[0:00] we've been trucking through the gospel of John on Sundays but we're gonna take a break from that for one week and we're gonna see what God has to say from us to us from his word in connection to the resurrection of Jesus and so I would invite you to please take your Bibles and go to the book of Romans Romans chapter 6 Romans chapter 6 if you're visiting with us you can fill out a card there in a seat pocket in front of you and you can fill that out there's a box there at the end you can put that in the box or you can put that on the table back there but if you are visiting there's a Bible in the chair in front of you and you pull that Bible out and go to the back and find page 122 page 122 is Romans chapter 6 I was talking to somebody this past week they asked me what are you gonna preach on for Sunday for resurrection Sunday
[1:01] I said Romans chapter 6 I said what does that have to do with the resurrection so I'm like well I guess you'll find out so maybe you might be asking what does this have to do with the resurrection you'll find out Romans chapter 6 look at the first five verses Romans 6 chapter 1 excuse me verse 1 chapter 6 shall we say then are we to continue in sin that grace might increase may never be how shall we who died to sin still live in it or do you not know that all of us who've been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death therefore we've been buried with him through baptism into death in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father so we too might walk in new life for if we become united with him in the likeness of his death certainly we shall be also of his resurrection birthdays at my house are a big deal the birthday person gets asked what kind of cake she or he wants they get asked what do you want for breakfast what do you want for lunch what do you want for dinner and we set time aside to sing happy birthday it's a big deal light candles blah blah blah
[2:35] I mean it's a big deal for us and there's a lot of them in our house there's seven if you include me and Chris it's nine wow what if we forgot the reason for the birthday cake what if we had the birthday cake but forgot it was someone's birthday eating the birthday cake well why are you having birthday cake well I don't know well is it somebody's birthday well I don't know who cares I'm just eating cake it's probably the seven year old you know see the important aspect is not the cake well maybe for some of you it is the important aspect is not supposed to be the cake I'll put it that way it's the person I mean you're celebrating God's grace and God's goodness his faithfulness and the joy of this person we're celebrating that celebrating the goodness of God it's not the cake it's the person it's the person even praising God for that person right that's usually how it goes or that's how it should go
[3:58] I don't see birthday cake in this passage what does birthday cake have to do with this passage we're having cake but have we forgotten why we're having the cake we're eating the cake but have we forgotten why we're eating the cake and I describe this passage for today baptism is the birthday cake baptism is the birthday cake but sometimes we have the cake and we have the birthday cake but we've forgotten that the birthday cake points to us to the person it points us to who he is and what he's done and we're celebrating him have we forgotten that we celebrated four baptisms just a couple Sundays ago and one major aspect we need to remember is that baptism shows that we truly believe in the physical literal historical resurrection of Jesus that's what it shows us here in the statement baptism is the birthday cake of the resurrection of Christ what undergirds this act of baptism is commemorating
[5:31] Christ's resurrection because we truly believe he actually physically literally historically rose from the dead and this is the crux of all that we do of all that we are as Christians and one of the ways that we celebrate this is baptism but we forget that this is just the birthday cake it's supposed to point us to Christ it's supposed to point us to and commemorate to us the resurrection of Jesus baptism is not the event of salvation baptism doesn't save you you just get cleaner hopefully Dwayne you did take a shower that Sunday right oh anyways we won't talk about that it's the picture of the event it's not the event of salvation baptism is the immersion or the dipping of a believer in water as a symbol of the Holy Spirit's miracle transformation within them baptism the Greek word baptizo means to dip that's why we don't sprinkle we dip you under the water and there's a reason behind that too you'll see that in a moment why that's so vital that that happens we'll look at that in a moment but baptism it pictures what happened to us on the inside it's a symbol of the new birth of that person she or he has become new reborn excuse me born from above
[7:30] John chapter 3 so his whole life has changed so her whole life has changed biblical baptism occurs after there is conviction of sin and acknowledgement of guilt before God repentance toward God from sin after there's confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and that he rose from the dead see when you get baptized it's an external expression you'll express on the outside what happens to you internally an internal reality internally baptism is symbolic of the washing away of our sin it's symbolic of the dying of our old nature the old gym and the new life in Jesus it's a symbol of our inclusion in the body of Christ but it's also a symbol of the promise of a future resurrection and glory see this is what
[8:51] Paul was saying in Romans chapter 6 look with me in chapter 5 verse 20 maybe a page over in your Bible or scroll down a little bit on your device chapter 5 verse 20 and the law came in that the transgression might increase but where sin increased grace abounded all the more that as sin reigned in death verse 21 even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord see Paul's saying here in chapter 5 verse 20 and 21 he's saying this the more we sin the more God pours out his grace upon us the more you sin the more God pours out his grace you sin God's grace you sin God's grace he keeps pouring his grace because it's found in Jesus Jesus died for that sin he died for that sin so more grace is poured out upon you the more you sin the more grace
[9:55] God pours out upon you but notice what he says in verse 1 of chapter 6 shall we continue shall we say then shall we continue in sin so that grace might increase oh this is grace wait wait you mean to tell me God pours out his grace every time I sin awesome I'm gonna keep sinning that's what the thought process and Paul's like time out no no no shall we continue in sin so that grace might increase no way never why look at what he says verse 2 how shall we who died to sin still live in it what do you mean Paul verse 3 or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death therefore verse 4 we've been buried with him through baptism into death for the purpose that as Christ was raised from the dead through the father's glory so we too might walk in new life notice what he's doing here we were buried with
[11:12] Jesus in baptism now Paul's not speaking about actual this this is our baptism he's not talking about this the actual act of baptism he's not talking about that besides he didn't even know we had a baptistry he's not talking about that he's not speaking about actual the actual act of baptism but of what happened to each Jesus follower on the inside spiritually what happens we're buried with Christ through baptism into death that's why you're put under the water you die and as Christ was raised from the dead by means of the father's glory how was Jesus raised by what means the glory of the father brought him back to life Acts chapter 13 verse 34 Paul said God raised him up
[12:12] Jesus said of himself I give my life and I can take it back again so the father's glory raised Jesus Jesus raised himself as Christ was raised from the dead in the same way we walk in new life we're raised in other words we're spiritually raised see there's a whole new person a whole new gym a whole new Cailin why because Jesus the Messiah rose from the dead see Jesus had to rise from the dead for you to rise from the dead for you to be new for you to be transformed and for you and I to one day be physically transformed with the same body that Jesus had when the spirit of
[13:23] God regenerates me or you and then I respond in faith trusting in Jesus alone a whole new person has been raised a whole new person is raised to life the old gym has died why because Jesus rose see that's the vital truth about Christianity Jesus rose this is the crux of all that we do this is the crux of who we are as Christians God saves us because Jesus rose he'll save you and he'll change you if you put your trust in him today do you know the Lord Jesus have you turned from sin and trusted in Jesus God should condemn us but he doesn't he actually shows love we'll sing later the deep deep love of Jesus he came he died he rose physically from the dead and he says repent and trust in me and I'll save you there's the gospel come he'll save you and change you he'll transform you this is the heart of the gospel and this is the heart of who we are as
[14:52] Christians and notice if you would back to Romans chapter 6 how verse 5 is key verse 5 for if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death certainly we shall be also of his resurrection we're united with him in his death and we're united with him in his resurrection how is that demonstrated how do you show that you've been united to Jesus how do you show you've been united to his death how do you show you've been united to his resurrection baptism because we put you under the water we hold you under and shake you just like that no we put you under the water which symbolizes you I did that to Duane come on Duane Duane breathe breathe no don't breathe don't breathe in the water a little ticking on
[15:54] Duane today poor Duane he was a big guy too I'm like please God don't let me keep him under he's like when I'm on the water it symbolizes Duane died the old Duane died that's how he united with Jesus the old Duane dies and there's a new Duane he's changed it's not that the baptism does that it it just cleaned him he smelled better now that's not the point of it baptism depicts the old person dying and a whole new person coming to life or if you permit me to say this a resurrection from the dead that's because going under the water symbolizes death the water of baptism it symbolizes not good it actually symbolizes bad think of the water and baptism as bad it's evil is death good that's when you all say no is death good no death is not good was the flood good no the flood the waters of the flood symbolizes judgment what do you think water symbolizes judgment what did
[17:35] Jesus face for you judgment death it was bad and so when you die you go under the water that's my death and then you rise I'm transformed why am I transformed because Jesus rose from the dead so what undergirds baptism is commemorating the physical literal historical resurrection of Jesus because if he did not rise from the dead then I am still in my sins if he did not rise from the dead I haven't been transformed if he did not rise from the dead I haven't been changed and Paul is lying to you right here plus there's no reason for me to live a life of godliness why who cares if
[18:52] Jesus did not physically literally historically rise from the dead there's no reason for me to live a life of godliness and holiness because baptism is a public declaration of our allegiance to Jesus and our separation from the world and a life of sin I'm not going to live a life of sin I'm choosing not sin I'm choosing Christ why because I've been transformed I'm changed I'm a new person if Jesus did rise from the dead that's why I should not continue in my sin because Jesus rose and baptism commemorates that does that make sense notice this is why Paul ended this section in chapter 6 look at verse 11 even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive to god in christ jesus why because jesus truly did rise literally physically historically we do not believe in what's called the german word for historical embellishment there's no embellishment in this either jesus rose or he didn't either jesus came back to life or he didn't there's no embellishment friends we truly believe this we are and because we believe this we are a group of people who live differently because jesus rose from the dead we live different from our world we don't live like the world that's why paul says in first christians chapter 6 and such were some of you you've been washed you've been sanctified we live different with our neighbors we live different when we go to the store we live different with our co-workers because we've died we've been raised look apart from this historical actual real truth christianity has no basis and no point there's no point to gathering there's no point to godliness there's no point to ministry there's no point to anything why even be here the liberal churches that gather together it's pointless for them to gather they don't even believe in the literal physical actual historical resurrection of jesus so there's no point why is there any point just be a good moral person go live your life that's all that matters if that's what matters there's certainly no point in getting baptized so you know as i was preparing this and going through this i don't think as far as i can remember i look at travis he's been here as long as i've been here i don't think there's ever been a time we're actually commemorated in some way the actual resurrection of jesus when we did a baptism so i've been like you know i need to do this i think what we need to do and you can hold me to this remind me we should commemorate the resurrection of jesus when we're doing a baptism we should do that because that's what is pointing to that we're commemorating and remembering of course it's jesus death but it's resurrection physical resurrection as well we cannot forget this vital aspect this pillar of christianity it's vital not
[22:56] only to us gathering together but it's vital for us and how we live our lives give this to you again baptism is the birthday cake it's just a cake of the resurrection of christ what undergars this act of baptism we commemorate christ's resurrection because we truly believe he actually physically literally historically rose from the dead we do we believe that would you take a moment and pray with me our father we've been encouraged from this vital significant truth that we want to make sure we make this of first importance that christ died for our sins according to scriptures and that he was buried and he was raised on the third day according to scriptures lord jesus you have died you've risen you've risen from the dead you've been raised by the father so keep transforming us we are a people who trust in you we are a people who put our hope in you as our shepherd as our king the one who loves us who truly is alive may that affect our lives the way we live the way we treat each other as part of your church transformed that we would display grace to each other love and love and it would spur us on to say to this lost fallen wicked evil world come come and be transformed come and be loved come and be forgiven come and be changed come and worship the one the one that you've been created to worship please work in us as your people to be a church that displays that that we're transformed because Jesus you've been raised our faith is weak strengthen our faith and as we do each week would you take this time just a minute or so where you can fill your mind with truth ponder what we've seen from Romans chapter 6 may it direct you to worshiping praising thanking asking for the Lord to work in your heart by means of the spirit keep transforming you however let this time be a time where you can ponder and think and fill your mind with truth and you know a few moments we'll sing we'll pray the ministry can begin take this few moments between you and the
[26:40] Lord fill your mind with truth would you do that now please thank you thanks and we'll be