Made New
In just a few minutes we will baptize five teenagers who have given their hearts and lives to Jesus. I’m excited! Baptism is an extremely important part of the life of a church, and not just for those who are being baptized.
Those of us who have already been baptized will be reminded of our own stories of coming to faith and being baptized. Also, this is an incredible teaching moment for our children who haven’t seen a baptism service. They will ask questions about what is going on and what one must do to be baptized, and this can spark spiritual conversations with them about what it means to trust in Jesus. That’s why there’s no Kids’ Church today. We want our children to see these five young people – just a few years older than they are – taking this important step of obedience in following Jesus.
Before we move on into the baptism part of our service, I want to explain what baptism is and isn’t and why this symbolic act is so important to our Christian faith.
Baptism as a Monument to Remember
If you have been baptized, take a moment to think about your own baptism. Do you remember where you were baptized? Can you picture the location? Do you remember how old you were and what important events were happening in your life? Do you remember the little details of the moment? Was the water cold? Who baptized you?
This is one of the important reasons we baptize people; it creates a moment in our lives when we remember making a public profession of our faith in Jesus. No matter how far you wander away from God, you will never forget that moment. These five teenagers will never forget THIS moment. God can use that memory to draw you back to Him, reminding you of the commitment you made.
The Old Testament Israelites set up monuments of stacked stones at special locations to remember when God showed up in a special way. Our baptisms are like monuments in our lives to remind us of our commitment to Jesus, and they show the world where we have chosen to place our allegiance.
Baptism Doesn’t Save
While baptism helps us remember our commitment to Jesus, I always want to make clear the important point that baptism itself doesn’t save you. It is a marker in your life of coming to faith. It acts as a monument along your faith journey to help you remember. Ultimately, however, your faith journey began not at the moment of baptism but at the moment you first put your FAITH in Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Our salvation is not the result of our baptism but the result of our responses of faith to God’s free gift of grace – our faith that Jesus is: (a) our Savior, who died on the cross to forgive us of our sin; and (b) our Lord, the rightful king we are to honor and obey.
Analogy of a Wedding Ring
Here’s a helpful analogy of the role baptism plays in the Christian journey. Think about a wedding ring. At a wedding, rings are exchanged between the bride and the groom. Often the pastor will have the couple repeat the words “With this ring I thee wed.” However, we all understand that putting a ring on a person’s finger doesn’t make you married. People are married after making vows and committing to one another in front of witnesses. Then, for the rest of your life you have this ring on your finger to remind you of your wedding day and the promise you made to your spouse. That’s what baptism is – a symbol to remind you forever that you committed yourself to following Jesus for the rest of your life.
Why is Dunking a Person under Water the Symbol of Faith?
Christians use the ritual of dipping a person under water and then lifting them up again as a symbol for following Jesus. It’s fair to wonder why. To the outside world this seems odd. To children it can appear downright scary! (“Why is the pastor holding people under the water?”) Some other churches simply sprinkle a person with a few drops of water on the head. Why is the act of being fully immersed under water so important?
We find that answer in the sixth chapter of Romans as the Apostle Paul explains the meaning of the act of baptism under water and how it connects us to Jesus.
Romans 6:3-5 – Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Do you see the two aspects of how the act of baptism, of dipping a person under water and lifting them up out of that water, connects to the burial and resurrection of Jesus?
Buried with Him into Death
When you are plunged under the water, you are symbolically joining Jesus in His death. But death to what? Keep reading.
Romans 6:6-7 –6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
It is death to our old self, which the Bible calls our sinful nature. We are set free from the constant pull of temptation to sin. The sin has been killed. Does all temptation go away when you become a Christian? Nope, but that’s a topic for a different day. Suffice it to say that the act of being plunged under the water demonstrates that we are dying to our old sinful nature, the nature that keeps us separated from God’s perfect holiness.
Raised to Live a New Life
Here’s the best part of this symbol of baptism: when we are raised out of the water, we are being raised “to live a new life.” We are joining Jesus in the hope of our own resurrection to come but -more than that – a spiritual resurrection in our daily lives!
We are Made New. We are set free from the trap of chasing all the idols the world holds out with promises of happiness. We are set free from our guilt for all the stupid mistakes we have made. We are set free from the shame of what people think of us. We are given the Holy Spirit – the power of God inside us – to live now as Jesus taught and demonstrated.
It’s like moving to a new town and realizing you have the perfect opportunity to make a fresh start. When you accept Jesus into your heart and obey His command to be baptized, you are making a fresh start with God, shedding all your sin and mess, and receiving a clean slate that has been washed clean by the blood of Jesus.
Now, to you five who are being baptized,
how should this moment impact your lives going forward?
Romans 6:11-13 – 11 in the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
The writer, the Apostle Paul, is saying you need to move forward. Yes, your sin nature has been buried with Christ, but tomorrow, and the day after, and every day of your life, you have to work out your faith with fear and trembling. You have to choose whether you will offer yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness or to God as an instrument of righteousness. When the temptation feels so strong you feel like you can’t walk away, remind yourself that you are dead to sin and alive to Christ. Remember this day, and remember that Jesus took your sin and your sin nature and He buried it! Sin doesn’t have control over you any longer.
To the Rest of You Today:
If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus like these young people have, I encourage you to make that decision today. Put your pride aside, realize you are a sinner, and accept the forgiveness only God can offer.
If you have decided to follow Jesus but have never been baptized, and if you think maybe you should be, please talk to me after the service or write a note on the bottom of the bulletin and place it into the offering plate on your way out. We will have another baptism service on November 12, and I would like for anyone who wants to be baptized to be a part of it.
You who have been baptized, will you join with me in praying for this church and our ministries? Let’s pray that this baptismal will be filled with people who want to obey Jesus’s command to be baptized and to symbolically unite with Jesus in His death to sin and His resurrection to new life.
Conclusion
Today is a celebration of the decision these five individuals have made to submit their lives to Jesus. It’s beautiful because God has made such an incredible exchange available to them. Each one of them has decided they want to be buried with Christ and Made New. They are trading in their messes, hang-ups, shame and shortcomings, and they are receiving God’s grace, mercy, approval, and righteousness.
0 Comments