"WATER BAPTISM"

In Luke 3:8 John told these people that they needed to bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,  That word ‘meet’ means to be worthy...repentance is to turn around…*(for reference in 2nd paragraph)

Acts 26:19…This is where Paul is talking to king Agrippa. Most know the story of how Paul was tried before king Agrippa for the things that he had been doing while living for God.  The Jews wanted to kill him because now he was preaching the thing that he had once destroyed.   They brought it before King Agrippa.  Listen to what he told him.  Acts 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:.  How many people are obedient to God's Word today? You can tell them about God's Word but they are disobedient to that. They won't live according to God's Word.  They won't accept it.  Some people say, “I can't”.  But, you can if you get Jesus in your life. You can live the life I'm telling you about.  If I can do it, you can do it.  God will help you.  He will guide you through. 

REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED  26:19 He said, “Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:  20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance”. * That repentance as he showed was turning to God and not living the way you used to do.  Turn away from the violence that you live in…the sin that's in your life… repentance toward God.  Paul didn't live the same life that he did after he was converted.  Before he was converted, he didn't live that life. He changed.  He started telling people about Jesus Christ. That's what we want you to do today. We want you to know that Jesus Christ has a plan of salvation for you and that plan is to repent and to be baptized.

In Luke 3:1 reading down…The focus of this has been ‘doing’. We want to do God's will and not just say “I'm sorry”, and then go down to get baptized and be done with it. There is more beyond that.  That is part of the doing but there's more beyond that.  Luke 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. It's important to know what you have in your heart…from the good treasure of the heart coming forth fruit.  If you have evil in your heart, you're going to bring forth evil fruit.  If you have goodness in your heart, you're going to bring forth good fruit. 9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

They were wanting to know what they needed to do to be saved.  I want to tell you today that is what you need in your life.  You need to be asking God, “Lord, what do I need to do to be saved?  What can I do to help someone? What can I do to help my fellow man?”  When you get to the point to where it's more important for you to help somebody else than it is to take care of your own self, God will bless you.  He will help you when you turn from things.  Perhaps you have greediness about you and that makes you don't want to live for the Lord but rather live for yourself. There are people who sit in church houses that still have that in their heart and in their life.  They came to church, joined and go to church perhaps religiously but deep down in their hearts, they're not really living the life. 

10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

WHAT IS WATER BAPTISM?  God had some things that he wanted them to do and that's what we need to do. In James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.  Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded”.  Get rid of the things that you used to pick up.  Don't pick up the old things that you used to do.  9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.  It's a heaviness with God but it's not a heaviness that would cause you to be burdened down because Jesus’ burden is light.  When we turn our heart and life over to Jesus Christ…when we really clean ourselves up…if we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, he will lift us up…when we get humble down before him and we now have our joy turned – let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.  He will lift you up.  You won't have to worry about being excited.  It'll happen to you. I want to get a little bit into baptism now.  We have been talking a lot about repentance. I want to talk about water baptism and show you that it is essential.

WHY DID JESUS GET BAPTIZED? In Matthew 3:13, Jesus Christ had come to John to be baptized.  I think it's very important to know how that we are to be baptized.  It's not just that we are sprinkled.  Our hearts are to be sprinkled from an evil conscience but that's not water baptism.  Water baptism is done by immersion, and I want to show you that in Matthew 3:13, Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?  Now I can just about imagine how John the Baptist must have felt when Jesus Christ came to him and said, “I want to be baptized by you”.  I probably would have said, “No, I don't think so. I'm not worthy to do that but Jesus was showing an example. 1st Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: (we are called to do these things) because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:. He didn't have to repent of the sins in his life because he had not done any sins but he did follow that righteousness.  That's what I want to get to you here in Matthew. If Jesus Christ did it then we need to do it. He came unto him to be baptized.

WATER BAPTISM VERSES  Matthew 3: 13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.  14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. I would say this, if it was important for Jesus Christ to be baptized, then it's important for us.  Are we greater than our master? Are the servants better than their Lord? No.  If Jesus Christ needed to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness, then we need to do that.

SCRIPTURES ON WATER BAPTISM Why is that a way of suffering?  Because people will persecute you for living for God just like Paul was doing to those people.  When Paul was persecuting the church and wasting it, he was not living in God's way…in God's will.  People will do you that way because that's part of the suffering.  That's why he said, “Even hereunto were you called”. When that call  of the gospel went out…when you hear the voice of the word of the Lord come your way, you shouldn’t harden your heart.  You should turn and give that to Jesus.  Let God make that godly sorrow in your heart and bring forth fruits meet for repentance.  That's what we need and water baptism is one of them.  Matthew 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.  Then he suffered him.  16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water:. I want to stop right there for just a second. 

WATER BAPTISM MEANING  The bible said that he came up straightway out of the water. I believe in water baptism by immersion just like Jesus Christ when he died. In Romans 6:3, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:. We are buried. When you bury somebody, you don’t just sprinkle a little dirt on them.  You dig a hole, you put them down in the hole and then you cover with the dirt.  Well, that’s the we believe in water baptism.  That’s the way I believe in water baptism.  When Jesus was baptized, the bible said he went up straightway out of the water.  He didn’t just go somewhere…let somebody pour a little water on his head.  He actually was baptized by immersion.  That’s the righteous I believe in and if we are to be put in Jesus Christ and that is what water baptism does…3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  That’s what it will do for us.  It will give us a change in our heart and in our life.  We won't walk the way we used to walk.  We won't do the things we used to do. We will change our way and be planted in his likeness.  We can be resurrected in his greatness, too.

If you are living a life of sin, please turn your heart and your life around. Jesus has got something for you. It's not about what you can obtain in this life. I hope you enjoy the things that we teach about on this program...it is just from the heart. I want you to have the desire to live right with God. God bless you is my prayer.