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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Acts chapter eight. Acts chapter eight this morning, 
we'll look at the conversion and the baptism of the Ethiopian 
eunuch in Acts chapter eight verses twenty six to forty. Hopefully 
a familiar passage of Scripture, one that you all are aware of, 
one that should hopefully remind us of the gladness and the praise 
and the wonder of baptism and the salvation that Jesus has 
wrought. this glorious day. Well, I'll 
just pick up reading in Acts 8 at verse 26, and then we'll 
read to the end of the chapter. Now, an angel of the Lord spoke 
to Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south along the 
road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is desert. So, he arose and went. And behold, 
a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, 
the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury 
and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting 
in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the 
Spirit said to Philip, Go near and overtake this chariot. So, 
Philip ran to him and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah and 
said, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, 
How can I, unless someone guides me? And he asked Philip to come 
up and sit with him. The place in the scripture which 
he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the 
slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he 
opened not his mouth. In his humiliation, his justice 
was taken away. And who will declare his generation 
for his life is taken from the earth? So the eunuch answered 
Philip and said, I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this 
of himself or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth 
and beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now, as 
they went down the road, they came to some water and the eunuch 
said, See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? Then Philip said, If you believe 
with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe 
that Jesus Christ is the son of God. So he commanded the chariot 
to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch 
went down into the water and he baptized him. Now, when they 
came up out of the water, the spirit of the Lord caught Philip 
away so that the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way 
rejoicing. But Philip was found at a Zotus 
and passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came 
to Caesarea. Amen. Well, let us look to the 
Lord in prayer. Our father, we come now to consider 
the Holy Scriptures and we confess that apart from Jesus, we can 
do nothing. We stand in utter dependence 
upon the spirit of the living God. And we pray that you would 
send him forth powerfully even now to take the word of God and 
to make it alive in our hearts and in our minds. We thank you 
on this glad day, Father, for these eight people that want 
to publicly identify with our Lord Jesus in baptism. We thank 
you for your grace and for your sovereignty. We thank you for 
your so great a salvation. We attribute nothing in terms 
of salvation to these eight. We attribute all the praise and 
all the glory to our triune God. How we thank you that Jehovah 
saves. How we thank you that Christ 
came into this world to live and to die and to rise again. 
And certainly he is the reason that we gather together for this 
occasion. We just pray now that you would 
forgive us for all of our sins and cleanse us afresh in the 
blood of Christ and help us to think your thoughts after you. 
And we ask in Jesus' holy name. Amen. Well, as Pastor Cam said, 
I want to welcome everybody today to join us in this baptismal 
service. We have eight people that are 
going to go into the water today. Those people are Jonathan Hall, 
Mark Van Der Veen, Ellie Neils, Daniel Slootweg, Melissa Kroll, 
Mike Kroll, Tamara Kroll, and Hans Kroll. So, certainly it 
is a day of great rejoicing for us at the Free Grace Baptist 
Church. Again, not in these people so 
much as in their Savior. We attribute all of the saving 
efficacy in redemption to the Lord of Glory. We don't look 
to these men or these women and say, well, you've made a good 
decision or you've operated well, you've done good works. No, we 
see God's handiwork. We see God's mercy. In fact, 
when they go into that water and come out, it's almost like 
this is a trophy case, a display case where God is displaying 
His grace and His mercy in the saving of sinners. Well, for 
those of you who are not strangers to Christian theology, you will 
realize that baptism is a doctrine that has been debated over the 
centuries, and it probably will continue to be debated. I'm not 
against debating the doctrine of baptism, but I'm also for 
celebrating the doctrine, and that's what we're going to do 
today. We're not going to engage in any polemics or any any. Why 
we do what is what we do is right. All that sort of thing. We want 
to celebrate today in the handiwork of our God in the saving of these 
centers. Well, as we look at Acts chapter 
eight, the section of the narrative breaks down the three three main 
sections. The first is the Holy Spirit 
calls for his lack versus twenty six to thirty. I think we learn 
a theological truth here, one that I've already alluded to, 
that the sovereignty of God is absolutely crucial in the manner 
of salvation. This Ethiopian eunuch didn't 
just make a good decision for Jesus. God, the Spirit, directed 
Philip to call this man out of darkness into marvelous light. Secondly, we see the Ethiopian 
pointed to Christ in verses 31 to 35. And the truth I see highlighted 
there is the necessity of the Christian gospel. You must hear 
the truth of the gospel in order to be saved. God displays himself 
in creation. In fact, the psalmist says that 
the heavens declare the glory of God. Each and every time you 
look out at this created world, you see God's handiwork and his 
majesty. But that information in and of 
itself does not save you from your sins. You must hear the 
gospel. You must hear the good news. 
In this particular occasion, Philip preaches Jesus from the 
prophet Isaiah. That's what the gospel is all 
about. It's about Christ in his person 
and in his work. And then the third thing we see 
in the narrative is the Ethiopian converted and baptized in verses 
thirty six. Here I see the response of man 
to the gospel. It is true God is sovereign. 
It is true that Christ alone saves sinners. It is true that 
God must grant the gifts of faith and repentance. It's also true 
that you as a sinner must believe. You must close with Christ. You 
must venture on Him, venture holy. You must see Him as the 
only one who can save you from your sins. yourself at his feet 
for his mercy. So, those three lessons are taught 
here in Acts chapter 8. Let's pick up the first one and 
the Holy Spirit calls for his elect. Notice in verse 26, now 
an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, arise and go toward 
the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. 
Philip was one of the men selected in Acts chapter 6. We might call 
him a deacon. Though the word is not used, 
I believe that's the idea. See, in Acts chapter 6, there 
was a problem. Some widows were being neglected 
with reference to being served food. And the apostle said, it 
is not good for us to neglect the word of God in prayer in 
order to serve these widows. They weren't saying it's wrong 
to serve widows, but what they were saying is that their primary 
responsibility was to give their attention to the study of the 
Word of God, to preaching it, and to praying. So they select 
these seven men in whom the Holy Spirit was, men of wisdom, and 
Philip was one of those men. And at the end of Acts chapter 
6 and 7, we see Philip go to Samaria and he preaches the gospel 
and God is using him and blessing him. And after he is done in 
Samaria, he goes back to Jerusalem. And so the angel then commands 
him to go to Gaza. Remember, Gaza was a place where 
the Philistines lived. Philip goes in obedience to his 
Lord. And then notice he identifies 
or notice that the narrative identifies this man, the Ethiopian 
verse twenty seven. So he arose and went and behold, 
a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, 
the queen of the Ethiopians who had charge of all her treasury. 
He had come from Jerusalem. He was one who wanted to learn 
about the God of Israel. But you see, this man had a couple 
of strikes against him. He had a couple of issues with 
reference to being able to approach God fully. See, the Old Testament, 
Deuteronomy 23, said that a eunuch could not enter into the assembly 
of the Lord. A eunuch could not enter into 
the assembly of the Lord. Plus, this man was an Ethiopian, 
which meant that he was a Gentile. They couldn't enter into the 
very inner court of the house of God either. They could proselytize, 
they could come in among the people of God and gain some benefit, 
but they could never fully enter in. And, brethren, I think what 
Luke is doing here is showing us something about Jesus' reign, 
about the gospel era, about the fact that he is including now 
eunuchs and non-Jews. He is including men from every 
tribe and tongue and people and nation. That's one of the biblical 
theological themes going on here in Acts 8. It's all about inclusion. It's all about sinners from every 
place coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. And so this man, he has two strikes, 
but we might even add a third strike. It's not only an Ethiopian. He's not only a eunuch, but he's 
a sinner. And you may find yourself here 
today. You're probably not an Ethiopian 
and you're probably not a eunuch. So those similarities aren't 
in common with this particular man. But where you find solidarity 
with this man is in the fact that you're a rebel against God. 
That's the great leveling. There is not a one of us in this 
place who has escaped the taint of sin. The scripture says that 
all we like sheep have gone astray. We have all sought our own way. 
There is no fear of God before our eyes. So you're not an Ethiopian. You're not a unit, but you are 
a sinner. And you need to hear what Peter or Philip rather says 
to this particular man. The spirit commands Philip to 
join with this Ethiopian. And as he approaches him, he 
hears him reading the prophet Isaiah. It's common to read out 
loud in those particular days. And that brings us to the second 
consideration. The Ethiopian pointed to Christ 
versus thirty one to thirty five. Notice the evangelist's question 
in verse 30. Do you understand what you are 
reading? It's not good. We need to stop there for just 
a moment. I don't think we all understand the gospel. That's 
my conviction. Having been a Christian for some 
years and serving Christ in the pastoral ministry, meeting people, 
I'm not always convinced that those who profess Christ even 
understand the gospel of Christ. Some people think we need Jesus 
to help us into heaven. Some people think we need moral 
reform. We just need to do better things. We just need to avoid 
certain places. We just need to surround ourselves 
with better people. We just need to go to church. 
We just need to read our Bibles. No, we need to believe the gospel 
of Jesus Christ. The longer I live and move and 
have my great being, the more I am convinced it is all of Christ. Now, we all say that. I said 
that when I was first converted. The longer you live the Christian 
life, I hope the more you'll recognize it's about Jesus. And 
this man has the wherewithal to invade the eunuch's face and 
said, do you understand what you're reading? And I love the 
eunuch's response. He's not proud like us. If somebody 
were to ask you, do you understand the Bible that you're reading? 
Do you understand the sermons that you're hearing? What's one 
of the natural responses to get defensive? Well, of course, I 
understand. I went to Sunday school. Of course, 
I understand. I go to catechism. Of course, 
I understand. I go to church. Look at what 
the eunuch says here in verse 31. He said, How can I, unless 
someone guides me? I need to be shown these things. 
I need to understand. See, humility comes and he doesn't 
give a rip at this point about appearances. He doesn't care 
to look like he's some polished guy that has it all figured out 
and everything is in order. I suspect that's true of some 
of us here. We like to appear that we have 
it all in order. We like to appear that everything 
is well with us. Somebody would ask us, of course 
we understand. Of course I know, of course. 
We almost get offended if somebody were to ask us, is it well with 
your soul? He says, how can I, unless someone 
guides me? It's got a humble honesty there. 
A humble honesty. You have a humble honesty. You 
see yourself as this man. The fact that he's reading Isaiah 
53 makes me believe that he was familiar with Isaiah 56. Isaiah 
56 is where God, through the prophet, says that the eunuchs 
will be brought in. This man's a eunuch. He's been 
able to at least observe externally Israel's God. Perhaps while he 
was in Jerusalem, he heard something about this Jesus as he's writing 
back home to serve Candace, which wasn't a proper name. It was 
like Pharaoh or Caesar, the queen of Ethiopia, as he's writing 
back, he's earnest about his soul. He actually cares. Again, I think this is something 
we can learn from today. There is such an indifference 
in the world today about matters of eternity. Ask somebody where 
they're going to get a job or where they're going to go to 
school or what they're going to have for dinner. And they're 
in deadly earnest. Some people plan out their lives 
to the minutest detail. And then when I'm fifty five, 
I'll do this and all that. What about eternity when you 
fly into heaven and you meet the triune God who is holy, holy, 
holy? What will it be then? Well, I'll 
think about that another time. Can I just encourage you to learn 
something of deadly earnestness? Your soul is the most important 
thing here today. Well, God's the most important 
Christ and his gospel are more important. But in terms of you 
and your relationship to the Lord, doesn't matter where you're 
going to work, doesn't matter where you're going to go to school. 
It matters what you think of Jesus Christ. You may have come 
here with a curiosity just to watch people get baptized in 
a way that's a bit different than you're used to. You need 
to leave with more than a curiosity satisfied, you need to leave 
confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Whether you ever enter 
into that same pool or not, you need to come to the Redeemer 
for sinners. I love this. How can I unless 
someone guides me? He asks Philip to come up and 
sit with him. Calvin contrasts the Ethiopians 
modesty, and he says in that he acknowledges his ignorance 
freely and frankly. He contrasts that modesty with 
one who is swollen headed with confidence in his own abilities. 
Calvin says that is why the reading of Scriptures bears fruit with 
such a few people today, because scarcely one in a hundred is 
to be found who gladly submits himself to its teaching. I've 
met people before and tried to give them a Bible. I've got five 
Bibles. Do you read any of them? It's going to be worse to go 
to hell with five Bibles on your shelf than no Bibles on your 
shelf. If you have one Bible, read it, 
learn it, study it. Seek out exposition of Scripture. You shouldn't want a preacher 
just to share his heart. You should want a preacher who 
is going to open up the Scriptures by the power of the Spirit to 
show you the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. That's the crying 
need for our particular day. And then notice the place in 
the scripture, verse 32, which he read was this. And it's Isaiah 
53, 7 and 8. God is sovereign, brethren. What 
better place could a man be reading than this for Philip to come 
and hear him? I mean, you're all familiar to 
some degree with the scriptures. Isaiah, we could almost call 
him Isaiah, the apostle. We could almost call his prophecy 
a gospel account, because in Isaiah 53, several hundred years 
before the coming of the Messiah, Isaiah preached substitutionary 
atonement. Isaiah preached one who would 
be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He preached one upon 
whom we wouldn't cast our eyes and say what a glorious looking 
being he is. He has no form that we should 
be taken in with him. He has no grandeur or majesty 
that we should all just surround him. He's a man of sorrows and 
acquainted with grief. Isaiah spoke these things, as 
I said, several hundred years before the coming of the Lord 
Jesus. So you gotta get the picture. 
The eunuch is reading here. The eunuch is stirred up. The 
eunuch wants to seek after God. The eunuch has the Bible in his 
lap. And the eunuch says, who's he 
talking about? This is most important. This 
was a man of great authority over a very kingdom. You know, 
sometimes we meet people. I'm just so busy. I don't have 
time for religion. I'm so busy. I don't have time for that Bible. 
I'm so busy. I don't have time to come to 
a Bible study. Oh, and this man who had this authority over a 
kingdom wasn't busy. He didn't have other pressing 
issues. He didn't have other. I mean, if this guy was alive 
today, he would have had the Blackberry. He would have had 
the email going on, he would have been checking things, he 
would have been orchestrating things, he would have had a day 
timer, a calendar, he would have had a secretary, all these things, 
all this press upon him. And yet what's most important 
with the prophet Isaiah and who's he talking about? That's what 
he says. Notice verse 34. So the eunuch 
answered him and said, I ask you, of whom does the prophet 
say this? Of himself or of some other man? I want to know who this figure 
in Isaiah 53 is. We turn back there for just a 
moment and we'll rehearse a few particulars about this servant 
of the Lord in Isaiah 53. Who has believed our report, 
verse one, and to whom is the arm of the Lord been revealed? 
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root 
out of dry ground. He has no form or homeliness, 
and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire 
him. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and 
acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces 
from him. He was despised and we did not 
esteem him. It's not exactly what we find 
when we turn to the gospel accounts. Not exactly the call that Jesus 
makes upon the man, the would-be follower. Jesus said, you know, 
the foxes have their holes and the birds of the air have their 
nest, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. John, 
in introducing him to us in John chapter one, having stated the 
fact that Jesus is very God, he says that he came to his own 
and his own received him not. He goes on in verse four. Surely 
he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed 
and stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. You see, that's 
most important in the chapter there. It's not as cruel treatment 
at the hands of men. And I encourage you to study 
the latter portions of the gospel accounts. It's not necessarily 
the cruel treatment at the hands of men. It is the wrath and fury 
of almighty God. When Jesus is in the garden of 
Gethsemane and he cries out to his father, take this cup from 
me. It's not talking about the pain 
and infliction of punishment that he'll get from the hands 
of ungodly men. He's talking about the wrath 
and fury of his father, that cup that he would willingly drink 
on behalf of all those whom the father had given him. You see, 
the eunuch is reading this and he's scratching his head and 
he's wondering, is this Isaiah? Is this some contemporary of 
Isaiah? Because the eunuch realizes that 
this man bore our griefs. This man carries our sorrows. 
We are steamed and stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. 
He was wounded for our transgressions. You see, the eunuch is thinking 
in the right spot here. He was wounded, not so that we'd 
be more handsome, not so that we would be more accommodated 
to society, or we'd have a better financial package. He was wounded 
for our transgressions. There is a strain of teaching 
out there under the name of Christianity, which says something like, come 
to Jesus and your life will get better. Come to Jesus and you'll 
get more cars, or you'll get more houses, or you'll get more 
money. Come to Jesus or you'll get more comfort. That's not 
what the eunuch was looking for. In fact, the eunuch had all that. 
He had a sin problem that he was keenly aware of. He goes 
on in verse five. He was wounded for our transgressions. 
He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace 
was upon him. And by his stripes, we are healed. 
All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his 
own way. And the Lord has laid on him 
the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, 
yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter 
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent. So he opened not his 
mouth. He was taken from prison and 
from judgment. And who will declare his generation? 
For he was cut off from the land of the living. For the transgressions 
of my people, he was stricken. You see why the eunuch now says 
to Philip, who's he talking about? Who's in view here? Have you 
come to that place? You're keenly aware of your sin 
doesn't mean because you've spent three years agonizing, but someone 
has said the Bible says you're a sinner. You've known something 
of that sin, something of that transgression and iniquity, and 
you need a place to dump it. You need a place to unload it. 
You need a place to rid yourself of it. That's what the eunuchs 
say. Who's he talking about? Notice Isaiah 53, verse 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise 
him. This is literally it. Please, 
God, the father to bruise God, the son. The N.A.S. translates 
it. It pleased the Lord to crush 
him. You see what the eunuchs say, 
what what is the what is the rationale behind this whole transaction? What's going on here in the prophet? He has put him to grief when 
you make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed. 
He shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall 
prosper in his hand. That brings us back to consider 
in Acts 8 this eunuch's mindset. He's concerned about his sin. 
And notice the response of Philip. Acts chapter 8, verse 35. Then Philip opened his mouth 
and beginning at this scripture preached Jesus to him. You want 
the rationale behind this eunuch. Here it is. All we like sheep 
have gone astray. Isaiah 56 or 53 6. That means 
you include it. We have all sinned against the 
Holy God. There is not a one of us who can claim goodness 
or rightness. There is not a one of us who 
have performed according to the law of God. And as a result, 
God the Father sent God the Son, and God the Son came on a very 
specific mission. Theologians like to call this 
mission the covenant of grace. I don't know if Philip said that, 
but we can surmise that he said something to this effect. From 
this scripture, he preached Jesus. He was wounded for our transgressions. The Lord has laid upon him the 
chastisement for our peace. In other words, the evangelist 
here is describing and in preaching Jesus, he is talking to him about 
substitutionary atonement. That's the glory of the gospel 
message. God made Christ who knew no sin 
to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God 
in him. That's the essence of the Christian 
message, not you need to perform better. You need to do more. 
You need to believe this gospel. That's it. Yeah, you need to 
believe the gospel. You see, from this scripture, 
he preached the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ to this 
particular man. He told him about his perfect 
life. He told him about his curse bearing 
death at Calvary. He told him about the empty tomb, 
the fact that he is risen, the fact that he ascended on high, 
the fact that he is exalted at the right hand of God most high 
and that that Ethiopian eunuch right now could believe that 
gospel and be saved. That's what Philip said to him. 
You say, well, how do you know that? Because it just says he 
preached Jesus. When you compare the rest of the Bible, that's 
what preaching Jesus is all about. Preaching Jesus, again, is not 
self-help. It's not moral reform. It is 
about the work, the life, the death, the resurrection of Christ. Go to 1 Corinthians 15, verses 
1 to 4, where Paul gives you a wonderful summary statement 
concerning the gospel or the good news of Jesus Christ. He 
says, Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preach 
to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which 
also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preach 
to you, unless you believe in vain. For I delivered to you, 
first of all, that which I also received, that Christ died for 
our sins, according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and that 
he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures. That's what preaching Jesus is 
all about. Trace through the book of Acts, 
preaching Jesus meant telling sinners about the gospel, telling 
sinners about Jesus like death and resurrection, and then calling 
them to believe that message. The gospel isn't even God loves 
you and has a wonderful plan for your life. The gospel is 
about Jesus death and resurrection. And the truth is that if you 
believe that gospel, you will be saved. That's what Philip 
did on this particular day in Acts chapter eight in a larger 
fulfillment of God's word to save Gentiles, to save units 
under the glorious Redeemer King, Jesus Christ. And that brings 
us to consider finally His response to this notice verse thirty six. Now, as they went down the road, 
they came to some water and the eunuch said, See, here is water. 
What hinders me from being baptized? So this preaching of Jesus obviously 
involves something about baptism because the Ethiopian eunuch 
initiates this. He asks about baptism and his 
question is framed correctly. What hinders me? There's an implication 
that there are things that do hinder you. You shouldn't be 
baptized if you don't believe the gospel, which Philip will 
make clear in just a moment. You shouldn't be baptized if 
you think that water is magic. If you think that water conveys 
some power or if the water itself is the agent to regenerate you, 
that should hinder you. If you have an incorrect understanding 
of the symbolism of baptism, you should study it before you 
engage in it. There are things that ought to 
hinder a man. A man who's living in open, ungodly, 
unrighteous sin gives evidence that he is not a believer on 
the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, this should hinder 
him. Right. So, the Ethiopian eunuch 
asks the question, and notice what Philip says, verse 37. If you believe with all your 
heart, you may. If you have an NIV or an ESV, 
that is in your margin. If you believe with all your 
heart, you may. Isn't that a beautiful statement, 
too? We often make this big disconnect 
between the head and the heart. You know, with the head, we believe, 
and with the heart, we just sort of love. You believe with your 
heart. The intellectual ability of the 
heart is to believe the gospel concerning Jesus Christ, our 
Lord. And this is what Philip says to him. If you believe with 
all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe 
that Jesus Christ is the son of God. A wonderful declaration. Prior to these brethren going 
into the water, they have either met with myself or Pastor Cam 
or with both of us together. And we have, in essence, asked 
them this particular question. If you believe with all your 
heart, you may. And they have answered that in 
the affirmative. I will rehearse that with them 
in the water as a public testimony and as a public declaration. 
But they, like this Ethiopian eunuch, don't just participate 
because everybody's doing it. They don't just do it because 
that's what people should do. They don't do it as some form 
of ritual or some form of rote. They don't do it as a ceremony 
that is meaningless. They do it consciously. They 
do it as confessors of faith in Jesus Christ. They do it as 
those who have seen their transgression. They have seen their sin. They 
have seen their iniquity. And they have seen a redeemer. 
That is the basis upon which men, women, boys and girls ought 
to be baptized. I believe that Jesus Christ is 
the son of God. He maybe didn't believe, he didn't 
probably know all the intricacies that would be hammered out in 
later confessions and creeds and the doctrines of the church 
and all those things. But this much this man knew. 
I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Is that beautiful? Is that glorious? And notice 
the immediacy of it all. The immediacy of it all. This 
man was going to go to hell. Oh, yes, he had an interest in 
the God of Israel, but an interest in the God of Israel does not 
save a sinner. You must believe the gospel of 
Jesus Christ. So he's on his way to hell. Philip 
comes, opens the scripture, preaches Jesus to him. He believes it 
and he's baptized. One man is well observed. The 
altar call, which is often used in Arminian churches and easy 
believism circles. The altar call where sinners 
are called forth to make a profession or to sign a card or to perhaps 
raise a hand or pray a prayer. One man as well said that's not 
in the New Testament. What is in the New Testament 
is that sinners believe the gospel and they come and get baptized. 
It's beautiful. Glorious, it's wondrous. It is 
an awesome reflection of what Tam read in Acts 2. They that gladly receive the 
word are baptized. This does not minimize the sovereignty 
of God. In fact, it underscores it because 
the Lord added to the church. The only ones who believe this 
gospel, the only ones who lay hold of Christ are those who, 
by the grace of God, do so. Well, brethren, that is a brief 
exposition. We'll close with just a couple 
lessons and then we'll get these brethren up here and baptize 
them. I believe one of the first things 
we ought to observe about this encounter is that it demonstrates 
the Great Commission. So we're going to teach a little 
bit here. Remember the book of Matthew ends with that Great 
Commission. Jesus said all authority and having it on Earth has been 
given unto me. That's the foundation upon which the commission stands. He has all authority. We like 
to think we have authority in our lives. We like to think that 
we call the shots. We like to think that we're the 
captain of our own faith. Not so. Jesus has all authority 
in heaven and on earth. Based on that assertion, Jesus 
says, go, therefore, and make disciples, baptizing them in 
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded. 
And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. We 
get to the book of Acts, and you know what we see? Obedient 
Christians. Praise God, he didn't just give 
that commission to our generation because we want to parse and 
argue over the verb go. Jesus says go. We want to say, 
oh, what do you mean by that, Lord? You mean I got to leave 
all my stuff? Go. Jesus says, go talk to your neighbor. 
I don't know, Lord, I had a tough time with that. Go. Well, they 
actually went, thankfully. And so the book of Acts records 
that. And as we said, this Ethiopian eunuch, who was a man who was 
a far off, has brought nine out through the blood of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. The Psalms are being fulfilled. 
When you read the name Kush in the Psalter and in Isaiah chapter 
11, that refers to Ethiopia. Luke is a theologian. He is showing 
us something of redemptive truth. He is showing us that Jesus is 
on his throne. Jesus is building his church. 
Jesus is taking Ethiopian men and bringing them under his sway, 
under his rule and under his authority through the preaching 
of the gospel. The messianic age has come. One commentator says the house 
of prayer for all nations, which is referenced in Isaiah 56 in 
connection with the eunuchs coming in. He says the house of prayer 
for all nations was not the product of Herod's construction in Jerusalem. He's talking about the temple 
that was still standing as this man was converted to Christ. 
So the house of prayer for all nations was not the product of 
Herod's construction in Jerusalem. It was located, among other places, 
at a wadi or a brook or a river beside a wilderness road in old 
Philistine territory. where a castrated Ethiopian was 
cleansed for priestly service through faith in the Lamb of 
God, who was led like a sheep to the slaughter. Praise God 
for the unity of the Bible. This man is the first proof he 
would go back to Ethiopia with this message in his heart. We 
see when he leaves here, he is rejoicing. The baptismal service 
ought to be a time of celebration and rejoicing. These eight brethren 
ought to skip their way out of here, singing praises to the 
God of heaven who has saved them from their sins. That is one 
of the most blessed things in the world, to publicly identify 
with the triune God, to be buried with Christ in the water of baptism, 
to be raised anew and to be committed to walk in newness of life. There 
is no greater testimony on the face of this earth. Marriage 
is great. Getting wed together before God 
and witnesses is great. There's something about being 
wed to Christ through baptism. It's glorious. Spurgeon would 
refer to his baptistry or the baptismal pool. Blessed, blessed 
pool. I hope you, brethren, think of 
it that way today. Blessed pool. We learn something 
as well with reference to evangelism. For those of us who are Christians 
here, we need to be more like Philip. Now, I realize Philip 
was uniquely gifted, Philip was uniquely set apart, Philip was 
used by God, who is sovereign. You may not be called the full-time 
vocational preaching or teaching. You may not go to Vancouver or 
China. You may not, you know, stop your 
vocation now and choose something else. There ought to be a degree 
of Philip in each and every one of us. Remember that man in John 
9 who had been healed by Jesus? And he begins to be berated by 
the Pharisees and the scribes because they want to they want 
to make up. They want to show Jesus as a fraud or as a fake 
or whatever. And they keep disputing with 
this particular man. Finally, the man says, I this 
is the vernacular. This is a bit of a free translation. 
He said, I don't know what you're all on about this thing. I know 
I was blind and now I see. So what the essence of the gospel 
is, I was blind in my sin. I was dead in my transgression. 
I loved sin. I loved hell. I loved Satan. 
I loved all the things that this world had to offer. The passing 
pleasures of sin only had to do that. And I was right there 
on it. I broke every one of the Ten Commandments. But this much 
I know. God saved me. God opened my eyes. God opened my heart. God caused 
me to see this Jesus of Isaiah 53. God enabled me by his grace 
to cast my soul upon him. We all need to be more like Philip. 
We need to know the Bible. It's shameful the amount of biblical 
illiteracy among God's people today. We can talk about the 
Knox, we can talk about the stock market, we can talk about anything 
and everything with a great degree of certainty and objectivity, 
but we get to the Bible and we're scratching our heads. I think 
it's somewhere in there. Do you realize the assault on 
the Christian faith going on in your generation? Do you realize 
the place you have in this world? If you, by the grace of God, 
have His Spirit in you and you have His Word, you ought to be 
equipped. You want to take the scriptures. 
You want to think God's thoughts after him. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 
2 16. We have the mind of Christ. Christ doesn't think sloppy. 
Christ doesn't think fuzzy. Christ doesn't scratch his head 
and say, I think the Bible says this. Christ knows his word and 
Christ's people best serve him when they with their heart believe 
in him and they understand his truth. One man is well said that 
if God has decreed happier days for us and if we may expect a 
world shaking and genuine spiritual awakening, I'm specifically pointing 
this out. I know there are many of you 
from other churches here. I personally could care less 
if you say, wow, those reform Baptist. That's not the point. 
Take this in your heart. Pray for this in your churches. Let's fight the common enemy, 
which is Satan. Let's fight the common enemy, 
which is hell. Christians spend a lot of time 
fighting each other. Let's join arms in sound doctrine, 
not some ecumenical garbage, but in the truth of Reformed 
theology and step forth in faith to shape the kingdoms of this 
world. Gordon Clark, if God has decreed happier days for us and 
if we may expect a world-shaking and genuine spiritual awakening, 
then it is the author's belief that a zeal for souls, however 
necessary, is not the sufficient condition. It's not enough just 
to say, wow, I want the masses to be saved. He says, have there 
not been devout saints in every age, numerous enough to carry 
on a revival? Twelve such persons are plenty. 
What distinguishes the arid ages from the period of the Reformation, 
when nations were moved as they had not been since Paul preached 
in Ephesus, Corinth and Rome, is the latter's fullness of knowledge 
of God's Word. To echo an early Reformation 
thought, when the plowman and the garage attendant know the 
Bible as well as the theologian does, and know it better than 
some contemporary theologians, then the desired awakening shall 
have already occurred. We need a return to the truth 
of Holy Scripture, of the gospel of free and sovereign grace. 
That's what we need. That's how I hope you pray. That's 
how I hope you pray each and every day. God, cause your word 
to run swiftly and be glorified. That ought to be the prayer of 
God's people. And then finally, we learn something here of the 
doctrine of salvation. You remember Paul in first Corinthians 
when he's highlighting the foolishness of the cross, he says, not many 
wise, not many noble are called. Right. Not many wise and not 
many noble, but some are. This is a wise and a noble man. 
Matthew Henry comments, not many mighty, not many noble are called, 
but some are. That's what we find here. The 
gospel is to go everywhere. There's sort of this mindset 
that I've seen in evangelical Christianity today, almost like 
our centers are better than your centers. Right. Unless you're really just 
pulling the people off the streets and getting them converted. Well, 
it's just not as good. Any sinner saved by God's grace 
is a miraculous testimony to his power and glory. I love the 
diversity that's going into this tank today. I love the diversity 
in the way that God conquers souls. Notice salvation comes 
to men in crisis and men not in crisis. You don't have a crisis 
conversion. One of the young fellows getting 
baptized today had known him since he was four. When I met with him, he said, 
you know, I can't remember. There wasn't a crisis conversion. He believed the gospel. That's 
OK. You don't have to have some story 
that parallels Paul. You don't have to have an Isaac 
prophecy. You don't have to be wafted into 
the throne room of God. You have to believe the gospel. 
Comes to men in crisis and men not in crisis. It comes at God's 
sovereign bidding. It comes by the word of God. 
So I ask each one of you here today, do you understand this 
gospel? Do you understand the truth as 
it is in Jesus? And if the answer is yes, then 
I ask you, have you believed it? Have you believed this truth? And if you say no, why not? What is there about this Jesus 
that you don't want? What is there about this Jesus 
that keeps you at bay? This Jesus says all that the 
father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me. I will certainly not cast out. 
See, he affirms sovereignty and he affirms the reality that when 
men comes, he won't cast them out. Don't leave here saying, 
well, I don't know if I'm predestined. I don't know if I'm elect. I 
don't know if God has done a work in me. The idea is simple. Believe 
the truth. Believe the truth of the gospel 
and you will be saved. That's what the Bible says. That's 
what the Bible says. Well, let us pray. And I'll ask 
the brethren to come up and we'll baptize. Father, we thank you 
for the word of God and we thank you for the faith as it is in 
Jesus Christ. We know and confess that it's 
because of him and him only that we gather here on this day. And 
we would pray, God most high, that your spirit would be at 
work in our hearts, that we would wrestle with these truths and 
that we would believe concerning Christ. And Father, we just commit 
these eight souls to your care. We ask that you would just bless 
them and cause them to grow in the grace and in the knowledge 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray in his name. Amen. 
Well, if the ladies will come up here, they have a room there 
to get changed in and then the men know where they're supposed 
to go and then just gather back into my office. And Pastor Cam 
will come up and lead in a couple of songs while we change. They're preparing for the baptisms. We can sing a couple hymns. So 
please turn to 675 and you can stay seated. you. A wonderful Savior is Jesus, 
my Lord, A wonderful Savior to me. He hideth my soul in the cleft of 
the rock, Where rivers of pleasure I see. He hideth my soul in the cleft 
of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life 
in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand, 
and covers me there with His hand. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my 
Lord, He is made with my word and my way. He moldeth me up, and I shall 
not be moved. He giveth me strength as my day. He bindeth my soul in the cleft 
of the rock. That shadows a dry, thirsting 
hand. He hideth my life in the depths 
of His love, And covers me there with His hand. And he offers me there with his 
hand. With numberless blessings each 
bow he crowns, And filled with a coldness divine. I sing in my rapture, O glory 
to God, for such a Redeemer as mine. He hideth my soul in the path 
of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land. He hideth my light in the depths 
of His love, and covers me there with His hand, and covers me 
there with His hand. Enclosed in His brightness transported 
I rise to meet Him in clouds of the sky. This perfect salvation, this 
wonderful love, I'll shout with the millions of lives. Behind it, my soul, in the cleft 
of the rock, that shadows a dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths 
of His love, and covers me there with His hand, and covers me 
there with His hand. You may remain seated and you 
can turn in your hymn books to 599. 599 and we'll sing that 
hymn also together. The sands of time are sleeping, 
the dawn of heaven breaks, The summer morn I've sighed for, 
the fair sweet morn awaits. Dark, dark, happy the midnight, 
but day's spring is at hand. and glory, glory dwelleth in 
Emmanuel's land. A king there in his beauty without 
a veil is seen, It were a well-spent journey, those seven deaths lay 
between. The Lamb with His spare army 
Doth on Mount Zion stand, And glory, glory dwelleth In Emmanuel's 
hand. O Christ, He is the fountain, 
the deep sweet well of love. As streams on earth I've tasted, 
more deep I'll drink of love. There to an ocean's fullness 
His mercy doth expand, And glory, glory dwelleth in Emmanuel's 
land. A bride eyes not her garment, 
but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze at glory, but 
on my King of grace. Not at the crown He gifted, but 
on His pierced hand. The Lamb is all the glory, of 
Emmanuel's Lamb. Amen. Usually we invite the children 
to come up and to sit down up here if they'd like to come up 
and get a better view, because basically baptism is that. It's 
a picture, a picture of what God does inwardly in terms of 
saving a sinner. Baptism communicates that verbally 
or externally. And it is a time to rejoice, 
a time to celebrate, and a time to actually see what's going 
on. There's nothing odd or nothing mysterious. We welcome anybody 
and everybody to witness this glad occasion. I do want to read 
a section out of our Confession of Faith. It's our church doctrinal 
standard. It's the 1689 London Baptist 
Confession of Faith. I believe it highlights or gathers 
together the scriptural teaching on baptism very effectively says 
baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament ordained by Jesus 
Christ to be on to the party baptized important. If you remember 
in the narrative there in Acts 8. They weren't in a church. 
They weren't. He still didn't say we gotta 
wait till we get to the church in Jerusalem. It is primarily 
an ordinance for the party who is being baptized. It's for the 
person themselves in the sight of God. Now there's a blessing 
and a corollary to that. We do it in the church so everybody 
can witness along with it. But it is ordained by Jesus Christ 
to be unto the party baptized, a sign of his fellowship with 
him in his death and resurrection, of his being engrafted into him, 
of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God through 
Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life. It says, 
those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith 
in and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ are the only proper 
subjects of this ordinance. Again, we saw that if you believe 
in your heart that Jesus is the son of God. The outward element 
to be used in this ordinance is water, wherein the party is 
to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and 
of the Holy Spirit. And then immersion or dipping 
of the person in water is necessary to the due administration of 
this ordinance. So that's just a good summary 
statement of what the Bible says concerning baptism. I'll invite 
Jonathan Hall first. And I give them the opportunity 
to make a public statement themselves. Sometimes people aren't always 
free to speak publicly. So I have a series of questions 
that I asked five questions just to get their public confession 
of faith. And I always like to say a little 
bit about the person themselves. And as I've come to know, the 
person is being baptized. As I said, I've known Jonathan 
since he was four. Thanks. I'm confirming with him. And it's just been a blessing 
to me to see him grow up in our church. He's an active servant 
of Christ in our church in terms of all the computer stuff and 
web stuff and all of that. But that's not what qualifies 
him to be baptized. It is faith in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. And we give God thanks and we 
give him praise and glory that he is working through the regular 
use of the means through preaching, through family worship, through 
all those means that we sometimes think, is God really in this? 
God really is in it. Jonathan, do you believe there 
is one true and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit? Yes. Do you believe that you 
have sinned against God and justly deserve His punishment for your 
sins? Yes. Do you believe that Jesus Christ, 
the Son of God, lived in obedience to God's law, died as a sacrifice 
and substitute for sinners, and rose on the third day? Yes. Do 
you believe in Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sins? Yes. 
And do you commit to walk in obedience to God through faith 
in Jesus Christ? Yes. Hold your notes. I baptize you 
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Give me your hand. Give me your hand. OK, Mark. I've come to know Mark very keenly 
because he asked my second oldest daughter to marry him. And this 
is a double blessing for me. It's been an encouragement to 
get to know Mark. He is in many respects the exact 
guy. Well, he is the guy we prayed for for our daughter, Brittany. 
And he has confessed his faith in Jesus Christ. And that's First 
and foremost, if anybody wants my daughters, they gotta confess 
and profess faith in Jesus Christ. So it's a great blessing today 
to be able to witness this and to see our young brother here 
identifying with the Lord. Do you believe there is one true 
and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? 
Yes. Do you believe that you have 
sinned against God and justly deserve His punishment for your 
sins? Yes. Do you believe that Jesus Christ, 
the son of God, lived in obedience to God's law, died as a sacrifice 
and substitute for sinners and rose on the third day? Yes. Do you believe in Jesus Christ 
alone to save you from your sins? Yes. And do you commit to walk 
in obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ? Yes. I baptize you in the name of 
the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Be careful. Just within the last few months 
we've gotten to know Daniel and Ellie. And when Pastor Cam and 
I first met with them and we asked Ellie about her conversion 
there was some unction there. Great earnestness to own Jesus 
Christ as Lord and Savior. And that just delights my heart 
to see that conviction and to see that willingness to identify 
with the Lord. She has a good testimony of how 
God brought her to know his dear son. Do you believe there is one true 
and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit? 
Do you believe that you have sinned against God and justly 
deserve his punishment for your sins? Do you believe that Jesus 
Christ, the Son of God, lived in obedience to God's law, died 
as a sacrifice and substitute for sinners and rose on the third 
day? And do you believe in Jesus Christ alone to save you from 
your sins? And do you commit to walk in 
obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ? I baptize you in the name of 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is Daniel. He is engaged 
to be married to Ellie. And it was, again, a great encouragement 
to talk with him the other day and to ask him some very pointed 
questions. And he actually does want to 
say a few things. So. As I grew up, I went to church 
faithfully and hardened my heart. until I had the opportunity to 
go on a mission trip to Mexico when I was 15. I got home and 
was on a spiritual high, but lost all God in my life and didn't 
pursue Christian accompaniment. I went downhill quickly and found 
myself depressed and suicidal and turned to secret sin, which 
I struggled with for years. But God found me and saved me 
from my sins. I don't have a big conversion story, but all I know 
is that it happened in September I had to reach the lowest point 
of my life before God would lift me up. My verse of comfort is, 
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil, for God is with me. Throughout His death, 
they comforted me. I would like to thank key people 
God used to help me get to where I am today, and praise God for 
adopting me and leading me to Himself. Amen. You believe in 
Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sins? Yes. I baptize 
you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Thank you. Another couple that has come 
to us are Mike and Melissa Kroll, especially known Melissa's parents 
for several years. So God is sovereign in the way 
that he operates and brings people together. It's been a great blessing 
to be able to get to know Mike and Melissa and to hear their 
conversion and their testimony of saving faith in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Did you want to say something? 
Okay. Do you believe there is one true and living God who exists 
eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Yes. Do you believe 
that you have sinned against God and justly deserve His punishment 
for your sins? Yes. Do you believe that Jesus 
Christ, the Son of God, lived in obedience to God's law, died 
as a sacrifice and substitute for sinners, and rose on the 
third day? Yes. Do you believe in Jesus Christ 
alone to save you from your sins? Yes. And do you commit to walk 
in obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ? Yes. Amen. I 
baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Spirit. And this is Mike Kroll, Melissa's 
husband, and he also wanted to share a few words. Well, I don't 
have a great conversion story, nothing spectacular. Someone 
said I wasn't struck by lightning with ten people witnessing. But 
there was one thing I can say that changed my heart. It was 
a few months ago and there was an obituary in a paper from a 
14-year-old boy. And the first line was, so and 
so has gone to be with the Saviour. And I thought, it wouldn't leave 
me because I thought if I was to die tomorrow, my obituary 
wouldn't say that. And that Sunday morning we had 
a Bible study on justification and I'm sure a lot of good things 
were said and the only thing I remember is by the grace of 
God that I'm saved. It doesn't matter how I grew 
up, what church I went to, None of that saved me. Sure, they're 
all a means, but it's His grace alone that I'm saved through 
the blood of Jesus Christ. And that's why when He baptizes, 
it's my outward profession of His grace alone. Amen. I baptize you in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. While Mike is leaving and Tamara 
Kroll is coming into the water, I just want to mention one of 
the things that Mike said when we met with him is that it was 
the doctrine of justification by faith. That should make us 
as reformed people very happy. We're often accused of being 
into dry, dusty orthodoxy. That is the power of God and 
the salvation. It is the truth of the gospel. 
And when sinners hear the truth and believe the truth, we ought 
to rejoice that God's word is being blessed and being honored 
in our midst. Hans and Tamara came to us as 
well recently and it's been a great blessing to get to know them. 
I think they're the oldest of the three couples that have come 
from the Kroll family. We're going to have to work on 
the rest of the Kroll family, just kidding. But it's just been 
a real boon to our church to get to know them, to hear their 
interactions, to see them in Bible study, wanting to learn, 
wanting to grow, wanting to understand. There's nothing better in my 
mind than people, young people, that want the Bible. That's a 
good thing, and we praise God for that. Do you believe there 
is one true and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit? Yes. Do you believe that you 
have sinned against God and justly deserve His punishment for your 
sins? Yes. Do you believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 
lived in obedience to God's law, died as a sacrifice and substitute 
for sinners, and rose on the third day? Yes. And do you believe 
in Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sins? And do you 
commit to walk in obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ? And this is Hans Kroll. He's 
married to Tamara, the tallest of the Kroll brothers, and I 
think the oldest of them as well. And again, just a great encouragement 
to see a seriousness with reference to the scriptures and a desire 
to know the truth and serve the Lord God of truth. Do you believe 
there is one true and living God who exists eternally as Father, 
Son and Holy Spirit? Yes. Do you believe that you 
have sinned against God and justly deserve his punishment for your 
sins? Do you believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived 
in obedience to God's law, died as a sacrifice and substitute 
for sinners, and rose on the third day? And do you believe 
in Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sins? And do you 
commit to walk in obedience to God through faith in Jesus Christ? Amen. I baptize you in the name 
of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Well, we'll thank God in prayer, 
and then we'll close by singing the doxology. I do want to point 
out those last two questions. There is a specific order there. 
Do you believe in Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sins? 
It's justification. That last question, do you commit 
to walk in obedience to God? through faith in Jesus Christ, 
that's sanctification. And we as the church need to 
help and encourage them in that particular walk in obedience. 
And they, likewise, are to help in the life and context of the 
local church. So all of us have mutual responsibilities, 
one to another, to these newly baptized brethren of our local 
church. Well, let us pray. And then, 
as I said, we'll close singing the doxology. Our Father, we 
return thankfulness and praise and glory unto you. God, what 
a great testimony to your converting power and to the glory of the 
gospel of Jesus Christ. How we thank you that he came 
into this world to die for sinners and to rise again. How we thank 
you that by your grace, believers receive the forgiveness of sins. 
And we ask now that you would go with us, that you would watch 
over us, that you would bless us. as a local church, that you 
would fortify and strengthen this body, and that you would 
bless these new converts to the Lord Jesus and cause them to 
walk in obedience unto the Lord. We pray now that you would go 
with each one here. We pray that you'd bless our 
time together as we eat, as we fellowship. We thank you for 
providing these good gifts to us, and we pray in Jesus' holy 
name. Amen. Well, why don't we stand 
and sing the doxology together? Praise God from whom all blessings 
flow. Praise Him above, ye earthly 
foes. Praise Him above, ye heavenly 
hosts. His Father is high and holy, 
God is one.