“For if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17   As we continue to look at baptism from a biblical standpoint, I want you to see there is a shift in its nature. There is a shift from the Old Testament ceremonial perspective of baptism to a New Testament version of baptism.   The Old Testament was a ceremonial external cleansing....  Read More

“This is like baptism to us. Baptism does not mean we wash our bodies clean. It means we are saved from the punishment of sin and go to God in prayer with a heart that says we are right. This can be done because Christ was raised from the dead.” - 1 Peter 3:21   Why did Jesus have John the Baptist baptize Him? John, an imperfect human like the rest of us, was going to baptize the only perfect bein...  Read More

“He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” - John 3:30   John the Baptist, who baptizes Jesus, had a ministry that dated back to even before Jesus’ ministry. In John 3, we find that there are disciples of John who expressed some concern that people were following Jesus and being baptized by Him, rather than by John.   Because John’s ministry had begun earlier and he had...  Read More

“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins.” - Romans 8:3   Yesterday, we talked about a God who desires to be friends with sinners. He knows that w...  Read More

“Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” - Romans 2:4   How many of you remember MySpace? So before there was Facebook, there was MySpace. And then Justin Timberlake bought it and we don’t know what happened to MySpace. It’s gone. But at the time, it was our soc...  Read More

“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” - Acts 2:38Do you ever get out of the shower after a long hard day, take a deep breath and just feel your muscles relax as you think about how clean you are? After a long, hot day, one where you were soaked in sweat, you just w...  Read More