Command of Christ #2

Recap Last week

Set in the expectation for series

What is Baptism?

βαπτίζω (baptizō). vb. to immerse. Expresses the action of immersing something or someone into liquid (usually water).

Does it Matter?

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Point 1: Baptism is a command of Christ.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus commands his disciples to go make disciples and to baptize them. This is important enough for Jesus to command it as his last words to His disciples. If you are in this room, and you are a follower of Jesus that you have repented like we talked about last week, it is vital that you be baptized. It is a command directly from Christ, the one you follow?

What is stopping you? Perception? It should be an exciting thing to follow Christ and to follow His commands if you are in him.

So we see that is should happen, but when should it happen?

It is a command of Christ, but it is also meant to be immediate.

Acts 2:38–42 (ESV)

And Peter said to them, “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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Point 2: Baptism should immediately follow repentance and new life in Christ.

Acts 2:38–42 (ESV)

And Peter said to them, “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. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

What happens in this passage? Peter calls these people to repent, that was last week, and then he calls them to be Baptized. It is immediate. The we see that they recieved his word and they were baptized. They were baptized them became a part of the church there. It was immediately following the responding to the word in repentance. If you have turned from your sins and followed Jesus, baptism should follow. Fast like.

Acts 16:25–34 (ESV)

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”

And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

When was he baptized? Right after repentance. He went in the same hour. Our first acts after repentance should include baptism. It is a great example of what repentance looks like. We talked about last week how repentance should include dropping something and picking something else up. Peter, James, and John dropped their nets to then follow Jesus. When we choose to follow Jesus, We should drop the sins that bound us and show that we are following Jesus by being baptized.

Baptism should happen after we decide to follow Christ. Maybe you have followed Christ, but you have delayed being baptized? Let’s do it now. It is a command of Christ that is meant to be a direct reaction to our relationship with him. Don’t be discouraged because you haven’t. Just act now, he wants our obedience.

What is stopping you? Procrastination? Act now it is honoring to Christ to do so.

So Baptism is a command of Jesus and it should be done immediately as a follow up to repentance, and it should be a visual representation of repentance to the lost world.

Acts 8:34–39 ESV

And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Point 3: Baptism is a visual representation of salvation to the world.

Acts 8:34–39 ESV

And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

The eunuch in this story is searching the scriptures with Philip. Philip tells him about Jesus. What is his response to his believing of Jesus? He says “well there is water right there? Why don’t we do this now?

Notice that he tells his chariot to stop. That means other were there to see him be baptized. They do the baptism, and by its nature it was a representation of cleansing of sins and new life through the washing of water. “Buried with Christ, Raised to walk in new life.” It is a picture of repentance.

Points:

1. Baptism is a command of Christ.

2. Baptism should immediately follow repentance and new life in Christ.

3. Baptism is a visual representation of salvation to the world.

Takeaways:

Be baptized.

Call others to repentance and baptism.

When you witness and baptism reflect on the significance of the display of new life.