The Actions Of Baptism

Luke 3:21–23 NKJV

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Open: The story is told about the baptism of King Aengus by St. Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. Sometime during the rite, St. Patrick leaned on his sharp-pointed staff and inadvertently stabbed the king's foot. After the baptism was over, St. Patrick looked down at all the blood, realized what he had done, and begged the king's forgiveness. Why did you suffer this pain in silence, the Saint wanted to know. The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual."

To a lot of people, that is what baptism is, a ritual. But it is much more than something we do as Baptist or as Christians for that matter. It carries with it a significant set of actions, actions to which were first demonstrated by Christ but are still very much a part of being baptized today. So with that, let’s look at the actions of Baptism.

I. It Was A Public Action

A. The Righteousness of Christ Was On Display

1. Jesus had no sin to repent from but had come to earth to die on behalf of the sins of humanity. Baptism would identify Him with that sacrificial role and symbolize His coming death and resurrection. It this way, baptism would allow Jesus and John together to fulfill all righteousness which Jesus spoke of in the Gospel of Matthew.

2. People then as now are looking as to how to live a righteous life for God. Jesus from start to finish was not only our Savior but our example of that righteous life as well. His life is still on display today in Word and in the lives of His followers. Does Jesus’ righteousness on display in your life?

B. The Relationship With The Spirit & The Father Was On Display

1. Visually—The Holy Spirit took on the form of a dove and descended on Jesus. The dove suggests to us the image of Gods’ mercy and gentleness. Jesus was meek and mild in much the same manner, as He and the Holy Spirit are two thirds of the trinity of God. Our relationship with the Holy Spirit is much the same way in that we are not left comfortless, but Jesus has sent us, His followers, the Holy Spirit!

2. Vocally—The Father spoke the words that He was well pleased with His Son. This signifies the relationship they had! A relationship not of shame for a wayward child but one of gratitude for a Son who was all He should be. (Well Done!)

ILL: Paul Harvey wrote about his own baptism. He said that even though he had received almost every reward for his broadcasting ability that he still felt empty inside. One summer, however, he and his wife were vacationing in a place called Cave Creek, AZ. Sunday morning came and they decided to go to church. So they went to this little church, and there were only 12 other people present. He believed in Jesus, but he had never gone forward in a church service. One night he had prayed in his hotel room and asked Jesus to come into his heart, but he felt that there was still something that was missing. He said that the preacher got up and announced that his sermon was going to be about baptism. Paul Harvey said, "I yawned. But as he started talking about it I found myself interested. He talked about the symbolism behind it, and how it symbolized the complete surrender of one’s life to Jesus Christ, and how there was nothing really magic in the water. But there was this cleansing inside that took place when you yielded yourself to Jesus."

He went on to say, "Finally, when he came to the end of his sermon he said, ‘If any of you have not been baptized in this way, I invite you to come forward and join me here at the pulpit.’ To my surprise, I found myself going forward. The preacher had said there was nothing magic in the water. Yet as I descended into the depths and rose again I knew something life changing had happened. Paul Harvey concluded, "The change this simple act made in my life is so immense as to be indescribable. Since totally yielding to Him in baptism, my heart can’t stop singing. Also, perhaps because baptism is such a public act and because one’s dignity gets as drenched as one’s body, I discovered a new unself-consciousness in talking about my beliefs."

II. It Was A Priority Action

(it was a priority because…)

A. It Was The First Step

1. (21 “it came to pass”). It can’t come to pass if it isn’t taken care of in the present. You got to do more than want to do the right thing, you got to do the right thing!

2. (23 “He began His ministry). It wasn’t until after this event that He began His ministry. Baptism being an outward sign of an inward change should also signify the start of our ministry for the Lord.

(it was a priority because…)

B. It Was A Fraternal Step

1. (vs. 21 when all the people were baptized.). We follow in the footsteps of Christ when we are baptized but we also are in step with all the other brothers and sisters of Christ. (Again, this is a priority of the body of Christ! Bless be the tie that binds!)

2. As Christ was the Son of God we who have been redeemed are the children of God and Christ Baptism is the reminder for us that we are the children of God. We can go to our Father in prayer as Jesus did here and we can do so boldly. Boldly not on our merit but on the merit of Jesus Christ who is our substitute.

ILL: In the movie, Overcomer, John Harrison (Alex Kendrick) is a basketball coach at a high school. Due to the manufacturing plant being moved to another city, all of the good basketball players, along with their families, must move also. School Principal Olivia Brooks (Priscilla Shirer) tells John that the school is losing several teachers and coaches and that she needs him to coach cross country, as she doesn’t want the school to lose another program.

At the tryouts for cross country, only one student shows up. Nevertheless, John agrees to be the running coach for Hannah Scott (Aryn Wright-Thompson), who it turns out is asthmatic. One day, John is visiting his pastor at the hospital and accidentally enters the room of Thomas Hill (Cameron Arnett). Hill is blind and suffering from diabetic complications. Hill also had been a cross country runner. After a couple of visits to see Hill, John is asked a very important question by Hill. He ask him who he is and to say the first thing that pops in his head. John says a BB coach. Okay, what if that is taken away? A History teacher, a husband, a dad, an American white male. Hill ask him if he is a follower of Christ and how important that is to him? John then says he’s a follower of Christ and that it is very important to him. Hill chuckles and says, “that’s amazing that it’s so important to you and yet being a follower of Christ is so far down on the list of who you are.”

When we are baptized it is just something we do, it shows, or at least it should show, that being a follower of Christ is the most important thing about our lives!

III. It Was A Private Action

A. The Affirmation Of The Father

1. Vs. 22—You are my beloved Son, It is You that I’m well pleased in. The Father acknowledges those who follow Him. It may not be verbal but it will always come in some form.

2. Is that not what we all want to shoot for? Knowing what all Christ has done for us do we not want to please the Father?

B. The Accountability Of Jesus

1. He had to answer for Himself and each of us will answer for our own doing/not doing.

2. Each will receive reward according to their doing/not doing.

Close: Reba Page’s Baptism.