Advent 4: A New Message

A New Message

Luke 2: 1 – 20.

I.                    Introduction.

December is probably the busiest month of my year.  Christmas shopping.  Christmas parties.  Family—Lufkin family, Texas family and Mississippi family.  Church programs.  Church budget.  Sometimes I can really relate to the title of the Merle Haggard song, “If We Make It through December—We’ll Be Fine.”

I have quoted Merle Haggard before.  But let me quote him once again:

Got laid off down at the factory
Their timings not the greatest in the world
Heaven knows I been workin' hard
Wanted Christmas to be right for daddy's girl
Now I don't mean to hate December
It's meant to be the happy time of year
But my little girl don't understand
Why daddy can't afford no Christmas here

But If we make it through December
Everything’s gonna be alright I know
It's the coldest time of winter
And I shiver when I see the fallin' snow

If we make it through December
Got plans to be in a warmer town come summer time
Maybe even California
If we make it through December we'll be fine

(For some of you, it changes the way you think about your pastor to hear me quote Merle Haggard.  For others, you are thinking, “This is my kind of church.”)

Traditionally, there are four themes for the four Sundays of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love

Hope is believing that the future will be better than the past and the present.  It is believing that we have not yet experienced the best that life has to offer.  There are only two ways to live with Hope.  Some people find Hope in believing that the world is becoming a better place to live every day.  If you don’t believe the world is becoming a better place to live, then you can live with the Hope of Heaven and eternal life.  God sent his Son, Jesus, that we might have eternal life…true Hope.

Peace is what we think of as living without conflict.  But, I think it means something more than that.  To live in Peace is to live without any fear.  No fear of retaliation from other people, and no fear of the wrath of God.  The only way to live without fear of God is to be in a right relationship with God.  This relationship is not possible through the Law.  If anything, the Law shows us that it is impossible for us to live up to God’s expectations.  So, God sent his Son, Jesus.  Jesus lived up to God’s expectations and was therefore qualified to be our perfect sacrifice…making it possible for us to have relationship and Peace with God.

Joy is often mistaken for happiness.  However, happiness depends on our circumstances.  Joy is living above the circumstances.  The Joyful life is a life that cannot be controlled or deflated by difficulties or struggles.  This Joy is only possible when we live in the presence of God.  God sent his Son, Jesus, that we might live daily in the presence of God.  Jesus is Immanuel—or, God is with us.

Love is more than a feeling.  Of course, feelings and emotions have a lot to do with Love.  However, Love is actually giving your life away for another person.  If you Love someone, you will sacrifice your own needs and desires so that their needs and desires can be met.  This is why God sent his Son, Jesus.  God loved us so much that he provided the way our needs could be met.

 I have been thinking about our Advent themes over the past week and have made a couple of observations. 

In the first place, true Hope, true Peace, true Joy and true Love are things which we cannot achieve for ourselves.  Ultimately, Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are gifts of God’s Grace.  We cannot achieve them, and we cannot earn them.  All we can do is receive them from God.  And that is why Christmas was necessary.

In the second place, we live in a world that is searching for Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.  Some of us recognize that Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are gifts we receive from God.  Yet, most of the world is engaged in a fruitless search for an elusive kind of life.  For example, you only have to watch the TV news for about 10 minutes to discover how many people in our world do not have Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.  But they are trying to achieve it through humanitarian efforts, politics and religion.

Read Luke 2: 1 – 20.

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
(NIV)

This is the traditional Christmas story.  We read it in church and in our homes every year.  It tells the historical details of the day when the Christ child was born.

Sometimes, we read this story and focus our attention on Mary and Joseph.  Other times, we read the story and focus on the shepherds.  But how often do we focus on the angels?

In the Bible, angels were messengers.  In fact, the Hebrew word for angel in the Old Testament is the word for messenger; and the Greek word for angel in the New Testament is the word for messenger.  That is an important theological truth.  We are not supposed to bow down and worship angels.  We are to think of angels as messengers from God.  Therefore, we should listen to what they say.  The messages angels bring us do not come from the angels themselves.  Angels bring us a message from God. 

Luke 2: 10, “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.  I bring you good newsof great joy that will be for all the people.’”

               

II.                  Good News.

The angels’ announcement used an important Greek word (euaggelion) that we translate into two English words.  This word comes directly into Eng. as “Evangelism” or “Evangelize” and other forms of the word…It is a compound of 2 Greek words…Good + Message…In other places, the NT translates it “Gospel”…

Recent archaeological finds have discovered that evangelion (euaggelion) was not just a Christian word…It was a common word in the 1^st Century Roman world…It was often used to announce the birth or the ascension of a new king…

For example, this inscription can be dated around 9BC, announcing a new Roman Emperor…

The providence which has ordered the whole of our life, showing concern and zeal, has ordained the most perfect consummation for human life by giving to it Augustus, by filling him with virtue for doing the work of a benefactor among men, and by sending in him, as it were, a savior for us and those who come after us, to make war to cease, to create order everywhere…; the birthday of the god (Augustus) was the beginning for the world of the good news that has come to men through him…(N.T. Wright, What Saint Paul Really Said. [Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1997.], p. 43.)

In other words, Romans placed all their Hope in the government…The Emperor was god…savior…the prince who could establish peace…the one who could take away all grief and make life Joyful…

But the problem was that it never exactly worked that way…No Roman Emperor actually brought more Joy to the people…So each time a new Emperor was either born or ascended to the throne, the people announced the Good News, that maybe this one would be different… 

III.               Great Joy.

And the angels announced…This one WILL be different!  This is certainly a new king, but this time…God himself has come…And Jesus is the only one who can make things different…He can change things…He can give you Joy!

And that is the difference…Joy does not depend on you…Joy does not come from your own efforts or attempts to make the world a better place…Joy is a gift—or a Grace of God…

It is like a story that Jesus once told…Found in Matthew 25…We know it as the Parable of the Talents…  (Tell the story of the master and the 3 servants…)

In the story, the 3^rd servant sought Joy in his own happiness…He looked for the easy way, trying to avoid discipline by his master…He looked for comfort, trying to avoid conflict with his master…

But it was the 1^st & 2^nd servants who found Joy…It’s not that they looked for Joy or for happiness…They were concerned with only one thing, pleasing their master…And when the master was pleased by what they had done…The master said, “Well done good and faithful servant.  You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the Joy of your master (Matthew 25: 21 and 23).”

They didn’t look for Joy…They didn’t earn Joy…They were given Joy…They were invited come into Joy with their master…

I find it significant that Joy is listed as one of the Fruit of the Spirit… This illustrates that Joy should never be the goal of our lives, but the Fruit—or the produce, or the harvest, or the result—of a life controlled by the Spirit of God…

That’s the same thing that happened with the shepherds on the 1^st Christmas night…The angels announced the Good News that Jesus had been born in Bethlehem…And the shepherds traveled to see the Son of God…

(Luke 2: 20)… “The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” 

The shepherds looked for Jesus, and the shepherds found Joy.

IV.                All People.

Yes, the Good News of Great Joy was for the shepherds…But it doesn’t stop there…This Joy is for All People…Luke told us what the shepherds did when they heard the Good News…

(Luke 2: 16 – 18)… “So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.  When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.  And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.”

We can’t keep this to ourselves…Let’s be like the shepherds…We’ve heard the Good News…We’ve received the Great Joy…We ought to tell somebody…

(John 3: 16)… “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

V.                  Conclusion.

Did you notice a shift in the way the message was delivered?  In verse 10, the message was delivered by angels.  In verse 18, the message was delivered by the shepherds.

This is where we enter into the Christmas story.  Once we have heard the Good News, it becomes our job to be the messengers.  The Good News is for all the people.  The Good News is not supposed to stop with us.

On Wednesday, our ministers sat down with another minister to dream about the future of our church.  He quoted some frightening statistics on evangelism. 

Some surveys claim that only 2% of Christians share their faith with others.  (I can find numerous websites that quote this same number, but they all refer to “recent surveys” without citing the actual surveys.)  If this is true, the reverse is also true—98% of Christians never share their faith with others.

He asked us to guess the top three reasons why Christians do not share their faith.  We were able to guess numbers 2 and 3.  Number 2—“I am afraid of failure.”  Number 3—“No one has ever taught me how to witness.”  But we could not guess the number one answer.  Number 1—“It’s not my job.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if we discovered that only 2% of our church members share the Good News with others.  But, I would be shocked to discover that you don’t think it is your job.

The Good News is not supposed to stop with us as American, Baptist, Christians.  The Good News is for all the people.  We have received the Good News so that we can spread the message to all people.

You are a messenger.  God has given you a message.  Don’t let the Good News stop with us.

Advent 3: A New Presence

A New Presence

Matthew 1: 18 – 25

Introduction

If you are like me, you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about your own name. Names are very interesting. We usually don’t have any control over our names. Someone else gave us our names before we were old enough to decide for ourselves. Then, we spend our entire lives “stuck” with what other people call us. A name is so much a part of our identity that we can’t even imagine having any other name.

But, when I think about it, I am actually glad my parents named me “Andy.” After all, everybody calls me “Andy,” so it would be somewhat awkward if that wasn’t my name.

Are you happy with your name? How do you feel when you hear someone speak your name for the first time? Do you feel proud of your name? Or, do you have to explain what your name means or why your parents stuck you with such an unusual name?

In our culture, names don’t really carry a lot of significance. It’s just a name. It doesn’t say anything about the kind of person we are deep down.

That was not the case in the world of the Bible. In the Bible, names were significant, because they revealed something about a person’s character. In fact, there are several Bible stories about God changing a person’s name because that person’s character changed.

The name Abram means “father.” When God called Abram to become the father of the Jewish people, God changed his name to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude.” The name Jacob means “trickster, or deceiver.” When God called Jacob to become the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, God changed his name to Israel, which means “one who strives with God, or God prevails.” The name Simon means “flat-nosed.” When Simon confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus changed his name to Peter, which means “rock”—and Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church.”

Since names actually mean something in the Bible, it should not surprise us that Matthew told us the story of how Jesus got his name. Like most newborn boys, Jesus was named by his father, Joseph. And, while Joseph might have been tempted to name this baby Joseph Junior, he didn’t. Joseph was instructed by an angel from God to name the baby Jesus.

Matthew 1: 18 – 25.

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-- which means, "God with us."

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

(NIV)

Families usually celebrate when they discover that a baby is on the way. It is supposed to be a joyous event. However, this was not the case with Joseph. This birth did not take place in the normal progression of things. Joseph and Mary were supposed to get engaged, then get married, and only then have their first born child. That is not the way things happened for Joseph and Mary.

Joseph discovered that his fiancée was pregnant before they were married. We know that this was a miracle. God had selected Mary to be the virgin mother of God’s Son. But, Joseph didn’t know this. He assumed this baby was conceived humanly, and this could only mean one thing. Mary was guilty of adultery.

Even though Joseph and Mary were not yet married, their culture afforded them many of the rights and responsibilities of a married couple. For example, a woman whose fiancé died before their wedding day was considered a widow. And a woman who had intimate relations with another man was considered an adulteress.

Matthew tells us that Joseph was a righteous man. This probably means that Joseph took the Old Testament Law very seriously. He tried to live up to the standards of the Law, and he tried to fulfill all the requirements of the Law. As a result, Joseph had a very difficult decision to make. On one hand, he could follow the letter of the Law and make a public spectacle out of Mary. He could publicly accuse her of unfaithfulness and allow the legal process to run its course. The end of that process would have been the death penalty by stoning. On the other hand, Joseph could have taken a more private action. He could bring two witnesses with him to Mary’s house, accuse her in their presence and demand a divorce.

Fortunately Joseph was visited by an angel in the middle of the night. An angel is a messenger, and this particular angel delivered two messages to Joseph. The angel told Joseph that it was God’s will for him to go ahead with his plans to marry. The baby was the result of God’s activity and not the result of human sinfulness. This baby was a part of God’s plan to enter into human history and accomplish salvation.

The angel also told Joseph to name the baby Jesus. (I’m sure this was a relief for Joseph, since naming the baby was the farthest thing from his mind. He had much bigger things to worry about than coming up with a name!)

Given Name

In some ways, there is nothing really special about the name Jesus. Jesus is the Greek form of the English name Joshua or the Hebrew name Yeshua. Yet, the name Jesus is significant because of what it means. It literally means, “Yahweh saves.”

It was a fairly common for Jewish people in the First Century world to name their sons Jesus. There was a Jesus in the Old Testament—Joshua, who succeeded Moses as the leader who led the Israelites into the Promised Land. There is even a reference to another Jesus in the New Testament, in Colossians 4. More than likely, this Jesus was named after Joshua in the Old Testament. His name was a reminder of all Yahweh had done in the past to bring salvation to the Israelites and to bring them into the Promised Land.

But, that is not how Jesus got his name. Jesus was not named to remind us of what God had done in the past. Jesus was named to point us toward the future.

Matthew 1: 21, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

The name Jesus reminds us of Jesus’ miraculous birth and foreshadows Jesus’ divine mission. Jesus is God’s plan for salvatiom.

Matthew goes to great lengths to show us from Jesus’ ancestry that he is a legitimate “son of Abraham” and “son of David.” As a son of Abraham, Jesus is a legitimate Jew. As a son of David, Jesus is a royal heir to the throne.

Matthew makes us wait before he gives us insight into Jesus’ nature as the Son of God. He holds this until the story of Jesus’ baptism. After the baptism, a voice from Heaven declares that Jesus is “my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” But, Jesus did not become the Son of God at his baptism. We know this, because of the miraculous virgin birth.

The birth of Jesus was something that had never happened before. A baby was conceived in the womb of a virgin young woman.

The life of Jesus would be something that had never happened before either. Jesus lived a sinless and perfect life. He fulfilled the entire Law of the Old Testament and lived up to all of God’s expectations.

And, of course, the death of Jesus was something that had never happened before. Jesus was the virgin-born Son of God. Jesus lived a sinless and perfect life. And, he was crucified as a perfect and final sacrifice for all our sins.

The name Jesus tells us who this baby will become. The fact that God named the baby Jesus tells us this is God’s plan. All of God’s plans for salvation are fulfilled in the life and the eventual death and resurrection of this baby. God’s plans are no longer tied to a person’s biological race or to a national entity. God’s plans are tied to Jesus.

As a result, everyone must decide for themselves what to do with Jesus. This is a baby who demands a decision. Either, we will reject this baby as God’s plan for salvation, or we will accept him through faith. His life is to be our example. His death was a sacrifice for our sins. His resurrection is our assurance of eternal life.

Symbolic Name

Matthew tells us this baby actually has two names. On one hand, his given name is to be Jesus. On the other hand, he has a symbolic name that comes directly from the prophecy of Isaiah 7.

Matthew 1: 22 – 23, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel—which means, ‘God with us.’’”

As far as I know, this is the only time Jesus is referred to as Immanuel. No one in the Bible ever addressed him as Immanuel. They called him Jesus or Lord. But never Immanuel. This is a symbolic name. It symbolizes Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and God’s plans for our lives.

The name Immanuel—much like the name Jesus—reminds us of Jesus’ miraculous birth and Jesus’ divine mission. God’s plan for our lives includes two things. God wants to save us from our sins, AND God wants us to be in relationship with himself. God wants to be with us…to be the most important relationship in our lives…the relationship which controls everything we do and every decision we make.

God with Us

God’s plan for our salvation is much like what we have been reading in the Book of Exodus. When God’s people were slaves in Egypt, God rescued them from slavery. But, God told his people that he had two objectives for them. First, God wanted to rescue them from slavery. Second, God wanted to be with his people.

We can see this in the overall story of the Book of Exodus. The Book can be divided into three sections: the Israelites in Egypt, the Israelites at Mount Sinai, and the Israelites in the wilderness. At Mount Sinai, God gave his people specific instructions on how to build the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was the place where God met with his people. It was built as a tent so that it would be portable. Wherever God led his people, they would always have access to the presence of God.

Eventually, the people were settled in the Promised Land. They no longer needed a portable Tabernacle to carry the presence of God with them. Therefore, God gave King Solomon instructions to build a more permanent Temple. This Temple was a constant reminder that God was present with his people. It was fixed in one location in the center of the religious and political capitol city, Jerusalem.

But what are we supposed to do today? There is no Temple in Jerusalem. We don’t have a Tabernacle. Instead, we have Jesus, who is Immanuel—God with us.

John 1: 14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John does not tell us anything about the birth of Jesus. Instead, he wrote a theological description of who Jesus is. Jesus is the Word of God who reveals God to us. And, in the Incarnation, the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Interestingly, there is only one Greek word that gets translated “made his dwelling among us.” It is the word “tabernacle.” Jesus is the “tabernacle” that reveals the glory and presence of God among us.

John 2: 18 – 22, “Then the Jews demanded of him, ‘What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’

Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’

The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.”

These are the words of Jesus, no less. John makes an obvious connection that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Tabernacle which reveals the glory and presence of God. Then, Jesus himself tells us that he is our Temple

1 Corinthians 3: 16 – 17, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

The pronoun “you” is a plural pronoun in this passage. In East Texas, we would translate, “Don’t ya’ll know that ya’ll are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in ya’ll?”

According to Paul’s theology, the church is the temple of God. The Holy Spirit lives in the church. We experience the presence of God in the church. This should be our primary reason for not causing problems in church.

1 Corinthians 6: 19 – 20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

This passage sounds a whole lot like 1 Corinthians 3. The difference is that Paul has shifted from the plural to the singular for of the pronoun “you.” The Holy Spirit lives in you, individually, as a man or woman saved by Jesus.

Here, we can trace a thread through the entire narrative of Scripture. God gave his people a Tabernacle in which they could experience the presence of God. When they were settled in the Promised Land, God gave them a Temple. Then, God sent his Son, Jesus, to be the fulfillment of both the Tabernacle and the Temple. Then, God placed his Holy Spirit in the lives of individual Christians and in the corporate body of the church.

Conclusion

Are you searching for God today? There is good news. God is right here. God is present in the life of the church. God is present in the life of men and women who have placed their faith in Jesus.

It’s like searching for your car keys before you leave the house. You look in your pockets. You look in your dresser. You look in the refrigerator. And then you feel kind of silly, because the keys are right there in your hand. God sent Jesus so that we no longer have to search for God. God is searching for us.

The Good News of Christmas is not that God is everywhere. God is right here. The Good News is not that God can be accessed from anywhere. God can be accessed where we are. God is with us.

Advent 2: A New Hope

A New Hope

Matthew 3: 1 – 17.

Introduction

It may look like Christmas, but it’s not Christmas yet. The stores in town and the commercials on TV want us to think of Christmas as a season. But, Christmas is a day of the year. Advent is a season.

During the season of Advent, we focus our attention on the coming of Christ. That is what Advent means…Approaching or coming. On one hand, we focus on the first coming of Christ, which happened on Christmas Day. On the other hand, we focus on the second coming of Christ, which can happen at any time.

The first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ are important components of the Gospel (or Good News) message. This is the Gospel. God loved us and pursued us by sending his only Son, Jesus. Jesus lived his life in fulfillment of the entire Old Testament Law and gave his life as a sacrifice to fulfill the Old Testament sacrifices. After the crucifixion, Jesus rose again to claim victory over Satan and death. Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven and promised that he would come back to take us to be with him in Heaven.

During Advent, we celebrate the fact that this Gospel story promises us true Hope, true Peace, true Joy and true Love.

The Hope that God offers us in Christ is more than “wishful thinking.” Hope is the assurance that God has kept all his promises in the past and will keep his promises in the future. Since Christ rose from the grave, all who have faith in Christ will experience the same kind of resurrection life. The Presence of God in our lives is just a little taste—a deposit guaranteeing—that will keep his promises.

The Peace that God offers us in Christ is more than the “absence of conflict.” The biblical idea of Peace comes from the Hebrew word “Shalom,” which means “whole” or “complete.” Peace which is wholeness is only possible when our lives are “made complete” by the Presence of God. Jesus was born to be Immanuel—God with us. There is no peace without the Presence of God.

The Joy we celebrate is the Joy of Christ. It does not depend on the circumstances of our lives. The world tells us the secret to happiness is to put difficult circumstances behind you—make plenty of money, get along with other people, and live a healthy life. The Joy of Christ is a product of the Presence of God. He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death. We won’t avoid the valleys. But we experience Joy in God’s companionship—to rise above the difficult circumstances of life.

The Love of God was demonstrated in the Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection. God loved us and did not leave us to figure things out for ourselves. First, he gave us his Law. When we could not live up to God’s expectations, God sent Jesus to show us how to live according to the Law. By fulfilling the Law, Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for our sins…so that we might live in perfect relationship with God.

The Scripture we read this morning is one of anticipation. We know who Jesus is, because we have heard the story before. We know who Jesus is, because we have the advantage of 2,000 years of Christian history and theology to interpret Jesus for us. But in the Gospel of Matthew, we read about a time when John the Baptist was preparing the people to discover who Jesus is. The unique Son of God and the Promised Christ / Messiah.

Matthew 3: 1 – 17.

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea

2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.

6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.

14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

(NIV)

A New Baptism.

John got his name from the act of baptism. We know him as “John the Baptist,” but he could also be known as “John the Baptizer.” He got this name, because he practiced baptism and not because he invented baptism.

More than likely, baptism was something the Jews already knew about. It was something required of Gentile people who converted to the Jewish religion. These new converts would commit themselves to the teachings of the Old Testament, the Jewish dietary laws, the Jewish forms of worship and, then, they would be baptized. Baptism marked the end of their conversion and the beginning of their new life as a Jew. However, John was not baptizing Gentiles who wanted to become Jews. John was teaching something new by demanding that Jews needed to be baptized!

We can understand a little about what John’s baptism meant by looking at the ways Matthew describes it for us.

First, Matthew tells us in Matthew 3: 5 – 6, “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”

It was the Jewish people who were coming from Jerusalem and Judea to be baptized. And, they submitted to baptism AFTER confessing their sins. The baptism was not intended to wash away their sins. Baptism came after confession of sin.

Second, Matthew quotes John in Matthew 3: 11, “I baptize you with water for repentance.”

This is confusing. It sounds like baptism is necessary for repentance. Jesus didn’t need to repent, but he indicated that it was important for him to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. Since Jesus did not sin, he didn’t need his sins washed away. Since Jesus was and is the Unique Son of God, he didn’t need to repent. Repent means “to turn around.” It is turning away from our previous life of sin and turning toward the life God wants us to live.

The best way to understand baptism in general—and the baptism of Jesus specifically—is to think of baptism as an outward sign of an internal reality. Baptism symbolizes that the person being baptized has ALREADY entered into a proper relationship with God.

Jesus already had that relationship. Therefore, he was baptized to symbolize it to the rest of the world. You and I don’t have that relationship until we have placed our faith in God’s plan for our salvation—the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Baptism does not wash away our sins. Baptism is not an act of repentance. It’s actually the other way around. Forgiveness of sins is necessary for baptism, and repentance is necessary for baptism. Baptism is an outward sign that a person has ALREADY confessed their sins and repented.

The Apostle Paul takes this a step farther and explains in Romans 6 the reason why we baptize.

Romans 6: 1 – 4, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, we too may live a new life.”

According to Paul, the act of baptism symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. On one hand, we can say that our baptism is a way that we participate in the death, burial and resurrection. We are dead to sin and its effects. Our old self is buried in the waters of baptism. We are raised to live a new and resurrected life. On the other hand, we can say that the baptism of Jesus was an important symbol at the beginning of his ministry. It was a foreshadowing of what Jesus—the Unique Son of God and Promised Christ / Messiah—would do. He would die; he would be buried; and he would rise again.

A New Message.

Since John had a role to play in God’s plan, all of John’s preaching fit into that plan. He basically preached one message, “Get ready, because the Messiah is coming.”

On one hand, John told us what would happen when the Messiah came. John told us that the Messiah would have a similar ministry to his own. John preached and baptized. The Messiah would preach and baptize. The difference between John and the Messiah was in the way they baptized. John baptized with water. The Messiah would baptize with Holy Spirit and fire.

The two images of Spirit and fire are intended to remind us of God’s judgment. John was warning the Jews about the coming of God’s judgment. We might not like to talk about the judgment of God. We prefer to talk about the love of God. But you can’t have one without the other.

God is holy and righteous. He does not sin. He does not commit evil deeds. Human beings are not holy, not righteous, and we are plagued with sin. If God enters into a relationship with sinful human beings, something must be done about our sin problem. If God accepts us as sinners, then we have every right to question his holiness and righteousness.

This is where judgment becomes necessary. In order for God to maintain his character as holy and righteous, God must hate sin. God must do everything to eradicate sin from human beings with whom he has relationship.

John tells us that the judgment of God is an all-consuming fire. God’s judgment destroys sin. In this sense, we can think of God’s judgment as a purifying fire. It burns away all the sin and the evil in our lives. Yet, that is not true for those who do not repent. The unrepentant will be consumed—along with their sins—by the purifying fire of God’s judgment.

The crowds of people from Jerusalem and Judea came out to hear John preach about God’s judgment and our need for repentance. Matthew tells us that the crowds were not the only ones who came. The Pharisees and Sadducees came as well. The Pharisees were the group of men who had devoted their lives to the written Law and the oral interpretations of the Law. The Sadducees were the men who had devoted their lives to the priesthood and the integrity of Temple worship.

Interestingly, John told the Pharisees and the Sadducees that they needed to repent as well. No one in ancient Jerusalem thought the Pharisees and Sadducees needed to repent. They represented the very best that Judaism had to offer in the first century. They were devoted to the Law and the Temple… But, John told them that wasn’t enough.

John even told them not to appeal to their biological connection to Abraham. John said, “Sure. You really are children of Abraham. But if God wanted to turn these stones into children of Abraham, he could do that.”

If God can turn stones into children of Abraham, then God can turn Gentiles into children of Abraham. If God can cause stones to turn into the people of God, then none of us can tell God whom he can save and whom he cannot save. John understood that the work of the Messiah included the people of Israel, but was not limited to the people of Israel.

A New Kingdom

Matthew, more than any other biblical author, makes a point to use the Old Testament to prove that all aspects of Jesus’ life fulfill the hopes of Israel. In Matthew’s day, the Jewish people were hoping that the Messiah would come.

The Hebrew word “Messiah” means “the anointed one.” Its Greek equivalent is the word “Christ.” When we confess that Jesus is the Christ, we confess that Jesus is the One God promised in the Old Testament to be the savior of Israel. But we also confess that God’s salvation extends beyond the geopolitical boundaries of the nation of Israel and beyond the race of people we know as the Jews. In fact, this is what Matthew was showing us in his Gospel.

Matthew 2: 15, “…And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my Son.’”

Matthew 3: 17, “And a voice from Heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”

In the Book of Exodus, God refers to Israel as his son. When God’s son was held in Egyptian slavery, God rescued his son. Now, Matthew makes a clear connection between Israel as God’s son and Jesus as God’s Son. God protected Jesus from Herod—who wanted to kill Jesus—by sending him into Egypt and leading him back to Nazareth when the coast was clear. If this was not clear enough, Matthew tells us about a voice from Heaven which unambiguously identifies Jesus as the Son of God.

Matthew 3: 13, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.”

Matthew 4: 1, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”

In the Book of Exodus, we read the details of how God rescued the Hebrew people from Egyptian slavery and formed them into the Nation of Israel. God parted the waters of the Red Sea and led his people through the water on dry ground. After crossing through the Red Sea, the Israelites entered into the desert, where they were tempted. In the same way, Jesus walked out of the waters of baptism and went into the desert to be tempted. The difference between Israel and Jesus is the fact that Jesus faced temptation and resisted. He remained faithful, while Israel failed over and over again.

Matthew 4: 23, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”

There are a couple of important points to note about this Scripture. First, Jesus began his preaching ministry in Galilee. Because of its location in northern Israel, Galilee was home to many Gentiles. It was often referred to as “Galilee of the Gentiles.” Jesus did not begin his ministry in the city of Jerusalem, in the religious and political capitol. Jesus went to the place where Gentiles lived. Second, notice that Jesus began by preaching to Jews in their synagogues. Jesus preached to the Jews about the Kingdom of God. In other words, the Jews were not already a part of God’s Kingdom by virtue of their race or their politics. God’s Kingdom cannot be defined by race or politics

This ought to remind us of what John the Baptist told the Jews in Matthew 3: 9, “And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children of Abraham.”

Conclusion

Jesus is the Promised Messiah for Israel. But, Jesus is much more than that. Jesus is a New Hope for all the peoples of the world. Jesus did not come to establish a political kingdom of Israel or a racial kingdom of Jewish people. Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God—a spiritual Kingdom which includes people of all races and politics, who place their faith in Jesus as Lord and Christ.