Baptism For The Dead (Part 2)

Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio with pastor and author, Dr. Mike Avendroff. Today on No Compromise Radio, we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the Scriptures verse by verse with no compromise.

Government, Moral Order, and the Politics of Baptism for the Dead

Romans chapter 13 basically says if you're in government, you need to know the difference between right and wrong, and if you don't, you can't govern. For the rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.

Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval. For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain.

For he is a servant of God, the government, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. So what you've got to do is you've got to think to yourself if you're the voting kind. I've got one party that denies right and wrong, good is evil and evil is good, but I can't vote for this other person because they're believing in some kind of loony bin deal baptizing for the dead.

Listen, you vote for who you want. But this other party who has Mormon background, they believe there's going to be a resurrection of the dead and a payday one day because if they didn't believe it, they wouldn't be baptizing dead people.

People ask me the question, can I vote for someone who believes in baptism for the dead? If you'd like to, vote as you'd like. But at least that person believes in the resurrection. You say, well, I don't want you to talk about politics.

Okay, I'm done. I won't talk about it again. Listen, people that baptize other people who are on behalf of the dead realize there is a right, there is a wrong, and these people are going to stand before God and I want them to stand before God properly.

Now Mormonism is a cult. They deny grace. They deny Christ-exclusive salvation. But they are pagans who realize there is a resurrection. Positively, all this discussion of baptism, let me ask you the question, do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

And if so, have you been baptized? You could say, well, all this talk about politics and this kind of loony stuff, I don't think that should be your discussion until you've said, in light of the grace of God in my life, I've had great guilt.

God's grace has been greater in the person of Christ Jesus. And out of gratitude and obedience, I'm going to be baptized while I'm alive. All right. Point number two. Since the resurrection is true, live your life with fearless faith, not faithless fear.

Resurrection Faith Produces Courageous Christian Living

The resurrection's true. So don't be surprised when people baptize dead people on behalf of the dead. Secondly, this is what describes Paul. This is what is in Paul's mind. You ever want to know why a person ticks?

This is why Paul ticks. Because he realizes who Jesus is, his resurrection, Christ, and now Paul's own. By the grace of God, Paul is going for it. To put negatively, if the resurrection isn't true, then hole yourself up in a cave.

But since the resurrection is true, go evangelize, go preach, risk your life for the sake of the gospel. Verse 30. Now he talks about himself here, distancing himself from verse 29. Why are we in danger every hour?

By the way, if there's no resurrection, why do this? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. I die every day. If resurrection isn't true, Christianity isn't true, why get eaten by cannibals in the New Hebrides Island?

Why go there? Can you imagine John Payton and his wife, and I don't know if the baby was born yet, or they had the small son, and they show up on the shores of Cannibal Island not speaking the language?

For what reason? They had the notion, the biblical notion, that every one of these people made in the likeness and image of God cannot be saved, except they hear Romans chapter 10, and we've got to give them that, and if it costs us our life, it costs us our life.

Why didn't Jim Elliott and the other men on that airplane who landed on the sandbar in Ecuador area not use their guns to kill the people who are going to slay them and did slay them with that spear that's over in Gloucester right now at Elizabeth Elliott's house?

Because Jim Elliott knew that if I die, I'm going to heaven and I get a resurrected body one day, and if these people die, they will get a resurrected body made perfect for the torments of hell forever.

See, because what you believe determines how you live. Answer to the question in verse 30, why are we in danger every hour? Because the resurrection's true. The resurrection is true or it would be a fool's paradise risking my life for this.

Regardless of what the people say, oh, there's no resurrection, Paul says there is a resurrection and it starts with Jesus and then you can see it flesh itself out in my life. I'm in danger or jeopardy every hour.

In the original, that is every hour. That's exactly what it means. Every single hour, I'm awake, I sleep, I travel, I stay, people are trying to kill me. And then he says in the next verse, I've got pride in you.

That's almost the nicest thing he says to the Corinthians. I spent 18 months of my life pouring my life for the gospel sake into you and they were going to try to kill me there too. They're going to try to hurt me there too, but for you it was worth it because I believe in the resurrected Jesus.

Therefore, I believe in the resurrection of my body and your bodies. And so it was great pleasure for me to pour my life into you, mortal danger aside. And everybody back in those days, if you were a Christian, got persecuted.

It wasn't, well, the person at work didn't really like me. This is real persecution. Why risk anything if death is the end of everything? But since it's true, go for it. I don't think this holds, it's not a perfect analogy, but here's what I would say.

This is like spiritual skydiving. We have a little thing in our house. I want the kids to be able to, I don't care if you want to bungee jump, skydive, whitewater raft, go into Mars. I might say no too, but just go for it.

But I always tell the kids, make sure you're a Christian before you jump out of that plane with a parachute. That's the only rule I have. Before you do dangerous things, have a parachute. I'm not saying that we should say to ourselves, I'm going to be foolish.

And I won't plan, and I won't be a good steward. And I won't think through the future issues. But I'm saying since you have a resurrected body guaranteed to you by the resurrected Savior, your life should show it.

And here we live in sleepy little suburbanity. All cloistered around here, us four, no more, shut the door, here we go. I wonder if I should say this to somebody that I love. I wonder if I should do that.

I wonder if I should take my kids to the mission field. I wonder if I should go to seminary. I wonder this, I wonder that. And Paul says the resurrection's true. Dying almost every day, dead. Remember, Paul shows up to the city.

He has two questions. One, where's the synagogue? Two, where's the jail? Because he goes to the one and he ends up in the other. Why die almost every day when there's no reward, no eternal joy, no pain, no seeing Christ face-to-face, no well-done, good and faithful servant?

He says in verse 32, he continues it on. People hated Paul. People were after Paul. People wanted to kill Paul. Verse 32, why do I gain? What do I gain, rather, if humanly speaking, there's going to be a metaphor of what he says next.

I fought with beasts at Ephesus. These were people who were vicious adversaries. People who wanted to kill him. At Ephesus, you say, well, these are like real lions. Some people think these are real lions.

I don't think these were real lions because, one, he says humanly speaking. Two, if you're a Roman citizen, you didn't have to get thrown into the lions, in the arena for gladiators. Three, if he did get thrown into that arena, he probably would have been dead.

Four, he probably would have put it on a list of things that he had been through that we'll look at in just a second. These were mean people, antagonists who were humans. Like the riot that happened in Acts 19 with Paul's understatement here, no little disturbance.

These wild beasts weren't wild animals. They were wild, hostile people who hated the gospel. And Paul said, why would I deal with these people? Every day they're going to try to kill me if the resurrection isn't true.

Why don't you turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 11 just for a moment. I want you to see the answer to why Paul does all this is, of course, the gospel. Of course, it's Christ Jesus. But it's in light of Christ's resurrection and his resurrection.

How can you go for it in life? I've got one life to live. The answer is the resurrection. And you can feel in every verse that very thing at the end of Paul's list here in 2 Corinthians chapter 11. It's like this is the key to unlock life.

Walking around afraid of our shadows and afraid we might lose our tax exemption. Somebody might tax us when we shouldn't be getting taxed. Or somehow people might say something behind our back. There's a resurrection.

Verse 16 of 2 Corinthians 11. Let's pick it up early so you can get kind of the feel. And the feel is basically this. I don't want to give you a list of what the Lord has done through me. But I'll have to give you the list.

These other false teachers have their lists, their CVs, their resumes. Let me tell you something. I repeat verse 16, 2 Corinthians 11. Let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool so that I too may boast a little.

What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would. But as a fool. Jesus wouldn't talk this way. Since many boast according to the flesh, I will too boast. For you gladly bear with fools being wise yourselves.

You can feel the sarcasm there. For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you. That's what the false teachers are doing. Or devours you. That's what they were doing. Or takes advantage of you. Or puts on airs or strikes you in the face.

To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that. But whatever anyone else dares to boast of, I'm speaking as a fool. I also dare to boast of that. I don't really want to say it, but here it comes reluctantly.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are these false teachers Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I'm a better one. I'm talking like a madman. Far greater labors.

Far more imprisonments. And now comes the list that only the resurrected Jesus and his resurrected body, Paul, could explain. With countless beatings, often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews, the 40 lashes less one.

The synagogue said, you're a blasphemer, false teacher. You get not 40, we'll be nice and give you 39, but it almost kills you. Severe beating. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. How do you execute people in the Old Testament?

For blasphemy, you stone them. Three times I was shipwrecked. Well, when he wrote this, it had been three. Acts 27, you can add another one. Four in his life. A night and a day I was adrift at sea, on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I'm not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? I must boast. If I must boast, I will boast of these things that show my weakness.

God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under King Eratos was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in a wall, or in the wall and escaped his hands.

Why would Paul do all that? If this is a pipe dream, if this is all a lie, then Paul, coast, take it easy. But since it's true that you're raised from the dead with your body to receive the reward on that day, then Paul says, I am full throttle, I am all out.

The question I could probably ask you is, if I look at your life, if you look at your life, your friends look at your life, the Lord looks at your life, do you live a life in response to the grace of God that shows you believe the resurrection?

Well, you know, everything's got to be safe. You say, well, I like to safely invest my funds in the 401k. Fine, but you need to live your life in resurrection realities. What's the worst thing that can happen to you?

They kill you, and you get a new body anyway. What should we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? It's Romans 8. Romans 8 also says, the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

How do you live a life full of faith instead of fear? The gospel is real, the resurrection is real. I will be raised from the dead. We are untouchable until that ordained day. I like to say to my kids, 10 ,000 gang members can't kill you unless God has ordained it, and 10 ,000 SWAT team members can't protect you if it's your day.

Paul says, I've got my eyes on Christ, the resurrected Savior, and in light of His promises, I'm going to be resurrected too, so it's danger, danger, danger, danger, danger. Why do you repeat that so many times?

He could have just said, in danger in this and that and that, but it's danger, danger. Why? Because I believe the resurrection's true, and I've got my eyes focused on Christ. Second you start looking down and not looking at who Christ is, then the fear factor comes back.

Colossians 3 says, set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. I love the story of Florence Chadwick. 1952, she swam across the English Channel, and now she starts at Catalina Island.

She's going to swim to Long Beach. She swims for 15 hours, and with one mile to go, it was so foggy she has to quit. Don't quit, they said from the boat. She said, I can't see my destination. Short time later, she tried again, 60 days passes, and she said, I'm not excusing myself, but if I could have seen the land, I might have made it.

And now that I can see the land, I made it. So she finished keeping her eyes on what the goal was. All right, number three. I was going to stop there, except we can't stop because we didn't stop there first service.

So I think you'll be glad. Number three, since the resurrection is true, live in light of judgment day. Live in light of the day of reckoning. Since the resurrection is true, I wouldn't be surprised if people got baptized on behalf of the dead.

I would live a life that says, I believe in the resurrection with fearless faith. And thirdly, live in light of the day of reckoning. If the resurrection is not true, A, you should have slept in, but B, what should you have done?

Live in Light of Judgment Day

Verse 32. If the dead are not raised, second half of verse 32. If the dead aren't raised, I mean really, what should we do? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. If there's no resurrection, live it up.

This is the world's model, a motto rather. It's modeled by the world too. Now, does your Bible in fact show that it's an Old Testament quote with italics, everything's bold, everything is large caps, there's a little node asterisk, something there?

Yes, because this is from Isaiah 22. God has brought in the hordes of another nation to chasten the disobedient Israelites, and Israel's response should have been what? God, we're sorry, we repent, please forgive us, let's get the dust out, let's get the ashes out, let's get the sacrifices out, let's get the wailers out, let's get the weepers out.

Please God, give us somebody like Moses to stand up and say, God, forgive them. Here comes judgment that we deserve from another nation to help us, and what do you think they did instead in Isaiah chapter 22?

Well, the text tells us, because this is a quote from Isaiah 22. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. God's not really real, it's all hopeless. Show me the world where morality has collapsed, and I'll show you a world that says we don't believe in the resurrection.

School, work, home, there's no resurrection. And let's just try to confirm that in our hearts a little bit too. Let's create something that no people who lived in the days of the Bible would ever think of, pagan or believer.

Let's create something that guarantees that we don't answer to anybody, and it's called evolution. Because if evolution's true, we answer to no one. So what is the paradigm of the evolutionist? Eat, drink, and be merry.

For tomorrow you're a monkey. I don't know what it is. The other way around. Why aren't there things in between humans and monkeys? But that's another story. For you, Christian, for me as a Christian, Paul is going to help us in this section by saying this.

We are going to be raised, therefore we should live in light of the cross and in light of eternity, and we should have good morals. Not because morality saves, morality damns, but obedience in light of the cross.

If we have a lot of guilt, Heidelberg Catechism says, and we've been receiving more grace because of who Jesus is, and we receive grace at Calvary and beyond, we should live lives of gratitude. We will all stand before God on judgment day.

You say, wait a second, that doesn't seem right. Well, I think it's probably the least popularly preached view in all of Scripture. Judgment day for Christians. Now some might be saying, well, I know the unbelievers, they get judgment day.

So I know they probably just want to live it up, but there's not going to be judgment day for us, and yet we're going to see next week, 2 Corinthians chapter 5, there is a judgment seat for Christians called the Bema seat judgment, where thankfully we're not judged for our sins, we're not judged for our transgressions, we're not judged for our missing the mark, we're not judged for anything like that, because Jesus paid for it at Calvary, right?

It is finished. But we are judged what we've done in our bodies, whether good or worthless. There's a judgment day for you. Judgment day is coming, so much so that Martin Luther said, I only have two days on my calendar.

I have a little iCal for my Mac, and I can say, let me see the year view. It's pretty small when you do that, but let me see the year view. Let me see the month. And I actually can say, I want the start of the week to be Sunday.

I hope your calendars have the start of the week Sunday, just for the legalism in me, that I just want it like that. No, just because that is the first day. I could say, just show me the day, show me the next five days, show me the list.

I can make it say whatever you want. You know what, for Luther, he said, I've got two days on my calendar, and only two. Because he knew that even though he didn't have to pay for his sins, thankfully, there still was a judgment day that we're going to look at.

Luther said, I've got two days on my calendar. Today and that day. Because if you realize that day is coming, then you live a life knowing my body will be raised from the dead, and I will receive from God rewards, not based on sin, but based on what I've done, deeds in the body, good or bad.

We'll see that next week. If there's no resurrection for Christians, live it up. Jesus addresses this very issue. Someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide inheritance with me.

He said to him, Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you? And he said to them, Take care and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

So he told them a parable, saying, The land of the rich man produced plentifully. And he thought to himself, What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? I will do this, I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, Fool, this night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?

So is the one who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Now that's for the unbeliever. Not rich towards God, and having the object of faith, Christ Jesus, and holding on to it by the instrument of faith.

That's a pitiable person there, that unbeliever. So we as Christians, we don't have that day, the great white throne day. We have a Bema day, and so we should be doing the same things, as living in light of the resurrection, today and that day.

This is good for us to make sure we think eternal thoughts, not just temporal thoughts. I love the story about the person that had the Ferrari, and they were in the mountains, snowstorm, slid out of control, deep precipice is coming, and the guy jumped out last second, made it, but his arm got sheared off at the shoulder.

Laying there, bleeding, the trucker passes by, guy says in a state of shock, my Ferrari, my Ferrari. The trucker says, what about your arm? He looks down, he says, my Rolex, my Rolex. Right? If there's no resurrection, live it up, pagan.

If there is a resurrection, Christian. Don't be surprised people baptize for the dead. Don't live your life like, you know what, here's my little life right here. We are free, the worst thing that can happen is you get killed, and you get a new body.

And also, say to yourself, I do have this body for a reason, and that reason is in light of the grace of God, and the personal work of Christ Jesus, I want to respond not out of duty necessarily, not out of just strict obedience necessarily, but out of gratitude, Lord, thank you for doing this, and you've said you're holy, and you've called me to be holy, and I want to live in light of that, because there's a judgment day for me too, my body will be raised.

You've got one life to live, and live in light of the one life Christ lived for you.

No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 8 .30 and 11 a .m. and Sunday evenings at 6 p .m. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston, Massachusetts. You can check us out online at bbcchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

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