Thanks for listening to the latest message from Him We Proclaim. In this encouraging series, Pastor John walks us through the resurrection of Jesus, the reality of eternal life. The grace of baptism, and the unshakable assurance believers have in Christ. I hope you have your copy of Scriptures along. We'll be looking at passages like 1 Corinthians, Luke, 1 John, and more.
To get gospel-centered reminders of God's faithfulness, power, and grace toward His people. Whether you're seeking hope, clarity, or a deeper understanding of the gospel, these sermons are rich with biblical truth and comfort. Let's listen now to today's message called The Sacrament of Baptism Part 3. All right, let's pray, Heavenly Father. Thank you for Christ.
We thank you for your faithfulness to your covenant promise that we heard read to us as you spoke to us. Um you're word. We thank you that the promises that you make, you keep. We're grateful for that. We confess today that apart from your Holy Spirit, we cannot comprehend your scriptures and your gospel.
We can't see Christ. Grand Testa. Ah is the sea. Give us the ears to hear. Minds to comprehend.
Come, Holy Spirit, and teach us. We pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, we're coming back this week to baptism, baptism of infants. Because last week we had our baptismal service. And I got to give this message to you in about 10 minutes, which was not much time. And I said, I will come back this week to explain what I said to you in 10 minutes. And hopefully, I can help you with that today.
But this visible gospel baptism that Christ has instituted for the church. All right. It's an invisible gospel that proclaims to us There's great good news. That Jesus, my his death, By his burial, by his resurrection, has Given us our sins. He has washed us and cleansed us from our sins.
It's a beautiful sign and seal of the covenant of grace. And so here's the question. From last week. Why do we baptize infants? Right?
When you come to church, why do you see that? Because.
Some of us didn't grow up like that. I didn't grow up like that. Why? Why do we baptize infants? Well, I told you to think about this.
Like an iceberg. Ninety percent of this iceberg is hidden. Right? Water. You don't see it.
But the 10% iceberg is what people see. That's a perfect Example of infant baptism because what happens is, as I said, folks come to church. They watch like last week Babe is being baptized. And that's The 10%. Right.
But what they don't see, and haven't been taught. Isn't this 90%? of why you see this 10%. All right, so I want to help us think about that today. Why do we baptize infants?
Why these, why do we practice this? First. We don't baptize our infants because we presume that. they're say they're regenerate. This blind presumption.
Second, we don't baptize them because they made a profession. Obviously. An infant can't make a profession of faith publicly, right? Like an adult.
So here's why last week this we can look at it in depth. But this is why. We baptize the infinite because they Abraham is the pattern. Right, say that with me. Abraham is the pattern.
This is why. Look at Genesis chapter 17.
Alright, take your eyeballs and look at Genesis chapter 17. This is critical to get. Genesis chapter 17. That's what This is what God says to Abraham. He says, He says, I will establish My covenant Listen, as an everlasting covenant.
Between between me. And didn't you? and neural offspring. After you. It's more than generations to come.
And here's the promise. Took me. To be your God. And the God of your offspring. After you.
So God. From Genesis 17. He says he commands us to initiate our children. into the visible church. But second, he also promises with that command this.
be God to us and to our children. And so he commands it and he promises.
So, simply put, Why do we baptize infants? Why? Because That God could Man's us to. And gives us a promise with that command. You're saying that's comfort.
So So the ground of baptizing infants. Is this God's And And his Promise. All right. This is where it comes from. But a person might be thinking, might ask this question, but hold on.
Genesis chapter 17, that's the Old Testament. We're not in the Old Testament. We're in the New Testament. That is true. But listen, and this is where you have to see how scripture.
is red. All right. Baptizing infants is simply the outworking and practice. Of what we believe. concerning the unfolding story of redemption from Genesis 2.
Revelation. All right. Let me say it like this: the Abrahamic covenant of Genesis 17 unifies redemptive history. All right. Genesis 17, this promise that God makes with Abraham.
Is repeated without scripture. How History And this promise unifies the entire story of the Bible.
So when you come to the new covenant What is it? The new covenant is simply the new administration of the Abrahamic covenant. Let me just stop there for a second. Is everybody tracking this? Because this is how you read the Bible.
This is the story of redemption. This is how the whole thing fits together. All right, so Galatians chapter 3, verse 8. Look at Galatians chapter 3. Look at verse 8.
Galatians chapter 3, verse 8. This is what Paul says. He says, the scripture. No, that's Genesis chapter 12, verse 3, when he refers that, because he's going to quote Genesis chapter 12, verse 3, and he calls Genesis 12, verse 3 scripture. All right?
He says, the scripture. foreseeing that God would justify Gentiles. By faith, that's you and me. Listen, he says he preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham. Then he quotes Genesis chapter 12, verse 3.
And he says, here's the gospel that God preached to Abraham. He says, all the nations will be blessed. Yeah.
Now As I said last week, if you are reading Genesis chapter 12, verse 3. Would you automatically say, oh, there's the gospel? Because it doesn't say death, burial, resurrection of Jesus. Like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, that that is the central aspects of the gospel, most important aspects of the gospel. It doesn't say that, but Paul says that God preached the gospel.
He preached this good news to Abraham. And he says, here it is: all the nations will be blessed in you. Uh oh. Paul quotes Genesis chapter 12, verse 3, which is the Abrahamic covenant. And he says, This is the gospel beforehand, it's the gospel in.
Promise. And so Galatians chapter 30, verse 29. Paul refers to us, uncircumcised Gentiles. He says that we are Abraham's offspring, Abraham's descendants, Abraham's children. That's a powerful statement.
So here's the question. Who is Abraham? Yeah.
If we're Abraham's children, Who is our father Abraham? Who is Abraham? Smarters, you have to get this. All right, this is critical to understand The Bible, how to read scripture. Who was Abraham?
First, Abraham is not Moses. What does that mean? Beth. The Abrahamic covenant is not the same as the Mosaic covenant. There are two separate covenants.
Abraham comes before Moses. Abraham, listen carefully. He's not part of the old covenant. He's not an old covenant person. You see, because the the Old Testament has the old covenant.
But the Old Testament and the Old Covenant are different. Because Paul listened carefully in the book of Galatians as he argues against the Judaizers to distinguish the law and gospel. To refute this false gospel of Jesus. plus something to be justified before God. Paul says that the Abrahamic covenant Is the gospel?
You just heard that. But he also says the Mosaic covenant is not What? Law, Namas, Law, it's not the gospel. And so you have to distinguish these two covenants because these two covenants. Represent two different ways that God relates to His people.
So who was Abraham? First. Abraham is not Moses, he's not an old covenant figure. You you are you with me?
Okay, second. Who is Abraham? Listen to this. Abraham is the model New Testament believer. He's the model New Testament believer.
Galatians chapter 3, verse 8. Paul says Abraham, this pagan Gentile, was justified by grace through faith in Christ alone, who was to come. Apart from the works of the law, why? Because he didn't have the Mosaic covenant, he couldn't even have kept it because it was 450 years and later after him. Joshua chapter twenty four, verse two, says that.
Abraham was this. Listen, he was an uncircumcised Pagan Gentile who came from a family who worshipped Moon gods. Joshua 24:2, he had no idea who the living God was. He was a pagan, uncircumcised Gentile. God, Paul says, saved by grace through faith in Christ to come.
Alone. Who else was Abraham? Listen to this. Abraham wasn't just an uncircumcised pagan Gentile. He was also a circumcised Jew.
Isn't that amazing? who was justified by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone, who was to come, and he subsequently received the sign of circumcision. That's like adult baptism after you get saved.
So, Paul confirms this truth about Abraham. in the book of Romans. Look at chapter 4. Verse is it 11 to 12? Listen to what Paul says about Abraham.
He has Abraham received the sign of circumcision as a seal of righteousness that he had by faith. While he was still uncircumcised, what does that mean? He was a pagan Gentile. Just like us. The purpose Was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised.
That's you and me today, here. in Jacksonville, Florida in 2024. Abraham is our father. Why? Because he's a model New Testament believer.
He was a pagan Gentile, just like us. Who received the righteousness that he had by faith? while he was still Uncircumcised. Why? Sons and righteousness would be counted to them.
That's us, pagan Gentiles as well. Look, and to make him the father of the circumcised. Who is that? That's the Jews. Who are not merely Circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Are you guys tracking with me?
So who was Abraham? First of all, he was a pagan Gentile, an uncircumcised pagan Gentile, whom God saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ and alone to come. Second, Paul tells us right here: he was a circumcised Jew who was saved by grace alone, through faith alone. and was subsequently circumcised. What has changed?
If he's the model for New Testament believers for both Jew and Gentile, what has changed? The only thing that has changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament are the types and shadows. That's it. The substance of the Abrahamic covenant. Listen carefully is Christ.
Paul says in Galatians chapter 3 that Christ is the Offspring of Abraham. Christ is the substance of the covenant. Listen, the Abrahamic covenant is so much like the new covenant that the two covenants are actually one and the same. The difference is types circumcision to fulfillment baptism. Christ to come, Christ promised to come, Christ has come in fulfillment of the promise.
But both are covenants. of promise, not law. Both covenants, and both covenants, the Abrahamic covenant, the new covenant, God promises to give gifts. to his people, to undeserving sinners, on the basis of his grace through Christ alone. Abraham was a moon-worshipping pagan, idolatrous man.
And God, in His sovereign mercy, decided to call him. Out of all the people on this earth. and save him by grace. And that's how he does it for us. And the substance of the Abrahamic covenant, the substance of the new covenant, that has not changed.
People say, well gosh, Jesus was in the Old Testament, were Old Testament people saved? Just like us, what Paul just said. They were saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ to come alone. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ who has come. The substance is the same.
The administration is different. Do you see what I'm saying? Nothing has changed. Nothing. And so this outward administration of the covenant change, circumcisions, type and shadow.
is replaced with baptism, fulfillment.
Now, with the coming of Christ, why don't we have circumcision? Listen to what you hear. every single week in this church during Holy Communion. For Isaiah 53, verse 8. Every single week this is read to you.
Jesus, Isaiah says that Jesus was cut off. He was cut off. That's circumcised. Jesus was circumcised from Land of the living. How in his crucifixion?
Circumcision pointed to Christ's crucifixion. Because Christ was circumcised on the cross, because he was cut off and received the. The curses of the covenant. Circumcision is not the appropriate sign of God's covenant of grace because Christ has fulfilled that. You see, because Jesus was our bloody circumcision on the cross, this covenant sign of inclusion changed from circumcision to baptism, as Paul teaches clearly.
In Colossians chapter 2, Look at that. Colossians chapter 2. Looking at verses Ah, eleven eleven and twelve. Listen to what Paul says. In him, you also were circumcised with the circumcision.
Made without hands by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. What was the circumcision of Christ? It was his death on the cross. Buried with him in baptism, you see that switch. Verse 12, buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith.
And the working of God raised him from the dead. And so circumcision is not the sign of the covenant because Christ was our circumcision. Baptism is now the covenant sign of initiation. into Christ's visible church. And just like circumcision, baptism is.
One-time initiatory sign and seal of God's covenant promise. How many times were God's people circumcised? Hopefully once. Yeah.
Right? Because Paul says in the New Testament, in the book of Ephesians, there is how many baptisms? One. That's why when you have churches, you say, we just had 1200 baptisms this weekend. And 75% of them were two or three times they've been baptized.
That's not how baptism works. Because you don't get initiated into the visible church. Come back the next week and go, oh, let me initiate you back into the visible church. Oh, next year, let me initiate you back into the visible church. It doesn't work like that.
Paul says there's one baptism. One faith, one word. You get initiated into Christ's visible church. One That marks out this infant as belonging to God's covenant people. And so the Lord's promise to Abraham and the pattern of administering his promise hasn't changed.
Circumcision was minister to levers and to their children, as Genesis 17:7 says, and the great difference between Abraham. And thus is that Abraham understood these truths through types and shadows. But we have them. in fulfillment of the light of Christ who has come. And so, this same pattern of administration.
That God established with Abraham in Genesis 17:7, it continues into new covenant. Was I telling you that God's promise to Abraham is repeated throughout redemptive history. Here's a place. The Apostle Peter. at Pentecost.
He preached the gospel to the people at Pentecost. And as he preaches the gospel, he doesn't announce this radical departure. Of this pattern that God has established 2,000 years prior in Genesis 17, 7. Because if he had the Pentecost, Right? That would be the time that this pattern would change.
Because the new covenant has come. Christ has come, Christ has died, Christ has been buried, Christ has risen, Christ has ascended, He has sent the Holy Spirit upon the church. The new covenant has been inaugurated. And you would think that at this point in time, after two Thousands of years of how God administrates his promise of the gospel to families would change. And guess what?
It doesn't change. Doesn't change at all. Rather, Peter announces the continuation of this covenantal family model. Of administering God's promise, the gospel. Listen to what Peter says to those people who are present at Pentecost.
He said, this promise. Promise, the promise, what promise? God's promise to Abraham and to his children. The promise is for you. and your children.
Do you hear that? Do you see what comfort that is, parents? As you had your babies baptized last week. Michael is just so brimming and happy because he has to be deployed all the time with the Navy, but he comes back and he gets to see that. Thomas given to his church.
child. And so when he's not in the home, who is taking care of that child? Yes, Stacey, we pray for her, because it's tough being a military wife. But who else is taking care of Michael's child when he cannot be there? God why.
This Promise is for you. And this promising is for your children. Children. That is comfort. And that's why, being initiated into the visible covenant of grace, people say, well, what is the advantage of a child being initiated into the covenant of grace?
An infant's baptized.
Okay, what advantage is that? It didn't save them.
Okay, let's think about this. What advantage is a spacesuit to an astronaut who is in outer space? What advantage is water to a fish in the ocean? Everything. What advantage does a covenant child have of being brought into the covenant of grace?
Paul says it like this. He says much in every way. Why? Because when you bring that child from the very beginning of their life, Into the sphere of where the Holy Spirit is hovering and working and moving the means of grace. Do you not think that is a great advantage to that child?
Versus growing up in a pagan household who's never exposed to God's word and the teaching and the catechisms and everything, the faith. Great advantage over children who never come to church. That's why, for example, I just spent this past week with my son David who is playing basketball at High Point. He's been super sick. And I was like, okay, mama's out of town.
Dad's gotta go. I gotta go be dad this week because my son needs me. I spent five days with him. I took him to the hospital. We sat in the emergency place for three hours.
And the doctor, it was funny doctor, he says, How soon would you like your son back on the court? And I said, tomorrow. Yeah.
And he says, okay, I'll be right back. And he gave him these two shots that were like meant for horses. It was just the biggest shots I've ever seen. David just was about on the verge of passing out. He'd seriously, I mean, he was wobbling and.
And I'm looking at the doctor and he's the doctor said, sit down, sit down, dude. But sure enough, 24 hours later, that doctor was right, that those shots, whatever he gave him. It worked. And David was back out at practice. But But here's my point with that.
I have four children now who are out of the home. I have tune left.
Now, you can pray for me because I don't like that, but that's just how it is. I have been so encouraged. Because David's, he's doing great, playing great, shooting 75% on threes right now. That's really good. His coaches aren't real happy with him.
He's two points away from being the best three-point shooter on the team right now. It's great. But But here's why I'm proud of him. Because he texted He texted me about two weeks ago. And he said, Dad, I have a teammate.
And he's from Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale. And he's a Christian and he's actually formed like like me and our family and our church. And he asked me, he likes Reform theology. I'm like, man, David, that's so awesome. He says, and dad, guess what I did?
I introduced him to the Heidelberg Catechism. I mean, I just remained my whole day. Right there. Here's why I say about that. What advantage does it have?
And here's why. All four of my kids. were brought up in this church. They didn't have a traditional youth group. They didn't have traditional children's programs that are just.
Epic. and wild and fun and every the music just bang in and they've got Sony PlayStations for the kids to play and all the kids are just screaming and going wild. They didn't have any of that. What did they have? They had Christ's visible church.
18 years of their life. The Christian faith.
Now, you know what happens when most kids leave church? When they graduate high school, They're gone. They don't go to church. Why? Let me give you an insight.
Here's why. never brought Uh in the church. They don't come to corporate worship. They're not taught the faith. What do they do?
They come to church, they're separated from their parents. They go to they go to what? The children's church. What's that? I thought this is just church.
Then they leave children's church, they go to the youth group. Right? And then, when they're done with the youth group, they graduate, they were never made a part of the church. And so they've never been taught to Love the church, understand the church. Why does the church worship the way it does?
Why do you do these things week in, week after week after week? Why do you come to church? Why don't you have the sacraments each week? Why do you have three never taught Never discipled. Here's my point.
When your child is baptized, that child. becomes A member of the church. They're not the future of the church. They are the church. They're just little.
And they are to be taught and brought up in the church to love Christ's church. The greatest comfort that I have as a dad is in all four of my kids. And I'm not saying this to brag, because it's all grace. I'm just trying to give you an illustration. And this is my life.
All four of my adult kids And when they graduated and left our home, asked me, Daddy, help me find a church like our church so we can hear the gospel every week and get the sacrament every week. And all four of my kids do that now. Committed, week after week, going. They send me Bible studies that they're teaching now with their friends about. all kinds of wonderful reformed theology from the scriptures.
That's not because I'm a great parent. I'm a horrible parent. I have made so many mistakes and sinned so much and failed so much. There's nothing great about following the example of me to be a great dad. It is the grace of God.
But I entrusted my children with Catholic, my wife, to the faith. And I brought them up in it and I taught them to love Christ Church. Why? Because they were initiated into it. They remain members of Christ's church.
And so we treated them like that. There's great advantage, and so Peter says. The promise is for you and is for your children.
So Abraham is the pattern. And if Abraham is the pattern, Abraham is the pattern. This is how well be being Moorefield states it very clearly. He says the argument of infant baptism in a nutshell is simply this. God established his church in the days of Abraham, and he put children into it.
They must remain there until he puts them out. He has nowhere put them out. They are still then members of his church and, as such, entitled to his ordinances. That's it. That's it.
Michael's baby. Right, Lily. Yeah.
Sweet Lily. These children. They're not the future of the church. They are the church right now. And we treat them like that.
God has put them in to His church. And we raise them up. to confess what they were placed into. No Asn't reflect. Upon earth Why do we baptize infants?
Here's the comforting truth as I said last week. In the New Testament, As in the Old Testament, God still wants to save families. The greatest evangelistic Location is the family. The Abrahamic covenant, which is the gospel in the Old Testament. Tells us Listen, that God claims the children of believers as part of his covenant community, and they should be regarded as heirs of his promises.
We don't treat our children any different. I have never once treated my child. Anything other member of the covenant of grace. Baptism, as I said, baptism, it doesn't save our children. It doesn't favor anybody.
Faith is the instrument. that by which Christ is received and is righteousness imputed to the sinner. But baptism is God's sacrament of inclusion into his covenant of grace. And by it, God promises salvation to those who believe. And so the doctrine of the Abrahamic covenant helps Christian parents view their children as rightful recipients of this covenant sign and this heirs of God's covenant promises.
It helps parents, and listen carefully as we finish. The Abrahamic covenant, this pattern that God has established, it helps us as parents. more clearly view our role as stewards These children that God has given to us. And as Paul says in the book of Ephesians 6, verse 4, he calls us to bring up our children. in the training, in the admonition.
I have built more. That's why we baptize our children because Abraham is a pattern. It's God's divine command. But it's also accompanied with his gracious and comforting Promise. Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this. Great covenant sign and seal. We thank you that we can walk into church each week with the filth of the world, and we can just lay it down. and confess our baptism. That signifies and seals to us that as truly as our body is washed outwardly with this water.
So truly is our Spirit is our soul washed by Christ's blood and Holy Spirit from the pollution of all our sin. We have complete and total forgiveness through Christ. And we thank you that this promise is not just for us, but it is for our children. And we thank you that we heard from Psalm 105 this morning that you are faithful. to your promise to Abraham.
Nothing can stop. Nothing can thwart your promise. because you are faithful. And we cast ourselves upon your faithfulness here today as our only hope. We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
John Fawnville sends his thanks for listening today. And before we wrap up, can I tell you about an encouraging book you might want to get soon? It's called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity. You're not alone if you've tried to conquer sexual temptations and tried all the methods available. only to find yourself feeling defeated again.
This book may be just what you're looking for. With his shepherding heart, John shows that the gospel, not practical steps or more self-discipline, is God's provision for the power to live a life of sexual purity. and it's available to every Christian. What I like is the book is available in three convenient ways, paperback, audiobook, or Kindle. The links are in our podcast descriptions or just search for Hope and Holiness by John Fonville on Amazon to get a copy for you and it's a wonderful book to go through with a small group.
Him we proclaim is a ministry of Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida. You can find us at Paramountchurch.com. We'll talk again soon.
