St Louis UBF UBF Bible Study : Matthew 3:1-17

Bible Study Materials

Matthew 3:1-17

by Paul Choi 02/01/2015

Question

Repetn, the Kingdom of Heaven is Near

Matthew 3:1-17

Key Verse: 3:2

“...and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”

1. Read verses 1-3. Where did John the Baptist preach? What was his message? What does it mean to repent? What does it mean that the kingdom of heaven has come near? What was John’s mission? (3; Isa 40:3) Why is it important that his mission is rooted in God’s word?

2. Read verses 4-6. What does John’s lifestyle show about him? How did the people respond to him? What does this show about them? How did John’s baptism prepare the way for Jesus?

3. Read verses 7-10. Why did John rebuke the religious leaders? What were they proud of? Why was this pride groundless? What evidence of real faith does God seek in his people? What happens to those who do not repent?

4. Read verses 11-12. How did John witness to Jesus? What is the difference in John’s baptism and the baptism of Jesus? What does it mean that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit? With fire?

5. Read verses 13-15. Why did Jesus come to be baptized by John? What does “to fulfill all righteousness” mean? What does this show about Jesus? Read verses 16-17. What happened? How did God witness to Jesus? Why was God pleased with Jesus?

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Mt3_1-17q.doc

Message

REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN HAS COME NEAR

Matthew 3:1-17

Key Verse: 3:2 “and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

The central theme of Matthew’s gospel is the kingdom of heaven. The words “the kingdom of heaven” appears 32 times in Matthew’s gospel; it starts with the coming the kingdom of heaven through the incarnation of Jesus Christ and finishes with the great commission for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew used the term ‘the kingdom of heaven’ rather than ‘the kingdom of God’ for the sake of the Jewish readers. Jews would not call the name of God (Tetragrammaton), “YHWH”. Matthew 3:1-7:27 is the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. In these chapters Jesus teaches us how to possess the kingdom of heaven on this earth. Today we start with the prelude of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven through the preaching of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus. May the Holy Spirit fill us and give us deep understanding. Amen!

First, repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near (1-6) Look at verses 1,2. “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” John the Baptist is the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. God prophesied through Malachi, the last prophet in the Old Testament, that he would send the prophet Elijah (John the Baptist) to the Israelites before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. (Mal 4:5) God sent John the Baptist in order to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus by preaching the baptism of repentance. He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

What does the word “repent” mean? In Hebrew terms the word ‘repent’ has two meanings; ‘Nacham’ and ‘Shub’. ‘Nacham is godly sorrow for sins; to grieve and lament for having done wrong. ‘Shub’ is forsaking sins and turning to the Lord; to change a direction from sin to God. If we only feel sorry for what we have done wrong, we only regret, not repent. Repentance is godly sorrow for one’s sin together with a resolution to turn from it. (P 950, 2^nd edition of Christian Theology; Millard Erickson) In New Testament terms repentance is metanoeo, which means “to think differently or to have a change of mind.” Shortly speaking, repentance is to leave the life of sin and to enter into a fellowship with God.

Someone may say, “I don’t need to repent. I am okay. I am quite a good person.” I admire such a person, but let me tell you what the Scriptures say. The Scriptures say that there is no one righteous, not even one. (Ro 3:11) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Ro 3:23) Still, you think that you don’t have to repent. Let us reflect ourselves through the Ten Commandments. From the first commandment through the third one God commanded us not to worship idols, but to worship Him only. If you love something or someone more than God, you break these commandments. In the fourth commandment, God commanded us to keep the Sabbath holy. The word “holy” (qadosh) in Hebrew terms in the Old Testament and (hagios) in Greek terms in the New Testament means ‘set apart’, ‘sacred,’ and ‘different from the world.’ Simply speaking, holy means to be set apart for a special purpose by God. After God created the world for six days, he set apart the seventh day as the Sabbath day. God blessed the Sabbath day and commanded us to keep it holy, different from other days. We keep the Sabbath holy in serving the Lord, worshiping him, having fellowship with God’s people and having spiritual and physical rest through the fellowship with the Holy Spirit. I don’t have to mention about all other commandments: ‘Honor your father and mother.’ Children, are you free from this commandment? You shall not murder. 1 John 3:15 says that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer and no murderer has eternal life in him. Are you free from hatred and anger? You shall not commit adultery. Jesus said that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt 5:28) According to Jesus’ measurement, no man can avoid from God’s divine judgment including me. You shall not steal. You shall not covet…(Ex 20:1-17)

In the New Testament Jesus gave his disciples new command, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn 13:34,35) Before Jesus gave this command, he washed his disciples’ feet one by one. Jesus washed all their dirty sins and short-comings as he washed their dirty feet. Jesus asked his disciples to wash other’s feet as he did for his disciples. This command is not only for the Twelve, but also for those who believe in him and follow him as the Lord and Savior.

John the Baptist preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” What is the relationship between repentance and the kingdom of heaven? Repentance and the presence of the kingdom of heaven occur simultaneously by the work of the Holy Spirit. When we repent, we are free from the rule of Satan and enter into the fellowship of God. When we repent, God begins to rule us, and God’s kingdom comes in us. For example, those who are enslaved to anger and hatred will be free and enjoy real peace, joy, and freedom which come from forgiving love. Those who are addicted to drug, alcohol, gambling, and porno will be free from such desires and receive real freedom, healing, and courage for new life. We let God become our king and master of our lives, and let him lead our lives and we submit to him.

The kingdom of heaven comes through Jesus Christ. “Jesus, your presence is heaven to me!” Literally speaking, when John the Baptist proclaimed, “the kingdom of heaven has come near”, he indicated the appearance of Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies and promises of the kingdom of God in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is the promise and the fulfillment of the Kingdom of heaven. When we repent of our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the kingdom of heaven comes. Jesus came to teach about the kingdom of heaven and to bring us back to the kingdom of heaven.

In this verse, the kingdom of heaven ‘has come near’ or ‘is near’ means that the time for decision has come. The time for repentance has come. The time for decision to accept Jesus Christ has come. John’s message states the necessity and urgency for our decision.

John’s preaching reminded Matthew of Isaiah 40:3. Look at verse 3. “This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” John prepared the way for the Lord Jesus by preaching the baptism of repentance. John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. (4) These days clothes made by animal’s hair are expensive, and locusts and wild honey are the whole food. But at that time all these were for life in the wilderness. John’s message was powerful, and his spiritual authority came from his holy and pure life.

What was the people’s response? Look at verse 5. “People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” In the Old Testament, confessing sins were required for the forgiveness of sin.(Lev 5:5, 16:21, 26:40, Num 5:6-7, Pro 28:13). John the Apostle also said in 1John 1:9,10 , “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Confession is the expression of our sincere repentance and proclamation of decision for new life.

John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (7-10) Pharisees and Sadducees were leaders of people of those days. They thought that they were children of God because they were the descendants of Abraham. But John the Baptist rebuked harshly calling them ‘the brood of vipers,’ because of their hypocrisy. They were teachers, but they did not do what they had taught. They looked godly, but they were filled with self-righteousness, greed, and malice. John urged them to repent and produce the fruits of repentance.

Second, Jesus baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. (11-12) Look at verse 11. “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.” The word ‘baptize’ comes from ‘baptizo’ in Greek, which means ‘to immerse’ or ‘to plunge under water.’ Karl Barth said that baptism is the process by which a man or an object is completely immersed in water and then withdrawn from it again. Baptism is paralleled with circumcision in the Old Testament. As circumcision is the sign of God’s covenant people, baptism is the demonstration of new creation in Christ. John the Baptist said that his water baptism is the preparation for the baptism of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. Water baptism is the baptism for repentance. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the baptism for regeneration. Titus 3:5 says, “he (Jesus) saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Water baptism is necessary for the expression of repentance and the demonstration of new identity. But water baptism itself cannot change inner person. It is not a condition of salvation, either. When Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire, our inner self is transformed into a new creation. We can be born again, born from above when the Holy Spirit works for refinement and renewal. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is done when we are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. The believers in Ephesus Church did not receive the Holy Spirit even though they received John’s baptism. When the Apostle Paul put his hand on them and baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus, they received the Holy Spirit. (Ac 19:5,6) Then they began to speak in tongues, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

When we are baptized by the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of heaven comes into our hearts. This is because we bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22,23) When we are under the power of sin, we are filled with dirty and evil spirits. As long as we are under the reign of Satan and filled with evil spirits, we are living in hell. But when we repent of our sins and are free from the power of Satan, we are entering into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus enables us to receive the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit enables us to believe in Jesus Christ. In short the presence of the kingdom of heaven is the product of collaboration of God the Son Jesus and God the Holy Spirit.

We need the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is occasional and the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit is continual. We need the baptism of the Holy Spirit for justification and the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit for sanctification. We often need both in special occasions. The Holy Spirit not only leads us to Christ Jesus, but also nourishes us to grow in the image of Christ Jesus. Our spiritual goal to be a mature Christian is to have Christ-like mindedness, having deeper vine and branch relationship with Jesus Christ. (Jn 15:5)

Jesus baptized us with the Holy Spirit and fire. Here, fire takes a role of purifying and clearing. Look at verse 12. “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.” Jesus’ coming will separate grain from chaff. A winnowing fork tosses both into the air. The wind blows the chaff away, and the heavier grain fell to be gathered up from the ground. The scattered chaff are swept up and burned. The ‘unquenchable fire’ signifies eschatological judgment and (Is 34:10, Jer 7:20) hell. (Mt 5:29) (P105. Matthew, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, D.A. Carson) Jesus describes hell in Mark’s gospel, “where ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched’. Everyone will be salted with fire.” (Mk 9:48,49)

Third, the baptism of Jesus (13-17) Look at verses 13-15. “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.” When John the Baptist saw Jesus’ coming to him to be baptized, he stopped him. John knew that Jesus is the sinless Son of God. Jesus did not need to repent or be forgiven or be baptized. But Jesus said to John that it is proper for them to perform baptism in order to fulfill all righteousness. Here Jesus indicates his baptism as the preview of his own baptism of death, by which secures “righteousness” for all. Through his baptism Jesus wanted to fulfill all requirements for righteousness which we can achieve through faith in him. (Ro 3:26)

What happened when Jesus was baptized and went up out of the water? Verses 16b-17 says, “At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and a voice was heard from heaven. This is the spiritual, visual, audible cooperation of the Holy Trinity, God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is also the inauguration ceremony of Jesus as the Son of God before he starts the messianic work. The opening of heaven, the descending of the Holy Spirit, and endorsement of God’s voice for his Son is the proclamation of the dawn of the kingdom of heaven on this earth.

Today John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord Jesus by preaching the baptism of repentance. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The message for us today is simple; repent all our sins and receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, and we will have the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

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