Baptism and Benediction

Numbers 6:22-27; Matt. 28:18-20
Baptism and Benediction

I. Blessed and Baptized into the 3-Fold Name

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."—Mt. 28:18-20

'In Mt. 28:18-20, Jesus deliberately echoed the Aaronic benediction. For the first time, the Apostles were learning how to properly pronounce the benediction of the Triune LORD.'—Sinclair Ferguson

II. Claiming the Blessing of His Name

III. Live According to Your Baptism and Blessing

WLC 167: How is our Baptism to be improved by us? We have a necessary but frequently neglected obligation to use our baptism our whole lives, particularly in times of temptation and when we are present at the baptism of others. We should seriously and thankfully reflect on what is involved in baptism, why Christ established it, the privileges and benefits conferred and sealed by it, and the significance of our own solemn vows when we were baptized. This reflection humbles us when we recognize how defiled we are by sin and how far short we fall of living up to, and indeed walk so contrary to the standards set by the grace of baptism and by our other spiritual commitments. We are also assured of pardon fr