service will all convene in the uh the uh uh the back upstairs for some uh good food good conversation it's one of those uh not rare days but one of those days at free grace baptist church where we have a lot going on we have uh welcoming three uh persons into the membership we have four baptisms and we have of course the fellowship luncheon following the service this morning so we do rejoice in a day like this where we can welcome into the membership brothers and sisters in christ and where we can baptize as well brothers and sisters in the lord jesus christ well let's open by reading from our bibles if you can turn to the book of isaiah chapter 42 isaiah 42 is our call to worship this morning verses 1 to 9. once again whenever we read from the scriptures this is the word of the living and true god isaiah 42 verse 1

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42:1–9

behold my servant whom i uphold my elect one in whom my soul delights i have put my spirit upon him he will bring forth justice to the gentiles he will not cry out nor raise his voice nor cause his voice to be heard in the street a bruised reed he will not break and smoking flacks he will not quench he will bring forth justice for truth he will not fail nor be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands shall wait for his law thus says god the lord who created the heavens and stretched them out who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it i the lord have called you in righteousness and will hold your hand i will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people as a light to the gentiles to open blind eyes to bring out prisoners from the prison those who sit in darkness from the prison house i am the lord that is my name and my glory i will not give to another nor my praise to carved images behold the former things have come to pass and new things i declare before they spring forth i tell you of them amen well let's all stand together and turn in our larger hymn books should have some in front of you there hopefully we'll stand and sing him 87 together eighty-seven shall rise to me uh you see myself shall be holy glory day me is r me is please be seated we'll go to our god in prayer just uh just another reminder we do have uh excuse me we do have prayer meetings uh each and every lord's day morning well each and every uh our every second lord's day we have prayer meetings in the hour before worship uh alternate sundays we are working through the london baptist confession of faith the the second london baptist confession of faith of 1689 uh and at those prayer meetings as well as the wednesday night bible studies we do pray for many things for many individuals by name and many issues sometimes on those sundays where we do have a a lord's area a prayer meeting we might not get to to cover everybody in prayer and every issue in prayer or we may be here until 3 p.m all legitimate things to pray for no doubt uh but sometimes uh if you are not mentioned or if something is not mentioned uh it's not because of a lack of sensitivity to those things or anything like that um it's simply a matter of time and order and those sorts of things but we no doubt hopefully we'll cover things as we do pray generally for all things that god would bless the unwell that god would bless the persecuted church and that god would no doubt vindicate his name in all the earth with that said then let us go to our great god in prayer let us pray

Opening Prayer

our righteous and our holy god we do rejoice yet again in the fact that we can gather here in this place on your lord's day we know lord god that we gather here this morning not because of our own strength but because of the strength that a triune god affords to the inhabitants of his creation we rejoice in the fact that you've caused us to arise on another day again lord god that you give us breath in our lungs that you cause us to be able to move about this earth to come into this place and worship now we thank you for those physical blessings of food of drink and many things that we do enjoy and that we no doubt can take for granted and we rejoice in these things and we would pray lord god because it is possible with you alone that each and every mouth here in this place this morning would give praise to you for these things we thank you lord god above these things for the fact of salvation by jesus christ our blessed saving king we thank you that you did send him in the fullness of the times born of a woman and born under the law that he might redeem those who are under the law we thank you for that simple and blessed truth that jesus christ came into this world sinners to save we know lord god that all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of god that it is their just due for all sinners to be punished for their iniquities for violating the law of a sovereign and a holy god and to be cast into the lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels but we rejoice in the truth lord god that you sent your dear son into this lord world to live a perfect life of obedience unto your law in the stead of all those who believe and that he died that perfect death upon calvary's tree wherein he bore the punishment for the sins of your people and we thank you that he rose again victorious the third day with might and in great victory and that he now sits at your right hand where he ever lives to make intercession for his people we thank you for the good news that jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures and for the simplicity of that gospel declaration that all who believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life and we do pray lord god that you would cause each and every one in this place because it is again alone only possible with you lord god that you would cause each and every one to leave this place singing the praises of our god and of his christ we do pray lord god that you would bless the service this morning we thank you that we have that we can welcome three more into the membership of free grace baptist church we thank you lord god that we can have these four baptisms this morning we rejoice and these believers uh engaging in that act of joyful obedience to the risen christ and going into the waters of baptism and we thank you for this fact of they identifying themselves with the berry with the the crucified the buried and the resurrected savior and we do pray lord god that this act of joyful obedience to your ordinance would be a blessed day for those who are the recipients this morning and we do pray lord god that we would all rejoice in uh this this morning we do pray lord god that you would be with pastor butler as he proclaims your word this morning as he comes up here in a few minutes time to grip the wood of this pulpit to open his bible and to speak the words of the living and true god from your scriptures we do ask lord god that you would bless him and give him the strength that he needs to do so we know that the preacher does not depend upon his own strength but upon the strength that the triune god affords true ministers of the gospel and we do just pray for that this morning that you would bless him much we do also pray lord god for all christians gathered here this morning all those who believe in the name of the lord jesus christ that they would be strengthened and nourished and edified encouraged by the word proclaimed here this morning and by worship we do pray lord god that they would leave this place all the more empowered and strengthened to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of jesus christ we pray for those lord god who came into these two doors this morning outside of christ in unbelief we pray lord god that you would come with victorious grace that you would conquer their hearts that you would show them a holy god that you would show them their own sinfulness and that you would show them the savior the lord jesus christ who died for sinners and rose again that they might have everlasting life we pray that many would believe this morning lord god both young and old and that they would leave this church singing the praises of our god and of his christ we ask lord god that you would be with those who are physically unwell in our midst there are many lord god we do pray that you would strengthen them in body that you would heal them that you would knit together their various wounds of the body and cause them to grow daily in strength and in vigor we do pray for those who are awaiting the results of of medical tests and these sorts of things those who are recovering from surgeries that you would likewise tend to them we pray that they would not have that worldly anxiety but rather they would be anxious in nothing but by prayer and supplication mingled with thanksgiving that they would make their requests known to god and that they would know the peace of christ that surpasses all understanding we pray lord god for spiritual struggles and those lord god uh even all of us lord god if we struggle spiritually that you would knit together the wounds of the inner man that you would cause us to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of jesus christ and daily grow in that strength of knowledge and knowing the promises of the gospel and the things of your holy word we pray that you would help us by your spirit to see in your law that guide for this lower world to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel knowing that we are not justified by the law for no flesh is but rather by the law we see our pattern for godly living in this lower world and that we might by your spirit adhere to that joyfully and obediently in obedience to the risen and exalted savior we ask lord god that you would be with the persecuted church this morning our brothers and sisters in christ around the world who do not know the freedom and the ease of living that we certainly do know here we pray that you'd be with them in their various situations that you would just give them that daily strength that they need to endure in this lower world we pray that you would by your spirit give them steadfastness as they face the opposition of enemies and those who are opposed to the exalted christ and the things of the of christianity we do just pray lord god that you'd be with our brothers and sisters that you would cause them with eyes of faith to look upon there isn't an exalted savior and find all strength and all courage in him and we do pray that you would deal with their persecutors lord god we pray that you would save those who are to be yours lord god that you would cause them to know the gospel and to know our precious christ to turn from their madness to the religion of our savior the lord jesus and we do pray though lord lord god again for those who would remain in rebellion against you that you would as it were remove their fangs from them that you would cause them to wither away as the snail that you would lord god cause them to stumble like drunken men that they might not bring violence that they might not bring hatred upon the people of christ and we pray lord god for those who rule over us in this lower world the government and those who are in positions of authority we do pray lord god that they would rule in righteousness according to your law and according to your will we do pray lord god as we know you are the sovereign master of the universe who raises up kings and casts down princes we do pray lord god that you would lift up those and put those into position of power that would seek not to call vice virtue and virtue vice but rather that you would raise up those who seek to bring equity and justice and righteousness in the land and that you would cast those down who would seek to propagate wickedness we ask lord god that you would do this that you would vindicate your name in all the earth that you would grow your gospel throughout the world that you would send forth ministers throughout the world to proclaim jesus christ and salvation by him and that multitudes would turn from their idols to the living and true god and sing the praises of our savior the lord jesus christ and it is in his name that we do pray amen well let's all stand together and sing our next hymn our act last him before the preaching of god's word will be 582 in that same hymn book let's all stand together 582. is oh is i us is is is oh is please be seated well please turn with me in your bibles to matthew chapter 3 matthew 3 and then i'll read a section from matthew 20. so our focus this morning will be on two particular passages beginning in matthew chapter 3 i'll read beginning at verse 13.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:13–17; 20:17–28

then jesus came from galilee to john at the jordan to be baptized by him and john tried to prevent him saying i need to be baptized by you and are you coming to me but jesus answered and said to him permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness then he allowed him when he had been baptized jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were opened to him and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove and a lighting upon him and suddenly a voice came from heaven saying this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased and over in matthew chapter 20 verses 17 to 28. matthew 20 beginning in verse 17. now jesus going up to jerusalem took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them behold we are going up to jerusalem and the son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the gentiles to mock and discourage and to crucify and the third day he will rise again then the mother of zebedee's sons came to him with her sons kneeling down and asking something from him and he said to her what do you wish she said to him grant that these two sons of mine may sit one on your right hand and the other on the left in your kingdom but jesus answered and said you do not know what you ask are you able to drink the cup that i am about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that i am baptized with they said to him we are able so he said to them you will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that i am baptized with but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my father and when the ten heard it they were greatly displeased with the two brothers but jesus called them to himself and said you know that the rulers of the gentiles lorded over them and those who are great exercise authority over them yet it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great among you let him be your servant and whoever desires to be first among you let him be your slave just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many amen now i realize if you're using a bible translation that is not the new king james or the king james the references to baptism are absent in verses 22 and 23 they are in the parallel passage in mark's gospel in mark chapter 10 verses 38 to 39 just to make that clarification we are going to keep our maintain our focus this morning on matthew's gospel chapters 3 and 20. so let us pray and ask the lord's guidance as we look to his holy word

Pre-Sermon Prayer

our father in heaven we gather together on this sabbath day and we come to praise your great and awesome name we know that you are the god who made this world and everything in it you're the god who sovereignly governs it and you are the god and father of our lord jesus christ who has sent his son into this world to save his people from their sins we rejoice father son and spirit for so great at salvation we rejoice in your mercy and in your kindness and in your love we pray that even now your spirit would be at work in our hearts and in our minds to edify and strengthen your people that you would save sinners lord god we know that with men it is impossible to save we know that it does not depend upon him who wills or upon him who runs god we take great comfort in what paul says that it is you who shows mercy we pray that even today father by your spirit and word you'd open eyes and open hearts to the truth that man stands before a holy god that you would show them their sin and you would show them the glory of the savior the one who lived and died and rose again that sinners might have everlasting life we pray even now that you would wash us and purify us and cleanse us from all sin and illumine our minds and our hearts and we pray this through jesus christ our lord well amen

Introduction: Why We Baptize

this is the first time you've ever attended a church where there is a baptism and basically what a baptism is it is a christian practice and in christianity we also call it an ordinance or we might call it a sacrament and in that ordinance or sacrament of baptism or in that practice what happens is that we take a new believer somebody who professes faith in our lord jesus christ someone who says that by the grace of god they've come out of darkness into marvelous light they get baptized they publicly identify with the lord god most high we see this commanded in the scripture we see it as an act of obedience on the part of the new believer we see that everywhere in the book of acts this is precisely the practice in the early church the apostles would go forth they would preach the gospel the good news concerning the life and the death and the resurrection of jesus they would then call upon men women boys and girls to believe on him to repent from their sins and when persons came forth and embraced christ through faith they would be baptized and so of course we get baptized because god commands it we get baptized because the early church practiced it but i want to address an even more foundational reason why we get baptized this morning in matthew 3 we see the water baptism of our lord jesus christ in matthew 20 we see his reference to another baptism and so i will argue this morning that these two baptisms of our lord jesus christ is the reason for his people to be baptized in other words if christ did not live if christ did not die if christ did not rise again then no one would be saved there would be no reason to follow him in baptism it's not because these people here this morning that are going to go into that tank have done a good thing it's not that they're wiser than the rest of god's creation it's not that they've engaged in a successful course in what it means to be a believer no it's because jesus lived and died and rose again and reached down in his mercy and grace and delivered them from their sins that's why people get baptized it's because god most high is reconciling the world to himself through the death and the resurrection of his only begotten son so matthew 3 establishes the water baptism matthew 20 refers to this other baptism which we will see in due course but

Christ's First Baptism: Fulfilling All Righteousness

let's look first of all at the first baptism of christ in verses 13 to 17. we see that jesus now embarks on his public ministry rather he's about to embark on his public ministry after this occasion after this baptism under john the baptist he will then go into the wilderness to be tried and tested for 40 days and it's from that vantage point that he then begins officially his public ministry so this in a sense is preparation we read in verse 13 then jesus came from galilee to john at the jordan to be baptized by him now this john is not the apostle john who wrote the gospel of john it is john the baptist this man who outside of judea would baptize would immerse would bring people into the water and he would call upon them to confess their sins and so here comes jesus to the baptist and the baptist understands the significance of this and in verse 14 john tries to prevent him john understood what baptism typified he understood what it pictured he understood what it demonstrated and it was closely associated with the remission of sins this is why he he upgraded the pharisees the brutal vipers he told men to confess their sins when they came into the water of jordan in order to be baptized he sees jesus and he tries to prevent him because he knew who jesus was it is of christ that john the baptist says he must increase but i must decrease it would be akin to c.h spurgeon falling out of heaven right now and saying to me would you please baptize me say no i i shouldn't baptize you you should baptize me you're the patron saint of reformed baptists john is surprised that christ comes to him and he tries to prevent this transaction from occurring john understands the reality and the priority he says i need to be baptized by you and are you coming to me john understood what he was dealing with in terms of the lord jesus christ the lord christ almighty comes to this particular man and seeks water baptism and notice in verse 15 our lord's answer to him jesus answered and said to him permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness

Active Obedience and Justification

now here's where i'm going quite simply with this message our confession teaching the biblical doctrine of salvation and justification connects our justification by grace alone through faith alone in christ alone it's not by our works it's not by our addition it's not by our supplementation it's not by our contribution but it's grace alone through faith alone in christ jesus alone the london baptist confession of faith stronger i might add than the westminster confession in this whole idea of justification by the active obedience of christ and by his passive obedience basically what christ's active obedience is is that he always obeyed the law perfectly that amazing when mary told jesus to pick up his socks and to put them in the dirty clothes basket he did it and he didn't do it grumbling he didn't do it with a hesitancy he didn't do it with resistance in his heart but he always did what his father in heaven had commanded he had commanded obedience filial obedience to the fifth commandment christ executed that as a lad christ always did what the father commanded him this is what theologians refer to as the active obedience of christ you see we need that god is righteous god is just god is holy god is pure god is perfect god has spoken ten words at sinai he's reconfirmed them in the plains of moab he's upheld them throughout scripture and he is called as creatures to obey these things but if you just give it any any concentration whatsoever ever you'll realize that you've not obeyed those things have you can you honestly say in your heart of hearts i never have other gods before god i have never made an idol i have never taken the name of the lord god in vain i've never broken the sabbath day i've never dishonored my parents i've never committed murder i've never committed adultery i've never stolen i've never lied and i've never coveted it you can't say that but someone can christ always delighted to do the will of his father you see christ came into this world to fulfill it for sinners so the beauty of it he didn't come to get rid of it to disma demolish it to abrogate it or to cast it away but rather he came to esteem it by obeying it that's the act of obedience and that's what's going on here in matthew chapter 3. theologians refer to the death of christ as his passive obedience now passive there doesn't mean that he was unwilling participant passive is probably related to the word passion that has to do with the sufferings of our lord it's because he lived in obedience to the law of god because he died as a sacrifice and a substitute at calvary and because he rose again this is the reason why any sinner will ever be accepted in the sight of god it is not by your works it is not by your efforts it is not by your wisdom it is not by your ability because you are dead trespasses and sins you need grace from on high you need the spirit of god to apply the gospel of god you need jesus christ as your champion as your deliverer as your savior and in matthew 3 jesus tells john permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness on the very entrance to his public ministry christ affirms and confirms this reality that he's going to obey the father he is going to execute obedience to the divine commands he is going to fulfill all righteousness because someone must and apart from christ there is no righteousness to be had and this key statement is absolutely crucial for our understanding as to how anyone will ever go to heaven or why anyone should ever be baptized the background for this statement is isaiah the prophet by his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities jesus identifies with those who need repentance and remission of sins jesus identifies with all those whom the father had given him see christ didn't have sin christ didn't need to repent christ didn't need to go into that water in the way that we go into that water but christ is the representative man he is the perfect man he is the righteous man he is the fulfilling of the righteousness of god man he is the man of whom the apostle paul will later write in romans 5 19 he says so also by one man's obedience this is the lord christ many will be made or will be constituted as righteous you see if you're not a christian here this morning you've got two problems one is sin huge isn't it whenever you read the papers you look at the internet or you see the news and you look at around what's going on what is the underlying bottom line to everything sin it's man in rebellion against god why do people abort babies because they're in rebellion against god why do men lay with men because they're in rebellion against god why do white collar criminals rip off revenue canada because they're in rebellion against the living and true god you see we are sinners against a holy god and we need to be forgiven of that sin but we also need a righteousness that avails with god and christ answers to both the language of a of a great uh catechism or a teaching tool for kids says what is justification it says justification is an act of god's free grace isn't that beautiful no one's here this morning because of their achievements it's because of god's free grace wherein he pardons all of our sins for those of you who are in christ wouldn't you express this as one of the chief bones of your religion having your sins blotted out having your sins washed away having your sins put upon the son of god and him taking the punishment for them in our stead wherein he pardons all of our sins and the catechism goes on to say and accepts us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousness of christ imputed to us and received by faith alone it's the beauty of the christian message it comes to man in sin it comes to man worshiping his idols it comes to man degraded by his idols and it says believe on christ and through the power of god's spirit through the efficacy of his word he cleanses men from their sins he washes them he purifies them he forgives them and he gives them this righteousness that avails with god such that when we stand before him on that day we'll be clothed in a righteousness not our own this is cause for celebration when somebody goes into that baptistery and we see somebody identifying publicly with god we don't praise to somebody we praise the god of free and sovereign grace jesus says permitted to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness this act was the first public demonstration of the obedience that would characterize christ's life and provide his people with the righteousness that we desperately need paul hits this in second corinthians 5 21 he says that god the father made christ who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of god in him god takes the sin of his people he puts it upon his son he punishes his son in our stead and in our place and then he takes the righteousness of his son and imputes it he gives it to his people and the great transaction is conducted and enacted by the sovereignty of god through faith that's why the reformers emphasize this is what the battle cry was sola fide it's by faith alone it's not by faith plus roman catholicism it's not by faith plus your good appearance or faith plus what you do for god it's faith alone in christ alone by the gracious work of god alone it's a beautiful thing jesus fulfills in our place the righteousness of god when we read the gospel accounts do we not see this emphasis upon obedience what does he say when his disciples come to him and they're hungry my meat is to do the will of him who sent me can you identify with that can you say that the thing that characterizes my life is to do what the father says you might get about 30 seconds in and start to congratulate yourself and then you've undone the whole thing i had a really obedient day last wednesday i was really doing well and then i got out of bed that's the lot in life of man and sin and rebellion against god most high we need righteousness that avails with god and it is afforded in the christian gospel by our lord jesus christ we do not only need the forgiveness of sins which is secured by christ's death but we also need the righteousness of christ which is secured by his life it's not just the dying of the redeemer that we desperately need it's the doing it's the resurrection it's the whole christ it is everything from first to last jesus paid it all jesus answers it all jesus provides what man and sin most desperately needs and then continue in the passage with me when he had been baptized jesus came up immediately from the water and behold opened to him and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove and a lighting upon him and suddenly a voice came from heaven saying this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased

The Trinity at the Jordan

you see the triune god is here isn't he in genesis chapter one in the beginning we read that god the triune is there to make man here at the river jordan in matthew chapter 3 we hear of god the triune to redeem man the older brothers said to arius if you want to learn of the trinity go down to the river jordan we have the son of god going into the water we have the son of god coming up out of the water we have the spirit of god a lighting upon him in the form of a dove and we have this voice of the father saying this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased see the father can only say that about christ the father only says that because of the righteousness of his son the obedience of the son the covenanted execution of that righteousness of the sun back behind this is the passage that pastor cam rat at the outset of worship isaiah 42 behold my servant whom i uphold my elect one and whom my soul delights that beautiful the father delights in the son and it's as a result of that the father delights in the son's people the father is delighting in you today it's because he first delighted in the son of his love the prophet goes on to say i have put my spirit upon him he will bring forth justice to the gentiles we are to come to this particular passage we are to understand it in redemptive history we are to see that jesus is the true israel what israel and the old covenant failed to carry out israel christ in the new covenant executes absolutely successfully and he does it thoroughly for the glory of his father and for the good of his people there is a lot going on here the main point i want us to appreciate is that jesus christ acknowledges it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness we learn this act of obedience at the first baptism of our lord now turn with me to matthew 20. matthew chapter 20. the reason i mentioned verses 22 and 23 is because they're key in our understanding of what's going on here as i said the word baptism isn't present in your niv or your esv or your nasb might be in the margin new king james and the king james has it right in the text there's a variant reading as i said the passage is present in the parallel in mark chapter 10 verses 30 uh 38-39 but note the situation going on in this instance we need to appreciate what christ does in matthew 20. verse 17 now jesus going up to jerusalem took the 12 disciples aside on the road and said to them behold we are going up to jerusalem and the son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the gentiles to mock and discourage and to crucify and the third day he will rise again it's a pretty surprising statement for the readers of matthew's gospel for those of you who have been with us for any time we've been spending some time in matthew's gospel this occupies our morning study and in this particular instance jesus affirms or confirms what his primary mission and goal is yes he fulfills the righteousness of god he does that perfectly throughout his life but here he underscores what is in his future and if you've read matthew's gospel if you've ever heard of matthew's gospel if you have any understanding of matthew's gospel what jesus says here in verse 18 really ought to take you by surprise because what has jesus been doing in matthew's gospel jesus has been healing the sick jesus has been feeding the poor jesus on occasion has raised the dead jesus is a man whom peter describes who went about doing good jesus taught wonderful doctrine jesus upheld his father's law jesus says do not even begin to think that i've come to abolish but i have come to affirm confirm and to fulfill it jesus has done everything on the up and up righteously in a holy manner most effectively most always and so when we read this statement it underscores the divine plan because the father sent the son for this very hour and it underscores the wickedness and the depravity and the evil that is in man have you ever caught yourself saying when you've seen a particularly atrocious thing in the news i just saw something recently a man walks into a a service station or one of these many marts and he's milling about for just a moment and then there's a girl standing behind the counter the employee trying to make some small talk with this particular fellow she's pregnant she's not big with child but she is pregnant you don't know that unless they tell you that but the man just reaches across and punches her right in the nose just drops her she falls right on her back he walks around and this genius of course is on a camera thankfully they're not the most sharpest tools in the shed and they were able to pick this guy up right away this poor girl is knocked down bleeding broken nose and he goes and he helps himself to the cash register if you're like me you say how can anyone ever do such a thing how is it that we could live in a world where people would reach across and punch a pregnant woman in their nose or how could we live in a world where they'd actually subsidize abortion how could we live in a world where they would actually engage in the sorts of things that go on regularly have you ever wondered how in the world could man take the lord of glory the perfect the upright the holy the pure the one who fed the one who healed the one who raised the one who taught and deliver him up on a cross and instead of saying we want to worship him we want to bow to him we want to delight in him they say away with him away with him give us barabbas it's because of sin all is not well in this world all is not well in your soul your fundamental issue today is that you are in rebellion against the living and true god now you may not punch ladies over a a gas station counter you may not abort babies you may not lay with men you may not march against your enemies with all sorts of of armament but whatever it is you've got sin and rebellion against god and this is a perfect illustration behold we are going up to jerusalem and the son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes and they will condemn him to death and deliver him to the gentiles and to mock and discourage and to crucify and the third day he will rise again now it's as if the disciples didn't even listen they didn't even hear him i mean this would have been a moment to pause this would have been a moment to say but but but lord please educate us a little bit more we're a little bit dense with those old testament scriptures we need you to bring them to bear on this particular issue no that's not what happens jesus announces his impending death his betrayal his scourging his crucifixion verse 20 then the mother of zebedee's sons came to him with her sons kneeling down and asked asking him asking something from him he said to her what do you wish she said to him grant that these two sons of mine may sit one on your right hand and the other on the left in your kingdom isn't that us somebody tells us horrific news about their impending death we say boy i sure hope things go well for me i sure hope i benefit from this transaction i sure hope that when everything's successfully carried out you'll remember me and i can sit on your right hand and on your left now notice what jesus says in verse 22 jesus answered and said you do not know what you ask are you able to drink the cup that i am about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that i am baptized with they said to him we are able so he said to them you will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that i am baptized with but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my father jesus reminds them of what he just said he uses different language he uses biblical image he uses theological convention to communicate just what it is that stands in his future they're jockeying for position make no mistake about it he says to them you don't know what you're talking about you don't get it yet you haven't internalized the reality of my delivering up of my being scourged of my being crucified and as i said he pulls back into old testament scripture and he brings forth this idea of a cup notice he says are you able to drink the cup that i am about to drink now many of us miss that reference perhaps because we don't know the old testament the way that we should but his audience wouldn't have missed it the cop in the old testament is god's wrath god's fury god's anger god says that he would give this cup of wrath to babylon god says that he would give this cup of wrath to the wicked god says that when men die and enter into judgment there is fury there is hell there is suffering for them having disobeyed the god of holiness and righteousness and truth several instances in the scriptures we see this reference to the cop you see what jesus says these men come to him or the mom comes to him and says can my boy sit on your right sit on your left he says you don't understand what i'm about to go through again just imagine for a moment the idea of a cup of god's wrath jump ahead in matthew's gospel and you'll see jesus in the garden of gethsemane refer to this cup again what does he pray there he says father if it's possible if it is possible let this cup pass christ understands what the cup is it is the wrath and fury of his father he knows what lay and wait for him outside of gethsemane he sweats drops of blood he understands all too well the reality of hell he understands all too well the wrath and fury of god you think lightly of sin you think it's some small thing you think it's just a little demerit that you can deal with on your own this costs the son of god this sort of agony he says to his disciples my soul is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death that's what the cup is you don't know anything about what i'm going through he doesn't say it like i am i'm saying it kind of like a vindictive jerk jesus was never a vindictive jerk but then note this next reference are you able to drink the cup that i am about to drink and be baptized with the baptism that i am baptized with

The Baptism of Suffering and Ransom

this is a reference to his death this is a reference to the overwhelming awful power and fury and judgment and wrath of god he describes it as a baptism our dear brother matthew henry says that jesus would be sprinkled that's not the word that is employed jesus would be overwhelmed jesus would be immersed jesus would be plunged jesus would be dipped jesus would undergo four sinners he uses the language in luke chapter 12 verse 49 i came to send fire on the earth and how i wish it were already kindled but i have a baptism to be baptized with and how distressed i am till it is accomplished you see he's not talking about the water baptism of matthew 3. he's not talking about the holy spirit baptism that came upon him at that occasion he's talking about something in his future he is talking about something on the equivalency of this cup of god's wrath he is talking about he being overwhelmed under the fury and the judgment of god most high in order to save his people from their sins you don't go into that tank because you behaved well you don't go into that tank because you successfully completed an online course you go through that or into that tank because of what christ went through on our behalf this baptism go back to matthew 20 just so we can see how it plays out matthew 20 verse 20 uh verse 23 so he said to them you will indeed drink my cup and be baptized with the baptism that i am baptized with who's he talking to diana james and john what happens in acts chapter 12 when herod in his rage executes his wrath on the church it's james who is the target herod beheads james for the cause of christ and truth what happens to this john he's exiled on the island of patmos she clarify something that i've said before tradition tells us her history tells us that he was boiled in a vat of hot oil he didn't die he emerged from that apparently his story history tells us he did eventually die of old age but i think exile on the island of patmos and a avatar hot oil does indicate something to what jesus is talking about here he says to these men because of your identification with me you will understand something of the cup and something of the baptism now may i make just a small observation at this particular point who do we think we are brethren when trials come when difficulties plague us or when persecutions actually become our lot to cry snivel complain and whine in the manner of how can these sorts of things happen to a good person like me if the son of god was made perfect through suffering and if the sons of god subsequent to him were made perfect ultimately through suffering and death and entering into the eternal state what's our portion and what's our lot do you think our calling as christians is to zip along this world just singing dancing and reveling do you think you're never going to have issues you're never going to have trials it's never going to be hardships there's never going to be persecutions i mean that's pretty early on in the history of christianity acts 12 and james is losing his head for his master i mean these were the best people on the face of the earth these were chief servants of christ's most high these were the men whom god had ordained to propagate the glorious gospel of free and sovereign grace to make disciples and to plant churches surely and certainly you would think they'd be met with nothing but approval they'd be welcomed into any city that they went into what happens to paul when he's in one particular city he has to escape they put him in a basket and lower him down the wall here's the holy apostle paul the theologically inclined paul the man of god that this world has not seen since shimmying down a wall in order to preserve his life if you signed up this morning and you're going to enter into that tank and you think that means rose petals and bluebirds from here on out may i suggest you need to get your nose in this book you need to listen to the apostle in second timothy 3 all who desire to live godly in christ jesus will suffer persecution that's the reality what happens according to jesus in john 3 when christians live the way they're supposed to they uphold the truth they maintain fidelity they serve their lord faithfully they emphasize his truth when they're standing at the water cooler at work on a tuesday morning and somebody says what do you think about same-sex marriage and you say i oppose it because god the lord opposes it and he has said in his word that man should not lay with man the way that he does with a woman and women shouldn't do that either do you think they just say well that's so good to have your opinion we just love you and we want to encourage you and we want to hopefully help you along your way to heaven that's not what happens is it you're tarred and feathered they look at you like you're a bug like your odious your offensive you're prejudiced you're bigoted you're bad to side with the living god and his moral law today identifies us as bad as unfair as mean as unkind the faithful christian says so be it they say with luther in a completely different context but one that certainly ought to bear upon us here i stand i can do no other that self-assaults me i'm not going to forsake the word of the living god for the baptizees if that's the word those going into the tank this morning embrace the reality of discipleship we live in a day and age where christian discipleship doesn't look much more than being able to say church we are saved by grace through faith in christ and that alone that is underscored a thousand times once we are saved by grace through faith in christ alone what does christ call us to do he calls us to follow him he calls us to take up our crosses daily he calls us to love his word he prays to his father sanctify them by thy truth thy word is truth we are to be men and women of the book we ought to be men and women of the law we have to be men and women who say what the psalmist open my eyes that i might see wondrous things from your law we ought to be like that psalm one man that is really only a description of jesus but being in jesus and having vital union in connection with them that psalm one man does what he meditates in the law of his lord day and night you're not going into that baptistery and the three brethren that are coming up we're going to extend the right hand of fellowship to you're not joining this church the way that men would join a social gathering or a social club we are bound together in this place by something much greater and much deeper and much more solid than just some verbal agreement that will try to look after each other we are bound here by the blood of the lamb and we need to follow him we need to pursue him i love that description in revelation 14. how are the godly described there they follow the lamb wherever he goes that's the disposition for those entering the waters of baptism and may this be a reminder of our own baptism and rehearse to us the importance of having identified publicly with the living god some of you have been baptized some of you are not living in a manner that is consistent with the gospel of jesus christ some of you struggle there's always going to be struggles there's always going to be inconsistencies throw yourself afresh on the mercy of god most high confess your sins renew your repentance start again press onward press forward i know that whenever i would be in the church not actually conducting the baptisms i'd always want to get baptized again there's something about it right isn't there something special you remember the day of your baptism i can i remember publicly identifying with my lord not having all the theology down not knowing all the jots and tittles but having that confession he saved me isn't that a great thing you don't have to go into the water again this morning you say lord god most high forgive me that my conduct has not been worthy of the gospel that my conduct has fallen astray renew my heart give me the zeal give me the fervency let me leave this place more resolved than ever to serve my lord because he lived for me and because he died for me he drank this cup of wrath and he went through this baptism which was his death he was overwhelmed by it it engulfed him it overtook him and this is seen in the remainder of this chapter and in this book john gill says but the baptism of his sufferings is meant which are compared to a baptism because of the largeness and abundance of them he was as it were immersed or plunged into them go back to the text now chapter 20 verse 24 and when the ten heard it they were greatly displeased with the two brothers why do you think they were greatly displeased with the two brothers were they thinking this way oh james and john such carnal aims such desires in the wake of announcement by our lord that he's going to die i suspect that they were greatly displeased because if james got the right and john got the left that means they wouldn't they were greatly displeased because they wanted that position jesus uses the opportunity to call attention to this verse 25 he called them to himself and said you know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them and those who are great exercise authority over them yet it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great among you let him be your servant

Greatness Through Service: Discipleship Lessons

you see this is what they were jockeying for position in the kingdom jesus says here's how you achieve position in the kingdom it's not by being the greatest it's by being the least it's not by being the first it's by being the last it's not by getting people underneath you it's by you serving others it's a lesson on discipleship for these men who are jockeying for position it's a lesson on discipleship for us who at times jockey for position you want to be great in the kingdom of heaven the least of all you want to be first in the kingdom of heaven serve others just do that there's times in the life of every christian they want to do something for god they want to serve the lord and that's great and we encourage that please but we've associated service with the lord as buying a plane ticket moving our families and taking up shop among some tribe that we never heard of or seen it never dawns on us that we can serve our wives it never dawns on us that we could serve our children never dawns on us that we could serve our husband because after all he's our husband never dawns on us that we could serve in ways that call no attention to us whatsoever never dawns on us that we can actually just serve without tweeting about it or putting our status on facebook i've thought that if you want to start lifting weights and get big at the gym not only do you need to be taught on how to pick heavy things up and push them out but you need to be taught on how to facebook it because everybody who works out has to tell everybody on facebook what they did at the gym who cares is your day greatly amplified because you know that somebody in maine did legs christians unfortunately follow that tact as well before there was a facebook before there was a twitter before there was the missional movement in evangelicalism there were faithful men and women seeking to glorify god each and every day by telling people about jesus by doing nice things for people in jesus name and by doing what they can where they're at before they could tell the world about it get what christ says whoever desires to be first among you let him be your slave how does he underscore the lesson this is the point just as the son of man did not come to be served and who had a prerogative and a right to do this when you read the prophet isaiah chapter six and he rehearses his call to the prophetic ministry he says in the year that king uzziah died i saw the lord i saw him high i saw him lofty i saw the train of his robe fill the entirety of the temple i heard the angels crying out to him holy holy holy is the lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory john tells us in his gospel that isaiah saw jesus glory so that jesus of isaiah 6 comes into this world and instead of being praised by angels he's scoffed at by men instead of being worshipped by man he's scoffed he's scourged he's crucified he's delivered up and note what he says this is according to the plan of god this is how it's supposed to be this is the execution of the covenant this is how jesus saves his people just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life i love the language here a ransom for many he didn't make men ransomable he ransomed many he didn't make men savable he saved many he didn't help he didn't assist he delivers he is the champion he is the one who breaks the oppressors back he is the one who crushes satan under his foot he is the one that forgives sin he is the one that frees men from the condemnation and wrath and fury of god most high for having violated his holy law just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many as i said the rest of the gospel narrative fleshes this out chapter 26 the garden of gethsemane chapter 26 the betrayal by judas the trial before the sanhedrin the denial by peter the trial before pilate the mocking of the soldiers the crucifixion of our lord jesus the burial of our lord jesus christ that is the exposition or the explanation of what christ says here in 2028 he didn't come to be served he didn't come to be praised he didn't come to be worshipped but rather he came to serve us his elect his people the ones the father chose he came to serve them by laying down his life on their behalf and providing a ransom it's beautiful

Application: Why Believers Are Baptized

so to get back to our initial question why do we baptize because these four people have shown themselves exemplary in their understanding of the bible and of theology and the confession of faith because we had a hidden camera on them over the last several weeks and they always did the right thing no it's because jesus fulfilled all righteousness it's because jesus went to the cross in our behalf because jesus rose again and the scripture says that everyone who looks to him in faith everyone who believes on the lord jesus christ will be saved that beautiful was the answer that paul and uh barnabas gave in the the philippian jailers place sir what must i do to be saved believe on the lord jesus christ and you shall be saved that's what peter says there is no other name given under heaven among which men must be saved so what christ himself or john the baptist says in john 3 says he that believes the son has everlasting life he that does not believe the son shall not see life but the wrath of god abides on him so the reason why anybody comes to know jesus christ as lord and savior why anybody will sit with abraham isaac and jacob and that great wedding feast why anybody will be accepted in the presence of god almighty it is not because of their doing it is not because of their righteousness it is because of the doing and the dying and the rising of our lord jesus christ his to baptisms answer the question active passive obedience that is the ground upon which sinners are accepted by our god through his son well

Exhortation to the Church

i want to exhort the brethren in our church to pray for these brethren we are receiving new members that means we ought to pray for them it's a good time to encourage a good time to plug the whole doctrine of intercessory prayer certainly one of the benefits of being a part of christ church is the prayers of christ's people when we're able to express to somebody i'm going through this or i'm suffering with this or i'm having this issue or this trial and we know that brethren pray i mean it's the most wonderful thing in the world to know that jesus always prays for us isn't it because you mean you may tell your wife please pray for me and she might forget you may tell your husband please pray for me and we'll forget jesus doesn't forget the scripture says he always lives to make intercession for us we can bank on that i might forget i i know you might forget but let's make a conscious effort not to forget let's intercede for brethren at the throne of grace let's pray let's encourage let's love let's exhibit kindness let's do what christ tells us he did he didn't come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many far too often we treat the church as a commodity we treat the church as a place that is for my benefit we look for churches based on what services it offers based on what needs that it meets rather than looking at the church is the house of the living god wherein we go to glorify honor praise and worship him and along the way we ought to encourage brethren as well the lord loves the gates of zion more than all the dwelling places of jacob so odd as people we ought to pray for these brethren love these brethren encourage these brethren in their christian walk and to the brethren to those being baptized our confession says it this way one of the identifiers or one of the things that we express in this this ordinance or sacrament of baptism is of his the person being baptized giving up unto god through jesus christ to live and walk in newness of life i love that language it acknowledges something things have changed you're not your own anymore you've been bought with a price jesus paid it all you are his possession you are his livelihood you are his choice jewel live like it function that way glorify him and serve him and then to those outside of christ i suspect that when you come to a christian church and you hear a minister say something like that it could sound offensive you mean outside of christ or they use the language unbeliever they they say lost or they say unto the wrath of god this is what the bible says there is nobody in this place right now rightly connected to god through jesus christ that deserved it there is not a one of us who achieved it there is not one of us who merited it there is not one of us who deserves it god in christ reached down and pulled our miserable souls out of the dung hill of sin and gave us life and he is able and he is powerful and he is the god of holy scripture who can affect this today look and live there's a hymn that i was reminded of when i considered 2028 because what's taught in 2028 is the doctrine of substitutionary atonement you all know what substitution is if i would have been hit by a car on the way to the church this morning i know my illustrations typically have me dying that doesn't indicate a death wish but if that was the case then pastor kim would have been preaching in my stead it's the glory of the gospel isn't it christ on that cross in our stead who deserved the wrath and fury of god who deserved the curse and judgment of a broken law who deserved the wrath or the hell that jesus christ endured it's us but he stood in our place and our hymn book contains a hymn that says this ye who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great here may view its nature rightly here its guilt may estimate mark the sacrifice appointed see who bears the awful load tis the word the lord's anointed son of man and son of god he then says this here we have a firm foundation hear the refuge of the lost christ's the rock of our salvation his the name of which we boast lamb of god for sinners wounded sacrifice to cancel guilt none shall ever be confounded who on him their hope have built believe look to him take what is said in scripture and believe it by god's grace and you will enter in to eternal life let us pray and ask the lord to be glorified in our time together

Closing Prayer

father we thank you for the word we thank you for jesus we thank you for his ministry we thank you for the active and the passive obedience that he fulfilled all righteousness and that he died in the stead of all those whom the father gave him thank you again lord that he rose on the third day that he ascended on high that he led captivity captive and he gives gifts to men we know that there is a day coming when he will return in the glory of his father with all of his holy angels taking vengeance on those who know not god and on those who do not obey the gospel we pray that you'd open hearts we pray that you'd give the graces of faith and repentance we pray that today would be the day of salvation and that you would be glorified in this and we ask these things through jesus christ our lord amen okay well just before we get to the baptisms we're not getting something out of the way we are doing something and that is welcoming uh three new members uh into our congregation here our confession of faith in chapter 26 in summarizing the biblical data to this particular topic chris the christian church and members of churches we read this in a few of the paragraphs

Confession Reading: Church Membership

the catholic or universal church which with respect to the internal work of the spirit and truth of grace may be called invisible consists of the whole number of the elect that have been are or shall be gathered into one under christ the head thereof and is the spouse the body the fullness of him that filleth all in all all persons throughout the world professing faith of the gospel and obedience unto god by christ according unto it not destroying their own profession by any errors averting the foundation or unholiness of conversation are and may be called visible saints and of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted it goes on to say in the execution of this power wherewith christ is so entrusted the lord jesus calleth out of the world unto himself through the ministry of his word by his spirit those that are given unto him by his father that they may walk before him in all the ways of obedience which he prescribeth to them in his word those thus called he commandeth to walk together in particular societies or churches for their mutual edification and the due performance of that public worship which he require of them requireth of them in the world and finally paragraph six the members of these churches are saints by calling visibly manifesting and evidencing in and by their profession and walking their obedience unto that call of christ and do willingly consent to walk together according to the appointment of christ giving up themselves to the lord and one to another by the will of god in professed subjection to the ordinances of the gospel so i'd like to call up then joe and carolyn ditto as well as roger vanderzwaan if you could come up come up here and we'll welcome you to the membership of free grace baptist church let's uh let's pray and welcome our brothers and our sisters into uh into our church we rejoice lord god and this day given to us we rejoice in the preaching of the word that we just listen to we thank you that it is true of these three that they believe on the lord jesus christ for salvation they knowing that from first to last midst and throughout salvation is of a triune god who saves without a helper we thank you that in your appointed and in your accepted time you brought them from the darkness of sin to life and light in jesus christ we just pray that you would be with them we pray that you would strengthen them daily uh to live their lives and to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of jesus christ knowing that when we sin we do have an advocate with the father jesus christ the righteous who cleanses us from all iniquity and we just pray that you'd help them in our midst as well as each and every one of us that we would serve and love each other that we would stir each other up to love and good works and that we would not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some but that we would come together to love and to edify and to uplift one another in christ jesus the lord we thank you for this day and we pray for each and every one of these that you would continue to be with them and each and every one of us that in this church we would as one man in one spirit strive for the faith of the gospel and it's in christ's name that we do pray amen okay well if uh everyone can remain seated but you can turn in your hymn books to him 402 turn to him 402 we're going to sing amazing grace as the baptizees and the baptizer go to get ready for the baptisms we can sit uh and we'll sing 402. oh is is is is is is is if the children would like to come up to the front now they can come up a little bit closer on the uh cool yeah hang on just one second okay okay it's good we usually typically call the young people up here so that they can see this because that's the whole point uh one man is well defined what's called the regulative principle of worship in terms of how we worship god we worship god the way god commands us and he basically says that in worship we we read the bible we pray the bible we preach the bible we sing the bible and we see the bible and when he says we see the bible he means in these ordinances in the lord's supper we're reminded of the death of our lord jesus christ and baptism as well we are seeing the gospel we are seeing what god has done in the lives of these people internally we don't have the ability to put them under a microscope and see their changed hearts but they by god's grace have made a profession of faith and so this is the external sign this is an evidence this is a sort of a picture book if you will and so it is good for us to see this it's good for us to encourage those who have not been baptized who are trusting in the lord jesus christ it is an ordinance of the new testament something that we do need to comply with i just want to remind us concerning the significance of baptism it says baptism is an ordinance of the new testament ordained by jesus christ to be unto the party baptized the primary emphasis in baptism is on the persons being baptized they don't necessarily need to do this in a church now it works out well that we do this in a church it is an act of worship for us to participate but you remember that ethiopian eunuch he saw water he wanted to be baptized philip said if you believe in your heart then you may and so of course he was so it is primarily for the party baptized then it underscores this it is 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 so that's just a reminder of the significance shirley is going to go first good good good good you got it all right don't touch that human opening just relax you're doing great there you go i was brought up catholic living in fear of mortal sins like missing church eating meat on friday and i only knew what i was taught in catechism the service was always in latin if i had a mortal sin on my soul i was told that i would not be able to go to heaven i feared i would have to stay in purgatory for eternity i left home after grade 12 and rarely ever went to church i always believed in the lord and never talked to him unless i needed help with him to get me through some trials in my life in february of 2013 i lost my husband of 19 years and was devastated before he passed away a family that knew him the dittos started texting me praying for him while he was in the hospital and praying for me afterwards they helped me through all the grieving and the other bad things that have happened to me since then joan carolyn brought me my first bible a study bible and then a personalized size bible for church they were there for me through a sign of surgery gone wrong that damaged my eye and took away my ability to drive on the highway they took me into their home and helped me after several surgeries and along with family and a few close friends they drove me to doctor's appointments they adopted me into their wonderful loving family which i found hard to understand i know that it was the lord who brought them to boston bar and into my life on november 27th joe my spiritual mentor showed me how to ask the lord jesus to save me wow i told joe repeatedly that if i ever became a christian it would have to be all or nothing it's all i started power reading with the help of a lighted magnifying glass the whole new testament and the gospel twice and a little bit of the old testament i prayed for wisdom to understand it all and memorize as much as i can i didn't understand very much until they brought me to free grace and introduced me to pastor jim how wonderful listening to the sermons was incredible when the preaching was about things i knew and understood better when i first heard pastor jim it was to me what i would call hellfire and brimstone preaching that's when i knew that's the kind of preaching and pastor and church i wanted to belong to i used to say pastor jim was yelling at me he would say pay attention i do some words like brother sister and fellowship seem strange to me at first pastor jim rebecca and many others here at free grace have treated me so differently than many people i've known you all show me love and support and don't really know me you treat me as an equal so humbling i still struggle with some of things some of the things in the christian faith and had to change how i think and my way of life and how i care about others after 66 years it's hard to change everything i'm just learning to pray and to look for the lord for everything to have total faith in christ i feel so unworthy of the lord's love from time to time in my walk with him once my eye is completely healed so that i can drive i hope to be able to be here more often in the meantime i listen to sermons online from my home of boston bar thank you to everyone for all your prayers and love and concern through all my medical issues okay i'm going to put you under the water after i say something i baptize you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit okay cassia ditto is next um i grew up in a godly home my parents taught me about the lord and his word a lot ever since i can remember and ever since i was very little the the lord gave me a very healthy fear of him and when i was still very young i would come to my parents a lot and you know be crying and you know very convicted and i would be asking them how can how can i be saved i wanted to know god so bad and so they would explain the the scriptures to me and you know the gospel and that jesus came to the world as a human lived a human life but it was it was a sinless human life he lived just like us with the same trials and temptations and troubles but it was he got through it all and he he uh he didn't sin in his life and that if and then he died on the cross taking our sins on the cross with him and and that and then he rose from the dead and that if we if we come to him and and repent from our sins and ask him how or ask him to forgive us from our sins that he will save us so i would pray with my parents i would um go downstairs from my room and go and pray with them and ask them you know questions and stuff and they would explain it to me then i would pray and afterwards i would be very i'd be just totally happy and feeling refreshed and peaceful but then by the time the next day came around i would be right back where i started in a way like i would get back into my daily life and i wouldn't feel the least bit different despite my experience the day before so um after a while it got to the point where i was just so frustrated and lonely and just asking god why can't i become a christian why why isn't this working for me so after a while i just kind of thought i'm gonna have to wait till i'm older and maybe i'll understand it better or do it right or whatever would you know get me right with god but one day my sister rebecca felt very convicted and she went and talked to my parents they explained the gospel to her and they prayed with her and then she prayed and when she came back to see me she was just beaming like she was just so joyful and when i looked at her and i saw how how happy and joyful she was i was jealous i wanted i wanted what she had so bad but it wasn't working for me so after a few days i finally i couldn't take it anymore i was so frustrated and lonely so i went to my parents and i told them how i felt and i told them that i wanted to become a christian but it just wasn't working if you can say it's working but um so they they talked to me again walked me through the scriptures they prayed and then i prayed and i'm not really sure what was different that time from all the other times before but now i guess i just see them as the lord preparing my heart for for him in all those other times and yeah after that i just was so happy and instead of just kind of rubbing off or wearing off afterwards i continued to feel his his closeness and his uh just his love after that so yeah and i baptize you in the name of the father and of the son of the holy spirit genie kroll one by one each of the calls have come through this place so we're very thankful for that yeah the oldest or the last there's a good example if the uh you want to be the first be the last if you want to be the greatest be the least so dear cheers dear cheers family it is my god's case that i'm standing here to give testimony what the lord has done in my life that happened a lot but i like to share something and to be baptized here and obedience to him the lord saved me in 1995 and before that i went to church but i had no interest in the things of god i just went out of custom was not interested in anything but then the lord started to work in me and the sundays became different i don't know what changed that but i longed to go to church and three times and i had a very great desire to read god's word to pray but also to find out it was not in that i searched the bible search what the truth what god's face was but i felt also had a sins greatly against the holy god and that god was righteous if he would cast me into hell all the sins of my youths what i've done as a child all came back to me i could not sing psalm 116 anymore because it says that i love the lord and i did not love him but later the lord used that psalm to show me his mercy and grace also matthew 11 28 came to me a few times who had said come unto me all ye that labor and a heavy laden and i will give you a rest but i could not believe that it was for me and then the lord gave me a sick bed for a couple months i could not go to church and during that time i had plenty time to read and search the scriptures and during the time he pointed me to the lord jesus christ the savior the savior of my sins and he is the heavenly physician and only he could cleanse me for my sins i read john 6 37 whoever comes to me will in no wise cast out and that made such an impression of me and it gave me so much hope that it was possible for me to be safe but i had to go to him and had to give everything up all my reading my prayers it was not in that it was only in christ alone i really was saved by amazing grace i could really sing that to him that i was saved and like a wretch like me and that i was blind but now i could see now i could sing psalm 116 again i love the lord because he loved me first and a few years ago i started searching about baptism because i was sprinkled as an infant but i could not go along with that anymore and the lord convinced me by his word that it was for the believer only and by immersion but i also felt a couple months ago when i listened to a sermon that i was disobedient to christ by not being baptized and the lord made everything well and just by his his grace only that i'm standing here to be baptized in obedience to him i baptize you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit and then john kroll is next dear friends i just want to read a few verses before baptism that have come to mean a lot to me through the work of the holy spirit as i tell you how god graciously has led and worked in my life you will hopefully see their relevance revelation 20 verse 12 and i saw the dead small and great stand before god and the books were opened numbers 21 verse 9 and it came to pass when a serpent had bitten any man when when he behold the serpent of brass he lived luke 15 verse 2 this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them in isaiah 49 the last verse part of verse 26 and all flesh shall know that i the lord and thy savior and thy redeemer the mighty one of jacob i was brought up with these bible with the bible and though we always read sermons at home on sundays it did not really affect me yes i was taught i needed salvation but the things of this life has seemed to be more important to me yes my upbringing and parental admonitions kept me from many gross sins but i felt that someday a god would suddenly and miraculously make some verse just so just carry on doing the things as sort of in 2005 i was in a sense seeking by all my own works praying and reading and often wondered why nothing earth-shattering was happening to me uh salvation wise just a side to that as uh cassie was mentioning there why does nothing happen when we're doing all the right things you know and you know you look behind and you say yes it's all works in the beginning of that year or just before the pastor that we had at that time preached from revelations verse i just quoted and basically said if you are unsaved you don't believe a word that is written in the bible this greatly troubled me as i thought then i am lost and all my efforts will never save me another pastor had a sermon on numbers 21 and then i was so wonderfully led to see that it would only be possible through looking at that one typified by the serpent in may the past had a sermon on luke 15 and the holy spirit led me to those wonderful words that jesus was calling me a sinner to come and as it were dying with him to put my faith in him which was so graciously given to me then to see my works will never avail or be able to pay or make me acceptable but only that precious blood of jesus did i doubt the next day sure for satan is sure to try and make us doubt but then i was directed to read those words in isaiah and i realized though this through the spirit its work in my heart that even i may doubt or have at times not much faith it does not depend on me but that finished work of christ whereby we cry our father and we are his children do i regret very much the wasted 57 years without him i do but i thank him for that free and sovereign grace for by grace you have been saved through faith and this not of your own doing it is the gift of god ephesians 8 verse 2. amen i baptize you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit thank you to all the church community for the help the love thank you for your pastor thank the lord for all his blessings amen amen why don't we all stand together and sing the doxology together is us now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to god our savior who alone is wise be glory and majesty dominion and power both now and forever amen we'll have a you can be seated and we'll have a brief time of prayer when the piano stops playing uh i just have a few things to say with regards to the luncheon we'll pray for the food and then we're free

Scripture References

• Numbers 21:9
• Psalm 116:1
• Isaiah 6:1-5; 42:1-9; 49:26; 53:11
• Matthew 3:13-17; 11:28; 20:17-28; 26:36-56
• Mark 10:38-39
• Luke 12:49; 15:2
• John 3:19-20; 3:36; 6:37
• Acts 12:1-2
• Romans 5:19
• 2 Corinthians 5:21
• Ephesians 2:8
• 2 Timothy 3:12
• Revelation 14:4; 20:12