Pop star Prince has died at age 57. It’s now been reported that Prince had no last will and testament. He was apparently paranoid of signing any kind of legal document lest he somehow be swindled out of his fortune. Of course now everyone is wondering who will get his millions. His six siblings? His lawyers? The government? We’ll be hearing about this in the coming months as there will no doubt be a fight over the fortune.
About two thousand years ago another prince left a fortune behind when he died—though no one seemed to realize it at first. It wasn’t until the Prince of Peace came back to life that people came to appreciate the fortune he had left them—a fortune worth more than all the money in the world. As we continue our sermon series on baptism, we’ll learn how through that sacrament God gives us this fortune—the promise of a heavenly inheritance and therefore a better bequest. Listen to our text from Titus 3:3-7. “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
I think everyone would be shocked if they find a will for the pop star Prince and discover that he left everything to the music producer who reportedly ripped him off early in his career. People usually don’t leave their fortunes to their enemies. Why, we often hear stories of children being written out of their parents’ will for the slightest of reasons. That’s what should make Paul’s opening words in our text astounding because he doesn’t describe the kind of people who seem deserving of inheriting a fortune. Look again at what Paul wrote: “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3:3).
Paul wasn’t describing a bunch of criminals serving a life sentence. He was writing to Titus, a fellow servant of God who was in charge of organizing the congregations on the island of Crete. Paul said to this Titus, “…we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions…” Paul’s foolishness had been quite obvious, for at one time he actively tried to destroy the religion that he was now working to promote. When Paul thought about his past he must felt like the player in Game 7 of the playoffs who knocks the puck into his own goal in overtime. Of course what Paul did was even worse. He went around having Christians arrested and approved of their executions. This was a man with innocent blood on his hands!
Although I doubt any of you have engaged in the level of violence that Paul once had, perhaps some of you can remember a time when you ridiculed those who went to church. You thought their rejection of evolution proved how simpleminded they were. You thought they were delusional for confessing that no matter what happened in life, they were certain that their God would care for them. On the other hand many of you can never remember a time when you didn’t believe in the God of the Bible. But even we lifelong believers have struggled and still struggle with sins like malice and envy. We’re quick to judge the motives of others, quick to draw conclusions that because they drive a certain kind of car or take certain kind of vacations that they must have a problem with materialism. But what that attitude actually reveals is that we have a problem with the sin of envy! Otherwise we would simply be happy for those who can afford things that we might not be able to afford.
The picture that Paul describes is not a pretty one. And yet it was for sinners like that, sinners like us that God went to work. Paul said, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:4a). God’s kindness and mercy blazed forth in the person of Jesus, but it was evident long before then. You could see it in how God didn’t destroy Adam and Eve after the fall into sin. Instead he promised to send them a savior. God’s mercy and love was evident in the life of the Israelites. There were so many times God should have just given up on those stubborn people, but he didn’t. And God’s kindness and mercy is evident in our lives as well. Look at how God continues to provide for us even though we are often thankless when it comes to those gifts and instead think that God owes us much more than he is already giving to us.
And how exactly does God save us? Paul explains that too. “…he saved us through the washing in which the Holy Spirit gives us new birth and renewal. 6 God poured a generous amount of the Spirit on us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 As a result, God in his kindness has given us his approval and we have become heirs who have the confidence that we have everlasting life” (Titus 3:5b-7). – God’s Word translation
God saved us through a washing in which the Holy Spirit renewed us. This can only be a reference to baptism. Last Sunday we heard Jesus say that the Holy Spirit gave us a new birth through baptism. Now Paul adds that we also have renewal. It’s like God put us in the witness protection plan and gave us a new identity and a new start. No longer are our sins held against us. No longer are we drifting through life without a purpose. It’s the Holy Spirit who brings about this change because through baptism he gives us faith in Jesus’ forgiveness.
And did you notice how Paul said that the Holy Spirit has been poured out on us generously through baptism? That’s another thing I like about our new baptismal font. Water doesn’t just dribble out of the rock as it often does from drinking fountains in public parks. No, the water from our font cheerfully bubbles out the top drenching the rock and filling the pool below it. That’s a good picture of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life. Through baptism God drenched you with the Holy Spirit and his power. You’re not just “kinda” equipped in your fight against Satan, you are fully equipped. Through baptism you have the power to stop being envious of others. You can instead be happy for them and encourage them, even if they don’t encourage you back. Through the power given to you at baptism you can make changes to your life that would declare to the world that you follow Jesus, and not your sinful nature.
But there’s more. Paul says that through baptism we’ve been given the promise of a heavenly inheritance. When God put his name on you at baptism, he wrote you into his will. Baptism gives you a better bequest than inheriting the millions that the pop star Prince has stashed away. I mean what good did those millions do him? Sure, he may have been able to live a lavish life-style while he had the money and was still alive, but considering his hits started coming in the late 70’s, Prince had what, 35 years to enjoy his wealth? And did he really enjoy it? Or was he always concerned about being ripped off, or not being able to produce the next hit so that he could keep the gravy train rolling? And if you inherited Prince’s money, you would have the same concerns. How could you keep it safe? What would you do when the money was gone? Through baptism we receive a better bequest for it’s an inheritance that gets us through death and promises a life of joy and happiness that will never end.
I am not saying of course that all those who are baptized will automatically go to heaven. I mean what if Prince had named you as the sole beneficiary of his estate? Would you believe it when his lawyers called to deliver the news? Probably not. Instead I think you would hang up thinking it was some of kind of hoax actually designed to rip you off by trying to get some personal information out of you. But if it was true that you were named in Prince’s will and you continued to refuse it, your lack of faith would cause you to miss out on millions. It’s that way with baptism too. Just because you’ve been baptized doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy the benefits of baptism. For without faith, God’s forgiveness and the promise of eternal life offered in baptism will be of no use to you.
That’s why we’re doing this sermon series on baptism. It’s my prayer that you will come to appreciate again what a blessing baptism is so that you will continue to firmly clutch its promises. So no, don’t believe it if someone claiming to represent the pop star Prince calls you up to say that you’ve inherited his millions and it can all be yours if you just give him your banking information. But when God reaches out to you through his Word like he is doing this morning and tells you that you’ve inherited eternal life thanks to Jesus and the working of the Holy Spirit in baptism, believe it and rejoice in this better bequest. Amen.
SERMON NOTES
Why is it shocking to learn that God would leave an inheritance for us?
Fill in the blanks: God saved us because of his _________________ not because of _________________.
How does our text show that baptism is not just a mere ceremony, but that something actually happens to us in baptism?
Last week we heard that baptism gives us a new birth. Today we learn that baptism also gives us renewal. What’s the difference between the two?
Why is the inheritance you receive through baptism more important than an inheritance you could receive from the pop star Prince?
Agree or disagree and explain. Everyone who is baptized will go to heaven.
