The King is Here

ENGAGE

Opening Illustration / Image / Question: Imagine being told that a king is coming to town—but instead of rolling out red carpets and banners, the call goes out to clean house, change clothes, and prepare your heart. Would you be excited, nervous, or resistant?

Why This Matters Now: We live in a culture that likes the idea of Jesus but often resists His authority. Many want the benefits of faith without the demands of repentance. Matthew 3 confronts us with a King who does not arrive on our terms but on God’s.

Bottom Line Introduced: When Jesus arrives, He doesn’t just invite admiration—He demands repentance and obedience because the King is here.

TENSION

The Struggle: People want assurance without accountability—identity without transformation. The question is whether religious familiarity is enough when God is calling for repentance and fruit.

Why This Is a Real Issue Today: Like the Pharisees, many trust their background, church attendance, or moral comparisons rather than genuine repentance. Christianity can become cultural instead of transformational.

What’s at Stake: Ignoring this call means facing judgment instead of approval. Without repentance, even religious people risk standing opposed to the King they claim to serve.

Transition to the Text: So what happens when the King finally steps onto the scene—and why does His arrival expose hearts rather than comfort them?

TRUTH

Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness!

Text

Matthew 3:7–17 ESV

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. 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. 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 and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 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.”

The Pharisees Come

Matthew 3:7–10 ESV

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.

Exegesis: Last week we saw how the majority of people reacted. They came out in droves, repented, confessed their sins, and were baptized. But the Pharisees and Sadducees were different. John seemingly knew their intentions in coming out to see him and the droves of other people. What we then see is a man calling a stubborn, unrepentant people to repentance. What he says are some harsh words, but are necessary for people with hard hearts.

Even though the Pharisees are arrogant in their ways, John likens them to a tree with an axe to its roots. A dead or nonbearing tree must be cut down, otherwise nutrients are stripped away and there is a danger to dead trees. Ultimately all they are good for is to keep you warm in the winter.

Application: What we see is a stark call to repentance for a group who refused to do though. What is scary is that this call exists for us today and many choose to ignore it. Religious and non-religious people alike will refuse to repent of their actions and will find themselves on the wrong side of eternity. What can really tell us if a person has repented is the fruit that they bear. Galatians 5 gives us a good example, that we crucify the flesh and bear the fruit of the Spirit.

Big Idea: God calls all to repentance!

Water, Fire, and the Holy Spirit

Matthew 3:11–12 ESV

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. 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 and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Exegesis: John stood as a man who came to prepare the way for the Lord. To do that, he began baptizing people. John’s baptism was specifically for repentance for the forgiveness of sins. That we see here in Matthew 3, Mark 1, and Luke 3, that this baptism was preparing the minds for what was coming in what the Messiah would be teaching. Right now, what John was doing was warning these vipers, these hypocrites, these stubborn, stiff-necked people of what was coming. Sure, the Holy Spirit was coming, but what the Pharisees and Sadducees really needed to worry about was fire.

John continues his metaphor of fire by now saying the Pharisees were nothing but chaff needing to be sifted. Once sifted it will be cast into the fire, an unquenchable fire. John was warning these men to repent. They were stuck in their ways, ultimately their sin, and had little care to change. We see that when Jesus asks the Pharisees if John’s baptism was from God or from man.

Application: What this is is a moment of self-reflection for the Pharisees. The sad part is, they didn’t take it. They were self-righteous individuals. They were religious, what we would call church going people. Yet they were on the receiving end of fire. The reality is that some probably identify with the Pharisees without realizing it. We feel self-righteous in our actions, or our own religion, not realizing we are far away from God. The solution? Repent or face the fire.

Big Idea: The coming King brings separation—repentance leads to life, but refusal leads to judgment.

The Baptism of Jesus

Matthew 3:13–17 ESV

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.”

Exegesis: This is event is the highlight of the chapter, pointing us to a magnanimous moment of obedience, declaration, and fulfillment. The first thing we see is John’s reaction to Jesus coming to see him. John refuses initially, claiming he is unworthy. Mark 1:7, John says he is unworthy of untying the strap of His sandal! What we see is a man who sees his place in the world, that Christ must increase and John must decrease.

Even though John refuses, Jesus came to be baptized and responds He must be baptized because it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness. When John came preaching this baptism, did it come from God or from man? If it came from man, then there would be no reason for Jesus to be baptized. But John’s baptism didn’t come from man, but came from God. This baptism was being done in conjunction with the law of Moses. So then why was Jesus baptized? Some say because it was just an example for us. It was to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus needed to keep all the commands of God perfectly in order to be the salvation for all mankind.

And what was the Father’s reaction? He was pleased. In fact. 2 Peter 1:17 tells us this is the moment Christ received honor and glory from God. Why? Because Christ was obedient and would be to the point of death.

2 Peter 1:17 ESV

17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,”

Application: Faithfulness means submitting to God’s will even when it humbles us. Like Christ, obedience is not about status but surrender. We follow not to earn approval, but because God has already spoken.

Big Idea: The King submitted in obedience to fulfill God’s plan and secure our salvation.

Application

Examine whether repentance is visible in the fruit of your life.

Refuse to rely on religious heritage or routine for assurance.

Submit fully to Christ’s authority in belief, repentance, and obedience.

Conclusion

Restate the Bottom Line: When Jesus arrives, He doesn’t just invite admiration—He demands repentance and obedience because the King is here.

Final Illustration / Challenge: The same waters that marked Jesus’ obedience also revealed heaven’s approval. The question is not whether the King has come—but whether we will respond rightly to His arrival.

Call to Action: Repent where you have resisted God. Be baptized into Christ if you have not obeyed the gospel. Submit fully to the King who fulfilled all righteousness—for you.