(Text only for Ch. 1,2,3 Audio available for most Matthew sermons from Chapter 4-28)
Title: John’s Rant: Part Two
Last week we looked at the first half of John the Baptists comments to the group of Pharisees and Sadducees that came out to observe him baptizing people. Whereas last week we focused on the rebuke that John issued to this “brood of vipers”, this week we will focus on the second half of John’s rant where he talks about God’s plan of judgement going forward. John’s message of “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Is a smaller version of his speech to the Pharisees and Sadducees. Last week we covered the “Repent!” aspect of his speech, and this week we will be focusing on the “For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” aspect of his speech.
Read whole speech (v7-12)
Pray
- John anticipates the response of the Pharisees and Sadducees
We see in verse nine, that before the Pharisees and Sadducees can even get a word of response in that John anticipates what they are going to say and beats them to the punch. “Don’t even think to say to me, ‘We have Abraham as our father!’”
What the Pharisees and Sadducees are attempting to argue is the same thing they’ve been arguing for years, and it’s one of the reasons they are false teachers. By saying, “We have Abraham as our father!” The Pharisees and Sadducees and making two arguments:
1. The Pharisees and Sadducees are arguing that salvation is their birthright. That because they were not only born Jewish, but also born into the priesthood, they have inherited favor from God.
2. The Pharisees and Sadducees are also saying that the Law is what will deliver them. Their faith and practice is in allegiance to the observance of the Law, and that, coupled with their birthright, makes them righteous.
John’s response is one that shows the utmost respect for God’s providence and sovereignty: “God is able to raise up children from these stones to Abraham.”
God can, and will, gather his people from whatever place, whatever tribe, whatever situation HE so rightly chooses. God is not limited in his ability to gather people into the covenant he made with Abraham.
The Pharisees and Sadducees had put God in their theological box and proclaimed, “This is the only way God can and will save anyone! And we are the only chosen people!”
You can see how this would lead to spiritual arrogance very quickly.
Application: Unfortunately, we have Christians like this today. LANDMARK churches are denominations that believe their denominations are the ONLY true christians, and all others are going to hell.
So where do we draw the line? When can we say, “This person, this group of people are not saved.”? (take answers)
Pastor Ben’s Answer: We draw the line at Scripture. Landmark Churches and the Pharisees and Sadducees draw the line outside of scripture, and can’t back up their beliefs with scripture.
- The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand!
(read v. 10)
John then revisits the imminence of the Kingdom of Heaven when he says that “even now” the ax is at the foot of the tree, ready to strike.
And what is it that decides whether this tree will live or be cut down? The same thing we talked about last week: the quality of the fruit the tree produces.
Twice now, John has made a reference warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees and it is always about their fruit.
John says, “Guys what have you done to honor God? What are you doing to honor God? You do a great job honoring yourselves, giving yourselves the best places at meals, and taking the praise of men, and positioning yourself next to the Roman magistrates, but what is the fruit in your lives that shows that you love God and keep his commandments? Your fruit is rotten, because it is self serving fruit, it is not God honoring fruit. You may be able to dress your fruit up and fool men. And when you pass through the square or argue the scriptures, or teach in the temple, others may say, ‘Oh what a Godly man!’ But God knows the truth. God knows that all of these things that you do are false piety, because you do them for yourselves, not for God.”
Application: Sadly, that same speech can and does apply to many heads of denominations today, many Christian authors, many pastors, many deacons, many church goers. These people fool men, and often fool themselves, and they take comfort in the praise of men, but God, not man, is judging their fruit, and the ax is laid at the root of the tree, and they, like the Pharisees and Sadducees are about to be cut off from life giving water of God’s Kingdom.
- John foreshadows Jesus
(read vv. 11-12)
In the last part of John’s rant he describes the coming Christ in some very specific detail:
- I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming in mightier than I…he will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. (John knows his baptism isn’t the complete story, but that an even greater baptism, from life to repentance, is coming.)
- Winnowing fan, cleaner of the threshing floor, burn up the chaff. (All of these are agricultural terms that show a judgement being made, the grain being separated from the stalk, and then the bad parts are being burned up in an unquenchable fire.)
Theological truth: Christ came for judgement. He came lay the ax at the root of the tree. He came to cut off those who were not bearing good fruit. He came to separate the wheat from the chaff. And, thankfully, he came to raise up children from stones. That is where you and I come in.
I often wonder if the reason our theology is so weak today is due, at least in part, to how we have misrepresented Jesus and his mission. We have pared down all the sharp edges and most christians teach their churches and children that Jesus loves everyone, that Jesus came to bring peace, and that Jesus never judges.
You know who loves that view of Jesus more than anyone?
Satan.