Saying Goodbye to the Old Adam: Daily Baptismal Hope

Devotional

Day 1: When Jesus Places a Child in Your Midst

Jesus’ call to become like children isn’t about innocence—it’s about gut-level surrender. He interrupts the disciples’ power debate by placing a child at the center, dismantling their ladder-climbing instincts. To turn like a child means releasing the need to control outcomes, to stop justifying our worth through achievements. This goodbye to self-reliance stings because it means admitting we don’t have all the answers. Yet Jesus insists this is the only path into the kingdom, where greatness is measured by trust, not trophies. [27:56]

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:1–4, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your pride masquerade as competence today? What would it look like to release one specific outcome to God’s care like a child releasing a balloon?

Day 2: Drowning the Old Adam Before Breakfast

Sin isn’t a one-time foe but a daily squatter. Luther’s “daily drowning” isn’t metaphor—it’s the gritty reality of mornings spent kneeling over baptismal waters, scrubbing off yesterday’s residue. The old Adam clings like wet laundry, whispering self-sufficiency. Baptism’s promise isn’t a souvenir but a lifeline: every sunrise demands we choose between resuscitating our dead self or letting grace bury it again. This goodbye isn’t tidy—it’s a thrashing fight for air. [31:17]

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: What habit, thought, or relationship have you been trying to resuscitate that God says belongs at the bottom of the font?

Day 3: The Font Where Goodbyes Become Hellos

Baptismal water isn’t a polite sprinkle—it’s a flood swallowing Pharaoh’s army. Every drop screams, “Your old self drowned here.” Yet this drowning births life: hands that once clawed for control now open to receive. The font’s edge is where we trade the weight of self-salvation for the lightness of being carried. Here, goodbye to sin becomes hello to a Father who washes feet and knows our name. [33:09]

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3–4, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last trace the sign of the cross on your forehead? How might that physical reminder shift your next hard goodbye?

Day 4: The Rail That Stretches Into Eternity

Communion rails aren’t finish lines—they’re train tracks. Kneeling here connects you to martyrs, mothers, and missionaries who also fought the old Adam’s grip. The bread on your tongue today fed Augustine and Perpetua; the cup moistened Luther’s lips. This meal isn’t about personal piety but joining the rebel alliance against sin. Every “Amen” echoes through centuries, a chorus of drowned old selves singing, “He keeps His promises.” [38:11]

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb… crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9–10, ESV)

Reflection: Whose faith-story from history or your life reminds you that this struggle isn’t solitary? How does their perseverance steady your knees today?

Day 5: When Goodbyes Run Out of Breath

Resurrection isn’t a metaphor—it’s the final exhale. One morning, you’ll wake to find the old Adam gone for good, his corpse unable to survive the New Earth’s light. Every goodbye here rehearses that eternal hello: no more wrestling sin’s undertow, no more funeral dirges. The God who walked wet cemeteries with Mary will wipe every tear, not with a handkerchief, but with His scarred hands. [36:23]

“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.” (Romans 6:8–10, ESV)

Reflection: What current grief or struggle will feel most laughable in the light of that endless morning? How does that hope rewire today’s worries?

Sermon Summary

Goodbyes are hard. Jesus makes the most important goodbye clear in Matthew 18: saying goodbye to the part that thinks it always knows best, needs control, and makes an idol out of its own abilities. Jesus calls His disciples to turn and become like children, because whoever humbles himself like a child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. This turning means saying goodbye to the old sinful self.

The old Adam does not leave quietly. The old Adam clings to pride, self-reliance, and the desire to learn things the hard way. The world cannot understand why anyone would set self aside and trust Jesus first, but God’s children know that this goodbye is harder than it sounds. The church gathers because the Lord keeps bringing His people back to the reality that the old sinful self must be put to death.

Baptism ties this daily goodbye to God’s promise. Luther’s words name the old Adam as one who should, by daily contrition and repentance, drown and die with all sins and evil desires, while a new man emerges and arises to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. God gives water with His Word and command because His children need something physical to cling to. Baptism announces forgiveness, brings sinners into the Father’s family, and reminds them that they do not face sin alone.

Jesus does not go back on His promises. Christ receives the trust that sinful hearts cannot sustain in busy days, hard days, and even good days when Satan tempts hearts to trust themselves. Christ’s forgiveness lets His people look forward rather than backward, toward the full revelation of His promise. Eternity with Jesus will hold no sin, no death, and no final goodbyes among those who have gone before in faith.

Paul’s words in Romans 6 put this promise plainly: the old self was crucified with Christ so that sinners would no longer be slaves to sin. Christ’s death buries and drowns sin, and Christ’s resurrection paves the way for the resurrection of His baptized children. The Lord’s Supper gives this same forgiveness in Christ’s true body and blood. The communion rail goes on into eternity, joining those present with those who have gone before and those yet to come. Jesus remains the only way to life everlasting, and He never goes back on His promises.

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Key Takeaways

1. Say goodbye to the old Adam. Jesus does not call His children to manage their pride more carefully. Jesus calls them to turn from the self that needs control and believes it knows best. Humility is not weakness or self-hatred, but resting as a child rests in a faithful Father. [28:14]
2. Baptism makes repentance a daily reality. Baptism is not only a memory from long ago. God joins water, Word, and promise so that sinners can return again and again to forgiveness. The old Adam needs drowning daily because sin keeps reaching for life, but Christ keeps raising a new person to live before God. [31:17]
3. Jesus never breaks His promises. Christ remains trustworthy when life gets busy, difficult, or comfortable enough to tempt hearts into self-trust. His promise does not depend on how tightly a believer feels able to cling to Him. His forgiveness holds His children even when forgetfulness and weakness pull them back toward the old self. [35:16]
4. Christ’s resurrection ends every final goodbye. Paul grounds hope in union with Christ’s death and resurrection. Sin is buried with Christ, and death no longer gets the last word over those who belong to Him. Eternity will bring the day when there is no more sin to leave behind and no faithful loved one to lose. [40:18]
5. The communion rail reaches into eternity. Christ gives His body and blood as physical gifts for forgiven sinners to receive together. The rail joins the saints gathered now with those who have gone before in faith and those yet to come. The Lord’s Supper makes visible the lasting family Christ has made through His death and resurrection.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[26:59] - Goodbyes Are Hard
[27:56] - Jesus Calls for Childlike Humility
[29:00] - Saying Goodbye to Pride
[30:46] - The Old Adam Drowns Daily
[31:35] - Baptism and God’s Forgiveness
[34:00] - Trusting Jesus Over Self
[35:16] - Jesus Never Breaks His Promises
[35:58] - The Hope of No More Goodbyes
[37:22] - United in Baptism and Communion
[39:11] - Romans 6: Dead to Sin
[41:28] - Buried With Christ, Raised With Him
[42:34] - Life Everlasting in Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 18:1–4
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” [27:47] [28:01] [28:14]

Romans 6:5–11
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” [40:04] [40:18] [40:33]

Matthew 18:3
“And said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” [28:01] [28:14]

Observation questions

What question do the disciples ask Jesus, and how does Jesus answer their concern about greatness in the kingdom of heaven?
What words does Jesus use to describe the change that is needed before a person enters the kingdom of heaven: “turn,” “become,” and “humble”? What do those words show about the direction of a believer’s life? [28:25]
In Romans 6, what has happened to the old self, and what freedom is given as a result?
What physical gifts are connected with forgiveness and belonging to God’s family: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper? How are they described as gifts believers can cling to? [32:42]

Interpretation questions

Jesus does not describe childlike humility as being childish or helpless in every way. What kind of trust and dependence on the heavenly Father does His illustration of a child call believers to have? [33:42]
The old self often wants control, trusts personal ability, and insists on learning things the hard way. Why are these desires difficult to recognize as forms of pride?
Romans 6 says that believers are united with Christ both in His death and in His resurrection. How does this keep repentance from becoming only guilt over sin, rather than hope-filled trust in Christ?
Baptism points believers back to God’s forgiveness even when they forget, struggle, or return to old patterns. Why is it important that God’s promise does not depend on how strongly a person feels at a given moment? [41:38]

Application questions

Where has the desire to be in control been strongest lately—in family life, work, finances, health, church, or another area? What might it look like to turn from self-reliance and entrust that area to Jesus?
The old Adam does not leave quietly and needs to be drowned daily through contrition and repentance. What repeated sin, attitude, or unhealthy desire most often tries to regain control in daily life? [31:07]
When life becomes busy, hard, or especially comfortable, what patterns make it easier to drift back into trusting personal strength rather than Christ? What simple reminder of God’s promise could help in those moments? [34:05]
Baptism declares that God has forgiven sin and brought His people into His family. How could remembering Baptism shape a response after failure, shame, or a conflict with someone else? [33:08]
Jesus does not go back on His promises. Which promise of Christ is especially needed right now: forgiveness, His presence, freedom from sin, resurrection, or life everlasting? Why? [35:26]
The hope of resurrection means that death does not have the final word and that faithful loved ones who have died in Christ are not lost forever. How does this promise speak into a particular goodbye or grief that still feels heavy? [36:46]
The communion rail reaches into eternity, joining God’s people gathered now with those who have gone before and those yet to come. How might this truth change the way a person approaches the Lord’s Supper and views the church family? [37:48]

Sermon Clips

62s

“Jesus does not go back on his promises. And we live the fruits of his promises today because when we say goodbye to the old Adam, the sinful self that clings to us, when we trust that through Christ, the old Adam has drowned and dies, and a new person emerges daily, then we begin to live with peace and harmony. And we begin to look forward instead of backwards. And what a joy looking forward, looking to the full redemption of his promise. The full revelation of his promise, I mean. When we do that, what a joy that is to us. Because it gives us hope to trust. That there will be a time when we will never have to say goodbye again.”

41s

“So there we have it. Through Christ's death, we have been buried into the death of the old sinner in you. But because of Christ's resurrection, his resurrection paves the way for all of our resurrections. This is the fulfillment of his promises for us because he never goes back on his promise. And his promise is that because of our resurrection, there will be a time when there will be no more goodbyes. So let's cling to that.”

46s

“Think about that for a minute. The rail that you kneel at today goes on into eternity. You are united with those who have gone before and those who are yet to come as you kneel at this rail. Today, we are united as we receive the physical elements of Christ's body and blood, which tell us that our sins are forgiven. So in baptism, we hear that our sins are forgiven and that Jesus has brought us into his family. And in the Lord's supper, we hear once again that our sins are forgiven. And here at Saint John's, we hear that every single week except fifth Sundays.”

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St John's Lutheran Church Effingham IL This sermon · AI assistant

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