Baptism…..
True Story…
A church leader, who was a little older had been on his brother for years to get baptized… To accept the Lord as his Savior….
Finally, one day his brother came to him and said.. I’m ready…
Well the church leader was so excited..
He said he took his brother to every church in town to get baptized…
Just to make sure it stuck….
(you know Dick…. You and I might consider taking a ride around town one weekend)
(Pause)
When we talk about baptism… most folks think about… submersion….
Doing the dunking…
What Baptism is, as we think of it
It’s a public display of an inward or Spiritual Change…
It’s a public display of our putting our faith in Jesus Christ….
(Pause)
Different denominations have their own ideas of the public display of Baptism.
There is infant baptism…
There is the sprinkling or washing..
and I’m sure a few others…
Baptists and several non-denominational churches chose to go with submersion because of the symbolism..
And because that is what John the Baptist was called to do…
(Pause)
In the Bible, at the end of the old testament…
There was 400 years of silence that God had prophesied about through His prophets…
And at the end of that 400 years John the Baptist was going to be the sign that the….. Messiah…
The Son of God…
Jesus Christ had arrived…
And that unlike in the Old Testament times…. A person could be restored to God…
Could receive forgiveness, just by confessing their sins and asking for forgiveness….
That now…. A person no longer had to do some kind of sacrifice….
No longer had to go to a priest to ask for forgiveness..
(Pause)
John was ushering in something completely new….
In the OT… Folks had to try to earn their righteousness….
But now….
Mark 1:3-5 “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 People went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”
Matthew 3:1 “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
(Pause)
John was saying… Repent…
Ask for forgiveness…
Because the King….
The Lord is at hand…
His Kingdom.. is at hand..
He’s come…
And then in vs 11 John the Baptist…
said this about the King…. Jesus
11. “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire”
(Pause)
And then… Jesus Himself showed up.. And asked John to Baptize Him….
Oh mercy….
Jesus went out into the river…
And just like we dunk or Submerse…
He was lowered into the water… And raised…
(Pause)
The meaning God was giving us through baptism..
Is a person says God.. I’m sorry…
I’m coming clean and asking forgiveness for not living the way you have wanted me to…. I’ve sinned…
And now… I’m putting my faith in Jesus to restore me to you…
(Pause)
Our Christian baptism… is a public or an outward demonstration of a new inward reality….
A reality… A new birth…
Where we testify that God has cleansed us of our sins by the blood of Jesus
And has made us a new person…
(Pause)
Before.. We were guilty…
But now we are innocent…
We have been set free…
And it is only possible by Gods Grace..
The free gift..
(Pause)
And… Our new standing… Our new condition…
As forgiven…At one with God….
Was and is only possible by Jesus’ faithful performance on the Cross as our Savior…
The fact that Jesus has performed everything necessary for us to receive Salvation..
To be restored to God….
Simply… By putting our faith in Him as the Son of God…
Who took the punishment for our sins…
(Pause)
Romans 3:22-25
22“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:”
24”Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”
True baptism….. Which should really be considered…. True Salvation…
Is realizing that Jesus performed…
Jesus has provided everything we need to be baptized… To receive True Salvation
To receive the righteousness of God..
What we do in “baptism” is great symbolism…
But.. But…. if you put your faith in Jesus…
And what He offers… and if you never did this…. (say.. submersion)
You’d still be baptized…
(Pause)
Remember the Ol boy on the cross next to Jesus..
He believed in who Jesus was, called Him Lord…
Acknowledged Jesus was his Lord…
And… Jesus said this…
Luke 23:42-43 “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
How about the lady who reached out and just touched His cloak while He walked by….
Jesus said it was her faith that healed her..
It was and is faith that saves….
(Pause)
I believe that the Outward demonstration we do.. The baptism itself…
It shows our willingness…
I believe it shows our commitment
I believe it shows our humbling ourselves before God…
But I think it’s important to keep in mind some Biblical truths…
That it is by “Faith” that you are saved
1 That there is nothing we can add to what Jesus accomplished on the cross…
That you only get saved because of what Jesus accomplished on the Cross….
You only receive righteousness, because of what He did.
You only get forgiveness because of what He did.
You only get adopted as sons and daughters of God, because of what He did.
You only get to become part of the family of God, because of what He did.
You receive Holy Spirit as a gift.. because of what He did
You get sealed… because of what He did.(in other words, you can’t lose it)
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, wherby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption”
Ephesians 1:13 “And in Him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, having heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of you salvation. 14 The Spirit is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession”
(Pause)
It’s comforting to know your not going to lose it….
(Pause)
.
You get eternally justified because of what He did.
You get promised eternity with God, by your faith… In what Jesus did… and offers…
(Pause)
Romans 3:26.. “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus”
Another way of saying it is…
When you put your faith in Jesus Christ
As the Son of God
Who has paid the price for your sins
And you ask for forgiveness
You become saved….
(Pause)
It’s understanding.. That no matter how good we try to be.. On our own..
We can’t earn salvation…
So God has offered it to us by Grace through faith…
And when we accept that…
That is when we come forward before God and others to make our outward confession of our inward expression
That we are ready to humble ourselves before God, ask for forgiveness and give our lives to Him…
At that point… Church disciplines have their own ritual of Baptism…
But.. It’s the personal choice and commitment you make to put your faith in Jesus…
It's all 100%, turn-key, provided for by the faithful performance of Jesus Christ in our place and offered to us by the Grace of God to all who believeth in Jesus Christ......
