Messiah's Messenger - Part 2

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This morning, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, if you are a Christian, at the moment of your salvation, if you can think back to that day, if you know the day, you think back to that day, in that moment of your salvation, several spiritual events occurred. Chronologically, they happened together, simultaneously. But biblically, there is a necessary logical order in which they had to take place. 

The first logical step in the Spirit's application of redemption to you was that God effectually called you to Himself in regeneration through the Gospel. Perhaps you had heard the Gospel many times before, but on that day, you really heard it. The Holy Spirit opened your eyes to see and to understand, and through that Gospel message, He effectually called you through the new birth to Himself. Although regeneration, the new birth, and faith happen simultaneously in time, regeneration has to logically come before faith and be its cause. Why? Because of the spiritual inability that's in us because of our total depravity. And even because of the descriptions of the new birth given in the New Testament, things like ‘a new creation,’ ‘a new birth,’ ‘a resurrection;’ those are things which we don't contribute to at all; they are things that God Himself does. And because of clear biblical statements to that effect, both in our Lord's ministry in John, chapter 3, where he talks about the new birth, as well as in John's epistles that we've studied together in the last several years. (I am not sure how this fits together – not a sentence.)

So, the first thing that happened, at the moment of your salvation, was regeneration, the new birth. Although you had been and I had been hopelessly dead in trespasses and sins, God made you spiritually alive. And in that moment, the very first expression of your new nature was what theologians call ‘Conversion.’ In conversion, two things happen. The first of them is that you made a conscious decision to repent of your sins. And secondly, you made a conscious decision to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Now, the reason those things happened is because of that new life, that new nature. For the first time in your life, you saw things as they really were. You saw the ugliness of your sin. You saw the beauty of Jesus Christ and the wonderful promises of the Gospel, and you responded to them. Repentance and faith then come together–they are two sides of the same coin. In repentance, you turned from your sin. In faith, you turned to Jesus Christ and the Gospel. You can't turn from without turning to, and you can't turn to without turning from. Because repentance and faith are inextricably bound together in that moment of salvation, sometimes the writers of Scripture refer to conversion simply as ‘faith.’ You believed the Gospel. Other times, repentance is used alone to describe our conversion, and that's exactly what we're going to see today in the ministry of John the Baptist. 

Now, let me remind you of the context. Last time we studied Matthew together, we began the second major section in Matthew. It is “The Messiah's Preparation.” It begins in chapter 3, verse 1; runs to chapter 4, verse 16. And the first part of that preparation concerns “His Messenger.”  And that's what we're discovering in verses 1 to 12 of chapter 3. Let me just read the first 6 verses of this section for you this morning because that's what we're going to cover, Lord willing. So, Matthew, chapter 3, I'll begin in verse 1. 

Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, 

‘THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 

MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, 

MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.' 

Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. 

Here, the messenger that the Old Testament promised would come and announce the Messiah, identify the Messiah. John the Baptist begins his ministry of preparing the people for Messiah's appearance. Now, in this paragraph, we learn several important features about John's ministry, specifically about his role as “Messiah's Messenger.” Last time, we began to consider verses 1 to 6, where we learn about “John's Public Ministry.”

This is the first feature we see here in our text, and that is “John's Public Ministry.” Now, let me just remind you of what we learned the last time. First of all, we learned “The Timing” of his public ministry, “In those days.” His ministry likely began, as we saw, in the spring of 26 A.D., and we pieced that together from several places in the Gospels. Secondly, we looked at “The Person.” He's John, the son of Zacharias, the priest, and Elizabeth, described in Luke, chapter 1, and he's called ‘The Baptist’ because he was, as we'll see today, baptizing. We'll see the significance of that. As far as “The Location” where his ministry unfolded, it was in the Judean wilderness, verse 1 tells us, where the Jordan River joins the north end of the Dead Sea. That's where his ministry was. But then Matthew gives us “The Summary” of his public ministry. Verse 1 says “His Method was preaching.” Verse 2 tells us the summary of “His Message.” His message was “A Call to Repentance.” He said, “Repent,” and then he combined that with “The Announcement of the Kingdom.” “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In other words, as we discovered, John's message was this. He told the people, “Turn from your sin, turn to Jesus the Messiah, so that you can belong to His spiritual kingdom now, and you can belong to His future literal kingdom forever;” that was John's message. 

Now today, we begin our study of this same passage with a fifth insight into John's public ministry, and that is “The Prophecy about John,” the prophecy about him. You see, he didn't just show up on the scene. The Old Testament prophesied in two places that John would come. The first of those places is “In Isaiah, chapter 40,” and it's the one Matthew mentions here. Look at verse 3, he says, don't miss this, “For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the Prophet when he said, ‘THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’” Now as you know, Matthew is quoting, and as it says here from Isaiah, but specifically from Isaiah 40. 

Turn back with me for a moment to Isaiah, chapter 40. What's going on here? What's the context of Isaiah 40? Isaiah prophesied in the early 700s B.C., and he wrote these words, in Isaiah 40, to prophets who would minister about 150 years after him during the time of the Babylonian captivity in the 500s B.C. So, he's talking in the 700s B.C. to prophets who will prophesy in the 500s B.C., and he says this to them, “Comfort,” verse 1, “‘Comfort, O comfort My people,’ says your God.” What's the basis of this comfort that God's people received during the worst time of their history, the time of the Babylonian captivity? Well, the comfort is that Israel's Messiah would eventually come, and Isaiah, as he would explain in chapter 53, He would come and His chief comfort would be by taking away the guilt of their sin and taking it upon Himself. 

But before Messiah came, He promised first to send His messenger to clear the way for Him. Now that was a familiar image in the ancient Near East. Before a king decided to visit a city or a region within his realm, he first sent an official herald, sometimes months in advance, to say, “The king's coming, get things ready. Prepare everything for his arrival.” Now look at Isaiah 40, verse 3, 

A voice is calling, Clear the way for LORD (YAHWEH) in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; then the glory of LORD (YAHWEH) will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together. 

Now, Matthew quotes only verse 3 in his Gospel, but Luke quotes verses 3, 4, and 5 in his Gospel, both of them saying it's about John. 

Now let's go back to Matthew and look at it more carefully. Matthew, chapter 3, and notice he begins, “…this is the one” Isaiah wrote about, “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING.” That refers to a loud cry or shout that can be heard from a distance. It's an announcement that's a loud cry, given with intensity and emotion. And what does this voice shout out? Verse 3, “MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.” Now again, the picture was clear. Roads in the ancient world were not often well maintained, as sadly some of ours aren’t as well. And so, a herald went before the king announcing his arrival in time for them to make the necessary repairs. It meant removing obstacles, building bridges and causeways, straightening crooked roads, filling in valleys, leveling hills. Don't miss it, this is why Jesus sent John. But it wasn't physical preparation he had in mind. No, if his people were to be ready for His coming, they must be prepared spiritually and morally.  So, the image is like preparing the road to the city, but the spiritual meaning was preparing the paths of your heart and life so that you were ready when the Messiah came. It was a demand for repentance. That's the prophecy from Isaiah. There's a second place in the Old Testament that promised that John would come; Jesus tells us about it over in Matthew 11. Turn over to Matthew 11, verse 9, Jesus is talking about John here. In verse 7, He says, “Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John.” In verse 9, “What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written.” And now He quotes from “Malachi, chapter 3, verse 1,” “BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.” The last two verses of Malachi make the same point, describing this messenger as Elijah who would come. 

Now, Jesus is quoting from Malachi, and both of Malachi's prophecies were partially fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, but both will be ultimately fulfilled at the second coming of Christ. Before the second coming, it appears that Elijah himself will actually come as one of the witnesses there in the book of Revelation. But with the first coming, Jesus said the messenger was John the Baptist. Now, by quoting both Isaiah and Malachi, don't miss what the Gospel writers are doing. They are connecting John the Baptist and Jesus to what? To the Old Testament Scriptures. You see, Jesus' ministry announced by John and His ministry, both of them are exactly what the Old Testament Scriptures had prophesied. 

Now, Matthew continues then, in verse 4, describing John's strange lifestyle. Seeing the prophecy in verse 3, in verse 4, we see “His Lifestyle.” You see, John's message wasn't restricted just to his voice; his life cried out as well. His lifestyle choices were almost as unusual then as they would be today. Notice, first of all, “His clothing,” verse 4, “Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair,” so he wore the typical long, loose robe of men in the first century in Israel, but his was woven of the rough, hairy coat of a camel, and verse 4 says, he had “a leather belt around his waist.” All men in first century Israel wore a belt or sash like this. It served an important purpose. It cinched together, held together, the long, flowing robe. Think of the tie on your bathrobe. You know, it holds everything together–that was important. But, also, it served a place in the first century as a place to tuck the bottom of the robe in so that you could run if you needed to or so that you could work and doing certain things without the robe getting dirty or getting involved in some way creating problems. Now, it was common for men to show off their wealth by the materials and the finishes of their sash or belt. But John's belt, we're told here, was simple, probably untanned leather. 

Notice “His diet.” Verse 4 says, “his food was locusts and wild honey.” The Mosaic Law, in Leviticus 11:22, permitted the Jews to eat four kinds of insects, including locusts. They were usually prepared by removing the legs and then boiling or roasting them and doing what always makes everything better, adding a little salt. They were an excellent source of protein. And if you're tempted to be grossed out about this, just think about some of the things we eat, all right? Crawfish, shrimp, mussels, oysters. So, he ate locusts. Notice he also ate “wild honey.” Literally, the Greek text says ‘the honey of the field.’ Honey produced by wild bees, usually found in a barren area like that in the occasional hollow tree, but more often in the crevice of a rock. There weren't grocery stores, there weren't farms nearby in that place. And so, John lived off the land. And locusts and wild honey were and are plentiful in that area. 

Now why? What was the point of his dress? Well, let's consider “Its Message.” You see, John's dress and diet really sent three messages to the Jews living in Palestine in the first century. First of all, his lifestyle “Showed that he was a Nazirite.” When Gabriel announced John's birth to Zacharias in Luke, chapter 1, verse 15, he said, “he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb.” Now, in other words, he'd be a Nazirite. According to the description of the Nazirite vow, in Numbers, chapter 6, the Nazirite separated himself from three things: from consuming all grape products, from cutting his hair, and from touching a dead body. Although the New Testament doesn't tell us that John didn't cut his hair, it's likely that that too was forbidden for him. Now the Nazirite vow was usually a temporary vow, but Samson and Samuel were Nazirites from birth, set apart their entire lives, and so was John. So, his lifestyle told us that he was a Nazirite. 

Secondly, his lifestyle “Rebuked the people's lifestyles.” He was a walking rebuke to the sinful, indulgent lives, especially of the supposed leaders of the nation, the spiritual leaders of the nation. In Luke 16:14, we learn that the Pharisees were “lovers of money.” They loved wealth, they loved what wealth bought, and they loved enjoying all of those things. Nothing wrong, by the way, with enjoying those things. 1 Timothy, chapter 6, Paul says, 

Those who want to get rich (notice–want to get rich) fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God. 

In other words, it's the love, the longing, the having to have it, that is the problem. In that same chapter, he says, “Tell those who are rich to be generous and to put their trust in God and tell them how they're to respond” (Paraphrase). But John's lifestyle was an open rebuke of the lifestyle of the supposed spiritual leaders of the nation. Hughes writes, “John the Baptist embodied his message; in this sense, he was the message.”

But thirdly, his lifestyle also “Showed that he was the prophet like Elijah that Malachi had prophesied” would come. His rugged clothes were actually the clothes of a prophet. In Zechariah 13:4, it describes the clothing of a prophet as “a hairy robe.” In 2 Kings 1:8, we're told that “Elijah the Tishbite wore a “hairy” robe” (Paraphrase), probably the best understanding of the Hebrew in that text. And remember, Malachi said that God was going to send Elijah the prophet before Messiah came. Now don't misunderstand, John was not Elijah. In John 1:21, they ask him, “‘Are you Elijah?’ And he answered, ‘No.’” (I am not.) But he came as Elijah would have come. Luke 1:17, Gabriel says he “will go as a forerunner before Him (Messiah) in the spirit and power of Elijah.” That's exactly what John claimed for himself in John 1. So that was John's lifestyle and that was the message of his lifestyle. 

Now back in our text, Matthew continues here with another insight and that is “The Scope” of John's public ministry, the scope of John's public ministry. He wants to give us some idea of the extensive influence of this unique man's ministry. Notice here how he describes it in verse 5, “Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan.” Now Matthew's language is obviously intentionally hyperbole. But don't miss the big picture. There were thousands of people, probably even tens of thousands of people who went out into the Judean wilderness to hear John and to be baptized by him. Verse 5 says, “Then Jerusalem was going out to him.” In the first century, there were probably at least one-hundred-thousand people who lived in Jerusalem. Doesn't mean all of them went, but it means there was a massive turnout from Jerusalem. And that wasn't easy because from Jerusalem, it was almost twenty miles to where John was ministering through some of Israel's toughest terrain. If you've ever been to Israel, and you've taken the old Jericho Road from Jericho to Jerusalem, you know what that's like. It was a day's journey there. They likely spent at least a day hearing John's ministry, being baptized, then another day's journey home. So, it was at least a three-day trip. But despite that, Matthew records that all Jerusalem was streaming out to him. 

And then he adds in verse 5, “all Judea,” the entire region in which Jerusalem was located, “and all the district around the Jordan.” In fact, John 1 tells us some of John's disciples even came from Galilee because they were told that Andrew and Peter and Philip, who were from Galilee, had attached themselves and become John's disciples. So the point is, John clearly fulfilled his mission. People from all over the land of Israel heard about the coming Messiah. John was a voice crying out and the people heard. 

Next, we come to really the heart of this text in verse 6. I want us to consider “His Baptism.” What was this about? Verse 6 says, “And they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.” Let's start with “The Meaning of the Greek Word baptixw (‘baptizo’) Baptize.” Baptize is actually the Greek word transliterated into English. The Greek Word baptixw (‘baptizo’); what does that word mean? Well, according to the leading Greek lexicon, it was used in secular settings to mean ‘to plunge,’ ‘to sink,’ ‘to drench,’ ‘to overwhelm.’ The word itself literally means ‘to dip,’ ‘to plunge,’ or ‘to immerse.’ That's why most in our day, who argue for some other mode of Christian baptism like pouring or sprinkling, they have to still admit that John's baptism and Christian baptism in the early church were by immersion. So, John was immersing people in the Jordan River–that's what was going on. 

So, what's the context? Where did this come from? Let's consider “The ‘Baptisms’ that were currently happening among the Jews” in the first century. The concept of baptism wasn't new then. There were, first of all, numerous “Ritual washings” that were required of the Jews. In fact, archeologists have discovered hundreds of what are called ‘mikvahs,’ ritual immersion baths near the temple in Jerusalem. This is one photo of one of them, but hundreds of them around the temple area in Jerusalem for ritual washings to sort of cleanse yourself before you went to worship. But the most likely background for John's baptism was not these ritual washings but rather “Proselyte Baptism.” You see, in the time of Jesus, if a Gentile wanted to become a proselyte to Judaism, to become a follower and worshiper of the true God, with full standing as a child of the Covenant, that Gentile had to do three things. First of all, he had to “Qorban–offer a burnt offering.” Secondly, if he was a male, he had “Milah–to be circumcised.” And thirdly, all proselytes had to “Tebhilah–be baptized.” Now, proselyte baptism required at least three witnesses. Ordinarily, they were members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the nation. If you were a man, you cut your hair and nails, you undress completely, you made the confession of faith in the words of the Shema, from Deuteronomy, chapter 6, and then you immersed yourself completely under the water so that all of your body was touched by the water. Women were baptized in the same way, but they were, of course, attended by women. However, the rabbis stood outside the door and made sure after it had happened that, in fact, it had happened according to the rules. So, as a Gentile proselyte stepped out of the waters of proselyte baptism, he or she was, in the language of the rabbis, “a child of one day,” or “a child just born.” Now, don't misunderstand–they weren't talking about spiritual new birth like in the New Testament, but rather a new earthly life and a new relationship to the God of Israel. It was into that background that John came. 

So, let's consider then “The Baptism of John.” What exactly does the Scripture tell us about John's baptism? First of all, “It was not Christian baptism (Acts 19:3-5).” When Paul discovered there were people in Ephesus who had only believed and been baptized with John's baptism, he instructed them to be rebaptized. In Acts 19, verse 3.

And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John's baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling people to believe in the one who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were (re)baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”  

So, it wasn't Christian baptism. 

Secondly, it was, as it's called on several occasions, “A ‘baptism of repentance,’” (Luke 3:1-3, 7-9, 10-17). Specifically, as we just learned, it was proselyte baptism. But rather than for Gentiles, it was proselyte baptism for Jews. What was the point? By demanding proselyte baptism of Jews, John was saying this, “Listen, you may be Jewish, but you are no closer to being a part of Messiah's kingdom than they are. You need to start with repentance. If you want to be a part of true Israel, you, a Jewish person, need proselyte baptism; that's how bad your condition is spiritually” (Paraprase).

Thirdly, “This baptism was also done by Jesus' apostles,”  (John 3:26, 4:2). “And they came to John (The Baptist) and said to him, ‘Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan (Jesus), to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.’” But don't think that means Jesus Himself was. In fact, we're told Jesus wasn't doing the baptizing, it was His disciples. John 4:2, “(although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were).” Why is that important? I love what J.C. Ryle writes. 

He says this verse (talking about John 4:2) intimates that baptism is neither the first nor the chief thing about Christianity. We frequently read of Christ preaching and praying, once of His administering the Lord's Supper, but He did not baptize, as though to show us that baptism has nothing to do with salvation.”

That's the cultural background of John's baptism. The Jews did it to show that a Gentile was repudiating his old life and becoming attached to Israel and to Israel's God. John did it to Jews to say, “If you are going to be prepared for Messiah's kingdom, it's so bad, your spiritual condition is so bad, that it's like you need to become a Jew all over again. You need to repent.”

Number four, “It was performed on the person.” Notice verse 6, “they were being baptized by him (they were being immersed by him) in the Jordan River.” Now, why didn't John allow them to do what normally happened in proselyte baptism? Why couldn't they baptize themselves? Well, it's because the message was clear that God alone can cleanse us from all our sins. We have no part in that cleansing. Ezekiel 36:25, God says, in the New Covenant, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.” It wasn't talking about baptism; it was talking about the spiritual reality. But the point by John baptizing them was you can't cleanse yourself. 

Number five, John's baptism “had to be accompanied by real repentance.” Notice how verse 6 ends, “they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.” John only baptized those who were repentant. ‘Confess,’ the Greek word, could mean they were publicly acknowledging their sins. But certainly, the word ‘confess’ means, it's ‘homolegeō,’ ‘to say the same thing.’ It means to say the same thing God does about your sin. They admitted their sin. True confession is calling our sins what God does. You know, we have this tendency to sort of reclassify sins. You know, “I'm not angry, I'm irritated.” Repentance is calling our sins what God does. They admitted they were sinners in need of forgiveness. 

And then the final lesson we learn about John's baptism is that “It produced forgiveness of sins.” According to Mark, this was the spiritual result. Listen to Mark 1:4, “John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Now don't misunderstand, baptism didn't forgive the sins. The act of going under the water didn't forgive sin–that was merely an illustration. John MacArthur puts it well when he writes. “John's baptism was only the outward confession and illustration of the true heart repentance that results in forgiveness.” It's the heart repentance that results in forgiveness. Baptism was simply a picture of all of that. 

Now how was the forgiveness of their sins made possible? It was made possible the same way the forgiveness of your sins was made possible. John said this in John, chapter 1, verse 29; he pointed to Jesus, and he said what? “Behold, the Lamb of God who (What?) takes away the sin of the world.” Their sin could be forgiven the same way yours can be forgiven. What an amazing passage! 

Now you might be sitting there thinking “Okay, Tom, that was interesting, maybe historically, but what is the point for us in the 21st century?” Well, there are several important “Implications of John's public Ministry” that we've just learned together. Let me give them to you. Number one, “As the messenger, John confirmed Jesus of Nazareth to be the promised Messiah and to be God Himself.” John was the messenger the Old Testament promised and as we've seen, he was widely received and accepted as the prophet of God. And he came to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. But did you notice those texts we read in the Old Testament? He came to prepare the way for YAHWEH. The Messiah is YAHWEH. And that's why John, in John 1, pointed to Jesus and said, “He is the Son of God.” John is a crucial part of Jesus' credentials because he identified Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and as God Himself. Christian, your faith is well-founded. God might as well put a giant arrow pointing down at Jesus of Nazareth and say, “He's the One! Trust Him! Believe Him! Listen to Him!”

Number two, “Like John, the rest of Scripture emphasizes the necessity of repentance for salvation.” You know, we live in a time when the modern church, and especially here in Dallas, there are many churches and pastors who teach that repentance is not necessary for salvation. That is a lie. That is a contradiction of the Scripture. Listen to Luke 5:32, Jesus describing the goal of His entire ministry said this, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance,” I've come to call sinners to repentance. Luke's Gospel ends with his version of the Great Commission, Luke 24:47, where Jesus says the Old Testament said, “that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His (Jesus') name to all the nations.” In Acts, chapter 2, verses 37-38, after the sermon on the Day of Pentecost, they're convicted and say, “What do we do?” How do we respond to what we've done to the Messiah? And he says, “Repent.” The Apostle Paul to a group of Gentile philosophers at Mars Hill in Acts 17:30 says this, this was the Gospel Paul preached, “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should (What?) repent,” repent. Listen, if you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, you entered his kingdom by repentance and faith. 

And if you think you're a Christian, you need to understand, number three, “Repentance is a test of genuine salvation for all who claim to be Christians.” It's a test. Did you repent? Are you repentant? Listen to what Jesus said twice in Luke 13, verse 3 and verse 5, He said, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” So, listen, I don't really care if you say, “Yes, Tom, I'm a Christian. I prayed the sinner's prayer when I was 3 and I believed in Jesus. I believe He died on the cross for sins.” Listen, if you didn't repent of your sins, what does that mean? We looked at it last time. If you didn't acknowledge your sin, you weren't genuinely grieved before God because of your sin and you didn't make the determination to turn from your sin, you didn't repent and you're not a Christian. That's repentance and that's required. It's a test of genuine salvation. 

Number four, “The Christian life not only begins with repentance, but is also a life of continual repentance.” If you're a Christian, that's your life. What did Jesus teach us in the Lord's prayer? He said, “Here's how I want you to pray, pray all the time, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” In 1 John 1:9, “If we are confessing our sins (habitually), He is forgiving our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness” (Paraphrase). Now, there is a lot of confusion about this because in salvation, the Bible teaches that God forgives all our sins. The moment you were saved, God forgave not only your past sins, but your present sins and your future sins–all of your sins were forgiven. Colossians 2:13, He has “forgiven us all our transgressions.” So then why do we need to continually repent? Well, two pictures in the Scriptures illustrate the difference between our initial repentance and forgiveness at salvation and our ongoing need for repentance and forgiveness.

Those are two different things. The first picture is in John 13:10. There, Jesus compares the forgiveness and justification. What happened to you at the moment of salvation, Jesus said, was like you took a bath, your whole body was cleansed, your soul was cleansed. But daily confession and forgiveness is like washing your feet as you pick up the dirt of the world. That's one illustration, one way to think about it. The other is Scripture describes two kinds of forgiveness. There is the forgiveness in justification or salvation, and that is like being legally pardoned by God, our Judge in His courtroom. That's what happens at the moment of salvation; you're in the courtroom of God. The gavel comes down; God declares you righteous with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He forgives all of your sins, past, present, and future, in the courtroom of His justice, case closed, doors locked–you never go back to the courtroom. That's a once-for-all reality! But daily repentance and forgiveness isn't like being in the courtroom again. No, the courtroom's done. Now we're at home with our Father, and when we sin, our sins are relationally needing to be forgiven. Not legally, relationally needing to be forgiven. And we come to our Father seeking forgiveness. Listen, if you're a Christian, a Christian life not only began with repentance, but it is continual repentance. John says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

Let me ask you this morning, have you ever repented of your sins? And if you're a Christian and you have repented of your sins, are you living a life of continual repentance? 

Let's pray together. Father, thank You for our time together this morning. Thank You for the clarity of Your Word. Lord, I pray that for those of us in Christ, that You would fill our hearts with joy and gratitude that the Messiah has come, Your Son, God Himself in flesh, that He has taken our sins upon Himself. On Friday, He died for our sins according to the Scripture, and on Sunday, the first day of the week, this day, 2,000 years ago, You raised Him from the dead as the ultimate demonstration that You had received His sacrifice. Father, that is our hope. Give us great hope and joy. Thank You that You produce repentance in our hearts, and Lord, help us to live daily in continual repentance, seeking the forgiveness relationally with You as our Father.

Lord, I pray for those here this morning, perhaps who came in thinking they were genuine Christians, but really have never repented of their sins. Father, help them to see that's the demand of the Gospel, “Repent and believe.” And may they do so even today by Your grace. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.