(Text only for Ch. 1,2,3 Audio available for most Matthew sermons from Chapter 4-28)
Title: John’s Rant: Part One
This week we return to the gospel of Matthew and continue to look at the arrival of John the Baptist on the scene. In our previous two sermons on John the Baptist we looked at his arrival pronouncing the Kingdom of Heaven to be at hand, and then we looked at John himself, and the miracle of God that it was that God would use a man who didn’t look the part of an ambassador, but certainly was the part of an ambassador in terms of his faithfulness to the kingdom he served.
Today we will turn out attention to John’s rebuke of the Pharisees and Sadducees and look at some of the very specific things John demonstrates about what real faith is, what God’s plan looks like, and who are truly God’s children.
John says so many brilliant things in his rant against these two groups, and I don’t want us to miss a thing, so we are going to break this down slowly and thoroughly because it is great stuff.
(read/pray)
John cuts to the heart of the matter with the Pharisees and Sadducees in one instant. In just verse 7 and 8 he summarized the entire problem he has with these groups in a moment.
I. “Brood of vipers!”
This insult is more than name calling. John establishes that these groups, though they are theological war with each other, are on in the same to John. They are a brood. A brotherhood. A clan.
Worse yet, they are vipers. They are the animal that represents Satan. They have been cursed to crawl on the ground for the duration of their lives. It has been prophesied by the Almighty Yahweh himself in Genesis three that the Son will come and crush the head of the serpent with his heel.
Even worse than that, though, is that they are not gardner snakes. They are not slippery, slithery, gross little beings that are essentially harmless. They are vipers. Deadly, poisonous, carnivorous animals that use cunning, deception, and quick strikes to paralyze their prey into submission before devouring them.
The irony: The Pharisees and Sadducees LOOK the part. John does not. Yet John speaks truth and represents the Kingdom of God, while this brood of vipers represents the evil pride of mankind.
Point: John calls them dangerous deceivers, sent to devour.
Application: There are people who “look the part” who are absolutely enemies of God. We have a responsibility to “be watchful in all things” (2 Tim. 4) and warn against these wolves in sheep’s clothing.
II. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
John said, “Who invited you?” This message was not intended for you. This message if for the meek. The message if for those willing to repent. This message is for people who are willing to come to the wilderness and listen the message of a man who looks crazy, hear that message from his lips, and then submit to that message by being baptized into repentance by this supposed crazy man.
The Irony: The people were responding to John’s message despite the fact that he didn’t look the part. If the people were truly being fed by the spiritual leadership of the Pharisees and Sadducees, (Which they should have been) they wouldn’t have needed to go to John. Also, consider that these two groups hated each other. By constantly waring with each other, they were proving that a house divided against itself cannot stand, and their ministry was a joke, and because of that, the people were looking elsewhere for Truth.
Point: This message is for the humble. And the Pharisees and Sadducees represented everything that is the opposite of spiritual humility.
Application: Do not expect to receiving ANYTHING from God based on your outward appearance and behavior. God wants nothing to do with the seemingly pious. God wants a humble heart, ready to repent, ready to submit, ready to be led.
- “Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance!”
John says something here that will be echoed later by Jesus himself, and again by other N.T. authors such as Paul and Peter: The measure of the worth of anything, a person, a plant, an idea, is it its fruit. What does this thing produce? What does this thing bear that is worthy? That is the only real evaluation question that we should be asking.
There are church services going on right now within a mile of where I am standing that have 10 times the number of people sitting and dutifully listening to their pastor’s sermon. Do you think Jesus if giving these churches more of thumbs up than us? Do you think Jesus is taking attendance?
Or do you think he’s saying: “Okay, so you have 500 in Sunday Morning service. So what? What are you producing? What is the result of the service? How are lives changed? Is the Truth preached? What is your worth?”
Having a lot of a bad thing doesn’t magically make that bad thing good. Only a good thing is good. And you will only know a good plant when you see it’s good fruit. Paul tells us we will be known by our fruit.
John the Baptist is apparently not impressed with the fruit of this brood of vipers, and he tells them that unless they bear fruit that suggests they are willing to change, then this message is not for them.
Irony: John is laying down the foundation, clearing the way for the Son of God, the Messiah to bring restoration and spiritual healing to Israel. These two theological, educated, intelligent groups should have seen the Messiah for who he was. But instead they have made themselves God’s enemies because of their pride.
Point: I don’t care what you profess theologically. I don’t care how much scripture you can quote. I don’t care what level of education you’ve achieved. None of these things tells me anything about your commitment to Christ. But these things on this banner (fruit of the Spirit) now that’s something I can get behind. That is a true evaluation tool of your spiritual integrity and growth.
Application: There are a lot of ways that man likes to evaluate other’s spiritual maturity. You need to be concerned ONLY with how GOD evaluated one’s spiritual maturity.