Participants:
Series Code: DPM
Program Code: DPM000014A
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00:09 John and Sarah were sitting at their favorite restaurant
00:13 enjoying a romantic meal together. 00:16 They were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. 00:20 They were sitting at a special table in the corner 00:23 where they could look out the large bay window 00:26 and they saw the magnificent sunset 00:29 reflecting off of the bright blue waters 00:32 of the Caribbean. 00:34 Soft music was playing in the background. 00:37 And as the music was playing, 00:39 John began to reminisce about the last 20 years 00:43 of their life together. 00:45 And as he did so, he remembered all the times 00:48 when he was not a very good husband. 00:51 He recalled times 00:53 when he would stay out late at night 00:55 and come home drunk. 00:57 He remembered times 00:58 when he would speak unkind and hurtful words 01:01 that his family would remember for years to come. 01:04 He even remembered the time 01:06 when he had been unfaithful to his marriage vow 01:09 and had an affair with another woman. 01:12 As John remembered these things, 01:14 his mind was flooded with a sense of shame 01:17 and guilt and regret. 01:19 And he just looked at Sarah and he said, "Honey, 01:22 how could you still love me after all these years, 01:26 after the mistakes of coming home 01:28 late at night drunk, 01:30 the times when I would speak those unkind words 01:33 and the affair with another woman." 01:36 And Sarah just looked at him and said, "Honey, 01:39 when we started over, 01:41 when we chose to begin a new life together, 01:44 we took all the mistakes of the past 01:46 and we buried them and we forgot about them, 01:49 we're not going to bring them up anymore." 01:53 Just hearing those words 01:55 gave John a sense of peace in his heart. 01:59 Now, truth be told, 02:00 you and I can relate to John's experience 02:03 because all of us have done things 02:05 we wish we'd never done. 02:07 All of us had said things we wish we had never said. 02:11 All of us had made choices 02:13 we wish we could go back and do it over again. 02:17 And sometimes people will come to us and say, 02:19 "Well, that's too bad. 02:21 You can't change the past." 02:23 But actually, you can. 02:26 Did you know that God has given us a way 02:29 where we can take all the mistakes 02:31 and guilt of the past and we can have them buried 02:35 and forgotten about all over again? 02:38 It's actually a gift that is called Bible baptism. 02:42 Through having a relationship with Jesus Christ 02:44 and taking the step of being baptized, 02:47 God gives us a way 02:48 to have all those things from the past washed away 02:52 and we can have peace in our hearts and in our minds, 02:55 and that's actually what we're gonna talk about tonight. 02:59 Now some people may wonder, 03:00 why are you going to talk about baptism 03:02 in a prophecy seminar, 03:04 that's not in the Book of Revelation. 03:06 Well, you remember what we've mentioned 03:08 all throughout this seminar. 03:10 The whole point of prophecy is to point people to Jesus. 03:15 It's not about memorizing facts and figures 03:18 and all the different theories. 03:19 It's to bring us into a close 03:21 surrendered relationship with Christ. 03:24 And being baptized is an important part 03:27 of that relationship with Jesus. 03:30 And you'll find the devil has tried 03:32 to confuse people's minds on this subject. 03:35 You see, the devil wants us to remember 03:37 and to burn that guilt into our minds 03:40 so that we never forget. 03:42 But it's Jesus who wants to set us free. 03:45 So tonight we're going to study what does the Bible say 03:48 about the important step of baptism. 03:51 Would you take your Bibles and turn with me 03:53 to Matthew 28:18, 03:57 Matthew 28:18. 04:01 The Bible says, 04:03 "And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, 04:07 'All authority has been given to me on heaven, 04:11 in heaven and on earth. 04:13 Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations," 04:17 doing what? 04:19 "Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son 04:23 and of the Holy Spirit, 04:24 teaching them to observe all things 04:27 that I have commanded you and lo, 04:30 I am with you always, 04:32 even to the end of the age." 04:35 Amen. 04:36 Now, we're gonna pause here for a second. 04:39 How many of you have ever been with someone 04:42 when they spoke their final words? 04:45 Can I see your hands? 04:46 If you have, that is a memorable experience, 04:50 is it not? 04:51 Because when someone speaks their final words, 04:55 it is usually rather significant, 04:57 you know, if they're still in their right mind, 04:59 and it's not beclouded with drugs or medication, 05:03 what they say in their final words 05:05 tells you what was nearest and dearest to their heart. 05:09 Is that not true? 05:11 Usually it's about family, or friends, or a spouse, 05:14 or perhaps their children. 05:16 Well, here in Matthew 28, 05:18 these are some of Jesus' final words. 05:23 There's some of the last things 05:24 that Jesus wanted to communicate to His disciples 05:28 before they were separated, and He ascended back to heaven. 05:33 And in these final words, 05:35 Jesus tells them to go into all the world. 05:39 Now that you've spent three and a half years with me 05:42 face to face on a daily basis, 05:44 take the gospel and the good news 05:47 and go to every people group in the world. 05:51 And when people choose to accept Me as their Savior, 05:55 what does He tell them to do? 05:58 Baptize them 05:59 because baptism is God's way of allowing us 06:03 to wipe away the past, to bury it, 06:07 and to start over again in a new life 06:10 following the principles 06:12 and the teachings of Jesus Christ. 06:15 And so if baptism is something Jesus 06:17 talked about in His final words, 06:19 that tells us it is a very important part 06:23 of the Christian journey today. 06:27 In fact, 06:28 we could say that baptism is an outward sign of something 06:32 that is going on in our hearts, 06:35 that one is chosen, they want to follow Jesus. 06:38 Jesus is already changing the heart and the mind, 06:41 it's a symbol of what's going on inside. 06:46 In fact, you know, the Bible compares baptism 06:49 to two people getting married. 06:51 Did you know that? 06:52 Many times the relationship between Jesus and His church 06:56 is compared to the husband and wife relationship. 06:59 Now I want you to think back. 07:01 How many of you and I'm gonna put you on the spot, 07:02 I might get in trouble. 07:04 How many of you remember 07:06 the day on which you were married? 07:08 Let me see your hands. 07:10 See, all the wives are looking around. 07:11 You better remember, 07:13 I've gotten it wrong only one time in my life. 07:16 But that's because I was confused. 07:17 I was thinking of my parent's anniversary. 07:20 But when Marquita and I were married 07:22 on July 9, 1995, 07:26 it was in Collegedale, Tennessee, 07:29 at the very school where her and I had met. 07:33 Now on the day when Marquita and I got married, 07:37 did I know everything there was to know 07:39 about being a good husband, yes or no? 07:42 I did not. 07:43 Now I knew that I loved her. 07:46 I knew that I wanted to spend my life with her. 07:49 And I made that public confession in front of others. 07:53 But after I said I do. 07:56 Do you suppose there were times 07:58 when I might have fallen flat on my face 08:00 and made mistakes as a husband, what do you think? 08:03 Sure there were ups and there were downs. 08:06 See, when a person gets baptized, 08:08 it's like getting married to Jesus. 08:10 They come in front of their church family, 08:12 or perhaps somewhere else. 08:14 They make a profession 08:15 to follow and love Jesus Christ, 08:17 and they're baptized 08:19 and in the sense they are married to Jesus. 08:21 Doesn't mean that they're perfect at that moment, 08:24 doesn't mean they were never gonna make a mistake, 08:26 but it is the beginning of a new relationship 08:30 with Christ. 08:31 That's what baptism represents. 08:34 Now, sometimes people wonder, 08:36 is it really necessary to be baptized? 08:39 Is that something I have to do? 08:42 Well, to be honest, that's kind of the wrong way to look at it. 08:46 To illustrate it, let me ask you this. 08:48 I'll use the ladies as an example. 08:50 Ladies, what would you think, let's pretend that 08:54 you have been dating a guy for 10 years. 08:59 You say, that's a long time. 09:01 And the whole 10 years, he's always telling you, 09:04 "Oh, I love you. 09:06 I want to spend the rest of my life with you. 09:09 I want to be with you." 09:11 But every time the idea of marriage comes up, 09:15 you know of making that public confession 09:17 in front of others, 09:19 he shies away from it every time. 09:22 What would you start to think in your minds? 09:26 You'd begin to wonder, why doesn't he want to commit? 09:29 Is he ashamed of me? Does he really love me? 09:32 It would raise questions in a person's mind. 09:35 It's the same in our relationship with Christ. 09:38 If we call ourselves a Christian, 09:40 if we understand what Jesus has done for us, 09:44 if we understand what it means to make that public confession 09:48 that I love Jesus that I want to follow Him 09:51 that He's given me a gift I could never pay for myself. 09:55 Why would we not want to take that step 09:58 and publicly confess Jesus Christ as our Savior? 10:02 See, unless there's some physical condition 10:05 that prevents us from being baptized, 10:07 Jesus tells us this is a very important step 10:11 that every believer needs to seriously consider. 10:16 So obviously baptism is an important thing. 10:19 But now the question is, 10:21 what exactly does baptism specifically mean 10:25 and represent? 10:26 Now we've already talked about that a little bit. 10:28 But I want us to turn to what I think 10:31 is the clearest single text in the Bible 10:34 that describes the symbol of baptism. 10:38 Take your Bibles and go with me to Romans Chapter 6 10:43 and we're going to start in verse 3. 10:46 You want to go to Romans 6:3. 10:51 Now this is only two verses long, 10:54 but I want you to know how Paul describes this act. 10:59 Romans Chapter 6 11:01 and we'll be reading in verse 3. 11:05 The Bible says, 11:08 "Or do you not know that as many of us 11:12 as were baptized into Christ Jesus 11:15 were baptized into his," what? 11:18 "Death, therefore, 11:20 we were buried with Him through baptism into death, 11:24 that just as Christ was raised from the dead 11:27 by the glory of the Father, 11:29 even so we also should walk in newness of life." 11:34 Now, let's pause here. 11:35 I want to put something on the screen. 11:38 We are buried with Him by baptism into death. 11:42 In other words, when I stand in the waters of baptism, 11:45 and I am lowered beneath the water, 11:48 that's a symbol I am burying my life of sin. 11:52 I'm putting it to death. 11:53 I no longer want to follow that way of life 11:56 where I'm not paying attention to Jesus' principles 11:59 and to Jesus' teachings. 12:01 Where I'm on a row that's bringing me pain 12:03 and suffering, it's hurting my family. 12:06 I'm saying, "I don't want that anymore. 12:08 I am putting that to death. 12:10 I am burying it under the waters." 12:12 That's what it means when Paul says, 12:14 "We are buried with Jesus, 12:16 just like He was buried in the tomb." 12:20 In verse 4, Paul said that, 12:23 "Just as Christ was raised from the dead 12:25 that we will walk in newness of life." 12:28 That means when I am raised up out of the waters of baptism, 12:32 in a sense, I am resurrecting to a new life, 12:36 a new life that follows different principles, 12:39 different morals, different teachings, 12:42 a life that is solely focused and centered on Jesus Christ 12:47 and His Word. 12:49 Can you say amen? Amen. 12:50 Just like Jesus resurrected, 12:52 I am resurrected out of the water. 12:55 Because when you think about it, 12:57 the reason baptism is so special. 13:00 It is meant to symbolize the death, burial, 13:06 and resurrection of Jesus. 13:09 It's meant to symbolize the full plan of salvation. 13:13 I am dying to sin and Satan's way. 13:16 I am buried under the water. 13:18 It's gonna die, thanks to Jesus. 13:21 And when I come up and resurrect, 13:23 it's to a new life following a new way 13:27 and a new path. 13:28 Can you say amen? Amen. 13:31 But now that brings us to a little question, 13:34 because sometimes people can have some extreme views 13:39 when it comes to baptism. 13:42 Sometimes people will treat baptism like 13:45 it is some sort of insurance policy. 13:48 Well, you know what, I'm going to go ahead 13:50 and be baptized just to be on the safe side. 13:53 You know, in case the Bible's true 13:55 and Jesus really does come, 13:57 I need to go ahead and get baptized 13:59 because that's my automatic ticket to heaven. 14:03 Baptism is not an automatic ticket to heaven, 14:07 we need to understand that. 14:08 The purpose of baptism is not simply to get wet, 14:12 so that I can go out 14:14 and keep living by the same principles, 14:17 the same teachings, the same immoralities 14:20 and continue to bring pain and suffering 14:22 into my life and others. 14:24 See, if I treat baptism as though 14:27 it's an automatic ticket to heaven. 14:29 If I go in that water a devil, guess what? 14:33 You're just gonna come up a wet devil. 14:36 You see, baptism doesn't automatically save us. 14:40 Only Jesus and accepting Him as our Savior 14:43 can save us, amen? 14:44 So if I go under that water, 14:46 not truly accepting Jesus as my Savior, 14:49 then it is a meaningless ceremony. 14:52 It is simply a symbol 14:54 of what is really going on inside my heart 14:57 and who lives here. 14:59 So it's not an insurance policy 15:01 or an automatic ticket to heaven, 15:03 we need to understand that. 15:05 But then there's the other extreme, 15:08 where people treat baptism 15:11 as though it's some kind of a reward 15:13 for attaining a certain level of spiritual perfection. 15:18 You know, people will say, 15:19 "Oh, well, I've got to overcome all my sins 15:21 and all my weaknesses before I can be baptized." 15:25 Well, that's a dangerous thing too 15:27 because if you wait until you have overcome 15:31 every little fault and weakness in your life, 15:34 you know what's gonna happen? 15:35 You will never take the step of baptism. 15:39 Baptism is the beginning of a relationship. 15:43 When you are baptized, you are an imperfect person. 15:48 Of course, Jesus covers you with His righteousness 15:50 but it's a beginning. 15:52 Just like when I said I do to Marquita, 15:56 it was the beginning of our husband 15:58 and wife relationship. 16:00 We need to understand that. 16:02 In fact, to be honest with you, 16:05 it makes me nervous 16:06 whenever I hear people who are delaying baptism. 16:11 I'll tell you a true story. 16:13 When I was pastoring over in western Pennsylvania, 16:17 I love doing these kinds of prophecy seminars. 16:20 And so there was a church in Leechburg, Pennsylvania. 16:24 I'm sure you never heard of Leechburg, Pennsylvania. 16:27 It's a small little town on the north east corner 16:30 just outside of Pittsburgh. 16:32 And so I went there and I did a series of meetings like this. 16:36 And when I was there, I met Rob. 16:38 That is not his real name, but I met Rob. 16:42 Rob came to the meetings every night. 16:45 Eventually, I found myself sitting in his home, 16:49 sitting on the chair having a discussion 16:51 with him about baptism. 16:54 I said, "Rob, you've been coming to the church 16:55 for quite a while. 16:57 You obviously believe in the things 16:58 that are in the Bible and the Scriptures, 17:01 is it time for you to be baptized?" 17:03 And I remember Rob looked at me and said, 17:05 "I do wanna be baptized, pastor, but not yet." 17:10 I said, "Well, Rob, what is it that's holding you back?" 17:13 "I still got things to take care of in my life. 17:17 And I want my family to join me." 17:21 Well, that made me a little bit nervous 17:23 'cause I knew he was ready. 17:25 But at the same time, everyone has a free will. 17:28 And I don't like pressuring people to make a decision 17:31 because it has to come from them. 17:33 I understand how a person wants to get things together. 17:37 I understand how a person wants their family to follow them. 17:40 So I kind of just left it. 17:43 A year later, 17:45 I was invited to go back to that same church 17:47 to hold another series of meetings. 17:50 And guess who was there every night? 17:53 Well, that wasn't a hard question, 17:54 what do you think? 17:56 Rob 17:57 and I found myself in the same home 18:00 sitting on the same chair having the same conversation. 18:04 I said, "Rob, it's been a year now. 18:07 Is it time for you to take that step 18:09 and give it all to Jesus." 18:11 And a year later, Rob was still saying, 18:15 "Not ready yet. 18:16 Got some things to take care of in my life. 18:19 I want my family to follow me." 18:23 Well, at that point, 18:25 since I knew he was delaying for a year, 18:27 I decided to be a little bit bold. 18:29 And I said, "Rob, you can't wait 18:32 until you have everything perfect in your life, 18:36 or you'll never take that step. 18:38 This is a beginning. 18:40 Follow what you do know, 18:41 let Jesus take care of the rest. 18:44 And Rob, as far as your family following you, 18:47 that's a noble thing. 18:49 But the truth is, 18:50 your family is probably not gonna follow you 18:53 until they see you stepping out and taking that step first. 18:58 When they see that it means something to you. 19:01 And when they see the change it causes in your life, 19:04 they will follow. 19:05 But you're gonna have to step out first 19:07 as an example." 19:09 I let him think about that. 19:11 I told him the day on which we were having the baptisms 19:15 and I remember that day the church had rented a YMCA 19:19 to have the baptisms in their pool. 19:21 And I was so much looking for Rob to come in that door 19:25 and join the baptism. 19:27 But Rob never came. 19:30 A year later, 19:32 I was asked to go back to the same church, 19:35 hold another set of meetings. 19:38 Rob never made his decision. 19:40 In fact, it's been at least 10 years now. 19:43 And as far as I know, 19:45 Rob is waiting for everything to be perfect 19:48 before he makes his decision for Jesus. 19:54 Folks, it's important when God lays it on your heart 19:58 that we not delay, 19:59 that we'd be sure to take that step. 20:05 That actually reminds me of another story. 20:07 There is a verse in Scripture in 2 Corinthians 20:10 that says this, 20:12 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ..." 20:16 Now what does it mean to be in Christ? 20:18 What do you think? 20:20 Means to be in a relationship with Him. 20:23 The Bible says, "He or she is a new creation, 20:27 the old things have passed away, 20:29 for behold, all things have become new." 20:34 There was a woman 20:35 who came to a set of meetings very much like this. 20:39 She had lived a very sinful life. 20:42 She had been involved in the mafia, 20:45 in the prostitution ring, 20:47 she'd even been involved in murdering people, 20:51 and somehow she found out about this series of Bible meetings 20:55 that was taking place near her, 20:59 and somehow the Holy Spirit spoke to this woman's heart 21:02 and she chose to go. 21:05 And as she sat in these meetings, 21:07 she heard for the first time, the stories about Jesus. 21:12 And she began to understand that even her 21:15 who had lived such a terrible life, 21:17 who had been involved in so many things, 21:19 for the first time in her life, 21:22 she realized that she could have hope 21:25 that maybe there was a way for all her shame, 21:29 for all her regret, 21:31 that she ruined the first half of her life 21:33 and she could never change that, 21:35 she never imagined in her life 21:37 that something could be different for her. 21:40 And so as she listened to the preacher 21:43 and she understood the gospel, 21:45 she made the decision to fully give her life to Jesus. 21:50 To go a totally different direction in life 21:53 and she made the decision to be baptized. 21:55 Can you say amen? Amen. 21:57 When she made that decision, 21:59 and the day of her baptism came, 22:01 she made a special request to the preacher. 22:05 And she said, now listen, 22:08 "You know the kind of life that I lived. 22:12 This baptism is very special to me. 22:14 I want it to last for a while." 22:17 'Cause see, when someone's baptized, 22:19 it usually doesn't take that long, 22:21 you know, a couple seconds under the water, 22:23 and then they're up. 22:24 So she asked the minister, "Will you do me a favor? 22:29 When you put me under the water? 22:32 Will you just hold me there for a while? 22:35 Hold me for about 10 or 15 seconds. 22:37 I wanna silently pray. 22:40 I want to think about what Jesus has done for me. 22:43 I want to remember this moment." 22:46 Now the minister had never been asked that before, 22:49 but he understood why 22:51 and he graciously granted that request. 22:54 So as they were standing in the baptismal waters, 22:57 and he lifted up his hand and said, 22:59 I now baptize you in the name of the Father 23:02 and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 23:05 He lifted her underneath the water 23:07 and time was passing one second, 23:11 two seconds, three seconds, 23:15 four except for one thing, 23:19 the minister forgot to tell his congregation 23:22 about the woman's special request. 23:25 And so when they saw him 23:27 holding her under the water for like 10 seconds, 23:30 the deacons jumped up out of the front row 23:32 and they thought, "Oh, my, something is wrong. 23:34 The pastor is drowning this woman." 23:36 And so they ran up to the front. 23:38 And when they finally realized it was okay, 23:40 the pastor brought her up out of the water. 23:43 She raised her hands and said, "Praise the Lord. 23:46 Hallelujah." 23:47 Now pull out the plug 23:49 and let all my sins be washed down the drain. 23:52 Can you say amen? Amen. 23:54 Now, of course, literally, 23:55 our sins aren't washed down the drain, 23:58 but she understood what baptism meant 24:01 and it was a meaningful experience for her. 24:07 But then comes another question. 24:10 People wonder if there's all these different ways 24:12 that one can be baptized, 24:14 does it really make a difference? 24:18 If you were to call up different denominations 24:21 and get the different doctrines that exist, 24:23 some would say, "Well, baptize by sprinkling, 24:27 some baptize by pouring, 24:29 some baptize by infusion or using oil." 24:33 Others say, "Well, no baptism is by immersion. 24:36 Some baptize by telephone." 24:39 I'm not exactly sure how that works. 24:40 I've never seen that done. I've heard about it. 24:42 Some baptize through proxy, 24:44 like you can be baptized for someone who's already died. 24:48 I even heard a story once. 24:50 I don't know if it's true, I really hope it's not true. 24:53 But I even heard a story once of a minister 24:55 who was sprinkling holy water on his congregation 24:59 and he ran out of holy water, 25:01 so he picked up a can of coke and started using that. 25:04 Now, I don't know if that's true. 25:07 But when you look at the Bible, the question we have to ask is, 25:11 does it make a difference? 25:13 You notice we've asked that question 25:15 before in this seminar, 25:17 back when we talked about the Sabbath. 25:19 Does the day make a difference? 25:22 If God says it does, 25:25 if God is specific about it and God says, 25:28 "The seventh day is the Sabbath," 25:30 then yes, it matters. 25:33 What about baptism? 25:35 If baptism is meant to represent the death, 25:39 burial, and resurrection of Jesus, 25:43 and the full plan of salvation in our life, 25:46 dying to sin, burying it, 25:49 rise into a new life. 25:50 The truth is before we even look 25:52 something up in the Bible, 25:54 just knowing what baptism represents, 25:57 there is only one form of baptism 25:59 that represents the full plan of salvation, 26:02 death, burial, and resurrection. 26:05 What do you think that would be? 26:07 Baptism by immersion. 26:12 Is there an example? 26:13 Does the Bible actually say that baptism is by immersion? 26:18 And actually it does. 26:19 Let's go to the example of Jesus. 26:21 Jesus is our ultimate example. 26:24 Let's see how Jesus was baptized. 26:27 Take your Bibles and turn with me 26:29 to Matthew Chapter 3, and we're gonna go to verse 13. 26:34 Matthew Chapter 3, 26:37 and I want to read something 26:39 that we don't always pay attention to, 26:41 in verse 13. 26:44 Now, here, Jesus comes to John the Baptist, 26:48 at the Jordan River. 26:49 Notice the kind of conversation that takes place. 26:54 Matthew 3:13, 26:57 The Bible says, 26:59 "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John 27:03 at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 27:07 And John tried to prevent him saying, 27:10 "I need to be baptized by you, and are you coming to me?" 27:16 But Jesus answered and said to him, 27:19 'Permitted to be so for now, 27:21 for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness, 27:26 then he allowed him.' 27:28 "Now let's pause here a second. 27:31 Put yourself in John the Baptist shoes. 27:35 To put it in modern terms, 27:37 this really freaked the guy out 27:41 that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 27:44 the one whom he had been preaching about 27:47 for quite some time 27:50 comes to him and says, 27:51 "Would you baptize me?" 27:54 Now how would you feel if you were John the Baptist? 27:56 Basically God is asking you to baptize Him. 28:00 I don't know about you, 28:01 but that would throw me for a loop. 28:03 I mean, John looks at him 28:05 and he's probably thinking in his mind, 28:06 "Are you kidding me? 28:08 You should be baptizing me. 28:11 And you want me to baptize you?" 28:14 And what was Jesus answer? 28:16 "Permitted to be so for now to fulfill all righteousness." 28:23 'Cause really when you think about it, 28:25 if baptism represents having your sins washed away, 28:30 did Jesus have any sins that needed to be washed away? 28:34 None. 28:36 Jesus did it as an example for you and me. 28:40 He did it as an example, 28:42 even though He didn't necessarily have to, 28:45 to show mankind what step we are to take 28:49 when we accept the gospel and choose to have Jesus Christ 28:53 as our Lord and Savior 28:56 and then in the rest of the verses, 28:58 it actually describes how He was baptized. 29:01 Let's go to verse 16, Matthew 3:16. 29:05 The Bible says, 29:08 "And when He had been baptized, 29:10 Jesus came," what's that word? 29:13 "Up immediately from the water and behold, 29:17 the heavens were opened to Him. 29:20 And He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove 29:24 and lighting upon Him. 29:26 And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, 29:29 'This is my beloved Son, 29:31 in whom I am well pleased.'" 29:35 Now notice, 29:37 it said that Jesus came up out of the water. 29:42 The only way you can come up out of the water is what? 29:46 Is if you went down into the water. 29:49 So Jesus gives us the example of baptism 29:52 by immersion 29:54 'cause Jesus Himself knew 29:56 it represents the full plan of salvation. 29:59 Death, burial, and resurrection. 30:05 In fact this reminds me of another story. 30:09 There was a missionary 30:10 who was working over in South America. 30:14 And he had committed to spending a few years 30:17 with this jungle tribe 30:19 in the South American mountains and jungles. 30:22 And so as he spent day by day teaching them about Jesus, 30:26 teaching them about the Bible, 30:27 the time came for every missionary 30:29 when they have to go on furlough, 30:31 which means they go back to the States 30:33 for a short period of time to be with friends and family. 30:36 Well, before he left, 30:37 he went to the chief of the village 30:39 and he said, "Listen, 30:40 while I'm going, here's what I want you to do. 30:43 I want you to gather your people together. 30:45 And I want you to read the Bible to them 30:47 for a period of time every single day," 30:52 and the chief agreed to do it. 30:54 So while this missionary is gone for a month or two, 30:57 the chief is reading the gospel to his people every single day. 31:02 And as they're reading through the Bible, 31:05 they come to the conclusion, 31:06 "Oh, the Bible says we should be baptized." 31:12 And so when the missionary comes back, 31:15 the chief says to him, "Listen, 31:17 we've been reading the Bible, like you said, 31:19 the Bible says we should be baptized." 31:22 Well, how do you think the missionary felt? 31:25 Oh, he's on cloud nine. 31:27 Wow, I haven't even been here 31:29 and they've decided to be baptized. 31:31 So he thought, we're gonna do this tonight. 31:34 And so they built a little wooden pulpit 31:36 and decided they're going to have a baptismal service, 31:40 except there was one problem. 31:42 This missionary did not quite understand the Bible teaching 31:47 about baptism by immersion. 31:50 This missionary taught baptism by sprinkling. 31:55 And so while he was preaching the baptismal sermon, 31:59 he has a little bitty cup of water sitting right there 32:03 on the pulpit. 32:05 And as he's preaching, 32:07 the chief's right there in the front row 32:10 and he's looking at the missionary. 32:13 Look at that little cup of water, 32:16 looking back at that missionary, 32:19 and he's getting awfully fidgety. 32:22 And the missionary notices this. 32:24 He says, "Boy, I better cut this sermon short, 32:26 or this guy is gonna change his mind." 32:28 So he ends his sermon rather abruptly 32:30 and he says, okay, Chief, 32:32 now it's time for you to be baptized. 32:34 And the chief stands up and says, 32:36 "No, I cannot be baptized." 32:39 And the missionary says, "Why not?" 32:41 And the chief says to him, 32:43 "Chief's too big, cup's too small." 32:47 See, that chief understood that baptism was by immersion, 32:52 and he couldn't figure out 32:53 how that missionary was gonna stuff him 32:55 in that little bitty cup under the water. 32:58 See, it's always important that we follow what the Bible says, 33:02 because it has a special meaning attached to it. 33:07 In fact, just like the Sabbath, remember the question we asked? 33:11 Okay, well, if the Sabbath is in the New Testament, 33:14 we ought to find the early New Testament Church 33:17 keeping it 33:19 and we looked up all those verses 33:20 in the Book of Acts. 33:21 Same thing with baptism. 33:23 If baptism is by immersion, 33:25 do you think that we ought to find a record of it 33:28 in the Book of Acts, What do you think? 33:30 We should, and it's there. 33:32 It's actually Acts 8:35-38. 33:37 Now this one I have on the screen for you, 33:39 but here's what's happening. 33:41 Philip is on his way to Samaria 33:45 and the Holy Spirit impresses him, 33:48 "Go and run beside that chariot up on the road." 33:53 That chariot has an Ethiopian government leader in it. 33:58 That Ethiopian leader is reading 34:01 from the Book of Isaiah about the suffering servant, 34:04 about the Messiah who was to come. 34:06 He didn't understand who is this talking about? 34:10 And so when Philip runs up beside him, 34:12 he says to the Ethiopian government leader, 34:16 "Do you understand what you're reading?" 34:18 He says, "No, I don't." 34:20 And he invites Philip to come up in the chariot 34:24 and Philip begins to explain to him 34:26 from the Book of Isaiah, 34:28 how it's talking about Jesus Christ, 34:30 the One who died on the cross of Calvary. 34:33 And so the Ethiopian eunuch sense to fill up, 34:38 "Why can't I be baptized? 34:40 Just pick it up now, Acts 8:36. 34:43 The Bible says, 34:45 "Now as they went down the road, 34:48 they came to some," what? 34:50 "Water, and the eunuch said, 34:53 'See, here is water. 34:56 What hinders me from being baptized?' 35:01 Then Philip said, 35:02 'If you believe with all your heart you may.' 35:05 And he answered and said, 35:06 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' 35:10 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. 35:13 And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, 35:19 and he baptized him. 35:21 Now when they came up out of the water..." 35:26 Did you catch that? 35:28 The eunuch wants to know why can't I be baptized? 35:31 He sees water. 35:33 He says, "Philip, I want you to baptize me, 35:35 I believe in Jesus." 35:38 And it specifically says in the Bible, 35:41 "They went down into the water, 35:43 and then they came up out of the water." 35:46 That's baptism by immersion. 35:49 The disciples knew that 35:51 because it's what Jesus taught and the example 35:54 He gave in His own life, 35:57 death to sin, burial of the old life, 36:01 resurrection to a new life following Jesus. 36:04 It points us to the cross, the tomb, 36:08 and victory over the grave. 36:11 That's why it's important 36:12 because Jesus wants to do the same thing in our life, 36:17 dying to old principles, burying them, 36:20 being resurrected to a new way of living 36:23 that fills us with joy, with peace, with patience, 36:28 and with all the fruit of the Spirit. 36:30 Can you say amen? 36:32 In fact, really, 36:34 if you just look up the Greek word of baptism, 36:36 it's baptizo. 36:38 And the Greek word means to dip or to immerse 36:42 or to plunge underwater. 36:45 See, knowing that, 36:47 there may be some people here tonight 36:48 who are thinking, you know, 36:50 I never had the privilege to be baptized the Bible way, 36:56 the way Jesus was by immersion. 37:00 If God's Spirit is laying that on your heart, 37:03 this is the opportunity to say, 37:05 "Lord, I want to do that one day, very soon." 37:11 And then the question that comes up is, 37:14 "Well, if the Bible teaches baptism by immersion, 37:19 where in the world did we get all these 37:21 other forms of baptism?" 37:24 You know just when we studied the Sabbath, we said, "Well, 37:26 if the Sabbath is taught in the Bible, 37:28 where in the world did Sunday come from?" 37:31 Well, I wanna to share with you did you know that 37:33 for the first 1300 years of Christian history, 37:36 baptism was always by immersion without any exceptions, 37:40 the early Christian church knew that. 37:43 It wasn't until 1311 that human teachings 37:47 and traditions came in. 37:50 It was in the Council of Ravenna, 37:51 now notice, not from the Bible, 37:54 it's from a human council, 37:56 that sprinkling and pouring were officially accepted 38:00 as equally valid as baptism by immersion. 38:05 Now that alter too is seen here. 38:07 It doesn't say 38:09 that it was discovered from the Bible. 38:11 It says that it was decided by a human council 38:16 and that's going back to the deeper issue. 38:19 Do I follow tradition above truth? 38:23 Do I follow the teachings of men 38:26 above the teachings of God's Word? 38:28 What is the highest authority, 38:30 a church body or the Word of God? 38:35 Now, the catalyst that prompted that decision was this. 38:41 If you've ever seen pictures of the clergy 38:43 in the Middle Ages, 38:44 you notice that they're wearing very heavy robes and vestments. 38:48 And so to take them off 38:50 or to get them wet to baptize someone, 38:52 it's just very, very inconvenient. 38:54 So doing it by sprinkling is easier 38:57 because then you don't have to take those robes off. 38:59 You don't even have to get in the water yourself. 39:02 But the real catalyst was this. 39:05 Unfortunately, 39:07 the church of the Middle Ages created a false teaching 39:11 that terrified people. 39:14 And the false teaching said this. 39:18 If a baby is born, 39:21 and that baby dies before it can be baptized, 39:26 that baby will be lost and go to hell 39:29 or purgatory or whatever. 39:32 Now understand, that would strike utter fear 39:36 and terror in the heart of any mother 39:40 to think that my little baby 39:42 if he or she isn't baptized and she dies, 39:45 'cause remember, the infant mortality rate 39:47 was much higher back then than it is today 39:49 to think that they could be tormented in hell 39:52 or purgatory or a place of suffering. 39:55 And remember, the Bible was hidden 39:57 from the people back then, 39:58 they couldn't just open up the Bible and see, 40:00 "Oh, well, that's not true." 40:02 And so as a result of that, infant baptism was begun. 40:07 And since you really can't throw a baby 40:09 underneath the water, baptism by sprinkling 40:12 or pouring came into being not based on the Bible. 40:17 Because truthfully, 40:18 if you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, 40:22 you will not find one example of infant baptism 40:26 that is there, did you know that? 40:28 Just like the Sabbath, from Genesis to Revelation, 40:31 no change in the Sabbath. 40:33 Now you say, "Well, 40:35 why is there no infant baptism in the Bible? 40:38 Don't babies matter to God?" 40:41 Certainly they do. 40:42 But baptism is meant for a person 40:46 who can make their own free will decision 40:49 to follow Jesus. 40:51 Can a baby choose to follow Jesus? 40:53 Yes or no? 40:54 He can or she can. 40:57 Really babies can be considered innocent 41:00 until they reach the age 41:02 where they are able to make a decision for themselves. 41:07 That's why it takes parents who teach them about Jesus, 41:11 have family worship, read the Bible, 41:13 and bring them to church. 41:15 Because hopefully, when they get to an age 41:18 where they can make a decision, 41:20 they will make their own freewill choice 41:22 to follow Jesus as their Savior. 41:25 Can you say amen? Amen. 41:26 So even though there is not infant baptism 41:28 in the Bible, 41:30 there is something called child dedication, 41:32 did you know that? 41:34 When Mary and Joseph, when they gave birth to Jesus, 41:37 it says that on the eighth day, 41:39 they went to the temple where he was dedicated. 41:43 And remember one of the priest and Anna, 41:45 Simeon laid hands on him and prayed for him. 41:48 I've done many child dedications as a minister, 41:51 where a family will bring their newborn baby, 41:54 sometimes they're a little older, 41:56 and they say, "I wanna dedicate my child to the Lord." 41:59 It doesn't mean they're automatically saved, 42:01 but you pray a special prayer saying, 42:03 "Lord, bless this child, 42:04 watch over them and protect them, 42:06 help them when they get to the age 42:09 that they will make a decision to follow You." 42:12 Baby dedication, 42:14 but really to be honest with you, 42:17 baby dedication is as much for the parents 42:20 as it is the child. 42:22 Because how's that child gonna know about Jesus? 42:26 I mean, is God gonna send the Angel Gabriel down 42:29 to witness to this child? 42:32 Probably not. 42:33 That's why he or she has parents. 42:35 See, baby dedication is just as much the parents saying 42:39 that I make a commitment. 42:41 I understand how important 42:43 my role is as a mother or a father 42:46 and I commit to teaching this child about Jesus 42:49 doing everything I can, having family worship, 42:52 to give them the right influence 42:54 so they can make a decision for Him, 42:57 Jesus in the future. 42:59 See, the problem is 43:01 and I'm just gonna be very blunt here. 43:03 Many Christian parents today 43:07 expect the church or the pastor to do for their kids, 43:10 what they're not doing for themselves. 43:14 The first and primary way 43:17 that a child learns about Jesus, 43:19 their first church is their home 43:21 and their parents. 43:24 And if I am so busy 43:25 having to work 80 to 100 hours a week 43:28 that I don't have time for family worship, 43:31 I don't have time to read the Bible 43:33 or read Bible stories to my children. 43:35 I'm telling you right now, get another job. 43:38 I don't care if you have to live in poverty. 43:42 Because one of the worst things in the world will be that 43:45 when Jesus comes 43:46 and I realize my children are lost 43:49 because I didn't make them first. 43:51 I am going to absolutely loathe myself. 43:56 Your first church is your family. 44:01 Do whatever it takes 44:03 to spend time reading the Bible, 44:06 having a family worship, 44:08 teaching them to love and to follow Jesus. 44:12 Now, yes, they will make their own decision on their own, 44:15 and they may choose not to follow Jesus. 44:19 But I know that when you spend time with a child, 44:21 the chances are much higher 44:23 that they will make a decision on their own. 44:26 Yes, the church can supplement that, 44:28 even a Christian school can help, 44:31 but we can't expect even the school to do for us 44:34 what we're not doing at home. 44:37 Children matter to God. 44:40 So our children should matter to us. 44:45 Now, that's how baptism by sprinkling came in. 44:49 Now, some of you may be sincerely asking and saying, 44:52 "Well, you know, Pastor Dave, 44:54 I was baptized when I was a baby. 44:57 Did I sin doing that? 44:59 Was I wrong?" 45:01 Oh, brothers and sisters, 45:03 you had no choice in the matter back then. 45:07 And I'm sure that your parents 45:09 were living up to all the light that they knew 45:11 and they were trying to do the right thing 45:13 in their best judgment. 45:16 But now you have the opportunity 45:18 to make a decision on your own. 45:22 To be able to say, 45:23 I wanna be baptized the way that Jesus was. 45:26 I want to experience 45:28 what it means to be baptized the Bible way, 45:30 death, burial under the water, and resurrection to a new life. 45:36 If God has laid that on your heart, 45:38 that is something to seriously consider 45:40 to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. 45:46 Now, sometimes people wonder, are there any steps? 45:49 Are there requirements to baptism? 45:50 Or can we just pull someone off the street and say, 45:53 "Hey, I'm gonna baptize you?" 45:55 Well, the Bible does give us some requirements for baptism. 45:58 Now notice, 45:59 the Bible doesn't give us a list of 100,000 things 46:02 that would be absolutely impossible to attain. 46:05 There are three basic steps to baptism. 46:08 Number one, what does it say? 46:12 Belief in Jesus Christ. 46:14 Well, that one's common sense, 46:16 because baptism would be a meaningless experience 46:20 if I didn't believe that Jesus Christ was my Savior. 46:24 But it's more than that. 46:27 It also requires repentance from sin. 46:30 Now, that doesn't mean that I got to be perfect 46:33 and overcome every weakness. 46:34 It just simply means 46:36 that there ought to be some evidence in my life 46:38 that the Holy Spirit is working 46:40 and that person is responding to it in some way. 46:44 They'll still have weaknesses. 46:45 They'll still have faults when they're baptized, 46:47 but there should be an evidence 46:49 that the Holy Spirit is beginning 46:51 to turn them around. 46:53 Does that make sense? 46:54 Because really, 46:56 if only number one was required, 46:58 I want you to think about something. 47:01 If number one was the only requirement 47:03 belief in Jesus Christ, 47:05 guess who could be baptized? 47:08 The devil. 47:09 You say what? 47:11 Think about it. 47:12 The devil knows 47:13 that Jesus Christ is the Son of God 47:16 better than you and I do, 47:18 because he was in the kingdom of heaven. 47:21 He saw it himself. 47:22 He knows Jesus is the Son of God. 47:24 The difference is, 47:25 he doesn't plan on repenting from anything. 47:29 Step number three, a basic knowledge of the faith. 47:32 Not that one has to be a scholar 47:34 and know Greek and Hebrew, 47:36 but they ought to have at least a basic knowledge 47:38 of what the teachings of Jesus are so one knows 47:42 what they're committing to. 47:43 I mean, really, when two people get married, 47:46 do you think perhaps it's a good idea 47:49 for the husband and wife to be to have some concept 47:53 of what marriage is all about? 47:56 'Cause they need to know what they're committing to. 47:57 It's the same with baptism. 48:01 You know, I want to go back 48:03 to that story of the Ethiopian eunuch. 48:07 That eunuch said to Philip, 48:12 "What hinders me from being baptized?" 48:18 God asked that question of you and I, 48:22 "What is hindering you 48:25 from taking that step of Bible baptism by immersion?" 48:31 Really, it was no coincidence that Philip met up 48:34 with that Ethiopian eunuch. 48:37 You think it was by coincidence 48:38 that Philip was on the same road 48:41 at the same time 48:42 that this leader was reading from the Book of Isaiah, 48:45 how many people think, "Oh, well, that's just coincidence." 48:49 That's God's divine intervention. 48:54 I don't believe any of you are here by accident tonight. 48:57 I've heard some of your stories 49:00 how you've been searching for truth, 49:02 how you want to know what the Bible teaches. 49:06 You've shared with me 49:07 what Jesus has been doing in your life, 49:09 both in the past, and even right now today. 49:14 And when you got that brochure in the mail 49:16 or when someone invited you to come, 49:18 that was not by coincidence, 49:20 that was God leading you on a journey, 49:22 'cause the truth is, there's a lot of other things 49:25 you could be doing four nights a week. 49:27 Isn't that the truth? 49:28 There's a lot of things you could be doing right now. 49:31 But somehow the Holy Spirit has drawn you 49:34 to come to this meeting, 49:35 because he has something in store for you. 49:39 None of us, including myself, are here by accident. 49:43 Can you say amen? 49:45 So if you fulfill those three steps, 49:48 and you have never been baptized 49:50 the way the Bible teaches, 49:52 perhaps the Holy Spirit is laying that on your heart 49:55 to consider. 49:58 Now there's one more thing I need to cover that 49:59 people many times ask. 50:02 They want to know, what about re-baptism? 50:05 Is it biblical to be re-baptized? 50:09 Actually, there is an example in the Bible 50:12 in Acts Chapter 19. 50:13 And I want us to read it, 50:15 because we don't want to go to the extreme 50:17 where we think, "Oh my, every time I make a mistake, 50:20 I've got to be baptized, you know, 50:22 10 times 20 times 30 times." 50:24 I mean, that would make a mockery 50:25 of what baptism represents. 50:27 But there is a case of re-baptism in Scripture. 50:31 And I want to share it with you. 50:33 Go to Acts 19:1-5. 50:39 Acts Chapter 19 50:42 and we're gonna read about something that happened 50:45 in the city of Ephesus. 50:48 Acts 19:1, 50:50 I want you to just picture this in your mind. 50:53 The Bible says, 50:56 "And it happened, 50:58 that while Apollo's was at Corinth 51:01 that Paul having passed through the upper regions 51:04 came to," what city? 51:06 "Ephesus and finding some disciples he said to them, 51:11 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit 51:13 when you believed?' 51:15 So they said to him, 51:16 'We have not so much as heard that there is a Holy Spirit.' 51:20 And he said to them, 51:22 'Into what then were you baptized?' 51:24 So they said, 'Into John's baptism.' 51:28 " Now I'm gonna pause here for a second. 51:29 Now, can you imagine how that threw Paul for a loop? 51:32 He's in Ephesus, he needs some people 51:35 that he thinks are believers and disciples, 51:37 and he says, 51:39 "Hey, have you received the Holy Spirit?" 51:41 And they look at him and say, "Holy Spirit, what's that? 51:43 Never heard of it." 51:45 And Paul's like, "Where were you baptized? 51:48 How could you not have heard of the Holy Spirit?" 51:52 And they tell him notice what it says in verse 4. 51:55 "Then Paul said, 51:56 'John, indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, 52:00 saying to the people that they should believe on Him 52:04 who would come after him that is on Christ Jesus.' 52:08 And when they heard this, 52:09 they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.' 52:13 " See, these disciples, 52:15 they had heard John the Baptist preach at the Jordan. 52:17 Apparently they had come from Ephesus down 52:19 to Jerusalem for something, 52:21 heard John talk about a Messiah who is yet to come, 52:25 and that they should be baptized 52:27 to show their repentance from sin to get ready 52:30 for the Messiah. 52:31 And so they were baptized. 52:33 But they went back to Ephesus 52:36 before they had ever seen or met Jesus 52:39 and heard the rest of the story. 52:41 They only knew half the story. 52:43 And so Paul then gave them as Paul Harvey would say, 52:47 the rest of that story. 52:49 And he explained how Jesus was the one 52:51 that John the Baptist talked about, 52:54 how He died on the cross of Calvary. 52:56 And when this new light came to them, 53:00 what does it say they did? 53:02 They were baptized again, in the name of the Lord Jesus. 53:08 So you see, Acts 19 gives us this example 53:12 that there may be times 53:14 when we come to significant new light. 53:17 Things in a Bible that we didn't know about before 53:20 and deep in our hearts, 53:22 maybe we feel like we want to be re-baptize 53:26 to show our commitment 53:27 to follow these new truths that we have learned 53:30 because that's exactly 53:31 what happened to these believers in Ephesus. 53:35 There is another reason. 53:37 Sometimes a person who was once baptized 53:41 falls away and departs from Christ and the church. 53:46 But then they long to desire to come back again. 53:50 They realize this isn't the way I wanted, 53:52 I should have gone. 53:53 They begin to recognize, I need to come back to Jesus. 53:57 I want to be connected to His church. 53:59 I mean, even though the church doesn't save you, 54:01 Jesus talks about the importance 54:03 of that fellowship. 54:05 And so in their heart they feel like, you know, 54:07 I need to be re-baptized. 54:09 I want to show my recommitment to Jesus. 54:12 According to the Bible, that is perfectly fine and 54:16 it is perfectly acceptable. 54:19 There are times when re-baptism 54:22 would be a blessing to our spiritual life. 54:27 Lastly, I don't want to forget about this verse. 54:31 Jesus said to Nicodemus about being born again, 54:35 he said, 54:36 "Jesus answered and said to him, 54:37 'Most assuredly, I say to you, 54:41 unless one is born of water and the," what? 54:45 "Spirit, 54:47 he cannot enter the kingdom of God." 54:50 Now notice, 54:52 being born again has two parts to it, 54:54 according to Jesus. 54:56 You're born of the water. 54:58 That's baptism. 54:59 But you're also born of the spirit. 55:03 You say, now what's that? 55:05 'Cause there's surely a lot of different ways 55:06 people look at that. 55:08 When we gave our lives to Jesus, 55:11 Jesus did not say, "Great, 55:13 I brought you to the waters of baptism, 55:15 from then on you are on your own." 55:17 Is that what Jesus does? 55:19 No. 55:20 He said, "You also need to be born of the Spirit." 55:24 Jesus said that when He went back to heaven, 55:28 He would give His disciples the gift of the Comforter, 55:33 the gift of the Holy Ghost, 55:35 who would remind them of the teachings of Jesus, 55:38 who would remind them of the truths of Scripture. 55:41 And what happens is that after baptism, 55:44 even though there will be times that I fall, 55:46 that Holy Spirit continues to do the work of conversion 55:50 in my life. 55:51 He continues to renew my mind. 55:54 He continues to change my heart 55:57 and convict me of decisions 55:59 that I need to continue to make. 56:01 He is with me 56:02 as I walk the path of the Christian faith, 56:05 I am not left alone. 56:08 Can you say amen? Amen. 56:10 And you see the greatest evidence 56:12 that someone is born of the Spirit 56:14 is not because they have a particular gift. 56:18 The evidence of someone being born of the Spirit 56:21 is very simply what Galatians 5:22 says, 56:25 you see the fruit of the Spirit in their life, 56:29 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc. 56:34 Because when you think about it, 56:37 the fruit of the Spirit is nothing more 56:40 than a description of what? 56:43 The character of Jesus Christ. 56:46 The Holy Spirit wants to create in you and I, 56:51 Christ's own character, 56:54 so that people can see Jesus in me. 56:59 And when you see Christ character 57:01 formed in someone's life, 57:03 you can be sure 57:05 that person did not do it on their own, 57:08 because it is impossible for the human nature 57:11 to reproduce the character of Jesus. 57:14 It is only the divine supernatural intervention 57:19 and converting power of God's Holy Spirit. 57:23 Can you say amen? Amen. 57:25 And that work of conversion 57:27 continues to happen all throughout our life, 57:30 born of the water in a moment, 57:33 but I'm born of the spirit throughout my life 57:35 as I spend time with Jesus every day, 57:38 and I open my heart 57:40 for that spirit 57:41 to make changes in me. 57:47 Brothers and sisters, as you've come to this seminar, 57:51 perhaps the Holy Spirit has convicted you 57:53 of things in your life. 57:54 I don't know what that may be. 57:56 Maybe you sense the times in which we're living. 58:01 Maybe you're sensing 58:02 that you need to make a full decision for Jesus. 58:07 Maybe you're convicted of things in your life 58:09 that you need to let go of. 58:11 Maybe there's areas 58:13 where I'm straddling the fence on something. 58:16 Or I'm making excuses. 58:20 And maybe God's Spirit is encouraging you 58:22 that it's time to take a step of baptism. 58:26 Or maybe it's time to follow God. |
Revised 2019-09-30