Hi everyone, I'm Amy and I'll be doing the Bible reading for today.
The reading is from the book of Matthew, chapter 3, verses 1 to 12.
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the desert of Judea, and saying, Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is near. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah.
A voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.
John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea
and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the
Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptized,
he said to them, You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not think you can say to yourselves,
We have Abraham as our father. I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children
for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce
good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water for repentance,
but after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand,
and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff
with unquenchable fire. Father, I pray simply that you would open our eyes to see Jesus,
for each one of us. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Amen. Well, tomorrow has been called Freedom Day. It's Freedom Day tomorrow, according to an ABC
News article. Freedom from the captivity of the COVID restrictions. More people can gather together,
we can sing at Christmas, a handful of people can dance again. I'll happily step aside and let you
dance if you want to. And this will mean that there's more jobs again. That's probably,
the best news, isn't it? The first line of the article says that pubs, theatres and places of
worship all agree next week's Freedom Day in New South Wales will be the best Christmas present
they could wish for. It's good news, isn't it? We're all looking forward to it. We should be thankful
and not take it for granted. Now, I'm sure many people had it worse than me in Australia, but
calling it Freedom Day just feels to me a bit over the top. It made me wonder, will lifting the
restrictions make my life better? I think that really depends on how you measure a good life.
So for instance, during the COVID restrictions this year, I think I was actually shown that there's a
much greater captivity that I need freedom from than just the restrictions. Let me show you what I mean.
Now, this probably depends on your personality, but a week into the lockdown back in April,
with all these life commitments suddenly cancelled, as an introvert, I loved the extra time that I could
just use for however I wanted to spend it. I don't know if you found that. It probably depends on
personality. Or when the madness erupted with the panic buying. Even though I resolved to only buy
what I needed for that week, like usual, I remember standing in the aisle of Coles holding a bag of rice
rice that I didn't need and having this battle inside me, will it be here next week? And I took it for myself.
When the lockdown lifted and these commitments started up again, it was difficult to leave the house,
did you find? Like to set the alarm earlier, to actually drive to places, oh, what a burden.
It gets in the way of your agenda again. Now, you might be thinking these are very minor things,
but I believe they're examples of my heart being captive, that I'm devoted to a life living for myself.
The outward situations change, but the problem inside my heart remains the same.
The heart devoted to self can sometimes have very little impact on others, like you wouldn't even notice it.
But other times, I think you would agree with me, a life devoted to self can really harm
and let others down.
I wonder, will we use our renewed freedoms tomorrow for ourselves?
Or are we excited because we have more opportunities to serve others?
Is your heart devoted to living for yourself?
God's word to us today in Matthew is going to tell us about the greatest freedom day.
The day when God came to set us free on the inside.
So let's listen to what God says to us today.
After Matthew has spent two chapters looking at the birth of Jesus
and how he clearly meets the criteria for God's promised king,
he skips over 25 years or so of Jesus' life.
He's not a very good biographer, if that's what he's trying to do.
Which it's not, he's got a point to make.
Our attention is then drawn in chapter 3 to this camel hair wearing,
locust eating, probably smelly man,
living outside civilisation in the wilderness,
a preacher who announces this day of freedom.
What a weird thing to draw our attention to.
The Bible rarely tells us what someone looks like.
So it's interesting that we're told in 2 Kings 1.8 that Elijah the prophet,
who lived a further 850 years before John,
he wore a garment of hair with a leather belt around his waist.
Now why is this significant?
It's significant because God's final promise in the Old Testament,
before Jesus turns up, is Malachi 4.5.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet,
before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
As far as we know, there's absolutely nothing attractive about John
that people back then or us today would be attracted to him,
to come to him.
We're told in verse 5 that many people did.
Like a lot of people confused him for the king himself.
That's how popular he was.
Many people came and listened.
Now why is he worth listening to?
He's worth listening to because he is the last prophet to come
before the great and awesome day,
the day called the Day of the Lord,
the day when God himself walks in the door,
when he turns up.
Isaiah the prophet said the same thing and Matthew quotes it.
The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
prepare the way of the Lord.
Make his path straight.
The Lord is coming.
Now the original context of this quote in Isaiah
is about God's people being set free from captivity,
a new exodus,
a new freedom.
If John is this second Elijah preparing the way,
then the Day of the Lord is here.
It's arrived.
It's happened.
And the prophets were clear that the Day of the Lord
was a day of salvation,
bringing everlasting freedom
for those who want God to be in control.
But it's also the Day of God's anger
for anyone who doesn't want God to be God.
God is showing up.
It's either going to be freedom or anger.
Depending on whether we want God to be God.
Another clue that Matthew gives us
that this new day has arrived is the setting.
It's in the wilderness.
Now, the wilderness is where God loves
to bring about new beginnings.
So we see it when the Israelites come out of Egypt.
After leaving captivity in Egypt,
they're taken into the wilderness
and it's in the wilderness
that God comes to them at Mount Sinai
and enters into a covenant relationship with them.
It's in the wilderness.
There's nothing there.
That's where God meets people
and starts the new covenant relationship.
But for Israel back then,
that freedom to live with God,
that freedom to live for God,
it was short-lived.
It didn't last.
Because the problem in their hearts,
they just stuffed it up again and again and again.
So God promised through the prophets
a new day of freedom.
A new exodus from captivity in the wilderness.
I love the pictures in the next chapter of Isaiah,
chapter 41.
When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I, the Lord, will answer them.
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, the olive,
that they may see and know,
may consider and understand together
that the hand of the Lord has done this.
The Holy One of Israel has created it.
Now what's the point of that?
The crowds who first heard John,
they had to leave Jerusalem.
They had to leave the city
and go into the wilderness
for this new beginning.
They had to leave behind their status as Jews,
as members of the people of God.
They had to leave that behind,
not trust in it.
They had to leave behind
the religious establishment
that said,
this is how you approach God.
They had to leave that behind
and go to the wilderness.
So too, I think we need to leave behind
whatever we look to in life.
As the source of our confidence before God,
we've got to leave that behind
and come to God with nothing
and let him create a garden in our hearts.
We've got to come to him with nothing
in the wilderness
and he creates something new.
So John's message in verse 2
is really brief,
but it's life-changing.
It's history-changing.
Here's his message.
Here's what's going to bring about the change.
Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
That's it.
The kingdom of heaven isn't about a place.
The kingdom of heaven is not the church,
the institution.
It is really about God's kingship,
his sovereignty.
I like how a guy named R.T. France
puts John's message.
He says it like this.
God is now taking control.
He's come.
God is now taking control.
The kingdom of heaven is the rule of God.
Now, we might assume that the rule of God
is kind of like the COVID restrictions.
It's a damper.
It's restraining life.
But that's not true.
God's good rule is like water
pouring in the wilderness
that causes thriving.
It sets us free.
Of course, in one sense,
ever since God created the world,
he's always been ruling.
He's God.
He's still ruling.
But in another sense,
people don't recognize his rule.
People don't like his rule.
People fight against him being God
of their lives.
And so there's this tension.
John's message is,
the kingdom of heaven is now.
It starts in our hearts.
It's when people acknowledge
that God alone is God
and want to live in his good ways.
It's when people love God
and worship him alone.
People all over the world.
That's the changes in here.
The kingdom of heaven is arriving
in people's hearts.
That time has begun.
It's arrived.
It's not future.
It's arrived.
It's not future.
Which is why it is time
for every person to repent.
Now, repentance isn't just
feeling sorry for what you've done,
although you've got to start there.
Repentance is to abandon
living for yourself
and turn back to God.
It's to give your entire allegiance
to him,
not to self.
And John gives us two pictures
of how urgent
our situation is.
He says in verse 10,
even now the axe
is laid at the root of the trees.
Every tree, therefore,
that does not bear good fruit
is cut down
and thrown into the fire.
There are serious consequences
to trying to dethrone God
in our lives.
That is a serious thing
to try and do.
The axe is placed
at the root of the tree.
It is ready to swing.
Every tree,
the whole tree,
it's at the root.
The whole tree will come down.
There's no time to waste.
The gardener wants
to find good fruit.
That's what a fruit tree
is for.
Otherwise,
it's worthless,
only good for burning.
God is looking
for the fruit
of a life
lived
in love of God
which overflows
in the love of others.
But notice
that as every tree,
the judgment
is selective.
God isn't just
swinging wildly.
He's careful.
It's selective.
Each person
is judged
according to their own fruit
or lack thereof.
So the question
for us is
will he find
fruit on your tree?
The other picture
is a farming one
in verse 12.
After harvesting
the wheat,
there's a pile of wheat
mixed up with
all the other bits
that got caught up
in the threshing.
Now the farmer
uses a shovel,
a winnowing fork,
it's called here,
to throw it up
in the air
and the light bit,
the useless bits
are lighter
and the wind
blows it away
and the wheat
falls back down.
The wheat
is bundled up
and safely
brought into the barn.
The chaff,
the useless bits,
is bundled up
and put
into the fire.
Notice again
the judgment
is selective.
The wheat
isn't burned
with the chaff
nor is the chaff
accidentally bundled up
with the wheat.
John says
the situation
is urgent.
The winnowing fork
is in his hand.
He's ready
to separate.
Bringing his people
into his barn safely
and the rest
burnt with
unquenchable
fire.
Fire that can't
be extinguished.
Now to be honest
with you,
I had to spend
a lot of time
this week
just researching
this word
unquenchable
and things like
every fiver
of my being
wants this
not to mean
what it means.
Maybe I'm okay
in the extreme cases
like Hitler
and the like
of them
having eternal
unquenchable
fire.
Maybe I'm okay
with that
but for
ordinary people
this idea
is just
terrifying.
Many Christians
try and downplay
what the Bible
says,
what Jesus
himself says
later on.
So one idea
that people
have come up
with is
purgatory
where people
just pay
for their
sins
and then
they go
to heaven.
Another idea
is that
only Christians
have eternal
life.
Everyone else
just ceases
to exist.
Unfortunately
this picture
here of a fire
that can't be
extinguished
is a picture
of eternal
conscious experience
and Jesus
talks about
this later.
It's a
terrifying
thought.
But even
if we
struggle with
I think we
should all
struggle with
this idea.
I think anyone
should be
rejoicing about
this concept.
But we've
got a
choice.
We can
sit as
judge over
what God
says in
the Bible
and decide
it's too
harsh or
we can
listen to
what the
righteous
judge
says.
While we
do,
we need to
always remember
what God
says in
Ezekiel 33
11.
Please hear
this clearly.
as I
live,
declares
the Lord
God,
I have
no pleasure
in the
death of
the wicked.
I have
no pleasure.
But that
the wicked
would turn
from his
way and
live.
Turn
back,
turn back
from your
evil ways.
For why
will you
die?
That is the
heart of
God.
He takes
no pleasure
in the
death of
anyone.
God's
just
judgment,
the words
of Malachi
say it
best.
Who can
endure
the day
of his
coming?
Who can
stand when
he appears?
Is there
any good
tree?
Is there
any good
wheat?
Well,
before you
despair,
before we
despair,
you need
to see
the surprising
answer to
who the
king counts
as good
and whom
he will
cut down.
We see
two groups
of people
coming out
to John
and they
represent the
two responses
we can have
to King
Jesus.
people.
If you
were to ask
a Jewish
person living
in Jerusalem
at the
time,
show me
what a
godly
person
looks like,
they would
take you
to one
of two
groups of
people.
The
Sadducees
or the
Pharisees.
They're the
religious elite.
They're at the
top.
The Sadducees
were politically
in charge.
They were the
priests in the
temple.
And the Sadducees,
they were just
so careful
to keep
God's rules
that they
added rules
just to be
even more
careful.
Everyone
thought these
guys were
close to
God.
They're at
the top.
If anyone's
getting in,
they're getting
in.
But verse
7,
when these
religious elites
come out to
see why all
the crowds
are coming to
John,
he does not
welcome them.
You brood of
vipers,
who warned
you to
flee from
the wrath
to come.
Bear fruit
in keeping
with repentance.
They too
needed to
turn their
hearts back
to God,
but they
thought they
were already
pretty good
by their
own efforts.
They were
Abraham's
descendants.
They thought
they were
already members
of God's
people.
They were
confident they
were already
good at
running their
own life.
Yet from
God's
perspective,
where their
confidence in
themselves,
their lack
of awareness
of their
sin,
they're in
danger of
hell.
It was the
religious elite
who were most
in danger.
And then
surprisingly,
again,
it's the
ordinary people,
the people you
could look at
and they
obviously haven't
lived for God.
God.
It's those
people who
came out to
John who
admitted that
they need
forgiveness.
They admitted
that they need
freedom from
their sin,
that they need
a new
beginning.
It isn't the
self-confident
person that the
king welcomes,
it's the person
who confesses
their need for
the king to
forgive them
and change
them.
We see in
verse 6,
to symbolise
their turning
back to God,
they're baptised
by John,
confessing
their sins.
So baptism,
it was common
back then for
converts to
Judaism to
immerse
themselves in
water to
show a change
in their life,
to stop
worshipping
other gods
and to
worship the
God of the
Jews.
Or it was
common for
Jews on their
way to the
temple to
wash themselves.
What's different
about John's
baptism was
to accept
his message
that the
new day of
God's rule
under God's
appointed king
has begun
because the
king has
shown up.
It was to
believe his
message.
It was to
accept freedom
on God's
terms.
Even the
act of having
John immerse
them, so
they didn't
immerse
themselves,
the act of
John baptizing.
Even that
symbolizes that
you don't
change yourself.
You must
receive it.
It must be
done for
you.
But John
is really
clear.
His water
baptism was
just to
prepare people
for the
real inside
change that
only the
king can
give you.
John
can't give
it.
I can't
give it to
you.
You must go
to the
king himself
to get
that internal
cleansing.
A radical
change has
to happen,
like turning
stones into
children.
Only God
can do
that.
With
enough
willpower
and motivations,
I can
modify some
of my
behaviors.
Like, I've
cut down
from three
coffees to
two each
day.
That's a
big win
for me.
But how
will my
heart,
that is so
devoted to
a life living
for myself,
be set
free to
love God
and others?
How will
that happen?
The prophet
Ezekiel in
chapter 36
said that
God will
one day
bring about
this radical
change.
Let me
read his
words.
God
said,
I will
sprinkle
clean
water on
you,
and you
shall be
clean from
all your
uncleannesses,
and from
all your
idols I
will cleanse
you,
and I
will give
you a
new heart
and a
new spirit
I will
put within
you,
and I
will remove
the heart
of stone
from your
flesh and
give you
a heart
of flesh,
and I
will put
my spirit
within you
and cause
you to
walk in
my statutes
and be
careful to
obey my
rules,
and you
shall be
my people
and I
will be
your God.
John
says the
day of
inner renewal
has arrived
with King
Jesus.
verse 11,
he points
forward to
this baptism
inside.
He who
is coming
after me
is mightier
than I,
whose sandals
I'm not
worthy to
carry.
He will
baptize you
with the
Holy Spirit
and fire.
And then
Jesus walks
onto the
scene,
the next
verse,
and he's
baptized by
John.
That's a bit
surprising and
we're going
to look at
that next
week.
Why does
he choose
to be
baptized?
The
mighty
one has
arrived.
The
day of
the Lord
is here.
The
King has
come.
God is
now taking
control.
How does
he take
control of
our hearts?
It's not
by force.
God is
going to
do it.
I like
the quote
by Augustine
which captures
the lengths
Jesus has
gone to,
not to
condemn us,
which he
has every
right to
do,
but to
set us
free.
So it's
in the
bulletin,
but let me
read it.
Talking
about Jesus,
he lies in
a manger,
but he
holds the
world in
his hand.
God
is
nourished
at the
breast,
but he
feeds
angels.
He is
wrapped in
swaddling
cloths,
but he
clothes us
with
immortality.
He is
suckled,
but he's
adored.
He does
not find
room in
the inn,
but he
makes a
temple for
himself in
the hearts
of believers.
God
became a
human
being
to set
us free
from living
for ourselves.
I think
it is
right for
us to
fear
eternal
fire that
our sins
deserve.
It is
right for
us to
fear that.
But Jesus
does not
want you
to come
simply with
fear.
We're just
saying it
in Amazing
Grace,
the lyrics.
It was
grace that
taught my
heart to
fear,
and grace
my fears
relieved.
You've
got to
start with
fear,
but he
doesn't
want you
to just
come with
fear.
It was
grace that
my fears
relieved.
How does
he do
that?
The
king sets
us free
from our
sin by
taking hell
upon himself
by going
to the
cross.
God
said,
instead of
me,
the fruitless
tree,
the gardener
was cut
down.
Instead
of me,
the chaff
that should
have been
blown away,
the farmer
himself was
thrown into
the fire.
God
will
love you.
God
will
love you.
God
will
love you.
He invites
us to
come to
him to
be set
free,
to give
our total
allegiance to
him and
receive the
Holy Spirit
that will
change us
from the
inside out,
to love
God and
love others
as we're
made for.
But he
does it by
his own
death.
His own
death makes
a temple for
himself in
the hearts
of believers.
So are
you ready
to meet
the king?
are you
ready to
accept
freedom on
God's
terms?
Not
freedom to
sin,
to keep
living for
yourself,
but freedom
to love
and flourish
under the
king.
God has
turned up.
He's
walked in
the door.
The time
of God's
rule has
begun.
The king
is enthroned.
His name
is Jesus.
Tomorrow
might be
freedom day
from all
the
restrictions,
but today
he offers
you freedom
from your
sin.
He offers
you freedom
from the
consequences
of your
sin.
He offers
you a
new
beginning,
a new
life,
knowing God
as your
father,
loving him,
and then
that overflowing
in loving
others.
we've
all got
to face
this
king one
day,
an answer
for our
lives.
Why not
come to
him today,
confessing
your sin,
asking him
to change
you?
Will you
pray with me?
Father,
let's pray.
Let's pray.
Father,
we thank you
for sending
your son,
not to
condemn the
world,
but to
save us.
We thank you
that you
came,
Lord,
not to be
served,
but to
serve us
by going
to the
cross in
our
place.
Father,
help each
of us
to hear
your words
in Matthew.
Lord,
help each
of us
not to
trust in
ourselves
and be
confident in
ourselves
to stand
before you,
but help us
come to you.
May our
hearts be a
wilderness as
we come to
you,
and may you
create new
life in each
one of us,
the life
you made
us for,
the life
in your
presence,
knowing your
love that
even went to
the cross
for our
sake.
Lord,
create a
garden in
each one
of us,
set us
free from
a life
lived for
self,
that we
might love
you as
you deserve
and love
others as
we ought
to.
Lord,
only your
spirit can
bring about
this.
My words
can't,
only your
spirit can.
Please,
save each
one of us,
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.