12-16-18 Grace-Benson/Vail Sermon

Luke 3:7-18 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke

“Find True Joy in Repentance”

Advent 3: The Gift of Joy December 16, 2018

Does it seem a little strange to you that we are turning to the words of John the Baptist in Luke 3 as the basis for our sermon this morning? Here’s why I ask: we said at the beginning of our service that today is about joy, the gift of joy. And since then, we have read some extremely joyful passages. Our First Lesson (Zephaniah 3:14-17) told us that God rejoices over us and invited us to rejoice. Our Second Lesson (Philippians 4:4-7) implored us: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” But it wasn’t enough to say it just once, “I will say it again. Rejoice!”

Only our sermon is not based on either of those readings. It’s based on words like these: “You brood of vipers…The axe is already at the root of the trees and every tree that does not produce fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire…he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” It doesn’t sound as joyful, does it? If we’re going to consider the gift of joy, why wouldn’t we consider one of these more joyful passages?

The fact is that all that we have heard about joy today ultimately depends on what we hear from John in Luke 3 concerning repentance. Repentance is how we find true joy. But to understand how that is so, we need to understand both repentance and joy.

Today’s Gospel introduces us once again to a preacher of repentance. In fact, John’s entire message is summarized in Scripture as, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2). John’s role was to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus. He was the forerunner of the Messiah. Just last week in our Gospel we were told how he preached in the wilderness a baptism of repentance. At the same time, in spite of his important role and his unique message, Scripture records very little of John’s actual words and preaching. But here in Luke 3, we do get to listen to some of what John shared with the crowds concerning repentance.

Understood properly, repentance is a complete change of mind, change of heart, change of attitude. It is a turning away from sin, turning away from all that God forbids, and turning toward God and his will. And that is clearly what John proclaimed to the people. Repentance is not simply going through the motions, like coming out to John to be baptized without anything else in mind, and immediately returning to a life of sin. Repentance is not being somehow connected to God’s people like the Israelites were. They made the claim, “We have Abraham as our father.” But that wasn’t what John was preaching about.

In fact, it seems that these attitudes are the reason that John the Baptist so strongly rebukes the crowds who were coming out to him. He calls them a brood of vipers. He calls them out, saying, “Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” But we might think, isn’t that what John was doing? Wasn’t his whole point to warn people to flee from the coming wrath? In other words, the problem was not that people were genuinely interested in fleeing wrath, the problem was that many were disingenuous. They came out to John, but many weren’t really interested in what he had to say. They wanted to potentially escape any impending wrath, but they didn’t want to change their ways. They wanted something other than repentance, which would change their attitudes and actions. They wanted to go through the motions or have some association with religion, not repentance. They wanted to be baptized by John, but they didn’t want to live a baptized life.

That’s an all-too-common problem for us also, isn’t it? How many times could we ask at church, “Who warned you to be here to flee the coming wrath?” And how often would the answer be, “It’s just what seemed to be the right thing to do”? Or our answers could be, “My parents brought me,” “It’s what I do every Sunday,” “Going to church makes me feel better.” What we should be hearing, what we should be taking to heart each week is that God calls us to repent. He calls us to recognize our sinfulness, to have sorrow because of it, to want to change our ways, and to put that change of attitude into action. That is true repentance, and it leads to true joy.

If we don’t stop to think about what true joy is, the account here in Luke 3 might seem less than joyful.

There are plenty of instructions about changing the way people do things, treating others better, and

sacrificing on their behalf. Some might think that all of those other options sound more joyful, or at least lead to greater joy. The tax collectors who were collecting extra made themselves rich. The soldiers, too, when they took money from people on false terms. Giving up on these opportunities to enrich oneself doesn’t necessarily make us think of joy.

But when John calls people to repentance, he is leading them to true joy. He warns against the punishment of the final judgment. He warns against the chopping down of fruitless trees to be thrown into the fire. Instead, John wants to prepare the people for salvation, eternal life with God—the ultimate in true joy. So the problem in the way people thought about these things was their expectation that they could have worldly, sinful joys, and still have eternal and lasting joys. When we speak about the joy that we have because of Christ’s coming, the joy that God gives to us, we are talking about the joy of knowing right now that our sins are forgiven, that heaven is our home, and that we will live in the joy of perfect salvation forever.

Compared to that true joy, we see how fake and counterfeit these other joys are. If we build up the biggest possible bank account now, maybe that gives us some short term satisfaction or joy, but we can’t take that bank account with us when we die. And there are all sorts of places that people look for this sort of joy. The results may even seem like joy for a time, but in the long run it is counterfeit and empty.

People run to drugs or alcohol, to promiscuity and fetishes, to power or prestige. Perhaps you could add other examples to that list. To those who focus on earthly joys, John’s warning should ring loudly: “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

True repentance leads to true joy because it leads away from sin and to the one who has destroyed sin forever. So far much of what we have said has centered on what we do, how we behave, the attitudes that we have. But all of that is meaningless without the one to whom John pointed, the one whose way he came to prepare. John clearly testified that he was not the Messiah, the one that people were waiting for, the one whom God had promised for so long. No, he pointed to one more powerful, more worthy. He pointed to Jesus. He pointed to the true and eternal God who would judge everyone as wheat or chaff, but also a true human being walking the face of the earth at that very time.

John had warned that fruitless trees would be cut down and destroyed. Instead, he pointed the people to a perfect tree, one full of every good fruit, one full of perfect fruit. And instead of all the fruitless trees being destroyed, this one was. The perfect, fruitful tree was cut down and destroyed on the cross in the place of all those fruitless and sinful trees. And then Jesus rose again. He gave up his perfect life for sinners like you and me, and he rose to assure us that we will live with him forever. And there could be no greater joy!

No wonder God’s people have long been called on to rejoice! No wonder Paul, Christ’s apostle, could encourage us to rejoice in the Lord always. No wonder Luke’s Gospel can describe these words of John the Baptist as good news! It is the greatest news that we have a Savior from sin who promises us heaven and gives us joy!

True repentance leads to true joy because it leads away from our sins and to the one who removed our sin and its punishment forever. And that true joy leads us to live joy-filled lives. It leads us to ask the questions that people asked of John, “What should I do now?” “How do I live in order to celebrate the Savior and all that he has done for me?”

And the answer is similar to the answers John gave: serve others, love others, be generous and giving.

Repentance might seem on the surface to be sorrowful, not joyful. And there is some truth to that.

Repentance means facing the reality of our sin and the wrath that it truly deserves. But true repentance, that looks to Jesus, leads to true joy. This is a joy that defines our lives now and that we will enjoy forever. This joy is our Savior’s gift to us. Rejoice in him always.

The Text: Luke 3:7–18 (NIV) 7 John

said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What should

we do then?” the crowd asked.

11 John

answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

12 Even

tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t 14 Then

collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

15 The

people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.