3-19-08 "Water"

Greetings Internet Campus,

Matthew 3:13-17

13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”

15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.

16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

What's so special about the water in a baptism? Is there some sort of magical quality to it? Is it supposed to symbolize a cleaning? A drowning of the old? Is the water holy? I've been asked all of these questions. I'd like to take just a minute this morning and talk about good old H2O and it's meaning in baptism.

Baptism, as we talked about earlier this week, is an act of obedience. Jesus Himself was baptized...setting the example for all believers to follow. But what about the water? What was Jesus trying to show us with baptism by submersion? It's really very beautiful...

Baptism is the first step of obedience AFTER giving our lives to Christ. A commitment to Him as Lord and Savior is necessary before we can take that first step into the water. The act of baptism is symbolic of the death and resurrection of Christ. By being lowered under the water, we are showing the world that the old us is dying and the new us is being resurrected. The water serves as the medium by which we symbolically show the world that we have changed. No magic. No physical cleaning. Just a renewal of the spirit within us.

The next time you witness a baptism...and you look out into the water...remember that it's not the water itself but the changed heart coming up from it that makes baptism special.

Write it down: If you've been baptized, make a list of some of the emotions that you felt before, during, and after the event. If not, write down 3 reasons why you haven't taken that step. If you are ready to commit your life to Jesus and make Him the Lord and Savior of your life...contact me at brian.vasil@flamingoroad.org and I would love to talk about it with you.

Until tomorrow...
Pastor Brian