January 4, 2012
IN NAME ONLY
Matthew 3
Wes Butler
Central Truth
God desires that His children experience all of the beauty and joy of being His. Don't settle for being labeled a "Christian." Strive to live and look like His Son.
Key Verse | Matthew 3:8–9
"Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham." (Matthew 3:8-9)
Matthew 3
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 1 3:2 Or the kingdom of heaven has come near 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
2
3:3
Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness
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.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, 3 3:16 Some manuscripts omit to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, 4 3:17 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved with whom I am well pleased.”
Dive Deeper | Matthew 3
All three of our kids have been brought into our family through adoption, and it is likely that nothing has had a greater impact on my understanding of God than being an adoptive dad. Malachi was 18 months when we brought him home from Ethiopia. As soon as his language began developing, one of the most repeated questions from him became, "Are we having breakfast in the morning?" We suspect that question comes from an embedded memory of going hungry on more than one occasion during his first 18 months. This is still a daily question from Malachi, but we simply reassure him that he is ours now, not just in name, but in all that is available to him as a Butler if he will simply trust us . . . and waffles are likely to follow.
Many of the Israelites at the time that Jesus arrived on the scene were content to call themselves "children of Abraham," but were failing to experience any of the joys associated with turning from the ways of "the orphanage" (i.e. idolatry, legalism, religiosity, etc.) and embracing their heavenly heritage. Consequently, John rebuked, reminding them that God had much more in store for them than merely a name. He wanted them to look like Him, but it would require trusting Him. You see, repentance is first of all an act of trust. It is trusting that God is good and loving when He says, "Don't go that way! Come this way!" and believing that He withholds no good thing from those who walk with Him (see Psalm 84:11).
He wants this for you, too. Rest in knowing that if you have trusted him as Savior, You are God's adopted child, but don't miss out on the blessings of all that comes with the name. Turn from the orphanage of your sins and seek to become like Him. The fruit of repentance is peace and joy in fellowship with an infinitely good God. Not only will He give you "breakfast," but you get to enjoy it in His presence.
Discussion Questions
1. What "fruit of repentance" have you experienced in the last year? Celebrate and thank your Father for His grace in your life.
2. What are the things in your life that keep you from trusting the goodness of God when He says, "Don't go that way! Come this way!"? Confess those areas to God and ask for His grace to trust Him more.
3. In this new year, what areas of your life do you believe the Lord is calling you to surrender more fully to Him and repent of? Contemplate what fruit awaits on the other side of that repentance and ask the Spirit of God to transform your heart for His glory and your eternal joy.
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
MATTHEW 1-5 (JANUARY 2-6)
Read Matthew 5:13-16.
What is salt used for? (seasoning, preserving & healing)
What is light used for?
How can you be like salt and light?
Activity: Pour a small amount of oil in a saucepan and heat it up. Then pour in popcorn kernels. Be sure to keep the pan moving so as not to burn the popcorn. Once all kernels have popped, split the popcorn between the paper sacks. Put salt into only bag and shake it up. Then have a taste test of the two bags.
Can you distinctly tell which one has salt on it? How? This is just how God wants us to be. Our lives should clearly reflect that we love and serve Him.
Next, get a flashlight and a dark towel and go into a room without windows (i.e. bathroom or closet). Turn off the light. Talk about the darkness and how it feels. Then turn on the flashlight. Talk about what the flashlight did to the room. Then cover it with the towel and refer back to verse 15. What does God want us to do with the truth of Jesus in our lives?
To shine your light, take some salted popcorn to your neighbors and invite them to church!