In today's troubled world, 00:00:05.77\00:00:08.23 people are wondering where are we headed? 00:00:08.26\00:00:11.83 Revelation Today presents the answers. 00:00:13.00\00:00:17.40 Bible prophecy reveals what the future holds in store. 00:00:17.43\00:00:21.09 Revelation Today. 00:00:22.89\00:00:24.94 Good evening everyone. 00:00:37.93\00:00:39.01 I am John Bradshaw, the director of It Is Written. 00:00:39.04\00:00:41.88 And I want to thank you sincerely 00:00:41.91\00:00:43.95 for being here tonight. 00:00:43.98\00:00:45.53 What a great night we've got. 00:00:45.56\00:00:46.70 Now, imagine, imagine having a chance to start again, 00:00:46.73\00:00:51.85 to wipe the slate clean and begin all over. 00:00:51.88\00:00:56.08 Now lot of us would welcome that, 00:00:56.11\00:00:57.97 a lot of people with bad track records, 00:00:58.00\00:01:00.68 people with the bad reputation. 00:01:00.71\00:01:02.76 What a good thing to be able to start again. 00:01:02.79\00:01:05.36 My children recently had some caterpillars 00:01:05.39\00:01:07.80 and they watched them change into chrysalises. 00:01:07.83\00:01:11.24 The caterpillars weren't caterpillars anymore. 00:01:11.27\00:01:13.50 And then they were thrilled to watch the chrysalises 00:01:13.53\00:01:15.46 open up and out of them emerged beautiful blue butterflies. 00:01:15.49\00:01:20.71 The butterflies were no longer closed up 00:01:20.74\00:01:22.48 in those chrysalises 00:01:22.51\00:01:23.54 and they certainly weren't caterpillars. 00:01:23.57\00:01:26.32 They had started over again. 00:01:26.35\00:01:29.83 How does God have a plan like that for people, 00:01:29.86\00:01:31.86 for sinful human beings? 00:01:31.89\00:01:34.20 Tonight subject is, 00:01:34.23\00:01:35.69 "You Can Live Your Life Over Again." 00:01:35.72\00:01:38.92 Please welcome the presenter of Revelation Today, Ron. 00:01:38.95\00:01:43.56 Let's bow our heads in the word of prayer as we begin. 00:01:48.44\00:01:51.51 Gracious Father, I thank You for Christ our Savior 00:01:51.54\00:01:53.88 and we thank You we can come here 00:01:53.91\00:01:55.16 to this auditorium here in America 00:01:55.19\00:01:57.73 we can worship You and serve You in freedom. 00:01:57.76\00:02:01.22 We pray now God that Your Holy Spirit will come 00:02:01.25\00:02:03.32 and You'll open to us a new life for everyone of us 00:02:03.35\00:02:08.37 that we might die daily and live again new to Christ. 00:02:08.40\00:02:12.70 And now, Father, speak through Your word 00:02:12.73\00:02:14.31 may it be lamp unto our feet and light unto our path 00:02:14.34\00:02:17.03 until we walk into the kingdom 00:02:17.06\00:02:19.50 which is lit with the glory of God. 00:02:19.53\00:02:21.68 In Christ name, amen and amen. 00:02:21.71\00:02:26.35 Our subject tonight is, 00:02:26.38\00:02:28.59 "You Can Live Your Life Over Again." 00:02:28.62\00:02:34.23 Many years ago when I was a little boy 00:02:34.26\00:02:36.61 and that is many, many, many years ago my momma had a gift. 00:02:36.64\00:02:42.99 She didn't go very far in school 00:02:43.02\00:02:44.50 but she had a gift, she love to read. 00:02:44.53\00:02:47.66 And my mother used to read many books 00:02:47.69\00:02:49.39 and poetry and she used to love to tell us stories 00:02:49.42\00:02:52.93 when we were little children. 00:02:52.96\00:02:54.30 And she would tell some of those exciting fairytales, 00:02:54.33\00:02:58.66 those stories that gripped the heart of little kids. 00:02:58.69\00:03:00.89 And I remember one that was my favorite, 00:03:00.92\00:03:02.97 it was about a little boy 00:03:03.00\00:03:04.48 who was walking along the beach 00:03:04.51\00:03:07.94 and as he's walking along the beach 00:03:07.97\00:03:10.94 having a great time, the seagulls were flying 00:03:10.97\00:03:13.40 and the pelicans floating across the water 00:03:13.43\00:03:17.68 and the fish are jumping 00:03:17.71\00:03:19.60 and little boy is looking around, 00:03:19.63\00:03:21.33 it's so exciting at the beach. 00:03:21.36\00:03:23.38 And then he looks down 00:03:23.41\00:03:24.70 and he notices there's a beautiful, 00:03:24.73\00:03:27.51 a beautiful silver lamp and so he picks it up 00:03:27.54\00:03:32.16 and wow, this beautiful lamp. 00:03:32.19\00:03:35.67 And he starts dusting the sand off the lamp 00:03:35.70\00:03:39.33 and all the sudden boom, a big genie... 00:03:39.36\00:03:43.78 comes leaping out of this lamp 00:03:47.66\00:03:51.18 and said, "You have three wishes." 00:03:51.21\00:03:54.49 Wow, three wishes. 00:03:54.52\00:03:56.37 That was one of my favorite story, 00:03:56.40\00:03:57.98 and little boys gonna make these wishes. 00:03:58.01\00:04:00.70 What would you wish for if you have just one wish 00:04:00.73\00:04:03.97 or if you had three wishes? 00:04:04.00\00:04:05.94 Perhaps you'd wish for good health, you know. 00:04:05.97\00:04:07.73 I mean, especially older you get, you know. 00:04:07.76\00:04:10.19 It's interesting how your conversation changes 00:04:10.22\00:04:12.48 as you get older. 00:04:12.51\00:04:14.59 Now it's always about your health. 00:04:14.62\00:04:17.32 When you are young you don't even think about your health. 00:04:17.35\00:04:20.14 You just take it for granted. 00:04:20.17\00:04:22.56 But when you get old what do you talk about? 00:04:22.59\00:04:25.61 Two old men sitting on the porch. 00:04:25.64\00:04:28.07 My lumbago. 00:04:28.10\00:04:30.87 Talking about your health. 00:04:30.90\00:04:33.65 Wouldn't it be nice to be able to... 00:04:33.68\00:04:37.01 just be able to wish for good health 00:04:37.04\00:04:38.28 and good health or perhaps you wish for money. 00:04:38.31\00:04:42.20 There's a lot of people who think 00:04:42.23\00:04:43.28 that money can bring them happiness 00:04:43.31\00:04:44.67 and to some degrees it might but maybe you need help 00:04:44.70\00:04:50.49 and it would be nice to win money. 00:04:50.52\00:04:52.89 Millions of people every week want to win money 00:04:52.92\00:04:56.93 and they've been on the lottery 00:04:56.96\00:04:58.70 and you know, every now and then 00:04:58.73\00:04:59.97 someone wins $300 million, you just say, woo, 00:05:00.00\00:05:03.01 I should have win that so you keep hoping. 00:05:03.04\00:05:06.91 Perhaps you'd wish for money 00:05:06.94\00:05:10.81 or maybe you'd wish for a long life, 00:05:10.84\00:05:14.14 maybe you'd wish that you'd just be able 00:05:14.17\00:05:15.97 to live a long, long, long, long, long life. 00:05:16.00\00:05:23.06 But have you ever wished 00:05:24.06\00:05:26.57 you could start your life over again? 00:05:26.60\00:05:28.84 I mean, have you ever wished that you could, 00:05:29.97\00:05:33.02 I mean, you could get a clean slate? 00:05:33.05\00:05:35.62 Perhaps you got that feeling when you were discouraged 00:05:37.60\00:05:40.24 and seem life had turned against you 00:05:40.27\00:05:42.31 and you know, like I talked about Chippie the other night. 00:05:42.34\00:05:45.05 I mean, you have one little Chippie days 00:05:45.08\00:05:46.83 and you are kind of discouraged and desponded 00:05:46.86\00:05:49.97 and perhaps you got those feelings 00:05:50.00\00:05:53.16 when you were down and out, feeling sorry for yourself. 00:05:53.19\00:05:56.15 Perhaps you wish you could just start your life 00:05:56.18\00:05:59.70 right there all over again. 00:05:59.73\00:06:02.86 Perhaps when you think life has given you a raw deal 00:06:02.89\00:06:05.36 and knowing what you know now, 00:06:05.39\00:06:07.67 wouldn't you like to live it over again? 00:06:07.70\00:06:10.58 I mean, not like the beer commercial, 00:06:10.61\00:06:12.12 you know, you grabble the gusto 00:06:12.15\00:06:14.34 won't show you going around once. 00:06:14.37\00:06:15.97 I love to stand up and tell them, 00:06:16.00\00:06:17.78 no, I go around twice. 00:06:17.81\00:06:19.89 Perhaps it's sad, going around twice. 00:06:22.52\00:06:28.69 How much heartache, how much sorrow, 00:06:28.72\00:06:30.47 how much pain would we avoid if we could just start over, 00:06:30.50\00:06:34.08 live over, knowing what we know now? 00:06:34.11\00:06:37.54 There are choices you would make 00:06:37.57\00:06:38.96 that you made as a teenager, or young adult you made, 00:06:38.99\00:06:42.45 you wouldn't make now because you've grown up. 00:06:42.48\00:06:46.55 You've learned through life, 00:06:46.58\00:06:48.82 you've learned through some of your failures, 00:06:48.85\00:06:50.43 you've learned through some of your mistakes 00:06:50.46\00:06:52.21 but wouldn't it be good, 00:06:52.24\00:06:53.67 you can just turn it off and turn it on 00:06:53.70\00:06:58.28 and start it over again? 00:06:58.31\00:07:01.67 I was talking to a convicted murderer 00:07:01.70\00:07:03.29 at the Nebraska State Penitentiary 00:07:03.32\00:07:05.48 and I used to have a program, 00:07:05.51\00:07:07.35 a TV program called "Jesus Behind Bars" 00:07:07.38\00:07:09.51 and I was at the maximum security 00:07:09.54\00:07:12.76 in death row and a young man, 00:07:12.79\00:07:14.75 he was a third year 00:07:14.78\00:07:16.95 university student in psychology. 00:07:16.98\00:07:20.03 He was on drugs and he was high or low-- 00:07:20.06\00:07:23.09 it was low but he thought it was high 00:07:23.12\00:07:25.65 because his world was upside down. 00:07:25.68\00:07:27.25 You see, it always seems high when your world's upside down, 00:07:27.28\00:07:29.97 when your world's right side up its low, 00:07:30.00\00:07:31.58 it's on the other side. 00:07:31.61\00:07:33.80 But anyway, he was in a stupor and his mom came down, 00:07:33.83\00:07:37.54 he was playing his music you know, loud, loud, loud. 00:07:37.57\00:07:41.37 You see the louder you play your music 00:07:41.40\00:07:44.41 it's because you don't want to hear the still small voice. 00:07:44.44\00:07:51.10 And his momma came down, said, turn that down. 00:07:51.13\00:07:53.23 With that he went into rage, beat his mother to death, 00:07:53.26\00:07:56.42 cut her in pieces and put her in a freezer. 00:07:56.45\00:07:59.03 How can a boy do that? 00:08:00.23\00:08:03.31 But as I listened to his story 00:08:03.34\00:08:05.23 and I shocked as I was by such a cruel terrible thing. 00:08:05.26\00:08:10.84 I thought to myself and then I said to him, 00:08:10.87\00:08:13.34 well, what would your wish be? 00:08:13.37\00:08:14.99 He said, I wish I had that 15 minutes back of my life. 00:08:15.02\00:08:20.37 I wish I had those 15 minutes back. 00:08:20.40\00:08:23.78 I was talking to a drug addict 00:08:23.81\00:08:26.11 and sometime ago in St. Bernardino 00:08:26.14\00:08:28.84 and he was mainlining in his life, 00:08:28.87\00:08:31.39 he looked 50 and he was only 28 years old. 00:08:31.42\00:08:35.33 He was pimping the streets 00:08:36.44\00:08:38.66 and I was sitting with him on the porch 00:08:40.49\00:08:42.91 and talking to him and trying to tell him 00:08:42.94\00:08:45.61 about another life that God could have for him. 00:08:45.64\00:08:49.40 And I remember he said, 00:08:49.43\00:08:50.88 "If I wish I could do it over again." 00:08:50.91\00:08:53.61 I was talking to a man who was going through a divorce. 00:08:54.16\00:08:58.27 He lost his children, 00:08:58.30\00:08:59.33 lost a beautiful wife because of lust 00:08:59.36\00:09:01.09 and how he wish he could live those weeks 00:09:01.12\00:09:03.91 and those months and those few years over again. 00:09:03.94\00:09:07.64 I was talking to a man down in the Wall Street 00:09:09.26\00:09:11.11 when I was working in New York, 00:09:11.14\00:09:12.24 he was a corporate thief 00:09:12.27\00:09:13.33 and he was spending 12 years in prison 00:09:13.36\00:09:17.23 and he said, man, I made a dumb mistake, 00:09:17.26\00:09:19.74 and he said, I am paying for it. 00:09:19.77\00:09:22.51 I wish I could start over again. 00:09:22.54\00:09:25.01 Good news, you can. 00:09:25.04\00:09:27.82 You can start it over again. 00:09:27.85\00:09:30.46 I mean, with a clean slate. 00:09:30.49\00:09:32.98 Exciting news for you tonight, you can begin a new life, 00:09:33.01\00:09:37.15 you can have a slate white clean 00:09:37.18\00:09:39.62 and that's right, a new life, a new life. 00:09:39.65\00:09:45.66 A friend of mine I had taught in ministry, 00:09:45.69\00:09:49.19 prayer walking, I teach people how to prayer walk 00:09:49.22\00:09:51.70 and take neighborhoods back through prayer. 00:09:51.73\00:09:54.84 And so she went out in St. Bernardino, 00:09:54.87\00:09:57.29 I was going to hold a series like this 00:09:57.32\00:09:58.96 and 2,000-3,000 people were coming to that meeting 00:09:58.99\00:10:02.96 and it was--God was pouring out the spirit in a special way 00:10:02.99\00:10:05.59 and this woman said, 00:10:05.62\00:10:07.23 I am gonna walk around the Orange show 00:10:07.26\00:10:09.95 in St. Bernardino and pray. 00:10:09.98\00:10:13.14 And while she was walking around, 00:10:13.17\00:10:14.36 she noticed a homeless man digging in the garbage 00:10:14.39\00:10:18.28 and she walked up to him and said, hi. 00:10:18.31\00:10:19.94 And He looked up and that was a surprise, 00:10:19.97\00:10:21.73 someone's talking to him, someone recognizes him. 00:10:21.76\00:10:25.47 And she says, hi, I am a prayer warrior. 00:10:25.50\00:10:30.53 That's nice. 00:10:30.56\00:10:33.15 And I am prayer walking 00:10:33.18\00:10:34.91 and Ron Halvorsen is starting a series on Revelation 00:10:34.94\00:10:38.79 in the Orange show, would you go as my guest? 00:10:38.82\00:10:42.27 This woman was a head nurse 00:10:43.43\00:10:45.39 at one of the beautiful hospitals there, 00:10:45.42\00:10:47.54 Loma Linda University Hospital and here she is prayer walking 00:10:47.57\00:10:50.76 and she sees this and there's this homeless man. 00:10:50.79\00:10:53.36 He has no future, he lost his job. 00:10:53.39\00:10:55.68 When he finally told his story it was sad, 00:10:55.71\00:10:58.04 you would cry just listening. 00:10:58.07\00:11:00.95 But she picked-- 00:11:00.98\00:11:02.16 Where will you pick up a homeless man? 00:11:02.19\00:11:03.62 You pick him up at the garbage can. 00:11:03.65\00:11:05.80 So every night she would pick up the man, 00:11:05.83\00:11:07.92 bring him to the meetings 00:11:07.95\00:11:09.75 and they would sit together every night, every night. 00:11:09.78\00:11:14.05 And then the night came 00:11:14.08\00:11:15.36 and he gave his life to the Lord. 00:11:15.39\00:11:18.85 Hey, listen to me, he's cleaned up now. 00:11:18.88\00:11:23.00 You wouldn't recognize him. 00:11:23.03\00:11:25.58 I mean, he's cleaned up now. 00:11:25.61\00:11:27.49 He's a deacon in his church 00:11:27.52\00:11:29.50 and he's serving God to the glory of God. 00:11:29.53\00:11:33.57 He began his life over again. 00:11:33.60\00:11:36.45 He found a new life and it's exciting. 00:11:36.48\00:11:38.87 It is an exciting life. 00:11:38.90\00:11:39.93 There's no more exciting life in the world 00:11:39.96\00:11:42.75 than the life serving God, serving God. 00:11:42.78\00:11:46.65 I've good news for you. 00:11:46.68\00:11:48.64 There is one who can offer you a new life. 00:11:48.67\00:11:52.29 And He offers it freely 00:11:52.32\00:11:54.02 and He offers it to every one of us, the new life. 00:11:54.05\00:11:57.98 Let me tell you this evening with confidence 00:11:58.01\00:11:59.96 that God has made a provision. 00:11:59.99\00:12:02.05 God has made a provision for each one of you 00:12:02.08\00:12:04.48 and that provision is that you might begin a new life. 00:12:04.51\00:12:07.98 When life seems hard to bear, 00:12:08.01\00:12:09.58 when evil seems to triumph over good, 00:12:09.61\00:12:11.64 when bad things happen to you, 00:12:11.67\00:12:13.60 when all hell breaks loose in your life, 00:12:13.63\00:12:16.09 when the one you love tells you, 00:12:16.12\00:12:17.78 he or she doesn't' anymore, 00:12:17.81\00:12:19.47 when you have everything a person needs 00:12:19.50\00:12:22.14 and it's not enough. 00:12:22.17\00:12:23.50 Listen, when you've succeeded in life 00:12:23.53\00:12:25.34 but still feel empty and purposeless, 00:12:25.37\00:12:28.72 there is one splendid shining hope 00:12:28.75\00:12:31.67 and that hope is Jesus Christ. 00:12:31.70\00:12:35.01 And He offers you 00:12:35.04\00:12:36.79 a beautiful new life from darkness to light. 00:12:36.82\00:12:40.79 Isn't that beautiful? 00:12:40.82\00:12:42.02 From the dark life to the life of hope, 00:12:42.05\00:12:45.43 that's the promise of God here in this book. 00:12:45.46\00:12:47.41 And that's what I want to talk about, 00:12:47.44\00:12:48.90 what Jesus, how Jesus provided a new way of life for you, 00:12:48.93\00:12:51.84 a beginning for you, this another chance. 00:12:51.87\00:12:56.61 You say, no, no, I am too bad. 00:12:56.64\00:12:57.95 Too bad. 00:12:57.98\00:13:00.79 I mean, come on, this book is full of hope of too bad people. 00:13:00.82\00:13:07.39 I mean, the book is filled. 00:13:07.42\00:13:08.77 Is there any hope? 00:13:08.80\00:13:10.08 Listen to me, there is hope everywhere. 00:13:10.11\00:13:12.77 Is there any hope? 00:13:12.80\00:13:13.88 Ask Noah, the drunken father. 00:13:13.91\00:13:17.34 Ask this disgraceful father 00:13:17.37\00:13:19.46 if there could ever be any hope and there's hope. 00:13:19.49\00:13:21.97 Listen to me, is there any hope? 00:13:22.00\00:13:23.85 Ask Moses, the murderer. 00:13:23.88\00:13:25.35 He buried the Egyptian in the sand, 00:13:25.38\00:13:27.41 thought he could get away with it, 00:13:27.44\00:13:28.47 it haunted him for 40 years. 00:13:28.50\00:13:30.54 But ask Moses, now he's on the mountain, 00:13:30.57\00:13:32.72 looking out over, over the river, 00:13:32.75\00:13:34.50 looking out towards the Promised Land 00:13:34.53\00:13:36.60 with the hope that God had given him 00:13:36.63\00:13:38.46 that, Moses, you'll be a part of great resurrection. 00:13:38.49\00:13:42.64 Ask David. 00:13:42.67\00:13:43.87 I mean, David was despicable. 00:13:43.90\00:13:46.34 Had the woman's husband go to the battlefield 00:13:46.37\00:13:50.13 to get killed so he could have his wife. 00:13:50.16\00:13:51.75 What a-- 00:13:51.78\00:13:53.41 And he's a man after God's own-- 00:13:53.44\00:13:55.27 What happened? 00:13:55.30\00:13:56.33 He has a clean slate, he began new again, 00:13:56.36\00:13:59.04 God touched his heart, 00:13:59.07\00:14:00.33 God came down into his heart and changed him 00:14:00.36\00:14:05.24 and he became the Psalmist. 00:14:05.27\00:14:07.36 You say, that can't happen to me. 00:14:08.37\00:14:09.56 Why not? 00:14:09.59\00:14:11.65 God is same today, isn't He? 00:14:11.68\00:14:13.17 Come on, He's still God and you still have need. Amen. 00:14:13.20\00:14:17.31 He's still God and you still have need. 00:14:17.34\00:14:20.35 What about Samson? 00:14:20.38\00:14:21.94 I mean, Samson was the adulterer. 00:14:21.97\00:14:23.58 I mean, listen to this man, I mean, what a life. 00:14:23.61\00:14:27.69 And even Samson, he committed suicide. 00:14:27.72\00:14:29.64 You remember the story, he said, 00:14:29.67\00:14:30.96 let me die with my enemies in there. 00:14:30.99\00:14:33.06 And there's even hope for men and women like that. 00:14:33.09\00:14:36.01 So before you judge anyone think of the hope. 00:14:37.94\00:14:42.16 It's there in the scripture from Genesis to Revelation 00:14:42.19\00:14:45.80 and that's the hope that God wants to offer this generation, 00:14:45.83\00:14:48.18 that's the hope that God wants to offer you, 00:14:48.21\00:14:50.04 wherever you are, if you are sitting in your home 00:14:50.07\00:14:52.89 somewhere in this world, 00:14:52.92\00:14:54.23 God wants to offer you a clean slate. 00:14:54.26\00:14:56.35 God wants to offer you a new life 00:14:56.38\00:14:58.28 and God wants to offer those of you here in this place 00:14:58.31\00:15:01.54 this new life, this new life. 00:15:01.57\00:15:04.61 What about Peter? 00:15:04.64\00:15:05.86 Ask Peter, the denying, cursing fisherman. 00:15:05.89\00:15:08.65 I mean, he who is following Jesus 00:15:08.68\00:15:10.62 for three and a half years, 00:15:10.65\00:15:11.88 you say, how could he go wrong? 00:15:11.91\00:15:13.74 Listen, hey, I don't know the man 00:15:13.77\00:15:17.91 and then, I don't know Him. 00:15:17.94\00:15:21.29 And then, the curses tumble from his lips. 00:15:22.51\00:15:25.84 And perhaps at that time he didn't know Him. 00:15:25.87\00:15:29.59 It wasn't until he went to his cross 00:15:29.62\00:15:32.35 and he knew Him 00:15:32.38\00:15:34.52 and he said, turn the cross upside down 00:15:34.55\00:15:36.38 that my world might be right side up again. 00:15:36.41\00:15:38.59 I mean, Paul the persecutor. 00:15:38.62\00:15:41.14 I mean, he's on his way to take the people of God, 00:15:41.17\00:15:44.00 Christians to be killed, to be crucified, to die. 00:15:44.03\00:15:47.82 I mean, he is a zealot of his faith. 00:15:47.85\00:15:51.26 He falls to the ground 00:15:53.32\00:15:54.44 and Saul, Saul why persecute me 00:15:54.47\00:15:57.57 and his life was drastically and dramatically changed. 00:15:57.60\00:16:00.70 You read it everywhere in scripture, 00:16:00.73\00:16:02.63 from Genesis to Revelation, 00:16:02.66\00:16:04.48 the power of that God to change your life 00:16:04.51\00:16:06.30 to start life over again. 00:16:06.33\00:16:08.37 And if God could promise that to others, 00:16:08.40\00:16:10.21 He can promise that to you tonight. 00:16:10.24\00:16:11.71 Amen. Amen. 00:16:11.74\00:16:13.10 I stand with confidence as this divine human encounter, 00:16:13.13\00:16:17.83 God reaching down to us, we reaching up to God 00:16:17.86\00:16:21.13 and God takes us and gives us that divine grace. 00:16:21.16\00:16:24.73 Happiness for the unhappy. 00:16:24.76\00:16:26.23 Listen to me, health for the unhealthy, 00:16:26.26\00:16:28.23 abundant life for the dying. 00:16:28.26\00:16:29.94 When Jesus came in our heart, 00:16:29.97\00:16:31.50 He changed my body as well as my mind. 00:16:31.53\00:16:33.74 Listen to me, He gave me health. 00:16:33.77\00:16:35.68 I'm 76 almost, two months, 00:16:35.71\00:16:39.20 76 years old, I am still preaching. 00:16:39.23\00:16:42.30 Amen. Amen. 00:16:42.33\00:16:44.09 I am not done yet. 00:16:44.12\00:16:45.55 Amen. 00:16:45.58\00:16:47.86 I told my wife the other day, 00:16:51.56\00:16:52.86 I said, if I die before the Lord comes, 00:16:52.89\00:16:54.64 I want you to put a pulpit in the casket 00:16:54.67\00:16:56.76 so when I come up, I'll come up preaching. 00:16:56.79\00:16:58.56 Amen. 00:16:58.59\00:17:00.73 I am not done yet. 00:17:00.76\00:17:03.47 He promises abundant life for the dying. 00:17:03.50\00:17:07.78 Wouldn't it be nice sight if you could 00:17:07.81\00:17:09.26 lay your head down on your pillow 00:17:09.29\00:17:10.47 with no regrets, no worries? 00:17:10.50\00:17:13.18 Come on, now who doesn't want that? 00:17:13.21\00:17:16.48 To be able to face your enemies with courage. 00:17:16.51\00:17:19.71 Wouldn't it be nice to go home and be example to your kids? 00:17:20.81\00:17:25.42 Come on now, who doesn't want that? 00:17:25.45\00:17:28.32 What parent doesn't want that? 00:17:28.35\00:17:30.92 Wouldn't it be nice, starting this week, 00:17:30.95\00:17:33.93 making a success of your life? 00:17:33.96\00:17:35.78 Now who doesn't want that? 00:17:35.81\00:17:37.43 Being able to face death with hope 00:17:37.46\00:17:39.23 with no fear and say, if my heart stops, 00:17:39.26\00:17:42.80 I am ready, I am ready. 00:17:44.35\00:17:47.54 My cardiologist, he shakes his head 00:17:47.57\00:17:50.19 when I come in his office. 00:17:50.22\00:17:52.05 I remember, I said to him, I could die? 00:17:53.16\00:17:56.72 He said, yes, you could die. 00:17:56.75\00:17:58.80 I said, I could live? 00:17:58.83\00:17:59.86 You could live or I could live or die. 00:17:59.89\00:18:03.54 I said, "You see, it's wonderful, 00:18:03.57\00:18:06.44 you see, if I live I serve God, 00:18:06.47\00:18:09.86 if I die I will be with God. 00:18:09.89\00:18:13.11 What about you, doc?" 00:18:13.14\00:18:14.52 Can't get it out of his mind. 00:18:14.55\00:18:16.40 He thinks the pill is the answer. 00:18:17.53\00:18:19.48 I know that Jesus Christ is the answer. 00:18:19.51\00:18:21.72 Come on now, Jesus Christ is the answer 00:18:21.75\00:18:26.18 and Jesus Christ wants to give you all the gusto you need. 00:18:26.21\00:18:29.95 He want you to go to the mountain top. 00:18:29.98\00:18:32.16 He wants you to have the real thing 00:18:32.19\00:18:36.61 and He offers that real thing to you. 00:18:36.64\00:18:38.33 And all that you want that's good for your family, 00:18:38.36\00:18:40.67 God wants for you and your family. 00:18:40.70\00:18:42.73 All that's good for your life 00:18:42.76\00:18:44.11 God wants that for you and your family. 00:18:44.14\00:18:46.36 You see, all He makes it available. 00:18:46.39\00:18:48.62 How, you ask. How does He make it available? 00:18:48.65\00:18:50.59 Through a new creation, a new life. 00:18:50.62\00:18:55.74 In fact, Jesus Christ, when He talks about this new life, 00:18:55.77\00:18:58.84 He calls it rebirth. 00:18:58.87\00:19:00.08 You have to be born again. 00:19:00.11\00:19:02.37 You have to come to a rebirth experience. Why? 00:19:02.40\00:19:05.19 Because this life isn't what it should be, 00:19:05.22\00:19:07.31 so you got to begin over again. 00:19:07.34\00:19:09.48 But I am 55 years old, I am 40 years old, 00:19:09.51\00:19:12.20 I am 28 year, how can I begin over? 00:19:12.23\00:19:15.34 You can begin over through rebirth, 00:19:15.37\00:19:17.62 this is the beginning of your life. 00:19:17.65\00:19:19.46 Amen. Amen. 00:19:19.49\00:19:21.82 Ask Charles Colson of Watergate, 00:19:24.20\00:19:25.82 if it is impossible. 00:19:25.85\00:19:28.55 Ask Goldy I talked to you the other night about, 00:19:28.58\00:19:32.92 if it is impossible. 00:19:32.95\00:19:35.69 Ask Ron Halvorsen, 00:19:35.72\00:19:38.79 wandering the streets of Brooklyn 00:19:38.82\00:19:41.98 hating, fighting, if it is impossible. 00:19:42.01\00:19:46.09 New beginnings it's possible. 00:19:46.12\00:19:47.89 Ask professor at Harvard University, 00:19:47.92\00:19:49.91 a new disciple of Christ that I led to Jesus 00:19:49.94\00:19:51.97 if it is impossible. 00:19:52.00\00:19:53.36 I mean, to tens of thousands 00:19:53.39\00:19:54.66 that give their testimonies of new beginnings 00:19:54.69\00:19:56.63 to positive that it's possible why do we need rebirth? 00:19:56.66\00:20:00.86 Why do we need a new chance? 00:20:00.89\00:20:02.73 Why do we need a new start? 00:20:02.76\00:20:04.18 The same reason Moses did. 00:20:04.21\00:20:06.94 The same reason Samson did. 00:20:08.95\00:20:12.39 The same reason Peter did. 00:20:12.42\00:20:15.92 How many people I ever met with-- 00:20:15.95\00:20:18.12 I'm not so bad syndrome. 00:20:18.15\00:20:20.86 I don't kick the dog. 00:20:21.86\00:20:24.61 I provide for my family. 00:20:24.64\00:20:26.99 I'm not so bad. 00:20:28.93\00:20:31.01 That isn't degrees of badness? 00:20:31.04\00:20:33.01 You want to be happy and good. 00:20:33.04\00:20:36.70 Come on don't you, come on. 00:20:36.73\00:20:38.24 Don't you? 00:20:38.27\00:20:39.93 Well, if you come to rebirth you'll wake in the morning. 00:20:39.96\00:20:42.60 When I was young I'd wake up in the morning, 00:20:42.63\00:20:44.48 say, how can I get in the trouble? 00:20:44.51\00:20:46.66 My mother used to say, 00:20:48.27\00:20:49.32 your mouth will get you in trouble. 00:20:49.35\00:20:50.98 That's true. 00:20:51.01\00:20:52.37 That's true. 00:20:53.70\00:20:55.19 How many people feel comfortable with their lives? 00:20:58.56\00:21:01.66 How many people I've met with, 00:21:03.46\00:21:05.00 I'm not so bad, good life, 00:21:05.03\00:21:06.95 he has abundant life, not really. 00:21:06.98\00:21:08.77 I was at this university, 00:21:08.80\00:21:09.96 one of these Ivy League Universities, 00:21:09.99\00:21:11.22 I met a lawyer who was studying law 00:21:11.25\00:21:12.79 and I said, how's it going? 00:21:12.82\00:21:13.85 He says, good. 00:21:13.88\00:21:14.91 I said, what year? I'm a junior. 00:21:14.94\00:21:16.78 I said, that's nice, tell me a little about. 00:21:16.81\00:21:18.75 I'm gonna be a lawyer, I want to be Ivy League lawyer. 00:21:18.78\00:21:23.16 I said, well, an Ivy League lawyer, 00:21:23.19\00:21:24.63 now I'm really impressed. 00:21:24.66\00:21:26.89 I said, what are you gonna do? 00:21:26.92\00:21:28.30 Oh, I'm gonna graduate. 00:21:28.33\00:21:29.36 I said, that's nice and then what are you gonna do? 00:21:29.39\00:21:31.46 He said, well, I'm gonna get with a prestigious law firm 00:21:31.49\00:21:38.26 may be in Manhattan. 00:21:38.29\00:21:39.81 I said, what then? 00:21:41.03\00:21:42.14 He says, well, work my way up and become a partner. 00:21:42.17\00:21:46.17 And what then, he says, well, I'll probably get married. 00:21:46.20\00:21:50.06 And I'll build a house out in the suburbs 00:21:50.09\00:21:52.76 and he went on and on and what then? 00:21:52.79\00:21:55.80 And he kept going and going and going he says, well. 00:21:55.83\00:21:58.40 And what then? I guess I'll retire. 00:21:58.43\00:22:00.37 And what then? 00:22:00.40\00:22:02.35 He says, I guess I'll die. 00:22:02.38\00:22:04.80 I said, what then? 00:22:04.83\00:22:07.29 What then? 00:22:10.98\00:22:12.83 That's a question you need to ask. 00:22:13.95\00:22:17.30 What then? 00:22:17.33\00:22:19.69 What then? 00:22:19.72\00:22:21.58 You see life is all about dying. 00:22:21.61\00:22:23.77 Life is all about future. 00:22:25.02\00:22:28.33 You see a school can prepare you for a job, 00:22:28.36\00:22:30.87 school can prepare you for a life here earning, 00:22:30.90\00:22:34.93 building and buying and getting ahead, 00:22:34.96\00:22:36.97 but it can't prepare you for heaven. 00:22:37.00\00:22:38.79 It takes rebirth 00:22:40.15\00:22:42.14 and I want to look at that with you 00:22:42.17\00:22:43.20 for a few minutes tonight. 00:22:43.23\00:22:45.08 Now it happened long time ago, 00:22:45.11\00:22:47.77 intelligent man, his name Nicodemus. 00:22:47.80\00:22:50.84 He came to Jesus by night. 00:22:50.87\00:22:52.74 Listen to me now. Listen carefully. 00:22:52.77\00:22:54.53 Because there are lot of night Christians. 00:22:54.56\00:22:56.72 They don't want anybody to know they are here. 00:22:56.75\00:22:59.95 Now, people think you are strange, come on. 00:23:01.43\00:23:04.76 Don't want to let them know you are here. 00:23:04.79\00:23:05.95 Well, he didn't want anybody to know 00:23:05.98\00:23:07.41 so he met Jesus Christ at night. 00:23:07.44\00:23:09.03 One of thing about it didn't bothered Jesus, 00:23:09.06\00:23:11.06 He can meet you at night, in the mid day, 00:23:11.09\00:23:13.39 early in the morning, before you get out of bed 00:23:13.42\00:23:15.56 or while you're still in bed. 00:23:15.59\00:23:18.09 But He meets Nicodemus and this is where it begins. 00:23:18.12\00:23:23.00 It began with an affluent Jewish man centuries ago 00:23:23.03\00:23:26.57 and this man was rich, he was intelligent, 00:23:26.60\00:23:28.43 he was influential, he was like my student friend, 00:23:28.46\00:23:31.77 educate in the best Ivy League School of his day. 00:23:31.80\00:23:34.80 Dressed for success, shopped at the best places, 00:23:34.83\00:23:37.75 perfumed with the best cologne. 00:23:37.78\00:23:39.54 I mean, wore the latest clothes, 00:23:39.57\00:23:41.32 he was somebody who was nobody. 00:23:41.35\00:23:44.21 And after testing life, 00:23:45.37\00:23:46.59 after spending best years getting he was still unhappy. 00:23:46.62\00:23:51.57 Sounds like most Americans today. 00:23:51.60\00:23:55.33 After spending these years 00:23:55.36\00:23:57.55 move back to this rich, he's like that. 00:23:57.58\00:24:02.32 He's just first century yuppie not or whatever. 00:24:02.35\00:24:07.85 And notice he comes to Jesus by night 00:24:07.88\00:24:09.81 and Jesus says, "There was a man of the Pharisees, 00:24:09.84\00:24:11.52 named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews..." 00:24:11.55\00:24:14.61 Not just an ordinary man, he is a ruler. 00:24:14.64\00:24:16.97 "The same came to Jesus by night, 00:24:17.00\00:24:18.27 and said to him, Rabbi, we know thou art a man 00:24:18.30\00:24:20.09 or a teacher come from God." 00:24:20.12\00:24:22.04 Then he goes on, he says, 00:24:22.07\00:24:23.44 "For no man can do these miracles that thou doest, 00:24:23.47\00:24:25.80 except God be with him. 00:24:25.83\00:24:27.77 And Jesus answered and said unto him, 00:24:27.80\00:24:29.78 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 00:24:29.81\00:24:31.88 except a man be born again, 00:24:31.91\00:24:33.52 he cannot see the kingdom of God." 00:24:33.55\00:24:36.38 He is telling us and everyone in every generation, 00:24:36.41\00:24:39.18 it's not enough to go to church, 00:24:39.21\00:24:40.96 it's not enough to sing in the choir, 00:24:40.99\00:24:43.04 it's not enough to quote, 00:24:43.07\00:24:45.06 it's not enough to read the books, 00:24:45.09\00:24:47.95 it's not enough, you need to be born again. 00:24:47.98\00:24:51.83 And some people go through a whole life experience 00:24:51.86\00:24:55.40 claiming to be Christian, claiming to serve God 00:24:55.43\00:24:58.27 and yet they've never experienced, 00:24:58.30\00:24:59.88 fully experienced born again. 00:24:59.91\00:25:02.48 They never truly exp-- 00:25:02.51\00:25:03.60 Well, they got wet sometime but never truly experience 00:25:03.63\00:25:07.93 the experience of Jesus Christ is talking here. 00:25:07.96\00:25:10.40 He says, Nicodemus, you need, you need to be born, 00:25:10.43\00:25:14.57 you need to be born of the water and of the spirit. 00:25:14.60\00:25:19.56 Come on now, you hear me here. 00:25:19.59\00:25:21.73 What is rebirth? 00:25:21.76\00:25:22.79 It's beginning of your life over again. 00:25:22.82\00:25:25.01 That moment you're baptized into Christ, 00:25:25.04\00:25:27.24 that moment the sins are washed away, 00:25:27.27\00:25:29.67 that moment your life begins over again 00:25:29.70\00:25:32.00 and listen to me, 00:25:32.03\00:25:33.39 you don't prepare it, God prepares it. 00:25:33.42\00:25:36.62 Now, I got to get ready. 00:25:37.72\00:25:39.03 What ready for what? 00:25:39.06\00:25:41.86 It's a natural thing, 00:25:41.89\00:25:43.94 when you're lost to be found it's natural, 00:25:43.97\00:25:45.89 when you're down you need to be lifted up it's natural. 00:25:45.92\00:25:50.38 To want to be born, to be born again. 00:25:50.41\00:25:54.62 And so he talks about this beautiful spiritual barrier, 00:25:54.65\00:25:58.43 the spiritual resurrection to a new life, 00:25:58.46\00:26:00.99 a totally awesome experience of baptism, 00:26:01.02\00:26:03.89 baptism by Jesus Christ. 00:26:03.92\00:26:07.38 In fact, baptism is mentioned over 80 times in the Bible. 00:26:07.41\00:26:12.44 Do you hear me? 00:26:12.47\00:26:13.68 Baptism is mentioned 80 times 00:26:13.71\00:26:16.79 in your Bible and in scripture. 00:26:16.82\00:26:19.29 It's always been associated with a new life, 00:26:19.32\00:26:21.18 a changed life, a new joy, 00:26:21.21\00:26:23.11 a new peace, a new way of living. 00:26:23.14\00:26:26.17 Keep in mind the last words of a person 00:26:26.20\00:26:27.80 is usually the most important 00:26:27.83\00:26:29.43 and in the last testament of Jesus Christ to His disciples 00:26:29.46\00:26:32.97 you will notice what He talks about. 00:26:33.00\00:26:34.49 He doesn't talk about some philosophical idea. 00:26:34.52\00:26:37.33 He doesn't talk about some theological big-- 00:26:37.36\00:26:40.59 He doesn't talk about some intricate prophecy 00:26:40.62\00:26:43.29 that only a few know about. 00:26:43.32\00:26:45.06 He talks about a rebirth. 00:26:45.09\00:26:47.07 And notice what He says here. 00:26:47.10\00:26:48.70 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, 00:26:48.73\00:26:51.48 baptizing them in the name of the Father, 00:26:51.51\00:26:53.86 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 00:26:53.89\00:26:57.04 He said go, that's the work of the ministry. 00:26:57.07\00:26:59.15 That's the work of God in the last day 00:26:59.18\00:27:01.27 to bring you to a place that you'll be reborn. 00:27:01.30\00:27:04.08 Born to the spirit and born of the water. 00:27:04.11\00:27:06.53 And it's both that you are born off. 00:27:06.56\00:27:08.70 Some are born to the water never of the spirit. 00:27:08.73\00:27:11.75 You will not see the kingdom of God. 00:27:11.78\00:27:14.96 Some say they are born of the spirit 00:27:14.99\00:27:16.44 but never been born of the water. 00:27:16.47\00:27:18.48 You will never see the kingdom of God. 00:27:18.51\00:27:21.58 Because He said to Nicodemus, 00:27:21.61\00:27:23.61 unless you are born of the water 00:27:23.64\00:27:25.27 and the spirit you'll not see the kingdom. 00:27:25.30\00:27:29.69 Not, it's not my words, I couldn't say that, 00:27:29.72\00:27:31.67 I mean, I had no courage to say that. 00:27:31.70\00:27:34.65 His final word to the believer is to teach them 00:27:34.68\00:27:36.90 and to baptize them. Why? 00:27:36.93\00:27:38.87 Because lost mankind needs it. Why? 00:27:38.90\00:27:41.20 Because unhappy people need it. Why? 00:27:41.23\00:27:43.59 Because sinning people need it. 00:27:43.62\00:27:45.41 He needs forgiveness. 00:27:45.44\00:27:46.50 They need a new life. They need a new hope. 00:27:46.53\00:27:48.38 They need new character 00:27:48.41\00:27:49.77 and that comes through the power of Jesus Christ. 00:27:49.80\00:27:52.26 He goes on to say, 00:27:52.29\00:27:53.67 "Teaching them to observe all things 00:27:53.70\00:27:55.36 whatsoever I have commanded you, 00:27:55.39\00:27:56.60 lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." 00:27:56.63\00:27:59.89 He says you teach them, baptize them 00:27:59.92\00:28:02.37 and then go on teaching them. 00:28:02.40\00:28:04.94 I know some people that think 00:28:04.97\00:28:07.20 they have to have a PhD in theology 00:28:07.23\00:28:09.28 before they're baptized. 00:28:09.31\00:28:11.05 I know some preachers that think 00:28:11.08\00:28:12.39 that people need to have a PhD in Bible to be baptized. 00:28:12.42\00:28:17.50 Some of them wouldn't baptize their own mother. 00:28:17.53\00:28:19.79 God forgive them for that. 00:28:19.82\00:28:21.43 Jesus said, what hinders you from being baptized. 00:28:21.46\00:28:24.57 Jesus says right away come and be baptized, 00:28:24.60\00:28:27.74 be baptized, be baptized 00:28:27.77\00:28:29.97 and yet we make it as if it's a course of study 00:28:30.00\00:28:33.35 and if you get enough right 00:28:33.38\00:28:34.69 and you get A's on your test then you will be ready. 00:28:34.72\00:28:37.72 You do not know who is ready. 00:28:37.75\00:28:40.38 You don't know who is ready. 00:28:40.41\00:28:41.62 You cannot read the human heart. 00:28:41.65\00:28:44.00 You, when I came in, if I came to my church, 00:28:44.03\00:28:46.27 your churches I came to God, black leather jacket skull, 00:28:46.30\00:28:49.79 blood ripping over the skull, switch plate in my pock-- 00:28:49.82\00:28:52.83 hey listen, I'm gonna tell the story of my conversion 00:28:52.86\00:28:54.78 but walking into your church 00:28:54.81\00:28:56.69 you think he's a last candidate. 00:28:56.72\00:28:59.29 I could hardly read then take a PhD, 00:29:00.95\00:29:06.83 it took a broken heart. 00:29:06.86\00:29:08.15 Amen. Amen. 00:29:08.18\00:29:09.88 It took a willingness to humble myself before God. 00:29:09.91\00:29:13.30 "He that believeth and is" what? 00:29:17.75\00:29:19.75 "Baptized shall be" what? 00:29:19.78\00:29:22.15 Come on, saved. 00:29:22.18\00:29:24.19 The church can't save you, preacher can't save you, 00:29:24.22\00:29:26.83 your priest can't save you, no one can save you. 00:29:26.86\00:29:29.79 Jesus Christ alone and He says if you believe 00:29:29.82\00:29:33.08 and are baptized you shall be saved, 00:29:33.11\00:29:36.09 "But he that believeth not shall be damned." 00:29:36.12\00:29:39.87 Pay day some day. 00:29:39.90\00:29:42.30 I know you're like pretty little sermons 00:29:43.35\00:29:45.03 with bubbling brooks, come on now. 00:29:45.06\00:29:47.91 You know big TV, you know you are wonderful. 00:29:47.94\00:29:52.12 Oh, yes. 00:29:52.15\00:29:53.88 So nice that you gave God one hour this week 00:29:53.91\00:29:57.01 and came to church. 00:29:57.04\00:29:59.35 That's tourist, 00:29:59.38\00:30:00.61 God is looking for pilgrims, pilgrims. 00:30:00.64\00:30:05.29 Listen to me what baptism is. 00:30:05.32\00:30:07.34 There are two prerequisites. 00:30:07.37\00:30:09.05 First of all, inner faith, inner belief in God. 00:30:09.08\00:30:11.33 Faith is trusting God. 00:30:11.36\00:30:14.17 Faith is putting your trust in God. 00:30:14.20\00:30:16.24 All your life you put your trust in yourself, 00:30:16.27\00:30:18.39 I can do it, this religious people 00:30:18.42\00:30:20.38 if I try hard enough I'll do it. 00:30:20.41\00:30:23.16 When I talked to him, how's your spiritual life? 00:30:23.19\00:30:24.70 I'm trying, I'm trying hard. 00:30:24.73\00:30:27.50 Stop trying hard and start trusting. 00:30:28.78\00:30:31.43 Amen. Soft. 00:30:31.46\00:30:34.56 Start trusting. 00:30:34.59\00:30:35.67 He says there has to be inner faith. 00:30:35.70\00:30:37.55 You have to have faith. 00:30:37.58\00:30:38.61 Faith is a substance of things not seen. 00:30:38.64\00:30:40.71 I haven't seen God, I have sensed Him, 00:30:40.74\00:30:43.45 I feel Him, I hear Him 00:30:43.48\00:30:45.59 but I haven't met Him physically. 00:30:45.62\00:30:50.33 But I don't need to, because I have an inner faith. 00:30:50.36\00:30:55.46 You see, an inner faith, an outward obedience, 00:30:55.49\00:30:59.03 an outward demonstration of that faith. 00:30:59.06\00:31:02.10 And so when Jesus talked about it, 00:31:02.13\00:31:04.96 He talked about this inner peace 00:31:04.99\00:31:07.00 that comes through the water 00:31:07.03\00:31:08.92 by becoming identified to Jesus. 00:31:08.95\00:31:11.50 Jesus when He talked about rebirth, 00:31:11.53\00:31:13.65 the new life, He talked about the water. 00:31:13.68\00:31:16.47 And He talked about the abundant life. 00:31:16.50\00:31:18.73 For instance there was a jailer at Philippi. 00:31:18.76\00:31:22.03 The apostles taught him overnight. 00:31:22.06\00:31:25.21 Well, I think I'll have 00:31:25.24\00:31:26.27 a 32 week Bible study set with you. 00:31:26.30\00:31:31.83 I started with 21 but now I'm getting so good at this 00:31:31.86\00:31:34.42 I think it would be worth 32. 00:31:34.45\00:31:36.79 If they make it through 32 lessons, 00:31:36.82\00:31:39.62 I might be able to baptize but what is that about, go read it. 00:31:39.65\00:31:43.71 Don't say you believe in a Bible 00:31:47.53\00:31:48.97 then come up with your own rules. 00:31:49.00\00:31:50.64 Amen. 00:31:50.67\00:31:53.13 Amen, come on now. 00:31:53.16\00:31:55.11 Don't read your Bible and come up with some rule 00:31:55.14\00:31:57.69 that you come along, somewhere along the way. 00:31:57.72\00:31:59.77 Listen, "See, here is the water," 00:31:59.80\00:32:01.96 that's the eunuch 00:32:01.99\00:32:03.44 "what doth hinder me from being baptized? 00:32:03.47\00:32:05.25 Philip said, if thou believest 00:32:05.28\00:32:06.41 with all thine heart, you mayest. 00:32:06.44\00:32:07.99 And he answered and said, I believe 00:32:08.02\00:32:09.23 that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." 00:32:09.26\00:32:13.75 And boy they had a great baptismal service there. 00:32:13.78\00:32:16.88 I wish I had been there. 00:32:16.91\00:32:19.39 And He commanded the chariot to stand still, 00:32:19.42\00:32:21.34 they went down into the water, 00:32:21.37\00:32:22.58 both Philip and eunuch, and he baptized him." 00:32:22.61\00:32:26.22 They heard, they saw, they believed. 00:32:26.25\00:32:28.58 They demonstrated their faith in Christ, 00:32:28.61\00:32:31.04 there's a satanic conspiracy going on in the church. 00:32:31.07\00:32:35.14 Listen to me, it's not outside the church, 00:32:35.17\00:32:38.34 it's inside the church and one is it doesn't matter. 00:32:38.37\00:32:43.90 It doesn't matter. 00:32:43.93\00:32:45.13 Secondly, it's not important, 00:32:45.16\00:32:46.65 and thirdly any kind of baptism is all right. 00:32:46.68\00:32:50.23 That's the three deceptions of the antichrist. 00:32:50.26\00:32:53.60 And by the way that did not come into the church 00:32:53.63\00:32:55.44 until hundreds of years after the New Testament. 00:32:55.47\00:32:58.03 It doesn't matter, it's not important 00:32:59.90\00:33:02.22 and any kind of baptism is all right. 00:33:02.25\00:33:05.51 Well, let's go to the scripture, 00:33:05.54\00:33:06.57 don't take my word for it. 00:33:06.60\00:33:07.73 "Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now, 00:33:07.76\00:33:10.59 for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. 00:33:10.62\00:33:13.14 And then he suffered him." He suffered him. 00:33:13.17\00:33:15.64 "And Jesus, when He was baptized 00:33:15.67\00:33:17.17 went up straightway out of the water, 00:33:17.20\00:33:19.35 and, lo, the heavens and the earth opened unto him, 00:33:19.38\00:33:21.60 and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove," 00:33:21.63\00:33:24.65 like a dove "and lightening upon him, 00:33:24.68\00:33:26.45 And lo a voice from heaven, 00:33:26.48\00:33:27.66 saying, This is my beloved Son, 00:33:27.69\00:33:30.53 in whom I am well pleased." 00:33:30.56\00:33:34.07 If my Lord showed the example of baptism, 00:33:34.10\00:33:37.57 surely I'm not too good for it. 00:33:37.60\00:33:39.28 Amen. Amen. 00:33:39.31\00:33:41.15 He went down in the water-- 00:33:41.18\00:33:42.25 By the way he was not baptizes onto repentance 00:33:42.28\00:33:44.17 like you and me. 00:33:44.20\00:33:45.78 He was without sin, Jesus. 00:33:45.81\00:33:48.44 But He was baptized to fulfill righteousness. 00:33:48.47\00:33:52.33 Well, that's what the person we couldn't ever be baptized. 00:33:52.36\00:33:55.62 Well, because the circumstances 00:33:55.65\00:33:56.92 could never go to the water to be baptized. 00:33:56.95\00:34:00.39 And He was baptized for them and for all those who followed. 00:34:00.42\00:34:04.45 That's what the Bible says, it's clear, 00:34:04.48\00:34:06.16 there's no question here. 00:34:06.19\00:34:07.45 In fact, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ was baptized, 00:34:07.48\00:34:10.95 He came up out of the water. 00:34:10.98\00:34:12.87 And the dove came down upon Him that was the Spirit. 00:34:12.90\00:34:16.05 The dove was the Spirit that came down upon Him. 00:34:16.08\00:34:18.40 There is one Lord, who's that? 00:34:18.43\00:34:20.35 Jesus Christ. 00:34:20.38\00:34:21.41 There is one faith, and there is one what? 00:34:21.44\00:34:23.92 Baptism. 00:34:23.95\00:34:24.98 That's what the Bible says according to Paul 00:34:25.01\00:34:26.52 there is only one type of baptism, 00:34:26.55\00:34:28.33 just as there's one faith Bible religion. 00:34:28.36\00:34:30.65 Just as there's one Lord, Jesus Christ, 00:34:30.68\00:34:32.69 who died for our sins on the cross rose again 00:34:32.72\00:34:35.79 so that we might have eternal life. 00:34:35.82\00:34:37.77 I mean, it's right there in the Word of God. 00:34:37.80\00:34:39.90 Let's now turn to the Bible, Mark 1:9-11, 00:34:39.93\00:34:42.28 "And it came to pass in those days, 00:34:42.31\00:34:43.80 Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, 00:34:43.83\00:34:45.51 to be baptized of John in the Jordan." 00:34:45.54\00:34:48.13 He goes on to say, 00:34:48.16\00:34:49.39 "And straightway coming up out of the water, 00:34:49.42\00:34:51.13 he saw the heavens opened, 00:34:51.16\00:34:52.48 and the Spirit like a dove descend, 00:34:52.51\00:34:55.46 and there came a voice from heaven, 00:34:55.49\00:34:56.82 saying, Thou art my beloved Son, 00:34:56.85\00:34:58.87 in whom I am well" what? 00:34:58.90\00:35:00.69 "Pleased." 00:35:00.72\00:35:01.75 And there he said, 00:35:01.78\00:35:03.01 "And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, 00:35:03.04\00:35:05.81 because there was" what? 00:35:05.84\00:35:06.92 "Much water there." 00:35:06.95\00:35:08.94 When the apostles went forth to baptize 00:35:08.97\00:35:11.07 there was much water there 00:35:11.10\00:35:12.63 because they did the only baptism which is in the Bible, 00:35:12.66\00:35:15.64 the only kind of baptism in the Bible which was immersion. 00:35:15.67\00:35:19.05 So there had to be much water 00:35:19.08\00:35:21.29 because you see baptism was a symbol of death, burial. 00:35:21.32\00:35:24.90 You don't put the body on the ground 00:35:24.93\00:35:26.93 sprinkle it with some sand and walk away. 00:35:26.96\00:35:29.79 You bury it under the ground. 00:35:29.82\00:35:31.67 Amen. Amen. 00:35:31.70\00:35:33.58 You bury it under the ground. 00:35:33.61\00:35:35.81 Some pour, some sprinkle, 00:35:38.26\00:35:42.06 some immerse and yet there's one baptism. 00:35:42.09\00:35:46.89 I read some the other day, it was kind of comical. 00:35:46.92\00:35:48.89 Two preachers got together 00:35:48.92\00:35:50.23 and they were sitting around having coffee 00:35:50.26\00:35:51.83 and you know, trying to let each other know 00:35:51.86\00:35:54.79 their church is better than the other ones 00:35:54.82\00:35:56.34 you know, and the old Baptist had said, 00:35:56.37\00:36:00.18 my congregation gave me waders, 00:36:00.21\00:36:04.32 new waders so I could baptize and not get wet. 00:36:04.35\00:36:08.56 A Methodist preacher across from said, 00:36:08.59\00:36:10.62 well, my congregation gave me rubber gloves. 00:36:10.65\00:36:13.84 They don't get it. 00:36:15.59\00:36:17.27 What a group rubber gloves. 00:36:17.30\00:36:19.60 Sprinkle, rubber gloves. 00:36:19.63\00:36:21.57 Oh, I thought that was good may be it's my mind is twisted. 00:36:21.60\00:36:26.58 I have a twisted mind, I finally found out. 00:36:26.61\00:36:29.92 I got a twisted mind, there's no hope for me. 00:36:29.95\00:36:33.00 Ah, mercy. 00:36:33.03\00:36:34.89 So, some pour, some sprinkle, some immerse baptize. 00:36:34.92\00:36:39.07 One minister laid his dry hands on a baby's head and say 00:36:39.10\00:36:41.93 I'll now baptize you in the name of the Father, 00:36:41.96\00:36:43.66 Son and Holy Spirit that's the dry cleaning method. 00:36:43.69\00:36:46.48 You got that one, okay. 00:36:48.81\00:36:50.84 You're waking up. 00:36:50.87\00:36:52.27 So friend, we want to know what scripture says, 00:36:55.14\00:36:56.74 amen, come on now. 00:36:56.77\00:36:58.54 We wanted to do what scripture says, 00:36:58.57\00:36:59.99 I mean, what the Bible says. 00:37:00.02\00:37:02.07 Don't call yourself a Bible believer 00:37:02.10\00:37:03.59 and then the Bible says one thing and you do the other. 00:37:03.62\00:37:06.26 Be a Bible believer 00:37:06.29\00:37:07.32 and a Bible believer follows what the Bible says 00:37:07.35\00:37:09.59 even though it's a hardship, even though it may not be easy 00:37:09.62\00:37:12.98 and God never called you to easy, never called it easy. 00:37:13.01\00:37:19.05 In fact, we find that Baptize is a transliteration 00:37:19.08\00:37:22.97 of the Greek word "Baptizo." 00:37:23.00\00:37:25.29 And by the way its used, listen, 00:37:25.32\00:37:27.75 you can't get anything else out of it. 00:37:27.78\00:37:30.66 Is used to refer to a piece of cloth 00:37:30.69\00:37:33.88 completely immersed in dye, a vessel submerged 00:37:33.91\00:37:38.33 under the water to fill it. 00:37:38.36\00:37:40.59 That's what it means to Baptizo to put it down under. 00:37:40.62\00:37:43.75 You women don't stand back from a cloth 00:37:43.78\00:37:46.31 if you're gonna dye it and sprinkle it, 00:37:46.34\00:37:49.01 you don't even pour it. 00:37:51.13\00:37:53.72 You immerse it. 00:37:53.75\00:37:55.38 And by the way we sin from head to toe, 00:37:56.45\00:37:59.47 come on, our toes lead us to places we shouldn't go. 00:37:59.50\00:38:02.45 Our head thinks of things we shouldn't think. 00:38:02.48\00:38:04.33 You see, so we needed from head to toe. 00:38:04.36\00:38:08.50 Doesn't take a rocket scientist, 00:38:08.53\00:38:11.37 from head to toe. 00:38:11.40\00:38:13.68 And this term is used again and again to submerge, 00:38:13.71\00:38:17.17 to bury and there is great significance here my friend, 00:38:17.20\00:38:20.53 if you desire a new life in Jesus Christ, 00:38:20.56\00:38:22.37 set forth the way of a new life. 00:38:22.40\00:38:24.01 If we love Jesus and want to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, 00:38:24.04\00:38:26.88 He will lead us to that place so that we might be baptized 00:38:26.91\00:38:29.97 as Jesus was for He is our example 00:38:30.00\00:38:32.76 and there is no reason why we can't be 00:38:32.79\00:38:35.01 because He is our example. 00:38:35.04\00:38:37.10 In the Bible we find it again and again "Know ye not, 00:38:37.13\00:38:40.92 that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ 00:38:40.95\00:38:43.68 were baptized into his" what? 00:38:43.71\00:38:45.24 "His death? 00:38:45.27\00:38:46.30 Therefore we are buried with Him in baptism unto death," 00:38:46.33\00:38:52.20 and then he goes on to say, 00:38:52.23\00:38:54.08 "And that like as Christ was raised up 00:38:54.11\00:38:55.93 from the dead by the glory of the God 00:38:55.96\00:38:58.00 or the Father, even so we also should" what? 00:38:58.03\00:39:00.99 "Walk in newness of life." 00:39:01.02\00:39:03.99 I like that picture. 00:39:04.02\00:39:06.06 Look at that man's face. 00:39:06.09\00:39:08.14 Come on, look at that smile. 00:39:08.17\00:39:10.14 Look at that preacher he's even happy. 00:39:10.17\00:39:12.91 Isn't that beautiful? 00:39:12.94\00:39:14.51 I've seen some of the most beautiful baptisms 00:39:14.54\00:39:16.32 in the world, 00:39:16.35\00:39:17.83 but the most beautiful is when a teenage kid from Brooklyn, 00:39:17.86\00:39:22.84 went to a church down two mile, 00:39:22.87\00:39:24.77 two hours on the subway from his home 00:39:24.80\00:39:27.98 because it was a Bible teaching church 00:39:28.01\00:39:30.48 and there he went, he was baptized. 00:39:30.51\00:39:32.96 That was the only family that was there at that time 00:39:34.57\00:39:38.68 and I had the privilege to see my family baptized all along 00:39:38.71\00:39:42.52 and there is someone praying for 00:39:42.55\00:39:44.74 that they might experience this smile and this joy. 00:39:44.77\00:39:48.06 Baptized, he came up in joy. He came up in joy. 00:39:48.09\00:39:52.56 But what about rebaptism? 00:39:52.59\00:39:53.73 Some say well, may be I've been baptized, 00:39:53.76\00:39:56.55 may be you've been sprinkled, may be you've been poured. 00:39:56.58\00:39:58.51 They did it honestly, there's nothing-- 00:39:58.54\00:40:00.19 I'm not saying anything against them, 00:40:00.22\00:40:01.72 I'm just saying this is the Bible way. 00:40:01.75\00:40:03.59 Now, you may say well, 00:40:03.62\00:40:06.15 is there anything about rebaptism? 00:40:06.18\00:40:07.53 Maybe I was baptized as a child but I really wasn't born again, 00:40:07.56\00:40:10.58 I really never experienced the spirit, 00:40:10.61\00:40:12.17 I never really came to that experience. 00:40:12.20\00:40:14.50 And what does the Bible teach about 00:40:14.53\00:40:15.82 doesn't matter what I say, okay. 00:40:15.85\00:40:17.37 What it matters what the Bible says. 00:40:17.40\00:40:19.42 "And he said unto them, 00:40:19.45\00:40:20.62 unto what then were you baptized? 00:40:20.65\00:40:22.22 And they said, John's baptism." 00:40:22.25\00:40:23.86 That was immersion. 00:40:23.89\00:40:24.99 That was the baptism of Jesus. 00:40:25.02\00:40:27.02 "And then he said Paul, 00:40:27.05\00:40:28.34 John baptized with the baptism of repentance, 00:40:28.37\00:40:30.86 saying unto the people," he goes on, 00:40:30.89\00:40:33.15 "that they should believe on Him 00:40:33.18\00:40:35.01 which should come after Him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 00:40:35.04\00:40:38.66 And when they heard this, 00:40:38.69\00:40:39.81 they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." 00:40:39.84\00:40:42.18 They're re-baptized. 00:40:42.21\00:40:43.99 So if that question comes to your heart there it is 00:40:44.02\00:40:47.16 but you know that even the early church baptized. 00:40:47.19\00:40:50.54 There was a large church built at Ephesus 00:40:50.57\00:40:52.83 and there we see a baptistery, 00:40:52.86\00:40:54.69 that was in the early church 00:40:54.72\00:40:55.84 they baptized by immersion, the early church. 00:40:55.87\00:40:58.70 There's a large church, it was a church laid it. 00:40:58.73\00:41:00.99 There was a baptistery in that church. 00:41:01.02\00:41:03.84 It was 4 feet deep and 12 feet across. 00:41:03.87\00:41:06.66 Steps entering one side 00:41:06.69\00:41:08.00 and steps leaving the other side. 00:41:08.03\00:41:09.90 The great church of Pisa, that was a baptistery. 00:41:09.93\00:41:13.70 And the Council of Ravenna, 00:41:13.73\00:41:15.59 sprinkling did not officially enter the church until when? 00:41:15.62\00:41:19.88 1311. 00:41:19.91\00:41:22.18 In vein do they worship me 00:41:22.21\00:41:23.73 teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. 00:41:23.76\00:41:27.40 And so they thought, well, this would be easier. 00:41:27.43\00:41:31.40 But friend, it's not whether it's easy or not. 00:41:31.43\00:41:35.14 It's whether it's right, come on now. 00:41:35.17\00:41:37.78 It's whether if it is right and then late as 300 A.D. 00:41:37.81\00:41:42.80 Roman Catholic people were baptized by immersion. 00:41:42.83\00:41:45.27 I don't know if you know that. 00:41:45.30\00:41:46.63 But that was until 300 A.D. that they were baptized. 00:41:46.66\00:41:51.77 And more than 1,200 years after the death of Jesus, 00:41:51.80\00:41:54.53 Christians practiced immersion baptism. 00:41:54.56\00:41:58.32 But they changed. 00:41:58.35\00:42:00.34 No man has right to change what God speaks 00:42:00.37\00:42:02.52 and what God says. 00:42:02.55\00:42:04.72 It's forever. 00:42:04.75\00:42:06.61 My words are forever. 00:42:06.64\00:42:08.52 And but there's three important steps we need to take. 00:42:08.55\00:42:11.65 First of all, belief. 00:42:11.68\00:42:13.16 You have to believe 00:42:13.19\00:42:14.48 that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. 00:42:14.51\00:42:16.89 You have to believe what the Bible says. 00:42:16.92\00:42:19.32 You see that's why it's so important that we learn 00:42:19.35\00:42:21.92 and then we make a clear decision. 00:42:21.95\00:42:24.90 My mamma had me sprinkled. 00:42:24.93\00:42:26.84 That didn't take when I was 12 years old, 00:42:26.87\00:42:28.30 I've so much trouble, she had me sprinkled again. 00:42:28.33\00:42:32.55 I think of it, she would've kept sprinkling me 00:42:32.58\00:42:35.94 but I finally got saved 00:42:35.97\00:42:37.00 and I finally went to the water, 00:42:37.03\00:42:38.18 I finally found redemption 00:42:38.21\00:42:40.05 and I was born again by the grace of God 00:42:40.08\00:42:42.47 and I experience baptism. 00:42:42.50\00:42:43.75 What a beautiful day and moment. 00:42:43.78\00:42:45.47 Belief, and if you believe, "And Philip said, 00:42:45.50\00:42:47.86 if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. 00:42:47.89\00:42:50.13 And he answered and said, I believe 00:42:50.16\00:42:51.31 that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." 00:42:51.34\00:42:53.56 That's what he says, there are three important. 00:42:53.59\00:42:54.91 Second repent, you have to feel sorry for your sin. 00:42:54.94\00:42:57.65 You got to say I'm sorry Jesus, but more than that 00:42:57.68\00:43:00.04 you've got to repent to that sin. 00:43:00.07\00:43:01.60 You're gonna lay that sin at the foot of the cross 00:43:01.63\00:43:03.85 "And Peter said unto them, 00:43:03.88\00:43:04.94 Repent and be baptized every one of you 00:43:04.97\00:43:07.07 in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, 00:43:07.10\00:43:09.51 and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." 00:43:09.54\00:43:12.09 You're gonna receive the gift of the Holy Ghost 00:43:12.12\00:43:14.08 through your baptism. 00:43:14.11\00:43:15.26 Thirdly, Knowledge and Obedience. 00:43:15.29\00:43:17.62 You knowledge God, you have knowledge, 00:43:17.65\00:43:19.79 "Go ye therefore, 00:43:19.82\00:43:20.85 and teach them baptizing them in the name of the Father, 00:43:20.88\00:43:22.91 Son and Holy Spirit." 00:43:22.94\00:43:24.52 So there you learn of Jesus, 00:43:24.55\00:43:26.34 you learn about Him 00:43:26.37\00:43:27.60 you're baptized in the kingdom of heaven. 00:43:27.63\00:43:29.56 And there in the preaching He called men and women 00:43:29.59\00:43:32.30 always for the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:43:32.33\00:43:35.33 "And then they that gladly received His word were" what? 00:43:35.36\00:43:37.68 "Baptized, the same day there were added to them" how? 00:43:37.71\00:43:40.24 "Three thousand souls." 00:43:40.27\00:43:41.71 It was the day of Pentecost. 00:43:41.74\00:43:43.24 The day of Pentecost at the end of that day 00:43:43.27\00:43:45.24 they baptized the people. 00:43:45.27\00:43:47.65 So baptism was as important, 00:43:47.68\00:43:49.12 don't talk about the Holy Spirit, 00:43:49.15\00:43:50.42 now talk about baptism. 00:43:50.45\00:43:52.07 And don't talk about the baptism or Holy Spirit 00:43:52.10\00:43:53.81 until you talk about the baptism of the repentance 00:43:53.84\00:43:56.65 because Jesus said, 00:43:56.68\00:43:58.39 the baptism of repentance leads to the baptism of Holy Spirit, 00:43:58.42\00:44:01.86 the Holy Spirit. 00:44:01.89\00:44:04.29 Notice this, "And they continued steadfastly 00:44:04.32\00:44:08.02 in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, 00:44:08.05\00:44:10.94 and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." 00:44:10.97\00:44:13.41 In prayers. 00:44:13.44\00:44:14.95 I heard Miller, he tells the story that introduces 00:44:14.98\00:44:17.55 what I'm about to say in closing. 00:44:17.58\00:44:20.39 While visiting Leningrad, Russia 00:44:20.42\00:44:21.71 a woman heard of a shocking story 00:44:21.74\00:44:22.99 900,000 people were perished. 00:44:23.02\00:44:27.65 This was long siege of Leningrad, 00:44:27.68\00:44:29.18 you read about it I'm sure in your history. 00:44:29.21\00:44:31.87 Now, the families wanted to save their children 00:44:31.90\00:44:34.57 so great trucks came and they put the little, 00:44:34.60\00:44:36.86 but children on to these trucks. 00:44:36.89\00:44:39.91 Mothers lay their children on the truck 00:44:39.94\00:44:43.33 and then the truck started pulling out, 00:44:43.36\00:44:45.49 I mean, they knew 00:44:45.52\00:44:46.91 that they would never see their children again. 00:44:46.94\00:44:48.87 Can you imagine mother? 00:44:48.90\00:44:51.29 Nine hundred thousand. 00:44:52.51\00:44:55.12 And as the children were being driven 00:44:55.15\00:44:57.14 across the cold frozen lake they cried out. 00:44:57.17\00:45:00.53 Remember your name. 00:45:00.56\00:45:03.14 Remember your name. 00:45:03.17\00:45:05.68 Remember who you are? 00:45:05.71\00:45:08.64 We ought to remember our name. 00:45:10.67\00:45:13.26 Christian. 00:45:13.29\00:45:14.62 Christian. 00:45:17.14\00:45:19.35 To remember-- 00:45:19.38\00:45:20.41 that at Antioch was the first time 00:45:20.44\00:45:22.26 they called them Christian. 00:45:22.29\00:45:24.40 Listen, you could follow Jesus, 00:45:24.43\00:45:26.27 you could follow the apostles and listen to their preaching 00:45:26.30\00:45:29.13 but until you were baptized they left you alone. 00:45:29.16\00:45:32.58 The Romans wouldn't persecute you. 00:45:32.61\00:45:34.55 You could go and listen 00:45:34.58\00:45:36.31 but the moment you decide it for Jesus, 00:45:36.34\00:45:38.14 the moment you decided for the truth, 00:45:38.17\00:45:39.85 the moment you are baptized all hell broke loose. 00:45:39.88\00:45:44.51 And they were persecuted because why, 00:45:45.82\00:45:47.97 you see their baptism identify themselves with Jesus Christ. 00:45:48.00\00:45:51.65 You see, your baptism is not only repentance, 00:45:51.68\00:45:53.79 your baptism identifies yourself 00:45:53.82\00:45:56.34 with none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:45:56.37\00:45:58.64 You identify yourself. 00:45:58.67\00:46:00.48 Someone said, oh, do I, can I be baptized 00:46:00.51\00:46:02.64 but not join the church? 00:46:02.67\00:46:03.70 That's like saying can I get married 00:46:03.73\00:46:05.02 and not go on a honeymoon. 00:46:05.05\00:46:07.53 It's there that you learn discipleship. 00:46:07.56\00:46:09.90 It's there you learn how to serve God. 00:46:09.93\00:46:12.18 It's there you're disciple so you might go out 00:46:12.21\00:46:14.51 and become like one of the apostle sharing your faith. 00:46:14.54\00:46:17.24 Listen friend, 00:46:17.27\00:46:18.30 a Christian can't wait to tell others about Christ. 00:46:18.33\00:46:21.57 Amen. 00:46:21.60\00:46:23.64 Can't wait. 00:46:25.23\00:46:26.91 There's an urgency in baptism. 00:46:26.94\00:46:29.31 "And now why tarriest thou? 00:46:29.34\00:46:31.05 Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy" what? 00:46:31.08\00:46:34.95 "He says wash away thy sins, 00:46:34.98\00:46:36.96 "I mean, that's urgent. 00:46:36.99\00:46:38.28 Well, I think great grandpa's coming in five months 00:46:38.31\00:46:41.88 maybe I should be baptized, what is that? 00:46:41.91\00:46:44.69 That's a balmiest, that's not a baptism. 00:46:44.72\00:46:47.72 Now, baptism is who, put the water I'm going. 00:46:48.87\00:46:53.17 Now baptism, I can't wait. 00:46:53.20\00:46:56.28 I mean, I can't-- 00:46:56.31\00:46:57.89 the IRT subway ran too slow that week. 00:46:57.92\00:47:02.79 That Sabbath when I went to be baptized 00:47:02.82\00:47:06.51 in the name of the Father and of the Son 00:47:06.54\00:47:10.15 and of the Holy Spirit to that baptism. 00:47:11.15\00:47:15.43 I was working in New York for many years 00:47:15.46\00:47:17.98 and I love working there as an evangelist 00:47:18.01\00:47:20.84 and the teacher and preacher 00:47:20.87\00:47:23.00 and I work for the street people 00:47:23.03\00:47:24.15 back then in the 60s and 70s and 80s, 00:47:24.18\00:47:26.63 you know, the Hippies and the Yippies and Wagumps 00:47:26.66\00:47:29.22 and Freebie Gypsies and I went through all of that 00:47:29.25\00:47:31.42 and you know that Jesus people and you know hey, you know. 00:47:31.45\00:47:35.19 I was good at, hey, you know. 00:47:35.22\00:47:37.44 I had a coffee house off a Broadway 00:47:39.04\00:47:40.77 you know, they would come in the street people 00:47:40.80\00:47:42.70 and we give them, you know, hot drink 00:47:42.73\00:47:46.89 and would share faith and would sing and play guitar, 00:47:46.92\00:47:49.33 everybody played the guitar you know, 00:47:49.36\00:47:50.71 in those days and happy music and happy poetry, 00:47:50.74\00:47:54.20 there was something nice about it. 00:47:54.23\00:47:56.26 I've led many and many have commune to Christ into Jesus. 00:47:56.29\00:47:59.69 It was beautiful, it was a beautiful experience. 00:47:59.72\00:48:01.42 But anyway I was working there in Bedford, 00:48:01.45\00:48:03.97 no, no I was working in Greenwich Village. 00:48:04.00\00:48:07.66 It's not an easy place on the west side 00:48:07.69\00:48:11.50 with the homosexuals on the east side 00:48:11.53\00:48:14.57 with the heroin addicts and there I was in the middle 00:48:14.60\00:48:18.41 and I would be handing out literature to my meetings 00:48:18.44\00:48:21.96 inviting people my wife and my two children 00:48:21.99\00:48:26.22 and a pastor and his wife and two children. 00:48:26.25\00:48:29.48 I don't know where the deacons were, 00:48:29.51\00:48:31.22 I better get off that because-- 00:48:31.25\00:48:33.23 and it started to rain I was feeling sorry for myself. 00:48:35.56\00:48:37.97 I said Billy Graham doesn't have to do this Lord, 00:48:38.00\00:48:40.29 and he said you are not Billy Graham. 00:48:40.32\00:48:41.61 So I went on giving out my literature. 00:48:41.64\00:48:43.87 But anyway I was sharing my faith in, 00:48:45.95\00:48:48.72 and I stood up that night in that little church 00:48:48.75\00:48:50.99 and open the Word of God and in walked Rick and Gwen. 00:48:51.02\00:48:55.83 They just come from a party 00:48:55.86\00:48:57.27 the night before at Janis Joplin. 00:48:57.30\00:49:01.21 They went to the party crack 00:49:01.24\00:49:02.84 I mean, coke and they were all high 00:49:02.87\00:49:05.44 and they came walking down the street, 00:49:05.47\00:49:06.96 they saw a handbill laying in the water 00:49:06.99\00:49:08.63 picked it up, brought it home. 00:49:08.66\00:49:10.49 Next afternoon they woke up from their stupor 00:49:10.52\00:49:12.81 and they found this handbill. 00:49:12.84\00:49:14.14 They said, what's this about? 00:49:14.17\00:49:15.50 Revelation. 00:49:15.53\00:49:17.33 So they came. 00:49:17.36\00:49:19.07 He was the music director for the off Broadway play "Hair," 00:49:19.10\00:49:21.72 she was a soap opera star and also a solo singer, 00:49:21.75\00:49:26.09 beautiful, beautiful girl. 00:49:26.12\00:49:28.40 And I remember when I led them to Christ, 00:49:28.43\00:49:32.40 when they came down I baptized in the name of Father, 00:49:32.43\00:49:34.53 Son and Holy Spirit. 00:49:34.56\00:49:36.50 God so filled that place, 00:49:36.53\00:49:37.92 God so filled those young people's lives 00:49:37.95\00:49:41.39 that God got them off coke, got them off 00:49:41.42\00:49:43.98 I mean, He cleaned them up, God always does that, 00:49:44.01\00:49:46.51 don't think your habit is too heavy for God. 00:49:46.54\00:49:48.79 Nothing is too heavy for God. 00:49:48.82\00:49:50.26 We'll anoint to get that, that's nothing, 00:49:50.29\00:49:51.89 see me, see one of the preaches but anyway I baptized them 00:49:51.92\00:49:56.18 and they went out to serve God 00:49:56.21\00:49:58.02 and they are serving God to this very day 00:49:58.05\00:50:00.12 and I met them recently in California 00:50:00.15\00:50:02.06 and they are still full of the spirit of God, 00:50:02.09\00:50:04.09 they are still so-- and they said, 00:50:04.12\00:50:05.54 remember that little church 00:50:05.57\00:50:06.79 that night just a few people were there 00:50:06.82\00:50:09.31 and brother Ron, you baptized us 00:50:09.34\00:50:11.14 and we're faithful to Jesus, 00:50:11.17\00:50:12.40 40 some years later they are faithful to Jesus 00:50:12.43\00:50:15.08 and they are out and they have now a place 00:50:15.11\00:50:17.45 where they're ministering and bringing people in 00:50:17.48\00:50:20.44 and helping them to a new life and to a new lifestyle and to-- 00:50:20.47\00:50:24.57 Hey, listen to me, God is able and He can do the same. 00:50:24.60\00:50:27.89 Do you need a new life? 00:50:27.92\00:50:29.46 Do you need a cleanse slate? 00:50:29.49\00:50:31.46 Hey, then listen to God when He speaks to you. 00:50:31.49\00:50:34.10 Listen to God when He says, come follow me, 00:50:34.13\00:50:36.61 experience what I want you to experience 00:50:36.64\00:50:39.15 and you'll know the joy, that passeth, 00:50:39.18\00:50:42.32 all understanding the joy, that passeth all understanding. 00:50:42.35\00:50:49.78 God bless you. 00:50:49.81\00:50:51.16 Another Bible question, here it's a good one, 00:51:26.21\00:51:28.15 let me read it to you. 00:51:28.18\00:51:30.28 Didn't the disciples observe Sunday 00:51:30.31\00:51:32.64 as the holy day after Jesus died 00:51:32.67\00:51:35.28 and went to heaven? 00:51:35.31\00:51:36.76 I could answer that in one word, 00:51:36.79\00:51:38.55 the answer is, no. 00:51:38.58\00:51:40.58 The disciples did not. 00:51:40.61\00:51:42.34 Well, wait a minute I was told, yeah, you were told 00:51:42.37\00:51:46.21 but you weren't told by the Bible. 00:51:46.24\00:51:47.92 You didn't read it in the Word of God. 00:51:47.95\00:51:49.63 In fact if you look into the Bible 00:51:49.66\00:51:51.98 you will find that the disciples continued 00:51:52.01\00:51:55.03 to worship on the seventh day Sabbath. 00:51:55.06\00:51:57.81 Let me read here in verse 42, 00:51:57.84\00:52:00.31 "When the Jews were gone out of the synagogue," 00:52:00.34\00:52:03.10 Acts 13:42, "The Gentiles besought 00:52:03.13\00:52:08.49 that these words might be preached 00:52:08.52\00:52:10.72 to them the next Sabbath." 00:52:10.75\00:52:12.50 Now in case you think that 00:52:12.53\00:52:14.54 the Sabbath had something to do with Jews 00:52:14.57\00:52:16.54 and nobody else here are Gentiles 00:52:16.57\00:52:19.24 and they next Sabbath you ought to teach us about this. 00:52:19.27\00:52:22.92 If the Gentiles weren't fussy 00:52:22.95\00:52:24.19 about what day the holy day was 00:52:24.22\00:52:25.50 they would have said next Friday, next Tuesday, 00:52:25.53\00:52:27.17 next Sunday but they knew, 00:52:27.20\00:52:30.39 they knew that the day of the worship 00:52:30.42\00:52:33.26 was the seventh day Sabbath day. 00:52:33.29\00:52:36.17 Now you know that Paul said in one place 00:52:36.20\00:52:41.74 I became all things to all people 00:52:41.77\00:52:44.03 that I might win some. 00:52:44.06\00:52:46.17 If that included the Sabbath day changing 00:52:46.20\00:52:50.87 well, Paul and Barnabas here might have been able to say, 00:52:50.90\00:52:54.42 oh, right, don't wait a week. 00:52:54.45\00:52:56.99 Let's meet tomorrow, Sunday but he didn't do that. 00:52:57.02\00:53:00.16 They hadn't been a change made. 00:53:00.19\00:53:01.85 Verse 44 says, "And the next Sabbath day 00:53:01.88\00:53:06.63 came almost the whole city together 00:53:06.66\00:53:09.41 to hear the word of God." 00:53:09.44\00:53:13.36 Well, what is this saying? 00:53:13.39\00:53:16.46 It says that long after Jesus died 00:53:16.49\00:53:19.00 the Sabbath day hadn't been changed. 00:53:19.03\00:53:22.43 As a matter of fact Jesus made it clear 00:53:22.46\00:53:26.23 that the Sabbath day wouldn't be changed 00:53:26.26\00:53:29.19 even long after He died. 00:53:29.22\00:53:32.07 Let me read another Bible verse to you, 00:53:32.10\00:53:33.72 it comes from Matthew Chapter 24. 00:53:33.75\00:53:35.68 In Matthew Chapter 24 Jesus said in verse 19, 00:53:35.71\00:53:38.78 "And woe unto them who are with child, 00:53:38.81\00:53:41.81 and to them that give suck" 00:53:41.84\00:53:43.06 or to those who are nursing children 00:53:43.09\00:53:45.55 "in those days!" What days? 00:53:45.58\00:53:46.96 He is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem 00:53:46.99\00:53:49.29 that would take place in the year A.D 70. 00:53:49.32\00:53:51.85 Jesus is looking forward 40 years 00:53:51.88\00:53:54.87 and He said woe to them in certain situations 00:53:54.90\00:53:58.07 in the year A.D. 70 00:53:58.10\00:54:00.30 four decades more or less after I die. 00:54:00.33\00:54:03.55 Why? 00:54:03.58\00:54:05.20 He said, pray that your flight be not in the winter 00:54:05.23\00:54:10.68 neither on the Sabbath day. 00:54:10.71\00:54:14.12 The Sabbath would be important 40 years after Jesus died. 00:54:14.15\00:54:19.07 Now, let me say this no, Jesus is not saying 00:54:19.10\00:54:23.78 Sabbath keeping is what gets you to heaven. 00:54:23.81\00:54:26.58 Jesus is not saying that to get that day right 00:54:26.61\00:54:30.55 or changed that somehow gives you the gift of salvation. 00:54:30.58\00:54:34.09 No. 00:54:34.12\00:54:35.32 Salvation comes one way by grace through faith 00:54:35.35\00:54:37.85 in Jesus Christ. 00:54:37.88\00:54:39.46 The question is though, 00:54:39.49\00:54:40.97 how does God want saved people to live? 00:54:41.00\00:54:43.34 What's the base witness? 00:54:43.37\00:54:44.84 What is the consistent practice? 00:54:44.87\00:54:47.58 What does obedience to God look like? It's clear. 00:54:47.61\00:54:52.02 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, God said. 00:54:52.05\00:54:54.61 Well, if we choose not to do that 00:54:54.64\00:54:57.06 does that look like obedience or disobedience? 00:54:57.09\00:54:59.56 Does it look like love for God 00:54:59.59\00:55:01.00 or does it look like He is just a little bit missing there? 00:55:01.03\00:55:04.67 No, the disciples didn't choose Sunday 00:55:04.70\00:55:07.47 as the holy day after Jesus died. 00:55:07.50\00:55:09.38 There's just nothing, 00:55:09.41\00:55:12.78 nothing in the Bible that suggests that. 00:55:12.81\00:55:16.57 So when we are thinking about what God would have us do 00:55:16.60\00:55:19.61 out of love for Him, it becomes clear, 00:55:19.64\00:55:23.04 God wants us to honor Him, 00:55:23.07\00:55:25.64 worship Him, keep His commandments. 00:55:25.67\00:55:27.66 Why? 00:55:27.69\00:55:28.74 Because we love Him. 00:55:28.77\00:55:30.11 And why do we love Him? 00:55:30.14\00:55:31.49 Because He first loved us. 00:55:31.52\00:55:35.65 Thanks for your questions, great questions. 00:55:35.68\00:55:37.72 We'll do it again next time. 00:55:37.75\00:55:39.27 Thank you for your Bible questions, 00:55:39.30\00:55:40.89 we'll try to give you a Bible answer. 00:55:40.92\00:55:43.75 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says "It is written, 00:55:51.89\00:55:55.54 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 00:55:55.57\00:55:57.81 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 00:55:57.84\00:56:01.58 Every Word is a one minute Bible based 00:56:01.61\00:56:03.90 daily devotional presented by Pastor John Bradshaw 00:56:03.93\00:56:06.95 and designed especially for busy people like you. 00:56:06.98\00:56:09.96 Look for Every Word on selective networks 00:56:09.99\00:56:12.78 or watch it online every day on our website itiswritten.com. 00:56:12.81\00:56:17.19 Receive a daily spiritual boost, 00:56:17.22\00:56:19.39 watch Every Word, you will be glad you did. 00:56:19.42\00:56:22.47 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart 00:56:26.26\00:56:28.44 and impressed you with the personal need 00:56:28.47\00:56:30.16 for deeper Bible study. 00:56:30.19\00:56:32.04 If you desire to listen to God and follow where He leads, 00:56:32.07\00:56:35.27 we got a wonderful resource that can help you 00:56:35.30\00:56:37.25 do that in a systemic way, the Discover Bible Guides. 00:56:37.28\00:56:41.55 These study guides will take you 00:56:41.58\00:56:42.92 through the essential truths taught in scripture. 00:56:42.95\00:56:45.41 They give you the big picture 00:56:45.44\00:56:47.02 showing how it all fits together. 00:56:47.05\00:56:49.34 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way 00:56:49.37\00:56:51.84 for you to become grounded in the Word of God 00:56:51.87\00:56:54.24 and to see how Jesus Christ 00:56:54.27\00:56:55.83 relates to all the areas of our lives. 00:56:55.86\00:56:58.83 Please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides 00:56:58.86\00:57:01.89 will be on their way to you. 00:57:01.92\00:57:03.77 If you live in North America we will mail these Bible Guides 00:57:03.80\00:57:06.46 free of charge or for easy 00:57:06.49\00:57:08.51 and immediate access from anywhere around the world, 00:57:08.54\00:57:11.42 you can get these wonderful Bible lessons 00:57:11.45\00:57:13.42 on our website itiswritten.com. 00:57:13.45\00:57:17.18 Request the Discover Bible Guides 00:57:17.21\00:57:19.74 by calling our toll free number 1800-253-3000. 00:57:19.77\00:57:24.53 Call right now and tell us the name of today's free offer, 00:57:24.56\00:57:27.97 the Discover Bible Guides. 00:57:28.00\00:57:30.05 You can also request today's offer 00:57:30.08\00:57:31.57 by writing to It Is Written, 00:57:31.60\00:57:34.02 Box O, Thousand Oaks, California, 91359. 00:57:34.05\00:57:39.67