Second Sunday of Advent: Year- A
First
Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10: He judges the wretched with
integrity.
Second
Reading: Romans 15:4-9: Christ is the Saviour of
all men.
The
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12: Repent for the kingdom of
heaven is close at hand.
Jesus’ Forerunner, John the Baptist:
A Message for All, Mt 3:1-12
God
showed His power and His love in giving us the Messiah. Isaiah projects the
well-known picture of the Messianic rule. Messiah of David’s stock will reveal
new qualities of spirit, especially justice as the poor have never known. A new
relationship between man and the order of nature will be like Paradise
revisited. Prophet Isaiah has been called “the prophet of Advent,” the
messenger of God helping us to get ready to receive the Messiah who is going to
save us.
John
the Baptist and Paul also invite us today to prepare ourselves with repentance
or conversion to receive the Messiah for our salvation. God displayed his power
in giving us the Messiah. The Messiah should be a man filled with the Spirit of God.
The Spirit of God would endow the Messiah with wonderful qualities:
The
spirit of wisdom and of insight, the spirit of counsel and of power, the spirit
of knowledge and of fear of the Lord (the fear of the Lord is his breath-Gen
1:2). The Messiah will bring peace; peace between man and God, man and man and
man and the nature in the creation. The Messiah will spread the knowledge of
Yahweh to the whole land (Is 11:9). In order to receive the Saviour we must
allow the Spirit of God to possess us by repentance or conversion. The Spirit
of God has the power to change the hearts of persons from wolves into lambs,
chaff, and useless straw into the precious grain and to start yielding fruit. John
called the leaders of the Jews “vipers” snakes whose heart was full of poison
and who poisoned people around.
John
the Baptist set a blazing example for every minister and believer of the
Gospel. His message is a message for all; he speaks to the common person and
the religionist alike.
1.
John administered in the wilderness of the desert (v.1)
2.
His message to the people: Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is near (v.2-6)
a.
His message fulfilled prophecy: One’s crying, “prepare”
b.
His message was the message of a prophet: He dressed and ate as a prophet
c.
His message bore fruit
1) Crowds gathered
2) Crowds confessed and were baptized
3.
His message to the religionists, the Pharisees and Sadducees (v.7-10)
a.
Warning 1: Flee the wrath to come
b.
Warning 2: Repent
c. Warning 3: Heritage is of no value. Warning 4: Judgement is at hand
1) Immediate: Now
2) Inevitable: Every unfruitful tree
is cast into the fire
3) Basis: Fruit
4.
His message to all: Christ-Messianic preaching (v.11-12)
a.
Christ is greater…
b.
Christ shall baptize…
c.
Christ shall judge and purge
1) Gather some
2) Burn some
Thought: God uses the
wilderness or desert (quiet places) to prepare and launch the ministry of
people. Quietness is essential: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).
Meditation is essential (Gen 24:63; Jos 1:8; Ps
1:2;63:6;77:12;119:15,23,48,78,148; 143:5; 1Tim 4:15).
Believers are
never alone, no matter how secluded they may be. God is there.
The Gospel
began in a wilderness or desert, not in a synagogue or church (Is 32:15;
35:1-2; 51:18-19).
God has the
very place for every believer to serve. John’s place was in the wilderness or
desert; Jesus Christ’s was in the cities and synagogues as well as the
countryside. Believers should witness and prophets should preach wherever they
are –in the wilderness or in the cities.
God raises up
His servant, His witness, His prophet in His time (v.3).
Preaching is to
be to the people. It is to be affirmative, authoritative, and positive but not
uncertain and negative.
The world
should hear, respect and respond to the messenger of God (v.5-6). God forgives
sin when a person confesses and repents of his sin (v.6).
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