Turn with me, if you would, to
Matthew chapter 3. Matthew chapter 3. In our Bible study a moment ago,
we saw that John the Baptist's message that he was given by
God to preach was repent. That's the message he was given.
And we saw that that word repent means have a changed mind about
all these things. What I'd like for us to look
at now is The message of a changed mind. John preached the message of
repentance. That's the message of scripture. And that's the message that every
man who is called to stand up and preach must preach. Must. There is only one thing
to say. Really, there's only one thing
to say. There's only one thing to be
believed concerning God, concerning man, concerning salvation, and
that is the message that God has declared in His Word. It's
the same all the way through it. It doesn't change. The message
of the first page is the message of the last page. what God has
written in his word. I'd like for us to look at that
message this morning. God sent through John the Baptist. God sent a true preacher with
a true message. And I'd like for us to look at
that message and I pray that God will give us the mind and
the heart to believe it. That's my prayer. Matthew three,
verse one, it says, in those days came John the Baptist preaching
in the wilderness of Judea and saying, repent ye for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken
of by the prophet Isaiah saying, The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. That's the prophecy concerning
John that was given in Isaiah 40. Our brother just read that
for us. I read something about the wording of that prophecy
and I enjoyed this so much. I hope this, this hits your heart
like it hit mine. John Gill, we have these commentaries,
these men from years past who the Lord revealed things of the
truth to, and then they read men before them and such on and
so forth, and this has been passed along. And John Gill and a few
of the other commentary writers pointed out that our Lord has
always written to us in a language that we can understand. He said,
babes can understand this. And that's why our Lord preached
to us in parables. When he came, he preached in
parables. He declared his word to us with
stories and with images that we can relate to. So we can really
understand him, really understand what he's saying. But John Gill
and some of these men, John Gill was, is a good man for history. He'll, he'll point out just a
lot of historical facts that, um, are good to know. And he
pointed out that in Isaiah's day, a very common thing that
would happen and very common terminology that would be used
when Kings would travel somewhere. All these different countries
had Kings. and they would travel from place to place. And this
was very common to be done. There was someone, and I believe
it's pronounced a harbinger. If it's not, it's not. But that
was a person who was a heralder. An announcer would go before
the king to announce his coming. And as he went, He took servants
with him. A whole bunch of servants came
with him. And this harbinger's job was to point out to those
servants any high spots in the road that needed to be cut down. And any low spots in the road
that needed to be filled in. And any rocks or any tree limbs
that needed to be gotten rid of. His commission was to remove
all hindrances. That's what his job was. Whichever
way the king was going to be traveling, he'd go along first
and he would inspect it and he'd say, that's too high, cut it
off. And he'd say, that's too low, fill it in. And he'd say,
that's not necessary, that's just a stumbling stone, get rid
of it. It needs to be removed. His commission was to remove
all hindrances. His commission was to make the
path straight for the King. That's the commission of every
true preacher sent with a true message. That's the commission. That is the commission. His first
commission is to remove all hindrances. every hindrance that is contrary
to the way of the King. Is it a stumbling stone? Get
rid of it. Is it a rut to get stuck in? Get rid of it. Is it a high spot of pride? Get
rid of it. We're preparing the way of the
Lord. We're preparing the way of the
Lord. That's what the messenger's true
message does. It tears down and it removes
everything in the flesh that is contrary to the way of the
Lord. That's what it does. What is
the way of the Lord? Christ alone. The Lord alone. That's the way of the Lord. The
Lord alone. The messenger with the true message
cuts down man's self-righteousness. That's what it does. And it fills in man's empty religion. Men come in here all kinds of
ways. And the true message from the true messenger cuts off all
the self-righteousness, cut it down. And all the empty religion,
fill it in. And it removes every work of
the flesh. Every work of the flesh, it throws
away every glory that is not committed to Christ alone. Get
rid of it. And as soon as that's done, the
true message of God announces once all that's done and out
of the way, the true message of God announces the straight
way of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. The King
that has come in all of His glory. All that hindrance is done away
with and then the herald goes out. The King in all of His glory
has come. The straightway Christ let no flesh glory in His presence. The straight way cries, God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of Christ Jesus my Lord. If any man glory, let him glory
in the Lord. That's the straight way. That's
the straight way. Now let's read that in John's
message. We're gonna look at a few places where John had something
to say. There's a few portions of scripture
where John had something to say, and through this one that God
ordained to prepare the way of the Lord, we're gonna see a true
preacher with a true message. If you want to see, honestly,
a true preacher with a true message, here it is right here. Matthew
3, verse one, it says, In those days came John the Baptist
preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, repent ye for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken
of by the prophet Isaiah saying, the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment
of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his
meat was locust and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem
and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan and were baptized
of him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many
of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, the Pharisees
and the Sadducees, they were the religious people. And he
saw them come to his baptism. And what that means is they weren't
coming to Christ. That's what it means. He saw,
he perceived. That they were not coming to
Christ. They were coming to his baptism,
not necessarily to be baptized of him, but just to see what
all the fuss was about. But this was his message to them.
Verse seven, when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
come to his baptism, he said unto them, Oh, generation of
vipers. Who hath warned you to flee from
the wrath to come? Vipers, poison, poisonous snakes,
the poison of asps, poison on their lips. Who hath warned you
to flee from the wrath to come? This is what he told them. You're
trusting in your religion. That's what he told him. And
this is what the true message of the true messenger from the
true God declares to anyone who is trusting in anything other
than Christ. You're trusting in the wrong thing. And that
message goes out in love. That's a loving message. That's
a message of kindness. Because it's a message of life
and it's a message that saves. But he said to them, you are
trusting in your religion and it's not going to save you. That's a shocking thing for someone
in religion to realize. Religion doesn't save people.
Well, he's a religious man. Oh, well, maybe God will grant
repentance. Verse eight. He said, bring forth. Therefore fruits meet for repentance. The apostle Paul was a man who
was so steeped in his religion. And he, by the grace of God brought
forth fruits meet for repentance. He said, I changed my mind. What
he said was God changed my mind when it pleased God, he changed
my mind. And now I count it all down.
So verse eight, he said, bring forth therefore fruits meet for
repentance and think not. You see how he's saying, don't
think this way. Have a changed mind, repentance.
Think not, think a different way. Have a changed mind. Verse nine, think not to say
within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father. For I say unto
you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto
Abraham. Don't think, and this is something
that people think. See if this hits you. This is
something that people think. He said, don't think, well, we're
all saved. We're all saved. Abraham's my
father. Why? Well, just because we are. I
mean, we just are. I mean, my parents were, my grandparents
were. We just are. We're just saved
people. It's just a generational thing.
It just keeps getting passed on generation to generation.
We're just saved people. John said, don't think that way. John said, get rid of that. Get rid of that mindset. This
is what John said. A fire is coming. Verse 10. He said, and now also
the ax is laid unto the root of the trees. Therefore, every
tree, which bringeth not forth good fruit. What's what's good
fruit. This fruit of repentance from
me to Christ. Every tree which bringeth forth
not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. He said, every soul that does
not stop looking to the deeds of the flesh and does not by
faith start looking to Christ is going to be cut down and cast
into the fire. The wages of sin is death. That's what the scripture says. And the soul that sinneth shall
surely die. That's what the scripture says.
There is a great eternal judge that we must stand before and
life and death are in his hands. And man says, oh, he's not like
that. He just loves and hugs and welcomes. John said, don't think that way.
An ax is laid to the root. A fire has been kindled. That's
what he's saying. Have a changed mind about this. Verse 11, I indeed baptize you
with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me, there's
a little key right there. There's a three-letter word,
B-U-T, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose
shoes I'm not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand, and he will
throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner,
but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." What'd
he say right there? He said, there is hope. At Isaiah
40, where the commandment was given to John, our God started
out by saying, comfort ye, comfort ye my people. He said, John,
you tell them all flesh is grass, the grass wither, the grass fades,
the word of God's gonna stand forever. You cry, behold your
God, comfort them. Comfort them. And John said,
yeah, there's a lot of chaff, but God has some wheat too. And
he said, there is one coming after me who is mightier than
I. There is one coming after me
who is able to do something for us by his spirit, baptizing us
into him, immersing us, plunging us, covering us in him. He's able to purge his wheat.
the ones He's chosen to save with fire. They're going to go
into the fire. He's able to purge them and yet
still spare them. And He's able to gather them
to Himself. That's what our Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross. With His people in Him, with
them being baptized into Him, He endured the fire. That's what He did. He purged
His floor. That means He cleaned house.
He got rid of the dirt. He got rid of every spot and
every stain. He judged the sin of His people
by immersing Himself with them in Him into the fire. And it was burned up. Judgment
came. That's where the true message
begins. The true message of the true messenger. That's where
it begins. It begins with a holy God who
must punish sin. And then it comes with a glorious
savior who endured the punishment of that sin for his people. Turn
with me to Mark chapter one. Mark 1, verse 1, it says, The beginning of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in the prophets,
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare
thy way before thee, the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness
and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And
there went out unto him all the land of Judea and they of Jerusalem
and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing
their sins. And John was clothed with camel's
hair and with a girdle of a skin about his loins. And he did eat
locust and wild honey. and preached saying, there cometh
one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I'm
not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized
you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. John said, Oh, what he's going
to do for you. This was his message. Oh, the
glory of being immersed by God's spirit into this man. He said, I'm immersing you into
water, but God's spirit is going to immerse you into him. And oh, the mighty power of being
saved that there is in him. That was his message. Well, John, tell us about him. All right, turn to John 1. John 1 verse 6, it says, there
was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came
for a witness to bear witness of the light that all men through
him might believe. John was not that light, but
was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light,
which lighted every man that cometh into the world. He was
in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew
Him not. He came unto His own, and His
own received Him not. But as many as received Him,
to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on His name, which were born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John said, The sin and the wickedness
of man was great, but God sent a Savior. Verse 14 says, And
the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory
the glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace
and truth. John bear witness of him and
cried saying, this was he of whom I spake, he that cometh
after me is preferred before me for he was before me. John said, even though I was
born six months before he was, he was before me. He's eternal. He's from eternity. Verse 16,
and he said, of his fullness have all we received, of his
absolute fullness, and grace for grace. For the law was given
by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. I pray
the Lord would reveal that to us. He said, Moses told us what God
demanded. to stand in His presence. For
us to be saved, Moses told us, but we couldn't fulfill it. So
Christ came and fulfilled it for us. Verse 17, the law was
given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No
man had seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. And this
is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites
from Jerusalem to ask him, who art thou? And he confessed and
denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked
him, what then? Art thou Elias? Elijah, are you
Elijah? He said, I'm not. Art thou that
prophet? He answered, no. Then said they
unto him, who art thou that we may give an answer to them that
sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one
crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord,
as said the prophet Isaiah. He said, if I make this about
me, they kept saying, what's your name? Tell us your name.
He said, I'm not gonna tell you. If I make this about me, I will
be nothing but a hindrance in the way of the Lord." Not unto me, not unto me. I remove myself from any part
of this declaration that all eyes may be on Him. That is truly
preparing His way, making His way straight. Verse 24, And they
which were sent were of the Pharisees, and they asked him and said unto
him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor
Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I
baptized with water. That's it. I'm just illustrating a picture
of something. There's no salvation in me or
in anything that I can do for a man. It's only a picture of Him, it's
only pointing men to Him, making straight way to Him, that's all
it is. Verse 26, John answered them
saying, I baptize with water, but there standeth one among
you whom you know not. He it is who coming after me
is preferred before me, whose shoes latch it, I'm not worthy
to unloose. John Gill pointed this out too.
This was a real blessing to me. He said, in those days, a Hebrew
servant could be asked to do almost anything
by his master except tie and untie his shoes. They didn't do it. They didn't
ask that. It was too low. That was too reproachful. Only
a Canaanitish servant could be asked to do that. Not a Jewish
servant. John Gill said, one of the Jews
canons said, it was written, if thy brother is become poor
and is sold unto thee, thou shalt not make him do the work of a
servant that is any reproachful work. such as to buckle his shoes
or unloose them. You can ask him to do anything,
but don't ask him to do that. That's just too low. That is
just too low. John the Baptist said, he is
so far above me. I'm not even worthy to unbuckle
his shoes. I'm not even worth that. That
would be too great of an honor for me. That's the true message that
brings repentance. Verse 28, These things were done
in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next
day, John seeth Jesus coming unto him and said, Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. I have always envisioned John's
message as being hard, fiery, ax laid to the root, but do you
know John preached a very sweet gospel? He said, you behold,
you look at him. That's the Lamb of God that has
taken away the sin of the world, the sin of his people. The Lamb
slain before time. is the lamb slain in time, the
spotless, innocent substitute for God's people. The one who came to give his
body and give his blood, the one who God the Father said,
when I see his blood, I'll pass over you. When I see his blood
on you, I'll pass over. When I see that he has come to
the fire, the fire won't come to you. Verse 30, this is he of whom
I said, after me cometh a man which is preferred before me,
for he was before me, and I knew him not, but that he should be
made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bear record saying,
I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it abode
upon him. And I knew him not, but he that
sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom
thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same
is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. John said, I saw
and bear record that this is the Son of God. This is the God-man. This is God manifest in the flesh. This is the Savior. This is the
Redeemer. This is the shepherd of the sheep. This is the husband of the bride. This right here is the friend
of sinners. This is Him. Well, John, do you have any final
words about Him? You have any closing remarks?
John, I've heard how you started your message with His holiness
and man's sin against Him. And I heard you say that the
only hope that there is is in the fact that He came. He's the
one who came and gave Himself for His people. You have any
closing remarks as God's true preacher, carrying God's true
message? John said, I sure do. Turn with
me to John 3 and look at verse 22. After these things came Jesus
and His disciples into the land of Judea, and there He tarried
with them and baptized. And John was also baptizing in
Anon near to Salem, because there was much water there. And they
came and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into
prison. Then there arose a question between
some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. And
they came unto John and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was
with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold,
the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John answered and
said," John said, these are my final words on this. Here's the
conclusion of the whole matter. Verse 27, John answered and said,
a man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness
that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of
the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly
because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must
decrease." I'm telling you that right there
is a changed mind. That is a changed mind. The natural
mind says he must come down and I must go up and we're going
to meet in the middle. But the mind of repentance that
comes from the true message of the true messenger is verse 30. He must keep on increasing. And
I must keep on decreasing. He that cometh from above is
above all. He that is of the earth is earthy,
and speaketh of the earth. He that cometh from heaven is
above all. And what he hath seen and heard,
that he testifieth, and no man receiveth his testimony. He that
hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh
the words of God, for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto
him. The Father loveth the Son, and
hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."
John said, that's it. It all comes down to him. It
all hinges on him. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son hath not life. Well, where's
the part where my role comes in? That part's not in the message
of repentance. Well, where's that part why I
have to let him do all that for me? That part's not in the message
of repentance. John said, this is God's work
and God's work alone. And may God convince us of that.
May God truly convince us of that. Lord, let us love your
finished work. Let us love you increasing and
us decreasing. That makes God's people so happy,
so happy. That is the love and the heart
and the salvation of repentance. May God give it to us. You know,
when God does, when he grants repentance, his child says, that's
the way I want it to be. When he says, that's how it is,
change your mind to that right there. God's child cries, amen. That's what I want. May God give
it to us. All right, let's all stand together.