Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!

Matthew 3:1-12

John the Baptizer

 

We are getting close to Jesus.  So far, in our study of Matthew, Jesus hasn’t done anything or said anything.  Matthew is building up to the climactic moment when we are introduced to Jesus; next week.  Chapters 1, 2 and the first half of 3 are setting the stage… you can hear the music building.  The anticipation is making the hairs on your arm stand up.  If this were a TV show, this is the buildup before the first commercial.  Next week, the music reaches as crescendo as we meet Jesus.  This week we are still preparing the way for Jesus. 

 

I told you in our first Matthew sermon, that, who a person was, in the first century Jewish world of Matthew, was genealogy and geography.  A person was who his ancestors were and where he was from.  Unlike us, who are defined by job and money and good looks, in Matthew’s world in was heritage and hometown.

 

In chapter one, we learned the genealogy.

 

Matthew 1:1  A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

 

Jesus is a descendant of Abraham, the Father of the Jews, and David the Greatest King.  Matthew tells us there are 14 generations...

 

Matthew 1:17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

 

14 is the secret number of… David.  Who is Jesus?  His great, great, great, 2x14 times, grandfather was David.

 

But we also learned that his step-father was Joseph; the hero of the Advent.  So, far in our story Joseph is the first guy to sacrifice and be a disciple of Jesus. 

 

Matthew 1:16 …and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

 

Who is Jesus? Son of David, Son of Joseph.

 

In chapter two, we learned the geography.  There are four significant places which each point to who Jesus is:

- In Bethlehem we found Pagan Priest giving gifts to the new king Solomon.

-In Egypt we found the New Moses being called out of Egypt.

-In Babylon we found this New Moses leading his children out of captivity.

-In Nazareth we found the Branch who is full of the Spirit bringing the peaceful way of the new kingdom.

 

Who is Jesus?  Son of David, Son of Joseph, the New Solomon, the New Moses, the Branch of Nazareth.  Wow…  All that and we haven’t even met the guy yet! 

 

However, Matthew is not finished preparing us for Jesus.  We need one more story.  The music is getting louder.  Lets’ go to chapter 3.

 

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Matthew 3:1-3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”  This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

 

We are introduced to a new character in our story; John the Baptizer.  His message is “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is coming”.  Repent for the music is getting loud.  Repent, we are about to meet Jesus.  Repent to prepare the way for David, Solomon, Moses… the Branch!  Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near!

 

Matthew then brings out a treasure.  I don’t think this is an old treasure, our clue word… fulfilled is not there.  Matthew introduces this treasure in the present; “This is” he who was spoken of through Isaiah in chapter 40.

 

Isaiah 40:1-5 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.  A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.  And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.  For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

 

Isaiah is telling his people, after they had been punished for idolatry in Babylonian captivity, they would be released and returned to Israel.  Even though a remnant returned to Jerusalem, they never had a real nation again.  The returnees were always under the domination of other nations.  So, the Jews of Jesus’ day wanted a new Exodus.  They wanted to go into the wilderness again.  They wanted to be free.

 

Matthew is saying John the Baptizer is the one who calls the people to the desert.  John is the one who is preparing the way for the new Moses.  John is making the paths straight for the new Exodus!  John is raising the valleys, lowering the mountains, taking the curves out of the road, fixing all the pot holes… making it smoooooth. 

 

It is like… a Police motorcade.  Today, when some dignitary is traveling, he has a police escort.  The police set up barricades and road blocks.  They turn off the signal lights and stop the traffic.  Then with lights and sirens the motorcade brings the dignitary to his destination.  That is what John is doing for Jesus.  John is making it smoooooth for the presentation of Jesus next week!  John is making it possible for us to see Jesus.

 

The straight road is a highway to God!  On this highway the glory of the LORD will be revealed and all mankind will see it.  The question is, “How do I get on this highway?”  Oh, oh, I want to be on the highway.  I want to see the glory of the LORD.  I want to come out of captivity and be ready to see Jesus.

 

“If that is true,” John the Baptizer says, “If you want to be on the highway, then you must repent.  Repentance is removing the obstacles for the LORD.  Repentance is police motorcade into your heart.  Glory of the LORD will be revealed to those who repent!  John the Baptizer came to get people to repent so they could see Jesus.

 

As music rises in intensity, I must repent, if I want to see Jesus… next week.

 

Let’s find out what that means.  Let’s continue with the story.

 

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Matthew 3:4-6 John’s clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.  His food was locusts and wild honey.  People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.  Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

 

Matthew doesn’t often describe what a person looks like.  Matthew never even describes Jesus.  But when Matthew does give us what a person looks like it is for a reason.  John’s clothes were of camel hair with a leather belt.  This description brings up an image of... Elijah.

 

2 Kings 1:8 They replied, "He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist.”  The king said, "That was Elijah the Tishbite."

 

John is the new Elijah.  Wow, listen to the last three verses of the Old Testament:

 

Malachi 4:4-6 "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.  See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.  He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

 

The end of the Old Testament leaves us looking for a new Elijah who comes before the New Moses!  John was the new Elijah!  And tons of people came from all around to confess sins and be baptized.  The new Elijah came to bring people to repent, confess and be baptized in the Jordan.  

 

There is a really subtle old treasure here.  What did the children of Israel do to enter the Promised Land?  They crossed the Jordan!  Just as the children of Israel entered the Promised Land by crossing the Jordan, we enter the Promised Land in baptism.  We prepare for the highway to God by; repentance, confession, and baptism.  We will talk more about baptism next week.  Today’s story is about repentance.

 

John, the new Elijah, is preparing the way for the New Moses to lead his people across the Jordan and enter the Promised Land.  The music is really loud.  But Matthew is not finished with the preparations for Jesus.  He has a little more to say about repentance.

 

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Matthew 3:7-10 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.  And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.’  I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.  The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

 

Wow, that is a little bit rough.  The Pharisees and Sadducees were the recognized religious leaders of the day.  Unlike John, they dressed right.  Unlike John, they ate right.  Unlike John in the desert, they lived in the right place; Jerusalem.

 

But John tells them:

-Appearance is not enough; you bunch of hypocritical snakes.

-Heritage is not enough; stones can be made into children of Abraham.

-Words are not enough; you must produce fruit.

-If you do not repent, you are about to be made into firewood.

 

In order to get onto the highway to glory you must repent.  Repentance is not words.  Repentance is action.  To be able to see Jesus you must repent.  Repentance requires real change in behavior!

 

Then John gives us the last measure of music before we see Jesus.

 

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Matthew 3:11-12 “I baptize you with water for repentance.  But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 

The only way to see Jesus is to repent.  Those who repent will be on the highway to God.  To those who repent God will be revealed in his glory.

 

But to those who do not repent, the pitch fork will cast them onto the fire that never stops burning.  If you do not repent… you don’t get the highway.  Instead you get the fork and the fire.

 

John the Baptizer fulfills his role when he gets us to step onto the highway.  John makes the road straight when we repent.  John can’t take us all the way to the end of the highway.  That is what Jesus, the new Moses, does.  But John can get us to take the first steps up on the straight highway.  Those first steps are steps of repentance.

 

 I have a challenge for us this week.  In preparation for meeting Jesus for the first time, next week, let’s spend the week in repentance.  Perhaps, like Lent, pick something not to do this week as a reminder of repentance.  Examples… Fast, Soda pops, TV, internet, sugar, Do some service… chore you don’t usually do… Let’s spend a week remembering to repent.  John told the Pharisees to produce fruit.  Let’s produce some fruit of repentance this week in anticipation of Jesus.

 

“God is wild and free; he will pour out his Spirit wherever he finds open, thirsty and desperate hearts.  Our wealth, our education, our impressive programs and palatial buildings won’t help us because when God finds poor-in-spirit, hungry, merciful people, he will display his power among them.” 

- Matt Woodley -

 

Let’s close with the next two words in our reading as the music stops…   Then Jesus…

 

Tim Stidham

Los Alamos Church of Christ

January 22, 2012