Worship 10 am & 6 pm
Belgrade United Reformed Church
17333 Frontage Road
Belgrade, MT 59714
God's Family: Consecrated in Perfection (Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-22)
This sermon explores Christ’s baptism through the complementary Gospel accounts of Luke and Matthew, showing how each evangelist emphasizes a distinct theological perspective without contradiction.
Luke highlights humility, reversal, and inclusion, revealing a kingdom where God exalts the lowly and forms a new family grounded in grace rather than status.
Matthew emphasizes fulfillment, covenant faithfulness, and judgment, presenting Jesus as Israel’s Messiah who relives and completes Israel’s story by submitting to divine judgment to “fulfill all righteousness.”
Together, these accounts reveal baptism as the moment Christ publicly consecrates Himself to bear judgment for His people and secure true peace with God. Jesus is shown to be both the humble King and the righteous Judge, welcoming outsiders while confronting self-righteousness. The family of God is not built on merit or despair, but on redemption accomplished by Christ alone. True shalom is found only in Him, calling all people, exalted and humble alike, to find their identity, confidence, and life in Christ, the great equalizer.
Consecrated in Christ (Col. 2:11,12)
Circumcision and baptism are not opposing signs but complementary marks of one covenant promise. Both point to the same gospel and the same Savior—Christ Himself. Circumcision looked forward in faith to the Redeemer who would be “cut off” for His people, while baptism looks back in faith to His finished work on the cross and resurrection. Each sign declares that God consecrates His people to Himself, calling them to die to sin and live to righteousness in Christ. Together, they reveal one covenant of grace that unites God’s people across all generations in the same salvation and the same Messiah.
Does Baptism Have the Power to Save? (Romans 6:1-14)
Romans 6 is challenging to understand. It is in the context of contrasting Adam’s failure with Christ’s success, emphasizing our identity in one of their historic precedents. Baptism symbolizes Christ’s triumph over death and hell, signifying our new life in Christ and our community’s identity as God’s covenant people. As new creatures in Christ, we live out this reality, battling sin while empowered by God’s grace.
A Blood Baptism? (LD 26; 1 Peter 1:2)
Baptism is the sacrament that initiates believers into the covenant of grace, symbolizing death, new life, and triumph in Christ. It represents the washing away of sin and the Spirit’s work in deliverance. The catechism links baptism to Christ’s death and resurrection, while 1 Peter connects it to the sprinkling of Christ’s blood, echoing Old Testament purification. Ultimately, baptism points to Christ’s redemptive work, calling believers to trust in Him rather than the sign itself.
