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Matthew 3:11,  “I indeed baptize you with water qunto repentance: rbut he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall sbaptize you with tthe Holy Ghost, and with ufire:” [1]

I.   Repent

     A. Confirm

     B. Conform

II. Redeem

     A. Convince

     B. Commute

III. Renew

     A. Commit

     B. Consume 

Introduction:  Last Sunday in the teaching hour Russell asked if we are ready for Jesus.  He asked it not as one asking a group but as one asking each individual.  We cannot include others when we make a decision for being ready for Jesus.  As much as we would like we cannot bring anyone else along.

Then Russell read from Matthew 24.  Jesus explained to the disciples the signs that precede the end of days.  Russell reminded that the signs have already begun and are coming more frequently and more forcefully. 

We call ourselves Baptists after one that came before Jesus came to earth.  John the Baptist was also preparing the way for Jesus.  That is what we are supposed to be doing today.  John was warning those who came out into the wilderness that there was someone else coming whose boot laces John was not worthy to fasten.  We are Baptists because many years ago there was a group that believed that baptism for the infant without their decision was worthless except to show that the parents and the church were expected to raise the child to follow Jesus.  The Anabaptists believed that baptism was an act of following Jesus and was a very personal decision.  Nobody else could make that decision for you; not even your Christian parents.  To dedicate a child to the God is a good thing.  It signifies that the parent and the church will be hand in hand as a child becomes an adult who is ready to become a Christian.  The dedication and not even the baptism make anyone a Christian.  It is a personal commitment of dedication to Jesus that we each must decide.

Last Monday morning as I read My Utmost for His Highest for that date Russell’s question jumped off the page.  This is what Oswald Chambers said so many years ago.  The question comes about middle of the paragraph so listen for it.

“Have I ever come to a place in my experience where I can say—“I indeed … but He”? Until that moment does come, I will never know what the baptism of the Holy Ghost means. “I indeed” am at an end, I cannot do a thing: “but He” begins just there—He does the things no one else can ever do. Am I prepared for His coming? Jesus cannot come as long as there is anything in the way either of goodness or badness. When He comes am I prepared for Him to drag into the light every wrong thing I have done? It is just there that He comes. Wherever I know I am unclean, He will put His feet; wherever I think I am clean, He will withdraw them. Repentance does not bring a sense of sin, but a sense of unutterable unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am utterly helpless; I know all through me that I am not worthy even to bear His shoes. Have I repented like that? Or is there a lingering suggestion of standing up for myself? The reason God cannot come into my life is because I am not through into repentance.” [2]

So how do we get prepared for Jesus’ return?  It begins with me admitting that I am at the end of what I can do.

Scripture:  The focal scripture today is Matthew 3:11.  Please stand if you’re able.

Prayer:  Let us pray.  Be seated.

Message:  There are three people in this verse that are essential to a person seeking forgiveness, salvation, and purpose; John the Baptist, Jesus, and The Holy Ghost.  For a person to understand that they need repentance another person must be bold enough to tell the truth.  If the person hearing the truth does not accept the truth then the responsibility is theirs.  They have been told.  Once a person has accepted a need they are ready to meet Jesus.  Last week we spoke of a man who met Jesus but thought that he was self-sufficient and didn’t need to give up anything.  He was not ready for Jesus.  Maybe later that young man was ready. Maybe that young man met Jesus afterwards even in His glorified body.  May that young man might have accepted his guilt which allowed him to receive the baptism that washes from the inside out.  God is indeed a second chance giver.

Please keep your Bible open to and follow as we read Matthew 3:1- 10.  “*In those days came aJohn the Baptist, preaching bin the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for cthe kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, dThe voice of one crying in the wilderness, ePrepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of fcamel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was glocusts and hwild honey. 5 Then went out to him iJerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 kAnd were baptized of him lin Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and llSadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, mO generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from nthe wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits ||meet for repentance: 9 And nnthink not to say within yourselves, oWe have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: ptherefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” [3]

Jesus was talking to the religious leaders of the day.  Had they come to confess their sins and ask help to make a turn away from them?  That is what repentance is.  A person recognizes that they are at the end of their rope so to speak and need to change direction.  That person is ready to make a public profession of unworthiness and is ready to humble him/her self as one needing to confess their inability to turn from their own wickedness.  If a person is not ready for that then they are not ready to repent.

John was there to make a public display that a person had decided to wash themselves clean.  They had the dirt of sin that could not be washed away until they recognized themselves as dirty.  Baptism then is a public confirmation that a person is ready to turn around or be conformed to a new life.  This is what Paul said in Romans 12:2, “And fbe not conformed gto this world: but hbe ye transformed by ithe renewing jof your mind, that ye may kprove what is that good, and cacceptable, and perfect, lwill of God.” [4]

There is that word perfect again.  We are to prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.  Nobody can do that unless they have confirmed their need to be conformed into the image of Jesus.  John was here to help people to be ready to meet Jesus.  What are we Baptists here for?

But He that cometh after me; this is John talking about Jesus.  We must be ready for Jesus to come.  The only way we can be ready is to understand that we are at the end of what we can do.  John the Baptist had done that which was his mission.  Could Jesus have had the ministry that Jesus had if John had not prepared the way?  That doesn’t matter!  Will someone else witness to that one you decided to pass by?  That doesn’t matter!  What does matter is have you accomplished everything that you could have; that you should have.  What an opportunity we have just now even here in this community to show how much we love Jesus.  Is there anything in this world more valuable to us than Jesus?  We have an opportunity to show other how to worship Jesus.  If everybody else is occupied with what might happen that is up to them.  What is your responsibility?  Jesus is coming!

He is not coming to solve the problems that we face in this world.  He is coming to redeem us from this world.  He is coming to save us from ourselves because we cannot do that ourselves.  We are at the end of our rope.

John was convinced that Jesus was who He said He was.  There was a time when John sent messengers asking if Jesus really was the redeemer.  We all face times of wondering and wandering.  Ask Jesus!  He will convince you if you only ask Him.  Nobody else can answer for Jesus so it is a waste of time and energy to go anywhere else except to the Source.

We have a sentence that must be paid by someone.  Jesus is not only the sacrifice for our sin He is the only One who can commute our sentence from death without God to eternal life with God.  John knew that He had a mission.  He knew that he must not shirk his responsibility for that mission even if it meant make people who felt self-important what they really were.  The leaders of that day were weaklings who had people fooled into following them.  Let us not fall into that trap.  Only Jesus is our refuge and our strength.

There are two times in the focal verse today that mentions being baptized.  In the first one John is there for the public profession from the individual who is ready for repentance.  That baptism is an outward expression of faith. 

Here at the end of the verse is another baptism.  The baptism from Jesus cleans from the inside.  Yet this baptism does more that cleanse a person from sin.  This baptism may or may not be a public display of worship either no matter what some might insist.

When a person truly decides to be a Christian there is a renewal.  The fire of transformation consumes them.  When a person if truly ready for that baptism Jesus will know and He baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  A person who has truly been baptized with the Holy Spirit will not be the same anymore.  The renewed Christian is the committed Christian.  No wind of change will affect that person again.  No actions from anyone or anything else will sway that Christian from that commitment to serve Jesus.  There will be buffets along the way to make the commitment stronger but nothing will ever be able to separate the true Christian from the love of God.

Prayer:

Invitation:  Romans 8:35, “ lWho shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall mtribulation, or mdistress, or mmpersecution, or famine, or nnakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, nnFor thy sake owe are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things pwe are more than conquerors through qhim that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither ldeath, nor life, nor rangels, nor sprincipalities, nor stpowers, nor things uwpresent, nor things uto come, 39 Nor xheight, nor xdepth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from ythe love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [5]

Indeed; are you ready for Jesus?  He is coming and He will not wait.  The question remains, are you going to be ready when He comes?

q ver. 2, 8. Acts 13:24. & 19:4.
r John 1:15, 26, 27, 33. & 3:30, 31. Acts 1:5. & 11:16. & 13:25.
s 1 Cor. 12:13.
t Isai. 4:4. & 44:3. Joel 2:28.
u Mal. 3:2. Acts 2:3, 4. Comp. Mark 9:49.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 3:11). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] Chambers, O. (1986). My utmost for his highest: Selections for the year. Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering.
* A. D. 26.
a To ver. 12, Mark 1:2–8. Luke 3:2–17.
b Judg. 1:16. Comp. John 1:28. & 10:40 with John 3:23.
c ch. 4:17. & 6:10. & 10:7. Mark 1:15. So Luke 10:9, 11. Comp. Dan. 2:44.
d Cited from Isai. 40:3. So John 1:23.
e Luke 1:76.
f See 2 Kin. 1:8.
g See Lev 11:22.
h 1 Sam. 14:26. Comp. ch. 11:18.
i Comp. 1 Sam. 14:25.
k Acts 19:4.
l Comp. 2 Kin. 5:14.
ll See ch. 22:23.
m ch. 12:34. & 23:33.
n 1 Thess. 1:10. So Rom. 5:9. 1 Thess. 5:9.
|| Or, answerable to amendment of life. Acts 26:20.
nn See Mark 10:42 marg.
o John 8:33, 39. So Rom. 4:1, 11, 16.
p ch. 7:19. So Luke 13:7, 9. John 15:2, 6.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 3:1–10). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
f 1 Pet. 1:14.
g So 1 John 2:15.
h See Matt. 17:2.
i Titus 3:5. So 2 Cor. 4:16. Eph. 4:23. Col. 3:10.
j So Eph. 1:18. Col. 1:21, 22.
k Eph. 5:10, 17.
c ver. 2. So 1 Pet. 2:5. See ch. 14:18.
l See 1 Thess. 4:3.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ro 12:2). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
l Comp. Cant. 8:6.
m 2 Esdr. 16:19. Esther 11:8. Wisd. 5:3. See ch. 2:9.
m 2 Esdr. 16:19. Esther 11:8. Wisd. 5:3. See ch. 2:9.
mm See 2 Cor. 12:10.
n See 1 Cor. 4:11.
nn Cited from Ps. 44:22.
o 1 Cor. 4:9. & 15:31. 2 Cor. 1:9. & 4:10, 11. & 6:9. & 11:23. Comp. Acts 20:24.
p 1 Cor. 15:57. So 2 Cor. 2:14. See John 16:33. Comp. 2 Esdr. 7:45, 58.
q Gal. 2:20. So Eph. 5:2.
l Comp. Cant. 8:6.
r See Matt. 18:10. Comp. Gal. 1:8.
s 1 Cor. 15:24. Eph. 1:21. & 3:10. & 6:12. Col. 1:16. & 2:10, 15. Comp. Luke 12:11 (Gk.). Tit. 3:1.
s 1 Cor. 15:24. Eph. 1:21. & 3:10. & 6:12. Col. 1:16. & 2:10, 15. Comp. Luke 12:11 (Gk.). Tit. 3:1.
t Song 39. 1 Pet. 3:22.
u 1 Cor. 3:22.
w 1 Cor. 7:26. Gal. 1:4. Heb. 9:9.
u 1 Cor. 3:22.
x Eph. 3:18. So Isai. 7:11 (Gk.).
x Eph. 3:18. So Isai. 7:11 (Gk.).
y ch. 5:8.
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ro 8:35–39). (2009). Logos Research Systems, Inc.