Acts chapter eight. And we were looking Sunday afternoon at this passage here concerning the work of baptism and what its purpose is. And as far as the fact that it is an ordinance, of the Lord's churches, it is one of two. This is the first ordinance, baptism, and then Lord's Supper is the second one. We were talking on Sunday about the right subject for baptism. In other words, who is supposed to be baptized. And that is one who was born again, a believer, that we believe in believers baptism. That's what the scripture teaches us. And so that is the right subject for baptism is one who has believed. on the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord experienced that salvation and new birth in Him. It is not by baptism that one is saved, but rather it is an outward sign, an outward show of what has already taken place in the heart of an individual. In other words, we don't get baptized in order to be saved. We are baptized to show that we are saved, that we are in Christ, that we belong to Him. And secondly, we looked at the design of baptism, what it was showing in the fact that it shows forth the gospel of Christ in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. And it is in the act of baptism that we are showing that gospel of Christ, death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord, that we are accounting ourselves in that, and that we have died to self, are buried and raised again to walk in newness of life, as Romans chapter six particularly tells us, as well as Colossians chapter two, speaking of what the purpose of baptism is for us. Now tonight I want us to look at two other parts of it. One is the mode at which baptism is to be done. how it's to be carried out and its purpose in that, and also the administrator of baptism. What is the correct administrator to conduct baptism? Now, we were looking, the mode of baptism kind of goes along with the idea of its design as well. This is a controversial part. All of it, the whole doctrine is controversial in the sense because from very early on in the, it was made mentioned of by Irenaeus in 130 AD. Tertullian mentions it in, I think 220 AD. And Augustine says by 400 AD, it was a universal practice. And what I'm talking about is the idea of pedo-baptism or baptism of children or even babies for the purpose of salvation. That was done, it started early on. and it basically by the second century you already have that idea being being put out there. As I said, Irenaeus made mention of it, that it was something that was happening in his day. And Irenaeus, by the way, was one who was directly under the preaching of John the Apostle, John the Revelator. He was directly under him. And so this is something that has been a controversy from very early on. And To practice infant baptism or pedo-baptism particularly as it was called, the idea of sprinkling or pouring came into place. You didn't want to be taking a baby out and dunking it underwater in the creek, so the idea of sprinkling came along and or pouring water as a means of baptism came along. Of course, as we've already discussed with the issue of the proper subject, obviously an infant is not a believer in the Lord Jesus. It's not one who has experienced the new birth. And they are safe in the Lord, yes, but they have not experienced the new birth. They have not experienced that salvation as believers experience that. And so they are not the right subject for baptism. But when the idea of baptism being a means of salvation came into place, well, if we're gonna get saved by baptism, then we need to baptize them early. And if we baptize them early, then we get them saved early and we've got them in and they can't get out, but we've already got them hooked from infancy. And so they started doing that again early on with the idea of our salvation coming from that baptism. This is still practiced today by most of the reformers and Catholicism itself still practice this sprinkling and pouring methods and for the purpose of the majority practice it for the purpose of baptismal regeneration or salvation. Now, there are many today that have come away from the idea of it being salvation by baptism. And they, particularly Presbyterians, they believe very strongly in the new birth. But they say they still sprinkle the babies because they're getting them into the covenant. And they think they are putting them under the covenant of grace by that sprinkling. And then when time comes, then they believe and they're baptized in the proper order in that sense. That's still, that's not scriptural. That's not anywhere in the scripture. You don't put somebody under a covenant by sprinkling them with water when they're babies. But this was an issue that had begun, again, begun early. And it was, I'll get into that more when we get over into, I started to go into how serious it became, but I'll get into that more when we get into the administrator. of baptism. The word baptizo is a Greek word which was translated or transliterated, I should say, into English. And what that simply means is there wasn't, they did not use, there were English words for it. They simply did not use an English word. They just made a new word in English to sound like the Greek word, baptizo, which is where we get our word baptize or baptism or baptist. It's a Greek word, baptizo, and it's simply, they made a new word to signify what it is in the English, but it is, it means, in every Greek lexicon in print, the word baptizo means to dip or immerse fully in water. To dip or immerse fully. That is what the word baptizo means. And so that simply by its definition, what baptism is, is to dip or immerse fully in water when the baptism takes place. So sprinkling doesn't match the mode that's given to us in the scripture. Pouring water on someone does not match what the scripture is speaking of. And it's important because of the design of baptism, what our baptism is showing. Some say, well, what's the difference? What's the big deal? You all dunk them under the water and we sprinkle a little water on. Well, the mode is important because of what it's showing. Again, the design of baptism is to show the gospel of Christ, the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord, and our identification with it And so the symbolism itself of baptism demands immersion. Again, go back with me to Romans chapter six. Romans chapter six, hold your place there in Acts eight. We'll be back to that in just a moment. Romans chapter six, excuse me, verse number four. He says, therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. Like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. So the very symbol of baptism is to show that we are, we have died to self, are buried with Christ and raised to walk again in newness of life, Paul says here in Romans six. And so when baptism is performed, one is dipped under the water to show that death and burial. To show that death and burial, not only of our Lord, but of our reckoning of ourselves being in Christ, dead to self, buried with Christ, and then raised up out of the water. We don't leave them under the water. We get them up out of the water. Because we don't want anybody to drown, number one. Number two, it's a symbol, so we get them back up out of the water to walk in that newness of life. And so it's an identification with Christ. Sprinkling does not show that burial. Pouring water on someone does not show that burial. We don't bury people by kicking a little dust on them. We dig a hole or we put them in a tomb and they're covered completely over. And that's what the symbolism of baptism is to show, is that burial of Christ and our reckoning ourselves buried with him, buried to self and raised to walk in newness of life. Likewise, again, in Colossians chapter two, Colossians two speaks of it as well as Paul writes here in verse number 12. Colossians 2 verse 12, he says, buried with him in baptism, wherein also he arisen with him through the faith and the operation of God who has raised him from the dead. And so it is to show that burial in Christ Jesus and with Christ Jesus. 1 Peter 3, 21 is another example that speaks to that burial. Now here in our text in Roman, or I'm sorry, Acts chapter eight, here Philip, has met the Ethiopian eunuch. He's been sent by the Spirit of God to witness to this man, and he preaches to him from Isaiah 53. That was the passage that the eunuch was reading from, and he didn't understand what it was talking about. He was a Jewish proselyte. He had become one who worshiped the Jewish religion. He had come up from Ethiopia to do that very thing, to go to the temple to worship. He was on his way home to Ethiopia and he is reading there from Isaiah 53 and Philip was told by the spirit of God to go join himself with him and talk with him. And so Philip goes, Philip was at this point was one of the deacons In the church at Jerusalem, he would be called later on, Philip the evangelist, because apparently he was sent out by the church at Jerusalem there to do this very work. But here he's told by the Spirit of God to go and witness to this man. So he goes, he preaches to him what he is reading from in Isaiah chapter 53, and preaches to him Jesus, the Bible says. And the eunuch, in hearing the message proclaimed, he asked Philip there, he hears water, what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. Verse number 37, and he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and notice this phrase, and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. They went down into the water to be baptized. Why did they go down into the water? Because they had to get into the water so that he could put him under the water, that he could dip him as the very term of baptism requires. And so they went down into the water. But listen, if all it was required was him to be sprinkled, why didn't Philip just go down to the water, get him a handful of water and throw it on him? And they could have been on their merry way. Wouldn't have to get down there and get wet and ride all the way back to Ethiopia and wet clothes. They went down into the water because that is what is required for the symbolism and for the very word itself. They went down into the water to receive that baptism. Now, notice Mark chapter one. Mark chapter number one. Mark chapter number one and verse number five, we read here of our Lord's baptism. And it's, or rather, it's coming up to his baptism, he's talking about the baptism of John and John's ministry to go forth and baptize. And it tells us there in verse five of chapter one, says, there went out unto him all the land of Judea, speaking of John the Baptist, there went out unto him all the land of Judea and they of Jerusalem and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan. confessing their sins. And so they were going into the water. They went into the river to receive this baptism of John. Again, why would they go in the river? But if it was by sprinkling or pouring of water, they went into the water to be dipped, to be immersed in that water as the picture requires. John chapter three. John chapter three and verse number 23. John chapter three and verse number 23. We see here again, John baptizing, we're speaking of John. John three and verse 23, it says, and John also was baptizing in Anon near to Siloam because there was much water there. and they came and were baptized. Why was there a need for much water? Because they had to get into the water to be dipped under. And so we see that throughout these examples. Again, Acts 8, into the water. At the Lord's, in Matthew chapter three, go over here and look with me here. Matthew chapter three, verse 13, it says, then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized in him. But John forbade him saying, I have need to be baptized with the incomest thou to me. And Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him, or he baptized him. That's what that means. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water. Went up straightway out of the water. And, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him a loyal voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. They came up out of the water. So we see that In all of these examples, going into and out of the water because they were being dipped, they were being immersed, they were not being sprinkled, they were not being poured on, they were being dipped under the water. Again, to show that burial of the Lord Jesus, the death, burial, resurrection, both ordinances Baptism and the Lord's Supper, both of them show the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is their purpose, to show forth that gospel of our Savior and what he has done for us. Both of them showing that we have partaken of that very gospel, that we belong to it, that it has had place in our hearts. Both of them do that very thing. And baptism shows that in our dying to self, being buried with Christ in that watery grave to be raised again to walk in a newness of life, to follow after him from that point forward. It is an act of obedience and it really is the first act of obedience. It should be done as quickly as possible. I believe after someone is born again, that they should be baptized as quick as you can, because it is that first act of obedience unto the Lord after salvation. Now, again, very early on, this became a problem. It became controversial. because there were those trying to add grace to the baptism. It was an easy thing to add it to. Hey, they're gonna come anyway, let's just tell them they're baptized, that come and get baptized and you'll be saved. And that's the way religion naturally progresses, is it looks for something to do to get whatever it is that they're desiring to get. Christianity, we want eternal life, we want salvation. That's what it's all about, eternal life in Christ. And this, by religion, this was the way that they could give it out to people. from their standpoint, that it's wrong. It's not right at all, but it's how religion progresses in that sense. They look for works to do to get whatever it is that they want to get. And baptism was this one of the first here that became part of that, the idea that you could be baptized to receive that salvation. And Baptists, well, I shouldn't say, true churches early on would not allow that. They were standing by the gospel, proclaiming that's not what it's about. There were those that were turning from the gospel and they were adding this as a means of salvation. And when folks would come to the knowledge of the truth, maybe realize that they weren't really saved, and they would hear the gospel proclaimed by these churches that were standing for the truth, they began to come and to be, experience salvation, experience the new birth. And they would join themselves with this group and they would be baptized. in the right manner at that point. And as a means of degradation, those churches began to be called Anabaptists or re-baptizers because they were, it really wasn't re-baptizing because they weren't baptized in the proper order to begin with. They were not saved to begin with. They didn't have the proper mode even. And so they were baptizing them in the right order. Because they were baptizing them, they were calling them re-baptizers or Anabaptists. And this split continued to grow between these churches that had turned from the gospel and those that were holding fast to the gospel. And later, the re or the Anna was dropped and they were simply called Baptist at that point. Which is why we have the name Baptist today. But this controversy, was still, was hated by those that were against these folks that were holding fast to the gospel. And because of this, there were many of them that were martyred for this one simple doctrine. It wasn't about the mode so much. At the time, that was part of it, but it wasn't about the mode so much. It wasn't so much about the correct administrator, which we're getting into here at the time, but it was about the re-baptizing. This flew in the face of the religious. And what I mean by religious are those that had turned from the gospel at that point, that were dependent upon works for their salvation. Because in them rebaptizing, baptizing again in the right order, what it was declaring of them then, those that had turned from the gospel and were dependent upon their sprinkling as a baby to get them into heaven, what that meant of them then was they were declaring them to be lost. They were declaring them to not really be saved if that was the case. And so there were many that took it as a personal affront. that they were declaring to them that they were not saved. If they were depending on this baptism or depending on this sprinkling from a child to be their salvation. They were delegitimizing from their standpoint. They were delegitimizing their salvific experience. And so they acted in great hatred. toward the Baptist at that time. And there were many of them that were martyred. by the hands of government on behalf of those churches, or on behalf as Catholicism came on and grew in its power, it was under the, by the hand of the Catholic church that much, especially when you get into the middle ages, that most of this martyrdom was taking place. And so the question comes when we look at this, when we examine what this is, the question often comes, well, does it really matter? We're all saying pretty much the same thing. We all say that Jesus is Savior, that Jesus is Lord. Is that not enough? Why do we all need to agree on baptism? And really, it's not a matter of agreeing on baptism, but it's a matter of agreeing on what the gospel is. It's a matter of agreeing on what salvation is. Because most that disagree with us, and I hate to even say the word, use the term most, because sadly it is, most that disagree with us have attached in some way, some form of work for their salvation. And in the case of baptism or sprinkling from a child or from an infant, that they've attached some form of salvation to this act of baptism or to this act of sprinkling. And so it comes down, yes, it matters. It's very important. because it is a matter of whether or not we are following the gospel or whether we're following man's ideas of the gospel. It's a matter of whether or not we're following the gospel of Christ or we're following the dictates of religion. And so it does matter, it's very important. that salvation is held in the high esteem, that it is indeed by the gospel of Christ, the finished work of Jesus, by grace through faith, without any work on our part, wholly by what Christ Jesus has done for us, and baptism as an act of obedience. It's extremely important that we have that in correct order. and that we agree on that reality because to attach anything else to baptism, to make it anything else other than that act of obedience afterward, an outward sign of who we are in Christ, having experienced his salvation, having believed on him, it is an outward sign that we now belong to Christ. To attach anything more to that, as far as making it salvific in any way, we've denigrated and tore down the gospel and made it a gospel of words. And so it is of extreme importance that we understand why this is important. Because there are so many today that are living through their lives, hoping on a sprinkling or a pouring of water or even a dipping into water when they were an infant or a young child without ever experiencing Christ in the new birth. And their hope is in something that someone else did to them when they were a babe and told them that they were okay now because they've been dipped in some water or they had water sprinkled on them. And so it is of extreme importance that we understand it is important that we get the gospel right and that baptism is in its proper order, that it is indeed important. It's very important, but it is a work of obedience. It is not to get salvation. It is a sign that salvation has already taken place in our hearts. It is an outward show to those around us that we indeed belong to Christ. This is given again as an ordinance, but it is not a Christian ordinance, neither is it an apostolic ordinance or a preacher ordinance, but it is a church ordinance. It is given for the Lord's churches to conduct. He is the one that gave them to us, these ordinances, and it is by his direction that the churches are to carry this out. In Matthew chapter three, verses one through six, we see John's appointment by God to do this work that he has come to do. He is sent as the forerunner of Christ. This was spoken of him in the book of Isaiah, was declared that he would do this work. And here he comes forth doing that very thing. It tells us there in verse one of this passage, in those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, repent ye "'for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, "'for this is he that was spoken of "'by the prophet Esaias, saying, "'the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "'prepare ye the way of the Lord, "'make his path straight.' "'And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair "'and a leather and girdle about his loins, "'and his meat was locust and wild honey. "'Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea "'and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. And so here John was appointed by God to go forth and do this work, to be that forerunner of Christ. John is out proclaiming the coming of the Lord, that the Lord was coming, that the coming of the kingdom of God, and he's declaring this, preparing the way of the Lord's coming. The Lord Jesus comes to him here, even in chapter three, the Lord Jesus comes to him there. He walks now some 60 miles to get to John, to receive this baptism of John. Now, John was the only one that was given authority to do this. This was proclaimed of him in the book of Isaiah that he was going to do this very work. And Jesus walks these 60 miles to receive this baptism of John, acknowledging that he is putting himself under the authority of his father. It was the father's will. This is how the father had set it up. This is John now preparing this way. And the Lord Jesus gives himself, submits himself to the will of his father and shows that by coming to John and receiving John's baptism here. We read there in verse 13, it says, then come a Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. And he tells John, John didn't want to do it because John felt unworthy to do so, because John recognized who he was. John would even say that he wasn't even fit to unlatch his shoelatchet. But the Lord says, suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. And so this was our Lord's work of righteousness to accomplish this, to put himself under the authority of his father to receive this baptism from John in the proper order that God had established. Then we see in Matthew chapter 28, and of course we see the disciples in John chapter four, for instance, Verses one through three, you see the disciples baptizing at that point. As once Jesus was baptized, John begins to decrease and the Lord begins to increase. He becomes the central figure of it all at that point. And then at the end of his ministry, the Lord tells his disciples there in Matthew chapter 28, as he gives them their commission here, This was the church at Jerusalem is who he's speaking to. And we know this by the commission that he's given them here. Here in Matthew 28, beginning in verse 18, Jesus came and spake unto them saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. That word power is the Greek word exousia, and it means authority. So he says all authority, all power is given unto him, both in heaven and the earth. Then he gives them as he, the one who has the authority, he declares to his church here, what they are to go forth and do. Go you therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy ghost. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Now, there are those that claim, well, he wasn't giving this to the church, he was just giving it to his disciples. He was just giving it to his disciples. Well, yes, his disciples were there, They were those who he was talking to. But notice that phrase, that last phrase of verse number 20. None of his disciples are alive now, of the original 12. They've all long since passed on a couple thousand years ago. And yet the Lord makes clear here that He will be with us, as He says, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. And so His declaration here, because of His promise of ever being with us, shows us it's not to the apostles themselves that this is given, but rather to His churches. As this continues to be passed down excuse me, for the last 2000 years. This continued work, and it's exactly what we have seen over these last 2,000 years, is His churches go forth, they proclaim the gospel, they declare the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, they declare His purpose in salvation for us, they baptize those that believe, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and they continue to teach them, they continue to disciple them in the things that He has spoken, in those things that He has commanded. And we have his promise that he is ever with us until his return, until the end of the world. And so this is given to his churches. That's who it's given to. And it's the responsibility of the churches to carry this out. The church is told us is the body of Christ in Ephesians chapter five. It is of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 16. It is the pillar and ground of the truth as 1 Timothy 3 and verse 15 tells us. It is those that continue faithfully in the gospel and in the doctrine of Christ throughout all ages. And we see that throughout these 2,000 years. There are many that have claimed the name of Christ throughout that 2000 year period that have departed from Christ. They claim him, but they do not hold fast to what the scriptures declare. In fact, they would turn from the authority of the scripture and put authority in men, put authority in councils and so on, and turn from the authority of the scripture. His churches have remained faithful. to continue with the scripture. What does the word of God declare? What does his word declare? And so this is given here as a church ordinance and his churches continue faithfully in holding up this ordinance. And it is to be conducted by the church. It is not, again, it is not a preacher ordinance. It is not an apostolic ordinance. It is a church ordinance. And that's what we are to hold to. When we conduct a baptism, the church as a whole votes on that baptism to carry that baptism out, that it be conducted. Uh, if the whole church will vote to acknowledge that that one is the proper subject for baptism. And so we, we vote together. We, because that commission is given to us, that authority to conduct it is given to us. It is our ordinance that the Lord has given to his churches and it continues, it has continued unbroken for those 2,000 years and it continues even now as this is carried out by his true New Testament churches throughout these 2,000 years. And so we continue to be as faithful as we can be to what the Lord requires of us to conduct these ordinances. And just as it is, as Paul writes there in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, Just as he tells us there of the importance of making sure we conduct the Lord's Supper correctly because it shows forth the gospel of Christ, so also we must conduct baptism just as faithfully that because we are showing in it probably more clearly the gospel of Christ and what he has accomplished for us. And so we are to be faithful to conduct that work of baptism as the scriptures declare. and we need to take care of it. We need to make sure we are doing it in order, that we are following the dictates of the scripture in doing so, that the gospel might continue to go forward, that it can be clearly seen and made evidence by the ordinances that we keep and show forth in those ordinances. All right, let's all stand and we'll be dismissed.