Tag: baptism

Enough

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(Colossians 2:6-15)

We want more. More of everything. We’re discouraged from “settling,” as more is usually reasonably within reach. Products and services are peddled effectively by promising more than whatever the competitor is offering. And why is it that we want more? Because we’re convinced we don’t have enough.

We don’t have enough saved up for retirement. We don’t have a big enough house or yard. We don’t have enough time to get that done today, too. We don’t have enough bandwidth to have that conversation. We don’t have enough… 

The words from Colossians smash that silliness of needing more by reminding us unequivocally that we have enough. Paul was writing to people who thought they needed more. They were being taught by others, “sure, you have Jesus – but you need more.” You need Jesus and this law or rite or ceremony. You need Jesus and to live this way or that way. You need Jesus and this enlightenment. Jesus is fantastic, but he isn’t enough. You need more. 

Paul responded with this: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (v.9). Fullness. What does that word mean? It’s another way of saying “enough.” There isn’t “more,” because there isn’t even room for more. That’s what full means!

In this day and age, when gas pumps automatically shut off, it’s really hard to overflow your tank with gas. But it can still be done.

I know.

When you’re used to filling up your gas tank, you know how many gallons it can hold. Not too long ago, as I eyed the pump while refueling, I knew it was nowhere near how many gallons the tank could hold. So, I was getting frustrated that the stupid pump kept clicking off every time I insisted on pumping more into the tank. Finally, when a little gas started spilling out of the tank, I got the message. That’s when I remembered that the tank wasn’t near “E” like it is almost every time I fill up, but was already half full. So, once the tank was filled up, the pump was doing exactly what it was supposed to do: shut off. It was letting the operator know the tank is full. It cannot hold anymore. It will overflow if you keep pumping gas. 

If Christ is all the fullness of the Deity, then he lacks nothing. There isn’t room for more. He is fully God. He isn’t a stand-in. He isn’t merely a representative or a replica. He isn’t a part of the whole. He is the fullness of God in the flesh. All of God, living and breathing, walking and talking with mankind as man himself while here on earth. 

Since Christ is the fully-in-the-flesh God, he has actual power. “He is the head over every power and authority” (v.10b).

That kind of power means Christ can accomplish what he claims. Anything less than a fully-in-the-flesh God would leave us doubtful. We’d lack certainty. But because Jesus Christ is really God, he has real power.

Fans of the show, Survivor, have become accustomed to contestants constructing their own elaborate immunity necklaces. Through these fake immunity idols, they hope to fool other players into thinking they have real power. But as real as those necklaces may appear to other contestants, if they try to play them to avoid getting voted out of the game, they end up looking rather foolish. That’s because the fake necklace doesn’t offer real immunity from a vote. It’s merely a look-a-like – not the real thing. It has no real power.

But since Christ, the fullness of the Deity in bodily form, has real power, then you can be sure that “in Christ you have been brought to fullness” (v.10a). As such, we have all that we need, or “fullness” in Christ. If Christ were not fully God, not the real thing, then we could not be brought to fullness “in Christ.” Rather, we could only have been brought to fullness in Christ and this or that other thing. But not just “in Christ.”

Yet that’s exactly what Paul writes. We have been brought to fullness in Christ, because Christ is fully God. 

But while Jesus is enough, it isn’t enough to know about Jesus; we have to know how he achieved that fullness for us. Paul covered that. “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh…” (v.13a). You and I were dead. Dead in our sins.

People struggle to realize or believe the Bible’s teaching that no matter how good we may think we are, the reality is that we are dead. We are the walking dead. We’re dead in sin. Why is that so hard for us to naturally accept or believe? 

Yes, we are exceptional at downplaying and diminishing our sin as not being all that bad. But, there’s more: sometimes the last thing sin feels like is death. Right? In fact, if anyone reading this has sinned (and I think there are a few…), you know from experience that sin is so deceptively destructive because in the moment, we experience the rush of feeling very much alive!

After all, isn’t that what makes sin so appealing? It makes us think we’re missing out on something, and so we go through with it to experience whatever rush it promises, and then… then, we crash and die. Like a skydiver without a parachute, sin provides the rebellious rush of jumping out of the plane, but with no parachute. And the end result will always be the same: death.

The rush of rebelling against parents or anyone in authority and living life my way. The euphoria of sex on my terms whenever I want and with whomever I want outside of marriage. The satisfaction of roasting someone else. We feel so alive in the midst of our sin! But the end result is always the same: death. The promised rush was never real, but an effective scheme of Satan used repeatedly to lead a lamb to its slaughter. That’s all sin can do. It condemns. It kills.

But now, “God made [us] alive with Christ” (v.13b). Could this really happen? How did this happen? “with Christ,” Paul says. Did God really raise Christ from the dead? Yes! Then God can make alive, because Christ lives! If Christ, who died, lives, then you have really been made alive with him!

And here’s how he did it. “He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (v.13b-14). He forgave our sins, not just because he’s a nice guy or wanted to change his mind, but because he paid the price. He nailed our sin to the cross with him, so everything we owed because of our sin has been cancelled and forgiven. And if it was that sin that killed and condemned us, but that sin no longer remains, then we are no longer dead, but made alive with Christ.

In Jesus’ case, the cross was not for a criminal; it was the podium on which the victor was displayed. The cross didn’t mean death and defeat, but victory! And not just for Christ, who did not need to win anything for himself, but a victory he won for us! And he didn’t hesitate to make that victory known, but displayed it clearly for Satan and all who oppose him to see. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (v.15).

Most trophy cases have plaques and medals and ribbons, but Christ’s has a cross. Just think of how Satan despises that cross around your neck, displayed on your wall at home, fixed in the front of churches! They serve as a constant reminder of our victory and his defeat!

We know who Jesus is – the fullness of God. We know how fullness in Christ is found: through the cross. When, though, does it become ours?

In baptism. Paul wrote, “Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ,  having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead” (v.11b-12). In baptism, you were buried and raised with Christ. In baptism, God cut out the old self ruled by the sinful flesh and raised up the new child of God. 

Do you feel alive? You are, in Christ. What now? In this new year, you don’t need more – at least not more of the same old stuff you’ve chased after in the past that has gotten you where you are today. If you’re still chasing after more in this life because you don’t have enough, then maybe it’s time to start pursuing more of the One who is enough. How? “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (v.6-7).

Maybe your life doesn’t feel like enough because you’re not continuing to live in him. Maybe your life doesn’t feel like enough because your roots are too shallow. Maybe your life doesn’t feel like enough because your faith is so weak. Maybe your life doesn’t feel like enough because you’re not very grateful. 

Do you want to live your life in him, deepen your roots, strengthen your faith, or grow in gratitude – but you don’t know how? If that’s the case, you’re in the right place. Start here! Dig into the Word – and get into God’s house. Find a local Christian congregation that unapologetically proclaims Christ.

Whatever you’ve told yourself to keep you from being at church – discard those lying, deceitful reasons! If Christ is enough – and he is – church is where Christ is proclaimed. And where Christ is, that’s where roots deepen and faith is strengthened. Where Christ is, is where thankfulness begins to overflow. 

More than likely, there’s going to be a need to establish some new habits. Research shows that success in achieving goals and growth doesn’t most often come the way we might think it does: with big, sweeping, radical changes that completely transform our lives. Rather, lasting success comes from very small choices or habits carried out consistently over time.

Another popular way of expressing this principle is the one percent rule. If you focus on getting just one percent better each day and carry it out repeatedly, those efforts will compound over time into something bigger. Put your dish in the dishwasher daily instead of on the counter. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. One serving of dessert. You get the point. 

Doesn’t it seem like Paul understood this? He didn’t write to the Colossians, “Oh, Jesus Christ is your Lord? That’s great, then you’re good to go.” He wrote, “continue to live your lives in him.” Continue. Consistently. 1% every day. One Bible verse on your phone daily. Say a prayer first thing in the morning. Thank God for one blessing every day. One act of service for someone daily. Some of you might need to start with smaller, weekly steps. How about one Sunday a week at church? 🙂 Whatever it is, don’t stop. Continue. Consistently. Because Christ. Is. Enough.

Anointed to Be Our Righteousness

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(Matthew 3:13-17)

Jesus’ Resurrection would have been a significant enough event to have heard it. But there were plenty of even lesser miracles that would have been fitting. When Jesus changed water into wine at Cana, for example. When he raised Lazarus or Jairus’s daughter from the dead. Feeding the Five Thousand. Each of those miraculous events would have served as ideal occasions on which the Father’s booming voice of approval could have echoed from the heavens. 

Imagine the guests at Cana, gushing over the best wine ever, now realizing that the special occasion just got a lot more special because God’s voice confirmed they were in the presence of God’s Son! God’s approval would serve as the perfect exclamation point after a dead person just came back to life. The leftover loads of fish and bread that surpassed what they had even started with would have made perfect sense to the disciples if God’s voice had immediately emphasized that it was his Son who was responsible.

But it wasn’t any of those occasions on which the “voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (v.17). No, those words were spoken at Jesus’ baptism. An event which, by the way, seemed entirely unnecessary to some, including the one performing the baptism, John the Baptist himself. If anyone should be an expert in who should or shouldn’t need baptism, it would surely be the one whose very title denotes his experience and expertise in the area of baptism. Yet he was the one who was puzzled enough to second-guess Jesus’ request: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (v.14). All of this makes us wonder why this event was the one chosen by God to voice his approval. 

If we eavesdrop in on Peter’s sermon from Acts 10, he explained the significance of Jesus’ baptism and the events surrounding it: “You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power” (Acts 10:37-38). The Father’s affirming voice was the stamp of approval acknowledging Jesus’ baptism as his anointing into ministry. 

Still today, we have a special service when a pastor is ordained or installed. Other pastors join in laying on hands. But at Jesus’ baptism, instead of hands, the Father laid the Holy Spirit on his Son in the likeness of a dove. His baptism was his anointing, his ordination into ministry. 

Jesus also provides us with additional insight as to the significance of his baptism. It wasn’t just his anointing. “Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented” (v.15). Jesus had to “fulfill all righteousness.”

Righteousness. It’s a big word. It’s an important word. In fact, we’d literally be lost without it. 

While it’s a little early in the church year for the festival of the Reformation, whenever the word “righteousness” is discussed, it can be helpful to recall the struggle that Martin Luther had with the term righteous in the earlier stages of his life. He knew that only righteous people could enter heaven, since the Bible teaches that only those who are perfect will enter heaven. But, he also knew that all efforts at achieving righteousness on his own were in vain.

This understanding that holiness is required for whatever is in the afterlife is still pretty commonly held to today in a very general sense: good people go to heaven; bad people don’t. But it’s that general understanding that will leave so many in trouble, because “good” is entirely subjective. When our natural inclination is to compare ourselves to the worst in society, people can feel pretty good about themselves. They hold on to a false confidence that they’re good enough to get into heaven. But there are no good people in heaven; just perfect people.

So, we had better make absolutely certain we know how that perfection, that righteousness, is acquired! That’s where Luther struggled. He took desperate measures to do everything he possibly could to achieve righteousness on his own. Do you know where those desperate measures left him? Desperate. In despair. Because by his own experience, he was absolutely convinced that he could never attain righteousness on his own. Indeed, he was experiencing exactly what the Bible teaches about righteousness: “the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal” (Romans 9:31). 

It seems logical to conclude that, if God gave the law, then abiding by it – doing what it says to do and avoiding what it says not to do – should be the path to righteousness. But, just like the Israelites, and everyone before or after them, the only realization one can arrive at is this: if the law is the means by which righteousness is attained, then no one will ever attain righteousness, for no one has ever come close to keeping the law!

So if righteousness can’t be achieved by keeping the law, but is still a requirement for us to gain access to heaven, then how do we come by it? “What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith” (Romans 9:30). It is not the law, then, but faith by which a person obtains righteousness. Paul repeats this truth extensively throughout his letter to the Romans. “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known…This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:21-22). “To the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5).

But, for righteousness to be credited to us by faith, it first had to be attained so that it could be granted to us. That brings us back to the Jordan River. There, Jesus was not only anointed as the One chosen to secure our righteousness, but also took a major step in carrying that righteousness through his baptism. Had the Savior slipped up and sinned or failed to follow through with even the slightest requirement of the law, then he would not have achieved righteousness. And had he not achieved righteousness, then there would be no righteousness to credit to all who believe. 

But he did, and so he can – and does. By faith, the righteousness of Jesus is the righteousness of Abraham, Martin Luther, you and me, and all who believe.

So then, where does your baptism come in? What role does it play? Is it an outward act of obedience that shows God our righteousness? That would only make sense if righteousness could be obtained by the law or by any act of obedience. But since we just established that isn’t the case, then our baptism cannot be merely a display of our obedience or dedication, for that wouldn’t carry any weight before a God who only accepts perfection.

No, our baptism is so much more significant than that. Our baptism is like the floodgate that opens up all of the blessings that flow from the righteousness that Jesus already earned for us.

Buried and raised with him? Check.

Washed and renewed? Check.

Forgiven and saved? Check.

A loving Father who is pleased with us? Check.

Jesus’ righteousness had to come by the law so that our righteousness could come by faith. His baptism had to fulfill all righteousness so that our baptism could make us right with God. His baptism was to keep the law so that your baptism washes you from the curse of the law.

Now, wrapped in the double blessing of a baptism that is backed by the Savior’s baptism, we pursue living in the righteousness that reflects the gift of righteousness we’ve been given. Remember what Peter said in his sermon about Jesus’ baptism – that he was “anointed… with the Holy Spirit and power.” Too easily we forget or simply aren’t aware that the same Holy Spirit and power have been placed on us and are in us through our baptismal faith. We are so comfortable defaulting to Jesus’ perfection and righteousness that we fail to allow those blessings to spur us on to continue to pursue righteous living. 

We aren’t desperate. We don’t live fraught with despair that we’re not good enough, but are confident that in Christ’s baptismal righteousness, we are perfect! Our lives reflect that appreciation and confidence by looking the part. We don’t settle for walking and talking like the rest of the world, but are eager to pursue righteous living – because that is genuinely what we are in Christ: righteous.

Grace and forgiveness don’t prompt us to lower the bar in our living, but to raise it, to honor Jesus in every possible way by following in his footsteps. Jesus’ baptism – and by extension yours – doesn’t just change our status before God; it empowers our sanctification before him. When we take the time to remember and appreciate the significance of Jesus’ baptism, we more deeply treasure our own. So we raise the bar of righteous living to thank him who is our righteousness.

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Marvel at Jesus’ Baptism – and My Own

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. In many churches that follow the pattern of the church year, Jesus’ baptism will be the focus of worship today. At his baptism, not only did you voice your approval of your Son for those present to hear, but the anointing power of the Holy Spirit was also visible in the form of a dove. Armed with the strength of the Spirit, your Son set out to begin his ministry and to fulfill all that was necessary to achieve our salvation. Having accomplished all that needed to be done, he also established the blessing of baptism for us, connecting us through it to every benefit he secured for us. Let believers marvel at Jesus’ baptism, so they are led to deeply treasure their own. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Put on My New Self

Loving Lord,
Only in and through you can I expect success in the war between my old and new self. I prayerfully and consciously strive to put down the old self and keep him in check. But just as important in winning that battle is my need to rely on your righteousness and the armor of God with which I am equipped for battle. In baptism, you covered me with your very righteousness, preparing me for a lifetime of conflict with the evil one. Grant me the daily confidence of the victory you already won against him, so that I can also stand against him and face him fearlessly. When my old self betrays me, let my new self courageously respond. Remind me that I never go into battle alone, but that you are always right there beside me, ultimately ensuring my eternal victory.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For Your Strength to Sustain Me

Almighty God,
I am not interested in pretending that my own strength is sufficient to sustain me in any way. So I ask you to strengthen me with your power, according to your might. Only then will I have the ability to patiently endure. Only then will I have any hope or chance of withstanding Satan’s attacks and defending against him in spiritual warfare. 

Strengthen me with your sacraments. Help me to embrace my Spirit-filled identity as victor, which you anointed me with through my baptism. Reinvigorate me through the Supper when my soul is weary and worn, and rejuvenate me through your body and blood to rejoin the spiritual battle with fresh vigor. Equip me with the weapon of your Word to fight valiantly, to persevere, and to confidently expect the victory you have already promised and won. When you alone are the only source of my strength, I know I will never fail. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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For the Daily Blessings of My Baptism

Gracious Father,
Thank you for the blessings of my baptism. Through this gracious act you have achieved for me so much to sustain me spiritually throughout my life. Lead me to benefit daily from reflecting on the spiritual realities that are mine through this precious gift. Since my baptism assures me that I belong in your family, it keeps me secure and stable whether I am experiencing sensational successes or frustrating failures in my life, for neither takes away from or adds to my place in the family. I am still yours.

When the guilt of my sin lingers far too long, I can revisit my baptismal font for the refreshing reminder that my sin has been washed away through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

When my life lacks purpose or I feel like I am wondering aimlessly, wondering what to do, my baptism redirects me to the new life and purpose I have in Jesus, providing meaning for my many callings to joyfully serve others in so many ways. 

Thank you for the blessings of my baptism. Lead me to treasure them daily. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

Remember Your Baptism

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(Titus 3:4-7)

I was recently reminded of what I don’t particularly care for this time of year: the pronounced darkness. Not so much the darkness outside – that I’m used to. The darkness is the most striking inside immediately after all of the Christmas decorations have come down. In our home those include the warm glow of Christmas nightlights accenting the outlets, subtle string lights woven through the greenery on the fireplace mantle, and various other Christmas pieces throughout the house that have regularly cast their subtle flicker or glimmer every evening. I’ve gotten accustomed to their cozy welcome at night since the beginning of December until Epiphany, and now the darkness is so much more pronounced.

That’s also illustrative of how many people feel this time of year. While it’s said to have started as a marketing ploy, what’s been dubbed “Blue Monday” usually takes place the third Monday in January. There are a number of reasons why many might struggle that time of year: for some it may literally be the darker days, as less daylight can contribute to Seasonal Affective Disorder. Bills that come due from the December spending and already-broken resolutions are some other contributing factors. Really, whether it’s this time of year or any other, when we struggle with being down, as helpful as it is to identify the cause, what’s more helpful is finding the solution. And that solution may be much easier – and far more helpful than you’ve ever realized: remember your baptism.

You’ve heard the words before. They’ve been offered as encouragement. They sound like something a pastor or Christian might say to another Christian. But what do they actually mean? How do we actually remember our baptism? Why should something so plain and ordinary on the surface be able to actually do anything meaningful for me in my daily life?

If you look at the font in the front of my church, you’ll see how plain it is. It’s not ornate. There’s not a single design or engraving on it. There are no colors or special attention-grabbing features except the cross protruding from its top. It has just four legs supporting a plain base that holds a plain and simple stainless steel bowl. Into that bowl goes plain water right from the tap. There may not be many fonts out there that are more plain than this ours. 

But what happens there is anything but plain. It is profound. It is powerful. It is also pictured in Paul’s letter to Pastor Titus. “But 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. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (v.4-7). When you hear the words “remember your baptism,” remember these words. 

A business may determine it’s time to reinvent itself. Maybe it’s a result of some bad publicity. Maybe it’s because profits have been sliding. Maybe it’s some other reason. But whatever the reason, it decides to inject a new look or a new approach. The desired outcome of course is that reinventing itself will get the business back on a healthy track.

Individuals sometimes take the same approach. It’s more than just getting a makeover, although that may be a part of it. It’s a whole new you, different from what people have become accustomed to.

But as believers, we don’t need to reinvent; we just need to remember. We need to remember who we are because of whose we are, and whose we are was established at our baptism. There you were marked and sealed as belonging to God. In your baptism, God set you apart and gave you an identity that serves and secures you not just for your time here on earth, but for eternity.

If you aren’t sure who you are or who you want to be, it’s less about looking ahead and contemplating all the changes you need to make, and more about looking back and remembering all the changes God already made for you that he poured on you at your baptism. Remember these words: “But 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. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (v.4-7).

But there’s a difference between being told all of this spiritual talk in church (or reading about it in a devotion or on a blog during the week) and living in the joy of that identity. We agree that the verses from Titus 3 are nice-sounding, and they certainly line up with everything the Bible teaches, and we even believe them to be true.

So why do so many walk out the door on a Sunday morning and immediately slip right back into trying to reinvent themselves or pursue some other identity? Why do we say to ourselves, “Oh, that was a nice little spiritual pep-talk this morning,” but nothing real happens in our lives, no real changes? 

I am convinced it has a lot to do with not reflecting on and thinking about so many of the words and promises of God, like the ones we have before us here from Titus. So which words shall we focus on? Which ones do you have to start believing to see yourself differently? Which ones do you have to believe to grasp how radically changed you are in Christ?

Let’s start with the phrase that is repeated twice: “he saved us” (v.5). How often do you stop to soak up what that means? Apart from “the kindness and love of God our Savior” (v.4), we know where we would be headed, right? Making it sting even more, we’re not just talking about some younger version of ourselves that didn’t know better and needed saving; we’re talking about the you today and the you tomorrow that will again and again demonstrate why you need saving. You can’t stop sinning. You can’t give it up. You keep on doing it, whether it’s calculated, consciously, or carelessly. Every single day you demonstrate why you need saving. 

And so every single day, these words ought to be life for you and me: “he saved us.” While you keep daily demonstrating why you need saving, his one-time sacrifice in the past already rescued you. That is your status: saved. No Seasonal Affective Disorder, no December bills, and no already-broken resolutions can ever change that identity. You are saved. Remember these words!

And let there be no doubt about how: “through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (v.5). Who needs reinventing when we remember that through baptism we’ve already been reborn and renewed? See how Paul gushes about baptism, echoing the words of Jesus to Nicodemus to be born again of water and the Spirit (cf. John 3)! 

The new year is always swarmed with publicity and promotions selling a “new you.” And everything from skin creams to day spas promise to rejuvenate and renew you.

But they promise what you already have in your baptism. The new you reborn at your baptism doesn’t age or deteriorate, but only grows in sanctified living and loving Jesus. Your renewal is daily, as you remember the sins that Jesus washed away and drowned along with your old self. Whenever you cast those sins away through confession, you are renewed again and again, without limit. Remember these words!

And be sure these words are reliable because “through Jesus Christ our Savior, [you have] been justified by his grace” (v.6-7). Let it be this simple: God says you are not guilty because of Jesus.

Read it again: God says you are not guilty because of Jesus.

That is what grace declares you to be: not guilty. Remember these words!

But wait, there’s more! If, as God declares, you are not guilty, and there is nothing to deny or disqualify you from heaven, then that makes you “heirs having the hope of eternal life” (v.7).

How much would your life change, not just decades down the road, but today, if today you found out you were an heir to an estate valued at hundreds of millions of dollars? Even though it may be years until that fortune is yours to manage, you would start living like it today. You would make all kinds of plans. You’d envision paying off all debt. You’d imagine splurging on a wild spending spree. You’d think about how it will change your family tree. You’d start discussing causes to support and generous gifts to give. You’d plan out a legendary legacy. You would do so much right now even though as an heir you won’t inherit anything until the future. 

Can it be any different as an heir who has the hope of eternal life? This is not church talk or religious speak here – that inheritance is worth ridiculously more than some multimillion or even billion dollar estate. Is there any reason you can’t live like that right now? Absolutely not!

Your debt has already been paid. You can splurge spiritually and feed your soul like never before. You can change your family tree by putting Jesus first and helping your loved ones do the same. You can discuss causes to support and generous gifts to give that build up Christ’s kingdom. You can plan a legendary legacy that will see that your kingdom impact will continue long after you’ve gone home and received your inheritance in heaven. You can do so much right now as “heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Remember these words!

Does it make sense yet? Do you get it? Can you articulate what it means to remember your baptism? It means to remember all that you are and have through Jesus because all that he did for you is yours in baptism. 

Your identity is secure. Live with confidence. Live over fear. Live out your faith. Live in the light.

Live in your baptism. 

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Live in My Baptismal Grace

Heavenly Father,
Sundays are sacred. On this Sunday, many services and sermons will be focused on Jesus’ baptism. It was there that you both anointed and affirmed him, setting him apart as our Substitute and your Son, who was perfectly qualified to secure our salvation. 

Just as you revealed his identity at his baptism, so also did you reveal my identity at my baptism: by faith you call me your son. As your son, I am also heir to your kingdom. Surely the inheritance awaiting me in heaven far surpasses anything I could ever inherit on earth! Therefore, let me embrace the treasure that is my baptism, by which you clothed me in Christ adopted me into your family. Let my baptism be for me all that I need to live securely every day in my identity and status before you.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

It Begins with Baptism

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(Romans 6:1-11)

Every amazing contribution that mankind has had throughout history has at least one thing in common: a beginning. Anything meaningful and significant happened because someone started. The first step was taken. The rough draft was drawn up. The initial trial run took place. While the first attempt is rarely the final attempt, since polishing and trial and error are typically required to fine-tune things, none of that happens without a start, without a beginning. Countless good thoughts or ideas never amounted to anything because without taking a first step or beginning, those thoughts and ideas remained just that – thoughts and ideas. Beginnings are hugely important. 

Beginnings are also undoubtedly on our minds at this start of the new year. There is a 100% chance that every one of us will experience new beginnings this year. Some of them will be by choice; others will not. The start of high school or college will mark a new beginning. A new beginning may be in store regarding a job or relationship.

But 2024 may also bring the beginning of a new treatment plan or surgery. For those having lost loved ones, this year will include new responsibilities that used to be carried out either by or with that loved one. Beginnings, both the ones we choose as well as those we don’t, can serve as major turning points in our lives. 

The start of Jesus’ public ministry was one such turning point. As he carried out his work as preacher and teacher of the Word and Savior of the world, how did it all begin? With his baptism. 

During the season of Epiphany, we celebrate that the child born in Bethlehem was born to serve as the Savior not just of one nation or race, but of all people everywhere. And the start of Jesus’ saving work of everyone everywhere began at his baptism. In the days of the early Christian church, in one of his sermons that he preached in the house of a Gentile named Cornelius, Peter highlighted the importance of Jesus’ baptism when he said, “You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:37-38).

Jesus’ baptism was the beginning. It marked him as loved and chosen by the Father. It anointed him with the Holy Spirit, arming him with the power necessary to take the battle to the devil, healing the hurting and freeing those under his control. It was a milestone in his perfect life of obedience, not because he needed to be baptized for the forgiveness of his own sins, but to give power to our baptism for the washing away of our sins.

Baptism didn’t just mark the beginning of Jesus’ ministry; it also marked the beginning of his work in many of our lives as well. Baptism marked us as loved and chosen by the Father. Baptism anointed us with the Holy Spirit, arming us with the power necessary to continue taking the battle to the devil. Baptism was a milestone, a turning point in our lives, because through it God applied Christ’s perfect life of obedience and washed away our sins.

When others limit baptism’s significance to only being reflective of our devotion or commitment to God, they bottle up baptism and the full measure of its power. Baptism is so much more than our effort at grabbing God’s attention so he takes note of our intended allegiance to him! Rather, it is God grabbing us and claiming us as his own to demonstrate how devoted he is to us and to our salvation. Can you think of a better way to begin?!?

There is something we’re drawn to about beginnings. They hold out promise. Beginnings make us optimistic. We get excited about possibilities. Think of the beginning words of a new book or opening scenes of a movie that instantly grab you. Think of that great first day of work or school that far exceeded what you had expected. We love beginnings.

But as important as they are, beginnings are also just that: beginnings. While a beginning can offer unlimited possibilities and potential, what happens after the beginning is going to determine the finish. The statistics of failed new year resolutions serve as a proof that what happens after the new beginning matters very much! Many a sports team has started strong at the beginning only to fall apart after that. Many businesses get off to a flying start at the beginning but still end up bankrupt and broke. What happens after the beginning matters, too!

So, Christian, how has it been going in your life since your beginning, since your baptism? What happens after the beginning matters, too! Like the doting grandparents commenting on how big their grandchildren have grown, would God say the same about you, spiritually speaking? Would he look at how far you’ve come since your baptism and say, “My, how you’ve grown!”?

Are the fruits of the Spirit more abundant in your life, or would you have trouble even being able to list one of the fruits? Are you more likely to invite a friend to church because you’re so excited for them to experience what you have in Jesus? Or, do you tend to be the one explaining to others that a person doesn’t have to go to church to be a Christian? Do you find yourself proud of how consistently you give an offering but quickly overlook that your giving hasn’t increased in years? Do you view needy people as an obstacle or an opportunity? Is your prayer life as active as your social media accounts or is it more like 9-1-1, reserved only for emergencies? Do you have a devotional life? Is it daily? Is it driven by duty or delight? Are you more forgiving? More loving? More discerning? More humble? 

Which one struck a chord? If you need help, it may have been the thing I wrote that caused you to think, “there he goes with that again.”

When we take the time to assess our spiritual growth – which is itself an indicator of growth, as so many don’t ever even bother to do that! – not only do we see areas where little to no growth has occurred, but we also see troubling trends of digression. Instead of making progress, we digress!

Forgive us, Lord, for our lack of attention to the most important matter of our spiritual growth! Don’t treat us with the same indifference that we treat our sanctification! Don’t hold against us that we have made so little of our Christian living that started out with such promise at our baptism! Don’t give us the wretched end we deserve for taking for granted the beginning you graciously worked in us!

And here is what makes baptism so profound and powerful: it isn’t just the beginning; it is everything after as well!

How can this be? Because by your baptism you are handcuffed to Christ. What was his is yours. When he died, was buried, and rose, via your baptism, you died, were buried, and rose. Paul put it this way: “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). New life! New beginning! Newness in Christ each and every day – all of which began at our baptism. 

Again, how can this be? Paul explains, “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— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin” (v.6-7). The old sinner in you was nailed to the cross with Christ. So if that sin has been paid for, then you are no longer a slave to it. If you have already died – which you have, with Christ – then you have been set free from sin.

Now let us make sure we understand the full extent of this freedom that our baptism offers. Baptism isn’t just freedom from the condemnation of sin; it is also freedom from the control of sin! That accuser Satan cannot charge you with sin that has already been paid for and forgiven. By that same token, sin that has already been paid for and forgiven has no power or control over you, either! You are free to choose a different path, the path of righteousness.

At your baptism, the Holy Spirit didn’t just zap you with some spiritual superpower; he completely changed who you are. See in these verses that Paul is revealing how powerful baptism is – it doesn’t just give you the power or ability for good in your life, but also entirely changed your status. You were a slave to sin with a reservation in hell. Now, though, you are free and to you belongs a reservation in heaven, where Jesus still lives in service to God. 

You know the Wanted posters from the wild west. They showed a picture of of an at-large criminal with the promise of a reward if the criminal was turned in – whether dead or alive. One or the other – it didn’t matter, so long as the criminal was no longer a risk. 

In baptism, we aren’t dead or alive, but rather dead and alive. “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (v.11). You were baptized, but that was just the beginning. Because of it, you are now very much alive to God in Christ Jesus. This year, perhaps more than any other, let’s begin to live like we’re alive in Christ – because by virtue of your baptism, you are!

Anointing Uncovered

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(Luke 3:15–17, 21-22)

Plot twists. Remodels. Voting results. Learning in general. There are things in life that have to be revealed to us – things that we either do not have the authority, the ability, or the necessary information to figure out. Such things need to be made known to us. They need to be revealed and/or explained to us.

As we shift in this new year from the church season of Christmas to the season we call “Epiphany,” we are entering a season in which the entire focus is on something that needs to be revealed. That is actually what the word epiphany means in the first place: “to make known” or “to reveal.” So over the course of these weeks of Epiphany, just what needs to be made known or revealed? This simple, yet essential truth: Jesus Christ, the very One whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, is the Savior of all people. 

In this series then, Uncovered, we follow Jesus at the outset of his ministry, stopping at key events through which he reveals – uncovers – for us truths about God that we simply cannot discover on our own. For unless Jesus had revealed these truths to us and God had recorded them in the Bible, we would remain in the dark, closed off and clueless to the realities of a gracious God who both laid out and carried out every minute detail necessary for our salvation. 

We need only look at the history of man’s contrived religious efforts to see failure after failure at achieving any closeness or relationship with God on our own. Mankind is driven toward the divine, for it is imprinted in us by God himself that he exists. But apart from what must be revealed to us about him, man will only succeed in drawing up a woefully inadequate version of God. Man’s best effort at identifying God on his own will be a far cry from the faithful Triune God who delights in revealing himself as the Lord who saves. 

This morning, God uncovers for us something that at the time was quite unexpected: Jesus, not John the Baptist as some had surmised, was in fact the Chosen One, the One anointed by God to carry out our salvation. There was obviously enough about John that led people to the conclusion that in him God was finally making good on his promise to send a Savior. “The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah” (v.15). John, the desert-dwelling hermit, was different, and not just in terms of his diet and dress. His preaching was powerful and the number of his followers was trending upward. 

But as John explained, he was not the One; rather, he came to ready the world for the Anointed One. As God has made clear time and again, he doesn’t look at the things man looks at. John clarified it this way: “John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (v.16-17). John was not the One, but rather came to prepare people to receive the One. He came to pull back the curtains and uncover the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One. 

This needed to happen, for Jesus had not been on anyone’s radar. Of course, his birth had been a big deal, as we were just reminded in so many ways during the season of Christmas. Since then, though, there had not been much about Jesus’ life that was all that noteworthy, as God didn’t see fit to record any of it for us until this point in Jesus’ life. Aside from Jesus staying behind as a twelve-year-old in the Temple, we know nothing of Jesus’ life until the Gospel writers pick up his life with the event recorded for us this morning, Jesus’ baptism. Prior to this, not much had been revealed about Jesus; he was largely unknown.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It could still be said today that Jesus is largely unknown. Sure, people know the name, Jesus, but that isn’t the same as knowing Jesus, is it? A recent interview with Elon Musk revealed that he agreed with the teachings of Jesus. While being familiar with the teachings of Jesus may put him in a different class than those who know nothing other than his name, isn’t that still quite a different thing from knowing why Jesus came and actually believing it? Still today then, how many “know” the name Jesus, but remain in the dark about the salvation he came to bring? 

But God’s people don’t gather together on Sunday morning to focus primarily on what the unbelieving world knows or doesn’t know of Jesus. No, our time is better spent reflecting on how much of Jesus has been revealed to us. How much still needs to be uncovered for us? How much still needs to be made known to us? 

If we can get straight to the point, if our Christian faith was compared to an end-of-the-year performance review at work, many of us would be fired! We show up at work (church) once in a while. We’ve learned nothing new in our field, acquired no new skills, and concern ourselves only with the bare minimum – just enough to pull in a paycheck. Some of Jesus has been revealed to us – the veil has been lifted ever-so-slightly, but we have never bothered to uncover more of Jesus in our lives. WE know him only slightly better than the unbeliever! 

So Jesus needs to be uncovered for us as much as ever! We know him so little! We are far too satisfied with far too simple an understanding of the One who gave himself up for us to that we might have a future, an eternity. Meanwhile, the devil runs about in the world today, trying to cover up any light with darkness, always seeking to snuff it out so that we are not drawn to it. He would keep us in a dimly lit room, unable to see and experience the full light of our salvation. 

And we are a willing party to it. We sample the light, but it bores us. We find so much more fun in the dark. We want to celebrate what the world celebrates, to think as the world does, to elevate what it does, praise what it does, and pursue what it does. The dark, after all, is so much easier on the eyes, isn’t it? The glaring light of salvation not only hurts our eyes, but it also exposes those things about ourselves which we’d prefer to keep hidden in the dark! 

See how desperately we need his light to shine into our lives, to see him for who he is! It was so in his day, too – it was necessary that the world come to know who he was. And the Father made it so at his baptism, leaving no question about who the Messiah was. It was not John the Baptist, but Jesus. The Father made it known in a spectacular scene. “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” (v.21-22). 

Think of all the effort an individual or a business has to go to today to get noticed: ads, social media campaigns, word of mouth, etc., and still it may not bear any fruit! The Father left nothing up to chance, splitting open the heavens so the Holy Spirit could make a visible entrance in the form of a dove, and doing his own voiceover in one of the most iconic scenes ever witnessed in history. 

Do not let Satan keep this significant event hidden in the darkness of so many other meaningless historical events. This one matters! This is God making it official: the Messiah was on the scene. The Savior had been revealed! 

This was so much more than the high school Senior making a big deal on signing day by revealing the college he’ll play for. This is so much more than the teaser trailer revealing an upcoming flick. This is bigger than the tech giants revealing the game-changing new device or next model. This is God uncovering for the entire world to see: Sin wouldn’t win! Satan would be smacked down in defeat! Eternal death’s suffocating grip would be loosened forever! The Savior was ready to be set apart for his saving work and to get his elbows dirty working out our salvation for us!

And so he was baptized. And friends, this was not just a meaningless dunk in the Jordan River. This was not just an empty ritual required of him. This was not merely an act of obedience to be imitated. No, this was his anointing! This was the equivalent of the Old Testament prophets and kings having oil poured out over their heads to mark them as designated by God himself! This was the Father saying, “Look not to John the baptist for your salvation. Look not to the nation of Israel for your salvation. Look to Jesus, my Son, the Promised One – he alone saves!”

What did the Father say of his Son? “With you I am well pleased.” The Father is pleased with the Son! And what does the Scripture call you again and again? Children of God through faith in this very Jesus. Daughters! Sons! The Father is pleased with his Son – he is pleased with you. He delights in you. He wants forever with you, and the Son is the proof, for he came to make it so. And the One set apart for that work carried it out all the way up until his “It is finished!” from Calvary. It is done.

His work is done. Yours is not. Pull the veil back further this year on your relationship with Jesus. Uncover more of him. Know him better. The Holy Spirit is not content merely to have shown up in a remarkable scene at Jesus’ birth and then exit stage right. He wants to continue to reveal more to you about your Savior. He wants to uncover the blessings that you have allowed to remain hidden from you for far too long. Why not this year? Why can’t this year be the year you come to know Jesus better than ever before? Why can’t you allow the Holy Spirit to uncover more and more and more for you about Jesus? He stands by. He waits. Let him uncover more of what the Father revealed at Jesus’ baptism – your Savior has come, and he can be the best thing that ever happens to you this year.