Introducing, John the Baptist | A Sermon on Matthew 3:1-12

Introduction
Today, we continue our journey through the beginning parts of the Gospel of Matthew.  And today, we come to the fascinating figure of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:1-12.  And I have three points to make today from this passage.  Let’s start with the first 6 verses.

Matthew 3:1-6
¹ In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, ² “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” ³ The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
    Clear the road for him!’”

⁴ John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁵ People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. ⁶ And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

Point #1 – John Was Not Of This World
My first point is simple.  John was not of this world.  I don’t mean he was an alien, obviously.
He was a human being.  He was born in this world and into the systems of this world.  We know from the Gospel of Luke that John was related to Jesus–his cousin.  We also know John’s father was a priest in the Jerusalem Temple, probably of the Pharisaic tradition.

Jewish priesthood was hereditary, John was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps.But John had a different calling.  Instead of joining the priests, John was filled with the Spirit to preach against the deeply corrupt Temple priesthood. He rejected both Pharisees & Sadducees.  

John was much more aligned with groups like the Essenes who rejected the Temple system and chose to live in isolation apart from the corrupt worldly systems of the time. The Essenes tried to create their own religious community apart from the world.  But even the Essenes were infected by their own problems and corruptions.  So John would have rejected them too in favor of something better he knew was coming.  

You might say, John was the original doomsday prepper.  He preached about a coming Day of God's judgments.  he preached it was imminent.  And John lived in isolation out in the wilderness, very self-sufficient.  He made his own clothes out of camel hair; he wore a leather belt.  He ate wild food he gathered himself–locust and wild honey.  And because he didn’t rely on the political systems and marketplaces of Jerusalem’s social systems, John could stand apart from it all and prophecy the truth with holy clarity and fiery force. 

Like John, Christians are called to be in this world but not of it.  Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)  And though His followers live in this world, we are not to be of it.  In other words, we aren’t to be infected by the world or enamored with it.  We must always remember, we are citizens of heaven above all else.  This world is not our home.  Our hearts desire must be for our true home–the Kingdom of Heaven where Jesus reigns and heavenly principles govern.  When you love this world and the things in it, it begins to control and corrupt you and ensnare you and enslave you.

Matthew 3:7-10
⁷ But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? ⁸ Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. ⁹ Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. ¹⁰ Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.

Point #2 – God’s True Kingdom is Bigger Than Family Ties
Being set apart from the corrupt systems of his day, John was free to boldly preach the truth, criticizing the Temple system and the religious leaders of his day.  He called both political parties–the Pharisees and Sadducees–a bunch of snakes!  And he pointed out that God’s true Kingdom is bigger than family ties.  Being a descendent of Abraham doesn’t make you part of God’s Kingdom.  Neither does being a priest, a Pharisee, or a Sadducee. 

Now these were bold words to say to the people of John’s day (and they are just as bold today).  The Jewish people of John’s time believed they were God’s chosen people because they were descendants of Abraham.  Somehow, people in Israel thought this made them special to God–more special than any other nation in the world because God promised to bless the descendants of Abraham back in Genesis.  Many people today still believe the Jewish descendants of Abraham are more special and blessed (or protected) by God than anyone else.  (I mean, the Bible does say it, doesn’t it? See Genesis 12:2-3, 13:16, 15:5-6, 17:4-8, & 22:17-18)

But John challenges this reasoning.  He preached in Matthew 3:9, “Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.”  And he goes on to warn that God was ready to cut down and burn with fiery judgment anyone who isn’t living the fruitful life God told them to live.

What is it then?  What makes you right with God?  According to John, it’s turning away from your sins (repentance) and living the right way according to God’s commands instead of your own selfish ambitions.  But it’s going to take even more than that to be made right with God.  And that brings me to the final point I draw from this passage about John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:11-12
¹¹ “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

Point #3 – John Points to Jesus
John’s purpose was to prepare people for Jesus.  Jesus is the one who makes people right with God.  John called people to recognize their sin and to turn away from it.  Repentance is the first step toward salvation, healing, and reconciliation.  But something else is needed–something much more than John is able to give.  Only Jesus can seal the deal.  And so, John points to Him.

Conclusion
John the Baptist’s mission was to prepare the way, but Jesus is the way. He is the only door to salvation, the only path into the Kingdom of Heaven—a Kingdom that is both a future promise and a present reality for those who follow Him.

You cannot enter this Kingdom through the broken, corrupt systems of the world. No political system, no religious institution, no worldly success can get you there. In fact, these things often distract and deceive us, keeping us from fully embracing God's Kingdom.

You cannot enter this Kingdom through family ties. Just because your parents, grandparents, or spouse are believers does not make you one. Being raised in a Christian home, attending church, or calling yourself a Christian does not mean you belong to Christ. Faith is not inherited—it is a personal decision to repent of sin and follow Jesus.

Now, some have sinned badly and will easily see that they need to repent of that sin.  But others may struggle with this.  They may think, “I’m a good person.  I don’t do bad things.  I’m trustworthy, honest, and a good human.”  But sometimes the sin is a simple and subtle as thinking you are in charge of your own life.  It seems reasonable.  But the message of Scripture is we belong to God.  We are not our own.  We do not get to determine how we live, who we are, and where we want to go in life.  We were made by God for His purposes.  And it is sin to think we are in charge of our own life.  And we all need to repent–even of this.  We need to recognize that Jesus is Lord of all.  And that means He is even Lord of our will.  And so we need to repent of our own selfish ambitions and let Jesus truly be Lord of our life–Lord of our life.

John’s baptism was symbolic, a way of preparing hearts for Christ. Today, Christian baptism is also symbolic, marking our public entrance into the church. But the real baptism—the one that matters most—is spiritual. It happens when we surrender to Jesus, and He fills us with His Holy Spirit, transforming our hearts and lives.  As the physical water of baptism washes over us, the spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit circumcises our hearts and marks us as part of God’s people.

So, let me ask you today:
Have you truly entered God’s Kingdom?
Have you made a conscious decision to repent and follow Jesus?

If not, don’t wait. Come to Jesus today. He is ready to receive you, to wash away your sins, to fill you with His Spirit, and to welcome you into His Kingdom.

Will you choose to follow Him?

Is the Bible Ever Wrong?

Is the Bible ever wrong?  In other words, is the Bible Inerrant or does the Bible ever make mistakes?

This blog is part of a series where I try to answer your questions about Christian faith. I’m Pastor Chris.  I’ve been a pastor for 2 decades--thinking about the mysteries of God, the Bible, and the Christian faith.  So in this series, I’ll do my best to answer your questions and share something that will help you grow and be fruitful. Comment and ask me your questions and I’ll try to answer them in upcoming videos.

In this blog, I want to answer the question:  Is the Bible inerrant?  So let’s get into it.

The word inerrant means “incapable of being wrong” and inerrancy means “without error”. As a Bible believing Christian, I believe the Bible is the written Word of God, that everything in the Old and New Testament was inspired and preserved by God and contains everything we need to know for salvation and to live as faithful followers of Christ. I believe God speaks to His people primarily through the Bible and the Bible must be the foundation for all faithful Christian teaching and living.

Though the Bible was inspired by an infallible God, it was written down by very fallible people. God speaks through these fallible authors, using their mixed up cultural ideas and shaping their broken words into His written Word that speaks His timeless truths.  For these reasons, you cannot read the Bible the same way you would read a history book or a science book. 

To hear God’s Word in the Bible, you must submit yourself to God while you listen to His conversations with people through the ages.  To get the most from the Bible, you need to understand the historical contexts of the people who wrote under God’s inspiration and you must allow the Holy Spirit to inspire you anew today.

The Bible is God’s inspired Truth. However, there are clear examples of errors and inaccuracies in the Bible. For example, Jesus said in Matthew 13:32 that the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. Now the mustard seed is a small seed, but it’s not the absolute smallest seed in the world. That distinction belongs to tropical orchids–20 times smaller than a mustard seed. So Jesus’ statement about mustard seeds is factually incorrect.  But that doesn’t mean the meaning of His statement is untrue.  The Truth Jesus illustrates with the mustard seed is about how a tiny amount of faith is all you need to do incredible things.  Maybe Jesus’ disciples didn’t know about orchid seeds.  This inaccuracy doesn’t affect the Truth of the Bible’s deeper spiritual meaning.  

There are also minor copying errors that inevitably occur when any text is copied by human hands.  These don’t affect the truthfulness of the texts, but they do show the imperfect nature of a book recorded by imperfect people.  

We must also take into consideration the cultural contexts of the authors of biblical passages. Just because someone helped write the Bible doesn’t mean their way of life was without fault.  In fact, quite often, their cultural ideas were even judged by God to be wrong.  God meets people where they are and works through them–even their broken culture.  So we shouldn’t just accept what the Bible says uncritically.  We must approach the Bible holistically asking: what is the overarching message of the Bible?  And: how does what we know today from Christian tradition, reason, and human experience help us understand what God is saying to us today in the Bible?

Questions about Biblical inerrancy can be very loaded questions. These questions didn’t really come up as much until the late 1800s.

As society grew more interested in scientific discovery, Biblical Inerrancy got tangled up with American religious and political debates of the 20th century.  Events like the “Snopes Monkey Trial” of 1925 pitted evolutionary science against religion.  Many Bible believing Americans felt their faith under attack by more liberal-minded thinkers who taught modern science is more important than Scripture. Conservative Christian leaders often overreacted defensively to protect the Bible and Christian faith from liberal attacks.  

In 1978, a group of evangelical leaders issued the Chicago Statement proclaiming the Bible "is without error or fault in all its teaching" or, at least, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact".  Suddenly Christians across America found themselves pressured to choose sides.  “Are you a true Christian who believes the Bible is absolutely inerrant and infallible or are you one of those evil, anti-Bible, anti-Jesus, anti-American liberals who wants to destroy the church and replace God with science!?!?”

Why does the truth have to be either the Bible or science?  Can’t truth be found in both? The Bible was never intended to be a science book (or even a collection of historical facts).  The Bible teaches spiritual Truth that runs deeper than scientific or historical inquiry. Yet because of increasingly divisive American politics over the last century, many have felt forced to pick one side or the other–science or religion.  It’s sad, really, and it does nothing to help us grow closer to God or find Truth.

I knew of a Southern Baptist minister who moved his whole family down from Kentucky to pastor a church in Middle Georgia.  After only a month on the job, one of the congregants who disliked the new pastor stood up in the middle of a church service and demanded an answer: “Do you believe in the inerrancy of Scripture?”

The minister tried to reason with the man and explain the truthfulness and reliability of Scripture. The disgruntled congregant would have none of it and demanded: “I just want a simple answer.  Do you believe the Bible is absolutely without error? Yes or no?”

When the minister finally said “No,” the congregation immediately voted to fire him.

So, to answer the question:  The Bible does sometimes make mistakes.  It has a few minor errors–factual or textual.  However, these do not significantly detract from the Bible’s purpose as God’s inspired Word.  The Bible is the most reliable source of spiritual Truth available to mankind.  It is the best way to learn about God.  It is the foundation of all orthodox Christian faith and practice.  And the Bible–including the Old and New Testaments–contain everything you need to know for salvation.  

Furthermore, the Bible keeps us anchored to true Christianity so we don’t drift off into heresy.  2,000 years of history shows the world always suffers terribly when the Christian Church disregards the clear teachings of Scripture in favor of human traditions and cultural norms.  It is incredibly arrogant and dangerous to assume what people believe in our own time and culture must be right and the timeless truths of the Bible must be outdated.  You better have overwhelming evidence and absolutely pure motives if you’re going to claim we know better than the written Scriptures authorized to speak as God’s word that have been upheld for 2,000 years.

My calling from God is to serve as a minister of biblically faithful Christianity. I will always seek to lead my congregation and everyone I can influence to trust the Bible as God’s inspired written Word. 

I encourage you to take advantage of the incredible biblical resources so readily at your disposal.  Read the Bible.  Study it.  Memorize it.  Most importantly, grow closer and closer to God as you live the principles revealed in the Holy Bible, God’ written Word.