Baptism

Ecuador Mission Trip 2026

Good evening. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Jordan Chambers. I am a pastor from Jacksonville, Florida, in the United States. I serve as the pastor of Cedar Bay Baptist Church, and it is a great privilege to be with you tonight.

This is now my fourth trip to Ecuador, and every time I come, I am reminded of how much I love this country and its people.

Ecuador is very different from where I live.

The food is different.

The language is obviously different.

The driving is definitely different.

Every time I ride through Ecuador with Gary, I spend a little more time praying than I normally do.

I do not know whether Gary is confident, fearless, or simply has made peace with eternity. But somehow, we always arrive.

I am spiritually prepared to meet Jesus when I ride with Gary, but thankfully we always arrive safely.

But I've learned something over the years.

It doesn't matter if you're in Jacksonville or Montañita.

Kids still don't want to go to bed.

Husbands still think they're right. Wives know they're right.

Bills still show up every month.

And everyone thinks the line they're standing in is moving slower than the other one.

We all have families we love. We all have burdens we carry.

We all have questions about life, death, God, forgiveness, and what it truly means to follow Jesus.

I also want you to understand something before we begin.

I have not come here tonight to criticize your family, your culture, or the religious traditions you were raised in.

I am not here to tell you that you should believe something simply because an American pastor said it.

My opinion does not determine truth. Which is good news. If the universe depended on my opinions, we'd all be in trouble."

Your traditions do not determine truth. My traditions do not determine truth.

The only question that ultimately matters is this: What does the Word of God say?

Tonight, Gary asked me to talk about baptism.

For some of you, baptism may seem like nothing more than a religious ceremony.

Perhaps you were baptized as a baby, but you do not really understand what happened or what it meant.

Maybe you have seen other people baptized, but no one has ever clearly explained why Jesus commanded it.

For others, this subject is much more personal.

You may understand that choosing to be baptized could cause problems in your home.

Your family may not understand.

People in your community may criticize you.

Religious leaders may tell you that you are betraying your family or abandoning everything you have been taught.

I do not want to pretend that those consequences are not real.

They are real.

Following Jesus can cost us something.

But the most important question is not, “Will following Jesus be easy?”

The question isn't whether following Jesus is easy.

The question is whether Jesus is worthy.

I believe He is.

So tonight, I do not want us to begin with what I think, what you think, or what someone else has taught us. I want us to open the Bible together and ask one simple question:

What has King Jesus said about baptism?

Whenever someone says, 'Well, I don't think baptism is important,' my question is always, 'Well...what did Jesus think?' Because His opinion carries a little more weight than ours.

I. Baptism Is Commanded by Jesus

To understand baptism, we need to begin with the words of Jesus Himself.

In Matthew 28, we find some of the final words Jesus spoke to His disciples before He ascended into heaven.

These were not casual words. He was giving them their mission.

Listen to what He says in Matthew 28:18–20:

“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.”

Notice how Jesus begins.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Before Jesus tells His followers what to do, He reminds them who He is.

Jesus is not merely a religious teacher.

He is not one voice among many.

He is not one option among several different ways to reach God.

Jesus is King.

That's actually really good news. Because if I were king, I'd mess everything up. If you were king...well...you'd probably mess it up too.

He has all authority in heaven and on earth.

That means His authority is greater than the authority of a government.

It is greater than the authority of a culture.

It is greater than the authority of a religious leader.

It is even greater than the authority of our families.

We should honor our parents. We should love our families.

We should treat religious leaders and people in our communities with respect.

But no person has greater authority than Jesus Christ.

That matters because sometimes obeying Jesus will bring us into conflict with what other people expect from us.

There may be times when your family says one thing, but Jesus says another.

There may be times when your culture expects one thing, but the Word of God teaches another.

There may be times when a religious leader tells you not to obey Christ.

When that happens, we must remember who has all authority.

Jesus does.

and Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”

That includes the United States.

That includes Ecuador.

That includes every village, every city, every people, and every language.

The gospel is not an American message. It is not an Ecuadorian message. It is not the property of one denomination, one church, or one country.

The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ for all people.

Jesus died for sinners from every nation. He rose from the grave as Lord over every nation. He commands His church to make disciples in every nation.

Then notice what Jesus says disciples are to do.

He says, “Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them.”

The order matters.

Jesus did not say, “Baptize people so that they may become disciples.”

He said, “Make disciples, baptizing them.”

A disciple is someone who has repented of sin, placed his faith in Jesus Christ, and committed his life to following Him.

Salvation comes first.

Baptism follows.

We are not baptized so that Jesus will save us.

We are baptized because Jesus has saved us.

Baptism is not how we earn forgiveness.

Baptism is how a believer publicly declares that he has already received forgiveness through faith in Christ.

That is why baptism is not merely a family tradition. It is not something that another person can decide for you.

Your parents cannot believe in Jesus for you. Your grandparents cannot repent for you. A priest cannot place his faith in Christ for you.

Every person must personally respond to the gospel.

You must personally recognize that you are a sinner.

You must personally believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the grave.

You must personally repent and trust Him as Savior and Lord.

Then, as a believer, you personally follow Him in baptism.

Throughout the New Testament, we see this same pattern again and again.

People heard the gospel.

They believed the gospel.

Then they were baptized.

In Acts 2, Peter preached that Jesus had been crucified and raised from the dead. The people heard the message, were convicted of their sin, and received the Word of God.

Acts 2:41 says:

“So those who received his word were baptized.”

They received the message first.

Then they were baptized.

In Acts 8, Philip shared the gospel with the Ethiopian man.

The man believed, and when they came to some water, he asked, “What prevents me from being baptized?”

He had heard the gospel.

He had believed in Jesus.

Now he wanted to obey Jesus.

That is the biblical pattern.

Faith first.

Baptism second.

Baptism is the first public act of obedience in the life of a disciple.

Think about it this way.

When a soldier puts on a uniform, the uniform does not make him a soldier. He has already enlisted. He has already made the commitment. The uniform publicly identifies the army to which he belongs.

Imagine someone walking around in a military uniform who never enlisted. We'd all think, 'Something isn't right here.' The uniform doesn't make the soldier. It tells everyone who the soldier already belongs to.

Baptism works in a similar way.

The water does not make you a Christian.

Faith in Jesus Christ makes you a Christian.

Baptism publicly identifies you as someone who belongs to Jesus.

When you are baptized, you are saying, “I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ. He is my Savior. He is my Lord. My life belongs to Him.”

Think about this.

Jesus Himself didn't need to be baptized because He had sinned.

Yet He chose to be baptized to identify with the Father's will and fulfill all righteousness.

If the sinless Son of God willingly submitted to baptism, how much more should those of us He has redeemed?

II. Baptism Does Not Save You

Now before we go any further, we have to settle one of the most important questions people ask about baptism.

Does baptism save us?

The answer is no.

Now don't misunderstand me. Baptism is incredibly important.

In fact, if you've been listening so far, you know I believe every follower of Jesus should be baptized. Jesus commanded it. We don't have the freedom to ignore it.

But we must never confuse something that is important with something that saves.

The Bible is crystal clear that we are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Listen to what Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

I love how simple that is.

How are we saved?

By grace.

Through faith.

It is God's gift.

Not our works.

Not our efforts.

Not our religious ceremonies.

Not our baptism.

If salvation could be earned by something we do, then grace would no longer be grace.

A gift is only a gift if it is freely given. The moment you have to earn it, it stops being a gift and becomes a paycheck.

None of us could ever earn heaven.

The Bible says we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Every one of us has lied.

Every one of us has been selfish.

Every one of us has broken God's commands.

If God gave us what we deserved, none of us would stand before Him.

That's why Jesus came.

He lived the perfect life we could never live.

He died the death we deserved to die.

He took the punishment for our sin upon Himself.

Then three days later, He rose from the grave, proving that sin had been paid for and death had been defeated.

That is why we are saved.

Not because of what we have done.

But because of what Christ has already done.

If baptism were necessary for salvation, then Jesus' death on the cross would not have been enough.

But Jesus Himself declared, "It is finished."

The payment for sin has already been made.

One of the clearest examples of this is found at the cross.

As Jesus was dying, there were two criminals hanging beside Him.

One mocked Jesus.

The other recognized who Jesus was.

He looked at Jesus and said,

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Think about everything that man never had the opportunity to do.

He was never baptized.

He never joined a church.

He never gave an offering.

He never had the opportunity to live a better life.

He couldn't undo the sins of his past.

He couldn't perform one good work.

All he could do was trust Jesus.

Now, if baptism saved us, Jesus had the perfect opportunity to tell that thief, 'Sorry. No water. No heaven.' But that's not what happened.

Jesus said "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."

That man entered heaven that very day.

Why?

Because salvation has never been based on religious activity.

It has always been based on faith in Jesus Christ.

I've always loved this statement.

The thief on the cross entered heaven for one reason.

The Man on the middle cross said he could.

Friends, that's the gospel.

Not Jesus plus baptism.

Not Jesus plus good works.

Not Jesus plus trying harder.

Jesus alone.

Now some people hear that and think, "Well, if baptism doesn't save me, then why should I be baptized at all?"

That's a fair question.

The answer is because salvation and obedience are not the same thing.

Imagine I gave Judah a gift for his birthday.

He didn't earn it.

He didn't pay me back for it.

I simply gave it to him because I love him.

Now imagine after opening that gift I asked him to help me clean up the wrapping paper.

Would cleaning up the paper earn the gift?

Of course not.

The gift was already his.

Cleaning up afterward would simply be the response of a grateful son who loves his father.

That's what baptism is.

We don't obey Jesus so that He will save us.

We obey Jesus because He already has.

The order matters.

Grace first.

Faith first.

Salvation first.

Then obedience.

Some of you have spent your entire lives trusting in religious ceremonies.

Maybe you have been told that your hope is found in something you did many years ago.

Our hope isn't in the water. Our hope is in Christ.

The blood of Jesus saves.

The water of baptism simply tells the story.

So if you are trusting in your baptism to save you, my prayer is that today you would stop trusting in the water and begin trusting in the One who created it.

Jesus Christ alone is able to forgive sins.

Jesus Christ alone is able to save.

And when He saves us, He then calls us to follow Him in baptism—not to earn His love, but because we have already received it.

III. Baptism Is a Picture of the Gospel

At this point, someone could ask a fair question.

If baptism doesn't save us, then why did Jesus command it?

Because baptism is not about what the water does.

It's about what the water represents.

Listen to what Paul writes in Romans 6:3-4:

"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."

Paul isn't explaining how someone becomes a Christian. He's explaining what baptism pictures.

Every baptism tells the same story.

When a believer goes into the water, it is a picture of death. When they are lowered beneath the water, it pictures burial. When they are raised up again, it pictures resurrection.

That's the gospel.

Jesus died.

Jesus was buried.

Jesus rose again.

Every baptism points us back to those three historical events.

Think about it for a moment.

If Jesus had only died but never rose again, we would have no hope.

If He had only been buried but remained in the grave, our faith would be worthless.

The resurrection changes everything.

It proves that Christ conquered sin, defeated death, and accomplished everything necessary for our salvation.

That's exactly what baptism celebrates.

It is a visible sermon.

Before a pastor ever opens his mouth, the gospel has already been preached.

The believer goes under the water declaring, "My hope is in the death and burial of Christ."

They come out of the water declaring, "My hope is in the risen Savior."

Now notice something else in Romans 6.

Paul says we "walk in newness of life."

Baptism doesn't simply look backward to what Jesus did.

It also looks forward to the kind of life we are now called to live.

When Christ saves a person, He doesn't simply forgive them and leave them unchanged.

He makes them new.

That doesn't mean we become perfect overnight.

Every Christian still struggles with sin.

But there should be a new direction to our lives because there is a new Master over our lives.

The old life no longer defines us.

Christ does.

This is why baptism is such an appropriate first step of obedience.

It is the believer's way of saying, "The person I once was is gone. I belong to Jesus now, and I want to follow Him."

The water itself has no power.

You can baptize someone in a church baptistry, a river, the ocean, or a swimming pool.

The location doesn't matter because the power has never been in the water.

The power is in the One who walked out of the grave.

Baptism simply points us to the One who saves.

IV. Why Then Does Jesus Command It?

So let's put all of this together.

Jesus commands baptism.

Baptism doesn't save us.

Baptism is a picture the gospel.

So why is Jesus so concerned about it?

Because Jesus has never been interested in secret disciples.

Baptism is the believer's first public declaration that he belongs to Christ.

It tells the world whose King you serve.

Every one of us eventually has to answer this question:

Who has the right to tell me how to live?

If Jesus is Lord, then obedience isn't optional.

V. What If Following Jesus Costs You?

Before we finish, I want to address something that is unique to many of you.

For me, preaching this sermon in the United States is different than preaching it here.

When someone is baptized at my church, their family usually celebrates. They take pictures. They clap. They hug them afterward. It's a joyful day.

I know that isn't true for everyone here.

For some of you, being baptized may create problems in your home.

Your family may not understand.

Your friends may think you've made a mistake.

Some of you know that if you're baptized, people will begin treating you differently.

I don't want to minimize that.

Those are real concerns.

But I also don't want you to think you're the first followers of Jesus to face them.

Jesus never promised His disciples that following Him would make life easier.

In fact, He said just the opposite.

Listen to what He says in Luke 9:23:

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

When Jesus said those words, everyone listening knew what a cross meant.

It wasn't jewelry.

It wasn't decoration.

It was an instrument of death.

Jesus was telling His followers that there would be a cost to following Him.

Sometimes that cost is small.

Sometimes it's great.

For some people, following Jesus costs them friendships.

For others, it costs them their reputation.

For some around the world, it costs them their freedom.

And for some, it has even cost them their lives.

Following Jesus has always required faith.

The question has never been, "Will it cost me something?"

The question is, "Is Jesus worth it?"

I believe He is.

Think about what Christ has already done for you.

He gave His life so we could be saved.

If He was willing to give everything for you, then He is worthy of your obedience.

He offers forgiveness, not because you've earned it, but because He loves you.

If Jesus is who He says He is, then there is no one more worthy of following.

So if you're here today and you're wrestling with baptism because you're afraid of what other people might think, I understand that.

Fear is real.

But don't let fear become your authority.

Let Christ be your authority.

One day every one of us will stand before Him.

Not before our family.

Not before our neighbors.

Not before a priest.

We will stand before Jesus.

And on that day, you'll never regret obeying Him.

Invitation

As we come to a close, let me ask you a simple question.

Where are you?

Maybe you're here tonight, and you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior.

If that's you, baptism is not your first step.

Faith is.

The greatest need in your life isn't to get into the water.

It's to come to Christ.

If you've never believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, that's your first step.

Baptism doesn't save you. Jesus does.

Repent of your sin and place your faith in Him.

And if thats you, I pray you would grab one of the E-team members, Gary or Dena after the service.

They would love nothing more than to walk with you through Salvation.

But maybe that's not where you are.

Maybe you've already trusted Christ.

You know He has saved you.

You know He has changed your life.

You've just never followed Him in baptism.

Next Sunday, you will have the opportunity to be baptized.

"I've preached a lot of sermons in my life. Some people respond and some don't. That's between them and the Lord. But I've been praying about this sermon for a long time because I know what's at stake for some of you. I'm not asking you to make me happy. I'm asking you to obey the One who gave His life for you."

I know that for some of you, that won't be an easy decision. But I also know that you'll never regret obeying Jesus.

And I want you to know this: I cannot wait to hear what God does. I cannot wait to see the lives that are changed. And I will be celebrating every single person who takes that step and publicly declares, "I belong to Jesus Christ."

But let us pray and I’ll hand it off to Gary.