Theme: "United With Him"

Summary

Pastor Pett's sermon from the Baptism of Our Lord Sunday explores the profound meaning of Christian baptism as both a death to sin and a resurrection to new life in Christ.

Drawing primarily from Romans 6, Pastor Pett challenges the congregation to understand that baptism isn't merely a ritual but a radical transformation where believers die with Christ and rise to live for God.

The message confronts the question of cheap grace—whether Christians should continue in sin so grace may abound—with a resounding "by no means." Instead, the sermon calls believers to demonstrate gratitude for their salvation through daily living that reflects their new identity in Christ.

Pastor Pett emphasizes that true gratitude isn't expressed in words alone but in a transformed life that dies to self and lives for God, making faith visible in everyday actions and choices.

Key Points

• Baptism represents a genuine death to sin and resurrection to new life, not merely a symbolic gesture
  
  
• The question "Have you died?" challenges believers to recognize their baptismal identity as those who have died with Christ
  
  
• Grace is a free gift from God, not something earned, but this doesn't give license to continue in sin
  
  
• The old self was crucified with Christ so that we are no longer enslaved to sin
  
  
• Baptism connects believers to Christ's death on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter
  
  
• The white baptismal garment (pall) represents being covered with Christ's righteousness
  
  
• True gratitude for salvation is demonstrated through daily living, not just Sunday worship
• 
  The Christian life is about living for God rather than for self
  
  
• Christ's death to sin was once for all, but the life He lives, He lives to God—and we are called to do the same

Primary Sermon Text:

Our Epistle Reading for the Baptism of Our Lord, Romans 6:1-11, was the text for the sermon.

Explicitly Mentioned Scripture:

Matthew 3:13-15 (Gospel reading referenced) - John the Baptist's baptism of Jesus, particularly Jesus' words: "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."

Relevant Supporting Verses for Themes Discussed:

Ephesians 2:8-9 - Grace and faith as gifts (theme of salvation by grace through faith)

Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ" (theme of dying with Christ)

Colossians 2:12 - Buried with Christ in baptism (baptismal theology)

2 Corinthians 5:17 - New creation in Christ (theme of new life)

1 Peter 3:21 - Baptism saves (baptismal significance)

Galatians 3:27 - Clothed with Christ in baptism (white garment symbolism)

Have you died? If you have been baptized into Jesus Christ, you have died with him.

When you talk about being drowned and die, what has to happen? That old Adam is being taken under the water and held there until he stops kicking. We spit out the death of our sins. We breathe in the life of Christ.

Living it not just on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night. Living it day in and day out. Remembering who you are. Remembering what's been done for you.

Do you live your life for yourself or do you live your life for Christ? And if you don't know the difference, then ask yourself again, what does gratitude look like?

The death He died, He died to sin once for all. But the life He lives, we need to live to God.

All my sin is being put to death. All my sin is dying with Him. And I am being delivered from all of it. Because of Him. And what do we get in exchange? A gift, a gift of salvation.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.
¹¹ In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Theme: "His Glorious Grace"

Summary

Pastor Pett's sermon from the Second Sunday After Christmas explores the profound truth of God's predestination and adoption of believers through Christ. Pastor Pett emphasizes that before the foundation of the world, God chose us by grace—not because of our merit or special qualities, but purely out of His love.

The message weaves together themes of blessing (both how we bless God and how He blesses us), predestination, adoption, justification, and our future inheritance. Central to the sermon is the concept of grace as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense," highlighting that every spiritual blessing we receive comes through Jesus' work on our behalf.

The sermon culminates in the assurance that believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of the glorious inheritance awaiting all who are called together in Christ's presence.
 
Key Points

• Blessing is bidirectional: God blesses us with spiritual gifts, and we bless God through worship, prayer, obedience, and gathering in His house
  
  
• God chose and predestined believers before the foundation of the world, demonstrating His initiative in salvation
  
  
• Grace is the foundation of our relationship with God—an undeserved, unearned gift based solely on His love
  
  
• The progression of salvation: predestined → called → justified → glorified (Romans 8)
  
  
• Believers are adopted as God's children through Jesus Christ according to His will and purpose
  
  
• Our inheritance is not earned by our work but secured by Christ's death and resurrection
  
  
• The Holy Spirit serves as the guarantee of our future inheritance until we receive it in full
  
  
• Wisdom that truly matters is the wisdom unto salvation found in God's Word
  
  
• All believers will receive their inheritance together when gathered in Christ's presence

Primary Sermon Text:

Our Epistle Reading for the Second Sunday After Christmas, Ephesians 1:3-14, was the text for the sermon

Other Explicitly Mentioned Reference:

Romans 8:29-30 - "And those he predestined, he also called. And those he called, he also justified. And those he justified, he also glorified."

Romans 6:4 - "We are therefore buried with him by baptism into death in order that just as he was raised through the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life."

Revelation 7:9 - "Behold, a multitude that no one could number, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, all clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands."

Alluded to or Thematically Present:

1 Kings 3:5-12 - Solomon asking for wisdom (mentioned as the Old Testament reading theme)

Luke 2:41-52 - Twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple seeking wisdom (mentioned as the Gospel reading and depicted in Redeemer's stained glass windows)

Ephesians 1:3 - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places"

Genesis 1:3 - "Let there be light" - reference to creation

Verses Supporting Main Themes

Ephesians 2:8-9 - Grace as unmerited gift

2 Timothy 1:9 - God's purpose and grace given before time began

Titus 3:5-7 - Justification by grace and inheritance of eternal life

1 Peter 1:3-4 - Inheritance kept in heaven

Before God created anything, before God said the words, let there be light, before any of that occurred, he was thinking about you. He chose you and that's by grace we didn't earn it we didn't achieve it.

An inheritance is something you do not work for. I received an inheritance from my parents when they passed. I worked for how much of it? Zero. And yet I was blessed by it immensely. Because of what they did, not what I did.

God is blessed when we think about him. When we think about him enough to show up in his house, to sing praises to him, to thank him, to share his word, he is blessed by that.

Break the word grace down into five words, like an anagram. God's Riches (or Righteousness) At Christ's Expense. Everything that we receive because of Jesus coming into this world, living for us, suffering and dying on the cross, rising from the grave, is all in that five-letter word, grace.

The wisdom that Jesus sought out among the teachers in the temple. The wisdom that Solomon sought out as a gift from God. The wisdom we seek out as we come into his house. The wisdom that we hear every time his word is read or spoken or preached.

What awaits us is glory beyond our understanding or comprehension. What awaits us is all of this. All because he did what? He chose you. Not because you did anything special. Not because you earned anything tremendous. But by that one simple five-letter word. He chose you by grace.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us. Blessed is God, blessed are we. We bless God by praising him, following his commandments, spreading his word, giving thanks.