Matthew 2:13-3:12 Prepare the Way

Intro

On Tuesday I got a clean bill of health from my doctor

He told me that my lungs were clear of the pneumonia and that my legs were clear of the blood clots

The big deal was the blood clots

I was put on some serious blood thinning medicine that limited what I could do

The danger was that if I started bleeding they may not be able to stop it

It also has some side effects like back pain, loss of sleep, and fatigue

Needless to say that when the year started I didn’t think that would be the path that I would take

Yet, at the same time, I am thankful for what I have gone through

It has drawn me closer to the Lord and I feel that my dependance upon him is stronger than it ever has been

At the same time, the pain we go through is preparation for what God is about to do

Even though it may appear that we are in a holding pattern as a church, I am sensing that God is preparing us

Read Matthew 3:1-6

Transition:

We are now on the pathway to the ministry of Jesus Christ

The birth has happened and he has been blessed at the temple

The Wise men have visited and now they gotta get out of Dodge because Herod is coming after them

When God leads people to do His work He will lead you on an unlikely path and use unlikely circumstance to accomplish his purposes

That’s what we see today

God takes them down to Egypt, has them raise Jesus in Nazareth, uses an unusual voice

This is all done to ready our hearts for His work

An Unlikely Path vs. 13-18

In preparing the way for Jesus, his parents had to take an unlikely path

God tells them to go to Egypt

The Wise Men were told in a dream to not to return the way they came

That was difficult because all roads lead to Jersualem and getting away without the notice of Herod was difficult

In the middle of the night Joseph has a dream where the angel of the Lord tells him to take the child and flee

The words “rise” and “flee” indicate that this was a middle of the escape

They had to get out of Bethlehem under the cover of darkness before Herod’s guard could find them

There were to remain in Egypt until they were told to leave

This would seem like an odd and unusual move

Why would you have the savior of the world leave the country?

First, they were protected there

A very large Jewish community lived in Egypt in this period.

Perhaps one-third of Alexandria, located in northern Egypt, was Jewish; with a population estimated at about one million, it was one of the empire’s largest cities.

Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

vs. 16-18

It doesn’t take long for Herod to figure out he was tricked by the wise men

Jeremiah 31:15 Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Unlikely Hometown vs. 19-23

John 1:45–46

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

An Unusual Voice vs. 1-6

Next we see an unusual voice in the wilderness

John the baptist, cousin to Jesus, was the one who prepared the way for the King

Prophecy foretold that he would come

Isaiah 40:3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

John’s message was a call to repentance.

Some people think that repentance is mostly about feelings, especially feeling sorry for your sin.

It is wonderful to feel sorry about your sin, but repent isn’t a “feelings” word. It is an action word.

John told his listeners to make a change of the mind, not merely to feel sorry for what they had done.

Repentance speaks of a change of direction, not a sorrow in the heart.

The call to repentance is important and must not be neglected.

John was unusual in both appearance and background

He wore unusual clothing

Ate an unusual diet

But those were just external things

He was unusual in that he wasn’t a Pharisee or scribe

Legend has it that he came from the Essene’s who were monk like people who lived in the wilderness and translated the Scriptures by hand

People weren’t drawn to him because he was odd

It wasn’t easy getting to where he did his ministry

They were drawn to him because for the first time in 400 years someone was ministering in the power of God

People were traveling out into the wilderness to hear a crazy man tell them to get their life right with God

They were preparing themselves for the Messiah

Ready Your Heart vs. 7-12

John’s message was “Ready Your Heart.”

How do you ready your heart?

John shows us three things

vs. 7-8 Bear Fruit of Repentance

He starts out by calling the Pharisees a brood of vipers

This is the first time we see these two groups

The Pharisees believed that they could become righteous by their deeds

They often misinterpreted scripture and held their traditions as equal to Scripture

If you have watched the series “The Chosen” there is a great scene between Jesus and John over John calling them a brood of vipers

Jesus chides John, asking him if it was necessary and a bit of overkill

The brunt of John’s message is that if someone is truly repentant then there will be fruit

Some people want to appear that they are sorry but really aren’t

The Pharisee’s were coming to get baptized to show they were ready for the Messiah but didn’t change

vs. 9-10 Axe is at the root

The Pharisees used their heritage as a spiritual catch net

Because they were children of Abraham their future was taken care of

John flat out tells them that blood lines don’t mean anything

A believer has evidence of their belief

Our faith results in the fruit of the Spirit

vs. 11-12 Baptize with the Holy Spirit