The Powerful Preaching of John
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7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”
12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.
19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.
Introduction
Introduction
We’re in the Gospel of Luke.
Last week - began looking at John the Baptist as he came to prepare the way for the Messiah - JEsus Christ.
This week, we are going to consider the Powerful Preaching of John the Baptist.
What did he preach and teach?
What was the message that he proclaimed as he prepared the way.
It is a very helpful passage, even in terms of our own lives as Christians, as we consider our own Christian testimony and witness in the world.
1. His Preaching Was Convicting (vv.7-14)
1. His Preaching Was Convicting (vv.7-14)
The first thing that we see as John comes preaching in the wilderness, preparing the way for Christ, is the strong warning, even what seems to be a rebuke to the crowds. Verse 7 reads,
7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
The first thing that we see from this verse is that he’s directing it at the “Crowds...”
In Matthew’s Gospel account, Matthew indicates that these words were directed at the Pharisees and Sadducees.
But Luke clearly says that John was speaking to the crowds more generally.
And so as these large crowds came out to be baptised by John, he recognised that many of them were insincere. And so he likens them to the snakes with which he had become familiar as he lived in the desert.
These snakes were dangerous, and deceptive.
As John preaches here under the power of the Holy Spirit, he recognises that these people do not have pure motives in their hearts, and thus questions them - “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”
But he doesn’t just leave things there, and then chase them away. Instead, he goes on to tell them what ought to be evident in their lives as those claiming to follow God...
8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
This is the message that John conveys - in summary, “produce fruit in keeping with repentance...”
Pause here for a moment. What is very important is that he’s saying that repentance is necessary.
But this is not merely any pithy expressions of repentance. This is not simply a matter of saying I’m sorry.
Rather, the message that John comes preaching as the groundwork, the preparation work for Christ’s coming is a message of genuine, heart repentance that has its evidence in the fruit that is produced.
We notice also from this verse the problem that many of the Jews had as he preaches to them.
He says to them “And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’”
Abraham was a great patriarch - a founding father of their Jewish faith.
We read often in the Old Testament about what was sworn on oath to “your father Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
16 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
The Israelites knew that they were a great nation and people chosen by God for Himself.
They were a people that were founded on promises made by God to Abraham.
But the problem was that they began to presume that they had the blessing of God upon them, by mere fact that they were descendants of the to whom these promises of God were made.
This thinking was most prominently brought out in the confrontation that took place between Jesus and the Jews.
Turn with me to John 8:31.... We will read that passage together.
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.
“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do the things Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the things your own father does.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
Well, this passage very clearly outlines the kind of reliance the Jewish people had in the fact that they were descendants of Abraham. They placed great hope and trust in God’s continued kindness and mercy towards them based merely on the fact that they were Jews, children of Abraham.
But John enters into the scene, preparing the way for Christ, and tells them that such a reliance is misplaced.
He goes as far as to say that out of the very stones of the ground, God can raise up children of Abraham.
As God created Adam from the dust of the ground, he was able to create children for himself from stones.
Very probably there is a play on words here.
Recall that the prophets of the Old Testament told of a time when God would take out the hearts of stone, and give them hearts of flesh.
And this would be true of both Jew and Gentile.
But the fact is, the Gospel message, the new time in the unfolding of God’s purposes, requires people to humble themselves in repentance before God.
And this repentance is evidenced through spiritual fruit coming out of the person.
He goes on in verse 9 to convey the gravity of the situation for those who are unwilling to hear the message...
9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
The picture is an easy one to understand. John has just said that these people must bear fruit in keeping with repentance. They are like trees, he says, and the connection is clear - if the tree has no fruit according to what it is supposed to be, then it serves no purpose. It needs to be removed.
Jesus will use this same picture in a parable to the people....
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
John is declaring to the crowds that repentance without the accompanying fruit is meaningless, and is in fact useless.
Having confronted the Jews with this strong word of warning, what is of great encouragement is the response of the crowds...
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
The first step towards true repentance is a desire to actual do things differently.
Even as the crowds asked this very simple question, “What should we do then?” they are expressing a heart that is at least somewhat softened and fertile to to receive the seed of God’s word.
What will follow are practical examples of the fruit that accompanies repentance in various contexts.
It’s very important that we recognise just how practical this is in terms of living life in the world.
1. Share your abundance
11 John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”
The heart that is truly repentant before God does not only consider themselves, and is not selfish with personal possessions.
Rather, the heart that is repentant desires to give, even to give sacrificially to those who are in need.
One of the greatest demonstrations of practical, Christ-exalting love that can be found is a community of saints caring for one another. The Apostle John deals with this directly...
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
The point here is that the fruit of a repentant heart, the fruit of a heart that is submissive to Christ, is going to be a heart that loves to be generous, and to give to others according to their need.
This is most beautifully seen in the Macedonian church.
1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
What a powerful work of God’s grace this was.
And our prayer should be that this grace of God grows and is evident in our own lives.
2. Don’t Exploit
12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
Now, we probably know well that the tax-collectors were the despised people of society. And the reason was that they really didn’t care much for the people from whom they collected taxes. They were those who were tasked by the Roman government to collect the taxes that were required.
But the tax collectors would collect huge sums of money from the people, far more than what was required, give what was needed to the government what they demanded, and then enjoy the rest themselves. They would exploit the people from whom they collected taxes in order to benefit themselves.
And so what would be the evidence of a truly repentant heart within the context of the tax collectors?
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
It’s quite simple really. If you claim to have a heart that has been transformed, if you claim to be in right relationship with God, then you ought to be bearing this fruit, even as a tax collector.
We can’t consider this without our minds going to the account of Zaccheus.
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
What a wonderful example of a truly repentant man whose heart has been changed and who begins bearing fruit!!
This is the demonstration of salvation - a heart that is transformed to have a deep care and concern for what is right, and for the good of others.
The third example recorded for us then follows...
3. Don’t Abuse Your Power
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
The soldiers that were referred to here were not the soldiers of the Roman army. Rather they were the forces employed by Herod Antipas. Within the context of this passage, it is evident that they were Jews - since John is preaching here to the Jews of that region.
But part of the duties that these soldiers had was to register the people for the purpose of taxation. So they were assisting the tax collectors. And evidently what they did was they employed all sorts of intimidatory tactics in order to extort money out of the people. In other words, it was not merely about registering for tax purposes, but then also getting more out of the people than they should have.
The word used in the phrase in the NIV, “don’t extort money” literally has the meaning “to shake violently.” In other words, they were using some measure of force in order to get money. They were using their power and position as soldiers to frighten people.
John speaks here about the fact that they would use slanderous accusations against the people in order to intimidate them. They would accuse people falsely. They would make false claims, thus intimidating people into giving more money than they were supposed to. It was a terrible situation for the ordinary person, who lived in fear.
But notice also the reason behind what the soldiers did. It was a lack of contentment. The soldiers weren’t remunerated very well. Their pay was low. And so they would use these ungodly means in order to obtain more for themselves.
In the context of what was so typical of these soldiers, John explains to them that a typical evidence of a truly repentant heart would be for them to be content with their pay. In other words, a repentant heart would not covet other people’s money. A repentant soldiers heart would not use and abuse their power as a means to enrich themselves. Rather, a truly repentant heart would humbly accept the position that God has placed them in, and thus refrain from extortion and false accusations for personal benefit.
Now, before we move on, notice in all three of the examples that John gives, that they are others-focused.
In other words, they are ways that demonstrate that you do not think only of yourself and your own personal well-being, but are concerned for other people and their personal well-being.
The evidence of a love for God is found in your love for others around you, and the way in which you treat them.
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
The second thing that we notice from the powerful preaching of John is that...
2. His Preaching Was Christ-Centered (vv.15-18)
2. His Preaching Was Christ-Centered (vv.15-18)
15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.
Very clearly, John has made a powerful impact on the people to whom he is preaching. Already they can perceive that this man is preaching under the power of God.
But their thought is he is perhaps the Messiah.
Perhaps this is the one that was coming to be their deliverer (i.e. a political Saviour!).
But John clearly points them to some one far greater than what they perceived him to be...
16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Notice John’s description of Jesus here. Notice the power that John says will be evident in the true Saviour’s life. He will be more powerful. But he will also be holy.... John says that he will not even be worthy to untie the thongs of the sandals of this one to come. Untying sandals was the job of the lowliest of slaves. Even this, says John, he will be unworthy to do.
Such is the holiness of Jesus Christ the Lord. And John knew this and acknowledged this!! For John, all that he was doing was preparing a path for the true Saviour, the exalted and holy one!! There was no demonstration of pride in his response, but rather, and utter focus on Christ. It was all about Christ!
Listen to how this is conveyed when John was approached by some of his disgruntled disciples when they realised that Jesus was becoming more popular than John...
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.
John’s emphasis was on the exaltation of Jesus Christ. John was not doing the work he did in order to make a name for himself, but rather to point people to the one who had the name above all names.
Nothing was more important than that Jesus be greatly exalted. He himself, that is John, said that he must become less. He must fade out, and regress into the shadows. Christ must be the light that captivates the attention of the people.
For all of us as Christians who proclaim Christ to the world, and particularly for those who are ministers of the Gospel of Christ, we need to be very careful to keep the same attitude as John here. The ministry is not about making a name for yourself, but about exalting the name of Christ. Evangelism is not about making a name for yourself by winning more souls to Christ than anyone else, and thus finding reason to boast. Our goal is that Christ’s name is exalted. People must look to Him!
Notice from verse 16 the ministry that Christ will have.
John says of himself that he baptises with water, but that the one that comes after him will baptize with the spirit and with fire.
The first thing that John conveys through this truth is the great superiority of the baptism of the one to come. John was merely able to perform a ceremonial act of cleansing to demonstrate repentance.
But the one that was to come would baptist with the spirit and with fire.
In one sense, the “spirit” and the “fire” could be referring to the same idea.
When Jesus speaks to his disciples in Acts 1:5, he says...
5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
You will recall that when Luke records the events of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost...
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
So there is certainly a connection between the Holy Spirit and fire.
But surely we must see something more in this. The fire is repeatedly used in the Scriptures in order to depict the judgment of God.
6 the Lord Almighty will come
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.
In 2 Peter 3:7, Peter writes...
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Many other Scriptures speak of the judgment of God coming by fire.
But that is not limited to the Old Testament. Even the words of John continue to speak about this judgment fire of God, even as it relates to the work that Christ was coming to do.
Look at verse 17...
17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The picture that John goes on to present here to the people is that of a grain farmer that is separating the wheat from the chaff. The chaff speaks of the husk that covers the seed, but is of no real use, and thus it is separated. The seed is what is wanted by the farmer, and so he winnows the wheat. In that process, the husk, the chaff, the worthless part is caught by the wind as the wheat is tossed up in the air with the winnowing fork. The chaff blows off to one side, is collected in a pile, and is ultimately burned up by fire, while the seed itself - that which is useful, falls to the ground and is collected by the farmer.
The clear picture within this context is that the judgment fire of God will burn up all that is useless. All of those who do not submit themselves to the Lord, all of those who do not produce fruit in keeping with repentance, will be judged by God.
Finally, as we consider how John focuses His Gospel ministry of Jesus Christ, notice what Luke records for us in verse 18...
18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.
The task of John was to exhort people to faith in Christ through the use of words.
Such is the way in which the Gospel message must always be proclaimed.
But we must see the way in which this news is spoken of here, particularly as we consider the warnings of John to the crowds. While he warned them to repent and turn away from their evil ways, and to demonstrate the fruit of true repentance, this was not a sour or a bitter message. Rather this was the sweet, good news of a Saviour.
The fact that a Saviour was coming, requiring repentance and faith, was good news for sinful people. This meant that people would finally be able to have freedom from sin, and live a life in right relationship with God.
For us, as we stand this side of history, it is the good news that God has poured out His wrath on His son, and He has sent His Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives, and we are now able to live lives that are empowered towards holiness and godliness because He so powerfully works in us.
Dear friends, whenever we hear this message of repentance, and the importance of bearing fruit in keeping with that repentance, we must keep in mind that this message is not burdensome and condemnatory towards us. This is a message of true peace and joy.
The natural inclination of the man is to try to work harder at being a better person. And we focus all our attention on trying to bear this good fruit in our lives. And every time we fail, we become miserable, and think to ourselves that we’ve failed again, and haven’t earned God’s favour.
But very obviously this is not what we ought to be doing.
Instead, we ought to primarily be focusing our hearts and minds on Christ, on His grace and mercy towards sinners, and allowing our hearts to be filled with Him and a knowledge of Him, so that the fruit in our lives will begin to grow.
The focus ought to be on the cultivating of a sound relationship with our Lord through regularly engaging in these ordinary means of grace.
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Now, must we obey? Of course we must. But the focus is not on obedience to prove something, but rather obedience out of joyful submission by the power that He gives.
I say this to encourage us to not give up hope.
Finally, notice with me from this powerful preaching of John...
3. His Preaching Brought Confrontation (vv.19-20)
3. His Preaching Brought Confrontation (vv.19-20)
By this, I mean that his preaching had consequences for him.
Not everyone who heard the message delighted in that message. While the confrontation to some led them to ask “what must we do”, that same confrontation to others led to the response, “how dare you!”
Read v.19 and 20 with me...
19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.
Herod was a man who was indulging in sinful conduct with the wife of his brother. He was clearly living in sin, and had little shame.
Evidently, the sin in Herod’s life went beyond this matter of Herodias. Luke speaks about all the other evil things he had done. Clearly, this was an evil man, bent on self-centered living.
And John rightly confronted him on this, or at least spoke out about this fleshly, indulgent behaviour. This was sin, and John opposed it.
And as can be expected from those who proclaim the truth of God’s word, he was met with hostility. He was thrown into prison by Herod. Ultimately, John would be beheaded at the command of Herod, by the instigation of Herodias.
Friends, let us be sure that true Gospel proclamation will always bring confrontation.
Jesus said to his disciples...
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Suffering will be a normal part of the Christian life, particularly when people are called to repentance, particularly when people are confronted by their sin.... even when this is done grace and love - as it always should be done.
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
Just a few points of application as we close...
Firstly, Don’t rely on your spiritual descendency…
Don’t rely on who baptised you; that you were baptised in the Jordan river; or any other useless work for your salvation.
Your faith needs be rooted and grounded int he person and work of Jesus Christ.
Flowing out of that, evaluate yourself to consider if you are bearing the fruit of a true believer.
Bearing Fruit means Living Differently. No matter the context - there is always a practical application and implication for you in your own life. Whatever your context and situation, ask yourself, am I bearing fruit.
Is it a joy for me to show love and care and concern to others? Do I consider the needs of others around me? Do I demonstrate that through sacrifice on my side?
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
NOTE: EBC shows itself to be generous and loving. Keep that up! And if you personally have avoided sacrificial giving to others, learn from those who do give to others, and by God’s grace pray for opportunity to give.
Be encouraged in a dark world that will oppose the church. Face those struggles, knowing the this is to be expected.