Repent, Run, and Renew
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Sunday School | Repent, Run and Renew
Repentance and Baptism
Pastor Taylor Ramsey
What is Sin?
Sin: Violation of the conscience or divine law. Missing the mark. Falling short of God’s perfect standard – Lawlessness
Romans 3:23
1 John 1:8 and 3:4
Genesis 3
Transgression: To go beyond a boundary or line. Violation of law, command or duty. In Hebrew, the word often translates to ‘revolt’ or ‘rebellion’ – Living in rebellion
Ephesians 2:1-3
Daniel 9:9-11
Iniquity: Sin that is implying perversion of the heart and wickedness with purpose – Living in sin
Isaiah 59:1-4, 12-13
2 Timothy 4:3-4
Romans 1:18-32
2 Corinthians 12:9a NIV
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”...
Romans 6:23a NIV
For the wages of sin is death…
Romans 6:23b NIV
… But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 John 2:1-2 NIV
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
What is Repentance?
Repentance means a turning away from sin, disobedience and/or rebellion and turning back to God
To experience “great sorrow” for [wrong behavior] and seek to change wrong behavior – to change one’s mind
True Repentance is “godly sorrow” for sin, an act of turning around going in the opposite direction. This type of repentance leads to a fundamental change in a person’s relationship to God.
Matthew 3:5-10 NIV
People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 4:17 AMP
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
What is Baptism?
Christian sacrament by which God conveys grace for the remission of sins and being regenerated or given a new nature with awakened and strengthened faith.
A ritual washing with water, symbolizing a cleansing from sin – linked with repentance and admission into the community of faith – To be cleansed spiritually.
A sign or an outward indication of the inner change that has occurred in a believer’s life – a public identification with Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:38-39 NIV
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Matthew 3:11-12 NIV
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Romans 6:1-11 NIV
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
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And it's just a reminder of your generosity.
We are able to impact the nations.
Last week we heard about France and how we have missionaries out there and our team going all the way out to Honduras.
Even though they faced some trials while they were out there, they were able to do some great things.
Amen?
All right, let's get into this message.
And before I do that, I just definitely want to acknowledge and extend some celebration to Pastor Dean and Pastor Amy, who yesterday celebrated 34 years of marriage.
Amen.
Happy anniversary to our pastors.
They are setting an amazing example for my wife and I, as well as just for our entire team.
When you look at it, I just celebrated 11 years.
They got 34.
I'm like, I'm a baby in this.
Let's keep going.
I got a long way to go.
And I'm just thankful that we have leaders that set an amazing example.
You guys can scan a QR code for the Bible app.
Some of my notes are on there.
Not all of them, but some of them are on there.
You'll be able to follow along with some of the scriptures that we'll cover today.
And we will continue this series in Sunday school.
Have you guys been learning anything?
I don't know if you guys were convinced by that, but I hope that you've been learning some things.
Last week, Pastor Dean talked about hell and judgment, and today I'm gonna just pick up where he left off.
And just a reminder, all of the messages that we've had so far could be mini series of their own.
That's how deep some of these topics are.
And today I'm gonna just keep it going.
And just a reminder from last week, hell is a real place.
Hell is real.
Heaven is real.
Hell is real.
And Jesus warns us about heaven throughout the scriptures.
But it's God's desire for us to be with him eternally.
Even though he warns us, God wants us to be with him.
But just a reminder that hell is a real place.
But we must confess and believe because one day we will all face judgment.
Whether you're saved or you're unsaved, whether you're a Jew or whether you're a Gentile, Scripture tells us that we will all face the judge, and the judge is Christ himself.
Amen?
Don't let that fear you, because y'all look scared.
But if he came back right now, where would you be?
Just to keep it real with yourself.
If Jesus was to come back right now, where would you be?
With him?
Praise God.
My prayer is that all of you will be, but the reality is it's not.
Today we talk about repentance and baptism.
So we have hope, but let's be real with ourselves, amen?
Today's title for those that are keeping notes, I encourage you to keep notes.
I encourage you to be with your Bible.
I will be thumbing through some scriptures, and I will be talking really fast because I'm on a time limit, and I'm going to be a respecter of your time.
Amen?
The title for today is Repent, Run, and Renew.
repent, run, and renew.
The outline for today, we'll be talking about sin, repentance, and baptism, because in order to understand baptism, we have to understand repentance.
And to understand repentance, we have to know what we are repenting from, and that is sin, and what that means for our lives, amen?
Let's pray.
God, have your way.
This is your word and not mine.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Let's get straight to it.
What is sin?
Sin in scripture can be broken down to three categories.
Sin, transgression, and iniquity.
Sin, transgression, and iniquity.
Now, typically what we hear is sin is sin.
Like, oh, sin is sin.
It's whatever.
That's only partially true.
We say all sin is the same.
If you sin, you sin.
But that's only giving you just a little bit of it.
The result of sin is the same.
But there's a difference in sin in and of itself.
What does that mean?
Some of y'all looking at me like I'm crazy.
There's levels to this.
We don't like to admit that.
Like, no, sin is sin.
If you lie and you cheated on your wife, sin is sin.
Sorry.
That's cute.
That's very accepting.
It feels good to be like, well, I killed somebody and you lied.
We both have the same sin.
And we love to argue those things.
But the scripture tells us that there are greater sins.
Jesus himself explains it when you look at John chapter 19 verse 11 when he's talking to Pilate.
And he's before Pilate and he said, the man who handed me over to you committed a greater sin than these.
So what does that tell us?
That means that there's lesser sins.
So that means that there's levels to it.
So though sin will always lead to death, different sins carry different weight.
Sin can carry different weight, though it will all end in death.
Amen?
Again, in Mark chapter 3, verse 29, so you don't think I'm being a heretic and you're telling me to Pastor Dean.
Jesus says that the eternal sin is blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
That is a different level of sin.
He actually says that you can't even be forgiven of the sin.
The only sin that you can't be forgiven of is blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
So through these three categories, sin, transgression, and iniquity, it will further explain that sin may be deeper than some may think.
The funny part is it's really quiet.
As a pastor up here, it's three services in a row.
You guys are super quiet because it's so taboo to talk about sin.
Y'all get nervous.
Y'all like, I don't know where he about to go with this.
It's cool.
Just be ready to get hit in the head.
Because the scripture going to do all of it.
I'm just reading the Bible.
As I told the other services, you can send an email afterwards if you want to complain about the message.
They'll forward it to me.
I will forward you my notes, and you can take it up with God.
Amen?
All right, what is sin?
Sin is a violation of the conscience or divine law.
Sin is missing the mark.
Sin is falling short of God's perfect standard.
In 1 John 3 and 4, it tells us that sin is lawlessness.
This is level one of sin.
This is entry-level sin.
We are all born into sin.
We know that in Genesis chapter three, sin entered the world through Adam and Eve because they disobeyed God's command and his divine order.
They disregarded what he said and sin entered the world.
And now we are all born into sin.
And the Bible says in 1 John 1 and 8, if you say that you are without sin, you are a lie and the truth is not in you.
For we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory.
And that is Romans 3.23.
So this is just a reminder that this is what we're born into.
We sin consciously or unconsciously.
The other day, since the person is in the room, said to me in a meeting that 2016 had the best year in music.
That was a sin.
He didn't understand.
Before I came up here, he showed me a list of songs.
And I was like, that is a lie straight from the pit of hell that these weren't the best songs.
So we consciously sin and sometimes we unconsciously sin.
But we have to recognize that we do sin.
Amen.
He'll get me at the end of service.
Let's lead to transgression.
Transgression is level two.
What is transgression?
To go beyond a boundary or go beyond a line.
It's a violation of law, command, or duty.
In the Hebrew, it's often translated to revolt or rebellion.
To sum it up, it's living in rebellion.
This is knowing better but choosing not to do better.
This is towing the line, ignoring it, and habitually crossing it.
And this is what you do when you live in transgression.
It can be simple, it can be complex.
What's the speed limit on a freeway?
Y'all start laughing before you say 65.
Uh-huh.
The boundary is 65.
Your cruise control say 85.
And I do it too.
From Fairfield to Sacramento, I'm 75 the whole way.
Sometimes 74 to kind of give me an excuse.
And I have my justification if I ever get pulled over.
If my badge does not get me out of a ticket.
Hey, man, I just got off work, man.
I'm tired, man.
And we try to justify why we crossed the boundary.
And we've accepted like, ah, it's cool.
It can get a little deeper than that for the married couples that are in here.
You got a wife, you got a husband, but you're still looking.
Okay.
Making sure everybody's still looking at me.
They didn't look.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, somebody did that.
It's crossing a boundary.
It's leaving a little heart eyes emoji on somebody's picture that you shouldn't.
It's double tapping on pictures that you shouldn't.
It's opening up websites that you probably shouldn't.
This is what we do.
We know the boundary, but we habitually cross it.
That's living in transgression.
We have to be mindful of that.
In Ephesians chapter two, verses one and two, it says, as for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sin in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work and those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time and we were gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of God's wrath.
When we're living in transgression, we are deserving of God's wrath.
When we live in lawlessness, the first level of sin, we still deserve his wrath because no matter what sin you're in, it still ends in the same result.
But when you're in transgression, you habitually cross that line.
In Daniel 9, verse 9, it says this.
The Lord our God is merciful and he is forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.
We have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants, the prophets.
And all of Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
Transgression is intentional.
You intentionally crossed the line that you shouldn't be crossing and that is the level two.
Let's get to level three, iniquity.
The definition is sin that is implying perversion of the heart and wickedness of purpose.
This is a tough definition because iniquity is sin that is implying perversion of the heart and wickedness of purpose.
This is what you call living in sin.
This is where you twist the word of God to fit your sinful lifestyle or you completely disregard the word of God because you don't agree with it and you pick and choose what you want to believe in.
So now you're living in your truth instead of the truth of the word of God.
So you twist what it says and you fall and you follow people that will tell you what you want to hear.
That's what we end up doing when we live in an iniquity.
This goes beyond knowing the truth.
It's perverting it and it's living beyond rebellion.
It's accepting and living in sin.
And my brothers and sisters in this room, that is a place that we should not be.
Your truth, if it doesn't align with the word of God, is not truth at all.
You avoid being held accountable.
because you want to be approved.
It's not about being approved.
Sorry to tell you, but we got to make a change and we got to do something different.
Isaiah chapter 59 says this, surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save nor his ear too dull to hear, but your iniquities have separated you from God.
Your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear.
Verse 12, for our offenses are many in your sight and our sins testify against us.
Our offenses are ever with us and we acknowledge our iniquities, our rebellion and treachery against the Lord because we turned our backs on our God inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
That's living in iniquity.
That's living in sin.
You have accepted a lie.
In this point in time in your life, you don't even care what the word of God says.
That's what it means when you say, I'm living in my truth.
No, you're living in your lie.
Instead of being held accountable by your pastor, you'd rather go follow somebody that talks about the universe blessing you.
Your algorithm is filled with horoscopes and people that read tarot cards because you rather worship the things that were created than the creator.
If that hurt, praise God.
2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 3 says this, for a time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth of God, this word that we read, and turn aside to godless myths.
Y'all thought I was lying.
I'm not saying my own opinions.
I am reading the word of God.
And if you are offended, his number is call him.
Romans chapter 1.
Somebody say, uh-oh.
You know where this is going.
They read Romans before.
That was a good uh-oh.
Romans chapter 1, verses 18 through 32.
I am not going to read all of it.
I'm going to skim through it, but pay attention and run with me because I'm going to read it pretty quick.
Y'all ready?
Verse 22.
Verse 22.
Although they claim to be wise, they claim to be this, they claim to be that, they claim to be a doctor, they claim to be a pastor, an apostle, and all these different things, they have became fools because they don't want to follow this word of God.
They don't want to follow the truth, and you have fallen into a lie, and you followed a fool, and you make yourself out to be a fool yourself.
Verse 28,
They disobey their parents.
They have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.
Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death.
They not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them.
That's somebody living in iniquity.
That's somebody living in sin.
You've accepted that lie.
And you know that it's deserving of death.
And then you have entire organizations and cults and churches that say, it's okay.
Love is love.
Sorry, it's not.
Love is God.
And if it doesn't align with the word of God, you're living in a lie.
God still loves you.
He doesn't love your sin.
Sin is what separates you from God.
He loves you.
He loves who he created.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
But you have to confess and you have to repent.
You have to acknowledge the behaviors that don't align with the word of God.
It's simple as that.
God is so graceful.
And this is the good news.
We got these categories, sin, transgression, and iniquity.
And everything that comes with sin, which is death, separation from God, condemnation, guilt, and embarrassment.
And if you stop right there in your sin, those are the things that you feel.
But the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 that God's grace is still sufficient for you.
And his power is still made perfect in your weakness.
You get weak at the knees when you get tempted by whatever you're tempted by.
But God's power is made perfect in those moments.
And his grace is still sufficient for you.
For he is a faithful God.
Romans 6, 23 tells us that for the wages of sin is death, but here's a reminder that sin is defeated.
For Jesus Christ came and defeated death, hell, and the grave.
So that means he's defeated sin because he bore sin on the cross for you.
He took that punishment for you so that you may live and not die.
The rest of verse 23 says for the free gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
That is the God that we serve.
He has given us this free gift of grace, and grace don't make no sense because if somebody sins against us, it's hard for us to forgive it.
We'll forgive you, but I ain't gonna forget because I ain't gonna let you slap me twice.
Because you keep slapping me, I'm gonna eventually break your arm, I'm gonna break your face.
Because I'm not gonna forget that you slapped me twice already.
But God says, when I forgive, I forget.
Your record is wiped clean.
There is no record of your wrongdoing because of what Christ did on the cross.
That is grace.
First John chapter two says, verse one, my dear brothers, I write this to you so that you will not sin.
But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the father who is Jesus Christ, the righteous one.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.
That means the person that did you wrong, God forgave them.
and he is forgiving you.
That's the God that we serve.
Amen?
That is the good news.
Don't feel too bad, because God's grace is still sufficient for you.
What is repentance?
Keep moving.
I got 15 minutes.
What is repentance?
Repentance means a turning away from sin, disobedience, and our rebellion, and turning back to God.
Repentance is to experience great sorrow for wrong behavior and to seek change or in seek to change wrong behavior, to change one's mind.
Romans 12 and two says, don't conform into the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you'll be able to test what God's will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I tell the kids at my job all the time to change your mind, to change your life.
If you don't believe it, give it a try.
I guarantee you see a change.
If not, you can stay the same.
You can write me when you get there.
And what I mean by that, they can write me when they get to prison.
And I mean it.
I just don't want them to write me ever.
My hope is that they get out and stay out.
And I'd rather see them in a community and come to my church and talk to me here.
But true repentance is a changing of one mind.
I love the last definition.
It says, true repentance is godly sorrow for sin, an act of turning around and going in the opposite direction.
This type of repentance leads to a fundamental change in a person's relationship to God.
Here goes a reminder.
In any of those definitions, did you hear the word ask for forgiveness?
Say you're sorry.
No.
No.
It's action.
Repentance is action.
Repentance is turning away from the thing that is have you captive in sin and turn back to God.
Yes, there is a vocal part.
There is a verbal part where you confess your sins.
The Bible tells us to confess our sins to one another and to him.
So there is that verbal part where we say, God, I'm sorry.
Please forgive me.
But there's so much more to doing that.
And we often see experience, and some even practice, a sorry not sorry mentality when it comes to God's grace.
And we take his grace for granted.
We say, God, I'm sorry.
I'm not really sorry, because I'm going to do it again.
That's the part that's not said out loud.
But your mind has already said that you're going to do something different.
So what does this look like?
That means when I face sin, I'm looking at it head on, like I'm about to do this thing.
I know I'm not supposed to cross this line, but she looking good.
Let me see.
All right.
Well, if I just say hi to her, it's not really bad.
So this would be cool.
My bad, God.
I shouldn't be doing this.
But the whole time I'm doing this and I'm full of pride and I'm full of greed and I'm coveting things that's not supposed to be mine and I'm doing all these things.
I'm lying.
I'm doing all this cussing.
I'm living life like I know I'm not supposed to be living.
Now I'm just accepting it because this is who I am.
But God, please forgive me for who I am.
Forgive me for the things that I've done.
Help me, Jesus.
Why is Jesus not helping me?
I said sorry multiple times over and over and over again.
God, I'm sorry for doing these things.
Is that repentance?
Repentance is an action, so I have to turn.
But some of us just turn right here.
Am I still facing God?
No, I'm still looking over here.
Still look good.
Still see the opportunity.
Let me just sidestep over here real quick.
The Bible says repentance is turning away.
So that means as I ask God for forgiveness of this thing, I'm asking God to free me from this thing.
So God, I am come to you with a repentant heart.
That means I am turning all the way around.
And as I turn all the way around, now I face the cross.
Now I'm looking at the only way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.
And the Bible tells us to submit to God.
and he'll make all of our paths straight.
And in James chapter four, verse seven, it says, submit to him, resist the devil and he will flee.
When the devil is behind me, it's so much easier to resist him because he's not in front of me.
I don't even have to tell him to get behind me.
I can just continue to walk closer to God because the Bible tells me if I draw closer to God, he will draw closer to me.
All he tells me to do is wash my hands because I'm a sinner and purify my heart because I have a double mind.
That is the scripture.
That is the word of God.
So it goes beyond just saying sorry to God for sinning.
You have to repent, you have to turn, you have to move away from that thing.
It's action.
It's not just words.
And some of us get stuck in just asking, but we're not doing.
So submit, resist, and draw close to God.
In Matthew chapter three, we see John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness, and his message was very simple.
Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
And in verse five in chapter three, people went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan confessing their sins.
This is the verbal part.
And then they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
And then verse seven says, but when he saw many of you coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them, I read that wrong.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, those people that say they're experts of the law, but they wasn't doing what the law told them to.
So you know the word of God, but you don't do the word of God.
You've accepted a lie, and you continue to live in that.
I didn't catch it.
It's real quiet because you're feeling it.
John calls them, you brood of vipers.
Who warns you of the coming wrath?
And this is the action.
Verse 8.
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
How do you produce fruit in keeping with repentance?
Is you have to do something.
In order to plant or in order to get fruit out of a tree, what do you have to do?
First, you have to plant the seed.
That sounds like work to me.
And now I have to water it.
And that goes to more work.
Now I gotta cut the weeds that try to come up around and try to choke that plant out.
That's more work.
And then I have to see it grow and cultivate and take care of it, prune it here and there.
Then I gotta take the fruit off.
So I'm doing the work to be able to get the fruit.
So if you want the fruit of repentance, you have to do more than just saying sorry to God.
you have to turn and get back to him.
Draw close to him and he's gonna draw close to you and it will produce the fruit of repentance because your life will be different.
How you walk will be different.
How you look at life will be different.
How you think will be different.
How you talk will be different.
And people will be able to see there is something different about you.
What is it?
I asked God for forgiveness and I really walked in this thing called repentance.
So what is God's response?
I skipped a verse.
Matthew chapter four, verse 17.
This is Jesus saying,
Jesus' message is the same as John the Baptist.
This is when he first started preaching.
He says, repent, change your inner self, your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance, that's producing fruit.
Seek God's purpose for your life, Romans 12 and two, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Jesus' first message to the people wasn't to love him.
Jesus' first message wasn't to have faith.
Jesus' first message wasn't to follow him.
Jesus' first message that he preached in scripture was repent.
For the kingdom of heaven has come near.
Because Jesus knew that we needed to be cleansed and purified to be able to get back right with God.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.
What is God's response to our repentance?
And I'm gonna read this.
I haven't read this in any other service, so you get a little bonus verse.
Because you're all real quiet.
This is the Apostle Paul talking in 2 Corinthians chapter seven.
He says, if I cause you sorrow by letting, by my letter, I do not regret it.
So if I've caused you sorrow by these words, sorry, not sorry.
Though I did regret it, I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while.
Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.
For you became sorrowful as God intended.
And so we're not harmed in any way by us.
Verse 10 in chapter seven, godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
See what this godly sorrow has produced in you, what earnestness and eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done."
Because true repentance is godly sorrow, and godly sorrow leads to repentance, and that repentance leads to salvation.
That is God's desire for each and every one of us.
In Isaiah chapter 53, we see that Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, verse five, and he was crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and it's by his wounds we are healed.
Jesus took on the penalty of sin so that we would never have to face it.
His body was broken for you and I so we wouldn't have to have a broken body.
His blood was shed so our blood would not have to be shed for the sacrifice of sins.
He was the atoning sacrifice and he died once and for all for our sins.
Today is first Sunday, we take communion.
You got your communion cup.
We intentionally passed it earlier if you guys didn't pay attention.
Communion is a representation where Jesus was with his disciples on the night that he was betrayed.
He had bread and he had a cup of wine.
He said, this bread is a representation of my body, which is going to be pierced, crushed, and punished for you.
He says that whenever you do this, remember me, remember my sacrifice.
And he took the cup and he said the same.
He gave thanks.
He said, this cup is a representation of my blood that is going to be shed for you.
And this cup also represents, this blood represents a new covenant that I make with you.
And this is a covenant of grace.
And this is what God did for us.
So we have the cup.
We have the bread.
Jesus took it and he broke it.
I always break mine to symbolize and remind myself that Jesus didn't die in vain.
Jesus' body wasn't broken in vain on my behalf.
And I strive to examine myself and live my life accordingly to his word.
So he says, do this in remembrance of me.
So as we have reflected throughout this message so far, and you see where you need to get corrected, you see where you need to kind of examine yourself and get some things right.
We do that and clear our conscience and ask God for forgiveness.
And we physically turn, spiritually turn away from the thing that has kept us captive and remember the sacrifice that God did on the cross.
So God, we thank you that your sacrifice was not in vain.
We thank you for allowing yourself to be punished, for allowing yourself to be crushed, for allowing yourself to be pierced for our transgressions, for our iniquities, and so that you can give us peace.
God, we thank you for who you are.
And we do this in remembrance of you until you come again.
Take and eat.
And in the same way, Jesus took that cup and reminded them that this is a representation of my blood that is shed for you.
So he gave thanks.
God, we thank you that you did not die in vain and your sacrifice was worth it for each and every life that is in this room.
God, you say by your wounds we are healed in every way of our lives, physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally.
God, and we thank you for being the atoning sacrifice and giving us your free gift of grace that we freely accept it.
So we do this in remembrance of what you've done for us, and your blood was not shed in vain.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Take and drink.
If you can, just keep a hold of your cup until...
the end of service, and I'm closing here.
So what is baptism?
Baptism is a Christian sacrament by which God conveys grace for the remission of sins and being regenerated or given a new nature with an awakened and strengthened faith.
Baptism is a ritual washing with water, symbolizing a cleansing from sin, linked with repentance and admission into the community of faith.
Baptism is to be cleansed spiritually.
Baptism is a sign or an outward indication of the inner change that has occurred in a believer's life, a public identification with Jesus Christ.
We see in the book of Acts at the start of the church, they're baptized with the Holy Spirit.
And then afterwards, Peter gives a message, the first sermon to the first church.
And he gives the gospel message of Jesus Christ and those who were in attendance.
The Bible says they were cut to their heart.
And then they asked him, what are we to do?
Peter's response was, repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins in the name of Jesus.
And then God will bless you with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The first message was,
wasn't to follow, wasn't to love.
It was to repent because we have to repent.
We have to repent.
We're not just saying sorry.
We're turning away from the thing that held us captive to draw closer to him.
In Matthew chapter three, again, this is John.
He's talking to the crowd.
He says, I baptize you with water for the remission of your sins.
But the one who comes after me, whose sandals I am not even worthy enough to tie, will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire.
It's talking about Jesus.
The baptism of water is recognizing that you identify in Christ's death and resurrection.
In Romans chapter 6, verses 1 through 11, it says this.
What shall we say then?
Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
By no means.
What does that mean right there real quick?
Because God is so graceful, we should just keep sinning because he's going to forgive us anyway.
Yeah, y'all get it, but y'all don't do it.
Be real with yourself.
If it cut, it cut.
I'm sorry, not sorry.
We know the word, but we don't do the word.
We continue to cross the boundary line or we continue to live in sin.
But his grace does not mean that we continue in sin.
His grace is a reminder that we shouldn't sin no more.
Like I don't wanna keep putting Jesus back on a cross by intentionally living in sin.
So God, I'm not just sorry, I'm turning away from this thing.
That's repentance.
So we are those who have died to sin.
How can we live in it any longer?
Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ raised from the dead, through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with.
That we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Here at Real Life Church, we do water baptism.
We submerge you completely in the water.
You go all the way down in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
And what does that represent?
That represents the death of Christ.
That represents the death of your old self.
So you go all the way down.
You're buried.
If you try to put your forehead out, boom, pushing it all the way down.
You're getting all the way in there.
I remember one time we did one, and Pastor Dean was like, he didn't go all the way under.
Boom, dipped him again.
We're not playing because of the seriousness of the ritual rite.
We submerge all the way to identify with the death of Christ, but you do come back up out of the water and you come out a new creation.
For the old has passed away and the new has come.
So we identify with the life of Christ through water baptism.
And if you have not been baptized and you desire to be baptized, we want to baptize you next week at Church in the Park.
So please sign up.
And it's not about the numbers, because I tell you right now, if only one person got baptized next week, we will be celebrating as hard as 100 people being baptized.
Keep reading real quick, and I'm landing.
Now, if we died with verse eight in Romans chapter six.
Now, if we die with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again.
Death no longer has mastery over him, for he defeated death, hell, and the grave.
The death he died, he died to sin once for all.
But the life he lives, he lives to God forever.
So in the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Amen.
Repentance and baptism is not a rinse and repeat system.
Some people get baptized every year.
It's not a rinse and repeat.
It's not.
Repentance and baptism is not a rinse and repeat system.
We must repent.
That means we turn away from the thing that has held us captive.
We're no longer slaves to sin.
We run.
What does that mean?
We are running to God.
As the Bible tells us, when we draw close to him, he will draw close to us.
And we are renewed through water baptism.
And for some, it's the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
And that is the power and grace of God.
With every head bowed and every eye closed, if the Spirit has been tugging at your heart throughout this message, you've been reflecting hard,
and it cuts you to your core, and you're asking, what do I do next?
It's time to repent.
And it's time to turn to God and turn away from the thing that has held you captive.
So if you've never accepted Jesus Christ in your life before,
or you need to rededicate your life to Christ, now is the opportunity that you should not pass up because now is the time to make the best decision of your life, to accept Jesus Christ in your life as your Lord and personal Savior.
The Bible tells us in Romans 10 and 9 that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God, he is Lord, and God raised him from the dead, you will be saved and your name will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
If that is you this morning,
On a count of three, I implore you, I encourage you to raise your hand and not be ashamed.
For there is no condemnation in Christ.
For who the Son sets free is free indeed.
One, two, three.
If that is you, put your hand in the air.
I see that hand.
I see that hand.
Hallelujah.
I see that hand.
I see that hand.
I see that hand.
I see that hand.
Hallelujah.
I see that hand.
And we can join heaven right now.
We can join heaven in rejoicing.
Praise God.
You have just made the best decision of your life, and we're going to pray together as a family, and this is a reminder that you are no longer alone.
So we pray with you this prayer that's going to come on the screen to let you know that this is day one of a new life.
This is the oldest past and the newest come.
Praise God.
Let's pray this prayer together on three.
One, two, three.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness.
I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead.
Right now, I turn from my sins and invite you to come into my heart and life.
I want to trust and follow you from this day forward.
I confess you as my personal Lord and Savior.
Thank you for saving me.
In Jesus' name, amen.
If we can make some Holy Ghost praise.
Hallelujah.
If you received a card that the usher handed to you because you raised your hand, or if you wanted to raise your hand and you didn't, I have Jeff in the back right under where it says, welcome to our family.
He has a Bible and some next steps for you.
We just want to collect some information and let you know that you are not doing this life alone.
We are walking with you.
And we as a church body want to continue to pray with you, celebrate this new life with you, and walk in freedom with you.
Amen?
All right, we can all stand, church.
I'll give this last call.
Did y'all learn something?
I pray you did.
If you have been living in sin, if you have been living in rebellion, it's time to stop playing with God.
Today is the day that you can repent.
Today is the day that you can turn away and start running towards God.
Leave the devil in the dust.
Leave that sinful lifestyle in the dust.
It's time to run to God.
He desires to be with you eternally.
And now's the opportunity.
So the first call for the altar, if you need to seek repentance and you need help, we have our prayer ministers up here to pray with you, agree with you, and remind you that who the son sets free is free indeed.
And God is giving you life and life more abundantly.
And today starts that new life for you today.
or if you need prayer in any area of your life, the altars are open.
And we want to pray and agree with you.
God, I pray that your word produces a harvest in each and every person that has heard this word.
And I pray as your Holy Spirit move the way that you need them to move.
In Jesus' name, amen and amen.
Love you, church.
See you next week.
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Subject: Repent, Run, and Renew - Sunday Sermon Recap
Dear Real Life Church Family,
What a powerful morning of worship and the Word. If you were with us this Sunday, we pray this message continues to work in your heart throughout the week. If you missed it, we hope this recap blesses you and stirs you to go deeper.
Summary: The sermon explored the nature of sin, the call to genuine repentance, and the significance of baptism in the life of a believer. Drawing from passages across Romans, Acts, Matthew, and Isaiah, we were challenged to move beyond a surface-level understanding of sin and step into the freedom that comes through true, action-oriented repentance and public identification with Christ through baptism.
Takeaways:
Sin is not a one-size-fits-all concept. Scripture reveals three distinct levels: sin as lawlessness, transgression as habitual rebellion against known boundaries, and iniquity as a perversion of the heart that rejects or twists God's truth entirely. Understanding these distinctions helps us honestly examine where we stand before God.
True repentance is not simply saying sorry. It is a complete turning away from the sin that holds us captive and a deliberate turning toward God. As James 4 reminds us, when we submit to God, resist the enemy, and draw close to our Father, He draws close to us. Repentance produces fruit, and that fruit is visible in how we live.
Baptism is a public declaration of an inward transformation. When we are submerged in water, we identify with the death and burial of Christ. When we rise, we declare that the old self is gone and new life in Christ has begun. If you have not yet been baptized, we invite you to take that step at Church in the Park next week.
We are so grateful for each of you and the way God is moving in this house. Whether you raised your hand this morning for the first time or you found yourself convicted and ready to take a next step, know that you are not walking this road alone. This church family is walking with you.
If you made a decision this morning or would like to speak with someone about baptism or next steps in your faith, please do not hesitate to reach out. We would love to celebrate with you and walk alongside you.
In His grace,
Real Life Church Teaching Team