Prepare the Way (Matthew 3) - Harvest Kuala Lumpur

Resource by Eric Weiner

If you have a Bible this morning, I want to invite you to open to Matthew 3 as we look at the ministry of John the Baptist together.^[1]

The other week, someone asked me a really great question. They said, our church has been talking a lot about sharing the gospel and making disciples, but here’s where I get stuck: What should I do if someone actually wants to accept Jesus?

What are the next steps for them? Maybe others of you have similar questions. What do you have to believe to follow Jesus? At what point is someone actually a Christian?

And this is part of the reason why being connected to a local church is so important. This is why I said last week that disciple-making is not a two person or three person job. It’s for all of us.

So, if someone expresses a desire to take up the life of Jesus, then you should invite them to get connected to a local church that’s going to come alongside them, who’s going to regularly preach the gospel to them, who’s going to teach them to know and obey all the commands of Christ, who’s going to help them take the next steps in publicly professing their faith in Jesus by getting baptized.

IOW – we should invite people to enter the church and take up a life of discipleship, and as a church, we should be flexible enough to come around them. To support them. To teach and encourage them as they grow in their faith. Discipleship happens in relationship.

Now, maybe you’re here this morning and you’re wondering, what does it mean to receive Jesus? Maybe you’re asking for yourself. You’ve been coming here for weeks and you tell yourself the only reason you’re here is because you enjoy the people, but everything else you’re skeptical about.

And I just want to give you a word of warning: I’ve been where you are. My entry point into the church was in my teenage years. I started attending a church’s student ministry because I wanted to find community. I wanted to find belonging. I had no interest in Jesus. But, in the midst of that season, Christ found me. He came for me, and my life has never been the same.

Now, that might sound strange as if following Jesus just happens all of a sudden. As if it’s a flip of the switch. And I wouldn’t say it’s quite like that. But I will say that at one moment I was aware of sin (generally) and the next moment I felt convicted of my sin. And that felt very much like the lights were turned on.

If any of that resonates with you, then by way of John the Baptist, let me point you to the ministry of Jesus.

When John the Baptist showed up in the Judean countryside, he was a showstopper. He grabbed the attention of the masses. If John were around today, you would know his name. He’d be the small-town pastor with a big following.

You’d probably have a copy of his book on why you need to repent or know someone who’s trying to go visit his church because he doesn’t put his sermons online.

In our day, it’s cool to be in the city. It feels relevant; strategic. And don’t get me wrong, I think the future is urban. But John, at least for a short time, made it popular to hangout in the wilderness.

If you flip over to Matthew 11, Jesus actually gives us some helpful commentary on John once his cultural moment has seemingly come and gone. Jesus is trying to help us see why John was such a big deal.

[Matt. 11:7] – “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.”

See Jesus is saying, don’t be so quick to write off John. There’s a reason why you were so attracted to his ministry. And if you really take John’s message seriously, you would be getting excited about me.

Jesus tells them – for those willing to accept it – John is the one who came in the spirit of Elijah. He’s the one God promised to send from generations past.^[2]

Let me put it like this: In the Middle Ages, if a nobleman – someone of high status – were travelling he would send a messenger ahead of him to find a place to stay.

The messenger would give notice so that when the rest of the noble’s party arrived, their lodging was already prepared. In this case, the one who would run ahead was proof that someone even greater was on the way.

That’s what the promise of Elijah was all about. That’s what John was doing for Jesus. John’s arrival was triggering people to get ready for someone even greater than him.

[Matt. 3] – In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 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.’”

4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

IOW – He looks like Elijah, he acts like Elijah, he preaches like Elijah…he just might be the one who comes in the spirit of Elijah. And he got their attention.

[5] – Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

See, John comes preaching a message of repentance because he’s saying, there’s someone even greater who’s coming and he wants to take up residence among you. And if you believe the messenger, you don’t just sit around and wait. It’s a call to action. It’s a call to get ready.

Keep in mind that John is coming to Jews who know the promises of God. And so if the spirit of Elijah has come, that means God has come.

Before we host people for our small group, we do what we can to try to make our home look somewhat in order. With three young kids, most of the time you can tell that we live with three young kids. If you don’t know what I mean, we’ll have you over. But we try to make our home look somewhat in order because we want people to have the opportunity to relax and to open themselves up to God and others. That’s what we do when people are coming over.

But how do we prepare for a visit from the Lord?

Let’s talk about John’s message:

1. No one comes to Jesus apart from repentance.

If you want to receive Jesus, you need to do the work of repentance. We tell our kids all the time that repentance means you need to turn around. You’re going in a direction that leads to separation from God and others and we don’t want you to go that way anymore.

Go the way of acknowledging and owning your sin. Go the way of making things right with others and asking forgiveness from God. Go the way of restoration and life. And when you’re not able to do that on your own, ask God for help.

See, repentance means you need to change. But it’s the most difficult kind of change because it’s at the heart level.

When I first moved to Malaysia, I thought it was a matter of fact that Penang has the best food in Malaysia because one of my friends – who happens to be from Penang – told me that. [Some of you just got upset, I can see it in your face.] I realized I had to change on that. Not because it’s untrue. I don’t know. But because I now know that not everyone thinks that way. I had to change. I had to turn away from that way of thinking.

But that’s easy to do. You can change your mind on that. That’s surface-level (maybe not for Malaysians!).

But the kind of repentance John is preaching is at the heart level. He’s saying the fundamental way you think about your life needs to change. All the ways you operate that put yourself before God, all the ways you live that don’t honor Him as God — you need to cast down, lay aside, and give over to him. In every area of your life where you live as though Jesus is not Lord and Savior you need to repent.

[You all seem okay with this, so let me hit a little harder.]

[7] – 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? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And 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. 10 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.

Listen, John is saying you not only need to repent of the bad things you do but you also need to repent of your self-righteous good works.

Even the religious things you do to try to earn God’s approval or to prove your worth need to be repented of.

It’s easy for religious people to see that we should turn away from the reckless life. But John’s saying, you also need to turn away from the religious life. This way of living that says I’m good based on my works. Or that says I’m good based on my religious observance. Or I’m good because of my ethnic privilege or family of origin. That way of living – if you get down to the heart level – says, “God, you owe me. I deserve this.”

In many ways, the religious life is even worse than the reckless one because at least the reckless person is consistent. They are separated from God in every way. Their outward appearance matches their inward reality. But the religious person is far worse. The religious person gives off the outward appearance of fellowship with God, but inwardly their heart is far from him. And over time, their outward behavior will convince them of a lie. They will believe God must honor them for their good works, and if He doesn’t they will despise the Lord.

And God hates that attitude. He says you need to turn away from that because it sets you on the path toward destruction.

That’s why John’s so harsh with the religious leaders that come to his baptism. He’s saying religion won’t save you. In fact, religion hinders you from God. Religion makes the roads to your heart just as crooked and uneven as the roads in Kuala Lumpur.

The religious leaders aren’t coming to repent. They’re not coming to get down in the waters. They’re not against repentance. They just don’t think they need it. They’re born of Israel. They’re the people of God. It’s their birthright. That’s like saying I’m a Christian because I was born into a Christian family. God owes me.

And that mentality, that way of life, is the exact opposite of the gospel of Jesus Christ – God’s unmerited grace that saves undeserving sinners. Do you see how twisted the religious life is?

John says God has laid the ax to the root of religion. Because religious people don’t love God and others. They get angry with God and feel superior to others, and he’s going to cut it off.

So, if you approach God thinking that he owes you, you have some heartwork left to do. You need to repent and draw near to the Lord.

The religious person needs to change their mind about Jesus just as much as the rebel does. See, repentance is meant to open you up to receive Christ. It leads you to put your faith in him to do for you what you could never do for yourself. He cleanses us. He renews us through the power of His Spirit.

No one comes to Jesus apart from repentance.

2. Those who receive Jesus get baptized.

Baptism is not out of the ordinary for us. The church still practices baptism today. In fact, some of you need to be baptized. And in many ways, our practice is very similar to John’s.

What’s happening in baptism?

We believe that baptism is by immersion for new believers who profess faith in Jesus. Baptism does not save you. There’s nothing magical about the waters of baptism. But baptism is an outward expression of an inward faith. It’s recognizing that Jesus came to identify with me. And so when we choose to get baptized we’re publicly declaring that we now identify with him. We no longer live for ourselves but we have chosen a life of surrender. We have chosen a life with Jesus at the center.

Through baptism, we proclaim our new story of faith. The old sinful me is buried in the waters of death. I am cleansed by the Spirit of God now alive within me, and I am raised to new life in Christ. Baptism declares that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now alive in me.

Baptism is deeply spiritual because it symbolizes our new allegiance to Christ. For those who trust in Jesus, you have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s glorious light.

But I want you to see that John’s baptizing was unique in at least two ways:

FIRST – It’s a surprising practice for his audience.

John’s ministry was to Jews. In John’s day, baptism was integral to the conversion process. God-fearing Gentiles who wanted to convert to Judaism would need to be baptized as a form of ritual cleansing. It was a way of washing away their life of sin.

But John is saying even the Jews need to be converted. Even ethnic Israel, who were given the covenant promises of God, needed to be converted.

Everyone needs to participate in the program of repentance because God is doing a new thing. And repentance is the way we make the path to our hearts as smooth and straight as possible to be visited by King Jesus.

SECOND – It’s significant in its location.

Do you know where John’s doing his baptism? [v.6] – The River Jordan. After the Exodus, God led the people 40 years through the wilderness and before he led them into the Promised Land he asked them to consecrate themselves and baptized them by crossing the Jordan River.

There’s a reason why John is in the wilderness. The wilderness is meant to remind them of their former life of sin. It was a life of fear. A life of constantly questioning the goodness of God. So John’s baptism is a call for people to make a choice. Either forsake God and keep living in the wilderness of sin, or forsake your life of sin and enter into the promised rest of God’s kingdom.

But listen, unless you enter his promised rest through the waters of baptism, you forsake God because you reject the one he sent.

John’s saying, you need something even greater than ritual cleansing. You need the Holy Spirit. And that’s not something you can receive apart from the ministry of Jesus. So open yourself up to the ministry of Jesus. Prepare your hearts for the work of Jesus.

3. We need Jesus to take our place.

When Matthew quotes Isaiah in verse 3 he says that John’s ministry will be used to prepare the way of the Lord. Literally, he says, “make his paths straight.”

That doesn’t mean our path to God. He’s talking about God’s path to us. The straight and even roads aren’t for you to travel on to get to God. The roads are for God to travel on to get to you.

At John’s baptism, that’s exactly what Jesus sets out to do. Jesus gets down in the waters to show what his ministry is all about. He identifies with us. He takes our place.

Watch this: [13] – Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Notice from Jesus’s baptism that:

a. The chasm between God and man is great.

Just before this, in verse 11, John says that there is someone coming after him who is mightier than him. Who is greater in every way. Let me put it like this: Jesus says in Matthew chapter 11 that there is no man born of women greater than John. Those are Jesus’s words.

But when he holds himself up to Christ, John says that he’s not even worthy to hold the title of slave (Matt. 3:11).

There is no one among men that compares to John, but no man even comes close in comparison to the glory of God. Jesus is superior in every way.

b. But the roles are reversed.

John is completely thrown off by this moment (v. 14). Some people won’t go in the waters of baptism because they don’t think they need it. Or they’d feel uncomfortable and out of place. Because it’s a public admission that my way of life was sinfully wrong. But when God in the flesh enters the waters, the one doing the baptizing feels out of place. John’s saying, “Wait a minute! I shouldn’t be baptizing you. You should be baptizing me.”

It would be like me trying to teach kids how to play football, but then a World Cup champion steps forward wearing his prized medal asking me to teach him. I’d say, “Are you crazy? I know who you are. I’m not even worthy to hold the medal round your neck, and you want me to teach you?” But to the millionth degree!

But Jesus tells John it’s fitting for him to do this “to fulfill all righteousness.” Apparently that made sense to John. So, let me try to make that make sense to us.

c. Jesus will take our sin and credit us with his righteousness.

By getting baptized Jesus is saying his main mission in life is to take the place of sinners.

God requires faithful obedience to the Law. So Jesus observes the Law for us. Sinners need to repent, so Jesus repents for us.

Failure to keep the Law separates us from God. So on the Cross, Jesus is separated for us. The Bible says the wages of sin is death. So Jesus will be the suffering servant who dies for us.

In [Isa. 53:12] – Isaiah said the servant of God would be “…numbered with the transgressors; and that he would bear “…the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

And so here in Matthew 3, we see Jesus beginning the work of counting himself among the sinners. What he starts at his baptism he will finish on the Cross, and what he gives us in return is the rightful claim to every spiritual blessing.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

A life of righteousness, a life that bears the fruit of repentance is life in the Spirit. And the Spirit always works toward bringing us to worship. We don’t boast in our own righteousness, we boast in the power of God to save.

We don’t look down on or revile others. We just keep inviting them to Jesus. We keep walking with Jesus and turning to worship Jesus with thankful hearts.

I’ve spoken with a handful of you about getting baptized. It’s happening. We just need to put a date on the calendar. But for others of you, what keeps you from getting in the waters? What’s preventing you from doing the heartwork of repentance and aligning yourself with the Cross of Christ?

Your best efforts can’t bring you to God and your worst failures can’t keep you from him. Because Jesus has done everything necessary to save you.

Salvation is a free gift offered through the finished works of Christ who came and died in your place so that you could enjoy real fellowship with God. What prevents you from taking that next step?

Maybe that means coming up after the service to say, “Hey, I think I’m ready. Jesus is everything I’ve been looking for. And I want to surrender my life to him. Can you tell me more about baptism?”

And if you know that person who’s right there, you tell them, “Hey, I’m so excited for you. I’m ready to walk with you down this road of discipleship. A life with Jesus is so worth it.”

^[1] Works Consulted:

“Get Ready” – Greear
“The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus” – Keller
The Gospel According to Matthew – Morris
“I Baptize with Water” – Piper

^[2] Isaiah & Malachi

Other videos in this series: