16th June 2024 Infill Service - Baptism: Immersion in a Lifestyle

It flow through your word, because your word to flow through you as me.

And continue to heal. I saw the healing grace today in this room,

and don't lie. Let continue to heal our hearts. Even our stubbornness

is a sickness. Even a hardness of heart is a sickness. So let

the grace of God melt, has melt unbelief, and everything that is not

of you, every fleshly thing must bow the me to the christiness, the

hope of glory sis tires me. Let's welcome sisters. Okay, I'm probably

really loud now microphones around. Good morning. So the theme this month is

baptism, and the title of this morning's message that the Lord gave me is

immersion in a lifestyle. So let's just briefly remind ourselves what is baptism.

The Greek word used in the New Testament is baptizo, which means to immerse

or submerge. I'm not just talking about a dunking like a biscuit and a

cup of tea. I've been dunked. When I was in my twenties,

I worked at Lee Abbe, a Christian retreat and holiday center in North Devon,

which is staffed primarily by volunteers, and I worked in the kitchen on

the dining side. I wasn't cooking. I was washing up, laying tables,

etc. And we had these really big sinks there for vegetables, and

whenever somebody left the kitchen team, you got dunked in it. So it

was filled with water, but not just water. They cleared out the cupboards

of like old spices and goodness knows what, and all that went in the

sink, and then I was put in. My sink was an attractive shade

of orange. I am very happy to say that I wasn't fully immersed,

and my head stayed above water. But I do remember going into the shower

afterwards fully clothed. But I do remember being fully submerged. On another occasion,

when I was about twenty, I was traveling around Costa Rica with a

friend and we were on this beautiful beach and it was a lovely sunny day.

I went into the sea, not far because I don't, but I

had my I was facing the beach and out of nowhere, this wave came

and knocked me over and I was completely submerged, and I wasn't expecting it,

so I hadn't taken a deep breath, and I'd never experienced anything like

that before, and I actually briefly wondered if I was going to die.

But the whole time I was underwater, my first thought was about breathing.

That kind of submersion really focuses you on what's important. After Jesus was crucified,

died, and was resurrected, he appeared to the eleven Disciples as recorded

in Mark sixteen, verses fifteen to sixteen, and he said to them,

go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. Whoever believes

and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

This is a baptism that really focuses you on what's important. You need

to know why you're doing it. It's important to understand it's not just a

public declaration of your belief that Jesus is the Son of God born of a

virgin Mary, who died on the cross to pay the price once for all

for the sin of all mankind. He then rose again and is now seated

at the right hand of the Father in heaven, and will rule and reign

for all eternity. Yes, you're making a public decoration of your belief in

Jesus, but also before the One True Living God, to one who doesn't

just look at outward appearances like people generally do, but one who looks on

the heart. As it says in One Samuel sixteen, verse seven, it's

a declaration before our loving Father, who is also a holy God, of

your commitment to live surrendered to him and for him. It's not to be

done lightly. This isn't about promising never to get it wrong, never to

make a mistake. Forgiveness when we genuinely pent is central to the whole Gospel

message, but the commitment to live in the light of the truth of the

Bible, God's word needs to be real. I didn't realize that there's actually

quite a bit about the power of immersion on the Internet until I've nearly finished

preparing this one article started. Immersion in purpose means that your is driven by

your goal. Immersion in purpose means that your life is driven by your goal.

That's quite significant with baptism, as the immersion in water is symbolic of

a new life surrendered to Christ and his purposes. Dave mentioned different types of

baptisms previously, and why we do a full immersion water baptism here. Won't

go over that again. So the Greek word baptiso then means to immerse or

to submerge, the one off experience that Jesus refers to in that scripture Herald's

the start of a new life. I'm talking about full immersion in a lifestyle

one with God at the center, where you immerse yourself in the truth of

God's word. Psalm sixty three Versus one to three gives us a taste of

what this means. Psalm sixty three, verses one to three, and I'm

reading from the New King James version. Oh God, you are my God.

Early will I seek you. My soul firsts for you, My flesh

longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked for you in the sanctuary to see your power and your

glory. Because your loving kindness is better than life. My lips shall praise

you. As we look at these verses in more detail, let's bear in

mind this question, what do we need most in life? And is that

reflected in how we spend our time? Verse one, Psalm sixty three,

verse one, Oh God, you are my God. Early will I seek

you? The word for God used here is Elohim, and it's the first

name for God used in the Bible. In Genesis chapter one, verse one,

it says, in the beginning God Elohim created the heavens and the earth.

The name Elohim refers to absolute, unqualified, unlimited power. Elohim is

alone, the Almighty, the creator and the source of all life. The

same Elohim who spoke the world into existence, desires to live in intimate relationship

with you. David the Psalmist was making an absolute declaration of trust in the

one True God, to whom all strength and power belongs. You are my

God. That's our hearts hearts cry too, isn't it? We too can

say, Elohim, the Almighty, Creator and source of all life, is

my Elohim. Early will I seek you? The Hebrew word translated early or

means earnestly or eagerly. As some translations say, this is neither a casual

approach to spending time with the Lord, and neither is it about striving.

It'sn't about an attitude that recognizes our need of Him and prioritizes him accordingly.

Not surprisingly, Jesus modeled this as it says in Mark chapter one, verse

thirty five. That's Mark, chapter one, verse thirty five. Very early

in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left

the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed. If Jesus

needed that uninterrupted time with the Father, we certainly do. What do we

need to do to get this time with him? Is there anything that we

need to do differently? He goes back to the question I mentioned earlier,

what do we need most in life? And is that reflected in how we

spend our time? What may have worked for you in the past may not

work now because of changes of work in work, home circumstances, etc.

But sometimes when we have a lot going on, we may unconsciously try to

continue as we were doing and it's it's just not working anyway. Sometimes we

need that external prompt to rethink what we're doing. So if this is you,

that's okay, but do make sure that you think about any changes you

may need to make. Obviously, life isn't necessarily all routine anyway, and

we may need to daily rethink how we effectively get quality time with the Lord.

I'm not making a point about when we spend time with the Lord,

but the priority that we give it. If the first thing in the morning

isn't practical for you, it's important to figure out with the Lord how to

prioritize him, how to live life centered on him whilst dealing with the other

necessary demands of life and dependence. There may be times in the day when

all you can manage is the whisper in our hearts, or even that loud

Father, I need you. It's a simple but effective way to connect with

Lord by acknowledging our dependence on him when we don't have time or the situation

doesn't allow for more. I love what it says in Isaiah forty, verse

eleven. That's Isaiah forty eleven. He gently leads those that have young or

nursing yous. As it says in other translations. He's talking about the Lord

as a shepherd, and in my opinion, really expresses his understanding. The

Lord completely understands the importance of prioritizing the needs of those who are dependent on

us, and has promised to gently lead us. Looking after young children can

be a very immersive experience. I remember a colleague once with two young children,

telling me that the previous day her achievement had been to get showered and

dressed. But in my opinion, to infer from this verse that he will

gently lead those withs is in keeping with the rest of the Bible and what

we know of the Lord, because obviously dependents aren't necessary, necessarily just small

children. Going back to our verse Psalm sixty three, verse one, Oh

God, you are my God. Early will I seek you? To seek

is an active verse, as anyone who's ever played Hide and Seek will tell

you. Seeking is a very focused activity, and early in this verse tells

us the priority it deserves. Moving on to the next part of verse one,

My sole firsts for you, my flesh longs for you. The Psalmist

is recognizing that his whole being needs God. When Jesus was asked what's the

most important commandment, he answered, as it says in Matthew twenty two thirty

seven. Matthew twenty two thirty seven, you shall love the Lord your God

with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

One translation says with all your reason. So Jesus is saying that the

most important commandment is to love God with our whole being. The Greek word

for heart is cardia, from where we get the word cardiology, etc.

And it's used in the same way that we use it in English. It

refers not only to the physical organ, but also figuratively to our thoughts and

feelings. It denotes the center of all physical and spiritual life. You shall

love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul.

I've seen the word for soul helpfully explained as the mind, the will,

and the emotions. The definition of the Greek word used here is life,

that in which there is life the Lord, with all your life and with

all your mind. It's not easy to make these distinctions between the heart,

the soul, and the mind, but I think it's useful to consider it

because it drives home the essence of what Jesus is saying, Love the Lord

your God with all that you are, with your whole being. So when

it says in Psalm sixty three, verse one, my soul first for you,

my flesh longs for you, it's expressing that recognition of how all that

we are needs all that God is. Jesus says, the second most important

commandment is like the first Matthew twenty two thirty nine, you shall love your

neighbor as yourself. Our journey of life learning to live in these commandments as

a response to the complete love with which our heavenly Father loves us is a

lifestyle of full immersion in God love. Back to Psalm sixty three, verse

one, Oh God, you are my God. Early will I seek you

my soul first, for you, my flesh longs for you. In a

dry and thirsty land where there is no water, in a place, a

situation, or circumstances, whether Psalmist is not being fed spiritually, he does

something about it. The Passion translation calls it a weary wilderness. The Psalmist

recognizes his need and seats God the Almighty, the source of life early,

earnestly, and actively. I think we've all experienced a weary wilderness, being

in places, situations, and or around people where we have to make that

decision to actively prioritize the Lord. It won't just happen in the course of

the day. I fully appreciate that some people might be in that place now

Psalm sixty three, verse two. I have looked for you in the sanctuary

to see your power and your glory. The Psalmist is doing what's logical,

going to the place where God meets with his people, the place of worship,

with expectation in his heart, with purpose. He's actively doing what he

can to meet the need that he recognizes within himself of God. He's looking

for Eloheim to see his power, to meet with God himself and see his

glory. Did we come here today expectantly to meet with the Living God,

with Elohim, with the one who has unlimited power and is the source of

life, our heavenly Father. As Jesus says, we are to address him

Psalm sixty three, verse three. Because your love and kindness is better than

life, my lips shall praise you. A lifestyle of immersion in God's love

involves recognition of our need for God himself. His loving kindness is better than

life itself, and praising him is the only reasonable response to that. In

John fifteen, verse four to seven, Jesus puts it this way John fifteen,

verses four to seven. Abide in me and I in you. As

the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither

can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine. You are

the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit.

For without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in

me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they

gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If

you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what

you desire, and it shall be done for you. Jesus puts it so

beautifully in John fifteen, verse four, abide or live in me and I

in you. That's such a loving image. But neither does he sugarcoat the

truth. The following verses are very black and white. God is love,

and love does not lie or pretend to be something it is not. The

Lord gave me a picture for someone. I saw a beautifully wrapped gift,

but it's an empty box. Something is being presented to you as if it's

a lovely gift, but beneath the surface, underneath the wrapping, it's empty.

And believe the Lord is saying, don't be afraid to face the reality

of it, because the thought of being empty handed is so painful. If

you accept the illusion of the gift, which is all that it is.

You'll be left with emptiness anyway. Live in me and I will live in

you. Embrace the fullness of life into which I'm inviting you, and allow

me to fill those empty places. Together we can deal with the truth Psalm

sixty three, verse four. Abide in me and I in you. That

is full immersion in a lifestyle. Live in me and I in you.

That invitation is an expression of loving kindness that's better than life itself. Some

translations say remain in me. It's staying in a given place. It's about

an ongoing way of life, and it's an amazing invitation. Jesus clearly wants

to spend our whole day with us, not just our quiet times, those

times set aside just to read God's word, the Bible and pray. John

fifteen, verse five. I am the vine. You are the branches.

He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without

me you can do nothing. Fruitfulness is the inevitable result of living in Jesus

and he in us. We've been designed to live with purpose, to be

fruitful and in him. John fifteen sixteen goes into it a little more.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointing you so that

you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, So that whatever

you ask in my name, the Father will give you you. We've been

chosen with purpose. A question posed recently in our daytime online Bible study was

what are you uniquely positioned to do? There is fruit that only you,

anointed and appointed by God, can bear, and it will be lasting.

It relates to who you are as an individual and your sphere of influence.

It where you shop, where you live, the family. He's put you

in, et cetera, because of the relationships that are unique to you,

be the one off account encounters with a stranger, or that which you're uniquely

positioned to say or do because of your relationship with an individual or people.

It's equally important that we don't take on as a burden that which we're not

designed to carry. Jesus' guideline in John five point nineteen is really helpful.

I assure you the son is not able to do anything on his own,

but only what he sees the father doing. For whatever the father does,

the son also does these things in the same way. Jesus, living as

a man, limited his activities to only do what he saw the Father doing.

As we get to know him better and better, it'll help us to

understand from him what is ours to do and what is not. As someone

told me years ago, the need doesn't necessarily constitute the call. Seeing a

need doesn't mean it's yours to meet. Discerning our motives for what we do

will help us. Are we motivated, for example, by guilty need for

approval? I realized that the motives may not mean that something is or isn't

oursd to do, but it may help us in our discernment of this John

fifteen, verse six. If anyone does not abide in me, he is

cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather them and throw

them into the fire, and they are burned. You're either all in or

you're out. There's no halfway house, no sitting on the fence. Jesus

issue with the church in Laladitia in Revelation three, verses fifteen to sixteen was

that they were lukewarm, and his response to that was unequivocal. He said,

I wish that you were cold or hot, but because you are lukewarm

and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

That's pretty strong. Our God is a jealous god, jealous for our complete

affection because he knows that a life immersed in who he is and his word

is the only way to live a life worth living. It's the only way

we will be truly fruitful, that will bear fruit of eternal value, fruit

that will last, as Jesus says in John fifteen sixteen. So John fifteen

seven, if you abide in me and my wife's abide in you, you

will ask what you desire and it will be done for you. This is

God's heart for us. Here's our covenant partner, and a lifestyle where we

bring all that we are to all that he is, to all who he

is is one where we will be complete in Jesus. In Christ, we

are complete, as it says in Colossans two ten. What have been your

experienperiences of full immersion, those times when you've been so completely immersed or absorbed

in what's going on that you've had no thought of anything else. They can

be both positive and negative experiences. For example, knowing my fascination with antarctic

exploration in the early twentieth century. One birthday, Simon took me to Cambridge

to the Polar Museum at the scott Polar Research Institute. He got round in

half an hour and sat very patiently playing with his phone while I took two

hours and lapped up pretty much every label on every artifact. And I loved

it. I was fully engrossed. I wasn't thinking about anything else. When

it's a positive experience like that, it's good for us. There's something really

RESTful about it, even though it's an activity. We live in a world

where distractions are the norm, so our minds can dart about a lot,

and especially with the various alerts on our phones telling us when messages come in,

etc. They serve a purpose. They can be essential, but it's

also important to have those times and we can switch off from all of that

and allow ourselves to get fully immersed in something that's good for our souls,

our minds, our wills, our emotions. I'm not ignoring that which is

good for our spirits, just focusing on our souls for now. These types

of one off experiences are great, but we also need things which we can

do more readily and easily. For example, I love reading. If Simon

speaks to me when I'm engrossed in a book, he knows not to be

offended if I don't answer, because I might genuinely not hear him. I

need to ensure that I create the time to read because it makes a real

difference to how I sleep if I can be relaxed beforehand by reading. It's

important we all figure out with the Lord something we can do that's absorbing like

that and RESTful and positive and readily accessible that we can regularly build into our

day or into our week. Whichever appetite you feed is the one that will

grow. So it's important that we're wise about what we give our time and

attention to. To reiterate the question I posed earlier, what do we need

most in life? And is that reflected in how we spend our time.

It's important not to allow anything to become an addiction or an obsession, because

then you're giving something first place before God. That's unhealthy. It's actually idolatry.

It doesn't have to be an activity either, and be our thought life

what we think about. I really enjoy watching tennis, as many of you

know, and it's not difficult for me, though, to keep it balanced,

because I actually don't want to sit for hours on end watching match after

match. It's helpful that there are some players I really enjoy watching and others

just don't do it for me, so it's easy for me to keep that

in balance. But there might be some things that absorb you that aren't bad

in themselves, but it's important to ensure that we don't allow them a place

in our lives that they shouldn't have. Addictions or obsessions don't generally happen overnight.

They can be gradual. I remember someone telling me that every morning,

literally the first thing she does is turn on her phone, and it's not

because she's got a dependent and there's a potential for an emergency or anything of

that nature. It's to check the various social media accounts before she's even got

out of bed. I'm not anti social media. It can be really positive,

but we need to decide what priority it deserves in our lives and where

the Lord features on our list of priorities. Let's close by going back to

those first verses that I read. In fact, let's read them together.

Psalm sixty three versus one to three that's Psalm sixty three Versus one to three.

Oh God, you are my God. Early will I seek you,

my soul verse for you. My flesh longs for you in a dry and

thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for you in

the sanctuary to see your power and your glory. Because your love in kindness

is better than life. My lips shall praise you. Let's pray. Thank

you so much, Father God, Lord Jesus Holy Spirit for the gift of

baptism, that invitation to a lifestyle of full immersion in you and your word.

Please show us where we need to make changes, where we've got our

priorities wrong, because we want to put you first, because your loving kindness

is better than life, and we want to praise you, Father God.

We ask it in Jesus' name, and we praise you, and we thank

you because You've promised to always hear us. Amen, my sister