Sermon for the Baptism of Our Lord: "United in Death and Life"

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

Suddenly, John appears out in the wilderness by the Jordan River, clothed in camel’s hair and wearing a leather belt around his waist. He spends all of his time in that desolate place preaching to the people. As he preaches repentance, more and more people come. These people keep coming and coming. As they come to John, he baptizes each person, one by one.

This great multitude of people kept coming to John. This multitude came to hear God’s Word and turn to God for repentance to receive forgiveness of sins. These people came to find relief from guilt and shame. They came to receive God’s grace.

But there was an exception. Among this great multitude stood Jesus of Nazareth. He was the only one among the multitudes of people who did not come to John in need of forgiveness of sins. Jesus was the only person who ever lived who did not need to repent.

Yet, Jesus was there, and when His turn came to be baptized by John, John was shocked. You see, John knew that Jesus was the man he spoke of when he preached, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stop down and untie” (Mark 1:7).

So, why is Jesus there? What is the purpose of His baptism? If He isn’t there to repent of His sins and receive forgiveness, why is He desiring to be baptized by John? He wasn’t being baptized for Himself, Jesus was being baptized for you!

[The Significance of Christ’s Baptism for Us]

As uncertain as life may seem to be these days, God’s love for you is certain. God’s love for you never changes. So, what does Christ’s baptism mean for you? It means everything!

Today in the Epistle lesson, the Holy Spirit inspires the Apostle Paul to speak about how we are united to Christ through our baptism. Paul makes it certain that in baptism, God unites us with Christ.

Now to say that baptism unites us to Christ is to say that prior to our baptism, we were not united with Christ. In fact, we were disconnected from God altogether. In fact, this may even be an understatement. You see in Ephesians 2, Paul describes our condition prior to Christ as being “children of wrath.” He says: “We all once lived in the passions of the flesh, carrying out the desires of the body, and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:3).

So, through our very nature – as we were conceived and born – we are under the wrath of God because of our sin. In our sin, we have proven that we still live as if our life is disconnected from God. Instead of loving God and our neighbor, we may gossip, spread false rumors, or judge others without proper authority. We focus on our wants and desires, rather than caring for our neighbor.

Likewise, our culture has convinced many of us to believe that sex outside the bounds of marriage is fine. Many may say: “Why not? It’s promoted in television and movies, so it must be fine. Afterall, we’ll probably get married someday.” Our lives are so dominated by what we see portrayed in television and movies. So, to say that we were disconnected from God by our nature is an understatement.

Fortunately, God is at work in baptism to unite us to Christ.

First, God unites us to Christ’s death in and through baptism. Paul tells us, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death” (Romans 6:3-4).

In fact, we are so closely united with Christ’s death in our baptism, that it is as if when the water flows over us and we hear the name of God pronounced over us that we are traveling back to nearly 2,000 years ago.

At our baptism, we are there with Christ at His baptism in the Jordan River as He takes upon Himself our sin. We are in fact nailed to the cross with Him as He died for our sins on that Good Friday. We are there with Christ inside that sealed tomb. This is what happened when you were baptized and what happens each time you witness a baptism. You see, we are indeed united to the death of Christ.

But like Christ, we do not remain dead in the tomb. In Baptism, just as we are buried with Christ, we are also raised from the dead with Christ to new life! Paul informs us saying, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

So, through our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection, God the Father sees us the same way He sees His own Son. He says to you: “With you I am well pleased.”

For everyone baptized into Christ, this newness of life is what we are walking in right now. This is our sanctified, or holy, life as we grow in the Christian faith. This is not something we have to wait for in our physical death to experience. We have this new life now through God’s action in our lives that we received through our baptism.

[The New Life]

At one time, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Now, God has raised us to new life in and through baptism. In this new life, we no longer live for ourselves, but we live for Christ, who reconciled us to God the Father once again. In this new life, we no longer live to our sinful desires, but rather, we live to please our gracious God.

This is what Paul means when he tells us: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). When we are dead to something, you don’t respond to it. You are dead and a dead person cannot respond to anyone or anything. As Paul says, “Consider yourselves dead to sin,” this is our new life.

Our text begins with this question from Paul: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1)

“By no means!” says Paul, this is not the life of a Christian! This is not the life of one united in baptism with Christ.

For some, they may believe that since Christ has given us His grace and favor, Christians can sin all the more. Afterall, Christ will forgive my sin, right? So, should we sin in abundance so that God can forgive us even more frequently?

This would be like asking, “Should I set my house on fire so that the fire department can get more practice at putting out house fires?” Or: “Should I crash my car into a tree so that first responders can get more practice in responding to accidents?”

But at the same time, we know that we will not be free from sin on this side of heaven. We are still going to sin, even as we walk in this newness of life. The difference is that we don’t intentionally sin. As Baptized believers in Christ, we don’t live in our sin. Instead, we repent of our sin daily. You see, no matter the sin, through repentance, that sin is forgiven. That sin is wiped clean! This is our daily life as a Christian. In this new life, we live a life of repentance.

Martin Luther once said, “Our sin is forgiven not so that we may continue in it, but that we might break loose from it; otherwise, it would be called a permission and not a remission of sin.”

So, we live our lives in the forgiveness that is ours in Christ. We walk in this newness of life in repentance that God gave us in our baptism.

And, each time, we repent and confess our sins to God the Father, He again sees us as He saw us in our baptism: “With you I am well pleased.”

Since we live in God’s grace, we walk in the newness of life as we repent and confess our sins.

[Our Union has Future Blessings]

Now, our new life does not end when our life here on earth comes to a close. You see, our union with Christ in our baptism has future blessings for us and all Christians, as well.

Paul says, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5). You see, there is more to come!

So, just as Christ was bodily raised from the dead, we too, will be bodily raised from the dead!

This is the sure and certain hope that we all have since we are united with Christ. You see, death is not the end. Death does not have the final say. You see, the power of death was defeated through Christ’s death on the cross and in His resurrection from the dead. This we now share in Christ through our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection. Death is now but a gateway to heaven to be in the presence of God and with all who have gone before us and after us in the faith.

Today, we await the return of Christ with those who have gone before us who are now in the presence of the Lord. Now, Christ will not return in humility as he came to be with us during His first coming. When He comes again, He will come in all power, glory, and majesty.

On that day, our bodies will be raised, just like His body was raised. On that day, our bodies will be changed to be like His glorious body. Our bodies will no longer suffer any of the effects of sin. Our bodies will be perfect and immortal.

When Christ returns, we will be as we are today, that through His baptism and our baptism into Christ, we are united with Him in His death and life. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Funeral Sermon: "From Death to Life" (John 5)

 

Family and friends of Richard:

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

[Intro]

Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and follows him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

On Saturday, January 2, the Triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – called Richard Smith to his eternal home. He entered heaven and is continuing his eternal life that he received by grace through faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

One of the hobbies Richard had in his earthly life was to drive around. Some of the best times he had was simply being with his wife Betty as they drove around town and the countryside. He loved every moment he had with his wife Betty.

As a resident at GlenFields, Richard took part in its Just one WISH program. After Betty died, Richard’s one wish was to visit Betty’s grave and the home they shared in Green Isle. His wish was granted as he placed a bouquet of purple flowers on her grave, which was Betty’s favorite color, and he spent all that day remembering all the great times they had together.

Throughout the years he lived at GlenFields, he enjoyed getting out of his room to see what was happening throughout the building. I would catch him from time to time in his wheelchair and I would ask him if he needed any assistance back to his room, he typically denied my request. It could be that he was thinking about of all those times as he drove around with his wife as he saw new things along the way.

Certainly, the scenery in and around GlenFields changed during his time there with the addition and remodeling. Of all the places he could be in the building, there was only one place Richard could be found when First Lutheran led services, and that was GlenFields’ chapel. Today, through his faith in Jesus, Richard is living out the promise of eternal life as he has passed from death to life! Right now, Richard is experiencing what he could never imagine. He is in heaven with all the saints!

[Hearing and Believing]

In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us this good news: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

Now, do you realize that everyone who hears the words of Jesus and believes in Him is already living eternal life? Much of the time, we only think of going to heaven. Yes, heaven is wonderful! But it is much more than that, because everyone who believes in Christ today already has eternal life!

But is there a time when eternal life begins?

Today, we see the wages of sin, which is death. Although Richard’s body is here, his soul is living in heaven.

For Richard, the prospect of eternal life began when the Triune God chose him at his baptism. At the moment Richard heard God’s name pronounced over him in the waters of Holy Baptism, he received the ability to believe in Jesus as his Lord and Savior. This is the same for you and me!

Did you catch that? For everyone baptized into Christ, we come to faith by first hearing God’s Triune Name – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He first calls us through the waters of Holy Baptism. It is here, where the Holy Spirit calls us and enlightens us. It is here, where we receive the ability to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

So, the prospect of eternal life actually begins at our baptism. But how do we know when eternal life actually begins?

Well, eternal life begins when we hear the words of Jesus saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life” and you believe it!

Here, Jesus is not speaking of a future giving of life, because of past believing. Here, Jesus is speaking of the present. So, the very moment you truly believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have eternal life.

[In Christ Alone]

Now, what about those who deny Jesus by refusing to listen to His voice? Well, not to hear is to remain in eternal death: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). But to hear is life: “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b). Christ’s words define the person who belongs to Him. So, he or she who belongs Him is who “hears my word and believes him who sent me.”

This was Richard. You see, it doesn’t take any good work to receive salvation. It doesn’t take any special skill. All it takes is belief.

We receive this free gift of eternal life through Christ’s sacrificial death upon the cross and His resurrection from the dead on behalf of all sinners, you and me. You see, although He knew no sin, He took on our sin, so by grace through faith in Christ we would be forgiven of all our sins against God in thought, word, and deed. It is only through Christ, that we have become inheritors of eternal life!

This truth is expressed in one of Richard’s favorite hymns “How Great Thou Art”:

But when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in –

That on the cross my burden gladly bearing

He bled and died to take away my sin;

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!    (LSB 801, stanza 3)

[Eternal Peace]

Through Christ alone, we are forgiven and we have eternal life here and now! This eternal life is under God’s grace and favor and continues right through physical death.

Today, Richard and all the saints in the Church Triumphant are at eternal peace as they are in the presence of their Lord! You see, for everyone in heaven, they are at eternal peace as they face no more hunger, no more thirst, no more pain, and no more sorrow. Richard is living eternal bliss as a saint.

By first hearing and then believing in Jesus, Richard and all the saints in the Church Triumphant have truly passed from death to life. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Richard Smith's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/richard-william-smith/

Funeral Sermon: Waking in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4)

 

Sally, Stephen, Michael and Jessica, family and friends of Roger:

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

[Intro]

Through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul comforts us with these words: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Now, Paul is not saying that Christians do not grieve the loss of loved ones, certainly everyone grieves, since any separation brings grief, but as Christians we grieve in hope. This morning, we each hold on to the sure and certain hope of eternal life that was won for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was the hope of Roger in his earthly life and this is the certainty that he now has in heaven.

Throughout most of his earthly life, Roger suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. Now, Roger never let this disease deter him. Yes, he had bad days, but he kept on fighting this disease to the end. It may look like the power of sin — that is, death — has won, but through his faith in Christ, sin’s power is defeated.

Throughout his earthly life, he enjoyed serving Jesus on various boards at First Ev. Lutheran Church. For me, I really got to know Roger during his service on the Board of Evangelism, where he always had ideas to share on how to expand God’s kingdom. As one of First Lutheran’s leaders, he saw the 2000 addition, which included the fellowship hall, as one of the achievements during his life.

Outside of church activities, Roger was a farmer and a massage therapist. From 1997 to 2018, he also was a public servant as he was elected as supervisor for the McLeod County Soil & Water Conservation District. I recall, that when he didn’t win re-election in 2019, he told me, “This was God’s plan. This is God telling me it’s time to do something else.” Roger was always eager to do something to support his community and his church.

Most of all, he loved his Lord, he loved his wife Sally, and he loved his family.

Today may be a sad day, but today is also a day of comfort. As Psalm 147 proclaims, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). When Jesus called Roger home, all of Roger’s pains were gone. He was healed. He is at peace.

[Death & Sleep]

In our reading from 1 Thessalonians 4, the Apostle Paul compares death to sleep. He says, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Now, Paul is not trying to make something bad seem a bit better by referring to it in rosy terms. In fact, what Paul is saying is completely true. This is what death is like for one who dies in Christ. Death is like a sleep in which the person’s body is completely unaware of anything around it, but when his body awakes, Jesus wakes up the Christian to a glorious eternal day.

For all of us, we are not afraid to rest our heads on our pillow at night to go to sleep, for we know that we will wake up again to a new day. This is how death is for Christians. We should not fear resting our heads on the pillows of death and falling asleep, because Jesus will wake us up to a more glorious day.

Death is our enemy, but Jesus Christ conquered death on our behalf through His atoning death on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead. Due to His work on our behalf, we, by grace through faith in Jesus, no longer fear death, “for since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

You see, Jesus has complete power over death. For everyone in Christ, Jesus tells us what His resurrection means: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19) and “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26a). This is the promise of Christ.

Roger was first made aware of this promise through the life-giving waters of Holy Baptism on September 5, 1948. In Baptism, the Holy Spirit worked in and through the water and the Word to create in him faith in Christ Jesus. This is where he was adopted as a child of the Heavenly Father and made a new creation in Christ. Then on May 20, 1962, the Holy Spirit led Roger to confess his faith in Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior.

By his faith in Jesus Christ, Roger and all believers receive the benefits of the cross of Jesus: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

As a part of this grace, every believer in Christ will be reunited with one another. This is our sure and certain hope in Christ.

In one of the last conversations I had with Roger, he had a question about the oil in the lamps that Jesus describes in the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Roger was so thrilled when he figured it out his question. You see, the oil in the lamps was faith. And Roger’s faith in Christ was strong as the Lord strengthened his faith through hearing God’s Word and receiving Christ’s very Body and Blood under the bread and wine. Through these Means of Grace, God prepares us and strengthens us so when it is our time to fall asleep, we are ready when we are awakened by our Lord.

[Encouraging One Another]

Paul closes our text urging the Thessalonians to talk about these facts so they might encourage one another in times of loss. May we do the same! How comforting it is to hear again and again from the lips of fellow believers this simple fact: “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

From our perspective, Roger is asleep. But from his perspective, he has been awoken by Christ to live a more glorious eternal day. He and all the saints in the Church Triumphant are at peace. And, by grace through faith in Christ alone, we will see our loved ones again who have departed in the faith. So, until Christ calls us home, encourage one another with the hope we have in Christ. For in some unknown day to come, Christ will wake you up to a more glorious eternal day! Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

Video of Funeral Service

 

Roger Schultz's Obituary: https://hantge.com/obituaries/roger-vernon-schultz/