Sunday August 31st​
Live Washed

Welcome to The Journey Church. I'm Pastor Paris Pasch.

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I’m going to pick up where Pastor Ben left off.  There is so much we need to connect to our public declaration of our faith, and I truly don’t want you to miss any of it.

I have never taught that being dunked in water can wash away sin.  Water doesn’t have special forgiveness powers in it, or we would just use a fire hose.  Baptism as Pastor Ben stated cannot save you.  So, in the church of Jesus Christ, baptism is an outward sign of our transformation through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that we believe in.  But if baptism is in fact an outward sign of what has already taken place, then why don’t more Christians walk in that truth and live washed in Christ?  Why do some Christians continue to live in bondage to sin, temptation, destructive habits and practices?  Are we not free?

Galatians 5:1 (NIV) It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

John 8:36 (NIV) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Public confession is powerful, and baptism is powerful.  Christ changes His followers from the inside out.  But if this is true, then again, why do even baptized Christians often look like soil covered pagans?  I mean why in some Christians lives is there no difference in their new life?  If we are free, why do so many believers live as formerly dirty, rather than presently clean?

We each have first-hand knowledge that many believers are still in the midst of a flesh battle.  They are still angry, confused and frustrated with the life they live.  They want to be free, but don’t feel free.  Know this, the shift from bondage to freedom is instant in Christ but takes time and sometimes a lifetime to experience because we live in this fallen world.  This shift is called sanctification.  Sanctification is the process of moving from unclean to clean, unholy to holy.  You and I are initially called to identify and proclaim our new state of change while the old me is being starved to death and I feed my new man in Christ.

Galatians 2:20 NIV “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Today we will be having our Baptism Service at Doug & Wendy Fairbanks home. They have a beautiful setting with a heated pool, and they are such gracious hosts. If you haven’t been baptized by immersion yet, you can just show up spontaneously, and we will serve you.

You don’t have to fill out any forms, you don’t have to take any classes, you don’t have to take any tests. There is really only one requirement to be biblically baptized, it requires faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Baptism is for those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, died for their sins, and rose again from the dead. 

Mark 16:16 (NIV) Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Acts 8:13 (NIV) Simon himself believed and was baptized…

These are the requirements Pastor Ben spoke of last week.  Baptism is the next step so that you get the chance to tell the devil and the church that you are God’s subject and God’s servant.

Acts 2:41 (NIV) Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

You might ask the question; “Can you be baptized more than once?”  The bible really doesn’t say.  It has no encouragement, no restrictions and no discouragement.  I make public proclamations about my faith all the time and that is what baptism is.

You might also ask; “Do we need to be baptized more often?  Only as it depends on our faith.  Christ’s work was a one and done.  Baptism doesn’t wear off, but sometimes when people want to make a fresh public proclamation they feel compelled to get baptized afresh.  The Bible doesn’t require that of us but doesn’t forbid it either.  So, baptism is a one and done unless you need to reproclaim your commitment.

Hebrews 10:10 (NIV) And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Sometimes a person desires to practice biblical baptism, which we have described as first believe then be baptized, but “What if I was baptized as an infant?”  I have not found evidence of infants being baptized to keep them safe in the bible.  That is simply some church’s tradition, and no matter how many baths you’ve taken they are not forms of baptism according to God.  Water is not even the issue, but rather faith is.  If you were sprinkled by someone when you were an infant and would like to practice biblical baptism just like Jesus did, then do so even today.

So, what do we do for babies?  Do we baptize babies?  Actually, we at The Journey, along with a huge percentage of Christendom see baptism as something obeyed after conversion.  It’s based on the reality that you can’t believe until you can understand.  So, we dedicate babies unto the lord like we did last week for Cam and Maddie.  Parents stand before witnesses to declare their effort to raise the baby in a Christian environment so that they have every chance to love God.

So, the key is not; what form of baptism did you use, what church affiliation do you have or how have you been baptized before, but rather the true essence of baptism which is being born again by faith in Jesus Christ above all and then boldly declaring it in baptism.  The next most important thing I’m trying to emphasize today is, are you living as a blood bought, washed in the water, believer?

Make no mistake about it; God wants ALL of you, not just some of you. He gave everything for you and all He wants from us is the same, everything.

If you are contemplating baptism, but haven’t made up your mind, then I would ask “why not”? There’s only one requirement, faith in Jesus Christ. Do you have faith; have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you answered yes to that question and you’ve never been baptized by immersion, then I encourage you, no matter how long you’ve been a Christian, to join us in the water today. Think about it, pray about it, and then be obedient. Take a step of faith into the waters of baptism. Follow Jesus’ example.

Baptism simply and symbolically tells the story of your life to date going under water symbolizing a willful death and a burial of your old life.  Then it symbolizes a resurrection by you coming up out of the water to new life in Christ.  Add to that it declares to both heaven and earth that you are a blood bought follower of Christ.  Then after all that, maybe we should live as though we have been baptized.  Live with your lips baptized, your body baptized and your mind baptizsed and then the world will know that Jesus lives.

John 17:20–23 (NIV) “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

We have the joy of witnessing several people get baptized today at the Fairbanks home.  Be courteous to the Fairbanks house, come prepared to get in the water, dress modestly, bring a towel and if you want to sit and watch bring a simple lawn chair.

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   Message Questions

1.What does baptism symbolize?

2. Why do some baptized Christians live unwashed lives?

3. What’s the difference between infant baptism and dedication?

4. How can we aid the process of sanctification in our lives?

5. Does the Bible have anything to say about the way and number of times someone should be baptized?