Baptism is a celebration of God\u2019s work as the cosmic lifeguard. \u00a0 Baptism is a public chance to thank God for rescuing us from drowning in our own self-centered lives. A writer of the Psalms said it this way:<\/p>\n
Psalms 130 These are religious sounding words: redemption, redeem, iniquities.\u00a0 What do they mean?\u00a0 Our writer is overjoyed and telling others to \u201chope in God.\u201d \u00a0He tells them to \u201ccheck out\u201d what he has found.\u00a0 The writer calls out publicly for everyone to find what he has found. \u00a0 He has found hope, mercy, redemption.\u00a0 He is saying, \u201cThank you God for giving me what I don’t deserve – mercy. Thank you God for pulling me out when I was drowning.\u00a0 Thank you God for reaching into the deep water where I was sinking and yanking me out.”<\/p>\n Out of the depth I cried to You, O Lord; Lord hear my voice!<\/strong><\/p>\n Baptism is actually a lifeguard story. \u00a0 It is a chance for drowning victims to thank God for being their lifeguard. \u00a0It\u2019s a chance to say, like the writer of this song, I was drowning in the depths. I was in over my head.\u00a0 I was depressed.\u00a0 I was unable to be good enough.\u00a0 I was entrapped in my bad habits. I was caught up in my self-centered life, but I called out to God.<\/p>\n I almost drowned when I was a kid. I remember being at the public pool \u2013 directly under the lifeguard stand. \u00a0 All of a sudden, I got too far from the edge.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t reach the edge. \u00a0I felt fear overtaking me. I was sinking, my head went under. \u00a0 I came sputtering up and realized that I was going to die. All 7 years of my life passed before me\u2026 \u00a0I looked up at the lifeguard and cried out, like the writer of this song, \u201cHEAR MY VOICE!!!\u201d \u00a0 Rescue me.<\/p>\n Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, who could stand?<\/strong><\/p>\n What does that mean?\u00a0 The writer is saying, \u201cIf God marked on a wall every time I did something wrong, I couldn\u2019t stand\u2026 in fact…if God had a tally system for every unkind word, unloving habit, impatient moment of your life, could you stand?\u00a0 Often when you look at a pool, it will have marks on the edges showing you where it’s 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet, or 9 feet deep.\u00a0 How deep would the water be if you were swimming in all the mistakes, moral failures, and self-centered lives?\u00a0\u00a0 The writer says, \u201cMy good stuff doesn\u2019t even come close to floating me out of the pool of things I\u2019ve done wrong. I was drowning in my own pride, fear, and sadness until I looked up and saw the lifeguard.”<\/p>\n But there is forgiveness with You! I wait for the Lord. And in His Word do I hope.<\/strong><\/p>\n Becoming a Christian is recognizing that you are drowning. You are drowning in either your bad deeds (thinking you know better than God) or drowning in your good deeds (thinking you can boss God around because of how good you are).\u00a0 When you come to a place that you want and need God\u2019s forgiveness, when we realize that He forgives us and snatches us out of the pool of our own wrong doing, it is at this moment, you wait. \u00a0You put up your arms, and He swoops in and drags you out of the pool.\u00a0 He rescues you.\u00a0 He promises that if you reach out your hand, He will save you from sinking.\u00a0 He will pull you out and promises to restore you. \u00a0 The writer says, \u201cI waited and hoped you\u2019d do what you are supposed to do.” \u00a0 Lifeguards save people when they are downing.<\/p>\n My father was a lifeguard.\u00a0 He used to train lifeguards at a local pool.\u00a0 My dad was in college when a friend of his went tubing down the river together.\u00a0 My dad\u2019s friend started to drown. He waved and called out for help. \u00a0 My dad dove into the water and rescued him from certain death as he pulled him up onto the shore. \u00a0 The friend recovered and said, \u201cThanks! You just saved me from drowning. Let me help you from drowning too.\u201d \u00a0This friend told my dad that all of us are drowning in our own pool of moral failure.\u00a0 He told my dad that Jesus Christ came to earth to die on a cross to pay for those sins. \u00a0 If we\u2019d call out to Him as our Lifeguard, He\u2019d rescue us, forgive us, and teach us to “swim” in the life God has for us.<\/p>\n If my dad\u2019s friend was hear today, he might thank my dad publicly for rescuing his life that day on the river. He\u2019d publicly declare that \u2013if it weren\u2019t for my dad\u2019s intervention- he might be dead. \u00a0 Baptism is exactly that…a person who has been rescued from drowning in their sins telling others publicly about the One who rescued them. \u00a0 Last Sunday ten people realized they were drowning in something. \u00a0 They came to a moment in their life when they cried out to God to rescue them from the waters. \u00a0 They found Jesus to be a forgiving, gentle, mighty lifeguard that saved their life. \u00a0 They all came to a public service to tell others about their lifeguard and friend.<\/p>\n For a free first session of Godonomics, visit:\u00a0 http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/watch-session-1<\/a><\/p>\n
\nO Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. \u00a0And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n
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