Study inLuke’s Gospel

Presentation 11

Preparing TheWay

Chap 3v1-20Presentation 11

Presentation 11

IntroductionSome 30 years after his birth John the Baptist came out of obscurity. He didn’t have a city-centre charge but preached in the desert. His appearance was unorthodox; he dressed in camel’s hair with a leather girdle about his waist. He didn't have his meals from the Ritz restaurant but ate locusts and wild honey dressing. When he preached he did so with such authority and power that crowds flocked not only to hear him but also to respond to his message.

So much so that in Jn.1.22 we find the religious leaders asking, "Who are you...What do you say about yourself?’ In other words ‘Provide us with your curriculum vitae’.

Presentation 11

IntroductionIf you have ever had to fill out a job application form then will have been asked a whole variety of personal questions. I suspect that if you were to reply, "All these questions are irrelevant!" then you would have reduced your chances of making a good impression! And you would not be offered the job. But John responded to his questioners in the same dismissive manner. He said, “I am a voice crying in the wilderness, "prepare the way of the Lord“. And when you know that you know all that's you need to know, that is all that is important about me." John was saying, "It’s not me but my message which must grip your attention". Now let us have a look at his message.

Presentation 11

The Purpose Of His MessageLuke sets up an interesting contrast in v2 as he describes events of remarkable spiritual significance in which the current spiritual leaders, Annas and Caiaphas, are side-lined. They are bypassed! The Word of God did not come to the official religious leaders but to John. Doesn't that tell us something about the spiritual state of the nation? God began this new movement outside of a spiritually dead establishment. They could not be trusted to host the work of God. Do you find that frightening? God is not obliged to work through the established church or a particular denomination. If a denomination or congregation is wilfully unresponsive to what God is saying, he will move on elsewhere. I don't know about you but that makes me pray, "Lord don't pass us by".

Presentation 11

The Purpose Of His MessageThe ministry of John is described very graphically in v 4-6, which is a quotation from Isa. 40. Those of you regularly listen to Handel's Messiah should know these words by heart. They describe the job of a road-builder who is building a highway for a coming king.

Have you ever watched a motorway being constructed? The job is tremendously demanding as valleys are filled in and hills are levelled, and the bends in the road are straightened. The obstacles seem endless but the end result ensures a smooth, unimpeded ride.

Presentation 11

The Purpose Of His MessageJohn was a road-builder. He was constructing no ordinary road but a road designed to give the coming King Jesus, access into the hearts of men and women. John's job was to survey the obstacles and then set about removing them.

That of course is the task of every gospel preacher. He seeks to encourage his hearer’s to remove obstacles to faith and obedience that are found in their lives. He wants his hearers to understand what a terrible thing it is to cast obstacles into the path which would impede the progress of God's approach to their hearts.

Presentation 11

The Substance Of His MessageWe are told in v3 that the substance of John's message led to "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins". He prepared his hearer's for the coming of Jesus by calling his hearers to repentance. What do we mean by that? Repentance is not merely the confessing of one’s sin. Those who think in this way merely abuse the grace of God, and pursue what Bonheoffer described as "cheap grace".

A young man who professed to be a Christian boasted about the unsavoury exploits he had planned for the week. When he was challenged about such sinful behaviour, he would reply that he had every intention of confessing his sin at the end of the week. That young man had not understood the true meaning of grace or repentance.

Presentation 11

The Substance Of His MessageNor should repentance be confused with remorse. Some people are very sorry for the way they have behaved but only because they have been found out. Because their behaviour has given the local gossips fresh material to pass on. Because their family have suffered embarrassment. Because the newspapers have got hold of he story. Because their workmates ridicule them behind their back. Because their golf club refuses to renew their subscription. The sin of men and women can fill them with remorse. But they are sorry only because they have been found out, only because of the consequences of their behaviour. If they were able to do what they had done undetected they would have no hesitation to walk along that road again.

Presentation 11

The Substance Of His MessageWhat then is the repentance which John, and then later on Jesus, preached? It involves a change in one’s thinking. Let me illustrate, a person says, "In the past I've behaved in such and such a way, I have told myself this kind of sinful behaviour was acceptable, I made all sorts of excuses for it, I sought to justify it but I was wrong". Repentance involves a 180 degrees change of direction, so that the penitent says, "With God's help, I'll no longer walk down that sinful road, I will turn my back upon it. I will walk away from it". Repentance is both an inner transformation and an outward expression of change.

Presentation 11

The Substance Of His MessagePreaching repentance isn’t very popular today. It is too radical, too demanding, and too costly for many to endure. But it is only to the penitent that the assurance of forgiveness was made by John.

Only the penitent experiences the sunshine of the Father's smile. When one sees the burden of guilt carried by so many and hears of the absence of a deep seated peace of mind and heart and when they describe their feelings of alienation from God, the question we must answer is, "Is it not more costly to refuse repentance than to exercise it?”

Presentation 11

The Application Of His MessageThe work that John was doing attracted the attention of a large number of people. We read in v7 that ‘many came to him asking for baptism.’ John's baptism was quite unique among the Jews. It spoke of a new beginning. It symbolised the washing away of their sin.

But as far as John was concerned it was no empty ceremony. It was not something to be taken lightly and Luke makes this abundantly clear by providing us with an example of how John applied his preaching for he shattered complacency of his hearers. Cf. v8 “Do not say to yourselves "We have Abraham for our Father."”

Presentation 11

The Application Of His MessagePeople in John’s day were arguing, "Because we are descended from Abraham we are eternally secure. We do not need the kind of moral transformation that John refers to in his preaching!" Do you see the danger of this reasoning and the complacency of life which it encourages? In much the same way people today say, "Because I come from a Christian family I'm OK," or, "Because I have been baptised, heaven is a certainty for me," or, "Because I have joined the church or attend its services I'm all right," or even, "Because I went forward at an evangelistic rally and committed my life to Christ I have nothing to worry about". But that is all you have to point to in your life, you have a great deal to be concerned about.

Presentation 11

The Application Of His MessageWhat then was God's messenger looking for? What does God look for ? cf. v8 "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance”.

If a man professes repentance and faith there must be evidence of moral transformation in his life. I'm not speaking about perfection. No one achieves that down here but rather the ability to say, "I am not the man I once was. Look at the building site of my life. God is at work. See there are evidences of his reconstruction.”

This process of change is something the Christian is committed to throughout his life! Cf. Eph. 4.17-5.5.

Presentation 11

The Application Of His MessageBut what if there is no repentance and no transformation? There are grave consequences which John faithfully unpacks.

He tells his hearers in v9 "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." His message was faithfully proclaimed, it was crystal clear, there was no ambiguity behind which men could easily hide: ‘transformation or eternal separation from God.’

Presentation 11

The Response To His MessageI don't suppose anyone ‘enjoyed’ John's preaching. It had the effect of a road drill breaking up hard and complacent hearts. No one I know enjoys going to the dentist but they are grateful, if having exposed a dangerous and decaying tooth the dentist does something to nullify a progressively painful condition.

So too, with John’s preaching, people did not smile and say, "Nice sermon!" But its effectiveness is seen from the response of the crowd cf. v10 "What shall we do?" They could not listen to this preaching and remain unaffected!

Presentation 11

The Response To His MessageWe find a similar response to Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost. cf. Acts 2.37 "When the people heard this they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

The gospel stresses human responsibility and calls people to take decisive action. Too many people have convinced themselves there is nothing they can do, and that they have no contribution to make. They sit passively and say something like, "What is meant for us won’t pass us by".

Presentation 11

The Response To His MessageThat kind of fatalism is the antithesis of biblical teaching. The gospel calls people to repentance. It treats them as responsible and accountable individuals.

And therefore, John is quick in v13-14 to spell out the kind of changes that would indicate that a person was serious about engaging in the business of repentance. Each of the requirements laid down contain a common denominator and highlight the need to address fallen self-centredness. The crowd are told to share, tax-collectors to resist seeking gain by extortion, and soldiers to refrain from theft and false witness for the sake of gain.

Presentation 11

The Response To His MessageBut there is another response that can be made to the straightforward repentance preaching of John. Consider the response of Herod in v19. John's preaching made Herod feel uncomfortable. He was convicted by his sin. But he did not respond positively with a tangible expression of repentance.

What did to do? He imprisoned John. Note the grave significance of this. He attempted to silence the living word of God, by shutting up the messenger. Herod didn't want to let go of his sin nor did he want to be troubled by it and so he did all in his power to tune out of God’s wavelength.

Presentation 11

ConclusionAt the end of the day there are only two responses that we can make to God's word. Either we ask, "What must I do?" realising that with the enabling of God a radical transformation of life and forsaking of sin will be called for. Or, we banish the Word of God from our minds, hearts and consciences. To do the former involves the humiliation of repentance before God but opens up for us a way back to living fellowship with him resulting in our eternal benefit. To do the latter may bring temporary relief but also guarantees long term grief and eternal estrangement from God. May God help us as we respond to his word!