Commitment to Truth

Larry Lewis: Good morning. How is everybody feeling today? Good. As our children leave and take all that energy with them, amen. My name is Larry Lewis, and I oversee the DMP process here at Commitment. That is our discipleship-making process. It is my privilege today to speak to you about the importance and the command of baptism.

From time to time, we take a pause from our usual sermon series. If you have been with us over the last couple of weeks, you know that we are in a sermon series on Second Peter. But today, we are taking a break from the series for our baptism service. This is a service that gives you the opportunity to reflect on where you are as it relates to baptism or being baptized and to allow the Holy Spirit to just move as needed in the hearts and minds of individuals. Amen.

Why do we have the baptism service? We have the baptism service because the church is commanded to baptize believers. Jesus commanded the ordinance of baptism, and we find that command from Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20. It reads, "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"

Let us pray. Lord, we thank You. We thank You for this opportunity, this opportunity to fulfill the command to baptize believers. We pray that You move on the hearts of those to be baptized who are believers, and we pray that You move on the hearts of those who have not put their faith in Christ to put their faith in Christ and be baptized. Speak to Your people today, Lord. Remove me and all of You. Let them hear from You today as we go through the importance of baptism. Amen.

Part of the discipleship-making process is to baptize believers because the church is commanded to baptize believers. When you look at that text in Matthew, you see that baptism precedes teaching. Yes, churches are to teach the gospel even to the uttermost parts of the earth. The disciples of the early church did just that, and we see that recorded in the book of Acts. But they also recognized that Jesus commanded them to baptize believers, and part of their teaching was to teach the necessity of baptism.

They taught that baptism is not just an added-on event to our faith, a later step as we grow in our faith, or some extra step at some distant point in our faith. Instead, their teachings and their practices were that baptism swiftly followed salvation, if not immediately, as a visible and tangible expression of the gospel. It was an expression of the church as it publicly welcomed new believers into the body and the family of Christ.

We as a church follow the ordinance of baptism as well as the ordinance of communion, and that is why we have a baptism service: to fulfill the command given to the church by Christ to baptize believers and to give individuals an opportunity to reflect on where they are in terms of baptism or being baptized and to allow the Holy Spirit to move in their hearts. Because the church is commanded to baptize believers, then it just makes sense that we as believers, the body, the church, are similarly commanded to be baptized.

Believers are commanded to be baptized as a declaration of their faith. Just as the disciples followed the commandment to the church to baptize believers, we as believers should follow the command of Jesus that we as believers should be baptized. We have to understand that baptism is not an option but an obligation if you put your faith in Christ.

Baptism does not save you. This water does not wash away your sins. Only the blood of Jesus washes away our sins. But for those who have put their trust in Christ, it is a requirement of salvation. Once we have made that decision to follow Christ, to proclaim Him Lord and Savior in our lives, it should follow that we should be baptized as a public declaration of our faith.

A declaration of faith is a formal or explicit statement or announcement. It is often a public statement of religious belief, affirming core tenets to demonstrate commitment, conversion, or reaffirmation of one's faith. Baptism is a public declaration of what has already happened in our lives through salvation, through inviting Christ into our lives. Baptism is that public declaration that I am prepared to tell the world and let the whole world know what Christ has done in me and given me this new life.

When you really think about it, baptism is the declaration that we belong to Christ. As a believer, our life is no longer our own. We belong to Christ, and now we identify with Christ. We want the world to know that we want to be identified with Christ: with His death, His burial, and His resurrection. We call it affectionately putting on the team jersey, the Team Jesus jersey, and we stand as giants above the rest.

I know it is too early for draft jokes, but like I told the 9:00 service, if I had said we soar as eagles above the rest, everybody would say, "Amen, praise the Lord." But when you look at the draft, you see that as soon as they are drafted, they put on the clothing of the team that has selected them: a hat, a jersey, something. Likewise, when we are saved, we want to put on that clothing of Jesus.

Look at Galatians 3:26-27: "For you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ Jesus." If we are going to make that public declaration that we belong to Christ, if you are going to identify yourself as a follower of Christ, why not do it among the other followers of Christ where there is comfort and where there is safety? If you are going to identify yourself as a member of the body of Christ, why not do it here today amongst other members of the body of Christ?

This should give us the comfort and encouragement that we need to make that public declaration that we belong to Christ. Baptism is also a public declaration of our union with Christ. We are united with Christ. We are united in His death, burial, and resurrection, the means by which we were saved. Romans 6:2-5 illustrates that.

It says, "May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ 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. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be with Him in the likeness of His resurrection."

We obtain that union with Christ through baptism because when a believer is baptized, something supernatural happens. The Scripture refers to it as the circumcision not made with hands. It talks about that in Colossians 2:11-12. It reads, "And in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working, the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

Circumcision was important and necessary in the Old Testament. It represented man's need for a cleansing of the heart. It is also important for His people under the New Covenant, but from a spiritual perspective. We cannot see what God does in the hearts of those being baptized, but we do know that He promises to do something. When we surrender to baptism, God acts through baptism to confirm the working of the gospel, the truth of the gospel in our lives. That is why when a person is baptized and they come up, we always pray that the Holy Spirit will fall afresh upon them.

That is in agreement with what God promises. That is in agreement with what happened to Jesus when He was baptized. When we look at Matthew 3:16, we see this: "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him." This union is a result of Jesus's obedience to the command to be baptized.

As believers, baptism is our declaration of our submission and obedience to Christ. Again, I want to be clear that baptism is not a means of salvation. But I want to be just as clear that baptism for a believer is the first act of obedience, and we should submit in obedience to Christ's command to be baptized. We should make that public declaration that I want to follow Christ and, "Lord, let Thy will be done in my life."

Jesus was that example of obedience, and we see that in Matthew 3:14-15. It reads, "But John tried to prevent Him, saying, 'I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?' But Jesus answered, saying to him, 'Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he permitted it." Jesus was baptized in obedience to the will of God so that He could fulfill His righteous purpose while here on earth.

We too have to be baptized out of obedience to God to better fulfill our God-given purpose here on earth. We saw the early church was obedient to baptizing new believers. But we also see in the early church that the believers were just as committed to being baptized. Let us be a church that follows the examples of obedience first set by Jesus, then by others in the early church.

We see this all throughout the book of Acts, that baptism swiftly follows salvation, if not immediately in some situations. Let us look at a few. Peter's sermon in Acts 2:37-38: "Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, what shall we do?' Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who seals our baptism.'"

I want to clarify something. The word "for" is the Greek word "eis", which means "unto". It does not mean to do something to get something. We do not get baptized to get saved. The Greek meaning is "for the purpose of identifying with something." So "for the forgiveness of your sins" or "because of the forgiveness of your sins." A more common translation would be "baptized to identify with the forgiveness of your sins" or "be baptized because of the forgiveness of your sins."

If we continue in Acts 2 and drop down to verse 41, we see it says, "So then, those who received his word—they identified with the forgiveness of their sins—they were baptized; and that day there were added about 3,000 souls." Another example is the Ethiopian eunuch found in Acts 8:35-38. It reads, "Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from the Scriptures, he preached Jesus—salvation. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, 'Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?'"

Verse 37 reads, "And Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him." Verse 37 is in parentheses in some versions—I believe the ESV and the NIV do not include it. This just speaks to the principles of biblical translation, which teaches that the older manuscripts are the more reliable.

Verse 37 is not traced all the way back to the oldest manuscripts. But the later manuscripts saw it important to include it because they did not see it as a problem. They were not saying anything that went against the Scriptures. They saw it fit to include to emphasize that conversion precedes baptism. When you look at it, the Ethiopian eunuch believed with all of his heart. Then he declared that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Then he was baptized.

Another example of baptism swiftly following conversion is Saul in Acts 9:17-19. "So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, 'Brother Saul'—referred to him as a brother, part of the body of Christ—'the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.' And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized."

One last example is the Jews baptizing the Gentiles in Acts 10:45-48. "All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and exalting God. Then Peter said, 'Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?'" He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

We see four examples there of individuals with faith in Christ being baptized swiftly, if not almost immediately. But we also see two examples of households. When Paul was speaking to a group of women in the Macedonia region in Acts 16:14-15, there was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God. She was listening, and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. When she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay." She prevailed upon us.

Another example is the conversion of the jailer of Paul and Silas in Acts 16:31-34. They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved and your household." They spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. They took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. We have seen examples throughout the book of Acts where the church is obedient to the command to baptize believers and believers are obedient to the command to be baptized upon salvation.

If the baptism precedes salvation, the baptism is void. Baptism is for believers as a statement that I choose to walk in this new life in Christ and make that public declaration. In closing, we looked at the fact that the church is commanded to baptize and we as believers are commanded to be baptized. Baptism is for those who put their faith in Christ. So now the question becomes, have you put your faith in Christ?

Do you truly believe that Christ is your Lord and Savior, that He came, was crucified, buried, and rose again for the remission of your sins? If you have not, we are going to give you an opportunity today to make that profession of faith. But if you have accepted Christ and the answer to that question is yes, then you are saved. Then the question becomes, if you have put your faith in Christ, have you made that public declaration of your faith? Have you been baptized?

If the response to question one is yes, I have put my faith in Christ, but the answer to question two is no, I have not been baptized, I have not made that public declaration, then therein lies a contradiction. To be a believer and not be baptized is a contradiction. The contradiction is if I say that Jesus Christ is my Lord, then I must do what He commands. How can I say that I love Christ and not do what He commands? If you love Me, you will keep My commands.

The contradiction is if I say Jesus Christ is my Savior, then I would want to follow Him. How can I say that I am a follower of Christ and not follow His perfect example with something as simple as getting in the water? Why not follow the example of the church in the book of Acts? If Jesus commands us to be baptized and as a believer, there is an unwillingness on our part, then it is disobedience. Today we want to present every believer the opportunity to walk in obedience.

We want to present every unbeliever the opportunity to put their faith in Christ. Do not delay. Today is your opportunity. The water is here, the opportunity is here. Do not delay. Last scripture, look at Acts 22:14-16. "And he said, 'The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard. Now, why do you delay? Get up and be baptized.'"

If you have been considering being baptized, do not delay. Get up today and be baptized. Put the Team Jesus jersey on, make the public declaration. We cannot continue to be the church, the bride of Christ, and be ashamed to wear the wedding ring or the team jersey. We have to make that public declaration for the world to know because the early church could not even imagine a Christian, a believer, a follower of Christ that was not baptized.

They could not even imagine it, and we the church today should not have to imagine it. We have got so many other things that we are dealing with out there in the world that compromise the gospel. Let us not let baptism be one of those things as our outward sign of faith. Let us be a church of believing, baptizing, and baptized followers of Christ. Amen. Maybe you have not put your faith in Christ. We want to give you that opportunity today.

I am just going to lead you in a short, simple prayer. If you felt led by the Spirit to put your faith in Christ today, we want to ask that you recite this prayer and let the Holy Spirit speak to you about baptism. We are also going to pray for those who have put their faith in Christ who may not have been baptized. We are going to pray the same, that the Holy Spirit will move you to be baptized today. The opportunity and the water is here.

Lord, we just thank You for Your word, for Your will, for Your way, and for the commands that You give us for our benefit. We know that through this step of obedience, You promise to do something special in our hearts. We know that it enhances our gospel message as we make that public declaration that we belong to You, that we are in union with You, that we are part of this church family who will welcome us as we make that public declaration.

If you have not put your faith in Christ, we just ask that you repeat: Father, I confess that I have lived a life outside of You and I do not want to do that anymore. From this day on, I accept You into my life as my Lord and my Savior because I truly believe that You sent Your Son to come and die for the removal of my sins, and I am washed clean by His blood.

If you have put your faith in Christ but you have not been baptized, we just pray, Lord, that You move in the hearts of those Your children who have put their trust and faith in Christ. We ask that You compel them through Your Holy Spirit to walk obediently in that first act. We know based upon the authority of Your word that You will do something special in their hearts as they act and respond both in submission and obedience to the command given by Your Son, Jesus, and the example set by Your Son. Amen.