Download what happens at baptism - Sunset Ridge Church of Christ

WHAT HAPPENS AT BAPTISM?
Acts 8:26-39
This is the most important question anyone could ever ask: “What must I do to be saved?”
 God never intended for it to be this way, but today there is a lot of confusion in reference to the
answer to this question.
 As a congregation of God’s people, this is what we teach and hold too…and almost every other
group that calls themselves Christians agrees with all of these…with one exception…and that is
baptism.
 Most other groups want to dismiss baptism all together or at least make it optional.
 And this is what they have come up with instead…most popular idea today.
What about baptism? Is it essential for salvation? Is it optional.
 I would like to answer that by looking at some things that the Bible says happens at baptism.
I would like for you to notice verse 39 again.
 In verse 39, after being baptized, it says that the “Eunich went away rejoicing.”
 Why? What happened?
 What took place at baptism that made him go away rejoicing?
And that word “rejoicing” comes from a primary root word which in the Greek means,
“glad…calmly happy…cheerful.”
 It speaks of a joyful contentment.
Why does he feel this way after baptism?
 Before he was baptized he was in turmoil…struggling to know who Isaiah was speaking of.
 But after baptism he goes away “rejoicing…glad…content.”
 Why? What took place at baptism that gave him this joy and happiness?
You know, for some people, baptism is a real disappointment.
 It is not at all what they expect.
 Let me show you why? Turn with me to Acts 2:38.
Here Peter commands the people to “Repent, and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of
Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
 Now that last promise of “you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”, combined with some
false concepts concerning what that means…causes baptism to be disappointing to some people.
You see, some have the idea that when you are baptized, you are going to get some kind of
“spiritual charge”…that you are going to be “spiritually energized”…or “spiritually zapped.”
 That when you come up out of the water you are going to be “buzzed” with some kind of
supernatural power and ability.
 That you are going to feel some a warm, tingling sensation as the H.S. fills your body and you
are mysteriously transformed into a new creature.
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I have heard people ask someone who has been baptized, “what did that feel like?”
 “Did you feel anything?”
 It’s almost as though they think that water is radioactive and you are supposed to come up
glowing orange.
If that is what you expect when you are baptized, you are going to be disappointed because that is
not going to happen…unless we get a short in the electric hot water heater.
The only thing you are going to feel physically when you are baptized is the water and the sensation
of being immersed in it.
 But understand, it is not what you feel physically at baptism that gives you the joy and
happiness and contentment.
 But it is what you know…not what you hope happens….or what you would like to happen as
though you are not sure….
 But it is what you know by faith in what God says…and it is impossible for God to lie…if He
says it you can count on it.
 So it is what you know by faith in what God says happens spiritually that gives you the joy and
calm gladness.
When this Eunich was baptized, he wasn’t zapped or supercharged.
 If you will notice, He was taught about Christ from Isaiah.
 And whatever he was taught before he was baptized caused him to rejoice after he was baptized
because of what he knew took place spiritually at baptism.
When you are baptized, there is a lot more that takes place than just immersing you in water.
 The immersing is just the physical realm.
 There are several things that take place in the spiritual realm at the same time.
 And the assurance of those things is what gives you the joy…the calm happiness…the gladness.
So, what does take place?
 Well let’s deal first with one that we have already mentioned.
 Look again at Acts 2:38.
Peter says, "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Two things here…and if we will simply listen to what Peter says….and not reason some other
meaning to it…we can easily understand the first one.
 Peter says, “Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ FOR
THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS…”
 That is not hard to understand.
 In fact, you have to make an effort to misunderstand this.
 When you are baptized…by the authority of Jesus Christ…He is the one who
commanded it.
 Your sins are forgiven!
 Not just the bad ones….but all of them.
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Now, when it comes to forgiving sins…God is not like we are sometimes.
 In Hebrews 8: 12 God says that “He will remember your sins no more.”
 You know, it takes me a while to forget some things.
 But not God.
 When you are baptized…your sins are forgiven…and God removes them so far from His
mind that He cannot even remember them.
 He is not like us…pulling them back up and beating ourselves with them again.
 He remembers them no more.
As soon as you are baptized…they are gone immediately from the mind of God.
 And it is not like he “just forgot”…like we do when we can’t remember something.
 This is something that He deliberately and conscientiously does.
 He removes them from His mind….He forgives.
Psalms 103: 12 says that He “removes our transgressions from us as far as the East is from the
West.”
 You do not see it or feel it…but when you are baptized…your sins are gone!
How do I know? Because God says so!
Over in Acts 22:16 Paul says that your sins are “washed away at baptism.”
 Up there in that baptistery you do not see this taking place.
 The water doesn’t turn black…it doesn’t foam up…or begin to boil.
 Physically, you do not see this.
 But spiritually…when you are baptized…all of your sins are washed away!
 Every one of them!
Now, when your sins are forgiven….or washed away…that causes a lot of other things to take
place.
 Isaiah 59: 2 says that “your iniquities make a separation between you and your God, and
your sins have hidden {His} face from you, so that He does not hear.
 God is 100% percent Holy and no one who is not 100% Holy is allowed in His presence.
 So, because of sin, you are separated from God.
 There is no fellowship!
 In fact, there is enmity between you and Him because of sin.
 And on the day of judgment you would stand to face His wrath!
But if the sins are forgiven…
 If that which caused the separation is washed away at baptism.
 Then immediately fellowship is restored.
 The enmity or strife is removed…and you are reconciled back to God.
 Peace exists between you and Him….and in the day of judgment you will be saved!
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And folks, you do not see it…you do not feel it….but by faith it all takes place when you are
baptized…and you can count on it because God says so!
Now, let me show you something.
 You recognize this…it is a target and this is the bullseye.
 Now Peter says in Acts 2:38, “Repent and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”
 That word “sins” comes from the Greek word, “Hamartia.”
 In its original form it was an archery term that meant “to miss the mark.”
 In other words…it meant to miss the bullseye.
Now, God is 100% holy…and if you are going to have fellowship with Him…you are going to have
to be 100% holy too.
 Or, when it comes to His will and keeping the standard that He sets forth for you to be
Holy…you are going to have to hit the mark every time!
 And in many ways you do…you do what God wants…you think what God wants.
 In many ways you hit the mark.
But then there are many times when you miss.
 In fact, no one hits the mark every time.
 Paul says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned…or missed the mark and fallen short of the
glory of God.”
 So you miss!
 And it only takes one miss for you to lose your holiness…and when you lose your
holiness…you can no longer stand in the presence of God.
But God wants you to be in His presence…He wants you to have fellowship with Him.
 So He sent Christ to die on the cross…
 His blood washes away our sins…or our “misses.”
 So if all of these are removed…what does God see?
 He sees 100% holiness….He only sees you hitting the mark.
 And when are these sins washed away?
 At baptism.
Up there in the baptistry…or in the river…or pond or stock tank…where ever you are
baptized…you will not see this happening….you will not feel it.
 But by faith you can know it happens…and that is what gives you the joy.
Look at the second thing that happens at baptism that is mention in Acts 2:38.
 Peter says, “…and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Turn with me to Ephesians 1: 13.
 You receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at baptism…and in this passage I want you to notice what
happens when you do.
Paul says:
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Eph 1:13-14
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In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
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who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of {God's
own} possession, to the praise of His glory.
Paul says, “You were sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
 That word “sealed” is the Greek word, “sfrag id zo” and it has behind it the idea of “putting
your seal…or you stamp on something.”
 In this day in time if you wanted to mark something as belonging to you…you would put
some wax or some clay on it…and then you would take your signet ring….and press it in
the clay…
 And everyone who saw that “seal” knew that whatever your stamp was on belonged to you.
 It spoke of possession!
When you are baptized…you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…and that “seals” you or “stamps”
you as belonging to Christ.
And then Paul says that the “Holy Spirit is given to you as a “pledge” or as “earnest” of our
inheritance…”
 You know what “earnest money” is.
 It is money that you pay in advance to secure that which you want to buy.
 You do that in a real estate deal…you put down “earnest” or a “pledge” which says, “I will
pay this now….and you will get the rest later.”
Folks, when you are baptized…you receive the Holy Spirit which seals you as belonging to
Christ…
 And at the same time the Holy Spirit is God’s “pledge” or “earnest” to you that you will receive
your inheritance later when your life on this earth is over…
 Or when the Lord comes again…which ever takes place first.
You can’t see it when it happens…
 I think it would be neat if you could….you know…bop…and you are stamped.
 But it doesn’t work that way.
 You do not feel it…or see it…
 But by faith you know it…and that is what gives you the joy.
There are so many other things that take place.
These are just a few. (Sin are forgiven; sins washed away; Fellowship with God is restored;
“Misses” are washed away by the blood of Christ; You receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as a “seal
of possession” and as a “pledge of your eternal inheritance.”
It is obvious that without an obedient faith in Christ…and baptism…none of these will happen for
you. Baptism is essential for salvation.
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