 Mark chapter 1 verses 9 through 11 it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan and immediately coming up from the water he saw the heavens partying and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove then a voice came from heaven you are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased so as we begin let me remind you we have just begun a series in the gospel of Mark and Mark has already revealed to us that Jesus is Messiah he is the Son of God and when he was speaking concerning this that Jesus is Messiah the Son of God that was a way of revealing to us that Jesus Christ is royalty he's the Son of the King of the universe and I was mentioning to you last time we together as Kings did during Mark's day Jesus had someone who went before him this was a messenger a messenger who would prepare the way for the King who had herald his coming the messenger who would proclaim that the King was about to arrive and would make sure that all the roads that the King would travel on were ready in Luke chapter 1 verse 17 it says he speaking of John will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the parents to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to make ready a people prepared for the Lord so John was not simply overseeing the clearing of debris from a road he was calling people to personally clear out the debris of their lives he was preaching what was called a message of repentance he was baptizing those who repented and all the while he was pointing people to the one who was about to come to them well at that point he had yet to arrive but John was saying that his arrival was very soon so in this section Mark is going to present Jesus's baptism as a kind of royal coronation and John had said that he was unworthy to stoop to unstrap his sandals while the one who's about to come is that great of a figure and so it says in verse 9 it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan now when you read your Bible some things may pass you by and so I want to take a moment to kind of develop a few things with you about that because that's a simple statement he came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee we've all heard that before we need to know the background and know a little bit about this you see by this time John had been preaching and baptizing for several months and as John was performing his ministry at the right time Jesus came to John now Mark says that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee now he was saying this to a non-Jewish reader so that they would understand that Jesus was coming from the north the place called Nazareth Nazareth is located in northern Israel Nazareth is a home or was a home of Mary and Joseph it was a small inconsequential town it was populated by a fairly large Gentile population at least percentage wise you see Gentiles were recognized as pagans they were outside of God's promises and Paul made that clear when he was writing to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2 verse 12 he said to them a Gentile church he said remember that at that time you Gentiles you were separate from Christ you were excluded from citizenship in Israel foreigners to the covenants of the promise without hope and with the without God in the world so the Gentiles were separated from they didn't have a relationship with God God had a special covenantal relationship with Israel but he did not have that same relationship with Gentiles and therefore the Gentiles were outside of the promises of God well because Nazareth had a percentage wise a large amount of Gentiles living there it also had a poor reputation remember in John in chapter 1 verses 45 and 46 how Philip found Nathaniel and said to him we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph and Nathaniel said to him can anything good come out of Nazareth and Philip said to him come and see well during this time to call someone a Nazarene was to say that he was despised they were rejected they were not regarded why because again they were there were a lot of pagan Gentiles who lived in Nazareth and the surrounding area it was a small small city it was a more of a village Nazareth had a population according to some commentators many actually of around 150 residents and so one they were despised because they were filled with pagans and two it was a small inconsequential city no one would think that such a city would produce anything or anyone that was noteworthy it was just that inconsequential it was it was that unimportant many years ago now many years we had a an outreach actually not even that it was Wednesday night is a Wednesday night study and we in our earlier days rented Ontario High School and we would rent Ontario High School on Sunday mornings and we would use the the high school for our Wednesday nights as well as our Sunday nights for a while and on one occasion I contacted my pastor Chuck Smith and I said pastor could you come out and do a midweek for us would you come out and and teach on a Wednesday and Chuck said he would and so we were there at Ontario High School it sat 1200 people this was back in the in the early 80s and well Chuck was coming out so a lot of people wanted to hear him people who didn't want to hear me but anyway people so Chuck was coming out and the whole place was full and they were sitting on the carpet and pastor Chuck came and gave a Bible study was a great Bible study and and all and and we were walking he and I were walking out I'll never forget this as we're walking out the front door walking towards the the parking lot under his breath Chuck said who would have ever thought Ontario and I thought that's really true who would have ever thought God moves where he wants to move but I remember that it was to him it was like the farthest it was like what's going on out here God was doing a wonderful thing well sometimes people will look at cities and say they're inconsequential but just because they may be in the eyes of man inconsequential doesn't mean that God can't do something there and that's what was happening there in Nazareth you see Jesus came from this village even as Nazareth was with disrespect it was despised it was even rejected so is Jesus in Isaiah 53 verse 3 it says he was despised and rejected by men a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised we esteemed him not so it was appropriate the Lord Jesus Christ would come out of an insignificant village and the fact that he did would be a surprise to those who were religious leaders they would have expected Messiah to come from a significant and a prestigious city they would have expected Messiah to come from Jerusalem but God has a way of taking what seems to be insignificant and he uses it for his glory in 1 Corinthians 1 28 and 29 it says God chose things despised by the world things counted as nothing at all and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important as a result no one can ever boast in the presence of God you may see yourself as insignificant and many of us do you may see yourself as not having anything noteworthy about you but God doesn't see you the way that sometimes you see yourself never forget that never forget that God can use you why can't he you have to get into the habit of doing what I've been doing for a long time I've asked the question why can't he why can't he use me why can't he move through me why can't he what would keep him from doing that and there are a lot of believers who unfortunately think oh he can use somebody else but he can't use me and that's not true God uses a lot of people that you wouldn't even think were candidates to be used by him and sometimes we get discouraged and sometimes we think that we're not noteworthy well we don't need to be noteworthy to the world because God has taken note of you and God can do a work through you just ask yourself why can't he use me now there may be reasons at the moment that he can't because there may be something that's stopping him deal with that and then say Lord here am I use me like Isaiah when he saw the Lord he was high and lifted up the train of his of his robe that filled the temple and and he said what was me I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of of a people with unclean lips and and God took an angel took the a call from the fire put it on his lips and said he said go for me and do something for me God can do that for you to never forget that and even though Jesus came out of a of a city Nazareth that was not regarded it was despised he too was disregarded and despised that he came out of Nazareth and he had ministry that we all to the stairs so grateful for now notice how it says in verse 9 that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan when you look at a map of Israel the Jordan rivers is in eastern Israel and just to give you a little geography for this it's fed by three main tributaries that are coming from the north one of the tributaries is known as the Hasbani it's on the western slope of Mount Hermon and there's another one that's called the springs of ladon and then there's a third it's Banias or Panias they call it and that's four miles east of the springs of ladon and the thing is as we go up to Banias it's actually Banias we go there because that's where the Lord Jesus Christ said asks the question who do men say that I the sentiment am and cesarea Philippi well John was busy ministry in his baptism when Jesus came to him the fact that John was baptizing Jews was in and of itself unusual you see Jews would practice various ritual washings including individual they call it mitva individual washings well baptism wasn't something that the Jews would have completely understood because only Gentile converts to Judaism would receive this kind of baptism and that would be as they were receiving the baptism that would have been a confession that there were no better than Gentile pagans so to submit to John's baptism was to admit that you're a sinner it was to confess that you were forsaking your wicked ways it was to admit that you were in need of Messiah but here comes Jesus and the question has to be asked what why would he need to be baptized you see again John was was used to baptizing sinners they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River and as they came according to verse 5 they were confessing their sins they were openly demonstrating themselves to be sinners and and recognizing that by being baptized but here comes Jesus a man with no sins to confess now as you look at that for a moment I want to develop this with you we need to remember that John was born to godly parents his mama's name was Elizabeth his father's name was Zacharias both of them were from priestly lineage they were descendants of Aaron they were of the tribe of Levi that's where the priests came from now John would have been aware of who Jesus was because Jesus was John's cousin and undoubtedly John's parents would have told him of of Mary becoming pregnant by the Holy Ghost without having a sexual relationship with Joseph he would have been aware of that he would have been also aware undoubtedly of some things related to him but he hadn't actually met him it would seem you see according to Luke 180 and John grew up in the wilderness from early childhood that would have been what is called the Judean wilderness that's in the south that's a hundred miles south of Galilee a hundred miles south of Nazareth that would mean and I'm developing this with you that would mean that he most likely would not have physically seen Jesus or if he had ever seen him he hadn't seen him in quite some time in John 131 John said I myself did not know him the word know is a Greek word that means I didn't recognize him so it would seem that either he had hadn't personally met him or it had been so long that he didn't recognize him he had said I have been sent to preach preparing people to meet him but I myself never met him I'm preparing you to meet Messiah a man I have yet to meet myself so I'm simply being obedient to the Commission I'm waiting for the results that reminds me of something we'll be looking at this upcoming Wednesday in the book of Job as we close out the book of Job it reminds me of something that Job said when God was speaking to him it says in Job chapter 42 verse 5 Job said I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear but now my eye sees you I have been walking by faith and not by sight I've been taught the things of who you are the works that you have done I have heard these things I've embraced these things I've walked by these things these are the things that have filled my life and directed my footsteps but I've never had a personal knowledge or encounter with you until now when the Lord was revealing himself to him through a series of questions and in a way to bring humility to his life and there are a lot of people who have heard of him with the hearing of the ear but they haven't had a personal encounter with him now John was aware of who Jesus was it's not that John was a sinful man in and of itself as a man he was sinful but he wasn't it wasn't a practicing sinner by any means he walked in the Holy Spirit but he was somebody who still needed a Savior and and so he's somebody who's aware of who Jesus is he's heard things of Jesus undoubtedly but he has a relationship with him in that personal way yet and so John being a preacher of righteousness he has been sent to prepare people to meet Messiah has been telling the people that judgment is coming you need to repent and he'd even said in Matthew 3 verse 8 he had said bear fruits worthy of repentance your your lives demonstrate there to demonstrate that you've turned from your sin to God again spend a moment with that thought bear fruit that demonstrates true repentance it's not just saying I'm sorry a sense of sorrow is appropriate very often but and steeper than that it's a sense of I am a I'm a worm and not a man it's a sense of I am I'm all together worthy of judgment I'm an evil person I need help I need God if there's anything that I think is is missing in in the church today it's a healthy sense of a need for God I'll be honest with you I think there are a lot of Christians who have failed to understand that I wrote something on Facebook years ago now and I had said you know something about repentance and I got the weirdest response from a pastor who was angry at me for telling people that they need to repent or that we need to repent he said you take scripture out of context and you know how dare you be saying that Christians need to repent and yet I had to write back to him as a pastor and I had to tell him you realize of course that repentance is a daily thing you realize that we are we are not a hundred percent perfect and that daily we need to yield to the Lord say God continue your work in me I'm sorry for what I've done unless anybody here yesterday didn't sin you probably are doing that already today God help me now yeah it's a fact you know yeah if you didn't sin yesterday I need you as my Savior see the fact is as we sin I'll have sin if I'll show to the glory of God there's not a single perfect person in this room outside of me and so with that knowledge but it's true isn't it it's true you know we need to walk in the Spirit of God and it's it's obvious that we don't make it we sin in word thought indeed that is that is human nature do we want to that's a different question it's not that you want to but you know but there are things sometimes you're inclined to and you can yield to and that's why you say God forgive me a sinner and so John knew that he himself was a sinful man especially when Christ is walking up to him so what does he do well he tries to stop Jesus now Mark doesn't tell us this but Matthew does in Matthew chapter 3 verses 13 and 14 it says Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him and John tried to prevent him when Matthew said John tried the Greek word means he tried insistently he kept on trying to prevent him to stop him and he said I need to be baptized by you and you're coming to me I mean when he saw Christ come he was insistent no I'm a sinner I know that you're not it seemed wrong for Jesus to receive a baptism that was intended for sinners instead of him baptizing Jesus John knew that in fact he should be the one baptized by Christ as incredible as he was John knew he's a sinner and that Jesus wasn't in Hebrews 7 26 it says it was fitting that we should have such a high priest speaking of Jesus holy blameless undefiled separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens John didn't want to baptize Jesus he kept insisting that Jesus should baptize him you see Jesus made it clear that his being baptized was necessary he says this is to fulfill all righteousness in Matthew 3 15 Jesus replied let it be let it be so now it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness and then John consented it is necessary for me to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness now what does that mean how would all righteousness be fulfilled by him being baptized well when in the Old Testament you'll find this interesting I would hope in the Old Testament the priests eligible to offer sacrifices were to be 30 years of age in the book of numbers chapter 4 verse 3 it says take a headcount of the Kohahites Kohahites who are part of the Levites by their clans and patriarchal houses of those 30 years of age until 50 years of age all who are eligible for performing assigned tasks in the workforce pertaining to the tent of meeting and so these were to begin their ministry at the age of 30 according to Luke 3 23 Jesus himself began his ministry at about 30 years of age so Jesus waited until he was 30 to be baptized into the sacrificial priesthood that demonstrated that he was submitted to the requirements of the law of Moses and he had said in Matthew 5 17 do not think that I came to destroy the law of the prophets I didn't come to destroy but to fulfill and so he was submitted to the law of Moses second his is being baptized by John identified him as Messiah to John as well as others and because of this God made it clear made a way for John to know clearly who Jesus was again in John 131 I myself did not know him but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel now Mark 1 7 says there comes one after me who is mightier than I he didn't identify the one by name he did not say Jesus is coming he's Messiah that would be because John did not yet know that Jesus was Messiah so it fulfilled all righteousness by Jesus placing his seal of approval on John now again John's mother and father were old Elizabeth his mother was unable to have children Zacharias the older man prayed fervently for a child to be given to them and so when the angel Gabriel told Zacharias his wife would become pregnant and you gotta be kidding he doubted Gabriel told Zacharias Elizabeth is going to bear a son you shall call his name John now here's something for you and not the little thing that I think is beautiful John is translated God is gracious God is gracious now John was the last of the Old Testament prophets so it is significant that grace preceded our Messiah in John 1 16 of his fullness we have all received grace for grace when John was 8 days old in accordance with Jewish law John was circumcised and at that time his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied over his son in Luke 1 76 and 77 he said you my child will be called a prophet of the most high for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins the father prophesied over the son very briefly I'll say this as I was reading then I thought how beautiful it would be if we fathers did the same for our kids you know I had four children we had four we still do actions they had we have four and when my son Joseph was born maybe I had I wasn't planning on saying this well say it very quickly I should probably say it this way we had Corinne and we had David and we didn't give up we thought well maybe we'll have a good kid and so just to see if you're awake now we had my Corinne and we had our David but then shortly after Marie had given birth to David she suffered a miscarriage now for me as a young father under so much pressure when Marie had told me that she was pregnant maybe some of you fathers might relate somehow to this when Marie said I'm pregnant I wasn't happy I wasn't happy I thought oh my goodness you know it's like I'm in a pool holding two children and I'm drowning and you're gonna drop a third one on me and so I was thinking oh no Lord I I know I know I know how all this happens and everything but and I wasn't happy and then I still remember and I hope this isn't too personal but I still remember Marie coming out of the bathroom in her hand she was holding our miss a child and she had this look on her face and she came out with her baby forgive me I shouldn't have told you the story we lost our child and I felt terrible because I had gotten to the point of saying this is a blessing to have a baby and had gotten to that point and instead of the shock of saying oh my goodness we have and so later on obviously she became pregnant again and this was Joseph and when Joseph parted the womb when he was born and the doctor handed my son to me my Joseph I still remember holding them in my hands he's just a little guy I lifted him up like this to the Lord in that room with my wife watching this one shall serve the Lord I still remember prophesying over my son and this one shall serve the Lord would to God the more daddies would prophesy over the children would to God that more daddies would have that spiritual connection from the beginning with the babies Zacharias lifted his son to the Lord and they said you're going to be the prophet of the most high you shall go before him you will prepare the way for him you will give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins and so when Jesus was bab baptized he was validating Zacharias's prophecy over his son John and then in receiving water baptism Jesus was identifying with sinful man his baptism was a demonstration of man's sinfulness and need for a mediator in Hebrews 4 15 we do not have a high priest who's unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are yet was without sin so Jesus our Messiah is approachable because he is here understanding us and ministering and that's why in Matthew 11 28 he had said come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden I will give you a rest so he's approachable identifying with sinful man he had no sin himself but identifying in order that we would know he would be able to be approached Matthew records the story of how Jesus had been invited to his own house for a dinner and as Jesus was at the table there were sinners who came they sat down with Jesus and his disciples and the Pharisees saw it and they were outraged Matthew records that they were outraged because Jesus was eating with these kinds of people and they came and questioned his disciples and they said why is your master doing such a thing well in Matthew 9 12 and 13 when Jesus heard that he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick but go and learn what this means I desire mercy and not sacrifice I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance once again the Lord is calling us who don't know him we who don't know him those who don't know me calls us to repentance he said I'm not coming to the South righteous they don't realize that they even need a savior I have come for those who recognize their great need for a savior which is what we did right it's what I did when I said God have mercy on me I'm a sinner I'm miserable and I make other people miserable by the way that I live and who I am Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 53 verse 12 that he was numbered with the transgressors he was placed between two sinners he identified with with us well in these ways he fulfilled all righteousness you see after Jesus said allow this to be so it'll fulfill all righteousness John John allowed him to be baptized and in doing this he revealed that he too is submitted to God well in verse 10 immediately coming up from the water he saw the heavens partying in the Spirit descending upon him like a dove now I'm just gonna say this briefly you'll see this but Mark uses the word immediately something like 11 times in chapter one alone and that's intended to reveal the fast-paced ministry of Christ as well as his obedience and the Spirit descends upon him and notice it's like a dove that's been called the divine coronation of the Messiah and the event gives us a picture of the Trinity because a father speaks the son is baptized and the Spirit descends upon him and that reminds me of Christian baptism in Matthew 28 19 where we're told go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father son and the Holy Spirit because it says in verse 11 a voice came from heaven you are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased so the Spirit descends like a dove in the Old Testament prophets priests and kings were anointed to consecrate them to serve the Lord and that was symbolic of Jesus's anointing for ministry and I say as 61 1 it says the Spirit of the Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor he sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim freedom for the captives released from darkness for the prisoners and Acts 10 37 and 38 you know what has happened throughout Judea beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached now God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit in power how he went around doing good in healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him and the Lord's ministry is to heal the Lord's ministry is to preach those good those good words to those who are spiritually impoverished to be the brokenhearted to be bound up freedom for those who are captives to sin this is what what we celebrate you know we're here in the 4th of July we're celebrating the 4th of July as a nation but the greatest freedom that I ever received was freedom from sin my greatest freedom I ever received was the freedom God gave to me when he forgave me and gave me the liberty to follow Christ and and that's what Jesus Christ came to do is to set us free well as this is taking place a voice verse 11 came from heaven you are my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased Jesus you are my royal son you are Messiah you are the one in whom the Father delights Isaiah 42 one says behold my servant whom I uphold my elect one in whom my soul delights I have put my spirit upon him he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles it would it had been pointed out that at every major point in his ministry the spirit is at work the spirit is it is that work in his baptism we'll see the spirit at work in his temptation we see the spirit at work in his miracles we see the spirit at work in his resurrection and so his father says you are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased those words were never said to any prophet prophets are servants even friends but Jesus is the only one ever referred to by his father in this way and everything he did Jesus was well pleasing to his father he always pleases him he said and that included his death on the cross Isaiah 53 10 says that please the Lord to bruise him he put him to grief when you make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand now ultimately Jesus's sacrifice is the only one that ever fully pleased the father Jesus's baptism looked forward to the cross but the believer looks back at the cross he was immersed in the river of death that we might be partakers of the river of life Jesus's obedience to the father in receiving baptism is our example his outward demonstration is an example to us of our own need for an outward demonstration so Christian baptism which we're gonna celebrate today Christian baptism looks back at the finished work of Jesus according to Romans chapter 6 verse 3 when we are water baptized we are actually being baptized into his death see water baptism represents Jesus's death burial and resurrection so when we were baptized or are baptized we're totally identified with those events death burial and resurrection the word baptito is the Greek word for baptizer and it speaks of immersion it represents our immersion in him are taken on newness of life when cloth would be died say you had a white piece of cloth and you had you wanted to make it purple you had a purple dye you would take the white cloth and you would go to a vat you would have the various things that needed to produce the color purple that could be used as a dye and you would come and you would put that cloth in you would leave it there forever long you needed it and then you'd pull it out and they would say at that time that the cloth was baptized that was what the word means it would speak about dying cloths and on it was speaking of an immersion and so you when you get saved you are immersed it's a picture of your death burial and resurrection when you go into the water it's a picture of your death dead and buried when you come out of the water it's a picture of your resurrection coming to life so today when we have our baptism those who are baptized when you go into the water it's a picture of death and burial there's one thing about funerals that every person who's ever attended one will know that when that the coffin is dropped into the grave and that dirt is put over it there's a sense of finality there's a sense that it's done and I've been to many funerals and that's exactly what you feel you see the the coffin placed into the into the grave and then that small bulldozer pushes the dirt in it's tamped down it's done that's what happens when your water baptized it's a it's a it's been called an inactive drama it's it's it's a picture of what's taking place I was walking and dead in sins and trespasses without knowing it but Jesus Christ came into my life washed me cleansed me and gave me life and now I've been born again and because I'm born again I follow Christ in baptism why because it's a symbol of what took place when I got saved so I go in an outer demonstration and I make it as a public witness so that people may know that I'm a follower of Christ I step into the watery grave I go down and I come back up I'm dead buried and I come back and that's a picture of resurrection life when I first got saved back back in 1970 and I went to the military and I was there on at Fort Ord and Chaplin Clark I still remember his name Chaplin Clark was our Chaplin and I went and spoke to him and I said to him listen I got saved but I haven't had an opportunity to be water baptized could you baptize me and he said I would and and he would and so I had two friends of mine that I made in basic training and to these two friends I said could you come and be a witness to my baptism and they said yes and so these two friends of mine came with me to this little chapel there on Fort Ord and Chaplin Clark put me in the water and brought me out death burial and resurrection before witnesses I wanted them to know I was a follower of Jesus Christ and that's what's going to happen today there are going to be people who go into the pool and they're going to lay down into it if you will and they're going to come out of it and they're going to be recognized as dead buried before witnesses but alive in Jesus Christ and and that's how it works in water baptism it's an open symbol of your faith in Christ it shows that the old man has been crucified with Jesus and now we're alive in him the Bible in Romans 6 verse 4 says we were buried with him through baptism into death just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life you see John's was a baptism of repentance they were to demonstrate that they recognize themselves to be sinners awaiting the Messiah but you get water baptized because you receive the Messiah and so now that you've repented there's a newness of life somebody you should not let's see how can I put this it's not the washing of the dirt from your flesh or else every day that you bathe or shower you'd be rebaptized that's not the point the point of baptism isn't just washing dirt off the flesh it's speaking of a new heart a conscience that has been exercised towards the Lord in Romans 6 it says in verse 1 and 2 what shall we say then shall we continue in sin the grace may abound certainly not how shall we who died to sin live any longer in it in Galatians 5 24 and 25 those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires if we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit so baptism demonstrates that we're buried with Jesus Christ Christian baptism does again we enter the water we're immersed death and burial we exit the water resurrection newness of life and the newness of life is a sign that we've been born again why because we have a new heart in Ezekiel 36 26 God says I will give you a new heart put a new spirit within you I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh and because that's true Ephesians 5 8 says you were once darkness but now you are a light in the in the Lord walk as children of light those of us who are believers do your friends know that you're a believer those of us who have unbelieving parents do your parents know that you're a believer I can still remember and I'm sure it's true to this day how some parents reacted I remember I was witnessing to a friend I had gotten saved and witnessing to a girl I had met at a party she was a friend and she came walking by my house and I hadn't seen her for a while and she came walking by my house I was at my parents house and and she sees me and you know I had met her before visited with her before and and as we're speaking she says what have you been up to I haven't seen you and and I said you know what I gave my heart to Christ he says what's that mean I said what's that mean she goes well I'm a Christian she was a Catholic and she says I'm a Christian well she and I had been smoking pot and drinking together so I thought well maybe maybe you're not so we talked about it and as we shared I said let me tell you what God did in my life and I began to share with her about Jesus and how he forgave me and I asked her have you ever received Christ have you ever asked God to forgive you of your sins and she says to me no I never really have what have you been relying on well you know I've been most baptized in this and I said well you know I understand that I come from that background but do you know I never gave my heart to Christ I never said God be merciful to me a sinner I never said God I need to be born again and I explained her how how that took place I was a brand new Christian I wasn't Christian two weeks yet but I was already telling people you need the Lord telling my friends telling my family you need the Lord and so she said I want to know Jesus and so I prayed with I said remember praying with her in the front yard at my parents house and then I said you know you need to get a Bible study what do I know about teaching a Bible I don't know anything but I said you know what let's come to your house and I'll read the Bible to you and she says okay I'll never forget this I went to her house now this girl was it was you know we were in a party and that's the way it was that's how it was with all my friends you know let's get drunk let's get loaded let's be crazy that's what we were and now I'm saved and she was crazy too and so I go to her house I sit down with her in the front room and and I talked to her and I opened the Bible I don't know anything I said let's just read it together God could speak to our hearts and she says okay so I read the Bible to her and then she calls me she says you can't come over anymore and I said why is that she says my mom doesn't want you at my house because she thinks you're crazy and you're bringing bringing some cult stuff to the house and that's how it's been I had somebody in this church years ago a young man who was into doping the whole nine yards into drugs in the whole nine yards and he came forward at an invitation and we got a call from the parents the mother called and she said I could handle my son when he was on drugs I can't handle my son as a Jesus freak I don't want you near my son you would be perhaps you're not but you would be surprised at the amount of people who would rather bury their children from drug overdoses than to see their life transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ you would be surprised at how many people prefer their children to be lost in the world than to be people who become Christians you would be surprised and so if you've given your heart to Christ your life is going to change people are gonna see it that's how my father came to faith in Christ he said I saw you and knew what you were before Jesus he said that's what spoke to my heart telling me I needed him that's how it works it's a way you live it's a new way of life it's not coming to church today and then going to some some restaurant and drinking your booze there that's not walking in the spirit that's walking in the flesh and so the Lord would have us to live an entirely new way of life again do our do our friends and our family do they know that we have a relationship with Jesus Christ do they know that he is our Savior and he's the one that we live for do they know that if not the pray and seek the Lord and say God help me to be a good witness and if you've blown it guess what God has grace and forgiveness receive it and move on forward if you fall fall forward and watch what the Lord will do I'm telling you that the church needs to wake up it's not so much that we need a new president what we need is a new person we need people in the nation to live for Christ that's what we need that's what changes that's what changes everything it's when we take our faith seriously and do those things that God has called us to do he gives to us a new heart he puts into us a new spirit and our friends will look at us and yeah maybe they don't like us you know what guess what I wasn't like before I got saved and I'm not like now by everybody and that's okay because there's one person who not just likes me he loves me and that's Jesus Christ and that's why I live for him that's that's why and so we were once darkness but now we're light in the Lord walk his children of light and so in the ministry of John the Baptist he came prepared away from Messiah Jesus came to him John resists him insistently I should be baptized by you and and and you are coming to be baptized by me Jesus said suffice it for this time for in doing so it fulfills all righteousness these things will be accomplished he submits to him and to Jesus he baptizes him the Spirit of God descends upon Jesus as the symbol that John had said the one who sent me told me the one whom you see the Spirit descending on and remaining this is he and Jesus Christ is later called the Lamb of God who take it away the sin of the world that was the ministry of John after the ministry of water baptism through repentance Jesus had his own baptism that his disciples would do on his behalf that's found in John 4 and the people were coming to be baptized symbolizing that they are now followers of Christ and then ultimately when Jesus died buried and was resurrected he gave to the church the commission to go out into the world preach the gospel teach them all things that he has declared to us and baptize him in the name of the father the son of the Holy Spirit that is called Christian baptism and then you have the baptism of the Holy Spirit when when the Holy Spirit comes upon you according to Acts chapter 1 verse 8 and and he makes you into the witness by empowering you by his powerful Holy Spirit and then you have you go out in the power of God to bring the gospel of God to a world that needs God and so John came preparing the way he baptized Jesus Christ Jesus submitted to it to fulfill our righteousness demonstrating that he identifies with us as sinners and also that he was one obedient to the law and obedient to the directives of his father and in doing so John allowed himself John allowed himself to be convinced to do that and God gave that open witness this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased would to God that you'd be able to look at me look at you and say this is my beloved child I'm well pleased father we ask that you would work in our lives to such a degree that that would be something that could be said I lift up our congregation to you Lord on this this day that we celebrate the independence the birthday if you will of this great and mighty nation but I pray that that we your children would live in such a way Lord that we would give pleasure to you that you could say of us I'm well pleased by you so I lift up this congregation to you those who are watching right now online and I pray Lord in Jesus name that you would have your way in us and even as our eyes are closed our heads are bowed there may be some right now we need to get right with the Lord you may be an overflower watching online or in this room and you need to get right with the Lord I want to pray for you before we conclude maybe even give yourself to Christ today and if you do give yourself to Christ and come back after second service receive baptism but if you need prayer right now and you need to be right with them would you raise your hand let me pray for you right where you're at just raise your hand father you see these hands I thank you Lord to those whom you're speaking to you right now that you're touching and I ask in Jesus name that you administer every person whose hand is raised father we give you praise we give you glory and we give you thanks for Lord you are the God who makes all things new you can wash in cleanse and you can produce in us a heart Lord that is desirous of pleasing and following you and so now I ask that you would work and that you would do such a thing we give you praise we give you thanks we receive by faith and we will walk by faith from this moment on and we thank you bless you thank you you can put your hands down Jesus I ask that you keep moving in all of us to your glory in your name amen