The God of All Comfort | 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 | Baptism Service | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (10/15/23)

Welcome to Maranatha Bible Church. It is a joy. It's a privilege to gather here together on this Sunday afternoon. Normally, we don't like to start our services off with an announcement, but I I do have to say that, parking parking is is a little bit of an issue this morning. Recently, the village this week put up some signs in the West Side Of Canfield.

So development. So something we're going to have to work through as a church, and we're going to it's an inconvenience for sure, but it's also a sign that there's life here. There's worship of the one true God here. And the enemy wants to do anything that he can to put a stop to that, to to frustrate our purposes or even our attitudes. Ignite our affections for our God today.

The Psalmist says, blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. And you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found. Surely in the great surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

You are a hiding place for me. You preserve me from trouble. You surround me with shouts of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Be not like a horse or a mule without understanding, which must be curved with bit and bridle or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Church, brother, sister, happier you. Are forgiven, if you've confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you are safe.

Happy are you. Blessed are you. The Lord does not count iniquity against you. That's why we are here. That's why we can celebrate this afternoon.

That's why we sing. That's why we preach the word where you join me in prayer. Father, thank you. Thank you. How great it is to be gathered in this house with the blood bought saints of Jesus Christ.

How great it is to unite our hearts and our voices to you in song as we sing glorious truths to you and each other. Lord, what a privilege it is to be able to hear your word proclaimed boldly without shame, with clarity, with purpose, and with power. May you move in our hearts today. We thank you for the celebration of seeing men and women being baptized, being submerged and immersed in water as a public profession of their faith in you, and we celebrate with them. Lord, may you inhabit our praises today.

May you illuminate our minds and our hearts by your holy spirit, and may you be glorified. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Church, will you please stand and sing together?

I lift my eyes up to the hills. From the my my

Thank you. You may be seated. Well, welcome to Maranatha Bible Church. My name is Daniel. I'm one of the pastors here.

And, before we begin, I I have to make a couple brief announcements. One, as you can tell, and we're so overjoyed to see so many of you. But if you can squeeze in, if there's room in your pew to squeeze in the center so that those who are standing can also join us comfortably, We appreciate that. So just squeeze in, squeeze in. Thank you.

Thank you. There's some room here, Ushers. There's some room here. There's a a pew here that can make some space for others. So if you again, if there's still more wiggle room, please please move in.

It helps so much for us, and it'll help people who are standing. Secondly, as you heard earlier, just just for those who just entered, on the other side of the street here, the main street on Canfield here, this is a surprise to us this afternoon that, the village had put up a sign regarding no parking certain hours, and those hours include these hours. And so if you parked on the other side of the street, please feel free to go and move your car. And you can park in any one of the neighborhoods here. It's not too far from the church.

And so we appreciate that, and we we apologize for that. We're gonna try to figure out what that's all about. But as our brother and pastor Mark just said, we have to focus now on on the joy that is set before us on this great day. Well, you know why you're here. Maybe you don't.

Maybe you have an idea, but we're here to celebrate, nine individuals who have decided to surrender everything to the lord Jesus Christ. That is what this, whole service is about. And you might be wondering, well, why the robes and why the water and why will I now witness people being submerged in water? What is that all about? Well, the Bible tells us that it has a twofold purpose.

As Christians, we believe what makes us unique. We believe we have the truth, and this truth is exclusive, but it's also unique in that we do not do anything to earn our right standing with God. We don't perform anything. We don't, jump through any hoops. We don't do anything to try to convince God that we are worthy to be accepted by him.

We believe that God so loved us that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, in giving us him as a gift, as a ransom for our sins. That's why he died, and we receive that gift by faith, and that is what saves us. That is what seals us and secures us before the sight of a holy God and makes us acceptable into his everlasting presence. And so what you're witnessing is not people who are trying to do better. They're not trying to prove anything to anybody, including God.

These are people who have experienced the love of God. These are people who experienced the saving work of Jesus Christ, who believe that he is, who believe that he did what he did, that he is alive today, and they wanna surrender to his lordship. And by getting baptized, they're doing one of two things. They're doing both things, actually. One is that they are obeying his command.

So he's not just savior. He also asked to be lord. So his grace so moves you that you desire to give your life to him and to follow him in anything that he demands of us, and rightfully so. And so one of the first things that Jesus commands of Christians is that they get into a body of water, and they symbolically identify with his death, burial, and resurrection. And so this is primarily a testimony of people who are obeying Jesus Christ.

But there's a second purpose, and that includes you. Jesus instituted water baptism as a public testimony. For those who have put their faith in Christ, they don't privatize their faith. They don't hide their faith. But one of the first things that they will do is they will demonstrate and say, he is my lord.

He is my savior, and watch me now identify with him. And so consider the significance of this. When you will see each person going into that tank, and as they profess their faith verbally and as they demonstrated by going into that water completely, what's happening is they're going into that water, and they're saying the old me is now buried with Christ. I no longer am the same. It's no longer my will.

It's no longer my desire. All of that now is buried and dead. And once they are brought out of that water, they are saying, now I've been raised to new life with Jesus Christ. I am a new creation in him. I'm different.

My heart has been made new. My eyes have been opened, and now I long to follow Him. And though every Christian's true heart desires to follow Him as perfectly as possible, we know that as long as we're in this flesh, it will not be perfect. But he doesn't give up on us. He empowers us to overcome sin.

And if we do fall into sin, if we do slip, if we do step outside of his desire concerning reflection, reflection of his character and his will, he forgives us. He's a merciful Lord. He's a merciful, kind God. And so, again, let me say that these are people not testifying. You know, I I I wanna be a good person, and I think, this is the way to it.

And I I fear death, and and this faith is a crutch for me because I wanna make sure that if there is a God, that I will be in right standing with him. That's not what it is. These are people who have experienced Jesus Christ. And these are people who have been forgiven and wanna tell you that they are forgiven and that Christ is Lord. And I'm sure in their hearts desire as they testify, they would want to prayfully persuade you, if you don't know Christ, to also make him your Lord and savior.

God is good. We're so excited to be able to share this opportunity with these precious saints. And so I'm gonna ask a few of them to come, those who've been called to come first. It doesn't matter. At this point, let's have four of you come up first and come stand beside me.

You can come beside me, Derek. Don't worry. And now here's here's what we're gonna do. You're just gonna state your name, and you're just gonna share what the Lord has put in your heart before you get baptized. And then once you're done, we can celebrate and applaud them, and then you can pass it to the next person and and they'll follow you.

Okay? Go ahead, sister. You want me to hold the microphone for you? Is that better? Sure.

Okay. Go ahead.

Hello, everybody. My name is Sophie. What made me convert from being a nonbeliever to a believer of Christ? I admit I'm a sinner, and I want to repent the truth to God. I used to be a psychic medium, and it was all evil and witchcraft and all against God.

So I decided to stop it because I didn't wanna do anything evil that's against God. I turned myself to God because I love him forever.

Amen. Amen. Thank you for sharing that.

Here. I got you. Hopefully, I don't say too much. Derek Echols. Mine's a little bit longer.

My bad. As a brief introduction, pastor Dan advised us to start by explaining what our lives look like before we came to know Christ. I grew up in a Christian household with two god fearing parents. My dad was a minister. My mom was always at church.

They poured into us in the best way possible, balancing encouragement, invitation, and teaching while avoiding any form of force. They understood and still understand, the gift of free will, and they have successfully created an environment where the choice is yours. I was at Sunday school going to church, talking about God in the living room with my family and reading stories about Daniel in the lion's den in the bathroom since we had books in there too, I guess. I was, never a wild child. I relatively stuck to Christian morals and the prominent do's and don'ts, but I was doing it because I knew it was the right thing to do.

I knew that I lacked true substance, and that wasn't indicative of how I was raised. I was the definition of sometimes. It just doesn't fully click until later. So let's get to later. I was always, I always tell people that the whole world had to shut down for me to truly pursue God.

There were no more excuses. There was no more kicking the can. I told myself at the start of 2020 before the pandemic even started that I would attempt to simply read the Bible. No plan, just basic pursuit. I started at the beginning with Genesis and went from there.

I had no idea that God would still bless me through these little bits and pieces of knowledge and prepare me for what I would experience through the shutdown of the world. I lacked true purpose, love, respect, integrity, and so many other things that were and are still vital in the pursuit of unwavering faith. Yeah. God was there the whole time. I just had to finally reach out.

So on 05/17/2020, I believe that I truly accepted Jesus Christ into my heart. For months leading up to that moment, I had been count, constantly seeing Christian content all over my TikTok timeline, ironically. I was seeing so much content about the Bible and God that I could not escape it. There was a large portion of people who realized that there had to be something much bigger in life to live for. My future roommate even started a Bible study over Zoom, which led to so many meaningful conversations.

I was surround I was surrounded by God fearers, and at some point, I had to make a decision. From May 17 to today, I've truly sought a life of repentance. My my eyes have been opened to how sinful I am, but I have accepted the freedom found or freedom found through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So today, God has made my heart cry for those around me who are in positions that I was in before I came to know Christ. God shows me ways to live for him and honor him every day.

So today, I'll make the ultimate decision of being born again and publicly proclaiming my relationship with him.

Amen.

Hi, everyone. My name is Priscilla, and I was born in Puerto Rico into a Catholic home. As I grew older, I noticed that what we were practicing seemed to be more out of tradition. I believed in God, but I never felt a personal connection to him. And after graduating high school, there followed a lot there followed a lot of difficult and dark days for a few years.

And during those years, I practiced what I thought was Christianity on and off. I often blamed God for the things that happened because I thought I was walking the right path. I grew confused and resentful, but Jesus had a plan for me. I eventually met a wonderful man online, and he shared to me about his faith. And, Jesus began to soften my heart.

And after a few months of dating, I started visiting his Christian church. One day, his mother was talking to me about Christianity and began asking me questions about sin, forgiveness, and about Jesus that I had never answered before. On that day, May 22, I accepted Christ as my savior. A few months after, I married her son, an amazing partner and incredible father. Christ kept tugging at my heart to follow his commandment toward Maranatha.

The very first service, pastor Daniel spoke about an upcoming opportunity to get baptized. And, again, I I give God all the glory and thanks and all of the trials, that he's blessed me with to bring me here today. I pray to grow stronger in faith and to grow closer to him, to be an example to my beautiful daughters and my family, to serve others for his glory, and above all, to fulfill his purpose for my life.

Hello. My name is Michael. I don't have a note card. I don't have anything, so we'll just hope this goes well. I'll I'll take it I'm not gonna take it to the beginning of time, but so a few years ago when I was at school, I prayed to God, a God that I wasn't sure I knew of.

And, you know, for some reason, I think I'm, you know, so great and I know what's best for me and I asked for a good grade in a class, but I really needed this exam. So, I go and I pray to God

and I say, oh, I'll do this thing

you really want me to do and sure enough, he provides. Then I say, well, maybe that just wasn't God. Then I got struck down to peg. Then I asked him again for something even more, and I thought, well, maybe if I ask for something even better, he'll provide it for me. And that he did.

And then one day I had really bad luck, and I prayed to God and I said, God, you know what? If you help me out, I'll go to church. And it was this church, and, he helped me out, and then I came here. And I fell in love with it, and I'm glad I am here, and I'm glad I met God. And I know who he is.

I know that he's my lord and savior Jesus Christ. Like I said, I don't have a note card. So, and, so so I was praying to God, and he started bringing up that I maybe should get baptized. And then pastor Daniel here said that on October 15, which is my birthday, happy birthday to me. Guys, guys, I'm not done.

I'm not done. And, he brought it up and I prayed to God, and I think God told me I need to do this. And I think that it's, you know, God's always poetic, but on on my day of birth, I'm gonna be reborn. So amen.

Yes, mister John. Go ahead. Isn't that amazing? We're gonna celebrate two birthdays in a sense for you, Michael. Come on up, guys.

Please state your name and testify what the lord has done for you. Okay, brother?

My name is Simon. I'm a senior in high school. And I've been really blessed to have grown up in a Christian home and had the message of Jesus Christ taught me from a very young age. That being said, I can't pinpoint exactly when I accepted Christ into my heart, but I know I have I had faith from a young age. But that didn't necessarily mean that I lived a life that reflected that.

I didn't really live a life that put God first, for many years. I prioritized other things above God. Video games, having fun with friends, success and debate. And what really convicted me was Romans chapter six verses one to two, where Paul asks a series of very important questions. He says, what shall we say then?

Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means. How can we who've died to sin still live in it? And that really cuts my core because as a Christian, I'm supposed to be living a life, that puts God first. I'm supposed to be living a life where I honor God and prioritize my relationship with him first, but but I wasn't doing that.

And so this first really helped me to change my mindset, to have the mindset, where I'm striving to put God first in my life. And I'm not always successful in that struggle, but it does mean that there is a struggle in the first place. So today I'm getting baptized, first and foremost, because it's a command from God. God calls us in scripture to be baptized. But also because I wanna make a public declaration of the faith that I have in Christ Jesus, that he died for my sins.

There's nothing I can do to earn salvation, that it was all on him, and that one day he will restore me on the day when all things are made complete.

Hi. My name is Clara Warner, and this is my testimony. I grew up in a loving home where we called ourselves Christians and made the best attempt to go to church every Sunday. But it was more of a habit or ritual or what we thought we should be doing as good Christians. At a young age attending my father's church, services were in Aramaic, so I never understood what the pastor was saying or even what verses he was reading out of the bible.

At my mom's church, myself and two siblings were three of six children. So Sunday school was a fun time of coloring bible drawings and really just hanging out. Throughout this period of time, I never really remember being introduced to Jesus or being told that I have a father who loves me, cares about me, and wants me to be called his daughter. I also don't remember being taught about sin and how serious sin is. Then came high school.

I attended a public high school in Skokie, Illinois, going about the motions of day to day life as an angsty teen, constantly worried about my appearance or how I was perceived by others, how much I was liked by others, and with no regard to what really mattered, God, my soul, and eternity. At this point in my life, my dad worked overseas and my mom was home with three young kids and also working full full time. Not the most ideal situation for our family and probably not the plan of choice my for my parents. But as it is written in Jeremiah twenty nine eleven, for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future. And by the grace of God, at even at such a distance, both of my parents were saved.

Ending high school and upon my dad's return from The Middle East, life at home began to look a lot different. My parents started attending our family friend's church. They started going to Friday night bible studies and encouraging me and my siblings to join every Sunday. I'd say yes because I knew it made them happy, but I'd sit there not fully understanding the sermons and mostly counting down the minutes until I got to go home. This continued on for many years until COVID hit.

Our church closed, and I remember feeling relieved that I wouldn't have to wake up early on Sunday to go to church for the time being. But my parents, our family friends, and truly the Lord had other plans. As a family, we started church at home where we would have breakfast together while watching church, doing little learning sessions my mom found on YouTube, and watching online testimonies. We would also gather at our family best friend's house for bible studies, and that was the point at which my heart began to stir and my interest to know more peaked. With most churches still closed, we stumbled upon UE in June 2021, and my parents immediately found their home.

A short two months later, Maranatha Conference was upon us, and my parents kept asking if we would join them. Again, knowing it would make them happy, at very last minute, I said yes. At the conference, the first service I sat through had me in uncontrollable tears by the end of it. It was the first time I had realized that I was a sinner living in sin and that the only one who could save me was Jesus Christ. I remember feeling paralyzed and scared.

Something had changed within me. Something was happening to me, and I couldn't stop it. I left the conference telling my parents I could not go back to the church because the conviction I felt was so strong, and I would just remember hating the sinner I was. For an entire week, I cried. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and couldn't even focus on work.

Just thinking every day that if I didn't make it through that night, I knew what my eternal destiny would be. So I started praying hard. I was speaking to God all day and all night and reading my bible to find any answers I could. Little did I know that was the start of my relationship with the Lord. Plot twist, I came back to church with my eyes opened in a new way and my heart softened ready to receive the Lord.

It's been a beautiful journey since, and I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for my life. But I trust in the Lord's words that say, whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew ten thirty nine. Amen.

Hello, everyone. Good afternoon. I'm Isabella, and today I want to share with you a testimony of God's incredible power to heal and to restore even mister brokenness, despair, and confusion. Now I've been waiting a long time for this moment, so thank you ever to Maranatha for, you know, allowing us to get baptized. Now as a I was a quite a rambunctious child, very rebellious, very interested in the search of knowledge and wisdom.

And as I grew older, I started to seek solace in all the wrong places, in the temporary distractions of this world and in false religions, but those distractions only left me feeling more empty and broken than before. It was during my darkest moments that I encountered a glimmer of hope. I met someone who introduced me to Jesus Christ, my boyfriend and his family who prayed over me. They shared their own stories of transformation, and it resonated with me. I realized that there was a way out of the pain that I knew and I had that I had known most of my life.

I began to read the Bible, but by the grace of God, a passionate believer pointed me to attend Maranatha Bible Church, seeking a deeper understanding of Jesus and the one who could bring hope to the hopeless. Through through God's word, I discovered that God is the ultimate healer and restorer. He is the father to the fatherless, and he cares deeply for the brokenhearted. My journey with Christ was not an instant fix, but rather a process of healing and transformation. I discovered that I could cast my burdens and fears on Jesus and that he would give me rest and peace in return.

Today, I stand before you as a living testimony to the transforming power of Christ. I share this testimony not to glorify my journey, but to give glory to the one who made it all possible. God is the God of redemption, and he brings beauty from the ashes. No matter how broken your situation may be, there was hope in Jesus. His love is unending and his power to restore is boundless.

Excuse me as I turn the page. Just got done running college essays. What can I say? Now he will turn he will truly leave the 99 for the one. I am no longer a black sheep in my own eyes, for I am for for I am now fortunate to take part in the Lord's table.

I encourage you to seek him and to share the good news. Trust in his promise and watch as he transforms the brokenness in your life into masterpiece of his grace. I thank God for giving me a new family as well as a new life and new home, and I thank God for my family who has encouraged me to be here today. So I don't know why they're here, but they are here. Mom and dad, I appreciate you guys, and thank you for listening and may God bless each and every last one of you.

Hello, everyone. My name is Suhail. And although I'm not a new believer, my heart has changed towards, baptism, specifically adult baptism. I've been attending Maranatha for about two years with my wife, Sally, and my son, Benjamin, and the Lord has just kind of done a work in my heart. I grew up in a Presbyterian type church, reformed church, and, I was baptized as, an infant in the Catholic church.

So for me, I always just assumed that infant just baptism was just something you do. You get it out the way, and It doesn't really mean much, but it's just something a Christian does just to call themselves a Christian. I've always kind of held to that theory of infant baptism throughout my years of growing up in the church kind of out of stubbornness just because I knew a lot of, you know, theologians that held to this view, so I said, okay. I hold on to this view too. I would get in arguments with people arguing about it, not really believing it, not really having my heart into it, just, just doing it out of, doing it out of, just that's what everybody did.

It wasn't until we came, my son was born, and we had the decision to baptize him or, dedicate him to the church. And for me, I had conversations with my wife about it, and I was like, no. He's getting baptized. This is what I did. This is what he's doing.

He's gonna be just like me. And so I was like, okay. I had some conversations with some people, and I decided to do this huge deep dive in scripture about infant baptism. Spoiler alert, there's not much there. So, I decided to just trust what the Lord says in scripture and rely on scripture alone and just seek his heart on what baptism is for me and and what it would mean for my son.

In this and this research and in this study, I became convicted, about baptism, that how it is an important, sacrament in the church of, putting away your old self and becoming a new creation in Christ. So I'm thankful for Maranatha Church and Pastor Daniel and and all of my friends and family having conversations with me and opening my heart to this.

Thank you. My name is Joshua Bedine, and I'm 11 years old. I'm getting baptized today because I believe that Jesus died for my sin, and I'm accepting his free gift of salvation. To me, baptism is dying to myself with Jesus and being resurrected with Him. Dying to myself is following Christ wholeheartedly and denying my old sinful self.

I asked my dad to be baptized because I want to openly confess that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. In ending, I want to quote from these verses. And quote, and as they were going along the road, they came to some water and the Enoch said, see, here is water. What prevents me from being baptized? Acts eight thirty six.

And in Paul's conversion, after three days of being a believer, quote, he rose and was baptized. Acts nine eighteen. So I'm getting baptized today.

Joshua is not only a disciple, he's a theologian. If you know Joshua, you know that he has a, very special gift from the Lord. I've never talked to an 11 year old about the Septuagint, but, that's not me. He came up to me with the Septuagint. So you heard it.

I I hope you heard it. Various backgrounds, some saved from witchcraft. I remember having a conversation with you over a year ago, and you were pretty convicted and and set on your path, exploring the opposite of what the kingdom of God is. Some from different expressions of of faith, false religions, others who grew up in the church but never had a personal relationship with if you're here today, there is no darkness, there is no sin, there is no distance too far, too great for God not to be able to save and deliver from. And I hope you see that and feel that and realize that today.

Now we're gonna see them get baptized. Amen? So if the praise team can come, you guys follow me. So, Hill, do you believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son into the world to save sinners? Yes.

And do you believe that you are a sinner and that you cannot inherit eternal life apart from His righteousness, His forgiveness, His shed blood for you? Yes. And so do you desire to follow the Lord Jesus Christ as not just your savior, but your Lord seeking to be conformed to His image and to obey Him all the days of your life. Yes. Alright.

Get rid of my friend. Just this way, face me. Upon the profession of your faith, I now have the privilege and joy to baptize you in the name of the Father, name of the Son, name of the Holy Spirit.

Yeah.

Farrah, do you believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only seeking to be conformed to his image and to obey him all the days of your life? Yes. Just face me. Yes. On the profession of your faith, it is my joy and privilege to now baptize you in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Just answer with yes. Okay? Okay. Sophie, do you believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son into the world to save sinners?

Yes.

And do you believe that you are a sinner but who has also accepted Jesus and that you have no salvation apart from His righteousness, forgiveness, and grace, His shed blood for you?

Yes.

And do you desire to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, to be conformed to His image and to walk in obedience to Him?

Yes, always.

Amen. Always indeed. Well, it is my joint privilege. If you just see it right there. It's my joint privilege to now baptize you in the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit.

You've been waiting so many day you've been counting down the days from this moment. Right? Three years. Yes. Yes.

For three years?

Yes.

Well, here you are. Yep. Well, do you believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son into the world to save sinners? Yes. Do you believe that you are a sinner who has accepted Jesus Christ as your savior and you have no eternal life apart from his righteousness, his forgiveness, his grace, his shed blood?

Yes.

And do you desire to make Jesus Christ your lord, to obey him all the days of your life and to be conformed into his image? Yes. Step four. Beautiful. It is my joint privilege to, upon the profession of your faith, baptize you in the name of the father, son, and holy

spirit.

Hey. Priscilla, do you believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son into the world to save sinners? Yes. And do you believe that you are a sinner who is accepting Jesus' righteousness, forgiveness, grace, shed blood because there is no eternal life apart from him? Yes.

And do you desire to make Jesus Christ your Lord, to obey him all the days of your life, to be conformed into the image of who he is?

Yes.

Amen. Well, upon the profession of your faith, it is my joy and privilege to baptize you now in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy spirit. The theologian. Come. I've known Joshua since he was like this.

And to see him now like this, it's a joy and an honor for me to baptize you. It's a privilege. Joshua, do you believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son into the world to save sinners?

Yes.

And do you believe that you are a sinner, but who's accepting Jesus Christ, his righteousness, his forgiveness, his grace, and that you have no eternal life apart from his shed blood?

Yes.

And do you desire to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord, to obey him all the days of your life and to be conformed into his image?

Yes. Come forward.

While the enemy is attacking children, Jesus is saving them. Amen. It is my joy and privilege to, now upon the profession of your faith, to baptize you in the name of the father, son, and holy spirit. How are you feeling? I'm good.

You excited? Yeah. Do you believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only son into the world to save sinners? Yeah. And do you believe that you are a sinner but are receiving Jesus' free gift of salvation, his forgiveness, his grace, his shed blood because there is no salvation apart from his righteousness?

Yeah. And do you desire to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord, to obey him all the days of your life, and to be conformed into his image as he leads you day by day? Yeah. It's a joy and an honor to now baptize you upon the profession of your faith. What a joy.

In the name of the father, son, and holy spirit. Happy birthday. Thank you. Give one more second. Yep.

Michael, do you believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son into the world to save sinners?

Yes, I do.

Do you believe that you are a sinner who has been saved by grace because you have no eternal life apart from Jesus' righteous, forgiveness, grace, and shed blood?

Yes. I do.

And do you desire to make Jesus your Lord and to obey him all the days of your life and to be conformed into his image? Yes. I do. What a birthday gift from the Lord to you, my friend. Yes, I do.

It is my joint privilege now upon the profession of your faith to baptize you in the name of the father, son, and holy spirit. Derek, do you believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son into the world to save sinners? Yes. I do. And do you believe that you are a sinner saved by grace because there is no eternal life apart from Jesus' righteousness, forgiveness, grace, and shed blood?

Yes. I do.

And do you desire there to make Jesus your Lord, to obey him all the days of your life and to be conformed to his image as he leads you day by day?

Yes. I do.

Amen. Step forward if you can. Upon the profession of your faith, it is my joint privilege to now baptize you in the name of the father, son, and holy spirit. Do we have anybody any more? Oh, that's it.

Okay. Alright. Isn't God amazing? Amen. Yes.

Well, if you can, let's stand together and worship the Lord in song and give him maximum glory and praise for his goodness in saving souls. And remember today that as you sing, the same Jesus who saved these people can save you if you do not know him.

Thank you for the obedience of your children coming this morning to to profess their faith publicly with baptism. Father, we we thank you for the testimonies and the amazing work that you've done in their lives and many of our lives here. Father, we pray that the words spoken by some of these people would work in the hearts of people who are sitting here who don't know you. Father, we pray that you would you would use something that someone has said to to stir in their hearts and and to to just plant a little seed that that will grow into into a stronger faith that someday they will be standing up in front of us and and giving their testimony as well. Father, we we thank you for for everyone who who came here and, followed your commandments this morning.

We pray for for all of their hearts as as they continue on their journey that they you will just protect them and keep them growing strong, Lord. Father, we pray that as Daniel comes to speak to us that that our hearts will just be open and able to hear what you were bringing through your certainty. In your name, amen.

Amen. Hey, before you're seated, can you greet somebody and just say hello in the name of the Lord. Welcome to the house of God. It's at this time where we continue to worship the Lord with our giving, and if it's on your heart to give, you're welcome to do so at this time. There'll be ushers on all sides of the sanctuary here to assist you in that.

We're grateful. Any contribution that comes to this ministry, we pray that every penny would be used for what you just saw here, for the advancement of the word of God so that people would know Jesus Christ. That's our goal and our mission, and we thank you for your partnership in that. And while that's happening, just a couple of announcements. This upcoming Saturday, October 21, we have an eventful day.

We will be as a church heading down with Love Life Ministries in the morning, the same location that we were at Neck last time. And we'll give you the details on all our platforms, but we will be praying and worshiping, by an abortion clinic and asking the Lord to extend his mercy and to open eyes and open hearts. And so that will be this Saturday, October 21, and we'll give all the details about the location and the timing and everything else just to bring it to your attention. As well on that day, we will have in the evening, we'll have a youth night. We have our youth program every other week, and that happens at 6PM here at the church.

And so if you have anybody between the ages of 13 and 17 that wants to be part of a community that fellowships but also learns more about God, that's the time to do it. So that's also that's Saturday as well, as well as our Arabic fellowship at 6PM. And so we have all that on Saturday. On the October 28, we will be having our ladies breakfast fellowship. So that'll be the morning at 10AM here at the church as well in the basement.

So that's October 28. And if, you're new here, if you're someone who, wants to be connected, I highly suggest that you attend that. And it's an informal setting where there's food, fellowship, testimonies. You hear testimonies like what you heard today, how God has done a work, and there'll be time of prayer. It's always a precious time.

We just had our men's meeting, and we're planning to do more of that as well. So that's what we have for the month of October. We hope that we can see you at, either of those events, and we are excited for what God is doing in this place. Well, I wanna bring your attention to a portion of scripture in Psalm 95, if you can turn your bibles there with me. And I just want to speak to you briefly this afternoon before we do fellowship, before we do feast, and enjoy one another in the basement.

Come with me to Psalm 95, beginning in verse one. Here's what the word of God says in verse one. Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving.

Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise, for the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods. I wanna bring your attention to one profound phrase that the psalmist pens by the Holy Spirit. In verse three, you and I read here that the Lord, which is his covenant name, his unique name, the Lord is not only God, the Lord is a great God. He is a great God. And this verse came to mind, and I thought to myself, well, what about God makes him so great?

What is it about who he is, his prominence, that makes him stand out above all other deities, above all other expressions of some transcendent being? Why is he great? What comes to your mind when you contemplate on the greatness of God? Is it his matchless purity? Is it his indescribable power and wisdom in creation?

Is it his eternality? Is it his demonstration of incredible love through the inexpressible gift of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ? What is it about God that makes him great? And we can, I'm sure, all agree that there is not one thing that can define his greatness. All those things that I mentioned are true, and they are not limited to those things.

But the more you understand who he is, the more you realize that the scope of his beauty and his majesty are without borders. The more you pursue him, the more you realize that his grandeur is limitless, and we are invited to seek and discover the greatness of God to the degree that it would cause you as a reflex to sing, that you would have such a revelation of him that you could not but help erupt in some melody. Notice here what the psalmist says in verse two. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving. That's worship.

Let us make a joyful noise. That that's what we've been doing this past hour with songs of praise, and that is connected to verse three. For the Lord is a great God. He is a great God, and so not only is he worthy of such worship, but it should be a reaction to who he is. We should feel helpless.

We should feel stirred and moved to the core to cause you to actually burst out in praise. That kind of rejoicing, that kind of bliss cannot be known until you and I first establish the greatness of God, and we cannot do that in the next half an hour. We cannot. But what we can do is to look at one simple quality of among many of his characteristics, but just one quality of who God is that makes him so great. And where do we go?

Where do we go? And just by God's providence, there was a text in my own reading this week that moved me that moved me to see a facet of his greatness that I wanna share with you, and and it's something that the apostle Paul, by the Holy Spirit, shares with a particular church, and we are invited to share in the joy because Paul himself, in bringing and underscoring an aspect of who God is, and even in his own writing in his letter, praise and give God glory as he is communicating truths to these group of believers. And so in the next brief moment, turn with me to second Corinthians in chapter one, and let's read together these few verses in verse three. Second Corinthians chapter one beginning in verse three reads, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

In three verses, the word comfort appears. Three verses, the word comfort appears six times. Paul is excited about this idea of comfort. He can't help but mention it over and over and over again. And one particular mention of this comfort is where we wanna spend our time.

It's how he relates the word comfort to who God is. Did you see it in verse three? He introduces his letter by praising God. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and look at this, the God of all comfort. What a title.

What a description. God of all comfort. And that's what I want us to explore today. And hopefully, prayfully, it will stimulate you to see and be convinced even more of the greatness of God. How will we do this?

Well, let's look at let's look at five simple things. I want us to simply unfortunately, I'd love to spend more time in it, but we can't. The extent of his comfort, the means of his comfort, the purpose of his comfort, the condition for his comfort, and lastly, the access to his comfort. Let's look at the extent of his comfort. Comfort can mean complete deliverance from distress, but it often means a form of help that strengthens us, that soothes us, that relieves us, and that stabilizes us in the midst of misery.

And what Paul is saying here about God is that he is someone who desires to personally and compassionately console each and every single one of us who belong to Christ to such a degree that his gentle dealings with us creates not just a surface level kind of tranquilizing numbness, but an inner fortitude that helps us face and endure whatever it is that is weathering us. And because he is God, this is what's so profound, there is no agony, no no turmoil that is beyond his healing touch. Notice what he says. He introduces God as the god of all comfort, but not only that, who comforts us in all our affliction. All our affliction.

He didn't say some of our affliction. He didn't even say most of our affliction. He said unequivocally all. Any level of pain, any degree of distress is something that God has a supply of grace for. He is the God of all comfort who can comfort us in all our afflictions.

And Paul was no stranger to afflictions. Paul was not just theorizing here. Paul was not teaching something beyond experience. Paul was very familiar with agony. You read second Corinthians alone, and you will find a long resume of suffering from this one man, a catalog of pain that he shares and that he endured himself alone.

You read later on, you see that he's he talks about stonings. He talks about shipwrecks. He talks about nights hungry and thirsty. He talks about sleepless nights. He talks about being hunted by religious zealots that don't believe in his message and want to get at him so that he doesn't spread this message.

And on top of all of that, he expresses that with all these external forces against me, I have this inner anxiety, second by second, for the Christians that I led to Christ and I'm discipling all over the region. Always wondering, always praying, always seeking, always inquiring for the well-being of other believers. This man knew affliction. And he says it himself. You're in second Corinthians.

You go to chapter four of second Corinthians. Notice what he says in verse eight. Now he speaks about himself. He doesn't just speak generally. God is the one who comforts all of our affliction.

He says in second Corinthians four eight, we are afflicted in every way. So it's not just out there. Listen. You name the pain, Paul's been through it. The trial, he's endured.

We are afflicted in every way, but notice this now, but not crushed. Perplexed, but not driven to despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. Paul is not just sympathizing.

Paul is not trying to be realistic and personable by saying, oh, you know, I talked to you in chapter one about how God, you know, he comforts his suffering. Yeah. I I I'm suffering too. No. He's talking about how God not only not only was with him, but he also delivered him in all those afflictions.

He is testifying, I have been sustained. Listen. God didn't just help me survive. He helped me thrive. He brought about success in my suffering.

He did not ultimately abandon me. He did not let me be consumed or destroyed, whether it was external blows or internal turmoil. God saw me through. You name it, and I'll tell you how God brought me through. You name it, and I can point to how God used that for his glory.

You name it and I can, yeah, show you the scars but I can also show you the strength and the sanctification that God and his purpose brought about. Name it. I've been afflicted. This man has come to the brink of death. He says that in chapter one.

He smelt the grave. He has known disease. He has known sickness. He has known what it's like to be beaten up and abandoned and betrayed, slandered, smeared. He's known it all.

And knowing this, we know also that God then has a measure of comfort for every challenge. There is no difficulty. No matter how unique it may be to you, that is something that God cannot bring support for and support in, the extent of his comfort. But how does he do it? How does God comfort?

Now we speak about his means. There are two ways. There are many ways, but there are two main ways that God brings about comfort, this assistance in the heart of a Christian. The first way is in Acts nine thirty one, because the same word that Paul uses six times in those verses for comfort is used here in Acts nine thirty one, where we're told about the early church that they were walking in the fear of the Lord, and you tell me the rest of it, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. The early church walking in a reverential awe of God, but also in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

What does that mean? Well, it means that the Holy Spirit in Acts was not only dispensed to empower the church, to do miracles to the church, to give the church boldness. We often associate the Holy Spirit with that. But the Holy Spirit, which a mistake many people make, is not an impersonal force. He's a person.

He is a person, and this person, according to the same book that shows and demonstrates his great explosive ability, has also been given to comfort, to come alongside the church, not just as a whole, but individual Christians as a person and knows how to counsel, console, assist, guide, empower so that you can know greater strides even in your suffering. I'll never forget a time early in my walk with the Lord being introduced to a brand new world. And there was a particular time early in my faith. I wasn't even in this country where, at least at the time where this happened, I wasn't here. I knew somebody who was incredibly gifted, and they professed faith, but discovered something about their faith that seemed to contradict what they stood for, and it even brought about confliction because this person was so gifted in one way.

But how can such a gifted person who was used by the God also used by God also believe in these certain things? And so in my early Christian days, there was this turmoil in my heart. My heart became heavy, not confused, not doubting God, but just heavy for this person, the relationship I had with this individual, and tried to make sense of all of it. And there was one particular morning where I just came to the word of God like we hopefully all should and just was reading through what I last read in the book. I remember the book.

I remember the chapter. I remember the exact verses. Not looking for an answer, not looking for any kind of clarity, just just coming to read where God had brought me to in my reading of scripture, just my cover to cover schedule. And in that moment, in those few first few verses, it was as though a friend picked up the phone, called me, knowing my situation perfectly well, and bringing clarity, not just clarity, but comfort. I can't explain it, but it's as though God used those verses not just to help me understand something of who he is generally, though that's important, but tailor made to the exact questions I had that brought a relief and a lightness.

It was as though through the word of God, there was a face to face conversation with God. How do you make sense of that? Well, it's the Holy Spirit who uses the voice of God, and He can comfort you and actually speak into circumstances and situations like a friend. That's not the only way that the Holy Spirit brings about comfort. This is not the only way God brings about comfort.

So in second Corinthians, Paul expresses another way that God brings comfort, and it's a fascinating way. It's in second Corinthians seven, verse six, where Paul reintroduces this idea of God being a God who gives comfort, who is the God of all comfort, But in second Corinthians seven six, notice what he says. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus. Titus was a missionary partner with Paul. Titus was a friend.

And Titus at this point was missing. He was not missing, like he got lost, but he was sent to the Corinthian church that Paul was writing to to perform a task to deliver a message, and so he was absent from the immediate presence of Paul. But at the right time, Paul, who was a distressed man, wondering, yes, about his safety, but also knowing something of a pleasure of having Titus near him, says that God comforted us by what? Not the person of the Holy Spirit, though that is primary and that is true, but by the the presence of a person filled with the Holy Spirit. God comforts us.

The God of all comfort comforts us through the fellowship of believers, through the church, through other redeemed broken saints that are yielded to the person of the Holy Spirit. Listen to this. God's design for the church, His design for the church through all its interrelationships, is that it would be this channel flowing with incredible comfort. Incredible comfort. You know, I want we're so glad there are visitors here.

We're so glad of people who are representing different local churches, but Maranatha Bible Church, if I may address you directly, you and I should know something of God's purpose in this local church that when a believer walks in here, we would know what Paul felt about Titus, comfort, encouragement, strength. I know what you're thinking. My brother, mister preacher man, most of my pain came from the church. How can you say that God's comfort comes through the church? I've been hurt by more Christians than non Christians, and you're telling me that there's gonna be comfort in the church?

I understand that. Christians are capable of that, but what I wanna tell you is that that's not God's design. And what's fascinating is when you read the next verse in second Corinthians seven seven, notice what he says. And not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, the Corinthian church, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me so that I rejoice still more. Well, what's going on here?

Well, Paul wrote another letter. This is second Corinthians. He wrote first Corinthians. And as a spiritual leader, he had to rebuke them for many of their sins. And Titus played a role in delivering that message.

So Paul was wondering how are these Corinthian Christians gonna respond to my correction? The Corinthian church on top of that was hearing from other false teachers trying to discredit the ministry of Paul. This upset Paul, who birthed them spiritually speaking, who helped them come to the knowledge of Christ. And now there are people who are trying to take advantage of them and turn away from Paul? That hurts.

We all have known some kind of level of betrayal, disappointment, and this man is feeling it. But then Titus comes. And when Titus comes, he was comforted by them, but Paul was also comforted. Why? Because Titus relayed a message from them.

Titus, tell Paul we love him. Titus, tell Paul that we are loyal to him. Tell him that we we receive his rebuke. We trust in his leadership, that he is an apostle of Christ. Tell him that.

And Paul received this news from Titus, and it comforted him. And there's a principle here. If whatever local church body of believers we are part of, if we are to know God's purpose and blueprint for it to be this pool of comfort that we swim in whenever we come together as we do life in life, it's gonna require certain kind of Christians, loyal Christians, repentant Christians, Christians willing to extend forgiveness, Christians who are willing to be humble, Christians who are willing to lovingly give correction and receive correction. That's that's what's happening here. And so, yeah, you can have a cross on a building with people coming in for an hour and a half, and that doesn't necessarily mean that the God of all comfort is working through that place.

It requires a yieldedness on our part to say, God, may we be channels of your comfort. And God is willing to do that. Can I testify every time, whether it's Wednesday or Friday or or Sunday afternoon, to be in the presence of other believers? I can testify of the God of all comfort. Whether that be your voices singing, whether that be your willingness to come and to spend your early evening here to fellowship and to eat and to just see the smiles, even the tears, the brokenness, and even the the cheerfulness, just to see God working in and through this place and to know something of his comfort is a testimony is a testimony of this scripture, which brings me to the next point.

It's not just the extent of his comfort, it's not just the means of his comfort, but the purpose of his comfort. Go back to second Corinthians. We're almost done. Look at second Corinthians one chapter four. In that original text, Paul says something fascinating that confirms what I just addressed.

Who comforts us in all our affliction. Okay. What's the goal now? So that here's the goal. So that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

God's purpose in comforting your heart, my brother, my sister, is much more than him just bringing solution to your sorrowful soul. Yes. He does personally care, but he has something even beyond that. According to what Paul is saying here, God desires to comfort Christians so that they also can be conduits of comfort to other Christians. So that we may be able to comfort those with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

So when the Lord deals with your tribulations and brings solution to them, his aim is to the God of all comfort's aim is to make you a comforter. And that means a lot of things, but it includes this glorious truth. This is what made me rejoice. So if that's true, if if I'm going through suffering, bodily, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, whatever the case may be, relationally, financially, whatever, any affliction, and I belong to Christ, then I am I am promised something through this. That not only God will comfort me as I lean on him, but he's going to use what is happening here to make me minister to others at some point eventually.

My pain is not wasted. There's no insignificance to my suffering. There is something here that God has in mind, not just to demonstrate his personal faithfulness to me, but to mold me and shape me in such a manner that at the right time, he will place me in the suffering of someone else so that me being there would be an extension of his comfort to them. The mind of God. The wisdom of God.

The greatness of God. And that that truth alone is not a comforting thought. Am I not comforted by that truth alone? I may not know the immediate deliverance of something. I may not know complete deliverance from it at all.

But one thing I am assured, God, you're gonna use this for something. You're preparing me. As unique as this suffering might be, I know that at some point, this is going to go to someone. I don't know when. I don't know where, but I know it because Paul said by the spirit that he will come to do something.

He will reveal himself to you in this season so that he can then extend you to someone else and people can see God through you. The same way Paul could say, God, comfort us through Titus. The purpose of his comfort is beyond just you knowing comfort, so that eventually you would be a comforter. But there is a condition for this comfort, and this is the fourth point. As overwhelmingly good as this sounds, there is a contingency here.

Paul shares how his suffering is a result of his sufferings for Christ. And so we see here in two Corinthians one:five, notice what he says. This is important to make as a distinction. He says here, For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. Why is Paul suffering?

Because he's a follower of Jesus Christ. Paul is suffering as he's walking in the will of God. Do you know it's possible to suffer outside of being in the will of God, even as a Christian? So this is where we have to be careful because Paul is not speaking about a suffering that was induced or provoked by foolishness or disobedience. There is a way in which a Christian can suffer that does not give him the access of discomfort, and I wanna show that to you very briefly.

In first Peter four verse fourteen and fifteen, Peter the apostle says in first Peter four fourteen and fifteen, if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But this is it. Verse 15. But let none of you pause. Pause.

Pause. Pause. Pause. Is Peter speaking to the world? Happens a lot in churches.

Somebody jokingly said if you want news to spread real fast, don't go to your local news station, go to your local church. That's not a good thing, of course. It's possible for me as a Christian to step outside of God's caring interventions that Paul was speaking about as long as I remain in what he says here, Peter says in verse 15, unrepentant sin. If I live in a way that is outside of God's will and conduct, then I also cancel his willingness and his ability to comfort me because this suffering is a result of my sin. It's a result of my rebellion.

And sin produces suffering on its own. Sin is so vile and despicable and evil, it's you look at people who are who are suffering for their sin, it's not necessarily because God is directly causing suffering. Sin will do that on its own. The scripture says over and over in the old testament, there is no peace for the wicked. There is no rest for the wicked.

And that's why you gobble up that sin and you keep pursuing that and you know that you're going against your conscience, you know it goes against what you've heard and known, and there's this growing gap in your soul and all the trouble that sin brings about. And so instead of living under God of all comfort, as believers, if we choose to do this, then we actually invite God the chastiser. Because as a father, he will discipline us, and that sometimes oftentimes is painful. And so stay near to Christ. Walk in his ways.

If you're gonna live in sin, if you're gonna do sinful things, then don't be surprised of the suffering. And more than that, if you need any motivation, if you need any more motivation to pull yourself away from things that you know is wrong or you have justified to be right, then know this, that you walk away from the God of all comfort and instead open yourself up to his discipline. There's a condition for this comfort. You can't just do what you want and expect God to comfort you in it. He loves you too much to do that.

He's a good father. But there is something worse. There is something worse than being in Christ and stepping outside of his will and inviting His discipline and removing ourselves from the blessings of the God of all comfort. And that's the last thing that we see here in the second part of verse five. Paul uses it's really throughout the first verse.

Paul says something amazing. He He talks about being associated with Christ's sufferings, and then he says, so through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too. Two important words, through Christ. The access to this comfort, the comfort that I've been able to hopefully portray and describe to you, though limited with time, this comfort is inaccessible completely unless you are in Christ. This world is desperate for answers.

This world is desperate for peace. This world is looking and yearning for comfort. And it seems like in the past three years, all we're receiving, not not just as Americans, throughout the world, one blow after the next. And I have a hunch it's not gonna stop anytime soon. And there are no answers, are there?

Incompetent political leadership, a confused generation that can't even make sense of basic biology. Where do you go for answers? Where do you run to when our institutions are failing us, when our government are living in open and blatant corruption? What options do you have left? What options do you have left when even psychologists and and those in the medical field now are even betraying common sense?

Where do you go? Where's where's comfort? And Paul alludes to it. It's through Christ that you know abundance in comfort. The access point is a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

And apart from Christ, you will never know the supernatural interventions of God. Because as Christians, we don't believe in something that one day will bring us to God. We believe in God who, yes, will bring us somewhere, but is walking with us even now. Are you in Christ? Do you know Him?

Not know about Him, not that your parents know him, not that as we heard here you observed some tradition that kind of stamped your conscience, I've done my thing, I got the shot. Do you know Jesus Christ? Has he saved you? Was there a moment in your life where you paused and thought, life is bigger than me. Life is bigger than my plans.

Life is bigger than what all these people are trying to bring answers to. I know that my heart yearns for everlasting life. The scripture says eternity is written on our hearts. There's a reason why we shun death and we long to live, because God's original design in creating this is that we would not die, but continue to live. Sin brought death into this world.

Sin is not natural. Death is not natural. And now here we are in a sinful world, a a a world where none of us can evade the grave, And God in His love comes into this world to rescue us from the grave, from sin, and He has all the answers that you and I need because He is the truth. He is the answer. Jesus Christ.

And what he does now is that he extends himself because he in his providence can even set up a meeting like this where you stumble upon a church that you've never even heard about in a place that you've never seen, people you've never seen, and here you are, not accidentally, because God knows how to position us to get our attention, to say, are you in my son, Jesus Christ? Do you know me? Have you repented and believed on him? Have you have you again stepped back and said, I I know their sin, and I know that if I stand before God, I'm guilty, and I will not have everlasting life. I will know everlasting destruction if he is a righteous judge.

Have you thought about these things? Have you? Are you so busy with with your with your plans and hopes for tomorrow, for the next ten years? I want you this afternoon. I may never see you again.

I hope I do, but I may never see you again. But let me loving you telling you tell you this. You are one day going to leave this earth, and you can't take anything with you. You can't take anybody with you. But you and I will meet our maker.

Every person will. And what will make that appointment different is what have you done with Jesus Christ? Have you in realizing that you've sinned, realizing that you will stand before God, have you also, knowing about who Jesus Christ and what he's done, have you accepted his sacrifice? Have you realized, okay, if he died on this cross and he shed his blood for me, I receive that. I I want that to be transferred into my account so that I am blameless and spotless before this holy have you done that?

It's not the same as going to church. It's not the same as being christened. It's not the same as being approved. It's something that your heart will know because the Bible says that the spirit of God will bear witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And you will come to the word that testifies of what it means to be saved, what it means to be a child of God.

And you can say that's me. Amen. If this is God's word and if it is true and it is true, then I I am at rest knowing I belong to him. And maybe you've never heard it before, what I'm about to tell you, so let me tell you. That if you need your sins forgiven, it doesn't matter how black, how vile, how perverted, how despicable it is.

It doesn't matter the track record. Does it matter how many times you said you wouldn't do it, but you still keep doing it? No matter how great, how high the pile is, how deep, how despicable, it doesn't matter. Jesus Christ paid a price to wash it all away. Wash every single spot, every single blemish.

He can cleanse and deem you guilt free forever. What do you do to that? How how do you access that? Well, you repent of your sin. You realize if my sin put him on the cross, then I don't want this sin.

But you also believe if he died for me because there's nothing I can do to attain my righteousness, there's nothing I can do to persuade God, but God coming and paying my debt for me and to receive it, then I also receive it. And now this is the basis of my confidence that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for me, and that's my payment. That's what you do. That's what you do. And you can do it now.

You can do it before you go to the parking lot. You can do it in this very moment. God, I've been confronted in my sin today. I wasn't planning for this, but I believe you spoke to my heart. I believe that you are.

I believe that you sent your son. I repent of my sin. It's it's only failed me and disappointed me. More importantly, it it offends you. And forgive me of my sin and I receive what Jesus did to pay for my sin.

Would you would you save me? And in that moment from heartfelt repentance and faith, you will be justified in the sight of God. And now you don't just get a ticket to heaven. Now you will know something of the greatness of God in this life. And today you just heard one sliver of who he is.

He's the God of all comfort. And he comforts. I hope you would receive him because there is no one like him. For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods. Let's pray.

Father, we thank you that you have reminded us again that you are indeed great. And we thank you for this wonderful service where we were able to celebrate your greatness in the lives of so many people, and we pray that your greatness would only continue to be on display as you work in more hearts this afternoon. Help us honor you with our lives. Help us discover the depths of your brilliance and your splendor so that we can be like the psalmist and rejoice in you. And that we can be like Paul And cannot help but say blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

Lord, if there's anybody in here who doesn't know you, rescue them. If there's any believer in here who is suffering because of their willful sin, Lord, may they know that Your arms are open to receive them and comfort again, and that You can restore them and reestablish them in Your will. Thank You for this time, Lord. We pray finally for every person who is baptized that You would endow them with greater power so that they can live for your glory in this dark age. Use them, Lord, to be bold and courageous for Christ.

Help them know that if whatever affliction is on its way, you are using everything for their good and for your glory. Now we sing a joyful song in closing. Thank You again for who You are. In Christ's name, amen. Amen.

Thank you, church. Let's stand as we close with one final song, rejoicing in the Lord, and I encourage you, if you don't know Him, you talk to Him from your heart. You speak to Him in your own words, and He will hear you and He will change you.

Are you weary?

In second Thessalonians two sixteen, Paul says, Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort, Not just comfort, eternal comfort and good hope through grace. Comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. There is a comfort coming that will be uninterrupted, everlasting, and all glorious. It's an eternal comfort. We know that comfort now in some measure, but there is an eternal comfort because of Christ Jesus.

I hope that if you don't know him that you can join us in that comfort through faith. Lord, we thank you for this time. Our primary goal is that you would be glorified and blessed. And, Lord, we thank you that in that pursuit, you bless us, and we rejoice in your goodness. May we know your comfort.

May this world know a level of your comfort through the gospel. Please, Lord, pour out your spirit and show yourself strong in this generation, and use our lives as believers to shine that light while we still have time. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.

Well, please don't leave. There is there is a lot downstairs. There's food downstairs. There's those who got baptized that you can take pictures with, and there's gonna be cake as well. So please don't go out for a late lunch.

We have lunch prepared. It's gonna be wonderful. If you're new here, please fight the urge to leave. We wanna join with you. Say hello.

Get to know you. Okay? It's in the basement. Just come up there and go down the stairs. Smell the food, and you'll you'll be there.

God bless you.