Read: Luke 3:1-20
And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins... (Luke 3:3)
Multitudes came out to hear John the Baptist as he prepared the way for
Jesus. His wilderness location was hardly convenient, but “all Judea” (Matthew
3:5) made the trip anyway. The voice in the wilderness had a life-changing
message they were dying to hear; and in our world obsessed with marketing and
catchy ads, you've got to think that he had the most stylish of sermons to present
to the people. So, what was it? What was this glamorous message?
John preached to them “a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”
That's not glamorous at all.
But it was the message that prepared the way for Jesus. Called to repentance,
the people confessed their sins, their misuse of their stations and things, their
defiance of God's law. Exposed as sinners with no ability to save themselves,
they were ready to follow the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the
world.
John's messages, by the way, was strikingly similar to Peter's words to the
crowd on the day of Pentecost. After the loud rushing wind, the tongues of fire
and his sermon, the people cried out, “What shall we do?” He replied, “Repent,
and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
It is tempting to believe that the preaching of repentance is a snoozer in our
modern society, and evangelical leaders have been known to write against it:
people want “how-to” sermons, it's said, not “ought-to” sermons—and certainly
not “you-ought-to-but-you-can't-so-you'd-better-repent” sermons. But if we are
to follow in the footsteps of John and Peter, we use this measure: while “howto”
sermons may help you know how to do things for yourself, do they prepare
the way of the Lord? No. Only the preaching of repentance does. We're prepared
for Christ by the news that we must abandon trust in ourselves and confess it for
the idolatry that it is, then trust in the One who has died to redeem us.
I think that many Christians fret that their lives are unremarkable: all they do
is go to church, get forgiven and go about their daily lives. But what does John
tell the crowds? He tells them to repent—be forgiven, and then go about their
daily lives. No matter your station (and more on this with the next Gospel
lesson), to live as one forgiven is to live the life of a baptized child of God. It's
to live the life of one prepared for Jesus to come again, because it is to live in
His grace.
Hark, the Herald's voice is crying In the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance Since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey! Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him And the hills bow down to greet Him.
(TLH 61:3)
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b
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