We are nearing the end of our membership series here at Hope Fellowship. The sermon series is titled, Belonging In Christ. We ask that, should you have missed, you listen to the podcast from our website. The first sermon in the series was Who is Jesus? All things are from Him and to Him and through Him. The next sermon was What is the Gospel? We were saved to be brought to, to behold and bask in, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Then we asked the question: What is the Church? We have been made a people for God’s own possession. And, our belonging is rooted in our unity— our union with Christ.  Last week, we answered the question: What is Scripture? The Word of God is the revelation of His character and His law of His Kingdom on earth. This week week, we look at how one enters and participates in the Body of Christ, specifically through the New Covenant ordinances, Baptism and Communion. Then, next week, Chris Gorman will come speak to us, and we will answer the question, Why Membership?

Have you pondered how God could maintain his perfect and faithful love toward you, even amidst defaulting in your obedience? How is it that the God of the universe would still love you, still keep you, still be true and save you, even though you continue to sin? Covenant. The answer is covenant. And our God does not base the keeping of His covenant promise on the faithfulness of fallible human beings, but on the perfect Son of God. We began our series asking: Who is Jesus?All things are… from / to / and through Him. This is true even in His covenant with his people. How are you and I loved and saved? Covenant. 

The unfortunate truth is our western culture recoils at the word covenant. It is a binding commitment in which one promises to uphold and is not excused from it easily. This is what we see in marriage covenants… in sickness and health, till death do us part. We, as we are initiating church membership, which we call Belonging in Christ, covenant to God and to each other to this local church body. There is a promise of faithful commitment, by which  we can have real relationship with God and each other, to know and be known. The covenant provides a haven, a safe place of belonging, even amidst the torrent of conflict. It means: I love you, commit to you, belong to you, even though you’re not perfect.

This is belonging. And we, as the church, have the strongest foundation, the most unbreakable union between us, if we truly believe and rely on Him: that foundation is Christ. And this covenant exists because He has made a covenant with us, to forgive us, wash us from our sin, write his law in our heart, that we may know Him face to face.

The question we will attempt to answer today is this: how do we enter that covenant with Christ and his people?

We need to define the New Covenant, and we will briefly point to how the previous covenants pointed to and culminated in the New Covenant. And then examine the what, how, and why of Baptism and Communion, the new covenant signs for God’s new covenant people. This is by no means an exhaustive study on the New Covenant, baptism or communion, but I pray, by God’s grace, it will give us a foundational understanding by which you and are are encouraged to covenant together as the body of Christ.

We are going to begin our study in Jeremiah 31:31–37, where the New Covenant was explicitly promised: 

[31] “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, [32] not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. [33] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [34] And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Would you pray with me.

What is Covenant?

First, note that this is not the first covenant the Lord had made with the people of Israel, or mankind for that matter. In a covenant, there are two parties that promise to uphold conditions of the covenant. A covenant would be made in ancient Hebrew culture by animal sacrifice. The two parties would slaughter animals, typically goats or bulls, and cut them in half. The parties would walk together through the slaughtered animals as a visual of their commitment to the covenant. The penalty of breaking a covenant promise was death. In essence, if I break this covenant, you may do to me what has been done to these animals. A covenant oath is a serious promise. The bible describes several covenants between God and man. Adamic Covenant, Noahic Covenant, Abrahamic Covenant, Mosaic Covenant and Davidic Covenant. 

Three covenants were unilateral— meaning God was the only one on whom there were conditions placed: God promised not to destroy the earth again because of our wickedness (Noahic), promised blessing, land and people to Abraham’s descendants, and promised David a King from His lineage would sit on the throne of Israel. God promised these without condition to man. But, man had broken the Adamic, and the Mosaic covenants with God. Adam and Eve ate of the tree, and the people of Israel broke the first commandment while Moses was still on the mountain! Man was too weak, sinful, morally frail and spiritually dead to live up to the righteous conditions set upon them by God. 

Think of our original condition: sinless, living face to face with God. In breaking covenant with God, man can no longer live in face to face relationship with God, knowing him, for our trespass against him condemns us.

How did God respond? He promised …The New Covenant. 

What was promised in the New Covenant?

That the law will be in our heart and we won’t transgress against God! Unlike Adam and Eve, sin will not be possible in the New Heavens and New Earth.

I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. 

We belong to God as his treasured people. 

And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [34] 

We are loved more than we could possibly imagine. The motive behind of all the covenants of God was love. In verse 32, God calls himself the husband of Israel. There’s a unique love, a faithful love, that only the people of God will know.

And… We will know God intimately.

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. 

We will be forgiven of our sin

For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

The New Covenant is the culmination of previous covenants for in it is the culmination of all their promises. Restored face to face fellowship, knowing God. Destruction of the entire world diverted, for he is saving a people. Promised land, people, and blessing in Abraham, for he’s renewing the earth with the sons of faith. A people who are righteous, able to keep the law, for He has forgiven a people placed his law in their hearts, and given us a Righteous King who is able to rule, for He is the Son of God, the Lord of the Cosmos.

How is this so? Mankind broke the covenant between man and God. Sin is a human problem that required a human solution. How did God keep, how did he fulfill his covenant? By sending His Son to become man, Jesus the Christ, as our representative. He fulfilled the Law, and inaugurate the New Covenant of grace on our behalf. He ratified the New Covenant and fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law— that there be death because we broke covenant with God. He did all this through His Son, Jesus, our Lord. Then he raised him from the dead, vindicating his Son, setting him on the throne of Israel as the descendant of David, the Seed of Abraham, the Offspring of Eve that crushed the head of Satan. This is gospel. Book of Hebrews best explains the how and why of the covenant fulfillment of Christ. But for now, we must move on and ask…

How do we show that we are people of the New Covenant? What are the signs of the New Covenant?

Baptism and Communion.

We are going to look first to Baptism. Turn to… Romans 6:1-11

Context: Paul to Romans - Not sin but righteousness.

[1] What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

[5] For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. [6] We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. [7] For one who has died has been set free from sin. [8] Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. [9] We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. [10] For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. [11] So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Let me say a few words about what baptism signifies and then how we administer it. It signifies we are / we have: 

1. United with Christ. When we believe into Christ, we are united with Him. This is what we signify in baptism, our unity with Christ. Which means…
2. Died with Christ. We are dead to sin. We repent, meaning we acknowledge we are sinful, and willfully turn away from sin. This doesn’t mean we live, in the here and now, a sinless life. It means we choose to live by the Spirit of God, in His grace, through faith, and die to our sinful desires and deeds. We are no longer ‘enslaved’ to sin, to obey it’s lusts. We can walk in righteousness by the Spirit of God.
3. Raised with Christ. Because, by faith, we were buried with him, we are and will be raised with him. We walk now in newness of life, to the glory of the Father. And, we will be raised with Christ on the last Day! Just as death has no dominion over him, it has no dominion over us. We have been set free!

So, what is baptism? It is a crying out of the heart, that we are united to Him, and if united with him we are united in His death and resurrection. 

How should baptism be administered? 

In all the New Testament accounts we read that baptism is done by full immersion in water. Why immersion in water? This is the normative practice of scripture. When Jesus was baptized by John, it was by full immersion. When Jesus sent his disciples to be baptize, it was by immersion. 

Furthermore, in immersion, we see acted out before us the very gospel that saved us. Just as Jesus died and was buried for 3 days in the ground, immersion represents the burial of the old self. When you truly place your faith in Jesus, there is a death to your old life. When you believe in him, you are united with him, and you have died with Christ. The water represents death to your old self.

When baptism is done by immersion, and you come out of the water, this represents new life. Just as Jesus came out of the tomb, conquering sin and death, you who have been united with Him share in His victory. We, too, have been raised to newness of life. Death will not have hold on us, as we will be raised with Him for eternity.

This is why we baptize by full immersion at Hope. It is one of the distinctive elements of a baptist church. We believe it is scripturally faithful, and more fully represents the gospel. We have friends in our Christian faith who would sprinkle. We love our brothers and sisters in Christ, but disagree on their application of baptism. It is not a primary issue, but a secondary issue. 

When should one be baptized? In all the New Testament accounts, we read that baptism is a response to faith. This means there is a conscience decision on the part of the person to be baptized. We, at Hope, want to make sure those whom we baptize understand the gospel. It is a heart cry of faith, and their heart must understand the God who loves them and the gospel that saves them! I don’t see an age minimum, but I am cautious about baptizing too young. We don’t baptize infants, for they cannot yet make express faith in a God or gospel they do not understand. When we baptize our children, we are confirming to them and to the body that they understand the gospel and it is an expression of their faith. This requires teaching, or catechizing, so they know and understand the gospel and what baptism points to. The same is true of an adult.

What is baptism?

It is one sign of the New Covenant. It is not something mystical in nature. It is not holy water that expels demons or sin. It is the heart cry of faith, one that throws themselves to the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. We would say it is the outward expression of an inward work of the Spirit. It is a public declaration to your faith community that believe in and belong to Christ.

In Baptism, we are baptized into the trinity— meaning we partake of the Spirit and have union with God. That is why we are baptized the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We do not become part of the trinity, but we are hid with God in Christ, and are indwelled by the Spirit of God.

Baptism is commanded. It is not optional. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, if your heart cries out in faith to Him, scripture tells us to be baptized. That is the start of being a disciple of Christ! Jesus, when he ascended, he commissioned his disciples:

Matthew 28:18–20

[18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)

Friends, if you consider yourself part of the faith community, you understand the gospel, and yet withhold yourself from baptism, this is like keeping Jesus as your secret boyfriend. You like the flowers, you like the gifts, but you’re not really ready to declare you love and commitment for him. He’s good… you don’t want to walk away, but you’re just not sure you want to close yourself off from other options. 

I want to call you, those who believe the gospel, does your heart love Jesus, the Son of God who gave himself for you, who died for you, so that you would be free from sin and death? If so, be baptized. If your heart cries out in love for him, then declare it and show you belong to Him, and relish his New Covenant promises!

There is more to say on Baptism. I will say this, baptism by immersion is a requirement for membership at Hope. There maybe some whom have been baptized as a child. I’d like to speak with you on this. But as a general principle, baptism is a cry of faith, through immersion in water.

This brings us to Communion

Let’s look to the institution of communion in Luke 22:14–20

[14] And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. [15] And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. [16] For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” [17] And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. [18] For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” [19] And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” [20] And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

First, we ask: What is it?

Notice that Jesus referenced the Passover. The meals, all the feasts of Israel point to the New Covenant fulfillment of Jesus. The bread represented his body. The cup, his blood. Recall in John 6:53–57

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. [54] Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. [55] For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. [56] Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.

So here, before the Christ goes to the cross, he reveals to the disciples what he meant. You ingest Jesus, by faith, believing the gospel was meant for you. You believe, when you take the communion bread, that you need the sacrifice of the Son of God to pay for your sin, so that you might have life. You declare with the cup that His blood was poured out for you, because you and the rest of your race, broke covenant with God and deserve death. You declare, by taking communion, the gospel, and that you are saved by symbolically ingesting His body and blood. Remember, He is the only one who kept covenant with God, who lived and obeyed the Father perfectly. Therefore, he died the death you deserved, and if you have been united with him in his death, then you are united with him in his resurrection. When you take communion, you proclaim your union with him. 

The context of this sermon was that of the New Covenant. In Communion, we point to the ratifying of the New Covenant in Christ (blood). We remember, through communion, that the covenant promises were bought for us— forgiveness, love, intimacy, and a new heart that will keep faithfulness.

Lastly, we proclaim his death until he comes. We often fail to see that Jesus is looking forward to the day he redeems us to Himself! Look at verse 18. He fasts from wine until He returns in his glory and we eat and drink with him at the wedding feast. Wine represents —JOY! Do you see his earnest desire for his Bride, his people? He longs for the joy he will have with us at the wedding banquet! What an amazing picture!

How do I take communion?

First, communion is for believers. And part of our instruction for communion is to examine ourselves. We repent of our sin.

1 Corinthians 11:27–29

[27] Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [29] For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (ESV)

Second, we rejoice in forgiveness. That is what wine represents. Joy. Joy of the coming Kingdom. Joy of being known and loved by God. Joy of being forgiven. 

We will take communion in a few moments here. The music will play, and many will come and take the grape juice and the cracker back to their seats. Today, I’m asking that you keep the elements until the end of the song, and we will take them together.

If you have not yet placed your trust in Jesus as Lord, we ask that you refrain. If you come to the communion table and you’re already planning your sins for the week, I ask you to refrain. You haven’t yet repented. Maybe now is the time!

Communion is a call to repentance and a call to receive grace. It is not based on your worthiness, it is based on your unity with Christ. It is based on you entering the New Covenant with him, that He will be your God, and you will be His bride.

Believers, let us sing, and gather the bread and juice, and declare our union with Christ.