Hi, I'm Darrell Bailey. Thank you for tuning in. As we continue on in our Bible studies for life, risk takers, the adventure of walking by faith. As the Christian life is a call to faith and trust. Sometimes it's easy to trust, but there's times when obedience to God feels very risky. Growing in Christ is learning to trust in more and more in every area of our life. And so, This morning we'll be in session five of John the Baptist of Faith that Challenges Others, Matthew chapter 3 verses 1 through 12. Amen. And so before we go any further, let's open up with a time of prayer. Lord, We thank you for the voice that cries in the wilderness, John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus by boldly preaching the truth. Help us to become voices of truth in our own world, standing firm in faith, even when it's not popular. Fill us with the Holy Spirit, cleanse us with fire, and give us courage to challenge sin with love and boldness, that we may share our testimonies and be a light that others will see Jesus in us. Thank you for saving us by your marvelous grace. Thank you for being so good to us. Lord, we don't deserve it. You're better to us than we are our own selves. Thank you for my family, for watching over us, and for giving me just the simple abilities to do tasks every day. In Jesus's mighty name we pray, amen. As we look at John the Baptist, a faith that challenges others, this is the fifth in the series, faith stands unwavering on the truth. And so I'm glad, you know, medical doctors diagnose illnesses, they offer solutions and, you know, they also they bring healing. But imagine if a doctor discovered your life threatening condition, they smiled and said, you're free to go without any treatment. Sadly, that's how many Christians live. We know the cure, Jesus Christ, but remain silent while offering suffering and sin. Many others suffer in that sin to this very moment. And so John the Baptist wasn't silent. He risked everything to prepare people for Jesus. And so we're learning that faith isn't passive. It's a bold, forward-moving journey. And so in Risk Takers, the adventure of walking by faith, we're discovering that those who walk with God, they don't just talk faith. They take risks that stretch, that strengthens and ultimately glorifies our Lord and Savior. And so I'm glad as we chose to trust God, even when it looked dangerous. when it looked uncertain and when it looked impossible, because faith is not about comfort. Faith is the substance of things hopeful, the evidence of things not seen. It's about confidence in God's Word, even in life's most chaotic and fearful moments. And so, John didn't wear a preacher's robe or sit in a fancy synagogue. He wore camel's hair. He ate bugs and honey and thundered repentance from the wilderness. He wasn't worried about being liked. He was worried about people being ready. And so when we look at risk takers, faith that doesn't play it safe. from Abraham to David, and now John the Baptist. You know, each figure teaches us that real faith moves us out of our comfort zones and into confrontation with culture, with sin, and with fear. And John teaches us to challenge others with truth no matter the cost. Listen, I want to ask you a question. Are you truly preparing the way for Christ in the lives of others? Or are you too distracted? too silent, too comfortable to speak the truth in the wilderness of our culture today. And so, let's get into the wonderful Word of God. Because when we look at this, In Matthew chapter 3 verses 1 through 6, In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah. So Isaiah saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his path straight. Verse 4, And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and of leather and girdle about his loins, and his meat was falocas and wild honey. And verse five, then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan. Verse six, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Now, when we look at this, we're reminded that through this, there's always a key verse. And that key verse is verse two. Because when we look at it, here and saying, repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Well, John's cry of repent shattered the silence of 400 years since Malachi. His message wasn't soft because sin isn't soft. It was spirit anointed, truth anointed, urgent, rugged, holy fire. His camel hair mantle Was it for show it marked him as heaven's man, separated, consecrated, dangerous to hell. And so when we look at this, we look forward and we see out of this that it goes and it tells us as our message is our message centered on ourselves, our own Jesus Christ. And are we living and preaching in the power of the Holy Ghost and fire or just religious tradition? Hmm. When we look at this, we see that faith, a faith that prepares the way. Here, John the Baptist, because when we look, he spoke in the wilderness. God uses unusual places for powerful voices. And he spoke in the wilderness, but he preached repentance. True faith always begins with turning from sin. He drew crowds with convicting power of the Holy Spirit. When you carry truth, people are drawn, even if uncomfortable. And so, as he spoke in the wilderness, what wilderness has God placed us in to speak? And he preached repentance. Are we willing to call people to turn from sin and not just offer positive thoughts? Talk about the current events. And John drew crowds with conviction. Does our faith carry enough fire to draw others or have we watered it down? And so how can we prepare the way of the Lord in today's culture? How can we do that? Well, based on Matthew chapter three, verse three, the voice of the Lord crying in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord and make his path straight. Well, we prepare the way of the Lord today the same way John did with bold truth. holy living, and a heart that points people to Jesus, the Lamb of God. And so I'm glad we preach repentance without apology. And so we prepare the way when we call sin what it is, and we call people to turn from it, not with arrogance, but with urgency and truth soaked in love. Today's world doesn't need a watering down gospel. It needs a straight path to the cross. The world doesn't need another opinion. It needs the truth of the word of God. You can't pave the way with lies. The only way to prepare hearts is to confront sin and lift up the Savior. And so preach repentance without apology and live a holy life that points people to Jesus. John didn't just preach it, he lived it. He was separate from the world, full of the spirit and unshakable in his calling. And in a culture full of compromise, we prepare the way by living in such a way that people see Jesus in us. The world is watching. Listen to me. You may be the only Bible some folks ever read. Eugene Jenkins would always say that at People's Valley. So let your light shine and make the crooked path straight. And so preach repentance without apology. Live a holy life that points people to Jesus and be filled with the Holy Ghost power. Because John was empowered by the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. If you go back and read your Bible in Luke chapter one, verse 15, you can't prepare hearts for the Lord in the flesh. You need the anointing. A spirit-filled life breaks chains. It opens eyes. It clears the way for Christ to be seen. We don't just need more programs, we need power. If you want to prepare the way, you got to be filled with the same fire John had. That fire is still available and it still changes lives. And so, preach repentance without apology. Live a holy life that points people to Jesus and be filled with the Holy Ghost power. But also, warn of judgment and offer the hope. Because John said, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come in Matthew chapter 3 verse 7. We must remind people that Jesus is coming soon, and he is. We prepare the way by warning of hell, preaching the rapture, and calling people to receive Christ before it's too late. Don't just make people feel good. Make them ready. Eternity is a long time to be wrong. Prepare the way by telling people he's coming back soon. Get your house in order. And so to prepare the way of the Lord in today's culture is to clear the glutter, confront sin, proclaim the gospel and live a life that demands an explanation, Jesus. It means paving the road to revival, that one bold step of faith at a time. As I look back over all of the years of the many books that are in my library, and I'm not bragging because it had to come out of our pocket, my wife, at least $10,000 worth of reading materials over the many, many years of pastoring to put studies together. But more importantly than all of that preaching material and studies and commentaries, the Holy Spirit's anointing is the most important thing that I've learned. It means paving the road to revival one bold step of faith at a time. We continue on, it says in verses 7-10 in Matthew 3, But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said to them, O generation of vipers who have warned you to flee from the wrath to come. In verse 8, bring forth therefore fruits, meat for repentance. In verse 9, and think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father. For I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. In verse 10, and now also the axe is laid under the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Well, when we look at this, we see the key verse 8. bring forth therefore fruits, meat for repentance. And so, when we look at this, John didn't back down from that religious elite, that clique generation of vipers he cried, not because he hated them, but because he loved truth more than reputation. He warned of fire, of axes laid at the roots, And this was no motivational speech. It was revival preaching. And so he exposed that false religion is what we see because as we see this. And our message, if it's centered on ourselves or on Jesus Christ, and are we living and preaching in the power of the Holy Ghost and fire or just religious tradition? So we talk that faith that prepares the way in verses one through six, Matthew chapter three. Secondly, a faith that confronts hypocrisy in verses seven through 10. And so again, what do we see? That faith that confronts hypocrisy And that verse 8, that was our key verse, bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance. Well, he exposed the false religion is what John the Baptist did. The Pharisees and the Sadducees, they played church but had no fruit. They come up with all of the 633 many more commandments that God only gave 10 to. They came up with how far you could walk on Sunday, what you could do. The who, what, where, when, all of those questions. And so he exposed that false religion. He demanded evidence of repentance. No, not just tears at the altar, but a transformation, something that was real, something that was genuine. And so as he exposed that false religion, he demanded evidence of that repentance and he called for an urgency. an urgency he said the axe is ready God is serious is what he was saying and so as he exposed that false religion can we discern the difference between appearance and anointing well you know what even when I worked at the steel mill and when I worked around many many men that were lost my smile Many of them thought that it was drugs I was taking. They had no idea that the shine and the witness was the light of Jesus. But they kept looking. Then they thought I was crazy. But then they kept on looking for years and years and years as I witnessed to all types of folks in different work environments and nothing changed. Nothing. And so we see that can we discern the difference between appearance and anointing? I believe that they can. He demanded evidence of repentance. Are you bearing the fruit of a changed life or just professing an empty faith? And he called for an urgency. Are we living like the axe is ready at the root or like we got all the time in the world? And so what keeps people today from producing fruit worthy of repentance? Hmm, based on Matthew chapter 3 verse 8, bring forth therefore fruits, meat for repentance. Well, people today are kept from producing fruit worthy of repentance for three main reasons. False repentance without a true heart change. Many confuse emotion with transformation. They may cry tears at an altar, but walk away without surrendering their will to the Lord and leaving it with him. And they get up and pick it and take it right back with them. And so they walk away without surrendering their will to the Lord. Repentance isn't just feeling sorry. It's a complete turning away from sin and turning toward God. And so you can weep and wail, but if there's no turning from sin, there's no repentance. True repentance changes the heart. And when the heart changes, the fruit starts growing. Hallelujah. And so false repentance without true heart change. That is our problem. That's what keeps people from producing fruit worthy of repentance. Secondly, pride and self-righteousness. Like the Pharisees in John the Baptist's day, people today think their religion, their good deeds, or their church membership makes them right with God. But God isn't looking for a religious show, a really good show, a really good show. He's looking for a repentant heart. Thinking that we don't need grace is the surest sign we do. You can't bear fruit if your roots are planted in self. Uh-uh. And so, what keeps people today from producing fruit worthy of repentance? Well, false repentance without true heart chains. Secondly, pride and self-righteous. But thirdly, as I said, love for the world over love for God. Many hearts are too tangled up in worldly pleasures, carnal desires, and cultural compromise. The cares of this life choke the word. Mark chapter 4 verse 19. And as long as people are trying to live for Jesus and the world, they will bear no fruit. You can't walk in the spirit while dancing with the world. The Holy Ghost won't grow fruit in a garden of weeds. The fruit of repentance isn't a one time crop. It is a lifetime harvest. But it only grows where the soil has been broken and the weeds pulled out and the cross planted deep. Hallelujah. Praise God. And if you want to bear fruit, fall on your face before God this morning and surrender all and let Jesus have his way. And so as we move on along, Bird set up scripture. Matthew chapter 3 verses 11 and 12. In verse 11, I 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. In verse 12, whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his weed into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. When we look at this, we see our key verse. that it tells us, I indeed baptize you with water under repentance, but he that cometh after me is minor than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Wow. You see, I'm glad John knew his role. He wasn't the Christ. He said, I'm not worthy to carry his shoes. That's humility in action. And so he knew Jesus wouldn't just sprinkle people with some truth. He'd immerse them with power, baptize them in the Holy Ghost fire. He declared Jesus was mightier. But I think God, when we look at this, We see not only is our message centered on ourselves, our own Jesus Christ, and are we living and preaching in the power of the Holy Ghost and fire, or just religious tradition. We see faith that prepares the way in verses 1 through 6 of Matthew chapter 3. We also see faith that confronts hypocrisy in verses 7 through 10 of Matthew chapter 3. And you know what? Here we see in verses 11 and 12, a faith that points to Jesus of Matthew chapter 3. When we look at this, we see that John declared Jesus was mightier. John understood his purpose, decreased so Christ increases. He spoke of that Holy Ghost fire. And this fire is purity, passion, and it is power. He warned of judgment, wheat or chaff, heaven or fire, the message is eternal. So you know what? When we look at this, I wonder, As John was baptizing, we look and we realize, well, you know what? We see what does baptism represent? Well, baptism doesn't save you. No. But it does declare to the world that you've been saved. Water baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. It represents the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ and of your union with him in that saving work. It's not just a ritual, it's a testimony that you've died to sin, that you've been buried with Christ, and that you've risen to walk in newness of life in Romans chapter 6 verses 3 and 4. Now what about that did you not understand? That is very simple. It is very straightforward. And so, When we look in the Bible, baptism is explained as symbolic and so not sacramental. That means it doesn't impart salvation, only the blood of Jesus and faith in his finished work. When you step out on that faith and say, Lord, be the keeper of my soul, save me. I want to repent. I want to ask forgiveness of my sins. That is what that's about. That means that in part of salvation, only the blood of Jesus and faith in his finished work at the cross can do that. Paul talked about that in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 89, but baptism testifies of that salvation. It's a public confession that you no longer belong to this world, you belong to Jesus Christ. And so, when we think about the key truths about baptism, it's not the water, it's the witness. The power isn't in the water, but in what the water represents, your new life in Christ. Not only it's not the water, it's the witness, but it's obedience and not salvation. Baptism follows salvation. It doesn't produce it. It's the first step of obedience for a new believer. And so it's not the water, it's the witness. It's obedience, not salvation. And it's a sermon without words, praise God. Every baptism preaches the gospel. Jesus died, he was buried, and he rose again. And so did you, spiritually speaking, when you went down into that illiquid grave and you came back up and you declared to all of the world, amen, that you are no longer the same person, praise God, because something on the inside of you began to change when you repented and stepped out on faith. and ask God to be the keeper of your soul. And so, let me tell you something, friend. If you put your faith in Jesus Christ and what he did for you at the cross, you're saved. You're born again. Your name is written in the Lamb's book of life. Baptism won't save you, but it will shout to the world that Jesus already has. Hallelujah. And so, again, I asked you something. Are you pointing people to ourselves or to Jesus? And how can we tell the difference? Well, John the Baptist's example was in John chapter 3 verse 30, we must increase, but I must decrease. And so when we look, John had the crown, John had the voice, John had the message and the authority, hallelujah. But he knew his role was to prepare the way and not be the way. He didn't crave attention. He didn't crave the platform or praise. His mission was to get out of the way so Jesus could be seen. Do you hear me, preachers? Hey, do you hear me, men and women of God, singers, church members? Listen. If the spotlight stays on us, we've missed the whole point. We're not the source. We're just the vessel. It's all about Jesus. And if it ain't about him, it ain't worth doing. So, I'm glad. I wonder, as we get ready to close out, how can we tell the difference? Because we check the motive. We check the motive behind the ministry. Am I doing this to be noticed, to be liked, to be applauded, or to lift up the name of Jesus? True ministry always exalts Christ crucified, not charisma, not talent, and not personality. The anointing is not for performance, it's for brokenness and deliverance. And the Holy Ghost doesn't come to build your brand, he comes to glorify Jesus Christ. And so, check the motive behind the ministry. Look at the fruit. Are people becoming more like Christ or more dependent on you? When people walk away from your presence, do they talk more about Jesus or about you? If they see your gift, but not his glory, you're in the way. And so, but when they see Jesus, when their hearts burn within them, you've done what God called you to do. And so, check the motive behind the ministry. Look at the fruit and pay attention to the glory. Who gets the credit when God moves? If you're quick to post, to boast, or to take the glory, we've hijacked what belongs only to God. God will use people who are willing to serve in the shadows so Jesus can shine in the light. That's why I don't really care if I get a response or not. And it's not that I'm being negligent, because I'm not doing this ministry for attention. I'm doing it to get the truth out. And so that's my number one agenda. I don't care if it goes all over the world. I don't care if it goes into how many countries and how many states. I do it for the truth and not for the attention. And so look at the fruit. Amen. Check the motive behind the ministry. Pay attention to the glory. Who gets the credit? Amen. And you know what? Stay humble and stay hidden. John said he wasn't worthy to untie Jesus' sandals in Matthew chapter three, verse 11. True humility doesn't shrink back. It just makes much of Christ and none of self. There's power in humility. It's not thinking less of yourself. It's thinking of yourself less and thinking of him more. Now, I thank God. You know what? As I get ready to close out, let's do a heart check real quick. Okay? Pray with me. Lord, let every word I say, every song I sing, every lesson I teach, every act I perform be a spotlight that shines on you, not me. Help me decrease so you can increase. May I never rob you of your glory that only brings to you. Put the amen on it because you can always tell who you're pointing to by who gets magnified. If the focus is on your voice, your vision, your victory, you may be still in the spotlight. But if hearts are drawn to Jesus, lives are changed by Jesus, and glory rises to Jesus, then you fulfilled your calling. What made John's faith so powerful in preparing people for Jesus? It was his bold stand on truth, his humility in pointing only to Christ. And why must faith confront not just comfort, because truth must break the chains of bondage, not just massage emotions. Real change needs real repentance. And I wonder what role does the Holy Ghost, the Spirit, and fire play in the Christians' lives today? You see, the Holy Ghost empowers us to live holy, while fire purifies and it prepares us for service. And so I'm glad Will you, as we go forward, John the Baptist teaches us that true faith doesn't just believe. Now, I'm glad as I close out, it challenges, it confronts, and it points to Jesus. Don't be a silent doctor with a cure. Open your mouth. Stand in the gap. Cry out in the wilderness and prepare the way of the Lord in someone's heart this day and this coming week. Amen. As we pray, thank you for tuning in for our Bible Studies for Life with John Baptist of Faith that Challenges Others. Lord, thank you for John Baptist, a man who doesn't flinch in the face of religion or ridicule. Make us bold like Him. Help us speak truth and love. Challenge hypocrisy. Point everyone to Jesus, not ourselves. And let your fire burn away fear. And let us never be ashamed of the gospel. In Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. Thank y'all so much for tuning us in. Hope and pray that y'all have a wonderful day in the Lord today. May God bless you. It's all of our prayers. You.