Camel Hair, Locust, & Honey

Transcript from the Sermon given on June 8th 2025

(We are trying out a new Transcription Service, so please excuse any typos, run-on sentences, illogical statements, unintentional heresies, etc.)

All glory to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings. All glory goes to Jesus Christ because all glory belongs to Jesus Christ. It is his. We get no glory in this world, it all belongs to Jesus Christ. Today is Sunday, June 8th, 2025. My sermon this morning is a little bit different. You'll see me flipping pages because I've got a manuscript up here that I did not give to you all so you can shed your tears now before I start flipping the pages. We are looking at Matthew 3/4 through 6 and our sermon this morning is titled Camel Hair, Locust and Honey. So guess what we will be talking about? But before we get there, I'd like to summarize very quickly last week's message. As we keep moving through chapter 3, we are continuing to learn more and more about John the Baptizer. Last week we looked at verses one through 3 and we saw that John was not simply just some random evangelist out in the wild. But rather, He was as Isaiah 40 verse 3 prophesied. He was the voice of one crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. Meaning that not only was John the Baptist himself prophesied of, but his work and his words. Were prophesied of as well. God said he was going to do something and then he did it. John, though those days in the wilderness was thundering out the call to repentance. If you can remember from last week for no other reason apart from. The Kingdom of heaven being at hand, people would have asked them why should we repent? John and his response would be because the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. He used no frills, no niceties, His preaching void of anything apart from radical self denial. And demanding a life change to the fullest degree was preaching in its most pure form. It was the most pure form of preaching because when this is the topic, the subject of a sermon, it places all of the expectations of the results. On what Romans 10/17 says, which says that faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. When the call to repent for no other reason than the truth of God currently ruling and reigning over His creation, when that is the sermon, it places the onus of ears and eyes being opened, and of hearts being softened squarely upon the only one capable. Of opening ears and eyes and softening hearts. God. John took his pulpit, not to the city streets, not to the synagogues and establishments of religious society, but to the wilderness. And it was there, upon those shifting sands, buttressed about by blowing tumbleweeds and whipping winds, where no human reasoning. Whoever placed their hope, it was, it was there. It was precisely there where God tells us to hope John and more ways than just his words, which we will be talking about in our message this morning. John was living into the truth that God meets his children. In the wild, in the place of fear and danger, where human hope shudders and kneels, is the precise place where God sent not only John the Baptist, but where he sent his Son Jesus Christ. And it is in. These places of anxiety and doubt, with the Gospel call ringing clear for every ear to hear, that John was preparing the way of the Lord, his call burning off any excuse at disbelief under the heat of the message. Preached did just that. It cleared the way for any who would come after him. It negated any opportunities of disbelief. It built an inroad. It cleared any obstacles on any roads that may have been paved before him. And it prepared the way of the Lord. So if you'll stand with me this morning for the reading of God's Word, we will read the same verses that we read together last week, Matthew 3, one through 12, focusing on 4/5. And six. Here now the words of the living God. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying the voice of 1. Crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him. And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Brood of Vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come, therefore bear fruits. Worthy of repentance. And do not think to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees, therefore. Every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. But he was coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. And fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, when he will burn up the chaff. With unquenchable fire. Thus concludes the reading of God's holy Word. Let us pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for John the Baptist. Thank you for his word, his works. Thank you for Matthew penning this story down, penning down your very voice. And thank you for this opportunity to hear it and to learn from it, and let your words sink down into the soil of our heart and bear fruits worthy of repentance. In Jesus name, Amen. Thank you. You may be seated. The description that we have in our verses this morning, 4 through 6. This description is what comes to mind to just about anybody who knows who John the Baptist is. He was preaching in the wilderness in verse 3, priming our thoughts, and then in verses 4 through 6, the image becomes fuller when we read about his clothing. And his diet. So that is going to be the focus of our sermon this morning as we lead into where we will be going in the next few weeks. With John wearing a cloak of animal skin which was secured about his waist with even more animal skin leather, a leather belt. When we hear this, we should we should be comparing this image against the soft, pleasant and opulent linen clothing. Of the religious elite, the Pharisees were their ornate garb, jewels and tassels, which at one time in Exodus 28, all the way back in the Old Testament, this this decorative clothing was actually commanded by God to set them apart. He told them to have to have soft clothing, to have jewels, to have tassels to set them apart. However, at this point in time, as we Fast forward to the New Testament, this ornate clothing that was commanded by God became nothing but an outward example. Of their inward rot and self righteousness when Jesus says in Matthew 23 five that they like to keep the phylacteries broad, meaning the case that they would strap the law to their forehead with. They wanted it to be extra special, extra pretty, and they enlarged the tassels of their garments. They wanted to make sure that everybody knew how special and holy they were. Look at my, look at my clothing. Look how holy I am. Look at how expensive and pretty and wonderful my clothing is. The unit, you know, God told us to dress this way. But they were using the commands of God and Exodus 28 as a well suited excuse to hide their self righteousness. How dark is the human heart that we will use anything we can to hide? Our sin, even the instructions of God. Jesus himself talks about John's choice of clothing and Matthew 11, seven through 10, and it says this. As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What did you go out into the wilderness to see a Reed shaken? By the wind. But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments. Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in King's houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet. Yes, I say to you. And more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written. Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. John was in clothing alone what the self-righteous aren't. Now you see what we're gonna, we're gonna keep digging deeper and deeper into this clothing, into his diet, and we're going to come out the other end of this sermon, hopefully taking a breath of fresh air from the the depths I'm going to sink you down into. All right, So stay with me here this morning. This type of clothing, wearing camel hair, we're going to start at the surface and get deeper. This type of clothing was associated with the poor, the country folk, those outside the city and everything and all the important stuff going on there. This is where all the important people live, the people that are involved and. All the goings on of of the 1st century Judea and then out there in the wild and the wilderness, that's where all the poor people live. And they dressed that way. And considering that John Baptist was the herald of the only true King, the only true holy One, we can now see even more clearly the foundational framework that we talked about two Sundays ago. Jesus was prophesied to be rejected and despised and taking on the garb of the poor. John would have been lumped in with them as well. And we're going to keep getting to a deeper and deeper truth. But before we get there, we need to take note that at this point in history, material wealth was used as evidence for the love of God. Material wealth was used as evidence that God loves you. Of course God loves me. Look at all of my stuff. Look at my home, look at all the things I have, look at even my clothing. Of course I am OK with God. Maybe I have some sins, sure, but if God wasn't loving me and blessing me, why would I have all of this stuff, you know? If God loved you, you probably wouldn't be poor. Jesus himself talks about this mentality in Matthew 11, which we just read a few verses of it and I'm going to repeat them here. But if you would like to turn with me to Matthew 11, the 1st 10 verses, like I said, I'll repeat the verses I just read. But before he gets to that. We read these words Matthew 11 starting at verse one. Now it came to pass when Jesus finished commanding his 12 disciples, that he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. Verse 2 of Matthew 11. And when John had heard in prison, this is John the Baptist, when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ. He sent two of his disciples and said to them, Are you the coming one, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said to them, the two disciples from John. Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf here the dead are raised. And the poor have the gospel preached to them, and blessed is he who is not offended because of me. As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What did you go out into the wilderness to see or read shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments. Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in King's houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written. Behold, I send my messenger before your face. Who will prepare your way before you? Did you see what Jesus said there? John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to go see Jesus and say, hey, are you the one? Are you the 1 the Old Testament used to talk about? Are you the prophesied one? Are you the Messiah? Is that who you are? And what was Jesus's response? Did you see it? Tell them these things. Go tell Johnny. Go tell John this. The blind see the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf here, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. We can't overemphasize this enough, brothers and sisters. Jesus Christ God in the flesh is saying that when the gospel is being preached to the poor, it is on the same level as of spiritual significance as dead. People coming back to life. For us Saints living after Golgotha and the reality shaking event of Christ dying under the wrath of his Father for all who will ever repent and believe, this kind of mentality has mostly been done away with. To the church, Well, yes, of course we should go to the poor. Of course, Jesus just said that the gospel being preached to the poor is just as as significant as blind people getting their sight back. So yes, of course we should go out to the poor people in the world, yes. The mega church charlatans and snake oil salesman that are here in our culture today still adhere to the heresy of material wealth being evidence of God's love, but their ruse is plain to see. However, even the God hating pagans and atheists in this world will still attach some manner of spirituality to caring for the poor and needy. And it's because Christ was poor and needy. Even those who hate him can't avoid the effect he had on our world. Because Christ was poor. We value the poor. Because Christ lowered himself even to the role of a servant. Philippians 2, seven. We honor those who serve. It is because Christ sacrificed himself. That every culture across our planet views self sacrifice as the highest form of love is because of Christ John 1513 which even the God haters in this world will plaster on their property. That says greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friend. Everyone knows what love is precisely and for no other reason than because of the one who is love coming to this world. You see what we're what we're getting into here and talking about John the Baptist and his clothing and his diet. We are talking about absolute, radical, even phonetical self denial and non conformity. We are talking about abject selflessness, not even a hint or a smidgen of anything apart from fanatical. Self denial because this is what God demands of anyone who would follow after him. God demands fanatical self denial. Crazy zealous. We're even regular Christians like whoa man, you need to calm down with that. Just enjoy yourself a little, enjoy some things in this world which that could be a whole other sermon, but not to talk about it. God demands fanatical self denial. Jesus himself speaks of this in Matthew 1037 and 38. He says this, He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And if that wasn't enough, He goes even further, verse 38 and he who does not take his cross and follow after me. Is not worthy of me. If you love your parents, your family, your children, if you love your family more than you love God, then you aren't worthy of God. And then he hits it home even harder if you don't take up your cross. Now, this living in the 21st century, we hear this. Yeah, I understand. It's the daily dying to self. I get that, pastor. But when Jesus said this, where were they and when were they were living in the Roman Empire, when the Romans would nail people naked to crosses everywhere. And then Jesus comes. You need to pick up that. That thing right there. Staying with the people you know, love. You need to pick up that. If you want to follow me, you need to count your life as nothing if you want to follow God. Correct and complete self denial is what God demands of his children. And Philippians 2-3 says we need to esteem other people better than ourselves. Is that not contrary to our culture? Is that right there? Philippians 2-3 not concrete evidence that humans didn't write the Bible. God says to consider other people better than you. First, John 215 says that we should refuse to love the world or the things in the world. And as Jesus himself just said, we need to daily take up an instrument of public humiliation and death. These are the instructions from heaven for anybody who wishes to see heaven. Do you see how it is beyond us to talk someone into believing? How we can't convince other people that God is true and real? We can't do it, it has to come from behind us. Jesus said you have to hate your parents in comparison to how much you love me. If you want to go to heaven, you need absolute, complete and total self denial. So I'll ask you before we keep talking about John's clothing. Will your stuff, whatever it may be, stand in the way of your relationship with God? Or, like we just said, will it trick you into thinking you're OK with God? Of course God loves me. Look at all the things I have, all your stuff standing in the way. Your hobbies, your family, your interests, your clothing? Or will you do as John did and remove anything from your life that might obscure your sight of the Word made flesh? What are you willing to give up? Children of God? Anything. Everything. Are you willing to live homeless on the streets of this world? If that means you can have a clear vision of Jesus Christ? What are you willing to give up? And we think, Oh yeah, of course I'm really, I don't want to, but I'm willing. But of course, I will get rid of anything like, yes, I will do that. But what about those things that I believe are in my life because of God? I think God has done this in my heart. I think God has given, has given this to me in my life. Are you saying I should give that up too? What I'm saying is you should be willing. What did Abraham do with Isaac? Isaac, the promised son, the one that I'm gonna give you. Was Abraham willing to give up the promises of God? What are you willing to give up? It is this type of fanatical self denial that John the Baptizer was displaying with his clothing. Yes, but it was something deeper as well. Without giving away the sermon from Matthew, let me get who knows what. Matthew 11 probably be 27 or something, No idea. But without giving away the sermon, Matthew 11, John the Baptizer was Elijah who is to come. That's what Jesus says of John and Elijah. Wore the same clothing as John. We read this in Second Kings, 1/6 through 8. So they said to him, A man came up to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, It is because there is no God in Israel. You're sending to inquire of bails above it. Bail- sabab bails above the God of background. Therefore you shall not come down from the bed which have gone up, but you shall surely die. So some prophet said that to them, You worship the devil, and now you're gonna die because of it. Then they said to him, what? What kind of man was it came up to meet you and told you these things? Who said that? So they answered him, a hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist. And he said, that's Elijah the Tishbite. It's like right 13-4 it says that the false prophets would intentionally not wear a row of coarse hair of animal hair to avoid being associated with profit so they could avoid the death penalty that their false prophecies would earn them. Prophets dressed like that. And here this morning we have John the Baptist fully insured that his words were from God, dressed as the prophets of old, willingly being associated with the poor and needy while bellowing out the oracles of God. The mere clothing of the last Old Testament prophet was a sermon that taught that he was from God and that fanatical self denial is an essential aspect of living for Jesus Christ. So before we get into point #2 I'd like to ask you, what does your clothing, children of God, say about you? Does it preach a message? If so, what does it say? Are you telling truths about God with the clothing that you put on? Are you communicating something about what is going on in your head and in your heart with the clothing that you wear? Are the clothes that you wear an outward example of inward pride like the Pharisees? Or, to the other extreme, does your clothing tell people that you don't know how to care for yourself? You don't care? Ohh at all? Do you seek to glorify God with the clothing that you wear? Yes. God cares about your T-shirts, your pants. Continuing with this theme, a fanatical self denial, and continuing with this description of God, we see that John the Baptizer ate locusts and wild honey. I imagine I'm being crunchy. That's just my opinion. While this may seem off putting, he ate locusts. Those you don't know locusts are related to grasshoppers. They look like a little bigger. It might seem kind of weird to us. However, there's there's still a they were back then a a staple of the diet for people that lived out in the wild and even today people still eat locusts being compared to shrimp. Shrimp. It tastes like shrimp. I'm gonna call him shrimp of the soil. Or we could even go and call shrimp locusts of the sea. I doubt, however, that any of us would be eager to order a locust cocktail next time we go out to eat again. This might seem weird to us. Stay with me. In Leviticus 11/22, when God is giving them all of the commands and all of the instructions, it says that locusts were ceremonially clean, meaning they were allowed to be eaten. It excuse me. We also read that honey. That Was wild honey meaning John was not a beekeeper when he came across a hive? You have thanked God for his Providence and enjoyed the sweet liquid gold. The same principle that he was not keeping hives beside of the locusts as well. He ate whatever God's Providence brought to him. Now we can compare this turn with me to Luke chapter 12. 1st starting at verse 16, Luke 1216, just off you verses 16 to 20 of Luke 12, we can compare this minimalistic living, this fanatical self denial. We can compare this to a parable that Jesus gives us in Luke 1216 through 20 that says this. Then he that's Jesus here. Then he spoke a parable to them saying the ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully and he thought within himself. Saying, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? So he said, I will do this, I will, I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, You have many goods laid up for many years, Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, Fool, this night your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided? 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself. And is not rich toward God. We can compare John the Baptizer to this certain rich man who exploited the Providence God for personal gain. When we do this, when we hold these two people up in our minds, we will see one exploiting, like I just said, exploiting God's Providence to live a life of ease. And then we'll see John the Baptizer living a life of complete abandon for the Kingdom of heaven. In fact, in another place it looks we need to turn there in another place, Lukes Gospel chapter 16 verse 16. Jesus talks about John being the last Old Testament prophet and then goes right into the parable of the rich young ruler. John the Baptizer mortified the world. Mortified means killing any desire for it, killing it daily. And John did this. He mortified the world with his clothing. I don't care that you think I'm a crazy person. I don't care you're associating with the poor. I don't care anymore. Defied his flesh with his diet. I don't care that you look down on the food that I eat. I don't care You have farms and storehouses and bars. I don't care. One ancient historian, Pliny the Elder, in about 60 to 7080, somewhere in time. It's hard to nail down a specific date when ancient writers wrote their ancient books, but one historian, Pliny the Elder, wrote a book titled Food and Drink. What do you think was the topic of his book Food and Drink, where he criticized the diet of the Roman Empire and he wrote this. Are you ready now? We Speaking of the Romans now we even eat Peacock tongues and Sir Flamingo. And invent new flavors at every turn. We've forgotten the days when porridge was our stable. Now, all that aside, if someone offered me Peacock tongue, I would eat it. If someone offered for me, I would eat it. However, what this was, it was an example of their self indulgence. It was an example of the overt decadence of the Roman Empire. We can eat anything we want. And then John the Baptizer comes in, says I don't care. John the Baptizer, what? Daniel before him. Who's the decadent indulgences of the world around him and lived into the truth of Proverbs 23 one through three that says this. When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you and put a knife to your throat. If you are a man given to appetite, do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Ohh, what the world we live in we're even our food says something about the direction of our hearts. What does your food say about the direction of your heart? Children of God, maybe you never thought this way before, but the Bible says your food teaches you something and teaches other people something as well. What is your food say about the direction of your heart? Does it cause you to think high, to think highly of God, thanking him for the blessing of the food before you? Now I'm not talking about simply parenting out a prayer before every meal. You know what I grew up. We also pray before That I'm going to do, but no. Is it deep, heartfelt thankfulness? Does gratitude ooze out of you because of the food in front of you? Furthermore, like I said, do you even think this way at all? Are you like a certain rich man we just spoke of who, lazily indulging in the blessings of God that have been poured out on you, refused to glorify God with them? Do you think about what you're putting in your body at all? Just how the clothing could represent inward pride? Does your food express inward pride? Does your food express anxiety? Does what you eat express a fear of the future? That's what you eat. Express self righteousness. Is what you eat express empathy or indifference to the temple that God gave you? Learn from John the Baptizer and let your diet glorify. God. Not like I said, we're going to get deeper, just how John's camel hair, it represented nonconformity with the world, represented fanatical self denial, but it also represented that he was Elijah, that he was an Old Testament prophet in the same or a deeper spiritual understanding. The same thing can be said of his diet as well. Stay with me. Let's just touch deeper in Exodus 10. When Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, what was one of the plagues? Locusts in Revelation 9? When John has his vision of the judgment of God, what is one of the things that he sees? Locusts. Locusts in Scripture are a symbol of destruction and judgment. Locusts symbolize the wrath of God. And then what did God say to Moses, to the Israelites would be in the Promised land? We all know it's very common phrase. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. It was a symbol of mercy and blessing. So you see what we have here. We have something that symbolizes destruction and judgment, and we have something that symbolizes blessing and mercy. Being eaten by the forerunner of Jesus Christ, the one who is going to tell people there's someone coming, the one the Old Testament prophet, the prophet talked about, he's here, he's on his way, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. He's here and what he eat? Symbols of judgment and blessing. What this is, is that John's physical diet was symbolic of the true spiritual judgment and true spiritual blessings that would come with Jesus Christ. Do you see how much care and concern and intention God wove into our world? That everything pointed to a deeper spiritual truth? He left nothing up to chance. And for those of us who seek to be more and more like Jesus Christ should be letting everything in our life point to Him. Be abject, fanatical people of self denial. Do it. Reject the worldly signs of prosperity and comfort. Use them if they still come your way. If they still come your way, unlike that certain rich man, don't just build your life, build build yourself a life of ease and comfort. But if prosperity and comfort come your way, use them as fuel to burn brighter the light of Jesus Christ in your life. Do not let your clothing or your food distract you or anyone from the truth of God. Let every thread and let every bite of your life be a testament to His saving. Price. And that brings us to our final point this morning. Now, this final point, when we're all said and done, you might think, well, he didn't really talk about it that much. I still have a billion questions about it. Good. Because the next few in the next few weeks are gonna dive into even deeper baptism. Baptism. We see our first this morning that there was an accompanying action to the baptism of John. It doesn't say they went and baptized and they dried off. Now they were baptized by him. Verse 6 in the Jordan doing what? Confessing their sins. Those who heard his cry of repentance day in the wilderness were immersed beneath the waves and ripples of the Jordan as they made a public confession of their sins. Not specific. Every single one delineated out for all to hear. What a general yes, I've sinned and I need to be forgiven. They made a public confession of their sins. For that is what baptism is. It is a public, tangible sign of the change of their heart. They one time hated God and through the means of the preaching of the gospel, like Romans 10/17 says, through the means of the preaching of the gospel, they're once dead hearts were replaced with ones of blood pumping God loving ones by the only one capable of changing, a heart set in animosity against Him, God Himself. God demanded repentance, God demanded a heart change, and then he did it for you, and then you were baptized and repented of your sins. Now, like I said, we're not gonna talk about baptism very much this morning because we have a whole sermon dedicated to it. But with that, one thing I will say is that we don't see baptism without repentance in our Bibles. It is repentance that John demands of the Pharisees as a prerequisite to being baptized. Who warned you of the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance, in fact. He warns them of the wrath to come, should they not? Because that is what is on the line for any who refuse to repent. What is the word that he uses? The words he uses in chapter 12, Unquenchable fire. They will be burned up like chaff. The text says under the righteous, all seeing judgment of God. Remember our definition from last week. Repentance is a life change to the fullest degree for no other reason than an admittance of our guilt. In the eyes of God, it is agreeing. It is agreeing with what God says about you and about your sins. It is making no excuses or justifications for your thoughts or actions, but instead asking God to forgive you of them. It's not hiding in the garden like our first parents. It is agreeing with what God says about you and about your sins and then asking God to forgive you. And he does. It is a laying bare of all of our wrongs at the foot of the cross, not hiding down behind good works, not hiding them as the Pharisees were trying to do in verse 9 when he says, don't you even dare say we have Abraham as our father. It's not hiding behind our family. It's not hiding behind the people that we come from. It's not hiding our sins with well thought out reasons why we acted and lived in ways that God condemns. We can't say to God after final judgment, we can't say, well, this sin doesn't really count God because of all of these things over here. This is the reason why I acted. So you can't count that against me. You know what? These things over here, God, these things don't count either because the culture that I grew up in, the culture that I lived in, they, they accepted these things. So you can't count these things against me. No, it's not hiding your sins behind anything, not your good works, not Touch our family, not your culture. But instead, instead of hiding our sins, accuse yourself. Be your own courtroom prosecutor and accuse yourself of every sin you've ever committed, ever committed it. Repentance is acting against ourselves, leaning into our fears, and denying ourselves. Do you see the commonality between the way John the Baptist lived and what repentance is? Abject self denial. You want to be more like Christ than, yes, deny the ungodly pleasures and delicacies of this world. But the only way, the only way you'll ever have the strength to do so is by confessing your sins. Do you want your clothing and your diet to preach a message to the people in your life? Then confess your sins to Him who can forgive you of them. Do you want to esteem others better than yourself? Do you want to live separate and apart from the ungodly? Culture God has for ordained for you to evangelize. Do you want to be a living testimony? Do you want to be a living sacrifice to the glory of God and the God of his children and confess your sins? Do you want to be baptized? Then bear fruits worthy of repentance. For when we do confess, when we lean into, when we dive headlong into abject, fanatical self denial and confess. What we are guilty of before a judge who sees everything. He forgives us. He forgives us. And his forgiveness does not come to us because we earned it. Not because we've denied ourselves, but because we never could. It comes to us because God saw us slaving away in our sins, because God saw us building a life for us in our hatred of Him, and had mercy on us for no other reason. Apart from His own will and His own purposes, and then sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to fulfill the law in our place that we never could, to take our sins upon Himself and die under the wrath that they deserved. And when that happens, we are counted the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When we repent, when we dive into abject fanatical self denial, accusing ourselves of our own sins, holding none of them back. Your Honor, my client is guilty of so many things when we do that, and he forgives us because of what Jesus Christ did. He gives us the righteousness of His Son so that when God looks at you, he doesn't see the sins you're guilty of, He sees the righteousness that His Son gave you. Learn from John the Baptizer, you children of God. Follow His lead. Live a life of abject, fanatical self denial, not because it earns you eternity, but because eternity was earned for you there. Yep, first Peter 113 through 16 says, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not conforming ourselves to the former lusts as in your ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. Please stand for the Doxology,