The Herald vs. The Hypocrites (Matthew 3:7-12)
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.
