The Good News of Jesus Christ

Introduction

Baptism

I believe that Scripture is teaching that we are baptized the moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ and are cleansed, purified, forgiven, made a part of the Church (God’s People), and united with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and Resurrection. The physical act of Baptism is not required for salvation because we are already saved by God’s grace through Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit, but is a public declaration and Symbol of what God has already did in our hearts and lives.

Today, We will be hearing the testimonies and seeing the baptism of 3 people.

Good News of Christ.

God, Our Creator, Loves Us!

Genesis 1:1 (ESV)

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:26–27 (ESV)

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

God created the universe

God created us to live in relationship with Him.

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God not only created us, but also loves us.

Agape Love values the thing loved, and seeks its best no matter what.

John 10:10 (ESV)

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

The life of abundance we all seek is found in relationship with God.

Jesus came so we could have this abundant life.

Why don’t we experience that abundant life now?

Our Sin Has Separated Us From God!

Romans 3:23 (ESV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Sin has separated us from God

The separation between Sinful Man and God is so vast that, no matter how “good” we may be, we are powerless to bridge it. Doing so would be like swimming from Hawaii to Los Angeles, a distance of 2000 miles over open ocean. No matter how good a swimmer one might be, even the best will fail!

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sin not only separates us from God, but it puts us under his judgment.

Sin comes with the wage of death - This death is more than just our bodies dying; it is spiritual separation from God. At our physical death, this separation becomes eternal.

This makes a dilemma for God. We are sinners and deserve judgment for our guilty state, but God created us and wants us to live in relationship with Him. So, What does He do?

Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Died On the Cross for Our Sins!

Isaiah 53:6 (ESV)

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus lived his life in perfect obedience to God and His Law. Jesus was willing to become the substitute for our sin. God placed upon Jesus our sins and He paid the wage of death for our sins.

Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Jesus Christ ~ God’s Answer - When Christ died on the cross, His death paid the penalty for our sin. Jesus, after 3 days, rose to life again conquering the grave. Jesus is alive forevermore and is the all-sufficient Savior to all who would look to him. This is why Eternal Life can only be found through Christ.

John 14:6 (ESV)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus came to be the way of eternal life. Jesus is not a way to God, but the only way to God.

Jesus paid the penalty for our sins in his death, conquered the grave in His resurrection and is now offering forgiveness for our sins to all.

We Must Receive Jesus Christ As Savior and Lord!

Mark 1:15 (ESV)

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Repent - Turn from our life of sin.

Believe - Turn to God in trust and reliance upon Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our Sins.

About face - Turn 180

John 1:12 (ESV)

12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

When we repent and believe in Jesus, God restores our relationship with Him and we find love, grace, mercy, comfort, forgiveness, healing, and hope.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

It is not the words that are important but our faith. We must trust Christ to forgive our sins because He promised He would.

Conclusion

God is offering abundant life to all through His Son Jesus Christ.

Have you put your faith and trust in Christ?

Kezia’s Testimony

You are here to proclaim you are a follower of Jesus.

Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior?

Can you tell us when and how you came to trust in Jesus as your Savior for the forgiveness of your sins?

Baptism is a public declaration of what God has done in our lives.

Why do you want to be baptised?

Is there anything else you would like to say?