___________________________<\/p>\n
Introduction<\/strong> \u2013 Let\u00a0me start by addressing possible questions about why<\/em> Jesus needed to be Baptized. It is the Baptism of our Lord Sunday, and whether if you are new to faith or if you have been a Christian for a long time, you may still stumble on explaining why Jesus needed to get Baptized.<\/p>\n The answer is: He didn’t<\/em>\u2014not for himself. He did it for us. Just as he didn\u2019t need to die, least of all on a cross like a criminal. But He did for us of love, to show that \u201che became sin who knew no sin so that we might become the righteousness of God.\u201d<\/p>\n Jesus had no sin to confess. But he came to fulfill all righteousness in our place, to identify completely with sinners he came to save. John’s baptism prepared people for the Messiah; Jesus’ baptism would later connect us to his death and resurrection, delivering forgiveness, life, and salvation.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n Jesus begins His ministry showing He is not just one more of the prophets \u2013 But The Prophet, the Messiah. Here he shows His two natures: He comes as a man to identify with sinners. He comes as God as we see the presence of the Father and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gets baptized not because he had sin, but because he identifies with sinners, whom He loves, saves and gives eternal life.<\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s another reason: it gave occasion for the Holy Trinity to be manifested and for the Father to point to Jesus and say, \u201cThis is my beloved Son\u201d. This is the One. The wait is over. The Messiah, Jesus Christ is here.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now, right after Jesus comes out of the water, the heavens open, and a Voice speaks: \u201cThis is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The Father Himself speaks. And his voice is heard. It is:<\/p>\n The Father points His finger at Him and says: “This is the One.”<\/strong> In a world full of conflicting messages and “personal realities,” God provides the One true reality: His Son made flesh, identifying with Sinners to save them.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n The Problem: Which Voice?<\/strong><\/p>\n That mattered because people were surrounded by voices of different prophets. Teachers and \u201cmessiahs.\u201d Conflicting hopes and expectations. Which voice should they trust?<\/p>\n And not much has changed. We still live surrounded by voices telling us who God is, what matters, and what is true.[3]<\/a> We are told that meaning depends on how you<\/em> hear something, that truth is personal, that your interpretation is what counts.<\/p>\n The worst part of it? It created a culture in which you are primed not to hear or see reality but your own reality<\/em>. Reality is what you believe<\/em>.<\/p>\n Let me show you and example of how that works. I\u2019m going to play a short audio clip of a crowd chanting. Just listen. (Play audio) <\/em>What did you hear? Let\u2019s listen again. (Play again) <\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s the same recording, the same sound waves, but people often hear completely different words. Since all the options for the audio seem to be valid, it appears that they are all true, right? It doesn\u2019t take long before someone utilizes this example to say, \u201cSee? There\u2019s no single or absolute meaning to things. It\u2019s all interpretation. What matters is what you hear.\u201d There\u2019s actually even a video of a professor utilizing this audio to make this point: You don\u2019t see or hear reality, but only your<\/em> reality.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n How does that show up in the world?<\/p>\n \u201cYour truth is your truth\u201d How does that happen in the church? Examples<\/p>\n \u201cI know what it says, but I experience it differently.\u201d It can affect teaching too, for example, when one insists that Immersion Baptism is the only valid form of Baptism.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The truth about Truth<\/strong><\/p>\n This conversation can be summed up in the popular saying: \u201cWhat does this text mean to me?\u201d Like with that audio sample. \u201cWhat does it say to my<\/em> ears?\u201d<\/p>\n But it misses one obvious thing: Who exactly Jesus is and what He says is available to be checked, learned and trusted. You can learn exactly who He is.<\/strong><\/p>\n The same with that audio, if someone wants to use it to prove that many things can be true at the same time. They can’t<\/em>. Because you can go to the source and discover what the original recording actually says. And that settles the matter.<\/p>\n No matter what you hear, if it\u2019s not what was recorded, then it is not true. You ask the person who recorded it. <\/strong>They know. They know the exact words that were recorded so, even if someone brings up a different interpretation, \u201ctheir reality\u201d, you can confront them with reality itself. Here this is what was recorded; there is no other meaning to these words.<\/p>\n We don’t need to find our own reality; we need to be confronted by the<\/em> reality. When we want to cut through the noise, we go back to the One who spoke. We go to the Recorded Voice: The Word of God. [6]<\/a> At Jesus\u2019 baptism, God Himself speaks. He does not offer a suggestion. He does not invite interpretation. He declares reality. \u201cThis is my beloved Son.\u201d Not \u201ca son.\u201d Not \u201csomeone meaningful.\u201d Not \u201cyour version of a good teacher.\u201d This is my Son.<\/strong><\/p>\n And that voice has not disappeared. It has been recorded for us. In the Scriptures that point us to Christ and His cross. In Absolution, where forgiveness is spoken, not implied. In the Sacraments, where God attaches His Word to visible promises. God has spoken, and He has told us exactly who Jesus is.<\/p>\n We have the recorded voice of God in His Word. There we find the answer that helps to hear his clear voice. He tells us who<\/em> He is. And because we have the ‘recorded voice’ of the whole Bible, we know that identifying Him as the Son is an invitation to listen to everything He is about to do and say.\u00a0 For God doesn\u2019t suggest possibilities. He speaks with the clear voice of Scripture.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Your Baptism = That Same Voice Over You<\/strong><\/p>\n This is deeply personal. Paul tells us in Romans 6 that we were buried with Christ by baptism into death, so that we might be raised with Him to new life. That means your baptism was not just a ceremony. It was not just water. It was not just something that happened in the past. At your Baptism, God spoke. Just as surely as He said, \u201cThis is my Son.\u201d In Baptism, God used that same voice over you: \u201cThis is my child.\u201d<\/p>\n This declaration does not depend on how you feel. Because some days you feel faithful. Some days you feel doubtful. Some days your thoughts are nothing but noise. But the truth of your Baptism does not depend on your clarity. It depends on God\u2019s voice. And God\u2019s voice does not change.<\/p>\n When the noise gets loud in your week, remember: God has already spoken over you. The voice of heaven has been recorded.<\/p>\n In faith you receive the benefit of His work on His Cross.\u00a0 You are redeemed and you are headed toward eternal life. That is not interpretation. That is declaration<\/em>. You may feel<\/em> unchanged some days. You may hear<\/em> only noise in your own head. But the meaning of your Baptism does not depend on your clarity. It depends on God\u2019s voice.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conclusion – <\/strong>I did my homework and looked up what is exaclty said in that viral audio clip. Here it is (The chant actually says only one thing: \u201cThat is embarrassing<\/em>.\u201d)[7]<\/a> It is used by soccer fans in Derby County, England, to mock adversaries when they make a mistake. Now, once you know that, you can\u2019t unhear it.<\/p>\n In the same way, once you know that God has spoken over you, that truth doesn\u2019t fade when life gets loud. This week, when competing voices press in, remember this: God has already spoken. He has declared who Jesus is. The begining of a new year is a good time to re-calibrate our ears and tune them in to the voice of the Father. He has declared who you are.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t trust the noise. Trust the voice that speaks truth. This is the One. <\/strong>Amen.<\/p>\n _________________________________________<\/p>\n [1]<\/a>-John\u2019s Baptism is still limited to the Jews. John’s baptism was for repentance and forgiveness, preparing people for the Messiah. That is the meaning of the Word Baptizein<\/em> in Greek \u2013 to wash with water, in this case, in a sacred ritual. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance pointing forward<\/em> to the coming Messiah. Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 28 connects us to his death and resurrection and delivers forgiveness, life, and salvation.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> “Now, the Voice from heaven came right after Jesus came up from the water. It is the Voice of the Father pointing directly to the Son. While the explicit command ‘Listen to Him’ comes a bit later in Matthew\u2019s Gospel at the Transfiguration, the message here at the Jordan is the identical foundation: This is the One.<\/strong> By declaring Jesus as His ‘Beloved Son,’ the Father is establishing Jesus as the ultimate authority. It\u2019s as if the Father is clearing the air of all other noise and saying, ‘This is the Source. From this moment on, if you want to know my heart, you look at Him. If you want to hear my truth, you listen to Him.’<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Later in the Gospels, we see that when God speaks, some people perceive it differently. Some hear thunder. Others think an angel spoke. Even between the three Gospels\u2019 account there\u2019s a slight difference in wording, \u201cYou are my beloved Son\u201d and \u201cThis is my beloved Son\u201d.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Here\u2019s the thing: for once, that’s partially fair. Sometimes we do mishear things. Sometimes our own perspectives color what we think we’ve heard. Context matters. Background noise interferes. We don\u2019t always hear clearly. We are constantly bombarded by voices\u2014social media gurus, cultural experts, and our own anxious thoughts\u2014telling us who we should be or what God is like.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> And there is still the opposite – the argument of silence. \u201cJesus never spoke against it, so he must be okay with it\u201d<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> As we perk our ears to the clear and correct teaching of the Scriptures we are assured that we are hearing God\u2019s Voice. For example, in the readings for today:<\/p>\n _Isaiah 42:\u00a0 <\/u><\/strong>2 \u201cI have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.\u201d \/ 6\u00a0 \u201cI am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; <\/em><\/p>\n _Romans 6: <\/u><\/strong>4\u00a0We 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\u201d\u00a0 \/ 11\u00a0So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. <\/em><\/p>\n By the way, what is this newness of life Paul talks about. It is new compared to what? Compared to the oldness<\/em> of life. Sin is the old life, Christ is the new one. We are dead for sin and alive for Christ. <\/strong>Paul talks about it in the context of Sin and Grace.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Source of the video<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hope Lutheran Church, Port Coquitlam BC Matthew 3:13-17; Romans 6:1-11 Theme: \u201cThis is the One (The Voice from Heaven speaks)\u201d ___________________________ Introduction \u2013 Let\u00a0me start by addressing possible questions about why Jesus needed to be Baptized. It is the Baptism of our Lord Sunday, and whether if you are new to faith or if you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":4397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
\n\u201cThere is no absolute truth\u201d
\n\u201cThis relationship feels right to me, so it must be right.\u201d
\n\u201cThis choice makes me happy, so God must be okay with it.\u201d
\n\u201cThat belief works for you, this belief works for me.\u201d
\n\u201cNo one can tell me what\u2019s true for my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThat may have been true back then, but this is how I hear it today.\u201d
\n\u201cThis is what this Bible passage means<\/em> to me<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n