Kootenai Church: Special Sermons

All right, baptism is a proclamation of our identification with Jesus Christ. We do this in obedience to Him to show that He is our Lord, that we belong to Him, that He belongs to us. This act of baptism displays something that He did on our behalf, and it is a public confession that we do in the presence of many witnesses because it takes courage to stand up in front of other people and even on a live stream and proclaim that you are a sinner, that you deserve nothing but God's wrath, that you have done nothing to earn His favor, that you can do nothing to earn His favor, and all you deserve is judgment, and then to also proclaim that you are, because those things are true, placing your entire faith and confidence in somebody else who merited your salvation and did everything necessary to earn not only your forgiveness but your eternal righteousness and your eternal glory.
So as we prepare for baptisms, which we're going to have coming up here shortly, I want to give our attention to a passage that describes the kind of confident boldness that should mark every believer in Jesus Christ. This passage not only describes that confidence but also explains to us the grounding and the reason why we should have that kind of bold, unashamed confidence in Christ. And that passage is 2 Timothy 1. We read it a few moments ago, and you'll need your Bibles open to that passage this morning again, so please turn there. Second Timothy 1. We're going to read together verses 6–12. We're going to be focusing mostly on verses 8–12 and really kind of zeroing in at the end on verse 12 itself, and then this is going to be our passage this morning. Second Timothy 1, beginning at verse 6:
6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.
12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. (NASB)
Now, that is our passage for this morning. We're going to be focusing, as I said, mostly on verse 12. We're going to be catching verses 8 and following as well. But before we do, a bit of context because we haven't been in 1 Timothy and I haven't had an opportunity to lay a foundation of this book, so I’ll just sort of bring us up to speed on what this passage is that we're dealing with in the context in which the book was written.
This is the last letter of the apostle Paul to his young protégé Timothy. In fact, it is the last letter of the apostle Paul, period. As he writes this, he was in prison for the gospel, and this is his second imprisonment in the cause of Christ. The first imprisonment we read of in the book of Acts at the end of the book of Acts. And after that, he was released for a period of time, and then he was arrested, and now he is imprisoned again, no longer under house arrest where his people could come and visit him frequently and freely and bring him gifts and things would be cared for. It's not that kind of an imprisonment. That was at the end of the book of Acts. That was the first imprisonment. This one is a hole in the ground, and he is given nothing. And if people don't bring him even food and water, then he would end up going entirely without.
Christianity by this point in history was becoming an illegal religion. Christians who would not worship the state or say Caesar is Lord had become public enemy number one and were becoming increasingly unwelcome in the culture because their morals did not fit with the increasingly darkening moral culture of the day. So their morals were not welcome, their ethics were not welcome, and Christians were being blamed for most of society's ills. In fact, by the time Timothy got this letter, we're only a couple of years away from the emperor Nero setting fire to Rome and then fiddling on his rooftop as he watched Rome burn only so that he could blame it on Christians and launch what would end up being a 250-year government-sponsored persecution of the church. That's the context in which this book is written.
And Timothy had been a longtime traveling companion of the apostle Paul, a trusted partner with him in ministry for years since Timothy was just an older teenager, in fact. Timothy was given the charge to deal with the false teachers who were in the church at Ephesus. Three weeks ago we looked at Acts 20 where Paul called the elders of the church of Ephesus out to him at the shore at Miletus and he charged them, saying beware and guard yourselves and the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, and know, Paul says, that from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, twisted doctrinal things. And now that had come to pass, and after the release from his first imprisonment, Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus and wrote 1 Timothy to him. And he says in chapter 1, verse 3, “Upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.” So that warning of Paul to the Ephesian elders that some among them would begin to teach perverse things, that had come to pass, and now Timothy was there to deal with the false teachers in Ephesus. Fast-forward a couple of years, Paul is now in prison, and he is writing to his young pastoral protégé Timothy with these instructions, telling him, “Timothy, while the culture is hostile against us, do not shy away from this gospel. Do not shy away from this Lord, this Messiah, and do not be shaken amidst all of the hostility of the world. Do not be shaken away from your confidence in Christ and His gospel, and do not be ashamed of me, the Lord's prisoner.” That's the context in which this is written.
And I want you to notice in our text, verses 8–12, three reasons that Paul gives why we should not be ashamed. First, in verses 8–11, we have a saving gospel. Second, in verse 12, we have a securing God. And then third, also in verse 12, we have a sure glory. We have a saving gospel, a securing God, and a sure glory. We'll take each one of those three. And beginning at verse 8—in fact, I want to back up and just read verse 7 because it's part of this context. Verse 7, Paul says to Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” The word that's translated “timidity” there means cowardice or fear. It was used sometimes in an idiomatic way to describe somebody who had a fallen heart. Their heart had just fallen, they had lost all moral or conscience courage. So they just had nothing inside of them that was strong, so they were very weak. And he is saying God has not given us that spirit of a fallen heart but one of boldness and strength, one of power and love and discipline.
So he writes in verse 8, therefore, because God has not given us that spirit of a fallen heart but instead given us a spirit of courage, therefore, Timothy, “do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.” Paul was Christ's prisoner. He identifies himself as His prisoner in verse 8. This is the first mention of Paul's sufferings in the Epistle, but it actually becomes a theme all the way through this Epistle, as Paul mentions it from time to time, that he was enduring affliction and enduring imprisonment. In fact, if you just look at verse 16 of the same chapter, he says, “The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.” Notice in verse 8 he says to Timothy, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner.” Then in verse 16, he references a fellow servant who was not ashamed of the Lord or of His prisoner Paul. In fact, he was not ashamed of Paul's chains. In chapter 2, verse 9, he says, “I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.” Chapter 3, verse 11, look what he says. He describes his “persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!” Second Timothy 3:12: “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Then you get into chapter 4, and not to read all of these verses but just to give you the highlights—in chapter 4, verse 16, we find out that Paul had been on trial at least once. He had made at least one defense before Caesar. Chapter 4, verse 11, he had been abandoned by everyone except for one companion, his friend Luke. Chapter 4, verse 13, he was facing a winter in this prison, and so he asked Timothy to bring his parchments and his cloak so he could be warm before winter, and asked him, “Please come before winter.” He had been harmed by Alexander the coppersmith, verses 14 and 15. He had been abandoned, verse 10, and he was expecting execution soon, verse 6.
So he says to Timothy, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner” (2 Tim. 1:8). And then look what he says to him: “Join with me in suffering for the gospel.” That is an odd invitation, isn't it? If I asked you to join me for a potluck of smoked tri-tip and delicious food this afternoon, you think, “That sounds like an invitation that I can enjoy. Take you up on that.” But if I say, “Join with me in suffering”—what type of suffering? The type of suffering we've just seen Paul describe in this Epistle. And he is saying to Timothy, “You must be willing, if called upon, to join with me in suffering for the gospel. Do not run away from that affliction. Do not run away from that persecution. Do not be ashamed of it. Do not shy away from it. Do not be shaken by the hostility of the world. But instead, join with me, come with me, and join me in this suffering.” Because Paul is saying to Timothy to be ashamed of Paul and his imprisonment was to be ashamed of Christ since Paul was in prison for one reason and one reason only, and that was his testimony regarding Christ. Paul was not in prison because he was an insurrectionist. Paul was not in prison because he had spoken ill about Caesar. Paul was not in prison because he had violated any law of the Roman Empire. Paul was in prison because he was preaching the gospel of Christ. And he had become public enemy number one. And so he says to Timothy, “Join with me in suffering for this gospel. Don't be ashamed of that. I haven't done anything deserving of this persecution, this affliction, and this imprisonment. And therefore gladly, joyfully, boldly, unashamedly align yourself with me and with this gospel and join with me in suffering if necessary.”
And the reason we are called to suffer is because of what Christ has done. Look, he describes that in verses 9 and following. We are to suffer for the gospel according to the power of God, verse 9,
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. (2 Tim. 1:9–11 NASB)
That's the details of a saving gospel. We serve a God who has wrought salvation from sin and from death. He has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel by redeeming sinners who deserve nothing but judgment, nothing but God's wrath, and He forgives them and justifies them not according to their works but according to His own grace which He grants to His people from all eternity. In other words, this grace that is granted to those who partake of salvation is a grace that is given to them before time begins. It is from all eternity. It's not a grace that is given for all eternity. Paul is saying it is a grace that was given from all eternity. Go back as far as you can go back, and there is a God there who has purpose to redeem and to justify sinners, and He grants grace to those people, a select number of people, a grace to be redeemed, forgiven of their sins, declared righteous, and secured for everlasting glory. That is a grace that was given to you before time began.
But now, in time, that grace has been manifested when Christ steps into human history and lives a perfect life in the place of His people, representing them as He bears the weight and the burden of the law, living it fully, and obeying God in all things. He actively obeys God in the law so that He is righteous, so that the righteous One then can be hung on a cross and suffer a hideous, cursed death on that cross in the place of His people. So that now those who have placed their faith in Christ and turned from their sins can be declared righteous not because of anything that they've done but because of what Christ has done, and their sins can be forgiven not because they don't deserve to be punished but because they have been punished on the head of another, their substitute, who bears their wrath and pays their penalty and pays their debt in their place. So that now the guilty can go free not because God winks at sin, not because He ignores sin, but because He is able by the grace of Christ, a grace granted to us in Him from all of eternity, He is able to show both love and justice because it is at the cross that love and justice meet, where God is able to show love toward sinners by forgiving their sin because He punishes another in their place, One who came voluntarily and left the glories of Heaven to step into time and space to live a perfect life and then die that death in the stead of His people. It was His rescue mission and He did that.
That is the glorious gospel that we embrace. That is the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, that we deserve to be treated as criminals for our lawbreaking, but instead another who never broke the law, stepped in and was treated as a criminal in our place. And then that One who has never broken the law but stepped in in our place, that One who lived in the fulfillment of the law—we get treated, we, lawbreakers, get treated as if we have never broken the law and lived the perfect life that He lived. That is the great exchange over which all of Scripture is written. That is the great exchange of righteousness and sin, which the gospel promises to those who repent and believe upon Christ. That is the saving gospel. Now I ask you, what in that is to be ashamed? Have I said anything that is to be ashamed yet? Nothing.
Second, we have a securing God. Look at verse 12. Verse 12: “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” The word that is translated “believe” there, “I know whom I have believed” in verse 12, it means trusted. It's sometimes translated in Scripture as faith. In fact, in this place, it would probably be valid to translate it, “I know the One in whom I have placed my faith,” or “I know the One whom I have trusted, whom I have confidence in.”
And notice that Paul is describing here a confidence that is placed in a person. Three times he says, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (NKJV, emphasis added). Now, who does that pronoun refer to? He and Him and whom. It may refer to the Father, and it may refer to the Son, to Christ. And in this context, it could refer to either one of them or to both. And I'm not sure that we need to pick between them, because both the Father, His grace that He granted to us, and the work of the Son are both mentioned in the immediate context. And really, truth be told, to trust the Son is, in fact, to trust the word of the Father, because the Father says, “Place your faith in the Son; I will forgive your sins and give you that righteousness and bring you to be with Me and adopt you into My family.” So, to place your confidence and faith in Jesus Christ and to commit everything to Him is, in fact, to take God the Father at His word, and to place your faith in God the Father is to place your faith in God the Son. For the Father says that the Son is the proper object of our faith. So when we place our faith in Him, we are placing our faith in the word of the Father, and we are, in fact, doing something in obedience to the Father when we place our faith in the Son. So, I don't think we have to choose between who it is that we have committed these things to. I think the apostle Paul is simply saying whether you're talking about the Father or the Son, I know whom I have believed.
And notice he says I know whom I have believed and not what I have believed. What I have believed is important enough. What I have believed is important because you must believe everything that I described to you in the first part of that regarding the gospel, the saving gospel. There's intellectual, doctrinal, and theological content there that we must embrace and believe and place our faith in these promises. But our confidence ultimately is not in what we believe because we can believe in an intellectual sense all of the right things without ever entrusting ourselves to the salvation that is offered in Jesus Christ. So he says, “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” Our confidence objectively is in the work of a person. It is in Christ Jesus. That is where our confidence rests. Not in a doctrinal statement, as good and necessary as that is, but in a Person. I'm actually looking to, as a believer, we are looking to a Person who stepped into time and space and made claims about Himself and His followers and the salvation that He is offering, made those claims, and then did a certain thing, died on a cross, and then rose again on the third day, victorious over death, which is why Paul can say that He brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. This is what the work of Christ has done. He is a sovereign God who has abolished death. He is a sovereign God who is sovereign over time. He grants grace to us in Christ from all eternity. He is sovereign over sinners, choosing to redeem them, to save them, to justify them. And He is sovereign over salvation, able to abolish death and bring life to light through the gospel. He is able to do that, and so Paul is convinced that He is also able to keep whatever it is that we have committed to Him.
Now, if He is able to abolish death, to suffer death, and to rise again, if He has shown Himself faithful to do all of that, then how difficult is it to trust Him with this little thing of what I commit to Him, my individual soul and destiny? It might seem like a lot to me, but it's really not a lot in the grand scheme of things, is it? I mean, if He has shown Himself faithful to do all of this, then I can trust Him to guard and to keep—that's what the word means there, to guard, to watch closely, to keep watch over—the deposit. That's what the word—what I have entrusted to Him, to guard what I have entrusted—the word is a word that we would translate “deposit.” I have deposited something with Him. What is it that we have deposited with the Lord Jesus Christ? When we place our faith in Christ, we are depositing to Him, we are committing to His care, to His charge, and to His keeping everything that could and is precious to us. We are entrusting Him with our salvation, our life, our immortality, our forgiveness, our righteousness, our eternal destiny, our soul and spirit, our hope of everlasting life and any reward that we could ever hope to get from Him. That is what we are entrusting Him with. That is what we are committing to His charge.
Is Christ worthy of that hope and confidence? Well, in time, He was manifested to abolish death and bring life and immortality to light through the gospel, and He has done that—died, buried, and rose again. And therefore, it is certainly justifiable that we would entrust Him with anything that concerns us, all that concerns us. And Romans 10:11 says that “whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” We believe, as Jude says, that He “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (v. 24). We will not be ashamed on that day because He is able to keep everything we have committed to Him until that final day.
We have a saving gospel and a securing God, and third, we have a sure glory. And this is at the end of verse 12. Paul references what we have entrusted to Him being kept until that day. This signals a forward-looking anticipation in the Epistle, and this is a theme that kind of goes all the way through this Epistle. For a man sitting in a prison expecting his execution at any day, the apostle Paul is sure looking a lot to the future in those moments. What day is he looking forward to? He is confident that he has entrusted his soul and his safekeeping to a Savior who will ultimately keep and preserve and guard it until the final day. The final day of the resurrection, the final day of reward, the final day of His eternal kingdom in eternal glory. Though he was expecting to step into the grave at any moment in physical death in this world, Paul knew that he could trust that on that final day he would be raised and not forgotten and that his Savior, who was able to do all that He has done, would keep him to glory and preserve him and deliver on His word on that final day everything that He has promised. And ultimately, this is what the Christian looks forward to.
Paul is at the end of his life and he was aware that he was about to depart and be with Christ. And so this book is full of forward-looking statements. Look at 2 Timothy 1:10. He talks about “the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” He's there talking about living forever, never being able to die, immortality. Look at chapter 2, verse 10: “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” He's looking forward to an eternal glory. He's thinking about the appearing of Christ. Second Timothy 4:1–2: “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word.” Second Timothy 4:8, he talks about a future reward. “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” That day is the day of Christ’s appearing.
And then in 2 Timothy 4:18, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” What a confident statement, what a testimony that this man, sitting in a prison, aware of his soon execution, has been abandoned and forsaken by all of his traveling companions, some of his friends, Demas forsook him, others had left to go off in ministry at Paul's request, but he has been left alone. Only Luke was with him. In the terms of most of the world, he had been forgotten. And this was a man who—it would be safe to say that the apostle Paul was one of the most, if not the most, recognized Christian figure in all of the world at that time. The most recognized. And now this man who has served faithfully and sacrificially for decades is sitting in a Roman prison about to be executed, his head about to be severed from him, and there was nothing about his present circumstance which would indicate any reason for optimism or hope. There's nothing about his circumstance that would give him any reason to have confidence or conviction. The culture was against him. The government was persecuting him. He had nothing to his name. And as far as the world is concerned, this troublemaker was about to be dispatched and then forever forgotten. And yet he says that he is convinced that the One to whom he had committed everything would abolish death and give him immortality and not forget him, but instead raise him up on the last day and bring him safely into His eternal kingdom and give him eternal life and eternal glory. That is a confidence.
Sometimes it's difficult for us to just get to the end of the month and we need to have a payment made and we're a little short on the finances and we think, “Is God going to be able to come through this month? How is this going to work out?” Compare those circumstances to the apostle Paul. He has given everything to Christ. He has done everything for Christ, and now he's sitting in a prison and it seems as if he is getting absolutely no return on that deposit or investment whatsoever. But the apostle Paul looks past the guillotine to the eternal glory and says, “He will usher me safely into His eternal kingdom.”
Friends, we have a saving gospel, a securing God, and a sure glory, and therefore we are not ashamed. Baptism is a means by which we proclaim before other people our confidence in that God and we display in a physical way what it is that He has done for us spiritually speaking. I'm going to explain to you just quickly what you're about to see up here. You're about to see fourteen people—we have fourteen people being baptized this morning, so you're about to see fourteen people be baptized, and we are going to do in the physical realm what Christ has done for us. He died, He was buried, and He rose again. That is what baptism symbolizes. The word baptized means immersed, so we immerse, we don't sprinkle, we don't pour. We immerse those who have given a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ, demonstrating their union with Him.
Because Christ died in our place, because He rose again in our place, we have confidence and conviction that having repented of our sin and placed our faith in Him, that we died in Him, that His death was our death, that our sin He bore, and that His righteousness we receive, and that because of what He has done, and that it has been accepted by the Father, demonstrated or evidenced by virtue of the fact that He raised Him from the dead, we are united with Him and we also will be raised with Him not only to newness of life in this world but also to eternal glory and to His kingdom in the next. So that is what baptism symbolizes. It is a reminder of what our Savior did for us.
So I'm going to get out of the way. Each of the baptism candidates—hold on, settle down. Each of the baptism candidates is going to step up here behind this microphone—let's move this over here—and speak clearly into the microphone as they give their testimony. And then I'm going to be down here, and when they give their testimony, they're going to come up and step down into the tank, and I'm going to baptize them. While Josh is setting that up, something that you should know—this is not pertinent to it, but just because we need to burn some time. Normally, we fill up this tank. I started on Saturday. It fills up to a certain point. Then there's a recirculating pump that pumps through that and warms it up because it's cold water. For some reason, the recirculating pump didn't kick on, didn't circulate it or warm it up. So it's nearly as cold as yesterday when it came right out of the spigot. So we've got some bags of ice. You guys can bring those in now.
All right, Ed is going to step up behind the screen and help distribute towels to them as they come up. And Rick is going to be up here to give a hand to any of the ladies who need a hand stepping down into the tub. Are you ready, Josh? If you've never been here before, you should be able to see it up here projected just in case you can't see it down below.
All right, JT, you're up. Oh, hold up. All right, JT.
JT: Hello. For those of you who don't know me, my name is JT. I've spent the majority of my life pursuing the ways of the world. I lived a life characterized by lust, greed, anger, and all-around falsehood that manifested itself in the form of depression, narcissism, and addiction. I was sinful and wicked. Last year I was invited to attend Kootenai Community Church and a little into that time I was struck by the severity of my sin. And I could do nothing to shake this truth. God was making Himself known to me. Through Scripture and interaction with the members of Kootenai, I was strengthened in my knowledge of truth and began to understand Christ's sacrifice on my behalf. Through their love and devotion to God and God's miraculous work in my heart and mind, I'm no longer a slave to sin. I've placed my faith in God and will live for Him as a vessel for honorable use. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me, not by my doing but by the grace of God. I'm pursuing baptism out of obedience to the Lord because I'm no longer a slave to sin but a servant of God. I've died and my life is hidden with Christ in God. I'm devoting my life to Christ and to living by faith as an implement for honor and ministry for His glory.
JIM: JT, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation?
JT: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be obedient to Him in believers' baptism?
JT: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
RANDY: My name is Randy Gadberry. I'm a sinner. Five years ago, my wife Marilyn and I decided we were going to attend Kootenai Community Church when I retired. That didn't happen because my wife became sick and the doctors didn't find the cancer until it was too late. After my wife's passing in 2020, I decided that I would continue with our plans of attending church. It only took a couple of services when I realized that I hadn't accepted Jesus Christ into my life and that confessing my sins to Him was my only way for redemption. I am now proud to say that I have accepted Jesus Christ, my Savior, and my life has been changed for the better. Thank you.
JIM: Sit down, come around here, sit down, yep. You want a second to catch your breath? Randy, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation?
RANDY: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
RANDY: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
CODY: Hello. My name is Cody Hughes. Me standing here is a bigger miracle than I can ever describe to this body. Christ saved me from the brink of death countless times until a good work in me could start. I was born in the dark, hardened by it, and I am deserving of nothing. Some of my first memories were bedtime stories that were written by Stephen King and Dean Koontz. My childhood was a thing of nightmares and something I wanted to escape from. By the time I was an adult, I'd already gone through eighteen years of hardening. I was spiritually and morally bankrupt, and sin had taken root in my life. I was more lost than I could ever understand. I sought help in all the wrong books, all the wrong psychologists, all the wrong gurus, and all the wrong religions. I didn't know where to find God. I was knocking on the wrong doors. What is worse is that I didn't understand the cost of sin, nor did I understand the suffering I would cause Christ, our Lord. The cost of my purchase must have been great to our Lord, and for that I am sorry. I believe that Christ found me and began a good work in me after hobbling into a church with a broken leg, a broken heart, and a broken spirit. I was arguably even found in a broken church. God in His glory led me to repentance, to contrition, impossible victories over sin, regeneration, and sanctification. Out of love for Him and all that He has done for me, especially His propitiation at Calvary, I want to live for Him, care for His desires, and be subservient to His will. I long to be called a good and faithful servant and be pleasing in His sight. I praise God in all His mercy, forgiveness, grace, and for His glory. I am ever grateful to our Lord, my Lord, Jesus Christ.
JIM: Cody, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
CODY: Yes.
JIM: And you're going to be obedient to Him in believers' baptism?
CODY: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Grab my wrist.
SYLVIA: Hello, my name is Sylvia Anders. This is my faith journey. I was baptized in the Catholic Church as a baby, and I attended Catholic school for the first through third grades. Our family attended Mass regularly. As a teenager, I was confirmed in my faith and acknowledged Christ as my Savior. I believe then, as now, that Jesus is God's only Son, that He was born of the virgin Mary, that He suffered, was condemned, and that He died on the cross to take away the sin of all men who believe in Him. I believe He arose on the third day, that He is ascended into Heaven. I believe no one comes to God in Heaven except through faith in Jesus Christ. A few years ago, we moved to Naples and began yet another search for a church home. We attended a couple of different congregations before the mother of a dear friend recommended Kootenai Community Church. Since then, it has become the only church we are interested in being a part of. With the help of Scripture readings and explanations by Pastor Jim, I've come to doubt my baptism as a baby, and I now feel the need to proclaim my faith and participate in this important ceremony in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you.
JIM: Sylvia, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation and desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
SYLVIA: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
MARSHA: My name is Marsha Van Eaton. I was baptized at a young age after asking Jesus into my heart. Though I understood the basics of sin, salvation, Jesus, and the cross, it wasn't until much later in life that I understood that salvation is more than just a belief. He isn't just my Savior, He is also Lord. If Jesus is Lord, there will be a radical transformation and there will be evidence. I didn't have that. Therefore, I suspect my early conversion was a false one and that my true conversion didn't happen until decades later when my life began changing. I'm getting rebaptized today because I want to proclaim that I'm a follower of Christ, He is my Lord, and I want to be obedient to Him.
JIM: Marsha, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
MARSHA: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
MARSHA: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit. Grab my wrist.
COLTER: Hi, my name is Colter Cates. I grew up going to church and have heard the stories my entire life, but I have always known that I don't get salvation from that. Salvation was something that always worried me because of the obvious reason that I didn't want to burn in Hell. For a long time, I claimed to be a Christian and didn't believe it. I would read my Bible for a week and then be living in sin for a month. It wasn't until about six months ago that I really understood the gospel. Now the weight is lifted and I no longer have to fear Hell because God chose me to be a part of His kingdom. I repented from my sin and was reconciled to God. I started to hunger and thirst for righteousness. I started to want to learn more about God and His character by reading His Word and I started to mourn over my sin. It is still impossible for me not to sin, but the difference is that now I strive to be more like Christ, and when I sin, I ask for forgiveness and thank Jesus for making it possible for me to be righteous in God's eyes. Jesus Christ, the creator of the world, humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant, lived a perfect, spotless life, which no one else could have done, and then He took the punishment that I deserved and was crucified on a cross. Then after three days in a grave, He rose from the dead, defeating sin. And now when the Father looks at me, all He sees is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. In getting baptized, I'm identifying with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection and proclaiming my faith to all my brothers and sisters in Christ.
JIM: Colter, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
COLTER: Yes.
JIM: And you want to be obedient to Him in baptism?
COLTER: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Grab my wrist.
CARSON: Hello, everyone. My name is Carson Haymond. I was born and raised in a Christian home, and I don't have some crazy conversion story. But this I know: I am a sinner. I was born a sinner and up till the day I die, I'll be a sinner. I am not, however, a slave to my sin because Jesus Christ came, lived a perfect and blameless life, and died the most gruesome death. Yet death did not conquer Him. He rose again on the third day and in so doing crushed the head of the serpent. And I know that in Christ I am free from my bondage to sin, and I'm here to publicly proclaim my faith. I am a slave to Christ and there is no better master. I stand before you today because I wish to obey His command to be baptized.
JIM: Carson, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
CARSON: Yes.
JIM: You desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
CARSON: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
MALACHI: Hi, my name is Malachi Duchow. I'm eighteen. I've grown up in a Christian home and been exposed to sound doctrine my whole life. That being the case, it was very easy for me to go along with what I was taught, believing it on a surface level because it was what I was told was true, never questioning whether or not it was what I genuinely believed or if I was actually saved. I would go to church on Sunday, and Monday it was back to the unrepentant sin and defiance that controlled my life. I had dug a grave for myself and happily jumped in, and if not for God's mercy, when He sent His Son Jesus Christ to live the perfect life that I couldn't and to die on the cross for the sins of all who would repent and believe, I would still be there today. I don't know the exact date when God saved me and gave me a new heart and new desires. Looking back at my life, it is evident to me that I'm not who I was. I no longer love my sin, but I hate it. I no longer seek it out but flee from it. I've done nothing to deserve His saving grace, nor could I. But I praise and thank God for the sobering reality that He even still grants it to me.
JIM: Malachi, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
MALACHI: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
MALACHI: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
LUCAS: Hello. My name is Lucas Curiel. I used to think being a Christian was just going to church, just getting through the sermon, then going to talk to my friends. This was a consistent thing for me because I didn't strive to learn more about God and what it meant to be a Christian. But as God started opening my eyes, I realized there were a lot of things I thought were fine that actually weren't fine. I realized I really tried to impress people and cared more about pleasing them than pleasing God. Also, I was scared of death and what would happen after I'd die. I realized if I died that night, I wouldn't go to Heaven but to Hell. I'd always heard that Jesus died for my sins, but it always went way over my head. But sitting there in fear, I realized Jesus is the only way, truth, and life. Because He died for my sins, He bore my punishment, which was due to the fall of Adam and Eve. When I repented, my fear was taken away. But as a growing Christian, I realize that it is a lifelong fight with sin and there are things I have to do and also called to do. One of these things I am called to do is baptism. Not only is this a commandment I need to obey as a Christian, but this is something I want to do, as it is a public confession of my faith.
JIM: Lucas, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
LUCAS: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
LUCAS: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
RYAN: Hello, I'm Ryan Rasor. I don't know when I became saved. I had a profession of faith when I was seven or eight years old, but I didn't understand the gospel. Bit by bit, my understanding of the Scriptures and the gospel grew, and somewhere in my teenage years, I learned that I had to repent and put my faith in Jesus's death on the cross to be saved. And by God's grace and the Holy Spirit's work in me, I did. However, between then and now, I had a lot of doubt that made me afraid to be baptized. Today, though there are still doubts and fears that I will have to fight, I'm finally ready to obey God's command and be baptized.
JIM: Ryan, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
RYAN: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
RYAN: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
KATELYN: OK. If you can see me. My name is Katelyn Kashuba. I have had a long journey before coming to Christ. I lived decades of my life lost and defiant. Although I had attended church only a handful of times as a child, I was never presented with the true gospel or had any born-again Christians around to influence me. Eventually, I found myself immersed in New Age doctrine and was terribly deceived, believing I was spiritually enlightened. I lived unapologetically for myself. I lived with my heart hardened toward God. Six years ago, my husband and I found ourselves in church for the first time as adults. It wasn't long before I knew I needed to be saved. While attending our first church, I felt biblically starved, as if I wasn't being fed the truth. I made it my mission to read as much Scripture as I could, and after many tearful prayers, I had found some wonderful Bible teachers to follow, such as John MacArthur and Justin Peters. Our family has been in the process of moving from Montana, and the first sermon I attended here in person was on baptism, and I knew what I needed to do. I have been convicted of my sins and I repent for all that I have done and all that I was. I know that I was a wretched sinner who only by the blood of Christ has been given a chance at a new life, an eternal life. I know very well how painful and dark a life without Jesus is, so I run to Him. He is my Lord and Savior and I want to proclaim that to all.
JIM: I should have let some water out. You almost baptized yourself right there. Katelyn, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
KATELYN: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
KATELYN: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Grab my hand. There you go.
HAZEL: Hi. My name is Hazel, and I was born into a Christian home, but it wasn't until I was around twelve that my family started to do family worship together and to watch and participate in The Way of the Master. When we started, I thought it was just a waste of time. I also thought that just because I was born and raised in a Christian home, that automatically made me a Christian. I couldn't have been more wrong. After a while, I became scared because I came to understand that you had to be chosen by God and that nothing I could do would change the fact that I was a sinner destined for Hell because, as Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Through the process of being discipled at home, church, at youth group, and at Cocolalla Lake Bible Camp, I have repented of my sins and have put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who saved and justified me by His life, death, and resurrection. I desire to live my life in obedience to Him in His Word. As Galations 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
JIM: Hazel, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
HAZEL: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be baptized in obedience to the command of Christ?
HAZEL: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
MICAH: Hello, my name is Micah Lynch. When I was ten years old, I was told that I was saved. I believed this for years, but I never thought much about it. Three years ago, I started to think about what would happen if I was not saved and Christ came back. For a long time, I struggled with the thought that what if I wanted to get saved, but somehow I did not get saved? What if I missed something? At first, I wanted to get saved so that I would escape God's judgment. This went on for about a year and a half. The next year, I went to Cocolalla Lake Bible Camp and had the opportunity to talk to someone there about what was going on inside me. The person I talked to showed me how simple salvation is and that it is not complicated. I am a sinner in need of a Savior, Christ is that Savior, and if I put my faith in Him, I will be saved. It was at that moment that I desired to be saved, not so that I would escape God's judgment but because I was a sinner who needed the Savior. I had fully grasped the reality of my sinful nature and my need for a Savior because there was nothing I could do to earn my salvation on my own. I felt a change in my life. I no longer wanted to sin and had longing and hunger to read God's Word. Now I want to obey God's command and be baptized.
JIM: Micah, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
MICAH: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
MICAH: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
SARAH: My name is Sarah Lynch, and when I was younger, I went to church and Sunday school because that was just what we did on Sunday. And I didn't really realize that the reason we were at church was to worship God, and I did not really care. When I was at home, I would sin and it did not really bother me. I only hoped I would not get caught. As I got older, I began to realize I was a sinner, though at first I didn't really care, but after a while I started to care. I knew I needed a Savior and I knew Jesus was the Savior I needed, but I did not understand the goodness and faithfulness of God for a long time. The fear of Him not saving me because I was not one of His elect held me back from accepting His free gift of salvation. This went on until someone told me that God was good and would not give someone the desire to be saved if He did not plan on saving them. After hearing that, my doubts slowly went away, and I finally was able to turn away from my sins and place my hope in eternal life through Christ, my King and Savior. After that, I still had small doubts come in from time to time, often along the same lines as the first, but by reading my Bible, I found greater assurance of God's faithfulness.
JIM: Sarah, have you repented of your sin and placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation?
SARAH: Yes.
JIM: And you desire to be obedient to Him in baptism?
SARAH: Yes.
JIM: Based upon that credible profession of faith in Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
DAVE: I've already been baptized, so let's pray together. Father, we're just so thankful for the great gift of the gospel. For those of us who've repented of our sins and put our faith in You, that is the greatest gift, the greatest love that anyone's ever shown. So we're grateful, Lord, that You've convicted these fourteen people, that You've regenerated them, You've brought them into Your kingdom and into our family. And so I pray, Lord, that we would be helpful to them, that we would help to edify them and to grow them in their faith. I pray these things in the name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.