When a story becomes widely known, it captures the imagination of the country, word begins to spread rapidly and people talk about it and they post accounts of it on social media and we say that story goes viral. Now, I looked this up. What are the factors that contribute to social media content going viral? The top two, number one is it grabs people's emotions. And secondly, it resonates with the readers. It's something they can sort of identify with in one way or another, and it hits them viscerally. Well, if social media had existed in John's day, he would have gone viral. Everybody was talking about John the Baptist. Everybody was coming out to see John the Baptist. Many were being baptized by John the Baptist. His message connected with his hearers, and he connected with a deeply held longing for change. deliverance for a Messiah. So it's no surprise in verse 15 that there was this eager expectation for a Messiah, and as John's fame and his influence spread, people began to wonder, might he be the Christ whom we've been waiting for? And so it's just like they questioned in their hearts, could this be the Messiah? Now, you know that not only did they question in their hearts, they talked with one another about it as well, right? And you can imagine those conversations as they're walking out to where he would be preaching. This excitement, this anticipation, do you think maybe he is? And, oh, I heard him say this, and you can hear the stories going on. My brother-in-law thinks John's the Messiah. What does your brother-in-law think? You know how that is, right? How could anyone preach the way he does and not be? God is speaking mightily through this man. Emotions and expectations were running high. God, maybe God is finally going to deliver. And in the midst of this fevered pitch of excitement, John addresses that question and he settles the matter. I have three points in the passage this morning. One is John is not the Messiah. Secondly, the baptism that Jesus would bring, and thirdly, the baptism Jesus received. And so we'll look at those three points in the baptism of Jesus, that which we would bring, but also that which he would receive. John distinguishes himself from Messiah with different baptisms. So let's look first of all, John the Baptist is not the Messiah, and we shouldn't be surprised people were asking us questions, because again those messianic hopes were already very high. Simeon and Anna, who met Mary and Joseph in the temple when Jesus was just a baby, were not the only ones who were earnestly and eagerly looking for Messiah. And that was 30 years earlier. So this was something that was widely anticipated, longed for. The Jewish people had a keen interest in the coming of the Messiah promised by God throughout the Old Testament. Roman occupation and oppression had created this longing for deliverance. Now, the Jews really didn't understand what Messiah was going to come and do. But they knew God had promised that He would send a deliverer. And John had become such a popular preacher, surely he must be that deliverer. Large crowds were responding to his message. So the question is raised, but John addresses it decisively. He could have said, no, I'm not the Messiah. In the book of John, a parallel passage, it tells us that representatives from the scribes and Pharisees came and asked him those questions, and he said outright, no, I'm not Messiah. But he used the inquiry of the crowd to teach important lessons. He speaks of Jesus as one mightier than I. Look at verse 15, as the people were in expectation, all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ. John answered them all saying, I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of his sandals I'm not worthy to untie. John's ministry was expanding, it was growing. His power as a preacher was highly regarded, but he makes it very clear that there's another mightier than he is who is yet to come, one who would have a much greater impact than even John had had. And everyone understood this must be, he must be talking of Messiah. He's coming, he's about to be revealed. And John says, I am not even worthy to loosen the strap of a sandal. Now that doesn't mean as much in our culture as it did in that day. But you think about it, all the roads in Palestine were dirt roads. Paths, it was dirt, or grass. And animals were wandering along the roads just like people. So you can imagine what ended up on people's sandals, what they stepped in. We don't want to talk about, right? And so when a master would come home, his lowest, lowliest servant had the unpleasant task of taking off his shoes, of removing his sandal. That was the task of the lowliest servant. And John said, I'm not worthy of even such a menial task as that with the one who's coming who is mightier than I. Now John the Baptist was a manifestly humble man. His purpose was not to promote himself. He was there to prepare the way for the Messiah. And once Jesus was on the scene, John knew that his work had been done. In fact, in John chapter 3, his disciples come to him and said, John, Jesus is baptizing and everybody's going over to him. And I think they expected John to be concerned, but he said, my joy is complete. He must increase, but I must decrease." Everybody going to Him means, I've done my job well, and so he delighted. So John answers this question, one mightier than I, but then he contrasts, my baptism is one of water to repentance, but his baptism is going to be different. Now remember, he was called John the Baptist, not John the preacher. So he doesn't talk about Jesus preaching, he talks about Jesus' baptism. The one mightier is going to bring a much greater baptism. So let's talk about the baptism that Jesus would bring. John says, I baptize you with water, but He was mightier than I was coming, the strap of whose sandal I'm not worthy untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Now again, John's baptism, one of repentance. It was preparatory for the salvation that Jesus was going to bring. But John was not the Savior. The gospel had not yet been carried out. Last week, I read from Acts chapter 19, I'm going to read a little bit more from there again. Paul meets a group of disciples in Ephesus, and he asks them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said, no, we did not, have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. And he said, into what then were you baptized? And they said, into John's baptism. Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus. On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. A different baptism. John comes to introduce something distinctively different, something entirely new. He's pointing at Jesus, who would institute this baptism by the Holy Spirit and with fire. Now, during his ministry, Jesus baptized people with water. They were baptized into the name of Jesus. They were never baptized in the name of John. Even those who said, we received John's baptism, they weren't baptized into his name, per se. And that baptism by the Holy Spirit and fire actually came later. It refers to what took place on the day of Pentecost. You remember, after Jesus' death, His burial, His resurrection, before He ascended into heaven, He spent quite a bit of time with His disciples in Jerusalem. And in Acts chapter 1, verses 4 and 5, we read, while staying with them, He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, you heard from Me, for John baptized with water. but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Now he told his disciples in the upper room, it's necessary for me to go away, and if I go away, I'm going to send another, the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and he will be with you, he will help you. And that word another in the Greek language is another just like me. There's a word heteros, which means another's very different, and alos is, another of the same. He's saying, alas, another helper. I'm going to send you another helper who will pick up where I leave off. The Holy Spirit. And so, in the upper room, they have this promise, and now on the day of Pentecost, they've gathered together, there are about 120 disciples there, and the house is shaken, and it's like a mighty wind rushes through the building. And these tongues of flame come down on all of the people there, and they are filled with the Spirit of God, and they begin to speak in other tongues, we read, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And from there they poured out into the streets. People from all over the known world were in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost. And the disciples began to preach to them in all of these different languages. And if you read Acts chapter 2, you'll find at least 15 different lands or regions mentioned. It doesn't really specify how many different languages, but a bunch. And these were not learned people. They spoke in those distinguishable languages so everyone heard the gospel in their own language. It was an amazing thing. They proclaimed the gospel because of the baptism John had told them about that Jesus, in fact, brought. Now, John gives us a bit of a sober warning in verse 17. He says his winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. For John's audience, they lived in an agrarian society. The winnowing fork was a very familiar tool. The threshing floor, the whole process of threshing wheat, people understood that. We don't get that so much today. But what would happen is they would harvest the wheat and the stalks, and they would take the stalks and bundles into the threshing floor, which was generally like a stone floor, and they would crush it with a heavy stone. So the kernels of wheat would break out of their husks. So now you've got a pile of husks and a pile of wheat kernels there that have to be separated. And so they would take a winnowing fork, and that winnowing fork was like a lightweight pitchfork, and they would just, you know, reach up and throw it up in the air, reach up, throw it in the air, and the wind would blow the chaff away, which was lighter, and then the wheat would fall down, and when the process is complete, you'd have the pure wheat, and he would gather it up, put it in the barn, but the chaff that's remaining on the outside, they would take and burn. And John says, the Lord Jesus, when he returns, he'll have his one-winged fork in his hands. He will bring judgment. He'll divide the wheat from the chaff. He'll also bring life. The wheat will be gathered in the barns. That means the wheat will be taken to heaven, but the chaff will be burned with unquenchable fire. It's good news. The people of God are going to go to heaven, but it's alarming news that those who are the unrighteous will be cast into this unquenchable fire. The Scriptures make it very clear that even though chaff, it says it's going to be burned up. For those who are cast into that fire that's unquenchable, the torment never ends. There are those who teach what we call annihilationism, that when someone is condemned, they go to hell, they're burned up, and that's it. But the Scripture teaches that there's conscious suffering for eternity. It's a miserable, horrible existence, worse than we could possibly imagine. And it emphasizes the holiness of God, that our sin deserves such horrible punishment. It also emphasizes the grace and love of God that that degree of suffering could be compressed and placed upon our Savior, the Lord Jesus, being infinite God and man as He hung on the cross in our place. So, as we read this, we could focus on the chaff being burned up with unquestionable fire and think, wow, that's a strong message. And then you go to the next verse and it says, so with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. Well, the good news is the wheat's gathered up into the barn that God's people will be in heaven with Him forever. The good news is you don't have to be chaff. When I was in seminary, people would often say, you have to convince people of the bad news before they're going to be interested in the good news. And it's important that we understand there is a judgment day. There is a hell to flee from. There's a wrath of God from which we must flee and we must take refuge. And the only refuge is in Jesus Christ. And the gospel, the good news of what He has done to redeem us, only is good news in our eyes if we realize what we truly deserve. John 3.16 speaks of God's love for us, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. But the very next verse says, those who believe are not condemned, but those who do not believe stand condemned already. The weight of judgment is hanging over their heads because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. I hope and pray that doesn't describe you. to flee to Christ, take refuge in Christ. The term good news can be translated gospel. John preached the gospel, the good news, but John's message was not the complete gospel message. Jesus had not yet arrived on the scene. He had not appeared publicly. He had not yet fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law. He had not yet paid for our sins through His death on the cross. He had not yet risen from the dead for our justification. He had not yet ascended to the right hand of the Father. These were yet to come. That is the core of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He achieved perfect human righteousness that we could never accomplish. And then He who had no sin became sin in our place. He took our sins upon Him. God punished Him with the punishment we deserve so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God, that God might bless us and reward us with the reward He alone has earned. We have the complete gospel. We have the good news that is truly good news, that Jesus was the only one qualified to take our place on the cross. Jesus was the only one who had the ability to free us from the oppression, not of Roman dominance, but the oppression of sin, that slavery that kept us in bondage. He came to deliver us, not only from sin, but from the righteous judgment of God, to save us from that unquenchable fire that is sure to come. So, I want to ask you right now, this morning, are you wheat or are you chaff? Because you're one or the other, there's not an in-between. Wheat or chaff? And Jesus is going to separate, and there will be no crossing over. He tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus, that Lazarus was a poor man who suffered through his life, and the rich man had many, many luxuries, but he would not care for Lazarus in any way, and they both died. And Lazarus was in the bosom of Abraham, experiencing joy and tranquility. Picture of heaven. The rich man is suffering torment. And the rich man calls and says, Father Abraham, would you please send Lazarus over here to dip his finger in some water just to quench my thirst even just a bit? And Abraham says, no, that's not possible. Once you're there, there's no crossing over either direction. Hebrews tells us this, appointed a man to die once and after this to face the judgment. There is no second chance once our final breath is taken. Are you wheat or are you chaff? John didn't know all of the details of salvation by grace through faith. He didn't know Jesus hanging on the cross would say, it is finished and the entire price has been paid. He knew Messiah was coming, but even he did not know all that God would do through his son. Are you trusting in this finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is He your Savior? Is He your Lord? I hear people say, I don't want to hear about fire and brimstone, and to be honest with you, I don't blame them. I don't want to hear about it either. I don't want to proclaim it. It's a terrifying prospect, but the promise of life eternal, the promise of glory in heaven shines so much more brightly when we realize what it is we actually deserve. All who receive Jesus Christ are redeemed, are saved, or become wheat for all eternity. In the meantime, we are baptized with the Spirit of God. We're sealed with His Spirit so that nothing can separate us from God's love and grace. We become temples of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in us, and He gives us spiritual life that will never, ever end. Are you wheat, or are you chaff? Now John's ministry was near the end. Verse 19 and 20, we read that Herod the Tetrarch, who'd been reproved by John for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things he had done, added this to them all, that he locked John the Baptist in prison. Now what's that about? You remember at the beginning of Luke chapter 3, we had this list of all these great world leaders. Herod the Tetrarch was the tetrarch or the ruler over Galilee. And he had a half-brother named Philip. And when he went to visit Philip, he met Philip's wife Herodias. And he liked her better than he liked his own wife. And he convinced Herodias to leave her brother, her husband rather, he left his wife, and they entered into this illicit adulterous marriage. Now to make matters even worse, Herodias was a near relative, so it was not only adulterous, it was incestuous. It was vile on so many levels. And John called him out for that, and for many other evil acts that characterized his life, and Herod did not particularly appreciate it. Herodias really hated it. And at her urging, he finally had John arrested and put in prison. Here's the true indictment of his sin, and instead of repenting and fleeing from that sin, he seeks to silence the preacher, puts him in prison, locks him away. Now, in the Gospel of Mark, we read that Herodias was really wanting to put John to death, and Herod was reluctant. He protected John for a while. Eventually, he was beheaded, but in Mark chapter 6, verse 20, it says, Herod feared John, knowing he was a righteous man, a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. Isn't that an amazing statement? John is calling him out for a sin, he's perplexed by it, he's angry about it, and yet he hears him gladly. What is that about? What's interesting, there are many people today who enjoy listening to preaching. It's interesting. It's a form of intellectual entertainment maybe, but there's no response of repentance and faith. the law and the weight of the law coming down, and they're perplexed. But the hope of the gospel never penetrates. They know the message is true. They may even hear it gladly, and yet they reject it. You may not know this, this is actually an interesting historical vignette. We all know who Benjamin Franklin was. He was one of the founders of our country. He discovered electricity. He was good friends with George Whitefield. Now Whitefield was called the Grand Itinerant. He was a great evangelist that preached outdoors all over the country. In the mid-1700s, he ushered in, or the Lord used him to usher in the Great Awakening. And Franklin loved listening to Whitefield's preaching. But Franklin wasn't a believer. He was a deist. He grew up in a Puritan home and rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ and embraced deism. And on one occasion, and Franklin records this in his own biography, he received a letter from George Whitefield saying, I'm going to be in Philadelphia. And Franklin said, you'd be welcome to stay in my home. invited him to stay. And Whitefield's response is interesting. He said, and this is in Franklin's words now, he said, if I made that kind of offer for Christ's sake, I should not miss my reward. And I responded, don't let me be mistaken. It was not for Christ's sake, but for your sake. Franklin, really like Whitefield, he didn't love his Christ at all. And there are people who, They're like the connoisseurs of preaching, but where's their heart? Where's that love for Jesus, the love for His church, the humility of repentance and of faith? Oh, this guy's a great preacher. His message is so interesting. But their hearts are not moved by the warnings of God. Their hearts are not moved by the glorious promises of Scripture and of the gospel. So, how are you listening to the Word of God? Are you listening with a critical ear to scrutinize? Well, the pastor said this today, and I don't know if he said it right, I don't know if I agree with him. He could have said it better. He makes funny things with his face when he, you know, somebody will notice that with me. Are you a connoisseur or a critic of preaching, or are you sitting? under the Word of God to be fed what you consider to be nourishment for your very soul. Let us view this Word as the Word of life, this feast that our souls can be fed from God's Word. Herod heard the Word gladly, but it did him no benefit. In fact, I think it compounded his judgment. Now, this is the point at which Luke is turning his attention from John to Jesus. Remember, I said that my title is The Baptism of Jesus, and there's a double meaning here. The baptism Jesus came to bring to us, and the baptism Jesus Himself would receive. And so I've described this baptism He would bring to us. It's a baptism of the Holy Spirit. It's a baptism with fire. It's a baptism that would embrace all of the blessings of the gospel. But now finally, let's talk about the baptism that Jesus came and received in verse 21 and following. Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form and like a dove and a voice came from heaven, you are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased. Now Luke's account is a little briefer than what you'll find in Matthew and Mark. That doesn't mean they contradict, they simply emphasize different things for different reasons. But we read in Matthew and Mark that John was very reluctant to baptize Jesus. Lord, I should be baptized by you. He didn't think he was worthy to untie the strap of his sandal, much less to be the one to baptize him. But Luke wants to fix our attention clearly on what took place as Jesus was baptized and after. There's this public affirmation of the Messianic ministry of the Lord Jesus. When Jesus was baptized and was praying, Luke records that Jesus' habit of prayer, he records that more than any of the other gospel accounts. Over and over we find our Lord praying in every imaginable circumstance. And it seems that he was praying while he was baptized or just as soon as he came up out of the water. And it tells us two amazing things happened. First of all, it says, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. Now, why a dove? Well, there's a lot of speculation about that. I think it's easy just to say a dove is a symbol of peace. It's a symbol of meekness, of gentleness, of purity. And Jesus would come to bring, He's the Prince of Peace. He was meek and humble of heart. He was pure and sinless. The fruit of the Spirit is peace. Well, that's fruit, peace. It's meekness, it's gentleness. And that describes our Lord. And so, it's very fitting that the Holy Spirit would take the form of a dove. But then also there's this voice from heaven saying, you are my beloved son, with you I'm well pleased. It's obvious, even though Luke doesn't say, it's obvious if he says, you're my beloved son, this must be God the Father speaking. And it's not simply this expression of fatherly pleasure. How many times have fathers, have you said to your kids, I am so proud of you. I am pleased with what you've done. What God is doing here is far more significant than simply expressing fatherly approval or fatherly pleasure. It's a divine commendation for the man, Christ Jesus, the Messiah. The Father calls Him, My beloved Son. Speaking of the intensity of love that has existed in the Trinity from all eternity. Now, last Sunday night, a few were here, Jeff Robinson spoke about the parable of the unmerciful servant. And you remember, he has this debt of 10,000 talents that he owes to the king. And the magnitude of that debt, I've looked it up, it was enough to jeopardize the financial stability of a kingdom. Think about that. The king says, I'm going to forgive this debt even though it will jeopardize the financial stability of my kingdom. Now why would Jesus use that in this parable? I think it's simple. You're my beloved son. The Father sends heaven's greatest treasure to the earth to die. It's as if He is saying, I am willing to bankrupt heaven to purchase your redemption. It's an amazing thought. It's an amazing reality. My beloved Son. And those sins that He is paying for were the sins that we committed against Him. Now, so here we are at the very outset of Jesus' ministry, and we see the Trinity revealed. The Son is there in bodily form being baptized. The Holy Spirit is descending in the form of a dove and landing upon Him and remaining there, and the Father is expressing His pleasure. My beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. Now you and I know Jesus is God, which means as God, He possesses all power. God is omnipotent. But we also know that He took human flesh, and as to His humanity, He accepted the limitations of humanity. And that's really the mystery of the incarnation. How do you have two natures and one person inseparably combined? I cannot really, I can formulate it, I can't explain it. But he accepted human limitations, but the Holy Spirit comes upon him to enable him, to anoint him, to do the work to which God was calling him to do, to carry out redemption as a man. And this event, this Holy Spirit descending, this approval by the Father, it's recorded in all four Gospels because it is so significant. It is a public affirmation that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. And He's appointed, He's equipped to do the work that He has been sent to do. It is the formal inauguration of His messianic ministry. Now what was that ministry to involve? Messiah means anointed one. In the Old Testament, you had three offices for which men were anointed, a prophet, a priest, and a king. And Jesus unites all three. And there was no one else in all of Old Testament history, all biblical history, that was prophet, priest, and king. You had prophets who were priests. You had kings that prophesied, but you never had all three except for the Lord Jesus. He was a great prophet. When Jesus taught and preached, people were amazed. In fact, even His enemies said, no one ever spoke like He does. He speaks with authority. So He fulfilled His prophetic office, but He was not simply a great teacher. Jesus came healing the sick, raising the dead, exercising authority over nature, telling storms, be still, and they were, walking on water. doing all manner of miraculous deeds to show His authority because He's the King. But that wasn't the extent of His messianic ministry. He was more than a great teacher. He was more than a powerful miracle worker. His priestly office is what receives the greatest emphasis in the New Testament. He's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I want you to see at this Trinitarian baptism event, Father, Son, Holy Spirit all united together to commission Him for this great mission, this glorious mission to bring salvation to you and to me. From all eternity, the Father chose to send His Son. is for us. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to make us His precious possession. God the Son agreed that in time He would come and He would live as a man and He would die in order to redeem those whom the Father has chosen. And the Spirit of God individually with each one of us would come and He would take us from our spiritual deadness. We were dead in trespasses and sins. He would make us alive in Christ, give us new life. that we might repent and believe. And so there was this covenant of redemption from eternity past, and all three appear here at Jesus' baptism saying, now the plan is being executed, it's being carried out. God the Son has come in the fullness of time to carry out His purpose, and He preaches. life, the kingdom, good news, salvation. And that gospel He preaches to us brings redemption, it brings salvation, it brings the gift, the baptism of the Spirit of God who seals us until the day of redemption so that no one can ever pluck us out of His hand. So we might say with Philip Bliss in the great hymn, Man of Sorrows, hallelujah. What a Savior. Well, I want to return to this question I asked a few minutes ago. Are you wheat or are you chaff? See, we can't earn our way into heaven. We can't fulfill those righteous requirements of God's law. That's why Jesus came into the world. He lived a perfect life. You and I could never live. He fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law that we could not keep, we could not produce that kind of righteousness, that kind of sinlessness. And so, being the sinless Son of God in human form, He took upon Himself the punishment that we deserve as our substitute. He died in our place. taking upon Him the sin, the penalty for the sins of every man, woman, boy, and girl who would ever put their trust in Him. So I ask you, are you wheat or are you chaff? Are you putting your faith in Jesus Christ? He is the promised Messiah that was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. He's the Redeemer of everyone who will put their trust in Him. He's the dividing line separating wheat from chaff, sheep from goats, life from death, heaven from hell. So, where are you? Are you one of His children? Or are you not willing to submit and bow before the authority and the grace and mercy of our God? Second question, how do you listen to God's Word? There are many who came out, they flocked to hear John preaching. Even Herod heard Him gladly. John wasn't particularly interested in having lots of people follow him. That wasn't his goal. He was pointing men and women away from him to the Lord Jesus. In our modern day, there's no end to the celebrity preachers out there. Some are great, great preachers, some not so much. But with the internet, you can listen to any preacher you want, anytime you want. Some are powerful preachers of the gospel. of God's Word. And yet these men are simply men. Some will fall, and some have fallen. Some all will eventually die. This week we lost a great hero of the evangelical church in America. John MacArthur passed away, entered into the rest of his master. John MacArthur was 86 years old and he served the same church for 56 years. And his reach, the reach of his ministry was global, not just throughout this country but really throughout the world. used mightily of the Lord. But Pastor John didn't want to draw attention to himself. He pointed toward the Lord Jesus. That was his great love. And so, let's hunger not to hear this preacher or that preacher or this articulate delivery. Let's hunger for the Word of God, however it might come to us. Not because a celebrity delivers it, but because a faithful servant of God is his messenger. Cultivate an appetite for God's word. Because in the word that we find the very words of life. Now as we come to a close, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask one more question. If you're a Christian this morning, adult or child or young person, have you been baptized? You profess faith in Jesus Christ? We're not talking about the kind of baptism that John gives. We're talking about being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. You say you've put your faith and trust in Him. Are you seeking to be obedient and following in that step of baptism as a believer? This is the biblically prescribed way that we publicly profess our faith and publicly identify with the people of God. Now, I've recently had a number of parents approach me and say, my child is interested in being baptized. I think he may be a real Christian. That's exciting to me. There are some who say, oh, we won't baptize little kids no matter what, because you never know what'll happen when they get a little older. And that's true. We can't control what might happen when they get older. There's a fantastic little booklet that I've shared with some of you. We have a few left, but you can purchase it online. It's called Forbid Them Not. And it's by a faithful pastor who's with the Lord now, a man named Ted Chrisman. And it lays out an argument that we should allow children who give a genuinely credible profession of faith to seek baptism. But he gives a very rigorous set of criteria by which they should be examined to make sure that it's not just a childish desire to belong. I know when I was seven, I did not want to see that plate go past me another time, and I didn't get to eat the bread and drink the juice like my mom and dad and my sisters did. And so I wanted to belong like everybody else, so I want to get baptized. That's not conversion. I was not converted for seven more years. So how do we discern is it real or not? We can't fully, but we can ask some really good questions. So my intention is when I get back from India in a few weeks, I'll be studying up and preparing and having a class on Sunday afternoons for kids who have an interest in baptism. I think it would be good to have a parent there as well to hear and reinforce what we're talking about. Attending that class doesn't mean that the kid's going to get baptized. It's going to help them discern is this the time or not. and understand more clearly what is the gospel and what does it mean to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's going to be orientation to prepare for that possible step of obedience and provide instruction to prepare their hearts and mind. But I ask you, young person, teenager, or even adult, you're professing faith in Christ. You love the Lord Jesus. Have you been baptized? Have you joined His church? That should be the very next thing that happens. It's an essential step of obedience. So if the answer is no, I have not, why not? It's an important means of grace God has given us. It's an ordinance that God has established to enable us to identify publicly with the body of Christ. This evening, we'll be observing the Lord's Supper. That's the second ordinance for the church, where we together share this communion meal And together we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Well, who's qualified to observe that? It should be baptized believers who are members of His church. Visitors are certainly welcome to partake if they are seeking to walk in obedience that includes baptism. But why would you say, I'll take the public means of grace of communion, but I don't think I'm ready to observe the means of grace of baptism. Really? So I would urge you, I'll leave you this question. Are you wheat or are you chaff? Are you a believer? Or are you not? If not, why not? And if you're a believer, are you baptized? If not, why not? Jesus invites us, but he calls us. I urge you, run to Christ. Join with his people. May God guide us in this, we pray.