Sermon Baptism

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[2] The title of the sermon today is “BAPTISM.”

The Basics Of Baptism

• We’re going to learn the basics of baptism, why we should be baptized, and we’ll talk about all of the verses that people use to say that baptism is a part of salvation.
• The only requirement to be saved is to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• If any Gospel includes a requirement to be baptized in order to be saved, this would be a false Gospel.
• Faith alone in Jesus Christ to save you is what saves you.
• No works of any manner including baptism will save you.

So, let’s take a very close look at baptism right now and get this straight once and for all.

• The first thing we need to understand is: “What is baptism?”
• And we always MUST use the Bible as our authority on everything we believe.
• We will ONLY use the Bible here in this Church, and we will not use any word from man or any church to tell us what we need to know about baptism.

We’re not going to figure out what we believe by using some doctrine from another so-called Christian denomination that won’t even believe what the Bible really says.

• We have all of these so-called experts in churches that will argue what the Bible says, and they don’t even read the Bible.
• They will take what the preacher says and acts like it’s the 100% truth.
• And the preacher doesn’t even know the Bible.

This is not a joke. It’s the blind leading the blind. When you aren’t using the Bible as your authority, you’re blind.

• And yes, I was blind for much of my life and listening to preachers ONLY.
• That was a HUGE mistake of mine.
• In other words, don’t just go to Church and listen to preachers and think you’re good for the week.
• Bad move. I thought I could trust them, and they proved me wrong. The same thing goes for me.
• Don’t just take what I say as truth. Test it with your Bibles. Be like the people in Berea in the Book of Acts.
• Listen to this in Acts Chapter 17.

[3] Acts 17:10-11 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

• We need to be searching the scriptures daily and verify what’s being said right here in this Church.
• This is what I do when I write these sermons.
• I verify and make sure that every statement I make is backed with scripture and that no passage or verse is taken out of context.
• We need to get very good at searching the Scriptures daily.
• So again, we need to use the Bible as OUR ONLY AUTHORITY. The Bible will ALWAYS agree with God.
• The Bible will ALWAYS agree with the Holy Spirit.

Baptism According To The Bible

• What is baptism according to the Bible?
• If you want to study anything in your Bible, you look to the Bible to help you understand what every word means before you go anywhere else.
• The first time baptism is mentioned in the Bible is in Matthew 3:6. Let’s take a look at that verse.

[4] Matthew 3:6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

• The first thing we find out about baptism is the baptisms by John the Baptist were taking place in the Jordan River.
• This must mean they are going down into the water of the Jordan River because it says “were baptized of him IN Jordan.”
• You might say: “Well, that doesn’t say in the Jordan RIVER. It says in Jordan.”
• Okay, let’s look to another Gospel. This is why we have 4 Gospels.

[5] Mark 1:5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

• So we understand that we’re going down into the water. Let’s see what else the Bible has to say.
• Do you remember the story of Philip and the eunuch from Acts Chapter 8?
• This is something you might remember because corrupted modern bible versions like the NIV, NASB, and others take Acts 8:37 out.
• The King James Bible, the word of God, includes all of God’s words and doesn’t pick and choose.
• But let’s read the story.

[6] Acts 8:34-36 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 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?

• So Philip was preaching Jesus to this Ethiopian eunuch from the Old Testament. Do you see that?
• Philip doesn’t have the New Testament. He’s preaching Jesus from the Old Testament.
• The eunuch understands, accepts the teaching, and wants to be baptized.
• The eunuch understands that he needs water to be baptized.
• The eunuch is saved because he believed with all his heart on Jesus Christ and now wants to be baptized.
• Let’s continue the story.

[7] Acts 8:37 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.

• We’re given the requirement for baptism here.
• You see: corrupted Bible versions don’t even include this requirement.
• The requirement for baptism is to believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
• That’s the requirement. But, let’s continue with the story and see what happens during this baptism.

[8] Acts 8:38-39 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. 39 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.

• So, they went down into the water both Philip and the eunuch. Phillip baptized the eunuch.
• Notice in verse 39 that it says they were “COME UP OUT OF THE WATER.”
• They went down into the water and then they come up out of the water. That’s pretty clear right there.
• Now, let’s look at the baptism of Jesus Christ. Look here at Matthew Chapter 3 verse 16.

[9] Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

• So Jesus went up straightway out of the water.
• So to come up out of the water, you must go down into the water. That makes sense, right?
• And yes, most of you might understand what baptism is BUT there are a lot of false religions and teaching out there that doesn’t know what true baptism means.

Baptism = Going Down Into The Water And Coming Up Out Of The Water

Baptism is being submerged into the water and coming up out of the water.

• In order to be baptized, you must first be saved.
• You must first already believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins.
• This means you already understand that you sin, that you confess you are a sinner, and that you need a Savior.
• You wouldn’t need a Savior if you were perfect and never did anything wrong.

Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is simply a repentance or change of mind from unbelief to belief.

• You didn’t believe on Jesus before, but now you understand He is the ONLY Savior.
• You believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God with POWER to save you. He is the ONLY ONE.
• We’re teaching baptism by the Bible today because you’ll get false preachers and teachers sprinkling water on infants or people.
• Infants can’t believe on Jesus so they’re automatically disqualified from baptism.
• Sprinkling water is not baptism. Or others might teach that baptism is simply pouring water on them.

The eunuch went into the water and came up out of the water.

• Jesus went into the water and came straightway UP out of the water.
• Therefore, any other form of baptism is not based on the Bible and is not baptism.
• You might say: “Well, I think that it’s fine to sprinkle or pour water on someone to baptize them.”
• Well, it doesn’t matter what ANY MAN says or thinks. It only matters what the Bible says.

[10] John 3:23 And John also was baptizing in AEnon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

• Notice the “MUCH WATER THERE” part of that verse.
• Why would John choose a place with much water if all he needed to do was sprinkle a little water on their heads?
• John needed lots of water to put people into the water and to bring them UP out of the water.
• So we know that baptism should only occur AFTER you believe and are saved.
• You must believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior.
• And we know that baptism is going down into the water and emerging up and out of the water.
• When should you get baptized? As soon as possible is what the Bible teaches. Let’s look at an example.

[11] Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Paul And Silas Were Singing Praises Unto God At Midnight

• Look at the beginning of that verse.
• It was midnight in the prison and Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises unto God.
• The prisoners could hear Paul and Silas.
• What happens next in this story? Let’s see.

[12] Acts 16:26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

• There was a great earthquake, all the prison doors were opened, and all the restraints were loosened from the prisoners.

[13] Acts 16:27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

• The prison keep was afraid because he thought that the prisoners had fled.
• If you lost a prisoner in Rome at that time, they would take your life for the prisoners.
• So the prison keeper was very upset and to the point of killing himself because of this.
• He was about to kill himself with his own sword but something happens.

[14] Acts 16:28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

• So no prisoner has fled and they are all there. Paul cries to him and tells him NOT TO HARM HIMSELF.
• Paul stops him from killing himself.

[15] Acts 16:29-31 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

• This prison keeper almost took his own life and almost died and went to hell without ever believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
• He was this close. But Paul stopped him by crying out to him. The man asks Paul and Silas directly.
• He says: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
• The answer is “BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED.”

[16] Acts 16:32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

• Paul and Silas taught the word of the Lord to that prison keeper and all that were in his house.
• What happens next? Let’s see.

[17] Acts 16:33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

• After they were finished preaching the word of the Lord, the prison keeper took Paul and Silas and washed their stripes.
• You MUST first believe on Jesus Christ before you can be baptized.
• Once you believe, you’re saved. Once they believed, they were baptized immediately.

Baptism Should Take Place Immediately

So think of what happened in this story from the Bible.

• Remember it was midnight when Paul and Silas were praying and singing to the Lord.
• Then the earthquake happened. Then they preached to the prison keeper’s family.
• Then they were baptized immediately. It says they took them the SAME HOUR OF THE NIGHT!

Did they wait a few years to ensure they were truly converts to Christianity?

• Did they wait to ensure they repented of their sin?
• Did they wait to make sure they turned from all their most wicked sins?
• Did they make them go through an 8-week course or a 1 year waiting period or some other man-made up time period?

Where do churches get this stuff? They get it from themselves. They make it up.

• You see: God gave us His word so we can use it for guidelines and to follow it.
• It’s not a book that sits on a shelf and never gets opened.
• How long did Philip wait once the Ethiopian eunuch believed?
• They saw water and as soon as they did they went down and the eunuch was baptized.

How long did Paul and Silas wait to baptize the Philippian jailer and his family once they believed?

• In the same hour. When should you get baptized?
• As soon as possible after you’ve believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Next, does it matter who baptizes you?
• What if you were baptized at a Lutheran church or a Pentecostal church or a Baptist church or any other denomination?
• Does this matter? Let’s look at Matthew Chapter 3.

[18] Matthew 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

• Jesus Himself comes to John to the Jordan River to be baptized.

[19] Matthew 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

• John the Baptist was a humble man. He said: “I can’t baptize you because I need to be baptized of you!”
• “I’m not worthy,” John says. But watch what Jesus says to John the Baptist in the next verse.

[20] Matthew 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

• Suffer means to allow. So Jesus tells him to allow it for now because we need to fulfill all righteousness.
• Then John the Baptist suffered him. Jesus is saying: “If we’re going to do this the rightway , John, I need you to baptize me.”
• And John did what Jesus Christ asked.

Think about all the other religious leaders around at this time. There were so many different ones.

• Pharisees, Sadducees, Levites, High Priests, Priests, Spiritual Leaders, and more.
• But look, Jesus chooses John the Baptist to baptize Him.
• He didn’t go to a Pharisee or other religious leader, did He?

Should You Be Baptized Again? Were You Saved?

So, if you were baptized by the Catholics did you truly believe on Jesus Christ to save you?

• Or, did you trust in the Catholic Church to save you? Did you pray to Mary the Mother of God?
• Did you trust in your works to save you? That’s all false just like the religions of the Pharisees.
• Were you baptized in a church where you believed you could lose your salvation?
• Did you truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ when you were baptized?
• Or, did you have those people baptize you but you didn’t really believe in their false religion?

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist because He believed in the ministry of John the Baptist.

• He was choosing the right ways and the right beliefs.
• Jesus didn’t choose the others because they were false teachers.
• They trusted in their religion and NOT the Son of God.

If you don’t trust in the Son of God 100%, then LISTEN, you don’t trust in the Son of God.

• If you trust yourself at all, you don’t TRUST in the Son of God. It takes 100% trust in Jesus Christ.
• Jesus chose John the Baptist because He agreed perfectly with John the Baptist.
• They were in perfect agreement.
• Jesus showed us the way and the truth by choosing John the Baptist to baptize Him.

So, can anyone baptize you? No. We should take this seriously.

• It should be someone you agree with just as Jesus.
• Don’t choose a false church, false religion, and especially a denomination that believes in WORKS SALVATION because the Bible says it NOT OF WORKS.

If you want to be baptized here, make sure you agree with what we teach and stand for here.

• We believe what the Bible says, and we don’t make up our own rules.
• We believe you are saved BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
• We believe it’s NOT OF WORKS and NOT OF YOURSELVES. It’s the GIFT OF GOD.
• Once you believe that, be baptized here. If you don’t believe that, don’t be baptized here.

We believe salvation is eternal no matter what you do.

• Once you believe, you’re born again into God’s family and you can NEVER change that.
• If you don’t believe that, we shouldn’t baptize you here.
• You can take it to another level.
• We believe the King James Bible is TRULY the inspired word of God without error. It has no mistakes.
• If you don’t believe that, you shouldn’t be baptized here.
• Do you see where this is going? Don’t be baptized somewhere in which you don’t agree with their beliefs.
• Jesus set the example. He said: “John, in order fulfill righteousness or to do this right, I need you to baptize me.”

If You Were Saved Before Being Baptized, You Don’t Need To Be Baptized Again

If you’ve been baptized AFTER you believed on Jesus Christ to save you, then this was a good thing.

• If you didn’t truly believe on Jesus Christ to save you, then this wasn’t a good baptism.
• You should first be saved and then be baptized.
• Now, we need to keep in mind that new believers won’t know Bible doctrine very well.
• If they put all their trust on Jesus Christ, they are saved. They should be baptized immediately.
• If you weren’t sure or aren’t sure you were saved and now you’re sure, you should be baptized again.

[21] Romans 6:3-5 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into 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. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

• What’s this verse talking about here in Romans Chapter 6?
• When are you baptized into Jesus Christ? This isn’t talking about the work of baptism.
• This is talking about when you’re saved. You’re not saved by the water baptism that we perform.
• This is our works. Baptism in Romans 6 is talking about when you were baptized into Jesus Christ.

When that verse says in the LIKENESS of HIS DEATH and the LIKENESS of HIS RESURRECTION, this is saying our baptism work is a LIKENESS of this.

• It’s a picture of His Death and His Resurrection.
• When we’re baptized, we’re saying we understand the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• When you get baptized, you’re saying you understand that the old man or woman inside of you has died, and that you’re being raised up a NEW CREATURE.
• You’re saying that you want to walk in the newness of life.

You should also understand that ONE DAY you will be raised up in your new body just like Christ was raised up from the dead in His body.

• This will happen on the Lord’s Day when Jesus Christ returns in the clouds.
• Baptism is the first step in a new Christian life.

Baptism Is A Command And Not Optional

• Jesus didn’t make baptism optional.
• He commanded us to be baptized just as God commanded us not to lie, not to steal, not to have bad thoughts, to love one another, to love God and to always put Him first.
• But we don’t always do that. But we should do what God asks us to do.
• Jesus commands us to be baptized so we should do what He says.

[22] Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

• This says “HE COMMANDED THEM TO BE BAPTIZED.”

[23] Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

• This is a command from Jesus Christ Himself in Matthew Chapter 28.
• So we now know that we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.
• We must be saved to be baptized.
• We need to find enough water, we need to go down into that water, and we need to come back up out of that water.

We need to be baptized as soon as possible once we’re saved.

• We need to go to and choose the person we want to be baptized by and we should believe in their ministry.
• We need to understand what baptism means. We want to follow the examples of the Bible.
• Now that we have that straight, I want to go to the Bible so we can better understand teaching about baptism and recognize false teaching about baptism.
• We need to know these things because there’s a lot of false teaching about baptism in this area.
• It’s actually mind blowing what’s going on around here.
• The first Scripture I want to look at is John Chapter 3 starting in verse 1.

[24] John 3:1-2 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

• So this man Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night.
• He knew Jesus was from God because of the miracles He did. He knew God was with Him.

[25] John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

• Jesus gets straight to the point here.
• He tells this Pharisee Nicodemus that a man cannot see the kingdom of God except he be born again.
• So we better understand what being born again means, right? When are you born again?
• This is very important because Jesus Himself says you cannot see the Kingdom of God unless you’re born again.
• Jesus is starting to explain salvation to Nicodemus. Let’s see what happens next:

[26] John 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

• Just like any of us would have been confused, Nicodemus is having trouble understanding what Jesus means here.
• Nicodemus says: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter into his mother’s womb a second time and be born again?”
• Pay attention as this is THE CONTEXT of the next few verses that we’ll read.
• They are talking about being born of your Mother and being born again.
• So, 1) being born of your mother and 2) being born again. Do you see that?
• Make sure you do because some false doctrine will teach these next verses out of context.

Born Of Flesh = Born Of The Water = Not Water Baptism

So now you know and see the context of those verses.

• Entire denominations and religions are created from taking verses out of context.
• Those entire denominations and religions have created the division.
• They chose to separate from God’s ACTUAL WORD by taking verses out of context and not understanding what Jesus is saying here.

To me, Jesus makes this VERY CLEAR and easy to understand.

• All we have to do is go through it verse by verse and not pick and choose a verse here and there to support some false doctrine that doesn’t match the ENTIRE BIBLE.
• This next verse is a verse that’s taken out of context and used by so-called Christian denominations to teach a WORKS BASED SALVATION and that baptism is required for you to be saved.

[27] John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

• People will take this verse, and they will say: “SEE, YOU HAVE TO BE BORN OF WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT.”
• Yes, that’s right. But when they say that, they act as if being born of water is being baptized in water.
• They automatically assume being born of water means being baptized in water.

When you’re baptized, you’re not born of water. Where does that come from?

• Being baptized is not being born of water and it’s not born of the Spirit either. The Bible NEVER says this.
• Where does it say baptize anywhere in these verses? It doesn’t.
• It’s simply talking about 1) being born of the flesh and 2) being born of the Spirit.
• When you’re born the first time, you’re born of water. The water breaks. The baby is coming.
• Women who have children can tell you this. When the water breaks, the baby is coming.
• You are born of water the first time. When you believe on Jesus Christ, you’re born of the Spirit.
• You are born again.
• If you don’t believe that, listen to the very next verse. Listen closely because this is Jesus speaking here.

[28] John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

• In Verse 5, Jesus says except a man be born of water AND of the Spirit THEN in verse 6 Jesus says that which is born of flesh is flesh and that which is born of Spirit is spirit.
• The context here is talking about being born of your Mother in the flesh and being born again in the Spirit through believing on Jesus Christ.

BORN OF WATER = BORN OF THE FLESH

BORN AGAIN = BORN OF THE SPIRIT

• In order to be saved and to see the Kingdom of God, you must be born here as a human and you MUST be born again with the Holy Spirit.
• It’s that simple. This has NOTHING to do with water baptism. Nothing.
• Just remember this: YOU CAN’T BE BORN AGAIN IF YOU’RE NOT BORN THE FIRST TIME.

The Thief On The Cross Wasn’t Baptized And Baptism Was Taking Place Before This Happened

So, you might mention to someone who believes that you MUST be baptized to be saved that the thief on the cross went to heaven and he never had the chance to be baptized.

• You see: the Bible gives us all these examples to test our beliefs.
• If our beliefs don’t pass the tests, then we have it wrong. I am pleading with anyone today that thinks you must be baptized to be saved to test your beliefs.

What about the thief on the cross? You see: to make this fit those false beliefs, people need to create some other type of viewpoint.

• They will create DIVISIONS or DISPENSATIONS within the Bible that don’t exist.
• They’re man made divisions of the Bible.
• They will say: “Well, the thief on the cross happened before Jesus died on the cross so the thief didn’t need to be baptized yet.”

But wait, hold on just a second. Was Jesus baptized before He died on the cross?

• Was John the Baptist baptizing people before Jesus died on the cross? Yes.
• But this gets better, okay. Stick with me here. You know the verse John 3:6 with Nicodemus that we’ve been studying?
• That’s the verse people will use to say that you MUST be baptized to be saved.
• They will say that Jesus said so. Okay, when did that take place? Was that before or after the cross?
• Did Jesus say anything like: “Well, Nicodemus, you don’t need to be baptized, though, because I haven’t died on the cross yet?”

You see: this is fairy tale stuff that people come up with. It doesn’t match the Bible.

• Again, John 3:6 is used as PROOF that you MUST be baptized in water to be saved.
• The thief wasn’t baptized and he was saved.
• The thief died right there beside Jesus AFTER John 3:6 happened.
• So Jesus says that you MUST be baptized in water right there but doesn’t really men it yet???
• Is that what’s happening here??? No.

John 3:6 happened BEFORE Jesus died on the cross. John 3:6 is NOT ABOUT BEING BAPTIZED IN WATER.

• Your beliefs about water baptism being a MUST to be saved is false. It’s a lie. STOP teaching people lies.
• Get rid of your false religion and teaching. Let it go. Don’t be like the PHARISEES!!! Do you understand?
• Let it go. It’s wrong.
• Be humble. Admit that your beliefs don’t match what Jesus says, and let it go.
• Hey, I’ve had to do the same things. I’ve been taught wrong my entire life by Churches.
• I’ve been in Church my entire life. Let it go.
• I got so angry and frustrated several years ago that I sat down and I PLEADED WITH GOD to show me the truth.
• I said: “GOD, PLEASE HELP ME!!! I WANT TO FIND THE TRUTH!!! I AM SICK OF THE LIES. I don’t know what’s right!”

Search The Scriptures And Put In The Work

You see: God knows how hard you’re searching for the truth and I was searching hard and I continue to search hard and work hard in the word of God every single day.

• I was upset at all the contradictions with my beliefs and the Bible.
• Let me show you this as God answered my prayers just like I knew He would.

[29] 1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

• It’s the will of God that we understand His truth in the Bible.
• He answered my prayer because it’s His will for you to understand His words.
• He doesn’t want us to be lost and confused. The world, the lies, the false teaching has confused us.
• Not God. We have to let go of all of that and HEAR ONLY the words of the Bible.
• We’ve been indoctrinated so much that we read the words of the Bible and automatically think that it says something it doesn’t say.

John 3:6 is an example of that. Jesus doesn’t say you have to be baptized in water to be saved.

• Jesus never says that. Should you be baptized after your saved? OH YES!!!
• Jesus commands us to be baptized. BUT, water baptism doesn’t save you AT ALL!
• It’s a good work that we should do. It takes work to be baptized.
• Listen, God separates those who believe from those who don’t believe.
• He separates those that understand His words from those who don’t.
• If you don’t understand God’s words, plead with Him to help you understand so it all makes sense.
• Let’s go to another verse that people will use to say you MUST be baptized to be saved.

[30] Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

• This verse is easy to understand once you understand that all it takes to be saved is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
• See, the humble man understands that God loves us and made it simple for us to be saved.
• The humble man realizes why God had to make it easy for us. God says it is a gift.
• It’s not difficult to receive a gift. It’s easy.

The proud man wants to make it harder and can’t believe that it’s so simple to receive salvation from God.

• The proud man will say: “Hey, that’s not right because I AM going to do GOOD WORKS and EARN MY GIFT.”
• The proud man can’t admit when he’s wrong.
• The proud man will say: “Hey, God, I don’t want your handout. I’m going to work for it and earn it.”
• The proud man doesn’t understand that he can’t earn this gift of God.
• Your great work of baptism isn’t going to earn you the gift. With that said, look closely at Mark 16:16.

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

• If you believe and are baptized, are you saved? Yes. If you believe and aren’t baptized are you saved? Yes.
• In both cases, does Mark 16:16 agree with what I just said?

If You Believe On Jesus And Are Baptized, You’re Saved = True Statment

Yes. If you believe and are baptized, you are saved. If you believe and are not baptized, you are saved.

• Mark 16:16 doesn’t give that second case. It gives the first and it matches with all the rest of the Bible.
• To make this even clearer, the Bible continues in verse 16 by saying “BUT HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT SHALL BE DAMNED.”
• It clearly says he that doesn’t believe is not saved.

God could have clearly said: “But he that believeth not and is not baptized shall not be saved.”

• But He didn’t. He’s telling us once again that you only have to believe to be saved.
• So Mark 16:16 is actually a great verse that shows you don’t have to be baptized to be saved.
• It’s saying the ONLY thing that sends you to hell is never believing on Jesus Christ.
• If you’re one that believes you MUST be baptized to be saved, please tell me how the following verses match with your beliefs.
• Seriously, tell me how these match your beliefs that YOU MUST BE BAPTIZED.

[31] Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

[32] Romans 10:13-14 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

[33] Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

[34] Romans 4:2-3 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

[35] Romans 4:4-5 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

[36] Psalm 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

[37] Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

• I’m not going to go through the entire Bible here.
• I have 24 pages of verses proving that belief is all it takes (Faith Alone Saves Part 1 and Faith Alone Saves Part 2).
• It doesn’t take baptism or any of our works. It takes belief on the Lord Jesus Christ.
• You MUST know you are a sinner and need a Savior.
• That Savior is Jesus Christ who forgives you of your sins.

So again, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. That’s a true statement.

• He that believeth and works at Electric City shall be saved.
• That’s another true statement. He that believeth and is sitting here now listening is saved.
• Another true statement.

[38] John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

• I hope this makes sense to you as you’re seeing the word of God.
• What I say might not convince you, but when you see it written in the word of God this should change your mind.

The Word Of God Should Change Your Mind

• The word of God has POWER. My words don’t. God’s words have POWER.
• Remember that when you see them.
• This is why we use the word of God to support every single statement that we make in this Church.
• Let’s look at another verse people will use to support baptism as a requirement to be saved.
• People will use this verse and say: “See, you MUST be baptized.”

[39] Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

• They will say that it says right here that you MUST be baptized for the remission of sins.
• They will say that in order to be forgiven of your sins that you MUST be baptized.
• Is that what this verse says?
• The key to understanding this verse is the word “FOR” right before the remission of sins.

We need to understand what the word FOR means in this context.

• Again, if this verse is saying you must be baptized, then it contradicts the entire rest of the Bible.
• This means we must not be understanding this verse correctly. The word “FOR” has different definitions.
• Think of this: if you’re wanted FOR murder does that mean you’re wanted so you can go and commit murder?
• Wanted for Murder means you’ve already committed murder. Is that right?
• Wanted for murder means you’ve already committed murder.

If you’re being baptized for remission of sins, this means you’re being baptized because you’ve received remission of sins.

• You’re wanted for murder because you’ve already committed murder.
• You’re being baptized because you’ve already received remission of sins.
• Does that make sense with the rest of the entire Bible? Yes, it does.
• Does that match a definition for the word “FOR?” Yes, it does. This means we have it right this time.

A Belief or Doctrine MUST Match The Entire Bible

If a belief you have doesn’t match with the entire Bible, you’re not getting the belief right.

• You’re not hearing the words correctly.
• The word “FOR” has many different definitions. There are about 10 different definitions for the word FOR.
• One of the definitions of for is the following:

One Definition of FOR = “BECAUSE OF”

• In other words, I am being baptized because I have received remission of sins.
• I am wanted by the police because I have committed a crime. I am wanted for murder.
• I am being baptized for remissions of sins.
• This means I have already committed the crime and I have already received remission of sins.

I might ask you why are you being baptized?

• You might say because I believe on Jesus Christ and He has forgiven me of all my sins.
• I have remission of sins. This is why we are baptized today.
• We aren’t being baptized to be forgiven of our sins. Once we believe on Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
• Let’s go back to the verse right before Acts 2:38 and read it in context.

[40] Acts 2:37-38 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

• They ask Peter, what should we do? They didn’t ask what MUST we do to be saved.
• They said what should we do now that we listened and heard your preaching.
• You see: once you believe, you should be baptized! MUST you be baptized to be saved. No.
• Must you be baptized with the Holy Spirit to be saved. Yes, and that happens once you believe.
• Now, let’s look at another verse that people will use to say YOU MUST BE BAPTIZED TO BE SAVED.
• Let’s look at 1 Peter Chapter 3 starting in verse 20.

[41] 1 Peter 3:20-21 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

• Many people will say that baptism washes away your sins.
• When you go down into the water and come up out of the water that your sins are then washed away.
• But look at the parentheses there. It says not putting away the filth of the flesh.
• So it’s saying baptism doesn’t wash away your sins which are the filth of your flesh.

Parentheses are used to add important information but it’s not needed to complete the sentence.

• But it’s there because it’s important information.
• These verses in 1 Peter Chapter 3 are talking about examples of baptism and what it means.
• Look at verse 20. Noah and his family were saved by water during the flood.
• Then in verse 21 it uses the words “THE LIKE FIGURE” so it’s giving us a picture of baptism saving us.
• And then it tells us we are saved by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This matches with the entire Bible. Baptism is a picture or a like figure of how we are saved.

• It’s simply talking about baptism being similar to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• The act of water baptism doesn’t save you. Salvation is by faith and salvation has always been BY FAITH.
• Baptism isn’t seen in the Bible until John the Baptist. That’s the first time it’s seen.
• The key to understanding the Bible is to understand that SALVATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN THROUGH FAITH and that has NEVER changed.

Anyone who is heaven right now has been saved through faith alone.

• So anyone who has been saved and is saved right now has been saved through faith ALONE.
• Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ SAVES.

No One Has Ever Worked Their Way Into Heaven

NO ONE HAS EVER EARNED THEIR WAY INTO HEAVEN!!!

• Abraham fell on his face and laughed at God.
• Noah got drunk after being saved from a flood that killed everyone but the people on the ark.
• Moses disobeyed God. Job questioned God. Saul didn’t obey God’s commands.
• David murdered Uriah after committing adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife.
• Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, couldn’t stop finding more wives (700) and concubines (300) and let them be his ruin.
• Peter denied Jesus 3 times.
• Paul tells us he can’t stop sinning in his flesh. He does the things he doesn’t want to do.

All of those men did far worse than that. They sinned everyday just like we do.

• Each and every one of those men are in heaven right now because they believed what God said.
• Those men had faith in God. And each of those men were SAVED for that reason alone.
• Listen, people will use Acts 2:38 to say you must be baptized to be saved. That’s not what it says.
• Acts 2:21, which is the same chapter says this:

[42] Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

• And we know that you can’t call upon the name of the Lord without first believing on Him.
• Believing on Jesus saves you. Baptism doesn’t.

[43] 1 Corinthians 1:17-18 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

• If baptism saves you, Paul sure wouldn’t have said that right there.
• Paul knows that the Gospel is what saves. Believing the Gospel is what saves you.
• I want to take a few minutes to talk about Noah’s Ark, the flood, and baptism as it was mentioned there in 1 Peter Chapter 3.
• After we talk about Noah and the flood, we’ll end.
• I want to read the verses again that people will use to say baptism is required.

[44] 1 Peter 3:20-21 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

• The Bible uses like figures throughout the entire Bible to help us better understand the Bible.
• Noah’s Ark is a picture or a like figure of salvation the same way baptism is a like figure of salvation.
• Baptism is NOT salvation. It’s a like figure to salvation.

Understand Like Figures Are Pictures Within The Bible

Were all 8 people on the ark saved? I don’t think so.

• The ones that were on that ark did some pretty evil things afterwards.
• We do know that Noah was a righteous person because his FAITH made him righteous.
• He believed God and then he did what he asked. His belief made him righteous.
• The ark only had one door. Jesus says I am the door. There’s only ONE WAY. That’s Jesus.
• If there was a bad person on that ark out of the 8, were they still saved from drowning in the flood.
• Yes they were. Their flesh was saved. Was their soul saved? Not if they didn’t believe on God.

If someone who doesn’t believe on Jesus gets baptized, are thy saved? Of course not. Baptism doesn’t save.

• Now turn it around the other way. Were all people who weren’t on the ark sent to hell?
• Not if they believed God at any point in their life. They were saved.
• Their flesh died in the flood but they’re soul is in heaven right now if they believed God.
• That’s a lot of people that you’d have to say didn’t believe.
• I don’t believe every person that died in the flood went to hell.

Are you sure one of them didn’t believe God? Are you sure that all of the 8 on the ark believed God?

• You see: all of the 8 on the ark didn’t believe God and some of the people on the earth that were killed in the flood believed God and are in heaven.
• The people on the ark, their flesh was saved in the flood.
• The people not in the ark, their flesh was not saved. Then look at the spirit compared to the flesh.
• Your spirit needs to be saved to go to heaven.
• If you keep reading in 1 Peter Chapter 4, you’ll find this:

[45] 1 Peter 4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

• If you want to live forever, the only way that’s going to happen is through the spirit.
• Would you rather be on the ark and your flesh be saved but not your soul?
• Or would you rather die in the flood believing on Jesus Christ to save you and to be saved with eternal life.
• You should want to be like Noah and be saved in your flesh in the flood and to be saved in the Spirit.
• But remember, the ark is a picture of salvation.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you HAVE eternal life.

• Then be baptized because you understand the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• You get baptized because you want to do what Jesus says to do.
• Now, we’re going to partake in the Lord’s Supper because it’s the first Sunday night of the month.
• The Lord’s Supper was at night so that’s why we do this on Sunday night.

We gather together to remember the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To remember His death, burial, and resurrection.

• Jesus gives us eternal life, and we gather together right now to remember Him.
• We do this because He asked us to do this.
• If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, please participate with us today.

Let’s pray.