3v1-6

The Greatest!

Mt 3.1-6

The greatest player in the history of hockey, Wayne Gretzky, is commonly referred to as “The Great One.”
Great Lakes
Great Smokey Mountains
Great Danes
Steven Covey, having already written a best-seller entitled, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, has recently added, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
Jim Collins has written a similar book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t
Tom Brokaw, making reference to American adults who answered the call to service and sacrifice upon entering the second World War, entitled his 1998 volume, The Greatest Generation.
Muhammed Ali, heavy weight champion of yesteryear, speaking of himself, said, “I am the greatest!”
In the world’s eyes, such things as being born into a famous, wealthy, or influential family bring a certain measure of greatness simply by heritage. Earning a great deal of money is another mark of the world’s greatness, as are academic degrees, expertise in some field, outstanding athletic ability, artistic talent, high political or military office, and other such things.
By those criteria, however, even Jesus Christ was not great. Though He manifested surpassing wisdom and power. He was born into a quite ordinary family, His father being a simple carpenter. Even after He was grown, Jesus did not own a business, a herd of cattle or sheep, a house, or even a tent. He said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matt. 8:20). He had little, if any, formal education, no political office, no artistic accomplishments—in short, almost no marks of what the world considers greatness.
In this message, we going to look into the Scriptures and see God’s Greatest Man, Man’s Greatest Need, and God’s Greatest Gift.

The Identification of God’s “Greatest Man” (1; cf. 11.11)

In those days serves as a transition between chapters 2 and 3. It was a common literary phrase, indicating the general time in which the events being described occurred. Nearly thirty years had elapsed between Joseph’s taking the young Jesus and His mother to Nazareth and the beginning of John’s public ministry. Only Luke (2:39–52) tells us anything of Jesus’ life during the intervening years. Apart from that brief account, Scripture is silent.
John was a common Jewish name in New Testament times and is the Greek form of the Hebrew Johanan (see 2 Kings 25:23; Jer. 40:8; etc.), which means “Jehovah, or Yahweh, is gracious.” Baptist was an epithet given him because baptizing was such an important and obvious part of his ministry.
Cf. Luke 1.6-7…11…13-17…67,76…80
Raised by Godly Parents (Lk 1.5-6)

· Exemplary—righteous…walking…blameless

· Spiritually speaking, parents, if you claim to be followers of Christ, then you’d better be exemplary ones before your children!

· Children would probably be better off having dead beat parents who staked no claim to Christ and Christianity, who disbelieved the Bible, than have parents who are professing believers but live hypocritically.

· If our spiritual temperature were to be taken, the worse reading possible would be “lukewarm,” mediocre.

· Empty—they had no child…Elisabeth was barren (7a)

· Elderly—well stricken in years (7b)

Traveled a Godly Path

· v. 4. Separation & Simplicity

· He claimed to be God’s messenger, but he did not live, dress, or talk like other religious leaders. Those leaders were proper, well-dressed, well-fed, sophisticated, and worldly.

· His clothes were practical and long-wearing, but far from being comfortable or fashionable.

· John’s very dress, food, and life-style were in themselves a rebuke to the self-satisfied and self-indulgent religious leaders of Israel—the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and priests. It was also a rebuke to most of the people, who, though they may not have been able to indulge in the privileges of their leaders, nonetheless admired and longed for the same advantages.

· John’s purpose was not to turn the people into hermits or ascetics. He called on no one, not even his disciples, to live and dress as he did. But his manner of living was a dramatic reminder of the many loves and pleasures that keep people from exchanging their own way for God’s.

· Separation + Simplicity = Surrender

· I am sure that most of us think of John as somewhat weird when we read about him. He was certainly unique, and this was probably a factor in the way he seized men’s attention, even though he performed no miracles (John 10:41).

· John surely exemplifies “separation” in a very dramatic way. Now we are not all called to wear a hairy garment, nor are we required to live in the desert and eat locusts and wild honey. But we are all called to be a unique people, to be distinct from the world. John is a man who knew how to stand alone, something most of us know too little about.

· May we learn to live in the world, and yet avoid worldliness. Let us seek to prepare men and women for the return of our Lord by teaching about sin, and by calling on men to repent of their sin and turn to Christ for salvation. Let us be like John in finding our joy in pointing others to Christ, rather than seeking the spotlight ourselves.

Served a Godly Purpose (Lk 1.13-17)

· Restoration of God’s People (13-16)

· Introduction of God’s Son (17)

· John’s primary place of ministry, like his primary place of training, was in the wilderness of Judea. By the world’s standards and procedures, the coming of a king, or of a great person of any sort, is proclaimed and prepared for with great expense, pomp, and fanfare. Even the announcer dresses in the best suits, stays in the best hotels, contacts only the best people, and makes preparations for the monarch to visit only the best places. But that was not God’s plan for the heralding of His Son.

· John the Baptist was born of obscure parents, dressed strangely even for his day, and carried on his ministry mostly in out-of-the-way and unattractive places.

· All of that, however, was not incidental or circumstantial. It was symbolic of John’s ministry to call the people away from the corrupt and dead religious system of their day-away from ritualism, worldliness, hypocrisy, and superficiality. John called them away from Jerusalem and Jericho, away from the cities into the wilderness—where most people would not bother to go if they were not serious seekers. John brought them away, where they were freer to listen, think, and ponder, without the distractions and the misleading leaders they were so accustomed to following. In such a seemingly desolate place, they could begin to see the greatness of this man of God and the even greater greatness of the One whose coming he announced.

He Maintained a Godly Perspective (Mt 3.11; cf. Jn 1.27)

· In Life—Humility/Meekness. John knew his position and his task. He never sought or accepted honor for himself, but only for the One whose coming he proclaimed. As a child John no doubt had been told many times of the angel’s announcement of his birth and his purpose, a purpose from which he never wavered, compromised, or tried to gain personal recognition or advantage.

· In Death—Martyrdom. Willingness to suffer and die for the cause of Christ.

· Imprisoned by Herod (Mt 4.12)

· Beheaded by Herod (Mt 14.3-12)

Every believer can pursue and obtain “greatness” in the eyes of God. Being raised by Godly parents, while a definite benefit, it is not prerequisite. If you purpose in your heart to travel a godly path, serve a godly purpose, and maintain a godly perspective, you can become GREAT!

The Proclamation of Man’s Greatest Need (2-3)

The Message—Repent!
Repent means more than regret or sorrow (cf. Heb. 12:17); it means to turn around, to change direction, to change the mind and will.
It does not denote just any change, but always a change from the wrong to the right, away from sin and to righteousness. Repentance involves sorrow for sin, but sorrow that leads to a change of thinking, desire, and conduct of life.
2 Co 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.NKJV
This message of repentance must have been startling news for Jews who thought that, as God’s chosen people—the children of Abraham, the people of the covenant—they deserved and were unconditionally assured of the promised King.
Knowing what they must have been thinking, John later told his listeners, “Do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham” (3:9).
God was not interested in His people’s human heritage but in their spiritual life. “What the King wants from you,” John was saying, “is that you make a complete turnaround from the way you are, that you be totally converted, totally changed.”
God calls for radical change and transformation that affects the mind, the will, and the emotions-the whole person.
John’s message was straight from the Scriptures. John’s preaching first called attention to man’s sin and then pointed to God’s salvation in Jesus Christ. It was hardly “seeker-friendly.” Its aim was not to entertain men nor to win man’s approval. Its purpose was to expose man’s sin and need for the Savior.
Repentance was exactly the same message with which Jesus began His preaching and the apostles began theirs.
Mk 1:15 [Jesus said] “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”NKJV
Mk 6:12 So they [the apostles] went out and preached that people should repent.NKJV
In his Pentecost sermon, Peter concluded his sermon with these words: Ac 2:38 “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”NKJV

· Repentance is sadly omitted in much preaching today. Turning to Jesus Christ for salvation is simultaneously turning from our sin. Often, in an effort to make the gospel more palatable, the requirement for repentance is omitted or minimized.

· The gospel is sometimes presented as though you can simply add the work of Jesus to your “portfolio,” as though you were just adding another investment. You do not need to forsake anything, but simply to add something. The truth is that you must empty your portfolio (of anything other than Christ, in which you place your trust), and let Christ alone fill it.

· The rich young ruler was not allowed the option of keeping his riches (which were his “god” – see Matthew 6:19-34; 19:16-22). He had to forsake them to follow Christ. If we would preach the gospel, we must include the call to repentance, as well as to faith. These two elements are not contradictory, but rather are two sides of the same coin.

· John’s preaching reminds us of the important role that the law plays in what we might call pre-evangelism. While grace is opposed to law (see Romans 4:16; 6:14; 7:6; Galatians 2:22; 5:1-4), law does point us toward grace: Galatians 3:23-25).

The law prepares us for grace by showing us our sin, and the impossibility of pleasing God through good works. Thus, the law requires us to look to God for salvation by grace, and not to ourselves: Romans 3:19-24).

· Let me give you a very specific way that parents can use the law evangelistically. They can use the law to show their children that they are sinners, in need of the salvation that is found only in the saving work of Jesus Christ on Calvary. All too often the Old Testament is used to tell children exciting stories like “Jonah and the whale” or “Daniel in the lion’s den.” This is not bad, but all too often this use of the Old Testament does not expose children to the holiness of God or to the magnitude of their sin. Indeed, some seem to think the Bible should be used to develop “self-esteem” in children. Children do not need to feel better about themselves; they need to realize that they are sinners, who cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. They need to see their sins so that they understand that they need to be saved. The message of John the Baptist (not to mention Jesus and the apostles) is what children need to hear as well.

Parents who do not discipline their children do them a great disservice. We need to correct our children and not look the other way or make excuses for them. Children need to know by experience that sin must and will be punished. They need to see how sinful they are. And when they come to grasp their sin, then John’s message will be music to their ears, if God brings them to repentance. To fail (or refuse) to discipline our children is to deny the message of the gospel that all men are sinners, in need of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.
The Motivation—Messiah has come!
The people should repent and be converted because the King was coming, and He deserves and requires no less.
After four hundred years, the people of Israel again heard God’s prophetic word. Malachi’s prophecy was followed by four centuries of silence, with no new or direct word from the Lord. Now, when His word came to Israel again, proclaiming the coming of the King, it was not the expected word of joy and comfort and celebration but a message of warning and rebuke.
Despite many similar warnings by the prophets, many of the people and most of the leaders were not prepared for John’s message What he said was shocking; it was unexpected and unacceptable. It was inconceivable to them that, as God’s people, they had anything to do to inherit God’s kingdom but simply wait for and accept it. The Messiah was their Messiah, the King was their King, the Savior was their Savior, the promise was their promise. Every Jew was destined for the kingdom, and every Gentile was excluded, except for a token handful of proselytes. That was the common Jewish thinking of the day, which John totally shattered.
But John’s message was God’s message, and he would not compromise it or clutter it with the popular misconceptions and delusions of his own day and his own people. He had no word but God’s word, and he proclaimed no kingdom but God’s kingdom and no preparation but God’s preparation. That preparation was repentance.
Matthew uses the phrase kingdom of heaven thirty-two times, and is the only gospel writer who uses it at all. The other three use “the kingdom of God.” It is probable that Matthew used kingdom of heaven because it was more understandable to his primarily Jewish readers. Jews would not speak God’s name (Yahweh, or Jehovah), and would often substitute heaven when referring to Him-much as we do in such expressions as “heaven smiled on me today.”
There is no significant difference between “the kingdom of God” and the kingdom of heaven. The one phrase emphasizes the sovereign Ruler of the kingdom and the other emphasizes the kingdom itself, but they are the same kingdom. Matthew 19:23–24 confirms the equality of the phrases by using them in interchangeably.
v.3 As herald of the great King, John did not clear the roads and highways of obstacles, but sought to clear men’s hearts of the obstacles that kept them from the King. The way of the Lord is the way of repentance, of turning from sin to righteousness, of turning moral and spiritual paths that are crooked into ones that are straight, ones that are fit for the King.
In ancient times it was common for a herald to precede the arrival of the monarch, to announce his coming and to prepare for his safe and proper travel. With a coterie of servants, the herald would make sure that the roadway was as smooth and uncluttered as possible. Holes would be filled, rocks and debris would be removed, and unsightly litter would be burned or hidden. As the group traveled along and worked, the herald would proclaim the king’s coming to everyone he encountered. His twofold duty was to proclaim and to prepare. That is what John’s ministry did for God’s great King, Jesus Christ.
John is thus heralding the beginning of the full restoration and blessing of God’s people. Just as roads were often repaired in the ancient world in preparation for royalty traveling on them, so John calls his listeners to rebuild highways of holiness; i.e. to return to moral living in preparation for God’s coming in the Person of Jesus.

The Illustration of God’s Greatest Gift (5-6)

True repentance leads to believers’ baptism.
That those Jews submitted to being baptized was more than a little significant, because that was not a traditional Jewish ceremony. It was completely different from the Levitical washings, which consisted of washing the hands, feet, and head. The Essenes, a group of Jewish ascetics who lived on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, practiced a type of ceremonial washing that more nearly resembled baptism. But both the Levitical and the Essene washings were repeated, those of the Essenes as much as several times a day or even hourly. They represented repeated purification for repeated sinning.
John’s washing, however, was one-time. The only one-time washing the Jews performed was for Gentiles, signifying their coming as outsiders into the true faith of Judaism. A Jew who submitted to such a rite demonstrated, in effect, that he was an outsider who sought entrance into the people of God-an amazing admission for a Jew. Members of God’s chosen race, descendants of Abraham, heirs of the covenant of Moses, came to John to be baptized like a Gentile!
That act symbolized before the world that they realized their national and racial descent, or even their calling as God’s chosen and covenant people, could not save them. They had to repent, forsake sin, and trust in the Lord for salvation. It is that of which the baptism was a public witness, as they confessed their sins. They had to come into the kingdom just like the Gentiles, through repentance and faith-which included a public admission of sins (cf. the same Greek term is used in Phil. 2:11, where it refers to a verbal confession).

· The preaching and practice of John the Baptist underscores the importance of Christian baptism. Those who truly repented were baptized (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:5); those who did not repent were not (Luke 7:30). Those who followed Christ were baptized (Matthew 28:19; John 3:22, 26; 4:1; Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12, 38; 10:47; 19:35). Baptism symbolized repentance and faith, as it does today. Those who have not been baptized would do well to ask themselves why they have not.

· Are you headed toward greatness? If so, what kind?

· Are you proclaiming the greatest story every recorded? If not, why not?

· Have you accepted the greatest gift ever offered, the gift of salvation? If not, why not?