Matthew 3:1-12

In Scripture we see this process of preparation for the coming of Christ. It can be argued that God had been sending a type of Christ to the people that foreshadowed the actual Messiah through Judges, Kings, and Leaders. But here we see a picture of the one that cleared the way for earthly ministry for Jesus. John the Baptist had a particular job of preparing the people to see clearly the Messiah.

His message was simple and should be admonished by us as believers today. Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is near. What exactly does this phrase mean and why is it important for us to show that proper response of repentance? I have three thoughts in reponse to the message of John the Baptist.

First, there was a proper fear associated with the message of John. In today's world it is out of fashion to preach from a "doom and gloom" perspective as people today want to be inspired, uplifted, and fulfilled. To them God is that all powerful geni that will make all our dreams come true. John did not see God that way. He understood Him to be all powerful, holy, and worthy of our worship. We should worship Him rather than the other way around.

Second, John preached repentance, which implies that this holy God is filled with mercy. The prayer of repentance in the context of appropriate fear is what we call humility. The message of John is simple in that it declares we are to humble ourselves before the Lord. We see this clearly as he says Himself that someone is coming that he is unable to carry His shoes because the Lord is holy. Our repentance should have that heart of humilty.

Third, John preached that judgment was coming. He says the ax is already at the root of the tree. What a great picture to illustrate the judgment of God! It is clear that the coming judgment is just about to be executed and what even John does not understand is that Christ is going to take that judgment upon Himself. The ax he portrays is the judgment that we as sinners deserve, but we know that Christ took those death blows that we deserved.

The promise and hope by which we live is that this judgment of death did not hold Christ. He rose again from the dead and He is alive. Because of that I follow the preaching of John - Repent! for the Kingdom of God is Near and is He closer to us than we realize.