Baptism #2

The Necessity

	Let us pray. Heavenly Father, We’re grateful again to be in this
house that we’ve been able to dedicate because of You having giving it
to us and supplying all the needs. Therefore, in that we are happy to be
here in Your Name and rejoice, Lord, in Your Presence. This means so
much to us to come together as the family of God. We don’t believe for
one minute that we’re all of it, but we know we’re part of it.
Therefore, in that particular measure we worship as that family,
uniquely and in recognition of Your great Presence, the Father amongst
your children.

	Now, Lord, we just pray that what we say will be worthy of you, Lord,
and won’t be of ourselves, the things we say will give Thee glory, oh
Lord. You’re able to change minds. That is what repentance is all
about. You are able to change our doctrine. You are able to change
everything, Lord. Our thinking that’s wrong--anything, you can change
it. We are so happy for that, oh God.

	We are dealing with you, Lord, really and finally and truly. We’re so
glad for that.

	We just commend ourselves to You, therefore, tonight, in, the study of
the Word. Whatever is said, may it be right, Lord. For Your honor and
glory, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

	You may be seated.

1.	Now, we’re going to continue with water baptism, because I find
that even though likely I’ll finish off tonight, the subject is far
from finished. Now, last Sunday we began to see that water baptism was
much more significant then we have commonly believed. And of course, we
realize that it has become insignificant to many people because of the
misappropriation of what Peter said, just an answer of a good conscience
toward God, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh.

	And so, water baptism, it seems, has been denigrated to a point where
it should not have been, and hopefully, because every doctrine and
everything that’s in the Word has come to a deeper, richer, and the
full meaning, we have every reason to believe that we can look in this
subject and we can find richer, deeper, fuller meaning, and perhaps, by
the grace of God, eventually, before we leave this earth, we’ll have
the full meaning of it. 

2.	Now, so, as I said last Sunday, we began to find that it has a
greater significance than when we studied it previously, or what we
commonly believed. However, we found that water baptism itself, that is
the act of being immersed, was not an operation of grace, as though it
carried within itself redemptive qualities. But its importance and
necessity lay in what it pointed to--past, present, and future--as
concerning the penitent one.

	Now, I’m going to go over that again because my notes are explicit.
That’s why I read them. See, we found that water baptism itself (that
is, ‘the act of being immersed’), was not an operation of grace. It
wasn’t. It didn’t have merits in it as far as redemptive grace was
concerned. So, it was not operation of grace as though it carried within
itself redemptive quality. You see, that’s what Peter said. But its
importance and necessity lay in what it pointed to--past, present, and
future--as concerning the one being baptized.

3.	Now, let’s get that very careful, then, that we’re not seeing
something here to which we impute to grace that does not belong there,
although it’s very, very important. In other words, water baptism
itself is not a part of redemption as though it’s by being baptized
you were literally washing away your sins, and calling upon the name of
the Lord, without a revelation such as that would literally give you
redemption. But what it does, it contains within it the necessity of
baptism, because what it points to concerning the person of his past,
his present, and his future.

	Now, let’s go to Acts 2:37-38, and we’ll just trace this right
through the Word, so we’ll know what we’re talking about. It says:
[Acts 2:37-39]

(37)	Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and
said unto Peter and ...the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what
shall we do?

(38)	Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you
in the name of (the Lord) Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Now, we repeat that again.)

(37)	(Men and brethren, what’ll we do?)...they were pricked in their
heart…

(38)	Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

(39)	For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that
are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

	Now, the emphasis here is repent and be baptized every one of you in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

4.	Now, what triggered these verses was Acts 2:1-36, and we’ll look at
it.

(1)	And...the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one
accord in one place.

(2)	And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

(3)	And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it
sat upon each of them.

(4)	And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak
with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

(5)	And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every
nation under heaven. (See, they’d all come together.)

(6)	Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and
were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own
language.

(7)	And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another,
Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

(8)	And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

(9)	Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia,
and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

(10)	Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about
Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

(11)	Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the
wonderful works of God.

(12)	And they were all amazed, (Notice what it was now.) and were in
doubt, (Because of this great phenomena which came at the time of the
baptism of the Holy Ghost to that group.) saying one to another, What
meaneth this?

(13)	 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

(14)	But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and
said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be
this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

(15)	For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the
third hour of the day.

(16)	 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; (Now, he is
identifying.)

(17)	And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour
out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams:

(18)	And on my servants (men servants, that is) and on my (woman
servants) handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and
they shall prophesy:

(19)	And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth
beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

(20)	The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

(21)	And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of
the Lord shall be saved.

(22)	Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man
approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God
did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

(23)	Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, (Now, that’s something they didn’t know.) ye have taken, and
by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

(24)	Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because
it was not possible that he should be holden of it. (He had done no
sin.)

(25)	For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before
my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

(26)	Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover
also my flesh shall rest in hope:

(27)	Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou
suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

(28)	Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me
full of joy with thy countenance.

(29)	Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch
David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us
unto this day.

(30)	Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an
oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he
would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

(31)	He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his
soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

	Now, you see, this is the first time they are getting this Scripture
opened up to them. They knew it was in the Bible, but they did not
understand it. See? Now, it is based on the baptism of the Holy Ghost,
what was going on there.

5.	(32)	This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

(33)	Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth
this, which ye now see and hear.

(34)	For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself,
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

(35)	Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

(36)	Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath
made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, (that God raised up) both
Lord and Christ.

	Now, this Acts 2:1-12, which we already read, that great phenomena,
what we call the baptism of the Holy Ghost, had startled this people.
They’re very, very much alarmed. And in Acts 2:33, that verse puts
this outpouring squarely and solely on Jesus, according to the very
Scripture that they are supposed to believe, but they don’t believe. 

6.	Now, watch It.

(10)	Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost...

 	You can think what you want about this, what was going on. You can
call it of the devil; you can call it of God. You can just say they were
drunk; you can make fun. You can do anything you want to do; say
anything you want to say.

(11)	I want to tell you something. He has shed forth this which is the
Holy Ghost which you now see and hear.

	Now, you notice, then, he puts this outpouring of the Holy Spirit
squarely and solely on Jesus, according to the very Scripture that
they’re supposed to believe, for verse 34 to 35 and 36:

(34)	For David (himself did) not ascended into the heavens: (It was not
David that ascended, that is what it litereally says.) but he saith
himself, The LORD said unto my Lord...

	David’s Lord Jesus, that’s the one that rose...is on the right
hand. Now, that great One, God, said to that other one, in whom He
incarnated Himself for a time being.

(34)	…Sit thou on my right hand,

(35)	Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

(36)	Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath
made that same Jesus, whom you...crucified, both Lord and Christ.

	The one that you killed, God raised, put Him on His right hand and
said, “Stay there, until every enemy becomes your footstool.”
That’s what David was talking about.

7.	All right. Let’s go to Psalms 110, because that is what we are
into. Now you notice what happened here. The baptism of the Holy Ghost,
the great outpouring, is placed wholly and solely and squarely upon
Jesus. They killed him; God raised him. He’s the one they were looking
for. He’s up there in heaven, and he shed forth the Holy Ghost. Now,
verse one. [Psalms 110:1-7]

(1)	The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make
thine enemies thy footstool.

(2)	The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou
in the midst of thine enemies.

(3)	Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties
of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy
youth.

	Now, come on, they are all young kids again. This is the Millennium.

(4)	The LORD hath sworn, and shill not repent, Thou art a priest for
ever after the order of Melchizedek. (Sit at my right hand.)

(5)	The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of
his wrath. (He’ll bring in the Millennium.)

(6)	He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the
dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries (a whole bunch
of them, in fact),

(7)	He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up
the head. 

	Now, they knew this. They understood there was to be a Messiah in the
image of David. They knew he was to rule and to reign, and now they are
told that this is it. Okay? Now, notice Acts 2:22-36, which we won’t
read over again, but in there you will notice these verses that Peter is
preaching puts the responsibility of the crucifixion right upon the
Jews. But that was necessary to fulfill Scripture. 

8.	Now, this grave accusation, and the proof of it, falls upon the Jews
and brings about Acts 2:37: 

(37)	...When they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, (They
got under conviction.) and (they) said..., Men and brethren, what (are)
we (going to) do?

	So, conviction sets in. Now, notice carefully: one—conviction; number
two—repentance; number three—water baptism; number four—baptism
with the Holy Ghost.

	See, they were pricked in the heart. They said, “Men and brethren,
what are we going to do? What shall we do?”

	And the word came, ‘quit believing what you used to believe when the
Scripture is vindicated. Change your mind about what you used to know.
If an authority which is vindicated is on the scene and this is proven
right, God has stood behind it, then you are to change your mind.’
Now, that was in that hour. And it’s always in that same hour. But the
fact of the matter is: we are talking about that very hour there when
there was such tremendous manifestation as there is in our hour. 

	Now, he said here, “I want you to change your minds. When you change
your minds, you will get baptized in water. And, of course, what God
wants you to have is the Holy Spirit, and that’s the next thing to
come. Change your mind, do it as soon as conviction sets in, be baptized
with water, and you can receive the Holy Spirit.” 

9.	All right. Watch carefully again. The accepting of water baptism
stands squarely between: 1) both guilt and atonement; 2) reaching
forward for the Holy Spirit. Now, you see what we are saying? There you
are. Water baptism stands squarely between, number one: guilt and
atonement; number two: reaching forward for the Holy Spirit. 

	Thus, we see that water baptism puts the candidate in three positions:
#1: past--accepting the position of a guilty sinner which is himself
before God. #2: accepting His pardon presently and identifying himself
with God’s Own remedy and forgiveness for sins. #3: reaching into the
immediate future to receive the Holy Spirit. Now, that’s exactly what
you are looking at.

	Water baptism puts the candidate into three positions. The minute he
stands in the water, he admits to his past. Number two: he admits to his
present. Number three: he admits to his future. That is exactly what it
does. Now, whether they recognized it or not, it is still true. 

	Number one: the past. He accepted his position as the guilty sinner,
guilty before God, in the need of salvation. He has to have help. Number
two: he stands there admitting that he has taken the help that God
gives, which is Christ as his own personal Savior and the atoning of the
Blood which brings him under justification. And number three: he reaches
immediately to the future, which is to receive the Holy Spirit. 

10.	Thus, water baptism is the witness and the silent confession of
every true candidate that “Here I stand in the water, believing that I
am utterly forgiven by God because of the atonements of Jesus’ Blood
by death on Calvary. And when I rise from the water, it is to receive
the Holy Ghost, and thereby, become the righteousness of God.”

	I want to repeat that to you so you will get it. Thus, water baptism is
a witness... (That is what we brought out last Sunday.) ...a witness,
and a silent confession, though it can be verbal if you wanted to
testify, and it is also verbal that on the grounds that everything you
see speaks to you, because you don’t see with the eye; you see with
the mind. Thus, water baptism is the witness and the silent confession
of every true candidate that “Here I stand in the water, believing
that I am utterly forgiven by God because of the atonement of Jesus’
Blood by death on Calvary. And when I arise from the water, it is to
receive the Holy Spirit and become the righteousness of God.”

11.	All right. We go to Heb 10:11-18. I suppose that’ll be about
right.

(11)	And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes
the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

(12)	But this man, (This one that you crucified, that God raised.) after
he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down at the right
hand of God;

(13)	From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

	See how the Blood is going to cover everything. And people wonder about
the Blood, if it’s on the Mercy Seat or where it is. I’m going to
tell you one thing: that Blood is going to stand there; every enemy is
going to come under it. Hallelujah! I tell you, I’ve got no time for
all this nonsense. 

	Everything just boils right down to what God is doing in this hour,
putting everything under the feet of Jesus. And we’re just getting
ready for a Resurrection and a Rapture and a Wedding Supper and a
Millennium, and a great White Throne judgment, you name it. It’s all
there. Why? Because that’s what he did. See?

12.	Now, for by one offering he has perfected for everyone that are
sanctified, whereof the Holy Ghost also is the witness to us. In other
words, you are baptized with the Holy Ghost proving this to be true, or
you could never receive God into you and become the temple of the living
God, unless the Blood had cleansed you and made you perfectly whole, as
we said concerning Jesus, which Bro. Branham said that when he went into
Jordan, that was the washing of the sacrifice. That was no cleansing
act; that was a identifying act. The animal was already a clean animal.
Christ was the perfect righteous one of Almighty God. He was not born
through sin or in sin. See?

13.	So, here he stands, and the Holy Ghost witnessed to us, for after
that he said, “Before this is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days,” saith the Lord. “I’ll put my laws in their
hearts. In their minds shall I write them, and their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more.” Now, where remission of these is, there is
no more offering for sin.

	Then somebody comes along and says, “Yeah, see then, if you have it
now and you blow it…”

	[Brother Vayle whistles.] Man, I tell you! If my eyeballs can spin like
a pinball machine, out of order, what do you think the eyes of God do
when someone wants to spit on the very blood of Jesus Christ with a big
sneer? 

	They say, “Well, you know how it is. It’s just might work, it might
not.” 

	It says once and for all! See? There is one baptism with the Holy
Ghost, and that does it. You’re sealed in, and you’re guaranteed
redemption. What? Redemption from hell? Show me where a glorified body
goes to hell? Fap!

	I want to tell you something: I’m glad I left that hogwash and got
repented.

14.	You cannot help but have noticed that the act of being baptized in
water was not in itself a vehicle of redemption, but that it indicates
that this person must now stand with the position he has taken, that he
was a guilty sinner, but now, cleansed by the sacrificial blood of
Jesus, he stands in absolute spiritual faith and acknowledges that he
will now be born of the Spirit of God. That is what it’s all about.
That says ‘repent and be baptized, ye shall receive’. And if I’ve
repented, I stand in the water to receive--past, present, future.

	You cannot help but have noticed that the act of being baptized in
water was not in itself a vehicle of redemption, but it’s an
indicator, a witness, that this person must now stand with the position
he has taken that he was the guilty sinner, but now, cleansed by the
sacrificial blood of Jesus, he stands in absolute spiritual faith and
knowledge, that he will now be born of the spirit of God, or why is he
standing there?

	People say, “Why do you get… I think it’s nice... Well, well,
well…”

	Aw, shut up! Come on, what is this anyway, this ‘well, well’ bit?
“Well, you know you should be baptized, you should…”

	Listen, brother/sister, it’s much more serious. It’s more
tremendous than people have let on all these years. Sure you should be
baptized right, or what are you getting baptized for? Are you getting
baptized to stand there? No! You’re getting baptized because of what
you are and not now what you used to be, and even now are not what you
are going to be. See? That’s not a tongue-twister; that’s the truth.
This is very serious witness we are dealing with, and it should be ever
thus perceived. 

15.	Thus it behooves us to ask the question: Do all who enter in to
water arise and receive the Holy Spirit? Now they should, but they
don’t. Categorically the answer is ‘no’, though categorically the
answer should be ‘yes’. They don’t. It has to be no because we
have already shown that though it is a witness, it does not carry within
itself any redemptive qualities. That’s why you can go in the water
and never go any further. That’s why millions and millions of people
go in the water and never go any further (See?) because they don’t
know what they are really doing. 

	What it is, it’s you telling on yourself in a relationship between
you and God, and the people out there watching. See? It does not carry
within itself any redemptive qualities. It signifies. It is the sign
pointing back and forward, but unless the person is ordained to eternal
life, redemptive faith does not operate, and he merely goes through the
motions, for the Bible says “for as many as were ordained to eternal
life believed.” 

16.	The classic example of this is found in early chapters of Acts.
Let’s go to Acts 8:5.

(5)	Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ
unto them. 

	What does he mean, preached Christ? Just what Peter did up there at
Pentecost up in Jerusalem. ...preached the very same thing. ...didn’t
hold his punches back.

(6)	And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which
Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (Just like
Peter’s time.)

(7)	...unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that
were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were
lame, were healed.

(8)	And there was great joy in that city.

(9)	But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the
same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out
that himself was some great one:

(10)	To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying,
This man is the great power of God.

(11)	And to whom they had regard, because that of long time he had
bewitched them with sorceries.

	The fellow was a good organizer! [I] wonder if these Baptists,
Methodists, Presbyterians, couldn’t be one from what he was. All
right. Maybe Full Gospel Businessman!

(12)	But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the
kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both
men and women.

(13)	Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he
continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs
which were done.

(14)	Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria
had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: (Why?
It tells you why.)

(15)	Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might
receive the Holy Ghost:

(16)	(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

(17)	Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy
Ghost.

	Now, there you are! That was the fact that water baptism stood right
between the two of them: a witness to the past and a witness to the
future.

(18)	And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’
hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

(19)	Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands,
they may receive the Holy Ghost.

(20)	But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou
hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

(21)	Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not
right in the sight of God.

(22)	Repent therefore of this thy wickedness…

	Now, here’s a man, baptized, and had to repent all over again. Do you
know why? Because his repentance was one which needed to be gone over
again, for the Bible speaks of a repentance that can’t be repented of.
This guy didn’t have a genuine repentance. Now, he got a pretty good
way, but he just didn’t get far enough.

17.	Now, let’s just watch a little more here. 

(20)	…Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought...the gift
of God...purchased with money.

(21)	Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not
right in the sight of God.

(22)	Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God, if perhaps
the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

(23)	For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the
bond of iniquity.

(24)	Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that
none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

(25)	And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the
Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of
the Samaritans (and so on).

	All right. You can see that this person never got past a repentant
state brought on by an exhibition of supernatural power. 

18.	Now, where does repentance come from? Not like those Jews that had
been down there upon whom was pinned the crucifixion of Jesus Christ,
and they were made to see by Scripture just what they had done and where
they stood. This man saw something, and that’s where his repentance
came from, because he knew what he saw was bigger than what he had.
That’s right. So therefore, he did not have a genuine repentance
concerning his condition so that, when he came to the water, it was not
a matter of him knowing who he had been, and now he was forgiven, and
who he was to be. He just got caught up in power. 

	Now, that lets you know how Pentecostals can speak in tongues, because
they’re in meetings where the power of God is and no more have the
Holy Ghost than nothing. Starts right back here in the Bible. The two
vines start growing. The two spirits are coming in. Now, we’ve got to
be careful here, but that’s all right; we see something happening. 

	Now, he saw something was there, exhilarated by supernatural power. He
knew he wasn’t part of it, but he wanted to be a part of it. He
thought he could get in on the power and glory he saw, because it was
real to him. But he said, ‘There it is. I should be able to get some
of that. Why,’ he said, ‘that’s better than mine.’

19.	You know, there was a guy testified... He was from Miami, Florida. I
used to go by there lots of times and see his sign. I forget his name.
I’m sorry. If I would’ve remembered his name, I’d tell you plump
and plain. I’d have no fear to tell you. And he gets to a Full Gospel
Businessmen meeting. This guy was into spiritism. Now, he gets to the
Full Gospel Businessmen, and they’re speaking in tongues and having a
great time, and so he joins right in with them. And here is his
testimony. “I didn’t realize I had the same power you guys had,
years ago--but I was using it wrong.” 

	And everyone screamed, “Hallelujah!” 

	I wonder how much, if any, Holy Ghost anybody had in that meeting. Now,
come on! This man was a sorcerer. 

	“Look,” he said, “I’ve been doing great things with my
power.”

	And I said, “Aha-ha! Aha! There’s a power there, too.”

	Now, he said, “Let’s just get with it.” And he started about
being baptized in water. 

	Now, there is something going on in that fellow. Now, don’t go
thinking there’s nothing going on with that fellow, because there is.
See? Let’s face it, there is something going on with that man. He’s
sitting there for the wrong reasons, though. He thought he could get in
on the power and the glory that he saw, because it was real to him. He
never actually identified as the sinner that he was. His witness was not
a complete and perfectly true witness as he was baptized. He was just
one of those who realized the spiritual reality was there and available,
and so he went into the water. That is why he could not go on. 

20.	Let’s read again Acts 8:24:

(24)	Then answered..., and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none
of these things which ye have spoken (may) come upon me.

	So, don’t give up on old Simon. Next time around, he might have been
soundly converted--but then again he might not. But you see where water
baptism is? The man just didn’t have, really, the right to go into the
water. He really didn’t, because, although he could, and nobody is
going to stop him… Now, we’re looking at this man, and we’re going
to look at the reason why this could take place, and did take place,
right in the era of the baptism with the Holy Ghost in age number one,
under the Lion, the whole bit. Okay?

21.	We go to 1 Cor 10:1-5:

(1)	Moreover, brethren, I would not...that you...be ignorant, how that
all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

(2)	And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
(There’s a baptism right there.)

(3)	And did all eat the same spiritual meat...

	They saw the miracles; they entered into the goodness of the miracles;
they all took of it. They drank the water that came out of the rock;
they ate the manna. All right.

(4)	And (they drank) the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

(5)	But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were
overthrown in the wilderness.

	Now, listen; before you get all puzzled, remember in Hebrews 6... Hold
your finger here, and let’s go to Hebrews 6. Let’s get these things
nailed down. It says here in verse 4. [Heb 6:4-6]

(4)	For it is impossible for those who were once (for all) enlightened,
and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the
Holy Ghost,

(5)	And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to
come,

(6)	(Having) fallen away, to renew them again (to a change of mind) unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh…

	Now, notice. Simon went down into the water on the principal of what
had happened. He went there on the principal of what he hoped to get,
but it wasn’t the Scripture. This is the same thing right here. And at
the end time, it’s the same thing again. They’ll get the wrong word;
they’ll go to repentance and be baptized in water. They make an
identification. They’ll come up with gifts and everything else, and
they’ll be right down the drain.

22.	Here it is right here. They were baptized in the cloud, in the sea. 
[1 Cor 10:5-11]

(5)	...God was not (well) pleased (with many): for they were overthrown
in the wilderness.

(6)	Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust
after evil things, as they also lusted.

(7)	Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The
people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

(8)	Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and
fell in one day three thousand and twenty.

(9)	Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were
destroyed of serpents.

(10)	Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, (That’s
repine--they want to go back and they’ll go back.) and were destroyed
of the destroyer.

(11)	Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

	Now, It tells you right here about these people that were literally
baptized, having come out, and they were baptized, signifying they were
going in, but they never got in. See? Never got in. 

23.	Okay, let’s go a little further. Let’s go to Exodus 12 because
we want to see these fellows here, because this is interesting. You see,
a lot of people just don’t believe this. Oh, they do it in their own
way. That’s all right. They got a revelation, but they don’t have
the revelation Bro. Branham had. That’s what counts...anointed ones at
the end time. Exodus 12:37-38:

(37)	And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about
six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

(38)	And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and
herds, even very much cattle.

	All right. You have a mixed multitude there. Okay, let’s go back to
Mt 13:31, the chapter of parables.

(31)	Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed
in his field:

(32)	Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is
the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the
air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

	Now, that signifies ‘bad’. Verses 44-50:

(44)	Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;
the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goes and
sells all that he hath, and buyeth that field. (That’s good, the first
was bad.)

(45)	Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking
goodly pearls:

(46)	Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all
that he had, and bought it. (That’s good.)

(47)	Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into
the sea, and gathered of every kind:

(48)	Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and
gathered the good into vessels, (and) cast the bad away. 

(49)	So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come
forth, and sever the wicked from among the just...

	Now, notice; It says what the church is going to be like--the Kingdom,
at the very end time. They are cast in the furnace, the fire, where
there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. That’s the Great Tribulation. 

24.	Also, we go to Mt 25:1-13:

(1)	Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which
took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

(2)	And five of them were wise, and five (were) foolish.

(3)	They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

(4)	But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

(5)	While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

(6)	And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom...;
go...out to meet him.

(7)	Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

(8)	And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our
lamps are gone out.

(9)	But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for
us and you: ...go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

(10)	And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were
ready went in with him into the marriage: and the door was shut. 

	Now, that’s the marriage, not the Marriage Supper. It’s not the
Catching-up. This is going on down here.

(11)	Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to
us.

(12)	But he answered and said… (Truly, I used to know you as my wife,
but I do not know you as my wife any longer.)

	Now, you notice in here that there are people who absolutely can
genuinely go as far as water baptism and never go any further, and there
are those that without a genuine reality, go to water baptism, and, of
course, they can’t go any further, because they’ve got to go back. 

	Now, Simon entered in to what he should not have entered in, without a
genuine understanding of propitiation, the confession of the Lord Jesus
Christ as [your] personal Savior on the very grounds that Christ died
for his sins, and you recognize that by the shed Blood and know that to
be true. Then you stepped into the water, and you’ve identified
yourself with that sacrifice, identified yourself as having been a
sinner, but now are justified in the sight of God and are able now to
receive the Holy Ghost. 

25.	Now, I realize that many people never even have that told to them.
This is exactly why I try to preach this way before anybody gets
baptized anymore around here, or anyone gets baptized around here again.

	I did it for one candidate. Well, she hasn’t come back, which is...
See, you can’t tell. Now, there’s one thing about it. That person
could be a foolish virgin and come up in the Second Resurrection and
enter in. That person right now...not saying that person as though I am
referring to anybody now. I don’t mean that. A person such as that,
anybody whatsoever, could be baptized and not fully understand, but
having come just so far, without the proper understanding of knowing
exactly where these processes were leading to, that person could also,
not having received the Holy Ghost, go to the Great Tribulation and seal
their testimony with the Blood.

	But we want you to understand this. The water baptism, therefore, does
not carry within itself virtues unto redemption. It is a witness.
You’re supposed to witness unto God by what you’re doing--even the
very fact of the name, which we’ll go into.

26.	All right. So we see this much, but I want to go even further. And I
want to read certain scriptures on water baptism because It associates
it with names of people, actually, the people themselves. We are going
to go to Acts 19. Let’s begin to look into this and see what we can
get out of it. Acts 19:1-3:

(1)	And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having
passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain
disciples,

(2)	He said..., Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And
they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any
Holy Ghost. (Now watch this.)

(3)	And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? ...

	Well, the candidate should know what had happened. See? They didn’t. 

(2)	…We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 

(3)	And he said unto them, ...what (then) were ye baptized (to)? And
they said, Unto John’s baptism.

	All right. Let’s go to 1 Corinthians 10 again, which I just read. And
of course, we are looking for a certain name. [1 Cor 10:1-2]

(1)	Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that
all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

(2)	And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea...  

	...baptized unto John, baptized unto Moses. 

27.	1 Corinthians 1:13:

(13)	Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized
in the name of Paul?

	Acts 2:37-39:

(37)	Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and
said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what
will we do?

(38)	Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

(39)	For the promise is unto you, and to your children, ...all that are
afar off, ...as many as the Lord our God shall call.

	All right. Let’s go to 1 Peter 3:18-21:

(18) 	For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit:

(19)	By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

(20)	Which were sometime disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few,
that is, eight souls were saved by water.

(21)	The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not
the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but (of) the answer of a
good conscience toward God,) …

	In other words, I was sinner. Now I’ve been redeemed by the Blood.
I’ve been justified. Christ takes my place. I stand on that atonement.
The next thing, then, is the Holy Ghost. See?

28.	All right. Here you’ve got the name of John; you’ve got the name
of Moses; you’ve got the name of Paul; you’ve got the name of Jesus;
you’ve even got Noah in here: baptisms, in names.

	Now, all I want to bring here is that baptism in water goes with the
name, not only a purpose. There is a name that goes with it, all right,
not only a purpose. In Moses’ time we had a baptism instituted upon
all that came out, in order to go in. They came out, were baptized in
water, signifying they were going in. That was under Moses. It was an
exodus baptism and an entrance baptism. It was both of them: an exodus
and an entrance.

29.	Now, in the time of John, it actually had to do with Isaiah 40 and
Luke 1. Let’s go back to Isaiah 40. That’s just part of it, of
course. Now, why are you baptizing? Who are you anyway that you should
baptize? Are you the Christ? See, now he is baptizing. [Is 40:3-9]

(3)	The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

(4)	Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be
made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places
plain:

(5)	And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see
it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

(6)	The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is
grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

(7)	The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the
LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

(8)	The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God
shall stand for ever.

(9)	Oh Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high
mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice
with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah,
Behold your God! 

30.	All right. Here’s a man, here, that is baptizing. Okay. Here is
what is being done in his name, John’s baptism, and here’s the
purpose. Let’s look at that purpose further. It’s to make an
announcement. It’s a presentation.

	All right. Luke 1:17 concerning John:

(17)	And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to
turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and (even) the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared
for the Lord.

	All right. John was in there, and he was bringing to the people a
baptism of repentance, which meant that they had to now look at what he
was presenting, which was Christ, and he was teaching the Scripture
relative to it. So therefore he had a baptism of repentance, and it was
done in his name as he looked forward to the very presence of the Lord
Jesus Christ. 

31.	Now, in the time of John, as I said in Acts, he had to do with
Isaiah 40 and Luke 1 and acknowledge the coming one was then present. In
Noah’s time it was the earth that was baptized, signifying its
cleansing for a new order, though an order that would deteriorate. See?
And now, we look for another baptism, unto a purified earth, because the
Blood fell upon it. Now there will be another baptism of fire, of
course, which is going to get it ready for us. 

	Now, Paul’s name was never used, although some might have tried to
identify him with his message, and with Jesus Christ. We are looking at
names, now. The names have something to do with baptism. You simply
don’t baptize apart from the name. A name is involved, along with the
purpose. Each time there was a purpose; there was a name there. 

32.	So, we are seeing baptism needs names. That is why we use a name,
the name Lord Jesus Christ, for he alone is responsible for taking us
out of sin and death, into life and immortality. That’s exactly what
Peter said at Pentecost. This one that you crucified, foreordained of
God for the remission of sin, you had to do it by your wicked hands and
you identified yourself as sinners because you killed him, and God has
raised him and set him at His right hand now as the great High Priest
and the great intercessor and the great mediator, and here the Holy
Ghost has come forth

	Now, the thing is this: you get identified with Him. How? By baptism in
His Name. Let’s face this, brother/sister, there were people who
identified with John who never did turn to Jesus. No sir, they never
did. They went their way. 

	You say, “What happened?” 

	Don’t ask me. That’s God’s business, not mine. See?

	There are also those who were responsible for Christ’s death. They
tell me that according to a book of history written, that Caiaphas, the
high priest, was visited by a vision of Jesus, and he and seventy
priests at one time turned to Jesus Christ, just like the apostle Paul.
I haven’t any idea. I don’t know, but you hear these things. It
could be true or not.

33.	Now then, where once there were several names because of several
eras, and several necessary works, today there is one risen who has done
it and is doing it all. He is the great taker-out, and the put-er-into,
because He did it. See? And when we go into that water, we are immersed
and come forth, we are witnessing that all that He is and did we are
heir to by faith. We testify before all that we have abandoned the old
and taken on the new order. Thus, a truly repentant believer, who is
truly filled with the spirit, after sincere water baptism, can in no way
ever turn down what God has done for him, and is now doing, and will do.


	Now, that was a stinger, Bro. Branham said, but I meant it on purpose.
That is exactly how I wrote it, and that is exactly how I stand for it.

34.	Water baptism. Actually, there is only one way you can look at it.
That is you have identified yourself with Him one hundred percent, as to
what He has done and to what He is doing. Now, a lot of people don’t
think He’s doing anything. 

	You say, “Well, what about the fact that He’s interceding?” 

	“Well, that is a horse of a different color.” 

	Is it? [] Is that all he has got to do? See, they don’t credit the
fact that what he has done, and what he is doing, and what he will do.
And water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ has stood for
seven church ages, and even in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
which is a corruption, but nonetheless it is the titles of the name Lord
Jesus Christ. 

	When they were baptized in between those ages that had lost the
revelation, it still stood good in the representation of death,
resurrection, and identification. In fact, under the face of the man,
I’m sorry to say, that there is actually, I believe in some cases,
there’s far better training under the face of the man than many people
who say they believe this Message have under the face of the eagle!
They’re legalists! They don’t know the first thing about identifying
with God.

	Water baptism is the complete identification of the past, the present,
and the future. So therefore, every single person, truly baptized, has
to recognize what’s going on in his day, as in Luther, Wesley,
Pentecost, and now this hour. See? How can anybody ever turn down, then,
that which the Word declares that Christ stands behind his word to
perform, and then turns it down. There’s no way he can be baptized
with the Holy Ghost. It tells you right here. 

35.	Now, let’s get this and understand it: we are talking a
repentance. When you talk about repentance, you’ve got to go to water
baptism. And It says here, “It is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, partake of the Holy Ghost,
taste the good Word of God, the power of the world to come, having
fallen away, to renew them again to repentance. No way! No way! Yet
people are being baptized today, and it won’t do them any good. Well,
it doesn’t mean it doesn’t do any good in sense that they couldn’t
be foolish virgin or come up at the White Throne judgment. Furthermore,
he will be aware of it, for he is a part of it. 

	I want to go over that again. Thus, a truly repentant believer, who is
truly filled with the Spirit after sincere water baptism, can in no way
ever turn down what God has done for him, and is now doing, and will do.

36.	Now, at this point we are told by Bro. Branham that Christ, in the
form of the Holy Spirit, descends, sets Himself as the head of the
Church in order to raise the dead. And of course, the great argument
goes on, they say, “Well, He has always been here. What are you
talking about?”

	That isn’t true. There’s no you can take what Bro. Branham said,
There’s no way you can take Ephesians 1 and precede It by verses one
though fourteen, then turn to fifteen, and not realize something has set
in.” A Presence! See?

37.	All right. How can a man be full of the Holy Ghost and reject it?
Our water baptism testifies to the word of this age. Now, if we’ve
been baptized, and it has stood there as the sign or the witness, and
the reality has been forthcoming to the extent of a true repentance, a
true justification, a true sanctification, and a true baptism with the
Holy Ghost, there is no way that we can turn down the Word of this hour,
because our baptism has testified that we’re a part of It. How could
you have anything real if what you’ve got now doesn’t testify to
what is going on? That’s why it is not a vehicle of grace; it’s a
testimony. Then if a man makes a false witness to God, where is he? and
a false witness to man? See? Pretty serious.

	Now, I said, “Our water baptism testifies to the Word of this
age:”repentance and a turn of the heart, and an exodus and an
entrance. That is why the omega revelation of redemption, or rather,
baptism in the name of Jesus, holds in this hour. That’s how it
started, then that’s how it’s got to end. In other words, it’s a
witness to the very one that was raised. Paragraphing starts here
12/30/18

38.	Now, Peter said what you’re looking at here is the Holy Spirit.
He’s here showing the redemptive works and the priesthood. See?
You’ve got the same thing right today. The same Holy Spirit is here
today, and His fullness, the complete measure, witnessing to the
complete redemptive work of Jesus Christ. And it’s a competed work
because we have come out for the last time in order to enter in, which
is the exit from Babylon. See?

	Now, you can’t have an exodus without God and a prophet. Now, notice
in this particular case of exodus, which is the alpha exodus, they were
baptized unto Moses in what? Through the Pillar of Fire and a water. In
other words, a passageway which they went though.

39.	All right. What has God done in this hour? God also has given us, as
it were, a rebaptism in this particular sense, that in the Pillar of
Fire that hovers the Bride, she is completely immersed in Him, in order
to have safe passage into the Millennium, for Bro. Branham said, “The
Pillar of Fire is here to lead us in.” That’s why we are baptized in
His name, and baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is now a
must. And Bro. Branham said, “It is commanded, Thus Saith the Lord,
that anybody who is not baptized correctly must be rebaptized and must
be baptized correctly.” Now, that didn’t hold until this hour. See? 

	And there was a reason for it. And the reason for it was that, in that
day of Jesus... And now remember; he was baptizing, but not him. The
disciples were baptizing. In what name do you think they were baptizing
in? They were baptizing in Jesus’ Name. They had to be. There wasn’t
any other way they could go.

40.	So, here we are: at the very end time, water baptism has an
absolute, distinct, and powerful meaning. That powerful meaning is this,
that not only do we stand here, witnessing to the fact of a rebirth, but
our baptism goes further than that. It goes to the place where the
Pillar or Fire has literally hovered us to the place of immersion where
we have come out, and we are going in to the very Millennium itself.

	Now, there are you today who are converts, because you are much, much
younger than I am. You’re young people. And you are new converts. And
you are a part of that witness of this hour. Because, you see, there is
nothing that you could be baptized to, except to the witness of this
hour. Otherwise how were they baptized in Luther’s day? How were they
baptized in Wesley’s day? How in Pentecost? It was a witness to the
hour. See? And it was the change of the mind. 

	And they stood there to receive the Holy Ghost, which they did, and it
bolted them into the grave. This doesn’t do that. This one is going to
take you and escape the grave. This one is going to go by. 

	So therefore, the converts of this hour are a part of the witness of
this hour. But I want you to know one thing. Why do you think I have
received a part of this Message and am a part of it? For the very reason
my baptism was utterly genuine, and so was the baptism with the Holy
Ghost, until the hour of revelation came. And the hour of revelation
says, “Be baptized over.” It didn’t say, “Repent and be
baptized.” It said, “Be rebaptized,” and I was rebaptized. And so
was everybody else. 

41.	Now, there are those who say, “I really don’t know how I was
baptized,” and don’t go ahead and get baptized. What is the matter?
Because you stop exactly where your doubts are. Brother Branham said it
so. You can’t go any further. You see, water baptism is not something
here we just look at and just say, “Well, as an experience, I think
that it’s in the Word. It really doesn’t mean much. It’s just an
answer of a good conscience towards God.”

	Now, just how good must your conscience be to give a good answer? Well,
you’ve got to know something. Just the fact you’ll say there’s a
crowd down there that may be aware of something... There’s a people
down there that got a lot of power going for them. There’s a people
I’ve seen have changed lives. What about you? See? That’s what we
are looking at in this hour.

	In other words, what I am trying to say is this: When Bro. Branham came
on the scene, and he said that “The greatest revelation this hour is
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, one God, and you must be baptized in
His Name,” then there’s got to be more than just this old reason we
have always had to get baptized: “Well, it’s the thing to do.”
Well, I’m going to tell you something, it’s not the thing to do,
unless you are prepared to witness. 

42.	I’m going to tell you, your witness will catch up with you.
Simon’s did and a whole bunch did. There’s a lot of people never get
the Holy Ghost, because, you see, their witness isn’t based on that
absolute, resolute, and irrevocable Word of God: “Rrepent!” And
that’s not anything but a genuine repentance, imputed to the person
who goes in that water. ...God, which knoweth the hearts... 

	Where’s that Scripture? Yeah, it’s over there in Acts 11. [] Peter
is talking about how they came down to get him at Joffa. [Acts 11:15-16]

(15)	...I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the
beginning.

(16)	Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John
indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy
Ghost.

	That’s not it. I don’t see it, but it’s right in this area here.
It says that God which knoweth the hearts, and tells you that he filled
them with the Holy Ghost. That is exactly what we are looking at. And
that is exactly why you see water baptism...

43.	Now, listen; if people think water baptism isn’t what we say it is
on the grounds of that absolute witness, and it’s a part of what God
wants done, though it doesn’t bear grace--merits of grace in it, He
said, when they receive the Holy Ghost (Acts 11:16-17):

(16)	Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how...he said, John indeed
baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

(17)	Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us,
who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could
withstand God?

	Then they glorified God, that God would grant repentance.  And then in
Acts 10:42, when they were full of the Holy Ghost, he said:

(47)	Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, [which
have received the Holy Ghost as well as we]?

	Now, that’s the only place there’s a reverse order because the Holy
Ghost had to come on the Gentiles, because these Jews were still so
ignorant and perhaps bigoted, they could not believe this is the hour
that God would open the door to the Gentiles, though that was in
Scripture, too. So, what God did was He poured out the Holy Ghost, and
Peter said, “Now, who can forbid water?”

44.	Now, the point I’m driving at is this. If he said , “Who can
forbid water now that they have been filled,” and therefore, they have
been justified, then my point is this: how important is water baptism?
See? It’s about time we begin to realize there is nothing in the Word
of God that is void of power.

45.	The next thing comes up, as I’ve talked many times, (And I’m
closing my message tonight.) and that is this: how important, then, is
Communion? How important, then, is Foot-washing? How important, then, is
a lot of things that the prophet laid in order? And we say, “It really
doesn’t matter.” Well, it does matter. It does matter.

	And the more we begin to realize the tremendous importance of
everything in this Word and see there is nothing that is devoid of life
and power that lies here for you and me, that’s the time we are going
to be rising higher and higher. And higher and higher we’re are rising
now, because one day there has got to be a rapturing faith take place,
which we are entering into now.

46	I cannot believe for one minute that a rapturing faith discredits
anything in the Word of God and relegates it to a place of, “Well, it
really doesn’t matter” or “So what?” There may not be a
redemptive work of grace in foot-washing, there may not be a redemptive
work of grace in baptism, there may not be one in taking those emblems
set before us. There may not be one in this, that, and the other, but
I’m going to tell you, it is part of what God laid down, and there’s
no Word of God void of power, no Word of God that fails. START HERE
Paragraphing 1/28/19

92	So, brother/sister, let’s begin to realize that everything that we
have before us in this hour perhaps--not perhaps, but is--multiplied
many times more important than we ever thought it was. So, it behooves
us as the church here, as we enter into baptismal services, (And we’ve
been doing it.) you can see how the preaching is leading to it.

93	Now, it’s a ready-mindedness that brings the place to a fruition of
faith, where from now on baptisms count, because we’ve got that kind
of faith. Peter had it. You bet! Peter had. That is why he said,
‘Could a man forbid water?’

	Well, you said, “Who needs water now? We have this.”

	See, it doesn’t work that way. It is important. It is vital, because
God laid it in there.

	Okay, let’s rise.

	Gracious, heavenly Father, again we thank You for the privileged love,
mercy, and grace that You’ve extended to us that we could stand here.
Be with the people, Lord, bringing the Word in some measure, hopefully
believing, Lord, that hearts responded to the extent that now they
begin, every one of us, begins to see as never before, the vitality of
the Word of Almighty God,	so that no wonder there is no word that is
void of power, and no wonder, therefore, we are justified by our words,
and by our words we’re condemned. And no wonder also the prophet came
back and told us, which we well knew, I’m sure we already knew, Lord,
that by the very fact even an adage is there in the world concerning
what a man does and what a man says, and here this, Your own servant,
inspired by Yourself, said the thoughts of men’s hearts speak louder
in heaven than the words of upon their lips on earth.

	So Lord, here we are, and we stand and in that position to acknowledge
that we wish and prayerfully ask that You, great Holy Spirit impress us
as never before, upon the sacredness of everything that lies within this
Word that we are told to do. So that we might do all those things with
joy and the realization that God said it, and He didn’t say one thing
that was useless. 

	There wasn’t one word that fell void. There wasn’t one that went to
the ground He didn’t stand behind. And anything He said not to do,
it’s just as evident to be shunned as He said the things to do. 

	And though we know, Lord, that meritorious grace does not lie in it as
though it was a part of redemption, in that particular sense, rank with
the shed Blood, but it does mean if we believe in the shed Blood and we
honor Him who honored us, we love Him who loved us, then we are only too
glad to do these things in the right spirit, which is the Spirit of God.

	So thank You, Lord, tonight for helping us. Down the road, with better
understanding, clearer conceptions, as Paul kept praying and crying for
the folk, “I want you to have clearer conceptions.” 

	God, tonight, let us have clearer conceptions, and clearer conception
by revelation, dynamized! Yes, Lord, we want this church to believe, not
some frantic quality that other churches have believed by saying,
“When you’re baptized in water that does it. Now, that’s exactly
where you’re borned again.”

 	No way! I’m not saying they couldn’t be born again there, but that
didn’t do it. But we, Lord, with clearer conceptions and now we know
what that means. It means it puts us more firmly into the position we
should be in, in Christ and with each other.

	Praise God, that’s how we stand, Lord, and that means everything to
us, that we can leave here knowing, that we not only not hurt ourselves,
but we benefited ourselves now. 

	As we declared Your word, Lord, let Your spirit work on it, move on it.
These hearts and lives here because we’re coming more and more into
the full identity, to the full presence, unto the praise and glory of
his grace. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

	Let’s sing “We’ll Walk in the Light.”