Good morning. Please take your Bibles and turn to Matthew chapter 3 this morning. Matthew chapter 3. I hope I don't disappoint anyone this morning. We are not going to be looking at a Christmas passage per se. I figure the trees and wreaths and lights behind me are enough to put you in the mood for the season, but we're going to continue to plow through the book of Matthew together, and so we'll pick up on Matthew 3. Three. But if there's any consolation, I mean, this is really close to a Christmas story because chapter two was one and this is chapter three. So it's very, very closely related in that sense. Let's read this passage together. It is the ministry of John the Baptist. And we're really gonna only make it to roughly verse 12 this morning in our study. And then we'll probably be out of Matthew until January. So we'll hope to resume then at the start of the new year. But let's read this passage together and then we'll pray and ask the Lord that he would encourage our hearts from it together. Matthew 3 verse 1, In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, you brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not suppose to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father, for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the ax 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. I baptize you with water for repentance. But he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear the threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. And Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? But Jesus answered him, let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he consented. And when he was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and they saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray together. Father, we're grateful for the opportunity we have this morning to unpack the truth of scripture. We live in a day of confusion and it's not just simply bad that there's confusion but with confusion comes consequences. And all around us we see the consequences of confusion and the consequences of following after sin and yet we come together weekly and we open up the scriptures and we see the wisdom of the word and how if if we follow the truth that you've presented to us that life goes as it should, and that doesn't mean that everything in this life will be peaceful and without trials and difficulties, but even though we face trials and difficulties, we're assured of a security of eternal life, knowing that you are in the process of working all things together for good, and ultimately that will be our glorification. And so Lord, we're thankful for the opportunity we have to freely and to peacefully gather this morning to open up the scriptures. And our prayer is that we would take something from this morning and continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of you. And so we would ask that you'd help us, help us set aside distractions, to be submissive to your word, and to be more in love with you as a result of being exposed to the glory of Christ in the word. For it's in his name we pray, amen. Well, as I said, we're continuing this morning in our series in the book of Matthew. And so far, we have covered the events of the birth of Christ. We introduced the book, we've seen the genealogy, we have seen the virgin conception of Christ, and most recently, we saw the visitation by the wise men last week. But as we move into chapter three, we are fast forwarding about 30 years to the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry. That's what we find here in chapter three and in chapter four. But before jumping directly into Christ's earthly ministry, we're introduced to the man who was responsible to prepare the way for the Messiah. His name, obviously, here is John the Baptist. And Matthew is not unique in the placement of John the Baptist. In fact, all the other gospel writers do this. Before they introduce Jesus and his earthly ministry, they start with John the Baptist and his role of preparing the people for the coming of Jesus. And so that's where our text of scripture leads us this morning to the ministry of John the Baptist. Now if I can step back before we get into the details of this passage, and I'd like to just mention why this passage is so helpful for you and for me living so many years after the events that took place here. This passage is helpful because, in fact I'd say it's more than helpful, it's it's extremely helpful because it answers the most important question that we will face in this life. And that is, how is it? that one will enter Christ's coming kingdom. There is no more important question than that. And this passage is helpful because we're gonna see that Christ has a kingdom that is going to be establishing on earth and not everyone will find themselves as a citizen of the kingdom. And so it answers this question, so how is it then that one is granted entrance into the kingdom? And in this passage, John the Baptist, he addresses a common problem that people have where they have assumptions about who will and who will not enter Christ's kingdom. And I think today, people have the same assumptions about entering Christ's kingdom. In this passage, it was that their lineage was the ticket into the kingdom. And today, there are many similar assumptions about entering the kingdom. If we're good enough, we'll enter Christ's presence. If we have a religious experience of some kind, we can be assured of this thing. But this passage is helpful because John makes it quite clear, and we should be thankful, that only those who have repented of their sin will be granted entrance into Christ's kingdom. And frankly, on the flip side, those who do not repent will face unquenchable fire. And so we see why there is really no more important issue than the one addressed in this particular passage. Okay, so let's get into this passage together. I say that, but then I remembered we need to talk about the context a little bit. Okay, so before we get into the passage, let's notice a few things to consider just by way of review. So first of all, notice this by way of review, we are entering a new section in the Gospel of Matthew. Now, if you can remember back several weeks ago, I gave you an outline of the book of Matthew and encourage you to use that as a guide as you read through the book. You'll remember that the book of Matthew is really outlined for us in five discourses or lengthy teaching sections by Jesus. And each one of those teaching sections is introduced by a series of narratives. And so we're entering the first section. We finished the introduction of chapter one and chapter two, and we're entering the first section of this book. So the first discourse that we're gonna see is the Sermon on the Mount in chapters five through seven. And in chapters three and four, though, these are the narratives that introduce the discourse that's coming in the Sermon on the Mount. And so that's where we're entering this morning in chapter three. As we look at this passage, I also want you to keep in mind Matthew's purpose in writing this gospel. Matthew's purpose is to introduce Jesus to his largely Jewish audience. and to introduce him as the promised king of the Old Testament, which is why Matthew has so many quotes in the Old Testament, in which our passage here gives another Old Testament quote and fulfillment of prophecy, because Matthew's goal is to present Jesus as king who was promised in the Old Testament scriptures. We've already seen Jesus promised as king in chapters 1 and 2, and there was a prominent theme there. But now, even today, we're going to see Matthew connecting Jesus to the Old Testament promises and presenting him as the king of Israel. So as we turn our attention to these verses, let's break them down into three sections. So we're looking at the ministry of John the Baptist, and what we want to see is the man, John the Baptist, the ministry, and the message. So the man, the ministry, and the message of John the Baptist. And so hopefully this will give us clarity then as we walk through this passage. So let's begin with the man, John the Baptist. So notice in verse 1, our passage begins with these words, in those days. And these verses fall right on the heels of the birth narratives of Christ that ended in chapter 2. And it might seem like, well, chapter 3 then just picks right up where chapter 2 left off. But as we said, there is about a 30-year gap between chapter 1 and chapter 2. Next, in verse 1, we're told that John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Now, it's interesting because Matthew doesn't introduce John with much or really with any detail. And so it would seem that the readers of Matthew's Gospel are already familiar with John the Baptist and his ministry. We'll talk about why this is in just a few moments. It's much different than Luke because Luke devotes many, many verses, some of which we read in our scripture reading. many verses to introduce John, his birth to Zechariah and Elizabeth, and all the events surrounding those things, and then he goes into the ministry of John the Baptist, but Matthew simply introduces him in these few short words. John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. He calls him John the Baptist, which was probably, at the time of Matthew's writing, the popular title of John. Now, although John was known for his ministry of baptism, notice that Matthew says he came preaching in the wilderness. More than a baptizer, John was a preacher. In fact, if you read some of the other gospels, which we will in a little bit, they highlight more of John's preaching in greater detail. In fact, it was his preaching that would eventually lead to his death. Because you remember he preached against Herod for taking his brother's wife, which eventually led to him losing his head. But he did also baptize, right? So verse 6 tells us that many were coming to him being baptized in the Jordan River and they were confessing their sins. Now at this point if I could just note in passing that John's baptism is different than the baptism that we practice today in the New Testament Church. John's baptism was different than Christian baptism, which Christian baptism is in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and it pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, something that had not happened yet at the time John was baptizing. But baptism in this time wasn't new. It wasn't a new concept. It had been practiced by the Jews when Gentiles wanted to convert to Judaism, But John here uses it to identify people with the coming of anticipating the Messiah. And so it's interesting, the irony here, as one commentator brings out, is that John was treating his fellow Jews like Gentiles, encouraging them and calling them to turn to God and to be baptized. Now, as we go on in the text, Matthew tells us that his preaching was done, and it's in quotes here, in the wilderness of Judea. Matthew likely tells us this to connect Isaiah's prophecy in verse three with the one who was crying in the wilderness. In fact, we read this at the end of our scripture reading that John was raised out in the wilderness, and this is where he eventually carried on his ministry. He preached outside the region of Judea, outside the city of Jerusalem. And he preached near the bottom or the south end of the Jordan River before it went into the Dead Sea. And this is the area from which many were coming or to which many were coming to hear John and to receive his baptism. In verse 4, we're told this. That John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist and his food was locusts and wild honey. Matthew is likely connecting John with the ruggedness of Elijah the prophet, because he connects John with Elijah in a few places, chapter 11, chapter 17. And I think it's obvious here that what made John's ministry impactful was not his appearance or his appeal, but that the hand of the Lord was on him. When I think of John the Baptist, he in my mind at least resembles like a character from Duck Dynasty. In sort of a rough and gruff appearance. But it was the Lord's hand on him that made his ministry so impactful. In verse 5 we read this. That all of Jerusalem and all of Judea and all the regions about the Jordan were going out to him. In Luke's gospel, we read that among the crowds, some of the individuals coming to John were tax collectors, some of the individuals were soldiers, and then even in our own passage, we have a group of religious leaders who are coming out to inspect the ministry of John the Baptist. So what I want us to do in hearing this is we need to understand and put John's ministry in sort of a proper perspective. that John was hugely popular in his day. It wasn't just a few remote people that were going out to visit John and to receive his baptism and to hear his ministry. There was likely not a person in all of Jerusalem and Judea who did not know about John the Baptist. So now when Matthew pens this gospel and he just introduces him as John the Baptist, we understand that his popularity was quite significant in this day. In fact, so popular, Luke tells us that the crowds were starting to speculate as to whether John was the Messiah. And this was the rumor that John had to put to rest. So this is the man, John the Baptist, Now let's consider his ministry. The ministry of John the Baptist. John's ministry could be summed up, or if we're going to sum it up in one word, it would be the word preparation. In fact, notice verses 2 and 3 again. John says, For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, So John was the direct fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 40 verse 3, which is where this passage of scripture comes from. John was the prophet who would cry in the wilderness, to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. Again, what Matthew's doing here, he's writing to his largely Jewish audience, and this would have been a significant detail for them, that John was the one predicted in the Old Testament to prepare the way for the coming Christ. Matthew continues to do this over and over again in his book. But Matthew's mention of John's fulfillment of Isaiah 40 verse 3 is even more significant when you understand the concept of Isaiah chapter 40. The larger context of Isaiah chapter 40 and Isaiah chapter 66 pictures Israel's end time restoration. So in these chapters the messianic era and the millennial kingdom and the eventual new heavens and new earth are often blended together in these chapters. And what John the Baptist is doing then is he is heralding the beginning of the restoration of God's blessing on God's people. And so when Matthew says, this is he who is spoken of by Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 40, we sit here and go, okay, that's nice. But for Israel, this was a huge deal. This was a major connection to connect John the Baptist with Isaiah chapter 40. Now, as you continue in this passage, Notice that the John the Baptist ministry was specifically to prepare the people for the coming king and the coming kingdom. So look at verse 2 and you'll see these words by John the Baptist. For John to be showing up in the wilderness, and for him to be preaching and saying these words that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, this was a major event. So if we were to walk downtown Detroit and someone was to be yelling, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, we would probably just keep walking and say, okay, that guy's different, all right, he's strange. There wouldn't be much anticipation on the part of the people walking by. But for John to be in the wilderness and to be making these bold statements, this was turning heads. And as we said, all of Judea, it was coming out to him. Now, when we come to this phrase, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, there are a handful of things that we need to discuss at this point. Now, as we move forward in the book of Matthew, the theme of the kingdom is going to be a major theme in Matthew's gospel. And already we've seen that it's prominent. It's connected to the genealogies. It's connected to the wise men's search. What's the question they ask? Where is he born, king of the Jews? And so the theme of a kingdom is very significant in Matthew. And as we go through the book of Matthew, our understanding and perspective on the kingdom is going to continue to build. But for now, though, let's just highlight a few necessary details about the coming kingdom. Okay, so there are essentially two questions we want to ask about verse two. What is the kingdom? And what does it mean that the kingdom of heaven is at hand? Okay, so let's start with our first question. What is the kingdom? Well, you'll notice right away that that neither Matthew nor John give really any description or detail or definition about the kingdom. John simply says the kingdom of heaven is at hand and Matthew doesn't take it upon himself to explain what John means. Now this is actually an important detail. Since there is no explanation of the kingdom, we should simply conclude then that the kingdom of which John spoke is the kingdom that was promised in the Old Testament by the prophets and in the covenants. In other words, the kingdom was where Israel would be regathered in the land, where they would be at rest from her enemies, where there would be the Messiah or the King or the Son of David who sits on the Davidic throne and rules God's people in peace and justice. That was the picture of what the Old Testament portrayed about the kingdom. And this kingdom was the one that was being expected by the New Testament audience to which Jesus arrives. Now, in support of this idea, You'll remember when the angel comes to Mary and she says, you're going to have a baby. And he says, this is going to be the son of the most high. And he's going to sit on the throne of his father, David. In other words, the kingdom that's anticipated there in the passage, and Jesus sitting on a throne, it's the same kingdom that was promised in the Old Testament. So what we want to see is that there's continuity between the kingdom promised in the Old Testament and the expectation of the kingdom when you get into the New Testament. This was their anticipation, and the New Testament doesn't correct the anticipation of these New Testament Israelites. It doesn't say, well, they were expecting a future earthly kingdom, but they were actually wrong. No, it's the same kingdom that was promised in the Old Testament. Now, the reason this is important is because as Matthew's gospel moves forward, Jesus is going to be rejected, he's going to be crucified, he's going to raise again, and then he's going to ascend into heaven, and one would come to the end of the book of Matthew, and the question would be, well, what happened to the kingdom? All this talk about the kingdom early on, what was the situation? Was their anticipation about a coming kingdom incorrect? Was it not the same kingdom that was promised in the Old Testament? Did the kingdom program change in some way? Did Israel as a nation forfeit their right to the kingdom because of their rejection of the Messiah? What I believe happens through the book of Matthew is that Jesus is rejected. And that the establishment of the kingdom becomes postponed until Christ's second coming. But I believe our understanding of the kingdom should be the same as it is predicted in the Old Testament. In fact, later on when Jesus starts to talk about the kingdom, he grounds his understanding of the kingdom in the Old Testament as well. And notice something else about this passage in verse 2. It's called the kingdom of heaven. which is an expression that only Matthew uses. And all the other authors of the New Testament or the other gospel writers, they speak of the kingdom of God. And some have tried to argue that the kingdom of heaven is different than the kingdom of God, but that's not consistent with scripture. In fact, if you go to, don't you have to turn there, but in Matthew 19, 23 and 24, the terms are used interchangeably for kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God. But when Matthew calls it the kingdom of heaven, He does not mean that the kingdom is located in heaven. He just means that the kingdom is from heaven or from above or from God. So Matthew still has in mind an earthly kingdom, but sometimes we are confused and we think and we equate the kingdom with heaven, when really it's a heavenly kingdom that will be here on earth established by the Messiah. So Matthew is referring to a future earthly literal kingdom. Now notice one more thing, that when Jesus comes on the scene in chapter 4, verse 17, he preaches the same message that John preaches. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Okay, so that's the first question. What is the kingdom? Well, it's the kingdom promised in the Old Testament. But our second question, what does it mean that the kingdom of heaven is at hand? Well, sometimes people understand this phrase to mean that the kingdom has actually arrived and that the kingdom is here and it has been established. But I think it's better to translate this as the NIV or the CSV do to say that the kingdom has come near. And most of the time when this phrase at hand or has come near is used, it means the arrival of something that is imminent or the coming of something that's imminent, but it hasn't arrived yet. Okay, so just as an example, I'll read one passage of scripture for you from James chapter 5 and verse 8. You can just listen to this because it's not that complex a passage, but just listen to how this phrase, at hand, is used in James 5.8. It says, That doesn't mean the Lord has already come yet, but it's so near that it can be spoken of as being imminent. And that's what we have here when John says the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It is so close because the king himself is already present. Now if I could just make one excursus and then we'll get into the message that John preached. There's one particular thing I'd like to mention about verse three. And that is to say this, that verse three is one of the clearest statements in the Bible affirming the deity of Jesus Christ. So in Isaiah 43, which is where this Old Testament quote comes from, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, in Isaiah, it says, to prepare the way for the Lord. And the word Lord that's used there is the word Yahweh, the Lord's most sacred and personal name. Now, when you get to Matthew 3, and this passage speaks of John the Baptist preparing the way for the Lord, who's the Lord in Matthew 3? that's coming. Well, it is Jesus the Messiah. He is equated with Yahweh of the Old Testament. And it's interesting, even if you were to go to the Jehovah's Witness Bible, the New World Translation, this passage is in here. It hasn't been removed or changed or taken out, and it still continues to argue for the deity of Christ, even though they attempt to change it in other places. because it's such a clear statement of Christ's deity. Okay, so so far we have seen the man, we have seen the ministry, one of preparation for the coming kingdom, but now let's turn our attention to the message that John the Baptist preached. The message that John the Baptist preached. And if the message could be summed up in one word, it would be the word repentance. Repent in order to receive access or entrance into the kingdom. Now, what did John mean when he spoke of repentance? I think this passage gives us so many details about repentance that are significant, and we're gonna unpack these here. The word repentance, it literally means to change your mind. Now sometimes in our home we have behavioral issues, just with the boys though, not with my daughter since she's present here with us this morning, but just with the boys. We'll from time to time have behavioral issues and I'll say something like, Okay, it's time for discipline. And they'll respond with something like, no, I'm going to be a nice boy now. And I might be busy at the time. No, dad, I'm going to be a nice boy. And they just keep repeating that until I've confirmed that no longer is there going to be any discipline. Logan, in particular, he words it this way. And this is also the same son who happened to, I said, there's going to be some discipline. And he said, go ahead, big boy, with a smile on his face. And I was driving, so there wasn't much that I could do at the time. And it was one of those trips where we weren't stopping. We were continuing on. So big boy didn't do anything that day. But typically, though, he'll say something like this. This is almost an exact quote. I'll say it's, you know, time for some discipline. He'll say, Dad, I changed my mind. Dad, I changed my mind. I'm gonna be a nice boy now. And I'll say something like this. Well, that's nice, but what I need is not really a change of mind, but a change in behavior. Right? Because that's what true repentance is, right? Literally, yes, we change our mind about sin. But it's not simply a change about a mind about sin. It's a change of mind that results in a change of behavior. In fact, just look down at verse 8. You can see what John says when he rebukes the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They've come to observe his ministry and he commands them bear fruit in keeping with repentance, giving us this clear indication that when a person genuinely repents from their sins, what will follow is a changed life. Now turn over to Luke chapter 3, and we'll make this clear in one of John the Baptist's sermons or discussions. Luke chapter 3, which is really Luke's introduction to John preparing the way for Jesus, And look down at verse 10. And the crowds asked him, what then shall we do? And he answered them, whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise. And tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, teacher, what shall we do? And he said to them, collect no more than you are authorized to do. Verse 14, soldiers also asked him, and we, what shall we do? And he said to them, do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation and be content with your wages. In other words, what John is showing us here is that repentance is not just a change of mind about sin. But it leads to a change of action. The fruit in keeping with our repentance. Now another thing we need to know about John's preaching of repentance is that it was the condition for entering the kingdom. So he says, repent because the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In other words, there's no other means by which we enter the coming kingdom other than repentance from our sin. Now you might be sitting there saying, well, hang on a second, because what about faith? Isn't faith necessary for entering the kingdom? And I think that's a really good question. And I want you to notice this, that when you read the biblical authors, One of the things you'll notice is that repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. And when the biblical authors speak about repentance and faith, if they just say repentance, they have in mind repentance and faith, or if they just say faith, they have in mind faith and repentance. Sometimes they just mention faith, sometimes they just mention repentance, but both of those elements are there, and they're used often interchangeably. In fact, in Acts chapter 17, the Apostle Paul's preaching and he instructs them to repent and then once they've repented, when the situation is described, they say they are described as having believed. In other words, it's the same, it's not the same idea, but both are connected and related to one another. There's no faith without repentance and repentance without faith. So John's message here is one of repentance, and we could say one of faith. They're so closely linked together. And what he's saying there is it's necessary for entrance into the kingdom. In other words, no one makes it into the kingdom of heaven without repenting of their sins and believing in Christ. And what's helpful about this is John brings clarity that any other means by which someone might enter the kingdom of heaven, John just shuts the door. No. This is the only path in. Repentance and faith in Christ. Because sometimes we have the notion that there are many ways to God. If I'm a good enough person, or if God weighs my good works against my bad works, or if I give money in certain circumstances. No. Repentance, turning from sin and believing in Jesus, is the only way we have eternal life. It's the only means by which we enter the kingdom. Now, go back to Matthew chapter 3, because I want you to see that this exchange between John and the religious leaders in verses 7 and 12 illustrates this point. Because there was a group of Pharisees and Sadducees, who came to inspect John's ministry, and they had assumed that for different reasons they could have access to the coming kingdom. And John brings clarity both to us and to them in this passage, right? So in verses 7 and 12, let's go back and read those together. It says, but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, you brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance and do not presume to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father. For I tell you, God is able to raise, God is able from these stones to raise up children from Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Okay, so John has this interaction, beginning in verse 7, with Pharisees and Sadducees who have come to... I forget, how does Matthew word it there in verse 7? They came to his baptism. That's all he says, come to his baptism. But the NIV says they came to where he was baptizing. In other words, they didn't come to be baptized. They just came to inspect the baptisms that were taking place and to see John's ministry and what was taking place. Now this is the first mention of the Pharisees and the Sadducees we have in the New Testament and obviously here in the book of Matthew. And it's interesting, they don't believe the same things. as each other, but they're here together inspecting the ministry of John the Baptist. The Pharisees, they were close observers of the Old Testament law, and they had built a hedge around the law with all of their rules and traditions to keep people from disobeying the law. and they elevated the rules so high that they missed the the spirit of the law and the spirit of the scriptures and they became known for their their self-righteousness and their hypocrisy okay at least many of them there were God-fearing, devoted Pharisees who weren't hypocritical, but there were many who were self-righteous and hypocritical. And they became concerned with what John was teaching in Scripture. The Sadducees, we don't know a lot about the Sadducees in Scripture. Matthew mentions them the most, but they were wealthy aristocrats who they had worked themselves into the good graces of the Roman government. They likely came because they're concerned with John being some sort of a revolutionary. And they want to kind of keep the peace. And so here are these two groups of people who don't agree with one another. They show up to inspect the ministry of John the Baptist. And so it's probably one of those The enemy of my enemy is my friend kind of situations. Like we don't like each other, but we both hate John. So this brings us in some sort of unison. And as they come, John rebukes them so soundly. One of the soundest rebukes in all of the scriptures. And it's interesting because The first description of Jesus, before his ministry even starts, is not really this one of Jesus as this wimpy, loving, tender individual, okay? But John paints him as this man who's gonna do two things. He's gonna bring grace to those who repent, but unquenchable fire to those who don't. Years ago, MacArthur wrote a book called The Jesus You Can't Ignore. And it was the Jesus who will judge sin for those who do not repent. And that's what we have here, as John gives this stinging rebuke, like he rebukes him, and then he says, there's one coming after me who's going to rebuke you as well. In verse 7 he calls them a brood of vipers, or an offspring of vipers, maybe even indicating that they were offspring or children of the viper or snake that appeared in Genesis chapter 3. And he sarcastically asks them, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Which is a sarcastic question because they weren't there to flee from the wrath that was to come. And John knew that and they knew that. They were only there to inspect and critique his ministry. Now notice verse nine. They don't say this out loud, but John anticipates their response to this question. And he makes it clear to them that repentance is the only means by which someone enters the kingdom. So look at verse 9. He says, do not presume to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father. For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. They weren't saying this out loud, but they had convinced themselves and made this assumption that they would be granted access into the coming kingdom because of their lineage in the line of Abraham. Because they were of the people of Israel, they were going to enter Christ's kingdom. But John says, no. Only through repentance does one enter the kingdom. See, John is saying, It wasn't their family tree that granted entrance into the kingdom. It was a repentant tree that bore good fruit that brought access to the kingdom. And we won't consider these verses, but if you look on, those who do not repent will face God's judgment. Gives this very vivid description. The axe is already laid at the tree, and it's ready to cut down every tree that does not bear good fruit. The kingdom is coming, the king is coming, and he will put in unquenchable fire those who do not repent. Now I think this assumption of there being other ways into the kingdom is common. Right? So these religious leaders thinking that because they were in the line of Abraham that they could enter the kingdom, I think that that's quite common. In fact, many in our day I think have the same misconceptions that by some means, other than repentance, they'll be able to enter the presence of God. We used to do, when I was growing up, we used to do religious surveys through neighborhoods, and one of the questions we asked is, we would ask the two questions from Evangelism and Explosion, Do you know where you would go if you were to die today? And a lot of people would say heaven. Then the follow-up question is, if you were to stand before God and he would just say, why should I let you into my heaven, what would you say? And in this Roman Catholic neighborhood where I grew up, the answer was so often, because I'm a good person. And I think a lot of people have these assumptions that if I'm a good person or if I do this or I do that, if I have a religious experience or my family, I come from a Christian family, that I'll be granted access into Christ's coming kingdom. And in that sense, people are just like the religious leaders who assume their family line would grant them access into the kingdom. It's interesting, just this week, I was reading a prayer letter from Chris and Darcy Vergeels. And he was reporting of someone in their new church that had just come to repentance and faith in the gospel. And there was a particular line in his sermon that piqued this lady's interest that caused her to want to think more seriously about her relationship with Christ. This was the line. He said, God has no grandchildren, only children. And it was that line that, as I said, piqued your interest. And what he meant with that was that you're not saved because your parents were Christians or because you grew up going to church. You're saved by your own repentance and faith in Christ. If you repent and believe, you become a child of God. But there are no grandchildren of God who don't express faith and repentance in Christ. And it's this statement, like I said, that caused this individual to come to salvation. There's a sense in which this is what is being said here. And sadly, many in our day today walk around with a sense of assurance because they've had some sort of religious experience or some sort of Christian connection to their family. They grew up in a Christian home or had some sort of profession of faith, but there's no repentance that bears fruit in their life. And in this case, these individuals are self-deceived about their standing before Christ. Some of the most dangerous positions are those who have people who have been inoculated with enough religion to have a false assurance about where they stand before God. but they've fallen short of genuine repentance and therefore will fall short of entering Christ's kingdom." I don't know where you stand in your relationship with Christ. I don't know if you grew up in a Christian home and have put your stock in that. But I don't think John's words can be any more clear to us. repentance is the way in which we enter the kingdom. And that it's genuine repentance that bears fruit in our life. And if there's no fruit, then there's the question of, well, has there been genuine repentance then? And so, friend, I ask us to make John's words our words this morning. That we would make sure that we have repented. Because the kingdom is coming. And Christ will either allow access or deny access based on our standing with him. Let's pray together. Father, we're thankful for the clarity of the word, and these are not, it's not my word, it's not the people here's word, it's your word, and our desire this morning is just to unpack it as best we can. And so I hope that what we've said is clear and accurate this morning, but, or if there's someone in our midst that maybe sits week after week, who maybe has their confidence placed in that they are involved in religious activity week after week, or they have some sort of connection, or they're a good person. Would you allow this passage to reveal to them that the only means by which they can have access into an eternal life and your coming kingdom is through turning from their sins and believing in Christ. Lord, we're told in 2 Timothy that you are the one who grants repentance. So we would ask that you would open up eyes this morning and grant that ability, we pray. Lord, for those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, we ask that this message would remind us of the urgency to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, because there are many who have not repented, and will be cast into utter darkness. So Lord, we pray that you would use this passage to admonish us and encourage us today for it's in Christ and we pray, amen.