Remember Whose You Are

Remember Whose You Are Remember Whose You Are Michael J. NIelsen / General Go and Be Reconciled / Baptism; Identifying with Christ; Reconciliation; New Person / 2 Corinthians 5:16 21 2 Corinthians English Standard Version Chapter 5 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. For the next six weeks including today we will be walking our way through Luther s Small Catechism in a new way. We will be looking at how the Small Catechism can help in dealing with conflict and reconciliation. This Sermon and worship series is inspired by my Doctoral Class that I just took on Reconciliation. This morning we are going to look at the fourth chief part of the Christian faith, Baptism. Introduction Who are you? That s a question that s asked and answered by many each and every day. One place that this is commonly discussed is when you are sitting on an airplane next to a total stranger, so you strike up conversation. This is especially helpful when you are not a fan of flying. It keeps your mind off of being 30,000 feet above the land. When you are sitting next to that stranger, how do you answer that question of Who are you? Perhaps you answer it first by saying, My name is... and I m from Fisher/Euclid, MN. This does accurately answer the question. You might then talk about what you do for a career. For to many people their career defines them. One could answer, I m a farmer. I m a teacher. I drive truck. I stay at home with the kids. or in my case I tell them, I m a pastor. Our careers identify who we are. This too answers the question of Who are you? accurately. There s more to the answer though that I want to develop this morning and help you really think about who you are, and really whose you are. Who are you in your old Adam? Page 1. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:16 AM July 5, 2017.

Another proper way to answer this question is this: I m a poor miserable sinner. You can see this from a very young age. Think back to when your children were toddlers or maybe you are like myself and have toddlers in the house. When he or she doesn t get her way, what s the response? Sometimes it s the point of no return for that toddler until she gets her way. A monsoon of tears and a tornado of terror going through the house or grocery store or elsewhere. He or she typically does not respond well. He or she clearly shows his or her identity clearly. As the Psalmist says in Psalm 51: English Standard Version Psalm 51 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. By nature it s not just the toddler that s sinful by nature it s the teenager, the young adult, the middle aged adult and the elder adult. You are a sinner at each and every turn. As a sinner you also are an enemy of God. Isaiah tells us that are sins separate us from God: English Standard Version Chapter 59 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. As sinners we are far from God, we are enemies. You and I are enemies of a Holy God and that does not bode well for us. Even as enemies of God, totally separated from God, we also struggle daily with our sinful nature. In our Epistle this morning, St. Paul talks about the struggle. I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? The answer to the question of who are you continues and it still doesn t look good. St. Paul tells us: English Standard Version Chapter 3 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. You and I are worthless we are unclean and we can offer nothing to the Holy God, because He is our enemy. Page 2. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:16 AM July 5, 2017.

And because of all of this, our identity as a poor miserable sinner offers us nothing actually it does offer us something and it isn t good... English Standard Version Chapter 6 23 For the wages of sin is death, When we see this, we see that we are nothing and all the we deserve and have earned is death. Because of our identity as a poor miserable sinner it certainly affects our relationship with God as can be seen clearly, but also with others. Most of the time when we are sinning we aren t just sinning against God, but we are sinning against one another. Our sin affects how we treat one another. How we see ourselves affects how we treat one another? Sin causes hurt, harm, and intensifies conflict with another. There are times that conflict isn t spurred on by sin, but it typically does catch us by surprise, and when it does we react oftentimes immediately without even thinking. In our sinful nature we react with sin. We react with words of attack or with pretending like the person we are in conflict with doesn t exist. And this only intensifies when conflict is not dealt with in a Christian and remembering whose we are. St. Paul asks in the epistle, Who will deliver me from this body of death? We have one who delivers us from this body of death and it s Jesus Christ. And he claims as his own in Baptism, it is here at the font where you receive a new identity your primary identify as a child of God. We sang it in our hymn, God s Own Child I gladly say it, I am baptized into Christ. A New Identity. Who are you in Christ? Since you are baptized into Christ, you have a new identity you are no longer an enemy of God, you are no longer worthless and unclean in the eyes of God you are no longer condemned. Even as a Child of the heavenly God, baptized into Christ, you still do have the sin crouching at your door, you can even now see more the daily struggle you have with your sin. But in your baptism, you have been changed. The answer to the question: Who are you? changes. You can now proudly say, I m a child of God. I m a new creation. As our text for today tells us, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. In Baptism, God claims us as his own and we are no longer enemies of God, for we are now heirs according to the promise. We are adopted as sons and daughters of God. In Holy Baptism, we received the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit so that you and I might become heirs according to the hop of eternal life. Since you are a child of God in Baptism your identity includes the very fact that you are precious in God s eyes as Isaiah says: English Standard Version Chapter 43 Page 3. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:16 AM July 5, 2017.

Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. As you continue to contemplate your identity in your baptism, you are cleansed, you are washed clean of your sin. The Blood of Jesus covers you and cleanses you, and in baptism you are buried with Christ and raised up to new life. Because of Christ s blood and the baptism that you now have, you are no longer separated from God. For as a child of God nothing can separate you from God s amazing love. The love of God that saves you from sin, death, and the devil. Even as a baptized child of God, you still live in tension, there is still that constant battle. You and I we both know that. There is a great comfort in your baptism as it reflects your life in conflict no matter what your worth is seen in Jesus Christ. You may not seem worthy in the eyes of man, but you have worth in the eyes of God. Because of that you have the promise that despite whatever conflict you might be in or will be in, know that Jesus Christ is with you and will never leave you. And in being with you, Jesus Christ forgives your sins and empowers you to live with one another in harmony and forgiving each other. Baptism and your identity as a child of God has much to do with your conflicts. As you live as a forgiven, redeemed, sanctified, and baptized child of God can empower you to respond to conflict in a much different way. Even when you do respond with sin, your baptism can comfort you through the forgiveness of sin. This baptism that God has given to you calls you to live not for self but for God. And since you were baptized, you are able by the power of God to walk in the newness of life and to live a new life. As you think about your conflicts of the past, present, and yes as you know you will encounter them in the future, think about how you will respond think about yourself as a Child of God, and Remember whose you are. For in our text, Christ did the greatest thing for us, He reconciled us to Himself. God the Father sent Christ Jesus into this world to reconcile the world to himself. He reconciled poor miserable sinners, enemies, to Himself, and He did not count their trespasses against them, and gave to them, the ministry of reconciliation. The ministry of bringing brothers and sisters in Christ together under the word of God for mutual confession and absolution. I urge you with this ministry that the church has and as fellow baptized believers in Christ, that we in our own individual conflicts come towards reconciliation, for in Christ relationships can be healed, and once damaged relationships as we live as the new man with Christ as our identity, can become strong relationships. As St. Paul urges, Be reconciled to God first and foremost and then be reconciled to others whether it be with someone who has something against me or someone has sinned against me. As you work towards reconciliation or even towards your helping others reconcile, I encourage you to see each baptized child of God, each individual as a person for whom Christ died. As you think about your identity and as you think about your relationship with others and how you interact with each other, I encourage you to Remember Whose You are. Much as a father might tell his teenage daughter when she goes out at night Remember whose you are. You are God s Own Child. Page 4. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:16 AM July 5, 2017.

I also encourage you if you are in any conflict with anyone, seek out that person, seek mutual confession and absolution and yes, we will be talking about that later in this series. Or if you need help in conflict, come and see me, and I give you coaching to help in the conflict as you seek reconciliation for that is what the church is a place of forgiveness, a place of Reconciliation it s here where we receive the great news that Christ reconciled us to himself first. In Jesus Name. Amen. Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding, guard your hearts and your minds and keep them focused in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen. Page 5. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 9:16 AM July 5, 2017.