Prepare to Run (b)

Introduction

Unprepared to Run

Sport is large part of my life. But when we moved the sports I always played I no longer had access too. So my wife encouraged running.

I got out there a few times a week… It was awful. No competition. No winning or losing. I was over it.

Sign up for a race.

The goal added a new element for sure.

I began to prepare.

followed a plan.

tested different clothing.

Toyed with hydration.

Added some tempo runs.

LSD were tough.

Race Day came… and although I was physically prepared in a much more real sense I was totally unprepared.

Can’t read the directions.

Forgot my good socks

Wore a new shirt.

Didn’t bring water.

And I had been training at an 8-8:30 mile pace, but thi was a competition! So the first 9 miles I blasted at a 7-7:30.

Yall, the day was a disaster. I finished that race, but I was blistered on my feet, chaffed on my chest, stomach hurting because I had to drink the tap water they offered on the street, and honestly more than anything I was over running. It wasn’t long after that race I came across Proverbs 28:1, “THE WICKED RUN WHEN NO ONE PURSUES.”

My wife though, she’s a real runner.

And what I learned form experience, and what I learn in watching my wife run her marathons is that in order to run a good race and achieve the aim of you’re seeking, it requires preparation. You have to be prepared.

Today’s Passage

Will help us run the race.

Of course I’m not referencing a half-marathon or marathon, but the race of faith. The journey of life with Christ.

Today’s passage will show us some things in this life to run from, but ultimately, just like those mile markers, it will show us what we ought to run toward.

Let’s read our passage together. Matthew 3.

Run to the Preaching of the Truth

Vs. 1— In those days…

What days is Matthew alluding too?

Here in verse 1 we have an approximately 30 year gap from the preceding chapter. So those days simply refers to the days when Christ came and as he was growing in wisdom and stature there in Nazareth.

Vs. 1-4 — John the Baptist Came.

We have spent the greater part of 4 weeks highlighting the miraculous birth of Christ, and here we have another character whose birth surrounded by supernatural events as well as foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament.

His Birth

Luke 1:7- His mother was Barren.

Luke 1:11- An angel appeared to Zechariah and said, “Do not be afraid, for your prayer has been answered, and your wife will bear son.

Luke 1:14- The angel declared that he would be great before the Lord.

Luke 1:16-17- And said that his ministry will be “turning many of the children of Israel to the Lord and will go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

Luke 1:22- Zechariah doubted and questioned God, and was mute until the birth of John!

This child had a singular purpose… to prepare people for Jesus.

In fact, when Mary came to Elizbeth’s house to share their pregnancies together, John when Jesus entered the room while in the womb… leaped for joy.

His birth was supernatural.

His birth was foretold:

We saw it was foretold by Gabriel, but

around 400 years ealier the prophet Malachi said in Malachi 3:1, “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.”

Malachi 4:5-6 reads, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn th hearts...

And then we see here in Matthew 3 a reference to Isaiah 40:3-5. Let’s read it in its entireity.

What we see here in his birth story, and his foretelling is that he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah in order to prepare people for Christ’s coming.

Now Gabriel made it plain… this is the guy like Elijah. But if there was any question, his attire really gave it away.

In 2 Kings 1 Ahaziah the clumsy son of King Ahab had fallen and was in such a bad state that he feared death. So he sent some messengers to inquire of the false God Baal in Ekron to see if he would recover. But as they were on their way Elijah met them and said… don’t go to those false Gods, I’ll tell you what his fate is… he will die.

Ahaziah said, “What kind of man said such a thing...”

2 Kings 1:8 said, “oh he wore a garment of camel hair, with a leather belt around his waist.”

His birth was foretold, and his ministry was clear: to go before Christ to prepare the way… So how did he do that?

Vs. 2— His Message

He came preaching.

That word is herald. A primary responsibility of a herald would to go before a king to announce his coming.

“Prepare the Way” The King is arrived!

In antiquity when it was known that the king was coming, every effort would be made to ensure that the road was as smooth as it could be. The great one must be able to travel easily and quickly.

This was John. A herald. But what was his message.

Repent

We don’t like this word. By definition it means to “turn” to “change”. More than changing one’s mind, it references changing the heart.

A MESSAGE WE ARE LOSING TODAY…

Training College Students

But this was John’s message, and repentance is essential for preparing the way, for running our race.

Now allow me a little grace to go on a tangent for a second.

I had the luxury of living cross-culturally for most of the last decade , which means I only came in contact with the Western Church every few years. I’m well aware that the global Church has its’ blemishes regardless of continent, nation, or region so I do not desire to be critical or judgmental, especially of something so beautiful, called, and anointed as the local church. But when I look at the church of the West I sometimes wonder if prestige, presence, and power have been attained by time spent in the “cloud” (Moses), or the “fields” (David), or by simply having a good PR strategy, a recognizable brand, and a message that attracts the masses.

This type of message… repent may not attract the masses but it is the message we need in order to be a people prepared for Christ!

This type of PR preaching is exactly what the false prophets did in the days of Jeremiah.

Jersualem was inevitably to ransacked, and the poeple of Israel carried into captivity but what did the prophets preach??

“peace, peace my people. It won’t happen. Have peace, only peace.”

From prosperity theology, to pop-psychology, to using the pulpit to promote self-esteem. This PR Preaching is everywhere

and the reality is it works.... if your goal is popularity and branding. But that way is easy… That race is easy. Run from it. Be like the believers in Berea… testing the scriptures daily to see if these things are so. Run from it.

Run from preaching that avoids the bad news simply to make you feel good, because as we will see here shortly. THERE IS NOT GOOD NEWS, WITHOUT THIS BAD NEWS.

A.W. Tozer once said, “Listen to only those who have first listened to God. It will save you from many a snare. Before we follow any man we should look for the oil on his forehead. We are under no spiritual obligation to aid any man in any activity that has not upon it the marks of the cross.”

Run to the preaching of the truth.

Run because this is urgent

John establishes urgency to his message by stating, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

It’s here now!

There are 3 references in our passage that establish urgency. The first is Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Vs 7-10 who told you to flee from wrath.

vs. 12- His winnowing fork is in his hand.

These are all alluding to the inevitable and pending judgement of God upon sinners.

We need to run to the truth, because this race is urgent

Run to the Confession of Sin

Read Vs. 5-12,

Many were listening. Many understood the moment that had come. Perhaps even understood the significance of this Elijah like figure…

but what tends to happen when the Holy Spirit either through a friend, spouse, child, or even enemy makes us aware of sin in our life… we justify.

Look with me in verse 7

We have two groups that religiously justifyied their sin.

But what is interesting is that historically these two groups of people didn’t like each other! These were the two groups who heard Pauls preaching in Acts 23 and then went at each others throats concerning their disagreement about the resurrection.

1st We have Pharisees

Viewed themselves as the guardians of OT Law

Placed a plethora of additional practices to really guard themselves.

Paul— regarding the law, blameless.”

Their righteouesnss was a sense of pride, and they were so clean that when apparent sinners would walk by they’d cross the street to protect their purity.

Now imagine what was going on in their hearts and minds when this Elijah type wild man called them a sinner and a brood of vipers.

But we also have the Saduccees.

Saducees didn’t find their righteousness from holy legalism. In fact, they were famous for playing politics with the Roman elite which was also looked down upon to Pharisees.

No they looked toward their family lineage.

Lineage of Zadok, who was priest in the days of David.

Viewed themselves saved due to family connections

And here comes John saying… “verse 9”

We desperately need the truth of John’s message. That we are in sin, and by natures children of God’s wrath, and consequently we need to repent! But what happens when we begin to become aware of our sin… we justify.

As a dad it blows my mind.

Kids are a good example of this. Son will punch somebody in the face and say, “Its because they looked at me.”

We do this too… Why do we gossip? Oh I’m sorry in christianity we call it “venting”. Because psychologically when we can highlight a negative quality about somebody else, it makes us feel a little more superior. A little less broken. A little more self-righteous.

Now I know you don’t uphohld the law like Pharisees or you don’t claim to be from the line of Zadok, but I’d be a rich man if I had a dollar for everytime I heard...

“I was raised Christian.” “I grew up in church.” I was baptized when I was young.”

People staking their faith off of something other than the work of Jesus Christ, so like John I say…

Don’t presume.

Don’t attempt to justify your sin… instead.

Run to Confession

Notice in verse 6 that they were confessing ______?

Their sins. Not just the fact that they are sinners. But they were being specific.

We all know that we fall short of God’s glory, but where…

Confession is the first step of repentance.

A free admission of sin. A taking of resonsibiltiy. An ownership.

So these people are aware of their sin. They are heeding John’s message. They need repentance.

And verse 11, John tells them, “I baptize you with water for repentance...”

Now I won’t spend long here, but I need to make this clear.

WE ARE NOT SAVED BY BAPTISM. It wasn’t a meritious act. Where If you are baptized then you’ve obviously repented and are forgiven.

Baptism is faith in action. A symbolic act that is outwarding demonstrating what we are inwardly believing.

Namely… I am dirty and need to be cleansed.

I need to die, that I may live.

So, as we conclude this point let me summarize.

We are prepared to run the race of faith when we run to truth, run with urgency, we run to the confession of our sin and finally we need to Run to Jesus.

Run to Jesus

Vs. 11-12

There is one mightier than I! I am not worthy to carry his sandals.

There is an old Rabbincal writing that reads, “Every service which a slave performs for his master shall a disciple do for his teacher… except the loosing of his sandals.”

John takes this a step further and says that act. The one act that is beneath even the lowest of slaves… I’m not worthy to perform that!

But he isn’t just greater and mightier than me… His baptism is mightier also.

His Baptism isn’t to symbolize repentance. It isn’t a washing of the outside. But of the spirit and of fire.

Now many argue that this means judgement and the fire of hell or eternal damnation. But I disagree, and let me share why.

Baptism of the Spirit.

The same spirit promised in Acts 1:8. It is a spirit of power.

Acts 1:8 CSB

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

How many of you are aware of your sin, and actually repentant of them but lack the POWER to defeat that sin in your life? Of course… like Paul in Romans 7 we don’t do the things we want to do and end up doing the things we don’t want to do. Paul ends that chapter in exasperation crying, “Who can deliever me? Who can save me!”

I CAN, THANKS BE TO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.

It’s because you need this baptism! You need the Spirit.

Jesus--- who was promised to save people from sin, will give you his spirit. The only spirit powerful enough to destroy the power of sin in your life.

Baptism of Fire

I also don’t believe its a baptism of judgement, because how did the Spirit come upon people on the day of Pentecost? What form did it take? What did people witness?

It looked like fire… And what does fire do? It purifies. It cleanses.

Church, one cannot be a Christian without having a changed life; yet we are powerless to change. It is the Spirit that indwells us through faith in Christ that guarantees the power required to change!

verses 13-17

So John foretold one is coming who is mightier and bringing a more powerful baptism… well he came. and he came with purpose!

To be baptized. But notice John’s objection

You don’t need this baptism. You’re sinless! You have nothing to repent of. But I do! I am a sinner. I need your baptism!

But then Jesus makes this interesting statement Matthew 3:15.

It is Fitting to fulfill all righteouessness.

Now we know that Jesus came to fulfill the OT, but there is no such divine statute in the OT.

So this statement then is undoutedly difficult, but I believe the key to interpreting it is found in how Jesus viewed Himself!

Isaiah 53:11, “The rigeous servant will make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their sins!”

Jesus wasn’t being baptized because he was in need of repentance. But he was being baptized in order to identify himself will all of us who do!

He is showing his solidarity with mankind!

This is the purpose of His Advent. He must identify himself with those he came to rescue. Here is IMMANUEL!

For our sake he made Jesus to be sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God!”

RUN TO JESUS.

RUN TO JESUS.

God knows that although aware of your sin, and even sorrowful over it. You lack the power to die to sin, and live to right living. So what does he do??

He gives us Jesus. And the only thing required of you is to run to HIM.

So I must ask?

What race are you running? Are you prepared? Are you running aimlessly or running to win?

because the only way to win is to run to Jesus by faith.

Romans 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.

Is that the race you are running? Unto his glory?