Baptism? Why do we baptize? What good is it? What do we receive in baptism? Who is it for? These are some the questions that we hope to answer today. Baptism is a gift that is supposed to be constantly used throughout your life. It is a reality, and a promise. A reality that God is for you today, and a promise that he will be your God for the future. It says God is for you and will bring you home. It is a guarantee to you that requires the response of faith. It is the gospel made visible.
People of God: Baptism is a gift that you receive for the journey. Use it.
- Where are you at in the journey?
- What have you received in Baptism?
- Who has received it?
- Why did you receive it?
Where are you at in the journey
Paul says, “I don’t want you to be unaware bothers…” Or you could say, “I don’t want you to be ignorant brothers…” The Corinthians had become lax. They had stopped taking temptation seriously, they had come to the idea that God had saved them, and they had reached the promised land. So, division, sexual sin, and a general laisse faire attitude to worship had arisen whether it was food sacrificed to idols, or a lack of respect for the lords Supper. Or a lack of seriousness when dealing with sin.
They thought they had made it. But really, they were still far from the promised land. With many temptations ahead, and many traps that Satan had set for them. Paul warns them that they must fight, be disciplined, and take their example from the Old Testament Church. Just because you receive all the covenant blessing in the world does not mean that you are saved. No, the Christian life is a war, a race, a boxing tournament that requires discipline, perseverance, and self-control, and a continual reliance on the promises of God in the person of Christ.
As Paul says in the immediate context in chapter 9:24-27, “
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we van imperishable. So, I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
They had in a sense already received the prize – or so they thought. But Paul says, “No, you are at the beginning of the journey. Like the Israelites who received the covenant blessings on the way to the promised land. So, you have received the covenant blessings of baptism and Lord’s supper to help you along the way. But you must respond and make use of them. Baptism was not given to you so that you can sit back, do nothing, and think you are going to coast into heaven. Baptism is a covenant sign to remind you of Gods promises so that in Him you might receive an imperishable wreath.”
Dear church, you have been baptized. But that is not the end of the journey. That is the beginning of the journey. Don’t think you can coast into heaven. Don’t think that you will automatically somehow land into holiness. Our form says, “this covenant contains two parts, a promise and obligation, we are, through baptism, called and obliged by the Lord to a new obedience. And then it goes on to explain that new obedience. We are called to strive for it as we journey to the promises land.
Where are we in the journey? Well, we are not there yet. We have been freed from slavery, we have received the covenant signs to help us on the way, but our journey is not complete. Baptism is reminder of that. If we were there, we would not need baptism. For the sign and seal would be swallowed up in the reality. Let’s remember that. Let’s not get lethargic, or relaxed. Baptism has been given to you. It is the triune God promising you that you are his. Now the question will be: Will you make that your own? Will you live out of that reality? Will you stand upon his promises and resist all temptation? In baptism you have received more than you ever dare imagine.
What have you received?
In verse 1b-4 “…that all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea and all ate the same spiritual food and drank from the same spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.” These people that he was speaking about had been delivered from slavery, set free through the power of God in judgement on Egypt. Unbelievable. With these great works of God, they were going to the promised land. This moment should have served as a constant reminder that God would care for them. That he would bring them home. That they were no longer slaves but redeemed as the children of God!
Dear church this is what baptism seals to you! Look at the confession, “It washes and cleanses our soul from sin and regenerates us from children of wrath into children of God. This is not brought about by the water as such but by the sprinkling of the precious blood of the Son God, which is our Red Sea, through which we must pass to escape the tyranny of Pharoah, that is, the devil, and enter into the Spiritual land of Canaan.
The precious blood of Christ is our red sea! In your baptism the infinitely worthy blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is applied to you, and you are set free! In doing so God puts his mark upon you as a people freed from Satan’s power. God through this sign proves to be your provider, protector, and guide now.
We read, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Dear church did you know that the Israelites were baptized? That’s what we read here. They were baptized into Moses.” Moses was the mediator between God and man. In Moses they had access to God and received God’s word. Through his work they enjoyed deliverance from Egypt. They were identified with him so to speak. You could translate this as “They were all united with Moses by baptism in the cloud and in the sea.”
Moses was the forerunner of Christ. Moses foreshadowed the ultimate deliverance in Christ as the great deliver who leads his people from the land of slavery! You have not been baptized into Moses but into Christ! How much greater is your blessing beloved, and the reality you enjoy then that of the Israelites.
Just like at the very beginning of the Journey God sent them through the sea, and lead them with the cloud, so from the very start of your journey Christ himself has promised that he will be your God and guide you as his covenant child. This is all given and promised to you in baptism!
The Israelites received this at the very start of their journey. They did nothing to deserve it. What a grace! This generation received the covenant promises of God, seen the ten plagues, walked through the sea, enjoyed god’s presence and guidance, they had it! In fact, look at the next verse, “And all drank from the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the same spiritual Rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.” The rock was Christ! Do you see what these people have received! Do you see what you have received! The reality of all that they saw is yours in Christ! We are set apart for Him now, to be His people. As the confession states, “By baptism we are received in the church of God and set apart from all other peoples and false religions, to be entirely committed to him.”
You receive Christ! And in him you are united to the Father by one Spirit. He has delivered you from the powers that enslaved you and stripped you of all dignity and humanity. He as promised to lead you and to guide you, and to dwell among you not in the cloud but through his direct word and Spirit. God has committed himself to be your God! The creator, sustainer, of the universe, your father! He gives you “true assurance of his fatherly goodness, clothes us with a new nature, and takes away the old nature and all its works.” Will you believe this? If so you will set your eyes on him and no other. This is for you!
Who has received it?
For whom? All. All of the covenant people of God. For children and adults. Who walked through the sea? Who followed the cloud? Just the men? Just the adults? NO! ALL. The entire covenant people – infants as well as adults. Who has received this grace of God? All the covenant people. Infants were there, and they too were baptized into Moses. Infants needed saving from Egypt. Infants need saving from the dominion of Satan.
Its amazing what these infants that walked through the sea received without ever knowing it. They were freed from the lifetime of slavery. They were led by the cloud along with their parents. They enjoyed the manna; they enjoyed the water from the rock. So, it is in this church. As one theologian states, “Before they cognitively understand the story of Christ, before they can affirm a creed, before they can sit up, use the bathroom, or contribute significantly to the work of the church, grace is spoken over them and they are accepted as part of us. They are counted as God’s people before they have anything to show for themselves.”
ALL drank form the rock. All were baptized in the cloud and in the sea! Five times we see that word used here. Don’t let anyone tell you Gods covenant blessings are just for adults! It’s obvious from this text that there is a connection between the Old and New Testament. We both drink from Christ. We both are baptized. And it is obvious that infants enjoyed the covenant blessings of the Old Testament, and therefore by extension should enjoy the covenant blessings of the New Testament.
This is why we connect, “Indeed, Christ shed his blood to wash the children of believers just as much as he shed it for adults.”
Dear church – do you see that there is a direct link between the Old Testament covenant people and us. They were baptized, they ate the same spiritual food and drink! They enjoyed the sacraments. They are part of the church. We follow in the footsteps of our forefathers. This is one history – their history is our history. We can learn directly from them! As one theologian said, “Whatever the novelties and discontinuities brought about by the new creation in Christ, Israel and the Christian church belong to a single history of God’s activity and self-disclosure.”
All the covenant people of God received these blessings, but that does not mean all of them appropriated these blessings and used them. In the face of such extreme divine generosity to all, less then all will make these blessing their own as they go through the wilderness.
Why did they receive it?
Which brings us full circle. Why did you receive this covenant sign and seal at the beginning of your Christian journey? Not so that you can sit back kick up your feet and think all will be ok, but to give you an unshakable hope in God, a faith that shields against all temptations. To give you endurance, and perseverance to keep going when all seems hopeless. Self-control and discipline when your passions and desires are raging. It is given you to hope when all seems hopeless. Love when you feel nothing. And keep walking in faith even though it is a dry and barren desert at times.
Let’s use it and not abuse it! Verse 6-13 share some insights on how to use and not abuse it. .
- Paul says, “therefore let anyone who think that he stands take heed lest he fall.” Do not for a moment lean on your own righteousness, your own strength. You can’t be trusted; you are not faithful! But he is! He has said so in baptism! Lean upon him! Humble yourself before him!
- He has given us everything we need through his promises to fight against temptation. He is faithful to his promises and provides a way of escape. The Israelites had been given all that they needed to stand up against temptation! They had received the sacraments, they had drunk from the spiritual Rock which is Christ! Dear church how much more should we not take heed less we fall.
If we keep our eyes on the persona and work of Christ portrayed through baptism, if we live out of the salvation that he wrought, by allowing us to pass through not the Sea, but his blood, then we will not turn to idols as they did, for the beauty of Christ will surpass all idols. Then we will resist sexual immorality at all costs because we have come to know his pure and holy love which transforms us into his image. We will not put Christ to the test, because we know he has already proved himself in his death and resurrection. We need no further sign of his covenant love for us!
If we do not hold on to the promises of baptism – if we do not trust him after all he has given us, we can expect the judgement of a jealous God, who loves his bride, and will discipline her to bring her back. With each of these examples you see the judgement, and this judgement fell on them exactly because they were God’s covenant people who had been baptized and could be expected to live out of that. In verse 8, 23000 died because they engaged in sexual immorality. Verse 9 they were destroyed by serpents. Verse 9, they were destroyed by the destroyer. As Hebrews 12 says, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence for our god is a consuming fire!” Judgement begins with the covenant baptized community.
Dear church if that is what happened to them who did not take their baptism through the sea and cloud seriously, and received Christ, but did not make him their own, then how much more we upon whom the “end of the ages has come!” Stand firm Church! On the promises of God! On the reality of your baptism!
There is the story of when Luther was attacked by Satan he shouted, “Baptizatus sum!” “I am baptized.” As Chester, an English theologian, writes, “His circumstances looked bleak. But his baptism was a fact, and it embodied the promise of God.”
Dear church, do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it!
Amen.