Gospel Power

Let's open up in prayer. Father God, we need Jesus.

We need Jesus to live within us. We need your grace,

we need your power to live a change life. Father God,

bless this message. May your Holy Spirit stir up and

convict hearts. Today we pray these things in Jesus name. Amen.

Turn with me to Romans chapter one, the first chapter

of Romans, and today I want to talk to you

about the power of the Gospel. That's the title of

today's message, Gospel Power. Now I should mention to you

that this sermon is really a condensed, abridged version of

all that we've been studying with the youth and young adults,

so you're kind of getting an insight. Now. We can't

do a Bible study today, but I'm going to condense

it and give you the themes and everything that we've

been talking about because it's exciting to see the youth

study the Bible, do deep studies of the Bible, and

we want are you saved? Because they're going to carry

this message to the world. They're the next generation. Turn

to Romans one, verse sixteen. The apostle Paul says this,

for I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it

is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,

to the jew first, and also to the Greek. For

in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith

to faith. For as it is written, but the righteous

man shall live by faith. Now, the Gospel is good news.

It's the good news of Christianity. It's the good news

of how God saves man through Jesus Christ, to everyone

who believes. Notice this, paul is not ashamed of the Gospel,

and it's not hard to see why he might say this,

because later in First Corinthians two twenty three he says this,

but we preach Christ crucified to the jewsus stumbling block,

to the Gentiles foolishness. But to those who are the call,

both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and

the wisdom of God. Think about this, to the Jews

stumbling block, to the Greeks foolishness. See, crucifixion was seen

as the outcome of a criminal life, dishonorable, despicable. I mean,

why would preaching Christ crucified be honorable and something to

be esteemed. But Paula is saying that the Gospel, the

cross Christ crucified is the way that God exerts his

power and wisdom. It's the way God exerts his power

to save men. That's why he's not ashamed of the Gospel. Now,

I promise you in the next thirty minutes you'll have

a greater understanding of the power of the Gospel that

Christ exerts for you on the Cross. And I hope

to add to your knowledge of the power of the

Gospel and simply strengthen your faith. Now I intend to

answer only one question today, what makes the Gospel powerful.

That's where we're going to spend the majority of our time. Now.

At the end, I do want to make a critical

connection between the power of the Gospel and baptism, because

baptism is how we associate ourselves with the Gospel power

and our union with Christ. And this is important because

through baptism we cross over into the Kingdom of God.

Notice one Corinthians four twenty, for the Kingdom of God

does not consist in words, but in power. Now, certainly

we can proclaim the Gospel, we can preach the Gospel,

and we need to the world needs to hear the

gospel definition what is about? But the world also needs

to see that it's not just words, but it is

consists of not just words, but in power, the power

to live a changed life, the power to be free

from the sin and slavery and bondage of sin, the

power of Christ in you. Now, the Bible teaches that

all men of sin, all have fallen short of the

glory of God. No one is righteous, none has done good,

None can be saved by their good works. You cannot

earn your way to salvation by keeping the law. All

the law, while good and holy, only brings us a

knowledge of sin. And it's not through the works of

the law that we're saved, but it's about being justified

by faith through Jesus Christ, through the one Man, Jesus Christ. However,

we need a biblical teaching found in ro Omens chapter

five that will help us understand just how powerful this

Gospel is. Now. Again, like I said, we can't do

a Bible sedy here today, but I'm going to summarize

it to you in the next thirty minutes. And it

starts with this truth. It starts with this truth. Adam

is a type of Christ. They both have something in

common because each of them changes the course of human

history through one act. Adam's act of disobedience sends every

human being down the track of sin and death. Christ's

act of obedience reverses Adam's act and brings life to all,

provided they exercise faith in Christ. Jesus said another way,

one transgression leads to the condemnation of all. One act

of righteousness leads to justification of all, provided we place

our faith in Christ Jesus. Now you might say, how

is that powerful. Well, let's slow down and examine what

Adam did and how it affected us, and then we

can examine what Christ did for us to better appreciate

the power of the Gospel. Now, why do we die

because of what Adam did? We didn't disobey. Adam disobeyed.

He should be punished his responsibility. We didn't need of

the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now

that's true, we don't. That idea is consistent with the Bible.

Guilt and condemnation cannot be legally transferred. Notice what Deuteronomy

twenty four to sixteen says. Fathers shall not be put

to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put

to death for their fathers. Everyone shall be put to

death for his own sin eighteen twenties says essentially the

same thing. The person whose sins will die, the son

will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor

will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity.

You see, we may not be guilty of Adam's sin,

but there were consequences to his act of disobedience. We

inherit it, inherited his sin nature. Let's go back to

the garden of Eden. What command was given to Adam?

From any of the trees? You may eat of the garden,

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and

evil you shall not eat, For in the day you

eat of it, you shall surely die. Now did Adam

die that very day? No, he did not. No, he

was allowed to live. He was no longer innocent and holy.

He was guilty and a sinner. Notice this though, while

the human race was yet to be born. Barn, we

were in Adam when he sinned, because the Bible teaches

that through one man, Adam, the nations of the earth

were made Acts seventeen twenty six says this, and he God,

and He made from one man every nation of mankind

to live on all the face of the earth, having

determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation. Now,

while God did make Adam and Eve in his own

image and in the likeness of God wholly undefiled, Adam

defiled himself and passed his sinful nature to us through

his offspring. Because when Adam had lived one hundred and

thirty three years, one hundred and thirty years, he became

the father of a son, and in his own likeness,

according to his image. See, he had a corrupt image,

and he passes on his sin nature to us. I mean,

think about this. What if God had fulfilled what he

had said to Adam in the day you eat of it,

you shall surely die. What if he fulfilled what he

said that day and Adam died, where would we be?

We wouldn't be here. It's as if if my great

great grandfather died as a child before he met my

great great grandmother, I would not be here. But God

allows Adam's corrupt sin, or his corrupt nature, to be

passed on to humanity because he had a plan to

save it. Do you see, we were in Adam. I

want you to understand this concept. We were in Adam

when he sinned. This is important to understand the power

of the Gospel. I'm laying the stage, kind of setting

the table. He passed his sin nature on to us.

You see, we're sinners by nature, not by choice. Yes,

we can deliberately choose to sin, but it's because we're

already wired to sin. That's our nature to naturally go

against the law of God. Our sinful flesh cannot please God.

Here's another key point teaching that we need to start

to pull out to continue to set the table. Turn

to Romans five. Romans five, Verses fifteen and sixteen. But

the free gift is not like the transgression. It's another

key point. What Adam did and what Christ did affected

the whole human race. But here's a slight difference. But

the free gift is not like the transgression. For if

by the transgression of the One, the many died, much

more did the grace of God and the gift by

the grace of the one man Jesus Christ abound to

the many. The gift is not like that which came

through the one who sinned. For on the one hand,

the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation. But

On the other hand, the free gift arose from many

transgressions resulting in justification. The free gift is not like

the one transgression. The free gift came about because of

many transgressions. Think about this. Adam plunged the whole world,

the whole human race, into sin. Now do you know

how many people have existed on this planet ever since

Adam sinned? Estimates many assumptions, but I've heard the number

as upwards of one hundred billion people could have existed

on this planet up to today. One hundred billion, I mean,

there's what eight billion people on the planet today. Kind

of makes sense. One hundred billions, not off. If each

one person just sinned one time, that's one hundred billion.

The free gift rose out of billions, possibly trillions of sins.

That's the difference. Back to that, there's another discovery that

we made in our youth and young adult class as

we were studying the Bible, and it's noticed the phrases

the grace of God and by the grace of the

one Man Christ Jesus. Now we know generally many people

know what grace means. Grace means favor extending, favor extending kindness,

especially when we don't deserve it. You know, I say

this when someone does something gracious to me, I'll say,

I'll actually use the phrase, you're so gracious to me,

you're too kind. I don't deserve this. In fact, one

of the church members here today a few months ago,

and I'm not going to name them. I'm looking around

for them. I don't see them yet. But they were

very gracious to me. You know what they did to me.

They gave me An Andrews Study Bible, and they gave

me Andrew's Bible commentary full set that's like two hundred

and fifty dollars, just gave it to me. I said, wow,

thank you so much. I'm like, you're so gracious to me.

I didn't deserve that, but they were gracious to me.

They gave me this wonderful resource. And you know what,

within a week, God already had planned to use it, because,

as you know, we run angels on the Glenn website

and we get questions all the time, and there was

this one question that this listener came in and was

asking and I was articulating as best I could, and

it wasn't coming through clear enough. But I knew I

had the right answer. Well, now I had this new

reference material. I looked it up. It was about chronological

some history, some sequencing of some historical events, and it

made perfect sense to me at that point. It cleared

it up for me, and I was able to communicate

to that no issue with the listener, totally understand it.

That was a blessing to me, blessing to others. I

still use it. And you know what, it's not just

that it made me. That gift touched me so much

that I said I'm going to be more gracious to others.

I started to do things that people needed. Didn't even

know that I was going to help them out. I

helped them out and they were amazed. That gift did

more for me to change my behavior than someone telling me, hey,

you should be more gracious. So I thank that person

for giving me that. But you know what we learned

about God's grace, his favors kindness. It also has a

dull meaning. Take a look at Tewod Corinthians twelve nine.

Paul has a thorn in the flesh, and many of

you know this story. He asked the Lord to remove

it three times. Pick it up in verse nine, and

he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you.

For power is perfe affected in weakness. Most gladly. Therefore,

I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the

power of Christ may dwell in me. You see that

in this context, grace is power. He wants the power

of Christ to dwell in him, the grace of God

to be upon him. Grace equals power. Another scripture, Verse

Paul speaking Ephesians three to seven, of which I was

made a minister according to the gift of God's grace,

which was given to me according to the working of

His power, grace, power. Last one I'll share with you

Acts four thirty three. And with great power. The apostles

were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,

and abundant grace was upon them all. Is it interesting

when we compare scripture verse scripture. This is what we're

doing in our youth group. Else we're comparing scripture or scripture.

We're examining the scriptures. We're drawing greater truth out. If

you know a youth in your neighborhood and they want

to do deep Bible study, they want to connect with Christ.

You see that they may have a sensitive heart. Give

me their phone number, get them plugged in. Christ is

coming soon. Let's keep building on this. Turn to Romans

five eighteen and nineteen. I want to go back to

the comparison between Adam and Christ Romans five eighteen and nineteen. So, then,

as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men,

even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification

of life to all men. There's a comparison verse nineteen.

For as through one man's disobedience, the many were made sinners,

even so through the obedience of the One, the many

will be made righteous. Through Adam's one act of disobedience,

were made sinners. Right, we're sinners by nature. However, through

the obedience of the One that is Christ, the many

will be made righteous. And here's a key question. How

can Christ's obedience be legally credited to us? How is

it legally credited to us? Because here's the answer. This

is why the gospel is powerful, because just as we

were in Adam when he sinned, we were in Christ

when he obeyed. I'm going to break that down. This

is how the gospel is powerful. And we must understand

that we were in Christ when he was on the

cross exercising that obedience. You see, Christ took into himself

all of humanity on the cross. Our sins were literally

placed in him, not symbolically, but literally. Now, in the

Old Testament, when the priests would make a sacrifice, they

would what, they would lay their hands on the lamb,

that would symbolically represent the transfer of the sin from

the sinner to the sacrifice. But we know the blood

of bulls and goats don't take away sin, No, only

the blood of Christ. However, at the cross, our sins

were literally placed on him, in him. Notice what Isaiah

fifty three says Isaiah fifty three, verse four. Surely our

griefs your Bible may say sickness. Surely our griefs, our

sickness he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried. Yet

we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and a

But he was pierced through for our transgression. He was

crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well being

fell upon him. And by his scourging we are healed.

All of us, like sheep have gone astray. Each of

us has turned to his own way, But the Lord

has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon him.

You see, all of your individual sins, your sorrows, your

griefs were placed in and upon Christ at the crust.

He actually experienced every sin you committed, all the sins

of the world, he experienced in his mind. You know,

we talked about in our youth young adult group today.

I said, you know, the cross is painful in and

of just the physical pain of going through a crucifixion,

But can you imagine Christ experiencing all the sins of

the world, every single sin from Adam all the way

to the end of time were placed upon him. I

mean the experiencing that a holy, undefiled God experiences that

in his own mind. The God man, Jesus Christ, the

indissoluble union of God and man, he goes through that

for us. Now, the final blow on possibly the worst

part about it, is that the God had separates at

the cross. Jesus Christ would say, my God, my God,

why have you forsaken me? My God, my God, the Father,

my God, the Holy Spirit? Why have you forsaken me?

They cannot be associated with sin. They separate the first

time in all of eternity that God had breaks apart.

I don't know how that works. But the Father and

the Holy Spirit did not take upon sin. Christ took

upon sin. They had to separate from him. Let's go

back to the garden, not the garden of Eden, the

garden of Guestsemone, because gestsemone means olive press and Christ

sweat what you know it great drops of blood. That

was the beginning of the pressure and the pain. The

sins of the world were being pressed into Christ, beginning

at Guestsemone, all the way to the cross. Just as

we were in Adam in the garden of Eden, so

to we were in Christ beginning in the garden of Guestsemone,

all the way to the cross. Jamie and I regularly

talk about the Bible. Sometimes we do a little bit

of a formal Bible study where we break it out,

we take some notes. Other times we just generally talk

about themes of the Bible. And I was asking her

some questions, not trick questions, but just to engage her

in conversation, because I was pondering all of this month

or so ago. And I said, Jamie, where do you

think the most sinful place is in all the earth

in history. I mean, do you think it was Sodom

and Gomorah? How about Nineveh? Could it be maybe some

location in the antediluvian world when the world was all wicked.

Maybe it was that. I said, you know what, I

wasn't looking for an answer from her. I was just

trying to engage in conversation. I said, you know what,

the most sinful place of the world was the Cross,

because Christ took upon the sins of the world. The

concentration of all the world's sins were placed upon Christ.

He took it upon himself, He took yours, he took mine.

I can't even imagine the number. Who knows that. Maybe

we'll know the number someday. Trillions. You see, everyone's sins

were compiled on him, from Adam to Kine's murder to

the antediluvian sins, everyone who has ever existed on this planet.

And it's not just the righteous, it also includes the evil.

Let me just run through the scripture verse very quickly.

First John two to two, and he himself is the

propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but

also for those of the whole world. One Peter two

twenty four, And he himself bore our sins in his

body on the cross, so that we might die to

sin and live to righteousness. For by his wounds you're

healed tewod Corinthians five twenty one. He made him who

knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so

that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Last scripture verse two Corinthians five fourteen. For the love

of Christ controls us. Having concluded this, that one died

for all, therefore all died. Noticed that last verse right there,

one died for all. Therefore all died. The entire human

race died with Christ on the cross. See, he took

our sins down to the grave with them. He paid

the penalty for every single sin. For everyone who has

ever existed on this planet. All died in Christ in

the cross. No one's left out. Now it's our choice

whether or not we want to accept that gift. That's

why Christ is knocking on everyone's door. Will we accept

this great gift of salvation, this great powerful gift, because

it just wasn't Christ who died on that cross. You

died on the cross. I died on the cross with Christ.

You were in him. Paul makes this very clear, and

Galatians to you. I have been crucified with Christ. And

it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives

in me and the life which I now live in

the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of

God who loved me and gave himself up for me.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer

I who live, but Christ, who lives within me. Gloria,

thank you for that song. He lives, He lives, Christ

Jesus lives today. Will we allow him to live in

our heart? See, the world needs to see the Gospel

in us. They need to hear it. But they need

to see the Gospel in us. Gospel power in us,

the power to live a changed life. You see, Christ

touched you at the Crist. He touched all of humanity

at the cross. He knows exactly what you've experienced in

your sin because He touched you, and he took that

sin nature down with him into the grave. See, Christ

fulfilled his mission. It is finished. He had experienced every sin,

paying sour grief and paid the penalty of the law

for us all. Now I will say this, there was

one last attempt by the enemy to prevent Christ from

fulfilling his mission. I call it the last three temptations

of Christ. The enemy tried to thwart the great plan

of salvation. Now we know the first three temptations of Christ. Right.

He's in the wilderness. He just fasted for forty days.

He's hungry. The devil comes to him and says, oh,

you're hungry, turn these stones into bread. He doesn't do it.

That have been a selfish act. He also says, hey,

you know what, take you to the top of the temple.

Why don't you cast yourself down? The angels will bury

you up. He resists that the last one bow down

and worship me. I'll give you all the kings of

the world. Christ doesn't do that. But notice this. Notice

the last three temptations, and they all happen while he

is on the cross. Pick it up in Luke twenty three.

Luke twenty three, tell me if you see these last

three temptations of Christ again. The enemy's trying to thwart

the plan of salvation at the very point at which

it was all occurring Luke twenty three, verse thirty five.

And the people stood by looking on, and even the

rulers were sneering at him, saying he saved others, let

him save himself. If this is the Christ of God,

his chosen one verse thirty six. The soldiers also mocked him,

coming up to him, offering him sour wine and saying,

if you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.

Now there was also an inscription above him, this is

the King of the Jews verse thirty nine. One of

the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuses at him, saying,

are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us? Last

three temptations? Did you notice something else in that patch passage?

Right there? The proximity of the temptation, the location of

the temptation. First, it's with the rulers who are standing by.

I don't know what distance that may have been. Save yourself,

fear the Christ. The soldiers now they're right, they're right

under him. They're right under him. They're much closer to him.

Save yourself if you're the Christ. But then the last

temptation is what eye level, ear level, right at his level,

if you're really the Christ, save yourself and us. Christ

could have come down, He could have easily have just

walked away from that cross he could have went back

to heaven, he didn't. He never came down. He fulfilled

his mission. You know, I was in high school and

I was in a church choir vocal group. It was

about thirty five or so of us, and one particular

song made a deep impression upon me. And the title

of the song was you Never Came Down. And it

was a somber and reflective song, and I remember singing it,

and I remember many of the lyrics. I looked for

the lyrics online. I couldn't find it. Everyone was looking

for the lyrics. Couldn't find him online. I saw a

group of forum trying to find it. But this is

what I do remember. I want to read you the lyrics.

Sometimes I try to walk alone, I try to stand

so tall, but then I see you there and I

hear the fall. I know you could have saved yourself

from hanging on that tree on that day. You could

have walked away, but you loved me, so you stayed. Lord,

you never came down. You never came down from your

tower of wood. For it was only in your dying

that your love was understood. Lord, you never came down.

You never came down from your tower of wood. Till

it was finished. Oh Lord, you never came down, never

came down. He fulfilled his mission. My favorite theologian says

this in the review in Harold August second, eighteen eighty one.

Consider the captain of our salvation. He suffered shame for us,

that we might not suffer everlasting shame and contempt. He

suffered on the cross, that mercy might be granted to

fallen men. God's justice is preserved, and guilty man is pardoned.

Jesus dies that the sinner might live. Shame is born

by the Sun of the Highest for the sake of

poor sinners, that they might be ransomed and crowned with

eternal glory. The Cross of Calvary appeals in power, affording

a reason why we should love Christ now, and why

we should consider him first and best and last in everything.

He gives himself a sacrifice for sins. You see, this

is what makes the Gospel so powerful. The free gift

of salvation arose because of many sins, billions and trillions

of them. Christ experienced the sins of the entire human

race on the cross, the most sinful place to ever

exist on all the planet Earth. But it was also

the greatest expression of God's love for mankind, the greatest

expression of His character of love of forgiveness. You were

in Christ on the cross. That's why you can be

legally credited with righteousness by faith, provided you put your

faith in him. See, Christ knows what it means to suffer.

He suffered, He can sympathize with you. That's why, like

my favorite theologian says, this is why we should consider

Him first and last, and first and best and last

in everything. Now, I want to do this as we

bring this to a close almost coming, I want to

make a critical connection between the power of the Gospel

and baptism, because baptism is how we associate ourselves with

the Gospel and our union with Christ. It's how we

take hold of a powerful gospel. And you know, I'd

really like to make an appeal even right now, to

those who have not been baptized. I want to encourage you,

if you're thinking about it. I want to encourage you

and affirm you in your decision. Not only you can

make that choice, so let me encourage you with the following.

Baptism is how we associate ourselves with Christ. We put

to death our old, sinful natures that we inherited from

Adam were crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live,

but Christ who lives within me. And in the book

of Romans, baptism is really only mentioned three times, and

it's found in Romans chapter six. Pick it up in

verse three. Or do you not know that all of

us have been baptized into Christ. Jesus have been baptized

into his death. Therefore we have been buried with him

through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised

from the dead through the glory of the fob so two,

so we too might walk in newness of life. Notice

some of the key phrases in that verse were baptized

into Christ. Jesus were baptized into his death. We're buried

with him through baptism. You see, Baptism symbolizes death and burial,

but also resurrection. We're buried in the waters. The old nature,

our old sin nature is buried with him, and we

rise to newness in new life. Let's continue reading a

little further Roman six, verses five through seven. For if

we have become united with him in the likeness of

his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness

of His resurrection, knowing this that our old self was

crucified with him in order that our body of sin

might be done away with, so that we would no

longer be slaves to sin, for he who has died

is free from sin. I wish we could do a

Bible study. There's so much more that I could go into,

but we're going to bring this to a close. I

mean to accept Christ by faith means to renounce your

position in Adam. Baptism is a public confession and a

physical demonstration of your faith in Christ. You've died to

your old sin nature and you've been resurrected to a

new life. You're no longer a slave to sin. Roman

six ' eleven. Even so, consider yourselves dead to sin,

but alive to God in Christ Jesus. And did you

know that baptism also symbolizes that you've clothed yourself with Christ,

and that Christ comes to live within you and by

the power of the Holy Spirit. Notice Galatians three twenty seven,

for all of you who were baptized into Christ have

clothed yourself with Christ. You see, if you loathe yourself

with Christ, you've put aside your old nature. That means

you adopt His principles, his guidance. It means you are

becoming like Christ. You're a new creation. It's not a transformation.

You're a new creation. It's exchanging your old life for

your new life with Christ. Tewod Corinthians five seventeen says this. Therefore,

if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.

Old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come.

And at baptism the Holy Spirit comes to live and

dwell within you. This is evidenced by Acts two thirty eight.

Peter says to them day of Pentecost, they're convicted. What

shall we do, brethren, And this is what Peter says.

Repent and each of you be baptized in the name

of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and

you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And

the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you. One Corinthians

sixt nineteen to twenty. Do you not know that your

body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is

in you, whom you have from God, And that you

are not your own, for you have been bought with

a price. Therefore, glorify God. In your body. I want

to encourage you. If you haven't been baptized, you receive

the Holy Spirit. God comes to dwell within you. Your

old self is crucified. You're a new creature in Christ.

You clothe yourself with Christ. You're becoming like Christ. The

work of sanctification begins. You're becoming holy and separate from

the world. Christ's light is now going to shine in you.

You're becoming You are a son and daughter of God.

I want to make one last appeal if you're considering baptism.

We're going to have a baptism later in August, probably

late August. I'll get the specific date if you're interested.

But here's my last appeal to you. From the scriptures.

There is a qualification for baptism. And I know we

have twenty eight fundamental beliefs, but there's a first, initial,

single qualification that must be met in order to be baptized.

And I'm going to show it to you right here

in Acts eight. And it acts eight. It's the story

of the Ethiopian Eunuch and Philip. And the Ethiopian Eunuch

is reading Isaiah. He's in his chariot. God leads Philip

by the spirit has him go up into the chariot,

and the eunuch basically doesn't understand what he's reading. Pick

it up in Acts eight, verse thirty four. The eunuch

answered Philip and said, please tell me of whom does

the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?

Now he's actually reading Isaiah fifty three. Christ bore our sins.

He took upon the sins of the world. Then Philip

opened his mouth and began from the script was he

preached Jesus to him. And they went along the road,

and they came to some water. And the eunuch said, look, water,

what prevents me from being baptized? And Philip said to him,

if you believe with all your heart, you may. And

he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is

the son of God. That's the first qualification right there.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God?

Because if you do, If you do, I ask you

the same question, what prevents you from being baptized? I

leave you with a final quote by my favorite theologian

Testimonies for the Church six ninety one, nineteen hundred. Christ

has made baptism the sign of entrance to his spiritual king.

He has made this a positive condition with which all

must comply who wish to be acknowledged as under the

authority of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Before man can find a home in the Church. Before

passing the threshold of God's spiritual kingdom, he is to

receive the impress of the divine name, the Lord are righteousness.

Baptism is a most solemn renunciation of the world. Those

who are baptized in the threefold name of the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit, at the very entrance

of their Christian life, declare publicly that they have forsaken

the service of Satan and have become members of the

royal family, children of the Heavenly King. They have obeyed

the command come out from among them, and be ye separate,

and do not touch, and touch not the unclean thing.

And to them is fulfilled the promise. I will receive

you and will be a father unto you, and ye

shall be my sons and my daughters. Saith the Lord Almighty. Amen,

Father God, what a wonderful, powerful gospel You've given us

in Christ. We were in Christ on the cross. May

we recognize Lord Jesus, that it's only through you, through

your one act of obedience, that we are now justified

before God. Lord. If there's those that are struggling with

the decision to get baptized, Lord, I ask that your

comfort and love would just overwhelm them right now that

they're making the right decision. Confirm it in their hearts

and minds right now. Lord Jesus, we know you're coming soon.

We want to see many people in your kingdom. Lord,

I pray that those there may be I'm here today

looking to get baptized. There may be some listening online. Lord,

I ask that you draw them to this church, connect

with myself, with the pastor with the elders. Lord, let

them know that we're here for them, ready to bring

them into the Kingdom of God. You bring them into

the Kingdom of God. We're just your servants to help

guide them along the way. Lord. I pray that your

Holy Spirit would live inside the hearts and minds of

all of us. Lord, that you would guide and lead us,

that we would clothe ourselves with Christ, and that your light,

your power would go forth. Your gospel would be preached.

Though we may not verbalize a word of it that

your love would be manifest to the world. We pray

these things in Jesus' name. Amen.