Matthew 3:1 says, In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, In those days would be when Jesus was grown. John the Baptist was Jesus' first cousin by earthly standards, and he was preaching in the wilderness. Verse two adds, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. John's message was simple. He called for the people to repent because the kingdom of God was at hand. John was referring to the kingdom of God that would come when the Messiah came. Today, we have the same message, but we should call for people to repent because the kingdom of God is at hand because Jesus Christ, the Messiah Who came in John's day will one day return. Since in this lifetime alone can we repent and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, His kingdom is always at hand for every individual. Verse three states, For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The coming of John the Baptist had been foretold by Isaiah. Again, John was not just acting out a role, but by his actions God's people could see the fulfillment of the prophesy. Verse four declares, And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. John did not dress and act like everyone else. Today, with his actions and his words we might just write him off as an oddball instead of listening to him, and many people write off anyone who does proclaim Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation as an oddball or a mentally ill person. Verse five says, Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, People came from all around the area to hear John preach. I believe they may have come more out of curiosity than out of believing what he preached, but they came and they heard. It does not matter today why people come to hear the gospel preached as much as it matters that they come. Verse six adds, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Some believed and were baptized in confession of their sins. They were putting their faith in the coming Messiah just we who are Christians today put our faith in the Messiah Who has come. Verse seven declares, But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? When John saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming, he called them a generation of vipers and asked who had warned them to flee. These were the religious leaders, and some religious leaders today might be asked the same question. Verse eight adds, Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: John called on the religious leaders to truly repent. Verse nine declares, And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. John warned the Pharisees and Sadducees to not rely on their earthly status as descendants of Abraham, since God could create descendants of Abraham out of stones. Once more, the people of Israel were not special because of who they were but because of Who their God was. We today as Christians are not special because of who are in the world, but because of Who our God is. Verse ten adds, And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. John said that the people would be judged by their actions and not just by who they were in the eyes of the world. A tree was a tree, but not all bore fruit and and those that didn't were therefore useless. A Jew was a Jew, but not all bore fruit for the kingdom of God and were about to be cut down by the coming Messiah. We as followers of Christ today are called on to bear fruit for the kingdom of God, and we need to ask ourselves if we are being productive. Verse eleven adds, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: John knew that he was not the promised Messiah, Who would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire instead of just with water. We today, as followers of Christ. once we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord are immediately filled with the Holy Spirit to lead us through the fires that will come. Verse twelve concludes, Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. John said that Jesus would separate the true believers, the wheat, from those who didn't believe, the chaff. The believers He would gather unto Himself. but the nonbelievers would be cast aside into the unquenchable fire. These are the only two choices that there are.
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