1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,920 We are continuing in our impact series where we are working our 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:09,440 way through the book of Acts and we are pausing every time we see 3 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:14,560 the Holy Spirit at work. And we're doing this because we 4 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:19,040 want to be a church that is set ablaze by the Spirit of God. 5 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,880 We want to be a church on fire for Him. 6 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:29,800 That the Holy Spirit would work powerfully in US, that the Holy 7 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:35,280 Spirit would work powerfully through us, that each one of us 8 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:39,880 would have significant encounters with God by His 9 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:45,280 Spirit, and then we would be sent out into the world to tell 10 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,280 our world about who He is. Amen. 11 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:53,520 That is why we are praying and fasting together as a church 12 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,240 every Wednesday. That's why we have an amazing 13 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:59,520 prayer room here in this building. 14 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:03,480 That's why every Wednesday between 7:00 and 9:00 PM, 15 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,640 there's a whole group of people that meet in that prayer room to 16 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,040 pray. And we would love to invite you 17 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,760 to come along. If, if that works for you, we'd 18 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,160 love for you to come. That's why every Wednesday 19 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:22,600 lunchtime we have space, which is a wonderful place, space of 20 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:26,920 intercession and worship, where you, again, can come into this 21 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,680 building, but also you can TuneIn online as well in your 22 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,960 break at work. And we're doing all of this 23 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:39,280 because we want to cultivate a deep and enduring connection 24 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:44,640 with the Lord that is this active, ongoing pursuit of Him. 25 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,720 And this practice of corporate prayer and worship and fasting 26 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:54,040 every Wednesday as a weekly discipline is such a powerful 27 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:58,120 way to communicate to the Holy Spirit our dependence on Him, 28 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,560 right? It's a deliberate act for us to 29 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:08,000 seek God's will and his power for our lives, for this church, 30 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:14,680 for this city, for this region, and to the ends of the earth. 31 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,360 And there are so many people that we are connected with every 32 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,440 day who are searching. They're searching for truth. 33 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:24,800 They're searching for authenticity. 34 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:29,520 They're searching for a purpose that is greater than themselves. 35 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,000 And we need the power of God to complete the mission of God 36 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,920 because we have to make the most of the season that we are in, 37 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:45,960 our nation actually is in. And we as a church family, we 38 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,200 have to make the most of this opportunity. 39 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:52,360 Just think for a moment, if you can think of three people that 40 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,160 don't know Jesus, they might be friends, they might be work 41 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,200 colleagues, they might be gym buddies. 42 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:01,800 Now just think if you invited all those three people to come 43 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,640 to church, do you know the stats say that one out of those three 44 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:08,400 people would say yes, I want to come. 45 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,200 And friends, that is the season that we are in right now. 46 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:18,200 And God is challenging us as a church family to go public with 47 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:23,160 our faith in a whole new way that we would receive afresh the 48 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:28,080 call of Jesus, each and every one of us to be his witnesses. 49 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,640 That we would respond to the call of God when he says come on 50 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:34,840 now it's time to blow your cover. 51 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:40,680 And for some of us, being baptised will be the perfect 52 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:46,720 opportunity and we have a whole bunch of baptisms that we have 53 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,720 opportunities for people to get baptised all across this year we 54 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,600 have lined up. It's very deliberate, it's 55 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,680 intentional, it's not by accident. 56 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:58,920 We've done this, it's on purpose. 57 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:04,440 And maybe for a whole bunch of you here, this is your moment. 58 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:10,120 So the first lot of baptisms are happening on Easter Sunday. 59 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,880 Yes, yes. And So what I want to do today 60 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,680 is we open up God's word is I want to take some time for the 61 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,680 benefit of those who are new to faith and for those who've been 62 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,800 a Christian for a while but have not yet been baptized, to look 63 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:29,200 at what is baptism. So a couple of weeks ago, Chuck 64 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,960 spoke about Pentecost. You know, this wild moment where 65 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:38,400 the Holy Spirit pours himself out upon the disciples and they 66 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:41,560 begin speaking in languages that they had not learnt. 67 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:47,120 And we saw this intense experience of God's presence and 68 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:51,120 power, and that power wasn't meant to be kept in the upper 69 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:53,400 room. It was so explosive that 70 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,880 literally they spilled out into the streets of Jerusalem. 71 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:01,760 And they obviously a massive crowd kind of came around and 72 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:05,560 they were confused and they were wondering like, are they 73 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:08,000 dreaming or are they drinking? You know? 74 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:14,000 And that's when Peter, this guy who a few weeks before had been 75 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:19,440 hiding in fear, he stands up and he's got this fresh new 76 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:23,600 authority, and he takes them. He takes the crowd through the 77 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:28,680 history and the prophets and the reality of who Jesus is. 78 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,960 And then he reaches this crescendo and the atmosphere 79 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:37,320 starts to shift from curiosity to conviction. 80 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:41,560 And we're going to drop in right up towards the end of Peter's 81 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:45,000 speech. The crowd is leaning in, their 82 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:49,520 hearts are starting to burn, and they're about to ask, I would 83 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,960 say, one of the most important questions we can ask about 84 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,440 Jesus. What do we do now? 85 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,360 So if you've got your Bibles, we're in Acts chapter 2 and 86 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,960 we're going to read verses 36 to 41. 87 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,040 It's going to come up on the screen as well. 88 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:13,000 Therefore, this is Peter. Let all Israel be assured of 89 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,880 this. God has made this Jesus whom you 90 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:21,040 crucified both Lord and Messiah. When the people heard this, they 91 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,320 were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles. 92 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,800 Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied. 93 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:32,640 Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus 94 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:35,920 Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive 95 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,400 the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your 96 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:46,160 children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our 97 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,760 God will call. With many other words He warned 98 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:52,520 them and He pleaded with them. Save yourselves from this 99 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:56,240 corrupt generation. Those who accepted His message 100 00:06:56,240 --> 00:07:01,320 were baptised and about 3000 were added to their number that 101 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:03,400 day. Amen. 102 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:10,600 So Peter says really clearly in verse 38, Repent and be 103 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:15,920 baptised, everyone of you. Yet there can be confusion about 104 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,680 what baptism is and what it isn't. 105 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:23,560 You might remember back in the day, David Beckham when he had 106 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,520 his first son, Brooklyn, it was a baby. 107 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:28,960 He was a baby. And he was interviewed and they 108 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:33,320 and he said, I'm definitely going to get him christened. 109 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:35,800 We just don't know into what religion yet. 110 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:43,400 Then there's the group of medieval warriors who went 111 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,920 straight into the river to be baptized, but the priest was 112 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:51,360 very confused because each one of them held up their right arm 113 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:53,880 and refused to allow it go to go into the water. 114 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:57,120 And when the priest was like, what's all that about? 115 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,800 They said they were concerned that if their right arm touched 116 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:05,360 the water, it would turn their right arm more Christian, more 117 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:10,080 gentle, and they wouldn't be able to hold a sword and they 118 00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:12,120 wouldn't be able to slay their enemies. 119 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,440 So let's take this step by step, friends. 120 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:22,040 What was baptism in the Bible? So most ancient cultures had 121 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:26,640 some concept of ritual cleansing, a bathing ritual for 122 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:31,560 the bridegroom before his marriage, or like ceremonial 123 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:35,840 washing of hands before meals. But the Christian sacrament of 124 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,960 baptism almost certainly finds its origins in the ritual 125 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:42,400 washings of Jewish Old Testament law. 126 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:47,880 For example, in Exodus 29, where we see Aaron and his sons, 127 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:52,120 they're brought to the entrance of a newly completed Tabernacle, 128 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:56,480 and they're washed. Leviticus 14, where we see 129 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:00,480 people who appear to be healed of skin diseases. 130 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:04,280 They wash their clothes, they shave off all their hair, and 131 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,240 they bathe in water to cleanse themselves. 132 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:12,240 And it seems this concept of ceremonial bathing in water 133 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,800 developed over the course of Old Testament history and beyond 134 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,560 into the intertestamental period, which is basically the 135 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:26,320 400 year gap between when the Old Testament finished and the 136 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:30,960 New Testament began. Is that right? 137 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,440 Chuck's looking at me like, yeah, that's good. 138 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:39,040 I won't look at my husband and archaeologists unearthed in one 139 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:43,000 community purpose built ritual baths for fully immersing 140 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,920 people. But the first record that we 141 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:51,480 have in our Bibles of people being baptised and the way that 142 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:54,320 we would understand it is John the Baptist. 143 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:59,520 In Mark chapter 1, verse 4, it says so John the Baptist 144 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:02,360 appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of 145 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:05,280 repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 146 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:09,600 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went 147 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:12,040 out to him confessing their sins. 148 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,280 They were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 149 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,920 He was basically saying get yourselves right with God, 150 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:23,880 repent of your sins, receive God's forgiveness, and get 151 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,920 yourself clean by being baptized. 152 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,920 And that is the major feature of the New Testament for baptism. 153 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:38,560 It's an external symbol of an internal reality as God makes us 154 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:41,240 clean. And it's important to know that 155 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:46,040 baptism in the New Testament always involved a lot of water. 156 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:50,080 So there's never a moment where people are just sprinkled, you 157 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,240 know, with a little bit of water on their forehead. 158 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:58,840 In John chapter 3 verse 23, John the Baptist chose a particular 159 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:02,760 stretch of the Jordan River because there was plenty of 160 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:06,040 water. When Jesus is baptised, it says 161 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:11,320 he came up out of the water. When Philip baptises the 162 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:16,400 Ethiopian eunuch by the side of the road in Acts chapter 8, it 163 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:21,440 says they both went down into the water and came up out of the 164 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,360 water. There are no instances in 165 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:28,360 scripture of a small sprinkling of water. 166 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:33,400 Now the Greek word for baptise is baptiso. 167 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:38,800 So that means it's like a sinking of a ship or a dipping a 168 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:44,480 cup into a bowl or soaking a cloth into a VAT of dye. 169 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:49,480 It's the common word in Greek, where we would in English use 170 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:56,120 the words like drench, dunk, dip, duck, douse, deluge or 171 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,640 soak, sink, swamps, steep or saturate. 172 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:04,720 So John the Baptist, he waded into the river Jordan, the 173 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:09,800 people repented of their sins and he dunked them under the 174 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:13,240 water. And again in John 3 we see Jesus 175 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,480 and his disciples baptising people in the same river. 176 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:21,280 Then in Matthew 28 we see Jesus commanding the disciples to 177 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,560 carry on baptising people after he's gone. 178 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:31,160 So what does baptism mean? Baptism speaks of a bath. 179 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:38,040 So when Chuck was young he he really liked to play rugby. 180 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:41,680 Now he hates all sports now, but back in the day rugby was his 181 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:43,960 thing. He was a young teenager, I think 182 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,560 mainly because he loved to roll around in all the mud. 183 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:51,120 The problem came after the game for him because he was literally 184 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:54,720 covered in mud from head to foot, yet he refused to shower 185 00:12:54,720 --> 00:13:01,840 in the communal changing rooms. So what he would do, So what he 186 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:05,280 would do is he would wash his face and he would wash his hands 187 00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:08,920 and then he would put his clothes, his uniform back on. 188 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,560 The problem was that as he was walking home from school, there 189 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:17,760 was so much mud on his body that it hardened and it started 190 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:22,560 cracking as he was walking home. Grim, absolutely grim. 191 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:26,600 He does assure me though, that as soon as he got home he had a 192 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:30,360 bath. And very, very boastfully, he 193 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,320 said there was always at least two inches of scum, you know? 194 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,000 Yeah, really lovely. Really lovely. 195 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:41,240 The thing is, even as a young teenager, he knew that he could 196 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,320 wash every part of himself clean. 197 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:48,920 But he also knew that there was dirt and darkness on the inside 198 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:52,080 that a good bath would never touch. 199 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:58,400 The wonderful thing about following Jesus is that he is 200 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:01,960 the only one who can clean us on the inside. 201 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:05,400 We've all seen the adverts, haven't we? 202 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:08,680 These bathroom cleaners that promise the world, you know, can 203 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,560 remove even the most stubborn of stains. 204 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:15,360 Well, that's what Jesus does in baptism. 205 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:20,080 You know, people come to John the Baptist and to Jesus and to 206 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:25,640 the disciples and to the early church to say yes, Lord, clean 207 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:29,600 me. Clean me, as Ananias said to 208 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:33,280 Saul of Tarsus. And now what you waiting for? 209 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:38,360 Get up, be black ties and wash your sins away, calling on his 210 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:43,000 name. So baptism it's it's a bath. 211 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:50,200 It's also a burial, as well as as the sense of cleansing that 212 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,640 had been obviously part of baptism. 213 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:56,400 When we see in the time of John the Baptist, the early church, 214 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:01,240 immediately they saw this action of baptism, you know, going down 215 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:05,960 into the water and then coming back up again as being like 216 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,600 going down into the grave and then coming back up again. 217 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:14,120 And so in baptism, they're enacting the burial of their old 218 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:18,040 lives, aligning themselves with the death of Jesus, and then 219 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:22,680 coming out of the water raised from the dead like Jesus. 220 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:27,960 In Colossians 2, verse 12, it says you were buried with Christ 221 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:32,040 in baptism, in which you were also raised with him. 222 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:38,800 Baptism is the way that we draw a line under the past and we 223 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:44,080 begin a whole new life with God. Does anyone remember John 224 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:49,760 Darwin? He he he kind of hit the 225 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:54,800 headlines quite a few years ago now but they made his story into 226 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:59,800 a whole TV series. So he was a science maths 227 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:04,280 teacher come prison officer. He also had a whole load of bed 228 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:07,880 sits that he rented out and he also had a ton of debt. 229 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:14,280 And on the 21st of March 2002 he was seen paddling his canoe out 230 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:16,920 to sea somewhere near Hartlepool. 231 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:22,600 Later the same day he didn't show up for work and so he was 232 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:26,160 reported missing and then the following day they found the 233 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,560 wreckage of his canoe. The trouble was, everyone was a 234 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:32,880 bit baffled because the sea was like a pond. 235 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,600 It was so still they couldn't understand it. 236 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:39,760 And of course, it all turned out to be an elaborate hoax to get 237 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:43,040 insurance money. And he reappeared five years 238 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:46,920 later at a police station claiming amnesia. 239 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:51,720 Now in one sense this is a really bizarre and tragic story, 240 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:57,360 but also how many of us can relate to his desire to want to 241 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:00,000 draw a line and start all over again? 242 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:06,359 Of course, the New Testament, it talks a lot about coming to 243 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:11,520 faith in Jesus is really a death, how we lay down our lives 244 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:14,560 in order to gain a new life in Christ. 245 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:19,839 Galatians 2 verse 20 says I've been crucified with Christ and I 246 00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:23,400 no longer live, but Christ lives in me. 247 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:28,319 Colossians 2 verse 20 says you died with Christ. 248 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:33,920 So as we come to faith and repentance and new life in Jesus 249 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:39,120 we die and in baptism we perform the burial. 250 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:44,640 Now people often ask can I be a Christian without being 251 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:51,360 baptized? And the answer is yes, but yes. 252 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:54,040 But you haven't completed the process. 253 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:59,360 The appropriate thing to do with a dead body is to bury it. 254 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,600 If you haven't been baptized, your old self has been put to 255 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:06,880 death, but it hasn't been buried. 256 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:14,240 So baptism it speaks of a bath. It's a burial, and it's a badge 257 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:18,040 of belonging. It's the mark of membership for 258 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,960 the people of God. In the Old Testament, the mark 259 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:26,880 of membership was circumcision. Or the guy's breathe a sigh of 260 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:28,920 relief that we no longer have to do that. 261 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:35,080 Instead, we baptize one another. That's what we do as a visible 262 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:40,680 public sign that we belong. So baptism is a sign that we 263 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:45,120 belong to the church. I've loved every stage of our 264 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:47,360 kids growing up. You know, you've got the baby 265 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:50,080 stage where they're so tiny. And I remember going to our 266 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:54,040 friend's house and every Friday night we would have dinner with 267 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:56,960 them and we would put our son in the middle of their double bed, 268 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:59,680 knowing he wouldn't move. There's no way he could move. 269 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:03,560 And then, you know, when they're just learning to walk and 270 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:06,800 they're kind of holding onto things all round the house. 271 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,480 And they will toddle if they hold onto your finger. 272 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,920 It's lovely. And then you've got the stage 273 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:16,040 where they can walk and they would love to be between Chuck 274 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:20,360 and I and swing everywhere we would walk, which was not great 275 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:24,400 on the back, have to say. And then comes a time when your 276 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:28,920 child walks at least three metres behind you, dragging 277 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:33,560 themselves and they're a head down doing everything they can 278 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:37,800 to be like, I'm not with them, I've nothing to do with them 279 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:42,880 because we are just so embarrassing in baptism. 280 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:47,560 We're saying, I know the church isn't perfect, but these are my 281 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:53,040 people, I belong here, this is my family. 282 00:19:54,240 --> 00:20:02,280 I'm publicly declaring that I belong, Galatians 326 to 27 says 283 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:05,720 so in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 284 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:11,440 for all of you were baptized into Christ baptism. 285 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,880 It's a badge of belonging to the church, and it's also a 286 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,800 declaration that I belong to God. 287 00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:22,720 We're baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the 288 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:28,720 Holy Spirit, God's name. It's a declaration that I am not 289 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:32,520 my own. I was bought at a price, placing 290 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:38,240 myself under the Lord's kingship and lordship. 291 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:45,600 So why should I get baptised? Firstly, it's normal. 292 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:48,680 It's normal for Christians throughout the New Testament, 293 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:52,360 whenever people encounter the good news of Jesus, they hear 294 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,160 about how Jesus has been raised from the dead, they repent of 295 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:59,080 their sins and they put their trust in him. 296 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:03,200 They were baptised. So in the passage that we just 297 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:07,200 read, right at the start, 3000 people in one day came to faith, 298 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:11,080 became part of the church and were baptised. 299 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,360 Lydia is selling her purple cloth down by the river in 300 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:17,800 Philippi. She comes to faith, she's 301 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:24,920 baptised the Philip. Philippian jailor can't say that 302 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,160 word. Who was holding Paul in prison? 303 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:29,440 What's he do? He comes to faith. 304 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:34,320 But not just him, his whole family come to faith and they're 305 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:37,640 baptised. Crispus the synagogue leader 306 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,880 baptised. Even Simon the sorcerer 307 00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:44,600 baptized. In fact, you'll be hard pressed 308 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:49,520 to find anyone coming to faith in Jesus who isn't baptized 309 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:53,880 except the thief on the cross next to Jesus. 310 00:21:53,880 --> 00:22:00,480 But I think he had a reason. You see, it's what happened. 311 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:05,760 They believed, they repented, they were baptized, and the 312 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:08,800 truth is that the writers of the letters in the New Testament 313 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:13,360 just assumed that everyone they were writing to was baptized. 314 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:15,600 They say things like Galatians 3. 315 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:18,160 You were all baptized into Christ. 316 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,120 Perhaps that's because, secondly, Jesus commanded it. 317 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:26,240 Think about the great commandment, Matthew 28, verse 318 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,320 19. Go and make disciples of all 319 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,920 nations, baptizing them all in the name of the Father and of 320 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:37,680 the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We baptise one another because 321 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:42,320 Jesus told us to. It's a step of obedience. 322 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:47,360 It's why Peter was able to say to the whole crowd when they 323 00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:52,160 said to him, what shall we do? Repent and be baptised. 324 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:57,800 Everyone of you. Ultimately, to be baptised is to 325 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:04,080 be obedient, and not to be baptised is not obedient. 326 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:06,920 I think we call that disobedience. 327 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,280 Thirdly, it's a powerful witness. 328 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:17,160 Let's face it, being baptized is a bit of an odd thing to do, 329 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:21,680 right? I remember many years ago now, I 330 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:26,400 was walking along and I saw my friend coming towards me. 331 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,280 I had my bag, I had a folder with papers. 332 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:34,760 And as they came towards me, I started to wave to them and I 333 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,520 tripped over a big pavement slab. 334 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:41,360 And I didn't just trip. I like spectacularly trip. 335 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:45,680 My phone went out of my hand, my bag went up in the air and all 336 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,880 my stuff went everywhere. And my folder with loose papers 337 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,160 in went all up in the air as well. 338 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:53,800 And I did what any one of us would have done. 339 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:58,800 I tried to style it out. I tried to make it look like I'm 340 00:23:59,120 --> 00:24:02,680 I'm so delighted to see you. I'm waving with all my 341 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:07,320 possessions. Why would I do that? 342 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:12,000 Because retaining our dignity and self respect is very 343 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:16,760 important to us. So why would anyone in their 344 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:20,440 right minds get into a big bath with all their clothes on? 345 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:24,600 Bearing in mind that white things go see through and floaty 346 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:29,720 things float, why would anyone allow someone else to dunk them 347 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,840 under the water? In my day at school, that was 348 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:40,800 called bullying because Jesus is more important to us than our 349 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:46,960 dignity, and that is a very powerful witness. 350 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:54,040 What better opportunity do we ever have to invite all our 351 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,040 friends and our family and our neighbors and our work 352 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:01,840 colleagues and our gym buddies to come to church to demonstrate 353 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:06,160 the central importance that Jesus plays in our lives? 354 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,560 I know that because when each of our kids got baptised, they 355 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:14,680 invited their friends and their work colleagues and for some of 356 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:17,560 them it had a profound effect on them. 357 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:21,960 You know, they came, they saw, they felt they experienced 358 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:28,000 something of God. OK, let me just answer a a few 359 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,640 quick FAQs. I was christened as an infant. 360 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,360 Does that count? Tough question. 361 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:39,840 I have some dear friends who have grown up in Christian 362 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:42,040 homes. They were christened into the 363 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:45,320 Anglican Church and they were confirmed as teenagers. 364 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:48,640 And for them they sincerely believe that they have been 365 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:50,560 obedient to Scripture and to the Lord. 366 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:55,920 In contrast, I myself was christened as a baby before I 367 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:59,520 became a Christian. And so I was. 368 00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:04,160 I was a child at the time. I was kind of 710, something 369 00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:08,520 like that, and I just felt I should get baptized. 370 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:11,080 So I looked at the scriptures. I looked at the scriptures with 371 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:14,800 my parents. I spoke to leaders in my church 372 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:18,400 because I just knew I needed to do this. 373 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,840 So the way that we answer this question in this church is by 374 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:27,240 saying that we believe that the Bible teaches that baptism is 375 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:31,560 for people who have made a decision to follow Jesus and by 376 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:33,440 dunking their whole body in the water. 377 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:39,600 But if in your own hearts and before God, whatever form of 378 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:44,440 baptism you have experienced and you have peace with that, then 379 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,200 of course, that is a matter of conscience between you and the 380 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:49,520 Lord. I think I would love to 381 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:53,280 encourage you, though, to search the Scriptures, to search the 382 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:58,680 heart of God, to talk it through with the leaders here in this 383 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:03,480 church or pastors here in this church, and just see where you 384 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:09,000 end up #2 is it too late? Maybe some people here, you've 385 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,480 been Christian for a really long time, maybe even decades, and 386 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:14,640 you're wondering, is it too late? 387 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:19,720 Friends, it's never too late. Ideally, you bury a body as soon 388 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,040 as you're sure that body is dead. 389 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:27,080 But there are times, on the battlefields of war in 390 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:31,280 particular, when a body lies unburied for a period of time. 391 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:35,320 But if you ever come across a body that has not yet been 392 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:39,880 buried, then the appropriate and the right thing to do is to bury 393 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:44,280 that body to complete the process of death. 394 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:48,840 And it's the same with baptism, friends, it's never too late. 395 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:54,800 So why would you not take this opportunity #3 do I have to 396 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,520 share from the front? Yes. 397 00:27:57,520 --> 00:27:58,600 Shall we pray? Bye. 398 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:05,320 I know for lots of people that can feel a bit scary, but we 399 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:11,360 would do our very best, our very best to prepare you and to make 400 00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:14,680 it as easy and as simple as possible for you to help you 401 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,840 write down your thoughts and prepare you for this moment. 402 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:22,520 And the truth is, it's like giving the groom speech at our 403 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:25,200 wedding. It's the easiest gig in town 404 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:28,960 because everyone just wants you to succeed. 405 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:33,560 Everyone will be behind you. But don't refuse the best 406 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:38,120 opportunity you'll ever have to share your faith with your world 407 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:40,520 because you'll worried about standing up here. 408 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:47,120 So if you would like to be baptized and this is your church 409 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:50,880 and you're certain that you have put your trust and your faith in 410 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:54,840 Jesus and you haven't been baptized before, please let us 411 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,560 know. And the way that you can do that 412 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,080 is there is a QR code here right now. 413 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,640 And I'd love it if either you take a picture or you would scan 414 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:06,920 it because that leads you to a little form. 415 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:10,680 And on that form, you're basically be saying I am 416 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,120 interested, you're not committing, but you're saying 417 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:15,000 I'm interested in being baptised. 418 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:18,920 And then one of our amazing pastors will be in contact with 419 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:23,480 you. OK Is everyone taking a picture 420 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:25,520 of those that want to? OK, wonderful. 421 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:29,960 Yeah. And if you want to go back and 422 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:31,560 look at it, it will be on the live stream. 423 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:33,240 That's right. Great. 424 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:36,240 So what we're going to do now is firstly, we're going to say 425 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:38,120 goodbye to our amazing sights.