Opportunity in Christ Comes Through Baptism

God and the Word, the Father in Christ, existed from the beginning. Now, you know, that's something that you and I really can't fully grasp, because everything we know about in creation, including ourselves, has beginnings and endings. And I remember a man years ago in the church who said to me, and he was a baptized member, and he said, I'm not sure God exists. I said, well, why? And he said, because I can't figure out how He has always existed. And I said to him, look, it's enough that you can prove that He does exist, because that's given to us to know.

And then I said, you cannot really wrap your mind around someone who has no beginning period, who's always been. Anyhow, God and the Word, the Father in Christ, as we know Him now, the Father and the Christ, existed from the beginning. And they're two beings that are totally motivated by love.

And to give and to share. Because 100% totally motivated by love, you have to give. You have to share. It goes with it. And there was a time when they created angels, but they couldn't fully share with them, at least not on the God-playing level, too much of a difference. But then, on top of that, in process of time, one-third of those angels that they had created turned against them, rebelled against them.

And to this day are corrupt angels. And no going back for them. Again, whether we understand it fully or not, once they self-corrupted, they are corrupt beings. And that's it. There was a time, there came a time, when God and Christ designed a purpose.

To create beings of their own character, of their own capacities, of their own abilities, to actually increase their actual family at the very God-playing level. They planned it out. They designed it. They figured out how to go about it. But these beings that they would create, to enter them into that family with its awesome powers and potentials, those beings would first have to learn the lesson that only God's way will work. You know, a third of the angels didn't accept that only God's way will work.

They came up with another way called sin, which was generated, instituted to begin with by Lucifer. They came up with another way that they thought they could make work, because they didn't believe that God's way is the only way that will work. I sat with a young lady.

I won't say when, but I'll just say I sat with a young lady at one point, and had to look her in the eye and say, You can't make sin work. You can't make sin work. That is a lesson that human beings have to learn, that you can't make sin work. You might make it appear to be working for a time, but you cannot make sin work. And so these beings, that God would eventually enter into His family with its awesome powers and potentials, He would have to know that they had learned that lesson that only His way will work.

That sin does not work. They would have to learn this first, so they could be entrusted fully for all eternity. Because once entered into eternity by being made a spirit being, they're being entrusted forever. And He would have to know ahead of time the lesson had been learned. So that meant that He would have to, that God and Christ, God and the Word, the Logos, that the opportunity to make mistakes would have to be allowed.

The opportunity to experience those mistakes and to learn from them, to go the wrong way if they so chose, and when they had learned the lesson, to reject the wrong way and turn back to God. And it was paramount, it was utmost important, that this lesson be learned. There was no other way. Sometimes people think, well, there had to be another way to do it. No, there was no other way. And one of the Scriptures that speaks to that is Romans 8, 20. Romans 8, verse 20, and the way that this is worded is acknowledging that there was no other way.

They would have to have the opportunity to make mistakes, to experience them, to learn from them, to go the wrong way if they chose, and find out you can't make sin work. To learn that lesson, to reject the wrong way, to turn back to God. There was no other way. Romans 8, verse 20, for the creature or the creation was made subject to vanity. We could say, well, that word vanity there speaks maybe primarily to a temporary state, because to be mortal is to be temporary, certainly not permanent.

But also, subject to vanity too, from the standpoint to the things of this life of temptation and pride and ego, vanity in that way also that we think of. Now, who made the creation? God did. Who's the Creator? God is. We're part of the creation. Notice it says for the creation, and let me read it, inserting the Creator there, for the creation was made by the Creator subject to vanity, not willingly.

Wait a minute. God didn't do it willingly? Who forced Him? Who put a gun on Him and said, you have to do it. What does it mean not willingly? It means there was no other way. God is not dumb. He's extremely intelligent beyond our ability to comprehend, and He knew there's no other way. He made perfect angels, so to speak, and a third turned against Him. No repeating of that. No allowance for that ever being repeated in the universe. But by reason of Him who has subjected, so He's the one that has subjected it to the realm of matter and mortality, and what goes with matter and mortality, He did it in hope.

He did the same in hope. Because we're allowed the lesson, we're allowed the opportunity to learn the lessons, and to realize and to turn. One of the hardest lessons that people have to learn is you can't make sin work. One of the most important lessons ever there is to learn is only God's way truly works. So, God made man, male and female, of plain old clay. Plain old clay.

You know, something that boys realize and men realize, dirt won't kill you. If I come to your house, I'm not looking to see how much dust or dirt there is in your place. It's like one lady said, well, my place is kind of a mess. I said, look, I'm not coming to see your place.

I'm coming to see you. And it's like my place. I go through it ever so often, and get into the nooks and the crannies, and clean it because Angela can do a little light sweeping. But she can't get down, and she just simply can't clean house like she used to. And so, you know, from time to time, I will take a day or an afternoon, whatever, and I'll just go through everything. But dirt won't kill you because if it would, how would we exist?

Because we're made of dirt. We're made of the 16 elements of the ground. So, God made men of plain old clay, temporary, limited, but malleable, shapeable with a marvelous mind, a marvelous mind sitting at the top of this lump of clay. This would be the raw building material that God would write His character upon. And then once it's written upon that raw material, once His character is written upon that raw material, so to speak, then it would be fired into permanence by being changed to spirit composition, to a being composed totally of spirit substance and filled with the character of God.

There was no other way. No other way. But then that presents a problem. There's no other way to do it if you know that you can entrust someone with eternal life forever in the family of God, in the Kingdom of God, and never ever have to look over your shoulder at them, never ever have to worry about them, because you know that they are sure and secured forever and ever and ever and ever.

Then there's no other way, except that I'll be taken care of first and then made permanent. And yet, there's a problem that would defeat the whole works, that would defeat the whole purpose. Man had to learn the lesson, yes, that God's way only would work if he was to be entrusted for eternity with Godhead, but to learn it, he had to be a free moral agent with freedom of choice, and in the process of learning that vital eternal lesson, if he sinned, then he would be cut off, wouldn't he?

And no matter how deeply he learned the lesson, God, I have learned the lesson! I'm convinced! With all that I've done and experienced, I'm convinced, God! No matter how deeply he learned the lesson, there would be a barrier in the way to eternal life that he could not cross. I have learned the lesson! Yes, I see you've learned the lesson! But we've got a problem here. There's a barrier, a barrier that the human being cannot cross.

Simply expressed, and very accurately expressed, is the barrier of death. And it's not the barrier of a person simply having their heart fail them, their kidneys totally shut down, one or more life-sustaining systems of their body fails, and they die. And just like God bringing Lazarus from the tomb, He just simply resurrects you and gives you physical life again if He chooses. No, it's the second death. It's extinction. That is the barrier, the second death. Extinction.

Here in Romans 6, verses 23, the first part states it very clearly. In Romans 6, verse 23, it says, For the wages of sin is death. That's the second death. That's the death of extinction and the lake of fire and the smoke and ashes. And all are comprehensively caught under an umbrella that we're all under, as expressed in Romans 3, 23, for all have sinned. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There are no exceptions. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death.

Humanly, this barrier would be insurmountable, but it would have to be satisfied. There was no way a man could remove this penalty once he had incurred it. Once we incur it, we can't remove it. We don't have any power to remove that penalty. Not for himself, let alone for someone else. If you could have, and I speak of an impossibility because you cannot, but if you could have a human being, simply a human being, one who originates from the human race, a human being, this somehow could live an entire life with not one single sin of thought, of word, or deed. The person doesn't have the death penalty on them.

They don't have the second death on them. God could give them eternal life. But guess what? If that were the case, which never has been and never shall be, if He gave them eternal life, it would only be for them, for that one person. It would be that they could have eternal life, but that wouldn't cover for anybody else. So God laid out the basics. Number one, make man of clay so he could learn the lesson and turn from sin and not be locked into it like Satan and a third of the angels.

Number two, once convinced of God's way being the best and only way to live, then he could be entrusted for eternity in the God family. And then number three, then cross the insurmountable barrier through someone making a way through that barrier by paying the price of the penalty. First, make man of clay so he can learn the lesson and turn from sin and not be locked into it like Satan. Number two, once convinced of God's way being the best and only way to live, then he could be entrusted for eternity in the God family.

You know, God's a very logical God. He progresses things logically in order step by step. And number three, then cross the insurmountable barrier through someone making a way through that barrier by paying the price of the penalty. That part would be taken care of through the death of the Creator of all things man included, Jesus Christ. Because His death is the death of the Creator.

And it's worth more than a million humans. A billion. A trillion. If God had a quadzillion, what would matter? The numbers. As Creator, His life is worth more than all of the creation put together. So you have Scriptures like Revelation 13, 8. Revelation 13 and verse 8. And speaking of events that were coming up on and with prophetic happenings that have been predicted that are for the most part yet ahead of us, although we're into some of them already. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship Him, talking about the beast of all prophets, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb.

And notice the signification on the Lamb here. Slain from the foundation of the world. The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. His slaying purposed. Because as Creator, His life is worth more than all of human beings put together. 2 Timothy 1.9. Where Paul writes this to Timothy, he says, "...who has saved us and called us with a holy calling." Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose. According to his own purpose and grace, he purposed a family. He purposed a way by which to people that family. He purposed a way by which to be able to know that he could trust, that he could interest for eternity. According to his own purpose and grace, which was given us.

All made possible, the one who can instrument, you know, for whom the barrier is not insurmountable. Which was given us in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus planned before the world began. Planned in God's purposes. Jesus Christ is the way through the truth that leads to eternal life. You know, he told his disciples that in John 14 verse 6.

John 14. Let me be very frank about something in the way of life. I reach back into worldwide days when people were more concerned about prophecy, more concerned about escape, more concerned about those issues than they were about being like God. And so many of those that got so caught up in all the prophecies and all of that stuff and prophecy buffs.

Then when they realized, oh, it's not going to happen right now. We were wrong about the dates. I'm out of here. It's like Angela said one time, because at one point in my pastoral experience, I lost an elder who got caught up in all kinds of prophecies and some of them faults. But Angela said, she said, you know, if I understand everything there is to understand about prophecy, and I don't live the way God expects me to. I'm not going to be in the kingdom. But if I don't understand anything hardly about prophecy, and I live like I should and become like God, I'm going to be in His kingdom, and then I'll know the rest of everything.

And of course, frankly, there's a lot more prophecy we preach than a lot of people realize. And even the Messiah, that was a prophecy, and one of the most important prophecies of all, obviously. And Christ tells Thomas here, and the others listening in, in John 14.6, Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me. God the Father calls people to Jesus Christ in order to bring them through Christ to the Father. And Christ says, nobody comes to the Father except through Him.

He is the opening through the barrier. No one else. No other way. You know, this Scripture in Acts 4.12, and I've commented on this a number of times over the years, it's interesting, neither is there salvation in any other period. There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. There is not salvation in any other. But in Protestantism and Catholicism, when they look at the conditions of the world, they get ecstasy, and they look at traditional Protestant Catholic teaching, and they look at God's claim that He is all loving, and all powerful, and all fair. They can't reconcile all of it together, and it generates what's called cognitive dissonance. So as you sit there, and I stand here today, two-thirds, 66%, of all Christianity, based on the surveys, 66% say there may be another way to salvation other than Jesus Christ.

That's astounding. I understand, I certainly understand, one of the cognitive dissonance, there is no other way. Period. John 10, verses 7 and 9.

John 10, verses 7 and 9.

Then said Jesus to them again, truly, truly, which is what verily, verily means, I say to you, I am the door. I am the door of the sheep. I am the door. I am the opening. I am the way through the barrier. Verse 9. I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, by me, any man enter in, he shall be saved. And shall go in and out and find pasture. Christ can walk through that barrier because it is no barrier to Him. It's not a barrier to Him. He never cut himself off from God.

He never incurred the death penalty. He never incurred the penalty of death because he never sinned. Not in thought, not in word, not in deed. And whatever belongs to Him, He can take across with Him. If you are in Christ, if you are hidden in Him, if you are engulfed in Him, if you belong to Him, you have passage, passage across that barrier. But how are you hidden?

How are you engulfed in Him? One simple way, and one simple way only, through baptism.

Through baptism. That's the only way that you are in Christ. That's the only way you are hidden in Christ. That's the only way you are in the girth in Him. That's the only way you belong to Him through baptism.

The day the church started, Acts 2, you are very familiar with it, aren't you? We all are. Acts 2, verse 38. When again, verse 37, there were those in that audience that God was giving opportunity to who did respond. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart.

Their conscience got to them, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said, verse 38, repent and be baptized.

Be baptized. Every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Be baptized. In Romans 6, verses 1 through 7, Romans 6, verses 1 through 7, Paul writes, What shall we say then, in talking to his brothers and sisters in Christ, and baptized members along with him, along with himself? What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin? Shall we just keep on sinning so grace can keep on abounding? God forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, and dead to its penalty, by the way, live any longer therein? Don't you know that? So, verse 3, don't you know, don't you realize that so many of us, as we're baptized into Jesus Christ, we're baptized into His death. That is what His death accomplished for us.

That the death that hung over us is satisfied. The penalty is satisfied. Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we've been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed. That henceforth we should not serve sin, for he that is dead is freed from sin, freed from the death penalty. Sin has no hold. The hold of sin is the penalty. It has no hold over the one in Christ anymore. Verse 23, we read, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Notice Galatians 3, 27.

Galatians 3 and verse 27, for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 2, 12.

Galatians 2, 12.

Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God who has raised Him from the dead. And as I like to do at the Passover service, I like to read Galatians 3 and verse 3, where Paul wrote to the membership baptized into Christ, for you're dead. You may be walking, talking, seeing, hearing, eating, drinking, air in and out of your lungs, blood flowing in your body and your arteries and veins, but you're dead in the most important way in that the death penalty is satisfied for you and your life is hid. Your life is safe with Christ and God. Extremely encouraging. Verse 4, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory.

Through baptism, you belong to Him. Now, here is the title of the message that ties it all together.

Opportunity in Christ comes through baptism. Opportunity in Christ comes through baptism.

Baptism is a covenant. It is a covenant. An opportunity in Christ comes through baptism.

Hebrews 12 and verse 24.

Hebrews 12 and verse 24.

And to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

The mediator of the new covenant.

Hebrews 9 and verse 15.

Hebrews 9 and verse 15.

And for this cause, He, Christ, is the mediator of the New Testament, or the New Covenant, that by means of death, His death, that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Covenant, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Under the Old Covenant, it was temporary physical inheritance of the land of Canaan.

Under the New Covenant, of which Christ is the mediator, through His death, which makes it possible the promise that we receive is the eternal inheritance, which is what eternal life is.

Let me point out something that I think we're all aware of, or certainly should be.

First, I will make this statement. The Old Covenant was a marriage covenant.

Christ said, I am your husband. I am married to you. Mount Sinai, Christ became the husband. Israel became the wife. It was a marriage covenant.

That's what the Old Covenant was. It was a marriage covenant between the nation, Israel, and the Word, the Logos, who would come later as Jesus Christ.

What did they do to Christ on the night they took Him? They beat Him. They bruised Him.

They tore His flesh. What did they do the next day, later on that day actually, into the daylight?

They nailed Him to a stake. And what happened eventually? He died. He experienced death.

Do you know in the Bible that it's clearly stated that where there is a marriage, one thing that always puts it 100% totally beyond all doubt as to the right to remarry. I mean, there's no questioning it. Now, saying there aren't other issues, I'm just simply saying the one thing that always puts it 100% clearly beyond all doubt is if one of the mates dies, the other one is free to remarry. What happened to Christ? He died.

He was the husband. He died. Folks, there is no Old Covenant. That should be obvious. There is no Old Covenant. The things that pre-existed the Old Covenant, like the Ten Commandments, they still exist. The things that didn't pre-exist it, like tassels and stuff like that, that were a part of it, they're not required anymore. There is no Old Covenant. The husband who was Jesus Christ died therefore, he's free beyond all doubt for a new marriage. Why is the church called the Bride?

We're betrothed to Jesus Christ. Why is there going to be a marriage stuffer? We're in the engagement stage right now. Christ is the mediator of a new covenant and those who are baptized into Christ are part of that, which will be given as opportunity to the whole world someday.

Now, when you're baptized, you are drawing up a contract with God. You may not see it that way, but that's what you're doing. And you must enter a contract with God to have faith passage.

See, if you look at Hebrews 2, verse 9, you're drawing up a contract with God when you're baptized. And you have to enter that contract or covenant with God to have faith passage across that barrier of death because there's no other way. You're either in Christ and you can cross it because you're in Christ. If you're not in Christ, you're still up against that barrier and you have no way to cross it. But this is why it says in Hebrews 2 and verse 9, I'll read the whole verse, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, once He made flesh and blood so He could die. As Spirit composed God, He could not die.

He would have to give up His composition of spirit. He'd have to give up the powers of Godhead for a time. He was still God, but He'd have to give up the powers of Godhead and the composition of God for a time and be flesh and blood in order to live a sinless life and die so He could be a Savior and a mediator of a new covenant. So in verse 9, a little lower than angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that He, notice this, by the grace of God, by God's mercies to us, by God's plan, which had to include grace, had to include pardon, had to include mercy, had to include a way that He should taste death. For who? Every man. Every person.

That He should taste death. And because He did that, those who enter Christ through baptism, they don't have to taste that death themselves. That penalty is removed. An individual, personal contract in your name, Christ's name, and the Father's has to be drawn up.

You know, we baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit because the Father is the one who begets the life. Jesus Christ is the one who makes it possible. And it's their spirit of their power by which they accomplish it all. No baptism, no burial, no remission of sins, no removal of the penalty, no contract for life.

Still in your sins, still slammed up against the barrier. You know, it's interesting if, you know, if you go to a title company or wherever and they've got contract forms, they may have a whole stack of blank contract forms.

There are enough blank contract forms, New Covenant contract forms, for every human who has ever lived, is living or shall live.

And if more forms need to be printed, they can, as we would say. There are enough blank contract forms for every human being who has ever lived or will live. But until that specific human being draws up a contract with God, with their name on it, there's not one recorded for that person. Now again, we understand God's plan of salvation to know that in His plan, every human being, somewhere along the way in God's plan, as He has staged it out, will have full opportunity to have a chance for eternal life, just like you and I's first fruits do now.

When the contract or covenant of baptism is entered into with God, it's recorded in the book of life. It's not recorded there until that contract is initiated.

March the 26th, 1969, when I was baptized into Christ, God opened the book of life. And here's the way I like to picture it in my mind.

God dipped the quill, so to speak, in the bright red blood of Jesus Christ.

And He wrote in bright red blood of Jesus Christ, My name, Rick Beam, in the book of life.

I want to do everything I can to say to it that it's never blooded out, that it doesn't fade out, that it remains there right up to and including the point of resurrection.

But stay with one, your name, duly recorded in a copy in your hand, so to speak, contract. You're on your way to life. Passage is made possible. That's one of the reasons why we continually emphasize to those who are called, who have responded, who have entered into Christ, that they make sure they never lose that. Because passage across that barrier is only in Christ, and without that contract, God does have a desire to us, but He doesn't have a commitment. There's a difference. His commitment is to a plan that will give everybody opportunity.

But until there's a contract, one is not part of the new covenant. You know, without Christ, there would be no chance for such a contract. And though He has freely made the way possible, there's a role that we have to play. We have our part. We have our responsibility.

Blessings carry responsibility. Marriage is a blessing. It carries...it has a lot of fun in it, but it also has a lot of responsibility, and sometimes really heavy responsibility.

Having a child is a great blessing. Children are a blessing. They're a blessing from God.

But a lot of responsibility goes with them. Blessings carry responsibility.

You know, God has freely provided the way, but we have to show that we want it.

And how do we do that? God might say, do you want it as much as you used to?

Are your desires and motivations for eternal life with Me, as strong as they once were?

Or has it waned? How do we show how much we want it? Well, again, through our efforts, our desires, our initiatives. And I will not baptize somebody because somebody else wants them baptized.

When I realize, if I'm counseling somebody and I realize they're wanting to be baptized because somebody else is pushing them, no, it's not going to be valid. But, James, in the book of James, we show that we want it with our effort, with our desire, with our initiative. And how many times have we said that biblical belief leads to action? It leads to action. James here is not, as we know, the brother of John.

Brother of John, that James was martyred very early on.

Joseph and Mary, they married. And God said, no sexual relations until after Christ is born. Mary was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. After Christ was born, then Joseph and Mary had children of their own between them. And the first one born was James.

This James, he was a half-sibling to Jesus Christ. And he grew up with Christ. And of course, later, he became converted and became an apostle. And we've always understood that biblical belief leads to action. And so he says in verse 17, chapter 2, he says, "...so faith, if it has not works as dead, being alone." Living faith will always have proofs that it's living faith. And our efforts, our desires, our initiatives, what we do, what we continue to do that we should. Verse 20, he says, "...you believe that there's one God?" Well, it's good that you do, but you realize the demons also believe and tremble. I mean, they know there's a God.

But will you know, O vain man? Verse 20, that faith without works is dead.

And we've gone through this many a time, haven't we? And how that by works was faith made perfect or mature or complete in verse 22. And of course, you've got verse 24. You see how that works, by works the man is justified and not by faith. See, there's some... Okay, take that right there. Take that right there for a moment. Verse 24. You see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only. So if you really have belief, Peter told those in the crowd who were pricked in their conscience, he said, be baptized. Well, wait a minute. Are you telling me that baptism is necessary? That you have to do that? Yeah, that's what I'm telling you. Well, that's works because you've got to go to some place where there's enough water, wherever it may be, there's got to be enough water to completely submerge the person. They've got to step into the water. You've got to put hands on them and put them under the water and bring them up.

Those are physical efforts. Those are physical works. Those are works.

I think it's good enough to just sprinkle or not even do that. Wet my finger and touch your forehead.

It's interesting, isn't it? James said by works, which baptism is considered in scum circles, full immersion is considered part of works. And yet, whether it's considered part of works or not, it's what God said to do. And He said, this is how to do it.

And then verse 26, for as the body without the Spirit is dead, so faithful, that works as dead also. Someday, someday, God's plan, God's plans. And when I say God's plan or God's plans, when the last great day is finished, when there is truly and fully a new heavens and a new earth that will never pass away, that are not made of matter, they're made of permanence, God will always have plans. He will always have purposes. He will always provide wonderful opportunities of peace and joy and love. Someday, God's plans are going to go on with or without us. It's that simple, with or without us. But whatever belongs to God will go on with Him. See, that's the key. Whatever belongs to God will go on with Him. Christ's death cannot apply to Warren until that one has entered into a contract with Him based on His death, which is done through baptism. And the contract is not on your terms or my terms, its own God's terms. That contract reconciles us to God the Father. Romans 5.10. Romans 5.10, for if when we were enemies, we were on the other side of that barrier that we can't cross.

We're under the death penalty.

The locos came on the other side of that barrier. He did not sin.

Therefore, He could take on death and as Creator, whose life is worth all of ours and more, put together, He could go back through that barrier because it's not a barrier to Him.

We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Reconciled because we were cut off. You become God's. You belong to Him. You cease being your own. Let's refresh our minds with about three scriptures, maybe four, in wrapping this up. Let's refresh our minds about who we belong to. 1 Corinthians 7.23. We understood this when we were baptized. We certainly should have.

And if we didn't, it should have been pointed out to us.

In 1 Corinthians 7 and verse 23, you are bought with a price.

You're not your own. I'm not my own. I am property.

I'm not your property, and you're not my property. We're co-properties.

We're properties of God, of Christ. You are bought with a price.

Don't be the servants of men. And what that means is, any time you've got to make a decision, do I obey the man who's conflicting God, or do I obey God who says, what I should do is, contrary to what this person is trying to get me to do, then the answer should be obvious. We obey God.

Now, there's many things we obey men in that don't contradict or conflict with God. But there's things that do contradict and do conflict. And we have to go back to that basic thing that in baptism, we were bought with a price. Well, what was that price? Well, we all know, but let's look at it in the words of Peter in 1 Peter 1.

1 Peter 1, verses 18, 19, and 20. 1 Peter 1, verses 18, 19, and 20. For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, you know, as or such as sildrin gold, that's not how you were purchased from your vain or empty conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ. That was the price, the commodity, the cost, the value of what purchased you. That was the purchasing value, commodity.

The precious blood of Christ as the Lamb without blemish and without spot, who truly was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest or made obvious in these last times for you. And then Acts 20, 28, where the Apostle Paul in Acts 20, in verse 28, where the Apostle Paul gathered the elders together and basically was telling them, you know, I'm probably not going to see you again until the resurrection.

And he tells them this, verse 28, Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to feed the church of God, notice, which He has purchased with His own blood.

My blood is not on you. Your blood is not on me or each other.

It's the blood of Jesus Christ that's on you.

This is why I never lay claim to the congregations of God as being my congregations.

You're my brothers and sisters in Christ, and as I've said many a time, I am a sheep who's simply been given pastoral responsibility.

But the blood that's on each of us is the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

If we're baptized into Christ, we're purchased and we belong to Him. And it's a contract written in blood, the blood of the Creator.

Final Scripture, Romans 1, not Romans, Revelation 1 and verse 5. Revelation 1 and verse 5, "...And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, unto Him that loved us and watched us from our sins in His own blood." It is a contract, a covenant, offering the promise of eternal life.

And again, it's based on God's terms, which include our desire, our repentance, and our obedience.

And it supersedes all other covenants and contracts.

It's the most important decision that we could ever make in this life because it involves our whole eternity.

You know, in this life, due to death, due to other factors, you could have more than one marriage.

You could have two or three or four or whatever, I mean, due to death and due to factors.

That could be. You might have a number, but the new covenant is one contract, good for all time.

As long as you stay faithfully in Christ.

And it's the most important decision we can make in this life, again, because it involves our whole eternity.

Opportunity in Christ comes through baptism.

And whatever belongs to God, He is going to take down through all the ages of eternity with Him.