Bible Study: Matthew 3

Bible Study: Matthew 3

1. Matthew 3 focuses on the ministry of John the Baptist and the necessity of repentance and confession of sins – 3 vs. 2 – And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
2. Just as the voice of John the Baptist who is the forerunner of Christ cried in the wilderness calling for repentance of sins; the voice of Jesus is now crying in our hearts calling for repentance and confession of sins.
3. Heaven is looking for John the Baptist of this generation who will preach both in the wilderness of hamlets, villages, towns, and cities, but also turn the social media into gospel media.
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5. The central focus of John the Baptist’s message is the necessity for true repentance. The Church needs to return to this message, which has been eroded and compromised by motivational and inspirational sermons on prosperity and sudden breakthroughs.
6. There is a brother and a sister that needs to repent today from the sin of stealing, anger, bitterness, lying, cheating, murder, and sexual perversion.
7. We also need to purge ourselves of the Sadducees and Pharisees, who erroneously thought they could be saved by their positions. Bigmanism has crept into the present-day church, and the message needs to be preached that God is no respecter of persons, and people can only be saved by true repentance.
8. The chapter also contains a message on the essence of fruitfulness, God increases only those that bear fruits in His vineyard.
9. We are also introduced to water baptism which symbolizes submission to God in repentance
10. But the ritual of water baptism can no longer save anyone, as John the Baptist himself said baptism of followers of Christ will be by Holy Ghost and fire – 11 – indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
11. While anyone can present himself for water baptism, the Holy Ghost and fire of God only baptize the righteous. Water baptism cannot save anyone from sin.
12. Have you been baptized by the Holy Ghost?
13. Lastly, we saw the humility and righteousness of both John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus.
14. John the Baptist said he was not worthy to baptize Jesus, and the Lord Jesus humbled by subjecting himself to be baptized by John the Baptist.
15. This is in sharp contrast to the spiritual arrogance in contemporary Christians and Christian leadership.

Prayers

Holy Spirit, break me down in Jesus’ name.