Sermon Central
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Why Be Baptised?
Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Jan 13, 2009 (message contributor)
Summary: Have you been baptised as a believer? Here’s what it means to be baptised.
Why Be Baptised?
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"--"a voice of one calling in the desert, ’Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’" And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
(NIV)
What is baptism?
An OUTWARD sign
of an INWARD work.
Baptism is a pictorial representation of a spiritual act. The American Flag is held in high honor for what it symbolizes, even though it is only pieces of cloth sewn together. It is held in great honor for what it symbolizes. A wedding ring is simply a symbol of a commitment made, yet we treasure it.
1) Baptism is the
DISPLAY
of a new
DECISION.
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or 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.
(NIV)
Baptism displays that a death has occurred. When we are baptized we are showing that we believe that Jesus died for our sins, that He was buried, and was resurrected. We also are showing that we have died to our old way of living. The old manner in which we lived is buried with Jesus through baptism, and we now are living a new kind of life!
The baptism of BABIES is not BIBLICAL baptism;
Biblical baptism is a BELEIVER BAPTISM!
Babies cannot decide that they are going to live for Christ. When you were a baby, your parents made lots of decisions for you. But as you grew and matured, you made more and more decisions for yourself. And you were responsible for your decisions.
Since baptism is a display that a new decision has been made, it is only appropriate to baptize believers. The Bible never records that any baby was baptized. Neither is there record of a baptism taking place before the person accepted Christ as his personal savior.
2) Baptism is the
DECLARATION
of a new
DETERMINATION.
John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
(NIV)
Can a bath save your soul? Like the old hymn says: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus”. Throughout the Old Testament, the only way forgiveness could be purchased was through the blood sacrifice of something living. The Old Testament points in this way to Jesus. His Blood sacrifice alone can save your soul!
Water will not save you! You can be baptized without believing in Jesus, but you’ll just be wet, not cleansed.
We are not SAVED because we are BAPTISED;
we are BAPTISED because we have been SAVED!
Suppose that someone truly repented and put their faith in Christ for salvation, but no one was available to baptize him and he should die without being baptized. Who would dare to say that this person was not a Christian because they were not baptized? Baptism is important as a witness to our life in Christ and we should be baptized in testimony to the new direction of our lives.
3) Baptism is the
DEFINITION
of a new
DIRECTION.
We need defining moments to help us remember and reflect. Baptism can be one of those defining moments. It was for Jesus and John the Baptist. Jesus’ baptism indicated that the ministry was going in a different direction. John himself had said “He must increase and I must decrease.” Following the Baptism of Jesus, John’s ministry reduced and reduced quickly.
