Sermon

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January 11, 2004
1st Sunday after Epiphany
Titus 3:3-7
Pastor Robert Raasch

Christian, Rejoice in your Baptism!

1. For What It Did for You
2. Rejoice for What It Means to You

Just for a minute, I'd like you to imagine that you are a first-time visitor to Mount Olive. Never been to our church before. In fact, you've never been to any church before. And now, here you are, watching the goings-on of this Lutheran worship service, trying to take it all in and understand what's happening here. Well, on this particular day, the service begins with a family stepping up to what looks like a wash basin. Mom's got a baby in her arms and after the pastor says a few words, he reaches out and takes a handful of water and pours it over the child's head. Now, if you've never been to a Christian church before, don't you think you'd be wondering to yourself, "What was that all about? A guy in a robe just washed off a baby's head, while the parents are beaming and the baby is screaming. What is going on there?!?

Yes, what is going on here? You realize, that is a question which would probably generate a lot of different answers these days. People have a lot of different ideas about what baptism really is. Some people would say that baptism is an expression of dedication on the part of Christian parents. The parents are symbolically dedicating their child to God. Others would say that baptism is an act of obedience to God. Just as Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, so also should Jesus' followers be baptized. And others would say that baptism is merely a tradition that they've grown accustomed to. They wouldn't think of not having their baby baptized. Just like every kid should go through confirmation, every baby should be baptized. It's just the thing to do.

But now, how about you? What do you say baptism is? Does the little ritual that takes place up here every so often mean all that much to you? Is it something you think about every day? Is it something that defines who you are as a person?

My friends, because the Sacrament of Holy Baptism is misunderstood in so many churches these days, and because it is often underappreciated in our own hearts and lives, we're going to take a little closer look at what the Bible has to say about this act of washing with water and the Word. It is my prayer today that through our study of God's Word, God will not only deepen our appreciation for what baptism is, but also lead each one of you as Christians to:

Rejoice in your Baptism!

1. For What It Did for You
2. Rejoice for What It Means to You

Notice how that is phrased. What baptism did for you, not what you did through your baptism. That's the first distinction we have to make. Many people consider baptism something that they're doing for God. They're committing themselves to God. They're dedicating their children to God. They're obeying God's requirements. But that's not what baptism is about. Baptism is about what God is doing for us. Just as surely as a baby who is carried to the font doesn't really do anything, neither does the adult who walks up to the font or the parents who carry the child. They are all passive recipients of something God is doing for them, through baptism.

So what did God do for them-and what did God do for us through our baptism? St. Paul tells us here in our text: "God saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." Boy, isn't that a clear statement of God's plan of salvation. Contrary to what my human reason says, contrary to what every other religion in the world teaches, God does not take into consideration our good behavior when deciding whether or not he's going to bring us to paradise. And thank God for that, for our idea of good behavior falls way short of God's idea of good behavior. God demands that we show perfect love toward him and our fellow man. Do we do that? No, instead, we treat God like he's some kind of bit player in our life. And the other people in our lives? How often don't we just take them for granted. We're harsh with our children. We're inconsiderate of our spouse. We treat our parents like they're the enemy. We're quick to criticize anyone who doesn't do what we want them to do.

Man, if God were to judge us on the basis of "the righteous things we have done," we'd all be damned. But thanks be to God that's not what happened, is it? Instead, in an act of pure mercy, God chose to punish his Son for the sins we've committed. Scripture says that "Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2)

The question is, how does that forgiveness of sins purchased by Jesus' blood become your personal possession? Or to put it another way, how do you know that your personally have been saved from the punishment your sins deserve? Paul tells you right here, "God saved (you) through the washing of rebirth." In other words, at the moment of your baptism, God reached out and rescued you. He made you a part of his family. You might say that your baptism was the moment that God had you born into his family. In fact, that's the connotation of the term which Paul uses here, "the washing of rebirth," or the washing of a second birth. All of us were born from our mothers the first time. We were born physically alive, but spiritually dead. We were born as members of Satan's family. But then through a handful of water connected to God's Word, God had us be born a second time. That day became our "re-birthday." And with that new life in Christ came the promise of eternal life with God. Isn't that what Jesus said? "Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God."

Christian, that's the miracle that God performed for you on the day of your baptism. You may have looked exactly the same, you maybe still cried like a baby, you maybe didn't feel any different, but the fact is, you were different. By an act of God's grace, your status in God's eyes changed from sinner to saint. Suddenly you were dressed in more than a white baptismal dress. You were dressed in a robe of Christ's righteousness. That's what St. Paul meant when he writes to the Galatians, chapter 3, "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ."

My friends, did you notice that all those passages which refer to baptism speak of baptism as something that God does? Through your baptism, God saved you. God gave you spiritual life. God dressed you in Christ. God adopted you into his family. While everyone else wants to talk about what you must do for God, baptism is about what God has done for you. Remember that the next time you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick, or that God isn't being fair or that you'll never measure up in God's eyes. Consider again what God has done for you. Even when you feel down and out, when you feel all alone, you can still go back to the words that Martin Luther took such great comfort in. Those four simple words, "I have been baptized." Christian, rejoice in your baptism, for what God has done though baptism for you.

You might say that's one way to look at baptism. To see it as a miracle which God performed for you, yes, in you many years ago. But if that's all that your baptism means to you-something that happened a long time ago, a little certificate you have locked away in your safe deposit box, a date that you dig out to write on your church membership application-if that's all your baptism means to you, well then I'm afraid you've missed one of the most important things about your baptism. Baptism is not just something that happened in the past. It's something which still has meaning for your life today. And really, that brings us to our second point. Christian, II. Rejoice in Your Baptism for What it Means for You Today.

Well, what does baptism mean for our present day lives? Most of us would have to say that we don't even remember what happened on our baptism day. But even though we may not remember the specific details of that day, we do know what happened at our baptism. We know it because God tells us. Here in our text God tells us that through baptism, the Holy Spirit was "poured out on us generously." You know, there are some people who don't believe that. There are people who want to draw a distinction between a plain old "water baptism" and a new and improved "Spirit baptism." But Scripture makes it clear that Baptism does give you the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, St. Peter told the people, "Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). That's the first thing that your baptism means for you today. It means that God has given you his Spirit. It means that the Holy Spirit is in you. Again, sometimes people misunderstand that. They think that if they don't feel alive, if they don't feel warm and fuzzy, then the Spirit isn't in them. Or conversely, if they are excited, if they are moved by a particular song, for example, then the Holy Spirit is in them. Let's be careful here. People can get excited about things that down right satanic. And other times people can be filled with the Holy Spirit without really feeling it at all.

I think that's an important point to remember, especially as Mount Olive kicks off a new worship service. There are always going to be people way say, "I like these songs so much better. I feel they're so much more spiritual." Now, whether that person happens to be referring to a good old Lutheran Chorale or a contemporary song of praise, the rule stays the same. The Spirit of God doesn't come to us in a melody. He comes in the Word of God, whether it be the Word of God in a song or the Word of God in the Supper or Word of God attached to water in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Once we understand how the Holy Spirit comes to us, then we will realize there may be any number of melodies we can use to proclaim his name and glorify God as his baptized, spirit-filled Children.

But now back to one last thing that your baptism means for you. St. Paul speaks of it in Romans, chapter 6. Let me share those words with you. Paul writes, "Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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."

Hmmm. What does that mean? It simply means this: God says that when you were baptized, God connected you to Christ. In fact, he connected you so closely to Christ that whatever happened to Jesus also happened to you. That means that when Jesus died so did you-or at least, so did your sinful nature. Now that your sinful nature is dead, it cannot control you any longer. In fact, here in Romans 6, Paul takes it one step further. He says that if our Old Self was buried with Christ through baptism, then our New Self has risen through Christ's resurrection. Or to put it another way, in our baptism, our Old Man was drowned and our New Man has come out. A New Man who is both willing and able to live for God.

Now are there going to be times when that Old Man rears his ugly head? Times when that dead man is going to come back to life? Sure, there are. But that's when we need to go back to our baptism and drown that Old Man again. We drown the Old Man, not by covering up our sins, but rather by confessing our sins to God, and then by receiving from God the full absolution of our sins, in the Word, in the Supper and in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

My friends, maybe it has been a long time since you were carried up to a font like this. But be assured the power of your baptism in your life hasn't worn off. Whether you're thinking about what baptism did for you then or what it means for you today, there are still few words that give you the comfort and strength as these four words, "I have been baptized." Say it with me, "I have been baptized." Again, with enthusiasm, "I have been baptized." Now, there's a reason to rejoice-in God's grace to you! Amen.