Latest / Admonition Podcast / I Was At The Birthday Party - Justin Evergarden - Dec. 28, 2025 014
Transcript
- 0:00This past weekend, or week, we all got to enjoy spending time with our families during the holiday known as Christmas.
- 0:09So you'd know that this Sunday we're going to preach a Christmas sermon.
- 0:15But not one that you'd typically think of.
- 0:17The title for this one is, creatively, I Was At the Birthday Party.
- 0:23For most of the religious world, Christmas is viewed as a major birthday celebration.
- 0:28A time when millions pause to recognize the birth of Jesus.
- 0:32Even people who rarely attend worship or even open a Bible suddenly become aware of the story of Bethlehem, the manger, the shepherds, and the angels.
- 0:45Christmas carols fill the air and messages of peace and goodwill are found all over, at least on the surface.
- 0:54Devotion to Christ is also seen.
- 0:57But historically, Christmas did not begin with a biblical celebration.
- 1:03Most understand that Jesus was not truly born on December 25th.
- 1:07Careful study reveals the date is almost certainly incorrect.
- 1:10The shepherds wouldn't have been outdoors as we read in Acts chapter two and verse eight.
- 1:14This would suggest a warmer climate for that type of year for farmers in the local region.
- 1:20Many scholars propose that Jesus was born sometime actually between late summer and early fall, between August and October.
- 1:28So where did December 25th come from?
- 1:30Early Christians did not celebrate Jesus' birth at all.
- 1:33But after the first several centuries, around the third and fourth century, as Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, church leaders attempted to replace pagan
- 1:42winter festivals.
- 1:43December 25th coincided with pagan celebrations such as Sol Invictus, this would be roughly translated the unconquered sun, and Saturnalia, a festive day honoring false gods
- 1:56to redirect attention towards Christ.
- 2:01Jesus' birthday, as they said, to this existing holiday season, although well-intentioned resulted in a tradition Jesus never asked for.
- 2:14We didn't ask for this tradition to take place, neither did Christ.
- 2:18And even though many today know that Jesus was not born on December 25th, they still want to celebrate His birth in some way.
- 2:24There's nothing wrong with that.
- 2:27But this is why we repeatedly hear coined phrases like
- 2:31the largest one you probably heard it on the radio Jesus is the reason for the season and then we have songs like Jesus is born this day by Mariah Carey which features lyrics like
- 2:44Jesus born on this day he is the king of all nation today Aziz Sagera wrote a classic song reminding listeners of the significance of that specific date Christ was born on Christmas
- 2:56Day a spiritual song which
- 2:59Lyrics explicitly state when Christ was born, when Christ was born, on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.
- 3:05That song particularly has it repeated twice.
- 3:10We often hear the song Go Tell It on the Mountain, which includes the line, that blessed Christmas morn.
- 3:16I say blessed because we're so used to singing blessed.
- 3:19There's a word blessed.
- 3:22That blessed Christmas morn.
- 3:24This links the event to the holiday that leads us to an important question.
- 3:28Is Christmas Day more special than an average day?
- 3:31Is Christmas in and of itself any holier than the average day?
- 3:37Nowhere in the Bible do we read instructions for Christians to celebrate Jesus' birth annually.
- 3:43Instead, what we do read are instructions that tell us to observe a weekly holy day.
- 3:50So why this first day of the week?
- 3:52The day is sacred for two reasons.
- 3:55Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of week.
- 3:58Turn your Bibles over to Mark chapter 6 and verse 9.
- 4:12I'm sorry, Mark 16 in verse 9.
- 4:23Now when he rose early on the first day, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons.
- 4:30We see this also reflected in Luke chapter 24, verses one through three.
- 4:35Just a little further over, Luke chapter 24, verses one through three.
- 4:41We're gonna be hopping around quite a bit, mostly in John and first Corinthians this morning.
- 4:4924, one through three.
- 4:51On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they and certain other women with them came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
- 5:00But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
- 5:03Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
- 5:09Let's look at another parallel passage.
- 5:11Move forward again to the book of John chapter 20.
- 5:25picking up in verse one.
- 5:27Now the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
- 5:36Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have
- 5:47laid him.
- 5:48Therefore, Peter went out and the other disciple and were going to the tomb.
- 5:55These passages are given to us by different apostles.
- 6:00As such, these passages should remind us that the resurrection, not the birth, is the foundation of Christian hope.
- 6:07The Church was established on the first day of the week.
- 6:10We read about this Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.
- 6:13That particular chapter is known as the hub of the Bible when the Church was established.
- 6:19Pentecost occurred 50 days after the Passover.
- 6:22That would place it on a Sunday.
- 6:24So the beginning of Christ's kingdom and the announcement of the gospel both happened on the first day of the week.
- 6:31Yet despite the clear biblical focus, many today give more time, give more emotion, and give more thought to an uncommanded annual holiday observance than to weekly observances
- 6:46Jesus actually required.
- 6:49Many want to attend Jesus's birthday party.
- 6:54thus the title of today's sermon.
- 6:57But there are four things, three things they don't want to do and one thing they won't be able to do.
- 7:02You see, they want to attend Jesus's birthday party, but they don't want to be his friends.
- 7:08Many today will gladly celebrate Christmas in honor of Jesus's birth, but outside of the season, they resist his authority, don't they?
- 7:17They may enjoy the idea of Jesus, but not the commitment.
- 7:22of following him, Jesus made his expectations unmistakably clear.
- 7:28We're already in John, go back a little bit to John chapter 15 and verse 14.
- 7:39Pay attention to what he says.
- 7:42You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.
- 7:48He's not talking about a spiritual being puppeteering you.
- 7:52He says, you do whatsoever I command you.
- 7:58This is not seasonal.
- 8:00This is not optional.
- 8:03This is not emotional only.
- 8:06This is daily obedience.
- 8:09Consider the difference between simply attending the birthday party and actually being his friend.
- 8:16We'll have a couple of illustrations here.
- 8:20It's one thing to sing Christmas carols, isn't it?
- 8:23But it's another to praise Him regularly.
- 8:25Carols once a year do not equal worship from the heart.
- 8:30They sound good.
- 8:32I love Christmas carols.
- 8:33They're cute.
- 8:33They're pretty.
- 8:34They have a nice ring to them.
- 8:35They're very well composed.
- 8:37Beautiful music.
- 8:40but it doesn't equal worship.
- 8:42It's one thing to give spare change to the bell ringers outside of Walmart.
- 8:47It's another to help the helpless every day, isn't it?
- 8:51A moment of charity does not replace a lifestyle of service, a lifetime of service.
- 9:00It's one thing to give a few hours a year towards honoring the Lord.
- 9:04It is another to worship Him every time the opportunity arises, isn't it?
- 9:09It shows devotion.
- 9:10shows love.
- 9:13Sunday assemblies, Bible reading, these things reveal true devotion.
- 9:22It's one thing to be at the birthday party and it is another to truly be His friend.
- 9:28If we don't want to spend time with our Lord Jesus Christ in His Word studying His gospel today on this planet, what makes you think that He'll want to spend an eternity next to us
- 9:38in heaven when we can't spend more than a few hours a year with Him on earth?
- 9:43I hope we take that question to heart.
- 9:46Friendship with Jesus means commitment.
- 9:48It means loyalty.
- 9:50It means obedience.
- 9:52And most of all, it means love.
- 9:56A love that changes priority.
- 9:58Anyone can show up for a holiday, but only a disciple shows up for a lifetime.
- 10:05The Bible itself gives us a clear picture of people who liked Jesus, but did not want to be his friends.
- 10:12We're still in John, go over to chapter 6.
- 10:15Rewind the clock a little more.
- 10:21We'll start in verse 15.
- 10:24But before that, we see Jesus feeds the 5,000.
- 10:28The crowd is excited.
- 10:30I would be free food.
- 10:33They follow Him, they listen to Him, and they even want to make Him King.
- 10:38Let's read verse 15.
- 10:41Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him King, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
- 10:52These were people completely devoted to the point of, you don't wanna be our King?
- 10:55You don't wanna get a choice.
- 10:57We'll make you be our King.
- 10:59But they were thinking of a physical kingdom.
- 11:03not a spiritual kingdom.
- 11:05But when Jesus begins to speak about commitment, things change.
- 11:10Same chapter, chapter 6 verse 66 moving forward.
- 11:16He preaches, he talks to them.
- 11:18And we read in verse 66, from that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more.
- 11:27They liked the miracle.
- 11:30I'm sure they liked the meal.
- 11:33I don't know of many preachers that don't like a free meal.
- 11:37They liked the moment.
- 11:39But when obedience and submission were required, what did they do?
- 11:46The majority of the people left.
- 11:48They bowed out.
- 11:49was time.
- 11:49Nope.
- 11:50No thanks.
- 11:53Moving forward to verse 67, Jesus then turns to the 12 and asks, will ye also go away?
- 12:03Peter responds,
- 12:06with loyalty.
- 12:09Verse 68, but Simon Peter answered him, Lord to whom shall we go?
- 12:16You have the words of eternal life.
- 12:20Take a look at this passage and let's notice a few things that the passage teaches us.
- 12:25The crowd showed up for the event.
- 12:28The disciples stayed.
- 12:31They stayed for the relationship, not for the free meal to hand out to the miracles.
- 12:38Now let's look at today.
- 12:39Many today celebrate His birth every single year.
- 12:42Many claim to enjoy the benefits of Jesus.
- 12:45They love the baby and the manger.
- 12:48Don't they?
- 12:50Why?
- 12:52Why are we so hung up on a baby and a manger?
- 12:55Is it because a baby and a manger isn't going to demand anything from you?
- 13:01isn't going to demand anything.
- 13:05A baby won't condemn you for your sin.
- 13:08How could it?
- 13:09It can barely babble.
- 13:10My six month old teaches me that every day.
- 13:12He loves to babble.
- 13:15But at the same time, it's not the baby that can save you, is it?
- 13:21The one who can save is the same Jesus that grew up and died on a cross.
- 13:26For you and for me.
- 13:28He's the same Jesus that defeated death by resurrecting after.
- 13:32Just like in John's day, most people don't hate Jesus.
- 13:36They just don't want to be His friend.
- 13:39There's something else that they don't want.
- 13:41Whether they'll admit it or not, they don't want to take part in His wedding.
- 13:45Many want to celebrate Jesus' birth, but far fewer
- 13:49want to enter a covenant friendship and relationship with them.
- 13:54Let's go over to Isaiah chapter 7.
- 14:17Isaiah chapter 7 and verse 14 specifically talks about the virgin birth.
- 14:22the sake of time, we're going to move forward.
- 14:24Galatians 4 and verse 4 also says about the timing of his birth.
- 14:28But the Bible places even greater emphasis on his wedding.
- 14:33It's a symbol of his relationship with the church.
- 14:35He wasn't married to what we would think today as a woman, but to the church.
- 14:41Some don't even know that the Lord had a bride.
- 14:43Yet the Scriptures teach that He did.
- 14:46easy let's turn over to Revelation chapter 21
- 14:55Revelation 21 and verse 2.
- 15:02Then I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
- 15:14The holy city, the new city we learned in class today was not physical Jerusalem.
- 15:19It was talking about a spiritual city, a spiritual kingdom.
- 15:22And this holy city is pictured as a bride.
- 15:26Moving forward in verse nine of Revelation 21.
- 15:31Then one of seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me saying, come, I will show you the bride, the lamb's wife.
- 15:43Notice the angel explicitly calls her the church, the bride of Christ.
- 15:48So who is the bride of Christ?
- 15:50It's the church.
- 15:52The apostle Paul uses the same type of marriage imagery to show natural relationships.
- 15:58Let's look at second Corinthians.
- 16:01chapter 11.
- 16:112 Corinthians chapter 11 will start in verse 2.
- 16:16Paul here is presenting the church as a chaste virgin.
- 16:20I am jealous for you with goodly jealousy.
- 16:24For I have been, for I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to who?
- 16:35To Christ.
- 16:37Let's parallel that scripture with Ephesians chapter five.
- 16:44I told you we're going to jump around a lot.
- 16:57Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 25.
- 17:04Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her.
- 17:11Let's continue.
- 17:14That he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.
- 17:20That he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
- 17:31So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies.
- 17:36He who loves his wife loves himself.
- 17:39For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and treasures it just as the Lord does the church.
- 17:47For we are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bones.
- 17:53For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.
- 17:59This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning who?
- 18:03Christ and the Church.
- 18:06It's a marriage relationship.
- 18:09Christ gave Himself for her.
- 18:11He sanctifies her.
- 18:13He nourishes her, cleanses her.
- 18:17This imagery tells us two things.
- 18:21Christ is faithful to His bride, and as such His bride must be faithful to Him.
- 18:28Jesus warned that many would not be invited to the wedding.
- 18:34I'm sorry, that many would be invited to the wedding, but would not be in attendance.
- 18:38Let me rephrase.
- 18:41Move forward to Matthew chapter two.
- 18:4722, Matthew chapter 22.
- 18:53We're going start in verse 5, but Jesus tells a parable about a king who prepares a wedding feast for his son.
- 19:00And what's the first thing you do for a wedding?
- 19:02You prepare the invitations.
- 19:04You get the invitations.
- 19:05You get the postcards marked.
- 19:07You write them down.
- 19:07You stamp them.
- 19:09Back in these days, it would have worked a little differently.
- 19:12But the invitations are set and everything is ready.
- 19:14The celebration is planned, but notice the response in Matthew chapter 22 and verse 5.
- 19:21But they made light of it.
- 19:22and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business." Your translation might have the word merchandise.
- 19:30They cared more for their jobs and their earthly gain than they did this wedding.
- 19:35They didn't reject the king outright in this instance, in this passage.
- 19:40They were simply too busy to attend the wedding.
- 19:42But if we move on to verse 6, we see that some even become hostile to the invitation.
- 19:49And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them." When's the last time you killed somebody for inviting you to their wedding?
- 20:02We read it right here!
- 20:07We laugh, but it's shocking, right?
- 20:11Let's jump down to verses 11 through 13.
- 20:17But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
- 20:23So he said to him, friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?
- 20:28And he was speechless.
- 20:30And the king said to the servants, bind him hand and foot, take him away and cast him into outer darkness.
- 20:36There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- 20:40For many are called, but few are chosen.
- 20:45He is cast out.
- 20:48He wasn't cast out because he showed up.
- 20:53but because he refused to come on the king's terms.
- 20:57So what was the problem?
- 20:59The problem wasn't ignorance.
- 21:01The problem was not a lack of an invitation.
- 21:03The problem was refusal of covenant.
- 21:09Many today admire the king's son.
- 21:12Again, they celebrate his birth every single year.
- 21:15But when invited into his covenant to be part of his bride, they decline, don't they?
- 21:22They delay.
- 21:25Or, many times, they demand it to be on their own terms.
- 21:29Let me tell you, we operate on God's not ours.
- 21:34Sorry, not sorry.
- 21:37It is not my terms, it is on God's terms how we worship and what we are to do.
- 21:42Celebrating His birth is not wrong, but refusing to join His body, refusing to join His church, refusing to join His bride means missing the entire purpose for which He came.
- 21:56Move over to Matthew chapter one and verse 21.
- 22:08and she will bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins." That's the whole point, isn't it?
- 22:19But we don't want to join the establishment that saves us from our sins.
- 22:25They want to go to the birthday party but they don't want to take part in the marriage.
- 22:28The third thing that they don't want to do, they want to go to the birthday party but they don't want to observe his death.
- 22:36A blessing of being in Christ's Church is the privilege of gathering every single week to observe the Lord's Supper.
- 22:43Jesus did not give us an annual celebration of His birth, but He did give us a weekly memorial of His death.
- 22:51Paul writes the words of Christ in 1 Corinthians.
- 22:54Turn over there now to chapter 11.
- 23:001 Corinthians 11, starting in verse 24.
- 23:07And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you.
- 23:13Do this in remembrance of me.
- 23:16In the same manner, he also took the cup after.
- 23:22Supper saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
- 23:26This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
- 23:30For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes.
- 23:38Should we only remember the Lord's sacrifice once a year for a couple of hours?
- 23:43Or as we gather around the Christmas tree?
- 23:51Let's move forward to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 through 4.
- 24:00It continues, moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, and in which by you stand, by which you are also saved if, big if
- 24:13there, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
- 24:24For I delivered to you first all of that which I also received.
- 24:29that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
- 24:39The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is the heart of Christianity.
- 24:45It's the foundation of our entire belief system.
- 24:49Yet most people who so loudly celebrate Jesus' birth rarely partake of His Lord's Supper, don't they?
- 24:57They rarely attend weekly worship.
- 25:00They rarely even meditate on his sacrifice.
- 25:05According to Acts chapter 20 and verse 7, the early church met every first day of the week.
- 25:13This was not optional.
- 25:16This was commanded remembrance wasn't it?
- 25:19Yes.
- 25:21Let's go back to the hub of the Bible.
- 25:22Let's go to Acts chapter 2.
- 25:36Acts chapter 2 and verse 42.
- 25:46and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
- 25:58God has always taught His people to remember salvation through sacrifice, not sentiment.
- 26:07When Israel was delivered from Egypt, did God command them to celebrate the birth of Moses?
- 26:15They had salvation from Egypt, they had salvation from Egyptian captivity.
- 26:20No, instead He commanded them to remember what?
- 26:22The night of blood.
- 26:25Turn back over to Exodus chapter 12.
- 26:30Let's take a look at an Old Testament example of this.
- 26:35chapter 12 and verse 13.
- 26:40Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood I will pass over you.
- 26:47And the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."
- 26:57This day shall be unto you a memorial, he says in 12 and verse 14.
- 27:05for I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night.
- 27:08I will execute judgment, verse 12.
- 27:12Verse 14, this day shall be to you as a memorial and ye shall keep it as a feast of the Lord throughout, once a year?
- 27:22Throughout your generations.
- 27:24You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
- 27:30Israel was to remember not the birth of their deliverer.
- 27:35not the excitement of their escape, but the cost of redemption.
- 27:40Remember the lamb that died in their place where they spread the blood on the door seal?
- 27:46We have another lamb that died for us, don't we?
- 27:49Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 5.
- 27:55And verse seven.
- 28:08Therefore purge out the old leaven that ye may be a new lump, since ye truly are unleavened.
- 28:13For indeed Christ, our what?
- 28:16Our Passover, was sacrificed for us." Paul connected this to Christ.
- 28:25Just as Israel had a commanded memorial, so does the church.
- 28:31Israel could not ignore the Passover and still claim faithfulness, could they?
- 28:35No, of course not.
- 28:37No one could ignore the Lord's Supper today and still claim devotion to the cross.
- 28:42We have to observe this.
- 28:45Those are three things that they may wanna go to the birthday party, but they don't wanna take part in.
- 28:51But there's something they won't be able to take part in.
- 28:53They won't take part.
- 28:55the resurrection.
- 28:56The Bible equates salvation with being in communion with Christ.
- 29:02Those who belong to Him are those who walk with Him, those who worship Him, those who obey Him.
- 29:10those who partake in His memorial.
- 29:12And if you do so, you're promised the resurrection.
- 29:15Let's go back to John, John chapter 6.
- 29:26starting in verse 54.
- 29:30Jesus declares, whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life.
- 29:36And I will raise him up in the last day.
- 29:40and will raise him up in the last day.
- 29:43So what happens if we don't partake of the Lord's Supper?
- 29:48What happens if we don't obey God?
- 29:50Most of the religious world celebrate Jesus' birthday, but they don't want His friendship because that's equal to obedience.
- 29:58They don't want His wedding because that means having to join the church.
- 30:03They do not want to observe His death, the Lord's Supper.
- 30:07And therefore, according to the scripture we just read, they will not take part in the resurrection.
- 30:17The resurrection is reserved for the faithful in Christ, those who serve Christ.
- 30:22Romans 6, 3 through 6 says, Know ye not that so many of us were baptized into Christ, were baptized into His death?
- 30:31Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death.
- 30:35Just like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of our Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
- 30:45For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we also shall be in the likeness of this resurrection.
- 30:51Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed and henceforth we should not serve sin.
- 31:05Perhaps you're here today because you appreciate Jesus' birth.
- 31:09It's good.
- 31:10I commend it.
- 31:12It is admirable to acknowledge the moment when our God entered the world in human flesh.
- 31:17It was a very important part.
- 31:20But being a Christian, being saved requires far more than celebrating a birthday once a year.
- 31:28It requires friendship with Christ, doesn't it?
- 31:31It requires a friendship that's shown in obedience.
- 31:34It requires becoming His bride through faithful membership in His church.
- 31:40So how do we gain entrance into His church?
- 31:42Through baptism.
- 31:44If you look at John chapter 3 and verse 5, he says, Verily, verily, say unto you, accept a man be born of water and of the Spirit.
- 31:53He cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
- 32:00Well now preacher, you're telling me I have to be baptized.
- 32:03I'm not.
- 32:05God's Word is.
- 32:08But preacher, I thought it was faith only.
- 32:11Take a moment and turn your Bible over to James chapter 2 and verse 24.
- 32:14Let's go to the book of James.
- 32:20James 2 and verse 24.
- 32:26James was taught by Christ.
- 32:29And he says, when you see, you see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only.
- 32:38Not by faith only, it takes more than that.
- 32:41Christ said earlier as we read, ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you.
- 32:51So many want to argue faith only salvation or that we're saying from the pulpit, we're saying works only.
- 32:59Let me be clear.
- 33:01It takes faith plus works to be saved from eternal hellfire.
- 33:09and you have to be responsible for the actions in your own body.
- 33:13A miraculous spirit is not pulling the strings.
- 33:16You make these choices.
- 33:19Baptism also is not a work.
- 33:23It's a submission to Christ.
- 33:28If we hear the Word, we have to take the time to listen.
- 33:30That's a work.
- 33:31You have to believe it.
- 33:33Yes, believing in something takes work sometimes.
- 33:35No one will ever argue the point of you have to repent of your sins.
- 33:40No one will ever argue that you have to confess with your mouth that you believe Jesus is the Son of God.
- 33:46We have whole false doctrine teachers telling people over and over again, say the sinner's prayer and you'll be saved.
- 33:52Just say these words and that's it.
- 33:53You're good for life.
- 33:55No one will ever argue that those aren't works.
- 33:57But when it comes to baptism, baptism isn't something you do, it's something you submit to.
- 34:03And the one part of the God's plan of salvation that's not a work, they don't wanna do because they claim it's a work.
- 34:14It is a submission to Christ if we do all these things.
- 34:17Then we have hope of sharing in the resurrection.
- 34:21This season I hope we all realize that there is so much more to Christianity than an annual celebration.
- 34:29I hope we realize that it is lifetime commitment.
- 34:32It is a covenant relationship.
- 34:35It is worship.
- 34:37It is discipleship.
- 34:39It is sacrifice.
- 34:42It is devotion.
- 34:44And beyond all of that, it's the only path to eternal security.
- 34:49We have to obey what God gave us.
- 34:52If you'd like to become a Christian today, or maybe you have some other need that we could help you with in any way, we'd be happy to pray for you at this time.
- 34:59We have the Baptistery filled if you need to put on Christ in Baptism.
- 35:02Repent of your sins.
- 35:04Let the old man of sin be buried and rise again in newness of life just like Christ was.
- 35:08If you have any today, please