Stepping Up

Great Speeches in History

‘Twas two weeks before Christmas and there in the pews, parishioners waited to hear some Good News. JK I can’t do an entire sermon in poetry form. But let’s take a moment to look at the literary greats none the less.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought fort, upon this continent, a new nation conceived in liberty and dedication that all men are created equal.

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps in the petty pace from day to day to the last syllable of recorded time

When day comes we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

Legacy! What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.

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

Somehow John the Baptist’s words don’t feel like the epic words of legacy from the great orators of time.

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse

And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, an to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

It doesn’t feel like the words of hope, peace, and love we know at Christmas. And yet I would posit that there is in fact a vital and beautiful Advent message in the raging cries of this wilderness prophet.

John the Baptist was called to bring a message of a God stepping in. And he invited us to step up.

Review

We pick up our story in Luke 3:7 right where Pastor Glenn left off last week. John’s job description has been laid out for us but how does he go about breaking through the rocky hearts? How does he lift up the fallen hearts? How does he straighten out their crooked thinking? Luke doesn’t give us a clearly organized 25 minute sermon from John. Instead he offers us a sampler platter of how John addressed the people. From his words, we pick up three central themes of the Baptist’s work: Judgement, Repentance, and Advent.

Judgement: Step Up (Directional)- Elevate your heart from the world

Luke 3:7 “So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

The Baptist opens with words of rebuke. These days are a snake pit and you are the brood. Picture less the put together Paul of the New Testament waxing eloquent for hours on end as the listeners swoon. Picture more the Old Testament Prophets untamed and wild using loud rhetoric and bold illustrations to evoke strong emotions. Far from the well-dressed evangelist of today, John had more in common with the prophets of old seeing wheels inside of wheels or lying in bull-droppings, or retrieving their prostitute wives from sale blocks. His appearance and words were less nuanced and formal because John didn’t have the luxury of hours of sermon prep. He shot from the hip and spoke with passion to the crowd as they came. His words evoked urgency, necessity, totality, and finality.

And so it is he speaks of the coming judgment. Not with euphemism or with beautiful alliterations that bring a sense of melody, comfort, or peace. But with strong brash words of the ax at the root of the tree and the unquenched fire. While not the most romantic place to start, speaking of judgment is none the less necessary for a people who have fallen asleep. We must understand that the stakes are high the cost is great and our hope without the Messiah is dead in the water.

One of the hardest truths for us to face is our own sinfulness. But without understanding where we truly deserve to stand, grace feels like something we’re entitled to rather than a gift we couldn’t possibly earn. The Jews of Jesus’ time were in the same boat. John needed them to take seriously the danger of the judgement when he reminded them in Luke 3:8 ““Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.” They wouldn’t be saved on account of their lineage. John squashes all sense of safety from race, religion, or tradition and demands individual repentance as the only hope for seeing the coming kingdom.

Luke 3:8 NAS

“Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.

We too need to be reminded that our salvation doesn’t come from anything in us. It’s not about where you were born or where you go to church or what you do for a living. There is no safety net for any of us. He calls us to step up individually with hearts that are turned toward God and receive salvation.

John also wants us to understand that judgement is imminent. Luke 3:9 ““Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”” We need to make the decision now to bear fruit rather than wasting away assuming we’ll have more time later. We are not promised tomorrow. We don’t have a guaranteed do-over coming. Now is the time for action. He calls up to step up now and answer the call to follow God wholeheartedly.

John also takes the time to emphasize that the coming judgment will be final. Luke 3:17 ““His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.””

Luke 3:17 NAS

“His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

John implores us to repentance because he knows how truly final the annihilation of judgement will be. His raging cries and colorful words drive us to step up and away from the coming destruction.

Repentance- Step Up (Behavioral)- Elevate your actions to bear fruit

Luke 3:8 ““Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance.”

What are the fruits of repentance? What evidence is there that our hearts have changed?

Those who had come to follow Jesus asked this question: Luke 3:10 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?””

Here John addresses three very different groups of people with very similar directives.

Crowd (Day to day church goers): Luke 3:11 “And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.””

Tax-Collectors (Ostracized former members): Luke 3:13 “And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.””

Soldiers (Gentiles-Lesser people): Luke 3:14 “Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.””

Where do you feel like you land? Here we see the need to make the path clear for Jesus’ work. We see John bringing all into a place of repentance so that hearts are prepared to receive the coming Messiah.

Crowd: Coming week after week to church; putting on the clothes and going through the motions but feeling like there must be more than just ritual. John’s call to take off the mask of religion is for you. He calls you to repent and love authentically instead.

Tax-Collectors: You used to have a church family but when your mistakes came to light you were pushed out and now you feel like a man without a country. Or maybe you discovered the awful truth that the church is made up of sinful people who don’t always do as Christ would do and so you left to venture out and find a place that was more holy than the one you’d been raised in but are realizing the isolating truth that all people are human and will inevitably let you down. John’s call to accept truth is for you. He invites you to give up on false perfect and instead seek true purpose by following after the principals of honesty and integrity.

Soldiers: Maybe you’ve always been an outsider and find yourself at this service in church or on-line because you feel drawn to something new but you still can’t put your finger on exactly what the something is that you’re looking for. John’s call to come in from the cold is for you. He is pushing you here to let go of worldly standards of wealth and power and instead seek after a God who can bring true contentment.

But look at what he told them and what he emphasized:

Generosity

Fairness

Contentment

Justice

Stewardship

It’s reminiscent of Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” It seems to coincide nicely with 1 Samuel 15:22 “Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”

Why does John the Baptist place such a strong emphasis on practical manifestations of repentance like giving and honesty versus heart-based spiritual practices of repentance like prayer and Bible study?

Practical ethical living is a necessary call in the church because it’s so easy for us to become so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good. We can overlook our own sinful hearts and hands and dismiss it as proof that we just need to pray more or read the Bible more. We are able to spiritualize things to such a level that no outward change is necessary. God wants his people to behave not just believe. This is not a singularity of focus but sets behavior as the natural progression of belief. Christ’s love compels us to behave as we believe.

When you’re in a car and the GPS tells you that you’ve gone the wrong way:

Heart= Recalculating

Repentance: Make a U Turn

But there are also limitations to ethical living. Ethics is not the end game. Ethics practically brings about the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Advent literally brings about heaven touching earth.

Advent Step Up (Transcendental)- Step Into a New Life in Christ

Advent is about the literal manifestation of the name Immanuel- God with us. The first Advent was a God who would condescend to leave heaven and come to sinful earth. The second Advent will be a God who would elevate us by saving us from a sinful world and taking us to heaven.

John wants us to understand that there is so much more to come than a people that are simple existing in Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Our journey isn’t just about become more like Christ but is in fact about a Christ who became more like us. We cannot miss this truth. Sin created a chasm of separation that we could not overcome. This season is about a God who chose not to call us to come high but instead stooped down low to be with us. John makes this point in Luke 3:15 “Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,” Luke 3:16 “John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John’s work is to elevate humanity but that elevation can only go so far. Advent is about a God who would bring the power of heaven to us.

Holy Spirit’s advent in Acts is met with the fire John alludes to in Luke 3:16 “John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Closing: Fire Is Coming

All will go through the fire. Some like chaff will be destroyed while others like the apostles on that day of Pentecost will be refined into finest gold. So step up!

Receive the Coming Messiah! Step up

Embrace God With Us! Step up

As Divine Meets Humanity! Step up!

Experience Heaven on earth! Step up!

Benediction

Be people of joy. Let joy live in your heart and share the joy of Christ with all you meet. Share joy by seeing the good in each other. Share joy by remembering good times and hoping for good times to come. Share joy by praying for our world. In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share joy. As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share joy, peace, and hope with those you meet. Amen.