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 --> 00:00:31.260 We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear the latest message. 00:00:31.680 --> 00:00:32.460 Thanks for listening. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:47.960 We are in Matthew chapter 3. 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:50.880 Before we go there, one more thing I want to talk about, remind y'all. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:54.840 We've got a couple of mission trips that we are doing as a church. 00:00:55.020 --> 00:00:56.500 One is our men's ministry. 00:00:56.820 --> 00:01:06.080 Not only are they doing the wonderful Low Country Bowl and oyster roast, but we will be doing a mission trip to Black Mountain Children's Home November 7th through the 13th. 00:01:06.140 --> 00:01:08.940 This is a construction slash chainsaw crew. 00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:17.240 And so if that's you, if construction and chainsaws is your love language, there's a wonderful opportunity for you to go and be a part of this trip. 00:01:17.240 --> 00:01:23.980 Some of the details that I left out last week that I want to give to everyone, that's a Saturday to Saturday, I believe. 00:01:24.300 --> 00:01:32.320 But if you're like, I can only give a couple of days or three days or four days, but I'd like to go and be a part of that, then we have a place for you on that trip. 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:32.580 All right? 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:41.000 We understand to get a whole week off right now at work might not be feasible for you, but if you're thinking you might want to be a part of that, there's a sign-up out in the lobby. 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:42.280 Please put your name down. 00:01:42.600 --> 00:01:49.460 You are not committing, but it gives us an opportunity to begin to build a communication team so that people can make their decisions. 00:01:49.540 --> 00:01:57.680 I was telling Kevin Schultz this morning, as I've been talking with the Black Mountain team, I do want to throw this out there to all the guys that are thinking about going. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:03.100 Here's what they told to me as I've talked to the head of maintenance and construction for Black Mountain Children's Home. 00:02:03.100 --> 00:02:24.040 He said every team that comes to Black Mountain Children's Home, whether it's an adult team, a men's team, a women's team, a high school team, every team that comes to serve, the standard of perfection that they hold them to is our Willow Ridge Middle School Ministry. 00:02:24.300 --> 00:02:24.440 All right? 00:02:24.440 --> 00:02:36.820 What they said is every team that comes on the last day is scrambling to get their work finished and sometimes doesn't finish what they said that they were going to do. 00:02:37.260 --> 00:02:44.580 They said on the other hand of that, the Willow Ridge Middle Schoolers show up every time and on the next to the last day, they're like, we're done. 00:02:44.640 --> 00:02:45.600 What else you got for us? 00:02:45.620 --> 00:02:45.900 All right? 00:02:46.160 --> 00:02:52.140 So that is the standard that you're going up against, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade middle school boys and girls. 00:02:52.140 --> 00:02:54.640 So that's the level I want to challenge you. 00:02:54.640 --> 00:03:02.960 I'm putting my money on the middle schoolers, but I do want to challenge you to see if you can come up and see if you can rise to the occasion for that. 00:03:03.080 --> 00:03:03.340 All right? 00:03:03.660 --> 00:03:08.380 But then also another team that we've got going on is November 13th through the 20th. 00:03:08.460 --> 00:03:11.740 We're going to be taking a team of about six to eight out to Utah. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:13.280 A little bit different trip. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:18.600 We're going to be going out there with Hope Valley Church, with Dustin Stopman and his family to help them. 00:03:18.940 --> 00:03:23.000 That's going to be more of a relational evangelism, discipleship opportunity. 00:03:23.440 --> 00:03:34.840 One of the things that they've talked to us about that they love to do is they love to create environments where they can send their staff and their church to mobilize, to share the gospel, and invite people to their church. 00:03:34.940 --> 00:03:39.520 And so when teams come in, that's what they do with us is they use us in those opportunities. 00:03:39.820 --> 00:03:43.340 And so we're going to be doing some evening park ministry during that time. 00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:44.600 And so I want to throw that out there. 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:48.440 Now, I did ask Dustin, I said, hey man, can I ask you a question, right? 00:03:48.720 --> 00:03:54.400 Because in South Carolina, we get like this much snow like every 10 years, okay? 00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:56.280 So here's the question that I have for you. 00:03:56.600 --> 00:04:00.940 What is the likelihood of seeing some snow November 13th through the 20th? 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:02.560 He said, Bo, highly likely. 00:04:02.760 --> 00:04:05.420 And some of the ski resorts may be open, right? 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:09.060 So when he said that, I said, well, what's the chance? 00:04:09.100 --> 00:04:12.120 He goes, oh, we definitely can get y'all out there for an afternoon, all right? 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:16.680 So if you would like to go skiing, that would be a great opportunity to partner with that, right? 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:17.700 We're going for Jesus. 00:04:17.980 --> 00:04:22.580 But if skiing comes out of that, right, God will bless that, I fully believe. 00:04:22.680 --> 00:04:22.840 All right. 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:25.440 So Matthew 3, let's jump into that. 00:04:25.640 --> 00:04:28.500 Oh, you can sign up for that in the lobby as well. 00:04:28.940 --> 00:04:31.100 So Matthew 3, that's where we're going to be this morning. 00:04:31.240 --> 00:04:35.460 And we are beginning a four-week series on baptism, all right? 00:04:35.460 --> 00:04:40.260 We are Baptist, baptism is in our name, so I feel like it's important that we talk about it. 00:04:40.340 --> 00:04:43.440 Now, a lot of people have questions about baptism. 00:04:43.700 --> 00:04:49.500 And what is remarkable about the questions that I get from people about baptism is this. 00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:52.820 They got people from different denominational backgrounds, people who have been in church 00:04:52.820 --> 00:04:55.040 for a long time or a short time. 00:04:55.140 --> 00:04:58.080 But I find it really doesn't matter how long you've been in church. 00:04:58.420 --> 00:05:02.000 I found out it really doesn't matter what denomination you're a part of. 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:07.940 Most of us have questions, honest, good, sincere questions about baptism. 00:05:08.220 --> 00:05:11.300 And what I love about that is there's a million different questions about it. 00:05:11.760 --> 00:05:14.820 And so as I've really been praying through that, one of the things that I felt like God 00:05:14.820 --> 00:05:21.700 was leading me to this summer was to do a series on baptism, where we just kind of stop and 00:05:21.700 --> 00:05:24.360 pause for a minute as a church and talk about that. 00:05:24.620 --> 00:05:28.800 You heard in the announcements we're going to be doing a baptism service on October the 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:29.120 10th. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:32.960 And so as you go through this, if you feel like that's what God's speaking to your heart, 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:37.980 we would love to have you be a part of that day as we are celebrating what God is doing. 00:05:38.340 --> 00:05:41.920 And so what we're going to do the next four weeks is we're going to look at baptism. 00:05:42.060 --> 00:05:43.240 We're going to talk about baptism. 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:43.980 I want to say this. 00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:50.280 Each week is not going to give us an all-encompassing, this is baptism, this is done. 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:55.940 And to be honest with you, even in four weeks, we're only scratching the surface about baptism, 00:05:55.940 --> 00:06:02.640 what God is doing in baptism, what God is communicating in baptism, and why we are called to be baptized, 00:06:02.940 --> 00:06:04.840 but also to go and baptize. 00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:05.140 All right? 00:06:05.280 --> 00:06:06.800 So we're going to talk about that. 00:06:06.900 --> 00:06:11.240 So the first thing that I want us to kind of get to before we get to Matthew 3 is this. 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:13.360 Why is baptism important? 00:06:14.460 --> 00:06:15.660 Why is baptism important? 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:21.240 You know, regardless of the denomination that you come from, regardless of when people do baptism, 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:26.300 baptism is a part of every mainstream Christian denomination. 00:06:27.020 --> 00:06:27.840 It's a part of it. 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:31.200 Everybody feels like they do it, you know, more correctly than the other, 00:06:31.200 --> 00:06:34.420 and we're going to get in through that of why we do it the way we do it later. 00:06:34.640 --> 00:06:35.980 But it's a part of it. 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:37.540 And here's the thing I want us to get, all right? 00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:40.540 Baptism was not man's idea. 00:06:41.460 --> 00:06:44.840 Man wasn't sitting around one day and thinking like, hey, what can we do? 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:46.460 Oh, let's baptize, all right? 00:06:46.820 --> 00:06:47.740 Let's do this. 00:06:47.780 --> 00:06:51.040 This will be something that we can bring in and implement it in the church, right? 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:54.120 This isn't like how we utilize social media. 00:06:54.400 --> 00:06:57.620 Like this isn't something like how can we figure this to leverage us. 00:06:57.880 --> 00:06:58.760 The exact opposite. 00:06:59.180 --> 00:07:01.340 Baptism was created by God. 00:07:01.400 --> 00:07:02.780 So here's what I want you to think about. 00:07:02.780 --> 00:07:09.960 The illustration that I often use in weddings is we need to understand we're not trying to figure out how to do marriage our way. 00:07:10.220 --> 00:07:12.540 Like that's when we complicate marriage, right? 00:07:12.940 --> 00:07:14.940 Marriage is God's idea. 00:07:15.640 --> 00:07:17.040 Marriage is God's creation. 00:07:17.500 --> 00:07:19.220 So we do it God's way. 00:07:19.400 --> 00:07:21.340 It doesn't matter what my feelings are about it. 00:07:21.380 --> 00:07:23.680 It doesn't matter what my opinions are about it. 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.460 We do marriage God's way because God created it. 00:07:26.660 --> 00:07:28.860 So who are we to say it should be done our way, all right? 00:07:29.100 --> 00:07:31.340 And the same thing with baptism. 00:07:31.700 --> 00:07:38.280 As God gave marriage to mankind, God gives baptism to mankind as well. 00:07:38.640 --> 00:07:43.780 And so what we want to do with that is to try to understand, all right, God, why do you value this so much? 00:07:43.960 --> 00:07:46.140 What are you calling us to do in this? 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:58.740 And then as individuals in our response to baptism, but also as a church, as those who baptize, we recognize that when we do this, we are falling into obedience to the Lord. 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:04.040 All throughout this, we're going to see we're doing this not because we want to, we do. 00:08:04.580 --> 00:08:07.780 We're doing this not because it's exciting, it is. 00:08:08.260 --> 00:08:12.220 We're doing this because God tells us to. 00:08:12.440 --> 00:08:13.580 It's God's creation. 00:08:14.260 --> 00:08:16.160 So why is baptism important? 00:08:16.300 --> 00:08:18.760 Number one, Jesus was baptized, all right? 00:08:19.760 --> 00:08:20.660 Jesus was baptized. 00:08:20.660 --> 00:08:24.020 Now, we're going to look at that later today, so I'm not going to really speak to that. 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:26.240 That's going to be the main part of the message here in just a minute. 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:27.320 Jesus was baptized. 00:08:27.560 --> 00:08:29.480 Number two, why do we baptize? 00:08:29.820 --> 00:08:32.160 Baptism was a part of Jesus's ministry. 00:08:33.040 --> 00:08:37.500 So as Jesus's ministry is going on, baptism's a part of that. 00:08:37.780 --> 00:08:39.460 John 4, 1 through 3. 00:08:39.800 --> 00:08:47.540 Now, when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John, 00:08:48.020 --> 00:08:54.080 although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples, we're going to talk about that later, too, 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:58.260 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 00:08:58.900 --> 00:09:03.980 So in the earthly ministry for about three to three and a half years of his earthly ministry here, 00:09:04.380 --> 00:09:07.920 Jesus baptized in his ministry, or even better, 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:11.040 Jesus had his disciples, gave the commandment, 00:09:11.040 --> 00:09:17.900 and they baptized the followers of Christ while he was walking around this earth before his crucifixion. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.320 So baptism was a part of Jesus's ministry, so it needs to be a part of ours. 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:25.060 Number three, why is baptism important? 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:27.420 Jesus commands baptism, all right? 00:09:27.540 --> 00:09:29.560 We've been talking about this for a long time, all right? 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:33.700 The Bible is filled with the commands of God, not the suggestions of God. 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:40.040 Jesus commands baptism, a verse that we know that we've heard many times, 00:09:40.140 --> 00:09:42.320 and if you hadn't, make special note of this. 00:09:42.400 --> 00:09:44.480 Matthew 28, 18 through 20. 00:09:44.820 --> 00:09:46.400 And Jesus came and said to them, 00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:49.560 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:09:49.780 --> 00:09:53.580 And then verse 19, he imparts the mission of God to the church. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:10:02.540 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:07.500 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 00:10:07.660 --> 00:10:07.880 All right? 00:10:07.940 --> 00:10:09.720 So we've heard this many times. 00:10:09.880 --> 00:10:14.800 And the two words that we focus in on, which are very important words, are what Jesus begins with. 00:10:15.160 --> 00:10:18.040 Go, leave here, and make disciples. 00:10:18.280 --> 00:10:19.980 But then Jesus gives us the formula. 00:10:20.280 --> 00:10:21.800 This is what this looks like. 00:10:22.040 --> 00:10:22.800 What are we to do? 00:10:23.020 --> 00:10:25.200 We're to baptize and we're to teach. 00:10:25.680 --> 00:10:26.720 These are the things that happen. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:33.140 Now evangelism is woven in there in the process of discipleship, but baptism is a part. 00:10:33.140 --> 00:10:38.140 It was Jesus' parting words, his commands to the church and to us today, 00:10:38.300 --> 00:10:42.700 that what we are to be about, what we are to do, is to go and make disciples. 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:45.360 And we do that by baptizing. 00:10:46.040 --> 00:10:47.700 And we do that by teaching. 00:10:48.520 --> 00:10:53.100 And so not only did Jesus have this in his ministry, but he commands it to the church. 00:10:53.400 --> 00:10:55.520 So Jesus and Acts, he ascends. 00:10:55.620 --> 00:10:58.620 Do they exhale and say, whew, we're done doing that? 00:10:58.680 --> 00:10:59.640 No, no, no, not at all. 00:10:59.640 --> 00:11:01.700 Number four, why do we baptize? 00:11:01.760 --> 00:11:02.920 The early church baptized. 00:11:04.040 --> 00:11:08.300 Acts 8, 12, and there's numerous ones that we can see in the book of Acts. 00:11:08.860 --> 00:11:13.740 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:17.080 they were baptized, both men and women. 00:11:17.280 --> 00:11:18.240 It continued on. 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:22.840 And I can get super nerdy and dive into church history and talk about all the way through 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:25.120 how the church has continued on with this. 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:29.080 Now, a little precursor for where we're also going to get to in a different week. 00:11:29.160 --> 00:11:32.180 It's important for us to know that belief led to baptism. 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:32.980 All right? 00:11:33.400 --> 00:11:35.880 Belief led to baptism, not baptism to belief. 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:36.440 All right? 00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:42.360 So that's important for us to understand, especially while we do things the way that we do things. 00:11:42.520 --> 00:11:47.540 So people would come, they would confess, they would profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 00:11:47.900 --> 00:11:49.960 Salvation would be given to them by God. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:53.980 And then as a response of what God was done, they would be baptized. 00:11:54.380 --> 00:11:58.600 And so it's why when we bring out our baptistry and we set it up right here 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:03.320 and we have men, women, and children go through it, it is not that in the hopes that they will be saved, 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:07.080 but it is done out of a heart that has been saved. 00:12:07.400 --> 00:12:08.720 And so they are baptized. 00:12:09.040 --> 00:12:14.880 And then what is interesting in here, that this was something that all converts were baptized, right? 00:12:15.300 --> 00:12:19.720 What we see instantly and throughout the book of Acts, over and over again. 00:12:19.800 --> 00:12:20.960 Look back at verse 12. 00:12:21.060 --> 00:12:21.940 Kevin, if you can pull that up. 00:12:21.940 --> 00:12:29.000 But when they believed Philip, as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, 00:12:29.300 --> 00:12:31.580 they were baptized. 00:12:32.100 --> 00:12:32.520 Right then. 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:35.460 All converts were baptized. 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:38.400 And the importance and the value of that. 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:42.380 So that kind of brings us into why baptism is so important. 00:12:42.940 --> 00:12:47.140 Each week, starting this morning, we're going to dive through and try to understand and try to see, 00:12:47.280 --> 00:12:48.660 what does this mean for my life? 00:12:48.980 --> 00:12:49.800 I want to be honest. 00:12:49.880 --> 00:12:54.660 I hope some of you are wrestling within this dynamic within yourself of, 00:12:54.900 --> 00:12:55.920 well, I'm a shy person. 00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:57.780 We're going to get through some of those things. 00:12:58.640 --> 00:13:03.200 Well, I've been a believer for years and it would be embarrassing for people to know that I've never done that. 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:05.240 We're going to work through some of all these things. 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:07.400 I mean, there's a million different reasons. 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:14.520 There's a million items on the list for people to say, well, this is why I haven't been baptized. 00:13:14.860 --> 00:13:20.180 But what I want to urge you is through the leading and the drawing of God's spirit in your life 00:13:20.180 --> 00:13:22.860 is to recognize that Jesus was baptized. 00:13:23.420 --> 00:13:25.820 Baptism happened in Jesus's ministry. 00:13:26.220 --> 00:13:29.780 Jesus commands it to us and of us. 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:34.880 And as the church has failed in many different ways throughout the years, 00:13:35.380 --> 00:13:38.460 the church has continued on in baptizing. 00:13:39.060 --> 00:13:42.480 And so we see the value and know the importance of it. 00:13:42.880 --> 00:13:47.280 And so this morning, what we're going to do is we're going to stop and look for just a few minutes 00:13:47.280 --> 00:13:50.160 about what happens concerning Jesus's baptism. 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:54.720 And we're going to start reading Matthew chapter 3, verse 1. 00:13:54.980 --> 00:13:57.340 And I'm going to read a little bit, stop and talk. 00:13:57.340 --> 00:13:59.920 And then at the very end, we're going to hit four points pretty quickly, okay? 00:14:00.340 --> 00:14:01.080 All right, verse 1. 00:14:02.280 --> 00:14:07.420 In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:10.920 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:19.860 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, 00:14:19.860 --> 00:14:27.920 The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 00:14:28.020 --> 00:14:30.120 All right, so let's pause here for just a few moments. 00:14:30.540 --> 00:14:35.120 So John is the prophet that was promised by God. 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:43.360 He's the cousin of Jesus in Isaiah who would come to the Jews, and this is important, to make way for the Messiah. 00:14:44.100 --> 00:14:49.840 So in the Old Testament prophets, it's just the scripture to them, but it's the Old Testament prophets. 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:56.060 For us, they've been continually reminded of the Messiah that God is going to send to save his people. 00:14:56.380 --> 00:15:02.480 Well, in Isaiah, God says that he's going to send one before him that will announce and that will prepare the way. 00:15:02.880 --> 00:15:09.440 And so God sends John to the Jewish people to proclaim this message. 00:15:09.560 --> 00:15:15.260 Now, this is really important, guys, for us to get this and understand the importance of baptism. 00:15:15.260 --> 00:15:22.240 Because the Jewish people were God's outwardly ethnic chosen people. 00:15:23.060 --> 00:15:25.900 They were the historic people of God. 00:15:26.900 --> 00:15:32.940 And so God sends John to them to proclaim this message. 00:15:33.300 --> 00:15:39.100 As God's people, there's the Messiah who is being sent, who will save you. 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:41.000 And that's important. 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:43.660 And they were part of God's covenant. 00:15:44.380 --> 00:15:50.320 And they had taken on the symbol of God's covenant, the meaning of God's covenant. 00:15:50.700 --> 00:15:53.240 But God is going to send Christ. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:54.700 Now, let's look back at verse 4. 00:15:55.580 --> 00:16:01.960 Now, John wore a garment of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:04.860 And his food was locust and wild honey. 00:16:05.660 --> 00:16:10.740 And then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him. 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:16.300 And they were baptizing him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:19.620 Now, really quickly, John's kind of a weird guy socially, all right? 00:16:19.800 --> 00:16:22.860 So he's the guy, like, out, the wild man out in the wilderness. 00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:25.220 And he's got a different diet than others. 00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:26.980 And he's got some different things that are going on. 00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:28.520 And we don't really want to focus on that. 00:16:28.560 --> 00:16:33.800 We want to focus on the two things that he is doing that really matter for us concerning baptism. 00:16:33.940 --> 00:16:34.540 He's doing two things. 00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:37.680 Number one, John's preaching a message of repentance. 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:39.660 That's all John's talking about. 00:16:40.360 --> 00:16:44.360 So, like, every time you hear him, same thing over and over and over again. 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:47.640 That this is what his message is going to be. 00:16:48.160 --> 00:16:49.440 Repent, confess. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:52.800 And then the second thing that he's doing is he's baptizing people. 00:16:53.560 --> 00:16:58.520 When you respond to the message that John is proclaiming of repentance, 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:01.080 and then John says, all right, let's baptize you. 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:02.480 Let's take care of this. 00:17:02.580 --> 00:17:03.500 Let's do this. 00:17:03.760 --> 00:17:07.740 And what we see in this, remember back from before, right? 00:17:07.780 --> 00:17:11.020 It's not the Gentiles who are coming to John. 00:17:11.100 --> 00:17:11.820 This is important. 00:17:11.820 --> 00:17:20.160 It's the Jewish people who see the need for repentance, and they are coming to John. 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:26.000 Now, for a Jewish person to receive John's baptism was radical. 00:17:26.840 --> 00:17:27.780 Was radical. 00:17:28.680 --> 00:17:30.400 This is making a statement. 00:17:30.580 --> 00:17:34.560 This is dropping a stake in the ground of saying what is going on. 00:17:34.560 --> 00:17:44.180 God's ethnically chosen people are responding to John's message of repentance and then being baptized. 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:45.540 And here's what's going on. 00:17:45.740 --> 00:17:55.320 They were saying in this that they now, they don't belong to God based on the fact that they were born into the nation of Israel. 00:17:55.980 --> 00:18:04.300 But in their baptism, they are saying they now belong to God based off of their confession and repentance. 00:18:04.540 --> 00:18:05.440 This is huge. 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:07.200 This is huge. 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:15.040 It's not because now where I was born and the family that I was born into and the lineage that I was born into. 00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:19.020 They're moving from that and they're saying, no, no, no. 00:18:19.020 --> 00:18:24.840 It's now based off of faith through confession and repentance. 00:18:24.840 --> 00:18:27.380 And this is marked by baptism. 00:18:28.080 --> 00:18:32.440 And these people were already God's chosen ethnic outward people. 00:18:32.580 --> 00:18:37.020 But now John's saying you've got to get right with God. 00:18:37.540 --> 00:18:43.480 And just because you're Jewish does not mean that there's the guarantee of salvation. 00:18:44.600 --> 00:18:47.400 And this is profound for these people. 00:18:48.040 --> 00:18:49.920 And people are responding. 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:58.320 And what baptism is, was they're renouncing their old dependency on their ethnic Jewishness. 00:18:58.580 --> 00:19:05.280 And now they are relying on the mercy of God to forgive those who have repented. 00:19:06.060 --> 00:19:14.320 It's where we see the heart of the gospel begin to rub through and come out in the ministry of John even before Christ. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:21.840 It's why we can look forward to Hebrews chapter 11 where it goes through the list of all the Old Testament people. 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:24.880 And it's not by their name that they were saved. 00:19:25.020 --> 00:19:28.060 It's not by their ethnic nature that they were saved. 00:19:28.200 --> 00:19:31.960 It was by faith that they were saved is what we find in Hebrews chapter 11. 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:38.360 And so this is what we see taking place at a larger scale as they are coming to John. 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:39.720 In verse 7. 00:19:41.540 --> 00:19:49.060 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 00:19:49.060 --> 00:19:56.520 You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 00:19:57.520 --> 00:20:02.560 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance and do not presume to say to yourself, 00:20:03.120 --> 00:20:05.940 We have Abraham as our father. 00:20:05.940 --> 00:20:12.980 For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 00:20:13.580 --> 00:20:13.940 Verse 10. 00:20:14.060 --> 00:20:17.900 Now, even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:22.840 Every tree, therefore, that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:23.020 Right? 00:20:23.160 --> 00:20:30.580 There's a lot of what we see in these words of John that we will see in the teachings and the words of Christ. 00:20:30.940 --> 00:20:31.040 Right? 00:20:31.060 --> 00:20:33.240 There's a lot of overlap that's happening there. 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:38.620 And this is the introduction in a lot of ways of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:42.040 And it's not just Jesus that's going to have this conflict with them. 00:20:42.220 --> 00:20:45.280 We see that John has this conflict with them as well. 00:20:45.460 --> 00:20:45.540 All right? 00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:50.860 And so the Pharisees and Sadducees, if you don't know, they were not only the ethnic Jewish people. 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:52.540 They were ethnically Jewish. 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:58.080 But they were also the spiritual Jewish leaders of the time. 00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:01.420 And I love John's words. 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:04.160 I'm going to kind of put them in Bo's words. 00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:06.940 Hey, who told y'all y'all needed this? 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:07.160 Right? 00:21:08.120 --> 00:21:09.120 They're kind of his enemies. 00:21:10.020 --> 00:21:12.800 I don't know that I really want to see you here at this point in time. 00:21:12.840 --> 00:21:13.020 Right? 00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:16.740 Who told you you needed this is what he said? 00:21:17.580 --> 00:21:23.960 But John wants them to understand of what he's demanding, of what he's asking. 00:21:24.620 --> 00:21:33.200 You see, if anyone could be saved because of their ethnic origin, it should be the Pharisees and the Sadducees. 00:21:33.780 --> 00:21:35.500 It should be these guys. 00:21:35.760 --> 00:21:37.640 They should be the ones that have it. 00:21:37.900 --> 00:21:43.080 But instead, John says, who told you that you were objects of God's wrath? 00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:51.200 Who told you that you're the ones standing in the way of the wrath that is going to come? 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:56.500 And they would say, well, but it wouldn't be us because we have our father Abraham, so we have salvation. 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:59.080 And John says, no, no, no, no, that's not it. 00:21:59.120 --> 00:22:04.300 Because what God is doing is God is raising up children who will repent. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:08.020 This is the nature of what is happening here. 00:22:08.360 --> 00:22:12.600 It's not just this religious exercise that's being done. 00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:15.080 It's not people trying to earn their salvation. 00:22:15.340 --> 00:22:20.020 It's not another religious act to just get right so that we can check the boxes. 00:22:20.020 --> 00:22:25.320 That what's coming and what is based out of these teachings of John very early on is establishing. 00:22:25.600 --> 00:22:26.880 No, no, it's faith. 00:22:27.120 --> 00:22:27.820 It's faith. 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:28.500 Not in me. 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:29.860 Not in what I've done. 00:22:30.100 --> 00:22:31.460 Not in what I've been born into. 00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:33.320 It's not faith in me at all. 00:22:33.560 --> 00:22:37.800 Instead, it's faith in God because I'm a sinner who needs to be saved. 00:22:39.120 --> 00:22:40.920 And then baptism will be the response of that. 00:22:42.180 --> 00:22:46.500 And so now in verse 11, John begins to talk about Jesus. 00:22:47.760 --> 00:22:48.620 Verse 11, he says, 00:22:48.700 --> 00:23:18.220 So what John's doing here is, John says that he baptizes with water. 00:23:18.220 --> 00:23:19.340 That this is the response. 00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:20.340 Largely what we do. 00:23:21.220 --> 00:23:22.760 John does what we do. 00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:27.640 But Jesus will baptize also in a different way. 00:23:27.760 --> 00:23:29.040 In a way that you do not do. 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:30.300 In a way that I do not do. 00:23:30.460 --> 00:23:33.680 I've never baptized and not able to baptize any this way. 00:23:33.860 --> 00:23:34.780 Only Christ. 00:23:35.020 --> 00:23:39.460 That Jesus will baptize with Holy Spirit and with fire. 00:23:40.080 --> 00:23:42.020 And so I want to talk about that really quickly this morning. 00:23:42.700 --> 00:23:46.700 Read a commentary that referred to it as spirit, fire, baptism. 00:23:47.100 --> 00:23:53.680 And my old school roots of going to my grandparents, charismatic church growing up that I love so much. 00:23:53.780 --> 00:23:55.880 It just feels to roll that back up on me, right? 00:23:55.960 --> 00:23:57.580 Like spirit, fire, baptism. 00:23:57.700 --> 00:23:58.280 Love it, right? 00:23:58.520 --> 00:23:58.660 Right? 00:23:58.800 --> 00:24:00.540 And so here's what John means. 00:24:00.620 --> 00:24:02.860 Here's what is meant by spirit, fire, baptism. 00:24:03.120 --> 00:24:07.880 Is that when people are saved, we are filled with the Holy Spirit of God. 00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:08.180 Right? 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:10.060 Like largely seen in Acts chapter 2. 00:24:10.260 --> 00:24:12.280 But then the spirit does something. 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:16.200 So you're baptized in the spirit of what John is talking about. 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:22.200 But then also, there's also a baptism of fire where God refines you. 00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:23.540 Refines you. 00:24:23.540 --> 00:24:27.200 Don't look at fire here as the fire that destroys. 00:24:27.760 --> 00:24:34.980 Look at fire here as the fire that was used with metal that brings out the imperfections of the metal. 00:24:35.100 --> 00:24:39.520 So that what's left on the other end of the fire is perfection and purity. 00:24:40.580 --> 00:24:41.880 And so John says that's what Jesus does. 00:24:42.400 --> 00:24:44.200 And that's what we see in our life. 00:24:44.620 --> 00:24:49.700 When we are saved, what God does is he fills us with his Holy Spirit. 00:24:50.280 --> 00:24:54.460 And spirit, fire, baptism begins to be what happens within us. 00:24:54.800 --> 00:24:59.580 That over the course of our life, whether you are saved for five minutes and then pass, 00:24:59.720 --> 00:25:02.520 or whether you are saved for 80 years and pass, 00:25:02.700 --> 00:25:05.420 what happens is through spirit, fire, baptism, 00:25:05.600 --> 00:25:09.700 this Holy Spirit is working in you and I to refine us, 00:25:09.800 --> 00:25:13.820 to mold us, to shape us into the person that God's called us to be 00:25:13.820 --> 00:25:16.800 so that we are growing in our faith more obedient, 00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:20.000 more dependent, and more in love with Jesus. 00:25:21.540 --> 00:25:24.680 And so John is just laying it on in this moment. 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:27.180 And then verse 13. 00:25:28.800 --> 00:25:34.500 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. 00:25:35.800 --> 00:25:36.460 Verse 14. 00:25:36.600 --> 00:25:38.760 John would have prevented him saying, 00:25:39.240 --> 00:25:41.540 I need to be baptized by you. 00:25:42.280 --> 00:25:43.740 And do you come to me? 00:25:45.540 --> 00:25:51.240 You ever felt like there's been a point in time in your life where you don't need to be the person 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:53.820 giving the presentation, but that everybody else does, right? 00:25:54.060 --> 00:25:57.920 You don't need to be the person doing the job, but the person who you're doing the job for does it 00:25:57.920 --> 00:25:59.900 because they're a little bit more qualified than you, right? 00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:01.700 I feel that way all the time, right? 00:26:01.840 --> 00:26:03.740 And this is what John is doing. 00:26:03.840 --> 00:26:07.260 John's like, no, Jesus, I don't need to baptize you. 00:26:08.060 --> 00:26:10.440 I need to be baptized by you. 00:26:11.580 --> 00:26:12.440 And then verse 15. 00:26:13.720 --> 00:26:14.800 But Jesus answered him, 00:26:16.040 --> 00:26:17.820 Let it be so now, 00:26:18.360 --> 00:26:22.740 for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. 00:26:23.940 --> 00:26:25.640 And then he, being John, consented. 00:26:26.740 --> 00:26:28.160 And when Jesus was baptized, 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:30.120 immediately he went up from the water, 00:26:30.120 --> 00:26:32.500 and behold, the heavens were opened to him. 00:26:33.260 --> 00:26:36.340 And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove 00:26:36.340 --> 00:26:37.940 and coming to rest on him. 00:26:38.660 --> 00:26:41.220 And behold, a voice from heaven said, 00:26:41.780 --> 00:26:46.060 This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. 00:26:46.700 --> 00:26:49.520 And what we see here is the baptism of Jesus. 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:53.280 And so, really quickly, we're going to wrap up with these four things. 00:26:54.080 --> 00:26:55.860 What can we learn about Jesus' baptism? 00:26:56.680 --> 00:26:57.820 And why was Jesus baptized? 00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:00.240 It's always been a funny thing. 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:01.520 Most people have those questions, right? 00:27:01.580 --> 00:27:04.100 Like the questions of the Bible that we hope to answer. 00:27:04.260 --> 00:27:06.000 Why was Jesus baptized? 00:27:06.620 --> 00:27:07.940 What can we learn from this? 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:10.600 Well, I hope we can draw some things from it this morning. 00:27:10.780 --> 00:27:11.720 Number one is this. 00:27:12.660 --> 00:27:14.860 Baptism is about a profession, right? 00:27:15.600 --> 00:27:19.160 Because baptism comes for us after salvation, 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:21.700 we understand and know that baptism doesn't save. 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:24.540 But what baptism has been for, 00:27:24.660 --> 00:27:25.820 for you and I, 00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:28.400 is a public profession of faith in Christ 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:30.000 to our church family. 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:32.560 It's why we do baptism the way that we do it. 00:27:32.680 --> 00:27:34.780 It's why I prefer that we do it the way that we do it. 00:27:34.780 --> 00:27:39.340 Because what we have is a massive group of brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:27:39.340 --> 00:27:41.180 Some who know you, some who don't. 00:27:41.360 --> 00:27:44.300 And we are professing to one another that I am saved. 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:46.580 I'm a part of the family of God. 00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:48.520 That I may have said a prayer. 00:27:48.780 --> 00:27:50.720 I may have gotten saved at a conference. 00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:53.880 I may have gotten saved having a conversation at a coffee shop. 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:55.960 But in this moment, what I am doing, 00:27:56.200 --> 00:28:01.320 I am professing my faith in God publicly to everyone 00:28:01.320 --> 00:28:05.080 and identifying as his through baptism. 00:28:05.320 --> 00:28:08.500 Now, does this mean, right, that Jesus was not saved? 00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:09.200 No, no, no, no. 00:28:09.280 --> 00:28:11.180 That's not what this means at all. 00:28:11.600 --> 00:28:14.220 Here's what Jesus is professing. 00:28:14.680 --> 00:28:16.600 Here's what Jesus is sharing. 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:18.820 Here's what Jesus is making known, right? 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:22.040 We're reading this on the early onset of the gospel. 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:24.240 Because what's going to happen from here, 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:26.880 next we're going to see the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. 00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:29.680 And then we're going to see the public ministry of Christ. 00:28:30.220 --> 00:28:34.620 And so what Jesus is professing here is salvation. 00:28:35.180 --> 00:28:38.300 And it is not his in that he got saved, 00:28:38.420 --> 00:28:40.160 but it is his salvation. 00:28:40.700 --> 00:28:41.420 Right, do we get that? 00:28:41.580 --> 00:28:45.040 It's salvation in him and in him alone. 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:49.100 And the profession that Jesus is saying 00:28:49.100 --> 00:28:53.840 is his ministry of seek to save the lost. 00:28:54.360 --> 00:28:57.840 The public ministry of Jesus, in a lot of ways, 00:28:57.960 --> 00:28:59.580 begins in this moment. 00:29:00.140 --> 00:29:01.820 So baptism is about a profession. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:04.720 Number two, baptism is about repentance. 00:29:05.840 --> 00:29:07.960 All right, now let's walk this back a little bit. 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:11.480 If baptism is about repentance and Jesus never sinned, 00:29:11.580 --> 00:29:15.420 then why is Jesus performing an act of repentance? 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:16.580 That's a fair question. 00:29:17.620 --> 00:29:21.000 John's calling people to repent and to be baptized. 00:29:22.040 --> 00:29:28.020 So if repentance is solely about confession of sin 00:29:28.020 --> 00:29:30.480 and acknowledging that you're a sinner, 00:29:30.820 --> 00:29:34.320 then why in the world is Jesus getting baptized? 00:29:34.600 --> 00:29:36.460 Because Jesus never sinned. 00:29:37.080 --> 00:29:37.900 Not one time. 00:29:38.900 --> 00:29:39.580 So here's what I want us to get. 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:41.940 Repentance is two parts. 00:29:42.840 --> 00:29:43.400 It's two parts. 00:29:43.460 --> 00:29:44.460 The first part is yes. 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:47.660 Repentance is a confession of sin 00:29:47.660 --> 00:29:50.440 and is what you and I, what we are called to do. 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:52.640 We confess, we repent, 00:29:52.880 --> 00:29:54.420 and in our repentance we are saved 00:29:54.420 --> 00:29:56.180 and we continue on in that with our life. 00:29:56.280 --> 00:29:58.180 But repentance is more than that. 00:29:59.120 --> 00:29:59.180 Right? 00:29:59.420 --> 00:30:03.060 Repentance is not just acknowledging where we messed up. 00:30:04.360 --> 00:30:06.600 Repentance is a commitment to the Lord 00:30:06.600 --> 00:30:09.320 to obey Him in everything moving forward. 00:30:09.880 --> 00:30:11.780 So it's not just enough to say, 00:30:12.060 --> 00:30:14.220 you know what, I shouldn't have said those words. 00:30:14.360 --> 00:30:15.660 I shouldn't have done that thing. 00:30:15.800 --> 00:30:17.180 I shouldn't have thought about that. 00:30:17.260 --> 00:30:18.460 I shouldn't have watched that. 00:30:18.620 --> 00:30:20.640 It's acknowledging that we did 00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:22.940 and then making a turn to understand 00:30:22.940 --> 00:30:25.100 that we were choosing our own way 00:30:25.100 --> 00:30:27.620 and now we are choosing the way of the Lord. 00:30:27.840 --> 00:30:30.600 We are committing our obedience to Him. 00:30:30.600 --> 00:30:31.860 And if you're like me, 00:30:31.960 --> 00:30:33.740 you're starting that cycle over 00:30:33.740 --> 00:30:37.500 before you realize it over and over and over again. 00:30:37.820 --> 00:30:40.960 And so repentance is confession of sin 00:30:40.960 --> 00:30:42.800 and choosing obedience. 00:30:44.140 --> 00:30:45.600 And so why is Jesus getting baptized? 00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:48.280 And He's declaring to everyone 00:30:48.280 --> 00:30:53.260 His full obedience to the will of the Father. 00:30:54.300 --> 00:30:56.300 An obedience that's going to lead Him to the cross 00:30:56.300 --> 00:31:01.820 and to the grave to pay for the sins of man. 00:31:02.640 --> 00:31:04.200 You see, in baptism, 00:31:04.940 --> 00:31:06.700 when you go into those waters, 00:31:07.600 --> 00:31:09.640 you're publicly saying two things to people. 00:31:10.340 --> 00:31:12.400 This is what I was saved from. 00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:15.400 This is what God saved me from. 00:31:16.220 --> 00:31:18.780 Every sin that you had committed, 00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:21.060 every sin that you are currently committing, 00:31:21.060 --> 00:31:23.560 every sin that you will ever commit. 00:31:24.280 --> 00:31:25.940 This is what God saved me from. 00:31:26.800 --> 00:31:27.280 Repentance. 00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:29.720 But then there's also 00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:32.000 the other part of repentance that says this. 00:31:32.340 --> 00:31:33.860 And this is what God is saving me for. 00:31:34.680 --> 00:31:36.160 This is what God was saving me for. 00:31:36.680 --> 00:31:38.420 Because God didn't save you. 00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:40.300 God didn't save me 00:31:40.300 --> 00:31:41.980 to say, I'm good. 00:31:42.480 --> 00:31:43.360 I'm done. 00:31:43.600 --> 00:31:44.480 I finished. 00:31:44.740 --> 00:31:45.800 Let me just go here 00:31:45.800 --> 00:31:48.240 and wait for Jesus to call me home, right? 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:49.100 No, that's not it. 00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:50.900 Repentance is saying, 00:31:51.280 --> 00:31:52.640 this is what He saved me from 00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:54.440 and this is what He saved me for. 00:31:55.280 --> 00:31:57.440 And so when you step into those waters, 00:31:57.560 --> 00:31:59.200 it's the public profession of faith. 00:31:59.420 --> 00:32:00.260 Man, I'm on board. 00:32:00.560 --> 00:32:03.100 I'm obedient in every area of my life. 00:32:03.260 --> 00:32:04.360 It's what we see as, 00:32:04.540 --> 00:32:06.600 it's why it's a part of discipleship 00:32:06.600 --> 00:32:08.460 to say, come alongside me, 00:32:08.780 --> 00:32:09.480 challenge me, 00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:11.940 help me grow in my walk with the Lord. 00:32:13.080 --> 00:32:14.640 And so baptism is about repentance 00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:16.380 and what Jesus shows us. 00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:19.080 But also baptism is about newness. 00:32:19.800 --> 00:32:20.640 It's about newness. 00:32:22.020 --> 00:32:23.560 For Jesus, it's gonna be a new ministry. 00:32:23.660 --> 00:32:25.260 Not new for Him. 00:32:25.360 --> 00:32:25.940 He knew. 00:32:26.020 --> 00:32:27.480 He knew while He was sent. 00:32:28.180 --> 00:32:29.820 But we're gonna see the newness of Jesus 00:32:29.820 --> 00:32:31.080 can continue on. 00:32:31.140 --> 00:32:31.980 And as you look 00:32:31.980 --> 00:32:33.400 and you flip through the Gospels, 00:32:33.460 --> 00:32:34.820 we're gonna see the Sermon on the Mount 00:32:34.820 --> 00:32:35.880 that's gonna happen 00:32:35.880 --> 00:32:38.000 and continue on in Matthew 5. 00:32:38.060 --> 00:32:39.840 We're gonna see Jesus call Matthew. 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:42.200 We're gonna see Jesus heal two men with demons. 00:32:42.340 --> 00:32:44.260 We're gonna see Jesus calm the storm. 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:46.080 We're gonna see Jesus do all of these things. 00:32:46.280 --> 00:32:48.280 None of these things that Jesus was doing before. 00:32:49.420 --> 00:32:50.300 Now He's doing them. 00:32:51.400 --> 00:32:52.580 And it's a newness of ministry. 00:32:53.860 --> 00:32:56.280 There is an old where He was, 00:32:56.380 --> 00:32:57.640 but now there's the new 00:32:57.640 --> 00:33:00.520 as He's been showing the world who He is. 00:33:01.060 --> 00:33:02.820 And for us, it's the exact same thing. 00:33:03.580 --> 00:33:04.700 Baptism about newness. 00:33:05.500 --> 00:33:07.100 This is who I was. 00:33:07.480 --> 00:33:08.500 This is who I am. 00:33:09.380 --> 00:33:10.700 Like if there's a phrase 00:33:10.700 --> 00:33:14.200 that I wish we could purge 00:33:14.200 --> 00:33:16.240 from the lips of Christians 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:18.280 is this. 00:33:19.340 --> 00:33:20.260 I'm just a sinner. 00:33:21.360 --> 00:33:22.200 I'm just a sinner. 00:33:23.280 --> 00:33:24.840 Because what we mean by that 00:33:24.840 --> 00:33:26.460 is we're just trying to excuse away 00:33:26.460 --> 00:33:27.100 the things that we do. 00:33:27.900 --> 00:33:28.920 We're just trying to excuse away. 00:33:29.140 --> 00:33:30.240 You know, I still got these issues 00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:31.000 that I struggle with. 00:33:31.060 --> 00:33:31.980 You know, I'm just a sinner. 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:34.460 It's like it's a get out of jail free card. 00:33:34.600 --> 00:33:35.680 Like wipe the slate clean, 00:33:35.780 --> 00:33:37.220 but the Bible doesn't identify you 00:33:37.220 --> 00:33:38.320 when you're in Christ as a sinner. 00:33:38.420 --> 00:33:39.660 He identifies us as saints. 00:33:40.380 --> 00:33:41.100 And that's who we are. 00:33:41.740 --> 00:33:43.000 That's why when we're baptized, 00:33:43.280 --> 00:33:44.800 we're acknowledging, 00:33:44.980 --> 00:33:47.200 we're showing that the old has gone 00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:49.260 and the new has come. 00:33:50.340 --> 00:33:50.560 All right? 00:33:50.740 --> 00:33:52.340 That's why when we baptize 00:33:52.340 --> 00:33:53.420 the way that we baptize, 00:33:53.420 --> 00:33:54.660 actually the word baptism 00:33:54.660 --> 00:33:56.720 means to immerse underwater. 00:33:57.120 --> 00:33:57.900 And so that's why we do it 00:33:57.900 --> 00:33:58.640 the way that we do it. 00:33:58.780 --> 00:33:59.560 But there's a symbolism 00:33:59.560 --> 00:34:00.740 that happens in that as well. 00:34:01.260 --> 00:34:01.980 There's a symbolism. 00:34:02.220 --> 00:34:02.840 And what I want you to get 00:34:02.840 --> 00:34:03.600 the picture of 00:34:03.600 --> 00:34:05.220 is when you look at the baptism, 00:34:05.360 --> 00:34:06.460 I want you to picture a tomb. 00:34:07.860 --> 00:34:08.600 I want you to picture a tomb. 00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:10.740 And you do what with a tomb? 00:34:10.920 --> 00:34:12.460 You put a body into a tomb 00:34:12.460 --> 00:34:14.420 when it's dead. 00:34:15.560 --> 00:34:16.420 And Jesus died. 00:34:17.640 --> 00:34:18.300 He wasn't asleep. 00:34:19.380 --> 00:34:20.260 He wasn't unconscious. 00:34:21.220 --> 00:34:22.020 He wasn't in a coma. 00:34:22.520 --> 00:34:23.860 He wasn't tricking everybody. 00:34:24.780 --> 00:34:25.540 Jesus was dead. 00:34:26.480 --> 00:34:27.640 And he went into the tomb. 00:34:28.560 --> 00:34:29.780 And when we're baptized, 00:34:30.080 --> 00:34:31.900 when we baptize others, 00:34:31.960 --> 00:34:32.960 we're identifying 00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:34.080 with the death of Christ. 00:34:34.800 --> 00:34:35.920 That the old you, 00:34:36.020 --> 00:34:37.880 the old me is now dead. 00:34:38.820 --> 00:34:40.100 And that just as Jesus 00:34:40.100 --> 00:34:40.780 three days later 00:34:40.780 --> 00:34:42.040 came out of the tomb, 00:34:42.700 --> 00:34:43.960 that you and I, 00:34:44.040 --> 00:34:45.300 when we come out of the water, 00:34:45.420 --> 00:34:46.460 the symbolism that's there, 00:34:46.540 --> 00:34:47.720 the story that we're communicating 00:34:47.720 --> 00:34:49.000 is the newness of life. 00:34:49.080 --> 00:34:50.540 This was who I was, 00:34:50.600 --> 00:34:51.820 but this is now who I am. 00:34:52.580 --> 00:34:53.680 There's the newness of life. 00:34:53.720 --> 00:34:54.520 For the old is gone, 00:34:54.580 --> 00:34:55.280 the new has come. 00:34:55.540 --> 00:34:56.160 Paul talks about 00:34:56.160 --> 00:34:57.120 that he was the old man, 00:34:57.160 --> 00:34:58.500 but now he's the new man in Christ. 00:34:58.900 --> 00:34:59.040 You see, 00:34:59.100 --> 00:34:59.700 there's a newness 00:34:59.700 --> 00:35:00.680 that's there. 00:35:01.100 --> 00:35:01.980 There's the newness 00:35:01.980 --> 00:35:02.640 that we're declaring. 00:35:03.640 --> 00:35:04.280 But then lastly, 00:35:04.420 --> 00:35:06.060 and this will conclude on this, 00:35:07.080 --> 00:35:08.400 baptism is about relationship. 00:35:09.300 --> 00:35:10.260 I love this. 00:35:10.520 --> 00:35:11.240 Matthew 3, 00:35:11.320 --> 00:35:12.160 verse 16 and 17. 00:35:12.240 --> 00:35:13.140 I want to read those 00:35:13.140 --> 00:35:14.400 again. 00:35:15.900 --> 00:35:17.420 And when Jesus was baptized, 00:35:17.560 --> 00:35:18.200 immediately he went up 00:35:18.200 --> 00:35:18.760 from the water 00:35:18.760 --> 00:35:19.280 and behold, 00:35:19.360 --> 00:35:20.560 the heavens were open to him 00:35:20.560 --> 00:35:21.820 and he saw the spirit of God 00:35:21.820 --> 00:35:23.100 descending like a dove 00:35:23.100 --> 00:35:25.180 and coming to rest on him. 00:35:25.260 --> 00:35:25.400 Now, 00:35:25.540 --> 00:35:26.460 verse 17, 00:35:26.600 --> 00:35:27.540 really quickly. 00:35:28.540 --> 00:35:30.060 Some people believe 00:35:30.060 --> 00:35:32.320 that what verse 17 says 00:35:32.320 --> 00:35:33.480 was that this was something 00:35:33.480 --> 00:35:35.340 that is internally heard by Christ, 00:35:35.480 --> 00:35:36.640 but that is not the words 00:35:36.640 --> 00:35:37.240 that are used. 00:35:37.720 --> 00:35:39.160 What this means is, 00:35:40.420 --> 00:35:42.940 maybe bad illustration, 00:35:43.060 --> 00:35:43.800 but I'm gonna use it anyways, right? 00:35:44.920 --> 00:35:46.060 Have you ever like been 00:35:46.060 --> 00:35:47.180 at a Walmart 00:35:47.180 --> 00:35:48.360 and lost your kid 00:35:48.360 --> 00:35:49.380 for a minute, right? 00:35:50.720 --> 00:35:51.540 I was the kid 00:35:51.540 --> 00:35:52.640 that was lost repeatedly. 00:35:53.360 --> 00:35:54.360 Not because my mom 00:35:54.360 --> 00:35:55.120 was irresponsible, 00:35:55.360 --> 00:35:56.880 because I like to hide, right? 00:35:56.920 --> 00:35:57.440 That's what I did. 00:35:57.940 --> 00:35:59.020 And I knew 00:35:59.020 --> 00:36:00.660 that it was okay 00:36:00.660 --> 00:36:02.880 as long as I could see her feet 00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:04.000 or hear her voice. 00:36:04.340 --> 00:36:05.520 But all of a sudden 00:36:05.520 --> 00:36:06.940 when I realized I couldn't 00:36:06.940 --> 00:36:07.520 and I heard, 00:36:08.760 --> 00:36:10.120 Bo Bradbury, 00:36:10.280 --> 00:36:11.160 would you please report 00:36:11.160 --> 00:36:11.980 to the front counter? 00:36:12.180 --> 00:36:12.760 Like I knew 00:36:12.760 --> 00:36:13.880 it was getting real then, right? 00:36:14.660 --> 00:36:15.980 I knew that I was in trouble. 00:36:16.540 --> 00:36:18.320 The voice that I could not see 00:36:18.320 --> 00:36:19.300 was now reporting 00:36:19.300 --> 00:36:20.500 of who I am 00:36:20.500 --> 00:36:21.080 and my mother 00:36:21.080 --> 00:36:22.180 was waiting for me, right? 00:36:22.580 --> 00:36:24.500 So when people read this verse, 00:36:24.580 --> 00:36:25.200 there's people that like, 00:36:25.320 --> 00:36:26.820 well, it's just a spirit thing 00:36:26.820 --> 00:36:27.380 that was felt. 00:36:28.020 --> 00:36:29.960 No, that's not 00:36:29.960 --> 00:36:30.940 what scripture tells us. 00:36:31.700 --> 00:36:32.220 Scripture says 00:36:32.220 --> 00:36:32.920 for all of those 00:36:32.920 --> 00:36:33.440 who are around, 00:36:33.540 --> 00:36:34.640 there was a voice 00:36:34.640 --> 00:36:36.200 from heaven 00:36:36.200 --> 00:36:37.540 that spoke. 00:36:38.820 --> 00:36:39.380 That said, 00:36:39.740 --> 00:36:41.220 this is my beloved son 00:36:41.220 --> 00:36:43.280 with who I am well pleased. 00:36:44.080 --> 00:36:45.220 And in that moment, 00:36:45.340 --> 00:36:46.020 God the Father 00:36:46.020 --> 00:36:47.400 is drawing the relationship 00:36:47.400 --> 00:36:48.000 between him 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:48.640 and God the Son. 00:36:50.080 --> 00:36:51.240 And that when you and I 00:36:51.240 --> 00:36:52.580 are baptized, 00:36:54.780 --> 00:36:57.520 there's so many of us 00:36:57.520 --> 00:36:58.720 who spiritually speaking 00:36:58.720 --> 00:36:59.460 are trying to be 00:36:59.460 --> 00:37:00.200 ethnic Jewish. 00:37:01.160 --> 00:37:02.420 Well, it's about somebody else 00:37:02.420 --> 00:37:02.960 and I'm just doing 00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:04.400 what I have to do. 00:37:05.580 --> 00:37:06.660 But it's about identifying 00:37:06.660 --> 00:37:07.380 I was lost 00:37:07.380 --> 00:37:08.240 and now that I'm found, 00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:09.280 I was an enemy of God 00:37:09.280 --> 00:37:10.200 but now I'm a child of God. 00:37:11.540 --> 00:37:12.880 And he's my father. 00:37:14.580 --> 00:37:15.960 And he sent his son 00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:17.200 to save me. 00:37:18.900 --> 00:37:19.860 And this baptism 00:37:19.860 --> 00:37:22.360 is letting everyone know 00:37:22.360 --> 00:37:24.240 that I was lost 00:37:24.240 --> 00:37:25.780 and now I'm found. 00:37:26.280 --> 00:37:27.720 I was a rebel 00:37:27.720 --> 00:37:29.320 but now I'm redeemed. 00:37:30.440 --> 00:37:32.700 And that he is mine 00:37:32.700 --> 00:37:34.900 and I am his. 00:37:35.760 --> 00:37:37.320 The beauty of the hope 00:37:37.320 --> 00:37:38.160 of the gospel. 00:37:39.180 --> 00:37:40.860 We're going to talk about baptism 00:37:40.860 --> 00:37:42.080 for three more weeks. 00:37:43.520 --> 00:37:45.680 What I encourage all of us 00:37:45.680 --> 00:37:46.180 to do 00:37:46.180 --> 00:37:47.740 during these three weeks, 00:37:48.480 --> 00:37:49.660 whether you're watching online, 00:37:49.860 --> 00:37:50.860 whether you're here 00:37:50.860 --> 00:37:51.680 with us on Sunday morning, 00:37:52.900 --> 00:37:53.860 is just ask yourself 00:37:53.860 --> 00:37:54.400 and evaluate. 00:37:55.740 --> 00:37:56.820 And begin with this. 00:37:58.120 --> 00:37:59.420 Not do I need 00:37:59.420 --> 00:38:00.660 to get baptized. 00:38:01.680 --> 00:38:02.500 That's important. 00:38:03.400 --> 00:38:03.880 It's important. 00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:05.720 Don't begin with that. 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:08.500 Ask yourself the question. 00:38:09.520 --> 00:38:10.400 Am I a sinner 00:38:10.400 --> 00:38:12.200 or am I a saint? 00:38:13.200 --> 00:38:14.120 Am I old 00:38:14.120 --> 00:38:15.520 or am I new? 00:38:16.200 --> 00:38:17.180 Am I lost 00:38:17.180 --> 00:38:18.420 or I'm found? 00:38:19.160 --> 00:38:20.120 Begin with the gospel. 00:38:21.180 --> 00:38:22.260 Baptism doesn't save you. 00:38:23.040 --> 00:38:23.620 Jesus does. 00:38:24.420 --> 00:38:24.960 Let's pray. 00:38:30.360 --> 00:38:31.620 Lord, we thank you so much 00:38:31.620 --> 00:38:32.980 for who you are 00:38:32.980 --> 00:38:34.620 and what you've done 00:38:34.620 --> 00:38:35.160 for us. 00:38:36.740 --> 00:38:37.480 Lord, we thank you 00:38:37.480 --> 00:38:38.560 for the beautiful picture 00:38:38.560 --> 00:38:39.540 of baptism. 00:38:41.240 --> 00:38:41.840 Lord, I thank you 00:38:41.840 --> 00:38:43.920 for the privilege 00:38:43.920 --> 00:38:45.020 that it has been 00:38:45.020 --> 00:38:48.180 for my 18 years 00:38:48.180 --> 00:38:50.380 of ministry 00:38:50.380 --> 00:38:53.840 to have the privilege 00:38:53.840 --> 00:38:55.300 of baptizing men, 00:38:56.140 --> 00:38:56.920 women, and children. 00:38:58.360 --> 00:38:59.360 Lord, I thank you 00:38:59.360 --> 00:39:00.300 that we as a church 00:39:00.300 --> 00:39:01.420 get to be a part 00:39:01.420 --> 00:39:01.880 of that. 00:39:03.100 --> 00:39:04.600 Seeing the profession 00:39:04.600 --> 00:39:05.720 that people are making. 00:39:07.060 --> 00:39:08.140 That understanding, 00:39:08.380 --> 00:39:08.460 Lord, 00:39:08.520 --> 00:39:10.340 that they're walking away 00:39:10.340 --> 00:39:11.020 from their sin 00:39:11.020 --> 00:39:13.260 and choosing to obey you 00:39:13.260 --> 00:39:13.880 with their life. 00:39:15.500 --> 00:39:16.560 Lord, they understand 00:39:16.560 --> 00:39:17.940 that the old is gone 00:39:17.940 --> 00:39:19.020 and the new has come 00:39:19.020 --> 00:39:20.820 and that they're 00:39:20.820 --> 00:39:21.760 a child of God 00:39:21.760 --> 00:39:23.500 saved 00:39:23.500 --> 00:39:25.980 by the blood 00:39:25.980 --> 00:39:26.400 of the Lamb. 00:39:42.700 --> 00:39:45.500 Lord, as we meet 00:39:45.500 --> 00:39:46.000 over the next 00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:46.760 several weeks, 00:39:48.580 --> 00:39:53.860 as we battle 00:39:53.860 --> 00:39:54.920 all that we're facing, 00:39:56.740 --> 00:39:58.780 Lord, could we remember 00:39:58.780 --> 00:39:59.800 that it is through you 00:39:59.800 --> 00:40:01.700 and you alone 00:40:01.700 --> 00:40:03.860 we have hope, 00:40:04.100 --> 00:40:04.880 meaning, and purpose. 00:40:05.920 --> 00:40:06.520 It's through you 00:40:06.520 --> 00:40:07.300 and you alone 00:40:07.300 --> 00:40:08.860 that we have life. 00:40:10.220 --> 00:40:10.840 And, Lord, 00:40:10.900 --> 00:40:11.580 it is through you 00:40:11.580 --> 00:40:12.220 and you alone 00:40:12.220 --> 00:40:14.560 that when our heart 00:40:14.560 --> 00:40:15.420 stops pumping, 00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:17.400 when our lungs 00:40:17.400 --> 00:40:18.460 stop breathing, 00:40:19.200 --> 00:40:20.620 Lord, that that is 00:40:20.620 --> 00:40:21.300 not the end, 00:40:21.980 --> 00:40:22.860 but it is simply 00:40:22.860 --> 00:40:23.340 the beginning 00:40:23.340 --> 00:40:25.480 of eternity 00:40:25.480 --> 00:40:26.000 with you. 00:40:30.700 --> 00:40:31.580 Let's in Jesus' name 00:40:31.580 --> 00:40:31.900 pray. 00:40:32.900 --> 00:40:33.260 Amen. 00:40:34.620 --> 00:40:35.260 I want to read 00:40:35.260 --> 00:40:35.700 a verse. 00:40:35.840 --> 00:40:36.580 This is a 00:40:36.580 --> 00:40:39.180 little something 00:40:39.180 --> 00:40:39.560 extra. 00:40:41.860 --> 00:40:42.780 It's the power 00:40:42.780 --> 00:40:43.340 of God 00:40:43.340 --> 00:40:45.320 to save. 00:40:47.720 --> 00:40:48.380 I feel like 00:40:48.380 --> 00:40:48.960 right now 00:40:48.960 --> 00:40:52.280 we're reminded 00:40:52.280 --> 00:40:52.900 continually 00:40:52.900 --> 00:40:53.560 about death. 00:40:55.760 --> 00:40:56.720 One of the battles 00:40:56.720 --> 00:40:57.780 that I'm talking 00:40:57.780 --> 00:40:58.700 with a lot of people, 00:40:58.780 --> 00:40:59.120 what I hear 00:40:59.120 --> 00:40:59.760 in their voice 00:40:59.760 --> 00:41:02.220 is a lack 00:41:02.220 --> 00:41:02.680 of hope. 00:41:04.620 --> 00:41:05.180 Yesterday, 00:41:05.340 --> 00:41:05.520 I was out 00:41:05.520 --> 00:41:06.120 in the backyard 00:41:06.120 --> 00:41:08.840 doing what I do. 00:41:08.900 --> 00:41:09.120 I was listening 00:41:09.120 --> 00:41:09.960 to a podcast. 00:41:12.920 --> 00:41:13.500 And a man 00:41:13.500 --> 00:41:13.880 came on 00:41:13.880 --> 00:41:14.080 and he was 00:41:14.080 --> 00:41:14.500 talking about 00:41:14.500 --> 00:41:14.800 hope 00:41:14.800 --> 00:41:16.300 and he read 00:41:16.300 --> 00:41:16.620 a verse 00:41:16.620 --> 00:41:17.180 in Revelation 00:41:17.180 --> 00:41:17.980 chapter 12 00:41:17.980 --> 00:41:18.620 verse 11. 00:41:20.760 --> 00:41:21.700 And it says 00:41:21.700 --> 00:41:22.020 this, 00:41:23.940 --> 00:41:24.920 and they have 00:41:24.920 --> 00:41:26.000 conquered him, 00:41:26.920 --> 00:41:29.660 him being Satan, 00:41:30.240 --> 00:41:31.060 they have conquered 00:41:31.060 --> 00:41:32.440 him by the blood 00:41:32.440 --> 00:41:32.980 of the Lamb 00:41:32.980 --> 00:41:33.600 and by the word 00:41:33.600 --> 00:41:34.440 of their testimony. 00:41:35.620 --> 00:41:36.340 For they love 00:41:36.340 --> 00:41:37.160 not their lives 00:41:37.160 --> 00:41:38.120 even unto death. 00:41:40.480 --> 00:41:41.720 So in death 00:41:41.720 --> 00:41:42.600 what they find 00:41:42.600 --> 00:41:43.660 is their victory. 00:41:44.400 --> 00:41:45.500 Not because of 00:41:45.500 --> 00:41:47.480 what they've done. 00:41:48.480 --> 00:41:49.460 Not because of 00:41:49.460 --> 00:41:50.500 what they've achieved. 00:41:51.140 --> 00:41:52.180 Not because of 00:41:52.180 --> 00:41:54.040 some religious act. 00:41:54.740 --> 00:41:55.720 But what it says 00:41:55.720 --> 00:41:56.580 is by 00:41:56.580 --> 00:41:57.980 by the blood 00:41:57.980 --> 00:41:58.560 of the Lamb. 00:41:59.700 --> 00:42:00.600 by the blood 00:42:00.600 --> 00:42:01.080 of the Lamb. 00:42:02.540 --> 00:42:03.360 And church, 00:42:03.460 --> 00:42:04.180 in this world, 00:42:04.760 --> 00:42:05.300 I'm going to say 00:42:05.300 --> 00:42:06.820 amen and go sit down 00:42:06.820 --> 00:42:07.060 in a minute, 00:42:07.160 --> 00:42:08.360 but in this world, 00:42:08.560 --> 00:42:09.740 can we stop 00:42:09.740 --> 00:42:11.360 being a people 00:42:11.360 --> 00:42:12.080 of no hope? 00:42:13.240 --> 00:42:14.280 Because we have hope. 00:42:15.280 --> 00:42:16.380 We have hope. 00:42:17.640 --> 00:42:18.700 Regardless of what 00:42:18.700 --> 00:42:19.140 the numbers 00:42:19.140 --> 00:42:19.900 climb to, 00:42:21.340 --> 00:42:22.120 regardless of 00:42:22.120 --> 00:42:22.840 the many 00:42:22.840 --> 00:42:23.740 that we lose, 00:42:24.740 --> 00:42:25.880 we have hope. 00:42:26.560 --> 00:42:27.920 and we have hope 00:42:27.920 --> 00:42:29.360 because of the blood 00:42:29.360 --> 00:42:29.920 of the Lamb 00:42:29.920 --> 00:42:31.460 and because of the word 00:42:31.460 --> 00:42:32.640 of our testimony. 00:42:33.060 --> 00:42:34.060 And this testimony 00:42:34.060 --> 00:42:35.380 is not what you, 00:42:35.500 --> 00:42:36.600 it's not our list 00:42:36.600 --> 00:42:37.400 of mission trips. 00:42:39.280 --> 00:42:40.440 It's not the sins 00:42:40.440 --> 00:42:40.980 we've committed, 00:42:41.560 --> 00:42:43.380 but it's the testimony 00:42:43.380 --> 00:42:45.140 that Jesus Christ 00:42:45.140 --> 00:42:46.320 has saved us. 00:42:46.420 --> 00:42:47.540 It's the gospel 00:42:47.540 --> 00:42:49.380 of Christ. 00:42:50.220 --> 00:42:50.800 Not of you 00:42:50.800 --> 00:42:51.340 or not of me. 00:42:52.840 --> 00:42:53.660 So we're going to 00:42:53.660 --> 00:42:54.460 respond 00:42:54.460 --> 00:42:55.860 in song. 00:42:55.980 --> 00:42:56.980 I love the song 00:42:56.980 --> 00:42:57.840 we're about to sing. 00:42:59.720 --> 00:43:00.740 But as we go 00:43:00.740 --> 00:43:01.240 from here, 00:43:02.160 --> 00:43:02.740 and I'll go sit down 00:43:02.740 --> 00:43:03.280 in just a second. 00:43:04.340 --> 00:43:04.920 Be a people 00:43:04.920 --> 00:43:08.140 of Revelation 12-11. 00:43:09.480 --> 00:43:10.440 They have conquered 00:43:10.440 --> 00:43:10.780 Him. 00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:12.700 Conquered all 00:43:12.700 --> 00:43:13.260 that this world 00:43:13.260 --> 00:43:14.220 can throw at us 00:43:14.220 --> 00:43:16.260 because of the blood 00:43:16.260 --> 00:43:16.740 of the Lamb 00:43:16.740 --> 00:43:18.280 and the word 00:43:18.280 --> 00:43:18.940 of their testimony. 00:43:20.120 --> 00:43:21.300 All in Christ. 00:43:22.260 --> 00:43:22.960 Would you stand 00:43:22.960 --> 00:43:24.100 and respond? 00:43:38.100 --> 00:43:39.700 Thanks again for listening 00:43:39.700 --> 00:43:40.840 to the Willow Ridge Church 00:43:40.840 --> 00:43:41.820 weekly podcast. 00:43:42.280 --> 00:43:43.140 We hope that you enjoyed 00:43:43.140 --> 00:43:44.440 listening to this week's message. 00:43:45.060 --> 00:43:46.000 If you'd like to learn more 00:43:46.000 --> 00:43:46.840 about who we are 00:43:46.840 --> 00:43:48.460 or explore additional resources, 00:43:49.060 --> 00:43:49.940 visit us online 00:43:49.940 --> 00:43:53.500 at www.willowridgechurch.com 00:43:53.500 --> 00:43:54.720 or by searching 00:43:54.720 --> 00:43:55.720 for Willow Ridge Church 00:43:55.720 --> 00:43:57.060 on Facebook and Instagram. 00:44:08.100 --> 00:44:38.080 Thank you.