¤[music ends]¤¤
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>>John Bradshaw:
This is "It Is Written."
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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In a small village in
Maharashtra State in India,
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Hindus and Muslims
have been gathering
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for more than seven centuries
to observe an unusual ritual
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believed to ensure good health
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for babies and
prosperity for their families.
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Babies are taken up
onto the roof of a building,
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placed one at a time
in the hands of a man
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who shakes the babies
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before dropping them
about 40 feet from the building.
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The dropped baby is
caught in a sheet or blanket
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held by 10 or so men before
it is returned to its family.
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A similar thing
happens each December
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near the village of
Indi in Karnataka State.
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Two hundred babies are dropped,
one by one, about 30 feet
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by their parents and caught
by people below holding a cloth.
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Again, the thinking is that
the children will be healthy,
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strong, and live longer.
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Odd religious or
quasi-religious traditions
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are not rare.
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Every June in a
village in northern Spain,
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babies are placed on mattresses
in the village's streets
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while men dressed as the
devil run through the streets
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and jump over the babies,
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supposedly absorbing
the sins of the babies
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and bringing them protection
from disease and misfortune.
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In a city just outside
Manila in the Philippines,
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the Easter season sees
young Roman Catholic men
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whip or beat themselves,
sometimes with chains and wood,
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in an attempt,
in a futile attempt,
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to atone for their sins.
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But as strange as these things
might be to the uninitiated,
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imagine for a moment you
had never heard of Christianity
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or of Jesus, and you
were at the sea or by a lake
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and you witnessed people
wade out into that sea or lake
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while one of them lowered the
others one by one into the water
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as though they
were being buried.
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If you've never seen it before,
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or if you were
unaware of the meaning,
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you might wonder what
in the world is going on.
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If you're familiar
with baptism, you get it.
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Even if your church
doesn't practice baptism,
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you're familiar with it.
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But if you weren't, baptism
might seem a little...bizarre.
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So, what is baptism,
and why do Christians do it?
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The Christian church traces
baptism back to the ministry
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of a man named John, known to
us today as John the Baptist--
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not because he was a Baptist
in the denominational sense
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but because he baptized people.
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He was John the Baptizer.
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John the Baptizer's mother
and Jesus' mother were cousins,
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making John the Baptist
and Jesus second cousins.
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Mary visited Elizabeth,
while both women were expecting,
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at the direction
of the angel Gabriel.
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John's father Zacharias
was visited by an angel
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as he ministered in the temple.
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According to the
custom of the priest's office,
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his lot was to burn incense
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when he went into
the temple of the Lord.
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When the angel informed him
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that his wife was
going to give birth to a son,
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Zacharias expressed doubt:
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"Whereby shall I know this?
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For I am an old man, and my
wife well stricken in years."
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But as a spiritual leader,
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Zacharias should
not have doubted God.
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He certainly knew
about other miracle births.
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Abraham was close to 100
years old when Isaac was born,
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and Sarah was around 90.
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Rebekah, Hannah,
the wife of Manoah--
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they'd all given birth
in miraculous circumstances.
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So, Zacharias was made
to be mute for the duration
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of his wife's
pregnancy, testifying that this
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was something
out of the ordinary
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and that their child had a
special calling upon his life.
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John the Baptist
lived in the wilderness.
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He didn't wear designer clothes,
and he ate a very plain diet.
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The Bible says that he
ate, among other things,
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locusts and honey.
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And while those locusts
may have been carob pods,
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they also may
well have been locusts.
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They're not unclean, so
eating them would not have been
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against any
biblical requirement,
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and at certain times they
would have been plentiful.
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His ministry was
predicted by Isaiah
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700 years before John was born.
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Now, significantly, John called
people to repentance, saying,
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"Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
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And he created a real stir.
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"Jerusalem, all Judea, and...
the region around the Jordan
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"went out to him and were
baptized by him in the Jordan,
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confessing their sins."
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Now, there's some
misunderstanding today
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about baptism.
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Some believe baptism
should be by immersion,
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where the person being baptized
is fully submerged in water.
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One of the largest religious
denominations on the planet
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teaches baptism
should be by sprinkling.
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Some would say
it doesn't matter,
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but we're going to
see what the Bible says.
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We're living late in
the history of the earth,
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where people like to do
pretty much what they please
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and where we are less inclined
to do things the prescribed way
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and more inclined to adapt
things to our own preference.
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Does what the Bible say about
this need to be taken seriously?
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Or can this be adapted
to one's own preference?
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First, let's take a
closer look at baptism,
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especially as it relates to
John the Baptist's ministry.
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Now, notice, he said,
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"Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
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"Repent" means, literally,
to think differently after
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or to change one's mind
or to change one's purpose.
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Repentance is more than
just confessing your sin.
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John was calling
people to a new life,
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to a heart
change, a mind change.
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Over in Acts, chapter 2,
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Peter tells people to
"repent, and be baptized."
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Baptism is to follow and is a
sign of a change of one's mind,
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a change of your life, a
change of your direction.
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So, what this means is
that baptism is a serious thing.
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It's not just something to do.
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It isn't only an
emotional decision.
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Baptism is a sign of something.
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There's a deeper meaning to
baptism that's often overlooked
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and completely ignored.
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It's really important,
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and we'll find out
what it is in just a moment.
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¤[upbeat music
swells and ends]¤¤
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>>Announcer: Freedom,
it's something we all want--
00:06:55.48\00:06:57.91
freedom from stress,
from life's troubles.
00:06:57.95\00:07:00.62
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kind of freedom?
00:07:03.75\00:07:04.92
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or visiting us
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00:07:12.33\00:07:16.26
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how to live a
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00:07:19.00\00:07:21.37
Learn how to be truly free.
00:07:21.40\00:07:23.41
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on "It Is Written."
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Baptism should be one of the
most straightforward teachings
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in the Bible. But it isn't.
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And if you think
there's disagreement today--
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Catholics and some others
practicing infant baptism,
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most Protestants and
non-Catholic churches
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practicing
baptism by immersion--
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disagreement was much sharper
several hundred years ago.
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In Zurich,
Switzerland, in the year 1527,
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a man named Felix Manz
was executed for the crime
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of baptizing
people by immersion.
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The state church,
the reformed church,
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strenuously believed that
infants should be baptized.
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Felix Manx maintained
that it only made sense
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that people who are baptized
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are capable of professing
their faith themselves.
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He had been sentenced to
life in prison for his beliefs,
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but he escaped through a
hole in the roof of his cell
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and, along with other prisoners,
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rappelled or abseiled
over the prison's outer wall.
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Once he was free, Manz began
traveling the country preaching
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and baptizing before
being arrested once again.
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He was drowned
by the authorities
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in the ice-cold
Limmat River in Zurich
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while his mother
watched from the riverbank.
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She called out to him, urging
him to remain faithful to God.
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Now, what happened to
Felix Manz was extreme,
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but it's the kind
of thing that happens
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when church and
state are united.
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And it was not
uncommon back in those days.
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Even the great
reformer Ulrich Zwingli
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approved of the execution.
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Infant baptism meant you
became part of the church,
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and because the church
was controlled by the state,
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if you weren't
baptized as an infant,
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then it's as though you
weren't a citizen of the state.
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Felix Manz was an Anabaptist.
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The Anabaptists were a movement
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within the Protestant
Reformation that believed
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in baptism by immersion,
"ana" meaning "again."
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They believed that if
you'd been baptized--or, really,
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christened--as an infant,
you should be baptized again.
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They were so insistent on this,
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to the point of being
willing to lose their lives
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because they were
committed to the Bible
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as the sole rule
of faith and practice.
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And they believed
that as followers of Jesus,
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they should be
obedient to His Word.
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And they believed, correctly,
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that the Bible does
not teach infant baptism.
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John the Baptist
clearly baptized by immersion.
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That's why he was
baptizing in the River Jordan,
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so he could immerse people.
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It's almost 20 miles from
Jerusalem to the Jordan River.
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No doubt he could have found
a body of water in Jerusalem
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that would have sufficed, but
John was so committed to this
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that he didn't take
baptism on the road.
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He could have if
it was by sprinkling.
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A container of
water and a donkey
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and he could have
baptized people all over Judea.
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Jesus was baptized by immersion.
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"Then Jesus came from
Galilee to John at the Jordan
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"to be baptized by him.
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"When He had been baptized,
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Jesus came up
immediately from the water."
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The Ethiopian
government official? Same thing.
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He'd been reading Isaiah 53
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when the Holy Spirit
led Philip to approach him.
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"Then Philip opened his mouth,
and beginning at this Scripture,
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"preached Jesus to him.
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"Now as they went down the
road, they came to some water.
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"And the eunuch
said, 'See, here is water.
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"What hinders me
[to be] baptized?'
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"Then Philip said, 'If you
believe with all your heart,
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"you may.' And he
answered and said,
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"'I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God.'
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"So he commanded the
chariot to stand still.
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"And both Philip and the
eunuch went down into the water,
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and he baptized him."
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It was fear of babies
and young children dying
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and losing eternal life
that brought infant baptism
00:11:06.39\00:11:09.80
into the early
church in the first place.
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The first clear reference
to infant baptism was written
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by an early church
writer named Tertullian,
00:11:15.20\00:11:17.94
who wrote around 200
A.D., and he was against it.
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Not long afterward, Origen, the
famous teacher from Alexandria,
00:11:21.71\00:11:26.58
wrote that "infants are baptized
for the forgiveness of sins."
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According to the
historian Adolf Harnack,
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Origen believed that sins could
be committed in a former life.
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So, infants would
need to be baptized
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for forgiveness of sins.
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He also claimed that the
church had "from the apostles
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[a] tradition [to give]
baptism even to infants."
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Of course, he gave no evidence
for those claims from the Bible
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because there is none.
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The Bible teaches only, and
clearly, baptism by immersion.
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So, why are there so many people
who believe in infant baptism,
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or even baptism by pouring?
00:12:05.85\00:12:08.29
It's simple. Traditions
are really hard to overcome.
00:12:08.32\00:12:13.13
There are many of
them in Christianity--
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not biblical, just traditions.
00:12:15.60\00:12:18.27
And people love
their traditions.
00:12:18.30\00:12:20.84
So, what should win out
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when a tradition runs
contrary to the Bible?
00:12:22.27\00:12:25.81
Well, the answer is obvious.
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But let's say
that's all that this was,
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a matter of preference.
00:12:31.55\00:12:32.95
If that's all it was,
you might be convinced
00:12:32.98\00:12:34.78
that it really doesn't
matter how a person is baptized,
00:12:34.82\00:12:37.72
even though the word
"baptized" means "to immerse."
00:12:37.75\00:12:41.06
That's what it means,
"baptizó" in the Greek.
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Those who dyed cloth
baptized the cloth in dye.
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There was even a figure
of speech used in old times
00:12:48.10\00:12:50.43
that someone drowning in debt
was being "baptized in debt."
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Infant baptism might be called
baptism, but it isn't baptism.
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Baptism by pouring,
same thing, it isn't baptism.
00:13:01.61\00:13:04.98
If you're going to do it,
00:13:05.01\00:13:06.25
you really ought to
call that something else.
00:13:06.28\00:13:09.25
But from a biblical perspective,
this goes way beyond preference.
00:13:09.28\00:13:14.62
It goes to the symbolism of
baptism, to its deeper meaning.
00:13:14.66\00:13:19.59
So, what is the deeper meaning?
00:13:19.63\00:13:22.06
What is the strange
truth about baptism?
00:13:22.10\00:13:26.37
We'll look at
that in just a moment.
00:13:26.40\00:13:28.90
¤[upbeat music
swells and ends]¤¤
00:13:28.94\00:13:35.94
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:13:37.78\00:13:39.88
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:13:39.91\00:13:43.69
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:13:43.72\00:13:46.25
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:13:46.29\00:13:50.66
You can send your
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to the address on your screen,
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or you can visit us
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00:13:53.80\00:13:57.77
Thank you for your prayers
and your financial support.
00:13:57.80\00:13:59.93
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:14:00.04\00:14:03.67
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:14:03.71\00:14:07.38
>>John: It was home to some
of the most magnificent temples
00:14:08.71\00:14:11.58
in the ancient world,
temples built to honor Artemis,
00:14:11.61\00:14:15.35
Hadrian, Serapis, and
the Roman emperor Domitian.
00:14:15.38\00:14:20.62
And surrounded by rampant
idol and emperor worship,
00:14:20.66\00:14:24.46
a small band of Christians
formed their own church
00:14:24.49\00:14:27.96
in the city of Ephesus.
00:14:27.96\00:14:30.37
Maintaining their faith in
the midst of this pagan culture
00:14:30.40\00:14:34.14
was anything but easy.
00:14:34.17\00:14:36.60
Today, only ruins remain
00:14:36.64\00:14:38.21
of those
once-spectacular structures,
00:14:38.24\00:14:41.34
but the story of
Ephesus lives on,
00:14:41.38\00:14:43.55
continuing to
hold both historical
00:14:43.58\00:14:45.35
and spiritual significance.
00:14:45.38\00:14:47.92
Join us as we
explore the messages of Jesus
00:14:47.95\00:14:50.62
to the seven
churches of Revelation
00:14:50.65\00:14:52.95
and discover God's messages
to the church of the past
00:14:52.99\00:14:56.52
and the church of today.
00:14:56.56\00:14:58.89
"The Seven Churches
of Revelation: Ephesus,"
00:14:58.93\00:15:02.43
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:15:02.46\00:15:05.23
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:15:05.27\00:15:06.27
>>John Bradshaw: If baptism were
just a matter of preference,
00:15:08.90\00:15:11.77
that would be one thing.
00:15:11.81\00:15:13.24
But I'm going to
show you that it isn't.
00:15:13.27\00:15:15.81
Jesus said in Mark 16:16,
00:15:15.84\00:15:18.18
"He who believes and
is baptized will be saved;
00:15:18.21\00:15:21.35
but he who does not
believe will be condemned."
00:15:21.38\00:15:24.95
Now, that ups the ante
a little bit, doesn't it?
00:15:24.99\00:15:27.96
And when it comes to the Bible,
00:15:27.99\00:15:30.13
if the Bible plainly
teaches baptism by immersion
00:15:30.16\00:15:33.16
and you reject
that for a tradition
00:15:33.19\00:15:35.40
or a personal preference, what's
to stop you from doing that
00:15:35.43\00:15:38.93
with the rest of the Bible?
00:15:38.97\00:15:40.54
"I don't like what
the commandments say,
00:15:40.57\00:15:42.10
so I won't keep them."
00:15:42.14\00:15:43.44
"I don't like where Jesus
said, 'Love your enemies,"
00:15:43.47\00:15:45.51
so I won't do that."
00:15:45.54\00:15:46.74
"I'm not really into
this forgiveness thing
00:15:46.78\00:15:48.24
that Jesus spoke
of, so I won't do that."
00:15:48.28\00:15:50.95
A Christian is a follower
of Christ and of His Word,
00:15:50.98\00:15:54.28
and followers of
Jesus don't decide to reject
00:15:54.32\00:15:57.49
the parts of the
Bible that they don't like.
00:15:57.52\00:16:00.59
Baptism goes much
further than preference.
00:16:00.62\00:16:04.36
And I want to say
here that most Christians,
00:16:04.39\00:16:06.83
no matter what their
belief on baptism, miss this.
00:16:06.86\00:16:11.00
What I'm about to share
with you can absolutely change
00:16:11.03\00:16:14.27
your life, revolutionize
your Christian experience.
00:16:14.30\00:16:17.81
If you've been halfway
with God, this can change that.
00:16:17.84\00:16:21.64
If you've been living a
life where you're up and down,
00:16:21.68\00:16:24.08
inconsistent, struggling along,
00:16:24.11\00:16:26.68
this is going to radically
alter your entire life.
00:16:26.72\00:16:32.29
Let's look in the
book of Romans, chapter 6.
00:16:32.32\00:16:35.19
Paul has just spoken
about justification by faith.
00:16:35.22\00:16:38.19
He says we are sinners,
00:16:38.23\00:16:39.89
but because of
sin, God gives us grace.
00:16:39.93\00:16:42.53
Now, knowing those
words could be misinterpreted,
00:16:42.56\00:16:44.80
Paul then writes,
"What shall we say then?
00:16:44.83\00:16:47.67
Shall we continue in
sin that grace may abound?"
00:16:47.70\00:16:51.97
Fair question, given
what he's been writing about.
00:16:52.01\00:16:54.64
If we sin, more grace.
00:16:54.68\00:16:57.21
Should, then, we keep sinning?
00:16:57.25\00:16:59.55
He answers that
question by saying, "God forbid.
00:16:59.58\00:17:02.92
How shall we, that are dead to
sin, live any longer therein?"
00:17:02.95\00:17:07.72
Now, that
expression "God forbid"
00:17:07.76\00:17:09.62
means something like "certainly
not" or, or "far from it."
00:17:09.66\00:17:14.00
And notice his rationale
for why a believer in Jesus
00:17:14.00\00:17:17.73
who has been justified
or pardoned should not sin.
00:17:17.77\00:17:22.54
He says, "How shall
we, that are dead to sin,
00:17:22.57\00:17:27.51
live any longer therein?"
00:17:27.54\00:17:29.91
Dead to sin. Dead to sin.
00:17:29.94\00:17:33.98
Here we're getting to the heart
00:17:34.02\00:17:35.58
of the strange
truth about baptism.
00:17:35.62\00:17:37.99
And it's what many people miss.
00:17:38.02\00:17:40.16
Paul writes, "Know ye
not, that so many of us
00:17:40.19\00:17:43.86
"as were
baptized into Jesus Christ
00:17:43.89\00:17:47.13
were baptized into His death?"
00:17:47.20\00:17:50.47
This is the truth
that will change your life.
00:17:50.50\00:17:54.30
Coming to Jesus is not
just a matter of taking on
00:17:54.34\00:17:57.37
a new belief system.
00:17:57.41\00:17:58.74
And it's a
fantastic belief system:
00:17:58.77\00:18:00.71
forgiveness for sin, a
Savior who bore your sins,
00:18:00.74\00:18:03.78
the promise of
everlasting life by grace alone
00:18:03.81\00:18:06.98
through faith alone
in Jesus Christ alone.
00:18:07.02\00:18:09.78
Nothing else offers you
what Christianity offers you.
00:18:09.82\00:18:12.89
In many communities
you're seen as respectable
00:18:12.92\00:18:15.36
if you're a church member.
00:18:15.39\00:18:16.69
Everywhere you go you
meet fellow believers.
00:18:16.73\00:18:18.83
You have the promise of the
love and favor of Almighty God,
00:18:18.86\00:18:21.76
which will connect you
with power to change your life.
00:18:21.80\00:18:25.43
It's a great belief system.
00:18:25.47\00:18:27.50
But Christianity is
more than simply taking on
00:18:27.54\00:18:30.97
a new belief system, and many
people either don't know this,
00:18:31.01\00:18:35.24
or they're just not
willing to go there with Jesus.
00:18:35.28\00:18:38.01
Christianity is
about accepting Jesus
00:18:38.05\00:18:41.12
and dying a death to
the old life you once lived.
00:18:41.15\00:18:46.39
That old rotten, angry
person who came to Christ,
00:18:46.42\00:18:49.89
if they die to self, die to sin,
00:18:49.92\00:18:52.29
God gives them a
new heart, a new mind.
00:18:52.33\00:18:55.36
They are new to the
extent that the old is gone.
00:18:55.40\00:18:59.83
This is what many people miss,
thinking that faith in Jesus
00:18:59.87\00:19:02.77
is just a modification
of what they used to be,
00:19:02.80\00:19:06.27
an improvement maybe,
00:19:06.31\00:19:07.34
sanding off some
of the rough edges.
00:19:07.38\00:19:10.01
But that's not what Christianity
was ever meant to be.
00:19:10.05\00:19:14.35
When you come to Jesus, the
old you, the sinful you, dies.
00:19:14.38\00:19:20.02
And Paul says in
Romans 6 in verse 4,
00:19:20.06\00:19:22.02
"We are buried with
Him by baptism into death:
00:19:22.06\00:19:25.36
"that like as Christ was raised
up from the dead by the glory
00:19:25.39\00:19:28.60
of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life."
00:19:28.63\00:19:33.67
Many people aren't
living the new life.
00:19:33.70\00:19:35.60
They're still mean.
They've still got a dirty mind.
00:19:35.64\00:19:38.24
They're still
selfish. They're still proud.
00:19:38.27\00:19:40.91
But when you come to
Jesus, that old you dies.
00:19:40.94\00:19:44.81
You accept Jesus, who lives His
life in you, and you walk in--
00:19:44.85\00:19:50.82
now, what did Paul
say?-- "newness of life."
00:19:50.85\00:19:54.39
That's what's missing in the
experience of so many people.
00:19:54.42\00:19:58.26
They're not
walking in newness of life
00:19:58.29\00:20:01.20
because they've never
chosen to die to sin and self.
00:20:01.23\00:20:07.17
There are
understandable reasons why.
00:20:07.20\00:20:09.30
You might like the old
life. Sin can be enjoyable.
00:20:09.34\00:20:12.14
It even says so in
the book of Hebrews.
00:20:12.17\00:20:14.38
And death isn't easy.
Death can be a struggle.
00:20:14.41\00:20:17.58
If you've been
practicing sin for years,
00:20:17.61\00:20:19.95
it's deeply ingrained in you.
00:20:19.98\00:20:22.25
Your spiritual muscle memory
00:20:22.28\00:20:23.99
instinctively
bends you towards sin.
00:20:24.02\00:20:26.69
It comes natural to
you. It's impulsive.
00:20:26.72\00:20:29.89
So, what do you do?
00:20:29.92\00:20:30.89
The same Bible writer
answered that question
00:20:30.93\00:20:33.56
when he said in 1
Corinthians 15, verse 31,
00:20:33.60\00:20:36.03
"I die daily."
00:20:36.06\00:20:38.43
This is a daily
thing. It's not one and done.
00:20:38.47\00:20:42.30
You die daily.
00:20:42.34\00:20:43.84
Your bad habits
are deeply ingrained,
00:20:43.87\00:20:47.01
but Jesus living in
you can get you over them.
00:20:47.04\00:20:50.65
Remember, the old you
dies, and a new you is created.
00:20:50.68\00:20:54.68
This needs to happen every day.
00:20:54.72\00:20:56.82
If it's not, that's why you're
stumbling and bumbling along.
00:20:56.85\00:21:00.56
Look at what Paul
writes: "Knowing this,
00:21:00.59\00:21:02.66
"that our old man
is crucified with Him,
00:21:02.69\00:21:04.86
"that the body of
sin might be destroyed,
00:21:04.89\00:21:06.96
that henceforth we
should not serve sin."
00:21:07.00\00:21:09.76
The old man or old
woman is crucified.
00:21:09.80\00:21:13.17
This is why Jesus said we're
to take up our cross daily,
00:21:13.20\00:21:16.34
Jesus said, and follow Him.
00:21:16.37\00:21:18.44
The body of sin is
destroyed, and, see this,
00:21:18.47\00:21:21.41
from that moment on,
you do not serve sin.
00:21:21.44\00:21:25.75
You've had that experience
00:21:25.78\00:21:26.85
where sin seems to
govern you, control you.
00:21:26.88\00:21:29.35
That's because you haven't
died the death to the old life.
00:21:29.38\00:21:32.89
Paul says, "For he that
is dead is freed from sin"
00:21:32.92\00:21:36.89
and that "sin shall not
have dominion over you."
00:21:36.93\00:21:41.83
Grace frees you
from the power of sin.
00:21:41.86\00:21:45.60
While you're growing in
this, there's going to be
00:21:45.63\00:21:47.24
times of trial and
times of stumbling,
00:21:47.27\00:21:49.80
but you'll
remember that God loves you
00:21:49.84\00:21:51.57
and has you in His
hands, and God will grow you.
00:21:51.61\00:21:55.44
And this connects
directly to baptism.
00:21:55.48\00:21:58.78
The strange truth about baptism
00:21:58.81\00:22:00.95
is that baptism
is a burial service.
00:22:00.98\00:22:04.89
Once you've chosen
Jesus and died to sin,
00:22:04.92\00:22:07.29
the old you is buried,
00:22:07.32\00:22:09.89
buried in a watery grave.
00:22:09.92\00:22:12.53
You can see how baptism
by sprinkling or pouring
00:22:12.56\00:22:15.63
just destroys the biblical
imagery, the biblical meaning.
00:22:15.66\00:22:19.93
You don't bury someone
by sprinkling dirt on them,
00:22:19.97\00:22:22.67
and you don't bury a sinner
by sprinkling water on them.
00:22:22.70\00:22:27.21
Baptism is that
powerful ordinance
00:22:27.24\00:22:29.44
in which a person declares that
he or she is a servant of Jesus
00:22:29.48\00:22:34.02
to the extent that
they're turning their back
00:22:34.05\00:22:36.72
on the old life and
choosing to live a new life
00:22:36.75\00:22:41.59
through the grace of Jesus.
00:22:41.62\00:22:43.89
And how does a person know
that he or she is dead to sin?
00:22:43.93\00:22:46.70
How does this happen?
00:22:46.73\00:22:47.93
Well, it happens with a
declaration, with an intent,
00:22:47.96\00:22:50.23
with a prayer, with a belief.
00:22:50.27\00:22:52.63
Paul wrote, "Reckon yourselves
to be dead indeed to sin,
00:22:52.67\00:22:57.27
but alive to God in
Christ Jesus our Lord."
00:22:57.31\00:23:02.34
When you reckon it,
believe it to be so, it is so.
00:23:02.38\00:23:08.95
So, how is it
with you right now?
00:23:08.98\00:23:11.52
How's the battle with sin?
00:23:11.55\00:23:14.09
And when you
understand this correctly,
00:23:14.12\00:23:15.52
you'll never have to
say, "I'm just too weak,"
00:23:15.56\00:23:18.19
because faith in God is
not about you being strong
00:23:18.23\00:23:22.23
but about Jesus
being strong in your life.
00:23:22.26\00:23:25.17
You rely on His strength.
00:23:25.20\00:23:27.94
You die; He lives in you.
00:23:27.97\00:23:30.94
And baptism is so
strong in its symbolism.
00:23:30.97\00:23:35.88
When a person is baptized,
they're buried in the water,
00:23:35.91\00:23:38.58
then raised up out of the water.
00:23:38.61\00:23:41.02
It's a
resurrection that takes place.
00:23:41.05\00:23:43.62
Notice this, Romans 8, verse 11:
00:23:43.65\00:23:46.15
"If the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead
00:23:46.19\00:23:49.29
"dwells in you, He who
raised Christ from the dead
00:23:49.32\00:23:53.60
"will also give life
to your mortal bodies
00:23:53.63\00:23:56.93
through His Spirit
who dwells in you."
00:23:56.97\00:23:59.13
Just as Jesus raises
you up out of the water
00:23:59.17\00:24:02.34
because you've died to sin, and
the Holy Spirit dwells in you,
00:24:02.37\00:24:06.78
He promises to raise
you up when Jesus returns
00:24:06.81\00:24:11.11
and give your resurrected body
life, new life, eternal life.
00:24:11.15\00:24:17.82
So what are you waiting for?
00:24:17.85\00:24:19.49
It's time for you to attend
a funeral, your own funeral.
00:24:19.52\00:24:24.56
Tell God you want to
be dead to the old life,
00:24:24.59\00:24:27.56
that you accept Jesus by faith,
00:24:27.60\00:24:30.33
and believe that through
the operation of divine power,
00:24:30.37\00:24:33.90
you're now walking in new life.
00:24:33.94\00:24:37.01
¤[soft contemplative music]¤
00:24:37.04\00:24:38.34
About 800 years ago
the indigenous people
00:24:38.37\00:24:41.64
of my home country
arrived by canoe at a harbor
00:24:41.68\00:24:45.81
on the west coast of
New Zealand's North Island.
00:24:45.85\00:24:49.18
They'd left their
homeland, known as Hawaiki,
00:24:49.22\00:24:52.72
and arrived in a beautiful
new land where food was abundant
00:24:52.75\00:24:56.02
and the climate was welcoming
00:24:56.06\00:24:57.43
and where there was
room for them in peace.
00:24:57.46\00:25:00.83
Upon arriving at
present-day Kawhia,
00:25:00.86\00:25:03.33
the Maori Tainui people
did a fascinating thing.
00:25:03.37\00:25:08.20
They buried their
canoe, buried it in the ground.
00:25:08.24\00:25:12.07
It's still there today,
00:25:12.11\00:25:13.21
just 35 miles in a straight
line from where I was born.
00:25:13.24\00:25:17.48
They made a
statement, didn't they?
00:25:17.51\00:25:19.28
"We're not going
back. We're here to stay.
00:25:19.31\00:25:22.48
"We won't need this
oceangoing canoe any longer.
00:25:22.52\00:25:26.22
This," they were
saying, "is a new start."
00:25:26.25\00:25:30.73
Baptism is a new start.
00:25:30.76\00:25:33.60
It's where you bury your canoe.
00:25:33.63\00:25:35.53
It's where you say,
00:25:35.56\00:25:36.70
"By the grace of
God I am not going back.
00:25:36.73\00:25:39.93
"I'm surrendering my life
to Jesus and expecting Him
00:25:39.97\00:25:43.17
to live His life in me."
00:25:43.20\00:25:44.84
And you commemorate that
decision by being baptized
00:25:44.87\00:25:47.94
in the manner
Jesus was baptized.
00:25:47.98\00:25:51.71
There's something
I'd like you to have
00:25:51.75\00:25:53.18
to help you on
your spiritual journey.
00:25:53.21\00:25:54.75
It's this little
book, "Steps to Salvation."
00:25:54.78\00:25:57.99
I wrote this with you in mind.
00:25:58.02\00:25:59.92
It will speak to you about
baptism and its rich symbolism
00:25:59.95\00:26:03.96
and how you can give your life
to Jesus and live confidently
00:26:03.99\00:26:07.56
with heaven in view.
00:26:07.60\00:26:09.60
Call now to get
your copy: 800-253-3000.
00:26:09.63\00:26:13.77
If the line's busy, call
again; you'll get through:
00:26:13.80\00:26:16.94
800-253-3000.
00:26:16.97\00:26:20.01
Or you can go online;
00:26:20.04\00:26:20.81
visit us at iiwoffer.com.
00:26:20.84\00:26:23.81
We'll send it to you completely
free just as soon as possible.
00:26:23.85\00:26:28.62
Let's pray now.
00:26:28.65\00:26:29.95
And I want to ask God to do
His great work in your life.
00:26:29.98\00:26:33.29
Let's pray.
00:26:33.32\00:26:34.62
Our Father in heaven, we
thank You today for the blessing
00:26:34.66\00:26:37.46
of salvation by grace
through faith in Jesus.
00:26:37.49\00:26:43.20
And we thank You, Lord, that
faith in Jesus means a new life
00:26:43.23\00:26:48.00
and that the old
life is gone completely.
00:26:48.04\00:26:51.11
Now, certainly this is going
to be a growing experience,
00:26:51.14\00:26:53.21
and this is why
we must die daily,
00:26:53.24\00:26:55.94
and we thank You
for that privilege.
00:26:55.98\00:26:57.95
We're inviting You now to allow
Jesus to live His life in us.
00:26:57.98\00:27:02.52
And, friend, right now if
you are praying that prayer,
00:27:02.55\00:27:05.22
you want Jesus to
fill you with His presence
00:27:05.25\00:27:07.46
and take away the old life,
you want to be dead to self,
00:27:07.49\00:27:10.69
would you tell
God that right now?
00:27:10.73\00:27:12.59
Say, "Yes, Lord,
I want to be new.
00:27:12.63\00:27:15.03
I want the old life gone."
00:27:15.06\00:27:17.17
Father, all across this
land and all around the world
00:27:17.20\00:27:20.30
there are people
right now saying,
00:27:20.34\00:27:21.97
"I want to live a new life."
00:27:22.00\00:27:23.04
They're tired of
being dominated by sin,
00:27:23.07\00:27:25.01
tired of being
governed by the old life.
00:27:25.04\00:27:27.51
And we thank You now
that a decision for Jesus
00:27:27.54\00:27:30.78
is a decision to die
the death to sin and self
00:27:30.81\00:27:35.02
and to live a new life in Him.
00:27:35.05\00:27:37.45
We thank You, we love You,
00:27:37.49\00:27:39.59
and we thank You
for Your great goodness
00:27:39.62\00:27:41.99
and the gift of
salvation through Jesus,
00:27:42.02\00:27:44.89
in Jesus' name.
00:27:44.93\00:27:46.76
Amen.
00:27:46.80\00:27:48.36
Thank you so
much for joining me.
00:27:48.40\00:27:49.76
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:49.80\00:27:51.50
Until then, remember:
00:27:51.53\00:27:53.70
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:53.74\00:27:57.01
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:57.04\00:28:00.84
¤[dramatic,
triumphant theme music]¤
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¤[music ends]¤¤
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