True Repentance & Living Fruit

Introduction:

Connection:

In Pilgrim’s Progress—there were two false converts, false Christians, false professors—who instead of going through the wicket gate and persevering on the path to the celestial city—jumped the fence, failed to repent, and who, upon reaching the gate of heaven, were rejected and thrown into hell. Their names were formalist and hypocrisy.

The one was content in the motions of Christianity—and the other was content with a phony repentance. Both of which convinced themselves that they were safe, that they were saved, and that they were secure. But in reality they were both dead in their sins, under the clutch of their lusts, enslaved to Satan, and under God’s wrath. Only those who go through the wicket gate, will enter the celestial city.

Theme:

True Repentance & Living Fruit

Need:

We need to know and examine ourselves for Signs of Life—Signs of Health—Signs of Safety; lest we presume on our salvation and meet the eternal wrath of God. Only those with true repentance & living fruit, have entered the wicket gate and are on the way to the Celestial City. Only those who go through the Gate of Christ will enter the Kingdom of heaven.

Purpose:

To exhort everyone to repent, believe, confess, be baptized, and bear living fruit; to warn about the unquenchable wrath that shall come on false-converts; and to comfort the true children of Abraham who are baptized by Water + the Spirit!

Recap:

Last Lord’s Day we saw how Jesus is the true Moses, the true Israel, the true Son, and the true King. We saw how God delivered him, bringing a new and eternal exodus and redemption as he will soon save his people from their sins, and we saw the faith and obedience of the holy family as they followed the Word of God, and were protected by their God.

Now we jump forward about 30 years, give or take, as we come to the preparation of the ministry of Jesus Christ in the forerunner of John the Baptist who comes preaching the dawning Kingdom of Christ, and the need for true repentance to enter. Remember, the Messiah was promised of old to bring wrath and grace, salvation and judgment—and so here John preaches both repentance unto life, and warns of the coming fire of God.

Open your Bibles to:

Matt. 3:1-12 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) True Repentance brings Kingdom Rights shown by Water Baptism - v. 1-6.

Matthew 3:1–6 ESV

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 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.’ ” Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

(1) True Repentance brings Kingdom Rights shown by Water Baptism - v. 1-6.

1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

We finished last Sunday with Christ as the true Son who was called out of Egypt—and so now we come to the wilderness journey. We have John the forerunner, and we have baptisms. And next week on Baptism Sunday, we have the baptism of Christ in our text. Just as Israel was brought out of Egypt and then passed through the waters of God’s judgment, on their way into the wilderness journey—so too does Matthew present John the Baptist as preparing for the Exodus, Baptism, and Wilderness Victory of Jesus Christ.

And so we are told! It was in those days, 30 or so years after the birth of Christ, that the forerunner made his appearance. In Daniel 9 we are told that 490 years after the prophecy that the Messiah would come, bring the Gospel, judge unfaithful Israel, bring the Kingdom, and fulfill the Scripture. Well, guess how many years it has been since Daniel 9? It has been 490 years. The last days were dawning in Matthew 3. The baptisms of John, and the baptism of Christ, are the fulfillment of Scripture, in the exact timing of the prediction of the coming Messiah. And so the Father sends John the Baptist as a forerunner. And how does John come to prepare the way? He doesn’t come with military might to overthrow the kingdom of Israel—he doesn’t throw up a sign and say all are welcome!—he comes into the open air of the wilderness, and he comes preaching! Preaching is the preparation for Christ, and preaching is the means to building the Kingdom of Christ—the proclamation of the Gospel, of the message of salvation, of the coming King—faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of Christ (Rom. 10). God saves through the folly of preaching Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 1-2).

And so John came with a hot Gospel—an urgent message—a solemn declaration. And the first words of his sermon were: REPENT! What does it mean to repent? The Baptist Catechism says:

“Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of and endeavour after new obedience.” (QA92).

Turn from your sin. Change your mind. Hate your evil deeds. Feel godly grief and sorrow. Trust in the Saviour. Hope in his mercy. Return to the Lord. Reform to his ways. Walk in true obedience. Strive to please him in all things. Your heart must change, or else you can never enter the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is not for those who remain in their sin—the Kingdom of heaven is for those who mourn over their sin. The Kingdom of Christ is not for those who celebrate their evil deeds—the Kingdom of Messiah is for those who hate their wicked hearts.

You must be born again, said Jesus, or else you cannot even see the Kingdom (Jn. 3). You must be made a new creature in Christ, old things must pass away, or else you cannot come to this King (2 Cor. 5). You must undergo radical change, abiding transformation, new life, new heart, new mind, new soul, new desires, new choices, new feelings, new actions, new spirit. Unless you repent, said Jesus, you will perish. And so John says here, unless you repent, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God, which means you are still in the Kingdom of Satan (Col. 1). All of us, visitors, members, deacons, elders, pastors—all of us must repent, or else we are barred entrance into the eternal Kingdom of God and of his Christ (Rev. 12).

And notice, John doesn’t say the Kingdom is far off—no—in the 1st century he says the Kingdom is here, it’s at hand, it’s within reach, you can grab it, you can enter it, you can come into it—it’s here! The King has come, and he is setting up his Kingdom of grace, his Reign over all things, and his Reign over his people—the promised Messiah is here—the Kingdom is not far off, it has come, and so—there is no time to wait, there is no time to waste; if you don’t repent now, you cannot enter the kingdom (Rev. 12). The kingdom is not physical—it is spiritual (though it covers the physical); it is not earthly—it is heavenly (though it covers the earth); it is not militaristic—it is redemptive (though it covers the kings of earth); and so unless you come under the Spirit of Christ, unless you are made children of heaven, unless you are redeemed from your sins—you cannot enter the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, the redemptive and salvific reign of King Jesus (Jn. 3). Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. If we don’t repent, and continue in repentance—we will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Are you repenting of your sins? Not 20 years ago. Are you repenting now? Repentance is a lifestyle, not a mere decision. Are you continuing to walk under the conviction of sin, under a godly grief and pain over your evil heart? Do you hate your iniquities becuase they grieve the living God? Are you returning to the Lord of glory with true faith, hope, and love?

Are you forsaking evil or cherishing it? Are you indulging in lust or mortifying it? Are you battling against sin or welcoming it? Are you making excuses to be wordly, or are you striving to be holy unto the Lord? Are you making a practice of unrighteousness? Or are you making a practice of righteousness? Are you living by the Word and Spirit of God? Or are you living by the cravings and flesh of man? Are you taking your sin to the cross? Or are you excusing the cross for your sin? There is no middle ground. You are either in Christ or you are not. You are either repenting or you are not. You are either believing or you are not. Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and it has arrived with the coming King.

Those who repent find Christ with grace upon grace to forgive, cleanse, wash, and restore. Those who repent find entrance into the Kingdom, as we are made a kingdom of priests unto our God and Father. Those who repent find the power of the Spirit of God in their souls, changing them and renewing them day by day. Those who repent can rest in the Gospel, because Jesus came to save sinners, he came to save his people from their sin. Who are his people? Those who repent of their sins. And what does he do when we repent? He forgives us of our sin. He is the Lamb of God, who takes away this sin of the world! (Jn. 1). Blessed hope, but only for those who cast off their old self—and cling to Jesus as their only hope in life and death, and as their allegiance in true obedience and loyalty. Those who repent find King Jesus reigning in their souls with the grace and power of God.

Romans 6:22–23 ESV

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This was John’s message—is it your reality? Is it my reality?

Matthew Henry: [This repentance brings a] change of the mind [which] produces a change of the way. That is gospel repentance, which flows from a sight of Christ, from a sense of his love, and from hopes of pardon and forgiveness through him. It is a great encouragement to us to repent; repent, for your sins shall be pardoned upon your repentance. Return to God in a way of duty, and he will, through Christ, return unto you in the way of mercy.

Oh to know more of the depths of our sin and repentance—that we might know more of the depths of his gospel and grace!

Matthew then gives his commentary on how John’s ministry fulfills Scripture, and prepares the way for Messiah:

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.’ ”

In Isaiah 40 the Lord prophecies both the coming of John the Baptist and the coming of Immanuel, Yahweh the King in Jesus Christ. John prepares the way of YHWH—the way of God Almighty—and here Matthew applies this text to Jesus. Jesus is YHWH. Jesus is Jehovah! Jesus is Lord! And he has come as Immanuel, God with us, to save us from our sins. But no one can welcome Jesus if they have not had the path of Christ made straight through repentance unto life. All flesh shall see the glory of YHWH—but only those who repent will receive the grace of YHWH—and John the Baptist has the privilege of preparing his paths, as next week we will see that he baptizes Christ to commence his 3.5 year ministry.

But we aren’t just told that John would come, but elsewhere that Elijah would come before the day of the Lord, before the coming of Christ. Not the literal person of Elijah—but a forerunner in the spirit of Elijah:

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.

This description of John the Baptist is almost exactly that of the Prophet Elijah.

2 Kings 1:8 ESV

They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

And in the end of Malachi we are told this about the coming Christ:

Malachi 4:5 ESV

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

And later in the Gospels Jesus says this about John the Baptist:

Matthew 17:12 ESV

But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.”

Therefore—Matthew proves that John the Baptist comes in the spirit of Elijah, to prepare the way of Christ, to prepare the coming day of the Lord against Israel, and to prepare for the coming Kingdom of Grace in the Gospel which shall spread to all nations, who will be blessed in King Jesus! And as these things were beginning to take place, John had a great response from many of the Jews who responded in true faith and repentance:

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.

And so many Jews, true children of Abraham, who were convicted of their sin, who threw their only hope in the coming King, responded positively to the message of John. They were repenting, and returning to the Lord—and so they were entering the Kingdom of heaven, given Kingdom rights, as it was made visible and shown forth in water-baptism. Baptism was a sign of being a citizen of the Kingdom, of being washed by the blood of Jesus, of being saved from your sins.

Notice that true repentance lead to public confession of sin. Where there is no confession of sin, there is no true repentance. Confession of sin is integral to genuine faith, to sincere repentance, and biblical holiness. If we are not confessing our sin, we are not repenting of it. God give us grace to throw our sins on the back of Christ, who bore them on his shoulders to bring forgiveness, atonement, peace, and living hope.

Acts 2:38 ESV

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

True repentance and faith brings confession of sin, assurance of pardon, which leads to water baptism, and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Without repentance, without confession—there is no forgiveness in Jesus, and there is no gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us take these things to heart, Calvary—and any visitors here this morning. Let us take heed to this call, examine our hearts, and walk in true repentance and confession—so we can have the assurance of true forgiveness and pardon. Paul says:

Acts 20:20–21 ESV

how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

You cannot separate what God has joined together.

Romans 6:3–4 ESV

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

The picture of baptism is a picture of complete salvation—of faith and repentance—of union with Christ—of the old man dying, and the new man coming to life. The sacrament does not save—but the sacrament is only to be given to those who are saved! And this sign of baptism we will see with our own eyes next Sunday morning, Lord willing!

(1) True Repentance brings Kingdom Rights shown by Water Baptism - v. 1-6.

This leads to John’s interaction with the Pharisees and Sadducees—and his warning of the coming wrath:

(2) Living Fruit and Healthy Roots are Spared from the Wrathful Axe - v. 7-10

Matthew 3:7–10 ESV

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? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 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. 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.

(2) Living Fruit and Healthy Roots are Spared from the Wrathful Axe - v. 7-10

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?

John the Baptist, as he is receiving truly repentant sinners, sees some Pharisees and Sadducees making their way over to see what was going on at the Jordan River. Pharisees were the legalists and hypocrites of the day—whereas Sadducees were the liberals and formalists of the day. Both of which were unfit for the Kingdom of Christ.

And so, John, in the fear of the Lord, not being afraid to sharply warn them in love, says to them: You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? John refers to these men as vipers, beautiful on the outside, but poisonous on the inside—and he rebukes them! Who told you to come here? Who told you to repent and believe? This is a rhetorical question. No one did. Because they didn’t think they needed to repent. They were pridefully trusting in their own religious efforts for their entrance into the Kingdom of Christ. To this Jesus says, you must be born again! To this John says, you must repent of your sins!

But John doesn’t just rebuke their religiosity, their formality, their going through the motions, and their self-righteousness—he implicitly warns them of the wrath to come. Judgment was coming on the land of Israel within a generation. The day of the Lord, of darkness and desolation, was coming upon unfaithful Israel. Within 40 years the nation would be burning with fire, and not a single stone of the temple would be left standing (Matt. 24). Jesus refers to this as the Days of Vengeance (Lk. 17). And so John, as he is preaching repentance for the coming Kingdom, is also preaching a warning of the judgment of the coming King (Ps. 110).

Here were a bunch of outwardly religious people who were trusting in their own church attendance, their own Bible reading, their own cleaned up life for their salvation—and yet John says—you haven’t yet learned true repentance, true salvation, true entrance into the Kingdom of Jesus. Those who appear most religious can be the most despised in the eyes of God. So he adds:

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.

Those who try to repent and clean up their life on the outside, while neglecting the inside of true heart-transformation, have not yet learned true repentance. As we read earlier from Joel—we are to rend our hearts, not merely our garments. We must be born again. We must have a new heart and a new life. We must be transformed from the inside out. And if we don’t have this, if we don’t have living and abiding fruit in Jesus, then we have not truly repented of our sin. For true repentance leads to true fruit (2 Cor. 7). Jesus warned about false repentance in John 15:

John 15:5–6 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

And so John the Baptist is telling these Pharisees and Sadducees that they have no fruit, they have no change, they are not members of the Kingdom, they are not truly born again, and they have not yet learned true repentance—why?—because they were clinging to their religious presumptions and motions, and hadn’t yet crucified the flesh with it’s passions, in order to rest their only hope in Jesus Christ. And the scariest thing is that they thought they were saved, they thought they were okay—but in reality they were lost. And if they did not repent, on that last day, they would hear those frightening and damning words of Jesus: depart from me, for I never knew you (Matt 7). Presumption of salvation apart from faith, repentance, and living fruit saves no one. Faith without works is dead—repentance without works is dead (Jam. 2).

What were they saying? Well, John, we have Abraham as our father, don’t you know? Were Jews? God’s chosen people! John says, you really think that saves you? No. Ethnicity saves nobody. Church attendance saves nobody. You must repent, you must believe, or you too will perish. God makes true Jews, true Israelites, true children of Abraham not by ethnic descent, but by true salvation. God can makes these stones into true Israel! Being a physical Jew doesn’t guarantee you entrance into the Kingdom—you must be made a new creature in Christ—you must be given a new heart by the Spirit of God! (Rom. 2; Gal. 3).

Henry: Our corrupt hearts cannot be made to produce good fruit, unless the regenerating Spirit of Christ graft the good word of God upon them. And every tree, however high in gifts and honours, however green in outward professions and performances, if it bring not forth good fruit, the fruits meet for repentance, is hewn down and cast into the fire of God’s wrath, the fittest place for barren trees: what else are they good for? If not fit for fruit, they are fit for fuel.

What are you presuming upon? What is your ultimate reliance? Have you truly repented of your sins? Are you resting your hope not in your good works but in the grace of Jesus Christ alone? Are you bearing living fruit as evidence of your salvation and repentance? Those who are saved are born again by the Spirit to new life, and just as a living tree produces living fruit—so too repenting sinners produce fruits in keeping with repentance. Oh let us never rest content in our attainments, self-reliance, or religiosity—let us cast all of our hope upon the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—and let us enter his Kingdom as those who are washed by his blood (Rev. 1; Col. 1). And so John gives another Gospel Warning:

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.

The wrath of God against the Jewish nation was coming soon. The Apostle Paul speaks of this when he says that “wrath has come upon them at last” (2 Thess)—the axe is about to be swung upon that nation, and upon those Jews, that did not bear fruit, that did not repent, that did not seek the Lord, that did not know the power of the Spirit, that did not trust in Messiah (Jn. 1).

And the same goes for us today. Anyone who is outwardly in the church, but who is not truly born again, or united to Christ—the warning still stands—God will cut down every false tree that has no roots. Every tree that has no life flowing through it. Every tree that is failing to produce fruit. The wrath of Almighty God will rise up against such people. And He will cut you down and throw you into the lake of fire, into the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, into the outer darkness, where the worm never dies, and where the fire is never quenched.

Let us together be warned—let us make sure that we are repenting, believing, and bearing fruit—so that we can come to know the assurance of faith and salvation, resting in the arms of Jesus—who saves to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him (Heb. 7)!

These warning must be heeded by all—but as they are heeded—they are met with the promises of assurance and everlasting life by the sovereign grace of our covenant-keeping God, in the refuge of the arms of our Saviour. If you belong to Christ through true conversion—then these promises are for you, beloved:

John 5:24 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 10:27–30 ESV

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Don’t rest until you can say, I am one of the sheep of Jesus Christ. I am his, and he is mine. I am repenting, I am believing, and therefore, I can know that nothing can separate me from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 8). Push through the examination of true repentance and faith, so you can come to the assurance of salvation and grace. But those who don’t have fruit—be warned—the axe of wrathful judgment is coming, so don’t presume—but repent of your sin and trust in the promises of God.

(2) Living Fruit and Healthy Roots are Spared from the Wrathful Axe - v. 7-10

Oh ensure that you are alive in Christ, bearing living fruit—if you aren’t—be warned; return to God, repent, find life before it is too late. And this brings us to our last section of John’s sermon:

(3) Spirit Baptism identifies who are Saved from the Eternal Fire - v. 11-12

Matthew 3:11–12 ESV

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

(3) Spirit Baptism identifies who are Saved from the Eternal Fire - v. 11-12

With a sense of reverence for the glory and honour and majesty of Jesus Christ—John the forerunner humbles himself before the presence of the King. And he tells his hearers that his baptism of water is but a sign—which points to that which only Jesus can bring:

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.

John the Baptist is just that, a minister appointed to conduct baptisms in the preaching of the Gospel—but he cannot produce the fruit which he calls people to—only one mightier than He can do such a thing. The servant is not greater than the master. And oh how great is our Master, King Jesus!

He is the infinite, eternal, almighty, incredible, invisible, unchanging, all-glorious, all-wise, all-just, all-loving, all-present, all-good, and all-holy God. He is Yahweh, He is Jehovah, He is the God of Angel Armies! He is the Son of the living God! He is the Angel of the Lord! He is the Word of the Father! He is the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and Restorer of all things! He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last! He is the King of all creation, the firstborn of the new creation. He is the Son of Man who took on flesh to save sinners. He is King Jesus—who will save his people from their sins, and who will conquer his enemies in his wrath.

This is the King who has come. This is the Kingdom he is bringing. And so we must repent and believe, we must bow and adore, we must humbly worship the Lord of glory—whose sandals we are not worthy to carry—and yet who has come to carry us all the way home, in perfect salvation. If John the Baptist wasn’t worthy, how much less are we? And yet in Christ we are all made worthy, lavished with love and kindness and mercy to the praise of God’s glorious grace! (Eph. 1). This King doesn’t only have mighty power and love: he produces the new life and miraculous power we need by sending forth the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life. John says:

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Water baptism cannot save, it is a sign of salvation. Water baptism cannot wash away sins, it is a sign of such washing. Water baptism cannot grant repentance and faith, it is a sign of them. John can baptize those who confess their sin with water, but he could never produce the thing to which baptism pointed forward to!

But Jesus, Mighty Jesus, who will save all of his people from their sins—he makes no mistakes. Salvation is of the Lord. He saves all of his elect, all of his sheep, all of his friends, all of his children—with perfect grace and power. He doesn’t only give a sign of salvation—He sends forth the Spirit of salvation! Water baptism is but a sign of Spirit baptism. Only the immersion, new life, grace, and gifts of the Holy Spirit can truly bring salvation and kingdom life. What John could only point to and preach of—Jesus accomplishes by His Word and Spirit (Eph. 2).

JC Ryle: We need to be told that forgiveness of sin is not the only thing necessary for salvation. There is another thing, and that is the baptizing of our hearts by the Holy Spirit. There must not only be the work of Christ for us but the work of the Holy Spirit in us; there must not only be a title to heaven purchased for us by the blood of Christ, but a readiness for heaven wrought in us by the Spirit of Christ. Let us never rest till we know by experience something of the baptism of the Spirit. Baptism in water is a great privilege, but let us see to it that we are also baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus will baptize God’s people with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). The Spirit will be poured out in a new and special way—in the fullness of the new covenant age of promise. The Spirit will come on all of the saints, from the least of them to the greatest, and He will empower all of them to live and serve in newness of life, according to the manifold graces and gifts that He gives. No true Christian is devoid of the Spirit—he is washed and baptized by the Spirit of God—he is born again, and he is filled with power from on high! He is indwelt with the breath of Almighty God! He is given new life and energy to kill his sin, to walk in holiness, to serve God’s people, to be salt and light, to live by God’s Word, and to build up God’s Church. Where the Spirit dwells in the soul—spiritual life is ensured (Jn. 6). While the sign gifts and extraordinary workings of the Spirit have changed since Scriptures completion and the death of the Apostles—the necessity of baptism in the Spirit has not (1 Cor. 12). Do you know this baptism which John speaks of?

But not only will Jesus baptize God’s people with the Spirit, but also with Fire! Fire in Scripture is both a sign of judgment and refinement. And just as the fire of God’s judgment was coming on the nation of Israel and false-converts, which would consume God’s enemies and send them to hell—the baptism of fire is one of resting and abiding power, safety, security, and energy (Rom. 8). The baptism of the Spirit at Pentecost led to the gifts of the Spirit, but also to fire resting on each one’s head.

This symbolized that the judgment that was soon to fall on national Israel was resting on their heads without searing them or hurting them in any way. The fire was resting on them, as the fire in the burning bush, showed the holy presence of the living God unto salvation and power—not unto judgment and wrath. The fire did not consume them—it empowered them! But the fire of God’s wrath will consume all his adversaries (Rev. 20-21). Only those who are baptized in the Spirit and of Fire—can claim to be truly repenting, believing, and resting in the arms of King Jesus. And so this baptism of the Spirit and Fire is for God’s people—but God’s enemies get exactly what God’s people are saved from. Speaking of Jesus, John says:

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

The people of God, born of the Spirit, citizens of the Kingdom, trusting in Jesus, repenting of sin, children of the Father—they will be gathered as wheat into the barn, with safety and shelter from our King—but the chaff, the useless chaff, the false-converts and unbelievers—he will burn with unquenchable fire.

Spurgeon: Jesus is the Great Divider. It is his Word which separates the sinners from the saints, and gathers out a people for himself.

Which are you separated unto? As wheat unto salvation? Or as chaff unto judgment? Do not delay—today is the day of salvation! Come to Jesus. Jesus will save you, but if you refuse him, he will not cease to judge you. Jesus won’t only save God’s people from the fire to come—he will also pour out the fire on those who refuse to come. Paul says that when Jesus returns at the 2nd Coming he will return:

2 Thessalonians 1:8–10 ESV

in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

This is life and death. This is heaven and hell. This is salvation or judgment. This is grace or wrath. This is mercy or justice. Please, Calvary—please visitors—let today be the day of salvation! Do not delay! Run to Him while He may be found! Respond to the Gospel call with true repentance and faith! Do not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Let us ever continue to grow in the depths of our repentance, of the fruits in keeping with repentance, and of the assurance that comes in knowing that in Christ, God is our God who will hold us fast to the end. Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, it has come—and only those in the Spirit of God—can claim to be the people of Christ the Lord. May what Paul said so long ago be true of us today:

Romans 8:9–11 ESV

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

(3) Spirit Baptism identifies who are Saved from the Eternal Fire - v. 11-12

And so in light of all of this, of John the Baptists sermon—we come to our conclusion for this morning:

(C) True Repentance & Living Fruit shows Kingdom Rights & Spiritual Roots.

Only those who go through the wicket gate, will enter the celestial city.

Only those who repent and believe, are given entrance into the Kingdom of Christ.

Only those who are baptized in the Spirit and Fire, are given safety from the coming wrath (which is picture in water baptism).

Only those who go through the gate of Christ, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 5:3 ESV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(C) True Repentance & Living Fruit shows Kingdom Rights & Spiritual Roots.

Amen? Let’s pray.

Discussion Questions:

(1) What is the nature of true repentance? And what does it mean that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand?

(2) Why were people being baptized by John and confessing their sins? How did this prepare the way of the Lord Jesus?

(3) What did the Pharisees and Sadducees lack, and what did they need? How can we apply John’s warning to ourselves?

(4) What is the difference between Water Baptism and Spirit Baptism? And why does John include Fire in Spirit Baptism?

(5) What is Jesus going to do with the Wheat and the Chaff on the Day of the Lord? What’s the difference between the two?