Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text for this morning is the Gospel Lesson just read, from Luke 3. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- There is nothing light or flippant in the message of John the Baptist! It is the same with the prophet Malachi in our Old Testament reading.
- Parents, who teach their children to say “I’m sorry” when they have done something wrong, often notice that children can come to use these two words as a kind of “get out of jail free” mantra. The children aren’t really sorry, and don’t really mean what they say, but they know that if they only utter these words then they are out of trouble.
- We should reflect upon the seriousness of our own repentance. We continue to experience the conflict and wrestling between our “sinful nature” and our “new man.” The “sinful nature” hates repentance, and seeks to pervert and corrupt our repentance. So it reasons this way: “Well, we know God is love, and He wants to forgive, so if we just say the words, then all is well. And we can say them as often as we want or need to. Nothing else matters.”
- Of course, as soon as we learn that there actually is a “lot else that does matter,” then our spiritual tormentor, the devil, piles on and tries to convince us that we may never get forgiveness, that much is “required” of us. Our sinful nature drives us to delusion; the devil drives us to despair. But neither speaks the truth to us.
- For this we need John’s message, and the message brought to us consistently in Holy Scripture. We need “SERIOUS REPENTANCE,” but we also need to hold on to God’s forgiveness – which was the real end goal of John’s preaching! So let us hear, and know with certainty that:
I. God Is Merciful And Forgiving, But He Does Demand Genuine Repentance
Text: “John went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”
OT: “He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.” . . . ‘Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear Me,’ says the Lord of Hosts.”
Statement: Forgiveness and mercy is the goal, and so God Himself provides us with “righteousness,” a declared and accounted righteousness for Christ’s sake. The impenitent either do not want any righteousness at all, or they want to put forward their own “righteousness.” Both of these conditions are fatal to human spiritual life and health. God is serious about all of this – both His will to forgive, but also the necessity of seeking that forgiveness in repentance.
Application: So the message is stern and heavy, but it is filled with true and genuine hope. Though it seems that these messages, and the reaction they seek to evoke from us, are quite disparate, they must be held together, for they belong together. We have serious sins, which need a real and serious forgiveness. This is what John preached and offered. It is likewise the message of the prophets. It is also the message of Jesus and His apostles!
Transition: So let us consider carefully and learn that:
II. We Must Not Make Any Excuses, Or Hold To False Hopes
Text: “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.”
Statement: There are literally hundreds, perhaps thousands, of ways in which people comfort themselves rather than genuinely and seriously repenting. We have our own Christian ancestry – to which we could appeal and trust in. We could appeal to our good intentions. We could appeal to our “goodness of heart.” We could point to some good things we have done in life. We could appeal to our “trying hard.” But none of these excuses, or any other, will deter God when He comes as a “swift witness” against our sins.
Application: And if you can’t find yourself, your sins listed in the Old Testament reading, then think a little harder and look at yourself a little more closely. I don’t believe that any of us have never told a lie. I don’t believe that any of us have been as generous and compassionate toward widows and the fatherless as we could be. I know that many of us are leery of and inhospitable toward “the sojourner” at our southern border. And who, pray tell, “fears” God as we ought to. So we all have much to repent of, and much need to do so seriously!
Application 2: And as we do so, we must surely hold fast to the Words and Promises of God – in the Baptism we have received “for the forgiveness of sins.” This baptism was also a rebirth to faith in Jesus and new life, through the gift of the Holy Spirit. And the gifts of God are without revocation; they remain valid and in force forever! So let us not despair.
Transition: But even as we refuse to yield to the devil’s suggestion that we despair, neither will we yield to our lazy sinful nature. For John makes clear that:
III. Repentance And Forgiveness Is Never License – We Must Strive To Bear Real Fruit Of Repentance
Text: “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.’”
Statement: All of this can be summed up as Jesus taught: “Love the Lord your God with your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. . . . Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” [Luke 10:27; Luke 6:31]
Application: If we are willing to try, we will surely be able to come up with the proper “fruits” of repentance. Of course our lazy sinful nature will try to lure us into shortcuts and justifications. For these we must also repent, and turn away from them. And it is true: each time we sincerely and seriously repent, “God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Only let us take care to genuinely and seriously repent!
Conclusion: I know what a drag it is to engage in “SERIOUS REPENTANCE.” I have at times felt badly that this is what I must encourage others to do.
But then I remember. The message is not my own, nor is it John’s or Malachi’s; it is God’s. But it is the message given to us to speak and encourage upon others. And if it is from God, then even though it may be painful and difficult, it must be what is truly good, right, and beneficial for us!
So allow John and Malachi to implore you successfully, and enter into “SERIOUS REPENTANCE,” for then you will surely also receive real and genuine forgiveness and mercy! This is God’s will for us, and it is therapeutic! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.