“Be Baptized and Live Baptized Life”
Sermon Title: Be Baptized and Live Baptized Life
Scripture: Mattew 3:13-17, Romans 6:4-11 ESV
Introduction
What is baptism? How do we live a baptized life as God’s people? There is a rich reality that we usually don’t realize regarding baptism. A big part of that reality is your identity. Your Identity is identified in baptism, and the church is a group of baptized people.
Baptism is the illustration of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus’ baptism is an illustration (and foreshadow) of his death and resurrection. Jesus was baptized before the start of his ministry and it is the picture of Jesus will eventually do in his death and resurrection. This is a simple yet profound truth that warrants exploring.
Jesus’ Baptism
The message of John the Baptizer was to repent and be washed of your sins. Therefore baptism was for sinners for the washing away of their sins. But then, what about Jesus? Jesus was sinless, spotless, and perfect in holiness and righteousness in whom there was no fault. Why did Jesus get baptized? John’s response to Jesus was similar to our response - “Wait? What are you doing? You should be baptizing me!” Jesus replies, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt. 3:15)
What does “fulfill all righteousness” mean? It means that Jesus getting baptized was part of God’s plan and part of Jesus’ mission.
1. It was an act of obedience to the Father
2. It was Jesus identifying himself with sinners
God’s will was for Jesus to go down to the water. What does it mean for Jesus to “go down to the water”?
Water in the Bible refers to purification, but it also refers to death and judgement. In the story of Noah and the flood, God judges wickedness by water; this was baptism (cf. 1 Peter 3:20-21). But Noah and his family were saved from the waters. This means that unless you are protected by the “ark”, the grace and mercy of God, you would be destroyed by God’s judgement. Therefore Jesus is being judged when he goes down into the water - into the sin and brokenness of “us”. Jesus also speaks about this in Luke 12:50 that he has a baptism to be baptized with which caused him to be distressed. His baptism was the cross. On the cross Jesus is baptized with God’s wrath.
God’s Wrath
God’s wrath is praise worthy because God’s wrath fell upon Jesus instead of us. God’s righteousness is such that God must be angry over sin and evil and when God’s people do not live as God’s people.
In the Jordan river, Jesus was symbolically baptized into our sin. He became sin for us, went to hell on our behalf, he rose from the dead, and arose to new life.
Therefore, Romans 6:3 shows us that baptism is both a “tomb” and a “womb”. It is both a funeral for your old self and it is the womb of your new birth, new identity, new self, in Christ.
Our Identity
We identify with Christ in our baptism. After Jesus’ baptism, Jesus heard the voice of the Father saying “This is my son in whom I am well pleased.” We as God’s baptized people hear the same voice of God that is well pleased because of Jesus Christ. This is what God says to us every day despite how we may feel or no matter how our life may look. It doesn’t matter because our life is wrapped up in Jesus. The world tells you to look internally for answers, but you will never find them because the answer is external to yourself. Your identity is defined by what God has done for you. Don’t listen to other voices but only God’s voice that says “I love you.” You are a child of God.
The Necessity of Baptism
Some may ask if baptism is necessary, but let us consider that in the Bible, there is no unbaptized Christian. We must do baptism because:
1. It is a command by Jesus in Matt. 28:19-20 - to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
2. It is a gift from God. It is God’s gift to seal His love for us and it seals our union with Jesus. Therefore, baptism is always given by someone because it is a gift you receive.
Baptized Life
How do we live a baptized life? Baptism is supposed to shape our lives just as how being married shapes a man’s life. For those who struggle with sin, Paul is asking, “Are we to continue sinning so that grace may abound?” His answer is that no one can still live in sin when you’ve died to sin.
Baptism makes the cross real in your life. Baptism can change our state of being, just like how a wedding changes a bachelor permanently into the “state” of "husband.” Baptism makes you permanently “married” to Christ. This means we are “saints” in Christ. God sees Jesus when looking at us instead of the sinner that we are. It changes who we are, our attitude, our behaviour, and life, into his image. Therefore, we are called to live as saints, live as a child of God.
Romans 6:11 tells us to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ. Therefore, live as a baptized person, a baptized church that looks to Jesus when you struggle with sin. Martin Luther is said to have run around shouting “I am baptized!” when he too struggled with sin. We too must bring ourselves to Christ.
Brothers and sisters, be baptized. trust in Jesus. Remember your baptism, so that you may live out your identity as a baptized believer.
