Untitled Sermon

I know it is Christmas time and you have to promise not to hate me because of this but this past week I had a thought of how I cannot wait for it to be warm out again, one because I like summer better but also so I can go to the beach.

And I started almost planning out my summer in my head of all of the things ill be doing, like hiking, running, swimming, maybe traveling places.

and then all of the sudden it hit me that this summer is going to look a little bit different because (I am pretty sure all of you know this)but my wife is pregnant and this summer I am having a baby.

Which is great and Arika and I are extremely excited but it hit me that my whole reality is about to change.

I mean I cant just take off on my day off and go to the beach anymore, I’ll have a baby!

I cant go for a run or a hike whenever I want because I’ll have a baby.

And then

and I am realizing it and I am just sitting here going my whole world is about to change and it is never going to be the same.

And then I had a little bit of a freak out moment where I am going “oh my goodness I need to get ready”

Because there are a ton of things I need to do to get ready.

We need to get together a nursery

We need to get ready financially

We need to start eating healthy so we get in that habbit when our kid grows up they arn’t just eating frozen pizzas and mcdonalds like their parents do now.

we need to get a college

We need to find someone to take photos of our baby (because Arika informed me that thats a thing now).

and the list keeps going.

and even though I am extremely excited I realized I need to prepare for this new baby instead of living the way I have for years.

And you can probably think of similar events in your own life where this change was getting ready to occur and you make a realization that this change, changes everything and that you need to prepare for this change.

and really today the passage of scripture we will be in is and this passage basically talks about that there is going to be a change coming and we need to get ready for it because it changes everything.

so read this passage with me this morning. Once again it is

(NIV)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3:2–10pp—; 3:16,17pp—,; ,

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.

5 Every valley shall be filled in,

every mountain and hill made low.

The crooked roads shall become straight,

the rough ways smooth.

6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’ ”

So I just want to start this morning in verses 1 and 2 because these verses are the zone out verses for most of us I think, because we read them and just see a list of complicated names that are impossible to pronounce.

But really these names are setting the context of what is going on at this time.

Because if you look at what is going on during this time its pretty bad.

most of the names of the people in power that are listed are just awful and cruel leaders

and so the society is just full of people who have been oppressed their entire lives and we see all this social injustice going on and really their is no hope for the society other then some hope that the Jewish people had

and then you look at the what is going on for the Jewish leaders because they are are trying to do all these things to

Because the Jewish people are trying to rebuild the temple and start getting people to follow the laws

and really their hope is in this because they believe if we can get all of this back together things are going to get better.

and sometimes when you look at the Bible’s culture with stuff like this you read it and go that doesent really relate to me

But I think this setting that these verses lay out can connect with us a little bit truthfully.

because their are two categories this text brings to our attention:

the people who have struggled with injustice their whole life and have been oppressed (which probably a lot of us have not had this issue personally), but I bet a lot of us have seen social injustice and oppression happen to others.

You know we see racial issues

we see the refugee crisis

We see homeless people on the street

and the other category that gets brought to our attention is when we have our hope in something false.

There are social injustices all around us that we see whether they are close or far away.

We are infamous with this in 21st century America and even in the church.

and then on the fli

Because we go if I can find hope in this one thing we will be set.

If we can find a job that provides I will be set.

we find it in a person and we will be set.

as the church we do this when we go if we can just get the best music ever for we will be set,

if we can just get the perfect pastor (sorry you guys missed out on that one) we will be set.

we fe

We believe different things can help us

and because the word comes to John you see him in verse 3 travel aro

If we get the carpet right in this room everything will get better

If we just get the perfect thing we will be set.

But look at verse 3 because John is seeing this world that they live in where their are all these injustices and their are all these people who have their hope in the wrong things and it says the word of God comes to him and he goes “Wait a minute.”

“wait a minute guys”

We need to do something about this.

Do you see whats going on?

And it says he goes around preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins.

and other passages that tell us this story from a different point of view tell us that this is Johns way of preparing everyone for a big change.

because like I said he is telling everyone its time for repentance, its time to turn away from the life you are living, which is really a way to say its time to reorder things in your life

and it is time to prepare yourself because Christ it coming and this changes everything.

and he is saying we need to prepare our hearts and ourselves for Him.

He’s telling everyone look Christ is coming and we need to change things.

Their are social injustices all around here

people have their hope in the wrong things and we need fix this because Jesus is coming.

and this passage is talking about Jesus getting ready to begin His public ministry,

But today as we are getting ready for Christ coming as a baby we have to ask ourselves “how can I prepare myself for Christ comming?”

because this passage tells us that it takes a repentance and a reordering of the heart.

and I am not sure if you have ever had to reorder your heart but its hard because you have to admit you are wrong about where your heart currently is.

You know I make a decent amount of mistakes in life

and Arika she is pretty smart so a lot of times we will have a disagreement about something and at the end of it, it turns out she is right and I have to admit I am wrong but I do anything I can to avoid saying those words

and its the same way with my mom you know growing up we would have a disagreement and guess what I would have to say those words “you were right”

and men it turns out our wife and mothers are always right!

But we hate to admit it right.

and its even harder when we have to

why because we as people hate to admit that we are wrong.

But this passage is saying look examine your heart.

because we (even in todays culture) live in a world where their are social injustices

We live in a world where we place our hope in a ton of different things.

and its saying look we need to examine our hearts and see how God is wanting to change our heart.

because the next couple verses talk about making paths straight, filling in every valley, and leveling hills and mountains.

and thats hard because for some of us this might mean changing our lives around.

because the king would

If you built your life on a mountain and God is asking you to level it this hard.

If you have your hope and the number one priority in your heart is your job thats hard because God is saying I want you to level it and make me your number one priority.

If your priority is to a certain person even, He is saying look you need to level that in your heart and make me your number one priority.

I want you to turn away from that whatever thing is the most important to you and turn to me.

because when we do this the result is summed up in verse 6 and I would like you to read this with me

because it says “all people will see God’s salvation”

People are going to see how your living because when you reorder your life things change.

You start doing things to help the social injustices in our society

you help those in need

People start to see a change in your life.

Your friends start to see change in your life

strangers start to

and even your kids start to.

and when people see God’s salvation that is something they want in their life.

You know with us heading into Christmas where we remember Christ coming down. I think it is appropriate for us to just reflect this morning what mountains we need to level in our life.

They want

I think I have said this before but

what valleys we need to fill in,

and what paths we need to make straight.

Some of us this last week decided that it was time to rededicate our lives to Christ and right now in our lives its a good time to ask ourselves what is he wanting me to do now.

Is their an addiction I need to deal with

Do I need to deal with an issue that is present in my life

Do I need to make room for God in my life

what do I need to do now that Christ has entered my life?

Like I said in the beginning I have a baby on the way and this event is going to change everything for me.

and even if you have followed Christ for years what do you need to do in or

I cant do some of the things I used to do but I have to make room for for the baby.

and when Christ enters our life He changes everything for us.

and we are going to finish our service with a song and I just want you to reflect what is Christ asking me to do in my life

am I making room for Christ in my life and preparing the way for him in my life?

and what would happen if I said God I am ready to do whatever you are calling me to do.

Pray with me.