Again, a Christian greeting to all of you. It's good to see the house so well filled. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter three for a message today. Matthew chapter three. Some time ago we as pastors agreed to preach on the seven ordinances, and I chose the ordinance of baptism, so that's what I'm looking at this morning for a message. Reading Matthew chapters 3, I ask you to stand again in reverence to the word as we read. Verse 1, in those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah saying, the voice of one crying into wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair and a leather girl about his loins and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan and were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits, meat for repentance. And think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father. For I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly purge his floor. and gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Thank you. You may be seated. the ordinance of baptism. Jesus said himself, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. Did you catch that? It does not say that if you are not baptized, you are condemned. But it does say if you want to be saved, you are to believe and be baptized. Now, I know there's instances where that might not have happened. I think of the thief on the cross. There was no time to baptize the thief on the cross, and yet I believe He was saved. But without believing, we are condemned. If the thief on the cross would not have believed, he would be condemned. And so my question is, how many gallons of water does it take to save a sinner? None. It is only by the blood of Jesus that we can be saved from our sins. If the application of water on our head would save us or take our sins away, then why was Jesus baptized? For the Bible says he was without sin. And so I want to make it very clear this morning that it is not the water that saves us. It is not the baptism that frees us from sin. It is God's mercy and grace, accepted through faith in Christ Jesus, that saves us from our sins. Baptism without faith, baptism without believing in Jesus will not take us to glory. He that believeth not, those who refuse to believe will be condemned. whether they have been baptized or not. Menno Simons wrote, we are not regenerated because we have been baptized, but we are baptized because we have been regenerated by faith and the word of God. Regeneration is not the result of baptism, but baptism the result of regeneration." So what I'm saying and what the Bible is saying is that water baptism is only a symbol or a testimony of what happened on the inside in our heart. That our sins have been washed away, which is done by the blood of Jesus Christ. In Revelation 1.5 it says, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. That's how our sins are washed away. It is through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is not enough water in the whole world to wash even one sin away. We must first recognize our sinfulness and understand that God in his love and mercy forgives us through faith in the offering of his only son, Jesus Christ. when we repent of our sin. And by the way, John's message was not baptism, it was repentance. Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He didn't get up and preach and say, you must be baptized in order to be saved. His message was that of repentance. And when we repent of our sin and believe in Christ's shed blood as the atoning sacrifice for our sin, We are born again by the, could we say, a supernatural work of God's Spirit within us. It's a miracle, and Phil, Brother Phil preached a message on the new birth just recently. It's a miracle. We can hardly explain how it works, but we, I trust we've personally experienced the miracle of being born again. of having our sins forgiven, of having that stony heart taken out of us, the selfish will, and having it replaced with a heart that is soft and pliable and usable in the kingdom of God. And when we acknowledge the miracle of that new birth within us, It kind of moves us to somehow seal it with an outward sign or testimony, and we call it water baptism. So baptism is a testimony of being cleansed in our heart, our soul. It is not the means of being cleansed. It is simply a sign or a testimony of what happened. It is an outward indication of what has already taken place in the heart. It serves as a public identification between the believer and Jesus Christ. It is also an act of initiation or the means by which we become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. The church practices baptism. The believer submits to it because it is one of Jesus' commands. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Another place that Jesus' own words, go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them. So it is a command, a direct command from Jesus. And he also gave us an example. He was baptized himself. So, baptism is an act of obedience to Jesus' teachings. It is an act of commitment to God and the church. It is a public expression of what Jesus did in my heart when I'm baptized. In verse 1, it says, In those days came John the Baptist, This was approximately 30 years after the angel Gabriel appeared unto John's dad and told him that you and your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you are to name him John. And here he is, this man appears on the scene. He was to be a forerunner, we would say, of Jesus himself. He was to point men to Jesus. Prepare ye the way, make his paths straight. And here he appears, no doubt, a very unique type of a person. He was a Nazirite. He was not to drink wine or any strong drink. He was not to cut his hair or even to shave. So you can imagine what this man looked like. His clothes were made of camel's hair. I can imagine just a long robe, and he had a leather belt around his waist. He ate strange food. Locusts and wild honey. Phillips, not so sure it was strange, but did you ever try dipping locusts into honey for a tasty treat? That's what he ate, locusts and wild honey, and I found that only the poorest of the poor ate locusts. So here we have a wild-looking man called a prophet. I'm sure that some people went out into the desert to see this man just out of curiosity. Well, this man also had an unusual message that he was preaching. His focus was not on trying to gain popularity. He aimed at being obedient. He knew from the start that his call was to point men to the coming Savior, which was Jesus Christ. and he put all of his energies into the task at hand. This wild-looking man had no power or position in the Jewish political system, but he had a message. He spoke with almost irresistible authority. People were moved by his message. They took the words to heart. I believe because he spoke the truth. He was challenging them to turn from their sins, to repent, and to be baptized. Notice that he preached truth and repentance. And people responded to that message. And the result was baptism. Multitudes followed him. It says here that Jerusalem went out, all Judea and all the region round about Jordan. I don't know how many people that involves, but I can imagine it was multitudes of people followed him to hear his message. Maybe they just wanted to see the man, but while they were there, they heard the message, I'm sure. Many people repented. and were baptized. He was careful not to take any glory to himself. He pointed men to Jesus Christ. His purpose in life was to announce to these people that there was one coming that would die for their sins. And he was careful in doing that, not taking the honor to himself. He was faithful to his call, to his purpose in life. This morning, God has given each of us a purpose or a reason for living. And we can trust God to lead us in that, to show us what that might be. like we heard in our devotional. God has a purpose for our life. Sometimes we don't know what it is, but when we step out in faith, God will reveal that to us. John here didn't have the complete Bible as we know it today, but he focused on the truth that was available to him. Likewise, we can discover truth from the Word of God. and take it to heart. And as these truths work in us, it has a drawing effect. And others too will want to know what happened to this person. His life changed. You know, in a way, we are unique just like John the Baptist. He was a unique person, had a unique message. unique food and clothes. You and I are unique as well in the eyes of God. God can use you personally in a way that he cannot use anybody else. So let him know today that you are willing to follow him and that you are available for him to use you as he pleases. And he will use you in a mighty way. He used John the Baptist in ways that he didn't use anybody else. Be available, be willing when God calls. John's message was a powerful one. He did not preach, like I said before, that you must be baptized, but rather, His message was, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent. Repent. It means to feel such regret for past conduct that it changes our mind regarding it. In other words, it changes how we think about sin. It is a change of mind and heart that brings about a change of conduct. It involves a complete change of attitude about God and also how we look at sin. And by the way, this type of repentance does not just rise up within ourselves on its own. You know, we can break a window and we can be sorry that we broke a window, but the type of repentance, the type of sorrow that comes from us living in sin is moved by something greater than that which is within us. It is the Spirit of God that moves us to repentance. In Romans it says, or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. There it is. It is God's mercy that leads us to repentance. God, through the Holy Spirit and his word, convicts us of our sinful and lost condition and leads us to repentance. It means to turn, to turn from sin to God. It means we turn from our selfish will and we turn towards God and we ask him to forgive us, to cleanse us from sin. And here in the passage that we read, many people responded to this message of repentance. Not only did they repent, or feel sorry for their sins, but they brought them to light. In verse 6, it says, confessing their sins. They brought them to light. They were willing to bring it out and get rid of it. Repentance and confession are an important part of the process of being born again. And in this setting, much like ours today, baptism was then used as an outward sign of what took place on the inside. Repentance, confession, and forgiveness. After that, in verse 8, John was calling them to bring forth fruits, meat for repentance. Fruits that are suitable to repentance. Fruits that match repentance. In other words, change your life. Change your conduct. Prove that you have been forgiven. Have you repented of your sins? Can others see the difference in your life? A changed life. with a new and different behavior makes your repentance real and visible. Verse nine. You know, some things don't change much over time. John here was dealing with those who thought within themselves that we are Abraham's children. In other words, that's all it takes We have the right freinschaft. We keep the law, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. We look good. We're doing what we're supposed to be doing. John called them a generation of vipers. You know, we can get caught up in the same trap. Our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents were all Christians. We go to church every Sunday. We know how to say the right words. But have we changed our heart? Have we repented of our sins? Have we been cleansed by the blood of Jesus? You know, despite those things being good things, we have a goodly heritage. We are blessed beyond measure. Why were we born in the United States? We have so many blessings that we can, I don't know where to start counting them. But these things won't save us. The Bible says that our own righteousness is as filthy rags in the eyes of God. It takes a personal experience with the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. God looks beyond our words and our religious activities to see if our conduct matches our talk. He judges our words by the actions that accompany them. Verse 10 talks about producing fruit. You know, we expect apples from an apple tree. God expects faith coupled with good works from those who are born again. He expects righteous living from his people. His judgment awaits those who are unproductive. Those who do not bear fruit. Those who do not show that they have been changed by the blood of Jesus. God is calling us to active obedience and productivity. When our faith, when our belief is not genuine, and the fruit coming from our life is but fake, we, like this unproductive tree, will someday be chopped down and cast into the fire. in order to produce fruit, in order to be fruitful for God, we must follow his teachings. We must be obedient to his will. We must resist the temptation to do evil and be on duty to help and serve others in need, as well as to testify to them what God has done for us. John here baptized people as a sign that they had repented, that they had asked God to be forgiven, and that they had also made a commitment to change their life. I think it is in Luke, these people ask, what shall we do now? And John gets very practical. If you have an extra coat and more food than you need, than shared with others who have none. The publicans even asked, Master, what shall we do? John said, be honest. Don't charge more in taxes than what the people owe. The soldiers even came, and what shall we do? And he replied, don't harm anyone, physically or verbally, and be content with your pay. very practical answers he was giving them, and it is still good for us today. It changes our life. Jesus Christ changes our life. Share what you have with those who need it. Be honest and fair, do your job well, and be content with what you have. John was busy teaching, preaching, baptizing, and pointing people to Christ, the one who would someday baptize them with the Holy Ghost, when all of a sudden Jesus himself shows up on the scene and wants to be baptized. John felt unqualified, but he humbly honored Jesus' request. Now I think this baptism was different. It was not for repentance of sin, for he had never sinned. It says right here in the passage that it was to fulfill all righteousness. Or we would say it was to accomplish the will of God. To accomplish God's mission that he had for Jesus. And I think several reasons why Jesus may have been baptized was that he was personally confessing the sins of the nation, like some of the prophets did in the Old Testament. Another reason I think that he was baptized was he was showing support for what John was doing. I think this would have encouraged John the Baptist. A third reason would be that he was officially beginning his public ministry. And the last one, he is identifying with the penitent people of God and being an example of being baptized. He was the perfect one. He didn't need baptism for sin, but he accepted it in obedient service to his father. And God was, God showed his approval. The voice from God said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Notice that all three persons of the Trinity were present and active at Jesus' baptism. God the Son was baptized. God the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus like a dove. And God the Father spoke. And today yet we baptize people in those three. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Jesus gave those instructions just before his ascension. He mentions the Trinity. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 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." Notice that right along with baptizing, teaching nations we are to observe all things whatsoever He has commanded us to do, and one of those is baptism. So our message today should not be much different than John the Baptist. He was obedient to His call, teaching and preaching repentance for the remission of sins, and then baptizing people as a sign of what had happened in their heart. The Holy Spirit today convicts us of sin and moves us towards repentance and victory. The Bible talks about a Holy Spirit baptism. I have much more material than we have time to cover. I didn't realize how huge a subject this baptism is in the Bible. And so I'm just scratching the surface today. But why do we practice water baptism? Number one, Christ commands it. Number two, it's been a custom of the Church of Jesus Christ since the days of the apostles. Number three, it helps to strengthen the believers. You know, I scripturally conducted baptismal services and encouragement to the convert as well as to the congregation. And number four, it is a seal of our profession of faith. Daniel Kaufman wrote, it was instituted in divine wisdom and divinely commanded to be obeyed. Let us accept it in grateful reverence, remembering that he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." It was divinely commanded, divinely instituted, and who are we to neglect it? Again, water will not save us. It is an outward sign or a seal of our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we perfect once we are baptized? No more temptation to evil, no more stumbling, You know, we're still human. We still make mistakes. We stumble, we fall, we mess up at times. So the next question is, do we need to be rebaptized every time we stumble, repent, and get up again? Well, I hope by now I've got it through to you that water will not cleanse us. So my answer, maybe it's my opinion, is no. We do not have to be rebaptized every time we stumble and fall. Why? Because I believe that repentance, sanctification, and forgiveness is a way of life for the born-again believer. It's not a one-time thing. It's a way of life. And our initial baptism gives affirmation to our desire to be holy, to be free from sin. We do not have to reaffirm that every time we make a mistake by water baptism. I hope I'm clear on that. The baptism is not what saves us. It is a seal of what has taken place. When we stumble, when we fall, that doesn't remove that seal. That doesn't remove our desire to do what is right. And so I don't believe it's necessary to be rebaptized. If I'm wrong, please correct me. true repentance, being sorry for past sins, confession, making restitution, making wrongs right, letting God give us a new heart and filling us with His Holy Spirit, being flexible and usable in the kingdom of God, and sealing that commitment with water baptism, our commitment of faith and our conduct with water baptism is what God is looking for. A changed life, a changed heart, a change of direction that we're traveling. Being committed to Him with all our hearts, sealing that commitment with water baptism is, I believe, God's will for us. I found here in our confession of faith, article number seven is on baptism, and there is a paragraph in here that is loaded. This is one sentence, and I can't read it without catching my breath. It's a long one, but he has everything condensed into one paragraph. I'll try to read it slowly. Regarding baptism, we confess that all penitent believers who through faith, the new birth, and renewal of the Holy Ghost have become united with God, and whose names are recorded in heaven, must on such scriptural confession of their faith and renewal of life according to the command and doctrine of Christ and the example and custom of the apostles be baptized with water in the ever adorable name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost to the burying of their sins and thus to become incorporated into the communion of the saints whereupon They must learn to observe all things whatever the Son of God taught, left on record, and commanded his followers to do." That is a long paragraph. It is loaded with truth. Read it for yourselves. I'm sure you have it at home as well. I was blessed by that. He condensed it into one paragraph, what baptism is all about. Again, it is an outward seal of what took place and what is currently taking place in our life. We're not saved yet, but we're working towards that. We're saved from our sins, but we're not saved from this evil world at this point. We're being saved. We're in the process of being saved as a born-again believer. Again, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Let's kneel and pray. Our Father in heaven, we come to you this day. We thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the teaching on baptism. and how that it is not the water that cleanses from sin, but it is the precious blood of your only son who was willing to die on Calvary to redeem us from our sins. Oh God, we pray you would cleanse each heart, my own first of all, from all sin, all evil desires, and motivate us by your Holy Spirit to do that which brings glory to you. I pray that our lives, as we live our lives each day this coming week, May we be a testimony of what you've done in our heart and life. As believers, we pray that you would continue to guide us through these uncertain times, these deceptive times that we're living in. Help us to firmly stand on the rock of Jesus Christ. Thank you for each one present here this morning. We pray that you would provide for the needs we have in our heart. Guide us through this life that is full of trouble and sorrow. Help us to be faithful until you take us home to glory would be our prayer. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.