I told Jonathan this call to
worship in our bulletin this morning is my favorite call to
worship, and then he sang my favorite hymn. That's a good
song service, in my humble opinion. All right, if you would, open
your Bibles with me to 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter 3. and we'll begin our reading in
verse 15. But sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness
and fear, having a good conscience, that whereas they speak evil
against you as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse
your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will
of God be so, that you suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing. 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 a-preparing, wherein
few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. The like figure
whereinto, 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, who is gone
into heaven, and who is at the right hand of God, angels and
authorities and powers, being made subject unto him. I thank
God for his word. Let's bow together in prayer. Our father, how thankful we are
that you've enabled us to be able to meet here one more time
this morning, to hear your gospel preached, to hear your son exalted
through the preaching of the gospel. And oh father, how I
beg of you that you would Make that be so this morning, that
through the preaching of your word, your son would be exalted,
that the Savior would be lifted up and magnified, and that each
heart here might see him with the eye of faith and believe
on him. To truly believe the most wonderful
person who has ever lived, to truly believe the most glorious
story that's ever been told, the story of salvation by grace,
through the sacrifice, the death, the burial, the resurrection
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, enable our hearts to
be in awe and wonder at how merciful and gracious
you've chosen to be to your sinful people through your son, our
Lord Jesus Christ. And Father, we're so thankful
that this is the day that you've called one of your elect, that
you've chosen from all of eternity to come and confess Christ and
believe his baptism. Father, we're so thankful. Thank
you for blessing your word. Thankful for causing your word
to take root in Kinsley's heart, to give her life and faith, to
cause her to come and confess Christ. What a joyous, joyous
day. And Father, I pray that you'd
bless her. Oh, that you'd bless her in the days and years ahead
as she continues to walk through this world, that you'd be with
her. Cause us, Father, to be a blessing and a help and encouragement
to her and her to us. Father, human words can't express
our thanksgiving, but we do thank you. And Father, I pray that
you would be with those that are in deep, deep waters. You
brought them in the time of trouble and trial, whether it be sickness
or different uncertainty, need and want. Father, that you would
bless them with your presence. Comfort their hearts with your
presence. Lead and guide and deliver as it could be thy will. Now again, Father, I beg of you
that you give us an hour of true worship. First in Christ's name,
for his sake and his glory we pray, amen. I think it's probably
obvious why the Lord has led me to this passage this morning
to preach from it. I've entitled the message, An
Answer of a Good Conscience. I took my title from verse 21,
the like figure wherein to even baptism doth also now save us. Not the putting away of the filth
of the flesh. This water doesn't wash away any of our sin. But
it's the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. Now look over Romans chapter
two. We're gonna talk about the conscience a little bit today. Everybody here knows what a conscience
is. God gave us all a conscience
to tell us when we're doing wrong. Don't do that anymore. You've
done wrong, don't do that. Look here at verse 14, Romans
chapter two. For when the Gentiles, which
have not the law, they weren't given the law of God, the Ten
Commandments and all those things, they don't have the law. When
they do by nature the things that are contained in the law,
these having not the law are a law unto themselves, which
show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience
also bearing witness and their thoughts the meanwhile, accusing
or else excusing. one another. God gave every man,
whether they're religious or heathen, a conscience to tell
us when we're doing wrong. Now, every one of us would love
to have a clear conscience, wouldn't we? I mean, wouldn't it be wonderful
not to have anything to feel guilty of? I mean, it'd be great
if I never did anything wrong so that my conscience wasn't
hollering at me, telling me I did something wrong, just bothering
me, you know? It'd be wonderful if our conscience was quiet.
because our conscience didn't have any sin to remind us of.
That would be wonderful, wouldn't it? Now, you know, it is possible
to have a quiet conscience in a bad way. We could have a quiet
conscience because our conscience has been killed. Paul wrote to
Timothy in 1 Timothy 4, verse 2 of these false prophets. Why
do they do this? Why do they preach this false
message? Why do they lie on God this way? Well, Paul says speaking
lies and hypocrisy having their conscience seared with a hot
iron. Their conscience has been killed. They just spew these lies without
any remorse because their conscience has been killed. That's one way
that they try to stop pain in a person. Whatever nerve is sending
those pain signals, why, they just go in and kill it so you
don't feel anything. Now, there's still something
wrong. You just don't know it because your nerve has been seared.
It's been killed. And that's the way it is with
this conscience. You can have a conscience that's quiet in
a bad way, there's still something wrong, your conscience just didn't
tell you because it's been killed. But that's not what Peter's talking
about in our text. Peter is talking about a good
conscience toward God. There's no deceiving God. If we have a good conscience
toward God, it's a good conscience. And the only way anyone can have
a good conscience toward God is if they don't have any sin.
And Peter says it's possible for sinners like you and me to
have a good conscience toward God, toward the holy God who
sees everything, who won't overlook any sin, who even sees the right
to our hearts, the sinful desires and thoughts of our heart, it's
still possible to have a good conscience toward God. I'm interested
in finding out about that. Aren't you? How can a sinner
like me have a good conscience toward God? I don't have a good
conscience toward myself. How can I have a good conscience
toward God? Well, it's through what baptism
pictures. It's through the sacrifice of Christ, through the death,
the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. I can have a good
conscience that Christ died for my sin. He truly died. He was
buried because he died for my sin, and he rose again because
his blood put away my sin. That will give me a good conscience
toward God. It's only possible through the
sacrifice of Christ. Only the blood of Christ can
remove sin so that the conscience is a good conscience. Look back
at Hebrews chapter 10, just a few pages, Hebrews chapter 10. You can go through all the religious
ceremonies you want to. Those religious ceremonies won't
give you a quiet conscience, not unless they sear your conscience
and kill it. All the animal sacrifices and the religious ceremonies
that the Jews went through, that didn't give anybody a good conscience
toward God. Hebrews 10, verse one. For the law, having a shadow
of good things to come, and not the very image of the things,
can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year
continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then will
they not have ceased to be offered, If those sacrifices had put away
sin, why, they wouldn't have to offer any more sacrifices,
would they? Because if the worshipers was purged, should have had no
more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices, there's
a remembrance again, made of sins every year. Those animal
sacrifices, they offer year by year under the law. That gave
everybody a guilty conscience, not a good one. When they had
to offer those sacrifices again, all that told them was, Those
past sacrifices didn't take away my sin. I'm still guilty. I'm guilty. That's why I need
another sacrifice. But the blood of Christ, that's
a different story, isn't it? The blood of Christ takes sin
away. So the conscience is quiet and good toward God. Look at
Hebrews 9 verse 14. How much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without
spot to God, Purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God. The blood of Christ removes the sin of his people.
I mean, it's gone. It's gone. If Christ died for
you, there is nothing for you to feel guilty about. Your conscience
can't charge you with any sin because that sin is gone under
the blood of Christ. Now, not before men. Now, our
sin is still evident before men. sin against each other, that's
why I have to apologize to one another, but not before God. The sin of all of God's elect
is gone under the blood of Christ. If Christ died for you, your
conscience is not telling you, you better fear judgment. Your
conscience is not telling you that, because your sin's already
been punished. In the Lord Jesus Christ, your
substitute. And here's the evidence that your conscience is clear.
You're not trying to earn anything from God by your dead works.
Now you know what dead works are? They're any work that we
do trying to make God happy with us. They're sinful works that
we try to present to God and say, look at me, how good I am. Look at these works that I've
done. Haven't I preached in your name? Haven't I cast out many
devils in your name? Done many wonderful good works
in your name? Those are dead works, works that can only produce
death. They could never produce life
because all of our religious works, all of our morality, as
good as we might think it is, it's filled with sin. And God's
justice demands death for it. But if you have a good conscience
toward God, your conscience isn't telling you you've got to produce
any other works other than the righteousness of Christ. He's
already done it all for you. You don't have to do anything
to establish righteousness or or to keep God's law, Christ
has already done it for you. Your conscience is quiet. Your
conscience is not demanding anything else other than Christ. When your conscience is only
looking to Christ, it's quiet. Now that's how sinners can have
a good conscience toward God. Now I'm gonna give you five blessings
in having a good conscience toward God. Number one is this, a good
conscience toward God gives no dread of guilt. No dread of guilt. Somebody, you might think, preacher,
how can that be? How can that be? I mean, in every single service,
you're telling me I'm guilty of every sin. I'm guilty. Then
how can I not dread judgment if I'm guilty? I mean, my own
conscience tells me I'm guilty. I know I'm guilty. Well, you
know, that's a legal fear. That's a legal guilt, and I can
show you an example of that in John chapter eight. We looked
at this passage not too awful long ago, John chapter eight.
Remember the woman who was taken in a very active adultery? They
brought her to the Lord and said, Moses said we should kill him.
What do you say? In John eight verse nine, or
verse seven, So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself
and said unto them, he that is without sin among you, let him
first cast a stone at her. And again, he stooped down and
wrote on the ground, and they which heard it, being convicted
by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at
the eldest, even unto the last, and Jesus was left alone, and
the woman standing in the midst. See, these men went away from
the Lord, because their conscience told them they're guilty. This
is a legal guilt. Their conscience made them afraid
and made them leave the Savior. Their conscience told them that
they're guilty and they left the only one who can make them
not guilty. See, the human conscience will
never make us beg God for mercy and begging for forgiveness.
See, that's just a legal guilt, a legal fear. You know, just
like them, my conscience tells me I'm guilty too. And it's not
lying. But I have a good conscience
toward God. Even though my conscience tells
me I'm guilty, I still have a good conscience toward God because
the sacrifice of Christ made me not guilty. Because Christ
took all of my sin away. When my old man screams, I'm
guilty, I'm guilty. When your conscience screams,
your old man screams, you're guilty, you're guilty. A good
conscience toward God has an answer. And the answer is this,
the Lord Jesus Christ, my substitute, he bore my guilt. He suffered
the punishment that my guilt deserves and his precious blood
paid the debt. His precious blood made me not
guilty. That's the answer of a good conscience.
It's trusting Christ, isn't it? All right, number two. A good
conscience toward God gives no fear of sin. Now, there's fear
in sin. Sin causes fear. Adam wasn't
afraid of anything until he sinned against God. Then he was afraid,
wasn't he? And you might think, well, I
sin all the time. I should be afraid. I can say with David,
my sin is ever before me. Not like it should be, not in
its entirety, but my sin is ever before me. It's just not hard
to see on my sin. And the scriptures tell me that
my best works, I mean the best things I've ever done, the best
things I've ever done in the service of God, the best I've
ever done in loving my neighbor as myself and loving God with
all of my heart, soul, and strength, the best things I've ever done,
the best message I've ever preached, the best day of the study that
I've ever had. is a filthy rag. And what that
means, it's a rag that's defiled by sin. And God's never going
to accept it. He can never accept that. I can't
do anything but sin. So obviously, I can't do anything
to put my sin away. And I can't hide my sin from
God. I mean, I can try, but Adam already showed me that can't
be done. I can't hide my sin from God. I can't hide myself
from God. How can God not damn me for my sin? Why shouldn't
I be afraid of my sin? It's because of the blood of
Christ, the blood that he willingly shed. The son of God took on
him flesh, became an embryo in the womb of the virgin so that
he could be born a real man, made under the law for this reason,
that he'd have blood to shed. But his body and soul was sacrificed,
made a sacrifice for sin. And his blood took away all of
the sin of all of his people. Now, I know God chose a number. No man can number. Christ saved
every last one of those people. His blood put all of their sin
away. But here's where the rubber meets
the road. It's this sinner. My conscience can't answer for
you. My conscience can only answer for me. The father forgives my
sin. Because in the greatest miracle
I can ever think of. The Lord Jesus Christ, the son
of God, shed his blood for me. For my sin to put my sin away
so that the father injustice will not damn me for my sin.
The father forgives his people for their sin because Christ
paid for it. He forgives his people of their
sin because the blood of Christ made it so that the Father doesn't
have anything to charge his people with. Look back at our text,
1 Peter 3. This is what Peter means at the
beginning of verse 18. For Christ also hath once suffered
for sin. Christ suffered for the sin of
his people. The father took all of the sin
of his people away from them, and he charged it to Christ.
He put that sin on Christ, and he didn't just lay it on top
of him. The father made his son to be guilty of that sin, even
though he never committed a sin. He was never a sinner. He never
thought of sin, but he was made guilty of that sin. That's why
the father put him to death, because he made him guilty. The
father couldn't put an innocent man to death, could he? That
wouldn't be holy, that wouldn't be just, that wouldn't be right.
The father made his son guilty and then he slaughtered him for
it. And the blood of Christ's sacrifice washed all of that
sin, all of the sin of all God's elect, he washed it away and
made it not to exist. And the answer of a good conscience,
my conscience says he did that for me. I don't have to be afraid
of my sin because Christ died for, I hate it. Oh, I hate myself. I hate it. I did not get up today
thinking of all the different ways that I could see. I got
up today happy. This is a good day. This is a
day we're going to worship the Lord. This is the day one of
God's elects going to confess him in baptism. Oh, this is a
good day. I mean, I just oh. And the sin that does so easily
beset us. but I don't have to fear it,
because Christ's blood's already paid for, already washed it away. See, there's nothing left for
the father to charge any of his elect, because the apostle John
said, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanses us from all
sin, all sin, it's gone. So when your old man accuses
you of sin, he ain't lying. But the answer of a good conscience
toward God is this, that Lord Jesus Christ, by his blood, put
my sin away. Oh, I see my sin. You see my
sin. But God doesn't see the sin of
his people anymore. He said, I don't remember. It's cast behind
my back. And that's all that counts, how
God sees it. And God sees the sin of his people
as gone. And the father doesn't see it.
The father's not gonna charge you with it, hate it, but don't
fear. See, the answer of a good conscience
is a sacrifice of Christ. Start to see a pattern develop
here. Okay, here's the third thing. A good conscience toward
God gives us no fear of our own imperfection. Leviticus 22, verse
21 says, it must be perfect to be accepted. God's not gonna
accept the best we can do. It must be perfect to be accepted. Well, I'm not perfect in any
way, at any time. I mean, I've never even begun
to commence to start getting close to start ascending toward
perfect. My actions aren't perfect. My
thoughts aren't perfect. My motives aren't perfect. I'm
not perfect when I really want to be. Even my prayers aren't
perfect. My worship is not perfect. We
saw this in the lesson this morning. My faith is not perfect. There's
nothing about me that's perfect. But if Christ died, and He rose
again for you, you're perfect. Perfect. If Christ died for you,
He made you righteous. So you're perfect. Righteous
means there's no fault. No fault before God's law. No
fault before God's justice. No fault in the all-seeing eye
of God. He made you perfect, righteous. And He did it by His sacrifice.
I'm not perfect, but the answer of a good conscience is Christ
made me perfect. He, God the Father, made him,
God the Son, sin for us. Him who knew no sin, that we
might be made what? The righteousness of God. Now
that's got to be a perfect righteousness. If it's the righteousness of
God, it's gotta be perfect, doesn't it? A perfect righteousness in
Christ. That's what Peter means in verse
18. For Christ also has 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. Now, if the Lord
Jesus Christ has brought you to God, he had to make you perfect. It must be perfect to be accepted.
If he's brought you to God, he had to make you perfect. He had
to make you perfect, and he did it by his sacrifice. So when
our old man accuses us of not being perfect, it's true, we're
not, are we? But the answer of a good conscience
toward God is this, Christ has made me righteous. Christ made
me righteous by his sacrifice. Now I'm accepted in the beloved. Not because of what I've done,
but of what Christ has done for me. All right, number four, good
conscience toward God gives us no fear of being unjust. Now
I am unjust. I'm not what God requires of
me. I'm unjust, I haven't obeyed one of God's laws. Look back
at Romans chapter three. Here's what I am by nature. I'm
unjust. I'm the opposite of being justified.
Well, why shouldn't I be afraid of being unjust? Paul tells us
in Romans chapter three, verse 20. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified at his sight. For by
the law, is the knowledge of sin. Me trying to keep the law
is not going to make me justified in God's sight. All the law is
going to do is give me a knowledge of my sin, give me a knowledge
of how I can't obey God's law. So I can't be made perfect by
the law, can't be made perfect by what I do, trying to please
God by keeping his law. But my conscience, my conscience
will not accuse me of being unjust because of the sacrifice of Christ.
the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. Look at verse 24.
Being justified freely by his grace. Not my works of the law,
but by his grace that's through the redemption that's in Christ
Jesus. God can be gracious to his people
and give us what we do not deserve because of the death of Christ.
Through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, whom God set
forth to be a propitiation, a sin covering through faith in his
blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at
this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. We're made justified
just through the blood of Christ, through the sacrifice of Christ.
Back in our text, verse 18, that's what Peter says, For Christ also
hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust. Christ, the just one, the just
one, the one who never committed a sin, he suffered for the unjust
ones. He took their sin, he suffered
for the unjust ones, and he paid their sin debt, he paid the price
of their sin, and he justified them so that he would bring them
to the Father. Now, if the Lord Jesus Christ
brings you to the Father, you'll be accepted. Because even the
Father can't demand more of you than Christ. The Father will
never demand more of you than perfection. And that's what Christ
made you. By his death, bearing your sin. So when our old man accuses us
of being unjust, he's right. He's not lying, is he? But the
answer of a good conscience toward God is this, it's the sacrifice
of Christ. Just keep looking to Christ and
Him crucified. By His death, by His burial and
His resurrection, Christ justified me. He justified me. He bore my sin and He died for
my sin. And in His death, He put it away.
You know I know that? The Father raised Him from the
dead. Proof positive, His sacrifice put away all the sin of His people.
And the answer of a good conscience is, I trust Him. Not just I'm
trusting His work. Gary, I trust Him. Him. Now there's a difference. I trust
Him. In a few moments, Kinsley's gonna be baptized. She's not
just confessing the work of Christ, is she? She's confessing Him. Him. See that? All right, here's
the last thing. A good conscience toward God
gives a person no fear of death. Now, the reason people fear death,
everywhere, I mean, everybody everywhere fears death. Everybody
everywhere is trying to do something to make themselves live longer.
Nobody wants to die. You know, the famous saying,
I want to go to heaven, but I don't want to go today. I don't want
to die now, you know. You know why people say that? Because
they're afraid. They're afraid. We all have a sense. Believer
and unbeliever alike. People have never heard anything
about God. Have a sense. That I've sinned against God.
I'm going to answer for that in the judgment after I die.
Every human being has a sense of that. Is appointed unto man
once to die. But after this, the judgment. We fear death. That's what the
conscience that God gave us tells us you're guilty. You're guilty.
Now, a guilty person has good reason to fear facing God in
judgment because God's promised he's going to punish every sin
with death. He said, I won't even overlook
one sin. I'm going to make this judgment absolute righteousness
and truth. I'll punish every sin with death,
with hell. Then I'm in trouble. How about
you? I'm in trouble. How can I not
fear death? A few weeks ago, I sat at the bedside
of a dear brother. He knew he was dying. Brother
Ed Sparks, he knew he was dying. And I just, I mean, I've never
laid there knowing that I'm dying. But this is what I suspect. You
ain't playing no religious games at that point. In just a short while, I'm gonna
see God." And Ed was completely unafraid. He was looking forward to it.
He said, don't leave my family. I really don't, but I'm looking
forward to seeing the Savior. Now, how can you say that and
not be playing games? It's not trying to impress somebody.
It's the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. Here's
the reason. Christ has both died and risen
again for me. And then what Peter says here,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit,
Christ died and he rose again. Christ died for my sin, he rose
again. You know what that tells me? I'm going to have life too.
Look back at Hebrews 2. Hebrews 2. Verse 14. For as much then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death. that is the devil, and deliver
them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject
to bondage. If Christ died for you, he destroyed
him that had the power of death. He took away your sin. It can't
damn you anymore, and he's delivered you from the fear of death. So as we lie on our deathbed,
We keep having birthdays and that number keeps getting bigger
and bigger and bigger and bigger every year. And our old man tries
to tell us, you'd be afraid to die. You'd be afraid. Here's
the answer of a good conscience toward God. There's no fear in
death. If Christ died for me, if Christ
died for me, he took the sting of death away from me. So the
death can't harm me. Actually, all death can do is
be a blessing to me. because it will deliver me from
this clay prison of sin and decay and rottenness. Take me to see
Christ face to face. Christ took the sting away. Well, someone might say, but
I believe. I believe Christ. I see what
you're saying. I look to Christ. The answer of a good conscience
toward God is looking to Christ. Looking to Christ crucified.
That's my only hope. But now God saved me. God's revealed
himself to me. And the biggest shame I can think
of is this. I still sin. I sin more than
I ever used to. What's my comfort? It's the answer
of a good conscience toward God. It's what Kinsley's getting ready
to confess here in a few minutes. The death, the burial, and the
resurrection of Christ. What did he do after he was resurrected
from the dead? He ascended into heaven, didn't
he? That's what Peter tells us. Look at verse 22 in our text.
Who has gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God.
Angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
The one who died and rose again for his people. You know where
he's at right now? He's on the right hand of the father. And
you know what he's doing? He's pleading his sacrifice.
This is the reason the sin of my people should be forgiven.
is my sacrifice. Here's why when I bring my people
to you, they should be accepted. My sacrifice put away their sin.
And the father always accepts the sacrifice of his son. Now
I told you a good conscience is quiet. A good conscience is
not accusing me of sin. A good conscience is always looking
to Christ and trusting Christ. But now a good conscience toward
God is not silent. Look at verse 15, but sanctify
the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh your reason of the hope that's in
you with meekness and fear. Give an answer to every man.
In verse 21, Peter says, the answer of a good conscience toward
God. There's an answer to be given
by good conscience. And that answer is faith in Christ. I know I have a good conscience
toward God when I trust Christ. And that good conscience is confessed
before me in Believer's Baptism. Here's why my conscience is good
before God, because Christ died for my sin. His death put away
my sin, and the proof of it is the resurrection of Christ. If
Christ is not raised, we have no hope. We have no gospel, there's
no good news, there's no reason for rejoicing. Just like here
a few minutes, if I held Kinsley under the water till she drowned,
this wouldn't be a good day. She's gonna be raised up out
of the water because Christ rose again from the dead. And his
resurrection is proof. He put my sin away by his death
in my place. And if you trust Christ as your
all, you know what, you're worthy. You're worthy to approach God. You're worthy to come before
God and be accepted. That's a good thing to remember.
Every day I begin my day in the study praying. And it's just never far from
my mind. Why would God accept my prayer?
Why would God hear my prayer? You know what the answer of a
good conscience is? The sacrifice of Christ. Hebrews 10 verse 22
says, let's draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies
washed with pure water. What's this sprinkling he's talking
about? It's the sprinkling of the blood of Christ. If the blood
of Christ has been applied to your hearts, your conscience
is clear. If you see Christ's sacrifice
as your only hope, it's the only hope of salvation I have, it's
the only hope of cleansing from my sin, it's the only hope I
have of eternal life. I'm trusting Christ, Christ alone. Christ and Him crucified. Do
you know that makes you worthy to eat the Lord's table? Think
of that. Paul told us that eating the
Lord's table worthily is this. It's eating the table, trusting
Christ. and believing what that bread
and that wine represent, his body broken and his blood shed
for the remission of sins. If you trust Christ, you're worthy
to eat the Lord's table. Think of that. And then if you
trust Christ to save you by his life, his perfect life of obedience,
his death, his resurrection, you know what? You're worthy
to be baptized. You know, I think a lot of times
that's what keeps us from confessing Christ earlier than we do. We
feel like I'm not worthy. But my friend, that's the very
thing that makes you a candidate, a good candidate. You're not
worthy, but Christ is. And I'm confessing Him. Look
at Acts chapter 8. I'll show you this and I'll quit. Acts
chapter 8. This is when Philip is preaching
to the eunuch. In verse 36. And as they went on their way,
they came into a certain water and the eunuch said, see, here's
water. What does hinder me to be baptized?
Is there something that's stopping me from being baptized? Can I
be worthy of baptism? And Philip said, here it is.
This is the one one requirement, if you believe. With all thine
heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe
that Jesus Christ is the son of God. And Philip heard that,
and he commanded the cherry to stand still. And they went down
both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized
them. The only requirement for baptism
is this. It's not, are you good enough?
It's not, do you know enough? It's, do you believe Christ?
only requirement and a good conscience toward God answers this. I believe,
I believe and I want, it's not something I'm required to do.
I want to confess Christ in baptism and publicly give a picture.
This is how Christ saved me. This is how he cleansed me from
all of my sin. It's his death for me, his burial
for me, his resurrection for me. And in a few minutes, that's
what our sister Kinsley's gonna do. And we rejoice with you. We rejoice. All right, Jonathan,
come lead us into closing hymn, if you would. It seems like I say this every
single time that we have a baptismal service, that when a person comes
and talks to me and says they want to confess Christ with baptism,
Seems like I always tell him, I've been waiting on you a long
time. And I've been waiting on his, like I told her the other
night. I left you alone. I left you alone, your mama,
daddy left you alone. So that she'd know. So that she'd
know. This is not one of us pushing
her to do something. This is what God put on her heart,
to confess Christ. It may be for some of us who've
grown up under the sound of the gospel, Sometimes it's hard to
come to this place where I determine that this is what I should do,
confess Christ. Because we always think, and
this is what Kingsley thought, well, I don't know enough. She
said, my sin made me think I'm not worthy for baptism. And she
said, now that the Lord showed me, I'm a helpless, broken sinner. And you know what? It's our sin
that makes us worthy to be baptized, because we're looking to Christ
to put it away. Aren't we thankful? We thank
God. So Kinsley Kazee, on your profession
of faith in Christ our Savior, according to his divine commandment,
I baptize you, my sister, in the name of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost.