Alright, turn to Mark chapter
1. Mark chapter 1. Our text is going to be verses
9 through 11. Mark 1, 9 through 11. And it came to pass in those
days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized of
John in Jordan. And straightway, coming up out
of the water, he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit like a
dove descending upon him. And there came a voice from heaven,
saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. So in this passage, we see Jesus
of Nazareth coming to be baptized of John in the river Jordan.
And this would have taken him probably about a two to three
day walk for him to reach where John was because he was coming
from Nazareth in Galilee. Now, our title this morning is
called The Witness. The Witness, because we're going
to see a lot of the witness of God for this this Jesus, being
the Christ whom he has sent to take away the sin of the world.
And we're going to see this morning how that Christ bears witness
to the fact that he is indeed the Christ sent of God. And we'll
see how that the Spirit bears witness that this is indeed the
Christ sent of God. And we'll see how the Father
bears witness that this is indeed the Christ sent of God, so that
we have all the Godhead, affirming and confirming their union and
approval of the redemption of all a man by this one whom he
has raised up and sent to do this work, to save his people,
to save the sinners who have no means of saving themselves. And these will all bear witness
to John, who was sent of God, who heard the voice of God, that
he should go forth and baptize, that he might know who the Christ
is, because that's where God would reveal to him who the Christ
is. And this witness, brethren, is
given to us because in salvation all the three persons in the
Godhead have a part in our salvation. We see in the salvation how that,
and this is not exhaustive by any means, but we see how that
the Father has elected a people and given them to the Son to
be His people, to be His inheritance, His bride. And He sends the Son,
and He hears the cry of the Son on behalf of His people. And
then we see the work of the Son, how He took upon Him the likeness
of our sinful flesh, how Christ was made under the law, born
of a woman, made under the law, and fulfilled all the law and
all the prophets, and how He bore the sin of His people Bearing
it before the father all the shame and bore that up under
the wrath and fury of God's just judgment Upon him that should
have been poured out upon us, but Christ took our place Sacrificing
himself making himself a perfect offering to the father so that
God is pleased and God raised him from the dead and And then
we also learn and understand that Christ baptizes his people
with the Holy Ghost. And then we see the Spirit's
part in the work, how that he gives life to the people, that
they might know and understand him because we're spiritually
dead in trespasses and sins, so that the Spirit must give
us life, and he takes that blood of Christ, applies it to our
consciences, he regenerates us, giving us life in Christ. And then he dwells in his people,
and he bears fruit in his people, so that by the Spirit we bear
fruits, brethren, fruits such as love, hope, joy, patience,
peace, faith. And the child of God then is
made to bear witness of what God has done with him, that we
bear witness of God's provision of salvation through the Son,
Jesus Christ. That is, that this is the salvation
that God must do in a sinner. We cannot save ourselves by the
works of the law. We must have the blood of Christ,
which cleanses us from all sin, so that we cease looking to our
works and the works of the flesh, and we look to the salvation
that God has provided in His Son, Jesus Christ. So we'll have
two divisions, God's witness and our witness. God's witness
and our witness. First, we'll look at God's witness.
One of the things, just being honest with myself, I think we
take for granted far too often the salvation that God has provided
in the sense that we have this sense of entitlement that, oh,
well, God's just going to save us. He's a loving God. He's just
going to do for us and save us and put away our sins. Now we
know what sinners we are, we see our need because God has
shown us our need of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we often take
that salvation that he's provided for granted. And God has not
given, like had God not given his word to save us, then He
would have destroyed us all in the Garden in Adam when we sinned
against God our Creator in Adam. So it's to our great benefit
that it please God that rather than destroy us that He would
save us and that He would provide that salvation through the Son. In Genesis 3.15 we see the Lord
over and over in the scriptures telling us that he's going to
provide a salvation for the people. In Genesis 3.15 the Lord is speaking
to the serpent and he says to him, right here is the beginning
of the gospel, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel. And then again we see in Deuteronomy
18 verse 15 how that Moses declares to the people, the salvation
that God would provide himself. Verse 15, saying, the Lord thy
God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy
brethren, like unto me, him shall ye hear. And then to the psalmist,
the Lord revealed to the psalmist in Psalm 132, verse 11, how that
God would raise up from the loins of David one to sit upon the
throne forever. It says in Psalm 132, verse 11,
And then in the prophets, Isaiah 46, verses 12 and 13, the prophets
foretelling of the coming of the Christ. Harken unto me you stout-hearted
that are far from righteousness. I bring near my righteousness
It shall not be far off and my salvation shall not tarry and
I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory and again
He says in Isaiah 48 16 come ye near unto me hear ye this
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning from the time that
it was there am I and now the Lord God in his spirit hath sent
me." So Christ is sent of God to save the people, to put away
their sins and to deliver them from death, because we cannot
do that ourselves. So now we come to the day when
the Christ, the Lord, comes forth to His public ministry. We've
finally come to that day when through all these thousands of
years being told that God is going to provide salvation, we've
come to that day and we see it marked by this event that Christ
is going to enter publicly into the ministry to save his people.
Mark 1.4 says, John did baptize in the wilderness and preach
the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Mark 1
9, and it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth
of Galilee and was baptized of John in Jordan. Now Christ knew
that he was the Christ. This wasn't new to him when he
got there. He knew that he was raised up and sent of God, but
all this time he was quietly laboring. He was a son, he was
a child, he was a carpenter, and he lived honoring God the
Father. He did not commit any sin, but
he just quietly, peaceably lived his life, waiting for the appointed
day when he should be revealed to Israel. Luke captures a bit
of that childhood of his in Luke 2, where it says that his parents
had lost sight of where he was, and they were looking for him
for, I think, three days. And they find him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking
them questions. And all that heard him were astonished
at his understanding and answers. And he said to his parents when
they found him, how is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that
I must be about my father's business? And so that from that day before
and onward, Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor
with God and man. So Christ knew who he was, and
John would come to know who he is by divine revelation being
given to him. And Matthew 3, Matthew records
this event, Matthew 3.13, and he says it this way, Then cometh
Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him.
But John forbade him, he forbade him, he tried to stop him, saying,
I need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? He's speaking
of the baptism of the Holy Spirit that he needs, that every child
of God must have the Spirit of Christ. For if we have not the
Spirit of Christ, we are none of his. So he gives his spirit
to his children. And it's just amazing how that
John the Baptist, who had the Holy Ghost dwelling in him from
his mother's womb, Luke 1 15, yet he still recognized that
even though he was raised up and sent of God with a purpose,
even he needed to be baptized and saved by the precious blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He needed that. He needed that
baptism of the spirit as well. so that we too, brethren, no
better or no different than John, and he's no better or any different
than us, we all must have that life-giving baptism by the Spirit
of Christ dwelling in us, giving us life in the dead, as none
of us are perfect and have earned or worked out a life for ourselves. We're all sinners in need of
his grace and mercy. And none of us can purchase that,
right? We can't work or earn the Spirit
of Christ. It's a gift which He alone gives
to His people. As Peter turned to Simon Magus,
who saw the apostles laying on their hands and that people were
receiving the Holy Ghost, he said, I'll give you money for
that gift. I want that gift so whoever I
lay my hands on, they'll receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. And
Peter turned to Him and said, Thy money perish with thee, because
thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with
money. So it's a gift which Christ alone
must give. We can't earn it. We can't work
it out to get it or obtain it ourselves. It's a gift which
God gives freely to whomsoever He wills. Now, Matthew 3.15 Jesus
answering, John said unto him, Suffer it to be so now, for thus
it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. And so John then
baptized him. Now who of us can declare the
fullness that is contained there to fulfill all righteousness? But even though I would struggle
to explain all that that could possibly mean and does mean,
there is a significance where Christ says that and when he
says it. He's now saying that right there at his baptism before
John, so that we understand this is no small thing that Christ
is doing. He's here to be baptized. This is his entering into the
public ministry. He's going to be revealed now
as the Christ to the world. So Christ came to bear witness
as well that he is the Christ and he's validating or giving
validity to what John is doing. He's saying this is not a work
of man. This is a work of God. God has
raised this man up to do this work. He's not here just by some
fluke. He's not here by the direction
or the authority of man. He's here by the authority of
God. It's a work If you remember that
the last thing that God said was through the prophet Malachi,
and the last thing which Malachi said was in Malachi 4, verses
5 and 6. And he said, Behold, I will send
you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers
to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. And so then from
that point forward, 350 years, it was silence. And so that all
those who looked for salvation in Israel were waiting expectantly
for the Lord to send Elijah. They were looking for him to
send Elijah. And John came in the power and the spirit of Elijah
to the people, and so now Christ If Elijah's here, that means
Christ is soon to follow, right? He's coming fast behind him,
and Christ is testifying of this work that John is doing, that
it's of heaven. It says in Matthew 21-25, when the chief priests and the
elders, they were challenging Christ. They were saying, tell
us by what authority you do these things and who gave you this
authority? Tell us, you're teaching the people, how do you do these
things? What are you doing this for? And he said, all right,
I'll answer your question if you answer my question. And he
says, the baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven? or of men. And they reasoned with themselves,
saying, If we shall say from heaven, he will say unto us,
Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say of men, why,
we fear the people, that they are going to stone us, because
they all hold that John is a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and
said, We can't tell. They wouldn't even answer him.
So Christ said, I'm not going to answer you then. But this
is the day, John baptizing, this will be the day when Christ will
be made known to the public that he is the Christ. And the psalmist
writes the Godhead concerning the Christ where it says, I will
declare the decree, the Lord hath said unto me, thou art my
son, this day have I begotten thee. And so Christ comes forth.
And we read next in Mark 1, The latter half of verse 10 we read
that Jesus was baptized of John and Jordan and straightway Coming
up out of the water. He saw the heavens opened and
the spirit like a dove descending upon him so that this is now
the The Holy Spirit bearing witness, it says Christ came and he bore
witness to the fact that he is the Christ, that he came and
gave validity to what John is doing. Christ is saying, I'm
coming to do that work that I and the Father and Spirit have agreed
to do for the people. I'm going to fulfill this covenant
to save the people." And now the Holy Spirit comes and He
comes and gives His assent and His agreement that, yes, we're
going to save the people by this one, the Christ that we are sending
to save and to deliver the people. And the Spirit bears witness
that this one here who's coming to be baptized, this is the Son. This is the Son of God, the Christ
raised up of God, sent to put away the sins of the people. In 2 Peter 1.21, Peter records
for us, he says, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the
scripture is of any private interpretation. Alright, so that when God sends
a word to the prophet, it's not for the prophet's own benefit,
but that prophet is to go out and to declare, to make it public
to the people, not to keep it to himself. He's to go out and
just declare what God has said to him. And in verse 21, for
the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
So the Holy Ghost is now coming in bodily form, as it were, as
like unto a dove. Not necessarily as a dove, though
it may have been, but in the likeness, the way a dove would
descend and come down upon upon Christ. That's how it looked
to John, how it appeared to men to see that the Holy Spirit was
descending upon Christ and bearing witness publicly to this one. Before it had been through prophets,
now the Spirit is personally testifying that this is indeed
the Christ. Now turn over to John 1 and look
at verse 31. This message is called the witness
and that's because we're seeing the witness being given over
and over again so that we know and are assured that this is
indeed the Christ, that we are assured that this is how we are
to be saved. In John 1.31, We see that John
himself gave testimony. I think Christ even says it in
John 5 that John as well was one who bore testimony to Christ.
And John said in verse 31, I knew him not, but that he should be
made manifest to Israel. Therefore am I come baptizing
with water and John bear record saying I saw the spirit Descending
from heaven like a dove and it abode upon him right? It was
going to mark him out plainly that this is the one and I knew
him not but he that sent me to baptize with water the same said
unto me I And upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending,
and remaining on him the same as he which baptizeth with the
Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bear record, that
this is the Son of God." So John is testifying, and we see it
now, that John is testifying to us, this is the Son of God. This is the Christ who was sent
to come. So, we are seeing here the importance for Christ to
be baptized. It was important for him to show
up this day and to go through this because this is where he
is being revealed to the public that he is the Christ. Again,
verse 35, The next day, after John stood and two of his disciples,
and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold, The
Lamb of God. So John is no longer wondering
whether this were the Christ or not. He now knows because
God has revealed it to him, and he continues to bear witness
to who the Christ is, just as we do. For when John saw him,
he says, Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin
of the world. And so that even we to this day
continue to bear witness that this is the Christ, the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. so that we
would look to Him. Now Mark 1 verse 11, it says,
And there came a voice from heaven saying, Thou art my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased, so that now we have the Father giving
His seal, that indeed this is the Christ, and this is by whom
I'm going to save the people, by whom I will put away their
sins, so that the Father is fully giving assent and approving that
this is the work of salvation. I'm committed to it. I sent the
Son to do this work and we're going forward with this and we're
going to save the people and put away their sins. So, we see
how the whole ministry of Christ was testified to and witnessed
to. I could show you a number of scriptures where he shows
that the Father testified to it, John testified to it, the
works that he did testified that he is the Christ, the Spirit
testified that he is the Christ, he testified himself that he
is the Christ, the apostles testified that he is the Christ. So, all
throughout his ministry, we see this witness being born that
this is the Christ and this is salvation in him, trust In 1
John 5, verses 5-8, John asks this, and 1 John, if you read
it, he wrote John as well, and you see right from the beginning,
John is speaking to us as a witness We might know that Jesus is the
Christ that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ if you look at
the first three verses He says we've held them. We've handled
them. We've touched them. We ate with them We drank with
them after he rose from the dead. This is indeed the Christ. We're
giving you witness Believe that this is the one whom God has
sent to save his people and at first John 5 verse 5 He asks,
who is he that overcometh the world? But he that believeth
that Jesus is the Son of God. Right? If you're going to be
delivered from the wrath that is coming upon this world, from
all the wickedness and injustice and the filth that is in man's
heart, you're to be delivered from that, you yourself, the
own filth in your own heart. Look to the Lord. It's in Jesus
Christ. So that he now identifies who
the Son of God is in verse 6. He says, This is he that came
by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but
by water and blood. So again, he's speaking of the
witness, how God revealed Christ publicly through the water and
through the blood. So that Christ began his ministry
being baptized in the water and he ended his ministry spilling
his blood, giving testimony that he is indeed the Christ, that
it never never wavered, it never wasn't him. It always was Christ
from beginning to end. We have the witness that he is
indeed the Lord Jesus Christ. And then ultimately, we have
the greatest witness, which is God raising him from the dead,
which testifies to us that God accepted the sacrifice that Christ
made of himself, that God is pleased with that sacrifice so
that he receives Christ, And all who come to the Father in
Christ, he receives because that's where God meets his people. Never
outside of Christ. Never works we do plus Christ. It's only in Christ that we come
and that's where God will meet with his people. That's where
he has peace with his people. So when he says, John says in
verse 6, and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because
the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear
record in heaven, the Father, the Word, which is Christ, and
the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. So we've seen that in
various scriptures, but let me move on to Before we go on to
the second point I just want to read how in acts 10 if you
turn to acts 10 we see Peter when he's preaching to Cornelius
he wraps up the whole thing where he's this notice how he's bearing
witness and giving witness to the fact that Christ is that
Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ and that that is how God saves
his people acts 1037 It's a wonderful summary that we see here, that
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them, and has given to us the ministry
now of reconciliation where we preach and declare and bear witness
to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's how God is going to save
his people. That's how he saved his people. All right, Acts 10.37.
Preaching here, that word I say ye know, which was published
throughout all Judea and began from Galilee, after the baptism
which John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Ghost and with power, right? That is, in particular,
for this ministry. He always had the Holy Spirit
without measure, but now he was anointed when he was baptized,
who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed
of the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of
all things which he did both in the land of the Jews and in
Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised
up the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people,
but unto witnesses chosen before God. even to us who did eat and
drink with him after he rose from the dead, and he commanded
us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he
which was ordained of God to be judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets
witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall
receive remission of sins. God shown you your sinner has
he shown you your need of Christ for his blood to put away your
sin Those who believe on Christ and trust him and him alone shall
receive remission of sins And he's the one that we have to
do with where he is the one who's ordained to be the judge of quick
and the dead All right. Now, let's look at our second
point here our witness Now I don't know, we're looking at baptism,
so I'll spend a little more time on baptism, but I don't know
all the reasons why a believer wouldn't be baptized. I'm sure
there's many reasons why, but it's one of our earliest opportunities
whereby we identify with Christ and our hope in Him and what
He's done for us. It's one of the greatest opportunities
to identify that, yes, I believe that He is the Christ and what
He did, I rejoice in and I have no other hope or confidence than
what Christ has done for me, right? When He bore the wrath
of God, My place in my room in my stead bearing my sin before
the father all that shame and yet he went there Faithfully
before the father to put away my sin by the sacrifice of himself
And that God poured out his wrath and fullness and fury so that
he drank up that cup of fury dry so that there's not a single
drop left for me to drink and He's done it all so I would say
to any hesitating child of God that if Christ is all your hope
And you have no other hope you're not looking to your works You're
not looking to anything you've done and you haven't been baptized
and come be baptized. Let's talk We'll talk privately
and we'll set up a time and a date when you can be baptized in the
name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost because that's
what he said that we ought to do that we are to do that to
go and his disciples who hear him and believe in the follow
him, come and be baptized. Nothing hinders you. Nothing
stops you. Come and be baptized. You're not hoping in anything
but him. Come and be baptized, trusting him. And then John says
to us in verse 8, there are three that bear witness in earth. The
Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and these three agree
in one." So this is the witness on the earth here, and it speaks
to the witness that God bears witness to in the church, in
His people here on the earth, and among His people. I looked
at various commentators on this thing and just what the Lord
was showing me in light of what I was studying and looking at,
and I realize that there's disagreement as to what that specifically
means, the spirit, the water, and the blood. But brethren,
don't be discouraged. We can certainly rejoice if it
If it reveals the glory of Christ, if it ends in Christ being glorified
and magnified before our eyes, there is an element of truth
and rejoicing that we have in it so we can see what Christ
has done. It testifies to us that Jesus
is the Christ, that he is the promised seed of God that should
come and take away our sin and put it away forever so that we
don't have the fear to stand before God in that day of judgment.
The Spirit. So we first look at the Spirit,
John says there. There's three that bear witness
in earth. The Spirit, he says. Now the Spirit bears witness
in his people, and we see that to this day because God has not
removed his gospel. There's a lot of corruptors and
people that have a false gospel that they're preaching and teaching
that isn't saving anybody. It doesn't help or profit anyone,
whether it's just a heavy dose of the law where they're whipping
and beating the people of God to try and affect the righteousness
in them, or they're just teaching them that if they accept Jesus
Christ and if they make him Lord, either way, both are a false
gospel. They're not leading them to rest in the work that Christ
has done. But his gospel is going forth.
Maybe not abundantly that we know of anyway, but his gospel
is still being preached and proclaimed that salvation is of the Lord. So that there is a testimony
that His Spirit has not been removed from the earth, but that
He is still present and working and revealing and bearing witness
to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Christ-Sent of God. So
there is that testimony. And we don't need to change that
word because we know it's a work of God. If God wills, he'll apply
it to the hearts of his people. He's not going to take a lie
and apply that to the hearts of his people and save them,
but he'll take the truth and he'll apply it to their hearts
as he sees fit and he'll cause them to hear it. He'll cause
them to be broken and contrite, to see no hope of salvation in
themselves and in their works, but they'll have a rejoicing
and a confidence in Christ that they can't manufacture or do
for themselves. So, we don't need to change it
to whatever is tickling a man's ear. We just trust, preach it
as God has revealed it in His Word that Christ has accomplished
salvation. We just declare it, and all those
who hear it will come believing that He is the Christ. And therefore,
we believe it's that He gave power, He gave us power to become
sons of God because that's the regenerative work of Christ.
That we hear it and He causes us to hear it and He causes us
to believe it and come to the Lord Christ. And it says, the
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God. Turn over to Titus 3. Titus 3,
and we'll drop down to verse 4. We'll see the work of the
Spirit here. Titus 3 verse 4, it's a little
before Hebrews. But after that, the kindness
and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
That's the Holy Ghost giving us life and taking the blood
of Christ and applying it to our guilty consciences and washing
us clean of our guilt and our sin. Which he the blood which
he shed on us abundantly through jesus christ our savior that
being justified by his grace We should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life So we have that testimony that witness
of the spirit here on earth Now we come to the water in first
john 5 8 and there are three that bear witness in earth the
spirit And the water now, let me just be clear here water baptism
does not save us Order baptism doesn't save anybody. It's not
a requirement to be saved. And neither is it that if someone
is baptized in order that they are definitely a child of God.
We saw Simon Magus was baptized and he didn't have the Spirit
of Christ. He was still in the bitterness and gall of his sin. But what we're speaking of is
the witness that Jesus is the Christ, that his people believe
that Christ came and put away their sin. And they're just bearing
witness by going into baptism. They're just bearing witness
that they do believe that Jesus is the Christ. Just as Christ
was baptized by John and it bore witness to that it testified
that what John was doing was of heaven So we are testifying
in baptism that what God has done through his son. Jesus Christ
is of God That's not a work of man. That's not a lie. That's
the truth He believed in and rest right there and what he's
done turned over to John 3 John 3 and We'll go to verse 33 And
this is John the Baptist speaking. And he says, he that hath received
Christ's testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. First John 3.33, that God is
true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh
the words of God, for God giveth not the spirit by measure unto
him. The father loveth the son and hath given all things into
his hand. Do you believe that? Do you believe
that the Father has given all things into the hand of the Son
and that Christ has all authority? to judge us in eternity, that
what he determines will be so of us, and nothing we do can
change that. It's in Christ's hands. He has
all authority and all power given to him by the Father. John said,
verse 35, John 3, 35, the Father loved the Son and hath given
all things into his hand. And Peter testified to it. We
heard in Acts 10 when Peter testified that it is he which was ordained
of God to be the judge of quick and the dead. So John 3.36 says
that because Christ has all authority given to him, he that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
So when it comes to believers' baptism, we're not baptized because
we think that's a work that we must do to save ourselves or
that it has some kind of effectual power to do so, you know, to
work some grace in our hearts. That's not at all why we do it. We trust in Christ and Christ
alone for his work. But we're baptized because of
what Christ said himself concerning baptism. It's something that
he said. It symbolizes what what he's
done for us. We'll look at that in a couple
scriptures from now. But Christ said in Matthew 28,
18, Jesus came and spake unto his disciples, after he died
and rose again, saying, All power, all authority is given unto me
in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all
nations, make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with
you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. So that our
Lord's commandment is to love our God, to love Him whom He
has sent to save us, to love one another, and to be baptized.
and to partake of the Lord's table till he returns, remembering
his debt. It's not a lot, and those things
don't save us, but those are the fruits that are worked in
our hearts. That's the fruit, the testimony that the Spirit
bears in us that we're willingly, gladly willing to go in and do. So we're confessing in baptism
that we believe Christ. We believe the testimony God
has given to us concerning his Son. That's what we're saying,
that he's truth. He's the judge. He's the one
who holds my life in his hand. Everything I need comes from
him and he's provided it. And he says be baptized, I'll
go be baptized. That's, you know, looking to
him and trusting him. Look over at 1 Peter, 1 Peter
chapter 3. 1 Peter chapter 3. You know, we're declaring here
that acknowledging that Christ is the judge of the living and
the dead. And so we're just we're coming
to him, believing him and confessing that he is he is worthy of all
our worship and praise, acknowledging who he is. And in first Peter
three twenty one. This is after Peter speaking
of Noah's flood in which eight souls were saved in the ark.
Only eight souls were saved in that great flood. And he says
in verse 21, the like figure, baptism, the like figure whereunto
even baptism doth also now save us, not the putting away of the
filth of the flesh. All right, baptism doesn't put
away your sin. That's not, baptism isn't doing
that. But the answer of a good conscience toward God by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ so that we're confessing Christ
has put away my sin. I believe it, I rest. Totally
upon Christ. I trust them. It's done. All
the works are finished. There's nothing more for me to
do I'm trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and he's the one who judges
us He's the one sitting there on a throne that we're answering
to saying Lord. You've done all the work I trust
and believe you and that's what Peter saying baptism is it's
just an answer just saying Lord I believe You're true. You are
the one that God has sent to put away my sin. Jesus Christ
who has gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God,
angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Now third, it shows publicly
that we have submitted to Christ. We trust Christ. We've submitted
to him and to his authority. It's a public declaration that
we do indeed love the Lord Jesus Christ. They were just publicly
acknowledging it, just like Christ publicly was acknowledged before
all under the baptism of John. He went and publicly declared
that I am the Christ and he was revealed to all the people. That's
the same thing that we're doing in that likeness. Our baptism,
we're publicly acknowledging that Christ is my Lord and my
Savior. I do believe it. I'm just confessing
it before men openly. that they would know and understand
that, yes, I do believe the Lord Jesus Christ. He's my hope and
my all. If you remember what Christ said
to the Pharisees in Matthew 21, verse 25, and when he asked them
the baptism of John, whence was it, from heaven or of men? And they reasoned with themselves,
saying, if we shall say from heaven, he will say unto us,
why did ye not then believe him? If they had been baptized, they
would have been acknowledging that that was of heaven. And
so, when we're baptized, we're just acknowledging, yes, that
Christ, he's of the Lord. That's of heaven, that's not
of man. This isn't just some fable. He's of the Lord. That's a work of God that has
been done for me, who cannot do that work myself. So, I ask
you, is it of heaven or is it of men? The baptism that Christ
says that we are to be baptized with. Is it of heaven or is it
of men? Now, Fourth, we're identifying with Christ in His death, burial,
and resurrection. In Romans 6, verse 3 through
6, Paul asks, Romans 6, 3, He says, Know ye not that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death? 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. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man
is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin." So, brethren, we're
confessing that when Christ died, I was in Him, and this old man
of sin died. And I'm laying down, I'm done
with the works of the flesh. It's been killed, it's been destroyed. I have no confidence in what
the flesh can or can't do. I'm not trusting in that. I'm
looking to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. That old man has been
crucified with Christ and the works that I do now are just
works that he produces in me. by the fruit of his spirit and
the new man which he's created of himself." It's not a work
of the flesh. It's not something we do. All
right now, so that's the baptism, the second witness. And the third,
it says the blood there in 1 John 5.8. What it's saying there is that
we bear witness to Christ that he is sent of God in the sacrifice
and service of our labors here in the earth, right? So in the
days of the apostles, we saw that many who bore witness, who
confessed Christ, that he is their hope, They bore that testimony
all the way to the point in which they shed their blood. Their
testimony ended in the shedding of their blood. They said, I
believe this. Christ is all my hope. Even if
it means that you're going to put me to death, I'm not renouncing
that Christ is my Savior and my hope. You and me may not be
called to shed blood. I don't know if that day is ever
going to return for us or for us here in America. We may, we
may not. I don't know what the Lord will
do there, but even without the shedding of our blood, we still
sacrifice and lay down our lives for our Lord. You men and you
women, you're making sacrifices for me to be here to preach the
gospel. You're taking that in which God has prospered you and
given to you and you're taking a portion of that, that the gospel
may go forth from this pulpit. And that's a sacrifice. And you're
coming here early and you're staying late. And doing what
you can to set up the audio and the visual that the gospel would
go forth. into this, for your own families
here and it may go forth into the community and out to Missouri
and out to the nation and out to the world. That's all a labor. It takes sacrifice and it takes
a laying down of your lives. for the Lord because you believe
this is the Christ. This is worthy of my time and
my energy and however God prospers me with talents or with money,
whatever it is, I'll give it. I don't care because I love the
Lord. I trust him. You're bearing witness by your
sacrifice that you believe that Jesus is indeed the Christ. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 15
and drop down to verse 28. 1 Corinthians 15 28 Paul says and
when all things shall be subdued unto him then shall the Son also
himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that
God may be all and all so this is Christ having you know speaking
of Christ establishing the kingdom of God here on earth And then
Paul asks in verse 29, else what shall they do which are baptized
for the dead if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then
baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy
every hour? And what Paul is saying is that
if this is not a work of God, then when those first martyrs
are slain and shed their blood, it's going to die. This work
is just going to die, and that's going to be the end of it. They're
not going to go on, but instead what we see is the witness of
the Spirit on earth, that the gospel is going forth, they're
holding their testimony to the shedding of their blood, and
what is God doing? As they're laying down their
lives, giving their blood, the Lord is raising up and baptizing
more believers. That's what it means by baptizing
for the dead, that the Lord is adding to the church daily such
as should be saved. So as some are dying, the Lord
is just raising up new ones because the gospel is going forth and
they believe it. Testimony is being borne and
witnessed to that this is indeed the Lord Jesus Christ. His witness
on the earth is not being frustrated or stopped in any way by the
works of Satan or the works of wicked men in this world. So
these are the three that bear witness in earth, the spirit,
the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one. So
upon the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the
living God, our Savior said upon this rock, upon you, upon that
confession that he's given to us, that Jesus is the Christ,
that he is the Son of the living God. I believe it, we believe
it, we trust that he is the one. Christ said, I will build my
church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 1 John 5.9 If we receive the witness
of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness
of God, which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth
on the Son of God hath a witness in himself. He that believeth
not God hath made God a liar, hath made him a liar, because
he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this
is the record that God hath given to us, eternal life, and this
life is in his Son. So I ask, what is your witness
of Jesus of Nazareth? What is your witness? Is he of
men, or is he the Christ, the Son of the living God? The Lord
will testify to what you believe, what you do in this life. Do you hear Him? Do you believe
Him? Are you laying down your lives?
Have you been baptized as He said to be baptized? Do you need
the Gospel? Is He your life so that you must
have the Lord Jesus Christ and you won't do without Him? You
put Him and the Gospel above all the things that this world
has to offer you. You put Christ first. You make
every effort to be here and to give that the gospel may go forth
and feed his sheep. It'll be witnessed what you think
of Christ. You don't have to answer me. It'll be shown in our lives
what we think of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray the Lord would
bless it to our hearts and help us to hear what the Spirit says
to the churches. Now let's pray. Our gracious
Lord, we thank you, Father, for your mercy and your kindness.
Lord, you know that we have no power or strength in this flesh
to do anything that is pleasing to you. Lord we look to you just
as we look to you to have put away our sin and cleansed us
from all unrighteousness and make us righteous even now Lord
we look to your spirit dwelling in us to produce the fruit that
which pleases you the fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ worked
in your people Lord we can't do this we ask that Lord that
you would indeed Help us to be witnesses that we do indeed believe
your word concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord, that you
would feed and feed your sheep and grow your sheep and send
your gospel forth from this pulpit, Lord. We can't do this, but we
know that if it pleases you, Lord, you can do all things and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against. We ask this in the name
of our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.