Gracious, Generous, Growing, Grateful, Glorifying

Malachi 3:1–5 ESV

1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Matthew 11:10 ESV

10 This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

Mark 1:2 ESV

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,

Luke 7:27

Luke 7:27 ESV

27 This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

Isaiah 40:3 ESV

3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isaiah

Apart from Jesus Christ, John the Baptist is probably the most theologically significant figure in the Gospels. As was the case with Jesus, his birth was meticulously recorded ( ). His entrance into the world was marked by angelic proclamation and divine intervention ( ). John's birth not only parallels that of Jesus, but echoes the momentous occasion of the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah ( ; ). John is clearly a pivotal figure in the salvation history of God. Although his formative years were lived in obscurity in the desert ( ), his public ministry ended nearly four hundred years of prophetic silence. John was that voice crying in the wilderness preparing the way for the coming Messiah ( ; ; ; ). In this sense his message and ministry marked the culmination of the law and the prophets, but heralded the inbreaking of the kingdom of God ( ; ). So John was truly a transitional figure, forming the link between the Old and New Testaments. He spans the ages with one foot firmly planted in the Old Testament and the other squarely placed in the New. The central theme of his ministry was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" ( ).He was called "The Baptist" because his practice was to baptize those who responded to the message he proclaimed and sincerely repented of their sins ( ; ; ).

(1) A messenger has come; messengers are still needed today (3:1)

Apart from Jesus Christ, John the Baptist is probably the most theologically significant figure in the Gospels. As was the case with Jesus, his birth was meticulously recorded ( ). His entrance into the world was marked by angelic proclamation and divine intervention ( ). John's birth not only parallels that of Jesus, but echoes the momentous occasion of the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah ( ; ). John is clearly a pivotal figure in the salvation history of God. Although his formative years were lived in obscurity in the desert ( ), his public ministry ended nearly four hundred years of prophetic silence. John was that voice crying in the wilderness preparing the way for the coming Messiah ( ; ; ; ). In this sense his message and ministry marked the culmination of the law and the prophets, but heralded the inbreaking of the kingdom of God ( ; ). So John was truly a transitional figure, forming the link between the Old and New Testaments. He spans the ages with one foot firmly planted in the Old Testament and the other squarely placed in the New. The central theme of his ministry was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" ( ).He was called "The Baptist" because his practice was to baptize those who responded to the message he proclaimed and sincerely repented of their sins ( ; ; ). William Simmons - Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of the Bible

The 5G Christian - Gracious, Generous, Growing, Grateful, Glorifying

John and humility -

Strong in spirit - Luke 2:80

He preached good news - ;

He was a witness -

I must decrease; he must increase -

No one greater -

(2) Judgment is coming; repentance is needed today (3:2-5)

Malachi 3:2–5 ESV

2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

John’s message was “repent”

John’s message was “repent”

Matthew 3:2 ESV

2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Make the change. Turn toward God. Judgment is coming.