Baptism Doctrine

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. We greet you this morning in the name of Jesus. What sets an ordinance apart from another doctrine, from another sacrament? What is there about an ordinance that is unique? Let me read what Webster says, and in this definition you see the two things that I have in mind. [00:00:39] This is what Webster's New World Dictionary says about baptism. The ceremony or sacrament of admitting a person into Christianity or a specific Christian church by dipping him in water or pouring or sprinkling water on him as a symbol of washing away sin and of spiritual purification. What are the two things that we see there? The pouring of the water is the outward, and the inward is the cleansing from sin, the purification, right? [00:01:11] The change that God works in our hearts. Those are the two things. And in each of the ordinances, you will find an outward thing. You will find an inward thing that takes place as well. As I was thinking of this message this morning, my mind was drawn for some time already to Acts chapter 8. And I'd like to look at that if you would like to turn with me to that. We have the account of a baptism that takes place here. [00:01:44] And I am blessed as I look at this passage of scripture. I am blessed for several things, but maybe we would do well just to read Acts chapter 8, verse 26 through 39. And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south, unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went, and behold, a man of Ethiopia, and eunuch of great authority under Kandasi, queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot, read Isaiah the prophet. [00:02:31] Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he should come up and sit with him. And the place of the scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to a slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth. [00:03:04] In his humiliation his judgment was taken away, and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself or some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus And as they went on their way they came unto a certain water And the eunuch said, See, here is water. What doth hinder me to be baptized? [00:03:39] And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God And he commanded the chariot to stand still, and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing. As I looked at this scripture, there were a number of things that stood out to me. [00:04:14] I had a question in my mind in the first verse that I read. It says, the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip. And maybe adapting this scripture to this time and place, maybe the angel said, go down to the road that goes south of Ship Shawana, that goes down to Laganere, and further directions will be given you. He said south of Jerusalem, the road that goes to Gaza, one that goes through the desert, that's where I want you. [00:04:52] And so Philip followed the instructions that he was given and when he got there he saw the chariot with the eunuch in the chariot. And the interesting thing that I notice is it says the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip. But in verse 29, then the Spirit said to Philip, capital S Was it the same person that spoke to Philip both times? I don't know [00:05:24] I'll just be honest with you, I'm not sure But the message came from the same source, ultimately That we understand, whether it was a different person, whether it was actually an angel that spoke to Philip I don't know if I ever noticed this or not Somehow it caught my attention that here when Philip got there and he saw this chariot with this high official sitting in it, the spirit said, go near to the chariot, go up to the chariot, I think we would say. [00:05:57] And so he did, and he heard this man reading, and if you know your scriptures, you know that he was reading from Isaiah, chapter 53, and what was it, verses 7 or 8, verses, I'm not sure. But somewhere in there And from there on, Philip didn't need instructions from the Holy Spirit Well, he did But I think they were given to him as they went along One thing led to another And Philip asked the man, do you understand what you're reading here? [00:06:30] And the man said, I don't I don't have anybody to guide me As I look at this man from Ethiopia This person that Philip was asked to communicate with, I am blessed by some things that I observe. We read in verse 27 that he came to Jerusalem for to worship. He went there with a mission in mind, to worship. but somehow I believe that there was something that the eunuch felt [00:07:06] he felt that there was a lack and I don't know if he had the book of Isaiah in his possession when he went or whether he bought it when he was there but there is one thing that I think helps us to understand the significance of that purchase and that is that books back in that day were not as cheap as they are today because every book was laboriously copied by hand. So this represented an outlay of money for this man to spend money to buy, I suppose, the book of Isaiah. [00:07:41] I don't know. But at any rate, that is where he was reading and he was looking. As I think of the case of Philip, what do you suppose grabbed Philip's attention? Do you think the whistles and bells on that chariot were the things that caught his attention? You know, knowing human beings, that could have been something that caught his attention But I believe that there was something else that had Philip's attention riveted And that was the royal message that he had to share [00:08:15] Rather than the whistles and the bells on that chariot I don't know if the chariot had any whistles and bells I don't know how chariots of officials were in that day But I think Philip had one thing in mind And that is to do the will of God And to share that message with other people This is not new that Philip was sharing the word of God And it didn't stop here It didn't begin here It didn't stop here But that was Philip's concern [00:08:45] To be faithful in sharing the message of God And I think in this Philip and the eunuch had something in common They both were seekers of God They wanted to know his will and to do it And when we find ourselves in that position We are in a position where we are in line for the blessings of God If we really want to know the will of God [00:09:16] As I look at the eunuch, he had a question here He said, was the prophet writing about himself or was he writing about some other person? And it was a perfect opening for Philip to preach Jesus Christ to him And beginning at that scripture it says, he preached Jesus to him I don't think the luxuriousness of that chariot held Philip's attention at all but the importance of the message that he had to share with the eunuch [00:09:49] but the openness of that man that man who was the secretary of the treasury I suppose we would call him today in today's terminology it wasn't that this man was lacking for funds, I'm quite sure it wasn't that he was lacking for prestige but he said these things are not satisfying and he was looking for something more and is that not the case for us? [00:10:21] We can have all the material goods that we want but if we don't have what God has to give us there is an emptiness in our heart and in our life and if we truly want that emptiness filled The Lord, the Lord, and we seek God. The Lord will help us to fill that emptiness. And I am so glad for that. I trust that your heart is set on following God. [00:10:57] I don't know if it was Philip that introduced the eunuch to the rite of baptism or if the eunuch knew that. by observation or by hearing about in Jerusalem. I suppose maybe it was Philip that told him that people who are really set on seeking God, on following Him, seal that desire with baptism. And when they got to the water, the eunuch was ready. He said, what hinders me from being baptized? [00:11:29] And we have an instruction class or instruction classes that were pretty condensed here, don't we? But I don't find fault with what was done here. In fact, I think they were following that which the Holy Ghost was leading them to. I don't know what transpired before this. I don't know what transpired after this. Maybe secular history helps us. I don't know. But there is one thing that catches my attention As Philip was, in verse 39 here it says [00:12:03] The spirit of the Lord caught away Philip That the eunuch saw him no more And he went on his way rejoicing That's a blessing That this man who found that which his heart desired Although he wasn't sure what that was He found it with the help, with God's help with the Holy Spirit itself. I looked at some notes that I took probably when I was not very much older than you this morning [00:12:35] in the You Applicants for Baptism, and just noticed some thoughts that were shared. And I do not know what all was shared, but I'd like for us to think, and I don't know if you, you don't need to turn to this necessarily, But in Exodus chapter 3 verse 5, Moses saw an unusual sight. He saw a burning bush and he said to himself, Oh, I want to see what this is about. That the bush was burning but it wasn't consumed. [00:13:09] And as he turned aside, we are familiar with God's words to him. Moses, take your shoes off your feet for you are on holy ground. I would just like to suggest that you and I are on holy ground this morning God's presence here makes it holy ground We don't have a burning bush We don't need a burning bush But we do have God's word And that is, I think, as precious to us [00:13:42] Maybe more so than a burning bush Maybe just reflecting a little bit on Moses As Moses turned aside, when God spoke to Moses, I think we remember that Moses fell face down before God because of the presence of God and what that meant to him. And he listened to what God had to say, and maybe we should turn to that. I just remember that there are some verses that I won't be able to quote in their entirety to you. [00:14:17] In Exodus chapter 3, we see here Moses on holy ground. I'd like to reflect on Moses, then I'd like to think on our experience here this morning just a bit. God told Moses in verse 5, don't come close, but put off your shoes. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. It says his face, it doesn't say that he fell to the ground here [00:14:49] But God had a message for Moses and that message is not necessarily related to our service here this morning But there were some things that caught my attention as I turned to this passage and looked at this passage In verse 8, one of the things that caught my attention was that God told Moses Moses, I am going down to deliver my people Now, pardon me, let me use my own words here [00:15:20] And you can look at the scriptures and decide whether or not they are correct or not Seems to me that God was saying, Moses, I'd like to have your help I need your help Both Moses and God knew what had happened approximately 40 years earlier When Moses was perhaps the prince destined for power in Egypt [00:15:51] At least he grew up in Pharaoh's house, he was taught there And exactly how that was I am not sure But Moses recognized that he was called to be the deliverer of God's people And I think Moses had tried in his own strength to bring that about When he killed the Egyptian that was misusing the Israelite But we know what happened Things didn't turn out the way that Moses had hoped [00:16:21] And he fell flat on his face God knew this Moses, I am sure, remembered quite well Although it had been about 40 years before this and Moses was done. He said, that's not for me. But God said, I am going down. Notice, he didn't say, I want you to deliver the people in verse 8. He says, I am come down to deliver them out of the land of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land [00:16:52] and a large unto a land flowing with milk and honey unto the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites God uses human beings to work his will Not always, but usually God uses human beings to do his bidding And God was telling Moses Moses, now I need you And the place where the Egyptians were [00:17:27] and the place that God was calling them to and the parallel to the service that we have here this morning was a blessing to me. They were in the land of Egypt. The land of Egypt is what? It's a type of sin. They were to be delivered to the land of milk and honey, the land of Canaan, which is the Christian life and ultimately ending in heaven. But I think God was telling Moses, Moses I need your help, I'd like to use you [00:18:02] And we're acquainted with what Moses said and we're not going to read all of that But Moses said, Lord, I am slow of speech, I can't speak, you need somebody else God said, I'll put words in your mouth And the discussion went on back and forth Finally God grew, I think, a little bit impatient with Moses And he said, well Aaron, your brother, can speak well [00:18:33] And he's coming to meet you I want you, you can put words in his mouth and he can speak them But I want you, I need you, Moses The thing that I would like to remember from this For John and for Laura and for Brenda and for each one of us is that when God says your name and says I need you, I want you to do this for me we can say all we want to about a stammering tongue or being slow of speech or any other physical impediments [00:19:06] we might have real or imagined but if God calls us, God also empowers. And it's interesting to me I don't know how much Aaron was the spokesman He was. But you know, when I look at scripture following this, most of the time it's Moses doing the speaking. Now, Aaron was there, and I assume that he was a spokesman to some degree. But the thing that I would like for us to remember is that when God calls, He empowers. [00:19:39] God does not call us to anything that He will not help us to do. We said that the place we're treading on this morning is holy ground. What do we mean when we say that the place is holy ground? I think we have an important work to do as God's people. I think that makes this holy ground. One of the things that I would like to remind us of as a congregation that we have to do this morning [00:20:12] is that of nurturing, of encouraging people who are young in the faith. I am referring to the ones who are sitting in front here. That is an important task. You know, sometimes I don't think through the things that I say as carefully as I should. Sometimes that can become a stumbling block, a source of discouragement. That is never from God. I, if I do that, was not listening as carefully as I should have. [00:20:50] That is one of the things that we as a congregation have to offer to John and to Laura and to Brenda, is encouragement. And we might say, well, it's the preacher's job to do the nurturing, and we have done quite a bit of that in the last months. And it's been a blessing to us And I have heard this from the instruction class as well It was a blessing to us And that blesses us But we as a congregation have work to do [00:21:23] We relate to one another We relate to each other on a day-by-day basis And we can choose to be encouragers Or we can choose to be otherwise There is a blessing in being an encourager And I am blessed by the way Aaron and Moses, I think, complimented each other in serving God They were on the same page most of the time There were times when they failed [00:21:53] They were human beings like you and I are as well But may we take seriously our job that we have of nurturing not only these three but in encouraging all of us upward in encouraging one another to faithfulness. May we do that carefully. May we do that prayerfully. May we weigh our words. Now to John and to Laura and Brenda what does the church have a right to expect from you? [00:22:24] I'd just like to mention a few things. One, that you have recognized your sin and have accepted the atonement of Jesus' blood as the only way to salvation, to spiritual wholeness. And you have given, you have told us that and I appreciate that. Number two, I think we have a right to expect that you have said a perpetual and an unconditional yes to Jesus as your Lord. And that's a mouthful. [00:22:56] I recognize that. A perpetual. that means that it goes on without stopping and an unconditional not if it happens to suit me not if I see the way clear but at all times our response to the Lord Jesus Christ is an unconditional yes Lord I think of Saul when he was struck down by the light on the Damascus road [00:23:27] What did he ask? First he asked, Who art thou, Lord? And then he asked a second question, What wilt thou have me to do? And I think that's the question that we must ask God. What do you want me to do? And then he already has our assent. And I recognize there is some working through things. There will things come into your life that you continue to need God's direction [00:24:01] Sometimes it's not as easy as knowing Is this God speaking to me? Number three, that you have agreed to support the church by faithful attendance And support in all its functions, in all areas And that's not just for these three That's for all of us What kind of an example am I setting? What kind of an example are you setting? to give unconditional support to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the church in every way that we can. [00:24:36] There is one thing that I would also like you to remember, John and Laura and Brenda, and that is that Jesus is bigger than any difficulty man or even Satan can confront you with. I am blessed when I remember that the things that come my way have to meet God's approval first. And I think of the greatness of the God that we serve, our Lord Jesus Christ, and I think of Romans chapter 8, the closing verses to that chapter. [00:25:10] Verse 34 to the end of the chapter, read this way. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again Who is even at the right hand of God Who also maketh intercession for us Who shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long [00:25:41] We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord It's quite a passage [00:26:12] There's nothing that can separate us Not if we The only thing that can separate us is our own decision What we decide to do But in the strength that God gives us It is more than ample to be faithful to him I think of When I think of the fact that I told you that The things that come our way have to meet God's approval first And then I think of Job [00:26:42] And the things that Job faced When Satan came to converse with God And God pointed it to his servant Job And he said, have you considered my servant Job? And Satan said, yes, but your hand of protection is over him That's why he's serving you And so God said, okay, we'll remove that protection but you notice if you read that carefully [00:27:13] God says how far Satan may go each time but the thing of it is Job didn't know that I don't think Job was in the dark as to why these things were coming his way but the blessing that I find in reading Job is that not only Satan but the trials that come our way first have to pass God's screening His loving screening hand If it's more than we can take He won't let us come [00:27:44] But we need His help to remain faithful Remember that Jesus is bigger than any difficulty that you will face As I think of baptism We haven't talked a great deal about baptism One of the things that I suppose comes to mind sometimes is What is the correct mode to use to baptize? I have a counter question. Is that an important question? May I just say, may I suggest that if you think so, perhaps we have a misdirected emphasis. [00:28:22] And I'm sorry, maybe you think that there is only one way. But somehow I have dear brothers and sisters who have been baptized a different way than I have. And it doesn't make them any less brothers or sisters. of mind. And I am not trying to pick at the way we baptize. I have heard powerful presentations made for pouring, effusion, or for immersion, dipping, and I come away from those and I [00:28:54] say to myself, what is the point? I don't know about you, but I would just simply go I will go on record as saying that if the Lord has only one way for us to baptize, if he had only one way, I think it would be clear in his word. Like I said, I have heard this book used to defend both positions, and I am just not here to defend one or the other. [00:29:33] That baptism is important, I agree with. But I am not going to spend a lot of time this morning trying to convince you that one way or the other is right. However, there are some right and wrong things about baptism that I would like to look at. Baptism identifies us as the property of God. We are, in the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17, a new creature. [00:30:10] I think some translations say a new creation. Brother Laverne talked about some of these things. I appreciated what he had to say. If that is not in evidence, we have reason to question a person's new birth experience, is what I understood Brother Laverne to say. And I think that is right. Maybe it would be good just to turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and just to see what it has to say there to us. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 [00:30:44] Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. It doesn't say he should be a new creature. It says he is a new creature. It doesn't say old things should have passed away. Behold, all things should become new. It says they are. In Spanish we'd say punto y final. [00:31:16] That's it. That's just the long and the short of it. If we are in Christ Jesus, we are a new creature, a new creation, however you want to say it. It is very important, it is as important as our salvation is, that this be found in our lives. I am talking to John, to Laura, and to Brenda, but I am talking to each one of us who have named the name of Christ. If this is in question, then we need to look at it very, very carefully. [00:31:50] Looking at, I'd like to look at a number of verses with you. If you will turn to Mark chapter 1, there is, we have here the account, I think this is, was it where John was baptizing? Yes. Verse 8 of Mark 1 says this, Indeed, I indeed have baptized you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. [00:32:23] And I should have read verse 7 along with it. And preach, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worth it to stoop down and unloose. I'm not worth it to take his shoes off, John the Baptist was saying. And this person is going to baptize you with the Holy Ghost. I understand the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I recognize that there is some difference on this. In the New Testament, we read about people being filled with the Holy Ghost. [00:32:56] To me, that was a time of transition. We are in the day when the Holy Ghost has already been poured out. And when we say yes to God, what is it that makes the sky bluer and the birds sing more sweetly? Why is it that people feel at peace after they're confessing their allegiance to Christ Jesus? Is that not the work of the Holy Spirit? I think so. John said, I baptize you with water, and we will baptize with water, [00:33:32] but it is a symbol of what we believe has already transpired in the lives of the applicants here. I'd like to turn to Acts chapter 1. and just read a little bit. Acts probably is the book in the Bible that talks most about baptism. Verse 7, the apostles, this was after the resurrection and the apostles were so glad to have Jesus among them again. [00:34:05] And they had a burning question in their hearts in verse 7. and, well, no, in verse 6, they said, Lord, are you going to restore an earthly kingdom at this time? Verse 7 and 8 are important for us today. This is what he said to them. It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, [00:34:36] and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. The disciples had a question. They were oppressed by Roman rule and they were ready to see it end. They were tired of it. And they said, Lord, are you going to establish your kingdom? And Jesus said, that's not really your concern. That's an unimportant question. [00:35:10] There is something important, however, that the Holy Ghost will come on you and you're going to receive power. Power for what? Power to be witnesses. A witness is a martyr. The word for witness and the word for martyr are one and the same, as I understand it. and this is what we are for, to be witnesses, martyrs and not all of us are going to give our life because of the enemy, because of the enemy of our souls [00:35:51] but regardless, we need to be faithful witnesses, willing to give our life if that is necessary And I trust that that is each one of our case But notice Ye shall receive power For what? To be faithful witnesses of mine To be martyrs if you please To be martyrs if the need calls for it Power to be faithful unto death And that is granted us The power to be faithful unto death [00:36:23] We need to avail ourselves Power for service There is one sense in which Brother Laverne's mind and mine went in the same direction. I would like to turn to James because James, although Martin Luther called this the epistle of straw, I don't care. James is a precious book in God's word and I don't want to spend a lot of time, in fact I'm not going to read as much as I thought of reading. I thought of reading chapter 1, verse 18 to 27, but I am just going to look at this. [00:37:02] You notice here that James is telling us in verses 18 to 20 that it's God's will. It was God's will to give us the new birth, is what he is saying here. That we might be the first fruits of his creatures. And then he gives us some instructions. Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. [00:37:32] And then the last part of this. If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction And to keep himself unspotted from the world Is it important the way we live after we're born again? You know why Martin Luther called this the epistle of straw? [00:38:06] He was a man who introduced scripture Or he said the scripture is very important And he had a lot of good things to say to us But was it Martin Luther that said after they were enlightened He said the people's lives are worse now than they were before they were enlightened That should not be so Our lives should bear witness of the transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ [00:38:39] And you find this all through the book of James Time is moving on I don't think we'll look at these, but if you look at chapter 2, verses 1-9, and chapter 3, verses 10-18, and it's giving special emphasis to verses 10-12 and 17 and 18, we see here that it is important how we live. It's important that we demonstrate the transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe we could say it like this. [00:39:13] Baptism is a little bit like a label. We package bolts and nuts and things in our business and we put labels on those boxes. We buy food in the stores. If the food that you buy says green beans and you open it and it's peaches, we have a surprise and probably a letdown. Recently a man gave me three boxes and it said one thing on the label. But there was something else on the inside. [00:39:46] Somebody had goofed. I have no idea who. It's probably me. I don't know. But in the Christian life, this shouldn't take place. The label says, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's not disappoint people by demonstrating otherwise by our lives. Let's have the label that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's show it by our lives. There is one thing about baptism that is very important. I said mode to me is not that important. I don't think I've ever been to a baptism other than our own. [00:40:28] But there is one thing about baptism that is important, and I'd like to spend just a little bit of time with this. We believe in a believer's baptism, right? I'd like to look at some scriptures again in Acts and just simply see what this has to say. One of the things that is especially sobering to me when I hear of our people, and I have heard some of this, question whether infants should not be baptized is the fact that our forefathers gave their lives [00:41:05] for this belief. This was one of a number of beliefs for which they gave their lives. But I do not take it that lightly, nor do I find in God's word any other thing than people who believe are the ones who should be baptized. Verse 41 of Acts chapter 2 says, Then they that gladly received his word, Peter's word but it was God's word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about 3,000 souls and we could look at more of this the last verse and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be said but turn with me to Acts chapter 8 I'd like to just look at this passage here [00:42:00] Here Philip again was preaching, this is just a little earlier in the chapter, verse 12 It says, When they believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women and children and babies Does it say that in your Bible? Oh, it doesn't in mine either It says men and women And it says they that what? Believed Do children, do babies, do they believe? [00:42:34] Can we vicariously believe for them? No. It's something that each one must decide for themselves. This is something that I feel strongly about. I think God's word is clear. And some of the people would have you turn to Acts chapter 16. There you have two accounts, the jailer and Lydia, who it says they were believed with their household and they suppose that perhaps there may have been some minors there. They don't know, but they say, see, you know what that sounds like to me? [00:43:08] That sounds like a lawyer's logic. That does not sound like a person who is interested in the truth. When a person asks you, what church affiliation are you? You may answer Mennonite, you may answer something else. Do you bother to tell that person, but I have some children who aren't old enough, They're not baptized. They're not Mennonite. I don't. Somehow, I and my house are Mennonite. Further, we're Beechy Amish, and that's not that important. [00:43:41] But to me, to say that in Acts chapter 16, and there is another scripture, I'm not going to turn to these, it doesn't hold water. because I see the call to repent and to believe. I see people who have come to the age of accountability capable of doing that. I do not see children capable of doing that. I said that's a lawyer's, that sounds like a lawyer. [00:44:12] One of the men whom some of us listen to and has many good things to say to us influenced some of our number to consider that, to consider the baptism of infants. and the scripture teaches us to act responsibly. And are we saying there's no room for children, for babies? Not at all. Jesus offered his blessing and when the disciples said, don't bring the children, he said, let the children come to me. And he laid his hands on them and he blessed them. [00:44:44] Did he baptize them? I don't read that he did. I don't find any indication that he did. But the one thing that I would have us remember is if you look in the old dispensation, in the economy of the old dispensation And you will find there that there was a monetary value placed on a person And the reason that was is if a man was killed unwittingly A person didn't mean to but a man was killed He had to reimburse the family a certain amount [00:45:17] And if a baby was killed, it was a much smaller amount than if an adult was killed. And I understand that, but that is the economy of the Old Testament. And in today's, in the New Testament economy, I think Jesus was telling us, babies and children are important, but I do not read that they are to be baptized. When they are old enough to know right from wrong, when they reach the age of accountability, It was a blessing to hear the testimony of the applicants for baptism. [00:45:51] One of them said, there was something that was not right and I knew that. Why did this person know that? The work of the Holy Spirit in that person's heart and life. When a person is old enough to recognize that something isn't right And it's not just a specific misdeed, a specific sin that they have done. Then I think they are old enough to respond to the call. And I'm not going to put an age on that. [00:46:27] But when we know right from wrong, and when we have a guilt-burdened conscience, Jesus is here to relieve that conscience. I am glad that he is. As I was meditating on this message, there was a song that went through my mind. And I looked, and I don't find it in our hymnals here, I might turn to it. But the chorus of the song goes something like this, and many of you know the song. But the chorus of the song goes something like this. [00:46:59] It took a miracle to put the world in place. It took a miracle to hang the stars in space. But when he saved my soul, cleansed and made me whole It took a miracle of love and grace The miracle in the natural world is one thing And there are miracles that abound in the world of creation But I am glad this morning that it doesn't stop there It doesn't stop with the physical realm [00:47:31] But God is a spirit and they that come to him must come to him They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth We also have a spirit and it is that part that needs to connect with God