Participants:
Series Code: TMC
Program Code: TMC000006A
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00:14 Good evening! Very happy to welcome all of you back
00:18 again this evening. Appreciate you being here. 00:20 I'd like to say "hello" and give my greetings 00:23 to a group in Lancaster, Ohio. 00:26 Very special group there that I have met with many times. 00:29 I know they're watching, and just wanted to say "hello" 00:31 to them. We're moving off of prophecy tonight 00:37 but tomorrow night we're back. 00:40 We're back into prophecy again. 00:42 We're going to be several nights because 00:44 we're trying to just take you step by step 00:46 right down to the time in which you and I are living. 00:49 And I realize, folks, that what we're studying 00:52 is kind of heavy. 00:54 And I realize that it also kinda tugs at some people's hearts. 00:59 I understand that and I sympathize greatly. 01:02 But you wouldn't have any appreciation for me, 01:06 you wouldn't consider what I had to say 01:10 worth anything if I didn't tell you exactly what the Scripture 01:13 says. You expect that, right? 01:16 And so tomorrow night our subject is entitled 01:19 God's Jurassic Park. 01:22 God's Jurassic Park. 01:24 You and I hear about it all the time. 01:27 We've heard about all the dinosaurs and all those types 01:30 of things over the years. 01:32 But the Bible speaks of different beasts 01:35 that God has. And we're going to take a look at those beasts 01:38 tomorrow night. We're going to look at 01:40 Revelation the 11th chapter. 01:42 And in that 11th chapter of Revelation 01:45 is a beast. Very few people ever seem to recognize it 01:50 or even know that it's there. 01:51 But it's a very very important one because it affects your life 01:55 and mine in a very very definite way. 01:59 So we hope that you'll be sure to be here 02:01 tomorrow night as we talk about God's Jurassic Park. 02:05 Very very important subject. 02:08 It's going to put another one of the pieces of that puzzle 02:11 in place. You remember, I told you 02:14 as we talked about last night 02:16 that we had five of those pieces of those puzzles 02:19 in place. There were two left. 02:21 Tomorrow night we put in the sixth one. 02:23 So you don't want to miss tomorrow night. 02:26 Tonight our subject is A Simple Step That Can Change Your Life. 02:31 I'm sure that you have made 02:34 decisions in your life 02:37 which had consequences 02:39 the rest of your life. 02:41 What we're looking at tonight 02:43 is that type of thing. 02:44 Very positive 02:46 but it's a step that can definitely change your life 02:49 in a very very marked manner. 02:52 We're very happy and I'm sure you have enjoyed 02:55 Joe Pearles and the music he's brought to us. 02:59 And he's going to sing for us a very wonderful song 03:02 that I hope you'll listen to very carefully. 03:04 It's entitled Wasted Years. 03:20 Wasted years, 03:24 wasted years... 03:26 oh, how foolish 03:33 as you wander 03:37 in darkness 03:40 and fear. 03:46 Turn around, 03:49 turn around... 03:52 God is calling... 03:57 He's calling you 04:02 from a life of wasted years. 04:11 As you wander along 04:17 on life's pathway 04:23 have you lived without love 04:29 a life of tears? 04:36 Have you searched for the great 04:42 hidden meaning? 04:48 Or is your life 04:53 filled with lost, wasted years? 05:01 Wasted years, wasted years... 05:08 oh, how foolish 05:14 as you wander 05:19 in darkness 05:22 and fear. 05:28 Turn around, 05:30 turn around... 05:34 God is calling... 05:39 He's calling you 05:44 from a life of wasted years... 05:51 He's calling you 05:56 from a life 05:58 of wasted years. 06:19 Heavenly Father, 06:23 tonight as we consider 06:27 one of the steps that You want us to take, 06:32 one that makes a great difference in our lives, 06:36 we ask that you will give us the understanding that we need. 06:41 We pray, Lord, that our relationship with You 06:45 may be close. 06:47 That each one of us may desire to come to know You 06:53 in a very very special way 06:57 and that each one here tonight 07:00 may be blessed. For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 07:13 I'm sure that in your life 07:16 you have sometime taken a step, 07:22 made a decision, did something 07:25 that had consequences that have affected you all your life. 07:29 At least I have. Those are steps that we take 07:32 that are very very real. Let me tell you a couple 07:36 that maybe will help you understand. 07:38 Marriage. Marriage is a step that you take 07:42 that affects you all your life. Right? 07:47 Very definitely. And when we take that step 07:50 we make a commitment. 07:53 By the way, that's what those things called vows are. 07:57 That means we make a commitment. 07:59 I commit my life, and that has consequences on it... 08:04 what I do. And surprisingly, folks, 08:09 the cost of the wedding has nothing to do with it 08:14 or the length of the ceremony. 08:16 I mean, it has nothing. It's the commitment that's made 08:19 that is what counts in that marriage relationship. 08:23 And so we take that step in marriage 08:26 and it affects us all the rest of our lives. 08:29 Let me tell you another step that we take 08:32 that affects us all of our lives 08:34 and that's when you decide to have a child. 08:38 Amen! I mean, when that baby is born 08:42 your life changes. I mean radically. 08:46 I know when my kids came to that place where they 08:48 were about to have children I told them: "Understand 08:51 that from this day on life will no longer be the same. " 08:55 A definite change takes place. 08:57 Well there's something in the Bible 09:00 that it talks about a change that takes place 09:04 and it has to do with a commit- ment that you and I make. 09:07 And that has to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ. 09:11 The Bible compares it to marriage. 09:15 Did you know that? 09:17 It makes a definite comparison to marriage. 09:20 Listen to these words: 09:30 So it talks here about that relationship 09:33 and it says: "Your Maker is your husband. " 09:37 That is a relationship with Jesus Christ. 09:41 Now, when two people 09:46 enter into a relationship and they decide to get married 09:51 it changes the wife's name, right? 09:54 Well, the Bible talks about that also and it says: 10:02 So this is talking about our relationship with the Lord 10:06 and it says: "For as many of you as were... " What? 10:16 In other words, you put on Christ. That means that you 10:20 take His name. 10:22 So that step that you and I can take 10:25 that will change your life forever 10:28 is when I take the step of baptism. 10:31 'Cause baptism is a public declaration, folks, 10:37 listen carefully to me: 10:38 baptism is a public declaration of my acceptance 10:42 of Jesus Christ. 10:44 That's what baptism is. 10:45 When I'm baptized I am publicly declaring 10:49 that I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. 10:54 I have put on Christ... I have taken His name. 10:59 Unfortunately as time has passed 11:05 baptism has been practiced many many different ways. 11:10 For instance there are some that baptize with a pinch of salt. 11:17 That's how they baptize: with a pinch of salt. 11:20 There's another group that baptize with a few drops of oil. 11:26 You find that there are some groups 11:28 that baptize by the laying on of hands. 11:32 All these are different ways that baptism is practiced today. 11:36 There are some that practice what is called 11:39 the baptism of desire. 11:41 That means that all that's required is just the fact 11:44 that you desire to be baptized. 11:47 And there are some that practice baptism 11:49 they say "the baptism of the Holy Spirit" 11:52 is all that's necessary. 11:54 If you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 11:56 then you don't need water baptism. 11:58 We'll look at that tonight and see what the Scripture 12:00 says about that. Another group practices baptism by mail. 12:04 Did you know that? 12:06 Yeah, you can write in and they will baptize you by mail. 12:10 Send you a certificate of your baptism. OK? 12:13 Another group that will baptize by phone. 12:18 Picked up the paper the other day 12:20 and here was a boy... lives on the West Coast. 12:23 His grandfather lives on the East Coast. 12:26 His grandfather was a minister 12:28 and it say that his grandson called him up over the phone 12:32 and he baptized him over the telephone. 12:35 Is that possible? 12:37 Others baptize by affusion; 12:41 others that baptize by sprinkling. 12:44 So you find that there are many. 12:45 Some baptize by triune immersion. 12:48 That's three times face forward. 12:50 So when we start talking about baptism 12:53 there are many many different methods of baptism 12:57 that are practiced tonight. So what we have to do 13:00 is we have to go to God's Word 13:02 and see what the Scripture says about it. 13:04 And it tells us here in the book of Ephesians 4 and verse 4: 13:19 Now when the Scripture says one baptism, folks, 13:23 it's not talking there about... should I say... 13:29 the number of times because tonight we'll see where 13:32 some people were baptized more than once. 13:35 It's talking about the manner or the way in which 13:38 a person should be baptized. 13:40 And tonight we just found out there were quite a number 13:43 of different ways that people are baptized today. 13:47 So what we want to do is we want to go to God's Word 13:50 and we want to see what the Scripture tells us 13:52 about the manner of baptism. 14:08 Now it says very clearly that John baptized Jesus 14:11 "in Jordan. " That's a very important phrase right there 14:15 when it says: "in Jordan. " 14:24 So it says that he baptized Him in Jordan. 14:29 When I lived here in Chicago 14:32 I started to school here. 14:35 We lived over here on the corner of Harrison and Damon. 14:39 And I'm not real positive, folks... 14:41 I haven't even had a chance to even drive back there. 14:44 But the school that I went to - started school in - 14:47 I think was called Irving School. 14:51 But I remember very distinctly 14:53 that as a boy when I walked to school 14:55 there was a little man there. He was a Greek. 14:58 And he had a little cart. 15:00 And he pushed this cart around the school 15:03 and on that cart he had a waffle iron. 15:06 And he would make waffles, real brown, 15:09 and then he would take them out. And he had a brush 15:13 that he had melted butter. And he would spread melted butter 15:16 on that waffle. And then he had a flour sifter 15:19 and he would sift powdered sugar on it. 15:21 And he sold those waffles to us kids. 15:23 Ruined me... that's the only way I like waffles to this day. 15:26 OK. But on that particular cart 15:29 he also had doughnuts that he would dip 15:32 in chocolate syrup. And he sold those to us. 15:36 And we as children liked to talk to him 15:38 because he had a very thick Greek brogue, and we thought 15:42 it sounded kind of funny. 15:43 And so we liked to talk to him and we would ask him 15:46 what he did with that doughnut. And he would tell us 15:48 he "baptizoed" it. 15:51 That's what he would tell us. 15:52 You see, baptism is a Greek word. 16:04 That's what the word baptism means. 16:07 So when it says John baptized Jesus in Jordan 16:12 it means he put Him under the water. 16:15 That's what it means. He put Him, immersed Him, 16:17 under the water. That's what the word baptism represents. 16:21 That's what it means. It has a very definite meaning! 16:25 It means a great deal. 16:27 We're going to take a look at that meaning. 16:42 Now it says that John was baptizing in Aenon 16:46 near Salim because of what reason? 16:50 Much water. Now if you want to underline in your Bible 16:53 underline those words much water because it says 16:57 baptism requires much water. 17:00 That's what it requires. 17:02 You see, when I was a child and went to church 17:05 we used to sing a hymn called Roll, Jordan, Roll. 17:09 And so when I grew up I thought the Jordan River 17:12 was a great big river. 17:15 Well, when I went over to Israel I learned different. 17:19 I found that the Jordan River is kind of like the Rio Grande. 17:24 You can step across it in certain places, you see? 17:27 John was baptizing in Aenon 17:30 because there was much water there. 17:33 Baptism requires much water is what the Scripture tells us. 17:41 Acts 8 verse 35... this is probably one of the clearest 17:44 scriptures in all the Bible concerning baptism 17:49 and how it takes place. And it says: 18:02 Now Philip has taught this eunuch. 18:04 This eunuch, by the way, is the treasurer of the country 18:07 of Ethiopia. He's been up to Jerusalem to worship 18:11 because he is a believer in God. 18:14 And he's on his way back. 18:16 And the Lord has told Philip: "Go catch him. " 18:20 And Philip has gone and caught him, 18:22 and the eunuch is inviting him to ride in his chariot. 18:26 And this eunuch was reading Isaiah 51, 52, 18:32 53, about Jesus, and Philip explained that to him. 18:38 So now as they're driving down the road 18:40 watch what begins to happen here: 18:55 Now I want to ask you something: this water they found 18:58 was this a puddle? No, couldn't be a puddle 19:02 because baptism requires what? Much water. 19:05 So they got to some water. 19:07 He said: "Why can't I be baptized? " 19:24 Oh dear friend, tonight 19:27 if you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God 19:34 and you haven't been baptized, 19:37 then you should step out in faith 19:40 and be baptized. 19:43 As he said to him: "I believe that Jesus Christ 19:45 IS the Son of God. " Watch what takes place here: 19:58 Who went down into the water? 20:02 Philip and the eunuch. BOTH went down into the water. 20:05 Philip didn't stand on the shore 20:07 and the eunuch get in the water. 20:10 Or the eunuch didn't stay on the shore and Philip 20:12 get in the water. They both went down in the water 20:14 and he what? Baptized him. 20:18 That meant put him under the water. 20:20 That's what it means: put him under the water. 20:23 Watch: 20:30 So it says here that he baptized him. 20:33 They came up out of the water. 20:35 That exactly how baptism is to take place, friends. 20:39 The Bible is very very clear. 20:48 Well, you say: "Does it really make any difference? " 20:54 I have people tell me: "Oh, it doesn't make any difference. " 20:57 "It really doesn't make any dif- ference how you're baptized. " 21:02 Well, let's see what the Scripture says about that. 21:28 Do you understand dear friends? 21:29 If I stand up here night after night 21:32 and I preach to you anything other than what this Book says, 21:36 what? "Let him be accursed, " it says. 21:41 In other words, as I have told you from night to night, 21:45 you must build your belief on this Book. 21:48 On the Word of God... you must stand there. 21:51 You cannot stand on what man says. 21:55 You can't stand upon what somebody's idea is. 21:58 You've got to stand on the Word of God. 22:02 You've gotta look at it; you've gotta study; 22:04 you've gotta get into it 22:06 and find out what it's talking about. 22:08 And as you read it, then you must follow it by faith. 22:13 So you and I must follow what the Scripture says. 22:17 Sure... you may have been baptized 22:23 some other way than the Scripture teaches. 22:27 But when you understand what God's Word says 22:32 then by faith you need to follow. 22:35 That's simply what it tells us. 22:38 What happened? How come we've got so many different things 22:43 being taught about baptism? 22:45 You're looking at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 22:49 If you ever go to Italy 22:52 and have the opportunity to go out and visit 22:55 the Leaning Tower of Pisa... 22:57 and by the way, did you know they're straightening it up? 23:00 I read the other day that they had straightened it 23:02 1/16 of an inch. 23:07 I don't know how long it's going to take them to get it straight 23:10 but they're trying. 23:11 Nonetheless... But if you ever go there, 23:13 friends, don't miss this building right beside 23:19 the Tower of Pisa. 23:22 You know what this is? 23:24 This is a baptistery! 23:28 It's a baptistery that dates back... way way back 23:33 in history past 800 AD. 23:36 There is not a fount in that church. 23:41 There is a pool for a person to be immersed. 23:47 This is not just a little thing. 23:50 Kind of hard to get in sometimes and see these. 23:54 But if you're persistent you can get in and you can see them. 23:57 There are many... I shouldn't say many... 24:00 there's a lot... there's a lot of baptisteries. 24:04 Not founts, folks. Baptisteries where they immersed 24:08 people in the city of Rome. 24:11 You're looking at one here. 24:14 You see the church... 24:17 the church baptized by immersion 24:22 until 1100 AD. 24:27 Listen... here's a historical statement: 24:44 I mean, not until the 1300's 24:47 did they finally accept sprinkling and pouring 24:51 as equal with immersion. 24:54 What caused the change? 24:57 What brought about this change? 25:00 Well, there's a scripture 25:03 that's found in John 3 verse 5 that says: 25:16 Now there are many honest, sincere people 25:20 who took that scripture to mean 25:23 that when it spoke of water 25:26 that was referring to baptism. And I believe it is. 25:29 And they said: "Well, if a person can't get into the 25:33 kingdom of heaven unless he's been baptized 25:35 what's going to happen 25:37 to my little baby if my baby dies 25:41 before it's old enough 25:43 or it's never been baptized? What's going to happen to it? 25:46 Will it be lost? " And so many sincere, honest 25:51 people out of a desire to make sure their child 25:55 wasn't lost began to have them baptized 25:59 and they started sprinkling to care for this problem. 26:04 That's what they did. And there's probably some of you 26:07 here who by your parents 26:11 were taken as a babe in arms and were sprinkled. 26:14 And let me say: your parents were doing what they believed 26:19 was right. And God in His kindness I'm sure 26:23 recognized that. But you... 26:27 now you must look at it in light of Scripture 26:32 and you must consider what the Scripture says 26:37 and follow what it says. What about that child? 26:41 If it is not baptized is it lost? 26:46 Well I want you to listen to a scripture. 26:50 You remember Jesus is walking down the banks of the Jordan 26:53 River. He's coming... He's approaching John 26:57 and He asks John to baptize Him. 27:02 And it says: 27:15 Now He's asked John to baptize Him. 27:17 And when He asked John to baptize Him John said: 27:20 "I'm not even worthy to untie Your shoes 27:22 let alone baptize You! " 27:25 And Jesus said: "John, suffer it to be so 27:29 to fulfill all righteousness. " 27:35 What was He talking about? 27:37 Did Jesus need to be baptized? 27:41 Did Jesus need to have His sins washed away? 27:45 Hmm? No... He never sinned. 27:49 You say: "Well, He was baptized as an example. " 27:52 Well wasn't the example of the disciples enough? 27:56 What did Jesus mean when He said: "John, 27:59 suffer it to be so to fulfill all righteousness? " 28:04 What He's talking about is that there are certain people 28:09 like the thief on the cross 28:12 never had the opportunity to be baptized. 28:16 He said: "John, I need to be baptized for him. " 28:21 "For that boy out there in the foxhole 28:24 that gave his heart to the Lord Jesus Christ 28:27 and never made it back home, was never baptized. " 28:30 Jesus said: "John, I need to be baptized for him. " 28:34 "For that child - that baby - 28:38 who never reaches the age of accountability, " 28:41 Jesus said, "John, I need to be baptized for that child. " 28:46 Let me tell you something: that baby is perfectly safe 28:51 in the arms of Jesus Christ. 28:54 You don't have to worry. 28:56 You see, the Bible says that you and I are to be 29:01 old enough to understand what we're doing 29:04 when we're baptized because it is a public 29:08 declaration of my acceptance of Jesus Christ. 29:13 See, that's what it is. It's a public declaration 29:16 that I have accepted Jesus Christ. So I need to be 29:18 old enough to know what I'm doing. 29:22 There are some people that say: "Well, if you receive 29:26 the baptism of the Holy Spirit... " 29:29 And by the way, you need to receive the baptism of the 29:33 Holy Spirit. If you haven't, then keep coming 29:38 'cause we're going to talk about it. 29:40 But you need to receive it, but it doesn't take the place 29:44 of water baptism, friends. 29:46 You can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit 29:49 but that doesn't mean you're released from receiving 29:51 water baptism. I want you to listen: 30:03 Peter's preaching. While he's preaching the Holy Spirit 30:06 falls on these people. Now watch: 30:26 They said: "We never saw this before! 30:29 Here the Holy Spirit has been poured out on these Gentiles! " 30:33 OK. 30:54 He said: "No! We can't forbid them from being baptized! 30:58 They received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 31:00 they need to receive water baptism. " 31:03 So dear friends, this evening if you 31:07 have never received water baptism 31:10 and you've given your heart to Jesus Christ 31:13 and you even have evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit 31:16 and you haven't been baptized by water, 31:18 the Scripture says that you should be. 31:22 Not to forbid them from being baptized by water. 31:36 There are cases in Scripture 31:39 where people were baptized more than once. OK? 31:44 Paul has made his way up to the coast of Ephesus 31:49 and there he has found some believers. 31:52 It says this about it: 32:04 So these are believers. 32:06 These are followers... they're disciples. 32:08 All right. "And he said to them... " 32:15 He said: "Did you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit 32:19 when you believed? " 32:27 They said: "What are you talking about, Paul? " 32:32 "We don't know anything about any Holy Spirit. " 32:34 "What are you talking about? " 32:36 Paul gets very very serious with them. Watch: 32:53 They had been baptized by John the Baptist. 32:57 OK. This was before Pentecost. 33:00 This was before the Holy Spirit had fallen 33:02 so John wasn't aware of what was involved there. 33:06 And so it says: 33:12 He said: "He told you to repent. " 33:23 He said: "What John preached was right, it was true. 33:27 No question about it. " 33:37 So when they had learned that and they realized 33:40 that they didn't know anything about it 33:42 and he taught them then they were baptized a second time. 33:46 There are times when people need to be baptized again. 33:51 Let me share with you some times. 33:54 If you have been taught different 33:58 than the Bible teaches... 34:02 I don't mean... You know, none of us understand it perfectly. 34:05 Don't misunderstand me. 34:07 But I'm saying that if you accepted Christ 34:11 and you just didn't understand what the Scripture is teaching 34:15 and all of a sudden like those people in Ephesus 34:17 your mind is clear and it's opened up, and you see 34:21 the Word of God like you've never seen before 34:23 and you're committing your heart to Jesus Christ, 34:25 you probably need to be baptized. 34:28 Secondly, 34:30 if you were baptized as a babe, 34:33 you didn't know what you were doing. 34:36 Your parents had you baptized. 34:39 There was no commitment on your part 34:41 and as a babe you were baptized 34:44 then you probably need to be baptized again. 34:48 Also, if you didn't know what you were doing, 34:53 like in my case... 34:55 See, I was just a small boy when I was baptized first. 35:01 I didn't know what I was doing. 35:02 They just gathered all the kids up in church 35:05 and baptized us. 35:07 Didn't tell me anything... didn't say anything to me 35:10 about my relationship with Jesus Christ. 35:13 They just gathered all of us up and baptized us. 35:15 And so when I got older 35:18 and I gave my heart to Jesus Christ 35:21 I said: "Oh, no... I've got to be baptized. 35:25 This is a commitment of my life to Jesus Christ. " 35:30 Had to be baptized again. 35:33 And if you're coming back to Christ... 35:36 Now let me explain what I'm saying here, folks. 35:39 I'm not talking about if you "stumped" your toe. 35:42 That's not what I'm talking about. 35:44 I'm not talking about if the devil has breathed down 35:46 your neck and tempted you 35:48 and you did something you shouldn't have done. 35:50 That's not what I'm talking about. 35:52 I'm talking about if you gave your heart to the Lord Jesus 35:56 Christ, were baptized, you followed Him 35:59 and then you left Him. 36:01 And you've gone out and you've lived contrary to the Lord 36:04 for a number of years. You've gone the other way. 36:07 And you're coming back, and you're committing your life 36:12 to the Lord anew. 36:14 You probably should be baptized again. It's like marriage. 36:17 There's a couple. They fall in love. 36:20 They get married; they live together for a while 36:24 but they can't seem to get things worked out. 36:26 And finally they separate; 36:28 get a divorce; go their separate ways. 36:31 A number of years pass 36:33 and they begin to see one another again. 36:36 And they fall in love again and they decide they want to 36:39 live together again. They need to be what? 36:41 Married. OK... same thing. 36:44 It's a commitment of my life to Jesus Christ. 36:47 So there are times when people need to be... 36:51 need to be baptized again. 36:56 When should they be baptized? 36:59 Well, let's see if the Scripture will help us 37:01 understand when a person should be baptized. 37:11 In other words that person needs to be taught. 37:15 These people gladly received the Word of God 37:18 and they were baptized. 37:20 Now, let me clarify something. 37:23 That doesn't take a long time. 37:27 Just doesn't take a long time. 37:29 When I first went in the ministry - 37:32 a young minister - oh, I thought you had to 37:35 study with somebody for six months or a year 37:38 before you baptized them. 37:39 I can remember I was preaching 37:42 and this old gentleman came in 37:45 and had a seat. I'd never seen him before. 37:48 And when the sermon was over I was standing at the door 37:52 shaking people's hands coming out. 37:55 And I shook his hand and spoke to him, got his name. 37:57 And I said: "Appreciate you being here very much. " 38:01 He said: "Oh, I enjoyed it. " I said: "Would you mind 38:03 if I came by to visit you this week? " 38:05 He said: "Oh, no... I'd love to have you come visit me. " 38:08 So I went out to see the old gentleman. 38:10 And got out there and we visited and I said: "I've never seen 38:14 you in church before. How come you come to church? " 38:17 He said: "Oh, " he said, "when I was a young man 38:21 about 17 years old, " he said, 38:23 "I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. " 38:25 He said: "I accepted Him as my Savior. " 38:27 And he said: "I went to church every week. " 38:29 He said: "I didn't miss church. " 38:31 He said: "I was there every week. " 38:33 And he said: "I loved it! " 38:34 He said: "I looked forward to it. " 38:36 He said: "It was a great experience. " 38:38 And he said: "When I was in my 20's, early 20's, " 38:41 he said, "I started going with a young lady. " 38:43 And he said: "She didn't go to church. " 38:47 But he said: "I didn't think anything about it. " 38:49 He said: "We fell in love, " 38:51 and he said: "got married. " 38:54 And he said: "After we got married 38:56 every time I went to church when I came back we got in 39:00 a great big argument 'cause she didn't want me to go. " 39:03 And he said: "That went on every week. " 39:05 And he said: "Finally I just gave it up... 39:08 quit going to church. " 39:10 He said: "I haven't gone to church in years. " 39:14 He said: "Two weeks ago my wife died. " 39:18 He said: "I decided to come back to church. " 39:22 And in my mind, folks, I said to myself: 39:25 "This time you'll know what you're doing. " 39:27 See, that's what I said to myself. 39:29 So I said to him: "Would you like to study? " 39:32 "Oh, " he said, "I'd love to. " 39:33 I said: "I'll tell you what: I'll come out every week 39:35 and we'll have a study together. " 39:37 Now folks, I just didn't go out and study with that old 39:41 gentleman. I gave him assignments to do. 39:44 He could have gotten a degree from the Seminary. 39:47 I mean, he faithfully did those assignments 39:49 every week. And I gave him this assignment one week there 39:53 in Acts the 2nd chapter where it says that Peter preached 39:57 and 3,000 were converted in a day. 39:59 And as we were studying that he looked at me 40:01 and he said: "Brother Cox, 40:03 if Peter would have put those people through 40:05 what you put me through, there wouldn't have been 3,000. " 40:09 See? I began to understand: yes, a person needs to be taught 40:13 but that does not take a long time. 40:16 It has to do with the commitment, the surrender 40:20 of one's heart to Jesus Christ is what it has to do with. 40:24 Not only are they to be taught. It says: 40:30 They had heard the Word of God. 40:32 Secondly, a person must believe. 40:35 If you don't believe, it's not any good. 40:38 It says: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; 40:43 he that believeth not shall be damned. " 40:46 Baptism apart from belief is not any good. 40:49 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved 40:53 but he who does not believe will be condemned. " 40:56 Also, the Scripture says that you and I need to repent. 41:01 Now it says here in Acts 2:38 41:15 I want to say a word about repentance, folks. 41:19 The Scripture says that repentance is something 41:23 that God gives. 41:26 Did you hear me? 41:27 It says it's something that God gives. 41:30 I've talked to people and I've asked them: 41:32 "Have you accepted Christ as your Savior? " 41:34 And they've said: "Yes, I've given my heart 41:36 to Jesus Christ. " 41:37 And I said: "Have you been baptized? " 41:39 And they say: "No, Brother Cox, I haven't been baptized. " 41:42 I say: "Well, why haven't you been baptized? " 41:43 They said: "Well, I just don't feel bad enough. " 41:46 What are you talking about? 41:48 You know, they think that if they don't repent 41:52 in sackcloth and ashes then they shouldn't be baptized. 41:55 No, dear friends. Your responsibility, 41:58 my responsibility, is to come to Jesus Christ. 42:03 He is the One that gives repentance. 42:07 And if you'll give your heart to Him 42:09 He'll do His work in your life 42:11 and bring about repentance. That is God's work. 42:14 Your responsibility and mine is to give our hearts to Him. 42:18 OK... but He said you need to repent. 42:20 And as God brings repentance you and I need to repent. 42:24 Thirdly it says that we need to be converted. 42:37 Do you understand conversion? 42:40 Hmm? Do you understand conversion? 42:43 Let me tell you what conversion is. 42:46 You'll have to forgive the vernacular here. 42:50 I'm going to hell; I'm going to hell; I'm going to hell; 42:54 I'm going to hell. 42:55 I'm going to heaven; I'm going to heaven; I'm going to heaven. 42:59 That's conversion. Means turn around! 43:02 What it is: change my way. 43:05 That is conversion... that's what the word means. 43:08 I change the direction that I'm going. 43:12 So when I commit my heart to Jesus Christ 43:16 it means that I've changed my direction. 43:20 I have made a commitment of my life to Jesus Christ. 43:26 You see, baptism represents 43:29 the death of Jesus Christ. 43:41 So when a person is placed beneath the water 43:46 that represents the death of Jesus Christ. 43:50 Now folks, are you understanding why 43:53 sprinkling won't work? 43:55 Or a few drops of oil? 44:00 Or a pinch of salt? Won't work! 44:02 It represented the death of Jesus Christ. 44:06 That's why the person is put beneath the water. 44:10 It represents the death of Jesus Christ. 44:12 It goes on here in Romans 6 and it says: 44:23 So baptism also not only repre- sents the death of Jesus Christ 44:27 it represents the burial. 44:30 That He was placed in the tomb; the burial of Jesus Christ. 44:43 So baptism represents the death, the burial, and then 44:48 here in Romans 6 and verse 5 it says: 45:01 So as that person comes up out of the water 45:04 it represents the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 45:09 It does more than that. 45:12 As that individual is baptized, 45:15 as he's placed beneath the water, 45:19 it means that I have died to an old way of life. 45:26 With me? 45:28 That's conversion. 45:30 I have died to an old way of life. 45:35 No longer am I 45:39 going to walk in the old way. 45:42 I've given my heart to Jesus Christ. 45:45 Are you with me, folks? 45:48 It's like marriage. 45:52 You don't get married and keep running around with other women! 45:57 You don't do that. 46:00 If you do, you're not going to stay married long. OK? 46:05 So when I give my heart to Jesus Christ 46:08 I have died to an old way of life. 46:13 That's what it represents. 46:15 It also means that all my sins 46:20 have been buried. 46:23 See? And I come up out of the water 46:26 clean... clean in Christ Jesus. 46:31 I don't know of anything... 46:33 I don't know of anything in this life 46:37 that will give you the privilege of starting over brand new 46:41 except baptism. 46:43 Baptism lets you wipe the slate absolutely clean. 46:48 You want to see what the Scripture says about that? 47:09 Oh, He says He'll take all of your sins tonight, dear friends. 47:15 That sin that haunts you. 47:19 Maybe it's something that you did that was really very bad. 47:23 Or maybe it's just something that constantly nags you. 47:28 God says He'll take that sin, 47:31 cast it into the depths of the sea. 47:34 Marvelous! 47:38 You see, when you're baptized 47:40 the Bible says you come up clean. 47:42 You don't have one thing against you. 47:47 The Bible uses words for that. 47:49 It says that you are justified. That's what baptism represents. 47:54 It means that all your sins have been done away with. 47:58 Cast in the depths of the sea. 48:27 God says: "You've got a sin tonight 48:29 that's really bothering you, friend? " 48:32 Said: "I'll put it behind My back. " 48:35 "I'll cast it in the depths of the sea. " 48:38 "I'll remember it no more. " 48:53 "As far as the east is from the west, " 48:55 God said, "I removed all your transgressions from you. " 48:59 This is what God desires to do for you. 49:02 Wonderful! He loves you! 49:05 Baptism is simply a public declaration 49:09 of one's acceptance of Jesus Christ. How important is it? 49:14 How does God feel about it? 49:16 I want you to listen what God says about it here: 49:33 John the Baptist preached and these people heard it 49:36 and they were baptized... EVEN tax collectors. 49:40 OK? Now watch what he has to say here: 49:57 "Oh, " they said, "we don't need to be baptized. " 50:00 And they pulled their cloaks around themselves 50:04 and said: "Oh... we don't need it. " 50:07 And it says that they rejected what? 50:12 The will of God. 50:15 You see, the will of God is that you should be baptized. 50:19 That's God's will. 50:21 Dear friend, don't sit there and say: 50:25 "Well I'm not good enough. " 50:27 "The Lord won't have me. " 50:29 "I've done too many bad things in my life. " 50:34 Dear friends, God's will is that you be baptized. 50:39 That's God's will. 50:41 He said: "Listen, there aren't any sins I can't forgive. " 50:46 "I'll take them... I'll remember them no more. " 51:30 Jesus Christ came to this earth 51:35 and He died for you. 51:39 He lived a perfect life for you. 51:41 He did everything that was required for you 51:45 that you might be saved. 51:47 He did all that. 51:50 Are you not going to accept it? 51:53 "We played the flute and you didn't dance? " 51:57 "We mourned and you didn't weep. " 52:01 Are you going to let the great sacrifice of Jesus 52:05 Christ go in vain? 52:09 No, dear friend, 52:11 He made every needful thing 52:17 for your salvation. 52:19 He accomplished it that you might be saved. 52:25 The Scripture says that Saul of Tarsus 52:32 had received a commission from Ananias the high priest 52:37 to go to Damascus and arrest the Christians 52:41 and to bring them back to Jerusalem to be tried. 52:45 Taking a group of soldiers they headed for Damascus. 52:52 When they got within view of the city of Damascus 52:56 all of a sudden a great light 52:59 shone upon Saul. So strong that it knocked him to the ground. 53:03 And a voice spoke and said: "Saul, Saul... 53:06 why persecutest thou Me? " 53:09 And he said: "Who are You, Lord? " 53:12 And Jesus said: "I'm Jesus whom you persecute. " 53:17 Said: "What would You have me do, Lord? " 53:21 And He said: "Go on to Damascus. 53:24 It will be shown you what you shall do. " 53:28 Saul of Tarsus is now blind. 53:32 He can't see. 53:34 He's led by the hand to Damascus. 53:40 There in Damascus is a man by the name of Ananias. 53:46 And the Lord has spoken to Ananias and He said: 53:49 "Go to the street called Straight 53:51 and inquire for one Saul of Tarsus. 53:55 He is a chosen vessel unto Me. " 53:59 And Ananias goes there. 54:01 And the Lord has told Ananias to pray for Saul 54:04 that he might receive his sight. 54:08 Ananias goes and he finds Saul and he prays for him 54:13 and his sight is given back to him. 54:16 Now here... I mean, we're just talking a few days. 54:20 Saul of Tarsus - who is the persecutor - 54:24 Saul of Tarsus - who has fought against God 54:28 and against Jesus Christ. 54:31 Here on the road to Damascus he has come face to face 54:34 with Jesus Christ and there he's given his heart to Him. 54:40 And now the scales have fallen off his eyes 54:43 and he can see. And I want you to listen 54:47 to the words of Ananias to Saul. 55:03 "Wash away your sins. " 55:06 Tonight, dear friend, 55:08 why are you waiting? 55:11 Why are you waiting? 55:13 He said: "Rise! Be baptized. " 55:16 "Wash away your sins. " 55:21 Jesus Christ is inviting you 55:25 to take that step... to follow Him. 55:28 To have all your sins washed away. 55:32 Calling on the name of the Lord. 55:36 If you will do that, 55:39 then He will was you whiter than snow. 55:48 Lord Jesus, I long 55:53 to be perfectly whole. 56:00 I want You 56:03 forever 56:06 to live in my soul. 56:12 Break down every idol, 56:19 cast out every foe. 56:26 Now wash me 56:29 and I will be 56:33 whiter than 56:37 snow. 56:44 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 56:46 Father, we thank you 56:50 that You've made all the provisions. 56:53 That all that we have to do is to follow. 56:56 We ask, Lord, that tonight 56:59 each one of us 57:02 may rejoice in our sins forgiven, 57:06 the cleansing that Christ gives, 57:09 and that we might follow You and walk with You. 57:13 That all of us may have a place in Your kingdom. 57:16 Not because we're worthy 57:18 but because we've accepted You as our Savior. 57:21 For this we pray in Christ's name, Amen. 57:25 Don't forget tomorrow night. 57:29 Be back with us. Good night; God bless you. |
Revised 2019-04-08