Good evening and
welcome to each of you.
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It's time to travel so fasten
you're seatbelts if you will
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as the lights go out.
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Our journey this evening
is one of my very favorites.
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We're going to go to Pisa.
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The city of Pisa is laid
out from Piazza del Duomo,
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The Place of the Cathedral.
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This cathedral, ladies
and gentlemen, is more than
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a thousand years of age.
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And it's famous, not only for
its age and its architecture,
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but also because of some
parishioners of whom we're
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going to speak in
just a little bit.
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If you have an
address in the city of Pisa,
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and it says, "18
blocks North and 7 West,"
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you that this address is 18
blocks north of the cathedral
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and 7 blocks west of it.
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Now there's an American
city that is laid out in
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the very same way.
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And I'll bet someone
here knows which city it is.
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Which one?
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Not Washington, DC. No.
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There it is. Salt Lake City.
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That's right.
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It's laid out from the
temple, Salt Lake City,
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in the very same sort of way.
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Well when you say
this name, by the way,
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don't call it "Pizza. "
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I've discovered that folks
over there are just a little bit
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disturbed when you
call their city "Pizza".
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It's "Pisa".
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And 800 years ago, it was
twice the size that it is today.
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Two reasons for that.
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It was a major university,
a major teaching center.
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Particularly with emphasis upon
mathematics and other sciences.
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And the other reason was, it
was, 800 years ago, a sea port.
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I mean, it was a sailor town
and the ships dropped anchor
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a stone's throw from right here.
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And the sailors did commerce
and brought a lot of money and
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unloaded and offloaded.
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And that has all
changed because the Arno River,
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the same Arno that runs through
Florence where we visited
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the Medici chapel and
those other famous places
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a few evenings ago.
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That same Arno
runs here, ends here.
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And over the centuries,
it has dumped a delta here
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so that it's now about 7.5 miles
out to the Mediterranean Sea.
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So for those reasons, no longer
a great university center,
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no longer a sea port center.
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And the city then has, like not
very many places in the world,
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gotten smaller and
smaller and smaller still.
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Now, from here we have
a wonderful view of the
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Leaning Tower of Pisa.
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It is the bell tower.
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You probably knew that.
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And it is about
50 feet in diameter,
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it's about 150 feet high
except to the top of the bells.
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And the final circle
up there, that's another
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20 or 30 feet high.
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And you can see
how badly it leans.
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There has, over the centuries,
been the worry, the real concern
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that there might come an
earthquake, because there are
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faults in the area,
and the thing might topple
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down to the ground.
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Well, just a few years ago,
they decided it was finally time
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to do something about it.
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And we'll talk about that
something in just a little bit.
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First, however, let's
look at the facade of this
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beautiful, beautiful cathedral.
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I want you to
notice a number of things.
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Firstly, I want you to
notice out on the corners
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there are gargoyles.
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If we had a close-up
you could see that they're
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hideous looking creatures.
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They're really ugly,
kind of dragon animal things
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with bared fangs.
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And they were put
there for two reasons.
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One was practical and
the other was ridiculous.
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The practical is,
they're the down spouts.
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When the rains run
off of the stone roof,
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they run down to the
gutters and then make their way
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to the gargoyles.
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And the water goes inside
the bodies of these gargoyles
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and then spews out the mouth
and lands several feet away
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from the wall
and the foundation.
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And that keeps the basement dry.
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So that was the
practical side of it all.
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The ridiculous side was,
these cathedrals, many of them
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including this one, were
built during the dark ages
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where there was a
great amount of superstition.
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And folks really believed that
if they would put these hideous
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dragon-like things
around the corners of the church
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it would keep the
devil from coming to church.
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Yeah ridiculous, huh.
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Well, look at the style.
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This is a combination of what
is called Tuscan and Romanesque.
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And we saw that also in Florence
at the great cathedral of
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St. John the Baptist.
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I'm going to talk to you
now about how history was made
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inside this church and about
it's most famous parishioner.
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We've alluded to
him on prior evenings.
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His name was Galileo Galilee.
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Galileo was a child prodigy.
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Today we would
say he was gifted.
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His daddy was a
musician for two royal families;
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the Medici
family over in Florence,
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and the Dougal family
over in Venice, the Doge.
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He was an
organist of great repute
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and he was also a flautist.
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It was his desire that his son,
Galileo, follow in his steps
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and perhaps become the
musician, the chief musician
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for some king
or queen of Europe.
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And so when he was just a little
guy, senior Galileo began to
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teach little Galileo
how play upon the organ.
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And by the time he
was 9 or 10 years of age,
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they were dueting together
and it was quite remarkable.
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But by the time he was a
young teenager, 13 or 14,
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he was developing
interest in another area;
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mathematics, particularly as
it was applied to the movements
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of the heavenly bodies
and to the great scheme of
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things time-wise.
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Now Galileo did not invent
but did perfect the telescope
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and made it to be
a very useful item.
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And by the time he was 19 or
20, he had already spent years
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tracking the
movements of the heavenly bodies
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in their orbits, and measuring
time and putting mathematical
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equations together that
would shock teachers of math
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that had been around
for many, many, many years.
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When he was still really
basically a kid, or surely
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just a young man, he
was asked to come and be
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a fellow professor in
the mathematics department
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here at the university.
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And while here, he
would come to this church
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to worship on weekends.
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He would also come to
just pray and meditate when the
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place was quite empty.
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He would come mid-week
and take a seat in the pew,
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or perhaps kneel in front
of a pew, and just meditate.
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And on one such occasion
while he was meditating,
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praying, in came the caretaker.
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We would call him
the janitor, I suppose.
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He had with him his high
ladder and he put the ladder up
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beside one of the chandeliers,
climbed it, reached over and
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took hold of the chandelier
that was hanging upon its chain,
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he trimmed the wick and filled
the bowl, and then released it
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and moved on, did the caretaker,
to the next and the next.
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But Galileo was
fascinated by the swinging
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of that first chandelier.
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For the longest time,
back and forth it swung.
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Back and forth.
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And from that happy
accident in this church,
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the theory of
pendulum motion was born.
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And all of the grandfather
clocks, any pendulum clock,
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the metronome for the
piano, and all of those devices
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were born here in the creative
mind of Galileo Galilee.
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Now, he would get in
trouble here and it would
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nearly cost him his job,
and some say almost his life.
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But before we talk
about that, let's talk about
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this tower again.
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When first I visited here, you
were allowed to, after paying
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a few dollars, go inside and
climb the serpentine staircase
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and come out at each level
or at whatever one you choose
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including the very top.
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They have, in the last
few years, prevented that.
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They will not allow
anyone to go inside.
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And the major reason, of
course, is the possibility
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that it could collapse.
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Now, I'm going to tell
you folks how badly it leans.
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If we were to go inside
and go over to what they call
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the downhill side or the
leaning side, right here,
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and there we drop a plumb-bob,
or we have a long string with a
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rock on it, we hold that right
against the side up here and
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drop it, and when it
hits the ground down here
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it's going to be 18 feet away.
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That is a
serious list, isn't it.
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That's quite a lean.
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Well, why does it lean?
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Simply because it was
not built upon solid ground.
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It's built upon an ancient
seabed, upon the sands of
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the old sea of
the Mediterranean.
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And they didn't put
proper foundation beneath it.
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And it began to tilt a little
bit, and then a little bit
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more under pressure.
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The more it tilted,
it would grow greater.
00:11:05.38\00:11:06.98
And so they decided a few
years ago they were going to
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do something about it.
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They sent out the
problem to the major engineering
00:11:11.70\00:11:14.89
schools of the world.
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And it was a young man from
00:11:16.45\00:11:18.07
Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
00:11:18.10\00:11:20.29
that sent back a suggestion that
was considered by the scholars
00:11:20.32\00:11:24.42
to be the best of all.
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His idea was,
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we build a container
around the whole tower.
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I mean, we put it
inside a can, if you please.
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We make this
container to be water tight.
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And then between the can,
the inside wall of the can
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and the wall of the
tower, we put freezing rods.
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Fill it with water, energize the
rods, freeze the thing until its
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encapsulated in an ice cube.
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Maintain it in that suspended
way and then with great cranes
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remove it, set it aside
and build sufficient foundation
00:12:06.52\00:12:11.49
to hold it upright, and
then reverse the process.
00:12:11.52\00:12:14.85
Now that could be
done and it wouldn't cost
00:12:14.88\00:12:17.14
a great amount of money.
00:12:17.17\00:12:18.70
But it hasn't been
done and it won't be done.
00:12:18.73\00:12:21.90
And I think you know why.
00:12:21.93\00:12:23.88
There are thousands, yes
hundreds of thousands of people
00:12:23.91\00:12:27.86
who, every year, bring
multiplied millions of dollars
00:12:27.89\00:12:31.79
to come and see the
Leaning Tower of Pisa.
00:12:31.82\00:12:34.81
And they know of certainty
that there would be few people
00:12:35.41\00:12:38.81
who would come, and fewer
dollars by far spent to see
00:12:38.84\00:12:43.84
the straight tower of Pisa.
00:12:43.87\00:12:45.63
But they did, a few years
ago, become concerned enough
00:12:47.44\00:12:51.09
to do something that
they hope would prevent it.
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From the uphill side, they
began to auger, at an angle
00:12:55.35\00:12:59.82
I think they said of around
18 degrees, six inch holes.
00:12:59.85\00:13:03.95
Bored six inch holes,
several of them, back underneath
00:13:03.98\00:13:08.62
the uphill side with the idea
that the thing might settle back
00:13:08.65\00:13:13.69
the other way just a little bit.
00:13:13.72\00:13:16.02
And it worked.
00:13:16.05\00:13:17.35
It did that. It has worked.
00:13:17.38\00:13:19.57
And in spite of that,
they don't let folks go inside.
00:13:19.60\00:13:23.83
And I think that
is a really good idea.
00:13:23.86\00:13:27.13
When I was here
first, you were allowed to
00:13:28.30\00:13:31.77
go inside, as I mentioned.
00:13:31.80\00:13:33.24
And up near the top, I
saw children, little children,
00:13:33.27\00:13:36.85
I'm sure pre-schoolers,
loose from their parents
00:13:36.88\00:13:40.17
and running around up there.
00:13:40.20\00:13:42.66
And I thought that over
especially on the downhill side,
00:13:42.69\00:13:46.53
the leaning side, it
could be very dangerous
00:13:46.56\00:13:48.88
because there are no restraints.
00:13:48.91\00:13:51.00
There's no chain, there was no
netting, there was no fencing.
00:13:51.03\00:13:55.26
There was nothing.
00:13:55.29\00:13:56.73
Now after my first trip
here, I came back and casually
00:13:58.11\00:14:04.33
bumped into a lady who
had once been my parishioner.
00:14:04.36\00:14:08.50
And she asked me where I'd been
and what I enjoyed most of all.
00:14:10.00\00:14:14.63
And I said, "Well, I
made an amazing discovery,
00:14:14.66\00:14:17.68
a shocking discovery
at the Tower of Pisa. "
00:14:17.71\00:14:20.76
"Oh," she said, "my grandson
from Seattle is going to go
00:14:20.79\00:14:24.05
to Europe with a
group of young people.
00:14:24.08\00:14:25.57
I must tell my
grandson to be sure and see the
00:14:25.60\00:14:29.21
Leaning Tower of Pisa. "
00:14:29.24\00:14:30.59
And she told her
grandson and he came to the
00:14:32.02\00:14:35.67
Leaning Tower of Pisa.
00:14:35.70\00:14:37.18
And somehow, this 14
year old grandson fell from
00:14:37.21\00:14:41.82
the top to his death.
00:14:41.85\00:14:43.45
So I'm glad they've stopped
folks from going up inside.
00:14:45.05\00:14:48.09
I'm really very
thankful for that.
00:14:48.12\00:14:50.40
But you can see
folks up in there.
00:14:52.40\00:14:54.32
By the way, I shot that picture
from inside the main doorway.
00:14:54.35\00:14:58.75
And it kind of makes the doorway
00:14:58.78\00:15:01.16
look crooked, doesn't it.
00:15:01.19\00:15:02.44
That is what, in Idaho, we
call an obstetrical illusion.
00:15:04.75\00:15:10.76
Ah, enough silliness.
00:15:17.83\00:15:19.60
Well, separate and apart
from the cathedral and the tower
00:15:20.26\00:15:24.51
is this building.
00:15:24.54\00:15:26.14
Circular and lovely,
and after the same style
00:15:26.82\00:15:30.16
and the same design.
00:15:30.19\00:15:31.37
And it was in there that I
made the discovery that we're
00:15:31.40\00:15:35.15
going to talk about tonight.
00:15:35.18\00:15:36.77
This building, ladies and
gentlemen, is the baptistery.
00:15:36.80\00:15:40.36
Before we go inside, however,
I'm going to tell you about
00:15:42.18\00:15:45.12
a cemetery that
is behind the wall.
00:15:45.15\00:15:48.55
There's the wall.
00:15:48.58\00:15:50.09
I wish that I had a
picture, but it's really only
00:15:50.80\00:15:55.58
a cemetery, a
graveyard, with headstones
00:15:55.61\00:15:57.68
and that sort of thing.
00:15:57.71\00:15:58.68
Not so terribly unusual.
00:15:58.69\00:16:00.11
But the cemetery
itself has quite a history.
00:16:00.14\00:16:03.07
While the cathedral a
thousand years ago was under
00:16:03.10\00:16:05.92
construction, the fathers of
the city sent an armada of ships
00:16:05.95\00:16:11.41
over to the Holy Land.
00:16:11.44\00:16:13.40
And along the coast of
Palestine, the Holy Land,
00:16:14.10\00:16:17.49
they dug up sand and dirt,
and took it aboard these ships.
00:16:17.52\00:16:22.33
And then they brought it
back and scattered it out
00:16:22.36\00:16:26.33
over this ground
that's behind the wall
00:16:26.36\00:16:28.95
and began to sell cemetery
plots with the guarantee
00:16:28.98\00:16:33.34
from the church that if
you're buried in this cemetery
00:16:33.37\00:16:37.78
beneath the soil upon
which the feet of the apostles
00:16:37.81\00:16:41.72
and Jesus Himself may
have walked, you're guaranteed
00:16:41.75\00:16:45.20
to come up in the
first resurrection.
00:16:45.23\00:16:47.33
And those cemetery
plots sold out in a hurry.
00:16:47.73\00:16:50.88
You can be sure of that.
00:16:50.91\00:16:52.72
Well, what is the
significance of this building,
00:16:53.88\00:16:58.11
the baptistery?
00:16:58.15\00:17:00.15
Let's go inside.
00:17:00.19\00:17:02.40
In the very center
and beneath the dome,
00:17:03.16\00:17:06.42
there is a large Baptismal font.
00:17:06.45\00:17:10.35
Where I'm standing to
shoot this picture, there is a
00:17:12.54\00:17:15.31
little stairway where the pastor
would climb up from the outside
00:17:15.34\00:17:20.20
and then go down the
stairs into the water.
00:17:20.23\00:17:23.54
And there he would baptize.
00:17:23.57\00:17:27.06
Now this I learned,
ladies and gentlemen,
00:17:27.60\00:17:29.70
that for the first
1200 years of Christianity,
00:17:29.73\00:17:33.53
every single person that
was baptized was immersed
00:17:33.56\00:17:38.70
totally,
completely beneath the water.
00:17:38.73\00:17:42.13
We, last night over in
the city of Rome, went to
00:17:42.69\00:17:46.12
the Pope's church, you remember.
00:17:46.15\00:17:47.47
The Cathedral of
St. John's Lateran.
00:17:47.50\00:17:49.53
And I showed you, last
night, the baptistery in which
00:17:49.56\00:17:52.50
Constantine was immersed.
00:17:52.53\00:17:54.11
For the first 1200 years of
Christianity, everybody that
00:17:54.59\00:17:59.94
was baptized, was baptized
the Jesus way by immersion.
00:17:59.97\00:18:04.39
Laid back totally,
completely beneath the water.
00:18:04.42\00:18:08.31
And then in the 12th century,
a change came in this way.
00:18:09.17\00:18:13.86
Not from the Bible
but from a church leader,
00:18:13.89\00:18:17.89
there came a doctrine called
the doctrine of original sin.
00:18:17.92\00:18:22.92
And a thumbnail sketch
of that doctrine is this.
00:18:22.95\00:18:26.22
As soon as a baby takes
its first breath outside the
00:18:26.25\00:18:31.07
mother's womb, that
infant is tainted with the sin
00:18:31.10\00:18:35.18
that has been passed down
generationally from Adam and Eve
00:18:35.21\00:18:39.85
to the present.
00:18:39.88\00:18:40.91
Original sin.
00:18:41.51\00:18:43.27
And moreover, if that baby
should die without the right
00:18:43.30\00:18:49.56
and the sacrament of baptism,
that baby would go to limbo
00:18:49.59\00:18:54.33
or perhaps purgatory
or even something worse.
00:18:54.36\00:18:58.88
Now suppose you're the
mother or the grandmother,
00:18:59.90\00:19:04.38
the baby is born, and as
soon as the baby is born,
00:19:05.50\00:19:09.86
soon as the delivery is
over you know there's something
00:19:09.89\00:19:14.37
wrong with this baby.
00:19:14.40\00:19:15.77
Its skin is cyanotic, blue.
00:19:17.17\00:19:20.33
It's not breathing properly.
00:19:20.36\00:19:22.66
And we have no modern medicine
and we're quite sure the baby
00:19:24.83\00:19:28.31
is not going to
live not for very long.
00:19:28.34\00:19:30.23
"What if our baby
dies without baptism?"
00:19:30.26\00:19:32.79
And so we rush our
baby down to the baptistery
00:19:32.82\00:19:35.95
and we pay the required fee.
00:19:35.98\00:19:38.58
And the pastor goes over
the side and into the water.
00:19:40.18\00:19:44.41
And over the wall we
hand the pastor our baby
00:19:44.44\00:19:48.94
and he puts the baby
down beneath the cold water.
00:19:48.97\00:19:54.21
For this is long
before they have the ability
00:19:54.24\00:19:56.58
to heat the baptisteries.
00:19:56.61\00:19:58.74
History says that many
an infant, ill or otherwise,
00:20:00.41\00:20:03.87
died as a result of the
shock of being submersed
00:20:03.90\00:20:08.25
in that cold water.
00:20:08.28\00:20:10.07
And especially if it's ill,
it simply adds to the problem.
00:20:10.95\00:20:16.57
And so, an amendment was made.
00:20:18.45\00:20:21.60
It said, "Instead of handing the
baby over and putting the baby
00:20:21.63\00:20:26.78
down beneath the water,
we shall, into the water,
00:20:26.81\00:20:30.63
put a blanket,
completely submerse the blanket,
00:20:30.66\00:20:35.10
and then bring it out and
wrap our baby in the blanket. "
00:20:35.13\00:20:38.92
And they did
that for a good while.
00:20:39.32\00:20:42.26
But many children died as
a result, many babies were
00:20:43.35\00:20:46.49
shocked because of that.
00:20:46.52\00:20:48.51
And by the way, it was from that
experience in the baptisteries
00:20:48.54\00:20:52.27
and in the history of the
church that there came a phrase
00:20:52.30\00:20:54.72
that we still today use.
00:20:54.75\00:20:56.64
"It's about as
popular as a wet blanket. "
00:20:56.67\00:21:01.57
Or, "He threw a wet
blanket on my party," you know.
00:21:02.06\00:21:04.86
The wet blanket
expression came from this
00:21:04.89\00:21:08.45
practice of the church.
00:21:08.48\00:21:09.80
And so the church leadership
said, "Well, we're going to
00:21:10.94\00:21:14.25
make a little change
because that's not so helpful. "
00:21:14.28\00:21:17.41
And so they then put a serviette
or handkerchief in the tank
00:21:17.44\00:21:22.93
and submersed it
and put it upon the head
00:21:22.96\00:21:26.03
of the infant or the
older person, whomever.
00:21:26.06\00:21:30.36
And then a few years
after that, they changed again
00:21:30.76\00:21:34.28
to what is still the practice.
00:21:34.31\00:21:36.18
And that is the pouring
upon the head of the person
00:21:36.21\00:21:40.21
of a little water
and calling it baptism.
00:21:40.24\00:21:43.60
The question
tonight is, does it matter?
00:21:45.18\00:21:47.93
What difference does it make?
00:21:48.81\00:21:50.63
We're going to learn the answer
from our Bible again tonight.
00:21:52.26\00:21:55.96
I must be sure to
go on record to say,
00:21:55.99\00:21:58.92
we're never going to, here,
sit in judgment upon anyone's
00:21:58.95\00:22:02.05
relationship with Jesus
whether Catholic or Protestant
00:22:02.08\00:22:04.62
or Muslim or whatever else.
00:22:04.65\00:22:07.22
We never sit in judgment upon
folks relationship with God.
00:22:07.25\00:22:11.16
But at the same time, we
do have to look at teachings
00:22:11.19\00:22:14.57
and practices, and what
prophecy says about them,
00:22:14.60\00:22:18.72
and the response of history.
00:22:18.75\00:22:20.84
We have to ask
here, night by night,
00:22:20.87\00:22:22.88
"What is the will of Jesus?"
00:22:22.91\00:22:24.86
Wouldn't you agree with
me that's what's important?
00:22:24.89\00:22:27.01
What would Jesus say?
What is the will of Jesus?
00:22:27.31\00:22:30.22
And so we'll talk
about that tonight.
00:22:30.25\00:22:31.80
I want to thank you
now for travelling with me.
00:22:31.84\00:22:34.38
And now, ladies and
gentlemen, is our subject.
00:22:37.03\00:22:39.22
Bible Baptism, Is It Important?
00:22:39.25\00:22:43.90
Please open your
Bibles with me if you will to
00:22:44.30\00:22:46.43
Matthew's gospel chapter 28.
00:22:46.46\00:22:48.42
This, oft times, is referred
to as the 11th commandment.
00:22:48.45\00:22:52.87
Sometimes, it's also called the
final marching orders of Jesus.
00:22:52.90\00:22:57.57
Our Lord has come to
the end of if His ministry,
00:22:57.60\00:22:59.54
this has been 40 days
after His resurrection
00:22:59.57\00:23:05.77
and just hours,
perhaps, before His ascension.
00:23:06.69\00:23:10.49
And He gives to His disciples
their final marching orders.
00:23:11.73\00:23:15.32
So I'm going to read then from
chapter 28 of Matthew's gospel,
00:23:15.35\00:23:19.55
verses 19 and 20.
00:23:19.58\00:23:21.99
The last words of
Jesus, the 11th commandment.
00:23:22.02\00:23:25.86
Jesus said to His
disciples, "Go ye therefore
00:23:26.28\00:23:29.35
and teach all nations,
and then baptize them in the
00:23:29.38\00:23:32.50
name of the Father and the
Son and the... " help me now.
00:23:32.53\00:23:36.85
"'... and the Holy
Ghost, and teach them to observe
00:23:36.88\00:23:39.69
all the things that
I have commanded you.
00:23:39.72\00:23:41.70
And lo, I'll be with
you always, even to the
00:23:41.73\00:23:44.68
end of the world. ' Amen. "
00:23:44.71\00:23:47.65
I have, on various occasions,
had folks come to me and say,
00:23:51.10\00:23:53.89
"Well, when it comes to
this baptism business, I just
00:23:53.92\00:23:57.66
personally don't
think it matters.
00:23:57.69\00:23:59.55
This way, that
way, any way, no way.
00:23:59.90\00:24:01.92
It doesn't matter because
baptism is only just a symbol. "
00:24:01.95\00:24:06.54
And If I say to you baptism
is a symbol, that's correct.
00:24:06.57\00:24:09.58
But a good deal hangs
on the way that I say it,
00:24:09.61\00:24:11.83
and perhaps even the tone and
intonation that I use to say it.
00:24:11.86\00:24:16.11
I remember a senior
citizen, an old gentlemen
00:24:17.69\00:24:22.21
who had never been baptized.
00:24:22.24\00:24:24.92
And we were making
an appeal to the man,
00:24:24.95\00:24:27.41
"You ought to be baptized. "
00:24:27.44\00:24:28.73
And he kind of put his
hands on his hips and he said,
00:24:28.76\00:24:31.35
"It doesn't matter.
00:24:31.38\00:24:32.60
It's only just a symbol,
just a symbol that's all. "
00:24:32.63\00:24:35.74
And then he was asked, "Sir,
have you ever been married?"
00:24:39.81\00:24:44.66
And he instantly softened.
00:24:45.62\00:24:47.49
"Oh yes," he said, "I was
married to the sweetest girl
00:24:48.18\00:24:51.63
for more than 50 years.
00:24:52.47\00:24:54.13
And she recently passed away. "
00:24:54.98\00:24:57.12
"Did you love your wife sir?"
00:25:00.24\00:25:02.26
"Oh, more than life. "
00:25:02.29\00:25:03.98
"Did your wife ever kiss you?"
00:25:09.60\00:25:13.64
And the tears came.
00:25:20.08\00:25:21.78
"Oh yes.
00:25:26.44\00:25:27.55
Every morning, every night,
every time I left the house. "
00:25:31.67\00:25:34.33
"Well, that kiss
was only a symbol. "
00:25:38.90\00:25:44.72
Yeah.
00:25:47.09\00:25:48.33
I have another symbol in
my pocket here, I believe.
00:25:52.73\00:25:55.82
Yeah, surely enough.
00:25:56.73\00:25:58.14
What do you think?
00:26:05.95\00:26:07.13
By the way, had I presented
this message 10 days from now,
00:26:08.57\00:26:15.16
instead of showing you
this with 5's in the corners,
00:26:15.19\00:26:19.17
I could have shown you
one with 20's in the corners.
00:26:19.20\00:26:22.85
Because our check would
have come and Peggy would have
00:26:22.88\00:26:25.21
given me my allowance.
00:26:25.24\00:26:26.81
She never fails, I mean
within a day or two after the
00:26:28.60\00:26:31.79
check clears the bank, I'll
in my wallet or in my pocket
00:26:31.82\00:26:35.24
a crisp 20 dollar bill.
00:26:35.27\00:26:38.22
Sometimes if things
are good, I might even find
00:26:39.04\00:26:42.58
an additional one there.
00:26:42.61\00:26:44.31
My allowance is always on time.
00:26:44.34\00:26:47.14
But you know what?
00:26:47.71\00:26:48.87
It's only a symbol.
00:26:49.92\00:26:51.53
And nearly every week of my
ministry, I visit with someone
00:26:53.69\00:26:56.82
or see someone, a neighbor
perhaps, who is killing himself
00:26:56.85\00:27:00.32
for this symbol.
00:27:00.35\00:27:01.32
It's become
vitally important to them.
00:27:01.33\00:27:02.95
They're spending 60,
70, 80 hours a week and then
00:27:02.98\00:27:06.06
half of the night playing
with the computer trying to
00:27:06.09\00:27:08.86
get more of this.
00:27:08.89\00:27:10.48
It's only a symbol.
00:27:11.31\00:27:12.85
There are other
symbols in the church that many
00:27:16.48\00:27:21.15
consider to be sacred.
00:27:21.18\00:27:22.42
I'm one of them.
00:27:22.45\00:27:23.65
One of those happens
to be the Lord's supper.
00:27:24.25\00:27:28.64
Do you partake of the
Lord's supper when you worship?
00:27:29.37\00:27:31.88
Yeah.
00:27:31.91\00:27:32.88
Of course.
00:27:33.13\00:27:34.23
But they're only symbols.
00:27:34.94\00:27:36.66
That bit of
bread and that juice.
00:27:36.69\00:27:40.50
Jesus Himself said,
"This symbolizes my body
00:27:40.53\00:27:44.68
that was broken for you.
00:27:44.71\00:27:45.68
This symbolizes My
blood spilled for you. "
00:27:45.69\00:27:49.81
But they're
vitally important symbols.
00:27:50.42\00:27:52.07
Life is filled with
very important symbols.
00:27:52.10\00:27:55.18
Bible baptism, ladies
and gentlemen, symbolizes
00:27:55.21\00:27:58.09
three very important things.
00:27:58.12\00:27:59.39
And I'm going to underline
them and then I'm going to
00:27:59.42\00:28:01.52
innumerate them to
some larger degree.
00:28:01.55\00:28:03.94
It symbolizes birth,
new birth particularly.
00:28:03.97\00:28:07.07
It symbolizes,
moreover, marriage.
00:28:07.10\00:28:09.05
Becoming a part of
the bride of Christ.
00:28:09.08\00:28:11.51
Further, it symbolizes death.
00:28:11.54\00:28:13.36
Death to sin and death
to the old way of living.
00:28:13.39\00:28:16.56
Our Lord Jesus said, "You
must be born of the water. "
00:28:16.83\00:28:20.14
John chapter 3.
00:28:20.17\00:28:21.41
We may refer to that
again as time allows.
00:28:21.44\00:28:24.03
And then baptism
symbolizes marriage.
00:28:24.06\00:28:27.52
A marriage to Jesus,
becoming part of His bride.
00:28:27.55\00:28:30.13
I've often been asked,
"Lyle, how can I be sure
00:28:30.16\00:28:33.66
that I'm part of
the bride of Christ?"
00:28:33.69\00:28:35.28
Because in Matthew
chapter 25, there the
00:28:35.31\00:28:38.11
parable of the virgins.
00:28:38.14\00:28:39.20
Five wise and five otherwise.
00:28:39.23\00:28:41.08
It says, "At
midnight the cry went up,
00:28:41.11\00:28:42.60
'Behold the bridegroom cometh.
Go ye out to meet Him. '"
00:28:42.63\00:28:45.54
And the bride, of
course, is the church.
00:28:45.57\00:28:47.17
And you come to
Revelation chapter 19,
00:28:47.20\00:28:49.35
and there at about verse
7-9 it says about our Lord Jesus
00:28:49.38\00:28:53.75
that His bride has
made herself ready.
00:28:53.78\00:28:56.37
And to her is granted
that she be dressed in garments
00:28:56.40\00:28:59.07
pure and white, for the
white garments symbolize the
00:28:59.10\00:29:02.23
righteousness of the saints.
00:29:02.26\00:29:03.54
And so, sometimes I'm asked,
"How may I be absolutely certain
00:29:03.57\00:29:06.69
that I'm part of the
bride, that I'm ready?"
00:29:06.72\00:29:08.46
And sometimes, in partial
answer at least, I ask them,
00:29:08.49\00:29:11.93
"Have you been baptized?"
00:29:11.96\00:29:13.58
Because in a symbolic, in a
vitally important symbolic way,
00:29:13.61\00:29:17.46
baptism is a marriage to
Jesus Christ and becoming
00:29:17.49\00:29:21.54
part of the family.
00:29:21.57\00:29:22.57
And I want to say to
you, it's the happiest family
00:29:22.60\00:29:25.33
I have ever found.
00:29:25.36\00:29:27.12
A wonderfully happy family.
00:29:27.15\00:29:29.72
Welcoming into
the family at baptism.
00:29:30.68\00:29:33.05
That means that we're
going to have support and we're
00:29:33.08\00:29:34.94
going to have encouragement.
00:29:34.97\00:29:36.35
And we need that in these
days and times, don't we now.
00:29:36.38\00:29:39.45
We need it desperately.
00:29:39.48\00:29:41.18
Encouraging one another.
00:29:41.82\00:29:43.36
I was reading the other
evening a story about the
00:29:43.39\00:29:45.72
Special Olympics
from some magazine.
00:29:45.75\00:29:47.84
Doesn't matter which one.
00:29:47.87\00:29:49.17
You know about
the Special Olympics.
00:29:49.20\00:29:51.19
Those that are held for children
that are not as well off
00:29:51.22\00:29:55.35
as we are
physically or perhaps mentally.
00:29:55.38\00:29:57.52
They're challenged
in some way or another.
00:29:57.55\00:29:59.25
And they were
doing the 100 yard dash.
00:29:59.28\00:30:01.73
And there was one that
had really been practicing.
00:30:01.76\00:30:03.85
I mean this guy had been
working and working and working
00:30:03.88\00:30:06.68
for more than a year
for this Special Olympics.
00:30:06.71\00:30:09.70
And they shot off the gun
and he went from the blocks.
00:30:09.73\00:30:13.24
And in just a little bit, he
was well ahead of the others.
00:30:13.27\00:30:16.67
He came to the first curve
and he stumbled and he fell.
00:30:17.07\00:30:22.16
Do you know what the others did?
00:30:25.43\00:30:27.16
You'd have thought
they'd have passed him by
00:30:27.94\00:30:29.83
and said, "Goodbye,
sorry. Too bad for you. "
00:30:29.86\00:30:32.51
No, they all stopped
00:30:32.54\00:30:35.70
and helped him up.
00:30:37.19\00:30:38.94
And then walked across
the finish line together.
00:30:41.06\00:30:43.70
And that's the way it
ought to be in the church.
00:30:44.85\00:30:47.04
Especially in the last days.
00:30:47.07\00:30:49.13
Hebrews chapter 10:25,
"Forsake not the assembling
00:30:49.16\00:30:52.72
of yourselves together
as the manner of some is.
00:30:52.75\00:30:54.61
And much more as you see
the Last Day approaching. "
00:30:54.64\00:30:58.06
And so, this idea of being
part of the bride of Christ is
00:30:58.09\00:31:02.30
being welcomed into the family.
00:31:02.33\00:31:04.09
And encouragement
shared with those that share
00:31:04.12\00:31:08.42
like beliefs and like faith.
00:31:08.45\00:31:10.19
Our Lord Jesus is our
one and only Bridegroom.
00:31:10.71\00:31:14.97
I want to read a
scripture with you right now.
00:31:15.00\00:31:17.20
So go with me to
Galatians chapter 3.
00:31:17.23\00:31:19.78
Galatians chapter 3, and
there are so many folks who
00:31:20.70\00:31:23.64
really love the gospel, that
love Galatians and Ephesians.
00:31:23.67\00:31:27.70
They're similar in so many
ways and yet different in some.
00:31:27.73\00:31:31.02
Romans and
Galatians and Ephesians.
00:31:31.05\00:31:33.97
Galatians chapter 3, and I want
to read for us tonight verse 27.
00:31:34.00\00:31:39.22
Galatians 3:27
00:31:39.25\00:31:40.94
Here's what God,
through Paul, says to us,
00:31:40.97\00:31:44.04
"For as many of you as
have been baptized into Christ
00:31:44.07\00:31:47.41
have put on Christ. "
00:31:47.44\00:31:50.04
You know what the
bottom line symbolism is?
00:31:50.07\00:31:52.15
It means that at this
point, we two have become one.
00:31:52.18\00:31:56.26
Does that remind you a little
bit of your marriage ceremony?
00:31:56.29\00:31:59.68
It's not right that
man should live alone.
00:32:00.41\00:32:02.64
Therefore, God has
said that man ought marry
00:32:02.67\00:32:06.34
and you two become one.
00:32:06.37\00:32:09.67
Baptism brings that
symbol and it's a beautiful one.
00:32:09.70\00:32:13.39
And then it symbolizes death.
00:32:13.42\00:32:15.32
Death to the former life.
00:32:17.10\00:32:18.93
Death to the old self.
00:32:18.96\00:32:20.64
Death to the lusts.
00:32:20.67\00:32:22.08
And death to the practices that
destroy the home and the family
00:32:22.11\00:32:26.00
and disrupt the community.
00:32:26.03\00:32:27.56
It symbolizes death
00:32:27.59\00:32:29.35
and burial.
00:32:29.99\00:32:31.32
At the instant the
one who comes to baptism
00:32:31.35\00:32:35.21
is lowered back into the
water, that person is saying
00:32:35.24\00:32:39.08
by this beautiful symbol,
"I believe that Jesus Christ
00:32:39.11\00:32:42.91
died for me. "
00:32:42.94\00:32:44.58
And in that brief instant that
the person is lowered totally
00:32:44.61\00:32:48.73
completely beneath the water,
he or she is saying by that
00:32:48.76\00:32:51.59
symbolic deed and act,
"I know that Jesus Christ
00:32:51.62\00:32:55.22
was buried in my place.
00:32:55.25\00:32:57.23
His death, his
burial was for me. "
00:32:57.26\00:32:59.58
And in the instant that person
is raised up out of the water
00:32:59.61\00:33:03.43
dripping wet, he is saying
symbolically, "I know that Jesus
00:33:03.46\00:33:08.57
was raised for me and He now
lives and intercedes for me. "
00:33:08.60\00:33:12.30
Bible baptism symbolizes
death, it symbolizes burial,
00:33:12.33\00:33:16.76
and it also
symbolizes resurrection.
00:33:16.79\00:33:19.41
Now folks, you know
surely the difference
00:33:19.44\00:33:24.39
between burying
that which is dead
00:33:26.14\00:33:29.15
and sprinkling it a little bit.
00:33:30.68\00:33:32.72
You bury the past.
00:33:39.15\00:33:41.08
And with burying the past,
there comes a ridding of guilt
00:33:41.11\00:33:44.92
and those complexes.
00:33:44.95\00:33:47.13
There's a wiping
away of the slate,
00:33:47.16\00:33:49.21
there's a starting
anew with Jesus Christ.
00:33:49.24\00:33:53.02
And I have discovered that those
who really understand baptism
00:33:53.05\00:33:57.60
and go into it with the
fullness of that understanding,
00:33:57.63\00:34:01.56
their lives change.
00:34:01.59\00:34:04.22
No one, by the way, had
to explain to me the power
00:34:04.25\00:34:07.84
of the gospel of Jesus Christ
because I saw it demonstrated
00:34:07.87\00:34:11.35
in my own daddy.
00:34:11.38\00:34:12.35
And one of these times
soon in an evening or two,
00:34:12.36\00:34:14.83
I'm going to tell you
our family story once again.
00:34:14.86\00:34:17.43
My dad, let me just shorten
it to tell you, was an alcoholic
00:34:18.13\00:34:22.96
by the time he
was 20 years of age.
00:34:22.99\00:34:24.70
And he had no religious
background, none whatsoever.
00:34:24.73\00:34:28.21
And by the time I was
first able to understand him,
00:34:28.88\00:34:32.70
I could hear those filthy,
filthy words that he spoke.
00:34:32.73\00:34:37.12
Hardly a sentence without
3 or 4 expletives deleted.
00:34:37.15\00:34:40.35
And he had some other
habits that were life destroying
00:34:40.38\00:34:44.67
and were not
pleasant to be around.
00:34:44.70\00:34:46.72
And then he found Jesus Christ.
00:34:47.45\00:34:49.51
And I want to tell you
that when my daddy came up
00:34:50.26\00:34:52.42
out of the water, he
was indeed born again.
00:34:52.45\00:34:55.97
And all of that past and all
of the guilt that went with it
00:34:56.00\00:34:59.36
was left in the tank behind him.
00:34:59.39\00:35:01.70
He was washed clean and remade.
00:35:01.73\00:35:04.41
He had died to self
and left it behind him
00:35:04.44\00:35:08.02
and was raised to
walk in newness of life.
00:35:08.05\00:35:11.61
How many of you folks think
that Christians ought to be
00:35:11.64\00:35:13.84
the happiest
people in the world?
00:35:13.87\00:35:14.96
Do you believe that?
00:35:14.99\00:35:15.96
Yea, we ought to have clear
consciences and clear minds.
00:35:15.99\00:35:19.39
How many of you think
that Christians ought to talk
00:35:19.42\00:35:22.28
differently from the
average man on the street?
00:35:22.31\00:35:24.09
I think we should.
00:35:24.12\00:35:25.34
We ought to have that pure
language that the Bible says
00:35:25.37\00:35:27.30
that we're going to
have in the earth made new.
00:35:27.33\00:35:28.90
"They shall call on
My name with one accord
00:35:28.93\00:35:31.23
and I'll give
them a pure language. "
00:35:31.26\00:35:32.79
And we ought to begin to
practice that now like we
00:35:32.82\00:35:34.81
practice these other
things that get us ready
00:35:34.84\00:35:36.74
for the kingdom of God.
00:35:36.77\00:35:37.87
We ought to be
the happiest people.
00:35:37.90\00:35:39.11
Our language
ought to be different.
00:35:39.14\00:35:40.75
How many of you think
that Christians ought to act
00:35:40.78\00:35:43.62
differently and go to, perhaps,
different places than the
00:35:43.65\00:35:46.88
average of the street, huh?
00:35:46.91\00:35:48.96
Sure, we ought to be different.
00:35:48.99\00:35:50.85
We know where we've come
from, we know why we're here,
00:35:50.88\00:35:55.13
and we know where we're going.
00:35:55.16\00:35:56.29
We should be the happiest people
on the face of God's earth.
00:35:56.32\00:35:59.30
How many of you believe it now?
00:35:59.33\00:36:00.62
Come on, I want to
see your hands now.
00:36:00.65\00:36:03.11
Well, now look.
00:36:03.14\00:36:04.12
Some of you need
to tell your faces.
00:36:04.15\00:36:06.31
"Yea, I want to be the
happiest people in the world. "
00:36:07.47\00:36:09.86
Some of us look like we
were weaned on pickle juice.
00:36:12.51\00:36:15.81
Happiest folks on earth.
00:36:23.18\00:36:24.78
Changed and different.
00:36:24.81\00:36:26.14
Different from
the rest of the world.
00:36:26.17\00:36:27.95
Unfortunately these
days, some folks go to church
00:36:27.98\00:36:32.07
and they're even baptized
and you can't tell them from
00:36:32.10\00:36:36.11
the folks that go to the bar and
some of the rest of the places.
00:36:36.14\00:36:38.65
It was Billy Sunday
who's biography I was reading
00:36:38.68\00:36:40.62
not so very long ago.
00:36:40.65\00:36:41.79
And he put it this way.
00:36:41.82\00:36:42.87
I felt that, on the outset,
it was a little crude but there
00:36:42.90\00:36:45.50
may be a lot of truth in it.
00:36:45.53\00:36:46.74
He said, "Christians have
lowered the bar, the standard,
00:36:46.77\00:36:50.51
so low that any old hog
with two suits can get in. "
00:36:50.54\00:36:54.02
But Christians are different.
00:36:56.31\00:36:57.66
God, through Peter, in 1
Peter chapter 2 verse 9 said,
00:36:57.69\00:37:01.90
"I want you to be
a peculiar people. "
00:37:01.93\00:37:05.20
And that didn't mean
weird, it didn't mean some
00:37:05.23\00:37:07.62
strange thing that stands on
the street corner and shouts.
00:37:07.65\00:37:10.80
It simply means we
ought to be different.
00:37:10.83\00:37:14.29
We ought to act differently.
We ought to look different.
00:37:15.03\00:37:17.09
We ought to go to different
places than the average
00:37:17.12\00:37:20.38
person in the world.
00:37:20.59\00:37:21.56
Now, we're going to
go once more to the last
00:37:21.59\00:37:25.24
commandment of Jesus.
00:37:25.27\00:37:26.64
Matthew chapter 28.
00:37:26.67\00:37:28.51
We'll review it and then we're
going to put together with it
00:37:28.54\00:37:31.56
a similar verse
from Mark's gospel.
00:37:31.59\00:37:34.97
We need to review.
00:37:35.08\00:37:36.17
And by the way, I'm going
to suggest, folks, that you
00:37:36.20\00:37:38.76
memorize this
verse or these two verses
00:37:38.79\00:37:40.95
because they're so
very, very important.
00:37:40.98\00:37:43.22
Matthew 28:19-20, once again.
00:37:44.13\00:37:48.36
"Go ye therefore," a
commandment of Jesus.
00:37:49.20\00:37:51.73
The eleventh.
00:37:51.76\00:37:53.14
"Go ye therefore and
baptize all nations. "
00:37:53.17\00:38:00.02
Now what Jesus is
saying is, "I want you to go
00:38:00.84\00:38:05.71
to Moses Lake,
but I also want you to
00:38:07.16\00:38:10.68
go to Mankato, Minnesota.
00:38:10.71\00:38:14.03
I want you to go to Payette,
Idaho but I also want you
00:38:14.80\00:38:16.96
to go the Philippines.
00:38:16.99\00:38:18.40
I want you to go to
the Alto Plano, Bolivia
00:38:18.43\00:38:20.85
but I also want you
to go to the Gobi Desert.
00:38:20.88\00:38:23.50
I want you to go to that remote
place way out there in the
00:38:23.53\00:38:27.22
Nevada desert where
only 3 or 4 folks live,
00:38:27.25\00:38:30.70
but at the same time I
want you to go into the ghetto
00:38:30.73\00:38:33.78
of the inner city.
00:38:33.81\00:38:34.78
I want you to go
to the whole world.
00:38:34.79\00:38:36.90
You must go everywhere.
00:38:36.93\00:38:38.21
Every man must be
given this opportunity.
00:38:38.24\00:38:40.86
Every person,
every child must hear of
00:38:40.89\00:38:43.45
My righteousness and My grace.
00:38:43.48\00:38:45.17
Go into the whole
world and teach the gospel,
00:38:45.20\00:38:47.92
this good news that
I have died for them,
00:38:47.95\00:38:51.62
I have been buried for
them, I have risen again,
00:38:51.65\00:38:54.62
and I now live to intercede.
00:38:54.65\00:38:56.28
Go and tell everybody.
00:38:56.31\00:38:58.43
And when this job is
done, I'll come again.
00:38:59.75\00:39:02.38
And in the interim, I
will be with you until
00:39:02.41\00:39:05.07
the job is completed. "
00:39:05.10\00:39:06.08
That's good news.
00:39:06.11\00:39:07.45
That's really good news.
00:39:07.48\00:39:08.94
When I was sent out on a
job that was tough, oft times
00:39:08.97\00:39:12.13
my daddy-in-law
would go with me.
00:39:12.16\00:39:13.82
Experienced,
00:39:14.94\00:39:16.34
knew how to do it.
00:39:17.34\00:39:18.97
I wouldn't be alone.
00:39:19.00\00:39:20.70
And if it didn't work
out exactly right, I could
00:39:20.73\00:39:24.43
share the blame, you know.
00:39:24.46\00:39:26.05
The boss is with me.
00:39:26.08\00:39:27.97
"I'll be with you to
the very end, always. "
00:39:29.40\00:39:33.01
Now, without any transition,
we're going to go from here
00:39:33.04\00:39:35.94
to Mark's gospel and we're going
to read the famous last words
00:39:35.97\00:39:39.16
of Jesus as
Mark remembered them.
00:39:39.19\00:39:41.56
And by the way really,
this is Peter's remembrance
00:39:41.59\00:39:44.30
because the gospel of
Mark is really the gospel
00:39:44.33\00:39:47.08
according to Peter.
00:39:47.11\00:39:48.20
Mark was not one of
the original 12 disciples,
00:39:48.23\00:39:50.45
but rather was a
traveling companion of Peter.
00:39:50.48\00:39:53.31
And Peter would go here and
there, and Mark as his secretary
00:39:53.34\00:39:56.24
would go with him and
he'd write down whatever
00:39:56.27\00:39:58.43
Peter has said.
00:39:58.46\00:39:59.54
And so we're going to read now,
something that Peter remembered
00:39:59.57\00:40:03.37
of the final
commandment of Jesus, the famous
00:40:03.40\00:40:06.39
last words of Jesus.
00:40:06.42\00:40:07.61
Mark chapter 16,
verses 15 and 16.
00:40:07.64\00:40:11.07
He said, "Go into all
the world and preach the
00:40:11.10\00:40:14.28
gospel to every person.
00:40:14.31\00:40:16.36
And he that
believeth and is... "
00:40:16.39\00:40:19.64
Now you tell me what it says.
00:40:19.67\00:40:21.37
"... baptized, the
same shall be saved. "
00:40:21.40\00:40:26.17
Our Lord Jesus connected
Bible baptism with eternal life.
00:40:27.20\00:40:31.82
"He that believes and is
baptized shall be saved. "
00:40:33.47\00:40:38.97
And the clear inference
is that if you don't believe,
00:40:39.00\00:40:43.05
you'll not be baptized.
00:40:43.08\00:40:44.75
You see.
00:40:44.78\00:40:45.89
Here, our Lord Jesus
himself, connected Bible baptism
00:40:46.65\00:40:49.83
with eternal life.
00:40:49.86\00:40:51.14
"He that believes and
is baptized is going to be
00:40:52.24\00:40:54.38
saved in my kingdom. "
00:40:54.41\00:40:55.59
Now I need to talk to
you for just a little bit
00:40:56.29\00:40:58.91
about the word itself.
00:40:58.94\00:41:01.09
"Baptize"
00:41:01.12\00:41:02.69
It is a New Testament
word. It is a Greek word.
00:41:03.31\00:41:06.77
And the root form is "baptizo"
which means "I baptize. "
00:41:06.80\00:41:12.26
The verb form, "I baptize. "
00:41:12.29\00:41:14.87
"Baptizo"
00:41:14.90\00:41:16.05
It has taken on kind of
a churchy context since its
00:41:17.32\00:41:21.92
relationship with Jesus and
the church and the disciples
00:41:21.95\00:41:25.18
and the commission, and
the example of Jesus of course.
00:41:25.21\00:41:28.32
But it was an everyday
common household sort of a word.
00:41:29.05\00:41:34.02
When the ladies were doing
the dishes, they were baptizing.
00:41:34.05\00:41:39.03
That's exactly right.
00:41:39.06\00:41:40.37
When they were washing
their husband's shirts,
00:41:40.40\00:41:42.77
they were baptizing them.
00:41:42.80\00:41:45.48
And you ladies, again,
know the difference between
00:41:45.51\00:41:48.23
sprinkling the
dishes and baptizing them.
00:41:48.26\00:41:51.00
It does make a difference.
00:41:51.03\00:41:53.13
To those that say,
"Well look, it's unimportant.
00:41:53.16\00:41:55.90
Do it this way or that
way or don't do it at all.
00:41:55.93\00:41:57.94
What does it matter?
00:41:57.97\00:41:59.18
It matters not. "
00:41:59.21\00:42:00.56
No, the word means only
to submerse and to immerse.
00:42:00.59\00:42:04.59
And I'm going to read
you a couple of quotations
00:42:04.62\00:42:06.50
and then I'm going to
make a statement that I hope
00:42:06.53\00:42:08.32
doesn't sound harsh.
00:42:08.35\00:42:10.20
I don't mean it in that context,
and yet at the same time
00:42:10.23\00:42:12.59
I have to make it so clear
that children can understand.
00:42:12.62\00:42:15.27
So you listen.
00:42:15.30\00:42:16.27
A man wrote to
Dr. Martin Luther,
00:42:16.28\00:42:18.47
whom I believe to be one
of the greatest Christians,
00:42:18.50\00:42:20.64
and certainly one of the
greatest New Testament scholars
00:42:20.67\00:42:23.29
since the apostle Paul.
00:42:23.32\00:42:24.95
A man wrote to Dr. Martin Luther
over in Germany and he asked
00:42:25.35\00:42:30.38
him this question.
00:42:30.41\00:42:31.85
"I have been asked to
baptize a certain gentlemen.
00:42:31.88\00:42:34.86
How should I go about it?"
00:42:34.89\00:42:36.95
And Martin Luther
wrote back and I'm going to
00:42:36.98\00:42:38.48
read you what he said.
00:42:38.51\00:42:39.64
"You must fill a large
tub completely with water.
00:42:40.68\00:42:43.89
And having divested this man of
his clothing, I ask you please
00:42:43.92\00:42:48.01
cover him with a white garment.
00:42:48.04\00:42:49.49
Then you ask him to sit
down in the tub and you must
00:42:49.52\00:42:52.46
baptize him
completely beneath the water. "
00:42:52.49\00:42:56.13
Yea, Martin Luther.
00:42:56.93\00:42:58.17
John Wesley,
another one of my heroes.
00:42:58.84\00:43:01.15
The originator of
the Methodist church.
00:43:01.18\00:43:02.73
Someone asked him about
baptism and here's what he said.
00:43:02.76\00:43:05.59
"It was certainly the method
of Jesus and the practice,
00:43:09.82\00:43:15.76
the only practice, of
the early Christian church. "
00:43:15.79\00:43:19.52
Yeah.
00:43:20.56\00:43:21.54
Martin Luther again, he said,
"The act or right of baptism
00:43:22.33\00:43:26.54
consists in being
placed inside the water
00:43:26.57\00:43:30.06
which flows over us and being
drawn up from the water again.
00:43:31.28\00:43:35.66
These two things, being placed
in the water and the waters
00:43:35.69\00:43:39.58
flowing over us and emerging
them from it, signify the
00:43:39.61\00:43:43.81
power and the efficacy
of God in Bible baptism. "
00:43:43.84\00:43:48.40
And he's exactly right.
00:43:48.43\00:43:49.97
And so another
quotation quickly.
00:43:50.69\00:43:52.97
Or maybe a couple.
00:43:53.00\00:43:54.32
Martin Luther, and I'm quoting,
said, "In the Greek language,
00:43:55.98\00:43:59.78
to baptize signifies
only to submerse and to dip.
00:43:59.81\00:44:03.04
And I could wish that all of the
baptized be totally immersed. "
00:44:03.07\00:44:07.14
You wonder sometimes,
don't you, why those who
00:44:07.95\00:44:11.06
take his name now days
don't follow his own beliefs
00:44:11.09\00:44:13.89
in so many areas.
00:44:13.92\00:44:15.20
John Calvin, the Presbyterian
reformer, said and I quote,
00:44:15.23\00:44:18.02
"The very word
baptize means to immerse.
00:44:18.05\00:44:20.35
And it's certain that
immersion was the only practice
00:44:20.38\00:44:23.03
of the Christian church. "
00:44:23.06\00:44:24.43
Now listen,
please, very carefully.
00:44:24.46\00:44:26.73
If you, as a child
or an adult or whatever,
00:44:29.19\00:44:34.77
were sprinkled
upon or poured upon
00:44:34.80\00:44:38.29
surely it has been recorded in
the big Book, the Book of Life,
00:44:39.31\00:44:43.21
that you are dedicated or
that your parents were dedicated
00:44:43.24\00:44:47.37
to raise you to
know and love Jesus.
00:44:47.40\00:44:49.48
But, if you were sprinkled
or poured upon and have not
00:44:49.51\00:44:55.84
yet been immersed, it has not
yet been recorded in God's Book
00:44:55.87\00:45:01.24
that you've been baptized.
00:45:01.27\00:45:03.43
To submerse.
00:45:06.07\00:45:07.54
That's what it
always only means.
00:45:07.57\00:45:10.17
Well those say,
"Well, it's unimportant.
00:45:11.38\00:45:13.38
It's unnecessary.
It doesn't matter.
00:45:13.41\00:45:14.70
He does it this way,
she does it that way,
00:45:14.73\00:45:15.95
some don't do it at all.
00:45:15.98\00:45:16.95
So what, it's just a
symbolism. It doesn't matter. "
00:45:16.96\00:45:19.08
Listen, if I take that position,
I am sitting in judgment
00:45:19.11\00:45:21.98
upon the mind of God Almighty.
00:45:22.01\00:45:23.77
How dare any of us.
00:45:25.15\00:45:27.21
How dare any of us to tell God
He doesn't know the difference
00:45:27.24\00:45:31.51
between commandments
and teachings and examples
00:45:31.54\00:45:33.75
that are important and
those that are unimportant.
00:45:33.78\00:45:36.04
How dare any of us
sit in judgment upon the
00:45:36.64\00:45:41.00
mind of Almighty God.
00:45:41.03\00:45:42.91
Jesus said, "I am the Way, I am
the Truth, and I am the Life. "
00:45:42.94\00:45:49.37
And that's from John's
gospel chapter 14 verse 6.
00:45:49.40\00:45:52.07
We've used it before.
00:45:52.10\00:45:53.42
The Way and the
Truth and the Life.
00:45:53.45\00:45:54.89
And from 2 Peter
chapter 2 verse 21,
00:45:54.92\00:45:58.01
there we're told again, Christ
is our example that we ought to
00:45:58.04\00:46:01.23
walk in His footsteps.
00:46:01.26\00:46:02.52
And when it came to the
example regarding baptism,
00:46:02.55\00:46:06.11
you know well what
Jesus did, don't you.
00:46:06.14\00:46:08.19
He gave us an example as
to how to live and how to
00:46:09.64\00:46:12.80
conduct ourselves in every
area of Christian endeavor.
00:46:12.83\00:46:15.99
When it came to the
idea of rest and worship,
00:46:16.30\00:46:19.15
He kept the
Sabbath, it was His custom.
00:46:19.18\00:46:21.45
He exampled us that Saturday
is the day of rest and worship.
00:46:21.48\00:46:25.28
When it came to baptism,
He told us and taught us
00:46:25.31\00:46:29.22
not only by His mouth
but also by His example.
00:46:29.25\00:46:32.80
And maybe we ought to read
it. Shall we do that together?
00:46:32.83\00:46:36.40
Let's do it, Matthew chapter 3.
00:46:36.43\00:46:38.88
One of the two places
where the baptism of Jesus
00:46:38.91\00:46:41.70
is very, very
clearly spelled out.
00:46:41.73\00:46:43.54
Matthew's gospel chapter
3, and we'll read at verse 15.
00:46:43.57\00:46:48.47
Matthew chapter 3,
reading the 15th verse.
00:46:48.50\00:46:51.99
Matthew 3:15
00:46:52.02\00:46:54.15
Jesus went to John the Baptist,
and then it says in verse 15,
00:46:57.31\00:47:00.59
"And Jesus answering
said to John the Baptist,
00:47:00.62\00:47:02.86
'Suffer it to be so... '"
00:47:02.89\00:47:04.24
New translations
say, "Allow me please. "
00:47:04.27\00:47:06.75
"Don't forbid me. "
00:47:06.78\00:47:08.72
"Suffer it to be so
for thus it becometh us
00:47:08.75\00:47:11.19
to fulfill all righteousness. "
00:47:11.39\00:47:14.42
And then John baptized Him.
00:47:14.45\00:47:16.54
And then Jesus, when He
was baptized, straightway
00:47:17.48\00:47:19.82
He wiped the
water off His forehead.
00:47:20.42\00:47:23.11
Is that what it
says in your Bible?
00:47:23.14\00:47:24.88
Huh?
00:47:24.91\00:47:25.88
He flipped that
which was on His hair off?
00:47:25.89\00:47:29.48
What does it say then?
00:47:29.51\00:47:31.37
"Straightway, Jesus
came up out of the water. "
00:47:31.40\00:47:35.53
It wasn't that a little
water was on Him, somehow
00:47:35.56\00:47:37.53
poured or sprinkled, but
rather that He was totally and
00:47:37.56\00:47:39.86
completely immersed
down beneath the water.
00:47:39.89\00:47:42.76
He's my example in every area.
00:47:42.79\00:47:44.85
"And thus it
becometh us to fulfill
00:47:44.88\00:47:47.69
all righteousness," He said.
00:47:47.72\00:47:49.20
And that word righteousness
has a basic meaning
00:47:49.23\00:47:52.09
of right doing.
00:47:52.12\00:47:53.09
Jesus said, "I've come here
to show you how to do it right.
00:47:53.10\00:47:56.75
I've exampled you as
to how to do it right. "
00:47:57.49\00:48:00.70
Jesus was determined to
leave no question as to how
00:48:01.94\00:48:05.76
right ought be done.
00:48:05.79\00:48:07.35
When Jesus concluded His
ministry, in John's gospel
00:48:07.99\00:48:11.62
chapter 17 verse 4.
00:48:11.82\00:48:13.31
John 17:4, put it in your notes.
00:48:13.34\00:48:15.49
I hadn't meant to bring it
up but it just came into my mind
00:48:15.52\00:48:17.62
so I'm going to
share it with you.
00:48:17.65\00:48:18.76
Jesus, in His great
High Priestly prayer,
00:48:18.79\00:48:21.62
said to the Father at
the end of His ministry,
00:48:21.65\00:48:23.66
"I have finished all of the
work that You gave Me to do. "
00:48:23.69\00:48:26.84
And part of that was
exampling us as to how
00:48:27.57\00:48:30.84
we ought to be baptized.
00:48:30.87\00:48:33.26
"I have finished all of the
work that You gave Me to do. "
00:48:33.29\00:48:38.21
Now listen,
ladies and gentlemen.
00:48:38.90\00:48:40.53
When it dawned upon my
mind what Jesus had done for me,
00:48:42.85\00:48:46.43
when I came to realize all
that He had given up for me,
00:48:48.33\00:48:52.58
that He, Jesus the
Creator of the universe,
00:48:53.45\00:48:56.00
had stepped off
His throne where He had
00:48:57.38\00:49:00.72
for eternity been
worshipped and adored.
00:49:00.75\00:49:03.58
Stepped off His throne
00:49:04.37\00:49:06.91
and stepped down beneath
the rest of the God family,
00:49:08.00\00:49:12.46
stepped down lower than angels,
00:49:12.49\00:49:16.03
came down to this earth
and here didn't wear a crown.
00:49:16.64\00:49:20.52
Here He stepped down beneath
the dignity of kings and queens.
00:49:20.55\00:49:24.86
Here He became less
than presidents or senators.
00:49:24.89\00:49:28.15
Here on this earth He was
willing to become a tiny baby
00:49:28.18\00:49:31.85
in a stinky cow barn.
00:49:31.88\00:49:33.47
And the Bible says He would
have done that if there was
00:49:33.50\00:49:35.71
only one lost sheep.
00:49:35.74\00:49:36.71
Had I been the only one,
He would have stepped off
00:49:36.72\00:49:39.46
the throne and
given His life for me.
00:49:39.49\00:49:42.28
He would have died in my place,
00:49:42.31\00:49:44.27
He would have been
buried in my place,
00:49:44.30\00:49:46.20
He would have risen for me.
00:49:46.23\00:49:47.65
And when that
realization caught my mind,
00:49:51.82\00:49:54.62
then I wanted a baptism
that went all the way for Him.
00:49:55.93\00:49:59.99
No half way business for me.
00:50:01.46\00:50:03.53
No.
00:50:04.23\00:50:05.72
I wanted a dedication
of my hands to do His work,
00:50:05.75\00:50:11.16
my feet to run His errands,
00:50:11.19\00:50:12.85
my ears to hear His Holy Spirit,
my eyes to see His goodness,
00:50:12.88\00:50:17.84
my lips to sing His praise,
00:50:17.87\00:50:20.33
my hands to reach out and bless.
00:50:20.36\00:50:25.80
I wanted the total dedication
of myself to the Jesus
00:50:25.83\00:50:30.90
who gave everything for me.
00:50:30.93\00:50:33.82
I remember early in
my ministry, very early,
00:50:35.43\00:50:38.86
the baptism of one
of my best buddies.
00:50:39.92\00:50:42.17
His name was Charles Fulmore.
00:50:43.67\00:50:46.14
Some of you know him as Chuck.
The Chuck and Dona Fulmore Trio.
00:50:46.17\00:50:50.22
Yeah.
00:50:50.59\00:50:51.64
And he'd slipped away from Jesus
and he wanted a re-dedication.
00:50:51.67\00:50:55.24
And so he came to the pastor.
00:50:55.27\00:50:57.90
And the pastor happened
to be a dear friend of mine.
00:50:57.93\00:51:00.51
In fact, I followed him in
the district and those were
00:51:00.54\00:51:03.51
big, big shoes to fill.
00:51:03.54\00:51:05.37
He name was
Pastor Willard Coffman
00:51:05.40\00:51:08.24
and he happened to be a
brother of Alice Morgan.
00:51:08.27\00:51:11.26
How about that, huh.
00:51:11.29\00:51:13.09
And Chuck went to Willard and he
said, "I want to be baptized. "
00:51:14.25\00:51:17.90
And Pastor Willard
said, "Fine, let's do it. "
00:51:21.30\00:51:24.43
And Chuck said,
"There's just one thing. "
00:51:24.46\00:51:26.02
He said, "I've always had
a problem with being honest
00:51:26.05\00:51:29.54
with my money. "
00:51:29.57\00:51:30.76
And so he said, "When
I go in the baptistery,
00:51:32.10\00:51:34.61
I want to be able to go in there
with my wallet in my pocket.
00:51:34.64\00:51:37.84
Is that alright?"
00:51:37.87\00:51:38.84
"Alright. "
00:51:38.85\00:51:39.82
And so Chuck
baptized his wallet.
00:51:39.83\00:51:41.19
A total dedication because Jesus
had done everything for him.
00:51:41.22\00:51:44.83
And he's done the same for you.
00:51:44.86\00:51:46.11
Now, I want you to turn
with me please to Colossians
00:51:46.14\00:51:49.23
chapter 2 and we're
going to notice verse 12.
00:51:49.26\00:51:52.18
Colossians chapter 2 and we're
noticing together verse 12.
00:51:53.90\00:51:59.39
And we're going to find this
so very helpful this evening.
00:51:59.42\00:52:01.92
Colossians 2:12
00:52:02.42\00:52:04.17
It says, "Buried with Him
in baptism wherein we are also
00:52:04.20\00:52:08.87
risen with Him through
faith to the operation of God
00:52:08.90\00:52:13.55
who has raised
Him from the dead. "
00:52:13.58\00:52:17.23
Baptism.
00:52:17.26\00:52:18.99
God's working through us.
00:52:19.02\00:52:20.97
Baptism is a
public demonstration
00:52:21.00\00:52:23.52
of our faith in God.
00:52:23.55\00:52:24.69
It is a public
statement of our declaration
00:52:24.72\00:52:27.63
of our faith in Him because
of all that He's done for us.
00:52:27.66\00:52:31.35
And God is watching.
00:52:31.38\00:52:32.68
You remember what Jesus said
in Matthew chapter 10 verse 32.
00:52:32.71\00:52:36.25
"Whosoever confesses me
before men, him will I also
00:52:36.28\00:52:40.85
confess before My
Father in heaven. "
00:52:40.88\00:52:43.47
And so Jesus' heart is
thrilled when we make the
00:52:43.50\00:52:46.36
public declaration and we
are baptized in a public way.
00:52:46.39\00:52:50.46
God is watching.
00:52:50.49\00:52:52.07
His heart is thrilled.
00:52:52.10\00:52:53.48
I read the other day about
a little girl who was standing
00:52:53.51\00:52:55.83
up against a big plate
glass window during a violent
00:52:55.86\00:52:58.63
thunder and electrical storm.
00:52:58.66\00:53:00.33
And the lightening was flashing
and mother came into the
00:53:00.36\00:53:02.95
family room and saw
the little girl there
00:53:02.98\00:53:04.88
pressed up against the glass.
00:53:04.91\00:53:06.47
She said, "Honey
get away, get back. "
00:53:06.50\00:53:08.83
"Oh no," she said,
"I can't, I can't do it.
00:53:08.86\00:53:11.67
God's taking my picture. "
00:53:11.70\00:53:13.28
God's watching.
00:53:13.31\00:53:14.74
"He who confesses Me, him will I
also confess before My Father. "
00:53:21.38\00:53:27.29
Now I've been asked on many
occasions, "Lyle, what about
00:53:28.36\00:53:32.31
being baptized the second time?
00:53:32.34\00:53:35.43
I've been
immersed the Jesus way. "
00:53:36.80\00:53:38.87
I've had some who've gone so
far as to show me a scripture
00:53:41.38\00:53:44.77
that they have felt
precludes them from being
00:53:44.80\00:53:48.38
baptized a second time.
00:53:48.41\00:53:50.12
And it's in
Ephesians chapter 4 verse 5.
00:53:50.15\00:53:52.44
We'll just allude to
it very briefly here.
00:53:52.47\00:53:54.40
Ephesians chapter 4
verse 5 where it says,
00:53:54.43\00:53:57.04
"One Lord and one
faith and one baptism. "
00:53:57.07\00:54:02.36
And some have gotten the
mistaken notion that it's
00:54:02.39\00:54:04.56
sort of like taking
cookies to school on your
00:54:04.59\00:54:06.77
little boys birthday.
00:54:06.80\00:54:08.06
And there are only just
enough, one for each child.
00:54:08.09\00:54:11.27
And some little
guy comes up and says,
00:54:11.30\00:54:12.96
"Teacher, could I have two?"
00:54:12.99\00:54:14.01
"Oh no, I'm sorry.
00:54:14.04\00:54:15.12
We only have barely
enough to go around, just one. "
00:54:15.15\00:54:17.79
No, that's not what
God's talking about here.
00:54:17.82\00:54:20.40
He's not talking about numbers,
He's talking about modality.
00:54:20.43\00:54:24.03
He's talking about methodology.
00:54:24.06\00:54:26.16
There's one true Lord.
How many of you believe that?
00:54:26.19\00:54:28.24
One true Lord.
That's our Lord Jesus.
00:54:28.27\00:54:30.15
One true faith.
That's the faith of Jesus.
00:54:30.18\00:54:32.30
You need not raise your
hand, but ask your heart.
00:54:32.33\00:54:34.98
What about one true baptism?
00:54:35.01\00:54:37.88
It becomes obvious now,
that there are many man-made
00:54:37.91\00:54:40.88
additions and substitutions.
00:54:40.91\00:54:43.40
Is it alright to be re-dedicated
in the water baptism?
00:54:44.89\00:54:47.85
Yes.
00:54:47.88\00:54:48.85
Let's go to Acts chapter 19.
00:54:48.86\00:54:51.42
We said the other
evening that the book of Acts
00:54:52.43\00:54:54.67
is the history of the first 30
years of the Christian church.
00:54:54.70\00:54:58.20
And in chapter 19, we're going
to begin to read at verse 1.
00:54:58.23\00:55:02.57
And we're going to
learn something that relates
00:55:02.60\00:55:05.23
directly to our
subject matter tonight.
00:55:05.26\00:55:07.07
"It came to pass while
Apollos was in Corinth,
00:55:07.10\00:55:13.76
Paul, having passed through the
upper coast, came to Ephesus.
00:55:13.79\00:55:16.80
And he found certain believers
there and he asked them,
00:55:16.83\00:55:19.77
'Have you received the Holy
Ghost since you were baptized?'
00:55:19.80\00:55:22.91
And they said to him,
'We've not heard there was
00:55:22.94\00:55:24.93
such thing as a Holy Ghost. '
00:55:24.96\00:55:26.17
He ask them, 'Unto what
then were you baptized?'
00:55:26.20\00:55:28.12
And they said unto him,
'Unto John's baptism. '"
00:55:28.15\00:55:31.96
Now, the John spoken of
here is John the Baptist.
00:55:31.99\00:55:34.42
Was there anything
wrong with his baptism?
00:55:35.06\00:55:37.14
Huh?
00:55:37.17\00:55:38.14
Of course not.
He baptized Jesus.
00:55:38.15\00:55:39.45
There was nothing
wrong with his baptism.
00:55:39.48\00:55:41.63
And so Paul goes on.
00:55:41.66\00:55:43.59
Verse 4, Paul then said,
"'John verily baptized with the
00:55:43.62\00:55:46.88
baptism of repentance, saying
to the folks that they should
00:55:46.91\00:55:49.65
believe on He who
was to come after,
00:55:49.68\00:55:51.02
that is, on Jesus Christ. '
00:55:51.05\00:55:52.52
And when they heard
this, they were baptized again
00:55:52.57\00:55:55.35
in the name of Jesus Christ. "
00:55:55.38\00:55:57.04
The context here, my
dears, is abundantly clear.
00:55:57.07\00:55:59.86
That when folks grew in
grace, when they learned more,
00:55:59.89\00:56:03.10
when they got nearer to
Jesus, they were re-washed,
00:56:03.13\00:56:07.24
re-dedicated.
00:56:07.27\00:56:08.72
I have had the happy privilege,
in the last near 40 years now,
00:56:10.86\00:56:16.29
to be a part of the
baptizing of around 5000 people.
00:56:16.32\00:56:19.82
I praise God.
00:56:19.85\00:56:20.82
Everyone is special,
every one is precious.
00:56:20.83\00:56:23.50
Among the thousands, there
have certainly been dozens,
00:56:29.41\00:56:33.83
dozens, who've said
to me, "You know Lyle,
00:56:33.86\00:56:36.23
I didn't know until just
recently, I didn't recognize
00:56:36.26\00:56:39.17
until now that
unwittingly I was breaking one
00:56:39.20\00:56:42.23
of the 10 commandments.
00:56:42.26\00:56:43.30
I didn't know until just
recently that I was breaking
00:56:43.33\00:56:46.76
the Lord's Day
which is Saturday.
00:56:46.79\00:56:48.52
I want to be re-dedicated, I
want to be baptized into that. "
00:56:48.55\00:56:52.12
And many have been.
00:56:52.91\00:56:54.09
I remember being down
in Warner Robins, Georgia
00:56:54.12\00:56:56.64
preaching as I'm doing now.
00:56:56.67\00:56:57.94
And coming night after
night was a man and his wife.
00:56:57.97\00:56:59.82
And I went to their home to
visit, to discover that the man
00:56:59.85\00:57:02.54
had for more than 37
years been a pastor of a
00:57:02.57\00:57:06.41
Southern Baptist church.
00:57:06.44\00:57:08.25
And they came
every night, every night.
00:57:08.28\00:57:10.84
And they learned
about the Sabbath and wanted
00:57:10.87\00:57:12.34
to be a part of it.
00:57:12.37\00:57:13.41
And they learned about some
of these other wonderful truths
00:57:13.44\00:57:15.28
and wanted to be a part of it.
00:57:15.31\00:57:16.56
Wanted to be a part of
this last day movement.
00:57:16.59\00:57:19.00
And so, Bill Thompson
asked me if I'd baptize him.
00:57:19.03\00:57:21.99
And I shall never
forget when I raised him up out
00:57:22.02\00:57:24.47
of the water, he looked out
at the congregation and said,
00:57:24.50\00:57:27.25
"You know, brother and
sister, I have been a pastor for
00:57:27.28\00:57:30.37
nearly 40 years, and all of
those 40 years, though I knew
00:57:30.40\00:57:33.64
Jesus and knew the gospel, I
also knew something was missing.
00:57:33.67\00:57:36.68
And now I know what it was. "
00:57:36.71\00:57:38.70
And that man began to
hold Revelation seminars.
00:57:38.73\00:57:41.79
And until his death in Oklahoma,
he continued to write me
00:57:41.82\00:57:45.05
or phone me, "Lyle,
where's that quotation?
00:57:45.08\00:57:46.70
Where's the answer to this?"
00:57:46.73\00:57:48.66
He was re-dedicated in Jesus
because of his love for Him.
00:57:49.26\00:57:52.50
"He that
believes and is baptized,
00:57:53.10\00:57:57.19
the same shall be saved. "
00:57:57.22\00:57:58.59
Let's pray.
00:57:58.62\00:57:59.59
Jesus dear, thank You for these
many decisions made tonight
00:58:00.74\00:58:05.06
to walk in the water with You.
00:58:05.09\00:58:07.03
Don't let anything or
anyone turn these dear folks
00:58:08.51\00:58:11.35
from this decision.
00:58:11.38\00:58:12.55
I beg You in Jesus' name, amen.
00:58:12.58\00:58:16.84