Bailey Methodist Church
12/7/2025

      • Isaiah 9:6ESV

  • Angels We Have Heard on High
  • O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
  • Do You Hear What I Hear
  • Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow!
  • Matthew 3:1–12 ESV
    1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ” 4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
    Introduction – The Voice That Shakes Us Awake
    During the season of Advent, we often hear gentle and comforting themes such as hope, peace, joy, and expectation. However, the Gospel of Matthew ushers in this season with a striking voice calling out from the wilderness. John the Baptist does not arrive with soft or sentimental words; instead, he brings a message filled with sharp, prophetic urgency. His call awakens hearts rather than soothes them: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” John serves as the God-appointed herald, preparing the way for the Lord by urging people to examine their lives and remove anything that obstructs the coming of Christ.
    1. Prepare the Way Through Repentance (vs. 1-6)
    John begins with repentance, as it is the essential gateway through which all spiritual renewal must pass. People flocked to him at the Jordan, not because they sought comfort, but because they felt the spiritual clutter within their souls. They came to confess their sins, aware that something profound within them needed cleansing. Repentance involves clearing away the obstacles so that Christ may enter freely.
    Matthew introduces John by illustrating how his ministry fulfills Isaiah 40:3—the prophetic voice calling, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” Although Matthew states “In those days,” John's ministry begins nearly thirty years after Jesus’ birth, marking a moment when God is initiating a new movement in salvation history. John appears in the Judean wilderness as a prophetic herald, much like Elijah, preaching and baptizing as he summons Israel back to God. His desert location recalls Israel’s wilderness journey and signifies that God is about to restore His people.
    John's message is clear and urgent: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.” In biblical language, repentance means much more than merely feeling remorse; it represents a change of heart that leads to a change of life. John calls the people to a radical transformation because God’s reign is breaking into the world in a new and decisive way through the coming Messiah. The “kingdom of heaven”—Matthew’s respectful way of referring to the “kingdom of God”—does not denote a physical nation but rather God’s saving rule, which is now arriving in Jesus. This kingdom is both present and future: it is already beginning but awaits its full expression.
    Crowds responded to John by confessing their sins and receiving baptism. This act publicly demonstrated that heritage and religious identity alone were insufficient; every individual must repent personally and enter God’s kingdom through obedience and faith. John's ministry—his message, his wilderness setting, and his call for moral renewal—announces that God is restoring His people and that the moment to prepare their hearts for the Messiah has arrived.
    This understanding aligns perfectly with the call God spoke centuries earlier through Joel: “Return to me with all your heart… rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful” (Joel 2:12-13). Joel reminds us that true repentance is not about outward performance but rather about inward transformation—opening the heart before God in honesty and humility.
    John’s call challenges us today: What in my life needs to be surrendered? What pathways of the heart need straightening? What valleys of sin need filling, and what mountains of pride need leveling? Preparing the way begins with an honest turning back to God.
    2. Prepare the Way Through Fruitfulness (vs. 7-10)
    Repentance is just the beginning. True repentance results in visible transformation. When the Pharisees and Sadducees approached John the Baptist, he confronted them sharply because they relied on their religious identity rather than on genuine changes of heart brought about by God. He admonishes them—and us—saying, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”
    When these religious leaders came to observe John’s ministry, they represented the religious establishment of Israel. Despite their significant differences—the Sadducees being a small, politically connected priestly sect that accepted only the written Law, while the Pharisees were a larger group devoted to strict interpretations and oral traditions—they shared a common confidence in their outward religiosity. However, John was not fooled by their facade of piety; they came not to repent, but to evaluate, to protect their status, and perhaps to superficially align themselves with a popular movement.
    John’s sharp rebuke, calling them a “brood of vipers,” exposed their spiritual hypocrisy and warned them that mere religious heritage was insufficient. They believed that their lineage from Abraham secured their standing with God, but John insisted that God could raise up children from the stones around them. What God desires is not lineage, but fruit—evidence of a transformed life. This warning reinforces one of Matthew’s central themes: genuine repentance must produce visible transformation. A lack of fruit reveals a heart untouched by grace. It is possible to be surrounded by religious activity and tradition, and even to hold leadership roles, yet to remain unconverted. John’s message is clear: true repentance must be evident in the fruit of one’s life, and without such fruit, no one can claim to belong to God’s kingdom.
    But what does this fruit look like? Paul describes it vividly in Galatians: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). These virtues are not superficial behaviors; they are the natural outflow of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit. They serve as evidence that repentance has taken root.
    John’s image of the axe lying at the root of the trees is a sobering one. God cares about the fruit of our lives because fruit reveals the condition of the heart. A tree may appear healthy on the surface, but if it bears no fruit, something vital is missing beneath the surface. Therefore, we must examine ourselves: Is there evidence of the Spirit’s work in my life? Are my attitudes, relationships, and habits displaying the fruit of repentance? Has the Spirit's work become visible in the way I live?
    Repentance prepares the soil; the Spirit produces the fruit; and that fruit becomes a witness to the world that the way of the Lord has been made ready in our hearts.
    3. Prepare the Way by Expecting the Coming King (vs. 11-12)
    John’s message inevitably points beyond himself to Jesus Christ, whose coming brings both salvation and a refining fire. John states, “I baptize you with water, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” This statement reveals that Jesus comes not only to forgive but also to purify.
    John contrasts his ministry with the far greater ministry of Jesus the Messiah. While John baptizes with water as an outward sign of repentance, Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, bringing true transformation. John emphasizes his unworthiness by declaring that he is not even fit to carry Christ’s sandals, the lowest task of a servant. If John appears impressive, the One who follows him is infinitely greater.
    Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit refers to the new life that believers receive when the Spirit indwells them. This was fulfilled at Pentecost and given to every faithful follower of Christ. This Spirit baptism marks the beginning of sanctification—the ongoing work of the Spirit in renewing, cleansing, and empowering the believer. The baptism “with fire” describes the same refining activity for believers, while for those who reject Christ, it ultimately represents judgment.
    John illustrates Christ’s coming with the image of a threshing floor, where a farmer separates wheat from chaff. In the same way, Jesus will gather the faithful to Himself, while the unrepentant face destruction. The unquenchable fire emphasizes the seriousness of this judgment, showing that Christ’s coming brings both salvation and separation. Ultimately, everyone must respond to the call to repentance because the Messiah’s arrival creates a clear and unavoidable division between those who belong to Him and those who do not.
    To understand this imagery further, we can look to Malachi’s prophecy: “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come… He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap… He will purify the sons of Levi” (Malachi 3:1–3). Malachi presents the coming of the Lord as both beautiful and intense—a refining fire that burns away impurities and a cleansing soap that purifies God’s people.
    John’s imagery of a winnowing fork reinforces this message. Jesus comes to separate the wheat from the chaff, gathering what is fruitful and burning away what is empty. This is not meant to instill fear but to awaken readiness. Advent is not only about remembering Christ’s first coming but also about preparing for His continual presence and His promised return.
    Preparing the way means living with spiritual alertness, welcoming the refining work of Christ in our lives, and embracing each day with the expectancy that the King is near.
    Conclusion
    John’s cry still resonates through time: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.” We prepare through repentance – returning to God with our whole hearts. We prepare by being fruitful – allowing the Holy Spirit to cultivate Christlike character within us. And we prepare through readiness—living in expectation of Christ’s refining presence and His return.
    May our hearts become an open, level, and uncluttered path for the King. 
    May repentance remove what is crooked. 
    May the Spirit’s fruit reveal His transformative work. 
    And may our readiness keep us alert to His presence.
    Christ has come. 
    Christ is present. 
    Christ is coming again. 
    Let every heart prepare Him room.

      • Matthew 3:1–12ESV

      • Joel 2:12–13ESV

      • Galatians 5:22–23ESV

      • Malachi 3:1–3ESV

  • Angels from the Realms of Glory
Bailey Methodist Church
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