I'm Darrell Bailey, thank you for tuning in to our Sunday School lesson. Here in our new beginning, lesson five, it's talking about baptism, the first step of obedience. Get your copies of the scripture ready as we get into Matthew chapter 28, verses 19 and 20 in Romans, chapter 6 verse 4 here December the 14th 2025 the 24th of Kislev 5786 of the Hebrew calendar here welcome to Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church here for our sons can listen in our new beginnings class Here as we get into the wonderful word of God and so I Thank God as I get into my time when I got baptized in Israel in the Jordan River. I'm glad that we go back and we look and we realize that there's nothing quite like baptism. And here are some of the pictures when I was in 2008 with John Hagee getting baptized in the River Jordan. I got this book from one of our beloved women of God, Dot Jenkins. She gave me this journal, and I wrote in it every day when I went into Israel. I turned over there to the day of, it was April the 2nd, 2008, so Wednesday, into Israel in the Jordan River. As I look at it, I was baptized by Pastor John Hagee and Matthew Hagee, and John Hagee's wife, Diana, was handing out towels over when we came out. And what an experience it was to be baptized in the Jordan River. I didn't need to get baptized again. I'd already been baptized. But I wanted to experience what it was like to be baptized in the Jordan River. As I look at my notes after that event, I felt so refreshed when I come out of the water. The water was very cold. There were fish in the Jordan River, but it was not kosher to eat any of the fish. We got back to the hotel at six o'clock that night, took a shower to get ready for the Galilean Grill extravaganza that was taking place on the shore of Galilee. An entree was breads, curds, chicken, lamb. Entertainment of two large tugboats came up from the water straight toward the building with flags of excuse me, flowers in their hands. And one boat had an Israeli flag and another boat had an American flag. The whole singer saying, God bless America. And we all stood up in the entire house down on the seashores of Galilee. And there by the river, there were some that came in and they were dancing in the house. And it was all topped off with some beautiful desserts and a cup of coffee, which is right down my, if you know me, I love black coffee. What a night. Went back, got back to our hotel room at 10 o'clock that night to get up at 545 and on a bus in the morning by 715 to make it out to the ancient boat at Genesaret. Wow. We go back memory lane as I talk about our lesson. We look at some of the other pictures that we had that we took that day. What a beautiful day that I remember that it was on April 2nd, 2008, a Wednesday in Israel at the Jordan River. Here's a picture of me getting baptized by Matthew and John Hagee. Now, if you'll look Way back over here is Diana that's over here handing out towels right over in this area when we walk back around over there. And so what an experience that it was to be baptized in the Jordan River. Well, As I talk about baptism, the first step of obedience, we've been talking about so far. Number one, chapter one or lesson one is our sinful condition before salvation. Our second lesson was understanding God's salvation. Our third one was our new life in Christ. And our fourth one was about eternal security. Here in this fifth lesson, we talk about baptism, the first step of obedience. You see, notice what I said. Baptism didn't start out. Baptism was after I made a commitment to Jesus Christ. And so, every one of us, when we look at the wonderful Word of God, while baptism is not required for salvation, it is an important step of obedience in Christ. And by following the Lord in believers' baptism, we're obeying Christ and showing Him that we're glad that He's our Savior. And we experience the blessing of committing ourselves to Christ through our public identification with him. A Christian who refuses to be baptized could be compared to a wife who refuses to accept her wedding ring. How can our relationship with Christ start off right if we refuse to follow him and if we're ashamed of him before others? Baptism is not something to fear. And so, if you have accepted Christ and want to follow him in baptism, simply step forward during the invitation of the next church service praise God and so as we look and realize that from the word of God we get into our scripture Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20 Go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things. Whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Well, Jesus gives this command after his resurrection, meaning all authority, heavenly and earthly, has been placed in his hands. And it stresses that believers do not preach in their own strength. They preach on the authority of the risen Christ. And so, not only that he said, go ye therefore, that's the authority of Christ. But he said of the mandate to evangelize, he said, teach all nations. And I'm glad that we preach salvation by faith in Christ. We bring the message to every nation. We proclaim the cross as the only hope for mankind. And the gospel is universal, not limited by geography, race, or culture. We see the formula of baptism, because in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and the many times that I'm baptized in the church, I have always been by this formula of baptism, because this points to the unity and the equality of the Trinity, and it affirms salvation is of the Father, accomplished by the Son, and applied by the Holy Spirit. Baptism does not save. but symbolizes the work God has already performed in the heart. And so we read, teaching them to observe all things. This is the continuing teaching of ministry because every one of us, baptism, the first step of obedience when we are saved is that it's not just conversion. Christians are called to learn the word, to obey the word, to mature in the word. And so he says, well, I'm with you always. Christ has his abiding presence with us. And I'm glad that the presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit, because Jesus is not really giving orders. He's given himself as the guide, the comforter and the power behind the mission. Praise God. And so. It stresses the pastoral application and the practical obedience. The call to go, emphasizing that evangelism is not optional. It's the heartbeat of the church. It requires intentional movement. Go, he said. Go and teach. Call. It's the call to teach, he said. Make disciples. And I'm glad Jesus didn't command us to make converts only, but disciples. And discipleship involves instruction, accountability, spiritual growth. The call to baptize because baptism is a public declaration of identification with Christ and it symbolizes a new family. Hey, the church, a new identity in Christ, a new mission will follow him. Hallelujah. And so it's the call to obey. He says all things. And so I'm glad that each and every one of teaching them to observe all things. The total obedience, not selective Christianity, believers must follow everything that Jesus taught, not merely the comfortable commands. And it's the comfort of his presence. The love highlights the encouragement that Jesus gives to us at the end. Christ not only commands the mission, he companions the missionaries. His presence removes fear and it fuels the persistence. So as Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20 But then we see that that is the Great Commission and we see Paul's writing of Romans 6 full therefore We're buried with him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father Even so we also should walk in newness of life. What are we talking about? This is the meaning of baptism. And so here is that meaning of And I'm glad that it consistently centers around the cross and the believers' union with Christ. Baptism into Christ is death. This teaches that Paul is describing a spiritual reality, not water baptism, where the person believes in Christ. They are united with his death. Freedom from the power of sin, separated from the old world. Water baptism symbolizes this union, but it does not perform it. Hear me out. Here is not only baptism into Christ is death, but it is burial with Christ. And so burial means the old sinful nature is judicially put away because the believer is no longer a slave to sin because Christ has already broken sin's dominion at the cross. And then we have resurrection with Christ. We're raised up, hallelujah, by the glory of the father. and it emphasizes that the resurrection life is made possible by, hear me out, the Holy Spirit, the finished work of Christ, and God's power, which is the glory of the Father. When we walk in a newness of life, this is the practical outcome, freedom from sin, transformation of the heart, daily dependence on the Holy Spirit, and the cross makes new life possible because the Spirit makes new life actual. And so, it focuses on a practical Christian living and the symbolism of baptism, praise God. It's a picture of death that teaches baptism, pitches our death to the old life, to the old habits, the old sinful nature, the believers. Past is buried. And so that picture of not only of death, but it is a picture of burial. The burial symbolizes complete separation. Just as Christ was put into the tomb, our own life is placed out of sight. Praise God. A picture of the resurrection raised to walk in that newness of life. Praise God. And so that new lifestyle that baptism represents, Christians are called to walk differently. Live differently think differently and it's a newness of life because it means a new direction a new desire a new destiny praise God and so the resurrection power of Christ gives the believer victorious holy living and so In Matthew chapter 28 verses 1920 it tells us what believers must do go teach baptize make disciples obey Christ trust his presence, but Romans chapter 6 verse 4 and tells us why we can live this mission. We died with Christ, we were raised with Christ, and we now walk in a newness of life. Christ gives the command, Matthew, and then Christ gives the power to live in it in Romans. And so, I'm glad, before we go any further, Let's open up with a power of prayer. Will you pray with me this morning in our Sunday school lesson? Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of salvation and the obedience that you call from every believer. Open our hearts today to understand baptism, not listen, Lord, not as a ritual, but as a powerful testimony of our faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you, God, for that moment that we accepted Christ in September of 1972. And Lord, I thank God for the time that we publicly, we went out to the lake and we made a public testimony and witnesses of our life. We were young, we didn't understand like we did later on. But Lord, I'm glad that we obeyed those ones that were teaching us, those men and women of God, our Uncle Baffled Thomas. And Lord, I'm so thankful for those others that got saved with me, that we all found comfort in the Lord and asked Jesus to be the keeper of our soul. Thank you for saving us by God's marvelous grace. And Lord, we have been changed and different ever since. We haven't been perfect. We failed you. But Lord, I know that I know that I know that I'm saved and I didn't have to get baptized to know it. I knew it in my experience of salvation, but I got baptized because it was my profession of faith. to be a witness. And I thank you for saving me by your marvelous grace in Jesus's mighty name. Amen. All right, as we move on, we look and we see, we look and we see in our introduction here, baptism is a public declaration of God's work in the heart and It symbolizes death to sin and new life in Christ. You see, baptism is more than a ceremony. It's a public declaration of what God has done in our heart. It's the first step of obedience, showing the world that you have died to sin and risen to a new life in Christ. Baptism doesn't save you. Salvation saved you. But baptism shows the world that Jesus saved you. Baptism is a picture. It's a spiritual picture of what Christ accomplished for you and what God is accomplishing in you. And so we look and we realize of the important terms of immersion to completely cover in water. Resurrection raised from the dead. What is baptism? It teaches that baptism is a symbol, an outward expression of an inward decision in the life of every Christian born again. It is an important step of obedience to God that signifies our faith in Christ. And as a wedding ring signifies a husband with his wife, so baptism identifies a Christian with Christ. Well, why should I be baptized? There are three biblical reasons to be baptized that I read to you in Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20, Matthew chapter 3 verse 13, and Acts chapter 2 verse 41. First of all, Christ commanded it in Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20. Go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In verse 20, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you. And lo, I'm with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Not only does Christ command it, He also is our example in Matthew chapter 3 verse 13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. And thirdly, we see believers in the Bible practice baptism in Acts chapter 2 verse 41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Praise God glory. And so how should I be baptized? John chapter 1 verse 26. That tells us a man that here he says Jesus John answered him saying I baptized with water but there standeth one among you whom you know not in Mark chapter 1 verse 9 and it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized of John in Jordan and Acts chapter 8 verses 38 and 39 and 40 and he commanded the chariot to stand still and they went down both into the water both Philip and the eunuch and he baptized him in verse 39 and when they will come up out of the water the spirit of the Lord called away Philip that the eunuch saw him no more and he went on his way rejoicing in verse 40 but Philip was found at Azotus and passing through he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea wow Well, we look and we realize that the word baptized literally means to plunge or to dunk. The Bible teaches that you should be baptized in water by immersion rather than sprinkling. Only immersion correctly pictures baptism as Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. As you look at the bottom of the page, picturing Christ as death, his burial, and his resurrection. That's baptism. That's how we should be baptized. And so the meaning of baptism, death to sin, and that is Romans 6, 4, buried with him by baptism into death and going underwater, representing death of the old life. And so I'm glad we see this is the meaning of baptism. Amen. I'm glad. that when you go down under the water, baptism symbolizes death to sin. And I'm glad as we go down under the water, representing the death of your life, the life that was enslaved to sin. When you go down under the water, the old man dies. And when you come up, you rise as a new creation. That's the gospel in motion. It's like planting a seed in the ground. It disappears into the soil before it grows into a new life. What does baptism show about our old life? It shows that the old life is dead, buried, and left behind in Christ. Baptism symbolizes death to sin, and baptism symbolizes resurrection to new life. Because in Romans 6, 4, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. Coming out of the water represents resurrection, rising to a new life empowered by the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a visual reminder that we are no longer prisoners of sin. We're free to live in Christ's power. What does coming up from the water represent? Rising to a new life in Christ, walking in obedience and victory over sin. And so baptism symbolizes death to sin. And baptism symbolizes resurrection to new life. But thirdly, Baptism symbolizes identification with Christ. Galatians chapter 3 verses 27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Baptism publicly declares that we belong to Jesus. It's a testimony to the world that our lives are now his. And so I'm glad as we look. like a seed buried before new life and so we see uh the meaning of baptism it is the resurrection of life amen and so uh each and every one of us uh as uh we get publicly baptized amen i'm glad That it declares that we belong to jesus as a testimony to the world that our lives are now his And it's like wearing a uniform everyone sees whose team you're on baptism said I belong to jesus hallelujah And so why do we get baptized publicly? To show the world that we are followers of christ identified with his death burial and his resurrection And so we see the meaning of baptism. Amen It is the resurrection of life And as we walk in that newness of life, coming up from the water symbolizing new life in Christ and the meaning of baptism is an identification with Christ as well. Praise God. And so I'm glad that we notice that he says baptized into Christ and put on Christ. Baptism shows we belong to Jesus. And then secondly, the pattern of baptism. I'm glad it is immersion. Baptism by immersion Matthew chapter 3 verse 16 that tells us a man that Jesus came up out of the water When he was baptized he went up straight away out of the water and the Bible Demonstrates baptism by immersion going fully under the water and coming up again Sprinkling water on the head doesn't bury the old man Immersion pictures death and resurrection. How should baptism be performed according to the New Testament by immersion? fully going under and coming out of the water. And so it's the pattern that we have. Amen. Not only as we look and we see the meaning of baptism, but that pattern of baptism, that immersion of pictures, death, burial, and resurrection, that pattern of baptism, that it's baptism by immersion, but it also baptism that follows salvation, praise God, because Acts chapter 8, verses 36 down to verse 38, the eunuch believed and then was baptized. And so, Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, the eunuch was baptized after he believed in Jesus, and baptism does not save, salvation saves. But baptism is the next step after receiving Christ. And it's like receiving a diploma. You graduate first, then you walk across the stage, and so everyone, you completed the course, praise God. Can someone be baptized before being saved? No. Did you hear me? No. Baptism follows salvation as an act of obedience. And so the pattern of baptism is We see baptism by immersion baptism that follows salvation, but oh, so we look at baptism the pattern of it is an act of obedience and so we look and we see in Matthew chapter 28 verses 1920 Jesus commands baptism and obedience is not optional because For us believers, baptism is a joyful public act that honors Christ and aligns with his example. Obedience doesn't earn salvation, it demonstrates it. Baptism is love in action, faith in motion. So why is baptism important, even though it doesn't save? Because it is a commanded act of obedience and a public declaration of faith in Christ. Wow. Brother Clarence William that went through every campaign in Italy all the way through all the campaigns in the Second World War. He was old and he wasn't able to get into baptismal pool. So, of course, we couldn't get him in the baptismal pool. We took a five-gallon bucket and all of us deacons gathered around Brother Clarence William. He had his mother's Bible on him. He went through every one of the campaigns in the Second World War without ever getting shot. seeing all the horrible death and everything. Brother Clarence Williams was a hero to me, a great soldier. There's not many of the World War II vets left in the world. Anyway, we all come together and took all the water that we brought back from Israel. and took that bottle with that five-gallon bucket, and all of us gathered around Brother Clarence Williams, tilted him back because he wanted to be baptized. He was saved, saved, saved, but he had never been baptized. Couldn't get him into baptism. So we tilted his wheelchair back, put a five-gallon bucket behind his head, and poured his entire head with water from the Jordan River that we had. Hallelujah, praise God. Man! because it's commanded act of obedience and a public declaration of faith in Christ. And so. We see the meaning of baptism and the pattern of baptism, and that is that each and every one of us baptism by immersion, baptism that follows salvation and baptism, that is an act of obedience. But we see that obedience. And the third point, not only the meaning of baptism, not only the pattern of baptism, but thirdly, the blessing of baptism, which is a public testimony in Acts chapter 2 verse 41. I'm glad that we see that believers openly witness their faith in Acts chapter 2 verse 41. Many were baptized after believing the gospel, showing their new faith openly. Your baptism witnesses to your family, to your friends, to the community that belong to Jesus. Hallelujah. It's like putting your name on a membership roster and everyone sees you're a part of God's family. Man, what does baptism communicate to others? that you are a follower of Christ and have committed your life to him. And so the blessings of baptism is number one, it is a public testimony. But secondly, it is strengthening your faith because we see of the blessings of baptism that first of all, baptism reminds believers of death to sin and new life in Christ. So it is strengthened our faith because of Romans 6 for Baptism visually reinforces what God has done in your life And it reminds you daily that sins power is broken a new life is in is yours in Christ every time you remember your baptism it strengthens faith and reminds you of God's promise and so how does baptism strengthen the believers faith and by serving as a visible reminder of the death of the old life and the resurrection into the new life. And then lastly, not only when we look and realize that from the experience of looking at the blessings of baptism, that we saw a public testimony, a strengthening of faith, but thirdly, of the blessings of baptism, obedience brings blessing. First Peter Chapter 3 verse 21, baptism doeth also now save us. Baptism doeth also now save us, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God. Not physical cleansing, but a good conscience. And so obedience brings blessing. Obedience brings a sense of peace and joy. showing the heart aligned with God's will and what blessing comes from obeying God in baptism. You see a clear conscience before God, public witness and spiritual encouragement. And so obedience brings peace and joy. As I close out, as I close out, baptism is a beautiful act of obedience. And so it's God ordained step of obedience, a declaration that your old life is dead. Your new life is alive and your heart belongs to Jesus. And so I'm glad it declares our old life is dead and our new life is alive in Christ. Acts chapter two, verse 41. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized in the same day. They were added unto them about three. Thousand souls and like those believers your baptism marks the beginning of your public journey to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ And so I'm glad as we get ready to close out in our prayer this morning in our Sunday school Lord Jesus Thank you for saving me and calling me to obedience Help me to honor you through baptism publicly declaring that I belong to you and let this step strengthen my faith glorify your name All in Jesus's marvelous mighty name we pray. Amen. Thank you so much for tuning in to our Sunday School lesson and our new beginning as God continues to bless each and every one of us because baptism is that first step of obedience. Mercy in his hand to crush the head of the tempter like the word of man. Chains hit the ground when he called my name. I'll shout hallelujah while the devil runs in shame. The souls in the garden are crying for the light. Jesus breaks the shackles in the middle of the fight. Say you're a liar and you know you're gonna fall. The souls in the garden belong to the Lord of all.