Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “Pastor, Point Like John the Baptist” by Cale Fauver
• Sermon: “Get Ready!” by Cameron Arensen

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training Podcast. Today we are in Unit 20, Session 1, John Prepared the Way. With the core passage of Matthew 3:1-12, and with the key concept of: Following Jesus requires confession, repentance, and yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Earlier we saw that an angel appeared to Zechariah and told him that he would have a son and they would call him, John. John is now all grown up and Matthew continues his gospel focusing on how John fulfilled prophecy.

“In those days” (the days during Jesus’s life), “John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” Matthew first described John, summarizing his purpose—namely, preaching in the wilderness and preaching a message of repentance because the kingdom of heaven was coming near. The Gospel Project Commentary on pages 61 and 62 explains the “wilderness” a bit more, describing it as a place of danger and desolation but also of hope. We see God at work in the wilderness throughout the Bible. And John’s preaching was an exhortation for people to “repent,” to turn from their life of sin and chart a new course. And his reason? Because the kingdom of heaven had come near. A new world order, so to speak, was about to happen. The Messiah would usher in a new way of thinking and of living, so this was the time to chart a new course.

Matthew showed how John fulfilled prophecy: “he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness; Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight!” referring to Isaiah 40:3. When encountering Jesus, one needs to be prepared and God in His goodness knew humanity had to process their understanding and prepare themselves for this Savior, this King of kings. So God sent John the Baptist to help prepare that way for people, reminding them and exhorting them to “repent”.

Why should repentance be a response to hearing the news of God’s kingdom coming near? If hearing the news that God’s kingdom is drawing near, we should repent because we know that God is a holy God. If our lives have been living in a way that has been against God, we need to turn around and draw near to Him as He is the sovereign king who not only is all-powerful, but also all-just and all-loving. We need to turn from our ways and turn to His ways to be a part of His kingdom.

Matthew continued by describing John as similar to Elijah, showing his prophetic character.  He had “a camel-hair garment and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” In the same way, Elijah was seen as “a hairy man with a leather belt around his waist” in 2 Kings 1:8. Malachi foresaw this in Malachi 4:5-6, saying that God would send “the prophet Elijah before the  great and terrible day of the Lord” who would “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers” just as the angel said to Zechariah in Luke 1:17. We also see that Jesus confirmed John as the prophesied Elijah that was to come in Matthew 11:11-14 and 17:10-13.

And many believed the kingdom had drawn near and they came from “Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan” to be baptized, confessing their sin. The New American Commentary by Blomberg on Matthew states, “Jews seem regularly to have practiced water baptism by immersion for adult proselytes from pagan backgrounds as an initiation into Judaism. Qumran commanded ritual bathing daily to symbolize repeated cleansing from sin. But John’s call for a one-time-only baptism for those who had been born as Jews was unprecedented… John’s baptism foreshadowed Christian baptism” [Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 75.] And with that baptism was confession of sins, the humble acknowledgement that they were broken and needed saving.

What is the relationship between repentance and confession of sins? When we turn from our ways to God’s ways, we need to be self-aware and acknowledge and confess our sins. This helps us be aware of the sinful tendencies we have and be more alert about not going there. It also reminds us that we can’t live rightly on our own, we can’t always trust our own judgment for living but need to look to the One who is holy and good and can lead us on the right path. Confession of sin reminds us of what we are turning away from so that we may repent and turn to God.

Matthew then describes how when John saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he called them out, he rebuked them. Pharisees and Sadducees were sects of Judaism and the religious leaders at the time. Review more about the Pharisees and Sadducees from the Leader Note on page 68 of the Leader Guide. John then said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” He called them snakes and, to me, was saying, ‘Why are you even here? This is for people fleeing from the coming wrath. And, well, since you’re here, “produce fruit consistent with repentance.’ John, like Jesus, knew that the Pharisees and Sadducees may know a lot, but they weren’t producing fruit, like loving their neighbor, showing humility, showing grace and forgiveness. And John warned them (because this was their thinking) to not “presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” in verses 9 and 10. John prepared the way for Jesus by reminding the Jews that lineage is not going to save them if they are not producing good fruit. Trees not producing will be cut down and thrown into the fire. The punishment seems severe, but a tree is meant to produce good fruit. When it doesn’t, it is useless and has no purpose. We, as God’s people, are meant to produce good fruit. If not, we are useless and have no purpose either. John was reinforcing the idea that true faith in God results in good fruit.  

John then continued to say, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  John acknowledged that he was preparing the way for someone greater, for Jesus. John only baptized with water for repentance, but Jesus would come and baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. For those wanting Jesus’s baptism with repentance and confession, the Holy Spirit will purify and guide them on straight paths. But for those who reject the Messiah, the fire comes with judgment. John made it clear: Jesus’s “winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.” A winnowing shovel is a wooden, flat shovel that scoops the wheat stalks and tosses them in the air. The chaff, the encasing, is lighter so blows in the wind and falls further away as the heavier wheat grain falls straight to the ground. That’s how the chaff and wheat grains are separated. John used this metaphor to say that Jesus will gather his wheat whereas the chaff will be burnt with fire in eternal judgment.

Why should we not minimize the severity of sin (especially ones surrounding the corruption of the heart), and God’s response to it? The religious leaders thought they were righteous because they followed the law religiously. But their hearts were not in the right place. It is easy to follow laws and yet sin, from pride or lack of love or lack of mercy. We all sin in various ways, and we should not minimize any sin because it reminds us how much we need a Savior, Jesus. We also need to remember that sin leads to God’s judgment, but because of Christ’s work on the cross and His payment for sin, we are free from judgment if we live in true faith, faith that results in fruit. Not minimizing sin creates greater thankfulness and joy in knowing Christ. We feel the weight of God’s grace and can continue to surrender to Him.

What “fruit” would you expect to see from a believer in Jesus because of the Holy Spirit’s presence? Answers can include love for God and others, love for Scripture and the church, love lived out in action. Joy of life and all of God’s creation and blessings and a heart for justice and righteousness for those marginalized.

So as the Gospel Connection states: John was the prophesied messenger calling out in the wilderness, preparing hearts to repent and believe in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. What we learn from the key concept is: Following Jesus requires confession, repentance, and yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit.

On to the Group Experience, use the icebreaker questions on page 70 of the Leader Guide about preparing for guests. Transition with the idea that God raised John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus. Share the Context information to set up the environment that John was preparing, awaiting Jesus’s arrival into ministry. Recap, sharing highlights from the week’s preparation, highlighting fulfilled prophecies and John’s introduction by Matthew. Transition into the Group Activity thinking about how we prepare for Jesus.

Recreate the chart “Preparing for Jesus” on a board. Have someone read Matthew 3:1-12. Using verses 1 and 2, encourage the group to discuss what John meant by saying people should repent because the kingdom of heaven is near. Use the answers to the first two discussion question on page 66-67 of the Leader Guide and page 55 of the Personal Study Guide as a reference. John knew that with the coming of the Messiah, people would have to be made aware of their need for repentance, their need to come back to God. His message of repentance called the people to turn from their old ways toward God’s ways. For us today, the kingdom of God is already here but not yet fully here. Jesus ushered in the kingdom, but it will be complete at His return. We also have the choice to repent, to turn from our old, sinful ways to God’s righteous ways. That choice is up to us, but the positive and negative consequences are clear. Turn to God and be filled with His Spirit or reject God and know judgment is near.

From verses 5-10, we see that people responded to John’s message by getting baptized and confessing their sin. Highlighting the fact that it was common for Gentiles to be baptized to convert to the Jewish faith during John’s time, remind your group that John’s baptism was different. He was baptizing Jews, around Jerusalem and Judea, as a baptism of repentance that they wanted to get right with God. They were acknowledging that their lineage didn’t save them. And John was starting a revival of sorts to get people prepared to encounter Jesus as they confessed their sins. He was preparing them for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

In verse 11 then, John prepared the people for what and who was to come. He explained that the one coming after him is more powerful than he was, that would be Jesus. John was getting popular and many were coming to him, impacted by his message of repentance. He was saying, if you’re impressed with me, someone coming is even greater. He, Himself, will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. John rightfully pointed to Jesus’s baptism as greater than his.  Jesus’s baptism would be marked by the Holy Spirit. Today, our water baptism is an outward expression of our lives being transformed by the Holy Spirit because of our placed trust in Christ.

And in verse 12, John prepared the people by reminding them of the consequences of their choices. Surrender to Jesus and be gathered into His family and kingdom or not surrender and be burned with fire that never goes out. It’s a sobering thought but a real one. There are dire consequences to our actions, and we must be forewarned for ourselves and for those around us who we want to reach the gospel with.

Thus, John prepared the people to encounter Jesus by reminding them of repentance, confession, faith that produces fruit, Jesus’s baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire, and the consequences of accepting Jesus or rejecting Him. When we prepare our hearts to come before Jesus, hopefully, we are reminding ourselves of these same things.

So debrief with: What are ways we can assess the condition of our heart so that we can repent of what might be corrupted there? We can pray and ask God to search our hearts. We can ask trusted friends or mentors to speak into our lives where they see we need a change of heart. We can journal or go on a spiritual retreat to get away from the busyness of our lives to assess our hearts better.

Summarize and tackle the Heart question if time is limited: How will you pray for the Lord to change your affections so that you love Christ more than your sin? First we acknowledge our sin, and we spend moments in quiet reflection because for some of us, it’s easy to note our sins and for others, the sins are more subtle—an act of selfishness, a moment of rudeness—whatever it is, sometimes it takes time for us to think of the events of our day. Then we pray that God would tenderize our hearts toward Him and all others around, that we would produce good fruit in the face of so many temptations around us. There might be varying answers here.

Follow through with Next Steps bullet points and end with prayer requests and praises. End praying through Psalm 139:23-24, “23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.”

Thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Write me at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!