Morning. All right, let's be
turning to Matthew 28. Matthew 28. I want to read the
text that we often refer to as the great commission of our Lord
to his church. That's Matthew 28, verses 18
through 20. And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
I have commanded you, And lo, I am with you always, even unto
the end of the world. Amen. Now this is the commission
of our Lord to His Church to preach the Gospel of God concerning
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And I want to speak to you this
morning about baptism in particular. And what our Lord tells His Church
is to preach Christ, teach them of what I have accomplished for
my people. And in looking to Christ, in
declaring Christ, in upholding Christ, baptism will follow. It's a fruit that will follow.
We're not to preach and tell people what to do and what fruits
they're to produce and what actions they're to take. We're to declare
the Lord Jesus Christ, and in exalting Him, He draws all men
as it pleases Him to Himself, and the fruits will follow. He will reveal the work of His
grace, the work of His Spirit in His children. And when we
preach Christ, believers will be baptized. They'll ask to be
baptized. They'll want to be baptized. Let me show you an
example of this in Scripture. We can see this in Acts chapter
8. Acts chapter 8. We'll begin in verse 32 there,
but while you're turning, the Spirit told Philip, to go from
Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. He told him, I want you
to go out there. He goes out there to Gaza. And he sees an Ethiopian in a
chariot, a eunuch, an Ethiopian eunuch in a chariot. And as he
comes up, he hears that he's reading the prophet Isaiah. Chapter 53 to be exact, but it
says, the place of the scripture, verse 32, the place of the scripture
which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the
slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened
he not his mouth. In his humiliation, that is in
his flesh, his judgment was taken away. And who shall declare his
generation? For his life is taken from the
earth. And Philip asked this man, do
you understand what you read? And he said, how can I except
some man teach me? And he asked Philip, who is the
prophet writing of? Of whom is he speaking, of himself
or another? And it says, verse 35, then Philip
opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached
unto him Jesus. He preached Christ crucified. From that text, he preached Christ
crucified. He declared Christ the sacrificial
lamb sent of the Father to lay down his life as the substitute
of his people. to bear their sins, their iniquities,
their transgressions, and to pay the price that we owe unto
God. He died our death, and he declared
Christ the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. That
is, there is no other Savior. There is but one Savior, one
salvation of the Father. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. Look to Him. Look to Him. The Father was pleased to raise
Him from the dead, declaring that He is well pleased in His
Son, and all who come to Him in Christ And it says, verse
36, as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water. They're in the desert. They came
unto a certain water. And the eunuch said, see, here
is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, if thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe.
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He believed the Gospel
that Philip preached concerning Jesus Christ, that He is the
Savior, He is the very Salvation of God for His people. And he heard Him speak of Christ,
and he heard Him speak of Baptism, and he wanted to be baptized.
He asked to be baptized in the preaching of Christ crucified.
And so baptism here we see is for believers. It is for those
who profess Christ, for those who have heard what Christ has
accomplished for His people and they believe. They believe. They believe that Jesus is the
Son of God, that He is the Father's salvation for His people, the
One who redeemed His people from their sins, the One who justifies
His people, making them righteous by His own righteousness. Baptism does not save the sinner. That's not why believers are
baptized. It's not our salvation. Jesus
Christ saves sinners. Christ alone saves sinners. He's the salvation of God. Baptism
is a symbol. It's a symbol that testifies
of the sinner's faith, that they've heard that word, that they believe
Christ is their all. He is their salvation. And that's
why they're coming to be baptized. It's a symbol of the faith which
God has wrought in their hearts. And therefore they are baptized. It is a testimony of the faith
that God has put in you that looks not to self, not to our
works, not to what we have or have not done, but looks to the
Lord Jesus Christ alone. So baptism is the believer's
confession of faith in Christ. Baptism gives us a picture of
the Gospel. It is very symbolical. of the
spiritual work that God has wrought in the heart of His child. It
reveals, it manifests the faith that we have in Christ. That
it's not my works, it's not what I do. And so symbolically it
shows what Christ has accomplished for His child. And we can view this symbolism
over in Romans chapter 6. Turn with me now to Romans 6. And we're going to pick up in
verse 3. I want us to understand that
our salvation, our hope, is the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not what
we do. It's not in our baptism. Baptism
is a fruit, the result of our faith. Obedience to Christ follows
that work of salvation that He works in His child. So, Romans
6, 3. Paul says, no ye not, that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
His death. Now first, before we look at
that symbolism, let me just point out there that Paul said we were
baptized into Christ. Into Christ. We're entirely immersed
into Christ. Paul wrote to the Ephesians in
Ephesians 1, 4, he said, for God hath chosen us in him, in
the Lord Jesus Christ, before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. in
Christ, in love. There's no part of the child
of God that remains outside of Christ. There's no part of the
child of God that remains outside of the love of God. We're not
sprinkled with Christ. We're not sprinkled with God's
love. We're immersed in it. We're immersed
entirely in the Lord Jesus Christ. He completes. He's the fullness. We're entirely in Him and entirely
in His love, covered in His love, in Christ. We're plunged. The
hymn writer speaks of that fountain of blood. which the sinner is
plunged beneath, plunged below that blood of Christ, that blood
of Christ covering us, washing away all our sins. We're covered,
immersed in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's what baptism is. It's
an immersion. An immersion into the water. We're immersed in the water,
completely surrounded in it, just as we are completely immersed
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is all. and we're nothing apart from
him. And God has put us in him, immersed us in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Some people speak of immersion
as a mode of baptism. One form as opposed to another
of baptism. But being honest, that's ignorance. That's actually ignorant. Willful
or otherwise, it's ignorance because the word baptism means
immersion. Immersion isn't a mode of immersion. You wouldn't say that. You wouldn't
say that, that, well, I choose to immerse by immersion as opposed
to immerse by sprinkling. No, immersion is immersion. It
is that very, very thing. Baptism is immersion, just like
we've been immersed in Christ, put entirely in Christ, and nothing
remains outside of Christ. We're all in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're his body. But further to
this symbolism of baptism, Paul says it pictures our death, that
we are dead with the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul boasted when writing
to the Galatians, he said, for I am crucified with Christ. And that is true of every believer. You can say, I'm crucified with
Christ. I've been put to death with the
Lord Jesus Christ. When he died, I died with him. I was in him. He held me. He carried me. He brought me
through the veil in his own body. Paul says a little further about
this in Romans 6. Romans 6, verse 6. saying, knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." Now
we looked at what that means, the body of sin being destroyed. We looked at that not too long
ago when we were in Colossians chapter 2 verse 20 to the end
of the chapter. and I think I called it Instructions
to the New Man. But we saw there just a few things.
First, that the body of sin has no more power over the child
of God. The body of sin. Our bodies have
many members. Well, in like manner, so the
body of sin has many members, many facets to it, many different
things about it. And one thing it no longer has
over the child of God is it has no authority over you. You're
not under its rule. You're not forced to obey you
that believe the Lord Jesus Christ, your accuser. Your fear monger,
your law monger has no more authority over you. He has nothing to say
to you. He's not the voice of your husband.
Christ is. Hear Him. Hear the Lord Jesus
Christ. And don't be moved with fear
and terror to try and obtain salvation of your God. Christ
has obtained your salvation. He's delivered you from death.
He speaks comforting words of joy and peace into the heart
of His child. God is satisfied with you, immersed
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Second, that veil of nature's
death has been removed, meaning that you have been circumcised
in the heart by the Lord Jesus Christ. By nature, we're born
with a thick veil of skin, as it were, that blinds us, that
covers our heart, that keeps us from hearing our God and believing
the truth and the salvation of God. By thinking that we earn
God's favor, that we work for God's favor, that we work for
his inheritance and his blessings. That's what the natural man thinks.
Because there's a thick veil of flesh, as it were, on our
hearts that keeps us in darkness, that keeps us from understanding
and knowing the true and living God, that keeps us in enmity. But when Christ died, that body
of sin was put to death. And Christ, when he brings this
salvation to your heart, cuts away that veil of flesh removing
it and throwing it away so that now you see, now you hear, now
you see the light of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ,
now you believe Him and you come in faith, not in works. You come
trusting the Lord, not trusting what you have or have not done.
And third, another thing we see is that having life by the regeneration
work of the Holy Spirit, which is given to us through Christ,
we're given repentance from the elemental or the rudimentary
things. And that elemental or rudimentary
things in religion is the ABCs of religion. That's what men
tell you. Well, you dress this way, and
this will be your salvation. You come here, and this will
be your salvation. You get that candle, and you
burn it, and that'll be your salvation. And you do this thing,
or you do that thing, and that'll be your salvation. Those are
the ABCs of religion. That's what the Jews did under
the law, and that's what the pagans did in their pagan religion,
in their idolatry. by bowing down and worshiping
stumps and stones and sticks and doing this thing or that
thing. They're the ABCs of religion. But Christ has turned us from
that. He's given us his spirit and by his spirit we see those
things do not save. It's not what I have or have
not done. And we're turned from it. We're given repentance from
dead works and turned to the living God. Turned to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Believing Him. Resting Him. Resting
in Him. Trusting that He's our salvation.
And so that's what occurred when Christ died and we died with
him. That body of sin and all its
folly and all its darkness was put away from us so that Christ
is the hope of the child of God alone. And so Christ's death
is a glorious salvation for us because he gave life. He put
to death that body of sin and he gives eternal life to his
child. He's delivered us from the power
of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
son. We were going the course of the
world. We were doing wicked works. thinking that it was our salvation
and Christ took us out of that broad way that leadeth to destruction
and put us into the narrow way that gives us life and salvation
in Him and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at Colossians 3. Turn
over to Colossians 3 because Paul speaks of what has occurred
now that we are dead with Christ. Colossians 3 verse 1-3 If ye
then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection
on things above, not on things on the earth, for ye are dead. and your life is hid with Christ
in God. And so we died with Christ when
he was crucified on the tree, and our redemption was secured
by him. He died bearing our sin, and
he put away our sin, that original sin in Adam, and all the works
and sin that we've committed since then, it's all put away,
and our baptism When we are baptized, it's a testimony of the faith
that God has saved me, that God has delivered me in the Lord
Jesus Christ through his death, through his burial, through his
resurrection as my substitute. Christ died my death, being made
a curse for me. He was buried, having put away
my sin, from ever being seen again. It's buried, it's put
away by Christ. And just as we are buried in
that symbolism in baptism, when we go under the water, it pictures
our death, it pictures our burial. Well, so it follows that we must
come up out of that water, a picture of the life which is given to
us by the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a symbol of our hope Christ
himself that he is our life that he has obtained our life. He has obtained our eternal justification. We've been given the gift of
life by Christ who is our very life and to the glory of God
that life is begun in us right now by faith. You have that eternal
life. He's given you his life. And
it's not waiting for us to die and be with him then. It begins
right now in the child of God by faith. That faith is the life
that Christ has given to his child. And it begins now. So back in Romans 6. Romans 6
verses 4 and 5. Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. And so that's what the death,
burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ has accomplished.
It's put to death that body of sin that was in me, that kept
me in darkness from the true and living God. It's put away
the enmity that's in my flesh, and he has given his child newness
of life right now. That walks by faith, being led
of the Spirit, trusting the salvation of God, believing him. walking
in obedience, in faith, even in baptism. Lord, what doth hinder
me from being baptized? My hope is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is all my salvation. I have
no other life. I have no other hope but Christ. What doth prevent me from being
baptized right now? That's what he puts in our hearts. Romans 6 verse 6 and 7, Knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, for
he that is dead is freed from sin. And so baptism is a testimony
of what Christ has already done for me, already wrought within
me. That life that is already given
to me, baptism, follows that life. Baptism should never be
done by anyone to be saved. It should never be done by anyone
who hopes to be saved by something that they do. That's not what
baptism, that's not, that one who trusts their works and thinks
baptism is their life, they're not to be baptized. That's not,
you should not be baptized. If you're thinking that baptism
is life, don't be baptized. You've not heard Christ yet.
Hear Christ. Look to Him. Beg God for salvation
and mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ. And if He gives you faith in
Christ to rest in Him, then be baptized. What I'm saying is
there's no virtue in baptism. God doesn't impart any grace
to you for being baptized. When Christ was, when that woman
came and touched him who had the issue of blood all those
years to be healed, Christ noted, he said, virtue hath gone out
from me. But in baptism, there's no virtue. All our virtue, all our salvation
is in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no power, there's no
special grace that's given to the sinner because they are baptized. Christ is all our salvation. He's all our blessings. He's everything to the believer. There's no power or grace because
one is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost. Baptism follows faith. It follows the blessings of God. It's what He works in His child,
that obedience. It testifies, you that were baptized,
it's a testimony of the hope that you have in Christ. that
those dead things are put away, that Christ is your life. It's
a testimony of the hope and faith that we have in the Lord Jesus
Christ, that He has accomplished my salvation, that I have the
promises of God in and by Him. He's done this work of grace
in me, and therefore I want to follow Him in baptism. Because
I believe Him. I trust Him. He's already obtained. He's done the work of salvation.
And so baptism is full of symbolism. Full of the symbolism of Christ's
gracious work in the heart of the sinner. In the heart of that
one whom He's already saved and done this work. The believer
stands in Christ justified, confessing now, even before baptism, old
things are put away, behold, all things are become new. And we see things differently
by the grace of His power in us, in delivering us from that
body of sin and giving us life in Himself by His Holy Spirit,
regenerating us, giving us life, cleansing us with the blood of
Christ. And so baptism is a picture. It's a beautiful picture. It's
spoken of in scripture that testifies of the great confidence the sinner
has in Christ. That's why we preach the word.
And faith is revealed in the heart through the preaching of
the word of God. And because we have that faith,
we follow Christ. We walk in Christ in obedience
to him. So it's a symbol of what Christ
has done. It's a picture of the faith he's
worked in us. The Apostle Paul tells us when
Ananias came to him and baptized him. Turn over to Acts 22. Acts
22. In Acts 22 verse 16, Ananias
came in and Paul's recounting of when the Lord saved him under
the preaching of the word, under the preaching of the gospel.
And he said, Ananias said to Paul, Acts 22 verse 16, he said, arise, arise Paul, get
up and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name
of the Lord. But baptism doesn't wash away
sins. Baptism doesn't wash away our sins. The blood of Christ
washes away our sins. But when Paul was baptized, it's
because Christ had washed away his sins. And it was a symbol,
it's just showing a symbol that he trusted, he believed Christ
had washed away all his sins by his own blood. And you see
that language, it's spoken of in the scriptures, there's symbolic
language that speaks of what Christ has done for his child
and him were baptized. And if you look actually in Acts
9, flip back to Acts chapter 9, and we'll read verses 17 and
18, It actually shows that Paul was
enlightened. Paul was given life before he
was baptized. Acts 9.17, this is the account
of when Ananias came. Later he was speaking of it,
telling another what the Lord had done for him. Here it is
when it happened, Acts 9.17, and Ananias went his way. He
was directed of the Lord to go to Paul, and entered into the
house, and putting his hands on Paul, said, Brother Saul,
the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way, as thou
camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and
be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from
his eyes, as it had been, scales. And he received sight forthwith,
and arose, and was baptized." And so there we see the order,
that the Holy Spirit had regenerated him, had enlightened his eyes,
that made him to behold the salvation of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Then he arose, and he was baptized,
a believer. It was after this testimony of
Christ's grace in him that he got up and went and was baptized. And so back in Matthew 28, according
to the commission of our Lord to his church, in Matthew 28,
18 through 20, our Lord says, all power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all
nations. Preach Christ crucified. Declare to them what he has done
by the death of himself, and that he has been raised again
from the dead by the power of God. Then it follows baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you. Christ, we declare who Christ
is and what he's accomplished, who we were, dead in trespasses
and sins, and what he's done to save his people. Like Philip,
we're to preach Christ crucified to our hearers, to speak of his
atoning death, to speak of his accomplishment, his salvation,
the life which he works in his child. And that soul who is baptized,
you that are baptized, Believing the Lord, you're entitled to
that good hope. You're entitled to that peace.
Not because you were baptized. Not because you were baptized,
but because Christ gave you life. Christ revealed faith in your
hearts. And he moved you. to ask, Lord,
what does hinder me? What prevents me from being baptized? Lord, let me be baptized, showing,
testifying publicly that you've done this work in my heart. That's
what he works in his child. And for you that have that faith
in him, arise, be baptized. be baptized. And our Lord said
this in another place, and I think it fits here. Rejoice, he said,
not because you were baptized. He was speaking of rejoice, not
because devils obey your command to come out of them. That's not
your rejoicing. Rejoice because your names are
written in heaven. And you that are baptized, it's
because He's given you faith. Believers are baptized. It's
because Christ has given you faith. And if He's given you
faith, rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
Amen.