Rejoice in the Miracle of Baptism
I) We are made alive by God’s Spirit
II) We are gaining life by God’s Son
Introduction:
What do you think about when you think about baptism? Do you think about your baptism or perhaps the recent baptism of a family member? For those of you baptized as infants, your memories may be a little vague. You may only remember what you learned in catechism class. In conformation class or in adult information class you were taught God’s word concerning baptism. The sacrament of holy baptism is a precious gift from God. A sacrament that works the forgiveness of sin, delivers us from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe and trust in the word and promises of God.
Although you may not remember your baptism, a miracle has taken place. This miracle of God shows us his love and mercy. So today as we celebrate the baptism of our Lord, St. Paul encourages us to Rejoice in the miracle of baptism. By that miracle, we are made alive by God’s Spirit and we are gaining life by God’s Son.
I) We are made alive by God’s Spirit
A) God saved us. We needed saving.
1) In his letter to Titus, Paul was instructing this young pastor about the work that needed to be done in Crete. Paul reminded Titus that he needed to teach the congregation sound doctrine, and to do what is good. To provide encouragement for God’s people Paul reminded the Christians of Titus’ congregation of how they once were. The Christians of Crete were disobedient, foolish, and enslaved by their desire for pleasure. At one time in their lives, they were steeped in sin, without Christ and God’s love. In other words they needed saving. They needed to restore their relationship with God.
2) Before sin came into the world mankind had a perfect relationship with God. God created Adam and Eve in his image, an image of righteousness and holiness. But sin changed that image and our fellowship with God. Because of sin mankind was separated from our Father in heaven. This original sin was then passed down through each generation after Adam and Eve. Everyone born was born sinful and separated from God with no interest in serving him. The psalmist tells us, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." We, too, were separated from God at birth. Born spiritually dead and heading straight for hell. From eternity, God’s plan was to restore the relationship between him and sinful human beings. The prophet Ezekiel wrote, "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live." It was not God’s will that we would be forever separated from him.
B) God’s method for saving.
1) We were not able to repair our relationship with God, and so God stepped in. He put his plan into work. Paul tells us " when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." We can not save ourselves by what we believe to be righteous deeds. The only righteous deeds that God will accept are keeping everyone of his commandments perfectly. Jesus tells us God’s requirements in his gospel, he tells us, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
a) God created Adam and Eve perfectly and expected them to be perfect. The painful truth is we are not perfect. We are sinful. We have not kept one commandment perfectly. Our love for God is not always as wholehearted as it should be, and it shows itself when our minds drift in prayer. We do not always gladly and willing come to church or share our time, talents and treasures with God. Even the good things we do are not perfect. No matter how well we think we keep God’s law, we always fail and fall short of his holy requirements. God’s law points out our sin to us and tells us we are not perfect and there is no human way that we are going to be perfect. There is no way we can restore our relationship with God.
2) In the Old Testament God set up a way for his people to return to that right relationship with him. God gave the ceremonial law to the children of Israel and established the priest to be the mediator between him and man. He demanded blood sacrifices for the payment of sin. Demanded a lamb with out defect as a sin offering. The people were to bring their offerings to the priest and he made the sacrifices on their behalf. God accepted the sacrifice and forgave the one sinning against him. In the book of Leviticus Moses writes, " the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the LORD by fire. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven." But this was only for Old Testament believers and only temporary until God would finally send the fulfillment of his promises. We can not be saved by our righteous deeds, or by the ceremonial law that God gave to Israel. How then? How does God restore the relationship for us?
C) When the kindness and love of God appeared he saved us through Holy Baptism.
1) Paul tells us how God restores our relationship, he writes: "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." Beginning with Jesus’ ministry our loving Father in heaven saved us all. Through the miracle of Holy Baptism, the washing of rebirth by the Holy Spirit, this is what makes us alive. In our baptism the Holy Spirit comes to us and creates saving faith in our hearts. We are reborn into a new relationship with God.
a) Think of like this: In the flood, God destroyed all life on this earth with the exception of the occupants of the ark. The whole world was totally submerged under water. Everyone and everything was dead, rotting and decaying. Moses records for us the state the earth was in, he writes, "Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind." Above the water the ark floated under sunny skies but beneath the water the earth was a mass grave. Can you imaging such a thing.
b) Then the waters receded and when Noah came out of the ark, he saw the beautiful flowers and the green grass. All that filth of decaying bodies and death had been washed away by the waters of the flood. The earth was reborn. In the same way, our baptismal waters have washed away the decaying flesh of sin from us. Returning us to that right relationship with God.
2) We are reborn but still our sinful nature is present in us. To keep us from losing what we have the Holy Spirit renews us. As we remember our baptism, we daily put down that sinful nature. Daily we drown the old Adam in our baptism so that our new man can emerge and live before God in his righteousness. God’s Spirit has made us alive. As water poured on the dry ground renews the earth and gives life to plants, so water with the word of God, poured on sinful human beings, renews the sinful heart so that we can bring forth fruits of faith.
3) All this is ours in Holy Baptism! Every one of our sins have been washed away. We are reborn and renewed. Made alive by God’s Spirit with just simple water connected with the power of God’s word. What power! What a miracle! Rejoice in the miracle of baptism!
Transition:
Throughout history people have asked, "How can water do these great things?" "How can simple water restore the relationship between God and sinful human beings?" Paul gives us the answer we seek. Baptism gives us new live because it joins us to Jesus. We are gaining life by God’s Son.
II) We are gaining life by God’s Son
A) Paul writes that this washing of rebirth and renewing by the Holy Spirit, "has been poured out upon us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior."
1) God promised the Old Testament believers that he would send the Messiah to save them from their sins. In all the rites and rituals of the children of Israel, God showed the people the coming Savior. Each sacrifice pointed to the fact that innocent blood must be shed to atone for the sins of the guilty. The one who has sinned against God must lay his hands on the innocent animal then slaughter it. The placing of hands on the animal transferred their sin to the animal. They slaughtered the animal to show the penalty of sin is death. Innocent blood must be shed to restore the relationship between God and his people.
2) Nevertheless, no sacrifices made by the priests for the forgiveness of sins was the fulfillment of God’s promises. The time was to come when God would make the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. God would do this when the time was right. Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians. "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons." The time for God to reveal his kindness and love, to fulfill the promises that he gave to his people.
B) God’s plan for saving us was focused in Jesus Christ.
1) Jesus Christ was the focus of God’s plan of salvation from the beginning. In God’s plan, Jesus was the sin bearer. God placed all our sins on Jesus. We can see Jesus in this role at his baptism. John the Baptist cried out "Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins!" St Luke in our Gospel reading for today tells us, "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too." Jesus came to John to be baptized even though he had no sins of his own. Yet, he was baptized. Jesus placed himself under baptism to experience the cleansing for sin. Yet this sin was not his but ours. Our sin was transferred onto Jesus. St. Paul tells us, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus shed his innocent blood on the cross, sacrificing himself, as payment for our sin. Jesus was the perfect sin offering, the Lamb of God, without defect or sin.
2) Jesus was carrying out his fathers will by being baptized This pleased our Father in heaven. St. Luke writes for us, "And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” However, a day would come when the Father would not seem so pleased. That day was Good Friday. On the cross, God was silent. Jesus was undergoing our punishment. Suffering our death for the sins, we commit. There was no voice from heaven, no cry of approval. Only the words "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?"
3) But the Father was pleased! So pleased he raised Jesus from the dead. So pleased he declared the world no longer guilty for its sin. Paul tells us in the last verse of our text, "that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life". Because of that sacrifice of Jesus to give himself as a ransom for the world, we are gaining eternal life by God’s Son.
C) Jesus work is what adds power to baptism.
1) We have life in Jesus. We are no longer dead in sins and trespasses. Because of what Jesus has done, we are free from sin, death, and the devil. Jesus lived that perfect life that we can never live. He suffered an innocent death to pay for our debt of sin. Jesus’ saving work is what adds power to our baptism. Paul tells us, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
2) We have that new life in Jesus to serve him. Our lives are no longer our own but they belong to God. We are his children and as his children, we are to lead a Christian life serving our Lord for the benefit of his kingdom. In this world of sin and evil, we are the lights that shine brightly through the darkness. Jesus tells us to "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
3) We have life in Jesus and are heirs of eternal life. This is our hope as Paul stated. All the blessings that God has given us through Jesus Christ are to make us heirs of eternal life. This is how we gain entrance into heaven. Our savior says to us, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
Conclusion:
We have a loving and gracious God who has in his mercy has done everything for us and for our salvation. By the work of the God’s Spirit in our baptism, He has made us alive again. By the work of his beloved Son, we are gaining eternal life. Now when you think about baptism my prayer is that you think about the miracle that took place. The miracle that washed away the sins of a spiritually dead, lost, and condemned sinner and made us alive again in Christ Jesus. That miracle that has taken away death and eternity in hell and gained for us eternity in heaven. May God grant us his Spirit to keep us in true steadfast faith of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so that we may always rejoice in the miracle of baptism. AMEN
