Sunday 12/14/25 – Adams Village Baptist Church
Sermon Title: “Jesus’ Cousin John/Soon and Very Soon” (“Christmas Hope” - Sermon Series: Part 3&4 of 5) – Matthew 3:1-17, Isaiah 11:1-16 (3rd Sunday of Advent)
This
morning, we are continuing on with our “Christmas Hope” sermon series. This
sermon series is designed to lead us through this season of Advent and into the
Christmas season. This sermon series is one that reminds us of and teaches us
that in this the season of Advent we are awaiting Jesus. We await Jesus’ birth,
we are called to invite Him into our hearts anew daily, as we await His return
one day. In this season, Jesus is coming, and he will return, and as we heard
last Sunday the coming of Jesus was prophesied centuries before His birth.
These prophecies all throughout the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible point us to
our savior that is coming soon, what His life would be like, how he would live
and love, and the hope of His return one day.
This
morning though I am going to combine my message for this morning, on this Third
Sunday of Advent, and my message for next Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
I am doing this because next Sunday is our annual Youth Christmas Service. As a
result, next Sunday will be the best sermon I never gave!
For
this third sermon in this “Christmas Hope” sermon series, this sermon is called
“Jesus’ Cousin John.” The sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is called “Soon
and Very Soon.” Given this, I will first discuss “Jesus’ Cousin John,” then I
will finish this message with “Soon and Very Soon.” Since some of the Old
Testament prophecies discussed the life of the Messiah, of Jesus, then talking
about “Jesus’ Cousin John” points us to what Jesus would do here on earth.
When
I say, “Jesus’ Cousin John,” I am talking about John the Baptist. The prophecy
in the Old Testament foretold one who would prepare the way of the Lord. The
Old Testament of our bibles predicted that John the Baptist, or the “baptizer”
as some would call him, would prepare Jesus for His earthy ministry. On
Christmas, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord, as scripture
foretold. John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin would then prepare Jesus to start his
three-year earthly ministry. This is important, because since Advent is about
Jesus’s birth and second coming, what He accomplished here on earth matters.
When
Mary, Jesus’ mother was carrying Jesus in her womb, she went to visit her cousin
Elizabeth, and the scripture tells us that the baby that she was carrying, John
the Baptist, leaped in her womb. This John the Baptist would then grow up and
begin calling the people of Judea to repentance. To confess their sins to God,
and in addition to this, be baptized as sign of this repentance and spiritual
transformation. Further, this Baptism that John offered in the Jordan River was
one of immersion. The people being baptized were called to repent and went
fully into the water. They came up out of the water having asked God’s forgiveness
and we transformed and changed through the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist, and
the form of immersion baptism that he performed, is part of the identity of
those Christian Churches and Christians that believe only in full immersion
baptism. The reason once again, that John the Baptist is sometimes discussed in
Advent, is because he was prophetically called in the Old Testament to prepare
the way for his cousin Jesus Christ.
As
I was discussing in my message last Sunday about “Old Testament Prophecies
Fulfilled,” our gospel of Matthew 3:1-17 reading for this morning begins with
the Old Testament prophecy foretelling of Jesus’ Cousin John the Baptist. In
fact, our reading for this morning of Matthew 3:1-17 starts by saying once
again:
The
Proclamation of John the Baptist
3 In those
days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 ‘Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 3 This is the one of
whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the
wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”’ (Matt. 3:1-3,
NRSV).
In this portion of our scripture from Matthew 3:1-3,
Matthew is citing the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah 40:3, which is saying that
“Jesus’ Cousin John” the Baptist is the one foretold to prepare the way of the
Messiah, of Jesus Christ. Jesus will be born on Christmas, He will grow up, and
His Cousin John the Baptist will prepare Him for his three-year earthly
ministry.
Continuing on in our reading from Matthew 3:1-17, we hear
about what “Jesus’ Cousin John” the Baptist was like, and the ministry to which
he was called. Once again, this is what it says, picking up in Matthew 3:4:
4 Now John wore
clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was
locusts and wild honey. 5 Then the people of Jerusalem and
all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and
they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But
when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them,
‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear
fruit worthy of repentance. 9 Do not presume to say to
yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from
these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now
the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matt. 3:4-10,
NRSV).
Continuing on, John the Baptist says,
picking up with Matthew 3:11:
11 ‘I baptize you
with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is
coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with
the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing-fork is
in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat
into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire’ (Matt. 3:11-12,
NRSV).
This reading from Matthew 3:1-17 then ends
with Matthew 3:13-17, with Jesus being baptized by immersion from his cousin
John the Baptist. This is what it says, once again:
The
Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus came
from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John
would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you
come to me?’ 15 But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now;
for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he
consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he
came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And
a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well
pleased’ (Matt.
3:13-17, NRSV).
“Jesus’s Cousin John” the Baptist was called to prepare for
Jesus to begin His mission on earth. In this season of Advent and soon to be
Christmas, Jesus is coming, and we are called to prepare our hearts, our minds,
and our souls. “Jesus’ Cousin John” the Baptist, is also part of the reason we
are called “Baptists” and is connected to people that are “Anabaptists,” like
the Amish, Mennonites, etc. “Anabaptist” mean re-baptizer, as in the 1500’s and
the 1600’s some Christians only did baptism by full immersion, and only if the
person was old to understand accept Christ as Lord and savior.
Since I am combining my sermon for this Sunday, and next
Sunday, I want to talk about what would have been my message for next Sunday
called “Soon and Very Soon.” I picked this title because of the hymn called
“Soon and Very Soon” In the first verse of this hymn it says:
“Soon and very soon, we are going
to see the King! Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, we're going to see the King!” (https://gccsatx.com/hymns/soon-and-very-soon/)
In the scripture that I chose for the fourth part of this
five-part sermon series called “Christmas Hope,” I picked Isaiah 11:1-16. In
this reading from the Prophet Isaiah or the Book of Isaiah in the Old
Testament, we hear of the coming of the Messiah, the “Christmas Hope” that we
find only in Jesus Christ. This prophecy from Isaiah 11:1-16 talks about “The
Peaceful Kingdom” of Jesus Christ our Lord, who is coming, has come, and one
day will fully come to fruition in Jesus Christ our Lord. This is what this
scripture, this prophecy of the Messiah, of Jesus, says once again:
The
Peaceful Kingdom
11 A
shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of
his roots. 2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on
him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the
spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 His
delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his
eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with
righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of
the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness
shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down
with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little
child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their
young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The
nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall
put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or
destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of
the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
A leader will emerge from the lineage of Jesse, who is the
father of the great King David. The Spirit of God will be upon him, as well as
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, council and might, and the spirit of
knowledge and fear of the Lord. This messiah, Jesus will delight in the fear or
respect of the Lord, and He will judge the poor with righteousness, and deal
fairly with the meek of the earth. He we destroy the wicked, and righteousness
shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid or
baby goat, and the calf and lion and the fatling, and a little child shall lead
them. The cow and the bear will both graze on grass, and their young will lie
down together. The lion will eat straw with the ox, and the nursing baby shall
play over the hole of the asp, or snake. The weaned child shall put its hand on
the adder’s den, or a place full of dangerous and poisonous snakes. They will
not hurt or destroy anymore on the holy mountain of God, and the earth will be
as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters in the ocean.
Return
of the Remnant of Israel and Judah
10 On that day the
root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire
of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. 11 On that day the
Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left
of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from
Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 12 He
will raise a signal for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13 The
jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, the hostility of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim
shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not be hostile towards Ephraim. 14 But
they shall swoop down on the backs of the Philistines in the west; together
they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put forth their hand
against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them.
15 And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of
the sea of Egypt; and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching
wind; and will split it into seven channels, and make a way to cross on foot; 16 so
there shall be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that is left of his
people, as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt (Isa. 11:1-16,
NRSV).
On this day of the return of Christ, the Prophet Isaiah
says further starting in 11:10, that Jesus will reign, and remnant of God’s
people will be drawn back by God. Peace will ensue, and the reign of Christ
will be present on earth.
(Story about a retired pastor who prophesied over me).
Here are some application points about the
importance of John the Baptist for this morning:
Key reasons for John the
Baptist’s importance:
·
Fulfilling Prophecy: He fulfilled Isaiah's
prophecy of a messenger preparing the way for the Lord, acting as the final
great prophet before Jesus.
·
Forerunner of
Christ: His primary role was to announce the Messiah's arrival, famously
declaring, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world!".
·
Baptizer of
Jesus: He baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, an event that revealed the
Holy Spirit descending like a dove and God's voice confirming Jesus as His Son,
initiating Jesus' public ministry.
·
Call to Repentance: He preached a "baptism
of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," urging people to turn from
wrongdoing to prepare for the Kingdom of God.
·
Model of Humility: He consistently pointed away
from himself, stating he wasn't the Messiah and that he must decrease as Jesus
increased, setting an example of selfless witness.
·
Bridge to the New Covenant: His ministry marked
the transition from the old law to the new era of grace and the Kingdom of God,
with his own death foreshadowing Christ's sacrifice.
Here are some application
points about the importance of Isaiah 11:1-16 for this morning:
Isaiah
11:1-16
is a
hopeful prophecy about the coming of an ideal king,
the Messiah (Jesus Christ), who will bring about a reign of perfect
justice, peace, and the restoration of Israel.
The
passage can be broken down into three main sections:
1. The
Righteous King (Verses 1–5)
This
section introduces the promised leader who will emerge from humble origins,
specifically from the "stump of Jesse" (King David's father),
signifying that the Davidic royal line, though seemingly cut down and dead,
will sprout anew.
·
Empowerment: The Spirit of the Lord will rest
upon him, granting him perfect wisdom, understanding, counsel, might,
knowledge, and the fear of the Lord.
·
Just Rule: Unlike human judges who are swayed by
appearances or rumors, this king will judge with righteousness and equity,
advocating especially for the poor and meek.
·
Authority: His words ("the rod of his
mouth" and "breath of his lips") will be powerful enough to
strike down the wicked and bring justice to the earth.
2. The
Peaceful Kingdom (Verses 6–9)
Isaiah
uses vivid, poetic imagery to describe the universal peace and harmony that
will characterize this king's reign, reversing the disorder and conflict caused
by sin.
·
Harmony in Nature: Natural enemies, such as
wolves and lambs, leopards and young goats, and bears and cows, will coexist
peacefully. A young child will be able to play safely near a cobra's den.
·
Universal Knowledge: This peace will be possible
because "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters
cover the sea".
3. The
Restoration of Israel and the Nations (Verses 10–16)
The
final verses focus on the global impact of the Messiah's kingdom, where he
serves as a "banner" or rallying point for all peoples.
·
Gathering: God will "a second time"
reach out to reclaim the scattered remnant of his people (both Israel and
Judah) from nations around the world and bring them back to their land.
·
Unity: The long-standing rivalry and jealousy
between the northern kingdom (Ephraim) and the southern kingdom (Judah) will
end, and they will be united as one nation.
·
Triumph and Return: They will triumph over
historical enemies, and obstacles to their return will be miraculously removed,
depicted by drying up the "tongue of the Sea of Egypt" and the
Euphrates River, creating a highway for the remnant, much like the Exodus from
Egypt.
Fulfillment
For
Christians, these prophecies find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ,
who came from David's line, was anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism
(Matthew 3:16-17), and established a spiritual kingdom that gathers people from
all nations. Many aspects, such as the complete transformation of nature and
final world peace, are seen as pointing to his second coming and the new heaven
and new earth.
With all of this said, this sermon series, “Christmas Hope,” will conclude at our Family Christmas Eve service at 7:00 PM, with the message, “Christmas Hope Has Come!” Happy Third Sunday of Advent! Amen.
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