Valley Experience Series # 4
Opening illustration: One of our good friend’s had this unique experience of growing up as the son of a county sheriff. His father who was the sheriff of Marlin County for many years, passed away last year. It was at this time that he told us of an incident which had happened many years before. A gentleman who had been confined to a wheelchair for years told him about the first time he had met his father. There was a circus in town and he had gone. He had bought his ticket, but when he reached the gate he learned that his wheelchair was too wide to pass through it. The circus people seemed unwilling to do anything to help. The Sheriff arrived on the scene at this moment, and sizing up the situation promptly kicked down the gate. That gate was never again put up, and the man went to the circuses from year to year without any difficulty. The Sheriff, I fear, was one of the last of a dying breed of sheriffs. The stories of such men are still swapped, but there seem to be few peace officers like these any more. I tend to think of John the Baptist as this kind of man, a unique man, with heroic qualities, and yet a man who was the last of a vanishing breeds - the Old Testament prophet. A man whom God assigned to prepare and usher in the ministry of Christ on earth. What is our role as preparers and ushers of the glory of the Spirit of God on earth today?
Introduction: John the Baptist is not introduced to the reader of Luke’s gospel at the time his public ministry commenced, as is the case in all the other gospels. The first four chapters of Luke’s gospel intertwine the accounts of the announcements of the birth of both John and Jesus, along with significant childhood events. Thus, when we come to the ministry of John the Baptist in chapter 3 we are simply finding John to be in the spotlight, as he has been before, as the forerunner of the Messiah.
To Luke the emergence of John was one of the hinges on which history turned. So much so is that the case that he dates it in no fewer than 6 different ways. The ministries of John and Jesus are intertwined, but they are not identical. Both commence their ministry with the proclamation, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 3; 2; 4:17). Both men (and at least their disciples) baptized (John 3:22ff.). Indeed, at least two of John’s disciples became the disciples of our Lord (John 1:35-42). And, of course, many of those who were baptized by John became followers of the Lord Jesus (John 10:40-42; cf. Acts 18:24–19:7).
Nowhere does the difference between John and Jesus stand out so clearly because, whatever the message of John was it was not a gospel. It was not good news; it was news of terror. There were significant differences between John and his ministry and Jesus and His ministry and message. Almost without exception, it was John who stressed the differences between himself and Jesus, showing Jesus to be superior. John clearly distinguished their origin, as was made clear by Luke. Jesus was from above, while John was from below. Jesus was God, while John was but a man.
I suppose that if we were to ask our children what they thought about John the Baptist after reading our text, their response could probably be summarized this way: “He was a rude, crude, dude!” It is very easy to categorize John as kind of weird, and certainly, it would seem, quite hostile! This, however, is to fail to view John as a prophet, and also to miss the greatness and the marvelous qualities of this unique individual. The press has created the stereotype of a bearded “weirdo” carrying a sign, “Repent or Perish.” No doubt John the Baptist would be considered just such a person. John however, was a model man in many regards. John was a man who knew who he was (self-image?) and was thus committed to enhancing the ministry and person of Messiah, while at the same time diminishing his own role. He was a man who dared to be different, to stand apart and alone. He was a man who was not held captive by those sins which were characteristic of his day. In order to speak as boldly as he did, his life was even more rigorously guarded against any appearance of evil. Here was a man whose life was as powerful as his words.
John was a man of distinction, a popular and powerful preacher, a great insight into the sinfulness of people and society, a man of integrity, prayer and humility.
Steps leading to experiencing & preparing for God’s Glory
1. Possessing a PENITENT attitude (vs. 1 – 3) - John comes at the time foretold by the prophets and lays the foundation of the gospel which is exhibited unto us, setting forth the true observing of the law and free mercy in Christ, which comes after John, using also baptism which is the outward sign both of regeneration and also forgiveness of sins. The first two verses of Luke 3 give us the key political and religious figures of that day. Perhaps Luke is suggesting to the reader that God’s revelation was not through political or even religious leaders, but through a humble desert man, John. The power of God was not introduced through the “power” brokers of the day. God’s power is quite distinct from man’s power. The Greek translated “the word of God came” (v. 2) is the same as in Jeremiah: Luke sees John as continuing Jeremiah’s role of announcing judgment at the end of the era and a new pact with God, available to all. John travels throughout the Jordan Valley, preaching return to God’s ways and being ethically and spiritually renewed, here (vv. 4-6) expressed through metaphor. (These verses are from Isaiah 40:3-5.) Luke makes one change in the quotation: “his” (v. 4) emphasizes that it is Jesus for whom he prepares the way. To Luke, “all flesh” (v. 6), all people, not only Jews, will have the opportunity to be rescued from sin. John, though a solitary figure, was a powerful man, not because of his position, but because of his message, and because of his divine calling. The fact that these men who are named are not a part of the revelation of Messiah may also be a reminder of Israel’s bondage, and of the sinfulness of her religious leaders, demonstrating the need not only for repentance, but also for divine deliverance. By the words here used John preached the necessity of repentance, in order to the remission of sins, and that the baptism of water was an outward sign of that inward cleansing and renewal of heart, which attend, or are the effects of true repentance, as well as a profession of it.
When way is made for the gospel into the heart, by taking down high thoughts, and bringing them into obedience to Christ, by leveling the soul, and removing all that hinders us in the way of Christ and his grace, then preparation is made to welcome the salvation of God. Here are general warnings and exhortations which John gave. The guilty, corrupted race of mankind is become a generation of vipers; hateful to God, and hating one another. There is no way of fleeing from the wrath to come, but by repentance; and by the change of our way the change of our mind must be shown. If we are not really holy, both in heart and life, our profession of religion and relation to God and his church, will stand us in no stead at all; the sorer will our destruction be, if we do not bring forth fruits meet for repentance. John the Baptist gave instructions to several sorts of persons. Those that profess and promise repentance must show it by reformation, according to their places and conditions. The gospel requires mercy, not sacrifice; and its design is, to engage us to do all the good we can, and to be just to all men. And the same principle which leads men to forego unjust gain, leads to restore that which is gained by wrong.
Illustration: Not too many years ago newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who came to faith in Jesus Christ. What made his story remarkable was not his conversion, but the fact that as a result of his newfound faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had participated in when he was nineteen years old. Because the statute of limitations on the case had run out, Johnson could not be prosecuted for the offense. Still, he believed his relationship with Christ demanded a confession. And he even voluntarily repaid his share of the stolen money!
Application: In his book “I Surrender,” Patrick Morley writes that the church’s integrity problem is in the misconception "that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior." He goes on to say, "It is revival without reformation, without repentance."
2. Practicing the PRESENCE of God (v. 4) ref. Isaiah 40: 3 - Voice of one crying! Who the crier is remains concealed; his person vanishes in the splendor of his calling, and falls into the background behind the substance of his cry. The cry sounds like the long-drawn trumpet-blast of a herald (cf., Isaiah 16:1). The crier is like the outrider of a king, who takes care that the way by which the king is to go shall be put into good condition. The king is Jehovah; and it is all the more necessary to prepare the way for Him in a becoming manner, that this way leads through the pathless desert. Where John preached (namely, in the wilderness; the type of this earth, a moral wilderness), there were the hearers who are ordered to prepare the way of the Lord, and there was to be the coming of the Lord. John, though he was immediately followed by the suffering Messiah, is rather the herald of the coming reigning Messiah, as Malachi 4:5-6 ("before the great and dreadful day of the Lord"), proves. Matthew 17:11 (compare Acts 3:21) implies that John is not exclusively meant; and that though in one sense Elias has come, in another he is yet to come. John was the figurative Elias, coming "in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke 1:17); John 1:21, where John the Baptist denies that he was the actual Elias, accords with this view. Malachi 4:5-6 cannot have received its exhaustive fulfillment in John; the Jews always understood it of the literal Elijah. As there is another consummating advent of Messiah Himself, so perhaps there is to be of his forerunner Elias, who also was present at the transfiguration. The meaning is, God shall by his spirit so dispose men’s hearts, and by his providence so order the affairs of the world, as to make way for the accomplishment of his promise. This was eminently fulfilled, when Christ, who was, and is God, blessed for ever, came into the world in a visible manner.
Illustration: Several centuries ago, a Japanese emperor commissioned an artist to paint a bird. A number of months passed, then several years, and still no painting was brought to the palace. Finally the emperor became so exasperated that he went to the artist’s home to demand an explanation. Instead of making excuses, the artist placed a blank canvas on the easel. In less than an hour, he completed a painting that was to become a brilliant masterpiece. When the emperor asked the reason for the delay, the artist showed him armloads of drawings of feathers, wings, heads, and feet. Then he explained that all of this research and study had been necessary before he could complete the painting.
3. Witnessing the POWER of God (vs. 5 – 6) ref. Isaiah 40: 4 & 5 - These verses evidently designed to explain what is intended in Isaiah 40:3, by preparing the way for Yahweh. Applied to the return of the Jews from Babylon, it means simply that the impassable valleys were to be filled up so as to make a level road for their journey. If applied to the work of John, the forerunner of the Messiah, it means that the nation was to be called on to put itself in a state of preparation for his coming, and for the success of his labors among them. Vitringa, and others, have endeavored to specify what particular moral qualities in the nation are meant by the ‘valley,’ by the ‘mountain and hill,’ and by the ‘crooked’ and ‘rough places.’ The meaning is, that in consequence of John’s ministry, and our Lord’s coming, such who were depressed and bowed down with the guilt of sin, and were low and humble in their own eyes, should be raised up and comforted; and that such who were elated with themselves, and their own righteousness, should be humbled; their pride and haughtiness should be brought down, and they treated with neglect and contempt, while great notice was taken of lowly minded ones; what before was dark and intricate in prophecy should now become clear; and such doctrines as were not so well understood should now become plain and easy. By the salvation of God" is meant, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of God’s appointing and sending; and who is the author of that salvation which God resolved on, contrived, and approved of; and is his ordinance for salvation, unto the ends of the earth, for all his elect; Luke 2:30 whom a great number among the Jews should, and did see, with their bodily eyes; not the Jews only, but Gentiles also; not with their bodily eyes, but with the eyes of their understanding; even the salvation of the Lord, and his glory, as displayed in it, being set forth in the everlasting Gospel to the view of all, should behold with an eye of faith, for themselves, as their Savior and Redeemer. The idea is, that God had certainly promised their deliverance from bondage; and that his interposition, in a manner which should attract the attention of all nations, was certainly purposed by him. Few events have ever more impressively manifested the glory of God than the redemption of his people from Babylon; none has occurred, or will ever occur, that will more impressively demonstrate his glory, wisdom, and faithfulness, than the redemption of the world by the Messiah. This was all spoken by God himself and not by any man.
Illustration: In 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police and the owner of the VW Bug were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car. So often when we run from God, we feel it is to escape his punishment. But what we are actually doing is eluding his rescue.
Conclusion: In May, 1963, in an interview conducted by Sherwook E. Wirt , C. S. Lewis said, "There are many different ways of bringing people into His Kingdom, even some ways that I specially dislike."
And this message from God that comes to us in Jesus is for all. All will see salvation coming to them in Jesus. It’s not going to pass you by unless, well, unless you believe we don’t have to change, or believe we are doing it all right.
John’s message was to prepare people for Jesus’ arrival on the scene.
In today’s context, Advent is the time we get to prepare our hearts and our lives for ushering in the presence of the Holy Spirit and Christ’s second coming.
The world believes it can produce goodness all by itself. The person listening to the man by the Jordan River hears a very different message. There appears to be two messages: one of self-righteousness and the other of total dependence on God for salvation. Do we need to change? Do we get the right message? May we have seen salvation! Amen.
