Messiah's Messenger - Part 4

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We're looking at a paragraph that begins in Matthew, chapter 3, verse 1, and runs through verse 12. And in this paragraph, John the Baptist, the messenger that the Old Testament promised would come to announce and to identify the Messiah, John initiates his ministry here. As I pointed out to you, this text describes for us three features about John's ministry, about his ministry as the “Messenger of the Messiah.” So far, we've considered “John's Public Ministry” in verses 1 through 6. We've considered “John's Prophetic Message” in verses 7 through 10; we looked at that last time. Today, we come to the third and final feature here in our text and it's “John's Primary Mission,” his primary mission. This is the point of two verses, verses 11 and 12. You follow along with me in your copy of God's Word as I read them; Matthew, chapter 3, verse 11. 

As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 

Now in those two verses, we discover John's central mission, and that mission was to announce the Messiah, to announce His imminent arrival, His divine nature, and His powerful ministry to the people. Now, why would John say these things in verses 11 and 12? Well, Luke gives us the context in his Gospel. In Luke, chapter 3, verse 15, we read this, “The people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ (Messiah).” In response to that confusion, John says what we just read together. You see, John knew that he was not the Messiah. He knew that he was the forerunner promised in Isaiah chapter 40, and he knew that as the forerunner, his ministry was about announcing and identifying the One who was to come. 

Now at this point, when we are in these 12 verses in Matthew 3, John the Baptist does not yet know who the Messiah is. He doesn't know His identity. We know that because he says so in John, chapter 1, verse 33. He said, “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’” In other words, it was only after Jesus' baptism that John knew Jesus was the Messiah. Now, he knew Jesus as a relative; he was likely His cousin, but he didn't know him as the Messiah. So, in the verses we just read together, John is not describing Jesus' ministry. At least he doesn't know that He is because he doesn't yet know He's the Messiah. Instead, he is simply describing what the Messiah's ministry will be like, whoever He turns out to be. 

Like many of the Old Testament prophets, and John of course is a prophet, he saw what the Messiah would do in His first coming, and he saw what He would do in His second coming. But like so many of the Old Testament prophets, he didn't always see the time gap between them. And so, you see that unfold in our text. I think that's why, later, John sends a messenger to Jesus and says, “Are you the One?” He knew Jesus was the Messiah, but he didn't see Jesus doing the things he expected Jesus to do, and that's because he didn't see that gap. He wondered why Jesus wasn't doing those things that are supposed to be accomplished at the Second Coming. He didn't understand they were disconnected in that way. Here in verses 11 and 12, John announces, as he's called to do, he announces the arrival, the nature, and the ministry of the Messiah. 

Let's look at it together, “John's Primary Mission” is to announce. First of all, it was to “Announce the Messiah's Impending Arrival,” His impending arrival. Look at verse 11, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me.” Now literally, the Greek text says this, John refers to the Messiah “as the One coming,” He's the One coming. That was a familiar phrase for first century Jews. In fact, the Jewish “Talmud” tells us that the Jews often referred to the Messiah that they expected as, “The Coming One.” Perhaps that title for the Messiah is taken from Psalm 118, verse 26, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD,” the very passage that was shouted at the Triumphal Entry of Jesus. Regardless, John came to announce the imminent appearance of the Messiah. He says, “He is coming and He's coming after me; I'm preparing the way for Him, He's finally here. He (The Messiah) was announced all the way back in Genesis chapter 3:15 that a Redeemer would come, someone would come to deal with sin, And He's here, Messiah!” (Paraphrase) This was his ministry–to “Announce His (Messiah’s) Impending Arrival.”

 A second aspect of John's primary mission was to “Announce Messiah's Divine Nature.” And this is where he focuses for a moment, to announce Messiah's divine nature. He starts by emphasizing the “Messiah's Divine Power.” Look at verse 11, “He who is coming after me is mightier than I.” Now, don't forget, John had come “in the spirit and power of Elijah.” In other words, John was equal in force of personality, equal in power in his ministry, to the Old Testament's greatest prophet. And yet, he told the crowds that the Messiah was mightier than he. He, the Messiah, would be able to accomplish what John could never accomplish.

Now, what point was John making here? Well, think about what we've learned already and what we just saw in the two verses I read for you a moment ago; think about the contrast between John and the Messiah. John preached about repentance; Messiah has the power to produce repentance and real inward change. John talked about God's Spirit; Messiah gives the Spirit to whom He will. John warned about coming judgment; Messiah will be the Judge Himself. John warned about eternal hell; Messiah has the power and authority to send individuals to hell forever. John pled for people to repent and to be saved; but the Messiah saves His people forever. John baptized many in the dirty Jordan River; Messiah, we learn in our text, will baptize every living person, dead or living, either with salvation or judgment. John was a sinful man who needed forgiveness; Messiah purchased forgiveness by the sacrifice of Himself. No wonder John said, “He is mightier than I.” But the truth is, in the Old Testament, in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, the translation that's used in the first century in many cases, the Greek word for ‘mighty’ here is applied to God. For example, in Jeremiah 32:18, we read, “Yahweh is a great and mighty God” (Paraphrase)! Obviously, John knew the Old Testament. He knew the fact that God was often described with this term. And so, when he says the Messiah is mightier than I, he's alluding to that very reality–“He has divine power.” 

John also announced “Messiah's Divine Person,” not only his divine power, but his divine person. He goes on in verse 11, “He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove,” the Greek verb remove could mean ‘to take off and to carry.’ “I am not fit to remove His sandals.” Mark 1:7 puts it like this, “I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.” Now, you understand in the first century, sandals were very simple. Essentially, you had a sole of leather or rawhide that was fastened to the foot with a leather strap. And he says, notice, “I am not fit to remove His sandals.” The Greek verb translated ‘not fit,’ I love this, literally means ‘I am not competent,  I am not qualified.’ And the connotation behind this word ‘fit’ means, ‘I'm not worthy as a person; I'm not good enough to do this.’ Now, you've heard that all of your life if you've grown up in Christian community, but I can promise you that when John said this, it shocked those who heard him because he was the first prophet in 450 years. He was in “the spirit and power of Elijah.” Thousands, maybe tens of thousands, went out to be baptized by him with the baptism of repentance. In fact, he was such a powerful person that many believed he might be the Messiah. But John said, “I am not fit to remove His sandals.”

Now, you have to understand the culture in the first century; taking off your master's dirty sandals was the most menial task of the lowest slave in the household–that was the bottom rung; that was where you started. Some sources say only a Gentile would be forced to take off his master's sandals. It was so low a duty that the Jewish “Talmud” said that “a disciple was obligated to fulfill every menial task of service for his rabbi that a slave would do except untying his sandals.” John was saying here that the Messiah was so much above him, he wasn't worthy to be his lowliest slave–he wasn't qualified, he wasn't good enough to perform the most despised duty of the lowest slave to the Messiah.

Now, why would John say that? There's only one reason, and that's because he understood that the Messiah was not merely a man; the Messiah had a divine nature. How did he know that? Remember, he knew he was the forerunner. He knew that Isaiah 40, verse 3 was about him. And what does that text say? “A voice is calling, ‘Clear the way for the LORD (Yahweh) in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.’” He understood the Messiah would be divine. In fact, a couple of months after he makes the statement in our text, after Jesus' baptism, after Jesus' temptation, during the first week of Jesus' public ministry, according to John, chapter 1, John said this, John 1:34, “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” How did he arrive at that conclusion? 

Look at Matthew 3, verse 16. This is the next event after this sermon we're reading, Jesus' baptism. In verse 16, it says, “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him.” That's the signal; this is the Messiah. “And behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’” Oh, John knew; he knew who the Messiah was. He knew beforehand because of the prophecy in Isaiah 40. And once Jesus was baptized, he knew because God spoke from heaven. John announced Messiah's impending arrival. He also announced his divine nature. 

A third aspect of his mission was to “Announce Messiah's Divine Ministry,” His divine ministry. Now, in verse 11, we're going to see him reveal that ministry. And then in verse 12, we're going to see him illustrate it. So, let's look first at “His Ministry Revealed.” Verse 11, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove his sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Notice the contrast. John is intentionally contrasting his own ministry with Messiah's ministry, “As for me, I baptize you with water for (or because of) repentance.” In other words, his baptism was only external; it couldn't reach the heart. That's why there were people baptized that he had to rebuke and say, “Bear (bring forth) fruit in keeping with repentance…but He who is coming after me…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Now, baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire, those are divine prerogatives. And it highlights two different aspects of Messiah's ministry. Let's look at both of them. 

First of all, Messiah's ministry is a “Ministry of Salvation.” Verse 11, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Messiah would immerse people with the Holy Spirit. Now, those Jewish people, in the first century familiar with their Hebrew Scriptures, knew this was from prophecies, Old Testament prophecies, about the age of Messiah; He would send the Spirit. Joel, chapter 2, verses 28 and 29, “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.” This prophecy revealed, according to Peter, in part on the day of Pentecost, and the rest of it to be revealed at the Second Coming, “and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” In other words, He's saying, “I'm going to send, in conjunction with the Messiah, I'm going to send my Spirit into the world. And there are going to be these outward signs that show He has come.” And of course, those happened at Pentecost. 

But that's not the only Old Testament prophet about the sending of the Spirit, prophecy about the sending of the Spirit. It's more individual than that, because he says, I will baptize you with the Holy Spirit–it's very specific. It's not just sending him into the world; it's something that is going to happen to individuals. Where does that prophecy come from? Ezekiel 36:27, “I will put My Spirit,” this is part of the New Covenant Promise, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” Not only am I going “to sprinkle clean water on you” and bring the forgiveness of your sins and cleanse you, but I'm going to “put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” That's not an outward sign; that's an inward transformation–that's regeneration! And that's what's being described in our text. Christ promised His disciples that when He left, He would send the Spirit into the world in a new mission. John 15:26, “I will send you the Helper from the Father, the Spirit of truth” (Paraphrase). John 16:7, “I will send Him (the Helper) to you” when I go away. 

Then at the Ascension, Jesus reiterated this. Go over to Acts, chapter 1, verse 5. Just before the Ascension, He said to them, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized (immersed) with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So, He was going to send the Spirit into the world, immerse His followers in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And you get to chapter 2, and that's exactly what happened. Chapter 2, verse 1.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

In Peter's message that day on Pentecost, he emphasized two promises in the Gospel. Look at chapter 2, verse 38, this is where he ends, this is the conclusion.  “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (the Messiah.),’ (now watch the two promises) for the forgiveness of your sins; and so that you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Later, Peter reflected on what happened that day at Pentecost and what would later happen with Cornelius when they received the Spirit in Acts 10. Acts 11:16, Peter says, “I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” So, think of it this way, Pentecost is when the Father and Son sent the Spirit into the world on a unique and new mission.

But how does He come into each of our lives? Well, He came into their lives, those believers on the day of Pentecost, because that's when He came on this unique mission. But, since the time of the Apostles, every believer experiences the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation. How do we know that? Because Paul couldn't be any clearer, 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, verse 13, he says, “by one Spirit we were all (meaning all believers) we were all baptized (past tense). How could this be true of all believers? We were saved at different times. The only way it's possible is if it happens at the moment of salvation. “We were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” If you're a believer, on the day of your salvation, the Lord Jesus immersed you into the Holy Spirit, and He gave the Holy Spirit to you. So, when John says, back in our text, that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit, he was describing the reality that “He would save His people,” that He would grant every repentant believer the twin gifts of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. The Messiah then, has a ministry of salvation. 

But John tells us that the Messiah also has a ministry, and this may surprise you, of “Condemnation,”  “He will baptize you with fire.” Now, some say, because the preposition ‘with,’ there in verse 11, isn't repeated before the word ‘fire,’ that must mean, they say, “That the baptism with the Holy Spirit and the baptism with fire are both actually referring to the same baptism.” You say, “Well, how could fire be involved with that?” Well, some say it's referring to the tongues of fire that we saw a moment ago in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost. Others say, “No, fire here refers to the Holy Spirit purifying believers.” Now, both of those things are true, but I don't think that's what he means here because it goes against one of the basic fundamental hermeneutical principles, and that is context. In the immediate context, the verse before and the verse after this one, fire clearly refers to divine judgment. Look at verse 10, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” That's not purification, folks! Verse 12, “He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” So, what does it mean then? Understand this, the baptism with fire has to be different from the baptism with the Holy Spirit–one is positive, the other is negative. What does it mean to baptize with fire? Well, fire often refers in Scripture, as it clearly does in verse 10 and verse 12, the verses on each side, to divine judgment. So, John is saying that the Messiah will immerse those who believe with the Holy Spirit. But he will immerse those who don't, who don't repent, who don't believe, He will immerse them in the fire of divine judgment. Now, that wasn't true at His first coming. John 3:17, “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” That was the first coming, but it will be true at the second coming. John 5:27 says that the Father has given the Son the “authority to execute judgment,” and that will happen at the second coming. So, in verse 11 of our text, John declares the nature of Jesus' ministry. He has been given and has divine authority to save, and to judge and condemn. He has authority to do both. He'll baptize some with the Holy Spirit; He will baptize the rest with fire. 

In verse 12, we see Him acting out on that authority in final salvation and in final judgment at the Second Coming. So, in verse 12 then, we see “His Ministry Illustrated.” Look at verse 12, “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” John's point is the final outcome of these two aspects of Messiah's ministry will unfold when He returns at the Second Coming. 

Now, to understand John's spiritual meaning here, we first have to consider “The Agricultural Metaphor.” Because this is so removed from our world, most of you have never been on a threshing floor; you have never harvested wheat. So, let me just tell you the picture. The illustration here is of a typical wheat harvest in Israel; happens usually in the late spring, early summer. The wheat is harvested, and then the harvested wheat is taken to a threshing floor, a circular area, some 25 to 40 feet in diameter, always on an elevated spot exposed to the wind. Typically, the wheat is stacked in bundles, sometimes in the middle of the threshing floor, others just outside the threshing floor. And then it's pulled progressively into the floor of the threshing area. Now, to separate the wheat, the real grains of wheat, from the chaff and from the stalks of grain, it has to be threshed. And typically, it was threshed either by the feet of oxen just walking over that area again and again and again, or sometimes a heavy cart wheel would be pulled across, but most often, it was threshed by a threshing sledge. It was a wooden sled with stones embedded on the bottom. So, they would attach that wooden sled to an animal and then the farmer would stand on the sledge to provide extra weight. Sometimes they'd put sandbags or whatever else on it to weight it down. And then the animal would drag that sledge again and again and again across the wheat separating the chaff from the grains of wheat and from the stalks. After threshing came winnowing in which a kind of pitchfork threw the threshed grain into the air. The afternoon Mediterranean breeze, this is why it needed to be up on a hill or in an elevated place, the afternoon Mediterranean breeze, that time of year, blew away the lighter worthless chaff. And the heavier grain kernels fell right back down onto the threshing floor. The threshing floor was then completely cleared; the wheat was collected and stored–it was precious. But the chaff was swept up and it was burned. That's the metaphor. 

Now what's “The Spiritual Meaning?” Well, the point of the metaphor, in verse 12, concerns the Messiah's final judgment and decision about the eternal destiny of every person. First of all, notice that “His decision is certain.” Notice how verse 12 begins, “His winnowing fork is in His hand.” It's certain! He's about to start­-it's imminent; it's going to happen! Secondly, we see “His decision is comprehensive.” Not one thing on the threshing floor will be left unsorted. His threshing floor, notice, “He will thoroughly clear.” He's not going to leave anything unsorted–He's going to work through every human being. Notice “His decision is final.” “He gathers believers into His eternal kingdom.” Verse 12 says, “He will gather His wheat into the barn,” I love that. Listen, if you're here and you've repented and believed in Jesus Christ, you are valuable to Him. He's not going to let a single grain of wheat be lost, it's valuable! He's going to make sure it shows up in the storehouse, it shows up in the barn. In other words, that it enters His kingdom, His eternal kingdom forever. He's not going to let you be lost. He's going to preserve the wheat and gather it into His kingdom. That's how Jesus thinks of us. But notice His decision is also final regarding unbelievers; “He casts the unbelieving into eternal fire.” Verse 12, “but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Of course, this image of unbelievers as chaff comes from Psalm 1, verse 4, describing the wicked, “They are like the chaff which the wind drives away.” 

Now, look at what he says here in verse 12, “He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” You know the word ‘unquenchable,’ it's actually the Greek word that has come into English. Literally, the Greek word for ‘unquenchable’ is ‘asbestos.’ The fire in the Lake of Fire, the final home of the wicked, according to Revelation, that fire cannot be put out–it's eternal! Matthew 25:41, Jesus “will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire.’” Tragically, it's not just that the fire itself can't be put out; it's that the suffering of those who end up in hell will be forever, unending. Revelation 14:11, “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day or night”–constant and forever!

Now, John's point in our text is that every person on this planet, every person here under the sound of my voice this morning, has to deal with Jesus Christ. He has authority either to save you from your sins, or to judge you and condemn you to eternal hell. That's His right, and it is based solely on your response to Him and His Gospel. You only have two choices; you can “Continue to ignore Jesus and His Gospel, and if you do that, one day you will face Jesus as your Judge,” and He will do to you exactly what John said in our text. Acts 17:30, the Apostle Paul said to the philosophers on Mars Hill, “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, (Why?) because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed,” and He showed us who it was, Paul says, “by raising that man from the dead.” Friend, if you're here this morning and you have played around with this, you think you can mess around with God, this is the truth–If you don't repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ, one day you will stand before Him as Judge, and He will be your executioner. He will rightly and justly condemn you for your rebellion to eternal hell, and He has the right to do it, the authority to do it, the power to do it, and you won't talk your way out of that. On that day, if you've not repented, John says, “Jesus will immerse you in the unquenchable Lake of Fire forever!” 

Fortunately, there's another response. “You can repent of your sin, and you can believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord.” That's His invitation to you. You see, this Lord Jesus who will condemn you if you remain rebellious and unrepentant, that same person is a person of love. I plead with you to respond to the reconciling love of God that moved Him to send His Son into the world. Respond to Jesus' love that moved Him to come and to die in the place of sinners. Jesus has promised you, friend, if you will repent and believe, “the gift of forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit,” to change you, give you a new heart. How can God do that? How can a just God forgive guilty sinners like us? Well, John said it, didn't he, in John 1:29? He saw Jesus coming, and he pointed at Him, and he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who bears on Himself and carries away the sin of the world, all of those who would believe in Him (Paraphrase). That's what we celebrate in the Lord's Table. Take a moment and prepare your heart as the men come to serve us.

 Our Father, we thank You that You have given Your eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the authority to save. And, Father, we thank You that for those of us who have repented and believed in Him, we are now His wheat, precious to Him. Every person, every kernel of grain, He will protect and make sure that it enters His eternal kingdom. Lord, thank You for the forgiveness of our sins through Him, and the gift of Your Holy Spirit to live within us, to transform us. Lord, I pray for those who are here of whom that's not true; I pray that today would be the day when they would repent and believe. Lord, help them to see what's coming and help them to repent even today. Only You can do that. 

Lord, for us who are already His disciples, we thank You for the Lord's Table, a chance to remember that He was the Lamb of God who offered Himself in our place to purchase our forgiveness. Father, cleanse our hearts. You've already forgiven us in the courtroom of Your justice, but we come to You as a Father seeking the forgiveness of a Father for the ways we've dishonored Your name. Lord, forgive us as we each confess, in our own hearts, specific sins that You bring to mind, sins of thought and attitude, like pride, selfishness, lust, anger, envy. Father, forgive us as well for sins of word where we have used our words to hurt others, to criticize those made in Your image, to commit, as it were, a verbal murder. Father, forgive us, cleanse us. Lord, forgive us as well for those things that we have done, Lord, for those things we have done that You forbid and for those actions that we have not done that You command. Father, forgive and cleanse us. We open our hearts, every corner of our hearts we open to You. We freely confess our sins because we want to worship the Lord Jesus through the Lord's Table even now. Receive our worship, we pray in His name, Amen.