PF - Baptism 101
Notes
Transcript
Today we’re thinking about a topic that we talked briefly about last term: baptism.
If you remember, we did a big Q&A type of thing. But the problem is that we said a lot of things and it wasn’t easy to understand exactly what baptism is.
So, to try to sum things up, here’s what we’re going to do.
We’ll talk a bit about what baptism actually is and who baptism is for.
Then we’ll discuss what it means. And finally why you should get baptised.
Let me pray first and then we’ll begin.
PRAY
So, let’s start with what baptism is.
The two main things we want to say about what baptism is are these: 1 - it’s a way of publicly showing our trust in Jesus.
2 - it’s a way for us to become part of God’s people.
The first one is easier to understand. When people get baptised, they’re not baptised in a back alley or at home where no one can see. When someone gets baptised, that tends to happen at church.
And, as we stand before the church, the person who’s going to baptise us asks “Do you trust in Jesus?” or something like that. And we can only get baptised if the answer is Yes!
We might even tell everyone how we came to put our trust in Jesus.
So, when someone gets baptised, they are saying “I put my trust in Jesus. I believe that He is my King and Saviour and I will follow Him.”
So, already we can answer the second question. Who is baptism for? Who should get baptised?
People who put their trust in Jesus. Let me show you an example from the Bible.
Come to Acts 2 verse 37. Let me read from 37 to 41.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
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.
So, people hear Peter’s sermon. They decide to follow Jesus. And what happens to them after they decide to follow Jesus?
They get baptised.
Which brings us to the second thing about what baptism is. Baptism is how we officially or publicly become members of God’s people.
In the OT, what was the sign that God gave to Israel to symbolise that someone was a member of God’s people?
Circumcision, exactly. Now, it’s a linear relationship but the sign in the NT that you are a member of God’s people is baptism.
Because remember - when you get baptised, you are saying that you put your trust in Jesus. And if you put your trust in Jesus, then you are a member of God’s people!
And if you are a member of God’s people, then you can be sure that God’s promises apply to you!
But here’s the key thing guys: what matters is whether or not you trust in Jesus. The moment you decide to follow Jesus and you really mean it, God’s promises are obviously yours to grab.
But think of baptism as the moment where you are showing others and even yourself that you are committed to Jesus. That’s why, when we get older, we can look at our baptism as a source of encouragement. More on that a bit later.
So, that’s what baptism is and who it’s for, in a nutshell. Everyone happy so far?
Baptism = telling everyone you trust Jesus.
Baptism = you officially become a member of God’s people.
But what does baptism symbolise? I mean, I can’t just be about the water, right?
Well, let’s go to Romans chapter 6. I’ll read verses 1-5.
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
So, Paul is asking an hypothetical question and then he answers it.
And the question is this “Look, if God shows grace and kindness to us when we disobey him, what if we disobey God on purpose so that we receive even more grace and kindness?!”
And Paul’s answer is simple but really deep. “Guys, you were baptised. And when you were baptised, you died and resurrected with Jesus.”
Now, what on earth does that mean? It means this.
Traditionally, when we are baptised, we get dunked in water. When that happens, there are basically two movements. We go down under the water and then back up again.
It’s like we’re dying and then resurrecting, right?
Paul says “When you get baptised, you are dying to sin.” In other words, you are saying “Sin, you no longer run my life. I’m done listening to you!”
But Paul also says that we are raised, resurrect in a way. And what that means is that we start living a new life. Instead of listening to sin, we start listening to Jesus.
So, that’s what baptism symbolises. We’re dying to sin - saying No to it - and we’re resurrecting into a new life - we begin to live for Jesus.
I know it can sound just very symbolic or very metaphorical. But actually it’s a great reminder to ourselves.
There are times when we hear that little voice that says “Go on, steal something” or “Go on, it’s fine to say nasty things to other people.
Baptism helps us to remember that we’ve turned our backs to that voice. We don’t want to listen to it anymore. Instead, we want to listen to Jesus’ voice. We want to do what He wants!
Which brings us to my last point: why you should get baptised.
The clearest reason to be baptised comes from Jesus Himself. Remember when we did Matthew’s gospel?
When Jesus meets His disciples and sends them out to share the good news, he tells them to go out and make disciples - people who put their trust in Jesus. And what should the disciples do when they come across people who put their trust in Jesus?
Baptise them. It’s a command that Jesus gives.
And of course, that means that Jesus is giving us a command. “If you trust me, be baptised.”
We should be baptised because Jesus tells us to. That’s the clearest reason.
And connected to this, here’s the second encouragement. If you trust in Jesus, go for it!
It can be hard to tell others about your faith, right? But baptism makes that easier! Because being baptised is you literally telling others about your faith!
And here’s my third and final encouragement.
Sometimes things will happen in life that will make us doubt. Am I really a Christian? Am I really part of God’s people? Are God’s promises even for me?
Right now, I bet most of you are at a stage in life when you’re not really doubting a lot of things. But when we get to our age, you will have gone through some hard times.
Things that might tempt you to give up on Jesus. Baptism will help you when you have doubts.
You can always look back at your baptism and say “I told everyone that I trust Jesus. And I really meant it! So yes, I am a part of God’s people and His promises are mine!”
Again, baptism a reminder of your trust in Jesus. But it’s also a reminder that God made promises to you that He’s going to keep!
So, being baptised will help you to not give in. It will help you to remember your trust in Jesus and the promises God made that He WILL keep.
Let’s pray. And then we can do questions.
