Sermon - Matthew 3:7-17 - Point people to Jesus - Littleby Baptist Church - January 27, 2019

This morning we are continuing to look at Jesus’ life and ministry. Last week we looked at Jesus dedication and the role model Simeon who showed us some key things. Like how we need to let the Holy Spirit guide us every day, even to the point of letting Him guide us to where He needs us. How we need to study God’s Word and truly believe it and follow it. We need to be praising God regardless of the storms in our lives and that we need to be boldly proclaim that Jesus is the Savior for all. Simeon was a good role model.

Isaiah 40:3

“A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.”

This was Isaiah prophesizing about John the Baptist. Who was going to wander around in the wilderness and desert. John did just that. He wandered around the Jordan River in his camel har robe calling out for people to repent of their sins.

Matthew 3:7-10

“⁷ When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. ⁹ And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John did not sugar coat the message of God. He said it as it is… those who did not produce good fruit, in other words, those who did not truly live for God, were going to be cut down and cast into the fire. John did not stop there.

Matthew 3:11-12

“¹¹ “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.””

Even though John himself was prophesized about, he knew who he was in God’s plan. He understood that he was just paving the way, he was preparing people for the coming of the One True Savior. John baptizing people in water was nothing compared to who was coming and what He would accomplish.

One of my favorite verses is John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John was talking to his disciples when they were concerned with people following Jesus instead of John. John knew that while he called people to repentance that it was only Jesus who could save them.

John understood that it was his job to point people to Jesus. Sounds like something we have probably heard at some point in our lives as followers of Jesus. If you have spent any time reading the Bible you would know that none of us have the power to save someone. We did not die to forgive them of their sins. We cannot pave the way for them to spend eternity with Jesus. Our job is to point the way. John pointed the way by calling people to repent of their sins and we can do the same. Our job is to boldly proclaim what Jesus has done for us and it is the Holy Spirit’s job to change their hearts so that they can accept that Jesus died for them. We need to love fully, call sin what it is, and let the Holy Spirit change their hearts.

We tend to put John on a pedestal, but he is no different than us and our job is no different than his. We need to point people to Jesus.

Matthew 3:13-14

“¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?””

John was saying, what do you mean you want me to baptize you. It should be the other way around. You can baptize us with the Holy Spirit, all I have is water.

John’s reaction makes sense when we remember that John understood who he was in comparison to who Jesus is. From John’s limited human understanding he did not understand why the Savior of the world would come to him for something that was inferior to what the Savior had to offer.

John 1:6

“There was a man sent from God whose name was John.”

John was sent by God, that is not my speculation, it is not something I read last week in a commentary, the Bible tells us clearly that John was sent from God.

John 1:29-34

“²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ³¹ I didn’t know him, but I came baptizing with water so he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him. ³³ I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.””

John states that the one who sent him, who we know to be God, told him that he would be able to tell who the coming Savior would be by the Holy Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove.

John, a man sent by God, knew that he was going to baptize the Savior sent by God, and he still tried to stop from baptizing Jesus.

John the Baptist did not understand God’s ways…Anyone else feel that way sometimes?

We have the Bible in front of us, we can read the words every day, we can study, memorize it, quote it, and there will be times in our lives that we do not understand what God is doing.

In 2010 I was called as a Senior Pastor for the first time and was ordained with the SBC. Later that year after my surgery, I had to step down. I did not understand why God had finally allowed me to serve as a Pastor but did not give me the strength I needed.

I knew that God had called me to be a pastor. I had read His words that tell me that He has a plan, a good plan, for my life. I did not understand why I was not able to serve the people who had called me to be their Pastor.

We all have things like this in our lives, times we do not understand what God is doing. We may see Him working right in front of us and not recognize His handiwork. We may feel like something is being stripped away. We may feel like nothing is going right.

Even when we do not see it, we need to remember that He is always at work in our lives.

Matthew 3:15

“¹⁵ Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John allowed him to be baptized.”

 If you flip through the Old Testament and read up on the Law given by Moses, you will not find anything on baptism. So why would it need to be done to ‘fulfill all righteousness’?

I think the answer lies in the fact that Jesus came to this earth to die for all of us sinners. We look at baptism as a symbolic act of dying with Jesus and then being born again with Him as we come out of the water. It is our way of following in His steps of death and resurrection.

Jesus was baptized so that he could connect with us. It was symbolic act of showing His humanity. It could also be seen as symbolic of His submitting to God and following through with the ultimate plan for our salvation. No one would have realized it at the time, but those of us who have read these words can see that Jesus willingly submitted to the Plan for Salvation.

Jesus knew the road was going to be tough, He knew the cost He was going to pay, He knew that He was going to take on all the sin, He knew that He was going to be separated from the Father, and He still submitted to the Father.

It can be hard for us to submit to God when we don’t know what the future holds, imagine how hard it is to submit to Him when you know it is going to be down right horrible. What we need to remember that regardless of the outcome, we need to trust in our God. He knows the plans He has for us, He knows the struggles we are going to face, and He knows the outcome. We need to submit to Him and trust that He has our best interest at heart as our loving Father.

Matthew 3:16-17

“¹⁶ When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.””

John was told that the man he baptizes that has the Holy Spirit come down on Him will be the one who will baptize people with the Holy Spirit. John was told it was going to happen, and it happened, and as we read earlier:

John 1:34

“I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

John testified that Jesus is the Son of God.

John once again demonstrates for us what we need to do. When we see that God honors His promises. When we see the work He is doing in our lives or witness the work He is doing in those around us, we need to share it. We need to stand up and shout it from the roof tops if necessary. We need to tell all of our family and friends about what God is doing. We need to share with those who have yet to call Jesus Lord. We need to make sure we are getting the good news out.

When John proclaimed that Jesus was the ‘Lamb of God!’ people listened.

When you proclaim that Jesus is your Savior, people listen. May not always seem like it, but they do. You may not reach them today, you may never reach them, but every time you put God first, give Him the praise, or thank Him… people notice. We need to do our part and let the Holy Spirit do His.

We may not understand what God is doing. We may not see what He is doing right before our eyes even, but we need to live our lives testifying that Jesus is the Lamb of God. That He is our Lord and Savior.

Live it, proclaim it, point people to Jesus and seeds will be planted.  

Blessings,

Robert