Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. What did Jesus say? Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him will I confess before my Father who is in heaven.
So Jesus calls us to a public commitment. Everyone I see in the New Testament following Jesus made it public. This accompanies salvation. On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about the first steps to take as a believer.
Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message.
Next steps. In Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 9, it says, Beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you. Let me give you a little context. The writer of Hebrews is challenging believers to go onward and forward in their faith, not to go back, not to look back in any way, but to be all in, to grow up, and to be mature in their faith. And that's why he says, We're confident of better things of you.
Yes, and then watch this line. things that accompany salvation. Things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. I want us to focus on that one little line. the things that accompany Salvation.
So, what are the things that belong? The ESV gives that sentence there: the things that belong to salvation. Or the things that accompany it go along with salvation, not salvation. Salvation is in Christ and Christ alone, not anything else. There's not any add-on.
It's not Jesus plus anything. or Jesus minus anything. It's Jesus only.
So salvation is in Jesus. And by grace are you saved.
So we're not talking about what is a Christian, what is salvation, but what are the things that accompany, go along with salvation? What are the steps that we take as we are? Beginning to follow Jesus or walking with Jesus, what are the first steps? What are the next steps that we take? All right, I'm going to say three this morning.
Number one, a profession that is public. What accompanies salvation? what belongs, what goes along with salvation. a profession that is Public. Here's what the Bible says in Romans 10, verses 9 and 10.
I want to give you this in the New Living. It says, if you openly declare that Jesus is Lord, Openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart That you are made right with God, and it is openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Then, verse 13 says in this same 10th chapter of Romans: everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
So to call on the name of the Lord clearly is a confession, is calling upon him.
Okay.
So, in Acts chapter 2, when Peter preached a great message about the gospel, the first message of the church is the church's birth on the day of Pentecost. Religious people there from all over the world, it was an international festival that was taking place in Jerusalem. Peter, the follower of Jesus, stands in front of them all, full of the Holy Spirit, the same man who cowered away and denied Christ just weeks earlier. He's now standing in the presence of all these. Uh former enemies of Christ and some who were just curious and were searching for God and he preaches the gospel.
He tells of the death, the burial, the resurrection of Christ. It was a powerful sermon, the Pentecostal sermon. And then as a result, the Holy Spirit convicts so many in the crowd. And it says they were stabbed to the heart. They were pierced to the heart.
When we preach the gospel, there is an element in which the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to pierce the soul, to stab the heart with conviction. There's no salvation without conviction. There's no repentance and faith without conviction of sin.
So they are convicted of their sin. And then they say, what? Should we do? What should we do? What's the next step?
And at that point, In verse 38, of Acts chapter 2, Peter says, believe and be baptized as a result or because of the remission of sins in your life. Believe and be baptized. And it says on the heels of that verse that 3,000 were baptized on that day.
Now, I have a question for you. How do you suppose they identified? the new believers for baptism. They must have given some kind Of a public invitation. Everyone was going public with their faith in Christ, which wasn't easy.
in this situation.
So they went public. I don't know. Did he have them come forward? Did he have them raise their hand? I don't think they were filling out cards.
But Maybe they just said, come forward and all these people. came forward. And as a result of coming forward, they're asking them questions, they're receiving Christ, and 3,000 of them, this was probably just the men, there may have been upwards to 5,000, 6,000 people baptized that day, boys and girls, men and women. It was a huge baptismal service. But the point that I'm making is that somehow they went public with their faith.
Faith in Jesus Christ is immensely personal. Is personal. That's why we believe in our hearts. And you can walk down an aisle and make a profession and not be saved. You believe in your heart.
That God raised him from the dead, that he died for you, that he rose again. But then you confess with your mouth, you tell someone. And you make that profession of faith. What did Jesus say in the Gospel of Matthew? In fact, he says this multiple times in the Gospels.
He says, Matthew 10, 32, Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him will I confess before my Father who is in heaven.
So Jesus calls us to a public commitment. Everyone I see in the New Testament following Jesus made it public. The prophet Elijah stands before the people and says, Why do you keep halting or limping between two opinions? Either God is God or Baal is God. Choose who is God in your life.
Make that stand, that principle professing stand. I was so glad was a little boy, six years of age. Then I went forward literally on a sawdust trail. With a tent, an evangelist who came to our little town in Arkansas, and I couldn't wait to walk down that aisle. I was a little scared to do it.
But I really, I was fired up. I remember just being so excited to walk down and let my friends know that I'm becoming a Christian, that I'm becoming a follower of Jesus. And I'm grateful for parents and grandparents who led me to make this decision at such an early age. But that was my profession of faith. And I want to challenge you to go public with your faith.
Maybe you've never done it. in that way. but more than just walking down an aisle. Walking down an aisle doesn't save anybody. But putting your faith and trust in Christ and then to openly follow Jesus.
This accompanies salvation. The second thing, a baptism that is biblical. A baptism that is biblical. In that same Acts chapter 2, when all these people came forward, then they were baptized as believers. As a testimony of their faith in Christ.
Now hear me about baptism. When I say baptism, two words, baptism that is biblical, biblical baptism, because there's unbiblical baptism. You say, what is unbiblical baptism? Baptism in the New Testament, the Jesus way of baptism is by immersion only for believers only. Baptism.
Is a testimony of one's personal faith in Jesus Christ. And Jesus, of course, set the pace. As he himself was baptized, he commenced his ministry with baptism. As he was baptized by the Apostle John in the river Jordan, and it says he went down into the water and he came up out of the water. And then Jesus commanded five times in the scripture for his followers, his disciples, to go into all the world, preach the gospel, make disciples.
baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.
So right in the heart of the great commission that Jesus gave us is baptism.
Now baptism Like a profession of faith doesn't save, nor does it even help to save. As the old country preacher said, you could be baptized so many times you know the first name of every fish in the pond. And not go to heaven.
So no, being baptized. in water or otherwise does not Sprinkled.
Some of you were sprinkled as an infant, and good for your parents. their testimony to dedicate you. And many of you perhaps grew up in a church where infants were baptized. The New Testament never teaches infant baptism. Never.
We dedicate our children to the Lord. We give them to the Lord, but every child like I was a child, needs at some point in their life. To respond to the gospel, to say a personal yes to Jesus Christ.
Now, baptism is a symbol of salvation, it is a seal of our commitment, it is an act of obedience. When you step into the water, it is the drama of redemption. It is. The death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. Do you see that?
So a person stands in the baptistry. and identifies with Christ and what Christ has done. on the cross is buried and raised to walk in newness of light. This is what Paul said in Romans chapter 6 and verse 3, buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life.
So spiritual baptism takes place. Are you listening? Spiritual baptism takes place when you receive Christ, the Spirit of God immerses you into your personal relationship with Christ. And then baptism in water then is the symbol of the death, what you believe, and to whom you belong. The death, the burial, the resurrection of Christ.
Can I say that again? What you believe, the death, the burial, the resurrection of Christ, and to whom you belong. It's a picture of commitment and cleansing. I'm committing to Christ. Water cleanses.
Mm-hmm. Human water, this water, physical water doesn't cleanse the blood of Christ. Cleanses us from every sin, and so we are washed clean by the blood of Christ. And this is the picture of this cleansing that comes from this. It's just a cleansing emotional experience when you declare your faith and your consecration and your commitment to God.
You go in, you say, Well, I'm not good enough to be baptized. You're not baptized because you are good. You're baptized because God is good, because Jesus is Lord, and you're putting your faith and your trust in Him and Him only as your Savior.
So, this is baptism. You are listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, Next Steps. July 4th, 2026 will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country. 250 years of celebrating the freedoms, liberties, and rights we enjoy as Americans.
However, there has never been a more important time in our two hundred and fifty years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land. That's why I'm inviting you to join Doctor Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text the word CRY to 59-789. Again, text Cry to 59789. Remember that your support of PowerPoint Ministries helps people encounter Jesus through clear biblical teaching.
Through the support of friends like you, lives are being strengthened, faith is being renewed, and seekers are discovering the hope only found in Christ. Your partnership is so vital that when you give this month, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, Life According to Jesus, as our thanks. It's a powerful journey through the Gospel of John that shares wisdom from the life of Christ to help you respond to real world struggles. To give your gift, text April to 59789.
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Now let's get back to today's message, Next Steps. The very word baptism is from a Greek word. Baptizer. It's actually transliterated, I won't tell you why at this message, but transliterated into the English language, which means when we take one word in an older language and just make a new word in another language like English, so baptizo in Greek became baptism. And the word was a common word used in the era of Christ in the first century.
It was a word, you know, someone washing clothes, for example, would take clothes and dip them in the water and wash them in the water. That was a baptism. Um It's describing, let's say, a blacksmith who takes a hot iron off the coals and submerges it into the waters like that. And that was a baptism. It was a plunging it into the water.
And that's the word baptizo. And so the same word is used to describe this beautiful portrait, this picture of redemption, death, burial, and resurrection. Because it means to immerse. The very word baptizo or baptism means to immerse. And so this is the picture.
And it's a beautiful symbol of your commitment to Christ. I wear on my hand a wedding ring. And the wedding ring has a cross, and of course, is my band that signifies my marriage to Deb. And I've been wearing it. It's amazing how good it still looks after all these years.
50 plus years. And I wear this and have been wearing this all these years as a symbol of my commitment to Christ, the cross, and a commitment to Deb, my wife. And it's a beautiful symbol.
Now I could take it off. Right now. and squeeze it. Off. I have lost a little weight.
I can get my ring off. And am I still married? Of course I am. I mean, this is the symbol of the marriage and symbol of the commitment. I mean, it's very simple, isn't it?
But uh and I wear it. as a testimony A reminder. You know, there are benchmark experiences in life. Your birth as a benchmark. Moment.
Uh Your Graduation? That's a benchmark moment. Your marriage, you stood at an altar, made the commitment, that's a benchmark. moment. And baptism, I believe one of the reasons God established it for his church is that it would be a marker, a memorable marker, a benchmark in our lives of.
The moment the miracle took place in our lives, or the fact that the miracle has taken place in our life. I remember my baptism very well. After my profession of faith as a child, my pastor actually had a rule. I don't necessarily agree with his rule, but I abided by the rule that you had to wait till you were eight years old to be baptized. I don't know why he picked eight, but that's the number he picked.
So I waited, I waited, I waited, I waited. And in one sense, it was a good thing in that it helped me and all the others to separate salvation from baptism. But I couldn't wait to get in the water. And I remember it. I even remember some of the conversation that took place in the room.
When I was baptized, and my dad being there and helping me get dressed, and all the rest.
So, you know, just the very act, I mean, it's a crazy, you know, it's a, it's a. It's a big deal. I mean, to go into water and have somebody take you and take you under is a humbling thing. It's a surrendering of your life. But to go in there and experience this and to come out and sense the cleansing power of God in your life is such a beautiful, wonderful experience.
And I want you and everyone. To experience salvation in Christ and the beautiful testimony of baptism in your life. This accompanies salvation, it goes along, it belongs to salvation. I'll tell you this, I never In the New Testament church. There was no such thing as an unbaptized believer.
In the New Testament church, you say, what about the thief of the cross? And that won the church. That was the cross. But in the church, there's no record of any unbaptized. Every believer was baptized as a profession of their faith in Jesus Christ.
In fact, this is how you made. profession. of faith. Maybe you're thinking, as I mentioned in the sermon earlier, I'm just not good enough. I don't think I'm ready.
I don't know if I can do this. We're not baptized based on our merit, but on the merit of Christ. And we symbolize in baptism not what we're doing, but what he's done for us. For some of you, that means getting your baptism on the right side of your salvation. Here's what I mean by that.
Getting baptism on the right side, the correct side of your salvation. Because some were either sprinkled or maybe you were even dunked or immersed. as a child, but you came to Christ later. And Maybe for whatever reason it wasn't explained to you well, or you didn't get good follow-up, but as a child, you were, quote, baptized, but you became a believer. Later on, maybe as a college student, maybe as an adult, maybe a crisis came to your life and you came face to face with your need for Christ.
And you have since your childhood, or even since your baptism as an adult, become a believer in Jesus.
So you want to get your baptism on the right side of your salvation. And remember the biblical order? Believe and be baptized. Nothing if you believe with all your heart. What keeps me from being baptized?
Believe in your heart. And so, you want to get your baptism on the right side of your salvation. Maybe you're thinking it's not convenient. It's not convenient. Do you think it was convenient for Jesus to come to earth to die on the cross for your sins?
To pay the price. I mean Really? It's not a matter of convenience. This is talking about commitment. and conviction.
Maybe you think, well, I don't know enough. I don't know enough about being a Christian. I don't know the Bible enough. You can be baptized the moment you receive Christ. You don't have to go to a class to be baptized.
You don't have to have 10 weeks of instruction to be baptized. You can be baptized today, and that's what I'm challenging you to do if you want to be baptized God's way. And then maybe someone would say, Well, I'm embarrassed. I have one word answer for that. Really?
Yeah. The one who is worthy has made it possible for you to do this. What a privilege. We shouldn't Need anybody to pressure us or push us to do this? But enthusiastically, joyfully.
Express our faith and testimony. in Jesus Christ. And then The third mark. The things that accompany salvation. A profession that's public.
Have you gone public with your faith? Do people know? If I ask your children, Your grandchildren, do they know you're a Christian? Are you confessing your faith in Jesus? Are you witnessing in your community?
Have you made that public profession of faith in Christ? Have you been baptized the Jesus way, the biblical way? A baptism that is biblical. This accompanies salvation. It goes along like peas and carrots.
Like mashed potatoes and gravy. They go together. And then thirdly, a fellowship that is faithful. I'm talking about the church, responsible, a member of the church. Everyone who came to Christ in the New Testament identified with Christ and a local church.
and we're faithful. And in Acts chapter 2 and verse 42, after those people were saved and they took those steps of salvation, they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. That's teaching, teaching God's word in fellowship. That's what we're doing when we're together in Christ. In the breaking of bread, that's most likely Lord's Supper.
And in prayer.
So we're praying together. We're staying together. We're the church. And God has given us his church in order to protect us in a world system that is going downhill that we may worship Christ. Don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together.
Hebrews chapter 10, as the manner of some is, but so all the more gather. as you see the day approaching, as the coming of Christ is getting closer and closer and closer. You need the church and we need you. When the tragedy comes, they're not alone. There's somebody there to hold you.
There's somebody there to pray for you. There's somebody there to care for you. There's a church. And so it's more than a membership. It's more than having your name on a roll somewhere.
It's being a part of a spiritual family. God is So real in the hearts of his people. This isn't a club. We believe together, and therefore we belong together. We belong together, therefore, we become more and more like Christ together, and we battle for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
This is the church. I'm not talking about church anity. A lot of people go to church and don't know Christ. or used to go to church and don't know Christ. But when you know Christ, you'll want to be a part.
Of his wonderful family. As the old song says, I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. It goes with salvation. It's not salvation. You can join every church and not be saved.
But when you are saved, When you know the Lord. You'll want to be a part of the Brothers and Sisters in Christ. and the faith that we share together. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, Next Steps. Let me remind you that your support helps bring the life-changing truth of Jesus Christ to people across the world through PowerPoint Ministries.
And this month, we'd love to send you a powerful resource as our way of saying thank you for your gift. It's Dr. Jack Graham's book, Life According to Jesus. In this transformative journey through the Gospel of John, you'll discover not just what Jesus might do, but what he actually did when facing life's hardest questions. And we'll be excited to send you this resource because your generosity helps place this kind of biblical teaching into the hands of seekers and believers alike, equipping them to live according to Jesus' example every day.
To give your gift, just text APRIL to 59789. Again, that's APRIL to 59789. July 4th, 2026, will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country.
However, there has never been a more important time in our 250 years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land. That's why I'm inviting you to join Dr. Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text the word CRY to 59-789. Again, text Cry to 59789.
Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? We are saved by Christ and Christ alone, by His grace. Trusting Him for eternal life. That brings us to salvation. But what accompanies salvation?
There are some responsibilities. There is a cost to following Jesus, there is a price to pay.
So the first responsibility you as a believer has is to make sure that you Profess your faith, a profession that is public. As I said in today's message, there is no such thing as a secret follower of Jesus. In fact, it was Jesus who said, Every one who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. Doesn't get much clearer than that, does it?
The second responsibility is, as a Christ follower, make sure that you have a baptism that is biblical. I spent a lot of time talking about the principle and practice of baptism in today's message because there's so much confusion about this issue. Remember, baptism itself cannot save, nor does it help to save. But what baptism does is give you a tangible way to express and demonstrate your living. and obedient faith to Christ.
Baptism is an act of obedience that God blesses. Finally, the third responsibility that you have as a Christian is to make sure you belong to a fellowship that is faithful, a fellowship that is faithful. I'm talking about the church. The reason we belong to and commit to a local church a membership and a partnership with a local church is because, you know, character, Christlike living, is not only taught, it is taught. And when we are together with God's people, under the teaching of God's Word, under the proclamation of Jesus Christ, then we are encouraged, we are built up and strengthened in our own faith.
The scripture reminds us of this in Proverbs 13, 20, that whoever walks with the wise becomes wise. We are inspired to live life for Christ when we get around other people week in, week out. Who are living lives of faith and commitment? I urge you, I challenge you. To be a part, a faithful member of a local New Testament church which preaches Jesus Christ, teaches the Word of God, and will enable you and help you, assisting you in your Christian walk.
and gives you an opportunity to share your faith with others.
So, your three, our three responsibilities as followers of Jesus are to have a profession that is public. Make a public profession of your faith. Share your faith with others. Go forward in your church or tell your pastor that you're receiving Jesus. Profess your faith, confess Jesus publicly, and then.
a baptism that is biblical. As soon as possible after you know Christ, get your baptism on the right side of your salvation by following Him in the New Testament ordinance of baptism and then. Fellowship that is faithful. Find a local church where you can grow, serve. and witness of your faith in Christ.
And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, Life According to Jesus. Just text APRIL to 59-789. And join us again next time as Dr.
Graham brings a message about the eternal security of a believer. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.
