Participants: Eleida Feliciano (Host)
Series Code: LOE
Program Code: LOE000024
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00:01 The harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are few.
00:03 Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest 00:06 that He will... He will send forth laborers into His harvest. 00:10 Also, I heard the voice of the Lord say: 00:13 "Who shall I send? And who will go for us? " 00:17 Then said I: "Here am I... send me, send me. " 00:23 Life on the Edge will enable you to be an effective 00:26 harvester for the Lord. 00:27 We now invite you into our classroom 00:30 to Come Experience Life. 00:43 Welcome to Life on the Edge. 00:46 For those of you joining us from home, we are glad that 00:48 you are joining our class here at the 00:50 Lay Institute for Evangelism at Pine Lake Retreat, Florida. 00:54 We have been learning how to share what the Bible teaches 00:58 in Bible study. And we're learning how to 01:01 mark these Bible studies 01:03 in our Bible. So as you join us 01:05 we invite you to look for your Bible 01:06 and get a pencil 01:08 so that you can mark these 01:09 studies in your Bible with us. 01:10 If this is your first time joining us, 01:13 you have missed out on a lot of good studies 01:14 and we invite you to come to our website 01:17 www. ComeExperienceLife. com 01:19 where you can catch up on the studies that you have missed. 01:21 So join us with your Bible and a pencil 01:24 as we mark our Bibles with the study for today. 01:27 Today we're going to learn about a Bible study that's 01:29 very important in our Christian walk... and it's Baptism. 01:33 Baptism. The purpose of this study is to show... 01:56 And we are going to look at this 01:57 when we have studied this learning how it actually 01:59 represents that. 02:00 So we're going to see Jesus in this study 02:02 because His sacrifice is what gives us life. 02:05 And baptism is our way of showing - demonstrating - that 02:10 we are accepting the sacrifice of Christ 02:12 for our salvation. 02:14 We're going to be going through 13 texts on this study. 02:19 These are the texts that we are going to be going through. 02:21 We are going to use B as the code for our study. 02:26 As we mark it through we are going to be marking B. 02:29 You want to make sure you have this list of texts 02:32 either at the front of your Bible or in the back 02:34 of your Bible. If this is your first time joining us, 02:38 we are going to be going over these and showing you 02:41 how to mark it on your Bible. 02:43 Make sure you have your Bible 02:44 because the texts will not be showing on the screen... 02:46 only the references. 02:48 Final words are very important. 02:52 When you know that you talk to someone that you may not 02:57 see again, you make sure that the words you share with them 03:00 are important words. I remember when I was teaching. 03:04 I had gone through the year with the students 03:07 and one burden I had in my heart 03:09 was to make sure that I left them with something more 03:13 than just head knowledge. 03:14 I wanted them to learn things that could take them through 03:17 life here on this earth and life beyond. 03:20 That was the burden that I had in my heart. 03:23 But as you know with life you get busy 03:27 and sometimes some things pass you by 03:29 and you realize you've spent all this time with someone 03:31 and it comes to the end when you know this person 03:33 will not be with you any more 03:35 and you start thinking: 03:37 "Ah, there are so many things I did not share. " 03:40 At the end of the year I would sit and consider 03:44 all the things that happened through the year... 03:46 what is it that I still need to share with these students? 03:48 What should I share with them in this last moment 03:53 that I have with them? 03:54 I made sure that those last moments were very important 03:58 because I may not see these students again. 04:00 Now I taught first grade, so a lot of these students 04:03 I got to see through the years 04:05 as they were there in elementary school. 04:07 And many of them would come and say "hello" 04:11 and a lot of time got in trouble with their teachers 04:13 'cause they would make it late to their class 04:14 'cause they had to stop by Miss Feliciano's class first. 04:17 But my last year teaching 04:20 the burden that I had in my heart in those last moments 04:23 was even more important because I knew 04:25 I would not be returning to the school 04:28 so most of these students I would never see again. 04:33 Jesus had spent a great amount of time with His disciples. 04:39 He had shared with them many things 04:42 but now it had come time for Him to leave. 04:45 In His last moments, Jesus had something very important 04:50 to share with His disciples also. 04:52 He commands us: "Go ye therefore 04:56 and teach all nations, baptizing them 04:59 in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. " 05:03 Now if Jesus shared this with His disciples on the very last 05:07 moment that He had with them, 05:09 it must have been something important to Jesus. 05:11 He said to teach and baptize, 05:14 so baptism is an important thing to Jesus. 05:17 And if it is to Him, then it should be to us 05:21 who believe and follow Him. 05:22 So today we're going to be studying this topic. 05:25 Now there's questions about baptism. 05:27 Is it really essential for our salvation? 05:30 Does it matter the manner of baptism? 05:34 Now we're going to do what we have talked about doing 05:38 through these studies. We don't want to find 05:40 answers in other people or other people's opinion 05:42 or even our own, but we want to see 05:45 the answers that the Bible has 05:47 because this is the only place where we can trust 05:48 to have truth in its purity. 05:52 So we're going to look at the Bible today to find answers 05:54 and to learn about baptism... what the Bible teaches 05:58 on baptism. But before we continue 06:00 we will open with a word of prayer. 06:05 Let us pray. 06:07 Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, we thank you for the privilege 06:09 that You give us once more to open Your Word 06:12 and study from it. Lord, as we learn 06:16 what Your Word teaches us and what Your will is for us, 06:19 I pray that Your Spirit will open our minds and our hearts 06:22 to understand the precious truth of baptism. 06:26 And may our hearts be open, Lord, that Your Word 06:29 will be able to enter in and change and transform our lives. 06:33 This things we pray in the name of Jesus, 06:35 our Lord and our Redeemer, Amen. 06:40 We're going to begin by looking at a story 06:43 that helps us under baptism. And this story is found 06:46 in John chapter 3. 06:48 John: the fourth book of the New Testament. 06:52 John chapter 3 verses 1-8. 06:56 This is the very first text of our study 07:00 and this is how you're going to mark it on your Bibles... 07:02 as it shows on the screen. 07:04 You're going to write 1B and circle it. 07:08 For those of you who are joining us the first time 07:10 we make a circle, write the number of the text - 07:15 and the code for this study is B - 07:18 we draw a line. Above the line we write the text 07:21 where we just came from. 07:24 If we're starting, that space is going to be left blank. 07:28 Below the line we write the reference we're going to. 07:31 After this text we will be going to Galatians chapter 5 07:35 verses 19 to 25. 07:37 Make sure to mark at the end of our reference 07:40 here in John: chapter 3 verses 1-8. 07:45 John chapter 3 verses 1-8. 07:47 Mike, can you read that for us? 07:53 "There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, 07:55 a ruler of the Jews. 07:57 The same came to Jesus by night 07:59 and said unto Him: 'Rabbi, we know that Thou art 08:02 a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles 08:05 that Thou doest except God be with Him. ' 08:08 Jesus answered and said unto him: 08:10 'Verily, verily I say unto thee 08:12 except a man be born again he cannot enter into the 08:16 kingdom of God. ' Nicodemus saith unto Him: 08:19 'How can a man be born when he is old? 08:21 Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb 08:24 and be born? ' Jesus answered: 'Verily, verily I say unto thee 08:28 except a man be born of water and of the Spirit 08:31 he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 08:34 That which is born of the flesh is flesh 08:37 and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. 08:40 Marvel not that I say unto thee 08:42 ye must be born again. 08:43 The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest 08:46 the sound thereof but cannot tell whence it cometh 08:50 and whither it goeth. 08:51 So is every one that is born of the Spirit. ' " 08:53 Thank you. 08:55 Now let us look especially here at verse 2. 09:00 It says: "The same came to Jesus by night 09:02 and said unto Him: 'Rabbi, we know that 09:05 Thou art a teacher come from God. ' " 09:07 So here Nicodemus... 09:09 he recognizes that Jesus comes from God. 09:12 In the rest of the verse it tells you what he uses... 09:15 what list of things that He comes from God. What is that? 09:19 The miracles that He performs. 09:22 So Nicodemus has identified Jesus as coming from God 09:27 based on the external miracles that he has seen Jesus do. 09:31 Nicodemus is focusing on the external. 09:35 What is the response that Jesus gives him? 09:40 He tells him that you have to be born again. 09:45 Now Jesus here is not talking about external things. 09:47 He's talking about spiritual things... they're internal. 09:51 He's trying to lead Nicodemus from the external 09:54 into the internal things. 09:56 But look at what Nicodemus does in verse 4. 09:59 He is questioning Jesus, and what is the question 10:02 that he asks Him? 10:06 "How can a man be born when he is old? " 10:09 Is he getting what Jesus is telling him? No. 10:11 Is he recognizing this is a spiritual matter? 10:15 No. He is still focusing on the external. 10:19 He's still focusing on that thought, so he's trying 10:21 to figure out how a man can be born 10:23 after they are already grown. 10:26 "But Jesus answered and said: 'I say unto thee 10:28 except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit 10:32 he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ' " 10:35 "He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. " 10:38 Now then it says: "That which is born of the flesh is" what? 10:42 "flesh and that which is born of Spirit is Spirit. " 10:46 So if we have flesh, anything that comes of it 10:49 is going to be flesh. And if we have the Spirit, 10:53 whatever comes from it or the fruit of it 10:55 or the promise of it will be Spirit. 10:57 Now what does it mean to be born of the Spirit? 11:04 To be what? To be led by the Spirit. 11:07 Now can you think of something that happens in a person's life 11:10 that you can identify as being born again? 11:14 Because there Jesus is saying: "You have to be born again... 11:16 be born of the Spirit and the water. " 11:18 What does it mean when a person says they are born again? 11:21 There is change. 11:23 There's... it's referring to the conversion experience. 11:27 And the conversion experience leads you to change. 11:29 You recognize your condition, 11:32 you recognize who Jesus is, 11:33 and your life changes as a result. 11:36 So being born again is having that experience 11:39 where the Spirit of God 11:41 is taken... you are taken 11:44 into the Spirit of God and your 11:45 life is changed. 11:47 There is a new experience 11:48 in your life. It says... 11:50 Now notice that it says 11:51 "born of the Spirit and of the water. " 11:54 These two are necessary 11:56 to enter into the kingdom of God 11:58 is what Jesus is telling him. 12:00 Now we're going to look closer at what it means 12:03 to be "born of the Spirit. " 12:04 And then we're going to look at what it means to be 12:06 "born of the water. " 12:08 Now we talked about if it... if it's... 12:11 Spirit... if it's born of the Spirit it's Spirit 12:14 and if it's born of the flesh it's flesh. 12:15 We're going to look now in Galatians chapter 5 12:18 verses 19 through 25. 12:20 We're going to see what are the fruits of the flesh 12:22 and what are the fruits of the Spirit. 12:25 Galatians chapter 5 verses 19-25. 12:29 This is the second text of our study, 12:32 so at the end of this reference you're going to be writing 2B. 12:35 We just came from John chapter 3 verses 1 through 8 12:39 and we'll be going to Mark chapter 16 verse 16. 12:44 We are in Galatians chapter 5 12:47 verses 19 through 25. 12:52 Darlene, can you read first verses 19 through 21? 12:58 "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: 13:01 adultery, fornication, uncleanliness and lewdness. 13:06 Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, 13:11 jealousies, outbursts of wrath, 13:14 selfish ambitions, dissentions, 13:17 heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, 13:22 revelries and the like 13:25 of which I tell you beforehand 13:28 just as I also told you in times past 13:31 that those who practice such things 13:35 will not inherit the kingdom of God. " 13:38 Thank you, Darlene. 13:39 Now here in these first few verses it's listing 13:43 certain behaviors. Now what does it say these behaviors are? 13:48 The works of the flesh. 13:50 So here we are seeing the types of behaviors of those who are 13:54 living in the flesh. Now when it mentions living in the flesh 13:57 it's just referencing to the carnal nature. 14:01 And so here it says that these are the things that they do. 14:04 And then it tells us that those who are doing these things 14:07 what's going to happen? 14:09 They're not going to inherit the kingdom of God. 14:13 Now Jesus was just talking to Nicodemus 14:15 talking about the two things that you would need 14:18 to enter into the kingdom of God. 14:19 And here it's showing these people who are living 14:23 by the flesh... so these individuals who are showing 14:27 these things have not been born of the Spirit. 14:30 They're still living in the flesh. 14:32 Now in the next few verses we're going to see those 14:35 who are born of the Spirit and what their behaviors are like. 14:39 Shelleta, can you read verses 22 through 25? 14:44 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 14:48 longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 14:53 meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. 14:57 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh 15:01 with their affection and lusts. 15:03 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 15:08 Let us not be desirous of vain glory 15:11 provoking one another, envying one another. " 15:16 Thank you... thank you so much. 15:18 Now here it's listing the fruits of the Spirit. 15:22 And then it clarifies here that they that are Christ's 15:26 have crucified the flesh. That means you have died 15:29 to the flesh 'cause you're born again. 15:31 You have had that new experience. 15:35 So those who are born of the Spirit have died to the flesh... 15:38 to the old man or to the sinful man. 15:40 And now you have to walk in the Spirit. 15:44 So we have been able to see what the Bible says 15:47 being born of the Spirit means. 15:50 Now we're going to look at what it means to be born 15:54 of the water. 15:56 The next text that we are going to is Mark 16:16. 16:00 We're looking for the answer what it means 16:03 to be born of the water. Mark chapter 16 verse 16. 16:08 Second book of the New Testament. 16:10 Matthew, Mark chapter 16 verse 16. 16:15 This is the third text in our study. 16:17 You're going to mark it as it shows on the screen: 3B. 16:21 We just came from Galatians 5 verses 19 through 25 16:25 and we're going to be going to Ephesians chapter 4 verse 5. 16:29 We are in Mark 16 verse 16. 16:32 Vanessa, could you read that for us. 16:34 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved 16:40 but he that believeth not shall be damned. " 16:45 All right, now here it's Jesus talking again 16:49 and He's talking about being saved and those who are not. 16:52 And He says there's two things that have to happen 16:55 for those who are saved. What are those two things? 16:57 Believe and be baptized. Believe and be baptized. 17:01 Believe and be baptized. Now the person who's born of 17:03 the Spirit believes. That's the conversion experience 17:06 that happens. But they also have to do something to show 17:10 this... and that is to be baptized. 17:13 So the Bible makes it clear that Jesus 17:17 has said that baptism is important. 17:21 Here it says that you have to believe and be baptized. 17:25 Talking about salvation: you must believe and be baptized. 17:29 So we see that when it talks about being born of the water 17:33 it's talking about baptism. 17:35 Now how many forms of baptism does the Bible talk about? 17:40 Now we may have heard of different baptisms 17:42 but we want to know what the Bible talks about. 17:45 And so we're going to say... first going to see how many 17:48 forms of baptism the Bible says are valid. 17:51 We're going to look at Ephesians chapter 4... 17:53 Ephesians chapter 4 verse 5. 17:59 Ephesians chapter 4 verse 5. 18:01 This is the fourth verse of our study 18:05 so you're going to mark at the end of this reference 18:08 4B. Above the line you're going to write Mark 16:16. 18:12 That's where we came from. 18:14 And we will be going to Mark 1 verses 9 and 10. 18:18 We are in Ephesians 4... chapter 4 and verse 5. 18:23 Dosung, could you read that verse for us? 18:28 "One Lord, one faith, one baptism. " 18:33 Now that's very simple. What does the Bible say? 18:35 How many baptisms? One. 18:37 The Bible says there is one baptism. 18:40 Now let's see what type of baptism the Bible 18:43 is talking about. What we're going to do is we're going to 18:46 look at some examples of baptisms in the Bible. 18:49 And the first one that we're going to look at 18:51 is Jesus' baptism. 18:53 Now Jesus is our example 18:55 so looking at His baptism is important for us 18:58 'cause He came to be an example for us. 19:00 And we are going to find this in Mark chapter 1. 19:03 We're going to be reading verses 9 and 10. 19:07 Mark chapter 1 verses 9-10. 19:12 This is the fifth text of our study. 19:15 You're going to mark at the end of this reference 19:18 as it shows on the screen: 5B. 19:21 We came from Ephesians chapter 4 verse 5. 19:24 And we will be going to Acts chapter 8. 19:28 We'll be reading verses 36 through 39. 19:32 We are in Mark chapter 1 verses 9 and 10. 19:36 Roberto, can you read that for us? 19:37 "It came to pass in those days 19:40 that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee 19:44 and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 19:48 And immediately coming out from the water 19:52 He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descended upon Him 19:58 like a dove. " Thank you, Roberto. 20:01 Here it's relating the story of Jesus being baptized 20:05 by John the Baptist. 20:07 In verse 10 it's describing what happens. 20:10 What does this tell us is happening there? 20:16 Before... He came up out of the water. 20:19 Says "He came up out of the water. " 20:21 What does that tell us if He came up out of the water? 20:23 He must have gone down into the water. 20:27 So here we see Jesus coming out of the water 20:30 in His baptism. So He had gone in the water. 20:33 Now in verse 9 it says 20:36 "and was baptized of John in the Jordan. " 20:40 The word there baptize in the original Greek 20:44 the Greek word is baptizo which means immersion. 20:49 Which means to be submerged or fully made wet. 20:54 So in the word itself it's understood what type 20:59 of baptism it was referring to. 21:03 It's talking about immersion. 21:05 Now we do not... we hear the word baptism 21:09 and we just relate it to what we have learned 21:12 in our experience. But the people in that time 21:17 knew what that word meant. 21:19 They knew the word baptizo in itself meant immersion. 21:24 So to them there was no question 21:26 as to what type of baptism they were talking about 21:30 because it actually meant immersion. 21:33 Now it occurred to you when you study your Bible 21:36 to have one of those Strong's Concordances that has 21:39 the Greek and the Hebrew original words 21:41 'cause it really helps you to understand much clearer 21:44 what the Word of God says. 21:46 And here we see how it really clarifies what it meant 21:52 by baptism. It's actually the immersion. 21:55 Now we're going to see another example found in Acts chapter 8. 21:59 Acts chapter 8, and we're going to be reading verses 36-39. 22:04 Acts chapter 8 verses 36 through 39. 22:10 This is the sixth text in our study. 22:13 You are going to mark it as it shows on the screen: 6B. 22:18 Mark 1:9-10 is where we came from 22:23 so that goes on top of the line. 22:25 And we will be going to John 3:23 22:29 and you will put that below the line. 22:31 We are in Acts chapter 8 and we're going to be reading 22:36 verses 36 through 39. 22:41 Tom, could you read that for us? 22:42 "Now as they went down the road they came to some water. 22:47 And the eunuch said: 'See, here is water. 22:51 What hinders me from being baptized? ' 22:54 Then Philip said: 'If you believe with all your heart, 22:58 you may. ' And he answered and said: 23:01 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. ' 23:04 So he commanded the chariot to stand still 23:07 and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water 23:11 and he baptized him. 23:13 Now when they came up out of the water 23:16 the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away 23:18 so that the eunuch saw him no more. 23:21 And he went on his way rejoicing. " 23:24 Thank you, Tom. 23:26 Now here we see a story 23:29 and we're going to look into 23:30 this story a little bit more later. 23:32 But what has happened so far... 23:34 Philip has been with a eunuch 23:37 and they have been studying 23:38 the Word of God. Now they're 23:39 walking and he sees water. 23:42 And what is the first thing he says? 23:47 Says: "Water... what keeps me from being baptized? " 23:49 Now he has been studying the Word of God. 23:52 There certainly has been conviction in his heart 23:55 and he sees the water. 23:57 Now remember we've been talking about being born of the water. 24:01 He sees the water and he decides to get baptized. 24:03 What does Philip ask him? 24:08 If you believe. He says: "If you believe with all your heart. " 24:10 And then he proclaims that he believes in Jesus 24:14 and he goes... Now I want you to notice in verse 38 24:17 it says: "And he commanded the chariot to stand still 24:20 and they went down both into the water" - 24:23 both Philip and the eunuch - 24:25 "and he baptized him. " 24:28 And then in verse 39 it says: 24:30 "And then when they were come up out of the water. " 24:34 So here it describes them as going down into the water 24:39 and coming up out of the water. 24:41 So again we see another example of baptism, and we see clearly 24:45 that the person is going down into the water 24:48 and coming out of the water. So we see again that 24:51 the method of baptism here again is immersion. 24:54 The person's going down into the water 24:57 and coming out of the water. 25:00 That... It's interesting to see... 25:02 We know that John the Baptist was preaching the message 25:06 of repentance and he baptized a lot of people... 25:09 Jesus being one of them as we saw in the example before. 25:13 And it's interesting to see what caused him to choose 25:17 the location where he would have this baptism. 25:21 And we're going to look at that in John chapter 3 verse 23. 25:26 John chapter 3 verse 23. 25:30 That's just one book before. John chapter 3 25:35 and we're looking at verse 23. 25:38 This is the seventh text in our study, 25:40 so at the end of this reference you're going to be writing 7B. 25:44 We just came from Acts 8:36-39 25:48 so that will go on top of the line. 25:50 And below the line you will write Romans 6:1-6. 25:55 That's the verse that we will be going to after this. 25:58 We are in John chapter 3 verse 23. 26:02 Ryan, can you read that for us? 26:04 "And John also was baptizing at Aenon near to Salim 26:08 because there was much water there. 26:10 And they came and were baptized. " 26:13 Thank you, Ryan. Here John has chosen to baptize 26:17 in Aenon near to Salim. Why? 26:21 Because there was much water there. 26:22 Now why is this important? 26:24 For immersion. Now if they were just going to do sprinkling 26:30 did they need "much water? " 26:32 No. If they were just going to do the anointing in the forehead 26:37 would they need all this water? No. 26:39 So it's evident here that John understood that baptism 26:43 had to be by immersion so he made sure the location 26:45 that he picked had much water. 26:48 Had much water. 26:50 So we see how the Bible clearly identifies 26:54 the form of baptism as being immersion. 26:59 Now Jesus talking to Nicodemus told him 27:02 that to enter into the kingdom of God 27:05 he must be born of the Spirit and born of water. 27:10 We saw that being born of the Spirit meant having an 27:13 experience. Not just an emotion that you have. 27:15 Being born of the Spirit is an experience that brings change 27:20 to your life. Someone who lives by the Spirit 27:23 walks by the Spirit is what the Bible says. 27:25 And we looked at the fruits of the Spirit. 27:28 We also looked at the fruits of the flesh. 27:30 So a person that's been born by the Spirit 27:34 has a change in the types of behavior that they do. 27:38 So there's a change in the life. 27:40 That is what shows us that a person has been born 27:43 by the Spirit. But Jesus also said 27:46 ye must be born by the water. 27:48 And we see how here the Bible shows us 27:53 that the way of baptism that the Bible approves of 27:58 is immersion. Being born by the water 28:02 is being baptized. And so we recognize 28:06 that the method of baptism is immersion. 28:09 Now it's interesting to say that the method of baptism 28:12 is actually dictated by the meaning of baptism itself. 28:15 And we're going to see that as we read in Romans 28:18 chapter 6. We're going to be reading verses 1 through 6. 28:22 Romans 6:1-6. 28:27 This is the eighth text of our study. 28:30 You're going to mark it as it shows on the screen: 8B. 28:34 Above the line John 3:23. That's where we came from. 28:38 And we will be going to Matthew chapter 28 verses 18-20. 28:43 And we are now in Romans 28:45 chapter 6 verses 1-6. 28:50 Um, Anita, could you read those one at a time? 28:56 "What shall we say then? 28:58 Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound? " 29:01 Now here you see the question is asking: 29:05 "shall we continue to sin? " 29:07 It's talking about grace. Now some people believe that 29:11 because of grace we can just continue as we usually were. 29:15 But we've seen that being born of the Spirit brings a change. 29:19 Now here the question is asked: "shall we continue in sin 29:23 that grace may abound? " 29:24 Continue verse 2... 29:27 "God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin 29:31 live any longer therein? " 29:33 Now here it's clear that it says if we have died to sin 29:38 that... remember, if you are born again, 29:40 you must have had to die to sin. 29:43 So if you have died to sin, now you are living a new life... 29:49 so it should not be a life of sin. 29:53 Continue in verse 3... 29:55 "Know ye not that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ 30:00 were baptized into His death? " 30:02 Now here the Bible clearly compares baptism 30:07 as being baptized into the death of Christ... 30:11 being baptized into the death of Christ. 30:13 And baptism has a very important symbol in our lives. 30:17 As we choose to accept the death of Christ for our lives 30:23 we demonstrate through baptism. It says: 30:26 "Baptized into His death. " Now let's continue in verse 4: 30:30 "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death 30:35 that like as Christ was raised up from the dead 30:39 by the glory of the Father even so we also 30:42 should walk in newness of life. " 30:45 And now here it's talking about we were baptized into His death. 30:49 Now it compares how Jesus was raised up 30:52 to our experience. And what does it say about that? 30:57 "Into newness of life. " 30:59 So we die with Him... that means we die to sin... 31:02 it says here "dead to sin, " and then we are raised up 31:06 just like He was into newness of life. 31:10 Continue in verse 5: 31:13 "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His 31:16 death so we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. " 31:22 So we see baptism here is being compared 31:26 to the death and then it says that as we come out 31:30 into newness of life it compares it to the resurrection. 31:33 Um... verse 6: 31:35 "Knowing this: that our old man is crucified with Him 31:39 that the body of sin might be destroyed 31:41 that henceforth we should not serve sin. " 31:45 Now the Bible makes clear that as we die to sin 31:50 our lives should be different. 31:53 Here baptism is the symbol of the death, burial, 31:58 and resurrection of Christ. 32:00 Now when you get baptized 32:03 the first thing you need to do before you go into the water 32:06 you need to hold your breath. 32:07 Now when we were studying about the state of the dead 32:10 we saw how when Jesus created man, to give life to man 32:14 what did He have do? 32:16 Breath of life in it, 32:18 and that was what brought him to life. 32:20 And then we saw that for death to happen 32:23 what happened was that breath was taken away 32:26 and then the body was left without life. 32:30 So when we hold the breath for those moments that we hold 32:34 our breath to go down in the water 32:36 we are representing the death of Jesus. 32:41 As we are put under the water 32:44 we are seeing the symbol of Jesus' burial. 32:47 When you bury someone you don't leave them on top of the ground, 32:52 right? You dig a hole and you put them under the ground 32:56 and cover it up. 32:57 The same thing when we go into baptism 33:01 we are buried under the water. 33:04 And then the resurrection of Jesus is represented 33:08 by our coming out of that water. 33:10 We come out of that water into newness of life. 33:14 Here we see the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus 33:20 in the symbols of baptism. 33:22 Now let's... let's think about the different types of baptism 33:26 that you have seen or you have heard of. 33:30 Can anyone think of a different baptism other than the one 33:33 that we studied today: immersion? 33:36 What was that? Infusion. 33:38 Infusion. Now tell us a little bit about that type of baptism. 33:42 What happens? You are basically put over a pail of water 33:45 and they just pour it over your head 33:47 and then they rub oil on your forehead. 33:49 OK. Now if you think about these three things that we just saw 33:53 are symbols of baptism: the death, burial, 33:56 and resurrection, now the Bible is telling us that baptism 33:58 does represent that death and that resurrection. 34:01 Can you see infusion being able to symbolize those two things? 34:06 No. 34:09 Can anyone thing of another type of baptism that you have seen 34:12 or experienced or heard of. 34:16 Immersion three times? 34:18 You've seen immersion three times? 34:20 OK. 34:25 Baptism of just the Holy Spirit; no water. 34:28 Yes. OK. So they just receive the Holy Spirit? 34:31 Yeah, they believe that you don't have to... 34:34 OK... you don't have to come in contact with water at all. 34:37 All right, OK. You know, I haven't seen that 34:39 but I think I've heard of it. 34:40 Now when we are talking about being baptized by the 34:44 Holy Spirit, umm... Are these people who believe that 34:48 the Holy Spirit manifests in certain things? 34:52 So they are just going by the outward demonstration 34:55 of the Holy Spirit. Now can you see the 3 things 34:59 that we looked at here: the death, burial, and resurrection 35:01 in that type of baptism? No. 35:03 No. Can anyone think of another type? 35:06 Sprinkling... sprinkling. 35:09 Can you see the death, burial, 35:12 and resurrection of Jesus 35:13 symbolized in the baptism 35:16 that's done by sprinkling? 35:18 No. So if we are believing that the Bible says 35:23 clearly here that baptism is symbolized... symbolizes 35:26 the death and resurrection of Jesus, 35:28 we can only take the method that the Bible teaches: 35:33 immersion. 35:35 The Bible shows us also that there are certain things 35:39 that should happen to prepare you for this decision. 35:43 Now remember that baptism is just a demonstration of 35:47 something that already happened in your life. 35:49 Going into the water itself is not a magical thing 35:54 that's going to make you different. 35:57 It's just a demonstration of faith that you do 36:00 because Jesus has said to do it and we follow into that. 36:04 But something has to happen. What would be some things 36:06 that the Bible said should happen to make sure 36:09 that you are prepared for baptism? 36:12 The first thing that we are going to look at 36:13 is in Matthew chapter 28 36:16 and we're going to be looking at verses 18 through 20. 36:19 Matthew 28 verses 18-20. 36:23 This is the ninth text in our study. 36:26 And you are going to mark it as it shows on the screen: 9B. 36:30 We just came from Romans 6:1-6. 36:33 That goes above the line. 36:35 And we will be going to I John chapter 5 verses 4-6. 36:40 We are in Matthew chapter 28 and we're going to be reading 36:45 verses 18 through 20. 36:49 Matthew 28 verses 18-20. 36:55 Gloria, could you read that for us? 37:09 "And Jesus came and spoke to them saying: 37:13 'all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 37:18 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations 37:23 baptizing them in the name of the Father 37:27 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 37:31 teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you. 37:35 And lo, I am with you always... 37:39 even to the end of the age. " 37:42 Thank you, Gloria. Now here we see Jesus 37:47 with His disciples in His last moments that He's spending 37:50 with them. And He tells them to go and teach 37:54 all nations, baptizing them. 37:56 Now what is it that they're supposed to teach them? 38:01 All things that He has commanded them. 38:04 So Jesus is making clear that they have to teach these people 38:09 and baptize them... which we can understand 38:13 that for a person to get baptized they need to understand 38:17 the teachings of Jesus. 38:19 They need to understand what the Bible teaches... 38:23 the Word of God teaches. 38:26 There has to be an understanding of the Word of God. 38:29 That does not mean they need to know every little thing 38:32 because we are constant students of the Bible 38:35 so we are going to continue to study more and more. 38:38 But they need to know the basics of what the Bible teaches. 38:43 It says: "Teaching them all things that I have 38:45 commanded you. " 38:47 So for a person to make a decision for baptism 38:49 they have to have an understand- ing of the teachings of Jesus 38:54 in His Word. 38:56 Now let's see what else the Bible says 38:58 that should happen before a person is ready for baptism. 39:03 We're going to look at I John chapter 5 verses 4-6. 39:09 I John chapter 5. I John is at the end 39:11 of the Bible right before Revelation 39:15 which is the last book of the Bible. 39:18 I John chapter 5 verses 4-6. 39:23 This is the tenth text in our study. 39:25 You're going to mark it as it shows on the screen: 10B. 39:29 We just came from Matthew verse 28... chapter 28, 39:34 I'm sorry... verses 18-20. 39:37 And we will be going to Acts chapter 8 verses 26-37. 39:43 We are in I John chapter 5 verses 4-6. 39:48 Jessica, could you read that for us? 39:52 "For every child of God defeats the evil world 39:56 by trusting Christ to give the victory. 39:58 And the ones who win this battle against the world 40:02 are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. 40:06 And Jesus Christ was revealed as God's Son 40:10 by His baptism in water and by shedding His blood 40:14 on the cross. Not by water only 40:17 but by water and blood. 40:20 And the Spirit also gives us the testimony that this is true. " 40:25 Thank you. Now here it mentions 40:29 in verse 4 that the victory is overcome by what? 40:35 By our faith! It says by our faith. 40:39 And then it says faith in what? 40:41 In verse 5 it tells us what that faith is in. 40:44 Believing in Jesus... that Jesus is the Son of God. 40:49 We must have faith in Jesus and in His Word. 40:55 A person that makes a decision for baptism 40:58 needs to have an understanding 41:01 of what the teachings of Jesus are in His Word 41:04 and needs to believe - not just only with faith which is 41:09 which we have talked about is a complete trust in God 41:14 without any doubt... complete trust in Jesus 41:20 as the Son of God. So we see the Bible has told us we need to 41:24 understand and we need to believe. 41:27 Now before we go to the next one we're going to go 41:29 back into the story of the baptism of the eunuch 41:34 to see how these two things are represented there. 41:37 And that was in Acts chapter 8. So we're going to go back 41:41 to Acts chapter 8. 41:46 We're going to be reading this time from verses 26-37. 41:51 This is the 11th text in our study, so at the end of this 41:55 reference you will mark 11B. 41:58 We just came from I John chapter 5 verses 4-6 42:03 and we will be going to Acts chapter 2 verse 38. 42:07 We are in Acts chapter 8 42:13 verse 20... we're going to begin with verse 26. 42:16 Tim, can you read 26 through 28? Sure. 42:23 "And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip saying: 42:25 'Arise and go toward the south 42:28 unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza 42:32 which is desert. 42:36 And he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, 42:39 a eunuch of great authority under Candace, 42:42 queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her 42:46 treasure and had come to Jerusalem for to worship 42:49 was returning and sitting in his chariot 42:52 reading Isaiah the prophet. " 42:58 Thank you. Now here we see that the Lord appeared to... 43:03 spoke to Philip and He told him to go to Gaza. 43:07 And what did Philip do? It says he rose and he went. 43:12 He obeyed... he rose and he went. 43:14 And there he found a man in his chariot. 43:18 And what was he doing? He was reading Isaiah. 43:23 He was reading the scriptures. 43:24 He was studying the Word of God. 43:26 So Philip found this man reading the Word of God. 43:31 Danielle, can you read verses 29 through 31? 43:46 "Then the Spirit said unto Philip: 'Go near and join 43:50 thyself to this chariot. ' And Philip ran thither to him 43:54 and heard him read the prophet Isaiah and said: 43:56 'understandest thou what thou readest? ' And he said: 43:59 'How can I except some man should guide me? ' 44:01 And he desired Philip that he would come up 44:03 and sit with him. " 44:05 Thank you, Danielle. Now I want you to notice here 44:08 the Spirit said to Philip to go. 44:11 And what did Philip do? He ran! 44:14 He didn't go: "Oh, let me see. Let me think about it. 44:16 I don't know... I'm afraid. " Instead he just ran over there 44:20 and did what the Spirit told him to do. 44:22 I pray that that's what we do when the Spirit tells us 44:24 to do something... that we'll just run. 44:26 Now he ran there and he heard that he was reading Isaiah. 44:29 And what does he ask him? 44:31 Do you understand what you're reading? 44:33 Do you understand what you're reading? 44:35 Now if we are reading the Word of God and we're not 44:37 understanding it, does it do much good to us? 44:40 No. So Philip sees this man 44:44 reading. He wants to make sure 44:45 he's understanding so he asks 44:46 him: "Do you understand it? " 44:49 And what does he respond? 44:53 "Not unless someone explains it to me. " 44:57 Now some people will need for you to sit and study with them 45:00 and this is why we are learning how to give Bible studies 45:03 because we want to go to those who are beginning to search 45:06 through the scriptures or who the Spirit of God is 45:09 beginning to move their heart 45:11 and we want to go and help them understand the scriptures. 45:15 Now Philip was ready to go when the Spirit of God told him 45:19 to go... and I pray that each of us will, too. 45:21 Now here Philip sees this man who is in need 45:24 and the man asks Philip to stay and sit with him. 45:27 He asks him: "Have a Bible study with me. " 45:29 And let's see what Philip does. 45:31 Bill, can you read verses 32 through 35? 45:40 "The place in the scriptures which he read was this: 45:43 He was led as a sheep to the slaughter 45:45 and as a lamb before his shearer is silent 45:48 so He opened not His mouth. 45:50 In His humiliation His justice was taken away 45:54 and who will declare His generations 45:57 for His life is taken from the earth? 45:59 So the eunuch answered Philip and said: 46:02 'I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this... 46:04 of himself or of some other man? ' 46:07 Then Philip opened his mouth and beginning at the scripture 46:11 preached Jesus to him. " 46:13 Thank you, Bill. 46:15 Here we see that as he was reading 46:18 he found the prophecies in Isaiah about Jesus 46:21 but he did not understand them. 46:23 What was the question he had about these prophecies? 46:28 Was Isaiah talking about himself or was it another. 46:32 So he did not understand who this prophecy was talking about. 46:36 And what does Philip do? 46:40 He preached him Jesus; He preached him Jesus. 46:43 Now I want you to notice that he did not start 46:45 just giving him his opinion. Now remember how we said 46:48 when we are studying the Word of God your opinion has no value? 46:51 He didn't start telling him his opinion. 46:53 He didn't start presenting ideas or philosophies 46:58 of why this or why the other. 47:00 Where does he take him? 47:03 To the same scriptures. 47:04 He took him back to the scriptures there and 47:07 then he began to show him Jesus from the scriptures. 47:10 And that's what we want to do 47:12 when a person asks us a question about the Bible. 47:16 We want to take them back to the Bible and lead them to that. 47:20 So here Philip is taking him back to it. 47:23 He wants to make sure he understands. 47:26 Now, continuing here... verses 36 and 37. 47:31 Mike, can you read that for us? 47:33 "And as they went on their way they came unto certain water. 47:36 And the eunuch said: 'See, here is water. 47:39 What doth hinder me from being baptized? ' 47:41 And Philip said: 'If thou believest with all thine heart, 47:45 thou mayest. ' And he answered and said: 47:47 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. ' " 47:50 Thank you, Mike. We see... Now Philip had already 47:53 spent time with him. He knew he didn't understand. 47:55 He spent time with him learning the Bible, studying the Bible 47:59 together, so he knew that now he has an understanding 48:02 of what the Bible says. 48:04 And Philip has the desire to... 48:06 I'm sorry, the eunuch has the desire to be baptized. 48:09 Philip knows he has an understanding. 48:12 What is the next thing that he sees is necessary here? 48:18 The belief. So he says "if you believe, 48:21 with ALL thine heart then you may. " 48:25 If you believe with all thine heart. 48:27 So we saw the Bible clearly states they need to have 48:30 and understanding of what the Bible teaches 48:32 and they need to believe with all their heart. 48:36 And we see it even in this... in this 48:41 example of a baptism in the Bible. 48:44 Now let's look at the last thing that the Bible tells us 48:47 needs to happen for us to be ready for baptism. 48:51 In Acts chapter 2... Same book, we're just going 48:54 a few chapters before: chapter 2. 48:58 And we're looking now at verse 38. 49:00 This is the 12th text in our study. 49:03 You're going to mark it 12B. 49:06 This is... We just came from Acts 8:26-37 49:12 so you're going to write that above the line. 49:16 And we will be going to II Corinthians 6:2. 49:21 We are in Acts chapter 2 49:24 and we are reading verses 37 and 38. 49:28 Darlene, can you read that for us? Oh, 38. I'm sorry. 49:35 "Then Peter said to them: 'repent and let every one of you 49:39 be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ 49:42 for the remission of sins and you shall receive 49:46 the gift of the Holy Spirit. ' " 49:48 Thank you. Now here it's telling us 49:52 that... it says "repent AND be baptized. " 49:56 So you must repent to be baptized. 49:58 Now we know that John, who was one who began to 50:03 do this baptism with water, he was preaching repentance. 50:07 "Repent and be baptized; repent and be baptized 50:10 for the remission of your sins. " 50:11 And then it says: "And then you shall receive the gift 50:14 of the Holy Spirit. " 50:17 Now remember Jesus told Nicodemus you have to be born 50:20 "of the Spirit and of the water. " 50:23 So for us to receive the Holy Spirit, we must repent. 50:28 Because the Word says if we're going to die 50:30 to our sinful nature, we have to leave those things behind. 50:35 So we have to repent from them. And God has promised 50:38 forgiveness for our sins when we repent and ask forgiveness. 50:41 So "repent and be baptized. " 50:44 The Bible teaches that to enter into the kingdom of God 50:48 we must be born of the Spirit and of the water. 50:53 We saw from the Bible that to be born of the Spirit 50:57 means that we walk in the Spirit 50:59 and the fruits of the Spirit are seen now. 51:02 We have died to the sinful nature 51:06 and we are now living in the newness of life. 51:10 So a change has occurred. That shows - demonstrates - 51:13 that we have been born of the Spirit. 51:15 But we must also be born of the water. 51:18 And we saw that the Bible talks about baptism 51:22 as the method of being born by the water. 51:24 And that the Bible teaches one method of baptism 51:27 being immersion... because it shows what? 51:30 The symbols of Christ's death, 51:34 burial, and resurrection. 51:37 We looked and considered all the baptism methods 51:41 of baptisms and we saw how these methods 51:43 do not... cannot symbolize these three things. 51:50 And we also saw how the Bible makes clear in the examples 51:54 that we saw that the baptisms that were done there 51:56 were by immersion. 51:58 Now, if we consider about these three things 52:01 that we just saw has to happen for you to be ready... 52:04 You must understand the teachings of the Bible. 52:08 You need to... you have to believe, have faith. 52:12 And you must repent. 52:15 Now, if we consider a little child, 52:18 can a little child comply with these three things? 52:23 No... no. 52:26 Then we have to conclude that the Bible does not approve 52:30 of little children being baptized until they're old 52:34 enough to understand the teachings of the Bible, 52:38 to believe with all of their hearts, and to repent. 52:45 Now some of us here and maybe some of you who are joining us 52:49 may have been baptized when you were a baby. 52:52 My parents - they weren't Christians but they... 52:55 You know how parents sometimes they didn't receive things 52:58 themselves but they want the best for their children? 53:00 So even thou they themselves are not Christians 53:02 they wanted us to be blessed by God. 53:04 And they were taught that if a child died 53:08 and had not been baptized that they would be lost. 53:10 So in their best intentions and in their love for us 53:14 they took us to church even though they weren't Christians 53:17 and when we were babies they got us baptized. 53:21 So I was baptized as a child 53:24 and maybe some of you have been, too. 53:26 And even though that was the best intentions of our parents 53:30 the best intentions of your parents cannot take 53:34 the place of God's Word. Amen. 53:37 So regardless of this, the Bible makes clear 53:41 that that's not the type of baptism 53:44 that the Bible talks about. 53:46 Therefore, we cannot accept that one 53:52 as being that being "born of the water. " 53:58 So if you were baptized as a child, 54:05 today as you've learned the teachings of the Bible 54:08 the Spirit of God is leading you to make a decision. 54:14 Now the Bible also teaches you must understand 54:17 and you must be able to repent. 54:19 But it also teaches that you have to have immersion. 54:24 The method of the Bible is clear 54:28 and it says that that person has to have understanding 54:33 and it has to be immersion. So you may have been 54:35 baptized as a child and been immersed but if you didn't 54:40 understand, that doesn't count. 54:43 But you may have been baptized as an adult. 54:46 You understood, you were able to repent... 54:50 but the method was not right. 54:54 And if that's the case, today 54:59 as you've learned the teachings of the Word of God on baptism, 55:04 the Spirit of God is leading you to make a decision. 55:08 Now you may have been an adult and you may have been baptized 55:12 in the right manner of baptism. You may have had 55:16 an immersion and you were an adult. 55:18 But as we have been studying the Word of God 55:22 through these studies you have learned 55:26 what the Bible really teaches. 55:28 And maybe now you recognize that you did not 55:31 understand what the Bible taught. 55:33 If that is your experience, 55:37 if you got baptized without understanding the teachings 55:39 of the Bible, then the Spirit of God today 55:44 is leading you to make a decision. 55:50 Baptism in itself does not save us. 55:55 But as we have seen through the Word of God 55:58 time and time again it is 56:00 related at length that to be 56:01 able to enter the kingdom of God 56:03 into salvation because 56:06 it's a demonstration of faith 56:09 and we are saved by faith. 56:12 Now if we are saved by faith and we believe Jesus 56:14 and Jesus says that you must be baptized, 56:16 then we will follow into that. 56:19 We're going to look at one last verse 56:21 in II Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 2. 56:25 II Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 2. 56:27 This is the last verse, so at the end of this reference 56:30 you're going to mark 13B. 56:32 You're going to write Acts 2:38 56:35 because that's where we came from. 56:36 And this is the last of our study so you're going to write 56:40 End on the bottom. 56:42 This is II Corinthians chapter 6 verse 2. 56:47 Um where were we? Shelleta, can you read that for us? 56:51 Thank you. 56:55 II Corinthians chapter 6 verse 2: 56:58 "For he sayeth: 'I have heard thee in a time accepted 57:02 and in the day of salvation have I succored thee. 57:06 Behold, now is the accepted time; 57:08 behold, now is the day of salvation. ' " 57:11 Thank you. The Bible is telling us 57:14 "now is the accepted time; now is the time of salvation. " 57:20 As you have heard... as you have seen the study 57:24 of the Word of God leading you to understand 57:27 the teachings of baptism, 57:30 if the Spirit of God is moving you 57:32 and those of you who are joining us from your homes 57:36 if the Spirit of God is moving you, 57:38 now is the accepted time. 57:40 Now is the time of salvation. |
Revised 2014-12-17