What does Noah's flood have to do with baptism?

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Lords!Days!26!and!27!deal!with!baptism.!Baptism!is,!as!you!know,!a!sacrament!
that! signifies! the! washing! away! of! our! sins! by! Gods! grace,! a! washing! away!
through!the!blood!of!Jesus!Christ.!Though!in!our!circles!water!is!sprinkled!and!in!
others! dipped,! in! both! cases! it! signifies! the! same! thing.! It! signifies! the! washing!
away!of!sins.!One!who!believes!and!is!baptized!will!be!saved,!says!Mark!16:16,!
And! he! who! does! not! believe! will! be! condemned.! What! does! this! kind! of!
language! really! mean! in! practical! terms?! What! does! the! sacrament! mean! for!
adults!as!well!as!for!infants?!We!must!never!separate!the!sign!and!the!seal!of!the!
covenant!in!the!sacraments!from!the!Word!of!the!Lord.!The!sign!and!the!seal!are!
really!quite!meaningless!apart!from!the!reality!to!which!it!points.!Jesus!Christs!
death! on! the! cross! is! what! saves! you,! not! baptism.! For! example,! the! death! of!
Christ!on!the!cross!will!save!you!without!baptism,!but!baptism!without!the!cross!
of!Christ!will!not!save!you.!
Yet!the!sign!and!the!seal!are!not!meaningless,!but!have!been!given!to!us!by!God!
to!show!His!covenant!children!just!how!great!His!love!is!for!His!children.!It!is!to!
that! end! that! He! has! instituted! the! sacrament! of! baptism.! As! Paul! says! in! Titus!
3:4,!While!we!were!yet!slaves!to!passions!and!pleasures,!foolish!and!passing!our!
days!in!envy!and!malice,!hating!one!another,!the!goodness!and!lovingYkindness!
of! our! God! appeared! that! He! saved! us,! not! because! of! deeds! of! righteousness!
done!by!us,!but!in!virtue!of!His!own!mercy!by!the!washing!of!regeneration!and!
the! renewal! in! the! Holy! Spirit,! which! He! poured! out! upon! us! richly! through!
Christ!Jesus!our!Savior.!What!the!washing!of!regeneration!is!referring!to!is!the!
washing!away!of!our!sin,!as!the!catechism!points!out!in!question!73.!That!is!the!
very!same!thing!John!talks!about!in!John!3!when!he!says!that!we!must!be!born!
anew,! or! again.! The! washing! away! of! our! sins! in! every! one! of! these! instances!
points! to! the! necessity! for! the! forgiveness! of! sins,! the! cleansing! in! the! blood! of!
Jesus! Christ.! So! in! baptism,! very! clearly! then,! we! have! a! washing! away! of! our!
sins.!
Our!text,!I!Peter!3,!gives!a!little!insight!of!what!baptism!is!in!relationship!to!the!
flood! of! Noah.! In! fact,! this! is! a! remarkable! comparison! between! the! flood! of!
Noahs! time! and! what! baptism! means! today.! You! might! ask! how! the! flood! of!
Noah! can! help! us! to! understand! baptism! more! clearly.! That! is! what! I! want! to!
bring! before! you.! We! want! to! see! especially! how! the! flood! of! Noah! can! help! us!
understand!what!baptism!means.!Verse!20!tells!us!that!eight!persons!were!saved!
through!water.!Notice!that!!the!persons!were!saved!through!water.!This!is!not!
the!usual!thing!that!you!would!think!of!when!you!think!of!the!flood!waters,!is!it?!
You!do!not!think!this!when!you!think!of!the!deluge,!the!tremendous!downpour!
from! the! windows! of! heaven! and! the! foundations! of! the! deep! that! opened! as!

described! in! Genesis! 7.! They! all! burst! open! like! a! dam,! and! like! a! mighty! tidal!
wave!of!destruction!it!came!upon!the!earth.!Yet!the!Scriptures!say!that!the!water!
saved! them!! If! you! think! about! it! you! see! that! it! is! the! water! that! saved! them!
because!the!ark!was!lifted!up!on!top!of!the!water!and!thus!the!ark!was!carried!to!
safety.! The! water! separated! the! ark! from! the! sinful! world! that! was! being!
cleansed! and! being! destroyed.! It! was! not! the! water! that! killed! the! people! who!
had!been!left!on!the!earth.!It!was!their!sin!that!destroyed!them!and!Noah!is!saved!
because! the! water! separates! Noah! and! those! who! were! in! the! ark! from! the!
cleansing!and!the!destruction!that!is!coming!on!the!earth.!
It! is! precisely! in! that! very! same! way! that! the! water! in! baptism! separates! you!
from! the! destruction! that! is! coming! upon! the! earth,! as! it! were,! and! carries! you!
safely!away.!Baptism!is!an!exact!copy!of!how!Noah!was!saved.!The!waters!in!the!
flood! in! the! Old! Testament! are! compared! now! in! the! New! Testament! to! what!
baptism!does.!And!both,!of!course,!point!to!the!cleansing!that!takes!place!through!
the!cross!of!Christ.!
In!order!to!understand!this!a!little!better!we!have!to!first!of!all!appreciate!some!
of! the! other! contrasts! that! Peter! often! makes! throughout! this! epistle.! For!
example,!in!II!Peter!3:5,!he!contrasts!the!two!world!orders.!The!first!world!order,!
which! was! made! by! the! Word! of! the! Lord,! the! heavens! of! old! and! the! earth!
standing! out! of! the! water:! whereby! the! world! that! then! was,! being! overflowed!
with! water,! and! in! the! water,! perished.! He! is! referring! to! Noahs! flood.! Then! a!
new!world!order!came!into!being;!The!heavens!and!earth,!which!are!now,!by!the!
same!word!are!kept!in!store,!reserved!unto!fire!against!the!day!of!judgment!and!
perdition!of!ungodly!men.!So!we!see!that!there!was!a!first!world!order!subject!to!
sin!and!therefore!Gods!wrath!came!upon!it!and!it!was!destroyed,!but!the!second!
world!order!that!came!into!being!has!also!come!under!the!wrath!of!God.!It!also!
will!come!to!the!point!where!it!must!be!destroyed,!only!this!time!not!by!water!
but!by!fire.!
There! is! a! reference! here! to! those! who! are! in! prison.! They! are! caught! behind!
bars,! you! might! say.! Satan! is! holding! them! in! prison.! They! are! locked! up! in! jail!
until! Gods! destruction! comes.! The! only! way! that! they! can! get! out! of! there! is! if!
they!are!delivered.!How!are!they!delivered?!This!is!where!Noah!comes!in!again.!
Noah! was! a! preacher! of! righteousness.! Who! sent! Noah?! Jesus! Christ! did.! Jesus!
Christ! was! already! at! work! at! that! time.! Through! the! preaching! of! the! Word,!
Jesus!was!beginning!to!open!prison!doors.!That!is!why!he!sent!Noah.!
The! preaching! of! the! Word! is! to! set! you! free! from! your! sin.! In! II! Peter! 2:5! we!
read,!God!spared!not!the!old!world!order!(the!first!world),!but!He!saved!Noah,!a!
preacher!of!righteousness,!and!seven!other!persons,!bringing!the!flood!upon!the!
ungodly.!Before!He!destroyed!that!world!we!read!in!I!Peter!3:19!that!Jesus!went!

to!preach!to!the!spirits!in!prison!through!Noah.!Jesus!preached!to!them!through!
Noah!for!120!years.!You!might!say!he!was!not!a!very!successful!preacher!because!
Noah!preached!for!120!years!and!out!of!all!the!millions!of!people!on!the!face!of!
the!earth!only!eight!were!saved!!Noah!and!seven!other!family!members.!Only!
eight! came! out! of! prison! to! be! set! free.! Verse! 20,! Gods! patience! waited! in! the!
days! of! Noah! 120! years,! while! the! ark! was! being! built,! in! which! a! few,! that! is!
eight! persons,! were! saved.! It! was! not! an! easy! time! to! be! a! preacher! because!
nobody!believed!what!Noah!was!saying.!
What! about! today?! Verse! 21! says! that! now! in! the! resurrection! of! Jesus! Christ;!
now! that! Jesus! Christ! is! at! the! right! hand! of! His! Father;! now! that! He! has! been!
given!the!authority!and!power!over!angels!and!everything!is!subject!to!Him;!now!
the! Word! that! is! preached! is! going! to! have! a! far! greater! effect.! Jesus! Christ! is!
present.!Now!is!going!to!happen!what!Psalm!22!already!said,!All!the!ends!of!the!
earth! shall! remember! and! turn! to! the! Lord! and! all! the! kindreds! of! the! people!
shall! worship! before! Him.! Not! just! eight,! just! a! few! from! one! family,! but! now!
scattered! to! all! the! corners! of! the! earth! from! every! land! and! nation! there! are!
those! who! will! be! saved.! Even! here! there! are! many! more! than! eight! who! are!
saved.!That!is!already!a!fulfillment!of!this!prophecy.!Satan!does!not!have!the!kind!
of!power!today!as!he!did!then!because!the!prison!doors!are!being!opened.!Jesus!
Christ! has! come.! There! shall! be! a! multitude! which! no! man! can! number! of! all!
nations!and!kindreds!and!people!and!tongues,!says!Revelations!7:9.!
A!tremendous!change!has!taken!place!since!the!resurrection!of!Jesus!Christ.!That!
is! a! message! of! comfort! and! joy.! There! is! a! great! increase! of! Gods! grace.! But,!
even! as! there! is! an! increase! of! Gods! grace,! there! is! also! an! increase! in! the!
responsibility! of! what! we! do! with! Gods! grace.! It! says:! If! those! who! have!
despised!the!preaching!of!Noah!died!without!mercy,!receiving!in!the!flood!waters!
a! just! recompense,! how! much! sorer! punishment! shall! be! to! those! who! have!
trodden!under!foot!the!Son!of!God!and!despised!the!Holy!Spirit.!If!men!perished!
in!the!flood!because!they!refused!to!listen!to!Noah,!then!how!much!greater!will!
be!the!punishment!of!those!who!today!refuse!to!believe!in!the!preaching!of!the!
gospel,!because!now!Jesus!Christ!is!reaching!out!to!them!through!the!Holy!Spirit.!
Now,!you!say,!what!does!baptism!have!to!do!with!all!this?!Well,!baptism!is!a!sign!
and! a! seal! of! Gods! wonderful! love! for! us! in! Jesus! Christ.! Baptism! is! proof! that!
God!is!at!work!today!along!with!the!preaching!of!the!Word.!The!sacraments!are!
also!a!means!of!grace.!This!is!one!of!the!means!by!which!God!has!chosen!to!make!
His!love!known!to!you.!He!is!saying!something!to!you!in!baptism.!When!you!have!
been!baptized,!you!are!a!different!person!than!you!were!before.!After!you!have!
received! the! Word! of! the! Lord,! after! you! have! had! the! gospel! preached! to! you,!
then!you!are!a!different!person!because!God!has!spoken!to!you.!After!you!have!
been! baptized,! even! as! an! infant,! you! are! a! different! person! because! God! has!

done!something!to!you.!You!have!been!baptized!in!the!name!of!the!Father,!Son!
and!Holy!Spirit.!When!God!speaks!to!you!in!His!Word,!He!is!speaking!to!you!in!
order!that!you!might!be!saved.!It!is!the!very!same!thing!in!baptism.!His!name!is!
set! on! you! in! order! that! you! might! be! saved.! Noah! preached,! and! every! day!
everybody! could! see! him! working! faithfully! on! that! ark! .! It! was! a! very! clear!
testimony!that!he!was!not!just!making!up!a!story!or!hallucinating,!but!he!actually!
meant! it! when! he! said! that! Gods! judgement! was! coming! upon! them! and! that!
they!needed!to!be!in!that!ark!in!order!to!be!saved.!
So! it! is! with! the! sacrament! of! baptism.! The! sacrament! of! baptism! is! concrete!
proof! to! you,! along! with! the! preaching! of! the! Word,! that! you! need! to! be! saved,!
that! you! need! to! be! washed! in! the! blood! of! Jesus! Christ,! that! you! need! to! be!
cleansed!outside!of!yourself.!Baptism!is!an!undeniable!proof!that!Gods!judgment!
is!coming!upon!all!those!who!refuse!to!be!washed!in!the!blood!of!Christ.!This!is!
the!day!of!salvation,!says!Gods!Word,!which!at!the!first!began!to!be!spoken!to!
us! by! the! Lord! and! was! confirmed! to! us! by! them! that! heard! Him,! God! also!
bearing! witness! with! signs! and! wonders! and! diverse! miracles! and! gifts! of! the!
Holy!Spirit!according!to!His!will.!This!is!now!a!means!that!God!concretely!comes!
to!you!and!says!you!must!be!washed,!you!must!be!cleansed.!No!doubt!when!the!
flood!waters!came!there!were!many!who!were!trying!to!climb!up!walls!and!trees!
and!mountain!cliffs,!or!ride!on!logs!and!boats,!but!no!one!made!it!except!the!eight!
souls!in!the!ark.!Many!will!try!to!escape!the!fiery!destruction!of!this!earth,!calling!
upon! the! mountains! and! the! hills! to! cover! them,! but! there! will! be! no! escape!
except!they!are!washed!in!the!blood!of!Christ!which!is!here!as!sign!and!seal!in!the!
sacrament!of!baptism.!There!is!no!name!under!heaven!among!men!whereby!we!
can!be!saved!but!the!name!of!Jesus,!and!that!is!what!baptism!points!to.!He!is!the!
means!by!which!you!must!be!saved!from!the!wrath!to!come.!There!remains!no!
more!sacrifice!for!sin,!but!a!certain!fearful!looking!to!judgment!to!destroy!them!
as!the!adversaries!of!God,!says!the!writer!to!the!Hebrews.!This!is!a!very!severe!
warning!indeed,!that!only!judgment!remains!for!those!who!reject!to!be!washed!
in!the!blood!of!Christ.!
What! does! this! all! mean! in! practical! terms,! for! us! and! especially! for! a! child,!
because!what!does!a!child!understand!about!baptism?!Certainly!an!infant!is!not!
able!to!understand!what!it!means!to!be!washed!in!the!blood!of!Christ?!An!infant!
does!not!understand!what!a!great!privilege!it!is!to!be!baptized.!But,!you!see,!this!
is!precisely!the!task!of!the!parents!of!that!child.!It!is!their!responsibility!to!point!
out!and!train!that!child!as!to!what!their!baptism!means.!What!should!they!say?!
What! should! a! Christian! mother! and! father! say! to! a! little! child! who! has! been!
baptized?! You! were! baptized! as! an! infant,! so! you! are! automatically! saved?! You!
can!now!go!and!live!as!you!please,!within!certain!limits,!of!course,!but!as!long!as!
you!keep!God!happy!most!of!the!time!you!will!make!it!and!go!to!heaven.!You!are!
okay! because! you! are! baptized.! Is! that! what! you! tell! your! children?! Of! course,!

you!realize!you!cannot!say!that.!You!realize,!dont!you,!how!wrong!it!would!be.!
What!should!parents!say!then?!Well,!they!should!point!out!what!being!washed!in!
the! blood! of! Christ! means,! and! that! it! is! being! washed! in! the! blood! of! Christ!
which!saves!them.!God!promised!to!them!on!the!day!they!were!baptized!that!He!
would! wash! them,! and! has! washed! them,! but! now! they! must! live! out! their!
baptism.!Now!they!must!live!as!those!whose!sins!are!washed!away.!
To!be!baptized!means!that!your!sins!are!washed!away,!not!if,!or!maybe,!but!they!
are! washed! away.! Therefore! you! must! stay! clean! and! you! must! flee! every!
appearance! of! evil.! God! does! not! promise! in! baptism! that! He! will! continue! to!
forgive!sins!of!any!baptized!adult!or!infant!members!regardless!of!how!they!live.!
If!a!confessing!member!of!the!church!purposely!continues!to!live!in!sin!without!
any! sign! of! repentance,! then! they! are,! as! it! were,! jumping! off! the! ark! and!
committing! suicide.! They! are! washed! in! the! blood! of! Christ,! and! therefore! to!
purposely!continue!in!sin!is,!as!it!were,!spiritual!suicide.!Or,!looking!at!it!in!this!
way,! what! was! Noah! saying! when! he! was! preaching! to! the! people! as! he! was!
building!the!ark?!He!was!saying,!Look!people,!Gods!wrath!is!coming!upon!you!
because!of!your!sin,!but!if!you!come!into!the!ark,!then!you!will!be!safe.!That!is!
why!the!ark!was!being!built,!so!that!there!would!be!a!means!by!which!men!could!
escape!Gods!wrath!and!be!lifted!up!on!top!of!the!waters!of!the!flood.!The!ark!was!
Gods!provision!so!that!they!could!flee!from!the!wrath!to!come.!Satan!wanted!to!
hold!them!in!prison!so!that!they!would!die!in!themselves,!but!the!preaching!came!
to! deliver! them! so! they! could! be! released! and! come! into! the! ark.! But! no! one!
believed!that!the!flood!and!the!wrath!of!God!was!actually!coming,!so!they!stayed!
in!their!prison!cells.!They!died!there!because!they!refused!to!believe!that!in!the!
ark,! and! in! the! ark! only,! Gods! means! and! provision! of! safety! was! granted! to!
them.!
You! see,! on! a! parallel! basis,! since! the! resurrection! of! Jesus! Christ! something!
wonderful!has!happened.!God!so!loved!the!world!that!He!gave!His!only!begotten!
Son,!Jesus!Christ.!Now!Jesus!is!like!the!ark,!you!might!say.!Jesus!saves!us!from!the!
wrath!that!is!coming!upon!the!earth!and!much!more!than!120!years!have!gone!
by!!almost!2,000!years,!and!we!are!still!waiting!for!the!wrath!of!God!to!come.!
Today!all!Gods!servants!are!sent!throughout!the!earth!to!proclaim,!Get!into!the!
ark!while!you!can.!That!is!the!only!safe!place!there!is.!Believe!on!the!Lord!Jesus!
Christ! and! you! will! be! saved.! This! is! the! same! message,! it! is! the! same! thing.!
Believe! in! the! means! of! salvation! that! God! has! provided! in! the! time! period! in!
which!you!live.!For!the!time!of!Noah!it!was!the!ark,!and!for!our!time!today!it!is!
still!the!ark,!but!now!the!ark!is!Jesus!Christ.!
But! you! ask,! how! is! that! visible! today?! What! does! it! mean! to! get! into! the! ark!
today?!Well,!you!see,!the!ark!today!is!the!body!of!Jesus!Christ.!Jesus!Christ!has!a!
visible!body!on!earth,!and!that!is!what!we!must!get!into.!We!cant!stay!outside!of!

it! but! we! must! get! into! the! visible! ark! that! Jesus! Christ! is! building! through! His!
servants!today,!and!that!is!the!church!of!Jesus!Christ.!That!is!why!you!hear!again!
and! again,! Believe! and! be! baptized.! When! you! are! baptized! you! become! a!
member!of!the!ark,!of!the!local!body!wherever!that!happens!to!be!on!the!face!of!
the!earth.!There!is!not!just!one!ark!visible,!but!there!is!a!body!of!Jesus!Christ!in!
all!different!localities,!where!those!who!believe!can!get!into!and!become!part!of!
the! body! of! Christ.! That! is! where! you! are! safe! because! that! is! where! you! are!
baptized!in!the!name!of!the!Father,!Son!and!Holy!Spirit.!
In! order! to! get! into! the! ark! as! an! adult! you! must! make! a! conscious! decision.!
When! you! hear! of! the! coming! of! Gods! wrath! and! you! believe! that! Jesus! is! the!
only!means!that!God!has!appointed!whereby!you!must!be!saved,!and!you!believe!
and! are! baptized,! then! you! become! a! member! of! the! body! of! Christ,! the! visible!
ark!today.!
But!what!about!little!children?!They!cant!believe,!so!will!they!perish?!Yes,!every!
one! who! is! born! outside! of! the! ark,! outside! of! the! body! of! Christ,! we! have! no!
hope! for! unless! God! grants! that! they! grow! up! so! that! they! might! believe.! What!
about!children!of!believing!parents!who!are!living!in!the!ark!and!are!members!of!
the! body! of! Christ?! Must! they! carry! their! children! outside! the! ark?! Must! they!
leave!them!outside!the!ark!and!deposit!them!there!until!they!are!old!enough!to!
believe!and!then!they!can!become!members?!But!what!if!Gods!judgment!would!
come!before!they!are!old!enough?!Then!they!would!perish!in!the!destruction!that!
is! coming! upon! the! world.! Do! you! see! what! a! beautiful! thing! it! is! that! God! has!
provided! in! His! covenant! of! grace! also! a! place! for! the! children,! the! small! tiny!
infants,! of! believing! parents! who! are! inside! the! ark.! They! dont! have! to! run!
outside! the! ark! and! leave! them! there! until! they! are! old! enough.! God! in! His!
marvelous! grace! has! provided! a! place! of! safety! for! them! in! the! ark.! It! is! not!
because!of!the!parents!and!anything!they!have!done,!but!God!has!provided!that!
place!of!safety!for!them.!
When! that! infant! becomes! a! child! and! a! young! person,! then,! of! course,! those!
Christian!parents!must!take!every!opportunity!to!explain!to!them!the!safety!and!
security!of!that!ark.!They!must!explain!to!their!children!what!it!means!that!they!
are! washed! and! cleansed! in! the! blood! of! Jesus! Christ! and! they! must,! of! course,!
teach!them!about!the!tremendous!danger!outside!of!the!ark,!outside!the!body!of!
Christ! and! outside! of! that! cleansing.! They! must! warn! them! of! how! God! looks!
upon! sin! that! would! defile! them.! Then! if! the! child! becomes! rebellious! and!
decides!to!leave!the!safety!and!the!security!of!the!body!of!Jesus!Christ!where!the!
sacraments!and!preaching!of!the!Word!are!heard!so!that!they!might!be!cleansed,!
if!they!decide!to!just!chuck!it!overboard,!it!is!tragic.!Inside!they!were!safe!under!
the! cleansing! power! of! the! blood! of! the! Lamb,! but! if! they! purposely! defile!
themselves,!if!they!dont!care!if!they!go!out!into!the!world!of!sin,!then!they!will!

perish!unless!they!repent!and!come!back.!
Here!is!where!the!elders!have!a!tremendous!responsibility!also,!because!they!are!
placed!at!the!entrance!of!the!ark,!as!it!were.!They!cannot!allow!a!person!who!has!
left!the!ark!purposely,!who!has!gone!out!and!defiled!themselves!and!lived!in!the!
world!and!become!stained,!back!into!the!ark!unless!they!are!repentant!and!seek!
forgiveness!of!sins!through!the!blood!of!Jesus!Christ.!Only!if!that!person!realizes!
how!horrible!the!sin!is!and!comes!back!and!genuinely!feels!sorry!for!his!sins!and!
repents! with! a! broken! and! a! contrite! heart! and! says,! Please! let! me! back! in!
because! now! I! realize! the! difference! between! the! body! of! Christ! which! is!
cleansed!in!the!blood!of!Christ!and!the!world!that!is!perishing.!Now!I!have!seen!
it.!But!if!they!dont!care!and!just!go!out!and!do!as!they!please,!then!the!elders!
may!not!let!them!back!into!the!ark.!
The!elders!must!keep!watch!very!carefully!over!the!entrance.!They!have!the!keys!
to!the!kingdom.!If!even!one!member!of!a!local!body!of!Christ!goes!out!and!defiles!
himself!or!herself,!it!has!an!effect!on!the!rest!of!the!body!as!well.!Then!the!rest!of!
the!body!also!becomes!stained!with!their!unconfessed!sins,!and!if!after!a!while!
the!elders!dont!deal!with!this!and!one!member!after!another!is!allowed!to!go!in!
and! do! as! they! please! and! live! as! they! please,! then! do! you! know! what! will!
happen?!Then!Jesus!will!remove!His!presence!and!the!candlestick!is!going!to!be!
taken! away! from! them.! That! is! what! Jesus! says! to! the! church! of! Ephesus! in!
Revelations!2:5,!Repent!and!do!the!things!that!you!did!at!first,!and!if!you!do!not!
repent!then!I!will!come!to!you!and!I!will!remove!your!lamp!stand!from!you.!To!
the!church!of!Sardis!Jesus!says!!to!His!own!church,!His!own!body!as!it!were!!
I!know!your!deeds.!You!have!a!reputation!of!being!alive,!but!you!are!dead.!Wake!
up!!I!have!not!found!your!deeds!complete.!Obey!and!repent.!If!you!do!not!wake!
up!I!will!come!to!you!like!a!thief!and!you!will!not!know!at!what!time!I!come!to!
you.!Congregation,!if!that!is!true!for!Ephesus!and!Sardis,!then!it!is!also!true!for!
this!congregation.!If!you!allow!adult!or!infant!baptized!members!to!live!in!open!
and!unconfessed!sin!and!are!allowing!them!to!remain!members!in!good!standing,!
then!you!will!be!held!responsible!by!the!Lord.!Then!Jesus!Christ!is!going!to!deal!
with! you! as! he! dealt! with! Ephesus! and! Sardis.! This! is! a! special! warning! to! the!
elders!who!are!called!to!be!watchmen!at!the!entrance!of!the!ark.!
Baptism! is! a! sign! and! a! seal! of! the! wonderful! grace! of! God.! It! is! a! tremendous!
privilege,! a! membership! in! the! ark,! the! body! of! Jesus! Christ! which! God! has!
designed!to!save!you!today!from!the!wrath!of!God!that!is!coming.!Perhaps!some!
think! that! it! is! a! little! too! confined,! too! limited! to! live! within! that! ark,! and! I!
suppose!that!was!true!especially!of!Noahs!ark.!But!it!is!within!that!confinement!
and! limitation! that! you! remain! clean,! because! there! the! blood! of! Christ! will!
cleanse! you.! It! is! not! a! space! confinement:! you! can! go! anywhere;! but! it! is! a!
confinement! in! terms! of! how! you! live.! Are! you! conscious! that! you! have! been!

called! to! live! a! life! which! has! been! cleansed! in! the! blood! of! Christ?! We! cannot!
ignore!that,!congregation.!If!those!who!are!members!of!the!body!of!Christ!go!out!
and!purposely!live!in!a!world!that!is!defiled!by!sin,!unrepentant,!and!if!they!die!in!
that!state,!then!we!have!no!scriptural!warrant!to!think!that!they!are!protected!by!
the!blood!of!Christ,!and!Gods!wrath!will!come!upon!them.!But!an!infant!who!dies!
while!being!baptized!or!an!adult!who!dies!being!baptized!are!safe,!not!because!of!
the!baptism,!but!of!what!it!symbolizes!in!the!washing!away!of!all!their!sins,!and!
that!is!why!they!are!safe!from!the!wrath!of!God.!
What!a!wonderful!thing!baptism!is,!because!then!we!no!longer!have!to!fear!the!
coming!wrath!of!God.!We!can!look!forward!to!the!world!that!is!to!come.!After!the!
water! had! carried! Noah! for! a! little! longer! than! a! year! he! stepped! out! onto! a!
brand!new!world,!a!world!that!was!cleansed!and!a!whole!new!beginning!all!over!
again.!That!is!the!way!it!will!be!when!Christ!returns.!When!He!finally!comes!back!
for!His!church!!His!body,!His!bride!!then!every!one!of!its!members!can!step!
out!onto!a!new!world,!totally!cleansed!of!all!sin.!That!world!will!even!be!much!
better! than! Noahs,! because! it! will! remain! sinless! and! perfect! forever! and! ever.!
That! is! something! that! a! baptized! member! who! understands! his! baptism! can!
look!forward!to.!
How!about!you!today?!If!you!are!baptized,!do!you!see!how!great!a!privilege!it!is!
and!how!gracious!God!is!to!you?!Then!live!as!one!who!has!been!washed!in!the!
blood!of!Christ.!Live!in!obedience!to!every!word!that!Jesus!says!to!you!and!you!
will!be!saved.!If!there!is!one!person!here!tonight!who!is!not!baptized,!then!I!say!
to! you:! Believe! and! be! baptized.! Have! your! sins! washed! away! in! the! precious!
blood!of!Jesus!Christ!and!you!too!will!be!safe,!safe!from!the!wrath!of!God!that!is!
coming! upon! this! world.! For! this! world! is! perishing! and! only! those! who! are! in!
the!ark,!many!many!more!than!eight,!but!only!those!who!are!in!the!ark!of!today,!
the! body! of! Jesus! Christ,! will! be! saved.! Those! are! the! ones! for! which! God! is!
coming!back.!Isnt!it!a!privilege!to!belong!to!the!body!of!Jesus!Christ?!Amen.!
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