Following the Forerunner to Death

1. The Question on the Mountain

Read Matthew 17:9-13 aloud. As Jesus and the disciples come down from the transfiguration, Jesus commands silence until the resurrection. The disciples immediately ask about Elijah.

And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, 'Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.' And the disciples asked him, 'Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?' He answered, 'Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.' Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:9-13, ESV)

What stands out to you about how Jesus connects Elijah's coming to his own suffering?

2. The Day of the Lord

The sermon showed that Elijah was promised to come before the great and awesome day of the Lord—a day of judgment, not just celebration.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the heart of fathers to their children and the heart of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. (Malachi 4:5-6, ESV)

How does knowing that Elijah comes before God's judgment change how you think about why John the Baptist mattered?

3. The Forerunner They Missed

Jesus said the religious leaders did not recognize Elijah when he came. The sermon pointed back to John the Baptist.

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. (Matthew 11:13-14, ESV)

John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, yet the people did to him whatever they pleased. What does that tell you about how people often respond to God's messengers?

4. Following the Forerunner to Death

Jesus does not hide his fate. Just as John was rejected, the Son of Man will suffer at the hands of the religious leaders.

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (Matthew 16:21, ESV)

Jesus knew exactly what was coming—rejection, suffering, and death—yet he still went. Why is it important that he followed the forerunner to the same end?

5. Trusting the Only Escape

The sermon said the only way to escape the wrath of the day of the Lord is to trust in Jesus, because that wrath was poured out on him at the cross instead of on us.

The Lord Jesus Christ dies to liberate them from the penalty of their sins... for those who turn from themselves and their sin and trust in Him and His death, His burial and His resurrection, they will not suffer the wrath that is to come. (Sermon summary)

What does it look like in your daily life to turn from yourself and your sin and actually trust Jesus with your future? Be specific.

6. Springboard: Missed Messiahs

The religious leaders had the Scriptures memorized, yet they missed both John the Baptist and Jesus.

Some people say that going to church and knowing the Bible guarantees you truly know Jesus. Others say the religious leaders prove you can have both and still reject him. Which side do you lean toward, and why? What is one way you can move from just knowing about Jesus to actually trusting him?