Steve Gentry
[0:00] Good morning. Welcome to the Village. [0:02] My name is Steve. I’m one of the pastors here. [0:04] If this is your first Sunday with us, things are going to go a little different today. [0:10] We’re having what we consider a celebration today of lives changed through the gospel of Jesus. [0:17] Now, if you’ve been to some baptism services, you probably are used to the pastor maybe standing way back in a sauna, [0:26] in a Jacuzzi, and after the service.
[0:30] But what we do here is we do it during the service. [0:32] We make it our mainstay because what baptism is, it’s what Jesus commanded for us to be about and seeing people redeemed. [0:41] And I’m not going to be baptizing everybody today. [0:43] The way we do it here at the Village is community group leaders baptize people in their community groups. [0:48] And so what you’re going to see today is I’ll be baptizing one guy because he’s in my group. [0:52] And then you’re going to see other community group leaders come up after that.
[0:55] And they’re going to tell you the testimony of the person that they’re baptizing about the life change that Jesus is working into their lives.
[1:04] I just want to spend a few minutes right now kind of unpacking baptism for us. [1:12] Unpacking, why is it that we as a church choose to take a whole service to just baptize a few people? [1:19] Why don’t we just do it kind of as an afterthought? [1:23] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to Matthew chapter 28. [1:28] I mentioned a little earlier that baptism is what the church is to be all about. [1:35] And I’m sure some warning flags went off in some of your minds as maybe you define it differently.
[1:41] But what I want to do today is I want to show you in scripture in Matthew 28 what I want to do for just, if you give me 10 minutes, [1:47] I want to almost unpack our vision as a church. [1:50] Why is it that we exist? [1:52] Why did we plant a church in Midlothian? [1:55] Matthew chapter 20, I’m going to start reading in verse 18.
[2:00] And Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [2:09] That’s a beautiful reality to live in is when we understand that all authority is in Jesus because He is God. [2:19] And then in verse 19 He says, go therefore, and what He means there is He says, because I have all authority, do this. [2:27] Live in that reality. [2:29] And He says, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. [2:38] Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
[2:43] And behold, I’m with you always to the end of the age. [2:47] What Jesus is doing here is He is ascending up into heaven. [2:51] He’s going to sit at the right hand of the Father. [2:53] He has accomplished His mission on earth. [2:55] He has brought salvation. [2:57] He has died a substitutionary death on behalf of His redeemed.
[3:01] And then He has risen from the dead, winning victory over sin and death, bringing life to all who will believe. [3:09] And then He spends a few days on earth with His followers. [3:12] And then He begins to ascend up and they’re undoubtedly confused as to why Jesus is leaving them. [3:17] And He tells them here, He says, I’m leaving because now I give my mission, which has been accomplished, which you can trust in fully. [3:25] I give it to you to take to the nations. [3:30] He says, go and tell people of the victory that they can have and that they will have if they will trust in Me.
[3:40] He says, make disciples, teach them to follow Me. [3:43] Teach them to observe all that I’ve commanded them. [3:47] But interestingly in there, it’s almost something that we pass over as a dead ritual or a dead tradition. [3:54] He says, baptize them.
[3:57] And sometimes we just do it because it’s the religious thing to do. [4:00] Sometimes we do it because we thought that’s just what happens. [4:04] But what Jesus does there is He gives us a symbol or a action that we can take to show the world the work that God has done in our lives through the death and resurrection of Jesus and through our trusting in Him. [4:20] What you’re going to see today is a couple of people coming up here and showing you visibly and tangibly the work that God has done and the work that God is going to continue doing in their lives through the Gospel of Jesus. [4:40] What we’re going to do today is we’re actually going to partake of two things that we call sacraments here. [4:46] We’re going to see baptism happen and then communion happen.
[4:50] Two things that God through Jesus has commanded His church to do. [4:55] And sometimes you ever slow down and say, why in the world do we do this stuff?
[5:01] And the easiest thing to do is because Jesus said so. [5:05] But I think sometimes it’s far more helpful if we just slow down and unpack it for a minute. [5:08] What is this? What is this water for? [5:13] Well, first thing I want you to understand that a sacrament by definition, because it’s not a word that’s in scripture, sacrament is a visual sign of an inward grace. [5:24] It’s a visual sign to us what God is doing in the lives of those who are following Jesus. [5:30] This is far more than something that you do with no thought because it’s what the pastor or your parents or whoever’s in charge tells you to do.
[5:40] It’s far more than that. What it does is it portrays. [5:43] Baptism portrays the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to all who are present. [5:52] So this is not something that we’re going to do today so that we can convince a few people that if they get in this water that they will be saved. [6:03] What we’re doing today is these people are coming up and they’re professing to you, I have been saved. [6:09] I have been transformed by Jesus, and I want to walk in the transformation because as they go down into the water, [6:18] we see in Colossians chapter two verses 11 through 12 what exactly it is that they’re doing in that verse.
[6:26] It says in him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. [6:33] Understand he’s talking about the Old Testament practice of circumcision and every guy just squirmed a little bit. [6:40] But what he’s saying is is what you’re doing is this is your portraying a circumcision that is made without hands. [6:48] In other words, it is a supernatural act that you are professing to all people. [6:54] What he says by putting off the body of flesh by the circumcision of Christ having been buried with him in baptism, [7:01] in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God who raised him from the dead.
[7:11] So as they go down into that water, what they’re showing to us today is that they have been crucified with Christ. [7:20] Their sin has been dealt with on the cross and that they’re dead to it. [7:26] They’re not enslaved to it any longer. They don’t have to live, condemn any longer. [7:34] And coming down into the water is portraying that death and burial. [7:38] But understand that rather than dirt, we do it by water and the reason we do it by water is because it is a temporary state in which that death does not reign. [7:47] Instead, they go in water, which throughout scripture, water constantly represents the purifying work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the one who believes and trusts and follows God.
[7:59] So as they go down into the water, what they’re showing is, is that not simply is their sin in a static state of death, but rather it’s been a purification of death that God has dealt with their sin. [8:12] And the water symbolizes the purification of the Holy Spirit coming into their lives. [8:17] And then they come up out of the water and what that is showing us this morning is that their sin is behind them and they walk forward through the resurrection of Jesus, which was quite literal. [8:28] And in this water, their resurrection to new life in Jesus is quite literal as well.
[8:35] So what they’re saying today is that I want to follow Jesus the rest of my days. [8:40] And that I trust him to take my sin, but to also give me his life of righteousness.
[8:51] Because baptism proclaims new life in Jesus. [8:57] In Romans chapter 6, Paul gives us a couple of interesting words to live by.
[9:08] Beginning in verse 3, he says, do you not know? [9:11] And you’ve got to understand the writings of Paul. [9:14] Typically when he says, do you not know, what he’s doing is he’s being a little facetious with you. [9:19] He’s saying, this is obviously something that you don’t know. [9:22] And sometimes I think for us, it’s something that we don’t know. [9:25] He says, do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
[9:33] We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, [9:42] we too might walk in newness of life. [9:47] And then skipping down to verse 10. [9:51] For the death he died, he died to sin once for all. [10:00] It takes a lot of trust to believe.
[10:05] But the life he lives, he lives to God. [10:09] So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. [10:19] Understand what we’re seeing today is a visible representation of this very work. [10:26] And Paul says, baptism and the function of baptism is to proclaim the reality of the gospel to all who are present. [10:35] And then to live a life in which we proclaim the gospel through our very lives, in which we do not walk tangled and mired in sin. [10:45] But rather we walked in a passionate love for Jesus, in love and in worship of him.
[10:55] Living a life in such a way that in Matthew chapter 28 we will see verse 19 become a reality. [11:03] Not for those who are more committed, more talented, more precious to God than I am. [11:09] But through Jesus, God uses the great equalizer and he says, every one of you are precious. [11:15] Every one of you have been given gifts. Every one of you have a talent. [11:19] Because it is a work of the Holy Spirit in your life in which you walk to see God. [11:26] Use your redemption to see countless thousands of other redeemed through your life and testimony of Jesus.
[11:36] In which God says, who will go for us in Isaiah chapter 6. [11:40] But in Matthew chapter 28 he doesn’t say it to one man, he says it to all who believe. [11:46] And he doesn’t even ask, he says, you go.
[11:50] If you believe in Jesus, you’ll go. If you’ve trusted in Jesus, you’ll go. [11:55] If you’ve been transformed by Jesus, you’ll go. [11:57] You will stop living for these temporary, pointless material blessings that we have in this life. [12:02] And you will begin to live a life in which you show the world where your passion is consumed by. [12:09] And it is consumed by a loving relationship between you and God. [12:14] That Jesus has earned you.
[12:16] Where in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 he says, we have been reconciled to God through Jesus.
[12:24] God killing his own son on our behalf. [12:27] So that we could become ambassadors of reconciliation. [12:33] So that all will believe.
[12:36] Who must go?
[12:39] Today we’re going to baptize 3 people.
[12:43] They must go.
[12:47] If you’ve trusted in Jesus, you must go.
[12:55] Finally, baptism identifies discipleship in the church. [13:02] In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul writes, for in one spirit we were all baptized into one body. [13:08] Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, I love that. [13:12] The gospel is the great equalizer.
[13:15] And all were made to drink of one spirit.
[13:22] Today when they come up, what they’re saying to you as a church and to myself as well,
[13:30] is I want to be discipled.
[13:33] I want to follow Jesus.
[13:36] But they’re also saying, I do it in front of you because I’m not in this alone.
[13:43] They’re proclaiming to you as the body of Christ in the local sense that we see set up in Acts chapter 2. [13:50] What they’re saying to you today is I want to join in community with you. [13:55] And I want to engage the world around us with the gospel, but I don’t know how. [14:00] Help me.
[14:04] Help me. [14:06] See in the village, we have a huge focus and emphasis on community. [14:11] Because we were not meant to follow Jesus alone. [14:15] And time after time I meet people even inside this church and you’re trying so hard. [14:21] You want to do it by yourself.
[14:24] But the gospel says, we’re in this together. [14:29] The gospel is set up in such a way that you can’t disciple yourself. [14:35] You can’t get alone. [14:36] Just me and Jesus, that’s all I need. [14:37] The gospel says you need the body of Christ because you’re in the body of Christ. [14:44] If you’re in Jesus, you’re in his body.
[14:46] So today what they’re doing is they’re saying, I want to be in community with you. [14:50] And I want to live the mission of Jesus to this world around us. [14:52] I want to see Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20. [14:55] I want to see it fulfilled in my life. [14:57] And I want to do it. [14:58] But help me.
[14:59] Teach me. [15:00] Every single person that’s going to go in this water today is in a community group. [15:04] For that very purpose. [15:07] Because when you are baptized, you’re baptized into the name of the original community. [15:17] God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. [15:23] Perfect unity.
[15:26] Three persons.
[15:30] One God. [15:31] You see, when man fell, the greatest split that took place was between us and God. [15:39] But understand it was not the death of community because community existed long before we did. [15:44] It exists and will continue to exist in the Godhead. [15:48] The three in one. [15:50] And when they’re baptized today, we baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[15:55] Specifically because they’re being baptized into community. [15:59] That’s why this concept of reconciliation is so important. [16:03] Because they’re being reconciled with God. [16:05] In community with God. [16:07] But they’re also reconciled with you. [16:09] In community with you.
[16:11] Because Paul says in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 33, he says the body of Christ is the fullness of Christ. [16:19] Who fills all in all. [16:21] In other words, as Jesus fills up his church with his Holy Spirit, [16:25] He himself has designed the gospel in such a way that he finds fulfillment in his body. [16:33] Operating as a community.
[16:37] And some of you gathered here today have probably never understood it that way. [16:43] Maybe you’ve never understood the purpose of the gospel.
[16:48] Some of you may even be saying this morning, I’ve never been baptized. [16:53] Or maybe you’re saying, that time when I was six I had no idea what I was doing. [16:58] Do I need to be baptized?
[17:02] If you’re asking yourself that question, yeah.
[17:07] You do.
[17:09] Because you need to preach the gospel.
[17:12] So what we’re going to do now, is we’re going to preach the gospel through baptism. [17:17] And then we’re going to preach the gospel through communion. [17:20] The body and blood of Jesus. [17:23] Shed for all those who believe. [17:26] But to kick things off, I’m a community group leader. [17:29] My name is Steve.
[17:31] And I’m going to baptize a guy that’s in my community group. [17:33] And his name is Mike. Mike Early. [17:36] I’m pretty excited because Mike came to the church a couple of months ago. [17:41] And he started coming to my community group on Monday nights. [17:43] And we kind of built a relationship. [17:45] And he, I forget if it was on a Sunday morning or if it was on a Monday night.
[17:50] But he came to me and he started asking me about baptism. [17:52] And I was like, man, it’s an interesting thing to ask me about. [17:55] He said he’d been baptized. [17:57] But since he’s been to the village, he’s actually understood the purpose of it all. [18:03] And that when he was baptized, he didn’t understand that he was joining a community of believers. [18:09] But now he understands that through Jesus he has reconciliation with God.
[18:14] And man, he’s in a community. [18:16] And he wants to be baptized in the name of the Trinity. [18:19] God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. [18:23] And so Mike’s going to come up here right now. [18:25] And he comes this morning and he says, I want to be baptized in the name of the Trinity. [18:29] Because I’ve never been baptized in his name before.
[18:32] And so this is special because what we’re going to see today is that truth has come into his life. [18:38] And it’s changed his whole relationship with God. [18:40] And he now sees God in a new light. [18:42] And he may have a strange look on his face when he gets in because the heating of the water didn’t work out this morning.
[18:51] So we’re all excited to see how this goes down.
[18:55] Mike’s a good friend of mine. [18:57] And he’s in community with the church. [19:01] And because of that, he’s going to proclaim the gospel. [19:05] Is it hot in there? I know. [19:06] He’s going to proclaim the gospel today to you guys as a church. [19:12] To profess the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
[19:16] Going down brother, it won’t hurt you. [19:19] Mike. [19:21] Because you’ve trusted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. [19:25] I baptize you my brother. [19:27] In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. [19:31] Lord, in the likeness of his death, raised to new life in Christ.
[19:37] Give God a hand.
[19:47] Hi, my name is Stephanie. [19:48] I am a community group leader. [19:50] And coming this morning in a few minutes is Chelsea Evans. [19:53] Her and her husband John have been coming to Village since we launched. [19:58] And since then, I have had the honor of being Chelsea’s community group leader. [20:04] And we also became friends, which has been such a joy in my life.
[20:08] And Chelsea has such an incredible eagerness to grow in Jesus. [20:13] She wants to know the Bible better. [20:14] And she wants to be more Christ-like. [20:16] And it’s a beautiful thing. [20:19] I had the opportunity the other day to talk to Chelsea and why she wants to be baptized. [20:24] And she feels like prior to being at the Village, she didn’t really have an intimacy with Jesus like she has now.
[20:31] That he wasn’t real to her. [20:33] And we talked about our community group and what impact it had on her life. [20:38] And what impact it had on her redemption. [20:41] And she said that our community group had given her support and encouragement. [20:47] Which was beautiful for me to hear. [20:49] And that she receives such support from us and has given her a yearning and a desire to grow in Christ that she’s never had before.
[20:58] And that’s brought her today to making her faith known to you guys. [21:01] And public through baptism. [21:03] So here comes Chelsea.
[21:08] Amen.
[21:12] Chelsea, because you trusted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, [21:15] I baptize you my sister in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, [21:20] blotterd in the likeness of his death and raised in the resurrection of Jesus. [21:28] Amen. [21:28] Give God a hand.
[21:37] Hi, I’m Dave. [21:37] I’m one of the community group leaders. [21:39] I just want to come up here and cast out a vision basically for our student ministry and just an excitement. [21:46] Get a chance to baptize Mackenzie Evans who’s who has really been a committed member of our Sunday night community group. [21:55] She has has come a couple months ago and who’s just flourished with our group. [22:01] She has one of the rarest passions for people that I have seen.
[22:04] And it’s so exciting to see our young kids and students just come forth to figure out a strategic way to use their life for the mission of Jesus. [22:14] And that’s basically the goal that we have with our student ministry is just to echo the message that is preached on Sunday mornings. [22:21] And we come together and basically talk about what it means to live out the mission that God has called you on to use each of your individual gifts and personalities for the mission of Jesus and for the gospel. [22:33] And it’s always exciting to hear the input of these kids because sometimes you get really surprised at what they can come up with for their lives. [22:42] And it’s really exciting. [22:43] So Mackenzie, if you’d like to come up, we will we will baptize you because of your profession.
[22:51] That Jesus is your Lord and Savior. [22:53] I baptize you, my sister, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Lord in the likeness of his death. [23:02] Praise him in the new life and his resurrection.
[23:12] What we’re going to do now is we’re going to continue the celebration.
[23:17] We’ve seen three people the past few months changed by Jesus. [23:23] I tell you, that’s what this is all about. [23:26] Sometimes living for the gospel and leading a church plant is difficult, to say the least. [23:36] But there are moments when the Spirit puts you in awe of his hand. [23:46] And God, in his sovereignty, in his divine providence, he gives us pictures to see his hand move, to see lives changed through the resurrection of Jesus.
[24:09] And I tell you, there’s somebody in the room today. [24:13] And you are having a debate in your mind.
[24:17] And you’re saying, I want to follow, but I don’t know about that. [24:22] In Acts chapter 8, we see a deacon by the name of Philip. [24:26] And it’s a wild story because Philip is kind of just led by the Spirit onto this road. [24:31] And this Ethiopian eunuch is passing by reading Isaiah 53. [24:36] And he says, I don’t understand this. [24:40] And Philip is there.
[24:41] And Philip knows it’s about Jesus. [24:43] And so Philip jumps up on his chariot, which must have been quite a sight. [24:47] And he explains Isaiah 53. [24:49] And at the end of the explanation, he believes in Jesus. [24:52] He trusts in Jesus. [24:53] And the Ethiopian eunuch who took the gospel back to Africa, took the mission back to his homeland.
[25:03] It’s a beautiful picture. [25:05] But he looks at Philip and he says, what prevents me from being baptized? [25:12] And Philip didn’t say, well, you have to sign up for this course.
[25:17] Philip took him, Scripture says, down to the river and baptized him immediately. [25:21] And then the Ethiopian eunuch went and he lived the mission.
[25:26] So I want you to know that if you’re out there and you say, I want to trust in Jesus, I want to follow in Jesus, this will not damper that. [25:34] This will light a fire for your life of community in the village. [25:39] And as long as there’s water up here on the stage, that’s pretty much until the final amen. [25:45] If you want to be baptized, just step out and meet me over there. [25:49] Because the only thing that prevents you is if you don’t trust in Jesus.
[25:57] And right now we’re going to partake of another sacrament. [26:00] It’s called communion.
[26:03] We’ve been preaching the gospel today, I’ll tell you that. [26:05] And what we’re going to do is we’re going to come up and once again preach the gospel to one another because it never gets old to me. [26:11] If it gets old to you, you need to repent.
[26:15] But for those of you that are joined together, if you trust in Jesus, God has opened his table for you. [26:23] And he says, come and have table fellowship with me. [26:27] So even if you’re not a member at the village, which I know many of you are not, even if you’re not a member here, if you trust in Christ, his table’s open. [26:35] It’s not for me to close, it’s for him to close and he’s opened it wide open for you. [26:39] And so right now, if you trust in Jesus during this song, come forward and proclaim the gospel to one another through the cup and through the bread.