Matthew 21:23-27
And when He was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority doest Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell Me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?

And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.

And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell.

And He said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

Was this baptism of God, or was it of men?

Many of you have received Jesus Christ as your Saviour, but have not been baptized in water. If you have never been baptized in water, I trust this message will help you see the importance of water baptism.

Water baptism is not of men - it is of God. And, because it is of God, it is absolutely necessary that you consider this message. The Scripture exhorts you to go on and fulfill all righteousness by water baptism: This is a commandment of the Lord.

This message was given unto the apostles by the Lord Jesus. They were told to go into all the world, preaching the Gospel, and baptizing those who would turn to believe.Therefore, if you have believed the Gospel and received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, you need to take the second step: Be baptized in water as the Lord exhorts.

Don’t push this aside as unnecessary. Get into the place where you will obey the Lord. Don’t leave anything in your experience undone. Water baptism is necessary. It is not of man - but is of God. And He wouldn’t expect us to go through with this if He didn’t have a definite purpose in it. This second step, being buried with Christ in water baptism, is an essential step which must be taken to heart.

I am exhorting you not to lay such an important matter aside. Take it to heart, and don’t let it pass from your mind. If you have not been baptized in water, it is essential that you be baptized. I don’t know how much plainer I can make it.

I know there are many who are not following through with this. I have talked to many believers who believe in Jesus, but don’t go all the way in keeping the Scriptures.

The publicans and the harlots went out into the wilderness where John was baptizing. He was preaching a strong message: a message that men must repent. He was preparing hearts to receive Jesus when He would come. His message was repent and be baptized for the remission of sin: a baptism of repentance. At that time, people were forgiven of their sins when they were baptized in John’s baptism.

From this parable we can conclude that many, like the Pharisees here, are going to be left out because they don’t believe all the teachings of Jesus.

There are those who have believed in Jesus, but have not gone on to be baptized in water - either because they don’t know what the Bible has said about the necessity of water baptism, or because they have hardened their hearts against it.

If you are a believer, but have not been baptized in water, get yourself in the place with God where you will take this necessary step and fulfill all righteousness. Then, like the publicans and harlots of this parable, you will receive mercy from God. You may have had ideas in your heart not to be baptized, but now that you have heard what the Lord has said about this you should repent and turn to God - going all the way with Him.

Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Three necessary steps!

There are three necessary steps mentioned here concerning your experience:

First of all: Repent. Turn away from your sin and unbelief, and turn to Christ with all of your heart. Confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

Secondly: Go on to be baptized in water.

And thirdly: Begin to seek God for the infilling of the Holy Ghost, with the speaking in other tongues.

Ephesians 4:13
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

The Ethiopian Eunuch

Acts 8:30-35
And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

The place of the Scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth: in His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth.

And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

This eunuch had been reading the prophecy in the book of Isaiah about the crucifixion of Jesus. This gave Philip an open door to expound unto him the way of salvation. He opened his mouth, and began in the same passage of Scripture to bring forth a message that clearly paved the way for this man to be born again.

Now, as we read further in this account from Acts 8, we will find an example that we should follow. There is a message that is preached - and then there is a response. This response is necessary for someone is to be saved. There must be that step of turning to receive Christ as Saviour, believing in Him with the whole heart.

But then there is a danger of stopping right there. We find this so often, that people deviate away from God’s Word, and don't go on with the rest of the Gospel. I’m not saying that what they are doing isn’t good - we need to preach that a person must be born again. But we need to go beyond this: Jesus said to believe and be baptized. When the elders in the early Church preached salvation, they followed it up with water baptism. They didn’t leave this undone.

Acts 8:36
And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

This is the key which tells us what Philip spoke to this eunuch. He gave him a message such as Peter preached on the day of Pentecost: repent - and be baptized. Realize that the message is more than being born again. The rest of the  message is revealed in these words, Let me go down to the water, and be baptized.

Now, we want to see Philip’s response to this in wanting to be sure this man was ready for water baptism.

Acts 8:37-38
And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

You can be baptized IF you believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Philip didn’t tell the eunuch to believe this with all of his mind. He said, If you believe with all your heart, you may.

Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This is a necessary step for anyone who wants to be baptized. You see, many believe in Jesus. They believe He was a philosopher, a good teacher, a prophet, a good person. Others believe He died for a worthy cause. And the list goes on and on. But the essence of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

The essence of this man’s coming to the place of salvation was his believing with all of his heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Then he went on with Philip into the water and was baptized.

We must take this example to heart, and follow it. 

In the lives and ministries of the elders who handed the Word of God down to us, it was very important that souls be converted - and then baptized in water. There are no accounts in the Scripture that it was several years after believing that souls were baptized.

Many of you are in the place where you have been born again for years - but your heart has never been pricked to be baptized in water. Yet this is essential! You have to realize that this is a truth from the Word of God.

If it were not something that was necessary, then why did the Lord initiate it? Was it Philip’s idea to baptize people in water? or was it God’s idea? I want you to know that it was of God. He put it in the Scripture for our benefit.

So you see, you need to go down into that watery grave and be buried away with Christ, coming forth in newness of life. Philip was right there in the early Church. He was under the ministry of Peter, James, and John, working under them, and going out to hold a revival himself in the city of Samaria. And he did the very things he had seen done in Jerusalem: the very same things that were done on the Day of Pentecost, when 3,000 new souls were baptized in water.

Philip in Samaria

Acts 8:5-8
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and had a marvelous revival. But there was a man there who was a sorcerer. He had bewitched the people with his sorcery - claiming that he had some great power from God. He had bewitched the people for so long that he had them convinced that he really was a man of God.

And it is this way with many today. They believe that some fortune teller really has a gift from God because he can tell them things about their lives that nobody else knows.

Acts 8:12-13
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

Now, during the course of this revival Philip had preached that they must be born again - and be baptized in water. The people responded by giving heed to the message of Christ, and giving themselves completely over unto God. And Philip went on to baptize those who had turned to the Lord. There is a necessity for us to follow the patterns found in God’s Word. If we are going to have revival, it is necessary that the meetings be followed up with water baptism for those who turn to the Lord.

Mark 16:15-16
And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Notice the way the Lord says this, He that believes AND is baptized. He gave us a commandment to go and preach - and baptize. Now, are you going to try and go along with just believing - and still claim to be fulfilling the Scripture?

Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

The disciples had to take this up as a responsibility. They were commissioned of the Lord to go forth and preach water baptism. I am not speaking against your believing. But I am speaking against your lack of obeying the Word of God, your refusal to go the rest of the way.

Maybe this is a new truth to you - but that doesn’t mean you should neglect taking it up, now that you know about it, and following it through.

It may be that you are in a position where you don’t know what to do in order to be baptized in water. Find a good pastor near where you live, and ask to be baptized. Any good Bible-preaching pastor, after he realizes you are born again and want to take this second step to fulfill all righteousness, will have you baptized just as soon as he can arrange it. This is an obligation of the ministry.

Remember, now, this is essential. You must take this to heart if you are to fulfill all righteousness. Let this bear in your mind: you must obey the Word of God.

Some go in the water a dry sinner, only to come up as a wet sinner! Simon believed, and was baptized. He believed those things which Philip spoke - but there was no change in his heart!

Acts 8:18-23
And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

No change! Some go into the water dry sinners, and come back up wet sinners - with no change in their lives at all. When true repentance has taken place, a person receives a new heart from the Lord. He turns from his old ways, and becomes a new creature.

Simon had been baptized - but his heart hadn’t been changed. This was because he hadn’t truly repented of the evil deeds in his life. He very well believed in Jesus - but had no change of heart.

Paul in Philippi

Acts 16:25-26
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

Paul and Silas were shut up in prison for the sake of the Gospel. Their feet were bound in stocks, and their backs were bleeding from the stripes they had received. In spite of all they were suffering, we find them rejoicing and praising God. And God sent an earthquake that shook the prison, and opened all the doors!

Acts 16:27-31
And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The Word tells us here what we must to be saved: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The jailer and his household did this, and were baptized.

Acts 16:33
And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

I want you to examine this example, and realize that it isn’t what I say that it is important - it is what God has to say in His Word that’s important. Obey the Word of God from your heart - including this issue of water baptism.

Now, Paul took these new believers that same night and baptized them. This would show us how important the issue of water baptism really is. It wasn’t enough for this jailer to believe with all of his heart. His believing opened the door that brought the grace of God into his life. He turned to believe in Christ with all of his heart, just as the Ethiopian had done. And just like the Ethiopian, he was baptized right away.

Don’t put off being baptized. Don’t wait year after year, intending to be baptized - some day.

Acts 19:1-3
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, he said unto them,

Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?

And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

When Paul heard this, he preached Christ unto these disciples. He brought them to the place of receiving Christ as their Saviour - and then he baptized them in water.We can conclude that it was important for them to be saved AND baptized in water.

This is the type of example we should follow. This reflects what Paul really believed. He believed that water baptism is a very basic part of everyone’s salvation experience. A person first believes with all of his heart in the Lord Jesus Christ - and then he is baptized in water.

If you haven’t been baptized in water as yet, I want you to get this message into your heart. You are not obeying the Word of God by putting this off. I am not preaching condemnation to you. I am simply telling you to seek out the opportunity to be baptized in water, in obedience to God’s Word. If it was necessary 2,000 years ago, it is just as necessary today.

Some say - You can’t go by the letter of the Word. You have to go by the Spirit.

If the spirit says it is all right to divorce and remarry - go ahead and do it. But know you’re listening to a wrong spirit that is leading you down the road to destruction. That certainly isn’t the Holy Spirit speaking!

If the spirit says there is no need to be baptized in water, just believe - then go ahead and follow that spirit, if you want to. But realize, that spirit is not the Spirit of God. That spirit doesn’t agree with the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit always agrees with God’s Word. The apostle Paul certainly preached that we must be born again; and he also preached water baptism. Wherever he went with the Gospel, we find him baptizing believers.

The spiritual significance of water baptism

Romans 6:3
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?

INTO -  being baptized into Jesus Christ, and into His death. When we turn to believe in Jesus Christ with all of our hearts, we are believing that He is the Son of God. And we are also believing that He died on Calvary’s Cross to make an atonement for our sins - being raised from the dead on the third day.

Now, if Christ died for us - then are we dead. If someone paid your taxes for you - then your taxes are paid. If someone paid the price for your redemption  - then you are redeemed.

When we are baptized into Jesus Christ, we are baptized into His death. We are reckoning the fact that He died for us.

Romans 6:4a
Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death . . .

Jesus was taken from the cross, and placed in the tomb. And when we believe in Jesus Christ, we are brought down from our sinful past unto the grave. Through water baptism we are brought to the place of death and burial with Christ.

Romans 6:4b
. . . that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Water baptism is a type of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and a type of our death, burial, and resurrection unto new life.

II Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

You are brought out of the water a new creature, to go on and follow after Christ in newness of life.

Romans 6:5
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:

Paul is showing you what it means to be baptized, and to come forth in newness of life.

When you are buried in the water, you are planted in the death of Christ. And when you are brought back up out of the water, it is as though you are being resurrected from the dead unto new life. Realize this. If you have been born again, but haven’t been baptized in water, don’t put it off any longer. Obey the Word of God.

Now, there are those who are bedridden and can’t get to the water to be baptized. I don’t want to minister condemnation to such. I am not saying they won’t make it through. But I am saying that every believer who is physically able to be baptized should do so.

We like to take short-cuts and leave things undone - we are human. We like to take the easy way out. But there is no easy way out in this matter. The only way is to go and be baptized as soon as you are converted - or, if you have been converted for a season and haven’t been baptized, get baptized as soon as you can.

If you will follow the Scriptures, you will find them coming to pass in your life. Romans speaks here of how we can come out of the grave in newness of life, putting all of our past life away. We come forth as servants of true holiness unto God, no longer the servants of sin. We are given the ability to put sin away, because we have kept the Word of God.

Romans 6:14
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

There is that place for the believer where sin isn’t in control any more. He now yields his members unto righteousness and holiness in the fear of God.

How important it is in our daily lives to grasp the truth of walking in newness of life - in the likeness of Christ's resurrection, with a new heart and a new purpose in life.

Matthew 3:13-17
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.
Then he suffered Him.

And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.