Steve Gentry
[0:00] Alright, go ahead and have a seat. [0:01] Welcome to Village Church again. [0:03] If this is your first time here, my name is Steve. [0:05] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:07] As always, I’m thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:11] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to Matthew chapter 28.
[0:15] We’re going to be starting in verse 18 this morning, which is probably a familiar text [0:20] for some of you, maybe not for others. [0:23] But I thought it would be beneficial to the church as a whole, as well as to any of you [0:29] who possibly maybe don’t consider yourself a Christian or you’re kind of checking Christianity [0:34] out, to after going through the series, The Cross of Christ and last Sunday talking about [0:41] the resurrection of Christ, to have a Sunday in between our series before we start back
[0:47] into Genesis to talk on the topic of baptism. [0:51] And so we actually have baptisms coming up on Sunday, May the 14th. [0:55] And so I think it is helpful that as a church to be reminded of why we practice baptism [1:03] in the first place and what it means to be baptized, what the requirements for baptism [1:08] are, and why you, if you are a follower of Jesus, need to be baptized. [1:15] In Scripture, baptism is not treated as an optional practice.
[1:23] Instead, baptism is treated as the first step of obeying Jesus in the new life in Christ. [1:31] While baptism is not the saving power of salvation, which salvation only comes through the grace [1:37] of Jesus by faith alone, it is a picture of rising to a new life in Jesus by faith alone. [1:46] That you’re given this new life from the Holy Spirit with a desire to glorify God and obey [1:54] Jesus. [1:55] And so baptism then is an initiatory rite or practice of being joined to the death and
[2:03] life of Jesus and entering into his body, the church. [2:08] It is literally a picture of the cleansing power of the cross, the new life of resurrection, [2:14] and submission to the will of Jesus and a desire to be a disciple of Jesus. [2:23] And so baptism then is all about working out this new salvation in your life in seeking [2:31] to obey Jesus and give a witness to others about the work that Jesus has done in your [2:37] life and the work that you hope he will do in your life.
[2:42] And so kind of the two sides of baptism questions that I will get at times specifically about [2:48] Village Church are why we don’t do infant baptisms here at Village Church. [2:54] And with infant baptism, we also don’t really do baby dedications either here at Village [2:59] Church. [2:59] So I get a lot of questions as to why, because a lot of people’s practices and backgrounds [3:03] come from those things.
[3:05] But also on the other side, I will get questions from people who have, you know, had faith [3:12] in Jesus for a long time. [3:13] So you’ve been following Jesus for a while or you think you’ve had faith in Jesus for [3:17] a long time. [3:18] But since baptism is kind of talked about as something that you do at the front of Christianity [3:24] or at the beginning of following Jesus, well, if I’ve been following Jesus for a long time,
[3:29] why do I need to be baptized or do I still need to be baptized since I’m not a rookie [3:35] at this following Jesus thing? [3:37] And so I kind of want to hit both of those areas today as we talk about baptism. [3:43] And I think it’s kind of good for us to look in Matthew 28 to begin this discussion. [3:49] And here’s what Jesus said after his resurrection, right before he’s going to ascend up into [3:54] heaven starting in verse 18.
[3:56] It says,
[4:18] Pray with me. [4:24] Father, we are so thankful that you sent your Son to bear the weight of our sin, to die [4:34] the death that we deserve, and to rise again giving us all hope for new life. [4:41] And Lord, I pray that through this time that we have together that we would learn of really [4:47] what it looks like to submit to you, what it looks like to obey you, so that we could [4:52] be more faithful and more effective disciples of Jesus Christ.
[4:57] Lord, help us to glorify you this morning and with our lives. [5:01] Teach us. [5:02] Be merciful to me, a sinner. [5:04] In the name of Jesus, I pray. [5:06] Amen. [5:07] And so just to kind of begin to lay the groundwork for us all, to remind some as well as to teach
[5:14] some that baptism, number one, is for Christians. [5:19] So baptism is specifically for Christians. [5:23] What that means is that baptism is reserved for people who are believers in Jesus Christ. [5:30] And so you must have faith in Jesus to be baptized. [5:34] I mean, it makes sense partially because baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection [5:42] of Jesus.
[5:43] So you are lowered into the water in the image of his death, then raised out of the [5:48] water, kind of looking like him coming out of the tomb into a new and resurrected life [5:54] in Jesus. [5:55] And so in Matthew 28, the text that we just read, it presents this picture of baptism [6:00] being linked to coming under the authority of Jesus that he speaks to in verse 18 as [6:09] a risen Savior.
[6:10] And then in the following verses, it’s linked to after you’ve come under that authority [6:14] to following him as a disciple. [6:18] And so throughout the New Testament, the only examples that you see are baptisms of Christians. [6:25] The uniform pattern is conversion to Christ, then after that, baptism. [6:33] So the argument for infant baptism, and I just kind of want to kind of have a little [6:37] bit of a theology matters on a Sunday morning here with this part.
[6:41] The argument for infant baptism is simply not convincing. [6:46] I love my Presbyterian brothers and sisters and agree on many things with them, but this [6:53] is a point of serious disagreement. [6:56] The argument for infant baptism seems to be, and as many have put it, an argument from [7:02] silence and assumptions about the different narratives throughout the book of Acts. [7:06] The clear New Testament practice of baptism is those who have been converted to faith
[7:13] through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then upon that conversion, baptism. [7:21] Because baptism is a picture of the cleansing of sin and rising to a new life in Christ. [7:30] And so let’s unpack kind of the history of baptism here. [7:33] Historically speaking, baptism was a cleansing ritual for many Gentiles converting to Judaism. [7:41] And so in converting to Judaism, we see this because in the Old Testament, in the Old Testament [7:47] law, there was a cleansing that would need to happen for you to enter into the temple
[7:52] if you were an unclean Jew. [7:55] And so the ritual of baptism emerges from that as Gentile people who are converting [8:02] over into Judaism do this in order to go from unclean to clean. [8:08] It was a cleansing ritual. [8:11] And so then when we get into the New Testament, you see John the Baptist preaching the kingdom [8:16] of God and repentance to it, to a Jewish audience.
[8:20] And he told them, come and be baptized. [8:22] And what he’s doing is, is these people who are basically faithless Jews are seeking to [8:28] show that they’re now want to be faithful Jews. [8:30] And John the Baptist says, this baptism is a symbol of that repentance. [8:36] And so it’s you coming as an unclean person seeking to now be cleansed. [8:41] And this baptism that John the Baptist offered was a picture of that repentance.
[8:46] And so when we look at Jesus coming, and in the New Testament, he comes to John the Baptist [8:50] for baptism. [8:51] And John the Baptist is like, I think you’re the one that needs to be baptized in me. [8:55] The reason John the Baptist would say this is Jesus didn’t have any sin to be cleansed [9:00] Jesus is completely clean. [9:02] So why would Jesus seek baptism?
[9:05] It’s the same thing as why would Jesus die on a cross when he has no sin. [9:10] Jesus on the cross is our substitute. [9:13] He’s seeking to give us life out of his death. [9:15] So in his baptism, he’s doing the same thing. [9:19] He’s substituting himself and saying, I will be both your example as well as in your victory. [9:25] And so Jesus goes into the water, then he’s baptized from the Holy Spirit from above
[9:30] in heaven in this picture in Matthew chapter three, where you see this story from verses [9:33] thirteen through seventeen. [9:35] Then when Jesus rises from the dead, he looks to those who would be his disciples. [9:41] And as John the Baptist said, repent and be baptized, Jesus says, your repentance unto [9:47] me is symbolized in the practice of baptism, just as I was baptized. [9:53] And so this command to be baptized is Jesus saying to his people, join in this picture
[10:00] that I initiated where the kingdom of God is concerned. [10:06] And so when you fast forward to Acts chapter two, starting in verse thirty seven, you see [10:12] the first response of the public to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus. [10:17] Here’s what it says. [10:18] Now when they heard this, what did they hear? [10:21] The apostle Peter stood in the Pentecost festival and he preached the good news of Jesus’ death
[10:29] and resurrection. [10:30] It says, they, the crowd, were cut to the heart. [10:33] And they said to Peter and the rest of his apostles, brothers, what shall we do? [10:39] That is how you respond to the preaching of the gospel.
[10:45] What do I do? [10:47] Because when the gospel is preached to an unbeliever, it’s going to strike you to your [10:51] heart if you trust it. [10:52] And so the question then is, I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. [10:56] What do I do with that? [10:58] What do I do since it’s my sin that took Jesus to the cross?
[11:01] What is my response? [11:03] And Peter said to them, repent and be baptized, every single one of you in the name of Jesus [11:08] Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [11:13] For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom [11:19] the Lord our God calls to himself and with many other words he bore witness and continued [11:24] to exhort them, saying, or push them, saying, save yourselves from this crooked generation
[11:30] so those who received his word were baptized and there were added that day about 3,000 [11:37] souls. [11:39] So Peter tells them the good news of Jesus, they believe the gospel of Jesus Christ and [11:45] when asked what to do, Peter instructs them to repent and be baptized. [11:50] And so the narrative here shows us not because baptism is what saves, but because it is a [11:57] public response to show a change in allegiance of life.
[12:03] So throughout the book of Acts what you see is what Thomas Schreiner calls a five-fold [12:09] essential response to the gospel of Jesus. [12:14] So you see first you see repentance, a turning from sins or a changing from your allegiance. [12:20] So what you were living under, what you were seeking to rule over your life, what you were [12:27] seeking your satisfaction in, it has now been transferred over to Jesus. [12:31] So you’re turning from sin towards Jesus, so there’s repentance.
[12:35] Then there’s faith, you now trust in Jesus Christ. [12:39] And those two are like this, they are partners. [12:44] You don’t repent then somewhere down the road you have faith. [12:47] No, you repent and have faith basically simultaneously. [12:51] You turn from sin because of your faith in Jesus Christ. [12:57] And so repentance and faith is where salvation is found.
[13:02] And so those are the two responses to the gospel. [13:04] But then what? [13:05] There’s three other things that the New Testament continuously shows connected to this moment [13:09] of salvation. [13:11] There’s then thirdly, confession. [13:14] You do not come under the reign of Jesus Christ as Lord and when someone comes to you and
[13:18] says, what is this change? [13:19] You say, I don’t really want to talk about it. [13:22] There’s a confession. [13:23] Jesus is Lord. [13:26] Jesus saves. [13:28] The Lord has come.
[13:29] He died on the cross for my sins. [13:31] He rose again from the dead to give me new life. [13:33] You confess to this reality of salvation in your life. [13:37] And then there’s the gift of the Holy Spirit. [13:40] This is not something that happens again down the road from salvation. [13:44] No, this all happens so simultaneously.
[13:48] So all happens right connected to one another. [13:52] The moment that you come to faith in Jesus Christ, God the Father in his grace baptizes [13:58] you in his Holy Spirit so that you will be guided into your life, so that you will be [14:04] led through your life by the power of God and not just the power of yourself. [14:11] And then baptism. [14:14] You see, it is repentance and faith that is always that which saves at salvation, though
[14:23] there will of course also be confession, the spirit and then the public response of baptism. [14:30] The baptism is and always has been a picture of the work of God saving power in your life. [14:37] Make no mistake, friends. [14:39] It is God that transforms you to the power of the Holy Spirit. [14:42] That is what it means to be born again. [14:46] So I know back a few decades back being a born again Christian kind of got his weird
[14:51] name and culture, but that’s the terminology that Jesus himself uses in John 3. [14:56] That’s the picture of what God does. [14:59] Out of the death of your sin, he births new life in Christ. [15:06] And so the question then comes, what then is a Christian if only Christians can be baptized? [15:11] Well, a Christian is someone who responds to the gospel by repenting of sin to believe [15:19] in Jesus.
[15:21] What then is belief? [15:24] Well, make no mistake. [15:25] It is more than agreement. [15:28] It is more than me agreeing with you. [15:30] Yes, broccoli is healthy. [15:34] Doesn’t mean I’m going to eat it, but yeah, I agree.
[15:37] It’s good. [15:38] Good for you. [15:39] You see, it is a submission to the authority of God’s saving power and dominion over your [15:48] life. [15:49] And that is why baptism then represents that life change. [15:55] It represents dying to the self and then rising again to new life under your new King, Jesus
[16:04] Christ. [16:05] So, number two this morning, baptism then is about discipleship. [16:12] See, baptism is about discipleship. [16:16] It is about following and obeying Jesus. [16:20] You see, the necessity of baptism is a primary issue. [16:23] It is not a secondary issue.
[16:25] It’s not something that you focus on when you’ve read the Bible for a while or after [16:30] you’ve prayed about it for a really long time. [16:33] You see, Jesus doesn’t treat it that way. [16:36] He makes really in the Great Commission, which is what Matthew 28, 18 through 20 is [16:41] called many times, a discipleship sandwich. [16:44] He says, go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
[16:50] and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded [16:55] you. [16:56] And so without baptism, it is very difficult to be a disciple of Jesus Christ because [17:04] Jesus has said primarily, he said, this is what it looks like to obey me. [17:10] I’ve told you to do this really strange thing. [17:14] Will you do it?
[17:15] Because baptism is weird. [17:17] All right? [17:18] You have to get up in front of a crowd because it needs to be public because it’s a witness [17:22] of the gospel of Jesus Christ. [17:24] And then in a church, you get in a bathtub in front of everybody in clothes that you [17:30] usually wouldn’t wear in public because you can get them wet.
[17:35] And so you’re up here in front of everybody in water and it’s not like you’re at the [17:39] public pool. [17:39] No, it’s just you, man. [17:41] Ain’t nobody else in it with you. [17:43] You’re just in there. [17:44] Then you’ve got to trust somebody to lower you in the water and not drown you.
[17:51] All right? [17:51] There’s a temptation. [17:53] What if this person doesn’t like me and I don’t know it? [17:56] And this is the setup. [17:59] Well thankfully there’s many witnesses so they’ll go to prison.
[18:04] All right? [18:04] But good news, some of you are like, that was my fear. [18:07] Not doing it now. [18:08] You’ve just confirmed all my fears of baptism. [18:11] The good news is we’ve been doing this for a while and we haven’t lost anybody yet. [18:15] All right?
[18:15] It has been many days since our last accident. [18:18] All right? [18:19] So everybody that’s gone in the water, they’ve come back up out of it and they’ve lived [18:23] long lives. [18:24] Okay? [18:26] And so it’s a strange thing.
[18:28] And so Jesus is teaching us about our posture before Him through baptism. [18:34] It’s a bit humiliating. [18:37] He’s saying you need to do this because it represents truly humility in front of others [18:44] for the name and sake of Jesus Christ’s authority in your life. [18:49] Will you humble yourself to follow me in a way that seems very odd in a world that [18:57] wouldn’t normally do such a thing?
[19:00] So He’s saying, do you believe? [19:01] Do you trust? [19:03] And see this is primary obedience. [19:05] Because if you will not obey Him at the first command at the outset, will He obey Him with [19:11] all the commands after that fact? [19:14] I mean, when I look at it from my standpoint, if we get up on a Saturday morning and I
[19:19] call my kids out of the room and say, hey kids, breakfast time. [19:22] Come on down, have some pancakes. [19:24] And nobody shows up. [19:27] We’re off to a bad start. [19:29] That might not be a good day coming after that because I can’t get them to obey the [19:34] command to come and get nourishment.
[19:37] I’ve got free food and syrup. [19:40] Greatest meal ever. [19:42] All right. [19:43] And they won’t come down. [19:45] Well, look at baptism that way. [19:46] This is the first thing that Jesus tells you to do.
[19:50] To show what He means in your life. [19:52] To show your allegiance to Jesus in your life. [19:55] And your refusal to obey Jesus. [19:58] And that makes a large statement about your trust for Jesus. [20:02] About your faith in Jesus. [20:03] About what it’s going to look like to submit to Him in the rest of your days.
[20:10] Because discipleship, make no mistake, is about learning to follow and obey Jesus. [20:18] That’s it. [20:19] That’s it. [20:19] We complicate it. [20:20] We make it about so many other things. [20:23] But discipleship is just learning to follow and obey Jesus.
[20:26] That is what growth in your spiritual life looks like. [20:30] There’s no other way to grow. [20:33] And so in correlation to that, Jesus connects making disciples and being taught to observe [20:40] all that He commanded to the issue of baptism. [20:46] And so this sets a wonderful precedence and a wonderful posture for us to understand [20:52] what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
[20:56] Because we in the church sometimes, we love to talk about discipleship. [21:04] But there’s a big difference between talking about discipleship and actually being a disciple [21:10] of Jesus Christ. [21:11] Because being a disciple is growing and following Jesus. [21:14] And so this means literally that the direction of your life and growing and following Jesus [21:21] is submitted to His authority and His authority alone.
[21:25] And so obeying Jesus in all things in life is what it looks like. [21:33] I mean, discipleship is profoundly missional when you think about it in that regard. [21:38] And so when Jesus says, go make disciples, He’s speaking as much about your life as [21:44] He is about the lives of other people that you’re going to seek to tell the good news [21:48] of Jesus about. [21:49] You will grow into this.
[21:51] And so as you age as a follower of Jesus, so should your obedience to Him. [21:57] And this is the difference of what it looks like to be a disciple than it does to talk [22:02] about discipleship. [22:04] Because many people come up to me all the time and they say, I am passionate about discipleship. [22:11] And we think about, what does that mean? [22:13] Now some of you, I know you’re thinking, oh my goodness, I said that to Steve last week.
[22:18] I know what you meant. [22:19] I’m not being too hard on you, but I am being a little hard on you because here’s what [22:23] I hear. [22:24] I am passionate about being a Christian. [22:28] Well, good. [22:28] You should be if you’re a Christian, because being passionate about discipleship is simply
[22:34] being passionate about being a Christian, because we have created this thing, this dualism [22:40] in the Church of Jesus Christ, where we think you’re a Christian. [22:44] Yeah, but you don’t have to be involved in discipleship to be a Christian. [22:48] Yes, you do. [22:50] There’s no other path. [22:52] There’s no other way.
[22:53] If discipleship is learning what it means to follow and obey Jesus, then it is synonymous [23:01] to what it means to be a Christian. [23:05] So if you have this thought in your head, oh, I’m just going to, I mean, I got to take [23:08] a break. [23:08] It’s discipleship stuff burning me out. [23:10] I’m going to take a break from discipleship for about six months.
[23:14] So Jesus is not Lord for you for the next six months. [23:19] That’s what that means. [23:20] That’s anathema. [23:22] That’s impossible. [23:23] That would deny the faith. [23:25] So it’s one and the same.
[23:27] And when we usually say things like I’m passionate about discipleship, what you really mean [23:34] is I’m passionate about talking about discipleship, going to events where I talk about discipleship, [23:40] and then complaining about a lack of discipleship. [23:44] Friends, that’s not what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
[23:50] Discipleship is about the day in and day out journey of entering environments that [23:56] help you follow Jesus more faithfully, growing in knowledge of God through his word and seeking [24:03] to make other disciples. [24:05] So friend, if you are passionate about discipleship, then tell me about your daily journey because [24:13] that’s discipleship. [24:16] And see, that’s what I have to shepherd you towards.
[24:20] But sometimes we get a little discouraged because the life of a disciple is not the [24:27] ultra sensational thing sometimes that we want it to be. [24:31] It is literally about carving out time week in and week out so that I can grow in my [24:40] faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. [24:42] So I get to carve out time every day to get with Jesus, be in his word, be in communication [24:50] with him.
[24:50] I’ve got to carve out time in my week so that I can be with other people, studying the [24:56] word of God, talking about what’s going on in our lives in respect to learning the [25:02] Bible. [25:03] And I’ve got to carve out time to enter environments so that I can gain knowledge of the word [25:09] of God and of the doctrines of God in my life. [25:13] I mean, it is a lot of struggle because let’s not kid ourselves.
[25:21] Make no mistake, in our current culture, one of the hardest things for an adult to do [25:29] is make time for doing things to grow in the gospel. [25:36] That’s no easy thing. [25:37] It takes a lot of intentionality. [25:40] I mean, I don’t have a lot of free time. [25:41] I’ve got three kids.
[25:43] I’ve got a wife. [25:44] I’ve got a job. [25:45] I’ve got a job on top of my job. [25:47] Then outside of that, I’m trying to help other networks, plant other churches, and [25:50] assess church planners, and talk to other pastors, and get my cup filled because I’m [25:54] the one filling everybody’s cup here, so I’ve got to go somewhere else, get my cup filled
[25:57] sometimes, and I’m doing all that. [25:58] And so you usually probably say, well, Steve, you get paid to be a disciple. [26:02] It must be really easy for you. [26:03] No, I’ve got the same struggles everybody else does. [26:07] I’m not paid to be a disciple. [26:09] I’m paid to help you guys be disciples, but I’ve got to be a disciple somewhere too.
[26:14] And so that means I’ve got to get up early in the morning, make sure I’m in the word, [26:17] make sure I’m talking to my savior, make sure I’m praying. [26:21] I’ve got to stay up at night, make sure that my affections are for Christ, and I’m not [26:25] being wooed by the hundreds of idols that I’m tempted to give my allegiance to instead [26:30] of Jesus Christ each and every day. [26:34] Then in that, I’m doing the same stuff you guys are doing.
[26:36] I’m paying the bills. [26:37] I’m paying the church’s bills. [26:39] I’m trying to disciple my kids. [26:41] I’m trying to love my wife. [26:42] It is a day in and day out fight for all of us. [26:49] It’s not easy on any of us.
[26:53] And that’s why I think baptism is this wonderful picture of me saying, I’m going to submit [27:02] myself to your reign instead of my own. [27:07] See, because the day in and day out journey of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, it’s [27:13] about submitting every aspect of who I am. [27:18] See, yeah, when I go under that water, it’s all of me. [27:23] It’s me saying, I’m dying to self.
[27:27] Because I’m going to be driven and I’m going to be pulled and I’m going to be going in [27:30] so many different directions in my life. [27:33] And I’ve got to intentionally make margin for the one that I say rules over every part [27:42] of my life. [27:43] And if I’m not doing that, I’m not in discipleship. [27:49] It’s not this sensational event that I can take any of you to.
[27:54] It’s not something that anybody else can make happen in your life. [27:59] We simply, as a church, we create environments to stoke the flames of your discipleship. [28:05] But discipleship isn’t just about Sunday morning. [28:07] It’s not just about your village group. [28:09] It’s about Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. [28:13] Is Jesus your Lord and Savior in every one of those moments?
[28:19] That’s what discipleship is about. [28:22] And so when we say things like, I’m not ready to be baptized yet. [28:27] Yeah, I believe in Jesus, but I’m not ready. [28:29] You got to understand, that is not a valid response if you actually believe the gospel [28:34] of Jesus. [28:36] That’s why baptism is so crucial.
[28:39] I mean, it is the first place after coming to faith in Jesus where Jesus says, do this. [28:46] What’s your response? [28:48] If you don’t, you are disobeying Jesus in the first thing that he commands you in. [28:55] That is not a sign of faith. [28:57] That is disobedience. [28:58] And you know what the thing about discipleship?
[29:00] You can’t grow without obedience. [29:04] You can’t be disobedient to Jesus and grow at the same time. [29:08] That’s why Romans 6 gives us this amazing explanation as to what baptism is a picture [29:14] of when the Apostle Paul says, don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ [29:19] Jesus were baptized into his death? [29:21] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was
[29:27] raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in what? [29:33] Newness of life. [29:36] I see discipleship changes things. [29:39] Following Jesus changes things. [29:41] It means you change the way that you do things. [29:43] It means you change the why that you do things.
[29:46] And baptism is a picture of the spiritual reality of that. [29:49] It is that new life on display. [29:53] It is what it looks like to be born again. [29:55] And now what you say, yes, I am going to walk into that reality. [30:01] And so I’m often asked. [30:03] Well, what age should someone get baptized?
[30:06] Because you said, you know, infant baptism is not what the scripture presents to us. [30:10] Well, I’ll be honest, the scripture does not give us an exact age for baptism. [30:16] Jesus doesn’t give us one. [30:17] And so I can’t be the one to set the age. [30:21] If Jesus didn’t set the age, I can. [30:23] A lot of people ask me to.
[30:24] Well, just set some arbitrary number. [30:26] You know, I can’t do that if the Lord has not done that, neither will I. [30:31] But what it does do is it first gives us the requisite that you have to be a Christian. [30:36] And so this means repentance, belief, confession, the gift of the spirit. [30:40] And so the new life in Jesus is to be evident in the person to be baptized. [30:47] And so when I am talking to someone about baptism, it is not just about agreeing with the facts.
[30:54] It is about understanding the weight of the cross and the resurrection. [30:59] And so at Village Church, that weight of the cross needs to be explained to a pastor. [31:06] And you make no mistake. [31:07] I understand why parents are very passionate about their children being baptized. [31:13] I caution, though, being too quick to do it until someone understands the full weight [31:20] of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[31:22] The child’s discipleship is sufficient in obeying his or her parents, because there’s [31:29] this tension where you do not want to prevent them from being baptized. [31:34] So you don’t want to hamstring their discipleship. [31:37] So you’re like, goodness, I got to get them in that water. [31:40] But I say, well, hold on. [31:42] Don’t be too quick, because the other problem is false assurance.
[31:46] Is that they follow the Lord in something that they don’t quite understand. [31:50] And then later on down the road, they say, you know, they have no evidence of salvation. [31:54] They have no evidence of the fruits of the spirit in their life. [31:56] They have no connection to a Christian community. [31:58] They’re not following Jesus. [31:59] But they look back and say, well, when I was five years old, I got baptized.
[32:01] That counts, right? [32:03] And so there’s in our culture a large problem with people who become adults and point back [32:10] to something very, a ritual that they followed very early in life. [32:14] But there was really no power in it because they didn’t actually grasp the gospel in [32:17] the first place. [32:17] And make no mistake, I got three kids all under the age of seven.
[32:20] There will be no greater day in my life than the day that they come to faith in Jesus Christ [32:24] and the day that I have the privilege of baptizing them into fellowship with the church. [32:29] But I’m not pressing the gas pedal down on that. [32:32] Because my greater fear is giving them false assurance of something that’s not true for them. [32:37] And so I’m not pushing them towards that. [32:40] I’m instead saying, hey, what does it look like for, you know, a four year old to follow
[32:46] Jesus right now? [32:47] Because if I ask my daughter, hey, who’s Jesus? [32:51] God. [32:52] Hey, what did he do? [32:54] Died on the cross. [32:55] Why?
[32:56] Because I’m a sinner. [32:58] Are my little ponies real? [32:59] Yep.
[33:04] Hmm.
[33:07] Well, I guess it’s legit. [33:11] You know, and here’s the key. [33:12] I have met people who really did come to faith in Jesus Christ when they’re five years old. [33:19] So I don’t discount that at all. [33:21] That does happen. [33:24] But what I’m saying is, is that until that person can mature to a place where they can
[33:31] describe what the weight of the sin that Jesus died for is, let’s hold off. [33:38] And so if I were to say, when do I think that kind of begins to look in the person’s [33:44] life, I would say, look somewhere around middle school. [33:48] And so you’re like, so you’re saying 12. [33:50] That’s not what I said. [33:52] All right.
[33:53] I’m saying somewhere around there because different kids mature at different levels. [33:59] And the reason that I say middle school is because at that age, young people typically [34:03] begin to comprehend the weight of the gospel for the sinner and more evidence can be seen. [34:11] I spent eight years doing student ministry as a vocation. [34:17] And let me tell you something. [34:18] Middle school is where sin becomes real because they start sinning real.
[34:22] I mean, it gets wild sometimes. [34:24] I had to get out of that. [34:26] I was like, I can’t handle this. [34:29] And so around middle school is when you begin to see not just people who can [34:34] embrace the weight, but you also see some kids begin to reject. [34:39] Because that’s where this authority thing starts to emerge in their lives.
[34:45] So while we don’t have an age limit, I do have conversations with parents and stress. [34:51] I say, I have a caution on baptizing them too early. [34:53] And I say, please trust me if I have a conversation with your child. [34:59] And I say, I don’t think that child is ready. [35:02] So I asked just as a church, you trust me as a shepherd to make that call. [35:07] I’m not trying to prevent anybody from obeying Jesus Christ.
[35:11] I’m just trying to ensure that I’m fulfilling my responsibility to shepherd well. [35:18] And so here’s the key for some of you. [35:21] Some of you are adults now and you were [35:23] baptized as children and you should probably be baptized again. [35:27] We’ve had people here at Village Church do that. [35:29] But they say, you know, I was baptized as a kid.
[35:32] But when I was baptized, I don’t think I was a Christian. [35:36] I don’t think I really understood. [35:37] And some of you can’t even say, well, you know, at this point later, [35:41] I know that’s when I became a Christian. [35:43] You just know, man, as I grew up, I understood. [35:46] And for me, I was raised in a Christian home.
[35:49] I was raised in the seat of Jesus. [35:51] It was like I was sitting in that chair. [35:52] And then sometime when I was a teenager, [35:54] I looked down and I said, hey, I’m sitting in the Christian chair. [35:57] And I said, I like this chair. [35:59] Never leave in this chair.
[36:02] And so it works out sometimes for people who are raised in the church, [36:05] not as much as a moment where you have a burning bush moment with Jesus. [36:10] But instead you realize, I love Jesus. [36:14] I have affection for him. [36:15] He has saved me from my sin. [36:19] And so God actually saved you a little bit later than when you were baptized.
[36:23] And I would say you need to take the step, even as an adult, of admitting that you [36:28] need to be baptized and for the first time of significance, you need to be [36:33] baptized, especially for those of you that were baptized in infants as infants. [36:38] I said, what a great picture of coming under faith of Christ and showing, you know what? [36:44] I don’t believe I followed what the New Testament shows I should have done. [36:48] And so I want to be baptized as an adult.
[36:50] Why? Because I want to make sure I’m being obedient to Jesus in every way. [36:54] And that’s why I preach that baptism is for Christians. [36:59] But ultimately, number three, this morning, [37:01] understand baptism is a testimony about the gospel of Jesus. [37:06] It is an outward sign of the inward change that Jesus is doing in your life. [37:12] That’s what Colossians 2, 11 through 12 speaks of baptism as the powerful
[37:18] working of God who raised Jesus from the dead. [37:22] It’s the emphasis that that verse has, because at first this is this old life [37:28] is something that’s being put off in the new life. [37:31] It’s something that’s being put on. [37:33] That is the testimony that baptism gives us because water symbolizes that cleansing [37:39] of the old life.
[37:41] You are telling the world around you that you are a new creation by the work [37:47] of God because of what Jesus has done for you. [37:51] And he did it on the cross. [37:53] He did it through the resurrection. [37:56] These you’re telling the world around you. [37:58] Look at what the Lord has done in my life.
[38:00] He saved me by his power. [38:03] But also, I’m telling the crowd right here [38:06] that the Lord wants to do even more through my life as a disciple of Jesus Christ [38:12] because baptism shows submission to Jesus. [38:17] You see, the testimony of submission to Jesus in your life is the greatest [38:22] witness that you can have to an unbelieving world.
[38:27] And baptism is a testimony of that to everyone around and baptism also through [38:33] the picture that’s presented in baptism preaches the gospel to other people. [38:39] Note that Jesus is focused in verses 19 through 20 is on the spread of the [38:45] testimony of the good news that Jesus saves and that Jesus reigns. [38:52] That’s why baptism is public. [38:54] That’s why I don’t tell you, hey, if you need to be baptized,
[38:56] just go home, fill your bathtub up and baptize yourself there. [39:00] No, Jesus tells us to be public. [39:03] All the examples in the scriptures of it are public and it is significant. [39:08] It is a tangible way for you to begin to tell others about Jesus. [39:14] You see, friends, Jesus said to make disciples of all nations and a step of [39:20] being conditioned to live out that mission is baptism.
[39:25] You see, you publicly declare your [39:29] And you show that through the symbol of baptism that you are giving a testimony [39:35] of what Jesus has done for you, you see, you are showing others. [39:40] This is what Jesus is going to do through me under his power and his power alone. [39:45] So baptism for many people, maybe for you, [39:49] is really the first time that you share the good news of Jesus Christ with other
[39:55] people. Isn’t that something that so many of us are afraid to do? [39:59] Or we’re a little bit too introverted or we’re a little bit too shy. [40:03] We’re afraid that we’ll get the words wrong. [40:06] See, baptism clears all that up because not only are you doing it through your [40:10] physical actions and not through your speech, but it also gives you a testimony [40:15] to point back to and say, hey, you want to know what it means to be a Christian?
[40:18] Let me tell you about my baptism. [40:21] Let me tell you about my submission to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. [40:27] You see, friends, some of you need to obey Jesus and be baptized. [40:32] And I’ll tell you, you can talk to someone today after we worship the Lord Jesus [40:38] through song again, I’m going to be down front. [40:40] I would love to talk to you.
[40:42] I would love to to tell you about baptism, answer any questions that you might have. [40:46] And I would also love to ask you about your faith in Jesus Christ. [40:50] And then we can schedule you to be baptized on May 14th. [40:53] For some of you, if you don’t want to talk [40:55] to me, grab your group leader out in the foyer. [40:58] I’m sure they would love to talk to you about it.
[41:00] Grab one of the other pastors and talk to them about it. [41:02] But friend, do not delay in your obedience to Jesus Christ. [41:08] As the band comes up, you know, [41:11] I love baptism, but that’s not the only picture that Jesus has given us. [41:16] And I think it’s by this great wise design, [41:19] because he didn’t want our public testimony of our faith in the gospel to just be
[41:24] this one time thing that we do and then we don’t have something else. [41:28] That’s why every week here at Village [41:30] Church, we reflect on the Lord’s Supper Communion, because he’s told us, he says, [41:35] when you get together, do this in remembrance of me. [41:38] Share this meal. [41:39] The bread represents the broken body of Jesus.
[41:42] The cup represents his shed blood. [41:45] When Jesus was on the cross, he took the penalty for our sin onto himself. [41:50] He suffered and died for our sins that we could be forgiven. [41:55] And these elements represent that. [41:57] But when we eat and when we drink, [42:00] it also represents the fact that Jesus gave his life to us,
[42:05] that he lives and reigns in us now and forever. [42:11] There was a time when sin barred you from the presence of God. [42:17] Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, he’s forgiven you of your sin. [42:21] And he says, you’re so welcome in my presence. [42:24] Come eat, drink to me and with me. [42:28] Friend, if you’re in here and you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, you trusted in him.
[42:33] Come to the front, go to the back. [42:36] Come celebrate the death of our King.
[42:40] Amen.