Grace on Display

So, why is this so important to us? Well, today is a celebration. Baptism is a celebration of grace. We are celebrating that Christ has taken our sin upon Himself, so that, through faith in Him, we can be forgiven of all of our sins, all of our trespasses. Paul said in our Scripture, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” We’ve been buried with Christ!

His baptism is showing us a picture that we are dead to sin because He has conquered sin on our behalf. He died on a cross as our substitute, took our place, died for our sins, and then He rose from the grave as our Savior. Baptism is a celebration of that. Baptism is a celebration of the fact that we have been made right before God because of what Jesus did, not because of what we do.

I like to think of it this way… “baptism is grace on display.” Think of it like this… how can anyone around you know of the Spiritual work that took place in your heart if they do not see the work of that spiritual world being lived out and on display for the world to see? How would you live out grace so that the world can see? In Genesis chapter 2 and verse 17, God instructed Adam and Eve: “From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” The truth about death created a truth about judgement, but it also created the possibility of grace.

In Genesis chapter 3, that possibility became a reality. In verse 6, “The woman saw the tree was good for food; it was a delight to the eyes; it was desirable to make one wise. She took from it and ate and gave to her husband with her, and he ate. The eyes of both of them were opened; they knew they were naked; they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.” In their own power, this was their way of covering their shame.

This was their way of covering their guilt and their iniquity. But we see down in verse 21, God had a better way. “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” That’s grace….. Man makes an inadequate attempt to cover his guilt, and God comes, and you witness the first instance of death as God executes an animal, a picture of the lamb of God who would one day come, in order to provide a covering for these two sinners.

And the rest is history as we would witness it through the word of God. The Bible is God’s way of unfolding the story of grace. I dunno about you, but does it not mean anything to know that you’re a part of that story? That your life is a part of the amazing story of grace. And it all ends in amazing fashion…. In revelation 22:17 and 18 it says: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” So ask the question this morning…

Is my life a continuous celebration of the grace that took place? Why is that important to answer? Well, because Not only is it grace on display and a celebration of grace, but Baptism is also a beautiful tangible illustration of the gospel. I was reading an article one time of this town in Arabia where the Muslim religion was strong… and it began to talk about how one by one, people began having dreams of Christ.

And, so the Lord sent a person to give the gospel to help explain Christ. And before you know it, there was a small band of Christians in a town full of Muslims. In secret…Right… if anyone found out that Jesus was being preached, or found out that you were a Christian, you would be instantly killed. So, in this article they asked the question… well then how do you evangelize the gospel?

And the person said, by how we live. Our life is the gospel on display. By that, they meant. The love, and compassion and care for those who are the least of these. I’m like wow! Can you imagine living here in our own town and not being able to go to church, and if they knew you were a Christian you could be instantly dragged out into the street and stoned. I mean…

we take what we do in American church for granted. The music is good, it’s bad, the sermon is long or short. It’s too hot, it’s too cold. Should I go to church today… or should I stay home. I wonder… what would our life and how we live it for Christ say about the gospel being on display. Our life is the gospel on display… Baptism is a picture of the gospel displayed before all to see.

If you were to look at a picture of my three children, you would probably think those are three really amazing and cute kids. But here’s the truth. Those pictures are not my kids. My kids, are at this moment serving in this church. One is serving downstairs with my wife in pre-school. One is serving in the back with one of our leaders. Why? Cause we taught our kids, that church is a place where you come to worship and you come to serve.

I love Joshua when he said, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. And why would you not want to serve? My life has utterly been transformed and changed by the gospel. I illustrated that change in my baptism, but now, I live out that illustration in my every day life as a servant. In the same way, with baptism. When a brother or sister of ours is baptized, this is not salvation taking place.

It’s a picture; it’s a representation; it’s an illustration of our salvation that has already occurred in their life. The truth is…… salvation has already taken root in their heart. Baptism is a picture for the whole world to see what Christ did in our hearts. Let me ask you… does your heart still show the love and grace Christ shown to you? One of the first ways we actually illustrate what the Holy Spirit does within us, is by showing the world that I am no longer bound to sin, but now, I’m kin to Him…

Baptism is such a beautiful reminder… of the gospel… but it doesn’t end there. We live it out in service to one another. In kindness to one another. In patience with one another. In forgiveness to one another… Didn’t Jesus say, I believe it’s in Matthew… You will know they are of me, by the fruit they produce. For many, the seed of life has never truly been planted. The gospel is just what we’ve always known.

My grandparents were saved, and my parents took me to church… so I must be in.. I must be a christian. I choose Jesus. There’s a lot of people who have chosen to know about Jesus who really do not know him personally… because to know him is to be connected to him…. And when we are connected to him, that life, of grace will be on display for others to see.

Lastly, baptism is a proclamation of the glory of God. It’s a public announcement. Not just to us, but to the church and to the world. What are we proclaiming? We’re proclaiming the Glory of God. Psalm 19 verses 1-2 says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands…. “ When I pray this Scripture… I add…. “And in my baptism and walk Lord, I proclaim the work of your Spirit in my life.

The fact is… we’re called to be worshippers. We’re designed to be worshipers. And a worshipper is someone who proclaims the goodness of God. And all that God does.. not just here in the church… but even in our homes, in our lives and we proclaim him in our baptism. A.W. Tozer once said: “We are saved to worship God. All that Christ has done in the past and all that He is doing now leads to this one end.” That’s why we’re here today….

We’re here for many of us because God has saved us and we’re here to worship. Worship is from the heart. Heart worship is what God is looking for; those who will worship Him in Spirit and truth (John 4:24) Many of us need to check our hearts. By that I mean, you need to check your motives. The Father knows why you’re here… he knows whether or not your heart is tuned to his grace.

The truth is… you can’t receive grace and not be willing to give it as well. You can’t tell others Jesus is within you but have no grace to give to others. Baptism is a proclamation to the world… I am his… and He lives in me. And what Christ is, I am too. This is the beauty of baptism. Baptism is an essential and joyful declaration to the world that we belong to Jesus.

Let me tell you a story about this wedding ring right here. It wasn’t really that romantic and a bit chaotic. I wanted to ask Alicia to marry me. I knew from the moment I saw her sitting in my dorm room at college this was the one. We would talk for hours on the phone and AIM and MSN video messenger and then one day, three months of continuous phones calls…

I would get the chance to meet her. Love at first sight… well at least for me… I can’t speak for her.. but I’m sure she just looked over at me with those big brown eyes and went… man… he’s such a stud. I at least imagine that. Now it might be where in the world did 17 years go. But Everything in my life changed the week I first met her.

We met in Lock Haven and I remember how nervous I was to kiss her. I mean, I still remember watching her walk upstairs from her room and it was like God’s light was shining on her… she was wearing these open toed heels, blue jeans and this pink top. The closer she got the more nervous I got and of course I’m a guy.. so I was wondering… when do I hold her hand?

How do It do it? When can I kiss her. Finally after she paraded me around her campus to all of her friends, we were alone and it happened… our first kiss. Then that led to a late night run to Dunkin’ Donuts. Magical moments… for kisses and donuts. Because of our first encounter I knew, I just knew we were meant to be together. Every time I was around her my heart would just flutter.

I was in college and every time a girl would flirt with me, I would get this queasy feeling that I was going to be unfaithful to her. And I didn’t want to mess that up. That summer I would propose to her and I couldn’t afford a ring.. so I took a twisty tie and placed it on her finger. And if you think that was romantic… wait for this….

I proposed to her in the most romantic fashion… I proposed to Alicia, in the front seat of the black 2001 Ford Focus, that she had bought me that summer. And as I was dropping her off at college and hoping for that special goodbye kiss, I popped the question. Will you marry me. Like I said, not the most romantic way to propose. But I wanted this love I had for her to go further.

I had planned that summer to take her to a scenic overlook and get down on one knee and make it all special…. But it just didn’t work out that way. Then, in May of 2005, barely a year after we first met, I stood at an altar with her, and I took the vow, with this ring I thee wed. Thankfully she said the same. And we placed rings on each other’s fingers and we publicly declare on that day, before God, family and our friends that we belong to each other.

But listen church. Love was not created on that day. Love was born in our hearts long before we were engaged, and married. Now it was declared very clearly to everyone in such a way that, whenever you see me, you will see this ring on my finger, and you will know that I belong to her, and whenever you see her and see that huge rock, that you can’t miss on her finger, you will know that she belongs to me.

I want you to see, church, listen, I want you to see in a much more beautiful way, the God of this universe, by his grace, has reached down into your heart. He has changed you, he has transformed you, He’s forgiven you and cleansed you from all your sins, delivered you from sin and given you new life with Him. Why would you not want to identify your life with Him through the picture that He has given us in Scripture?

Why would you not want to celebrate His grace… why would you not want to illustrate the gospel for others to see and to come to know Jesus better, and why would you not want to proclaim his glory… Baptism is such a joyful declaration to the world… I belong to him. As our worship leader comes up and prepares our last song.. I want you to think about that.. do I belong to him?

For many of us here we’ve been baptized. God has already reached down into our hearts and placed his seal… his ring… he placed the Holy Spirit into our lives to say… he or she belongs to me. But here’s the question of questions… have you been faithful. Have you shown others the same grace God has shown you? Have you forgiven others as God has forgiven you? Has God received your whole heart in worship today?

I don’t know your heart… but God does… for many of us we’ve gone all week long and for some you may have gone weeks and months being unfaithful. Don’t miss the beauty of today to rededicate your life and to come and be baptized, but also don’t miss the beauty of what the sacrament means. Here in a moment, I am going to ask you to give your heart to Jesus and when you’re ready..

come… and take the elements prepared for you here at this table. You have to come to be a part of what God calls us into… Revelation 22:17 says: The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. The bread represents the body broken for you, and the juice represents the blood spilt for you….

The elements are a reminder of that grace broken and poured out.. and freely given to you.. without cost. God isn’t going to force His grace upon you… you must, with a willing heart, come to receive it. So as our worship leader leads us, come, drink, eat when you’re ready and witness God's grace in your life today and celebrate the illustration of the gospel for the glory of God.