50th baptism service in the life of this church is today, so you guys are number 50, which is pretty cool. Well, listen, you guys, thank you for staying and being a part of our baptism. Before we hear the testimonies of these two young people, let me just say a few words about baptism. There are only two ordinances in the Christian church, baptism and the Lord's Supper. And baptism is important because our Lord and Savior commanded it as a part of the Great Commission. Listen to what Jesus said, some of his very last words at the very end of his life, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Here it is, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. So if we neglect or ignore baptism, we are disobeying our Lord. And since true faith always expresses itself in obedience, those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and who have been properly instructed about baptism should be baptized. Baptism is also the occasion on which a believer can publicly confess, listen to this, Jesus Christ is both Lord and Savior of his life, and at the same time, identify himself with Christ's church. And don't forget what Jesus said in the book of Matthew, Matthew 10, 32. And that is usually the time when people get baptized. They are able to confess before men. and women. So a baptism person publicly identifies himself with other Christians. In essence, that person is saying, I am now one of them. That's exactly what Michaela and Nainoa are doing publicly today. They are saying, I am a Christian. I am a follower of Jesus, and I belong to him. Now let's listen to these two testimonies. Hello, my name is Michaela McGill, and I stand here today to tell of the love and steadfastness of a faithful and merciful God, the relentless pursuit and endless grace of a gentle and lowly shepherd who came to seek and save the lost. It's only by his grace I stand here today. May he get all the glory. I was raised in a Christian home, professed belief in Jesus at a young age, and would have called myself a Christian had anyone asked. I was generally a good kid, but any interest I had in Jesus would have been hard to spot by my middle school years. I was focused on and being shaped by worldly things. This pattern deepened through high school, college, and the start of my nursing career. I gave preference to fleshly lusts, focused on my plans, my wants, my money, my reputation, my pleasure, my relationships, my benefits. My life was characterized by a love of self, sin, and the world, not by a love for God. I was sexually immoral and a lover of the attention of man, a liar, cheater, and thief, controlling, manipulative, selfish, and vain, materialistic, ungenerous, and covetous, unkind, prideful, and self-righteous, holding tight-fisted to anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, and self-pity, dishonoring my parents, and blaspheming. I was an enemy of God, a child of the devil, a treacherous wretch. only I didn't see myself that way. But the God who mercifully opens blind eyes would soon start to open mine. On a notion, I started attending a church in Bothell, and it didn't take long for God to show me I was not following the God whose name I claimed. I knew my life needed to change, and so I did just that. I changed my life. I stopped sinning with my boyfriend, started tithing, confessed some sins, had a desire to do better and had a fervor for the things of God. I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my heart time and time again, but I don't think I saw myself as a depraved sinner, understood repentance, surrender, or grace, loved or feared God rightly, or was truly that changed. Though self-deceived, God would show himself long-suffering as I turned back to my sin. Over two years after I stepped back into church, I went through a breakup and instead of leaning into God, I leaned into sin through a relationship with another unbeliever. I justified and hid my sins even as I co-led a life group at my church. I was my old self, yet I still saw myself as saved and not even a bad Christian. I praise him he did not give me over to the lust of my flesh, but would mercifully start breaking me so he could save me. Nearly a year after I started that relationship, I sinfully sought after a second relationship, and my world clashed and crumbled. People were hurt, my sin exposed. Wanting, hurting, and still deceived about my sin and salvation, I was pushed to enter into biblical counseling, and did, but for the wrong reasons. I wanted to assuage my guilt, to do better, to have a stronger faith, and to save the second relationship. I did not enter seeking to right my relationship with God. repent of my sin, or have my heart radically changed. Praise God he would remain faithful to the faithless. I was in counseling for months and sensed growth at least in knowledge and works, but as time passed also desperation. I desired a closeness to God yet could not achieve it, and my counselor presented reasons why I may still be struggling. Was there unrepentant sin in my life? Was I truly saved? I fell apart, crying out, life was nothing without God. I wondered how she could be asking that, yet I wasn't willing to truly ask myself. Counseling ended and I was confused, hurting, and lost. I dove into study, seeking God to desire God, but never really asked, was I saved, or how was I saved? Though so lost, God kept my heart searching for Him, and I praise Him for this. Over the next year, in the word, prayer, and fellowship, my understanding of God, my sin, my idolatry, and repentance deepened. Heart shame seemed to have started, and the despair departed. But it arose again as I was pushed once more to ask, Was I really saved? I looked at my life, scared to ask or to share. I searched to understand what it is to be saved. I sought after grace, and God mercifully brought me to see I was looking to my righteousness and my desire for God to save me. He brought me to trust it is Christ's righteousness and work that saves. Peace briefly held, the batter over salvation raged again months later as I was encouraged to come to CBC, and in step with this, looked at my sin, the idols and desires of my heart, the perfect law, the word of Christ. Did I really desire God? Did my life show true change? Enough fruit, had I counted the cost, surrendered everything, repented? Did I look back? Did I hate my sin? Was Jesus my Lord? Was I really saved? In despair, I looked to the word, preaching fellowship, discipleship, and prayer. In despair, I cried, ached, and angered. God, why won't you save? In despair, I knocked at the door, crying out for salvation according to the promises and character of God. In despair, I prayed for forgiveness, repentance, and surrender. And faithfully, patiently, God answered. Through years of relentless pursuit and steadfast love, God has brought me to understand the gospel, surrender my life, repent of my sin and unbelief, trust in his righteousness, and know him as both Savior and Lord. He has given me a new heart that hates my sin and desires to live my life for him according to his word, by his power, resting on his righteousness. I don't know when I was saved, but I know who I stand on today, who I trust and long for in my imperfection, who I call father and who calls me beloved daughter. I cannot look back on a moment, but each day I can look upon my Savior and Lord, the finished work He did on the cross, the love He declares for me, the promises of His word, and the daily work He is doing in my life to transform me into the glorious image of Christ. I believe God is the only author, creator, rightful lawgiver, and judge. He has authority over me. I am accountable. I believe not just that I have sinned, but in my very nature am a sinner and lived a life characterized by rebellion towards and rejection of God and His rule. I believe that the wrath of a perfect and pure God was justly set against me. I was separated from God, facing eternal punishment and hell for my sins. No good works could overcome. But God. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, born in the flesh to a virgin. He was sent by the Father to make a way for salvation. He walked this earth in perfect obedience to the Father without sin. Innocent of sin or crime, he gave himself over to a criminal's death on a cross, bearing the full punishment for sin as he hung there. He was forsaken by the Father so that believers could be redeemed and reconciled to God. He was buried in a tomb and was raised to life on the third day, showing death was defeated, the atonement accepted. He appeared to many and then ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of God interceding for the redeemed. I believe that God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. I believe for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. I believe by grace one is saved through faith, and this is not one's own doing, but the gift of God, not a result of works that no one may boast. I believe that God saves by grace those who believe upon his son Jesus, who repent of sin and prideful unbelief, who wholly and truly call Jesus Savior and Lord. Jesus is my Lord and Master. Jesus is my righteousness and Savior. Jesus is my satisfaction and my joy. Jesus is my promise and hope. There is still a daily dying, and I would be a liar to say I still do not struggle with doubt, idolatry, and sin, but my Savior and my Lord is greater than all of this. He died for me, forgave me, redeemed me, declared me righteous, adopted me, is sanctifying me, and will one day glorify me. not because of anything I have done, but because of who he is and what he has done. I am getting baptized today in faith, not in my perfection, but in his, in hope of his promises, delight in his work, and obedience to my God and Lord, who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgressions and sin, but will by no means clear the guilty, Exodus 34, six through seven. So praise him along with me, for he is great to save. McKayla, that was quite the theological treaties. Very excellent job, excellent job. I love the gospel presentation too. Nainoa, you're next, sir. Hello, my name is Nainoa Halverson and today I'll be telling you how the Lord changed my life. I was originally born on Maui in an unbelieving home, but due to my parents not being able to take care of me, I was put into foster care. By God's grace, when I was two, I was put into the home I am in now and adopted at age four. Growing up, all eight of us, mom, dad, and six kids went to church. I could answer the basic Bible questions, but at home I was just like any other kid. I was a small ball of anger that was disobedient and disrespectful to my parents. At the time, lots of my anger was driven by my inaccurate conclusion that my birth parents didn't love me and just gave me up. This was slightly true. Yes, my birth parents did not steward my life well. However, that did not mean that I was without family, because family is not defined by whose blood you carry. If I had known and understood this, it would have spared me and others lots of arguments and frustration. When I was nine, we moved from Maui to Washington. When we arrived, we started going to a church not far from home. I only liked it, so I could hang out in Sunday school while my parents and all the other adults were at the boring service. At church, they would have games and sidewalk chalk to entertain us, and if you did the memory verse, you would get a prize. This was the reason I would memorize scripture, not out of wanting to learn or understand scripture, but for a prize and for my pride. As a kid, I never had a desire to learn or to follow Christ, partly due to a warped view of him, and I also didn't see the need. I was young and wasn't planning to die anytime soon, so I viewed religion as an old man's game. When I was 10, I started hanging out with some of the neighborhood kids, which were not the best influence. Not long after hanging out with them did the bad company corrupts good morals become true. I started picking up their language and flippant and blasphemous use of God's name. After about two years of this, there was no distinction between me and them. In other words, me and the world. Yet I still called myself a Christian, bringing reproach on Christ's name. I always thought to myself, well at least I'm not as bad as a murderer. But I was. I harbored hate and frustration in others with little to no reason. I didn't want anything to do with God because I would have to submit to him. We ended up changing churches and found CBC during COVID. Though the messages were far better than our last church, I didn't learn much because I didn't want to. When I was 13, the bad influences started affecting my home life to a critical level. When I was by myself, I would say vulgar things and cuss when I thought I was alone. And so one night, my brother Micah, knowing this pattern, stood at the door to our room and listened. He heard all that I said. You can imagine the situation I was in. I was caught in my sin, red-handed. I tried to lie out of it, but noticed my inevitable loss, I gave up, but not out of humility, but pride. My parents were, of course, involved, and my punishment was that I could not hang out with my neighborhood friends. My parents did not give me a time frame on how long I could not hang out with them, which at that time annoyed me. Over my rehabilitation time, I started noticing changes in my life. I started paying more attention to Sunday's message and started to want to know more. Over time, I was getting better, less outspurts of anger and more patience. I started to feel bad when I did something wrong and tried to have self-control, though in my own power so it wasn't that successful. One night, I was in my room, chilling and not doing much, and I looked over and I saw my Bible. So I picked it up and read. I don't remember exactly what I read, but it piqued my interest, so I read on. After a bit of this, I felt heavy conviction. I confessed with my mouth and believed in my heart and gave my life to Christ. I believe that God gave his only son, Jesus, born of a virgin, and lived the perfect life that I could not. He took on the form of a man, then humbled himself to death, even death on a cross, bearing my sin and bearing the wrath of God so that I wouldn't have to, paying my price in full. My life, compared to then, is now completely different, and now only by the grace of God. I am no longer in the unrepentant state I was in. I read his word and have a desire to know more. I pray, thanking him for his goodness and sovereignty throughout my life. I am no longer an indignant child that won't stand to be corrected, but teachable and quick to ask for forgiveness only by the grace of God. My favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 5.17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come. That's my favorite verse too. Good taste there, young man. I really liked, I was a small ball of anger. I really liked that line. Listen, so neat to hear people's testimonies, what God has done in their lives to save them and how God brings each one of us to himself. And so we're so thankful for both you guys, Michaela and I know. I have a couple questions for you, five to be exact, in front of this large crowd of people. Just to be double clear, Here they are. Do you believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ lived the perfect life that you and I were required to live but could not, that he was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again to pay for your sin? Have you personally entrusted your life fully to Jesus Christ? Have you repented of all the sin and guilt of your life and confessed it to him? Do you live in a personal relationship with him? And are you ready to do everything he says in his word? Amen, you heard it yourselves. All right, let's go get these two people wet. I was looking for my mic real quick there. All right, Mikayla, watch your head. So, before another Mikayla moved away, you were like the third Mikayla that we had here at church, and it was quite confusing when we were talking about this young lady. What Mikayla were we talking about? Listen, your testimony was incredible. You had an incredible journey that God brought you on, but I'm so thankful, Mikayla, so thankful that He saved you. And we truly are new creatures in Christ when he does save us. And so it's exciting to see how God has changed you already. So listen, Michaela, based upon your testimony, it's my privilege as your pastor and David as your elder to baptize you now in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All right, Nainoa, watch your head, sir. Paul, especially you. So I love it when dads help me baptize their sons in the Lord, and Nainoa, listen, you have, God worked in your life too, and it's awesome to hear how you were heading down the wrong path, and then God, using his word, opened your eyes. And that's what happens. He opens our eyes, and all of a sudden, instead of just being words on a page, it's as if the Holy Spirit is grabbing us by the collar and saying, I'm talking about you, Ninoa. And that's clear what he did in your life. So listen, it is an absolute joy to see a young man get saved and want to publicly confess Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of his life. So it is my privilege as your pastor and your dad to, based upon your testimony, to baptize you now in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.