Rick Warren - Son of God

Hi everybody. I'm Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church

and the author of The Purpose Driven Life, and I

want to welcome you to our study of the life

of Jesus in you. I've teamed up with my dear

friends Mark Burnett at Roma Downey to create this in

depth sixth session small group Study. Now you know, Mark

and Roma produced the hit television series The Bible that

had a viewing audience of over one hundred million people

in America alone, and now the TV series has been

followed up by their major motion picture release of Son

of God. The acting is superb, the scenery's breathtaking, and

the impact of this production has been life changing already

for millions of people. So we decided to produce this

small groups study combining my teaching on the life of

Christ with scenes from Jesus life and ministry from this movie,

The Son of God. Through these lessons and these film clips,

you're going to see, and you're going to experience, and

you're going to understand in a brand new way the

life of Jesus and what it means to you personally. Now,

in these next six sessions, we're going to be talking

about first jesus baptism and your baptism, because Jesus began

his ministry with a baptism. Second, we're going to look

at jesus temptation and your temptations. Then we'll look at

Jesus suffering and your suffering. Then we're going to look

at Jesus death and your death. Then we'll look at

Jesus resurrection and your resurrection, and finally will conclude with

Jesus ministry and your ministry. Now, in this first session,

we're going to look at jesus baptism. What did that mean,

Why was Jesus baptized, and what does baptism mean for

me and for you. First, let's look at what the

Bible says Matthew chapter three. The Bible tells us the

story of jesus baptism. Then Jesus came from Galilee to

the Jordan to be baptized by John, that's John the Baptist.

But John tried to deter him, saying, I need to

be baptized by you, and you come to me. Jesus replied,

let it be so. It is proper for us to

do this to fulfill all righteousness. So then John consented

and as soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up

out of the water, and at that moment, the Bible

tells us, heaven was opened, and he saw the spirit

of God descending like a dove and lighting on him,

and a voice from heaven said, this is my son,

whom I love, and with him I am well pleased.

That was the Father's talking. Now, before Jesus started his ministry,

and we're going to look at this in the sessions ahead,

before he ever preached his first sermon, before he ever

performed his first miracle, before he went to the cross,

the Bible says he came to John the baptist at

the Jordan River to be baptized. It all starts with

his baptism. And as we saw in that passage, John

actually tried to stop Jesus from being baptized. In fact,

he said, you should be the one baptizing me. But

Jesus said, no, we have to do this. I have

to do this. It's what my father wants. So John

obediently baptized Jesus, and the Bible tells us that when

Jesus stepped out of the water, he stepped into his

public ministry. This is the first step of a disciple

to step into the waters of baptism. Now, what was

baptism all about anyway? You see, the Bible tells us

that John baptized people as a sign of their repentance

for their sins. But Jesus had no sin. So why

in the world was Jesus baptized. It's because Jesus baptism

was his way of identifying with you and me sinful humanity.

And just as Jesus did not die for his own sins,

he was not baptized for his own sins either. But

in his baptism, Jesus was showing us the way to

live and giving us a model that we are to follow.

Jesus once said this, I didn't come to abolish the law,

but I came to fulfill it. And in the same way,

he didn't come to abolish baptism, but he came to

fulfill it and to give it a complete, full meaning,

which now means death to sin and the old way

of life and resurrection into a whole new, brand new

way of living. That's what baptism means for us. Now,

as Jesus came up out of the water, he was

revealed for who he truly is. Look again at verse sixteen.

There in Matthew chapter three, it says, as soon as

Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.

He'd been put under the water. He comes up out

of the water, and it says, at that moment, you

might want to circle that phrase. At that moment, heaven

was opened. He saw the spirit of God descending like

a dove and lighting on him, and a voice from

heaven said, this is my son whom I love, and

with him I am well pleased. You see, when Jesus

publicly obeyed the Father in baptism, the Father publicly affirmed

him as his son. And notice again what God says,

This is my son, I love him, and I'm proud

of him. Now, did you know the Father says the

same three things about you When you identify with Jesus

and baptism, God says, you are my son, you are

my daughter, I love you, and I'm proud of you.

Do you want God to be pleased with you, then

you need to take the simple step of faith and

obedience and be baptized the way Jesus was baptized in

the Jordan River. As a symbol of a death and

a burial and a resurrection. Now let's watch it. Let's

watch this scene of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus, and

then we're going to talk about what it means for us.

There is one to come greater than me.

Google baptize with fire. I'm just a voice in the

wilderness preparing the way for them.

Lord, don't stop. Surely I need you to baptize me. John.

What you are doing is right. Baptize me.

When Jesus was baptized, it was a symbol of his

coming death and resurrection, and that's exactly what it means

for us too. Baptism symbolizes the truth that we're not

only cleansed from our sins, but we are now what

the Bible calls dead to sin. The Bible says it

like this, we died desin How can we live in

it any longer? Don't you know that all of us

who were baptized into Christ, Jesus were baptized into his death.

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. That's Romans chapter six. You see,

when you go under the water, it symbolizes that you

have died and been buried with Jesus Christ. Baptism is

always a symbol of a burial, and when you come

up out of the water, it symbolizes that you too

have been raised with Christ into a whole new life.

In fact, Bible says it like this, anyone who belongs

to Christ has become a new person. The old is

gone and a new life has begun. That is the

meaning of baptism. Now let me give you four reasons

from the Bible why you and I and all of

us need to be baptized. Number one, first, you need

to be baptized because Jesus demonstrated it. He modeled it

by his own baptism. Jesus was saying, if you truly

want to be my disciple, then you need to identify

with me, and you need to do this too. If

you want to follow me, you need to follow me

into this water. If I needed to do this, Jesus says,

then so do you. The second reason you need to

be baptized is because Jesus commanded it. Jesus commanded all

of his followers should be baptized just like he was.

And in Matthew twenty eight nineteen he said, go and

make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name

of the Father, and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit. So baptism, friends, isn't simply an option. It

is a commandment for every follower of Jesus Christ. If

you want to be a disciple, if you want to

be in his family, you need to be baptized. The

Bible says, we know that we've come to know him

if we obey as commands, How do you prove that

you're a follower of Jesus. How do you prove that

you've been saved, that you're a Christian? That's your child

of God. You obey Jesus commands, And one of the

first commands is this be baptized. Now. The third reason

to be baptized is that baptism is your public statement

that you publicly belong to Jesus Christ. Baptism doesn't make

you a believer, It just shows that you are a believer.

It's the outward symbol of an inward commitment. I call

it the wedding ring of the Christian life. You see

this ring. That doesn't make me married, but it's a

public statement. It's a reminder of a commitment that I

made in my heart and in your commitment to Jesus Christ.

That's what saves you. The vow to love, to serve,

to honor, to receive God's grace. Baptism says to the world,

I'm not ashamed to tell the whole world what's happened

to me. I've given my life to Christ. Baptism is

saying to the world, just like this wedding ring says,

I'm not ashamed to say that I love Jesus Christ.

You know, a little boy asked me one time. He said,

Pastor Rick, when can I get advertised? I like that

because that's exactly what baptism is. Baptism is an advertisement

for Jesus. It's saying, I am not ashamed of Jesus Christ.

So let me ask you this. Are you ashamed to

be identified with Jesus or do you want to keep

your relationship with him a secret? Like be a secret disciple?

There are no secret agent believers, Jesus said in Luke

chapter nine, verse twenty six. If you're ashamed of me

in front of the world, I will be ashamed of

you in front of my Father in Heaven. Those are

serious words. Baptism tells the world that you are not

ashamed to say I love Jesus Christ with all my heart.

Have you been baptized since you came to faith in Christ?

If you haven't, what are you waiting on? In the Bible,

there's no such thing as a person claiming to be

a follower of Jesus a disciple and not being baptized.

You see, it was automatic, and not only that, it

was immediate. In the Bible, it tells us that people

were baptized as soon as they gave their lives to Christ.

Acts chapter eight, verse twelve says this when they believed,

they were baptized, and Acts sixteen thirty three says in

the middle of the night, it says the jailer and

all of his family believed and then were baptized. And

in Acts chapter eighteen, it says when the Corinthians heard

Paul preach about the good News, they believe and were baptized.

Believing in baptism go together. And in Acts chapter eight

we have the first African believer who was baptized. He

was an Ethiopian official. And the Bible tells us that

Philip began with the scriptures and told him this Ethiopian

leader the good news about Jesus. And as they traveled

down the road, it says they came to some water,

and the man said, look, here's water. Why shouldn't I

be baptized? And Philip said this, if you believe with

all your heart, you may. The man answered, I believe

that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And so

it says then they went down into the water and

Philip baptized him. You see in the New Testament and

in the New Testament Church, there was never any delay

between believing and baptism. On the day of Pentecost, three

thousand were baptized that very day. When people came to

faith in Jesus Christ, it was a me idiot that

their next step was to publicly identify themselves by being baptized.

So let's review. You need to be baptized because Jesus

demonstrated it. He was baptized because Jesus commanded it, because

it's your public statement that you belong to Christ. Now

there's a fourth reason to be baptized. Baptism is not

just the symbol of our salvation. It's also a symbol

of our incorporation. In other words, my baptism says I'm

a part of the Body of Christ. I'm a member

of the family of God. My baptism says I'm not

just a believer. I'm also a belonger. Did you hear

that we're not just believers? We're belongers. And the Bible

says this, For we were all baptized by one spirit

into one body. Now you are the Body of Christ,

and each of you is a part of it. That's

First Corinthians, chapter twelve. My baptism says that I'm a

part of the global Church, the glorious family of Jesus Christ.

It's going to go on and on forever. It's my initiation,

it's my incorporation, it's my identification. Now what does it

take to be baptised? Well, there's only one qualification in

the Bible. You must believe. You must believe that Jesus

Christ is who he said he was, the Son of God,

that he died for your sins, that he rose again

from the grave on Easter. So let me ask a question.

Do you believe if you have never settled this issue,

or if you've always had doubts, you may have been

a church member your entire life. I'm not talking about

a religion. I'm talking about a relationship to Jesus Christ.

You ask the question, do I really have that personal relationship?

Have I stepped across the line. Do I know for

sure that if I die tonight I'm going to heaven? Well,

if you're not assure that you can know for sure

right now. The Bible says this the most famous verse

in the Bible. God so loved the world that he

gave his only begotten son, that's Jesus. That whoever that's

all of us, whoever believes in him, should not perish,

but have everlasting life. That's the greatest promise in the Bible.

And the Bible also promises this in the Book of Romans.

If you confess with your mouth, in other words, publicly

announce Jesus is Lord. In other words, he's my master,

he's the chairman of the board, he's the president, he's

the manager of my life. If you confess with your

mouth Jesus is Lord, and you believe in your heart

that God raised him from the dead, you will not might.

You will be saved. It is the promise of God's word,

not our feelings that we rely on. Now. Notice it

doesn't say you couldn't be saved. It doesn't say you

might be saved. It says you will be saved. That

great news you can know for sure right now. And

you can do that by confessing with your mouth that

Jesus is the lord of your life. How do you

do that by praying. I'm going to pray a prayer

right now, and you can actually just say these words yourself.

You can say them in your mind or you can

mouth them as I pray. And it doesn't really matter

the words that you say. What matters is the humble

attitude of your heart. So let's bow our heads right now,

and I'm going to lead you in a prayer. If

you've never settled this issue, let's do it right now.

That's about just say in your heart, Dear Jesus, say

that in your heart. Dear Jesus. I want to confess

with my mouth, and I want to believe in my

heart that you are who you say you are. I

believe you are the son of God. I believe that

you came to earth to show how God loves me.

I believe that you died on the cross, and I

believe that you came back to life on Easter to

prove that you are the son of God. And I believe,

Jesus Christ, that you will forgive all the sins that

I've done wrong. And I believe your promise that if

I accept you into my heart, that you will take

me home to be with you in heaven. So here's

my humble request, Dear Jesus Christ. I ask you to

accept me into your family. I ask you to forgive

my sins. I want to turn from my way to

your way. I want to learn to love you. I

want to learn to trust you, and I want to

learn to follow you the rest of my life. And

Dear God, if I've never been baptized as Jesus was,

I want to follow you in that public statement to

say I'm not ashamed of Jesus Christ. And so I

ask this prayer humbly in faith in your name. Amen.

And did you pray that prayer right now? If you

did for the very first time and you seriously meant it, congratulations, Congratulations,

you just stepped across the line. You see, God made

it so simple, nobody could say it too hard to understand.

Here's what you need to do. Once you've stepped across

the line. You've given your life to Christ, you've opened

your heart, you've received his salvation. The first thing you

need to do is you need to tell somebody. I'd

suggest you tell somebody in your group about the decision

you just made because they can support you, they can

celebrate with you, and then you can tell other people

by publicly being baptized. Find a good church and say

I want to be baptized the way Jesus was. Now,

as you go to your group discussion, now, I want

to ask you to talk about what you've learned through

this study, talk about jesus baptism. And if you've been baptized,

why don't you share the stories of where you were

baptized and why you made that decision to be baptized.

And if you haven't been baptized yet, let me encourage

you to take this step of obedience and tell your

friends say, you know what, I've never been baptized like

Jesus was. I want to be baptized as my public

statement of faith. You know, Jesus was thirty years old

when he was baptized. And maybe this is your day

to make that decision now. God bless you as you

go in your discussion time. Enjoy that time together, and

I look forward to being with you in Session two,

when we begin to look at another area of the

life of Christ.