The Price of Preparation

sINTRODUCTION

Every new year brings brings an impulse for change. It’s a positive impulse we shouldn’t neglect.

Our passage today fits in with that theme. It shows how John the Baptist paved the way for real change through Jesus.

Anything of value requires a process of preparation. (knee surgery, your wedding day, house remodel, thanksgiving, frozen taquitos!)

Before you build or paint a house you first make preparation. If that prep work is rushed/skipped then then it shows in the final product.

Sometimes you see the deficiency immediately (like painting). Other times it doesn’t show up until later. Either way, something of meaning and value requires a process of preparation.

What’s true in the physical world is also true in the spiritual world.

If you want an impressive home you must pay the preparation price.

If you want an abundant life you must be willing to do the same.

Preparation precedes an abundant life in Jesus.

Broadview’s vision is to connect EVERY person to that life.

Every woman, every man, every student, every child, every person, every station, every age, everywhere.

The degree to which you experience true life is the degree to which you’re connected to true Christ.

It’s not about about a life hack or a philosophical ethic. It’s not about money or material possessions. The abundant life is found in a PERSON and that person’s name is Jesus.

Set The Table

The question for us this morning is whether our hearts are prepared.

When it comes to things of value, everybody wants the finished product but not the price of preparation.

I know that’s true of me when it comes to painting the house. I want a great looking paint job but I’m rarely willing to do the necessary prep.

What about you? Are you willing to do what it takes to make 2026 your best year ever? Would you be willing to pray the price of spiritual preparation?

That’s the question behind our passage today as we begin a new series entitled “Straight Paths.” It covers Matthew 3-4.

Before Jesus began his ministry, God sent someone to prepare the way.

His name is John the Baptist and his story is in Matthew 3.

Matthew 3:1–3 CSB

1 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!

John came preaching a message about the kingdom of heaven. “The Kingdom of Heaven in near!”

That part wasn’t controversial. Most Jews longed for the coming kingdom of God.

What wasn’t well recieved was what you had to do to receive it.

Everybody wants the kingdom but not the price of entry.

But the abundant life always has a preparation price.

John wasn’t saying that you earn God’s salvation. His preaching wasn’t different than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God’s Kingdom is a gift that is given by grace. It’s received through faith in the person and work of Jesus.

But even a gift of grace requires a willing heart. Preparations must be made to receive that grace from God.

So what’s the price of preparation and how do we go about it? Matthew gives an answer with the life of John the Baptist.

THE PREPARATION PRICE

John’s ministry came about “in those days” in Matthew 3.

Look again at verse 1.

Matthew 3:1 CSB

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea

Given Matthew’s Jewish readers, “those days” had particular significance.

In a strict sense, they were the days preceding the ministry of Jesus. There were also the days after the birth of Jesus.

Matthew 1-2 had much to say on these two fronts.

Jesus’ genealogy fulfills God’s covenant promise. He’s the promised son of Abraham and offspring to David’s throne. (Mat 1:1)

His virgin birth fulfilled the prophecy by Isaiah. (Isa 7:14)

His birth in Bethlehem fulfilled Messianic prophecy. (Micah 5:2; Mat 2:5-6)

As did the flight to Egypt (Mat 2:13-15; Hos 11:1) and the relocation to Nazareth.

Every event in “those days” was in service of a larger point.

The Kingdom God promised had arrived in Jesus. True life is found in the person of Christ.

Jesus was the true and greater David anticipated in the OT. He was the true and greater Moses who would deliver God’s people.

Every promise that God had made was being kept in the person of Jesus.

He is river from which every blessing flows. He is the king who will rule on David’s throne.

But this promise from God came “in those days… preached by John the Baptist…in the wilderness of Judea.”

Every one of those descriptions is important when it comes to the price of preparation for you and me.

An Extended Period

The phrase, “in those days” doesn’t just cover Matthew 1-2. It also includes 400 years of prophetic silence.

The last prophet Israel had before John the Baptist was 400 years earlier with the prophet Malachi.

Imagine if you were in Israel during this time. No fresh revelation. No prophetic confrontations. No call for repentance. No “thus says the Lord.”

Some of you know exactly what that feels like because you’ve been living in season of silence.

You pray but nothing seems to change.

You do right but never see the reward.

You begin to wonder whether God has forgotten and maybe question God’s existence all together.

That what it would’ve felt like “in those days” for Matthew’s original audience.

But God had not forgotten his promise. God had not forsaken his people. Even in those “silent years” God was working and moving things forward.

Even in the silence, God’s promise held true. The question was whether they were willing to wait.

The same question applied to you and me today.

True life may come after a period you didn’t want to wait.

Matthew’s Israel was occupied by a pagan government. It was plagued by spiritual compromise. It was marked by spiritual fatigue.

Despite that devolution, God’s promise still came true.

An Unexpected Pattern

So what do you do when you feel like God is silent? You hold fast to the last Word that gave.

The last word that God had given Israel was directly relevant to what John was preaching.

He prophesied a coming messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord. Mal 3:1

Malachi 3:1 CSB

1 “See, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to his temple, the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the Lord of Armies.

This messenger would be preacher like Elijah in the Old Testament. Mal 4:5-6

Malachi 4:5 CSB

5 Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.

Matthew’s description of John the Baptist is in keeping with this statement.

Matthew 3:3 CSB

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!

Matthew pulls a quotation from Isaiah 40:3. It was a very popular passage within the Messianic community.

By putting it on the lips of John the Baptist he’s saying something significant.

First, he’s connecting John the Baptist to the prophecy of Malachi. JB was the prophesied messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord.

But he’s also saying something unique about Jesus. You see this if you read Isaiah 40:3 in the original Hebrew. Isaiah 40:3

Isaiah 40:3 CSB

3 A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.

You’ll notice the word LORD in all caps. That’s a translation of God’s covenant name Yahweh. (so revered they never said it out loud)

In other words, not only is JB the prophesied messenger, not only is JC the prophesied Messiah. Jesus the Messiah is Yahweh himself, come down in the flesh to dwell with his people.

To say that this was a paradigm shift is an understatement. This would’ve broken all kinds of expectations and patterns people had for the Messiah. Nevertheless, God’s promise was coming true in Jesus.

True life may come through a pattern you didn’t want to see.

An Unusual Place

Matthew’s description of John the Baptist makes him sound just like Elijah. (2 Kings 1:8)

Matthew 3:4 CSB

4 Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

He dressed like and played the part of every prophet who came before him. (Zech 13:4)

People make a big deal out of the locusts and honey but they were permitted as “clean” food according to the law of Moses. (Lev 11:22; 1 Sam 14:25-29)

John was a simple man who lived a simple life and had a simple message about what was to come. Mat 3:2

Matthew 3:2 CSB

2 saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

That message had gained traction in the surrounding areas. Mat 3:5

Matthew 3:5 CSB

5 Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were going out to him,

Typically a prophet would go to the people, especially the cities where populations were dense. With John, the people were coming out to him. There was something different about his message and his impact.

Where was John located? He was in the wilderness regions of Judea.

MAP: Here’s a map of potential areas where John did his ministry. We know it was next to water given his ministry of baptism.

We don’t know all of the reasons why John chose the wilderness but it harkens back to God’s people in the Exodus.

Matthew made a similar connection in Matthew 1-2.

The wilderness was where Old Testament Israel also learned to trust the Lord. God used their wilderness wandering to prepare them for the Promised Land.

The wilderness was the location of Israel’s original formation. The Israel of the New Covenant would likewise start here.

True life may come in a place you didn’t want to go.

Application

As you think about what God wants to do in your life, don’t discount his methods are similar today.

Every good thing that God wants to do in your life will happen in relationship to Jesus.

But that good work that God plans to do may require a season of waiting. God’s silence isn’t evidence of his absence or lack of care.

It might also present itself in an unexpected way. You may not like the packaging or the associations implied. It doesn’t mean it’s not from the Lord.

Finally, God’s plan may take you beyond your comfort zone. You might have to leave the familiar and meet him out in the dessert. Just because it’s different doesn’t mean God isn’t there.

This is often how God works when he’s up to something new. He did it that way before and he’ll do it that way again.

THE PROCESS OF REPENTANCE

If these things are true, how do we get that life? What’s the price of preparation and how do we pay that price?

It’s all wrapped up in John’s baptism and John’s message!

When we read the word baptism we have something very specific come to mind. John’s original audience would’ve thought of something else.

Baptism, for Jewish people, had a very particular use case. It wasn’t really “for Jews” but for Gentiles converting over.

So when John tells his audience to “repent” and “be baptized” he’s telling them something that didn’t expect to hear.

They assumed they would inherit God’s promise by virtue of their ethnicity. But John was saying something very different.

You cannot have God’s kingdom without an act of repentance. John’s baptism is a baptism of repentance.

True life requires a heart of repentance.

Understanding Repentance

Matthew 3:2 CSB

2 …“Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

With the time we have left I want to think about this word. It’s widely misunderstood by people today.

This passage is helpful in defining repentance because John clarifies what it is and what it isn’t. Let’s keep reading so I can show you.

Matthew 3:6–12 CSB

6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to 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 The ax is already at 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 with fire that never goes out.”

Matthew uses the word repentance again and again.

John also seems to contrast the repentance of his disciples with the motivation of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

We don’t know if they were coming to be baptized by John or whether they were looking in on the commotion. The fact they were even present, tells you John had gained a following.

Pharisees and Sadducees

For those of you new to Bible study, you may not recognize these designations.

They were both part of the religious establishment of that time.

The word Pharisee means “separated ones.” They were a group of zealous and righteous men who tried seriously to keep God’s Law.

The Sadducees were a smaller, aristocratic, priestly party based out of Jerusalem and tied to the temple system. They were more politically connected to Rome and therefore less popular with the average joe.

Doctrinally, they were different from the Pharisees because they prioritized the five books of the Torah over the rabinic traditions. This led them to deny certain doctrines like angels and the resurrection.

You might think of the Sadducees as the politically connected power players and the Pharisees as a populist uprising of religious conservatism.

Differences aside, both groups had reasons to control John’s growing influence.

John is neither impressed nor swayed. Instead, he calls them a brood of vipers. (brood=children; vipers=snakes)

This is a common prophetic insult that conveys hidden but spiritual danger.

Vipers were small, camouflaged and deadly. They looked harmless until you stepped on them. Jews also equated snakes with evil and the work of the devil.

So John pulls no punches. He sees both groups as spiritually toxic and dangerous to the coming Kingdom of God. What made their spirit so dangerous? John actually gives us a clue.

They wanted safety from judgment without paying the price of submission. Their “so called” repentance was not from the heart.

A Change of Perception

Their “repentance” like their “righteousness” was purely performative.

For the Pharisees it was performative adherence to God’s Law and the moral implications therein.

For the Sadducees it was performative temple traditions, divorced from spiritual substance.

Repentance is NOT performative change.

You will never experience the abundant life if that’s your motivation.

Repentance is a genuine change of perception.

It’s at the heart of the Greek word for repentance. (meta = after/result of; nous=mind/perception) You’re literally changing your thoughts to align with God’s truth.

Repentance is not just "trying really hard.” Or doing good things in an effort to make things right. It’s not even about feeling sad or great remorse.

These may result from true repentance. But the essential nature of repentance is changing how you see the world.

Which means repentance requires the removing of obstructions.

You must get rid of those things that keep you from seeing clearly!

That’s the price you must pay to receive the abundant life in Jesus. That’s the process of preparation if you’re willing to pay the price.

What does this look like, practically? That’s what I want to spend the rest of our time looking at this morning.

I’m going to put them under four different banners but each of them come from the passage this morning.

Cut out the false pretense and pride.

Confess the real problem.

Demonstrate proof of true repentance.

Receive power for true change.

Cut The False Pride and Pretense

Let’s begin with the cutting of pretense. That’s essentially what John the Baptist says to these two groups.

He exposes their nefarious motivations and the same must happen to us. (Mat 3:9)

All of us have a reason for why we want to change. But if you want a heart that is ready for Jesus then your reason for change can’t be about yourself.

Why are you really here this morning? Are you here to see and worship Jesus or to preserve your reputation?

It’s great to be a better mom but what really DRIVES that motivation? It’s great to be a business owner, but WHO are you doing it for.

When was the last time that the Word of God wounded your pride instead of polishing your reputation? When’s the last time it brought about conviction instead of self-righteous judgment of other people?

We are all so blind to our own false pretenses. The reason is because you can’t see them from the surface.

On the surface, the Pharisees and Saducees looked like everyone else. From the naked eye maybe you couldn’t tell them apart.

But they weren’t coming to get God’s kingdom they were protecting their own. It wasn’t about God. It was all about them.

It’s great you want to fix your marriage problems. But it can’t be to keep up your appearances. It can’t even be to keep your partner from leaving.

If that’s why then you’ll reject Jesus as soon as you get what you want. Cut the pretense. Kill your pride.

Tear up your religious resume. Leave your self-righteousness at the door. You won’t get Jesus by holding on to that. You can’t outrun the fire. There’s only one way to survive it.

Confess The Real Problem

You might be wondering how that can be done and there’s actually a clue in this passage.

The big difference between those rebuked and those baptized was the willingness to confess their sin.

Cut out the false pretense and pride.

Then confess the real problem of sin.

Matthew 3:6 CSB

6 and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

The crowds weren’t coming to get false assurance of salvation. The crowds were coming to confess and turn from sin.

There’s a sharp distinction between those two mindsets in this passage.

It’s not like one group sinned and the other group didn’t. It’s that one group confessed their sin while the other covered theirs up.

You’ll never truly see the world if you can’t truly see your sin. If you can’t see it you’ll never confess it.

I wish protestants were more “Catholic” in this way. Confession of sin is very healthy. It’s a spiritual discipline.

Except you don’t need to confess to a priest. You don’t need a preacher or a modern John the Baptist. All you need is Christian brother or sister. Confess your sins to one another and you’ll be healed.

The more specific your confession the more power it has to heal. Don’t settle for vague and generic sin. Get real.

“I’m struggling” is generic. “I lied to my friend because I was afraid” is specific. “Marriage is hard” is generic. “I’ve been stonewalling my spouse as a passive aggressive form of punishment” is specific.

Be concrete and specific about where your struggles are. As soon as you bring it to light it’s power begins to diminish.

True repentance doesn’t just change the way you see your sin. It also changes the way you see confession.

Confession isn’t a means to greater shame. Confession is a means to greater freedom and deliverance.

In fact, a willingness to confess your sin is one of the main ways you can know you’ve truly repented.

Instead of looking to your self-righteousness to defend you from accusations, you’ll be looking to Jesus Christ who loves you unconditionally.

You won’t be hiding your sin in an effort to be superior. You’ll be willing to confess your sin because the ground is level at the foot of the cross.

When’s the last time you were quick to admit where you were wrong?

Are you unwilling because you’re afraid of what you’ll lose? You haven’t yet paid the price of preparation.

Show Real Proof

That leads me to the third thing which John mentions in verses 8-10.

Demonstrate proof of genuine repentance.

Matthew 3:8–10 CSB

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 The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

He also forecasts the coming judgment on the unrepentant. The ax is at the root and fruitless trees will be cut down.

What what exactly IS fruit consistent with repentance? We know what it ISN’T.

It’s not arrogant self reliance on your ethnicity or traditions. John rebukes that notion in verse 9.

It’s not minor changes on the edges that change the behavior but not the root.

It’s not an attempt to flee judgment by undergoing some religious act or procedure. That’s what John rebukes the Pharisees for.

If repentance is a change of perception such that you can really see. Then the fruit of repentance is living as if that’s true.

The fruit of repentance is a transformed orientation. It literally changes the way you see your world.

So the fruit of repentance doesn’t just show up in this area or that area. It’s not minor tweaks on the edges. It’s a completely different approach to EVERYTHING in your life.

When you change the way you look at things the things you look at change.

It reminds me of that great C.S. Lewis quote about Christianity. “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Repentance doesn’t just change your behavior. It changes your loves, your desire, your will, your worldview.

Receive The Real Power

This is really something God gives us as a gift. It’s usually a response to his special revelation.

But repentance alone can’t change your life. You can turn away FROM something you know isn’t true. What matters most is who you turn to in response.

John’s baptism could prepare the way but it could not change their life. There was someone who came after John who gives a greater baptism.

That’s where John goes next in this passage.

Matthew 3:11–12 CSB

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 with fire that never goes out.”

Water may wash your skin but it cannot change your heart. For that kind of change you must receive the Holy Spirit. You must be born again.

Which is where we ultimately land this morning.

Receive the power for genuine change.

You’ll never change your life in your own power. You’ll never live the true life by walking your own way.

The only way to see the world through the light of Jesus is for the Holy Spirit to open your eyes so that you can see.

And he’s doing that this morning in the preaching of this Word. Some of you sense God drawing you to himself.

The thing that will determine whether this is your best year ever is whether or not you respond to the invitation Jesus is giving.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes through the Word of God. Do you hears ear the voice of God calling out to you? Then stop resisting and come and be baptized for true change.

The Baptism of Jesus has two elements according to John. One element is the Holy Spirit the other element is fire.

My view is that the Holy Spirit is the means of God’s deliverance. The fire is suggestive of God’s judgement on unbelief.

Every time Matthew uses the word “fire” in this passage it’s in reference to God’s judgment. So I don’t see this as a “second baptism” or some unique speaking of tongue experience.

You will be baptized by Jesus one way or the other. You will either go through the Spirit or be consumed by the fire of judgment.

The question for you this morning is what baptism will you receive? And are you willing to pay the price so that Jesus can come into your heart?

Cut the pride and pretense.

Confess your sin before God.

Turn away from that life and turn your heart to Jesus.

The abundant life you’ve always wanted is found in him alone.