Why public baptism? (teens)

Why public baptism?

We are going to talk about baptism tonight. I want to explain to you what baptism is and the significance of it.

Baptism is a public step of faith.

Baptism is a public step of faith that someone takes, having trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin, and then step forward in faith, saying, “I am now a devoted follower of Jesus.”

Nothing magical happens during a baptism, but sometimes people can get very nervous about being baptized. Has anyone been nervous? Anyone nervous?

The Bible is where we get our marching orders. This is why we do what we do. When it comes to baptism, we are looking at Acts 2.

Acts 2:41 gives us a picture of what the church is supposed to be about. You can see that after Peter preached the very first message in what is called the church age, the people there realized their guilt, realized what they had done in rejecting Christ, and heard the good news of the gospel about what Jesus alone could do for them, at it says this ...

Acts 2:41 CSB

So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.

So there was a large crowd of people in Jerusalem at this time. It’s the Jewish feast of Pentecost. Jews from all over the known world are there to celebrate and observe this feast, God sent the promised Holy Spirit, and Peter took advantage of the opportunity to preach the good news about Jesus Christ.

Those who heard the message from Peter received this good news with joy. There is nothing like the feeling you get when you hear the wonderful news of the gospel, and understand its personal message for you. This is why they believed! God offered them the free gift of grace, forgiveness, salvation.

Then what happened next? It says that they were baptized. We’ll talk about that in a moment, but the New Testament pattern is to believe, to be baptized, then to belong. So baptism is central to what we see being taught here in the Scriptures.

3 Reasons why we go public in BAPTISM

Let’s look briefly at 3 reasons why we go public in baptism. Why do we do this? Why do we have this public time of testimony and baptism? Why can’t we just do this in private some place?

Here are the reasons why:

1. It’s a matter of obedience.

Baptism is a direct ask from Jesus to go public for Him.

Listen to what Jesus says here ...

Matthew 10:32–33 NLT

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

Jesus asks everyone who comes to Him to go public for Him. Baptism is the way Jesus asks us to own our relationship with Him before others. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Baptism is when in obedience we stand up and are counted. It’s saying, “I’m not ashamed of Christ.” It’s not saying that I have my act together, or that I’ve arrived, or that I’m better than anybody else, but I have moved from one camp to the other, and I’ve come to Jesus for my forgiver and as my leader.

Baptism is a step of obedience that Jesus calls us to. It’s when you declare to your community, “This is who I am! This is who I follow! This is what I believe!”

What’s interesting in the New Testament Christianity, the early followers of Jesus got this loud and clear. There is not one deviation in the New Testament from this pattern of people having trusting in Christ and then following Him in obedience to being baptized. It would have been unthinkable, and a direct act of disobedience toward the Savior whom they believed in and wanted to follow, because it really was a specific and direct ask from Jesus.

So baptism is a step of obedience. Secondly ...

2. It’s a matter of testimony.

It’s a testimony to reflect what has happened to you spiritually when you trusted in Jesus.

It’s an illustration. When you go down into the waters of baptism, it reflects how you have died to sin. When you are buried under the water, it reflects Christ’s death. When you raise up out of the water, it reflects His resurrection and the new life you have received having trusted in Jesus.

Nothing salvific happens when we baptize someone. It’s just a testimony of something that has already taken place. It’s a testimony of how Jesus has washed you from your sins so that now you belong to Him. It doesn’t save you, but it testified to the fact that you are now saved.

I like to give this illustration: it’s like my wedding ring, that says that I belong to Leanne Yuhnke. That’s what it says; it’s a testimony of that.

Or, you like to wear your favorite sports teams’ jerseys. Why? Because you are unashamed of who you are a fan of. They’re your team. You’re identifying with them. It shows what side you’re on, and that’s the testimony of baptism. You’re saying, “I am on team Jesus.”

Then the 3rd reason why we go public in baptism ...

3. It’s a matter of testing.

Baptism is the test to see whether or not your relationship to Jesus has teeth. It’s a test to see if you’re willing to be obedient, and willing to go public for Him, and testify that you are an unashamed follower of Christ. It’s a test right at the beginning of our professed relationship to Him, to see if we are serious about our commitment or not.

So the question is ...

“Who should be baptized?”

Everyone who has entered a relationship with Jesus Christ. We see later in Acts, in chapter 22 ...

JB Phillips started translating the Bible into everyday language for teens during WWII (1940’s). Paul is preaching and says.

Acts 22:16 (J.B. Phillips) And now what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptised! Be clean from your sins as you call on his name.

Baptism is a badge of belonging. It’s a marking that shows you are different from the world. That you belong to God. That you’ve had a decisive break from your pre-Christian life. It’s a testimony of your response to the gospel of Jesus Christ and that you desire to follow Him in obedience.

It’s been incredible to see all the baptisms we’ve had here at Faith Bible Church lately. How God has touched people’s lives, how he has changed the direction they were going, from going their own way, destined for hell, to being saved by our wonderful God. He helps us to see what He has done for us, in giving His life so that our sins can be forgiven, we can live with Him in heaven in a place He is preparing for us, and that we have purpose in this life until we are called to be home with the Lord.

What about you?

The ball is in your court now. As you’ve heard from the testimonies from others, there comes a point in time when you’re either going to choose to own it or turn from it. We want to help you on that journey. There’s always an open invitation. We’d love to meet with you, to hear where you are, and hear your questions, and to help you navigate them through God’s answer book, the Bible. We want you to understand the hope that only the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring into your life. We encourage you to get in touch with as at your earliest convenience.