I would invite you to turn with me this morning to Paul's epistle to the Romans, Romans chapter 2. I'm going to read a portion at the very end of Romans 2 and on into chapter 3. Romans 2, we'll begin In verse 28, and with God's Word open before us, let's seek the Lord in prayer and ask the Lord to speak to us now through His Word. Let's pray. O Lord, as we open now Thy Word, we thank Thee that we're opening a book we can trust, one that has come to us from God Himself as He moved in the hearts of those that he had to pen the very words that he wanted to communicate to us. We ask, O Lord, that thy word may go forth with power just now. May the Holy Spirit bear witness to its truth and make the application to every heart need. And may Christ indeed be honored and glorified as we spend this time in thy word in preparation for the baptism to follow. I pray, dear Lord, that it may please thee to take me up and make me a vessel fit for thy use. And to that end, I plead the blood of Christ over my own life and ask, O Lord, based on the merits of the blood, that thou would cleanse me so that I may in turn be filled with thy spirit. And may it please thee to grant to me strength of heart and mind, clarity of thought and speech, and especially unction from on high, So the message will be perceived not simply as a sermon crafted by a man, but as a message from God for this people, for this occasion. We ask these things in Jesus' name, amen. Romans chapter two, we begin in verse 28. This is the word of God. Let us hear it and heed it. For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, Neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God. What advantage then hath the Jew? Or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way. chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid! Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar, as it is written, that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous, who taketh vengeance? I speak as a man. God forbid! For then how shall God judge the world? For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner? And not, rather, as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say, that a stewievel that good may come, whose damnation is just, What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise. For we have before proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin. As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher, with their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what thinks whoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Amen, we'll end our reading in verse 24, and we know the Lord will add his blessing to the reading of his word for his name's sake. I wanna call your attention this morning in particular to the questions that Paul asks at the very beginning of chapter three. Look at what it says there in verse one. What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there in circumcision. It's generally believed in Reformed circles that circumcision in the Old Testament corresponds to baptism in the New Testament. The unity of the Bible and the overriding theme of redemption that is found throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation compels us to make such a connection under the overarching covenant of grace. Earlier we read from Colossians chapter 2. Let me read again verses 10 through 12 from that chapter. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power, in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, and putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. Commenting on this passage, Dr. Stephen Myers notes, Circumcision held out to them, that is, Abraham's descendants, God's promise to be their God, and it held out to them their obligation to be his people. In the covenant sign of circumcision, there was an external sign that pointed to an internal spiritual reality. That much is clear from Genesis chapter 17. Dr. Myers continues. Paul argues, if the outward sign is not joined to that inward reality, the outward sign is useless. In fact, Paul goes so far as to say that the outward physical removal of the foreskin is not actually circumcision. Real circumcision is that which occurs in the heart. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God. That's from the section we just read, Romans 2, verses 28 and 29. Circumcision, then, holds much symbolically in common with baptism. Both point toward a work done on the heart. Salvation is a work wrought on the heart of a sinner. It's not mere moral reform. It's regeneration. It's a new birth. It pertains to the heart. Old things pass away. All things become new. where salvation is wrought. Now, neither circumcision or baptism affect that work, but both point to it. They're signs. So by recognizing the commonality of these ordinances, circumcision, baptism, we're not really violating the text. If we read it this way, what advantage then hath the Jews, or what profit is there in baptism? Now before I endeavor to answer these questions, and I do want to answer them today, I must first deal with the matter of the Jew. What advantage then hath the Jew? Who does Paul have in mind when he asks that question? What advantage hath the Jew? And here we recognize that there can be a twofold answer to that question. Paul at times refers to the spiritual Jew. He's doing so in the preceding verses we just read in chapter two, when he distinguishes between an outward Jew and an inward Jew. And although their spiritual conditions may be different, they both had something in common. They were both circumcised. And they were both members of the covenant community. By baptizing Cecily Hardebeck this morning, we are welcoming her into the covenant community of our church family. I am aware, of course, as many of you undoubtedly are, that this position on church membership is at variance with many in evangelical circles, most noticeably Baptists. There are those that believe that church membership should be restricted to those only who profess faith in Jesus Christ. I once illustrated this matter of church membership to some of our seminary students this way. Imagine, if you will, a family being received into membership in a church. This particular family may be made up of a husband and a wife, a four-year-old child, a two-year-old child, and a six-month-old infant. Imagine the family being called on to come to the front of the church so they can be received into church membership As mom and dad stand up, they begin to make their way to the aisle that leads to the front of the church. Dad is holding the hands of the four-year-old and the two-year-old while mom carries the six-month-old infant. Before they even reach the aisle that takes them to the front of the church, the preacher holds up his hand and he calls on them to stop. Leave those lost children in the pew, he shouts out. Leave that baby born a sinner with someone else. How dare you attempt to bring those lost, sinful, reprobate children to the front of the church for membership. This has nothing to do with them, but only has to do with you, Mom and Dad, because you are the ones that profess faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing to do with them? Nothing to do with the children? Are you serious? It has everything to do with them. The church is taking the entire family under its care. The church family is going to devote itself to taking those children to heart. The church family is going to pray for those children. The Word will be read and taught and preached to those children. The parents of those children will be ministered to in such a way that they'll be the better equipped to lead their children to Christ. They'll be accountable to the leadership of the church for their conduct and ministry to their children. Has everything to do with them. And you know, that's really not such a hard concept to grasp. If you think of church membership, not so much in terms of an institution, but in terms of a church family. So we are happy today through the baptism of Cecily Hardebeck to receive her into the covenant family of our church and to begin to pray for her and for Zach and Amanda that they'll know the Lord's help and blessing when it comes to the raising of this child that the Lord has given to them. This is a matter, you know, when we as a church family have to rise to our covenant obligations. With these things in mind, then, let me now come to the questions. What advantage, then, hath the Jew, or what profit is there in circumcision, or in this case, baptism? I wanna call your attention for just a few moments this morning to three such advantages that every covenant child possesses. Three advantages. I know we could build much more than that. But after my usual homiletical fashion, I'll deal with three, okay? Consider with me, first of all, the advantage of parents with proper priorities. The advantage of parents with proper priorities. In Old Testament times, the male children were to be circumcised on the eighth day of their lives. Eight days old, here's the first thing that is ministered to them, circumcision. Think about that now for a moment. The very first thing, basically, from a religious perspective and from the perspective of life itself, the very first thing that a male child had assigned to him was circumcision. And the fact that this was done so early in the child's life was a sure indication of the importance of the right and the priority that was assigned to what that right symbolized. And you know, that makes perfect sense when you consider what was symbolized by circumcision and what is symbolized by baptism. Both have to do with salvation. Both have to do with the recognized need for a work wrought on the heart. Both, therefore, point to the new birth. Both had and have to do with cleansing. Baptizing is a word that means literally a washing. both had and have to do with identification with God and with recognizing God's promises and the parents and the child's obligations with regard to those promises. I'm sure that when parents bring children into the world, they certainly have thoughts about what the future of those children will be. What will this child do when he or she grows up? Will he or she become a doctor or a nurse or a lawyer? Maybe he or she will go into politics, become an eminent leader in civil government. Maybe you brought the next president of the United States or some president of the United States down the road into your family. Maybe he or she will become a CEO of some great corporation. I'm sure that every parent hopes that his child will be successful in whatever vocation they may enter into. I'm sure also that every parent thinks about what kind of education that child will receive. Will he or she go to college? Will he or she pursue a graduate degree beyond college? Should we homeschool our children? Should we send them to a Christian school? Should we throw them into the pool, so to speak, of public education and have them learn by experience how to stand for the truth of God's word when the truth is being undermined or attacked? Will this child get married? Will he or she find a God-fearing, Christ-honoring spouse? These are all, you know, very legitimate and very important matters to consider and pray over. What I'm seeking to press upon you now, however, is that there is a matter that needs to be tended to first and foremost that is way more important than any of these other legitimate considerations. And that is the matter of the eternal destiny of the soul of that child. The salvation of Cecily Hardebeck is way more important than any vocation she may enter later in life, way more important than the kind of education she receives or how much education she receives. The matter of her salvation is way more important than whether or not she gets married or remains single. And don't we have to acknowledge that we have a tendency to distort our priorities in this world? We assign way too much importance to the temporal things of this world than we do to spiritual truths and spiritual realities. We need Paul's words to the Corinthians burned into our souls. We need the words of 2 Corinthians 4 in verse 18 to be written in fire and blazoned into our hearts when he writes, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And that makes them vastly more important, doesn't it? This world, in all its sin and rebellion and corruption, is destined to go up in smoke. So Peter writes in 2 Peter 3 in verse 10, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heaven shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. And I've just got to tell you that the more I'm exposed to this world and the older I get in this world, the more anxious I become for that very thing to happen. Oh, Lord, come and consummate redemption. This is why such a priority must be assigned to salvation. The eternal destiny of Cecil Harderbeck's soul is way more important than anything that awaits her in this present world. Her time in this world, indeed all our times in this world, are short, and the time of this world itself is short when compared to eternity. And Cecily has a great advantage this morning in this regard, that her parents, Zach and Amanda, know and believe this. They assign the right priorities to things. I've described infant baptism at times as a child dedication, that with the application of water symbolizes the parent's highest aspirations and hopes for their child because it points to salvation and the promise of God is that salvation will be applied to this child upon this child's faith in Jesus Christ. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2, eight and nine. So that's the first advantage of a covenant child. The advantage of parents with proper priorities. Baptism symbolizes that priority, and that's why it's fitting for baptism to be administered so early in life. Nothing is as important as salvation. Well, let's consider yet another advantage of a covenant child. This next advantage is labeled by Paul as being a chief advantage, and that is the advantage of the oracles of God. The advantage of the oracles of God. Again, the words of our text, Romans 3, 1 and 2. What advantage then hath the Jew Or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way, chiefly, underscore that word now, chiefly, here is the big advantage, chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. The oracles of God. Another version, translate the phrase this way, unto them were committed the actual words of God. And please note here that Paul holds out this advantage as the chief advantage of the Jew. We do well to ask the question, why? Why is that? Why is this the chief advantage of the Jew? Earlier in the service, we read from 2 Timothy 1. We have an example in that chapter of a New Testament covenant child, that child being Timothy. So we read in 2 Timothy 1, verse 4, greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also. You see what a spiritual heritage Timothy had. You see that he was, here is a New Testament covenant child. And in 2 Timothy 3, just a couple pages over, chapter 3, verse 15, we see what an impact Timothy's mother and grandmother had on his life when we read in that verse, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Here's the advantage. Here is why having the oracles of God becomes the chief advantage of every covenant child. It is only through the word of God that a person, even a young person, can gain the wisdom needed for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. You gain that through God's word. Now I'll grant you, there are things in the word of God that are not easily understood. Peter says as much at the end of his epistle. He makes reference to Paul's writings and says, wherein are some things hard to be understood. So there's no denying that. That is true, but on the other hand, there are also things in God's word that are so simple to understand that not even a child can miss it. And especially is that the case with salvation. God's made it plain. He's made it clear. and that from a child thou wast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. God's Word, you see, is the only resource in all the world that will give you an accurate picture of where you stand before God. It is through God's Word that we learn what Paul writes in Romans 3. We read these verses earlier. I'll read them again. Verse 10, as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no, not one, and a few verses later in the same section, verse 23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No exceptions, bar none. That's not something you know that the natural man is willing to admit. The natural man denies his sin or excuses his sin. He may blame others for his sin. but the person who has gained, even as a child, the wisdom that leads to salvation, he faces his sin. He admits and confesses his sin. He knows the truth of that Psalm that we sang earlier, Psalm 130 and verse four, but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. He knows that. He believes in Jesus, who is the savior of sinners. And as he matures in the faith, he or she understands that when we read in Romans 3, verses 24 and 25, that we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, he understands that God set forth Christ to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. He understands, in other words, that Christ became his wrath bearer. That's the meaning of propitiation. Christ bore the wrath that was your portion and mine. So Paul could write in Romans 8, there is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. And the reason there's no condemnation is because there's already been condemnation. Christ was condemned, condemned in the place of any and all that will put their faith in him. Having the oracles of God then is a great advantage, isn't it? It's a great advantage, not only in terms of the topics it addresses, but it's also a great advantage because of the authority with which those topics are addressed. And let's face it this morning. When it comes to such matters as heaven and hell and salvation and the eternal destiny of your soul, you don't want something that amounts to the speculative opinions of men. You want a resource that comes to you with the authority of God. So Zach and Amanda, your task will be the same as Eunice and Lois, Timothy's mother and grandmother. Your task will be to instruct Cecily, as I know you instruct your other children, in the truths of God's word. And by doing so, you may fully expect that even from a child, Cecily may gain the wisdom that leads to salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. You also have the covenant obligation to live out the word of God and demonstrate to Cecily and your other children that you know and you love Christ and you're ruled by the love of Christ. You must demonstrate that to them and not just teach it to them academically. Keep it real before your children. Don't try to make them think that you're something you're not. Don't be afraid to admit that you're not perfect parents because there's no such thing as a perfect parent. Wasn't long ago that we did a study of King David in our afternoon service. David, you may recall, was and is labeled a man after God's own heart. Think about that for a moment. That's really quite a designation. Here is a man after God's own heart. David, who stole another man's wife and got her pregnant. David, who in an attempt to cover up his sin, got the woman's husband drunk. And when that didn't work, he conspired to have that woman's husband slain in battle. Oh, it wasn't sinless perfection that gained for David the designation a man after God's own heart. What it was that gained him that designation was the consistency with which he faced his sin when he was confronted with it. When the prophet pointed at him and said, thou art the man. Oh man, what a fearful place that must have been for that prophet. Men of lesser spiritual stature would have said, away with this nuisance, put him in prison, execute him, get him out of the way. He's confronting me with my sin. But in this case, when the prophet said, thou art the man, David's response was, I have sinned. Keep it real with your children, therefore. by striving to overcome sin, to be sure, but never by fooling yourself or trying to fool your children into thinking that you never have to fight against sin. And by your honesty and humility and your awareness of the love of Christ, you will demonstrate the truth of the gospel to Cecily and to the rest of your children. What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way, chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God." So a covenant child has the advantages of parents with proper priorities. A covenant child has the advantage of the Word of God. Let me finally and briefly point out one more advantage of the covenant child, which is the advantage of a covenant community. The advantage of a covenant community. The administration of the sacrament of baptism this morning, dear congregation, has very important implications for us all. Not only do Zach and Amanda pledge themselves to the raising of this covenant child, but the rest of us here pledge ourselves to supporting them by our prayers and by our examples and by our encouragement to raise Cecily in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And to make sure, to make completely sure that we never do anything that would place a stumbling block before this child. or any of our children. When we receive members into communicate membership in this church, I'd like to read a number of verses that pertain to our duties to each other in our church family. I think it would be fitting to read them now on this occasion. God, in his word, calls upon us as members of his church And here the key phrase to note is one to another. Note the use of that phrase. Our obligation, we are called upon to be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love in honor preferring one another. Romans 12, 10. To use our liberty in Christ to serve one another in love. Galatians 5, 13. To bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6 and verse 2. To forbear and forgive one another when others would have quarrels against us. Colossians 3 verse 13. To teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Colossians 3 16. to consider one another, to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. And could I place an extra stamp of emphasis on that? Make sure you're in God's house. Make sure your children are exposed to the means of grace in God's house, the reading and preaching of God's word. Simply and comprehensively put, we are to love one another. 1 John 4, 11, Beloved of God, so love us, we ought also to love one another. These are the covenant obligations that we bear as a church family. With these advantages in mind then, I'm going to call Zach and Amanda and Cecily to join me here on the platform where I will put four questions to Zach and Amanda leading up to the baptism of Cecily Hartebeck. Zachary and Amanda, do you confess God as your Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and the Holy Spirit as your Sanctifier in Christ? Do you undertake to fulfill the obligations of Christian parents in the prayerful assurance that our covenant God will, in His time, according to His will, bless His Word and bring Cecily to an understanding of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ? Will you give diligent heed to Cecily's spiritual welfare, and will you seek by precept and example to teach Cecily the great truths of the gospel, endeavoring to bring her up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Recognizing that children are the heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward, Do you now sincerely give your little one back to him and dedicate her to the Lord's will and service? Amen. Step forward here a little bit closer if you would. And I'll ask now the congregation to please stand. Cecily Hardabette. the Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his confidence upon thee and give thee peace. And I now baptize you, Cecily Hardebeck, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Let's pray. O Lord, we thank thee for this precious gift that thou hast given to Zach and Amanda. We are mindful, O Lord, that with this gift there also comes very serious and solemn responsibilities, responsibilities that we can't meet in our own strength or wisdom. And we thank thee therefore, O Lord, for the covenant community that Thou dost provide for Thy people. May Thy blessing be upon Zach and Amanda in the raising of Cecily. We ask, O Lord, that the day will come soon in life when she will gain understanding of her need of a Savior, and may she, by Thy grace, dear God, Call upon Christ to save her soul. And what we pray for Cecily, we do pray for all our children. Oh Lord, be pleased to complete households and bring our children to Jesus Christ. May we assign the right priority to this matter, knowing as we do that there is nothing so important as the eternal destiny of the souls of our children. Oh, Lord, it makes little difference what they would do in life if they know not Jesus. So, Lord, draw our children savingly to thyself in accordance with thy covenant, promise, and faithfulness. So we commit now, Cecily Hardebeck, to thy care. And we look to thee, Lord, to give us the needed grace to rise to our obligations. And we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.