Point of Grace – 4.14.24 Sermon Notes – “… with the Risen Jesus” – Baptismal Identity
Matthew 28 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
My “baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” means God has claimed me has His and I am no longer “available” in the “relationship marketplace”. My Baptismal identity says I am “with Jesus” and He is “with me” all day every day. That is who I am!
John 3:3-8 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Galatian 3:26-29 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Titus 3 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Romans 6:1-11 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
In Baptism God gives “with Christ”, “in Christ”, “clothed with Christ”, “born again from above”, born of the Spirit”, “children of God”, “belong to Christ”, “saved through the washing of rebirth”, “heirs in the Father’s family”, “died with Christ”, “buried with Christ”, “raised with Christ” – IDENTITY.
Baptism is about “Who we are!” because of “Whose we are!” We are the forgiven, redeemed, fully alive, dead to sin but alive to God, children of God.
Our daily living flows from this identity. We do what we do because it is “who we are”. We don’t do what we don’t do because it’s “not who we are”.
“Baptism is God’s work, and what He does is sure and certain. Nothing is more certain in all the universe than the name that God placed on us in Baptism – the name by which God revealed Himself to us. Baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we have God’s own pledge and promise in Baptism that He has forgiven our sins and delivered us from death, hell, and the devil.
In time of doubt, temptation, or failure – and especially in the face of death – we can boldly say, “I am baptized into Christ,” and be certain that the comforting words of Romans 8:1 are true, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
Luther’s Small Catechism