Secondary Task # 1: Living a Baptized Life Living in Vital Union with Christ

Part 5 The Secondary Mandate – Baptize the Nations Session 5.22 Secondary Task # 1: Living a Baptized Life - Living in Vital Union with Christ Session 5.23 Secondary Task #1: Living a Baptized Life - The Word Becomes Flesh

The Text Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28: 18-20

The Tasks One Primary Task – Make disciples of all nations! Two Subordinating Tasks: –Baptizing them –Teaching them

Outline Baptizing Them –The Nature of Baptism –The Object of Baptism In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit –Overwhelmed by God –What’s in a name! –The place of the name –The Trinitarian name Putting them together

Baptism of Christ

The Nature of Baptism

Baptize baptizo –1 to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk). –2 to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one’s self, bathe. –3 to overwhelm NOT bapto –1 to dip, dip in, immerse. –2 to dip into dye, to dye, color.

Baptizing Pickles

Three Understandings of Baptism The first ordinance of the church – Initiation into the church Symbolizes the believer’s: – Identifying with Christ (Romans 6: 3-5) –Being purified by water from sin (Acts 22: 16; Heb. 10: 22) Reflects the vital relationship between Christ and the believer (John 15: 5)

Threefold Design of Believer’s Baptism The element of water represents purification from sin. The action symbolizes the death/burial and resurrection. The ceremony is a public pledge of allegiance to Christ and his kingdom.

Baptism

The Object of Baptism

Baptizing what? Questions: –What is the object of the baptism? –How do you baptize a nation?

Read Isaiah 52: 7-10,13-15 Questions: –To whom is this prophetic passage referring? –What will happen to the nations? “See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. … so will he sprinkle many nations, ….” This seems to be a prophetic announcement of the commission to baptize the nations. The Suffering Servant

Our Focus The third understanding of baptism: the vital relationship with Christ The object of baptism - nations

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

What’s in a name?

onoma – name or person Derived from oninemi –1 to be useful, to profit, help. –2 to receive profit or advantage, be helped [or have joy]. The name helps us to know the thing. Name

God’s Self-Revelation Read –Set # 1: Exodus 3: 13-14; Rev. 22: 13 –Set # 2: Isaiah 9: 6; 44: 6 –Set # 3: Isaiah 6: 3; Matt. 6: 9 Question: What do these names reveal about God?

The Place of the Name

Read: –Set # 1: Exodus 25: 8; 29: 42-46; 40: –Set # 2 : 2 Sam. 7: 13; 1 Kings 8: 19; 2 Chron. 6: 7-9 Questions: –Where does God intend to dwell? –How will God’s dwelling place be identified?

The Place of the Name Read Deut. 12: 1-7 Questions: –What are the people to do when they enter the promised land? –Why are they to do this?

The Place of the Name 2 Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. 3 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. 4 You must not worship the Lord your God in their way. 5 But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. Deut. 12: 2-5

The Trinitarian Name

The Name Note, the name, not the names ONE name – one God But three persons: –Father – Creator – Son – Redeemer – Holy Spirit – Sanctifier The tri-unity God

To be baptized “in the name of” is to be brought into a vital relationship with the one named.

The Vital Relationship

Our Vital Relationship Read: –John 14: –John 15: 1-8 –John 17: Questions: –What do they reveal about our vital relationship? –What is the result of the vital relationship?

The Vital Relationship I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5