MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(REVISED - 2016)
(Powerpoint slides are available at no charge. Just e-mail me at mnewland@sstelco.com with your request - #222.)
TEXT: Acts 2:36-41; Acts 22:7-16; Romans 6:3-5
ILL. Two weeks ago I began this 3-part sermon series by telling about a conver-sation with a young lady I had never met before. To make a long story short, she had attended a particular church all her life but had never become a Christian.
As we talked, I asked her why. She answered, “In my whole life nobody has ever suggested that I become a Christian.”
Even though she had been surrounded by Christians all her life, & had attended church regularly - no one had ever urged or even suggested that she accept Christ as her Savior & her Lord!
A. Then I asked you, “Is it possible there is someone here who feels the same way she did? I hope not! We don’t want anyone ever to think that we’re not concerned about you & your relationship with God.”
In Mark 16:15-16 Jesus told us, “Go into all the world & preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes & is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
B. Do you want Jesus to be your Savior, & do you want to be with Him in heaven? I do. "But how?" That’s the question we began considering two weeks ago. And the first thing we learned is that we must have faith - we must believe.
We must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for our sins, that He is risen from the dead & is alive forevermore.
Then we learned that repentance is also necessary. Jesus said in Luke 13:3, “But unless you repent, you too will all perish." We need to repent - to turn from the world & turn toward God, to change our attitude & the way we think & behave.
Then we talked about confession. The Bible teaches in Romans 10:9 that "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' & believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Now up to this point, almost everybody agrees. Almost everybody agrees that faith is necessary. Almost everybody believes that repentance is necessary, & confession, too.
C. But today, I'm going to talk about baptism, & in the religious world baptism is a controversial subject. And for me to discuss those controversies thoroughly would take more time & patience than we have available this morning.
Now if you would like to study what the Bible has to say about some of these controversies, I would be happy to arrange a time when we can sit down together & carefully review what the Bible says about them.
But right now let me just mention what some of these controversies are.
1. We don't agree on how to do it. Some think you ought to be baptized by immersion, while others believe that pouring water or even sprinkling a few drops of water on the candidate's head is baptism
2. We don't agree on who should be baptized. Some feel that infants ought to be baptized, while others feel that those being baptized ought to realize that they have sinned & need a Savior, & are able to make their own decision to accept Jesus as their Savior & Lord.
3. Perhaps the greatest controversy is over why people are baptized.
There are those who believe that baptism is so essential for salvation that even babies need to be baptized because they're "born in sin," or guilty of what they call "original sin."
In fact, some believe so strongly in the power of baptism that, in comparison, everything else is of lesser importance. They feel that as long as you’ve been baptized, then you’re assured of heaven.
ILL. Yakov Smirnoff, the Russian comedian, wrote a book, "Seeing the USA on Six Rubles a Day." In it he tells about being overwhelmed when he first entered an American supermarket & saw the great variety of products there. He just couldn't believe it.
He wrote, "As I walked down the aisles, the first thing I noticed was powdered milk - ‘Just add water & you get milk.' Then I saw powdered orange juice - ‘Just add water & you get orange juice.' Then I saw baby powder, & I thought to myself, ‘What a country!'"
Now some people seem to feel that way about baptism. "Find a sinner & apply water, & you end up with a saint."
It was reaction against that teaching that caused some to come up with a salvation that leaves baptism out completely. Some have gone so far in their reaction that they teach that baptism is not a part of God's plan of salvation at all.
D. But what does the Bible say? As I've often said, the answers that count aren't your answers or mine, or anybody else's. The answers that count are those given by God. So let's look at what the Bible, the Word of God, has to say about baptism.
I. WHEN DID BAPTISM BEGIN?
A. The earliest mention of baptism in the Gospels has to do with John the Baptist & the baptism of Jesus.
All 4 Gospels mention this, but let me read just a few verses in order to see what is said.
John 3:23 says, “Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, & people were constantly coming to be baptized." In fact, baptism was so much a part of his ministry that John was nicknamed "John the Baptizer" or "John the Baptist."
Mark 1:4 says, “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
The word "baptism" was not originally an English or Anglo-Saxon word. It is a transliteration of the Greek word “baptisma” that means "to immerse," "to dip under," "to plunge beneath." And this verse tells us that John came, immersing people for the forgiveness of their sins.
Matthew 3:13-15 says, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, & do you come to me?'
"Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.' Then John consented."
Jesus was not baptized because He was a sinner, because there was no sin in His life. He was baptized to set an example for us. So He went before us into the waters of baptism & set the example.
B. Matthew 28:18 20 tells of Jesus giving the Great Commission. “Then Jesus came to them & said, ‘All authority in heaven & on earth has been given to me.
"Therefore go & make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, & teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’"
The Bible declares that all authority in heaven & on earth has been given to Jesus. And the one who has all authority has issued a command to His disciples. "You go & teach them, & baptize them, & then teach them some more."
SUM. So our baptism goes back to the example & then to the direct command of Jesus, our Lord. And in John 14:15 Jesus declares, “If you love me, you will obey what I command."
II. WHAT DOES BAPTISM HAVE TO DO WITH OUR SALVATION?
A. The 2nd question is, "What does baptism have to do with our salvation?" That question is answered in the Book of Acts. The 2nd chapter of Acts tells about Peter on the Day of Pentecost, preaching the very first gospel sermon ever preached.
In vs. 36 Peter tells them, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord & Christ."
Continuing on in vs’s 37-38, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart & said to Peter & the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?'
"Peter replied, ‘Repent & 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.'"
Vs. 41 adds, “Those who accepted his message were baptized, & about 3,000 were added to their number that day."
The church began on the Day of Pentecost. It began with a faith that cried out, “What shall we do?" & it resulted in 3,000 being baptized that day, just as Jesus commanded.
B. In Acts 8 is the story of Philip, a deacon who begins preaching. He goes to the city of Samaria & soon many are coming to Jesus.
Vs. 12 tells us, “But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God & the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men & women."
Then an angel of the Lord tells him, “Philip, go down to the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So Philip did, & last Sunday we looked at the account of the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch by Phillip.
C. Now lets go to where the apostle Paul tells about his own conversion. As you know, he was originally a relentless persecutor of Christians. He sincerely believed that they were enemies of God, & that he was doing God's will in arresting & killing them.
In Acts 22:7-8, Saul (that was his Hebrew name) tells us that as he was on his way to Damascus suddenly a bright light from heaven blinded him & he heard a voice saying,
“Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.
‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.” (Acts 22:10)
So Saul, blinded by the light, went into Damascus, & for 3 days he didn't eat or drink. He prayed, & if ever a man was bitterly repenting of his sin, Saul was that man. Finally, God sent Ananias to witness to him.
And in vs. 16, Ananias says to Saul, “Now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized & wash your sins away, calling on His name."
SUM. Folks, the book of Acts records 9 specific accounts of conversion. Each of them begins with faith, & each ends with baptism. That is a rather consistent record. Every time it is pretty much the same.
ILL. The Tyndale Commentary says, "In apostolic times it is plain that baptism followed immediately upon confession of faith in Christ. Faith in Christ & baptism were not so much two distinct experiences, as part of the whole."
III. WHY DID GOD COMMAND BAPTISM?
A. Now the third question is, "Why did God command baptism?"
1. First of all, our obedience in baptism is a meaningful expression of our faith. Psychologists say, "Impression without expression leads to depression."
So God gives us ways to express what we're feeling inside. If you feel sorrow, God has given tears. If you feel joy, God has given laughter. If you're afraid, God has given the ability to scream or shout for help.
If you feel love, God has given us marriage so that we can share in the intimacy of love. If God gives you faith, & you find yourself believing in Jesus Christ, then the natural expression of that faith results in repentance & obedience to the example & direct command of Jesus in baptism.
That's the reason Peter said, “Repent & be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." (Acts 2:38)
I do not believe for a moment that baptism is a work. The Bible never calls it that. Why should we call it that? It is simply an act of obedience, an expression of the faith that we have in Jesus Christ.
2. Secondly, the Bible says that baptism is a portrayal of the death, burial, & resurrection of Jesus, & a proclamation of our commitment to Him.
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:3-5, “Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
"We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
"If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection."
SUM. Yes, we are portraying the death, burial, & resurrection of Jesus as we follow His example & command in baptism.
ILL. A few years ago Paul Harvey had an article in "Guidepost Magazine" telling 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.
Well, one summer he & his wife were vacationing in Cave Creek, AZ. Sunday morning came & they decided to go to church. So they went to this little church, & there were only 12 other people present.
But there was a good spirit there, & for some reason he began thinking about John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
He wrote, "I liked that ‘everlasting life' part, & I believed in Jesus, but I had never gone forward in a church service. I remembered one night praying in my hotel room & asking Jesus to come into my heart, but I felt that there was still something that was missing."
Then the preacher got up & 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 how it symbolized the complete surrender of one's life to Jesus Christ, & 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 write, "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 & join me here at the pulpit.'"
Paul Harvey wrote, "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 & rose again, I knew something life-changing had happened a cleansing inside out.
"No longer did there seem to be two uncertain contradictory Paul Harveys, just one immensely happy one. I felt the fulfilling surge of the Holy Spirit in my life.”
Paul Harvey went on, "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 & because one's dignity gets as drenched as one's body, I discovered a new unself consciousness in talking about my beliefs."
He closed with these words, "The other evening as I was flying over west Texas & looking at the beautiful sunset, my heart swelled with joy in my new surrender & I thought, ‘How wonderful, we have all this & heaven, too.'"
INVITATION - Do you have all this & heaven, too? If today turned out to be your last day of life on this earth & you stood before the judgment throne of God, are you assured that you would hear the words, “Well done, good & faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord"?
Do you know where you're going to spend eternity? You see, the Bible wants you to know how to get to heaven. God doesn't want anyone to perish.
So this morning if you believe that Jesus is the Christ if you're ready to turn toward the new life in Him if you're ready to confess your faith in Jesus if you're willing to follow Him in Christian baptism we invite you to come. Will you come?
