Dipped And Saved

Title: Dipped and Saved

Place: BLCC

Date: 4/15/18

Text: Acts 22.16; Acts conversions

CT: Answer God’s Call

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FAS: The following is from a USA Today article detailing the decline of water baptism in many American churches:

There are now baptism-style ceremonies where God is never mentioned by parents seeking to initiate their children into a world of all faiths, says Ema Drouillard of San Francisco, who runs the website Ceremonyway.com.

She conducted such an event for Kirsten and Farnum _______ of Marin County, California, for their baby, Greer, in 1998. "We just wanted a larger spirit to guide our daughter, but we didn't want to get specific. I wanted all her bases covered," says Kirsten.

The couple grew up Presbyterian, but now "we just do Christianity L-I-T-E" for Greer, who "believes in angels and fairies, leprechauns and Santa Claus."

Cathy Lynn Grossman, "Rite of Baptism Trickles Away," USA Today (4-13-06), 2D

I. Some may believe you just add water to a sinner and you get a Christian.

Not water only.

Our salvation and forgiveness of sin is more than getting wet.

Hear, believe, repent, confess, baptize.

I am not down playing or over emphasizing baptism. All I want to do is see what the Bible says about baptism. [Screen 2] Ananias to Paul.

Acts 22.16, And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.

Is God trying to get your attention today? Is your personal alarm clock going off? You can keep hitting the snooze button, but it won’t quit. God is, as I have said before, The Hound from Heaven. He will continue to seek you. He won’t quit. You are too valuable to Him.

The book of Acts is full of people that God did various things to get their attention. The ways may have varied but the response was always the same. Once they believed it was immediately followed by baptism. We are going to unpack several examples of baptism in Acts. It will show decision follows belief.

C. Acts 2:36-40, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

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Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day

On the day the church started, 3,000 people responded to Peter’s sermon by being baptized. These folks heard God’s alarm clock loud and clear that day. They hadn’t come to be buried with Christ but they sure left drenched.

The apostles were on a mission from Christ, [Screen 4] Matthew 28,19, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Acts is that fulfillment of that mission. It is full of baptisms.

--[Screen 5] Acts 8: 9-13 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

Simon was obsessed with the disciples.

--[Screen 6] Acts 8:35-38, Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

Philip started with Isaiah and told the Ethiopian eunuch the good news about Jesus, and the Ethiopian was baptized.

--[Screen 7] Acts 9:1-18, Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”