SPEAKER_00: You're listening to the road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.
SPEAKER_01: So, in the context of us being in rebellion to God, and everyone else just room R, God gave us baptism.
SPEAKER_01: And that baptism doesn't save us, but baptism is a public declaration of a private decision that you've made to become a Jesus follower.
SPEAKER_00: At The Road, our mission is to empower people to change the world.
SPEAKER_00: For more information on the road, visit theroad.org.
SPEAKER_00: We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.
SPEAKER_01: Alright, Matthew 28, 18 through 20.
SPEAKER_01: Don't turn to it.
SPEAKER_01: Don't turn to it yet.
SPEAKER_01: This is the commission of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: This is the last words to his disciples, we believe, in Matthew 28.
SPEAKER_01: It's called the Great Commission.
SPEAKER_01: Commission is the idea of co-together mission.
SPEAKER_01: So we're on a mission together, and he says, Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_01: That's what we're doing today.
SPEAKER_01: Today's kind of a baptism Sunday.
SPEAKER_01: There's too many of them.
SPEAKER_01: And we have some big guys that got baptized in the first service.
SPEAKER_01: Look at this, look at this flow of water.
SPEAKER_01: It's like this is 11 mile, and this is 11 mile canyon, you know, coming right up through here.
SPEAKER_01: But we had a couple big guys.
SPEAKER_01: One guy was like six foot hundred, and he came back, man, and it was a tidal wave over the top.
SPEAKER_01: And so, um, yeah, so we're supposed to baptize.
SPEAKER_01: It's part of the co-mission.
SPEAKER_01: It's what we do.
SPEAKER_01: We baptize in the name of Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_01: In Acts, the early church, they were baptized after they got saved, almost immediately.
SPEAKER_01: And there's a day coming at the road, but we're just gonna keep these up here.
SPEAKER_01: Because so many people are gonna come to know Christ that they're gonna get baptized that same day and they're gonna be lined up to get baptized.
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be, it's it's gonna come.
SPEAKER_01: There's a day coming like that.
SPEAKER_01: And so, and so baptism was not our idea.
SPEAKER_01: It's God's idea.
SPEAKER_01: And it was a part of the Jewish nation even before Christianity began to flourish out of the Jewish nation, in that Gentiles or non-Jews who became Jews and were circumcised did a baptism.
SPEAKER_01: So it's been a part of the tradition for many, many years before Christ, that was a part of Judaism.
SPEAKER_01: So what we're doing is we're following in that because Jesus commanded us to.
SPEAKER_01: So turn in your Bibles to Romans 6.
SPEAKER_01: And I just wanted to quickly look at what I think is the seminal passage in the New Testament about baptism.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm talking about a new identity.
SPEAKER_01: So that would be my rubric for today, would be that there's a new identity through baptism.
SPEAKER_01: When I began to pray for people, and you guys on the ministry team, and staff, and pastors and leaders, and if you're a table leader at uh all uh wholehearted men, if you're a part of any leadership in our church, I welcome you to come up and pray for people.
SPEAKER_01: But when I prayed for several people, one particular man right here in the middle, I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me that through baptism, this individual, and there was about three like this, so three individuals that I prayed for, God was going to break the power of shame through baptism.
SPEAKER_01: Now, we experience shame at all kinds of different levels.
SPEAKER_01: Everybody does.
SPEAKER_01: It's part of being a sinner, and that's really where we pick it up in verse 1 of Romans 6.
SPEAKER_01: So, what shall we say then?
SPEAKER_01: Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
SPEAKER_01: Now he's talking about an argument that he had in chapter 5.
SPEAKER_01: I won't go into that because of the shortness of our time.
SPEAKER_01: Certainly not.
SPEAKER_01: How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
SPEAKER_01: So the deal is that every one of us were born with bad blood.
SPEAKER_01: You all have bad blood.
SPEAKER_01: Just like AIDS, or just like cancer, you have bad blood.
SPEAKER_01: The disease is in the blood.
SPEAKER_01: The disease is who you are, and it came from Adam and Eve.
SPEAKER_01: So we're sinners.
SPEAKER_01: And if you have any doubt about that, have kids.
SPEAKER_01: And uh, you don't have to teach a kid to steal from his brother or sister.
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to teach a kid to, now I want you, whenever you have a discussion, because I know you'd never have an argument, but whenever you have a discussion, I want to teach you how to wonk them on the head with a toy.
SPEAKER_01: Right?
SPEAKER_01: Wrong.
SPEAKER_01: So you're sinners, you know, and and so we just have that natural bent.
SPEAKER_01: But what we have to do is we're trying to train sin out of them.
SPEAKER_01: Because it's already in them.
SPEAKER_01: So we've got this bad blood problem, and it's called sin.
SPEAKER_01: So in the context of us being in rebellion to God, and everyone else in this room are, God gave us baptism.
SPEAKER_01: And that baptism doesn't save us, but baptism is a public declaration of a private decision that you've made to become a Jesus follower.
SPEAKER_01: Now, in some churches, uh some Christian churches, they teach that baptism saves.
SPEAKER_01: We don't at the road believe that.
SPEAKER_01: We believe it is a reflection of already being saved.
SPEAKER_01: So it's it's it's symbolic, but it's more than that.
SPEAKER_01: So in some, how many come out of a Baptist background?
SPEAKER_01: Some kind of either Southern Baptist or Northern Baptist, okay.
SPEAKER_01: The Baptists teach, most Baptists teach, that Baptism is symbolic only.
SPEAKER_01: But I'm a Lutheran by background.
SPEAKER_01: So I bring my Lutheranism in and my Baptist background too, in that I believe it is symbolic and that has supernatural power on it.
SPEAKER_01: That there's something supernatural, let me say, I think there's two ordinances, church, there's a there's a communion, the Lord's Supper, and there's also baptism.
SPEAKER_01: Those are two ordinances.
SPEAKER_01: Now the Catholic Church teaches there's seven, but I believe there's two, but I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it.
SPEAKER_01: But the point is, is there's something supernatural about the presence of God.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, when it's properly done.
SPEAKER_01: So I remember getting an argue with my dad one time about baptism, and we we really got into it.
SPEAKER_01: We had had so many theological sessions when I first got saved, because I just thought I knew everything.
SPEAKER_01: And um, so I said, Dad, why don't we just get them all out in the street and just hose them down, man, and just say, you're all Christians now, because we got you baptized.
SPEAKER_01: And he goes, No, no, that's not what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_01: So that was that was the overly zealous, dumb theological Steve back then.
SPEAKER_01: But I will say this though, that we believe that the presence of God is here when there's two or more gathered.
SPEAKER_01: That if you have believed in Christ, when you go into the waters, you are going to be changed.
SPEAKER_01: Now, you can go back into sin the next day if you want to.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you have a free will.
SPEAKER_01: But if it's properly done and there's a conviction of the Holy Spirit upon you, you won't go back to sin.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you'll still sin because you're a sinner, but you won't go back into habitual sin because there's going to be a supernatural encounter you're gonna have either right here or in the days ahead.
SPEAKER_01: I promise you that.
SPEAKER_01: That's how powerful it is.
SPEAKER_01: Look at verse 3.
SPEAKER_01: So now he starts to talk about the power of baptism.
SPEAKER_01: Or do you not know that many of us were baptized into Christ Jesus and you are baptized into his death.
SPEAKER_01: So here's the first identity.
SPEAKER_01: Your old identity is you're always gonna be addicted, you're always gonna be enslaved, you really can't change, and you've tried and you've tried and you've tried and you can't do it.
SPEAKER_01: It's because you got bad blood.
SPEAKER_01: And so at Good Friday, I'm gonna say this again: you don't need dialysis.
SPEAKER_01: You don't need spiritual dialysis.
SPEAKER_01: Spiritual dialysis is taking your blood, running it through a machine, right?
SPEAKER_01: And then running it back into your system.
SPEAKER_01: Your blood is tainted, it's not gonna change.
SPEAKER_01: You need a blood transfusion.
SPEAKER_01: And that comes from Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: So Jesus, who's alive from the dead, has given you a blood transfusion when you realize you are dead to sin.
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to keep that habitual thinking that you're gonna always be addicted, that you're never gonna get set free, and you're always gonna be that way.
SPEAKER_01: That's what psychology tells you, but what Christianity tells you is you can change in Christ.
SPEAKER_01: You don't have the blood that's needed for the transformation of the power that God has for you, but you can have a transfusion of his blood into you that can change you from the inside out.
SPEAKER_01: So that's what the first thing.
SPEAKER_01: First new identity is you're dead to sin.
SPEAKER_01: You're dead to sin and its power over your life.
SPEAKER_01: Now look at verse 4.
SPEAKER_01: Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism unto death.
SPEAKER_01: So through the death of Christ, some in some supernatural, spiritual, and even symbolic way, God gave us water to be a picture of being buried.
SPEAKER_01: So your second identity is that you're buried with Christ.
SPEAKER_01: You're not buried alone.
SPEAKER_01: It's like we have said sometimes at funerals and memorial services.
SPEAKER_01: Like the atheist, all dressed up and no place to go.
SPEAKER_01: Well, he's all dressed up, but he has a place to go.
SPEAKER_01: It's called hell.
SPEAKER_01: But when you become a Jesus follower, you're born again.
SPEAKER_01: You're born again.
SPEAKER_01: So that old part of you is dead.
SPEAKER_01: It's going to be buried.
SPEAKER_01: That's the old man, and you're going to come up a new man, a new woman, a new son of God, a new daughter of God.
SPEAKER_01: Isn't that exciting?
SPEAKER_01: That's your new identity.
SPEAKER_01: That's what he goes on to say.
SPEAKER_01: Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so also should you walk in newness of life.
SPEAKER_01: For we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection.
SPEAKER_01: So you now walk with the identity of being resurrected with Christ, dead to sin, buried with Christ, and now resurrected with Christ in a newness of life.
SPEAKER_01: So you have abilities and you have power and you have strength that is foreign to the old man.
SPEAKER_01: So if you're here today, and on a regular basis, you have no desire to read God's word, no desire for worship, no desire to have relationship and fellowship with believers, you're probably not saved.
SPEAKER_01: You don't know Christ.
SPEAKER_01: So you ought to get baptized today and start over.
SPEAKER_01: Get born again.
SPEAKER_01: Alright?
SPEAKER_01: Whatever you had before, it ain't working.
SPEAKER_01: So let's get it going.
SPEAKER_01: Right?
SPEAKER_01: So I used to drive a Volkswagen bug.
SPEAKER_01: 1962 ruby red, baby, in high school.
SPEAKER_01: And I remember I was driving to school one day and I heard pop.
SPEAKER_01: And what is that?
SPEAKER_01: And I went over to the side, and you know how the back, it's the back where the engine is on a Volkswagen.
SPEAKER_01: So I opened it up and I'd blown two spark plugs right out of their cylinders.
SPEAKER_01: Just bam, right out of there.
SPEAKER_01: So I could see the cylinders going like that in there.
SPEAKER_01: Some of you in this room, I mean that's your Christianity, man.
SPEAKER_01: You're you can barely move.
SPEAKER_01: And it's time to get empowered by the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_01: And if you haven't been baptized, you better get baptized.
SPEAKER_01: Because that's step one.
SPEAKER_01: Get the jersey.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah?
SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine being a Broncos fan?
SPEAKER_01: You ain't got no jersey.
SPEAKER_01: So let's follow Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: We'll give you the jersey.
SPEAKER_01: It's a good thing.
SPEAKER_01: Smart thing.
SPEAKER_01: Look what it says next.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 6.
SPEAKER_01: Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin, that's us, might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
SPEAKER_01: Isn't that good news?
SPEAKER_01: So let's quit being slaves of sin and move into slaves of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Because when we're slaves of Jesus, it's the only slavery that sets you free.
SPEAKER_01: Isn't that great?
SPEAKER_01: You become a slave of Jesus and you actually get set free.
SPEAKER_00: You've been listening to The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.
SPEAKER_00: We hope you have been blessed by today's message.
SPEAKER_00: To connect with us further, visit theroad.org.
SPEAKER_00: If you are walking through a difficult time, we want to pray for you.
SPEAKER_00: Go to theroad.org, click on the ministries tab, and go to our prayer page to send us your prayer request.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks again for tuning in today, and be sure to listen to the next edition of The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.