Baptism Matthew 28:19-20

Introduction

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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This is the passage most commonly known as the Great Commission. Jesus before He ascends, leaves His disciples with the Command to make disciples, to Baptize them, & to teach them.

Today we are going to be able to hear the testimonies of several folks of different ages. In each of these testimonies may sound different because each person is different, yet they each have done what scripture commands. The have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. We will hear of God’s grace, His unmerited favor that turned a sinner into a saint, that took an enemy of God and made them a son or a daughter. We will then join in the wonderful moment as they follow the Lord in Believer’s Baptism. But before we do that I wish to clarify a few things.

Salvation

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Here we find one of the earliest Christian Creeds. A creed is a formal confession of faith/statement of belief/often used as a tool to teach others. Here in 1 Corinthians 15 we find it being repeated by the Apostle Paul in a letter dated at 55AD. Thus in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, We find the Gospel in a nutshell.  Let me ask you: In verses 3-4 what is the most important word? There are many important words, but I would contend that the most important word here for all of humanity is the little word “for”. You see it is true that Christ died, according to the scriptures, that He was buried and that He rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures. But the most important thing for you and I is “WHY” the reason He did it. You see He died FOR your sins, and He died FOR my sins. It isn’t enough to believe that He died, buried and rose again. You must believe that He did it for you. You see we are all guilty of sin. Romans 5:12 (NIV) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— What is sin? Sin is the breaking of God’s Law or as 1John 5:17 says, “all wrongdoing is sin” Ok… but what does that look like: Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality/depravity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity/acts of hatred, strife/discord, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions/disputes over issues or personalities, divisions/factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 2Timothy 3:1-5 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self/narcissistic/self-focused, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless/callous, unappeasable, slanderous/malicious gossip, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous/disposed to betrayel, reckless/headstrong, swollen with conceit/wrapped in a mist of self-delusion, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power/pretending to be religious but denying Christ . Avoid such people. This is quite a list. And it is not even comprehensive.  Galatians 5:21 says “and such like these.” Meaning there are more. When we look into this list we see ourselves represented. Lest you think that you only did one or two, may I remind you that James 2:10 says For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. Every single one of us is guilty of wrongdoing/sin and “the wages of sin is death,” Rom 6:23 That means eternity separated from God in Hell and Hell is our rightful EARNED place. You see this is the reason the word “for” is so important in 1Cor 15:3 that Christ died for our sins He died for my sin. He died in my place.. Christ died “for” our sins. (Illustration: God, Jesus, Sinner) You see folks, it was for you and for me that Christ died. He died to pay for our sins. There is a song and in it the songwriter asks question after question: “Why leave a heav’nly mansion? Why choose a simple stall? Why wander poor and homeless, The King and Lord of all? Why heal a lonely beggar? Why cause the blind to see? Why stay in Olive’s garden? Why spend the night in prayer? Why suffer such betrayal In anguish kneeling there? Why leave His mother crying? Why set Barabbas free? Why climb that dreadful mountain? Why suffer agony? Why give His blood a fountain, Spilled and broken, flowing free? When He walked the road to Calv’ry, Gave His life so willingly, Broken there, the Rose of Sharon died for me, It was for me He cried, for me He died, for me He shed His blood upon the tree. It was for me He came, for me His shame; For me, oh praise His name, it was for me.” Dear one, it was for me and for you that Jesus died. We who were sinners. We who were the unrighteous that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous/this was us will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. The Cross was the cost for our salvation. That wonderful gift of salvation is freely given to all who would believe. Yet our salvation was not free. It is freely offered to us because Jesus paid our debt for us on Calvary. There He bled and He died, in my place, and for my sins.

Baptism, The Picture of Being IN Christ

As we come to Baptism, there is much that can be said and there is much misunderstanding. So let us look at a few facts to get our bearings. First, we look at the word itself. The word means/definition: Bapto 4x (verb Immersed/dipped into. Used in reference to dyeing clothe) Baptidzo (verb Intensified form. Used many times. Means to dip completely) rantismos (1 Pet.1:2) (greek word for sprinkled. Never used in regards to Baptism) ekcheo (Acts 2:17) (Greek word for Pouring. Not used in regards to Baptism) Second, we look at how the word is used in context: “Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him/John, and they were baptized/immersed by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” And when Jesus was baptized/immersed, immediately He went up from/out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him” Matthew 3:5-6 John also was baptizing/immersing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized/immersed John 3:23 We find this again with the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:36-39 they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized/immersed him. And when they came up out of the water, As John Calvin said “. . . Yet the word ‘baptize’ means to immerse, and it is clear that the rite of immersion was observed in the ancient church.” These two show for us what the word means, yet we ask the question “why?” Third, why do we do it? It is a command in Scripture given directly by Jesus at the Great Commission. Matthew 28:16-20 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing/immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” So we find that Christ’s command was to make disciples and baptism/immersion was a commanded part of that. Not only do we see the command of  Christ, but we find the pattern of this command is preached & carried out Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized/immersed…” After this, we find time and time again this command being obeyed by the Ethiopian Eunuch, the Philippian Jailer, etc, etc. So we baptize because that is what was commanded by our Savior and we immerse because that is what the word means. But what does immersion picture? Fourth, the picture of being in Christ. For as many of you as were baptized/Immersed into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:27-29 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized/immersed into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 1Corinthians 12:12-13 4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism/immersion into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4 You see immersion is the picture of being fully/completely in Christ. Just as the person is fully in the water, so to is the believer fully in Christ. It also pictures His Death, Burial, and Resurrection. Just as Christ died on the Cross, He was buried, and He rose again, so too is the person buried in the likeness of His death, under the water, and raised coming out of the water to walk in a new life. And it is a public confession of Faith. The act is telling the world that I have died to self and I am following Jesus completely. I am not my own, I am bought with a price. What He says I will do, where He sends, I will go. Regardless of whether it is hard or easy. His way, NOT my way. When we follow Christ with believer’s baptism/immersion, we are publicly proclaiming what Christ has already done. We are publically proclaiming that Christ died for my sins, He was buried and He rose again. Baptism is thus the outward expression of the inward change. As Martin Luther said, “For this reason I would have those who are to be baptized completely immersed in the water, as the word says and as the mystery indicates. Not because I deem this necessary, but because it would be well to give to a thing so perfect and complete a sign that is also complete and perfect. And this is doubtless the way in which it was instituted by Christ. The sinner does not so much need to be washed as he needs to die, in order to be wholly renewed and made another creature, and to be conformed to the death and resurrection of Christ, with whom he dies and rises again through baptism/immersion.”

Concluding Thought:

Today we have the privilege of hearing the testimonies of several people who through faith have repented and believed. After their testimonies we will sing a few songs as we make ourselves ready, then we will have the opportunity to watch as these all folks follow the Lord in obedience through the waters of Baptism.