Are you ready for what’s Coming II

(Genesis 3: 1-12) 

We have come across this phrase, the Kingdom of Heaven in the opening verses of this chapter. So, what is the Kingdom of heaven and where did that concept come from? That exact phrase does not appear in all of the Old Testament, but the idea of a Kingdom definitely does. So let me just quickly tell you what the Old Testament says about idea. Second Samuel, Chapter 7, God promised David a son who would rule forever. Now all the rabbis of Jesus’ time understood that the “Son of David” was the Messiah. Furthermore, Daniel Chapter 2 prophecies that the God of Heaven will establish a Kingdom after he destroys all the kingdoms of this world. The rabbis of Jesus’ time also understood that God is going to at some point destroy all the kingdoms of this world and set up the Messianic Kingdom. So that’s the backdrop for this phrase, the Kingdom of heaven.

Scholars tell us that at the time of Christ, many in Israel where expecting the Messiah to come at any moment and beyond that there was an expectation throughout the ancient world that a Messiah was about to come. Here we see John the Baptist appear and be the first for over 400 years to stand up and say the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Meaning God’s about to establish a Kingdom. It’s not here yet, he says, it’s at hand, which means that it’s near, but not here, yet. Now that’s important for this reason. Theologians differ on the nature of this Kingdom. One camp says that this Kingdom is spiritual in nature, that it came when Jesus came and it’s now the rule of God in our hearts. Now there’s some truth to that throughout the Bible.

The other point of view is, no, the Kingdom didn’t come when Jesus was here, it was only near when he was here, because he was here. But the Bible makes it very clear that this is a Kingdom that’s in the future. So, which is it? Is this a Kingdom that’s spiritual and arrived the moment Christ arrived. Or is this a Kingdom that’s coming later and it’s when Jesus comes back and God establishes a literal Kingdom on this earth? I think it’s very evident from reading the scriptures without prejudice that it’s the latter. Just listen to the Lord’s prayer. Our father, who art in heaven, thy Kingdom come. So, Jesus himself says it’s not here yet, and we want it to come. In fact, he is praying for it to come. Remember also, when we read the passages about the last supper, Jesus said, I will not eat the fruit of the vine until I eat it again with you in the Kingdom. The passage that really clinched this for me is in Acts chapter one. Jesus has died and He’s been resurrected. He then makes appearances before he ascends and just before he ascends, He meets with the disciples and the disciples say, are you going to establish the Kingdom now? This is important because they just spent three years with him. If anybody should have understood if the Kingdom is here or not, it’s them. They understood it wasn’t here yet because they’re still expecting it, and all the major commentators agree with this. Of course, at this point, they are still expecting some literal Kingdom that’s going to replace the political institutions of the day and Jesus and Jesus as good as says, don’t worry about that, I have got another job for you. After I have gone you should receive power and the Holy will Spirit come upon you and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and beyond. Go do that and the Kingdom will come later. Conclusion, the Kingdom in the New Testament is that which comes when Jesus comes, and he sets up a Kingdom. 

Now let’s put all of this together. The Kingdom is coming, and you need to be prepared, and John the Baptist was the preparer. How did he prepare us for the coming of the Messiah, he called us to repent. Repent means to change your mind from trusting in yourself or any merits you think you might have and instead trust in God’s mercy in the person of Christ who died for your sins. So that’s the way you prepare for the coming Kingdom. That was the first thing John the Baptist said we need to do to be prepared which is why John preached repentance. The second thing he did was practice baptism.  John himself, did this, and people from all over Jerusalem, Judea and all the regions around went to him and he baptized them in the Jordan, confessing their sins. In other words, this passage is simply telling us that people came out and they said, yes, I’m a Sinner. I need to prepared for the coming kingdom and John said OK, and he  baptized them.

The Greek word baptizo in the ancient world it was used of dipping cloth and changing the colour of cloth either by bleaching it or dying it. The way it was used here is what is called in grammar a metaphorical meaning, or a figurative meaning. So, baptisms primary meaning is to immerse or dip but its metaphorical meaning is cleansing and identification. So, this baptism was as a symbol that we have been cleansed of our sin by repenting and having faith in Christ. That is why John’s baptism and was called the baptism of repentance, because you’ve been repented, and the external representation of what you had done internally was demonstrated by the external act of baptism.

Later when we get to the end of this book, chapter 28 tells us that that Jesus commissions us as believers, “to go into all the world. I want you to make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit”. We call that today, believers’ baptism. But here is my main point, the Kingdom is coming, and you need to be prepared .How do you prepare? Number one? You repent, change your mind about trusting yourself, and trust Christ. Number 2, get baptized. That was the pattern of John’s preaching. I believe we all need believers’ baptism. To go tell others about what has happened to you, and what you have done, and offer the good news to others.

Some people get the mistaken idea that it’s the baptism itself washes away the sin, that is ludicrous. Baptism, as I’ve just explained, is a symbol it’s a figurative representation of what God has done in your life. Believers’ baptism is a picture of the fact that we have been buried with Christ and we come up out of the water as a symbol of resurrection and cleansing from sin. Raised up to a new kind of life with him, a resurrected spiritual life. That’s what believers’ baptism illustrates. So, you’re not going to find Jesus in the pool or the baptismal font ,

I heard a story of a pastor baptizing people in the river and the town, drunk, came along and stumbled into the water and then stood beside him. The Pastor, someone shocked said, are you here to be baptised today, the drunks also shocked said, what do I need to do to be baptised, the minister said, first I need to ask, have you found Jesus, and the drunk said, maybe, did he fall in here as well.

My point is, if you’re trying to find Jesus by looking in the ceremony of baptism is not the place to look. He not in the water, he is not there. But you do need to be baptized if you’ve trusted Jesus Christ because he commanded it and we do it as a testimony of what he has done in our lives. I’ve often said this it’s my favourite illustration. Does this wedding band make me married? No.It makes my wife happy, if I wear it, but I don’t put this on to be married. (On/Off) It’s a symbol that I am married. Does going into the water of Baptism make you a Christian? No more than going into McDonalds makes you a hamburger. It’s a symbol that you’ve trusted Christ. So, the king is coming, the Kingdom is coming, and in order to prepare, you need to trust Christ. And then if you have not done it already you should be baptised as a testimony of what has happened in your life.

There’s something else in this passage, a rather fascinating point. At this point John the Baptist proclaims that judgment is coming. Look at verse seven, when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming, he said called them snakes and asked who warned you lot to flee from the wrath to come. Johns’ popularity had spread to such an extent that the religious leaders from Jerusalem have left Jerusalem, and they come to wilderness to see what’s going on. Who is this new preacher that’s attracting such a crowd, they thought. And he sees them coming and he says to them, wrath is coming, who told you to flee? This is a powerful rebuke, then he said to them, verse eight, therefore bear fruit worthy of repentance.  Now they were just like the people they had taught and they we’re trusting in the fact that they were descendants of Abraham. What I want you to notice is he told them to change their mind from depending on that to depending on God’s mercy but notice what else he says. First, bear fruit that’s worthy of that repentance.

God wants you to change your mind about trusting yourself and trust in Jesus Christ instead. But then He wants you to be baptized, and then He wants to see the fruit of what comes after that. He wants you to bear fruit.

 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

(Matthew 3: 11-12)

The close of this passage is John saying you need to do all of this because there’s a judgment coming. He says, if God just wanted what he calls, children of Abraham, generations who just follow the religious traditions of their forefathers  he could he could have made these stones do that. So don’t trust the fact that you’re the child of someone religious either by family or by religious position because you can end up being no more that the son of a viper, a snake. That’s a heavy statement which is why he warns that the axe is laid to the root of the tree and every tree that does not bear fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire judgment. 

What do you need to do? Be prepared, repent and be baptize with water, and prepare to meet the Messiah. Clearly the connection here is with fire.so a little bit of a debate as to how to interpret this last phrase  About us being baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Most experts believe this refers to Jesus’ baptizing with the holy spirit is first coming and he baptizes with fire in his second coming. That fits the context and is a much-supported wise interpretation taken over the centuries.But what this stuff at the end about a winnowing fork in his hand and he will thoroughly cleanse out the threshing floor.

There are three points to be made here. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse out the threshing floor and gather wheat into the barns, and he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. He gives three illustrations all in a couple of verses. They all have to do with fire. The first is the lumberjack cutting down the Forest and throwing the unfruitful trees into the fire. The second is the fact that Jesus is going to baptize with fire, and the third is winnowing of wheat. Now that’s totally foreign to most people today, but the idea is this. They gathered the wheat they put in a pile, and they took a pitchfork looking thing and they scooped up this week and they tossed it into the air, and this is called winnowing the wheat. This would separate the wheat from the chaff. The wind would blow as they did it an blow the chaff away and the wheat would fall to the ground and the wheat would be separated from the chaff, and the chaff was in-edible so it only purpose was as kindling for a fire.

Jesus is using this as an illustration of judgment. God’s gonna separate, the wheat from the chaff, later in this gospels it will say he will separate the sheep from the goats. This is judgment, so Jesus/Matthew concludes this passage by warning us that judgments is coming. 

So, in conclusion, what’s coming? The Kingdom is coming, and judgment is coming. What do you need to do to prepare? And the answer is repent and change your mind about who you’re trusting. Get baptized and bear fruit. What does that mean to bear fruit. Luke gives us a little more of this sermon than Matthew does including the answers to some questions the crowd ask him.

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”  “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

(Luke 3: 10-14)

 The people are saying, what shall we do then, how is he going to define the fruit, we should produce. This is the fruit that’s worthy of repentance means, being generous, . The tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, teacher, what shall we He told to be honest and collect no more than what is appointed to you. So be loving, be honest. Likewise, the soldiers asked and he said, do not intimidate anybody and don’t overuse your power. Don’t accuse falsely and be content with what you have. The kind of fruit John mentions is about being content, that not mistreating other people? 

What’s coming? The Kingdom and judgment, they are both coming. Two things are coming according to this this passage so you should be prepared. How do you prepare? You repent, be baptized and then, bear fruit. The question at the end of all this is the same one I asked at the beginning yesterday. Can you imagine what question I’m going to ask is? Are you prepared? If the king really is really coming, if the kingdom is really coming, if the judgement is really is coming, then are you prepared.

Some are enjoying the journey, but they’re not prepared for the landing. In April of 1988.There was a piece on the London Evening News about a skydiver who was also a photographer. He and some of his friends jumped out of a plane, .He went first and they’re free falling and he was taking pictures with his camera catching great images of everyone as the followed him out of the plane one by one, After the last one jumped out, he reached for his ripcord and realized he hadn’t even put his parachute on. They recovered the film, and he got some great shots, he completed the journey, but he wasn’t prepared for his landing, he wasn’t prepared for his inevitable destination. In his case he wasn’t prepared because hadn’t put on the parachute and he plunged to his death. I have a piece of advice for you, don’t jump, don’t take another step unless you are preparing for what will most definitely be your final destination.