Cornerstone PLUS

We're just going to spend a few moments looking at what the Bible says about baptism, which I think is quite an important question, isn't it? If you're not familiar. And even if you are with baptism services, it's good to revisit what actually is a baptism. What is it that makes a baptism? I mean, you imagine for a moment that you're in a swimming pool.

Okay? You've gone swimming with a friend. And you're wading through the shallow end, entering the deep end, preparing to swim, and a friend comes up behind you puts their hand upon your head and their foot in front of yours and just plunges you in. And then they grab your shoulders, pull you out, And then they look at you bleary eyes rubbing the water from their faces. And you say, congratulations.

You've been baptized. Does that count? What would you do in that situation? You could either start some kind of aquatic war and, decide to replunge them and baptize them in response to what they've done. You know, what would that count as a baptism?

I think even those of us who might be very new to the idea of Christian baptism would be suspicious of that. I think you would say, that doesn't count. That's just a strange, aggressive dunking. How can that be a baptism? But, okay, what would need to change in that situation in order to make it a real back to me?

Is it the water that's the problem? You know, we can't have general swimming pool water for a baptism. We need to have special religious water that's been sanctified or prayed over in some way. We need that kind of water. Or is it the building that's the problem?

No good trying to call it a baptism in a swimming bath filled with filled with all kinds of other people. It needs to be in a church building. It needs to be in a religious looking building in order for it to be a baptism, or was it the wrong person who did it You know, it's just a mate. What right have they got to baptize someone, or it'd be someone religious. Kind of priest or something.

Do we need someone like that in order to make it a baptism? Is it too private? I mean, it's only you and your friend. Wouldn't it be better and wouldn't it be more right to gather a crowd? Is a crowd what's required in order to make that situation a baptism?

Or is the person's consent? What makes it a baptism? I mean, that seems like it's pretty important, isn't it? You know, does it have to be done in accordance with their will rather than against their will? If they said, baptize me here, with that then make it a baptism.

So it's not on the surface. That easy, is it to work out what actually is a baptism? And I want us to try together to answer that question by thinking about baptism as 3 acts or 3 acts to do with baptism. The first thing I wanted to see is that baptism is an act of god. So before we even get anywhere near this water, we need to know that baptism is about something which god has already done in history.

Secondly, we need to know that baptism is an individual act It is about Aden and Naomi. It is about how they have come to participate in the promises of god as individuals. And thirdly, we need to know that baptism is a church act. In other words, it is about the individuals but it's not just about the individuals. It's also about the people of god.

And to help us Look at all those different things. We're going to read Roman 6 1 to 4. Hopefully, that's gonna come up on the screen. There are some bibles. If you would prefer to turn to it.

If not, you can just follow along as I read it from the screen. What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase, by no means, We are those who have died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death In order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we, too, may live a new life. This is a letter written to a church in Rome, and it's written by the apostle Paul, who was at first a persecutor of god's people but was then incredibly converted and became his messenger, and he writes this letter to a church in Rome. And as you can see, when he comes to this subject of baptism, he wants us to know first of all that baptism begins with an act of god. In other words, what we are about to see this evening has history that is 2000 years old. Bacticism begins with god's gift to the world.

The Bible tells us that when the fullness of time had come, When the time was right, when the time had approached, god sent his son, Jesus Christ into the world when the time was right. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the word of god. That means that he is the 1 who comes and makes god known to us. He is the fulness of god's revelation. And so when Jesus Christ steps onto the scene, 2000 years ago as he speaks and lives and dies and rises, he's the word of god.

He's revealing god to us. In his fullness. As you read about Jesus, in the new testament, you discover that he lived the perfect life. He's an amazing man to read about. As Aidan was saying, at first, she may have thought he was just, a kind of white West and God.

But actually as you read about Jesus, you see, no, no. He is for every type of person. He lived a life that was in complete obedience to his father god. He lived a life of perfection. He was committed to justice and rightness, but also was full of compassion for those who had failed.

He lived a perfect life. But Paul in Roman 6 wants us to focus not so much on his life here but on his death. Look at sentence number 3 on the screen. Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. So in Paul's mind, you can see that baptism and the death of Jesus in history belong together.

Now why is that? Because when Jesus died, this is Naomi's little boy the way. So if any if any child is entitled to make gurgling loud noises is him, okay, Ziki, we all think Ziki is gonna be a preacher 1 day. In fact, And so this is the beginning of his apprenticeship, but his mom's baptism. So you preach your way, brother.

Correct me, add to what I'm saying. Do do what you like. Okay? So you can see Paul in Romans 6, he is putting baptism and the death of Jesus together. Now why is that?

Well, because the Bible is very clear that when Jesus Christ died, it wasn't an accident and it wasn't a defeat. And it wasn't just an example of how to be kind to other people. Jesus Christ came to die for sinners. He came to die in the place of sinners. And what does it mean to be a sinner?

Where there's all kinds of different things we could say. To be a sinner is to drive a wedge between ourselves and god is to put a wedge between us and our maker. So I don't wanna I don't wanna be with you anymore, and we bang the top of the wedge so the distance gets broader and broader. To be a sinner is to deny god, is to deny him in his glory and his word and his greatness. To be a sinner is to write a divorce paper and to present it to god and say I want to divorce with you, my maker.

I don't wanna live in fellowship with you, and I don't wanna listen to you. To be a sinner is to make a terrible exchange. Is to take your creator down to the porn shop and sell him and exchange him for something else, which you think is more valuable. To be a sinner is to break the law of god. I am guilty of all of those things.

So is everyone in this room and so are Aiden and Naomi. To sin against our maker in those ways is the greatest crime that we can imagine It is worthy of the greatest punishment that we could imagine because god is the greatest being that we could imagine. But baptism points to an act of god in history, which is good news for sinners. Very good news for sinners. The world is full of bad news, but the Bible gives us good news for sinners.

Have a look at sentence 3 again? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, We too may live a new life. Jesus Christ died for sinners. So that we might die to sin so that we might leave sin behind if we trust in him.

That is what was happening on the cross. Jesus Christ, the perfect, obedient, son of god who had done no wrong went and hung in the place of execution. Bearing our sins upon himself, taking the sins that wedge the denial, the divorce, the terrible exchange, the law breaking, of each 1 of us upon himself. So that if we trust in him, his perfectness could be counted as ours. So do you see in a moment when Naomi and Aden get plunged down into this lovely warm water, It points us to an act of god in history.

Jesus Christ died and was buried for sinners. Without that act, baptism loses its meaning. But again, that is only half the story. Because when Naomi and Aidan come out of the water, They will remind us of part 2, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And can I say part 1 of that story without part 2 is an absolute disaster?

I mean, you imagine if we did half a baptism this evening. If we got Aiden into the pool and Naomi after, and we did the first half of this historical act, we held them under, but didn't bother to bring them up again. Suddenly, a joyful ceremony becomes a murder inquiry. And rightly so, it would be rather foolish given the amount of witnesses in the room. But it would be a disaster.

And so it is with the act of god in history. It would be half a gospel. If Jesus Christ died on a cross for sinners like you and me, but didn't rise from the dead as he promised, he hasn't paid for the sin of the world. The wrath of god has not been satisfied. There is no resurrection life.

There is no hope for his people after the grave. It is infinitely more disastrous even than half a baptism. But praise the lord, that is not the case. On the third day, as he promised, god raised Jesus from the dead. Sin is paid for, If you trust in him, it can be wiped away even on this evening and the hope of eternal life.

Is available to all who turn to him. And so when Naomi and Aden rise up from this water, they are saying to us friends. Look at history. Look at the act of God. Jesus Christ.

Is risen from the dead. Firstly, baptism begins with an act of god. Secondly, baptism is also an individual act. So let's have a look again at Roman 6 1 to 4 and try to think of it from that perspective. What shall we say then?

Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase, by no means? We are those who have died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death, In order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we, too, may live a new life.

You see, why didn Naomi and Aden want to be baptized before you this evening? Because the Holy Spirit has enabled them as individuals to trust in Jesus. For Naomi, that happened many years ago when she was just 4 years old to begin with. And for Aiden Moore recently. But the same thing has happened in both of their lives.

And that is why we have testimonies at these events. We want to hear their stories as individuals of the way god has worked in their lives. And it's wonderful to hear, isn't it? Aden, thinking to begin with. That the Christian faith just belong to 1 particular part of the world.

But coming now to see that Jesus is the savior of all nations, It's wonderful to hear that despite her sadness and the upset of these dreams, Jesus has been able to help her as her savior. And for Naomi, it's been wonderful to see and to hear god's faithfulness to her since she was 4 years old, keeping her in the faith. Isn't that good news for the rest of us that god might be able to keep us for a long time as well? It's been wonderful to hear this. And that is so important.

And so they are here as individuals to say, yes, to this gospel truth. Yes. I've seen god's act in history. Yes. I've become a part of it through faith.

Yes. I wanna live for this savior. It's not the water that saves them. There's nothing special about this water. There's nothing religious about this building.

It's their faith in Jesus. Which saves them, and baptism says see world, what a savior he is, see world what he has done in my life. Yet there's even more we can say about these 2 as individuals. The Bible teaches us that baptism is actually a picture of being united to Jesus. That's an amazing thing, isn't it?

What does it mean to be united to Jesus? Well, you think of your hand and the way that it's connected to your arm and arm to shoulder, shoulder to neck, neck to head. There's a union between the living parts of the body just as there is between Christians and Jesus. Or you think of a great tree with all its branches, just a few big ones, hundreds of smaller ones, and then thousands of precious buds, all of them connected to the life source. So it is with Christians and with Jesus.

The Greek word, baptism, actually used to be used of fabric that you would plunge into a bowl of dye. If you wanted to dye a particular garment for clothing or for your house, you would plunge it in, you would back ties the fabric so that when you bought it out, the ink was infused into every fiber And in a sense, you could no longer tell the difference between the garment and the ink, they had become so united they were 1 now. And so it is with Naomi and Aden. They are like that material. That has been plunged into the dye.

They have been united with Christ, co crucified, co buried, co resurrected with the savior. And that is why in a moment, we're gonna physically plunge them in and raise them up to remind us of their union with Christ in his death. And his resurrection, baptism is an act of god. It's an individual act, but, lastly, It's also a church act. Let's look at Roman 6 just 1 more time and notice the corporate language here.

What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase by no means? We are those who have died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death. In order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we, too, may live a new life. We, we, we, us, those, we, the individuals are important, but baptism means belonging to Christ. What was he saying there? We, we, we, we, we, we, we, Zekah, you've got it.

I mean, just come and take over brother. I mean, that's when you know your points are simple enough, isn't it? When Ziki can repeat it. You know you've got a simple enough point there. Thank you, brother.

It's all about Christ and his people in other words. As I quoted at the beginning, Matthew 28 19, Jesus says to the disciples, all authority on heaven and earth has been given to me, go therefore make disciples of all nations baptizing them and teaching them. Jesus wants us to see that being baptized belongs to being taught. There is a life that follows baptism. And so this is why when someone wants to be baptized in this church, We don't say, well, why don't you crack on by yourself this evening?

I'm sure your bathtub is big enough. You can do it by yourself. We want to gather the church. We want to hear stories. Even the phrase I want to be ties implies someone else has gotta be involved.

And that is why in a moment Naomi and Aden will speak in the water. Some of the church elders will speak, and we will all speak because this is a we activity. Baptistism is not just about 5 minutes in the water, an individual religious experience, and then you can come and go as you please. When we receive Christ, we receive Christ's people. When we are reconciled to Christ, we are reconciled to his people.

When someone is baptized, they put on the team jersey. They wear the team colors and they run out onto the pitch to represent the team. Bacticism is all about the we. It's all about the church. And so back to that swimming pool illustration, a mate dunks you under the water.

Is it a baptism? Well, it could be. If the act of god in Jesus Christ, dying for sinners and rising again is central, it could be. If the church is gathered to witness and say a man and to pray for them, then it could be. If the individuals are able say, yes, I've come to know Jesus.

I wanna follow him, then it could be. And of course, if they are actually willing, that it could be. Friends, baptism is not just a religious thing. It's not a meaningless few moments in special water, Baptism is about the act of god in Jesus Christ, dying and rising for sinners. It's about individuals coming to participate in those promises.

And it's about the church. And so it's a great joy to be able to witness these baptisms. But before we do, can I just leave you with a challenge? Perhaps you're here, and you're not a believer in Jesus Christ. You've come maybe just to support and not really to think for yourself.

Well, can I say that Jesus Christ is for you? Jesus Christ died for you. He knows you. He loves you. All that you've ever done he is aware of.

And yet on the cross, he took it for you so that if you would turn and trust in him, he waits with open arms to forgive you, to make you right, and to bring you 1 day to a great heavenly home. This baptism is about Naomi and Aden and what's happened to them, but it's also a sermon to you. To say, join me in dying and rising with the savior of the world. Let's bow our heads and pray. Lord, Jesus, we thank you that you are the word of god that you came to this world to reveal what your father and our father is like.

We thank you that you came to die for our sins on the cross and to rise again in victory. Thank you that no matter who we are, no matter where we from and no matter what we have done, If we will repent, say sorry to you, and turn to Jesus. We can know forgiveness. And we can have that perfect life of Jesus counted to us. Lord help us not to neglect these great truths.

But help us to trust in your son. We thank you again for Naomi and Aden. We praise you that they have come to know and love Jesus. And want to celebrate that with us this evening. Thank you in his name.