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Covenant Reformed Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Rice September 25, 2022
All right, if you will turn to the gospel of John in your Bibles the gospel of John we're still in chapter 1. We'll be considering verses 19 through 34 for the second time the gospel of John. Chapter 1 verses 19 through 34.
Let me pray Father in God. Lord, we come to you in the name of Jesus your son the Christ Lord as I am speaking, I pray that your Holy Spirit the Spirit that proceeds from you and the Son is Speaking forth through this vessel that you will use me this day to proclaim the magnificent works of your hand.
In the name of Jesus, I pray Amen. So our theme has been a Prophet's testimony and this is part two of a prophet's testimony. We looked at this last week and I've been saying this over and over for months, maybe even over a year now.
That the testimony of a prophet was to do two things the first they were to do is they were to prophesy the coming of the Messiah and. The second thing they were to do is they were to prophesy a future judgment if Israel does not repent.
The Redeemer is coming. But if you don't repent Judgment is coming and I had mentioned last week that John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet sent to Israel and that Jesus was the final prophet Sent to Israel that before John the Baptist there was a period of 400 years of silence in the Silence in Israel and since Jesus Christ there has been no prophet sent to Israel.
So before John the Baptist 400 years of silence since Jesus Christ Silence in Israel. So join me as we read our text together the gospel of John Chapter 1 beginning in verse 19. And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him Who are you?
He confessed and did not deny but confessed. I am NOT the Christ and they asked him What then are you Elijah? And he said I am NOT. Are you the prophet. He answered no. So they said to him who are you we need to give an answer to those who sent us what do you say about yourself?
And he said I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they have been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him then why are you baptizing if you are neither the prophet.
And if you're neither the Christ Elijah or the prophet John answered them. I baptize with water. But among you stands one you do not know. Even he who comes after me the straps of whose sandals I am NOT worthy to untie.
These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. The next day saw Jesus Coming toward him and he said behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world the sin of the world.
This is he who this is he of whom I said after me comes a man who ranks before me because he was before me. I myself did not know him but for this purpose I came baptizing with water that he might be revealed to Israel and John bore witness.
I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain on him. I myself did not know him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain. This is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and I have seen and I have bore witness.
That this is the Son of God in our outline today. We will see the testimony of a prophet first. We will see his testimony of himself, which we Saw last week, but we'll kind of look at it for a second.
Second we'll see that his testimony of Jesus. What is it that he proclaimed about Jesus? And Third we will we'll see the purpose of his baptism versus the purpose of Christian baptism his testimony of himself his testimony of Jesus and the purpose of his Baptism versus Christian baptism.
Like I said, we looked at his testimony last week. We saw that John the Baptist Was the Elijah who is to come he said he wasn't. But the angel Gabriel said he was and Jesus said he was. And we concluded that John's not lying when he said that he wasn't.
John just didn't know. John didn't know but John was Elijah to come and that and that was the. And this prophecy speaking about Elijah to come was given to us in the in the book of Malachi. So 400 that 400 years of silence the last prophecy given before John came was from the book of Malachi the last book of the Old Testament, so this.
The last prophecy given was that Elijah was going to come 400 years of silence Elijah comes In the person of John the Baptist and That Jesus was the Christ and he was the the prophet spoken of By Moses and we also saw in John's testimony of himself that he was a road worker, right?
If you look at verse 25, it says and they asked him then why are you baptizing if you're I'm sorry verse 23 verse 23, excuse me, why. And he said I am a voice crying out in the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord as the prophet Isaiah so at this time whenever Kings and ever Important People of power would travel they would send people in front of them.
They would make straight their path. They would fill up Potholes with other dirt no matter what it was, you know. Move stuff out of his way, whichever way that this King or there's this person that was in power was traveling.
The road worker had to make straight his path. So Elijah is saying that that's what he is. He is a road worker making straight the path and that he was the lowest slave on the totem pole. If you look at verse 26 and 27 John answered I baptized with water but among you stands one.
I do not you do not know even he who comes after me the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. The lowest slave on the totem pole was the one that would remove the sandal from the feet of their their master.
Who had been walking and and and sand dirt poop? Whatever it was that he had walked in he would remove the sandal cling the sandal and clean the feet. He would wash the master's feet. John says that I'm unworthy to do that.
To Christ you're looking at me like I'm the man. I'm not. I'm not the man. I'm unworthy to be the lowest slave on his totem pole. John made himself low. That's his testimony of himself his testimony of Jesus.
We see in verse 29 and we'll have some subheadings for this. So verse 29. The next day he speaking of John saw Jesus coming toward him. And he said behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
So I have three subheadings and we'll get to these pretty quick. The first subheading is Jesus is the Lamb of God. The second subheading is that Jesus? Well Let me read. Let me reread that. I'm sorry.
Let me reread that. I want to go to verse 31. Verse 29. I Don't feel like it's. I feel like it's incomplete. Maybe I forgot to finish the verses out verse 29. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and he's and he and it's coming toward him.
And he said behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Verse 30. This is he of whom I said after me comes one who ranks before me. Because he was before me I myself did not know him. But for this purpose I came baptizing with water that he might be revealed to Israel.
Okay, that makes more sense to me. Three subheadings. The first one is Jesus is the Lamb of God. The second is that Jesus is eternal and the third is Jesus is the reason behind the message. So the first subheading Jesus is the Lamb of God.
And that's what's taken from verse 29. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. So for the most part, I believe that everyone here I I'm not gonna read too much into but I believe that everyone here understands that this is pointing us to the Paschal Lamb aka the Passover so Egypt.
If you're looking at it from the time of Joseph to the time of Moses. Joseph Has a dream. He tells his dream his brothers are jealous. They they they throw him into a pit. They ended up selling him into slavery.
He he gets put into prison. He gets let out of prison because he's able to interpret a dream. He's he's put second under Pharaoh. I'm trying to go through this real quick. He's put in second under Pharaoh and then His brothers who sold him into slavery along with his father come to Egypt.
They live really good. They have really good lives. They have children. The they start to grow they began to die. Joseph dies come then comes a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph and They put the Israelite people and to slavery.
Moses comes lives in the house of Pharaoh leaves. Here's a burner who hears from a burning bush who who is the angel of the Lord God speaking to him the I am and He sends him back to redeem his people.
Pharaoh would not let his people go. God sends plagues just kind of like a short summation to get us to where we Have to be. So in the plagues that God sends upon Pharaoh because he would not let his people go.
We read about the plague of Water turning to blood. The plague of frogs the plague of gnats or could be lice. The plague of Fleas the plague of diseased Livestock the plague of boils the plague of fiery hailstorm of a of a fiery hailstorm.
The plague of locusts the plague of darkness and the last plague Was the death of the firstborn Son so now the Passover the paschal and the Passover focuses on the last plague. And that is the death of the firstborn son that it was after this plague Pharaoh.
Let the people go so according to this What we read in Exodus each house was to have a male lamb. So each house was to have a male lamb. That male lamb was to be a year old and it was to be without blemish.
They were to kill the lamb and put the blood of the lamb on the two doorposts and on the lentil. So the two doorposts and the lentil above it. They were to put so they were to apply the blood of the lamb in Which they were to eat so they were to slaughter the lamb put the blood on the door and eat the lamb.
The blood was to be for them a sign. Listen. It was to be a sign That as the death angel was going over to kill the firstborn son. It would see the blood on the door and pass over the house that had the blood on the door and This was to be a memorial for the house of Israel.
Every year they were to remember this day by re-enacting what took place. So every year a death angel was not coming over them. They were to do this as a memorial a re-enacting of what took place when the death angel came.
They would apply the blood on the door and the death angel would pass over them. So this had become a memorial to them a re-enacting. John sees Jesus coming toward him and he understands that this re-enacting of this event is coming to an end.
He says behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and we will pick back up on that later subheading number two. Jesus is eternal verse 30. This is he of whom of whom I said after me comes a man who ranks before me.
Because he was before me. We saw this quotation last week, right? We looked at it. I'm not last week. It was two weeks ago verse 15. John bore witness about him and he cried out. This was he of whom I said he who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me.
So we already kind of looked at this first. We already walked through this verse. John sees Jesus coming toward him verse 29. And he says the famous words behold the Lamb of God is coming verse 30. This is he who comes before.
This is of he who comes after me who ranks before me. This is telling us that that his coming after him points to Jesus being the king of whom John was preparing the way for so we have John saying that that he is a voice in this voice.
He is crying out in the wilderness. Make straight his path. Verse 30 after me comes one. Who ranks before me. Remember a king or a person that's in power? Because he was before me. John's pointing to Jesus as being the one whom he is clearing the path for I'm the road worker the one who's coming this Lamb of God who I say walking toward me.
That's the one I'm clearing the path for. He tells us that he Jesus Who was right before him that this is the king and John the Baptist is saying I'm the lowest one on the totem pole. Because he was before me that he is the eternal King.
Now now it talks about he was before me when you look at John's mother Elizabeth. Elizabeth was pregnant six months prior to Jesus's mother Mary being pregnant. For John says he was before me here would have to be pointing to Jesus being eternal.
How could he be before him if John was before him right if John was born before him? How can Jesus be before him so this has to be. John has to be speaking of an eternity past. He was before him and he ranks before him.
John pointing to Jesus because he is the eternal King. He is the eternal Son of God. The word that was in the beginning that was with God and that was God so because God is Condescending John the Baptist is making his path straight.
Subheading number three. Jesus is the reason behind the message verse 31. I Myself did not know him but for this purpose I came baptizing with water that he might be revealed. So what was the message of John the Baptist?
Repent. For the kingdom of heaven is at hand that that's that's what John the Baptist's message was. You need to repent because keep the kingdom of heaven is at hand a new kingdom is developing. Jesus is the king and John baptized with water so that he Jesus might be revealed which takes us to our third point of the message the purpose behind his baptism.
Versus the purpose behind Christian baptism. So in John chapter 1 we're going to go through 24 Through 34, but we're gonna break it up a little bit. So I'm gonna read verse 31 one more time and then I'm gonna read 24 through 38.
I think if I read it in that order, it's gonna make it's gonna make some sense. At least in my head it makes more sense. So I'm gonna read verse 31 one more time and then we'll read verse 24 through 28 31.
I myself did not know him. But for this purpose I came baptizing with water. Don't forget that that he might be revealed to Israel. Verse 24. Now they speaking of those That were sent by the Pharisees now they had been sent from the Pharisees they asked him.
Then why are you baptizing? If you are neither the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet John answered them. I baptize with water. But among you stands one you do not know. Even he who comes after me the straps of scent of his the straps of whom sandals I am Not worthy to untie.
These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was Baptizing. Now to see the full version of what John The writer of this gospel is speaking about what he's pointing out. About the testimony of John the Baptist we have to go to Matthew chapter 3.
So look with me in Matthew chapter 3. Matthew chapter 3 will begin in verse 1. Remember, what was his message? We see it clearly here in those days. John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea.
Repent. For the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he who was who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord make straight his path.
Now John wore a garment of camel hair and a leather belt around his waist and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem right here, then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region. About the Jordan we're going to him.
We're going out to him and they who's today the all that it's speaking about. Were baptized by him in the River of Jordan confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism He said to them you brood of vipers.
Who warned you to flee from the raft to come bear fruit in keeping with? Repentance and Do not presume to say to yourselves. We have Abraham as our father for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees and every tree. Therefore that does not bear good fruit. It's cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptized with water for repentance. But he who comes after me Is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.
He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire his willow and fork is in his hand and he will and he will clear the threshing floor and Gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
First things first the purpose of John's Baptism was that Jesus might be revealed to Israel. So why was he baptized? So that Jesus might be revealed to Israel. Baptism Was his way of making straight the path.
How was how was John this road worker filling up potholes straightening roads and chopping down mountains. Baptism. Baptism was his way of making straight the path. Look at verse 11 a I baptized with water for Repentance.
You go back to verse 2. It says repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. How are they to repent? Being baptized in water. Again I made mention last week that this would been something unheard of. Why would a Jew need to be baptized?
Gentiles coming into the Jewish religion were baptized or unless you were a high priest. Or he was going into the priesthood then there was ritual washings and baptisms, but for a common Jew There was no need to be baptized.
This baptism was like you're on your you do you are the one who is unclean. You need to be baptized. John baptized With water for repentance. You repent it of in John's time you repent it by being Baptized.
Repentance here has two meanings. We're gonna look at the two meanings of repentance. The obvious meaning that most people Will use is that you you turn from something to something. John's case. They were they realize they're dirty.
They want to be clean right. You turn from something to something repentance. The second is from the Greek word metanoia. Metanoia means to change one's mind to change the way you think. The Christian understanding of repentance is a Transformation of the heart.
It's a it's a it's a heart change. We say this in regeneration that Ezekiel talks about the removal of my heart of stone and giving me a heart of flesh. It's saying that I desire a over B. And then all of a sudden I desire B over a.
Right it's like I love this. I don't love this all of a sudden now I love this and I don't love this. That's what repentance is. It first has to begin in a change of mind in order for my my hand. I've said this many times in order for my hand to do this to grab this book and open it.
My brain had to send Signals to my hand in order for that to happen. In order for my body to make the movements in order for my body to For you to see the change with my body at first my brain my mind Has to be changed.
Remember What the message of a prophet was as they were to prophesy the coming Messiah. And they were to pronounce judgment if Israel does not repent. Look at verse 7 and 9 of Matthew. Chapter 3 7 through 9.
But when he saw the many Pharisees and Sadducees. Let me just stop right here for just a second. I want to talk about the differences between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. So these are the two religious sets that we see take place in the New Testament.
I think we might have touched a little bit on the Sadducees and Pharisees this past Friday night as a matter of fact. As I'm up here speaking, I kind of remember something some words were speaking about them.
But I'll talk about the differences between them. So the Pharisees they held to the law right, but but but and the Sadducees held to the law the Writings of Moses. The difference between the two when they hold to the law of Moses is that the Pharisees also held to an interpretation of The book the spoken word as the Sadducees.
Which held to the written word only? So the Pharisees would have an oral tradition that went along with the written tradition. Versus the Sadducees it was only the written tradition. Don't say anything else.
High biblicism if you would say. We see a lot of this today when it comes to like the reformed circles and the non reformed circles today, right? Like like things just don't don't end and nothing's new under the Sun so the Pharisees held to the law, but they also held to a spoken word an interpretation and.
And the Sadducees held to the law, but it was just the written word but they also held to Temple and so the Sadducees believed that their Sanctification them growing in holiness was through the ordinances of the temple.
So the Sadducees would have been with a high priest line comes through the Pharisees held to the resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees didn't believe there was anything after death. So the Pharisees would say resurrection of the dead they held to angels they held to the spiritual things.
Pharisee says no Written word only Sacraments in the temple death nothing. We see this and in Acts chapter 23 I believe it is Paul is has been arrested. He's being confronted. He's answering questions and he says that I'm Speaking about the resurrection of the dead.
I'm here because I'm speaking of the resurrection of the dead there was a An argument basically that arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees over that question. Because the Pharisees held to the resurrection of the dead.
When 70 AD took place the temple fell that was the end of the Sadducees after the red. I mean after 70 AD the Pharisees continued and this is where we see the beginning of rabbinical Judaism comes through the Pharisees.
So this are the two sets that's taken place now. They are against each other. So you have what's called the Sanhedrin and then there was members of the Sanhedrin could be both from both the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
But the main idea that I want to I want you to take right now is that they were against each other. But when you read the New Testament, they come together for a common purpose and That is is that they're against Jesus Christ.
They come together because they are against Jesus Christ. So right here he says but when you went when he speaking of John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees Coming to him Coming to his baptism. He said to them you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come bear fruit in.
Keeping with repentance keeping with your cleanseness. Do and do not presume to say to yourselves. We have Abraham as our father going back to the Torah the law the written book. For I tell you that God is able from these stones.
Imagine he's speaking and there's rocks beside him. Picking up a rock. God can raise up children from Abraham from stones. Imagine that Abraham here frames for us a picture a Covenantal Kingdom people pictures the Jews believed since they were the physical seed of Abraham that God was going to bless them.
Simply because they are the physical seed of Abraham. They're going to receive the blessings of God. In verse 9 he says do not presume to say to yourself. We have Abraham as our father for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from stones.
John. Here is John the Baptist is saying to them God does not need the physical children of Abraham to carry out his promises and we being a Gentile church know this right? Right. We we receive the promises that were given to Abraham.
If you are a child of God through faith in Christ, the Bible and Galatians and Romans tells us that we are children of Abraham. No, it wasn't a stone but it might as well been right Gentile sinners. That stone was probably more clean than we were to the eyes of the Jew.
John saying God doesn't need the physical seed of Abraham to raise up children for Abraham and in verses 10 through 12 here is the prophecy of the Messiah as well as the prophecy of the judgment that was to come and it speaks about the purpose of spiritual baptism.
Look at verse 10 through 12 and I'll give just a little commentary as we go. It says even now the axe Thank judgment. The axe is at the root of the trees the tribes of Israel. Now if you disagree with this we can talk about it, but just listen even now the axe judgment is laid to the root of the trees Israel the tribes of Israel and every Tree every tribe therefore that does not bear fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
This is judgment. This is hell. If you do not bear fruit, you are going to be chopped down and you're going to be thrown into fire. He says I baptize with water for repentance. But he who comes after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.
And he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire judgment hell. The willow and fork is in his hand and he will clear the threshing floor and he will gather his wheat into the barn. Thank the spirit spiritual baptism, but the chaff He will burn with an unquenchable fire judgment because of the sin.
Judgment is coming because John is saying because of your sin judgment, it's coming and They are in need of forgiveness and so John sees Jesus coming and He sees that the reenactment of this paschal lamb is coming to an end.
He says behold The lamb of God that that guy right there Jesus, that's him. He's coming and because he is coming we have no need to reenact this ceremony any longer. Because he's coming to take away the sin of the world the death of Jesus brings about the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of fire.
The Messiah is coming. And he will baptize with fire. And he will baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus speaks about a baptism that he's going to have to undergo and he said, oh have I wished it was now.
And this baptism that he was speaking about was his death burial and resurrection. Baptism doesn't always mean Being emerged in water and I'm gonna get to its meaning. Now to understand the differences in baptism we must First break down the literal versus the figurative.
John literally baptized in water and It was a baptism of repentance. Remember how was one to repent they were to be baptized a symbol of cleanse cleansing. John says that Jesus baptizes with Holy Spirit and Fire this is figurative speech.
Baptism comes from the word baptism. Oh Baptism. Oh is the Greek word but instead of translating baptism, oh. They transliterate it baptism. Oh and they came with the word baptism. Baptism is not a translation.
It's a transliteration. They try to take the Greek word they try to take an English word and fit it into the Greek word. If you were to actually translate baptism, oh the translation would be to emerge.
To dip to dunk. So John emerged people into water for Repentance and listen you can take that. Literally he grabbed people put them in water put brought them back out for repentance. Those that were given faith to believe and were filled with the Holy Spirit right this is where the emerging of the of the new birth comes from so but Jesus emerges with the Holy Spirit new birth.
You're not right. Jesus emerges with fire judgment if you. We have to take it figuratively. But there is a literal something literally come literally coming from it. We are figuratively baptized in the Holy Spirit meaning we have received the new birth.
Those that are not baptized in the Holy Spirit. They're baptized in fire. They do not receive the new birth and when they die they receive judgment. Those that have. Those that are given faith to believe are filled with the Holy Spirit and those that are not given faith to believe will be judged.
So it's it's a figuratively speaking here. Figurative speaking here, but there's something literal that comes from it. People if you're given faith to believe you're filled with the Holy Spirit you receive the new birth you'll die.
You'll be in the presence of God if you haven't been given the faith to believe when you die you are going to go to hell and if you're a Calvinist here, and you ho to the Limited atonement, you know to live in it.
I don't know why I forgot that. That's why I got it tattooed on me. You know, it's a limited atonement. You have to believe that you have to believe that that that those that Christ has not been given faith to when they die.
They're gonna be separated from God forever. That's gonna be a good one for the video. Now the Bible talks about one baptism one baptism and yet I just named off three. But the Bible talks about one baptism.
It's in Ephesians chapter 4 and if you come to the conference, that's the the portion of scripture I'm gonna be teaching on. This figurative baptism of being filled with the Holy Spirit. This is not what Ephesians chapter 4 is talking about.
This is speaking about that. We're looking at right now. It's the new birth. It's the new birth. Although Christian baptism is both literal and figurative. When a Christian is baptized he or she is literally emerged in water, right.
Now y 'all see me baptize Elijah. It's very cold water his teeth were shattering he was literally Emerged into water. His whole body was in water and he Speaking to me Elijah or she whoever's been if you're hearing you've been baptized were figuratively Buried with Christ and you were raised in the newness of life.
So I literally this is Christian baptism. Don't him into water. Literally and brought him up Figuratively. He was buried with Christ and Was raised to the newness of life. That's what the scripture say.
Romans chapter. Romans chapter 6 we get our Trinitarian formula of Christian baptism. From two Places in Scripture the baptism of Jesus and the Great Commission. But first I want to go back to our portion and John and I want to finish reading The rest of John so as I'm reading this other part and Matthew.
You'll be able to see the That John has given a piece of the story, but we'll see the finish the we'll see it finished fully towed. So John again, we're gonna read verse 31 through 34. He says I myself did not know him.
But for this purpose, I came baptizing with water that he might be revealed to Israel. So remember John's baptism Baptized and Jesus comes he's revealed to Israel so we see that take place and John bore witness.
I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and It remained on him. I myself did not know him but was sent but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and I have seen and I have bore witness that he is the Son of God.
Dalyn, I'm about to spank you. Sorry ladies and gentlemen. Don't have my wife here to help me if you look at Matthew chapter 3 again I'm gonna read just 3 through 13 and you're gonna see it. He better explains it then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan.
Now not now picture John's already saying as Jesus is coming. John saying behold the Lamb of God. We have to read that into the text because we see it in the book of John then Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan to John to be baptized by him and John would have Prevented him saying I need to be baptized By you and do you come to me?
But Jesus answered him. Let it be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented this speaking about the the Jesus going into the priesthood. Jesus is going to be the high priest after the order of Melchizedek and in order to be a high priest there was Baptisms that had to undergo right here.
We see this baptism and as a high priest was being baptized. He was to be anointed with oil. He was to be merged in water. And after he come up his father would say this is my son and who I am well-pleased and immediately when Jesus was and when Jesus was Baptized immediately he went up from the water and behold the heavens were opened and I saw the Spirit of God the sin like a dove and Come and rest on him and behold a voice from heaven.
This is my son and whom I am well-pleased. This is the reenactment of a high priest baptism taking place. Was to fulfill all things Jesus had to be born a Hebrew in order to be a high priest. Hebrews chapter 2 and in Matthew chapter 28.
So right there. We saw the the Christian formula we saw The Trinitarian formula we saw the son we saw the fault the fault the father speaking and we saw the Holy Spirit. And in Matthew chapter 28 verse 20.
Matthew 28 16 through 20 Says this now the eleven disciples went to Galilee To the mountains to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him they worshipped him speaking of Jesus. But some doubt it and Jesus came and said to them all Authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore make disciples of all nations baptizing them how in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all that I command you and behold. I am with you all to the end of the age.
I Know this is very very familiar scripture to us. That's the Trinitarian formula baptism father son Holy Spirit. And as reformed believers We believe that Christian baptism is the sign of the new covenant.
It's not a sign of repentance. It's the sign of the new covenant. Christian baptism is not for repentance. But it is the sign of the new covenant. But as reformed Baptist this church what this church represents reformed Baptist.
We believe that this water sign of baptism is given to those who have been baptized in the Spirit. Who have been given faith to believe faith to believe and then you are emerged under water. Look at Romans chapter 8.
Romans chapter 8 verses 8 and 9 Says this. Those who are in the flesh can not please God. Ask yourself. Can anyone in the flesh, please God? No, those who are in the flesh cannot please God you he's speaking to his Christians.
You however Are not in the flesh. But in the Spirit if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him if you have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit.
I don't care if you were held under water to you bubble you do not belong to him. Christian baptism as as believers baptism. Christian baptism as a believer of is for a believer. Is believers baptism?
Where a Christian is to receive the sign of the gospel the death the burial and the resurrection. Romans chapter 6 speaks about this. We are baptized into his death and we are raised to the newness of life.
Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3 verse 27 Says this for as many of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. How do you put on Christ. I Fear ladies and gentlemen, I fear because of the churches of Christ and other denominations who falsely teach baptism.
Baptists have fear to say what the Bible says. You put on Christ in baptism. It's what it says for as many of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Bible tells us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 13 14 and do not make plans to sin. Don't make plans to satisfy your flesh. Because you have died with Christ and you are raised with Christ. The purpose of Christian baptism is being united is to have union with Jesus Christ.
That's the purpose. That's the sign. The sign is the death burial and resurrection. I would go as far as to say that baptism is the gospel. It is the sign of the gospel death burial and resurrection. That's what Christian baptism is.
Is you're taking upon yourself a sign of what Jesus Christ has done for you. And you are saying when he died I died and because he lives. That's why it's so important. That's why it's worth fighting for.
It is the sign of The Covenant and anyone listen anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ. I don't care if you were baptized as an elderly person. And you do not have the Spirit of Christ or you're baptized as the infant and you do not have the Spirit of Christ.
You do not have Christ. You do not have the Spirit of Christ. If you have not been regenerated born again, you do not have Christ. Because the gospel is that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God and he has taken away the sins of the world.
Through his death burial and resurrection and we are baptized into him. We put him on and ladies and gentlemen, I pray that this day you have put him on. I'm available to anyone who wants to talk Pastor Cal as well.
Also, Josh is back your deacon if you need to talk, please. Come see us after the service father. Lord in Jesus name we come to you. What if I said anything? That was confusing. I pray Lord. That you will unconfuse it.
Lord, I just I want to exalt your name. Want those that are under the sound of my voice to be spirit baptized or to be given the new birth. Their their heart of stone removed and you giving them a heart of flesh.
You sprinkling clean water on them and you putting your spirit in them that causes them to obey your commands. Outside of that there's no reason for preaching. How will they hear if no one preaches? Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Well, we know that's only a gift given to you give gift given from you to us. And more now I pray for those who have been Baptized in the spirit and have partaken in the sign of the Covenant Lord that you are preparing their hearts right now.
As we partake in the Lord's Supper, please use it this day to grow us closer to you in Jesus name we pray amen.