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Matthew 3

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Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest man among those born of women. John saw himself in the light of who Jesus is: not even worthy to loose His sandal. From the womb, he was filled with the Spirit, continually pointing people to Christ. Let's consider this powerful prophet, his ministry, and the message he preached.

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9/21/2011
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Matthew 3
Matthew 3
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest man among those born of women. John saw himself in the light of who Jesus is: not even worthy to loose His sandal. From the womb, he was filled with the Spirit, continually pointing people to Christ. Let's consider this powerful prophet, his ministry, and the message he preached.
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40 Matthew - 2011

40 Matthew - 2011

From its opening genealogy through its careful record of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled, Matthew's gospel forms a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In this in-depth study by Pastor Skip Heitzig we'll consider Jesus' ancestry, birth, public ministry, death, and resurrection, and we'll gain a clearer understanding of Jesus as both Messiah and King.

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Study Guide

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Matthew 3

“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

– John the Baptist
Matthew 3:7

PREVIEW: In Matthew 3, we’re introduced to John the Baptist, whose stern message of repentance prepared the way of the Lord; He is also given the honor of baptizing Jesus.


PRAY: Father, please help me to understand the urgency of the message of repentance that John the Baptist conveyed, warning everyone of the wrath to come.

Journal your prayer here:




Matthew 3 Outline:
The Person of John the Baptist – Read Matthew 3:1-6
The Preaching of John the Baptist – Read Matthew 3:7-12
Baptism of Jesus – Read Matthew 3:13-17

The Person of John the Baptist – Read Matthew 3:1-6

1. Chapter 3 begins with the words, “In those days.” Approximately how much time had passed since chapter 2? To discover this, read Luke 3:23 and find out how old Jesus was when He was baptized.



2. What age did a priest typically begin his service to God? (See Numbers 4:1-3.)

3. We are introduced to John the Baptist in Matthew 3:1. He was related to Jesus through Mary, and was about six months older than Jesus (see Luke 1:36). What was he doing and where was he doing it (v. 1)?




Additional material: Read John the Baptist’s profile here: http://believe879.com/travelers.asp?traveler=johnb

4. What was John’s message to the people who came to see him (v. 2)? Whose message was identical to John’s? (See Matthew 4:17.)



5. PROPOUND: John’s message is one of repentance. What does it mean to repent?



6. A prophecy from Isaiah 40:3 is used to identify John’s mission. What is that mission (v. 3)?




Optional Study: Read Zacharias’ prophecies of John’s ministry in Luke 1:67-80.

7. PRODUCE: Explain how John the Baptist “prepared the way of the Lord.”





8. Describe John the Baptist’s attire and diet (v. 4). What prophet dressed similarly to John (see 2 Kings 1:8)? Who does Jesus equate with John in Matthew 11:14? (See also Malachi 4:5, Matthew 17:10-13, and Luke 1:17.)



9. Many people came out to see John the Baptist and were baptized by him. What did the apostle Paul say that John clearly communicated when he baptized them (see Acts 19:4; 18)? How did this accomplish John’s mission?




11. PROPOUND: John was out in the wilderness of Judea. Who went to see him? (See Matthew 3:5, 7.)




The Preaching of John the Baptist – Read Matthew 3:7-12

Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were coming to John’s baptism of repentance. The Pharisees sought to strictly obey the Old Testament, as well as their traditions—which they treated as equal to the Word of God (see Matthew 9:14, 15:1-9, 23:5, 23:16, 23, Mark 7:1-23, and Luke 11:42). The Sadducees tended to be wealthy and held high positions, such as chief priests and high priests. Unlike the Pharisees, they considered only the written Word to be from God. This group denied the resurrection and the existence of a spiritual world (see Matthew 22:23, Mark 12:18-27, and Acts 23:8).



12. John addressed the Pharisees and Sadducees harshly (v. 7). A “brood” is a family of offspring, and a “viper” is a snake: a picture representing Satan (see Genesis 3:1). Jesus addressed the Pharisees very similarly in John 8:44. Who did He say they were in that passage?




13. John referred to “the wrath to come.” Upon whom will this wrath come? (See John 3:36, Romans 1:18, Ephesians 5:6, and Colossians 3:6.) What does the word wrath refer to? (See Revelation 16:1.) How can people be saved from this wrath? (See Romans 5:9 and 1 Thessalonians 1:10.)





14. PROCEED: Share with the group what the “wrath to come” refers to.





15. What did John tell the Pharisees and Sadducees they needed to bear (v. 8)? What do you think these are?





16. The Pharisees and Sadducees thought that by being physical sons of Abraham (v. 9; see also John 8:39-40), they were qualified for the
Messiah's kingdom. How was Abraham justified? (See Romans 4:1-4.) How are we justified? (See Romans 3:28; 5:1, and Galatians 2:16; 24.)




17. PROPOUND: John told the Pharisees to “bear fruit worthy of repentance.” Explain what this means. (See Matthew 3:8.)



18. PROMOTE: The Pharisees and Sadducees thought they were justified by being sons of Abraham. How does a person become justified before God?




19. A tree is often used in the Bible as a type or model of mankind (see Psalm 92:12 and Jeremiah 17:8). What did John say will happen to certain trees (v. 10)?



20. PRACTICE: The tree (man) that doesn’t bear good fruit will be cut down (see Matthew 3:10). How can you ensure that you bear good fruit?



21. PROPOUND: What did John mean when he said, “the ax is laid to the root of the trees”? (See Matthew 3:10.)




22. John baptized with “water unto repentance.” What did John say He who is coming after him is going to baptize with (v. 11)? (See also Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, and 11:16.)




23. The winnowing fan speaks of the coming wrath. What did John say will happen to the wheat and the chaff? (See Malachi 4:1 and Matthew 13:30.)


24. PROPOUND: What was John referring to when he said, “He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”? (See Matthew 3:12.)




25. PROCLAIM: The message of repentance that John preached is the same as Jesus’ message (see Matthew 4:17). Why is this message one that we should share with our unbelieving friends and family members?




26. PROPOUND: Why did John not consider himself worthy even to carry the sandals of the One coming after him? (See Matthew 3:11.)



Baptism of Jesus – Read Matthew 3:13-17

27. Jesus came to John to be baptized. John rightly recognized that the sinless Son of God needed no baptism of repentance (v. 11), and that he was certainly not worthy to baptize his own Savior. What reason did Jesus give for permitting John to baptize Him (v. 15)? (See also 2 Corinthians 5:21.)




28. PROTECT: If the Messiah was to provide righteousness for sinners, He had to be identified with sinners (baptized). How did Jesus fulfill this? (See 2 Corinthians 5:21.)



29. All three persons of the Trinity were present at the baptism of Jesus. How are each represented (v. 16-17)?


30. PROPOUND: What do you think the phrase “like a dove” means in Matthew 3:16?




PROCESS: Take some time to review the message of repentance preached by John and Jesus.

Think about the urgency of this message.

PRAY: Father, thank You for John the Baptist’s bold example. Please help me to be bold in sharing the message of repentance with my unsaved friends.

Journal your prayer here:

Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction: John the Baptist
    1. What we may have thought about him
      1. Eccentric
        1. Where he lived
        2. What he preached
        3. What he ate
        4. What he looked like
      2. Unconventional
      3. Odd
      4. Hippie
    2. He was great
      1. "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist;" (Matthew 11:11)
      2. Faithful to the end of his short-lived ministry
      3. "What makes men great is their ability to decide what is important and focus their attention on that."
      4. Pointed to Christ: "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
    3. He was atypical: contra mundum: against the world
  2. The Setting
    1. John the Baptist's Family
      1. Second cousin of Jesus (Mary and Elizabeth were cousins)
      2. His father, Zacharias, was a priest
        1. In line to join the priesthood and serve in the temple
          1. Priestly preparation began at an early age
          2. Started service by 20
          3. Fully engaged in service by 30
        2. He was a priest's kid gone rogue
          1. Didn't follow the protocol
          2. Lived in the desert: rather than going to Jerusalem, Jerusalem comes to him
    2. Birth story
      1. Parents quite old and barren
      2. In the temple, the angel Gabriel visited Zacharias
        1. "The angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.'" (Luke 1:13)
        2. John was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb
        3. Zacharias doubted: "How shall I know this?" (Luke 1:18)
        4. Because of his doubt, he was struck dumb
      3. Mary discovered she was pregnant and visited Elizabeth: "As soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy." (Luke 1:44)
      4. Zacharias named him John
      5. Zacharias blessed him: "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;" (Luke 1:76)
    3. The last Old Testament prophet
      1. "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me." (Malachi 3:1)
      2. "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John." (Matthew 11:13)
      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.'" (Isaiah 40:3)
    4. Wilderness of Judea
      1. By the Dead Sea: barren and hot
      2. Public relations person would say the worst place to start a ministry
        1. But it worked!
        2. That which is theological, isn't always logical
        3. Jesus was born in Bethlehem; raised in Nazareth (a scorned town)
      3. "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are," (1 Corinthians 1:27-28)
  3. His message: "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (v. 2)
    1. Same first message as Jesus: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17)
    2. Repent: a complete change of heart, mind, and behavior
    3. Repent and believe: two sides of the same coin
      1. Repent: turn away from sin
      2. Believe: turn toward God
    4. Why is repentance so seldom preached today?
      1. Ignorance of personal sin
      2. Uncomfortable message
    5. Beatitudes:
      1. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)
      2. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)
  4. Fulfillment of prophecy
    1. "Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight."
      1. Fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.'" (Isaiah 40:3)
      2. All four gospels reference the prophecy and John's fulfillment of it.
    2. "Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?' He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.' And they asked him, 'What then? Are you Elijah?' He said, 'I am not.' 'Are you the Prophet?' And he answered, 'No.' Then they said to him, 'Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?' He said: 'I am "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said.'" (John 1:19-23)
      1. John was a voice; Jesus is the Word: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
      2. God doesn't need Saviors (He has One), just voices
  5. John's appearance and diet
    1. Clothing: camels hair and leather belt
      1. Camels hair: unclean, couldn't eat it, but could wear it
      2. Practical: keeps out cold, heat, and rain
      3. Clothing of Elijah the Tishbite: (See 2 Kings 1:8)
    2. Diet: locusts and wild honey
      1. Kosher
      2. Preparation
        1. Ground, flour added, baked in cakes
        2. Boiled
        3. Stewed
        4. Sautéed with butter
        5. Preserved by the Assyrians
  6. Baptism
    1. Origin: a Jewish ritual
      1. For proselytes to convert
        1. Instruction by a scribe
        2. Circumcision
        3. Immersion in water
      2. For Jews
        1. In order to worship in the temple
        2. Wash in a mikvah when defiled; המקווה; mikvah: washing pool with moving water
    2. John's baptism
      1. Immersing Jews who needed to repent
      2. For the remission of sin: a lifestyle change
  7. Pharisees and Saducees
    1. A delegation from the Sanhedrin to investigate John
    2. Pharisees
      1. Small group: 6000 at the time of Christ
      2. פרושים ; Perushim: separated ones
      3. Adversarial relationship with Jesus
        1. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." (Matthew 23:27)
        2. "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (See Matthew 23)
      4. Enemies of Christ in the gospels
    3. Saducees
      1. Enemies of the early church in Acts
      2. Liberal in their thinking
      3. Unlike Pharisees, they denied the supernatural
      4. Even fewer Sadducees than Pharisees
      5. In charge
        1. High Priest
        2. Wealthy
    4. Shared their hatred of Jesus
    5. John called them a "Brood of Vipers"  (v. 7)
      1. Brood: offspring
      2. Vipers: shrewd and dangerous
    6. John told them God could "Raise up children to Abraham from these stones"
      1. Stones: gentiles
      2. Pharisees and Sadducees looked down on them
  8.  John the Baptist always pointed to Jesus
    1. John was the voice; He is the Word
    2. John was the messenger; He is the Message
    3. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
    4. "Whose sandals I am not worthy to carry." (v. 11)
      1. The job of the most menial slave
      2. Wash feet, hold the sandals until asked for
      3. He understood who he was in light of who Jesus is.
  9. A picture of Judgment
    1. Three baptisms
      1. Water: unto repentance
      2. Holy Spirit: Jesus gives to all who believe
      3. Fire: future baptism of unbelievers
    2. Winnowing
      1. Grain separated from inedible parts
        1. Using a fork would be tossed up into the breeze; the chaff would blow away
        2. Chaff gathered and burned
      2. God separates the sinful from the righteous
  10. The Baptism of Jesus
    1. Puzzled John that Jesus came for baptism
      1. For guilty, sinful people
      2. For those who repent of Sin
      3. Jesus is sinless
    2. To fulfill all righteousness
      1. Jesus came to identify with sinners
      2. "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)
      3. Prefigured Jesus death, burial, and resurrection
    3. The entire Godhead present
      1. The Father Spoke
        1. "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (v. 17)
        2. Speaks again at the transfiguration (see Matthew 17:5)
      2. The Son was baptized
      3. Spirit descended like a dove
    4. The Trinity: a doctrine of the Bible
      1. All Christians embrace the Trinity
      2. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) אֱלֹהִלים; Elohim: plural verb representing a singular God
      3. "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image,'" (Genesis 1:26)
      4. "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" (Isaiah 6:8)
    5. The entire Godhead active in Salvation
      1. Father sent the Son
      2. Jesus sends the Spirit
      3. The Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, judgment; indwells the believer

Hebrew Terms: המקווה; mikvah: washing pool with moving water; פרושים ; Perushim: separated ones; אֱלֹהִלים; Elohim-plural verb representing a singular God
Cross References: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:26; 2 Kings 1:8; Isaiah 6:8; Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 5:3; Matthew 5:4; Matthew 11:11; Matthew 11:13; Matthew 17:5; Matthew 23; Matthew 23:27; Luke 1:13; Luke 1:18; Luke 1:44; Luke 1:76; John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 1:27-28; Hebrews 4:15

Transcript

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Let's pray.  Lord how grateful we are for such a beautiful environment that we have to meet into worship, an outdoor amphitheater with a water feature on a baptismal right next to us.  We can hear the sounds and get a little bit of what it might have been like listening to John the Baptist preached so boldly.  Lord, I thank you for how faithful you have been to us as a church body and we thank you now in hearts for those individual things and answers to prayer that you have provided throughout this week. We come with hungry hearts Lord.  We need spiritual truth.  We long to take a bath in the truth to be washed by your word, renewed by your word.  So Lord as we consider some of these great principles in this third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew I pray that we would learn from an example of a man who was uncompromising who loved you and clearly wanted to please you and didn't care what anybody else really thought about him.  So help us Lord to understand and to apply in Jesus name.  Amen.

Will you think about a guy like John the Baptist?  There's probably a lot of words that would come to your mind, maybe extrinsic would be one of those words because he was considered rather eccentric where he lived, where he preached, what he ate, what he looked like.  Unconventional might be another word that would come to your mind.  Odd would come to some of your minds.  Hippie comes to my mind.  He's out there in the desert eating bugs.  But I'll tell you the best word to describe John the Baptist, he was great.  He was a great man.  In fact, Jesus said of John the Baptist there's been no one born of a woman who is greater than John the Baptist. He is the greatest one, the greatest man who had ever lived faithful to the Lord to the end.

John did not live a long life.  In fact, his ministry was rather short-lived.  I know he wanted to have a longer influence and a longer ministry.  And yet even though his life was -- we would say cut-short, he was still very great.  I read a business review article that said, "Great men have but a few minutes to be great and what makes a person great is their ability to find out what is most important and to focus in on that which is most important."  It's a good description of John the Baptist.  He knew what was most important. So he pointed to that one, "Jesus" he said, "behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" and he lived his life for Him.

Now, John the Baptist is untypical.  He is not your typical character.  One of the reasons I'm attracted to John is because he was so out of the ordinary and so untypical.  He was contra mundum against the flow or against the world.  He didn't follow everybody else's drum beat but clearly followed the Lord's.

Now, it says in verse 1 of John chapter 3. In Matthew, that's what I meant to say.  Wednesday night, Wednesday night.  Matthew, Wednesday night, John Sunday morning.

In Matthew Chapter 3 Verse 1, "In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."  John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus.  We know that His mother Mary and John the Baptist father's wife Elizabeth they were cousins, first cousins.  That made John the Baptist and Jesus second cousins.  I imagined because John was raised down South in the hill country of Judea that Jesus as he was come from Nazareth with his family down towards Jerusalem, down to the temple to worship.  They probably met every time they were down in that area.  And so, John the Baptist and Jesus at least for a few times during the year would connect and be able to watch each other grow up.  John the Baptist was also a PK.

Now, we know a PK is a Pastor's Kid but in those days a PK was a Priest's Kid and the priest in the temple, there were 24 courses of them and Zechariahs, the father of John the Baptist was one of those priest which would mean that John the Baptist would be in line in that family to eventually one day join the priesthood and serve in the temple.  But, this was a PK gone rogue.  He went out to the desert.  He didn't follow the typical protocol that priest would follow.  Priests were trained at a very early age.  By age 20, they would often be engaged in some priestly duties and by age 30, they were fully engaged in the priesthood, in their functions in Jerusalem in the temple.  But John the Baptist was different.  Rather than going to Jerusalem, he has Jerusalem come to him.  He goes 20, 30 miles out of the way in the wilderness of Judea and he was baptizing people there.

Now, here's how he happen to be born.  His father and his mother were quite old and they were childless.  They trusted in the Lord, they waited upon God but one day while Zachariah's sets his dad was in the temple in the evening sacrifice, the angel Gabriel appear to him and said, "Zechariahs, you and your wife Elizabeth, though she is barren, unable to conceive, she's going to have a child and he's going to be great.  In fact, he's going to be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb and you are to call him John."

What's interesting is this priest, Zechariahs didn't seem to believe Gabriel though honestly if I had an angel appear to me and tell me anything, I think I believe at hands down.  But, Zechariahs goes, "How will I know this is true?" and because he asked the question in doubting, Gabriel didn't take too much to that kind of doubt so he struck him dumb unable to speak.  So, Zechariahs stunned, walked out of the temple that evening after his duties and he couldn't talk and he would just have to use sign language now for months.

A few months after Mary found out that she was pregnant, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth down South.  And the Bible says as Mary went into the house and called out her cousin's name "Elizabeth." that the baby inside jumped.  She was about five to six months pregnant at that time Elizabeth was with John the Baptist.  And so she says to Mary, "As soon as your voice hit my ears, the baby leaped for joy in the womb."  How was it that the mother of my Lord has come to visit me?

 Well, by the time John the Baptist was born and they asked Elizabeth what shall we call the baby because we can't ask your husband, he can't talk. She said "You're to call his name John." And everybody said John you don't have anybody in your family named John and so they did asked Zechariahs who said motion, get me a writing tablet and he wrote out, in script "Call him John."  At that point, his mouth was open.  He was able to speak and in speak, speaking he blessed the Lord and he blessed his son and this is what everybody said about him this is out of Luke now Chapter 1.  Zechariahs said to young John the Baptist, "And you child will be called the prophet of the highest for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins.

So, John the Baptist became the forerunner or another term the ambassador for Jesus Christ fulfilling the prediction in the last book of the Old Testament, the Book of Malachi where God says "Behold, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me."  Though John the Baptist appears on the pages of the New Testament, did you know that he is considered an Old Testament prophet?  Really he is considered the last Old Testament prophet for this is what Jesus said.  He said "All the law and the prophets spoke until John."  All the prophets spoke until John.  That is John the Baptist.  That makes John then the last Old Testament prophet fulfilling the last Old Testament book pointing toward the coming Messiah.  So therefore, he is preparing the way of the Lord as we're going to find out is the prophecy out of the Book of Isaiah.

Now, we're told in Verse 1 that he came preaching in the wilderness of Judea.  The wilderness of Judea is down by the Dead Sea.  Jerusalem is about 2,500, 2,400, 2,600 feet above sea level depending on where you are in town.  The Dead Sea, the lowest place in the world, it's a limestone-rocky desert and it's that 1,290 feet below sea level.  It's very hot, it's very barren, it's very ugly.  What's interesting is that rather than John the Baptist going up to Jerusalem where the crowds are he goes way out of the way in this barren desert on the North Shores of the Dead Sea where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea and his out in the middle of nowhere saying that whoever will be there repent.  He doesn't go to Jerusalem.  He has all the people in Jerusalem, in Judea come to him.

Now, if you were to hook John the Baptist up with a public relations expert or a consultant, he would say, "John your ministry is doomed for failure man.  Nobody is going to come and listen to you out here.  You got camels out here.  You got lizards going on out here.  You got horny toads.  Your ministry won't grow."  Can you imagine John the Baptist saying, "Had also call it a day, three horny toads came forward, it was awesome."  But, it actually fits.  It seems to be a style of God that I notice in the Bible that rather than following typical protocol or what would seem to be logical that which is theological isn't always logical. Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not.

Jesus wasn't born in Rome.  Jesus wasn't born in Jerusalem.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the outskirts of Jerusalem, lived in Nazareth; a scorned town.  People said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  And it actually fits with what I've called my life verse, out of I Corinthians Chapter 1.  "You see your calling brethren.  There's not many mighty, not many noble, not many wise who were called for God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise and the base things and the detestable things."  It seems to be God's way, God's principle.

So he's way in the middle of nowhere in the wilderness.  But, it says Jerusalem came to him.  It says, he said repent.  Verse 2, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, "For this is he who was spoken up by the prophet Isaiah saying the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord.  Make his paths straight."  I remember reading years ago some material on how to grow a church and they felt it was important that you locate your ministry facility in a conveniently located place and that you do a demographic study of the community to find out what the age bracket is and what the interest of people who live in that community are and that you tailor your ministry to fit the community being conveniently located with the demographic studies.

Again, John the Baptist didn't seem to get the memo and yet as God's representative, he saw something tremendous.  Lots of interesting visitors, scribes, Pharisees, priests, Sadducees, even Jesus Christ.  Now, his message is clear.  I read it to you, I'll share it again.  "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."  Did you know John the Baptist's first message repent is exactly the same first message as that of Jesus?  In the next chapter, Jesus will speak and the first words recorded by Matthew out of the lips of Jesus are "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."  Now the word repent, you should know by now means a change, a thorough change, a complete change, a constitutional change, a change of heart or a change of mind.  But it also includes a change of behavior.

Often in the Bible when you see the idea or the word "repent", it's accompanied with another word, "believe".  Repent and believe the Gospel is one scripture.  Repent and believe.  Those are two sides of the same coin.  To repent means I turn away from sin.  To believe means I turn to God.  It's a complete turning.  I just don't deny my flesh and turn from sinful, evil things.  But, I make the turn complete in turning from those things and in turning to the Lord.  So, that's his message, that's his first message.  To him that's the most important message.  To Jesus, that's the first message: repent.

 So, if that's the case, if that's the first message and that was the most important message that both John and Jesus preached.  Then I wonder why the message of repentance is so lacking in many churches, in many ministries, in many TV preachers.  It seems to be all smiles and no calls for repentance.  Why is that?  Well, a couple of reasons.  Reason number one, not everyone is in touched with his or her personal sin.  Nobody seems to want to admit that they're sinners.  It's quite an honest but a telling admission to say, "I admit.  I'm a sinner.  I need help."

You see most people when they hear the word "sinners", they think of people of who are really, really bad people, evil, criminals, convicted of things that should put him in prison for life.  Those are sinners.  Me, I'm much better than that.  And so comparatively speaking, we think those are really bad people who need repentance but I'm a really good person.  I must not need repentance and I sure hope God grades on a curve.  So, the ignorance of personal sin is one.  Number two, I think that message is shied away from because it's an uncomfortable message and many church leaders think, if I preach a message of repentance calling people to turn from their sin and turn to Christ they may not want to come back next week.  It's an unpalatable message.  It's not an attractive message to some.

But, John and Jesus, the first message to John the most important message "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."  Oh and by the way, Jesus did say and we'll read in a few chapters.  "Blessed are those who mourn or how oh how happy those who are sad over their sin and they're mourning over it."  Right before that he said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit".  That means they recognized their poverty.  They know their need and they admit their need in the second beatitude by mourning over it.  "Oh how happy are those who are sad over their sin, they will be comforted."  It's only when you confess and you turn from sin and turn to Jesus that you find that refreshment and that blessedness that He spoke about.

Well it continues.  Quoting Isaiah Chapter 40 Verse 3, "For this is he that is John, 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."  You should probably know that in all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all four of them quote Isaiah the prophet and the John the Baptist as fulfilling what Isaiah the prophet wrote in the 40th Chapter of his prophecy.  In John's Gospel, it says the representatives from Jerusalem came and they asked John the Baptizer some questions.  They said, "Are you the Christ?" and he said, "Nope, I'm not."  And they said "Well, are you Elijah?" because the Bible predicted Elijah to come.  He goes, "Nope, I'm not Elijah either."  And they said "Are you that prophet?"  Quoting from the prediction in Deuteronomy that God would send another prophet like Moses.  And he says, "No, three strikes your out, I'm not any of those guys."

He said, "Let me tell you who I am.  I'm a voice, a voice of one crying in the desert.  Get right with God or make the way of the Lord straight."  I like that.  He said, "I'm a voice."  I like it especially because it's in John's Gospel and John begins by saying, "In the beginning was the word."  That's Jesus.  He's the word and the word was with God and the word was God.  Jesus, he's the word.  "Me" says John, "I'm no the word, I'm just a voice for the word to be carried on."  Jesus doesn't need or God doesn't need any more saviors.  He's got one that's his son.  He just needs voices, those who will proclaim the word of the Lord and point to the word of God that is Jesus.  He doesn't need saviors, he doesn't need messiahs.  He's got one but he does need voices and I hope that our voice, your voice and mine will be joined to it.  The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight.

Now, it says Verse 4, "John himself was clothed in camel's hair with a leather belt built around his waist and his food was locusts and wild honey."  You know I wonder if John the Baptist came to the average town in America to the average church in America if most Christians wouldn't run away.  This guy was wild looking.  He wore camel's hair.  Now, camels were not kosher.  You couldn't eat them, not that I'd ever want to but you could wear their skin, you could wear their fur.  It was considered a shelter from the cold.  Some authors even say it kept you from the heat and it certainly kept the rain off of you so it was very practical.  Itchy?  Not a fashion statement, not "Hey, does my camel stuff look good with my shoes?"  None of that stuff just practical and he had a leather belt around him.

Now, when I read the description of John the Baptist, I think of Elijah the Tishbite and perhaps one of the reasons people asked him if he was Elijah is because one of the descriptions of Elijah in 2nd Kings, Chapter 1 it said, "Hey, there's some prophet here to see you."  And he say, "What does he look like?"  They said, "He's a hairy man and his got a leather belt."  And he said, "Oh, that's Elijah the Tishbite.  Bring him on in."  And so, John the Baptist dressed like Elijah.  He was Elijah-like in the way he approached the people.  That was his clothing.  His diet is really weird. It says that he ate or his food was locust and wild honey.  Locusts were one of he few bugs that were considered kosher by Jewish thought.  You could eat them.

Again, though you could, I don't know why you would want to but I did a little digging and the way locust would be prepared is often they were ground up.  The bugs were ground and just sort of a paste then flower was added to that paste and they were baked into little cakes like crab cakes only locust cakes.  It's one of the favorite ways that people ate them, little bug cakes.  At other times, they were boiled or stewed or roasted with butter, sauté with butter.  Now, doesn't that sound delicious?  Sautéed locust and butter, wow.  The Assyrians found a way to preserved them sort of like locust chips and they could carry them on their journeys and use them in their battles but and they ate them.  So I don't know, it would bug me they like it.

Then it says this.  Then Jerusalem, then Jerusalem, all Judea and all the region around Jordan went out to him.  He didn't go to them.  He was just out in the desert, the place where the children of Israel crossed into the Promise Land, same spot and he was baptizing people.  It says, "They were baptized by him in the Jordan confessing their sins." when he saw many of the Pharisees and the Scribes coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers who has warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come?"

Now, John baptized people in water.  Let me give you a little background.  Baptism did not begin as a Christian ritual.  Its origin is not in the New Testament.  It comes as a Jewish ritual.  First of all, if you were a Proselyte, a non-Jew, you were a Gentile, a guy like me and you wanted to enter into the community of Jewish people.  You had to go through a certain series of things in order to convert.  Number one, you had to be taught Judaism by a Scribe.  Number two, if you were a male, you had to be circumcised no matter what age you were and number three, you had, you go through a ritual cleansing, a baptism by immersion in water.  Once you did all of those things, you would be eventually be allowed into the community of Judaism.  That's number one.  That's Jewish baptism if you were a Proselyte.  Number two, if you were Jewish, there was also a baptismal formula for you.

If you wanted to worship in the temple, you would find the ritual bath, a baptismal not unlike what we have here on the courtyard hone out of stone, water was placed in it.  The water had to be moving even if it was moving slowly so it had to have an inlet and an outlet and the Jews always called moving water "living water" because it is moving.  You'd have to immerse yourself in the living water and then come out.  So if you wanted to go to the temple, right at the bottom of the steps of the temple, you that are going with us in May you'll see them.  You would dunk under the water in the mikveh, come up, dry your self up, get up on the steps, walk into the temple or if you defiled yourself by touching a dead person or another object that causes defilement, you also have to go into mikveh, be immersed, be ritually cleansed and then you are allowed to worship.

Or if there was a sore on your body or a bloody flow, a bloody flacks it was called then you -- when you were healed had to be immerse in the mikveh and you were allowed to worship with the rest of the community.  So, there were two ways that was use in the Judaism.  If you were a Gentile, wanting to proselytize or convert into Judaism number one.  Number two, if you were a Jewish and you were defiled and you wanted to worship in the temple you would be baptized.  What makes this odd is John the Baptist is immersing not Gentiles to become Jews.  He's not saying immerse yourself like he would be to be ritually cleanse.  He himself was baptizing Jews who needed to repent of their sins.

He was baptizing those.  The baptism of John was a baptism for the remission of sin.  It was a lifestyle change that he was calling on.  And you will read that he says, "It doesn't matter your background, it doesn't matter your relatives, it doesn't matter who you descended from.  Your heart needs to be right with God and when your heart is right with God, by repentance and faith then comes the ritual of baptism to demonstrate them that what John's baptism was all about here in the Gospel of Matthew.  But, Verse 7, when you saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, now stop right there.  You got to know who these guys are because they're going to come up throughout the Gospels and in the Book Acts.

It seems that these guys were a delegation that the Sanhedrin the ruling elder council of the Jews in Jerusalem had sat down to the place where John was to check him out, to listen to him, find out what's up with this guy.  I'm hearing a lot of rumors the high priest must have said.  So a delegation came and there are two parties, two religious parties that are mentioned.  First of all the Pharisees.  Let me tell you a little bit about the Pharisees.  A lot of you already know the Pharisees were a small group.  There were only 6,000 Pharisees at the of Christ in Judaism, we believe.  The word Pharisee comes form the Hebrew word "Perushim" which means separated ones.  They believe that they were separated unlike the rest of the Jews that they were the favored ones, the holy ones because they attended to every little fine point of the law.  They were very structured, they were very legalistic and in the Gospels they have a confrontation with Jesus.

The relationship between Christ and the Pharisees is extremely adversarial in the Gospels.  For example, Jesus will see the Pharisees and He will say, "You guys are a bunch of white washed supple curse.  You look good on the outside you're full of death and destruction on the inside."

Now, that doesn't win a lot of friends that kind of talk.  On another occasion he said, "You're a bunch of hypocrites.  Woe onto you, Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites."  Matthew 23, denunciation after denunciation.  That's the first group.  They were principally the enemies of Christ in the Gospels.  The Sadducees are also mentioned and they're going to be the principle enemies of the early church in the Book of Acts and here's why.  The Sadducees unlike the Pharisees were more liberal in their thinking.  They denied anything supernatural while the Pharisees believed in all things supernatural, creation, angels, demons, spirits, resurrection from the dead.

The Sadducees denied, angels, spirits, and the resurrection form the dead.  So, what are the disciples in the Book of Acts preached?  Jesus has risen from he dead.  So they made enemies out of the Sadducees.  So, it's sad you see the way they were treated by these groups.  Okay, the Pharisees they were only 6,000 Pharisees.  There were even fewer of the Sadducees but though they were fewer they were in charged, the high priest was a Sadducee.  They have the money, they had the wealth of the nation though they were very liberal and they try to integrate with Romans and make friends with everybody they controlled what was going on in the temple.  The Pharisees and Sadducees hated each other.  They did not get along.  They were opposed to each other.  They were never buddies except in one case and one case only.  They both shared a mutual hatred of Jesus and they wanted to get rid of Him.  And that's the time they came together and you see it toward the end when Jesus is crucified.

So, this group comes to John the Baptist out in the wilderness.  John the Baptist is not friendly toward this group that comes out.  He calls them "Brood of vipers."  Brood means offspring.  You sons of slimy snakes would be a better translation.  Brood of vipers.  Now, a viper was considered very shroud but very dangerous.  All you guys look so slick and so religious but you are so dangerous.  You are sons or a brood or offspring of vipers.  And then he says, "Who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance.  And do not think to say to yourselves we have Abraham as our father for I say to you that God has able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."

What does he mean by that?  Well, he might be meaning stones as being outsiders Gentiles.  Now, these strict Jewish legalists and rationalists, Pharisees and Sadducees didn't care too much for Gentiles, never included them in worship.  They were only allowed in one particular sanction part of the temple in no closer.  But when John the Baptist has God is able to raise out of these stones children to Abraham.  He could have in his mind what the prophets foretold that the Gentiles would hear and the Gentiles would believe even though you are descendants of Abraham and you wouldn't regard these stones and you wouldn't regard Gentiles anymore than these rocks.  God has able to raise up from these outsiders, these stones children to Abraham.

And even now, he says in Verse 10.  "Even now, the axe is laid to the root of the trees."  Therefore, every tree which is not bear fruit, is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize with water into repentance but He was coming after me is mightier than I whose sandal I am not worthy to carry."  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  One thing we always notice about John the Baptist.  He points to his cousin Jesus all the time.  He always points to Him.  He's the one.  You're asking about who I am.  I'm just a voice.  He's the word.  I'm just a messenger.  He's the message.

In John's Gospel he says, "Behold, look, check it out, the Lamb of the God who takes away the sin of the world."  So, John the Baptist get this, get this though a cousin of Jesus thought that Jesus was the answer to man's need to have their sins forgiven and was the savior of the world and believe His cousin was indeed God in human flesh.

Now to me that adds to his testimony and the weight and authenticity of his testimony.  How many of you would save your cousin?  My cousin is God.  My cousin takes away the sin of the world.  No, you know your cousin.  You've hang out with your cousins.  You fought with your cousins.  John the Baptist believe that his cousin, his second cousin Jesus was the one, in fact, the way he describes himself puts himself so low, he is so self-abasing he says, "I'm not even worthy to take off his sandal."

Now, in a Jewish household, the job of the most menial slave was to take the sandals off the feet of the one who own the home.  If you came home from work, your servant would take off your sandals, wash your feet and hold onto your sandals until you ask for them again.  He will walked barefoot around the house but if he said to his slave, "Skip, I want those sandals."  I've run over and give it to him.  John says, "I'm not even worthy to be my cousin's most menial slave."  That's who I am in comparison to who He is.  Maybe that's why Jesus called him the greatest one who ever lived.  He understood who He was in light of who Jesus is.  He says, "I'm not even worthy to untie his sandal.  I indeed baptize you with water" said John "onto repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I who sandal I am worthy to carry."  Notice this.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Now, there's something I want to explain to you then put it all together.  He keeps talking about fire here.  And he says, "The winnowing fan" Verse 12, "His winnowing fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor and gather his wheat into barn, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire."  That's a picture of judgment.   So, here's John out in the wilderness preaching to the people and he preaches three kinds of baptism, not one, not two, but three.  The first kind of baptism, a baptism in water, a baptism onto repentance, come in the water, you know what this is about.  You're a Jewish but this is to signify that you're life is changed that you are repenting of your sins for the remission and the taking away of sin.  That's number one baptism.

The second type of baptism that John mentioned is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus will give.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit first of all.  Now, anyone who comes to Christ is immediately instantly baptized or immersed by the Holy Spirit into the company of other believers or the church.  We are baptized, we are immersed, we are part of one another.  He baptizes us immediately instantly once in for all into the body the company of saints, the body of Christ.  And subsequent to that there is a empowering of the Holy Spirit commission by Jesus to give us the power to be witnesses unto Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the other most parts of the earth.

So, there's the baptism in water, there's the baptism with the Holy Spirit by Jesus for believers.  Number three.  There is the baptism by fire.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  Now that's the baptism that unbelievers will eventually get when they will be totally immersed in the fiery judgment of God.  In the analogy that John the Baptist uses is one they would all understand.  A farmer who would be winnowing his grain and this is how it was done.  John describes a winnowing fan.  A winnowing fan is about three to four feet long.

It was about three maybe four prongs like a little bit of a rake, and the farmer would scoop typically in the evening time because the Mediterranean wind blows from the west to the east in land.  And so, it's perfect kind of velocity to do winnowing.  So, the farmer would take whole grain chaff and the wheat toss it up with the winnowing fork into the air.  The breezes would take the inedible parts the chaff, the light flaky stuff on the outside and blow it away.  It would be gathered and be burned only the real curl of the wheat will fall to the ground because it's weightier, it's heavier, the wind won't affect it as much.  So, he tossed it up, we would come down, chaff will blow it away, they would go over collecting in the pile and burn it with fire.

So, this is the future judgment, the fiery judgment that all unbelievers will eventually be immersed in.  So, three baptisms John mentions.  Then it says this, "Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by Him, and John tried to prevent him saying, "I need to be baptize by you."  "Are you coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permitted to be so for now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  When he saw Jesus coming, his cousin coming the one he believed to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the one he knew was the answer come from God, the one predicted just like he was predicted, he knew all of the stories.

When he saw Jesus coming he was puzzled like, "Wait a minute, what are you doing here?  This is for guilty people, this is for sinful people, this is for people who have enough integrity to stop want they're doing listen to the message and repent of their sins.  This isn't for you.  You're the sinless one."  Jesus says, "Let it happen man, let it go, permitted to be soul for now to fulfill all righteousness."  What did He mean?  Jesus had come to identify with sinners, to identify with you and I.  The writer of Hebrew says, "We don't have a high priest or representative who was unable to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but he was in all points tempted like we are yet without sin."  Man, here's somebody who can relate to you because he felt what you feel.  He knows what it is to be a human, what it is to face trials and temptations and heartache, to have a heart breaking with those kind of issues.  He knows that, he feels it.  He was in all points tempted like we are.

So, Jesus came first of all to say and to make this statement, "The only way these unrighteous people are going to be made righteous is by me coming into this world and identifying with them and I want to identify with them though I am sinless and you baptize sinners.  I am coming to fulfill all righteousness."  In other words, that baptism I believe was a prefigurement of His own death, burial and resurrection.  Just like today Romans Chapter 6 says, "When we get baptized we are speaking of that same death, burial and resurrection and we're identifying backwards with Jesus."  Paul said, "You go onto the water that's like a dead man being buried in the ground.  You come up out of the water that's like a resurrection has happen".  "Walk in newness of life" Paul said.  So, here this prefigure Jesus being identified with us and prefiguring His own death and His resurrection.

Would you have been baptized?  We're almost done two more Verses.  When he had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heaves were opened and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."  When Jesus was baptized, the entire Godhead showed up.  God the father spoke, God the son Jesus was being baptize, and God the son was represented by a dove.  All three were manifest and God the Father spoken said, "This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased."

Now, remember that saying because God's going to say it in the 17th Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus is transfigured on a high mountain with Moses and Elijah and a few of the disciples are watching this and Peter will butt in and say something and God will say, "This is my beloved son, listen to him".  So, all three show up at the baptism of Jesus the Godhead, the Trinity has spoken up.  And some people don't believe in the trinity, Christian believers all believe in the trinity but some folks don't believe in the trinity, and their reasoning is they say, "Well the trinity -- the word trinity isn't really in the Bible."  Okay well, the word Bible is in the Bible.  The word millennium isn't in the Bible but the terms thousand years is and the thousand years is a millennium.  It's just another word for it.  It's a synonym for it.  The word rapture isn't in the Bible.  The doctrine of the rapture is in the Bible.  The word trinity may not be in the Bible but the doctrine of the trinity is all over the Bible.

That's why I say Christian, all Christian believers believe in the trinity.  It's all over the word of God.  You can't escape it.  From Genesis Chapter 1, in the beginning God Elohim created the heavens and the earth.  Elohim is a plural verb with a singular meaning.  A few verses later Genesis 1 Verse 26, "Then God said, let us make men in our image, so in the image of God he made men."  Plural, singular in meaning or Isaiah Chapter 6 when the Lord said, "Whom shall we send and who will go for us?"  That's God speaking.  Who is he talking to?  He's not talking to angels.  He's talking to Himself, the members of the trinity separate, three separate persons one eternal God, coequal, coeternal.

So, all three show up at this inaugurating event at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.  And God says, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."  In your life, in your salvation all three members of the trinity took part, God the father sent his son into this world to die in the cross.  Jesus God son sent the Holy Spirit who would convict the world of sin righteousness and judgment.  Once we come to Christ led by the spirit then the spirit comes to live inside of us and the son Jesus said, "We'll live inside of us" and he said, "My Father will also live inside."

So, all three members of the trinity as they were present here were also present with your salvation.  Now that's Chapter 3, it's a very short chapter.  And when we end Chapter 3 the heavens are opened.  As we make it to Chapter 4 hell is opened.  Satan comes to tempt Jesus, to tort the very reason for which He came.  So, remember that for next time even as heaven is opened there's a response in the kingdom of darkness and hell will be opened and Satan will come on the scene, and you'll see the interaction between the holy sinless son of God and this malevolent being the devil.

As I pray, I'm going to ask the communion board to get ready and get the elements.  We're going to take communion the best way we do it outside or with these little peeled top portable communion gismos.  So, everything you need is in that little pocket and you just hold on to it while we worship and then we're going to have you appeal the very top one off first and take the bread out and we'll pray for the bread which represents the broken body of Christ.  We'll peel then the bottom layer and get down to the juice and we'll drink the fruit of the vine as being remembrance of the blood that Jesus shed for us, that covenant of his blood and we'll worship the Lord in so doing.

Now, before you actually get the elements, a word of caution.  If tonight you are not a believer and I don't know that all of you are, I assume you are.  You've come to church but not everyone who comes to church is a Christian.  Not everyone who goes to McDonald is a hamburger.

So I'm glad you've come to church but I'm not sure you've come to Christ so here's the deal.  If you are not a believer in Christ, if you haven't personalized it, if there has not been repentance unto the remission of sins or you have turned from and turned to God.  Then let those elements passed to you on tonight.  Don't take them, don't take partake with us.  And here's why the Bible says, "If you'll take them, you are actually preaching a message of damnation to your own soul.  You're proclaiming that you don't know Him.  You're sort of rubbing it in God's face."

So, this is for believers to take not unbelievers.  That's option number one.  I have a better option number two.  Option number two, if you're not a believer in light, if you haven't personally accepted Christ that you do so right now, that you give Jesus the key to the door of your heart that you open it up, that you let him come inside and occupy the throne.  And then you take communion because you'll be one of his children, sons or daughters.  Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for time of worship, we thank you for the lessons that we've learned in the short chapter of Matthew.  We thank you for the life of the man named John the Baptist, the greatest one, the greatest man Jesus said born of woman.  Great because he wanted to please you, he didn't really care what people thought of him or his message. He lived a singular life.  His life was filled with conviction and he lived that conviction out in his daily life.  And he was great because he always pointed not to himself.  He didn't say, "I'm some great one, I'm the son of Zachariah the priest.  I'm the one filled with the Holy Spirit from my mother's womb.  He just said, "I'm a road worker.  I'm the guy who makes straight the ways of the Lord and clears the path and points to Jesus."  What a great one that is.  I prayed that we like John would men and women to Jesus.

Lord, you pointed us to Jesus tonight.  Father I pray that is you have that those who don't know you personally yet, but their heart even at this very moment is aching to know you.  They sense you and brought them here for this purpose.  I pray Lord that their hearts will be open to you and they will right now accept receive the savior into their lives.  As you are seated in this courtyard in this beautiful evening tonight, this perfect weather in September, for some of you new life is going to start right here, right now.  And if you have not received Christ, if you're not walking in obedience with Christ, I want you to pray this right where you're seated, right where you are and say, "Lord Jesus, I believe in you.  I believe you died on the cross for me and shed your blood to pay for my sin.  I believe that you rose from the dead for me and you conquered death and I placed my trust in you.  I lay my life upon your work on the cross.  I turn from my sin and in faith I turn to you as my savior and as my Lord."

          If you prayed that prayer your seconds old in the Lord.  You have every much as right to take the communion elements as any of us who've been walking with the Lord for years, you're a child of God, you're cleansed, you're forgiven.

Additional Messages in this Series

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9/7/2011
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Matthew 1:1-18
Matthew 1:1-18
Skip Heitzig
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As we turn our attention to the New Testament, Pastor Skip explains what transpired during the 400 years of silence since the Old Testament. Our firm grasp of the political setting, language, and Matthew's purpose and perspective establishes a solid foundation for understanding his gospel. In Matthew 1, we see Jesus revealed as the royal Heir to the throne of David—the Messiah, Immanuel: God with us.
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9/14/2011
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Matthew 1:18-2:23
Matthew 1:18-2:23
Skip Heitzig
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Every year people around the world recognize the birth of a poor Jewish child born in an insignificant city. The birth of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Scriptures, beckons us to worship and obey the King of the Jews. Let's examine Matthew's account of the miraculous circumstances of the nativity and the prophecies it fulfilled.
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9/28/2011
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Matthew 4:1-17
Matthew 4:1-17
Skip Heitzig
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Prior to the start of Jesus' public earthly ministry, He was led up to be tempted by the devil. As we review His encounter with Satan, we uncover important principles of spiritual warfare. We consider not only when and how Jesus was tempted, but also how He fought—and the ministry that began on the heels of the battle.
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10/5/2011
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Matthew 4:18-5:4
Matthew 4:18-5:4
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Leaving life as they knew it, the disciples followed Jesus and became intimate witnesses of Jesus' teaching, preaching, and healing. As we dive into this portion of Matthew, we turn our attention to their calling and listen in as Jesus begins the greatest sermon ever preached.
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10/19/2011
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Matthew 5:5-16
Matthew 5:5-16
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The economy in God's Kingdom is quite different from that of the world: it's paradoxical; it's progressive. Let's consider the Beatitudes and discover what kingdom living looks like, and how it impacts those around us.
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10/26/2011
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Matthew 5:17-32
Matthew 5:17-32
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The multitudes listening to Jesus teach were undoubtedly shaken by His powerful statement: "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). How, then, could one be saved? As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we remember that salvation is not available through human achievement--only by divine accomplishment.
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11/2/2011
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Matthew 5:33-6:8
Matthew 5:33-6:8
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As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we'll grow in our understanding of the contrasts between the world and the kingdom of heaven. Followers of Jesus are called to a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees—a righteousness based on our genuine relationship with Christ, rather than mere outward obedience.
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11/9/2011
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Matthew 6:9-34
Matthew 6:9-34
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Jesus taught His disciples to pray in this manner: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we learn that when we make God's kingdom our focus, He provides everything we need.
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11/16/2011
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Matthew 7
Matthew 7
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Jesus calls His followers to live differently from the world -- to live a kingdom lifestyle. In this study from the Sermon on the Mount, we consider what kingdom living looks like in both our relationships with others and our relationship with God.
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12/7/2011
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Matthew 8:1-26
Matthew 8:1-26
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Throughout his gospel account, Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah. Building upon the foundation of fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' identity is authenticated by miraculous signs. As we examine Matthew chapter eight, let's consider the compassion and grace Jesus demonstrates.
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1/18/2012
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Matthew 8:23-9:9
Matthew 8:23-9:9
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Matthew carefully crafted his gospel to speak directly to the hearts of his Jewish audience. Through his detailed record of Jesus' genealogy, fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' actions, instructions, and miracles, Matthew proves that Jesus is Messiah. Let's take a close look at several of those miracles, and gain a firm grasp of His Deity.
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1/25/2012
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Matthew 9:10-31
Matthew 9:10-31
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To the Pharisees, tax collectors and sinners were part of a lower, unpleasant class. But Jesus longed for fellowship with all people. He shared intimate meals with them, ministered to their needs, and reached out to the unlovely. As we study this passage in Matthew 9, we learn how we are also called to be heralds of the good news that brings spiritual health and enduring joy.
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2/1/2012
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Matthew 9:32-10:31
Matthew 9:32-10:31
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The Lord calls His followers to proclaim His message to the world—we are appointed to carry out a divine purpose. We learn in this study that we, like the apostles, find abundant life only in letting go of our own ambitions, plans, and comfort.
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2/8/2012
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Matthew 10:32-11:19
Matthew 10:32-11:19
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In His second major discourse of Matthew, Jesus equips and instructs His apostles about going into the world and reaping the spiritual harvest. In this passage, Jesus expounds on the courage needed to complete the mission and warns His followers of certain persecution. He reminds us that while not all who hear will believe, God's wisdom is powerfully demonstrated in changed lives.
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2/15/2012
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Matthew 11:16-30
Matthew 11:16-30
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In order to truly worship God, you must know Him. Speaking clearly and openly in this passage, Jesus proclaims some of His strongest warnings and makes some of His most intimate promises. He reveals the Father to His followers and assures us that life lived under His rule yields peace and rest.
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2/22/2012
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Matthew 12:1-21
Matthew 12:1-21
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Though God intended the Sabbath to be a day of rest, keeping the Sabbath became difficult work by New Testament times. The oral traditions of the Pharisees had become weighty burdens-burdens the Lord did not mean for His people to bear. In this passage, Jesus demonstrates mercy and the true intent of the Sabbath as He and His disciples meet physical needs in the face of strong opposition.
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2/29/2012
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Matthew 12:22-42
Matthew 12:22-42
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Though our current culture embraces a form of spirituality, the biblical view of God, Satan, and good versus evil has been dismissed by most. Ignorance and indifference cause them to relegate Satan to the stuff of fairy tales and myth. In this study from Matthew 12, Jesus demonstrates His authority over the devil and his minions--giving us a glimpse into the supernatural and a reminder that, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
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3/7/2012
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Matthew 12:43-13:17
Matthew 12:43-13:17
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Jesus consistently brought His message of hope to the common man: He spoke in parables to bring revelation to His followers and to conceal heavenly truth from the hard-hearted. In this message, we examine parables of our Master Teacher and Holy Judge, and discover that truth can be a blessing, but also a curse--we must be diligent to understand and apply God's Word to our lives.
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3/14/2012
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Matthew 13:18-52
Matthew 13:18-52
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Jesus often used parables to explain spiritual truth to His followers. In Matthew 13, His seven kingdom parables are recorded--word pictures which explain the beginning, opposition, expansion, and culmination of His kingdom. Let's consider His teachings and apply these lessons, so that we may be fellow workers with Him in spreading the good news.
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3/21/2012
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Matthew 13:53-14:36
Matthew 13:53-14:36
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In this passage from the gospel of Matthew, we see powerful examples of the results of both faith and the lack of it. Those who might have known Jesus best failed to trust in Him and missed out on His work in their lives, while others were carried through the storm in His care. As we consider our own trials, we should rest in His hands, knowing He has power to change us and use our lives for His glory.
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3/28/2012
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Matthew 15
Matthew 15
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God is less concerned with the outward appearance than He is with the inward attitude. In this passage, Jesus boldly proclaims truth in a confrontation with the Pharisees, warning his followers to avoid hypocrisy. We also witness His tender response to the persistent faith of a Gentile woman, and His mercy for the multitudes. As we study Matthew 15, let's consider our own approach to Him: Do we recognize that we cannot live without Him?
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4/11/2012
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Matthew 16:1-20
Matthew 16:1-20
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Through stern rebuke, gentle prodding, and powerful teaching, Jesus instructs those around Him about who He is and how we can know and serve Him. Matthew 16 records several lessons in faith - warnings and wisdom which encourage us in our own spiritual journey.
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4/25/2012
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Matthew 16:21-17:27
Matthew 16:21-17:27
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Jesus calls His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. From this passage, we gain a clearer understanding of what it means to exalt Him as King in our lives and also get a preview of His future glory, when He will reign over all the earth.
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5/2/2012
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Matthew 18
Matthew 18
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How should sin be dealt with? As we examine Matthew 18, we learn not only to deal radically with sin in our own lives, but also the steps toward reconciliation with a sinning brother.
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6/13/2012
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Matthew 19
Matthew 19
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In the U.S., the lifestyle of Christians often mirrors that of unbelievers--divorce, self-indulgence, misaligned priorities. Using God's Word to teach lessons about divorce and eternal life, Jesus exhorts his followers to enter the kingdom of heaven--to live in wholehearted faith and obedience to the Him. Let's consider what Scripture says about godly living and the reward Jesus promises to His faithful followers.
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6/20/2012
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Matthew 20
Matthew 20
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As followers of Christ, what awaits us in eternity? In this study, we consider not only our eternal home but also our eternal reward. Saved by grace through faith, we must see beyond the circumstances and status of this world, and look toward our future glory.
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7/11/2012
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Matthew 21:1-32
Matthew 21:1-32
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In this intriguing passage, Jesus enters Jerusalem in a precise fulfillment of prophecy. It's an exciting study, where those who know they need forgiveness find refreshment and hope—and those who rely on their own righteousness receive a stern rebuke.
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7/18/2012
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Matthew 21:33-22:22
Matthew 21:33-22:22
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Jesus taught with complete authority, denouncing the misconceptions of the religious leaders of the day. With skill and precision, Jesus uses parables and their own words to silence their challenges and expose their motives. Let's consider His words, heed His warnings, and remember that He alone is righteous and worthy of praise.
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7/25/2012
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Matthew 22:23-23:39
Matthew 22:23-23:39
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In dealing with the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus speaks wisely, uncompromisingly, and with the authority of heaven—His Words shoot straight to the heart. Though many try to fit Jesus into their pre-conceived mold—to accept Him and His Words only as far as they are comfortable—we learn here danger of that the perilous position.
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8/1/2012
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Matthew 24:1-30
Matthew 24:1-30
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In this passage—the Olivet Discourse— Jesus provides a summary of end time events: the future of the world. We look forward to the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus, but those found outside of Christ face unparalleled suffering and judgment. Let's contemplate the wrath of God that's in store for this world—and share the hope of the gospel with those who don't yet know Him.
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8/8/2012
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Matthew 24:31-25:46
Matthew 24:31-25:46
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In this section of the Olivet Discourse, we consider Jesus' Warning Parables. As we examine the text, let's remember that while the church escapes judgment, many are left to suffer the Great Tribulation. We must be righteous, be ready, and be responsible.
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8/15/2012
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Matthew 26:1-30
Matthew 26:1-30
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As Jesus gathered with His disciples to observe the Passover one last time, He brought fresh meaning to a festival which had been celebrated for thousands of years. Rather than a memorial to their physical deliverance from bondage in Egypt, the meal represents His broken body and shed blood—and spiritual deliverance from sin for those who believe.
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8/22/2012
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Matthew 26:31-75
Matthew 26:31-75
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Following the Last Supper, Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane and willingly surrendered Himself to the will of the Father: Jesus was crushed for our sin, abandoned to the Cross, so that we might have fellowship with Him. As we study Matthew 26, we consider the spiritual battle before us, the choices we make, and the ultimate victory that is ours through Jesus Christ.
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8/29/2012
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Matthew 27:1-50
Matthew 27:1-50
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In this message, we see the ultimate demonstration of God's love—the cross. Jesus, the King of the Jews, was betrayed, falsely accused, illegally tried, scourged, and ultimately crucified. As we consider the details of His crucifixion and death, how could we be anything except amazed and humbled?
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9/19/2012
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Matthew 27:50-66
Matthew 27:50-66
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As He hung on the cross, betrayed by his friends and separated from His Father, Jesus declared "It is finished!" Victorious, not defeated—He completed the work the Father gave Him to do. In that dark hour, the grave gave up some of her dead, the earth quaked, and in the temple, the curtain that separated men from God was torn from top to bottom. As we study this text, let's consider the price Jesus paid to redeem us and the personal, intimate fellowship with God now available.
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9/26/2012
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Matthew 28
Matthew 28
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Jesus' resurrection: great news for His disciples—troubling news to his enemies. As the chief priests grappled with a cover up, the disciples met with the risen Lord and were commissioned to "Go and make disciples of all the nations." As we consider our text, we discover the good news for ourselves: Jesus is not dead—He's alive and has all authority in heaven and earth.
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There are 36 additional messages in this series.
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