“Fruit or Fire?”
Dec.9, 2007 Mt.3:1-12 Play
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Startling Messenger, Blunt Message
○ unconventional retiree lives on the edge
with nature
○ prophets call from the edge to return to
life’s basics
Turn Back - Disaster Ahead
○ closed snowy roads or bridges out persuade
us to turn around
○ Baptist’s call to clear road, change
attitude / behaviour (Is 40:3; Mt 3:1,8,11)
○ echoed OT prophets’ cry to turn from evil
ways rather than die (Joel 2:12; Ezek 33:11)
○ repentance shown by peoples’ response,
confession, baptism, fruit (5f,8)
○ clear choice between God’s Kingdom and
destruction: axe / winnowing fork & fire (12)
The Sneakiest Sin of All
○ Pharisees & Sadducees singled out for
pride (7,9)
○ beware overcoming more obvious sins only to
succumb to ‘respectable’ sins
Modern-Day Calls to Kingdom Living
○ link between repentance and peace: get right
with God & neighbour, humble self as servant
○ Bruxy Cavey: challenge to downscale
lifestyle in order to donate to charity
○ Denyse O’Leary: using mind to challenge lie
that God scientifically irrelevant
○ Devon Hill ‘metalhead’ using internet to
share his life change; servant deeds back up words