Status: "Greater Than" 12-3-23

Overview

Status: "Greater Than"

Advent is the church's season of waiting—blue paraments, the slowly filled wreath, and the sober call of John the Baptist all signal that we live in the in-between, between Christ's first coming and His second. While the world rushes toward Christmas, the church holds back in expectation, preparation, and repentance. Much of the Christian life, in fact, is shaped this way: we move and we wait.

When John appears in Matthew 11:2-11, he is in prison, sending disciples to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" Jesus answers with the works of the Messiah—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised, and the poor hear good news. Then He turns to the crowd and offers an extraordinary affirmation of John, marked by three qualities. Strength of conviction: John was no reed shaken by the wind; he did not test the breeze of public opinion Matthew 3:1-3. Sacrifice: clothed in camel's hair, eating locusts and wild honey, he was not self-indulgent but self-denying—one of only three in Scripture, alongside Samson and Samuel, recorded as taking such a vow. Surpassing stature: he was more than a prophet, the very forerunner promised in Malachi 3:1, preparing the way of the Lord Matthew 3:11.

Then comes the affirmation: "Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist." But the surprise follows immediately: "Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." The greater-than sign is turned toward us. We who fall short—who are tempted toward weak conviction, self-indulgence, and the ways of the world—are nevertheless declared greater than John, not by anything we have achieved, but by what Christ has done. On the cross He bore our sin; in the waters of Baptism He washes us with the word of the cross and empty tomb and makes us members of His kingdom.

Beloved, your status is not the sum of what the world emphasizes. You are greater than your achievements and accolades, greater than your power or position, greater than the self-made successes the world prizes—not because of who you are, but because of who you are in Christ. There is no greater title, no greater position, no greater reality than to be called a child of God and a member of His kingdom. In this Advent of waiting, that is the identity in which we stand.

Transcript

Do you open your Bible's please with me to the 11th chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew. 3s

For our study today, if you're using a Pue edition, you'll find that in the New Testament 9s

page 10, Matthew the 11th chapter. 14s

The church adorned in blue, the advent, wreath, hung, weak by weak. 19s

We draw closer to Christmas and it is evident that we are in the season of advent. 28s

The world wants to to rise into Christmas and the church. 38s

The church says, wait, wait. 45s

For advent is that time of expectation. 50s

It is that time of preparation. 53s

It is that time of repentance. 56s

And so while the Christmas carols may abound, the church says, not yet, not yet. 62s

And adorned in the color of blue, the color of hope, the color of confidence we walk in 73s

these days. 81s

We are reminded that really life is advent, isn't it? 82s

For we live in the in-between times between the first coming of our Lord and the second coming of our Lord. 87s

And so much of life is waiting isn't it? 93s

And so as the people of God in advent, we move and we wait. 100s

We wait. 110s

When John the Baptist shows up in the texts on Sunday morning, that also is another sign. 113s

In addition to the blue and the advent, wreath, in addition to all of the waiting, when 121s

John the Baptist comes, that's a reminder that we are in the glorious and rich season 127s

of advent. 135s

We see in Scripture how our Lord affirmed quite a few people. 137s

He affirmed, for example, Mary, remember the two sisters, Mary and Martha, Martha was busy 144s

preparing the meal. 150s

Mary chose to sit at the feet of the Lord and to listen to the teachings of our Lord. 152s

And Jesus affirmed her for what she did. 157s

There's the centurion that our Lord says, not even in Israel, have I found such faith. 162s

There's the affirmation when his feet were anointed. 170s

And Jesus says, she has done a beautiful thing. 174s

But when it comes to affirmation in Holy Scripture, when it comes to the affirmation of people 182s

in Holy Scripture, then comes the affirmation of John. 188s

And John is at a whole different level of being affirm than a whole different level. 196s

John was born six months before the birth of our Lord. 209s

He lived in the desert. 215s

And he was given the call to proclaim the coming Christ. 218s

He was the four runner. 222s

Of course, he was given the call to call for repentance. 224s

Turn a few pages back, please. 229s

To Matthew the third chapter, verse two, Matthew chapter three. 231s

We hear the message of the Baptist. 238s

Verse two, repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near. 242s

This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, the voice of one crying out in the wilderness 247s

prepare the way of the Lord make his path straight. 254s

Job done out, please, to verse 11. 260s

I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who's more powerful than I is coming after me. 264s

I'm not worthy to carry his sandals. 272s

He will baptize you with a Holy Spirit and fire his winnowing fork, his in his hand, and he'll 276s

clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the greenery, but the chef, 283s

he will burn with unquenchable fire. 290s

If there is one that personifies pointing away from yourself and unto the Lord, it was John the Baptist. 295s

And John exposed the actions of the ruler, hered antipus. 308s

He winds up in prison. 312s

John is martyred for the faith. 316s

The four runner of the Messiah. 321s

John's timetable was different than our Lord's timetable. 328s

And so when John is in prison, a question arises to our text now, please chapter 11, verse two. 336s

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him. 348s

Are you the one who is to come or are we to wait for another? 356s

Then comes the assurance. 361s

Jesus answered them, go and tell John what you hear and see. 364s

The blind received their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf here, 368s

the dead are raised and the poor have good news brought to them and blessed is anyone who takes 374s

no offense at me. 381s

After that then comes questions of our Lord. 386s

And embedded in the questions and leading up to it, is the affirmation 393s

of John but watch for the surprise. 402s

Verse seven, as they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, 410s

what did you go out into the wilderness to look at, a read shaken by the wind, 417s

reads were common along river banks. 423s

Of course, a read when the wind would come, it would just blow each and every way, 426s

whatever way the wind would go. Jesus is saying first and foremost about John, 431s

that there was a strength about John, a strength of conviction. 436s

John didn't what his index finger and put it in the air to see which way the wind would blow. 443s

John didn't say, what actions or words can I say that would simply make me me, 448s

popular among the people. No, he was strong of conviction. He wasn't like some kind of 453s

spinoist read that simply blows with the wind, string of conviction. 462s

Sacrifice, characterized, John, very next verse, verse eight. 471s

What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? 477s

Look at those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 484s

What was John's dress? It was Campbell's hair and he ate locus, and wild honey. 490s

John was not self indulgent. John was a picture of one who was other focused. 497s

John was a picture here of self denial. In fact, he's only one of three people 503s

that scripture records took a vow of self denial, Samson and Samuel are the other two. 509s

See, it wasn't about John. It was about being faithful in being the four runner and proclaiming 516s

the Christ's strength of conviction. Sacrifice in the third S, he surpassed. What do I mean by that? 525s

Look at verse nine. What then did you go out to see a prophet? 540s

Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. He surpassed being a prophet. He was more than a prophet. 547s

John just wasn't a prophet. He was the fulfillment of prophecy. He was the very four runner. 560s

That scripture had said would come the four runner to the Messiah. 568s

Very next verse, verse 10, this is the one about whom it is written. See, I'm sending my messenger 573s

ahead of you. Who will prepare your way before you? He was the fulfillment. This is Malachi three here. 580s

He was the fulfillment of Malachi, the third chapter. Strength of conviction. Sacrifice. 587s

Serp has say, and then it comes, the affirmation of John. Verse 11, 597s

true, the I tell you, among those born of women, no one has a risen, greater than John. 615s

The best. Jesus affirmed people recorded in scripture. We see examples of it. 634s

John, he's in a whole other level. And Jesus says, no one has a risen, greater than John, 645s

the best. No one greater than. When I was at school, I had a class that was a mandatory 665s

class from my major. It was a class on statistics. I dreaded that class. There was no way around it. 680s

I simply had to go through it. And I had heard all kinds of nasty things about that class. 691s

Day one, the day finally had come. I had put it off as long as I could put it off. 702s

The class had a couple hundred people in it, and so to get to the professor 708s

that that wasn't possible. Thankfully, there were graduate assistants that were associated with 713s

that class. I realized that that class built upon itself. It was cumulative class. That if 722s

I got lost at any point, the trek in the woods would be a difficult trek. 733s

And so the graduate assistants and myself, we became well acquainted. That semester. 739s

When I didn't understand something, I was in that very day with the graduate assistants, say, 747s

okay, this is what I'm not getting, and I know I got to get it. They patiently worked with. 754s

There are many of you in the congregation that for living, you're associated in the world of 763s

statistical analysis. That's not my world. They taught me all of the little 771s

sweet pleas with regard to statistics that one had to memorize. But amidst all of that, I took 780s

comfort in the process with the symbol of the greater than sign. I had learned that in elementary 788s

school, and I was comfortable with it. I knew the greater than sign. There's a greater than sign 797s

in the text, right? You see it there. You can just substitute the mathematical symbol for it, 811s

and it's right there. Why in verse 11, truly I tell you, among those board of women, no one has 820s

a risen greater than John the Baptist. But then it appears again, and here comes the surprise. 828s

Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he, the least in the kingdom of heaven 842s

is greater than he. 861s

We all fall short. We all can be tempted with lesser conviction and with weakness in conviction. 872s

We can all be tempted to lick the index finger and put it up to see which way the wind is 886s

blowing. We can all be tempted to be the spineless read. We can all be tempted to just do that, 893s

which we know will make us popular. We can also be tempted and we can fall short in the area of 905s

self-sacrifice. Self denial. It's so much easier, isn't it? It's so much easier to be self-indulgent. 917s

It's so much easier to understand the world as if you're the center of the universe, and everything 929s

revolves around you. It's so much easier to simply look at others as people who are put on this planet 936s

to serve you. It is so much easier to simply say it is all about me. 946s

The very one, the very one who proclaim the coming of Christ, the very one who is given the call 959s

to call people to repentance. John the Baptist is this incredible position to proclaim the 973s

coming one who ends the Messiah and on the cross the Lord Jesus Christ bore all of our sin, 984s

all of that which should separate us from God for all of eternity. He paid the sin debt. He won for 996s

us forgiveness through the shedding of His blood and by God's grace in the waters of baptism. He 1004s

takes the word of the cross and the word of the empty tomb and He washes us in it. He washes us. 1014s

And He makes us a member of the kingdom of God, how was Benjamin introduced? 1027s

But welcome the newest member of what the newest member of the kingdom of God. 1038s

John was great in the strength of his conviction. John was great in the level of his sacrifice. 1056s

John was great as one who surpassed all of the prophets the fulfillment of prophecy himself. 1072s

But the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John. The least in the kingdom of God is greater 1086s

than John. Beloved you are not the sum of what the world emphasizes. You are greater than 1105s

your greater than your achievements and accolades. You're your greater than your power or position 1126s

that you hold. You're greater than what the world wants to emphasize. You're your greater than 1141s

your self-made person and a successful person. You're greater than all of the ways 1153s

of the world. You're greater than all of that. You are greater not because 1166s

of what you do or did. But because of what Christ did. You're greater than all of that. 1181s

Not because of who you are, but because of who you are in Christ. There is no 1195s

greater title. There is no greater position. There is no greater reality. 1206s

Then to be called a child of God and a member of the kingdom of God. 1222s

There's nothing greater than that. Truly I tell you. Among those born of women, 1233s

no one's a risen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven. 1250s

is greater than be. 1262s