Scripture Matthew 3:1-17
Illus.: “You Can’t Practice Burying Me”
Shortly after a recent seminary
graduate had assumed his first pastorate, he and his wife went to visit his
family. His mother sensed that her daughter-in-law was unhappy, but not wishing
to interfere, she pretended not to notice. As they were leaving, she heard her
daughter-in-law say, “All right, we can go by the church and you can practice
baptizing me just one more time. But remember this—when you have your first
funeral, you are not going to practice burying me!”
I practiced baptism on Kim…
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2
and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is near." 3 This is he who was spoken of through the
prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the
desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
4 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. 5 People went out to him
from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6
Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of
the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them:
(The Message Matt 3:7-12 "Brood
of snakes! What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do
you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference?
It's your life that must change, not your skin! And don't think you can pull
rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a descendant of Abraham is neither
here nor there. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen. What counts is your
life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it's deadwood, it goes on the fire.
"I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a
kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama —
compared to him I'm a mere stagehand — will ignite the kingdom life within you,
a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside
out. He's going to clean house — make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place
everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he'll put out
with the trash to be burned.") (You snakes…you vipers brood…)
I love John the Baptist. I would
not have loved John if I had been there. He is too straight forward. Do you
know people who say, “I just tell it like it is?” That is all well and good if
a) you are right b) you do it in love. Most people who proclaim that, a) are
not always right and b) don’t do it out of love, rather out of insecurity,
thinking if I am the loudest gruffest bear in the bunch people will do what I
want. Here we have John, a “tell it like it is” guy. But he a) is right and b) he
is doing it out of love…If you are a Pharisee, Sadducee or teacher of the
law…you might not think so.
13 Then Jesus came from
Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter
him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you,
and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill
all righteousness." Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was
baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17
And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son,
whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
LUGGAGE TO BAPTISM
When Texas pastor Jim Denison was
in college, he served as a summer missionary in East Malaysia. While there he
attended a small church. At one of the church's worship services, a teenage
girl came forward to announce her decision to follow Christ and be baptized.
During the service, Denison noticed
some worn-out luggage leaning against the wall of the church building. He asked
the pastor about it. The pastor pointed to the girl who had just been baptized
and told Denison, "Her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian
she could never go home again. So, she brought her luggage."
Jesus created for her a New Social
Network. All of us need to continually be starting new social networks if we
are to reach the world for Christ. Got your bags packed?
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