What Now:Baptize

Matthew 28:16-20: Kirk Rupprecht 

Commonplace Church exists to glorify God, equip disciples & share the Good News of Jesus. Learn more at commonplacechurch.org

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_02 0:36

We're happy you're here. That's what the tag line is, always. Uh, how's it going? Welcome to Cumble Police Church. My name is Kirk, I'm the pastor here. If you're visiting, checking out a church gathering for the first time, so glad you guys are with us. Uh, maybe here just to support someone today who's getting baptized. Thank you for being here. Like, that's awesome. It's 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning. That's a pretty big pretty big deal, right? Okay. Anyway, um, so we're excited that today is our baptism service, and and we're also excited today because we are closing out uh just this short series we've been doing called uh what now? And what we've been doing through that time um is recognizing, well, let me first, without context, that's a weird thing. Like what now, what? Like what are you talking about, right? So let me give you some context. Context of well, Jesus uh just through when celebrating Easter, Jesus just resurrected, and his disciples, uh, as he appears to them, they're wondering, okay, well, what do we do now, right? Now that Jesus has conquered Satan's sin and death, well, what's what's our purpose? What are we doing? And I love that Jesus meets them in those in that moment, and he's like, Okay, well, here's what you gotta go do. And he shares this. It's um Matthew 28, 16 through 20. We've been looking at this verse for the last three weeks, and it's a really, really good one. It says, Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven on earth have been given to me. Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. So here's here's what we're looking at. This what now? Jesus gives us three different directives. The first one, and we've been looking at each three uh through the last three weeks, but the first one we looked at was to go make decided to go with the good news of the gospel. Then we see the second one is we make disciples along the way. And today we get to look at baptism and how Jesus has commanded us to do that and not just study it, but we get to observe, we get to watch real people declare this incredible truth of Jesus in their lives. And so um, as we are excited to share this opportunity together, I thought it was probably important to maybe share a little bit, well, what is baptism? Kind of look at three things today, really. What is baptism? Why in the world do we dunk people in the water? And uh last, I'm gonna give us um, I'm gonna give us a woo, okay? Like a woo. It's so not really pastoral, but I'm just gonna do it anyway. Um, so here we go. What what is baptism? Well, it's really this, it's at the basic level, uh, it actually derivative from the Greek word it's it's bapto, and that means to immerse in in the in a ritual of like washing, cleansing, and purifying. And this uh this this word actually goes back to uh a Hebrew word and a Hebrew practice that's called mikvah, which is a purification ritual uh used in Jewish tradition. So, what are we uh talking about when it comes to purification? What what is offered here? What is the cleansing? Well, it's really it's washing away what was old, it was washing away things like contaminants, it's removing what doesn't belong. And so when we talk about baptism as uh Christians, at its core, it's it's this it's just an acknowledgement of purification, it's a recognition of cleansing, it's this declaration that something has changed. And displaying this act uh publicly, stating this that I'm not who I once was. I've been made clean. I'll give you a kind of an example of my old life here. In my younger years, I had the opportunity to be in a band, and we decided it'd be a great idea to grow our hair out long. Full rock star mode. Uh, you know, for maximum headbanging effect, of course, right? Now here's the problem. I have thin hair. Thin hair and long hair, that's not a great combination at all, right? I didn't look edgy, I looked greasy. And like my mom, oh bless her heart, always loving, always supportive, but also very honest. She encouraged me to clean it up a little bit. So I did. I got a haircut, right? I got cleaned up, and when I walked back into the room and she looked at me, she's like, Wow, you look like a new man. Right? Now, now that's similar here. Now let's let's be clear though, right? Uh nothing about my soul changed at that moment. However, something visibly changed about my condition, making this declaration that the version of me, right, greasy guitarist, that's not who I am anymore. I'm something different. And baptism works in a similar way, right? Not because we're cleaning up our appearance, it's not like we're just stepping in to take a bath or something, but rather we're declaring something really far deeper. It's this that through the act of baptism, there is this symbolic message of cleansing. What we're saying is similar to kind of my old greasy look, like we're saying, I am new. I've been made new, I'm not who I once was. The book of Hebrews in the Bible gives us a good language for this reality. It says, Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Okay, so that's a short overview of what baptism is. Here's the next question: why? Right? Why does Jesus give us this command as he sends out his disciples? Why do we as Christians, why do we make this declaration? And now here's the thing. I think this question of why matters because while baptism itself might not feel foreign to many of us, what it might feel is maybe just unclear. Maybe like just ambiguous about what the purpose is, what is actually being declared here, right? So baptism, not necessarily unfamiliar, but maybe like ambiguous. Here's what I mean. Most of us, I think, have at least heard of something like a baptism, right? Some of us have attended a baptism ceremony, and for others, maybe it was called something like a christening, right? Now, depending on our backgrounds, we may have been given different examples or different explanations of what baptism actually means. So for some, baptism is presented as this action that brings about salvation or secures someone's eternal salvation, which is why we see in some traditions it's practiced with um with infants, right? And for others, though, baptism is understood quite differently. It's not as something that produces salvation, but it's what proclaims it. Viewed as a response to a commitment that's already been made to Jesus. And that's the understanding of baptism that we um practice here this morning. And let me give you just kind of maybe a clear picture of that. Think about a wedding, okay? A wedding day. See, on the wedding day, a couple stands before a crowd like this and exchanges rings. Now, listen, no one in that room believes that the ring itself creates a marriage. Now, yes, the ring is a valuable part of that ceremony, but the truth is the ring doesn't produce the covenant, it it represents the covenant. That's what we see. It's this visible declaration of an invisible commitment, right? A symbol of devotion. I mean, um, I once lost my wedding ring for a little bit, trying to throw a football in the lake with my son, not a good idea. And just to be clear though, after misplacing my ring, my my wife didn't file for divorce, right? The court didn't revoke our marriage license, right? Why? Because the ring, it wasn't the source of the marriage, it was the symbol of it. And so, in a similar way, we believe baptism functions like that ring. Not as this act that saves someone, but as a declaration of one who is saved. So here's what I want to offer us as maybe some of us have uh found this whole baptism thing maybe a little bit unclear uh or of its purposes. And so here's just an offering from some clarity. And I'm gonna offer it based on scripture and even based on Jesus' life himself. So here's this, it's bath as baptism displays it does not decl it, it it declare it does not declare salvation. Sorry. So here's the thing, in other words, the act of baptism, it's doesn't contain the power to save, it's a visual expression of salvation that has already taken place. Baptism is this public display of devotion, it's stepping into the water and saying, I belong to you, Jesus. My life is changed, I am yours. And so maybe you're asking, so why does our church in particular hold this understanding that we do? Why displaying, not declaring? And I love that question. So let's explore that together just for a little bit. And let's begin by looking at the life of Jesus himself, because Jesus participates in baptism. Look what it says, uh, Matthew 3. Then Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, I need to be the one baptizing you, but you come to me. But Jesus answered him, Let it be so now, for thus is it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were open to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove coming to rest on him. Behold, a voice from heaven that said, This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. So Jesus, he participates in baptism. And so that naturally leads us to a follow-up question. Well, why? Right? And then let's go back to the two ideas we laid out. Baptism declares salvation or displays it? Because if baptism, if it um declares salvation, then we have to ask this was Jesus being baptized because he needed to be saved? Right? Did Jesus need salvation? Now, scripture gives us, I think, some clear answers. Paul he refers to Jesus as the one who knew no sin. Hebrews tells us he, as our high priest, was without sin. Peter says he committed no sin, neither was deceit in his mouth. For John says this, you know that he appeared in order to take away sins. In him there is no sin. So let's let's frame the question again, right? Did Jesus need to be saved from the penalty of sin? I would offer no. Which means if Jesus, the sinless one, participates in baptism, that that creates like a real challenge to the idea that baptism itself produces salvation. I think scripture reveals that declaration of something new in baptisms, that's true. And we actually see this in Jesus' baptism. I'm gonna give us just a quick example. It says, um, that this is fascinating. If you think about where Jesus was baptized, it's in the Jordan River. Now, if you know the history of the people of God, what took place at the Jordan River years prior to this was this moment that God's people they entered into the promised land. It's this powerful moment in the history of Israel, and it adds this layer of symbolism to Jesus' baptism. The beauty that it takes place in Jordan, here's what Jesus is doing: He's making this declaration of this new promised land found through him, the kingdom of God ushered in by his presence. So, so once again, his baptism, it doesn't seem to be declaring some sort of personal salvation. If anything, it's this aspect of salvation offered for all. It's really fascinating. And yet there's there's this idea and argument for baptism as salvation that also states this. Well, that um Jesus was just, you know, modeling baptism as a future means for for others. And I appreciate uh that thought, but I think that idea, I think it falls a little short. Because when we look at other accounts in scripture, for instance, we see in Acts chapter 8, we're introduced to this Ethiopian man, and he's reading the scriptures, but he doesn't know, um, he doesn't understand them. And so bring on this this guy, Philip, who comes alongside him and he explains the gospel, the good news about Jesus. And something happens in that moment. The man believes, and then after belief, what happens? He's baptized. You see, you see the order that's established there? Gospel proclaimed, faith received, baptism follows. And the takeaway is this baptism doesn't initiate salvation, it responds to it. It's this outward display of this inward transformation. Look what it says in Acts. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with the scripture, he told them the good news about Jesus. So what is this Phil? What does Philip offer this man? The gospel, the good news, and that's step one. And the gospel, according to uh scripture, is this it's it's Paul says he's not ashamed of the gospel because it's the power of God for what? For salvation. Salvation for to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and then also to the Greek. So Paul tells us that it's the gospel, that's the power of God for salvation. And so this Ethiopian eunuch, he hears the gospel from Philip, and according to the word of God, he receives salvation. Then notice what happens after this. He says, and they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water, what prevents me from being baptized. Did you see the order here? Right? He receives salvation, and then he immediately recognizes, I want to publicly declare what I have received. And so he he takes a step to baptism. Now, now think about this, okay? Philip, he is one of Jesus' disciples, and if if this man was in the wrong order, right, he could have corrected this man if he was in the if the process was out of order, right? If baptism were the thing that produces salvation, if it were the uh the declaration that actually makes it happen, being saved, Philip could have said this. He'd be like, oh, hold on, man, right? Go jump in the water first, and then when you come out, I'll tell you the gospel. But that's not what happens. Why? Because just just like we're saying this morning, baptism it doesn't declare that salvation, it just displays it. And with that acknowledgement, it's possible that we're left with just one additional question. Okay, how how does going underwater actually display salvation, right? Or how does it uh display just the the beauty of salvation that is taking place, right? And that's a great question. And so here's what what's being shown. So at its core, baptism once again is displaying a cleansing, it's a purification, it's transformation. And Romans gives us language for this. It says, Do you not do you not know that all of us who've been baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too might walk in newness of life. So here's what's being uh displayed that from birth, okay, we exist in the presence of sin. We're not just around it, but we're affected by it, we're marked by it, we're shaped by it, each one of us. And sin isn't just something out there, it's something that's worked its way uh into our all of our lives. Our thoughts, our choices, our hearts. And now, I know for some people that might sound extreme, right? Like you might say, like, listen, wait a second, I'm a good person, like I know I know good people, and and I hear that. But but sin's presence doesn't mean there's no good in the world, but it does challenge the idea that we are somehow naturally perfect or innocent or up to God's standard. And I'll give you uh just an example, and we have wonderful uh little humans with us right now, but if you've ever raised a toddler, right, uh you know exactly what I'm talking about. Those little humans are adorable, but nobody had to teach them how to like lie, how to grab what's not theirs, how to throw full-blown meltdowns, right? That wasn't learned behavior, that was revealed behavior. And scripture tells us this all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So even if we consider ourselves good, we have to admit we're not perfect. I know I'm not. And because of sin, we need something to cleanse us, to forgive us. We need restoration. We need what Jesus tells us, we need new life. Jesus offered this to Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees. He says in John's gospel, he says, we must be born again. He says, the old life marked by sin, it needs to be cleansed, it needs to be purified, it needs to be made new. And that's exactly what happens when we receive and respond to the gospel. This good news that Jesus, he offers us new life. That when we repent and we turn from our sin and turn to him, he gives us his righteousness, he gives us his perfection, he gives us this new standing before a holy God. It's this restored relationship, and along with it, it's this gift of eternal life to be in his presence forever. And so, baptism, it displays this incredible beauty, this beautiful reality of what Christ has done. Right? When someone gets in the water, it symbolizes this the old life is buried, the sin it's covered, the past is washed away. And yet, here's the beauty of um, and maybe this is especially uh encouraging for those who've been baptized today. We don't leave you underwater, right? Uh we bring you back up. Why? Because baptism isn't just about death, it's about life, it's about resurrection, right? It's coming out of the water. That's a picture of new life, resurrected life, life from the beauty of the gospel. Jesus doesn't just put the old to death and leave it there, he raises up something new, and that happens the moment we receive and respond to the message of the gospel. And that's exactly what we are getting to celebrate in baptism today. So that's the what and the why, right? Let's close our time with the woo. Here we go. Uh the so my woo encouragement is twofold. First, for those who are followers of Jesus here today, um, Jesus gives this command to display this new life. Yes, it's a command, but I think it's something more. I think it's an opportunity. Right? Think about a wedding day. You gather friends, loved ones together, and you you make this to make a commitment, and not just to make a commitment, but also to celebrate it, right? To display it. And baptism is a similar moment. It's this opportunity to say the world around you, Jesus has changed my life. And so here's my encouragement, here's my my woo. If you're a follower of Jesus and you've never taken the step, hey, what's what's stopping you today? Right? Think think back to Philip and the the Ethiopian official, right? The moment that he received new life, he looked around, he's like, Where's the water? Right? Not that he was thirsty, but because he wanted to declare what Jesus had done. And so if that's you this morning, you're a follower of Jesus, never been baptized, listen, do it, go for it. It doesn't have to be like a perfect perfect moment to display the love and the grace and the mercy of God. Right? We we got shorts, we got t-shirts, we got towels, right? We got a horse trough. Like, come on, right? The heart of the eunuch today, you feel eunuch, just step in, right? Display what Christ has done in your life. Here's the second woo. Those of you who are still exploring Jesus, so glad you're here. Maybe, maybe you're trying to figure this whole faith thing out. Get it, I've been there myself. Uh maybe you've had difficult or even painful experiences with church or even religion. I I just I just want to say that as clear as I can. See, what Jesus offers you and me is greater than anything else we've ever been offered in this life. Now, now here's the thing: we may have received an incredible job opportunity, may have gotten into amazing school, maybe met someone we spend our life with, and those are beautiful gifts. But every one of those, the reality is comes with limits. One day the job ends, at some point the school is over. Even our deepest human relationships are touched by things like loss. And that's the reality of every offer in this world. But but Jesus makes an offer that's very different. It's an offer with no expiration, there's no timeline, there's no end, it's an offer of eternal life. It's an offer where he promises this. He says, I will never leave you, I will never forsake you. He's present in our joy, he's present in our suffering, he's present when even in our questions, he's present in our he's present in our pain, and his presence doesn't just last for this life, it extends all throughout eternity. And that's the good news of the gospel. Jesus came to rescue and save sinners. On the cross, he took the penalty of our sin. Through his resurrection, he defeated death and he offers us new redeemed life. And I love this. This offer isn't based on what we can bring, it's not based on something we can earn through our good works that can't be achieved through our effort. It's just a gift of grace. It's the beauty of a merciful and loving God, and all that's required of us is to turn, turn from our sin, turn to Him, and to receive forgiveness and receive new life that He offers. I would just say, let today be that day for you. So I'm gonna pray for us, and we're gonna turn our attention to celebrate the baptisms in just one moment. So let me pray. Yeah, let's get rowdy, okay? Uh after I pray, we'll get rowdy. Uh Lord, we thank you for uh just who you are. Thank you for the message of the gospel. Thank you that we can uh just spend time today celebrating new life, God. And uh I I I'm just I'm pumped about it. Let's go. Amen. Love you, amen.

unknown 22:05

Joey.

SPEAKER_04 22:06

Hey, let's do this. So uh honored and privileged to be here today, um being a part of this Baptism Sunday. Uh we have five people today. Um really, really great. Um yeah, first up, let's get this started. Uh we're gonna have Nettie Wallace come on up. It's it's pretty good. It's boring. It's boring. John did a great job. Come over here. Come on over to this side. You're kicking us off. Why do you want to be baptized today?

SPEAKER_05 22:38

Oh, because of my faith in the love of Jesus. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 22:44

Let's get in. Let's do it.

SPEAKER_02 22:54

Just like a hot tub.

SPEAKER_05 23:03

Turn off face out. Oh God.

SPEAKER_04 23:10

Have you have you placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

unknown 23:14

I have.

SPEAKER_04 23:17

With that declaration, it's my honor and privilege to baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Next up, uh, we have Jason Sliker. Come on up, Jason. We've got your towel already here. Jason, why do you want to be baptized today?

SPEAKER_00 24:05

Uh I've been on a long journey for trying to figure out myself and God, and I feel uh clearly pulled in this direction, and I choose to trust Jesus and walk forward with a clear mind and open heart.

SPEAKER_04 24:17

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

Amen. Let's get in.

SPEAKER_04 24:20

Thanks, Peter. Have you placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? I have. With that public declaration, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

unknown 24:43

Awesome.

SPEAKER_04 24:44

Next up, we have Robin and Matthew Stolito. Matthew uh decided this morning you want to get baptized, so we're gonna bring them both up right now. Come on up, come on up. Robin, we'll have you go first. Why do we want to be baptized today?

SPEAKER_01 25:05

Um, so I was baptized when I was a baby, um, but today is my choice, and Jesus has showed up for me over the past year, so today I'm gonna show up for him.

SPEAKER_04 25:14

Amen. Amen. Let's get in.

SPEAKER_05 25:23

All right. This isn't really that bad.

SPEAKER_04 25:32

Robin, have you faced placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

unknown 25:36

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 25:37

Uh with that public declaration, uh, it's my honor and privilege to baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This morning you decided why today? Why do you want to be baptized today?

SPEAKER_03 26:03

Um, I've just been wanting to cloth like clo Oh my gosh. Like just grow grow closer to Jesus for a little while. And I feel like this has just been a big step into doing that. So that's why I want to do it. Excellent.

SPEAKER_04 26:26

Matthew, have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Yes, I have. With that, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_02 26:44

So just some cool things. Um sorry, jumping in, but uh so Robin, I will say it was gonna be outside, right? And so I sent an email out like, hey, we changed it inside. She's like, I'm in. So this is way better, right? Um and let's say, like we shared, uh, if you are a follower of Jesus and you haven't been baptized, we just want to encourage you. You can you can do that today. I will tell you this pool, this little horse drop will not be here every Sunday. I wish it could, but um, so if today's that day, just uh we got towels, we got shorts, t-shirts. Feel free. All right.

SPEAKER_04 27:20

Bud legs, Bud Lake's always there. It just I mean, you know.

SPEAKER_02 27:25

I I did get baptized in Bud Lake, so if you're wondering what's wrong with me, there you go.

SPEAKER_04 27:31

We love Bud Lake. Um, I'm never swimming it, but we love it. Um last one up, um, Josh Miller. Got that towel, got that towel. Come on over. Josh. How are you, man? I'm good, Joey. How are you? I'm good, I'm good.

SPEAKER_06 28:00

Oh why are we here? Why do you want to be baptized today? Um, I felt lost for a very long time, and Jesus never stopped pursuing me. He found me, and uh I laid myself at his feet, and he did wonderful things in my life, he worked in me. So if you feel lost, there's always hope. All right, and there's hope in Jesus.

SPEAKER_04 28:20

Amen. Josh, thank you. Let's go let's go do this.

SPEAKER_02 28:30

We need like an arrow or something. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:34

Josh, did you place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

SPEAKER_06 28:38

Absolutely, I have.