04-24-2022 – John Warns Israel

Bible Text: Luke 3:7-14 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: Luke |

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April 24, 2022
“John Warns Israel” (AM insert)
Luke 3:7-14

It’s been three weeks since we were in Luke’s Gospel account, so I’m going to read the first six verses of chapter 3, as a refresher of where we left off.

Read Luke 3:1-6…

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

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

3 And he came into all the district 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,

“THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,

‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,

MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.

5 ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED,

AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW;

THE CROOKED WILL BECOME STRAIGHT,

AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

6 AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”

The setting for Luke’s account, is after 400 years of silence between God and Israel. God had set apart the Hebrews as His chosen people, to worship Him; but the Priests and religious leaders had turned that relationship into one of rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices, and law keeping.

But the truth is

(Romans 3:20),

20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

(Romans 3:23),

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(Romans 6:23),

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The only hope for the Jewish people (really, for all people) was that the coming Messiah [Savior, God’s Son] would make everything right. He would forgive their sins and restore their relationship with God; because, although

Hebrews 9:22,

22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

(Hebrews 9:28),

28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

(Hebrews 10:4-5),

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

“SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED,

BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;

(Hebrews 10:10),

10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(Hebrews 10:14),

14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

(Hebrews 10:17-18),

“‘And their sins and their lawless deeds [God says] I will remember no more,’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin,”

because

(1John 5:7),

“the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Read Luke 3:7-9…

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?

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.

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.”

John didn’t waste anytime softening the message he had come to give, “You brood of vipers,” “bear fruits in keeping with repentance,” “every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Wow! 400 years of silence is broken! John warns that those who do not do what is right in the eyes of God will be thrown into the fires of hell.

Those who came out to see John were well aware of what the prophets had written, that the day of the Lord would be a time of judgement upon those who reject God’s Salvation

(Isaiah 2:12;

12 For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning

Against everyone who is proud and lofty

And against everyone who is lifted up,

That he may be abased.

Isaiah 13:6;

6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near!

It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Zechariah 14:1;

1 Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you.

Malachi 4:5); “the day of vengeance”

5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.

in fact, three times it is called, “the day of vengeance”

(Isaiah 34:8;

8 For the LORD has a day of vengeance,

A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

Isaiah 61:2;

2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

Isaiah 63:4),

4 “For the day of vengeance was in My heart,

And My year of redemption has come.

for it will be a time “when all the inhabitants of the land [earth] will tremble.”

We learn from Matthew that the religious leaders were most likely leading the crowds who were coming to see John

(Matthew 3:7),

7 But when he [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

John calls the religious leaders a “brood of vipers,” because they belong to their father, the devil. Speaking to the religious leaders

John 8:44,

44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Revelation 20:2,

2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

(cf. Genesis 3:1-5,

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”

4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!

5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:13-15;

13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

Cursed are you more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you will go,

And dust you will eat

All the days of your life;

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

2Corinthians 11:3;

3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

Revelation 12:9).

9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

The religious leaders who come out to John were hypocrites, (Gk. hypokrisis, hoop-ok’-ree-sees, meaning “play actors”), for although they make a big show of coming out to John, supposedly for a ‘baptism of repentance,’ they had no intention of repenting or changing their deluded belief that they were somehow right with God because they were descendants of Abraham, and they were very religious: keeping the Sabbath, celebrating the yearly feasts, praying out loud for all to hear their eloquent use of words, giving to the poor in public, then cheating God of what is His

(2Timothy 3:5),

5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these

I want to share with you a quote from John MacArthur’s Commentary on Luke (Volume 1, pg. 217), where he captures this conflictual relationship between John the baptizer and the religious leaders at the Jordan River, very nicely: “Did they think they could escape the inferno of God’s wrath by slithering into the Jordan River like snakes fleeing a brush fire?” Clearly these guys were a brood of snakes!

God hates hypocrites, those who live out lies as if they are truth, those who flaunt a works-oriented religion. Speaking of Israel God says

(Isaiah 29:13),

13 Then the Lord said,

“Because this people draw near with their words

And honor Me with their lip service,

But they remove their hearts far from Me,

And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote [habitual repetition].”

In Luke 3:8,

John exposes the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, and anyone who may be following in their spiritual footsteps; for their false penitence is clear to John, who challenges them to do the works of God that display true repentance

(cf. John 6:28-29).

28 Therefore they said to Him [Jesus], “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Genuine repentance is accompanied by belief in God’s Son for the forgiveness of sin, and all those who have received salvation will demonstrate a changed life that seeks to do what pleases God

Ephesians 2:10,

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The Jews main hope for salvation was that they were descendants of Abraham.

John 8:31-33,

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

John 8:36,

36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

John 8:39a,

39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham.

John 8:43-44a,

43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.

The Jews believed they were saved as a nation, through the promises God made to Abraham; but salvation is received one person at a time; not by a family or by a nation

(Romans 10:13),

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Romans 10:17,

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

In Luke 3:8b,

John tells the Jews that God could make children for Abraham our of rocks if He wanted to, but the truth is, every Christian becomes a child of God and a descendant of Abraham, by faith, by believing in God’s Son, Jesus Christ

(Galatians 3:26,

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28-29),

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

Those who trust in their own goodness, or ethnic heritage, or religious practices to save them, are on the broad road that leads to hell. Jesus commands us to get off the broad road of unbelief

(Matthew 7:13-14),

“Enter through the narrow gate [Christ]; for the gate is wide and the way is broad [religious belief and practice] that leads to destruction [hell], and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

The reason there are only a “few” is that prideful and arrogant people reject Christ, they aren’t seeking forgiveness, so they aren’t looking for a Savior.

In Luke 3:9,

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.”

John’s warning to repent and demonstrate genuine belief leading to salvation, is premised with a graphic image meant to get the attention of the people. Jesus uses this same metaphor in

Matthew 7:19,

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

More people will be damned to hell by religion, then by anything else

John is saying that every tree [person] that does not bear good fruit [i.e., demonstrate a changed life], will be thrown into the lake of fire

(Matthew 25:41),

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

(Revelation 20:15),

15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Read Luke 3:10-14…

10 And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?”

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.”

12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”

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.”

Some of those in the crowd are taken back by John’s warning and strong image of destruction; so they ask him what they need to do to avoid such a fiery end, i.e., how do they show they have true repentance.

Luke 3:11

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.”

John provides simple general instruction: if you have more than what you need, you should share it with those who have none, whether it is food or clothing or any other basic necessities, give freely to those in need.

Luke 3:12-13

12 And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”

13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”

some tax collectors, coming to be baptized, ask John what they should do to demonstrate true repentance. John told them to treat the people fairly, justly, and not to extort money for taxes the people are not required to pay, i.e., don’t do what is unlawful, do what is right.

Luke 3:14

soldiers who are there begin to ask John what they should do, how should they treat others. Note: We don’t know if these are Roman soldiers under the authority of Pilate the Governor, or personal soldiers of Herod Antipas, the Ruler of Judea, or perhaps temple guards or soldiers who serve the Chief Priests.

John tells them not to use their authority to intimidate or extort money from the people, perhaps by making false accusations against someone, expecting to be paid off, so that they will not arrest them. John tells them to be satisfied with their own wages and to treat people justly.

John’s instruction seems simple, in fact, it is representative of the Golden Rule, “treat others the way you want them to treat you.”

Jesus taught

(Matthew 7:12),

12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

(James 2:8),

8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.

This teaching comes from the Greatest Commandment

Matthew 22:36-40,

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”

37 And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’

38 This is the great and foremost commandment.

39 The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’

40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Romans 13:10,

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

John warns that apart from repentance that leads to salvation, no one will escape the coming judgement of God; true repentance always demonstrates a life that is no longer characterized by sin and self-interest, but instead, by love for God and for others, a life of good works that are pleasing to God.

1Thessalonians 5:15-18,

15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

16 Rejoice always;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Pastor Mike
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