Take the Plunge – I’m All In | Spiritual Authority: Sons & Daughters

What does it really mean to be all in with Jesus?

In Spiritual Authority: Sons & Daughters | Take the Plunge: I’m All In, Pastor Chad Everett continues teaching from Galatians 3:26–27. Through faith in Christ, we become sons and daughters of God. Paul then says that those who have been baptized into Christ have also “put on Christ.”

The Greek word baptizō carries the idea of being plunged, immersed, or completely covered. Baptism into Christ means more than adding Jesus to one part of our lives. It means surrendering ourselves to Him and becoming united with Him.

“Baptizo is I take the plunge, I’m all in.”

Take the Plunge

Following Jesus was never meant to be a Sunday-only experience. We can attend church, hear sermons, sing worship songs, and still hold back areas of our lives from Him.

To be all in with Jesus means we stop settling for a small portion of Him while keeping control of everything else. Jesus wants every part of our lives. He wants our decisions, relationships, attitudes, plans, work, thoughts, and everyday choices.

The picture of a cloth completely soaked in water helps make that clear. A small corner dipped in water only gets partially wet. Complete immersion changes the whole cloth.

That is the invitation of this message: take the plunge.

Stay Connected to Jesus

A soaked cloth will eventually dry out if it stays away from the water. In the same way, we cannot expect to live full of Jesus while remaining disconnected from Him.

John 15:5 gives us another picture. Jesus says He is the vine and we are the branches. A branch does not produce fruit by trying harder. It produces fruit because it stays connected to the vine.

We often try to manufacture peace, wisdom, joy, or strength on our own. Jesus invites us to something better. Stay connected to Him.

Being all in with Jesus means wanting more than something from Him. It means wanting Him. As we remain connected to Jesus, what is in Him begins to flow into our lives.

Let Jesus Spill Out of You

God does not fill us only for ourselves.

When a cloth becomes completely soaked, it carries water wherever it goes. In the same way, when our lives are immersed in Christ, the people around us should experience something of Jesus.

His love should spill out. We should carry His goodness into the way we treat people, and His peace should shape the way we respond.

Whether we are at work, school, home, the store, or with friends, being all in with Jesus should change what others experience when they are around us.

Put On Christ

Galatians 3:27 says those who have been baptized into Christ have “put on Christ.”

The phrase gives us the picture of putting on a garment. In Christ, we receive a new identity. We do not earn that new life through better behavior. Jesus makes us new.

Colossians 3 tells believers to put off the old man and put on the new. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation.

The goal is not simply to become a better version of ourselves. Jesus becomes the image we are growing to reflect.

Take Off What No Longer Fits

Old attitudes, habits, words, temptations, and ways of thinking may still try to come back. But they no longer define who we are.

Colossians 3 tells us to put off anger, wrath, malice, filthy language, lying, and the behaviors connected to the old life. We do not put these things off so that God will make us new. We put them off because in Christ, He already has.

When the old identity tries to come back on, remember: it does not fit anymore.

If you are ready to stop holding part of your life back, this message invites you to take the plunge. Stay connected to Christ, live from your new identity, and take off what no longer fits. Discover what it looks like to be truly all in with Jesus.

Scripture References
Galatians 3:26–27, John 15:5, Colossians 3:8–11, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Daniel 10:12–13