Christ's Advance Man - 1/28/2024 Sunday Sermon

Christ’s Advance Man - Matthew 3:1-12

The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached… - Luke 16:16a

In all 4 gospels Jesus’ public ministry began after His baptism by John the Baptist. Of the 283 verses in the first four gospels leading up to Christ’s baptism, 135 (48%) are about His prophesied advance man, John the Baptist.

The man, the message, and the movement - V. 1-6

The man

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins… -Luke 1:16-17

The message

The word repent is the Greek word, “metanoia,” which means “change of mind.” True repentance is seen when that change of mind leads to change of direction and change of actions.

The Kingdom was at hand because Jesus the King was at hand!

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. - John 1:6-8

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks before me, because He WAS before me.” - John 1:29-30

“He (Jesus) must increase, and I must decrease.” - John 3:30

Many came to Jesus and said, “John never did a sign (miracle), but everything John said about this Man (Jesus) was true.” And many of them believed in Him there. - John 10:41-42

The movement

Now we to understand that this was a unique baptism, different than Christian baptism (Acts 19).

The symbolism was powerful. Jews of the day had begun baptizing Gentile converts to Judaism, but never Jews. John The Baptist was saying the entire filthy nation needed to be washed! He was calling them to both repentance of sin and readiness to follow Jesus.

The moral courage to rebuke the unrepentant V. 7-12

If your way of fleeing the wrath to come is as self-centered & self-focused as the religious leaders who came to JTB, you are heading toward ‘unquenchable fire.’

Note the order: first, repent and place faith in Jesus; then, demonstrate your faith by bearing fruit.

But to all who did receive Him (Jesus), who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. - John 1:12-13

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing: it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:8-10

Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. - Matthew 11:11

Which group would you have been in? Repentant and ready for Jesus? Or unrepentant and rejecting of Jesus?

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” - John 1:29

John’s baptism represented cleansing and readiness; Spirit baptism occurs at the moment of salvation for believers (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14; Jn 7:37-39); Baptism with fire represents the coming judgment when everyone whose name is not in the Book of Life will be sent to the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:11-15).

It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. - Hebrews 9:27