The Voice in the Wilderness

His Message - Luke 3:1-20

Luke 3:1–20 NKJV

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 Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the 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: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” Then 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 what is appointed for you.” Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.

Prepare for the Messiah

Luke 1:13-17 - John’s purpose and meaning in life is foretold to his father Zechariah.

Luke 1:13–17 NKJV

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

It is obvious that at some point, John was sent forth directly by God to make way for the Messiah. This is how all Old Testament prophets got their “marching orders”!

Jeremiah 1:7b [...] for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Jeremiah 1:7b NKJV

But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

This was the greatest station any prophet of God could ever hope for - proclaiming the imminent coming of the Messiah, the Savior.

Isaiah 40:1-11 “Comfort, comfort my people...”

Isaiah 40:1–11 NKJV

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins.” The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

Commit through Repentance and Baptism

Repentance - a TURNING not only in action, but of the mind. A change in thought process.

John 15:6 - Fruits of repentance are STILL expected of those who truly follow God’s commands.

John 15:6 NKJV

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Baptism “of repentance” - This was a preparatory baptism that manifested a change of heart.

This is different from Christ’s baptism, mainly because the Holy Spirit was not directly under consideration. Acts 19:1-7

Acts 19:1–7 NKJV

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all.

Twelve men, though baptized into John’s baptism, did not even know the Holy Spirit existed. Paul had to teach them, and they had to be baptized into Christ.

Change by practically understanding spiritual needs

Keep in mind that John answers these under the Law of Moses, NOT the Law of Christ.

We must be careful not to apply these carelessly, or misapply them.

Those “least in the kingdom” would answer these questions differently. Lk. 7:24-30

Luke 7:24–30 NKJV

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to 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.’ For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

Those in the kingdom of Christ are called upon for more dedication, more seeking, more diligence, more knowledge than the OT jews!

More revealed to us, and thus more expected! Lk. 12:48

This said, there are similarities here.

Sacrifice and Generosity toward all

Application of Spiritual Principles in Secular Work

Tax Collectors - collect only what is needed

Soldiers - do not misuse your position

Consider the judgment to come

The “threshing floor” would have been a familiar scene for John’s audience, where chaff would have been separated cleanly from the wheat to be processed.

The wheat is to be gathered into the barn

The chaff is to be burned with “unquenchable fire”

John is not a man who leaves it to his audience to determine how important this is. He makes the nature of the Messiah’s coming and God’s judgment absolutely clear.

His Conviction - Matthew 14:1-12

Matthew 14:1–12 NKJV

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.” For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.” And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

God’s Law is true

In contrast, Herod does NOT believe that God’s Law is true.

Obedience to God’s Law is what shows whether one truly believes it.

James 2:18 “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

John was not one to only claim that he believed. He lived it. What an amazing example!

Acts 17:11 “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

We must identify and communicate what is lawful and not lawful

How often might we see and understand that someone in our life is making a terrible mistake, but we remain silent?

John shows his conviction to Herod. He says, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

This might have worked on Herod’s heart, but Herodias circumvented any good that the truth might have done for him.

2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Satan will try to make God’s truth seem complex, or will make the situation seemingly so “complex” that we fail to properly apply God’s truth.

John might have avoided his grisly death by keeping quiet, but he knew there was a greater cause to be served. May we all have that same conviction!

His Testimony - John 1:19-27

John 1:19–27 NKJV

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

He is NOT the Messiah

John can easily claim this title, but he does not.

Consider the great numbers attracted to him, taking the time and effort to come into the wilderness to hear him.

Matthew 17:10-13 - John never refuses the attention given to his message, but he does refuse to take the mantle of Messiah away from the true One.

Matthew 17:10–13 NKJV

And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

Many false “christs” today. Many idols that will lead us astray.

Are we strong enough to recognize who the true Christ is?

The Messiah is above all

Back to tax collectors and soldiers from Luke 3:

What John calls upon for them to do is LESS than what Christ might compel His faithful to do.

Jesus says, “...if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.” (Mark 9:43)

If my job is making it impractical to serve God as He demands, I need to find a different job.

True that John is not telling them to quit their jobs, but understanding the headship of Jesus may very well lead us to do so!

The exclusiveness of this message shows us just what John is saying. If Jesus is our King, He takes priority over every aspect of our lives.

Luke 7:24-30 - What this testimony means for those who obeyed or disobeyed what John preached.

Luke 7:24–30 NKJV

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to 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.’ For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

Matthew 21:23-27 - The ultimate effect of having not obeyed - feigned ignorance and dismissal

Matthew 21:23–27 NKJV

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The life of John the Baptist is laid before us. How do we measure up? His message challenges us. His conviction encourages us. His testimony informs us.