one  baptism v2 (720p): Well good morning. Good to see all of you this morning. This chilly morning. So how many of you here are like pickled okra? Anybody? Well that's way more than I thought. Like what's wrong with you people? my wife, my middle daughter, they'll buy one of those cans of pickled okra with cauliflower and just sit there and and eat left and right while I gag. cucumbers is one thing. the whole point of cucumbers is to make them into pickles. Other than that, they're not good for anything else. So I understand pickles, but I don't understand the the pickled okra and cauliflower and things like that. I'm not trying to start a fight. I just know that as a preacher, you're constantly trying to find that opening or that illustration that sets the tone so that people will tune in and listen to the rest of what you have to say. And sometimes that can be very difficult. Especially with a topic like baptism. I've preached on baptism, I don't know, at least fifty to a hundred times. I'm sure you've heard numerous sermons on baptism. And as a preacher, you're always trying to come up with a new way to present an old truth. You know, sometimes we can know a topic so well that we don't know it as well as we should, if that makes sense. I don't think that Just because it's harder and harder to come up with a new way of addressing an old topic that I shouldn't preach on it, do you? I think it's always good to put the ball back on the T and go back to, you know, foundational beliefs that we have and rehearse them and get back to the elementary points at times. That's what we're going to do this morning with baptism. And we start in Ephesians chapter four, which was it's been the basis for this whole series, right? Starting in verse one of Ephesians four, it says, I, therefore, this is Paul writing, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is One body and one spirit. Just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. You know, we're not going to be united on everything. There is always going to be some things that we disagree about. But we have to be united on these. People ask, well, what do we have to be united on then? These ones that Paul delivers right here in Ephesians chapter four. And in a society that is so divided, in a society where everybody looks for a reason to be angry and to divide, our culture is divided probably as it's ever been, we as the church look to be united. And we look to be uniters to those around us. And when the culture sees our unity, it is a testimony to our Lord. These ones. are where we are to be united and this morning we look at what it means to believe and to have faith in one baptism. Okay, so back to pickling. There's a guy by the name of Nicander who lived some 200 years before Jesus was born and he had a recipe for pickling. So we we can blame him for all this pickled okra and business. And and his idea was his recipe was that you are to dip whatever the vegetable was You were to dip it into a recipe that he had concocted. It's dipped into boiling water first, and then it is left immersed forever in a vinegar solution. Now, Nicander wrote in Greek, and the Greek word that he used to describe the process of dipping a vegetable in boiling water is the word bapto. And the word that he used for Immersing the vegetable in a vinegar solution is the word baptizo. Here's my point. To be baptized, whether we're talking about pickles or people, doesn't mean to be dipped and to go on living the same life that you've always lived. No, to be baptized means to be immersed in Christ forever. Just like that vegetable is immersed in that vinegar solution, when you take it out, it tastes pretty much like vinegar or whatever you immerse it in. We too, as Christians, should taste like Jesus. Because we are immersed in Him. We are immersed in His character and everything that He stands for. And this is what the faith that leads to baptism should do. It should make us taste like Christ and not ourselves. So with that. in mind. I want to dive into baptism this morning. I've subtitled this lesson, Talking on Water. And here's the big idea, the thesis statement that I want to play off of for the rest of the sermon this morning. There is not a single unbaptized Christian found in Scripture. You can go ahead and look, you can check me on this, but I'm right. There is not a single unbaptized Christian found in Scripture. And so with that, we're going to look at baptism a little deeper and think a little deeper about it, but I want to start with this that there is not a single unbaptized Christian found in Scripture. Okay, so now that we got that out of the way, believe it or not, most churches, most denominations that are focused on Jesus, that keep Jesus at the center of their belief and their doctrine, would agree, for the most part, that baptism Is necessary that we should even do it. What about you? What do you believe about baptism? And is it only what you've always believed because your granddaddy told you to? What do you believe about baptism? And why do you believe it? Who told you whatever it is that you believe? Is it something that you came up with on your own? Is it something that has been handed down to you from family members? Daddy always said, is that what it is? Let me ask you this: what does God say? Because that's the most important thing, right? What does God say? What does he say about this subject? What does he say about any subject? Because when it comes to the topic of baptism, any biblical topic, that's all that matters. What does God say? And therefore, whatever he says means that's what I believe. That is what I adhere to. And there has been a massive campaign to sidestep or even ignore the issue of baptism. It's unfortunate, and I know that I'm preaching to the choir this morning, but there hasn't always been disunity about baptism. For the first fifteen hundred years, everyone was united on baptism. It it's I've said this before, but We are not the weird ones, or we haven't always been the weird ones that believed in baptism. It's like a cappella singing. We've not always been the weird ones there. Charles Spurgeon, who was big in the Baptist movement, John Wesley, big in the Methodist movement. They were not for instrumental music and worship. We haven't always been the weirdos. And the same with baptism. For the first fifteen hundred years, we were united. But not so much anymore. Turn with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 2. Imagine that. We're going to look at Acts chapter 2. We're going to talk about baptism and look at Acts chapter 2, beginning in verse 36. This is what is written. Let all the house of Israel, therefore, know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Now, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart. And said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, 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. This is our pivotal passage on baptism. We are known for this. You ever visited a church and you tried to get on their Wi Fi? But there was a password, and you didn't know the password, just try typing in Acts 238. That's probably going to get you on their Wi-Fi because we know this passage like the back of our hands. This is our proof text for baptism. It's our signature verse. And chances are that you've read this verse at least once or twice in your life. But let's rehearse what's going on around it. Because there's so much to take in that maybe we haven't always seen. This is the answer. To the most important question ever asked. The most important question that could ever be asked. What must I do? What shall I do to be saved? Before we get there, look at it in context. Verse 36. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus, whom you crucified. Thousands of people are gathered on this day. And Peter has this to say. He doesn't mince any words. He's brutally honest about the brutality of these people. He said, It happened again through the ages. God has sent prophets to you and you've killed them all. Throughout your history, God has sent you one prophet after another and you've murdered every one of them. You did this, Peter says. You, God's people, you murdered the Messiah. The king came and you killed him. You as a group of people, whether it was the folks yelling, Crucify Him, crucify him, those who who watched and approved as he was beaten, as he was persecuted, or even those who maybe had a hand in Jesus' killing. Peter says, You did this. You are responsible. The blood of the Savior is on your hands. But, and it's a big but, he's still king. Jesus Still reigns. The good news is that death is dead. He defeated it. He rose from the grave. In other words, the boss is back. And the good news is that he is willing to forgive. But the boss being back is terrifying news as well. Because if you're not on the right side of this thing, then you should be shaking in your sandals. Because it's terrifying to be on. The opposite side of God to be his enemy. And so Jesus is at the forefront here as king. Peter says, the boss is back, the king still reigns, he's still alive, he defeated death. You were the one who killed him, but he came back. And look at verse 37. Now, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? Well, why do you ask? Why would they ask this question? Well, because in that moment they understood exactly where they were at in the moment of history. They knew what the coming Messiah meant. They knew that someday God will send a deliverer. They were confused about who and what that would look like. But now, as their eyes are open to the fact that they killed the Messiah, they ask, What do we do? They must have been terrified. And they knew what kings would do to those who rebelled against them. And so here they are shaking in their sandals, probably reflecting on Sodom and Gomorrah and how that turned out for the people. Those who thumbed their nose at the king's authority would be persecuted and killed. So in their minds they're thinking, Well, if all that is true, if everything Peter has said is true, then we're doomed. We'll never be as chosen people again. We we blew it. There's no hope for us. But it's still worth asking, what can we do, right? Those of you who teach school, my wife, a college professor, never fails. Towards the end of the semester, a student or a few students will come up and go, Is there any is there anything I can do? I mean, I know I'm failing. And I know I did nothing all semester, barely even showed up for class. But there is there anything I can do? it's worth asking, I guess, right? And so the people in Peter's day, hearing this sermon, this soul-stirring sermon, think, Is there anything we can do? Is there anything I can do? And notice what Peter's response is. And Peter said to them, 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. Wait, you mean God's not done with us? That There is hope after all? Why in the world would he do that? Well, that's what he's been trying to tell you all along. That's been the message all along that Jesus, the Messiah, has come to deliver you from your sins, even the ones who had a hand in murdering him. And if Jesus wanted to forgive the people of that day and time, if he wanted to forgive Israel, if he wanted for to forgive the people who had him murdered, What do you think he wants to do for the people of Dixon? And for the people of White Bluff, and for the people of Charlotte, and for the people of Burns and for Tennessee and for the United States. What do you think this means for us? What must we do? And Peter says, here's what you do. Stop. Repent and be baptized. Stop defying the king. The king reigns. Quit thumbing your nose at him, turn to the king, and be washed in the blood of Jesus. Verse 39. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. This is generational stuff here. Peter is saying that if you get baptized, that's not going to necessarily transfer over to your kids, but it's generational in the sense that. What is being done today stands for all time. To repent and be baptized is something that will stand until he returns. This is the response. This is how you respond to the King. Your faith moves you to repentance. You confess him as Lord, and you are immersed in the waters of baptism for the remission of your sins. This is generational stuff. The answer to what must I do stance even today. Verse 40. And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. Save yourselves. That's your job. That's your job. To preach it, to teach it. Verse 41. So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Three thousand three thousand souls. To be rescued. They had no other hope. They recognized that they were on the wrong side of history here. They were doomed. And so they accepted the one who had previously been rejected by them. But notice what they didn't do. They didn't respond to Peter's words with, really? do I really have to be baptized? Is it that important? I know I I I probably need to do it, and I will do it at some point. But is it really necessary? is is that what I have to do to be saved? They didn't ask that question. They asked the question, what must we do? They were given the answer, and they did it. Still, many ask the question today, do I have to be baptized? And anytime someone asks me that question, I always respond with, Why do you ask? Maybe why do you ask? Nobody was asking that question in the first century. Nobody. For the first fifteen hundred years of the church's existence, everyone agreed. Yeah, baptism. Yeah, it's essential for salvation. You do it. Do I have to be baptized? Why do you ask? Nobody was asking that question in the first century. Why is it questioned so much today? And I can't help but think that it's at least in part because we don't fully grasp the meaning and the magnitude of this act. And I'm afraid that too many folks have this idea that baptism is an additional step to faith, and it's not. Baptism is an expression of your faith. It's an expression. The efficacy of baptism presupposes the presence of faith. Baptism is a response to faith, it is an act of faith. The apostles believed that baptism was the moment that a person became united to King Jesus and his saving power. We talked about this last week with pistis and faith. When you give your allegiance to the patron as a client, you surrender it all. And baptism is an act of surrender. You receive the gift from the patron. But that dr that gift always comes with strings attached. And part of that is baptism, and it's what it shows that we are allegiant, that we are loyal, that we give our lives to King Jesus. Let's look at Matthew three. Matthew chapter 3, starting at verse 13. Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? But Jesus answered him, Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented, and when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened. To him, and behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. The moment that Jesus came up from the waters of the Jordan River was a glorious moment for sure. But it wasn't just that. God saying, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, was not just a proud moment, it was a somber moment as well. Because in that moment, set before our Lord was the task and the only way to fulfill it. Our Lord knew that he was destined to be victorious, but he also knew that standing in the way of that victory was the cross. And we also see that Jesus' baptism is a new exodus. You ever notice that? The Exodus Is is the biggest story from Israel's history because it is where God rescued his people, sent a deliverer by the name of Moses, who was an archetype of Jesus that was to come. And Moses led the people out of Egypt. The Red Sea was parted, so that the people crossed over on dry land. But those same waters that were parted for God's people rushed over the Egyptians and Pharaoh, killing them all. So The water served as salvation and wrath. And after coming through the water, God's people find themselves in the wilderness facing trial and temptation. Where did Jesus go? Immediately after he was baptized. In the wilderness, right? He faced temptation. Have you ever noticed how Jesus' wilderness experience mirrors that of Israel's wilderness experience? In fighting the temptation from the devil, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy three times. Deuteronomy 8.3, Deuteronomy 6.16, and Deuteronomy 6.13. And these are clues as to what Jesus is experiencing. He's experiencing a second wilderness experience. This time the temptation Reveals that Jesus is the second Israel who goes through this 40-year test, but it's not 40 years, it's only 40 days, and there's one glaring difference between Israel's wilderness experience and their test and Jesus' temptation or test. What's the glaring difference? Jesus passed, right? He fulfilled where Israel failed. He passed the test. And the time of wandering for Israel ends on the banks of what river? The Jordan, right? And who takes the lead after Moses? Joshua. And what is the Greek equivalent to the name? Jesus. It's Joshua, right? And Joshua leads Israel through more water and is tasked with driving out wicked nations before bringing the people into the land of promise where God might dwell with his people. You see, All of Israel's water imagery rushes over Jesus during his baptism. His journeys through the wilderness led by the Spirit. Jesus' baptism is an Exodus. It is is a mirror of the Exodus story. He is the new and better deliverer. He has come to lead God's people out of bondage and into the land of promise. Why was he baptized? Not because he had sin. The answer given is to fulfill all righteousness. It pleased God. And I point this out because behind every baptism of every believer is the baptism of Jesus. Behind every baptism, behind your baptism, behind my baptism is the baptism of Jesus. Go to the end of Matthew, chapter twenty eight, starting in verse nineteen. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and 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. You ever notice how baptism bookends the gospel of Matthew? You have the Baptism of Jesus at the beginning and then at the end you have Jesus sending out the apostles and saying, Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If Jesus did it, and He told us to do it, then it's gotta be necessary, right? These are the marching orders for the church. Matthew 28, 19 and 20 are the marching orders for the church. We are to baptize in the name of, in the name of signifies to come under new management. It's transferring your allegiance to a new master. You have entered the transfer portal. You are transferring your allegiance. You serve a new master who makes you new yourself. miracle has occurred. You ever think of baptism that way? Because you should. A miracle has occurred. Some people tell me, hey, you you've got a great conversion story, growing up the way you did and becoming a Christian. Every conversion story is great. Every single one of them. Because a miracle has occurred. You have been plucked from the brink of hell, and you have been raised a new creature in Christ. Paul says this, Romans chapter 6. Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Baptism is the means by which we died. Death can no longer have any sort of pull or claim over us since we have been buried and resurrected. That is a miracle. Every baptism, every conversion story is a miracle, and we need to consider our baptism as a part of the bigger narrative. Because once you are baptized, you are inserted directly into the story. You are the new Israel. You are. Heirs according to promise. That promise made to Abraham back in Genesis chapter 12. You are now a part of that. You are a Gentile who has been grafted in, and you receive that inheritance. And the rest of your life post-baptism is about living out your baptism. That's the message that Paul gives to the Corinthian people, to the Romans. To the people he's writing to. His message is always, you've been baptized. So you've been baptized. So, what does that mean for you? You live differently. You see, in our efforts to sidestep baptism, we go to places like Romans 10, 9, and 10 and say, see, all you have to do is let Jesus into your heart and you'll be saved. Paul's not talking to people who need to be saved. We're asking the wrong questions. We're putting words into Paul's mouth. Paul's not talking to people who need to be baptized. He's talking to people who have been baptized. And his message over and over again is: you're a child of God. You've been baptized. So this is how you are to live. You don't obey the gospel one time. You continue to obey the gospel throughout your life. First Peter 3:18 through 21. For Christ also died for sins once for all. The just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made procla proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is eight persons, were brought safely through the water, corresponding to that. Corresponding to what? To what he just said about Noah being saved through water. Now, the flood was definitely a physical flood, and Noah waited and he waited. He trusted in the Lord. He did good. God was his refuge. The water washed the world clean and it saved Noah and his family. And corresponding to that, Peter says, baptism is now saving you. The wickedness surrounding Christians, as as Peter is writing this, it was brutal. It was your persecution was rampant. Christians were not at ease. And Peter is saying, Hold on. Not only are you saved, you're being saved. You are already being separated and saved from the world because you have appealed to God for a good conscience. You were dead, you rose again. Through baptism. And because of that, you are being saved. It's a message of great hope. God's going to save. And that salvation, that connection to the King comes through baptism. And that is how baptism was perceived. It was the connection with the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, but it was also a means of surrender. This is you saying, I give my life to King Jesus. I surrender to him. Our baptism is also a foreshadowing of what is to come. God raised you once. He'll do it again. something that really irks me is when I watch football or I listen to commentators and they talk about the quarterback as if he's the only person that really matters on the team. They talk about, how he's never won a Super Bowl or, he's never beaten this one team. And I'm thinking, correct me if I'm wrong, but there's ten other players on the field, right? But they lay everything on his shoulders. In fact, when the Bills play the Chiefs, it's Mahomes versus Allen. I'm like, they're never on the field at the same time. But it bugs me that we lay everything on one player. And certainly he's got a big responsibility and probably the most important position on the field, but he can't do it all. If he plays well but the defense plays poorly, that's not his fault. And and I think we do that too much with faith and with salvation and with The church is we focus too individually. We focus too personally. And yes, you do have a responsibility to the team. But remember, the church was a collective society. It was a collective. It was a group of individuals. And and they understood their part on the team, but they were still a team. And as the church, it is our job. To unite Jesus with humanity. We have a mission, and we can't accomplish that mission individually. Your salvation is never meant just for you. This is a collective, and this is where the one baptism comes in. We all share the same spiritual DNA, and we all come together for the purpose of carrying out the mission to going into all the world. Making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. A disjointed team cannot win. Our unity is our biggest strength. We win when we're all united to God and to one another. One body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. We cannot just see this as individualistic. This is collective. It was with thankfulness in his heart that An old man would walk every Friday night down a dilapidated pier on the east coast of Florida with a bucket of shrimp in his hand. He would feed the seagulls. This is a ritual that was carried out every Friday night until his death in nineteen seventy three. This started. Because the man by the name of Eddie Rickenbacher was flying a B-17 on a special mission to give orders to Douglas MacArthur in New Guinea. When the plane was low on fuel, it was out of reach of of of radio and finally the the crew had to ditch their plane and they landed in the ocean. For almost a month. They lived in rafts, barely surviving. Sharks would would bump into their rafts were a threat. The biggest threat, though, was starvation. after only eight days, while their food was gone or ruined by the salt water. But after saying a prayer and delivering a hymn, Eddie Rickenbacher pulled his hat over his face and went to sleep. And that's when he felt something land on his head. And he kinda lifted up the brim ever so slightly and looked at the other guys in the raft with him, they were all just amazed. It was a seagull far from shore. If Eddie could catch it, it would mean food. And renewed hope. He reaches up and he grabs it. They eat it. They use its intestines to catch other fish. And they were sustained. They were able to live until they were finally rescued. And until his death in nineteen seventy three, Eddie Rickenbacher every Friday night would walk that old dilapidated pier with a bucket of shrimp and feed the seagulls. as a way of remembering, as a ritual of remembrance that he was close to death. But he had been saved. Ask you this morning, what's your story? Without a doubt we, as Christians, all have the same story. It's a story of rescue and deliverance. And hopefully you remember that. You remember it. And you give praise to God each and every day. You have been baptized. So what you going to do? Let's pray. Our most kind and gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for this day and for this opportunity to be here. Thank you for these wonderful people who make up the Walnut Street congregation, and may we be a church on the move. May we live out our baptism daily, and may we always remember the bigger story. God, we love you. We thank you for loving us, and it's in your Son's precious name we pray. Maybe you've contemplated baptism. Maybe you're ready to do that this morning. Certainly we want to take care of that, but we want you to also know that this is just the beginning. Baptism is not the goal or the finish line, it's the starting point. So if you want to begin a daily walk with God, then let's take care of that this morning. If you'd like to learn more about it and study, then we can certainly do that as well. We don't want you to make a rash decision. Discipleship is a lifelong endeavor, and we want you to be convinced of your need for salvation and your conviction of going forward as a disciple and living the life that God has called you to. So if we can help you in any of that, Steve's got a song, why don't you come as we stand and as we sing?