way by which something is done or carried (eg. Means of Grace - the way the blessings of God are carried to us by the Holy Spirit.)
GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
Evaluate this statement - Didn’t we receive forgiveness when Jesus died on the cross? Why do we say that we receive it at baptism too?
Evaluate: Which is better to say, that God forgives our sins in baptism, or that in baptism God assures us that our sins are forgiven? Why did you make that choice?
STUDYING GOD’S WORD
Who are we to baptize?
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
God’s command is that we baptize all nations. If I said, “All the kids in this room had no more homework for the rest of the
year. ” Who is left out? So it is when Jesus said, “all nations.” NO one is left out.
Acts 2:38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Peter tells the people in the crowd, who were mostly adults, to be baptized.
Describe a recent or memorable adult baptism. Explain why the person was not
baptized as a child.
Acts 2:39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom
the Lord our God will call.”
Peter tells the people that the gift they would receive through baptism is also for
their children. There are usually two types of invitations to parties. One with
kids and one without kids. The kid friendly one means that the kids will have just as much fun as the adults. People that say children are not to be invited to
be baptized are changing God’s invitation. God also wants to give blessing to
children.
God commands us to baptize “all nations” including both adults
and children.
GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
Agree or disagree and why? Since babies can’t talk or understand words they can’t believe and it is useless to baptize them.
Agree or Disagree and why? Children should have a choice of whether or not they want to be baptized and so parents should wait until their children are old enough to decide rather than forcing them to be baptized as babies.
HYMNOLOGY Hymn 297 Baptized in Water
ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT TIME REVIEWING THE LESSON 1. Review your notes; be sure you understand them. Be prepared for a written or oral
quiz. Don’t forget about the vocabulary words! 2. The Bible passages are included in the parts of Baptism to be learned. PREPARING FOR THE NEXT LESSON Ask your parents to help you with the following activity: 1. Complete the Bible History Worksheet. Learn the Confession of our Faith Sacrament of Holy Baptism (Page 9 in your Catechism) Institution of Baptism—What is Baptism? The Blessings of Baptism—What does Baptism do for us?
God’s ToolsHoly Baptism Changes My Life
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INTRODUCTION What is a Baptismal Certificate? While they are not necessary, why are they good idea? In this lesson, we will again see why it is so important to remember our baptisms on a
daily basis.
STUDYING GOD’S WORD
What two main things does the Holy Spirit do through the Word in
Baptism?
Acts 2:38-3938 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized,
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the
Lord our God will call.”
The Holy Spirit promises blessings that Jesus won for us. When a baby has a fever and the doctor gives the parents
medicine which he assures will get rid of the fever, the parents would be fools not to
use the medicine. In baptism, God assures us that he gives the baby
blessings. How foolish the parents are that don't baptize their children and in
effect lose those blessings that God offers to them for free.
Colossians 2:12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from
the dead.
The Holy Spirit gives faith in those promises. When someone sincerely says, "I love you," that statement does more than
inform us. It convinces us that we are loved. The Holy Spirit not only uses God's Word in baptism to tell us about God's love,
but also to convince us of that love.
Through the Word of God in baptism, the Holy Spirit promises spiritual blessings
to us and also gives us faith to trust that promise.
GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
Evaluate: At Mormon churches people are baptized in place of other people that are already dead. Do those dead people receive eternal life or any spiritual benefits that way? Why or why not?
Evaluate: Melinda says to you, “You just had a “water” baptism not a “spirit' baptism”. When you get baptized by the spirit, you feel light all over and you are sometimes brought to tears
as you are filled with love for Jesus. It happened to me one day in church when the preacher was preaching
from God’s Word. It just swept over me.” How would you respond to her?
STUDYING GOD’S WORD
What new attitude did God work in me when I was baptized?
Romans 6:2-5, 10-11 2 By no means! We died to sin;
how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who
were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were
therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a
new life.
Romans 6:2-5, 10-11 5 If we have been united with him like
this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans verses in Bold:
When I was baptized, I died and was buried with Christ to sin. When Jesus was on the
cross, he took all our sins on himself, but he did that only once. After that he never was stained by taking sin on himself ever again. In baptism, God washed our sins away and at the same time God did a second thing. God gave us this same attitude of Jesus, namely never wanting to have anything to
do with sin again.
Romans verses underlined:
When I was baptized I was also raised with Christ. The radical change in Jesus and in us is somewhat like the "before"
and "after" pictures of someone who has undergone a physical transformation.
In baptism, I have died and been raised with Christ, that is, God gave me the
desire do away with sinful thoughts and actions and to live a new life.
GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
Food for thought: It may not seem that a huge change took place when you were baptized. You may not feel anything at all. You may not even remember your baptism as a child. But we need to look at it from God’s perspective. Remember that God now sees you through Christ, we are connected with Jesus in His death and resurrection.
How would you respond? Brenda said to you, “ I hardly ever think about my
baptism, but it doesn’t matter. I still live a good Christian life.”
STUDYING GOD’S WORD
What, then, does my baptism remind me to do every day?
Ephesians 4:22-2422 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful
desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new
self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
It reminds me to put off the old self and to put on the new self each day When we wear old clothes, we feel
dirty and we don’t mind getting dirty. When we take off the old clothes and
put on the new ones we think and act differently.
Romans 6:2,12-13a2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 12 Therefore do not let
sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the
parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to
God, as those who have been brought from death to life;
Putting off the old self means not letting sin rule in our hearts but getting rid of
sinful desires and actions. When you’re a slave, you have to do what the master tells. You have no choice. Baptism has freed us from slavery to sin. God urges
us to not let sin rule us.
Romans 6:13b-14and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin
shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Putting on the new self means offering myself to God and living to serve him. Jesus and Paul both describe the new life as “fruit”. No one forces a tree to grow fruit. It does it because that is
what trees do by nature. God doesn’t force us to do good works, but it is now
just what we do because we are empowered by baptism.
My Baptism reminds me to put off the old sinful way of living and to put on
the new holy way of living.
CHRISTIAN VOCABULARYOld Self - (sinful flesh, Old Adam) the part of us that is passed on to us at conception and makes us sinners through and through. The sole purpose of the Old Self is to rebel against God and all he commands.
New Self - (new person in Christ) the part of us that was created in you at baptism through the faith that the Holy Spirit worked. It longs to do what is right empowered by God’s love and the message of Jesus.
CHRISTIAN VOCABULARY
Contrition - fear and sorrow that are caused by a knowledge of one's sins
Repentance - trusting that God forgives all my sins in Jesus (this is only worked by the Holy Spirit through faith)
GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
Evaluate: A pastor once suggested that each of us could take a bar of soap and draw a cross on our mirror when we first get up in the morning. That way we could see ourselves as crucified with Christ. Do you think that is a good idea? Why or why not?
GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
Agree or disagree and why: It would be better to be baptized as an adult than as a child. That way it would be easier to remember one’s baptism.
STUDYING GOD’S WORD
How do I put off the Old Self and put on the New Self every day?
Psalm 51:4,174 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you
are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 17 The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
By being sorry for my sins (contrition). When an athlete cheats (such as taking performance enhancing drugs) and gets
caught, they are often sorry only that they got caught. Being contrite is being sorry
for what you actually did - that it hurt others and ultimately God.
Psalm 32:5,105 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will
confess my transgressions to the LORD”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah 10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.
By trusting that God forgive all my sins (Repentance). Peter was sorry for His sins when he denied Jesus three times
(was contrite) and also trusted that Jesus forgave Him (was repentant). Judas was only contrite when he threw the money in the temple, he was not repentant which
lead to despair and suicide.
Romans 6:17-1817 But thanks be to God that, though you
used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become
slaves to righteousness.
Upon receiving all these blessings in Baptism, I put on the new self out of thanks to God. There are stories of
slaves who were auctioned off during the Civil War era. They were bought and then freed by their new master. They were so grateful and thankful in their freedom that they offered to serve their new master any
way. We have been freed from sin by God. We show our thanks by serving
Him.
I put off the Old Self daily by contrition and repentance, and
I put on the New Self out of thanks to God.
ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT TIME REVIEWING THE LESSON 1. Review your notes; be sure you understand them. Be prepared for a written or oral
quiz. Don’t forget about the vocabulary words! 2. The Bible passages are included in the parts of Baptism to be learned. PREPARING FOR THE NEXT LESSON Ask your parents to help you with the following activity: 1. Complete the Bible History Worksheet. Learn the Confession of our Faith Sacrament of Holy Baptism (Page 9-10 in your Catechism) The Power of Baptism—How can water do such great things? The Meaning of Baptism for our Daily Life—What does Baptism with water mean?