Are you ready to meet the King?

Hi everyone, I'm Amy and I'll be doing the Bible reading for today.

The reading is from the book of Matthew, chapter 3, verses 1 to 12.

Matthew 3:1–12

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the desert of Judea, and saying, Repent,

for the kingdom of heaven is near. 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.

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. 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. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptized,

he said to them, You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, 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. 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. 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. 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. Father, I pray simply that you would open our eyes to see Jesus,

for each one of us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Amen. Well, tomorrow has been called Freedom Day. It's Freedom Day tomorrow, according to an ABC

News article. Freedom from the captivity of the COVID restrictions. More people can gather together,

we can sing at Christmas, a handful of people can dance again. I'll happily step aside and let you

dance if you want to. And this will mean that there's more jobs again. That's probably,

the best news, isn't it? The first line of the article says that pubs, theatres and places of

worship all agree next week's Freedom Day in New South Wales will be the best Christmas present

they could wish for. It's good news, isn't it? We're all looking forward to it. We should be thankful

and not take it for granted. Now, I'm sure many people had it worse than me in Australia, but

calling it Freedom Day just feels to me a bit over the top. It made me wonder, will lifting the

restrictions make my life better? I think that really depends on how you measure a good life.

So for instance, during the COVID restrictions this year, I think I was actually shown that there's a

much greater captivity that I need freedom from than just the restrictions. Let me show you what I mean.

Now, this probably depends on your personality, but a week into the lockdown back in April,

with all these life commitments suddenly cancelled, as an introvert, I loved the extra time that I could

just use for however I wanted to spend it. I don't know if you found that. It probably depends on

personality. Or when the madness erupted with the panic buying. Even though I resolved to only buy

what I needed for that week, like usual, I remember standing in the aisle of Coles holding a bag of rice

rice that I didn't need and having this battle inside me, will it be here next week? And I took it for myself.

When the lockdown lifted and these commitments started up again, it was difficult to leave the house,

did you find? Like to set the alarm earlier, to actually drive to places, oh, what a burden.

It gets in the way of your agenda again. Now, you might be thinking these are very minor things,

but I believe they're examples of my heart being captive, that I'm devoted to a life living for myself.

The outward situations change, but the problem inside my heart remains the same.

The heart devoted to self can sometimes have very little impact on others, like you wouldn't even notice it.

But other times, I think you would agree with me, a life devoted to self can really harm

and let others down.

I wonder, will we use our renewed freedoms tomorrow for ourselves?

Or are we excited because we have more opportunities to serve others?

Is your heart devoted to living for yourself?

God's word to us today in Matthew is going to tell us about the greatest freedom day.

The day when God came to set us free on the inside.

So let's listen to what God says to us today.

After Matthew has spent two chapters looking at the birth of Jesus

and how he clearly meets the criteria for God's promised king,

he skips over 25 years or so of Jesus' life.

He's not a very good biographer, if that's what he's trying to do.

Which it's not, he's got a point to make.

Our attention is then drawn in chapter 3 to this camel hair wearing,

locust eating, probably smelly man,

living outside civilisation in the wilderness,

a preacher who announces this day of freedom.

What a weird thing to draw our attention to.

The Bible rarely tells us what someone looks like.

So it's interesting that we're told in 2 Kings 1.8 that Elijah the prophet,

who lived a further 850 years before John,

he wore a garment of hair with a leather belt around his waist.

Now why is this significant?

It's significant because God's final promise in the Old Testament,

before Jesus turns up, is Malachi 4.5.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet,

before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

As far as we know, there's absolutely nothing attractive about John

that people back then or us today would be attracted to him,

to come to him.

We're told in verse 5 that many people did.

Like a lot of people confused him for the king himself.

That's how popular he was.

Many people came and listened.

Now why is he worth listening to?

He's worth listening to because he is the last prophet to come

before the great and awesome day,

the day called the Day of the Lord,

the day when God himself walks in the door,

when he turns up.

Isaiah the prophet said the same thing and Matthew quotes it.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness,

prepare the way of the Lord.

Make his path straight.

The Lord is coming.

Now the original context of this quote in Isaiah

is about God's people being set free from captivity,

a new exodus,

a new freedom.

If John is this second Elijah preparing the way,

then the Day of the Lord is here.

It's arrived.

It's happened.

And the prophets were clear that the Day of the Lord

was a day of salvation,

bringing everlasting freedom

for those who want God to be in control.

But it's also the Day of God's anger

for anyone who doesn't want God to be God.

God is showing up.

It's either going to be freedom or anger.

Depending on whether we want God to be God.

Another clue that Matthew gives us

that this new day has arrived is the setting.

It's in the wilderness.

Now, the wilderness is where God loves

to bring about new beginnings.

So we see it when the Israelites come out of Egypt.

After leaving captivity in Egypt,

they're taken into the wilderness

and it's in the wilderness

that God comes to them at Mount Sinai

and enters into a covenant relationship with them.

It's in the wilderness.

There's nothing there.

That's where God meets people

and starts the new covenant relationship.

But for Israel back then,

that freedom to live with God,

that freedom to live for God,

it was short-lived.

It didn't last.

Because the problem in their hearts,

they just stuffed it up again and again and again.

So God promised through the prophets

a new day of freedom.

A new exodus from captivity in the wilderness.

I love the pictures in the next chapter of Isaiah,

Isaiah 41 · chapter mention

chapter 41.

chapter 41.

When the poor and needy seek water,

and there is none,

and their tongue is parched with thirst,

I, the Lord, will answer them.

I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

and the dry land springs of water.

I will put in the wilderness the cedar,

the acacia, the myrtle, the olive,

that they may see and know,

may consider and understand together

that the hand of the Lord has done this.

The Holy One of Israel has created it.

Now what's the point of that?

The crowds who first heard John,

they had to leave Jerusalem.

They had to leave the city

and go into the wilderness

for this new beginning.

They had to leave behind their status as Jews,

as members of the people of God.

They had to leave that behind,

not trust in it.

They had to leave behind

the religious establishment

that said,

this is how you approach God.

They had to leave that behind

and go to the wilderness.

So too, I think we need to leave behind

whatever we look to in life.

As the source of our confidence before God,

we've got to leave that behind

and come to God with nothing

and let him create a garden in our hearts.

We've got to come to him with nothing

in the wilderness

and he creates something new.

So John's message in verse 2

is really brief,

but it's life-changing.

It's history-changing.

Here's his message.

Here's what's going to bring about the change.

Repent,

for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

That's it.

The kingdom of heaven isn't about a place.

The kingdom of heaven is not the church,

the institution.

It is really about God's kingship,

his sovereignty.

I like how a guy named R.T. France

puts John's message.

He says it like this.

God is now taking control.

He's come.

God is now taking control.

The kingdom of heaven is the rule of God.

Now, we might assume that the rule of God

is kind of like the COVID restrictions.

It's a damper.

It's restraining life.

But that's not true.

God's good rule is like water

pouring in the wilderness

that causes thriving.

It sets us free.

Of course, in one sense,

ever since God created the world,

he's always been ruling.

He's God.

He's still ruling.

But in another sense,

people don't recognize his rule.

People don't like his rule.

People fight against him being God

of their lives.

And so there's this tension.

John's message is,

the kingdom of heaven is now.

It starts in our hearts.

It's when people acknowledge

that God alone is God

and want to live in his good ways.

It's when people love God

and worship him alone.

People all over the world.

That's the changes in here.

The kingdom of heaven is arriving

in people's hearts.

That time has begun.

It's arrived.

It's not future.

It's arrived.

It's not future.

Which is why it is time

for every person to repent.

Now, repentance isn't just

feeling sorry for what you've done,

although you've got to start there.

Repentance is to abandon

living for yourself

and turn back to God.

It's to give your entire allegiance

to him,

not to self.

And John gives us two pictures

of how urgent

our situation is.

He says in verse 10,

even now the axe

is laid at the root of the trees.

Every tree, therefore,

that does not bear good fruit

is cut down

and thrown into the fire.

There are serious consequences

to trying to dethrone God

in our lives.

That is a serious thing

to try and do.

The axe is placed

at the root of the tree.

It is ready to swing.

Every tree,

the whole tree,

it's at the root.

The whole tree will come down.

There's no time to waste.

The gardener wants

to find good fruit.

That's what a fruit tree

is for.

Otherwise,

it's worthless,

only good for burning.

God is looking

for the fruit

of a life

lived

in love of God

which overflows

in the love of others.

But notice

that as every tree,

the judgment

is selective.

God isn't just

swinging wildly.

He's careful.

It's selective.

Each person

is judged

according to their own fruit

or lack thereof.

So the question

for us is

will he find

fruit on your tree?

The other picture

is a farming one

in verse 12.

After harvesting

the wheat,

there's a pile of wheat

mixed up with

all the other bits

that got caught up

in the threshing.

Now the farmer

uses a shovel,

a winnowing fork,

it's called here,

to throw it up

in the air

and the light bit,

the useless bits

are lighter

and the wind

blows it away

and the wheat

falls back down.

The wheat

is bundled up

and safely

brought into the barn.

The chaff,

the useless bits,

is bundled up

and put

into the fire.

Notice again

the judgment

is selective.

The wheat

isn't burned

with the chaff

nor is the chaff

accidentally bundled up

with the wheat.

John says

the situation

is urgent.

The winnowing fork

is in his hand.

He's ready

to separate.

Bringing his people

into his barn safely

and the rest

burnt with

unquenchable

fire.

Fire that can't

be extinguished.

Now to be honest

with you,

I had to spend

a lot of time

this week

just researching

this word

unquenchable

and things like

every fiver

of my being

wants this

not to mean

what it means.

Maybe I'm okay

in the extreme cases

like Hitler

and the like

of them

having eternal

unquenchable

fire.

Maybe I'm okay

with that

but for

ordinary people

this idea

is just

terrifying.

Many Christians

try and downplay

what the Bible

says,

what Jesus

himself says

later on.

So one idea

that people

have come up

with is

purgatory

where people

just pay

for their

sins

and then

they go

to heaven.

Another idea

is that

only Christians

have eternal

life.

Everyone else

just ceases

to exist.

Unfortunately

this picture

here of a fire

that can't be

extinguished

is a picture

of eternal

conscious experience

and Jesus

talks about

this later.

It's a

terrifying

thought.

But even

if we

struggle with

I think we

should all

struggle with

this idea.

I think anyone

should be

rejoicing about

this concept.

But we've

got a

choice.

We can

sit as

judge over

what God

says in

the Bible

and decide

it's too

harsh or

we can

listen to

what the

righteous

judge

says.

While we

do,

we need to

always remember

what God

says in

Ezekiel 33

11.

Please hear

this clearly.

as I

live,

declares

the Lord

God,

I have

no pleasure

in the

death of

the wicked.

I have

no pleasure.

But that

the wicked

would turn

from his

way and

live.

Turn

back,

turn back

from your

evil ways.

For why

will you

die?

That is the

heart of

God.

He takes

no pleasure

in the

death of

anyone.

God's

just

judgment,

the words

of Malachi

say it

best.

Who can

endure

the day

of his

coming?

Who can

stand when

he appears?

Is there

any good

tree?

Is there

any good

wheat?

Well,

before you

despair,

before we

despair,

you need

to see

the surprising

answer to

who the

king counts

as good

and whom

he will

cut down.

We see

two groups

of people

coming out

to John

and they

represent the

two responses

we can have

to King

Jesus.

people.

If you

were to ask

a Jewish

person living

in Jerusalem

at the

time,

show me

what a

godly

person

looks like,

they would

take you

to one

of two

groups of

people.

The

Sadducees

or the

Pharisees.

They're the

religious elite.

They're at the

top.

The Sadducees

were politically

in charge.

They were the

priests in the

temple.

And the Sadducees,

they were just

so careful

to keep

God's rules

that they

added rules

just to be

even more

careful.

Everyone

thought these

guys were

close to

God.

They're at

the top.

If anyone's

getting in,

they're getting

in.

But verse

7,

when these

religious elites

come out to

see why all

the crowds

are coming to

John,

he does not

welcome them.

You brood of

vipers,

who warned

you to

flee from

the wrath

to come.

Bear fruit

in keeping

with repentance.

They too

needed to

turn their

hearts back

to God,

but they

thought they

were already

pretty good

by their

own efforts.

They were

Abraham's

descendants.

They thought

they were

already members

of God's

people.

They were

confident they

were already

good at

running their

own life.

Yet from

God's

perspective,

where their

confidence in

themselves,

their lack

of awareness

of their

sin,

they're in

danger of

hell.

It was the

religious elite

who were most

in danger.

And then

surprisingly,

again,

it's the

ordinary people,

the people you

could look at

and they

obviously haven't

lived for God.

God.

It's those

people who

came out to

John who

admitted that

they need

forgiveness.

They admitted

that they need

freedom from

their sin,

that they need

a new

beginning.

It isn't the

self-confident

person that the

king welcomes,

it's the person

who confesses

their need for

the king to

forgive them

and change

them.

We see in

verse 6,

to symbolise

their turning

back to God,

they're baptised

by John,

confessing

their sins.

So baptism,

it was common

back then for

converts to

Judaism to

immerse

themselves in

water to

show a change

in their life,

to stop

worshipping

other gods

and to

worship the

God of the

Jews.

Or it was

common for

Jews on their

way to the

temple to

wash themselves.

What's different

about John's

baptism was

to accept

his message

that the

new day of

God's rule

under God's

appointed king

has begun

because the

king has

shown up.

It was to

believe his

message.

It was to

accept freedom

on God's

terms.

Even the

act of having

John immerse

them, so

they didn't

immerse

themselves,

the act of

John baptizing.

Even that

symbolizes that

you don't

change yourself.

You must

receive it.

It must be

done for

you.

But John

is really

clear.

His water

baptism was

just to

prepare people

for the

real inside

change that

only the

king can

give you.

John

can't give

it.

I can't

give it to

you.

You must go

to the

king himself

to get

that internal

cleansing.

A radical

change has

to happen,

like turning

stones into

children.

Only God

can do

that.

With

enough

willpower

and motivations,

I can

modify some

of my

behaviors.

Like, I've

cut down

from three

coffees to

two each

day.

That's a

big win

for me.

But how

will my

heart,

that is so

devoted to

a life living

for myself,

be set

free to

love God

and others?

How will

that happen?

The prophet

Ezekiel in

chapter 36

said that

God will

one day

bring about

this radical

change.

Let me

read his

words.

God

said,

I will

sprinkle

clean

water on

you,

and you

shall be

clean from

all your

uncleannesses,

and from

all your

idols I

will cleanse

you,

and I

will give

you a

new heart

and a

new spirit

I will

put within

you,

and I

will remove

the heart

of stone

from your

flesh and

give you

a heart

of flesh,

and I

will put

my spirit

within you

and cause

you to

walk in

my statutes

and be

careful to

obey my

rules,

and you

shall be

my people

and I

will be

your God.

John

says the

day of

inner renewal

has arrived

with King

Jesus.

verse 11,

he points

forward to

this baptism

inside.

He who

is coming

after me

is mightier

than I,

whose sandals

I'm not

worthy to

carry.

He will

baptize you

with the

Holy Spirit

and fire.

And then

Jesus walks

onto the

scene,

the next

verse,

and he's

baptized by

John.

That's a bit

surprising and

we're going

to look at

that next

week.

Why does

he choose

to be

baptized?

The

mighty

one has

arrived.

The

day of

the Lord

is here.

The

King has

come.

God is

now taking

control.

How does

he take

control of

our hearts?

It's not

by force.

God is

going to

do it.

I like

the quote

by Augustine

which captures

the lengths

Jesus has

gone to,

not to

condemn us,

which he

has every

right to

do,

but to

set us

free.

So it's

in the

bulletin,

but let me

read it.

Talking

about Jesus,

he lies in

a manger,

but he

holds the

world in

his hand.

God

is

nourished

at the

breast,

but he

feeds

angels.

He is

wrapped in

swaddling

cloths,

but he

clothes us

with

immortality.

He is

suckled,

but he's

adored.

He does

not find

room in

the inn,

but he

makes a

temple for

himself in

the hearts

of believers.

God

became a

human

being

to set

us free

from living

for ourselves.

I think

it is

right for

us to

fear

eternal

fire that

our sins

deserve.

It is

right for

us to

fear that.

But Jesus

does not

want you

to come

simply with

fear.

We're just

saying it

in Amazing

Grace,

the lyrics.

It was

grace that

taught my

heart to

fear,

and grace

my fears

relieved.

You've

got to

start with

fear,

but he

doesn't

want you

to just

come with

fear.

It was

grace that

my fears

relieved.

How does

he do

that?

The

king sets

us free

from our

sin by

taking hell

upon himself

by going

to the

cross.

God

said,

instead of

me,

the fruitless

tree,

the gardener

was cut

down.

Instead

of me,

the chaff

that should

have been

blown away,

the farmer

himself was

thrown into

the fire.

God

will

love you.

God

will

love you.

God

will

love you.

He invites

us to

come to

him to

be set

free,

to give

our total

allegiance to

him and

receive the

Holy Spirit

that will

change us

from the

inside out,

to love

God and

love others

as we're

made for.

But he

does it by

his own

death.

death.

His own

death makes

a temple for

himself in

the hearts

of believers.

So are

you ready

to meet

the king?

are you

ready to

accept

freedom on

God's

terms?

Not

freedom to

sin,

to keep

living for

yourself,

but freedom

to love

and flourish

under the

king.

God has

turned up.

He's

walked in

the door.

The time

of God's

rule has

begun.

The king

is enthroned.

His name

is Jesus.

Tomorrow

might be

freedom day

from all

the

restrictions,

but today

he offers

you freedom

from your

sin.

He offers

you freedom

from the

consequences

of your

sin.

He offers

you a

new

beginning,

a new

life,

knowing God

as your

father,

loving him,

and then

that overflowing

in loving

others.

we've

all got

to face

this

king one

day,

an answer

for our

lives.

Why not

come to

him today,

confessing

your sin,

asking him

to change

you?

Will you

pray with me?

Father,

let's pray.

Let's pray.

Father,

we thank you

for sending

your son,

not to

condemn the

world,

but to

save us.

We thank you

that you

came,

Lord,

not to be

served,

but to

serve us

by going

to the

cross in

our

place.

Father,

help each

of us

to hear

your words

in Matthew.

Lord,

help each

of us

not to

trust in

ourselves

and be

confident in

ourselves

to stand

before you,

but help us

come to you.

May our

hearts be a

wilderness as

we come to

you,

and may you

create new

life in each

one of us,

the life

you made

us for,

the life

in your

presence,

knowing your

love that

even went to

the cross

for our

sake.

Lord,

create a

garden in

each one

of us,

set us

free from

a life

lived for

self,

that we

might love

you as

you deserve

and love

others as

we ought

to.

Lord,

only your

spirit can

bring about

this.

My words

can't,

only your

spirit can.

Please,

save each

one of us,

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.