Participants:
Series Code: RNAF
Program Code: RNAF200013S
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00:01 Music...
00:03 Hi Friends, do you want to hear an amazing fact? 00:06 The Amazon River is one of the longest rivers in the world. 00:10 In fact, the Nile and the Amazon have had a long-going debate 00:13 which one's longer 00:15 but it's at least 4,000 miles long... 00:17 has 3,000 different kinds of fish 00:20 making it truly a river of life 00:22 and incredibly, the Amazon supplies 1/5th of all the 00:27 fresh water that comes to the rivers... 00:29 through the rivers to the ocean in the world 00:31 but what's really interesting is that in spite of its length 00:36 and its size, there's no bridge across the Amazon River. 00:40 You know, one of the smallest rivers... 00:42 it's mentioned many times in the Bible 00:44 has the biggest bridge. 00:45 We're going to talk about it in this edition 00:48 of Revelation Now. 00:49 Music... 01:04 Ross: Good evening Friends, we'd like to welcome you all 01:07 once again to Revelation Now... 01:08 this special Bible Prophecy Seminar, 01:11 if you're new to our time together, 01:13 we've been looking at some very important prophecies 01:15 found in the Bible. 01:16 Tonight we're looking at a very important subject, 01:19 so, we're glad you've tuned in. 01:20 We also like to let those who are watching, 01:23 if you'd like to get the live Spanish translation 01:25 of this Seminar, 01:27 you can visit the Amazing Facts Latino Facebook 01:30 or YouTube channel 01:31 or you can go to the Revelation Now Spanish website. 01:35 We'd also like to remind those who would like to get 01:38 a translation of this for the deaf, 01:40 we have between 5 and 600 people tuning in 01:43 for each Program 01:44 and they've been taking advantage of our Sign Language 01:47 so, we want to thank those who are helping... by doing that. 01:50 Following the presentation this evening, 01:52 we will be having your Bible Questions. 01:54 If you're watching on Facebook, 01:55 you can type in your Bible Question in the little box there 01:59 with the information... the Comments Section 02:01 and we'll try and answer as many of your questions as possible 02:04 following the Program. 02:05 Now, this is the beginning of a big weekend for us here, 02:09 tonight... a very important subject 02:12 but tomorrow morning at 11 a. m. that's Pacific Time, 02:15 Saturday morning, 02:16 we're going to be having a very important presentation. 02:19 It's entitled: Bowing to the Beast... 02:21 so, we're going to be getting into 02:23 some of those deeper prophecies 02:25 so, tomorrow morning... 11 a. m. Pacific Time 02:28 and then also tomorrow evening, that's Saturday evening 02:30 at 7 p. m. is Part 2 of that same subject 02:33 dealing with the beast power of Revelation, 02:36 it's entitled: Marked for Death 02:38 so, be sure to tune in for all of the Programs this weekend. 02:41 Tell your friends... 02:43 it's not too late to have them join us as well. 02:45 We'd like to thank those who have sent in comments 02:48 telling us where you're watching from. 02:50 We have Emma from Texas, she says, 02:52 "Thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to use you 02:54 to teach us about the Book of Revelation. 02:56 I have learned so much. " 02:58 We have Nancy from Colorado, she says, 03:01 "I'm new to the faith 03:02 and I'm very thankful to Pastor Doug 03:04 for his Presentation on: Cleansing the Sanctuary. " 03:07 And then, Patrick from the Netherlands says, 03:10 "I've been staying up every night till 4 a. m. 03:13 to watch your wonderful Programs. 03:15 Thank you for making this possible. " 03:18 And then Isaac from Tanzania says, "I love this Seminar... 03:21 I've been watching from the very beginning 03:24 and sharing with all of my friends, thanks. " 03:26 So, again we want to thank you for letting us know 03:28 that you're out there and you're participating 03:30 and you're sharing with your friends. 03:32 Tonight's Presentation is entitled: Born in a River 03:36 and we have a lesson that goes along with the Presentation, 03:39 it's got the same name... 03:40 it's entitled: Born in a River 03:42 and this is our free gift to all of those 03:44 who are watching. 03:45 If you'd like to receive this, 03:47 just go to the website, Revelation Now 03:49 and you can download the lesson: Born in a River 03:52 and again, we want to encourage you... 03:53 read through the lesson, look up the Bible verses, 03:55 it will help clarify the teachings 03:57 for each of these Presentations. 03:59 Our free gift for tonight is a book entitled: 04:03 Baptism Is It Really Necessary? 04:06 Now, if you'd like to receive a digital copy of this book, 04:09 all you have to do is text the word: BAPTIZED 04:12 to the number: 40544 if you're in North America 04:16 and we'll send you a digital copy of the book. 04:19 Now, if you're outside North America, 04:21 just go to the RevelationNow. com website 04:23 and you'll be able to download the book: 04:25 Baptism Is It Really Necessary? 04:28 Well, I'd like to invite Pastor Doug to come forward 04:31 and we'll prepare for our Presentation this evening. 04:34 Good evening Pastor Doug. 04:36 Doug: Hi, how are you? 04:37 Ross: Good... good... good, 04:39 very important weekend as you mentioned... 04:41 we've got something tonight... tomorrow morning... 04:43 you're going to be dealing with signs 04:45 or at least identifying the Beast Power... Revelation. 04:48 Doug: That's right, the Antichrist. 04:50 Ross: Folks don't want to miss that. 04:51 Doug: What that Mark is... tell your friends to tune in. 04:53 Ross: Absolutely, all right, well let's start with prayer. 04:55 "Dear Father, once again we are grateful 04:57 that we're able to gather together and open up Your Word 04:59 and study a very important subject 05:01 of how we can start fresh in our walk with You, 05:05 so, we ask Your blessing upon our time, 05:07 in Jesus' name, amen. " 05:08 Doug: Amen... thank you Pastor Ross 05:11 and again, Friends, don't forget 05:13 that immediately following our Presentation, 05:16 Pastor Ross is going to join me again, 05:17 we'll do our best to answer questions you may have 05:20 on any of the things we've presented thus far 05:23 and especially on tonight's subject. 05:26 Well, the river... the river... the lesson tonight is titled: 05:30 Born in a River 05:31 and it is a prophecy subject 05:35 but as always, 05:37 we'd like to start with a verse from Revelation 05:39 and this is the last chapter in the Bible. 05:41 It says in Revelation 22 verse 1, 05:44 verse on screen. 05:53 Now, we're going to go back and look at a story in the Bible 05:57 that talks about a river. 05:59 You know, probably one of the most famous rivers in the Bible 06:02 is the Jordan River. 06:04 You got a lot of miracles 06:05 that seemed to happen with the Jordan River 06:07 and I was teasing you a little bit 06:09 with the opening Amazing Fact about the Amazon, 06:12 I think it is fascinating that there is no bridge 06:14 that spans the Amazon all through its 4,000-mile course, 06:19 I think some of the tributaries have bridges 06:22 but not the main Amazon. 06:23 But one of the smallest rivers in the world... 06:26 and the lowest river in the world is the Jordan River 06:29 which is found in the land of Israel. 06:31 It's an interesting piece of geography 06:34 because it starts in the mountains of Lebanon, 06:36 way up above sea level 06:39 and it runs down the Jordan valley... 06:42 goes into the Sea of Galilee, 06:43 out of the Sea of Galilee, down into the Dead Sea 06:47 where it's about 1300 feet below sea level 06:50 and one of the hottest places on earth... 06:52 it is the lowest place on earth. 06:54 Jordan River supplies the Sea of Galilee... 06:57 full of life and fish 06:58 and it also supplies the Dead Sea... nothing alive there 07:01 and the difference, of course, is that the Jordan River 07:04 is going into the Sea of Galilee 07:07 and it's also going out the side, 07:09 so, because it's a channel, it stays alive. 07:12 It receives and it gives and that's like our lives 07:15 but the Dead Sea only takes 07:17 and it just takes and takes... it never gives 07:21 and the water evaporates before it can flow out 07:24 and so, it's just a sinkhole of salt 07:26 and nothing is alive in there 07:28 but the Jordan River also is a border 07:31 for the children of Israel. 07:32 When they came out of Egypt, they crossed the Jordan River, 07:36 when they went into the Promised Land, 07:37 God miraculously parted it, He made a bridge 07:40 and another time, when Elisha the prophet crossed 07:44 and when Elijah the prophet crossed, 07:47 the Lord both times miraculously parted the river 07:50 and what's really important 07:52 is that some miracles have taken place in the river 07:56 that relate to our subject tonight, 07:58 it is in a sense a river of life, 08:00 so, if we go to our story 08:01 that you find in the second book of Kings chapter 5, 08:05 it's a story about a Syrian General by the name of Naaman 08:09 and it introduces the story by telling us 08:13 that Naaman was a mighty man with his master... 08:15 he's a rich man... 08:16 he's a powerful man... 08:18 he's a courageous man... 08:19 seems to have everything going for him. 08:22 He's famous... he's wealthy... 08:23 he's popular... he's got a good reputation 08:26 but then it has five words at the end of that verse 08:29 and it says, "But he was a leper... " 08:32 and leprosy in Bible times was called: the touch of God 08:37 or the curse of God... 08:39 and, you know, it's often equated with sin in the Bible 08:43 because it was contagious... people were separated... 08:47 they could no longer go to the public places of worship 08:50 because they were considered unclean... 08:52 they were separated from their... their families... 08:55 their wives... their children... 08:56 they often had to live in colonies with other lepers 08:59 and then, they were slowly dying. 09:01 So, it tells us all these wonderful things about Naaman 09:04 and people would say, "Oh, I want to be Naaman... " 09:06 until they read the last verses... last words 09:09 "but he was a leper" 09:11 and then it tells us that... 09:13 the story has an interesting turn... 09:15 Naaman, being a wealthy General, he's got many servants, 09:19 one of the servants in his home 09:20 is a little girl that had been captured 09:22 from somewhere in northern Israel 09:24 and taken away 09:25 and she had probably been sold in the market place 09:28 and bought by Naaman' s family 09:30 and she waited on Naaman' s wife. 09:32 She knew her master had come down with leprosy 09:35 and she might have thought, 09:37 "Well, good, I hope he rots 09:38 because they stole me away from my home country... " 09:40 but like Joseph, years earlier, she said, 09:43 "You know, if God has me here, 09:44 I'm going to serve God wherever I'm at... " 09:46 and when she saw her master was sick, 09:48 she remembered the stories of the prophet in Israel... Elisha, 09:51 that everybody that came to Elisha for help... 09:54 they received help. 09:56 Nobody ever got a "no" from Elisha, 10:00 he always helped everybody and he performed many miracles 10:03 and with child-like faith, she told her mistress, 10:06 well, this is in 2nd Kings chapter 5 verse 3, 10:09 "Would God that the prophet Elisha... " 10:11 that he was with the prophet Elisha... 10:14 "for he would heal him of his leprosy. " 10:16 Well, you know, when you're dying, you can get desperate 10:19 and pretty soon, word reached Naaman 10:21 that this prophet down in Israel could heal him of his leprosy. 10:24 Well, they knew about Elisha 10:26 that he was a powerful prophet of God 10:29 and so, Naaman got a letter from his king 10:31 and he got some money 10:33 and he got a contingent of soldiers 10:35 and they took their caravan down to Israel 10:38 and he goes to the king and he says, 10:40 "I've got this letter... 10:41 king says you've got a prophet here that will heal me 10:44 of my leprosy. " 10:46 Well, the king of Israel said, 10:47 "I don't know anything about this... " 10:48 and he became all agitated 10:50 and Elisha the prophet said, "Send him to me... 10:52 he'll find out there's a prophet in Israel. " 10:55 So, Naaman went with his entourage, 10:57 he comes to the humble home of Elisha the prophet 11:00 and he expects this prophet 11:03 that's going to be like the magicians up in Syria, 11:05 he's going to perform some, you know, abracadabra 11:08 and throw gunpowder in the fire and declare him clean 11:11 but he doesn't even come out. 11:13 Elisha sends his servant out to him 11:15 and... and his name was Gehazi... the servant... 11:18 he comes and he gives him the message, 11:21 "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, 11:23 and your flesh will be restored to you... " 11:26 he may even have lost... you know, with leprosy, 11:28 you can sometimes lose your digits... 11:30 your nose... your toes... 11:31 it's awful... 11:32 he says, "Your flesh will be restored 11:34 and you will be clean. " 11:35 When he heard that, he said, 11:37 "Wash? What are you suggesting?" 11:39 Now, what does it mean if someone tells you to wash? 11:42 That you're dirty. 11:43 What does it mean if they tell you to wash seven times? 11:46 You're really dirty... 11:49 and what does it mean if they tell you to wash seven times 11:52 in a dirty river? 11:53 He must be dirtier than the river. 11:56 So, you know, Naaman gets upset and he says, 12:00 "Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, 12:03 better than all the waters of Israel? 12:04 Couldn't I go home and wash in them and be clean?" 12:07 And he rode away in a rage. 12:08 But, you know, on his way home, 12:11 he had to drive by the Jordan river 12:13 and he kept staring at it. 12:14 A servant said, "Wash seven times, you'll be clean. " 12:17 Naaman' s servants rode up close to him... 12:20 you know, he's... he had a pandemic back then, 12:23 they had to keep their distance, 12:24 but it says, "They drew near... " 12:26 and they said, "Master, if the prophet had told you 12:29 to go climb a mountain... you know... 12:31 or fight some battle, you would have done it. " 12:33 He said, "He's telling you to wash and be clean, 12:35 you're right here, why don't you do it?" 12:37 And so, finally he stopped his horse 12:39 and he humbled himself. 12:41 He got off his horse... he peeled off his armour... 12:43 he looked at the brownish water of the Jordan... 12:45 Friends, when I read the Bible and I read all about the Jordan, 12:49 I thought it was like the Mississippi or something. 12:51 Then you go to Israel, you realize, 12:52 you can throw a rock across the Jordan, 12:54 it's not a big river 12:55 and in the summer, it's a series of stagnating pools 12:59 and so, he was thinking, 13:01 "I'm supposed to wash in that and be clean?" 13:03 But you see, Naaman thought his problem was leprosy... 13:06 his problem was pride. 13:08 So, he got his armour off and he took off his clothes 13:13 and you know, 13:14 we sort of come to the Lord... just as I am... 13:17 no medals... no stripes and he got in the water 13:21 and he dipped himself down 13:23 and he could feel the water stinging his sores 13:25 and he came back up... 13:26 he still had his leprosy and he was going to march out, 13:29 his servant said, "The message was... 13:31 wash seven times... 13:33 the miracle doesn't happen until the seventh time. " 13:35 So, he dunked himself again... nothing... 13:39 he dunked himself again... 13:40 and every time he's dunking himself, 13:42 he's become a little more humbler 13:44 and after five times, he comes up and he thinks, 13:49 "Oh, this is ridiculous, how embarrassing, 13:50 I'm going to quit... " 13:51 and the servant said, "No, no... two more... seven times. " 13:55 Now, here's a question for you, 13:57 "Does God mean what He says in the Bible 13:59 when He gives a number?" 14:00 Audience: Yes. 14:02 Doug: When God said to Joshua, 14:03 "March around Jericho seven times 14:05 and a miracle will happen. " 14:06 The blessing didn't come until the seventh time. 14:09 When God says, "I've blessed the seventh day" 14:12 do we pick our own number 14:14 or do we pick the day that God picks? 14:16 Does God mean what He says? 14:17 Audience: Amen. 14:19 Doug: Six times... still a leper... 14:21 but when he went down the seventh time, 14:24 I know he had to feel something 14:26 because if you're missing some of your skin or flesh 14:30 or fingers and... and he came up 14:32 he probably felt some things of pop... pop... pop... pop... 14:35 popping back into place 14:37 and he came out of the water 14:38 and the scars and the sores are gone 14:41 and he realizes he's clean. 14:44 The Bible says his flesh was restored to him 14:47 and not only was his flesh restored, 14:49 it goes on... it says, 14:51 "His flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child... " 14:53 and I can just picture that, 14:56 this is really the story of a Christian 14:58 because a Christian is like a soldier... like Naaman... 15:01 but we're also called: babies... we're newborn... 15:05 and here the story of Naaman being washed in the Jordan 15:10 and a miracle of the leprosy being washed away... 15:12 you know one of the first miracles Jesus performed 15:15 was... a leper came to Him full of leprosy... 15:17 he said, "Lord, if you want to, you can make me clean. " 15:20 Everyone's running away from Jesus 15:22 because this man is contagious... 15:24 and we can kind of relate today, huh, 15:27 and Jesus did not run, He said, "I am willing... " 15:31 He touched him and he became clean. 15:34 Leprosy is a type of sin in the Bible. 15:37 Washing in the Jordan is a symbol of new birth 15:42 and being washed away from your sins... 15:45 it's really the story of baptism. 15:47 Now, we're going to talk about the subject of baptism today 15:51 and I know what some of you are thinking. 15:52 Pastor Doug, you advertise Revelation Now 15:54 and here you are... you're throwing us a curve... 15:57 you're talking to us about baptism... 15:59 that's kind of a churchy subject, 16:01 I just want to know about prophecy. 16:02 Well, Friends, the Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ. 16:06 The gospel of Jesus begins with a baptism... 16:09 He begins His ministry with baptism. 16:11 The Bible... New Testament ends by telling people 16:15 to go and to baptize. 16:16 This is a priority to Jesus. 16:19 Knowing about the beast and Armageddon 16:21 and the rapture and all these things 16:23 is not going to save you 16:24 if you've not committed your life to the Lord. 16:26 So, I always insert this very important subject for one reason 16:31 because some people have never made a decision 16:33 to commit their life to Christ. 16:34 You cannot understand the things we're going to study 16:37 unless you have done that. 16:38 That's why we talk about it. 16:40 Jesus said, "Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. " 16:43 You cannot understand the spiritual things 16:45 we're going to discuss about last-day events 16:47 unless you commit your life to the Lord. 16:49 Then it will become clear. 16:51 The Bible says... otherwise your ears will be stopped, 16:53 your eyes will be closed 16:55 and it's not going to make sense to you. 16:56 The other reason... there are some of you 16:58 who've drifted from the Lord. 17:00 You may need to re-commit your lives to the Lord 17:02 and make a... get a new beginning 17:04 so, we talk about this important subject of baptism 17:07 but before we get into our questions, 17:09 as always, we like to go out... 17:12 find out what people on the street have to say 17:14 about our topic for tonight. 17:16 Pause... 17:19 Baptism to me is a way that you go to your church 17:25 where you worship... 17:26 and you're cleansed of your sins. 17:29 Baptism is when you put the old man to death 17:32 and bring out the new man in Christ. 17:33 Baptism is to be clean... clean and pure of... 17:38 of evil, I guess. 17:40 Baptism is when someone decides to renew themselves 17:47 in the name of the Lord. 17:49 If you give your life to Christ 17:51 and you kind of kill that old you 17:53 and come back as your new you. 17:55 Baptism represents the cleansing of the soul 17:57 and of the... the vessel that you're in 18:00 so, when you're dipped into the water, 18:02 you come back out clean and pure 18:04 and then you're supposed to live your life out so. 18:07 Well, there's a lot of different baptisms 18:09 but baptism really came from the ancient Egyptians. 18:12 I would imagine, there's multiple types of baptisms, 18:16 I would say... more than 20 plus. 18:18 No, I don't believe that baptism is necessary of salvation, 18:21 I believe an open and repentive position is appropriate 18:28 and all that's necessary. 18:30 I was, you know, baptized and confirmed 18:31 but you can still believe in Jesus Christ... 18:34 you can still believe that He's our Lord and Savior 18:36 even if... even if not. 18:38 In my opinion... no... 18:41 but that's just my opinion. 18:42 Pause... 18:44 All right, well, we had a number of opinions there, 18:46 some people are pretty close 18:48 to the Biblical truth on this subject, 18:50 but we're going to find out from the Word of God 18:52 what does it say about this subject of this covenant 18:56 called: Baptism... 18:57 where a person actually makes a decision 18:59 to transition from death to life 19:01 to cross the Jordan river, so to speak 19:03 and we're going to go to the first question for tonight, 19:06 I think we're going to learn a lot along the way. 19:08 It tells us... well, let's read the question, 19:10 What New Testament prophet 19:12 washed people in the Jordan river? 19:14 and I think most people know this, 19:16 Matthew chapter 3 verses 1, 5 and 6, it says... 19:20 verse on screen. 19:32 So, when John began baptizing, 19:35 evidently the people knew something about this 19:37 and it represented a cleansing... 19:39 a spiritual rebirth. 19:41 He was inviting people to repent 19:43 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand 19:45 and they wanted their sins washed away... 19:47 they were looking for the mercy of God... 19:50 and wanted to get a new beginning 19:52 so, John was there preaching with power 19:54 and he was also telling people, 19:55 "The Messiah is soon to make His appearance, 19:58 you need to prepare yourself... " 20:00 for His first coming. 20:02 Well, Friends, you know, Jesus is about to come again 20:04 and we need to be prepared for His second coming. 20:07 So, this is a very relevant subject 20:09 for people in the world to study today. 20:11 Second question, 20:13 on screen. 20:20 And we're using that metaphor from the story of Naaman. 20:23 You can read here in Acts 22, 20:25 Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost and he says, 20:29 on screen. 20:35 And it must have been a priority 20:37 because Jesus told the disciples, 20:39 "Where you go... preach... teach... 20:42 once people embrace the truth, 20:43 help them to make a covenant to accept it 20:46 by going through this... this ceremony of baptism 20:50 and I hope somebody... 20:51 if I don't cover it, I hope someone ask me the question, 20:54 "Is it possible to go to heaven if you're not baptized?" 20:57 Or even if you're not baptized correctly... 20:59 and maybe I'll get to that a little later 21:02 but if not, I hope someone writes that down. 21:04 Third question: 21:06 According to the Bible, 21:08 how many different kinds or methods of baptism 21:10 are acceptable? 21:12 But you know, it tells us in the Bible there, 21:14 in Ephesians 4 verse 5, 21:16 "There is one Lord, one faith... " 21:19 how many? "One baptism. " 21:22 There's only one Bible... one Holy Spirit... 21:24 one God... one truth... 21:26 and yet, there are so many different things 21:28 that are called: baptism in the Bible. 21:32 Some churches baptize by sprinkling water, 21:35 others do... what you call: immerse... 21:38 where a person is dunked... 21:39 some immerse a person three times... 21:42 once for the Father... once for the Son... 21:44 once for the Holy Spirit. 21:45 Some people sprinkle salt... 21:47 some churches sprinkle salt on a person... 21:49 they call it baptism. 21:50 Some churches have a method where they just speak words 21:54 to a person... it's called the "Dry-cleaning Method" I suppose, 21:58 that way you know you could call a pastor 21:59 and he can baptize you over the phone. 22:01 So there are all these different methods 22:03 that people call: Baptism but does it make a difference? 22:06 And is there... is there a truth on this subject? 22:10 Now, I'll tell you why I think this is important to understand. 22:12 There are only a couple of rituals 22:14 that Jesus gave the Christian church. 22:16 The Lord's Supper... two sacraments you might say, 22:19 two ceremonies... the Lord's Supper and Baptism. 22:22 In the Lord's Supper you've got the... the grape juice 22:25 and the unleavened bread. 22:27 It's supposed to be unfermented wine and unleavened bread 22:29 type of the pure blood and the pure body of Jesus 22:32 and those symbols... 22:35 when they're properly taught from the Bible, 22:38 they're great with meaning, 22:39 it means... when you partake of that... 22:41 that the blood of Jesus cleanses you from sin 22:43 and that His life comes into you... 22:45 it's the bread of life... the Word of God 22:47 and they're lots of beautiful symbols. 22:48 So, what do you think when the youth pastor 22:50 tells his youth group, 22:52 he said, "We're going to go to McDonald's for Communion 22:55 and it's just a symbol, 22:57 so we're going to use hamburgers and Coco Cola 22:59 and call it: Communion. " 23:01 Well, I know that's an extreme 23:04 but you can see how little by little 23:06 when people get away 23:08 from the exact method that God gives us, 23:10 you can start losing the symbolism 23:12 and eventually, it gets to where it's just plain old sacrilegious 23:15 and blasphemous 23:17 and it's the same thing with baptism. 23:19 When God says something... these are the words of God, 23:21 He means what He says... 23:23 we drift away from the original way 23:25 and we can start losing the symbolism and the meaning. 23:28 So, these things are important. 23:30 So, what does Baptism mean? 23:32 Well, it's rich with meaning, it means several things. 23:34 I'll tell you quickly and then I'm going to repeat myself. 23:37 They say the key to a good sermon is: 23:39 tell people what you're going to say... 23:40 say it and tell them what you said. 23:41 So, I may repeat myself 23:43 and that way, I want everyone to catch this 23:46 because this is in reality... 23:47 if you get this subject tonight 23:49 and you don't understand everything about the rapture 23:51 and you don't understand everything about the Millennium, 23:54 this is really important because we are talking about 23:57 committing your life to Christ. 23:58 It's that river of life 24:00 where you're born in the river so to speak 24:03 and that's what baptism symbolizes. 24:04 "You must be born again... " Jesus said. 24:07 So, baptism represents a new birth... 24:09 baptism represents a marriage... 24:12 it represents a death to the old person. 24:15 You know, when a person goes under the water 24:18 and they come back up again, 24:20 it symbolizes that a burial of the old person... 24:22 a birth of the new person... 24:24 like when a baby is born, it takes its first breath 24:26 and all of these things are wrapped up 24:29 in that symbol... that ceremony of baptism. 24:32 So, the Greek word... 24:34 if you want to know something about the method of baptism, 24:36 it's very easily... to determine, 24:38 it's right there in the Word itself. 24:39 There is a Greek word that you find in the Bible for baptism 24:42 is "baptizo" 24:44 and baptizo itself means "to dip... " 24:46 "to immerse... " to plunge under water. 24:50 You cannot sprinkle a little water on a person and say, 24:54 they've been baptized. 24:55 If you tell your kids... you're out at the ranch 24:58 and you give them the bag of garbage, 25:00 you say, "Go out to the dump out back, 25:03 dig a hole and bury the garbage... " 25:05 and they come back 25:07 and the next morning you see garbage scattered 25:08 all over the yard, raccoons got into it 25:11 and you say, "What happened, did you bury it?" 25:13 They say, "No, I went out and sprinkled some dirt on it. " 25:15 Does it make a difference? 25:16 Do you want your sins sprinkled with dirt or buried? 25:19 And that's why these things are... 25:22 these symbols actually are relevant... it does matter. 25:25 You can read in Colossians 2:12, 25:28 verse on screen. 25:37 And also, well, let's read Question number 4. 25:42 So, how was Jesus... who is our example in all things 25:45 how was He baptized? 25:47 If you want to know what a Christian is, 25:48 he's a follower of Christ. 25:50 Well, the Bible tells us, 25:51 "Jesus came... and He was baptized of John in Jordan. 25:55 And straightway coming up out of the water, 25:59 He saw the Heavens opened. " 26:00 So, when John the Baptist started baptizing, 26:03 if the method of baptism was sprinkling, 26:06 then, he didn't need a river, 26:08 he could sprinkle with a spring water up in Jerusalem, 26:11 he could sprinkle anywhere. 26:13 It wasn't just pouring... 26:14 they needed a place where people could walk on in... 26:17 they were laid down... 26:18 they were brought up again 26:20 and it symbolized that new birth... 26:23 a complete thorough washing from sin 26:25 and I think it really does matter, 26:28 now, I want to make something very clear. 26:32 just so people don't get the wrong idea, 26:34 I believe there's going to be a lot of people in heaven 26:36 that were not baptized biblically, 26:38 there'll be some people in heaven 26:40 that were not baptized because they did not know. 26:42 God is merciful... you can read in the book of Acts chapter 17, 26:46 "At the times of this ignorance God winks at 26:50 but now commands everyone everywhere to repent. " 26:53 When we know the truth, we should walk in the truth 26:56 is what it tells us 26:57 and you're going to find here in this Seminar, 26:59 God is trying restore truth to His people 27:01 before Jesus returns. 27:03 So, Jesus is our example, He went down to the river 27:06 and was Jesus baptized to wash away His sin? 27:09 Did Jesus sin? 27:11 The Bible says, "Who did no sin... 27:14 He died for our sins. " 27:16 So, why was He baptized? 27:17 Couple of things, 27:19 Jesus was baptized for one thing... as an example. 27:23 The Bible tells us, He's given us an example 27:25 that we should walk even as He walked. 27:28 The second thing is, 27:29 in the same way that Jesus died on the cross, 27:32 not for His sins but for our sins, 27:35 He was baptized on behalf of those who maybe could not be. 27:39 Do you remember when Christ was on the cross dying, 27:42 there was a thief... I suspect he was the thief on the right, 27:45 the Bible says... the goats are on the left, 27:47 the sheep are on the right 27:49 and that thief turned to Him and said, 27:50 "Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom... " 27:52 and Jesus said, 27:53 "If you can go and get baptized, I'll save you. " 27:55 Is that what He said? 27:56 No, He said, "Verily I say to you today, 27:59 you will be with me in Paradise. " 28:02 He promised him everlasting life... 28:04 but he... he wasn't baptized. 28:05 I think Jesus gives people like that credit for His baptism. 28:08 I've been in the hospital with people who were dying, 28:12 my own brother... and never baptized... 28:14 and I asked... there at the end when he was at the hospital 28:18 if I could pray with him 28:20 and he asked me to pray with him. 28:21 Well, I'm looking forward to seeing him in the kingdom 28:23 but he couldn't be baptized. 28:24 So, as you are listening to this, 28:26 some of you are saying, "Well, Pastor Doug, 28:28 but maybe I wasn't baptized correctly. " 28:30 Well, it's not too late, you can do it the right way 28:34 but let's find out what the Bible teaches. 28:35 Jesus went down into the river... 28:37 He came up out of the river... 28:39 we'll look at a couple of other examples. 28:40 It tells us that now, John chapter 3 verse 23, 28:44 "John the Baptist was baptizing in Aenon near Salim 28:49 because there was much water there. " 28:51 And it says, "They came and they were baptized. " 28:54 Why did John baptize there? 28:55 Deep water... which is sometimes hard to find in a desert 28:59 because they were immersing people 29:02 so, they could get the experience 29:04 of the full cleansing... holding their breath... 29:07 taking that new breath like a baby being born again 29:10 and they come out of the water and through faith... 29:13 H20 doesn't wash away our sin... 29:15 it's the blood of Jesus 29:16 but it's through faith, we're forgiven 29:18 but ceremonies matter. 29:20 So, if you're going to get married, 29:25 how important is a wedding? 29:27 Most women will agree it's important... 29:29 they kind of look forward to it. 29:31 Well, let's face it, it's a ceremony 29:32 and, you know, even as a Pastor, 29:34 I often have people... young couples... 29:35 they start shacking up together and they say, 29:37 "Well Pastor, we're married in God's eyes. " 29:39 I can't tell you how many people told me, 29:41 "We're married in God's eyes... " 29:43 and then they had a tiff and they break up 29:44 and they go... move in with someone else... 29:46 and then they move in with someone else and... 29:47 and... no... marriage is a covenant. 29:50 It's a serious decision... it's a promise... 29:53 it's a public decision 29:55 and there are certain rights and privileges and laws 29:59 connected with it after you go through that covenant 30:02 and that public ceremony. 30:04 Baptism is the ceremony ordained by Jesus Himself 30:08 where He said, "I want you to publicly declare 30:10 that you are accepting Me... 30:11 that you want that cleansing from sin 30:13 and by my grace, you're going to follow me, 30:15 you're going to live in the newness of life. " 30:18 So, it did matter... the method also matters. 30:20 "How did Philip... " 30:23 now we're going to the book of Acts chapter 8, 30:25 "How did Philip the Evangelist 30:27 baptize the treasurer of Ethiopia?" 30:29 Now, it's a great story... 30:31 God just speaks to Philip and He says, 30:33 "Go down to the desert by Gaza... " 30:35 so he obeys and he goes down to this place 30:38 and while he's there, 30:39 all of a sudden, he runs into this very important man, 30:43 he's the treasurer for the Queen Candace of Ethiopia 30:46 and he's in... he a... he's a believer of Jehovah... 30:50 he's reading the scroll of Isaiah... 30:51 must have had money 30:53 because not everybody had their own private scrolls back then 30:55 and he's reading the prophecy in Isaiah 30:57 that talks about Jesus dying for our sins 31:00 and he's reading out loud and Philip hears him, 31:02 he says, "Do you understand what you're reading?" 31:05 He said, "Well, how can I unless someone helps me?" 31:07 He said, "You know, can I help you?" 31:09 He said, "Well, come on up in the chariot... " 31:11 so he helped him into his chariot... 31:13 first hitchhiker in the Bible 31:15 and as they're riding along, 31:16 he shows him from the Scriptures that Jesus was the fulfillment 31:20 of that prophecy 31:21 and he's so excited that as they're riding by 31:25 he either rode by an oasis 31:26 or maybe he's going down by Gaza... 31:28 you'd actually see the Mediterranean, 31:30 he said, "Here's water, 31:31 what prevents me from being baptized?" 31:34 And Philip took him and he baptized. 31:36 He said... he said, "Can I get baptized?" 31:39 Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart... " 31:41 and so, that's one of the criteria for baptism... 31:43 you need to believe. 31:44 So, they both went down into the water... both of them... 31:48 not one person sprinkling another... 31:50 both Philip and the Eunuch... and he baptized him 31:53 and the Bible tells us that 31:55 when they were come up out of the water... 31:57 so they go down in... they come up out... 31:59 it says the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip 32:02 and Philip suddenly found himself... 32:03 God said, "Look, you walked all the way to the desert 32:06 to do My will down there, 32:07 I'm going to give you a quick trip back up to Caesarea. " 32:10 It's like, first example of someone being beamed 32:13 in the Bible... just took him and transported him 32:16 but it was so important that that man go through the ceremony 32:20 that they have Philip go all the way down 32:22 to baptize that one man, so, does it matter to God? 32:25 I think it must. 32:26 What other truths are symbolized by baptism? 32:30 Well, you can read in Romans 6 verse 4 and 5, 32:34 verse on screen. 32:46 So, baptism is telling us 32:48 that we should be willing to repent of our sins 32:50 and turn away, 32:51 now, does that mean you need to be perfect 32:55 before you're baptized? 32:57 Nobody would ever be ready 32:59 but it does mean, you need to forsake 33:02 any known or habitual sins 33:04 and be willing to repent of those things 33:06 and walk in the newness of life. 33:07 Pause... 33:10 If I had to wait until I knew everything about Karen 33:13 before I got baptized, you'd never get baptized... 33:15 or married... that's what I was trying to say, that's right. 33:19 So... but you want to know the main things... 33:21 I think everybody... if I were to ask you, 33:23 "Did you learn a lot of things afterward?" 33:25 They say, "Yup... some good, maybe not all... " 33:29 but... so, if you say, "I'm going to wait 33:32 until I know everything about the Bible, 33:34 well, you'll never be ready 33:35 or... "I'm going to wait till I'm perfect... " 33:37 you'll probably never feel perfect 33:39 but if I come to Karen and said, 33:40 "Karen, I love you and I want to marry you 33:42 but you don't mind if I keep dating Betty and Jane. " 33:45 She'd say, "What! get out of here... " 33:48 she'd say, "I want exclusive commitment here... " 33:51 and so, if we go to Jesus and say, 33:53 "Lord, you know, I love you and I want to follow you, 33:56 I want to be a Christian but I... 33:57 I'm still dating the devil, is that okay?" 33:58 He said, "No... " 34:00 Now, it doesn't mean you're never going to make 34:01 a mistake and sin 34:03 but you're involved in some kind of habitual sin, 34:05 you want to confess and repent of that before baptism. 34:09 Some people think, "If I can just get baptized, 34:12 suddenly, I'll have the power to turn away from my sins. " 34:15 Now, that has probably happened on occasion 34:17 but, that's not the way to do it... 34:19 that would be like me going to Karen and saying, 34:20 "Karen, if you just marry me, 34:22 I think I could stop dating these other girls 34:24 and I'll love you. " 34:25 No, you want to have the love and the commitment 34:28 before the ceremony... is that clear? 34:31 So, you make sure you love the person 34:33 and you've got the commitment... 34:34 too dangerous with baptism, some people wait too long, 34:38 some people go too fast... 34:40 that happens with marriage too 34:42 and so, you want to make sure, you've got your timing right 34:45 but we'll go through what the criteria are. 34:48 Furthermore, Romans 6:4 and 5, 34:50 verse on screen. 34:58 So, baptism is a symbol of a death and a burial 35:03 and a resurrection... 35:04 and some people wonder, 35:06 "Isn't Sunday what God gave us to celebrate the... 35:12 the death and the resurrection of Christ?" 35:14 No, it doesn't say that anywhere in the Bible, 35:17 He did give us baptism to celebrate the death, burial 35:20 and resurrection of Christ 35:22 and so, that's why we participate in it 35:24 and then the other thing that's beautiful... 35:26 Jesus said... we need to be born again. 35:28 Baptism... you know when a baby 35:30 is in that envelope of water, 35:33 and it emerges and it takes it's first breath, 35:35 you've got new life and there's innocence there 35:38 and so, God looks upon us as though we're perfectly innocent. 35:42 After we've been baptized, we commit ourselves to the Lord 35:46 and if you ever sin... as you will along the way, 35:49 He's designed... then we'll have a Communion Service, 35:52 so you can have a mini baptism in the process. 35:55 How important is baptism? 35:58 Why are we talking about this in a Revelation Program? 36:00 Again, one reason is... because spiritual things 36:04 are not going to be spiritually recognized and understood 36:07 unless we make a spiritual commitment. 36:10 When we surrender our hearts to the Lord, 36:12 then He opens our understanding. 36:14 The promise is: if you draw near to God, 36:16 He will draw near to you. 36:17 Baptism is a decision where you say, 36:19 "Lord, I want to commit my life to You, 36:22 help me understand the truth... " 36:23 and these other mysteries of prophecy will begin to unfold 36:26 and the importance of them will become really clear 36:29 when we make that commitment. 36:31 So, what does Jesus say? 36:33 Mark 16:16... 36:35 "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; 36:40 he that believes not shall be damned. " 36:43 That sounds pretty serious. 36:44 What did Jesus say to Nicodemus? 36:46 John 3 verse 5, 36:50 verse on screen. 36:53 Now, I know some people read this verse and they say, 36:56 "Except a man be born of water... " 36:58 and they say, "Well, that means born of your mother... 37:00 you're in the embryonic sac of water 37:02 and the Spirit... you cannot enter the kingdom of God" 37:05 but why would Jesus say that? 37:07 Why would Jesus say, "Unless you're born of a woman 37:10 and the Spirit... " 37:11 anyone here not born of a woman? 37:13 I mean, that's kind of... 37:16 He's just not talking about this... 37:18 unless you're born of your choice to be baptized 37:20 and God's choice to baptize you with the Spirit, 37:23 you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. 37:25 See, the Bible always talks about: 37:27 born of the water... born of the Spirit... 37:30 children of Israel... when they came out of Egypt, 37:31 they went through the Red Sea, 37:32 1st Corinthians 10 tells us that's baptism... 37:35 and they were baptized in a pillar of fire... 37:38 they were born in the water... born in the fire... 37:40 Planet Earth... back in the days of Noah... 37:43 everything was wiped out by water... 37:45 2nd Peter chapter 3 said, "When Jesus comes, 37:48 it's going to be now baptized in fire. " 37:51 Then, He's going to make a new heaven and a new earth. 37:53 So, our world is going to get new birth 37:55 after it's born of the water and the fire. 37:57 You got... you need kind of both baptisms, 38:00 so, one is your choice for the baptism 38:03 and then God gives you the Spirit baptism as well. 38:06 What blessed ceremony can be compared to baptism? 38:10 Well, I've already kind of told you this little secret, 38:14 Galatians 3 verse 27, 38:16 verse on screen. 38:22 It's compared to... like a beautiful wedding. 38:24 It's a new beginning... it's a covenant... 38:27 it's that commitment to Jesus. 38:28 Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church 38:33 and gave Himself for her. 38:35 You know, the Bible calls the New Jerusalem 38:38 the bride of Christ 38:39 and even in some of the last verses of Revelation, 38:42 it says, "The Spirit and the bride says, 'Come. '" 38:44 He's inviting us to come to Him 38:46 and so, baptism is this beautiful ceremony 38:49 that represents the commitment... the covenant... 38:53 the new birth... 38:55 the washing away of the old sin... 38:57 the death of the old person. 38:59 I can just stand here and talk to you Folks about this subject 39:02 if it wasn't for the promise that through baptism 39:05 God has taken my sins 39:07 and cast them into the depths of the sea 39:08 but I really believe that I'm not the same person. 39:11 The Bible says, "Old things are passed away, 39:14 all things are become new. " 39:16 Baptism is sort of that transition point. 39:19 Jesus began His ministry at His baptism 39:22 and it's a very important turning point 39:25 for a believer as well. 39:26 Number 9... 39:28 What command did Jesus give to His people 39:31 just before He ascended to heaven? 39:33 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, 39:36 baptizing them in the name of the Father, 39:39 and the Son, and the Holy Spirit... " 39:41 and He goes on to say, 39:43 "teaching them to observe all things 39:45 whatsoever I have commanded you... " 39:46 and so, people need to be taught when they're baptized 39:51 and we're doing the gospel teaching here... 39:53 we've got presentations on what is the gospel... 39:56 but there's some teaching that also comes afterwards, 39:59 so, again, you don't have to wait till you know everything 40:01 but you need to know what the basics are 40:03 and before a person's baptized, they ought to say, 40:06 "Yes, I believe the Bible is the Word of God. " 40:08 "Yes, I believe in God the Father, Son 40:10 and the Holy Spirit. " 40:12 "Yes, I've accepted Jesus as my Savior 40:14 and believe through faith that He's washed away my sins... " 40:17 and there's some basic vows. 40:19 When I marry people, I go through the wedding vows 40:22 and those vows are very important... 40:25 it's a covenant of promises... 40:27 and the promises are made because of love 40:29 and when we're baptized, we're making promises 40:32 because of love for the Lord. 40:34 So, by the way, those are the last words of Jesus. 40:37 "Go ye therefore, teach and baptize. " 40:39 Also, you find that in the gospel of Mark. 40:42 So, I would think the last words of Christ 40:44 ought to be a first priority for Christians. 40:46 Number 10... 40:48 so, obviously there's a lot dear people... 40:51 Christians from other faiths 40:52 that maybe don't understand biblical baptism, 40:55 where did all these counterfeit forms of baptism come from? 40:58 Mark 7 verse 8, 41:00 "For laying aside the commandment of God, 41:03 you hold the tradition of men... " 41:06 then gradually it began to change. 41:09 Let me give you a little history real quick, 41:12 baptism... for 100s of years after Christ, 41:14 all Christians were baptized by immersion... 41:17 they followed the biblical method... 41:18 it was so clear in the Bible, it was hard to misunderstand 41:21 and just an example here for instance 41:24 is a first-century baptistery in Philippi. 41:27 Church is built around the baptistery... 41:29 you can see it right there... 41:31 they would go down in this pool and get baptized. 41:32 Even the Jewish Essenes down by the Dead Sea... 41:36 they had baptisteries... 41:37 and John the Baptist didn't baptize very far from them, 41:40 they... they all knew it represented 41:42 a spiritual cleaning. 41:43 You can go to a fifth-century baptistery in Emmaus. 41:47 Again, they went down in the water, 41:50 they were immersed... 41:52 there was room there for the pastor and the candidate 41:53 to be immersed 41:55 and they were symbolically washed from their sins. 41:58 Now, I've been here to the Leaning Tower of Pisa 42:01 and many people know about that building... 42:03 not as many know about the building that is adjoining 42:06 or just next door to it... 42:07 almost looks like the tower is going to fall on it, 42:10 that church was built around a baptistery... a big one... 42:13 people get into... 42:15 they were still practicing that kind of baptism 42:17 over a 1,000 years after Christ. 42:19 They were baptizing biblically, by immersion 42:22 and even in Rome... they've got this edifice here 42:25 and it is a church built around... 42:28 there it is inside... a baptistery 42:30 and so, what happened? 42:32 Well, as with all compromise of truth... 42:36 it happens little by little. 42:37 You know, the devil's got a counterfeit 42:38 for every truth of God. 42:40 You got a counterfeit for the Holy Spirit... 42:41 he's got a counterfeit for love... 42:44 got a counterfeit for speaking in tongues... 42:46 there is the true and there is the false... 42:49 you just find any Bible doctrine... 42:51 the devil will almost always have some counterfeit 42:53 for it out there. 42:55 There are also counterfeit baptisms. 42:56 Gradually... over time... people felt it was inconvenient, 43:03 it wasn't until... you can read here, 43:06 the Council of Ravenna in AD 1311 43:09 that sprinkling and pouring were officially accepted 43:12 as equally valid... they were still immersing... 43:14 but they said, "We're also... since it's a symbol, 43:17 if someone wants to just get sprinkled 43:19 or if they want to have it poured on them... 43:21 that will be equally as valid as immersion 43:24 as a rite of baptism. " 43:26 So, here it is... like 1300 years after Christ... 43:28 they were doing it biblically 43:30 and they gradually began to compromise. 43:32 What happened is... for example... 43:34 somebody was sick 43:36 and the priests were teaching you how to be baptized 43:38 or you couldn't be saved. 43:39 They said, "Well, they're too sick to be baptized, 43:41 what shall we do? 43:42 Let's bless the water... we'll call it holy water... 43:44 we'll wrap up a sheet... we'll wrap them up in a wet sheet, 43:46 we'll call that baptism. " 43:49 Or they said, "You know, 43:51 we got royalty that wants to get baptized, 43:54 they don't really want... 43:55 it's not very dignified, you know, 43:57 to get down in the water... 43:58 let's just sprinkle a little water on them. " 44:00 Well, started the... started pouring a little bit 44:02 since it's just a symbol... we don't need it all done, 44:05 started just pouring it and then sprinkling it... 44:08 and from there, everything began to change. 44:11 God wants us to get back to the Bible, I believe. 44:13 So, with this background, 44:16 what about child baptisms? 44:20 Does the Bible teach it's okay to baptize babies? 44:23 What does the Bible say? 44:25 The Bible tells us... you need to repent... 44:28 you need to confess your sins... 44:30 you need to be taught... 44:32 you need to believe with all your heart... 44:34 can a baby do those things? 44:36 Has the baby sinned? 44:37 What... what sins are they repenting of? 44:39 Now, many who are watching right now, you say, 44:42 "Pastor Doug, I was baptized as a baby, 44:44 you're telling me that I'm not qualified. " 44:46 No, I'm telling... your parents dedicated you. 44:48 When Jesus was a baby, 44:50 He was brought by His parents to the temple 44:53 and they dedicated Him to God 44:54 and that's when He was named. 44:56 Some people call it a "Christening" 44:58 like when you name a ship 44:59 and you crack the bottle over there. 45:01 You may be dedicated by your parents 45:04 but baptism is something you must decide. 45:06 It's your decision. 45:08 Every individual makes their own decision, 45:10 nobody makes it for you 45:12 and so, children can't repent... 45:15 they can't believe... they can be taught... 45:16 they have no sins to repent of... 45:18 baptism should happen as a person gets older 45:21 so they can comprehend these spiritual truths. 45:24 Question 11... 45:26 What does the Bible say about those 45:28 who put the teachings of men before the truth of God? 45:32 Jesus said in Matthew 15 verse 9, 45:35 on screen. 45:41 There's a lot of man-made doctrines out there 45:44 that just are not in the Bible. 45:46 Places where the church has drifted far away 45:49 from the teaching of God's Word 45:50 and whenever that happens, we miss a blessing. 45:53 We miss the power of God's Spirit, 45:55 we miss the real meaning 45:56 and so, we got to pray that God helps us to stick with the Word. 46:00 Galatians 1 verse 8, Paul says, 46:04 verse on screen. 46:13 So, Jesus said they are the doctrines of men 46:16 and if anyone diverges from the Bible teaching, 46:19 let them be accursed. 46:20 Paul warned the early church, 46:22 he said, "After my departure, 46:23 grievous wolves are going to come in 46:25 not sparing the flock 46:26 and from your own selves, people will arise, 46:29 teaching perverse things 46:31 and Paul talks about doctrines of devils... 46:33 all kinds of false teachings have come in 46:35 that just are not based on the Bible 46:37 so that modern Christianity barely resembles the real thing. 46:41 Before Jesus comes back, 46:43 He is calling people to return to the truth of His Word. 46:46 That's why we do Programs like this. 46:48 Question number 12: 46:50 But doesn't the baptism of the Holy Spirit 46:53 replace baptism by immersion? 46:55 What does the Bible say, the Bible says you need both. 46:59 Acts chapter 2, I think we touched on this verse 47:02 Peter... when preaching there at Pentecost, 47:04 he said, "Repent, and be baptized 47:07 every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ 47:11 for the remission of sins, 47:12 and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. " 47:15 You notice that? That's a wonderful promise. 47:17 He didn't say, "You might... " 47:18 He said, "You shall. " 47:20 Now, we need the Holy Spirit. 47:21 We need to make our choice to be baptized 47:24 and then we pray to God to baptize us, 47:26 remember, John the Baptist said, 47:29 "I baptize you with water 47:31 but the One who's coming after me... 47:33 I'm not worthy to carry His sandals, 47:34 He'll baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. " 47:37 So, we need that Holy-Spirit-fire baptism... 47:40 Jesus said, "Unless you're born of the water and the Spirit, 47:42 you cannot enter the kingdom of God. " 47:45 Some churches put a big emphasis on water baptism, 47:48 they don't talk about the importance of being baptized 47:50 in the Holy Spirit 47:52 and at Pentecost, of course, 47:54 the Holy Spirit came down with mighty power... 47:56 they were filled... the gospel went flying like fire 47:59 and I think that's going to happen again 48:01 before Jesus comes back. 48:03 We, once again, need a Pentecostal baptism. 48:06 A lot of churches say, "Oh, we've got it, 48:08 I don't think we've seen what they saw back in those days. 48:11 I believe you're going to see signs and wonders and miracles 48:15 that not only are equal what happened at Pentecost, 48:19 I think it will be even greater in scope 48:21 because the work is even greater in scope right now. 48:24 Now, when do you get the Holy Spirit? 48:28 Well, sometimes in the Bible, people have got the Holy Spirit 48:31 after baptism 48:33 as were the disciples at Pentecost... 48:35 they'd been baptized by John the Baptist 48:37 but then later, they got baptized with the Holy Spirit. 48:39 Cornelius and his family... 48:42 they got baptized with the Holy Spirit 48:43 and then Peter said, "Oh wait, 48:45 you got to be baptized in water also... " 48:47 and with Jesus... 48:48 He got baptized with the Holy Spirit and water 48:51 at the same time. 48:52 Sometimes it happens that way, 48:54 so, God can do it any way He wants. 48:55 According to the Bible, 48:57 what must a person do before he is baptized? 49:00 Now, I'm going to go through these quickly 49:02 because I think I've touched on them 49:04 but just so we are being very clear 49:06 because I think some of you listening right now are thinking 49:08 "You know, I either have never been baptized biblically 49:12 or maybe you were baptized and you've kind drifted 49:15 and you're wondering, 49:16 "Maybe I need to re-dedicate my life to the Lord. " 49:19 First of all, understand the main teachings of Jesus, 49:23 what it means to be saved... 49:25 to repent of your sins... to follow Him... 49:27 to be part of a... a Christian body. 49:30 B. Believe the teachings of Jesus. 49:34 It's one thing to say, "Oh, I understand them... " 49:37 but do you believe them? 49:38 "Believe them" means willing to follow them, 49:40 it means, be... live... them... 49:42 and so, if you say, 49:43 "Yes, I believe these things are true, 49:45 I want to order my life in harmony with these beliefs. " 49:48 That's what it means... 49:49 and you remember when Philip spoke to the Ethiopian, 49:52 he said, "If you believe with all your heart... " 49:55 that Jesus died for your sins, you may be baptized. 49:58 Repent of your past sins 50:00 and ask God to give you His power of His Spirit 50:03 to live a new life, and He will. 50:05 But tell the Lord, you're sorry. 50:06 Now, part of repentance is a verbal aspect of that, 50:09 repentance means being sorry for your past sins 50:11 I think most people are 50:12 but then it means confessing them to God 50:14 and you might be thinking, 50:16 "Why? doesn't God know everything?" 50:18 Yes, but something happens in your heart... 50:21 the Bible said, "If we confess our sins, 50:24 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins... " 50:27 this is 1st John chapter 1 verse 9, 50:30 "and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " 50:32 How much unrighteousness? 50:34 He'll cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 50:36 So, repent of your sins... confess your sins to God. 50:39 This is what happened when the Philippian jailor 50:42 came to Paul and Silas, 50:44 he said, "What must I do to be saved?" 50:46 He said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ 50:49 and you'll be saved and your household... " 50:51 and then, they taught him later that night... 50:54 they baptized him... he did believe. 50:55 He repented of his sins. 50:57 As a matter of fact, he nearly killed himself that night... 50:59 he was so tired of his life of sin. 51:01 Agree to turn from a life of sin. 51:04 Do you remember that woman many believe was Mary Magdalene, 51:07 caught in the act of adultery 51:08 and Jesus said, "I do not condemn you... 51:11 go... you're free... and sin no more... 51:14 turn from that life that you've been living. " 51:17 and I'm putting the verses on the screen 51:19 and they're also in your support material, 51:21 I hope you request those, they're free... 51:25 and so, accept Jesus as your personal Savior 51:28 and experience that new birth 51:30 and say, "You know, I've made... 51:32 I know Jesus is in my heart, I've asked Him in, 51:34 I sense there's this change... just like... 51:36 before marriage you want to know there's love there. 51:38 Question 14... 51:40 Is rebaptism ever proper or appropriate? 51:44 Yes, there's three examples where you might get rebaptized. 51:48 One is, if you were not baptized biblically. 51:51 If you were baptized by, you know, sprinkling 51:53 or pouring... or salt... or words... 51:55 or one of these other methods, 51:56 you want to follow Jesus' example and do it by immersion 52:00 and do it with a Bible-believing church. 52:02 I know, people that hear this sermon... 52:04 they run out and grab their friend and say, 52:05 "Will you dunk me in the swimming pool?" 52:07 There is more to it than that. 52:09 The other reason to be rebaptized is, 52:11 if you were baptized... 52:13 you were a Bible Christian... 52:15 but you drifted from the Lord, 52:16 that doesn't mean you you miss church one week 52:18 but it means... you really turned away from God, 52:20 you sort of divorce yourself from the church and the Lord, 52:23 you may need to be rebaptized, kind of re-married. 52:26 Third reason, you have an example here in Acts 19, 52:29 Paul is preaching up in Asia... 52:31 he encounters 12 Ephesian believers... 52:34 they've heard about John the Baptist... 52:37 they were baptized by immersion 52:38 but they left before Jesus began His ministry 52:42 and Paul said, "Were you baptized?" 52:44 And they said, "Yes, we were, we were baptized by John. " 52:48 He said, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit?" 52:50 They said, "We've not even heard 52:52 whether there be any Holy Ghost. " 52:53 He said, "Unto what then were ye baptized?" 52:56 They said, "John's baptism... John the Baptist. " 52:58 Paul said, "Verily John baptized with the baptism of repentance, 53:03 saying to the people, that they should believe on Him 53:06 that should come after him, 53:08 that is, on Jesus Christ. " 53:10 When they heard this, 53:11 they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 53:13 and they were filled with the Holy Spirit 53:16 and so... they were rebaptized 53:19 because they came into a whole new understanding of the truth 53:21 and, you know, I might mention that 53:23 I've been baptized twice. 53:26 First time I was baptized, I read the Bible... 53:29 I was up in the cave... 53:31 accepted Jesus... 53:32 just was a Baby Christian 53:34 and some Christians... 53:37 two Christian gentlemen came hiking by my cave... 53:39 they were part of the Jesus Movement 53:41 and they were from, I think, Calvary Baptist Church 53:43 and they said... they wanted to witness to me, 53:47 they said, "Do you know the Lord?" 53:48 I said, "As a matter of fact, I just accepted the Lord 53:50 a few days ago... I read my Bible up here 53:51 and I finally gave my heart to the Lord... " 53:52 and first chance I really had to tell someone about this. 53:55 They said, "Ah, were you baptized?" 53:56 I said, "No... I know I read about it... " 53:59 I hadn't even thought about it even though I read it 54:01 and they said... they gave me a quick machine-gun Bible study 54:04 on baptism... 54:05 they took me to the creek right outside of my cave, 54:07 and... which by the way came from melted snow 54:10 and it was winter 54:12 and they baptized me 54:14 and I can tell you, 54:15 I did feel born again for a little while 54:17 because it... it felt really good to get out of that water 54:19 but they hadn't taught me 54:21 and after... they kept hiking... 54:24 they said, "Oh, congratulations you're a Christian... 54:25 you're baptized... you're saved. " 54:27 I said, "Wonderful... " 54:28 they left... I thought... oh! I was so excited, 54:30 "I'm going to go to town and celebrate with my friends. " 54:33 Went to town... got some beer... 54:35 said, "Hey Guys, I got baptized today... " 54:37 I was in jail before the sun went down that day. 54:40 True story... 54:42 so, I had not been properly taught... 54:44 several years later, 54:46 I met a Godly minister who did teach me 54:50 and I was baptized 54:52 and I have not had any more beer 54:54 and the only time I'm in jail now is to visit people, 54:57 so, I understood what the commitment meant after that. 55:00 Question 15... 55:02 Is baptism connected with joining a church? 55:05 Yes, Acts 2 verse 41, 55:08 verse on screen. 55:17 It says they were baptized and added to the church. 55:19 Acts 2:47... 55:21 "Praising God, and having favor with all the people. 55:24 And the Lord added to the church daily 55:26 such as should be saved. " 55:28 Notice the connection... 55:29 baptized and added to the church. 55:31 Babies should be part of the family. 55:34 A little lamb that is not part of the fold 55:37 is going to get taken by the wolves 55:38 and you might be thinking, "Oh, Pastor Doug, 55:41 I'm spiritual but I'm not religious... " 55:43 and so, being part of a religion is a bad thing. 55:46 You know Friends, if you're not part of an organized religion, 55:49 you're probably part of a disorganized one. 55:51 Jesus' church is organized. 55:53 "Oh, but there's hypocrites in the church... " 55:55 and as a Pastor once said, 55:57 "There's always room for one more. " 55:58 So, yeah, there are people that do things wrong in church 56:01 and you know one reason you need to be part of the church? 56:04 God needs to save us. 56:06 You cannot be saved if you don't learn to love God 56:10 and love your neighbor 56:11 and that means, sometimes you need to be around 56:14 some people that will challenge your love 56:16 and that can even happen in the church 56:19 so, we need to be part of a church family. 56:21 Jesus said, "I've called you into one body. " Colossians 1:18 56:26 He is the Head of the body... the church... 56:29 we are baptized into the body of Christ. 56:32 We become different members and parts of one body. 56:35 Some are the ears... 56:36 some are the eyes... some are the nose... 56:37 some are the toes... 56:39 we're all different parts of the body 56:40 but we need to be connected. 56:42 If a toe is off on the floor by itself, 56:44 it doesn't last very long... 56:45 or nose... needs to be part of the body 56:49 or we don't survive. 56:50 "For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body. " 56:54 Now, if I refuse baptism, 56:56 whose counsel am I refusing? 56:58 This is what the Bible says, 57:00 "But the Pharisees and the lawyers 57:03 rejected the counsel of God... " 57:05 of who? 57:07 The counsel of the Pastor... 57:09 the counsel of the Apostles... 57:10 now, they were rejecting the counsel... 57:13 the teaching of God against themselves 57:16 being not baptized of Him. 57:18 So, that's a serious matter with God 57:20 when He commands us, 57:22 "Go therefore... teach... baptize... " 57:24 and Jesus by His own example baptized... 57:27 He begins a life of ministry 57:28 and He says, "I want you to make a commitment to me 57:31 if you believe in me. 57:32 If you're not with me, then you shouldn't make that commitment 57:34 but if you want to be in heaven, 57:35 you need to be born of the water and born of the Spirit 57:38 and we need both baptisms. 57:40 When Jesus was baptized, what did His Father say? 57:44 You'll find this both in the gospel of Mark and in Matthew. 57:48 I'm going to read it to you from Matthew here, 57:51 it tell us in Matthew chapter 3 that verse 16 and 17, 57:55 verse on screen. 58:17 Now, you know Friends, I'm going to back up 58:19 and I want to show you these words again more carefully. 58:23 What happened to Jesus at His baptism 58:27 is what the Lord wants to happen to each one of us. 58:30 You see, Jesus was not baptized for Himself, 58:33 He was baptized as our example 58:35 and He wants us to share in that experience. 58:37 He came up out of the water, 58:39 first of all, He came... He humbled Himself... 58:40 He was baptized... 58:43 and when He came out of the water, 58:44 the heavens were opened. 58:46 Before we're baptized... 58:48 in one sense, the heavens are closed. 58:50 Jesus said, "When you pray, you pray in my name... " 58:52 that's assuming you've made a commitment to Christ, 58:54 you have no right to expect God to answer your prayers 58:57 if you haven't committed your life to Him. 58:59 Now, God is good 59:01 and He answers the prayers of a lot of people 59:03 but the Lord tells us, when we pray in His name... 59:06 that means we've committed our lives to Him. 59:09 The heavens are opened in a new way 59:11 and it says that He saw... 59:14 we will now see in a new way, our eyes are opened. 59:17 That's why we study baptism 59:18 before we get into these heavy prophetic subjects. 59:21 It also says the Spirit of God... 59:24 He sees the Spirit... Spirit came into His life. 59:26 What does the Spirit bring? 59:28 Comes like a dove. 59:29 What's a dove symbolize? 59:30 Peace comes into our hearts at baptism 59:33 alighting upon Him and suddenly a voice... 59:36 He's not only seeing... now He's hearing... 59:38 our ears will be opened, 59:40 our eyes are opened... 59:41 we're now hearing whose voice? 59:43 God's voice... speaking to us in a new way 59:46 and what is that voice saying? 59:48 "This is my beloved... " 59:50 we're not just the children out there, 59:52 we're beloved... and He says, "Son... " 59:54 or "Daughter... " meaning He's adopted us 59:56 into His family... 59:58 "in whom I am... " what? 59:59 "Well pleased... " 01:00:00 Jesus comes out of the water... 01:00:02 He says, "This is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. " 01:00:04 What happened to Christ is what happens to every true believer 01:00:07 when they're baptized. 01:00:08 You come out of the water, 01:00:10 now for you... you're married to Christ... 01:00:11 the heavens are open to you. 01:00:13 Jesus said, "Ask in my name 01:00:14 you've asked nothing... 01:00:15 ask now that your joy might be full. " 01:00:17 He says, "I will now give you new hearing... 01:00:19 I'll give you new seeing... new vision... 01:00:22 I'll declare that you are adopted... 01:00:24 you're my son... you're my daughter... 01:00:26 and I'm well pleased with you... 01:00:28 all your sins are washed away. 01:00:30 Have you gone through your life thinking, 01:00:31 God is always angry at you? 01:00:33 I remember preaching this story once 01:00:35 in a town here in northern California 01:00:38 and a... a lady came up to me and she was crying. 01:00:40 She said, "I've been in the church all my life 01:00:42 and it never occurred to me that God could be pleased with me 01:00:44 and that baptism represented that new birth... " 01:00:48 and she just had such a joy... she actually got re-baptized 01:00:51 and I still remember the smile on her face to this day 01:00:54 and Christ is asking us to experience that. 01:00:57 He wants us to have that new beginning... 01:00:59 that new birth... like a little baby. 01:01:01 What did the Lord tell the Apostle Paul through Ananias? 01:01:07 In Acts 22:16, 01:01:10 when Paul recognized that Jesus was the Christ, 01:01:13 He said, "And now why are you waiting? 01:01:16 Arise and be baptized, 01:01:18 and wash away your sins, 01:01:20 calling on the name of the Lord. " 01:01:22 Pray to God... be baptized... 01:01:24 He will wash away your sins 01:01:25 and Paul was filled the power of the Spirit 01:01:28 and became one of the greatest teachers 01:01:31 in the New Testament. 01:01:32 Now, this is one of those nights... 01:01:34 there are a few nights during our Seminar, 01:01:36 we ask you to respond. 01:01:37 We don't do these Seminars just to be interesting. 01:01:40 We do it because we want people to be ready for Jesus' coming. 01:01:43 I hope that's not a secret. 01:01:44 We're going to ask... 01:01:46 some of you are meeting in groups 01:01:47 where your group leader is going to hand out a card like this. 01:01:50 Here... we'll put it on the screen if you're watching, 01:01:52 we're going to ask you during our break 01:01:54 before Bible questions... 01:01:56 if you want to make a decision to get baptized, 01:01:59 I want to pray for you... 01:02:01 I'd like to know about that decision... 01:02:03 you can let us know online 01:02:04 but here are the questions I'm going to ask you. 01:02:06 When you go to your car... 01:02:07 or you can make that decision now 01:02:09 and mark it later and send it to us. 01:02:11 "Realizing that I'm a sinner, 01:02:14 I want to repent of my sins and accept Jesus 01:02:18 as my personal Savior. " 01:02:19 You might be thinking, "Well, that's a good idea, 01:02:22 one of these days, Pastor Doug, I'd like to do that. " 01:02:24 There's no time like now. 01:02:26 The best time to listen to God's voice is when you're hearing it. 01:02:29 Jesus said, "Today, if you hear my voice... 01:02:33 don't harden your heart. " 01:02:35 So, He's speaking to you now, make the decision now. 01:02:38 If you want to be a Christian and you want to follow Jesus 01:02:42 and accept His salvation, say, "Yes" there. 01:02:45 Secondly, if you say, "I love Jesus 01:02:48 and I desire to follow His example of baptism by immersion" 01:02:51 I'd like to know that... we want to pray for you. 01:02:54 Mark that... you can make your decision right now. 01:02:56 It doesn't mean... no one's going to knock on your door 01:02:58 and force you into a baptism, 01:02:59 it means, you've made your decision... 01:03:01 it's like setting a date for a wedding 01:03:03 and then you prepare for that. 01:03:04 We hope that you'll talk to a pastor 01:03:07 and we'll be able to help you answer your questions. 01:03:09 Third question... some of you are out there... 01:03:13 this is important. 01:03:14 "I've wandered away from Jesus 01:03:16 and I'd like to re-dedicate my life to Him 01:03:19 and be re-baptized. " 01:03:21 You may be... know you need a new beginning 01:03:24 and you want that fresh experience. 01:03:26 Write that down... we'll pray for you 01:03:28 and you can get some counsel on how to proceed 01:03:30 and then that fourth question... 01:03:33 "I'm considering baptism 01:03:35 and I'd like to have somebody visit me. " 01:03:37 Friends, we've just been teaching the Word of God, 01:03:40 I'm not really a preacher as much as a teacher 01:03:43 but I know I've told you the truth 01:03:45 and Jesus is clear... 01:03:46 He wants you to be a part of His bride... His church... 01:03:49 He loves you... 01:03:50 He wants you to hear his voice say... 01:03:52 you are now His beloved daughter... His son... 01:03:54 in whom He is well pleased 01:03:56 and have all of your sins washed away. 01:03:58 He'll look upon you as a newborn baby 01:04:00 and He wants to give you the gift of the Holy Spirit 01:04:03 and I should warn you in all fairness... 01:04:05 Jesus... when He was baptized... 01:04:07 God filled Him with the Spirit... 01:04:09 He began a life of ministry... 01:04:11 the devil also came to try to discourage Him from His ministry 01:04:15 but Christ overcame every temptation... 01:04:17 He said, "It is written... " 01:04:19 when you're baptized, there may be trials afterward 01:04:22 but you're beginning a journey to the Promised Land 01:04:25 and there's a joy that is worth much more 01:04:27 than any of the trouble, Friends, 01:04:29 you'll never be sorry... 01:04:30 I've never met anybody that was sorry they decided 01:04:33 to accept the One that died for their sins... 01:04:36 that loves them that much. 01:04:37 So, I'd like to pray with you and encourage you... 01:04:43 fill out this card... please let us know... 01:04:46 you can go to the Revelation. com website... 01:04:48 RevelationNow. com website 01:04:50 let us know... you can fill out your card online 01:04:53 what your decision is... so we can pray for you as well. 01:04:55 "Father in heaven, 01:04:56 I just pray that Your Spirit will be with those 01:04:59 who are grappling with this eternal decision. 01:05:02 Some have wandered, Lord, 01:05:05 and you're calling them to return 01:05:06 and get that new beginning. 01:05:08 Others have been longing for an opportunity 01:05:10 to start their lives over... 01:05:12 a life with you... a life of new hope and joy 01:05:15 and eternal life as their goal. 01:05:18 Bless them with that experience now. 01:05:20 I pray your Spirit will be in each one's heart... 01:05:23 encourage and move them to follow you 01:05:25 and to trust you... 01:05:27 we thank you and we pray this in Jesus' name, 01:05:29 amen. " 01:05:31 Don't go anywhere, Friends, 01:05:33 we're going to be back with Bible questions 01:05:34 and also, I want you to remember 01:05:37 that we have the lesson tomorrow morning 01:05:39 it's at 11 o'clock 01:05:41 talking about: Bowing To The Beast. 01:05:42 You don't want to miss that... 01:05:44 will be back in just a moment. 01:05:46 Pause... 01:05:59 Get on the ground... 01:06:00 hands on your head... 01:06:02 on screen... 01:08:39 "I was in prison and you came to me. " 01:08:47 On screen... 01:08:49 Assuredly, I say to you, 01:08:51 inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, 01:08:55 you did it to Me. " 01:08:59 On screen. 01:09:08 Today, millions of prisoners still haven't experienced 01:09:11 the transforming power of God. 01:09:14 Please consider unlocking captive hearts 01:09:16 with a life-changing gift. Thank you. 01:09:24 Pause.. 01:09:28 Ross: Hello Friends, welcome back to Revelation Now 01:09:31 and we're going to be taking some of your Bible Questions... 01:09:33 so we want to thank those who've sent in 01:09:36 your Bible questions already and if you haven't yet, 01:09:38 if you're watching this on Facebook, 01:09:40 you can just type your question in the Comments Section 01:09:43 and we'll send that through and we'll get it live 01:09:46 so, we haven't seen all these questions, Pastor Doug, 01:09:48 so it would be fun to see the different questions... 01:09:50 where they're coming from... 01:09:52 we have some questions that have already been sent in, 01:09:55 we're going to put that up on the screen 01:09:56 and we'll start with those. 01:09:57 So, the first one is: 01:09:59 What name should we be baptized in? 01:10:01 Doug: Yeah, that's a good question 01:10:03 and I didn't really get to it in the lesson. 01:10:05 The actual word spoken by the Minister 01:10:09 that officiates at a baptism, 01:10:10 is a very particular exact utterance 01:10:14 you are supposed to say. 01:10:15 Well, Matthew chapter 28, Jesus said, 01:10:17 "Baptize in the name of the Father... 01:10:19 the Son... and the Holy Spirit... " 01:10:21 but then you go into the book of Acts 01:10:23 and I think it mentions two or three different variations. 01:10:26 It says, "Baptize in the name of the Lord... 01:10:28 baptize in the name the Lord Jesus... 01:10:30 baptize in the name of... I think it says: Jesus Christ" 01:10:32 and so, the idea is that you're being baptized 01:10:37 in the name of the God of the Bible. 01:10:39 You know, you and I do weddings occasionally 01:10:42 and we have the couple go over their vows 01:10:45 and sometimes they'll want a more formal vow 01:10:48 and they'll say, you know, 01:10:49 "Do you Elizabeth... James... 01:10:53 so and so the third 01:10:54 marry Robert... William... Randolph... Hearst... " 01:10:56 whoever it is and... 01:10:58 and sometimes, you'll say, "Do you Bill take Mary?" 01:11:02 And you know, technically they're both legal 01:11:04 as long as the people involved in a covenant 01:11:07 and the witnesses realize 01:11:08 that the parties understand 01:11:10 who the commitment is being made to, 01:11:12 that's what makes a Covenant legal 01:11:13 so, I know some churches put a lot of credence 01:11:16 on the exact wording. 01:11:17 In our church, we say, "In the name of the Father 01:11:20 and the Son and the Holy Spirit. " 01:11:21 Sometimes I'll say, "In the name of the Father 01:11:23 and the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. 01:11:26 That's the idea. 01:11:27 Ross: Okay, very good. 01:11:29 We have another question, we'll look at that now. 01:11:31 It says, "How old should one be to be qualified for baptism?" 01:11:36 Doug: I heard a Pastor one time that... 01:11:39 he was on his way during a camp meeting... 01:11:41 he was taking some children to the river 01:11:43 that were going to be baptized 01:11:44 and the parents, of course, were present 01:11:46 and somebody said, 01:11:48 "Brother, aren't those children too young to be baptized?" 01:11:50 and he said, "Are they old enough to be lost?" 01:11:52 He said, "Yeah... " 01:11:55 He said, "Then they're old enough to be saved. " 01:11:58 So, when a person gets to the age of accountability 01:12:01 where they understand the claims of the gospel... 01:12:03 and that varies, you know, 01:12:05 the closest thing we can come to... 01:12:07 any kind of a... an age in the Bible is the Jewish tradition 01:12:10 that a boy reached manhood at 12, 01:12:14 I think today, 01:12:16 a Bar Mitzvah's usually at 13... 01:12:17 that changed somewhere over the centuries... 01:12:18 I don't know when 01:12:20 but... and for a girl, it's Bat Mitzvah 01:12:22 but they figured they were entering adulthood... 01:12:24 they were responsible more for their decisions than... 01:12:26 and, you know, some kids... 01:12:29 they're old enough to make that decision 8... 9 years old, 01:12:32 they might be a little young 01:12:34 but, I say, when they're old enough to read 01:12:36 and have their own personal devotional life, 01:12:38 they understand what sin is... 01:12:39 what it means to repent of their sins, 01:12:43 then, they're probably old enough to be baptized. 01:12:46 Ross: Okay, very good, we have another question, 01:12:49 it says, "There is one sin that I am struggling to surrender, 01:12:52 should I be baptized?" 01:12:53 Doug: Well, you know, if you're... 01:12:57 if you're struggling with... can I... 01:13:01 I'm having trouble... 01:13:03 sometimes, I don't push away from the dinner table 01:13:04 soon enough, 01:13:06 that's a struggle that people have through their lives, 01:13:08 you know, you do okay for a while 01:13:11 then you may backslide 01:13:12 but if you're addicted to some kind of substance, 01:13:15 you know, and... 01:13:16 and you're controlled by some drug or 01:13:19 or you're addicted to pornography 01:13:21 or if, you know, you're struggling with drinking 01:13:25 or smoking or one of these things, 01:13:26 you don't want to be handcuffed to the devil... 01:13:28 and the reason I say that is 01:13:30 you have to ask, "What will this do to my witness?" 01:13:34 If a person gets baptized... 01:13:37 like me... I get baptized and I'm drinking with my buddies, 01:13:39 I mean, in jail telling, "Yup, I got baptized today" 01:13:42 they said, "What a fine Christian you are, 01:13:43 what are you doing here?" 01:13:45 And... so you know, you get baptized 01:13:48 and then you're in the bar... you're nursing a beer 01:13:51 and you're blowing smoke rings and... 01:13:52 and you say, "Yeah, Jesus set me free... " 01:13:55 and then he'll say, 01:13:56 "Well, you don't look like you've been set free... " 01:13:58 so, you want to have those kind of sins 01:14:02 that, you know, monopolizes... 01:14:05 you don't want to be addicted to any kind of habitual sin 01:14:06 and you want to have those things behind you. 01:14:09 It doesn't mean... 01:14:10 you know, after I got baptized, 01:14:11 I thought I... I made a lot of progress 01:14:13 because I quit smoking and drinking and cursing 01:14:15 and... and then I got baptized and then God said, 01:14:18 "Doug, you know, you're pretty selfish and proud" 01:14:20 so, there's still things you're going to learn 01:14:22 even afterward 01:14:24 and don't wait until you feel like you're perfect 01:14:26 but you want to be committed to Jesus 01:14:28 and don't be handcuffed to the devil. 01:14:30 Ross: Okay, we've got some questions 01:14:32 that people have sent in, 01:14:34 this is a question that's coming from Canada 01:14:36 and the question is: 01:14:37 If there is going to be a seventh day in heaven, 01:14:41 will it be kept like the Sabbath? 01:14:43 Doug: Well, I think it's going to be much more glorious 01:14:47 than what happens here on earth 01:14:49 but it does say there in Isaiah that... 01:14:52 chapter 66, "From one new moon to another" 01:14:55 and that means from month to month... 01:14:57 and from one Sabbath to another 01:14:58 shall all flesh come and worship before Me... " 01:15:02 and I know somebody's going to ask the question, 01:15:05 "Pastor Doug... " 01:15:06 but you all wait till the question comes in 01:15:08 about the new moon... 01:15:09 I'm not going to answer that preemptively. 01:15:12 So... but yeah... it's going to be different 01:15:14 because God Himself will be there with us 01:15:18 and in the beginning, when God made man, 01:15:20 He then made one more day... 01:15:23 He made a 7th day to commune with man. 01:15:25 Can you imagine a day to be in the very presence of God... 01:15:28 just the glory and the joy and the bliss that we'll feel... 01:15:31 is... you know... incomprehensible. 01:15:33 So, it will be real... 01:15:35 it's going to obviously be infinitely enhanced 01:15:38 from whatever happens here. 01:15:40 Ross: Okay, all right, another question, 01:15:42 it says, "How do you know if you are saved?" 01:15:45 Doug: You know, Jesus tells us, 01:15:48 "You will know them by their fruits. " 01:15:49 Do you love the Lord? 01:15:51 Do you appreciate what Jesus did for you? 01:15:55 Do you long to communicate with Him? 01:15:57 Do you think about Him through the day? 01:15:59 If you're tempted to sin, does that grieve you? 01:16:03 And, you know, you just... 01:16:06 you have the fruits of the Spirit in your life. 01:16:08 Do you now start loving people more? 01:16:11 Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faith, meekness, 01:16:14 temperance... these are the fruits of the Spirit. 01:16:16 You'll start seeing them, you might not see all of them, 01:16:18 you may not have a bumper crop right away, 01:16:20 but when you go... when you turn around... 01:16:22 on the road to life, you go in a new direction... 01:16:26 so has the direction of your life changed? 01:16:28 and that, I think, is a good criteria. 01:16:30 It doesn't mean that you're not still struggling 01:16:32 but have you given your life to the Lord? 01:16:34 Has your direction changed? 01:16:36 Like someone said, "I'm not what I should be 01:16:38 but I thank God that I'm not what I used to be. " 01:16:41 Ross: Right, there needs to be growth and progress. 01:16:43 Here's a great question, it says, 01:16:45 "I was born into Catholicism and I just got re-born recently, 01:16:49 how do I know what church does baptism properly. 01:16:53 Doug: Well, you can quickly research probably 01:16:58 even on the Internet, churches that baptize by immersion. 01:17:00 So, that's not hard to find out. 01:17:02 I'd ask you to keep tuning in two more nights 01:17:05 and we're going to be talking a little more 01:17:09 about how do you find a church 01:17:11 with a kaleidoscope of different churches out there 01:17:15 that call themselves: Christians 01:17:16 and there's many good people in these different churches 01:17:18 don't misunderstand 01:17:19 but there's also a lot of churches 01:17:21 that have got some teachings that are off center 01:17:23 and so, how do you find a good church 01:17:25 where you can grow and be spiritually healthy? 01:17:28 We're going to talk about that Sunday night 01:17:30 so, make sure you keep tuning in. 01:17:32 Ross: All right, this person is asking, 01:17:34 "When Jesus was baptized, 01:17:36 did He start a new mission on earth?" 01:17:39 Doug: Well, Christ really didn't begin His earthly mission 01:17:43 until His baptism... 01:17:44 He was subject to His mother and father... 01:17:46 Jesus was probably helping in the family carpentry shop. 01:17:50 It appears when Christ began His ministry 01:17:52 that Joseph had died at that point 01:17:55 and we don't know exactly what year 01:17:57 but he never appears after Jesus' 12th birthday 01:17:59 so, somewhere between Jesus being 12 01:18:02 and baptized at 30... 01:18:03 He was probably working in the family business... 01:18:06 the people in Nazareth said, 01:18:07 "Is this not the Carpenter's son?" 01:18:09 They all knew who He was and... 01:18:11 but he didn't really start His public itinerary... 01:18:14 preaching... teaching... healing ministry till His baptism. 01:18:17 It says, "He was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism" 01:18:21 and that's when He began to live a life of total service 01:18:24 to... to God as our Savior and our teacher. 01:18:27 He did more in three and a half years... 01:18:29 you know, one reason I believe the Bible is true... 01:18:31 Christ made the most outrageous prophecy... 01:18:33 He said to His disciples, 01:18:35 "My teachings are going to go into all the world. " 01:18:37 That's a pretty... that's a pretty arrogant thing to say 01:18:41 unless you know you're the Son of God. 01:18:43 He's never passed any university... 01:18:45 never went more than a 100 miles from the place of His birth, 01:18:48 He's got no degrees... 01:18:49 He leads no army... 01:18:51 He does not have any royal station... 01:18:52 He says, "My teachings are going to go into all the world. " 01:18:55 Well, today, Christianity is the biggest religion in the world. 01:18:57 So, that prophecy came true. 01:18:59 Ross: Absolutely. 01:19:01 Doug: So... what was the question? 01:19:03 I got hypnotized by my own voice. 01:19:05 Ross: Well, it's a good question I'm trying to think, 01:19:07 what was the question, Pastor... 01:19:09 Doug: He got hypnotized too. 01:19:10 All: Laughter. 01:19:12 Doug: All right, let's go to the next question. 01:19:13 Ross: All right, we got another one. 01:19:15 It says, "I am 17 years old 01:19:16 and I'm struggling to be a Christian 24/7. 01:19:19 Can you give me some advice?" 01:19:21 Doug: Oh yeah, you know, and... 01:19:22 I got a text from a friend... 01:19:24 he's probably hopefully watching now 01:19:25 and just this week he said, "Pastor Doug... " 01:19:27 he's in college and he's struggling 01:19:28 in his relationship with Jesus 01:19:30 and you know, especially during that age... 01:19:33 more young people leave the Lord 01:19:34 during their college years 01:19:36 between High School and 25 01:19:38 because there are so many distractions... 01:19:40 you're transitioning from being a child 01:19:42 under your parents' authority 01:19:44 to having all of this freedoms and all this liberation 01:19:47 and... and you got all the surges and hormones of youth 01:19:51 and it's real easy to start putting spiritual things 01:19:54 on the back burner. 01:19:55 You feel eternal... because you've no aches and pains yet 01:19:58 and you don't realize you're going to get old 01:20:00 and life is temporary 01:20:01 and so, it's a difficult time 01:20:03 and I tell you, when you're going through those years, 01:20:07 the river's going to smooth out, just get through the rapids... 01:20:10 hang in there. 01:20:11 Even if you don't feel like it, talk to Jesus... 01:20:14 He will never leave you... 01:20:15 if you make some big mistakes, don't get discouraged, 01:20:17 stay with Him... 01:20:19 He will not forsake you. 01:20:20 If you give your heart to the Lord... He adopts you 01:20:22 even if you're His child and you misbehave, 01:20:24 He still loves you... He'll chasten you 01:20:26 but don't turn away from Jesus. 01:20:29 Pray... put aside regular time to read His Word... 01:20:34 gather together with other believers 01:20:36 even if sometimes you may not enjoy it or understand, 01:20:39 it is helping you... I promise. 01:20:41 Ross: Hmmm... hmmm... that's a good point. 01:20:43 Doug: Make Christian friends. Ross: Yeah. 01:20:44 Doug: You'll be influenced by your friends. 01:20:45 Ross: Okay, this person is asking, 01:20:48 "Should the laying on of hands be done after baptism 01:20:51 to receive the Holy Spirit?" 01:20:53 The person says, "I have never had that done for me... 01:20:56 even though I have been baptized. " 01:20:58 Doug: Good question, you know, that... 01:21:00 that's something that is a Bible teaching 01:21:02 that's often neglected. 01:21:04 It does say that the Apostles... they came up to Samaria 01:21:07 so that people... when they were baptized 01:21:10 they would lay their hands on them. 01:21:12 When Karen and I were in Russia about 26 years ago... 01:21:15 27 years ago... I knew she'd correct me... 01:21:19 I... 28 years ago... 01:21:21 it's getting longer all the time 01:21:22 well, it was right after Communism... 01:21:26 right after Communism fell in '92, yeah... 01:21:29 and when we baptized the people, everybody... 01:21:32 I couldn't say... I couldn't speak Russian 01:21:35 and so, I didn't do the declaration 01:21:37 but they... I'd been preaching to them through a translator, 01:21:39 they really wanted me to lay hands on them 01:21:41 when they came out of the pool, we had a big Olympic pool 01:21:44 and I stood there by the pool exit 01:21:47 and everybody that came out... I laid my hands over them... 01:21:48 I said a prayer with a translator beside me... 01:21:50 India... same thing... 01:21:52 they all wanted us to lay hands on them and pray... 01:21:54 that's really actually very Biblical 01:21:55 and so, yeah... there's nothing wrong with that, 01:21:59 Bible talks about a teaching of the laying on of hands. 01:22:02 Ross: Okay, another good question... it says, 01:22:05 "Can a person be baptized by a relative 01:22:08 or does it have to be a Pastor?" 01:22:10 Doug: If your relative is a Pastor. 01:22:13 Well, it should be a person who is... 01:22:16 who has some spiritual authority invested in them 01:22:20 and you can read in the Bible 01:22:22 those who did baptizing were either apostles or deacons 01:22:26 and that means... and they all had hands laid on them 01:22:29 to invest them with some spiritual authority 01:22:32 to evaluate if a person was prepared. 01:22:35 If anybody in the family 01:22:37 starts baptizing people too soon 01:22:39 without them being... remember you have to be taught, 01:22:41 so, you need someone qualified to teach them 01:22:43 and know: do they understand? 01:22:44 And, you know, they should have that authority 01:22:49 and so, I think it should be a Pastor... an Elder... 01:22:52 in rare cases, it might be a deacon 01:22:55 or somebody that... you know if there's... 01:22:57 like with Philip and the Ethiopian... 01:22:58 he was technically, I think, a deacon at that point 01:23:00 but he became the Evangelist. 01:23:02 Ross: Okay, we have another question, it says, 01:23:05 "Are we supposed to feel clean or completely new 01:23:08 after we are baptized?" 01:23:10 Doug: Ah, well, you may not feel anything, 01:23:14 you know, when you're baptized, 01:23:15 you're really being saved by faith. 01:23:18 It's kind of like asking a couple, 01:23:20 after the ceremony, 01:23:21 "Do I feel more love?" 01:23:22 Well, you should know there's a difference there 01:23:26 because you've made a covenant... 01:23:29 you've made a promise 01:23:30 and now you believe that relationship is changed 01:23:34 You know, I always like the part 01:23:35 and I suppose, you do too 01:23:37 where you... after they've said the vows... 01:23:39 after you've had the prayer 01:23:41 and after they've agreed 01:23:42 then you turn them towards the audience and you say, 01:23:45 "By the power invested in me, 01:23:46 according to the Word of God and this State, 01:23:48 I now pronounce you man and wife... 01:23:51 what God has joined together, let not man put asunder 01:23:54 and it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you, 01:23:58 Mr. and Mrs... " 01:24:00 and you declare, "Now, they are one flesh. " 01:24:03 It's just a new relationship 01:24:05 and I've often heard a couple say, 01:24:07 "Wow! it struck me, I am now married... 01:24:10 I am now a wife... a husband... " 01:24:13 and... yeah, it's kind of... 01:24:14 I think you'll feel something... 01:24:16 baptism... 01:24:17 Jesus said, "When you do this, 01:24:18 I am promising to wash away your sins 01:24:21 and I will give you the gift of the Holy Spirit as you pray. 01:24:23 Believe it and then you will feel it. 01:24:25 If you know all your sins are washed away, 01:24:28 you're going to feel better. 01:24:29 So, do you believe? 01:24:30 If you believe His promise, you'll probably feel different. 01:24:33 But don't say, "Well, I'm not feeling anything" 01:24:36 God made a promise whether you feel it or not. 01:24:38 Sometimes we don't know the sun is shining up there 01:24:41 because the clouds are in the way but it's still shining. 01:24:42 Ross: Right. 01:24:44 Somebody else is asking, 01:24:46 "How do you know where God is leading you in your life?" 01:24:49 Doug: You know, I... 01:24:51 I'll start this answer by offering something free 01:24:54 because I won't have time to give you all 12 points 01:24:57 but there's a free book you can download 01:24:59 at Amazing Facts called: Determining the Will of God 01:25:01 because we get this question a lot... 01:25:03 we put the answers into a little book: 01:25:05 Determining the Will of God 01:25:06 you'll see little book with a weather vane on it. 01:25:08 First of all, what does the Word of God say? 01:25:11 The Bible tells us, "In the multitude of counsellors 01:25:14 there is safety. " 01:25:16 Look for providential openings that God is giving you. 01:25:20 Sometimes He gives you the desires of your heart... 01:25:23 has God put a special interest, 01:25:25 if you're praying about a direction... 01:25:27 He'll give you different gifts 01:25:28 and guide you in a particular direction. 01:25:30 So, there's about 12 different points in that book 01:25:32 of how do you know God's will. 01:25:34 We have time for one more quick question Pastor Ross. 01:25:36 Ross: Yes, it's a good one, it says, 01:25:38 "Are you forgiven of your sins... " 01:25:39 oh, let me re-read this... 01:25:41 "Are you forgiven of sins you can't remember?" 01:25:43 Doug: Oh, good, I'm glad they asked that. 01:25:45 You don't have to worry about confessing the sins 01:25:49 you don't remember. 01:25:50 I can't remember every sin that I've committed. 01:25:53 The thing to do is just get on your knees and say, 01:25:57 use the Ten Commandments as an outline 01:25:59 and say, "Lord, I know I'm guilty of 01:26:01 worshipping other things as God... 01:26:03 I may be made idols out of other things in my life, 01:26:07 I've been disrespectful with Your name, 01:26:09 I'm not given You Your time like the Sabbath 01:26:12 or respected holy time... " 01:26:13 and you can look at the Ten Commandments... 01:26:15 Bible says if you're thinking impure thoughts, it's adultery, 01:26:18 if you're thinking angry thoughts, 01:26:20 it can be spiritual murder, 01:26:22 and we can call it spiritual homicide, 01:26:24 so, you go through the Ten Commandments 01:26:27 and just begin with those 01:26:28 and then, if you can't think of anything, say, "Lord... " 01:26:30 pray that prayer of David, "Search me and try me... 01:26:34 see if there be any wicked way in me 01:26:35 and lead me in the way everlasting... " 01:26:37 and say, "Lord, if I've forgotten something... " 01:26:39 or if you borrowed something from your neighbor 01:26:41 and you haven't brought it back in three years, 01:26:43 maybe the Holy Spirit will say, 01:26:45 "You know, it stops being 'borrowing' after a year... 01:26:48 and you need to take your neighbor's rake back... " 01:26:51 there might be some restitution that needs to happen... 01:26:53 as you're confessing your sins 01:26:55 and you're going to find a great relief. 01:26:57 I prayed like that once I became very convicted 01:27:00 years later, the Lord puts something on my heart... 01:27:02 I totally forgot about it 01:27:04 and I had to right that wrong 01:27:05 and I felt great peace... 01:27:07 as long as I didn't know... I was okay. 01:27:09 So, He'll reveal those things at the right time 01:27:12 and you don't have to worry... 01:27:14 God is not trying to do a "gotcha" 01:27:16 on the judgment day He'll say, 01:27:18 "Ha, you forgot this one... " 01:27:20 He wants to save you and He'll help you to be saved. 01:27:23 Ross: Absolutely, we'd like to remind our friends 01:27:25 who are joining us... 01:27:27 we have a book talking about baptism... 01:27:29 it's: "Baptism Is It Really Necessary?" 01:27:31 of course, this is our free gift to anyone. 01:27:32 If you'd like to receive it, text the word: BAPTIZED 01:27:35 to the number: 40544 01:27:38 you'll be able to get a digital copy of the book. 01:27:40 If you're outside of North America 01:27:43 and you can't text, 01:27:44 then go to: RevelationNow. com 01:27:46 and you'll be able to download the book and read it, 01:27:48 and you'll be able to share it with somebody else... 01:27:50 real inspiring book 01:27:51 so we want to encourage you 01:27:53 to take advantage of that free offer. 01:27:54 Now, as we've mentioned a little earlier, 01:27:56 tomorrow we have a very special program. 01:27:58 It's going to be at 11 a. m. Saturday morning 01:28:01 and we have one at 7 p. m. in the evening as well. 01:28:05 It's sort of a double header... this subject coming up 01:28:09 so be sure to tune in. 01:28:10 Doug: Bowing to the Beast. Ross: Tell your friends. 01:28:11 Doug: Yeah, look forward to seeing you. |
Revised 2021-03-18