Matthew 3:1-12 KJV
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

John 1:19-25 KJV
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

Who is John the Baptist but the baby boy born into the family of Zachariah the Priest. This is important imformation why because he raised his son in the wilderness, eating locust and honey as called by God to do and now we see him baptizing and preaching in the wilderness of Judea, not called to serve in the Temple but outside the temple. Something else to know these religious leaders that came to see him were checking out this prophesy concerning him. Was he the forerunner of the Messiah? Was he really a man of God and who was he really? Why would the religious leaders even doubt when the conception alone was in the old age of Elizabeth and Zachariah. Perhaps it has to do with curiousity, doubt, wondering what was meant years ago when it was prophesied concerning John. Did they believe. They believed not and John knew it and called them vipers(devils) Lack of faith meaning people with knowledge that believed not who John was said to be. Their curiousity to come see what John was preaching and baptizing about.

John begans to speak that they were vipers and that God could raise up children unto Abraham and that the ax was at the root of their own tree ready to be chopped down and removed from power, if they brought not forth good fruit of repentance, they would be cast into the fire. He baptized with water but the one that came after him would baptize the believers with the Holy Spirit. Who had given John the Holy Spirit from the womb, but God alone. Christ would be coming to do that work here on earth. Christ would take the wheat and purge it, removing the hull/shell of the wheat and stalk of the wheat and would be burning it and having the seed he takes sows, and increase the wheat field. Yet the unuseable parts God would destroy.

Jesus wants to take the good part of us and keep it and preserve it, and remove all the bad and destroy it. We understand the process of burning things when we take garabage and burn it or take brush and burn it so it no more taken up room in the area it is in. The rubbish that can not be salvage and turn to good is destroyed. Christ wants to purge our sin from our heart and use all those qualities in us he predesign in our life from birth. We are predestined to be saved, but sometimes before salvation comes to an individual sin takes root of unbelief. It takes the Holy Spirit to convince a non believer that Jesus is the Messiah. He wants to fill us with his Spirit replacing our hate, our anger, our unforgiveness, our lack of hope, and our evil desires we might even act on for things that are good. it does not mean we never sin again, but it means that Jesus wants to change our heart with his word and with the gifts of the Spirit of God. It something we may discipline ourselves to do in some areas but not at the heart. Our heart is evil from birth, but our desire maybe to be good. God the only one that can change our evil heart to a heart pleasing to God. Man's ways are selfish, lack of generousity, lack of care of others and even lack of hope. The only me self generation caring about only their own desires. It okay to have desires but healthy desires that are good for a person in general.

The other day I was watching some young gymnastics on videos on facebook. I watched how they trained thee kids to do certain back flips and even do cartwheels on the balance beam. The precision of movement to the point that accuracy to do the stunt was just as important as the ability to do it. It actually quite impressive if you can not do these backflips yourself or walk on your hands, or do a hand stand. Christ wants to take and purge the imperfection out of our life and take and teach us precision for the task he has called us too. it takes a walk of faith just like it takes practice over and over again to do cartwheels and back flips in accuracy of movement. Somethings can only be learned by God's discipline by his Spirit. The Discipline of fire that purges the imperfection and then the love and comfort of the Spirit that encourages the person in faith.

The Pharisees and Sadduccees were examining John as a man, a cop, a detective, a judge would scrutinize a situation or a person in trouble, making a kangeroo court in the middle of a baptism of repentance and teaching about the coming Messiah. They were disruptive devils/vipers coming to investigate without remember who God said who John is or who his own earthly father prophesied concerning his own son. Jealousy and doubt had invade the Priesthood because of John the Baptist. Nothing unusual for any leader there always someone that is jealous.

John makes it clear that there one coming after him, who would baptize not with water only but with fire. Fire being the cleanser of the soul of all sinners. John could not convict the heart of the sinner, neither could the priest. Someone can lay a guilt trip on you and you maybe able to shake it off if it does not apply to you, but the Spirit knows your heart and can bring you to confession of sin. The worse possible time of preaching is knowing an individual and having to speak with the authority that is given any called minister to speak about sin without point directly at someone that caught in a particular sin. It like trying to hide the pointer when speaking Bible truth and allow God to do his work at the heart. Sin shaming from the pulpit and knowing that sin in the audience is nothing to be proud of. It something to tell the truth about sin, but not to point fingers to cause a spectacle of a person. Some ministers have a true gift of pointing out sin in a way that does not point fingers. Yet the need for repentance comes not because of a minsiter but the Holy Spirit alone convicts the heart of man.

Many people have felt shame because of a pulpit and public spectacle was made of them, that they stop attending church or even reading God's word on their own. This does not work for any length of time, and yet John calls the religious vipers not to shame them but to point out those in attendance to what they were, that they were looking to entrap to remove those that were seeking faith in God, that may of even felt unworthy to even enter the Temple of God because they were consider outcast. God was speaking through John to all that past by and would listen to the need for repentance for the need of allowing God to cleanse their hearts. Baptism was a sign of purification and repentance of the heart. Purging only God in truth can do. Anyone could be baptized as sign of faith, or copy of faith not fully understanding it, but in truth God had to be the baptizer of the repented heart. God sent the Prophet Nathan to David, when God himself did not convict the heart of David sin against Bathesheba husband and Bathesheba. Yet it would be the sickness of his son that showed him his unworthiness for he saw the sickness of the child as God punishing him for his sin and then the child died finishing the punishment of sin. It brought David to the reality of his is sin, His son alone death was not because of his sin, but because of illness. He had to see his loosing of his son in order to bring about knowledge of his sin to heart.

God will bring a person to their knees, God would remove the kingdom for a brief time out of David's hand and yet restore him to his place as King. God will bring about true repentance often through suffering even of another, the suffering of Christ for our sins brings about our repentance and understanding the cost of our own sin. If we allow God to convict us and demonstrate his compassion through his forgiveness we have true victory in Christ Jesus, for he arose from the grave and did not remain in the grave.

This month we are talking about God changing our heart, about the purging of sin, but we talking about following Christ after salvation, after the change of our hearts of receiving Christ as Savior and Lord. May today be a eye opener of truth of how it begins at the heart and the conviction not of the minister but of the Spirit of God in non believers heart. Let Christ purge our sin and build us into a new creation for his glory and honor.

Dear Heavenly Father take and purge our hearts and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Lead us in truth of yoru word and help us to follow Jesus every step of the way of our life. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Revelation 3:17-22 KJV
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.