Speaker 1: Hi everybody. I'm Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church
Speaker 1: and the author of The Purpose Driven Life, and I
Speaker 1: want to welcome you to our study of the life
Speaker 1: of Jesus in you. I've teamed up with my dear
Speaker 1: friends Mark Burnett at Roma Downey to create this in
Speaker 1: depth sixth session small group Study. Now you know, Mark
Speaker 1: and Roma produced the hit television series The Bible that
Speaker 1: had a viewing audience of over one hundred million people
Speaker 1: in America alone, and now the TV series has been
Speaker 1: followed up by their major motion picture release of Son
Speaker 1: of God. The acting is superb, the scenery's breathtaking, and
Speaker 1: the impact of this production has been life changing already
Speaker 1: for millions of people. So we decided to produce this
Speaker 1: small groups study combining my teaching on the life of
Speaker 1: Christ with scenes from Jesus life and ministry from this movie,
Speaker 1: The Son of God. Through these lessons and these film clips,
Speaker 1: you're going to see, and you're going to experience, and
Speaker 1: you're going to understand in a brand new way the
Speaker 1: life of Jesus and what it means to you personally. Now,
Speaker 1: in these next six sessions, we're going to be talking
Speaker 1: about first jesus baptism and your baptism, because Jesus began
Speaker 1: his ministry with a baptism. Second, we're going to look
Speaker 1: at jesus temptation and your temptations. Then we'll look at
Speaker 1: Jesus suffering and your suffering. Then we're going to look
Speaker 1: at Jesus death and your death. Then we'll look at
Speaker 1: Jesus resurrection and your resurrection, and finally will conclude with
Speaker 1: Jesus ministry and your ministry. Now, in this first session,
Speaker 1: we're going to look at jesus baptism. What did that mean,
Speaker 1: Why was Jesus baptized, and what does baptism mean for
Speaker 1: me and for you. First, let's look at what the
Speaker 1: Bible says Matthew chapter three. The Bible tells us the
Speaker 1: story of jesus baptism. Then Jesus came from Galilee to
Speaker 1: the Jordan to be baptized by John, that's John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: But John tried to deter him, saying, I need to
Speaker 1: be baptized by you, and you come to me. Jesus replied,
Speaker 1: let it be so. It is proper for us to
Speaker 1: do this to fulfill all righteousness. So then John consented
Speaker 1: and as soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up
Speaker 1: out of the water, and at that moment, the Bible
Speaker 1: tells us, heaven was opened, and he saw the spirit
Speaker 1: of God descending like a dove and lighting on him,
Speaker 1: and a voice from heaven said, this is my son,
Speaker 1: whom I love, and with him I am well pleased.
Speaker 1: That was the Father's talking. Now, before Jesus started his ministry,
Speaker 1: and we're going to look at this in the sessions ahead,
Speaker 1: before he ever preached his first sermon, before he ever
Speaker 1: performed his first miracle, before he went to the cross,
Speaker 1: the Bible says he came to John the baptist at
Speaker 1: the Jordan River to be baptized. It all starts with
Speaker 1: his baptism. And as we saw in that passage, John
Speaker 1: actually tried to stop Jesus from being baptized. In fact,
Speaker 1: he said, you should be the one baptizing me. But
Speaker 1: Jesus said, no, we have to do this. I have
Speaker 1: to do this. It's what my father wants. So John
Speaker 1: obediently baptized Jesus, and the Bible tells us that when
Speaker 1: Jesus stepped out of the water, he stepped into his
Speaker 1: public ministry. This is the first step of a disciple
Speaker 1: to step into the waters of baptism. Now, what was
Speaker 1: baptism all about anyway? You see, the Bible tells us
Speaker 1: that John baptized people as a sign of their repentance
Speaker 1: for their sins. But Jesus had no sin. So why
Speaker 1: in the world was Jesus baptized. It's because Jesus baptism
Speaker 1: was his way of identifying with you and me sinful humanity.
Speaker 1: And just as Jesus did not die for his own sins,
Speaker 1: he was not baptized for his own sins either. But
Speaker 1: in his baptism, Jesus was showing us the way to
Speaker 1: live and giving us a model that we are to follow.
Speaker 1: Jesus once said this, I didn't come to abolish the law,
Speaker 1: but I came to fulfill it. And in the same way,
Speaker 1: he didn't come to abolish baptism, but he came to
Speaker 1: fulfill it and to give it a complete, full meaning,
Speaker 1: which now means death to sin and the old way
Speaker 1: of life and resurrection into a whole new, brand new
Speaker 1: way of living. That's what baptism means for us. Now,
Speaker 1: as Jesus came up out of the water, he was
Speaker 1: revealed for who he truly is. Look again at verse sixteen.
Speaker 1: There in Matthew chapter three, it says, as soon as
Speaker 1: Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.
Speaker 1: He'd been put under the water. He comes up out
Speaker 1: of the water, and it says, at that moment, you
Speaker 1: might want to circle that phrase. At that moment, heaven
Speaker 1: was opened. He saw the spirit of God descending like
Speaker 1: a dove and lighting on him, and a voice from
Speaker 1: heaven said, this is my son whom I love, and
Speaker 1: with him I am well pleased. You see, when Jesus
Speaker 1: publicly obeyed the Father in baptism, the Father publicly affirmed
Speaker 1: him as his son. And notice again what God says,
Speaker 1: This is my son, I love him, and I'm proud
Speaker 1: of him. Now, did you know the Father says the
Speaker 1: same three things about you When you identify with Jesus
Speaker 1: and baptism, God says, you are my son, you are
Speaker 1: my daughter, I love you, and I'm proud of you.
Speaker 1: Do you want God to be pleased with you, then
Speaker 1: you need to take the simple step of faith and
Speaker 1: obedience and be baptized the way Jesus was baptized in
Speaker 1: the Jordan River. As a symbol of a death and
Speaker 1: a burial and a resurrection. Now let's watch it. Let's
Speaker 1: watch this scene of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus, and
Speaker 1: then we're going to talk about what it means for us.
Speaker 1: There is one to come greater than me.
Speaker 2: Google baptize with fire. I'm just a voice in the
Speaker 2: wilderness preparing the way for them.
Speaker 3: Lord, don't stop. Surely I need you to baptize me. John.
Speaker 3: What you are doing is right. Baptize me.
Speaker 1: When Jesus was baptized, it was a symbol of his
Speaker 1: coming death and resurrection, and that's exactly what it means
Speaker 1: for us too. Baptism symbolizes the truth that we're not
Speaker 1: only cleansed from our sins, but we are now what
Speaker 1: the Bible calls dead to sin. The Bible says it
Speaker 1: like this, we died desin How can we live in
Speaker 1: it any longer? Don't you know that all of us
Speaker 1: who were baptized into Christ, Jesus were baptized into his death.
Speaker 1: We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death,
Speaker 1: in order that just as Christ was raised from the
Speaker 1: dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
Speaker 1: live a new life. That's Romans chapter six. You see,
Speaker 1: when you go under the water, it symbolizes that you
Speaker 1: have died and been buried with Jesus Christ. Baptism is
Speaker 1: always a symbol of a burial, and when you come
Speaker 1: up out of the water, it symbolizes that you too
Speaker 1: have been raised with Christ into a whole new life.
Speaker 1: In fact, Bible says it like this, anyone who belongs
Speaker 1: to Christ has become a new person. The old is
Speaker 1: gone and a new life has begun. That is the
Speaker 1: meaning of baptism. Now let me give you four reasons
Speaker 1: from the Bible why you and I and all of
Speaker 1: us need to be baptized. Number one, first, you need
Speaker 1: to be baptized because Jesus demonstrated it. He modeled it
Speaker 1: by his own baptism. Jesus was saying, if you truly
Speaker 1: want to be my disciple, then you need to identify
Speaker 1: with me, and you need to do this too. If
Speaker 1: you want to follow me, you need to follow me
Speaker 1: into this water. If I needed to do this, Jesus says,
Speaker 1: then so do you. The second reason you need to
Speaker 1: be baptized is because Jesus commanded it. Jesus commanded all
Speaker 1: of his followers should be baptized just like he was.
Speaker 1: And in Matthew twenty eight nineteen he said, go and
Speaker 1: make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name
Speaker 1: of the Father, and of the Son and of the
Speaker 1: Holy Spirit. So baptism, friends, isn't simply an option. It
Speaker 1: is a commandment for every follower of Jesus Christ. If
Speaker 1: you want to be a disciple, if you want to
Speaker 1: be in his family, you need to be baptized. The
Speaker 1: Bible says, we know that we've come to know him
Speaker 1: if we obey as commands, How do you prove that
Speaker 1: you're a follower of Jesus. How do you prove that
Speaker 1: you've been saved, that you're a Christian? That's your child
Speaker 1: of God. You obey Jesus commands, And one of the
Speaker 1: first commands is this be baptized. Now. The third reason
Speaker 1: to be baptized is that baptism is your public statement
Speaker 1: that you publicly belong to Jesus Christ. Baptism doesn't make
Speaker 1: you a believer, It just shows that you are a believer.
Speaker 1: It's the outward symbol of an inward commitment. I call
Speaker 1: it the wedding ring of the Christian life. You see
Speaker 1: this ring. That doesn't make me married, but it's a
Speaker 1: public statement. It's a reminder of a commitment that I
Speaker 1: made in my heart and in your commitment to Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: That's what saves you. The vow to love, to serve,
Speaker 1: to honor, to receive God's grace. Baptism says to the world,
Speaker 1: I'm not ashamed to tell the whole world what's happened
Speaker 1: to me. I've given my life to Christ. Baptism is
Speaker 1: saying to the world, just like this wedding ring says,
Speaker 1: I'm not ashamed to say that I love Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: You know, a little boy asked me one time. He said,
Speaker 1: Pastor Rick, when can I get advertised? I like that
Speaker 1: because that's exactly what baptism is. Baptism is an advertisement
Speaker 1: for Jesus. It's saying, I am not ashamed of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: So let me ask you this. Are you ashamed to
Speaker 1: be identified with Jesus or do you want to keep
Speaker 1: your relationship with him a secret? Like be a secret disciple?
Speaker 1: There are no secret agent believers, Jesus said in Luke
Speaker 1: chapter nine, verse twenty six. If you're ashamed of me
Speaker 1: in front of the world, I will be ashamed of
Speaker 1: you in front of my Father in Heaven. Those are
Speaker 1: serious words. Baptism tells the world that you are not
Speaker 1: ashamed to say I love Jesus Christ with all my heart.
Speaker 1: Have you been baptized since you came to faith in Christ?
Speaker 1: If you haven't, what are you waiting on? In the Bible,
Speaker 1: there's no such thing as a person claiming to be
Speaker 1: a follower of Jesus a disciple and not being baptized.
Speaker 1: You see, it was automatic, and not only that, it
Speaker 1: was immediate. In the Bible, it tells us that people
Speaker 1: were baptized as soon as they gave their lives to Christ.
Speaker 1: Acts chapter eight, verse twelve says this when they believed,
Speaker 1: they were baptized, and Acts sixteen thirty three says in
Speaker 1: the middle of the night, it says the jailer and
Speaker 1: all of his family believed and then were baptized. And
Speaker 1: in Acts chapter eighteen, it says when the Corinthians heard
Speaker 1: Paul preach about the good News, they believe and were baptized.
Speaker 1: Believing in baptism go together. And in Acts chapter eight
Speaker 1: we have the first African believer who was baptized. He
Speaker 1: was an Ethiopian official. And the Bible tells us that
Speaker 1: Philip began with the scriptures and told him this Ethiopian
Speaker 1: leader the good news about Jesus. And as they traveled
Speaker 1: down the road, it says they came to some water,
Speaker 1: and the man said, look, here's water. Why shouldn't I
Speaker 1: be baptized? And Philip said this, if you believe with
Speaker 1: all your heart, you may. The man answered, I believe
Speaker 1: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And so
Speaker 1: it says then they went down into the water and
Speaker 1: Philip baptized him. You see in the New Testament and
Speaker 1: in the New Testament Church, there was never any delay
Speaker 1: between believing and baptism. On the day of Pentecost, three
Speaker 1: thousand were baptized that very day. When people came to
Speaker 1: faith in Jesus Christ, it was a me idiot that
Speaker 1: their next step was to publicly identify themselves by being baptized.
Speaker 1: So let's review. You need to be baptized because Jesus
Speaker 1: demonstrated it. He was baptized because Jesus commanded it, because
Speaker 1: it's your public statement that you belong to Christ. Now
Speaker 1: there's a fourth reason to be baptized. Baptism is not
Speaker 1: just the symbol of our salvation. It's also a symbol
Speaker 1: of our incorporation. In other words, my baptism says I'm
Speaker 1: a part of the Body of Christ. I'm a member
Speaker 1: of the family of God. My baptism says I'm not
Speaker 1: just a believer. I'm also a belonger. Did you hear
Speaker 1: that we're not just believers? We're belongers. And the Bible
Speaker 1: says this, For we were all baptized by one spirit
Speaker 1: into one body. Now you are the Body of Christ,
Speaker 1: and each of you is a part of it. That's
Speaker 1: First Corinthians, chapter twelve. My baptism says that I'm a
Speaker 1: part of the global Church, the glorious family of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: It's going to go on and on forever. It's my initiation,
Speaker 1: it's my incorporation, it's my identification. Now what does it
Speaker 1: take to be baptised? Well, there's only one qualification in
Speaker 1: the Bible. You must believe. You must believe that Jesus
Speaker 1: Christ is who he said he was, the Son of God,
Speaker 1: that he died for your sins, that he rose again
Speaker 1: from the grave on Easter. So let me ask a question.
Speaker 1: Do you believe if you have never settled this issue,
Speaker 1: or if you've always had doubts, you may have been
Speaker 1: a church member your entire life. I'm not talking about
Speaker 1: a religion. I'm talking about a relationship to Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: You ask the question, do I really have that personal relationship?
Speaker 1: Have I stepped across the line. Do I know for
Speaker 1: sure that if I die tonight I'm going to heaven? Well,
Speaker 1: if you're not assure that you can know for sure
Speaker 1: right now. The Bible says this the most famous verse
Speaker 1: in the Bible. God so loved the world that he
Speaker 1: gave his only begotten son, that's Jesus. That whoever that's
Speaker 1: all of us, whoever believes in him, should not perish,
Speaker 1: but have everlasting life. That's the greatest promise in the Bible.
Speaker 1: And the Bible also promises this in the Book of Romans.
Speaker 1: If you confess with your mouth, in other words, publicly
Speaker 1: announce Jesus is Lord. In other words, he's my master,
Speaker 1: he's the chairman of the board, he's the president, he's
Speaker 1: the manager of my life. If you confess with your
Speaker 1: mouth Jesus is Lord, and you believe in your heart
Speaker 1: that God raised him from the dead, you will not might.
Speaker 1: You will be saved. It is the promise of God's word,
Speaker 1: not our feelings that we rely on. Now. Notice it
Speaker 1: doesn't say you couldn't be saved. It doesn't say you
Speaker 1: might be saved. It says you will be saved. That
Speaker 1: great news you can know for sure right now. And
Speaker 1: you can do that by confessing with your mouth that
Speaker 1: Jesus is the lord of your life. How do you
Speaker 1: do that by praying. I'm going to pray a prayer
Speaker 1: right now, and you can actually just say these words yourself.
Speaker 1: You can say them in your mind or you can
Speaker 1: mouth them as I pray. And it doesn't really matter
Speaker 1: the words that you say. What matters is the humble
Speaker 1: attitude of your heart. So let's bow our heads right now,
Speaker 1: and I'm going to lead you in a prayer. If
Speaker 1: you've never settled this issue, let's do it right now.
Speaker 1: That's about just say in your heart, Dear Jesus, say
Speaker 1: that in your heart. Dear Jesus. I want to confess
Speaker 1: with my mouth, and I want to believe in my
Speaker 1: heart that you are who you say you are. I
Speaker 1: believe you are the son of God. I believe that
Speaker 1: you came to earth to show how God loves me.
Speaker 1: I believe that you died on the cross, and I
Speaker 1: believe that you came back to life on Easter to
Speaker 1: prove that you are the son of God. And I believe,
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, that you will forgive all the sins that
Speaker 1: I've done wrong. And I believe your promise that if
Speaker 1: I accept you into my heart, that you will take
Speaker 1: me home to be with you in heaven. So here's
Speaker 1: my humble request, Dear Jesus Christ. I ask you to
Speaker 1: accept me into your family. I ask you to forgive
Speaker 1: my sins. I want to turn from my way to
Speaker 1: your way. I want to learn to love you. I
Speaker 1: want to learn to trust you, and I want to
Speaker 1: learn to follow you the rest of my life. And
Speaker 1: Dear God, if I've never been baptized as Jesus was,
Speaker 1: I want to follow you in that public statement to
Speaker 1: say I'm not ashamed of Jesus Christ. And so I
Speaker 1: ask this prayer humbly in faith in your name. Amen.
Speaker 1: And did you pray that prayer right now? If you
Speaker 1: did for the very first time and you seriously meant it, congratulations, Congratulations,
Speaker 1: you just stepped across the line. You see, God made
Speaker 1: it so simple, nobody could say it too hard to understand.
Speaker 1: Here's what you need to do. Once you've stepped across
Speaker 1: the line. You've given your life to Christ, you've opened
Speaker 1: your heart, you've received his salvation. The first thing you
Speaker 1: need to do is you need to tell somebody. I'd
Speaker 1: suggest you tell somebody in your group about the decision
Speaker 1: you just made because they can support you, they can
Speaker 1: celebrate with you, and then you can tell other people
Speaker 1: by publicly being baptized. Find a good church and say
Speaker 1: I want to be baptized the way Jesus was. Now,
Speaker 1: as you go to your group discussion, now, I want
Speaker 1: to ask you to talk about what you've learned through
Speaker 1: this study, talk about jesus baptism. And if you've been baptized,
Speaker 1: why don't you share the stories of where you were
Speaker 1: baptized and why you made that decision to be baptized.
Speaker 1: And if you haven't been baptized yet, let me encourage
Speaker 1: you to take this step of obedience and tell your
Speaker 1: friends say, you know what, I've never been baptized like
Speaker 1: Jesus was. I want to be baptized as my public
Speaker 1: statement of faith. You know, Jesus was thirty years old
Speaker 1: when he was baptized. And maybe this is your day
Speaker 1: to make that decision now. God bless you as you
Speaker 1: go in your discussion time. Enjoy that time together, and
Speaker 1: I look forward to being with you in Session two,
Speaker 1: when we begin to look at another area of the
Speaker 1: life of Christ.