Participants: Pastor Kenneth Cox
Series Code: TOTE
Program Code: TOTE000006
|
00:02 Can you believe it?
00:05 Can you build your faith on it? 00:08 The promises of God's Word are sure. 00:12 They do not fail. 00:17 This book has stood the test of time. 00:29 Tonight our subject is: 00:35 I'm sure that you have made decisions in your life 00:40 and which had consequences the rest of your life. 00:45 What we're looking at tonight 00:46 is that type of thing. 00:48 Very positive, but it's a step 00:50 that can definitely change your life in a very, 00:54 very marked manner. 00:56 We're very happy and I'm sure you have enjoyed 00:58 Joe Pearles... the music he's brought to us. 01:02 He's going to sing for us a very wonderful song 01:05 that I hope you will listen to very carefully. 01:07 It's entitled Wasted Years. 01:23 Wasted years, 01:27 wasted years... 01:30 oh how foolish! 01:36 As you wander 01:40 in darkness 01:43 and fear. 01:50 "Turn around, 01:53 turn around... " 01:56 God is calling. 02:00 He's calling you 02:05 from a life of wasted years. 02:14 As you wander along 02:20 on life's pathway, 02:26 have you lived without love 02:33 a life of tears? 02:40 Have you searched for the great 02:46 hidden meaning? 02:51 Or is your life 02:56 filled with long, wasted years? 03:05 Wasted years, wasted years... 03:11 oh how foolish! 03:18 As you wander 03:22 in darkness and fear. 03:31 "Turn around, 03:34 turn around... " 03:37 God is calling. 03:42 He's calling you 03:47 from a life of wasted years. 03:55 He's calling you 03:59 from a life 04:02 of wasted years. 04:23 Heavenly Father, 04:26 tonight as we consider 04:31 one of the steps that You want us to take, 04:35 one that makes a great difference in our lives, 04:39 we ask that You will give us the understanding that we need. 04:43 Pray, Lord, that our relationship 04:47 with You may be close. 04:50 That each one of us may desire to come 04:55 to know You in a very, very special way 05:00 and that each one here tonight may be blessed. 05:05 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 05:16 I'm sure that in your life 05:20 you have sometime taken a step, 05:25 made a decision, 05:27 did something that had 05:29 consequences that have affected you all of your life. 05:32 At least, I have. 05:34 Those are steps that we take that are very, very real. 05:37 Let me... let me tell you a couple 05:39 that maybe will help you understand. 05:41 Marriage. 05:43 Marriage is a step that you take 05:46 that affects you all your life. 05:49 Right? Very definitely. 05:52 And when we take that step we make a commitment. 05:57 By the way, that's what those things called vows are. 06:00 That means we make a commitment. 06:03 I commit my life... and that has consequences on it... 06:07 what I do. And surprisingly, folks, 06:11 uh, the cost of the wedding 06:15 has nothing to do with it or the length of the ceremony. 06:19 I mean, it has nothing... it's the commitment that's made 06:22 that is what counts in that marriage relationship. 06:26 And so, we take that step in marriage 06:29 and it affects us all the rest of our lives. 06:33 Let me tell you another step that we take 06:35 that affects us all of our lives... 06:38 and that's when you decide to have a child. 06:41 Amen! 06:43 I mean, when that baby is born your life changes. 06:48 I mean radically. 06:49 I know when my kids came to that place where they were 06:52 about to have children I told them: 06:54 "Understand that from this day on, 06:56 life will no longer be the same. " 06:59 Definite change takes place. 07:01 Well, there's something in the Bible that it talks about 07:04 a change that takes place 07:07 and it has to do with a commitment that you and I make 07:11 and that has to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ. 07:15 The Bible compares it to marriage. 07:19 Did you know that? 07:20 It makes a definite comparison to marriage. 07:23 Listen to these words: 07:34 So it talks here about that relationship, 07:37 and it says: "Your Maker is your husband. " 07:40 That is a relationship with Jesus Christ. 07:44 Now, when two people 07:49 enter into a relationship and they decide to get married, 07:54 it changes the wife's name, right? 07:58 Well the Bible talks about that also, and it says: 08:06 So this is talking about our relationship with the Lord. 08:09 And it says: 08:19 In other words, you put on Christ. 08:22 That means that you take His name. 08:25 So that step that you and I can take 08:29 that will change your life forever 08:31 is when I take the step of baptism. 08:35 'Cause baptism is a public declaration, folks - 08:40 listen carefully to me. 08:41 Baptism is a public declaration 08:44 of my acceptance of Jesus Christ. 08:47 That's what baptism is. When I'm baptized, 08:50 I am publicly declaring that I have accepted Jesus Christ 08:55 as my Savior. 08:58 I have "put on Christ. " I have taken His name. 09:02 Unfortunately, as time has passed, 09:07 baptism has been practiced many, many different ways. 09:14 For instance, there are some that baptize 09:17 with a pinch of salt. 09:20 That's how they baptize is a pinch of salt. 09:23 There's another group that baptize 09:26 with a few drops of oil. 09:29 You'll find that there are some groups that baptize 09:33 by the laying on of hands. 09:35 All these are different ways that baptism is practiced today. 09:40 There are some that practice what is called 09:43 the baptism of desire. 09:45 That means that all that's required is just the fact 09:47 that you desire to be baptized. 09:50 And there are some that practice baptism... 09:53 they say the baptism of the Holy Spirit 09:56 is all that's necessary. 09:58 If you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 09:59 then you don't need water baptism. 10:01 We'll look at that tonight and see what the scripture says 10:04 about that. Another group practices baptism by mail. 10:07 Did you know that? 10:09 Yeah, you can write in and they will baptize you by mail. 10:13 Send you a certificate of your baptism. 10:15 OK. Another group that will baptize by phone. 10:21 Picked up the paper the other day 10:24 and here was a boy, lived on the West Coast, 10:27 his grandfather lived on the East Coast. 10:29 His grandfather was a minister. 10:32 And it says that his grandson called him up over the pho... 10:35 called him up and he baptized him over the telephone. 10:38 Is that possible? 10:40 Others baptize by affusion. 10:44 Others that baptize by sprinkling. 10:47 So you find that there are many. 10:49 Some baptize by triune immersion... that means 10:52 three times face forward. 10:53 So when we start talking about baptism, 10:56 there are many, many different methods of baptism 11:00 that are practiced tonight. 11:01 So what we have to do is we have to go to God's Word 11:05 and see what the scripture says about it. 11:07 And it tells us here in the book of Ephesians 4 and verse 4: 11:22 Now when the scripture says one baptism, folks, 11:26 it's not talking there about 11:30 should I say the number of times... 11:34 because tonight we'll see where some people 11:36 were baptized more than once. 11:38 It's talking about the manner or the way 11:41 in which a person should be baptized. 11:43 And tonight we just found out there were quite a number 11:46 of different ways that people are baptized today. 11:50 So what we want to do is we want to go to God's Word 11:53 and we want to see what the scripture tells us 11:56 about the manner of baptism. 12:11 Now it says very clearly that John baptized Jesus 12:14 "in Jordan. " That's a very important phrase right there 12:18 when it says: "in Jordan. " 12:28 So it says that he baptized Him in Jordan. 12:32 When I lived here in Chicago 12:35 I started to school here. 12:38 We lived over here on the corner of Harrison and Damen. 12:42 And I'm not real positive, folks. 12:44 I haven't had a chance to even drive back there. 12:47 But the school that I went to - started school in - 12:51 I think was called Irving School. 12:54 But I remember very distinctly 12:56 that as a boy when I walked to school 12:59 there was a little man there. He was a Greek. 13:02 And he had a little cart, and he pushed this cart around 13:05 the school. And on that cart he had a waffle iron. 13:09 And he would make waffles real brown 13:13 and then he would take them out and he had a brush 13:16 that he had melted butter. And he would spread 13:19 melted butter on that waffle. 13:21 And then he had a flour sifter, and he would sift powdered sugar 13:23 on it. And he sold those waffles to us kids. 13:26 Ruined me. That's the only way I like waffles to this day. 13:29 See. But on that particular cart 13:32 he also had doughnuts that he would dip in chocolate syrup. 13:37 And he sold those to us. 13:39 And we, as children, liked to talk to him 13:42 because he had a very thick Greek brogue, and we 13:45 thought it sounded kind of funny. 13:47 And so we like to talk to him. 13:48 And we would ask him what he did with that doughnut, 13:51 and he would tell us he "baptizo" -ed it. 13:54 That's what he would tell us. 13:56 You see, baptism is a Greek word. 14:08 That's what the word baptism means. 14:10 So when it says John baptized Jesus in Jordan 14:15 it means he put Him under the water. 14:18 That's what it means: He put Him, immersed Him 14:21 under the water. That's what the word baptism represents. 14:25 That's what it means. It has a very definite meaning. 14:28 It means a great deal. 14:31 We're going to take a look at that meaning. 14:45 Now it says that John was baptizing in Aenon 14:49 near Salim, because of what reason? 14:52 "Much water. " Now if you want to underline in your Bible 14:56 underline those words "much water, " 14:59 because it says baptism requires much water. 15:03 That's what it requires. 15:05 You see when I was a child and went to church 15:08 we used to sing a hymn called Roll, Jordan, Roll. 15:13 And so when I grew up I thought the Jordan River 15:16 was a great big river. 15:18 Well, when I went over to Israel I learned different. 15:22 I found the Jordan River is kind of like the Rio Grande. 15:27 You can step across it in certain places, you see. 15:30 John was baptizing in Aenon 15:33 because there was much water there. 15:37 Baptism requires much water. 15:40 That's what the scripture tells us. 15:44 Acts 8 verse 35... 15:46 this is probably one of the clearest scriptures 15:49 in all the Bible concerning baptism and how it takes place. 15:53 And it says: 16:05 Philip has caught this eunuch... 16:07 This eunuch, by the way, is the treasurer 16:10 of the country of Ethiopia. 16:12 He's been up to Jerusalem to worship 16:15 because he is a believer in God. 16:17 And he's on his way back, 16:19 and the Lord has told Philip "go catch him. " 16:23 And Philip has gone and caught him, and 16:26 the eunuch has invited him to ride in his chariot. 16:29 And this eunuch was reading 16:33 Isaiah 51, 52, 53 about Jesus, 16:38 and Philip explained that to him. 16:41 So now as they're driving down the road... 16:44 watch what begins to happen here. 16:58 Now I want to ask you something: this water they found, 17:01 was this a puddle? 17:03 No, couldn't be a puddle because baptism requires what? 17:07 Much water. 17:09 So they got to some water. He said: 17:11 "why can't I be baptized? " 17:27 Oh dear friend, tonight, 17:30 if you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God 17:38 and you haven't been baptized, 17:40 then you should step out in faith and be baptized. 17:46 As he said to him: "I believe that Jesus Christ 17:49 is the Son of God. " 17:50 Watch what takes place here: 18:01 Who went down into the water? 18:04 Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water. 18:08 Philip didn't stand on the shore 18:10 and the eunuch get in the water 18:13 or the eunuch didn't stay on the shore 18:14 and Philip get in the water. 18:16 They both went down into the water 18:18 and he baptized him. That meant put him under the water. 18:24 That's what it means... put him under the water. 18:26 Watch: 18:34 So it says here that he baptized him. 18:36 They came up out of the water. 18:38 That's exactly how baptism is to take place, friends. 18:42 The Bible is very, very clear. 18:51 Well you see, does it really make any difference? 18:57 I have people tell me: "Oh, it doesn't make any difference. 19:00 It really doesn't make any difference 19:03 how you're baptized. " 19:05 Well, let's see what the scripture says about that. 19:13 That's... this is Paul preaching... 19:15 "even if we, " he's talking about the apostles, 19:31 Do you understand, dear friend? 19:33 If I stand up here from night after night 19:36 and I preach to you anything other than what this book says, 19:40 what? 19:41 "Let him be accursed, " it says. 19:44 In other words, as I have told you from night to night 19:48 you must build your belief on this book... 19:52 on the Word of God. You must stand there. 19:54 You cannot stand on what man says. 19:58 You can't stand upon what somebody's idea is. 20:02 You've got to stand on the Word of God. 20:05 You've got to look at it; you've got to study it; 20:08 you've got to get into and find out what it's talking about. 20:11 And as you read it, then you must follow it by faith. 20:16 So you and I must follow what the scripture says. 20:20 Sure, you may have been baptized... 20:26 some other way than the scripture teaches. 20:31 But when you understand what God's Word says, 20:35 then by faith you need to follow. 20:38 That's simply what it tells us. 20:42 What happened? How come we've got so many different things 20:46 being taught about baptism? 20:48 You're looking at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 20:52 If you ever go to Italy and have the opportunity 20:58 to go out and visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa... 21:00 And by the way, did you know they're straightening it up? 21:03 I read other day that they had straightened it 1/16 of an inch. 21:11 Don't know how long it's going to take them to get it straight, 21:13 but they're trying nonetheless. 21:15 But if you ever go there, friends, 21:18 don't miss this building 21:22 right beside the Tower of Pisa. 21:25 You know what this is? 21:28 This is a baptistry. 21:32 It's a baptistry that dates back 21:34 way, way back in history past 800 AD. 21:40 There is not a fount in that church. 21:45 There is a pool for a person to be immersed. 21:51 This is not just a little thing. 21:54 Kind of hard to get in sometimes and see these... 21:57 but if you're persistent you can get in and you can see them. 22:01 There are many... I shouldn't say many... 22:03 there's a lot... there's a lot of baptistries. 22:07 Not founts, folks. Baptistries where they immersed people 22:11 in the city of Rome. 22:14 You're looking at one here. 22:17 You see the church... the church baptized 22:23 by immersion until 1100 AD. 22:29 Listen, here's a historical statement: 22:47 I mean, not until 1300 AD 22:51 did they finally accept sprinkling and pouring 22:55 as equal with immersion. 22:58 What caused the change? 23:00 What... what brought about this change? 23:03 Well, there's a scripture... 23:07 found in John 3:5 that says: 23:19 Now there are many honest, sincere people 23:24 who took that scripture to mean 23:27 that when it spoke of water that was referring to baptism... 23:31 and I believe it is. 23:32 And they said: "Well, if a person can't get into the 23:36 kingdom of heaven unless he's been baptized, 23:38 what's going to happen to my little baby 23:42 if my baby dies before it's old enough? 23:47 Or it's never been baptized... What's going to happen to it? 23:50 Will it be lost? 23:51 And so many sincere, honest people 23:55 out of a desire to make sure their child wasn't lost 23:59 began to have them baptized. And they started sprinkling 24:04 to care for this problem. 24:08 That's what they did. 24:09 And there's probably some of you here who by your parents 24:13 were taken as a babe in arms and were sprinkled. 24:17 And let me say, your parents were doing what they believed 24:22 was right. And God, in His kindness, I'm sure 24:26 recognized that. 24:28 But you, now... you 24:33 must look at it in light of scripture 24:36 and you must consider what the scripture says 24:40 and follow what it says. 24:42 What about that child? 24:44 If it is not baptized, is it lost? 24:49 Well I want you to listen to the scripture. 24:52 You remember, Jesus is walking down the banks of the 24:56 Jordan River. He's coming, He's approaching John 25:00 and He asks John to baptize Him. 25:04 It says: 25:18 Now He's asked John to baptize Him. 25:20 And when He asked John to baptize Him, John said: 25:23 "I'm not even worthy to untie Your shoes 25:26 let alone baptize You. " 25:28 And Jesus said: "John, 25:30 suffer it to be so to fulfill all righteousness. " 25:38 What was He talking about? 25:40 Did Jesus need to be baptized? 25:43 Did Jesus need to have His sins washed away? 25:48 Hmmm? 25:50 No, He never sinned. 25:52 You say: "Well, He was baptized as an example. " 25:55 Well, wasn't the example of the disciples enough? 25:58 What did Jesus mean when He said: "John, 26:02 "suffer it to be so to fulfill all righteousness? " 26:07 What He's talking about is that there are certain people 26:12 like the thief on the cross 26:15 that never had the opportunity to be baptized. 26:20 He said: "John, I need to be baptized for him. 26:25 For that boy out there in the foxhole that gave his heart 26:29 to the Lord Jesus Christ and never made it back home, 26:32 was never baptized, " 26:34 Jesus said, "John, I need to be baptized for him. " 26:37 "For that child, that baby, 26:41 who never reaches the age of accountability. " 26:45 Jesus said: "John, I need to be baptized for that child. " 26:50 Let me tell you something... that baby is perfectly safe 26:54 in the arms of Jesus Christ. You don't have to worry. 26:59 You see, the Bible says that you and I are to be 27:04 old enough to understand what we're doing 27:07 when we're baptized because it is a public declaration 27:12 of my acceptance of Jesus Christ. 27:16 See, that's what it is. It's a public declaration 27:19 that I have accepted Jesus Christ, 27:21 so I need to be old enough to know what I'm doing. 27:26 There are some people that say: "Well, 27:28 if you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit - 27:32 and by the way, you need to receive the baptism of the 27:36 Holy Spirit. If you haven't, then keep coming... 27:42 because we're going to talk about it. 27:43 But - you need to receive it - but it doesn't take the place 27:47 of water baptism, friends. 27:49 You can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 27:52 but that doesn't mean you're released 27:54 from receiving water baptism. I want you to listen: 28:07 Peter's preaching. While he's preaching, the Holy Spirit 28:10 falls on these people. Now watch: 28:16 This was Jewish believers... 28:29 They said: "We never saw this before... 28:33 Here the Holy Spirit has been poured out on these Gentiles. " 28:37 OK. 28:57 He said: "No, we can't forbid them from being baptized. 29:01 They've received the baptism of the Holy Spirit... 29:04 they need to receive water baptism. " 29:06 So dear friends, this evening 29:08 if you have never received water baptism 29:13 and you've given your heart to Jesus Christ 29:16 and you even have evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit 29:19 and you haven't been baptized by water, 29:22 the scripture says that you should be. 29:24 Not to forbid them from being baptized by water. 29:30 Also... 29:36 and they were baptized. 29:39 There are cases in scripture 29:42 where people were baptized more than once. 29:46 OK. Paul has made his way up to the coast of Ephesus 29:52 and there he has found some believers. 29:55 It says this about it: 30:07 So these are believers. These are followers. 30:10 They're disciples, all right? 30:19 They said... he said: "Did you receive the baptism 30:22 of the Holy Spirit when you believed? " 30:30 They said: "What are you talking about, Paul? 30:34 We don't know anything about any Holy Spirit. 30:37 Who... What are... what are you talking about? " 30:39 Paul gets very, very serious with them. Watch: 30:50 He said: "Who baptized you if you don't know anything 30:52 about the Holy Spirit? " 30:57 They had been baptized by John the Baptist. 31:00 OK. This was before Pentecost. 31:03 This was before the Holy Spirit had fallen, 31:06 so John wasn't aware of what was involved there. 31:09 And so it says: 31:16 He said: "He told you to repent. " 31:22 That was on Jesus Christ. 31:27 He said: "What John preached was right; it was true. 31:31 No question about it. " 31:40 So when they had learned that 31:42 and they realized that they didn't know anything about it 31:45 and he taught them, then they were baptized 31:48 a second time. There are times 31:50 when people need to be baptized again. 31:54 Let me share with you some times. 31:57 If you have been taught different 32:01 than the Bible teaches. 32:05 I don't mean... you know, none of us understand it perfectly. 32:08 Don't misunderstand me. 32:10 But I'm saying that if you - you know - accepted Christ 32:14 and you just didn't understand what the scripture is teaching 32:18 and all of a sudden like those people in Ephesus 32:21 your mind is clear and it's opened up and you see 32:24 the Word of God like you've never seen before 32:26 and you're committing your heart to Jesus Christ, 32:29 you probably need to be baptized. 32:31 Secondly, if you were baptized as a babe... 32:36 you didn't know what you were doing. 32:39 Your parents had you baptized. 32:42 There was no commitment on your part 32:45 and as a babe you were baptized, 32:47 then you probably need to be baptized again. 32:52 Also, if you didn't know what you were doing... 32:56 like in my case. 32:58 See I was just a small boy when I was baptized first. 33:04 I didn't know what I was doing. 33:06 They just gathered all the kids up in church and baptized us. 33:10 Didn't... didn't tell me anything. 33:12 Didn't... didn't say anything to me about my relationship 33:15 with Jesus Christ. 33:16 They just gathered all of us up and baptized us. 33:19 And so when I got older 33:21 and I gave my heart to Jesus Christ, 33:24 I said: "Oh, no. I've got to be baptized. " 33:28 This is a commitment of my life to Jesus Christ. 33:34 Had to be baptized again. 33:36 And if you're coming back to Christ. 33:39 Now let me explain what I'm saying here, folks. 33:42 I'm not talking about if you stumped your toe. 33:46 That's not what I'm talking about. 33:47 I'm not talking about if the devil has breathed down your 33:50 neck and tempted you and you did something 33:53 you shouldn't have done. That's not what I'm talking about. 33:55 I'm talking about if you gave your heart to the Lord Jesus 34:00 Christ, were baptized, you followed Him, 34:02 and then you left Him. 34:04 And you've gone out and you've lived contrary to the Lord 34:08 for a number of years, you've gone the other way, 34:10 and you're coming back 34:13 and you're committing your life to the Lord anew, 34:16 you probably should be baptized again. 34:19 It's like marriage. 34:21 There's a couple. 34:22 They fall in love. 34:24 They get married. 34:25 They live together for a while 34:27 but they can't seem to get things worked out 34:30 and finally they separate. 34:32 Get a divorce; go their separate ways. 34:34 A number of years pass, 34:37 and they being to see one another again. 34:39 And they fall in love again 34:41 and they decide they want to live together again.. 34:43 they need to be what? Married. 34:46 OK. Same thing. 34:47 It's a commitment of my life to Jesus Christ. 34:51 So there are times when people need to be baptized again. 35:00 When should they be baptized? 35:02 Well, let's see if the scripture will help us 35:04 understand when a person should be baptized. 35:14 In other words, that person needs to be taught. 35:18 These people gladly received the Word of God 35:21 and they were baptized. 35:23 Now, let me clarify something. 35:26 That doesn't take a long time. 35:30 Just doesn't take a long time. 35:32 When I first went in the ministry - 35:35 a young minister - oh, I thought you had to study with somebody 35:40 for six months or a year before you baptized them. 35:42 I can remember I was preaching 35:45 and this old gentleman came in and had a seat. 35:50 I had never seen him before. 35:52 And when the sermon was over I was standing at the door 35:56 shaking people's hands as... coming out. 35:58 And I shook his hand and spoke to him, got his name, 36:01 and I said: "Appreciate you being here very much. " 36:04 He said: "Oh, I enjoyed it. " 36:05 I said: "Would you mind if I came by to visit you 36:08 this week? " He said: "Oh, no, I'd love 36:10 to have you come visit me. " 36:11 So I went out to see the old gentleman. 36:13 And got out there and we visited 36:16 and I said: "I've never seen you in church before. 36:18 How come you come to church? " 36:21 He said, "Oh, " he said, "when I was a young man 36:24 about 17 years old, " he said, "I gave my heart to Jesus 36:28 Christ. " He said, "I accepted Him as my Savior. " 36:30 And he said: "I went to church every week. " 36:32 He said: "I didn't miss church. " 36:34 He said: "I was there every week. " 36:36 And he said: "I loved it! " 36:37 He said: "I looked forward to it. " 36:39 And he said: "It was a great experience. " 36:41 And he said: "When I was in my twenties... early twenties, " 36:44 he said, "I started going with a young lady. " 36:47 And he said: "She didn't go to church. " 36:50 But he said: "I didn't think anything about it. " 36:52 He said: "We fell in love, " and he said: 36:55 "got married. " 36:57 And he said: "After we got married, 36:59 every time I went to church 37:01 when I came back we got in a great big argument 37:04 because she didn't want me to go. " 37:06 He said: "That went on every week. " And he said: 37:09 "Finally I just gave it up. Quit going to church. " 37:13 Said: "I haven't gone to church in years. " 37:17 He said: "Two weeks ago my wife died. " 37:21 He said: "I decided to come back to church. " 37:25 And in my mind, folks, I said to myself: 37:28 "this time you'll know what you're doing. " 37:31 See, that's what I said to myself. 37:33 So I said to him: "Would you like to study? " 37:35 "Oh, " he said, "I'd love to. " 37:37 I said: "I'll tell you what. I'll come out every week 37:39 and we'll have a study together. " 37:40 Now folks, I just didn't go out and study with that 37:44 old gentleman. I gave him assignments to do. 37:47 He could have gotten a degree from the Seminary. 37:49 I mean he faithfully did those assignments every week. 37:53 And I gave him this assignment one week there in Acts 37:57 the second chapter where it says that Peter preached 38:00 and 3,000 were converted in a day. 38:02 And as we were studying that he looked at me... 38:05 he said: "Brother Cox, if Peter would have put those 38:07 people through what you've put me through 38:09 there wouldn't have been 3,000. 38:12 See? I began to understand. 38:14 Yes, a person needs to be taught, 38:16 but that does not take a long time. 38:20 It has to do with the commitment. 38:22 The surrender of one's heart to Jesus Christ 38:26 is what it has to do with. 38:27 Not only are they to be taught... it says: 38:34 They had heard the Word of God. 38:36 Secondly, a person must believe. 38:38 If you don't believe, it's not any good. It says: 38:46 "He that believeth not shall be damned. " 38:49 Baptism apart from belief is not any good. 38:52 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; 38:56 but he who does not believe will be condemned. " 38:59 Also, the scriptures says that you and I need to repent. 39:05 Now it says here in Acts 2:38: 39:19 I want to say a word about repentance, folks. 39:22 The scripture says that repentance is something that 39:27 God gives. Did you hear me? 39:30 It says it's something that God gives. 39:33 I've talked to people and I've asked them: 39:35 "Have you accepted Christ as your Savior? " 39:37 And they've said: "Yes, I've given my heart 39:39 to Jesus Christ. " And I said: "Have you been baptized? " 39:43 And they say: "No, Brother Cox, I haven't been baptized. " 39:45 Say: "Well, why haven't you been baptized? " 39:47 They say: "Well I just don't feel bad enough. " 39:49 What are you talking about? 39:51 You know, they think that if they don't repent 39:55 in sackcloth and ashes then they shouldn't be baptized. 39:59 No, dear friends. 40:00 Your responsibility, my responsibility, 40:04 is to come to Jesus Christ. 40:06 He is the One that gives repentance. 40:10 And if you'll give your heart to Him, 40:12 He'll do His work in your life and bring about repentance. 40:16 That is God's work. 40:17 Your responsibility and mine is to give our hearts to Him. 40:21 OK. But He said you need to repent. 40:23 And as God brings repentance, you and I need to repent. 40:27 Thirdly, it says that we need to be converted. 40:41 Do you understand conversion? 40:44 Hmmm? Do you understand conversion? 40:47 Let me tell you what conversion is. 40:49 You'll have to forgive the vernacular here. 40:53 I'm going to hell, I'm going to hell, I'm going to hell, 40:57 I'm going to hell. 40:58 I'm going to heaven, I'm going to heaven, 41:01 I'm going to heaven. That's conversion. 41:03 Means TURN AROUND! 41:05 That's what it is: change my way. 41:08 That is conversion; that's what the word means. 41:11 I change the direction that I'm going. 41:15 So when I commit my heart to Jesus Christ 41:19 it means that I've changed my direction. 41:24 I have made a commitment of my life to Jesus Christ. 41:30 You see, baptism represents the death of Jesus Christ. 41:44 So when a person is placed beneath the water 41:50 that represents the death of Jesus Christ. 41:53 Now folks, are you understanding why sprinkling won't work? 41:59 Or a few drops of oil 42:03 or a pinch of salt won't work? 42:06 It represents the death of Jesus Christ. 42:09 That's why the person is put beneath the water. 42:13 It represents the death of Jesus Christ. 42:16 It goes on here in Romans 6 and it says: 42:26 So baptism also not only 42:28 represents the death of Jesus Christ, 42:30 it represents the burial... that He was placed in the tomb. 42:35 Burial of Jesus Christ. 42:47 So baptism represents the death, the burial, 42:51 and then here in Romans 6 and verse 5 it says: 43:05 So as that person comes up out of the water 43:07 it represents the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 43:12 It does more than that. 43:14 As that individual is baptized, 43:19 as he's placed beneath the water, 43:22 it means that I have died to an old way of life. 43:29 With me? 43:31 That's conversion. 43:33 I have died to an old way of life. 43:39 No longer am I going to walk in the old way. 43:45 I've given my heart to Jesus Christ. 43:49 You with me, folks? 43:51 It's like marriage. 43:55 You don't get married 43:57 and keep running around with other women. 44:01 You don't do that! 44:03 If you do, you're not going to stay married long. 44:06 OK? 44:09 So when I give my heart to Jesus Christ 44:12 I have died to an old way of life. 44:16 That's what it represents. 44:18 It also means that all my sins 44:23 have been buried. 44:26 OK? And I come up out of the water clean... 44:31 clean in Christ Jesus. 44:34 I don't know of anything... 44:36 I don't know of anything in this life 44:40 that will give you the privilege of starting over brand new 44:44 except baptism. 44:47 Baptism lets you wipe the slate absolutely clean. 44:51 Want to see what the scripture says about that? 44:56 Micah 7 verse 19: 45:13 Oh, it says He will take all of your sins tonight, 45:15 dear friend. 45:18 That sin that haunts you. 45:21 Maybe it's something that you did that was really very bad. 45:26 Or maybe it's just something that constantly nags you. 45:31 God says He'll take that sin... 45:34 cast it into the depths of the sea. 45:38 Marvelous! 45:41 You see when you're baptized, 45:43 the Bible says you come up clean. 45:46 You don't have one thing against you. 45:50 The Bible uses words for that. 45:52 It says that you are justified. 45:55 That's what baptism represents. 45:57 It means that all your sins have been done away with. 46:01 Cast in the depths of the sea. 46:29 God says: "You got a sin tonight 46:32 that's really bothering you, friend? " 46:35 Said: "I'll put it behind My back. " 46:38 "I'll cast it into the depths of the sea. " 46:41 "I'll remember it no more. " 46:56 "As far as the east is from the west... " 46:59 God said: "I have removed all your transgressions from you. " 47:02 This is what God desires to do for you. 47:05 Wonderful! He loves you. 47:09 Baptism is simply a public declaration 47:13 of one's acceptance of Jesus Christ. 47:15 How important is it? 47:16 How does God feel about it? 47:19 I want you to listen to what God says about it here: 47:36 John the Baptist preached and these people heard it 47:40 and they were baptized... even tax collectors. 47:43 OK? Now watch 47:46 what he has to say here: 48:00 "Oh, " they said, "we don't need to be baptized. " 48:03 And they pulled their cloaks around themselves 48:07 and said: "Oh, we don't need it. " 48:10 And it says that they rejected what? 48:16 The will of God. 48:18 You see, the will of God is that you should be baptized. 48:23 That's God's will. 48:24 Dear friend, don't sit there 48:27 and say: "Well, I'm not good enough. " 48:30 "The Lord won't have me. " 48:33 "I've done too many bad things in my life. " 48:36 Dear friends, God's will is that YOU be baptized. 48:42 That's God's will. 48:44 He said: "Listen, there aren't any sins I can't forgive. 48:50 I'll take them; I'll remember them no more. " 49:33 Jesus Christ came to this earth 49:37 and He died for you. 49:42 He lived a perfect life for you. 49:45 He did everything that was required for you 49:48 that you might be saved. 49:50 He did all that. 49:54 Are you not going to accept it? 49:56 "We played with flutes, and you didn't dance. 50:00 We mourned, and you didn't weep. " 50:04 Are you going to let the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ 50:08 go in vain? 50:11 No, dear friend. 50:14 He made every needful 50:19 thing for your salvation. 50:22 He accomplished it that you might be saved. 50:28 Scripture says that Saul of Tarsus 50:35 had received a commission from Ananias, the high priest, 50:41 to go to Damascus and arrest the Christians 50:44 and to bring them back to Jerusalem to be tried. 50:47 Taking a group of soldiers 50:51 they headed for Damascus. 50:54 When they got within view of the city of Damascus 50:59 all of a sudden a great light 51:02 shone upon Saul. So strong that it knocked him to the ground. 51:07 And a voice spoke and said: "Saul, Saul, 51:09 why persecutest thou Me? " 51:11 And he said: "Who are You, Lord? " 51:15 And Jesus said: "I am Jesus 51:19 whom you persecute. " 51:21 Said: "What would you have me do, Lord? " 51:23 And He said: "Go on to Damascus. 51:28 It will be shown you what you shall do. " 51:30 Saul of Tarsus is now blind. 51:35 He can't see. 51:37 He's led by the hand to Damascus. 51:43 There in Damascus is a man by the name of Ananias. 51:49 And the Lord has spoken to Ananias and He said: 51:52 "Go to the street called Straight 51:55 and inquire for one Saul of Tarsus. 51:58 He is a chosen vessel unto Me. " 52:01 And Ananias goes there. 52:04 And the Lord has told Ananias to pray for Saul 52:08 that he might receive his sight. 52:10 And Ananias goes and he finds Saul and he prays for him. 52:16 And his sight is given back to him. 52:19 Now here... I mean, we're just talking a few days, 52:23 Saul of Tarsus - who is the persecutor... 52:26 Saul of Tarsus who has fought against God 52:31 and against Jesus Christ... 52:34 Here on the road to Damascus he has come face to face 52:38 with Jesus Christ 52:39 and there he's given his heart to Him. 52:43 And now the scales have fallen off his eyes 52:47 and he can see. And I want you to listen 52:50 to the words of Ananias to Saul: 53:09 Tonight, dear friend, why are you waiting? 53:13 Why are you waiting? 53:16 He said: "Arise, be baptized. 53:20 Wash away your sins. " 53:24 Jesus Christ is inviting you to take that step. 53:30 To follow Him; to have all your sins washed away... 53:35 calling on the name of the Lord. 53:40 If you will do that, 53:42 then He will wash you whiter than snow. 53:52 Lord Jesus, I long 53:56 to be perfectly whole. 54:04 I want You forever 54:09 to live in my soul. 54:16 Break down every idol, 54:22 cast out every foe. 54:29 Now wash me 54:32 and I will be 54:36 whiter than snow. 54:46 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 54:48 Father, we thank you 54:51 that You've made all the provisions... 54:54 that all that we have to do is to follow. 54:58 We ask, Lord, that tonight 55:01 each one of us may rejoice 55:05 in our sins forgiven, the cleansing that Christ gives 55:10 and that we might follow You and walk with You. 55:19 To obtain a copy of this program or for more information, 55:22 please write to: |
Revised 2014-12-17