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Purpose : After preaching about the cross, Peter calls his hearers to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins 38). This study helps establish the link between Christ’s sacrifice and our forgiveness of sins by means of baptism.
1. Acts 2:36-41
36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38 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."
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Peter preached that one must believe and accept that Jesus is both Lord and Christ.
One is personally responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus.
The message cut to the heart of the hearers and they asked “what shall we do?”
Peter replied that first of all one must repent of their sins and secondly get baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
2. John 3:3-5
3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Q: If we want to go to heaven, what must happen, according to Jesus? (We must be born again. We must be born of water and spirit)
Q: When are we born of water and spirit? (At the time of baptism)
3. Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Q: What kind of people should be baptized? (People who are old enough to be taught, understand and obey everything
Jesus commanded (v.20) Implies not infants and small children!)
C: Also we see baptism is a command of Jesus. We must obey His command.
4. Romans 6:3-7
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.
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--
7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
V.3, when we are baptized we are baptized into Jesus death.
V.4 when we are baptized We are buried with Christ.
We are baptized (v.4) so that we may live a new life.
When we are baptized our old self is crucified with Christ (v6)
When our old self dies, what are we set free from? (v.7) Sin
BAPTISM :
Jesus Died -> Was Buried -> Was Raised
In baptism, we share in his death, burial, and resurrection
We
die (repentance) -> We are buried (in baptism) -> We are raised
C: So we see that baptism is participation, by faith, in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To become part of Christ we must get baptized.
(C: As we see in Eph 1:7, the blood of Jesus saves us. And Romans 6:3-4 show that in baptism, we come into contact with the blood by faith by being buried with Jesus)
5. 1 Pet. 3:20-21
20 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
Q: In the days of Noah, how many people were saved? (8)
Eight people were saved through water – what does this mean?
Just as the water made a separation between the sin on the earth and the eight in the ark, so baptism makes a separation between our sin and us. That is the reason that Peter says, “this water symbolizes baptism that saves us also.”
Floodwater symbolizes baptism[not vice versa]. The Bible never calls baptism symbolic.
Q: According to V.21, what does baptism do? (It saves us)
Now let us look as some examples of people who got baptized in the Bible.
6. Acts 8:26-35
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31 "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?"
35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
Q: What was the eunuch doing on the way home? (Reading the Bible)
Q: Was he humble or a proud man? (Humble – he asked for help (V.30-31)
Q: The eunuch was a good religious man. But he was not saved nor a true Christian. So they studied the Bible together in the chariot, just like we have been doing. Philip told him the good news about Jesus.
Q: What is the good news about Jesus? (He came, helped the people, died for our sins, was raised again and so we too can be saved)
7. Acts 8:36-39
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"
37
38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
When they saw water, they both went down “into the water” and Philip baptized the eunuch (v.38). Baptism was by full immersion- that is what ‘baptize” means in the Greek.
Q: Why did not the eunuch wait until they got back to Ethiopia? (He wanted to be forgiven immediately)
C: So again, as in Acts 2, we see urgency before baptism and joy afterwards.
8. Acts 16:13-15
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.
15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.
God opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
Q: How did she respond to the message? (Immediate baptism)
Q: Why do you think she did not wait? (She wanted salvation)
9. Acts 22:1-16
1 "Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense."
2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.
4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,
5 as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 "About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?'
8 "'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied.
9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
10 "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.'
11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
12 "A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.
13 He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him.
14 "Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.
15 You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'
Q: What was Paul like, before he was a Christian? (A violent persecutor of the Church)
Q: What happened to him? (Jesus appeared to him)
Q: Did he believe in Jesus, once he spoke to him? (Yes)
Q: But was he saved yet? (No)
Q: Did be obey Jesus? (Yes in V.10-11 Paul went to Damascus)
Q: But was he saved yet? (No)
C: According to Acts 9:9-12, for three days Paul did not eat or drink anything, and he was praying.
Q: But was he saved yet”? (No. His sins had not been washed away)
Q: When did Paul get saved? (v.16) (When he was baptized)
Q: What is the purpose of baptism according to v.16? (To wash sins away)
Q: Did Ananias want Paul to wait? (No, v.16 says, “What are you waiting for?”)
C: Once again we see urgency and joy as Paul was immediately baptized. (Acts 9:18)
Q: What are you waiting for? When will you be baptized?
CONCLUSION:
Q: What do you think you need to do?
Q: When do you want to get baptized?
Q: Why do you want to get baptized? (To be saved, to be forgiven and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit)
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