"Baptism in the name of the Trinity"

The Baptism of Jesus and the Voice from Heaven

Matthew chapter 3 1 through 3 and then 13 through 17. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet saying the voice of one crying in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord make his path straight.

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. But 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 the lighting upon him.

And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well-pleased blessing. There are Bibles in front of you in the pew so if you.

Didn't bring one you can grab one and follow along. But let's open in our Bibles to Matthew chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28. As Christians we believe in one God the Father Almighty who is the creator of heaven and earth.

We believe in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord. We also believe in the Holy Spirit. This is the Trinity the Holy Trinity one God in three persons father son and Holy Spirit. The term Trinity as most of you probably know you think of the word Trinity try.

Unity try means three. Unity refers to one. So the Trinity is what the three in one one God in three persons. And we see here in Matthew chapter 28 a passage that is known as the Great Commission we see that Christians are to be baptized in the name of the Trinity father son and spirit.

The Great Commission and the Mandate of Baptism

So in the sermon we're gonna be looking at three points. Number one the mandate of baptism. Number two the meaning of baptism. And then finally the mode of baptism. Let's begin by reading Matthew 28 verses 18 through 20.

The scripture says. And Jesus came and spoke to them saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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 in low I am with you always even to the end of the age.

Amen. So the first point is the mandate of baptism. A mandate is what it's an official order and you notice what Jesus said that all authority not some but all authority had been given to him and this authority was given to him by God his Heavenly Father.

All authority is given to Jesus in heaven which shows that Jesus is divine. All authority has been given to Jesus on earth. Jesus therefore is Lord. He is able to give this mandate. And it includes three things the Great Commission does.

Number one go and make disciples of all the nations. That is we are to go out and we are to convert people to the Christian faith. And this of course is why our church and many churches support missionaries want someone becomes a disciple or a believer in Christ.

Then number two they are to be baptized in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. Then once the person is baptized the third thing in the Great Commission is that the person is to be taught all that Christ commanded and a person is taught receives this teaching in the local church.

So if we do all three of these things this is the church's mission go out and make disciples baptize them and to teach them all the Christ commanded we have this promise from Jesus that he says he will be with us always even to the end of the age.

To put it in plain language we are to preach the gospel. People are to believe the gospel be baptized and join a local church. So this is the Great Commission. This is the mandate and I like to say that Jesus he didn't give the great suggestion he gave the Great Commission.

So that's number one the mandate of baptism. Now turn if you would to Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6. Point number two is the meaning of baptism. What's baptism all about. Well it's one thing to know that we are supposed to baptize.

And obviously the ultimate reason we do it is because the Lord commanded it. That's the ultimate reason. But you know God is a God of reason. He has reasons for commanding what he commands. So there is a meaning to baptism.

The first time you read about baptism in the Bible is the gospel of Matthew where John the Baptist comes and he's preaching to the Jews that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And this really was a symbolic gesture which pictured cleansing and preparation in a very real sense.

The children of Israel were about to meet their maker. They were about to meet their God in the person of Jesus Christ. The problem was though they were not ready they were not prepared. A lot of people are not ready to meet God.

This is why we need God's grace and we need to trust in him. We need to trust that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for the forgiveness of our sins. The scripture says that all have sinned not some.

The world is filled with people who think they're good. You might think you're good but the scripture says all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. So baptism is a picture of the gospel message that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 6 1 through 5 say well how does baptism picture the gospel. We're gonna see that Romans 6 starting in verse 1 the Apostle Paul says. What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound.

Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death.

That just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we had been united together in the likeness of his death certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection.

So this this is the gospel this is baptism as a picture of the gospel. When a person is baptized what did Paul say. They're baptized into Christ's death. First of all there is an identification with Jesus of Nazareth.

When a person gets baptized they're making a public profession of faith. And we're going to be doing it publicly. Who knows how many people are going to be there. They're going to see it. And most of them if not all of them will know.

That's a profession of faith in Jesus. When a person is baptized they're telling everyone I believe and I want to follow Christ. Baptism is the first step is the first step of obedience. So we are baptized into his death.

When a person goes down under the water that is a picture of Christ dying. So they're under the water. They're buried. Jesus died he was buried and then what he rose from the grave. So a person goes down under the water.

That's a picture they're being baptized into his death. When they come up that's a picture of the resurrection. This leads us to point number three the mode of baptism. Now turn to Acts chapter 8 verse 26.

As you're turning there I want to address a common misconception that people have about baptism. Some people have the idea that they're going to wait in order to be baptized. They're going to wait until they have their life all straightened out you know.

And then maybe I'll do it once I've overcome all my temptations basically it once I stop doing things wrong then I'll get baptized. What's the problem with that. I think some people be waiting forever.

Everybody maybe just never never do it. But if you think about it when a person comes to faith the very first thing they are to do is to be baptized. So by waiting that in and of itself really is disobedience.

The passage that we are about to read from his Acts chapter 8 we see one man sharing Christ with another man. Philip the evangelist shares the gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch. And the eunuch believes in Jesus.

In the very next thing we see is he asked Philip the question what hinders me from being baptized. Like what would stop me from being baptized. You know what Philip said. If you believe with all your heart you may.

You heard me talking a few minutes ago. How can you just bat someone a baptized someone on the spot. I just need to ask them one question. That's what the Bible says. Do you believe with all your heart.

You may. It's not my job to come up with 50 different hoops to jump through. Philip didn't ask the Ethiopian eunuch hundred different questions. We don't see the eunuch signing up for a six-week baptism class with a final exam.

At the end I understand why some people do that. The only question was do you believe. So again baptism is the first act of obedience before we read from Acts 8 something else that's very important talking about the mode of baptism.

What is that. The mode baptism we believe is by full immersion. You know if we just sprinkled or poured this is all I would need. I could just come up and and that's all we would need. You know what the word baptized means.

It means to immerse. The word baptized literally means immersion. And it is a picture again of Christ's death being under the water. Look at Acts chapter 8 starting in verse 26. Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.

This is desert. So he arose and went and behold a man of Ethiopia a eunuch of great authority under Candace the Queen of the Ethiopians who had charge of all her treasury as he did it come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning and sitting in his chariot.

He was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the spirit said to Philip go near and overtake this chariot. So Philip ran to him and 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. I'm reminded of what Paul says in Romans 1014. He says. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed. How shall they believe in him in whom they have not heard.

And how shall they hear without a preacher. People need someone to tell them and explain it to them. We all need instruction. Verse 31 again he says how can I understand 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. And this is from Isaiah chapter 53 a chapter that prophesied the death of the Messiah the death of Jesus 700 years before it happened. It says about Jesus.

He was led as a sheep to the slaughter and as a lamb before its shearers is silent. So he opened not his mouth in his humiliation his justice was taken away. And who will declare his generation for his life is taken from the earth.

So the eunuch answered Philip and said I ask you of whom does the prophet say this. Of himself or some other man. Then Philip opened his mouth and beginning at this scripture he 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. Number point. Number three the mode of baptism. Back in chapter of verse 26 we read that they were where they were in the desert.

Why is that significant. First of all anyone who travels through the desert whether it's today or back then there's probably something you're gonna be carrying with you through the desert. Right. What would that be.

Of course obviously they'd be carrying water. Back then they would have clay pots or skins that would hold water. So they certainly had water. Here's the point if all they needed to do was just drip or pour a little bit of water on the eunuchs head they could have done the baptism long before this.

He waited till they got to a body of water. The eunuch said see here is water. What hinders me from being baptized. And Philip said if you believe with all your heart you may. And he answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.

But to that question what hinders me. What was hindering him. Up until that point there's no water or no water that could immerse him. Now they have a body of water and that's what they do. They take him and they baptize.

The word baptized means immerse. They baptized him. Right. Then in there Jesus said in Matthew 16 go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved saved from death and hell.

He who believes and is baptized will be saved. But he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the words of Jesus Peter while preaching the gospel. In Acts chapter 2 verse 38 he said something similar.

He said 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. And someone will say and you can see there's a little quote in your bulletin on the opposite side that you know that you are not saved by being baptized.

If you were to die today and go to heaven and in the Lord was to ask you why should I let you into my heaven saying I'm a good person that doesn't cut it. You're not good enough. Saying well I was baptized.

That's the wrong answer. There's only one answer. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So people say well then you don't really need to be baptized to be saved. Well this is not necessary. It's optional.

Right. You tell me is it optional. No it's not optional. Repent and be baptized for remission of sin. Jesus is the Lord. If he says something we do it. That's the way this thing works. We don't always obey again.

We all fall short. But Jesus is Lord. He says be baptized as Lord. We obey him. Acts 8 38. And they came to a place where there was water. 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 which shows you they went down now he's coming back up now when they came up out of the water the spirit of the Lord caught Philip away so that the eunuch saw him no more and he went on his way rejoicing.

Highlight. They went down into the water came back up. So that's that's the mode. One last thing they went on their way rejoicing after the baptism 15 minutes from now. Whatever. Hopefully we will all go on our way rejoicing that three people have made the decision to be baptized in the name of the Trinity.

Closing Prayer for the Baptism Service

Let's close. Father we thank and praise you that 2000 years later you are still on the throne and the Great Commission is still being carried out and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against your church.

We thank you and praise you for all that you've done and for all that you are going to do. And father as this act is done publicly on a public beach may it serve as a witness to those who may be watching plant a seed and make Christ and his gospel be proclaimed.

We ask all this in the powerful name of Jesus.