The sermon by Jeff Pollard focuses on the topic of baptism. He highlights the two ordinances given by Christ to His churches, namely baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is intended for believers who have repented and believed. The outward element used in this ordinance is water, and immersion or dipping is necessary for its proper administration. Baptism symbolizes union with Christ, fellowship in His death and resurrection, forgiveness of sins, and a commitment to live and walk in newness of life. The sermon emphasizes the importance of understanding the significance of baptism and not just viewing it as a mere ritual or symbol.

We haven't sung before a baptism, before baptism. We always sing afterwards. So we'll still sing afterwards, but we're going to sing before this time. Really, if you don't know this hymn, this is a wonderful, wonderful hymn. My Faith Has Found a Resting Place.

I trust the ever living one, His will for me shall be. I need no other argument, I need no other meaning. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. Enough for me that Jesus saved.

This gives my fear and doubt. A sinful soul I come to hear will never cast me out. I need no other argument, I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me. That he died for me I heard his leaning on the Word the risen Word of God salvation by my Savior's name, salvation through his blood.

I need no other argument. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me. My great physician heals the sick, the lost he came to save. For me his precious, my vicious, for me his life he gained.

I need no other argument. I need no other meaning. It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me. Amen. Amen.

And That is gospel all through it. A large majority of the things that you will hear in our day that are called gospel music don't have any gospel in them. That one does. Praise the Lord. Beautiful.

Maybe we can tape that into the Trinity. It's got a blank page, I think. As always, I want to say a few things about baptism. There are two ordinances that Christ has given His churches, just two. Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

They're both for believers only. They're not for everybody, not for anybody. As we will read, for baptism it is something for people who have repented and believed, and the Lord's Supper is something that continues. Normally, you should only be baptized once. Now we live in a culture with a cultural religion that is constantly pleading with people to make a commitment to Jesus and then to renew their commitment all the time because many don't realize that the word Believe means commitment.

If you have to tell people all the time you need to get yourself committed to God, what you're telling them is to believe Him. You're living like a lost one. But this is for people who have repented of their sins and believe. It's the same thing for the Lord's Supper, except that that's something that is repeated as often as we do it. Baptists among themselves argue over this, no surprise, and even with other denominations the same argument exists, can someone who hasn't been baptized take the Lord's Supper?

If they haven't been baptized, do they need to wait to be baptized? Those are all things that denominations and theologians wrestle through. But generally speaking, you don't find people taking the Lord's Supper that haven't repented of their sins and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. And That is what we hold to. Now we hold to it loosely.

We know there could be circumstances beyond our control. So having said that, baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament. That means it's something, children, that's been commanded. It's not an option. It's not something you can do if you just feel like having it done.

I've had people say, will you baptize me? I say, why? When I hear their reasons, I generally have had to refuse because they haven't said, well, the Lord Jesus Christ commands me to do this upon my repentance and faith. Baptism is important because it is an ordinance. Jesus and his disciples baptized.

It was ordained by Jesus to be unto the party baptized. We will have a baptizend today and that person is the person baptized here, the party baptized. And it's a sign of his fellowship with him, with Christ. In his death and resurrection of his being, engrafted into him. Those words are beautiful.

Engrafted, children, is a fancy word, but what it comes down to mean is that we are brought into union by the power of the Holy Spirit with the living Christ. Baptism means union with the living Christ. He has taken up citizenship at the throne of our hearts and he's the king reigning there. And we should be fellowshipping with him, both fellowship with him in his death and resurrection of his being engrafted into him of remission of sins, which means forgiveness of sins. It should mean to the person who goes under the water, not that they simply got wet, but that Jesus Christ has paid for the sins of the person being baptized.

So it also means, and this is one that in our day many churches seem to leave out, What should this ordinance mean to the person being baptized? Giving up unto God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life. Now why is that? Because when Hannah goes under the water in a few moments, she'll preach the best sermon she's ever preached. She will go under the water in symbolic death with the Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again and she will rise again and what that will say is I'm dead to what I was.

I am alive to the Lord Jesus Christ. To walk in newness of life as Romans 6 says. In other words, Baptism isn't just about getting wet and then being applauded. It is about God doing work in a human soul, bringing that soul to repent of sin and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and then baptism really means something for them. It means all that we just read and it also concludes then with living and walking with Jesus.

Well, secondly, and the three and four are generally pretty brief, those who do actually profess repentance toward God, faith in, and obedience to our Lord Jesus are the only proper subjects of this ordinance. As we read the scriptures, we see that only those that have repented and believed are those who undergo baptism. That has given us a doctrine that does set us apart from many who profess to be Christians and who are Christians. This is where Baptists are different from many of our other reformed brethren, but it is, if any of you have the confession and the confession that's got the appendix on baptism in it, would do you good to read it. You would know why our forefathers struggled and fought and very often were deeply persecuted for holding this doctrine.

Lastly – I'm sorry – thirdly, the outward element to be used in this ordinance is water wherein the party is to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Immersion and dipping of the person in water is necessary to the due administration of this ordinance. The word baptizo, which is brought over into English as baptize, means to dip, it means to immerse, it means to plunge under. And the reason is because it's connected to Romans chapter 6 of our dying and rising again with the Lord Jesus. So this is what Baptists of many stripes throughout the centuries have held, and it is the practice that we do for all those who repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

We do not count those who do not agree with us on this not to be Christians. We don't agree with them. It's a family argument. That being the case, I always ask those that I'm baptizing for their testimony. We don't require it from the baptistry, but I'm thankful that Hannah's going to share with you her testimony.

But I do always ask, why do you wanna be baptized? Anybody that comes into my office, those of you that are wanting to be baptized someday, listen carefully. I always ask this. Why do you wanna be baptized? Someone here, some years ago, looked at me and smiled and said, because it will make me a better person.

That's not the reason to be baptized. You're only a better person when Jesus births you by his Spirit. When Jesus gives you a new heart, you'll start living like a different person. But baptism doesn't do that. It's a symbol.

And I said, so why do you want to do this? And she said, because God commanded it. I said, that's good. And then she said something nobody else has ever said so I don't mind spilling it All right, she said and I want everybody to see what God has done in me That's That's one of the reasons we do baptism. We're saying all of us are saying and seeing God's work, not man's work.

So, would you come and join us please and share your testimony with us? I just want to share a little bit my testimony. Ever since I was a little girl I had wanted to be saved. It was never something I thought I needed because I saw bad in myself but because I knew I had to escape hell and because I was told I needed it. I had several emotional instances in my childhood where I thought I was saved, but then they always passed and I went on with life not really caring.

Around five years ago or so I really started to see my personal need for salvation and through those years I struggled with what I thought was assurance. On the Wednesday of July 19th Mr. Nate Maxon preached on practical atheism. The next morning mom sat down with me and pointed out some of the areas that she thought she saw unbelief and maybe not true seeking of God. Our conversation made me angry because I realized how much I really did hate God and by my actions how much I really did wish he was dead.

It was the first time I really saw myself for who I was, and it scared me because I realized that God could have and should have taken me out a long time ago. A few hours later, we were out running errands, and I slipped a CDN, and the first song that came on was, My faith has found a resting place. Even though we just sang it I want to read the words again. My faith has found a resting place not into vice nor creed. I trust the ever-living one.

His wounds for me shall bleed. Enough for me that Jesus save. This ends my fear and doubt. A sinful soul I come to him. He'll never gas me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word, the written Word of God, salvation by my Savior's name, salvation through His blood. I need no other argument, I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. I realized how easy it was and how hard I was making it. It wasn't my lack of assurance that was hindering me.

It was my unbelief. Not that Christ could save me but that he would save me. That was when I knew Christ really did love me and He was able and willing to save me. My faith had found a resting place. Amen.

Amen. Okay. Because it's a right to see so many prayers and to be staying in this world. I'm trying to remember if anyone has prayed before. So, in accordance with your profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repenting of your sins and trusting him alone.

I baptize you, my sister, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen. And our Timothy Hemlow, 188. Please stand. And here is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's chains. And sinners, lunch beneath that flood, lose all their guilty space.

Lose all their guilty space. Lose all their guilty space. And sinners, watch, beneath that flood, O, say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Of their guilty spades.

The dying queen rejoices to see that fountain in his place. And there am I as vile as we, wash all my sins away. There are sins by faith, I saw the street, And shall my sins await. Ever since I think, I saw the stream, my flowing wounds so fine. Redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die.

And shall be till I die and shall be till I die. Redeeming one as big might be and shall be till I die. And here thy England, thy precious blood, shall never lose its power. Till all the ransomed Church of God be saved to sin no more, be saved to sin no more, Be saved to sin no more. Be saved to sin no more.

Till all the ransomed Church of God be saved to sin no more. Amen. Church of God, we say to save the poor. Amen. Amen.

Father in heaven, we praise and thank you for thy great saving. Saving mercy. We thank thee for everyone that makes that profession of thee and goes under the water in obedience to thy command. And obedience that I command. Lord, I thank people for thy blessings upon us.

Bless thy dear children for the rest of the day. May this be your most memorable and blessed Lord's day. In the name of Christ, Amen.