John the Baptist's Preaching

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Psalm 44:9–12 ESV

But you have rejected us and disgraced us and have not gone out with our armies. You have made us turn back from the foe, and those who hate us have gotten spoil. You have made us like sheep for slaughter and have scattered us among the nations. You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them.

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Reading

Luke 3:7–18 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? 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. 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.” And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 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 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.” As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.

Matthew 3:7–12 ESV

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume 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. 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 baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Mark 1:7–8 ESV

And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John 1:24–28 ESV

(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Sermon

Pre-Amble

Vipers flee from the wrath

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?

Many come to John to be Baptised

He has just been dealing with the Pharasies & Sadduces, trying to trip him up

John Rebukes the crowd

Vipers, small and often hide mongst the sticks/branches on the floor and attack an unsuspecting passerby

Many were insincere, copying others

following superstitiously

Wrath - The Messiah has come to save His People

“Who deluded you to think it possible to evade God?”

Bear Fruit

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.

John points out the act of Baptism is a symbol

What matters is that you bear fruit in keeping with repentance

John warns them against believing salvation comes through inheritance

The God who created Adam from dust, can make believers from stones

John is also symbolic in his overtone

Ezekiel 36:26 ESV

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

God can turn a heart of stone into a living heart

Stones are cast out, and John points to Gentile conversion

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.”

Judgement is coming

Now is the time to repent

When judgement comes it will be too late

Choice

Rependance & Obedience to God - bear fruit

Remain in Sin (self worship) - love towards oneself

Baptism - symbolic on inward change

Inward change mus therefore occur

Show genuine Love towards others

Question 1 - Crowd

Luke 3:10–11 ESV

And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”

Clothing & Food

Voluntary Sharing

Not Socialism - Government take from rich to give the poor

Not Theft - Does not say to the poor to help themselves

Not Strikes - does not condone refusal to work for higher wages

Not wealth & prosperity Gospel

Question 2 - Tax Collectors

Luke 3:12–13 ESV

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 you are authorized to do.”

Does not speak against being a Tax Collector

“Do not collect more than you are authorised to do”

Question 3 - Soldiers

Luke 3:14 ESV

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.”

Does not speak against being a Soldier

Do not Extort - Force by unfair means

do not exort money from anyone by threats

do not exort money from anyone by false accusations

fueling hatred of the rich

Be content with your wages!

Luke 3:15 ESV

As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,

Are you Elijah? Are you the Messiah? John 1:19-23

Baptising Jews, as if they too were unclean

John replied he is the “the voice of one who crying in the wilderness”

John 1:24–25 ESV

(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

John gives us more details of the questioning

Are you the Messiah, are you Elijah, are you the prophet

Now they ask why then are you baptizing?

Luke 3:16 ESV

John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

I bapise you with water

A minor reflection

The Messiah

is mightier

i am unworth to losen or untie his sandals

the task was considered to be the lowest of all tasks

not even worthy to be his servant

He will baptise with the Holy Spirit & Fire

He will bestow upon his followers

salvation

gift of Holy Spirit - fire cleansing

Christ’s 2nd coming - fire symbolises wrath

Luke 3:17 ESV

His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Winnowing Fork - Pic

Threshing Floor - Pic

Gather the wheat (grain)

Chaff to be burned in unquenchable fire

Luke 3:18 ESV

So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.

Hymn -

Closing Prayer

Doxology(read) –

Give thanks to God, for he is good,

the everlasting Giver:

let all his people praise the Lord

whose love endures for ever.

For his right hand has made me strong;

I am his new creation:

he is my God, he is my song,

my strength and my salvation.