John the Baptist - The greatest man Ever (Mat 3:1-6)

Went to the Gym today, part of being more healthy! As I shared on the previous most, I'm preparing for a sermon in two Sundays on Matthew 3:1-12. Listening around to what other people have to say. I listened to John MacArthur this evening, here are a few points I want to remember:

John the Baptist

1. Let's make sure that when we define Greatness, that our criteria would put Jesus at the top of the list rather than at the bottom (Poor, from a normal family, died the criminals death...)
2. John the Baptist was the Greatest man to live until his time. 
3. Background for the text: Matthew is presenting Jesus as King. That's his intention; and, in so doing, everything sort of focuses on that reality. In chapter 1, Matthew presented Jesus as King by virtue of His birth. He showed us the royal character of Jesus' birth. In Matthew chapter 2, he presented Him as King by virtue of the circumstances that surrounded His birth. For example, the homage of the magi. They acknowledge Him as King. The hatred of Herod. That, too, was an acknowledging that He was a King and a threat to Herod's own throne; and then the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophetic Word. The Old Testament prophesies that pointed to the King in specifics were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
4. The Focus of Jesus being the king, makes John the Baptist his herald! The greatest man who ever lived up until his time. 
5. As the Herald John had to missions - announcing Christ, and preparing his path. In this case he's asking them to prepare their hearts that the king might enter there. 
6. Matthew 11:11, the greatest man that ever lived up until his time; and I would suggest to you that it's fitting that the great King of kings would have that man to be His herald, isn't it? The greatest man that ever lived.
7. Now, this great man is the subject of this chapter, and another way for Matthew to emphasize...that Jesus is the King. Listen, if the greatest man that ever lived is only the herald for the King, then the King must be greater than the greatest man that ever lived, right? 
8. John the Baptist and Elijah?! John was the fulfillment of the prophecy that Elijah would come. He was the Elijah of the New Testament. Back in Malachi, the last word of the Old Testament is "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."In other words, the prophet Malachi said, the Old Testament closes with this, "The next man on the scene will be Elijah, and he is gonna prepare you for the coming of the King." "How do you know John fulfilled that?" Luke 1:17, "He shall go before Him in the Spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children." In other words, there is Malachi 4:5quoted again; and the Elijah that is being referred to is none other than John the Baptist. He is the Elijah. Matthew 17:10. the disciples asked Jesus, "'Why then say the scribes that Elijah must come first?' And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Elijah truly shall first come and restore all things.'" He wasn't Elijah, but he came in the spirit and power of Elijah and fulfilled the intention of the prophecy. The people stopped that prophecy when they rejected him!

John the Baptist's message

1. Before worshipping Jesus, you must repent!
2. Repent in greek: It means to turn around. It means to be converted. It means a change of opinion. A change of purpose. A change of direction. A change of mind. A change of will. A change from sin to holiness.
3. Repentance = Converted - It is 2 Corinthians 7 that talks about godly repentance, godly sorrow, that turns you around, and that's what John was saying. He wasn't just saying, "I want you to feel sorry for your sin." He was saying, "I want you to change from sin to holiness. You will never have the Kingdom. You will never have the King until you turn around." The message really could be better translated, "Get converted. Get converted." 
4. Insult to the Jews, who thought they were God's favoured ones! But then again John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemous, he must be born again. Start a new life, to inherit the Kingdom of God. 
5. Expected - the King is hear Hosanah, celebrate, we are going into the Kingdom, yet not at all! Repent!

Kingdom of Heaven

1. Interchangeable with Kingdom of God. Just Jewish audience. 
2. Two aspects. The outer and the inner. In the broadest sense, the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God includes, everybody who professes to acknowledge God. Now, in Matthew 13 we'll see that, that the Kingdom of Heaven's got in it wheat and what? Tares, right? That the Kingdom of Heaven is like a great, big bush with birds in it; and you've got the true and the false, the real and the non-real.
3. five distinct phases in the Kingdom. 
1. Prophesied kingdom. Daniel said that God is gonna come and set up a Kingdom, a Kingdom that'll never be destroyed; and Daniel foresaw that Christ would be the King of that Kingdom. 
2. Imminent or at hand: The present Kingdom or the at-hand Kingdom; and that was the Kingdom described by John the Baptist. He was saying, "The prophesied rule of God is now imminent. It's now ready." Jesus said it. The twelve said it. It's at hand. It's coming. It's imminent. It's near. The rule of God, the reign of Christ, both internally and externally, it's here. 
3. Interim phase. After the King was rejected by Israel, the King returned to Heaven; and the Kingdom now exists in a mystery form. Christ isn't literally in the world, literally reigning, literally sitting in Jerusalem ruling the Kingdom; but He reigns a Kingdom in the hearts of all who acknowledge Him as Lord. And, as Paul says in Romans 14:17, "The Kingdom of God is righteousness and joy and peace in the Holy Spirit." It's internal.
4. The fourth phase of the Kingdom is what I call the manifest phase. It is the literal, 1,000-year millennium that is to come. It will involve an external rule where Christ literally rules, physically in the earth; and an internal, where He rules the hearts of the believing people. 
5. The everlasting Kingdom. Second Peter 1:11, Peter calls it, "The eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." The fifth and final phase.

John's Impact

John had a huge impact In Matthew 21:26, it says, "For all men hold John as a prophet." It was common belief this was a prophet from God, and they went out. As much of a shock as it was, people came, and they were baptized, and they confessed their sin. Can you imagine it out there?...One crowd after another, everywhere, even in Galilee they came.

What made John Great

1. he was obedient to God's Word. 
2. he was filled with the Spirit. Luke 1:15 says he "was filled with the Spirit from the time of his mother's womb." 
3. he was self-controlled. Luke 1:15 says he, "drank neither wine nor strong drink." Matthew 3 says that, "His clothes were only what was necessary, and his food the same." 
4. he was humble. He was humble. The greatest thing he ever said, John 3 in verse 30, "He must increase, and I must...what?...decrease. It's over for me, guys. You go and give your love to Him. I'm not even worthy to unlatch His shoe." Right? That's what he said. Humble.
5. he proclaimed God's Word. "Behold, the Lamb of God hath taken away the sin of the world. Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." 
6. He shall turn many of the people to righteousness." Won people to Christ. 

he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he

Matthew 11:11 says, "Verily I say to you, among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist." "Nevertheless, he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he." You get that?... Shock. Listen, we're in the Kingdom; and any of us, the least of us in the Kingdom, surpasses the one who foretold its coming. We have all the resources he looked for. We have all the realities he searched for. We have all the blessings he anticipated. We're not greater in terms of character. That isn't what he's saying. We're greater in terms of privilege and opportunity.

It's like Jesus said to His disciples, "Greater things than these shall...what?...ye do, because I go to My Father."...We can be great for God. The least of us, greater than the greatest who ever lived. That's what it is to be in His Kingdom. Are you grateful?