2025.01.19. Sermon Notes. John the Baptist. Matthew 3
William Akehurst, HSWC
BIG IDEA: Just as John the Baptist prepared the way of the LORD, we too are called to do the same and give the warning to “Repent”, to change.
SCRIPTURES: Matthew 3:1-17, 2 Kings 1:7-8, Malachi 4:5, Luke 1:17, Isaiah 40:3, 2 Kings 1:7-8, Malachi 4:5, Luke 1:17, John 1:19-23, Matthew 11:10-14, Isaiah 53:12
THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.
Vs 1-2 The message of John the Baptist.
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
In those days John the Baptist came:
This was the John born to a “too-old for children” couple, Zacharias and Elisabeth. The announcement of this miraculous birth along with his calling to be the forerunner of the Messiah is found in Luke 1:5-17
PREACHING IN THE WILDERNESS.
What is it with GOD, the people of the Bible and the Wilderness?
POINT: Wilderness experiences, those times in our lives where we find ourselves lacking, suffering and in sorrow, in times of spiritual drought, or searching and lost.
Going through those wilderness experiences are what brings us to GOD’s Promises.
Preaching…and saying, “REPENT”
John’s message was a call to repentance.
What does it mean to Repent?
Is it feeling sorry for your sin?
To Repent is NOT about “feelings”, although feelings of guilt or sorrow may lead us to repentance.
To REPENT is an action. That begins as a change in the mind, our thinking, that leads us to a change of direction.
John was calling out that people need to change.
POINT: REPENT is not about feelings, it is an ‘action’ word
Is repentance something we must do before we can come to God? Yes and no. Repentance does not describe something we must do before we come to God; it describes what coming to God is like.
ILLUS: If you are lived in California, and I tell you to come and live in Maryland, I don’t really need to say “Leave California and come and live in Maryland.”
To come to Maryland is to leave California, and if I haven’t left California , I certainly haven’t come to Maryland.
POINT: We can’t come to the kingdom of heaven unless we leave our sin and former self or life behind.
“REPENT”, is the first word of the Gospel.
The call to repentance is important and must not be neglected.
It is entirely accurate to say that it is the first word of the gospel.
· Repent was the first word of John the Baptist’s gospel (Matthew 3:1-2).
· Repent was the first word of Jesus’ gospel (Matthew 4:17 and Mark 1:14-15).
· Repent was the first word in the preaching ministry of the twelve disciples (Mark 6:12).
· Repent was the first word in the preaching instructions Jesus gave to His disciples after His resurrection (Luke 24:46-47).
· Repent was the first word of exhortation in the first Christian sermon (Acts 2:38).
· Repent was the first word in the mouth of the Apostle Paul through his ministry (Acts 26:19-20).
For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
John wanted people to know that the kingdom of heaven was near – as close as your hand. It wasn’t as distant or as dreamy as they had imagined.
This is why John was so urgent in his call to repentance. If the kingdom of heaven is at hand, then we must get ready now.
John’s main message wasn’t “You’re a sinner, you need to repent.”
John’s main message was “Messiah the King is coming.”
The call to repentance was the response to the news that the King and His kingdom were coming – indeed, already here in one sense.
HE WAS LITERALLY SAYING “JESUS IS COMING, HE’S ALREADY HERE,
SO STRAIGHTEN UP!”
VS 3-4 The identity of John the Baptist.
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 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
Isaiah 40:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
Prepare the way of the LORD:
Matthew identifies John the Baptist as the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah.
(Isaiah 40:3)
John’s purpose was to prepare hearts for the Messiah, and to bring an awareness of sin among Israel so they could receive the salvation from sin offered by the Messiah.
Make His paths straight:
Isaiah 40:3 describes building up a great road for the arrival of a majestic king.
POINT: Preparing the way of the LORD is a word picture used to describe that real preparation must take place in our hearts.
Building a road is very much like the preparation God must do in our hearts. The idea is to fill in the holes and knock down the hills or obstacles that are in the way.
Jesus was the coming Messiah and King, and John the Baptist was the one crying in the wilderness, and through his message of repentance, he worked to prepare the way of the LORD.
In Isaiah 40:3 the way of Yahweh is prepared and made straight
in Matthew 3:3 it is the way of Jesus.
This identification of Jesus with Yahweh is common in the New Testament (as in Exodus 13:21 and 1 Corinthians 10:4; Isaiah 6:1 and John 12:41).
Clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt:
John the Baptist was like the bold Elijah of 2 Kings 1:7-8 who fearlessly called Israel to repentance.
2 Kings 1:7-8
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.”
John’s message was motivated by the same Spirit of God that was in Elijah.
John the Baptist was this Elijah-like forerunner of the Messiah as predicted in Malachi 4:5
Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
John knew the words spoken to his father Zacharias before he was born:
Luke 1:17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Vs 5-6 The success of John’s ministry.
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.
Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him: Through John’s ministry, many people began to recognize their sinfulness, their need to get ready for the Messiah, and were willing to do something about it.
Under the blessing of God, John’s message of repentance and call to prepare for the Messiah bore great fruit. “Baptism was for sinners, and no Jew ever conceived of himself as a sinner shut out from God. Now for the first time in their national history the Jews realized their own sin and their own clamant need of God. Never before had there been such a unique national movement of penitence and of search for God.” (Barclay)
Josephus actually wrote more about John the Baptist than he did about Jesus.
The influence of John the Baptist is evident decades after his ministry began, as seen in Acts 18:25 and 19:3.
All Judea, and all the region…And were baptized by him…confessing their sins.
His reach was broad, and conviction was sincere. By baptism, John offered a ceremonial washing that not only confessed sin but also demonstrated repentance (change).
Baptism simply means to “immerse or overwhelm.” John didn’t sprinkle when he baptized. As was the custom in some other Jewish ceremonial washings, John completely immersed those he baptized.
Baptism was practiced in the Jewish community already in the form of ceremonial immersions, but typically it was only among Gentiles who wished to become Jews.
For a Jew in John’s day to submit to baptism was essentially to say, “I confess that I am as far away from God as a Gentile and I need to get right with Him.” This was a real work of the Holy Spirit.
John’s baptism might have been related to the Jewish practice of baptizing Gentile converts, or to some of the ceremonial washings practiced by the Jews of that day. Though it may have some links, at the same time it was unique – so unique that John simply became known as “the Baptizer.” If there were a lot of people doing that, it wouldn’t be a unique title.
Christian baptism is like John’s in the sense that it demonstrates repentance, but it is also more.
It is being baptized into Christ, that is, into His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3).
Romans 6:3-4
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Confessing their sins: This was another important aspect in the call to repentance. These Jewish people were very serious about getting right with God.
Vs 7-12 John’s confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees.
7 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.
11 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.”
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming:
Introducing two important groups in first-century Judaism.
They were very different and often in conflict. But Together they represented the leadership of Judaism.
Pharisees. Believed that one was made righteous by keeping the law, and they believed themselves to be righteous in this way.
· They often misinterpreted the law.
· They held many traditions to be of equal authority to Scripture.
· They were often hypocrites in their practice, neglecting the core and spirit of the law for aspects of outward observance.
The Sadducees were distinct from the Pharisees in several ways.
The Sadducees believed that only the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) were authoritative.
While the Pharisees included the oral traditions handed down over time.
The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, and in angels and spirits; while the Sadducees rejected such beliefs (Acts 23:6-10).
You’ve probably heard the “saying” regarding the Pharisees and the Sadducees that helps us to remember the differences.
The Pharisees believed that they were righteous because of their good works – and thus were “Phar” [fair] “you see?”
And because the Sadducees didn’t believe in angels or spirits or in the resurrection, they were “Sadd … you see?”
Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come
John accused these leaders of wanting to appear anxious for the Messiah, but not truly repenting and preparing their hearts.
John demanded fruits worthy of repentance and reminded them that real repentance is demonstrated by our lives.
POINT: TRUE REPENTENCE must be a matter of “LIVING” a changed life of repentance, not just “WORD TALK” of repentance.
We can learn much from John the Baptist’s preaching, “Flee from the wrath to come.”
· This wrath is the wrath of God.
· This wrath is fair and well deserved.
· This wrath is often ignored or disregarded because it is not immediate; it is to come.
· This wrath is not any less certain just because it is delayed and is to come.
· This wrath is terrible when it comes because it is God’s wrath.
· This wrath cannot be stood against; the only way to survive is to successfully flee from it.
What John told them to do is also instructive: flee.
· To flee implies immediate action.
· To flee implies swift action.
· To flee implies straight movement with no diversions.
Do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father”: John warns them to stop trusting in their Jewish heritage because they must truly repent, not simply trust in Abraham’s merits.
It was widely taught in that day that Abraham’s merits were plenty for any Jew’s salvation and that a Jewish person couldn’t go to hell.
John points out that these Pharisees and Sadducees are of a different family; they are a brood of vipers – meaning a family associated with serpents!
Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees:
This is not some simple pruning or trimming work. This was GOD, the handler of a sharp axe that was to fall every worthless tree.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:
John’s baptism was one of repentance, an outward sign of an inward change of heart, mind and action.
Today’s Christian baptism, Romans 6:3, includes the demonstration of repentance and cleansing, but also the believer’s identification with JESUS in Hid death, burial and resurrection.
Whose sandals I am not worthy to carry:
John recognizes his own place before Jesus.
He is one not worthy to carry the sandals of Jesus, and he did not consider himself above those whom he called to repentance. He knew where he stood in relation to Jesus.
John put himself lower in relation to Jesus than a normal disciple of a normal rabbi.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor: John warns them to prepare for the Messiah’s coming, because He is coming with judgment.
Baptize you with the Holy Spirit:
This is the promised out-pouring of the Spirit promised with the New Covenant.
Ezekiel 37:14 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’ ”
And fire: To baptize with fire means to bring the fires of judgment, which will purify the pure, but destroy the wicked like chaff. Chaff is the worthless residue of a wheat stalk after the kernel of grain has been removed. These proud and unrepentant leaders were just as useless to God. “Purification by fire was also a prophetic hope (Isaiah 4:4; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:2; cf. Isaiah 1:25).
John therefore predicts a real cleansing, in contrast with his own merely outward token.
“A winnowing fork tossed both unto the air. The wind blew the chaff away, and the heavier grain fell to be gathered up from the ground. The scattered chaff was swept up and burned and the threshing floor cleared.” (Carson)
The Jewish leaders thought that the Messiah would come with judgment, but only against Israel’s enemies.
They were blind in their self-righteous confidence that only others needed to get right with God.
Many today have the same idea. “John the Baptist is sadly needed to-day. Much of what we call Christianity is but christianized heathenism…we need that John the Baptist should come with his stern words about the axe, the winnowing-fan, and the fire. Nothing less will avail to prepare the way for a new coming of Christ.”
JOHN’S MINISTRY IN BAPTIZING JESUS.
Vs 13-14 Jesus comes to John for baptism.
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized: This is a significant emergence of Jesus from His many years of obscurity. These first works in His public ministry carry great meaning in understanding the rest of His ministry.
Jesus came: No one compelled Jesus to be baptized. He came to John of His own choice. There are some old and false traditions (mentioned in Barclay) that Jesus was baptized because of pressure from His mother and brothers. Since everyone else was doing it, they thought He should also.
I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me: John recognized the inherent irony in this situation. Jesus had nothing to repent of, and it would be more appropriate for Jesus to baptize John.
It was as if John said to Jesus, “I need your Spirit-and-fire baptism, not you my water-baptism.”
Vs 15 Jesus allows Himself to be baptized by John.
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness:
Jesus’ words seemed strange to John, but it was nevertheless necessary to fulfill all righteousness.
It wasn’t that this one act in itself fulfilled all righteousness,
It was another important step in the overall mission of Jesus to identify with fallen and sinful man, a mission that would only finally be fulfilled at the cross.
Yet it would be easy for any onlooker to think that Jesus was just another sinner being baptized; so He identified with sinful man.
Then he allowed Him:
The purpose was for Jesus to completely identify Himself with sinful man.
This is exactly what He did in His birth, His upbringing, and His death.
So here, as John allowed Him to be, Jesus stood in the place of sinful man.
“In baptism He confessed, as His own, sins which He had not committed, and repented of them before God. He was numbered with the transgressors and bore the sins of many.” (Morgan)
Isaiah 53:12
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
There is also a sense in which this was an important new beginning for Jesus; not in the sense of turning from sin, but in making a break with His previous life to perform the ministry of HIS time here.
Vs 16-17 The Divine witness to Jesus’ status as the Son of God.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The heavens were opened:
It was important for God the Father to publicly demonstrate that Jesus’ baptism was not just like anyone else’s, in the sense of being a display of repentance.
It was not a display of repentance, but instead it was a righteous identification with sinners, motivated by love, and was well pleasing to the Father.
The Spirit of God descending like a dove:
This was a dramatic experience with the Holy Spirit, with the Spirit of God coming upon Jesus in a way that could actually be seen (somewhat similar to the coming of the Spirit of God upon the gathered disciples in Acts 2:1-4).
Luke 3:22 says it like this: And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him. In some way the Spirit was present, and “flew down” upon Jesus like a dove. Whatever exactly it was, it was real. John 1:32-34 indicates that John the Baptist saw this phenomenon and understood what it meant.
This was not a temporary gift of the Spirit of God.
John the Baptist’s testimony in John 1:32-33, said that he saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
Jesus was about to begin His public ministry, and He would do it in the power of the Spirit of God. “It was the Spirit of God who gave success to Jesus Christ’s ministry.”
How a dove represents the work of the Holy Spirit:
Like a dove, the work of the Holy Spirit can be swift, harmless, soft and gentle, bringing peace and speaking of love.
This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased:
When this voice of God the Father spoke from heaven, everyone knew that Jesus was not just another man being baptized.
They knew Jesus was the perfect (in whom I am well pleased) Son of God, identifying with sinful man.
By this, everyone knew that Jesus was different.
Jesus was baptized so to be identified with sinful man, but He was also baptized to be identified to sinful man.
The Spirit of God descending… My beloved Son:
POINT: DON’T MISS IT.
GOD THE FATHER LOVES GOD THE SON, AND COMMUNICATED THAT LOVE BY GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Here we see the love relationship and cooperation between the 3 Persons of the Trinity, in one occasion when the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were all manifested at the same time.
“God so loved his Son, that he gave him all the world for his possession, Psalm 2; but he so loved the world, that he gave Son and all for its redemption.” (Trapp)
FATHER, Thank YOU for sending YOUR SON, to come for us and bring us to a new direction, guided by HIS SPIRIT. HOLY SPIRIT Lead us in all TRUTH, to know THE WAY, TRUTH and LIFE that JESUS came to give us. In JESUS' Name, Amen.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Pastor Bill
