- 00:00
- We can all think of these examples. Brothers and sisters, do we know somebody that has dated somebody for a long time?
- 00:08
- What happens if somebody was dating someone for a week and they said, I love this person,
- 00:13
- I want to spend the rest of my life with this person, I can see a future with this person, what would every one of us in this room say to them?
- 00:22
- You should get married. What a wonderful thing that you're experiencing. Why don't you take the sign of marriage, put a ring on that finger and be married.
- 00:34
- What happens in six months? That same individual that said that day one, week one, now says,
- 00:40
- I love this person, I can see myself spending the rest of my life with this person, I think that we'll have a future together.
- 00:46
- What would you tell that person? That's what you said six months ago. You should probably put a ring on that.
- 00:52
- You should get married. You should make a covenant with each other and you should do this very public thing with one another.
- 00:59
- What happens if five years then of that same couple goes by, and you talk to that same individual and they say,
- 01:05
- I love this person, I see a future with this person, I think there's something going on here.
- 01:10
- What would you say to that person? It's been five years.
- 01:18
- It's been five years, what are you doing? Ten years go by, 15 years go by, 20 years go by, and you talk to that person,
- 01:27
- I love this person, I see a future with this person, I think there's something going on here. What would you tell that person?
- 01:33
- Do you even love her? Are you even committed to her?
- 01:39
- How dare you? And no doubt there's probably sexual immorality that's going on there. How dare you say that you love this person, but you're not willing to marry her?
- 01:49
- What is baptism? It's true that the work in the believer's heart has already taken place, and they believe in Jesus Christ and they are saved.
- 01:59
- That's true. But if somebody said, after a week of believing in Jesus Christ, I don't need to be baptized,
- 02:08
- I love Jesus. You'd say, but part of loving is being obedient to the word of Christ.
- 02:14
- That thief on the cross who was saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, what would have been the very first action that he would have done if he was removed from that cross?
- 02:23
- He would have been baptized, he would have dedicated himself to the teachings of the apostles, and he would have gone on fellowshipping with the church.