Preparing the Way (3): If You Don't Live it, You Don't Believe It

7/30/2019 Preparing the Way (3): If You Don't Live it, You Don't Believe It

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PREPARINGTHE WAYFORCHRIST (3): IF YOU DONT LIVEIT, YOU DONT

BELIEVE IT

(Luke 3:1-14)

The church treasurer was paying bills when he opened an invoice for paint

signed by someone named Christian. But no one knew about the paint noranyone named Christian. So the treasurer called the store and said to the

store manager, Im sorry, but there are no Christians here at First Baptist

Church.No Christians here! You know, my greatest worry is not that there

are no Christians at our church, but that some who think they are, arent!

Luke 3:1-14 shows John the Baptist preparing the way for Christ to people

who think they are, but arent. Like many today, they are interested only in

what He can do for them. Hard, complacent hearts needed to be prepared for

Christ. To do that, so far we have seen

I. The Mess (1-2a) -- Luke mentions six officials in vv. 1-2, 4 of whom

4 will later participate in Christs death. They represent the sinful brokenness

of life withoutChrist. They demonstrate that we all need a Savior, one who

is available in Christ, but one we will never find until we recognize the need.

II. The Messenger (2b) -- The messenger is John Jehovah is

gracious. The answer to the sinful heart that we all have is not our works.

The solution is all of grace. It starts and ends with God.

III. The Mission (4-6) The mission is to clear hurdles and straighten

the pathway to hard, apathetic hearts to help them see Him, not themselves.

IV. The Message (3, 7-8) The heart of the passage is in v. 3. John was

preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, a baptism of

repentance for forgiveness of sins. What softens hard hearts?Repentance!

What makes way for Christ? Repentance. Not ceremony and not external

connections, but repentance. Jesus preached the same message. Matt 4:17

tells us, From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, Repent, for the

kingdom of heaven is at hand. John and Jesus were in absolute synch on themessage. It wasnt do good, serve the underprivileged or donate a little time;

it was simply, repent. Its not ceremony. Even the baptism comes after

repentance.Repentance and nothing else straightens the way for Christ to

come and forgive. Thats the message simple, clear, clean and absolute.

Repent! Now, today, theMotivation andManifestation of repentance.

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V. The Motivation (9)

V. 9: 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. The

motive isjudgmentis coming! Modern society hates this message because itimplies accountability. We must answer to someone for the way we live.

Modern psychology hates this message. It offends peoples self-image. All

you hear in many churches is Gods love. I love the love of God. Nothing is

sweeter than preaching the love, mercy and grace of God.Butwe can never

fully appreciate orappropriate, the love and grace of God until we see it

against the backdrop of judgment. A diamond seen against a light colored

counter is beautiful, but it doesnt dazzle until it is seen against the black

velvet background. Then we see every facet of its wonder. And so God

never hesitates to provide negative as well as positive motivation to turn to

Him. We need balance and we need both.

Now note five symbolic elements of v. 9. First -- trees are the principle

players. They represent the people John is addressing. Second, the trees are

threatened with an axe. That means one thing to a tree the threat of

extinction, right? So, the threat of judgment is on the horizon.

Third, note the nature of the judgment. Fruitless trees are cut down and

thrown into the fire. The Israelites were well aware of fire as a vivid image

of judgment from OT passages like Isa 9:18-19:For wickedness burns like

a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and

they roll upward in a column of smoke. 19) Through the wrath of the LORD of

hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no onespares another. Or, Jer 44) Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the

foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest

my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the

evil of your deeds. These people knew full well what John was saying.

Judgment is coming. The judgment of God. And you are in the line of fire.

Fourth -- note the basis for judgment Every tree (person) therefore thatdoes not bear goodfruit Fruit, of course, refers to good works, service

given infaith out oflove for God. The basis for judgment was lack of fruit!Now, please note that these works are called fruit, not root. Works are not

the basis of salvation, they are the resultof salvation. They are not the

essence of repentance, they are the resultof repentance. Do you see that?

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The emphasis here is on fruit because God judges the heart by what it

produces. Lack of fruit indicates lack of heartfelt repentance.

Fifth, note the timing -- Even now.Even now the axe is laid at the root

ready to do its deadly work. Judgment is imminent. Not only is judgment

coming, it could strike at any moment? They are in dangerNOW! John waswell aware that the great OT judgment day of the Lord had not come yet. It

was in his future and ours! But he speaks with urgency because he was not

talking to Israel as a whole. He was talking to individual trees,people as

individuals. They are in mortal danger -- NOW. Theirday of judgment is

the day they die, and there are no second chances after death. John did not

subscribe to the Rob Bell school of theology. Rob Bell is a so-called pastor

who authoredLove Wins, in which he supposes that the gates of heaven will

remain always open in eternity and one can decide at any time to come on

over. He willfully ignores Heb 9:27, it is appointed for man to die once, and

after that comes judgment. God gives us chance after chance in this life,

Beloved, but once death comes, thats it. Bell forgot that Abraham himself

could not go to the rich man in Luke 16 who died and found himself in hell.

Neither could the rich man just come on over.Rob Bell didnt mention

how Jesus describes hell in Mark 9:48, where their worm does not die and

the fire is not quenched. Rob Bell forgot Heb 12:29, for our God is a

consuming fire. Which is why the Bible warns in Heb 10:31 speaking to the

unrepentant, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The axe of judgment was laid at the feet of these people in the same sense it

threatens us. It was threatening that they could die that very day and their

fate would be sealed. Their opportunity was NOW. Thats all they had just

like today is all we have. None of us is promised another day. Some of thosepeople died unexpectedly in their sins within days or weeks. The axe fell!

same axe that is at our feet as well. Thats why Moses reminds us in Psa

90:12, So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

A little boy in summer camp went to the infirmary complaining of a cold.

The nurse said to him, "Ill give you an aspirin and youll feel much better.

This is the first time youve been sick in your 34 days here. Later, the boywrote home: "Dear Mom and Dad, today I got sick and guess what! The

nurse said my days are numbered." All our days are numbered, arent they?

But we dont know what the number is. We must be ready now.

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Before Americas entry into World War I, the British luxury linerLusitania

was scheduled to sail from New York to England through the German

submarine blockade. Tho a passenger liner it was rumored to be carrying

ammunition. The Germans took out newspaper ads warning passengers not to

travel on the ship. Millionaire Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt boarded anyway.

He told reporters: "Ridiculous! The Germans would not dare make anattempt to sink the Lusitania." But on May 7, 1915, the Germans sunk

Lusitania. Out of the 1,900 plus passengers, almost 1200 were lost, including

Vanderbilt, his valet and 126 other Americans.Are you putting God off

because you think Hell never judge? Peter does tell us He is not wishing

that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (II Pet 3:8). But

that same passage tells us that only slows the process, it doesnt stop it.

Thats whyJesus talked more about hell than heaven not because He

loved judgment, but because He didnt want us to go there! Its coming, and

the choice is ours. Repent because the axe is even now at the root of the tree.

VI. The Manifestations (10-14)

How do we know weve truly repented? Life changes. Eph 2:8-10: For by

grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it

is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast (works

dont save but works are the natural outgrowth of a responsive and grateful

heart. Notice v. 10). 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus

for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in

them. Were we saved by good works? No, but they naturally follow.

Johns message in Luke 3:10-14 is Jew or not, you must repent. And some

who finally see their darkened hearts ask, What shall we then do? Is thatquestion ever on your mind?It is the sign of a truly repentant heart. What

shall we then do? Luke gives us 3 representative examples that reflect

repentance; they dont make repentance. This is how people demonstraterepentance. Their lives change! Now interestingly, each of Johns examples

of how to reflect repentance involves money and material possessions.

Thats revealing, isnt it? Repentance is shown when we are generous, be

fair and be content when it comes to money!

So, group 1 the crowds in general, under great conviction, ask, What shall

we do to demonstrate our repentance? Johns response Begenerous.

Share. V. 11, And he answered them, Whoever has two tunics is to share

with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise. This nails

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us all. Ill bet no one here this morning could say that he or she does not have

more of clothing and food than we need. One way to show a Godly,

repentant, unselfish heart is to find a way to be sharing with those who lack.

The tunic was an undergarment worn by either sex. Just a simple earthly

necessity for warmth and modesty. John says, If you have 2, share one. Heis not advocating an ascetic lifestyle. Hes not even saying give away the

only one you have. He is simply saying,If youve got two and someone else

has none, share!A repentant heart is a generous heart. Want to test your

spirituality? Just ask yourself, Are Igenerous with my possessions? Do we

share our homes, our cars, our clothing, our food with othersjoyfully?

Youd have to kill some of us to unwrap our cold, hard fingers from things.

See, repentant hearts share. They compete to see how much they can give

away. How about it? Is your repentance exhibited by a generous heart?

Group 2, v. 11: Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him,

Teacher, what shall we do? The Romans were ingenious tax collectors.

They sold regions of their territory to tax farmers who paid a fee for the

privilege of collecting whatever taxes had been imposed. Palestinian tax

offices were located in Caesarea, Capernaum and Jericho. The farmers would

sublet their rights to chief publicans like Zacchaeus (Luke 19:2) and

these would employ publicans to do the actual collecting. Everyone in the

looppadded the bill. The excess was all profit. They were made rich by

surcharges. The more abusive you were, the richer you got. It was a corrupt

system that made publicans the most hated people in Palestine bar none.

So amazingly, here are publicans asking how to express repentance! John

replies in v. 13, 13 And he said to them, Collect no more than you areauthorized to do. Johns response is noteworthy both for what it does not

say as well as for what it says. He does notsay is, Stop collecting taxes.

Most of us would like him to say that, but he does not say that, does he?

Taxes are not inherently wrong! Jesus himself has his disciples pay their

taxes. And he tells the Pharisees in Matt 22:21 when they try to trap him into

opposing the government: Matt 22:21, Therefore render to Caesar the things

that are Caesars, and to God the things that are Gods. The OT had taxesthat averaged out to about 20% of incomes. Taxes are not unbiblical.

But what John does say is, Collect no more than you are authorized to do.

The publicans were famous for using browbeating tactics to collect more

tactics that often involved extortion, surcharges, kickbacks, payoffs, bribes.

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Intimidation was the name of the game. Johns instruction is clear and to the

point.Stop overcharging! Be fair in your business practices. That is a sign

of true repentance. Businesses today similarly try to take advantage not as

blatantly as the publicans, but just as surely. Exaggerated sales presentations,

unfulfilled promises, hidden charges, misrepresenting competitors. Getting

someone hooked on your product and then charging exorbitant maintenanceor add-on fees. Luring customers not with indirect bribes -- implied promises

of a job when they retire, hard partying during the decision period. It all goes

on all the time.My constant battle in corporate business. People thinking

any means justified the end of a contract. And thinking it was okay because

everybodys doing it. Business is competitive, but any step over the line of

fairness is a sign of an unrepentant heart. So, we must ask ourselves, does our

life reflect repentance, or are we figuratively all about collecting more than

we are authorized to do? Are we unfailinglyfair?

Now, the third group here is in cahoots with the publicans. V. 14, 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. Soldiers could have been the Judean police (Jews) or

soldiers employed by Herod Antipas (Romans). Whichever they were, they

are closely linked here with the publicans, as indicated by their comment

and we, what shall we do? If that is what our publican partners are to do,

what are we to do to indicate true repentance. These were thugs for hire,

looking for extra money by using their official position to intimidate. John

gives them two instructions Dont extort money by threats, and dont

falsely accuse. The first word () means to shake violently. In this

context, it is a very picturesque word equivalent to our American slang

Stop shaking people down scaring money out of them. The second wordmeans to falsely accuse. These soldiers used threats of arrest to get money,

and if that didnt work theyd go to court and testify falsely against them,

exaggerating their financial status to justify the tax collectors claims. The

common people were in a complete no-win situation.

Remember Johnny Fontane, the fading singing star and godson to mafia Don

Vito Corleone in the 1972 film The Godfather? He thinks a certain moviepart will revive his career, but the studio head is not interested in him. So

Johnny goes to the don for help. Corleone tells Johnny, Dont worry about

the studio head. Ill make him an offer he cant refuse Bingo! Instant

new American slang. Thus the studio head woke up with a dead horse head

in his bed one morning indicating he could either cast Johnny in the part or

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forfeit his own life. An offer he couldnt refuse. Thats what these soldiers

were regularly offering the Palestinian residents at the instigation of the tax

collectors. You see why they were so hated.

And Johns point to them is very plain as well.Stop the shakedowns and be

content. Be content with your wages. Beloved, that last phrase is singularlyimportant. Be content with your wages. John is urging here thata repentant

heart is reflected by contentment. This moves the discussion to a whole new

level. Its not just the abuse of power that indicates a unrepentant heart; it is

restless discontent with what we have.It is desire for more than we need.

That too is a sign of focus on self and away from the things of God and

thus of lack of repentance. It is the sin of greed.

Conc So, the message of this passage is twofold: First, the way to Christ is

prepared and made straight by genuine, heartfelt repentance. Jesus and sin

dont mix. Sin must be dealt with by the only means available to us

repentance. To repent is to turn away from our previous, self-centered

lifestyle to a new direction aimed at Gods will. But the second part is

equally important. True repentance is reflected in a changed life. The change

doesnt save us the repentance does. But true repentance never comes

alone; it is always accompanied by a changed lifestyle. Martin Luther said it

best 500 years ago, we are not saved by good works, but, being saved by

faith, we do good works."An ever shorter way to say it: If you dont live

it, you dont believe it. If you dont live it, you dont believe it.

In his novel A Painted House, John Grisham describes a Sunday school

teacher eulogizing a mean character named Jerry Cisco. Its a typical funeral.

Cisco had been killed night before in a back alley fight after he picked on oneperson to many. In the words of the little boy who had seen the fight with his

friend Duane, "The teacher made Jerry sound like a Christian and an

innocent victim. I glanced at Duane who had one eye on me. There was

something odd about this. As Baptists we had been taught from the cradle

that the only way you made it to heaven was by believing in Jesus and

trying to follow his example and living a clean and moral Christian life.

And anyone who did not accept Jesus and live a Christian life simply wentto hell. That's where Jerry Cisco was and we all knew it. Its not faith plus

works, Beloved, but its faith reflected in works.

The Bible says in II Cor 13:5, Examine yourselves, to see whether you are

in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that

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Jesus Christ is in you?unless indeed you fail to meet the test! Whats the

test? If you dont live it, you dont believe it. None of us are perfect, but

real Christians are fighting the good fight of faith. Are you? Lets pray.

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Preparing the Way (3): If You Don't Live it, You Don't Believe It