Baptism Sunday

Baptism Sunday

Reading: Acts 8:26-40

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian  eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” 30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,  so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants?  For his life was taken from the earth.”34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea

Teaching:

Well folks what an incredible day of celebration as we think about lives that have been changed by the love of Jesus. I was talking during the week with the pastor who has loaned us this baptism pool – so a big thank you to Shankill Baptist. And he was saying that since COVID he’s not had any baptisms, but now he’s starting to see people coming forward whose lives have been the story of how God has picked them up and set them on a new path. So it’s truly wonderful to be celebrating with these folks today in what is so significant. Why is baptism so important? Well I thought it would be helpful today to think for a while about why baptism is a key aspect of the growth of the Church of God.

Now for those of you who haven’t noticed it, there is a verse actually missing from our text and that is verse 37. Just up to that point the Eunuch asked Philip “What is standing in the way of me being baptised right here” And so verse 37 which will be in the footnotes of your bibles says this –  “ Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”  [And] The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Don’t be concerned that it’s missing. Remember that what we have in front of us today is a copy of a copy of a copy of the original text. And it’s not that the NIV translation is trying to deceive us in any way. Because if verse 37 said something bizarre then we might be a bit concerned, but clearly it’s saying that it was imperative that the Eunuch believed with all of his heart and declared that Jesus Christ is the son of God in order to be baptised.

So later on we are going to baptise Evelyn, Roberta, Hazel, Cara and Peter on the profession of their faith. And the reason that we are doing this is because Jesus commanded his disciples to baptise. It’s a command for those who say they follow him. You will remember in Matthew 28, that before he left them he said that “All authority in heaven and on earth ha[d] been given to [him]. 19 Therefore [he said to] go and make disciples of all nations (in other words proclaim the Gospel to them, and then as they turn their lives to the Lord they were to) baptiz[e] in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. So it’s therefore pretty obvious that if the Church is commanded to baptise, then equally everyone who then believes that the Lord Jesus not only died for them, but through his death and resurrection has saved them from what otherwise is eternal death, then they are directed to be baptised. That’s why today is so so important. These individuals, who are not determined by their age, but are determined by their own commitment to walk a new life with the Lord and an eternal glory that will never die, then that folks is good news to shout from the roof tops today. There can be no greater celebration than what is happening here today.

When we read the bible this way, we come to the conclusion that Baptism is not an option, it’s not something that we can say we might do it, but rather that Baptism is an obligation – not for everyone – it’s for those that have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection. If Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour then we must do what he says. It should be as common today as it was then. All we have to do is go through the book of Acts to see how common baptisms were as the Church grew. In Acts 2 when Peter preaches on Pentecost and the people that had gathered were cut to the heart and they ask what should they do, Peter tells them “Repent and be baptised, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins”.  Then in Acts 9 when Saul of Tarsus who was so opposed to Jesus, is then converted in such an incredibly life changing way, he goes to Judas’ house on Straight Street where scales literally fall off his eyes, and before he eats or drinks anything, the priority is to be baptised now that he is a new creation. Or what about the story of Lydia in Acts 16 where Paul meets her, a seller of purple cloth at the side of a river, and the Lord opens her heart to what Paul was speaking about, and immediately she is baptised. And then finally the night when Paul & Silas are in prison with an incredible earthquake taking place and all the prisoners chains became loose. So we have this jailer who, realising the awesome power of God in that place, cries out wanting to know how he can be saved. And so the reply comes back “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”  So Paul and Silas are able to share the Gospel to the whole household – they all believe and so they are then baptised as a family. That’s why this morning is so important – it follows a line of activity that should be the pattern for anyone who comes to know the Lord Jesus as their saviour.

So now in Acts 8 we have another example. It’s a 60 mile journey for Philip as he goes south from Jerusalem down to Gaza. It was a road that was used routinely by many trades people and travellers, and it went on from Gaza into Egypt and on through the African continent. Philip’s being evangelising in Samaria and he’s seen incredible healing take place there and many people accepting the word of the Lord.

God has now directed him to head south. Now it’s no accident that Philip and this Ethiopian meet along this road. The text tells us that this Ethiopian is an important official who is in charge of all the Queen’s money. But then it tells us that he had been in Jerusalem to worship, so we can take from that that he is religious, and now he’s on his way home, and while he’s in his chariot he’s reading from Isaiah. He’s reading scripture but he doesn’t understand it, and yet God has a plan afoot. He’s going to use Philip. Isn’t that quite incredible – 2 people on the same road, and now God by his Holy Spirit is going to do something incredible through Philip’s obedience, to shine a revelation into this Eunuch’s heart.

For those of us today that can say they have put their whole trust in the Lord Jesus, then you have had an encounter at some point which with Godly providence has brought you to the feet of Jesus. I wonder can you remember what that encounter was. And just as a side, I’d encourage everyone here today to take time over our refreshments down in the hall to talk to some of these folks who are being baptised. Because God had appointed a time in their lives when some kind of encounter would take place – that might have been with another person, a life event, a sermon, a course like Alpha – something that only God had planned has happened in their lives. Remember folks that nothing is accidental in the plans of God.

Back to the story.

So Philip is directed to this man on the chariot – and he’s bold enough to come alongside him, and ask him, do you understand what you are reading? Now the Eunuch gives him the hook that he’s been looking for when he says, “well how on earth can I understand unless someone explains it to me”.  Can you imagine, Philip’s probably been wondering for days, “why God have you sent me down the road to the south?”, but now it all becomes clear to him.

And so now the 2 get into a conversation about the text that the Eunuch has been reading. He wants to know who this person is that has been led like a sheep to the slaughter? Who is this person who have been humiliated and deprived of any justice. Who is it that suffers in such an awful way?

And so Philip begins to respond, and our passage says that he tells him the good news of Jesus. He probably shows this Ethiopian how all the text from the Old Testament is pointing to and being fulfilled through the very life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. It’s the good news. Philip is letting this man know that this Jesus was the saviour, he was the answer to all the longings of the human heart, and most of all in him was forgiveness of all sins, and that God was reconciling the world to himself.

This was the missing link for this man. God had ordained this very moment in his life.

You know this week in our house group on Wednesday night, we were just talking about the opportunities that come when we are open to allow God to use us as a witness in our everyday lives, speaking to friends, family, telling them of the hope that we have as Christians. And as a house group we shared that we might just be the missing link that a person needs. You see we might never know what part we are playing in God’s greater plan in someone’s life. You see every conversation and encounter that we have matters. For the Eunuch, whilst we don’t know it, there’s be a chain of events that probably have brought him to this point with Philip. He might have already been directed to head to Jerusalem to know more about this God people were talking about. Someone might have directed him to the passage from Isaiah that he was reading. So as Philip now opens his mouth, unknown to all concerned, that was the final piece of the jigsaw for this man.

And now the Eunuch, coming to some water, now that his heart has clearly been turned to Christ, he asks “See this water. What is standing in the way of me being baptised at this very point?” The Eunuch understands the real importance now that he has given his life to Christ, that baptism is the next step.

And that’s what’s happening with Evelyn, Cara, Peter, Roberta, and Hazel. They have at some point heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, they have at a point understood who Jesus is and why he has come and what he has done for them. All of them will affirm the questions that I will very soon put to them. And when they go down into the water they are aware that Christ died for their sins, Christ was buried, Christ was raised on the third day, and so in baptism they are declaring that Jesus died for me and in his death there is the forgiveness for my sins, and when I come out of the water it is a picture that I have been pardoned for my sins, that I have been raised to new life in Christ and in that new life I am prepared to let the whole world know that God has come and has made me alive, I am a new creation in Christ.

But folks, there’s more to today than celebrating with these individuals in this step that they have made. The story was about the Eunuch but it was also about Philip’s openness. I obviously don’t know all of your lives, but I do know that many of you come Sunday after Sunday to this Church and our Church in Ballynure to worship God. So when you leave here today and go back into your streets where you live, if like Philip we are obedient to God’s prompting, and submit to his direction, then we will have people who God will put in our way, that we might then ask them – do you understand this Jesus whom I follow? Have you ever considered why he came? Have you ever read the bible? Would you take a copy of a New Testament if I gave it to you? What can I do so that you know how much Christ has shaped my life, and how he can do the same to you?  Folks, if you know the Lord Jesus, then ask God to point you towards opportunities and encounters with others.

Maybe today you are here because you heard that we having all these baptisms. Maybe today you have connected with our church through our various programmes and you’ve decided to come along to see what’s going on inside. Maybe today God will use this celebration of baptism to draw close to you.

So just as I finish, I have 2 questions for you all.

Baptism is for those people who have come to know Jesus – not just on an intellectual level, but that he is the very saviour that they need daily. Their walk with Jesus surrounds them in all they are thinking each day.

So my first question is this – do you truly believe on Jesus as your Lord and God? If not, then I encourage you to call out to him right now and he will save you (Romans 10:13) He will never turn away anyone who comes to him. Speak with him honestly what’s on your heart and he will listen.

The second question is this – if you have already professed your faith in Jesus Christ, have you confessed him as your saviour in being baptised?

But why this is so important?

If your answer to question one is yes, you have truly believed that Jesus Christ is Lord. And the answer to question two is no, no you haven’t been baptised.

Or the answer to question one is no, you do not truly believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and saviour, but the answer to question two is yes, you have been baptised.

Then folks, in both cases you are a walking contradiction.

It makes absolutely no sense to proclaim Christ as Lord and not be baptised. But it also makes absolutely no sense if you are baptised, maybe as a child, but don’t truly know Jesus as your Lord. Because if that’s the case what is baptism for? Why would Jesus instruct his followers to share the gospel and then baptise if people don’t actually do it? And why would people simply say they’ve been baptised but it doesn’t mean anything to them or affect them daily?

Today, like the Godly encounter on the road between Philip and the Eunuch, today might be the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle that makes you realise there’s something you need to do about this. I’d encourage you not to leave here today without speaking to me about what’s on your mind right now. And I pray that as you see these 5 folks coming forward, letting everyone know that they are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the Holy Spirit that begun an incredible work in them, will also work in you right now prompting you to respond to the Lord Jesus who loves you, died for you, and has redeemed you, and wants you to be a committed follower also today.