Andrew Isbell
June 6, 2021
Note: The transcript below is automatically generated and will contain errors.
Transcript:
Good to see everybody with us this morning. It’s also good to see our visitors to keep those who aren’t with us on our prayers until they return to us.
This morning what I’m going to talk about and giving full credit. I got a little help on this from not direct but indirectly from Brother Jeff Hamilton out of Nebraska. He had a good outline put together and I put it to you. So give give him credit where credit’s due. But this morning when I really want to talk about is
something that kind of stands out in the New Testament that is often not talked about amongst Christians as a whole and I think that all of us are fairly familiar with this idea, but I still think it Bears going through in this idea that I want to speak about this morning is the
this idea that we see in the New Testament this fact that we see in the New Testament, especially when you look at the book of Acts. There’s this fact that this kind of odd fact that well odd in the ways of the world the stands out and that is that surrounding baptism. There seemed to be this big hurry to get baptized.
That it was considered something that was very necessarily done quickly. That was very demanding and had to be taken care of right away when we when we look at the scriptures and we’re going to spend a lot of time in Acts. We look at the scripture surrounding this issue. We see two big things that these people don’t seem to want to wait.
I want to wait to do anything else. They don’t want to wait for a meal that it wanted to wait to sleep. I don’t want to wait for another day that I want to wait for people to get there. They want to they want to get it done and number two. Is that everyone who wanted to serve God wanted baptism and they wanted it right away. So let’s begin this morning in Acts 2 and 36 and like I said, we’re going to spend a lot of time in Acts have a lot of ground to cover.
/ and so I’m going to be moving pretty quickly. If if you miss some of the scriptural references I can provide those for you after Services. We’re going to begin in Acts 2 and 36 and the next two and thirty six. It says let all the house of Israel. Therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified now when they heard this they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the Apostles Brothers. What shall we do? And Peter said to them repent and be baptized every one of you
In the name of Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the holy spirit for the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off everyone whom the Lord Our God calls to himself and and with many other words, he bore witness and continue to exhort them saying save yourselves from this crooked generation. So those who received his word were baptized and they were added to that added that day about three thousand Souls.
Acts again 8 + 35 + ax 1835. We see this then Philip opened his mouth and beginning with the scripture. He told him the good news about Jesus and as they were going along the road they came to some water and the eunuch said see here is water what prevents me from being baptized and he commanded the Chariot to stop and they both went down to the water and Philip and the eunuch. They both went down into the water Philip and the eunuch and he baptized him.
I think many of us are familiar with that. But that’s history of the of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch again in Acts 10 and 40 for while Peter was still saying these things the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word and he in the Believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. They were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God then Peter declared. Can anyone without what can
One with hold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have and then commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, then they asked him to remain for some days.
Again in Acts 16 and 30 then he brought them out and said I 1630 he brought them out and said sirs what must I do to be saved and they said believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved you and your household and they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house and he took them to the same hour of the night and watched her wounds and he and he was baptized at once. He and all his family that’s acts 16:30 through 33.
Again in Acts 22 verse 12 through 16 and one Anaya sandin is a devout man according to the law. Well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there came to me and standing by me said to me brother Saul receive your sight and at that very hour, I received my sight and saw him and he said the god of our fathers has appointed you to know his will to see the righteous one and to hear a voice from his mouth for you will be a witness for him.
Everyone of what you have seen and heard and now why do you wait rise and be baptized and wash away your sins calling on his name?
Again ax8 and 35 x 8. I read that one acts. I’m sorry, John 3 and 22.
John 3:22 through 23. Actually, we’ll get to that in just a second. So these these five verses in Acts 2 acts 8 x 10 x 16 and x22 those five verses all point to the same thing that when when someone wanted to become a Christian someone wanted to have their sins washed away when someone heard the word they immediately wanted to go out and find baptism. They want to weigh it look for the
Stopper to me they could find in the same hour. They stopped on the side of the road. They do whatever they had to do because in their minds they sought it it was important to them for some reason to be baptized and to be baptized quickly the question we want to get into this morning a little more detail his why
Why the rush when we look around today, we don’t see in the in the in the in Christendom as a whole and people claiming Christ. We don’t see this Rush as a hope. We see people do things all kinds of things that are very different from the rush that we see here in Acts.
I think maybe if we can understand why they felt this rush it will help us a lot to understand why they were baptized and why they felt it needed to be in need to be done. So quickly will affect our understanding about Chisholm as a whole.
So let’s start out with this baptism. It’s you know, I have this have a little bit of a pet peeve. There are certain words that that when we did translations of the Bible, there are certain words. There’s a couple handfuls of them that they didn’t translate so they translated everything else, but then they left a few words untranslated. They left them in either the old English or in the Latin or in the Greek and didn’t translate them when they Transit all the other words and so it creates some confusion around those words.
In the some degree, I wonder whether the didn’t translate them because they didn’t want to solve that confusion. So one of the things that we find one of those words is baptism. It would have been really easy to translate the word bad baptism to be immersed.
We know that that’s what it means. There’s not really an argument about that’s what it means to be put under the water is what it means to be put under the water when you’re baptized but water is exactly what that means that’s is a means to be immersed in something doesn’t have to be water. You can be baptized in other things but in the context of the scriptures, we always find it water.
so
what more they are immersed into well water.
There’s some significance here in Acts 35. We see the Ethiopian eunuch saying look here’s water. So we knew that it needed to be water. Right? We some of that conversation that was had that’s what was communicated to him that he need to be immersed in water.
There was enough water there has to be enough water and it’s interesting when he goes down into the water talks about their specifically that he goes on in the water again. I know you all know that I that I firmly hold this is that God doesn’t waste words in the New Testament or the old if he tells us something it’s important. He says they went down into the water now you’ll see pictures I’ve seen pictures.
of the
Philip and the eunuch standing
You know up to their chest and water and Philip pouring water over the Unix head to make a lick of sense, but it is what is pictured and the reason it’s pictured is because there’s a twisting of the word baptism and the fact that baptism is left baptism allows people to get away with it when the reality is that word is immersed.
So if you read that that same verse 1835.
It says here’s water where Prince me from being immersed.
Doesn’t it doesn’t it? It’s not a very hard not a very hard scripture at all to wrap your head around what’s meant by it. But by leaving it untranslated, here’s what I want to present even baptized. Then people can sort of generate their own idea to go along with this word. That’s not in common usage in English language today, and it leads to a lot of mistakes a lot of are a lot of misunderstanding and then that’s capitalized on by a lot of people who don’t teach the truth about about even what baptism is much less the purpose of it and the need for it.
So again, you see Philip baptized in the eunuch. You see the emergency that the eunuch felt the pull over on the side of the road and take the care of this right? Then not even finish his journey not even get where he’s going to take care of it. No thought to getting back to others before he’s baptized. He wants to get it done.
So again on that same subject of what is baptism.
We know from John 3 and 23. Let’s look at that now John 3 and 23. And actually I’m going to start in verse 22 says after this Jesus’s disciples went into Judean Countryside and he remained there with them and was baptizing John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because the water was plentiful there and the people were coming and being baptized.
Now, this is the baptism of John same work, right same thing occurring baptism in water.
Why was it important that the water was plentiful?
If all they needed was that much water.
Why does the bible call our attention to the fact he had to be in a place where water was plentiful? Why do you need a bunch of water to sprinkle some people?
Again, if you read it with with and translate the word baptized it makes a lot of sense because water was plentiful there and people were coming and being immersed that make sense. You got to have a certain amount of water to put a human being under it right and it can’t be a little cup. It can’t be a small amount has to be something the size of a human being has to be at least big enough to get somebody in I’ve seen people baptized and all kinds of things.
in the in the back in the olden days people used to get baptized and barrels big enough Barrel the fit a person hand you could do it, right the the thing the thing that holds the water is not the important thing but the water is important and having enough of it to do what God said to do and to immerse the person
Again, we as we as we continue on.
You can either obey with a good conscience what God tells us to do are you cannot now? Another thing that I want to clear up for those here and in case you deal with someone who’s not here?
Says one of the things that we face is people don’t understand or either intentionally or unintentionally misunderstand the the Bible’s teaching or what what we believe on this which is that we understand. I mean, I understand that being dunked is not everything, you know, I don’t want to I don’t want to leave that impression. I understand that going under the water going under water is not everything understand that there’s a lot more to it.
There’s more meaning and there’s love and there’s repentance and their submission and there’s knowledge and there’s power and their symbolism involved and that just because you’ve been under water at some point in your life doesn’t mean that you’ve been baptized right people go underwater all the time. Right going underwater is not the thing being baptized though is the thing right and we’ll talk about that a little bit more in just a
a second. But before we do that, let’s look at some of that surrounding badges those other things that no one hears denying and certainly not I’m not denying in First Peter 3 and 18 through 21 first Peter 3 18 through 21, and we see this for Christ also suffered once for sins the righteous for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit in which you went and Proclaim to the spirits in prison because they
A formerly did not obey when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared in which a few that is eight persons were brought safely through water baptism which corresponds to this now saves you not as a removal of dirt from the body doesn’t appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There’s some ties here that are being made right again. This is not simply going under the water. There is there is something that is being said here that baptism the baptism of the New Testament.
That that baptism is something that saves us like the ark saved Noah.
right
that is not is not unimportant anymore unimportant to us than the ark was to know.
How would Noah have fared without the ark?
Presumably not well.
God told Noah to build the ark.
Right. It’s the ark did the ark was the ark anything of its own. It was when God made it so.
When God sent Noah to build it his way with the materials that he wanted in the design that he gave.
And Noah did that Noah was saved.
Again, baptism is compared here to that.
His in in baptism is the same way as a design.
He gave us a way to do it gave us examples of it being done gave us all the information. We need to know about it and he has no less expectation of us, and he didn’t know it.
Now Noah is often used as an example by many.
As ideal example of following God’s word right loving God and following as well and people seem to widely agree that if Noah had said, I’m not going to do anything the way you told me. I don’t care. What kind of wood you said to use. I don’t care how many you told me to build it. I’m a I got better plans on doing I’ve seen that used in sermons all throughout.
Throughout all churches around rather they are sound or not sound whether they’re teaching the truth and not teaching truth. They use that and they say see you need to follow God like Noah Folly God have faith and do things his way here baptism is directly tied back to the construction of the Ark in the Salvation that Noah was provided through the construction of the art.
So we will on in Romans 6 again we see.
We actually we’re going to we’re going to read several verses of Romans 6. I’m going to come back. I think I’m going to read it all the way through and then I’ll come back and talk about the different verses. So Romans 6 1 through 9. We’re going to read the whole section and then I’ll come back and pick it apart Romans 6:1 begins this way. What shall we say? Then? Are we to continue in sin that Grace May abound by no means how can we who died in who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into into
Death we were varied therefore with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father. We too might walk in newness of life for if we have been United with him in death in a death like his we shall certainly be United with him in a resurrection like his we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin for one who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. Again. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again death no longer has dominion over him. Okay, so going through back through this this selection of versus to start out with a couple of things.
It begins in verse 2 by talking about the fact that we have died to sin.
and then in verse 3
You see this?
That Jesus died for our sins.
that we
are immersed into Christ Jesus and I’ve been immersed into his death.
Other words that we have been baptized into Christ.
Jesus Christ and we have been baptized into his death.
And then it goes on a verse 4.
That we are Buried buried therefore with him by baptism. What are we buried by baptism will make sense?
When you bury someone.
Right, you put them in the ground and you cover them up?
All right. I mean I have been to a lot of burials.
I’ve seen a lot of burials participated in some burials, right and you don’t
have the guy laying on the ground and throw a handful of dirt on him and walk off.
It’s not how they occur. That’s not that’s not a proper burial.
A burial you you put them below the ground and you cover them all the way up.
It’s an immersion in dirt.
I’ll side point is because I brought this up before when we look at doing things God’s way God’s way sometimes may seem strange to us why we don’t why don’t we use dirt and could use dirt?
You know we could say well we’re going to put dig a hole and put people in the hole and that’s how baptism is going to be accomplished. We’re going to cover them up with some dirt and then uncover a quick as we can and then they’re born Anew. We don’t use dirt because God told us to use water. It’s that simple that’s his way. That’s the way God wanted it done.
So we look at this baptism as immersion and were baptized and buried with him by baptism baptism is what buries us so baptisms how we get into death.
All right inverse Ford really clear where very therefore with him by baptism into his death.
In an order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of Father. We too might walk in newness of life.
In order to be raised we have to be dead.
In order to have a new life we have to give up our old life.
We have to die. Then we get a new life. If we don’t die, we don’t get the new life. How do we get into death therefore with him by baptism into death?
I don’t know how it could be any clearer. I don’t know what else he could say. It’s it’s a it’s a it’s an extremely clear and bold breadcrumb on exactly what God wants us to do.
and then we’ll keep going and we’ll look at
Romans
6 6 through 9 the end of this
we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing. So we would no longer be enslaved by sin. It’s how we escaped the slavery of sin.
We escaped the slavery of sin because our old self is dead and buried.
And our new self then is risen.
For one who has died has been set free. What does that tell us about one who hasn’t died.
I mean, it doesn’t take all big logical, you know Labyrinth to get from if one who has died is free has been set free. The one who hasn’t died has not been set free.
We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again and death no longer has Dominion on their over him. So what is it that sets us free from the Dominion of death.
Okay.
continuing on
let’s get back to the original question.
What is the reason in the Bible that people were in such a rush to be baptized? I think we kind of to some degree answered the question already. But let’s just look at this baptism stood between dim and being saved.
Look at Mark 16:16, whoever believes and is baptized will be saved but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Now this verse is often often a twisted verse people look at the second half of the verse and ignore the first half of the works, right even when punctuation was added.
Was all put in one sentence.
Right, whoever believes and is baptized will be saved but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
People say well see it says if you believe then you then you won’t be condemned. That’s what I get out of that.
I don’t know how anybody gets that out of that. Honestly approaches that and gets and walks away with that. I really don’t.
Well, I do.
I do because they come with what they want to believe to begin with and they try to find it. The only place I can find it is by cutting the sentence in half.
If This Were in any other common usage of the English language people wouldn’t struggle with this I would say the ships sinking
Whoever believes that the ship sinking get in this Lifeboat and you’ll be saved. But if you do get a Lifeboat, you’re not going to be safe.
See, I don’t have to believe this ship sinking.
Right. I don’t have to get in the Lifeboat. As long as I believe the ship sinking. I’m okay.
I can stand right here on the deck and let the Lifeboat go and I’ll be fine because remember at the end he said as long as I believe that the ship sink.
If you believe the ship sinking in a Lifeboat, if you don’t believe you’re not going to be saved.
Oh, then I’m good.
Right. There’s a tornado coming.
If you believe that the Torah is coming. Please get in the tornado shelter. If you don’t believe it’s coming if you believe it’s coming you’ll be saved.
If you believe the tornadoes coming you’ll be saved if you believe the tornado is coming getting the shelter.
We’ll see. He said that if I believe that is coming. I’ll be say so I don’t need to get in the shelter.
We don’t accept that type of of cutting a sentence in half anywhere else. It makes sense to as everywhere else. For some reason. It doesn’t make sense to people here. I’m here to tell you mark 16:16 is as clear. As any of the rest of the verse is whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.
But whoever does not believe we can do it links belief and baptism together in an ironclad manner.
First Peter 3 and 21. So next verse I want to look at.
First Peter 3 and 21. We looked at this when we look back at it now.
In this under this context of baptism stood between them and being say first Peter 3 and 21 baptism which corresponds to this now saves you.
Those removal of dirt from the body. What’s it talking about? It’s talking about the baptism. Why why does it say not remove dirt from the body?
Because when you go down into water and you go under the water, let’s say you go under the water in baptism has nothing to do with it. Guess what? Let’s guess what happens? What do we call that call it taking a bath. Right? Right. It takes dirt off the body. It is a common method of removing dirt from body. Probably the most common method of removing dirt from the body is water. He’s talking about the water.
When he says baptism is course out of this now sees you not as a removal of dirt from the body, but is an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
What is it that now saves you it’s referring to baptism immersion in water?
Of course as we talked about early, not any immersion.
Right an immersion in relation to all those things love pennant submission power symbolism. All those things right knowledge. Next verse that I want to look at is ax2 + 38
Which brings us to the to the next thing baptism they knew the reason they were in a hurry. They knew that baptism stood between them and being saved but they also knew that it stood between them and the Forgiveness of sins. Now, I think many of us understand the relationship between the Forgiveness of sins of being saved but just in case somebody doesn’t Acts 2:38 and Peter said to them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Or they’re baptized for the Forgiveness of their sins.
So baptism they knew baptism stood between them the Forgiveness of our sins. I knew it’s to between them and being saved the newest to between them and the Forgiveness of their sins.
They also knew that it stood between them and the removal of their sins acts 22 and 16 acts 22 and 16 says and now why do you wait rise and be baptized and wash away your sins calling on his name?
Another thing they knew is that baptism stood between them and having a New Life.
Romans 6:3 through for do you not know Romans 6:3 through for do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. We were buried there for with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father. We too might walk in newness of life.
Baptism was between them and the new life that they wanted.
Bad to his baptism also stood between them and being in Christ Galatians 3:26.
Galatians 3 26 and 27 for in Christ Jesus. You are all sons of God through faith for his many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Baptism stood between them and being in Christ’s baptism still between them and putting on Christ.
Baptisms to between them and being a child of God.
Again, same verse Galatians 3:26 for in Christ Jesus. You are all sons of God through faith for as many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. That’s how you become the sons of God.
Baptism stood between them and being in the church.
First Corinthians 12:13 for in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body Jews or Greeks slaves are free and all were made to drink of one spirit.
How do we get into that one body? We were baptized into it.
So here’s what they knew those first century Christians that were in a hurry the rent a rush couldn’t wait. It had to get had to get it done right away. I had to pull over on the side of the road.
Right had to go the same hour of the night. What do they know? They knew this baptism stood between them and being saved baptisms to between them in the Forgiveness of sins baptisms to between them and the removal of sins baptism stood between them and having a New Life Baptist and stood between them and being in Christ’s baptism stood between them and being a child of God and baptism stood between them and being in the church and they wanted they wanted to be saved. They wanted to have their sins forgiven. They want to have their say
Removed they wanted to have a new life. They wanted to be in Christ. They wanted to be a child of God, and they wanted to be in the church.
And the one thing stood between them in there.
So in the end the Bible tells us pretty clearly why they were in a rush.
Not only tells us they were in a rush but it goes through and well documents what they knew what we know and why they were in such a rush.
There’s still people that read all of this.
And they put it off.
It’s a number of reasons. There’s no way I’m covering them all. There’s a number of reasons that people out. There may be putting it all.
Number one is they think that it already was done for them that took that somebody else took care of it.
Most commonly when you think somebody else took care of it. It was an infant baptism.
All right, whenever I was a baby somebody sprinkle me with water.
And I’m good somebody else did it for me? I don’t need to do it.
It’s not a single example.
anywhere in the scriptures of that occurring
Is that a single example of someone else taking care of someone else’s baptism?
As I single example of somebody being baptized for somebody else.
There’s not a single example of a forcible baptism.
I remember years ago. I was reading some old histories about preachers different preachers some of it go back into the 1800s.
And I’ve forgotten the guys name can probably remember I’ve forgotten the guy’s name. He was preaching a debate.
On baptism think his last name was Johnson. It’s preaching a bait on baptism.
And he was debating this particular subject.
And he was a big man.
Kind of a mountain man kind of a guy.
And at some point during the debate, he seized I want to say.
Anyway, he sees the denominational preacher by the Scruff of the neck hold down. The other guy was smaller than him began to drag him toward the door of the church. And of course the guy called out and scream. Is that what is it? You’re doing and goes I’m going to take you down to the creek and I’m going to baptize you properly.
of course the guys screened you can’t but for somebody to be baptized against their will and he said exactly
debate over
agreed
If I can baptize someone against her will without their knowledge, then it really changes what we should be doing.
I know there are people that me and brother Tom could grab enforce into a body of water. And if it was my belief that by grabbing people in forcing him into bodies of water, then we could save their souls. I’d be out there doing it.
It would really change the gospel and we really changed the way we went out and evangelized.
But of course, I don’t believe that.
It is something that in every case was chosen by the person even when they did it was chosen by the person what we see though is the ones who had the message wanted to do it right then.
Some people put off thinking that it doesn’t really matter that again. They’ve been taught somebody has told them not the Bible but someone has told them that as long as they’ve gotten to the point where they they know that they’re in sin and that and that God exists and that Jesus will save people that they’re okay. They get to that point. There’s nothing else is needed of them right all the verses. We just read ignored.
So they feel that they’re okay. They’ll just sit there and wait and maybe they’ll get around to it. Some are just putting it off because of worldly reasons. Well, you know in June the family’s coming.
And I know that my son wants to get baptized, but I think I’ll wait till June Grandma and Grandpa beer the aunts and uncles it’ll be a great time, you know will make an event of it. You know, let’s just wait.
Right there putting it off for planning purposes.
Again, you don’t see any of that anywhere in the New Testament can’t give you a scripture for that. I can’t tell you what that looks like or how to set that up.
So it’s such a simple act and as we’ve talked about such a deep meaning.
And what I would encourage you to do and I’m not going to read this as I’m out of time, but I would encourage you to look at the story of name and second Kings 5 1 through 14.
Some of you are familiar with that story.
Naaman was given a task to do.
To heal himself. It was a simple task not a complicated task, but it but he looked at it as being a task beneath him.
It was dumb because it was simple.
Right. It didn’t make any sense to him and so he wasn’t about to do it.
You see how that sort of worked out that story. I’m afraid worked out exactly the way that salvation workout for people that have the same opinion of baptism.
There’s nothing in the scriptures that tells us.
how to be a Christian without being baptized
Anything that somebody makes up about how to be a Christian without being baptized is something that somebody made up.
So if there’s anybody here today.
Who believes who loves the Lord believes knows that they have sinned once those sins forgiven wants to be added to the church wants to be a child of God wants to be in Christ.
Wants to have eternal life and they’ve been putting it off.
They haven’t done it. They want to be baptized for the remission of their sins. We asked you to come as we sing. Does anybody needs a church the prayers of the church in any way our help or assistance, please let us know as we sing Our Song.