Repentance For Christmas

Intro

A commercialized, materialistic Christmas disappoints us every year. We spend money we don’t have on gifts that our children don’t need and we end up raising unhappy and selfish adults who don’t appreciate the greatest Christmas gift of all. What we really need, we don’t want to hear. What we really need in preparation for Christ’s coming is repentance.

Goal

Let’s understand that John the Baptist did not tell people to go on shopping sprees in preparation for Jesus, but to repent.

Sermon Plan

Let’s look at Matthew 3:1-12 and the idea of repentance as preparation for Christ.

Matthew 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”

4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Preaching & teaching (vs. 1)

John the Baptist, then Jesus and his disciples preached or announced that the kingdom was near (Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17). Preaching and teaching are VERY important to the life of the church. Preaching is a public announcement to unbelievers. Teaching is instructing believers to obey what Jesus commanded. That's what Jesus instructed his disciples to teach (Matthew 28:19-20).

Something is Wrong (vs. 2)

John called for repentance, signalling that something was wrong. Is there something wrong with our modern world? Repentance is a change of heart about our life’s direction with hope for a new beginning and a new world. John wanted to see proof of repentance, fruit. The root cause of all our planet’s ills is spiritual and so is the solution.

Is repentance just a one time thing? Repent is written here in the sense of keep on repenting. Christian life is continual repentance. Conversion is merely the beginning of a process of change. Our journey begins with small changes. The idea that we do not have perfect knowledge and the humility to learn new perspectives are indicative of ongoing repentance.

John’s the Baptist had a sense of urgency, the “kingdom of heaven is near.” In military terms, God was establishing a beachhead and would eventually take over. God’s kingdom is God’s rule. He rules in the lives of those who accept him. The “kingdom of heaven has come near” is the equivalent of saying that God is now taking control.1

1 The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary of the New Testament, R. T. France, 2007, Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, p. 102

Preacher in poor country clothes (vs. 4)

John was a wilderness preacher dressed in farmer’s clothes, challenging the establishment with a new approach to sin. He emphasized the oft overlooked ingredient of repentance, a change of heart. After confession of sin, John ignored Levitical sin offerings, emphasizing baptism. His baptism of repentance prepared for a new high priest who would also baptize people with the Holy Spirit.

The announcer (vs. 5)