Christ: Baptized Our Servant! IsaiaH 42:1-7

The Baptism Of Our Lord                                                 9-January-2022
Sermon Text: Isaiah 42:1-7
Sermon Theme: Christ: Baptized Our Servant! by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “Baptism is not just plain water” The Church has confessed since the days of the Apostles. Baptism “is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word.” Dr. Martin Luther summarized what Christ’s Church has always believed, taught, and confessed since our risen Lord Jesus gifted the world with this sacred act. He fully paid the price for all sinners upon the cross pouring out His own holy blood. He reconciled us rebellious sinners to our Heavenly Father through His innocent suffering and death. He physically rose from death, marching triumphantly through Satan’s stronghold of hell, and out of the grave to rescue us forever from death and the devil. Salvation for sinners is found only in the flesh and blood of Jesus as He breathes out His Holy Spirit comforting us with words that forgive sinners. Before ascending on high to be enthroned to rule over all history and fill all things as True Man and True God. Jesus commands His Church, “Mat 28:18-20 .... saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." ....(This is most certainly true!)
    Baptism is King Jesus’ gift, work, word, and promise. St. Paul teaches us, “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.” (1 Cor. 1:27) The mighty are shamed by weak water scoffing at baptism as merely splashing water on a baby. Their sin captive reason imagines that making a decision for Jesus has more power than the Triune God sealing His Name and blessing upon us with water. Their sin blinded spirituality imagines their goodness can work its way back into God’s favor. Deceived by Satan they reject Christ’s work in baptism and trust in their own self-chosen paths. Twice Wisdom warns, Pro 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
    Holy baptism “works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe” God Jesus’ words and promises. Triumphant through the cross and over the grave He speaks, “Mar 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Later Peter would echo this truth comparing the rescue of humanity from the world wide flood through Noah’s Ark he wrote, 1Pe 3:21-22 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (22) who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” All powers are not subject to King Jesus, but still He chooses simple things - water, word, bread, wine, sinful men to preach His Word and release sinners through speaking them forgiven.
    Learn from Isaiah that Jesus began His public ministry: “Baptized Our Servant!”
    The Lord preached to the nation of Judah through the prophet Isaiah nearly seven centuries before Jesus would be born of the Virgin Mary. By the Holy Spirit Isaiah preached the promise of the Virgin born Deliverer - Immanuel - “God with us!” He preached the promise to all sitting in darkness of sin, death, and captive by Satan that the Light of the world would shine - the glory of the Lord rise bringing salvation. He promised the birth of the Son given to us sinners to be the Prince of Peace. The mighty God would humble Himself to become one with us.
    God’s servant Israel failed - the nation had torn itself in two and soon the northern ten tribes would be lost in captivity. The southern kingdom of Judah - didn’t learn from God’s judgment on her sister. She continued to stubbornly shut her ears to God’s Word preached by His prophets. She was destined for destruction, enslavement, and exile. Now the Lord would reduce all His children of Israel back to One. To a new Isaac to restore comfort to His people. He would reduce all humanity back to One Man - the New Adam - to make many righteous by His perfect obedience to the Father’s good and gracious will.
      Isaiah sings of Christ Jesus in seven Servant songs that we might be comforted in Him alone. The first is found in our text this morning. Listen! (Vs.1-4) “Behold!” the prophet sings forth! Look away from yourself - look only to the One whom the Lord God elects to rescue us. St. John the Baptist, the last old testament prophet, protested Jesus stepping into the waters of his baptism of repentance. Sinners came to John in the wilderness, confessing their sins, he baptized them to wash them forgiven through God’s promise of His coming Servant. Jesus tells John that His baptism into the sewage of our sins was necessary for them to fulfill all righteousness. Our Lord Jesus chose to use the weakness of the message preached and water poured by His called and sent preacher John to apply salvation to sinners.
    Priestly John anoints Jesus in the waters of the Jordan with the sins of the world. He proclaims the sinless new Adam, the only begotten Son of God, to be the One and only Scapegoat for sin. Forty days after Jesus’ baptism prophet John points to Jesus confessing, “Joh 1:29 ....., “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
  Behold! How can baptismal water work forgiveness of sins, rescue from death and the devil, give eternal salvation, and faith to believe Jesus’ promise? Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water.” God’s Servant Jesus is present in baptismal water. He is upheld by God the Father - nailed to the cross to pay our debt and bring us Home. Walking out of the Jordan River - all heaven breaks loose - The Son of God in our Flesh stands on the world He created. God the Holy Spirit descends and remains fully upon Jesus’ flesh and blood.- He has put His Spirit upon Him. God the Father preaches from Heaven, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” - “My elect One in whom My soul delights!”
Jesus comes to rescue both Jew and Gentile - bringing forth “justice” for the Gentile - fulfilling all righteousness.
    The justice our world clamors for is a delusion. Instead of justice it seeks power for itself oppressing and enslaving others for its freedom. Whether its black against white, male against female, vaccinated against unvaccinated. The world’s idea of justice is a noisy satanic lie that enslaves and only brings death.
    Christ Jesus - God in our Flesh- steps into baptism to quietly bring true justice. He lays aside His power to serve sinners. (Vs.2) The Shepherd sings the sweet song of our salvation. He doesn’t cry out demanding justice and torching cities. He doesn’t demonstrate in the streets. He draws near where two or three gather together in His Name as His Church around His Word, water, bread, and wine.  
    Listen to His song of salvation for sinners (vs.3) He comes to heal not to destroy lives. A bruised and broken reed hanging on by a thread - He tenderly repairs. A smoking ember of faith, He doesn’t snuff out, but fills it with the oil of His living blood. He brings forth justice for truth. The truth of our sin and the Laws just sentencing of us to hell - He takes into Himself - that He might make us whole through forgiveness daily and richly given us by His Holy Spirit within His Church.
      Christ Jesus present in the waters of your baptism will never give up on a sinner like me and you! (Vs.4) Jesus did not fail. He didn’t give up. He established justice - bearing our hell in His innocent flesh upon the cross - freely laying down His life into our grave - that rising He might wash us new in baptism. He sends forth His Word - His Torah/Law to all coastlands to reclaim us as God’s own beloved children.
    Listen to the Father’s refrain to the song of His Servant Son! (Vs.5-7) God the Father, Creator and Preserver of heaven and earth. He who alone sustains each breath that we breathe, upholding us with His life giving Spirit.   He sent forth His only begotten Son by His Holy Spirit through the Word preached to the blessed Virgin Mary. God the Father now speaks to His only begotten Son in our skin, (vs.6-7) Here we find the full meaning of the Father’s Word at Jesus’ baptism, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus is called in righteousness - He is the Man without sin - fully human - as Adam was created without sin - so Jesus the Second Adam is called. Our first father Adam rejected the Father’s good and gracious will. Jesus is held by the Father’s hand and kept. Our first father Adam ate of the tree of sin and death. Jesus is given as a covenant sacrifice - He eats the fruit of our sin and death upon the tree of the cross. Adam’s sin enslaved all into Satan’s dark lies, sin, and the fear of death. Jesus, the second Adam, is the Light of the World.
    He still comes among us to serve. He draws near here in our disordered world to restore order as His Holy Spirit hovers over baptismal water and He speaks, “Let their be light!” 2Co 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”  
    Baptism is not just plain water - it is Jesus in the flesh washing our flesh new again by His cross and resurrection. Sing the song of Christ: Baptized Our Servant! 1Co 1:30-31 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— (31) that, as it is written, "HE WHO GLORIES, LET HIM GLORY IN THE LORD." Amen.