Coffee With The Lord

Symbolism and imagery matter!  They can make things vivid and real to us; and that’s true of water baptism.

I think if I were pastoring a church today, I’d do water baptism services like this…

I’d encourage them to wear old, worn out clothes to the place where they were going to be baptized in water as a testimony to the fact that they were abandoning their old way of life.  The more old, tattered, worn out the clothes were, the better.  Those would be the clothes they would be baptized in.

Then after they were baptized (buried, so to speak, in the waters of baptism – symbolizing the fact that they were abandoning their old way of life, dying to sin and self-pursuit) I’d have them change into new, fresh, “Sunday, go-to-meeting, best” clothes, celebrating the new life they had been given through faith in Christ.

All of that came to mind as I read the following passage this morning in the Bible (a passage that I’m convinced Apostle Paul wrote with water baptism as the imagery behind it)…

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  On account of these the wrath of God is coming.  In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.  But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.  Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator… Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (from Colossians 3:1–17 ESV)

You see, baptism really is a burial service!  When we do it in faith and commitment we fully identify with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.  We bring our old, tattered lives of sin and we die to them through the one who died for our sins on the cross.  That old life is buried, so to speak, in the waters of baptism.  Then we are raised from the waters of baptism, identifying with the resurrection of Jesus, to live a new life… That’s where we celebrate our new life in Christ by putting on our “Sunday go-to-meeting best!”

As I say, imagery and symbolism matters!  And may there be, behind every water baptism, a spiritual reality!

It’s so easy to get SIDETRACKED… we start to do something or go somewhere – something captures our attention, and before long we’re SIDETRACKED and may not remember what we came to do or where we were going in the first place!  And it can and does happen spiritually!

I don’t know how to break it to you… Following Christ and religion are NOT the same thing!

The religious practices can be extremely rigorous, seasons of fasting and prayer can be abundant, rituals and liturgy can be impressive… but you may not be following Christ!  You may be SIDETRACKED!  In fact, it may all be a self-righteous, pride generated show.  You may be challenging your mind with philosophical thought – even religious philosophical reflection.  You may delve deep into religious studies of all kinds – Christian and otherwise – and know nothing of the life-transforming power of the risen Christ!

Hey, religion won’t cut it!  ONLY JESUS CHRIST can save you from sin, give you eternal life, and transform your NOW and TOMORROW!

How do I know?  I read it in the Bible this morning… I’ve experienced it… and I’ve observed what CHRIST – CHRIST ALONE – can do it lives of others.  You doubt me?  You should read what Apostle Paul said about this to believers in ancient Colossae (and it’s still true!)… I challenge you to take some time today and read it for yourself – Colossians 2:1-23 (read it all!)

Here’s a taste of what Apostle Paul had to say on the issue…

“IN CHRIST are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!” (vs. 3)

“IN HIM (Christ) the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily!” (vs. 9)

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses…God made alive together WITH HIM (Christ), having forgiven all our trespasses… He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them IN HIM (Christ).” (vss. 13-15)

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath… Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about their visions… These things have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh!” (from vss.16-23)

And finally, Paul summary advice on the subject of getting “SIDETRACKED”… “Therefore, AS YOU RECEIVED CHRIST JESUS THE LORD, so walk IN HIM, rooted and built up IN HIM, and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving!” (vss. 6-7)

God helping me, I’m going to keep my focus ON CHRIST ALONE and not get “SIDETRACKED!”  “On Christ the solid Rock I stand – all other ground is sinking sand!”

I had a math teacher in school who was a whiz with mathematical computations.  She would pose a problem, write it on the board, and ask us to solve it.  I’d do my best.  Now I was certainly no math whiz but I felt I could get around ok with mathematical equations.  After we’d try, then our math teacher would go to the board and begin solving the problem… urging us to compare what we had done with her approach and solutions.  She’d approach the end of the problem and with a flourish turn around and say… There!  Is that what you got?  Did you see how I did that?

Problem was… her answer was NOT what I had gotten… AND how she got her answer was NOT the way I had gotten mine!  I was almost always ready to argue with her answer… Although I hate to admit it, her answer was ALWAYS right and mine was usually wrong.

I really don’t know how many perplexing problems of life I’ve tried to solve on my own.  Did my best too!  More than I’d like to admit my humanly devised solutions to life issues turned out to be wrong.  Then in frustration, I’d go to God’s word, and discover that from a biblical perspective my answer was all wrong… it was my best effort, but it was wrong! 

Often God’s solution was counter-intuitive!  He said trust – I just tried harder!  He urged obedience – I rejected that and used my own solutions.  And then the arguing would begin.  I’d reject His answers – His solutions – and try something else.  Same dead end!  Same frustration!  Wrong!!

This is what I read in the Bible this morning… “The sum of Your word is truth!  Every one of Your righteous rules endures forever! (Psalm 119:160)

Think I’m ready to acknowledge what the Bible says to be true… “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways declares the Lord!  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thought than your thoughts!” (Isaiah 55:8-9)