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, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 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. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all. But the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. This is the word of the Lord. And our gospel lesson and sermon text is from Luke chapters 3 and 12, where we see references to two of Jesus' three baptisms in Luke Acts. Here are God's word. As the people were in expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, I baptize you with water. But he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap 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 the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. So, with many other exhortations, he preached the gospel to the people. But Herod the Tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all. He locked up John in prison. Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, you are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased. Now in chapter 12, Christ speaking, I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled, I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished. Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. This is the gospel of our Lord. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray. O God, guide us by your word and spirit, so that in your light we may see light, in your truth find wisdom, and in your will discover peace. Add your blessing to the reading and the hearing and the preaching of your word, and grant us all the grace to trust and obey you, and all God's people said. Amen. Now this one is for you kids, as always, but this morning it's not only for you kids. Adults and children, if you have been baptized, raise your hand. If you just raised your hand, well, I can say without a shadow of a doubt, and you should believe without a doubt that you are in fact a Christian. If you did not, raise your hand, and you think you are a Christian, or if you think your kid is a Christian, but you haven't brought them to Christ to receive that name, then please come talk to me or one of the other elders, because the Bible doesn't have any category for an unbaptized Christian. Now I realize many of us come from traditions that spend more time talking about what baptism isn't and what it doesn't do than what it is and does. And those of us from those traditions have mostly unknowingly adopted a weird extra biblical and very confusing category called an unbaptized Christian. And in those traditions, you find all sorts of anxieties that don't go away after baptism because they reject the Bible's way of speaking about these things, ways of speaking that are supposed to bring you comfort, not fear. According to the Bible, you are either a baptized Christian who can trust the promises of God for Christians, or you are not a baptized Christian and cannot lay hold to any of those promises. We told you these things before and we will remind you of them often, but listen to some of the Bible's language which applies only to those who have been baptized. According to Jesus in Matthew 28, if you have been baptized, you were adopted by God the Father and given the family name when you were baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. According to the Apostle Peter, if you have been baptized, you have been saved. According to the author of Hebrews, which we'll discuss again at communion, if you have been baptized, well then you can draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of the faith because your heart has been sprinkled clean and your body washed with pure water. According to the Apostle Paul, if you have been baptized, you have been born again by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, united to Christ and clothed with his righteousness. And what's more, likely drawing on Jesus' words from our gospel reading, the Apostle Paul also said that as many of you as have been baptized were baptized into Christ's death. And if you have been united with Christ in that death, like Jesus's, Paul says, you will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Those are just a few of God's promises to those of you who have been baptized. But if you have not been baptized, there is no ordinary biblical reason that we can say any of those realities that are tied to baptism apply to you. Now next week we're going to talk about extraordinary situations where we can have confidence that infants who have died in infancy and therefore obviously haven't been baptized are with Christ. But it is bad practice to make rules based on exceptions. So this morning, one, because it's the first Sunday after the Epiphany when part of the church commemorates Christ's baptism, and two, because Pastor Brewer is sick and I didn't have time to write a whole new sermon between 1.30 a.m. and now, We are going to review some of what we talked about last year on this Sunday and revisit Jesus' three baptisms in Luke's two-volume work, Luke Acts, so that we will all walk away being reminded of and refreshed by the objective realities that we don't always realize are true when we don't use the Bible's language. Now, I think it's fair, and you can correct me in Q&A if you would like, to say that many Christians base their theology of baptism on three or four main passages in the New Testament. Romans 6, which we read in our epistle reading, is often appealed to for why some churches practice baptism by immersion. Acts 2 and Peter's command to repent and believe and be baptized is appealed to as a reason why only people willing and able to repent should be baptized. And Jesus' baptism as an adult in Matthew 3, Mark 1, and Luke 4 is used to supposedly solidify that claim. So, if you see those passages as proving your view of baptism, then it is easy to see why you would end up believing that only people with credible professions of faith should be baptized and only immersion counts. But for most of church history, Christians have taken a different view of baptism, both in mode and in persons who should receive the sacrament, because they, and we, believe that the New Testament theology of baptism didn't start with the New Testament. We believe the apostles got their theology from their Bibles, which was the Old Testament, and then, like Jesus taught them to, filtered their Old Testament through the lens of Jesus. And so we see baptism being alluded to not just when John the baptizer shows up, but from Genesis to Malachi. We see the 31 Old Testament references to sprinkling and 179 references to pouring as being far more prevalent and appropriate baptism imagery. And so we follow that pattern into the New Testament and believe baptism can be done by pouring or sprinkling with water from above. For that same reason, Old Testament precedent, we believe believers and their children should be baptized in the new covenant because they were baptized in the old. And so you see, we do not see John's baptism of Jesus that we read about as the lone or even primary place to go for our understanding of baptism in the Bible. After all, think about it, Jesus' first baptism is different from every other baptism, even the ones performed by John. In the Gospels, the heavens did not open for any other recipient. No one else had the Spirit descend upon them in the likeness of a dove, and no one else had the Father speak to them from the sky for all to hear. We've gone over these themes several times in this series, so we're not gonna make the case all over again, but in Matthew, Jesus is faithful Israel, the son of God called out of Egypt, baptized, and then taken into the wilderness to faithfully endure the temptations that unfaithful Israel failed to. In Mark, Jesus is baptized and anointed as the new Davidic king who immediately goes into the wilderness where the wild animals are and defeats Satan. In Luke, Jesus is anointed by God. He's ordained to the priesthood and empowered by the Spirit to do the very specific Elisha-like work of the ministry that Jesus alone came to perform. Those things are not true of anyone else that John baptized. And what's more, it's only of Jesus that John says, I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, and he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Now the apostles apparently took that literally and think Jesus is going to do this fire bringing down during his earthly ministry because when they face opposition in Luke 9, James and John ask Jesus if he wants them to call down fire from heaven and consume their enemies. Jesus rebukes them and then in Luke 12 makes it clear that that kind of baptism isn't going to come until another baptism he has to endure. Now unless you were here last year and have a great memory, you'll figure all this by Thursday, it might come as a surprise to hear that Jesus was baptized a second time. But in our gospel reading, we heard Jesus use that baptism and fire imagery to refer to what he must undergo at the cross and then what he would do after. Remember in explaining to his disciples what must take place before he pours out his fire, Jesus said, I did come to cast fire on the earth and would that it were already kindled. but I have a baptism to be baptized with and how great is my distress until it is accomplished. If we can pull these threads together, the threads of Jesus's first baptism by John and his reference of his second baptism at the cross, what we find is we have the bookends of the Holy Spirit's time with Jesus. At his first baptism in Luke 3, God the Father poured out the Spirit from above upon Jesus. And in Luke 23, at his second baptism, Jesus gave the Spirit back with his last breath. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And it's that second baptism, his crucifixion, not the first that Paul says is the baptism Christians have been baptized with. So yes, it was necessary for Jesus to come to John and unite himself to the old covenant people of God in his first baptism so that they might be united to him in his second, his crucifixion. And likewise, it's necessary for us to be baptized so that we too might be united to him again not in his first baptism but in his second. And it's in that second baptism that we can trust that everyone who has been baptized receives the benefits he promised to give in his third baptism when he poured out the Spirit again on the new covenant believers and their children like he promised he would do in our Old Testament reading from Ezekiel. Isn't that how Paul connects the dots? 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, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of God the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. So sure, Jesus' first baptism was a foreshadowing of Christian baptism, and our reception of the Holy Spirit mirrors His, but true Christian baptism wasn't John's baptism. If it was, then the men in Acts who had been baptized by John wouldn't need to get baptized again, this time into Christ. Remember, John himself said the one coming after him would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. And that's exactly what we see happening in volume two of Luke Acts, when Jesus does what John said he would do. You see, it's not until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit and fire fell on the disciples of Jesus, that Christian baptism begins to be fully realized. Luke writes in Acts that his gospel was about the things Jesus began to do and teach. And Acts is about what Jesus continued to do through his Spirit-filled church. In Acts 1, after 40 days of speaking with his disciples about the kingdom of God and giving them the lens through which to interpret their Old Testaments, just before his ascension, Jesus tells his apostles not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father. For Jesus said, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. True to his word, 10 days later, they were all together in one place, and suddenly there came down from heaven a sound like a whirlwind, and divided tongues of fire rested over each one of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. See? After they received the Spirit of Christ, they then go and preach the gospel. Peter declared that the people of God were living in the last days of the old covenant. He says evidence of this is that Jesus has poured out his spirit on them just like God promised he would and the time was coming when God would judge them for crucifying and killing this Jesus whom God raised from the dead. When they heard this, that God was going to judge them for their sins, they were cut to the heart. And then they asked, well, now what are we going to do to get saved? Peter, again, brings the Old Testament promises to bear about God pouring out his spirit in the new covenant in the fulfillment of water baptism when he says, repent and be baptized into the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children and all who are afar off. That promise from Jesus through Peter that those who are baptized into Christ receive the Holy Spirit is again not a promise realized by those who were baptized by John. Something Luke goes out of his way to highlight in chapter 19 of Acts. There, Paul comes to Ephesus and finds the disciples of Apollos, who Luke says had only known the baptism of John. And though they believed in Jesus, they had not received the Holy Spirit. And Paul said to them, did you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when you believed? And they said, no, we've not even heard there is a Holy Spirit. So he said, into what then were you baptized? They said, into John's baptism. Well, Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is Jesus. And so on hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit. So you see the baptism of Jesus by John in Luke 3 is not the model for New Covenant baptism, but rather just another old covenant foreshadowing of baptism that only partially informs our New Covenant theology. And I realize for some of you that might have felt like a whirlwind. And it's okay if your head is swimming, pun intended. It's one reason we have Q&A after every service. If you walk away with nothing else from today, walk away being thankful for Jesus's first, second, and third baptism, and for all the promises he really does extend to you in yours. Walk away being reminded that all of God's promises are yes and amen in Christ for all who are baptized into him. You and your baptized children can lay claim to all of the truths you heard declared about those who have been baptized in the old and new covenants. Like Adam being baptized into Jesus, you have been filled with the spirit of God, turned from a hunk of lifeless clay into a living, breathing image bearer of Christ. Like Noah's family and being baptized into Jesus, you and your family have been saved by being placed in the ark, which is Christ. Like Israel and being baptized into Jesus, you have been delivered from your enemies, Satan, sin and even death, and you have been given everything you need to conquer the world. like Aaron and Elisha and being baptized into Jesus, you have been clothed with Christ and are now a kingdom of priests who are called to prophetically proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. And in being baptized into Jesus, you and your children have been given what Jesus and his apostles promised, the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit. Some folks wonder why we talk about baptism so much, but we talk about baptism so much because the Bible does, from Genesis to Malachi to Revelation. And in doing it again this morning, we're simply joining with so many of our brothers and sisters all over the world in talking about baptism, because in the objective fact of your baptism, so many of the things you struggle with can be alleviated. In virtually every New Testament letter, there is an explicit reference to baptism. So that the people of God, adults and children included, can take comfort from the fact they're in Christ. We've heard Paul's reference to the Romans, but when the Galatian church was in danger of falling away and running back into Judaism, Paul used their baptisms to remind them that they were children of the promise, and that as many of them had been baptized into Christ, had put on Christ. When the Corinthian church was arguing over their spirituality, When they were indulging in sin and creating ungodly divisions, Paul reminded them that they and their children are holy. They are all baptized into one body and we're all made to drink of the one spirit. And so they must live like it. And to remind the Colossians of the gift they received, Paul reminded them that the spirit who raised Christ from the dead was also in them because they had been buried with Christ in baptism in which they were also raised. And then he exhorted the church, parents and children alike, to treat each other accordingly. So one of the reasons we're so eager to get people baptized is In part, because we want you and we want to be able to see you and relate to you and talk to you and your children, not in the way invented by post-Reformation Christians, but in the way the apostles and virtually all of the reformers did. In using the Bible's language about baptism, we want to give you the joy and peace and comfort God wants you to have in giving you that gift. From now on, when you read your Bibles, keep an eye out for all of the references and allusions to baptism, and then rejoice, as baptized Christians, you and your children really are, right now, experiencing the promise God's people had so long been waiting for. being reminded of those blessings, strive then to use God's means of grace to you, so that you can not only receive, but improve your baptism. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We praise you for revealing Christ by promise and shadow in the Old Testament, and for revealing Him as the fulfillment of all these things in the new. We thank you, Almighty God, for the gift of water. Over it, the Holy Spirit moved in the beginning of creation. Through it, you led the children of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt into the land of promise. In it, your Son, Jesus, received the baptism of John and was anointed by the Holy Spirit as the Messiah, the Christ, to lead us through his death and resurrection from the bondage of sin into everlasting life. We thank you, Father, for the waters of our baptisms. In it, we were buried with Christ in his death. By it, we share in his resurrection. Through it, we are reborn by the Holy Spirit. Give us your spirit that we might understand these words in the fullness of your truth as you have revealed him to us in the person and work of Jesus, who with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, both now and forever. Amen. Our communion meditation is from Hebrews chapter 10, which we alluded to in our sermon. Hear God's word. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us, through the curtain that is through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised is faithful. This is the word of the Lord. Now I realize for many of us what you heard today was not new and hopefully warmed your heart to remember, but I also realize that what may have been heartwarming for some may have caused heartburn for others. For those of you that have come from traditions who aren't taking advantage and don't have a habit of taking advantage of the language God has given us to speak about these things, this can be confusing. Take, for example, what's happening right now. For the traditions that tell you what doesn't happen in baptism, A table that is supposed to be a joyful feast where all baptized Christians who have been forgiven of their sins get to eat with Jesus gets turned into a table of fear and doubt and trepidation. You see, if you don't believe that Hebrews 10 is talking about your baptism, and that in your baptism you were sprinkled clean and forgiven, and if you don't believe that when the pastor reminded you of that, when he declared, Almighty God in his mercy has given his son to die for your sins and to be raised for your justification, and for his sake cleanses you of all your sins, Well, then it makes sense that you'd come to the table doubting whether or not you're really forgiven, really saved, really worthy to eat and drink with Jesus. But when you trust God's word and the promises he attaches to it, particularly the promises he attaches to your baptism, well, then you need not come to this table with fear and trembling. One of the reasons we are so insistent on using God's actual words about these things isn't just because we're theological sticklers. It's because when you don't use God's actual words, you don't get to rest in the actual promises He extends in it. Beloved, when you came in that door, burdened by your sins and grieved that yet again you have sinned against the God who loves you and gave His Son to die for you, you confessed your sins. And because God says you have been united with Christ in your baptism, and he says that when you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to cleanse you of all your sins and unrighteousness, you can know that it's true. And when you know that, when you know that God loves you and wants to forgive you and does forgive you and all those references to baptism apply to you, well, then you can enjoy the gifts of grace He has for you, which are nowhere better offered than at this table. So baptized Christian, As the officers bring you the bread of life and cup of the new covenant in Christ's blood, receive them and believe without a shadow of a doubt that Christ lived, died, and rose again for you and your children. Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the peace. For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the same night that he was betrayed, took bread. Let us pray. We do not presume to come to your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your many and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord whose character is to have mercy. Thank you, gracious Lord, that our sinful bodies are made clean by Christ's body and our souls washed through his most precious blood so that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us. Amen. When he'd given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. These are the gifts of God for the people of God. Receive them by faith as such.