Baptism

[00:00:00] Now it's a great joy to be able to speak about this matter of baptism, although I do feel that our brother Stephen could have done much better than I. But I'll trust the Lord for this time. I want to read one or two scriptures. First in Acts, chapter two and verse 41. [00:00:23] Acts, chapter two, verse 41. [00:00:28] They then that received his word were baptized. [00:00:35] And there were added unto them in that day about 3,000 souls. [00:00:42] They then that received his word were baptized. [00:00:49] Matthew, Gospel of Matthew and chapter 28, and verse 19 and 20. [00:01:02] Matthew 28, 19, 20. [00:01:07] Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. [00:01:35] And then in Romans, chapter six, from verse three, verse six, we were buried. Verse three. Sorry. Are you ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. [00:01:58] We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death. That, like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. [00:02:12] For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. [00:02:22] Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away. [00:02:30] That so we should no longer be in bondage to sin. [00:02:36] For he that hath died is justified from sin. And lastly, in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 17 and 18. 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verses 17 and 18. [00:03:02] Wherefore, if any man be in Christ, there is a new creation. [00:03:11] Old things are passed away. [00:03:14] Behold, all things have become new. [00:03:18] But all things are of God, who reconciled us to Himself through. [00:03:30] Now there are just basically three things that I would like to say to those of you who have asked to be baptized. [00:03:41] Just three matters we will seek to be as simple as possible. [00:03:49] The first thing is this. [00:03:51] That. That baptism is a glorious testimony to an inward experience of the salvation of God. [00:04:02] That's the first thing. [00:04:04] It is a glorious testimony through an inward experience of the salvation of God. [00:04:15] You will notice that it says, they then that received his word were baptized. [00:04:25] Jesus said, go ye therefore, into all the nations. [00:04:31] Go ye therefore make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. [00:04:43] Something precedes baptism. [00:04:50] That is why we believe in believers. Baptism. [00:04:56] Not in adult baptism. [00:04:59] Certainly not in infant Baptism, but in believers, baptism. [00:05:04] Because the only excellent explicit examples we have of baptism in the New Testament are all after people have been converted. [00:05:21] Explicit example. [00:05:23] Now people will immediately say, well, what about when it says she and her household, he and his household, and so on. But that is not an explicit example. [00:05:35] Someone may have a household and every one of them may be gray haired. [00:05:40] It doesn't necessarily follow that there are little babies in a household. [00:05:46] But our explicit examples, our clear cut examples, every one of them is of people who found the Lord and are then baptized. [00:05:57] If we wish to believe in infant baptism, we have to find it sort of hidden, inferred, implied. [00:06:06] But the explicit examples we have, and we have many, are all people who have been saved by the grace of God and have been testified to that salvation almost immediately in the waters of baptism. [00:06:24] Furthermore, we had clear distinct teaching that those who become disciples should be baptized, that those who believe should be baptized, that those that receive the words of the Gospel should be baptized. [00:06:43] It is quite clear. [00:06:45] There is nothing abstract or vague about it. There is not a single word in the New Testament that tells us that children, little babies should be baptized. Not even the babies of the leaving parents. [00:06:59] Now it would take too long to go into all that side of it. The scriptures that are used suffer the little children and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. How water ever got mixed up with that statement of the Lord Jesus, I've yet to find out. But it is one that is quoted again and again and again and then another one. And if you do believe in infant baptism, the only part possible ground for it is in the Reformed doctrine of covenant baptism. That's the only possible ground there might be for infant baptism. And that is simply this, that as circumcision was the sign that you were within the covenant circle, so baptism is the sign that you're in the covenant circle. Now I entirely agree of Colossians 2 says that baptism is like to circumcision. But my great problem is this. We are not in the natural, we are not in the shadow. We are not in the world of type anymore. We are in the fulfillment. We are in the substantial. You understand? [00:08:07] Now of course, baptism follows birth just like circumcision follows birth. You couldn't circumstance someone before they were born. [00:08:17] They had to be born to be circumcised. [00:08:21] And so baptism certainly follows birth, but not natural birth. It follows spiritual birth. [00:08:29] Do you understand? It's so simple. [00:08:32] Well, now we won't say much more about this except that we have many Many examples and much clear cut teaching on this matter that once a person has been born of God, there is nothing that can stop them from being baptized. [00:08:50] What does hinder me? Said the Ethiopian eunuch, what does hinder me to be baptized? Why the man, if we may say it without trying to be funny. [00:09:01] You know, the water was hardly dry on the man, you know, when he was, he was saved before he was in the pool. [00:09:12] Philip had preached to him from Isaiah 53 and preached to him Jesus. And I've often wondered how Philip got to baptism in Isaiah 53. [00:09:24] But somehow or other the man suddenly said, well then, now I see it what hinders me to be baptized. And they stopped the chariot that was waltered over there, down they went into the water and the man was baptized. [00:09:39] It is a glorious testimony to an inward experience. [00:09:43] Not meaning that you've got to know everything. In the New Testament they baptized people at the beginning. They couldn't possibly have told them everything. The 3,000 who were saved on the day of Pentecost, how much could they have possibly known? Maybe there are one or two here. And they say, well, I don't know whether I know the Lord sufficiently. I know him, I, I'm saved. But I'm not sure whether I understand deeply enough, fully enough whether I understand all that you're saying. [00:10:11] But you see, the Word of God says that once we have been saved by the Lord, however partial our sight, we are candidates for baptism. [00:10:22] Because then the Holy Spirit is going to take the rest of our life working out the truth. [00:10:29] Just like a Hebrew boy, a Jewish boy circumcised on the eighth day would spend the rest of his life discovering what that covenant into which he had entered really meant. [00:10:41] So it is with you. How could an 8 year old child understand what the covenant means? How could they understand too much about it? But they grew up, you understand, and they spent the rest of their lives discovering and exploring the meaning of that covenant relationship with, with God. So it is with us. [00:10:59] That's why the apostle Paul is always saying, know ye not that you who were baptized were into Christ, you were baptized into his death? He's always saying it as if you say, now look here, do you remember when you were converted, very shortly afterwards you were baptized. Now do you understand the meaning of your baptism? It is this and this and this. [00:11:23] A glorious testimony to an inward reality, an inward experience of the saving grace of God. That's the first thing. And then the second thing is this. May I just say one more? But I love to call It a testimony. Some people call it a sacrament, some people call it an ordinance. [00:11:47] Some people call it a command. [00:11:50] You know, you hear people saying, why are you being baptized? Well, they say the Lord Jesus commanded it. Well, that is in one sense at least, minimal ground for getting baptized. If the Lord Jesus said we should get baptized, we should get baptized. But I think we need to go farther than that. An ordinance, something commanded just because it's commanded can be very dead. [00:12:11] But a testimony has got to be a living test, hasn't it? You see, a person who can testify, testifying to something firsthand, they may not be able to tell you all the mysteries of God. They may not be able to explain all the problems in the word of God or in life. But they can say, whereas I was blind, now I see. [00:12:31] Whereas once I was spiritually dead, now by the grace of God, I'm alive to him. My eyes have opened. God has done something in my life. He's brought me into an awareness of himself. He's brought me into a tasting of his salvation. [00:12:48] Now, the second thing is that baptism is the setting forth of Calvary, of Christ crucified. [00:12:55] That's why I don't believe in sprinkling. All these old pictures you see of jugs of water being poured over the Lord Jesus in the Jordan either. The where they get it from. [00:13:09] The testimony of baptism isn't to sprinkling. [00:13:13] It is to immersion. [00:13:16] We don't bury a person and sprinkle a bit of earth on them. We really put them right under the ground and solidly cover them. And you see, baptism is a picture of three things. [00:13:28] Death, burial, resurrection. [00:13:32] Now, don't just speak about death and resurrection. Many people say baptism is a picture of death and resurrection. No, it's death, burial and resurrection. Very important. [00:13:43] The scripture makes a lot about the burial of the Lord Jesus. [00:13:47] It was a real person that was buried, a real person that was put in that rock, duan sepulcher, because it's very, very important. That's why the old creed that we not only say dead, but we say buried, because it's a very important point. Now, what is the importance of this whole matter? Well, you see, when you are going into the water, it is a picture of your identification with Christ in his death. And when you're under the water, that is your identification with Christ in his burial. And when you come up out of the water, that is your identification with Christ in his resurrection. To walk now in newness of life. [00:14:34] Death, burial, resurrection. [00:14:40] It's wonderful, isn't it? When you really begin to see it. It's wonderful. You're going to spend a lifetime finding out the meaning of that. When I was baptized, I hadn't got the foggiest idea. I only knew that Jesus had commanded me to be baptized. I was 14. I didn't know. Got baptized, and I just didn't know a thing except that I knew Jesus had commanded it. Down I went. But, my dear child of God, I've spent years discovering the meaning of it. When I first saw it, I think it was about four years after my conversion. Four years after my baptism. It knocked me out for a week. I'd been baptized and I never went and said, now baptize me again. Now. I sinned. I was saved. But you know, the thrill of living in the truth of that thing is wonderful. [00:15:27] Crucified with Christ. The most helpful way I've ever heard it explained or under explained is when Ms. Fishbacher was with us in Richmond quite a few years ago now. I should been about 54, 55 roundabout then. And she explained to Scott, some of us, some of the folks who were going to get that tithe, they were just sitting down talking. And she used an illustration that Brother Me used that she remembered very well. She said, you see, this little piece of paper is you, and this Bible is Christ. And God took you, took you not now, but thousands of years ago and put you in Christ. [00:16:09] Now you can't see you. [00:16:12] You can only see the Bible. [00:16:14] Where's the piece of paper? [00:16:17] In the Bible? [00:16:18] Now, if I put the Bible there. Where is the piece of paper? [00:16:23] On the table. If I put the Bible there. What's happened to the piece of paper? [00:16:29] It's on the floor. [00:16:30] If I take this and put it over here, if this cord goes long enough to the piece of paper, it's on the chair. But you can't see the piece of paper. How do you know? [00:16:45] Because it's in the Bible. [00:16:48] Have you got it? [00:16:51] Have you got it? [00:16:52] You see, God lives always in the eternal present. [00:16:56] And he knew that you were going to come to Christ. And he put you in him. [00:17:01] And when Christ was good, but you were crucified. You don't have to try to be crucified. You are crucified. [00:17:07] You have been crucified. You have to cry and cry and try. Now I must put that old man down. [00:17:14] Maybe if I get baptized, it will happen. [00:17:17] The point is this. Your baptism is a testimony to the fact that you've been crucified with Christ. You've died with Christ and buried With Christ. Some people know what to just be crucified. They don't want you have to be perfect with Christ. [00:17:30] They go around with the dead body all the time it's crucified. But all the time they're letting other people know, oh, it's such a tough life. [00:17:41] Fellowship of his sufferings. [00:17:47] What do we do when we bury somebody? [00:17:50] We put them out of sight. [00:17:54] Out of sight. [00:17:56] And when Christ was buried, you were buried in him. But then, thanks be to God, when Christ was raised, you were raised. [00:18:05] You were raised to walk in newness of life. [00:18:09] Now do you begin to understand that's the meaning of your conversion. Many of us don't understand. You see, we get such a great dichotomy. Do you understand that word? We split into two so beautifully that we say, now here is the salvation and here is holiness, or here is salvation, and here is a experience of the indwelling and empowering of the Holy Spirit, or however else we put it. We like to make a great division. But you know, the apostle Paul doesn't listen to me. He says, I have been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [00:19:01] You see, he. He brings the whole two truths together. Christ died for you. Christ died as you. [00:19:11] He died for you. That you might know forgiveness, that you may be covered, that you might be justified, that you might have a standing before God, forever clothed with the garment of his salvation. [00:19:24] And then he died as you. That you might know freedom from the power of sin, freedom from our self, life now that has to be revealed. [00:19:41] But don't worry enough for you to know that it's the meaning of your baptism when you go into those waters. It is if you're saying, lord, I take my position with Christ in his death, in his burial and in his resurrection. I have died with Christ. I have been buried with my cross. I've been raised with Christ. [00:20:06] Okay, and then there is a third thing about baptism. Now, this may be the deepest, but it is in fact the heart of the whole matter. But you may have to go some years with the Lord before you really begin to. But I'm just going to mention it. It's summed up in those wonderful words in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 17. Wherefore, if any man be in Christ, there is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new, and all things Are of God. Now, of course, the old version says, wherefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. And of course, people get terribly upset like this. I'm always. I'm looking in to see this new creature. [00:20:49] See, where is this new creature? [00:20:51] I think it's much better the way it's put in the margin. There is a new creature, creation. If any man be in Christ, there is a new. [00:21:01] The new creation is not in our old man. [00:21:04] That's been done away with. The new creation is in Christ. And if we're in Christ and abide in Christ, that's where we find the new creation. [00:21:12] New source of life, new foundation, new power, new energy, new everything. A new heart, a new spirit. Oh, walking in units of life. [00:21:24] You see, this world is essentially, listen, a spiritual world. [00:21:31] We think of it as a physical world. It isn't. [00:21:34] For everything which is seen is but the expression of unseen reality. [00:21:41] And this whole world belongs to a fallen order. An old creation, an old man, an old nature, a old Adam, however you like to put it. How could God get us out of that, into a new creation, into a new man, into a new order. [00:21:59] How? [00:22:01] If we lived a thousand years, we couldn't get out of the old man. We couldn't get out of the old creation. Poor Noah. [00:22:13] The only way he got out of the old creation was in an ark made according to the word of God. [00:22:21] And in that ark he came out of an old creation into a new creation. That's why it answers the baptism. [00:22:29] You see, Peter the apostle says it answers the baptism. That's what it is. [00:22:33] Because what has happened is this. Here. You and I are on this side. We can't get over there. There's no way over. I suppose I had a bit of chalk. I could draw it on the blackboard. Hang on, here's some. I have to do it over here. So you're all going to get a squint on that side. [00:22:51] Supposing we said it like this. See, here is an old creation, right? [00:23:03] All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. [00:23:08] There's no difference. All of sin. Not one has managed to get over here to a new creation. [00:23:22] Not one. [00:23:23] We're all trapped there. Not if we live for a thousand years. We pray every day, if we weep every day we read the Bible every day we try to do good works. We still can't get out of there, into there, because none of us can. Come and to the standard of the Lord Jesus Christ. You understand? [00:23:40] And the only way God will get us out of the old creation into the new is by how. [00:23:51] By Calvary. Right? [00:23:55] How did he do it? [00:23:57] Guess. [00:24:01] Right. [00:24:02] Burial, Right. [00:24:07] Resurrection. [00:24:14] Now have you got it? [00:24:17] That was the only way he could get you who were there. You had to go by Christ's death, into his burial, through his resurrection and out into glory. [00:24:28] Think of that. [00:24:30] And that's what baptism testifies to. [00:24:34] Every time a person baptized, that's what the devil sees. [00:24:39] He sees a reenactment of Calvary. [00:24:43] And that's why Satan hates baptism. [00:24:50] No doubt there are others here who can say much more than I about this matter of baptism. [00:24:55] But in my experience I found this, that in when we were in Egypt, a Muslim could believe in Christ. [00:25:02] No one bothered him. If he was a believer in Jesus, he could be saved. He could have an experience and stuff. But the moment he got baptized, he was murdered. [00:25:15] It didn't matter who it was. Many, many of those dear ones in this palia, the company laid down their lives and mother poisoned some sent mad by something put into their food. [00:25:27] And I used to think, well, why, why, why, why does Satan hate this battle of baptism? If we sprinkled them, they wouldn't get hated. But as soon as they get immersed, it's as if all hell is let loose. [00:25:44] And I have come to the conclusion that every time you have a real baptism, it's like a bell tolling for Satan. [00:25:53] It's as if he sees it's not just a question of one little soul out, it's a whole thing. An old order finished. A new order has begun. An old man, finished, vetoed, put away. A new man born, an old creation, wiped out, destroyed. A new creation. [00:26:18] Of course, the wonderful thing is that although we are born and we're in this new creation, we don't see a new heaven and a new earth. Yet still Satan is all around us, still the powers of darkness all around. But thank God we're in Christ and we are heralds of a new day. [00:26:38] And that is, is really the testimony of baptism. Now, you may not fully understand all that. I don't myself. [00:26:49] I mean, I. I told you what I have been able to tell you. But every day, every week I see something more in this amazing thing about being taken out of the old into the new. I know that I couldn't get out of the old myself. I know that I couldn't get out of old Adam. [00:27:06] It was impossible. [00:27:10] But he did it by his death, when he died as Adam and put away that whole old man and his burial when he was put out of sight of God. So that God doesn't all the time have to drag it up and say, now then, just you remember what you were this and this and this, this and this. It's out of God's sight. [00:27:35] All he sees is Christ. [00:27:38] When he looks at you, he sees Christ. [00:27:41] That's a glorious reality, isn't it? That means we can go on with the Lord into all his purpose, into what he wants for us. [00:27:51] I hope that someone says, well, I'm a little afraid after hearing all that, I'm not sure I should be baptized. [00:27:58] I feel that I had no idea that was the meaning of baptism. I just thought that now I become a Christian, I ought to get baptized. Of course. [00:28:09] Do you know that the apostles Peter had hardly finished speaking when they started baptizing the 3,000? [00:28:16] So it seemed. [00:28:19] And you know, 3,000 must have taken some time. And does not that amount of water available in Jerusalem? So, I mean, they must have queued up. Talk about the dinner queue here. I mean, they must have gone right down the whole campus. [00:28:34] And so they went to. [00:28:37] I mean, those dear people only knew one thing. They had heard the word of God. They had believed on the Lamb of God and they had received him into their lives. That's all they knew. And somehow now they were coming. They were saying, lord, I want to be identified. I want to openly, publicly confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. And so they went through. Then they spent the rest of their days discovering rocket men.