Matthew 3In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Even God Plans and PreparesMatthew 1-4:22

PlanningMany of us don’t like it

Some of us hope for the bestWe cross our fingers

We hope it all works out -- somehowGod did no such thing when He sent

Jesus Christ

There was a plan Accompanied by signs

Connected to prophecies Followed the traditions and culture

of that time and place

Matthew 1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

The plan begins with a lineageIt tells us…

There was a long, well-thought-out plan

The plan included signsVisitors from afar

Dreams with guidance and direction

Matthew 2 …Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.

22 …Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.

The plan also included fulfilled prophecies

Some were joyfulOthers were sad and painful

Matthew 122 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

Isaiah 7:14

Matthew 2 13 …“Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

Hosea 11:1

Matthew 2 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Jeremiah 31:15

Matthew 3 2 …“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”

Isaiah 40:3

The plan followed the commonly acceptable rules of the time

He had to meet certain requirementsComplete certain tasks

Acquire certain life experiencesAnd Hebrew culture was full of rules

tasks and expectations

Matthew 1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, David and Solomon, Joseph and Jesus, who is called Christ.

Matthew 3 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

Matthew 4 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down.

Matthew 4 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Why was this important to the Jews?God demonstrates love that is

thoughtfulReveals Jesus Christ though signs that

can be discernedOpened their eyes to fulfilled prophecies

God works within a framework that is acceptable and understandable

Why is this important for us?Allows us to recognize how much God

loves usGod’s signs are his way to connect with

us, guide us and give us lifeHis prophecies help us understand God’s

character as One who keeps His wordGod is so eager to connect with us --

working within our cultural framework

One last thoughtWe are also called to be planners

How will our kids know about Christ?Our neighbors?

Our friends?Reaching out to the world is of primary

importance to God

If we are created in God’s image…If God reached out to us…Created to love and care…

Created to look towards the future…Created to share God’s love…

Then we too are to plan how to reach out

We are the Federated Church.

Our Mission is to…

Seek Christ, Serve Christ and Share Christ.