The the room. You’re going to be baptized right here. All right. Details don’t go anywhere. All right, well, you guys rising to walk in newness of life. This is part of the kingdom way. And today baptism is zero. And in on that reality. And so we’re excited to be able to do this and to even be able to connect this important step that people make in their lives with this series.

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The Kingdom way. In first John three one it says, behold what manner of love the father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God. Here John is emphasizing the love of the father and how amazing it is that he wants to adopt us as his children in this time. We are in this age of grace, this time when he has revealed himself as the father, and we get to embrace him that way as our Lord and father.

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This age of grace, this church age that we are walking out, is is a time where God is dealing with unbelief and dealing with sin. He is dealing with what has caused so much destruction to humanity. Death. Death is all wrapped up in this world that you and I live. But at the very foundation of this message of Jesus Christ is this understanding that death is being swallowed up in victory, right?

00:04:57:05 – 00:05:49:01
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And that we as individuals get to rise, to walk in newness of life. And so as we’re having a baptism today, everything about that is this immersion into the water. Sounds crazy. How could jumping into a pool of water transform your life? But it is in that moment where your faith engages with a promise of God, a promise of God for you to take on this identity with him in his burial for you to cut covenant with him, for you to take on this family name as a son or daughter of the King, and to rise to walk in newness of life.

00:05:49:02 – 00:06:28:28
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This is what water baptism is all about. And so it’s such an important part of our journey. Rising to walk in newness of life with Jesus is rising to walk into his reign as the King. It’s about rising to walk in his way of the kingdom. Romans six verse four and five says, therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, so we to might walk in newness of life.

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John 1125 says, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Do you believe this? So life is our aim. Eternal life specifically, and life without sin. This is what God has set before us.

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And this is what a new life for us is all about.

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So in John, there’s a real familiar set of scriptures that we reference all the time. In John three it says, you must be born of the water and the spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God. But I wanted to back up a little bit and start in chapter two at verse 23. And it says, during the feast many believed in the name in his name when they saw the signs, which he did.

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But Jesus did not commit himself to them. It’s an interesting statement there, because he knew all men and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for he knew what was in man. So here Jesus is, revealing this supernatural power. He’s in Jerusalem. He’s performing signs and wonders, and people are acknowledging a man doing signs and wonders.

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And so Jesus is not making an effort to connect with them, to reveal himself to them, because he knows what about the heart of man.

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That it’s evil, that it’s dead, that it’s broken in relationship with God. Right? Man cannot be connected with what is happening. So Jesus understands his task. He understands his assignment, and at this moment is not committing himself to these people. So then we step into chapter three. It is at this moment in Jesus’s ministry where he begins to unfold the plan that is going to be taking place.

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There is power on display, and in this display, this man Nicodemus shows up. This man is a Pharisee. This means he’s he’s one who is aware of God, aware of what is righteous, aware of these laws that that reflect maybe the heart of God. And so he’s he’s coming to Jesus in this moment, having just witnessed all of these miracles.

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And Jesus answers him his question because he comes at sea.

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I am missing that scripture, so I might have to open it in my Bible.

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Is it behind me? There it is on the screen. Thank you. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to destroy Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher. Come from God. And Jesus answers him and says to him, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

00:10:30:04 – 00:11:08:23
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So here Nicodemus is saying, teacher, we see the miracles that you are doing and knowing that God must be with you. But Jesus isn’t answering him and telling him, hey, good, you’re on the right track. He’s saying, you know what? It is impossible for you to know about my kingdom unless you are born of the spirit. He’s he’s confronting Nicodemus, who is this Jew who has been living his life from this perspective, that he knows what is right.

00:11:08:25 – 00:11:39:06
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And now he’s being told, it’s impossible for you to know this kingdom that I come to bring, unless you’re born of the spirit. So this distinction of man’s effort with what Jesus is coming to do is being exposed here. So Nicodemus says to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?

00:11:39:06 – 00:12:03:25
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And Jesus answers and says, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.

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So is everyone who is born of the spirit. This is what God is establishing. The way of the kingdom is a way that can only be accessed through the work of Jesus Christ. Our ability to rise and walk in newness of life begins on this foundation. And so as we are, as we are figuring out our lives, as we are trying to understand the mystery of iniquity, why the, the, the despair in our world comes at us?

00:12:37:22 – 00:13:11:08
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Why the brokenness continues to plague families and hearts and souls. We come to a realization that it is only through the power of Jesus that anything can change. And it is only through the power of Jesus that we can begin to understand the way of the Kingdom. It is. It is the foundation of all our lives. From this foundation, we get to rise, to walk in newness of life.

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It is purely by faith. It is purely by the work of Jesus Christ. And so today, as as we have come into this place, maybe because we know it’s the right thing to do. Maybe we love each other, or maybe we actually just love honoring the King. What we are challenged to be in the is salt and light and what what that does, what that needs to do is transform hearts.

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It needs to transform minds. We get to be messengers of something called reconciliation, where there is a restoration of you with the creator, a reconciliation of your life and his life. And on a day like Mother’s Day, where there is such an obvious connection of message with life, it is also a great day to recognize the goodness of the father who is willing to deal with us, even when we’re crying in the middle of church.

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He takes. He takes us in our worst moments when we’re trying to be an embarrassment to him, and he embraces us. He is a good father with a good plan for your in my life.

00:15:07:17 – 00:15:50:14
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I don’t know if our candidates are getting close, but there’s a section of scripture yesterday that I read at the men’s group that God has really been speaking to my heart. It’s in second Corinthians five, and I didn’t put it up here. I wasn’t sure if I’d get here today, but it says, for we know that if our earthly house, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.

00:15:50:17 – 00:16:24:02
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For in this we groan, earnestly, desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven. If indeed having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the spirit as a guarantee.

00:16:24:05 – 00:16:52:26
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And then dropping down to verse 17, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us this ministry of reconciliation.

00:16:52:28 – 00:17:38:04
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We are walking out this church age right now, learning about this restoration of the father, learning that the the grace of God is so complete in us that everything is being changed. Not only is your spirit coming to life through that baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, but your heart is being renewed through water baptism and to come, our bodies are going to take on immortality.

00:17:38:06 – 00:18:13:02
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The fullness of what God is doing is so beyond what we experience in this moment. But the truth is, all things are being made new and we can hold on to these things. Though there’s some groaning right now because we really just want that heavenly body. I know some some people feel more serious about that in this room than others.

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Come on Mike.

00:18:19:11 – 00:18:37:08
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You never have to sleep in church again because you’ll have all the energy you could ever ask for. But God knows you needed rest, so your sleep in church is precious.

00:18:37:10 – 00:19:25:23
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But how does that how does that sound? God wants you to step into immortality. He wants you to know the fullness of his power. It’s what Jesus put on display before he even started preaching. He put on display the fullness of this kingdom message, and that fullness is ours to have. And in fact, in revelations 19 it talks about the marriage of the lamb coming, and that marriage is when Jesus is coming again for that complete work where this is our reality, where there is nothing left to be accomplished.

00:19:25:26 – 00:19:52:27
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But today we’re celebrating that more people are embracing this call of God, are embracing this truth of God, and are stepping into a path that is a promise for them and for all of us to be one with him. Amen. And to walk in this Kingdom way. So let’s have a baptism. Are you guys ready? Amen. Whoo! Hey!