Rom. 6:1-7                   PICTURES IN THE POOL

Intro: These verses are primarily about the day you and I were saved. On that day, we experienced the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Now, the baptism of the Spirit has nothing to do with shouting, speaking in tongues, or any of the other myths and false doctrines attached to it. The Baptist of the Holy Ghost refers to the moment you are placed in Jesus. When God saves you by His grace, He baptizes you, or immerses you into the body of Christ, 1 Cor. 12:13.

      No one can see or feel that baptism, but it occurs nonetheless. It is a spiritual baptism. What we are going to do today is act out a spiritual truth. This water baptism we are about to perform is a physical symbol of a spiritual reality. It is an outward expression of an inward work of God.

      Baptism saves no one, but everyone who is saved should be baptized. It is a statement of faith. It tells the world that you have received Jesus as your Savior. You are publicly acknowledging the spiritual work of God in your heart when you follow Him in believer’s baptism.

      We have several folks who have been saved recently. (Ill. Praise the Lord that He is still saving souls!) These folks are going to follow their Lord in obedience to His command that all those who trust Him be baptized, Matt. 28:19. They are also following the example of the Lord Jesus, Who was baptized by John the Baptist at the beginning on His earthly ministry, Matt. 3:13-15.

      Before we take these candidates into the baptistery today, we are going to take a moment to think about what we are doing. I want you to see from these verses, what is symbolized through believer’s baptism. Let’s take a few minutes today and consider The Pictures In The Pool.

 

  I.  v. 4-5              THERE IS A PICTURE OF DEDICATION

A.  The phrases “buried with Him” and “planted together” speak of identification. When a child of God is baptized in water, he or she is identifying themselves with Jesus and with His death and resurrection.

B.  Let’s get one thing out of the way up front: Baptism cannot save! It has never saved a soul and it never will. Regardless of what some groups teach, no one is saved by being baptized. It is a work of the flesh and works do not save, Eph. 2:8-9!

C.  Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward work of God. It is a public testimony of faith in Christ. Those who are following Jesus Christ in baptism are saying, “I have trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I have received Him and I am not ashamed to identify myself with Him.” By the way, that is why we require baptism as a requirement of church membership.

 

 II.  v. 3-5                THERE IS A PICTURE OF DEATH

A.  Ill. Verse 3 – When we were saved, we were placed in Jesus. This was a total identification. When we were placed within Him, His death became our death. This is a deep spiritual truth, but every child of God has already experienced death. Not physical death, but spiritual. When Jesus was judged on Calvary, those who believe in Him were judged also. When He died on the cross, those who believe in Him died also. (Ill. Gal. 2:20)

B.  Believer’s baptism is a picture of the believer’s own death. Verse 4 says, “Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death.” That baptistery is a picture of the grave. When the believer is baptized in water, it is a picture of their death to a life of sin. Their baptism says, “I have trusted Jesus and just as He died for sin, I am willing to die to sin.” Ill. Verse 7, just as death delivers people from the will to sin; salvation gives the believer a desire to be free from the grip of temptation and sin. With salvation comes the desire to die to sin and to self, by the help of God, Col. 3:1-17!

C.   None of us will ever conquer this flesh as long as we live in this world,  I John 1:8-10; Rom. 7:14-25. But, when a person receives Jesus Christ as their Savior, there will be a desire to be holy for the glory of God! No one comes to Him and remains the same, 2 Cor. 5:17.

 

III.  v. 4-7           THERE IS A PICTURE OF DELIVERANCE

A.  Baptism not only pictures death, it also pictures resurrection. When Jesus died, those who believe in Him died also. When Jesus rose from the dead, those who believe in Him rose also. We were in Him when He died on Calvary and we were in Him when He came out of the grave.

      When a person believes on Jesus, they die to the old life of sin, and they raised up to live a new life in Jesus. They are given His life, 1 John 5:12. They are given abundant life, John 10:10. They are given everlasting life, John 3:16.

B.  Baptism pictures this resurrection. When the believer is lowered into the water, it symbolizes their death to their old life. When they are raised out of the water, it symbolizes the fact that they have received a new life, a better life, an eternal life! It is a picture of the new birth, John 3:3, 7. It is an outward display of that which Christ has already done in the heart.

C.  Thank God for the new life we enjoy in Him! Because we have new life, we do not have to fear death, 1 Cor. 15:49-57; John 5:24. We do not have to fear Satan, Rom. 8:33-39. We do not have to fear life, Heb. 13:5. In fact, we have nothing at all to fear, 1 John 4:18, “perfect love casteth out fear.”

 

Conc: In just a few minutes these who have been saved are going to be baptized. We are not going to save them, God has already done that. We are merely going to allow them to publicly identify themselves with Jesus Christ. They are going to give their testimony of death, resurrection and personal salvation. Pray for them! Let us remember what believer’s baptism is truly about today.

      Maybe there are some here that need to be saved. Maybe you have experience the ritual, but never met the Redeemer. I want you to come. If He has been calling some wayward saints to come home, now is the time to mind Him.