The Church | A Visible People - Romans 6:1-4, 1 Cor 11:18-32 (Oct 15) Myles Holmes

Hello and welcome to the Redemption Church Podcast.

We're a church in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada that exists to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission and the Spirit of the Great Commandment.

Thanks for joining us today.

Father, truly, our hearts praise you.

Our hearts cry, hallelujah.

For God, there is great hope for us to enjoy this morning.

The hope of resurrected life.

The light that will banish all darkness, the good that will overcome all evil.

And so, God, truly our hearts proclaim this hallelujah.

Christ has risen from the grave.

Our greatest enemy is defeated.

God, we long to live in that victory.

And yet, Lord, in this world that is so filled with evil, that is so filled with suffering, God, in our lives and struggles and suffering, Lord, we have yet to experience that victory fully.

And so we pray this morning, God, as you have a word for us, Lord, you've given us your book that you wrote, that we might receive your word of hope.

And so I pray that you'd find here, Lord, a people who are ready to receive it, God.

Lord, hallelujah.

I pray this in the name of your son.

Amen.

Amen.

You guys can grab your seat and your copy of God's word and open it up to Romans chapter 6.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

If you don't have a copy of God's word, whether physical or on your phone, uh, the ushers of our church are gonna be coming up to the front and they're gonna make their way to the back.

If you stick your hand up in the air, they're gonna get a copy of God's word into your hands.

And if you don't own one, you can keep this.

This is our gift to you.

Our prayer is that you would read it and be blessed.

Church, I want to let you know this Wednesday, we are gathering here for worship and prayer.

Let me say this: if if anything has happened in the life of our church, and this morning we are gonna celebrate along five miracles that have happened in the midst of our church.

If anything's happened, we can tie a ribbon from that thing, that work that God has done, to prayer.

God accomplishes nothing of eternal significance apart from the prayers of his people.

And so these nights that we spend together as a church praying are so important, they're so significant, they're so encouraging, and so I'd encourage you to be there this Wednesday, right here at 7 p.m.

One of the quickest ways to know who is in and out of the family is maybe last weekend during the Thanksgiving celebration, to go into your house and to pull out the family album.

In fact, I had some of the wives of the husbands in this church send us some of their most embarrassing family pictures.

We're gonna put them, I'm just kidding, we're not gonna do that at all.

Some of the husbands in this room, very fearful of what was about to come there.

And yet, isn't that true that if you want to know who's the like the core members of your family, well, one of the quickest ways to do that is to go through all those embarrassing photos over the years and to see who's in them.

Family pictures have a way of making visible the people who are part of the family.

Now, as we've been studying this series on the church, we're reminded that in Matthew 16, when Jesus established his church, one of the things that he's very interested in is who is in and who is out.

That's why on the day that he really established the church in Matthew 16, he asked this question to his disciples.

He said, Who do you say that I am?

There were a whole host of people who answered that question wrongly, and yet Peter, of all people, says, Well, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And it is on this confession that Jesus then says he will build his church.

And so part of what we uh understand here is that what Jesus is doing through the church, even till this day, is that he's seeking and saving the lost, and he's gathering those people into one place, into one institution, into one family, into one building.

That is the church.

Jesus is very interested in who is in and who is out.

Jesus is very interested in taking these people that he's, these lost people that he has saved and making them visible.

So that not only he promises to Peter that he will build his church, but he says to Peter that it is on this confession that Peter will be the foundation of the church.

You're reminded in Matthew 16 that Peter is then given keys.

And what do keys do?

They open a door, open and close doors, and and we talked there about part of the reality and responsibility of the church is to uh make uh through God's work of salvation a visible community, which functions as a signpost to the world.

This is God's people, this is a slice of heaven that God is creating.

See, Jesus is very interested in making his people visible, and he has given the church two ordinances that function just like those family pictures do in your family.

When you look at the family pictures, you see who's in and who's out.

And as you look at these ordinances that Jesus gave to the church and commanded the church to participate, as you see the people of God participating in these pictures and symbols, you see the people that God is calling into his family.

These pictures, these ordinances that God has given to the church have a way of making visible those who God has saved.

So that you can watch and look and see the people who are baptized, see the people who participate in the Lord's Supper, and you will know that those are the very family of God that God is gathering and calling his church.

These are a gift to the church, the two ordinances that we dig into this morning, baptism and the Lord's Supper.

And really, these are physical pictures, aren't they?

They are pictures that in many ways are felt in a few moments.

We're gonna have some people walk into these waters.

They're pretty warm this morning, so it might be hard for them to get out.

And yet they're gonna feel the water, they're gonna hear the water if they open their mouth when they go under, they'll even taste the water, which will be increasingly gross as more and more people go on.

And yet we understand that these pictures that God has given, just like we will open up the communion cups and taste the stale wafer and the old grape juice, these are pictures, physical symbols given to remind us of invisible realities.

Pictures that show us the heart of the gospel.

See, this is this is so important for us on so many levels.

See, we we live in a day and age where I think most of the conversations that I have with people about the gospel, specifically with unbelievers, are about, well, I just wish I could see God, or I just wish I could hear God.

Like if I could do that, then I would believe in God.

And yet here is God.

God has said to the church, I've given you these physical symbols, these physical pictures of what is so dear to my heart, and it is right for us in this world where we long to see, to hear God, it's right for us to take note of them.

I also wonder if this in this pragmatic age that we kind of live in right now, where everything has a reason, everything has a purpose, some of us maybe have lost touch with the actual purpose of baptism in the Lord's Supper, so that we think maybe this is just some random thing that the church does.

Like it's done it for years, and we've really lost the purpose.

And yet, what we're gonna see this morning as we dig into God's word and as we ask this question, what's the purpose of these ordinances, these two pictures God has given to the church, we're gonna see this that God has given us these two pictures, these two symbols, these two ordinances, in order that we might be constantly defined as a people of God, and that we might be put on display as a people of God.

In other words, these ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper, they answer the question who we are and who is in.

And so let's look at them together, and we're gonna start in Romans chapter 6, looking at baptism.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

And I want us, I want you to see this this morning about baptism, that baptism really is our initial entrance.

It's our initial entrance.

Look at what Paul says in Romans chapter 6, verses 1 to 5.

Romans 6:1–5

He says, What shall we say then?

Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

By no means.

How can we, who died to sin, still live in it?

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

He says, Repent and believe, and 3,000 people on that day are baptized, and three, sorry, believe, and 3,000 people on that day are then baptized.

This is the order of events.

You believe in Jesus Christ, and the first command you then take up is that to step in the waters of baptize and symbolize the spiritual baptism that has taken place internally.

It was always belief and then baptism.

This is the order in Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

This is the order with Philip when he meets the Ethiopian eunuch.

You remember this?

Philip meets a man on the road who's been reading Isaiah 53 and really wrestling over the scriptures and wondering who is this suffering servant that is spoken of in the Old Testament.

Philip preaches the gospel to him and tells him, the man that you're looking for is Jesus Christ, and the Ethiopian eunuch in that moment believes.

And what do they say?

Look, there's some water.

He steps into the waters of baptism and immediately is then baptized.

This is what Jesus says to us in his commission to the disciples in Matthew chapter 28.

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

He says, Go therefore and make disciples, baptizing them.

Baptizing them.

In other words, once you have preached the gospel, once you have seen lost people saved, the first step, before you even teach them, once they believe that Jesus is their savior and their Lord, the first step is then that you baptize them.

There is an immediacy and an urgency to baptism.

An urgency because as a believer, a new believer, you look at Jesus, who is not only your savior, he is also your Lord, and you hear him command baptism in Matthew 28, and you say, well, then I'm gonna listen to him because this is my Lord.

The very meaning of what it means to be a Christian, to say that Jesus' way is our new way.

And so the question for us this morning then is what is baptism?

What is baptism?

Well, I want you to see really three things about baptism.

The first thing I want you to see is that baptism is a profound gospel illustration.

It's a profound gospel illustration.

So that baptism, what's happening here publicly, what's happening here symbolically, is a picture of what has happened spiritually in the lives of these believers.

It's a public profession, a public symbol of an inward reality that has taken place in each of these people who are being baptized this morning.

In other words, it makes visible for us, it makes very real for us the inward reality of what has happened in this person's life, the salvation that they have experienced by the hand of God.

And in that way, it demonstrates what has already happened.

It demonstrates the faith that they have already placed in Jesus Christ.

See, order is really important here because at the very heart of baptism is a display of something that has already happened internally.

You know, one of the ways at the beginning of this message we define the ordinance of baptism is that it's like a family picture.

And if you were to open all the family pictures that we have in our family, it would be thousands and thousands.

You'd need my wife's phone, you'd need a few days, probably a treat, spend all your time going through all these families.

You know what, all these pictures, you know what you'd find?

You would never find any pictures of my family at Disneyland.

You know why that is?

It's not because we went to Disneyland and had a horrible time and took no pictures, so we could never remember it.

It's because we've never been to Disneyland.

There's no family pictures of the places that you haven't gone.

And just like that, so baptism, there is no display of something that hasn't inwardly taken place.

This is a display of something that has already happened, a faith that has been placed in Jesus, and therefore an eternal cleansing that has happened by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so we see this that the pattern in Scripture is always belief, then baptism.

I want you to notice in Romans that Paul is telling us here exactly what baptism illustrates, exactly what it signifies.

Notice that first it signifies death.

Paul says, How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

See, death to self, entering into the waters of baptism and illustrating the death that you have experienced in salvation is really the beginning of the Christian walk.

The waters of baptism, as you step into them, they really symbolize death.

You know, I was talking to my children about this last night.

I was telling them at the dinner table, I said, you know, it's so exciting.

Tomorrow we have uh five people who are gonna get baptized, and that's really exciting with the work that God has done in these people's lives.

And so we started talking about baptism, and I said, Well, you know what baptism is?

That you know, it's kind of like we put a bathtub on the stage, and they they really understood that.

And then the people come into the water and we put them in the water, and you know what happens then?

My second oldest put up, you know, her hand and she said, Oh, well, then they die.

And I said, if I don't bring them up, then they'll die.

That's 100% true.

And yet, in many ways, she's right.

Because that's what baptism symbolizes.

You know, we've we've kind of like softened baptism.

In fact, when we do it, Joel's gonna come up here and play some lovely music, but in all reality, baptism is like is it's a really violent thing.

In fact, if he were to play some music, I think probably more fitting to the picture that this signifies death would be like mortal combat or something, or like war drums or something.

Because it's really a violent thing if you consider it.

You're being put under the water, and we are displaying this picture of you are now dead.

You think about it biblically, think about the water.

Water always signifies death.

You remember Noah and the Ark?

You know, we love to kind of like make that story a lot of fun with the green felt boards and all the animals and the monkeys going on the boat, but we always leave out the fact that the world was flooded with water and everyone was put to death, drowned in the waters.

You remember the Red Sea?

As the people of God were fleeing Egypt and their back was up against the wall, and God miraculously split the Red Sea and they walked through on dry ground.

And then what happened to the Egyptians, the enemies of God, those who deserved God's judgment, they were crushed by walls of water, gone in a second.

And you know, the real problem here is that as we think about all these places in Scripture where water means God's judgment, the real problem is that you and I deserve God's judgment.

Is that you and I at some point needed to pay for our sins, needed to enter into the waters of judgment.

Entering into the waters of baptism signifies this death that we have died with Christ.

Symbolically, we are united to Christ in his death.

While we are under the water, we are dead with Christ as he was dead in the grave.

And being united with Christ, our sin.

Our sin has been paid for.

The penalty has been paid for.

This is why, by the way, we are so adamant about the mode of baptism.

It's really significant that in that what baptism displays is your full uh unity and union with Christ in his death.

This is why we go through all the pains of bringing a giant bathtub on here.

We had this thing custom-made.

This is like the Rolls-Royce of baptism tanks if you've ever been baptized.

And we bring this up here and we fill it up with water because what it's signifying here is complete union with Christ, full immersion.

You're not just sprinkled with the gospel, you're not just sprinkled with God's grace.

What we're told is that the grace of Jesus Christ is lavished over us.

We are completely made clean.

Not an ounce of our old person is alive, and in our new life, not an ounce of our old person remains.

I want you to notice also that this doesn't only signify death, it also signifies life.

And so Paul says that in verse 4, we were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, in order that you see that here, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

The scriptures say we are raised by the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead.

We're given new life.

Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians that we were all once sinners, but we were washed in the gospel.

And so the waters of baptism they they symbolize our new resurrection life, they symbolize the cleansing from sin that we have experienced and the new life that we now walk in.

You see, baptism is a profound gospel illustration.

I want you to notice also that the baptism is a public gospel identification.

Baptism in the early church and even to this day was very strategic.

See, one of the reasons why the gospel was so powerful in the early days of the church is because you had thousands of these Jewish people who were some of the most skeptical people in the whole world.

Like you want to talk about some people who are intellectually skeptical of anything, it was the Jewish people.

And yet, as they had seen the life of Jesus Christ, and many of them witnessed the death of Jesus Christ, and then with their own eyes witnessed the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all of these Jews were then entering into the waters of baptism and publicly putting on their display display their faith in Jesus Christ.

And it was from this uh overwhelming influx of Jewish people coming to Christ that many saw the power of the gospel put on display and came to Christ themselves.

And still today, as we stand up, we are publicly declaring our faith, publicly declaring.

Declaring that we are identifying with Jesus.

That's why in verse 5 Paul says, if we've been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

This is union language.

We step into the waters of baptism to say that Jesus' life is my life.

He is mine.

And I am his.

Because we are united with him, we're given this new identity as a child of God.

We're given new desires, where our desire is to love God.

We're given a new purpose, where our desire is to serve Jesus Christ.

We're given a new hope.

A hope that we're saying about this morning, a hope that is in heaven.

And these believers who are stepping into the waters of baptism, you know, the elders, as we've talked to them, we've seen this new identity in them.

And really, practically, this is really helpful for us parents.

You know, one of the questions that we get so often is when should we baptize our children who are believing?

And really, there's no answer in scripture.

There's no clear answer that says, you know, once they're 12 or once they're 13.

The answer is that you look at their life, and when you see evidence that they really understand the gospel and that the gospel is transforming them in a significant way where they have a new identity that is no longer in themselves, but in Jesus Christ, where they have new desires that is no longer just to please you, but to please God, they have a new purpose where their desire is no longer to serve themselves but to serve Jesus, and they have this new hope, then the chances are they're ready to be baptized.

Because baptism is a public identification with Jesus Christ.

And you also see here the danger of our culture's willingness, and in reality, many of our willingness to put off baptism.

See, if baptism is a public identification with Christ, what does it say when we are so unwilling to be baptized?

Well, part of what it reveals about our heart is that we do not have this overwhelming desire to publicly declare that we are united with Christ.

In fact, the number one reason why people aren't baptized is because of the fear of man.

Rather than have the overwhelming joy of proclaiming Christ and union with him, they have the overwhelming fear of standing in front of people, of speaking in front of people.

The last thing I want you to see is that it's a powerful gospel initiation.

Notice that Paul here is not just speaking to these individuals, Paul here is speaking to a church.

He is speaking to all of them, saying that it is we who have been baptized into his death.

And so just as baptism unites us to Christ, baptism also, baptism also unites us to the church.

Baptism joins us to the community.

This is why Paul in Ephesians he says that we are united by one baptism, each of us having experienced this spiritual reality that we then publicly professed in water baptism.

And in many ways, what we are doing as a church this morning is we are looking at the lives of these people and confirming alongside them your testimony is valid.

In fact, practically, I want you to know that the elders take this very seriously.

And so we've met with each one of these believers and we've talked about their testimony, and we've sought to understand that they know the gospel, and we've read their testimony, and we've ensured that in every way this person understands the gospel and that their life is also being transformed by the gospel.

So part of what's happening here then this morning is that you are coming alongside these people as the church and affirming that these people indeed understand the gospel and now are children of him.

For that very reason that these acts of baptism are not just these people participating, you also as a church are being asked to participate.

And that is why, practically, whenever someone is baptized, we have a tradition at this church that we don't just do for fun, we do it because of this theological reality.

Whenever someone's baptized and comes out of the waters, we clap, we cheer, we lose our mind.

If you want to stand up and wave your hat in the air, you can do that.

Nothing's really off limits here.

I say that because I'm really excited to see someone test the limits there.

We're excited about this because we're affirming in this person's life your testimony is true.

So we have a role in this.

Scott has been coming to the church for a few months now with his wife Gillian and his three children.

And uh Scott came first on ice cream Sunday, and then he came the next Sunday and there's still no ice cream.

And he's been coming ever since hoping that the ice cream would come.

We're telling him it'll come again, brother, someday.

That's coming.

I'm uh missing a microphone, so I'm gonna go find that.

It's right there.

Thank you.

My name is Scott Anthony Madero's.

I am 38 years old, and this is my testimony.

I was baptized as a Catholic when I was a baby, but my family's faith didn't really resonate with me.

And I never truly aligned with the Catholic doctrine.

I was raised in the projects by a single mother of three, rarely seeing my dad growing up.

And our circumstances were fairly modest.

Throughout most of my life, I have been a lukewarm Christian.

About seven months ago, something extraordinary happened that changed my life.

And I believe that led to my salvation.

A profound urge to seek the Lord and repent began to well up within me.

It was a transformative experience, one that I can only attribute to God's grace working in my heart.

I had been distant from him for so long, and suddenly I felt an overwhelming need to turn to him.

I started my journey to Christ on my own, diving into scriptures and watching biblical videos and listening to Christian music.

This newfound devotion to God consumed my thoughts throughout the day, and it was as if a switch had been flipped within me.

In those moments of seeking and repentance, I realized the emptiness of my former lukewarm faith.

And the need for a deep personal relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ.

I always felt there was a spiritual battle going on for my soul.

And the journey to Christ became a fierce battleground.

The forces of doubt, complacency, and the temptation to continue with my daily sins warred against the burning desire to know Jesus Christ intimately.

But with each passing day, I could feel God's presence strengthening me, guiding me through the spiritual warfare.

Choking up.

not earned through works alone, but is a gift of God's grace.

Received through faith in Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 28, 19, verses 20, which encapsulates the mission that I have embraced on the journey.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.

With Christ in my life, I have found peace of mind, a sense of security, and as if a massive burden has been lifted from my shoulders.

The gospel has become clear to me that Jesus Christ's sacrificial death paid the penalty for my sins, making me a child of God through faith in Him alone.

Baptism to me symbolizes my identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is a public declaration of my obedience, discipleship, and a complete identification with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I look forward to being baptized as a public testimony of my faith and devotion to Jesus Christ, the one who is transforming my life and continues to be my source of hope, love, and grace.

Such a joy to hear the work that God has done in your life.

Scott, I want to ask you a few questions.

Have you made Jesus the Savior of your sins?

Have you confessed Him as the Lord of your life?

And it's my joy, along with the church witnessing, to baptize you now in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

So good.

So good.

It's not over yet.

Let me invite up Natalie Luxemberger.

Come and share your testimony with us.

Natalie's been coming to the church for years now, beloved by many, her and her children, and her husband Les.

We love Les as well.

Come up here.

I learned about Christ through my mother, who raised myself and my siblings as Catholic.

My father became a Catholic.

We attended Catholic church and school, and I just accepted that Christ died on the cross for my sins.

We later attended a number of evangelical churches.

I prayed at night and during the day and had faith that Christ would hear me.

I never knew Christ's love for me in particular.

As I grew up and experienced rejection, exclusion, being overlooked, and being considered the lesser, I started to believe that Christ may think of me the same way.

I tried to overcompensate and be perfect.

Yet I would still pray to Jesus and ponder.

So I had a weak faith.

Through attending Harvest New Market and now Redemption New Market, I realized that there is no reason to have a weak faith or believe the lies that have been spoken to me through my youth.

After learning about the character of Jesus and what he has done for me personally through Redemption New Market, I repented, I prayed and repented of this sin, believed in Jesus, and asked Christ to come into my life and be my Savior.

I now know how in faith to reject the lies.

I repent of believing in those lies about myself and Christ.

So what has changed?

I realize that I no longer need to listen to lies about myself.

I no longer feel that I need to stay in the background.

I no longer feel that I need to overcompensate or be perfect or hide who God has made me to be.

When I look around, I can see that God has blessed me.

When I pray, I have faith that Christ will not only hear and that he will hear me, and mostly that Christ died on the cross for me.

The Bible verse that stands out to me the most is Psalm 139, verse 14.

Psalms 139:14

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works.

My soul knows it very well.

I want to ask you a question.

Have you believed in Jesus as a sufficient savior of your sin?

Have you confessed him as the Lord of your life?

It's my joy to baptize you now in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Mary Amali have been attending our church for a while now.

Came with the Mackenzie's, and you guys are married with a little girl and entering into the waters of baptism together this morning.

I was born into a Muslim family where I often found myself questioning the beliefs and traditions of Islam.

Those questions for spiritual truths eventually led me to the profound discovery of Jesus Christ.

One significant morning, I had a dream that clearly revealed the Christ spoken about in the scriptures.

This revelation would alter the course of my life.

The very next day, I awoke to find my tumor, which had been a looming threat to paralyze half of my face, had miraculously vanished.

It was a sign, a powerful revelation that left me with no doubt about where I should place my unwavering faith in Jesus Christ.

Despite not having attended the church until recently, I came to acknowledge my sins and the longing within me to live in accordance with gospel.

Following that remarkable revelation, I began studying the Bible independently and reflecting on my life, realizing my own sinfulness.

Jesus Christ has miraculously saved me and my family on challenging days since that day.

Despite occasional struggles with daily life and neglecting Bible reading, the Bible has consistently guided me throughout the years.

It is through this recognition that I have been granted forgiveness and received salvation through the transformating power of Jesus Christ.

My heart now yearns to lead a life firmly aligned with his teaching.

Despite suffering, my church involvement and deep Bible study taught me to live, to love my enemies, prompting peace in my community.

I'm delighted my husband joined me on this journey, and together with my daughter we find joy in following Jesus and living with love, kindness, and peace.

Today I humbly stand before you profoundly grateful for the salvation that God through his grace has so generously granted me.

As I prepare for the sanctified act of baptism, I understand that it symbolizes this of my old self, burdened with sin and doubt, and the development of a new life in Christ, cleansed and renewed by his divine mercy.

I want to ask you a few questions.

Have you believed that Jesus is the only sufficient savior for your sins?

Have you confessed that he is your Lord and committed your whole life to follow him?

And it's my joy to baptize you now in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Before Christ, I walked a path of uncertainty and questions.

Born into a Muslim family, I sought answers that could convince me, but the teachings and beliefs of my faith never resonated with my heart.

The perception of God waiting to punish us for our sins, casting us into hell was a way I couldn't bear.

My transformation began when I encountered the teachings of Jesus and the grace of God.

The concept of loving your enemy inspired me to delve deeper into the Bible and the teachings of Jesus.

The moment of my rebirth came as I delved into the Bible and discovered the profound wisdom of Christ's commands.

It was a personal journey, one that led me to the repentance.

Repent for my sins and place my faith in Christ.

The phrase, I am, left me with no doubt as I solidified my decision to follow Jesus Christ.

When I made this commitment, I felt a presence, a divine reassurance that this was the right path.

In prayer, I asked for guidance and realized that my purpose was to find true happiness and peace in Him.

Now with Christ in my life, my perspective has been profoundly altered.

I have left behind the doubt and fears that once plagued me.

And I strive for a faith that offers happiness, peace, and the promise of eternal life.

I firmly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to know Jesus and his teachings.

As I prepare for baptism, I recognize its significance.

It symbolizes the burial of my old self, laden with sin and doubt, and the emergence of a new life in Christ.

Cleansed and renewed by his divine mercy.

This act is a public declaration of my unwavering commitment to follow Jesus, to love my neighbors, and to be a beacon of God's law in this world.

It is a testimony not only to my own salvation, but to the enduring, enduring power of God's grace.

I invite each of you to witness this transformative moment and join me in spreading the life-changing message of salvation, grace, and love to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Together let us walk the path of righteousness that He has illuminated before us.

Amen.

Ali, have you made Jesus Christ your Savior?

Have you confessed him as the Lord of your life?

And it's my joy, along with the witness of the church, to baptize you now in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Crystal was baptized a few months ago.

I'm excited for this because the first time I met Aaron, he told me he's a spiritualist, and God has worked in his life to bring him to this moment when he's professing that he's a Christian now.

Before Christ, I never thought I needed a Savior.

I was raised in Judaism, and my understanding was that if we tried our best to follow the Judaic laws, like never eating pork, and we were good people, we would automatically get into heaven.

It was not clear to me how we would do just that as I witnessed different interpretations and applications of the laws all around me.

I, like all Jewish people, understood the concept of a Messiah as someone who would come save us one day, but did not understand exactly how or what that would look like.

I also did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

Despite being raised Jewish, I never found I had a great connection with all of his rules and traditions.

I found it was very guilt-based and was not based on a relationship with God.

We did things because that is the way they were done.

And if we did not do things that way, we were bringing shame to our families.

I found it difficult to follow and participate in synagogue services since the majority of the prayers were conducted in Hebrew, a language I have very little connection to or abilities in.

It got to the point that I was Jewish by culture, but my relationship with God was more personal, albeit distant, than through following Jewish laws.

I did not understand how following rules and traditions equated being a good person, nor how being born as one of God's chosen people would automatically get me into heaven.

God was not really in my life on a daily basis, and I did not have an ongoing close relationship with him.

I believed he existed, but we were far apart.

I first became open and willing to learn about Christ through some tragic loss in my personal life.

In the midst of grieving, I agreed to accompany my wife, who was always a Jesus follower, to a new church.

My first visit blew me away.

Everyone was so kind, welcoming, and friendly.

The message was completely in English and made total sense.

I liked what I heard and I wanted to hear more.

I decided to start attending regularly, reading the Bible and learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Even after months of reading my Bible and doing Bible study with my wife, I struggled to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

I had come close several times, but always thought I was undeserving and that the good news was simply too good to be true.

However, while walking my dog on a cold January evening, I finally chose to believe, once and for all, that Jesus is Lord, that he died on the cross for my sins, that he was the only one capable of taking away my guilt and offering me redemption.

It is an ongoing journey, and I have a lot of learning and unlearning to do.

Now, with Christ in my life, I feel newfound joy and hope.

Before I struggled with anxiety and being consumed by intrusive thoughts.

Now I cast those thoughts out, giving them to Jesus, and have newfound spirit-led confidence in my daily life, knowing that God loves me and watches over me always.

I pray to God on a daily basis.

I am reading God's word more in the past year than I ever have in my life.

I'm a child of God and can lean on him anytime I need.

I'm in a new relationship with my Creator.

I have new friends and family through my church.

I understand that I cannot know everything, but now I can put my faith and trust in my Lord and Savior, who can handle all things, and through him all things are possible.

Now I know that the gospel is the good news, the story of Jesus Christ.

I was a sinner and could never live up to God's expectations.

The punishment of sin is death.

Yet he loved me so much that he pursued me.

I believe that God sent his only son to live a perfect, sin-free life here on earth.

Jesus voluntarily took on the sin of the world and was sacrificed as the Lamb of God so mankind can be forgiven of their sins forever.

I have put my faith in Jesus and have joy in knowing I have eternal life and salvation in Christ.

Such a joy to celebrate the reality of what God has done in saving you and transforming you.

Have you chosen to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior sufficient to take away your guilt?

Have you chosen to follow Jesus Christ as your Lord?

It's my joy to baptize you now in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God, you are so good to us.

Lord, what a miracle that we've been able to witness.

God, a miracle that is even greater than the miracle of creation.

Lord, to witness your salvation, the work that you do in the lives of those that are your own.

And so we give you all the praise, God, it's your work.

It's so clear it's your work.

Lord, thank you that we could witness it.

And we pray for more, God.

Pray for more.

Bless these followers' lives.

Lord, may they be fruitful in mission for you.

May their joy be deep.

May the roots of their satisfaction go deeply into the things not of this world, but of you, God.

We pray this all in the name of your son.

Amen.

Amen.

We prepare our hearts for the Lord's Supper.

I want you to turn with me really quickly to 1 Corinthians chapter 11.

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

As we consider a second picture that Jesus gave to the church, and that is the Lord's Supper.

And in verse 23 of 1 Corinthians chapter 11, Paul writes, For I received from the Lord what I delivered to you.

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

That the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread.

In the same way he also took the cup, after saying, This cup is the new covenant of my blood.

Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and the blood of the Lord.

Let a person examine himself then, and so eat the bread and drink of the cup.

Here's the second picture God gives us of the gospel, that our participation in, through which our participation in He makes us visible.

This is the picture of the Lord's Supper.

And what the Lord's Supper is a visible form of an invisible grace.

It shows us a reality that is true of us spiritually.

The Lord's Supper is not the reality itself, but it points to a reality that we as Christians who have initiated our faith in baptism then participate in.

This is the reality of the Lord's Supper, is that in many ways it is ongoing maintenance.

It reminds us of what it means to be in relationship with Jesus Christ.

And in this way, the Lord's Supper is much like a wedding ring.

I could point to my wedding ring, and this isn't the marriage itself, and yet it points to the marriage, it points to the relationship, and this is what the Lord's Supper is.

As the church regularly and meaningfully participates in the Lord's Supper, we come together to be reminded of what our spiritual sustenance is, of what is the thing that will progress us as Christians, which will advance us as Christians, which will grow us as Christians, and all of these things are mentioned in the Lord's Supper.

Paul speaks about the Lord's Supper here, and he shows us a few things about this Lord's Supper that I want to put before your attention as we prepare our hearts this morning for.

And I want you to see first that it is a covenant meal.

Notice in verse 25 we just read.

He said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.

As we take this cup in a few moments, we'll be reminded that Jesus has committed himself to us.

He's covenanted to us.

And it's significant that on the night on which Jesus instituted this, it was the night of Passover, the largest Jewish festival that there was.

A Jewish festival that pointed to the day in Exodus when God's people were delivered and redeemed from captivity in Egypt.

And on this festival, they would yearly eat unleavened bread to remember that they are a people who were redeemed.

And in the same way, we come to the Lord's table, we come to the Lord's supper, remembering that God has committed himself to us.

A new way has been opened.

Passover has been fulfilled.

Jesus has come, he shed his blood.

His flesh has been pierced.

This is why we use the elements that we do.

This is important because the bread, it reminds us of his flesh.

The juice, it reminds us of his blood.

It also tells us who can participate in this meal.

It is those that have been washed by the blood of Jesus.

It is those who the flesh of Jesus was pierced for.

It is children of him.

This is a covenant meal, but I want you to see that this is also a communion meal.

And that's why many times in our church we will call this Lord's Supper, we'll call it communion, because this covenant is the way in which Jesus enters into relation with us.

I want to read for you a few verses prior to this in chapter 10, verse 16 and 17.

He says, the cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?

The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

See, communion is a constant reminder for you and I that God has held up his end of the deal.

That in our relationship with him, though, like we heard, our testimony continues to be uh filled with sinfulness, though our commitment to him is not perfect, Jesus' commitment to us is perfect.

Every time we show up to the Lord's Supper, the bread is there.

The wine, the juice is there.

And we're reminded that Jesus has not given upon us.

As wayward as we have been, so long as our heart is bowed in repentance, relationship is restored to him.

This is why, at the very heart of communion, is repentance.

This is why every time we take up the Lord's Supper as a church, we ask you to search in your heart.

It's exactly what Paul says, to examine yourself in chapter 11 to see if there is any sin that should keep you that you're unwilling to repent of.

Because it's through repentance that we gain access to the Lord.

And it's significant here that as we celebrate this, we call it the Lord's Supper.

It's significant here that it's bread and then it's juice.

Now, in our day and age, in the quantities we get, this isn't very satisfying.

It used to be a full meal that you would leave like you felt like last week after Thanksgiving.

You're stuffed, you can't eat anymore.

And it's significant because the food that we eat reminds us that this is about sustenance.

As you take the Lord's Supper, what you're declaring is that my life is founded on the blood and body of Jesus Christ, that without him I have no life.

This is sustenance.

It's a reminder to us, church, this morning that God wants to meet with us.

You know that?

You know how heavy laden you come in with sin, you know how guilty you feel right now, no matter how ashamed you are of the way that you've lived this past week, as we take the Lord's Supper, as you were handed that cup, as you were handed that bread, it is a reminder that God wants to meet with you.

No matter how far you are, the fact that he commanded, it wasn't our idea, it was Jesus' idea to command that we regularly take this together.

Because he wants to remind us that he desires to meet with us.

It's a covenant meal, it's a communion meal.

And I want you to see, lastly, that it's a community meal.

You notice that as Paul speaks in chapter 11, he is speaking in the plural.

He's not speaking to one individual, he's speaking to the church.

And so we come together this morning, taking the bread and the cup, to declare this.

This is what unites us.

This is what unites us.

I love this about our church.

I love that as you look around this room, you look at a group of people that in all reality you don't really have much common with.

I was reminded of that in my small group.

We were having a social this past week and we're all talking about our interests, and some people had hobbies, and my only the only way I could respond is it's amazing what some people are interested in.

It's not our hobbies that unite us together, it's the blood of Jesus.

And so when we got to prayer, the amazing thing is that all these people, like we didn't have a theme for the prayer, but all these people are praying for unbelievers.

It's not prompted by anything.

They're praying for unbelievers in their life, and it reminded me this is what it's all about.

This is what we're here for.

We're united by Jesus Christ.

And for us to take the Lord's Supper is to declare this: this is the blood that and the body, this is the gospel that unites us.

We're doing this together.

We're doing this together because as a church, we believe in what Jesus did on the cross.

Because as a church, we're looking forward to a greater feast.

A greater feast that's gonna happen in heaven.

The marriage feast when we are united with Jesus Christ.

And there all who partake in the Lord's Supper this morning will join together with all of his children that he has saved and declare the Lord's death until he comes.

And so we're gonna take the Lord's Supper, we're gonna invite the worship team to come up.

If you didn't receive uh communion cup as you came in, then you can uh the ushers are gonna come to the front, you can stick your hand in the air, they're gonna get one into your hands.

Again, if you you're not a believer, this isn't for you.

We would ask that you would let this pass.

The Bible says that to take of this is to eat and drink judgment upon yourself.

And if you have any sin that you are unwilling to repent of, then we would ask that you would let this pass too.

But if you are a follower of Christ, you've repented of your sin, then this is for you.

A reminder of the work that Jesus has done for you, of a picture of all that God has accomplished.

And so you can take that and the worship team is gonna sing a song over you.

You don't have to participate in this.

This is gonna be new for many of us, but I do want you to meditate on this.

Maybe this is the right time just to close your eyes and reflect on what Jesus has done for you.

And then afterwards they'll come and lead us in the taking of communion.

Take the top layer of your cup, you'll find the bread.

Paul says, For I received from the Lord what I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread, and we had when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, also he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

Let's take it together.

Father, thank you.

Thank you for communion.

Thank you for the ways that our hearts engage with you now, Lord.

And you have reminded us, Lord, that you, no matter where we are at, no matter how far from you we feel, Lord, you want to meet with us.

And you said it, this so you have said to us, this is communion.

Come and meet with me, come and be cleansed through the blood, body of Jesus Christ.

And so we give you praise and we receive this gift that you have given to your church, Lord.

You receive it with great thanks.

Lord, we give you praise for the pictures you have given us of baptism, of the Lord's Supper.

God, pictures so near to your heart, so near to the gospel.

God, we celebrate them together this morning.

So thankful, Lord, for the work that you have done on the cross, for the work that you're doing in our lives.

And God, we pray this in the name of your son.

Amen.

Amen.

It's so good to worship with you this morning.

Church, we want to pray for you.

And so there's going to be some leaders at the front that if there's anything we can lift up to the Lord in prayer, they would love to meet with you.

You can also scan the QR code that's on the front of your chair or go to the website rcn.church.

And there you can fill out a prayer request.

And we would love to pray for you this week.

That's sent to all of our leaders and elders.

You can also find any information about giving, information about all the events that are happening in the life of our church there as well.

Church, have a great week.

Know that you are loved.