Jump Start # 716

Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

I have a son that preaches in Tennessee. We are always talking about preaching and such things. We have a code phrase we use to describe baptizing someone. We call it, “getting our sleeves wet.” He will call me and say, “I got my sleeves wet,” which immediately tells me that he just baptized someone. Last evening I got to tell him, “I got my sleeves wet.” In fact, lately, there has been a lot of wet sleeves at our congregation. It’s exciting to see people coming to the Lord and making a promise and commitment to him.

Our verse today, familiar to so many in our fellowship, describes two important aspects of coming to Christ.

First, there is a death and burial. There is a realization that the path you are currently on isn’t working and it’s headed to a dead end road. It’s taken you away from God and it has ruined your soul. When a person realizes that, they are ready to turn to God. They are through with Hollywood thinking, keeping up with their friends, doing what everyone else is doing, being cool, or being popular. They are ready for God. They are ready for God as a teenager. They are ready for God as a newly married couple. They are ready for God as a middle aged person. They are ready for God as a senior citizen. Repentance and baptism are part of this process. Don’t fight baptism. It is part of God’s plan. He wants you to be baptized. He wants you to be baptized for the right reason. It’s not to join a church or show others that you have done something internal, it is a result of believing that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. It is how we contact the blood of Christ. It is for the forgiveness of sins. The apostles said that numerous times. It is an immersion, a burial. The burial is the ending of one life. A life that didn’t work. A life that failed. We bury that life and leave it in an unmarked grave. We don’t want to return there again. That life brought shame and guilt. That life hurt. That life was headed to Hell.

A person comes to Christ and is buried with Him. As Jesus was buried, we are buried. He was buried in a tomb. We are buried in a watery tomb, we call baptism. It doesn’t end there.

Christ arose. We sing, ‘Up from the grave He arose…’. So, we too, arise from the grave. Not to just go about doing whatever we want. No. We, like Jesus, are risen to a new life. It is a better life. It is a life that follows Christ. It is a life of hope and direction and purpose. It is a life that connects one to other believers. It is a life of worship and fellowship. It is becoming a light in the world. It is being a worker in God’s kingdom. It is to grow and continue to become what God wants of each of us.

Being a Christian is much more than just going to church on Sunday. It’s about a new life. A great life in Christ. A life not lived with regrets and shame. It’s about making a difference in the lives of others. It is about helping others find Christ. It is about being spiritual.

Have you ever thought where you would be if you were not a Christian? The majority of my friends I would not know if it were not for Christ. A person has to wonder, if it wasn’t for Jesus, would I now be in jail? Or, addicted to something bad? Or, even dead? Christ changes a person from the inside out. Their thinking changes. The basis of decisions and choices changes. They have an anchor in the sand, called the Bible. It defines them. It sets the boundaries. It governs them. It gives them peace. It assures them of Heaven. It keeps them on course.

How wonderful it is being a Christian!

It all begins with wet sleeves…

Roger