14 A River Runs Through It

Question: What about cro-magnon, Neandertal, and other early humans? How does the creation account mesh with these documented species?

Cro magnon man was supposed to have migrated to Europe from Africa some 40,000 years ago and Neandertal man is supposed to be closer to 100,000 years old. Scientists from the university of Florence studied a sample that was supposedly 28,000 years old. What they found was that the DNA markers had several similarities to western Europeans today.

The evolutionary claim is that since a) the features of the individual are different than many modern humans, and b) the DNA differs a bit, and c) they were found in a context that would make us believe the bones to be very old, then it must be a proto human skeleton.

These assumptions are not the only possibilities though. First, features of modern day humans vary significantly from one continent to another. People have all kinds of different shapes of heads, sizes of bodies, lengths of limbs, protruding or sunken foreheads, nose shapes, and chin styles. There is no such thing as a “normal” human. We exist on a range from one extreme to another. Finding an old skeleton with different features should not be a surprise to anyone.

Second, DNA differs between modern humans quite drastically. That doesn’t make us different species. Any more than the difference in DNA or variation in features between a miniature poodle and a Great Dane should make us think one is a rat or the other a horse. DNA variation does not prove these specimens were any less human that me or you.

Lastly, what about the dates?

Secular scientists have several dating methods at their disposal, which they claim support their views. Does that mean the Bible is wrong? Does it mean their methods are wrong?

No, on both counts!

The problem is not with the Bible or the data that scientists gather, but with their assumptions about the past. Secular investigators start with the assumption that humans evolved from a common ancestor with the apes and then dispersed across the globe over millions of years. Consequently, they have interpreted the evidence accordingly. The fossils don’t actually give us dates, and they can be interpreted in more than one way.

Isn’t Radiometric Dating a Sure Thing?

Most people assume that radiometric dating can find ages for almost anything. But that is not the case. It’s especially problematic for dating early human remains.

Radiometric dating works only on radioactive rocks that appear to have decayed for a long time, such as certain lavas, but such rocks are not common (especially with human remains). To make matters worse, even if radioactive material is present, it must have produced sufficient by-products for accurate measurement. But the human evolution and migrations are too recent to be useful, if you accept evolutionary assumptions.

Technically, there is one exception. The argon-argon method, as it’s called, can date rocks associated with recent human remains. It has even been used to successfully date the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy.

However, it can only date volcanic rocks. It is very rare that stone tools, artifacts, or human bones are buried in lavas. In any case, lavas are so hot they destroy most of what they entomb.

Radiometric dating relies on three assumptions:

We can reasonably reconstruct the conditions when the process started.The rate of change has stayed the same throughout the past.Nothing has happened to contaminate the process.

An hourglass “clock” is a good analogy to help understand these assumptions (see below). What if the funnel had a different size in the past, or the top compartment was not full at the beginning, or someone added sand after the clock started?

Assumption 1

The original number of unstable atoms can be known. Scientists assume how many atoms appeared at the beginning based on how many parent and daughter atoms are left today.

Assumption 2

The rate of change was constant. Scientists assume that radioactive atoms have changed at the same rate throughout time, ignoring the impact of creation or changes during Noah's flood.

Assumption 3

The daughter atoms were all produced by radioactive decay. Scientists assume that no outside forces, such as flowing groundwater, contaminated the sample.

No matter what dating method we choose, it is only as good as its assumptions. As Christians we know a trustworthy eyewitness to all of earth history—the One who created the earth, the universe, and man. He alone knows the starting conditions and what has changed.

The Creator reveals that, after creation, he judged man and the earth with a cataclysmic global flood. So, based on the absolute authority of God’s Word, we know that rates of earth processes did change in the past and haven’t been constant at today’s measured rates.

When radiometric or radio-carbon dating is not possible there are several alternative methods that are used, including Luminescence Dating, or Electron Spin Resonance, or Cosmogenic Radioisotopes. These methods have the same issues with assumption as radiometric dating.

There’s a great article on this subject on the answersingenesis.org website. If you go to google just type answers in genesis, How Reliable Are Dates for Human Fossils?

Upcoming Topics

Our subject tonight - A River Runs Through It. And no, we won’t be screening a movie by Robert Redford. We’re going to look at an amazing thread that runs from Genesis through to Revelation - from Paradise Lost to Paradise Restored.

Then Wednesday night, we’re going to return to the central chapters of Revelation - chapters 12, 13 and 14 - and we’re going to start digging in to chapter 13, where a mysterious beast rises up out of the sea. I’ve seen a lot of books about this subject, and I’ve got to say: modern Christianity has become really confused about Revelation 13 - but that wasn’t always true. On Wednesday night, I’ll show you the keys you need from the rest of the Bible to unlock this chapter, and once we’re done, it’s going to be really obvious what the Bible is talking about.

Then on Friday night, we’re going to be talking about death. Now of course, that’s not everybody’s favorite subject, but the Bible DOES deal with death extensively, and that’s a good thing, because you and I are both going to die if Jesus doesn’t come before that happens. Death is one of those things we all have in common - and it’s also one of those things that people really struggle to understand, because the world is full of conflicting theories. You’ll be amazed at how clearly the Bible speaks about death - how much information it actually provides.

Just to make sure we cover everything, we’re going to be having an extra meeting or two, so this coming Saturday morning at 11 a.m. we’ll be looking at “Secrets of Answered Prayer.” And this is no gimmick: there really IS a key in the Bible that ensures that ALL of your prayers get answered, all the time. I’m sure many of you would be interested in learning about that.

Then on Saturday night, “God’s Strange Act.” This is possibly one of the most misunderstood subjects in Bible prophecy: what actually happens to people who reject the gift of salvation? What is their ultimate fate? And how can you reconcile a God of love with the idea that not everybody’s going to make it into heaven?

Then on Sunday, our subject is, “A Desolate Planet,” because some people DO make it into heaven. Where, exactly IS heaven, and what is it going to be like? Why does Bible prophecy seem to talk about a moment when the planet is broken down and desolate? What is the New Jerusalem? How does THAT factor into our ultimate reward?

… and then we’ll continue from there. But tonight, our subject is “A River Runs Through It.”

Tonight, we’re going to relax a little bit, and look at one of my favorite subjects. This is a subject that some people trivialize - they don’t think this is very important - but the Bible actually treats it as if it’s absolutely essential.

And as I’ve gotten to know you, I already know that this subject might be review for some of you. But I still want to cover it - just in case - because this is something everybody deserves to understand clearly.

PRAYER

Most nights, we start in the book of Revelation. But tonight we’re going to do something a little bit different: we’re going to start in the book of Genesis - the first book of the Bible - which happens to be one of the big keys that helps us understand the last book of the Bible.

Remember: two-thirds of the language in Revelation is borrowed from other parts of the Bible. For example: Daniel 5 proved to be the key to understanding the ultimate fall of Babylon. At our next meeting, you’ll see how Daniel 7 is the key that unlocks Revelation 13 - and so is Daniel chapter 3 - where you have a fiery furnace, and a command to worship an image.

If you want to understand Bible prophecy, you have to read the whole Bible!

The story of Elijah is another important key. In the book of First Kings, Elijah confronts the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel - one of the mountains of Megiddo. There is a pagan queen who marries an Israelite king, and God’s people begin to compromise. Elijah has to hide in the wilderness for three and a half years - and you’ll notice that the woman in Revelation 12 also has to hide in the wilderness for three and a half years.

The Ten Commandments are also another big key. Ecclesiastes chapter 12 ties the Ten Commandments directly to the judgment. And of course, in Revelation 14, God’s NAME - His character - is written in the forehead of those who keep His commandments.

The book of Exodus is another important key. God’s people are traveling to an earthly Promised Land and an earthly Jerusalem, and they leave after the plagues fall on Egypt. In the book of Revelation, there are also plagues - God’s people arrive in the heavenly Promised Land, and you’ll notice, in Revelation 15, they sing the song of Moses and the Lamb.

Then there’s the sanctuary, which shows up in just about every chapter of the book of Revelation.

It just goes to show you: you HAVE to read the whole Bible. And tonight, we’re going to go to the book of Genesis, and we’ll pick up where we last left off, in chapter 2.

Genesis 2:8-10

The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.

I want you to notice just how clear the Bible record is. It doesn’t say that human beings crawled up out of a primordial swamp. It doesn’t say that we slowly evolved out of single-celled organisms.

It says that God formed the human race - He made us deliberately, the way we are. People might want to debate this, but they can’t debate it biblically, because the language is clear. You and I are God’s special creation.

And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden.

Let me stop right there. You know, God could have made this whole planet one color, and He could have made every food taste exactly the same. That’s all we really needed for sheer survival. But that’s not who God is. This world is full of taste - and full of color. It was made by a loving, creative God who loves beautiful things.

and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four river heads.

God thought of absolutely everything! He even installed a perfect irrigation system: a river that ran through the garden.

This was the way that human beings were SUPPOSED to live. We never had to worry about money - we never had to worry about taxes, or bills, or health care plans, or retirement savings, or even death.

In the beginning, God gave us the perfect home: and a river ran through it.

Now let me show you something really interesting, because the Bible finishes the way it began. There’s also a river in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 22:1-4

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river,

the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. ?The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations

Do you realize what this means? Even though we blew it - even though we sinned against God - He’s going to give it all back. Even the tree of life comes back.

The Bible starts with a garden and ends with a garden.

It starts with a river and ends with a river.

It starts with a curse falling on the whole human race because we turned our backs on God. “Cursed is the ground for your sake,” it says in Genesis 3:17 - and then the curse is lifted in the book of Revelation:

and there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

Think about what this means: no more meaningless, thankless work. No more disease - no more suffering - no more death.

God says all of that will be a thing of the past.

They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

You and I are going to see the face of God. When Moses saw God he had to be shielded, because looking on the face of God would have been too much for a sinful mortal, but once the curse is lifted, that’s not going to be a problem.

The name of God will be written on our foreheads - God’s character will be written in our hearts - we have accepted the gift of Christ, and we have allowed God to recreate us in His image. The book of Second Corinthians says He makes us into new creatures.

There are two rivers in the Bible: one in the book of Genesis, and one in the book of Revelation.

And do you know what ties them together? It’s in the middle of the story: the cross of Christ.

Just let it all sink in for a minute: even though we don’t deserve it, God wins everything for us at the cross of Calvary, and He gives it all back.

As soon as Adam and Eve are removed from the garden, God promises to send the seed of the woman, His Son, Jesus Christ. He would come to crush the head of the serpent and win eternity for the human race.

In the book of Revelation, He’s the slain Lamb of God that leads us back into Paradise. The Bible calls Him “another Adam,” the new head of the human race.

Between Paradise lost and Paradise restored, you’ll find the cross of Christ - and that cross says that you can start all over again.

Let me ask you: are there things in your life you deeply regret?

In high school a friend convinced me to grow my hair out and comb it straight back. With my wavy hair I looked like I had a white-man’s afro. It’s not my proudest time in life, but most of us who lived in the 80s have a hair style or two that we aren’t proud of.

And then there is that time when I asked a girl I knew in college to a social function and she said she’d have to ask her fiancé if they had any plans. I had no idea she was even dating, much less engaged!

Have you ever wished you could rewind the tape and start all over? Sometimes, it’s small things. But sometimes, it’s far more serious: broken relationships - broken trust - a broken home - things you just can’t fix.

Tonight, the Bible says that you can start again.

“But you have no idea what I’ve done!” It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, God says you can start over.

The only problem that most people have is believing that God really means it. It just seems too good to be true. Like believing that a fairy tale is real. And maybe because we struggle to believe that God’s forgiveness is real, that it actually applies to US - He gives us a hands-on, tangible symbol to reassure us that it’s true.

He gives you an object lesson to remind you that your new beginning is real. He lets the river of paradise flow into your life.

Take a careful look at the the first thing Jesus did with His public ministry: He actually stepped into a river. The Son of God - in spite of the fact that He is sinless - was baptized.

Now, what does baptism have to do with Bible prophecy? More than you might expect.

It’s a symbol - a token - a downpayment on the kingdom that’s coming. It’s a way to stand in the river, right now, even before you see God face to face.

But I’ve noticed something very strange when it comes to the subject of baptism. The Bible makes it very clear - in passages like Mark 16 and Matthew 28 - that Christian baptism is absolutely critical. It’s not an optional thing, and it’s clearly very important.

But when Christians get together and discuss baptism, I’ve noticed that it’s one of those things we love to argue about. Is baptism really important? HOW should you get baptized? WHEN should you get baptized?

Unfortunately, Christians can be very good at arguing. It’s a problem that happens when we all place our own opinions on the table instead of just reading the WHOLE Bible to see what GOD says.

I’m reminded of two Christian businessmen who met in a restaurant for lunch one day. “I’m a better Christian than you!” one of them said.

“You are not! You’re a horrible Christian. I’ll bet you ten bucks you don’t even know ONE of the Ten Commandments!”

(Now, I know they shouldn’t have been betting - but they shouldn’t have been arguing, either!)

“You’re on. I DO know the Ten Commandments.” And he fell silent for a moment and tried to remember them. Then he suddenly smiled. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep!”

The other man was absolutely astounded. “I didn’t think you could do it,” he said. “Here’s your ten bucks!”

The fact is, when Christians spend a lot of time arguing, there’s a pretty good chance we’re ALL wrong. What you and I think never matters - what matters is what God thinks, and you can find out what God thinks by reading the whole Book.

And usually, if you read the whole Book, the answers become very clear. The Bible isn’t like some old fiddle that you can use to play any tune you want. The Bible doesn’t give us twenty different stories. It’s remarkably cohesive.

So tonight, why don’t we just turn to Jesus and let Him speak on the subject? He’s always going to make it clear - and we NEED to be clear, because baptism is NOT unimportant. It’s a command from God.

So what does Jesus tell us about baptism? Let’s look at the story:

Matt 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

John is absolutely horrified: here’s the perfect, sinless Son of God, and He wants to be baptized! He knows, full well, that Jesus doesn’t actually NEED baptism, because Jesus isn’t a sinner!

But Jesus answered and said to him, “permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then He allowed him.

Notice what Jesus says: baptism is the right thing to do. It’s the RIGHTEOUS thing to do.

So why was Jesus baptized? It’s obvious that He wasn’t a sinner.

But maybe He’s setting an example for us. Jesus’ whole LIFE is an example, and that’s why Christians try to follow in His footsteps. He’s not only God in human flesh; He’s also the perfect human life. And that’s why - if you try to emulate Jesus - you can’t go wrong.

Now pay very careful attention to what happens next:

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him,

and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him.

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

This is a very big moment: God publicly announces His Son. This is Daniel 9 coming to pass, the very moment when Messiah the Prince begins His public ministry. It’s exactly 483 years after the command to rebuild Jerusalem, and that means it’s time for Messiah to appear.

And Jesus begins His ministry with a baptism. Not because He needs it, but because He’s setting an example for US. He’s showing us what WE need.

In the Bible, baptism is a very important symbol. This is not just an optional activity - it’s a believer’s first act of public witness. It’s the first thing you do to share Jesus with other people.

Baptism was specifically designed to teach something very important to the world - the same way the Old Testament sanctuary was specifically designed to show the plan of salvation to the world. And what does baptism show the world?

Listen to the words of Paul, in Romans chapter 6.

Romans 6:3-6

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

Baptism is a very specific symbol: it represents a brand-new start - and a brand-new person - and it shows the world the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

It also shows the death, burial and resurrection of a sinner. It tells the world that the old you - with all your sins, all your destructive habits - it all died with Jesus, and a brand-new creature has been born.

Jesus died and was buried, and the old sinner also died and was buried with Him. Then Jesus rose from the dead, and the new you comes out of the grave. And of course, it also shows the world that one day, you will literally come back from the grave because Jesus lives.

Baptism tells the whole world you believe. You believe Jesus forgives sin. You believe that Jesus rose from the dead. You believe that He has the power to make you part of His kingdom, and the power to literally raise the dead.

So the question is: HOW does baptism convey that message?

Unfortunately, we need to ask that question, because in the 21st century, there seems to be some confusion:

Today, there seems to be a lot of variety in the way that people baptize. And that’s kind of strange, because Ephesians 4:5 talks about “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

Some people practice (*) immersion, which means you go all the way under the water.

Other people go under the water three times - they practice (*) “trine immersion.”

Some people use (*) aspersion, or they sprinkle the water.

Other people pour the water over your head - it’s called (*) infusion.

I’ve heard of people using (*) salt, because Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” - or (*) oil, because oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Some people (*) sprinkle with wine, because wine is used in the communion service.

You can even send five bucks in the (*) mail, and they’ll send you a certificate, and you don’t have to do anything else.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Today, there are hundreds of different ways people try to express the message God is trying to share with the world through baptism.

And maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe God isn’t all that particular when it comes to HOW people do this . . .

. . . except, when you read the Bible, you discover that God is VERY particular about His symbols.

Think of the story of Cain and Abel. Abel offered a Lamb, which is exactly what God asked him to do: the Lamb was a specific symbol of faith. It pointed forward to the cross of Christ. That’s why the book of Hebrews says, “By FAITH, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice.”

But Cain did something else. He knew - full well - what God was asking for. But instead, he offered fruits and vegetables. “I know that God is asking for a lamb,” he said, “but really, what does it matter? A lamb is so inconvenient, and I’m a vegetable farmer! Surely potatoes and carrots are good enough!”

It was a man-made, designer religion that completely missed the point.

God’s symbols are very specific. They MEAN something. Remember: the whole sanctuary had to be built to very exact specifications. There was no freedom of expression.

Why? Because God was trying to convey a very specific message.

It’s like the communion service:

The Bible says that on the night that Jesus was betrayed, He took bread and wine, and said, “This is my body - this is my blood.”

It’s very specific. You wouldn’t dream of using orange juice and spaghetti, because it doesn’t fit. God’s symbols convey very specific messages.

You might remember the story: a soldier went overseas to fight, and while he was away, he was worried that his girlfriend might fall for another guy. So on his way home, he wrote her a letter.

“The train goes right past your house,” he wrote. “And I know I’ve been away for a long, long time. Here’s what I want you to do: if you still want me, tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree.” (You all know the song, right?)

As the train approached her yard, he got very nervous. Did she still love him? Would there be a ribbon on the tree? As he approached the house, he closed his eyes, almost too nervous to look - and then worked up the courage to peek. The ENTIRE tree was COVERED with yellow ribbons!

But what would have happened if it wasn’t? What if his girlfriend read his letter and said, “I know he asked for a yellow ribbon, but this is wartime, and ribbons are expensive. I’ll just use this old black rag instead - because it’s just as good.

“And ladders can be SO dangerous. I wouldn’t want to fall down and break my arm - so I know he asked for the oak tree, but I’ll just tie this rag to the fence instead. Because after all, it’s the thought that counts.”

What’s going to happen? He’s never going to get off that train . . . because the message isn’t there.

God’s symbols are always meant to convey a very specific message, and baptism is supposed to show a death - a burial - and a resurrection. So HOW does it do that?

Well, again: if you want to know the right thing to do, just watch Jesus:

Matt 3:16

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him…

I like the way the Old King James Version puts this. It says Jesus “went up straightway out of the water.”

Let me ask you: what is the only way Jesus could come up from the water? He can only do that if He went down INTO the water!

The fact is, Jesus was baptized the ONLY WAY the church knew how for hundreds and hundreds of years. He was “baptized,” and that word actually means something very specific.

The Greek word is “baptizo,” which literally means “to immerse” - to go down under the water.

It’s a word that comes from the cloth-dyeing industry: when they dipped the cloth in a vat of dye, they called it “baptizo,” because the cloth was completely immersed.

And every time you see the word “baptism” in the Bible, that’s exactly what it means: someone was dipped under the water. And if you look at the Bible record carefully, that becomes really obvious:

Look at the story of John the Baptist:

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.

Now let me ask you a question: why would he need a place with “much water?” It’s because he was baptizing people the only way they knew how: he was putting people UNDER the water. If he had been using any other method - he could have just sent someone to get a cup of water, and he could have baptized a whole crowd.

But baptism means going under the water, so they had to go to a place where there was lots of water.

Look at the story of the Ethiopian eunuch:

Philip was studying with a government official from Ethiopia, and suddenly, the man wanted to make a decision:

Acts 8:36

Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

Now, by the way, that was a really great attitude. Nothing could keep this man back! Once he saw who Jesus was - once he understood what it meant to be a Christian - nobody had to ask him to do it.

Acts 8:37

Then philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.”

Now that’s an important thought, and we’ll come back to that a little bit later - but one of the prerequisites for baptism is that you believe.

Acts 8:38

So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Phillip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

Let me ask you again: why did they both go down into the water? Why not just stand on the side and get a few drops?

It’s because baptism was always by immersion. It’s the only method they knew. It’s the only thing they CALLED baptism.

This is a very important symbol. It’s a death, a burial, and a resurrection. It’s your public marriage to Christ. Notice what the Bible says:

Galatians 3:27

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Baptism is how you become a part of the family of God. You “put on Christ.” You become a part of His kingdom. The old you is gone, and you become part of the church. (That’s what the Bible teaches in Acts chapter 2: everybody who was baptized became part of the church.)

It’s like a marriage, and when you get married, you tell the whole world. You do it publicly, in front of witnesses - because you’re proud to get married.

Ladies, let me ask you a question: I’m assuming most of you were excited when your husband proposed. Maybe some of you just settled because it was the best option at the time, but most of you were excited.

But how excited would you be if your husband said, “Look: I love you with all my heart, and I’d like to be married. There’s just one thing. I’m kind of embarrassed, so I want to get married in secret. I don’t want my friends to know, because I don’t want them teasing me.”

How many of you would be excited by a proposal like that?

You don’t get married in secret, and you don’t “put on Christ” in secret, either. Baptism tells the whole world that you believe. Listen to the words of Jesus:

Matt 10:32

Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My father which is in heaven.

When you become a part of the family of God, you tell the whole world. You show them the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus. It’s your first act of witness.

But in recent years, we’ve gotten a little confused - so you’ve got to wonder: how did we get so mixed up? Why do we have hundreds of different methods?

I’m sure most of you have already figured this out: it happened when we starting compromising as a church - all the way back in the heart of the Dark Ages.

Here’s how James Cardinal Gibbons describes what happened:

For several centuries after the establishment of Christianity, baptism was usually conferred by immersion: but since the twelfth century,

the practice of baptism by infusion has prevailed… as this manner is attended with less inconvenience that baptism by immersion.”

And there’s the truth. For more than 1,100 years, everybody baptized by immersion, and then we changed. And WHY did we change?

For the sake of convenience.

Medieval Europe was not a warm place, and by the 1300s, it was going through a little ice age, and some days it was really cold. By this time, the clergy were wearing big heavy robes, and going down into the water was REALLY inconvenient. So they made a decision: let’s not go into the water anymore.

But in the beginning, baptism was ALWAYS by immersion. That’s the way God designed it. Check the history books: it was ALWAYS by immersion.

This is Ephesus, the first city mentioned in the letters to the seven churches. At one point, John the Revelator was probably the pastor of the Ephesian church - and this is a picture of a 4th century church - more than 300 years after Christ.

You’ll notice: there’s a big pool in the church. Why? Because they were baptizing by immersion.

Here’s mural from North Africa that also dates back to the fourth century - it’s a picture of the baptism of Jesus. And what do you notice? Jesus is in the water up to His chest. Why? Because Jesus was baptized by immersion.

This is the Lateran Palace in Rome. It was a gift from Constantine to the bishop of Rome back in the fourth century. Now, this part of the building DOESN’T go back that far, because the original has been damaged and renovated several times . . .

But around back, you’ll find a MUCH older building, and inside, there’s a huge baptistery that looks like an oversized bathtub. And why is it so big? It’s because they were still baptizing people by immersion.

There’s a massive ancient church in the city of Istanbul, which became a mosque in later years. But at one point, it was the biggest Christian church in the world. They call it “Hagia Sophia,” or “the church of holy wisdom,” and it was built by the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century.

This is the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which dates back to the 12th century. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the bell tower for a cathedral...

. . . that has a baptistery building out back. And in that building, there’s a huge pool. Why? Because 1,100 years after Christ, we were still baptizing by immersion.

Listen to the words of Cardinal Pullus, who wrote in the same century this baptistery was built:

“The immersion of the candidate represents the death of Christ. While he is under the water, the burial of Christ is being represented. When he comes out of the water the resurrection is represented.”

So we know: in the 12th century, the practice of immersion is alive and well. But then, as you move towards the 14th century - 1,300 years after Christ - a change starts taking place.

This is Thomas Aquinas, the great doctor of the church. He’s describing the change, and he seems a little bit nervous.

Baptism may be given not only by immersion, but also by affusion of water, or sprinkling with it. But it is the safe way to baptize by immersion, because that is the most common custom.

Did you catch that? He recognizes that some people are using a new method, and he prefers immersion. Why? It’s because that’s the way baptism had been taking place for 1,300 years.

The OFFICIAL change came in 1311, at the Council of Ravenna, when the church decided that sprinkling and pouring were also valid.

But that’s 1,300 years after Jesus told His disciples to go and baptize the nations. For 1,300 years, baptism was the same as it was in the pages of the Bible - and you’ll never find a passage where God says we get to reinterpret His symbols.

And if you go back in history, you’ll see that lots of prominent Christians - after they read the Bible - recognized that changing baptism was a mistake.

John Wesley said:

“I believe it is a duty to observe, so far as I can… to baptize by immersion.”

John Calvin said:

“The very word baptize, however, signifies to immerse: and it is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient church.”

This is Martin Luther.

On this account, I could wish that such such as are to be baptized should be completely immersed into the water,

according to the meaning of the word and to the significance of the ordinance… as also without a doubt, it was institute by Christ.”

In the Bible, baptism was always by immersion - there’s just no doubt about it. It’s the right thing to do, and in the words of Jesus, it’s the RIGHTEOUS thing to do.

Now some of us were christened when we were babies, and our parents obviously did that to honor God. And I know that God smiles when parents care enough to make Jesus a part of their children’s lives.

I wish that more parents were THAT dedicated.

But then a lot of us, when we grew up and started reading the Bible for ourselves, we could see that christening isn’t the same as baptism - and so we simply do the right thing: we get baptized the way that Jesus was.

And that raises a really good question: When and why should you get baptized?

The Bible talks about three things that need to happen BEFORE you’re baptized.

First of all, you have to repent. That means you’ve got to confess your sins and turn away from them. Listen to the words of Peter:

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...

If baptisms symbolize the death of a sinner and the birth of a new believer, it only makes sense that you’ve got to admit that you’re a sinner in need of help. The Bible says you’ve got to repent of your sins.

Baptism isn’t some kind of good luck charm. It’s not a superstitious ritual. It’s an outward declaration of something that’s already happened in your heart.

Secondly, the Bible teaches that you’ve got to believe. We’ve already seen that in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, but let’s go back there.

Acts 19:4

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people

that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

So what does it mean to believe? It doesn’t just mean that you KNOW what the Bible says. Belief is not just mental assent. If you really believe in Jesus, it means that you plan to follow Him. It means that your life begins to change.

The Bible teaches that we repent - we believe - and then . . .

. . . the Bible says we need to understand what we’re doing. It’s just like getting married. Before you get married, you want to know the person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with. You want to think through what marriage means - how it’s going to change your life.

That’s the reason most ministers want to sit down with a couple before they agree to marry them. They want to be sure that everybody is going into the marriage covenant with their eyes wide open.

This is also the reason that we don’t allow children to get marriage—they don’t have enough life experience or mental acuity to truly understand and fulfill the marriage vows.

The Bible teaches, in Acts chapter 2, that baptism is the way people join the church. You’re not just being marked as a believer; you’re becoming part of the family of God and you’re being drafted into the mission of God’s church. When you read the New Testament carefully, it becomes VERY obvious that God doesn’t want any spectators. There are no lone rangers.

We’ve all been given specific gifts, and and we’ve all been told to work with each other to prepare the world for Jesus to come. It’s important to spend a little time understanding that.

And it’s also important to make sure you agree with the church you’re joining. First Timothy 3:15 says that the church is supposed to be “the pillar and ground of the truth” - and you want to make sure that the church you’re joining DOES teach the truth.

Listen carefully to the words of Jesus:

Matt 28:19, 20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.

Jesus said, “make disciples” - and that means teach people to follow Christ. Show them what Jesus teaches and believes. And then teach them to “observe all things that (Jesus) commanded.”

This is why, for the last 2,000 years, ministers have reviewed the clear teachings of the Bible with people BEFORE they are baptized. It’s the God-given duty of the church.

So there you have it: three steps - three prerequisites for baptism.

Now look at them carefully, because I want to ask you a very important question. The Bible teaches that BEFORE you can get baptized, you’ve got to repent of your sins, believe in Jesus, and understand what it means to follow Him.

Here’s the question: can a baby do all those things?

The truth is, they can’t. Babies don’t repent, they don’t believe, and they frankly can’t understand . . . because they’re babies!!!

So was baptism actually MEANT for babies? The answer is no.

During the Medieval period, the church started baptizing babies. Infant mortality was high, and we actually thought that God would reject children if they died before they were baptized. It was pagan thinking, and it completely flies in the face of a Jesus who said that children belonged in the kingdom of heaven, but that’s what we believed.

The only problem: it isn’t biblical. So does that mean there is nothing we do for children?

Of course not. The Bible says that Jesus was dedicated in the temple as a baby, and many Christian parents do the same thing today. They understand that following Jesus is a personal decision, and parents can’t make that decision for their children. When they’re old enough to understand, it’s something they’ll have to do for themselves.

But parents CAN make a public promise, in front of the church, that they plan to raise their children in a Godly home. They can promise to love their children, and to teach them about Jesus - so that they know the right decision when the time comes.

Now there’s one more important question we should probably look at before we’re done.

Is it ever appropriate to get baptized a second time? Let’s say that you’ve already done it once - can you do it again?

Some people say yes, and some people say no. So let’s check with the Bible. There’s a remarkable story in Acts chapter 19, where Paul discovers a group of believers who had never heard of the Holy Spirit. Why? It’s because they were baptized by John the Baptist, who died before the ministry of Jesus was finished. Let’s read the story:

Acts 19:1-5

And it happened, while apolos was at corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples

he said to them, “did you receive the HOly spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a HOly Spirit.”

And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “into John’s baptism.”

Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

Now pay attention carefully - these people DID have a valid baptism! But now look at what happens next:

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

They were baptized AGAIN. Why? Because they wanted to commit to deeper truth. They wanted to publicly express that their faith was in Christ Jesus now.

So according to the Bible, the answer is YES - you can get baptized again. And there are some really good reasons for doing that:

If you’ve never been baptized by immersion - if your first baptism was some other way - then you really need to do it again.

If your life in recent years has been a denial of the faith - if you’ve wandered away from the church, then you need to do it again.

If your experience is richer, and deeper, and you want to commit to a better understanding of Jesus, then it’s completely appropriate.

And of course, if you’ve never been baptized at all - YOU need to do it, too.

It’s a brand-new start. You get to WIPE out the past - all of the hurt, all of the pain, all of the mistakes. Even before Jesus comes, you get to step into the river of God.

Let me ask you: who here needs a brand-new start?

The hospital was unusually quiet that night – quiet and still like the air before a big storm – and Susan, the nurse at the desk in the ward, looked at her watch. It was 9:00, so she threw her stethoscope around her neck and walked down the hall to room 712, the last room at the end of the hall.

That’s where Mr. Williams was – the only occupant in the room. He never seemed to get company, and he never talked about his family. The nurses and doctors were his only human contact.

When Susan walked in, he looked up expectantly, but when he saw that it was just the nurse, he dropped his eyes.

She walked over and checked his pulse. He was quiet - but then he suddenly looked up, and started to speak. “Nurse, would you mind …” and then he stopped. He couldn’t keep going. Tears filled his eyes - so she reached down and touched his hand.

“Nurse, would you mind calling my daughter? Could you tell her I’ve had a heart attack? Make sure you tell her that it was just a small one. I don’t want her to panic. But I DO want her to know, because she’s the only family I have.”

“Of course,” she said. “I’ll call her in the morning.”

He suddenly gripped her hand firmly. “No - will you call her right away? As soon as you can? This is important to me.”

“Of course,” she said, “I’ll call her right away.” She patted his shoulder, walked towards the door, and flipped off the light . . . and she was just about to leave, when he spoke again:

“Nurse, there’s one more thing. Would you get me a pencil and some paper? I want to write something down.” She dug a pen out of her pocket and a found a little scrap of yellow paper, and she put them on his bedside table.

When she got back to the nurses’ station, she sat in her squeaky swivel chair by the phone. Mr. Williams’ daughter was listed as the next of kin on his chart, so she looked up the number and picked up the phone.

A woman answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Janie? This is Susan Kidd; I’m a nurse at the hospital. I’m calling about your father. He was admitted after a slight heart attack and …”

Janie screamed into the phone: “No! Tell me he’s not dying!”

“No,” Susan answered. “He’s actually stable at the moment.”

There was a long silence. And then, Janie said, “You can’t let him die. You just can’t.”

“Janie, I assure you: he’s getting the very best care possible. I’m sure he’s fine!”

“But you don’t understand,” said Janie, obviously crying. “My Daddy and I haven’t spoken in almost a year. We had a terrible argument on my 21st birthday - about my boyfriend - and I ran out of the house, and I’ve never spoken to him since. All these months I’ve wanted to go to him and ask for forgiveness. The last thing I said to him was ‘I hate you’.

“Listen: I know that visiting hours are probably over, but I’m coming right away.”

Susan hung up the phone and went back to her paperwork, but she couldn’t get Mr. Williams out of her mind. Something told her to go back to room 712.

When she got there, Mr. Williams wasn’t moving. She reached for his pulse – and there was none.

They tried to revive him – but it didn’t work.

And that’s when Janie arrived. Susan stopped her in the hallway - and she had to say something. “I’m sorry, Janie, but it’s too late. I’m sure he loved you.”

Janie slumped into a chair in the hallway. “I never hated him, you know. I never hated him.” She cried for a while, and then she said, “I want to see him.”

“Sure.” So they went to room 712. When they got to the door, the nurse put her hand on Janie’s shoulder, hoping to change her mind, but Janie pushed the door open and went in. She ran to the bed and buried her face in the sheets.

Can you imagine, tonight, never finding forgiveness, when you could have had it if you had just asked one day earlier?

And that’s when Janie saw it: a scrap of yellow paper lying on the bed.

“My dearest Janie, I forgive you. I know that you love me, and I love you, too. Daddy.”

This sinful world of ours is dying fast. There’s not much time. And tonight, I have a note for you, from your Heavenly Father. “I love you. I forgive you. And we can start all over, right now.”

It’s a yellow scrap of paper. A yellow ribbon, tied to a tree called Calvary. It’s the river that runs all the way through this Book.

And it can be yours, right now.

Appeal CARD

Right now, I want to give you an opportunity to claim your new beginning with God. I’m going to ask the ushers to give you another card - and this one is very special.

The first line says, “I surrender my life fully to Christ.” There shouldn’t be anybody in this room who can’t check that box. As you’ve seen who Jesus is, and what He’s done for you - you KNOW it’s time to make a decision, and you can simply check that box.

The second line says, “I want to be baptized by immersion, the way Jesus was.” This is your opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and show the world that you believe. You believe that He died, He was buried and He rose again - and you believe that because of that, you can have a brand-new life. Go ahead and check that box.

Maybe you HAVE been baptized, but after tonight, you’d just like to talk to someone and ask some questions about being baptized again. If that’s you - go ahead and check that third box.

Or maybe you just need prayer. There’s something going on in your life, and you’d like me to pray about that. You don’t know how to handle it. That’s OK - God DOES. So go ahead and check that box: I’d be happy to start praying for you.

And maybe, after all we’ve studied, you’d like to visit in person. Maybe to ask questions about the stuff we’re learning, or maybe something else from the Bible. Whatever it is, I’m happy to visit - just go ahead and check that box.

Have the ushers start collecting cards.

Whatever it is tonight: maybe you want a brand-new start. Maybe you want prayer for something that’s happening in your life. Maybe you just want to thank God for the way your experience with Him has been growing in recent weeks - why not come to the front and we’ll pray together?

In fact, I’ll ask the ushers to bring those cards to the front, too - and we’ll pray over those. Just come down, right now, and we’ll pray.

Prayer

Father in heaven, we find it absolutely amazing that in spite of who we are, and in spite of what we’ve done - You offer us complete forgiveness. You offer us a brand-new start. Even though we’ve all lived lives that rebel against You, You still offer us the kingdom, and through Jesus we can have everything back.

Thank you. Tonight, we want that brand-new start. Tonight, we want to be Your children, and we want the world to know that we KNOW You and LOVE You. That’s why we’re standing here. And tonight, some of us are looking back over our lives, and we have all kinds of regrets. Some of us have problems that we don’t know how to solve. Some of us are facing things that have nearly made us crack, and we’re asking for Your help.

Father, look at these people. I know that You love them. I know that Jesus gave His life for them. I’m asking that You would bless them, and that You would fill their lives with the joy that comes from knowing we are right with You. And above all else, Lord, please come quickly - because we are ready to go home. In Jesus’ Name - Amen.

Have a great night, folks - see you tomorrow for “Babylon Rising”!