Repent to be Ready
Notes
Transcript
Title: Repent to be Ready
Text: Luke 3:1-14
INTRODUCTION
Let’s turn together
in our Bibles
to Luke’s gospel.
Luke, chapter 3.
& we’re gonna
read verses 1-14.
Luke 3:1-14.
& when you find that
in your Bible
Pls stand for the reading
of God’s Word.
The title of
today’s teaching is:
Repent to be Ready.
In Luke 3:1-14
the Scriptures say:
Luke 3:1–14 (EOB: NT)
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.
He came into the entire region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins.
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.
Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth.
All flesh will see God’s salvation.”
To the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, John said, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Therefore, bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!
Even now, the axe also lies at the root of the tree, and so every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?”
John answered them, “Whoever has two coats should give to the one who has none. He who has food should do likewise.”
Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what must we do?”
He replied, “Do not collect more than what is appointed to you.”
Soldiers also asked him, “What about us? What must we do?” He said to them, “Do not accuse anyone wrongfully, and extort from no one by violence. Be satisfied with your wages.”
You may be seated.
Are we ready
to enter
the Kingdom
of God?
How can we know
we’re ready?
What must we do
to get ready?
In a Word
Repent.
Repent
was the 1st word
John the Baptizer
spoke when he
began his
public ministry.
& repent was also
the 1st word
the Lord Jesus spoke
when He began
His public ministry.
Repentance
is vital
to salvation.
Repentance is
necessary to
make us ready
for the Lord.
& in today’s passage
As Luke walks us
Thru the ministry
of John the Baptist
Luke teaches us
at least two
Important truths
abt repentance.
We’ll talk abt
those truths
& see how they
make us ready
for God’s kingdom.
PRAYER
Let’s pray.
Father we thank You
for your Word.
Open our ears
to hear the truth.
Open our minds
& hearts
to accept the truth.
& give us the will
& ability
to obey the truth.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
[Transition:
The 1st truth we learn abt repentance is...]
The CALL to repentance.
The year is around
27 A.D.
We know this
bcs in Luke 3:1
Luke tells us
who the secular
& religious rulers were
at the time.
Luke does this
to emphasize
these are real
historical events.
Events his readers
cld verify.
This is important bcs
as Luke says
in Luke 1:1-4
Luke 1:1–4 (EOB: NT)
Many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,
even as those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word since the beginning have delivered them to us.
For this reason, it seemed good to me also, after reviewing the course of all things accurately from the beginning, to write an ordered account to you, most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Luke writes so that
Theophilus—
Which means
friend of God—
Luke writes
so that God’s friends
can know
the certainty
of the Faith
that was delivered
or handed dwn
by the Apostles
to the Church.
So
the year is
around 27 A.D.
& in that year
Luke tells us in
Luke 3:2...
Luke 3:2 (EOB: NT)
...the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.
The John here
is John
the Baptizer.
Luke has already
told us
John was
born miraculously
to Zacharias or
Zechariah &
Elizabeth
who were both
very old.
Elizabeth was unable
to conceive children.
But the Lord
opened her womb.
& nine months later
little John the Baptizer
was born.
& at some point—
We don’t know when
this happened—
At some point
John left Zechariah
& Elizabeth
& went to live alone
in a wilderness
or deserted place.
As Luke tells us in
Luke 1:80 (EOB: NT)
And the child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
30 years after
John’s birth
the Word of God
came to John
in the desert.
& here Luke
echoes the language
of the OT.
When God spoke
to & thru
His prophets
the Scriptures say
the Word of the Lord
came to them.
The Word of the Lord
came to John
the prophet
in the dessert
Bcs his time
to appear publicly
had come.
It was time for John
to fulfill
his mission.
& John was
abt to go
frm unknown
Desert dweller
To a prominent public figure
Bcs of that mission.
What was
John’s mission?
The Lord sent John
to preach
the good news.
On both sides
of the Jordan river
John preached
the good news—
The kingdom of God
was coming.
The King
was coming.
& God’s ppl needed
to get ready
to meet their King
& enter His Kingdom.
& in Luke 3:3
John tells us
how he expected
ppl to respond
to this message.
He says John was
Luke 3:3 (EOB: NT)
...preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins.
Notice those
two words.
Repentance
& Remission.
Let’s talk abt
what those
words mean.
First
Let’s talk abt the word:
Remission.
Most modern translations
translate this word
“forgiveness.”
This word is
the same word
Jesus reads later
in Luke frm
the book of Isaiah.
Jesus reads
Luke 4:18–19 (EOB: NT)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
That word in green
is the same
Greek Word
translated remission
in Luke 3:3.
In Acts 2:38
Luke tells us
how the
Apostle Peter
used similar language
As John
on the day
of Pentecost.
Acts 2:38 (EOB: NT)
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The good news is
& always will be:
If you & I will
repent & be baptized
we will be released
frm our sins.
Released frm
the penalty
the power
& the practice
of sin
as we follow
the Lord Jesus.
That’s the
good news
John came
to tell his audience.
& that’s still
the good news
we need
to hear today.
If we repent
& are baptized
we will be released
frm our sins.
The penalty
for our sins will
be taken away.
The power of sin
will be broken.
& as we follow Jesus
we will no longer
practice sin.
So we’ve gotta
repent & be baptized
for the remission
of our sins.
But what is
repentance?
The Greek word
behind repentance
means to
transform our minds.
To transform
the way we think
abt the Lord
abt ourselves
& abt sin.
& this causes us
to transform
the way we behave
to match this
new way of thinking.
True repentance
always leads to
turning away frm
the kingdom of darkness
& all the sinful ways
of the world.
& turning twd
the kingdom of light
& the righteous ways
of the Lord.
& this is
one reason why
John—
& later Peter—
preached a baptism
of repentance.
This is how we
shld all respond
to the
gospel message.
Ppl hear the good news
that Jesus is
the King
of God’s
eternal kingdom.
& this King came
to save
all of humanity
from bondage
in the kingdom
of darkness.
Thru repentance & baptism
God takes away
our sins
we’re born again
& transferred
into God’s kingdom
when we’re united
to Christ in baptism.
That always
has been
& always will be
the only way
to respond
to the gospel.
So, John preached
a baptism
of repentance.
& in Luke 3:4-6
Luke tells us
Thru John’s preaching
John fulfilled
the words of
Isaiah the prophet.
Luke says
John was
Luke 3:4–6 (EOB: NT)
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.
Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth.
All flesh will see God’s salvation.”
400 years
bfr it happened
Isaiah the prophet preached
That a forerunner
wld come
& make ready
the way
for the Lord.
This forerunner
wld be a voice
Crying out in the desert
Calling God’s ppl
to prepare themselves
for the coming
of the Lord
& the Lord’s Kingdom.
& after
the forerunner came
God’s glory & salvation
wld not only be seen
by Israel…......
But all flesh—
All nations—
Wld see the glory
& salvation of God
thru the
coming Messiah.
John came
to call the world to
Transform their minds
Transform their behavior
& be baptized.
So they wld be
made ready
for the
coming kingdom
of God.
APPLICATION
& this call
to repentance
still goes out today.
God’s kingdom
has come
in the Person
of Christ.
& to enter
this kingdom
we’ve all gotta repent
& be baptized.
& then we’ve gotta
spend the rest
of our lives
making ourselves
ready for the Lord—
Making ourselves
ready to enter
His kingdom.
So, John came
to call ppl
to repentance.
He preached a
baptism of repentance
for the remission
of sins
to make God’s ppl ready
for God’s kingdom.
& Luke goes on
to give us some
practical examples
of what repentance
looks like.
[Transition: We’ll talk abt that
As we talk abt...]
The FRUIT of repentance.
In Luke 3:7 & 8
Luke tells us
what John said
to the crowds
who came
to be baptized.
He says:
Luke 3:7 (EOB: NT)
“You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
In Matthew’s gospel
Matthew emphasizes
John was speaking
specifically to
the religious leaders.
But Luke expands
John’s words
to include
the whole crowd
who were coming
to be baptized.
John calls them all
Sons & daughters
of snakes.
But why
wld John say something
that seems
so harsh
to ppl who
want to know
how to get into
God’s kingdom?
John knew
most in this crowd
Were coming
to be baptized
for the wrong reasons.
They did
want to avoid
God’s wrath—
God’s judgment—
But they did not
want to change
their lives.
They wanted
a little fire insurance
w/o repentance.
They were relying
on baptism
& their national heritage
To save them
frm God’s judgment.
They thought that
Bcs they were
Abraham’s
physical descendants
they were assured
of salvation.
So, they saw
no need
to change.
& this is why
John goes on
to warn them:
In Luke 3:8
Luke 3:8 (EOB: NT)
Do not begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!
John’s point
wld’ve been crystal clear
to his Jewish audience:
Being baptized
& being Jewish
are not enough
To get you into
God’s kingdom.
Being baptized
& being Jewish
are not enough
To save you
frm the coming
judgment.
You must change.
Everyone
who comes into
the kingdom
whether your Jew
or Gentile
We all get in
the same way.
We’ve all
gotta change.
As John says
at the beginning of
Luke 3:8—
We’ve all gotta
Luke 3:8 (EOB: NT)
...bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.
What does
John mean by that?
John means:
True repentance
Always leads
to action.
Repentant ppl
change their behavior
To show
they’ve repented.
Their repentance
is evident
In the way
they live.
Repentance is not
just abt saying
“I’m sorry.”
& It’s not just abt
confessing
our sins.
True repentance
makes us sorry enough
to stop sinning.
When we truly repent
We prove
our repentance
by the way
we live.
As the NLT
puts John’s words
in Luke 3:8
Luke 3:8 (NLT)
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.
When we move over
to the book of Acts—
we see that Paul
taught the same
truth.
While telling
King Agrippa
what Jesus said
when He appeared
to Paul
In Acts 26:17-20...
Paul says
Jesus told him
Acts 26:17–20 (EOB: NT)
I will rescue you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, and receive remission of sins as well as an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Paul goes on to say
Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
but I proclaimed this to the people of Damascus first, and Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea.
Then I also proclaimed it to the Gentiles—that they should repent, turn to God, and do works worthy of their repentance.
Notice Paul’s mission
like John’s—
was to turn ppl
frm Satan’s power
& kingdom
to the Power
& kingdom of God
so they cld receive
remission
release frm their sins.
They do that
by repenting
& doing works—
or bringing forth fruit—
that’s worthy
of repentance.
Again the NLT
of Acts 26:20.
brings out
Luke’s meaning:
Acts 26:20 (NLT)
I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do.
So, John
told his audience
they need
to repent
& bear the fruit
of repentance.
They needed
to prove by the way
they lived
that they were
truly turning away
frm sin
& turning to God.
& John goes on
To tell his audience
the awful result
If they don’t repent
& produce the fruit
of repentance.
In Luke 3:9.
John says:
Luke 3:9 (EOB: NT)
“Even now, the axe also lies at the root of the tree, and so every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
This is
scary stuff.
This is imagery
of what the
coming judgment
of God
will look like.
Fruitless trees—
Trees that
do not produce
The good fruit
of repentance
& do the good works
we’re called to do
in Christ
will be cut down
& thrown
into the fire.
Jesus talks abt
this awful day
in Matthew 13:40-42
Matthew 13:40–42 (EHV)
...just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the world.
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will pull out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and those who continue to break the law.
The angels will throw them into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Only those
who produce
the good fruit
of repentance—
Only those who
thru God’s grace
stop breaking
God’s Law
will enter
the kingdom
of God
& avoid being
thrown into
the blazing furnace.
Now
preaching a message
like that
has a way of
making ppl question
their life choices.
& that’s exactly
what John’s
audience did.
Their like
“What shld
“we do?”
They want
some specifics.
“Yeah...
“John
“We get it
“We need to repent
“& show we’ve
“repented by
“the way we live
“But ‘how’
“do we do that?”
Luke goes on
to tell us
How three groups
of ppl responded
to John’s preaching.
& thru their questions
& John’s answers
Luke gives us
three practical
examples
of what it looks like
To bear the fruit
of repentance.
Some of
John’s audience
that day
were common ppl.
They were
the 1st group
To ask John
what they shld do.
& in Luke 3:11
John answered them:
Luke 3:11 (EHV)
“Whoever has two shirts should share with the person who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”
Basically
John’s saying:
“Use the excess
“you have
“to serve others.
“You’ve got
“two shirts;
“Give one to
“someone who has
“no shirt.”
& this obviously applies
to more than just
clothing.
If we have
what we need
& more
& we see others
who do not have
what they need
We shld share
w/ those in need.
APPLICATION
The fruit of repentance is
we will love
our neighbor
as ourselves.
Just as
we wld want others
to share w/ us
out of their abundance
if we were in need
so we shld share
w/ others in need
out of
our abundance.
APPLICATION
Cld we be
more generous
by sharing more
of what we have
w/ others?
Only you
can answer
this question.
But it wld do us
all some good
to ask ourselves:
“Do I need to
“transform my
“mind abt the way
“I use the things
“the Lord allows me
“to gain?”
“Do I need to be
“more generous?”
“Am I bearing
“the fruit
“of generosity?”
The nxt group
of ppl
who ask John
what they shld do
To produce
the fruit
of repentance are
the tax collectors.
Tax collectors
worked for
the Roman
government.
Most Jews
despised
tax collectors
& especially
any fellow Jew
who was a
tax collector
for at least
two reasons:
First
they were working
for the enemy.
Jews were
under Roman rule
& Jews who
collected taxes
for Rome
were considered
traitors.
But I think it’s interesting
That when
tax collectors ask John
what they shld do
To show
they’ve repented.
John does not say
“Stop being
“a tax collector.”
Being a tax collector
was not
the problem.
In Romans 13:7
the Scriptures say
Romans 13:7 (EOB: NT)
...give to everyone as you owe: taxes to whom taxes are due; revenues to whom revenues are due; respect to whom respect is due; honor to whom honor is due!
Taxes are
a part of life.
They always
will be.
& somebody has to
collect those taxes.
So, John
does not say:
Stop being
a tax collector.
In Luke 3:13
He does tell the tax
collectors...
Luke 3:13 (EOB: NT)
“Do not collect more than what is appointed to you.”
This is the
2nd reason
most Jews
hated tax collectors.
Dishonest
tax collectors
created their own
little side hustle.
They wld charge ppl
more than
they owed
So that
the tax collector
cld keep the extra
for themselves.
So John says
to the
tax collectors:
“What you’re doing
“is wrong.
“You’re oppressing
“others
“Thru your
“dishonest practices.
“If you want to
flee frm
God’s judgment
“You need to produce
“the fruit…
“of repentance
“By collecting only
“what the
“Romans require.”
“Stop being dishonest
“& talking advantage
“of others
“to make money.”
APPLICATION
We may not be
tax collectors.
But we still
need to be honest
in all our dealings
w/ others.
We need to avoid
any temptation
to be dishonest
to help ourselves out
at the expense
of others.
That’s what
these tax collectors
were doing.
To produce
the fruit of repentance
We must be honest
in all we do.
We come now
To the final
group of ppl
who came
to John the Baptizer.
Soldiers come to
John & ask what
they must do
to bear the fruit
of repentance.
In Luke 3:14...
John says:
Luke 3:14 (EOB: NT)
“Do not accuse anyone wrongfully, and extort from no one by violence. Be satisfied with your wages.”
John tells the soldiers
they’ve gotta give up
their Blackmail
& Beatdowns.
Soldiers did
those things
Bcs they were
not content
w/ their wages.
Roman soldiers
were paid
terribly low
& unfair wages.
So they
abused their power
as soldiers
by forcing ppl
to give them money.
& if you refused
to give them money
these soldiers
might threaten
to accuse you
of a crime
you did not commit—
a crime that wld
get you
thrown into prison
or worse.
They also might threaten
to beat you dwn
or actually
beat you dwn
if you did not
give them
what they asked for.
So, John says
“You want to produce
“the fruit
“of repentance?”
“Stop blackmailing ppl
“for money.”
“Stop shaking ppl dwn
“for money.”
“Be content
“w/your wages.”
APPLICATION
& how does this
apply to us?
We need to be content
w/ making
honest wages.
We must never
try to get ahead
at the expense
of others.
We must never
use any
dishonest means
to make money.
To bear the fruit
of repentance
We must
be content
w/ making
an honest living.
Now
as we close.
Repentance is vital
to our salvation.
& today we’ve learned two truths…
Abt repentance.
We’ve talked abt…
The call
to repentance.
& the fruit
of repentance.
Just like in John’s day…
God is still
calling all of us
to repentance.
God calls us…
To turn frm our evil ways;
To turn to God;
& To live a righteous life…
Worthy of King Jesus…
& His heavenly kingdom.
Repentance
will always
lead to action.
Repentance will
always produce fruit.
Repentance will produce
A changed mind
That leads to
a changed life.
& in many ways
The Christian life
Is a life of
continual repentance.
As we learn
God’s good pleasing
& perfect will for us
thru His Word
We see where we’re
Not quite conformed
to Christ’s image.
& we seek God’s grace
To transform
our minds
& our behavior
Until every part of our lives
Is shaped by obedience
To Christ’s commandments.
That’s repentance.
PRAYER
Let’s all stand
for prayer.
Father help us
all to better understand
The meaning
of repentance.
That repentance
leads to a changed life.
That when we truly repent…
We produce fruit…
That shows we’ve repented.
Point out to us…
The areas in our lives…
Where our minds need to change.
Where our lives need to change.
Where we may be falling short…
Of the image of Your Son.
& continue to give us the grace…
To prove by the way we live…
That we are turning frm sin…
& turning to You.
In Jesus name.
Amen.