FOLLOWING CHRIST IN BAPTISM
Text: Acts 8:26-40 (focus on 36-38); cf. Mt. 28:18-20
26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
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:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And 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 baptized?
37 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.
38 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.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
1. The Prerequisite Of Baptism (Acts 8:35-39, 10:44-48)
- The prerequisite for being baptized is that you must be a
The Ethiopian Eunuch asked, “Here is water. Can I be baptized?” Phillip responded, “You can if you truly
Faith in Jesus saves, not ceremony or ritual or ordinance.
- Salvation comes by the power of God, not the power of a person or church to baptize.
2. The Priority Of Baptism
- Is baptism important? Yes.
Is it a must? Yes, but not for salvation. It is a must for
Every New Testament believer was baptized. There is no example of a New Testament believer not being baptized. [Note: By New Testament, we mean the time period from the completed cross-work of Christ forward, not the 27 books making up the New Testament of the Bible.]
- [Define New Testament as the period from the cross forward.]
3. The Publicity Of Baptism
1) Public declaration (cf. Mt. 3:13-17)
When you get baptized you are making several public declarations.
1] Public declaration of a new association
- When the Eunuch was baptized, he was publicly declaring his new association with the message and person of Jesus Christ.
He was saying, “I’m with Him. And He is with me.” “I’m associated with the man Christ Jesus, the message of Christ Jesus, the movement of Christ Jesus, and the mandate of Christ Jesus.”
Baptism is a public declaration of a new association, i.e. the association brought about
2] Public declaration of
- No one else can affirm my belief in Jesus as Savior.
The Eunuch couldn’t say, “Hey, here is water. Let one of my associates be baptized for me.”
Our baptism affirms our belief.
-Baptism is as personal a choice as is salvation itself.
3] Public declaration of new
- Baptism so identifies us personally with Jesus Christ that it is like putting on a uniform.
- Baptism declares our identity as a Christian.
4] Public declaration of crucifixion and resurrection (cf. Rom. 6:1-6)
- When a person gets saved, they are brought into a spiritual union with Jesus Christ.
- Christ comes to live within the person; and the person is placed (positionally) in Christ.
- Water Baptism symbolizes the reality of our spiritual baptism into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
- Baptism is our public declaration of
- Baptism declares my crucifixion, my resurrection (spiritually), and my belief in physical resurrection in the future.
5] Public declaration of
- When the Eunuch came from Jerusalem, he was an active Jewish proselyte. He worshiped at the Temple. But when he got saved, he became a Christian. His baptism became a public renunciation of his old life.
- This is why baptism is such a huge deal. It is a renunciation of the
- Baptism is a renunciation of the old life, religion, allegiances, etc.
- It is also a renunciation of
2) Public demonstration
Baptism is an ordinance. An ordinance is an outward institution, appointed by Christ, by positive precept, to be observed by all His people to the end of the age, commemorating an essential gospel fact and declaring an essential gospel truth.
Every time we see someone baptized, we see afresh the crucifixion of Jesus, his burial, and his resurrection.
- That’s what baptism demonstrates: his death, burial, and resurrection.
3) Public proclamation
When the Eunuch was baptized, his baptism proclaimed the
Baptism is an effective proclamation of the gospel. The reason is because it is the message of the cross. But, it is also the message of how Jesus changed your life.
- Your baptism is you preaching. It is you witnessing. It is you testifying to the power of the gospel of Jesus to save, not only you, but anyone who will believe.
Conclusion and Application:
1) Be
- Timing is everything – baptism is the outward evidence of inward change, relationship, etc.
- It is a public declaration of a new association, identification, renunciation, separation, affirmation of your personal faith and relationship.
- If you are saved, but haven’t been baptized, do it. GO PUBLIC!
2)
3) Get
- Timing is everything. All outward demonstration means nothing, if it is not a demonstration of an inward reality.