[0:00] Well, in a little while, we're going to baptize David, Candace, Kian, and Caleb. And if you don't know what that means, it means we're going to pour water on their heads.
[0:12] Now, that might, to modern Western ears, sound like a very strange thing to do. I mean, it's not something that we see anywhere else.
[0:26] You might be wondering, you know, what's the deal with that, actually? Why do these Christians insist on pouring water on each other's heads? We don't really see it, for example, in the workplace.
[0:36] When you get a new job, the interviewer doesn't pour his cup of coffee on your head to welcome you to the company. When you join a tennis club, the chairman doesn't take his energy aid and squeeze it over your head to say welcome to the club.
[0:48] Why do Christians do that? The concept of pouring liquid over someone's head when they join a church seems a bit bizarre. And so that's why I thought I would preach on it.
[0:59] The purpose of this sermon is to explain why we do this as Christians. Why we pour water on each other's heads and where the idea of baptism comes from.
[1:09] Because when we do that, when we open the Bible and look at and trace this idea of baptism throughout Scripture, we realize that it is very significant and important.
[1:20] It's a very important part of what Christians do. Because becoming a Christian is not like joining a company or a tennis club.
[1:30] It is something infinitely more important than that. Infinitely and eternally more important, becoming a Christian. And baptism happens not only to convince us of that, to help us to realize how important this is when someone is a Christian, becomes a Christian.
[1:45] But, and this is something that people often miss, the very act of baptism, the very thing that we're going to do today, is a means that God uses to do something in the life of the person being baptized.
[1:57] But now to understand all that, we have to do a bit of work this morning. And I hope that you will get your brains in gear. And we have to go right back to the beginning of the Bible.
[2:10] And we need to understand a few things right from Genesis. And so I'll need you to do a bit of Bible flipping. I'm going to put the necessary verses up on the screen as well.
[2:21] But the first thing we need to do, if we're going to understand this idea of baptism, is we need to understand another concept in the Bible. And that is the concept called the covenant.
[2:32] Now, that might not be a very familiar word to many people. But if we don't understand covenants and what covenants are, then we won't really understand how the Bible fits together and what the Bible is all about.
[2:45] Now, the closest equivalent to a covenant, when we come across this idea of covenant in the Bible, the closest equivalent in our day-to-day life is probably a contract. So when you rent a flat or a house, you sign a lease contract with your landlord.
[3:02] Or when you get a job, you sign a contract, a contract of employment. And what a contract is, it's basically a list of promises and obligations in a formal relationship that you are agreeing that you are going to fulfill.
[3:17] You've probably signed contracts in your life before, so you'll know the idea. Now, as I said, that's the closest thing we've got. It's not exactly the same as a biblical covenant. In the Bible, covenants are slightly different.
[3:30] In that with human contracts, both parties have equal obligations, equivalent obligations. So the obligation of a lessor is to let the lessee use his property for a fixed term.
[3:45] The obligation of the lessee is to pay equivalent amount of money for the value of that lease. So there's equivalent obligations on both sides. In the Bible, covenants are not quite like that.
[3:55] Because in the Bible, God is the one who makes almost all of the promises. And in most cases, the other party, the human's obligation, is just to believe those promises God makes and live in light of them.
[4:09] See, a covenant is a formal relationship between God and human beings, where God makes the promises and the human beings are called to believe and live in light of those promises.
[4:22] That is a covenant. So we see this, for example, when God made a covenant with Noah and his family. When he said he was going to save them, he promised he would save them from the coming judgment in the flood.
[4:36] And we're going to see that, by the way, in Genesis. We're starting a new series in Genesis from next week. And we're going to go over these things. And we're going to be reminded of their significance, all these stories that happened thousands of years ago.
[4:47] But God promised Noah he's going to save him and his family from his coming judgment. But they couldn't just sit back and go, oh, thanks, God, that's great. They had an obligation to believe that and then to live in light of it.
[5:01] And living in light of that particular promise was to build a boat on dry land, even though they were completely mocked by their neighbors for doing that. That was their response to God's covenant promise.
[5:13] That was their part to play. And then we read along in the Old Testament. And we soon realize God always relates to human beings through covenants. He doesn't relate to human beings other than through a formal relationship.
[5:26] He wants us to know the terms by which he, the creator, is going to relate to his creation. He did even with Adam and Eve, even right at the beginning, the first human beings.
[5:38] He made a covenant with them and he expected them to live in light of what he said. However, what we soon realize within, you know, three chapters of the Bible is that they broke that covenant.
[5:50] They didn't believe what God said. And what was the result? You know the story, hopefully. Humans were cut off from God because they broke the covenant.
[6:01] There was no basis of a relationship anymore. And so they broke that covenant. Humans were cut off from God and his presence and his blessings. And so it's a very sad story then from Genesis 3.
[6:14] We read on and it, you know, the world civilization just starts to spiral out of control because it's humans unrestrained, cut off from their creator.
[6:25] But it doesn't carry on like that because God does something to reestablish connection. He makes a new covenant. And we read about this in Genesis 12.
[6:37] So out of the blue, God reveals himself to a random Iraqi herdsman called Abram. You may have heard of him. And this, this, he, this, uh, reestablishment of relationship with human beings through Abram is the beginning of the restoration process between God and human beings.
[6:59] And it's really the basis of the rest of the entire Bible. So what is this promise that God makes to Abram? Well, I will have a look at Genesis 12.
[7:10] You can see it up on the screen. I'm going to read it for us though. This is, now this, God hasn't spoken to anyone, um, since Adam and Eve really until this point.
[7:21] God hasn't made any covenants. There hasn't been any relationship. And then out of the blue, this happens. Genesis 12, one to five. The Lord said to Abram, leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
[7:40] I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. And whoever curses you, I will curse. And all the peoples on the earth will be blessed through you.
[7:53] So Abram left as the Lord had told him and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran.
[8:09] And they set out for the land of Canaan and they arrived there. Okay, so that's the promise on which the rest of the Bible is based.
[8:20] That is God starting this reestablishment of a relationship with human beings. And the promise you'll see there that God gives Abraham is, there's a few aspects to it.
[8:32] We'll go, as I say, in more detail when we study Genesis. But it's basically, Abraham is going to have a huge family, which is going to be a great nation. And God will protect this particular family from all their enemies.
[8:48] And he will bring them into a special place to live. And he will bless them beyond their wildest imaginings. And now what was Abraham's part in this covenant? Do you notice that?
[8:59] What did Abraham have to do? He had to believe it, right? He had to believe it and live in light of it. And what that meant for him was to pack up and move. Go to this land that God told him to go to.
[9:12] Now, you know what's really interesting about the covenant God made with Abraham is that Abraham never saw it fulfilled in his lifetime. And we're told that in Hebrews 11 in the New Testament, we're told Abraham was commended for his faith, yet he never received what had been promised.
[9:27] Interesting, isn't it? Abraham never received in his lifetime what God promised him in that covenant. In fact, the promise God made to Abraham wasn't going to come to fruition until all the nations, all the peoples on the earth were blessed through Abraham.
[9:43] Only then would it be fulfilled. In other words, what I want you to see is that the promise that God made to Abraham all those years ago was much bigger than just Abraham and just his physical descendants, the Jews.
[9:56] And it was much bigger than just the land of Israel. In fact, what we read about in the Bible, we see that what the Apostle Paul actually explains in Galatians chapter 3 is that God is still fulfilling the promise to Abraham today.
[10:11] God is still working on that very promise. He's still going to bring it to completion because God's plan has always been the same. God hasn't changed his mind.
[10:23] He didn't make a promise to Abraham. And then when he saw, you know, through the history of Israel that they weren't fulfilling their part, he thought, oh, well, plan B now, let's change plans. No, he's always had the same plan because he's God and he will fulfill his plan that he promised there to Abraham.
[10:39] That he's going to make one big family of God who are going to be in a special relationship with him. And he is going to bring people from all over the world, from every nation into the special family, this relationship with God.
[10:56] And he is going to protect them from their greatest enemies. And our greatest enemies, by the way, aren't ISIS or Russian nationalism or Cape Flats gangsterism.
[11:10] Our greatest enemies are sin and death. And God is going to protect people in his family from all of their greatest enemies. And he is going to bless them beyond their wildest imaginings.
[11:23] Not least of all, he's going to bless them with eternal life. And he's going to give them a land. A land, not just the land that is constrained by the borders of modern day Israel.
[11:34] No, the land we realize is the whole world. A land of blessing. But a new world which works. Without the problems of sin and the curses of sin like we have in this current world.
[11:52] A new world that God always intended his people to live in and enjoy forever. That is the promise. And the whole Bible is the story of how God is going to make that happen.
[12:03] So that summarizes really for you the whole Bible story. And so I guess what I want you to see at this point is that even today, God is still working to fulfill that original promise he made to Abraham.
[12:21] You see that? Even today, that is the promise that God has always had and was always planning to do. But now, okay, I've been talking to you about Abraham and the Old Testament and the promise that God made and the covenant.
[12:36] But what's all that got to do with pouring water on people's heads? I mean, why am I going down this route? Well, if you stick with me, and if you stay awake, you'll see.
[12:46] Because what we also see in the Bible, this is very important. If you can understand baptism, you need to go on this journey with me. What we also see in the Bible is whenever God makes a covenant with human beings, he also gives a physical sign that seals the promise.
[13:05] It's something we can look at to know that that promise has been put into effect. So when God made the covenant with Noah and his family, and then he promised them never to flood the world again like he did, what was the physical sign they could look at and remember?
[13:21] The rainbow. He gave them a physical sign that they could look at as assurance that his promises were now in effect. And so he does that whenever he makes a covenant with humans.
[13:31] He gives them a physical sign that seals the promise he makes them. So you can consider it like a wedding ring. When a husband and wife get married, this here, my wedding ring on my finger, this is a physical sign that Jean gave to me when we got married to seal the promises she made, to seal her vows, to tell me I'm not just saying this, but I promise it.
[13:54] And from the point I give you this ring, when she put that ring on my finger, those promises were put into effect. You see? And it serves, this wedding ring serves to remind me that today that promise she made at a wedding day is still in effect.
[14:10] And her ring serves to remind her of the same thing about my promises. But that's how this ring is important. That's why I like my wedding ring. Because when I'm being a difficult person to live with at home, which happens more than you'd think, and I think to myself, man, I'm being an idiot.
[14:29] How do I know Jean's not just going to get fed up with me and leave? And I go, oh, man, how do I really know? Oh, I look at my ring and I go, oh, because she made me a promise.
[14:39] Because she promised she wouldn't. Because she promised she would be with me through thick and thin. And so this is my assurance that I am in a special relationship with her. But in the same way, God, when he gives people a covenant, when he gives promises, he also gives them a sign to assure them that they are in a special relationship with him.
[15:01] Now, in the Old Testament, with the Jews, that sign was circumcision. Which all Jewish males had to show that them and their households were part of the covenant family.
[15:13] But now, remember how I said earlier that humans in a covenant with God still have a role to play. They can't just sit back. They have a role to play. When God makes promises, what is their role?
[15:25] What is their job? What is the human response to God's promises? To believe in them. Yeah. To believe in them and to live them out. To live life in light of them.
[15:36] Now, when I gave, when Jean gave me the wedding ring, for example, on our wedding day, my job was to believe that her promises were going to be fulfilled.
[15:46] And live in light of those promises. In other words, to move in with her and live as a married man and not to run after other women. These were all the implications of her promises to me. Well, it was the same with God's promises to the Israelites.
[15:58] They needed to live in light of God's promises, which meant they needed to be separate from the world. They needed to put off sin and live as members of God's family. God said to them, they've got to put off the flesh, the sinful flesh.
[16:11] In fact, that's what the symbolism of circumcision, putting off of the flesh, meant. It was to remind them of that they were God's special people, called out of the world. Okay.
[16:22] So that's, we read, that's what happened. And God made this covenant with Israel, but we keep reading the story and we realize that they failed to do their part.
[16:33] They failed to believe God and live in light of his promises. Because they eventually started worshiping foreign gods, running after foreign gods.
[16:43] And that's why God sent them the prophets to tell them that they had broken the covenant. That they had, as the prophets put it, they had committed adultery against God. And so what happened is that the marriage was annulled, sadly.
[16:57] It was the special relationship that God had made with the children of Abraham was broken. And Paul puts it in Romans. He says their circumcision became uncircumcision.
[17:08] So the sign itself didn't mean anything anymore. It's like when, sadly, it happens when a married couple, when the marriage doesn't work out and they don't live in light of each other's vows and they get a divorce.
[17:23] What happens then is this wedding ring means nothing. It loses its meaning if the couple breaks the covenant that they made with each other. And the result of Israel doing that is that he kicked them out of his house, the land of Israel.
[17:39] And he sent them packing to Babylon in the exile. So we're tracing the whole biblical history here. You're basically getting Biblical Theology 101 this morning. But it's important.
[17:50] And you'll see why it's so important if we can understand what we're doing in a few minutes. Now, it's a very sad story when we read the history of Israel. And we kind of, you know, you read the Old Testament, you kind of want to skip to the New Testament or the Psalms or something positive.
[18:05] When you read all this judgment and all this broken relationship between Israel and God, it's a sad story. But it's an important one and it's in our Bibles because it teaches us a very important lesson.
[18:16] And that is that God making us a promise is not enough if we don't live in light of that promise. You see, because God will never break his promises. He'll never break the promises he makes.
[18:27] But it is still possible for the people he makes those promises to, to not live in light of them and therefore to lose their place in that special relationship.
[18:38] Do you understand? God doesn't go back on his promises. The divorce doesn't happen because God didn't fulfill the promises he made and sealed. It happens because the people don't believe in the promises God makes and they don't live in light of them.
[18:54] And so what happened? The Israelites lost their place in the covenant and it was the end of the story. No, it wasn't. Thankfully. Because God, we realize, is still at work to fulfill that promise he made to Abraham in Genesis 12.
[19:12] But the history of Israel, as I said, shows us that something else needs to happen before humans can live properly in the land and stay in the land without running after foreign gods.
[19:23] In other words, we need a solution for the human problem of sin which causes us to run after sinful desires and other gods and forsake our place in the covenant God wants to make with us.
[19:37] We need new hearts. We need new desires that won't go running after idols. Only then can we stay in the special relationship with God and enjoy the blessings that he promises us and the land.
[19:50] And that is exactly why God made another promise later on through his prophets. It's not just a promise to give life and land and blessings, but a promise to fix our sinful hearts to enable us to live properly in the land and enjoy God's blessings and not forsake our place in the covenant.
[20:13] It was another new covenant he made and he made it through the prophet Ezekiel. Adrian actually read it for us earlier. But I want you to listen again to the promise.
[20:24] I'm going to read it from Ezekiel 36. And as I read it, I want you to listen carefully to what the physical sign is that God gives to seal this new promise he makes with his people.
[20:37] Ezekiel 36, 24 to 27. For I will take you out of the nations. I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you.
[20:50] And you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from your idols. And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.
[21:01] I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. See what's happening here.
[21:14] God was promising to renew his covenant with the family of Abraham. Even after they had fallen out of it. But he's making now a new covenant. And this time he's making it possible for them to stay in the covenant, which they couldn't last time.
[21:28] How? By giving them new hearts that love God and want to live God's way. To make them fit for the new creation, the new land. And with this new promise, God also gives them a new sign to go with it.
[21:44] Did you spot it? The pouring out of water. Which represents God's promise to cleanse his people from their sins. Okay, so you're with me so far.
[21:56] You see how now we're starting to see the foreshadowing of the Christian rite of baptism. But it's biblical. And we see that it actually fits into the whole biblical story.
[22:08] So we're almost finished. But we're not quite finished. After this promise was made, hundreds of years passed. And God didn't say anything.
[22:21] And then, all of a sudden, after hundreds of years, an angel appears. And announces that a baby is going to be born. Through whom God is going to fulfill the promise he made through Ezekiel.
[22:36] Who's the baby? No. No. It's John the Baptist. Someone had to come before Jesus. Someone that we don't often give a lot of attention to.
[22:48] But John the Baptist is the one whose birth was also foretold six months before the birth of Jesus. And he is the one who introduced the sign of the new covenant.
[22:59] Baptism. Hence his name. But it's also significant. Another detail we miss. Where he introduced the sign. We read in the Gospels, John came baptizing.
[23:10] Where? The Jordan River. Now that's geographically significant. Because the Jordan River was the border of Israel. And it was the entry point into the original promised land.
[23:22] In other words, the idea is that through baptism, the exiled children of Abraham are now coming back into God's covenant family.
[23:33] Into God's covenant with Abraham. To access the land again. To access all of the blessings that God promised to Abraham. And so do you see what baptism means? Bringing that all together.
[23:45] Everything that we've explored now in the Bible. Do you see what baptism means? And why it's so significant? In summary, it's a sign and a seal of God's promise.
[23:56] A sign in that it represents God's promise. The washing of sin. But it's also a seal in that when he gives that sign. When the baptism happens. God is sealing that promise just as much as a spouse giving a wedding ring.
[24:09] Is putting that promise into effect. It's a sign and a seal of God's promise. And the promise is to bring people into a new family. To wash them clean of their sins. So that they can live in the promised land under his blessing.
[24:21] Forever. Okay, so it's a great promise. We understand that baptism is entry into that covenant. That special relationship with God. But then we read on.
[24:32] Because that's not the end of the Bible story, right? We read on and we realize how God could fulfill that promise. Because the question is, well, these people are sinners. How can he wash them clean of their sins and make them fit to live in the land if they're sinners?
[24:46] Well, then we go forward six months and we discover another baby was born after John the Baptist. Who was that? Jesus. You got it right this time.
[24:57] Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Who was going to make it possible for God to justly forgive his covenant people of their sins. By taking the punishment for the sins of all of God's people on himself.
[25:12] Representing them. Swapping places with God's people when he died on the cross. And took all of our sins on himself. So that anybody of any nation. Through faith in him can enter into the covenant people.
[25:26] Enter into that promise that God made with Abraham. And have their sins washed away. Through faith in Christ. This is how Paul puts it in Galatians 3. He says, Understand then that those who have faith are children of Abraham.
[25:44] Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. And announced the gospel in advance to Abraham. That's very interesting. Just stop there. Abraham knew the gospel. That promise that God made to Abraham was called the gospel.
[25:57] Paul calls it the gospel. Even though it was thousands of years before Jesus came. And the gospel was, All nations will be blessed through you. Verse 9. So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham.
[26:09] The man of faith. So, this is very important. Because it tells us how we who are not Jewish by birth.
[26:20] Can still be considered children of Abraham. Those who have faith in God's promise. To wash us clean of our sins. And to bring us into the land of blessing one day.
[26:30] And who live in light of that promise. They are now part of Abraham's family. Question is, How do people enter into that covenant? How do people enter into that family?
[26:41] The same way that the Jews had to. After they had fallen out of it. And that is through baptism. And faith, of course. In the promises that baptism represents.
[26:54] Baptism without faith is pointless. And that promise is the washing of our sins through Jesus Christ. A person who is baptized and believes in that. Enters into the covenant that God made with Abraham.
[27:06] And can enjoy the hope of those covenant blessings coming to pass. And that is also why when Jesus rose. Before he ascended into the place of power. To start his rule and his reign.
[27:19] He told his disciples their most important mission. He said he's going to come back. And he's going to wipe away the enemies of God. Just like God said to Abraham. All who curse God's people will be cursed one day.
[27:30] They will be wiped away. But in the meantime, his disciples, his church. Have a very important job. And that is to bring people into the covenant.
[27:40] To bring people into safety from God's judgment before it comes. Because it is coming. Be sure. God convinces us time and time again. That his judgment is real.
[27:52] And his judgment for sin is coming. But there is a way to escape that judgment. And that is to come into the protection of his covenant people. To come into that relationship with him. To have our sins washed away. But how do people come into that covenant?
[28:04] What is the thing that Jesus told his church they must do. To bring people into the covenant? Well I'll tell you. Matthew 28. Let's see what he says. He says go and make disciples of all nations.
[28:16] How do you do that? Baptizing them. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. In other words. Our job as Christians.
[28:28] The people in God's covenant. Is to bring more people. Into that covenant. Who are not currently in it. Because now anybody from any nation. Can come into the covenant with God.
[28:39] And we do that by giving them God's promise in baptism. And by teaching them how to live in light of it. That is the job of the church. In a nutshell. Baptizing people. And then teaching them how to live out.
[28:51] That promise. So you can think of the covenant. Like a lifeboat. Alright. You see those lifeboats. Which are attached to the side of cruise ships.
[29:02] In case the ship goes down. And the lifeboats then. Their job is to get people out of the water. To rescue them. From a certain death. Well the covenant is like a lifeboat.
[29:12] Because just imagine. There's a big disaster. And people are drowning in the sea. Because this world. If you haven't noticed. Is a big disaster. And people are perishing. And people are dying. And people are going to die.
[29:24] And come under judgment. For their sins. This is a. This is an emergency situation. That the world is in. Don't ever forget that. And so imagine. Ships gone down. People. There's people all over.
[29:36] Drowning in the sea. They're about to drown. They're struggling to stay afloat. But there's a lifeboat. And there's a lot of people in the lifeboat. But what are the people in the lifeboat doing?
[29:47] They're not just sitting around. They're helping to get other people in the lifeboat. Right? They don't just sit and wait to reach the shore. But they get involved in the work of pulling other people into the lifeboat.
[30:00] Why? Because in the boat. Is not only the way you reach the shore. Because you're not going to swim there in your own power. It's too far. We can't be holy and save ourselves.
[30:12] In our own strength. So in the boat. Is the way to reach the shore. But also in the boat. You find provisions. All the provisions that are needed for a person to stay safe.
[30:24] And to stay alive. Well you see in this lifeboat. In the covenant people. The church. Is everything people need to stay safe.
[30:35] And alive spiritually. Until they reach the shore. In the church. God has given us means of grace. That's what they're called. The provisions. He's put in the boat.
[30:45] So that as long as we're in the boat. We can stay safe. And that is the preaching of the word. Prayer. And the sacraments. The things God uses to bring people in the boat.
[30:58] The sacrament of baptism. Baptism. And then to keep us safe in the boat. As we obey everything that the captain Jesus commands. When we're in the boat. So that is.
[31:11] Baptism in summary. I hope you've seen how it fits into the big Bible story. That was my job this morning. I hope I've succeeded. And I hope. That you see this morning.
[31:22] Why what we're about to do is so important. And so special. David. And Candace. And Candace. And Gary's children. Are about to formally enter into God's church.
[31:35] They're about to get in the boat. And so. Have God's promises of salvation. To his people. Sealed. Onto them. By God. Not by me. You see.
[31:46] I'm just. I'm just the intermediary here. I'm just the person. Who's carrying out. What God is actually doing. God. Baptizes. Through his church. And his ministers. But as God does that.
[31:59] As God seals his promises of salvation to them. They have a part to play. As well. And that is. That from this day on. They are to believe in those promises. Unflinchingly.
[32:10] And to live in light of them. And also. To make use of the provisions. That God has put in the boat. To the church. And obey its captain.
[32:20] And that's not me. You know. It's Jesus. He's the captain of the church. He's our head. But what I've said this morning. About baptism. Is not just.
[32:32] For. David. And Candace. It's also for you. It's for all of us. What is. What does. All this mean for you. This morning.
[32:43] Well. Depends who you are. If you're not baptized. But. You believe in Christ. And you know. You need a savior.
[32:53] From the coming judgment. And you know. That he died. For your sins on the cross. Well then. Repent. And be baptized. That's the command. In scripture.
[33:04] And do it as soon as you can. Get into the lifeboat. And we'll be happy to pull you in. Just put your hand out. Not right now. But. You know what I mean. Come to me. If you haven't been baptized.
[33:15] But you believe in the gospel. Come to me. And set up a time. For baptism. Or if you're from another church. Go to your pastor there. And ask him to baptize you.
[33:26] Now. If you don't believe. In. The gospel. That might be this morning. Then. Ask yourself why. We have all the evidence. We need. Clearly. To believe that.
[33:37] All these things are true. We've got all the evidence necessary. So I would encourage you. To look into it. And meet with the person. Who brought you here. Or the Christian. You know here. And say. Can we read the bible together.
[33:49] Come to me. And get some stuff to read. If you want. So that you can look into. That evidence for yourself. Secondly though. If you are baptized. No matter. When or where that happened.
[33:59] Even if. You were a baby. In some church. That you've lost contact with. Realize that. In that baptism. God has. Sealed his promise to you.
[34:09] And what that means. Is that he's pulled you. Into his covenant people. Now. You've just got to make sure. You don't fall out. Of the boat. Which you won't. As long as.
[34:20] You keep believing. The promises. God made to you. In your baptism. And you keep on feeding. On the supplies. The means of grace. That the church gives. Don't drift away. You know. Once God's pulled you.
[34:31] Into the boat. You can slip out. If you neglect. What that boat is there for. But also. Finally. If you are baptized. And you're in his covenant people.
[34:41] And you're in the boat. Don't just sit around. And wait. For us to reach the shore. Get involved. In the work. Of bringing other people. Into the boat. By being part of what your church. Is doing.
[34:52] To make disciples. In the work of evangelism. And discipleship. Because that is the greatest work. Anybody could spend their time. On earth doing. The work of bringing people.
[35:02] Into the family of God. To enjoy the blessings. That God promised to Abraham. All those years ago. In a restored creation. And a world without end.
[35:13] Let's pray. Heavenly Father. We do thank you so much. For. The Bible. And how you've revealed. All of this to us. How you've revealed. Everything we need to know.
[35:23] About. Life. And salvation. And eternity. And also how you've given us. Physical signs. To seal your promises to us. We thank you for baptism.
[35:34] We thank you for the promise. You make in it. And we pray now. That as. We. Undertake. This. Bapt. These baptisms. That you will work in them.
[35:45] That you will seal your promises. To those being baptized. And that you will be glorified. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.