PRACTICING For GOD’s VISITATION-II—Luke 3:10-14
Attention:
People who are Practiced(experienced) at their job. Had done this before & were thus prepared.
Need:
If God were to come in absolute power, I don’t know that I’m ready for His arrival. I am unprepared for His perfect judgment. I am fearful of His chastisement.
I feel like I’m in the wrong business.
or
I feel like the business I’m in is just not run/handled in a way that is satisfactory to God. I don’t feel that I am honoring God with my work.
God wants to visit you. His desire is that His work in you gives Him glory! That His power becomes manifest in& thru what you put your hand to.
John’s audience sought & received practical application in preparing for God’s visitation.
We need practical instruction in preparing for God’s visitation.
What are some practical aspects of adequate preparation for God’s visitation?
Previously we had discovered 2 requirements for practicing for God’s visit were...
1. A ‘PERSONAL’ INVENTORY(:10, 12, 14)
2. A ‘BALANCE’ INVENTORY(:11) Possessions
3— Practicing for God’s visit requires...
A ‘MOTIVATION’ INVENTORY(:12-13)
Explanation: (:12-13)
:12—“Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, & said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?””
Along with the multitudes who were concerned about their response to God’s desire, “tax-gatherers” also came to be baptized by John. They, as did the multitudes(:10), asked John what sort of fruit would be appropriate to their repentance. They wanted to know how to live rightly before God.
What regarding their particular status as “tax collectors” would need rethinking? Evidently they were well aware of the people’s disdain for tax collectors. This is answered in :13. And his answer speaks to any business owner!
These particular tax collectors seem to have truly regarded & respected John as “Teacher”(See Lk. 7:28-30). Thus they knew he possessed wisdom for their questions.
The local “tax collectors” were in a line of work which provided for their families & they saw that purpose as paramount—as do many today. However their consciences obviously bothered them, about their own business practices, or they would not have sought out John.
“The Roman system of collecting taxes, especially the teloi, in their provinces, included ordinarily three grades of officials. There was the highest, called in Latin publicanus, who paid a sum of money for the taxes of a certain province, & then exacted that & as much more as he could from the province. This man lived in Rome. Then there were the submagistri, who had charge each of a certain portion of territory, & who lived in the provinces. Then there were the portitores, the actual custom-house officers, who did the real work of collecting the taxes. The N.T. word telwnhv is used to describe one of the portitores; it is the lowest of these three grades. It does not correspond to the Latin publicanus, & the word publican used to translate it in A.V. & R.V. is apt to be misleading; tax-collector would be better.”....Arcitelwnhv, only occurring in Lk. 19:2:, evidently describes a higher official than telwnhv, & is probably one of the submagistri, the next higher grade.—Thayer
Lk. 19:2—“Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector(arcitelwnhv), & he was rich.”
Tax collection was a lucrative business, which invited the hatred of others towards oneself.
Mat. 5:46-48—““For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.””
Mat. 9:10-11—“Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors & sinners came & sat down with Him & His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors & sinners?””
Mat. 18:15-17—““Moreover if your brother sins against you, go & tell him his fault between you & him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ “And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen & a tax collector.”
Lk. 7:28-30—““For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees & lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.”
Lk. 18:9-14—“Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, & despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee & the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood & prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.””
Lk. 5:27-28—“After these things He went out & saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he left all, rose up, & followed Him.”
“Baptized”(See :3, 7)—baptizw—1) To dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk); 2) To cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe; 3) To overwhelm. Strong—To immerse, submerge; To make overwhelmed (i.e. fully wet); Used only (in the N.T.) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism.
“Tax collectors/Publicans/Tax-gatherers”—telwnhv—1) A renter or farmer of taxes—1a) Among the Romans, usually a man of equestrian rank; 2) A tax gatherer, collector of taxes or tolls, one employed by a publican or farmer general in the collection of taxes. The tax collectors were as a class, detested not only by the Jews, but by other nations also, both on account of their employment & of the harshness, greed, & deception, with which they did their job. Strong—A tax-farmer, i.e. Collector of public revenue. Used 22X.
:13—“And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.””
Where does your ‘logic’ take you? Is it God-driven or flesh driven?
Many church-goers are caught up in maintaining the church’s presence in the community, all the while not doing God’s will. Your cause is noble & godly but not relational!
John told them regarding the character of their profession that they should not “collect” more than they had been directed to. They should be satisfied with their pay, not expending their energies toward avarice.
John’s answer speaks to any business owner of all ages!
It was expected that the tax collector would make his entire? living garnishing his income at the forced expense of others. He received no wages other than what he freely determined for himself. Thus tax collection was a graft & extortion prone enterprise.
That which was “appointed” for the tax collector was left up to his personal discretion. They could squeeze the turnip as tightly or as loosely as they desired.
“Tax collectors”(See :12)—Tribute(Protection money for a nation) by taxation was paid to the Roman Empire. Roman officials sold the right to collect taxes to the highest bidder, who became the chief “publican” or ‘tax commissioner(stationed in Rome). The tax commissioner’ was thus under obligation to supply a given amount of money. He employed local people as tax-collectors(telwnhv) taxing excessively for a sizable profit. This method was prone to abuse. Argumentation:
Ex 20:17—““You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.””
1Tim. 6:6-10—“Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, & it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food & clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation & a snare, & into many foolish & harmful lusts which drown men in destruction & perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, & pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Heb 13:5—“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””
Lk. 12:13-15—“Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed & beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.””
Rom. 16:17-20—“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions & offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, & avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, & by smooth words & flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, & simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Lk. 8:5-9—Jesus spoke a parable—““A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; & it was trampled down, & the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; & as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. “And some fell among thorns, & the thorns sprang up with it & choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, & yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?””.....““Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes & takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe & be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; & these have no root, who believe for a while & in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out & are choked with cares, riches, & pleasures of life, & bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble & good heart, keep it & bear fruit with patience.”
Php. 2:19-22—“But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.”
Illustration:
The Rockwell Rural Volunteer Fire Dept./Occasionally come to our door seeking donations(& I never have cash on hand)/Or maybe the Police Benevolence Fund calls asking for donations/You may not be able to give but you give out of Guilt because you know you depend on their services/You may give just to shut them up so they’ll leave you alone!/That motivation is a mere socially driven interaction/OR you may sacrificially give, because you sincerely appreciate their services & know they will do their utmost to protect your property in the event of fire/You may even give, planning & saving thru the next year, to support them/a ‘MOTIVATION’ INVENTORY
Same scenario with church related things:
*Titheing—Out of guilt? Lie & say, “I tithe.” when you really give a severely trimmed down version of your tithe.
*Sunday School(Bible Study)Attendance— To keep the church members from visiting?
*Worship Attendance—To ‘do your time’ so others will be happy?
*Missions—Lottie Moon Christmas Offering(International); Annie Armstrong Easter Offering(North American); Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund(Starving, homeless, politically abused & destitute); RSBA Christmas Store—Do we consider these & others thruout the year?
?How are these motivated? OR What or Who moves you?
?Socially derived?/a ‘MOTIVATION’ INVENTORY
Application:
?You taken a MOTIVATION INVENTORY preparing for God’s Visitation?
?Are You Practicing for God’s Visitation?
4— Practicing for God’s visit requires...
A ‘POWER’ INVENTORY(:14)
Explanation: (:14) Authority
:14—“Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, & be content with your wages.””
“Soldiers” were present as well in the multitude. These also questioned John wanting to know what was to come of them & their lifestyle.
John told the “soldiers” that they were not to take anyone’s money by force(shake/tremble).
“Soldiers” acted as police to help the tax collectors thru intimidation. This was standard operating procedure. Associated with their rough & cruel manner came the soldier’s accusations of a lack of cooperation or payment. These accusations were aimed at well-meaning & innocent citizens, who were victims of the occupying Roman government.
Lk. 19:8—“Then Zacchaeus stood & said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; & if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.””
“Soldiers”—strateuomai—1) To make a military expedition, to lead soldiers to war or to battle, (spoken of a commander); 2) To do military duty, be on active service, be a soldier; 3) To fight. Strong—To serve in a military campaign; figuratively, To execute the apostolate (with its arduous duties & functions), To contend with carnal inclinations. Used 7X.
“Intimidate”—diaseiw—1) To shake thoroughly; 2) To make to tremble; 3) To terrify; 4) To agitate; 5) To extort from one by intimidation money or other property. Used 1X.
“Accuse falsely”—sukofantew—1) To accuse wrongfully, to calumniate, to attack by malicious devices; 2) To exact money wrongfully—2a) To extort from, defraud. Strong—To be a fig-informer (reporter of the law forbidding the exportation of figs from Greece), "sycophant", i.e. (genitive & by extension) To defraud (exact unlawfully, extort). Used 2X.
From—sukon(“fig”)— & —fainw(“shed light”)—”fig-exposer”—“At Athens those were "sukophantia" whose business it was to inform against any one whom they might detect exporting figs out of Attica; & as sometimes they seemed to extort money from those loath to be exposed, the name "sukophantes" from the time of Aristophanes down was a general term of opprobrium to designate, a malignant & base accuser from love of gain.”—Thayer
Argumentation:
1Pet. 2:15-16—“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.”
Mat. 20:25-28—“But Jesus called them to Himself & said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, & those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, & to give His life a ransom for many.””
Mt 5:39-41—““But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you & take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”
This is a description of a soldier’s authority/power....granted by the government.
1Cor. 4:11-20—“To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me. For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church. Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.”
Our power must be the power of God...to override our fleshly desires & honor Him.
1Cor. 8:9—“But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.”
Gal. 5:13-23—“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Illustration:
Early America had huge flocks of birds/Concurrent with this came a trend in Europe for hats with feathers/People had ability to kill many at one time with huge oversized shotguns called Punt Guns/It was 10ft. long, used 5oz. of powder & held 3-5lbs. of shot or scrap metal/They killed hundreds of birds in a day just to put the feathers in a lady’s hat!/Banned in most states by the 1860’s/A ‘POWER’ INVENTORY
Ability does not mean everyone must fall before me.
‘Might does not make right’
Application:
?You taken a POWER INVENTORY preparing for God’s Visitation?
?Are You Practicing for God’s Visitation?
5— Practicing for God’s visit requires...
A ‘CONTENTMENT’ INVENTORY(:14b)
Explanation: (:14b)
:14—“Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, & be content with your wages.””
Satisfied with less that others will not be taken advantage of & thus may have more.
This of course is a two-way street...the boss should be aware of & supply your need.
No one should take advantage of others to meet their own wants.
“Content”—arkew—1) To be possessed of unfailing strength—1a) To be strong, to suffice, to be enough—1a1) To defend, ward off, 1b) To be satisfied, to be contented. Strong—apparently a primary verb [but probably akin to airw[lift up] through the idea of raising a barrier]; properly, To ward off, i.e. (by implication) To avail (figuratively, be satisfactory).
“Wages”—oqwnion—1) A soldier's pay, allowance—1a) That part of the soldier's support given in place of pay [i.e. rations] & the money in which he is paid; 2) metaph. Wages: Hire or pay of sin. Strong—Rations for a soldier, i.e. (by extension) His stipend or pay. Used 4X.
Argumentation:
1Tim. 6:3-6—“If anyone teaches otherwise & does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, & to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes & arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds & destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, & it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food & clothing, with these we shall be content.”
Php 4:10-13—“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, & I know how to abound. Everywhere & in all things I have learned both to be full & to be hungry, both to abound & to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Ps. 37:16—“A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.”
Mat. 6:31-34—““Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Rom. 8:28—“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
2Cor. 4:16—5:7—“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Php. 1:21—“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Illustration:
My complaint at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography/I fussed about the lack of income but the reality of it was that I had a good wage for my Great benefits(teacher’s retirement)—Great location—Great people to work for
Story of Ebenezer Scrooge/A bitter old miser who took advantage of others/Lived a lonely sorrowful meager existence/He needed to take A ‘CONTENTMENT’ INVENTORY
Application:
?You taken a CONTENTMENT INVENTORY preparing for God’s Visitation?
?Are You Practicing for God’s Visitation?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Action:
Practicing for God’s visit requires...
3. A ‘MOTIVATION’ INVENTORY(:12-13)
4. A ‘POWER’ INVENTORY(:14) Authority
5. A ‘CONTENTMENT’ INVENTORY(:14b)
1. A ‘PERSONAL’ INVENTORY(:10, 12, 14)
2. A ‘BALANCE’ INVENTORY(:11) Possessions
Presented 11/20/2011pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
