The Crowning of the King

Matthew 3:13-17

 

The obvious title of this sermon would be “The Baptism of Jesus”,

After all, that is the incident that occurs in our text.

 

But when you really try to listen to what Matthew wants you to know,

It becomes evident that when Matthew records the baptism of Jesus,

He has a different event in mind.

 

Matthew has already recorded:

• The Genealogy of the King (both physical and spiritual)

• The Birth of the King

• The Announcement of the King

And the next obvious step is THE CROWNING OF THE KING

 

This incident is deliberately used by Matthew

To make yet another strong point that Jesus is God’s king

And therefore you must submit your life to Him.

 

There are four points we learn about Jesus from this text.

#1 JESUS WAS RIGHTEOUS

Matthew 3:13-14

 

Last week when we read what we said was a very peculiar statement.

(3:7) “When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism…”

 

We said it was extremely strange that the Pharisees and Sadducees

Would come together to see John,

And even stranger that they would come wanting to be baptized.

That was a statement that just didn’t seem to make sense.

 

But that statement crumbles in comparison

To the peculiarity of the statement we read here.

 

(13) “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him.”

 

While it was strange to see the Pharisees inquire about baptism,

It was not entirely impossible.

After all, they did need it, it was just doubtful that they actually thought so.

 

But this scene is literally mind boggling.

 

Here we have John preaching a solid message of repentance,

And then baptizing people as a sign of that repentance.

 

By accepting John’s baptism, you were saying:

Either an unclean Jew needing to be washed clean

Or a Gentile seeking to enter the Jewish faith

The point is,

While sinners did need repentance and the subsequent baptism,

It was still ONLY sinners that needed it.

 

And then we see this.

“Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him.”

 

As Matthew Henry put it:

“Does the holy Jesus, that is separated from sinners, come to be baptized by a sinner, as a sinner, and among sinners?”

 

It really seems quite strange doesn’t it?

 

It obviously seemed strange to John.

(14) “But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

 

“prevent” translates DIAKOLUEN

 

KOLUO means to “hinder, restrain, withhold, forbid”

DIA is a prefix that intensifies it.

 

The verb is in the imperfect tense which suggests a continued effort.

 

I tell you all this because I want you to know what John was doing.

He was really trying hard to keep Jesus from being baptized

And he kept trying over and over.

 

John has made up his mind.

 

NOW AT THIS POINT, LET ME ASK YOU

WHY JOHN WOULD THINK THIS WAY?

 

You say, “Well that’s obvious, John knew who Jesus was. John knew that Jesus was the Son of God. John knew that Jesus was the Messiah. And so John knew He didn’t need baptism.”

 

But let me correct that thought.

John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah yet.

 

John 1:29-34 “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

DID YOU CATCH WHAT JOHN SAID?

I didn’t know Jesus was the Messiah until after I saw the dove.

I didn’t know Jesus was the Son of God until after I heard God’s voice.

 

So that brings us back to our question.

WHY WOULDN’T JOHN BAPTIZE JESUS THEN?

 

There are two reasons and both are fairly obvious.

1) Jesus’ apparent righteousness

2) John’s extreme humility

 

John didn’t know that Jesus was the Messiah,

But John did know that he had never seen another Jew

As righteous as Jesus.

 

John had made a living recognizing sin.

John had made an occupation of rebuking sinners.

• He could spot greed in the Centurions.

• He could spot hypocrisy in the Pharisees.

• He could spot self-righteousness in the Sadducees.

 

John knew what sin looked like,

And he knew that he had never seen any in Jesus.

 

Remember, Jesus and John were related,

And while they did not grow up together,

It is obvious John knew who He was and that He was better than himself.

 

I find this to be an absolutely amazing revelation to us by John.

Many times people claim Jesus was sinless

Simply because they first believe He is the Messiah.

 

In other words, Someone told you that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, and because you chose to believe that you also chose to believe that Jesus was sinless.

 

But John was just the opposite.

John didn’t believe Jesus was sinless

Because he first believed Him to be the Messiah.

 

John believed Jesus was the Messiah

Because he first believed Him to be sinless.

 

THIS WAS AN UNBIASED EVALUATION

John had seen His life and here on the Jordan, surrounded by sinners John was willing to recognize One who had no flaws.

 

In fact, John had finally found the One more righteous than himself,

And so John saw an opportunity to be baptized.

Jesus was righteous, absolutely without sin.

 

John saw it.

But it wasn’t just John.

 

The Thief

Luke 23:40-41 “But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

 

The Jews

John 10:31-33 “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

 

Pilate and Herod

Luke 23:13-15 “Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. “No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.”

 

That is why the writer of Hebrews said:

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”

 

The point is that Jesus is and was absolutely righteous.

John knew that before he knew anything else about him.

 

Jesus was righteous

#2 JESUS WAS OBEDIENT

Matthew 3:15

 

And so at this point, we know why John didn’t want to baptize Jesus,

But we still don’t know why Jesus wanted to be baptized.

 

If He was sinless…

If He didn’t need repentance…

Then why be baptized?

 

That is precisely the answer Jesus gives to John.

(15) “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

 

Let me first draw your attention to the main desire of Jesus.

 

His main aim was “to fulfill all righteousness”

 

(Obviously this has always been His goal, that is why John could spot no sin in Him.)

It was the goal of Jesus to be perfect in absolutely every regard.

John 4:34 “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”

 

John 5:30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

 

John 8:29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

 

Jesus was not a man only interested in doing just enough.

He was a Man who wanted perfection.

 

He is not asking “which ones” as the rich young ruler did,

Jesus wants to know them all so that He can obey them all.

 

He is passionate about obedience.

And that is also the reason He is being baptized.

 

John’s baptism was from God.

John’s baptism was the intention of God for every human.

And therefore it was impossible to keep all of God’s commands

If He neglected baptism.

 

That is why Jesus said, “IN THIS WAY it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

 

God has ordained this method as important,

And therefore I must submit to it as well.

This is Jesus being obedient to the Father in everything.

 

It is no different than:

Jesus taking the Passover, even though He was the Passover Lamb.

Jesus attending the synagogue even though He was the incarnate Word.

Jesus going to the temple even though He was God.

Jesus paying the temple tax even though it was all His already.

 

He didn’t get baptized because He was sinful

Or because He was trying to make Himself right with God.

He was baptized because God required it

And He desired to be obedient.

 

(This is also the reason for our baptism)

 

Furthermore Jesus was setting an example for all of us.

Matthew 17:24-27 “When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. “However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”

 

Jesus desired baptism because He desired to be obedient.

It wasn’t a matter of need, it was a matter of obedience.

 

“Then he permitted Him.”

 

Even John the Baptist understood simple obedience.

 

• The commands of God don’t have to make sense to a person who desires to obey.

• The commands of God don’t have to be pleasing, or logical, or convenient, or easy to a person who desires to obey.

 

A person who desires to obey just wants to know what the command is, all the reasons are left up to God.

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

 

That was the heart of Jesus.

God commanded it, so I am doing it.

And John consented.

 

What we see is that not only was Jesus extremely righteous,

But we also see WHY He was extremely righteous.

He was righteous because He was passionate about obedience.

 

Let us remember in our quest to be Holy

That holiness is the consequence of obedience.

 

Jesus was Righteous, Jesus was Obedient

#3 JESUS WAS ANNOINTED

Matthew 3:16

 

Here we actually have the coronation.

“After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,”

 

Luke 3:22 “and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

 

This was a literal dove, only it was actually the Holy Spirit.

He was descending upon Jesus.

 

This was His anointing

This was His coronation

John 1:33-34 “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

 

This was the designated sign of God that the King had arrived.

 

John knew that One was coming after Him,

But He didn’t know exactly how far.

But on this day John knew that the King had arrived.

 

Jesus was crowned King.

Not by men, but by God

 

Psalms 2:6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

 

Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”

 

Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

 

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

 

Jesus is God’s King

He was anointed King by God

 

And at this point in studying Matthew’s gospel:

• If the genealogy didn’t do it for you…

• If the wise men didn’t do it for you…

• If the fulfilled prophecies haven’t done it for you…

• If the herald hasn’t done it for you…

 

THEN CERTAINLY HIS CORONATION SHOULD BE ENOUGH PROOF

Jesus has just been crowned by the Father, He is the King.

 

All that is left is to surrender to the King.

 

Jesus is Righteous, Jesus is Obedient, Jesus is the King

#4 JESUS IS ACCEPTABLE

Matthew 3:17

As if the anointing of the Holy Spirit had not been enough,

We find one more great indicator.

 

It is time for the final member of the trinity to make His presence known.

We have already seen The Son & The Holy Spirit

Now it is time for The Father

 

“and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

 

Now we have no doubts why John was convinced

That Jesus was the Son of God.

God Himself said it from heaven.

 

But that isn’t all God said.

“in whom I am well-pleased.”

 

This statement means the world to us as believers in Jesus.

 

We know that we must find a sacrifice that is suitable to God

As a payment for our sins.

 

The Old Testament was filled with the slaughter of lambs and rams

And doves, and yet people were still in sin.

(That’s why John was here baptizing)

 

Hebrews 10:4 “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

 

And so up to date there was never another living thing

That was acceptable to God to pay for sin.

 

Until now

1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

 

After years of looking upon man and goat and sheep and bull,

God finally spotted One that He would accept.

 

It is absolutely essential to the Christian faith

That God uttered these amazing words!

 

Jesus was perfect and so Jesus was acceptable.

Jesus was righteous and so Jesus was acceptable.

Jesus was obedient and so Jesus was acceptable.

 

And let me take you just a little deeper here for a moment this morning.

 

TURN TO: HEBREWS 10:1-10

First we see the futility of normal religion

(READ 1-4)

 

Every Jew should have understood this.

 

But it is at this point that the writer of Hebrews opens their eyes

To a truth they have not previously seen.

 

He preaches an Old Testament text. (Psalms 40:6-8)

 

His text

(READ 5-7)

 

Like any good preacher, after reading the text he explains it

 

His explanation

(READ 8-9)

 

His explanation is simple.

He points out that God has never desired sacrifices and offerings.

They have never worked.

 

All God ever wanted from His people was righteousness.

“You shall be Holy for I am Holy”

 

The sacrifices were instituted because the people weren’t holy,

Not because God wanted sacrifices.

 

And so when Jesus arrived He didn’t focus on raising sheep,

WHAT DID HE FOCUS ON?

Obedience. “I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL”

(that is what we just saw at His baptism)

 

And then the preacher says

(9) “He takes away the first to establish the second.”

 

In other words Jesus puts things back in their proper place.

He put obedience back in the forefront as the priority.

 

Now (READ 10)

“By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

 

• It was because Jesus sought to do His Father’s will that He was righteous.

• It was because Jesus elevated personal obedience above sacrifice that He pleased the Father.

Because He pleased the Father He became an acceptable sacrifice for sin

 

That is what we just learned at His baptism.

 

He was willing to obey.

Even when it seemed unnecessary

Even when others tried to discourage Him

 

He still obeyed and because of that God was pleased with Him.

And that is what makes Him an acceptable sacrifice for sin.

 

HE IS ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE HE WAS OBEDIENT

And that not only makes Him king,

But also the only possible Savior there is.

 

There is no other way for you to be forgiven before Holy God

Than to submit to His King and to trust in His Savior.

 

Your sin has already offended God

To a degree that you are in a pit of despair,

Your only hope is that One be righteous

And that the righteous One be willing to pay your debt.

 

That is precisely who Jesus is.

Because He was obedient, even in the little things,

He became the acceptable king and the only sacrifice for sin.

 

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

This morning I invite you to surrender your life to the King.

Repent of your sin

Let go of your life

Run to Jesus

 

Believe that He was sinless

Believe that He died on the cross for your sin

Believe that His sacrifice was acceptable to God

 

Ask Him to come and forgive your sin,

And to change your life, and to make you His.

 

He will do it.

He is the Righteous, Obedient, Acceptable King!

 

Matthew 16:24-25 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

 

The Herald vs. The Hypocrites

Matthew 3:7-12

 

Well last week John the Baptist nailed us to the floor.

 

Matthew introduced to us “The Herald”

The herald was the one who came before the king

Preparing the place for his arrival.

 

• Because Jesus is the King.

• Because Malachi promised that Elijah was coming first.

 

Matthew makes sure you and I know about John the Baptist.

He was “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the LORD, make His paths straight.”

 

As we said last week, he was a PLOWER

Before a farmer sows the seed, he first prepares the soil to receive it.

That is what John was doing.

 

Before Jesus sowed the seed of the gospel, John was preparing the soil,

Namely he was convincing men of their sinfulness before God.

 

John was helping people to be eager to meet

“The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

 

JOHN WAS ENJOYING A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SUCCESS.

(At least on the surface, we know that eventually Israel rejected the king)

 

(5-6) “Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.”

 

And based upon what we know of the Pharisees and Sadducees,

This sort of commotion would not be tolerated.

 

That sets the stage for our showdown this morning.

 

John’s gospel gives us a little more historical data here.

John 1:19-28 “This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, ” I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. “It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.”

It is obvious that when the crowds started migrating to John,

It caused some commotion among the religious elite in Jerusalem.

 

Apparently first the Pharisees sent some of the priests and Levites

To question John and find out what he was all about.

 

It is also apparent that the answers those men brought back

Did not satisfy the Pharisees because Matthew reveals that now

The Pharisees and Sadducees are traveling out in person to meet John.

 

The stage is primed for a showdown.

 

It is Reformer meets Religion

And that has always proven to be a fierce battle.

 

So let’s look at our showdown this morning.

There are two main points, but we will break each down a little further.

#1 THE CONFRONTATION

Matthew 3:7-9

 

First let’s just deal with what seems to be a very peculiar statement.

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism…”

 

That in itself is a strange statement.

1) That either would come for baptism

2) That they would come together

 

If no one has ever enlightened you as to

Who these two groups of men where, allow me a moment to fill you in.

 

PHARISEES

“Pharisee” means “separated one”

• Started during the Greek revolution

• Stood against Greek dominance

• Stood against Greek influence

 

They were ultra conservatives and called themselves – “separated ones”

By John’s day they had become the most extreme legalists

 

Jesus said of them:

Matthew 23:1-7 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.”

SADDUCEES

These were the white collar aristocrats.

 

Where as the Pharisees were those who supposedly separated themselves from the world, the Sadducees embraced it.

 

The Sadducees were also theological liberals.

They denied almost all things spiritual.

 

When Paul was on trial

Acts 23:6-8 “But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!” As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.”

 

It is strange that the Pharisees & Sadducees would come together

Because ordinarily they hated each other.

 

One was conservative the other liberal.

One was poor the other was rich.

One was seemingly spiritual the other was openly worldly.

THEY WERE ENEMIES

 

But they always managed to come together to reject Jesus or the truth,

And in this case they come together to silence John the Baptist.

 

The reason is because John threatened both of them.

He threatened the Sadducees love of the world.

He threatened the Pharisees love of religion.

 

And now they have both arrived

And interestingly enough they are both “coming for baptism”

 

But John immediately saw through the hoax

And that is where the confrontation comes in.

 

And John confronts them on three major issues.

1) THEIR FAMILY RESEMBLANCE (7)

“he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

 

They weren’t children of God, they were “sons of snakes”

Put clearer, they were children of the devil.

 

This is precisely what Jesus would later declare as well.

Matthew 12:34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”

John 8:42-44 “Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

 

John declares the same.

He is not about to play their game, he is not about to flatter them.

 

He does however get very sarcastic with them.

“who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

 

John knew that their presence was a mockery.

They weren’t afraid of judgment.

They didn’t fear the wrath of God.

 

On the other hand they were self-justified

And certain that they were pleasing to God.

 

So in one statement John confronts them.

(“Why would you be coming for repentance, we all know you don’t think you need it?)

 

He confronts their family resemblance

2) THEIR FRUITLESS REPENTANCE (8)

“Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;”

 

These men had come on the false pretense of repentance.

John says, “OK, prove it”.

 

“bear fruit in keeping with repentance”

Don’t just claim repentance…

Don’t just get in the Jordan River…

ACTUALLY REPENT.

 

I told you last Sunday that repentance is an action word.

It is much more than just remorse

And it is certainly more than some sort of ritual like baptism.

 

For true repentance to occur

The heart has to change,

The mind has to change,

The will has to change,

The behavior has to change.

 

A person must turn around and go in an opposite direction.

 

Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

 

John is certainly willing to allow these men to repent,

So long as true repentance is what they really intend to do.

 

John knew otherwise and he confronted them on it.

They were willing to go through the motions,

But they had no intention of repentance.

 

(It is alarming how many follow their lead today)

Willing to be baptized, but unwilling to leave their sin.

 

Their Family Resemblance – Their Fruitless Repentance

3) THEIR FAVORITE RESPONSE (9)

“and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’, for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

 

Now John may live in the wilderness,

And he may eat locust and wild honey, but he is no dummy.

 

He knows their argument before they give it.

He knows why they see no need to repent.

 

“We have Abraham as our father”

God promised his descendants would be like the sand of the seashore.

God promised his descendants would be blessed forever.

 

And so they gloated in taking their answer to John.

“We don’t need to repent, because we are already pleasing.”

 

So John confronts their favorite response.

“from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

 

In other words, your chief credential means absolutely nothing.

God is not impressed with you at all.

 

BEING A PHYSICAL DESCENDANT OF ABRAHAM IS NOTHING

 

Galatians 3:7 “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.”

 

This is what Jesus tried to tell them as well.

John 8:39-40 “They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.”

 

FURTHERMORE:

John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

You don’t become a child of God by birth or by genealogy

You become a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ.

 

The Pharisees and Sadducees were secure in their belief

Because they were Abraham’s physical descendants.

JOHN REVEALED THAT INSIGNIFICANT

 

• He confronted their family resemblance

• He confronted their fruitless repentance

• He confronted their favorite response

 

What they needed was repentance just like everyone else.

 

IT FORCES US TO LOOK INTERNALLY

Whose family resemblance do I have?

Is my repentance fruitless or is it evident?

Am I giving God some excuse to keep from actually repenting?

 

That was the confrontation.

#2 THE REVELATION

Matthew 3:10-12

 

These are truths the Pharisees desperately needed to know.

Not only were they not pleasing, but they were also in certain danger.

 

1) THE AXE IS WAITING (10)

“The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

 

Suppose you were a tree, and I was the owner of the orchard,

And I am trying to weed out all unproductive trees.

 

You have no fruit, so I’m gonna destroy you.

 

But you offer me excuses:

“No, you brought me out of the nursery, and put me on this land.”

“No, this is your own personal orchard, you can’t destroy your own orchard.”

“No, you can’t destroy me, I am a seed from the Fuji apple tree.”

 

BUT YOU HAVEN’T YET PROVED WHY YOU SHOULD LIVE,

WHY?

I AM LOOKING FOR FRUIT.

 

So you say:

“I’m sorry, I promise to bear fruit next year, I will change.”

 

WHAT DO I DO?

I give you a second chance, but I leave the axe right here as a reminder.

Luke 13:6-9 “And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'”

 

That is precisely what John is saying here.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were in danger before God

And they didn’t even know it.

 

They were close to being chopped down and weren’t even aware.

 

Let us ever remember that God desires fruit.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 5:1-7

 

God wants fruit.

The Pharisees and Sadducees had failed to give it.

 

The axe is waiting

2) THE KING IS COMING (11)

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

 

And I love John’s approach here.

(It is the same I try to routinely take with people)

 

And that is, “You don’t have to be afraid of me”

 

All I am is a preacher who is telling you that you need to repent,

And when I baptize you, it is only with water.

 

You see, there was nothing intrinsically powerful about John’s water.

His water didn’t do anything for you.

 

• His water was merely symbolic like the water today.

• And if you disobeyed John, he couldn’t do anything to you.

• He didn’t have the power to kill all those who refused baptism.

 

In short he is telling the Pharisees and Sadducees that

They don’t have to do a thing he says.

 

“BUT He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals”

 

You don’t have to do what I say, but He is a different story.

 

You can ignore me.

BUT YOU CANNOT IGNORE HIM

 

Reject my baptism? Fine.

But “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

 

WHAT ARE THESE BAPTISMS?

 

Well obviously baptism with the Holy Spirit is salvation.

It cannot be some secondary filling as many proclaim today,

For the first one hadn’t even come yet.

 

And the baptism of fire is obviously judgment.

Many try to link it to the tongues of fire at Pentecost, but that is a reach.

All we have to do is read this text and John makes it clear.

 

Look down at verse 12 “He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”

 

It is obvious that fire represents judgment.

 

So John is very clear with the Pharisees and Sadducees here.

 

You don’t have to do what I say, and I can’t do a thing about it.

 

But the king is coming and it is advisable to do what He says

Because He has the power to either save you and fill you with His Spirit

Or to destroy you in everlasting fire.

 

The Pharisees and Sadducees needed to know this.

 

SO DO WE.

You must understand that judgment is coming.

Someday you will stand before the King.

 

The Axe is waiting The King is coming

3) THE HARVEST IT THOROUGH (12)

“His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

 

Everything John says here reminds of

The thorough approach Christ will take to judgment.

 

The whole reason a farmer uses a “winnowing fork” is to be thorough.

He does it to make sure he gets all the grain and none of the chaff.

 

He wants to make sure that no chaff gets into the barn

And that no grain goes into the fire.

 

And the Pharisees and Sadducees needed to know this as well.

 

You are in danger and you don’t even know it.

One is coming after me who has the power to save or destroy.

And when He comes He will be thorough.

 

There is no chance that a lost man might sneak into heaven.

There is no chance of a saved man falling into hell.

 

The Axe is Waiting

The King is Coming

The Harvest is Thorough

 

And this morning these are the same things I would remind you of.

 

Many times we live our lives like either of these two groups.

 

Like Pharisees – assuming we are pleasing because of our religion

Like Sadducees – reinventing God’s Laws to make a place for our worldliness.

 

BUT THEY WERE BOTH WRONG

 

God demands perfect righteousness.

Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

 

And this only comes through repentance and trusting in Christ.

 

You see God has always been very clear on this point.

Deuteronomy 5:32-33 “So you shall observe to do just as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. “You shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.”

 

Everyone knows who sits on the right – the conservatives.

These where the Pharisees who added to God’s Laws and became steeped in legalism.

 

Everyone also knows who sits on the left – the liberals.

These where the Sadducees who omitted God’s Laws and soaked up the world.

 

God says both have missed the mark, and both must repent.

Because they don’t even realize the danger they are in.

 

This morning can I just reiterate that to you?

Living in sin is no laughing matter before God.

Fruitlessness is no small ordeal to Him.

 

 

 

Someday the King will return and the judgment will occur

And those who have not been baptized by the Holy Spirit,

Will most certainly be baptized with fire.

 

This morning I want to offer this baptism of the Holy Spirit to you.

It is not some ecstatic experience, nor is it accompanied by wild behavior.

 

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a spiritual experience

That is accompanied by holy behavior.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

 

And this baptism comes for you when you repent of your sin

And give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Acts 2:37-38 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

 

That is your solution as well.

Do what the Pharisees and Sadducees would not do.

 

Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.

He is the One you simply cannot ignore.

 

The Herald

Matthew 3:1-6

 

As you know, Matthew is focused on the King and the Kingdom

 

And because this is Matthew’s focus,

We have already seen two important aspects to his gospel.

• We’ve seen the Genealogy of the King (both physical & divine)

• We’ve seen the Birth of the King

 

Now Matthew moves to the next logical aspect,

And that is The Announcement of the king.

 

Matthew takes us no farther than John the Baptist.

 

John was the chosen herald for Jesus.

Luke 1:15-17 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

 

And of course later after John’s birth:

Luke 1:76-80 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

 

John’s role was specific, and therefore it was also limited.

After Jesus was formally introduced,

It was then time for John to fade away from the scene.

 

John 3:27-30 “John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘ I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

And that is exactly what would happen.

 

John would be arrested and that would signify the end of John’s role

And the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

 

Matthew 4:12-13 “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.”

 

I tell you all that because it is important that we keep our perspective.

As great a man as John was (And Jesus called him The Greatest)

It is important to remember that the study is not about John.

 

Although John is the focal point of the text here,

Understand that Matthew introduces him because John’s presence Furthers Matthew’s point that Jesus is the Messiah.

 

Every Jew knew that before Messiah came,

There would first come the forerunner.

 

Malachi 4:5-6 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

 

The point is that Messiah could not come without the forerunner

And therefore John becomes an important piece to Matthew’s puzzle

As he sets out to prove that Jesus is the Messiah.

 

So we do study John, the but the focus stays on Jesus.

 

In saying that, this morning we also get our first taste

Of what it requires to enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

That alone proves to be of infinite value.

 

So let’s study our text, and we are going to sort of go all over this text

But in doing so we see three clear points.

#1 THE MAN

Matthew 3:1

 

Again you see that John was a man of specific purpose and calling.

He was first of all “the Baptist”.

That speaks of his calling or occupation.

 

We also see that in order to fulfill his calling as a “Baptist”

His primary course of action was to preach.

He “came, preaching”

 

And so just in that simple sense, we understand him to have been

A man committed to his calling and his purpose.

 

But there is really so much more to this man,

And that is that he was a living illustration of what he preached.

 

(4) “Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”

 

We already read that he lived in “the wilderness”

And here we see that his life was one of extreme simplicity.

 

This man lives on “locusts and wild honey”

This man’s wardrobe is always “camel’s hair”

 

And what you quickly learn about John is that

He is a man who has truly and totally forsaken the world.

 

HE IS UNCONCERNED ABOUT WORLDLY COMFORTS AND PLEASURES.

 

I must tell you that I have been convicted this past week in no small way

Because it is apparent that I am far too concerned about those things.

 

I know I have preached on the topic many times,

But we are not just called to forsake this world,

WE ARE COMMANDED TO DO IT.

 

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

 

It is clear that the things of this world and the things of God

Are complete opposite ends of the spectrum.

 

And if I am going to honestly evaluate my life, I have to ask myself,

“How much do I love the things of the world?”

 

And according to John, our love for the world

Is a direct revealer of how much we truly love God.

 

“If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

 

A true Christian is one who has done like Paul:

Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

 

So how can it be that we can call ourselves Christians

When in reality the world is what we want?

Luke 6:20-26 “And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”

It becomes extremely revealing.

To be a true Christian, a true follower of Jesus,

Then a desire for the things of this world has to be killed off.

 

Luke 9:57-62 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 

The fact is if we have in us a love for the world,

It does not speak well of our spiritual walk.

In fact, it speaks very poorly of us.

 

What it reveals is at the very least we are not obedient followers of Christ,

If indeed we are followers of Christ at all.

 

I fear that instead we may be found to be the weedy soil.

Luke 8:14 “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”

 

And if we wanted to we could go on and on and on with Scriptures

That speak to the very same thing.

 

To build a theology about salvation without a calling to forsake the world

Is to obviously read the Scriptures with a certain degree of blindness.

 

We either seek this life or we seek the next.

We either live for the kingdom of earth or the kingdom of heaven.

We either store up treasure here or we store up treasure there.

 

And it’s really not too hard to tell which decision most of us are making.

 

AND THAT IS ALSO TRUE FOR JOHN THE BAPTIST.

There is not a doubt in anyone’s mind exactly what he wanted.

He was not a man who desired the things of the world.

He was a man who had clearly rejected them.

 

Asaph said in his great Psalm:

Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

 

It is obvious that John the Baptist believed that.

He was a man on whom the world had absolutely no grasp whatsoever.

Aside from Jesus, no one really ever displayed an eternal focus better.

He was a man focused on eternity.

 

That was The Man

#2 THE MESSAGE

Matthew 3:2

 

I don’t think the message that he preached comes as any surprise.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

John was a man who preached with absolute urgency.

He wasn’t a “Someday you need to think about this” type of preacher.

 

The time to procrastinate had long since moved on.

 

And that reveals to us the main point of John’s sermon.

“Repent”

 

That is an interesting word, but one that is often misunderstood.

For some reason we try to liken repentance with remorse,

But they are not the same thing.

 

Certainly there is an element of remorse involved in repentance,

But remorse alone is not nearly enough.

 

We’ve all read about Esau.

Hebrews 12:17 “For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

 

In short, being sorry, being remorseful, even confessing sin

Still falls short of repentance.

 

Repentance is an action word.

It means to turn around and go the other direction.

 

John doesn’t just want the people to recognize their sin,

He wants them to leave it behind.

He doesn’t just want them to agree that they are wrong,

He wants them to change so that they will be right.

 

This is more clearly seen in Luke’s gospel.

Luke 3:10-14 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Those people asked, “What shall we do?”

 

They knew John didn’t just want them to say “I’m sorry”.

John wanted a life change.

 

It is by no coincidence that each of the three illustrations he gave

All dealt with money.

 

Money is not a bad thing, but it can sure be a good gage

Of just how much we love the world.

 

And John’s objective was to get them to let go of worldliness.

 

His message was for them to repent.

 

WHY DID HE PREACH THIS WAY?

Because of the purpose of his ministry.

 

The Man, The Message

#3 THE MINISTRY

Matthew 3:3

 

Here Matthew gives you yet another fulfilled prophecy.

But it is one that speaks of his purpose.

 

“For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the LORD, make His paths straight!”

 

In short, John was the prophetic forerunner.

John was a herald.

A HERALD MADE SURE A PLACE WAS FIT FOR A KING

 

That is what John was doing in a spiritual sense.

Israel was spiritually defiled.

It was filthy.

It stunk of lawlessness and worldliness, hypocrisy and deception.

 

John came to make sure the place was cleaned up before the king arrived.

 

John’s ministry can easily be described as A PLOWING MINISTRY.

 

We are all familiar with Jesus’ parable of the soils.

 

It is explained like this:

Luke 8:11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.”

 

And just from that one statement the parable gets clearer.

 

• Jesus is compared to a farmer casting seed.

• The seed He casts is the gospel message.

• The soil is the heart upon which the seed falls.

 

Now everyone knows what happens to a seed that falls on hardened soil.

NOTHING

 

Luke 8:5 “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up.”

 

We have actually learned that the best chance you have

At getting a seed to take root is to plow the soil first.

 

That is true in a spiritual sense.

Many times before God actually drops the seed of the gospel

Upon a person’s heart, God first begins to plow that heart.

 

WE CALL IT CONVICTION.

 

Let me give you an example from Paul’s life.

Romans 7:7-11 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”

 

Paul is obviously speaking of the benefit of the Law there,

And to prove it’s benefit he speaks of the effect it had on him.

 

It is clear that Paul is not speaking of the day he was saved,

He is speaking of the day he was condemned.

 

Paul is telling you about the day when he realized he was a sinner.

 

And when a person truly comes to grips with their guilt before God,

All of a sudden their heart is a little more willing to hear about Jesus.

 

I’ve often said it like this:

“You have to get a person lost before you can get them saved.”

 

Until a person realizes how much danger they are in before Holy God,

They will never embrace the salvation that God provides.

 

This ministry of condemnation is what we call PLOWING.

 

John is coming on the scene to reveal to the people

Exactly how much they need the salvation that the king is about to offer.

Jesus will come and spread the seed.

John comes ahead and is plowing the soil.

 

That’s why John is hitting things like money & worldliness so hard

 

Money & worldliness are ruthless weeds that choke out the seed,

And John is doing his best to plow them under.

 

Remember the Rich Young Ruler?

Matthew 19:21-24 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Even Jesus taught that worldly possessions

Are a tremendous hindrance to people being saved.

 

For when Jesus comes around and asks a man to forsake all that he has,

It is obviously much easier for those who have nothing to forsake.

 

That is why John is telling people to stop hoarding their wealth,

And stop seeking to get more at all cost.

Because you are only making it that much harder on yourself

For the day when Christ asks you to forsake it all.

 

John is plowing.

 

AND BY THE WAY PEOPLE ARE RESPONDING

(5-6) “Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.”

 

I told you earlier that John was a baptizer.

WHY?

 

Throughout the Bible water has a tremendous significance.

It symbolized a washing of purity.

 

We see it in the New Testament.

Ephesians 5:25-26 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

 

But even more so to the Jew.

Washing in water was an integral part

Of being made clean again after having being defiled.

 

Numbers 19:17-19 “’Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the burnt purification from sin and flowing water shall be added to them in a vessel. ‘A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying naturally or the grave. ‘Then the clean person shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him from uncleanness, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and shall be clean by evening.”

 

When a person was made unclean for whatever reason

And forced to dwell outside of the camp.

Part of the ritual to be made clean again was a washing in water.

 

Certainly this at least part of the picture John is giving to Israel here.

You are unclean.

You are not fit for the king.

You need to be cleansed.

 

BUT THAT IS NOT ALL

 

If a Gentile desired to convert to Judaism baptism is what was required

 

And so by commanding Jews to be baptized

He was confronting Israel to let them know

They were not nearly as close to God as they thought they were.

 

This is clearly seen in the coming verses when John confronts the Pharisees for assuming they were ok because they were Abraham’s descendants.

 

Israel assumed they were fine, but they were wrong.

In reality they were vile, nasty, and unacceptable to the king.

 

John came to reveal what they were and to lead them to change it.

He came to show them their filth and to command them to repent.

He came to prepare their heart for the message of the king.

He came to condemn them that they might be saved.

 

He revealed a people in love with the world…

He revealed a people who thought their religion was pleasing to God…

He revealed a people as far away from God as the pagans of their day…

 

AND HIS MESSAGE WAS PRESERVED

SO THAT HE COULD PREACH THE SAME TO US TODAY.

It is a message of repentance.

 

Are you convicted by John’s message of worldliness?

Does his lifestyle convict you?

Would you say that you are ready to meet the coming King?

 

The solution for us is the same as it was for them.

REPENT

 

Don’t just admit your sin, flee from it.

He told men to share what they had with those who did not.

He told men to use only what was rightfully theirs.

He told men to be content with what they have and not want more.

 

AND THEN HE TOLD THEM SOMETHING ELSE

 

For you see this morning we really only see part of John’s message.

We see him as the herald who condemned man.

 

But if you turn to John’s gospel,

We see the rest of John the Baptist’s message.

 

John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

 

Even later on he did it again.

John 1:35-36 “Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

 

You see John revealed to men their sin,

And before he left he also revealed to men the Savior.

 

The insinuation is that you now run to Him to find forgiveness,

To find salvation, to find new life.

 

This doesn’t mean you get to keep the things of the world.

But it does mean you can be forgiven

For the sin you’ve already committed.

 

John wanted you to Forsake the world and follow Jesus.

 

This morning listen to Him

Forsake this world.

Die to self.

Follow Jesus.

 

Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

 

Selected, Struck & Scorned

Matthew 2:13-23

 

As you know we have begun studying Matthew’s gospel,

And we have said that Matthew is writing to prove who Jesus is.

 

Predominantly Matthew is writing for the sake of the Jews.

He wants them to know that Jesus is their King.

 

• We saw Jesus’ earthly genealogy and learned that He is from the kingly line.

• We saw Jesus’ divine genealogy and saw Matthew prove His virgin birth.

• We saw Jesus’ prophetic birthplace of Bethlehem.

• We saw Jesus’ proclaimed birth as God displayed His star in the heavens.

 

But you and I know that the Jews were far more skeptical

Than they ever were believing.

 

They are routinely painted as those who refuse to believe the truth.

 

Isaiah 53:1 “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

 

When Ezekiel was sent to the Jews, God told him:

Ezekiel 2:3-4 “Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. “I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’”

 

And even Jesus said:

Matthew 13:14-15 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’”

 

Paul quoted the same.

Acts 28:25-26 “And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;”

 

And so when Matthew sits down to pen his gospel,

He rightly understands he is not addressing an easy crowd.

 

That has been the reason for all the proofs thus far.

 

And this morning Matthew continues,

But in a way that may seem a little strange to us.

 

I hope you noticed as we read our text to get started this morning

That Matthew concludes the second chapter with 3 fulfilled prophecies.

 

In fact Matthew goes out of his way to include these three prophecies.

 

• No other gospel writer reveals Jesus living as an infant in Egypt.

• No other gospel writer reveals the Bethlehem slaying.

• No other gospel writer reveals why Joseph took his family to Nazareth.

 

And even in revealing these truths

Matthew doesn’t give you a whole lot of information

Beyond simply stating that it happened.

 

And so it becomes clear to us that Matthew’s point

Is not to give you historical data about the early years of Jesus.

 

(If you were looking for historical significance, you were probably confused)

 

Matthew wants you to see how prophetic His entire life has been,

And so he quickly runs through these events

Just so he can show you how they fulfilled prophecies.

 

But that isn’t all that makes this section a little difficult to handle.

 

The other thing that can make this section a little difficult

Is the type of prophecies that Matthew gives.

 

He lists three, but as you will see when we study each of them,

None of them are what we would have typically considered as a prophecy.

(You wouldn’t recognize them as predictions)

 

Yet, Matthew is adamantly saying that Jesus fulfilled those statements.

 

LET ME EXPLAIN

I know you recognized that Matthew gives three fulfilled prophecies.

I also hope you noticed the chronological order of those prophecies.

 

According to Matthew, Jesus’ early life sees Him:

Leaving Egypt (15)

Enduring a harsh judgment (18)

Being Excluded by the world (23)

 

And then we realize that this was also

The historical timeline of the nation of Israel.

 

Israel is seen as those who:

Left Egypt

Endured a harsh judgment

Excluded by the world

And so we realize that Matthew is revealing that Jesus’ early life carried Him down the exact same path that Israel walked.

 

THIS IS SIGNIFICANT

 

There were specific incidents and facts that a typical Jew would cling to

In order to reassure himself that he was one of God’s chosen people.

(We know because the church now clings to the same)

 

Here, Matthew reveals that Jesus also walked through each of those incidents, and therefore Matthew is using

The Jew’s own criteria to prove that Jesus is God’s chosen King.

 

Let’s work through each of these and hopefully you will see what I mean.

 

There are three facts about Jesus childhood

That Matthew wanted the Jews to know.

#1 GOD SELECTED HIM

Matthew 2:13-15

 

Now, not to spend too much time on the storyline,

But you do see what happens.

 

The Magi arrive and worship, but also bring danger,

Because they inform everyone of His presence.

 

And so now Jesus is not safe, and God has plans for Joseph.

(13) “Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”

 

We all know that God could have miraculously saved the boy.

But here God’s protection also involved human effort.

 

(14) “So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.”

 

Matthew isn’t interested about the details of the journey,

Or even where they stayed or what they did in Egypt.

 

Matthew is fascinated that Jesus went to Egypt and came home,

Because he saw this as an opportunity to convince the Jews.

 

(15) “He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.”

 

And so there is the first.

And when we read that statement, our immediate assumption is that somewhere in the Old Testament someone must have said that God’s Messiah would come from Egypt.

 

Hosea 11:1-4 “When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. The more they called them, The more they went from them; They kept sacrificing to the Baals And burning incense to idols. Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them in My arms; But they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love, And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws; And I bent down and fed them.”

 

Undoubtedly if anyone read that this past week,

You probably did not read it as a promise about the Messiah.

God was merely stating how He has shown His love for Israel.

 

HOW DID GOD SHOW GREAT LOVE FOR ISRAEL?

He called them out of Egypt.

 

We call it the Exodus.

And it was the defining moment in the history of the Jews.

 

The Exodus proved beyond a shadow of a doubt

That God had selected Israel and that He loved them.

 

Exodus 19:4 “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.”

 

David said:

2 Samuel 7:23-24 “And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? “For You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.”

 

Isaiah 43:3-4 “For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. “Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.”

 

Listen to a portion of the song of Moses

Exodus 15:13-17 “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation. “The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia. “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. “Terror and dread fall upon them By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; Until Your people pass over, O LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased. “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.”

 

The point is that there was no event to the Jew like the Exodus.

 

• The Exodus is where God selected them.

• It was where God chose them as His own.

• It was where God called them out of Egypt.

 

And in Matthew’s day, the Jews still held to that fact.

They knew they were God’s

Because God had chosen them and redeemed them from the adversary.

 

(In fact, this is one of the ways that we know we are God’s,

Because He has chosen us and redeemed us from sin)

 

And now Matthew reveals that Jesus shares that same credential.

He also was called out of Egypt.

He also was delivered by God.

 

He was telling the Jews, that you cannot claim to be God’s people

On the basis of being called out of Egypt

Unless you will see that Jesus is also God’s Messiah

By reason of the same deliverance.

 

So the first proof Matthew gives is that God selected Him.

#2 THE ENEMY STRUCK HIM

Matthew 2:16-18

 

Here comes Matthew’s second proof,

And it follows Israel’s timeline as well.

 

We know that Joseph has fled to Egypt,

But obviously Herod does not know it.

 

He still thinks that Jesus is in Bethlehem,

And he has been waiting for the Magi to return and tell him where.

 

But the Magi were truly “Wise Men” and they went home another way,

And this infuriated Herod.

 

“When Herod saw that he had been tricked”

 

The word “tricked” is a word that often means mocked.

In other words Herod took their lack of compliance as a slap in the face.

 

“he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.”

 

It was a mindless event fueled with rage.

It was the working of a tyrant doing anything he could

To destroy the Christ child.

And Matthew sees that as the next step.

(17-18) “Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.”

 

And there again, some might assume that somewhere in the Old Testament

Some prophet had said that the birth of the Christ

Would be accompanied by the slaying of Bethlehem’s babies.

But again, that is not the case.

 

This time Matthew is quoting from Jeremiah 31

 

And having studied much of Jeremiah,

You know what events Jeremiah was consumed with.

 

Jeremiah prophesied during the siege of Babylon and the following exile.

 

And in Jeremiah 31:15, Jeremiah spoke of the horrific response

Of the inhabitants of Jerusalem during the Babylonian attack.

 

Jeremiah 31:15 “Thus says the LORD, “A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.”

 

Jeremiah wasn’t talking about Bethlehem’s babies and their mothers.

Jeremiah was talking about the slaughter of Jerusalem and the exile.

 

NOW WHAT THE REASON FOR THE EXILE?

(there were 2)

 

1) A punishment from God because of their idolatry.

2) Evidence that Israel had an enemy who hated them.

 

You see while God did punish Israel,

It was evident that the enemy God used routinely desired

To do more than God intended.

 

When God sent Assyria:

Isaiah 10:5-7 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hands is My indignation, I send it against a godless nation And commission it against the people of My fury To capture booty and to seize plunder, And to trample them down like mud in the streets. Yet it does not so intend, Nor does it plan so in its heart, But rather it is its purpose to destroy, And to cut off many nations.”

 

When God sent Babylon

Isaiah 47:5-7 “Sit silently, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, For you will no longer be called The queen of kingdoms. “I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage And gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them, On the aged you made your yoke very heavy. “Yet you said, ‘I will be a queen forever.’ These things you did not consider Nor remember the outcome of them.”

And it wasn’t just the conquering nations.

 

Look at Edom’s response when Israel was defeated.

Obadiah 1:10-14 “Because of violence to your brother Jacob, You will be covered with shame, And you will be cut off forever. “On the day that you stood aloof, On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem — You too were as one of them. “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress. “Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity In the day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth In the day of their disaster. “Do not stand at the fork of the road To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of their distress.”

 

Remember when Persia came to rule over Israel?

Esther 3:13 “Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to seize their possessions as plunder.”

 

And if you study Daniel you learn that it didn’t stop with Persia.

Greece also tried to destroy, and Daniel even saw

That those attempts would not stop until the end of time.

We know that Germany tried.

We know that Russia tried.

 

The point is that God’s people have always had an enemy

Who has tried his hardest to destroy them.

 

And while that is not a pleasant thought,

It did work to reassure the Jews that they were God’s people.

 

Here Matthew says that same truth must also be applied to Jesus.

 

For He was also attacked by the enemy.

 

Just as the Jews were called out of Egypt and attacked during the Exile,

So was Jesus called out of Egypt and attacked like the Exile.

 

The enemy would never cease to try and strike Jesus either.

Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones.”

 

Just as the enemy is relentless in his pursuit of Israel,

So was he in his pursuit of Jesus.

 

If Israel is going to use those proofs to declare themselves God’s people,

Then they must be honest and see that Jesus is also God’s King.

 

God Selected Him The Enemy Struck Him

#3 THE WORLD SCORNED HIM

Matthew 2:19-23

 

After Herod died,

Joseph received another dream telling him he could return.

 

(22-23) “But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

 

And here we find our final prophecy

And this one is even more tricky than the first.

 

Because again many assume that somewhere in the Old Testament

Some prophet said that God’s Messiah would be called “a Nazarene”.

 

But that is not the case.

In fact, the Old Testament doesn’t even contain such a statement.

 

SO WHY USE IT?

 

He is pointing out something that was also important to the Jews,

And that is not only did the Jews know they were God’s people

Because they had an enemy.

 

They also knew they were God’s people

Because the world treated them as outcasts.

 

Aside from the enemy who seeks to kill them,

The Jews also take pride in the fact that the world segregates them.

“This just proves that we are God’s people.”

 

(Is the same not true of the church?)

 

Matthew is revealing here that Jesus also shares that distinction.

“He shall be called a Nazarene.”

 

And in case you didn’t know, when the world calls Him “Jesus of Nazareth” that is not a term of endearment. It was a term of scorn.

 

Remember Nathaniel?

John 1:43-46 “The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

One commentator said:

“Nazareth was the town which housed the Roman garrison for the northern regions of Galilee. Therefore most Jews would not have any associations with that city. In fact those who lived in Nazareth were thought of as compromisers who consorted with the enemy, the Romans. Therefore to call one “A Nazarene” was to use a term of contempt.”

(Bible Knowledge Commentary, pg. 23)

 

And here Matthew completes the cycle

To show that Jesus is also God’s chosen Messiah.

 

A Jew knew he was God’s chosen because:

• God Selected him by calling him out of Egypt.

• The Enemy Struck him, by continually seeking to kill him.

• The World Scorned him, by treating him as an outcast.

 

And indeed those same criteria follow God’s people even to this very day.

We are those selected, yet those who are scorned.

 

1 Peter 1:1-2 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.”

 

God’s people have always been scattered,

But she is also selected, chosen of God.

 

And now Matthew says, if those are your criteria,

Then let me introduce to you God’s king who was also:

Selected by God

Struck by the Enemy

Scorned by the World

 

AND SO THE JEWS SHOULD RECOGNIZE THAT JESUS IS GOD’S KING

 

Now I am well aware that you are not Jewish, and I am also aware that Matthew’s argument may not be as convincing to you.

 

SO LET’S JUST TAKE THESE TRUTHS AT FACE VALUE FOR A MOMENT.

 

If Jesus isn’t God’s King, then why did Herod try so hard to kill Him?

If Jesus isn’t God’s King, why did God go to such great lengths to protect Him?

If Jesus isn’t God’s King, why does the world respond so negatively to Him?

 

When you get honest, it is obvious.

 

The world hates Him because He convicts them.

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.”

Satan wanted to kill Him because he knows Jesus will condemn him.

John 12:31-32 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

 

But even more than that,

God preserved Him because He is the Savior of the world.

Acts 4:10-12 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

JESUS IS GOD’S KING

And the call of your life is to submit to Him.

 

This morning we come to this table to illustrate that submission.

(If you have not submitted in your heart, this table means nothing)

 

This table is a living illustration of our submission to Him.

As we “Do this” in remembrance of Him.

 

 

Jesus was taking the Passover with His disciples.

The Passover was a reminder of the Exodus and God’s deliverance.

 

Jesus said, from now on, when you take this Passover,

Don’t remember the Exodus, remember Me.

 

When you eat the bread remember My body.

When you drink the wine remember My blood.

And once again draw your heart to Me in gratitude and surrender.

 

 

That is what we do this morning.

But before we partake, we always have a time of preparation.

 

1 Corinthians 11:27-28 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

 

This time is for those who are not ready to partake.

They are not ready because their lives are not in submission to the King,

And therefore this ordinance means nothing.

 

This morning take this opportunity and bow your heart to the king,

Surrender your life to Him, and join us in the Lord’s Supper.

 

The Wise Men

Matthew 2:1-12

 

We have begun our study of Matthew’s gospel, and as you know,

Matthew began his gospel in very scientific fashion.

 

There are those in the world who are skeptics.

Those who simply doubt everything.

 

And while the Bible certainly doesn’t ask us to be gullible

And just believe everything.

Scripture does require us to believe God when He speaks,

Regardless of how “unbelievable” it may seem.

 

And there are those who simply refuse to do so.

 

Matthew is really challenging that group.

He is doing so by setting out to prove that Jesus is the Messiah.

 

He did so first by identifying His kingly lineage.

(Abraham – David – Joseph)

 

Next Matthew revealed His divine lineage.

Jesus is God as proved by His virgin birth.

 

This morning Matthew continues with his evidence

As he begins to reveal a unique group of people.

“The Wise Men”

 

WHO WERE THE WISE MEN?

• From the Orient

• Astronomers

• Became notable to the Medes and the Persians

• Known for knowledge in Math and Science

• (Couldn’t interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream)

 

And these men actually do a great deal for Matthew

As he sets out to prove that Jesus is God’s king.

 

All you have to do is ask yourself one question.

HOW DID THE MAGI KNOW ABOUT JESUS?

What caused the Magi to travel to Jerusalem in search of the Messiah?

 

(1-2) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

 

WHY DID THEY COME?

They saw a change in the heavens.

 

And of course you and I know who the author of the stars is.

GOD TOLD THEM.

 

IF GOD HADN’T TOLD THEM, THEN WHO DID?

 

The fact that they arrived looking for the Christ child,

Is a proof that Jesus is God’s Messiah.

 

And so you see that Matthew is fascinated

With proofs of Jesus’ Messiaship.

 

But that isn’t all.

 

Matthew is also fascinated with the fulfillment of prophesy,

And in our text this morning, he gives us another one.

 

(4-6) “Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'”

 

And not to stray too far off course here,

While the main point in mentioning this prophesy

Is to reveal that Jesus fulfills the prophetic birthplace,

I don’t want you to completely miss what was prophesied.

 

Not only was He to be born in Bethlehem,

But notice what Micah said about Him.

 

“OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.”

What a great title for Jesus!

“A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD”

 

We studied in chapter 1 about how Jesus was the merciful king

And we read out of Ezekiel about the promise of Him being a shepherd.

 

Matthew definitely saw Jesus in this light.

Matthew 9:36-38 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

 

Not only is Jesus the King, but He is a compassionate king.

 

None the less, you see Matthew’s main point in this section.

HE IS STILL PROVING TO YOU THAT JESUS IS GOD’S KING

 

God revealed Him.

Prophecy supported Him.

 

BUT THIS MORNING WE HAVE EVEN MORE TO LEARN.

 

For not only do we see that Jesus fulfills prophecy,

We also get our first glimpse of the response to His coming.

 

We are not debating whether or not Jesus is the King (that is obvious)

We are determining how people respond to Him.

 

This is also a major theme of Matthew’s gospel.

Proving that Jesus is King is only half of Matthew’s goal.

Leading you to submit your life to the King is Matthew’s other goal.

 

And this morning we are awarded a contrast

We see some who responded well.

We see some who responded poorly.

 

And in our observation it becomes obvious to us how we must respond.

 

Let’s examine our two groups this morning

And see three main differences in them.

 

#1 “One was Seeking, One was Suppressing”

Matthew 2:1-3

 

It is quite an amazing thing when we read this story

and see the difference in the two groups,

 

One was looking for the absolute truth,

One had it right under their nose, but couldn’t see it.

 

The Magi of course where the ones who were seeking absolute truth.

 

(1-2)“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

 

It is obvious that the Magi were hungry for the truth.

There is no telling how far or how long they traveled to get to this point.

 

And this by the way is a great example for you and I.

 

 

You know that I am big on the sovereignty of God.

(I believe God is sovereign even over salvation)

 

That means He must reveal truth.

He must draw.

He must save.

 

While I am adamant about those truths,

Equally evident in scripture is that of the responsibility of man.

 

I don’t like to call it “The free will of man” for that is an erroneous term.

But if you read Scripture it is obvious that man is responsible.

 

• He is commanded to repent of sin.

• He is commanded to call on the name of the Lord.

• He is commanded to trust in Jesus Christ.

• He is commanded to persevere to the end.

• He is commanded to walk in obedience.

 

And before he is commanded to do any of these things,

He is first commanded to seek the truth.

 

Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

 

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

 

Acts 17:24-27 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;”

 

Scripture teaches that it is the responsibility of every person

To take the revelation of truth that they have been given,

And use it as motivation to seek for the rest.

 

What is interesting about the magi, is

ALL THEY HAD WAS THE TRUTH OF CREATION.

They had nothing else.

They did not have the Law, they did not have the prophets.

 

They saw the star appear, and it sent them seeking for the truth.

 

Even those who only have the testimony of creation

Are responsible to seek for the truth that is behind it.

 

Psalms 19:1-2 “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.”

 

David revealed that the creation itself is screaming a simple truth.

THERE IS A CREATOR!

 

There is One who made all of this,

And therefore there is One who made you,

And therefore there is a standard that He requires,

And you had better learn it.

 

That is why Paul said creation is also enough to condemn a person.

 

Romans 1:18-20 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

 

These magi where in the east, and they saw His star appear.

They didn’t just set there and admire the view,

They were seeking.

 

Now lets look at the other side of the coin.

Lets look at Herod, and Jerusalem. They were not seeking.

 

Vs. 3 “When Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”

“troubled” = TARASSO

“to stir up” or “to trouble”

 

It paints the picture that not only where they bothered,

But that there was a pretty good “buzz” about the city.

 

It is obvious that the Magi had showed up

And turned that place upside down looking for the King.

 

No doubt they had asked the people,

And that is why they were eventually taken to Herod.

 

That means that while the Magi knew what was going on, Jerusalem did not. They were oblivious to God’s Son

 

The reason is they were suppressing the truth they had.

 

If anyone should have been ready for the arrival of the Messiah

It should have been Jerusalem.

 

Romans 9:4-5 “Who are the Israelites, to whom belong the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” (PROMISES = PROPHECY)

 

ON ONE HAND,

We have a group of people who only had a star to point them to the Messiah,

And they came.

 

ON THE OTHER HAND

We had a nation with countless teachings about the Messiah.

And they were clueless

 

HOW COULD THEY BE SO BLIND?

 

That is the effect of having suppressed the truth.

 

Matthew 13:10-13 “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

 

When you ignore the truth God has revealed (Like creation or Prophecy)

Why would you expect God to continue revealing truth to you?

 

One group was given a small piece of truth and sought its source,

The other was given mounds of truth and suppressed its teaching.

 

WHICH ONE ARE YOU?

 

Do you really want the truth,

Or do you just want what you believe to be the truth?

 

One was seeking, and the other was suppressing.

#2 “One was Ecstatic, One was Enraged”

Matthew 2:4-10

 

Regardless of their prior suppressing of truth,

HERE TRUTH IS GIVEN ONE MORE TIME.

How did they handle the truth they were confronted with?

 

Well lets look at the magi.

(9-10) “After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

There are people like this in our world today.

Genuinely honest people who only want to know the truth, whatever it is.

They are not to prideful,

They just want to know the truth.

 

When a person like this finds the truth, they rejoice, for their quest is over.

The magi were like this.

THERE ARE OTHERS

 

Ethiopian Eunich

Acts 8:26-39 “But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its sheerer is silent, so He does not open His mouth. In humiliation His judgment was taken away; who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.” The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” [And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.”

 

Cornelius was a man like this.

The Woman at the well was a woman like this.

 

How about these men?

 

Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

 

A person who just wants the truth,

Will rejoice when they are confronted with Jesus, for He is truth.

 

However, there is another type of person.

The type of person we mentioned earlier, who doesn’t want the truth,

They just want what they believe to be the truth.

 

This was Herod, and Jerusalem.

(VERSES 3-8)

Now it may appear like Herod wants the truth.

But if you read further in the chapter, you see that is not the case at all.

 

(16) “Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.”

 

Herod put on a display to trick those around him,

But he had no intention of truly worshiping Jesus.

 

The magi were just happy they had found the truth.

Herod was angry, and desired to stop the truth.

 

WHY WAS HEROD SO ANGRY?

 

Because Jesus threatened his way of life.

Herod wanted to be king.

Herod wanted to be in control.

 

And so Herod had no place in his heart for a new king,

Even if that king was from God.

 

He fulfilled that prophesy from Psalms 2

Psalms 2:1-3 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!”

 

Herod wanted no part of submission.

AND MAKE NO MISTAKE THERE ARE MANY LIKE THAT TODAY.

 

You see Jesus never leaves anyone like they are.

He forces people to die to self, and surrender control to Him.

 

He came upon 4 fishermen on the sea of Galilee:

Matthew 4:19 “And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

 

He came upon a tax collector sitting in his booth:

Matthew 9:9 “As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.”

 

Jesus demands changes,

And there are people who are flat out unwilling.

 

Remember this man?

Matthew 19:21-22 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”

That man was like Herod.

He didn’t see Jesus as the answer,

He saw Jesus as a threat to his way of life.

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Is Jesus the One you’ve been looking for, or the One you’ve been running from?

 

One was seeking, the other was suppressing

One was ecstatic, the other was enraged.

#3 “One Responded, One Rejected”

Matthew 2:11-12

 

First we see the response of the Magi

 

(11-12) “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.”

 

When they found the truth, not only did they rejoice, but they responded.

 

They fell on their faces and worshiped Jesus.

(Of all the figures in the nativity, they are the only ones that are said to have done that)

 

LOOK AT WHAT THEY GAVE.

“Gold” – Jesus kingship, as gold was the most precious metal.

“Frankincense” – Jesus as High Priest, as incense was burned in the sacrifices.

“Myrrh” – Jesus sacrifice, as myrrh was used to prepare the body for burial.

 

They responded to the truth of Jesus, and worshiped Him.

 

However, there was another group. Herod and Jerusalem.

 

They rejected so violently,

that one tried to kill Him, and the other succeeded.

 

Herod tried to kill Jesus.

(16) “Then when Herod was that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.”

 

Of course we know the reputation that Jerusalem had.

Matthew 23:37 Jesus said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”

And it would be Jerusalem

Who would eventually succeed in killing the Christ.

 

WHAT A CONTRAST.

One Sought Him, One Supressed Him

One was Ecstatic, One was Enraged

One Responded, One Rejected

 

AND THAT REALLY ADDRESSES YOUR ONLY OPTIONS.

Either you ACCEPT HIM, or you CRUCIFY HIM.

 

Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

 

To accept Jesus is to worship Him as King, God, and Sacrifice.

To reject Jesus is to suppress the truth and Crucify Him.

 

MATTHEW WANTS YOU TO KNOW THAT JESUS IS THE KING

And because he is the King, you must submit.

 

Let me close this morning with a Psalm we already read part of.

 

Psalms 2 “Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”