St Theodore's Sermon 3/1/99

	St Theodore's Wattle Park

Sermon of the Week

3/1/99

Preparing for his Coming Matt 3:1-12

   There's something of a paradox about John the Baptist. He appears in the New Testament, but he's very much an Old Testament figure. He proclaims the word of the Lord yet he makes no claim to greatness. He comes as a herald of Christ, yet his words are those of an Elijah or an Ezekiel, words of condemnation. What he brings is a new model of the Prophet of God. What we find with John is that he's at the same time an Old Testament Prophet, and a New Testament evangelist.

   Now depending on your view of the gospel you may have some difficulty at that point, picturing John as a preacher of the gospel. I remember when my daughter Janet was training for a Youth Dimension Coffee Shop a couple of years ago, like the one Doug's just gone on, and she was taught a gospel outline based on four P's. The first P was God's position. Now when she was telling us about this she said, "What do you think that might mean?" So, I thought, "Oh, God's position? Creator and ruler of the universe; Sovereign Lord of all; in the words of the Confession from first order communion, 'Maker of all things, judge of all people?'" Well, no. I'm obviously too rigid and fundamentalist! What I should have said was "Love". God's position is love. And that's true isn't it? God loves us so much that he gave his only Son, so we could have eternal life. But imagine if that were all that John had preached. Repent, because God loves you and the Kingdom of Heaven is near. It loses its bite doesn't it? When the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived would he have said "Come on down, God even loves vipers?" No, that wasn't at all the message John had to preach. So was there something wrong with what John had to say, something that came from the fact that he didn't understand the cross? Or did he in fact preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of love, even as he preached repentance? Well, we'll look at that a bit closer in a moment.

   But first I want to think a bit more about how John is perceived. 8 Chapters further on in Matthew's gospel we find an incident when Jesus asks the crowd about their perception of John. In Matt 11:7 he says: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. ⁹Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet." There were some who had gone out to see a spectacle, to see the prophet do his thing, to see him rant and rave. And there were others like the Pharisees and Sadducees who had gone out to check him out, to see what this troublemaker was up to. But the vast majority had gone out because they recognised him as a prophet and they wanted to hear what he had to say. Why? Because as a prophet he spoke from God. Even though the things he said were not very palatable, they wanted to hear them. They saw him as a prophet who had come to lead them back to God. Who would bring God's word to them so they could be challenged and motivated to follow God again. In a sense they went out into the desert to meet God, to hear his voice, as he spoke through his messenger. And of course, many also recognised in him the signs of the one who would foreshadow the Christ, the Messiah.

   Now before we go on to look at what he had to say, let's bring this into the here and now. Let me ask you, what do you expect when you come here to church? Now I know that there are all sorts of reasons that people come to church, and that they vary from week to week, but, what are you expecting to find when you get here? - Today at least? Have you come for the spectacle, the ceremony? Well, if that's why you came you'll probably be disappointed. [Have you come to check us out, to see if church is any different from the last time you came?] Or perhaps you've come because you've found here a group of people who are trying to be real in the way they relate to one another, people who care for one another and love one another. I hope that's true and if it is then it's a good reason for coming. But a better reason for coming would be because you expected to hear from God? To be challenged by his word? To be provoked and inspired to greater service of the living God? How many of us came today because we hoped to meet God face to face? Now you're not going to discover a John the Baptist when you come to church are you? The way God speaks to us has changed. We no longer have prophets of that type speaking to us. John was the last of his kind. But what we can expect is that God will speak to us as his word is expounded. We can expect to be encouraged to love and good works as we apply God's word to our lives. The writer to the Hebrews says: "the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." God's word is living and active. Do you believe that? I don't mean intellectually. I mean does that affect your life, your outlook, when you come to church, when you sit down each day to read the Bible. Do you expect God's word to be alive, touching you personally, so that as you read it, as you listen to sermons, as you sing hymns and songs that reflect God's word, it speaks to you, so that you can truly say "Today I met God face to face." It would be great if that were the case.

   But, let's get back to the passage and see how God might be speaking to us through this particular section of Matthew's gospel. And let's also see how John's message might truly be good news.

   John appears in the desert, saying "Repent!" Why? Because the Kingdom of heaven is near. Jesus appearance would usher in the new rule of God in the world. There was an expectation by many of the Jews at that time that God would soon fulfil his promise to send a Messiah to rescue his people and now John had appeared to say, "This is it! It's about to happen. So get ready. Fix up your lives so you're fit to meet him when he comes." Well, things have changed now haven't they. We now know that Jesus has come. We know that forgiveness of sins is possible only through faith in Jesus Christ, on the basis of what he did on the Cross. But at the same time John's words still apply to us. The season of Advent that's just finished reminds us that Christ is coming again - the final revelation of his Kingdom is round the corner. So it's just as important now as it was in John's day for us to be ready! As Paul says in Romans 13:"the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;" (Rom 13:12 NRSV)

   Well, having heard John's basic message, Matthew tells us that 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.'" Now at this point the reader is meant to think of the passage from which that quote is taken, that is, Is 40. What's the message of Isaiah 40? "Comfort, Comfort my people!" Why? Because God is coming to rescue them. Because their sins have been paid for. Because God is coming to restore his people and again make them his special possession. So we start to see that the harshness of John's message of repentance is softened by the context in which he preaches, that is, by the figure of prophecy we discover him to be.

   Another clue to who John is, is given by the description of his clothing. His hairy clothes and leather belt are the same description as that of Elijah in 2 Kings 1. So we see John to be a latter day Elijah. That is, the prophet promised by Malachi, who would appear to herald the coming of the day of the Lord and to bring people to repentance, to restore relationships with God and with each other.

   And when John preaches, what happens? People come to him to be baptised, as a way of saying that they've turned away from sin. At this level John has provided a remedy for sin. Not the lasting remedy that Jesus would provide, but a step in the right direction. You see the remedy for sin isn't denying or ignoring it, but admitting it, and turning to God. Prov 28:13 says "No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." So those who heard John, came to him confessing their sins and were baptised by him.

   But others came who didn't intend to confess their sins. The Pharisees and the Sadducees represented those who were serious about serving God and those who were the sophisticated traditionalists, who were serious about the worship of God. These were the ones who most claimed to stand under God's Law, and so they receive from John the strongest rebuke. Not because they were more sinful, mind you, but because they'd failed to respond to what they knew to be true. Because they claimed to be serving God when in fact they weren't. Now let's not forget that if John were here today, we'd be the group that would most closely fit the category of the Pharisees and the Sadducees - those who are serious about serving God and those who are serious about worshipping God. And what does he say to them? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Show by your lives that what you say you believe is true. Have lives that are being transformed by the word of God that you hold so precious.

   Then we have these uncomfortable words: 'The axe 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.' There's a clear message of pending judgement here that Jesus himself echoes in his parable of the good and bad fruit trees.// The idea of future judgment as an incentive for repentance isn't acceptable any more is it? It sounds so medieval, reminiscent of the Spanish inquisition. We cringe at the stereotype of the preacher of hellfire and damnation. But it seems it's a reality that God is concerned about. He doesn't want anyone to perish he says. That's why the Bible is so full of warnings about judgement. It's why Jesus spoke of judgement so often. Not because God is a vengeful God, but because he wants people to be warned to flee from the wrath that's coming.

   But you know, even as you read this warning from John, you discover hope in it. When you read that the axe is already at the root of the trees, what are you reminded of? Well, you may be reminded of this passage from Isaiah ch 11: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. ²The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD-- ³and he will delight in the fear of the LORD." The very mention of the axe cutting down the tree at its root reminds us of God's promise to send a new shoot out of the dead stump of Israel. We're reminded that God is faithful to his promises even in the moment of judgment, and that his promise to preserve a people for his name is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus and in the making of a new people who, like Jesus, are filled with God's Spirit.

   And so John goes on to tell of the coming of Jesus; of one who is far greater than he, who will baptise not just with water for repentance, but with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It seems that John was aware of the shortcomings of what he was doing. He was calling people to repentance, sure, but that was all he could do. It was far beyond him to offer them any solution for the problem of sin, apart from the acknowledging and repenting of it. But when Jesus came he'd offer them the means to both purify their lives and to transform them, through the work of the Holy Spirit. The baptism that Jesus would offer would be like a purifying fire that would remove all hints of impurity or sinfulness from their past. But more than that, he'd baptise with the Holy Spirit. That is he'd send the Holy Spirit on all believers, so that they'd be changed for the future, so they'd begin to be transformed into God's likeness. So that the repentance they'd express could be matched by a change of lifestyle, of outlook, of behaviour. // You know, in an age that suffers so badly from a sense of hopelessness and despair, this is a message we need to hear. There is hope for this world. There is hope that people can change. There is hope that you and I can change. Through the work of the Holy Spirit within us, we can be different people.

   As we saw on Christmas day, the unique thing about Christianity is the way we understand God. We understand him first of all as a God of creation, but other religions have a similar view in that respect. They see him too, in the wonders of the created order. That's why there are many things that come out of other religions that we'd want to agree with. But the thing that's unique about Christianity is that we believe that God has revealed himself to humanity as a God of redemption, of salvation, as a God who can change people, that he's done this through the words of Scripture, and particularly through the coming of his Son, Jesus Christ. We believe that as we read God's word we discover how God has worked to save us and how he's working to change us to be more like him. We believe that one of the ways he changes us is through the reading of God's word. That his Spirit dwelling within us takes his word and applies it to our lives to rebuke us, to encourage us, to change us. And we believe that in the gospel alone lies hope for this hopeless world.

   It's my earnest prayer that when we come to meet together for worship, when we join together in a small group, when we open up the bible for personal reading and meditation, that it'll be with an expectation that God is coming to speak to us in his word, that as we read or listen we'll somehow meet God face to face, that his Spirit will do his work of purifying us, changing us, transforming us, moulding us, so that day by day we become more and more Christlike, more and more like God wants us to be.


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	There's something of a paradox about John the Baptist. He appears in the New Testament, but he's very much an Old Testament figure. He proclaims the word of the Lord yet he makes no claim to greatness. He comes as a herald of Christ, yet his words are those of an Elijah or an Ezekiel, words of condemnation. What he brings is a new model of the Prophet of God. What we find with John is that he's at the same time an Old Testament Prophet, and a New Testament evangelist.
	Now depending on your view of the gospel you may have some difficulty at that point, picturing John as a preacher of the gospel. I remember when my daughter Janet was training for a Youth Dimension Coffee Shop a couple of years ago, like the one Doug's just gone on, and she was taught a gospel outline based on four P's. The first P was God's position. Now when she was telling us about this she said, "What do you think that might mean?" So, I thought, "Oh, God's position? Creator and ruler of the universe; Sovereign Lord of all; in the words of the Confession from first order communion, 'Maker of all things, judge of all people?'" Well, no. I'm obviously too rigid and fundamentalist! What I should have said was "Love". God's position is love. And that's true isn't it? God loves us so much that he gave his only Son, so we could have eternal life. But imagine if that were all that John had preached. Repent, because God loves you and the Kingdom of Heaven is near. It loses its bite doesn't it? When the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived would he have said "Come on down, God even loves vipers?" No, that wasn't at all the message John had to preach. So was there something wrong with what John had to say, something that came from the fact that he didn't understand the cross? Or did he in fact preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of love, even as he preached repentance? Well, we'll look at that a bit closer in a moment.
	But first I want to think a bit more about how John is perceived. 8 Chapters further on in Matthew's gospel we find an incident when Jesus asks the crowd about their perception of John. In Matt 11:7 he says: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. ⁹Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet." There were some who had gone out to see a spectacle, to see the prophet do his thing, to see him rant and rave. And there were others like the Pharisees and Sadducees who had gone out to check him out, to see what this troublemaker was up to. But the vast majority had gone out because they recognised him as a prophet and they wanted to hear what he had to say. Why? Because as a prophet he spoke from God. Even though the things he said were not very palatable, they wanted to hear them. They saw him as a prophet who had come to lead them back to God. Who would bring God's word to them so they could be challenged and motivated to follow God again. In a sense they went out into the desert to meet God, to hear his voice, as he spoke through his messenger. And of course, many also recognised in him the signs of the one who would foreshadow the Christ, the Messiah.
	Now before we go on to look at what he had to say, let's bring this into the here and now. Let me ask you, what do you expect when you come here to church? Now I know that there are all sorts of reasons that people come to church, and that they vary from week to week, but, what are you expecting to find when you get here? - Today at least? Have you come for the spectacle, the ceremony? Well, if that's why you came you'll probably be disappointed. [Have you come to check us out, to see if church is any different from the last time you came?] Or perhaps you've come because you've found here a group of people who are trying to be real in the way they relate to one another, people who care for one another and love one another. I hope that's true and if it is then it's a good reason for coming. But a better reason for coming would be because you expected to hear from God? To be challenged by his word? To be provoked and inspired to greater service of the living God? How many of us came today because we hoped to meet God face to face? Now you're not going to discover a John the Baptist when you come to church are you? The way God speaks to us has changed. We no longer have prophets of that type speaking to us. John was the last of his kind. But what we can expect is that God will speak to us as his word is expounded. We can expect to be encouraged to love and good works as we apply God's word to our lives. The writer to the Hebrews says: "the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." God's word is living and active. Do you believe that? I don't mean intellectually. I mean does that affect your life, your outlook, when you come to church, when you sit down each day to read the Bible. Do you expect God's word to be alive, touching you personally, so that as you read it, as you listen to sermons, as you sing hymns and songs that reflect God's word, it speaks to you, so that you can truly say "Today I met God face to face." It would be great if that were the case.
	But, let's get back to the passage and see how God might be speaking to us through this particular section of Matthew's gospel. And let's also see how John's message might truly be good news.
	John appears in the desert, saying "Repent!" Why? Because the Kingdom of heaven is near. Jesus appearance would usher in the new rule of God in the world. There was an expectation by many of the Jews at that time that God would soon fulfil his promise to send a Messiah to rescue his people and now John had appeared to say, "This is it! It's about to happen. So get ready. Fix up your lives so you're fit to meet him when he comes." Well, things have changed now haven't they. We now know that Jesus has come. We know that forgiveness of sins is possible only through faith in Jesus Christ, on the basis of what he did on the Cross. But at the same time John's words still apply to us. The season of Advent that's just finished reminds us that Christ is coming again - the final revelation of his Kingdom is round the corner. So it's just as important now as it was in John's day for us to be ready! As Paul says in Romans 13:"the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;" (Rom 13:12 NRSV)
	Well, having heard John's basic message, Matthew tells us that 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.'" Now at this point the reader is meant to think of the passage from which that quote is taken, that is, Is 40. What's the message of Isaiah 40? "Comfort, Comfort my people!" Why? Because God is coming to rescue them. Because their sins have been paid for. Because God is coming to restore his people and again make them his special possession. So we start to see that the harshness of John's message of repentance is softened by the context in which he preaches, that is, by the figure of prophecy we discover him to be.
	Another clue to who John is, is given by the description of his clothing. His hairy clothes and leather belt are the same description as that of Elijah in 2 Kings 1. So we see John to be a latter day Elijah. That is, the prophet promised by Malachi, who would appear to herald the coming of the day of the Lord and to bring people to repentance, to restore relationships with God and with each other.
	And when John preaches, what happens? People come to him to be baptised, as a way of saying that they've turned away from sin. At this level John has provided a remedy for sin. Not the lasting remedy that Jesus would provide, but a step in the right direction. You see the remedy for sin isn't denying or ignoring it, but admitting it, and turning to God. Prov 28:13 says "No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." So those who heard John, came to him confessing their sins and were baptised by him.
	But others came who didn't intend to confess their sins. The Pharisees and the Sadducees represented those who were serious about serving God and those who were the sophisticated traditionalists, who were serious about the worship of God. These were the ones who most claimed to stand under God's Law, and so they receive from John the strongest rebuke. Not because they were more sinful, mind you, but because they'd failed to respond to what they knew to be true. Because they claimed to be serving God when in fact they weren't. Now let's not forget that if John were here today, we'd be the group that would most closely fit the category of the Pharisees and the Sadducees - those who are serious about serving God and those who are serious about worshipping God. And what does he say to them? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Show by your lives that what you say you believe is true. Have lives that are being transformed by the word of God that you hold so precious.
	Then we have these uncomfortable words: 'The axe 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.' There's a clear message of pending judgement here that Jesus himself echoes in his parable of the good and bad fruit trees.// The idea of future judgment as an incentive for repentance isn't acceptable any more is it? It sounds so medieval, reminiscent of the Spanish inquisition. We cringe at the stereotype of the preacher of hellfire and damnation. But it seems it's a reality that God is concerned about. He doesn't want anyone to perish he says. That's why the Bible is so full of warnings about judgement. It's why Jesus spoke of judgement so often. Not because God is a vengeful God, but because he wants people to be warned to flee from the wrath that's coming.
	But you know, even as you read this warning from John, you discover hope in it. When you read that the axe is already at the root of the trees, what are you reminded of? Well, you may be reminded of this passage from Isaiah ch 11: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. ²The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD-- ³and he will delight in the fear of the LORD." The very mention of the axe cutting down the tree at its root reminds us of God's promise to send a new shoot out of the dead stump of Israel. We're reminded that God is faithful to his promises even in the moment of judgment, and that his promise to preserve a people for his name is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus and in the making of a new people who, like Jesus, are filled with God's Spirit.
	And so John goes on to tell of the coming of Jesus; of one who is far greater than he, who will baptise not just with water for repentance, but with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It seems that John was aware of the shortcomings of what he was doing. He was calling people to repentance, sure, but that was all he could do. It was far beyond him to offer them any solution for the problem of sin, apart from the acknowledging and repenting of it. But when Jesus came he'd offer them the means to both purify their lives and to transform them, through the work of the Holy Spirit. The baptism that Jesus would offer would be like a purifying fire that would remove all hints of impurity or sinfulness from their past. But more than that, he'd baptise with the Holy Spirit. That is he'd send the Holy Spirit on all believers, so that they'd be changed for the future, so they'd begin to be transformed into God's likeness. So that the repentance they'd express could be matched by a change of lifestyle, of outlook, of behaviour. // You know, in an age that suffers so badly from a sense of hopelessness and despair, this is a message we need to hear. There is hope for this world. There is hope that people can change. There is hope that you and I can change. Through the work of the Holy Spirit within us, we can be different people.
	As we saw on Christmas day, the unique thing about Christianity is the way we understand God. We understand him first of all as a God of creation, but other religions have a similar view in that respect. They see him too, in the wonders of the created order. That's why there are many things that come out of other religions that we'd want to agree with. But the thing that's unique about Christianity is that we believe that God has revealed himself to humanity as a God of redemption, of salvation, as a God who can change people, that he's done this through the words of Scripture, and particularly through the coming of his Son, Jesus Christ. We believe that as we read God's word we discover how God has worked to save us and how he's working to change us to be more like him. We believe that one of the ways he changes us is through the reading of God's word. That his Spirit dwelling within us takes his word and applies it to our lives to rebuke us, to encourage us, to change us. And we believe that in the gospel alone lies hope for this hopeless world.
	It's my earnest prayer that when we come to meet together for worship, when we join together in a small group, when we open up the bible for personal reading and meditation, that it'll be with an expectation that God is coming to speak to us in his word, that as we read or listen we'll somehow meet God face to face, that his Spirit will do his work of purifying us, changing us, transforming us, moulding us, so that day by day we become more and more Christlike, more and more like God wants us to be.

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