WEBVTT 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:13.539 Amen. I'm thankful this morning for God to allow 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:20.160 us to participate with His presence, to interact 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:25.920 with His presence. Amen. Today I'll be reading 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:28.660 from our main scripture text found in Luke chapter 00:00:28.660 --> 00:00:34.619 24, verses 46 and 47. Then I'll be reading from 00:00:34.619 --> 00:00:39.100 Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 22, and then Acts 00:00:39.100 --> 00:00:45.100 chapter 2 and verse 38. Praise God. And I would 00:00:45.100 --> 00:00:49.020 like to speak to us today on these three things, 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:56.399 forgiveness, repentance, and baptism. Forgiveness, 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:03.770 repentance, and baptism. And I think about Palm 00:01:03.770 --> 00:01:07.849 Sunday, I can only imagine Jesus coming into 00:01:07.849 --> 00:01:12.310 Jerusalem saying, victory is coming. Victory 00:01:12.310 --> 00:01:17.069 is coming. You've been waiting so long and I 00:01:17.069 --> 00:01:20.870 have finally showed up and victory is coming. 00:01:21.730 --> 00:01:26.010 And today, hallelujah, we don't have to say that 00:01:26.010 --> 00:01:29.969 victory is coming because victory is coming. 00:01:45.769 --> 00:01:51.450 He shed some blood for somebody today. Luke chapter 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:57.209 24 and verse 46. And said unto them, thus it 00:01:57.209 --> 00:01:59.849 is written and thus it behooved Christ to suffer 00:01:59.849 --> 00:02:04.409 and to rise from the dead the third day. And 00:02:04.409 --> 00:02:07.629 that repentance and remission of sins should 00:02:07.629 --> 00:02:11.550 be preached in his name among all nations beginning 00:02:11.550 --> 00:02:15.180 at Jerusalem. In Hebrews chapter nine and verse 00:02:15.180 --> 00:02:19.860 22, and almost all things are by the law purged 00:02:19.860 --> 00:02:24.300 with blood, and without shedding of blood is 00:02:24.300 --> 00:02:29.560 no remission. Acts chapter two and verse 38, 00:02:31.860 --> 00:02:37.740 then Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized 00:02:37.740 --> 00:02:41.979 every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:02:42.280 --> 00:02:48.240 for the remission of sins, and you shall receive 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:53.379 the gift of the Holy Ghost. God, we thank you 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:59.139 today. I thank you today for your word. Thank 00:02:59.139 --> 00:03:03.120 you, God, for granting us access to your presence. 00:03:04.139 --> 00:03:06.719 Thank you, God, for the shedding of your blood. 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:11.629 Thank you, Lord. For allowing us Lord to turn 00:03:11.629 --> 00:03:16.810 from our sins and to be baptized with you to 00:03:16.810 --> 00:03:21.530 be baptized Lord Unto your death that we might 00:03:21.530 --> 00:03:26.030 receive That we might receive God and that we 00:03:26.030 --> 00:03:29.569 will receive I give you all the glory and all 00:03:29.569 --> 00:03:32.849 the honor for it in Jesus name. Amen. You all 00:03:32.849 --> 00:03:40.389 may be seated Amen. So the Bible says that it 00:03:40.389 --> 00:03:44.250 behooved Christ to suffer and then to be raised 00:03:44.250 --> 00:03:48.289 from the dead the third day so that repentance 00:03:48.289 --> 00:03:53.069 and remission of sins could be preached in His 00:03:53.069 --> 00:03:56.889 name. And He goes on to say that without the 00:03:56.889 --> 00:04:00.129 shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. 00:04:00.629 --> 00:04:04.389 The Bible is clear today that the wages of sin 00:04:04.389 --> 00:04:10.830 is death. So something had to die for sin. And 00:04:10.830 --> 00:04:13.949 each of every one of us here today would find 00:04:13.949 --> 00:04:18.870 ourselves in a sinful state. In this body dwelleth 00:04:18.870 --> 00:04:23.110 no good thing. Your righteousness is as filthy 00:04:23.110 --> 00:04:27.509 rags unto the Lord. Your best effort is still 00:04:27.509 --> 00:04:31.009 not good enough, not pure enough, and not holy 00:04:31.009 --> 00:04:35.689 enough for a righteous sovereign God, a holy 00:04:35.689 --> 00:04:40.310 God. So the wages of sin is death. The wages 00:04:40.310 --> 00:04:44.230 of disobedience is death. And a price had to 00:04:44.230 --> 00:04:48.750 be paid. Someone had to shed their blood. But 00:04:48.750 --> 00:04:52.870 it couldn't be someone that was a sinner. You 00:04:52.870 --> 00:04:59.389 cannot sin and apply a clean, precious blood, 00:04:59.750 --> 00:05:04.750 a pure blood to be shed. You cannot apply a pure 00:05:04.750 --> 00:05:09.180 blood or you can apply a pure blood, you have 00:05:09.180 --> 00:05:13.600 to, for sin, for the remission of sin. You cannot 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:19.519 sacrifice and shed unclean blood to remit unclean 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:24.480 sins. This is why. Jesus had to shed his blood 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:28.379 for us. He says, I am the way, the truth, and 00:05:28.379 --> 00:05:31.959 the life. And no man come to the Father except 00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:36.220 by me. We find in scripture that we must turn 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:39.759 from our sins, turn from our wicked ways, and 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:43.199 repent of them. And I can submit to you today 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:47.779 that many of us, hallelujah, are quick to ask 00:05:47.779 --> 00:05:51.339 God to forgive us our sins. And I'm speaking 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:56.339 today because I was and am one of those. Many 00:05:56.339 --> 00:06:01.060 times I come running to Calvary, running to Jesus 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:05.339 Christ because I found myself sinning. Maybe, 00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:08.220 you know, a bad thought come to my mind. Maybe 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:11.500 it was a cuss word. And I don't know where it 00:06:11.500 --> 00:06:15.100 came from, but it's important, imperative that 00:06:15.100 --> 00:06:19.379 we must repent of our sins. We must ask God to 00:06:19.379 --> 00:06:22.279 forgive us of our sins. The Bible states that 00:06:22.279 --> 00:06:25.920 Paul said that he dies daily. He dies out to 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:30.199 himself each and every day. But too many times 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:34.240 we find ourselves going too long without this 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:37.920 dying out to self. And then sin will take root 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:42.160 in the hearts of our lives. And God has made 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:46.379 a way for us today, a way of escape from the 00:06:46.379 --> 00:06:50.720 punishment of sin and of death. Hallelujah. And 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:56.399 I actually ended up wanting to talk about this 00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:00.779 because I was sitting at Burger King taking a 00:07:00.779 --> 00:07:04.980 lunch by myself. And my family don't particularly 00:07:04.980 --> 00:07:09.500 like Burger King. And so while I was alone, I 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:11.379 was saying, you know, I'm going to take advantage 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:16.079 of this and go have some Burger King. You know, 00:07:16.139 --> 00:07:19.040 a double whopper with cheese. Come on somebody. 00:07:21.579 --> 00:07:24.779 Well, while I'm sitting there enjoying it, you 00:07:24.779 --> 00:07:27.480 know, this just pops into my mind and said, what 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:32.759 is the difference between forgiveness and remission 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:40.680 of sins? And you know, for the most part, I believe 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:44.759 that they were one and the same. I always thought 00:07:44.759 --> 00:07:47.779 that, you know, I asked Jesus to forgive me of 00:07:47.779 --> 00:07:50.759 my sins. He gave me of my sins. My sins were 00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:54.319 done. So I got to looking that up. I'm curious 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:58.160 now. And I pulled it up. And of course, I've 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:01.540 asked Google a couple things too. And I found 00:08:01.540 --> 00:08:06.990 that when somebody... forgives you of a sin or 00:08:06.990 --> 00:08:11.389 of an offense. What that means is that the frustration 00:08:11.389 --> 00:08:14.810 that the individual felt from that sin or that 00:08:14.810 --> 00:08:20.350 offense was no longer there. So think about that. 00:08:20.949 --> 00:08:24.230 Whenever you come before God and you say, Jesus, 00:08:24.689 --> 00:08:28.310 forgive me of my sins. I'm sorry. You know, I've 00:08:28.310 --> 00:08:30.269 done some things. I know it's not pleasing in 00:08:30.269 --> 00:08:35.519 your sight. frustration that God feels toward 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:38.799 you is no longer there because He forgave you. 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:42.440 The Bible says if we confess our sins, He is 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:45.019 faithful and just to forgive us our sins and 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:49.980 to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But then 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:54.320 the Bible goes on to say that you must be baptized 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:58.539 for the remission of your sins. You see this 00:08:58.539 --> 00:09:03.460 in Acts chapter 2 and verse 38. You must be baptized 00:09:03.460 --> 00:09:06.639 in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:12.639 of your sins. And so what I found about remission 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:17.620 was that when your sins are in remission, they 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:22.779 are blotted out. They are remitted unto you. 00:09:23.159 --> 00:09:29.820 And so how this plays out is if somebody goes... 00:09:29.629 --> 00:09:32.629 before a judge, and they're being tried. This 00:09:32.629 --> 00:09:35.250 is just an example. They're being tried. A judgment 00:09:35.250 --> 00:09:40.950 is coming. You know, the people that you cause 00:09:40.950 --> 00:09:44.289 the offense to, if somebody stole something from 00:09:44.289 --> 00:09:47.370 somebody, they can forgive them of the sin, but 00:09:47.370 --> 00:09:51.289 the judge is going to say, you have to recompense. 00:09:51.389 --> 00:09:55.169 You have to pay back what you took. You have 00:09:55.169 --> 00:09:59.220 to pay for those sins. You have to pay for that 00:09:59.220 --> 00:10:03.679 offense even though you have been forgiven. And 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:07.500 so if you have forgiveness of sins and you've 00:10:07.500 --> 00:10:10.080 asked God to forgive your sins, He no longer 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:13.139 has that frustration or resentment. There's none 00:10:13.139 --> 00:10:16.039 of that there. The anger for you sinning against 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:18.399 Him or being disobedient is no longer there. 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:23.059 but it is imperative that you have remission 00:10:23.059 --> 00:10:27.580 of your sins. You cannot make it into the kingdom 00:10:27.580 --> 00:10:31.539 of God or the heaven of the Almighty God without 00:10:31.539 --> 00:10:35.139 repentance and without being baptized for the 00:10:35.139 --> 00:10:40.340 remission of your sins. But somebody should be 00:10:40.340 --> 00:10:44.639 thanking God today. Because not only has He made 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:48.480 a way of escape, not only has He forgiven you 00:10:48.480 --> 00:10:54.799 of your sins, but He has made a way for you to 00:10:54.799 --> 00:10:58.039 remit your sins, for them to be blotted out. 00:10:58.899 --> 00:11:01.100 And I've known people who have gone to court 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:04.860 and they were forgiven of certain judgments. 00:11:05.539 --> 00:11:08.940 And then their record would still follow them 00:11:08.940 --> 00:11:12.200 everywhere that they go. And then there have 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:15.299 been people that were forgiven of those judgments 00:11:15.299 --> 00:11:19.720 and they were able to get it expunged, get it 00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:22.779 to be wiped off of their record. And so what 00:11:22.779 --> 00:11:25.179 does that mean? That means that that sin, that 00:11:25.179 --> 00:11:28.299 offense was wiped out like it never occurred, 00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:33.100 like it never happened. And so whenever something, 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:35.960 you know, an accuser comes by and they say, hey, 00:11:36.059 --> 00:11:39.139 well, let's check the record, and they pull up 00:11:39.139 --> 00:11:43.820 the record, they don't see any history of that 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:47.779 offense because it has been wiped out. That is 00:11:47.779 --> 00:11:51.320 remission of sins today. And whenever you take 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:54.899 on Jesus Christ and you go down into that water 00:11:54.899 --> 00:11:58.759 in the name of Jesus Christ, it is for the remission 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:02.399 of your sins. too many people that have been 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:04.740 walking around saying forgive me of your sins 00:12:04.740 --> 00:12:08.419 but they have not taken the next step the way 00:12:08.419 --> 00:12:11.519 that God has made for them to have their sins 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:18.980 removed judgment is coming one day for you very 00:12:18.980 --> 00:12:22.759 soon one day you will be standing before a holy 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:29.059 God and a holy judge and you need your sins remitted 00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:33.779 you need your record wiped out and there is a 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:38.659 way of escape today for you if you will move 00:12:38.659 --> 00:12:43.759 in faith if you will accept the way that Jesus 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:50.679 Christ has made for you and so I wanted to walk 00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:55.169 us through this question today that has challenged 00:12:55.169 --> 00:12:57.669 many scholars and challenged minds and caused 00:12:57.669 --> 00:13:02.669 many to search the scriptures for answers for 00:13:02.669 --> 00:13:07.629 these questions for many decades. And that is, 00:13:07.750 --> 00:13:10.110 if the Bible says that without the shedding of 00:13:10.110 --> 00:13:13.070 blood there is no remission of sins, then how 00:13:13.070 --> 00:13:16.830 can it also say that we are baptized for the 00:13:16.830 --> 00:13:19.970 remission of sins? At first, these two truths 00:13:19.970 --> 00:13:23.370 may seem to be in tension or in contradiction 00:13:23.370 --> 00:13:27.009 with each other. But when we study the Word and 00:13:27.009 --> 00:13:30.710 rightly divide the Word, as it says in 2 Timothy 00:13:30.710 --> 00:13:35.909 chapter 2 and verse 15, it says study to show 00:13:35.909 --> 00:13:38.350 yourself approved, a workman that needeth not 00:13:38.350 --> 00:13:42.889 to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. 00:13:43.289 --> 00:13:45.889 So if there's a right way to divide the Word 00:13:45.889 --> 00:13:48.210 of Truth, that means that indicates that there 00:13:48.210 --> 00:13:53.250 is a wrong way to divide the Word of Truth. So 00:13:53.250 --> 00:13:57.529 we are to study these things out and to rightly 00:13:57.529 --> 00:14:01.350 divide the Word. And whenever you rightly divide 00:14:01.350 --> 00:14:04.509 the Word, you can find that there is no contradiction. 00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:08.269 There's no contradiction with what the Scripture 00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:12.620 clearly outlines. There's no contradiction in 00:14:12.620 --> 00:14:15.960 repentance, turning from sin and turning back 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:19.879 to God. There's no contradiction for you asking 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:23.240 for forgiveness and then choosing to be baptized 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:26.740 or buried with Christ through baptism. These 00:14:26.740 --> 00:14:30.980 are all the biblical plan for salvation. This 00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:36.220 is one unified message for salvation for the 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:40.019 individual. And if you don't want just forgiveness 00:14:40.019 --> 00:14:43.299 of your sins but remission your sins to be blotted 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:47.139 out, I encourage you today to take the next step. 00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:53.639 This church is almost always ready to baptize 00:14:53.639 --> 00:14:57.960 somebody in the name of Jesus Christ. And fortunately, 00:14:58.419 --> 00:15:01.059 you know, they keep the water warm. I can hear 00:15:01.059 --> 00:15:03.580 it running back there now, I believe, the heater. 00:15:04.299 --> 00:15:07.500 And so you don't have to worry about being too 00:15:07.500 --> 00:15:12.179 chilly. And then they also have robes. And that's 00:15:12.179 --> 00:15:18.139 because it's so important. It is imperative that 00:15:18.139 --> 00:15:24.179 your record be blotted out. Your sins be in remission. 00:15:26.139 --> 00:15:30.360 This is a must have. This is not just something, 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:34.779 a suggestion. This is not a suggestion in the 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:38.460 Word of God. Oh well, you can choose today whether 00:15:38.460 --> 00:15:41.600 or not you be baptized. We find in Scripture 00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:46.480 that they were commanded to be baptized. And 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:49.980 I believe it's because they understood the connection 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:56.519 between repentance, forgiveness of sin, the shedding 00:15:56.519 --> 00:16:01.379 of blood, and baptism. I believe they understood 00:16:01.379 --> 00:16:05.919 that connection. So today then maybe you've had 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:08.600 that question. Well, which is it? I've heard 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:12.039 several over the years Confession is made unto 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:16.399 salvation He that believeth and is baptized shall 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:20.720 be saved So is it by confession where I confess 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:23.360 that the Lord Jesus Christ has died for my sins 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:27.019 and that's good I Don't think that that's the 00:16:27.019 --> 00:16:29.419 end of it. We don't see that in Scripture, but 00:16:29.419 --> 00:16:32.909 is that part of it? The answer is yes That is 00:16:32.909 --> 00:16:37.250 absolutely part of it. You should not be baptized 00:16:37.250 --> 00:16:43.570 unless you believe. Believe what? You shouldn't 00:16:43.570 --> 00:16:47.409 be baptized unless you believe that Jesus Christ 00:16:47.409 --> 00:16:54.230 died on the cross for your sins. If you don't 00:16:54.230 --> 00:16:57.549 believe that and you get baptized, you get submerged 00:16:57.549 --> 00:16:59.690 in water calling on the name of Jesus Christ, 00:16:59.769 --> 00:17:03.840 you're just getting wet. This is why we find 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:07.359 in scripture where one of the apostles asked 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:10.420 an individual when he stopped the chariot and 00:17:10.420 --> 00:17:13.619 he said, well, here is water. What's hindering 00:17:13.619 --> 00:17:18.079 me to be baptized? He said, if you believe with 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:23.779 all of your heart, you shall. And so if you are 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:27.980 a child of God today, you're a believer. You 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:30.700 believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for 00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:35.599 your sins today. You shall be baptized. You should 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:38.099 be baptized. You should be buried with Christ 00:17:38.099 --> 00:17:41.920 through baptism. The Bible is explicitly clear 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:45.740 that there has to be shedding of blood for remission. 00:17:46.359 --> 00:17:50.380 That is a factual foundation that cannot be changed. 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:53.859 Blood must be shed for the remission of sin, 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:58.700 for the wages of sin of death, for all have sinned 00:17:58.700 --> 00:18:02.130 and fallen short of the glory of God. Hebrews 00:18:02.130 --> 00:18:05.750 chapter 9 and 22. And almost all things are by 00:18:05.750 --> 00:18:08.069 the law purged with blood and without shedding 00:18:08.069 --> 00:18:12.170 of blood is no remission. So the connection. 00:18:13.609 --> 00:18:16.130 How is it that we have to have shedding of blood 00:18:16.130 --> 00:18:19.390 for remission? But then it goes on to say that 00:18:19.390 --> 00:18:22.849 you must be baptized in His name for the remission 00:18:22.849 --> 00:18:26.390 of sin. It's almost contradictory, but it's not. 00:18:26.609 --> 00:18:30.730 Once you understand how it is laid out. From 00:18:30.730 --> 00:18:33.890 the very beginning, sin has always required a 00:18:33.890 --> 00:18:36.569 sacrifice. In the Old Testament, animals were 00:18:36.569 --> 00:18:39.829 offered for the sacrifice. Their blood was shed, 00:18:40.349 --> 00:18:43.009 but this blood was only a temporary covering. 00:18:43.490 --> 00:18:48.349 They would find a spotless lamb, the purest animal 00:18:48.349 --> 00:18:51.109 that they could find and bring it for that sacrifice. 00:18:51.670 --> 00:18:54.529 And if it had blemishes on it, they shouldn't 00:18:54.529 --> 00:18:57.410 bring it. Because as I stated earlier, you had 00:18:57.410 --> 00:19:01.529 to have the shedding of pure blood. So this shedding 00:19:01.529 --> 00:19:05.589 of blood in the Old Testament was only temporary. 00:19:06.309 --> 00:19:10.809 Temporary. But it was pointing to one to come. 00:19:11.390 --> 00:19:14.589 The Lamb of God. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 00:19:14.589 --> 00:19:17.549 4. It says, For it is not possible that the blood 00:19:17.549 --> 00:19:20.829 of bulls and goats should take away sins. Those 00:19:20.829 --> 00:19:24.599 animal sacrifices pointed forward. John chapter 00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:27.859 1 and verse 29 it says the next day John seeth 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:31.640 Jesus coming unto him and saith Behold the Lamb 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:35.640 of God which taketh away the sin of the world 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:39.579 When Jesus went to the cross he offered his own 00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:42.240 blood first Peter chapter 1 and verses 18 and 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:45.660 19 For as much as you know that you were not 00:19:45.660 --> 00:19:48.660 redeemed with corruptible things as silver and 00:19:48.660 --> 00:19:52.549 gold but with the precious blood of Christ as 00:19:52.549 --> 00:19:56.769 of a lamb without blemish and without spot. A 00:19:56.769 --> 00:20:00.910 sinless lamb of God came, robed himself in flesh 00:20:00.910 --> 00:20:05.250 and decided to take on that death that you deserve. 00:20:05.769 --> 00:20:09.630 It is the blood of Jesus and only the blood that 00:20:09.630 --> 00:20:13.640 removes sin. You can't go down into... water 00:20:13.640 --> 00:20:16.680 in the name of Jesus Christ without the shedding 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:21.579 of blood today. But your God, your Lord, your 00:20:21.579 --> 00:20:25.660 Savior took on that death and shed His blood 00:20:25.660 --> 00:20:29.880 and made a way of escape to where not only you 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:33.200 can receive forgiveness of sins, but that your 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:37.640 sins could be blotted out. And I don't understand 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:58.000 how people could refuse. once I realized that 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:05.259 not only has He forgiven me of my sins, but blotted 00:21:05.259 --> 00:21:11.440 them out. Blotted them out, washed them away. 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:16.759 No record. And so I can come boldly before His 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:20.250 throne of grace. How did he in a time of need 00:21:20.250 --> 00:21:23.750 but I can come boldly because I know Not only 00:21:23.750 --> 00:21:29.089 am I forgiven but they are blotted out So the 00:21:29.089 --> 00:21:33.650 question remains for some people why them baptism 00:21:33.650 --> 00:21:38.329 You got to remember this Luke chapter 24 verses 00:21:38.329 --> 00:21:43.130 46 and 47 and Said unto them thus it was is written 00:21:43.130 --> 00:21:45.630 and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to 00:21:45.630 --> 00:21:51.329 rise from the dead the third day For what? That 00:21:51.329 --> 00:21:55.009 repentance and remission of sins should be preached 00:21:55.009 --> 00:21:59.769 in His name among all nations, not just some 00:21:59.769 --> 00:22:06.589 people. He said, My kingdom has come. I have 00:22:06.589 --> 00:22:12.750 made a way of escape. Now preach repentance. 00:22:13.250 --> 00:22:17.109 Tell my people to turn from their sin. Tell them 00:22:19.660 --> 00:22:23.039 have to do is ask me to forgive them confess 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:27.319 their sins and I will forgive them oh but they 00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:32.940 must turn away from those sins that's repentance 00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:38.240 oh Lord forbid that we come up and we say Lord 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:41.680 forgive me of my sins today and then we run right 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:46.539 back into those sins he's saying no I made a 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:51.430 way today And it's through repentance I paid 00:22:51.430 --> 00:22:55.809 the price. I've shed my blood. Repent of your 00:22:55.809 --> 00:23:01.730 sins and be baptized for the remission of your 00:23:01.730 --> 00:23:08.750 sins. Turn from your sins. Oh, and that anger, 00:23:08.890 --> 00:23:13.329 that frustration, that guilt, I'll remove it. 00:23:13.970 --> 00:23:17.210 But if you're baptized today, I'll blot them 00:23:17.210 --> 00:23:26.119 out. Acts chapter 2 and verse 37 and then we'll 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:30.180 read verse 38 now when they heard this They were 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:32.839 pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and 00:23:32.839 --> 00:23:35.019 to the rest of the Apostles men and brethren 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:41.660 What shall we do? So in this instance They just 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:47.180 heard about Jesus Christ You watched the Messiah 00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:52.240 Get tortured you watched the one that was to 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:57.109 come You watched Him. Some of you even cheered 00:23:57.109 --> 00:24:01.809 it on. You watched as they forced the crown of 00:24:01.809 --> 00:24:05.029 thorns upon His head, as they nailed the nails 00:24:05.029 --> 00:24:08.309 through His hands and His feet. You watched Him 00:24:08.309 --> 00:24:12.349 as He was being beaten and spit upon. You watched! 00:24:13.289 --> 00:24:18.170 And they were pricked in their heart. They realized. 00:24:19.470 --> 00:24:22.049 They realized what just took place. Their eyes 00:24:22.049 --> 00:24:26.920 were opened up. that blood was shed for them. 00:24:27.940 --> 00:24:30.339 And that same blood today, I'm telling you, was 00:24:30.339 --> 00:24:34.759 shed for you. That same access was made for you 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:38.180 today. And they said, well, what should we do? 00:24:38.420 --> 00:24:41.079 In Acts chapter 2 and verse 38, Then Peter said 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:45.940 unto them, Repent, turn from your sins, and be 00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:49.059 baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus 00:24:49.059 --> 00:24:54.869 Christ for the remission of sins. and you shall 00:24:54.869 --> 00:25:03.029 receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. I came across 00:25:03.029 --> 00:25:06.690 an individual that was so frustrated about this 00:25:06.690 --> 00:25:09.569 that he decided that he was going to do everything 00:25:09.569 --> 00:25:14.210 that he could to tell people that baptism was 00:25:14.210 --> 00:25:20.630 not necessary. Like it was not necessary for 00:25:20.630 --> 00:25:27.960 salvation. And that bothered me. That bothered 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:33.119 me. And I said, you find throughout scripture 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:37.960 where it says that baptism is necessary. And 00:25:37.960 --> 00:25:40.119 then he goes on to say, for God so loved the 00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:43.279 world that he gave his only begotten son, that 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:45.599 whosoever believeth in him shall not perish. 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:50.019 And you know that's absolutely true. That's absolutely 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:53.869 correct. Remember, if you don't believe, that 00:25:53.869 --> 00:25:57.190 Jesus Christ came into the world. And if you 00:25:57.190 --> 00:26:00.250 don't believe that He died for your sins, there's 00:26:00.250 --> 00:26:04.430 no point in getting wet in the water. But if 00:26:04.430 --> 00:26:07.809 you believe that He came, that He loved, and 00:26:07.809 --> 00:26:12.730 He died, then you should be baptized in the name 00:26:12.730 --> 00:26:15.630 of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins. 00:26:17.009 --> 00:26:20.470 So, I loved it because He finally got to Acts 00:26:20.470 --> 00:26:24.200 2 .38. And he was going through every scripture 00:26:24.200 --> 00:26:28.079 and trying to prove it wrong. And he says, Peter 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:30.680 said unto them, repent and be baptized every 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:32.839 one of you for the remission of sins. I said, 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:37.079 pause. Could you read that statement one more 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:40.980 time? Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ 00:26:40.980 --> 00:26:45.740 for the remission of sins. So you're telling 00:26:45.740 --> 00:26:52.630 me that baptism does not remit sins? He had no 00:26:52.630 --> 00:26:57.309 answer But shortly after that started baptizing 00:26:57.309 --> 00:27:01.710 everyone that he could in the name of Jesus Christ 00:27:01.710 --> 00:27:05.569 Because something happened in that moment God 00:27:05.569 --> 00:27:09.470 gave revelation that you need repentance of your 00:27:09.470 --> 00:27:12.789 sins and a turning away from sins But you need 00:27:12.789 --> 00:27:16.950 to be buried with Christ through baptism So that 00:27:16.950 --> 00:27:25.250 your sins can be blotted out So we see that baptism 00:27:25.250 --> 00:27:28.789 is not a replacement for the blood, but it is 00:27:28.789 --> 00:27:33.390 connecting you to Christ's death. It's connecting 00:27:33.390 --> 00:27:37.289 you to the power of the blood that was shed for 00:27:37.289 --> 00:27:44.670 you. Covering, that's what we're all after. Every 00:27:44.670 --> 00:27:48.549 denomination that has the foundation of Jesus 00:27:48.549 --> 00:27:51.930 Christ. We're looking and searching for a covering 00:27:51.930 --> 00:27:56.829 for our sins. And we have it today. We have access 00:27:56.829 --> 00:28:01.609 to it today. Baptism doesn't replace the blood. 00:28:01.769 --> 00:28:06.509 It connects you to the blood. The power is not 00:28:06.509 --> 00:28:10.950 in the water. The power is in the blood. Colossians 00:28:10.950 --> 00:28:14.289 chapter 2 and verse 12. It says, we are buried 00:28:14.289 --> 00:28:18.069 with Him in baptism. Where and also you are risen 00:28:18.069 --> 00:28:20.589 with Him through the faith of the operation of 00:28:20.589 --> 00:28:23.759 God who hath raised Him from the dead. Acts chapter 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:30.140 22 and verse 16. And now why tarriest thou? Arise 00:28:30.140 --> 00:28:35.440 and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling 00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:42.259 on the name of the Lord. And so what we see here 00:28:42.259 --> 00:28:50.079 is the Apostle Paul's conversion when he became 00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:54.599 a believer. We say that the Apostle Paul was 00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:57.420 knocked off of his high horse on the way to Damascus 00:28:57.420 --> 00:29:03.180 and became blind. He also heard the voice of 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:09.460 the Lord. So you mean to tell me that somebody 00:29:09.460 --> 00:29:12.640 can have a powerful experience with the presence 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:20.619 of God and even hear his voice? But still... 00:29:21.930 --> 00:29:26.470 needed to be baptized for the remission of his 00:29:26.470 --> 00:29:33.609 sins. He was blinded even though he was a believer. 00:29:34.529 --> 00:29:37.269 And they always say sometimes those physical 00:29:37.269 --> 00:29:43.490 representations are for a spiritual now. So you 00:29:43.490 --> 00:29:46.730 can be a believer but you're still blind to the 00:29:46.730 --> 00:29:51.140 biblical plan for salvation. You can be a believer, 00:29:51.220 --> 00:29:54.579 but still be blind, walking around saying, well, 00:29:54.579 --> 00:29:57.640 I've asked him to forgive me of my sins, but 00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:00.640 judgment's coming. And there's a record of those 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:03.119 sins that God is wanting to blot out in your 00:30:03.119 --> 00:30:06.779 life. And you need to take the next step. And 00:30:06.779 --> 00:30:09.380 I tell you today, even as they told the apostle 00:30:09.380 --> 00:30:15.039 Paul, why, terrius, why wait any longer? Why 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:18.680 put it off any longer? Arise and be baptized. 00:30:18.730 --> 00:30:23.910 washing away your sins. There is the cross and 00:30:23.910 --> 00:30:27.930 then there is a response. Jesus finished the 00:30:27.930 --> 00:30:31.109 work. He paid the price on the cross. And so 00:30:31.109 --> 00:30:35.130 what's your response today? John chapter 19 verse 00:30:35.130 --> 00:30:38.730 30. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, 00:30:38.789 --> 00:30:42.269 he said it is finished and bowed his head and 00:30:42.269 --> 00:30:45.970 gave up the ghost. You can't add to it. You cannot 00:30:45.970 --> 00:30:49.930 improve it. You cannot earn it. Everybody says, 00:30:50.250 --> 00:30:52.309 well, baptism is like earning it. No, baptism 00:30:52.309 --> 00:30:56.029 is obedience by faith. Faith without works is 00:30:56.029 --> 00:30:59.950 dead. Do you have dead faith today? Do you have 00:30:59.950 --> 00:31:03.049 dead faith today? Or is your faith in Jesus Christ 00:31:03.049 --> 00:31:07.630 motivated you to action? You see the way out. 00:31:08.170 --> 00:31:12.170 Does that very faith you have in God today motivate 00:31:12.170 --> 00:31:16.390 you to make the next steps of faith? You must 00:31:16.390 --> 00:31:21.789 respond to the Gospel. This is why I say baptism 00:31:21.789 --> 00:31:24.910 is not separate from the gospel. It is part of 00:31:24.910 --> 00:31:28.670 the gospel This is why everywhere that individuals 00:31:28.670 --> 00:31:32.170 receive the gospel the good news That there's 00:31:32.170 --> 00:31:36.710 a way of escape They quickly were baptized. I 00:31:36.710 --> 00:31:39.190 don't see too many folks in there wrestling with 00:31:39.190 --> 00:31:40.829 whether or not they should get baptized soon 00:31:40.829 --> 00:31:45.569 as they hear it They say here's water Let's do 00:31:45.569 --> 00:31:52.500 this now 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 7 through 00:31:52.500 --> 00:31:57.779 9 and to you who are troubled Rest with us when 00:31:57.779 --> 00:32:00.160 the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven 00:32:00.160 --> 00:32:03.319 with his mighty angels In flaming fire taking 00:32:03.319 --> 00:32:06.900 vengeance on them that know not God and that 00:32:06.900 --> 00:32:11.359 obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:17.579 That obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 00:32:18.970 --> 00:32:21.549 I believe I'm amongst the people that have chosen 00:32:21.549 --> 00:32:25.289 to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, 00:32:25.390 --> 00:32:28.809 to align themselves according to the Word of 00:32:28.809 --> 00:32:31.230 God so that they can have forgiveness of sins 00:32:31.230 --> 00:32:34.970 and that their sins could be blotted out. Luke 00:32:34.970 --> 00:32:38.029 chapter 24 verse 47 I read to you again, and 00:32:38.029 --> 00:32:40.490 that repentance and remission of sins should 00:32:40.490 --> 00:32:43.529 be preached in His name among all nations. Remember 00:32:43.529 --> 00:32:46.690 it behooves Christ to suffer and to be raised 00:32:46.690 --> 00:32:52.269 from the dead. He suffered so that repentance 00:32:52.269 --> 00:32:55.349 and remission of sins can be preached. Mark chapter 00:32:55.349 --> 00:32:58.730 16 verse 16. He that believeth and is baptized 00:32:58.730 --> 00:33:02.730 shall be saved. When you rightly divide the Word 00:33:02.730 --> 00:33:06.029 and you understand what's taking place, you see 00:33:06.029 --> 00:33:09.670 it clearly. And once you see it, you can't unsee 00:33:09.670 --> 00:33:12.670 it. There's no going back. There's only aligning 00:33:12.670 --> 00:33:14.750 yourself up to it and be in obedience, taking 00:33:14.750 --> 00:33:18.109 the next step of faith. You do have to be a believer. 00:33:18.349 --> 00:33:21.529 shedding of blood had to take place. But now, 00:33:21.769 --> 00:33:25.710 as a believer, you need to be baptized in His 00:33:25.710 --> 00:33:33.309 name. Do not try to divide what God has joined 00:33:33.309 --> 00:33:36.250 together. If you all stand with me, I'll be moving 00:33:36.250 --> 00:33:45.150 to a close. Do not try to attempt to separate 00:33:45.150 --> 00:33:51.220 the blood from the cross. Don't try to attempt 00:33:51.220 --> 00:33:57.460 to separate Christ's burial from baptism Because 00:33:57.460 --> 00:34:02.380 scripture is clear in Romans chapter 6 and verse 00:34:02.380 --> 00:34:06.420 5 Says for if we have been planted together in 00:34:06.420 --> 00:34:10.760 the likeness of his death We shall be also in 00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:15.559 the likeness of his resurrection Mark 16 and 00:34:15.559 --> 00:34:20.739 16 he that believeth and is baptized shall be 00:34:20.739 --> 00:34:24.719 saved. He that believeth and is baptized might 00:34:24.719 --> 00:34:35.519 be saved. It says he shall be saved. The Bible 00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:38.980 says to restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. 00:34:42.139 --> 00:34:47.230 I think of the cross. I think of the blood. And 00:34:47.230 --> 00:34:51.090 I think of the opportunity for me to repent once 00:34:51.090 --> 00:34:55.530 again. But then God, I don't want to just ask 00:34:55.530 --> 00:35:01.710 for forgiveness. I want a true repentance. I 00:35:01.710 --> 00:35:05.849 want a true repentance. I want a turning away 00:35:05.849 --> 00:35:10.710 from those sins. Some of you may have been struggling 00:35:10.710 --> 00:35:15.119 with the same sin for years. I know people that 00:35:15.119 --> 00:35:18.000 have been struggling with the same sin for decades. 00:35:20.019 --> 00:35:26.539 I was one of them. Such as, right? We are as 00:35:26.539 --> 00:35:30.380 a sinner. We were one of those people. So I'm 00:35:30.380 --> 00:35:34.800 not coming to you today judging you. But I'm 00:35:34.800 --> 00:35:38.280 telling you today that there's a way out. There's 00:35:38.280 --> 00:35:41.880 a way of escape. There's a way to escape that 00:35:41.880 --> 00:35:49.039 sin. And it's through true repentance. Not just 00:35:49.039 --> 00:35:52.019 to come to an altar to say, God forgive me of 00:35:52.019 --> 00:35:58.260 my sins. But Lord, I'm gonna put in effort to 00:35:58.260 --> 00:36:02.320 turn from those sins. I know it's not gonna be 00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:07.380 easy. Some sin is deeply rooted in the heart. 00:36:08.199 --> 00:36:11.559 And the longer that that sin has been there festering, 00:36:11.659 --> 00:36:19.039 the harder it is to rip out. I know. But when 00:36:19.039 --> 00:36:23.480 I open these altars today, I want you to come 00:36:23.480 --> 00:36:29.000 up to the front and I want you to ask God to 00:36:29.000 --> 00:36:35.340 baptize you with a heart of repentance. God baptized 00:36:35.340 --> 00:36:38.519 me just like John the Baptist's baptism unto 00:36:38.519 --> 00:36:41.940 repentance. I want to be filled with the spirit 00:36:41.940 --> 00:36:46.849 of repentance. to the point where I will turn 00:36:46.849 --> 00:36:51.769 away from that sin. I want true repentance in 00:36:51.769 --> 00:36:58.070 my heart today. And God, I accept the way that 00:36:58.070 --> 00:37:02.909 you've made for me. And if you have decided and 00:37:02.909 --> 00:37:05.349 you have already made the decision to be baptized 00:37:05.349 --> 00:37:07.309 in the name of Jesus Christ, maybe you've done 00:37:07.309 --> 00:37:12.489 that in the past, I want you to just repent of 00:37:12.489 --> 00:37:17.460 your sins today. and not just ask God to forgive 00:37:17.460 --> 00:37:22.699 you, but turning away so that God can restore 00:37:22.699 --> 00:37:29.559 the joy of His salvation to you today by His 00:37:29.559 --> 00:37:33.000 Spirit. And if you haven't made the decision 00:37:33.000 --> 00:37:35.500 today, and you're a believer, and you've never 00:37:35.500 --> 00:37:37.940 made the decision, or maybe you didn't understand 00:37:37.940 --> 00:37:41.940 why you were getting baptized, today's your day. 00:37:43.630 --> 00:37:47.909 to get your sins blotted out, removed, taken 00:37:47.909 --> 00:37:51.449 off of your record. And so when the altar is 00:37:51.449 --> 00:37:54.750 open, ask God to forgive you of your sins and 00:37:54.750 --> 00:37:57.909 say, God, I'm gonna put my best effort in. I'm 00:37:57.909 --> 00:38:03.050 telling you, I know that it's hard. But you know, 00:38:03.590 --> 00:38:06.949 I didn't really start seeing those victories 00:38:06.949 --> 00:38:13.440 until I got serious with sin. And that's what 00:38:13.440 --> 00:38:17.400 God is asking you today to do, is to get serious 00:38:17.400 --> 00:38:21.920 with sin. Serious enough to where you're like, 00:38:22.039 --> 00:38:24.400 I'm pulling this out of my life. I'm uprooting 00:38:24.400 --> 00:38:28.000 it. I'm getting it out. That's going today. I 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:30.380 don't care what it is, that's leaving out of 00:38:30.380 --> 00:38:32.179 my life. And I don't have time to go into it, 00:38:32.179 --> 00:38:35.500 but I used to have a problem playing games. I 00:38:35.500 --> 00:38:37.340 mean a terrible problem. I would skip church 00:38:37.340 --> 00:38:41.800 to play it. You know, to this day, that was... 00:38:41.929 --> 00:38:46.929 20 years ago, I went home after repenting of 00:38:46.929 --> 00:38:52.550 that. I put my PlayStation in the attic. And 00:38:52.550 --> 00:38:56.110 that's where it's been ever since. Because I 00:38:56.110 --> 00:38:59.269 decided to get serious about what was separating 00:38:59.269 --> 00:39:03.769 me from God. And God is wanting you to get serious 00:39:03.769 --> 00:39:06.269 about what's separating you from Him and turn 00:39:06.269 --> 00:39:09.269 from it. And then not only is he going to forgive 00:39:09.269 --> 00:39:11.610 you, but he's making a way today. And these altars 00:39:11.610 --> 00:39:16.329 are open. For anyone that would come today, all 00:39:16.329 --> 00:39:21.369 to repent of their sins. All to be baptized in 00:39:21.369 --> 00:39:27.409 his name. To blot out the sins. We have people 00:39:27.409 --> 00:39:31.329 ready today. Let an elder know, let someone know 00:39:31.329 --> 00:39:33.829 if you want to get baptized in the name of Jesus 00:39:33.829 --> 00:39:36.659 Christ today. for the remission of your sins, 00:39:36.739 --> 00:39:39.800 we are ready. We'll have people standing right 00:39:39.800 --> 00:39:43.159 over here, Brother Mark and them. Brother Daniel, 00:39:43.320 --> 00:39:46.699 hit the light. Over here on this side, hear the 00:39:46.699 --> 00:39:46.940 column.