Why do Christians get baptized? Why must Christians be fully immersed in water, getting all soggy and wet in front of people?
Transcript
Well, today is an exciting day! We are going to be witness to some precious people getting baptized.
They’re being baptized because they have chosen to follow Jesus.
What a fantastic choice, following Jesus!
Doesn’t get any better than that!
It’s the best choice for your life, here on earth, and the best choice for your eternity.
Before I begin my short sermon I thought I might read a couple of funny stories, concerning water baptism ceremonies, just to ease those people who maybe a little nervous about getting baptized today.
Here goes…
From the mouth of a pastor
“There was a time I baptized a husband and wife. They wanted to be baptized together. I explained I could only do one at a time. So, they settled for being in the baptistry tank at the same time.
You may not remember this from physics class, but a solid object placed into water displaces the water in equal measure to the size of the object. Being pretty solid myself, I displace a fair amount of water. The people getting baptized also displace water. Small children and petite adults are not a problem. In the case of this husband and wife, however, I was baptizing Goliath and his wife. He was about six feet, four inches and outweighed me by 50 pounds. She was six feet, one inch, and pregnant with twins. When I baptized them, it was like sitting in the splash zone at Sea World. The baptistry overflowed and everyone on the first three rows of church got soaked. After the service, one little boy excitedly asked if we could do the same thing next Sunday.”
Here’s another….
“I baptized a fellow who was six foot seven inches in a baptistry that was six foot six inches long. As a result, I “clunked” his head into the wall of the baptistry on the way down. Later, I asked him how he felt. He said he felt like he had finally gotten some sense knocked into him. The Lord works in mysterious ways. 😊
Let us pray
Lord, let this day be a truly momentous day for all those being baptized. May they be filled with Your Holy Spirit as they signify, to all those watching, that they’re choosing to follow YOU. Help all of us today understand exactly what is taking place, and if there are people here who have not been baptized I pray that after this sermon they will want to be.
Amen
Over the years I’ve seen scores and scores, and scores of people being baptized.
Here are a few from 2008…
Show pictures please
I’m pleased to say that I’ve seen my brothers baptized, I’ve seen my children (including my stepchildren) baptized and today I will see some of my grandchildren baptized, which also includes my spiritual grandchildren (like Aria and Amber). How exciting for me!
Pick up my certificate
In my hand, I’m holding a copy of MY Baptism Certificate. It’s only a copy because the real one is stuck in a 45 year old album where the glue has gone a bit funny and I tore the certificate when I was trying to pull it out. Anyway, the certificate says,
‘In obedience to the command of our LORD Jesus Christ, and in imitation of His example, Pamela Warwick was buried with Him in Baptism on the 17/11/1974 at Cloverdale AOG’
48 years ago, in Cloverdale, not too far from this place, I was baptized.
It was a wonderful experience which I’ve wanted to repeat over and over again throughout the years.
And as a result of this stand, here I am today, an example of God’s amazing saving grace. Throughout the years I’ve let Him down countless times. But He has never ever let me down. And He has kept all His promises. It’s been wonderful.
So, let’s have a quick look at ‘the what’ and ‘the why’ of baptism.
Reading my baptism certificate it says,
In obedience to the command of our LORD Jesus Christ.
In obedience to the command of our LORD Jesus Christ.
1. What command? You may ask.
Matthew 28:16 – 20 says,
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go… Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
I repeat, Jesus said, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
“baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
It is extremely obvious in this passage of Scripture that Jesus CHRIST, Himself, is commanding His disciples to tell everyone about the Good News of salvation and when people believe and act upon the Good News, then they MUST be baptized!
They must be baptized!! It is a command!!!
There are no ifs and buts about it. This is a commandment straight from the mouth of God. If you believe Jesus is your LORD and Saviour then you MUST follow this up with baptism.
You must follow your salvation with baptism.
BUT YOU MIGHT SAY,
2. WHY BAPTISM?
Ezekiel, say very loudly, “Why baptism?”
Why do we have to be fully immersed in water, getting all soggy and wet in front of people? Why?
Obviously, baptism is a symbolic act. It represents something. There’s nothing miraculous or magical about the water. It’s not Holy water – there’s no such thing. It’s all about what it symbolizes, what it represents.
Just like when we regularly partake of Communion, it represents something. The bread represents the body of Jesus, the wine represents the blood of Jesus.
In the same way, baptism, being fully immersed in water, represents something. But what?
Well, referring to my baptism certificate again it says,
‘In obedience to the command of our LORD Jesus Christ, (yes got that) and in imitation of His example Pamela Warwick was buried with Him in baptism.
In imitation of His example Pamela was buried with Him in baptism.
The 3 significant words in this are
Imitation, example and buried
What is this talking about?
Let’s have a look at an important Scripture
Romans 6:3-5 New American Standard Bible
3 …do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:3-5 (Pamela Paraphrase 😊)
3-5 This is what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a new life walking with Jesus.
Okay, it is obvious from this scripture that baptism, being fully immersed in water (and coming up again), is imitating the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are symbolically, with the use of water copying the death (going down, being buried) and resurrection (coming up, coming back to life) of Jesus.
It is as simple as that.
We are symbolically, with the use of water copying the death (going down, burial) and resurrection (coming up, coming back to life) of Jesus.
But
3. Why are we imitating the death and resurrection of Jesus?
Good question!!!
Why are we imitating the death and resurrection of Jesus?
Because this is exactly what happens to us when we get wonderfully saved.
When we become true Christians.
We say sorry to God for all the things we’ve done wrong, and we say, ‘God we don’t want to do those things that are displeasing to You anymore’.
We REPENT.
That’s what repentance is acknowledging you’ve done the wrong thing and being determined you’re not going to do it anymore.
In other words,
YOU DIE TO SELF. (You bury yourself, you’re dead, your sinful ways have been buried, I’m not living like that anymore because God has got a better way for me!)
The song “I Did It My Way” no longer applies to you because it’s all about life God’s way.
It will no longer be about your will, but about the will of God from now on in.
Which is exactly what Jesus said before He died. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said, “Not My will Father, But Your will be done” and Jesus died.
But because He died, He was victoriously resurrected from the dead.
In the same way, when you repent and say God I’m doing things Your way.
The Spirit of God breathes new life into Your spirit that was dead.
Without God your spirit is dead.
But with God you have been given new life in Christ Jesus.
You are born again
You have been set free from the chains of sin and destruction and death.
You are alive to live a life of freedom doing things God’s way.
So, baptism is a symbolic outward display of what has happened spiritually inside. You’ve said goodbye to the ‘old you’ and hello to the new you who is now following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Hallelujah!
As I said, it’s a public display.
You are telling, everyone who sees your baptism, that you are now a disciple of Jesus.
You are now a disciple of Jesus. You belong to Him.
It is very important that you let people know about this.
We’re not closet Christians. Closet Christians don’t exist. We must let people know about our salvation.
We are an open display of His glory working within us.
And finally, the final question
4. Does baptism mean more than being committed to Jesus?
We’ve seen that in baptism you commit to Jesus. Right?
But in committing to Jesus, you are now committed to His church.
Let’s have a look at the book of
Acts 2:40-41 New Living Translation
(This is right at the beginning of the birth of the church)
Then Peter continued preaching for a long time…
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
They were baptized and ADDED TO THE CHURCH!
All those who received Jesus on that day were received by the church. And the way the church received them was by baptizing them.
In baptism, you step out of the world and into the church. In baptism, you declare your loyalty to Jesus. In baptism, you enlist in the company of God’s people.
Your commitment to the church follows logically, necessarily, and immediately from your commitment to Jesus.
You don’t say,
“Well, thanks a lot for that, what a lovely experience, I’ll be on my lonely way now, bye!”
No No No No, you are now a part of the body of Christ.
In the book of Acts, those who were baptized on that special day made a commitment with the church that was far more than a mere ticking of a box.
Instead, this new commitment to the church fundamentally altered the fabric of their lives.
We read in the book of Acts that the whole church in Jerusalem, including those three thousand who joined the church by baptism, devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to breaking bread, and to praying together (Acts 2:42). They shared their lives and their possessions (Acts 2:44). They prayed and ate together daily (Acts 2:46). The fruit of their commitment to one another was a rich, inviting communion with one another, a communion that inspired awe in outsiders (Acts 2:43).
And the means by which they committed to one another was baptism. In baptism those believers bound themselves to Jesus and to each other. Because in baptism you commit to the true church of Jesus Christ.
Our baptism unites us to the body of Christ—that is, to a local body of Christ. Baptism inserts you into the living organism that is a local church.
The Christian life is not meant to be lived in private, nor is it meant to be lived alone. Baptism brings your life into the light of the church’s loving concern. So, all those getting baptized today remember that your baptism puts you within the strengthening and sustaining communion of the church.
Church, are we ready to receive these people into our community, which is the community of God?
Let us pray,
Lord, I pray that this day will be a wonderful day for Aaron, Farren, Aria, Dakodah, Amber, Ezekiel, and Levi. Let this day leave them with powerful memories that will sustain them spiritually for the rest of their lives and beyond. May they never leave the path that You, Almighty God, have established for them.
May they all be a powerful witness for Your love, peace, and mercy all the days of their lives. Protect them, keep them, shelter them, give them good health and a wisdom beyond their years. And I pray that they will be mighty men and women in You. Amen
Well, while these people are getting their bathers on, we are going to sing one last song before we move outside.