Prepare the Way of the Lord

"Prepare the Way of the Lord"

Text: Luke 3:1–14 Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17 – "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

I. A Call to Prepare

Illustration: Imagine preparing your home for an important guest—a leader, an artist, or someone you deeply admire. You’d clean, organize, and ensure everything was perfect. But what if the guest wasn’t coming to your home but to your heart? John the Baptist’s ministry asks this very question: how are we preparing for the coming of Christ, not externally, but internally?

John’s call to repentance was a wake-up cry for a people who had become complacent in their faith. His message echoes across the centuries to us today. What does it mean to truly prepare for Christ in our lives? not of homes but of hearts. As with all things though Jesus does not do what is expected and all to often turns the script taking what we know turning it on its head. That is what we see even from Luke in the way he presents this gospel account.

II. The Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Luke 3:1–6)

Luke 3:1 ESV

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

The first thing you notice after Luke sets the context with some stories of Jesus birth and a story of an event in his childhood. Luke begins by setting the historical context. As I say all the time, the most important part of reading and understanding any biblical passage is context. Luke gives a list of well known leaders the Caesar who was ruling at the time, Pontius Pilot, the governor of Judea, Herod the tetrarch and a couple of others. Placing Jesus squarely in a specific time, in a specific place, with a specific context leading up to one of the most anticipated events in the history of the Judea and more so the entire history of the world. One that would utterly change the entire course of history up to the present day.

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The word was becoming flesh and coming into the world, not to condemn the world as would have been right, but rather to deal with sin and thus save the world in a spectacular way as no one expected. The world had expected this Messiah, the Christ, but this was not how they expected him to come. It is easy to miss this one very important thing about the gospel and how it comes to us, one that I feel is the main problem of the world today, well not even today but all through history. We need to look no further than what John wrote John 1:1-5

John 1:1–5 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

It is by no coincidence that the attack from the enemy always comes at God’s word. “Did God actually say?” the words of the devil himself echoing through history over and over. Getting you to question God’s word is the number one attack and the reason why is that it is not controlled by the world, but by God himself. It does not come as the world expected, it came like this:

Luke 3:2 ESV

during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

It did not come to a palace, it did not come to leaders, it didn’t even come to the Rabbi’s who studied throughly the scriptures, it come it the least expected place. Same as it still comes today, in unexpected ways, ways brought only by the Holy Spirit working through means that are so ordinary that the learned and wise cannot see, but children understand.

This word however came to John in the wilderness.

Luke 3:3 ESV

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Then quoting from Isaiah John the baptist began proclaiming what was long ago prophesied.

Luke 3:4–6 (ESV)

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. 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, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

Prepare the way of the Lord!

Again how to we prepare for such a great dignitary, the king of the world, God stepping down in the flesh becoming man? Most of all now how do we prepare for his return again in glory?

III. Repentance That Bears Fruit (Luke 3:7–9)

John the baptist gives us some ideas.

Luke 3:7 ESV

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?

Could you imagine in churches today how big the crowds would be in the mega-churches with that kind of message. You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? This would not be a popular message in fact it’s not a popular message, one of the biggest things I have heard waged against us a Lutherans is we start off each service by saying that we are sinners, we have sinned against God, each other and even ourselves. That is such a negative way to start, we want to feel good, we want to be uplifted when we come to church.

They forget what God’s word says, 1 John 1:8

1 John 1:8 ESV

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

John the baptist statement challenged everyone who was not coming there for the right reason. It challenges us do we come for the right reason, do you come to church to be entertained? Well I hate to burst your bubble but I am not very entertaining. It is good thing that you are not here for me, but for the word, and as longs as I am able, I hope that I always preach the truth, and the gospel clearly so that you get what you need Law and Gospel, the fulness of God’s word so that when you leave each Sunday you know for certain your sins are forgiven, that Jesus died for you and then when you sin, and you will sin again you have an advocate, Jesus Christ who that because he died for you, took your place, and rose again, that when you confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive your sins a cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

At the end of it all it is all about Jesus, not our entertainment, not our fleeting feelings, but the word becoming flesh, full of grace and truth.

Luke 3:8 ESV

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.

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. That is where it gets tough, for we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, our salvation we know is not dependent upon anything we do or merit, but solely on Christ Jesus, yet there comes a point of when truth shines forth, for one who does not keep in bearing fruit of repentance, is unrepentant and still caught in the trap of sin, and sin leads to doubt and doubt to death.

The devil is always waiting, to plant those seeds of doubt, to accuse you of faltering, accuse you of your sin and really, really good at asking that questions are you sure you are saved? Your actions sure do not seem in line with what is expected of a Christian, you are really good a faking it aren’t, you know pretending to be a Christian, you come each Sunday dressed in your Sunday best smile at one another shake each others hands and saying peace.

Luke 3:7 (ESV)

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Luke 3:9 ESV

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.”

I am so glad you are here today, we want you to feel good about yourself. Let’s sing a joyous song for Jesus is returning. We can go through the motions, even the emotions, we can let the music move us, the pastor message uplift us so that we feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but to what end? The enemy is waiting just outside, heck he may be waiting for the service to be over so you can get out the door to get to the football game, he may be sitting on your lap saying with this guy ever shut up. Know this though, you are saved by grace through faith in Christ, God’s word gives us a promise if you are baptized and believe you will be saved.

Romans 10:17 ESV

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

IV. Practical Examples of Repentance (Luke 3:10–14)

What shall we do then? we are caught in sin and doubt, I want to believe, but Lord help my unbelief.

Luke 3:10 ESV

And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”

Luke 3:11 ESV

And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

Luke 3:12 ESV

Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

Luke 3:13–14 ESV

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.”

These all sound great and often times what we hear from the world, in fact it is the Law, and its summed up nicely in two things love the Lord you God with your whole heart and the second is like it love your neighbor as yourself. These are all great things, if we could just do them. What happens though when you don’t, what happens when you put yourself first, you don’t think about God, you certainly could care less about your neighbor, especially when they let their dogs bark all day, when they don’t acknowledge you when you pass by, and even when they do terrible things to you.

Galatians 2:21 ESV

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

V. Gospel Assurance in Repentance

We cannot fault John the Baptist, after all he was a baptist. Seriously though the fullness of the gospel had not quite yet come to the full fruition. It was there walking among them, but John was called to prepare the way, to make level the path, to set things in order. That is what we are called to do as Christians, set things in order. speaking truth in love. For that is what true love does, it tells the full hard truth even when it is not popular, even when it difficult and harsh, for we know that harder truth and that truth is Jesus Christ, who became flesh, lived and taught among us, then willing went to the cross and died, taking the penalty of our sins, took them to the grave, then tree days later he rose again from the dead. He then ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Today that is what we a looking towards, as we hear this good-news as we know why we are saved, through Jesus we continue to share this good news, this gospel with others letting them know that they too can be saved by this grace so free given by our Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes setting forth the Law to acknowledge they are sinners, and we we know and admit we are sinners and there is nothing we can do about it, no way we can fix it, it is then we know the Gospel and see it so much clearer that it is Jesus alone who saves us. Born in a manger so low, suffering so deeply and rising so quietly, coming through the Holy Spirit in word and sacrament, sustaining us until that day he returns in glory, with angels trumpet sound, every knee will bow and death and sin will be no more. Amen

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.