Baptism: Decision Time

Well, I guess we'll go right into the sermon today.

And the title of the sermon is, Baptism, Decision Time. Baptism, decision time. And I invite you to open your Bibles, and let's turn to Matthew 28, if you will. Matthew 28, and we'll begin reading verses 16 through 20.

Matthew 28, verses 16 through 20.

Now, this afternoon might be an afternoon of decisions for some of us.

What those decisions are going to be, I don't know. But in some cases, some of us are going to be confronted with this whole matter of baptism. Because when you look at the very foundation of baptism itself, you may find ourselves, or we may find ourselves, inevitably challenged by the scriptures and challenged to make a decision. Whether you're baptized or not, if you're baptized, you may be challenged to remember and to be re-energized and have a refocus on that commitment that you made.

And if you're not baptized, it may be a decision regarding your calling, a decision regarding whether you are going to accept and take a hold of the calling, or a decision to suppress it and ultimately maybe reject it.

Enough said about that. Matthew 28, verses 16 through 20 here, we will encounter in this passage Jesus' baptism command. A command. His baptism command. Verse 16. It says, Jesus. Then the eleven disciples went away to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. And here's the command. Verse 19. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. We'll stop there. Well, there you have it. command. The command from the one to whom all authority has been given. And what is his command? It's twofold. First, we see here, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. So go make disciples. And secondly, baptize them.

Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it says. So make disciples, then baptize them. And this is a pretty interesting period that Jesus Christ is speaking these words in because we come to the part of his ministry in which he has now been crucified and resurrected.

But it's between that and the time in which he will ascend to his Father. So before he leaves this earth at this time, he wants to make clear exactly what he expects the disciples to do. And in a very straightforward way, he just tells his disciples what he wants them to do.

And he says, on the authority that is theirs in Jesus Christ, they are now to first go and make disciples of all nations. You notice that all nations, this is a universal thing, not a territorial thing. Go out to the world, make disciples. And then he says, as you make disciples, I want you to baptize them. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And so in this, Jesus Christ gives the explicit command to his church regarding baptism. And in giving this explicit command, there is also then the implicit command for those who hear and who believe this teaching.

It is the implicit command for them to be baptized themselves. So the command to baptize, and then by implication, there's a command to those who hear and believe the teachings to be baptized. Direct command to his church, baptize and to be baptized. And as straightforward and as simple as that is, we don't want to miss that because it's not as if baptism is some kind of special little addendum or some kind of extra side item.

Or just something that some do who are part of the Church of God. No, it's at the very heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Go make disciples, make them followers of me, and make sure you're baptizing them, he says. And so it follows. So then when you get to the acts of the apostles, what do you see? You see them doing exactly what Jesus Christ told them to do. You see them through the acts of the apostles fulfilling this instruction.

Let's start to see this. Acts chapter 2, if you'll turn there with me, Acts chapter 2. And in Acts chapter 2, we begin to see the disciples to go out to follow Jesus Christ's command. And we first see Peter and his sermon on Pentecost. Acts chapter 2, and we'll begin in verse 36, we see Peter up to this point.

He had preached his sermon to all who had listened. He was very clear to them in making sure that they knew what had happened in terms of Jesus Christ being delivered up. It was according to God's plan here. And so Peter now says here in Acts 2 verse 36, he says, very clearly, Therefore let all who are in the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you've crucified, both Lord and Christ. Stop there. So in other words, in most certain terms, he wants them to understand who Jesus is.

And he was the expected one. And he had triumphed over the grave and triumphed over sin. And he says this same one you have crucified. And then they heard this. And look what happens in verse 37. Verse 37. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart. And Peter said to them and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, they said this to Peter and them, what shall we do? And at this moment, Peter must have thought, oh, well, here we go.

This is the first opportunity now to do exactly what Jesus has told us to do. So here we go. Verse 38 through 40. Verse 38 through 40. Then Peter said to him, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promises to you and to your children, to all those who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, be saved from this perverse generation.

So let's stop there. So repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and you will receive the Holy Spirit. Now notice verse 41. Now those who gladly received his word were baptized. In that day, about 3,000 souls were added to them. So for those who received the word, gladly received his word, they were baptized. They were baptized. And it says about 3,000 of them. So and so from that two-fold command, the progression of thought is very straightforward. And again, Jesus Christ said, I want you to go out, make disciples, proclaim my story to the nations, and as you do that, I want you to be baptizing them. So they go. They go to the epicenter of all places. They go to Jerusalem. Peter preaches in this way, does exactly what Jesus Christ tells them to do. He says, repent simply means turn around. If you're going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, you can't keep going in the direction you were going. You can't just add a belief. You can't just add Jesus and not be fully encountered by his message. No, you're brought to a crossroads at this point. If you believe that Jesus Christ is your Savior, then you're brought to a crossroads. If you believe he bore the punishment of your sins, he took the place, your place, and was crucified it.

Then once you have that belief infused in you, Peter says, I want to tell you that there's good news in all of it. There's forgiveness available through Jesus Christ. He stood up to tell all of this truth. And then he says, if you believe this, if you accept this, then there's something you must do. Repent and be baptized. And so baptism becomes this outward act performed by the believer to signify their understanding of all that Jesus Christ had done for them. So it's the outward act of baptism. It signifies the believer's understanding and acceptance of what Jesus Christ has done for them. It's the outward profession that says, I believe, I accept, and I'm willing to turn. Okay. And so you go going down into the baptism water. This is what you're confirming and affirming in this way. And so the outward act of baptism going into the water, it has a great more significance than just the act itself, because this is what it points to, the significance.

Even though we see the baptism act and it's outward, invisible, what is actually occurring is inward and invisible. That's most significant. And so it's important to understand that. What is occurring inside? What you're accepting? What you're acknowledging in that way?

Very important to understand what you entered into and to remember what you entered into on that day or what you may enter into at some point. Because the doctrine of baptism can be cause unbelievable confusion in so many minds these days and so many misunderstandings. So we want to bring clarity to it this afternoon. So let's begin by asking three questions regarding baptism. Three questions. And we're going to ask where, what, and who. First, where? Where did baptism come from? Second, we will ask what does it mean to be baptized? And third, who should be baptized? So where, what, and who? So let's address these now. So first, where did baptism come from? Where did baptism come from? Did it just kind of pop up with John the Baptist? No.

In fact, if you want to go back to the Old Testament, and we won't take the time to do that today, you will see, of course, all kinds of ritual washings and cleansings. You can read about that, of course, in the book of Exodus. You will see the psalmist speak about spiritual cleansing as far as washing and renewal. You see that in Psalms 51. Again, we won't take the time to turn there, but Psalm 51, David expresses, of course, his desire for God to wash me thoroughly, he says, from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin, David says. That's Psalm 51. So it's throughout all of the Old Testament. And then John walks on to the stage of human history, and he's a kind of a tangible link between the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles. And he walks on as the baptizer. John does. John walks on as the baptizer, if he will. And he proclaims this baptism of repentance, and he calls disciples to himself, and he baptizes them upon their profession of faith and repentance of sin. And then Jesus himself, when he begins his public ministry, what does he do? He goes to John to be baptized, doesn't he? Let's see this. Matthew 3. This is fascinating to see. Matthew 3, and let's read verses 13 through 17 here. As Jesus now comes to John, John was baptizing in the Jordan River here, and so Jesus actually comes to be baptized by John. Absolutely incredible. And again, we're looking to establish where did baptism come from? Where do we get this from? Matthew 3. Let's read verses 13 through 17. Matthew 3, verses 13 through 17. It says, Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent him, saying, I need to be baptized by you. And are you coming to me? And Jesus answered and said to him, Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed him. And when he had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water. And behold, the heavens were open to him. And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Let's stop there. So it's absolutely incredible. And you'll recognize Jesus is approximately around 30 years of age at this point. And this caused John no bit of small confusion. You know, don't we have this backwards, Jesus? Shouldn't you be baptizing me? But Jesus says, No, it's right for me to be baptized in this way. Verse 15, it's fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Baptizing is fitting. It's fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Why? Well, it's because the the forgiven sinner emerges from the water of baptism to a new life. A new life in Jesus Christ freed from the death penalty incurred by sin. The waters of baptism have symbolically represented the washing away of sins. And then with the laying on of hands, we receive the Holy Spirit, which empowers us so that the righteousness may be fulfilled in the believer's life. So baptism here we see is required to fulfill the righteous requirements of God. And it's fascinating to think about that this was Jesus's baptism. And what he's doing is he's committing publicly to do the will of the Father, isn't he? To fulfill all righteousness. So Jesus Christ is now making this public act of devotion and commitment to the Father's will.

And so before the watching world, he knows now he's going to reveal the Father's will. And then he's going to bend to it. He's going to bend his will to his Father. And Jesus Christ then, on a number of occasions, is going to say, I've given you an example in which you must follow in my steps.

Because if you think about it, doubtless, if Jesus Christ wouldn't have been baptized himself, there would have been some then to whom would be urged to be baptized that would say, I don't know. I look in all the New Testament and I don't see where Jesus Christ was baptized. So many maybe would have used it as an out, wouldn't they have? But of course, we have the record here. So there's no out. No out for those who have been called, who have heard, and who have believed. There's no out. So where did where did baptism come from? Where you have it? It's the establishment of Jesus Christ himself.

So that brings us to our second question today. Second question. What does it mean to be baptized? What does it mean to be baptized? We know that salvation is not conveyed in baptism.

Salvation is not conveyed in baptism. Forgiveness of sin is instantaneous, but conversion takes time, doesn't it? It takes time for God to first educate us fully on his will. It takes time for us to learn what is right and wrong from God's point of view. It takes time to develop character, of course. So salvation is not conveyed in the baptism. Nevertheless, it is a pivotal step in a person working towards salvation. Excuse me. So baptism is a pivotal step in working towards salvation. Because with the laying on of hands and asking God at that time to bestow his spirit upon the individual, the individual then has the power and now has the ability to accomplish what's necessary to receive salvation. The Holy Spirit gives the individual the ability to accomplish what's necessary. That's why it's pivotal. So we can never make a mistake of calling people to faith in Jesus Christ, calling them to repentance, only to then never mention or maybe to diminish the essential part of baptism. We can never make that mistake, and the apostles never made that mistake. They would have never considered giving a message of faith and repentance and then only to leave out baptism. They would have never made that mistake. Belief and repentance was always interlinked with baptism because you can't truly believe and you can't truly repent without the power to do so. We have to be interlinked with Jesus Christ to have that ability. And at baptism's core, it is a joining with Jesus Christ. That's what it is at its core. Baptism joins us with Jesus Christ, which allows us to truly believe and to truly repent. That very thing Paul wanted to get across to us. Let's turn and see Paul's teaching of this. Romans 6, verse 3 through 7. Romans 6, verse 3 through 7. Paul hit at the very core of this unification to Jesus Christ.

Here, Romans 6. Let's read verses 3 through 7 here. Romans 6, verse 3 through 7. Listen to these words. Very clear. When with regards to baptism and the laying on of hands and receiving the Holy Spirit, he says, verse 3.

Let's not there. So verse 3 is very clear. We who were baptized into Christ Jesus, it says. So as he died, I'm united with him.

I died to him with my sin, and as he was raised from the dead, me joining with Jesus Christ means I am raised to a brand new life, united with him in this way.

Verse 5 again. For if we've been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we should also be in the likeness of his resurrection. So when we talk about decision time, it's quite a decision. Is there any other more important decision for a believer to make than this? Because in my baptism, I'm saying I'm united with Jesus Christ. I've committed to him. I'm committed with him. I'm interwoven with him. And the baptism is conveying this coming together, and the laying on of hands gives us the very essence of the Father, his power, conveyed through us through his Son, Jesus Christ, so that I can become one united with him. It's not an addendum. It's not a side item. If you've been called and you are a believer, it's not something you can just decide to do or not to do.

It's expressive of the very fact that I have accepted what he has done for me.

And I want to unite with him in this way. It's the reality. And if I do that, I can have I can have success over sin and its control over me. I can achieve those things, make gains, as I work out my own salvation. That happens now.

And there's also a reality that will happen in the future. That's verses 22 and 23. So he says, verse 22, But now, having been set free from sin, it no longer has to have control over me, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness. Then he says, in the end, everlasting life. Verse 23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus our Lord. Christ Jesus our Lord. So what's available to me now is I can make progress, as I work towards the gift of salvation and eternal life, in this physical life. And then what is to come is an eternity free from the slavery of all this that the physical presents us. And so in the baptism waters, the man or the woman says, I'm pushing toward that goal. That's where I'm going. That I've set to win the prize. I'm joining, and I know I need to join with Jesus Christ in order to do that.

So that's what it means to be baptized.

Brings us to our last question. Who? Who should be baptized? Who should be baptized? The Apostle John said it perfectly when he said these words. Listen to this. He or she who says he abides in him, that's Jesus Christ, so he who says he abides in him, ought himself also to walk as he walked. Again, he who says he abides in him, ought himself also to walk as he walked. That's 1 John 2. You can look that up later. 1 John 2.

So what have we seen about Jesus's walk thus far? What's his example? Was he Jesus baptized? Yes. Should his followers walk as he walked? Yes. Should his followers be baptized? Yes. And that's a good question. Who should be baptized? Let's turn back to Acts 2 again, if you will. The Acts of the Apostles are just fascinating with this topic of baptism. Who should be baptized? Acts 2. Let's look at verse 41 again. Back to Peter's sermon here. You notice something interesting concerning those that were there. Who should be baptized? Acts 2 verse 41. We remember that they were cut to the heart, asked what shall we do? Peter told them, repent and be baptized. And then notice this, verse 41 of Acts 2. Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. And there was about 3,000 added to them. Those, so let's stop there, those who gladly received his word, accepted his message. They were baptized. They heard the word. They accepted it. They were cut to the heart. And they were baptized. And they were baptized. That's the pattern.

And let's trace this pattern for a moment. Let's spend a little time here in Acts. Again, the Acts are wonderful because what you have really in the Acts is just a series of baptism stories. Just several baptism stories. Go forward to Acts 9 verse 6. The story of Saul of Tarsus. We can trace this pattern here of hearing, believing, being cut to the heart, followed by baptism. So Acts 9, let's look at verse 6. Let's look at what occurs at Saul's receiving of the word here. He received the word of Jesus Christ. He was struck down, if you remember. Jesus said, you have persecuted me, cutting him, of course. So verse 6, so he saw trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what do you want me to do? So there's the question again. And let's go down to verse 17 through 19. After receiving the word, being cut to the heart, what's the pattern? What's the pattern? Verse 17 through 19 of Acts 9. And Ananias went his way and entered the house, and laying his hands on him, that's Saul, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to me on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received sight at once, and he saw a rose and was baptized. And when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. So let's stop there. So Saul was struck down, cut by the heart. Those words you've persecuted me that Jesus told him. Now Ananias goes to the house he was commanded. Saul is there. Verse 17, his hands are laid upon him. He's filled with the Holy Spirit. Scales fall from his eyes. You remember he was blinded on the road, the Damascus road. Sight is given. He arose and was baptized. Verse 19 again, and he received food and was strengthened. So what's the pattern? He encountered Jesus Christ, struck down, received his word. His eyes were opened, filled with the Holy Spirit, and he was baptized. He was hungry, and he ate. He didn't eat before, did he? That might be a special thing to note. There's a certain immediacy here, a certain obedience to the command of God. He didn't eat and then get baptized. He was urgent with his decision.

Have some of us, even after being encountered by his words, put many a things before obedience to the command. Many a mills have passed, maybe. And God alone knows what we're waiting for. You can go through all the Acts of the Apostles here, and it details the beginnings of the church, and it's impossible to deny the pattern here. Impossible to deny the fact this pattern, this practice of the New Testament church, was to baptize those who were cut to the heart, and they gladly received the word here. They heard, they professed faith in Jesus Christ, and they were baptized. Story after story. Go back one chapter to chapter 8, if you will. Look at this wonderful baptism story. Acts chapter 8. This is Philip, the baptism of Philip to that of the Ethiopian eunuch here. Going back one chapter, Acts chapter 8, and we'll begin in verse 30. So let me break into the story here of this baptism story. We find the Ethiopian is traveling from Jerusalem here. He's coming back. He's riding in a chariot. Apparently, he has a scroll of the prophet Isaiah here. He's reading aloud to himself, and Philip goes and now comes to the chariot here. So let's see this pattern again. Acts 8, and let's read verses 30 through 39. We'll break into this baptism story here. Acts 8 verse 30. So Philip ran to him, heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, How can I, unless someone guides me? And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer was silent. So he opened not his mouth. In his humiliation, his justice was taken away. And who will declare his generation? For his life was taken from the earth. Verse 34. So the eunuch answered Philip and said, I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or some other man? Verse 35. Then Philip opened his mouth. And beginning at this scripture preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? So Philip said, If you believe with all of your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So he commanded the chariot to stand still, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing. Amazing! So go to the chariot, God commanded Philip. When he got there, he must have realized why he had been sent. Luke says he ran up to him. He's reading the prophet Isaiah aloud. Do you understand what you're reading? Verse 31, How can I understand unless someone guides me? Well, come up here. Sit next to me, please. If you understand this, please teach me.

And of course, he's reading the passage there about Jesus Christ from Isaiah. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. A lamb before the shearers is silent, and he, Jesus Christ, speaking of Jesus Christ, the one to come, did not open his mouth. Who is he speaking of? Who is this prophet Isaiah speaking of? Of himself or someone else? Help me to understand this. I'm reading this, but I don't know who it's about. And I love this. Verse 35. So, Philip, verse 35, opened his mouth and beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him. Amazing.

Side note, I think another decision along the way is that some of us need to start opening our mouths. That might be another decision. To not only live it, but to speak it, too.

We must do that because when God's called, encounter this kind of thing. They need help. So, he opened his mouth and beginning with this scripture, he told them about Jesus. Told them this is about the one who we've been anticipating. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the one. This is what you need to understand about him, Philip would have said. Let me tell you what he's done for us and let me tell you the good news.

Isaiah is not talking about himself. He's talking about the Messiah. He's speaking about Jesus Christ who died in the place of sinners. And in this, Philip must have asked him, must have asked him, do you acknowledge yourself as a sinner because Jesus Christ came and he died for sinners? And the eunuch must have said, of course I acknowledge myself as a sinner. And Philip must have said, well, there's good news. He preached Jesus to him.

The message? Christ died for sinners. Do you believe that? Because of him, you have died. Just as he died because of you. Just as Peter said, you crucified him. Do you accept that?

And if you accept this message that I'm giving you and you admit yourself to this, if you believe that Jesus Christ died for you and the implications of that, I'm going to ask you to do something Philip must have said. I'm going to ask you to be baptized. Baptism must have been in this giving of the Gospel to the Ethiopian. Must have been in it. Because verse 36, this is so telling. It's the Ethiopian who takes the initiative. The Ethiopian, verse 36 says, now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And after hearing Jesus preach to him, the eunuch says, the eunuch said, well, here's water. What hinders me from being baptized?

So it must have been included in the Gospel story that Philip preached to him.

It's not an addendum. It's not an extra. It's repent and be baptized. And we see this pattern over and over again. All the baptism stories. Go to Acts 16, if you will. Push forward a little bit. Acts 16. There's two baptism stories here. Two wonderful baptism stories. Acts 16, in verse 11 through 15, we see the baptism story of Lydia first. And then a little bit later, we'll see the baptism story of the Philippian Jeller here. But certainly this calling is for men and women, of course. So let's read about Lydia here. This is a wonderful story. I love this one. Acts 16. Let's read verse 11 through 15 here in this baptism story. Therefore, verse 11, sailing from Troas, we ran straight course to Sumatres, and the next day came to Neapolis from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of the part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. And on the Sabbath day, we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made. And we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was the seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. So she persuaded us to stay there. So let's stop there. So Paul, Timothy, and Silas, they are there and they go down to the riverside, where it says, Prayer was customarily made. I love that. Down by the river. Paul says, We spoke to women who had come together. One woman named Lydia. She was a worshipper of God. As it says there in verse 14, she worshipped God. She must have loved him. They're going down to what would be equivalent to that of a church gathering, we could say, down by the riverside. And the amazing statement here, verse 14, look at what it says. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. Awesome. Of course, we know that's what has to happen. Every time the Lord has to open the individual's heart to receive the word, where it actually will cut to the heart.

So when he does, something must follow. When we've received the word and were cut and our hearts have been opened up to it, something must follow. So Luke says that there at the end of verse 14, in the beginning of 15, in verse 14, the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized. So the Lord opened her heart to receive what had been spoken. Here's the pattern.

So she's baptized, it says. Almost kind of a matter of fact, the way it's stated in a way, isn't it? The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to the heed what was being said, what was said, the gospel, of course. They preached the same thing Philip preached. The gospel began to tell her about the good news in her household. The result was the gospel invaded her life.

She must have asked the same question. They always seem to. What shall I do? So she and her household were baptized.

It's the pattern all throughout Acts.

One more. How about one more? Staying here in Acts 16, go down at the beginning of verse 23 here. So soon after the baptism, Lydia and her family, unfortunately, they did stay around, and they're thrown into jail. So Paul and Silas here are thrown into jail. It's about midnight. They're praying, singing songs to God. The prisoners are listening. And so we come to another just amazing baptism story here. So staying here in Acts 16. Let's read verses 25 through 34. Verse 25, But at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately, all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. Verse 27, In the keeper of the prison, awakening from sleep and seeing the prison doors opened, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, Do not harm yourself. Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.

And he called for the light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

And he, the jailer, brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? There's the question. And they said, We leave on Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were there in his house. And they took them the same hour of the night, washed their stripes, and immediately he and all his families were baptized. And when he had been brought them into the house, he set food before them, and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all of his household. I stopped there. Incredible.

So they're singing. There's a great earthquake. The jailer thinks everyone's gone. He was about to kill himself. No, we're still here.

This verse 29, seemingly, almost like Lydia, just kind of out of the box. And it's a little blue here. Verse 29, it says, He called for a light, ran in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Verse 30, And he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

So they tell him.

They preach Jesus to him, if you will.

The good news, what Jesus has done for them. I'm sure you had him. Do you acknowledge this? Do you accept it?

Then there's something you must do.

That's always the question, what do I have to do to be saved?

It may seem a little bit out of the blue. There would, of course, been background to all these individuals that we read about. There would have been background to the lives. They would have met other people. They would have heard other stories, just like we heard people, met others, read books. It just hadn't hit them up to this point.

Maybe while he was sleeping, there was something in those hymns he was listening to.

What happens? The scales fall off. We're hit suddenly.

God opens our hearts to heed the things that are being said. I know you've said it. I've said it. Once my eyes were blind, growing up in the church, I heard all these words. I heard it all. But there came a point when something was different.

Before, when I heard and my heart didn't heed it, all of a sudden, my heart was opened. And I did heed it. And I asked the same question. I felt urged, what shall I do?

What shall I do?

He Paul said to the jailer, verse 31, Well, you need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. You need to believe on Him. Trust Him. Rest on Him. Rely on Him as your Savior.

And a wonderful baptism follows. Verse 32-34 again. This is beautiful. Verse 32, Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, to all who were in his house. Took them that same hour in the night, washed their stripes. Immediately, he and his family were baptized. And when he had brought them into the house, he set boot food before them. Rejoice, having believed in God with all of his household. And that's what's supposed to be happening today. This is what's supposed to be happening today. The called individual believes, follows the example of a Savior, is lowered down into the water, makes a public commitment, a public decree to believe on him, to repent, to turn. Following Jesus Christ's example, makes this public commitment through baptism. It says, I want to bend my will to the fathers, just as Jesus Christ did. We asked two questions before lowering a man or a woman into the waters for baptism. We ask, have you repented of your sins? And then have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

When the individual answers affirmingly, they're making a confession of personal faith.

They're saying, oh, Father, I want to be joined to your Son in this way. That's what they're saying. I want to be joined to your Son in this way. I want to be united with Him in the likeness of His death and raised through the newness of life. And I promise you, loyal obedient, that's my desire.

I promise you that I'll turn with every ounce of my being.

Join me to your Son, Father. I want to die with Jesus Christ and be raised to a new life.

The submission to baptism, it's an act of obedience. It's an act of obedience to the command of Jesus Christ.

So it's decision time.

If you've been baptized, are you still living a life totally united with Jesus Christ?

If you haven't been baptized, may I ask why not? What is the basis of your remaining unbaptized? You must have a very good reason.

It's decision time. If the Lord has opened your heart to heed the things spoken, let me conclude this afternoon with the encouragement to you in the same words of the Ethiopian when he said, See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?