Introduction
Church, this morning I woke up in a panic, a preacher-panic. It was early. The little hand was still pointing to the little numbers. But I was wide awake and experiencing the effects of a full-blown preacher-panic—a sermon emergency—a message meltdown.
Here’s the thought that was crushing the life out of me at 2:30 a.m.:
I’m about to preach a bad sermon.
Not bad in the sense that it wouldn’t be faithful to Scripture or wouldn’t receive the approval of the church. Not even bad in that it wouldn’t be clear and understandable. But bad, nonetheless.
Bad because:
- Eighty percent of the listeners will tune me out in the first five minutes.
- People won’t disagree with the message but will assume it doesn’t apply to them.
- Even those who suspect the message is aimed at them will think this is just some weird religious thing irrelevant to their daily life and struggles.
“Pastor, my marriage is struggling. My kids are rebelling. I have no peace. I’m struggling with doubts, addictions, guilt, and exhaustion. And this is what you chose to talk about today?”
That, my friends, is preacher-panic.
So, what to do?
I’m not going to change the sermon focus: Why do we baptize?
That focus is important. If we are going to have a rightly ordered, healthy church, then we need to know the answer to that question. But I am going to do something different this morning—different than what I planned.
Many of you have heard messages on baptism before. I preached a similar message on baptism back in 2020. It would be easy for me to parrot that same message to you.
Many of you have already been scripturally baptized. But today, I’m going to show you something more. I’m going to show you how baptism is one of the most relevant issues in your daily life—relevant to your daily struggles, sins, opportunities, marriage, children, peace, guilt, fears, and future.
So, here’s my ask:
Even if you’re tempted to tune me out, hang on every word of this theology lesson about baptism. Your attention will pay off at the end of the message.
YOU NEED TO HEAR AND RESPOND TO THIS MESSAGE.
Turn in your Bibles to Acts 2.
In our message series on The DNA of the Church, we’ve repeated the truth that Jesus has given us three primary gifts to navigate this sometimes-treacherous life:
- The Holy Spirit
- The Bible
- The Church
Our focus has been on the church. You and your family need the church. This community needs the church. You need the church to be rightly ordered, healthy, and God-focused.
So, we’ve been answering some important “WHY” questions about the church:
- Why do we gather?
- Why do we preach the Bible?
- Why do we sing?
Today we come to the question: Why do we baptize?
And why do you need this church to be a baptizing church?
Let’s begin to discover the answer in Acts 2.
Scripture
Acts 2:14 | Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “Fellow Jews and all you residents of Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words.”
This begins Peter’s sermon at Pentecost. Pentecost was an annual Jewish festival, and many Jewish people gathered in Jerusalem for it.
To mark the timeline:
- Jesus has been crucified, buried, and resurrected.
- Jesus has ascended into heaven.
- Now it is time for the Apostles to lead the newly constituted church to grow and spread the good news about Jesus, His death, and resurrection.
It all begins with a sermon Peter preached to thousands of Jews gathered for Pentecost.
Peter preaches from Acts 2:14 to Acts 2:36.
Acts 2:37 | When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
The message has concluded, and the people ask what they should do. That is a question we should all ask at the end of every sermon.
Acts 2:38 | Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Peter told them to do two things: repent and be baptized.
Baptism, while not a requirement for salvation, is always presented in the Bible as the first step of obedience.
Main Points
- Baptism Declares Our New Identity in Christ.
- Romans 6:3-4 | “Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.”
- Baptism shows that we’ve died to our old life and have been raised to walk in new life with Christ.
- Baptism Obeys Jesus’ Command.
- Matthew 28:19-20 | “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.”
- Jesus didn’t suggest baptism. He commanded it.
- Baptism Unites Us with the Church.
- 1 Corinthians 12:13 | “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.”
- Baptism isn’t just about you. It’s about becoming part of a community.
Why Do You Need This Message?
You may be struggling with sin, guilt, fear, or a lack of peace. Baptism reminds you of your new identity in Christ, your obedience to Him, and your connection to the church.
It’s not just about getting wet. It’s about publicly declaring that you belong to Jesus and are committed to following Him.
If you’ve never been baptized, let today be the day you take the first step of obedience. If you have been baptized, let this message remind you of the powerful truths symbolized in that act.
Invitation:
Are you ready to repent and follow Christ in baptism? Let’s pray.
This keeps your message comprehensive and engaging while staying focused. Let me know if you need any adjustments.
