Confirmation baptism with notes.ppt
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The document provides information about the sacrament of Holy Baptism in Christianity. It discusses that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. It then asks questions about what God the Father said to Jesus and what the Holy Spirit did at his baptism. Later sections define baptism and sacraments, explain why Christians baptize including babies, and discuss what God promises in baptism among other topics related to the sacrament of baptism.
Confirmation baptism with notes.ppt
- 1. The Sacrament of Holy Baptism Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. Matthew (3:13-17), Mark (1:9-11), and Luke (3:21-22) each tell the story of His Baptism.
- 2. Read each of these stories, then answer these questions: What encouraging Word did God the Father give Jesus as Jesus began His ministry? What encouraging touch did the Holy Spirit give Him? What was the very next thing that happened to Jesus? .
- 3. : Although Jesus faced every temptation we face, and took our sins to the cross, his temptation right after His Baptism shows us that the Christian life may not be easy for us - but we still have the encouraging Word of the Father and the encouraging touch of the Spirit like he did.
- 4. What is a Sacrament? Baptism Holy Communion In the Lutheran Church we have two Sacraments – Baptism and Holy Communion. We define “Sacrament” as an activity of God upon a believer, that has three parts: It offers and even works the forgiveness of sins in a person It has been commanded by God There is something physical or visible to involve our senses – water in Baptism, bread and wine in Communion
- 5. What does the word "baptize" mean? “Baptize” is a Greek word that means “to wash.” In Jesus’ day, people “baptized” cups and bowls and plates and chairs and couches and beds. John the Baptist baptized people to show that they were repenting their sins.
- 6. Why do we baptize people? We baptize people because Jesus commanded us to do it (Matthew 28:18-20)
- 7. Who can perform the Sacrament of Holy Baptism? Any Christian can baptize someone, but as members of the Church we give that responsibility to the Pastor. We do that at Christ the King for several reasons: It shows that Baptism belongs to the whole Church. We get to celebrate each baptism as the community of God’s people together. We can have “official records” of who is baptized, so that if someone doubts whether they believe or not we can say “but you were baptized on that date, here at this church, and we were all witnesses.”
- 8. Why do Lutherans baptize babies? Go on over to the Christ the King website at http://www.christthekinglodi. org/holy-baptism.html to see a list of reasons that Lutherans baptize babies. At the end of that section should be a list of Bible passages where this list is taken from. This is a picture of a baby being baptized by immersion in an Orthodox Church. For Lutherans, this is an acceptable but uncommon way to baptize people. Lutherans usually baptize people by sprinkling water on them.
- 9. What does God promise in Baptism? He promises to give three things to the Baptized person: 1. (1) The complete forgiveness of all sins. This forgiveness includes sins of the past sins of the present the promise of forgiveness for sins of the future all the sins we know about all the sins we don’t know about or remember and the general “infection” of sin every human being is born with 2. (2) Salvation from death and the Devil so that We know that the Devil really has no power over us, and (3) Because Jesus rose from the dead, we will also rise from the dead – BUT NOT LIKE ZOMBIES! We will rise from the dead and We will live with Him forever in heaven!
- 10. Is Baptism necessary for salvation? Yes! If you’d like to be sure that you are saved, Baptism is the way to go. It is the act of God to give you the forgiveness of sins, salvation, and eternal life. If there is a point in your life where you aren’t sure of your salvation, or even if God forgives you, you can look at your Baptism and say “But I have been Baptized, and God has promised!”
- 11. Is it possible for an unbaptized person to be saved? Yes, but that’s up to God, not us. The thief dying on the cross next to Jesus in the picture above came to repent and ask Jesus to remember him when Jesus came into His kingdom; Jesus said “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” We assume the thief did not have the chance to be baptized. But this is like a rule at school. When the principal makes a rule, it’s the principal who enforces it and, more importantly, decides when to bend it. Students can only keep or break rules - they can't bend them. It’s a similar way with us, God, and Holy Baptism. Jesus has told us to go and baptize, and that’s the rule we have to follow. It’s not up to us – it’s only up to Him! – to bend the rule sometimes. But since we know He’s merciful and loving, sometimes we pray that He will bend the rule for someone who hasn't had the opportunity to be baptized, and save them anyway.
- 12. Is Baptism a visible testimony of the faith of the person being baptized? It is when an older teenager or adult is being baptized. We basically say to them, “Are you saying now that you are Christian? Then show us that you mean it by being baptized!” But infants and smaller children aren’t able to do that. Instead, parents and sponsors (godparents) bring them to Holy Baptism because it is the parents and sponsors who believe in the forgiveness, salvation and eternal life that God will be giving the baby in its Baptism.
- 13. What does Baptism symbolize? When a person is physically born, water (amniotic fluid) comes out from the mother’s womb with the baby. Because water is involved in Baptism, the Sacrament symbolizes a new birth for the person being Baptized. Because Jesus was also baptized, our Baptism links us to Him through His Baptism, and we are then linked to everything He ever did for us – including His Resurrection from the dead. So Baptism also is a symbol that we should live a “new life,” one that’s completely different than before we were baptized. Of course, we need someone to teach us how to do that, so we pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, and parents, sponsors and the whole Church to help us.
- 14. Is Baptism a guarantee of entry into heaven? Nope. It’s like planting a seed in a flower pot. It’s the first step. If you don’t plant the seed you can’t expect a flower; but even if you plant the seed in Miracle-Gro it will never grow if you don’t water it, give it some light, keep it warm, and so forth. So you can baptize a person but never teach them to pray, or bring them to church or Sunday School or Bible class or teach them to follow Jesus, you can’t expect their faith to grow, either.
- 15. What about Sponsors or Godparents? When an infant or child is baptized, water is poured on them and the promises of Jesus are spoken. In addition, the Church asks questions about their faith. Because babies cannot speak for themselves, and children don't understand the questions, their parents may ask close Christian friends to "stand in" for the child to answer those questions for them. Later on in life these Sponsors should be praying fo the child, making sure they come to church and Sunday School, and generally encouraging their growth in the Christian life. "Godfather"
- 16. What is Confirmation? When a child is baptized, certain questions about the Christian faith are asked that they don't know the answers to yet. Their sponsors answer for them. Eventually they become old enough to learn about the Christian faith and how to answer the questions themselves. They do this in the ceremony of Confirmation. This worship service looks the same as the Baptism service, but without the water. The time spent preparing for this worship service is called "Confirmation Instruction" or "Confirmation Classes" or just plain "Confirmation."
- 17. What actually happens at a Baptism service? See for yourself by watching the video on this website