Why Baptism Matters - Far From Home - Pastor Trey Hildebrant

Doing okay? We are pausing our series on Daniel that we've been calling far from home, which I hope you've enjoyed. If you enjoyed the study of Daniel so far, and today is a really special day. It's a day that we call baptism Sunday. I just get to celebrate with you from the very beginning that at this service already we have 21 people who are pre-planned, pre-registered for baptism, which is unbelievable. But I think there are dozens of you, there are maybe even hundreds of you who you don't expect it, but you parked your car today and God is going to move in your life and you're going to come forward for baptism. Maybe you're here today and you're not yet a follower of Jesus. Maybe you've been wrestling with faith questions. You've been asking questions of who is God. What is the gospel? Does any of this matter to my life and God and his power is going to do something in your mind and in your heart and just a few moments and you're going to say, "I'm ready to say yes. I'm tired of standing back. I want to say yes to Jesus." I think there are some of you that will do that today, and I'm so grateful that you came. Maybe you've been here for a while and been around church, around the faith, and maybe you actually made a faith decision, but you've never followed through with believer's baptism as a follower of Jesus today. We are ready for you. It is a big day. If you show up the church not expecting to get wet and you end up getting wet, like that's a big day, and we are prepared. We have a change of clothes for you. We have a towel. We have all the logistics.

We have volunteers ready. Here's what the hurdle is. The hurdle is not logistics. It's you answering this question. Do I love Jesus? Am I willing to let others know? That's what's most important today. Even now as we begin to move through the service, I would just ask you to open your mind and your heart to what God would do. But I want to talk about baptism for a few minutes to clarify what it is and why we would take this step. Why is baptism an important part of our spiritual journey? There is a clue, actually in Daniel chapter 4, verse 2, gives us a little bit of guidance. The scripture says, "It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the most high God has done for me, to show the sign, to demonstrate, to testify of how good and powerful our God is." You see, part of walking in relationship with God is letting others know what God has done in your life, to show the sign, to celebrate. Those are the two words that I want us to focus on today, sign and celebrate, celebrate and sign what God has done for me. And there's a story in Acts chapter 8 starting in verse 26 that I believe will inspire many to day towards the step of baptism, it's in Acts chapter 8 starting in verse 26, will read most of this story and listen to the testimony of one of the first people to say yes to Jesus, verse 26. Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Philip was a follower of Jesus, rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert place and Philip rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all of her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning seated in his chariot and he was

reading the prophet Isaiah and the Spirit said to Philip, go over and join this chariot. So Philip ran over to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, do you understand what you were reading? And he said, the Ethiopian said back, how can I, unless someone guides me, pause for just a moment. As we've been moving through this one more study, as we've been praying through, who are the people who are near to us but far from God, imagine the person that you've been wanting to lead to Jesus, they're asking a question like that in their own heart. How can I know Jesus unless someone guides me and God is putting us in people's lives to guide them to Jesus? And he, the Ethiopian, invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now, the passage of Scripture that he was reading was this, is from the book of Isaiah chapter 53, like a sheep, he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before his shearers, he is silent. And in humiliation, justice was denied him because he was sinless. Who can describe this generation for this life, for his life is taken away from the earth? Verse 34, and the eunuch said to Philip, about whom I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or someone else? And 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, I love this part, they came to some water and the eunuch said, see, see, here's the water. What prevents me from being baptized? And he commanded the chariot to stop

and they both went down into the water and Philip and the eunuch and he was baptized. So let's unpack what's going on. There's an Ethiopian man who was a part of the court, the officials of the Ethiopian royalty. He was probably referred to as a God-fearrer, someone who would worship the one true God in Jerusalem, but not a full convert into the Jewish faith. And Philip shows up, supernaturally, and leads him to faith in Jesus. And on his faith in Jesus, he was immediately baptized. So what can we learn from this? First, baptism celebrates. Baptism celebrates, here's what we celebrate, celebrate all our welcome into the kingdom of God. This man, at this specific time, experiencing the gospel in this way is communicating something. The Ethiopian eunuch would have seemed like an odd choice for a gospel encounter. He was a Gentile, a traveler, a eunuch, an official in a foreign kingdom. All of this would have seemed like an obstacle to traditional Jewish religious involvement. In fact, he would not have been allowed, he would not have been permitted into the temple. But you see, the gospel of Jesus shows up and changes things. Because you know what this man did have? He was seeking.

He was seeking. There's a promise in Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse 13. This is God speaking a prophecy, a promise over us today. Scripture says, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. See, all that's required to meet God is seeking a humble heart. In fact, the only prerequisite for a move of God in your life right now, today, is desire. Do you want him? It's not our performance or perfection. It's not religious activity. We can't be good enough, go to church enough, give enough, behave well enough to earn God's favor. It's his love that draws people to himself. And all are extended, this invitation, when I say all, I mean all. See, God chooses this man, a foreigner, confused, but a seeker to beautifully demonstrate all are welcome. I don't know what you've carried into the room today, but I imagine that there's baggage. I imagine that there's regret. I imagine there's several of you who want to come closer to God, but you've wondered, would God accept you? And I pray that you would see today that baptism celebrates that all are welcome into the kingdom of God. No matter what you're carrying with you. And then we keep celebrating because Jesus saves. Jesus saves the Phillip.

He explains the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch and now it's us to give clarity. You see, he was reading from Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 is a beautiful Old Testament prophecy about what the Messiah was going to come and do. Isaiah 53 is about Jesus, Jesus the one who would come to save people from their sin and restore people back to God, all people, anyone who would have faith in Jesus. In fact, here's the gospel clarity for us today. Isaiah 53 teaches us that the Savior suffered, the Savior suffered like a lamb, the scripture said, that he was willing to die in our place to pay the penalty of our sin. Jesus, the perfect one who would not have died, chooses to die like a lamb so that his death could take the place of our death, the Savior suffered. Three days later, we believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Payment accepted. And now that He's alive, if we have faith in Him, His new life is offered to us, the Savior rose. And that is our response to the Savior, His faith. That's not works. You can't be good enough. You and I, we can't earn it. Jesus did all the work. And now He gives us eternal life as a gift to any who would have faith in Him, any who would believe in Him. You see, we must make that choice. Do we believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord? If you've been around First Orlando for a while or you've seen some of our baptisms

in the past, you know that every person that gets baptized gives a statement of faith. I love it. It's one of my favorite parts of baptism. Someone gets to that microphone and they simply say something like this. My name is Trey and Jesus is my Savior and my Lord. I pray today, even right now, as I share, that faith is rising in your heart to say yes to Jesus. You see, baptism celebrates, but baptism is also a sign. baptism is a sign that Jesus has saved me. It's not just this idea that Jesus saves generally, but baptism is the personal decision to show everyone that Jesus has saved you. This is about your story, which was baptism. This is important to understand. baptism is an outward sign of an inward reality. Baptism does not save, but it is the celebration and the sign of our salvation. It symbolizes that we were one way before Christ. Now you go down into Christ, down into the water, and you come out brand new. That's why we choose to do it this way. That's why Jesus, who was baptized by the way, demonstrated it with His baptism. He demonstrates to all of us, and now we see throughout the gospel that in Christ, the old is gone and the new has come and baptism gives us the opportunity to share that as our story. That's why we call it believers baptism. That baptism would be a sign of faith for people who have given their lives to Jesus. Now, perhaps you were baptized as an infant in a different Christian tradition, and we're thankful for the faith of your parents, but when your parents had you baptized as an infant, they were praying about your decision to follow Jesus. See, believers baptism is something different. Believers baptism is about your personal and intentional decision to follow Jesus, celebrating faith after you believe.

And when I love about the story here in Acts chapter 8, the Ethiopian eunuch, he could not wait to show people the sign of what Jesus has done for him. It seemed urgent to him. It's like they're riding along in this chariot, and they're like, "Why wait? Look at what Jesus has done for me. I want to be baptized." For some of you, this is happening in your heart, right now, why wait? Don't let your fear or your questions or your regret keep you from a moment of being all in for Jesus. And even as I say that, you're thinking, "I'm going to run down to him." And Jesus is welcoming that, "Run down to him. Jump in the baptistry." Well, not literally, but jump in. And you think about this moment where the Ethiopian eunuch said, "Here's the water." And verse 36, "And I've heard that brother Jim Henry, when he was fastering here years ago, that he used to get to the water and cup it. There's water here. What prevents you from being baptized?" And I look at you now, and I ask the same question, "There's water here. What prevents you from being baptized?" Baptism is a sign that Jesus has saved me. Do you know what it also is? It's a sign that I love Jesus. This is the heart of Baptism Sunday. Another conviction to be baptized is simply this, "I want others to know that I love Jesus." [BLANK_AUDIO] Think about any relationship. What makes any relationship special? You see, I wear a wedding ring so that others know that when they see me that I am married. This wedding ring doesn't make me married, but when people see my wedding ring, they know

that I have a wife. And my wife is honored, and I'm honored by her doing this for me. My wife is honored that I'm willing to be public about my love for her. It's a symbol of our love. When people see my wedding ring, they know that I belong to her. Baptism. When you choose to take that step, people are going to see you go under the water and they know that you belong to Him. It's a symbol of our love. That everyone who watches you take that step, baptism honors God because you're willing about being public with your love for Him. He first loved us, so we return love for love. Baptism is a celebration and a sign of the relationship that we have with Jesus. And we have someone leading the way to celebrate and show the sign of their faith. So I want to invite Pastor David to come up with our first baptism. And here's what I want you to do is they come up to be baptized. She comes up to be baptized. She's willing to go first to show what this moment looks like. And one of the things that I love about the story of Scripture and the story about how God teaches us how to respond when someone gives their life to Jesus is. In Luke chapter 15, there's this picture of celebration. So as we lead her through a statement of faith, baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, when she comes out of the water, I want you to celebrate like your favorite team won the National Championship times a little. You with me? Because there's nothing more exciting in this life than to watch one more person say yes to Jesus. So Pastor David, would you lead us? Thank you, Trey. What a beautiful moment this is and it's always helpful to have somebody who's willing to

take the first step and say yes, I'll be baptized so that others can see what this moment is like. Aubrey is, she's a dancer. And I remember praying with her mom when we sent her off to school in Massachusetts to a school of dance. God has been working in her family and in her life for a long time. In fact, I had forgotten, but her mom reminded me, I dedicated this girl when she was a little baby. And to stand here with you today, it's an incredible honor, Aubrey, to see you as God has grown you up and now has come to you and is your Lord and Savior and you're wanting to take your stand for Him. So what I want you to do is tell us your statement of faith and then have a seat and then we're going to go through the baptism moment. And remember, as Trey's already shown us, when she goes back in the water, that's dying to self, all said in Romans, that we are crucified with Him. We are buried with Him in baptism and then we're raised to new life. So when Aubrey comes up, it's like I'm a new person. It's a picture of what he does for us. So let her know. She's so excited for her. When she comes up out of the water, Aubrey, go ahead and make your confession of faith. My name is Aubrey and Jesus is my Lord and Savior, amen. So upon your confession of faith, what an honor to get to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. She's buried with Christ and raised to new life in Jesus. That's awesome. So that opportunity exists for anyone today who's ready to say yes to Jesus. I think there are two groups. One today is your day of faith. You've been wrestling with faith in Jesus, but even as we just moved through this service,

you've heard the gospel, you watched this happen, you're thinking, I'm ready. Ready to say yes to Jesus. I don't even really know what that means and I want you to know, we have pastors and volunteers who are going to talk with you, pray with you, then walk you through all the steps to be ready to come up here for baptism. Here's the water. Why wait? There's another group that maybe it's obedience to been the celebration. There hasn't been the sign that you love Jesus yet, and you're ready. You're ready in a lot of ways to have that wedding ring moment with God that the people who are in this room would see you, and they'd see someone whose life has been changed by the gospel of Jesus. Like I said a moment ago, we have 20 or so people that are pre-planned, they're ready to go. They're going to go first. But today, if you're thinking, "I can't wait another moment," we're ready. Pastor David's going to come down front, he's going to be right here. If you want to be baptized today, we have towels, we have a change of clothes. Again, logistics is not the issue, what you have to do is just give God your yes. So we're going to worship, and we're going to give that song as the opportunity for you to leave your seat and to come down. Pastor David's going to be here. All you have to do is come down to Pastor David and he's going to guide you to what's next. But I'm praying that there are dozens of you who are recognizing in this moment why wait. Here's the water. What prevents you from being baptized? Somebody pray for us, Father, I pray right now that you would give conviction, clarity, and courage.

Like the Ethiopian eunuch, he heard who Jesus was, and he said, "Where's the water, Lord? I pray that that type of power would grip hearts and minds in this room right now. I pray that it'd be messy. I pray it'd be beautiful and wonderful that we would have dozens of people say yes to you, Jesus, in this moment, and be baptized. So do what only you can do right now, Holy Spirit, would you grab someone's heart in their mind, leading them to say yes to this bold moment. In the name of Jesus, we pray, amen. Stay into your feet. If now's your time for baptism, come down forward and see Pastor David. Stay into your feet. We're going to worship and we're going to respond. Jesus, have my heart, my will, my soul, Jesus, have my heart, my dreams, my world. To you I bring my praise, my lips, my soul, a living sacrifice as one reborn, your life is now mine, your will is all mine, Jesus, have it all, Jesus, have it all, to you, long life is now mine, Jesus, have it all, Jesus, have it all, to you, long life is now mine, Jesus, have it all. [MUSIC PLAYING]