WEBVTT 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:12.080 You're listening to the road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:21.600 So, in the context of us being in rebellion to God, and everyone else just room R, God gave us baptism. 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:35.280 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. 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:40.320 At The Road, our mission is to empower people to change the world. 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:44.640 For more information on the road, visit theroad.org. 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:49.759 We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:56.880 Alright, Matthew 28, 18 through 20. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:57.679 Don't turn to it. 00:00:57.840 --> 00:00:59.119 Don't turn to it yet. 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.320 This is the commission of Christ. 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:07.680 This is the last words to his disciples, we believe, in Matthew 28. 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:09.200 It's called the Great Commission. 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:14.079 Commission is the idea of co-together mission. 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:22.560 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. 00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:23.359 That's what we're doing today. 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:25.120 Today's kind of a baptism Sunday. 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:26.400 There's too many of them. 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:30.239 And we have some big guys that got baptized in the first service. 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:32.400 Look at this, look at this flow of water. 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:37.439 It's like this is 11 mile, and this is 11 mile canyon, you know, coming right up through here. 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:39.200 But we had a couple big guys. 00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:46.319 One guy was like six foot hundred, and he came back, man, and it was a tidal wave over the top. 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:51.120 And so, um, yeah, so we're supposed to baptize. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:52.640 It's part of the co-mission. 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:54.159 It's what we do. 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:56.400 We baptize in the name of Father, Son, Holy Spirit. 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:02.799 In Acts, the early church, they were baptized after they got saved, almost immediately. 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:08.400 And there's a day coming at the road, but we're just gonna keep these up here. 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:16.400 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. 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:18.639 It's gonna be, it's it's gonna come. 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:21.759 There's a day coming like that. 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:26.400 And so, and so baptism was not our idea. 00:02:26.560 --> 00:02:27.759 It's God's idea. 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:40.479 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. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:46.159 So it's been a part of the tradition for many, many years before Christ, that was a part of Judaism. 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:51.439 So what we're doing is we're following in that because Jesus commanded us to. 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:54.159 So turn in your Bibles to Romans 6. 00:02:54.319 --> 00:03:00.240 And I just wanted to quickly look at what I think is the seminal passage in the New Testament about baptism. 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:04.400 And I'm talking about a new identity. 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:10.479 So that would be my rubric for today, would be that there's a new identity through baptism. 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:26.479 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. 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:50.879 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. 00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:55.759 Now, we experience shame at all kinds of different levels. 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:56.879 Everybody does. 00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:02.879 It's part of being a sinner, and that's really where we pick it up in verse 1 of Romans 6. 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:04.400 So, what shall we say then? 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:06.719 Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:11.599 Now he's talking about an argument that he had in chapter 5. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:14.719 I won't go into that because of the shortness of our time. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:16.319 Certainly not. 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:20.160 How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:26.240 So the deal is that every one of us were born with bad blood. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:28.000 You all have bad blood. 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:32.240 Just like AIDS, or just like cancer, you have bad blood. 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:33.839 The disease is in the blood. 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.279 The disease is who you are, and it came from Adam and Eve. 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:38.720 So we're sinners. 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:41.680 And if you have any doubt about that, have kids. 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:46.240 And uh, you don't have to teach a kid to steal from his brother or sister. 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:58.639 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. 00:04:59.120 --> 00:04:59.680 Right? 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:00.879 Wrong. 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:05.360 So you're sinners, you know, and and so we just have that natural bent. 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:09.120 But what we have to do is we're trying to train sin out of them. 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:10.560 Because it's already in them. 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:15.199 So we've got this bad blood problem, and it's called sin. 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:24.639 So in the context of us being in rebellion to God, and everyone else in this room are, God gave us baptism. 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:38.000 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. 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:43.839 Now, in some churches, uh some Christian churches, they teach that baptism saves. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:45.759 We don't at the road believe that. 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:49.680 We believe it is a reflection of already being saved. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:53.759 So it's it's it's symbolic, but it's more than that. 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:56.800 So in some, how many come out of a Baptist background? 00:05:56.959 --> 00:05:59.920 Some kind of either Southern Baptist or Northern Baptist, okay. 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:07.680 The Baptists teach, most Baptists teach, that Baptism is symbolic only. 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:11.680 But I'm a Lutheran by background. 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:22.399 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. 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:31.120 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. 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:32.000 Those are two ordinances. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:37.519 Now the Catholic Church teaches there's seven, but I believe there's two, but I'm not gonna lose any sleep over it. 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:42.720 But the point is, is there's something supernatural about the presence of God. 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:45.680 Listen, when it's properly done. 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:52.079 So I remember getting an argue with my dad one time about baptism, and we we really got into it. 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:56.959 We had had so many theological sessions when I first got saved, because I just thought I knew everything. 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:06.959 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. 00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:08.800 And he goes, No, no, that's not what I'm saying. 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:15.199 So that was that was the overly zealous, dumb theological Steve back then. 00:07:15.680 --> 00:07:27.519 But I will say this though, that we believe that the presence of God is here when there's two or more gathered. 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:35.519 That if you have believed in Christ, when you go into the waters, you are going to be changed. 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:39.839 Now, you can go back into sin the next day if you want to. 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:41.920 I mean, you have a free will. 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:49.279 But if it's properly done and there's a conviction of the Holy Spirit upon you, you won't go back to sin. 00:07:49.439 --> 00:08:00.319 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. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:02.000 I promise you that. 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:03.199 I promise you that. 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:05.279 That's how powerful it is. 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:07.199 Look at verse 3. 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:11.360 So now he starts to talk about the power of baptism. 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:20.639 Or do you not know that many of us were baptized into Christ Jesus and you are baptized into his death. 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:22.800 So here's the first identity. 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:33.200 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. 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:35.120 It's because you got bad blood. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:41.519 And so at Good Friday, I'm gonna say this again: you don't need dialysis. 00:08:42.559 --> 00:08:44.000 You don't need spiritual dialysis. 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:48.720 Spiritual dialysis is taking your blood, running it through a machine, right? 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:50.799 And then running it back into your system. 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:53.519 Your blood is tainted, it's not gonna change. 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:55.600 You need a blood transfusion. 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:57.679 And that comes from Jesus. 00:08:58.000 --> 00:09:07.200 So Jesus, who's alive from the dead, has given you a blood transfusion when you realize you are dead to sin. 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:18.080 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. 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:26.480 That's what psychology tells you, but what Christianity tells you is you can change in Christ. 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:39.519 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. 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:41.600 So that's what the first thing. 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:44.320 First new identity is you're dead to sin. 00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:46.879 You're dead to sin and its power over your life. 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:48.399 Now look at verse 4. 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:54.720 Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism unto death. 00:09:54.960 --> 00:10:05.360 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. 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:08.480 So your second identity is that you're buried with Christ. 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:10.639 You're not buried alone. 00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:17.519 It's like we have said sometimes at funerals and memorial services. 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:20.960 Like the atheist, all dressed up and no place to go. 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:23.919 Well, he's all dressed up, but he has a place to go. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:25.200 It's called hell. 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:29.279 But when you become a Jesus follower, you're born again. 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:30.399 You're born again. 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:33.440 So that old part of you is dead. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:34.879 It's going to be buried. 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:42.480 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. 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:43.440 Isn't that exciting? 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:44.960 That's your new identity. 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:47.039 That's what he goes on to say. 00:10:47.440 --> 00:11:01.120 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. 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:11.039 For we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:22.799 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. 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:31.840 So you have abilities and you have power and you have strength that is foreign to the old man. 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:48.080 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. 00:11:48.799 --> 00:11:50.080 You don't know Christ. 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:52.960 So you ought to get baptized today and start over. 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:54.480 Get born again. 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:55.200 Alright? 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:57.919 Whatever you had before, it ain't working. 00:11:58.399 --> 00:11:59.919 So let's get it going. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:01.039 Right? 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:04.960 So I used to drive a Volkswagen bug. 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:09.840 1962 ruby red, baby, in high school. 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:13.440 And I remember I was driving to school one day and I heard pop. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:17.440 And what is that? 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:22.799 And I went over to the side, and you know how the back, it's the back where the engine is on a Volkswagen. 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:26.799 So I opened it up and I'd blown two spark plugs right out of their cylinders. 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:27.840 Just bam, right out of there. 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:30.399 So I could see the cylinders going like that in there. 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:34.399 Some of you in this room, I mean that's your Christianity, man. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:37.679 You're you can barely move. 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:40.399 And it's time to get empowered by the Holy Spirit. 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:43.200 And if you haven't been baptized, you better get baptized. 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:44.879 Because that's step one. 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:48.080 Get the jersey. 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:51.279 Yeah? 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:54.559 Can you imagine being a Broncos fan? 00:12:54.639 --> 00:12:56.320 You ain't got no jersey. 00:12:57.919 --> 00:12:59.279 So let's follow Jesus. 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:00.720 We'll give you the jersey. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:02.080 It's a good thing. 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:02.879 Smart thing. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:04.159 Look what it says next. 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:05.200 Verse 6. 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:18.080 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. 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:19.360 Isn't that good news? 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:25.440 So let's quit being slaves of sin and move into slaves of Jesus. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:31.279 Because when we're slaves of Jesus, it's the only slavery that sets you free. 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:32.559 Isn't that great? 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:37.039 You become a slave of Jesus and you actually get set free. 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:43.360 You've been listening to The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:46.480 We hope you have been blessed by today's message. 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:50.559 To connect with us further, visit theroad.org. 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:54.559 If you are walking through a difficult time, we want to pray for you. 00:13:54.720 --> 00:14:01.919 Go to theroad.org, click on the ministries tab, and go to our prayer page to send us your prayer request. 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:10.000 Thanks again for tuning in today, and be sure to listen to the next edition of The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.