Many so-called Christians would have had a problem if they
had to ask John the Baptist to baptize them. Here is what he said to some of
those who came to be baptized: We read in Matthew 3:7-12 “But when he saw many
of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You
brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have
Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to
raise up children to Abraham. 10"The axe is
already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear
good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 "As
for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming
after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 "His
winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor;
and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with
unquenchable fire."
There is no sense in being baptized if you have not repented of your sin,
not even mentioning a baby who does not even know right from wrong.
It is most appropriate that many who call themselves Christians, refuse to
be baptized, because they have not yet repented of their sin and are not ready
to be baptized for repentance of sin.
Jesus’ command to the disciples was, we read in Matthew 28:19-20
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizingteaching them
to observe all that I commanded you.”
them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Unless a person has become a disciple of Jesus and he has repented of his
sin and his right to himself he cannot be a disciple and should not be baptized
at all. Such a person will not go through with Jesus in any case and it would
be better for him to drop out of the race before he continued any further.
Why do I say that? Listen to what John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:11
again ” He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to
remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire.”
Those who walk with Jesus will be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with Fire.
It is also clear why many so called Christians don’t want the Holy Spirit
and the Fire – The Holy Spirit will not tolerate their sins, but will bring
them to the light. The Fire of the Holy Spirit will clean you out and burn out
all the dross.
People are under the impression that once they have said the sinners prayer
they are saved. Not so easy my friend. John 1:12 says: “But as many as received Him, to them He
gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in
His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the
will of man, but of God.”
You become a child of God through obedience to Jesus Christ. First become
a disciple, then be baptized for the remission (removal) of your sins. Then
Jesus will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and Fire. Many Christians never get
that far.
Some don’t even repent of their sins. Many openly live in sin, because the
church accepts it. You have a problem my friend. Jesus is not your church. He
will not accept that. Whoever told you that you were saved did not tell you the
truth. If we do not obey Jesus we shall not have eternal life. He said in Luke
6:46 “ And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord and not do the things which I say?”
If you did not give up your sin and your right to yourself and did not die
to self and sin you are not ready to be baptized or even call yourself born
again. You don’t even know what it means. You first need to die to self, before
a new creature can be born in you through the Holy Spirit.
Once you are ready to “deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Jesus”,
then only can you think about being baptized. John said you must first: “bear
fruit in keeping with repentance” before you are baptized.
When you tell Christians they must bear fruit they say that they are saved
by grace and not by works. So: How can they then think that they are saved? In
reality they don’t know what it means to be saved.
The wrath of God is on man for sin. If we continue in our sin we have
neither believed nor obeyed Jesus and we are not free from the dominion of sin.
The soul that sins will die, even if you believe. Jesus came to set us
free from the dominion of sin, if you still love and try to justify your sin
you can not call yourself saved or born again, so please stay away from baptism
because you will enter the water as a dry sinner and come out of it as a wet
sinner. Your baptism will mean nothing.
So, do not expect to receive the Holy Spirit because you never became
obedient to Jesus. You will in any case not endure the Fire of the Holy Spirit
because the Fire will burn you clean. If you accept Jesus you come under His
dominion and He will clean you out my friend. He will discipline you. It is not
an easy road.
Do you know about the baptism with Fire? We read about it in Hebrews
12:5-11 “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when
thou art rebuked of Him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. 7 If
ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he
whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected
us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto
the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for
a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that
we might be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no
chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are
exercised thereby.”
Are you ready for the discipline of the Lord my friend? If not, don’t get
wet, don’t even think of baptism, also forget about salvation. There is only
one way and that is the narrow way.
Jesus Himself is the way, the truth and the life. If we do not obey and
follow Him our faith is useless, it will not save us. Jesus is the King of
kings, the Lord of Lords. Is He your Lord? How far are you willing to follow
and obey Him?
Some people won’t even go through the water with Him.
If you follow Jesus you will have to cross many bridges. If you refuse you
will be left behind. He never begged anyone to follow Him. Jesus doesn’t need
us my friend. We need Jesus. He became obedient to the Father to the point of
death, He gave all.
Do you really think for one moment that He will accept
anything less than total obedience from any of us? He Himself set the standard,
He did everything that the Father commanded Him. His Word always accomplishes
that which He sends it to. Jesus said: My sheep know My voice and they follow
Me? Are you His sheep? How far do you follow?
finalcall07 