What About Baptism?
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Introduction
Read Acts 8:26-40
After a hardy rainstorm filled all the potholes in the streets and alleys, a young mother watched her two little boys playing in the puddle through her kitchen window.
The older of the two, a five-year-old lad, grabbed his sibling by the back of his head and shoved his face into the water hole. As the boy recovered and stood laughing and dripping, the mother runs to the yard in a panic.
"Why on earth did you do that to your little brother?" she says as she shook the older boy in anger. "We were just playing church mommy," he said. "And I was just baptizing him ...in the name of the Father, the Son and in...the hole-he-goes.
Now I want to talk about Baptism this morning, and as we are going to be talking about Church Membership next week, I wanted to address Baptism, for to be a member of the Church there are only two requirements. That you have trusted Christ as your saviour and second you have been baptised, as commanded in the Bible, christening or confirmation doesn't count, and I speak as one has gone through both those things, but the Bible is clear on those issues, and indeed we have to let the Bible speak, the word of God has the final say on all matters.
So lets this morning look at this unique account of Baptism in Scripture - Did you see what I did there?
A Unique, a eunuch, account… poor effort I know, so lets pick up in Acts Chapter 8. again as we witness
The baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch.
1. The Drawing Acts 8:26-35
1. The Drawing Acts 8:26-35
A. The One Sharing
A. The One Sharing
Here we find the believer, Phillip, in tune with the will of the Lord, and listening to the Holy Spirits prompting and leading.
vs 26 he is told to go , vs 27 he arose and went - and thats the way it should be believer, when God speaks we listen, when God commands, we should go. No questions, no debates, no excuses, no better ideas, just simple obedience to the Lord.
If we start responding to the spirits calling then he will place us in divine appointments, were we can share our faith. Phillip in obedience is taken to the place that he exactly needs to be.
The spirit draws the one sharing
B. The One Seeking
B. The One Seeking
The Holy spirt draws to Christ. You see the one seeking is also being drawn.
In this account we see the principle in action, that if you seek God will send.
If you seek the Lord, he will send someone your way to share the Gospel; for the Ethiopian Eunuch it was Philip.
How do you know that the eunuch was seeking, well in verse 28 we find he was read the word of God, he wad been reading Isaiah, and specifically we are told in verse he has been reading what equates to Chapter 53 of Isaiah, remember the chapters and verses aren’t in the original text.
Isa 53 - is the forbidden chapter in Judaism they stay away from it.
The eunuch was searching and seeking, reading God’s word in Isaiah 53, and God sent someone to share Jesus.
notice vs 35
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
He preached Jesus
That leads us to...
2. The Declaration Acts 8:36-37
2. The Declaration Acts 8:36-37
A. The Requirement
A. The Requirement
Notice that Philip did not begin his discussion with baptism, rather he “preached unto him Jesus.”
That right there tells us something, namely that the Person of Jesus is of greater significance than the practice of baptism.
Some churches say a man cannot be saved without baptism, if that is so, then surely Philip would have preached baptism, but he preached unto him Jesus.
Not denominationalism, not formalism, not positive thinking or self assertion, not politics, not economics or education, he preached unto him Jesus.
We have no other message. We have no other answer, the only one who can help a needy seeking soul is Jesus, he alone is the Saviour.
Paul said,
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
And Peter said “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Folks,
Salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone, and baptism has nothing to do with that. The requirement for Baptism is having saving faith, being a born again believer.
B. The Response
B. The Response
“What doth hinder me” is the question The response from the Philip is simply only that you believe,.
The person being baptized must believe on Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
When the eunuch asked “Now that there is water what would prevent me from baptism.” Philip answered “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
So a person must be of an age and understanding where they may comprehend the gospel message and have believed on Jesus for themselves. They should be a professing Christian.
Now there are many today and you may be one, that believe but have not yet been baptised, the thing that hinders you isn't unbelief, it may be fear, in-trepidation, there may be a number of things in the way, not God made obstacles, but man made ones, traps of the world, snares of the devil.
I want to encourage you to face those that Goliath in your path and obey the Lord, and follow his command and walk the waters of Baptism, and do it for the glory of God to be a faithful witness of whats Gods done for you!
The response from the Eunuch is I believe vs 37
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
This is not just a head knowledge this is a heart acceptance, this is true conversion, this is Salvation, you have to believe whole heartedly, not just ackowledge, but truly accept.
So there is nothing in way for the Eunch, and leads us to
3. The Dunking Acts 8:38-39
3. The Dunking Acts 8:38-39
A. The Process
A. The Process
Now here are some simple observable facts that we can see from this account of baptism is Acts 8.
It takes water to baptize someone. The eunuch said “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”
Water = Greek “hudatos” = it always refers to large quantities of water, in rivers, fountains, pools or sea waves.
So we know that a large quantity of water is required to baptize, indeed when Jesus was baptised in the Jordan, the location was chosen because, “there was MUCH water there.”
Notice in this instance we are told that (vs 38) - they went down both into the water and (vs 39) - they “come up out of the water.
The implication here is obvious, this water was deeper than the average Christening font, indeed it was necessary for both men to get in the water.
Baptism is an act of immersion.
The word in the Greek = “Baptidzo” = to immerse to dip to submerge.
It is the same word used by the ancient Greeks to describe soaking dishes in water, and obviously you cannot do that without submersion.
B. The Picture
B. The Picture
Baptism represents or pictures what God did when He saved you.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
This is the key that unlocks our understanding to the meaning of baptism. When we are saved we die to sin. We die to the old way of life. God forbids that we who have been saved should continue to live sinful lives.
Now the passage continues - vs 3-5
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism 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. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
This is the biography of a Christian life, this passage describes our past, present and future.
The Christian’s Past
1. Notice the Christian is buried with Christ by baptism.
2. When you are physically baptised you are momentarily buried under the water.
3. This is a picture, a visual aid whereby we witness the old life dying and being buried.
4. Also baptism connects us with Christ’s death 2000 year ago.
(i) It pictures it. He took your sin. He carried it to the cross, he suffered and died there in your place, paying your sin debt.
(ii) Baptism harks back to His sacrifice, it says when Christ died, He died for me, and I died in Him and with Him.
(iii) So the act of baptism is really a funeral for your old self. The emphasis of baptism is on death, not life.
(iv) With your sin, guilt and past gone by baptism you picture your old self going into the grave.
The Christian’s Present
1. Paul tells us in Romans 6 that Christ was raised from the dead, so we should walk in newness of life.
2. That’s the present reality for the Christian, Jesus didn’t stay in that grave, He arose.
3. And though you dies with Christ, and the old man was buried, through the Christ life you are risen again a new man.
4. The old has gone, the new has come , and you are said to be “born again.
5. We read “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
6. Coming out of the water in baptism you picture the coming out of the new man, risen, regenerated, washed.
The Christian’s Prospect
1. Paul goes on to say that since we have been planted like Christ in death, we shall be raised like Christ in resurrection.
2. Someday I am going to die - they are going to lower my body into the earth.
3. But the grave couldn’t hold my Saviour and the grave cannot hold me.
4. I am going to be raised just like Him. So baptism pictures that also.
5. Sprinkling doesn’t depict the full meaning of baptism. Immersion does. The method and meaning are bound up together.
Conclusion
Understanding then the method and meaning of baptism why should one be baptized?
Firstly it proclaims your commitment to Jesus. It doesn’t make you a Christian, but it certainly does demonstrate that you’re a Christian.
Wearing a wedding ring doesn’t make me married, but does show I am married, and I am not ashamed to let people know it. The wedding ring shows that I love my wife with all my heart. Baptism shows I love the Lord Jesus with all my heart.
In effect the person being baptised is saying “Lord, I am identifying with You, openly & publicly.
Secondly baptism portrays your conversion to Christ, death to self, burial of the old, a new walk in newness of life. It says I am trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ to save me.
Thirdly,
By baptism we give heed to God’s command
And let us understand it is God’s command.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
I want to challenge you this morning, to first and foremost, if you haven’t already done so, trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your saviour, that means believing that he died for you and took the punishment you deserved, that belief must come from you heart and not your head, remember God deals with us at heart level, thats what he sees.
Then if your here and you do believe, you Love the Lord and trust him as your saviour and you haven’t been baptised, then I want you to really think about whats hindering you, whats keeping you from baptism, I wonder would you ask the Lord for courage to face your fears, maybe you want to know more or to talk in private? then i would be happy to help or there me somebody else your more comfortable with, but talk to somebody. Talk to the guys that got baptised last time round, they all lived to tell the tale :)
Baptism is a wonderful time of testimony to the Lords saving Grace, it is a special picture of the gospel, and the believer is called and commanded by God to walk the waters of baptism just and the Ethiopian eunuch did all those years ago