Romans chapter six, and we're going to read from
verse one. What shall we say then? Shall
we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid, how shall
we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not
that so many of us, as were baptised into Jesus Christ, were baptised
into his death? 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. 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. Now if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ
being raised from the dead dieth no more, deatheth no more dominion
over him. For in that he died, he died
unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in
your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members
as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves
unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members
as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have
dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under
grace. Amen. May God bless to us this
reading from his word. If you have Your Bible's there,
just turn with me also to 1 Peter and chapter 3. 1 Peter and chapter
3. And I just want to draw your attention
to one verse there in this passage. And it's verse 21. The like figure whereunto even
baptism doth also now save us, not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I suppose if I had
to give a title to what I have to say to you this evening, just
perhaps to summarise this question or this subject about baptism,
it is that I was taken with this little phrase, what it is to
have a good conscience toward God. Baptism is the answer of
a good conscience toward God. The Lord Jesus Christ gave us
two ordinances. as the church, two ordinances
in addition to preaching the gospel, and supportive of preaching
the gospel. So if you like, what we're going
to be thinking about here is these two ordinances, and we're
going to be concentrating on the one which is baptism, but
the two ordinances that the Lord Jesus Christ gave us was the
Lord's Supper, and baptism, and both of these ordinances support
and agree with the principal object of the Church of the Lord
Jesus Christ, which is preaching the Lord Jesus Christ. So my
role as a preacher is to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ And
whenever I preach, wherever I preach, that is my overriding desire,
to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ. In the things that I say, in
the prayers that I give, in the readings that I make, in the
hymns that we sing together, everything in my mind is geared
towards this point of lifting up the Lord Jesus Christ. And
communion, or the Lord's Supper, and baptism are supports to that
end. They speak of the preaching of
the gospel. They, too, glorify the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ. They, too, are designed to build
up the church, which is the body of Christ. And baptism and the
Lord's Supper are these two ordinances, supportive of preaching the gospel
because they show us symbolically the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now perhaps it's quite straightforward
for us to see if we have any understanding about what communion
is, how it is that the bread and the wine speak to us of the
broken body and the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
a sermon. That's a sermon, that's preaching
the gospel in a symbolic way and so too with baptism because
baptism speaks about the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in his
death upon the cross and his resurrection, so that we have
the picture in baptism of being laid in the grave, a watery grave,
and being raised again out of that grave. So while the communion
of the Lord's Supper speaks to us of the death of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Baptism has figuratively and
symbolically a view of the resurrection and the death and resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ ought to be the subject matter of every
preacher every time. However we get there, we've got
to get to the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So
these two ordinances, we're going to be thinking particularly of
that one, which is baptism, principally because we're going to have the
baptism service after this service, as we've spoken, and we will
go out to the lake and we will perform the baptisms there. Four people being baptized this
evening. Now an ordinance, I've already
used that word in speaking of these two symbolical witnesses
to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. An ordinance, probably
we don't use ordinance very much as a word these days, but you
would know if I said ordained, that someone had been given a
special role, they had been set apart to fulfil a special role. Or, if I used another word which
is perhaps even more usual to us, ordered. we can begin to
see the idea behind an ordinance. This ordinance, baptism, has
been ordained. It's been particularly, specifically,
especially set apart for the church to own and to value and
to practice. The Lord Jesus Christ himself
told his disciples to go into all the world and preach the
gospel and to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost. So it's an ordinance of Christ. He gave
us this order so that when we get together as a church of the
Lord Jesus Christ, as a body of believers, This ordinance
together with the Lord's Supper is one of these two that we practice
with regularity and frequency under normal situations as the
opportunity arises. So here it is something that
is to be done, it's an order, it's an ordinance, it's something
that has to be done by the Lord's people within the church and
by his people. Baptism is the believer's confession
of faith in Christ. Now you people who are going
to be baptised this evening, I want you to think about what
it is that we are saying here and make sure before you take
this step that you are in agreement with these things that we are
speaking about because this is an important thing that you are
about to embark upon. Baptism is the believer's confession
of faith in Christ. As a symbolical picture of the
gospel, the work of Christ, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ
and his resurrection, we are saying that we believe that that
which is taught to us in Scripture of the significance and the accomplishments
of the Lord Jesus Christ in that great activity of his death and
resurrection, we believe it. We believe that he did these
things. We believe that when he did them,
when he died and was raised again from the dead, that he accomplished
a spiritual objective, a spiritual end, that he achieved in doing
that the fulfilment of a work which he had been eternally given
of his father. to redeem his people, to save
his people from their sins, and to gather them in through the
work of the Holy Spirit. So we believe, it's as an individual
saying that we believe that these things are so. We often speak,
don't we, about the types and the symbols in Scripture. Paul,
he calls them allegories, he calls them allegories, pictures
of gospel truth. Sometimes it's an item that we
can use, like the prophet that was told to go down and have
a look at the potter working with his wheel, or the story
that Paul speaks about in Galatians of Sarah and Hagar and the mountain
of Sinai and Zion. These are pictures of incidents
and places in scripture which are then used by the apostolic
writers to show that there is a deeper significance and meaning
behind them. That's what we mean when we talk
about these allegories or symbols in scripture. And they point
to a deeper truth. And I want to stress that just
for the sake of those being baptized because baptism, unfortunately,
can become a very commonplace thing. It can be something that
some churches say, just as a matter of course, happens to every child
that is born to someone in that church. Or if you attend another
kind of church, they say, well, if you want to be a member, you'll
have to be baptised. Well, what does that involve?
Well, you need to get part of this service. There's one happening
at the end of the month. We'll put your name down on the
list. As long as you're baptised, then you can become a member.
And the baptism becomes so commonplace that its frequency means that
it's lost its value. But it has a very profound meaning
because it speaks of the most wonderful thing that ever happened
in this world. that the Lord Jesus Christ is
risen from the dead. We have to be aware of its significance
and we have to understand its importance. So this activity
that we are engaged upon this evening of baptising these individuals
speaks of the fact that they believe that the Lord Jesus Christ
died and is risen again and that in his death he has accomplished
their personal salvation. You are testifying to the fact
that you're a born again believer. You are testifying to the fact
that the Lord Jesus Christ saved you from your sins. You are testifying
that you believe in your soul that you are one of the Lord's
people. That when Jesus died on the cross, he took your sins
on his shoulder and he paid the price. He paid it. So here it is as our confession
of faith given to us because these ordinances speak to us
in the gospel. You know, I have the privilege
of going to places to preach. I have a little congregation
down in Great Falls in Montana, and I preach to them, and I count
it a high honor to preach. And I am very grateful for the
opportunity to come up here to my friends in Palmer and Wasilla,
and to preach the gospel to you. But the people who are being
baptized tonight, they're preaching too. they are going to be preaching
a sermon as well in their baptism. They are going to be not speaking
words, but symbolically fulfilling in that baptism the same thing
as I am saying here in the pulpit this evening and as I endeavour
to do each time I preach, setting forth the death and resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ and making a personal testimony of
it. Let me say something else about
baptism. In baptism, we are following
the Lord Jesus Christ's example. Our Savior was baptized. When
he came and began his ministry at 30 years of age, the very
first thing he did was he went to his cousin, John the Baptist,
and he asked John the Baptist to baptize him. John was baptizing
people down at the River Jordan, and the Lord came to him and
said that he wanted to be baptized, and John said, no, no, I'm not
baptizing you. I'm not worthy to baptize. I
know who you are. You're the Lord of glory. You're
the King of kings. I'm not going to baptize you.
And Jesus said to John, you do it, John. You baptize me. These things, righteousness must
be fulfilled. And John took him down into the
water and he baptised the Lord Jesus Christ. So what's happening
tonight, what's happening here this evening, is something that
happened to the Lord Jesus Christ. So we can genuinely say that
we are following the Lord Jesus Christ in baptism. Not just that
we're following his orders, but we're following His example because
He's led the way. And when you go down into that
water and you feel it coming up around your ankles and up
over your knees and up to your waist, and as you get into that
water, you remember that Jesus has been there too. And you remember
this, that coming out of that water, the Lord Jesus Christ
went to the cross. And he fulfilled in reality what
that watery baptism attested symbolically. He went to the
cross and he laid down his life and what you're saying is that
having entered into that watery grave and coming back up from
it is you are identifying with the fact that Jesus Christ died
for my sins and Jesus Christ is risen again and I am risen
with him and I am united to him and my sins are gone because
my Redeemer has carried them away and I am his. That's your testimony, that's
what you're saying. Now if you can't say that, then you need
to think about whether you're doing the right thing this evening,
but that's what you're saying when you are baptised. Baptism
is immersion. Again there are those who would
say that there's different ways of doing it, but the word Baptism
means immersion and we practice this full immersion baptism because
that is the way that scripture presents it to us, to be dipped
completely underwater. So while it's going to be my
responsibility to baptize you, you need to be compliant with
me and don't resist when I try to put you under the water. and
I will make sure that you are completely under before I let
you back up. Okay, because you don't get half
buried, that would be silly. So we are going to be baptising
by immersion. And we base that on the testimony
of scripture. In Acts chapter eight, Philip,
one of the evangelists, baptised the Ethiopian eunuch. He explained
the gospel to him. It was the gospel from the prophecy
of Isaiah. He explained the gospel to him,
and the Ethiopian eunuch understood that this person was the Lord
Jesus Christ that he was reading about. and he led them to salvation
in Christ. There in his chariot, there as
they were driving along the road together, the Ethiopian eunuch
was led to salvation in Christ. And this is what Luke says in
writing the account in Acts 8. He says, as they went on their
way, they came unto a certain water. And the eunuch said, see,
here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptised? And Philip said, if thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest. If you believe what we've just
read, if you believe what we've just talked about, if you believe
that this person, Jesus Christ, is truly the son of God, and
that when he died, he took your sins upon himself on the cross,
and then three days later was raised again, then you can be
baptised. And he answered and said, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the
chariot to stand still, and they went down both into the water,
both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. Now, if you
were going to sprinkle a little bit of water over somebody's
head, or even take a cup of water and pour it over their head,
there would be no reason for them both to go down into the
water. But that's what they did. They went down into the water,
because here was water. At the side of the road where
the chariot was, they went down into the water, and Philip baptized
the eunuch upon his profession of faith. And that's the kernel
of the matter. There was the testimony given,
preaching as it were by that symbolic form, the death and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and following through
with that picture whereby the body of the Lord was buried and
then raised again. We were, we died in the Lord
and we were raised together with him. And that testimony confirms
what we understand of the Lord Jesus Christ entering into death
for us, because that was the price that was required for our
sin. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. And yet here is life, granted
life, given life, bestowed to those who trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ, who have faith in Him. So what, does that mean that
the Scriptures were wrong, that the soul that sinneth doesn't
actually die in some circumstances? Only if you've got a substitute
to stand in your place. Only if the Lord Jesus Christ
took your sins and carried them away and died in your place for
them. And that's what you're seeing
in baptism. Christ died for me. Christ died for me. Romans 6 verse 4 says, 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. And this brings us to
another aspect of our baptism. We are testifying by faith that
we died with him when he died on the cross. Now I know that
there's not too many of us here are old enough to have been around
when Jesus died on the cross, but The point is that we are
looking back on something that happened and saying we were intimately
connected with that event, intimately and personally connected, that
we believe that in the divine purpose and plan, God, who is
eternal and was around at the cross, took my sin, my sin, And
I'm not going to ask anybody to enumerate their sins because
even if you could make a list of them, they would still be
far short. But he took my sins and he put
them to the account of the Lord Jesus Christ. He took them from
my shoulders and he placed them on Christ's shoulders. Then he
took the sword of his judgment. He took his anger and his wrath
against my sin and he executed Christ. because of my sin, that
the Lord Jesus Christ paid the price, and that we, therefore,
are changed people. That has made a difference, that
has made an alteration. Hence, this is called Believer's
Baptism because we believe that this has made a change in our
lives. And through this ordinance, we
bear witness to our belief in the saving power of the death
and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, that by ourselves
being baptised, we testify to what he has done. So I always
like to have a little opportunity to just give a couple of points.
So here's four points, four Ps that I want you to remember about
your baptism this evening. The first thing is this. It's
personal. It's personal. This is your baptism. It's not my baptism. I was baptized
many, many years ago, longer than I care to tell you about.
But I was baptized a long time ago. And there are others here
who have been baptized also. This is yours. This is your baptism. And this is something that you
will remember, I trust, for the rest of your life. It witnesses
your faith. not your mums, not your dads,
not your brothers, not your sisters, your faith. This is between you
and God. It is intimate, it is personal,
it is you. And you've not to be influenced
by anyone else, you've not to be badgered or pushed into doing
something that you're not happy or prepared to do. You're taking
a stand as a believer, as an individual, as someone who says,
I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is
able to keep that which I've committed unto him against the
day. I believe, this is personal for
me. It's my desire to honour the
Lord Jesus Christ in this feeble and meagre way that he has called
me to, to follow him in baptism. Could there be anything easier?
My, we have a shower every morning, we have a bath regularly or whatever
it is that we happen to do. Getting into water is such an
easy thing to do and yet for some people it becomes the hardest
thing to do. But here the Lord has said to
do something easy. Remember Naaman, a little servant
girl said, There's a prophet in Israel who would be able to
cleanse my master from his leprosy. And Naaman said, I'm not getting
down into that dirty water. There's beautiful, clean rivers
in my own country. Let me go and wash in some of
those. If he'd asked you to do a hard thing, would you have
done it? If he asked you to do a hard
thing to get to heaven, would you have done it? Well, I would
have died trying to go to heaven. The Lord says, here's an easy
thing, just follow me in baptism, make this statement, make this
testimony, and the Lord's people are happy to do that. The Lord's
people desire to honour the Lord and follow his example. It's
personal and it's yours. Second point, P, it's public. We're not hiding this. This is
going to happen and I'm encouraging as many people as possible to
come. Some of you have got other members of your family here,
some friends, and we're doing this publicly. We're physically
doing it publicly because we're going to go out and stand at
the side of a lake and do it. Many times it happens in a swimming
pool or in a church baptistry or something like that, but this
is public. This is you saying to the world, I'm a baptised
believer. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
as my saviour. Now faith is personal. Faith
is secret and internal. Faith happens to an individual
in their own soul. And that new birth comes secretly
into a person's life. They're born again internally. But these must and do become
evident. And this is what our baptism
does. This is us saying to the world, saying to one another,
we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We trust him with
our life and with our eternity. It's personal, but it's public. It's a pledge. You're pledging
yourselves to identify with Christ and to identify with Christ's
people. You are saying that you are part
of the body of Christ, that you are part of the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And this immersion, this immersion
into death and life, this rising again from the dead, speaks of
that death, resurrection, and new life, new life. New life in Christ. Now, I'm
not saying that that's you becoming a Christian. No, that's already
happened. You're testifying to something that has happened.
But what happens in a new life? A new life grows. It can't help
it. Look at this little lad, Easton.
Come on, sit up in the chair, boy. Good lad, well done. That little
fellow can't help but grow. He can't help but grow. He probably
causes his mum and dad headaches because he needs a new pair of
shoes every six months. And that's what happens with
a believer. They grow. And so you have to
grow. You will grow, I believe you
will grow. But equally, we're not to put
barriers and walls before ourselves. We're to be where the Lord's
people meet. We're to be under the sound of
the gospel. We're to be reading the word.
We're to be having this relationship with the Lord and finding that
growth in grace, that growth in knowledge of spiritual things
because we are the Lord's people. We're making a pledge here to
identify ourselves with the Lord and with his church. The fourth
point, it's personal, it's public, it's a pledge, and it's precious. And I want you to think about
it as being precious. I want you to value this. This
is a significant step in your spiritual development. It bespeaks
obedience and maturity. It speaks to our own souls and
to those around about us that we have grown to understand the
value of following our Saviour in this beautiful act of public
witness. It's neither flippant or commonplace. We've said that already. It is
a significant event in your life. I trust never to be forgotten. I won't forget this evening. I'll remember that I've baptized
you. Perhaps you won't remember that
it was me who baptized you, but I hope you'll remember that you
were baptized, that you took that step, that somewhere back
then you believed these things sufficiently dearly. to want
to follow your saviour in baptism. Don't forget it. Treasure it
as a privilege of God's grace to you and God's goodness in
your life. I'm going to ask you some questions.
And what I thought I would do is I would ask these questions
here, and then we will just do the baptism when we get to the
water. So you who are being baptised,
Do you confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you confess
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you confess that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God? Do you confess that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God? Do you trust in the power of
his blood to cleanse you from all sin? Do you? Yes. Do you believe that he has risen
from the dead and that he is alive today? Yes. These are the questions that
bear testimony and witness to the fact of eligibility for these
friends to be baptised and to follow their saviour in baptism.
It's private, but it's public. It's a pledge and it's precious. And I trust that we will all
this evening be changed in some small way by the significance
of the event that we are about to witness. Thank you for your
testimonies, friends, and we're going to bring our service to
a conclusion now. But let's go from this place,
and we'll meet a little bit later at the lake, at Diane's house,
and there, Diane's house, and there the baptism will take place.