I. Introduction

A. Illustration – Baptism, being submerged in water as a sign of new life in Christ, has taken many forms throughout the history of the church. In the early church, new believers had to undergo intense discipling for three years before they would be allowed to be baptized. And then baptism was generally only done on Easter morning. Why? Because there were so many who would receive Christ and be baptized, but then when persecution came they would fall away. That is all too common today, but we tend look at baptism differently now. So what does the Bible say about baptism?

B. We’ll be looking at several passages from the New American Standard Bible to find out what baptism means for us. Or, individually, what baptism means for me.

II. Trading the Old for the New

A. Baptism is God’s will for me. Luke 3:1-3 from the NASB – Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanius was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Baptism was a ritual well known to the Jews, who used it to induct new converts into their religion. But God specifically called and empowered John to baptize, not into the old religion, but into a new one, one where repentance meant a lot more than ritual. First God put His word on John’s heart, then John went out and proclaimed a new baptism. God puts His word on my heart when He calls me from a life of sin, so I can repent of my sins and move forward in personal relationship with Him. The ministry that God gave John still holds true for us today. Baptism is God’s will for me.

B. Baptism helps me die to my self and live for God. Romans 6:3-7 – Or 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 as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. Being baptized marks me as a member of the Body of Christ, the One who died for me. It is Christ’s death that brings me newness of life, that makes me alive spiritually when I used to be dead. If I recognize that my baptism is symbolic of Christ’s death on the cross, and that as a partaker of baptism I am a partaker in His death, that changes my thinking a bit. I can remember that my old self was crucified with Him so that I can be free from sin, and free to live forever with Him. In Philippians 3:10-11, Paul wrote, I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. That’s the kind of perspective that dying to self brings. That’s the kind of perspective being baptized should bring, because it is symbolic of the death and resurrection of Christ. Baptism helps me die to my self and live for God.

C. Baptism helps me to be faithful to God when I’m persecuted. Luke 12:49-53 - “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51 Do you suppose I have come to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members in a household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Jesus wasn’t saying that He is a divisive person. He’s saying that His death and resurrection will bring such intense persecution that families will be split. That’s a powerful and sobering statement. Jesus underwent an incredibly painful baptism of suffering so that His fire, His Spirit, would spread across the earth. My baptism is a reminder of that truth. In America we’ve genteelized Christianity a bit. We’ve painted it as a nice experience that won’t ever cause me trouble. After all, if God loves me He isn’t going to bring anything too painful into my life, right? The countless persecuted Christians in our world today and across the centuries testify otherwise. Jesus said we’d be persecuted, all of us, if we’re living a vital and true faith in Him. Baptism reminds me of the trials Jesus went through, and since He went through them, He can help me through my trials and persecutions as well. Baptism helps me to be faithful to God when I’m persecuted.

D. Baptism calls me to unity with other believers through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:1-6 – Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were also called in one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. There have been many times in my life and particularly in my marriage when I’ve gotten myself into big trouble by insisting on having things my own way. We’ve all done the exact same thing! Baptism brings us all on a level playing field, in which love and peace and kindness and mercy and unity rule. The only thing that disrupts unity is when we forget that our own opinions and preferences aren’t more important than anybody else’s. In fact, none of our opinions and preferences are more important than God and His will for us. We’re all on the same team, whether Foursquare or Free Methodist or Baptist or Evangelical. Baptism calls me to unity with other believers through the Holy Spirit.

E. Baptism does not earn me God’s salvation. Colossians 2:11-12 from The Message – Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in – insiders – not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. Nothing I can do can ever save me. Period. Baptism can’t. Good deeds can’t. Sacrifices can’t. Nothing can earn me salvation. There are so many “good people” in our world who by the world’s standards should have a free pass into heaven. But salvation only comes through faith in Christ. God expects us to do good works out of loving obedience to Him, but those good works can’t save us. Titus 3:4-7, which we looked at a couple of weeks ago, emphasizes that point and shows us what baptism does – But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing and regeneration ad renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. We can’t earn our salvation, but God uses what we do out of obedience to Him for His glory. Baptism does not earn me God’s salvation.

F. Baptism is a wonderful sacrament that God has given us as both a tool for growth and a testimony to His love. If you’ve been baptized, remember what Christ has done and is doing and wants to do in you. If you haven’t been baptized and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, pray and seek God’s will about being baptized. Regardless, we’ve all got to walk in heartfelt obedience if we’re going to become like Jesus and help others do the same. Otherwise, it’s just a meaningless ritual.

G. Illustration – Dr. M. R. DeHaan wrote, "In the early days of the church. . . , baptism was a declaration that the believer was definitely identifying himself with that group of people who were called Christians and were despised and hated. To be a Christian meant something. To identify yourself with those who were called Christians meant persecution, maybe death; it meant being ostracized from your family, shunned by friends. And the one act which was the final declaration of this identification was BAPTISM. As long as a man gathered with Christians, he was tolerated, but when once he submitted to baptism, he declared to all the world, I BELONG TO THIS DESPISED GROUP, and immediately he was persecuted, hated, and despised. In baptism, therefore, the believer entered into the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. A person might be a believer and keep it strictly a secret and thus avoid unpleasantness and suffering, but once he submitted to public baptism he had burned his bridges behind him. . ." (as cited on SermonCentral.com).

H. Are we willing to so live our faith as to risk being despised and hated by the world around us? Are we willing to be the people God created us to be so that we can not only experience the fullness of baptism by becoming like Christ, but also help others know and become like Him?

III. Conclusion

A. I’d like you to please bow your heads and close your eyes out of respect for each other’s privacy. Let’s spend a few quiet moments thinking and praying about these questions.

B. Let’s pray together.