Sermon Tone Analysis

What gives your life significance?

We live for significance; raise kids teaches significance: identity/accomplishments; failure & shame

Jesus’ baptism: Trinity shows up; cosmic significance!

Water, Fire, and Spirit of baptism shows what Jesus does for us.

John’s baptism (water & washing): repentance for forgiveness

Where others wash themselves in forgiveness, Jesus repents of our sin

Jesus prepares to be baptized in fire.

He isn’t referring to His baptism by John, but the cross, where He accepts fire of Father’s wrath against us on Himself (your hell!)

Jesus receives Spirit through baptism

Spirit hovered over water at creation; dove from ark after flood

Receives re-Genesis-ing Spirit as firstborn of new creation

Father calls Jesus His beloved Son, with whom He is well-pleased

Didn’t we know this?

Jesus receives this status as a stand-in for us!

Jesus’s baptism of water, fire, and Spirit opens heaven, spills into world through Jesus (filters out Heaven’s wrath).

Our Baptism: Trinity shows up; cosmic significance!

Jesus exercises all authority in heaven & on earth to give you what He received through baptism!

Baptismal water washes us with forgiveness

Romans 6:2–4 (ESV)

2 How can we who died to sin still live in it?

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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.

Everyone dies to sin, & you are buried with Jesus through baptism

6-sided baptismal font represents death; buried under baptismal waters so that old sinful self drowns.

Guilt of sin is gone!

Baptismal fire purifies us (like precious metal)

Your hell is suffered on cross!

Punishment of sin is paid!

Baptism is judgment day early, “so shall you stand without fear before the judgment seat of Christ.”

Baptismal Spirit makes us new

As firstborn of new creation, Jesus sends Spirit to do the same for you.

8-sided baptismal font represents 8th day of creation; your eternal life has already started!

In baptism, we are called beloved, with whom God is well-pleased (“very good!”)

Water, fire, Spirit of Baptism gives your life cosmic significance.

Heaven spills out into your life through Jesus’s gift of baptism.

Christ has joined your entire life (every aspect, every minute) to Himself in your baptism.

Talk about significance!

What makes your life significant is not what you do or who you make yourself to be, but what God does for you and who He makes you to be.

We raise our kids to be life-long disciples: no matter what, they have forgiveness, freedom, & eternity in Jesus, He has joined their lives to Him.

God gives our lives cosmic significance through baptism.

Amen