Matthew 3:1-12

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’

4 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. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 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. 10 The ax 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.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 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.”
 

          I grew up in a small town in Michigan on the shore of Lake Huron.  Our family lived there for over 30 years, so we were pretty familiar with the town and its surroundings.  My dad always had a CB radio in the house and in the car and a police scanner that he would listen to in our kitchen.  Quite often he would hear people looking for local information which my dad was often able to provide for them.
          One day a call came in over the police scanner.  It was the local fire department that was apparently being sent to a home that was on fire.  The firemen couldn’t seem to find the house and were explaining what they were seeing.  My dad realized that they had gone to 3rd avenue instead of 3^rd street.  He called the fire station and shared that information with them and soon the firemen were at the right house.
          That little anecdote just highlights how important it is for people to listen carefully to instructions that they are given.  A little mistake can make a big difference.  Baking soda instead of baking powder can ruin a recipe.  2 pills every hour instead of 1 pill every 2 hours can cause trouble.  We have to listen carefully when someone is giving us important information.
          That is certainly true for the message that God sent John the Baptist to share with us.  He was sent to prepare people to meet their Savior, and as he did that, the people needed to listen carefully.  We’ll see today why that is also true for us as we prepare to celebrate Christmas.  Today Matthew tells us to…

           “Listen to John”

 
I.  As he calls us to repent
II.  As he calls us to respond

 
          In the first verse of our text, Matthew wrote, “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’”  This was not advice that John had given based on his personal observations and assessments.  He had been sent by God to share God’s assessment with the people.  It was God who called on the people to repent.
          The word that he used, “repent,” means to “have a change of heart.”  God knows that all sins begin in the heart.  Hearts have been damaged as Satan has poisoned them with sin.  Most people will not try to deny that they have sinned.  Few claim to be perfect.  But many will refuse to “repent” for a number of reasons.
          Two of the most common reasons that people don’t repent is that they either do not take sin seriously or they feel defeated by their sins.  People usually won’t claim that they are not sinful, but they will minimize the seriousness of their sins.  “Everyone does it,” or “nobody got hurt” are two of the familiar objections that people have when confronted with something that they have done.  “It’s no big deal” might be another.
          God did not send John into the wilderness to address only “big” sins.  When he called for the people to “repent,” he didn’t compare one sin to another or the consequences of one sin to another.  We might categorize Adam and Eve’s sin as a “little” sin where “nobody got hurt,” but God certainly saw it differently.  Their “little” sin completely changed God’s creation, including Adam and Eve who were no longer in “the image of God.”  All of God’s creation was affected by Adam and Eve’s “little” sin.
          While some try to brush aside the seriousness of their sins, others go to the other extreme and feel as if their sin is too great to be forgiven.  Judas would fit into that category.  When he realized that Jesus was not going to use his divine power to escape the cross, he despaired and went out and hung himself.  He tried to undo his sin by giving the money back to the chief priests, but when they refused it, he felt as if there was nothing that could be done to remove his burden of guilt.
          Listen carefully to the message of John again.  He called for the people to “repent,” and he didn’t put any limits on his invitation to have a change of heart and lay the burden of sin at the foot of the cross.  The Apostle Paul claimed the title of “Worst sinner in the world” for himself because he had tried to stop the spread of the gospel and persecuted those who shared it.  As he came to know his Savior, he also came to know that God’s love would cover every sin when a change of heart would lead the sinner to repent.
          The Advent season is a season of joy and excitement.  Children can tell you exactly how many days there are until Christmas.  Teachers can tell you how many more school days there are before the Christmas vacation begins.  Retailers and merchants look forward to the increase in sales that are likely to come to them.  Sleighbells ring and hot chocolate warms on the stove.  It is, in many ways, “the most wonderful time of the year.”
          It is also a time for quiet reflection.  We know THAT the holiday celebrates the birth of our Savior.  We also know WHY the birth of the Savior was necessary.  John was commanded to “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”  John wasn’t mapping out an itinerary for Jesus to go from one town to another or one home to another.  He was preparing the people so that Jesus could go from one heart to another, from one sinner to another. 
 

II.  As he calls us to respond

 
          Matthew helps us understand the journey that the Savior would take from heart to heart when he explained how people responded to the words of John.  He wrote, “Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”  The power of God’s Word struck a chord in the hearts of the people.  They knew they were sinners, but they also knew that the one who was coming had the power to free them from their sins.  People came from “Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan,” drawn by the powerful call to repent and promise of forgiveness.
          The Pharisees did not feel the need to listen to the message of John.  They believed that they had been “good enough” for God to accept into his kingdom.  Others claimed that their heritage as descendants of Abraham qualified them to be members of God’s kingdom.  Neither of them felt a need to “Repent,” to “have a change of heart.”
          And those attitudes brought this warning from John, “The ax 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.”  The Bible often calls true repentance “producing good fruit.”  People consider a tree that is producing good fruit to be a healthy tree.  God considers people to be spiritually healthy when the repent of the sins that they have committed and show their change of heart in their lives.  Last week we heard that Zaccaeus showed his change of heart by volunteering to repay those he had stolen from.  Mary washed Jesus’ feet and dried them with her hair.  Peter went out and wept bitterly when he realized what he had done by denying his Lord.  Those who don’t “produce good fruit,” who don’t repent in their hearts, will be condemned forever.
          While Advent is a time of joy and excitement, it also needs to be a time of quiet reflection.  Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Savior.  Our Savior came to bring peace between sinful man and our perfect God.  Winning that peace would require a fierce battle, a battle in which the Savior would “crush the devil’s head,” but in that battle the devil would “bruise his heel.”  Peace could only be accomplished through death, and only the death of the Savior whose birth we celebrate could win that peace.
     True repentance will lead us to the joy of Christmas.  John assures us that our Savior will “gather his wheat into the barn…,” he will hold his children in the safety of his forgiveness.  It is good for us to listen to the message of the one sent by God to prepare his people to meet their Savior.  We need to listen carefully because there are false messages being shared by our enemy.  There are empty promises that sound alluring and false hope that seems to give us something to hold onto.  Only true faith in the true Savior can give us eternal life.  Celebrate his birth again this year and live in his peace.  Amen.