[0:00] Good morning. I too want to welcome you to the house of the Lord this morning.
[0:13] We have a very, very special morning as we have seven individuals whom the Lord has worked a work of giving eternal life.
[0:33] And so we're here to celebrate that in a service of baptism, of recognizing that, and it is indeed the Lord that gives life.
[0:47] And it's the reason why we're here. And so thank you for friends and family that have come to celebrate with us this morning as we do that.
[1:05] I'm going to have a shorter message this morning. And after that, we're going to have all seven of you share your testimonies.
[1:18] And after that, we'll have the questions that we ask of them. And then we're going to go over to the baptizing part. And so as we think of God, the author of life, our sustainer, the one that has created each one of us, not only here this morning, but throughout the entire world, our text says, behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened.
[2:14] Does the Lord show His strong hand today? We have the evidence right here, and not only in the seven that are waiting for baptism, but in every believer that is present here.
[2:37] We have proof and evidence that God's hand is not shortened. He is still God, almighty, all-powerful.
[2:52] And as our passage in Isaiah states that, the context of the passage being to Israel, but application applying to us as well.
[3:08] And he says, behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor is His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
[3:20] But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. So, I couldn't help but thinking, the world seems to be a dark place these days.
[3:42] And I don't mean to come across with gloom and doom, but when we watch the news, or watch events, things are worldwide in chaos.
[3:57] They're going down. And it would seem that God is losing control. But He isn't.
[4:12] He is allowing the world to come together in their ways, preparing for the end.
[4:24] And sin will increase. Evil will increase. And so, in light of that, is the Lord's hand shortened?
[4:36] Absolutely not. And all over the globe, this very day, our Father is saving individuals. Amen?
[4:50] Amen? He is saving one at a time, calling them to Himself. And as we respond, His saving grace comes upon us, as He makes us born again.
[5:07] Now, His hand is not shortened, nor is His ear heavy, that He doesn't hear us when we pray, when we come to Him.
[5:21] And, but verse 2 says, He says, But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden you, or hidden His face from you, so He will not hear.
[5:37] He is saying, the prophet Isaiah is saying, there's a problem here. He says, your iniquities have separated you from God, and your sins have caused Him to hide His face from you.
[5:57] There is a sin problem with mankind that we have inherited through the fall of humanity right from the Garden of Eden.
[6:12] Now, He uses the word iniquities. Your iniquities have separated you. And that word has more the sense of our capacity to sin.
[6:32] And not only capacity, but our, a bigger word would be propensity to sin. Our sinful nature, that we are prone to sin again and again.
[6:50] Our iniquities have separated us. For God cannot look upon sin. He cannot be present with sin.
[7:01] And so we have a sin problem. And then in verse 3, He goes on to list individual sins. In one verse, there's more in the chapter that follows, but we're just going to focus on the one.
[7:18] And He says, Your hands are defiled with blood, your fingers with iniquity, your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity.
[7:44] Individual sins. In one verse here, God mentions three sins breaking three out of the ten commandments.
[7:58] Now, you may be here this morning thinking, that's not me. But the reality is, it's a description of humanity.
[8:16] of each and every one of us. And as we look at this verse, He says, Your hands are defiled with blood. It's murder, which is the sixth commandment.
[8:35] And further, your lips have spoken lies. And that is, the ninth commandment. You shall not bear false witness.
[8:47] And the last word, your tongue has muttered perversity. And that is, blasphemy against God. The third commandment.
[8:58] And this is just one verse as Isaiah starts to address the nation. You see, every one of us has broken God's moral laws.
[9:18] no exception. And if we are honest with ourselves, and I just hold up God's law before me, I know I am guilty.
[9:38] I know that I am guilty to stand before God. And so we have a problem.
[9:50] Israel had a problem, but we do as well. And it's only when we see ourselves in front of God's holiness that I realize, that we realize, I need help.
[10:11] How will I stand before a holy God on the day of judgment? And the answer is, I won't be able to stand.
[10:30] We will be judged guilty on our own feet. And we will not be able to face God and say, I didn't know better.
[10:52] I was perfect. that will not fly on the day we stand before Him. And, but Isaiah in the same chapter has good news.
[11:08] And let's turn forward to verse 15. Isaiah 59, 15.
[11:22] So truth fails, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.
[11:39] And so the Lord looking down on humanity. He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor. therefore his own arm brought salvation for him and his own righteousness it sustained him.
[11:57] For he put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
[12:12] According to their deeds, according to his will, repay. Fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies, the coastlands he will fully repay.
[12:26] So they shall fear, so shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
[12:43] The redeemer will come to Zion and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob says the Lord, as for me, says the Lord, this is my covenant with them, my spirit who is upon you, and my words which I put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth nor from the mouth of your descendants nor from the mouth of your descendants descendants, says the Lord, from this time and forever he is saying all mankind will come before God and will meet his standard and it's the Lord's righteousness his provision of righteousness in his son Jesus Christ that is our only hope to stand before God and so way back
[13:47] Isaiah had this very clear to the children of Israel and there is a day coming we know that the Lord will give Israel a new heart and they will be saved and it will happen before the millennium but for us today is the day of salvation today is the day that the Lord is calling and desiring for you to turn to him in faith I want us to turn to Romans to read a couple passages there just to reemphasize this the gospel message Romans chapter 3 starting in verse 19
[14:59] Romans 3 now we know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God all the world may become guilty before God as we look at his moral law it will stop us and we realize I am guilty guilty before God therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin the law reveals that to us but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness of
[16:01] God through faith in Jesus Christ so God in his mercy in his grace revealed his righteousness apart from the law apart from trying to do good as he realized man cannot save himself we need help we are guilty and so he says even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe for there is no difference the invitation is there for everyone that chooses to put their faith in God's plan of salvation there is redemption there is hope there is the glory of
[17:03] God and furthermore he says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God but being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness what a beautiful picture God has given us that God demonstrated his righteousness to us through faith and it's God showing that his arm is not shortened he is almighty God and he is desiring to save to bring back what was lost in the fall of man one soul at a time and if we turn to to
[18:19] Romans chapter 10 he gives the invitation again for salvation starting in verse 9 Romans 10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead you will be saved for with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation for the scripture says whoever believes on him will not be put to shame for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon him for whoever calls on the name of the
[19:20] Lord shall be saved hallelujah it is an invitation to all of mankind the provision is there and God is calling calling calling and we need to answer you know part of part of man's condition in the fall of man in our sinful nature is that we have become irresponsible unaccountable and we like to give excuses and to blame others all of that is in Genesis chapter three and in a few verses there Adam and Eve displayed all of that their guilt and their willingness to blame anybody but me but as the
[20:33] Lord calls and as you realize that that I am guilty of God's moral law God is asking for you to own up to acknowledge and say I am guilty God it's not your fault it's not my wife's fault it's not life circumstances fault I am guilty God what must I do and Peter says in Acts chapter two repent repent acknowledge your sinfulness your sinful nature and your sins and ask
[21:43] God to take over your life and the Lord will show his arm strong as he saves you and we have witnessed or I have witnessed and you will here in a in a little while as these seven individuals have experienced that to the glory of God but this morning if you are here and you are unsure or you know that you're not right with God allow allow God to speak to your heart this morning as you listen to the testimonies is it time that I own up to who
[22:45] I am and bow my knees before God today is the day of salvation and the Lord is waiting his hand is not shortened and he's waiting to save you it's a powerful powerful message powerful work that our God our Father has done for us to save humanity such grace I look forward to again hearing your testimonies we are at this point going to go over to that to it's going to be a full morning so why don't we close in prayer and then we're going to go over to sharing of the testimonies let's bow
[23:52] Father what a glorious glorious message you have what a glorious work you have worked for us and as Isaiah said you look down and you saw man's iniquity their sinful nature and inability to change and Father you provided a way of salvation you provided your own righteousness through your son Jesus Christ whom you sent to take my place on the cross of Calvary pouring out his life blood in order that I could have life in order that I can stand before you on that day and you will declare righteous we praise you
[24:59] Father for all you have done and as we listen to the testimonies as they're shared we know Lord this is all about you and your work that you've done in each individual's life I pray that you would grant them power strength and boldness to share and Lord as they come up that they would realize this is not about me this is about my heavenly father and so may you give them courage to the glory of Jesus amen okay we're going to start with Anthony and after
[26:01] Anthony goes down just keep coming up one one at a time and so may the Lord bless you come up Anthony good morning everybody my name is Anthony Reimer I grew up in a Christian home it wasn't perfect but I had a good childhood my parents taught me everything I needed to know about God but I guess I just didn't want to have that lifestyle instead I chose to go my own way so I lived most of my teenage years doing things I shouldn't have been doing a bit over a year ago in November 2022 my parents and my girlfriend's parents told me about a man's encounter thing I wasn't really interested but I went after all I'm glad I did because that's where I met Jesus and took him as my
[27:02] Lord and Savior after giving my life to Jesus to the Lord my life was challenging because I started losing friends and people looked at me different I've been through a few big bumps but I don't like but I feel like they only strengthened my faith I went to Bible school last year with a couple of friends at first it was overwhelming and scary but then after a while I felt like I belonged there and I got comfortable and that's when I started learning more and more that I never knew before in the end it did me good and I'm glad that I went and to all of you who are planning on going to
[28:05] Bible school I encourage you to go it will build you up a lot thank you good morning my name is Martin Wolf from childhood on as far as I remember I grew up as a Christian I was told stories about Jesus and life and his life at home and in Sunday school they were most fascinating and interesting to me and I enjoyed learning about him I attended church and tried living a good life but as I grew older into my teen years my priorities changed and I was hardly living the Christian life I knew I should be living as time went on I was caught in the cycle of sin repenting and forgetting just to do it again feeling I had betrayed God every time I didn't know why
[29:06] I couldn't get out of the habits until I was told I couldn't do it by myself and I had to put myself in Jesus hands then about a year and a half ago late spring it was I was at an unhappy and low point in my life so I turned to Jesus and gave him my life I always knew he was there but now he wasn't just the stories I was always told about he was in me and guiding me when I lost sight of his plan praying was an encouraging it was an encouragement and as I constantly do it the Lord always leads me forward I came across a verse recently that helped me when I am low and down Philippians chapter 3 verse 13 and 14 says brethren I count not myself to apprehend it but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things that are before I press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ thank you good morning my name is Susie
[30:25] Wall I'm born in Leamington Ontario I grew up half my life in Belize and the other half here my life has been pretty great growing up besides that I didn't have Jesus I wasn't exactly a good girl growing up I mean I tried making my appearances look as if I was but really I wasn't I'm really glad and thankful for my parents that I have they've always been loving and caring and there for me I didn't know I didn't even know what a Christian really was I just thought it meant we were supposed to try our best and not mess up and if we did just move on and forget and hope for the best well that's not exactly the right thing to do but I didn't know and that's how I got through things and that's how I brought all the unnecessary baggages into my teen years trying to get rid of it in ways not possible my parents became followers of Christ a few years ago and in some ways that was really confusing for me but also opened my eyes and mind up to a few new things like
[31:48] I can go to heaven even if I just believe in Jesus and that he's the only way but for some reason it didn't really click and like I was still missing something I still didn't really have Christian friends and had some non-Christian habits I didn't have any peace so I tried making better friends it worked I made a few special friends that that really brought me closer to God and encouraged me with things that I really needed encouragement for but living two different lives at the same time was really hard it was actually impossible many things happened until I truly saw Jesus for who he was and gave my life to him but there was one night specifically it was last year
[32:49] April 1st at 1am in the morning I won't forget I saw him clearly through all the pain I was in both physically and emotionally I cried out to him in a way I never had before and even dared to and he healed me completely not just physically I felt the Holy Spirit run through my body I felt like I was free and there was just this beautiful energy inside of me it was wonderful that night I went to bed being able to feel what it felt like to go to sleep peacefully and knowing that I was saved God heard my parents prayers and I'm so glad my life after receiving Christ as my savior has been amazing definitely not perfect but amazing I now have someone to go to and someone that shares my pain and my joy
[33:51] I'm no longer alone I actually went to bible school last year and for me that was a huge deal because I had to put myself out there and reveal the new me but I enjoyed it especially the counseling class made me realize how everyone reacts differently to hurt and how they can all lead to the same thing a pit where you want to get out but not always but can't always it helped me it helped me out with some habits I never realized I had and I was able to let go of them but anyways it was overall amazing and definitely worth going and there's also a verse that I thought I'd share it's
[34:53] Ephesians 6 13 it says therefore put on every piece of armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil then after the battle you will still be standing this verse has always been a lot a lot to me and it's really special I really like it thank you good morning my name is Cassidy Peters growing up I didn't know who God was I always had the idea that there was a God in heaven and hell but I never thought much of it or fully understood it there have been times in my life when I was very depressed and in a pretty dark place and I didn't understand what the purpose of my life was I felt like I was walking blindly and didn't know what to do during that time
[35:55] I felt called to pursue God and learn more about him I felt like my soul was longing to know God but I didn't know how or where to start so I started going to church with one of my friends at the time but I didn't feel like I was learning anything there and eventually I turned to other things to distract myself from the pain I felt which led me to putting myself in situations that only made it worse years of this went by trying to fill the void I had with addictions and validation from others I felt like the whole point of my existence was to do what others wanted from me and make everyone else happy at the expense of my own until I was at a point where I just felt like giving up but four years ago I met Corny my husband who introduced me to who God really is and I finally tried putting in an effort to get to know God by praying and reading the Bible and started seeing him answering my prayers and changing me and my faith and him began to grow the more I read prayed and learned about God the more I realized how foolish
[36:55] I had been trying to fix my problems on my own with all the wrong things and I learned that only God can truly heal me and bring me out of the hole I was in I struggled a lot with my self esteem always feeling let down and disappointed and abandoned and felt like I would never escape what felt like a never ending cycle of hurt until I let God take control of my life I surrendered my life to God and accepted Jesus into my heart and I have been forever changed he has never and never will disappoint or abandoned me he is always there for me through everything and nobody else or anything else could ever comfort me and heal me the way he does since I accepted Jesus my entire life has changed he has healed me from my past traumas and insecurities broken all of my chains of addiction and molded me into a faithful woman of God he has blessed me beyond what I deserve and I am so glad I gave my life to him and that he never gave up on me no matter how far I wandered away good morning my name is
[38:03] Samantha Bandman I my life did not start in a Christian household when I was little there was nothing but fighting and hatred in our house I knew there had to be more out there than that shortly shortly before I moved to Grand Prairie my mom started taking us to church it started to spark an interest in my heart but I didn't but I didn't really understand why yet so I started asking questions about God and my parents couldn't really answer them at the time soon after that my world fell apart when my mom moved my sisters and I to Grand Prairie when my dad stayed in southern Alberta at 10 years old I was struggling with depression feeling unloved and unwanted but my mom found her faith around that time and started teaching me more about Christ no matter how no matter what my mom did
[39:08] I was rebellious talked back all the time and just never wanted to listen to anybody life just felt very uncertain for me I didn't know what our next moves were going to be I didn't know who I could trust or if I should trust anyone but I found a few great friends in this church that helped me through it things were going better until I started grade 7 I was getting bullied and getting a lot of threats from kids at school so I began to struggle again I began to have a very terrible rebellious attitude again I had lost my relationship with God I started to get in an extremely depressive state and avoided hanging out with my friends even though I knew they were good for my mental and spiritual state then my mom switched us to the Christian school for grade 8 and things started to get a lot better there because I still struggled with anger but
[40:11] I was starting to become a better person again and I started wanting a relationship with God again that is basically how I was for all of grade 8 on June 14 I was studying for my finals when I got to thinking where I would go after I died I realized I would be going to hell if I didn't start to repent and ask God for forgiveness when I realized that I started bawling my eyes out and I started praying and asking him for forgiveness I gave my life to God that night and things have never been better since I still struggle with depression some days but I know Jesus will help will always help me and guide me through tough times it is now my wish to get baptized and become a daughter of the one true guy good morning everyone my name is
[41:21] Jan Koenig I was blessed with being raised in a Christian home in my earlier teen years I was very aware of sin in my life although I tried not to think much of it that didn't make it go away I wanted to ask God to forgive me but every time I would think about it I would dismiss it because it all seemed too easy one prayer washing away all the sin I committed I went on like this for a couple years struggling with it then on the night of July 30th last year it was just before midnight I went to my brother's room to talk and I asked him where I should start reading the Bible if I'm struggling with repentance and he told me to read the four gospels it might help if you understand what Jesus did for you we talked for a little more and we both got silent and my heart felt heavy like God was tugging on my heart and I told my brother what I was feeling and he told me maybe that's him knocking and
[42:27] I started tearing up then he asked me if I wanted him to pray with me I said yes and he prayed for me and I asked Christ into my heart after this happened I felt absolute peace in my heart and in my mind and I praise God for knocking on my heart that night thank you good morning everyone I'm Jonathan Jansen I grew up in a Christian home but as I grew older I realized that Christians are far from perfect I saw how some of them reacted different things and decided that I didn't want anything to do with Christianity if that's what it meant to be a Christian I had a couple close calls with vehicles that made me think what would happen to me if I died I really didn't have any reasons not to get saved but something was holding me back one night running skater
[43:34] I just couldn't take it anymore I knew I was going to hell if I died I started listening to audio Bible and praying I asked God to forgive me and for the first time in my life I finally had peace there have been many struggles since then but with God's help I'll keep winning then thank you applause thank you for for sharing it is it's beautiful to hear their stories of how God got a hold of them and when they hit the point in their life where they surrendered to him praise the Lord for that we have three questions that we asked before we baptize and
[44:40] Elliot would you want to come up and just move the mics over a bit just off to the side a bit more and then that can probably stay there and just the two mics in their stands then I'll ask the seven of you to come up see if there's room for a roll there yeah perfect that's ready yes all right I have the three questions and we're going to have them answer individually so the first one is do you acknowledge your sinful nature and have you repented of your sins accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior and do you promise not to part from this truth as long as you live yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes okay the second question do you believe that Jesus
[46:04] Christ the son of God who was crucified died and rose again and according to acts 412 is the only one through whom you might be saved and have all of your sins forgiven yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes okay and thirdly Jesus speaking to Martha said in John 11 25 and 26 I am the resurrection and the life he that believes in me though he were dead yet shall he live and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die do you believe this yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes okay thank you so we're now going to dismiss you downstairs to change into gowns and so you you can depart
[47:16] I'll pick the mic there and as they do that we're going to have one congregational song to say you Thank you.
[48:08] Let's stand and sing number 29, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart. Let's stand and sing number 29, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[48:29] What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[48:44] I have light in my soul, For which long I have sought, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[49:00] Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[49:16] Bloods of joy o'er my soul, Like the sea billows broad, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[49:33] I have ceased from my wandering and going astray, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[49:49] And my sins, which were many, Are all washed away, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[50:05] Since Jesus Came Into My Heart. Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[50:20] Floods of joy o'er my soul, Like the sea billows broad, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[50:37] I am possessed of a hope, That is steadfast and sure, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[50:52] And no dark clouds of doubt, Now my pathway obscure, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart. Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[51:11] Since Jesus Came Into My Heart. Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[51:22] Floods of joy o'er my soul, Like the sea billows broad, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[51:39] There's a light in the valley of death, Now for me, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[51:54] And the gates of the city beyond, I can see, Since Jesus Came Into My Heart. Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[52:09] Since Jesus Came Into My Heart. Since Jesus Came Into My Heart.
[52:23] Bloods of joy o'er my soul Like the sea billows roll Since Jesus came into my heart I shall go there to dwell In that city I know Since Jesus came into my heart And I'm happy, so happy as onward I go Since Jesus came into my heart Since Jesus came into my heart Since Jesus came into my heart
[53:26] Floods of joy o'er my soul Like the sea billows roll Since Jesus came into my heart You may be seated Okay, we're going to proceed with the baptisms At this time So Anthony Reimer, would you come?
[54:07] Thank you Thank you Anthony Reimer, upon your confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior from sin and your vow to remain true to him, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[54:52] Amen. Martin Wolf.
[55:34] Martin Wolf.
[55:56] Martin Wolf, upon your confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior from sin and your vow to remain true to him, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[56:08] Amen. Thank you.
[56:42] Thank you.
[57:12] Thank you.
[57:42] Thank you. Cassidy Peters, would you come?
[58:01] Thank you.
[58:31] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[58:42] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[58:57] Thank you. Thank you. Samantha Bamman, would you come?
[59:26] Okay. Ready?
[59:39] Ready? Ready? Ready? Ready? Ready? Ready? Ready? Ready? Ready? Ready? Ready? Samantha Bamman, upon your confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior from sin and your vow to remain true to him, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[59:56] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[60:07] Thank you. Thank you. Just go slow. Just go slow. Jan Koenig.
[60:29] Jan Koenig. Jan Koenig. Thank you.
[61:02] Thank you.
[61:32] Thank you. Jonathan, Johnson, would you come?
[61:49] Thank you.
[62:19] Jonathan, Johnson, upon your confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior from sin and your vow to remain true to him, I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[62:33] Thank you.
[63:03] Why don't we rise as we pray, giving glory to God. Father, what a privilege.
[63:17] What honor and glory to you as we've done what you've commanded to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
[63:29] We thank you for the newness of life you've given them, and as they've publicly testified of what you've done in their hearts.
[63:39] Father, it's our prayer that you would walk with them, continually give them the strength that they need, and we thank you for the testimony they already are to those around them.
[63:52] We thank you for the Lord. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. We're going to dismiss you downstairs to change back into dry clothes.
[64:12] Maybe we'll put the pulpit back and the sound system, the mics and stuff. We'll have a time of sharing when they come back up.
[65:00] In the meantime, we'll have a song. You can stay up here, guys. They'll lead another song and then a time of sharing, just words of encouragement. And then I'll do a dismissal after that.
[65:14] So go ahead and lead us in a song. Stand and sing number 349, I am resolved.
[65:40] I am resolved no longer to linger, charmed by the world's delight.
[65:58] Things that are higher, things that are nobler, these have alert my sight. I will hasten to him, hasten so glad and free.
[66:20] Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to thee. I am resolved to go to the Savior, leaving my sin and strife.
[66:41] He is the true one. He is the just one. He hath the words of life.
[66:52] I will hasten to him, hasten so glad and free.
[67:05] Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to thee. I am resolved to follow the Savior, faithful and true each day.
[67:27] Heed what he saith, do what he willeth. He is the living way.
[67:38] I will hasten to him, hasten so glad and free.
[67:51] Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to thee. I am resolved to enter the kingdom, leaving the paths of sin.
[68:14] Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me, still will I enter in.
[68:26] I will hasten to him, hasten so glad and free.
[68:39] Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to thee. You may be seated.
[68:56] Christ shall be at the Thank you.
[69:51] We'll maybe keep it to family and parents and family, and then the rest of us can share with them in person later in the back as well.
[70:04] But as we're waiting, I just thought to open up into the truth of that last question we asked them in John chapter 11, verse 25 and 26.
[70:18] And I'll reread these verses. And the setting here is Lazarus has died, a dear friend of Jesus Christ, and the two sisters, Mary and Martha.
[70:34] And Jesus deliberately had delayed going there so that the glory of God could be revealed. But in verse 25, as Jesus said to Martha, I am the resurrection and the life.
[70:52] He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
[71:04] The statement that he tells her or asks her, the question, he who believes in me, in Jesus Christ, though he may die, shall live.
[71:25] He's referring to Lazarus and to each one of us. And although we may die physically, yet we live spiritually.
[71:44] And the verse following, And whoever lives spiritually and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
[72:00] You know, if we think of back in the Garden of Eden, what was lost there when they disobeyed and took of that fruit? What did they lose?
[72:13] Instantly. Life. Spiritual life.
[72:25] Eternal life. And their physical life started to fade and they would die. They lost spiritual life.
[72:35] Here Jesus says, If you believe in me, that life is restored and you will never die again. It's eternal life.
[72:47] And God, through his Son, has reversed what happened in the Garden of Eden. And life with him forevermore. It's, it's so powerful what God has done for us.
[73:07] We feel unworthy. And yet, through his, the depths of his love for his creation, he has done this. To him who believes, eternal life.
[73:21] I think it's often a challenge for us, or maybe a good, for us to ask myself, do I believe this truth?
[73:40] With all my heart. Okay, it looks like we're all back. So at this time, I'm going to open up the mic for, for sharing.
[73:51] And so, come on up. And, we'll, start with family and, and, parents and family.
[74:02] If you want to lead the way. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Kevin's going to start us off.
[74:21] Good morning, everyone. I am Jan's older brother. Jan, I'm glad that God brought you to him. It brings me joy watching you grow in your walk and faith in him and seeing your commitment to him.
[74:35] I'm happy that I was able to see you take the next step in faith, being baptized. And I've been encouraged and blessed walking alongside you in this life. You've been nothing but a blessing to me and our family.
[74:49] And I cannot thank God enough for you. I want to encourage everybody here with some scripture. Galatians chapter 3, verses 26 and 27 says, for all of you who are baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
[75:11] Oh, sorry. I started with verse 7. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who are baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
[75:22] And Ephesians chapter 6, verses 14 to 16. Or 18, sorry. Stand firm, therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
[75:52] And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit. And with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
[76:08] I hope that I can continue being a light for all of you, and may God bless you with strength and wisdom. Thank you. This is a day the parents are waiting for.
[76:46] Parents with older children can relate probably to what's going on. First of all, thank you very much, Pastor Wayne and Henry, for taking your busyness of life and investing it to my children.
[76:59] That's very special. Thank you. May God bless you for that. I'm not sure where to start or to cry or to jump or what to say first, but it is a day of rejoicing.
[77:10] We have seen my son grow. First we fed him the bottle, and then we have fed him meat. We have helped him. We have seen him struggle, and he has seen us struggle.
[77:21] That's real life. We have been there. We have seen it all. I think we have. And we have prayed lots. We have seen him make some unwise decisions, and he has seen us make some unwise decisions.
[77:35] We have repented together. We have encouraged each other together. We have helped each other. We have worked together in the carpentry industry and different things. And there's always things to be desired.
[77:46] But, you know, to look on the positive side, we are very thankful that he did find the bottom. We never wait for the bottom. But on the other hand, we do wait for the bottom. When these older children hit rock bottom, if you want to shed tears with joy, that's when you do it.
[78:03] It's just one of the better things that you can see your own children do is bottom out. Say, God, I just can't do it anymore. And they hit rock bottom, and they have a decision to make, just like the rest of us.
[78:16] When that happens, all the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner that repents. And if we have seven of them here, you can't imagine the show that's up there right now.
[78:27] And so it's very, very encouraging for us to see these young siblings making this stand for Jesus Christ. I just want to encourage you, Jonathan.
[78:39] The step you made is a step that the devil hates, and he will attack you. But always remember, God is in control.
[78:50] He that started the good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He will never leave you nor forsake you. When things get low or sad or struggles, remember, we're here to help you.
[79:02] We have a lot of brothers and sisters in the church to help you. And the other hand, we want to keep praying for you, and God will see it through. He that started the good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
[79:12] I have confidence in my son that as God is helping me, he's going to help my son through and my rest of my children and all of yours too. So that is good. The other thing I want to say is just read a chapter, a verse in 1 John.
[79:26] 1 John 1, verse 4. I need my glasses so I can see.
[79:38] I rejoice greatly that I have found my children walking in the truth, and that I have received the commandment of the Father. That's the best gift your children can give parents is when they come to the point where they decide to walk in the truth.
[79:53] That's what matters. If they fall over backwards and die or like he had a close accident, we can just be thankful that he didn't die, he didn't pass away. We can just be so thankful for that. It's God's grace.
[80:05] It's God's mercy, his long-suffering. And you know what I'm talking about to those of you that are godly parents. You know that you pray for your children so often and you just don't have answers. You wish sometimes you had better answers, but it seems like the right ones you give, they're wrong.
[80:18] And so I just want to encourage you also, the elderly youth, if the Lord is tugging on your heart, your parents are waiting and Jesus is waiting, just give it up.
[80:31] Just drop it. Jesus will meet you where you're at. And thank you. Thank you guys. Thank you.
[81:07] Definitely an honor and a privilege to raise children like these ones. I, for one, am very proud of you, Samantha. And I know the angels are all rejoicing for you and for the rest of you as well.
[81:20] I know you will still struggle as you have seen in me that I struggle. One verse that helps me through all the pain that I go through is Philippians 4, verse 6.
[81:35] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
[81:52] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Any other family that would like to come?
[82:09] Okay, if not, we're going to close the service in prayer.
[82:21] And then I'll dismiss the seven to the back and we can give them a hug back there and words of encouragement as well. So let's bow again. Lord, we thank you for the privilege of having a service like this this morning.
[82:41] I thank you so much for your presence, for your strength to be with us as we've done this. And Lord, for all of us, as we've seen the example of the seven individuals who got baptized, Lord, that you would use that to stir hearts and to draw more people to yourself.
[83:06] And so, again, Lord, that's to your honor and glory. So we want to just dismiss and commit everyone to you. In Jesus' name, amen.