• Acts 2:41

Acts 2:41

Sermon preached on September 21, 2008 by Laurence W. Veinott. © Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Other sermons can be found at http://www.cantonnewlife.org/.

One evening many years ago, Paul Pierce phoned me and asked if I would come over and witness the signing of some papers as he and Sue were buying their house in Flackville. I was happy to do it and I went over and witnessed the signing of all the documents. At the end I had to sign. Just then Paul said to me, something like,

"I don't want you to read this, you just sign at the places I show you."

"You just signed your three girls away."

"Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand
were added to their number that day."

The main point of doctrine that we see here is that

Christians should be baptized.

If you're a believer in Jesus Christ you should be baptized. Our text shows that those who believed followed the apostles teaching and were baptized. It was the thing that Christians did.

In getting baptized they were following the command of Jesus. In the Great Commission Jesus said to His disciples, (Matthew 28:19)

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,"

What's important to note about those words is that Jesus is giving commands. Jesus was not giving mere suggestions to His disciples. As Head of the church He was ordering His disciples to do certain things. One of the things they were to do is to make disciples and baptize them.

That's what His disciples taught and did. In Acts 2:37-38 we read that in response to Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost, they people were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles,

"Brothers, what shall we do?"

Peter replied,

"Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins."

It Acts 16 we read about the conversion of Lydia's conversion. We read, (verse 14f)

"The Lord opened her heart
to respond to Paul's message.
When she and the members
of her household were baptized,
she invited us to her home."

In Acts 16:33 we read that when the Philippian jailer believed on Jesus,

"At that hour of the night the jailer
took them and washed their wounds;
then immediately he and all his family were baptized."

And in Acts 18:8 we read,

"Crispus, the synagogue ruler,
and his entire household believed in the Lord;
and many of the Corinthians who heard him
believed and were baptized."

All those examples show us that it was the practice of the apostles to baptize those who became believers. But other examples go further and show that there is a connection between baptism and certain other aspects of the new life in Jesus.

For example, in Acts 19 we read that Paul found some disciples at Ephesus. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They replied that they had not, that they had not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. Paul then asked them what baptism they had received. They replied that they had received John's baptism. Paul pointed them to Jesus and His baptism. We read, (verses 5-6)

"On hearing this,
they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
When Paul placed his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came on them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied."

What is interesting about that passage is that there's a connection between being filled with the Holy Spirit and baptism. Now we shouldn't read too much into that, as if baptism were necessary for being filled with the Holy Spirit and has to come first. That can't be because in other passages the pattern is different. For example, in Acts 10:47-48 in connection with Cornelius and the inclusion of the Gentiles into the church, we read, (verses 44-46)

"While Peter was still speaking these words,
the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter
were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit
had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
For they heard them
speaking in tongues and praising God."

Then we read,

"Then Peter said, Can anyone keep these people
from being baptized with water?
They have received the Holy Spirit
just as we have.
So he ordered that they be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days."

So the pattern in Acts 10 is different. The gift of the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles before they were baptized. So my point is not that baptism is necessary for you to be filled with the Holy Spirit—but that the three things go together—belief, baptism and being filled with the Holy Spirit. So there's not like a cause and effect relationship. But that doesn't mean that there is no connection at all. All these things are related—belief, baptism and being filled with the Holy Spirit. They go together.

We see these three things being together in Acts 8 also. That incident is about the Samaritans acceptance of the gospel. We read, (verses 14-17)

"When the apostles in Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,
they sent Peter and John to them.
When they arrived, they prayed for them
that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
because the Holy Spirit
had not yet come upon any of them;
they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them,
and they received the Holy Spirit."

Again, belief, baptism and receiving the Spirit are all there.

We see this in Acts 9 as well. That passage has to do with Saul of Tarsus' conversion. Ananias said to Saul, (verse 17)

"Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus,
who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—
has sent me so that you may see again
and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

We read that after Ananias laid his hands on Saul,

"Immediately, something like scales
fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again.
He got up and was baptized,"

Again, all three things are there—belief, baptism, being filled with the Spirit. Sometimes the order is different—but all three are there.

Now the point that should be made regarding the connection between belief, baptism and being filled with the Spirit is that they are all part of the whole milieu of salvation. They go together. To have only two would be an incongruity. There would be something missing.

So what we should understand is that

baptism is part of the good news of Jesus Christ.

This is confirmed by what we see in Acts 8 in Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip began with the passage that the eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53 and,

"told him the good news about Jesus."

We read, (Acts 8:36-38)

"As they traveled along the road,
they came to some water and the eunuch said,
'Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?'
And he gave orders to stop the chariot.
Then both Philip and the eunuch
went down into the water and Philip baptized him."

Philip's teaching regarding the good news about Jesus obviously included baptism and the need for believers to be baptized. Otherwise the eunuch wouldn't have asked about it. The implication is that baptism is part of the good news of Jesus.

What then does baptism mean? Why is it important that those who believe be baptized?

Our text suggests that part of it is

publicly taking your stand on the side of Jesus and the gospel.

It says,

"Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand
were added to their number that day."

Part of baptism is a stand up and be counted on the side of Jesus. It's not the whole of baptism, but it's part of it. Listen to the Westminster Confession of Faith, (XXVIII:1)

"Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus ChristÖ for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church;”

"Whoever acknowledges me before men,
I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.
But whoever disowns me before men,
I will disown him before my Father in heaven."

By being baptized you are taking your stand on the side of Jesus Christ. You are publicly testifying that you have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son.

Now this is something that every Christian should do. I mean, think about it.

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

Why was that? John's baptism was a baptism of repentance and the water of baptism symbolized the removal of the filth of sin. But Jesus was sinless. He did not need to be baptized. Even John the Baptist recognized this and hesitated to baptize Jesus. But Jesus urged John to baptize Him. As William Hendriksen writes, Jesus,

"did, after all, have sin, namely ours."

"his willingness to take on the servant's role, entailing his identification with the people."

"Jesus might well have been up there in front standing with John and calling on sinners to repent. Instead he was down there with the sinners, affirming his solidarity with them, making himself one with them in the process of the salvation that he would in due course accomplish."

"But I have a baptism to undergo,
and how distressed I am until it is completed!"

When they came to arrest Him—He was standing there for you. When they came to the place of the cross and nailed Him to the cross—He was standing there for you—suffering for your sins. In light of that, how can you refuse Christian baptism and refuse to take your stand with Jesus? No Christian should be able to do that.

Secondly, we should understand that

in baptism you acknowledge God's ownership of you.

That's what the new believers on the Day of Pentecost did. You'll remember in His words of institution in the Great Commission Jesus said,

"go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"

John Murray writes of baptism being referenced in the Great Commission, (Collected Writings, II, p. 370)

"The word of institution shows that it belongs to the task of making disciples. A disciple is one who follows a master. In this case the master is Christ, and the discipleship involves, therefore, total commitment and allegiance. The sequence is significant. 'All authority in heaven and in earth has been committed to me' (v. 18). So the discipleship is commensurate with the absolute lordship of Christ. The baptized person recognizes and professes the lordship of Christ."

"The person baptized was symbolically introduced 'into the name of Christ,' that is, became His disciple entered into a state of allegiance to him and fellowship with Him."

"baptism into the name means into union with, and discipleship of, the three persons of the Godhead."

"My prayer is not for them alone.
I pray also for those
who will believe in me through their message,
that all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
May they also be in us so that the world
may believe that you have sent me.
I have given them the glory that you gave me,
that they may be one as we are one:
I in them and you in me.
May they be brought to complete unity
to let the world know that you sent me
and have loved them even as you have loved me."

It's also spoken of in John 14:23 where Jesus said,

"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.
My Father will love him, and we will come to him
and make our home with him."

Baptisms symbolizes union with God. He is our Lord and Savior. We are acknowledging that we will follow Him. As the Westminster Confession of Faith says baptism is a sign and seal of a person's,

"giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in the newness of life."

"Or don't you know that all of us
who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him
through baptism into death in order that,
just as Christ was raised from the dead
through the glory of the Father,
we too may live a new life."

Finally for Christians, you should be baptized because in baptism

you are honoring Jesus and His work.

Baptism also signifies the forgiveness of sins that comes through His work. In verse 38 Peter said to the crowd,

"Repent and be baptized,
every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins."

And in Acts 22:16 Paul recounted what Ananias said to him after his conversion,

"And now what are you waiting for?
Get up, be baptized
and wash your sins away,
calling on his name."

Baptism signifies the forgives of our sins. The joy that we have because of that. We have can go out into the world with joy, with boldness, without fear—because we know that our sins have been forgiven. We are in Christ. He is in us. What hope we have. Romans 6 again, (verses 5-7)

"If we have been united
with him like this in his death,
we will certainly also be united
with him in his resurrection.
For we know that our old self was crucified
with him so that the body of sin
might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
because anyone who has died
has been freed from sin."

Christians, you should be baptized. John Murray, writes, (Collected Works, II, p. 375)

"Depreciation of baptism insults the wisdom and grace of God and, more particularly, his faithfulness."

"After this I looked and there before me
was a great multitude that no one could count,
from every nation, tribe, people and language,
standing before the throne
and in front of the Lamb.
They were wearing white robes
and were holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice:
'Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.'"

They were added to that number. What a glorious number that is. They were not saved by their baptism—but by Jesus and His work. You need Jesus. Go to Him today.