His Name: No Other Name

Jesus gives the mandate in Matthew 28 with all authority in heaven and earth, and that authority comes in his name. His name, no other name, is the ground for going, teaching all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and continuing to teach everything Jesus commanded. Water baptism is not the finish line where somebody says, “that’s it, I’m done.” Water baptism is the beginning of a life that keeps following, keeps learning, and keeps obeying.

Acts 8 shows Philip being led by the Spirit to the Ethiopian eunuch, a man of authority who is reading Isaiah but needing someone to guide him. The Spirit leads, not drives, because the enemy drives and forces, but the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. Philip opens the Scripture and preaches Jesus, showing that the suffering servant is Christ, the one taken to the cross. The eunuch sees water and asks the real question: “What doth hinder me to be baptized?” Faith answers with confession: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Water baptism stands as a public confession of what Jesus has already done on the inside. Salvation lives in the heart, but it does not stay there. Romans 10 says faith believes in the heart and confession comes out of the mouth, because God designed faith to be spoken. A person who has truly tasted resurrection life cannot stay silent about the one who gave it.

Water baptism is a sacrament and ordinance, an outward symbol of an inward change. The Greek word means to immerse, submerge, or dip, so baptism pictures going all the way under, not sprinkling or half measures. The water itself has no power. The power is in the Holy Ghost, in the blood of Jesus, in the obedience and identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Water baptism proclaims that the old man has been buried and the new man has been raised in Christ. It brings assurance, obedience, spiritual empowerment, recognition in the body of Christ, witness to the world, and remembrance of what God has done. Supernatural things can happen in the waters: peace, tears, prophecy, tongues, healing, deliverance. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and he does the work.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. The Spirit leads, not drives The Holy Spirit does not twist arms or force obedience. The enemy drives, pressures, and pushes, but the Spirit draws a person until the heart can say, “It’s my time.” Water baptism becomes holy because obedience comes from faith, not manipulation. [06:49]
• 2. Faith must come out publicly Romans 10 puts belief in the heart and confession in the mouth. Water baptism gives visible shape to that confession, saying before the church and the world, “I belong to Jesus.” Hidden faith was never meant to remain locked inside when resurrection life has truly taken hold. [25:22]
• 3. The water is not the power The water does not wash away sin by itself, and no bucket becomes magic because somebody calls it holy. The power is in the Holy Ghost, the blood of Jesus, and the obedient identification with Christ. Baptism is a point of contact where faith says outwardly what grace has already done inwardly. [21:06]
• 4. Repentance is more than remorse Remorse feels bad, gets sick of consequences, and then goes back to the same bondage. Repentance turns around, receives deliverance, and keeps confessing freedom in faith, even after stumbling. God does not abandon the one who gets up, repents, and keeps walking. [17:33]
• 5. Baptism buries the old life Water baptism is like the only funeral service that is actually joyful. The old man goes down, and the new life rises in Christ’s resurrection power. The believer does not earn salvation in the water, but publicly identifies with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
  
  ## [24:18]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:43] - Jesus Gives All Authority
• [03:29] - Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
• [06:49] - What Hinders Baptism?
• [08:06] - Public Confession of Faith
• [11:44] - Lordship and the Name of Jesus
• [15:00] - Baptism as Inward Change
• [17:33] - Repentance Versus Remorse
• [20:18] - What Water Baptism Means
• [22:57] - Immersion, Not Sprinkling
• [25:22] - Faith Spoken From the Mouth
• [27:26] - Blessings of Baptism
• [30:19] - Supernatural Encounters in Baptism
• [33:25] - Rededication and Restoration
• [40:24] - Baptism Service and Worship

Bible Reading

Matthew 28:18-20
“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.’” [00:01:43]

Acts 8:26-40
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: ‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.’ And the eunuch said to Philip, ‘About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?’ And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.” [00:03:29]

Romans 10:9-10
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” [00:25:22]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 28, what four actions does Jesus connect together in the Great Commission, and how does baptism fit among them? [00:01:43]
2. In Acts 8, what details show that Philip was being led step by step before the eunuch asked to be baptized? [00:06:49]
3. In Acts 8, what does the eunuch say before he is baptized, and what does that reveal about the place of confession in coming to the water? [00:08:06]
4. What repeated picture is used to describe what baptism represents for the old life and the new life in Christ? [00:24:18]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says to baptize people and then keep teaching them to observe all He commanded. What does that suggest about baptism being a beginning rather than a finish line? [00:03:04]
2. Philip begins with Isaiah and tells the eunuch the good news about Jesus. What does that show about the center of baptism—that it is about Christ Himself and not just a religious ceremony? [00:06:09]
3. Romans 10 joins believing in the heart with confessing with the mouth. Why does public confession matter so much when someone belongs to Jesus? [00:25:35]
4. If the water itself has no power, why can baptism still be such a meaningful and powerful moment of obedience, assurance, and identification with Christ? [00:22:17]

Application questions

1. “What hinders me from being baptized?” is still a searching question. If someone has trusted Christ but has not been baptized, what may be holding that person back—fear, delay, uncertainty, pride, past church experience, or something else? [00:06:49]
2. The Holy Spirit leads, not drives. How can a person tell the difference between being gently led by the Spirit into obedience and merely feeling pressured by people or emotions? [00:07:14]
3. Faith was designed to be spoken. In what setting does it feel hardest to say openly, “I belong to Jesus”? What would it look like to speak that faith more clearly this week? [00:25:45]
4. Baptism is a public sign that the old man has been buried and the new life has been raised in Christ. What part of the “old life” is a person most tempted to drag back up again, and how can that truth be remembered in daily life? [00:21:06]
5. Repentance is more than remorse. Is there any area where sorrow over consequences has been mistaken for real turning? What would a true turnaround look like in that area? [00:17:33]
6. Obedience after salvation is not a one-time event. After baptism, Jesus calls believers to keep learning and obeying. What is one command of Jesus that needs more careful attention right now? [00:02:53]
7. God restores people who have stumbled and returned. How can a small group become the kind of place where people can be honest about failure, get back up, and keep walking with Christ? [00:35:18]