Baptism Sunday: Making Disciples, Publicly Following Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: Bulbs Lit in Water

The crowd watched as each baptized person twisted a bulb into the massive "JESUS" sign. Light after light flickered on—548 testimonies of lives surrendered to Christ. Jesus commanded this act not as a ritual, but as a declaration: disciples publicly identify with His death and resurrection. The bulbs mirror the Great Commission’s call to “go and make disciples” through both words and visible obedience. [19:17]

Baptism declares allegiance. Just as Jesus emerged from Jordan’s waters affirmed by the Father, every immersion shouts, “This one belongs to Me.” The bulbs aren’t about human achievement—they mark where God’s power rewired a life.

When did you last share how Christ rewired your story? Write down one moment God’s light broke through your darkness. Who needs to hear that testimony this week?

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
(Matthew 28:19-20, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to highlight one person who needs to see His light through your story.
Challenge: Text one friend about a specific way Jesus changed your life.

Day 2: Apprentices of the Risen

Fishermen left nets. Tax collectors abandoned booths. A woman at a well dropped her jar. Jesus didn’t recruit fans—He called followers to imitate His rhythms. Modern apprentices still trade self-rule for His lordship, studying His words and mirroring His love for the broken. Discipleship isn’t a class; it’s calibrating your heartbeat to His. [20:12]

Jesus’ first disciples walked roads with Him, learning to pray, forgive, and feast like He did. Today, He still invites us into this life-on-life reshaping. Following anyone else—careers, ideologies, even family—leaves us half-formed.

What daily habit could you adjust to better imitate Jesus’ priorities? Set a phone reminder today to pause and ask: “Is this choice reflecting my Teacher?”

“Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’”
(Luke 9:23, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one area you’ve resisted Jesus’ leadership this week.
Challenge: Write “Matthew 28:19” on your mirror—read it aloud each morning.

Day 3: Buried, Raised, Unshackled

The tank’s water swallowed another sinner. Arms crossed like a corpse, then bursting upward—wet hair, wide grin. Baptism’s drama mirrors Romans 6:4: buried with Christ, raised to walk in newness. Debbie’s testimony proved it—shame drowned, addiction broken, hope resurrected. [22:31]

Resurrection power isn’t metaphor. Jesus doesn’t reform; He replaces. The old life of striving and hiding gets entombed. The new life breathes free air, fueled by grace.

What “grave clothes” still cling to you—guilt, a destructive habit, an identity lie? Name one and pray: “Jesus, rip this off my new self.”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for three specific ways He’s made you new.
Challenge: Tear a paper labeled “OLD LIFE” into pieces during prayer.

Day 4: No Self-Made Saints

The pastor’s words hung blunt: “Nobody gets heaven points for being a good person.” Baptism testimonials agreed—recovery programs failed, moral striving collapsed. Only Jesus’ scarred hands could lift their debt. Grace, not grades, opens eternity’s door. [55:58]

Even Peter denied Christ. Even Paul persecuted saints. Scripture smashes the myth of human merit. Salvation’s equation has one variable: Christ’s righteousness applied to rebels who stop pretending they’re righteous.

Where are you still trying to earn God’s favor? Write that struggle on a rock, then throw it away as you pray: “I trust Your work, not mine.”

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one way you’ve relied on self-effort instead of grace this month.
Challenge: Destroy a “spiritual resume” list—literally rip it up or burn it.

Day 5: Umbrellas and Unfinished Bulbs

Orange umbrellas dotted the courtyard—volunteers ready to pray with new believers. Above them, the “JESUS” sign still had empty sockets. The commission continues: more lives to immerse, more bulbs to ignite. Every conversion sparks another potential light-bearer. [59:10]

Jesus didn’t ascend until promising, “I’m with you always.” Making disciples isn’t a solo mission. We join His Spirit’s ongoing work, handing out Bibles, praying with strangers, celebrating each new bulb.

Who’s your “one”? Pray for them by name daily this week. Then invite them to coffee and ask: “Can I tell you why I follow Jesus?”

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
(Revelation 3:20, NIV)

Prayer: Ask for boldness to invite your “one” to church or coffee this month.
Challenge: Put an orange post-it on your fridge reminding you to pray for your “one.”

Sermon Summary

Matthew 28 lays out the job description of every Christian. Jesus claims all authority, then sends his people to make disciples, baptize them in the triune name, and teach them to obey everything he commanded, with his presence promised to the end of the age. Discipleship is not a hobby but an apprenticeship. A disciple listens, watches, imitates, and orients life around the master. Everyone apprentices to something, whether career, family, a team, or the self. The question is whether the object of allegiance is worthy. Jesus alone forgives sins, grants eternity, and makes people new.

The waters of baptism picture the gospel. Bodies go down and are buried with Christ, then rise to walk in newness of life. That act does not save, but it goes public. It says out loud, Jesus is Lord and Savior, and allegiance belongs to him. That is why baptisms bring such joy, and why a thousand-bulb sign slowly lights up with real names and stories. Each bulb is a living reminder that Jesus changes people, unites them to himself, forgives them, reconciles them to God, and calls them his friends.

The gospel puts an end to moral scorekeeping. Scripture insists that no one is good enough to stand before God on personal merit. Salvation is a turning from sin and a turning in faith to Christ who bled and rose. Liking Jesus is not the issue. Trusting him is. Eternity rests on one basis only: faith in Christ, not the resume of kindness or the myth of self-salvation. The Spirit’s first sign in a life is not pride in goodness but the collapse of self-reliance and the confession, all my hope is in Jesus Christ.

The new creation starts now. Anyone in Christ is made new, with the old passing away and the new arriving. That is why stories in the water are more powerful than any exposition. Those testimonies are grace in motion, a physical display of the gospel Jesus carries all the way into eternity. And the mission does not stop at the tank. Disciples live as those who make disciples. Generosity, worship, and witness become the natural spillover of hearts stunned by what Christ has done.

Key Takeaways

1. The Great Commission defines discipleship Jesus grounds a Christian’s life in making disciples, baptizing, and teaching, with his authority and presence as the engine. This is not an optional track for the super-committed but the baseline job description. Obedience here is how allegiance to Jesus gets legs in everyday life. [19:17]
2. Discipleship is apprenticeship to Jesus A disciple does not just admire teaching but imitates a master. Competing allegiances promise identity yet cannot carry the weight of a soul. Only Jesus proves worthy of shaping a whole life from the inside out. [20:12]
3. Baptism embodies burial and resurrection The water tells the story. Bodies are buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life, making a public claim that Jesus is Lord. The act is a sign, but the reality it points to is the death of the old self and the start of the new. [54:17]
4. Salvation rests on Christ, not merit No one will stand before God on the basis of being a good person. Trust shifts from self to the crucified and risen Christ who justifies the ungodly. Liking Jesus is not saving faith; casting every hope on him is. [55:58]
5. The new creation starts now and lasts Union with Christ remakes people today and carries them into eternity. The Spirit births new desires, new obedience, and a new future that suffering cannot cancel. Testimonies in the tank are previews of that forever story. [59:39]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[18:37] - The Jesus sign and bulbs
[19:17] - Why baptism and Matthew 28
[20:12] - What a disciple really is
[21:32] - False allegiances and self-rule
[22:31] - New creation and a do-over
[23:30] - Not good enough, but Jesus is
[24:55] - Lordship and going public
[25:47] - Prayer for hearers and seekers
[26:17] - Baptism as a gospel picture
[53:43] - What Jesus does in salvation
[54:17] - Buried and raised with Christ
[55:12] - Turning from sin to Jesus
[55:58] - No merit before God
[56:24] - Faith alone enters God’s rest
[56:54] - Liking Jesus vs trusting Jesus
[57:29] - One basis to enter eternity
[58:03] - Responding and the connection card
[58:34] - The sign of God at work
[59:10] - Disciples who make disciples
[59:39] - New creation, new life
[59:54] - Giving as worship
[60:36] - Gospel-shaped generosity

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Romans 6:4 (ESV)
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Observation questions

According to Matthew 28:18-20, what three actions does Jesus command his followers to prioritize?
How does baptism visually represent the gospel, as described in Romans 6:4? [54:17]
What does the sermon identify as the key difference between "liking Jesus" and "trusting Jesus"? [56:54]
What does 2 Corinthians 5:17 say happens to someone who is "in Christ"?

Interpretation questions

Why does Jesus connect his authority over heaven and earth to the command to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20)? How does this authority shape the urgency of the mission?
The sermon states, "Salvation rests on Christ, not merit." How does this truth challenge common cultural assumptions about earning God’s approval? [55:58]
Baptism is called a "public claim that Jesus is Lord." Why might publicly identifying with Jesus through baptism matter in a world where faith is often kept private? [24:55]
If "everyone apprentices to something," what makes Jesus uniquely worthy of being the focus of that apprenticeship compared to other allegiances like career or family? [20:12]

Application questions

What area of your life (career, relationships, hobbies, etc.) most often competes with Jesus for your primary allegiance? What practical step could you take this week to reorient that area around Him? [21:32]
If baptism is a public declaration of faith, how does your daily life reflect that same declaration in ways others can see? Are there areas where you’ve been hesitant to "go public" with your faith?
The sermon says, "The sign that God is working in your life is when you realize, I cannot put any hope in myself." Where have you been tempted to rely on self-effort instead of Christ’s sufficiency? [58:34]
How could sharing your story of being "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17) encourage someone this week? What specific part of your testimony feels most relevant to share right now?
The Great Commission includes "teaching them to obey everything [Jesus] commanded." What’s one command of Jesus you find challenging to obey, and how could you lean into His presence (Matthew 28:20) to grow in this area?

Sermon Clips

29s

“Disciples are what? Disciples are it literally is just a word that means follower. You may not use the word disciple, but you use a lot of words like it. Somebody who's a follower, a student. Some people like the word apprentice. In other words, it's not just somebody that I listen to teach and then, oh, that's interesting what they taught. It's something that I I model my life after. So so rabbis back in Jesus' day had had, had had disciples. They had these people that would follow them around. They'd listen to them. They'd watch them. They'd imitate them. That's a disciple.”

26s

“I put my trust, I follow Jesus. I follow the only one who can do all of that and and and make me his disciple and conform me to his image and give me a new purpose and give me a home in heaven. And listen, what gets you there, what makes you a disciple is not that you're a good moral person. There's nobody the bible's gonna say over and over again, there's nobody who's good enough. Jesus is good enough, and we put our faith and trust in him. That's what a disciple is.”

28s

“You have you have seen what baptism is. As I said before, baptism is a is a physical display of the gospel. You see them buried. Right? Buried. And the Bible says, and Paul's gonna say in Romans, we were buried with him, therefore, in baptism into his death. We're raised to walk in newness of life. And this is what Jesus does. When we put our faith, when we put our trust, we put our hope in him.”

28s

“Man, you just heard you just heard what Jesus Christ does in people's lives. I mean, he he changes us. He he gives us a new beginning. He unites us to himself. He forgives our sins. He reconciles us to God. He calls us his friend. And over and over, we we could we could recount, the goodness of God in the salvation of of people like us. And and I just wanna give you the opportunity to respond to this.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Foothill Church This sermon · AI assistant

What is the biblical definition of a disciple?

What does baptism symbolize in Christian life?

Why is public confession important in baptism?

Baptism Sunday: Making Disciples, Publicly Following Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: Bulbs Lit in Water

Day 2: Apprentices of the Risen

Day 3: Buried, Raised, Unshackled

Day 4: No Self-Made Saints

Day 5: Umbrellas and Unfinished Bulbs

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Baptism Sunday: Making Disciples, Publicly Following Jesus

Share