05/01 – Psalm 40:5 – Baptism: What are the Benefits of Baptism?

Grace, peace, and mercy to you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.¹

In the Church we follow something called the Church Year. It starts in the last week of November with the Advent season. Then the Christmas season follows. That brings us to the season of Epiphany. Then comes Lent and now Easter, the time when we point our attention to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Which is a great time to remember our Baptism, because it is during this time we remember how our Baptism connects us to Jesus death and resurrection.

The first thing we should remember when thinking about our Baptism is: although it was an event that occurred at a time in the past, it is a present event. It is a here-and-now event. So we don’t say, I was baptized, we say I am baptized. We should think of our Baptism as something happening to us all the time.

Baptism means something to us. It teaches us something. It does something to us. The first thing Holy Baptism does is it gives us forgiveness for our sins. It makes us reborn, born from above into the house of God. It sets us free from Satan’s slavery and grip.

The second thing Baptism does is it connects us to our God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Through Holy Baptism we become His child. We become part of His family. It changes who and what we are. How do we know? Because God’s Word says so.² There are people all over the world trying to find ways to get connected to God. They want to climb a mountain or go on a great trek. Those might help, but there is a more simple way. The simple answer is: We get connected to God, not when we go find Him, but when He comes to find us, through His Word and through the Sacraments. God comes to us through the Means of Grace.

St. Paul teaches us Baptism is a washing, a renewal, a regeneration, by the Holy Spirit.³ In other words Almighty God is acting personally, intimately, in our lives. Other places St. Paul says we are clothed with Christ.⁴ St. Paul goes even further. He says through Baptism we are joined with Jesus in His death, and in His resurrection back to life.⁵

There is an old hymn with words that ask, “Where you there when they crucified my Lord?” The answer is: Through Baptism, yes, you were there. Which is why that hymn goes on to say, “It causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.” What is even more important is Easter Sunday, when Jesus rose from the dead, we were there. We rose with Him. We live forever with Him. All who believe and are baptized will be saved.⁶

You see Baptism is not just some Church thing. It is not just something you do when you’re a kid to make grandma and grandpa feel good. Baptism is one of the ways in which you touch God. Though Baptism God pours Himself into you. You become a temple of the Holy Spirit.⁷ With the sign of the cross placed on your head and your heart, God’s name is placed on you, and you are His own. You become part of His family.

That is not some new idea. These truths and promises of God have been taught in the Christian Church for 2,000 years. We’ve got sermons, letters, and Bible studies from people all the way back to the students of Jesus’ own disciples show us these things. The teachings and understanding of Holy Baptism are one of the most important things you can learn, which is why we spend so much time talking about it. That is why I want you to understand your Baptism is something you should cling to.

It is so very important that you understand here at Church we focus on more then just the glory and wonder of Jesus. We also focus on the glory and wonder in which we get to be a part of Jesus’ work, a part of Jesus’ family.

Remember, in Holy Baptism, we are given God’s forgiveness, life and salvation, and that is why you are here. That is why you were given life, and why you live on this Earth. So you could be part of the Holy Christian Apostolic Church.

In that title: Holy Christian Apostolic Church, the word Apostolic means: ‘to be sent.’ That is what we are. First made children of God and then sent to teach all people, and all nations, starting in our own home town, reaching out to the very ends of the Earth.⁸ Knowing that you are never alone. Through your Baptism you are never alone. Jesus is always with you.⁹

Amen.

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