Turn the Page

Keith Pittman

Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Matthew 28:16–20

Acts 8:26–40

Baptism

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Baptism helps us turn the page

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Intro/Welcome

I want to personally thank you for worshipping with us today. We are honored to have you join us. If there is anything Maegan and I and the team to serve you and your family, please do not hesitate to let us know.

The past few weeks have been amazing. If you have missed any of our messages, please check out our podcast. Be sure to be with us next week as we kick off our new series, Wild Standard, where we will be unpacking the Sermon on the Mount, one of the most influential messages Jesus has ever preached. It is here that Jesus teaches us what it means to be an effective follower and how to live a life of freedom and empowerment.

That said, I am so excited to be able to experience baptism Sunday with everyone. I want preach a brief message to you that I have called: Turn the Page.

Scripture(s)

(ESV) — 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

(ESV) — 26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

Illustration

I am a consumer and trafficker of information. I love to learn and I have several mediums that fuel my understanding. Life, people, movies, books. What I love about books is if you select the digital version, you can get the audio version of it that literally picks up where you left off. It is amazing! Maegan and I have recently started to read the same books, which creates great conversations. We are reading one book that so encouraging, Changes that Heal. I started reading the book about week ahead of Maegan and I was making some amazing progress and I was so excited when Maegan would read what I was reading. Then I started to lose momentum. I was reading but didn’t feel like I was moving forward. Turns out because Maegan and I have the same account, the cloud was syncing my progress with hers and I was reading the same chapter over and over again.

Transition

Many of us can directly relate to this because you have been trying to move forward but it seems like you are stuck on the same chapter, same page, same season and you are not moving forward. You’re going to school but you don’t see the progress. You’re going to counselling but you are not seeing the progress. You are coming to church, but you aren’t seeing the progress.

Background

Observations

Unfit

This is the exact dilemma that the Ethiopian found himself in. Allow me to paint the picture for you. Let me give you some background on E. First, we learn his ethnicity and dysfunction. He was connected to a history that has been defined as an outsider. In addition to that, we learn that he wasn’t able to reproduce. The very first instruction God has ever given to man was be fruitful, yet this man couldn’t accomplish this. You ever feel you were responsible for something that you weren’t properly equipped to do? Asked to live in someone else’s foot steps? E was an outsider that decided to go to the temple. This wasn’t a short trip, it was over 200 miles. He arrives only to discover he wasn’t permitted inside because of his broken condition. You ever feel like you were so broken that even the church didn’t want you or know what to do with you? You ever come to the church wanting to get relief from the pain only to leave feeling disappointed and rejected and misunderstood? People keep telling you to give it to God and you’re wondering why did God give it to you? If we aren’t careful we can believe there’s no hope for us. Or even believe we are beyond repair because we took it to the alter but it fails to alter us.

It’s important that you know, the miracle has already been processed, but picking it up is a process. I recently had some issues with my computer. It stopped processing the way it should. I took it to the shop and they fixed it. However, I had to wait for it to be sent back to me. It was inconvenient but I had to do my part if I truly wanted it to function the way it was intended. It cost me nothing, but I had to do my part. Your healing is already paid for. Your breakthrough is already paid for. However, there are times we have glitches in our programming that conflict with our freedom so we must give it to the manufacturer and allow Him to reset our minds and hearts so that we can run the program God intended us to run.

Your healing is already paid for. Your breakthrough is already paid for. However, there are times we have glitches in our programming that conflict with our freedom so we must give it to the manufacturer and allow Him to reset our minds and hearts so that we can run the program God intended us to run.

Unclear

It was a tense time in Jerusalem. E went to Jerusalem to experience peace and left with confusion.We learn that he is reading the bible but doesn’t understand it. I’m sure we can all relate to that, right? Reading this book that is meant to fix our problems and give us hope, only to not understand a single word of it. He was reading from the book of Isaiah. More specifically he was reading from one of the most profound OT scriptures as it relates to the death of Christ. This man was leaving an environment where he just saw and heard of the suffering of a man and now he was reading it and couldn’t connect the dots. He was looking at pain and couldn’t see Jesus. Have you ever experienced pain and suffering and wondered where Jesus is? What do you do when you don’t see Jesus pain that you are looking at? Where’s Jesus in my family, school, home, friends, thoughts…? You ever go to the alter and leave feeling the exact same?

Point

Closing/Alter

Let’s go deeper. E was reading from what we know as and didn’t understand what he was looking at. Well in we are introduced to no weapon formed against us will prosper. In we are introduced to the promises in God’s Word. In chapter we are introduced to redemption for everyone that surrenders to Christ. In many cases we live a chapter 53 life where we get stuck in the pain not knowing we are one chapter away from victory, we are 2 chapters from the promises, 3 chapters from redemption. You’re closer than you think you are!!!! Keep reading…you’re 21 verses away from victory, keeping working, you’re 32 verses away from promises; keep showing up, you’re 40 verses away from total redemption!!!

So back to my book. What am I to do? I am so tired of being stuck on the same chapter. I discovered the bookmark option. This simple button allowed me to remember where I left off.

Baptism is the bookmark that announces we have turned the page. BAPTISM IS HOW YOU SPIRITUALLY TURN THE PAGE. They come upon water! Water was in the desert! When you think of a desert, water doesn’t come to mind. If it does, it’s an illusion. However, there was water in the desert to refreshing. Even when we are in deserted places, God provides a place for refreshment. tells that there is hope for a tree that even if it is cut down at the scent of water it will sprout again. I can feel it in the air. Your healing is a drop away. Your freedom is a drop away. Your new season is a drop away.

. They come upon water! Water was in the desert! When you think of a desert, water doesn’t come to mind. If it does, it’s an illusion. However, there was water in the desert to refreshing. Even when we are in deserted places, God provides a place for refreshment. tells that there is hope for a tree that even if it is cut down at the scent of water it will sprout again. I can feel it in the air. Your healing is a drop away. Your freedom is a drop away. Your new season is a drop away.

Point

Baptism moves you forward:

Baptism is the bookmark that announces that we have turned the page

There is a reason why Jesus instructs His disciples to reach people and instructs the people to be baptized. In the mind of Christ, baptism is the way that you demonstrate your faith.

Baptism is the place where dead things are buried and newness of life emerge; making it both tomb and womb.

BAPTISM IS HOW YOU SPIRITUALLY TURN THE PAGE

Baptism is how we demonstrate that we believe in Jesus

Baptism is how you spiritually turn the page

BAPTISM IS HOW YOU SPIRITUALLY TURN THE PAGE

Baptism Scriptures

(ESV) — 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

(ESV) — 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

(ESV) — 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;

(ESV) — 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

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