Introduction
The outline for this message came from "The Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible", from Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
John, a neighbor of mine, was annoyed because he had to search for his newspaper each morning after the paperboy tossed it. Often he would find it, covered with dirt, under the car in the gravel driveway. Then one-day the paperboy's mother mentioned that her son's ambition was to play professional basketball. John had an idea. When he got home, he attached a basketball hoop to a post on the front porch. Sure enough, the next morning there was a resounding "plunk" as the newspaper sailed through the hoop and landed by the door. John never had to search for his paper again.
Lets turn to Mark 1:6 .
This is a quote from Max Lucado. John the Baptist would never get hired today. No church would touch him. He was a public relations disaster.
First was his attire.
Mark 1:6 (NKJV)
Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
I have experienced the problem of improper dress. I wear western style clothing, but back East, it was looked upon as improper attire. It was obvious that I was new in the church, but everyone except the official greeters ignored me. Just imagine if I had been candidating to be pastor of that church, obviously I would not have been hired as preacher because my dress was not in good eastern taste.
Next to his attire, was his preaching.
Why, His message was as rough as his dress. A no-nonsense, bare-fisted challenge to repent because God was on His way. No, John’s style wasn’t smooth. He made few friends and lots of enemies, but what do you know? He made hundreds of converts.
How do you explain it? It certainly wasn’t his charisma, nor his money or position—for he had neither. Then what did he have? One word: Holiness.
Turn to 1 Peter 1:15-16.
Holiness seeks to be like God. You want to make a difference in your world? Live a holy life. Be faithful to your spouse. Pay your bills. Be the employee who does the work and doesn’t complain. Don’t speak one message and live another! Just be like God in your world.
1 Peter 1:15-16 (NKJV)
but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, {16} because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
John the Baptist set a brilliant example for every minister and believer of the gospel.
His message is a message for everyone; he speaks to the common person and to the religious elite alike. Now we will outline our passage as follows:
John ministered in the wilderness (verse l)
His message to the people: repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (verses 2-6).
His message to the religious elite, the Pharisees and Sadducees (verses 7-10).
And his message to all was Christ centered Messianic preaching.
Lets consider Matthew 3:1
John ministered in the wilderness.
Matthew 3:1 (NKJV)
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
This was not a desolate, desert-like area. It was a country area with at least six cities scattered about, probably small communities or villages. It was in this country area, the wilderness of Judaea, that John emerged with the lightning cry for repentance: the long-awaited Messiah is at hand.
Turn to Psalms 46:10
Thought 1. God uses the wilderness (quiet places) to prepare and launch the ministry of people.
Quietness is essential:
Psalms 46:10 (NKJV)
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Turn to 1 Timothy 4:15.
Meditation is essential.
1 Timothy 4:15 (NKJV)
Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.
Thought 2. Believers are never alone, no matter how secluded they may be. God is there. He will reveal and manifest Himself in the place where believers are; He will use the believer in the place as a witness to His name.
Thought 3. The gospel began in a wilderness, not in a synagogue or temple or church.
Thought 4. God has the very place for every believer to serve.
John's place was in the wilderness; Christ's was in the cities and synagogues as well as the countryside. Believers should witness and prophets should preach wherever they are in the wilderness or in the city.
Now we turn to Matthew 3:2 - 6.
John's message to the people was repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Matthew 3:2-6 (NKJV)
and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" {3} For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'" {4} And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. {5} Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him {6} and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
John's message fulfilled prophecy. It had been four hundred years since a prophet had arisen in Israel. Malachi had been the last.
John's appearance made a tremendous impact. John preached the gospel to all:
To the general public.
To the political leaders.
And to the religious elite.
No one was excluded from the gospel.
Turn to Acts 2:38.
John’s message included three points:
Repent:
Acts 2:38 (NKJV)
Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John preached, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”
And he meant two things
The Kingdom is the Lord's. He is the sovereign Lord of the Kingdom of Heaven. His coming is now; it is immediately upon us. Therefore, His kingdom or sovereign rule is now.
Repent, turn from your wicked ways, and get ready for His sovereign rule.
The Kingdom is of Heaven.
Turn to Romans 14:17
It is of another world, of another dimension of being. It is not of this earth. It is spiritual; it is not physical, not something which we see, look upon, and handle. The coming kingdom of the Lord is "the kingdom of heaven," not the kingdom of this world.
Only the Lord can bring the kingdom to this earth. The kingdom is of God, not of man.
Romans 14:17 (NKJV)
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Thought 1. The cry of the prophet is:
Man has an inadequate righteousness; therefore, repentance is needed.
The present world is an inadequate world; therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven is needed.
Man has prepared an inadequate life for the Lord; therefore, he must prepare the way for the Lord.
Thought 2. God raises up His servant, His witness, His prophet in His time. Every believer (witness and prophet) is known by God.
God chose and ordained those He foreknew would believe before the foundation of the world. He may not be predicted by name in the pages and prophecy of Scripture, but he is conceived in the mind and foreknowledge of God.
This glorious truth should instill both confidence and a sense of responsibility in the believer.
Turn to John 15:16
These two footnotes will in strike the heart with the glorious truth:
John 15:16 (NKJV)
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
Thought 3. Preaching is to be to the people, not before them.
It is to be affirmative, authoritative, and positive. It is not to be uncertain and negative. The gospel is not open for discussion; it is not just one of many possibilities; it is the truth of God.
Turn to 2 Kings 1:6-8.
John's message was the message of a prophet: he dressed and ate as a prophet.
2 Kings 1:6-8 (NKJV)
So they said to him, "A man came up to meet us, and said to us, 'Go, return to the king who sent you, and say to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'" ' " {7} Then he said to them, "What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?" {8} So they answered him, "A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."
Now, John the Baptist dressed and spoke like Elijah.
Lets turn to 1 Corinthians 9:20-22, this was Paul’s philosophy. Here is a thought, the believer's dress, food and habits should be adapted to meet the needs of his people.
1 Corinthians 9:20-22 (NKJV)
and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; {21} to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; {22} to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
But the believer's dress, food and habits should be adapted to meet the needs of his people should never compromise with the world. The believer must remain true to God’s standards.
Now lets turn to Matthew 3:5 - 6.
John's message bore fruit.
Matthew 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him {6} and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
The crowds gathered and listened to his preaching, and they confessed their sins and were baptized.
A thought, The world should hear, respect, and respond to the messenger of God. But, we know that the world does not hear, respect or respond to the messenger of God.
Another thought, God forgives sin when a person confesses and repents of his sin.
Just as it says in 1 John 1:9.
1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Another thought, confession is necessary, it is part of repentance.
Lets turn to Psalms 32:5.
Does that mean God doesn’t know what sin we may be guilty of? Of course not, God knows, but we must humble ourselves to admit what we did or didn’t do was in violation of God’s will for us.
Psalms 32:5 (NKJV)
I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
Turn to 1 John 1:8 and 10.
Still another thought, a person who says he is innocent and refuses to believe and admit his sin is condemned already.
1 John 1:8 &10 (NKJV)
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. {10} If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Verses 8 & 10 seem to be saying the same thing, but they are not. Verse 8 is talking about our sin nature. If we say that we do not have a sin nature, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Verse 10 is talking about individual sins, If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
We are to acknowledge our sin nature and those sins which so easily beset us. If I try to fool myself and say that I can’t sin, the truth is not in me. And if I try to justify my action or inaction as not being sin, I wind up calling God a liar.
Now we go to Matthew 3:7 - 10.
This was John's message to the religious elite, the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Matthew 3:7-10 (NKJV)
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? {8} "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, {9} "and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. {10} "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
The religious elite were on a fact-finding mission sent from Jerusalem to investigate the phenomenal reports about John and his ministry. Could he honestly be a modern day prophet sent from God?
When John confronted the religious elite, he knew several dangers threatened to deceive them. If they succumbed and were deceived by any of the dangers, they were doomed.
Therefore, he warned them. John's message was fourfold.
First, flee the wrath to come. The wrath of God was coming upon all who were only spectators. And baptism by itself was not enough, no matter how many baptisms a person went through.
Second, repent. Verbal repentance is not enough. Just being present in the midst of those who worship God is not enough. Repentance requires a change of heart and a change in conduct. The religious elite rejected the message, They did not repent.
Consider this, two individuals often shut themselves off from God. People of high estate, those of wealth and social standing. And people of religion, the self-righteous.
Turn to Ezekiel 14:14
Heritage is of no value.
The righteousness of others cannot make a person acceptable to God. Each person has to stand before God as an individual.
Ezekiel 14:14 (NKJV)
"Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord GOD.
Scripture names three men of faith. Noah, Daniel, And Job. And it says, their righteousness was enough to save them, but no one else. I have been amazed that many individuals seem to think that they are heaven bound because a grandfather or father was a preacher. They have deceived themselves.
Others think that enough good deeds will get them into heaven But, what is really needed is to place their faith in the person and work of Christ.
Another theme of John’s preaching was, Judgment is at hand. Every tree that does not bear fruit shall be chopped down and destroyed. We must never forget that judgment is inclusive; it includes all. It does not matter how high, our position in society, nor how green, that is how good the tree looks, it must bear fruit or else be removed and destroyed.
Here’s an idea, Judgment should begin at the house of God, among the religious.
As you can see from Matthew 3:7, John spoke openly. It is obvious that he was not in a popularity contest. John and Jesus called the Pharisees and Sadducees "vipers," meaning full of poison and venom, false doctrine, malice and enmity against the truth.
Lets go on down to Matthew 3:11 - 12.
John’s message to every one, Christ, John's message had only one focus and one theme: the Messiah "cometh", this is he, prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Matthew 3:11-12 (NKJV)
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. {12} "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Christ is greater. Christ alone is to be exalted. John exalted Christ, not himself.
Believers that God can use are the ones who exalt the Lord
Christ shall baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Christ shall judge and purge. His ministry was both to gather wheat, which is an act of love, and to separate and dispense with the chaff, which is an act of justice.
There is a mixture of wheat, chaff and tares right now. A mixture of true profession and false profession. A mixture of true righteousness and false righteousness. John humbled himself and exalted Christ, In the person And in the Spirit.
John the Baptist was a man who was used by the Lord in a mighty way. John was humble and obedient And used mightily by God.
In our own way, we are to be humble and obedient to God. To allow ourselves to used by God in some way. Humbly Or mightily,
That is God’s business.
We are simply to be available.
