What does the future hold?
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Where can we find certainty
in a world of uncertainty?
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The book of Revelation
provides hopeful answers
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for today,
tomorrow, and forever.
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Join Mark Finley, author
and world renowned speaker,
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on a journey into the future.
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Welcome back to Revelation's
Ancient Discoveries.
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Have you ever felt, "I
wish I could have a new life."
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"I wish I could go back
and do some things over again
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that I did earlier in my life."
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Revelation is not only a
book about mystic symbols,
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cryptic images,
prophetic scenes.
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It's a book that
touches our hearts deeply.
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You remember in
Revelation 1:1 it says,
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"Blessed are they
who read and hear and do
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the things therein."
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So the whole purpose of
Revelation is to reach into
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our lives and change
them, to open our hearts
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to give us that power of
the living Christ for new life.
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That's what our topic
is in this presentation.
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Let's pray.
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Father in heaven, as we study
about Revelation's new life,
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I pray that new life would
flow into each of our hearts.
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In Christ's name, amen.
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The topic for this
presentation is indeed...
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Have you ever spent an
afternoon looking for a job
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by perusing the
want ads in a newspaper?
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Maybe you're between jobs and
maybe you went onto the internet
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and perused it a bit.
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Maybe you talked to friends,
and maybe you sat on a bench
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in a park just
perusing the newspaper.
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Chad was a college student
and he needed a summer job.
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He really needed it
badly because he was
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unable to pay his college bills.
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And he thought, "If I just
peruse the paper a little bit
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maybe I can find something."
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And he saw something that
was quite attractive to him.
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He saw a want ad for college
students to come up to Canada
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and cut wood during
their summer vacation.
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And he was pretty thrilled about
it because he saw the price
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that he would be
paid for doing that
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and he saw the wages he
would get for the summer.
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And he thought, this is
an excellent opportunity
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to spend time logging.
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He was going to a
Christian college and was
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a pretty committed Christian.
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When he talked to his friends
about that job, they said,
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"Nothing doing.
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Because you're going to
work with rough, tough guys.
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Their cursing,
swearing, smoking, drinking.
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And these guys are
going to eat you up.
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You're a college student.
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And they are going
to simply demean you.
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You're a Christian.
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They are simply going
to make a mockery of you
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and ridicule you.
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Whatever you
do, Chad, don't go."
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In spite of their
counsel, he decided to go.
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And in actual fact,
he had a great summer.
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Cutting logs and
working in the woods.
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It was good for him.
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And when he came back to
school he had enough money
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for his scholarship.
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And his friends said to
him, "How did you ever survive
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with those cursing,
swearing, foul-mouthed,
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drinking, smoking,
carousing, partying guys
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that you worked
with in the woods?"
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Chad looked up and said,
"It wasn't difficult at all."
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"What do you mean,
it wasn't difficult?"
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"Well I just made sure
that they never found out
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that I was a Christian."
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You think that
was a good option?
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Certainly not!
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And that's what the book
of Revelation is all about.
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In the book of Revelation
there is no neutrality.
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You either follow the Lamb
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or listen to the
voice of the dragon.
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You either follow Jesus
Christ or line up marching after
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the banner of Satan.
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You see, the book of Revelation
is a book of contrast.
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There are two cities:
Jerusalem, the city from above;
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Babylon, the city from beneath.
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The book of Revelation
is a book of contrast.
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There are two
marks: the seal of God
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or the mark of the beast.
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The book of Revelation
is a book of contrasts.
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There are two harvests:
the harvest of golden grain
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or the harvest of gory grapes.
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In the book of Revelation
there are two destinies:
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"He that is holy,
let him be holy still;
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he that is unholy,
let him be unholy still."
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So in the book of Revelation
we are called to take a stand.
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The Bible says in
Revelation 22:17...
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The Bible invites us to come.
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To come to partake of
the grace, and the goodness,
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and the majesty of God.
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The Bible says,
"Whoever will..."
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That is, whoever chooses to.
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So in the book of Revelation
there is a struggle between
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good and evil.
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And God is inviting
us to make a choice.
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How do we take a
public stand for Christ?
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Has He given us a
symbol of allegiance to Him
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that He invites us
to enter into today?
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Revelation 1:5-6 says...
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See, baptism is a symbol.
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It's a symbol that we've been
washed in the blood of Christ,
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a symbol that we've been
pardoned by the grace of Christ,
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a symbol that the power
of Christ lives in our life,
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a symbol that we
are new in Christ.
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Baptism is a symbol...
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When Jesus left this
earth, in Matthew 28:19-20
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Jesus gave these final
instructions to His disciples.
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He said...
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Now these were
Jesus' final words.
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Final words are
pretty important.
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I travel a great deal.
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And often when I'm traveling,
my wife will remind me...
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she's with me most of
the time, but there are times
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that she's not able to come.
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She says to me, "Mark,
did you take enough money?"
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I am classically
broke when I travel.
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I just don't think.
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I'm thinking about preaching,
thinking about teaching.
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I'm not thinking about
what I'm going to eat next,
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and putting money in my wallet.
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So my wife says,
"Mark, here's money.
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You have to get something
to eat when you travel.
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Did you take
enough shirts with you?
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Did you bring
enough clothing with you?
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Do you have enough
bathroom toiletries with you?"
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Her final words as
I walk out the door
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are some of the most
important to remind me
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to take everything I need.
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But you know, final
words are quite important
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when a person is dying.
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I've often, as a
pastor, gathered around a bed
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and noticed a husband
holding his wife's hand.
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She's lying in the
hospital bed dying of cancer.
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The children are there.
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And they're
listening, straining their ears
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to hear the last
words of their mother.
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You know, when you're in
a hospital room like that,
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and mother is dying,
one thing that you notice is
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nobody is playing video
games, nobody is fooling around,
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nobody is watching TV, nobody
is looking at the sport scores.
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They want to hear the
last words of their mother.
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Jesus was about
ready to ascend to heaven.
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And His final
words to His disciples,
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some of the most
important He ever uttered,
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"Go ye therefore
and teach all nations,
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baptizing them in the
name of the Father, the Son,
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and the Holy Spirit..."
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Now notice, Jesus
said, "Go and teach."
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Teach the Word of God.
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He didn't say, go and
plunge people into the baptism
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before they knew
what they were doing.
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He said, go
teach the Word of God.
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Lead people to Jesus Christ.
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Teach them
everything I have commanded.
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So the teaching of
the commandments of God
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is part of the
commission to baptize.
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Then He said, "Lo,
I am with you always,
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even to the end of the age."
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So in every generation God would
invite people to take a stand.
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Baptism is that public
stand for Jesus Christ.
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And the book of Revelation
is leading men and women today
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to that decision.
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It's leading men and
women to make a decision
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to follow Christ,
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to make a decision to
keep His commandments,
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to make a decision to share
their faith and witness for Him,
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to make a decision to fellowship
with the body of Christ
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that's keeping His commandments,
including the Bible Sabbath.
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The book of Revelation
is an appeal to step out
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from tradition, step out
from comfortable convenience,
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to make that decision
to follow Jesus Christ.
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Now many people have quite
different ideas about baptism.
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Some people say that baptism
occurs when a baby is born
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and you sprinkle a
little water on their head.
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Others say, "No, the
baby ought to be immersed
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totally, fully,
completely in water."
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There are different
ideas about baptism.
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Some say, "Well, it
doesn't make any difference
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whether you use water or not."
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And they really say
you can baptize with oil.
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And there are some churches
that actually do oil baptism.
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One of the most interesting
baptisms I have ever heard about
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was a snow baptism.
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You say, "Pastor Mark,
what did you just say?"
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A snow baptism.
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Here's the way
the pastor argued.
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He said, "I'm taking
this group of young people
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out for a ski weekend, and I'm
going to baptize a lot of them."
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Yes, pastor?
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"I'm going to
baptize them in the snow.
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Because it doesn't make any
difference whether the water
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is a solid or a liquid."
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So this pastor
did a snow baptism.
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So many
different kinds of baptism.
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But the Bible
says, Ephesians 4:5...
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One Lord: Jesus
Christ, Savior of all.
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One faith: true
Bible, biblical religion.
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One baptism.
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One method of baptism.
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One form of
baptism, one mode of baptism.
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See, there's only
one method of baptism
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that really clearly reveals
what baptism really means.
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There's only one form of baptism
that catches the symbolism
00:11:08.73\00:11:12.53
that Christ gave in the Bible.
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If we're going to follow
in the footsteps of Christ,
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how did Jesus
take a public stand?
00:11:20.21\00:11:22.88
How was Jesus separated for His
three and a half year ministry?
00:11:22.94\00:11:28.35
Jesus is an example to follow.
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And if we want to be baptized,
we ought to walk in the
00:11:30.95\00:11:32.72
footsteps of Christ.
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The Bible says in Mark 1:9...
00:11:35.26\00:11:37.73
So Jesus came to
the Jordan river.
00:11:46.33\00:11:48.80
And there He was
totally immersed in the Jordan.
00:11:49.37\00:11:53.34
So Jesus was
baptized by full immersion.
00:11:53.44\00:11:56.95
The Bible says in
Matthew 3:16-17...
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So He went down into the water,
He came up out of the water.
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The text goes on.
00:12:15.30\00:12:16.67
Now notice the
things that happened
00:12:22.40\00:12:23.97
when Jesus was baptized.
00:12:24.01\00:12:25.44
One of the reasons the devil
says to people and tries to
00:12:33.68\00:12:37.05
influence them not to be
baptized is precisely this.
00:12:37.09\00:12:40.72
The devil knows that when we
make a decision to be baptized,
00:12:41.02\00:12:44.29
to take a public stand
for Christ, that we are not
00:12:44.33\00:12:47.36
strong enough to live
out our baptismal commitment.
00:12:47.40\00:12:51.00
And as the result of
that, the devil knows that
00:12:51.63\00:12:55.40
if we make that decision,
God is going to give us
00:12:55.44\00:12:58.87
supernatural power
through His Holy Spirit.
00:12:58.91\00:13:01.74
Like He did for Jesus.
00:13:01.78\00:13:03.28
So therefore the devil
says, "You're not good enough."
00:13:03.38\00:13:05.45
The devil says,
"You're not ready."
00:13:05.55\00:13:06.95
The devil says,
"Don't move ahead."
00:13:06.98\00:13:08.85
The devil will do every single
thing he can to discourage you,
00:13:08.88\00:13:12.95
my friend, from walking ahead
with Jesus Christ in baptism.
00:13:12.99\00:13:17.03
And when we're
baptized, we're not baptized
00:13:17.29\00:13:20.53
because we're good enough.
00:13:20.56\00:13:21.90
Christ was the only
one perfectly baptized.
00:13:21.93\00:13:24.43
He was the only one
who was righteous enough.
00:13:24.53\00:13:26.47
But Jesus was
baptized as an example to you
00:13:26.50\00:13:29.04
and an example to me.
00:13:29.07\00:13:30.41
And we follow His example.
00:13:30.54\00:13:32.74
But when we are baptized,
Christ gives us power, strength.
00:13:32.77\00:13:36.21
Now somebody says, "I
don't understand what it means
00:13:36.31\00:13:39.68
that we receive the
Holy Spirit at our baptism.
00:13:39.88\00:13:42.92
Wasn't Jesus
conceived of the Holy Spirit?
00:13:42.95\00:13:46.22
Didn't the Holy Spirit
guide Jesus through His life?"
00:13:46.25\00:13:48.82
Acts 10:38 says...
00:13:49.29\00:13:51.19
That's at His baptism.
00:13:56.53\00:13:57.87
Jesus was
conceived of the Holy Spirit.
00:13:57.97\00:14:00.34
The Holy Spirit did guide Him.
00:14:00.37\00:14:01.84
But it's like this.
00:14:01.94\00:14:03.27
Christ was going to
enter into three and a half
00:14:03.84\00:14:07.91
years of ministry.
00:14:07.94\00:14:09.28
He was soon after His baptism to
face the temptations of Satan.
00:14:09.44\00:14:14.48
He was soon to be in the midst
of the greatest temptations
00:14:14.88\00:14:20.56
to His life up until that point.
00:14:20.59\00:14:22.89
And as the result of
that, God gave Him additional
00:14:23.29\00:14:28.73
abundant resources
of the Holy Spirit.
00:14:28.76\00:14:32.40
When you receive the
Holy Spirit at baptism,
00:14:32.57\00:14:34.70
it's not because you didn't
have any of the Spirit before.
00:14:34.74\00:14:37.91
The Spirit guides us.
00:14:38.07\00:14:39.81
The Spirit impresses our heart.
00:14:39.84\00:14:41.74
The Spirit leads us
to a revelation of truth.
00:14:41.78\00:14:45.78
So the Spirit has been guiding
you down through your life.
00:14:45.81\00:14:48.48
But when you're baptized, you
take a public stand for Christ.
00:14:48.52\00:14:52.35
You stand for the Creator
rather than the beast power.
00:14:52.39\00:14:55.59
You stand for Jesus
rather than the dragon.
00:14:55.62\00:14:58.46
You stand with the
people of God rather than
00:14:58.49\00:15:01.33
in neutrality or
against the people of God.
00:15:01.36\00:15:03.93
You become part of the body of
Christ, Christ's great church,
00:15:03.97\00:15:07.17
His body of believers that
love Him, and are obeying Him,
00:15:07.20\00:15:10.31
and who are following Him.
00:15:10.34\00:15:11.94
And as you do that, the
Holy Spirit comes into your life
00:15:12.54\00:15:15.78
to give you strength.
00:15:16.08\00:15:17.41
The Holy Spirit comes into
your life to give you power.
00:15:17.45\00:15:19.98
Now something else
happens when Jesus is baptized.
00:15:20.02\00:15:23.32
The Bible says the
Father spoke to Him from heaven.
00:15:23.35\00:15:26.59
And He said in Matthew 3:17...
00:15:26.79\00:15:30.63
It's one thing to please
your father, your mother,
00:15:34.56\00:15:37.10
your sister, your brother.
00:15:37.13\00:15:38.70
It's another
thing to please Jesus.
00:15:38.73\00:15:41.94
Fish were made to swim.
00:15:42.17\00:15:44.14
Birds were made to fly.
00:15:44.47\00:15:46.41
And you and I, deep
within the fabric of our beings,
00:15:46.54\00:15:49.84
were made to please God.
00:15:49.88\00:15:51.41
And so the most
amazing wonderful sense is,
00:15:51.45\00:15:55.45
you walk into
that baptismal pool,
00:15:55.48\00:15:57.62
you are filled with God's
Spirit, He strengthens you.
00:15:57.85\00:16:01.32
You walk into that pool
and you have this sense,
00:16:01.36\00:16:02.96
"I'm pleasing God.
00:16:02.99\00:16:04.33
I'm fulfilling the
reason for my existence.
00:16:04.36\00:16:07.23
I'm going into that pool,
and as I go into that water
00:16:07.26\00:16:10.23
I'll be cleansed
from the sins of my past.
00:16:10.27\00:16:12.83
And I come up out of
that water to serve Christ,
00:16:12.93\00:16:15.50
just as when Jesus was baptized
He left for His ministry."
00:16:15.54\00:16:19.64
Three and a half years.
00:16:19.81\00:16:21.14
So when you and I are
baptized Jesus has a plan for us
00:16:21.18\00:16:24.38
to share His love,
to share His grace.
00:16:24.41\00:16:26.61
He leads us on a
wonderful adventure for Him.
00:16:26.65\00:16:30.55
If you've not yet been immersed,
you can make that decision
00:16:39.49\00:16:43.70
during this telecast.
00:16:43.73\00:16:45.67
And Christ will fill
your life with His strength.
00:16:45.70\00:16:49.00
And deep within your
heart you will hear that voice.
00:16:49.04\00:16:52.34
Oh, it won't be a loud voice.
00:16:52.37\00:16:54.04
It won't maybe
be an audible voice.
00:16:54.28\00:16:56.08
But by faith you can
imagine Christ saying,
00:16:56.11\00:16:58.68
"This is My beloved son,
this is My beloved daughter,
00:16:58.78\00:17:02.75
in whom I am well pleased."
00:17:02.78\00:17:04.69
Baptism throughout the
New Testament was always
00:17:04.72\00:17:07.76
by full immersion.
00:17:07.79\00:17:09.12
Remember the story
of the Ethiopian eunuch?
00:17:09.16\00:17:12.69
The Ethiopian was
a very wealthy man;
00:17:13.13\00:17:15.23
the treasurer of the queen.
00:17:15.26\00:17:17.90
And as he was riding
along on the chariot,
00:17:18.13\00:17:20.64
he was studying the Bible.
00:17:20.67\00:17:22.04
He had been up to
Jerusalem to worship.
00:17:22.07\00:17:24.87
He was going back home
now to Africa, to Ethiopia.
00:17:24.91\00:17:29.18
And as he was
riding on the chariot,
00:17:29.21\00:17:31.31
studying the
prophecies of Isaiah, Isaiah 53,
00:17:31.41\00:17:35.58
God led Philip to join him.
00:17:35.62\00:17:37.49
And Philip said, "Do you
understand what you're reading?"
00:17:37.52\00:17:39.62
And the man said, "No."
00:17:39.82\00:17:41.99
And finally Philip
explained it to him.
00:17:42.32\00:17:44.19
The man was converted to Christ.
00:17:44.23\00:17:45.59
He had a background
in biblical teaching,
00:17:45.63\00:17:48.00
but he just didn't know Jesus.
00:17:48.03\00:17:49.60
Acts 8:36-39, the Bible says...
00:17:49.73\00:17:54.64
"I've come to Jesus.
00:18:03.45\00:18:04.81
I see Him as the
Messiah in Isaiah 53.
00:18:05.01\00:18:07.98
I've come to
Jesus, the living Christ.
00:18:08.18\00:18:10.75
And I accept the
teachings of His Word.
00:18:10.79\00:18:13.99
I know the things
that He's commanded.
00:18:14.02\00:18:16.42
There's nothing for me
to wait for any longer.
00:18:16.46\00:18:20.00
Here is water.
00:18:20.30\00:18:21.63
What hinders me
from being baptized?"
00:18:21.66\00:18:23.63
In other words,
if you trust Christ,
00:18:26.53\00:18:29.40
if you believe in
Jesus, if you accept His words,
00:18:29.44\00:18:32.77
if you accept His teachings,
if you accept His Word,
00:18:32.81\00:18:36.11
if you believe
Christ enough to follow Him.
00:18:36.14\00:18:38.98
"See, here's
water. What hinders me?"
00:18:39.88\00:18:42.55
"If you believe with
all your heart, you may."
00:18:42.58\00:18:44.99
Christ is my Savior.
00:18:48.49\00:18:50.13
Christ is my Lord.
00:18:50.36\00:18:51.99
Christ lives in my life.
00:18:52.03\00:18:53.83
And the Bible says...
00:18:53.86\00:18:55.26
So notice, both Philip and
the eunuch went into the water.
00:19:04.24\00:19:07.51
So I can just imagine Philip
leading that eunuch there,
00:19:07.88\00:19:10.48
Philip raising
his hands and saying,
00:19:10.51\00:19:12.85
"I now baptize you in
the name of the Father,
00:19:12.95\00:19:16.92
and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit."
00:19:17.12\00:19:20.06
And then lowering that
eunuch under the water.
00:19:20.09\00:19:23.16
The water totally covers him.
00:19:23.26\00:19:24.99
His sins of the past are gone.
00:19:25.23\00:19:27.86
And he comes up with
new life in Jesus Christ.
00:19:28.06\00:19:31.47
The Bible say they
went down into the water.
00:19:31.50\00:19:33.64
Acts 8:39, they
came up out of the water.
00:19:33.67\00:19:37.77
So according to the Bible,
baptism is full immersion.
00:19:37.81\00:19:41.98
Baptism in the New Testament,
representing taking a stand,
00:19:55.36\00:19:59.79
is full immersion.
00:19:59.83\00:20:01.80
This word, baptizo, was not only
used in religious ceremonies,
00:20:13.41\00:20:18.71
but it was used for a
woman, for example, who
00:20:18.98\00:20:22.02
wanted to dye a piece of cloth.
00:20:22.05\00:20:24.72
She must immerse that
cloth totally, absolutely
00:20:25.02\00:20:29.39
covering it with water.
00:20:29.59\00:20:31.79
And so here, this woman
wants to take this white cloth
00:20:32.49\00:20:38.70
and make it purple.
00:20:38.73\00:20:40.07
So she totally immerses it.
00:20:40.10\00:20:42.50
What is baptism?
00:20:42.70\00:20:44.04
I come with all my
sinfulness, with all my shame,
00:20:44.47\00:20:48.91
with the dark
degradation of my life.
00:20:49.14\00:20:51.68
Somebody says,
"Well, I'm not that bad."
00:20:51.71\00:20:53.48
You don't know what God knows.
00:20:54.08\00:20:56.79
You see, the Bible
says, "All have sinned
00:20:57.39\00:20:59.52
and come short of
the glory of God."
00:20:59.55\00:21:01.16
So every one of us
have selfishness and greed.
00:21:01.39\00:21:05.06
And every one of us at times
have spoken critical words,
00:21:05.09\00:21:09.03
words that are less than honest.
00:21:09.06\00:21:10.40
See, one sin is worthy of death.
00:21:10.43\00:21:12.03
When we come to
Christ, our sins are forgiven.
00:21:12.43\00:21:14.74
But when we go
into the baptismal pool,
00:21:15.17\00:21:17.21
every sin that
we've ever committed,
00:21:17.41\00:21:18.94
whether we remember it or not,
00:21:18.97\00:21:20.78
whether we've
confessed it or not,
00:21:20.88\00:21:22.74
we say, "Jesus, just
declare the whole thing sin.
00:21:22.78\00:21:25.68
And I want this body of
sin to go into the water,
00:21:25.71\00:21:29.25
to be totally cleansed
by the grace of Christ."
00:21:29.28\00:21:32.22
If you go back to
the ancient churches,
00:21:32.69\00:21:35.56
ancient churches reveal
the method used in baptism.
00:21:35.76\00:21:39.89
Let me give you a
couple of examples of that.
00:21:40.06\00:21:42.26
Let's go back to
the first century.
00:21:42.40\00:21:44.20
The Christian church
was established very early
00:21:44.40\00:21:48.27
in Philippi in
the first century.
00:21:48.30\00:21:51.21
You remember the apostle
Paul started a house church
00:21:51.87\00:21:54.41
in the home of Lydia.
00:21:54.44\00:21:56.11
The ruins of the church
that we are looking at here
00:21:56.48\00:21:59.28
were of a later
period, not first century.
00:21:59.31\00:22:02.32
They met in a house church.
00:22:02.35\00:22:03.69
But in the early
centuries as soon as churches
00:22:03.85\00:22:06.65
began to be built, they
would build baptisms in them
00:22:06.69\00:22:10.56
so people could be
baptized by immersion.
00:22:10.59\00:22:13.90
Now that tradition or
that teaching of baptism
00:22:13.93\00:22:18.53
by immersion,
that biblical teaching,
00:22:18.57\00:22:21.00
lasted for centuries.
00:22:21.10\00:22:23.81
It was the common
place to baptize by immersion
00:22:23.84\00:22:27.48
down through the centuries.
00:22:27.51\00:22:28.88
This is the second
holiest church in Rome.
00:22:28.91\00:22:30.98
It's called,
Saint John of Lateran.
00:22:31.01\00:22:32.98
And if you go down a little side
aisle and a little side alley
00:22:33.15\00:22:38.29
of this church,
you'll come to the
00:22:38.32\00:22:40.26
baptistery building behind it.
00:22:40.29\00:22:42.39
And our Roman Catholic
friends baptized for centuries.
00:22:42.56\00:22:45.69
Here's the baptism
in Saint John of Lateran
00:22:45.73\00:22:48.93
where people could have stood
in there and been immersed.
00:22:49.03\00:22:51.80
And they were.
00:22:51.83\00:22:53.17
If you go to many Roman
Catholic churches in Italy
00:22:53.77\00:22:57.44
you'll see the remains of
baptisteries like this one here.
00:22:57.47\00:23:01.48
One of the most famous
is the baptistery behind
00:23:01.64\00:23:06.01
the leaning tower of Pisa.
00:23:06.05\00:23:07.65
Pisa has its major cathedral.
00:23:08.15\00:23:10.55
And right behind the leaning
tower that you see on the
00:23:10.59\00:23:13.25
right of the picture
there is the cathedral.
00:23:13.29\00:23:15.12
And you will notice in that
cathedral they had a baptistery
00:23:15.36\00:23:19.89
where our Roman
Catholic friends for centuries
00:23:19.93\00:23:22.40
baptized by immersion.
00:23:22.63\00:23:25.47
Come with me to
Cappadocia, Turkey.
00:23:26.43\00:23:28.20
This is an amazing place.
00:23:28.24\00:23:29.70
We visited this
a number of times.
00:23:29.74\00:23:32.17
Here, carved out of the rock,
many of the Christians lived
00:23:32.47\00:23:37.11
when they were being
persecuted in Europe.
00:23:37.15\00:23:40.08
Many of them fled here to
this remote area of Turkey.
00:23:40.12\00:23:43.92
When the invades came
too close, these Christians
00:23:44.32\00:23:49.42
had dug underground cities.
00:23:49.46\00:23:51.73
As many as 10 to 15
thousand people lived
00:23:52.03\00:23:55.96
in the underground cities.
00:23:56.00\00:23:57.43
It's amazing.
00:23:57.47\00:23:58.80
Many of these
cities were connected
00:23:58.83\00:24:00.57
by underground tunnels.
00:24:00.60\00:24:02.30
As you go down, and I've
been down seven stories deep,
00:24:02.87\00:24:07.11
eight stories, there
are places on the outer part
00:24:07.14\00:24:10.98
of these cities, the
first story down where they
00:24:11.01\00:24:12.88
kept their animals.
00:24:12.91\00:24:14.72
There were kitchens.
00:24:14.82\00:24:16.15
You can still see the smoke
filled, the charcoal ceilings
00:24:16.18\00:24:21.52
where the smoke left its mark.
00:24:21.56\00:24:23.59
And you keep going down,
there are places of worship.
00:24:23.69\00:24:26.70
There are houses that
are carved out where people
00:24:26.90\00:24:29.46
would have slept.
00:24:29.50\00:24:30.83
And also, one of the
most amazing things is,
00:24:30.87\00:24:33.70
down in those rocks you
see a carved out baptistery.
00:24:33.74\00:24:37.37
These early Christians
were so committed to Christ,
00:24:37.41\00:24:40.74
so dedicated to
Christ, that they of course
00:24:40.78\00:24:43.45
baptized by full immersion.
00:24:43.48\00:24:46.48
So there were many
practices not found in the Bible
00:25:01.46\00:25:05.20
that came into
the Christian church.
00:25:05.23\00:25:06.90
The idea of idols,
images, bringing into the church
00:25:07.00\00:25:11.01
not found in Scripture.
00:25:11.04\00:25:12.37
The Bible says, "Thou
shalt not worship a graven image
00:25:12.41\00:25:15.38
or bow down to them."
00:25:15.41\00:25:16.75
But yet in the early
centuries there was compromise.
00:25:16.78\00:25:19.81
They were
brought into the church.
00:25:19.85\00:25:21.28
The idea of Sunday worship
was not found in ancient times
00:25:21.32\00:25:26.79
in Scripture, it's
not a scriptural doctrine.
00:25:26.82\00:25:29.52
The Bible says, "Remember
the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
00:25:29.56\00:25:33.46
Six days shalt thou
labor and do all thy work,
00:25:33.50\00:25:35.80
but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord thy God."
00:25:35.83\00:25:38.97
So Sunday worship came
in in the early centuries.
00:25:39.13\00:25:43.07
Sunday, dies
Solis; the day of the sun.
00:25:43.10\00:25:46.54
The sun worship was
practiced by the Egyptians,
00:25:47.14\00:25:49.71
the Babylonians, the
Persians, the Romans,
00:25:49.74\00:25:53.18
That came in.
00:25:53.21\00:25:54.55
The idea of the
immortal soul came in
00:25:54.58\00:25:56.08
through Greek philosophy.
00:25:56.12\00:25:57.69
So there are many
traditions, many teachings,
00:25:57.72\00:26:01.52
many human teachings that
came into the Christian church.
00:26:01.56\00:26:04.73
Sprinkling was another one.
00:26:04.76\00:26:06.53
For 1300 years the biblical
practice of baptism by immersion
00:26:06.70\00:26:12.90
was practiced by the church.
00:26:12.93\00:26:15.24
But then the
Council of Ravenna said,
00:26:15.50\00:26:17.54
"No, we'll accept sprinkling."
00:26:17.57\00:26:18.91
Now how did that
come in, and why?
00:26:18.94\00:26:20.48
Often people put off
their baptism until death.
00:26:20.88\00:26:24.41
Often they put off
their baptism till the
00:26:24.61\00:26:26.98
later part of their life.
00:26:27.02\00:26:28.35
They were becoming,
often in those older years,
00:26:28.45\00:26:31.55
becoming sick.
00:26:31.59\00:26:32.92
And so when they'd
call for a priest and say,
00:26:32.95\00:26:34.62
"We want to be
baptized because the Bible says,
00:26:34.66\00:26:36.86
'He that believes and is
baptized shall be saved.'"
00:26:36.89\00:26:40.70
So they'd call for their priest.
00:26:40.73\00:26:42.20
He would come.
00:26:42.23\00:26:43.57
They were too sick
to take to the water,
00:26:43.60\00:26:45.43
too sick to take
to the baptismal pool.
00:26:46.17\00:26:48.44
So often the priest would wrap
from their feet to their head
00:26:48.47\00:26:51.67
in wet towels.
00:26:51.71\00:26:53.07
Well, that became
really inconvenient.
00:26:53.11\00:26:55.78
So there were times
then the religious leaders
00:26:55.81\00:26:57.81
began to sprinkle them.
00:26:57.85\00:26:59.25
But then somebody said, look,
rather than waiting till death,
00:26:59.45\00:27:03.72
they developed an
idea of original sin.
00:27:04.65\00:27:07.36
That every person, every
baby born into this world is
00:27:07.56\00:27:11.16
guilty of the sins of Adam.
00:27:11.19\00:27:14.43
And if indeed
they are not baptized,
00:27:14.63\00:27:17.47
that guilt will be
on, quote, "their soul"...
00:27:17.57\00:27:20.54
The Bible of course
doesn't teach an immortal soul.
00:27:20.57\00:27:22.57
...and they will be lost.
00:27:22.60\00:27:23.94
Therefore, let's
baptize every baby.
00:27:23.97\00:27:25.61
So a meaningful
experience, a meaningful symbol.
00:27:25.64\00:27:29.34
Baptism: a symbol of
our belief in Christ.
00:27:30.41\00:27:34.28
Our symbol of our
commitment to Christ.
00:27:34.32\00:27:36.32
Our symbol of our
allegiance to Christ.
00:27:36.35\00:27:38.39
That was put aside for
this idea of sprinkling
00:27:38.65\00:27:43.09
every baby in the
non-biblical idea that the baby
00:27:43.12\00:27:47.10
would be lost if
it wasn't baptized.
00:27:47.13\00:27:49.56
Now what's the
true meaning of baptism?
00:27:49.60\00:27:51.70
We walk into the water.
00:27:51.73\00:27:53.30
And there in that
water we stand, saying,
00:27:53.40\00:27:57.04
"Jesus, I'm coming to You."
00:27:57.07\00:27:58.77
We are put under the water by
the pastor, representing Jesus
00:27:58.87\00:28:02.84
lowering us into
this watery grave.
00:28:02.88\00:28:07.35
The pastor represents,
he stands in the place of
00:28:07.45\00:28:12.22
our Lord who is the true
One whose grace and power
00:28:12.25\00:28:17.53
and love we're baptized into.
00:28:17.56\00:28:18.89
We come up out of the water
and we have new life in Christ.
00:28:18.93\00:28:23.47
We have new joy in Christ.
00:28:23.50\00:28:25.87
Our sins are
washed away in Christ.
00:28:25.90\00:28:29.10
The Bible says, Romans 6:3-4...
00:28:29.20\00:28:31.71
We come to the
water, we unite with Christ.
00:28:38.05\00:28:41.92
The pastor lowers
us into the water.
00:28:41.95\00:28:44.49
We are baptized
into Christ's death.
00:28:44.59\00:28:47.22
We die to sin, we die to self,
we die to pride and arrogance.
00:28:47.49\00:28:53.09
Does that mean
we'll never sin again?
00:28:53.13\00:28:54.50
No. But it means
we are committed.
00:28:54.53\00:28:56.60
We are focused
on following Jesus.
00:28:56.63\00:29:00.10
The Bible says
in Romans 6:3-4...
00:29:00.20\00:29:02.87
So we are
buried, this old person.
00:29:06.88\00:29:09.58
We say, "Lord, I want to
live a new life in Christ."
00:29:09.61\00:29:12.58
We take a public stand.
00:29:18.55\00:29:20.52
We are walking in
newness of life in Christ.
00:29:20.56\00:29:24.59
His Spirit fills our heart.
00:29:24.73\00:29:26.93
Jesus says, "This
is My beloved son,
00:29:26.96\00:29:29.63
this is my beloved daughter,
in whom I am well pleased."
00:29:29.66\00:29:34.54
Baptism represents
the death, the burial,
00:29:34.57\00:29:38.67
and the resurrection of Christ.
00:29:38.71\00:29:40.78
It represents that
Jesus is living in our hearts.
00:29:40.81\00:29:43.61
That there is
new life in Christ.
00:29:43.65\00:29:45.85
It represents that we're dying
to the old sinful way of life,
00:29:46.01\00:29:50.55
that we are going down
into that watery grave,
00:29:50.79\00:29:53.99
that we're
looking for that cleansing
00:29:54.02\00:29:56.09
that only Christ can bring.
00:29:56.12\00:29:57.76
That we're burying our
sins in that watery grave
00:29:57.79\00:30:00.70
and burying this old
life in the watery grave.
00:30:00.73\00:30:03.73
That as we go down,
we come up, rise again
00:30:03.90\00:30:08.10
out of the water to
walk a new life in Christ.
00:30:08.14\00:30:10.87
Would you like a new life?
00:30:10.91\00:30:12.24
It's one thing to
get a new pair of shoes.
00:30:12.27\00:30:14.08
That could be nice.
00:30:14.28\00:30:15.61
New suit, new
dress, new car, new house.
00:30:15.71\00:30:18.21
But what about a
new life in Christ?
00:30:19.08\00:30:24.72
Jesus offers to you a new life.
00:30:24.82\00:30:27.96
He wants to put a
new sparkle in your eyes,
00:30:27.99\00:30:30.49
a new smile on your face.
00:30:30.53\00:30:32.59
He wants to put a
new spring in your step.
00:30:32.63\00:30:36.43
But most of all, He wants
to put peace in your heart.
00:30:36.46\00:30:39.97
He wants to put
His power in your life
00:30:40.00\00:30:43.71
so that you can
serve Him and follow Him.
00:30:43.74\00:30:45.94
It doesn't mean
you'll never fail.
00:30:49.44\00:30:51.11
But it means you've
changed the direction
00:30:51.15\00:30:54.18
in your life.
00:30:54.22\00:30:55.55
You're moving
in a new direction.
00:30:55.58\00:30:57.62
It's saying, "I
am taking a stand."
00:31:04.53\00:31:06.80
The book of Revelation
calls us to take a stand.
00:31:06.83\00:31:10.47
The book of Revelation
calls us to commitment.
00:31:10.50\00:31:13.77
The book of
Revelation calls us to decision.
00:31:13.80\00:31:16.91
You may never have
been baptized before.
00:31:16.94\00:31:19.24
You may have
never made that decision
00:31:19.64\00:31:21.64
to follow Christ before.
00:31:21.68\00:31:23.38
You may have been watching 3ABN,
00:31:23.78\00:31:26.01
and you have been
hearing messages that are
00:31:26.55\00:31:28.58
touching you deeply.
00:31:28.62\00:31:30.15
And you say, "I
want to follow Christ.
00:31:30.19\00:31:32.32
I want to walk in
the ways of Jesus.
00:31:32.35\00:31:34.62
I want, by His grace
and through His power,
00:31:34.66\00:31:36.93
to be obedient and to be
part of His commandment keeping,
00:31:36.96\00:31:39.89
Sabbath keeping people.
00:31:39.93\00:31:41.40
Jesus is
appealing to you tonight
00:31:41.43\00:31:43.90
to start that new beginning, to
make that decision in your life.
00:31:43.93\00:31:49.04
It gives us a sense that
the past, with its shackles
00:31:52.77\00:31:56.98
and chains, are gone;
that we are new, new in Christ.
00:31:57.01\00:32:01.28
It gives us a
sense of spiritual power.
00:32:01.32\00:32:03.85
It is not the water that
gives us spiritual power.
00:32:03.89\00:32:06.65
It is Jesus Christ that does.
00:32:06.69\00:32:08.46
When we make the
decision to walk in the water,
00:32:08.49\00:32:11.43
we open our hearts to Jesus
and He gives us that strength,
00:32:11.46\00:32:15.43
He gives us that power.
00:32:15.46\00:32:17.17
Very specifically,
what does the Bible say?
00:32:19.40\00:32:22.50
But you say, "Pastor Mark, I
thought my sins were forgiven
00:32:27.04\00:32:29.61
when I confessed them."
00:32:29.64\00:32:30.98
They are.
00:32:31.01\00:32:32.35
But have you remembered
every sin you've ever committed?
00:32:32.38\00:32:34.62
Certainly not.
00:32:35.08\00:32:36.42
But we walk into the
water, we say, "God, cleanse me
00:32:36.45\00:32:39.95
from every one I ever confessed
and every one I didn't confess.
00:32:39.99\00:32:42.46
Just count my past life
as sin and give me new life."
00:32:42.49\00:32:45.26
Acts 2:38
00:32:45.79\00:32:47.30
So we walk into the water.
00:32:57.67\00:32:59.71
What a feeling!
00:33:00.74\00:33:02.14
Amazing. Isn't it?
00:33:02.18\00:33:04.31
To have that sense that
every sin can be forgiven.
00:33:04.35\00:33:08.75
That not one tinge of
guilt need remain in your life.
00:33:08.78\00:33:12.92
That there's cleansing in Jesus.
00:33:12.95\00:33:15.66
But somebody says,
"Pastor Mark, what about
00:33:15.92\00:33:17.66
the thief on the cross?
00:33:17.69\00:33:19.03
He was never baptized.
00:33:19.06\00:33:20.70
What about him?"
00:33:22.00\00:33:23.33
Look, friend of mine, the first
thing that he would have done
00:33:23.97\00:33:27.54
would have been,
gone into the water
00:33:27.87\00:33:30.31
once he came off the cross.
00:33:31.11\00:33:32.44
Jesus wouldn't keep
from people, from the cross,
00:33:32.47\00:33:34.98
who are physically
incapable of being baptized.
00:33:35.01\00:33:37.41
Certainly not.
00:33:37.45\00:33:38.78
Jesus wouldn't
keep them from heaven.
00:33:38.81\00:33:40.22
So there are always exceptions.
00:33:40.55\00:33:42.82
But the general
principle in the Bible
00:33:42.92\00:33:46.09
is that when you
hear the word of God,
00:33:46.12\00:33:48.26
you feel the tugging
of Christ in your life,
00:33:48.29\00:33:51.39
that you move ahead in baptism.
00:33:51.43\00:33:54.76
Now the second thing that
happens in baptism is this.
00:33:55.03\00:33:57.63
The Holy Spirit has been
guiding you through your life.
00:34:00.20\00:34:02.40
But when you're baptized,
God gives you extra power,
00:34:02.44\00:34:05.74
extra strength.
00:34:05.77\00:34:07.11
Yes, the Holy
Spirit convicts us.
00:34:07.14\00:34:08.58
Yes, the Holy
Spirit reveals truth to us.
00:34:08.61\00:34:10.85
But when we're baptized,
we have that power that comes,
00:34:10.88\00:34:14.52
flows into our life.
00:34:14.55\00:34:16.18
Do you want every sin forgiven?
00:34:16.28\00:34:18.75
Do you want the sense
that all your guilt is gone?
00:34:19.39\00:34:22.22
Do you want the sense
that there is new power
00:34:22.99\00:34:26.43
in Christ,
through His Holy Spirit,
00:34:27.10\00:34:29.63
to live a
victorious life over Satan?
00:34:29.66\00:34:32.30
Make your decision for Christ.
00:34:32.67\00:34:34.20
Take your stand
with those men and women
00:34:34.24\00:34:36.67
down through the ages.
00:34:36.71\00:34:38.04
And take your stand
with God's last day people
00:34:38.07\00:34:40.31
outlined in the
book of Revelation.
00:34:40.34\00:34:42.54
When Jesus comes up out of
the water, the Bible says...
00:34:42.58\00:34:44.71
The Holy Spirit
will come upon you
00:34:50.45\00:34:52.55
as you make that
decision for baptism.
00:34:52.59\00:34:55.46
The Holy Spirit
will touch your life.
00:34:55.49\00:34:57.33
Acts 2:38-39
00:34:57.36\00:34:59.83
How many to be baptized?
00:35:04.30\00:35:05.63
Every one.
00:35:05.67\00:35:07.00
Was that only for those
on the day of Pentecost?
00:35:12.37\00:35:15.68
Was that only for
those in the days of Peter?
00:35:15.71\00:35:18.48
Our text goes on.
00:35:18.51\00:35:19.85
We're far off from
that event, aren't we?
00:35:27.32\00:35:29.12
And the promise is to us.
00:35:29.36\00:35:31.53
God promises you His
Holy Spirit in abundance.
00:35:31.56\00:35:34.86
He promises you that as
you walk into that water,
00:35:34.90\00:35:38.73
you'll be filled with that
Spirit, you'll be strengthened.
00:35:38.77\00:35:41.87
The shackles that
bind you will be gone
00:35:41.90\00:35:45.37
as you open your heart
to receive the Holy Spirit,
00:35:45.41\00:35:48.21
There's nothing
magic about the water.
00:35:54.25\00:35:56.12
But when you open
your heart to Christ
00:35:56.52\00:35:58.25
and you claim His
promise, and you say,
00:35:58.29\00:36:00.36
"Lord, I claim the
promise of Your Spirit,"
00:36:00.39\00:36:02.52
that Spirit enters
your life for two reasons.
00:36:03.09\00:36:05.16
One, to empower you to
be a victorious Christian.
00:36:05.19\00:36:08.16
But secondly, to
give you a ministry.
00:36:08.20\00:36:11.13
When Christ is baptized,
He goes right out to be
00:36:11.17\00:36:14.30
tempted by the devil.
00:36:14.34\00:36:15.67
He overcomes by the
power of the Spirit,
00:36:15.70\00:36:17.47
but then He
enters into His ministry.
00:36:17.51\00:36:19.17
God has something for
you that you can't imagine.
00:36:19.21\00:36:21.54
God has a plan for your
life that you'll never dream of.
00:36:21.64\00:36:24.31
God has a purpose for
your life that is far beyond
00:36:24.35\00:36:27.15
what you can ever imagine.
00:36:27.18\00:36:29.02
But I'll tell you something.
00:36:29.05\00:36:30.39
If you hold back, if you
don't move ahead in baptism,
00:36:30.42\00:36:33.05
if you resist the claim of God,
00:36:33.09\00:36:35.49
you're never going
to know your destiny.
00:36:35.52\00:36:37.19
You're never going to
know what God can do for you.
00:36:37.23\00:36:40.00
He can do for you
something amazing.
00:36:40.03\00:36:42.50
Every sin is
forgiven. We're cleansed.
00:36:42.53\00:36:44.23
The Spirit is given to us.
00:36:44.27\00:36:45.60
We're adopted into God's
family when we're baptized.
00:36:45.63\00:36:49.67
You know, sometimes people
say, "Oh when I'm baptized
00:36:49.70\00:36:52.61
do I join a church?
00:36:53.01\00:36:54.54
I'm kind of nervous
about that church business.
00:36:54.58\00:36:57.45
I just want to be a
believer in my home."
00:36:57.48\00:36:59.81
The Bible says in Acts 2:41...
00:36:59.95\00:37:02.38
Who were they added to?
00:37:10.99\00:37:12.33
Added to the church.
00:37:12.43\00:37:14.03
They become part of God's
commandment keeping people.
00:37:14.06\00:37:18.50
So, you know, it's
one thing to be born.
00:37:18.77\00:37:21.34
Are there any children
that are born and they're just
00:37:22.27\00:37:24.64
left on the street?
00:37:24.67\00:37:26.04
Children don't have much chance
if they're left on the street.
00:37:26.44\00:37:29.68
When you're born again, you're
born into the family of God.
00:37:29.91\00:37:33.31
God's church is not perfect.
00:37:33.42\00:37:35.38
You will not find God's
church to have flawless people.
00:37:35.42\00:37:39.69
But when you come to Christ
and you become part of His
00:37:40.26\00:37:44.33
Commandment keeping,
Sabbath keeping body,
00:37:44.36\00:37:47.16
just like those
New Testament believers
00:37:47.33\00:37:49.66
God gives you gifts
to serve in that body.
00:37:49.70\00:37:52.93
If you have not yet
followed Christ in baptism,
00:37:53.47\00:37:56.40
why not right now say,
"Jesus, I want to follow You.
00:37:56.94\00:37:59.74
I want to be part of
those people around the world
00:37:59.87\00:38:02.64
that are keeping
Your commandments.
00:38:02.74\00:38:04.35
I want to be part of
a Sabbath keeping body."
00:38:04.38\00:38:06.38
Why not seek out a
Seventh-day Adventist church?
00:38:06.41\00:38:08.85
You've been watching 3ABN.
00:38:08.88\00:38:10.49
You've been watching at home.
00:38:10.52\00:38:12.15
Maybe watching with your family.
00:38:12.25\00:38:14.16
And you've been
thinking through the years,
00:38:14.19\00:38:16.12
"Shall I or
shouldn't I make that break?"
00:38:16.52\00:38:19.63
This is the time to do it.
00:38:19.73\00:38:21.26
God is speaking to your heart.
00:38:21.30\00:38:23.20
This is the time now to seek out
a Seventh-day Adventist church.
00:38:23.23\00:38:27.00
This is the time to seek
out a Sabbath keeping body.
00:38:27.04\00:38:29.80
This is the time to take
your stand with God's last day
00:38:29.90\00:38:34.08
commandment keeping people.
00:38:34.11\00:38:35.64
Look at what the Bible says
about those who were baptized
00:38:35.68\00:38:38.31
on the day of Pentecost.
00:38:38.41\00:38:39.81
Acts 2:42
00:38:39.85\00:38:41.42
You've been hearing
the truth of God's Word.
00:38:44.92\00:38:46.76
It's time now
to make a decision.
00:38:46.79\00:38:48.46
What church?
00:38:57.77\00:38:59.10
The New Testament church.
00:38:59.13\00:39:00.47
A church that
emphasizes the Word of God.
00:39:00.50\00:39:03.07
A church that talks
about the grace of Christ.
00:39:03.17\00:39:06.04
A church that talks
about the cross of Christ.
00:39:06.07\00:39:08.54
A church that talks
about the commandments of God,
00:39:08.64\00:39:11.18
and the Bible Sabbath, and
the truths you've been hearing.
00:39:11.21\00:39:13.52
This is your
opportunity to follow Jesus.
00:39:13.55\00:39:17.59
This is your
opportunity to step out for Him.
00:39:17.62\00:39:21.46
There are
relatively three steps.
00:39:26.09\00:39:28.93
Have you done that?
00:39:31.23\00:39:32.57
Have you said,
"Jesus, I'm repenting.
00:39:32.60\00:39:34.57
Jesus, I want to follow You."
00:39:34.60\00:39:36.47
Repentance is being
sorry enough for my sins
00:39:36.77\00:39:39.27
that I'm willing to
turn away from them.
00:39:39.31\00:39:40.64
Are we perfect? No.
00:39:40.68\00:39:42.01
But when God points
something out in our life,
00:39:42.04\00:39:44.05
we say, "God,
I'm sorry for that."
00:39:44.08\00:39:45.68
You know, the Bible says,
"Believe and you will be saved."
00:39:47.65\00:39:51.39
So it's belief in Christ
and it's belief in the message
00:39:51.49\00:39:54.99
of Christ and the
biblical teachings of Christ.
00:39:55.02\00:39:57.49
You're not going
to know everything
00:40:02.73\00:40:04.07
before you're baptized.
00:40:04.10\00:40:05.43
But if you have
repented of your sin,
00:40:05.47\00:40:08.04
if you have believed in Christ,
00:40:08.07\00:40:10.34
if you've been
instructed in His Word,
00:40:10.37\00:40:12.97
now is the time to
make that decision.
00:40:13.01\00:40:16.44
Now is the time
to step out in faith.
00:40:16.48\00:40:19.55
Because I know there
are Christians watching this
00:40:24.32\00:40:26.49
telecast and they're thinking,
00:40:26.52\00:40:27.86
"You know, I
already went into the water.
00:40:27.96\00:40:29.29
This doesn't make
much difference to me.
00:40:29.32\00:40:31.29
I'm a first day believer."
00:40:31.33\00:40:32.73
Maybe a lovely
Baptist Christian,
00:40:32.83\00:40:34.66
or maybe a lovely Pentecostal
Christian, and you're thinking,
00:40:34.70\00:40:37.93
"You know, baptism,
I've already done that."
00:40:37.97\00:40:39.90
In the Bible there's an instance
of people being re-baptized.
00:40:40.74\00:40:45.81
Let me share
with you that passage
00:40:46.57\00:40:48.74
of Scripture and explain why.
00:40:48.78\00:40:50.55
Acts 19:2-5
00:40:50.95\00:40:53.15
Here, Paul comes to
the upper coast of Ephesus.
00:40:53.55\00:40:57.05
And he says to this
body of believers...
00:40:57.32\00:40:59.55
So he asked them a question.
00:41:07.10\00:41:08.63
He says, "Who baptized you?"
00:41:08.66\00:41:11.70
And they say, "John."
00:41:11.73\00:41:13.17
And then the Bible
says he re-baptizes them.
00:41:13.47\00:41:16.00
Why?
00:41:16.04\00:41:17.37
They were once baptized,
but they didn't fully understand
00:41:17.41\00:41:22.24
the truth of God's Word.
00:41:22.44\00:41:24.25
Now there are two
reasons why to be re-baptized.
00:41:24.55\00:41:27.22
Number one, you
may have come to Christ
00:41:27.25\00:41:29.98
but maybe you
departed from Christ.
00:41:30.02\00:41:32.25
Maybe you knew
the message of truth,
00:41:32.35\00:41:34.39
but you turned
your back on Christ.
00:41:34.42\00:41:36.49
Acts 19, we have a symbol
of people that were baptized,
00:41:36.59\00:41:40.53
but they didn't understand
the fullness of truth.
00:41:40.63\00:41:42.80
We have a symbol of
people that were baptized,
00:41:43.73\00:41:45.83
and they were re-baptized.
00:41:45.87\00:41:48.07
If you've come to
Christ, and in coming to Christ
00:41:48.50\00:41:52.37
you have been immersed,
it's like a marriage to Christ,
00:41:52.67\00:41:56.01
but you've drifted away from
Christ in a life of sinfulness,
00:41:56.04\00:41:59.65
God might say to
you, be saying to you,
00:41:59.68\00:42:01.45
might be convicting
you by His Holy Spirit,
00:42:01.48\00:42:03.22
"Come back. Come back.
00:42:03.25\00:42:05.15
Be re-baptized.
Start life over again."
00:42:05.19\00:42:08.22
But there may be
somebody else that says,
00:42:08.32\00:42:10.26
"But I've been a
faithful Baptist,
00:42:10.29\00:42:11.63
faithful Pentecostal Christian.
00:42:11.66\00:42:13.23
How does this relate to me?"
00:42:13.26\00:42:14.93
Well Acts 19 does relate to you.
00:42:14.96\00:42:17.60
Because, you see, you
may be a committed Christian,
00:42:17.80\00:42:20.20
but you've discovered
new truth in God's Word.
00:42:20.40\00:42:23.41
These people in
Acts 19 were committed.
00:42:23.44\00:42:27.28
They were baptized to John.
00:42:27.38\00:42:29.11
And they were following God.
00:42:29.28\00:42:31.28
But they had never
heard of the Holy Spirit,
00:42:31.31\00:42:33.31
a new truth that
was so amazing to them.
00:42:33.35\00:42:36.05
And Paul says, "Step
ahead, become part of the
00:42:36.15\00:42:40.26
Christian body of believers."
00:42:40.29\00:42:42.42
You may be a
Baptist, a Pentecostal,
00:42:42.69\00:42:44.96
you may be Church of Christ,
you may be a Lutheran Christian,
00:42:44.99\00:42:50.23
and you've never
followed Jesus all the way
00:42:50.27\00:42:54.44
in the sense of understanding
the fullness of His truth.
00:42:54.54\00:42:58.07
You've been following
Jesus, but you've not known
00:42:58.11\00:43:00.31
the fullness of truth.
00:43:00.34\00:43:01.68
Like the truth
about the Sabbath.
00:43:01.71\00:43:03.14
Like the truth about your
body is the temple of God.
00:43:03.18\00:43:05.61
Like the truth about
the state of man in death.
00:43:05.75\00:43:09.82
You've never fully grasped that.
00:43:09.85\00:43:11.49
But you've been
watching the telecast.
00:43:11.52\00:43:13.42
You've come to understand that.
00:43:13.46\00:43:15.32
And you are a
committed Christian.
00:43:15.42\00:43:18.23
You've discovered
the truth of God's Word,
00:43:18.26\00:43:20.26
and you say,
"Jesus, I want to be part
00:43:20.30\00:43:22.73
of Your
commandment keeping people.
00:43:22.76\00:43:24.37
Jesus, truth is just opened up
to my mind so beautifully now."
00:43:24.40\00:43:28.40
When you are re-baptized
as a committed Christian,
00:43:28.60\00:43:32.17
you are not denying anything
in the past that you believed.
00:43:32.21\00:43:37.41
You're just shedding
falsehood and tradition,
00:43:37.45\00:43:41.32
and following more truth.
00:43:41.42\00:43:43.89
You've always believed
the Bible is the Word of God;
00:43:43.92\00:43:45.79
you still do.
00:43:45.82\00:43:47.16
Now you're
accepting it in its fullness.
00:43:47.19\00:43:48.52
You've always believed
in Christ; you still do.
00:43:48.56\00:43:50.56
Now you're accepting
all of His teachings,
00:43:50.59\00:43:52.33
including the Bible Sabbath.
00:43:52.36\00:43:53.83
You have always believed
that He was coming again,
00:43:53.96\00:43:56.23
but you didn't
have that sorted out.
00:43:56.26\00:43:58.17
And now you
understand in its fullness.
00:43:58.30\00:44:01.10
Re-baptism for you is
not denial of the past.
00:44:01.44\00:44:06.27
It is rather acceptance of
the truth that God has for you.
00:44:06.31\00:44:10.88
Remember what Jesus said?
00:44:10.91\00:44:12.25
He said, "Walk
while you have the light."
00:44:12.41\00:44:14.78
Walk while you have the light.
00:44:15.18\00:44:16.52
We walk in the light of
God's truth as He revealed it.
00:44:16.55\00:44:20.06
Jesus told Nicodemus this...
00:44:22.69\00:44:25.03
Why does Jesus say that.
00:44:33.37\00:44:34.94
Here's why.
00:44:35.74\00:44:37.07
To be born of
water is to be baptized.
00:44:37.17\00:44:41.78
To be born of the Spirit
is to have our lives changed
00:44:41.81\00:44:45.61
by the Holy Spirit.
00:44:45.65\00:44:46.98
So what Jesus is saying
is, when you are changed inside
00:44:47.02\00:44:51.09
you testify of that by being
baptized and following Christ.
00:44:51.12\00:44:55.69
The Bible says in Mark 16:16...
00:44:55.72\00:44:59.33
So salvation comes
as we believe in Christ
00:45:04.37\00:45:09.30
and as we manifest
that belief in baptism.
00:45:09.34\00:45:12.77
2 Corinthians 6:2
00:45:13.07\00:45:15.51
This is no
longer a time to wait.
00:45:21.32\00:45:23.59
This is no longer
a time to hesitate.
00:45:23.62\00:45:25.79
This is a time to step out.
00:45:25.82\00:45:28.59
Acts 22:16 says...
00:45:28.69\00:45:30.93
This is the time.
00:45:38.73\00:45:40.07
Arise, be baptized.
00:45:40.10\00:45:41.64
Step out, become
part of Jesus' people,
00:45:41.67\00:45:45.74
His commandment keeping people.
00:45:45.77\00:45:47.38
Step out with the people
in the book of Revelation.
00:45:47.41\00:45:49.94
Around the world God
is moving powerfully.
00:45:50.28\00:45:53.25
Around the world men
and women are stepping out
00:45:53.45\00:45:55.92
Come with me to Moscow.
00:45:56.25\00:45:58.85
Come with me to Red Square.
00:45:58.89\00:46:00.92
There I preached in
the Kremlin Auditorium.
00:46:00.96\00:46:04.36
6500 people, two
sessions a night.
00:46:04.39\00:46:09.43
13,000 people a night.
00:46:09.46\00:46:11.80
We saw the
Spirit of God come down.
00:46:11.83\00:46:14.24
We saw God touch the
hearts of those Russians
00:46:14.27\00:46:17.31
there in the Kremlin Palace.
00:46:17.34\00:46:21.08
The most amazing
auditorium in all of Russia,
00:46:21.11\00:46:24.38
one of the most
amazing in the world.
00:46:24.41\00:46:25.95
Fourteen elevators,
chandeliers made of crystal.
00:46:25.98\00:46:30.55
This is the place that the
Communist Party met for decades.
00:46:30.59\00:46:35.92
But I walked onto that
stage where Andropov had spoken,
00:46:35.96\00:46:39.59
where Chernenko had spoken,
where Khrushchev had spoken,
00:46:39.63\00:46:43.57
where Gorbachev had spoken,
where Yeltsin had spoken,
00:46:43.60\00:46:46.87
and opened the Word of
God and made strong appeals
00:46:46.90\00:46:51.57
to our Russian
brothers and sisters.
00:46:51.61\00:46:54.01
They came to Christ.
00:46:54.04\00:46:55.68
See this picture?
00:46:55.78\00:46:57.25
Notice carefully as
you look at the picture,
00:46:57.28\00:46:59.68
right-hand side,
there's a Russian army truck.
00:46:59.71\00:47:01.98
They were delivering Bibles,
20,000 Bibles, to our meetings.
00:47:02.02\00:47:06.29
Men and women
made their decision.
00:47:06.52\00:47:08.39
They said, "We
will follow Christ."
00:47:08.42\00:47:10.46
More than 3000 baptized in
our three years of meetings.
00:47:10.49\00:47:14.73
In Plekhanov University,
the Kremlin, the Olympic stadium
00:47:14.76\00:47:19.47
in Moscow, they
went down into the water
00:47:19.50\00:47:22.24
with joy on their faces
and peace in their hearts.
00:47:22.27\00:47:25.94
Men and women around the world,
God's last day message is being
00:47:26.04\00:47:29.78
taken to the ends of the earth.
00:47:30.28\00:47:31.75
I think of the
Moscow Olympic Stadium.
00:47:31.78\00:47:35.05
And there in that
stadium 18,000 people gathered
00:47:35.15\00:47:39.79
every single night,
and they came to Jesus.
00:47:39.82\00:47:42.92
I think of the cultural
center in Kiev in Ukraine.
00:47:42.96\00:47:48.40
It was here that Nikita
Khrushchev said in the 1950's,
00:47:48.60\00:47:55.24
early 1950's, "There
will be no more Christians
00:47:55.27\00:47:58.24
in the Soviet Union.
00:47:58.27\00:47:59.67
Wait, but when there's
one, because we're going to
00:47:59.71\00:48:01.74
stamp them out, we're
going to get rid of them all,
00:48:01.78\00:48:04.41
but when there's one
left we'll stuff him,
00:48:04.45\00:48:07.68
put him in a museum up in
Moscow so future generations
00:48:07.72\00:48:11.22
will know what a
Christian looked like."
00:48:11.25\00:48:13.29
I walked into
that same auditorium.
00:48:13.32\00:48:15.66
We satellited that meeting
across the former Soviet Union
00:48:15.69\00:48:20.06
and throughout the
East Bloc countries.
00:48:20.10\00:48:22.36
Tens of thousands
of people watched it.
00:48:22.40\00:48:25.17
They jam-packed that auditorium.
00:48:25.27\00:48:27.54
And there, men and
women came to Jesus.
00:48:27.57\00:48:30.51
They went down into the water.
00:48:30.54\00:48:32.17
Look at the joy
on this woman's face.
00:48:32.21\00:48:34.31
Look at the peace in her eyes.
00:48:34.34\00:48:35.84
You can have
that joy, my friend.
00:48:35.88\00:48:37.21
You can have that peace.
00:48:37.25\00:48:38.58
God is doing
something around the world.
00:48:38.61\00:48:39.98
He's giving His last day message
from the book of Revelation.
00:48:40.02\00:48:43.28
And men and
women are responding.
00:48:43.32\00:48:45.69
Come with me to
Budapest, Hungary.
00:48:45.72\00:48:48.96
One of the most
amazing cities in the world.
00:48:48.99\00:48:51.33
The Danube River runs through.
00:48:51.36\00:48:53.19
Buda on one side,
Pest on the other.
00:48:53.23\00:48:55.46
During the days of Communism,
I got permission from the
00:48:55.56\00:48:58.73
Communist government
during the days of Communism
00:48:58.77\00:49:01.90
to preach here.
00:49:01.94\00:49:03.27
The first night of my meetings
it was absolutely packed.
00:49:03.30\00:49:06.57
But right after my meetings
there was a rock concert
00:49:06.88\00:49:11.08
in the same auditorium.
00:49:11.11\00:49:12.45
And that rock concert
was to start right when I
00:49:12.71\00:49:16.82
let out my meeting.
00:49:16.85\00:49:18.25
We had a
meeting at five o'clock.
00:49:18.29\00:49:19.85
Preached the gospel of Christ.
00:49:19.89\00:49:21.52
Meeting at seven.
00:49:21.56\00:49:22.89
When we opened the doors
for the seven o'clock meeting,
00:49:22.92\00:49:25.89
young people, hundreds
of them on the streets,
00:49:25.93\00:49:28.16
thought, "They're
opening for the rock concert."
00:49:28.20\00:49:31.43
They rushed in.
00:49:31.47\00:49:32.80
I never had so many young
people in a meeting before.
00:49:33.07\00:49:34.94
They were all over
the place. They were loud.
00:49:34.97\00:49:37.14
That very night these
four young women came in
00:49:37.37\00:49:40.88
to what they
thought was a rock concert.
00:49:40.91\00:49:42.84
They were groupies
following the rock band.
00:49:42.88\00:49:45.65
As they came in, they
stood five back in the balcony.
00:49:46.41\00:49:51.32
So many people were there.
00:49:51.35\00:49:52.72
But the Spirit of God
got a hold of their heart.
00:49:52.82\00:49:54.86
They came night
after night after night.
00:49:54.89\00:49:57.23
And eventually they
were baptized in the name of
00:49:57.43\00:50:00.33
the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
00:50:00.36\00:50:02.03
What has happened to them?
00:50:02.06\00:50:03.40
Three of these young women today
have become workers for God.
00:50:03.83\00:50:07.94
Two of them
have married pastors.
00:50:07.97\00:50:10.04
And one of them was a
Bible worker for Christ.
00:50:10.14\00:50:12.77
You know, it's
amazing to see what God does
00:50:12.81\00:50:17.31
as His Word is
preached and proclaimed.
00:50:17.71\00:50:20.68
Here's my wife on the left
with these three young women.
00:50:20.72\00:50:23.52
And they today have had their
lives changed and transformed
00:50:23.55\00:50:28.42
by the grace of
the living Christ.
00:50:28.46\00:50:31.59
Jesus reaches out
to you, my friend.
00:50:31.63\00:50:34.26
Around the world His
message is going forth.
00:50:34.30\00:50:37.73
Come with me to Cuba.
00:50:37.77\00:50:39.10
It was the 50th
anniversary of Cuba.
00:50:39.13\00:50:41.54
And the Cuban government
gave us the opportunity
00:50:41.57\00:50:44.51
to preach God's Word, and over
400 were baptized in one day
00:50:44.54\00:50:49.48
in the Olympic
swimming pool there in Cuba.
00:50:49.51\00:50:53.42
Come with me to
a stadium in Peru
00:50:53.45\00:50:57.29
where 60,000 people gather.
00:50:57.32\00:51:00.16
This is not a football game.
00:51:00.19\00:51:02.12
This is a celebration
of Christ and His Word.
00:51:02.16\00:51:06.36
People, men and women, boys
and girls, are coming to Christ.
00:51:06.39\00:51:10.20
This Peruvian general
walked into the baptismal pool,
00:51:10.30\00:51:14.04
and he said, "I'll
wear my general's outfit
00:51:14.07\00:51:16.07
because I want to acknowledge
that Christ is my true Ruler,
00:51:16.17\00:51:20.71
and Master, and King, and Lord."
00:51:20.74\00:51:22.81
Around the world
something is happening.
00:51:22.84\00:51:24.91
Come with me to India where
thousands are being baptized
00:51:24.95\00:51:28.72
and following Christ.
00:51:28.75\00:51:30.12
Come with me to Africa.
00:51:30.15\00:51:32.02
And there as we
travel through Africa
00:51:32.05\00:51:34.66
men and women, boys and
girls, in these stadiums
00:51:34.69\00:51:37.43
are gathering
there coming to Christ.
00:51:37.46\00:51:39.73
God is doing
something amazing in Ghana.
00:51:39.96\00:51:42.50
20,000 baptized in one day.
00:51:42.53\00:51:46.23
The Word if God is going out.
00:51:46.77\00:51:48.70
The Bible says...
00:51:48.97\00:51:50.31
"Go," Jesus says.
00:51:57.25\00:51:59.01
Revelation is
calling men and women
00:52:04.79\00:52:07.59
to make their eternal decision.
00:52:08.12\00:52:09.79
God is speaking to you.
00:52:10.03\00:52:12.29
God is talking to your heart.
00:52:12.33\00:52:14.66
Think of what
it's going to be like
00:52:14.70\00:52:16.56
the first minute of eternity.
00:52:16.60\00:52:18.20
Nothing is worth
losing your soul for.
00:52:18.57\00:52:22.74
You've been
watching these telecasts.
00:52:23.74\00:52:25.91
The Spirit has been
stirring your heart.
00:52:26.21\00:52:28.98
The Spirit has been
moving in your life.
00:52:29.28\00:52:31.88
Think about eternity.
00:52:32.78\00:52:34.42
Think about eternity.
00:52:35.88\00:52:37.35
And listen as Danny sings.
00:52:37.89\00:52:40.02
And let the Spirit of God
touch your heart right now.
00:52:40.52\00:52:45.39
Well, sometimes I've
wondered is it worth it all
00:52:51.90\00:53:00.38
when the road
seems rough and so long.
00:53:01.58\00:53:09.48
Then I look towards
heaven and think on that day
00:53:10.49\00:53:19.76
when Jesus will call me away.
00:53:20.10\00:53:28.00
The first moment of eternity
00:53:28.90\00:53:37.75
will be worth all
the trials down here.
00:53:38.81\00:53:46.45
When I hear the King of all ages
00:53:48.19\00:53:56.10
say, "Come home, child.
00:53:56.20\00:53:59.63
Come home to stay."
00:54:00.44\00:54:04.64
For every rough road
traveled in this world below
00:54:07.21\00:54:15.62
my reward will
be a million years.
00:54:16.35\00:54:24.03
For every pain and
sorrow that ever got me down
00:54:24.59\00:54:34.17
I'll receive a robe and a crown.
00:54:34.60\00:54:41.98
The first moment of eternity
00:54:43.35\00:54:52.32
will be worth all
the trials down here.
00:54:52.65\00:55:01.46
When I hear the King of all ages
00:55:01.83\00:55:10.27
say, "Come home, child.
00:55:10.64\00:55:13.74
Come home to stay."
00:55:14.24\00:55:18.75
When I hear the King of all ages
00:55:20.28\00:55:29.06
say, "Come home, child.
00:55:29.52\00:55:32.79
Come home to stay."
00:55:33.33\00:55:39.23
Think about that
first moment of eternity.
00:55:49.68\00:55:52.08
Any sacrifice you make here, my
friend, is going to be worth it.
00:55:52.75\00:55:56.55
Any sacrifice to follow
Christ, to stand for Him,
00:55:57.35\00:56:02.32
will be worth it
just to see Jesus
00:56:02.42\00:56:06.29
in that first
second of eternity.
00:56:06.49\00:56:09.56
Wherever you are right now,
would you like to bow your head,
00:56:09.76\00:56:12.40
would you like to say, "Jesus,
I've kind of been holding back.
00:56:13.23\00:56:17.27
But there's a breakthrough
in my heart right now.
00:56:18.27\00:56:21.04
The Spirit is
convicting me right now.
00:56:21.64\00:56:24.15
I can hold back no longer.
00:56:24.41\00:56:26.38
I'm going to step out.
00:56:26.61\00:56:28.08
I'm going to become
part of the Adventist family.
00:56:28.42\00:56:33.62
I'm going to walk
ahead and be baptized,
00:56:33.92\00:56:37.23
giving my life to
Christ to serve Him forever."
00:56:37.49\00:56:41.23
If you'd like to make
that decision right now,
00:56:42.00\00:56:43.97
why not make it in
your heart as we pray.
00:56:44.00\00:56:46.37
Father in heaven, You
know that man, that woman,
00:56:46.53\00:56:49.94
that boy, that girl has been
thinking about this decision.
00:56:49.97\00:56:53.84
You know that
individual who has slipped away,
00:56:54.08\00:56:56.28
and You're winning them back.
00:56:56.44\00:56:58.11
You know that person
who is a lovely Christian
00:56:58.25\00:57:01.52
but has not followed all of Your
truth, and You're calling them.
00:57:01.55\00:57:04.55
Father, thank You, right
now You're convicting them.
00:57:04.79\00:57:07.59
Thank You there's a place
in Your heart just for them.
00:57:07.82\00:57:10.79
Thank You, Father, that
eternal decisions are being
00:57:10.96\00:57:14.16
made in Your name.
00:57:14.20\00:57:15.63
Give us the courage
and strength to do that,
00:57:15.76\00:57:17.87
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
00:57:18.23\00:57:20.34
Thank you for joining us for
00:57:20.87\00:57:22.20
Revelation's
Ancient Discoveries.
00:57:22.24\00:57:24.74
Stay with us for
the rest of this series.
00:57:24.84\00:57:27.34