Baptized Into His Death! Romans 6:1-5

August 29, 2021
Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

St. John, the Baptist was martyred for preaching the Truth of God's Word. The Lord calls us to turn from our sin and trust only in Jesus for forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation. In Christ we are freed to live a new life freed from sin. Sermon Text: Romans 6:1-5. Sermon Theme: "Baptized Into His Death!" Preached for The Martyrdom of St. John, The Baptist - August 29th, 2021 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Tell City, Indiana by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

Episode Notes

The Martyrdom Of St. John The Baptist                           29-August-2021
Sermon Text: Romans 6:1-5
Sermon Theme: “Baptized Into His Death!” by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “John, whom I beheaded has been raised,” frightened King Herod exclaimed. He tried to silence John’s preaching against his governing by throwing him in the dungeon. Still John preached when brought before the king who was perplexed by his words which Herod treated as entertainment. The opportune time came to silence John’s voice of opposition. He could blame it all on his step daughter’s salacious dance and murderous request. The executioner’s sword severing John’s vocal chords and neck would certainly silence the prophet.
    John had dared to speak out against a corrupt ruler. Herod coveted his brother Philip’s wife. He convinced her to marriage so terrible that Philip wrote her a certificate of divorce. Then contrary to Jewish civil law, given by God, Herod took Herodias to be his wife. John preached calling sinners to repentance irregardless of their status, power, or wealth. John called the king to repent - to turn from destroying his own nation - and live.
    God the Holy Spirit through John teaches us that only a spiritually corrupt people tolerate corrupt governments. Those enslaved by their own sins will soon enslave themselves under harsh totalitarian regimes. Satan deceives the world into thinking that sin is living and forced compliance is freedom. Our system of government is of the people and by the people. Elected officials are only a reflection of the morality of the people who elected them. Our concern shouldn’t be their party, but how do they live what they profess to believe. We don’t like to hear the truth that liars have no problem being ruled by liars. Adulterers and fornicators have no problem being ruled by men and women who have desecrated their own marriages. If marriage and the family is destroyed nations cannot long survive. Greedy idolatrous thieves have no problem electing those who are fiscally irresponsible. Hateful selfish murderers elect those who uphold the murder of the unborn and mutilation of young children as a civil right. John the Baptist’s preaching still echos through Christ’s Church and into our ear: Mat 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, (2) and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" - Our old adam doesn’t like this preaching anymore than did King Herod. We try to lock it away in the church and confine it only to Sunday for a few minutes. We treat it as entertainment and only the pastor’s opinion. Then we rush back to wallow in our pet sins while we condemn those other sinners in government, at work, or in our home - never listening to the word that Jesus preaches immediately after John the Baptist was imprisoned: “Mar 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
    Therefore, every morning turn from your sin and rise to a new life in Christ Jesus for you are: “Baptized Into His Death!”
    St. John, the evangelist, saw the fifth seal opened in heaven. Underneath the altar were the souls of the martyrs. They had been slain for the Word of God and the witness they bore. God’s Name had been hallowed it had been taught to them in its truth and purity and they bore witness living a holy life according to it. They didn’t adapt and adopt the sinful culture from which they came. Their lives testified to the hope and life of Christ that was in them.
      God the Holy Spirit asks you (Romans 6:1). Do you hold on to cheap grace? Dietrich Boenhoeffer, who would be executed by national socialists in Germany, warned, “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting to-day for costly grace.” He wrote, “Cheap grace means the justification of sin without justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. “All for sin could not atone.” The world goes on in the same old way, and we are still sinners “even in the best life” as Luther said. Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin.” Have we lusted after cheap grace? Have we turned the forgiveness of sins into the permission to sin? Have we desecrated baptismal grace as a get out of hell free card - while we return to the vomit of our pet sin to slurp it up again and again - but having no thirst for Christ’s forgiving, freeing, blood in wine at His table ? If you have been justly tried, convicted, and imprisoned for a crime. Then you receive a presidential pardon releasing you from the just sentence given to you - do you go back to a life of crime that you may receive more pardons? That would be insane. God the Holy Spirit teaches us through the pen of St. John, “1Jn 3:2-6 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (3) And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (4) Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. (5) And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. (6) Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.     Grace is costly. It cost God the holy precious blood of His only begotten Son sacrificed for our sin. Baptism frees us from sin to a new life as God’s living children in this dying world. (Romans 6:2) We died to sin - We Christians - for we have by God’s costly grace been knit into the living flesh and blood of Jesus. How then can we continue to live in sin? Our world, dead in its trespasses and deceived by Satan, cannot define sin. The Spirit of Truth testifies - “sin is lawlessness.” Sin is to violate God the Father’s good and gracious will for humanity. His Will written upon man’s heart at creation. His Holy Will clouded by Satan lie that God doesn’t really mean what He spoke. His Will spoken from Sinai and written on two tablets of stone - the Holy Ten Commandments. Sin is breaking these Ten Commandments in our thoughts which lead us to speak lying words and lead us to wallow in deceptive death bringing deeds. Sin is not living these Ten Holy Words in loving service to our neighbors.
        In the wilderness St. John the Baptist preached: Luk 3:7-9 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (8) Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (9) And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." John called those good people who came out to hear him the spawn of Satan - a brood of vipers. He didn’t peddle cheap grace. Judgment day draws near! It won’t matter what bloodline you come from or how godly your grandparents were - the Lord will judge you. Repentance isn’t spinning from sin on Sunday morning to receive forgiveness and then to pirouette back to your pet sin on Sunday afternoon. (Romans 6:3) Baptism was the death of you. You died to sin. You didn’t tame sin, or reform sin - it was nailed to the cross in the flesh and blood of your Brother Jesus Christ. Paul teaches us this reality again in Galatians - “Gal 2:19-20 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. (20) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Dear Christian - God has freed you through the blood of His Son from Satan and sin - live in that freedom from sin.
      What does it mean to repent? Repentance is to turn from our sin, war against it in our own flesh - and to trust that our hope is found only in Christ Jesus’ reconciling sacrifice on the cross and justifying resurrection from our tomb. (Romans 6:4) Baptism was your death to your life of sin freeing you from Satan and the world’s lies which only bring death and hell. God the Holy Spirit frees us to live a new life. The very life of Christ at home, at work, in our community. St. John the Baptist preached, Luk 3:10-14 So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?" (11) He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise." (12) Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" (13) And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you." (14) Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages." What shall we do as baptized children of our heavenly Father? Live like His children - by faith we receive all from Him through Christ Jesus crucified for us - by love we pour our lives out in service to our neighbor within our daily callings. Love shaped by God’s Ten Holy Words, as the Psalmist prays, Psa 119:9-10 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. (10) With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
        As Lutherans we have memorized these two verses from Romans 6 in answer to the question, “What does such baptizing with water indicate?” Do you remember the answer? It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” Baptism is the death of me - of my old sinful Adam - but he is a good swimmer. Daily I must return to my baptism drowning him with Christ’s life giving Word - “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Daily I emerge - born anew - forgiven -freed from sin and self to live clothed in Christ as Jesus Himself lives through me to care for my neighbor. Dr. Luther explains this further in the Large Catechism: But the act or ceremony is this, that we are sunk under the water, which passes over us, and afterwards are drawn out again. These two parts, to be sunk under the water and drawn out again, signify the power and operation of Baptism, which is nothing else than putting to death the old Adam, and after that the resurrection of the new man, both of which must take place in us all our lives, so that a truly Christian life is nothing else than a daily baptism, once begun and ever to be continued. For this must be practised without ceasing, that we ever keep purging away whatever is of the old Adam, and that that which belongs to the new man come forth. 66 But what is the old man? It is that which is born in us from Adam, angry, hateful, envious, unchaste, stingy, lazy, haughty, yea, unbelieving, infected with all vices, and having by nature nothing good in it. 67 Now, when we are come into the kingdom of Christ, these things must daily decrease, that the longer we live we become more gentle, more patient, more meek, and ever withdraw more and more from unbelief, avarice, hatred, envy, haughtiness. 68 This is the true use of Baptism among Christians, as signified by baptizing with water. Where this, therefore, is not practised, but the old man is left unbridled, so as to continually become stronger, that is not using Baptism, but striving against Baptism. “
      St. John the Baptist points us away from trusting in our self only to “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (Vs.5) St. John’s martyrdom pre-shadowed Christ’s crucifixion for us sinners. United with Jesus’ death, we shall also rise with Him on the Last Day. Amen.

















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