LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:15	hello today let’s talk about your
0:20	inheritance the text before us is for
0:23	the Second Sunday of Advent Mark 1 veres
0:27	1-8 this passage teaches the
0:30	significance of your holy
0:33	baptism introduction living beneath your
0:39	inheritance once there was a poor old
0:42	man who was nearing his death he decided
0:46	to have his will updated and give to his
0:49	son what little his life had
0:51	accumulated among other things he
0:54	bequeathed to his son a 1 acre piece of
0:58	property that he owned in North North
1:00	Dakota actually he had never visited the
1:03	property he was not really interested in
1:05	North Dakota but his father had left him
1:09	the property some 50 years before
1:12	anyway when his son heard that Dad was
1:15	leaving him an acre of land in North
1:17	Dakota the young fellow got all excited
1:20	and decided to go see it what he found
1:24	was absolutely
1:26	astounding it was a small oil field
1:30	pumping
1:31	oil the site produced about a million
1:35	dollar a day and had been doing so for
1:38	over 50 years the son returned to his
1:42	father with some exciting news and a
1:44	Thanksgiving beyond words it seems that
1:48	the accumulated profits for the past
1:51	half century had been deposited in a
1:54	bank in Minot there the money remained
1:58	untouched 18
2:00	billion $250 million give or
2:04	take that sum did not include the value
2:07	of the land itself nor any of the oil
2:10	and gas profit that would be gained in
2:12	the future of course for all of these
2:15	years his father had been living beneath
2:19	the value of his
2:21	inheritance but his son would not make
2:24	the same
2:26	mistake today we’re going to talk about
2:30	about the tremendous treasure that you
2:33	have inherited from your lord Jesus
2:36	Christ through the sacrament of holy
2:39	baptism this treasure is not made of oil
2:43	or gas it is a spiritual treasure and
2:46	its value is priceless beyond your
2:52	imagining my suspicion is that if
2:54	someone were to ask you to explain what
2:58	happened to you in your baptism you may
3:01	not be totally prepared to answer and if
3:05	someone were to request that you value
3:08	the treasure that you received in your
3:11	baptism you may have to admit that
3:13	you’ve been living beneath the value of
3:16	your
3:17	inheritance today I want to remind you
3:21	that there were at least three things
3:23	that were given to you when you were
3:25	baptized these Treasures are yours
3:29	because Jesus died and left a precious
3:32	inheritance to you through holy baptism
3:35	the value of that treasure Jesus
3:39	confirmed by his own
3:42	Resurrection point one forgiveness of
3:46	sin and the Holy
3:49	Spirit In The Gospel reading for today
3:52	we hear John the Baptist make a powerful
3:56	declaration Mark 1: 7 s and
4:01	8 after me one is coming who is mightier
4:05	than I the strap of whose sandal I’m not
4:07	worthy to untie I have baptized you with
4:11	water but he will baptize you with the
4:14	Holy
4:16	Spirit John was speaking the word of
4:19	God when you were
4:22	baptized you received the person and the
4:26	power of the Holy Spirit John the
4:29	Baptist witnessed to this and the
4:32	Apostle Peter said the same thing in his
4:35	first sermon it is found in the Acts of
4:38	the Apostles chapter 2 this is verse
4:42	38 repent and let each of you be
4:45	baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
4:48	the Forgiveness of sins and you shall
4:51	receive the gift of the Holy
4:55	Spirit as God’s word promised when you
4:58	were baptized
5:00	you were given precious spiritual gifts
5:03	Jesus gave you the complete forgiveness
5:06	of all your sins and Jesus gave you the
5:10	gift of the Holy
5:12	Spirit you may not be living like you
5:14	have received these gifts from God but
5:17	they are yours
5:19	nonetheless through your holy baptism
5:22	you have receive the Forgiveness of all
5:26	your
5:27	sins regardless of how much the devil
5:30	still accuses you and in spite of how
5:33	much shame or guilt you may still feel
5:38	beloved your sins are forgiven you in
5:42	the name of Jesus
5:44	Christ in addition you receive the gift
5:48	of the Holy Spirit Alive and at work
5:51	within you he lives in you this Holy
5:55	Spirit he calls Gathers enlightens
5:58	sanctifies and keeps you he’s working in
6:01	you all the time that’s why you hate
6:04	what is evil and you want what is good
6:07	because the holy spirit of God is living
6:10	in
6:12	you now this next part may be a new
6:15	thought when you were
6:17	baptized it was Jesus himself who
6:21	baptized you Jesus may have used the
6:25	pastor’s hands and voice but it was
6:28	still Jesus who who baptized you John
6:32	said I baptize you with water but he
6:35	will baptize you that is Jesus Will
6:38	baptize you with the Holy Spirit for
6:41	2,000 years people have been baptized by
6:45	Jesus Christ regardless of where or when
6:48	they lived it was Jesus who did the
6:52	baptizing and you too were baptized by
6:57	Jesus you or your parents or your God
7:00	Parents followed his
7:02	command go ye therefore into all the
7:05	nations baptizing them in the name of
7:08	the father and of the son and of the
7:09	holy spirit this is the command of
7:14	Jesus when it is followed God does very
7:18	specific things just as he has promised
7:21	to the water of holy baptism God joins
7:24	his word this water and word together
7:28	deliver your inheritance to you Martin
7:32	Luther
7:33	said that the word of God is a Priceless
7:36	clasp that is joined to the water so
7:39	that together they provide what God has
7:42	promised in the
7:43	sacrament please notice that God uses
7:46	the power of His name when you were
7:48	baptized it was in the name of the
7:51	father and of the son and of the Holy
7:54	Spirit God put his Divine name upon you
7:58	he join joined his name to you he joined
8:01	himself to you through the water and the
8:05	word the Divine promise of God did not
8:09	depend upon the Perfection of your
8:11	pastor or the piety of your parents or
8:14	sponsors or even your own Holiness no
8:18	the Divine promise of God stands because
8:21	of God’s word it is true because God
8:24	said it God gives his inheritance his
8:28	precious TR Treasures of forgiveness of
8:31	sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit to
8:35	everyone who is baptized in his
8:39	name point two salvation and eternal
8:44	life at the end of the Gospel of Mark
8:48	chap 16: 16 the Lord Jesus
8:52	declares he who has believed and has
8:55	been baptized shall be saved but he who
9:00	has
9:01	disbelieved shall be
9:04	condemned Faith clings to this precious
9:08	word of Christ Faith recognizes that God
9:12	has come through sacramental means in
9:15	the waters of holy baptism Faith holds
9:18	on to the Divine washing of regeneration
9:21	as an act of God it is not your act and
9:24	not the act of any other person it is
9:27	God’s Act done by God’s command and
9:31	empowered by God’s word and promise here
9:34	it is he who believes and is baptized
9:37	shall be saved Hallelujah This Promise
9:43	belongs to you because you are baptized
9:46	and because you believe what Christ has
9:48	done in your
9:50	baptism St Peter writes in his first
9:53	epistle the 3D chapter this is verses 20
9:58	and 21
10:00	the patience of God kept waiting in the
10:02	days of Noah during the construction of
10:05	the Ark in which a few that is eight
10:10	people were brought safely through the
10:13	water and corresponding to that baptism
10:16	now saves
10:18	you what is this water of baptism it’s
10:21	not simple water it is water joined to
10:26	and empowered by God’s word this baptism
10:30	now saves you that’s what the word says
10:33	how much more valuable than Acres of oil
10:35	and gas is this your
10:38	inheritance salvation is yours through
10:41	your baptism into Christ indeed you have
10:44	been buried with Jesus Christ through
10:47	baptism into death in order that his
10:49	Christ was raised from the dead through
10:52	through the glory of the father you to
10:54	might walk in newness of Life Romans 6
10:59	verse
11:01	4 do you hear when you were
11:05	baptized you were buried with Christ in
11:08	his death you were joined to Jesus so
11:11	closely that your old self died on the
11:15	cross with him and just as you came up
11:18	out of the Waters of baptism you were
11:20	raised up in the spirit into a new way
11:23	of life now your old self is dead you
11:27	are born again and now now you are alive
11:30	in Christ even as Jesus himself lives in
11:34	you this is a
11:37	mystery a spiritual
11:40	treasure Luther calls baptism God’s
11:43	Priceless medicine that swallows up
11:45	death what a miraculous inheritance this
11:48	holy baptism of yours salvation and
11:52	eternal
11:54	life point three Faith receives the
11:58	inheritance
12:00	without faith this baptism is of no
12:04	use this is made clear in the Holy
12:07	scripture Jesus said the one who has
12:09	disbelieved the one who has not believed
12:13	is condemned Mark chapter 16: 16 holy
12:17	baptism is a personal gift from Jesus to
12:20	you received by
12:22	faith do you deserve or Merit this
12:25	Priceless gift no you do not you cannot
12:29	baptism is not a work which you do at
12:31	all it’s not a treasure that you earn
12:34	it’s a treasure an inheritance that the
12:36	Lord Jesus freely gave you and that you
12:40	receive by grace through faith our human
12:45	nature and our culture want you to
12:48	believe that faith is based upon
12:50	something that you understand or based
12:53	upon something that you
12:56	feel that’s not what scripture says your
12:59	faith is based upon God’s word it does
13:02	not come from inside of you because of
13:05	what you think or feel it comes from
13:08	outside of you because of what God has
13:10	said and done faith comes by hearing and
13:13	hearing by the word of God by the very
13:16	word of
13:17	Christ in
13:19	baptism God gave you a concrete event to
13:23	hold on to with your faith God used
13:27	water and his word to give you an
13:29	inheritance God nailed himself down with
13:32	a concrete event your baptism just as he
13:36	nailed himself down on the cross another
13:39	concrete event for
13:41	you you know with certainty that God is
13:44	in your baptism not because of something
13:46	that you may think or feel that changes
13:49	every day but because of something
13:52	outside of you what God has said and
13:55	done to you your faith holds on to to
13:59	that you hold on to your
14:01	baptism without faith baptism is of no
14:04	use but with faith you receive all of
14:09	Christ’s baptismal
14:11	Treasures your Warfare with the devil
14:14	and the world and your own flesh go on
14:16	every day for that reason you need to be
14:20	washing in the waters of your baptism
14:22	every day God renews his baptismal
14:25	promises to you aresh every morning
14:30	we can see why Luther once said that no
14:34	greater Jewel can Adorn your body than
14:38	holy baptism
14:41	conclusion living your
14:44	inheritance once there was a man who had
14:47	inherited one acre of land in North
14:49	Dakota it was an oil field that produced
14:53	a million dollars a day unfortunately
14:56	for the old man he never knew a of his
14:58	inheritance and he never used the
15:01	benefits of his Blessing not so his
15:05	son you too have been given an
15:08	inheritance and it too produces benefits
15:11	each and every day but the treasure that
15:14	it provides for you is not oil or gas no
15:17	it has been given to you as Priceless
15:21	spiritual treasure the value of your
15:24	inheritance is far greater than 18 B250
15:28	million
15:29	dollar your inheritance has given you
15:32	the complete forgiveness of all your
15:35	sins the precious gift of God’s holy
15:38	spirit your baptism has given you God’s
15:42	salvation and eternal life in heaven in
15:45	your baptism you received the entire
15:50	Christ finally by Grace God has given
15:54	you the faith that you need to receive
15:56	your precious inheritance
15:59	an it is true that some people may
16:02	ignore their baptism or live beneath the
16:05	value of their inheritance but I pray
16:08	not so
16:10	you you have received spiritual
16:14	treasures and incalculable riches
16:18	through your holy baptism your spiritual
16:20	gifts are new every morning and they
16:23	will never run out through your holy
16:27	baptism Jesus Christ has personally
16:31	given you your own
16:34	inheritance
16:56	amen