Father in heaven we join with the heavens we join with the angels we join with all the earth to say hallelujah you alone are God and there’s none like you and there’s none who saves like you there’s none who’s merciful and compassionate and loving like you Lord in all created things point to you God of glory and greatness whose depths of wisdom and knowledge whose depths of goodness and love and holiness will never reach the end of so we say Father, Son, Holy Spirit there’s none like you we just bless your name and say be exalted in our minds and our hearts be truly our life oh God

we love you Lord we pray that we would love you more we pray we would serve you more that we would be surrendered to your spirit more God Lord would you break through where everything that’s keeping us from fully pursuing Christ we just pray Father in the name of Jesus for victory we pray for chains to be broken we pray for Lord just a higher summit of love to you of knowledge of you we pray it in Christ’s name Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen

Amen Amen What it is why it’s so wonderful and why even I want to call baptism a miracle baptism a miracle of baptism and I want to consider this with you in Acts chapter 10 if you turn there with me in your Bibles Acts chapter 10 verse 44 to 48

It says in verse 44,

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles, for they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. God. Then Peter declared, Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. And they asked him to remain for some days. And the story starts with a rather obscure building. Biblical character. We don’t really hear about him really outside of this, but an obscure character named Cornelius. Cornelius. If we go back to chapter 10, verse 1.

The writer says at Caesarea, there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian cohort. So this is this is a non-Jewish person. This is a a centurion. So he’s in charge of roughly 80 to 100 men. So this is someone who’s important. This is someone who has a little bit of success in life. This is someone who has higher ups over him in a very powerful empire at the time. But it tells us that this Cornelius was a devout man who feared God with all his household. He gave alms generously to the people. He prayed continually. About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision, an angel of God come in and say to him, Cornelius. And he stared at him in terror and said, what is it, Lord? And he said to him, your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner who whose house is by the sea. So at this same time.

Peter is at this house. And if you don’t know the story, Peter is up on the roof of this house and he’s hungry and they’re preparing food for him and he’s praying. And while he’s on top of this house, Peter falls into a trance and he’s given a vision of a four cornered sheet descending from heaven.

And in Acts chapter 10, verse 12, it says in this sheet were all kinds of animals, reptiles. And birds of the air. And there came a voice to him. Rise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, by no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice came to him again a second time. What God has made clean, do not call common. And this happened three times. And the thing was taken up. At once.

So Peter being Jewish and very rooted. And his Jewishness and observance of the Mosaic law. There were certain things that Jews couldn’t eat. There were certain animals considered unclean. And so you can imagine the shock to Peter’s system is because God himself is saying to Peter, Peter, you should eat this stuff. And Peter doesn’t know quite what to make of God telling him to do these things that formerly the law had said he shouldn’t because they’re uncommon. And they they’re unclean.

But then this man, Cornelius, and his people come and they explain, Peter, this happened. And here we are. And Peter starts putting the pieces together. Ah, the four corner blanket and all the formerly unclean animals. It’s not about me getting to eat pork, though. That’s great. That’s not that’s not what that was about so much. What was that about? It was about God telling Peter, Peter, my plan of salvation. It goes way out, man. It’s really, really big. And it goes beyond the borders of Israel. And so they come. And what does Peter do when he realizes this? Peter begins to preach the gospel and he preaches it and he’s preaching it. And we get down to 1043. And Peter says to him, referring to. Jesus, all the prophets bear witness to everyone. You catch this language? Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. And apparently we come to verse 44. Peter’s prepared evangelistic spill. He couldn’t even finish it because it says while Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell. How about that? Peter was not a necessary component. I was using him. But even while he was explaining the gospel to these non-Jewish Gentile men, the spirit fell. And it says that these Jewish Christians are amazed. I think that’s the first thing to see here is we should be absolutely amazed at the miracle of baptism.

Verse.

45, it says the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter, they were amazed. So this word circumcision here, it’s not it’s not accidental. It’s not unimportant. It’s it’s in all things and always very important. And it takes us back to Genesis chapter 17. And there God says that Abraham, as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep. You shall keep between me and you and your offspring after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. And that shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. So God, when he called Abraham out to be the father of many nations, God was calling Abraham to be. Different from everybody else. And God said. One of the things you’re going to do because you’re different is you’re going to be circumcised. You’re even going to look different in that way. And it’s not even just you, Abraham. It’s every male in your house and all your descendants. If you want to identify with the God of Abraham, you better be different in this way.

Now. You have to admit, if you’re willing to get circumcised, you know, you should be pretty committed. It’s not a small thing. But this this was different from the pagan nations. But so this is the question, then how much power does did circumcised circumcision have in and of itself to be eternally kept and identified with this God? If I get circumcised or if someone got circumcised, were they then automatically? Are they then automatically considered righteous in the eyes of God as Abraham was? No. No. We’re already told why way before why Abraham is considered righteous. It’s because Abraham believed and it was counted to him as righteousness. Abraham had faith in God and it was counted to him as righteous. Paul spells it out so beautifully in Romans chapter four, verse seven. It says, blessed are those whose lawless deeds are fulfilled. Forgiven whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. See what Paul says here. Is this blessing then only for the circumcised or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after. But before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The sign of circumcision was only valuable because it was an indicator that this miraculous thing had happened inside that Abraham believed. And I know we always get in that weird quagmire, which isn’t. There like, well, how was he saved? Because Christ hasn’t come yet. Same way by faith alone in Christ alone. Right. By grace through faith in Christ, because Jesus himself said, your father, Abraham, saw my day and was glad for it. So Jesus tells us in some way by faith, Abraham saw Christ. Abraham was different, firstly, not because he was circumcised. He was different because he believed God. The circumcision. The circumcision was an indicator. It was a badge, if you will, that identified him. So so could you get circumcised and not have faith? Yeah. Will it amount to righteousness in Christ? No. Can I put on a lab coat and walk up in a laboratory and be taken serious as a scientist? No. Could I could I put on a Boeing T-shirt with like the embroidery and walk up in there and design something that blows up? No. I can barely do college algebra. Thank you very much. I can’t I can’t put a label on myself and be that thing. The wonder and the miracle is that the work of God, he takes a dead thing, an unrighteous thing, and he makes it a living thing, a righteous thing. And the Bible teaches us it happens only by faith. It’s just faith.

And you say, well, why is it faith? Why is it faith? Here’s why it’s faith, friends. Faith is that one thing where you and I have no vested interest in ourselves. To have faith in something means you have no confidence in your own character. You got no care. You have no no confidence in your own work. You have no confidence in your own worthiness, in your own credit, in your own praise. Genuine. Genuine faith. It brings you to the absolute end of yourself completely and say, Jesus, I am riding on your life. I’m riding on your righteousness. It’s all about who you are and your purity and what you did on the cross and how you can wash my sins away and how you can bring me in to the family of God to experience the father’s tender care. It’s only something Jesus can do, and it requires you and I say, I believe it and has nothing to do with. I mean, Jesus, it’s all you. So that raises this question, then, doesn’t it? Why are we talking about water, baptism and circumcision? What’s the link? Every link. It’s so important. Colossians chapter two. Verse 11. Look at what Paul says. He says in him. Also, you were circumcised with a circumcision. Circumcision made what without hands by putting off the body of flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in what baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith and the powerful working of God. So you see what Paul’s saying. He’s saying it’s still actually believing by which you’re spiritually considered crucified, buried and raised to life with Jesus. But it’s not. It’s no longer this circumcision. It’s this water baptism by which we outwardly show it. It’s my baptism that shows my genuine faith. It’s it’s like my body that’s filthy and dirty and I’m I’m washed and brought up. So the spirit has has bathed me and washed me in Christ and brought me back up.

And you say, well, can’t you get baptized and not have faith? Is it possible to do that? Yes. Yes. It’s called false conversion. And it happens in the church all the time. And it’s why it’s so important that we preach a full gospel, that people know this gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s not about you or me or what we can do. It’s all about Jesus. It’s about full repentance and turning from self. It’s about throwing everything at the foot of Christ and saying you and you alone, Jesus or Lord and Savior. We have to preach. A full gospel in the church. We have to be careful that those we allow to undergo baptism understand that. While it is a sign. Just like communion is, it’s no empty sign. It’s no empty for formality. It’s very sacred and it’s very heavy for what it represents. You could I guess you could think about it kind of like a wedding ring. Like you’ve got the wedding. You’ve got the wedding ring on. You’re married. If you take it off, are you still married? Yeah, you’re still married, but you wear the ring to show you are. What if someone who isn’t married wears a wedding ring? Well, he can look like it, but he’s not married. So the outward sign is vital and real when it’s true in a covenant sense that you’ve covenanted with God in the blood of Jesus.

So I want to say to those of us who are believers, you you must and we must. Rejoice, rejoice that the grace of God saved you. You should rejoice that you’ve undergone water baptism, that God in his grace saved a sinner like you. Right. It’s why they call it amazing grace. But I think also there’s sober reflection here. Don’t you just say, hold on. I don’t want to make a mockery of baptism. I need to reflect in my life and say, am I really someone different? Because. Abraham was different. And if I’m going to wear the jersey, if you will, if I’m going to say I’m in Christ, my life has to be different. And we talked about this a little bit last week in terms of of the word holiness. Right. What’s holiness mean in both an Old Testament and New Testament sense? It means to be set apart. And what is what is baptism? It’s my declaration that I am set apart and I’m a new man in Jesus. And I’ve got to keep warring against sin. And I’ve got to keep warring against the flesh. And for every time I fall, I’m going to get back up because I’m not that person. I’m a new man in Christ Jesus. Take your baptism serious, friends. If you’ve undergone those waters, it’s a sacred thing. It’s an eternal thing.

The second thing I want you to see about the miracle of baptism is it’s impartial. It’s impartial.

It says they were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. And Peter declared, can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? It’s a lot easier, isn’t it? To show kindness and compassion to your friends, to your family, to yourself. Not always. You can get in a fight with someone you love. But it’s a lot easier to be merciful to a friend than it is to an enemy. I think we would all agree there.

And that is the very thing that these Jewish Christians are observing. They’re coming. They’re kind of shocked. Like, really? Them too? Because in the aftermath of this, Peter goes back to Jerusalem and Peter reports to the Jerusalem council what happens. And the first thing that happens is he gets criticized for eating with Gentiles. And Peter says, hold on, let me tell you the whole story. And he tells them the whole story of what happened and how the spirit fell and they were saved. And then they were kind of cornered and couldn’t say anything. It was like, well, give glory to God. That’s not the end of it. Because we see the circumcision party pop up. They pop up a couple more times in the New Testament. They don’t like, you know, the Gentile Christians not living life just like them. And even Peter himself in Galatians, he gets beguiled by them and chooses to kind of be prejudiced against the Gentile Christians.

Peter, who is the rock, Peter, who walked with Jesus. Peter isn’t until this moment really getting God’s vision for the salvation of the many. His people. The picture of salvation for some from every nation, tribe, language, and tongue. The Jewish Messiah came not for just Jews, but he came through Israel for all nations. For anyone who cries out in faith. And so I think this is significant because I have to kind of ask myself in the same way. Do I have a heart like God has for all people to come to save in faith? Am I broken in my spirit about the many? Whoever, wherever, seeing and believing this same gospel message. And it’s significant that they’re speaking in tongues here. It’s significant because Peter and the apostles. And those on whom, you know, the spirit fell at first at Pentecost. It happened there. So they’re having what? Are they getting like a little lesser dose of the spirit? Look, we are Jewish Christians. So you can get all of it. But you’re Gentile Christians. You get some of it. That’s not what Peter says. He says, who can withhold water baptism because they have the same spirit that we’re getting.

That’s why it’s amazing. This is Jesus. This is God showing us the good news of the gospel. It goes out indiscriminately for all. I don’t I don’t think this is teaching us every time someone comes to saving faith. It’s not real unless they speak in tongues. That’s not I think the point that’s being made kind of in this infancy stage of the church. You see this happen when the gospel goes to different people, groups and the apostles are present. And it’s kind of like an authenticating work. So we see Lydia and we see the Philippian jailer. You see other conversions where it’s not accompanied by tongues. I think the power. The power of tongues being present here is to show anyone who cries out for Jesus. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from. You will get the fullness of God in the spirit.

So there’s there’s a wonderful miracle in the impartial nature of this salvation. And I’m missing out on the fullness of the gospel when my heart is extremely narrow and shallow. When I’m thinking about. When I’m thinking about what it means for the gospel to make disciples and I’m not thinking about all nations. I’m living like it’s a secret. Like if someone like sized up your evangelism, would they say, I’ve never actually heard you articulate your theology, but I would guess you’re trying to keep it a secret. I would guess that the frequency you share it with and the kinds of people you do share it with when you do share it. Are you trying to keep it a secret? Do you not anyone to find out? You don’t want anyone to find out about your theology. No, there’s a sort of, you know, Jesus says this. He says, go out what into the highways and the byways. Jesus says, go invite everybody to the feast, man. Rich, poor. You know. Wrong neighborhood. What you grew up in a broken home. You don’t have a lot of money. You’ve been through this, been through that. What’s the wonder of the gospel for us to preach? It’s a gospel message for anyone who would cry out in faith. So I’ve got to ask myself that. Lord, is my heart soft and tender towards those on their way to hell as your heart is soft and tender towards those on their way to hell? Do I love the lost the way you love the lost so much so that I’m willing to speak the gospel? And it doesn’t mean it doesn’t. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to get like this fire for this specific people group. Like I am all about the fill in the blank tribe here. Maybe God would give you that and praise God if he did, because that means he wants you to do something special there. But if he doesn’t, that’s fine, too, because that means you can do what the Bible says and love everybody. And that means you’re back to the work of loving that neighbor across the street and loving that frustrating uncle you have and loving your coworkers and loving the people that God puts in your life. It means. That you and I can just live in the spirit and we can love the people and witness to the people that God puts in our path. Because Paul says this only in Romans 10, 17.

Faith comes from hearing.

It’s kind of it’s kind of like one of those that’s so like that sounds like so dumb and so plain. And I think that’s the point. How does God bring this incredible gospel into our hearts and our lives? Well, you’ve got to do these backflips and you have to have these qualifications. You have to be from this family. No, faith comes if someone would just preach the gospel. Faith comes by hearing. So I think that does make a short little video about a third world country so important because God says to us who may not. I don’t wake up every day thinking about Guatemala. I don’t wake up every day thinking about Mexico, man. That’s that’s it. You don’t need to. They’re just they’re people. They’re people from a completely different world, a different walk of life. And if the spirit says, hey, is it is it not enough to know they’re on their way to hell? Is it not enough to know that I would use you to speak so they can hear and so they can believe? I think that we should say, Lord, let me act on this conviction. Let me act on the fact that I’ve been baptized and I have your same heart for the nations. Do I do I have a brokenness for sinners? And I know that’s a big question. And it’s it’s a question that’s easy to write off because I think we can get really busy in the Christian like spiritual disciplines. Like, am I staying healthy? Am I praying the right amount? Like, am I am I like living the spirit? Am I growing in kindness? And those things are really important. But it’s really easy. And I think you have to agree with me. It’s easy to kind of live an insulated version of the Christian life, isn’t it? It’s really hard to constantly kind of turn outward and like stay in that evangelistic. Posture. But I’ve got to. We’ve got to. It makes this coming Saturday important. You know, if you don’t, you know, Richard, you know, his love for sharing Christ. We were just talking yesterday about me and the many wonderful opportunities he has and the men have there at the pregnancy center to share Christ. So Saturday, what are we going to do? We’re going to love the nations. We’re going to share Christ. Lord, let me love. Love the gospel as it is impartial for all people.

But then here’s the third thing I want to. Show you from this passage. The miracle of baptism. It shows us, yes, that it’s amazing the work God does. It shows us the impartial nature of how God’s calling on. And the last thing baptism is, it’s commanded. It’s commanded. Verse 48. He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Now, you not know what a command is. It’s like. Do it like you talk to your child and it’s not like you want to go to bed. Like go to bed like they can hear it in the tone, right? There’s a command. Do it. You know, you know the difference. Maybe when your boss asks you if you’d like to be part of a project. Or, hey, guess what? You’re doing this. Peter does not suggest or recommend in the indicative mood. He tells them what they must do. I want you to see he tells them what they must do. But he’s also telling them what they can do. Why must they do it? Well, it’s not anything less than what was required of Jewish believers at Pentecost. He told them. Repent and be baptized for Paul, for Peter, for the New Testament. Believing and being baptized are not two events you should consider separately. If if if one is truly different on the inside, changed by the power of the gospel. What does God demand that you and I outwardly identify immediately? So baptism is not salvific. We’ve said that even though some would want to believe that. The Bible just so elevates the the the sign of baptism for the one who is inwardly regenerate. There’s no reason for you. You would not think about repentance, faith and baptism as three separate things. The Bible always sees the one who is believing getting baptized or not mutually exclusive. In other words, if you’ve been changed by the power of the gospel, there’s no reason you would want to delay. The God ordained outward means to let everybody know about it. Because baptism is a declaration. I’m not who I was. I’m not what I was. I’m under new management now. I’m a part of a new kingdom now. Satan has no hold or clutch on my soul. I belong to Jesus. Yes. God will not have us delay. Owning up to who? We are in his son. God will not have us putting one foot in the old kingdom and one foot in the new. Baptism says I am a brand new thing. I cannot delay it and I cannot hide it. It must happen.

Secondly, though, it’s important. I want you to see baptism can happen. Yes, it’s true. You could convince someone to get baptized. Right. It’s not a horror. You could talk somebody into splashing around for no reason. You could, you know, do that. Like we said, false conversion, whatever. But baptism, when it’s willfully underwent by someone who’s truly been saved by the spirit, is powerful because it is a it is a it’s something you not with our eyes can see of the spirit of God compelling them to do a spiritual thing. A spiritual thing with a spiritual capacity they didn’t have before. In other words, the spirit can’t tell the flesh to do anything. But when the spirit says to the spirit and you and I be baptized, what can one do that has the capacity to obey and love right things? Go and be baptized. It’s an impulse of the spirit. So in that way, it’s a miracle. What if I told what if I told a dog to me out? I mean, I meant it. Oh, I meant it. And it’s not possible. But let’s even say that that dog like really wanted to obey. Could he do it? No, it’s an empty command. I’m saying you must do it. But the dog cannot do it. When the spirit of God says you must be baptized, it’s a miracle because in the power of the spirit, you can be baptized. So it’s a visible outward miracle. You’re beholding of what the God of the heavens has done in the soul of a sinner. And in that way, it’s a command that’s beautiful.

The wonder of baptism lies in the spiritual command that can be fulfilled by spiritually alive soul. And you’re witnessing that new spiritual capacity of discipleship and obedience to Jesus. It must happen for identification. It can happen by the enabling work of the spirit of God.

Question. Am I ashamed of my identification in a world that increasingly says, don’t be a Bible believing Christian? Or am I willing to wear the badge and say, no, I must identify. I can’t identify. I am Christ and I stand with Christ because of his grace and his working in me. Friends, if you’ve been baptized, you must and you can.

So you see the miracle of baptism. It’s a miracle because it shows us the miracle of God’s grace. It’s amazing because the holy God of the universe. Sent his son, Jesus, to bleed and die for sinners. That’s amazing. Let’s not get tired of it. The miracle of grace is that God is calling all peoples from all nations and all tribes anywhere and everywhere. Anyone that will cry out in faith, he will save.

The third is a miracle because God speaks a spiritual command. That we can actually obey in the spirit. And it’s proof. It’s visible. Proof in it, by it. Salvation has come to a center for the glory of God in it is on full display as the crucifixion of Christ is ineffective, effective. And you know. Let’s pray together. Amen.

Lord, let us not get. Over what it means that we’re Christian. Let it not be a box that we would check on a survey. Let it not be something that we would just culturally affiliate with. Lord, but let our our Christianity be a declaration. Father, that you have made us brand new in your son, Jesus. That all that we were not all that we did. Did not deserve to have or be you by grace called us unto it and you are keeping us and you’re commanding us. And we know that all that you command, you will fulfill in your own spirit in us and through us, Lord. So we have no need to fret or to fear only to walk in obedience as we follow your son, Jesus.

Thank you, Father, for this outward sign of baptism. And in it and by it, we see the work of your spirit. And Lord, it’s our prayer as a church that we would, by your grace, see you do this miracle over and over and over again, Lord. That as we faithfully proclaim your spirit would faithfully do the work that only he can do to save souls. And to bring life where there’s only death and to bring holiness and righteousness where there’s only sin and wickedness. God, only. You can do this. So we say, Lord, would you let us see it for your glory? We ask you to work for your own glory. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.