What Prevents Me From Being Baptized?

Intro

Good morning, would you turn in your bibles with me to Acts 8:26-40.

This morning is a special service because we as a church family get to witness several baptisms.

We’re very excited that we have seven baptisms this morning. 4 in the first service and 3 in the second.

And though we didn’t plan this, several of the other evangelical churches in Huntsville,

also have baptism services today.

So I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a break from our series on the household,

to give some clear and straightforward teaching on baptism.

This is an opportunity for those who might be new to the faith,

or just new to our church,

to hear what the Bible says about baptism,

and how we have have come to embrace the convictions,

that we hold in our baptist tradition.

But this is also an opportunity for we who may have spent much of our lives in baptist churches,

to reform and reaffirm our understanding of baptism,

around what the Bible teaches.

Which takes us to our passage this morning.

Acts 8:26-39

Acts 8:26–39 ESV

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 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.

Exposition

Setting and Sovereignty (vv. 26-28)

Now one thing I love about this story,

is how you see the sovereignty of God in each and every part of it.

You can see God orchestrating everything.

From the place where Philip meets the official from Ethiopia,

to the scripture that the official is reading when they meet.

Biblical Context

Now our passage takes place not long after Stephen, a deacon in the church at Jerusalem,

is stoned to death for his witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Stephen’s martyrdom at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders,

had the effect of scattering the church away from Jerusalem.

But the believers did not stay quiet like the religious leaders had hoped.

As the church was scattered, they were obedient in their mission,

to be witnesses to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ wherever they went.

This is exactly what Jesus said would happen in Acts 1:8,

where he told his disciples,

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Philip was a man who was faithful to this calling -

as he literally brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Samaria.

As Acts 8:4-5 tells us,

Acts 8:4–5 ESV

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.

The Desert Road

But God determined to send Philip south from where he was preaching in Samaria,

on a special mission to reach a man who was returning to his homeland from Jerusalem.

We read in v. 26 of our passage.

Acts 8:26 ESV

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.

Philip is told by the angel to go to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza.

And so Philip rose and went to the road where the Angel directed him.

Now, a desert road is not the kind of place,

that a great evangelist like Steven would typically find an audience to preach to.

You were more likely to be robbed by bandits and left for dead on a desert road,

rather than find an opportunity to share the gospel.

But God in his sovereignty was orchestrating something special by sending Philip to this particular desert road.

Gaza was the last well known place,

where travellers could water their horses and camels before they came to the borders of Egypt.

And so this was the last place where water was in abundance on the road,

heading west away from Jerusalem.

The Ethiopian Eunuch

And there Philip saw a chariot, carrying someone special.

In vv. 27-28 we read,

Acts 8:27–28 ESV

And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

This man riding in the chariot was a high official in the court of an Ethiopian queen,

and he is described as a eunuch.

Now this could mean simply that he was a court official,

as sometimes that term was used to describe people who worked for the ruler of a nation.

But the fact that Luke, the writer of Acts, included the term in his description of the official,

probably means that this man was surgically made a eunuch,

which was a common practice in the ancient world.

The other thing that Luke tells us about the Ethiopian official,

is that he was returning home from worshipping in Jerusalem.

This means that this man was likely a gentile believer in YHWH, the God of the Bible.

Gentile believers are described in the scriptures as “God fearers.”

And this God-fearer was, at that moment sitting in his chariot, reading the scroll of Isaiah.

This would not have been a common occurrence at all,

a handwritten scroll of the lengthy book of Isaiah,

would have been a very expensive item to purchase,

and it would have been even more rare to find someone reading it as they were travelling along.

Philip was happening upon a scene that was unique in all sorts of ways.

God in his sovereignty was orchestrating a divine appointment.

Someone to Guide Me (vv. 29-31)

And so in v. 29

Acts 8:29 ESV

[The Holy] Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”

In the ancient world, the normal way to read was to read out loud,

And so vv. 30-31 says, Acts 8:30-31

Acts 8:30–31 ESV

So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Be Ready to Evangelize

I just love it when God opens the door so clearly for evangelism to happen!

This is why we as those who believe in Jesus Christ,

should always be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have in him.

We should always be ready to share the Gospel,

because you never know when God might bring you into the life of someone,

who he is drawing to himself.

God in his sovereignty ordained events in such a way,

that this man from a far away country

should meet one of the great evangelists of the early church.

And the Holy Spirit was already at work in the life of this man, as he read the word of God.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

Something that I take a lot of comfort in when I share the gospel with someone,

is that the Holy Spirit prepares the hearts of those who hear and respond to the gospel by faith.

God, by his Spirit, draws those who will believe to Christ.

Jesus says this in John 6:44

John 6:44 ESV

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.

See, not only should all of us be able to share the Gospel in a clear way,

but when our opportunity comes,

we should not think that we are alone in our witness.

We can share the gospel boldly, with confidence

that God will soften the hearts of those who will believe.

That’s what God had been doing in the life of the Ethiopian Eunuch.

The Holy Spirit was priming his heart to receive the gospel,

he was opening his ears to hear the truth!

The Scripture (vv. 32-34)

God had even drawn this man’s eyes to a specific passage of scripture,

where the prophet Isaiah prophesied explicitly about Jesus Christ.

We read in vv. 32-34 of our passage.

Acts 8:32–34 ESV

Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?”

What an open door!

Proclaiming the Gospel (v. 35)

And so v. 35 tells us,

Acts 8:35 ESV

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

Philip knew that this scripture was fulfilled in Jesus Christ,

and so he told the official about the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

The Son of God, who died for sins, but who also rose from the dead,

defeating sin and death for all who would repent and believe in him.

What Prevents me From Being Baptized? (v. 36)

But it is in this next verse that we see the reason why God intended Phillip to meet this man on this specific road.

v. 36 says,

Acts 8:36 ESV

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?”

At the moment that the Ethiopian Official believed in Jesus Christ,

they came to Gaza, where there was water in plenty, along this desert road.

And he asked Philip, “what prevents me from getting baptized?”

And this question takes me to three points about baptism that I want to address this morning.

What is Baptism?

But a something we need to address first is this: What is baptism?

Baptism comes from the greek word βαπτίζω -

from a root word meaning to dip or submerge.

And throughout the New Testament, Baptism is described as the ritual through which people identify themselves with Christ.

Now there are all sorts of things in the old testament that foreshadow baptism,

we don’t have time to get into those today.

But from the very beginning of the New Testament,

we see baptism being a physical sign to express repentance for sin.

Point 1: Baptism is The Sign of Repentance

Which takes me to my first point on baptism:

Baptism is the sign of Repentance.

Early on in the gospels,

the prophet John, the herald of the messiah, baptized people as a sign of repentance.

We read this among other places in Mark 1:4-5, where it says,

Mark 1:4–5 ESV

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

In preparing Israel for their messiah,

John called people to repent of their sins,

to confess the evil that they had done and turn from it,

that’s what repentance is.

And he baptized them in water as the sign of their repentance.

After Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead,

He commanded that believers be baptized in the great commission in Matthew 28.

But Christian baptism continued to be a sign of repentance.

We see this in Acts 2, after Peter preached his famous sermon on the day of Pentecost,

he told those who heard the gospel and believed,

Acts 2:38 ESV

“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.

Repentance and faith are how one receives salvation in Jesus Christ.

So when a person hears the Gospel and believes, what we see in the scriptures,

is that they get baptized as a sign that they repent of their sins.

This is what is communicated through the act of baptism: Repentance.

And it is linked to the second thing that is symbolized in baptism.

Point 2: Baptism is a Sign of Cleansing

The second thing that is symbolized in Baptism is my second point this morning,

and that is that:

2. Baptism is a Sign of Cleansing

In the old testament, ceremonial washing was a requirement for entering into God’s presence.

Archaeologists have even uncovered countless wash basins called Mikva’s,

for worshippers at the temple to ritually purify themselves.

But through faith in Jesus Christ, we are once and for all made clean,

and are welcomed into God’s presence.

Jesus tells his disciples in John 15:3,

John 15:3 ESV

Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.

And Hebrews 10:22 says,

Hebrews 10:22 ESV

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Those who repent of their sins, and believe in Jesus Christ,

are made clean from sin through faith,

and this reality is symbolized in baptism.

This is what the Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:21, when he says,

1 Peter 3:21 ESV

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Now, even though Peter seems to say here that, “Baptism saves you,”

he does not mean that the act of water baptism secures your salvation.

He makes that clear by saying that it is, “an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

What he is describing here again is repentance and faith -

appealing to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This is repentance and faith.

The act of water baptism is the sign, the physical expression, that repentance and faith has occurred in the life of a believer,

that through Christ, they have received salvation,

and through that salvation in Christ, they have been washed,

cleansed from sin.

So cleansing from sin is also symbolized in the act of baptism.

Point 3: Baptism is a Sign of Union with Christ

And my final point on baptism is this:

3. Baptism is a sign of Union with Christ.

Baptism and Jesus

When you look at our last two points,

that baptism is a sign of repentance,

and symbolizes cleansing from sin,

you might find yourself asking:

“well if that’s the case, then why did Jesus get baptized?”

It is interesting that Jesus, the sinless son of God was also baptized by John,

even though he was sinless and had no need to repent or be cleansed from sin.

It’s this last point that makes sense of Jesus desire to be baptized.

That Baptism is a sign of union with Christ.

When Jesus goes to John to be baptized in Matthew 3,

John is understandably hesitant.

He says to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

But Jesus says to John in Matthew 3:15,

Matthew 3:15 ESV

“Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Then John fulfilled his request and baptized him.

Jesus was baptized, not because he needed to repent,

not because he needed cleansing from sin.

But because we did.

See, by being baptized himself, Jesus gave us a way to be unified with him symbolically,

just as we are unified with him by faith.

When we repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation we are unified with him.

This is also symbolized in baptism.

Just as Jesus was baptized, we are baptized into the name of Jesus,

as well as the father and Holy Spirit

symbolizing our union with him.

Paul says this very thing in Galatians 3:27, when he says,

Galatians 3:27 ESV

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Baptism is a sign of our union with Christ.

We are no longer our own, but we are his,

his life becomes our life, his merits become our merits,

his death becomes our death, and his resurrection becomes our resurrection.

Paul tells us this in Romans 6:3-4, when he says,

Romans 6:3–4 ESV

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

This is part of the reason we as baptists believe in baptism by immersion,

because full immersion under the water best demonstrates us being buried with Christ in his death,

and being raised to new life in him.

This is what baptism serves as:

Baptism is the sign of our repentance,

2. it is a symbol of our cleansing from sin,

3. and it is a symbol of our union with Christ - especially our union with him in his death and resurrection.

Believers Baptism

Baptism communicates all of these realities.

We are saved by Jesus death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead,

we receive that salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

But we communicate that repentance and faith in the act of baptism.

This is why we as baptists believe in what is called believer’s baptism.

Because the normal way we see baptism conducted in the New testament,

is that a person first hears the gospel,

they believe,

and are baptized as the sign of their repentance and faith.

Peter at Pentecost

We see this right at the birth of the church,

when Peter preached the Gospel on the day of pentecost.

Acts 2:41 tells us that,

Acts 2:41 ESV

“those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”

they received the word - by faith,

and they were baptized as the sign of their repentance and belief.

Philip in Samaria

We see the same pattern when Philip preached the gospel in Samaria.

It says in Acts 8:12,

Acts 8:12 ESV

But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

They believed the good news,

and they were baptized.

Baptist Baptism

Now I understand many of the reasons our brothers and sisters in Christ from other traditions,

baptize the way they do.

And I want to be charitable to them.

But I am convinced that baptism of confessing believers,

by immersion, being fully dipped in the water,

is what best reflects what we see in the scriptures.

Altar Calls and The Sinner’s Prayer

But I will say this about us Baptists,

that sometimes we who believe in believers baptism,

get uncomfortable with some of the language used in the Bible to describe baptism.

To us it can seem that baptism as the Bible describes it,

is almost too closely tied with salvation.

Maybe you’ve even squirmed a little bit in your seat as I’ve taught this morning.

We want to protect believers baptism,

We want to make it clear that the mere act of water baptism is not what saves someone.

Salvation is by faith.

Now, this is absolutely true,

but it’s also clear in the scriptures,

that Baptism is the means for communicating that faith,

the way it is expressed.

In our zeal to protect believers baptism we can go too far,

and separate it entirely from the repentance, cleansing, and union with Christ it symbolizes.

Actually many of us have.

In modern evangelicalism, we really have replaced baptism as the means for communicating repentance and faith.

And it has mainly been replaced by two things:

The sinners prayer,

and the altar call.

The Sinners Prayer

Now there’s nothing wrong with praying the sinners prayer when you come to believe in Jesus Christ.

This is a prayer like this: “lord Jesus, I repent of my sin and I believe in you as my lord and saviour.”

There’s nothing wrong with that.

It is entirely appropriate to call on the Lord for the first time when you believe.

And I don’t want to minimize the moment you believed if you prayed the sinners prayer.

That was the moment your faith started and it is significant.

But the problem is that we just don’t see the sinner’s prayer in the scriptures.

In modern evangelicalism the sinners prayer often takes the role that baptism was given to fulfill.

In the Bible, Baptism is the means to appeal to God for a clean conscience,

the sign of repentance.

And so there are many believers who have at one time prayed the sinners prayer,

but have not gone through the waters of baptism.

Now, this DOES NOT mean that they are not saved,

but it does mean that they have not participated in the sign,

that God has given us to signify our repentance and faith.

Altar Calls

It’s the same with altar calls.

This is when a preacher of the gospel calls people down to the front of the auditorium,

as a sign that they believe.

Again there’s nothing wrong with this,

And I don’t want to minimize the moment you went down for an altar call,

that was the moment your faith started and it is significant.

But we also don’t see altar calls anywhere in the scriptures.

Again there are many genuine believers who went forward at an altar call,

who have not gone through the waters of baptism.

And I want to say clearly again that this DOES NOT mean they are not saved.

But, you see the problem here,

we’ve traded the sign that God gave us,

for man made signs,

in order to protect the sign God gave to us.

God gave us the sign of baptism, to communicate our repentance and faith in Jesus.

Through that sign, our repentance expressed,

our cleansing of sin is signified,

and our union with Christ is demonstrated.

And so when God gives us faith to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour,

when we hear the Gospel and it takes hold of our hearts,

we shouldn’t wait.

We should ask the same question that the Ethiopian Eunuch asked in our passage.

“What prevents me from being baptized?”

Down Into the Water (vv. 38-39)

When the Ethiopian Eunuch asked Philip that question as they came to the waters of Gaza,

there was no hesitation.

We read in vv. 38-39

Acts 8:38–39 ESV

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.

Application

Unbelievers

One thing that has been very exciting over the past couple of years in our church,

and in many other churches,

is how many new people are walking through our doors.

People who have never heard the Gospel before.

This is why I try to clearly present the Gospel nearly every time I preach.

The good news that God came in the flesh as the man Jesus Christ,

he died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins,

and then he rose from the dead, securing for us eternal life.

If you have heard that message of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection,

and you find that you believe it.

I want to invite you to talk with me, or to talk with one of our other pastors.

And I want to invite you to ask us that question that the Ethiopian Eunuch asked Philip,

“What prevents me from being baptized?”

If you repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour.

The answer is nothing. Nothing prevents you.

We would love to see you get baptized.

Un-baptised

If you are a believer here, but you have not yet been baptized as the sign of your repentance and faith.

I want to ask you a different but similar question.

“What prevents you from being baptized?”

Don’t wait to get baptized.

You repent, you believe, you are ready to get baptized as the sign that you have.

Again please talk to me, or talk to one of our other pastors.

We would love to see you get baptized.

We can’t baptize you today, but there is another opportunity coming up at our outdoor baptism service,

on the evening of Sunday, July 20 in Fairy Lake.

Whether you are a new believer, or have believed for years,

get baptized as the sign of your repentance,

the symbol of your cleansing from sin,

and the demonstration of your union with Christ in his death and resurrection.

Don’t wait.

What’s preventing you from being baptized?

Conclusion

In a moment we are going to sing together,

and then we are actually going to witness some brothers and sisters in Christ get baptized.

I’ve given some application to people who haven’t yet gotten baptized.

But for those of us who have been baptized,

I want to encourage you to do this:

As we witness these baptisms, I want you to focus on what this sign means in their lives.

That by faith, they repent, they are cleansed, and they are united with Christ.

But I also want you to think back to your own baptism.

And remember what it symbolized:

Your repentance and cleansing from sin,

and your union with Christ.

Think on that moment when you went down into the water,

when it covered your face,

and when you came up out of it.

And let your baptism do what it was meant to do,

let it remind you of the salvation that you received by faith.

How you have been forgiven and cleansed of your sin,

and are now united to Christ by faith,

given new life in his death, burial, and resurrection.

Think on the salvation you’ve been given,

recommit yourself to the new life you have,

and like the Ethiopian Eunuch,

Go on your way rejoicing.