A Voice in the Wilderness
A Voice In the Wilderness • Sermon • Submitted
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· 211 viewsJohn's exhortation to bear fruit in keeping with repentance rings through the time of Advent as we take time to reflect, repent and prepare for teh coming of the Son of God...
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Introduction
Introduction
Traditionally, the season that prcedes Christmas, the Advent season is a somber season. It is a season that calls us to reflection and repentance. For in this season, amidst all the glitter, Chrismas carols, festive parties and holyday sales, there is a voice from the margins to hear.
It is the voice of John the baptist, crying out from the wilderness for justice, repentance and righteousness.
John’s voice, often forgotten and overlooked in our hurried holiday preparation is crucial for our understanding of the season.
The message
The message
John’s message is such a crucial message that all four gospel writers included his story. Mark, in particular begins his gospel with the words…
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’ ”
For Mark, the beginning of the gospel was not Jesus’ birth narrative as in Matthew and Luke… Mark begins with the one who proclaims the Messiah…
How do you prepare the way of the Lord? …
For Mark, the beginning of the gospel was not Jesus’ birth narrative as in Matthew and Luke… Mark begins with the one who proclaims the coming Messiah…
Here we find John, the cousin of Jesus, proclaiming the Advent of the Savior of the world and His kingdom…
Advent: the time of anticipating the arrival of a notable person or event…
The christian church observes a time of expectantly wating and praparation for both the celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus and the second comming of Christ
The Christian church observes a time of expectant waiting and praparation for both the celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus and His second coming
It is a time of preparing the way of the Lord…
What will He find when he comes? … What does the master expect from us in his absence?
Advent, like John the Baptist, calls for reflection and preparation for the coming of God’s annointed one…
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
Mark 1:
But let’s back up for a bit… to John’s birth (Luke 1)
John’s father, Zechariah prayed a prophetic prayer at the birth of his son…
before he has anything to say to the little boy John in his arm… Zechariah proclaims the arrival of the Messiah, the Christ...
This was probably the last prophecy spoken about the coming of Jesus… just a few months before he was born in Bethlehem…
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
Zechariah says that God has visited and redeemed his people…
The “horn of salvation was the long awaited Messiah… and he was to come out of the line of David and reign on David’s thrown forever…
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Here, Zecharaiah points not only to salvation through the Christ according to God’s covenant with Abraham… but also to our response to salvation… namely that we might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days…
Salvation, brought about by the saving grace of the Son of God implies our response of serving in holiness and righteousness…
John’s Exhoration
John’s Exhoration
Fast forward about thirty years later…
We meet John the Baptist as an adult… preaching in the wilderness… as Isaiah had prophecied…
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Now we meet the one Isaiah propheciet about:
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
Luke 3:4-
Luke’s gospel continues where Mark’s gospel begins by providing the most detailed portrait of John’s wilderness preaching…
Here the reader learns about the kingdom values… And this is why it feels so right to bring it into the Advent season - the time of reflecting and preparation for the coming King…
John exhorts:
Luke 3:8
8 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. 9 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.”
Bear fruits in keeping with your repentance…
It is not enough to say, “I’m sorry”. Repentance means to turn away from your sins and turning toward God…
Repentance is, as John stated to “Bear fruits in keeping with your repentance”…
In the following verses (luke 3:10-14), John is answereing to three groups of people, coming to him asking what they should do to prepare for the King and his kingdom…
He tells those who have an abundance to share with those who have none…
11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
Luke 3:
he tells the tax collectors not to cheat people for their own gain…
12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.”
Luke 3:
and he tells the soldiers not to treat the pople fairly…
Luke 3:
14 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.”
To bear fruit involves the treatment of others… generosity, fair measures, the proper use of wealth and resources, and a sense of contentment…
Conclusion
Conclusion
So, first we met Zachriah, the father of John the Baptist… prophecying about the Horn of David who is has come to show mercy according to God’s covenant with Abraham… that we might serve him, without fear, in holiness and righteousness all our days…
Then we met the Johnhimself, thirty years later… preaching in the wilderness… prepare the way of the Lord… repent… and bear fruits in your relationships with others… by sharing your resources and fairness…
This also reflects Jesus’ later teaching in … the story of the goats and the sheep…
This also reflects Jesus’ later teaching in … the story of the goats and the sheep…
Jesus is speaking here of his second coming… which we are inticipating as we prepare for Christmas…
Matt 25:31
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
It is interesting to me how the prophecy of Zechariah, the exhortation of John the Baptist, and Jesus’ teaching about his second coming are in harmony with each other? They all cry out to us out of the wilderness of twinikling lights, decorations and preparations, and holiday shoping and the sound of carols… Repent and bear fruit in keeping with your repentance…
Amen