Sermon For Baptism Service

Going Down And Coming Up: A Sermon For Baptism

There is a road that runs from Jerusalem down toward Gaza, and somewhere along that road, a man's life was changed forever. He had traveled a great distance to worship. He was reading Scripture he did not yet fully understand. And then, in the space of a single conversation, everything became clear. By the time he stepped out of the water, he was a new man, and the text tells us he went on his way rejoicing.

That is the story we are gathered around today.

Open your Bible to Acts chapter 8, beginning at verse 26. We will also read from Romans chapter 6. These two passages together give us the full picture of what baptism means, why it matters, and what it calls us to from this day forward.

The Story In Acts 8

An angel of the Lord speaks to Philip and sends him south, toward a desert road. Philip goes. He does not know why yet, but he obeys. On that road he encounters an Ethiopian official, a man of considerable influence and authority, returning home from Jerusalem. The man is seated in his chariot, reading aloud from the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit says to Philip, "Go and join that chariot." Philip runs to catch up, hears the man reading, and asks a simple question: "Do you understand what you're reading?" The official's answer is honest and searching: "How can I, unless someone guides me?" He invites Philip to sit with him.

The passage he is reading is Isaiah 53. It is the suffering servant passage, the one that asks: who is this person being led like a sheep to the slaughter? The official asks Philip, "Who is the prophet saying this about? Himself or someone else?"

And then verse 35 gives us the hinge of the whole story. "Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture."

Philip did not change the subject. He did not offer a program or a set of rules. He began right where the man was reading and showed him that the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 is Jesus of Nazareth, who died for sin, who was buried, and who rose again. The gospel is always the announcement that Jesus is the one the Scriptures were pointing toward all along.

The official listens. He believes. And then, as they travel along the road, he sees water and says, "Look, there's water. What would keep me from being baptized?"

Nothing. Nothing keeps him from it. He commands the chariot to stop. Both men go down into the water. Philip baptizes him. They come up out of the water. The Spirit of the Lord carries Philip away, and the official never sees him again. But the text does not end in confusion or loss. It ends with this: "He went on his way rejoicing."

That is the shape of the Christian life in miniature. The gospel is heard. Christ is believed. Baptism is received. Joy follows. And the journey continues.

What Romans 6 Adds

Now turn to Romans chapter 6, verses 3 and 4. The apostle Paul writes: "Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life."

Paul is not saying that baptism saves you. He is saying that baptism shows what salvation looks like. The act of going down into the water and coming up out of the water is a physical picture of a spiritual reality. It is a declaration. It is a testimony written in water.

Going down speaks of death. Not physical death, but the death of the old life, the life lived apart from God, under sin, without hope. When a person trusts in Christ, that old self is crucified with him. The penalty of sin is paid. The power of sin is broken. The person who believed is no longer who they were.

Coming up speaks of resurrection. Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, the one who has trusted Christ is raised to walk in newness of life. Baptism does not create that new life. Baptism declares it, pictures it, and proclaims it to everyone watching.

This is why Baptists baptize by immersion. The full going under and the full coming up is the picture Paul is describing. It is not a ritual that confers grace. It is an ordinance that announces grace already received through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

What This Means For Those Being Baptized Today

To those who are preparing to be baptized today, hear this clearly. What you are about to do is not a transaction. You are not earning anything. You are not completing a checklist. You are making a public declaration of something that has already happened in your heart by the grace of God.

You have heard the gospel. You have believed that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. You have turned from sin and trusted him as Lord and Savior. Now you are stepping into the water to say to this congregation, to your family, to every guest in this room, and to the watching world: I belong to Jesus Christ. I have died with him. I have been raised with him. I am not who I was.

That is a profound and beautiful thing. Do not let the simplicity of the act cause you to underestimate its weight. This is a moment of public confession, and Scripture takes public confession seriously.

What This Means For The Congregation

To the congregation gathered here, this moment is not a spectator event. When someone is baptized, the whole church is reminded of its own baptism, its own death to sin, its own resurrection to new life in Christ. We are called to remember who we are and whose we are.

And if you are a guest today who has never trusted Christ, watch carefully what is happening in that water. That is the gospel in motion. Death, burial, resurrection. That is what Jesus did for sinners. That is what he offers to you. If you have never repented and believed, today is not too soon. Speak to someone after the service. Ask your questions. The same Philip who ran to catch a chariot is the same Spirit-led church that is here today, ready to point you to Jesus.

A Charge Toward Faithful Discipleship

The Ethiopian official went on his way rejoicing. But he also went on his way. The joy of baptism is real, but the road continues. There will be days when following Christ is costly. There will be seasons when the water feels far away and the desert road feels long. On those days, remember this: you did not go into that water alone, and you did not come up out of it alone. Christ went before you. The church stands with you. And the Spirit who sent Philip down a desert road is the same Spirit who will keep you to the end.

Go on your way rejoicing. And keep going.

Sources Consulted

Polhill, John B. Acts. The New American Commentary. Broadman and Holman, 1992.

Schreiner, Thomas R. Romans. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Baker Academic, 1998.

Bock, Darrell L. Acts. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Baker Academic, 2007.

Moo, Douglas J. The Letter to the Romans. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Eerdmans, 2018.

White, James Emery. Christ Among the Dragons. InterVarsity Press, 2010. (For pastoral framing of ordinances in Baptist life.)

Stott, John R. W. The Message of Acts. The Bible Speaks Today. InterVarsity Press, 1990.