Participants: Jim Gilley
Series Code: POFCM
Program Code: POFCM000006
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00:39 Live from the 3ABN worship center
00:42 welcome to the Pillars of our Faith events. 00:59 Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place 01:07 I can feel His mighty power and His grace 01:16 I can hear the brush of angels wings 01:22 I see glory on each face 01:26 Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place 01:38 In the midst of His children the Lord said He would be 01:47 It doesn't take very many, it can be just two or three 01:55 And I feel that same sweet spirit 02:00 that I felt often times before 02:05 Surely I can say I've been with my Lord 02:14 Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place 02:24 I can feel His mighty power and His grace 02:32 I can hear the brush of angels wings 02:38 I see glory on each face 02:42 Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place 02:53 There's a holy hush around us 02:59 as God's glory fills this place 03:04 I've touched the hem of His garments, 03:09 I can almost see His face 03:14 And my heart is overflowing 03:18 with the fullness of His joy 03:23 I know without a doubt that I've been with my Lord 03:32 Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place 03:42 I can feel His mighty power and His grace 03:51 I can hear the brush of angels wings 03:57 I see glory on each face 04:02 O surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. 04:13 Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. 04:37 Amen. Amen. Thank you Chris, thank you David. 04:43 It's a privilege again we want to welcome those 04:46 viewing to our pillars camp meeting this week. 04:48 We have had an incredible time. Haven't we? 04:50 The last few days and you know my mother used to 04:53 say it's just gonna get gooder and gooder 04:55 she would say. It's going to get better 04:57 and better isn't it? And that we have already, 04:59 I have felt the presence of the Lord in this place. 05:03 Amen. It's all around and you can just about 05:05 hear those brush of angels wings. 05:06 And I am so excited for the opportunity 05:09 that God has given us as Christians, 05:13 Seventh-day Adventists we have present truth 05:15 to give a lost and dying world and this pillars 05:18 project has been so incredible. 05:20 Thank you David, Nathan Young 05:22 is going to come out and sing in just a movement 05:23 but you two could tell us a little bit 05:25 about come on out Nathan and David tell us 05:28 about the song and how it came about. 05:31 The song is so fitting for tonight's sermon, 05:34 which is going to be preached by Jim Gilley 05:36 about Baptism. Danny talked about being 05:39 a Christian, being a Christian is repenting, 05:41 receiving God's incredible gift of salvation 05:45 and then being baptized we are commanded to do it, 05:48 it's not just a rite, it's something we do to show 05:51 that we will be buried with Jesus 05:53 and Nathan is going to sing take me to the water. 05:55 Right after Nathan sings we will be privileged tonight 05:59 and I want to say this Jim Gilley I have learned 06:03 to love this man as a brother in the Lord, 06:04 your next door neighbor is with he and Camille. 06:07 Jim is everything you see is what you get. 06:09 I have been around a lot of people in my life 06:12 and I want to tell you if I could count on one hand, 06:14 people would've had the most influence 06:16 and I have the respect for Jim Gilley 06:18 and that little number because he is a man 06:21 that loves Jesus. He is not afraid to stand up 06:24 for truth whatever that is 06:26 and he doesn't care which way the wind is blowing. 06:30 Jim knows where he is headed. 06:31 And that's to take an undiluted three angels 06:34 messages one that would counteract to counterfeit 06:37 and to all the world and I praise God 06:38 for Pastor Jim Gilley, for Camille and tonight. 06:40 Right after Nathan sings we will be blessed 06:44 to hear Jim Gilley. Amen. 07:05 Take me to the water to be baptized 07:15 Bury me with Jesus. The crucified 07:25 Plunge me in the fountain and may I rise with open eyes. 07:40 Take me to the water to be baptized 07:50 What a joy and blessing to be baptized 08:00 As a testimony of a work inside 08:09 Jesus blood has cleansed me And to new life He bids me rise 08:25 I've come to the water to be baptized 08:34 To be baptized 08:49 Take me to the water, take me to the water 08:54 To be baptized, to be baptized 08:59 Bury me with Jesus, bury me with Jesus 09:04 The crucified, the crucified 09:09 Plunge me in the fountain, plunge me in the fountain 09:13 And may I rise with open eyes. 09:23 Take me to the water to be baptized 09:32 I've come to the water to be baptized 10:00 Thank you Nathan. God bless you. 10:05 Beautiful song isn't it. Amen. And a beautiful topic 10:10 baptism when you think about it folks, 10:13 of all the topics that we are looking at this weekend 10:18 you cannot put any importance one above the other 10:22 but this one would certainly be right at the top. 10:27 Let's bow our heads together. Father, 10:29 as we open the word tonight we just pray that you 10:32 will speak to our hearts Father 10:35 and open our hearts, help us to see your truth 10:40 and to be willing always to obey your truth 10:43 for we ask it in Jesus name. 10:45 Amen. Amen. You know parting words are important. 10:50 The last words that you speak to someone 10:54 are very important words. 10:57 In our family when we used to say goodbye 11:01 we were a lot different than my wife's family. 11:04 I married into the Thurman family and 11:08 I will never forget the first time that we went 11:13 to see her folks after we were married 11:15 and they said goodbye and everybody cried. 11:21 Of course we had a wonderful prayer, 11:23 we've always had a beautiful prayer 11:26 with the granddad Thurman. Just before we leave, 11:30 it's just something we always do 11:32 and so many times, its such a 11:33 beautiful time together. 11:35 But that was entirely differently from 11:37 the Gilley family. My brother left 11:42 and he knew he'd be gone a couple of years, 11:44 one time he says see you later and walked out 11:46 the door. And that's the way we left. 11:51 I only remember one goodbye that really was significant, 11:59 my father was dying with cancer, 12:02 we knew we'd probably not see each other again. 12:05 Usually they wouldn't even walk to the driveway 12:09 to say goodbye to you just, you all be careful 12:11 and that was it. But this time he came out, 12:16 dragging one leg, one arm, we had a prayer 12:24 and when we finished, he threw that one arm 12:30 around my neck, my dad was not hugger. 12:34 That's the only time I ever remember in my life 12:37 my dad ever hugging me. 12:39 My dad was a hand shaker and he; 12:42 he would shake your hand. 12:44 From the time you were a little boy you shook hands 12:47 with my dad. I never saw him hug anybody, 12:51 didn't mean we didn't think he loved us, 12:53 we thought he did but he didn't 12:57 demonstrate it that way. 12:58 But that time with tears rolling down his cheeks 13:02 he grabbed me and hugged me. 13:08 And I knew that we'll probably never 13:11 see each other again this side of the resurrection, 13:17 but when Jesus left he had some very important 13:21 words that he wanted to say and he said 13:24 them and you remember them. 13:27 He said, all authority, all power has been given to me 13:32 in heaven and on earth; he had earned 13:35 that power at the cross because the devil 13:37 has complete possession of this world. 13:40 And Jesus had won it back at the cross. Amen. 13:47 And now he said all power, authority 13:51 is given unto me in heaven and in earth, 13:56 go there for now these are his words to us 14:01 and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them 14:06 in the name of the Father and of the son 14:09 and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe 14:13 all things that I have commanded you and 14:15 lo I am with you always even to the end of the age. 14:20 That's a command, just as much as the command 14:24 to preach the gospel was the command to baptize, 14:28 in fact that is the very purpose for preaching 14:32 the gospel. Amen. Baptizing because that's what 14:37 Jesus told us to do. He said I want you 14:41 to go to the world and I want you to baptize 14:47 all of those that will believe and receive. 14:52 And he says I want you to teach them to observe 14:54 all things. Now we are covering the pillars 14:56 and let me tell you something, the pillars 14:59 are extremely important, everyone of them. Amen. 15:03 There is not one of them that you can say 15:05 this is not important and most all of those 15:08 are covered in this statement that says 15:11 teaching them to observe all things that 15:15 I have commanded you. Now the devil 15:19 just loves to mess things up. And he has done 15:25 that with every one of these teachings, every one of them. 15:30 You see the devil comes along and he says 15:33 well listen its alright to be baptized but and then he 15:39 gives different methods or he says just do it this 15:44 way or you don't really need water; 15:47 just a little bit of water. 15:49 I one time counted 14 methods of baptism that 15:54 I have heard of, I was talking to somebody back 15:57 here just a few minutes ago and they told me. 16:00 They said I have been baptized four times 16:04 because they said every time I go to a different church 16:06 then they want to baptize me the way they baptize. 16:11 And that person told me he said I was baptized once 16:14 three times face down. That's right 16:21 and sometimes just sprinkled and sometimes you're 16:24 baptized backwards and sometimes you're 16:27 baptized forwards, all different kinds of ways. 16:31 But you know that Bible tells us 16:33 that there's really only one way, one way? 16:39 It tells us in Ephesians the fourth chapter, verse five. 16:44 One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Alright. 16:49 How many baptisms does it say? One. 16:52 It doesn't say one Lord, one faith and 21 baptisms, 16:56 does it? It says one Lord, one faith and one baptism. 17:03 But we have Babylon, we have confusion, 17:08 we have all these different ideas and teachings 17:12 concerning something that is just so clear. 17:19 You know if we just come to the place where we would 17:22 decide that we are going to do what God says 17:24 no matter what? Whatever the Bible says 17:26 that's what we're gonna do. 17:28 That's gonna, it's going to solve all that confusion. 17:30 You know that? But we want to do 17:34 what some preacher tells us 17:36 or what some relative tells us or what somebody 17:39 else tells us instead of what God tells us. 17:42 What about a man? Somebody asked him 17:46 about a certain subject, said what do you believe? 17:49 And he said I believe what my church teaches. 17:54 So, my friend asked him, so what does your church teach, 17:57 what does it believe? And my church believes like 18:00 I believe. And so he says then what do you 18:07 and your church believe? We believe the same thing. 18:13 But that's the way a lot of people are. 18:16 They just simply go along with whatever somebody 18:21 says and it's amazing that being correct 18:26 has been made out somehow to be legalism. 18:31 You know some people say well listen it doesn't really 18:34 matter how you're baptized, just so you're sincere. 18:40 If you're sincere that is all that counts. 18:45 Is it insincere to be correct? 18:49 Does it lack sincerity if you follow God's word? 18:53 It's not wrong to be right is it? It's never wrong 19:01 to be right as long as you're right in the right spirit 19:04 then it is not wrong to be correct, but somehow 19:09 the devil has come along and he has taken all 19:11 of these teachings that are so clear. 19:15 And he has made confusion out of them 19:18 and they will take theology or teaching by exception, 19:23 you get one text that seems to say something that's different 19:27 then 35 other texts and somebody will grab 19:32 that one text, ignore the other 35 texts 19:36 and build a doctrine around it. 19:39 And get the idea that that is okay. 19:44 And they will even teach that is Biblical. 19:49 Now, this is true with everyone of the pillars faith 19:53 that we are talking about, because every single one of 19:55 them has been moved away from the truth 19:59 sometimes just slightly but it's moved just enough 20:04 you know if you're just off you're off. 20:06 I don't care how sincere you are? You're off, 20:11 if you're off; if you're wrong you're wrong. 20:16 Camille and I've been made a couple of years and, 20:21 just a couple, and she won't let me tell you how long 20:27 we've been married so. But I will tell that 20:32 we will have our 50th wedding anniversary this summer. 20:39 If we make it, because after telling that, 20:43 you know there maybe some question. 20:46 But I remember one night we were driving in our 20:52 Volkswagen, we have one of those little Beetles, 20:56 little, little, little one you know. 20:57 One of those that didn't have any power back 21:00 in those days I think they had 49 horsepower 21:02 or something like that. You would go up the hill 21:05 and barely up the hill I remember one time 21:08 we were trying to get down through Missouri going 21:11 from Berrien Springs down to Dallas and we were driving 21:14 along the road and the wind, we had a strong wind 21:19 coming in from the Southwest and we were going against 21:22 that wind. And we couldn't get up to 21:26 55 miles an hour I think. 21:30 You would start down a hill and you're going really 21:33 fast and you pass some truck and then you start 21:36 going up another hill and he comes by you, 21:38 you know. And you're down about 30 miles 21:41 an hour and you're just chucking alone. 21:43 I made the mistake of taking two other people 21:46 with us to help pay for the gas. 21:54 By the way on that trip and you can believe this 21:56 or not, I saw gas the cheapest I've ever seen it 21:59 was in the state of Missouri. I don't think 22:02 they have a lot of tax there or some or didn't back then 22:04 on their gas. $1.19, that's the cheapest 22:09 I have ever seen gasoline and that was for a gallon 22:13 kids not a cup. I mean that was, that was for a gallon. 22:19 Now it wasn't that cheap all the time. 22:21 It was usually $1.99, was what we paid for Gulftane, 22:25 you remember, Gulftane we used to buy that, 22:27 that was the cheapest thing I could buy. 22:29 And that was what we had but I remember one night 22:34 we were going our way towards Chicago 22:36 we were coming out of Des Moines, Iowa 22:38 and we were driving and we would drive all night 22:42 because we couldn't afford to stay any place. 22:46 And I would fix those Volkswagen seats 22:48 where they would lean back, you bought a kit 22:50 you put them on them so they would lean back 22:52 and we would sometimes pulled into a service station 22:56 and leaned them all the way back and sleep until 23:00 they opened up the station next morning 23:03 and then get a little gas. 23:04 And we would be, have a good night's rest. 23:08 We didn't sleep but we had some rest 23:11 and then spend $1.99 a gallon for some gas 23:18 and go on. But that one time we pulled into 23:21 a truck stop, pulled out and I am just moving 23:26 like everything, going to Chicago 23:29 and I met a bus and it said Chicago. 23:37 And I said you know that guy forgot to change 23:39 the sign when he came through, 23:42 either that or I am going the wrong direction 23:47 and then I saw a sign that said Des Moines 23:50 so many miles. And I've gone over 50 miles 23:55 the wrong way, sincere as I could be, 24:01 but I was sincerely wrong. 24:04 And we can be sincere and be very, very wrong. 24:10 What says the Bible that is our biggest question 24:14 you see that was the problem with Adam and Eve? 24:16 They were given orders don't eat of that tree, 24:22 all they had to do was not do it. 24:24 What do they do they believed 24:26 the devil instead of believing God. 24:30 And this is what we do if we aren't careful, 24:34 when we don't believe God's word for what God's word 24:38 says then we are believing a lie. And he is a liar 24:42 the Bible says and he is the author of lies. Amen. 24:48 I tell you, it cost people their lives 24:55 when they don't believe God. You remember those two men, 24:57 Nadab and Abihu, two young preachers. 25:01 God said that only Holy fire should be 25:05 used in the sanctuary service, but they brought ordinary 25:10 fire. And fire came out from the alter 25:14 and devoured those young men. 25:18 Numbers 26:61 says, Nadab and Abihu died 25:23 when they offered profane fire before the Lord. 25:27 My friend if we would just come to the place 25:30 where we say I am going to follow God I am going 25:33 to follow his word, it brings a piece to your soul. 25:36 It brings an assurance to your life, 25:40 it brings a freedom in Christ to say Lord if you say it, 25:46 I'm going to do it. If you say don't do it, 25:49 I am not going to do it. 25:52 Now, there are times that we make mistakes 25:56 and fall and absolutely do something that's totally 26:01 against what God says. But if we do that, 26:05 don't try to justify it, don't try to say its right. 26:09 You turn from it. David said that he, 26:14 when he covered his sin it just destroyed him. 26:18 But when he confessed it then he received freedom. 26:22 Confess it and turn from it. 26:26 Well, you know when we look at Baptism 26:29 I think we should pretty well be assured 26:32 that if we can find out how Jesus Christ was baptized 26:37 then that's going to be the right way. 26:40 Amen. Christ wouldn't be baptized 26:42 someway that was wrong. Would he? 26:45 Of course not. Bible says that he is our example, 26:52 that we are to follow him and it tells us in Mark 26:56 the first chapter verses 9 and 10, 26:58 it says it came to pass in those days 27:01 that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee 27:03 and was baptized by John in the Jordan 27:08 and immediately coming up from the water. 27:13 He saw the heaven's departing, 27:16 and the spirit descend upon him like a dove. 27:23 Now, that's pretty clear isn't that? Amen. 27:26 You see you cannot come up out of the water 27:28 unless you've gone down into the water. 27:30 Alright. Bible says he was baptized in Jordan 27:35 and that tells us that John was baptizing by immersion. 27:41 In a minute we are going to look at that word baptized 27:45 and we will look at where it comes from and you'll see 27:47 why it can only be baptism by immersion. 27:51 John the third chapter, verse 23 says 27:54 now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, 27:59 because there was much water there; 28:02 and they came and were baptized. 28:07 Now you know if you have to go out and pray down 28:13 at the Jordan because there is more water 28:17 there to baptize, that shows you that 28:20 he wasn't using some of the methods that 28:23 we hear about today. Because he could have taken 28:27 a bucket of water and sprinkled two thousand people, 28:30 never left Jerusalem, not had to go out 28:34 and go down to the Jordan river. 28:37 But he needed water, John and his disciples 28:43 were baptizing. They were baptizing people by 28:47 the hundreds, perhaps by the thousands 28:50 that would come and would want to be baptized. 28:56 I read a story about a little girl 29:00 that went to a church where they gave you 29:04 an option of how you want to be baptized 29:06 and as they were talking to the baptismal group 29:09 most of them were adults and when they asked them 29:12 how do you want to be baptized 29:13 most of them says sprinkled is fine. 29:15 Sprinkled and they went everybody said sprinkle 29:17 until they got down to this little girl 29:19 and they said how do you want to be baptized 29:22 and she said I want to be baptized 29:25 the way Jesus was baptized. Amen. 29:28 And the pastor looked at his associate 29:30 and he said we'll have to baptize this young girl 29:33 by immersion. Amen. Because the Bible clearly teaches 29:38 that that is the way that Jesus was baptized. 29:43 So, what is the real meaning of baptism? 29:46 Bible talks about this in Roman's the sixth chapter 29:50 verse 4, it says therefore we were buried with 29:53 him through baptism into death that just as Christ 29:58 was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, 30:02 even so we should also walk in newness of life. 30:07 That's right. And you know that's what it is. 30:10 It's a burial, a burial. It represents the death 30:17 in the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ 30:20 and we are identifying with that experience, 30:23 we are partaking of that experience 30:27 through this rite of baptism. 30:29 Colossians 2:12 says, buried with Him in baptism 30:33 in which you also were raised with Him 30:37 through faith in the working of God 30:40 who raised him from the dead. 30:44 And now that is the experience that Christ 30:48 wants us to have. Galatians 2:20, I am crucified 30:51 with Christ. You die with Christ, then you are buried 30:58 in the baptism, then you come forth to newness in life. 31:03 I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. 31:06 You come forth, yet not I but Christ liveth in me. Amen. 31:16 That my friend is the life of a Christian. Amen. 31:20 Now somebody says wait a minute just going down 31:24 to that water. That doesn't save you? 31:27 No, it doesn't. Its part of the process 31:31 but just the water itself won't save you. 31:35 You go down a devil, you just come up a wet devil. 31:39 That's right. But if you go down as one who's dying 31:45 to self and giving yourself to Jesus Christ 31:50 then you are different when you come forth. 31:53 Now, only people who are died should be buried. 31:57 Isn't that correct? I mean we try not 32:00 to bury people that are still alive. 32:04 I read the story of a young lady over in Virginia, 32:08 years ago. And this young lady was sick 32:15 and she got so low that they pronounced her dead. 32:21 Now, in those days they generally buried people 32:25 the same day and they took her out to the cemetery 32:30 it happen that particular cemetery there was a crypt 32:34 and her body was placed in the crypt, 32:37 it was not quite sealed yet. 32:39 That night the caretaker before as he was just 32:43 getting ready to leave, thought he heard a noise. 32:49 Now most caretakers hearing a noise 32:53 would talk about it somewhere else, 32:55 they would not stay around. But this was a brave 32:59 caretaker and he investigated and he pulled 33:05 that casket out and he found that 33:08 girl was not dead. They took her back continued to 33:16 nurture, she recovered and later on she gave 33:20 birth to a man that all of you heard of 33:25 General Robert E. Lee. His mother almost buried alive. 33:33 But when we bury somebody we don't just sprinkle 33:38 a little dirt over them either do it. 33:40 I mean that would create a quite a stir if somebody 33:45 was doing that kind of thing. We make sure that 33:49 they are actually buried, because that is what 33:54 we do with someone who has died. 33:58 Now, when we say that you need to be dead to be buried 34:02 in baptism, dead to sin, dead to this world, 34:06 that doesn't mean you are going to perfect folks. 34:09 I would love to bring someone up here and say to you 34:15 this individual is absolutely perfect. 34:20 But if I did that they would no longer be perfect 34:25 after I brought them up here. Right. 34:27 Pride would come into the heart. 34:29 They would say aha, I am perfect. 34:32 None of us are perfect, none of us. We are all 34:37 covered by the blood of Jesus. Amen. 34:41 But there is a difference remember this. 34:44 There is difference to be, to being sinful 34:48 and there is also a difference in being a sinner 34:54 who is saved by the grace by God 34:57 and who is growing in Christ. Amen. 34:59 There is a difference. 35:02 What is the way a person reacts to the sin. 35:04 If you react to sin as if it does nothing to that, 35:10 that doesn't bother me a bit. 35:13 Then my friend you haven't died to sin. 35:16 But if dead sin absolutely tears you up when you are, 35:23 I like to use this illustration because nobody 35:26 gets upset when you use this illustration. 35:29 If you're driving down the highway and somebody 35:33 cuts you off or endangers your life 35:37 by the way they're driving, you immediately respond 35:42 if you are human. I know some of you probably 35:47 don't, but most people do. 35:54 And then later you say to yourself. Wow! 35:57 The old man is just not dead. 36:00 I just need to spend more time with the Lord, 36:04 more time until I get to the place 36:08 where I don't have those kinds of feelings 36:12 or thoughts or that kind of response. 36:16 Because you see if we're born again, we do change. 36:23 I was watching this morning when my good friend 36:28 David Asscherick confessed his sin here. 36:37 He doesn't need me to confess his sin 36:39 for him again. So, I am not going to, 36:44 but I had a similar situation recently. 36:51 I was driving in my pickup, we were coming back 36:54 from down in Tennessee, Camille's mom is not well 36:58 and she has been recovering we have been going down. 37:00 I was in the pickup, had my two youngest 37:04 grand children with me and we stopped 37:07 at Krogers in Marion to get some food, 37:11 some bananas and some things for those kids 37:13 and when I started to come back on 37:16 they had a little construction there and 37:18 I wasn't sure that I had an actual entrance lane 37:22 and I so I really gunned it. Now I have got an old pickup, 37:26 it's a 2000 model but it will run, it's a v8 it will run. 37:32 It will take all the cash you can give it 37:34 and it don't give any of it back I guarantee you. 37:41 And I was just moving up the road pretty good 37:45 and all of a sudden the light the officer was sitting 37:51 right in the middle of the median 37:54 and the lights went on and I just right light over. 38:01 In fact I pulled over so quick that the officer 38:06 had to almost back up like this to get him behind me. 38:13 I had my license out when she came up 38:16 and I said guilty, guilty, guilty and I was. 38:22 And I handed over the license. She said you 38:26 have any idea how fast you were going. 38:28 I said I would imagine around 70, 38:31 but I didn't, really I don't see how 38:35 it could have gotten going there. 38:36 I did an experiment this week and I probably 38:39 was going 80, I was just saying, 38:40 checking out to see how fast I can 38:44 get that thing up to. 38:48 And she took my license and she went back 38:52 and then she came back up and she said 38:56 I am just going to give you a warning 38:57 because she said you didn't make me chase you. 39:04 Don't you hate it when people obliviously ought to be 39:08 stopping and they, they're going down the road 39:10 and the cops trying to pull them over. 39:12 And they're like Me! Me! What did I do? 39:17 You know you have seen those kind. 39:19 They just keep going and I've policemen 39:21 had to follow them a long way to get them stopped. 39:26 I tell you if you get stopped just go ahead 39:29 and confess your guilt alright. 39:31 I think, right off, I think officers like that, 39:34 'cause they want you to say I am guilty. 39:38 I think they do, didn't use that as a technique 39:45 but if I ever get stopped again, I'd say. 39:49 You're welcome to use it, just don't use it around here. 39:53 Alright. They will get the idea I have been 39:59 spreading the word. I appreciate it when they 40:03 give me grace. Amen. I really do, 40:06 and I really appreciate it when they give Danny Shelton 40:09 grace because it's all in the family. 40:18 But you see all sin and come short of the glory 40:21 of God. And sometime I'l tell Danny to tell you some 40:27 of his stories that, he has got a heavy foot 40:30 occasionally and not often but occasionally 40:34 it's happened. Hasn't it Danny? Alright. 40:39 But you see the, the Bible tells us 40:43 that all have sinned and come short of 40:46 the glory of God. Amen. And so this burial 40:49 service of baptism is extremely important 40:54 for us to identify with Christ that his death 40:57 we go into the grave and then we come forth 41:00 for newness of life. Now, the word baptize is a word 41:07 that we get from the Greek, it comes from the word baptizo. 41:12 Baptizo has a real meaning in Greek, 41:18 we didn't have an Anglo word, if you used an Anglo word 41:23 it would sort be dunk, dunk or submerged. 41:29 These would be the words and that just doesn't 41:34 sound as pretty as baptism does it? 41:37 So, we anglicize bapitzo, first time I went to Greece 41:42 we had a guide and she was very good and Camille 41:47 and I were sitting up in the very front and she was there 41:49 we were talking to her. We were driving along 41:51 the Mediterranean and so I said to her 41:54 because I knew what she was going to say but I 41:57 wanted to get it from her so I can bring it back here 42:01 and tell you say. And I said what does baptizo mean? 42:07 And she is telling me what it means? 42:10 And I said oh! You mean like you take some water 42:12 and you sprinkle, sprinkle all no, no. 42:15 Now the bus driver did not speak very good English 42:19 but he understood what I was saying. 42:20 But he starts really getting into this 42:25 and he is saying no, no, he says its like dunk, 42:29 put under, put under, submerge and then he put, 42:33 he pointed to a ship out there. If that ship 42:36 sink, baptizo. I said I've got it. 42:46 I understand, if you are baptizoed 42:52 you will not be baptized by anyway other than immersion. 42:59 Jesus said that we must be baptized, 43:05 he said that it was the only way to be saved. 43:11 He tells us in Mark the 16th chapter verse 16. 43:14 He who believes and is baptized will be saved 43:18 these are the words of Jesus. But he who does not 43:22 believe will be condemned. That's right. 43:26 And you remember what he said to Nicodemus. 43:30 Nicodemus, we are hard on Nicodemus 43:33 I think that we ought to be a little easier 43:36 we always talk about his coming by night 43:38 because he was embarrassed to come by day 43:40 but he came. Amen. You see whether you come 43:45 by night or however you come; the important thing 43:49 is to come. Amen. And I am not going to say 43:55 exactly why people, often want to say 43:57 well he came by night 'cause he didn't want anybody 43:59 to see him with Jesus. That may not be true, 44:01 he may have come by night because he didn't wanna 44:03 bother Jesus during the day when so many people 44:07 were around. He may have come by night 44:09 because he want a little time alone with Jesus. 44:12 Whatever the reason is I am just glad he came. 44:17 Amen. Because Jesus preached to him one man, 44:21 one of the most beautiful sermons anywhere in God's 44:25 word and he says, you must be born again. 44:31 Amen. And you know Nicodemus now he is ready for 44:35 discussion and he says to him, how do you mean born again? 44:40 You mean I've got to go back in my mother's womb. 44:44 Now, when we are in the mother's womb, 44:46 we are in a sort of a case mill of what? 44:51 of water. That's right. Do you remember, 44:56 I remember when my wife was getting ready to give 45:00 birth then the water broke, when that happens 45:04 you know that the baby is about to be born. Right. 45:09 And then when the baby comes forth you've got the water 45:12 and then you have got something else. 45:15 You have got the Spirit, the breathe, 45:18 because before then the child is connected 45:20 through the what? Umbilical cord, that's right. 45:24 And then that is now cut and the child begins to breath 45:30 on its own. The Ruha, the Spirit, the breathe, 45:34 now Jesus says the same thing has to happen 45:40 to you spiritually. 45:42 You've got to be born again and the water 45:46 symbolizes, the water also not only the grave 45:50 but also the water of new birth. Amen. 45:55 And your coming forth to a new spirit 45:57 and this new spirit that comes into you is supplied 46:00 by the Holy Spirit. Amen. You see what a beautiful 46:05 experience it is and it cannot be represented 46:10 by any other form of baptism because this baptism 46:18 is the way that Jesus has given to us. 46:23 You know in the New testament we only have 46:26 two ordinances, the Old testament all kinds of 46:29 ordinances. New testament only two, 46:33 communion and baptism. Amen. That's right. 46:37 And you would think that we can could get 46:40 those right, you would think so, 46:44 but all we had to do is simply follow God's word 46:51 into what he tells us to do. 46:55 Now, somebody says well when should we be baptized, 46:59 you remember peter was preaching at Pentecost and 47:02 people came under conviction 47:04 Acts, the 2nd chapter, verses 37, 38, 47:07 now when they had heard this they were cut to 47:09 the heart and said to Peter and the rest 47:11 of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? 47:15 And then Peter said to them, repent, 47:18 and let everyone of you be baptized 47:20 in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, 47:25 and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 47:30 Now, sometimes people will say to me see Peter 47:34 said you have been baptized in the name 47:35 of the Jesus Christ, yes you are. 47:36 But remember also that Jesus said that you baptized 47:41 in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 47:44 that takes care of all three. All three are involved 47:48 in the salvation process. Amen. 47:51 All three, and that's why we are baptized 47:55 in the name. This is another reason that when we look 47:59 at it and why infant baptism is not from scripture. 48:04 Now I believe in dedication of babies, absolutely, 48:08 Christ was dedicated, though it was a very beautiful 48:13 ceremony at the temple where they would dedicate 48:17 the infants and all infants should be dedicated. 48:21 But baptism is reserved for you individually. 48:26 That's right. Amen. 48:28 You know we have been in evangelistic meetings before 48:30 and sometimes I have asked to fellows 48:32 that you have been baptized. And you know 48:35 I have had them say to me I don't know. 48:41 That's like if you said to somebody have 48:45 you been married. Well, I don't know. 48:52 You see this is an experience you should know. 48:56 One fellow when we would ask him 48:59 if he had been baptized, he said I don't know 49:02 I'll call my mother and I ask her. 49:04 And mother have I been baptized and if so 49:08 what church did I join. 49:11 You see this has to be an individual decision, 49:16 not something that can be made by somebody else 49:22 and the reason that we see that infant baptism 49:25 is not according to scripture it's simply by looking 49:29 at the Gospel commission from Jesus. 49:32 He says go therefore made disciples of 49:35 lower nations baptizing them 49:37 in the name of the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit, 49:39 teaching them to observe things 49:42 that I have commanded you. 49:44 Now how much can you teach an infant? 49:48 Not much. Not much. You may think 49:54 you can teach an infant right away. 49:57 But you really can't. I don't know if he is watching 50:02 tonight or not but my son Jim, he was our first born 50:07 and he would cry, cry, cry. Of course if I were kid 50:16 and I looked into the face of my father 50:19 and I probably cry too if he looked this you know. 50:23 But he was cry, he would cry along periods 50:28 of time and I would try to teach him not to cry. 50:36 I didn't do too well, sometimes I found that I 50:42 could get in on the same key that he was. 50:47 If I can get his tone get Umm! Umm! Ummh! 50:49 Get that tone right there. 50:51 And then I would start singing, 50:56 that's enough to make somebody cry, 51:00 but I would start singing and that, the one song 51:04 I remember I used to sing was like a tree 51:09 that's planted by the water. I will not be moved. 51:17 And he would start looking at me I guess. 51:25 But it was a way to stop him from crying 51:28 but I couldn't teach him there were so many things 51:30 it would have been nice to have taught him. 51:33 If you could teach a child something 51:35 think of the pampers you'd save. 51:41 You can't teach them these things 51:43 they are not ready for some of these things 51:48 but you know that's one of the prerequisites 51:50 that you be ever teach another prerequisite 51:54 is that he able to believe. He who believes 51:57 and he is baptized will be saved 51:59 but he who doesn't believe will be condemned. 52:04 How much can a child believe, a child could only believe 52:08 certain creature comforts, I am hungry, 52:11 I am thirsty, I am sleepy, I am tired of shopping. 52:20 That's about all about all that a child, 52:23 can we know what belief 52:25 Look at that, that statement that Peter made 52:32 in Acts 2, he said Repent everyone of you 52:35 and be baptized. He says repent, 52:39 how much does a baby have to repent on. 52:43 They don't, not one thing; 52:46 you know we don't have to invent a way to 52:48 save the children. Jesus said suffered little children 52:52 to come unto me and forbid them not for 52:56 of such is the kingdom of heaven 53:00 and Bible says he took them up in his arms 53:03 and he blessed them. We don't have to 53:06 invent a way, you know if you look by comparison 53:09 you will see that man has moved a long way 53:13 away from God's method of baptism. 53:16 Just little at a time, that's right. 53:19 God says I want you to be come back, 53:22 I want you to do that, which I have asked you to do. 53:29 Somebody says that how long do I wait, 53:32 remember the jailer, the Philippine jailer, 53:36 he was at Philippines, you get those two mixed up. 53:41 That Philippine jailer when he heard the gospel 53:47 he said what must I do to be saved 53:49 and then said be baptized then he did, 53:53 he and all his family they were baptized 53:56 sometimes we hold people up for a long time. 53:59 Long time, now I am not talking about rushing people, 54:03 Bible does say teach we should teach 54:06 but that doesn't mean they have to have a Ph.D 54:09 in order to be baptized. 54:11 You teach them the basics that Jesus loves them. 54:16 Teach them that he died for them and when they 54:19 comprehend that, then my friend they are ready 54:23 to go into a the watery grave with him. 54:30 I remember an elder man came to a meeting 54:34 one time up in New England. You know I love people, 54:40 I really do and they don't have to be just like 54:44 everybody else for me to love them. 54:48 In fact sometimes my wife says that I have a 54:51 lot of strange friends. Now corks, tennis corks 54:57 is back there, don't take any offense to that please. 55:01 He is one of the less stranger of my friends 55:03 but I really grew to like this man, he was coming 55:08 to our meetings every night, that same night. 55:10 Went to see him at his home, talked to him 55:16 about giving his life to the Lord. 55:20 I wanted him to be baptized and I told, 55:24 I said look, this is something you need to do, he just 55:26 kept putting it often. And he had a house people would walk 55:30 in and out. Dogs walked in and out, he never even shut, 55:34 he let them shut the doors. And I tried my best to 55:40 get him to be baptized. But he said no 55:44 and I said to him one of these days they're gonna miss you, 55:49 they're gonna come in here and they're gonna find 55:53 that you're on the floor and you're death 55:56 and I was 25 years old. I didn't sense enough 56:00 not to get real down and greedy with people you know. 56:04 And I said you've got to give your life to him. 56:10 Finally he told me I am afraid of water. 56:14 I said really? He said that's right 56:17 and I said well you drink water don't you? He said no. 56:25 I had already figured out he didn't bath. 56:32 I said what you drink? He said Pepsi, 56:39 I said we will baptize you in Pepsi. 56:45 The Pastor was a very serious man 56:49 and he looked at me like what on Earth are you 56:53 talking about. Well, he was not baptized, 56:59 I left that city came back about a year later, 57:02 heard the story they had missed him. 57:05 They were in they found him on the floor, 57:08 but he was still alive, took him to the hospital cleaned 57:11 him up he recovered, they got him, got him over that fear 57:16 of water, I came back to the area 57:18 and we baptized him. Amen. In water. Amen. 57:26 Today, if God is speaking to your heart say yes to him. 57:32 Is there anybody here they would like to be part of 57:35 baptism if we had one soon. May God bless each of you. |
Revised 2014-12-17