Why ? - Week 1 - Jon McNary

Devotional

Day 1: When Head Knowledge Becomes Heart Surrender

The gospel becomes real not when we recite facts but when we trade mental assent for whole-life surrender. Like a teenager raised in church who finally grasps grace, baptism marks the moment faith moves from inherited tradition to personal revolution. This awakening happens when we stop negotiating with God’s terms and say “I’m in” to the scandalous gift of unearned forgiveness. The waters don’t wash sins away—they celebrate what Christ already did. [44:35]

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: What specific moment or experience caused your faith to shift from something you knew about to something you staked your life on? How does baptism memorialize that shift?

Day 2: Baptism as Celebration, Not Checklist

Baptism isn’t a holy transaction but a birthday party for the soul. Just as candles mark years lived, immersion declares “I’ve crossed from death to life!” The early church baptized in rivers, not sterile pools, because public witness matters—our joy multiplies when shared. This ritual isn’t about getting God’s attention but responding to the grace that already has it. [58:52]

“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.” (Matthew 28:19, ESV)

Reflection: Have you treated baptism as an obligation rather than a celebration? What would change if you saw it as God’s gift to you instead of your performance for Him?

Day 3: Why Infants Don’t Need Lifeguards

Baptism requires choosing, not just being chosen. Like the thief on the cross who claimed paradise without getting wet, salvation hinges on personal faith, not ceremonial compliance. Parents’ prayers matter, but no ritual substitutes for a child’s eventual “I believe.” Baptism waits for the moment someone can say “This is my story, not just my family’s.” [01:05:54]

“And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” (Luke 23:42-43, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you confused religious traditions with genuine faith? How does baptism clarify the difference between inherited rituals and personal surrender?

Day 4: The Courage to Get Splashed

Baptism demands vulnerability—standing soaked before others as Jesus did. The Jordan River wasn’t private, and neither are church baptisteries. Yet this awkwardness anchors faith: our “yes” to God includes a “yes” to community. Just as farm ponds hosted early baptisms, ordinary settings become holy when we risk going public. [47:57]

“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.” (Romans 6:4, ESV)

Reflection: What fears keep you from public faith declarations? How might baptism’s physical act strengthen your spiritual resolve?

Day 5: Don’t Postpone Your Coming-Out Party

Delaying baptism is like RSVPing “maybe” to your own wedding. Jesus didn’t wait for ideal conditions—He waded into the Jordan during His cousin’s controversial ministry. Every excuse (“I’ll do it later,” “I’m not perfect yet”) assumes grace depends on our readiness rather than Christ’s finished work. The water waits. [01:10:02]

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.” (Mark 1:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: What false prerequisites have you placed between yourself and baptism? How might immediate obedience deepen your experience of God’s “game on” promise?

Sermon Summary

The gospel begins with the good news that there is a God, and it is not humankind. God created everything and everyone because he loves people and wants them to know him, but sin gets in the way. Sin is anything that hurts anyone, anything counter to the heart of God, and no amount of good work can sweep it under the rug. Jesus came because God is that loving, and Jesus willingly laid down his life to make atonement for the sins of the whole world.

The gospel also honors the freedom God gives. God does not force anyone into relationship with him, but when a person says, “Lord, I want that,” forgiveness becomes real, grace becomes personal, and the Holy Spirit comes to abide. The shift from head to heart becomes a light bulb moment, a turning point where a person knows that standing clean before the God of the universe is not because of personal goodness, but because of what Jesus has done.

Baptism enters that story as the public celebration of a private decision to follow Jesus. Its roots go back before Jesus, into the Jewish practice of ceremonial washing for Gentiles who wanted to follow the God of Abraham. That washing pictured the old life being washed away and a fresh, clean season beginning. John the Baptizer then called people to repent and be baptized in the Jordan River, and thousands came because they wanted to be clean before God.

Jesus himself was baptized, and all four gospels mark that moment as a turning point before his public ministry. Jesus then invited people to repent, believe the good news, follow him, and be baptized. Matthew 28 gives the clear instruction: go make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Baptism does not make a person a follower of Jesus any more than a birthday party makes a person a year older. Baptism celebrates what has already happened. Grace saves through faith, not through religious work, and the thief on the cross proves that lack of baptism does not keep a believer from paradise. Still, baptism matters because Jesus did it, Jesus commanded it, and God has something for the believer in obedience. Infant baptism cannot choose discipleship for a child, but adult baptism can become the beautiful fulfillment of prayers once prayed over that child. For any follower of Jesus who has waited, the invitation is simple: do not miss the gift.

Key Takeaways

1. Baptism celebrates, it does not save. Baptism is not a spiritual transaction that purchases forgiveness. It is the party after the grace has already been received, like a birthday party that celebrates age rather than creating it. That distinction protects both the freedom of grace and the beauty of obedience. [58:52]
2. Disciples choose to follow Jesus. A disciple is someone who has chosen to follow a teacher or leader, and a disciple of Jesus has chosen to follow Jesus. That choice cannot be made by parents, churches, or religious ceremonies on someone else’s behalf. Baptism belongs to a faith that has become personal, not merely inherited. [62:33]
3. Grace leaves no room to boast. Salvation rests on grace through faith, not on works, rituals, or spiritual achievements. The thief on the cross had no chance to be baptized, yet Jesus promised him paradise that very day. Baptism is deeply important, but it never becomes a rival to grace. [65:54]
4. Old prayers can find fulfillment. An adult baptism after infant baptism does not dishonor faithful parents. It can become the beautiful answer to everything they hoped when they prayed for God to pursue, protect, and bless that child. The later baptism says, “That prayer has become personal now.” [68:49]
5. Obedience carries a gift. God does not call people into baptism because he needs embarrassment, pressure, or religious performance from them. God calls followers into baptism because he has something for them in that public act of faith. Obedience becomes an anchor, a marker, and a moment where grace is experienced in community. [72:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[39:05] - A Faith Story From Church Camp
[40:10] - The Gospel And The Problem Of Sin
[42:37] - Forgiveness, Grace, And New Life
[46:40] - A Baptism In A Farm Pond
[48:40] - Why Baptism Matters
[51:29] - Baptism Before Jesus
[54:30] - John The Baptizer And Repentance
[56:23] - Jesus Gets Baptized
[57:27] - The Great Commission And Baptism
[58:25] - Baptism As Public Celebration
[61:59] - Should Babies Be Baptized?
[65:27] - Is Baptism Required For Salvation?
[68:15] - Baptism After Infant Baptism
[70:02] - Do Not Wait Any Longer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 28:19-20
“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.” [57:27]

Ephesians 2:8-9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” [01:06:09]

Luke 23:42-43
“And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'” [01:07:10]

Observation questions

In Matthew 28:19-20, what are Jesus’ followers told to do, and how does baptism fit into that command? [57:27]
What picture was given for baptism by comparing it to a birthday party, and what does that comparison show about when baptism happens? [58:52]
According to Ephesians 2:8-9, what words describe how a person is saved, and what words rule out the idea that salvation is earned? [01:06:09]
In Luke 23:42-43, what did the thief ask Jesus for, and what did Jesus promise him even though there was no chance for baptism? [01:07:10]

Interpretation questions

Jesus says to make disciples and then baptize them. What does that order suggest about the relationship between personal faith and baptism? [01:02:33]
If salvation is by grace through faith and not by works, why is it important to keep baptism from becoming a way of trying to earn God’s favor? [01:05:54]
The thief on the cross was promised paradise without being baptized. How does that help explain what baptism can do and what baptism cannot do? [01:05:27]
Baptism is described as a public celebration of a private decision. Why might Jesus want faith in him to be marked publicly and not kept only private? [58:25]

Application questions

Has there been a moment when the gospel moved from being something understood in the head to something received in the heart? What did that change look like personally? [44:25]
Is there any part of life right now where there is a desire for forgiveness and grace, but hesitation to fully say, “Lord, I want that”? What might be holding that back? [42:41]
If baptism is a celebration of already belonging to Jesus, has that celebration happened yet? If not, what has made it easy to delay? [01:10:02]
Grace leaves no room to boast. Is there any tendency to lean on being a good person, a church background, or a religious experience instead of simply trusting what Jesus has done? [01:06:09]
For anyone baptized as an infant, how might believer’s baptism now be received not as disrespect toward family, but as the fulfillment of old prayers? [01:08:49]
Obedience carries a gift. When obedience to Jesus feels uncomfortable or public, what helps someone trust that God is offering something good in that step? [01:12:29]
If someone in the group senses a next step toward baptism, what kind of support or encouragement would help make that step feel clear and joyful rather than pressured? [01:00:52]

Sermon Clips

66s

#BaptismCelebration

“``If you want a formal definition of baptism, this is how I would articulate it. Baptism is the public celebration of a private decision that somebody makes to follow Jesus. That's what it is. It's the public party. It's like the coming out party. It's like, hey, I made a private decision to become a disciple of Jesus. Then you throw this celebration, and you have a party to celebrate it, to mark the moment. That's literally what it is. It's a lot like a birthday party. Think about it this way. We don't have birthday parties so that we can be a year older. Right? We have birthday parties to celebrate the fact that we are a year older. It's the same with baptism. We don't have a baptism so that we can become a follower of Jesus. We have baptism to celebrate the fact that we have already become a disciple of Jesus.”

38s

#DontMissBaptism

“So, again, sometimes we are more hesitant to go through with, like, a religious ceremony or a religious thing. But I'm telling you, you don't want to miss this. God has something for you. He doesn't ask you to get baptized because he wants something from you. He's like, I need you to feel embarrassed, or I need you to, like, go out on a limb for me. No. No. No. No. He's got something for you. And he doesn't want you to miss it, and I don't want you to miss it.”

75s

#AdultBaptism

“If my parents had me baptized as a baby, is it okay for me to get baptized again as an adult, or is that somehow, like, redundant? Is that somehow disrespectful to my parents who chose to have me be baptized? Again, no. This is absolutely you should get baptized again if you've made the decision for yourself to become a follower of Jesus. Think about this. When your parents chose to have you baptized as an infant, they stood before God and probably their church family, and they said, Lord, it is our hope. It is our prayer that that you would be a part of this child's life from an early age. We want them to live their life in the kingdom of heaven. Would you pursue them? Would you be with them? Would you protect them? Would you bless them? That was their prayer, and they had you baptized to reflect that heart. And now as an adult, if you're somebody who would say, you know what? I've made a decision that I wanna be a follower of Jesus. You getting baptized is the perfect fulfillment of everything they prayed over you all those years ago. Your baptism is the culmination of everything they hoped and prayed for.”

60s

#BaptismInCommunity

“And so today, whenever somebody makes a decision for themself that I wanna be a follower of Jesus, we encourage you to be baptized. Not because you should, not because you're supposed to, not because that's just the next checklist thing on the checklist. No, it's better than that. We do it because we wanna follow Jesus' example. We do it because we wanna we wanna be obedient to Jesus' instructions. We do it because we wanna experience the grace that God pours out on us personally when we choose to be obedient and to be baptized. We do it because we wanna anchor our faith to this public ceremony that we celebrated in front of a community of people who love us and are so excited to be a part of what God is doing and to see what God is doing in our lives. And we do it together. We do it in community. We do it with one another. And it is an incredible gift.”

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