Sermon – Abiding Word – November 17, 2002 (Baptism …



Sermon – Baptism Sunday - Galatians 3:23-29 & Romans 6:3-4

Armani, Gucci, Abercrombie and Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, Ann Taylor….we Americans love clothes. We have Gymboree and Baby Gap to dress our little ones. When it’s time to go back to school, countless clothing stores market their styles and more importantly their labels to students of all ages. For adults from every walk of life, there are companies and retailers offering a particular style of clothing to fit everyone’s needs and desires. Although we may not carry it to an extreme, all of us are affected by the attitudes of our culture toward clothes.

In the Scriptures that we will consider in our sermon today, God will remind us of the spiritual clothes he has given us. Listen as I read Galatians 3:23-29 & Romans 6:3-4. These verses are printed in the worship folder if you would like to follow along as I read them.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:26-27)

Or 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. (Romans 6:3-4)

God offers spiritual clothes that fit everyone. Through baptism we are clothed with Christ. We are wrapped up in Jesus and all of his goodness through the promises connected to the water of baptism. We’re clothed with his perfection, his righteousness. None of the designer labels available to us can compare with the garments we have in Jesus’ name. The Lord offers a wonderful wardrobe for his people. It’s his Son’s life, death, and resurrection. These are ours to “wear” spiritually. Today, may the Holy Spirit lead each of us to more greatly appreciate God’s grace that through baptism we are …

CLOTHED WITH CHRIST ALL OUR LIFE.

In these verses from the Apostle Paul’s inspired letters to the Galatians and the Romans, he connected two powerful truths to Christian baptism. In baptism we are clothed with Jesus so that we are 1) dressed for salvation, and 2) we are dressed for service to God.

Through Baptism We Are Dressed For Salvation.

First, let’s consider how being clothed with Christ dresses us for salvation. Through his Word, God will show us why we need to be clothed in Jesus and what it means for us when we are.

In recent years, dress codes and school uniforms have been debated in many school districts. Those who argue for them say that children who wear uniforms can concentrate on their studies and not on how they look. There is even some evidence that shows that the way a young person dresses will influence his or her behavior. In addition, some say that uniforms also give students a sense of belonging. When they wear the uniform of their school, their bond to it is strengthened.

Does God have a dress code and does he require a uniform for us to wear to live in his presence? We can find answers to these questions in the truths that the Bible teaches in connection with baptism. The Bible reveals our great need for baptism. Ephesians 2:1 tells us, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” Romans 8:7 says, “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.” In Psalm 51:5 King David declared, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” The LORD said this of mankind, “...every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.” (Genesis 8:21) Our Savior Jesus said in John 3:6, “Flesh gives birth to flesh….” In other words, sinful parents give birth to little sinners. On the basis of these passages, we have to admit that we are really rotten before God, aren’t we?” Yes, we are! Even though babies look sweet and innocent, they inherit a sinful nature from their parents. When they are born, they are clothed in sin. And all we do as we grow up is add more layers of sinfulness to our spiritual clothing. We spread the stench of sin into every part of the fabric of our life.

But some might say, “Well, I can wash and clean my clothes? Can’t I change my way of living so that I am dressed more appropriately in God’s sight?” No, that won’t work. We might stop certain sinful behaviors and clean up our life in a few areas. But we have no way of cleaning the stains of sin with which we were born much less those that we keep on committing. The LORD said through Jeremiah, “Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me.” (Jeremiah 2:22) The Prophet Isaiah also described the desperate situation each of us faces when he wrote, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)

Another approach to our spiritual uncleanness might be to try to freshen our spiritual clothes by doing good things. Once again, we are confronted with an impossibility. Trying to cover our sinful body odor with good behavior is like masking smells with air freshener. The smell is still there. Deep down we still stink with sin! Jesus said that we must, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) To be welcome in the presence of a holy God, we must be holy—dressed in perfection.

So when it comes to spiritual clothing, we really can’t make ourselves clean enough to be pleasing to God. Before we wear our first diaper, we are clothed in the rags of sin. Every day that we live we add to our wardrobe of unholiness. We can’t clean ourselves up, and we can’t cover our sinfulness. That is why we treasure our baptism. As that passage which Paul wrote to Galatian Christians teaches us: All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:27)

In the Gospel lesson for this Sunday, we heard that Jesus went to be baptized. Have you ever thought about why Jesus was baptized? Since baptism is meant for sinners and Jesus was without any sin, he did not need baptism. Even John the Baptizer recognized the fact that Jesus didn’t have to receive baptism. He tried to stop Jesus from being baptized. Jesus replied to John’s concern by saying, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15) Jesus’ mission was to take the place of sinners. He came to live a perfect life in their place and to die as the sacrifice for their sins. His baptism was part of his work to live a perfect life for us. Our baptism connects us to that work. Ephesians 5:25-27 tells us that, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” That is why we want to be clothed with Christ all our life. He dresses us in his holiness. When we put our faith in what he has done, we are dressed for salvation.

Through Baptism We Are Dressed For Service.

If our understanding of baptism stops with our being dressed for salvation, we are missing out on a second important truth that God’s Word connects to it. Those who have been baptized are dressed for salvation, and they are also dressed for service. Romans 6:3-4 reminds us, “Or 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.”

This is where we find practical application of our baptism to our daily life. Baptism isn’t something that happens to us once and is then forgotten. Since it clothes us with Christ and connects us to him , we wear our baptism every day. Clothed with Christ through baptism, we have died to sin and now live a new life for God.

Have you ever seen the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C? Many Americans have traveled to see the more than 58,000 names engraved on the black granite walls that make up the memorial. For three veterans, a visit to that monument must be especially moving. Because of a mistake by the army, their names were incorrectly listed as killed in action even though they are still alive. I would think it would be an unsettling thing to see your name listed among the dead even though you are alive. It would serve as a reminder to live every day to the fullest. In a way our baptism is like that. When we remember that we have died to sin, we want to live every day to fullest—in the fullest service to our Savior.

At the beginning of our service this morning, we made a bold statement about baptism. We said, “Baptism means that the sinful nature in us should be drowned by daily sorrow and repentance, and that all its evil deeds and desires be put to death. It also means that a new person should daily arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” Every day the new you and the new me that we were given in baptism is to live as one of God’s children. When we go to work, or school, or out shopping, or when we do any other of the countless activities of life, remember that we belong to Christ. Though our baptism, we are clothed with Christ all our life.

Armani, Gucci, Abercrombie and Fitch, Tommy Hilfiger, Ann Taylor….yes, we Americans are concerned about our clothes. Perhaps we are not obsessed with the way we look, but we all do care about our clothes in some way or another. More important are the spiritual clothes that were given to us by God through baptism. With the water and his Word, we were clothed with Christ for all our life.

Thank God that he dressed you in Jesus’ perfection for salvation, and now show off your beautiful, spiritual clothing by living your life in service to God who saved you and loves you as his own. Amen.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download