Sermon Tone Analysis
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* "WHY SHOULD I GET WET?"*
* Matthew 28:18-20*
* *
* August 19, 1990*
_________________________________________________________
*INTRODUCTION*
Today's message begins with a simple confession.
Most of you know that I have been, what many affectionately call, a *Baptist* most of my life.
It's no secret that I grew up in predominently Baptist churches.
I got my theological training at a Baptist seminary.
You may have noticed that Baptists are often characterized in jokes and stories.
Perhaps you heard about the Christian who was asked, "Are you in the army of the Lord?"
He responded, "Of course I am." "What department?" "I'm a Baptist," he said.
Hearing that he was a Baptist, the other person said, "You're not in the army.
You're in the navy!"
A Presbyterian elder was advertising his car for sale.
A Baptist deacon was interested and answered the ad.
"How do I know it runs as well as you claim?" asked the Baptist deacon.
"You can trust my word.
I'm a Presbyterian elder."
"I'll take it," replied the other.
"I'll drive it home and send you the money in the mail.
You can trust me, because I'm a Baptist deacon."
When the elder arrived home he asked his wife, "What's a Baptist deacon?" "Oh," came the answer, "a Baptist deacon is about the same as a Presbyterian elder."
"Oh, no," groaned the elder, "I've lost my car."
By now I am used to Baptist jokes.
And I think it's good that we're able to poke fun at ourselves from time to time.
Perhaps it helps us soften the shell and allow the Lord to search the deeper corners of our hearts.
I don't apologize, though, for my theological convictions about baptism.
I'm not ashamed to call myself a Baptist for one reason: it's biblical.
John was a baptist.
Our Lord was a baptist.
The apostles were baptists.
What made them baptists was not the brand of church they attended, but rather that they took seriously the sign, the public demonstration, of an inward spiritual change.
And that's what baptism is all about.
Change.
There's a tendency, in our generalizing, to lump all Baptists into the same tank of water.
For example, we call ourselves a Bible church but that doesn't mean that we are the only ones who believe the Bible.
Likewise, just because a church bears the name Baptist doesn't mean that they're the only ones who believe baptism is important.
Often times we allow labels to set us apart when in reality there's not much difference.
My goal today is not to convince anyone that Baptist churches are any better than non-Baptist churches.
My goal is simply this: to emphasize the important place baptism should have in every believer's life.
Today I want to talk about three reasons why baptism is important for the Christian.
Many of us here today have been baptized.
Some were baptized as adults.
Some were baptized as children and even infants.
Some have never trusted Jesus Christ for salvation from sin. Regardless of your experience, we need to know what the Bible teaches about baptism, understand its significance, and act on it.
| *QUESTION: "WHY SHOULD I GET WET?"* |
The question is: "Why should I get wet?"
And I want to share with you three important reasons why every believer should personally and soberly consider baptism.
*I.
BAPTISM IS A PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO FOLLOW -- ACT OF COMMITMENT*
/ "Go therefore and make disciples of/
/ all the nations, baptizing them..."/
Notice that we are commanded to do primarily one thing: *make disciples*.
In order for you and I to make disciples, we must ourselves first be disciples.
What is a disciple?
A disciple is, in plain English, a learner.
A student.
A follower.
One who sees himself or herself as looking up to a teacher.
And in this case, you and I are the learners, and Jesus Christ is the Teacher.
So when He commands us, "make disciples," we don't wonder what He means.
He means, wherever you go, make disciples or followers of Me. Jesus made disciples, and He has called you and I to be disciples and to make disciples.
Is there a difference between being a Christian and being a disciple?
I've pondered that question many times.
Can one be a Christian and not a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Yes.
I believe the Bible clearly demonstrates that many of us stop short of what God wants us to be.
Look at verse 19.
Our Lord says, "make disciples."
Notice the way the sentence is structured.
He first gives the command.
Then He describes how that command is to be fulfilled.
He says, make disciples by doing three things.
First, make disciples while you are going.
In other words, we bear witness as Jesus' disciples whenever and wherever we go.
Secondly, we make disciples by baptizing "them."
And thirdly, we make disciples by teaching them.
Who is "them?"
They are the people we are building into disciples of Jesus Christ.
We know from the rest of the Bible that the baptizing and teaching come after conversion.
These are not prerequisites to salvation, but necessary steps after salvation.
First you are born, then you are given a name and later learn to walk and talk.
Being named is not a prerequisite for being born.
Walking and talking are not prerequisites for getting out of the womb.
If they are, I shouldn't be here.
But some Christians have adopted the notion that they have a choice about whether to walk and talk spiritually, to be a disciple.
They are happy with their new birth, but they have no desire or inclination to be given a name and learn to walk and talk.
Observations:
1. Being baptized and being a disciple are inseperably linked.
2.
Being baptized and being a disciple are not the same as being a fanatic.
It is simply being an obedient believer.
3.
Being baptized helps me to acknowledge that Christ is the leader, and I am the follower.
*II.
BAPTISM IS A PICTURE OF CHANGED IDENTITY -- ACT OF IDENTIFICATION*
/ "baptizing them in the name of the Father/
/ and the Son and the Holy Spirit..."/
There are a lot of people who say they believe in Christ and are trusting Him to get them to heaven, but that's about as far as it goes.
A questionnaire mailed out by one church asked, "How far do you live from the church?" and "How long does it take you to get to church?"
One member answered, "I live about four blocks from the church, and to get there it takes me about three months."
The verb "to baptize" literally means "to dip."
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