Sheryl Brady - Power Up and Pull It Down

On your way down, tell somebody, «Power up and pull it down! Power up and pull it down!» It’s good to see y’all in the house of the Lord today. Last Sunday, we were blessed to have a baptism service out here, and I’m not exactly sure; was it 52 we baptized? Does anybody know offhand—52 or 58 or something like that? Anybody know? Y’all just did the work—that’s what y’all did! It’s like, «Woo! This ain’t ever going to end!» No, but it was a beautiful thing to watch. Pastor Joseph has the skinniest legs I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t know where he’s at, but somebody tell him he’s got skinny legs, okay? He was out there baptizing folks, and I was looking outside to see what was happening, and all I could see were his skinny little old legs. I’m like, «Oh, you need help to stand, my brother!» But I’m grateful for Pastor Joseph, aren’t you? Let’s thank God for his gift and who he is to this church. It was a beautiful sight to see that many people being baptized, and I say that because what happens in the waters of baptism is so much more than meets the eye. We see somebody going down in the water who is going to get wet; they may be possibly nervous or whatever. But there’s so much more to that. Galatians 2:20 says, «I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.» So it’s not just about me living in Christ; it’s the fact that Christ is living in me. That means everywhere I go, I take Christ with me because He is living inside me. So when you go down in the waters of baptism, what you are actually saying to those who may have come—family and friends, and people that know you—is, «Hey, this is the last time you will see the me that you knew, because when I come up, it’s a new person that is coming up.» And when you got up, people clapped, cheered, and rejoiced because when you got up, it wasn’t just you that came up; Christ came up in you, and you were raised into what the Bible calls the newness of life, or you were raised into a new way of life. So if you were baptized last Sunday, make sure that you understand it is not the old you who came to church this Sunday; it is the new you. It’s the Christ in you. You died and were buried, but He lives. You were buried, but He got up. And so now your testimony is, «It’s no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me.» It’s the death of us, but it’s the resurrection of Christ. He is not only with us, but He is in us, because Christ in you is the hope of glory. This is what sets us apart and makes us believers. It’s not just about us coming in, adhering, and praying to a set of moral guidelines that make us Christians. That’s nice, but you can adhere to all the moral guidelines and still not know who Christ is. You can admire all of the principles of God and still not know Him. Society defines a lot of ways that we can be Christians, but they are apart from Scripture. Hear what I’m saying to you: Society has defined and come up with many ways that they will tell you can be a Christian, but most of it is set apart from Scripture. So when you call yourself a Christian, there should be something in you that models the Word and models Christ. Anytime they take Jesus out of it, we’re in trouble. It is only when you have Him inside you that you can live for Him because our righteousness is as filthy rags. But when He is inside of us, we can’t live for Him apart from Him, okay? There should be something in us that models Jesus. Can anybody tell what Jesus is really like by looking at you? Can they look at you and know that He is kind? Can they look at you and know that He is longsuffering? Can they look at you and know that He is patient? Can they look at you and know that He is forgiving? In other words, what does your life say about God to the people around you? What does it say about God? 2 Corinthians 5:20 says that we are Christ’s ambassadors. Look at somebody and tell them, «I am an ambassador! I’m not a tourist. I am not here to take pictures. I am not here to just enjoy this country. I am here as an ambassador.» Okay, so ambassadors have assignments. Therefore, when you are sent to a foreign country as an ambassador, you have an assignment, a mission, something that you must commit to. There is an assignment over your life when you accept Christ as your Savior. I didn’t say you were an ambassador, but 2 Corinthians 5:20 says that you are.