John the Baptist: Not the Prophet We Want, but the Prophet We Need, Part 7

TEXT: Matthew 3:7-12

As John the Baptist continues his preaching, he begins to focus not on the people who are now listening before him, but the Person who is coming after him. He speaks of three baptisms -- one baptism that he administers, and two baptisms that the Messiah will administer. John says that his baptism is of "water unto repentance." As God begins to shift His dealings with humanity from the Old Testament way of doing things, John's baptism is a preparatory ritual for those Jews who were looking forward to what God was doing next. John's baptism did not denote salvation or being filled with the Holy Spirit. Rather, it spoke of a person's willingness to live righteously before God in light of the arrival of the kingdom of heaven.