SCRIPTURE: Luke 3:7-18 (ESV)
DATE: 12-17-17
It’s good to be with all of you at Gateway Church this weekend. And one thing I want you to know — and it doesn’t matter if it’s your first time with us or if you’re worshiping at our North Main campus — one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and I love you too.
SERIES/SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION
Now if you’re new with us — we’re in the third week of our Christmas series — which we’re calling “Christmas Party.” So as we head towards Christmas, we’re doing so through the lens of a party.
Two weeks ago we began by looking at the signs that tell us when God’s eternal party is about to begin. There are clues in the Bible that indicate when the party of all parties is about to begin. That’s what we looked at two weeks ago.
Last week, we looked at the directions to the party. A party isn’t any fun if you can’t find your way there, so through Scripture we discovered the directions to the party — God’s eternal party.
Today, we’re going to see who’s the life of the party. Every party has that one person who’s the center of attention. Everyone gravitates towards them — everyone focuses on them. And in our Christmas Party there’s a Person who’s the center of attention. He’s the life of the party.
And next week — Christmas Eve weekend — we’ll look at something every good party needs…a party song. There’s nothing like great music to amp up the energy level of a party. And our Christmas Party has got a great song that we’ll look at next week.
Signs that the party is about to begin. Directions to the party. The life of the party. And the party song.
Now let’s turn to our passage for today and discover who is the life of God’s eternal party.
ANNOUNCE THE TEXT
Please turn with me to Luke chapter three. We’ll be looking at verses seven through eighteen together today.
And, if you’re a guest with us, something we like to do at Gateway is let you ask questions. So if you have a question during the sermon, you can text your question to the number printed on the bulletin or you can submit it on the Gateway app.
RE-ANNOUNCE AND READ TEXT:
Here are the words found in Luke chapter three. Beginning in verse seven.
“He (if you remember from last week — the “he” here is John the Baptist. And John…) said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! (Everyone say “brood of vipers!” Nothing says Christmas like the phrase “brood of vipers,” right? John tells these vipers…) Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 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.” 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.” 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.” 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.” 15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap 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 the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.” (Luke 3:7-18 ESV)
SERMON INTRODUCTION
Now I know what you’re thinking — this is gonna be the best Christmas message ever — cause I had you say “brood of vipers” out loud.
And I know this may be hard to believe — but when the worship team read this passage — they had to ask me where I was going with the sermon because they couldn’t come up with a Christmas carol that fit with the whole “brood of vipers” vibe — go figure. Just trying to keep our great volunteers on their toes. But enough about me messing with the worship team.
Now I’m not sure what kind of person you are at a party. But if you’re like me, you’re a wall hugger. You know, the person who feels like a fish out of water at any and all parties — which makes what I’m about to tell you completely ridiculous.
One Christmas I was helping an organization do a Polar Express event for special needs students. The goal was to create a safe environment for kids with special needs to meet Santa, have cookies and milk, and go Christmas caroling — because it can be a challenge for families with special needs children to get to experience those kinds of activities.
Well — me — Mr. Wall Hugger at any and all parties — got a text message from the person running the Polar Express asking if I could fill in as Santa because someone had cancelled. Now at a Polar Express event — who’s the life of the party? Santa is! All the kids are heading his way — it’s an introvert’s worst nightmare.
So when I got the call to play Santa I asked my wife if I was available — and I silently begged God to give her a clear answer — the answer being “you’re not available” — and you know what she said? She said “You’re available. But I question how realistic of a Santa you’d be.” And she wasn’t talking about me not being fat enough; she was talking about me not having the right personality to play Santa.
So I texted back the person in charge telling them I could do it, but told them they may want to ask someone else first. And to my relief, they found someone else to play Santa. And when they called to tell me someone else was doing it — I kid you not — I responded with, “I’m so relieved. I would’ve made a terrible Santa. Christmas would’ve been ruined. Kids would’ve needed therapy. It would’ve been ugly.”
You see, I know I’m no Santa — I’m no “life of the party” kind of person — it’s just not who I am. That’s why I started to panic at the idea of having to play Santa.
And in our story today, the same thing happens to John the Baptist. John — the man known for wearing clothes made of camel’s hair, who liked to eat locusts and honey, and who eventually had his head cut off and served on a silver platter — that John the Baptist is the one who isn’t the life of our party — but he does point us to Him.
Last week, we looked at the beginning of John’s ministry — when he gave us the directions to the eternal party that all of us long to go to — the party in Heaven. It’s a party many people think they’re going to, but they’re not following the directions that lead to the party. And just like in life — whether it’s putting together a new lego set without the instructions or trying to find your way to the office Christmas party without the paper you wrote the directions on — if you don’t follow the directions to God’s eternal party…you won’t end up there. That’s what we saw last week.
And today we’re continuing John’s story. And it’s during this story that John will not only challenge us as to what it means to be a follower of Christ — but he’s going to make sure that his message doesn’t fool people into thinking that he’s someone he’s not. For John — even with the powerful message we’re about to hear from him — John knows that he’s not the life of God’s eternal party. Someone else is the life of the party.
Let’s look again in verse seven of Luke chapter three.
MAIN POINT 1
“He (John) said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.
(Somebody say “repentance.” And John says bear fruits — plural — meaning many — bear fruits in keeping with repentance. You probably remember that repentance was the key word we looked at last week because repentance is part of the directions to God’s eternal party.
Repentance means turning from your sin, rebellion, and self-sufficiency and turning to God for forgiveness, mercy, and grace as you submit your life to Him. Without repentance you’re lost — you’re not following God’s directions to His eternal party. John goes on to say…)
And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, (And this is great — listen to this — John says don’t think just because you’re a Jew that you’re good with God for…) God is able from these stones (what is God able to do from some stones — from these stones God is able) to raise up children for Abraham.
(“Don’t think you’re hot stuff,” John says, “just because you’re a Jew. Don’t think that just because your ancestry includes Abraham that you and God are good to go. In fact, God could make what you are from these stones on the ground — that’s the kind of hot stuff you are — you can be replaced by cold, lifeless stones.”
Apparently John forgot to read “how to win friends and influence people,” right? And in verse nine he goes on to say….)
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit (say “good fruit”) is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:7-9 ESV)
And being cut down and thrown into the fire isn’t the party most people picture themselves being part of for all eternity, is it? Most people think they can live a life that bears zero fruit of repentance — or even bad fruit — and yet not end up in the eternal fire.
Now a few things about John’s “wonderful and encouraging” message and then we’ll get to the crowd’s reaction.
First, John isn’t holding back any punches. He calls the people — which from the other gospels we know includes some religious leaders — he calls them a “brood of vipers.” That probably sounds more cool to us than insulting — but essentially, he’s telling these religious leaders — who think they’re leading people to God — John’s telling them, “You’re not God’s children. You’re children of Satan — the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden. You’re not following God — you’re following the Devil. You’re not leading people to God — you’re leading them to God’s Enemy. People who follow your teaching aren’t headed to God’s eternal party — they’re headed to God’s eternal fire.”
Like I said, John was an encouraging guy — he’s great for casual conversation at the dinner table.
And though we may question John’s in your face style — we can’t question his message. You see, he was dealing with people who were caught up in spiritual arrogance. The people in the crowd thought something like, “Of course I’m going to Heaven. I’m a Jew after all. Yahweh and I — we’re tight.” You know, nothing like what people think today. Oh wait.
When you ask people today — even people who never attend church or try to live in a way that honors God — they almost always say, “Of course I’m going to Heaven. I’m a Christian — though honestly — I don’t even know if that matters. I mean — I prayed the prayer — I went to church a couple of times — I even got baptized. And I still have a Bible somewhere in my house — maybe it’s in a box in the attic — oh wait — we dropped it off at Goodwill a couple of years ago.”
And what spiritually arrogant people — both in John’s day and ours — need to hear is, “God can make what you are out of stones. You can easily be replaced by lifeless rocks, because you’re not showing the signs — the fruits — of the life of someone who’s believed in Jesus. You’re lifeless — fruitless — you’re a tree not producing the fruit it’s supposed to. And the axe is ready to finish you off and throw you into the fire.”
You see, what none of us realize is that God’s judgment is far closer to us than we dare to imagine. For those whose life is not producing the things of God — things like love and joy, peace and patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, and self-control — things like prayer and reading God’s Word — things like selfless service and fighting against sin — for those whose life is not producing the things of God — your day of judgment is close at hand — you don’t know if you’re one breath away from the fire — or maybe a million breaths away — but the fire is where you’re headed.
You may assume that the eternal party of Heaven is before you, but you’re not following God’s directions to His party — repentance and faith — and so out of His love for you — God is saying to you — “Turn to me — let me lead you. Cause you don’t even know you’re lost and on the pathway that leads to Hell.”
John wanted people to know that following God requires a change in their life — evidence — like a tree producing apples proves it’s an apple tree — so to a Christian produces spiritual fruits that prove they’re a true follower of Jesus — following the directions to His eternal party.
Now John’s message isn’t the touchy, warm and feely type message most people want to hear — especially at Christmas. They want to hear, “You’re Ok just the way you are. Don’t change for anyone. Be who you are and if people don’t like it, tough for them.”
But that’s not God’s message to us. His message forces each of us — myself included — to wrestle with who we are and whether or not we’re someone who’s producing fruits in our lives that show we’ve repented of our sin and turned to God — not living our lives according to the things we approve of, but are living our lives the way God has said He approves of in His Word.
And what we’re going to do now, is see how the crowd responds to John’s message — we may even see how you’re responding to God’s message. Look with me in verse ten.
MAIN POINT 2
“And the crowds asked him (in response to his warning, they asked John…), “What then shall we do?” (“What are we supposed to do John?” We saw this question last week. And last week we saw that we are to “repent of our sins and turn to God.” And what we find today is just how life changing repentance and faith are.) 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.” 12 Tax collectors (so now we’re getting to very specific types of people. The people who collected taxes…) also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” (They ask the same question. They’ve heard John’s message and they instinctively know that believing in God — in the way John has described — means living differently — it means producing fruits. Somehow true faith in God should change they way they do their job — they knew that faith in God should influence how they work as tax collectors.) 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” 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.” (Luke 3:10-14 ESV)
When the crowd heard John’s message — repent and produce fruits that prove you’ve turned from sin and turned to God — the people understood that true faith in God would change how they live. They understood that true repentance requires a change in the way a person behaves.
And notice that — no matter who asked John, “What should I do now” — though his response had specific applications — the principle was always the same: A right relationship with God results in a changed way of living.
- You go from this to that.
- From old to new.
- From greed to generosity.
- From rebelling against God to submitting to God.
- From disobeying His commands to obeying His commands.
- From living the life you think God is OK with to living the life He says He’s OK with.
- From assuming you’re going to God’s eternal party when you die — to following God’s directions to His eternal party so you’ll actually end up there when you die.
But there’s something else important to notice — and that’s what John doesn’t tell them to do.
- He doesn’t tell the tax collectors to quit collecting taxes because if they’re really following God they’d move to China to be a missionary.
- He doesn’t tell the soldiers to quit the army to become youth pastors.
- John doesn’t tell anyone to stop doing their jobs — he tells them to redeem how they do their jobs. Because their faith is supposed to influence how they live — how they behave — even at work.
And for most Christians this is incredibly important. Because somehow it’s been communicated that real Christians are the ones who are missionaries or pastors or who work in the nonprofit world — and everyone else is kind of JV — and that’s just not true. Real Christians are people who have redeemed how they work because of their faith in Christ — no matter what it is they do.
- So if you’re a lawyer, practice law in a way that’s redeemed because of your faith in Christ.
- If you’re a business person, operate your business in a way that reflects the ethics of your Christian faith.
- If you’re a stay at home parent, parent your children in a way that mirrors who your Heavenly Father is to you and your kids.
When you begin to grasp what it means to repent and believe in Jesus, the question you must answer next is this: What must I do now?
- How does my faith in Christ influence the way I live, and work, and laugh, and play?
- How does believing in Jesus influence the way I live compared to someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus?
- And if there’s no difference in my life — can I even say — with any integrity — that I really believe in Jesus?
True repentance and faith require a change in the way you live. Those who know they’re headed to God’s eternal party — not assuming it, but are listening to God’s Word and following His directions — they know that following Jesus requires a change in the way they live.
Now this message of John’s was just as radical in his day as it is in ours. Remember, people listening to him assumed they were good to go with God. They thought they were all going to Heaven because they were good religious people.
- They didn’t cheat on their wives or their taxes.
- They never killed anyone.
- They obeyed their parents.
- They were good Jewish men and women.
But when they heard John’s message — that good people don’t make it to God’s eternal party in Heaven — people who’ve repented and put their faith in God do — well they started to wonder just who is this guy with this crazy message? Might John be the One they’ve been waiting for — just like kids this time of year who are so excited to see the big guy in the red suit — the people wondered if maybe John was the life of God’s eternal party?
Let’s keep reading in verse fifteen.
MAIN POINT 3
“As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap 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 the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news (somebody say “good news” — he preached good news…) to the people.” (Luke 3:15-18 ESV)
“John, you’ve got an incredible message. Lives are being changed. You’re the first prophet to receive a word from the Lord in hundreds of years. It’s evident that something’s happening through your ministry — God’s party is beginning — it’s obvious to everyone. So — John — are you the one we’ve been waiting for? Are you the life of God’s party?”
And John says, “No, no. Not me. I’m just a messenger with Good News. But the One coming after me — well — if you think I’m something — just wait until you meet Him. For the One coming after me is the life of God’s party. He’s the long awaited Messiah — God’s Rescuer. The Christ who will come to set people free from their sin. Honestly, I’m nothing compared to Him. And do you want to know the secret about this Man — the Man coming who’s mightier than me? Here’s the secret: He’s the life of God’s party because He’s the One Who’s given life to everyone and everything. In fact, He’s the One in whom eternal life is found.”
And His name is Jesus. And Jesus did come after John. And John was content with playing his role in God’s Story. John was just one of many people invited to God’s eternal party — He wasn’t the life of God’s party — he’s one of the regular folks — like you and me — just happy to have received an invitation.
And like John, all of us who’ve received the directions to God’s eternal party are to share the directions with others — we’re to invite them to God’s party — we’re to share with them the Good News.
And like John, we’re to remember that we’re not the life of God’s party — we’re not the main star of the show. We don’t get our names in the program — the spotlight won’t shine on us — the crowd won’t pay us any attention. But we do get invited to the party. We have the eternal privilege of “being one of the regular folks — just happy to have received an invitation to God’s party.”
And at the center of God’s eternal party — the star of the show, the life of the party — is One man — Jesus. God’s Son who came to Earth to give His life so we might find life — the abundant life. And everyone who believes in Him is baptized with the Holy Spirit — just like John said — for when a person believes in Jesus — God’s Spirit comes upon and in them — giving them both the desire and the power to live a changed life — a life full of good fruits.
They’re changed from being crooked tax collectors — to collecting no more than is required. From being soldiers who bullied people — to being soldiers who protect people and were content with their pay. From being stingy people holding on to clothes and food they don’t need — to being generous people who give even when it might cause them to be in need.
And whether you’re a lawyer, a businessperson, a stay at home parent, or a teacher, a student, retired or whatever it is that you do — your faith in Christ should influence how you do what it is that you do — your faith in Christ should impact how you live — your faith in Christ should change the way you behave.
John’s role was to prepare the way for Jesus. And in verse eighteen, we see that’s exactly what John keeps on doing. He keeps preaching the Good News to everyone he meets — making sure to point them to Jesus — the life of God’s eternal party.
And that’s really one of the defining fruits of a Christian. Just like the people in the crowd, many people today think they’re good with God — and even claim to be a Christian — but here’s one way to know whether or not you’re a true follower of Jesus.
A Christian is someone whose life points people to Jesus — the life of God’s eternal party. A Christian is someone whose life — both their actions and their words — a Christian is someone whose life points people to Jesus — the life of God’s eternal party. Is this fruit found in your life? Is sharing the Goods News with others something you’re doing?
SERMON CONCLUSION
When people looked at John they wondered if he might be the Christ. His life was so impacted by the Good News that he was noticeably different. People couldn’t help but wonder why he was so unique. And John used his life — and the questions it stirred in people’s minds — to point them to the life of God’s eternal party — Jesus.
And like John — your life and my life — and our life as a congregation — is to produce fruits in keeping with our repentance. We’re to live such Gospel changed lives that people stop and wonder “What’s so different about him? Why does she practice law the way that she does? Why does he operate his business the way that he does? Why do they raise their kids the way that they do?”
So that as the opportunity arises — you can say to them — “I do what I do because Jesus Christ has given me life — He’s changed me — and He can change you too. And through my faith in Him, I’ve discovered what life is all about…life is all about Jesus. Because He is the life of God’s party.”
If this kind of life is the life you’ve been searching for, longing for, maybe hoping for…it’s being offered to you right now. A changed life. A noticeably different kind of life. A hopeful, joy-filled, peaceful life. A life following God’s directions to His eternal party. If that’s the life you desire, know that it’s being offered to you today — by the life of the party Himself — Jesus Christ.
At this time, we’re going to pray. And if you desire to receive the gift of eternal life, there’s no better time than right now to do so. Let’s pray.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I pray that You will burn in our hearts and minds the truth that Jesus is the life of Your eternal party. He came to give us life — life to its fullest — the abundant life — a changed life — He came to give us eternal life. And He gives life because He is life.
Help us, Father — those of us who are Christians — to live gospel changed lives. May we produce fruits — many fruits — that prove we’ve turned from our old life of sin and turned to You and the new life You’ve made possible through faith in Christ. God may we not be content to be Christian in name, but not Christian in how we live. Help us to live in such a way that people question why we live the way we do. All so we have the opportunity to share with them Your Good News and point them to the life of Your party.
Father I ask You to be gracious and give the gift of eternal life to anyone desiring to receive it today. May they turn from their sin and turn to You. May they experience Your gift of forgiveness — made possible through the sacrifice of Your Son — Jesus.
Father, all of us need to be reminded that we’re not the life of Your party — Jesus is. We’re not the star of Your story — Jesus is. We don’t get the spotlight — Jesus does. Our names are not in the programs — His is. But because of Your great love for us — those who believe in Jesus do have our names written in Your Book of Life. We are invited. We have the privilege of being “happy to be at Your eternal party.” And for this wonderful gift, we thank you.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.