Your New Exodus Matthew 3:1–12; Mark 1:1–8; Luke 3:1–18

Today we are going to meet John the Baptist but, before we begin, I want to refresh your memory about the story of the Exodus because it overlaps with the life of Jesus.

The book of Exodus tells the story of how God freed his people from slavery in Egypt. We read that after generations of oppression, God raised up Moses to confront Pharoah and demand Israel’s freedom. Through a series of plagues, God demonstrated His power over Egypt’s gods which came to a head when God instituted the Passover, sparing the homes marked by blood.

As the people fled they found themselves stuck between the armies of Pharaoh and the Red Sea but God split the waters and destroyed the Egyptian army. The people then made their way through the wilderness but they began to complain because they were not satisfied, so they went back to worshiping their old Egyptian gods. All of this is found in the story of Jesus and the gospel.

We can see the Exodus story throughout the life of Jesus. First, both Moses and Jesus were hated and hunted. Next, the Israelites fled to Egypt for safety and then came out of Egypt, just like Jesus’ family.God’s people walked through the waters as they were baptized and freed by the Red Sea and, finally, Moses led the people into the wilderness, but it is Joshua who led them out and the Greek name for Joshua is Jesus.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 

Luke 3:1-2

We begin this story with several historical points which prove this took place between 28–29 AD. Luke even adds that Annas and Caiaphas are in charge which shows Luke’s attention to deal. Caiaphas was the official high priest and Annas was his father-in-law but people at the time were well aware Annas was the real power behind the throne so both are named. We even see Caiaphas pop up again when Jesus is arrested. Crazy amount of detail. 

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You (Exod. 23:20), who will prepare Your way (Mal. 3:1)

Mark 1:1-2

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make His paths straight! Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, and everyone will see the salvation of God. (Isa. 40:3-5)

Luke 3:4-6

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 

Mark 1:4

…saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” 

Matt 3:1-2

The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 

Mark 1:4–6

His robe was made of camel’s hair robe and his belt was just a strip of leather, both of which were worn by very poor people. 

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees [and the crowds] coming to the place of his baptism, he said to them, 

Matt 3:1-12 [Luke 3:7]

…“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 9 Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

Luke 3:7-9

In ancient times, vipers were not just associated with the serpent in the garden, they were also despised as “mother-killing dragons” which meant they were the lowest of the low.

10 “What then should we do?” the crowds were asking him. 

11 He replied to them, “The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.” 

12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 

13 He told them, “Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.” 

14 Some soldiers also questioned him: “What should we do?” 

He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation; be satisfied with your wages.” 

15 Now the people were waiting expectantly, and all of them were debating in their minds whether John might be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but One is coming who is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 

17 His winnowing shovel is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn up with a fire that never goes out.” 18 Then, along with many other exhortations, he proclaimed good news to the people. 

Lk 3:1–18

John represents Moses and the law and points to the promise of a new exodus. In the OT, God’s people were freed but even though they had all their needs met they were not satisfied. So they never entered the promised land until Joshua, Jesus, came to guide them but entrance into this new relationship and kingdom has always required repentance. 

1. Return to who you were meant to be

Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah. 

Acts 3:19-20

Repentance is not just saying you are sorry, it means “to return” to God. True repentance includes the hard work of turning away from sin by changing the patterns and habits of your life. In this way, repentance is not about feeling better; it is about taking your entire life in a new direction leaving Egypt and your old ways. 

That is what the Israelites didn’t understand. God wasn’t saving them to just be free, he was saving them from the sins which put them into slavery in the first place but they never made an effort to change how they lived so they went right back to worshipping their pagan idols. 

On your new exodus, repentance and forgiveness are the entrance point into God’s kingdom and that is where real freedom is found. You must confess your sins, repent, and be baptized by the HS in order to die to this life and be reborn into the way God always intended for you to live. You need to die to sin and return to your innocence.

Jesus, however, invited them: “Let the little children come to Me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Luke 18:16

But, in order to be reborn you have to see yourself as unforgivably sinful and totally lost, otherwise you will not appreciate your freedom and that’s the difference. Children instinctually know they are helpless. Children are dependent on their parents and they look to us for guidance and wisdom. If they fall or make a mistake, they turn back to their parents for help.

True repentance is to return to who you were meant to be which means also living in a new way.

2. True Repentance is Faith in Action

What is the point of getting free from slavery if you go right back to being a slave? If you actually want to be forgiven and free from sin, why do you go back to sinning?

“Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry…you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.” 

Colossians 3:9-10 

Your repentance needs to change you and become a part of who you are. We are commanded to be disciples of Jesus and this discipleship begins with salvation and is designed to change you to be more like Jesus. This is why the people started asking what they should do differently and John gives three great nuggets of advice.

A. learn to be willing to sacrifice your stuff. v.11

He begins by reminding people that God bears fruit in your life to help others. Trees don’t eat their own fruit, it is literally for others and just as Jesus sacrificed for you, you should imitate Christ and learn to sacrifice for others.

B. Next he taught us to be like Jesus and Live with integrity

The tax collectors asked…and he commanded them to have some integrity, and not take advantage of anyone. Paul later commanded us to do our jobs as if we were serving Christ himself. This is part of what helps us grow in favor among people like Jesus did.

C. Finally, he taught us to be like Jesus and be satisfied with what you have. 

The soldiers asked what they should do and, similar to the tax collector, he says do your job with integrity but he adds a more difficult step in maturity: to be satisfied with what you already have. 

This is a deeper point because this was the downfall of Israel in the wilderness. Learning to be satisfied requires sacrifice, integrity, and gratitude for what you have. The mistake most people make is they believe if they have more they will be happy but statistics show us this is false. The fact is, if you are not happy with what you have now, you will not be any happier with more. 

In the end, the goal is to not just be free from sin but to also be free from being persuaded by the worldly values that are forced upon us by the culture we live in which includes its comforts, its status symbols, and even simple satisfaction. Social media is the perfect example because it has been proven to induce depression in teens because it is a cesspool of people competing and pretending their lives are better and happier than yours.

3. Is this challenge encouragement or a warning to you?

John was dangerous and admired because he was a man who could not be bought. He was free and fearless and this is scary for people in power but this is also why John was such an effective witness; he embodied his message! He was not a liar or a hypocrite, he taught and lived it.

You were also created to live with integrity and in freedom and when you do, you are actually living as your authentic self. Nothing will make your words penetrate the heart of your children, and those you love, more than when you yourself are living in the truth.

This is why the same gospel smells like life to some and death to others, why the gospel is encouragement to those who want to pursue righteousness and a stern warning to the wicked. 

He paints the picture of the threshing floor. A man with a winnowing fan, which was a big flat wooden shovel, would throw the freshly harvested grain in the air. The grain fell to the ground but the chaff was blown away or gathered and burned. 

God will save those who know they need to be saved but he will also let those who refuse to return go their own way. That is their choice but those who stick close to the Lord will be gathered into the Lord's garden and those who lack righteousness will be burned.

John was humble, gracious, and yet firm and fearless. For this reason, he was feared by the authorities and admired by the crowds. Like the gospel itself, to some his presence provoked fear and, to others, a sense of peace and grace. We can start in 3 simple ways: 

First, you should start to learn to trust God with your possessions (which is learned through sacrifice).

Secondly, like the tax man, you should imitate Christ in your life through practicing integrity. Treat everyone you serve, and who serves you, as if they were Jesus.

Finally, you should pray to God to help you grow so you are satisfied in your life right now. If you struggle to find joy in your life, you will fall back to your old ways like the Israelites in the wilderness. 

That is your challenge because the moment you are saved from your sins you are on your new exodus, but if you do not actively change your ways, you will never leave the wilderness or experience the promised land.

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