Walking in Newness of Life | Romans 6:1-4

Well again, great song service.

In case you weren't here earlier and you heard the pump running in the back, we are going to have a baptism here in just a few minutes.

So that's what this message is all about.

It's an exciting time.

It's been a little been a little while since we've had a baptism here, so we're so excited for uh Sister Kaelin uh becoming a member of our church and following the Lord.

And so it's what this is gonna be all about.

It's gonna be about baptism.

So uh the title of this Walking in the Newness of Life.

Walking in the Newness of Life.

So if you would turn to Romans chapter 6, the Apostle Paul from Inspiration of the Holy Spirit does a great job, an amazing job to us explaining uh the importance of baptism, uh, that it is a picture and that we are commanded to do it.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

And uh again, that's what this is all gonna be about today.

So we look in uh Romans chapter 6, look in verse 1.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

He says, What shall we say then?

Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Look what he says in verse 2.

He says, God forbid.

When you tell people that uh we are eternally secure, we have security as a believer, and that when we are saved, we are once eternally saved, people say, some people reject that notion because we're like, well, we can go out and just sin how we how we live like the devil then.

And that's what they were telling, basically telling Paul, and what does Paul say?

He says, God forbid.

He says, God forbid, how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?

He says, Know ye not that so many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized unto his death.

Then he says in verse 4, therefore we are buried with him by baptism unto death.

That, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk, look what it says, in newness of life.

Let's go to the Lord in word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, we just hung the Bible before you.

Again, Lord, just thank you for the beautiful day and for the freedoms we have to come this morning to worship you in spirit and in truth.

And Father, I do ask you for your preaching grace this morning, that you just have me behind the cross, and Father, you would just speak through me, and that you would just uh that you would just be heard, that we would hear your word, read your word, and and not just in our ears, but it would be in our hearts, that we would truly hear your word.

And and and know and realize the Holy Spirit is teaching us, guiding us, prodding us, uh, trying to persuade us to follow Christ, to be to be more like him in all areas of our life.

And uh, Lord, we just pray for our service today, that everything's done and said, just brings you honor and glory.

And Lord, I'm thankful for the one that's going to be baptized in a few minutes.

Lord, that you just just bless her life and that she'd be a part of this uh church family, and again, just be a blessing to us.

We'd be a blessing to her where you receive all the honor, the glory, and the praise.

And Lord, we do pray if there's a lost one among us today that doesn't know Christ as Savior, that today would be the day that they would repent of their sins and call upon him and be saved, and then understand and realize the need for baptism and follow him in scriptural baptism when he's uh when they're spiritually led and grow in faith and knowledge of you and become a disciple to lead others to you.

And again, we just we just love you and we just praise you and we thank you for your word, your Holy Spirit.

And I pray, Father, we're more sensitive to him and always yielding to him.

We ask you, Lord, to forgive us of our sins and just again open our mind and understanding to your word.

And we ask it's all in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So again, today's all gonna be all things baptism.

Uh starting what the word baptism means.

If you look at the Greek word, it comes from the verb that means to immerse.

So when we understand that and realize that, we know that here in a little bit, Miss Caleb's gonna have to be all the way under the water to truly be baptized.

Why is that so important?

Because other religions, denominations, different things, think about sprinkling.

Babies and things.

That's not scriptural.

That is not scriptural.

So we know the Catholic Church says sprinkles babies and they say they're going to be sanctified or that's not scriptural.

It's not according to God's word.

And this is what this is all about.

Because there's so much, so many beliefs and so many different things about baptism, not just in our country, but all around the world.

And I want us to understand what the scripture says, not what Ronnie Fortson or what uh Union Grove Metary Baptist Church, but what does God's word say about baptism?

And so we see it.

What we see right here is to be immersed, to be completely under the water, and also it means to identify with.

It's symbolic, you're identifying with the group or person, the church to be a part of it.

That you're walking with Christ.

And that's what Paul is saying here.

And then what's going to happen in just a few minutes, Miss Kalen?

She's going to join our church.

She's going to publicly, uh, she's going to, we know that she's, I've talked to her testimony, she believes in Christ.

And now she's going to publicly come and be baptized to become a member of our church.

A picture, again, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

And it's uh, it's it's it's so important.

We realize that that's the very first step.

I know you've heard it probably your whole life.

After salvation, baptism is the very first step in obedience.

And it took me five years to know that, to learn that.

I wasn't in church, didn't know the scriptures, but I knew I needed to be saved.

I was saved at home.

A man led me to the Lord, and I was truly saved.

And I was glad to be saved.

I was happy to be saved.

But I did not grow one ounce until I understood the scriptures and understood that I needed to be baptized to show the world what had already happened to the old Ronnie Fortson.

That he had died and was a new creation.

But I tried to do the things I'd always done, but the Holy Spirit says, you're not that person anymore.

And God caused all kinds of struggles in my life, things, struggles I had never had before in my life, to get my attention.

Well, I had to say, okay, you're going to live for me or you're not going to live for me.

We had a discussion.

God doing the talking and says, You are going to do this if you belong to me.

And I'll just make it real brief.

I'd had trouble with people in my life I was super close to.

And I told God, I said, I can't believe how those people are treating me.

And God told me, I share this.

And Hena says, I've got to be very careful to say audible voice.

It wasn't an audible voice, but when you're just talking to God, he told me, He said, through the Holy Spirit, he said, How have you been treating me these last five years?

And man, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was just glad to be saved.

Wasn't thinking about God, wasn't thinking about growing in my faith.

I was just happy to be saved.

And all these problems, all these difficulties, where's God getting my attention to say, hey, you live from me, you belong to me now.

It is time for you to show the world that you belong to me.

And so, of course, all the peer pressures, all the things of life, what the devil throws in us, what we always do.

I'm like, man, I'm 30 years old.

What are people going to think?

A 30-year-old man needs to be baptized.

Then I got to understand, realize, guess what?

Guess how old Jesus wasn't when he's baptized.

He's 30 years old.

And I thought, man, ain't that awesome?

And so that's what he does.

God wants us to be saved, no doubt.

But it's so important that we be baptized to show the world who we belong to, that we are a new creation.

But also understanding, and I don't talk about enough, the covenant relationship that you're gonna, that she's about to be in in just a few minutes, as a church member.

The responsibility that comes as being a member of a New Testament church is a huge, it's almost like a marriage if you read it.

It's to be faithful.

Husband and wife, member of the church, it's being faithful because Christ is always faithful to us.

That's the seriousness of being a member of a New Testament church.

Are you faithful?

But it's like your marriage.

If you're not faithful, your marriage will not last.

If you're not faithful to the church, you will not grow in your walk with God, and you'll be a hindrance.

That's what God was telling me.

You're doing more harm to me than good.

It is time for you to make a decision.

Will you live for me or not?

And he brought me to my knees and I said, God, I'm sorry.

Sorry.

You're right.

I never looked back.

I never looked back from that night.

I never regretted making the decision to be baptized.

And growing.

And then being used by God, never dreaming I'd be where I'm at today.

Because it's all Him.

It's all Him.

I never once ever in my million years ever dreamed that God would call me to the ministry.

I'm like, why would He?

A wretched guy like me, why would He?

That's what I've learned.

He uses the weak and the pitiful where he can be glorified.

To know that it's all Him.

It's all Him.

Look at his Old Testament stories like Gideon.

He said, I'm the least.

And God said, Yeah, I'm going to use you though.

Because people won't know it wasn't you, Gideon.

It was me.

All those stories.

That's what our life is.

But I want us to understand how important baptism is.

You think about of all the commands that Christ could have made to the church, all the ordinances he could have left.

You know how many there is?

There's two.

There's two.

The Lord's Supper and baptism.

It's really amazing.

When you think about the Old Testament and the Levitical laws and the sacrifices, the ceremonies, the keeping of the Sabbath, all the things that the Jews had to do in the Old Testament, so physical.

And Christ says, there's two things I want you to do, church.

Won't you remember me to the Lord's Supper?

We do that four times a year here.

I'm telling you, that's a very important service.

A very important service.

You come and be a part of the Lord's Supper to remember him.

But today there's a baptism, so we're going to talk about baptism.

That's the second thing.

We are to teach people how to observe, to live like Christ, and be baptized.

And again, we're going to perform a baptism here in just a few minutes.

So this one wants to think about.

What does baptism show?

What does it show?

It shows redemption.

It shows our hope of a future resurrection.

And it shows a new life.

A new life.

Not salvation, but a new walk.

A new walk, a new responsibility.

Because you have publicly shown the world who you belong to.

We live like the devil.

Then you say, you know what?

I don't want to live like the devil because I don't belong to the devil.

I want to show the world who I belong to.

And guess what?

The world watches.

The world sees.

It says, okay, he's supposed to live, belong to Christ.

Why is he doing this, this, this, and this?

And that's what's happened to the church.

I'll just tell you flat out.

That is why the church has lost its witness.

It runs with the devil through the week.

Then says it belongs to God on Sunday.

It's true.

It's true.

This church should, and every church should be packed to the hilt.

There's 260 or 270 names on our church roll.

And with everything going on in our world today and in our country today with the Muslim, the Islamic growth that's going on all around our nation, the church is time to stand up.

Because it's here.

It's not coming.

It is here.

And I've been preaching it for 15 years.

And nobody listens.

But again, that's another message for another day.

Three things about baptism.

Three things about baptism.

Why?

Why is someone baptized?

Secondly, when?

When is somebody to be baptized?

And then thirdly, y'all may chuckle at this third one.

How?

How are you baptized?

You're probably thinking, oh brother Ronnie, it's easy.

You get in a pool of water and somebody dunks you.

That's physically, yes, but we're gonna get that lastly.

How?

How are you baptized?

Well, number one, why?

Turn to Matthew, Matthew 28.

Matthew 28.

This is the why people are baptized.

And I pray you have a Bible with you.

If you don't have a Bible with you, there's some in the pews.

Please follow along.

It's so much better to read it for yourself.

Don't ever take my word for it.

Follow along.

I'm far from perfect.

I can make mistakes.

I can misspeak, but you read God's word, it's perfect.

Follow along.

Read God's word.

I love seeing people come into church, and I love to see people come into church holding their Bible.

I think that's so great.

I think that is so good.

That is your sword.

That's your walk.

That's your lamp unto your feet and the light unto your path.

Have it with you.

Have it with you to follow along.

So we look here, the why.

Matthew 28, verse 16.

Matthew 28:16

Jesus has been resurrected.

He hasn't ascended yet.

But he says this, it's the great commission, verse 16, it says, Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

And when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.

And Jesus came and spake to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Then he says in verse 20, Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you.

And lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the world.

Three key words in the Great Commission.

Baptize, teach, and observe.

Why are people baptized?

Plain and simply, Jesus commands us, as followers of Him, to be baptized.

Simple enough.

That's enough.

Scripture says it.

Jesus says the church is to baptize people because it's so important as a picture to show the beginning of our ministry.

When did Christ begin his ministry?

Look how Matthew chapter 4.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

When did Jesus begin his ministry?

After baptism.

After baptism.

He was showing people who he was, that he was the Son of God.

We show what?

We belong to God.

So that's the why.

How about the when?

The when is always after salvation.

It's after salvation.

I know so many people all around the world, so many people in our denominations, denominations around our country.

They want to say you have to be baptized to be saved.

You do not.

One person you can point to, and they have all these explanations and things, but the thief on the cross.

The thief on the cross, beside Christ, had no works.

He definitely had no baptism.

He was nailed to a cross.

But what do you have?

He had salvation.

When he asked Jesus, says, Lord, remember me today.

When you come into thy kingdom, Jesus says, Today you'll be with me in paradise.

He was saved.

So we know that baptism doesn't save us.

But we must, we need to be baptized to glorify God.

But when?

When?

It's always after salvation.

But here's another point.

It's after being led by the Holy Spirit to do it.

It's so very important we understand that.

Turn to Matthew chapter 3.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 3, John the Baptist, he's the one that was crying in the wilderness and was baptizing people.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

And that got people's attention.

Like, what's this crazy looking guy doing?

Preaching out there in the wilderness.

It's been 400 years.

Preaching in the wilderness and baping people under the water.

So people are like, what's this crazy person doing?

And so what does it tell us in the scripture?

Well, Matthew chapter 3 and verse 1 says, In those days came John the Baptist.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

What was he doing?

Preaching in the wilderness of Judea.

And what was he preaching?

Look at the next verse.

And saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

That's the same message Christ preached.

I think it's in Matthew 4, 17, he says, repent.

And the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Why do we have to repent?

Because we're all sinners.

Regardless of what the world wants to say today, that there is no sin.

Guess what?

We are sinners.

We have all sinned to come short of the glory of God.

So we must repent of our sin to ever be saved.

And that's the message that John the Baptist is saying is to repent.

For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

He says this for this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his path straight.

And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair and a leather girdle about his loins, his meat was locusts and wild honey.

Then went out to Jerusalem.

And all Judea and all the region around about him came to him.

And what does he say in verse 6?

And were baptized with him and Jordan confessing their sins.

So understand it's repentance, confession, and then baptism after salvation.

After salvation.

So that's the why and the when.

Okay, now the how.

This is the most important and the most rejected.

This is the most important and the most rejected is the how.

How is not the act of baptism.

I think everybody understands, should understand that what the word means we talked about being fully immersed, being baptized, being fully under the water.

That's not the how that I'm talking about.

The how is like this example I got written down here is we all could have met.

We all could have met, say, Wednesday night.

And say, you know what?

It's supposed to be a beautiful day.

Let's agree to have the baptism for Miss Kalen.

Instead of having a baptistry, let's just go down to South Old Park, South Old Creek.

There's enough water down there.

Maybe it would have been so dry.

Maybe we can get her baptized right there.

Or it could be like when I was at Oakdale.

As a lady joined our church, she said, I want to be baptized.

So that's great.

Awesome.

We're excited.

She said, but I want to be baptized in the Little Red River.

I'm like, Do you know how cold that river is?

She's like, Yeah, but I really want to be, I always want to be baptized in a river.

I said, okay.

We brought before the church, told the church, said, hey, she wants to be baptized in the river.

And I said, awesome.

They're like, we're glad it's going to be you in the water, not us.

But that's great.

If that's what we want to do, so we voted on it.

We had church service just like this, end of service.

Everybody got in their cars and we drove down a little red river.

A great service.

There's a guy out there fishing.

He's unloading his boat like we went to the ramp.

We walked down there and got in the water, and he's unloading his boat, and he was real respectful, turned his boat off.

He sat there and watched.

We baptized that girl.

He's over there.

He's the first one clapping.

He was fired up.

I'm like, man, that's so awesome.

It was a great witness.

It was a great witness.

And yes, the water was super cold.

But guess what?

We got her all the way under and we got right out of there.

But it was a that's what it's about.

But here's the key and the how.

The how.

It's found in Matthew 28 again.

Turn back to Matthew 28.

And again, this is why this is the most rejected.

Matthew 28.

Look what Jesus says in verse 18.

And Jesus came and spake unto them.

Look what he says.

All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

I mean, that's a lot of power.

The power in the Greek is exosia.

Forgive my Greek, I'm terrible.

It's exosia.

And it means the power to act or authority.

That's like Jesus is saying, all authority is given unto me.

He could have used that word, but he used power, all power.

But we see the exact same word in John chapter 5, verse 27, when he's saying that all, he says the word, all authority is given unto me to what?

John 5:27

Convict of sin or confess or to repent of or uh forgive sin.

That's what he's saying.

But it's the same thing, it's one and the same.

All power, all authority, all authority has been given to him by whom?

The Father.

So it is the authority.

And who did Jesus give the authority to today?

The church.

I'm not going to be baptizing Miss Kalen here in just a few minutes.

I'll physically be up there to dunk her under.

But the act of her going through the baptism and being baptized, and I will say it, has been given to me by the authority of Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church, all of y'all.

Because she came a few weeks ago and we voted as a church for her to become a member of our church after scriptural baptism.

That's the thing that is so rejected in our world today.

That the church has the authority to baptize.

But if scripture plainly tells us, we do.

And why is that so important?

Because if you don't have the authority, you don't know what people are being taught.

That's the whole thing.

And the devil has done a good work.

Deceiving people that they can go out, men can go out and say, you know, I don't agree with everything that the Bible says.

I think it needs to say this, this, and this.

I'm going to go out and start my own church.

I'm a saved, born-again believer in an ABA missionary Baptist church.

But I could wake up tomorrow and say, you know what, I'm going to go start my own church.

And I have zero authority to go out and start my own church.

And I was like, but Brother Ronnie, you're an American citizen.

You have freedom and rights.

Yes, I do.

And I could go out and start a church, but God would not bless it because why?

I don't have the authority to go out and start a church.

But if I woke up in the morning and said, God put on my heart that He wants me to be a missionary to Africa, Sister Tina's biggest fear.

Always has been.

I joked about, hey, we look fine with a bone on our nose.

We'll be all right.

But I knew in my heart it's what God wanted us to do.

And so I would come and say, you know what?

God has said it's time for me to do this.

Will y'all support me in this word?

And then y'all may vote and say, you know what, we want to send him just to see how Sister Tina is going to act in Africa.

Then guess what?

I would have authority to go and present the word in Africa or wherever.

And that's how I was so impressed with Brother Teague.

He came and he told how he was led and who was sending him and all the different things.

He went through the proper procedure, knowing and realizing what he has the authority to go preach the truth to a lost and nine people in Utah.

And God will bless that work.

It is so lost today.

It is so lost today.

So the why is always out.

Salvation.

The wind, when wind is always after salvation.

The wind is after salvation.

The wind is after the spirit leads us.

When we understand that we need to be baptized, we need it.

And sometimes it takes a while.

It takes a while.

When I was at Oakdale, a young girl came up.

She was like eight years old.

Saved.

Accepted Christ.

We were all excited.

Talked to her grandpa after church.

He said, Man, that's great.

We'll get her baptized next week.

I'm like, no.

No.

And he was super offended.

He's like, what?

You don't want to baptize her next week?

I'm like, no, I'm not baptizing her next week.

I will baptize her when the Holy Spirit leads her to walk back down that aisle and be baptized.

When she understands the need of baptism, when she understands it's not a family pressure, that she is talking to God and God is revealing it to her that she needs to be baptized.

Then we'll baptize her.

And he's like, okay.

And it was no problem.

He didn't like it, but it's no problem.

And guess what?

About six or eight weeks later, just out of the blue, here she comes.

Wanted to be baptized.

And I say, Amen.

It's awesome.

It's awesome.

It's spirit-led.

It's spirit-led.

And how?

It's by the authority of the church.

But I want to make one point.

How it's all tied together.

How that is all tied together.

It is believing in Jesus.

Because that is the most important thing anyone must ever do to be saved.

And what do I mean?

I want you to turn to Acts chapter 19.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

Because it's, it's, I know people probably got a funny look saying, well, that makes sense.

That doesn't make any sense.

Well, it does.

I hope it will.

Because you must believe in Jesus.

Why don't you look in Acts chapter 19?

Acts 19 · chapter mention

Because so many people will place their faith in their works of baptism.

And it is great that people are baptized as long as it's done correctly.

So I want to look in Acts chapter 19.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

Understanding how this is all tied together.

Acts 19, verse 1, it says, And it came to pass that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coast, came to Ephesus and finding certain disciples.

Acts 19:1

Okay.

And he said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?

And look what they say.

And they said, then they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

I'd love to see Paul's face.

Like, what?

You're a disciple of, and you don't even know about the Holy Spirit.

And he said unto them, Unto what then were you baptized?

He said, okay, you don't believe, you haven't heard of the Holy Spirit.

Then how are you baptized?

Who baptized you?

And look what he said.

And they said, unto John's baptism.

John had baptism, or somebody, one of the disciples of John had baptized him.

And so what does Paul say next?

So then Paul, John, he tells them, John verily baptized the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him.

That is, look what he says, what Paul says, on Christ Jesus.

When they heard this, look, look what it says.

When they heard it, verse 5 says, when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Or we would say today they were what?

Rebaptized.

And so many people get so hung up as AVA missionary baptist people having to be rebaptized.

Because we believe in correct authority, scriptural baptism.

But they were, they were baptized.

And look what happens in verse 6.

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came unto them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied.

And it says just the numbers.

It's an interesting verse 7.

And all the men were about twelve.

That's 12 of them.

And so much is made about speaking in tongues and the prophesying, all different things, but they missed the point completely.

I believe why I believe this is in here.

About correct baptism, being on the name of Jesus Christ, believing in Christ first, then repentance.

Another example is found one page back in my Bible.

Turn to chapter 18.

In chapter 18.

Almost the same situation.

In verse 24, Acts 18, 24.

And a certain Jew, named Apollos, born in Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

This man was instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in the Spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing, look what it says.

But he only knew what?

Only the baptism of John.

And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.

Whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard it, they took him unto them.

And say they were Apila and Aquila and Priscilla, they were very devout.

They helped Paul.

They understood.

They were mature, I should say.

And so they heard him preaching this.

Okay, we need to pull him aside and talk to him.

They took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God, what?

More perfectly.

Understanding what?

And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him, whom when he was come helped them much and had believed through grace.

Look at what it says in verse 28.

For he had mightily convinced the Jews and that publicly, showing by the scriptures the point.

Here it is, what?

That Jesus was Christ.

He had heard the message.

Aquila and Priscilla had definitely told him, said, Hey, you need to understand that we believe on Christ.

It's not just faith alone, an absent faith.

Our faith is placed what?

On the blood of Christ, on his resurrection.

Understanding that it's all about Jesus.

And they talk to him about Christ.

It's the most important thing in salvation.

It's his blood that saves us.

And turn to Romans chapter 10.

Romans 10 · chapter mention

Look in verse 8.

He said, But what saith it?

The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, in thy heart.

That is the word of faith which we preach.

And Paul says in verse 9, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth what?

The Lord Jesus.

And shall believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

He says, For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

We believe in Christ.

We believe the word that tells us when we says we're sinners and we need to be saved.

And we confess with our mouths, yes, Lord, I know I'm a sinner.

I have dropped the ball, I am separated from you, but I believe in Jesus.

Lord, save me.

And again, I say it almost all the time in imitation.

How do we word that?

Believing in Christ, believing that we're separated, believing that his blood purchases us, redeems us, we can be saved.

But he says what?

We confess with our mouth unto salvation.

And he says, For the scripture saith, whosoever believe in him shall not be ashamed, for there is no difference between the Jew or the Greek.

For the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Then verse 13 says, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

What the word of God tells us.

So I want you to turn back to Romans chapter 6, where we started.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

To finish this message.

Why don't you read verse 4?

It says, Therefore we are buried with him by baptism and the death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Look what he says in verse 5.

For if we have been planted together in his likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.

Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

For he that is dead is free from sin.

It says, Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we also shall also live with him.

Knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him.

Look what verse 10 says.

For in that he died, he died unto sin once.

But that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

And when we do show the world, when do we show the world that we want to live unto God?

And to walk in newness of life.

It's after we're scripturally baptized.

So if you would please stand.

Miss Tina and Brother Matt will come forward and have a verse of invitation.

Maybe you're saved and never been scripturally baptized.

Maybe you make yourself a candidate baptism today.

If that's what God's put upon your heart, it'd be an amazing day.

It'd be a great day.

It's a first step in obedience, but it starts with salvation first.

Salve, be saved first.

You must know that you're saved first.

And then follow the Lord in scriptural baptism by the authority of a New Testament church.

As we sing.

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