John The Baptist Luke 3:1-9 & The Voice In The Wilderness let us go Seeking An Alternative City Seeking An Alternative City

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1 John The Baptist Luke 3:1-9 & Luke 3:2 says, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. [4] As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The Voice In The Wilderness John himself said in John 1:23, I am The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the LORD, as the prophet Isaiah said. To be in the wilderness is to be outside the camp, outside the norm, outside the establishment, an odd-ball, different. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come (Hebrews 13:12-14). Seeking An Alternative City is the same as seeking an alternative government. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. To seek the Kingdom of God is to pray, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The purpose of redemption is not to take us to heaven; it is to bring heaven to earth. This is what is missing in America today: the Puritan hope. Evolutionists are schizophrenic. They say we are evolving, but they have no hope. Their movies predict a future of chaos. 2 The Puritans were Seeking An Alternative City The result was liberty and justice for all. The Bible says, Joseph of Arimathea was looking for the kingdom of God (Luke 23:51). 3 The prophetess Anna was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:38). 4 1

2 The prophet Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel (Luke 2:25-26). Looking for God s kingdom includes looking for God s government of self, family, church and state. 5 For this same reason God commands us to Pray For Kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Timothy 2:2). The only way we can live a peaceful, godly life is by God s government replacing man s government. This is how we pray for those in high places: Lord have mercy on us and deliver us from politicians who hate Your Law! 6 The Decree Of God is in verse 5. [5] Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, [6] and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. [Isaiah 40] This prophecy does not mean there will be no valleys or mountains on earth. It s a command from God for men to put away their crooked ways. The word mountains in the prophets is a metaphor for kingdoms and governments. This was the message of John. Every valley filled, and every mountain made low is figurative language. It means humble people shall be exalted and the proud will be humbled. The crooked becoming straight, and the rough places becoming level means God s word will straiten out perverse ways and put lives on the level. Verse 7 shows how John does that very thing. This was the decree. Christ says it in Psalm 2 this way: I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear (Psalm 2:7,10-11). 7 Notice How John Welcomes The Crowds 2

3 [7] He said therefore 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? How rude! When our granddaughter, Shelby, was little, Her dad, Brit, was explaining how God s fire judges people. Little Shelby said, How rude. 8 Notice what he did not say. He did not say, Welcome. Thank you for coming. He did not treat them like they were doing him a favor by coming to be baptized. He did not comfort them with assurance that they would be forgiven. This is how the voice in the wilderness filters the crowds. Some leave but the keepers stay. The kingdom of heaven is like fish taken in a net. The fishermen sit down and separate the good from the bad and throw the bad back into the sea. Joshua did a similar thing in his parting speech to Israel. He said, Choose whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. The people answered, We will, too. But Joshua said, No. You re not able to serve the Lord. He s holy. And the people said to Joshua, No, but we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24:21-22). Elijah-type prophets of God are not seeker friendly. We have had many visitors come and check us out. But it scares some people. They say, Whoa. Who does this guy think he is? This method may not grow a church very fast, but that is not our number one priority. The truth is. But the good thing is those who can take it are keepers. 9 Notice how John Anticipates Presumption in verse 8. [8] Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. 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. Does this mean we re not supposed to sing this song? Father Abraham has many sons. Many sons has Father Abraham. And I am one of them, and so are you. So let s all praise the Lord. No. It means they were not supposed to 3

4 presume they were children of Abraham. We re not to presume we are saved because we were brought up as Christians or because we belong to a certain denomination, or because we made a decision for Christ, or because we believe in the doctrines of grace. John is encouraging them to examine themselves to see if they are true children of Abraham. In witnessing to people over the years, how many times have I heard people say, I m a Lutheran, or I m a Catholic, or I m a Baptist. I was not discussing my denomination. I was discussing the Gospel. People say those things in order to exempt themselves from discussing the real issue. This was the danger in John s day and it still is. The real issue is bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. 10 If there is no fruit, John predicts The Axe Luke 3:9 He says in verse, 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. 44 years later, Jerusalem would get the axe and be thrown into the fire. 11 [15] As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, [16] John answered them all, saying, I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. [17] 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. 12 Notice how John prophesied The Two-Fold Mission Of Christ. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. He baptized the disciples with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and baptized Jerusalem with fire in A.D. 70. When he 4

5 burned the chaff (Jerusalem) and gathered the wheat into His church. 13 Verse 18 says with many other exhortations He Preached The Gospel Luke 3:18 So he preached good news to the people. [19] But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, [20] added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison. The word good news in the Greek is the verb form of the word for gospel [euaggelizw euaggelizo]. It was good news because the Kingdom of God was at hand and it still is. Calling people snakes, predicting the Holy Spirit and the fire of the Coming One, landing in prison, and getting heads cut off is all part of the Gospel package. Escape in the rapture is not. 14 Do You Have The Puritan Hope? Are you optimistic about the future of God s government in the earth? Are you in expectation like God s people were? Or are you looking for defeat and escape? 5

6 The Message Pastor Ron Smith John the Baptist Luke 3:2 The Voice in the Wilderness To be in the wilderness is to be an outsider.

7 Seeking an Alternative City Joseph of Arimathea was looking for the kingdom of God

8 Seeking an Alternative City Joseph of Arimathea was looking for the kingdom of God Anna was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem

9 Seeking an Alternative City Joseph of Arimathea was looking for the kingdom of God Anna was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel

10 Pray for Kings that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Timothy 2:2).

11 The Decree of God Luke 3:5 God s word will straighten out perverse ways.

12 John Welcomes the Crowd You brook of vipers!

13 What He Did Not Say This is how the voice in the wilderness filters the crowds.

14 John Anticipates Presumption Luke 3:8 We have Abraham as our father.

15 The Axe Luke 3:9 Jerusalem got the axe in A.D. 70.

16 The People Were in Expectation Luke 3:15 He who is mightier than I is coming

17 The Two-Fold Mission of Christ He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

18 He Preached the Gospel Luke 3:18

19 Do You Have the Puritan Hope?

20 The Message Pastor Ron Smith John the Baptist Luke 3:2 The Voice in the Wilderness To be in the wilderness is to be an outsider.