Becoming: Committed to Jesus
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For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
Every family has stories … they hold the history … great moments, funny moments, tragic moments … when our kids were smaller my mom would very graciously come almost weekly and give Meg and I a date night … it was the rule … mom guarded the night and we guarded the night … and my kids looked forward to it … eventually I figured out that they loved it because my mom would tell them stories … stories about me, and the trouble I got into, or the mess I made with my friends … so here is a little family history
Meg and I … I’m the idiot … we were just starting to date and we were walking into a store … Meg tried to hold my hand … I told her that I wasn’t really into Public Displays of Affection … she glared at me, silently called me an idiot in her own head, took my hand and said … if you are dating me, you are into public displays of affection
why? because it says to anyone who is “watching” we are together … why do we make a huge fuss when a couple gets engaged and post photos and throw parties, because is says to anyone watching we are together … why do we exchange rings at weddings and then expect the other to wear them … it says to anyone “watching” we are together … it means we are numbered among those who are “Taken” committed, off the market … we are hers and she is mine ..
Baptism does that … it is our public display of affection …
Baptism is about leaving an old life & embracing the new 1 Jesus offers 1 of the last things Jesus told his disciples to do was not only to be baptized, but to baptize new followers of Jesus as well Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
Baptism is what separates the followers of Jesus from the fans of Jesus The fans like Jesus & like to hang around so they can feel good, but the followers obey Him & their lives are transformed
Here’s the interesting thing: baptism isn’t actually an English word It’s a transliteration of a Greek word “Baptizo” Translation is when U find a word in another language that matches the definition of the original word in a different language Transliteration is when U take the sound of a word & U shift it to your language
Baptism means to be immersed, or drenched or drowned But the name “John the Drowner” sounds more like a serial killer name than it does a prophet’s name, so we transliterated it But “Yohanan the Immerser” as he was known as, was immersing people into the water & people were showing up to be immersed B/c they knew that this act of baptism symbolized something - a changed life & that this act sent us deeper into knowing God
We’ve been in this series called “Becoming” where we are talking about the road from here to there B/c all of us have this person that we want to become - the challenge is how to get there - that’s what Peter is talking about in 1 Peter He’s leading us down the road from where we are to where we want to be & where God ultimately wants us to be
And the road has taken us to the place of the role of baptism in our lives as Christians - there’s a couple of different types of people here today There’s those of U who have come to know Jesus recently & my goal today is to challenge U & encourage U to be baptized as a disciple of Jesus Others have already been baptized, my goal is to remind U that baptism isn’t a past event as it is a moment that symbolized the beginning of something It’s like your wedding - your wedding was 1 moment, but it impacted the rest of your life b/c of the commitment U made that day Then there’s those of U who aren’t Christians & U might see baptism as something U do to babies as a ritual or a tradition I believe you’ll learn a great deal about what baptism really is - that it’s so much more than a tradition or a ritual - it’s an act w/ deep meaning & significance
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”
#1 - Baptism is My Illustration of Christ’s Death
#1 - Baptism is My Illustration of Christ’s Death
When a person goes into the water when they’re baptized, they are illustrating the fact that Jesus died & was buried after they crucified Him Peter writes that Jesus was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit This is what happens when a person is baptized - they are putting to death the old life, the old nature & old habits & embracing their new life in Christ
As a young pastor, I had a guy come up to me & say, “I’m giving up the old life & that includes smoking.” - so he handed me his pack of cigarettes in the water
People ask me, “Will I go to hell if I smoke?” I always answer the same thing, “No, you’ll just smell like you’ve been there.” Anyway, so the hands me the cigarettes & I put them in my pocket during the baptism, but I forgot to throw them out
So I got home & Carey was washing my shorts & a pack of smokes in my pocket & she says, “Bob, is there something about I don’t know about?” We laughed over the whole thing and shared a cigarette
Why is sexual intimacy reserved for marriage … it’s the illustration that the two have become one thing … reserved for the one person I am in lifelong union with
In a Jewish culture, people would wash in what was called a “Mikveh” This was a ritual bath where you would go & immerse yourself to be cleansed of your sins so you could go & worship at the temple
This was used by those who were not Jewish who were converting to Judaism They would be baptized as a sign of dying to their old life & their entering into a new relationship w/ the God of Israel
Something that happens when a person makes a decision to be baptized They aren’t just deciding to get wet – they are dying to the old way of life & are desiring to live the new abundant life that Jesus offers
“Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” (Romans 6:3-4)
When we decide to go steady, get married … we are saying … I’m not just in a relationship, I am in this relationship … and marriage says … I am dying to the possibility of all the other women/men … committed to this life … sickness/health, richer/poorer
baptism is about deciding to be numbered w/ the disciples of Jesus People won’t have a problem w/ you coming to church occasionally
But if you tell your friends that aren’t Christians that you are getting baptized & they might begin to think you’re taking this “Jesus” thing too far – U know why?
B/c they recognize how important it is even though many in the church don’t
An act of public display of affection … I love Jesus, I choose Jesus, He loves, He Chose Me … I am dying to myself, in the same He died for me … and I want everyone to see it … we invite our family, friends, grandparents, church family … come see
1 Peter 3:19-20 “in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.”
#2 - Baptism is My Demonstration of Christ’s Life
#2 - Baptism is My Demonstration of Christ’s Life
The Bible gives us 2 pics of baptism in the OT & neither group got wet
#1 - Exodus 14 - the parting of the Red Sea “I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.” (1 Corinthians 10:1-2)
You’d think Pharaoh’s army would be the 1’s who got baptized, but it was the people who didn’t get wet that picture baptism for us
B/c baptism isn’t just about getting wet - it’s about fully committing to God
#2 - Genesis 7-8 - the flood of Noah, which is what Peter mentions here You’d think everyone outside the ark were the 1’s that got baptized
But the ark is a picture of a man & his family who obeyed God even when it didn’t make sense
Now there’s something that Peter mentions here that I want to deal w/ I want to deal w/ this b/c it’s here, not necessarily b/c I want to
This is the upside & the downside to preaching book by book through the Bible
The upside is I hit topics I would never preach on if I were just picking the topics myself - the downside is I have to deal w/ tough passages like this 1
This passage is what Martin Luther called, “The most wonderful & obscure passage that I cannot understand & cannot explain.”
But what this passage answers is the question, “What did Jesus do during the 3 days between His crucifixion & His resurrection?” According to these verses, Jesus preached to those who were disobedient
Preached what? He preached His coming victory over sin & death at His resurrection - that He was who He claimed to be
“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)
Here’s the reality - at some point, everyone is going to admit that Jesus is Lord
The question is, will they admit it freely b/c they love the Lord or will they admit it as fact of the matter even though they don’t walk w/ God
Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
So what’s Peter’s point & why even bring this up? Peter brings this up b/c He wants to talk about Noah & the flood That Jesus was preaching His victory between His crucifixion & resurrection & that baptism does the same thing in your life
Baptism is preaching to everyone that you’ve been saved - that your life has been redeemed even in the midst of turbulent times
Let me deepen this conversation for a member if I can - let’s talk about the baptism of Jesus for a minute & how this relates:
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Every Jewish person would have been familiar w the teachings of the famous rabbis - 1 such teaching refers to Genesis 8
Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.
The rabbis taught that the dove symbolic of God’s Spirit
Just like God’s Spirit was hovering over the earth at creation “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2)
So the rabbis taught when a person appeared & the dove of God’s Spirit rested on that person - He was the Messiah - That’s what makes this so powerful
But then add the voice of God & what God says into this equation & it further pushes the idea that Jesus is the 1, the Messiah
God’s words are actually a quotation of 2 OT passages
Psalm 2:7 “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”
The 2nd is from Isaiah & speaks of His pleasure w/ Jesus
Isaiah 42:1 “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”
Think about the idea of being well-pleasing to God
people who are/have been/will be baptized, they are well pleasing to God
- it is a God is proud of U moment of obedience to Him
Here’s what I see many times
- For many people it feels extremely hard to pass the temptations & turbulence of life b/c they don’t obey God in the easy stuff
Baptism isn’t hard to do - it’s also not hard to ignore - It’s your opportunity to set a pattern of obedience in your life that starts by doing the 1st thing Jesus asked
Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
#3 - Baptism is my Proclamation of Christ’s Resurrection
#3 - Baptism is my Proclamation of Christ’s Resurrection
When a person goes into the water, they are identifying w/ Jesus in His death & when they come out of the water, they identify w/ Jesus in His resurrection
This is why Peter says baptism is the “pledging of a good conscience towards God” - it’s a decision that a person makes to follow Jesus
Listen - some of U were brought up in a tradition that baptized infants, but there isn’t 1 instance where the Bible records an infant baptism - a quick aside … there are some folks I love, respect, admire, read and think are way smarter than I am who believe in infant baptism … but I’ll tell you why I don’t
The reason is b/c baptism is supposed to come from a person who is follower of Jesus & desires to obey Jesus
Only a person who understands what baptism is should be baptized
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
“But I was baptized as a baby.” - Many were & it’s a nice tradition But there comes a point in a person’s life when they have to decide to follow Jesus on their own
So why not obey God, b/c if U can’t obey God is something easy, U will never overcome the big tests in life
So here’s what I’m asking - if you’re here & you’re a Christian & you’ve never been baptized as a follower of Jesus, I want U to sign up for our next baptism Jesus’ baptism was His commission into ministry - it was the moment where He embraced the role His Father had given Him
I want U to obey the Lord in this simple act so your life can be marked by obedience to God
If you’ve been a believer for a while, here’s my encouragement to U - let your baptism speak of your current faith Just like your wedding was a celebration of your love - your baptism can be the same thing - it happened in the past, but it’s marked U every day since
If you’re here & U aren’t a Christian, then the 1st order of business is to invite Jesus into your life He loves U & wants to forgive U - He wants to set U free from all the things that are holding U back
- this is your moment to see Him move in your life So here’s the question: Do U want to be a fan of Jesus or a follower of Jesus?