Matthew 3:1-17

1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’”[b]
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize,[c] he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.
13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.[a]” So John agreed to baptize him.
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened[b] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Among the most important components here is message of the

Reveal Answer

In the preaching of the Gospel, the Kingdom is an “is” and an “is to come.”

It was the concept – indeed the promise – that people would be gathered to God by his Son (remember - If I be lifted up, John 13), and a “society” to be formed. The Church…which would first come into being and remain here on earth until the chose time, and would then remain forever with God in glory.

2 Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

The important part here is that the Jews understood it as a temporal kingdom, here/now, and the seat of the “Kingdom” was to be Jerusalem.

Here, in Matthew, we see both John the Baptist and Christ take up this phrase – The Kingdom of God – and they began to teach what it actually would mean.

The very demand of repentance demonstrates that the Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom.

No wicked man, regardless of politics or heritage, bravery or deeds, can be a subject of the Kingdom of God without

Reveal Answer

*8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. *

Ouch…

KJV - Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Axios – Congruant with. Of the order of. Something that lines up to meet something else.

It means EXACTLY what it says.

This is not a finite request, but an active ongoing request. Prove out. Bring Forth…ongoing.

11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God.”

There is something about this word REPENT that apparently has some meaning here.

Baptize with water those who repent. Also active. Not just once…but ongoing.

John’s was a baptism of repentance, as was also Christian baptism, but as John’s pointed forward to Jesus, it became obsolete when Jesus came…for in Him, baptism would be through water AND the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ Baptism Was Completion of God’s Will

13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.
In this way…Jesus indicates that He AND John the Baptist would “fulfill all righteousness.”

pleroo – To Fullfill. To Complete.

The fulfillment and the Completion of God’s will. God’s plan.

Where else have we heard that?

Matthew 5

KJV “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

Jesus Baptism Proved To John the Baptist That Jesus Was The Messiah

Matthew 3:16-17
16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened[b] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

John 1:32-33
32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

Jesus Baptism Set The Greatest..Yet Humblest…Example

Do you believe that God looks down from heaven on us on the day of our baptism in Christ.

Christian baptism followed faith in the Lord Jesus. It is now associated with His name – Christ – which was invoked by the person baptized.

Baptism by water signifies the remission of our sins. Repentance from our sins.

In this way…I demonstrate to all gathered here, and to the world, that I renounce my sinful ways, promising to live a life from this moment forward that demonstrates – PROVES – to the world that I have sought and will continue to seek after Christ.

It’s not about the judgment…because the judgment is not for those who profess their faith in Christ, who repent of their sins, are baptized in following the direct example of Christ, and who live a life that proves repentance.

It’s not fear…

It’s hope. Faith. Expectation.

Love.