WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:22.260 Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast. 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:25.880 This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons. 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:30.420 We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:31.260 the latest message. 00:00:31.580 --> 00:00:32.460 Thanks for listening. 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:46.500 Well, good morning. 00:00:47.440 --> 00:00:48.780 Glad that y'all are here with us. 00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:52.420 If you've got your Bibles, open them up to Colossians chapter 2. 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:54.800 That's where we're going to be this morning. 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:58.300 As you turn there, I want to echo a couple things that Dave said. 00:00:58.720 --> 00:01:02.120 First Friday night, Low Country Boil, Oyster Roast. 00:01:02.400 --> 00:01:03.720 Guys, would love to have you here. 00:01:04.080 --> 00:01:09.120 I cannot wait for the fellowship and the time, and I'm just being honest with you. 00:01:09.320 --> 00:01:13.720 I plan on eating so many oysters that someone has to cart me out here afterwards, all right? 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:16.680 So, would love for you to be there and be a part with us. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:19.940 Sign up for that in the lobby out front. 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:22.680 Also, a couple mission trips that we've got going on. 00:01:22.960 --> 00:01:26.600 Our Black Mountain mission trip that our men's ministry is putting together. 00:01:26.720 --> 00:01:27.780 We're excited about that. 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:29.760 That's November 7th through the 13th. 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:31.160 That's also the sign up. 00:01:31.220 --> 00:01:31.940 It's in the lobby. 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:35.380 And so, guys, if you want to be a part of that, we would love to have you. 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:37.140 But then also, there's another trip. 00:01:37.240 --> 00:01:42.340 I want to pause as we get into our series and explain a little bit of what we're doing here 00:01:42.340 --> 00:01:47.560 at our church as we partner with missionaries and other churches all over this world. 00:01:47.940 --> 00:01:52.520 One of our partnerships is with Hope Valley Church, which is in West Jordan, Utah, which 00:01:52.520 --> 00:01:54.940 is one of the suburbs of Salt Lake City. 00:01:55.280 --> 00:02:00.100 And so, we are partnering with the Stottman family as they are seeking to plant Hope Valley 00:02:00.100 --> 00:02:00.800 Church there. 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:02.380 It's a new work. 00:02:02.460 --> 00:02:04.820 In fact, it is a very new work. 00:02:04.820 --> 00:02:10.220 In fact, their first launch service, so they've had services before, but their public service 00:02:10.220 --> 00:02:12.260 that they've been pushing happened last week. 00:02:12.580 --> 00:02:17.100 And so, we're going to go and we're going to work with them on the 13th through the 20th. 00:02:17.140 --> 00:02:21.580 In fact, I think we've got a slide of them, if we can throw that up on the screen of Hope 00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:22.380 Valley Church. 00:02:22.720 --> 00:02:27.740 And so, what we've been doing with our partnerships is through our denomination, the Southern Baptist 00:02:27.740 --> 00:02:31.940 Convention, through the North American Mission Board, churches all over are partnering 00:02:31.940 --> 00:02:38.420 with church plants that can go alongside and help them, not only in funding, but in support 00:02:38.420 --> 00:02:40.440 and encouragement for the work that they're going to do. 00:02:40.540 --> 00:02:45.660 And so, the Stottman family, originally from the Oklahoma area, felt the Lord was calling 00:02:45.660 --> 00:02:52.140 them to Salt Lake City, which is one of the most lost cities in the United States. 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:58.640 And so, the level of equality of percentage of Christians in Salt Lake City is equal to that 00:02:58.640 --> 00:03:00.140 of some Middle Eastern countries. 00:03:00.460 --> 00:03:05.440 And so, you begin to think of the depth of the lostness and what they need in partnership 00:03:05.440 --> 00:03:06.680 to come alongside and do. 00:03:07.060 --> 00:03:11.400 And so, our high schoolers went there this summer, did a phenomenal work out in Salt Lake 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:17.480 City, setting up environments and sharing their faith so that the Stottmans could help kind 00:03:17.480 --> 00:03:20.360 of go through and do that, the work that was there. 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:27.360 And so, we're going to continue on with that in this fall, November 13th through the 20th. 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:28.700 We're going to take a group out there. 00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:33.000 We're hoping to take somewhere around six to eight individuals that are going to go, and 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:34.860 we're going to continue on in that work. 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:37.180 We're going to have some time of sharing of our faith. 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:41.160 We're going to have some time of doing some park ministry, of helping minister and care 00:03:41.160 --> 00:03:41.600 for those. 00:03:41.920 --> 00:03:46.300 And so, one of the things that we're celebrating as we're talking about our baptism series right 00:03:46.300 --> 00:03:53.920 now is that on the launch Sunday for them last week, all right, they baptized three people 00:03:53.920 --> 00:04:03.440 in their congregation who had given—yes, we need to clap for that—who Christ has saved. 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:05.360 And so, I just share all of those things. 00:04:05.380 --> 00:04:05.800 There we go. 00:04:05.920 --> 00:04:06.360 That's perfect. 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:08.800 That's the Stottman family here on my left. 00:04:08.920 --> 00:04:10.140 That's their church. 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:12.300 That's their gathering of what that looks like. 00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:18.140 And then the beauty of that, right, of just getting the metal garden tub, horse trough, 00:04:18.200 --> 00:04:21.700 whatever that is, right, getting that out there and having that family to be a part of there 00:04:21.700 --> 00:04:27.800 and seeing life change as people say, Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, and I identify 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:32.120 in his baptism and want to share and celebrate that. 00:04:32.220 --> 00:04:34.760 So, I bring that to you guys for a couple reasons. 00:04:35.400 --> 00:04:41.780 Number one is I want to see more and more of you to be able to take that step into missions 00:04:41.780 --> 00:04:42.820 and to see what that's like. 00:04:42.880 --> 00:04:46.820 And we've got a wonderful opportunity for us to go on the 13th and go be a part of that 00:04:46.820 --> 00:04:48.580 work that God's doing out there. 00:04:49.100 --> 00:04:53.620 Salt Lake City is a city that's been identified by our convention, and efforts are being poured 00:04:53.620 --> 00:04:56.520 into more and more to see church plants come up. 00:04:56.580 --> 00:05:02.460 In fact, one of my cousins, my third cousin from a town called Toccoa, Georgia, and if 00:05:02.460 --> 00:05:06.640 you ever met anybody in your life from Toccoa, Georgia, I want you to picture that stereotype 00:05:06.640 --> 00:05:10.640 of the people who sound like they got marbles in their mouth when they talk, all right? 00:05:10.760 --> 00:05:12.060 That's my cousin Jason. 00:05:12.060 --> 00:05:17.740 And recently, several years ago, he went out to Salt Lake City with he and his wife and 00:05:17.740 --> 00:05:23.580 his kids to be a part of a church there and to pastor that church because of the Christian 00:05:23.580 --> 00:05:27.720 influence there that's dying, the gospel influence there that's dying, and so they're a part of 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:27.880 that. 00:05:27.940 --> 00:05:31.820 So there are tons of men and women and families who have gone out to Salt Lake City to see 00:05:31.820 --> 00:05:35.480 lost people come to know the Lord, and so we want to go and support them physically. 00:05:35.880 --> 00:05:41.160 But also, just so that you guys are just reminded of this, that when we give, whether you give 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:47.100 online, whether you drop it off in the basket, when we give, it's not just about what we do 00:05:47.100 --> 00:05:47.440 in here. 00:05:48.140 --> 00:05:53.560 It's that when we give, we're helping out so that men and women all over the world, 00:05:53.580 --> 00:05:54.820 can help share their faith. 00:05:54.940 --> 00:05:58.900 And when you walk down and you see that the people on these pictures that are there, it's 00:05:58.900 --> 00:05:59.240 them. 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:02.980 But also, through the work of the Southern Baptist Convention, the International Mission 00:06:02.980 --> 00:06:07.840 Board, and the North American Mission Board, there are missionaries that you and I will 00:06:07.840 --> 00:06:11.660 never see their face, do not know their name, but because of faithful giving, they're able 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:13.760 to share the work that's there, all right? 00:06:13.820 --> 00:06:15.240 And so, we're excited about that. 00:06:15.300 --> 00:06:17.280 We just want a reminder sometimes of that. 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:20.380 I think sometimes when we think, when we give, all of that stays here. 00:06:20.740 --> 00:06:23.580 And that would be a crime and a shame if that's what happened. 00:06:23.940 --> 00:06:28.220 But we want to make sure that we continue to grow in our giving as a church, as we give 00:06:28.220 --> 00:06:29.700 to missionaries all over the world. 00:06:29.860 --> 00:06:32.580 So, continue to pray for Hope Valley Church. 00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:36.800 If you would like to be a part of that mission trip, come talk to me. 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:41.960 If you've got questions, if not, man, sign up on the sign-up sheet that's out there in 00:06:41.960 --> 00:06:42.420 the lobby. 00:06:42.780 --> 00:06:47.000 That is not in a commitment to go, but that's just letting me know that you're interested and 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:50.540 we're going to be putting together a meeting to kind of sit down and talk about what that 00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:52.400 trip is going to be like, all right? 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:54.820 So, we are talking about baptism. 00:06:55.180 --> 00:06:58.180 We started last week, this week, and two more weeks after this. 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:01.380 And being Baptist, it's an important thing for us to talk about, right? 00:07:01.380 --> 00:07:03.940 It's kind of in our name, so it's a big deal for us. 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:06.800 But also, what we see is it's a big deal for the Lord. 00:07:07.020 --> 00:07:08.560 It's a big deal in Scripture. 00:07:09.020 --> 00:07:12.060 We talked about it last week, you know, that Jesus was baptized. 00:07:12.380 --> 00:07:14.780 Baptism was a part of Jesus's ministry. 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:18.140 Jesus tells us to go out and baptize. 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:22.140 And then what we see in the early church is that the early church does that. 00:07:22.460 --> 00:07:29.380 And so, for us as a church in 2021, baptism needs to be a part of what we do, not so that 00:07:29.380 --> 00:07:34.500 we can have a number to report or something to celebrate, even though that's an important 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:36.800 thing to be able to celebrate new life with that. 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:42.040 But at its basic core, the reason why baptism is important is because it's in God's Word. 00:07:42.340 --> 00:07:43.680 God values it as important. 00:07:43.980 --> 00:07:47.020 And so, if we are going to be about the things of God, then we need to be about baptism. 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:54.100 But I also know that when we talk about baptism, especially in a church context like ours, right, 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:57.440 we may have people from different denominations. 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:02.560 We may have people who have kind of journeyed in here, Willow Ridge Church. 00:08:02.700 --> 00:08:05.760 You might have thought we were non-denominational until I just said that, right? 00:08:05.760 --> 00:08:06.820 Oh, they're Baptists, right? 00:08:06.900 --> 00:08:07.800 I didn't know that. 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:09.360 It might not have come if I'd known that, right? 00:08:09.520 --> 00:08:11.180 But we are, like cats out of the bag. 00:08:11.220 --> 00:08:11.880 Here we are, right? 00:08:12.060 --> 00:08:13.420 We're Baptists, right? 00:08:13.580 --> 00:08:14.640 And so, you've got questions. 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:17.920 You've been taught one thing, and we do something different. 00:08:18.640 --> 00:08:24.400 You show up for a baptism service, and you're expecting to see what your denominational background 00:08:24.400 --> 00:08:30.100 did before, and then you see us wheel what looks like a hot tub out, right, fill it up 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:33.120 with water and push people down underneath it. 00:08:33.160 --> 00:08:34.720 And you're like, that seems kind of weird, right? 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:36.140 And so, we're going to talk about that. 00:08:36.680 --> 00:08:37.440 What is baptism? 00:08:37.640 --> 00:08:40.280 Why do we do baptism the way that we do it? 00:08:40.640 --> 00:08:43.960 And so, that's part of what we're going to look at in this series. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:49.340 And then, as we do this, for those of you, and this has been my prayer, right, Lord, if 00:08:49.340 --> 00:08:54.200 there are men and women or kids in our church that need to be baptized, Lord, that you're 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:55.960 doing that, may they be obedient to you. 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:58.980 So, please hear me as we navigate and as we dive through this. 00:08:59.180 --> 00:09:03.440 No part of this, and if you think this is my heart, like, it's not. 00:09:03.620 --> 00:09:04.360 Please trust me. 00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:07.880 It's not a, we're not trying to guilt you into something, all right? 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:10.880 We want you to be obedient in response to the Lord. 00:09:11.520 --> 00:09:13.120 And so, that's the heart of this. 00:09:13.180 --> 00:09:15.200 So, let's read Colossians 2. 00:09:15.920 --> 00:09:18.080 I'm going to read verses 6 through 15. 00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:20.220 Paul writes, and he says, 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:27.100 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in 00:09:27.100 --> 00:09:31.980 Him, and established in the faith, just as you were taught abounding in thanksgiving. 00:09:32.880 --> 00:09:38.900 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, 00:09:39.660 --> 00:09:44.840 according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:52.780 For in Him, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, 00:09:53.400 --> 00:09:57.080 who is the head of all rule and authority. 00:09:57.660 --> 00:10:02.100 In Him also, you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, 00:10:02.640 --> 00:10:05.820 by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. 00:10:06.340 --> 00:10:12.240 Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:15.780 in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 00:10:16.540 --> 00:10:21.360 And you who were dead in your trespasses, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:27.100 God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 00:10:27.540 --> 00:10:32.380 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.520 This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. 00:10:35.520 --> 00:10:42.980 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Him. 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:46.080 So this is a passage of Scripture. 00:10:46.360 --> 00:10:48.560 We're going to kind of come back to it at the end of the message. 00:10:48.700 --> 00:10:52.200 Normally, you guys know I'll kind of work verse by verse through a passage, 00:10:52.380 --> 00:10:55.860 but we're going to kind of approach this in baptism a little more topical today. 00:10:56.020 --> 00:10:58.920 But we're going to come back to it at the end and look at some aspects 00:10:58.920 --> 00:11:04.040 that we're kind of drawing from this of what Paul wants us to understand based off of baptism. 00:11:04.040 --> 00:11:09.720 Now, as a pastor, as I talk to congregational members, church family, 00:11:10.020 --> 00:11:13.700 as a pastor, as I talk to some of my even own blood family, 00:11:13.980 --> 00:11:20.020 as a pastor, as I talk to people in my neighborhood or out at places when they hear that I'm a pastor, 00:11:20.340 --> 00:11:24.700 and then when they hear Baptist and questions like baptism come up, 00:11:24.840 --> 00:11:29.580 I want to kind of share with you guys three questions that I commonly get about baptism. 00:11:29.800 --> 00:11:31.840 Now, I'm going to be like I treat my kids. 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:35.740 It's like I'm not necessarily going to give you the answer maybe that you're looking for 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:38.820 or maybe even fully answer the question today. 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:41.180 There's going to be pieces that we pull in, 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:44.980 but there's going to be more tensions that we work through with these questions. 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:45.300 All right. 00:11:45.500 --> 00:11:49.300 So usually when you look at baptism, 00:11:49.560 --> 00:11:55.280 you get people who are going to reside and rest in denominational traditions. 00:11:55.280 --> 00:11:55.880 All right. 00:11:56.020 --> 00:12:00.380 And even though like I love our denomination, I'm a part of our denomination. 00:12:00.540 --> 00:12:01.860 We are part of our denomination. 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:04.820 We're not going to look at it through a denominational lens. 00:12:04.980 --> 00:12:07.160 We're going to look at it through the lens of biblical truth. 00:12:07.300 --> 00:12:09.220 And that's how we're approaching this whole thing. 00:12:09.340 --> 00:12:14.600 And I'll be honest with you, that is our goal of approaching everything within the context of scripture 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:17.580 is how do we answer these, not based on the traditions of man, 00:12:17.780 --> 00:12:19.940 but how do we answer these based off the word of God? 00:12:20.140 --> 00:12:24.120 So the first question I get asked quite often is who gets baptized? 00:12:24.560 --> 00:12:25.500 It's a great question. 00:12:25.820 --> 00:12:26.640 Who gets baptized? 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:32.280 Some people say, well, do I need to be baptized so that I can be a part of the church? 00:12:32.620 --> 00:12:37.880 Is it requirement for, I'm not sure about Christ, but I like this organization. 00:12:38.160 --> 00:12:39.240 I like what's happening. 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:42.980 So I'll get baptized so that I can be a part of the church who gets baptized. 00:12:43.580 --> 00:12:49.540 Another debate that comes up is, is, is, is, is a person professes faith in Christ, right? 00:12:49.680 --> 00:12:50.600 Who gets baptized? 00:12:50.820 --> 00:12:51.880 Is it fresh new believers? 00:12:52.340 --> 00:12:53.380 And we see churches that do this. 00:12:53.420 --> 00:12:54.840 And I've been a part of worship services. 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:57.100 People respond to the call of Christ. 00:12:57.420 --> 00:12:58.760 Christ saves them. 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:01.880 We do an impromptu baptism service, man. 00:13:01.880 --> 00:13:05.240 They're coming down and we're sending people to Walmart to get towels and robes, all right? 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:07.040 Because we're baptizing there in the moment. 00:13:07.260 --> 00:13:08.840 We've seen this happen even in our church. 00:13:09.160 --> 00:13:12.440 We did a, we used to do late baptisms when we had access to that. 00:13:12.540 --> 00:13:16.580 And, and we were doing some baptisms and somebody came over and, and we're sharing with me and 00:13:16.580 --> 00:13:20.180 talking with me and they began to explain to me what God was doing in their life. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:22.700 And they said, you know, I'd like to take this step and get baptized tonight. 00:13:22.780 --> 00:13:25.500 And so we called everybody back and we went and got baptized, right? 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:29.740 And so what we did, fresh new believers, is it tested believers? 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:31.580 Is it faith in Christ? 00:13:31.580 --> 00:13:33.380 And you've got some knowledge that's there. 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:38.480 So we sit down, we, we ask some questions, we talk through some things and I'm going to 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:42.580 use this and like, like, like now I'm a follower of Christ and I passed the test. 00:13:42.740 --> 00:13:43.620 I know enough. 00:13:44.400 --> 00:13:45.560 Is this who gets baptized? 00:13:46.560 --> 00:13:49.720 Or is it proven believers, people who get saved? 00:13:50.380 --> 00:13:53.200 And then we see the evidence of the fruit of the spirit in their life. 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:55.780 We see who they are and what they do. 00:13:56.460 --> 00:14:01.080 We see the, the, the walk that, that Paul talks about this walk in the Lord. 00:14:01.220 --> 00:14:02.020 Is that there? 00:14:02.600 --> 00:14:04.180 We need to examine, we need to see. 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:07.340 And lastly, this is going to be an important one. 00:14:07.400 --> 00:14:09.660 Is it terms of who gets baptized? 00:14:09.660 --> 00:14:11.280 Is it their choice or someone else's? 00:14:12.380 --> 00:14:13.840 Is it their choice or is it someone else's? 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:18.380 Is there a hierarchy within the church that, that needs to be able to say, you're worthy 00:14:18.380 --> 00:14:20.120 of this, you're not worthy of this? 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:21.460 What does it look like? 00:14:22.160 --> 00:14:26.540 And this is something I want us as we go through the message this morning to have that question 00:14:26.540 --> 00:14:27.740 in your head, who gets baptized? 00:14:28.160 --> 00:14:31.140 Second question, when does a person get baptized? 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:33.360 Does the timing of it matter? 00:14:34.060 --> 00:14:35.960 Specifically the timing in the life of the person. 00:14:36.920 --> 00:14:41.620 Question you get all the time, what is too young to baptize? 00:14:42.500 --> 00:14:44.120 What is too young, right? 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:45.720 We don't baptize infants here. 00:14:46.140 --> 00:14:46.520 We don't. 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:49.440 But what is too young to, to baptize? 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:50.240 Is it three? 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:50.700 Is it four? 00:14:50.780 --> 00:14:51.220 Is it seven? 00:14:51.280 --> 00:14:51.880 Is it 18? 00:14:52.760 --> 00:14:53.680 Is it 35? 00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:55.260 Right? 00:14:55.520 --> 00:14:56.700 When is too young? 00:14:56.800 --> 00:14:57.680 Does age matter? 00:14:58.380 --> 00:15:01.760 In situations that we've been at before as well in the context of the church. 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:03.120 When does the timing of it matter? 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:05.400 Or you've got a person who's on their deathbed, right? 00:15:05.920 --> 00:15:08.420 They profess faith in Christ, right? 00:15:08.900 --> 00:15:10.140 So what do we do? 00:15:10.560 --> 00:15:10.940 What do we do? 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:14.180 Hospitals probably won't dig us bringing in the baptistry, right? 00:15:14.540 --> 00:15:15.480 What do we do with that? 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:16.140 What do we do? 00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:17.800 When does a person get baptized? 00:15:18.280 --> 00:15:21.520 And lastly, some questions we're going to kind of go as we go through here. 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:23.060 How does a person get baptized? 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:24.940 How does it work? 00:15:25.560 --> 00:15:26.200 What do we need to do? 00:15:26.740 --> 00:15:28.340 Sprinkled or immersed? 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:31.540 Does a pastor have to do it? 00:15:32.280 --> 00:15:36.920 Does the hierarchy or the leadership of the church have to take this on? 00:15:37.160 --> 00:15:40.340 And then also, can this be done privately or is this done publicly? 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:42.800 Like what does this look like in the life? 00:15:42.900 --> 00:15:44.300 So there's lots of questions. 00:15:44.360 --> 00:15:45.760 These are questions that I commonly get. 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:49.620 And we're going to kind of flesh some of these out as we go through the message this morning. 00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:51.520 So the first thing I want us to get about baptism, 00:15:51.800 --> 00:15:55.860 and a lot of this is kind of diving a little bit deeper from where we went last week, 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:56.280 is this. 00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:58.440 Baptism is about union with Christ. 00:15:59.100 --> 00:16:00.300 Baptism is about union with Christ. 00:16:00.300 --> 00:16:06.980 This entire passage that we just read in Colossians begins with the establishment that the person has been saved by Christ. 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:12.440 As you have received Jesus, the apostle Paul says, walk in him. 00:16:12.760 --> 00:16:16.880 So everything else that comes from that is going to be based off of this statement. 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:18.680 Christ has saved you. 00:16:18.820 --> 00:16:21.980 Now you walk in obedience with him. 00:16:22.140 --> 00:16:29.380 So when we get down to baptism, what we see is that the act of baptism is a step for a follower of Christ to say, 00:16:29.640 --> 00:16:31.960 I'm being obedient to what he's called me to do, right? 00:16:32.300 --> 00:16:34.020 I'm being obedient in how I give. 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:35.440 I'm being obedient in how I pray. 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:37.800 I'm being obedient in how I study God's word. 00:16:38.040 --> 00:16:41.060 I'm being obedient in the fellowship of the saints together. 00:16:41.060 --> 00:16:43.820 And I'm being obedient in baptism. 00:16:44.040 --> 00:16:47.340 That is the part of what God calls us to within there. 00:16:47.540 --> 00:16:52.420 And so it's about the union of Christ that begins in a relationship with God. 00:16:52.560 --> 00:16:55.520 So that's kind of helping us out with some of the timing of when and who, right? 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:59.500 It's got to be about the union that a person has with Christ. 00:16:59.640 --> 00:17:04.360 So if they're not united with Christ, they need to get baptized. 00:17:05.260 --> 00:17:06.660 They shouldn't get baptized. 00:17:07.360 --> 00:17:09.720 And in fact, if a person came to me and said, 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:14.820 that looked like a really cool religious experience, I'd like to be a part of that, 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:17.640 I'd pump the brakes for them on that, right? 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:20.860 Because baptism is about union with Christ. 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:24.020 Look at what Paul writes in Romans 6, verses 3 and 4. 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:28.460 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus 00:17:28.460 --> 00:17:30.420 were baptized into his death? 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:35.120 We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death 00:17:35.120 --> 00:17:39.700 in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, 00:17:39.820 --> 00:17:43.040 we too might walk in newness of life. 00:17:43.100 --> 00:17:47.680 And so what we find is that baptism is about your faith that has been placed in Christ. 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:54.200 The fact that Jesus Christ in his sovereignty, in his goodness, and in his grace has saved you. 00:17:55.040 --> 00:17:57.100 And then baptism comes from that. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.660 So baptism shows two things about faith. 00:18:01.340 --> 00:18:04.480 Baptism is going to be rooted in faith for us. 00:18:04.540 --> 00:18:05.320 It shows two things. 00:18:05.380 --> 00:18:08.160 Number one, baptism signifies faith. 00:18:08.420 --> 00:18:11.500 It is saying to the world, to everyone that's there, 00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:14.120 this is who you are now. 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:18.200 This is who you are now in Christ. 00:18:18.820 --> 00:18:22.260 So, does it happen when a person first gets saved? 00:18:22.980 --> 00:18:27.840 Does it happen after a person over a season of time of being able to understand more? 00:18:28.300 --> 00:18:32.680 Does it happen over a time of a person walking in their faith and seeing that? 00:18:32.860 --> 00:18:35.220 My simple answer to that is yes. 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:36.660 Yeah. 00:18:37.660 --> 00:18:38.060 Yeah. 00:18:38.840 --> 00:18:41.040 I've baptized people before right there in the moment. 00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:44.140 They've gotten saved and in that and we have it and it's there. 00:18:44.260 --> 00:18:45.480 We feel like this is what the Lord's leading. 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:48.780 I've had in that when people have made professions of faith. 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:51.340 Christ has saved them and they want to wrestle out. 00:18:51.420 --> 00:18:53.540 They want to work out their salvation a little bit more. 00:18:53.780 --> 00:18:55.620 Come into an understanding of a sharing faith. 00:18:55.800 --> 00:18:55.960 Yeah. 00:18:57.120 --> 00:18:58.340 That's what we walk through with our kids. 00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:00.860 When they gave their life to the Lord. 00:19:00.860 --> 00:19:04.460 When Christ saved them as we walked through that with them. 00:19:05.840 --> 00:19:10.400 It also happens after a time or a period of seeing. 00:19:11.300 --> 00:19:15.400 I've got a friend of mine who, maybe this was your story and this was a lot of my story as well. 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:18.460 He jokes around like he got saved every year at youth camp, right? 00:19:19.120 --> 00:19:20.480 He didn't really get saved at youth camp. 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:22.660 So, he gets saved and he'd fall away. 00:19:22.740 --> 00:19:23.700 He gets saved and he'd fall away. 00:19:23.760 --> 00:19:24.720 He gets saved and he'd fall away. 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:30.220 And then in his 20s, he got saved and the pastor said, let's baptize you. 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:33.080 And he's like, man, I'm confident, but I know my track record. 00:19:33.080 --> 00:19:33.420 All right. 00:19:33.520 --> 00:19:35.160 I want to kind of walk through this a little bit. 00:19:35.840 --> 00:19:37.160 I want to walk through it and see. 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:38.940 But it's what we see. 00:19:39.060 --> 00:19:40.920 It signifies faith. 00:19:41.020 --> 00:19:43.080 It shows who you are now in Christ. 00:19:43.240 --> 00:19:45.580 But it also symbolizes faith. 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:46.660 And this is important. 00:19:47.360 --> 00:19:49.000 Baptism displays. 00:19:50.140 --> 00:19:51.940 It symbolizes your faith. 00:19:52.520 --> 00:19:56.940 It's an important symbol of the faith that God has given us. 00:19:57.600 --> 00:20:00.340 And what it helps do, the question is, is this private or public? 00:20:00.340 --> 00:20:03.120 Look, it shows that our faith is public. 00:20:03.840 --> 00:20:04.840 It's who we are. 00:20:04.940 --> 00:20:11.100 Now, when we talk about public faith, I want us to make sure we're not confusing personal faith with private faith. 00:20:11.360 --> 00:20:11.520 All right. 00:20:11.760 --> 00:20:12.920 Personal faith is a yes. 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:14.100 Do you have personal faith? 00:20:14.300 --> 00:20:14.740 Absolutely. 00:20:15.080 --> 00:20:16.620 My faith doesn't save you. 00:20:17.140 --> 00:20:19.140 Your faith is what saves you. 00:20:19.380 --> 00:20:22.000 So, personal yes in the way that it's yours. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:27.380 But us in our context, in our culture, oftentimes, we equate personal with private. 00:20:27.600 --> 00:20:29.960 Well, I'm not going to talk about my faith because it's personal. 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:30.700 No, no, no, no. 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:36.040 Faith is always intended to be public, not private. 00:20:36.700 --> 00:20:38.980 There is no such thing as private faith. 00:20:40.100 --> 00:20:41.000 No such thing. 00:20:42.900 --> 00:20:44.580 Faith always needs to be there. 00:20:45.340 --> 00:20:46.840 And faith always needs to be shared. 00:20:47.560 --> 00:20:50.680 So, why does public baptism matter? 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:53.940 Why does it matter that there's people there? 00:20:54.660 --> 00:20:56.320 Why does it matter that there's a gathering? 00:20:56.440 --> 00:21:04.200 Why does it matter that we put pictures on a screen for individuals that you've never met before so that we can celebrate? 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:05.860 Why does it matter? 00:21:06.140 --> 00:21:07.680 Why does this symbol matter so much? 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:09.120 And here's what I'd like to ask you. 00:21:09.380 --> 00:21:10.460 Why does a wedding matter? 00:21:11.780 --> 00:21:12.860 Why does a wedding matter? 00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:14.340 Because it does. 00:21:15.340 --> 00:21:21.940 A wedding, regardless if you're going to roll out and ruin dad's line of credit, all right? 00:21:24.140 --> 00:21:27.040 Or just gather a handful of people in a backyard. 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:28.960 It matters. 00:21:29.940 --> 00:21:30.880 It matters. 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:34.860 Why does it matter when we could just go into someone's office and sign a paper? 00:21:36.180 --> 00:21:40.020 Why does it matter specifically for the life of a believer? 00:21:41.040 --> 00:21:49.300 Because what I love about a wedding, whether it's five people in a backyard or it's 5,000 people at Colonial Life Arena, all right? 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:51.400 Why does it matter? 00:21:51.400 --> 00:21:51.580 Why does it matter? 00:21:52.220 --> 00:21:53.460 Because it tells a story. 00:21:54.320 --> 00:21:55.320 It tells a story. 00:21:56.260 --> 00:22:02.180 As the dad or the granddad or the uncle comes walking down the aisle with the bride, 00:22:03.180 --> 00:22:06.680 there's a beautiful symbolism of what's there. 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:16.020 As she is going to be joined with this man whom she loves and they're joined together in the given way of the bride. 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:29.400 One of the things as I do a wedding that I will emphasize in the premarital classes leading up and then remind during the wedding is in that moment when the vows and everything are about to start happening. 00:22:29.840 --> 00:22:33.360 And I remind them, hey, during that time, hold hands and don't let go. 00:22:34.060 --> 00:22:35.320 Hold hands and don't let go. 00:22:35.580 --> 00:22:37.360 Because what are you showing? 00:22:38.120 --> 00:22:45.180 This is a unity of two people who are linking their lives together in a covenant before God. 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:46.200 It tells a story. 00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:47.980 This right here. 00:22:49.360 --> 00:22:50.120 This wedding ring. 00:22:51.080 --> 00:22:52.380 It tells a story. 00:22:53.320 --> 00:23:04.300 It's a beautiful symbol of a reminder of the covenant made between God and man and man and his wife and his wife and her husband, right? 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:06.160 It's a beautiful story. 00:23:06.320 --> 00:23:07.980 It's a beautiful picture. 00:23:08.840 --> 00:23:11.720 The vows that are there are the words that are spoken. 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:14.480 Sometimes I get shy couples. 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:19.780 We want to get married, but we would really not like to say anything. 00:23:19.780 --> 00:23:23.820 So if we can just do like winks and head nods throughout the whole thing, like we're good with that. 00:23:25.060 --> 00:23:27.600 And I'm like, nah, uh-uh, uh-uh. 00:23:28.700 --> 00:23:34.260 I'll maybe like slack off to let you do a barely whisper or an I do, right? 00:23:34.520 --> 00:23:36.040 But you're going to speak. 00:23:36.700 --> 00:23:42.940 You're going to have this so that your words are a testimony to the others about what you're committing yourself to. 00:23:43.520 --> 00:23:54.260 And then what I love of why it matters is when the pastor, when I, when someone else, when the person officiating gets to stand up and say, 00:23:54.340 --> 00:23:56.520 I now pronounce you husband and wife. 00:23:56.600 --> 00:23:59.840 You may now kiss your bride, right? 00:23:59.940 --> 00:24:02.220 I love saying those words. 00:24:02.300 --> 00:24:04.400 And here's why I love saying that. 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:09.660 Because it's in the agreement of the congregation that this is good and this is who you are. 00:24:10.620 --> 00:24:12.140 Now, let me let you in on a little secret. 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:15.680 Until we sign that paper, you ain't married. 00:24:16.540 --> 00:24:16.840 All right? 00:24:17.360 --> 00:24:18.500 That's got to happen. 00:24:19.540 --> 00:24:20.560 So what are we doing? 00:24:21.520 --> 00:24:23.000 It's in the symbolism of it. 00:24:24.080 --> 00:24:25.400 And the symbolism matters. 00:24:26.340 --> 00:24:28.580 And the symbolism is valuable. 00:24:29.500 --> 00:24:32.020 Here's what I want to make sure that we understand. 00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:39.660 Because whether you're married or you're single, everyone in here has been to and knows and has been a part of a wedding service before. 00:24:40.860 --> 00:24:47.460 Baptism and its symbolism within the congregation of the body is your wedding service in that moment. 00:24:48.520 --> 00:24:54.660 It is the symbolism that he is mine and I am his. 00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:57.740 And I want you to know about it. 00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:09.200 When Aaron and I got married, it ended up being like standing room only people packed into that teeny tiny church in Jackson, South Carolina. 00:25:09.800 --> 00:25:10.280 Right? 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:15.260 And I wanted everybody to know that I'm hers and she's mine. 00:25:16.100 --> 00:25:18.400 And in baptism, that's the joy of what we get. 00:25:18.920 --> 00:25:22.240 That's the joy of what you get to experience and be a part of. 00:25:22.340 --> 00:25:23.860 I need to keep going. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:24.100 All right? 00:25:24.140 --> 00:25:26.180 Next one for us, for baptism. 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:26.620 All right? 00:25:28.340 --> 00:25:29.400 Baptism by immersion. 00:25:29.900 --> 00:25:30.000 All right? 00:25:30.140 --> 00:25:31.020 Baptism by immersion. 00:25:31.620 --> 00:25:36.420 Now, I want you to hear my heart on denominations who don't do this. 00:25:37.100 --> 00:25:37.460 Okay? 00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:39.940 I tell people this all the time. 00:25:41.060 --> 00:25:42.860 There are things that we get right. 00:25:42.940 --> 00:25:44.040 There are things that we get wrong. 00:25:44.820 --> 00:25:51.360 One day we'll get to heaven and God will point out how he's always been right and I haven't always been right. 00:25:51.460 --> 00:26:00.460 And in the form of baptism, there are groups, there are denominations, there are people who do it differently than we do. 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:01.780 And some of you may have come from those. 00:26:02.500 --> 00:26:07.080 Some of you may have baptized your children in different ways than what we do. 00:26:07.740 --> 00:26:11.460 Some of you may have been baptized in different ways than what we do. 00:26:12.020 --> 00:26:17.080 Before we talk about it, about why we do it the way we do it, I want to say this. 00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:21.480 Number one, those denominations that do this, they are Christians who love the Lord. 00:26:22.420 --> 00:26:22.780 They are. 00:26:23.160 --> 00:26:26.040 We disagree on some things, but we can agree. 00:26:26.140 --> 00:26:32.180 If they agree that it's Jesus Christ and Christ alone, then we can disagree on some things. 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:34.180 And we can have discussions on some things. 00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:38.140 Just being honest with you, some of the deepest people that I love the most are Presbyterians, 00:26:38.280 --> 00:26:41.340 and we disagree on a lot in the area of baptism, all right? 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:43.240 Doesn't mean that they're not saved. 00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:45.320 Doesn't mean that they don't love the Lord. 00:26:45.520 --> 00:26:46.200 They do. 00:26:46.900 --> 00:26:47.800 We're just going to disagree. 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:56.000 And then for those who have gone about, especially in baptizing infants that we'll look at in just a second, 00:26:56.160 --> 00:26:59.760 that is not done out of a heart of manipulation. 00:27:00.540 --> 00:27:08.180 What those parents are doing in that moment is what they know to do in their love for their child and the love for the Lord. 00:27:08.320 --> 00:27:13.100 So we will not vilify or demonize those who have done it that way, all right? 00:27:13.100 --> 00:27:19.360 But we do want to explain why we do it our way and why we think immersion matters. 00:27:19.560 --> 00:27:26.520 Why we think it's important for you to get into a body of water and go underneath the water and come out of it, all right? 00:27:27.120 --> 00:27:29.260 So why do we do it the way we do it? 00:27:29.320 --> 00:27:32.800 Well, first off, baptize means to submerge underwater. 00:27:33.120 --> 00:27:38.480 So we take a literal translation of that that says you want to be baptized? 00:27:38.780 --> 00:27:40.980 Well, we're going to take you underwater to do that, all right? 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:43.760 And look at Acts 8, verse 38. 00:27:45.100 --> 00:27:46.340 There's a wonderful story. 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:48.100 Go back and read all of Acts 8. 00:27:48.220 --> 00:27:48.260 It says, 00:27:48.340 --> 00:27:50.360 And he commanded the chariot to stop. 00:27:52.080 --> 00:28:00.240 And they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized them. 00:28:01.060 --> 00:28:05.440 We take the literal not only of baptized to be immersed into water, to be submerged, 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:10.240 but what Scripture says, and it's what we see every time, something like that. 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:13.560 They both went down into the water. 00:28:13.720 --> 00:28:15.840 Now, they could have stood on the bank, and they didn't. 00:28:16.800 --> 00:28:20.740 They could have grabbed a jar from what they were traveling with, and they didn't. 00:28:21.580 --> 00:28:30.180 They went down into the water, and he baptized, he submerged him under the water. 00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:35.800 And so what we go to, if there's nothing more than simplicity, is say this is the way that 00:28:35.800 --> 00:28:38.900 we see this in the Bible, and so that this is the way that we do it as well. 00:28:39.380 --> 00:28:45.420 But just as it tells a story, baptism does, that we can draw from from a wedding, there's 00:28:45.420 --> 00:28:47.920 another story that baptism tells. 00:28:48.900 --> 00:28:52.060 The way we do baptism, we believe it tells the story of the gospel. 00:28:53.040 --> 00:28:58.480 It tells the story of what we just read in Colossians 2, as Paul explains that, that from 00:28:58.480 --> 00:29:02.880 the very moment that a person is standing on the outside of the water, and they begin to 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:10.180 walk down into the water, there's a very important picture that's being told, that is being displayed, 00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:12.900 and it is one of the gospel that's being displayed. 00:29:13.140 --> 00:29:18.400 Number one, what it tells is that the person, spiritually speaking, is dirty and needs to 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:19.440 be cleaned from their sin. 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:27.860 And so that walking into the water in order to be baptized is a picture of that, of being 00:29:27.860 --> 00:29:31.020 cleansed through the work of Christ of what he has done. 00:29:31.860 --> 00:29:36.780 The second thing of the gospel, that the gospel tells us, that baptism portrays, is in the 00:29:36.780 --> 00:29:39.180 death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 00:29:39.700 --> 00:29:45.660 That scripture teaches us that you and I, in order that we may have life in Christ, that 00:29:45.660 --> 00:29:50.260 we need to die, spiritually. 00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:54.800 And so we are crucified in Christ. 00:29:55.620 --> 00:30:02.600 And so just as Christ was taken into the tomb, you and I go into the water. 00:30:03.340 --> 00:30:08.240 And as he was laid into the tomb in his death, you and I do that as well. 00:30:09.380 --> 00:30:13.020 And then as we are there, we identify with Christ. 00:30:13.960 --> 00:30:15.340 We identify with Christ. 00:30:16.120 --> 00:30:17.500 This is what he's done. 00:30:18.340 --> 00:30:19.680 This is what I'm going to do. 00:30:20.540 --> 00:30:22.100 I've identified in his death. 00:30:22.180 --> 00:30:25.300 I've identified in his burial. 00:30:26.360 --> 00:30:31.600 But just as Christ didn't stay in the tomb, I promise you, we don't leave you in the water 00:30:31.600 --> 00:30:32.560 too long either, right? 00:30:34.200 --> 00:30:35.360 And he came out. 00:30:36.640 --> 00:30:39.640 And he came out, not as a spirit. 00:30:41.940 --> 00:30:51.600 But he came out of life, flesh, and bone, and blood, that this is how he came out. 00:30:52.280 --> 00:30:57.160 And so you and I, that we come out of the water, and it's the symbolism of what's happened. 00:30:57.280 --> 00:31:03.100 This was the old, I died to my sin, and I'm resurrected in new life. 00:31:04.120 --> 00:31:05.440 The story of the gospel. 00:31:06.940 --> 00:31:12.100 But then also this, the story that it tells is, you can't do this by yourself. 00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:19.480 There's a funny video that's out there on the internet, and bless his heart, a pastor is 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:21.700 standing there, and his son is getting ready to be baptized. 00:31:22.420 --> 00:31:27.160 And it's a more traditional church setup where, maybe you grew up, I grew up in a church like 00:31:27.160 --> 00:31:30.640 this where the baptism is kind of, a baptistry is elevated above the stage, you know? 00:31:31.100 --> 00:31:34.500 And so the pastor's standing there, and he's in his white robe, and the son's there, and 00:31:34.500 --> 00:31:37.420 he's talking about that important moment that they're about to experience, is he's about 00:31:37.420 --> 00:31:38.680 to baptize his son. 00:31:38.980 --> 00:31:42.740 And then all of a sudden, he goes, and now it's time, and he reaches out his hand for 00:31:42.740 --> 00:31:47.600 his son, and his son's standing there, is just so excited, and he can't wait, and the son 00:31:47.600 --> 00:31:50.020 goes, full cannonball, right? 00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:53.080 Preacher's kids, right? 00:31:53.300 --> 00:31:56.280 Full cannonball, right in there, right? 00:31:57.120 --> 00:31:58.260 And he didn't baptize himself. 00:31:58.840 --> 00:32:01.620 You can't baptize you, I can't baptize me, right? 00:32:02.020 --> 00:32:07.320 Someone has to do it for you, which is a beautiful picture of the gospel, because you can't save 00:32:07.320 --> 00:32:10.100 yourself, Jesus saves you, right? 00:32:10.740 --> 00:32:17.240 And so in that, it's not about getting yourself into the water and laying yourself back, but 00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:18.500 it's about the journey and the picture. 00:32:19.180 --> 00:32:21.320 It's about what Christ did for you that you can't do. 00:32:21.420 --> 00:32:25.220 It's about the people and the congregation that God has surrounded you with. 00:32:25.940 --> 00:32:34.580 And then lastly, and we'll close on this, baptism is your expression of faith. 00:32:35.740 --> 00:32:40.860 I didn't underline it on the slide, but if you are taking notes, underline your. 00:32:43.060 --> 00:32:47.540 Baptism is your expression of faith. 00:32:48.500 --> 00:32:51.660 I want to read Colossians 2, 11 through 15. 00:32:54.660 --> 00:33:04.080 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of 00:33:04.080 --> 00:33:11.520 flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you 00:33:11.520 --> 00:33:18.200 were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from 00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:18.620 the dead. 00:33:19.320 --> 00:33:28.600 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 00:33:29.860 --> 00:33:38.460 God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record 00:33:38.460 --> 00:33:42.020 of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. 00:33:42.600 --> 00:33:44.980 This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 00:33:45.540 --> 00:33:51.820 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them 00:33:51.820 --> 00:33:52.820 in him. 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:56.980 All this is about Jesus. 00:33:58.660 --> 00:33:59.520 All this. 00:34:00.600 --> 00:34:04.500 From the songs that we sing, to the prayers that we pray, to the messages that we preach, 00:34:04.860 --> 00:34:06.980 I want to be honest with you, we got an audience of one. 00:34:08.040 --> 00:34:11.000 And we get to stand in the benefit of being a part of that, right? 00:34:11.820 --> 00:34:15.840 So if the worship is guided toward you or the worship is guided toward me, we miss it. 00:34:16.460 --> 00:34:20.420 If I preach a message with your heart and with you in mind, I miss it. 00:34:20.420 --> 00:34:24.760 May my words be faithful to him and what he's going to do with that. 00:34:25.260 --> 00:34:37.240 While all of this is about Jesus, we can't help but look and see the work that Christ did was for you. 00:34:38.000 --> 00:34:39.120 It was for you. 00:34:39.900 --> 00:34:41.080 And it was for me. 00:34:42.320 --> 00:34:46.980 And so baptism is your expression of faith. 00:34:47.580 --> 00:34:54.000 Baptism is telling all of us what Christ has done for you. 00:34:55.060 --> 00:34:57.560 Your baptism does not tell my story. 00:34:58.320 --> 00:35:02.060 Your baptism tells your story. 00:35:02.060 --> 00:35:16.000 And so we may have a line a mile long, and each and every time that a person steps in there, whether they're seven or 107, it's their story about what God's done for them. 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:22.140 And just as it's for you, for you, for you, for me, that's what it's showing. 00:35:22.440 --> 00:35:23.180 That's what it is. 00:35:23.220 --> 00:35:26.880 So on October the 10th, and there's a baptism sheet that's out there. 00:35:27.020 --> 00:35:31.860 We want you to sign up if this is where God's leading you, if this is where God's drawing you. 00:35:32.040 --> 00:35:33.680 But understand this, right? 00:35:33.960 --> 00:35:38.220 This is about you and Jesus. 00:35:42.500 --> 00:35:45.660 Maybe it's something you've done before, right? 00:35:46.000 --> 00:36:00.340 Maybe it's something that you got saved, you thought, you got baptized, and then you've seen a point in your life where you know that you were lost, and now you're saved. 00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:03.360 Maybe this is for you. 00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:15.680 Maybe this is a time where you know that Christ has saved you, but you put it off. 00:36:16.300 --> 00:36:17.020 Put it off. 00:36:17.380 --> 00:36:18.120 Put it off. 00:36:19.140 --> 00:36:23.960 And now when you bring it up in conversations, you've now never been baptized, people are shocked, and you're embarrassed. 00:36:25.480 --> 00:36:25.600 Right? 00:36:27.100 --> 00:36:28.460 Maybe it's for you. 00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:36.320 Maybe you're a person in here, and you've been sharing your faith with someone, a friend, a neighbor, a family member. 00:36:36.460 --> 00:36:40.280 You've seen them come to know the Lord, and you'd love them to be a part of it. 00:36:41.500 --> 00:36:43.600 Maybe it's a conversation that you need to have. 00:36:44.660 --> 00:36:52.040 But we've got to understand that baptism is your expression of faith. 00:36:53.820 --> 00:36:55.260 Parents, I want to talk to you for a minute. 00:36:58.460 --> 00:37:10.080 When it comes to baptism with your kids, Emma and Grayson, at a young age, independently of one another, 00:37:11.680 --> 00:37:20.180 I believe both of them came to Aaron first and then to me to talk about their faith in Christ. 00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:29.020 We, as parents, prayed and talked and explained. 00:37:30.940 --> 00:37:40.960 And when they were ready in their words, in their time, through us guiding them as their parents, they were baptized. 00:37:43.120 --> 00:37:48.220 The question, when is too young, too young, I don't know, I'm not the Lord. 00:37:49.200 --> 00:37:49.860 I don't know. 00:37:50.720 --> 00:37:52.320 But I want to say this to parents. 00:37:53.380 --> 00:37:56.480 If you've got a child who's expressing faith in Christ, 00:37:57.960 --> 00:38:01.760 number one, don't be afraid to talk to them about baptism. 00:38:02.720 --> 00:38:03.320 Don't be afraid. 00:38:04.760 --> 00:38:09.040 Don't let baptism become the taboo subject of the house. 00:38:11.640 --> 00:38:16.520 If anything that COVID has taught me is that sometimes I give the wrong answers. 00:38:16.640 --> 00:38:18.180 Ask my kids about math sometimes, right? 00:38:18.280 --> 00:38:19.680 Like, we know that, right? 00:38:20.620 --> 00:38:24.780 They may ask you a question about baptism and you may give the wrong answer. 00:38:25.480 --> 00:38:25.900 It's okay. 00:38:26.540 --> 00:38:27.380 Give yourself grace. 00:38:28.500 --> 00:38:29.360 Talk about baptism. 00:38:29.540 --> 00:38:31.400 Don't let it become a taboo subject. 00:38:32.520 --> 00:38:33.220 But number two, 00:38:35.100 --> 00:38:36.620 encourage them to own their faith. 00:38:38.120 --> 00:38:40.320 Encourage them to own their faith. 00:38:41.120 --> 00:38:41.340 Right? 00:38:41.640 --> 00:38:46.560 Grayson is not saved on my coattails. 00:38:48.640 --> 00:38:51.060 Grayson is not saved on my profession. 00:38:52.740 --> 00:38:59.620 Emma is not saved because Aaron is her mama and shared the gospel with her through Aaron's faith. 00:39:00.420 --> 00:39:01.540 It is so important for our kids. 00:39:01.540 --> 00:39:05.660 It is so important for our kids that they own their faith. 00:39:06.140 --> 00:39:06.620 Share it. 00:39:07.320 --> 00:39:08.360 Share it often. 00:39:09.120 --> 00:39:10.160 Share it frequently. 00:39:10.860 --> 00:39:15.760 Wear out your knees on the side of your bed and praying for their salvation. 00:39:16.180 --> 00:39:20.020 But parents, let it be their faith. 00:39:21.200 --> 00:39:22.440 And then here's what I would say. 00:39:22.440 --> 00:39:29.700 Having had a lot of conversations with a lot of parents in my 17 years of ministry. 00:39:30.900 --> 00:39:37.140 Well, my wife and I have been talking and we think it's time for our kids to get baptized. 00:39:38.820 --> 00:39:40.640 Here's what I want to say as a pastor and as a dad. 00:39:42.080 --> 00:39:42.940 Talk about it. 00:39:43.840 --> 00:39:45.000 Let them own it. 00:39:46.080 --> 00:39:46.220 Right? 00:39:46.820 --> 00:39:47.640 Let them choose. 00:39:48.920 --> 00:39:49.640 Let them choose. 00:39:50.740 --> 00:39:55.100 As a church, as a congregation, what we want to do is we'll come alongside and walk you through that. 00:39:55.920 --> 00:39:57.800 They've got questions that you don't have answers to. 00:39:57.900 --> 00:39:58.700 We want to be there. 00:39:59.600 --> 00:40:00.800 We'll be honest with you. 00:40:01.780 --> 00:40:08.420 I've sat in my office with someone and I'm listening to why they want to get baptized. 00:40:08.560 --> 00:40:10.680 It has nothing to do with Jesus. 00:40:10.900 --> 00:40:14.420 It's just a religious obligation of a box that they want to check. 00:40:14.680 --> 00:40:16.560 And I'm like, hold on, we've got to time out here for a second. 00:40:17.240 --> 00:40:17.460 Right? 00:40:18.240 --> 00:40:18.940 I won't do it. 00:40:20.220 --> 00:40:21.100 I won't do it. 00:40:23.740 --> 00:40:29.960 But parents, as you, as the greatest influencer for the gospel and the life of your children, 00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:37.840 share the gospel, talk about baptism, encourage them to own their faith, and then let them choose. 00:40:38.720 --> 00:40:39.560 Let them choose. 00:40:39.900 --> 00:40:40.640 We'll walk with you. 00:40:41.420 --> 00:40:42.180 We'll walk with you. 00:40:42.240 --> 00:40:42.420 All right? 00:40:43.220 --> 00:40:48.280 The beautiful picture of what baptism does and the obedience with Christ. 00:40:48.420 --> 00:40:51.100 We want to celebrate and be a part of this. 00:40:51.180 --> 00:40:51.380 All right? 00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:52.360 Let's pray. 00:40:55.880 --> 00:40:57.160 God, we come to you this morning. 00:40:59.100 --> 00:41:11.980 And Lord, I thank you for so many of those that have had the privilege and joy of baptizing. 00:41:13.580 --> 00:41:36.800 Lord, I thank you for so many of you that have had the opportunity to stand beside parents and small group leaders as they've baptized their kids, as they've baptized people in their small groups. 00:41:38.600 --> 00:41:58.340 Lord, I'm reminded of a few years ago, a guy, Lord, in our church at a late baptism and was baptized by two men in our church because of their relationship that went all the way back to elementary school and the influence that they had on him. 00:41:58.480 --> 00:42:10.080 So, Lord, I thank you for the symbol. 00:42:11.860 --> 00:42:14.280 I thank you for the beautiful picture of baptism. 00:42:16.440 --> 00:42:24.780 But, Lord, so, more importantly than the symbol, I thank you for why we do it. 00:42:26.880 --> 00:42:38.740 Because, Jesus, you came onto this earth, lived a perfect life, were arrested, beaten, crucified. 00:42:40.820 --> 00:42:49.320 And died and laid there in a tomb for three days. 00:42:52.640 --> 00:42:56.400 Lord, but as Hannah sang earlier, walked out. 00:42:58.520 --> 00:43:04.180 So, Lord, because of your work, we might be saved. 00:43:07.220 --> 00:43:08.440 Jesus, we love you. 00:43:09.400 --> 00:43:10.280 We praise you. 00:43:11.180 --> 00:43:11.980 It's your name we pray. 00:43:27.980 --> 00:43:31.280 Thanks again for listening to the Willow Ridge Church Weekly Podcast. 00:43:31.820 --> 00:43:34.120 We hope that you enjoyed listening to this week's message. 00:43:34.600 --> 00:43:43.180 If you'd like to learn more about who we are or explore additional resources, visit us online at www.willowridgechurch.com 00:43:43.180 --> 00:43:46.740 or by searching for Willow Ridge Church on Facebook and Instagram. 00:43:48.380 --> 00:43:57.420 We'll see you next time.