SESSION 1. The Way Prepared. Jesus came to earth as the promised King who provides salvation for those who trust Him. DATE OF MY BIBLE STUDY: 11

Transcription

1 SESSION 1 The Way Prepared Jesus came to earth as the promised King who provides salvation for those who trust Him. DATE OF MY BIBLE STUDY: 11

2 HE DECIDED THAT HE WOULD SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO PROVIDE THE WAY OF ESCAPE FOR THOSE WHO WOULD RECEIVE HIM. IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT PREPARING TO BUY YOUR FIRST HOME, A FIXER UPPER. SOMETIMES A HOUSE NEEDS SIMPLE T.L.C., BUT OTHER TIMES IT NEEDS A WHOLE LOT MORE. Picture that fixer upper destined to become a home. Imagine all the cleaning, painting, removing wallpaper and old appliances. Maybe it s removing walls or reinforcing others. What about all of the outdated fixtures and fried electrical? Think also about the overgrown landscape and lack of curb appeal. When it comes to making a house a home it is clearly a great undertaking. It s not easy nor is it always fun, but when all is said and done, a fixer upper house can be a place to call home. The world into which God was about to send His Son was a spiritual fixer upper. Prophets for centuries had warned people of the consequences they would face because of their refusal to repent of their sins. After the prophet Malachi s warnings, there were 400 years of silence. Instead of being alarmed or worried that God was no longer speaking; the people grew more sinful. However in God s infinite wisdom and timing, He decided that He would send His son into the world to provide the way of escape for those who would receive Him. To prepare for this, God sent John the Baptist to warn the people of the judgment to come. John would be the herald of the coming Messiah. He was responsible for preparing the way for Jesus. 12 EXPLORE THE BIBLE YOUNG ADULTS

3 MATTHEW 3: In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near! 3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight! 4 John himself had a camelhair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. 7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the place of his baptism, he said to them, Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. 9 And don t presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 10 Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out. Think About It Observe the actions people took as word spread of John the Baptist s preaching. What do these actions reveal about the spiritual needs in John s day? Session 1: The Way Prepared 13

4 UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT Matthew 3:1-12 John came prior to Jesus. He was the son of Zechariah, an elderly priest who served the Jerusalem temple. Thousands of priests served in the temple, so it was a rare privilege to be chosen by the lot to offer the twice-daily incense offering. While Zechariah was tending to his priestly duties, the angel Gabriel appeared and told him that God had heard his prayers and his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son, whom he would name John. (Luke 1:13) Only Luke records the details surrounding John s birth. He summarizes John s childhood by saying that John grew up to become spiritually strong and lived in the wilderness until his public appearance in Israel (Luke 1:80). John lived alone in the desert, dressed in animal hair clothing, and ate insects and wild honey. Despite his solitary lifestyle, he preached fearlessly against the sins of the people, royalty and religious leaders alike. Though he spoke with God given power and authority, he never forgot his place as only the proclaimer of God s promised Messiah. After describing Jesus childhood in chapters 1 and 2, Matthew moves ahead more than 25 years in chapter 3 to His first meeting with John. John came as a prophet and Jesus came as the Savior. Both possessed great humility. The people, tired of the cold-heartedness of their religious leaders, were drawn to John s engaging words and responded to his preaching of hope and the coming Messiah. The large crowds followed John, but he still submitted himself entirely to Jesus, noting that he wasn t worthy to take off His sandals (v. 11). John s style of baptism was unique. The people were deeply moved by his preaching and were willing and anxious to be baptized. John was quick to tell them that the One who was coming would also baptize, not with water but with the fire of the Holy Spirit. John was God s forerunner for the coming of Jesus. He consistently exalted Him as the Anointed One, and thus fulfilled his divinely appointed mission to prepare the way. 14 EXPLORE THE BIBLE YOUNG ADULTS

5 EXPLORE THE TEXT PREPARING THE WAY (Matt. 3:1-6) 1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea In those days referred to the years between Joseph and Mary s arrival in Nazareth from Egypt until Jesus left His Nazareth home to begin His public ministry. John was already preaching His coming. He would preach with authority and with the spirit and power of Elijah. All of this John would do in order to prepare the people for the Lord (Luke 1:17). 2 and saying, Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near! 3 For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight! 4 John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. John emphasized repentance in his preaching because the sins of the people alienated them from God. To repent means to do a U-turn from a particular sin or sinful lifestyle that leads away from God s plan for living. The first step in repentance is to admit our sin. Only then will God receive us and give the strength to live according to His law. Signs of repentance include confession of sin, evidence of remorse, and the abandoning of sinful attitudes and practices. The kingdom of heaven (v.2) was Matthew s way of respecting the Jewish fear of inadvertently blaspheming the name of God. (Ex. 20:7) Jewish custom did not allow for the proper name of God to be spoken or written. Even today, modern Jews will not write out the name, leaving out some of the letters. John added that the kingdom of heaven had come near. God s kingdom is past, present, and future. God s rule transcends all of time. God reigned before Christ came to earth, but when He came, new power was present through Him. This new revelation required people to decide if they would turn and follow God. Delivering a message of repentance is not always popular or easy. How do we deal with the negative reaction some have when challenged by their need to repent? What motivates people to present the truth regardless of the reaction of others? Matthew further verified John s identity and earthly mission when he quoted Isaiah s prophecy, claiming that John was the voice crying out of the wilderness and preparing the way for the Lord (see Is. 40:3). Both John and Isaiah taught that repentance is the way to receive God s forgiveness. John was the voice who spoke the words of God. Session 1: The Way Prepared 15

6 KEY DOCTRINE: Evangelism and Missions The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. REPENTANCE IS AN INTERNAL, SPIRITUAL ACT. How would John s style compare to the style of modern preachers? Would a modern day wild man preacher be effective? Does physical appearance impact how much a message is heard? 5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. News of John s preaching spread quickly. People from around the area of Jerusalem wanted to hear him. John was the first prophet Israel had heard from in 400 years! He held nothing back as he blasted both Herod and the religious leaders because of their sins. Such courage amazed the people. However he let them know that they too were sinners and needed to repent. For centuries the people had been waiting for this coming prophet like Elijah (Mal. 4:5; Luke 1:17) and finally John the Baptist had arrived! His preaching was so Spirit-filled that many were convicted of their sins, confessed them and eagerly submitted to John s baptism. Repentance is an internal, spiritual act. John knew this. He used baptism, a symbolic action, to show the repentance in the lives of those who confessed. Many of those in the crowds listening to John were Jewish, so to them baptism was a rite into Judaism. John however was using baptism as a sign of repentance. As a result of the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the people confessed their sins, sought God s forgiveness, and were ready to be baptized. New Testament Christians today still practice believer s baptism, which is a symbolic burial of the old self and a rising to walk in newness of life by immersion. Baptism happens after one has personally received Christ as Savior. It provides them the opportunity to publicly proclaim their decision to follow Jesus. What were some factors that motivated the large crowds of people to go and listen to John preach? How did their enthusiasm impact others? 16 EXPLORE THE BIBLE YOUNG ADULTS

7 PROCLAIMING THE TRUTH (Matt. 3:7-10) 7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the place of his baptism, he said to them, Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. Pharisees and Sadducees represented religious and political power. Pharisees were more politically conservative and religiously liberal. They were more popular among the people than the Sadducees who were more liberal politically and religiously conservative. Although smaller in number the Sadducees held great political power. Both groups were jealous of each other s power and influence. They were suspicious of anyone whose appeal captured the attention and curiosity of the people. John showed his disdain for their hypocrisy when, with sarcasm, he asked them who said they were going to escape God s coming judgment. These leaders saw God s judgment as only for Gentiles. 9 And don t presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 10 Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. The pious Pharisees and Sadducees were convinced that because they were descendants of Abraham, they were assured of God s blessings, regardless of their actions and beliefs. John told them that God could make a nation for himself from whomever He chose, even out of rocks. Matthew saw John s statement as evidence of God s plan to include believing Gentiles among His people. Then John illustrated a principle that has always remained true: just as fruit trees are expected to bear fruit, God s people prove their genuineness by their good deeds. The theme of divine judgment surfaced again in John s preaching when he used the analogy of the ax to cut down the unproductive trees. John emphasized the complete destruction of these unfruitful trees by noting they would not only be cut down, but be thrown in the fire and burned. Session 1: The Way Prepared 17

8 BIBLE SKILL: Use a Bible atlas and Bible dictionary (print or online version) to locate and learn about places mentioned in Scripture. Locate the Judean wilderness in a Bible atlas. (Tip: Check the atlas index or search on the internet for Judean wilderness.) Note places significant to John s ministry, such as the Jordan River and Jerusalem. Use a Bible dictionary to learn more about the Judean wilderness. What other crucial events in the Bible took place in this wilderness? How does the wilderness serve as an appropriate backdrop for the announcement of the coming Messiah? What happens to a Christian s credibility when their words are not followed by sincere and appropriate actions? Does this hurt the Christian or the Church more? POINTING TO THE KING (Matt. 3:11-12) 11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. John s mission was to prepare the way for the coming of God s Messiah by confronting people with their sins and need to repent before the Messiah s arrival. Unless the people heeded John s message, they would face the terrifying judgment of a righteous God. John was a beacon used to direct the people beyond himself to the Messiah. He did so with great humility. The lowest act of a household slave was to remove a person s sandals. John placed himself below that, stating that he was not worthy of removing the sandals of the Messiah. How is a Christian s role today different from that of John? How is it similar? How do we point people to Christ today? 12 His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn. But the chaff He will burn up with fire that never goes out. Most of those who heard John preach were familiar with threshing floors. The farmer would take a large pitchfork and toss the wheat into the air. The wind would blow through and separate the lighter chaff from the heavier wheat heads. The wheat would be stored to be ground later. The worthless chaff was raked into piles and burned. Winnowing or purging indicate God s judgment upon those who reject His call to repentance. Jesus used this analogy in His parable of the wheat and the weeds (Matt. 13:24-30). John s message was clear: repent, receive Christ and be saved, otherwise face God s judgment. 18 EXPLORE THE BIBLE YOUNG ADULTS

9 OBEY THE TEXT God is at work in our world, unfolding His plans of redemption for His creation. Dependence on anything other than Christ for salvation provides a false hope. Christ is all-powerful, bringing salvation for those who trust Him and judgment for those who don t. List ways God is working in the lives of people in your community. Discuss actions the group needs to take to point others to Christ. Reflect on your commitment to Christ. Make sure you are depending on Him and not on your own merit for your salvation. Review the information on the inside front cover as a part of your reflection. Identify the names of people in your life who need to be told about Christ. How can you give them the opportunity to trust Him? Pray for an opportunity to share with them the truths found in this study. MEMORIZE For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight! Matthew 3:3 Session 1: The Way Prepared 19

10 Use the space provided to make observations and record prayer requests during the group experience for this session. MY THOUGHTS Record insights gained and questions to discuss during the group experience. MY PRAYERS List specific prayer needs and answers to remember this week. MY MISSION Acknowledge ways you will obey God s Word this week. 20 EXPLORE THE BIBLE YOUNG ADULTS