SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:46-55 (ESV)

DATE: 12-24-17

Merry “snowy” Christmas! It’s good to be with all of you at Gateway Church this Christmas 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 INTRODUCTION

Today we finish our Christmas series which we’ve titled “Christmas Party.” As we’ve been journeying together towards Christmas — here at Gateway — we’ve been doing so through the lens of a party.

Three weeks ago we began by looking at the signs that tell us when the party is about to begin. If you go to a birthday party there are signs that tell you when the party is about to begin. Balloons, a cake, maybe a banner that says “Happy Birthday” on it — clues telling you that a party is about to begin. And in the Bible, there are clues that indicate when God’s eternal party — the party of all parties — is about to begin. That’s what we looked at three weeks ago.

Two weeks ago, we looked at the directions to the party. A party isn’t any fun if you can’t find your way there. And through Scripture we discovered the directions to the party of all parties.  

Last week, we discovered who’s the life of God’s eternal party. Every party has one person who the crowd notices — they’re the center of attention — everyone gravitates towards them. And in our Christmas Party there’s a Person who’s the center of attention. He’s the life of the party.

And today, we’re finishing this series by looking at what 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 party song.  

Now to set up our party song, I need to give you a little background on the young woman who’s singing our song. Her name is Mary and she’s a young virgin who will give birth to Jesus. You probably know her story. 

She was engaged to a man named Joseph and through a miracle, Mary became pregnant. And just before she became pregnant, Mary was visited by an angel. And this angel — named Gabriel — told her that she was favored by the Lord and that she would give birth to a son who was to be named Jesus.  

And — obviously — this is quite the perplexing news for Mary because she’s a virgin — and they usually don’t have children — so she asks the angel, “How could this happen?” She doesn’t doubt the angel’s message, she just wants some clarification — some details, so to speak — of how her pregnancy would take place.  

And the angel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would become pregnant with the Son of God. And Mary’s response — to this crazy sounding news — were these words:  “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38b ESV) 

And then the angel left.  

Some time later Mary goes to visit her relative — Elizabeth — who’s also pregnant with a son — you probably know him as well — John the Baptist. And after Elizabeth catches Mary up with what’s been going on with her, Mary bursts forth into a song. And it’s a song of joy — a song of hope — a song of great confidence in what the future holds. It’s a great song — and it’s our Party Song.

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

If you have your Bible please turn with me to Luke chapter one. Our Party Song is found in verses forty-six through fifty-five.  

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 handout or you can submit it on the Gateway app.

So let’s turn to Luke chapter one and instead of reading the verses out loud — because this is our Party Song — I’m going to sing the words to you — sound good? The worship team is going to back me up — well they were supposed to back me up. Guess I forgot to tell them. Oh well…guess I’ll just have to read the words instead. 

RE-ANNOUNCE AND READ TEXT:

Mary’s song is found in Luke chapter one. Beginning in verse forty-six. 

“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46-55 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

What makes your soul sing? What’s something that — if it happened — your life would sing about it? 

• A good grade on your finals? 
• Finally landing that dream job? 
• Her saying yes to your proposal? 
• The new Star Wars movie hitting theaters? 
• What causes your soul to get so excited that your life begins to sing? 

When my kids were younger, I had this thing I liked to do — especially in the car — I’d sing silly songs about any and everything. If you’ve ever watched a Veggie Tales show you know about the “Silly Songs with Larry” skits that are pretty creative. Well I like to think that my silly songs in the car are pretty creative too. And two out of three of my kids might agree! 

Now I’d sing the songs because it’s something fun to do with my kids. It doesn’t matter what the song is about — the moment is what makes it special — their reactions are what make it special. And — my hope — is that someday they’ll be making up silly songs with their kids because that’ll be evidence that I passed on to them my awesome parenting skills.  

But anyway — in our story we see Mary burst forth into song. Something happens that gives her reason to rejoice. Reason to celebrate. A reason to sing.  

And — you may not know this — but her song is one of the most famous songs in all of Christianity. I love what one author said about Mary’s song. He said, “It’s been whispered in monasteries, chanted in cathedrals, recited in small remote churches by evening candlelight, and set to music with trumpets and kettledrums by Johann Sebastian Bach.”

That’s how far — the song we’re looking at — has traveled. And this song of Mary’s is our Party Song.

So what causes Mary’s heart to be so overjoyed that she sings?

PROPOSITION  

Mary rejoices because of who God is. Mary sings this song because she’s caught up in her thoughts about God. And what we learn from Mary’s song is this: “Our lives sing about what we value most.” Our lives sing — meaning our lives revolve around, we worship, we focus on, you and I — we cherish — our lives sing about what we value most. Because what we value most is what gives us the greatest sense of joy. And what gives us the greatest sense of joy is what we value most.

And what Mary sings about — as we’ll see — is God. Who He is. What He’s done. And what He’s going to do. God is the reason why Mary sings our Party Song. In fact, Mary refers to God twenty times in these few verses. Her song is all about God because He’s the reason for her joy — He is what she values most.

Let’s begin in verse forty-six and look at how she describes her joy. 

MAIN POINT 1

“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:46-48 ESV)

Look at the state of Mary’s heart towards God. She begins by saying that her soul magnifies the Lord. To magnify means to “enlarge or amplify” something. That’s what we use a magnifying glass for, right? To make something small appear big as we look at it through the magnifying glass.

And Mary says that’s the state of her soul. Her desire is to magnify who God is — not because He’s small — but because many times her life makes it seem as if God is small — so she wants to magnify who He is so others will join her in worshipping God.  

So her life is one joyous song as she dwells on who God is, what He’s done, and what He’s promised to do. Her desire is to proclaim the greatness of the God who lovingly saves people — rescuing them from their sin and foolishness. You see, when a person encounters the joy that’s found in Jesus — something changes in their outlook on life — they start to sing a new song.

• Yes, things won’t always go your way. 
• Yes, hardships will occur. 
• Yes, loved ones may experience pain. 
• Yes, suffering is a very real experience that none of us are immune to.  

But for those who’ve encountered the joy found only in Jesus — well — you can’t help but sing a different tune than those who’ve not found joy in Him. Like Mary — an unexpected turn in your life can be an opportunity to magnify who God is and stir in your spirit a joy that’s found only in Him.

The first thing we learn from Mary is this. “When God is your most valued treasure, your joy never ceases.” When God is your most valued treasure — like He was for Mary — your joy never ceases.

It doesn’t matter what the doctor report says, or if you’re let go because the company’s downsizing, or when your professor tells you you’re failing his class, or when an angel tells you you’re gonna have a baby — whatever life may bring your way — when God is your most valued treasure, your joy never ceases.

Now there’s a big difference between claiming God as your most valued treasure — when life is going your way— and claiming God as your most valued treasure while going through one of life’s unexpected twists or turns that put your beliefs to the test. And as we look at Mary’s song my goal is simply this:  My hope is that as we look at Mary’s song — our Party Song — that your soul will be stirred to worship God. My goal is to increase your joy in Jesus as we look at these words of Mary. That your life would desire to sing to God in a new way as you encounter just who this God is who’s worthy of being your greatest treasure and reason for your soul to rejoice.  

Let’s begin again in verse forty-six and we’ll read her entire song together. In verse forty-six we read…

MAIN POINT 2

“And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

(Now I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this — but it’s worth mentioning — Mary calls God her Savior — her deliverer — which tells us that Mary knows she needs a Savior. I know that some of you may have been taught some things about Mary — like, she was sinless — but look at Mary’s own words. She says, “I need a Savior,” which only makes sense if she was a sinner. 

Mary recognized her need of a Savior. Do you? Like Mary, have you recognized your need of a Savior? Does your spirit have reason to rejoice because God is your Savior? Not a “Yes He can save me,” but “Yes God has saved me and it makes my heart want to sing!” Mary rejoices in God her Savior and in verse forty-eight she tells us why…), 

for he (God) has looked on the humble estate of his servant. 

(Mary describes herself as having a humble position in society. Some of you may be aware that when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple — they couldn’t afford the expensive sacrifice — they offer a sacrifice reserved for the poor. But notice that God is aware of her situation regardless of her social status.  

Someone here might think that God doesn’t have time for you because you’re not of a high social class, or didn’t go to college, or maybe you think God has better or more important people to concern Himself with than you — but know this — God looks upon those who come from humble situations. God shows no favoritism. He’s not prejudice. He loves the poor and rich alike. The educated and uneducated. People with high IQs and people with low IQs. Men and women. Young and old. Ohio State and even Michigan fans. God looks upon all people with a deep love — a longing for them to receive His forgiveness — and a desire to adopt them as His child.  

Mary continues with…) 

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty (He who is powerful. He who is able. He who has authority. He who created everything simply by speaking it into existence. He who flooded the whole earth, and parted the Red Sea, and caused the walls of Jericho to come tumbling down. He who is mighty…) has done great things for me.

(Mary’s aware of the great things God has done for her. Are you aware of the great things God has done for you? Have you ever tried to list all of the things God has done for you? 

Now we’re all finite — we have a start date — so it shouldn’t be hard to keep track of all God has done for us, right? I mean — think about it — we’ve found a way to track every stat imaginable in the sports world, so surely we can track every great thing God has done for us, right? Wrong! Because even in our finiteness — the great things God has done for us are infinite.  

Some of the great things God has done for me are big huge things like insulin and pumps so my boys stay healthy even though they have type-1 diabetes. And some of the great things God has done for me are seemingly small things like this breath. And this one. And this one. But our hearts can’t help but rejoice when we stop to dwell on the great things God has done for us.  

Mary continues describing this saving, looking on us, mighty, and doing great things for us God when she says…), and holy is his name. 

(Holy. Pure. Righteous. Completely separated from sin. Whiter than snow. Brighter than the sun. More pure than the most beautiful diamond. God. Is. Holy. And in verse fifty Mary says…)

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 

(Is your soul ready to sing yet? God is merciful — merciful to who? To all who fear Him. We’ll see this again in verse fifty-four — but know that God is merciful towards us. He has pity on us. He’s compassionate. He’s kind. 

The Bible tells us that God isn’t unaware of our rebellion and sin — there will be a day when His patience will come to an end — but until that day — God’s mercy is new every morning for each and every one of us. And His compassion should draw you to Him. His kindness should give your life a reason to sing.  

Mary continues in verse fifty-one by saying…) 

He has shown strength with his arm (This God — Mary is singing about — is strong. He’s powerful. He’s not to be reckoned with. She goes on to say…); he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts 

(God scatters the proud — the people who are assuming — who are arrogant — who have a haughty attitude. He scatters the thoughts of their hearts. They don’t have peace in their spirit because they haven’t humbled themselves before their Creator. Continuing Mary says…); 

52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones 

(God has removed kings from their thrones. People in authority have lost their positions because of God’s mighty hand. No one — no matter their earthly position — is outside of the power and authority of God.) and (Continuing in verse fifty-two, Mary says that not only has God brought down the mighty from their thrones but He has also…) exalted those of humble estate. 

(God exalts the humble. He lifts them up. Those who are proud are humbled and those who are humble are exalted. Those who think highly of themselves are brought down low and those who think lowly of themselves will be lifted up by God.  

Continuing in verse fifty-three Mary says…); 53 he has filled the hungry with good things (He has satisfied those who are famished.), and the rich he has sent away empty. 

The rich — those living independently from God — are sent away empty-handed. Their lives are now fruitless. There’s no purpose for them any longer. God provides for those who are without and He sends away empty-handed those who have so much they have no need for His provision. And…

He has (Look at what God has done in verse fifty-four. Mary says God has…) helped his servant Israel 

(God helps His people — He aids them — He assists them. Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to be our Helper. And Mary sings about how God helps His people.  

And continuing in verse fifty-four…), in remembrance of his mercy (Mary mentions God’s mercy for the second time in her song — she remembers God’s mercy…), 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46-55 ESV)

Mary ends her song by recognizing that God speaks to His people. Throughout history God has communicated to His people in a way we can understand. At one time He spoke through prophets and apostles. And now He most clearly speaks to us through His Word — the Bible.

So this is Mary’s song — our Christmas Party Song. A song focused on, all about, sung while dwelling on — God. Who He is. What He’s done. And what He’s promised to do for His people.  

And God’s the Savior of His people — that’s what we celebrate at Christmas — a Savior is born. And for those who’ve experienced the power of the cross of Jesus Christ, we realize what it means for God to be our Savior. It cost Him His life. Christ died willingly — the Bible says — because there was a joy set before Him. A joy of rescuing people from their sin and rebellion while pleasing His Father by perfectly obeying Him.

And Christ saw that all of us are weak, and poor, and in great need. None of us could do for ourselves what we desperately needed to have done most — we could not save ourselves. We couldn’t rescue ourselves. We were as low as you could get. Hopeless. Joyless. Having no reason to sing because of the darkness all around us. Yet Christ humbled Himself so the lowly might be exalted — so we might be lifted up high as we experience eternity in Heaven with our Savior.

And Mary recognized that God is mighty. And that He’s done great things. That He’s holy. And merciful. And strong. And with His mighty outstretched arm God did the greatest thing in all of history. He satisfied His wrath — His intense hatred of our sin — while displaying His mercy toward us hopeless sinners. 

Being holy, God could not welcome us sinners into eternity. But having received Christ’s payment on the cross for our sin, God has given us the holiness of Christ so we can approach Him without fear. This is God’s mercy towards us. He has accepted Christ’s holiness as ours — His sacrifice as ours — His perfection as ours — what a mercy we’ve been given.

And yet God scatters the proud. He brings down the mighty. He sends the rich away empty-handed. And we must not forget that God does — in this life, but more importantly — has promised to do for all eternity — we must not forget that God will scatter and bring down those who are too proud to receive His gift of grace. People who think so highly of themselves — that they reject the free gift offered in the sacrifice of His Son — will experience the never-ending, eternal consequence for their foolish rebellion. They will be brought down to the lowest place for all eternity — left empty-handed of everything they’ve worked for. But the far greater consequence is that for all eternity they will be left empty-handed of God’s presence.

And this God fills the hungry. He’s a Helper to His people. Jesus said that those who are hungry should feast on Him — the Bread of Life. And those who thirst can find their satisfaction in the Living Water — the satisfying drink — He offers. 

And Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be our Helper, Teacher, and Guide so we can live with great confidence — knowing that God is with us now — just as He will be — for all eternity.

And God has spoken to us. We have His Word — the Bible — which is a gift like none other. God’s words to His people bring life, hope, joy, peace, correction, understanding, and countless more things. A book we often neglect as we wander aimlessly in this life — singing a song that isn’t inspiring to others. But when we get in this book — when we open it and read it and study it and listen to it — when we get in this book — this book gets into us — and our life begins to sing the words of Scripture. And these words — the words of this book — when sung by our lives — will never return empty-handed.  

Mary sang about God because God is what she treasured most.

And “when God is your most valued treasure, your life will be a God glorifying song for all to hear.” When God is your most valued treasure —  again — it’s so easy to say you value God — that you believe in Him — that you’re a Christian — but when you really value God above everything else, your life will be a God glorifying song for all to hear.

And people who meet you will hear a different melody than what they hear from other people’s lives. They’ll hear a refrain in your life that’s unusual to their ears. They may wonder — or be amazed — or even be confused because of the song your life sings — because it will have a uniqueness to it that stirs questions in their heart.  

Questions like, “What does this person have that I don’t have? Why does their life sing while my life is silent? Where does this wonderful melody come from and how can I learn to sing it?”

SERMON CONCLUSION

And when Mary thought about these things — who God is, what He has done, and what He had promised to do — her heart began to sing. Her mouth began to sing the words of our Party Song. Her spirit began to rejoice and her soul greatly desired to magnify the Lord.  

And what caused her soul to sing — what caused her life to be a song — was the glory and magnificence of her God.   

And when you see God for who He is — when you recognize what He’s done throughout history — when you begin to grasp how He has used His strength, power, compassion, and mercy to lift you up — it will stir in your soul a desire to sing to Him — and about Him — with your life.  

And a good grade on a final will be nice. And a new job may be exciting. And her saying yes to your proposal will be thrilling. And the new Star Wars movie might still be worth watching three or four times in the theater. But God — Who He is, what He’s done, and what He’s doing in your life — well — He will be what your life sings about. 

What song do people hear from your life? Is your life an inspiring song or is it a song that gets lost in the uninspiring melodies of so many people’s lives? And this Christmas — may you come to know — that you can join Mary in her song. Because a song like hers is really the only song worth singing with our lives.

Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I ask You to remind us often that what we value most is what our life sings about. And I pray that we would sing about You — so all people know that You’re our greatest treasure.

Spirit I ask You to open the minds and hearts of everyone listening. If there’s anyone who desires to join in singing Your Party Song — I ask You to help them to believe. Jesus be their Savior. Father show them Your strength. May they experience Your mercy as you fill them with Your words of grace and truth.  

Most gracious God, we thank you for rescuing us so we can sing a new song with our lives. A song about You, what You have done, and what You have promised to do for Your people. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 3:1-6 (ESV)

DATE: 12-10-17

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 even 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 INTRODUCTION

And today we are in week two 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.

Last week, we looked at the signs that tell us when the party is about to begin. When you go to a party — birthday party, Christmas party, or whatever — there are clues that tell you you’re in the right place. Balloons, for instance, or streamers tell you a party is about to begin. And last week we discovered clues in the Bible that tell us when the party of all parties is about to begin. 

Today, we’re going to look at the directions to the party. A party isn’t any fun if you can’t find your way there. So today we’re going to find the directions to the party of all parties.

Next week, we’re going to see who is the life of the party. Every party has that one person who grabs the crowd’s attention. And in our Christmas Party there’s a Person Who’s the center of attention. He’s the life of the party.

And on Christmas Eve weekend, we’ll end this series by looking at what every good party needs…a party song. There’s nothing like great music to amp up the intensity of a party. And our Christmas Party has got a great party song that we’ll look at in a few weeks.  

Signs that the party is about to begin. Directions to the party. The life of the party. And the party song.

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

If you have your Bible please turn with me to Luke chapter three. We’ll be in Luke chapter three looking at verses one through six together.  

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 it to the number printed on the bulletin or you can submit it on the Gateway app.

RE-ANNOUNCE AND READ THE TEXT

Here are the words found in Luke chapter three. Beginning in verse one.

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 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 3:1-6 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

Directions to the party. Last week, I mentioned that in this series we’re discovering that there are actually two different parties in the Bible. The first party began when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It’s what Christmas is all about. 

We see this as people put nativity scenes in their yards and on their mantles. We see this as we watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas special and hear Linus tell the biblical Christmas story on TV — and no one seems to be offended — it’s amazing.

But the first Christmas party — when Jesus was born in Bethlehem — was a party of reconciliation. You see our sin and rebellion against God had caused us to be separated from Him. The Bible describes mankind as people desperately in need of a relationship with God and yet we’re unable to find Him — not because He’s hiding — but because He is holy and we’re an unholy people.  

But God so loved the world that He sent His Son — Jesus — to be born in Bethlehem as a baby — with the purpose of reconciling us to Himself — and to reconcile means to restore a relationship — to make right a broken relationship. So God — in His love — not because of anything we’ve done or will ever do — but solely based on His love for us — God sent Jesus to Earth as a baby who would grow up to be the Savior of the world — Jesus was sent — the first time — to start the party of reconciliation.

And although the party of reconciliation is a fantastic party, there’s an even greater party in store for everyone who believes in Jesus. Because when He returns to Earth — as promised in the Bible — a new party will begin. The party of redemption. 

And the party of redemption is a party where slaves will be set free. Who are the slaves and what will they be set free from? Well, we’re the slaves. And we’ll be set free from our sin and rebellion. Set free from sorrow and pain. Set free disease and disappointments. Set free from our fears and set free even from death.  

To be reconciled is a tremendous gift from God, but redemption — well that’s when the Party of all parties begins. And though we begin to taste and experience the party of redemption when we believe — it’s only a taste. 

Kind of like when Grandma bakes Christmas cookies and has you taste a little bit of the batter just to make sure it’s OK. Everyone knows the cookie dough tastes awesome, but she gives you the taste because she loves you — she wants you to be excited and focused on what’s coming. And when Grandma’s Christmas cookies come out of the oven — well — that’s when the feasting begins — that’s the real party.

And our passage for today gives us the directions to both parties — for the directions to both parties is the same. Because the people who are reconciled with God are the people who will one day experience the completion of this promised redemption. For this a redemption that Jesus has guaranteed we will experience as we spend eternity with Him in the New Heavens and Earth.

So let’s look at the directions to both parties. Let’s begin in verse one of Luke chapter three where we read…

MAIN POINT 1

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, (and look at what came to John the Baptist…) the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” (Luke 3:1-2 ESV) 

Now Luke — as you may know — wrote his gospel after doing a thorough investigation into the life of Jesus. In fact, the gospel of Luke begins with, “Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 (and why did Luke carefully investigate the stories about Jesus in a way similar to a trustworthy news journalist who investigates a story today? In verse four Luke tells Theophilus that he did this so you can be…) certain of the truth of everything you were taught.” (Luke 1:1-4 NLT)

And a great way to help someone be certain is to use specific details to support your report. And that’s what we encounter in the first two verses of Luke chapter three.

Luke gives us a list of various men who held either government or religious positions. These are all real men who actually existed whose names appear in other documents in history. 

Luke even gives us dates so we can know when all of this happened. Why? Because he wrote this gospel with the intent of Theophilus being certain that the stories about Jesus were true and — what better way is there to do that — than to give specific details like the names of people who were serving in government positions and dates — that can be verified — as to when all of these things took place.

Luke tells us that these things took place in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, which was most likely from August AD28 to August AD29. What do we know about Tiberius? We know that he was a skilled military commander who had a good handle on the administrative side of government work. What does that tell us? He was an actual person.

Pilate and Herod are two names Luke mentions that you probably recognize — especially if you have any familiarity with the death of Jesus. Both of these men show up at the end of Jesus’ life and are part of the account of His death. 

You may wonder, what is a tetrarch — that’s not a term we’re used to hearing. Technically a tetrarch was a ruler who had authority over a fourth of a region or area. So divide up an area into quarters and each person who ruled over a quarter of the land was called a tetrarch. But the term was eventually used to describe low level rulers who maybe had a little more or a little less than a quarter of land to rule over. What’s the point? These were real people.

And as we keep going in our verses, we see more names and specific lands they were in charge of. Why? Luke’s wanting us to know that these are real people, real facts, his gospel is a real story — it’s a record of what actually happened. 

And then there’s a shift from government employees to religious leaders. We encounter the high priests Annas and Caiaphas. Now — technically speaking — the Jewish faith only had one high priest. The position of high priest was passed down from man to man and Annas originally passed down the position to five of his sons, but eventually his son-in-law — Caiaphas — held the office beginning in the year AD18 until the year AD36. And Caiaphas was the high priest — you may remember — when Jesus was crucified.

And — again — why? What’s the purpose of all of these details? To show us that the events we’re looking at actually took place. And Luke records all of these details basically as an “I dare you” to anyone who thought he was just making up the story. Luke’s saying, “Here’s verifiable evidence — the facts. Go see if what I’m saying is accurate or not. I dare you to go and research them for yourself and see if you find anything I’ve recorded to be incorrect.” 

And there’s an amazing thing we find in history — not just church history, but secular history as well. No one refutes these claims. One of the most astonishing things about the Christian faith is that contemporary writings to the gospels — things being written at the same time as the gospels in our Bible — these contemporary writings don’t argue against the accounts we have in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Parts of the New Testament were circulating within a few years of Jesus’ death, yet none of the writings from that time period refute what we read about in the Bible.

And I know that not everyone believes that the Bible is true or accurate — some think the Bible is full of inaccuracies — but that’s not what we find in the writings of the contemporaries of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We just don’t find contemporaries saying those kinds of things. 

And the reason Luke gives us all of these facts is in order to validate what we read at the end of verse two. “The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” (Luke 3:2b ESV)

Now — for us — these words might not seem like much, but for the early Christians — especially for the Jewish converts — this sentence would’ve been monumental. Why? 

For four hundred years — or so — no words of God have been spoken. Throughout the Old Testament, we see God speaking through His prophets — men like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Daniel and Malachi — but for a few hundred years there was a period of silence — there were no words from God. No prophets spoke on His behalf. God had been silent to His people.  

So for the early Christians, this sentence of Luke’s was huge. The word of God was being spoken again. A prophet was receiving a message from the Lord. The prophets were back on the scene — God’s voice could be heard again.

And for the rest of our time, we’re going to look at these words spoken by God through John. We’re going to take a close look at the “words of God” that were given to him. These are the first “words of God” spoken in hundreds of years. And these words are our directions to the parties of reconciliation and redemption. Look with me in verse three.

MAIN POINT 2

“And he (that’s John) went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of (now look at John’s message — the words of God he’s speaking — it was a message of…) repentance for (what reason? God’s first words — coming after hundreds of years of silence — is a message to the people to repent for the…) forgiveness of sins. 

(Now — so we’re clear here — these are the directions to the party of reconciliation — the party of being made right with God. We’ll talk about these more in just a moment. 

Continuing on in verse four we read…) 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet (And here Luke — our author — is showing us exactly what’s happening in John’s message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins — so this is Luke’s commentary on what’s happening in these “words of God” being spoken for the first time in hundreds of years — Luke is wanting us to understand what’s going on by quoting the prophet Isaiah. So Luke tells us what we’re witnessing here in John’s message is…), “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 3:3-6 ESV)

Directions to the party — actually directions to both parties — to the party of reconciliation and the party of redemption. And what are the directions? How do you find your way to these parties? What would Google Maps tell you to do if you could put these parties in as your destination? You repent for the forgiveness of your sins.  

Let me explain. The way to the party that all of us think we’re going to — because though people joke and say things like “I’m gonna go to Hell for that” as if that’s supposed to be funny — in reality everyone thinks they’re going to Heaven — and if we’re not careful — even those who believe in Jesus and in Hell functionally live as if everyone’s going to Heaven. 

For example, I don’t know that I’ve ever been to a funeral where the person who died isn’t in Heaven. No matter how they lived or what they believed — you go to their funeral and everyone’s like “Well they’re in a better place now.” Really!? Maybe we say things like that to ease our conscious or something — and obviously the funeral isn’t the time to talk about all of this — but in those moments it seems as if we all drop Hell from our theology — silence would be a better option than “Well at least they’re in a better place.” End rant.

So the way to the eternal party of Heaven — the party of reconciliation and redemption — is a way that many people aren’t following the directions to. They think they’re going to the party, but they’re not following the directions.

John came proclaiming — a word that means preaching — he came telling everyone that the way to be reconciled with God — the way to have your sin problem taking care of — he came telling everyone the way to be made right with God — and that way is repentance. 

So what’s repentance? What does it mean to repent because if the directions to THE party includes repentance — then we’d better know what that word means.

To repent means to turn away from sin and turn to God. It means to turn away from rebelling against God and turn and submit yourself to Him. Repentance is the idea of a complete overhaul of how you think, feel, and act as you turn from self-sufficiency to complete dependency upon God.

As one pastor said, “Repentance is the turning of the direction of our life and the affections of our heart, so that we become oriented on God and love the things He loves.”

Now most people don’t believe they have a need to repent — they think of themselves as a relatively good person — and everyone knows that being good is the directions to the party in Heaven, right? Wrong! 

Good people don’t go to Heaven. Forgiven people go to Heaven. There’s only one good Person in Heaven and His name is Jesus. Everyone else in Heaven are bad people who’ve been forgiven. Being good is not the directions to the party. Being forgiven is.

Just how bad are we? Well look at how Luke — quoting Isaiah — describes our situation. He uses an illustration describing the kinds of things that the people would need to do — so these are things that would need take place — for the arrival of their king. 

He writes, “‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, (So get this. The King is coming — THE KING IS COMING! — and we don’t want him walking up and down and up and down and up and down — so fill in all of the low lying areas — we’re not talking potholes here — we’re talking full blown valleys — well that’s gonna be a lot of work. But that’s not all….) and every mountain and hill shall be made low, (So level off all of the hills and mountains because the King is coming. Maybe we can fill in all of the valleys with all of the debris from the mountains and hills we’ve flattened? I don’t know. But we’re not done…) and the crooked shall become straight (The King doesn’t need to be zig zagging His way here — let’s give him a straight shot to us — so take all of the curves out of the path to us…), and the rough places shall become level ways.” (Luke 3:4b-5 ESV)

So here’s what we’ve got to do — this is the illustration showing us just how bad our situation is — we’ve got to fill in the valleys, flatten the mountains and hills, straighten the crooked paths, and level off the rough spots all because the King is coming. Because we want to make it as easy as possible for Him to get to us.

Now I used to live in West Virginia — mountain and hilly illustrations were easy for me there — but we’re in flat Northwest Ohio — the only hills we’ve got are interstate overpasses — so use your imagination and pretend we’re living in a place with lots of valleys and mountains and hills. And if you’ve ever driven on mountain roads, you know how zig zaggy they can be. OK?

So we’re all there in our minds right — not flat Northwest Ohio — hilly West Virginia or out in Colorado somewhere. And say an important official is coming to visit us — let’s call this person — oh I don’t know — the King of the Universe, because if I said the president of the United States — depending on if you’re a Republican or Democrat — you may allow your politics to ruin this illustration.  

So the King of the Universe is coming to visit and He’s coming by land. But we want Him to have an easy trip getting to us — we want to take the obstacles out of His way — I mean, after all — He is the King of the Universe — He’s a pretty big deal. So we’ve got some work to do on our roadways. 

For starters, none of our roads are straight. But we can fix that by leveling off all of the mountains and hills and make everything perfectly flat. But if we level off all of the mountains and hills and fill in the valleys, we don’t need all of the curves in our roads so we need to take out all of the twists and turns and make the roads straight. I mean — the King of the Universe is coming to visit — so surely flattening all of the mountains and hills and filling in the valleys and taking out the zigs and the zags is worth all of the effort, right?

Now most of you are thinking, “Josh this is an incredibly ridiculous illustration. We could never flatten every mountain and hill and fill in all of the valleys even if the King of the Universe was coming to visit us. We can’t even figure out how to fix I75.” 

And I’d say, “You’re absolutely right.” And that’s the point — for that’s the state of the human soul. There’s no amount of good you can do — or work that you can do — that will reconcile you with God. So God sent His Son — Jesus — to do the work for you.  

Jesus came and leveled all of the mountains and hills between us and God. He filled in every low lying area. He made the crooked paths straight and leveled off all of the rough places. All so we could turn from our sin and turn to God and follow the straight path, which leads to the eternal party that we’ve been trying to find — but have gotten desperately lost while on this trip known as life.  

You see, the directions to the eternal party in Heaven don’t include “being good” — they include being forgiven. And a person is forgiven when they’ve repented of — when they’ve turned from — their sin and turned to God. When they’ve left the path they’ve been traveling on — one full of ups and downs and twists and turns and getting lost — a path full of rough patches — when they turn from that path and walk along the path Jesus has paved for all who turn to Him in faith. Believing that through faith in Him — that by turning to Him for salvation — results in discovering directions to the eternal party. 

That’s why Isaiah’s prophecy concludes with, “and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Luke 3:6 ESV)

Everyone who follows the directions to the eternal party — no matter their race or gender, age or education — all people who follow the directions will experience the eternal salvation of God — they will experience the eternal Party of Heaven.  

MAIN POINT 3

As I mentioned earlier, Luke wrote this gospel as investigative account — but his gospel is just part one. In part two, Luke writes about things that happen after Jesus has gone to Heaven. And one of the early stories Luke records is the first sermon preached by the apostle Peter — Peter was one of Jesus’ followers and he became a changed man after he repented of his sins and believed in Jesus. 

And during this first sermon of his, Peter concludes with these words. “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” (Luke goes on to tell us that…) 37 Peter’s words pierced their (the people listening — Peter’s words pierced their) hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 

(What a great question to ask. What do we do now? Maybe that’s the question you’re asking. You’ve heard the truth. You want to go to the party of all parties. You’re eager to receive the invitation. But you need directions. What do I do now? What are the directions to the party Peter? Peter answers them…) 38 …“Each of you must repent of your sins (so you must repent of your sins — turn away from your sin — AND you must turn to who? You must turn to…) God, (that’s faith — turning to God…) and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:36-38a NLT)

Directions to the eternal party — the party of all parties. The party that will take place in Heaven forever — a party of reconciliation and redemption — a party where you’ll be free from sin, and sorrow, and pain, and fear. And for all of us listening today, the directions to God’s eternal Party have been made clear. 

The directions include repentance — turning from your sin — and faith — turning to God. Turning from whatever your life is focused on and turning your life and your affections on God — focusing your life on Him.  

SERMON CONCLUSION

God has made the path straight for you. He’s done what you couldn’t do. He leveled the mountains and hills of your sin. He filled in the valleys of your rebellion. He’s made straight the crooked ways of your heart. He’s smoothed out the rough patches of your desires. All so that by turning from your sin and by turning to Him, you might be welcomed into the greatest party that will ever be thrown.  

The question is will you follow the directions? Will you follow God’s directions to His party or will you spend your life being lost and unable to find the party you’re being invited to today? The directions are clear. Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ. For He is the One inviting you to follow the direction to His party.

Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I pray that You would remind us often of the directions to Your party. We must repent of our sins and turn to You in faith for forgiveness. 

For those of us who are following the directions to Your party, Father, I ask You to give us a desire to share the directions with all people just like John did. He proclaimed the directions so that many might repent, believe, and be forgiven. May we be people who share the Good News with others — the directions to Your eternal party.

And Father, I pray for anyone who’s asking the same question the people asked when they heard Peter preach. “Now that I’ve heard this news — what do I do?” What you do is follow God’s directions. Repent of your sin — confess right now that you have sinned against God — that you have rebelled against Him — that you’ve failed to submit yourself to Him. Admit that you’ve fallen short of the obedience He’s required of you.  

Repent first, but be sure to turn to God in faith. Turn to Him for your joy and hope and peace and forgiveness. Turn to Him and His Word — so He can shape the way you think and what you feel and how you live. Turn to Him for the directions of Your life.  

And by repenting of your sins and by turning to God, you can know with certainty that — not only are you saved — but you’ve been given the directions to God’s eternal party in Heaven. And you will be welcomed as a guest into His eternal party. 

We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 21:25-36 (ESV)

DATE: 12-3-17

It’s good to be with all of you at Gateway Church this weekend. And one thing I want you to know — no matter if it’s your first time with us or if you’re worshiping at our North Main campus — I want you to know that God loves you and I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

And since we’re beginning a brand new teaching series, let me lay out what’s going to happen over the next few weeks. As you know, the title of this series is “Christmas Party,” so as we head towards Christmas, we’re going to do so through the lens of a party.

So today — for instance — we’re going to look at signs that tell us when a party is about to begin. What are the clues — in the Bible — that tell us when the party of all parties is about to begin? That’s what we’re looking at today.

Next week, we’re going to look at directions to the party. A party isn’t any fun if you can’t find your way there and through Scripture we’ll find the directions to the party of all parties.

In week three of this series, we’re going to see who’s the life of the party. Every party has that one person who grabs the crowd’s attention. And in our Christmas Party there’s a Person who’s the center of attention. He’s the life of the party.

And finally, we’ll end this series on Christmas Eve weekend by looking at what every good party needs…a party song. There’s nothing like great music to amp up a party. And our Christmas Party has got a great party song that we’ll look at in a few weeks.  

Signs that the party is about to begin. Directions to the party. The life of the party. And the party song.

RE-ANNOUNCE AND READ TEXT:

So that’s where we’re headed. And if you have a Bible, please turn with me to Luke chapter twenty-one. We’re going to begin in verse twenty-five of Luke chapter twenty-one to begin our Christmas Party series. 

And while you’re finding Luke chapter twenty-one, if you’re a guest with us, something we like to do at Gateway is hear from you. So if you have a question during the sermon, you can text your question to the number on the bulletin or you can submit it on the Gateway app.

And by now I hope you’ve found Luke chapter twenty-one. Let’s begin in verse twenty-five.

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

And skip with me to verse thirty-four, where we read…

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 ESV) 

TEXT SETTING

Signs that the party is about to begin, but not the party you thought we were going to talk about. Because it’s Christmastime — you were probably thinking we’d be talking about the party that happened when Jesus was born and all of the signs that indicated He was coming to Earth. 

If you’re familiar with the Christmas story, you probably remember some of the signs that let people know a party was about to begin. Signs like the angels who came and spoke to Mary, Joseph, and Zechariah — or the army of angels who show up and let some shepherds know that something wonderful was taking place — a party had begun. 

But in the Christmas story — the most familiar sign is the star of Bethlehem.  

The wisemen from the east came searching for the baby Jesus — and how did they find Him? By following a star in the sky — a sign that a party had begun. They came bringing gifts, because that’s what you do at a party. Birthday parties, Christmas parties, graduation parties…you bring gifts. 

When Jesus was born there were signs all around letting people know that a party had begun. A Christmas party. A world changing party. A party that’s still going on today.

One thing to remember — though — is that nearly everyone missed the signs. Most people were unprepared. They didn’t see the signs for what they were.

Do you remember what happened when the wise men showed up to ask king Herod where the new King of the Jews had been born? Herod was oblivious. Not one of his advisors had a clue as to what was happening right under their noses. They were caught off guard when the wise men show up. So they quickly checked their records — their Bibles — and told the wise men where to go — go to Bethlehem — that’s where the Messiah was to be born.  

But for those who were paying attention — for those who were on guard — for those who were ready and watching for the signs — they saw that a party had begun. For the King of the Jews had been born. God’s Rescuer had come. What the prophets had foretold hundreds — and even thousands of years earlier — was taking place right before their eyes. But only for those who were ready, paying attention, not so caught up in trivial affairs that they missed the signs that a party had begun. 

But that’s not the party we’re looking at today.  

We’re going to begin our Christmas Party series — not by looking at the birth of Jesus — but by looking at His Second Coming — His return to earth. 

When Jesus was born in a manger two thousand years ago — He started the party of our reconciliation with God. When Jesus came to Earth — the first time — He came to make it possible for men and women to be made right with God — that’s what reconciliation means. 

But when Jesus comes back to Earth the second time — as promised throughout the Bible — well, that’s when the real party begins. For it’s during His Second Coming that all things are made new, death is vanquished, cancer and all diseases are destroyed, and there will be no more tears of pain and sorrow. And that’s marvelous news — that’s great news. That’s a reason to par-tay.

And our text in Luke shows us the signs we should be watching for so we know when the party — the capital “P” Party — is about to begin. Because we don’t want to miss the signs that the party of all parties is about to begin. The party that starts when Christ returns. 

Now let me say something right up front to let you in on why we’re looking at Christ’s return instead of His birth. 

Just about every Christmas season a worry rises in our country about people not saying Merry Christmas. Just last week, an older gentlemen in Panera stopped to talk to our family and then he ended the conversation by saying “Happy Holidays.” He then corrected himself and said, “No. I meant to say Merry Christmas.” It’s as if the words Merry Christmas offend some folks and the words Happy Holidays offend others. Man are we an easily offendable people.

You may remember the Christmas when there was a tizzy over Starbucks’ holiday cups — oh wait — that happens every year. Well one year the controversy was that Starbucks had a plain red cup during the holidays. Apparently not having “Merry Christmas” printed on the cup is some deep-seated conspiracy against the Christian faith by the powers that be at Starbucks.  

Just this past week, the Courier had a cartoon poking fun at the whole annual Starbucks brouhaha. 

But despite our Starbucks concerns, most people in our country are pretty OK with the Christmas story. They still watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas special. Nativity scenes are still in people’s yards. Churches haven’t been banned from having Christmas Eve services. And Christmas — in our country — is still the most likely time when someone will take you up on your invitation to join them at church — hint, hint.  

So all in all, the story of Jesus coming to Earth the first time is pretty palatable — it’s well accepted by the people you and I know. Even if they don’t believe it’s all true — it’s still a nice story.

But when we start talking about Jesus’ Second Coming — His return to Earth — it’s amazing how quickly attitudes change. You see — a baby in a manger isn’t that offensive — but a Warrior King returning to judge every person based solely on whether or not they’ve submitted their lives completely to Him — well — that’s about as offensive as you can get in our country. Mainly because we’ve got some serious authority issues.  

But knowing that the most important event before all of us is the day when we will stand before a Warrior King — not a baby in a manger, but a Warrior — I want to make sure I’ve done everything I can to prepare you — so you’re invited and welcomed into THE party. The party that will begin when Christ returns.

So let’s look at the signs that the party is about to begin. Look with me again…

MAIN POINT 1

In Luke chapter twenty-one — beginning in verse twenty-five — where Jesus says, “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25-28 ESV)

Now there’s a danger here that we can easily fall prey to. And that’s the temptation to try and figure out exactly how all of these signs are going to be fulfilled. Christians have sometimes gotten silly by trying to predict the fulfillment of certain signs that we read about in the Bible. 

Now I don’t want to make light of the stuff happening with the sun and the moon and the stars. Or with the seas and the heavens shaking. Or even with the people who will be in a deep seated state of fear. I’m not trying to make light of that stuff — but honestly — there’s not much I can say with much certainty when it comes to those things.  

Stuff happens all of the time that could be — or might be or who knows if they are — some of these signs, but there’s one distinct sign that’s not up for debate. It’ll be unquestionable when it happens. I’m talking about when Jesus Christ — the Son of Man — is seen coming back to Earth.  

In the book of Acts, Jesus tells His disciples that they have a mission and that mission is to take the Good News about Him — His life, His death, His resurrection, and His guaranteed return to Earth — to all people — including our sons and daughters here in the US and people who’ve never heard of Jesus in foreign nations. 

And after giving His disciples this global mission we read, “…he (Jesus) was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them (these were angels). 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:9-11 NLT)

And how did they see Jesus go to Heaven? He was taken up into a cloud. And in our passage of Luke, how does Jesus return back to Earth? The same way He left the Earth. He comes in a cloud with power and with great glory. He’s no longer a baby in a manger — He’s a Conquering Warrior — an All-Powerful Glorious King who’s returning to claim His property — all of Creation.

And how does Jesus tell His followers to respond to these signs? If Jesus returns in our lifetime, what’s our response supposed to be? Are we to cower in fear? No. That’s what the world — people who don’t follow Jesus — that’s what they will do.  

Are we to dread what’s about to come on the world? No. Again, that’s what people who don’t follow Jesus will do.

For the follower of Christ, these signs — that tell us the party of all parties is about to begin — should stir in us a different response. For we see in verse twenty-eight that we’re to straighten up. We’re to raise our heads. We’re to gaze at the heavens where the Son of Man is returning from — and why? Why this response for the followers of Jesus?

Jesus tells us why. Because these signs tell His followers that their day of redemption is at hand. The day of being set free from this broken world is upon them. The day of freedom from depression and anxiety — an aging body and the pain that comes with it — the day of freedom you’ve been longing for has arrived. No more captivity to Satan, no more chains of sin, no more destruction by disease, and most glorious of all — no more death. 

The day of Christ’s return is a day of great hope for the Christian even though it will be a day of great fear for all who do not believe in Christ. It’s a day of hope because — the One in whom you’ve placed your hope, trust, and faith in — has returned to start the greatest party in all of eternity. The party of redemption. The party where captives are set free from the prison they’ve been confined to — this broken, dark, and depressing world.

But until this day comes — the day of Christ’s return — until this day comes don’t be surprised dear Christian — if there are times in life when you feel like you’re a prisoner of war. But know this — have confidence in this — the war is coming to an end. And if your faith is in Christ, you’re on the Victor’s side.  

But know this — have confidence in this. If you haven’t put your faith in Christ — if you haven’t submitted yourself to Him — and I say this because I love you — know that this broken, dark, and depressing world is the closest you will ever get to experiencing the eternal party of Heaven. 

And that’s the reason why people are comfortable with a baby in a manger, but not when that baby returns as the Conquering King during His Second Coming. Because when Jesus returns — for many — maybe even for you — the party will be over.

Now Jesus apparently knew that His followers would be eager for His return. In fact, back in the Act’s passage we read earlier — it appears that the disciples thought Jesus was just going to go up to Heaven and then come right back down again. That’s why they had to be told to stop staring into the sky. It was time to get to work.  

And for the follower of Jesus — until His return — until we see the signs that tell us the party is about to begin — we’re told what we’re supposed to do in the meantime. We’re told to get to work. We’re told what the life looks like for the person who’ll be invited to the eternal party in Heaven — the life of a follower of Christ. 

So as I read these next verses — ask yourself — is this what my life looks like? Do these verses describe me?

Let’s continue in verse thirty-four.  

MAIN POINT 2

In verse thirty-four Jesus tells us to…“Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation (think “wildness, or self-indulgence, or depravity.” Jesus goes on to say don’t be weighed down with things like) drunkenness and cares of this life, and (have) that day come upon you (in what way? Jesus says make sure you don’t get caught up in the concerns of the world and have the day of His return come upon you…) suddenly like a trap. 35 For it (the day of Christ’s return) will come upon (how many people on the Earth? Who will experience this day? The day will come upon…) all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 (So Jesus tells His followers that we are to …) stay awake at all times, (and while we’re alert and paying attention to what’s happening in the world, we’re to be…) praying (for)…strength (why? We don’t live wildly or get caught up with the cares of the world, but pay attention and pray for strength so we…) escape all these things that are going to take place, and (we pray so when the Day comes upon us we will be able to…) stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36 ESV)

An observation and then two things we see that we’re to do in these verses.  

First, the observation. This day — a day that will bring great fear to those who don’t believe in Christ — the people who are not prepared for His return — in fact — in the original language — this day is described as the day when those who don’t believe in Jesus will reach their expiration date. How about that for a vivid picture of what this day will be for those who don’t submit their lives to Christ?

But did you see how this day is an all encompassing day? In verse thirty-five we see that this day is going to come upon every person on the Earth. There are no free passes. There are no get out of jail cards once this day has come. Everyone alive on the planet — and every person who has ever lived — will experience this day.  

I say this to highlight the importance of the soul of every person you meet. Because every person you meet will face Christ when He returns. And on that day they will either be welcomed into Jesus’ eternal party or they will reach their expiration date. 

Oh they’ll have their own eternity, but it will not be a party. And this is why the follower of Christ can’t become indifferent to the mission Jesus has given those who believe in Him. We can’t ignore the people who live here in Findlay or those who live in Pakistan or North Korea. 

The decision on which people matter to God isn’t ours to make. And the decision as to which people we’re responsible to reach isn’t ours to make either. We’ve been given everything we need to reach all people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. And the only reason why there are people who’ve yet to hear the Good News of the gospel is because we followers of Christ have not fully committed ourselves to doing what Jesus has told us to do. 

We’re to go and share the gospel with all people, so more and more people might respond to the invitation to Jesus’ eternal party. And this is why we emphasizing “going” here at Gateway Church. 

That’s the observation, now the two action steps.  

These verses describe a few things about the life of a follower of Christ. And what we see is that all followers of Jesus are to be prepared and praying for His return. All followers of Jesus are to be prepared and praying for His return.

We’re to be prepared. In verse thirty-four we’re warned of things that will keep our eyes off the prize — things that will distract us from seeing the signs — things that will render us ineffective followers of Christ — things that will make us indifferent towards His mission. 

For some of us, the cares of this life will rob us of our faith in Christ.  

It’s possible for someone to believe everything about the Christian faith and Jesus to be true — and yet — not be invited to His eternal party because — as Jesus said in illustrating this truth, “The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message (of God’s Word) is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.” (Mark 4:18-19 NLT)

The worries of this life — the cares of this life, as Jesus says in our Luke passage — will make God’s Word ineffective in your life. 

You see, either the worries of this life crowd out God’s Word in your heart or God’s Word crowds out the worries of this life in your heart. And when God’s Word gets pushed to the side by other things — no matter what they may be — the result — Jesus says — is fruitlessness. Meaning the seed of God’s Word has been planted in the soil of your heart, but it’s failed to produce a crop. No life has sprung from it. Your heart is nothing more than a garden full of seed killing soil.  

And for the person who focuses on the cares of this life — the seed of God’s Word — produces no fruit. There’s no crop. There’s no life.  

So we’re to be prepared. We’re to crowd out the worries of the world with God’s Word as we read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it, apply it, and hear it preached. Then — and only then — will God’s Word crowd out the worries of life.

And we’re to pray. We see in verse thirty-six that we are to pray. We’re to pray that we would escape the judgment that’s coming when Christ returns and pray that we would be able to stand before Jesus.  

Now one error we could make here is to think that our effort is what will make us prevail when Christ returns. But — let’s face it — none of us put forth a good enough effort. And if you think you do — you’re wrong. 

Jesus’ standard is pretty high. How high? Perfection. OK. So you’re either perfect or not putting forth a good enough effort.

Which leads to the other error we can make. Which is to think that our effort doesn’t matter at all — I mean — nobody’s perfect, right? 

So what are we to do?  

The apostle Paul wrote some helpful words. He told the Christians in Philippi to…“Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:12b-13 NLT)

So which is it Paul? Are we to work hard or is God working in us? And Paul says “Yes! It’s both!” 

So how’s it both preacher man? I have no idea — it’s a wonderful mystery. All I do know is that when we work hard, it’s because God is working in us. And if God is working in us — then we work hard.

Yet we justify lazy Christianity by saying things like, “Well if God wanted me to change He would make it happen.” And we justify self-sufficient Christianity by saying things like, “God helps those who help themselves.” And neither of those statements are in the Bible, by the way.

Because lazy Christianity and self-sufficient Christianity are both not really Christianity to begin with. Growing in the Christian faith — maturing in the Christian faith — is a beautiful mystery where we and God work together. 

So two things we’re to do until Jesus returns. We’re to pray and prepare so our lives produce fruit that prove we’re a true follower of Christ. Fruit that’s produced as we work hard as God works in us. Fruit that’s found only in the lives of those who’ve truly believed in Christ. Fruit that’s found only in people who’ve received an invitation to Jesus’s eternal party. Those who’ll escape the coming judgment and who will be able to stand before Christ when He returns.

SERMON CONCLUSION

So my question for you is simple:  What will your response be to the signs when they tell you the party is about to begin? No one knows the day when Christ will return. People have made predictions — none of them have been right — Jesus did say the day would come “suddenly like a trap.” But the day is coming.  

But are you preparing yourself for that day? Actively preparing yourself for Christ’s return. Is their evidence in your life — what Jesus calls fruit — is their evidence that shows the hard work you’re doing for God and demonstrates the work He’s doing in you? Or is your life fruitless — all play and no work — caught up in the worries of this life?  

And I know — cause I hear it all the time — you’re real busy. I get that. But know that although you may be working really hard — you may not be working for God — and that’s the problem. You’re working hard for all the wrong reasons. And although God desires to work in you — you’re not giving Him the opportunity because you’ve crowded Him out of your life. 

Are you preparing yourself for the day of Christ’s return?

And are you praying? Praying that you will escape the day of judgment. Praying that you’ll be able to stand before Christ — not based on anything you’ve done — but standing in the strength and power that He’s provided to you.

Because one day — one glorious and magnificent day for some — one terrifying and disastrous day for others — one day the party of all parties will begin. And there will be signs in the heavens, and on Earth, and in the oceans. And all people will see Jesus — the Son of Man — return as the Warrior King.  

Once a babe in a manger — now a Mighty Warrior who will stir fear in the hearts of those who’ve rejected Him — now a Conquering King who will stir great joy in the hearts of those who’ve put their faith in Him — those who believe that the baby has always been the Conquering King. He may not’ve looked it the first time He came — but it will be unmistakably clear when He returns. 

And that young baby grew into a man. And though His appearance was not stunning — He is the definition of beauty. And on the cross — as He suffered and appeared powerless — all power was in His hands. And though sinless — He died on behalf of sinners — paying the price for our sins — so we might be invited to His party — His eternal party.  

What’s your response to His invitation? Once the signs appear — it will be too late to respond. For the day will come “suddenly like a trap.” The time to prepare yourself is now. The time to respond to Jesus’ invitation to His eternal party is now.  

Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for inviting all of us to Your eternal party, but we must respond Your invitation. May many respond to your invitation today. And help us, Father, to be a people who take this Good News to all people — that Your Party — the party of all parties — is about to begin. May we tell our sons and daughters here in the US and may we take this Good News to people on the other side of the world who’ve never heard of the name of Your Son. Stir in our hearts a desire to people of all nations respond to Your invitation.

And may we examine our hearts as to whether Your Word is crowding out the worries of life or if the worries of life are crowding out Your Word. Most of all, help us to be prepared for the great day that is before us — the day when Jesus returns.

It’s in His name we pray. Amen.