After baptism then what…Listen to some instructions given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Peter…found recorded in 2 Pet 1: 5-8…

After baptism then what…

Listen to some instructions given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Peter…found recorded in 2 Pet 1: 5-8…

yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence…this is a promise with conditions…as my part and then there is God's part. My part is supposed to supply all diligence…what is diligent? It means giving all your effort…to love God with all your strength…to be single minded. In your faith (obedience to the truth) supply virtue…moral excellence. It is written in the prophets that if you practice God's word with an upright heart obeying His word does you no harm…you've been baptized…you have faith in Jesus… your Savior died for you and was raised so that you could be forgiven. You must supply the I want to do it right. You have to supply the hunger and thirst for righteousness… Jesus will help you, but you got to want to do right and be right… so add to the faith that you have moral excellence or virtue...the I want to do it right.

And then add to your virtue…knowledge. Add the know-how to do something like Jesus…I want to do right by the knowing of what is right. Knowledge is lack of ignorance and ignorance is lack of knowledge. After you got the I want to and the I know how to…then plan your work and you work your plan… add to your knowledge self-control. The doing of it…the practicing of the truth learning that way didn't work, try a different way that does. Just make sure your actions or deeds do not offend God. You keep trying to apply the knowledge without offending God… and then your self-control becomes patience or endurance under trials. In other words, the more you know, the more you're able to do. The more you're able to be faithful with, the more enduring you will go through. Remember the Lord won't give you more than you can handle and with the way of temptation he'll provide a way out…but some of us go running into temptation wanting to meet sin…instead of running away from the tempter…

So, we add to our doing of knowledge self-control applied through patience or endurance and then we add to the endurance of trials a character of godliness. What is a natural result of going through a trial and doing what Christ said do? Right doing or a character of right doing called…Godliness. In other words, we become Christ like with this natural progression and the adding to your faith virtue or moral excellence. You learn the truth in Christ producing knowledge…then you learn to apply with self-control which produces patience because you're having to apply self-control under trials. Applying God's word properly with knowledge, remembering the truth, and how to walk in the spirit. The natural result of applying God's word and walking in truth and spirit is godliness and to a character of godliness…we can add brotherly kindness. By being kind or sharing the same love with the brethren other Christians. When we love other Christians s as ourselves instead of just being a good person…when we try to share our goodness or what God has given us with others or increasing in brotherly kindness. Then we add to brotherly kindness love for all men, showing mercy to those who cannot repay…we are adding love to brotherly kindness…Peter says if these traits be in you and abound you will not be barren or unfruitful you'll have fruit fit for heaven…

In John's revelation one of the churches is told to buy gold tried in a fire…that means eternal treasures…a work that will abide in heaven…saving a soul…feeding a Christian…helping a widow…helping an orphan…developing a character full of deeds and treasures fit for Heaven our eternal home.

We are called to be a good person until your kindness overflows to others and then you develop a character of godliness, and you’d be like Christ. Sharing Christ and Christ blessings with others this is called agape love this is the highest form of love it's brotherly love for all men not just Christians. It's wanting what's best for the other guy…So what we have here is a formula on how to grow out of baptism into the mature Christian becoming Christ learning to develop a character fir for heaven our eternal home.

Father, help us to grow and learn to be just like Jesus and You…in Jesus of Nazareth’s name amen.

After baptism then what…

After baptism then what…part 2…

After baptism then what…part 2…

Listen to some instructions given to the Roman Christians some of which had lost their faith and had been reminded in chapter 6…they had been baptized in the Christ. Reminded in chapter 8 of the promises found in Christ and reminded in chapter 10 that if they still believe in their heart confess with their mouths they will be saved. Listen to some basic instructions after baptism then what…found in Romans chapter 12…

for I say through the grace that was given me to every man that is among, you are not to think more highly than he ought to think of himself but to think as soberly according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. All of us have the ability to believe and obey God…there are those that do not choose to obey. There are those of us that knows God always provides us a way to be faithful and abide in the truth.

…and having different gifts according to the grace or the unmerited favors, that was given to us whether it be truth telling or prophecy…let us prophecy or tell forth the truth, according to the proportion of our faith or in serving or in ministry, let us give ourselves to servitude or ministry… he that teachings to his teachings or he that encourages to the exhortation he that gives so let him do so with liberality…he that rules with diligence…he that shows mercy with cheerfulness…and everything you do be an example to others and be like Christ…

…verse 9 let love be without hypocrisy or love works no ill will, abhor that which is evil cleave to that which is good, turn from the evil, the wrong doer, and leave the liar…abide in truth, in love of the brethren and tenderly affection, in honor preferring each other, in diligence not slothful, fervent in spirit…serving the Lord…knowing whatever job you do you're doing it for Jesus, rejoice in hope, be patient tribulation, continually steadfastly in prayer…whatever you do pray about it, communicating to the needs of the Saints, given to hospitality, bless them that persecute you, bless and do not curse, rejoice with them they rejoice, weep with them that weep, be of the same mind towards one another…to summarize verse 21…be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good deeds…

Jesus said bless your enemies…pray they might find repentance before God…before it's everlastingly to late…or they be sentenced to hell forever. Pray for your neighbor…pray for your husband…pray for your wife…You can't do anything but pray for them and set a good example…our source has to be Jesus the Christ of Nazareth…He is the only source we can receive from…He wants to be first place in our lives…He has to rule our hearts not just be in it…He has to be the decision that makes all of our decisions…He is my Truth…He is My Life…He is my Way…His forevermore…Amen.

After baptism then what

So after being raised in baptism...then what...

So, after you believe in the good news that Jesus died so you never have to choose wrong…after you've been baptized after your baptism in the Christ…died to yourself and been raised with Christ and as a new life for eternal life then what…

listen to the instructions found written to Christians in Colosse… if then you were raised together with Christ seek the things which are above where Christ is seated on the right hand of God…what are we supposed to seek Christ’s will…who's seated at the right hand of God…

set your mind on things that are above not upon the things of the earth… in John's revelation were instructed to get gold tried in a fire in other words heavenly treasure eternal reward… for you have died and your life is hid with Christ in God when Christ to is our lives shall be made known then shall you be with him made known in glory…

…put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication…no sex outside of marriage, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness…which is idolatry…

…for which things sake come the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience wherein you once walked when you lived in these things but now do you also put away all these: anger, wrath, malice…ill will, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth, lie not one to another seeing you have put off the old man with his doings and put on the new man that is being renewed unto the knowledge after the image of him that created him…

verse 12…put on therefore as God's elect holy and beloved a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, forgiving one another, if any man has a complaint against any, even as a Lord forgave you so also do you…

…forgive…and above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfectness or completeness and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which you were called in one body and be thankful…let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in songs hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts unto God and whatsoever you do in Word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the father through Him…

These instructions were for Christians who had just been baptized into Christ…Some of us are beginning life new in Christ….Some are needing to revisit our beginning…remember what it was like being baptized coming out of the water…having been made a new creature…having been sanctified…having been cleaned…having been dead and raised a new creature…many of us need to reflect on these basic Christian virtues and morals the shunning of evil and the doing of good…the godly sorrow of God I need to be right with you…the confession of sinful desires and deeds…the forsaking of evil and returning to loving our neighbor as ourselves without harming another soul…

Remembering these words…

…you will love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. 31 The second commandment besides the first…is this, you will love your neighbor as yourself…treat others the way you want to be treated…There is no other commandment greater than these two…Mark 12:30-31

Father, please grant us repentance and mercy that we might be saved in Jesus and Nazareth name Amen.

So after being raised in baptism...then what...