— Edited

Preaching through Matthew 3:1-4:11 as Three Sermons Hello Everyone, If you were to preach through Matthew 3:1-4:11 by dividing it into three related sermons, what would be your three main points? These main points would be determined by the central ideas of these three related passages.  The needs of your congregation would shape your imperative themes, which is the particular response from them that you expect to achieve from your message. Please read the following summary of Matthew 3:1-4:11, which provides these answers for you. (1) The Justification of Jesus: John the Baptist’s Testimony of Jesus’ Righteousness as Judge of Mankind (3:1-12) - Matthew 3:1-12 records the testimony of John the Baptist as the first of three testimonies in justifying or authenticating Jesus as the Messiah as he prepares the way for His coming. John the Baptist develops the Messiah’s role as King of Kings who will stand as the Judge of mankind. Scholars often divide this pericope into two sections to describe John’s public ministry (3:1-6) and his message (3:7-12).  In his message, John the Baptist declares everyone as sinful and in need of water baptism as an outward sign of inward repentance. He then declares that the Christ is coming, who is worthy to judge man’s sins, requiring that He Himself must stand righteous before God. Central Ideas - Here are proposed statements expressing the central ideas of the prologue in Matthew 3:1-12 emphasizing the justification of Jesus Christ: Exegetical Idea of the Text—John the Baptist justified Jesus Christ as the Messiah by declaring Him as the righteous judge of mankind. Theological Idea of the Text—The Gospel has declared Jesus Christ as the righteous judge of mankind as a witness that He is the Messiah and the Son of God. Homiletical Idea of the Text—Because Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Gospel calls men to place their faith in Jesus Christ as the eternal judge who is justified to redeem mankind. (2) The Justification of Jesus: God the Father’s Testimony of Jesus’ Righteousness as the Son of God (Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:29-34) (3:13-17) – Matthew 3:13-17 records the testimony of God the Father at Jesus’ water baptism as the second of three witnesses that justify or authenticate Jesus as the Messiah. At this baptism, God the Father speaks from heaven declaring Jesus as His beloved Son in whom He is pleased (3:17). Thus, the deity of Jesus Christ is emphasized; but it is developed to reveal His intimate relationship with God as His Son. Jesus describes His baptism as “fulfilling all righteousness” (3:15). Keener says that Jesus submitted to John’s baptism “to fulfill God’s plan.”  Keener explains that Matthew shortened the baptism event to get to “his main point: God’s vindication of Jesus, who accepted the humiliation of baptism.” No man had ever fully pleased God by one’s own merits. The Jews spent their lives under the Mosaic Law attempting to please God by obeying its statues and later associated traditions. However, men’s consciences told them that they had fallen short of pleasing God. Now God speaks from heaven to declare Jesus Christ as perfectly pleasing Him in every aspect of His life, authenticating Him as Israel’s Messiah. Central Ideas - Here are proposed statements expressing the central ideas of the prologue in Matthew 3:13-17 emphasizing the justification of Jesus Christ: Exegetical Idea of the Text—God the Father authenticated Jesus Christ as the Messiah by declaring Him to be His Son. Theological Idea of the Text—The Gospel has declared Jesus Christ to be the beloved Son of God as a witness that He is the Messiah and the Son of God. Homiletical Idea of the Text—Because Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Gospel calls men to place their faith in Jesus Christ as the beloved of God who is qualified to redeem mankind. (3) The Justification of Jesus: The Scripture’s Testimony of Jesus’ Righteousness in His Sinless Humanity (Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13) (4:1-11) - The Gospels narrate the temptation story of Jesus Christ in order to offer the third of three testimonies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who is justified before God and without sin. In His humanity, Jesus Christ walked without sin concerning the Law. The Scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit led Jesus Christ into the wilderness to face this temptation (Lk 4:1). As God allowed Satan to tempt Job, so did God the Father allow His Son to face temptations by Satan as well. The purpose of Jesus experiencing this temptation was to prove His sinless nature in fulfillment of the Mosaic Law, serving as a testimony to justify our Lord as a worthy sacrifice for the sins of mankind. He was tempted by the devil on three occasions during His forty-day trial in the wilderness. These temptations tested the three-fold nature of Jesus: His flesh, spirit, and soul. Matthew 4:1-11 records the temptation story of Jesus Christ as the third of three testimonies that justify or authenticate Jesus as the Messiah.  The Scriptures bears witness that Jesus is justified in the sense that He has fulfilled the entire Mosaic Law in His obedience and devotion to God.  In summarizing the purpose of the temptation, Morris says because Jesus is the Son of God, “he must live as the Son of God.” Jesus is tempted by the devil on three occasions during His forty-day trial in the wilderness. When rebuking Satan, Jesus cites three passages in Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:13; 6:16). Some scholars connect these citations with the Jewish ‘Shema’, which is found within this same discourse of Moses (Deut 6:4-5).  In the Shema, God commands Israel to keep the Law with their heart, soul, and strength, thus, fulfilling the Law. However, the children of Israel failed to fulfill the Law throughout their history. The story of the temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness serves as a valid testimony that Jesus Christ fulfilled the entire Law of Moses by living without sin, thus justifying Him as Israel’s Messiah. The first-century Jews would understand that the Messiah alone fulfilled the Shema, perhaps the most important passage in the Old Testament.    Hagner “supports Gerhardsson’s claim that the temptations are related to the Shema (Deut 6:5) with its threefold exhortation to love God with heart, soul, and might.”  In essence, this view suggests that Jesus was tempted in all three realms of His life: physically, mentally, and spiritually. Scholars offer a variety of ways to associate Jesus’ three temptations to the three-fold command of the Shema. In this passage, Satan tempted Jesus in all three realms of His life: physically, mentally, and spiritually. Satan tempted Him in the physical (4:3-4) by asking Him to turn the stones into bread. He was attempting to get Jesus to yield to His physical desires rather than the commandments of God. Satan then tempted Jesus in his mental realm (4:5-7) by asking Him to jump off the pinnacle of the Temple. He was asking Jesus to make a foolish decision that was not in God’s plan for His life. Satan then tempted Jesus in the spiritual realm (4:8-10) by asking Him to bow down and give His heart to Satan in worship. The three testimonies of Scripture regarding the predestination (1:1-17), calling (2:13-23), and justification (4:1-11) of Jesus as the Messiah reflect the three major division of the Old Testament Scriptures: the Writings (1:1-17), the Prophets (2:13-23), and the Law (4:1-11). Jesus is justified in 4:1-11 as the Messiah by the testimony of the major division of the Scriptures called the Mosaic Law by fulfilling its commandments. In contrast, Jesus is predestined in 1:1-17 as the Messiah by the testimony of a second major division of the Scriptures called the Writings, which records the genealogies of His lineage. Jesus is called in 2:13-23 as the Messiah by the testimony of a third major division of the Scriptures called the Prophets, which records key prophesies fulfilled during Jesus’ infancy and childhood. Central Ideas - Here are proposed statements expressing the central ideas of the prologue in Matthew 4:1-11 emphasizing the justification of Jesus Christ: Exegetical Idea of the Text—Jesus Christ fulfilled the Deuteronomic Law as the Messiah because He demonstrated Himself sinless according to the Law. Theological Idea of the Text— The Gospel has declared Jesus Christ to be sinless in fulfilling the Law of Moses as a witness that He is the Messiah and the Son of God. Homiletical Idea of the Text—Because Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Gospel calls men to place their faith in Jesus Christ who is authenticated by the Law as the sinless One to redeem mankind.