How to Prepare For the King Part 2 (Luke 3:7-18 February 15, 2009)

Transcription

1 How to Prepare For the King Part 2 (Luke 3:7-18 February 15, 2009) A week ago, we had a number of couples at our home for the evening. We were sharing testimonies and my ears pricked up at the testimony of one couple. Both of them mentioned that the churches they grew up in were very weak on teaching about sin and repentance. The result was that it was only when they were adults that they were truly pierced by their own sinfulness and the glory of the gospel. My ears pricked up because this topic was on my mind. I was reading through Luke 3 and I had also been listening to a sermon by John MacArthur where he characterised one of the great tenants of his ministry as a fight against those who allow easybelievism and fail to preach true repentance. We live in an age in which many have decided that preaching sin and repentance frightens away seekers and so to attract the masses, the gospel is softened. It is perhaps the biggest criticism of men like Rick Warren and books his The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church. For all the impressive truths he does present well he certainly downplays sin and repentance. For example in The Purpose Driven Life he outlines his two step gospel presentation: First, believe. Believe that God loves you and made you for His purposes. Second, receive. Receive Jesus into your life as Lord and Saviour. 1 But there is no doubt that the gospel of John the Baptist, of Jesus and of the Apostles began not with believe but with repent. You have to know you are a sinner before you will believe in a Saviour. Listen to Paul in Acts 26:20: 1 Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) p

2 I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. While Rick Warren does speak of receiving forgiveness for your sins there is no mention of repentance. He downplays the sin of man and our need to repent. In his earlier book The Purpose Driven Church, Rick has a chapter entitled: How Jesus Attracted Crowds. He says this: Jesus Attracted Crowds By Loving Unbelievers Jesus Attracted Crowds By Meeting People s Needs Jesus Attracted Crowds By Teaching In A Practical, Interesting Way In a sense this is true but what he fails to say is that repeatedly when a large crowd gathered Jesus and indeed John the Baptist then called on them to repent and turn from sin and most didn t like it. How did Jesus end the Sermon on the Mount? Telling them that the state of their heart will be seen by the fruit they bear and that not everyone who calls Him Lord is truly saved because they were workers of lawlessness. In John 6 large crowds followed Jesus. He fed the Then he told them that the Spirit gives life the flesh is no help at all. And what do we find? After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. Jesus did not shy away from preaching repentance. Yet listen to a few quotes from Rick Warren in his chapter: It is my deep conviction that anybody can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his or her heart. The most likely place to start is with the person s felt needs. 2 The most likely place to start is with the person s felt needs! 2 Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995) p

3 When you read the Bible do you ever see the key to the gospel presented as felt needs? Find out what needs their wicked heart thinks they need met! No way! It is know you are a lost sinner. Repent. And turn to the one place where salvation is found Jesus. We don t feel that as a need we need true proclamation of the gospel to know our sin. Or listen to this: As Christians, we are called to accept and love unbelievers without approving of sinful lifestyles. Any good fisherman knows that sometimes in order to reel a fish in, particularly a feisty one, you have to cut it a little slack in the line. If you pull hard and straight in the fish will probably snap your line and maybe your pole. You have to work with the fish, letting him have his way sometimes. The same is true in fishing for people: Sometimes you need to give unbelievers some slack in order to reel them in. Don t hit them over the head with everything they re doing wrong. A lot of their sins will be dealt with after they come to Christ. 3 Of course Jesus never confronted sin. He never reeled in hard. Not much! Read the account of the rich young ruler, the three would-be disciples on the road. Read His words to the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus repeatedly confronted sin and He did it so hard that they turned and walked away. Jesus knew that until a heart knows it is lost in sin the gospel of His atoning death will find no place. Then there is this: 3 Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995) p

4 At Saddleback, we know that many who attend our crowd services have questionable lifestyles, sinful habits, and even notorious reputations. That doesn t bother us. 4 That doesn t bother us! I know it would have bothered Jesus. Jesus dealt with sin. But perhaps my favourite quote from this chapter is this: Jesus did not say, Clean up your act and then I ll save you. Really! What gospel does he read? Jesus repeatedly called the lost to clean up their act to repent. Luke 5:32: Luke 13:3: I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 24:46-47: Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. My point is this we live in dangerous times. Much of the emerging church movement much of the church growth movement Hillsong and the like they downplay sin to tickle the ears of the lost. 4 Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995) p

5 Some prominent church leaders who have areas of their ministry that are very good are weak in what to my mind is one of the great themes of the gospel sin and repentance. It is a danger because downplaying these truths undercuts the gospel. We have to declare that we are all desperate sinners in need of repentance and salvation. Acts 17:30: The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. God commands all people everywhere to repent. I do not want to deny that when you read through the gospels you find that Jesus has very different ways of dealing with those who come to Him. But this is not seeker sensitive. It is recognising that different men and women are at different places in regard to recognising their sin. In Luke 7 a prostitute comes anointing Jesus feet with her tears and her perfume and He treats her with incredible compassion. But her tears show her repentance her recognition of her sin her need of a Saviour and thus He says to her Your sins are forgiven, Your faith has saved you, go in peace. He does not downplay her sin. In Luke 11 and 12 the scribes and the Pharisees came to Him and Jesus said this, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Their hypocrisy was to deny their sin and need of repentance. There was no place to even begin with these hardened hearts. In Luke 18 a rich young ruler comes to Him and asks, Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus basically replies, Keep the commandments. The ruler says, I have kept them. Jesus then makes this comment, OK. Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor. This man was self-righteous with no hint of true brokenness and repentance. He seemed to be an earnest seeker but he was not honest about his sin. Jesus made it very clear until you are broken over your sin until you realise how sinful you are until you grasp that you are lost and without hope there is no fertile ground for the gospel to take root. This was not something that began with Jesus. Read the Old Testament prophets. They are united in calling the people of God to repentance to turn from their sin to the Lord. So it is not surprising that repentance is the fundamental tenant of the ministry of the forerunner of the Messiah. Last week we began to look at John the Baptist. 5

6 We saw that John came preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As we will see today John did not start with the felt needs of the crowd. He did not pull his punches. He did not let the fish have their way with sin. He was bothered by sin and he did tell them to clean up their act. In short, he came to: Prepare hearts in anticipation of the Spirit And the key to John s ministry is exactly the same as that of Jesus a broken and contrite heart which realises the depths of its sin and comes to repentance. Listen to the words of Jesus. Luke 7:24-30 He speaks to the crowds concerning John the Baptist. He asks: What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? No! What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? No! Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. As great as John is anyone who realises the depth of their sin and repents they are even greater for they are in the Kingdom. Then comes this comment: (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) John s ministry caused a seismic chasm between those who recognised their sin and need of repentance and those who refused to accept this truth. Men like tax collectors knew they were sinners and repented. Men like Pharisees refused to see themselves as sinners like tax collectors and turned away. I have laboured log on this for there is no doubt that downplaying sin and repentance can lead to false conversions. John would have none of this. He started his ministry in a blaze of rumours, questions and anticipation. 6

7 The gospel of Mark begins by telling us that when John appeared, all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him. Three decades earlier John had been born. The appearance of Gabriel the muteness of his father the incredible events surrounding his birth caused a minor sensation. But then John just faded into the hills of Judea. Then suddenly he appears and of all the places he ministers in the Judean wilderness. He begins his ministry in the remote areas of Palestine far from the centres of power. But then word begins to filter and then flood into the cities and towns throughout the land. Just think for a moment about the reactions the appearance of John would have aroused. The Sadducees did not believe in the supernatural aspects of Scripture. They denied judgment, the resurrection and were not waiting expectantly for Messiah. I suspect that they dismissed the possibility John was the forerunner and were only concerned that the ignorant masses might fall for his act. The Pharisees were expecting a forerunner to the Messiah. But a camel skin wearing, locust eating wild-man in the wilderness was not what they anticipated. I imagine they were curious but deeply sceptical. As for the ordinary men and women of Israel they just wanted to hear the voice of a prophet. They wanted to know that God had not abandoned them. John aroused curiosity, concern, hope, anticipation. So the crowds flooded out of the cities and towns crossed the rugged wilderness and made their way to the Jordan River. And as the crowds came. How did John respond? 7

8 Come friends, welcome. Good to see you. I am so glad you came. I have a message of good news. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life just believe and receive. No! Here is what he actually said. Luke 3:7: He said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? I suspect John might have failed the seeker sensitive school of ministry. Imagine how you would feel if we had an outreach evening. A time when we encouraged you to bring friends and family to hear the gospel from a visiting speaker. The church is packed. The guest preacher steps to the pulpit and asks those who are not Christians to stand. You think he is about to welcome them. But he does something very different. He looks at them and says: You sons of Satan why are you here? Did someone tell you that you might hear something that will let you escape from the fires of eternal hell? Well should you feel the fiery breath of hell at your neck. Repent and act like sons of God. I have yet to read that technique in any church growth book but in a sense this is what John did. The crowds pour out and he calls them a brood of vipers sons of the snake. This term probably refers to those who are children of Satan the serpent. Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Basically he challenges them. Why are you here? Good question. As word filtered through the towns and villages that a prophet had arisen who claimed to be the forerunner of the Messiah how many said I am a sinner in desperate need of salvation. The forerunner can tell me where the fountain of righteousness is that will wash my sins I have to go? I doubt many thought like that. They went out of curiosity or hope that Messiah would come to restore Israel or making sure John was not upsetting the political or religious order. 8

9 John knew this so he cuts right to the heart of the matter. Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? If you come to the forerunner then you better be fleeing from God s wrath. Malachi the last book of the Old Testament the last time a prophet was heard in Israel ends by speaking of the coming of the forerunner and the Messiah: Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner s fire and like fullers soap. Then I will draw near to you for judgment. For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. The forerunner prepares the way for Messiah who draws near in judgment the blaze of righteousness is coming. John asks is that what you are fleeing? Is that why you are here? Well it should be? My message is simple. You are sinners. Wrath is coming. Repent and turn to Messiah. George Whitefield understood what John was doing. He said: First, then, before you can speak peace to your hearts, you must be made to see, made to feel, made to weep over, made to bewail, your actual transgressions against the Law of God. J.C. Ryle put it this way: People will never set their faces decidedly towards heaven, and live like pilgrims, until they really feel that they are in danger of hell. John is trying to shake them from their complacency. What complacency? The Sadducees did not even believe in divine judgment. Perhaps some here this morning doubt that God will return to judge the living and dead and call men to account. Just read the Bible prophesy after prophecy concerning the first coming of Jesus fulfilled to the letter have no doubt the prophecies dealing with His return in judgment will be fulfilled in full. The Pharisees were content in their righteousness? But the Bible is clear. Psalm 14:2-3: 9

10 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. If you are here this morning and think that you are good enough then you don t understand the standard. Absolute perfection is the standard. Never a stray thought of greed or lust or anger. Never an action out of place. The ordinary people were complacent as sons of Abraham Jews saved by dint of being the people of God. Perhaps some here this morning are complacent because you were born into a Christian family, baptised, confirmed, walked an aisle but that is not enough. So John shakes their complacency further. Verse 8: Luke 3:8: Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. Just pause for a moment. Sometimes in sermons you reach a point where you really should make a theological aside but the aside is incredibly complicated and you know you will struggle to make it simple. This is one of those points. Basically, the issue this verse raises and men debate over is this. Ezekiel 36:25-27 speaks of the time when the Holy Spirit will be poured out: I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. It is at the baptism of the Holy Spirit that the Spirit indwells us and empowers us to walk holy. So, since the baptism of the Holy Spirit does not occur until the day of Pentecost after the time of John how can John call on them to bear fruit in keeping with repentance? Is he asking them to do something that they cannot do? Some say he is merely asking them to look at their lives Are they bearing fruit in keeping with repentance? Are they living holy lives? 10

11 The answer is no. So they will come to realise they need a Messiah they long for the Spirit and the power to fight sin. Just as the Law should men their inability to be holy and need of a Saviour so John is merely pointing this out. Others say no he is really commanding them to live holy in preparation for Messiah s coming. This whole question is wrapped up in questions like: What actually happens at the baptism of the Holy Spirit? What is the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Covenant and the New Covenant? If we need the Holy Spirit to live holy lives how can Old Covenant believers live godly lives? Let me just say this is an incredibly difficult area. In preparing this week I read a book called God s Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments by James Hamilton Jr. He outlines six different positions on the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament held by evangelical scholars. Very good men disagree on this issue. Suffice it to say we won t settle the issue this morning. But let me give you a very brief outline of my understanding of the work of the Spirit and what John the Baptist is saying. In John 14:17 Jesus is speaking to the disciples about the Holy Spirit and He says: You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. Now before Pentecost He is with you. Later after Pentecost He will be in you. My simplistic understanding is this. Before Pentecost the Holy Spirit was with believers. He did not indwell them but He was with them enabling them to repent and fight sin and turn to God. There was power from God to fight sin. 11

12 But at Pentecost He came to indwell us. To live within us. This resulted in a greater capacity to draw on His power. An outpouring of the Spirit s power. These indwelt believers formed the church. There were spiritual gifts for each believer, power to evangelise and a greater capacity to hate sin and fight it. It does not mean sinlessness. It does mean greater resources to fight sin from within. So I believe John is indeed calling on them to live holy, to bear fruit in keeping with the righteousness God demands. But he knows that the real power to do this the power that will ultimately deal with sin will come when Jesus baptises in the Holy Spirit. So, bear fruits in keeping with repentance and don t rely on anything else for your righteousness. Verse 8b: And do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Don t fall back on the false notion that being a descendant of Abraham is good enough. Read the Bible Ishmael was Abraham s direct son but he is lost. Do you think God is happy with just a people He called and formed? If that was all He was after he could turn the rocks to people and claim them. No he wants a holy people. That is why Messiah has to come. And because he wants a holy people He will cull those who are not holy: Verse 9: 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. Scripture is unanimous in its declaration that a day of judgment will come. Sheep and goats. Wheat and tares. Sinners and righteous. Call them what you will. The day will come when anyone who is not washed from within and made holy bearing the fruits of righteousness will be cut down and cast into the fire of eternal judgment. Verse 10: And the crowds asked him, What then shall we do? Basically, John answers by saying Repent and await the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is interesting in Acts 2:37-38 some other Jews were cut to the heart, and asked Peter and the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized 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 same answer John gave. 12

13 In verse 3 we read John proclaimed a baptism of repentance. In verse 8 he said to bear fruits in keeping with repentance. Now in verses he describes what that looks like: And he answered them, Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise. Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, Teacher, what shall we do? And he said to them, Collect no more than you are authorized to do. Soldiers also asked him, And we, what shall we do? And he said to them, Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages. John is saying, just because you live before Pentecost it is not a licence to sin. By the power of the Spirit that Old Testament believers have live godly. Do not cling to your possessions. Do not let greed dominate your heart. Give to those in need. Be content. Let your lives reflect that you have turned from self to God. Repentance is not just being sorry for sin it is a heartfelt sorrow at offending the holiness of God. So heartfelt that you change whatever offends. You admit His ways are right and you reorient your life. You have to know that you are a sinner who has offended a holy God and deserve nothing but damnation. Only this will drive you to call out for salvation. John just deals with three groups. What repentance looks like for them. But the question you have to ask yourself is what does this look like in my life. If I have truly repented how would my life be different? I stop sleeping with my boyfriend. I work as if pleasing the Lord not slacking off. I give generously and don t make money my God. You know what pleases God and what He hates. You know that if God spoke directly to you what the areas of your life would be that He would tell you to change. Do you hate our sin and desire to live holy? But the command of repentance is nothing more than what the prophets had spoken of for centuries. The message of John had more. Verses 15-18: As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the 13

14 strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. It is not unexpected that some might actually think that John was the Messiah. His miraculous conception and birth. The power of his preaching. The huge crowds. But John knew his task was merely to prepare the way for Messiah and then to identify Him. John said I baptise you with water I tell you that you are unclean but One is coming who can make you clean from the inside out. Burn the sin from within. You think I might be the Messiah compared to Him I am nothing. I am not worthy to even untie the strap of His sandal. Remember that the most menial task known in Israel was to remove the sandals of another. They had no roads, just dusty paths. Their feet became filthy on these roads. Therefore it was the task of the most menial slave to remove the sandals from another s feet. But friends and students this task was below them. Rabbi Levi penned this rule, All services which a slave does for his master, a pupil should do for his teacher with the exception of untying his shoes. John says don t look to me look to Him I am a nothing compared to Him. I can tell you about sin He can deal with it. He will baptise you in the Holy Spirit and in fire. The power of the Spirit the cleansing of fire. He will give you the power to be holy and purge the sin from within. His Spirit will unite you with Him and join you to His body. And because of this when the day of judgment comes you will stand He will gather the cleansed like wheat and you will not die in the judgment like the chaff. This was John s one message. He was faithful. He did not downplay sin. He did not make more of himself. He preached sin and Christ. What a model for us. In one sense the message of John is the message we have. Repent and be baptised in the Holy Spirit. Turn from your sin. Admit you are without hope. And turn to Him who will wash you clean and give you the power to stand. 14

15 There are lessons here. We cannot compromise this message. We may not like preaching on sin. Certainly the lost don t want to hear about sin. But until a man or woman comes to the place where they are broken over their sin the Spirit is not at work the heart is not prepared the conversions will not be genuine the dog will return to the vomit of its sin. When you share the gospel begin where John does and Jesus does and the Apostles do. Preach law and sin and judgment then preach grace. For any here who do not know Christ I tell you you are sinners. Whehter you feel it. Whether you believe it. All have sinned. All have contravened the will of God. All stand judged and condemned. Judgment is real the axe is at the foot of the trees. You have offended your Creator and you stand condemned. I trust the Spirit of God is working on your heart to convict you. But Christ came to cleanse you. He will not turn a repentant heart away. Come to Him. Turn from your sin. Trust that His death cleanses you. And He will fill you with His Spirit and make you His. There are others here who repented and trusted but there is apathy and sin in your life and you wonder was it real am I filled with the Spirit then where is this power to live holy? To them I give the words of Paul 2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed you fail to meet the test! If you hate your sin and long for righteousness then there is evidence of the work of the Spirit. Believers do struggle and are not perfect but they hate their sin the fight to put it to death they do not feed it and play with it and the Spirit of God within them does not let sin master them. This message might be the warning to you to get serious with God. Confess your sin. Use the resources of the Spirit to fight sin. Read the Word. Pray. Find accountability. Practice righteousness. Live as children of God. And if you cannot deal with habitual sin. If it is mastering you. If you do not truly hate it. Then perhaps you are not saved. Then perhaps you truly need to repent and come to Him and ask for the power of His Spirit. And for those in Christ how comforting it is to know the power of His Spirit to know we are His and to know He will come for us and remove us before the judgment. 15

16 This is not a pleasant sermon to preach but it is one that must be preached faithfully and regularly until Christ comes. May He bless the preaching of His Word. 16