You know, as we were just singing
that song, I didn't realize until just now
how scriptural that chorus is. I'll see him face to face, and
I'll tell the story, saved by grace. In Revelation 5, we look
at this so many times, Revelation 5-9, this is when
all the saints are before the Lamb who has taken the book.
The book of God's eternal counsel to save a people, people of His
choosing, people of His love. He takes the book and the four
and twenty elders and four beasts They fell down before the Lamb,
having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors,
which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song. And
here's the part I was talking about. I'll see him face to face,
and I'll sing. I'll tell the story, saved by
grace. This is what they sang. They sung a new song, saying,
thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof,
for thou was slain. and has redeemed us to God by
thy blood out of every kindred and tongue, people, and nation,
and has made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall
reign on the earth. That's a good song. All right,
I want you to take your Bibles and turn with me to the book
of Mark. The book of Mark, chapter 16. A few weeks ago, I preached out
of this chapter, Mark 16, and we dealt with Mark 16, verses
9 to 15. It was a passage of scripture
that revealed the Lord's appearing to his people after he was risen
from the dead And the Scripture says that He upbraided them.
That's what verse 14 says in Mark 16. He appeared unto the
eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief
and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which
had seen Him after He was risen. And He gave them at that time
a commission. Great commission. Verse 15, he
said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature. Now we've met today to worship
God, to revere, to honor the Lord. We've met here to hear
from him. And we're meeting to listen to
the instruction and the direction that he's given his people. We've gathered today according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. So this is a precious time. This
is a divinely ordained time not to be neglected. Nothing else, there's nothing
else more important than what we're doing right here. Everything
pertaining to life, eternal life, is dealt with just like this. When God calls his people together,
he gathers them, gathers them together, and they hear the word
of God. And we worship the Lord. when
we believe him. This is worship, a revering. So now the Lord, having commissioned
his apostles, there's 11, Judas is dead. And he commissions them,
you go into all the world, and you preach the gospel to every
creature. And then after he had commissioned
them, he gave them an ordinance. an ordinance. We have two ordinances. Baptism, Lord's Supper. He gave
them an ordinance to be obeyed. And it's one concerning the outward
sign or the token of an inward work of the heart. He said in verse 16, he that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved. But he that believeth
not shall be damned. So I want us to consider that
passage of scripture, verse 16. And the first thing I want us
to look at is he that believeth. He that believeth. From that truth set forth by
our Lord, we conclude that if there's anything we need to understand
concerning salvation, it's what does that word mean? He that
believeth. What does it mean to believe? Acts 13.48 said, and as many
as were ordained to eternal life believed. Now, believing unto
salvation is more than just a mental assent or agreement with It's
more than just a mental. It is mental, but it's more than
just a mental. I believe that four quarters
equals one dollar. I believe that. I believe that. But concerning salvation, to
believe is more than just that mental ascent to a fact. To believe
is, it means to place confidence. It is by faith to rely upon. To rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ. To trust Him. To trust Him who
has finished the work. It is a committing of my helpless
soul into his hand. It's more than just believing
that he is, that he exists. It's not just a head knowledge,
there's a lot of facts in this book. A lot of facts, and a lot
of facts that people agree with. They'll agree with. I gave you
this illustration years ago. I can tell you concerning Noah's
ark. There was a man named Noah. He
built an ark. He got in the ark with his family. God sent judgment on this earth. Noah was spared. and delivered
out of the ark and all the animals that were therein. As I've told
you years ago, I didn't tell you one thing that wasn't true.
I just told you the truth. That's the truth, but it's not
the gospel. I did not tell you the gospel. Hold your place right here and
turn to Romans 1. Romans 1. You want to know the heart of
the gospel. Romans 1.1, Paul, a servant of
Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated under the
glory of God, which he had promised to for by his prophets in the
Holy Scriptures. Now you look at verse 3. Concerning
his son, Jesus Christ our Lord. which was made of the seed of
David according to the flesh. What is that which you will always
hear when you hear the gospel? You'll always hear the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That ark, and I'm going to deal
with this in a minute here in this message, that ark was a
picture of Christ. It was a boat. It was made out
of wood. But it was a type and a picture,
a shadow of Christ and being found in Him. And He bore the judgment of God. And all in Him were delivered. How did they get in there? God
put them in there. As God elected a people and put
them in Christ before the foundation of the world. If you set forth
facts and omit the glory of Christ, you miss the gospel. So when
you hear somebody preach, if you don't hear the glory of God's
sovereign grace in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, you
may have heard facts, but you didn't hear the gospel. It's
concerning His Son. So belief. He that believeth,
belief associated with true salvation, is that exercise. It's a grace-given
faith to believe. It casts all of its hope, entrusts
itself as a helpless sinner to the person and only Savior of
God's people. the Lord Jesus himself. It is
to look away from myself. It is to look away from my filthy,
ragged self-righteousness. It is to have no confidence in
the flesh. That's what I believe. Believe
it. So belief unto salvation is all of grace. And it's according
to God's will and power and purpose to save a people. John 1.12 says,
but as many as received him, then something is now evident. To them gave he power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. To
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is to know, convicted by the
grace of God, that I'm not the originator, I'm not the maintainer
of my salvation. but I'm absolutely the recipient
of his mercy and grace, and therefore I take God at his word, the final
authority. So the Lord said, he that believeth,
now without believing, whatever comes after that is not gonna
be a factual. I can tell you this, it's not
gonna be so. He that believeth, the gospel, and is baptized shall
be saved. Now, I want us to remember something,
and I'm going to try to be very slow and methodical and show
you this in scriptures. Believer's baptism is an ordinance
that has been appointed by the Lord to his church. It's an outward sign of an inward
work, it is an act of obedience to him before others, saying
that our life is found to be in us. Our life didn't originate
with us, but it's totally from the thrice holy God. Let me give
you an example. A marriage ceremony. People want
to get married. A marriage ceremony is an outward
expression. It's a token. I'll say it like
this. It's an outward expression before
men that love exists between a man and a woman. The ceremony
did not initiate It didn't convey the love that they have one for
the other. And it doesn't add one piece
of affection that would now totally bind their hearts together. It's
not what keeps them faithful to each other. What keeps them
faithful to each other is they love each other. But they loved
each other before They came and stood before a minister and actually
went through a ceremony. So it doesn't add anything. It's
an expression before others of a love, but it's not to be neglected. It is the outward evidence of
commitment, commitment. Somebody said, well, I don't
really see the need. I mean, it's just a ceremony. No, it's not just a ceremony.
It's an expression of faithfulness. But the answer before men concerning
their love of one another is ultimately that which is much
deeper. And I realize that the world
doesn't know what I'm about to say. I understand that. They
go through a ceremony and if it works, okay, if it doesn't,
you know. This ceremony that is not to
be neglected is the outward expression of the love that the Lord Jesus
has for his bride and his commitment to her His faithfulness to her,
His love to her. And by grace and regeneration,
her love to Him. I'm His and He's mine. He has given Himself unto her
and therefore, in the day of His power, she gives Himself
to Him. Willing, by power, He draws her to Himself. And they
love one another. He loved her before she loved
him. But that marriage ceremony is not just something to be neglected. It speaks of the eternal love
of God for His people. It's not to be neglected. Don't
think it's just nothing. It's something. It's something. So concerning baptism, the Lord
told His disciples, He that believeth and is baptized, he that believeth
and is baptized. Matthew 28, 19, our Lord speaking
to his disciples said this concerning baptism. Go ye therefore and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. In baptism, we're confessing
our belief and trust. in the Father who chose His people
unto salvation. That's what He said. You baptize
them in the name of the Father who chose them. You baptize them
in the name of the Son who redeemed them by the shedding of His own precious
blood at Calvary. And of the Holy Ghost who irresistibly
comes to them in the time of love and regenerates them in
grace, effectually, irresistibly, calls them to himself, takes
out a heart of stone and gives them a new heart, a new creation. You baptize them. You baptize
them, that outward expression before men. This is a confession
of our faith. This is what we're confessing
before men. This is our confession. This
is the proclamation of what we believe. It's not to be neglected. I say, well, I just, you know,
I think I'm just gonna get baptized. Well, you can go ahead and get
in the water. But without belief, without believing the truth,
not the facts, not merely the facts. Everybody believes that
there was a Lord Jesus Christ. They talk about the crucifixion.
They talk about the resurrection. But when he died, did he die
for me? When He was raised, was He raised from me? His righteousness
is imputed to me. There's a difference. The Spirit
of God turned over to 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter chapter 3. The Spirit of God moved upon
the Apostle Peter to pen a very, very marvelous and instructive
passage of Scripture. 1 Peter 3. Verse 18, for Christ also hath once suffered
for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit,
by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison. which
sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, wherein
few, that is, eight souls were saved by water, the like figure,
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us, not the putting
away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience
toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, the Lord
Jesus Christ, the scripture says, in the power of His Holy Spirit
preached in the time of Noah to a wicked and disobedient people,
those in prison to sin, the bondage And all but eight souls perished
in the flood. God put Noah and his family in
the ark, shut the door, the flood came, and everyone went through
the judgment of God. But eight souls in that ark were
saved. They were saved. Well, in the
process of time, Noah and his family came from the ark and
they were delivered. They were delivered from the
wrath of God, which destroyed everyone else, because they were
in an ark. That ark was a glorious picture
and type, as I said just a moment ago, of being found in Christ. It was a picture. It was a type. It was a shadow. That's what
it was. Was it a real boat? Yeah, it
was a real boat. A real boat. But it was a type. The scripture said that Peter
says, what? Verse 21, he's talking about
that boat, that ark. The like figure, there's another
figure of being found in Christ and delivered. What was that
other figure, Peter? It's baptism. It's a picture,
it's a type, that's what he said. The like figure, even baptism. That baptism, the scripture says,
which doth also now save us. Well, then Peter, you're saying
that baptism saves us. And the Spirit of God, mercifully,
graciously, compassionately, explained what He said in this
same verse so that no one could say, baptism saves you. It says it does. The Spirit of
God says, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh. Not
the putting away of the depravity of our old nature. It was a picture
of trusting Him of whom baptism is a picture, a type. Not trusting
the baptism. Noah found no peace, no comfort
in the wood that made the ark. That ark could sink if God didn't
keep it up. But he trusted in the God that
was pictured by that ark. That's why he trusted. And baptism is not what saves
a man. The water doesn't save a man.
That's what the scripture says. Not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh. Not Titus 3, 5. Not by works
of righteousness which we have done. But according to His mercy. If baptism, if the water saved
a man. Saved the one. If that's all
it took, just the water. Then Simon Magus would have been
converted. Acts chapter eight, Acts chapter
eight, speaks of a man named Simon. He was baptized. The scripture says in Acts 8.13,
then Simon himself believed and when he was baptized, he continued
with Philip. and wondered, beholding the miracles
and signs which were done. Now you see there? It says Simon
believed and was baptized. But then the apostle Peter, a
few verses later, said, Thou hast neither part nor lot in
this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
But it says that Simon believed. It says the devils believe. Tremble. So obviously, according to the
revelation of the Spirit of God through the mouth of Peter, Simon's
belief was no more than the belief of devils. He believed. He believed some facts. But God
revealed. Your heart is not right. I'm
sure he had a head knowledge of all the right truth, and he
had all the parts down, but he had no heart of dependence, no
heart of trust, no heart of commitment to the Lord himself. He was a
hypocrite. He was a tare. He was an infidel
among the sheep, according to the revelation of God's Spirit.
God told us that, but he was baptized. Peter told him, he
said, your money is going to perish with you. Was he a believer? No. No. A believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ possesses a heart for Him. A heart united to Him in
love and submission. A heart that seeks Him first,
His kingdom first. A heart that's not satisfied
with a mere form of religion, a moral code, or a set of facts. Well, I believe in the five points
of Calvinism. I told you before, demons believe
in the five points of Calvinism. But they have no heart of dependence
for Christ. So therefore, concerning Baptism,
Peter, closing, says that this is baptism. It saves, but it's
not the putting away, the Christ it pictures saves. What is it? It's the answer of a good conscience
toward God. It's an answer of all the inward
questions or fears that sets forth our stand is in Him, in
Him alone. our answer of a good question
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. So in closing, baptism
is the obedient outward expression of a good conscience, an agreeable,
a joyful, a happy conscience, one made new in regenerating
grace, a conscience that finds all of its hope totally being
found in the Lord Jesus Christ. He that believeth, he that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not, whether
he's baptized or not, he that believeth not shall be damned. I'll close with this question.
Should I or should you be baptized? An Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip
that question. That's what he asked him. He
asked Philip, after Philip had taken the scripture, where he
was. And he expounded unto him Jesus. And then he said this,
what doth hinder me to be baptized? What doth hinder me to be baptized?
Listen to Philip's answer. And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot
to stand still. And they went down both into
the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. What must I do to be saved? Believe,
Paul told the Philippian jailer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Does baptism save me? No. Should it be neglected? No. Why? It's an ordinance ordained of
God. It is the outward expression
of an inward work accomplished by God in regenerating grace. It is the expression of our love
and commitment to Him, our belief in Him for His glory and our
good. Amen. All right.