Matthew 3:13-17 (2021 05 02)

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi, and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there'll be a link to the episode website at beholdingbibletruth.com, and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:46

Well, like every story, every story has, a context. Every story has characters. Every story has location. Every story has an outcome in it. And so as we continue to walk through the book of Matthew, we're gonna see, different characters in our story this time. And so I want you to think about is there are different kinds of people, there are different messages, and there are different responses. And we're gonna find that there's nothing new under the sun that as it was then, so it is now. So go with me to the book of Matthew chapter 3, if you would, please.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:26

So we are in chapter 3. We're gonna read I'm gonna read from New American Standard from verse 7, through to the end of chapter 3 verse 17. So if you could stand out of reverence for God and his word, that'd be great. I'll start in verse 5, and then Jerusalem was going out to him and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan, and they were being baptized by him, by John, in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, you brood of vipers. Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore, bear fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not suppose that you could say to yourself, oh, we have Abraham for our father. For I say to you that from these stones, God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The ax is already laid at the root of the trees.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:21

Therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I'm 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. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent him, saying, I've need to be baptized by you. Do you come to me? Jesus answering said to him, permit it at this time.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:08

For in this way, it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he permitted him. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water. Behold, the heavens were open, and he saw the spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on him. And behold, a voice came out of heavens out of the heavens said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Well, a lot happening here.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:44

So I see different groups of people, different messages, different responses. So we looked last time, John's message to the people was, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Well, see, we see some new characters showing up here because we see there, all Judea, it says in verse 5, and all the district around the Jordan, they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. Well, then we see 2 other groups showing up. They are the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They are the spiritual leaders. The spiritual leaders. Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:24

John has a welcoming message. He says, you brood of vipers. You brood of vipers. Who warned you to flee? I thought that was interesting. So this group were literally the Supreme Court of Israel. 70 members, men and the high priest were chosen, and they were essentially the spiritual rulers. So this is what, virgin says. It says, there came to him a Pharisee, a very religious man who observed all the details of the external workshop.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:58

He was very careful about all the trifles. Firm believer in the resurrection, angels, spirits, and all that was written in the book of the law and also in the traditions of the fathers, a man who was overdone with external religiousness, a ritualist of the first order who felt that if there was a righteous man in the world, he was certainly it. Then there was the Pharisee. He was a a or a sadducee. He was a religious man, but he combined with his religion greater thoughtfulness than the Pharisee did, at least so he said. He did not believe in traditions. No. He was too large minded to care about all the little details and externals of religion.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:40

He observed the law of Moses, but he clung rather to the letter of it than the spirit. And he did not accept all that was revealed, for he denied that there was any such thing as an angel or a spirit. He was a broad churchman, a man of liberal ideas, fully abreast of the age in which he was in. He professed to be a Hebrew of Hebrews, a man. At the same time, the yoke of religion rested very lightly on his shoulders. Still, he was not irreligious, yet here was John the Baptist speaking to the Pharisee and the Sadducee, the wrath to come. They both would have liked to have a little argument with him, but he talked to them about fleeing from wrath. They they would have been pleased to discuss with them theological questions and to bring up the differences between the two sects just to hear how John might handle them.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:34

But John, of course, spoke to them, flee from the wrath to come. And he says that the one point he had to deal with was the one with which he would have spoken. He was speaking as if he would speak to publicans and harlots, but he spoke to them just the same as to nominally religious people. He said to them, you must flee the wrath to come or else as surely as they were living men, that wrath would come upon them or they would perish under it. So here are the religious leaders held to account, supposedly, like shepherds of the sheep. And worse than neglect, worse than neglect, he called them a brood of vipers who sit and hide and lure their prey in, lure their prey in. So they were trusting in their physical Jewish heritage. Right? As he said, you cannot say we have Abraham as our father.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:33

They said, we are we're we are we have a physical heritage that, of course, assures us that we will make it to heaven. And so when the idea of repentance was not new to them, but surely that was a message for the Gentiles, surely that was a message for the common people, surely that was a message not for the leaders of Israel. And and John says, already the ax the ax is already laid at the root of the tree. So it's not pruning. Every good tree will bear good fruit, every bad tree, bad fruit. So you think about what's happening here. Well, it's certainly calling the leaders to task. John Piper said, John's baptism of repentance is bringing into being a people of God for the coming Messiah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:24

So it is it is, a a calling out. Remember he he is he is the one who's coming before. Right? He's heralding the Messiah coming in. So he's calling them out. Right? The people of God for the coming Messiah with an identity that's not identical or or identical with their Jewishness, but with their repentance. And it's interesting. We talked about this a bit. He says, flee, who warned you? Which is interesting because they were they were the ones if you if you go back to chapter 2 verse 3, it says, Herod the king, when he heard this, that Jesus was being born.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:03

He was troubled, and, of course, who else was troubled? All Jerusalem, those who were now coming to the baptism. And he says gathering the chief priests and the scribes, he inquired, and they said in Bethlehem. Right? Inquire where will the Messiah be born? In Bethlehem to Judea, for this is what has been written. This is what has been written. So when he says, what a what an indictment when he said, who warned you to flee? These were the men of the Bible. Right? These are the men of scripture. These are the men of the Old Testament. Right? They knew their scripture.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:40

Right? And Jesus will say, in time to come, he says, you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, but you're unwilling to come to me. And here's the challenge for the leaders. You know scripture, but you don't know me. He says, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? The wrath to come. Remember before I came to Christ at age 28, Beth at the time bought me a Bible, a zippered King James Bible. I thought it was so strange that somebody would put a zipper on a book. That just seemed the weirdest thing to me. Why would you put a zipper around a book? And, of course, as you read the Bible, it's full of good news.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:25

It's all full it's also full of bad news. Right? Also full of bad news. And the fact is you really can't understand, fully understand the good news till you understand the bad news. And the good news and the bad news, and the bad news is actually good news, but depending on where you are. So the wrath's to come. God's wrath is holy, it's righteous, and it's just. And I think the problem with God's wrath is we begin in the wrong place. It's that old Irish joke, you know, where the guy, the foreigner runs into a farmer.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:59

He says, I'm trying to get to Dublin. How do you get there? And the farmer says, well, if I were going to Dublin, I wouldn't start here. Right? So it's where we where we begin. Right? Every map has to have where we are in relation to where we're going. And so, with we begin with us, we look at God's wrath and we think, wow, it seems rather severe. People look through the Old Testament, they walk through there and they see a God of wrath. They missed the fact, first of all, that it's a God of mercy, but you do not understand his mercy until you understand his wrath. You have to begin with the God who is righteous and just.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:36

The foundation of his throne is, is righteousness and justice. Righteousness and justice. So god's wrath, I put down there in perfect harmony with all his divine attributes is his holy, righteous, and just response. It's a response to what? Unbelief. It's a response to disobedience. It's a response to rebellion and evil in people whose actions deserve eternal condemnation. Well, that seems quite harsh. Unless we begin with the eternal glory of the eternal one.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:11

As best I can comprehend that, it seems kind of, what? But if you think about that, we get it. If somebody steps on an ant, what's the, what's the consequence? What's the judgment for stepping on an ant? There is none. Right? If somebody willfully kills an animal, what's the might be, depending on some places. If you've if you've you've taken an animal from somebody else, you replace it. Right? If somebody willfully murders a human being, what's the consequence? Well, what it used to be or what it was supposed to be. What is it? Death. It's death. For not.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:48

Yes. It's death. What's the difference between an ant and a human being? One is the it's the value. The the the consequence is related to the value of the life taken. That make sense? So the consequence for a human life is different than the consequence for an animal because they are different in terms of value. Well, the same is true. The judgment fits the value of the crime. So if human being if a life is taken, then a life is required.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:22

God says, if you take a life, then a life is required. So if you if you commit a crime against the eternal glory, what is the consequence? Right? If you think about it, it's equal to the value. The the judgment has to equal the value. Otherwise, it's not a righteous judgment. You wouldn't say if somebody kills a human being, what's the same as if they killed an animal? Well, some might say that, but the judgment has to equal the value for the crime. Does that make sense? If that's the case, then what's required is eternal judgment, eternal consequences. Why? Because it's the eternal value, right, of the eternal one. That make sense? Maybe a little bit.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:10

Right? He is eternal in value. Therefore, the consequence has to be eternal. So what does that mean? Eternal condemnation. Eternally separated from the living God. Eternal condemnation. The second thing I put on there is God's wrath is to be feared. God's wrath is to be feared. It should be feared, shouldn't it? Eternal wrath, eternal consequence, eternally separated from God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:37

And not only eternally separated, but eternally under condemnation forever forever. Hard to imagine. And last, God's wrath thirdly, God's wrath is eternal. Says in here, it's a it's an unquenchable fire. And I put on there, God's wrath has come. We've seen it. We've seen it throughout history. God's wrath has come, and it is coming.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:04

It's coming. He's coming again. You go back to Revelation. Revelation 19, as we will see this same one returning. He says, I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he who sat upon it is called faithful and true. Faithful and true. And in righteousness, he judges and wages war. In righteousness, he judges.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:33

The the the soul that sins must die, the wages of sin is death. Right? He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire. So you see judgment of fire. He's had many diadems. He's the king. His name is written on him which no one knows which no one knows. And he's clothed in a robe dipped in blood.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:59

His name is called the word of God. Take a breath. Imagine, if you will. The lord of lords, the king of kings now coming on a horse, clothed in a robe dipped in blood. With the armies of heaven behind him, all he smokes. The armies are in heaven, clothed with white linen, white and clean. We're following him on white horses. Can you imagine what that would be like? Can't imagine.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:25

From his mouth comes a sharp sword so that with it, he may strike down the nations. He'll rule them with a rod of iron. He treads this is the the this is one of the scariest verses in the Bible to me. He treads the wine press. It's not a great picture. He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the almighty. So judgment is coming and on his robe and on his thigh he he has a name written. What is it? King of Kings, Lord of lords.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:57

So God's wrath is coming. God's wrath is coming. So if you think about this, if his wrath is eternal, I want you to think about that. I've said as we've studied with our group at home, to understand the holiness of God and understand if you go through the old testament and you see why why is why are there so many outline regulations about coming into contact with God. Because it's impossible for us to comprehend this holiness. It's impossible because we start here. Always said, you know, when it was hot outside, Josh, you say, it's as hot as the the Sahara Desert. He goes, it's hot as the Sahara Desert.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:43

Well, Josh, it's not as hot as the Sahara Desert. Why? Because you've never been there, so it's hard to comprehend. It's hot, but it's not that hot. Is it as hot as boiling water? How hot is it? Is this is it as hot as as molten lead? How hot is it? Well, that's hot as relative. Right? Now if God were the sun I want you to imagine this. If God were the sun and you tried to come near to the sun, what would happen? At some point in time, you would be torched. Right? Because of the power of the sun, because of the the the energy of the sun, because of the heat of the sun. That that's a picture of God's righteousness and holiness.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:24

You can't come into his presence. It's not possible because he is eternal, he is holy, he is almighty, he is awesome. So we would be torched in him in his presence, which means his wrath, his righteousness, his holiness brought down upon a person is, like, eternally. So if you comprehend that, that's what we deserve. That's what every human being deserves. So how do we how do we get out of how do we escape that? It's not possible unless there is an eternal one to absorb the eternal condemnation. Everybody get that? To that it's as if the sun came in all its power in judgment and condemnation on a person. Only one as powerful as the sun could absorb that, could be your shield on on behalf.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:18

Everybody get that? So it has to be someone who is holy and eternal and perfect and wrath absorbing, equal, if you will. Otherwise, no way. I couldn't stand in your stead. Every person couldn't stand in your stead. The planets couldn't stand the wrath of God. Nothing could stand and absorb it. You had to take it and absorb it. So that had to be a wrath absorbing sacrifice, a wrath absorbing sacrifice, and there is only 1.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:53

There's only 1. It had to be the Messiah, the promised one, the one who'd come. So that's John's message. The messiah is coming. The messiah is coming. And he says he is greater than I. Well, that was is an understatement. In other words, what he's saying, he is other than us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:12

You see, when he says he's he's greater than I, he is he literally means he is other than us. He's not one like us. He's not one like us. See, because every servant of a rabbi, every servant, right, every rabbi had disciples. The disciples would serve him. They were worthy to serve him. They were worthy to serve a rabbi. Right? They were the the disciples of the rabbi.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:38

He's saying, no, this is other than that. We're not fit to serve him. I'm not even fit to remove his sandals. And he brings a superior baptism. This is not like the baptism of water, the baptism of repentance. This is an inner spiritual transformation. You go back to Ezekiel. This is the promise.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:00

This is the new covenant. This is what only God can do. They could all go out and get the water baptism. They could all go out and do the repentance. Right? The water baptism. Ezekiel 3626, he says, moreover well, in 25, then I will sprinkle you clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:30

Well, okay. Wait a minute. So let's stop there. Let's stop there. How many of you who could have got dressed, gone down to the water, and received the baptism of water? John, you could have done that. Right? I can do that. Now not everybody did, but you could do that. Right? I can get up, decide to go down for the water of baptism.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:49

Right? The baptism of repentance. How many of you can create a new heart within you or sprinkle yourself clean or create a new spirit within you? Like, totally transform your nature, otherwise, you are not coming near the sun. Unless you are transformed, you cannot have fellowship with the almighty, the eternal, the all powerful, the holy righteous and just one. So he says, I will put give you a new heart to put a new spirit within you. I'll remove your heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you. Cause you to walk in my statutes. You'll be careful to observe my ordinances.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:29

That's the promise. That's the promise of the new covenant. I will do what you cannot do. I will create this is this is inner spiritual transformation. Yet he says at the same time, I bring the fire of judgment. He says he's coming with fire. Right? Dang. Well, it's interesting.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:48

He says, he will baptize you with the holy spirit. There'll be inner transformation and fire, purification. Then he says his windowing fork is in his hand. He will thoroughly clear his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. What's interesting about that is when you tend to think about winnowing, winnowing is about get getting rid of chaff, often focused on in the Old Testament, not a new concept of winnowing, was really about the chaff. The chaff will be blown away. The chaff will be burned up.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:24

But here also reminds it right in the middle of this, God's faithfulness, he will gather his wheat into the barn. It's a great promise. The winnowing will preserve some his wheat, but burn up others with a quencherable fire. He will preserve his wheat. He will gather them into the barn. So he reminds us that in order for this to occur, the Messiah is unlike anything we can comprehend. Yet at the same time, the Messiah must become one like us. 1 like us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:06

Yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver that he would become one like us. Have this attitude in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who although existed in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he humbled himself by becoming, what? If you go to Hebrews 10, quoting from Psalm 40, it says in verse 4, it's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. Therefore, when he comes into the world here's Jesus, the messiah. When he comes into the world, he says, sacrifice and offering you've not desired, but a body, a perfect, perfect, but a body you've prepared for me in whole, burn offerings and sacrifice for sin, you've not taken pleasure. Then I said, behold, I've come The scroll of the book, it is written of me to do your will, oh god, offering sacrifices and offerings for a whole burnt offerings and sacrifice for sin you have not desired, nor have you taken pleasure in them, which are offered according to the law. Then he said, behold, I have come to do your will. He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:25

If you go back to Hebrews 2, it says in verse 10 well, let's see verse 9. But we do see him, Jesus, who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for us. A God who would die for sinners. Is that bizarre? It it baffles me because I wake up regularly and you think, wow. What's going on in life? It seems unfair. It doesn't seem right. Nobody wakes up and says, that's the most unjust thing I've ever heard. That a sinless God would die for sinners? It was fitting for him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:03

For whom are all things? Jesus, for whom are all things? Through whom are all things? He made all things. All things are his. In bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. Jesus Christ coming to suffer on our behalf. For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are often the one father. For this reason, he is not ashamed to call us brethren. What? The holy God, the one who will come in righteousness and justice, the king of kings, and the lord of lords is not ashamed to call me a brethren? I'll proclaim he says, I'll proclaim your name to my brother. In the midst of the congregation, I'll sing your praise.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:44

I will put my trust in him. Behold, I am the children whom god has given me. Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, you and me, Jesus, he himself, likewise, also partook of the same. Why? That he might that through death, he might render powerless him who had power over death, that is the enemy. He might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Set us free. Therefore, verse 17, he had to be made like his brethren in all things so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest and things pertain pertaining to God. And to make propitiation means to absorb the eternal the eternal, all powerful, holy, righteous judgment of God to absorb it, to be the propitiation for our sins.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:39

For he himself is tempted and that he suffered. He's able to come to the aid of those who were tempted. He is a faithful high priest. He had to become one like us. When I put point number 2, the eternal perfect son of God became man to save us from eternal wrath. Only to make us brethren, to save us from eternal wrath. He who knew no sin. He had no sin to repent of.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:05

He takes his place among those who had sinned to repent of, to stand with us. The one who was sinless went down into the water of baptism. That was the portion of the sinner. 2nd Corinthians. I'm gonna read 2nd Corinthian 521. Why did he do that? Why did he do that? He made him who knew no sin, knew no sin, knew no sin that we might become the righteousness of God so that we could walk into the presence, the sun, with all of its heat and all of its power, and all of its holiness and not be consumed and not be consumed. And you know what? If that ain't enough, it gets even better. So what happens? What does the father say here? So we hear what John's message is.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:56

So what does the father say? When you go back to Matthew, heaven is opened. Right? It says heaven is the heavens were open, and Jesus is anointed by the spirit of God. He is anointed by the spirit of God. We talked about thus fulfilling. We see his consummation of what was prophesied years years before Isaiah 11. Then the shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The spirit of the Lord will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And it says, he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:40

He won't judge by what his eyes see nor make decisions by what his ears hear. He will be anointed of God. And then in 63, go to Isaiah 63. So he's anointed. Here's the anointing that comes from God the father. 63 no. 61. Again, we see the spirit of the Lord is upon me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:01

Why? Because the Lord has anointed me. He's the anointed one. To bring good news to the afflicted. You know any afflicted? I was afflicted. To bring the good news, he sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. You know any brokenhearted? To proclaim liberty to captives. You know any captives? Freedom to prisoners. You know any prisoners? Well, you know what? That was us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:28

Afflicted, brokenhearted, captive, prisoner of sin, slave of sin, he says. To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort those who mourn, and to grant those who mourn in time, giving them a garland instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning, men tell praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness. The planting of the Lord that he may be glorified. Who is that? That's you and me. That's the good news. But the good news is only good in relation to the reality of his wrath. His wrath is what is right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:06

His wrath is what is just. His wrath is what is true. But the good news is only good news in light of that. And he says, this is the son in whom I am well pleased. This is the son in whom I am well pleased. And the good news is, for all of us, you not only have escaped the wrath of God, but you have become a son and a daughter of the most high. And so for eternity, rather than just being forgiven, he will look at you and say, this is the daughter in whom I'm well pleased. This is the son in whom I am well pleased.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:47

We become well pleasing to the father because of the Lord Jesus. Not just forgiven, not just escaping his wrath, but we become joint heirs with him. This is my son in whom I am well pleased. Don't you wanna hear the father say that? For eternity. This is my daughter in whom I am well pleased. Well, this is baffling. Go to Isaiah 53. This is the son, he says.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:16

This is my son in whom I am well pleased. Well, soon, it will please the father to crush the son in whom he is well pleased. Soon, it will please the father to crush the son, to bear our sin, our iniquity, our transgression. It says he would forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin. Those mean different things. Iniquity is when I disobey. I'm not doing that. Iniquity, transgression, sin.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:49

Sin is when I didn't get it. Like, I just I don't do it because I didn't know. Ignorance. Sins of in ignorance. Iniquity, transgression, and sin. The middle word transgression in the Hebrew means active rebellion, where I'm actively rebelling against God. Well, he's forgiven all 3. He says, when you just won't do it, your disobedience, when you actively rebel against me, and when you you commit sin out of ignorance.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:18

So it says here, verse 10, the lord, but Yahweh was pleased to crush him, who knew no sin, putting him to grief. This is my son in whom I am well pleased, and it pleases me to crush him. If he would render himself as a guilt offering, he will see his offerings, he will prolong his days, and the good pleasure of Yahweh will prosper in his hand. As a result of the anguish of Christ's soul, he will see it be satisfied by his knowledge, the righteous one. My servant, my son, will justify what? The many. He will bear their iniquities, A lot of my portion. He's poured out himself to death. He was number with the transgressors, yet he himself bore the sin of many.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:07

He interceded for the transgressors. There's no good news without the right news, without the real news, without the true news. The true news begins with that. It begins with the wrath of God. That's what we deserve. That's our portion. That's our portion. That's our portion.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:30

So heaven is open. So here we are in the midst of this. Same groups today. So you see there's people coming out to go through the baptism of repentance, to go through the water. Would all of those go through and come to Christ? So we see that first group, right, that was disturbed at the beginning. Now, they come out because the crowds are coming out. Right? So they are actively or at least visibly religious. That's a group.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:01

Then there's a group who stayed home because they're just religiously uninterested. Well, that's today, isn't there? There there are those who are actively and visibly religious, those who are are uninterested. Then you have the religious leaders stooped in scripture, self righteous in their actions. They're out there as well. And in the midst of that, there are some who are con deeply convicted of their sin and looking for the Messiah to rescue them. Right? And then we see John and we see Jesus. And and he says in there he said, it's right for us when he said about the baptism, it's right for us. So John submitted to what didn't make sense to him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:47

And, of course, Jesus fully submitted. So we see that's the case today. We're in a world where you got all the same characters. So what are we called to do? We're called to bring the ministry of right of of reconciliation. We have the message. There's wrath to come and there's an escape. There's one who's died on their behalf. And I think it also behooves us to be aware of who we are by nature.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:12

We're either the, you know, we either that self righteous kinda Pharisee, you know, either we lean toward that, that's our struggle. You know, I check off the boxes, I got this taken care of. Or we're the ones that just kinda go through the motions. Right? So it's good to be aware of kind of who we are. And in the midst of that, we're reminded of the one of the one who gave himself, fully submitted himself, fully took on himself the eternal judgment of God that was due me. That was due me. And I think in the end, there should be a deep daily gratitude. Deep daily gratitude that, wow, I wake up eternally eternally pleasing to the father because of the one at his right hand.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:07

This is my son in whom I'm well pleased. As the scripture says, he the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool. And the day is coming when he will come back again. All the enemies will be taken care of. All will be made right again. For eternity, we will hear. This is my daughter in whom I'm well pleased. This is my son in whom I'm well pleased.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:32

Because of the son in whom he is well pleased. So write down an application or an insight you got from today. So I think one thing that's helpful to me, maybe it is for you, the way that I have to share that is is to share your testimony. Reading scripture, I realized that I was under the wrath of God. That because of my sin, I would spend eternity, right, under his judgment. It's it's easier to be clearer about that when you say, this was what I was facing. Right? Rather than, this is what you're facing. This is what I was facing.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:06

The wrath of God, you can talk about it. I was eternally separated from God. And then, the good news becomes gooder. And the great news,

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:14

I always wonder I'd say to the Lord, so shout for joy. If you see all through the songs, shout for joy. Sing to the

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:21

Lord a new song. What would get you singing? Think what would get you, like, really singing a new song? Shouting for joy. Shouting for joy. Well, this would get you shouting for joy. What'd you get, Jack?

Jack [: 00:38:34

2 things. Our our friend, Greg Coco, puts puts it this way, that would what Jesus came to do was to rescue. It was a rescue operation, and what he's rescuing us from is the father. People don't think of it that way that much. We're being rescued from the wrath of the father, and it's up to us to avail ourselves of his rescue because God's the one who's offended. He's the one who's angrier, and so we can let Jesus take care of that for us, or if we don't, we'll we pay the price ourselves. It's our choice to pay the price ourselves or let them do it for us. And finally, something I I just came upon this the other day.

Jack [: 00:39:12

I don't know. It just kinda dawned on me. When you said not only are we being rescued, but we then get to be joint heirs. We get to enjoy this, almost unspeakable fellowship. And if you think about it, Jesus takes condemnation and turns it into commendation. You do all you have to do is change one letter. You chain you trade an n for an m, and you go from condemnation to commendation. We're now commended as joint heirs.

Jack [: 00:39:40

But, you know, it's our, our choice to accept the rescue or to pay the price ourselves.

Unknown [: 00:39:47

You know, and and also with the with the idea of rescue, Kim McFarland, who's a who's a musical artist, a singer, one of the songs that she sings says that I he rescued me from myself. And then one of the one of the greatest rescue that occurs in Christ is to be rescued from ourselves, and I think that's encapsulated very powerfully in one of the one of the greatest passages of scripture as far as I'm concerned. Romans chapter 12 verses 12. The idea that God intends and gives us the power, the strength, the courage, the ability, and the knowledge, know how, information, and support to be changed, to be renewed in in our mind with the strength of knowing that the same mind that was in Christ is in us. You know? I think being rescued from ourselves is one of the greatest one of the greatest missions that Jesus came to accomplish.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:40

Amen. We were afflicted. We were brokenhearted. We were prisoners. We were captives, and he set us free. Well, Jack, would you close us in prayer, please?

Jack [: 00:40:49

But again, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the fellowship of our group, fellowship of our like minded people who encourage us, prop us up and cheer us on each day. We thank you for the diligence that Scott applies to the preparation and delivery of the message each week. We pray the blessings on him and his family for the challenges that confront him in the next few weeks. Pray you'll be with him and make his efforts fruitful, and we thank you especially for your rescue. We thank you for rescuing us from our own inclinations, rescuing us from ourselves, and rescuing us from the imminent danger that we deserve and help us to place our faith only in you and to wake each day with this eternal gratitude for the gift of your word, the gift of your son, and the gift of this eternal rescue. We thank the thank you for all these things and and pray to you in the precious name of your son, Jesus. Anyone say amen.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:51

Amen. And may the god of all comfort, may he bless you, may he keep you, may he cause his face to shine upon you, may he grant you his presence, lift up his countenance, and grant you his peace this week that we would walk in the assurance that he has rescued us and made us sons and daughters. Amen. Amen.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:12

Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the god of the bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time, may the lord bless you and keep you. May the lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, and may the lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may god bless you and keep you.