Life Of Messiah 18 Preaching Of John The Baptist

[00:00:06] You're listening to Theology and Apologetics with Thomas Fretwell, bringing theology to life.

[00:00:13] So we are Life of Messiah number 19 now, and we have pretty much covered all of the gospel material that covers the birth and the young life of Christ.

[00:00:24] So with this section, we're moving on to the next portion of the gospels.

[00:00:28] But everything that has gone before, we have been building that messianic expectation.

[00:00:33] It's given you, hopefully, an understanding of what the world was like a little bit back then.

[00:00:38] All these angelic announcements, the angels' announcements to Mary, to Joseph, to Elizabeth and Zachariah,

[00:00:44] the special births of John The Baptist and the virgin birth of Mary.

[00:00:48] We saw the amazing reaction, baby Jesus in the temple, those old saints, Simeon and Anna,

[00:00:55] just declaring and prophesying wonderful things over the young child at his dedication.

[00:01:00] We also looked at some of the Roman leaders that shaped the world at this time.

[00:01:04] We looked at Caesar Augustus, his rise to power, a military leader and one of the most popular emperors in many ways,

[00:01:13] but he started the cult of emperor worship and he claimed himself to be divine, and we talked a lot about that.

[00:01:18] We also spent a lot of time looking at Herod the Great, the man who at the time was ruling over Israel.

[00:01:24] We looked at his cruelty, his paranoia, and we're going to see some of his children who feature throughout the rest of the gospel period too.

[00:01:33] They call this the Herodian dynasty.

[00:01:36] Herod the Great is not over, his influence remains on through his children, and we'll have a little look at them today.

[00:01:43] Last week we looked at that one episode that we get in the Bible of Jesus as a boy.

[00:01:48] If you remember, we made a point of highlighting that it is only one episode we get of the young life of Jesus,

[00:01:54] and it is that episode where at 12 years old he was taken to the temple.

[00:01:59] We discussed the significance of that, because 12 years old was the age that a Jewish boy would prepare to be apprenticed into his father's trade,

[00:02:07] and this was obviously the son of God, and where else would you find him other than in his father's house,

[00:02:12] as he puts it, really preparing himself to take on his father's occupation, the redemption of mankind.

[00:02:18] He's discussing theology with the rabbis there, and we talked all about that.

[00:02:22] So now, as we move into the third chapter of most of these gospels, we pick up the narrative of Jesus 18 years later.

[00:02:31] So we saw him at 12, and now with nothing for 18 years,

[00:02:34] and we're going to see him now at the beginning of his public ministry,

[00:02:37] which is really starting with John the Baptist that we see.

[00:02:42] Now, we're actually going to do what we call a synoptic Bible study this morning.

[00:02:47] Remember, part of this series is that we're teaching through all four gospels simultaneously

[00:02:51] to give you a broad understanding of the life of Messiah.

[00:02:55] So far, everything we've covered is really just one or two of the gospels,

[00:02:59] but from here on out, we're going to be using all three gospels simultaneously.

[00:03:03] So a synoptic study is where you try and harmonize them,

[00:03:06] because each gospel, if you remember our introductions,

[00:03:09] has a different theme and a different focus,

[00:03:11] and they include certain things that other gospels don't include,

[00:03:14] depending on the selection by the author of what their theme is.

[00:03:18] This is why the gospels are different in many ways.

[00:03:20] Sometimes they don't do the same quotes,

[00:03:22] and there's all these different things that actually when you study them together,

[00:03:25] they give you a much fuller picture of the gospel.

[00:03:28] So we'll be kind of getting into a little bit of that this morning.

[00:03:30] I'll hopefully give us a slowish introduction to that,

[00:03:34] but hey, that stuff's exciting.

[00:03:35] It's fun.

[00:03:36] If you've never done it before, it's a great way to read through the gospel,

[00:03:39] so I'm sure you will all manage.

[00:03:41] So we are looking at really the preaching of John the Baptist this morning.

[00:03:45] And if you remember when we dealt with the birth narratives,

[00:03:49] John the Baptist's birth was special.

[00:03:52] His father, remember, they were told that they were going to have a child late in life.

[00:03:55] His father, Zacharias, was visited by an angel in the temple,

[00:03:58] and it was announced that he was going to be the forerunner,

[00:04:01] the herald of the coming Messiah.

[00:04:03] That was his mission.

[00:04:04] That was his duty.

[00:04:05] And that is really what we see here.

[00:04:09] So let's turn first to Mark chapter 1.

[00:04:12] This is the first thing we're going to read.

[00:04:14] Mark chapter 1, because Mark's gospel contains an introductory statement

[00:04:18] that the other two do not have.

[00:04:21] Mark chapter 1.

[00:04:22] And you may notice this is the first time we've really been in Mark's gospel.

[00:04:25] We haven't really looked.

[00:04:26] Mark did not cover anything to do with the young life of Jesus Christ,

[00:04:30] or anything like that.

[00:04:31] And that is because of the purpose of Mark's gospel.

[00:04:34] It's a short gospel.

[00:04:35] It was a gospel written to the Roman mind.

[00:04:37] The Romans were concerned with action and things like that.

[00:04:40] They weren't so much concerned with all the background.

[00:04:42] And that is what you see in Mark's gospel.

[00:04:44] This is why people like Wycliffe translators,

[00:04:47] when they're out in the field,

[00:04:48] the first gospel they usually translate is Mark.

[00:04:50] It's the shortest, and it gets to the point extreme,

[00:04:53] well, in the first verse, as we're going to see here.

[00:04:55] That is why they used Mark's gospel.

[00:04:57] I think it, I couldn't get the exact figures,

[00:04:59] but I think Mark's gospel is the most translated part of the Bible in the world.

[00:05:02] Because, exactly because of that reason,

[00:05:04] it's the first one that missionaries usually translate.

[00:05:06] But it begins like this.

[00:05:08] Mark chapter 1, verse 1.

[00:05:11] It says,

[00:05:11] The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

[00:05:17] So that's it.

[00:05:17] Pretty straightforward, clear, crisp introduction.

[00:05:20] The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

[00:05:25] Now remember, the words,

[00:05:26] The beginning, that's your prologue there.

[00:05:28] Very much like John's gospel, which we studied.

[00:05:31] Remember, his was in the beginning.

[00:05:32] That's how he started.

[00:05:33] In the beginning was the word.

[00:05:35] Here, Mark just says,

[00:05:36] The beginning.

[00:05:37] And he gets straight to the point.

[00:05:39] But also remember,

[00:05:40] we talked about this a little bit.

[00:05:42] The term good news there.

[00:05:43] When we looked at the announcement of the angels to the shepherds,

[00:05:47] about the birth,

[00:05:48] I bring you good news of great joy for all people.

[00:05:52] And then we focused in on that expression, good news.

[00:05:54] It's the word gospel there.

[00:05:56] It is the exact word that we translate gospel.

[00:05:58] That is what it means.

[00:05:59] Good news.

[00:05:59] The word gospel.

[00:06:01] But we spoke about how this was understood in the world at this time.

[00:06:04] Because do you remember Caesar Augustus, the emperor at this time?

[00:06:07] Now, although Tiberius, his son, is actually currently ruling, this still applies.

[00:06:11] They would use that term, the gospel, of themselves.

[00:06:15] And I read you that inscription that we had.

[00:06:17] I'll read it again.

[00:06:18] With his appearance, Caesar Augustus,

[00:06:20] exceeded hopes of all those who anticipated the gospel, good news, before him.

[00:06:25] Not only surpassing those who had been benefactors before him,

[00:06:28] but not leaving those to come any hope of surpassing him for the future.

[00:06:32] So to the Roman world, the term gospel, or good tidings, good news,

[00:06:36] was used to signal something that led to a new situation in the world.

[00:06:41] For them, it was the new Caesar, the divine Caesar,

[00:06:43] the arrival of the divine age, they would call it,

[00:06:46] obviously mistakenly applying it to Caesar.

[00:06:48] But that is how they used the term gospel.

[00:06:50] So Mark, again, is making a very pointed statement here

[00:06:54] to the Roman audience, to the Roman world.

[00:06:56] The good news, as in the thing that is now heralding the dawn of a new age,

[00:07:00] is not Caesar, it's not Tiberius at this time, wasn't Augustus.

[00:07:04] It is who?

[00:07:05] The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the son of God.

[00:07:10] He is the one that really is the dawn of the new age,

[00:07:13] if we could call it that, the dawn of the messianic era.

[00:07:17] And the naming is very specific.

[00:07:18] Jesus Christ.

[00:07:20] Remember, we dealt with the names.

[00:07:21] Hebrew, that's Yeshua.

[00:07:23] It means God saves.

[00:07:24] His very name testified to his mission.

[00:07:27] Jesus in Hebrew means God saves.

[00:07:29] And the term Christ there, you remember that?

[00:07:31] That's not a surname.

[00:07:32] It's a title that means the anointed one.

[00:07:35] Hamashiach.

[00:07:35] It means the anointed.

[00:07:37] So it's a very brief description of what Jesus will do.

[00:07:40] He is the one anointed by God to save.

[00:07:43] That is the message.

[00:07:44] Even his name testifies to his purpose.

[00:07:47] But then Mark also adds that little descriptor for the Roman audience,

[00:07:50] the son of God.

[00:07:52] To make no mistake that we are dealing with the divine Messiah here too.

[00:07:57] It's very important.

[00:07:58] I like the way Mark does this.

[00:07:59] Clear, crisp, to the point very quickly.

[00:08:02] It's very important in our culture that you can actually describe Jesus Christ very quickly,

[00:08:07] but get it accurate as well.

[00:08:10] Quite often in our world, you will only get a couple of minutes sometimes maybe,

[00:08:13] if you get an opening to share with someone about Jesus Christ.

[00:08:16] We must be able to describe who he is, his character, his nature, and his mission very quickly.

[00:08:21] There's no better way to do that than simply say his names and explain what they mean.

[00:08:25] I think that's why God gave them to us like that.

[00:08:27] Jesus, the Christ, the son of God, does all of that.

[00:08:30] He's divine.

[00:08:31] He's the Messiah.

[00:08:32] He's the anointed one.

[00:08:33] He's God's method of salvation.

[00:08:34] You see?

[00:08:35] That's it.

[00:08:36] Learn those things.

[00:08:36] It's a very good way to do that.

[00:08:38] And you could say here, Mark's introduction is not so much thinking about the gospel message

[00:08:43] that Jesus would preach, which is how often we associate it.

[00:08:46] I would say he's more referring to the fact of the gospel that he was.

[00:08:50] He himself was the gospel, the good news.

[00:08:53] He is the one that brings this new era to us.

[00:08:56] But then let's continue in Mark.

[00:08:59] So then Mark, after that introductory line, he jumps straight into verse 2.

[00:09:03] He says,

[00:09:22] So after that very short introduction, Mark gets straight to the point by quoting an Old Testament prophecy.

[00:09:28] He wants people to know at this point that what is transpiring is not something that has not been told.

[00:09:35] We have, in fact, prophecy 700 years in advance detailing this event.

[00:09:40] And Mark is making very clear that Jesus is now the one who is fulfilling this event.

[00:09:45] It's a very important moment.

[00:09:47] He gets straight into the point by quoting Isaiah.

[00:09:50] Now, for introduction, synoptic study, remember?

[00:09:53] That's Mark.

[00:09:54] Very brief introduction, straight into the quotation.

[00:09:57] Now, turn to Luke.

[00:09:59] Luke chapter 3.

[00:10:00] We're going to see how Luke handles this introduction.

[00:10:03] And you may remember Luke is a very unique gospel.

[00:10:06] It's the most chronological.

[00:10:07] It's the most detailed.

[00:10:09] Look how he begins.

[00:10:10] Not with a singular statement.

[00:10:11] This is the beginning of the good news, the gospel, the son of God.

[00:10:14] He begins like this, Luke chapter 3.

[00:10:16] Now, in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch over the region of Eituria and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene.

[00:10:31] In the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

[00:10:38] And he came into all the district around Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet.

[00:10:47] The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make his path straight.

[00:10:52] Every ravine will be filled, every mountain will be brought low.

[00:10:56] The crooked will become straight and the rough roads smooth, and all flesh will see the salvation of God.

[00:11:04] You see, it's a little bit different, isn't it?

[00:11:06] As is typical to Luke, remember Luke's introduction made the point that he was concerned with reporting, in his own words, the exact truth of what happened.

[00:11:16] Term that means basically he is reporting in a more chronological, detailed manner a lot of these detailed,

[00:11:22] and that's why we see his gospel just chocked full of historical markers, historical referent, and things like that.

[00:11:28] So let's have a look at a few of these.

[00:11:30] It says the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar, so Tiberius, the adopted son of the Emperor Augustus who succeeded him.

[00:11:38] The 15th year brings us roughly, most people assume, to 26 AD.

[00:11:43] And Tiberius reigned from 14 AD to 37 AD.

[00:11:50] So basically the whole of the adult life of Jesus Christ.

[00:11:52] And he's important, I believe Luke makes a point of mentioning him,

[00:11:55] because he is the person that was on, who ruled during the life, but also the death of Jesus Christ.

[00:12:02] That event that required Roman approval, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

[00:12:07] Tiberius obviously was the ruler at this time.

[00:12:10] And there was also, there still is, there's a biblical city in Israel called Tiberius.

[00:12:14] That is where the name comes from, named after Tiberius by his brother to honour him.

[00:12:18] When the Jews ask, later on in the Gospels, we'll get there eventually,

[00:12:21] when they asked Jesus, is it lawful to pay a poll tax to Caesar?

[00:12:26] The coin that they would have used, I think you've got a picture of it there,

[00:12:29] the coin they would have used would have been a coin with the picture of Tiberius on the front.

[00:12:35] And interestingly, on the back of that coin, it has the inscription that says,

[00:12:39] Tiberius Caesar, son of the divine Augustus, the greatest pontiff or high priest, basically, is what it says there.

[00:12:47] So you can see why the Jews had a problem with that coin being used for their temple offering.

[00:12:52] Yes, it was blasphemous just in and of itself.

[00:12:54] You remember the famous statement, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar,

[00:12:57] but to me, give that wonderful answer that Jesus does.

[00:13:00] We'll have fun when we get there.

[00:13:01] But that is, again, what we have, Tiberius Caesar.

[00:13:04] So again, historical marker.

[00:13:06] Luke then says, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea.

[00:13:10] And again, Pontius Pilate mentioned, because he's very involved in the life and the death of Jesus Christ

[00:13:16] and sentencing him and all those things.

[00:13:18] Now, we have a few mentions of Pilate.

[00:13:21] Tacitus, the Roman historian, mentions him.

[00:13:23] Philo of Alexandria mentioned him.

[00:13:25] So does Josephus.

[00:13:26] But there's some good archaeological finds that we have for him too,

[00:13:29] the chief of which being what they call the Pilate Stone.

[00:13:33] This was the Pilate Stone here discovered in Caesarea Maritime,

[00:13:37] one of Pilate's cities that he built.

[00:13:39] And it says on the side of it, it says,

[00:13:43] to the divine Augustus Tiberium, Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea, has dedicated...

[00:13:49] Then we lose the inscription.

[00:13:50] But it's interesting.

[00:13:51] We have that description there.

[00:13:53] He was the prefect of Judea, just as Luke says, Pontius Pilate.

[00:13:56] This is good archaeological confirmation of this man and what he did.

[00:14:00] And also, a few years back, 2018, I believe, they discovered what they call the Pilate Ring.

[00:14:05] This is a ring, again, with Pilate's name and inscription and his seal on it.

[00:14:09] And it was discovered in the fortress at Herodium,

[00:14:11] which is interesting because you will learn in the Gospels

[00:14:14] that Pilate and Herod became good friends over their animosity towards Jesus Christ later.

[00:14:19] So it's no surprise that we find one of his rings in the stronghold of Herod.

[00:14:23] We'll deal with that as we get to it.

[00:14:25] So that's Pilate.

[00:14:26] Then he says,

[00:14:26] And Herod was Tetrarch of Galilee.

[00:14:28] His brother Philip was Tetrarch of the region of Vitrua and Trachonitis.

[00:14:32] And Lysanias was Tetrarch of Abilene.

[00:14:34] So Herod the Tetrarch.

[00:14:36] So this is the Herodian dynasty here.

[00:14:39] This is the son of Herod the Great.

[00:14:41] We call him Herod Antipas.

[00:14:43] Herod Antipas.

[00:14:45] And also his stepbrother, Philip,

[00:14:47] so another son of Herod the Great by a different woman,

[00:14:50] but his stepbrother, Philip, was in charge.

[00:14:52] So basically, I haven't got the map,

[00:14:53] but they were in charge of different areas,

[00:14:55] different regions around those areas,

[00:14:57] and they ruled together.

[00:14:58] And there was a man named Lysanias

[00:15:00] who ruled a much smaller region.

[00:15:01] We don't have much about him,

[00:15:03] but we do have a few coins and a couple of inscriptions

[00:15:05] that bear his name and his role

[00:15:07] and the things that he did there.

[00:15:08] So all of those things, interesting.

[00:15:11] Then verse 2, he says,

[00:15:11] In the high priest,

[00:15:12] so now he deals with some Jewish reference markers.

[00:15:16] In the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,

[00:15:27] Caiaphas was Annas' son-in-law.

[00:15:30] If you follow with me here,

[00:15:31] remember I said that the priesthood

[00:15:32] was woefully corrupt at this time.

[00:15:34] Basically, the high priesthood was right.

[00:15:36] It's almost like if you think of a mafia movie.

[00:15:37] They have the high family who rule things

[00:15:40] and they dish out parts of the empire

[00:15:42] to different parts of their family

[00:15:44] so they know that they've got control.

[00:15:45] It's exactly what was going on in the priesthood.

[00:15:47] When Jesus storms the temple

[00:15:48] and he throws over the tables

[00:15:50] because they're ripping people off in the temple,

[00:15:52] it's this family that are controlling

[00:15:53] all of that sort of stuff.

[00:15:54] Annas, he used to be high priest

[00:15:56] and now he's stepped back in his son-in-law

[00:15:58] but everyone knew,

[00:16:00] all the historical references basically tell us,

[00:16:02] Annas still called the shots.

[00:16:03] He was in charge still

[00:16:05] of everything that was going on.

[00:16:06] He was like the man at the top

[00:16:07] of the food chain there

[00:16:08] and you see that through the trials of Jesus.

[00:16:11] These two again are mentioned

[00:16:12] because they are the ones

[00:16:13] that oversee these mock trials of Jesus going on here.

[00:16:16] And again, we have archaeological confirmation

[00:16:18] for both of them.

[00:16:19] Amazingly, for Caiaphas,

[00:16:21] we actually have his bones.

[00:16:22] The Caiaphas family tomb was discovered in Israel

[00:16:25] and we found his ossuary,

[00:16:28] which is a bone box.

[00:16:28] It's a common tradition at that time

[00:16:30] and it's very ornate bone box for that time

[00:16:33] telling us it was from a high priestly family

[00:16:35] and on the side it has a description

[00:16:36] with his name detailing his family and who he was.

[00:16:39] It's quite amazing.

[00:16:40] When you think about it,

[00:16:41] it's in the Israeli museum now.

[00:16:42] You can go and see it.

[00:16:44] So what I find amazing about this,

[00:16:46] that's five historical markers

[00:16:48] with amazing precision and accuracy.

[00:16:51] Luke mentions five historical people here

[00:16:53] with the correct names,

[00:16:54] the correct regions,

[00:16:55] the correct titles,

[00:16:56] their correct positions.

[00:16:58] Luke's concern for historical accuracy

[00:17:00] is of a very high standard,

[00:17:02] which roots the message of the gospel for us

[00:17:05] in real history.

[00:17:07] So often you'll hear people dismiss the Bible,

[00:17:09] the message of Jesus,

[00:17:10] with some not very well thought through critique

[00:17:13] that the Bible is not historical,

[00:17:15] that it's just myths,

[00:17:16] and they just dismiss it cavalierly like that.

[00:17:18] Anyone who does that has never really dealt

[00:17:21] with the depth of history that we have

[00:17:22] in the New Testament.

[00:17:24] It's so rich,

[00:17:25] so many people archaeologically confirmed

[00:17:27] that are significant,

[00:17:28] that you cannot just dismiss it in that manner.

[00:17:30] You have to actually deal with it

[00:17:31] in a much more better way.

[00:17:33] But for us,

[00:17:34] it affirms the faith in the narrative

[00:17:35] that we have here.

[00:17:37] So it says that,

[00:17:38] in the days of those high priests,

[00:17:40] the word of God came to John,

[00:17:43] who was out in the wilderness.

[00:17:44] Remember,

[00:17:45] the last we saw of John

[00:17:46] back in the early chapters

[00:17:47] was that he went off

[00:17:48] to live in the wilderness.

[00:17:49] That was him,

[00:17:50] this sort of unusual prophet character

[00:17:52] living in the wilderness,

[00:17:53] and he has been there ever since.

[00:17:55] But now,

[00:17:56] he gets a word from the Lord,

[00:17:58] and basically,

[00:17:59] that's said to him something

[00:18:00] along the lines of,

[00:18:01] it's time.

[00:18:03] So it begins.

[00:18:04] Go to the people

[00:18:06] and start preparing the way.

[00:18:08] That is what we have here.

[00:18:10] Verse 3,

[00:18:10] And he came

[00:18:11] into all the district

[00:18:12] around the Jordan,

[00:18:13] preaching a baptism of repentance

[00:18:15] for the forgiveness of sins.

[00:18:16] Now notice,

[00:18:18] he phrases it the same way

[00:18:19] as Mark does.

[00:18:20] A baptism of repentance

[00:18:22] for the forgiveness of sins.

[00:18:24] So Mark and Matthew

[00:18:26] both describe

[00:18:27] John the Baptist's message

[00:18:29] with that term.

[00:18:30] But now let's turn

[00:18:31] to Matthew chapter 3.

[00:18:33] Matthew phrases it

[00:18:34] slightly differently

[00:18:34] for a purpose,

[00:18:36] and it's interesting

[00:18:36] to add it to our understanding.

[00:18:39] If you ever want to do

[00:18:40] something more like this,

[00:18:41] what we call a synoptic study,

[00:18:42] you can buy a book

[00:18:43] called A Gospel Harmony,

[00:18:45] where on every page

[00:18:46] they have three columns,

[00:18:47] and they have

[00:18:48] the portions of scripture

[00:18:49] all put together

[00:18:50] side by side.

[00:18:51] So it helps you read through it

[00:18:53] in this order.

[00:18:54] There we go.

[00:18:55] I use one for this study.

[00:18:56] That's how I prepare

[00:18:56] a lot of this.

[00:18:57] So Matthew 3.

[00:18:59] Now he says,

[00:19:00] Now in those days

[00:19:01] John the Baptist came,

[00:19:03] preaching in the wilderness

[00:19:04] of Judea,

[00:19:04] saying,

[00:19:05] Repent,

[00:19:06] for the kingdom of heaven

[00:19:07] is at hand.

[00:19:08] For this is the one

[00:19:09] referred to by Isaiah the prophet

[00:19:10] when he said,

[00:19:11] The voice of one crying

[00:19:12] in the wilderness,

[00:19:13] Make ready the way of the Lord,

[00:19:15] make his path straight.

[00:19:16] Now so you notice,

[00:19:17] it's similar but it's different.

[00:19:19] Now he just says,

[00:19:20] In those days.

[00:19:22] And he's probably thinking,

[00:19:23] Oh Luke,

[00:19:23] but he's always so wordy,

[00:19:24] showing off,

[00:19:25] now in the 15th year of Tiberias.

[00:19:27] He just says,

[00:19:28] In those days.

[00:19:29] Much simpler.

[00:19:29] In those days.

[00:19:30] He's writing to a Jewish audience.

[00:19:32] They knew the time.

[00:19:33] In those days.

[00:19:34] That's all he says there.

[00:19:35] But he doesn't say,

[00:19:36] John is preaching a baptism

[00:19:38] of repentance

[00:19:38] for the forgiveness of sins.

[00:19:39] He phrases it.

[00:19:41] His message was,

[00:19:42] Repent,

[00:19:42] for the kingdom of heaven

[00:19:44] is at hand.

[00:19:46] It's quite a different way

[00:19:47] of explaining it.

[00:19:48] So putting all these

[00:19:49] three accounts together,

[00:19:50] the message of John the Baptist

[00:19:51] was,

[00:19:52] a baptism of repentance

[00:19:54] for the forgiveness of sins

[00:19:56] in order to prepare them

[00:19:58] for the coming king.

[00:20:00] It's kingdom focused.

[00:20:02] Okay.

[00:20:02] That's the idea there.

[00:20:04] Now we'll talk more

[00:20:05] about the kingdom

[00:20:05] as we go through this.

[00:20:07] It will become a big theme

[00:20:08] of our gospels.

[00:20:09] But there is a threefold structure

[00:20:11] to John the Baptist's message.

[00:20:13] The first thing is,

[00:20:15] one thing that they all mention,

[00:20:16] that first word,

[00:20:18] repent.

[00:20:19] Okay.

[00:20:19] It's important we understand

[00:20:20] this concept.

[00:20:21] I want to deal with it

[00:20:22] a little bit now.

[00:20:22] This is the first step

[00:20:24] in the message.

[00:20:25] That means it's important.

[00:20:27] This is the very first thing

[00:20:28] that is mentioned,

[00:20:30] the word repent.

[00:20:31] We must understand it.

[00:20:32] The word repent

[00:20:33] is not the same word

[00:20:35] as feeling sorry for something.

[00:20:36] It's not the same word

[00:20:38] as hating the consequences

[00:20:40] of something.

[00:20:40] It's not really describing

[00:20:42] a feeling in that sense.

[00:20:44] Repent is more of an action word,

[00:20:46] if I could put it like that.

[00:20:48] In Greek metanoia,

[00:20:49] it means that you turn

[00:20:50] from one thing to another.

[00:20:53] It's talking about

[00:20:53] a change of mind,

[00:20:54] but it is also talking about

[00:20:56] a change of direction physically,

[00:20:58] because the two things

[00:20:59] are intimately linked.

[00:21:01] To change direction physically,

[00:21:02] you must first change

[00:21:03] your mind on something.

[00:21:04] Perhaps the best way

[00:21:05] to describe it in use

[00:21:07] is Paul's message

[00:21:08] to the Thessalonians.

[00:21:09] He describes repentance

[00:21:11] when he says

[00:21:11] to the Thessalonian church,

[00:21:13] for they themselves

[00:21:14] report about us

[00:21:16] what kind of reception

[00:21:17] we had with you

[00:21:17] and how you turned to God

[00:21:20] from idols

[00:21:21] to serve a living true God.

[00:21:23] You see there?

[00:21:25] A turning to God,

[00:21:26] that's the change of direction

[00:21:27] and a change of heart,

[00:21:28] necessity,

[00:21:30] necessitating repentance there.

[00:21:32] That's what it means.

[00:21:33] From idols to the living God.

[00:21:35] Change of direction

[00:21:36] and a change of mind.

[00:21:38] Spurgeon said,

[00:21:39] true repentance

[00:21:39] is a turning of the heart

[00:21:41] as well as of the life.

[00:21:43] It is the giving up

[00:21:44] of the whole soul to God

[00:21:46] to be his forever

[00:21:47] and forever.

[00:21:49] Forever and ever.

[00:21:50] Now it's vital

[00:21:51] we understand this

[00:21:52] because there are

[00:21:53] too many versions

[00:21:54] of Christianity

[00:21:55] and you have to say

[00:21:57] just kind of like it is

[00:21:58] I'm afraid

[00:21:59] with parts like this

[00:22:00] that speak so eloquently

[00:22:01] of many of the wonderful things,

[00:22:04] many of the blessings

[00:22:05] of Christianity,

[00:22:05] the promises of God

[00:22:07] and as wonderful as they are,

[00:22:09] simply they will then

[00:22:10] invite people to come

[00:22:11] and receive

[00:22:11] and partake

[00:22:12] of these wonderful things.

[00:22:14] It's very easy

[00:22:15] to read through the Bible

[00:22:16] and find many wonderful verses,

[00:22:17] describe them to people

[00:22:18] and then invite them.

[00:22:20] Which people,

[00:22:21] yeah, that sounds great,

[00:22:23] I'll try some of that.

[00:22:24] And they do

[00:22:25] and they come to them.

[00:22:26] The church gets excited

[00:22:27] because there's not many people

[00:22:29] interested in many of these things.

[00:22:30] We get excited,

[00:22:31] we welcome them in.

[00:22:32] It's wonderful for a time.

[00:22:35] But because they have not

[00:22:36] forsaken sin in their heart,

[00:22:38] eventually life goes back to normal.

[00:22:40] They realise things

[00:22:41] and they're like,

[00:22:42] well, all those promises

[00:22:43] are not really true,

[00:22:44] they don't really work,

[00:22:45] my life isn't really changed.

[00:22:47] And then they either leave

[00:22:48] and become hostile to Christianity.

[00:22:50] You study many of the YouTube

[00:22:52] atheists these days,

[00:22:53] they always start,

[00:22:53] I used to be a Christian.

[00:22:55] Then you listen to their stories

[00:22:56] and very much it's something

[00:22:57] like this every time.

[00:22:58] Maybe it's more common

[00:22:59] in sort of evangelical culture

[00:23:01] in America,

[00:23:01] but this is the sort of thing

[00:23:03] that is happening.

[00:23:04] They either leave

[00:23:04] and become hostile

[00:23:05] or they end up just

[00:23:06] filling the pews

[00:23:08] of organised religion

[00:23:10] with a powerless

[00:23:11] and lifeless version

[00:23:13] of Christianity

[00:23:14] that attracts no one,

[00:23:16] exposes no darkness

[00:23:17] and does not radiate

[00:23:18] the light of Christ.

[00:23:20] And that is the problem.

[00:23:21] And the issue is

[00:23:22] that repentance

[00:23:23] was not the first word

[00:23:24] of their gospel.

[00:23:26] Make no mistake,

[00:23:27] the first word

[00:23:27] of the good news

[00:23:28] of the gospel

[00:23:29] of Jesus Christ,

[00:23:29] the Son of God,

[00:23:30] that John the Baptist

[00:23:31] preached was repent.

[00:23:34] In a few chapters

[00:23:34] we're going to see Jesus.

[00:23:36] We're going to see

[00:23:36] the first words

[00:23:37] of his public ministry too.

[00:23:39] Surprise, surprise,

[00:23:40] his first word

[00:23:40] is also repent.

[00:23:42] When we see

[00:23:43] the 12 disciples

[00:23:44] commissioned to go out

[00:23:46] and preach,

[00:23:46] they preach,

[00:23:47] it says,

[00:23:48] that men everywhere

[00:23:49] should repent.

[00:23:51] And in the summation

[00:23:52] of the very first sermon

[00:23:53] ever given by the church

[00:23:55] in Acts chapter 2

[00:23:56] by Peter,

[00:23:56] the thing that he uses

[00:23:57] it to sum up

[00:23:58] is that all men

[00:23:59] everywhere

[00:24:00] should repent.

[00:24:02] You find this word

[00:24:03] all throughout.

[00:24:04] You repent

[00:24:04] for the forgiveness

[00:24:06] of your sins.

[00:24:07] You acknowledge

[00:24:08] that you're a sinner,

[00:24:09] that you need a saviour.

[00:24:10] You turn from that

[00:24:11] and you acknowledge

[00:24:12] what God says about it

[00:24:13] and you turn to him

[00:24:14] and follow him.

[00:24:15] And anything short of that

[00:24:17] will result in one

[00:24:18] of those things

[00:24:18] that I described before

[00:24:20] which are not good

[00:24:21] and they ultimately

[00:24:22] go against really

[00:24:24] what we're trying to do.

[00:24:25] So that's the first part

[00:24:26] of John the Baptist's message,

[00:24:27] a focus on repentance.

[00:24:28] The second part,

[00:24:30] you could say

[00:24:30] it's kingdom-centered.

[00:24:31] We get this from Matthew,

[00:24:33] the kingdom of heaven

[00:24:33] is at hand.

[00:24:34] Remember,

[00:24:35] Matthew is writing

[00:24:36] to a Jewish audience.

[00:24:37] You speak about the kingdom

[00:24:38] to a Jewish audience,

[00:24:39] you're referring

[00:24:40] to all those prophecies

[00:24:41] in the Old Testament

[00:24:42] that speak of the kingdom.

[00:24:43] This is the millennial kingdom

[00:24:44] that we talk about.

[00:24:46] It's being expressed.

[00:24:47] We'll come back

[00:24:48] to that many times.

[00:24:49] Repentance

[00:24:50] was to prepare them

[00:24:52] for that coming kingdom.

[00:24:54] That's the idea there.

[00:24:55] And then the third part

[00:24:56] of his message was

[00:24:57] the baptism of repentance

[00:24:58] for the remission of sins.

[00:25:00] Now baptism is,

[00:25:02] we'll go through

[00:25:03] as we talk of Jesus' baptism a bit.

[00:25:05] They had the understanding

[00:25:06] in the Jewish mind

[00:25:08] of baptism

[00:25:08] was well developed.

[00:25:09] The primary purpose of it

[00:25:11] was an identification

[00:25:12] with the mission

[00:25:13] or with the message

[00:25:14] of whoever was baptizing

[00:25:16] and preaching.

[00:25:16] The idea here

[00:25:18] is that being baptized

[00:25:19] by John the Baptist

[00:25:21] was an identification

[00:25:22] with the message

[00:25:23] that he was preaching

[00:25:24] and a commitment

[00:25:25] that when John

[00:25:26] as the forerunner

[00:25:27] identifies someone

[00:25:28] as the Messiah,

[00:25:29] he will be the one

[00:25:30] that forgives your sins

[00:25:31] and you will follow him.

[00:25:32] And we see this later,

[00:25:33] don't we,

[00:25:33] in the book of Acts

[00:25:34] when Paul and Peter,

[00:25:36] they run into these people

[00:25:37] later on

[00:25:38] who were obviously baptized

[00:25:39] by John the Baptist

[00:25:40] but they'd never heard

[00:25:41] of the Messiah yet.

[00:25:42] And he has to explain

[00:25:43] to them the full gospel

[00:25:44] and they tell him about Jesus

[00:25:45] and they get saved immediately.

[00:25:48] We'll explore that

[00:25:49] more as we go through.

[00:25:50] So that's the message

[00:25:51] of John the Baptist.

[00:25:53] And then notice

[00:25:54] in Matthew's account

[00:25:55] he goes straight

[00:25:56] into that verse from Isaiah.

[00:25:57] He quotes that again.

[00:25:59] And if you may have noticed

[00:26:00] now picked up

[00:26:01] that Matthew,

[00:26:02] the one we just read

[00:26:03] and Mark,

[00:26:03] they only quote

[00:26:04] a small portion of Isaiah.

[00:26:06] Did you pick up on that?

[00:26:07] They just quote

[00:26:08] the first verse.

[00:26:09] The Luke passage

[00:26:10] that we read

[00:26:11] quotes much more of it.

[00:26:13] And there's many reasons

[00:26:14] for this

[00:26:14] because Matthew

[00:26:15] to a Jewish audience

[00:26:16] they didn't need

[00:26:17] to quote the whole thing.

[00:26:18] They understood salvation

[00:26:19] and these things

[00:26:20] and they just referenced

[00:26:21] a few of the passages.

[00:26:22] Luke, detail,

[00:26:24] he puts the whole thing in.

[00:26:25] So we're going to turn

[00:26:25] to Luke's gospel

[00:26:26] and explore

[00:26:27] what this Isaiah quotation

[00:26:28] is all about

[00:26:29] a little bit.

[00:26:30] So Luke chapter 3

[00:26:31] verses 4 to 6.

[00:26:33] This is the quote

[00:26:34] from Isaiah.

[00:26:35] It says,

[00:26:36] As it is written

[00:26:37] in the book

[00:26:37] of the words

[00:26:38] of Isaiah the prophet,

[00:26:39] the voice of one

[00:26:40] crying in the wilderness,

[00:26:41] make ready

[00:26:42] the way of the Lord,

[00:26:43] make his path straight.

[00:26:44] Every ravine

[00:26:45] will be filled,

[00:26:46] every mountain

[00:26:47] and hill

[00:26:47] will be brought low.

[00:26:48] The crooked

[00:26:49] will become straight

[00:26:50] as the rough road

[00:26:51] smooth

[00:26:51] and all the flesh

[00:26:52] will see the salvation

[00:26:53] of our God.

[00:26:54] So you notice

[00:26:54] the other two

[00:26:56] gospels,

[00:26:56] they only quote

[00:26:57] the first verse,

[00:26:58] crying in the wilderness

[00:26:59] made straight

[00:27:00] the way of the Lord.

[00:27:01] Luke adds a bit more.

[00:27:02] He adds these two verses

[00:27:03] and he gives us

[00:27:03] a lovely picture.

[00:27:04] So the first thing

[00:27:05] is verse 4.

[00:27:06] As written in the book

[00:27:07] of the words

[00:27:07] of Isaiah the prophet,

[00:27:09] he first makes reference

[00:27:10] to the fact

[00:27:11] that this was predicted

[00:27:12] 700 years in advance.

[00:27:15] One of the things

[00:27:16] that you'll notice,

[00:27:17] one of the amazing features

[00:27:18] of the Bible

[00:27:19] and the apologetics

[00:27:20] of the early disciples

[00:27:21] was messianic prophecy.

[00:27:23] They would often point

[00:27:25] to specific details

[00:27:26] of Messiah's life

[00:27:27] that were detailed

[00:27:28] hundreds of years

[00:27:29] in advance.

[00:27:30] And I've dealt with this

[00:27:30] many times with you,

[00:27:31] but the reason

[00:27:32] we have those details

[00:27:33] hundreds of years

[00:27:34] in advance

[00:27:35] is as Isaiah the prophet

[00:27:36] will also tell us,

[00:27:37] so that we will know

[00:27:39] that God is God alone

[00:27:40] and we will turn to him

[00:27:42] and be saved.

[00:27:43] There's no one else

[00:27:44] who could do that.

[00:27:45] Amen.

[00:27:45] Yeah, that's it.

[00:27:46] And that is why

[00:27:47] we have messianic prophecy

[00:27:48] and one thing you'll notice

[00:27:49] that whenever the apostles

[00:27:50] are preaching,

[00:27:51] you'll always see them

[00:27:52] reference Old Testament

[00:27:53] scripture to do

[00:27:54] with the life of Messiah

[00:27:55] because it is powerful

[00:27:56] like that.

[00:27:57] But he says,

[00:27:58] the voice of one crying

[00:27:59] in the wilderness.

[00:27:59] So this is referring now

[00:28:00] to John the Baptist.

[00:28:01] The voice of one crying

[00:28:03] in the wilderness.

[00:28:04] This is why

[00:28:05] in all of the gospels

[00:28:06] we're told that John

[00:28:08] lived in the wilderness.

[00:28:09] They each highlight

[00:28:10] this point that he had

[00:28:11] to go out and live

[00:28:12] in the wilderness

[00:28:12] because that was what

[00:28:13] the prophecy demanded.

[00:28:14] He had to fulfill it.

[00:28:15] The voice of one crying

[00:28:16] in the wilderness.

[00:28:18] Make ready the way

[00:28:19] of the Lord.

[00:28:21] And you will notice

[00:28:21] the Lord there

[00:28:23] is all in capitals

[00:28:24] in your Bible.

[00:28:25] That is Yahweh.

[00:28:26] That is the holy name

[00:28:27] of God there.

[00:28:28] So now this is being

[00:28:29] applied to Jesus Christ.

[00:28:31] So it will tell you

[00:28:32] again,

[00:28:33] Mark called him

[00:28:34] the son of God.

[00:28:35] The other gospel writers

[00:28:36] use this verse

[00:28:37] to explain

[00:28:38] Jesus is divine.

[00:28:40] He is God.

[00:28:40] God.

[00:28:40] It is the incarnation

[00:28:41] that we're talking

[00:28:42] about here.

[00:28:42] John the Baptist

[00:28:43] is preparing the way

[00:28:44] for the Lord.

[00:28:46] And who is he preparing

[00:28:46] the way for?

[00:28:47] Jesus Christ.

[00:28:48] That is the whole point

[00:28:49] of his mission.

[00:28:49] So those two things

[00:28:50] go together.

[00:28:51] It is a very good verse

[00:28:52] if you are ever discussing

[00:28:52] with Jehovah's Witnesses

[00:28:54] to lead them to that verse.

[00:28:56] Now this whole Isaiah section

[00:28:58] that we have just read

[00:28:58] verses 3-6,

[00:29:00] 4-6,

[00:29:01] it paints a beautiful picture

[00:29:02] of an old custom

[00:29:03] that we actually used to find

[00:29:05] in the ancient world,

[00:29:06] the ancient Near East.

[00:29:06] And that was basically,

[00:29:08] we even have it,

[00:29:09] we even do it today

[00:29:09] in historical,

[00:29:11] recent historical examples today.

[00:29:13] When a visiting king

[00:29:14] would enter a region,

[00:29:16] a dignitary from a foreign land

[00:29:17] and the host people

[00:29:19] wanted to make sure

[00:29:19] everything was impressive

[00:29:21] for them.

[00:29:22] They didn't want to be embarrassed

[00:29:23] in front of the new king.

[00:29:24] They would send people out.

[00:29:25] They would clear the roads

[00:29:27] of any debris.

[00:29:28] They would often take

[00:29:29] the poor people

[00:29:29] and stick them

[00:29:30] in another part of the city.

[00:29:31] They would clear everything.

[00:29:33] They would fill in the holes

[00:29:34] and they would just get rid

[00:29:34] of anything unsightly,

[00:29:35] paint the buildings

[00:29:36] and do all this sort of stuff.

[00:29:38] That was the idea.

[00:29:40] Now, we even understand this,

[00:29:41] if I could limit it down

[00:29:42] to even our level today,

[00:29:45] when your wife comes to you

[00:29:46] and says,

[00:29:46] oh, we've got so-and-so

[00:29:47] coming around,

[00:29:48] and then there's this mad rush,

[00:29:50] isn't there,

[00:29:50] to clean the house,

[00:29:51] to make sure the areas

[00:29:52] of the house

[00:29:53] you don't want people seeing

[00:29:54] are respectable.

[00:29:55] I mean, that is the same principle,

[00:29:56] just you imagine

[00:29:57] with a king and with a nation.

[00:29:58] That's the kind of thing

[00:29:59] that is going on here.

[00:30:00] So on the one hand,

[00:30:01] the people would prepare

[00:30:02] the roads

[00:30:02] and all this sort of stuff.

[00:30:03] On the other hand,

[00:30:04] the visiting king

[00:30:05] would send a few of his guys

[00:30:07] well ahead of his traveling party

[00:30:09] to herald his soon-coming arrival

[00:30:12] just to make sure

[00:30:13] that the roads were suitable

[00:30:14] for traveling,

[00:30:14] that people were expecting him

[00:30:16] and they knew he was coming,

[00:30:17] so that he got the reception

[00:30:18] he deserved,

[00:30:19] because it would be embarrassing

[00:30:19] if he turned up

[00:30:20] and no one was expecting him.

[00:30:21] And it would probably lead

[00:30:22] to a war in the ancient world.

[00:30:23] But that is the kind of idea,

[00:30:25] so you have this two-fold thing

[00:30:26] going on.

[00:30:27] That was the custom.

[00:30:28] That is the background

[00:30:29] to what Isaiah is referring to here.

[00:30:31] But Isaiah,

[00:30:32] very skillfully now,

[00:30:33] instead of speaking of

[00:30:34] the physical preparation so much,

[00:30:37] he is using this

[00:30:38] as an illustration

[00:30:38] of the figurative,

[00:30:40] of the spiritual preparation

[00:30:41] that John the Baptist

[00:30:42] was heralding for people.

[00:30:44] So what is the preparation

[00:30:45] that he is speaking of?

[00:30:46] His message was to,

[00:30:47] he was the herald

[00:30:48] of the Messiah going before

[00:30:49] to check that the people

[00:30:50] were ready.

[00:30:51] Remember, we read that

[00:30:52] in John's Gospel

[00:30:52] in the introduction.

[00:30:53] He would be a forerunner

[00:30:55] to prepare a way,

[00:30:56] to prepare the people, basically.

[00:30:57] And what they needed to do

[00:30:58] to repair was repent.

[00:31:01] That's the thing.

[00:31:02] He wanted a people

[00:31:02] whose hearts were ready

[00:31:03] to receive the Lord.

[00:31:04] That is what was going on.

[00:31:06] That's what this whole

[00:31:07] Isaiah quotation is about.

[00:31:08] Because this king

[00:31:09] was not like any foreign

[00:31:10] dignitary from the earth.

[00:31:11] This king was the Lord,

[00:31:12] as we've already seen.

[00:31:13] He is holy and just.

[00:31:15] No one would stand

[00:31:16] in his kingdom

[00:31:17] with sin

[00:31:18] that hadn't been forgiven,

[00:31:19] confessed,

[00:31:20] and dealt with.

[00:31:21] This is part of all

[00:31:22] of this stuff

[00:31:22] that we have going on.

[00:31:23] So all of those

[00:31:24] physical descriptions

[00:31:25] that we have from Isaiah there,

[00:31:26] they take moral overtones.

[00:31:28] Think about it.

[00:31:29] The crooked paths

[00:31:29] must be made straight.

[00:31:31] Often you'll see the Bible.

[00:31:32] Crooked hearts

[00:31:33] must be made straight.

[00:31:35] The mountains

[00:31:35] must be brought low.

[00:31:37] The ravines

[00:31:38] must be brought up.

[00:31:39] Those who are high pride,

[00:31:41] exalted,

[00:31:42] must be brought low.

[00:31:43] And these are just themes

[00:31:43] that we have going on

[00:31:44] all the way through.

[00:31:45] The rough

[00:31:46] becomes smooth.

[00:31:47] The roads

[00:31:49] must be cleared,

[00:31:50] basically.

[00:31:51] Anything on those roads

[00:31:52] that is obstructing

[00:31:53] the Lord's entrance

[00:31:54] must be removed.

[00:31:56] Now in our hearts,

[00:31:57] in a spiritual sense,

[00:31:58] what is in our hearts

[00:31:59] that is obstructing

[00:32:00] the Lord's entrance

[00:32:01] into our lives?

[00:32:02] Quite simply,

[00:32:02] it is sin.

[00:32:04] Unconfessed sin.

[00:32:05] That is the whole point

[00:32:06] of what is going on here.

[00:32:07] It's all about preparing

[00:32:08] the people's hearts

[00:32:09] for the Lord

[00:32:10] through repentance,

[00:32:11] confession,

[00:32:12] and the forgiveness

[00:32:13] of sins.

[00:32:13] That is what John

[00:32:15] was called to do

[00:32:16] as a prophet

[00:32:16] in the spirit

[00:32:17] and power of Elijah

[00:32:18] as the forerunner,

[00:32:19] get the people ready

[00:32:20] to receive their king.

[00:32:23] And as we've already seen,

[00:32:24] that was a hard task.

[00:32:26] Jerusalem was a pretty

[00:32:27] dangerous place

[00:32:28] at this time.

[00:32:29] The priesthood

[00:32:30] was hopelessly corrupt.

[00:32:31] The politicians,

[00:32:33] cruel and ruthless.

[00:32:34] We've looked at that.

[00:32:35] Many of them

[00:32:36] completely incompetent too,

[00:32:38] extremely debauched

[00:32:39] in their lifestyles.

[00:32:40] And many of them

[00:32:41] believed that

[00:32:41] they were in fact

[00:32:42] God themselves

[00:32:43] and would not take

[00:32:44] anyone challenging

[00:32:44] that authority.

[00:32:45] This led to a very

[00:32:46] hard environment.

[00:32:47] That was a tough message

[00:32:48] to be preaching.

[00:32:50] The religious leaders

[00:32:51] of Israel

[00:32:52] were also,

[00:32:53] in many ways,

[00:32:54] leading their own

[00:32:55] people astray,

[00:32:56] as we'll see

[00:32:57] as we go through

[00:32:58] the Gospels.

[00:32:59] And as we shall see,

[00:33:01] in many,

[00:33:02] in Jesus' day,

[00:33:04] many people did not heed

[00:33:05] the warning

[00:33:06] of John the Baptist.

[00:33:07] Many did.

[00:33:08] We'll see many

[00:33:08] come to the Lord.

[00:33:09] But by and large,

[00:33:11] the nation did not heed

[00:33:12] his warning.

[00:33:13] And as I sat and read this

[00:33:14] and thought about this,

[00:33:15] obviously you want to try

[00:33:16] and apply it to your own day.

[00:33:18] We're looking at the history,

[00:33:19] but bringing it to our own day,

[00:33:21] we could make a fairly

[00:33:22] strong argument.

[00:33:23] I believe the king

[00:33:23] is on his way back

[00:33:24] fairly soon.

[00:33:25] It's promised all

[00:33:26] throughout Scripture.

[00:33:27] The signs of the times

[00:33:28] are in many ways

[00:33:29] pointing towards that.

[00:33:30] The king will be coming

[00:33:31] very soon.

[00:33:33] And still today,

[00:33:34] many are not prepared

[00:33:35] for his arrival.

[00:33:36] It will be the very

[00:33:37] same sort of thing.

[00:33:38] Now we don't have

[00:33:38] John the Baptist

[00:33:39] heralding his return.

[00:33:40] Who is supposed to be

[00:33:41] heralding his return

[00:33:42] right now?

[00:33:43] Right now, today.

[00:33:44] That's the job of the church,

[00:33:45] isn't it?

[00:33:46] Yeah.

[00:33:46] That's the job of the church.

[00:33:47] We herald his return.

[00:33:49] We speak of his soon coming.

[00:33:51] We speak of the coming

[00:33:52] in judgment.

[00:33:53] We speak of the need

[00:33:54] of repentance.

[00:33:55] It's exactly the same

[00:33:56] but being played out again

[00:33:58] for the second time.

[00:33:59] And we do that

[00:34:00] and then look at verse 6,

[00:34:01] the final verse

[00:34:02] of the quotation

[00:34:03] in Isaiah there

[00:34:04] and all flesh

[00:34:05] will see the salvation

[00:34:07] of God.

[00:34:08] This was for John the Baptist

[00:34:09] and this was an important point

[00:34:10] to highlight

[00:34:11] in Luke's Gospel

[00:34:12] because it wasn't

[00:34:14] just a salvation.

[00:34:15] He was the king of the Jews,

[00:34:16] the Messiah of Israel

[00:34:17] and they had the most

[00:34:18] knowledge of him

[00:34:18] but his salvation

[00:34:19] was going to reach

[00:34:20] well beyond the borders

[00:34:21] of Israel

[00:34:21] to the ends of the earth.

[00:34:23] It was going to be

[00:34:23] for both Jew and Gentile.

[00:34:25] All flesh will see

[00:34:26] the salvation of God

[00:34:27] through the coming

[00:34:28] of the Messiah.

[00:34:29] Jew and Gentile

[00:34:30] will be able to experience

[00:34:31] that blessing of salvation.

[00:34:32] This is exactly

[00:34:33] what that lovely aged

[00:34:35] Saint Simeon

[00:34:36] said of him

[00:34:37] in the temple

[00:34:38] when he took the baby Jesus

[00:34:39] in his arms.

[00:34:39] He said,

[00:34:40] my eyes have seen

[00:34:41] your salvation

[00:34:42] which you have prepared

[00:34:43] in the presence

[00:34:44] of all peoples.

[00:34:45] Same word,

[00:34:46] same phrasing.

[00:34:47] A light of revelation

[00:34:47] to the Gentiles

[00:34:48] and the glory

[00:34:49] of your people Israel.

[00:34:51] It was always promised

[00:34:52] that his salvation

[00:34:53] would cover both groups

[00:34:55] in the world.

[00:34:56] This is really

[00:34:57] the dramatic beginning

[00:34:58] of the Gospel

[00:34:59] of Jesus Christ

[00:35:00] the Son of God.

[00:35:02] The forerunner here,

[00:35:03] the herald of the King

[00:35:04] has gone on ahead

[00:35:05] to tell the people

[00:35:05] of his soon coming.

[00:35:07] He's instructed them

[00:35:08] to prepare their hearts

[00:35:09] through repentance

[00:35:09] and faith

[00:35:10] and receive the forgiveness

[00:35:12] of sins.

[00:35:13] And in many ways,

[00:35:14] like I said,

[00:35:14] that parallels

[00:35:15] our mission today.

[00:35:17] And really,

[00:35:18] it should be an example

[00:35:19] and an exhortation

[00:35:20] to us

[00:35:20] to follow

[00:35:21] in the example

[00:35:22] of the disciples

[00:35:23] to make sure

[00:35:24] that we are preaching

[00:35:25] repentance

[00:35:26] in the biblical sense.

[00:35:27] We should be like Paul

[00:35:28] on Mars Hill.

[00:35:30] Do you remember

[00:35:31] when he was preaching

[00:35:31] to the Greek pagans there,

[00:35:34] the philosophers

[00:35:34] on Mars Hill

[00:35:35] in the center

[00:35:35] of the Greek community

[00:35:37] in Acts 17?

[00:35:38] His message was this.

[00:35:39] God is now declaring

[00:35:41] to men

[00:35:42] that all people

[00:35:43] everywhere

[00:35:44] should repent

[00:35:45] because he has fixed

[00:35:46] a day

[00:35:47] in which he will judge

[00:35:48] the world

[00:35:49] in righteousness

[00:35:49] through a man

[00:35:51] whom he has appointed,

[00:35:53] having furnished proof

[00:35:54] to all

[00:35:54] by raising him

[00:35:55] from the dead.

[00:35:55] And he's referring there

[00:35:56] to the second coming,

[00:35:57] but doesn't his language

[00:35:58] sound exactly the same

[00:35:59] as what they were doing

[00:36:00] in the first coming period?

[00:36:01] It is exactly the same

[00:36:03] for a reason

[00:36:03] because it's highlighting

[00:36:04] these same points.

[00:36:05] And really,

[00:36:06] the takeaway from this today

[00:36:07] for me,

[00:36:07] if today you're here

[00:36:08] and you have not done this,

[00:36:10] if you have not prepared

[00:36:11] your heart

[00:36:12] to meet your king,

[00:36:14] I would strongly recommend

[00:36:15] that you do that today

[00:36:16] by repentance

[00:36:17] and faith

[00:36:18] and acknowledging

[00:36:19] these things

[00:36:19] as we've said.

[00:36:20] And if you do

[00:36:21] already know

[00:36:22] your king,

[00:36:23] then be

[00:36:23] busy

[00:36:24] in clearing

[00:36:25] those roads,

[00:36:26] preparing those buildings,

[00:36:27] bringing down

[00:36:28] that sin,

[00:36:29] preaching the gospel

[00:36:30] to people

[00:36:31] and serving the king

[00:36:33] for his arrival.

[00:36:34] Amen?

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