WEBVTT 00:00:04.088 --> 00:00:05.490 So let's get into the message. 00:00:05.490 --> 00:00:10.044 This morning we're going to look at Acts, chapter 2, verses 37 through 42. 00:00:10.044 --> 00:00:13.413 Acts 2, verses 37 through 42. 00:00:13.413 --> 00:00:26.265 We've been studying the Scriptures from the Book of Acts and looking at the first church, the early church, and the types of things that they were involved with, that they were devoted to and really the way that they encountered God through those different things. 00:00:26.265 --> 00:00:35.636 So we talked about how the early church encountered God through the Scriptures, how they encountered God through fellowship, through the fellowship. 00:00:35.636 --> 00:00:37.661 Yeah, we got it. 00:00:37.661 --> 00:00:38.746 We're working on the mic. 00:00:38.746 --> 00:00:42.843 This is a brand new mic, so appreciate your patience as we get that thing fine tuned. 00:00:42.944 --> 00:01:06.334 In Encountering God through the Scriptures and through fellowship and this morning I have the privilege of sharing encountering God through baptism and communion, encountering God through baptism and communion Now, before you check out, these are really powerful things that God has implemented, that Jesus implemented, for the church to be involved with that are really significant. 00:01:06.334 --> 00:01:16.093 So I hope that, like I did this week as I was preparing this message, I hope that you look at this with fresh eyes and listen to it with fresh ears, amen. 00:01:16.093 --> 00:01:20.125 So let's look again at Acts, chapter 2, verses 37 through 42. 00:01:20.125 --> 00:01:29.706 Now, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles brothers, what shall we do? 00:01:29.706 --> 00:01:52.352 And Peter said to them repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promises for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord, our God, calls to himself. 00:01:52.352 --> 00:02:00.316 And with many other words, he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying save yourselves from this crooked generation. 00:02:00.316 --> 00:02:02.022 That applies, doesn't it? 00:02:02.022 --> 00:02:15.966 So those who received his word were baptized and they were added that day about 3,000 souls, and they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 00:02:15.966 --> 00:02:17.289 Let's pray together. 00:02:17.289 --> 00:02:47.388 Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, I thank you for your word that is true and is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, and I ask today that the words that you desire for me to deliver, that they'll come forth from my mouth and they'll be anointed by your spirit and they'll do the transact transactional work that needs to happen in people's minds and hearts and lives so that we all choose, by God's grace, to live out the Christianity that you've called us to live out. 00:02:47.388 --> 00:02:55.614 We thank you for this great time together and we ask that you would bless it and that you would be glorified in Jesus' name, amen. 00:02:55.614 --> 00:03:00.971 So, before my wife, this is my wife Amy, for those of you who don't know her yet. 00:03:01.513 --> 00:03:09.632 Before my wife Amy and I got married, almost 31 years ago yeah, it's been a long time we both traveled on a Christian drama team. 00:03:09.632 --> 00:03:15.294 Now, one of the things about this Christian drama team is it was a volunteer ministry. 00:03:15.294 --> 00:03:17.621 Now, what is Tennessee's big on? 00:03:17.621 --> 00:03:18.423 Volunteers, right. 00:03:18.423 --> 00:03:22.752 But what does the word volunteer mean at its simplest form? 00:03:22.752 --> 00:03:25.461 No pay. 00:03:25.461 --> 00:03:28.290 Volunteer equals no pay, right. 00:03:28.290 --> 00:03:31.419 So we traveled together on this drama team no pay. 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:41.950 And I realized that I really wanted to marry this girl, but I did not have one really remarkable, remarkable, significant object that I wanted to be a part of this experience. 00:03:41.950 --> 00:03:42.793 And what would that be? 00:03:42.793 --> 00:03:49.360 I did not have a ring, did not have a ring, and so I just said Lord, and one thing we were. 00:03:49.360 --> 00:03:51.348 We were so much in love with each other. 00:03:51.348 --> 00:03:52.615 We were very young at the time. 00:03:52.615 --> 00:03:59.920 We still love each other very much, but I could have given her just about anything, and she probably would have been content with it. 00:03:59.920 --> 00:04:06.573 Right, maybe not a ring pop, but something, something between I mean, you know what I mean. 00:04:06.573 --> 00:04:09.574 She might have looked at me and said you could do a little better than that. 00:04:09.574 --> 00:04:13.971 Right, you could have made something better than that, but anyway, no ring pop. 00:04:13.971 --> 00:04:31.689 But so I really I cried out to the Lord and said Lord, do you know how much I love this woman and I really believe that she brought her into my life and I want to show her in a powerful way, I want to give her an object of the love that I have for her, and so I'm asking you to provide a ring Now. 00:04:31.689 --> 00:04:42.372 I also said, lord, my parents are poor, I'm broke, I don't know anywhere that it's coming from, I have nowhere to turn but to you. 00:04:43.841 --> 00:04:47.194 And, remarkably, just a short period of time after that, we were staying. 00:04:47.194 --> 00:04:55.144 I was staying at a host home and the host home knew me pretty well and they actually said you're getting, you're planning to get married pretty soon, right? 00:04:55.144 --> 00:04:58.232 And I said, yeah, lord willing, planning on it. 00:04:58.232 --> 00:05:00.586 And they said, well, what about a ring? 00:05:00.586 --> 00:05:01.932 Do you have a ring? 00:05:01.932 --> 00:05:09.690 I said, well, not yet, not yet working on that and I said, oh really, well, what's, what's the plan for that? 00:05:09.690 --> 00:05:10.232 I said. 00:05:10.232 --> 00:05:14.245 I said, whatever good Christian would say, the Lord will provide. 00:05:14.245 --> 00:05:21.653 You know, I did not, I did not ask them, I did not, you know, try to make any kind of draw on them. 00:05:21.653 --> 00:05:23.019 But here's what the man said. 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:27.771 Well, my wife and I were praying and the Lord spoke to us to buy you a, an engagement ring. 00:05:27.771 --> 00:05:41.528 So it took me to the jewelry store and let me pick out the diamond, and and I had learned before that Amy loved the marquee cut and so I picked out a marquee diamond and was able to look at it under the light and all of that, and then pick out the setting for it. 00:05:41.528 --> 00:05:43.781 It was a gold setting, beautiful, beautiful. 00:05:43.781 --> 00:05:52.851 And I still do this day have no idea what the final bill was, but I know they paid for it and they handed it to me and said this is a gift from the Lord. 00:05:54.877 --> 00:06:08.345 And on December, the 24th 1992, I bent my knee, this knee here down, and I raised that ring up in my hand and I said to her will you marry me? 00:06:08.345 --> 00:06:12.112 And she said let me pray about. 00:06:12.112 --> 00:06:16.742 No, she said that would have been horrible, right? 00:06:16.742 --> 00:06:20.427 No, she said if only it was a bigger ring, right? 00:06:20.427 --> 00:06:23.675 She said no, she said yes. 00:06:23.675 --> 00:06:27.651 And the other cool thing was that she handed me her gift. 00:06:27.651 --> 00:06:29.619 This was Christmas Eve, 1992. 00:06:29.619 --> 00:06:32.505 She handed me her gift, which was this ring right here. 00:06:32.505 --> 00:06:35.512 The Lord had provided for her to buy me a ring. 00:06:35.512 --> 00:06:37.829 She was going to give it to me as a Christmas gift. 00:06:37.829 --> 00:06:41.884 I looked at it and I said do you mind if I hold onto that and use it as my wedding ring? 00:06:41.884 --> 00:06:45.555 And she said sounds good to me, absolutely. 00:06:45.555 --> 00:06:53.581 So three months later we were married and God has been faithful all of these 31 years and he will continue to be right. 00:06:53.581 --> 00:06:55.728 Cool story, really. 00:06:55.728 --> 00:06:56.569 It was true. 00:06:56.569 --> 00:06:57.793 It actually is true. 00:06:57.793 --> 00:06:58.997 It actually happened like that. 00:06:59.418 --> 00:07:03.615 But what is it about a ring that is so significant when it comes to marriage? 00:07:03.615 --> 00:07:05.500 There's something special about it. 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:08.666 It's not just an object, right, it has significance. 00:07:08.666 --> 00:07:11.653 It's a symbol, a sign and a seal. 00:07:11.653 --> 00:07:12.942 So let me just quickly. 00:07:12.942 --> 00:07:17.593 This is not a marriage message, so you can relax, it's going to be okay. 00:07:17.593 --> 00:07:20.449 It's not a marriage message, but it is. 00:07:20.449 --> 00:07:24.904 This week is Valentine's Day, so it's always good to have a little bit of a reminder, right? 00:07:24.904 --> 00:07:28.512 But a symbol is something that represents something else. 00:07:28.512 --> 00:07:30.264 So precious metals. 00:07:30.644 --> 00:07:41.702 Amy's ring is gold and it has the diamond marquee settings in it and then she has a wrap around it that has like flowers and those have little diamonds in them too, right, and she's so cute. 00:07:41.702 --> 00:07:45.812 I just looked at her and recognized again how much I loved her. 00:07:45.812 --> 00:07:48.723 So sweet. 00:07:48.723 --> 00:07:51.007 I know sometimes it's like enough. 00:07:51.007 --> 00:07:51.889 We crush you out. 00:07:51.889 --> 00:07:57.588 I'm sorry, get over it, okay, but it's a precious. 00:07:57.648 --> 00:08:01.521 The precious metals and gems symbolize the value that you have in the other person. 00:08:01.521 --> 00:08:12.541 When I gave Amy that ring with those diamonds and with that gold, what I was saying to you is you're far more precious to me and valuable than even this can represent. 00:08:12.541 --> 00:08:15.468 But this is the best I could do, right? 00:08:15.468 --> 00:08:17.192 This is what God did for us. 00:08:17.192 --> 00:08:23.218 It's also a continuous circle representing a lifelong loving marriage commitment. 00:08:23.218 --> 00:08:23.901 Have you noticed? 00:08:23.901 --> 00:08:37.565 The ring is a continuous circle and it's supposed to symbolize that this is a marriage that God, by God's grace, is going to last from now until one of us passes from this life right, and many, many years from now. 00:08:37.565 --> 00:08:39.611 That's the prayer, that's the hope. 00:08:39.611 --> 00:08:41.639 So it's also a sign. 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:43.283 It's not just a symbol, but it's a sign. 00:08:43.283 --> 00:08:46.149 It points to something or points to someone. 00:08:46.850 --> 00:08:57.788 When I look at my ring, I don't look at it and have regret, like I don't look at it and say maybe I won't wear it today, I don't look at it enough. 00:08:57.788 --> 00:09:05.398 There are times through my life when different levels of sodium in my body and things like that where it's been more difficult to wear than other times. 00:09:05.398 --> 00:09:09.451 Anybody else can relate to that, okay, but anyway. 00:09:09.451 --> 00:09:17.072 But I never think about, oh, I just don't want to wear it today or I don't like looking at it because I don't like thinking about us. 00:09:17.072 --> 00:09:19.519 Thank God that's not the issue for me. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:22.811 That doesn't even come by God's grace. 00:09:22.811 --> 00:09:24.798 It doesn't even come across my mind. 00:09:24.817 --> 00:09:27.244 When I look at my ring, it reminds me of her. 00:09:27.244 --> 00:09:34.037 It's a token that represents or symbolizes her. 00:09:34.037 --> 00:09:41.317 It points me in everyone else to the fact that I am committed to her and I'm no longer available to anyone else. 00:09:41.317 --> 00:09:46.190 I'm off the market, right, and so is she. 00:09:46.190 --> 00:09:47.975 I just want to make that clear. 00:09:47.975 --> 00:09:52.366 All right, now, proverbially and literally put her ring on it. 00:09:52.366 --> 00:09:55.437 So she is good, we're good to go. 00:09:55.437 --> 00:10:00.351 But it's also a ring as a seal, a seal of God's stamp of approval. 00:10:00.392 --> 00:10:06.802 It's interesting because you can, as Amy and I stood together on our wedding day and we exchanged vows and rings. 00:10:06.802 --> 00:10:15.568 We did it before God, because we recognize that you can have an agreement between two people, and it may or may not last. 00:10:15.568 --> 00:10:24.551 You can make an agreement or a partnership with someone else, and it may or may not last, but a covenant is something different. 00:10:24.551 --> 00:10:37.768 In order for there to be a covenant, god has to be involved in it, and so we asked God at the point of our marriage and always to bless it and to be a part of our marriage. 00:10:37.768 --> 00:10:53.650 So when I look at my ring and I think about her, all of these things together make me thankful that I'm a part of a covenant relationship with my wife and for the rest of our lives we are enjoying. 00:10:53.650 --> 00:10:58.077 In fact, we have dreams, we have plans we'd love to go to. 00:10:58.077 --> 00:10:59.259 Anyway, I'll stop. 00:10:59.259 --> 00:11:04.053 I don't want to give away all the secrets, but lots of things we'd like to do. 00:11:06.504 --> 00:11:13.893 So, in a similar way to the ring analogy, the early church had a couple of practices that were much more than just rituals or habits. 00:11:13.893 --> 00:11:26.312 They weren't just something that was to be done, because it was a tradition to do that, and we're talking about baptism and the Lord's Supper or communion Lots of different names that you can call that by. 00:11:26.312 --> 00:11:34.951 Almost all churches that consider themselves New Testament churches practice these two things baptism and communion. 00:11:34.951 --> 00:11:43.626 Okay and there, but there are many different opinions on how to practice them, what they should be called. 00:11:43.626 --> 00:11:47.355 If they're the only two, are there other things that we should do? 00:11:47.904 --> 00:11:50.873 As an example, some churches call these things sacraments. 00:11:50.873 --> 00:12:07.336 Sacraments I don't like to use that word specifically because for a lot of churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, they believe that there's something mysterious about the actual experience of participation in these things that happens in a certain way. 00:12:07.336 --> 00:12:23.397 In other words, they believe, for example, that if you are to take the bread and eat the bread of communion and then drink the cup, that the bread becomes the actual DNA body of Christ and that the blood becomes the actual DNA blood of Christ. 00:12:23.397 --> 00:12:33.054 I don't see that in scripture and I don't believe for myself and as I'm preaching to you, I don't believe that that's an accurate depiction of what this is. 00:12:33.054 --> 00:12:37.595 It doesn't mean it's not significant or important, but it's just not that. 00:12:37.595 --> 00:12:38.668 Does that make sense? 00:12:38.668 --> 00:12:47.019 So I like to call these things ordinances and a lot of New Testament churches and we'll call them that. 00:12:47.019 --> 00:13:07.626 These are ordinances because Jesus instituted them, the early church adopted them and they were practiced throughout the book of Acts, not just one time, but over and over again, and through the epistles they were written about, and also the early church fathers, after the writing of scripture, spoke to the fact that they continued in these two practices the baptism. 00:13:07.886 --> 00:13:10.374 Baptism and communion, or the Lord's supper. 00:13:10.374 --> 00:13:17.418 Most people in the group that I belong to would look at baptism and communion more as commemorative. 00:13:17.418 --> 00:13:24.234 In other words, we're commemorating, we're remembering, we're celebrating, we're being thankful for something that has occurred. 00:13:24.234 --> 00:13:32.592 Right, and that's a big part of what it is, instead of it being redemptive in and of itself. 00:13:32.592 --> 00:13:42.645 Some people believe that, actually, when you're baptized, that that is your point of salvation and that you cannot be a Christian unless you're baptized Again. 00:13:42.645 --> 00:13:46.874 I just don't see that in scripture and that's not the practice that we adhere to here. 00:13:46.874 --> 00:13:47.414 Right? 00:13:47.414 --> 00:13:48.057 Does that make sense? 00:13:48.057 --> 00:14:02.735 There's a distinct difference between commemorating something, enjoying it, practicing it because we've been commanded to do so, and believing that those the doing of these things is where the actual miracle happens Make sense. 00:14:02.735 --> 00:14:14.181 Yeah, so let's look at baptism quickly, and we'll start with that Encountering God through baptism as the crowd of people on the day of Pentecost were listening to Peter Sermon. 00:14:14.783 --> 00:14:16.791 Remember, these are people from all over the known world. 00:14:16.791 --> 00:14:21.576 They'd heard the gospel being preached in their own language as people spoke in tongues. 00:14:21.576 --> 00:14:30.755 After they were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they stopped the sermon, they cried out and they said what do we need to do to be saved? 00:14:30.755 --> 00:14:32.989 And Peter said repent. 00:14:32.989 --> 00:14:40.910 Now, the word repent infers belief, because why would you change your mind about one thing unless you change it to something else? 00:14:40.910 --> 00:14:45.315 So to repent of something means to believe something different, right. 00:14:45.315 --> 00:14:49.034 So to repent and believe and be baptized. 00:14:49.034 --> 00:14:51.770 It's not a suggestion or recommendation. 00:14:51.770 --> 00:14:53.875 It was something that was practiced. 00:14:54.524 --> 00:14:57.332 So you can imagine how many of you saw the Jesus Revolution movie. 00:14:57.332 --> 00:15:20.270 It was the story of the move of the Holy Spirit that happened during the Jesus movement, and one of the things that was so special about watching that movie and the kind of reenactment of what happened is all of these people who were looking for answers and looking for God in so many different places and ways, and Jesus began to reveal himself to them and they began to believe in Jesus. 00:15:20.270 --> 00:15:32.366 And then, all of a sudden, they would just show up at this beach, hundreds and hundreds of them, and people would go out into the water and they would baptize one after another, after another, and can you imagine? 00:15:32.366 --> 00:15:41.270 It just went on and on and on, and that's what the experience was like on this first day of the early church 3,000 people got baptized. 00:15:41.270 --> 00:15:43.015 That's awesome. 00:15:43.586 --> 00:15:44.610 I wish that I could have been there. 00:15:44.610 --> 00:15:54.033 I wish sometimes that we could go back and that we could watch, you know, like the huge, just I don't know what you would call it, but the huge screen. 00:15:54.033 --> 00:15:54.855 That could be possible. 00:15:54.855 --> 00:15:57.832 Maybe when we get to heaven we'll get to watch all these things back. 00:15:57.832 --> 00:15:58.274 I don't know. 00:15:58.274 --> 00:16:06.615 We probably won't even be concerned about it at that point in time, because we'll see Jesus and once we see Jesus, none of the rest of it really matters, right? 00:16:06.615 --> 00:16:11.835 So the next thing is that Jesus experienced baptism. 00:16:11.835 --> 00:16:14.571 Jesus himself experienced baptism. 00:16:15.304 --> 00:16:27.692 Remember, as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Jordan River, his cousin, john the Baptist, had been baptizing people and he looks over at Jesus and he says behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:16:27.692 --> 00:16:30.349 Amazing statement, right? 00:16:30.349 --> 00:16:34.934 And then, sometime later, jesus comes to John and says John, baptize me. 00:16:34.934 --> 00:16:38.933 And John, of course, looks at Jesus and says no way. 00:16:38.933 --> 00:16:42.389 No, sir, I need to be baptized by you. 00:16:42.389 --> 00:16:43.994 And you're asking me to baptize you? 00:16:43.994 --> 00:16:45.788 No way, can't do that. 00:16:46.365 --> 00:16:51.216 Then Jesus said it must be done in order to fulfill the law, to fulfill the commandments. 00:16:51.216 --> 00:16:59.149 And so then John baptized Jesus, and the story is picked up in Matthew, chapter three, verses 16 and 17. 00:16:59.149 --> 00:17:10.967 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water and behold, the heavens were open to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. 00:17:10.967 --> 00:17:18.717 And behold, a voice from heaven said this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. 00:17:18.717 --> 00:17:23.290 What a powerful description of Jesus. 00:17:23.290 --> 00:17:37.655 Before he ever performed a sign or a wonder or miracle, before he ever preached a great sermon or chose any followers, the father, his father, said to him this is my son, in whom I am well pleased. 00:17:37.655 --> 00:17:52.155 Now, jesus was the only one ever born on this planet who actually didn't need to be baptized, and yet he chose to be baptized to fulfill the law, but also as an example to us. 00:17:52.155 --> 00:17:57.154 As an example to us, in fact, christ commands Christians to be baptized. 00:17:57.224 --> 00:18:00.794 A few weeks ago, neil did a great message on this from Matthew 28,. 00:18:00.794 --> 00:18:02.405 Verses 18 through 20,. 00:18:02.405 --> 00:18:17.394 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. 00:18:17.394 --> 00:18:18.758 What are we supposed to do? 00:18:18.758 --> 00:18:23.193 We're supposed to make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Lord. 00:18:23.193 --> 00:18:27.573 So here's the statement I want you to walk away with from baptism. 00:18:27.573 --> 00:18:36.632 It should be the experience of any person who lives beyond their moment of conversion to obey the command of Scripture to be baptized. 00:18:36.632 --> 00:18:51.990 So if you accept Jesus Christ and you're still living and breathing and you have life left in you and you're able to, if you're able to, it would be really, it's really important that you are water baptized. 00:18:52.392 --> 00:18:55.271 Okay, now we know there's an exception to this clause. 00:18:55.271 --> 00:18:56.094 And what is it? 00:18:56.094 --> 00:19:02.438 You can think of the story, the thief on the cross who said Jesus, don't forget me. 00:19:02.438 --> 00:19:06.275 And Jesus said today you will be with me in paradise. 00:19:06.275 --> 00:19:12.317 That man did not have time between that moment and his death to be able to be baptized. 00:19:12.317 --> 00:19:13.650 And yet what did Jesus do? 00:19:13.650 --> 00:19:17.454 He welcomed him into his kingdom, right? 00:19:17.454 --> 00:19:26.113 So it's not something that God will hold people in judgment over, but it is something that we should want to do and that we should do. 00:19:26.113 --> 00:19:28.570 So let's go through, like we did with the ring. 00:19:28.984 --> 00:19:30.651 First of all, baptism is a symbol. 00:19:30.651 --> 00:19:37.983 The water of baptism symbolizes what Cleansing, cleansing, cleansing. 00:19:37.983 --> 00:19:38.987 What does water do? 00:19:38.987 --> 00:19:42.135 It washes, it, cleanses Right. 00:19:42.135 --> 00:19:57.994 And also another thing that is a symbol is the fact that immersion being lowered into the water, being covered by water, illustrates Christ's death, burial and then coming up out of the water represents what His resurrection, amen. 00:19:57.994 --> 00:20:04.836 So baptism is an outward expression that symbolizes what has happened inwardly, when we are born again. 00:20:04.836 --> 00:20:06.407 It's a powerful thing. 00:20:07.565 --> 00:20:08.710 Baptism is not just a signal, though. 00:20:08.710 --> 00:20:09.648 It's also a sign. 00:20:09.648 --> 00:20:12.672 It demonstrates that I'm a believer in Jesus. 00:20:12.672 --> 00:20:20.457 It says to the world around me I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I'm not ashamed of it. 00:20:20.457 --> 00:20:24.372 Baptism don't get it wrong. 00:20:24.372 --> 00:20:30.497 Baptism does not make you a Christian, but it shows that you're a Christian Right. 00:20:30.497 --> 00:20:33.894 It proves to the world around that you are a Christian. 00:20:33.894 --> 00:20:40.250 It's a commitment to Christ based on the fact that he's drawn you to himself by the Holy Spirit that saves you. 00:20:40.250 --> 00:20:42.133 None of us can save ourselves. 00:20:42.133 --> 00:20:44.669 None of us can save ourselves. 00:20:44.669 --> 00:20:53.773 Only Jesus can do that and he uses the Holy Spirit to awaken us to the fact that we need to repent and believe on Jesus so that we can be saved. 00:20:53.773 --> 00:21:00.176 But baptism says to the world I am not ashamed to tell the whole world what's happened to me. 00:21:00.176 --> 00:21:04.315 I've given my life to Jesus Christ. 00:21:04.315 --> 00:21:07.838 Now, how many times does a person need to be baptized? 00:21:07.838 --> 00:21:18.176 I'll say once, but with an explanation Once, as long as it's after they have become a believer in Jesus Christ. 00:21:18.785 --> 00:21:26.531 There are some churches that sprinkle children or sprinkle babies, or baptize people before they become actual followers of Jesus. 00:21:26.531 --> 00:21:30.535 I don't believe that, that I understand the concept of it. 00:21:30.535 --> 00:21:36.415 I don't believe that the scripture teaches that that does much except for get them wet. 00:21:36.415 --> 00:21:49.585 Okay, so just being honest, just being real, but after salvation, after conversion, being baptized like Jesus was and like he's commanded us to, is really significant. 00:21:49.585 --> 00:21:50.890 I encourage people to do it. 00:21:50.890 --> 00:21:53.792 It also illustrates my new life as a Christian. 00:21:53.924 --> 00:22:00.067 Second Corinthians, 5.17, says this means that anyone who belongs to Christ has becomea new person. 00:22:00.067 --> 00:22:12.710 The old life is gone and a new life has begun, and any of you remember that old life, that old life that's gone, and now you're recognizing the new life that has begun. 00:22:12.710 --> 00:22:20.434 Baptism is one of the great ways to illustrate that it does not produce salvation, but it expresses that a new birth has occurred. 00:22:20.434 --> 00:22:22.530 And finally, baptism is a seal. 00:22:22.530 --> 00:22:25.912 It represents our union with Christ. 00:22:25.912 --> 00:22:29.334 You realize that we've been made one with Christ. 00:22:29.334 --> 00:22:31.452 That's incredible. 00:22:31.452 --> 00:22:35.096 I can't even imagine or fathom the entirety of what that means. 00:22:35.096 --> 00:22:36.970 We are in him and he is in us. 00:22:36.970 --> 00:22:40.189 Romans 6, verses 3 through 5,. 00:22:40.249 --> 00:22:42.496 Try to give us some understanding. 00:22:42.496 --> 00:22:47.926 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 00:22:47.926 --> 00:22:59.396 We were buried, therefore, with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life? 00:22:59.396 --> 00:23:08.519 Or, if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:34.038 How many of you know that there will be a day and a time when Jesus will return and when he does this, ankle, this knee and the rest of everything that's broken about me and the rest of all of us is going to be completely made whole and we're going to live forever and ever with Jesus who ruling and reigning over all forever. 00:23:34.038 --> 00:23:35.627 That's good news. 00:23:37.105 --> 00:23:42.930 The other thing that's a seal about baptism is that being filled with the Spirit often occurs at baptism. 00:23:42.930 --> 00:23:55.696 I have many times experienced either by baptizing other people or observing where people go into the water and they come out filled with inexpressible joy, a song of praise that's on their heart. 00:23:55.696 --> 00:23:59.974 Sometimes a heavenly prayer language is given to them and they begin to speak in tongues. 00:23:59.974 --> 00:24:03.834 Other times people begin to prophesy the Word of God. 00:24:03.834 --> 00:24:07.535 I have seen children burst out in tears. 00:24:07.535 --> 00:24:13.396 I've seen so many different experiences that people have had in the waters of baptism. 00:24:14.265 --> 00:24:27.433 In Matthew, chapter 3, verse 11, john the Baptist again is speaking of Jesus I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, who sandals I'm not worthy to carry. 00:24:27.433 --> 00:24:31.513 He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 00:24:31.513 --> 00:24:37.477 Jesus came to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. 00:24:37.477 --> 00:24:40.773 He wants us to be filled with the Spirit of God. 00:24:40.773 --> 00:24:48.292 One of the things that caused the church to be what it was was the fact that they were filled with the Spirit of God. 00:24:49.585 --> 00:24:54.266 One of the things we do at TCC is, when we baptize people, we don't wait, we pray right. 00:24:54.266 --> 00:25:09.593 Then, father, fill this person completely and totally with your Holy Spirit, give them every gift that you want to give them, unleash all of the strategy and plans that you have for them and cause the fruit of the Spirit to be developed and grow within their lives. 00:25:09.593 --> 00:25:25.846 We got to be praying for people to be filled with the Spirit, but here's the reality the water of baptism isn't miraculous, unlike I'm sorry for Carrie Underwood and her beautiful song about there's something in the water. 00:25:25.846 --> 00:25:44.575 The water itself is not miraculous, but the one who calls us to join him in the water is Jesus we're going to find in the water, is Jesus who's calling us and saying come, follow me, follow me. 00:25:44.575 --> 00:25:48.313 What a beautiful scenario that God set up this. 00:25:48.313 --> 00:25:52.516 I don't know about you, but I'm not just a learner by hearing or by reading. 00:25:52.516 --> 00:26:02.367 I like to observe, I like to experience, and so the fact that God created this means for us to be able to experience, just even in a symbolic way. 00:26:02.367 --> 00:26:09.519 To get to experience what this all means for our lives is a powerful thing. 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:25.472 So, finally, moving on to encountering God through communion to the Lord's Supper, the Book of Acts Church practiced the Lord's Supper and communion regularly, regularly described in the Acts 2 passage as the breaking of bread. 00:26:26.025 --> 00:26:39.445 So this would have been done like this the early church would have had open meetings in Solomon's Portico, which was an outdoor space outside of the temple proper, and as they would, peter whoever it was that was on the docket to get up and speak that day. 00:26:39.445 --> 00:26:44.869 As they would get up and preach, there would be some that were in the crowd who did not yet know Jesus. 00:26:44.869 --> 00:26:55.291 There would be others who are already followers of Jesus but were maybe from out of town, and then there's a third category of people that were followers of Jesus and who were a part of the church of Jerusalem. 00:26:55.291 --> 00:26:59.473 So there would be this public declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:26:59.473 --> 00:27:25.911 People would have a chance to respond to the gospel based on the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and then after that there would be a separate fellowship meal that would be held for those who are part of the Christian community already in Jerusalem, and as a part of that fellowship meal they would partake of the breaking of bread and the passing of the cup, right Communion or the Lord's Supper. 00:27:25.911 --> 00:27:27.316 That's what they would do. 00:27:27.316 --> 00:27:28.910 They would practice it like that. 00:27:28.910 --> 00:27:30.008 So it was actually a part. 00:27:30.008 --> 00:27:39.526 Traditionally, it was a part of a larger meal, a larger feast, and it was intended for those who were already Christians and who were a part of the local church. 00:27:41.224 --> 00:27:47.093 So Jesus instituted communion, and the Lord's Supper Wasn't the church's first church's idea, it was his idea. 00:27:47.093 --> 00:27:50.053 Remember, jesus is in Jerusalem with his disciples. 00:27:50.053 --> 00:27:59.895 He's just a few hours away from the passion, from his time of suffering and being led to the cross, dying the death that he died and then being raised from the dead. 00:27:59.895 --> 00:28:02.271 He institutes the practice of communion. 00:28:02.271 --> 00:28:08.867 Can you imagine in your mind again a picture, a mental image of what this might have been while the Last Supper? 00:28:08.867 --> 00:28:13.244 If you've ever seen an artist's interpretation of that, that's the idea. 00:28:13.244 --> 00:28:23.556 Of course it wouldn't be, as I think Jesus was a little more manly than the way that some of those artistic interpretations make him look. 00:28:23.556 --> 00:28:32.192 But that's just me personally, so you don't have to write that down on your notes or send that out on Instagram, but that's my personal thoughts. 00:28:32.192 --> 00:28:36.474 So, but anyway, put yourself in the mind of that being in that room. 00:28:37.464 --> 00:28:44.589 Jesus is sitting there amongst his 12, one of them getting ready to betray him, another getting ready to deny him. 00:28:44.589 --> 00:28:46.510 And what does Jesus do? 00:28:46.510 --> 00:28:52.692 He takes a loaf of bread and he breaks it and he gives thanks for it and he distributes it to them. 00:28:52.692 --> 00:29:12.788 And Paul says this to describe it, for I receive from the Lord what I have also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said this is my body, which is for you. 00:29:12.788 --> 00:29:15.946 Do this in remembrance of me. 00:29:15.946 --> 00:29:32.346 Now, just to stop there for a minute, one of the reasons that I don't believe that the bread and the cup actually become the body and the blood of Jesus is Jesus was in the room physically giving them this bread and then saying that we should do the same following. 00:29:32.346 --> 00:29:33.603 They were not like. 00:29:33.603 --> 00:29:43.347 I don't mean to be grotesque, but it was actual bread and actual drink that they were partaking of, not the actual body and blood of Jesus. 00:29:43.347 --> 00:29:45.645 Do this in remembrance of me. 00:29:45.645 --> 00:29:51.342 In the same way also, he took the cup after supper, saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood. 00:29:51.342 --> 00:30:02.528 Do this as often as you drink it and remember it should be, for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 00:30:03.451 --> 00:30:08.385 Wow, now there's lots of different names that people call this ordinance. 00:30:08.385 --> 00:30:13.085 You could call it the Lord's table, the Lord's supper, some people call it the Eucharist. 00:30:13.085 --> 00:30:15.105 Don't get hung up on the name. 00:30:15.105 --> 00:30:19.925 Get hung up on what's really important about this and why Jesus commanded us to do it. 00:30:19.925 --> 00:30:23.709 So Jesus commands believers to partake in communion. 00:30:23.709 --> 00:30:28.568 He didn't say if you feel like it or if you wanna add it to your service, then do this. 00:30:28.568 --> 00:30:31.689 He says do this in remembrance of me. 00:30:31.689 --> 00:30:33.785 It's not a suggestion, it's a command. 00:30:33.785 --> 00:30:36.824 Right, so let's talk again. 00:30:36.844 --> 00:30:40.247 We'll finish with the three, like the ring, the three parts of communion. 00:30:40.247 --> 00:30:42.006 Communion, first of all, is a symbol. 00:30:42.006 --> 00:30:44.386 What does the broken bread represent? 00:30:44.386 --> 00:30:50.705 Yes, the broken bread represents the broken body of Jesus Christ, that's right. 00:30:50.705 --> 00:30:53.487 And the cup represents what? 00:30:53.487 --> 00:30:56.267 The blood of Jesus that was poured out. 00:30:56.267 --> 00:31:05.529 So communion helps us to look backward to the sacrifice of Jesus and never forget the awful price that was paid. 00:31:05.529 --> 00:31:17.351 I don't know about you, but I really try to focus in on the fact that it should have been me, I should have been the one, and yet Jesus did it in my place. 00:31:17.351 --> 00:31:19.665 Secondly, communion is a sign. 00:31:19.665 --> 00:31:21.503 What is it a sign of? 00:31:21.503 --> 00:31:25.369 It highlights the fact that the work of Jesus is finished. 00:31:25.369 --> 00:31:29.428 It's finished once and for all. 00:31:29.428 --> 00:31:30.261 It's done. 00:31:30.261 --> 00:31:33.431 No more need for anything else to be added to it. 00:31:33.431 --> 00:31:39.626 I love one of the songs that was sung this morning we may not win every battle, but he's already won the war. 00:31:39.626 --> 00:31:43.048 Come on, it is finished. 00:31:43.048 --> 00:31:47.391 The work of Jesus is finished. 00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:53.506 It also shows us that Jesus's motivation was love for his father and for us. 00:31:53.506 --> 00:31:55.086 Why did he do the things that he did? 00:31:55.086 --> 00:31:58.529 Why did he allow himself to be tortured like he was? 00:31:58.529 --> 00:32:10.785 It was out of his love for his father and his desire to restore relationship between the father that he loved and the creation that they both together had helped to create. 00:32:10.785 --> 00:32:17.250 Remember, last week we talked about fellowship and the vertical and the horizontal relationship with God. 00:32:17.250 --> 00:32:30.631 His fellowship with his father led him to the point to where he loved the creation of God, the children of God, in such a way that he wanted to pour out his love for them and for us. 00:32:30.631 --> 00:32:47.930 Imagine as Jesus is hanging there on the cross and he's holding himself together the best that he possibly can, and the father is silent and Jesus, it says, for the joy that was set before him. 00:32:47.930 --> 00:32:51.448 He endured the cross and the suffering and the shame. 00:32:51.448 --> 00:32:53.223 What was that joy. 00:32:53.223 --> 00:33:01.325 It was the joy of his heavenly father's great reception, receiving him back into glory and placing him at the right hand of the father. 00:33:01.325 --> 00:33:27.211 Partly it was also the joy of looking 2000 years in the history into Knoxville, tennessee, and seeing a church called Trinity Community Church with a few hundred people sitting around on a Sunday enjoying his presence and enjoying the company of other believers and partaking together of the communion that represents the price that was paid. 00:33:29.700 --> 00:33:31.887 Communion again should point us to the heart of God. 00:33:31.887 --> 00:33:34.507 The last thing is communion is a seal. 00:33:34.507 --> 00:33:36.425 It's a seal. 00:33:36.425 --> 00:33:39.548 It represents, just like baptism, our union with Christ. 00:33:39.548 --> 00:33:41.863 That's powerful. 00:33:41.863 --> 00:33:47.626 It also signifies the union of believers with one another as we are one body in Christ. 00:33:47.626 --> 00:33:56.468 One of the blessed things about taking communion together in a setting like this is that we're recognizing that we're a part of a larger body of Christ. 00:33:56.619 --> 00:34:07.128 And today we have the blessing of having Randy here from parts unknown I don't know if you're allowed to say or not that he's from Russia and he's here. 00:34:07.128 --> 00:34:10.943 He's from America, he's from parts, all parts, but he's here with us. 00:34:10.943 --> 00:34:14.907 This morning we had Phil Adams in the first service here from France. 00:34:14.907 --> 00:34:25.545 So people from all over the world right and all gathered together in one place, partaking of communion, together, representing the body of Christ. 00:34:25.545 --> 00:34:26.903 What a powerful thing. 00:34:26.903 --> 00:34:45.411 You see, my friends, communion reminds us that Jesus will come again, not as the suffering servant, but as the conquering king, and so we look backward and we look forward to that day. 00:34:46.260 --> 00:34:50.570 And, by the way, the last supper that's misstated. 00:34:50.570 --> 00:34:52.746 There's gonna be another supper. 00:34:52.746 --> 00:35:20.047 There's gonna be another supper where every tribe, every nation, every people, every tongue, every person on the face of the that's ever lived, on the face of this planet that put their faith and hope and trust in Jesus Christ, we will gather together and the Lord Jesus himself will once again pick up the bread and break the bread and distribute it, and he'll pour the cup and we'll drink from the cup. 00:35:20.047 --> 00:35:32.224 Wow, as we conclude this, we must approach communion with holy reverence. 00:35:32.224 --> 00:35:45.989 1 Corinthians, 11, 27 through 29, says whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 00:35:45.989 --> 00:35:59.748 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup, for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 00:35:59.748 --> 00:36:01.702 That's heavy. 00:36:01.702 --> 00:36:04.670 That's heavy. 00:36:07.079 --> 00:36:13.771 Baptism and communion are two things that you do not want to pretend to be a Christian while doing. 00:36:13.771 --> 00:36:17.543 This is not a game. 00:36:17.543 --> 00:36:20.706 This is very serious to God. 00:36:20.706 --> 00:36:24.025 It's not because I've made this up or because it's my plan. 00:36:24.025 --> 00:36:34.231 This is very important to God and he's established this as a covenantal right, as something that's a part of being a part of the family of God. 00:36:34.231 --> 00:36:46.498 We get to enjoy this and celebrate together, and it's something special and unique and it's not to be enjoyed by those who do not yet know Jesus. 00:36:46.498 --> 00:36:54.603 Now, if you're here in this room or you're listening at home and you want to take communion this morning, you don't yet know Jesus. 00:36:54.603 --> 00:36:57.224 The Holy Spirit's leading you right now. 00:36:57.224 --> 00:37:14.126 Talk to the Lord, confess your sin to him, acknowledge your need for a savior and believe on Jesus, and this could be your very first communion that you partake in that is based on the fact that you're in right relationship with God. 00:37:14.126 --> 00:37:15.643 We'd love for that to happen. 00:37:15.643 --> 00:37:18.210 That's one category. 00:37:18.340 --> 00:37:36.125 Another category to consider is this I had to repent this week to the Lord because I haven't always taken communion as seriously as I need to. 00:37:36.125 --> 00:37:57.246 Sometimes it does become kind of like a ritual or something that we're doing just because it's a part of the service and we do it on the first of every month and this is just something we do and it's something we have to a lot time for, and I need to restrict my sermon length and we need to make sure the songs are not too long and the announcements and all of that stuff. 00:37:57.246 --> 00:37:59.206 We need to create space and room for this. 00:37:59.206 --> 00:38:11.907 But even more than all of that, just in my own heart, do I really take the time as I'm partaking of this great grace gift that God has given us? 00:38:11.907 --> 00:38:15.327 Am I really considering what it's about? 00:38:15.327 --> 00:38:20.326 So I want to take us through a practice this morning as we get ready to take communion together. 00:38:20.326 --> 00:38:29.563 If you did not receive the communion cups this morning, if you raised your hand, we'll be glad to bring you one right now and make sure you get one. 00:38:29.563 --> 00:38:33.041 Okay, there's a few hands Now. 00:38:33.661 --> 00:38:39.467 Another thing is that sometimes it feels like we spend more time worrying about how to open these things. 00:38:39.467 --> 00:38:43.686 If I'm being honest, then really considering what this is a pallet. 00:38:43.686 --> 00:38:50.485 So let's not let that become an encumbrance or a hindrance to how special this really is. 00:38:50.485 --> 00:38:53.385 So I have a couple of around this side. 00:38:53.385 --> 00:38:55.367 They're meeting elements. 00:38:55.367 --> 00:39:03.907 So the first thing we're gonna do together this morning ask the band to come on in. 00:39:05.199 --> 00:39:07.067 First thing we're gonna do is examine ourselves. 00:39:07.067 --> 00:39:12.467 That's what the scripture teaches examine yourself, and what does it mean to examine myself? 00:39:12.467 --> 00:39:24.108 What I try to do is ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any unrepentant that's, the key unrepentant areas in my life that may not be pleasing to God. 00:39:24.108 --> 00:39:27.028 Now here's what Satan will do in this moment. 00:39:27.028 --> 00:39:35.179 If you let him, he'll bring up every sin that you've ever committed and that you've already repented for and try to get you to focus on all of that. 00:39:35.987 --> 00:39:37.320 That's not what this time is about. 00:39:37.320 --> 00:39:48.106 How many of you know, once those sins have been forgiven and covered over by the blood of Jesus, they have been cast into the sea of forgetfulness as far as the east is from the west. 00:39:48.106 --> 00:39:53.389 They have no more place and they carry no more weight in your life. 00:39:53.389 --> 00:40:01.326 So it's not about all of the list of things from 51 years of living. 00:40:01.326 --> 00:40:08.695 It's about Lord, is there an area of my heart right now that I've got closed off to you or to other people? 00:40:08.695 --> 00:40:17.351 Am I disappointed in some way with the fact that you're not moving at the speed that I'd like you to move in my life? 00:40:17.351 --> 00:40:24.251 Am I holding unforgiveness without even maybe, recognizing it? 00:40:24.251 --> 00:40:27.965 Lord, show me, show me my heart, show me. 00:40:27.965 --> 00:40:31.936 Oh, lord, search, search me, show me. 00:40:31.936 --> 00:40:39.173 And then I just take a few minutes to between you and the Lord, between us and the Lord. 00:40:39.173 --> 00:40:45.255 Let's consider this a holy moment and let's begin to ask Him to reveal to us those areas. 00:40:45.255 --> 00:40:47.713 Okay, again, don't listen to the lies of the enemy. 00:40:47.713 --> 00:41:04.795 Just maybe a few things that pop into your head Some heart motivation, some attitude, some words that have been spoken, maybe even some shows you've been watching on TV that really just don't need to be watched. 00:41:04.795 --> 00:41:09.588 Whatever the case is, this is a holy moment between you and God. 00:41:09.588 --> 00:41:23.829 Lord, we do ask you, by your precious Holy Spirit, to reveal to us the areas of our life that we are living with unrepentant sin. 00:41:23.829 --> 00:41:29.226 In the mighty name of Jesus, we ask you, lord, god, show us now. 00:41:29.226 --> 00:41:30.431 We listen for your voice. 00:41:30.431 --> 00:41:34.072 We thank you, lord, that you don't speak words of condemnation. 00:41:34.072 --> 00:41:39.351 You speak words of healing and forgiveness, and redemption and restoration. 00:41:39.351 --> 00:41:47.291 So, lord, if you bring these things up, we know that the whole reason is because you want to bring about forgiveness and change. 00:41:47.291 --> 00:41:50.210 We listen for you now. 00:41:50.210 --> 00:42:36.094 Music Maybe you had a person pop up in your head, is it possible that you need to forgive them? 00:42:38.889 --> 00:42:41.757