THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BAPTISM
Matthew 3:4-17
Introduction: Why, at Hope Church, do we baptize people by immersion
in water? Is it because we are a Baptist Church? Or is there any significance
to this bold and public act of Baptism? We baptize people at Hope Church
because Baptism is one of the two ordinances that Jesus instituted for the
Church. Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, he commanded his disciples,
saying, "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." Matt 28:19-20.
This ordinance gives the Church a
mandate to go out and preach, teach, and make disciples of "all
nations" and all peoples and baptize them until Jesus returns. At Hope
Church, we follow the command and baptize people by immersion when they confess
their faith in Jesus.
Today, we will have the privilege of witnessing five people
who are taking this bold step of radical obedience and will be baptized in the
waters of Lake Massapoag. It will be a glorious moment to welcome these individuals
into God's family and our fellowship at Hope Church. If you have been baptized
through immersion, reflect on that moment, the place, and the people who
cheered you on. Let's give similar support to and celebrate these five
individuals.
Whether you have already been baptized or want to be baptized
but have some questions, it would be beneficial for all of us to reflect once
again on the Significance of Baptism in a fresh way. So that we may appreciate
this God-given ordinance and encourage others to be baptized through immersion
in water, as it is presented in the scriptures. Matthew 3:4-17
John the Baptist preached the message of the Kingdom, calling
people to repentance and urging them to prepare for the coming of the Messiah.
The crowds responded to his message and were baptized in the Jordan River. That
list included Pharisees, Sadducees, and tax collectors.
"Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment,
heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
alighting on him. And a voice came from heaven, saying, This is my Son, whom I
love; with him I am well pleased." You may wonder why, if people were
repenting and getting baptized by John, Jesus, being the Son of God, was
baptized as well?
I.
Why Was Jesus Baptized?
Jesus was the perfect Son of God, and He had never sinned;
yet John baptized Him. Here are a few reasons. First, John baptized Jesus to
introduce Him as the Messiah. John and the world at that point were eagerly
waiting for the Messiah to come. However, no one knew who that would be or how
to recognize Him when He came, including John. But God told John to baptize
people, and on whom he sees the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will
baptize people with the Holy Spirit. (John 1:32-34). That was precisely what
John saw!
Secondly, I learned from my study that John was from a
priestly background, as both his parents were descendants of Aaron. (Lk 1:5). One
of the priestly duties is to present pure animals as sacrifices before the
Lord. John's Baptism of Jesus could be seen as a priestly presentation of the
Ultimate Sacrifice. John's words the day after the Baptism point to Jesus being
that sinless, perfect sacrifice: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away
the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).[1]
Thirdly, Jesus'
Baptism signifies that He identified with sinners whom He came to seek, save,
and fill with the Holy Spirit. Later, He would command His disciples to go and
baptize people in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.
The most
significant aspect of Jesus' Public Baptism was that the triune God was
revealed in glory. The same triune God gets involved every time a sinner
repents of their sin and is baptized in the waters.
II. Why Should We be Baptized?
We saw the
reasons why Jesus was baptized. Some of you might have these questions: I got
saved, isn't that just enough? Why should I be baptized? Or, I was baptized as
a child by sprinkling; why should I be baptized again by immersion? First,
let's address why I should be baptized after getting saved. In the scriptures,
salvation requires believing in God and repenting of sins, and it is always
followed by an outward expression of that inward faith through Baptism.
I would like us
to examine this pattern of salvation in the following scriptures. Jesus
commanded the disciples, saying, "Go into all the world and preach the
Gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved."
Mark 16:16. After hearing Peter's message, the crowds were cut to the heart and
said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do? Peter
replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Three thousand people were
baptized that day. Acts 2:37:38.
The Evangelist
Philip explained the Gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch on the desert road that
goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. After understanding the Gospel, as they came
by some water, the Eunuch said, "Look, here is water. What can stand in
the place of my being baptized? Both Philip and the Eunuch went down into the
water, and Philip baptized him. The Holy Spirit took Philip away, and the
Eunuch returned home rejoicing. Acts 8:26:40.
Look at Saul, the
persecutor of the Church, whose life was divinely touched and radically
transformed after he believed in Christ and was baptized. Acts 9. We see a
pattern here: Baptism is always preceded by believing and repenting of sins.
For these reasons, we believe in adult baptism by immersion. What is standing
in your way of getting baptized? Is it a church tradition where you were born
and raised? Or purely a lack of understanding? I was baptized as a child, but upon
coming to understand what Baptism is, I was baptized again by immersion.
III. What is the Significance of
Baptism?
1. When we are baptized, we are
obeying the Command of Jesus
In
obedience to Christ's command, the early disciples went everywhere preaching
the Gospel and baptizing people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. They taught the new believers to obey everything that Christ
commanded them, which includes Baptism. Therefore, every time we get baptized
and baptize others, we are obeying Jesus' commandment.
2 In
Baptism, we are identifying with the death and the resurrection of Christ.
Paul,
writing to the Roman believers, reminds them of this remarkable aspect of
identifying with Christ. Romans 6:3-4, "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." When we are immersed in the water, we identify with the death
and burial of Christ. And when we come up out of the water, we identify with
Christ's resurrection.
3. Baptism
signifies that we now belong to the Body of Christ, the Church
Galatians
3: 26-28, "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through
faith, 27 for
all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ. 28 There is neither
Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Through
Baptism, everyone who confesses Christ, including these five who will be
baptized soon, becomes part of God's family. For them to grow in their newfound
life in Christ, they must join a local church, just as the 3,000 people who
were baptized in the book of Acts did.
Being part of God's family through Baptism is a privilege
that God allows us to enjoy while we remain on this earth. We welcome these
five brothers and sisters into the Hope Church family. We are committed to
praying and supporting them in their spiritual journey.
