Luke 3:18-22

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. ¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰ added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

  John was a man who was not afraid of what people thought.  His appearance was not that of a normal leader (Matt 3:4).  He did not eat like a normal leader of the people (Matt 3:4).  Yet he was a man who everyone came to see!  We do not have to be like the “popular people” when the Lord has blessed us.    Fitting in is not what we are called to do when we seek the Lord.  We are called to turn from our ways and follow Him. 

  Many people came to be baptized.  After John had baptized everyone he was arrested.  He was arrested because he spoke out about what was wrong.  In this case it happened to be political leader of the day.  This man had taken his brother’s wife!  Along with this he was evil in other ways and John called him out, as he should.  The final straw for this political leader, Herod, was when John began to preach the Gospel, the Good News of the coming Christ.  At this Herod had had enough and arrested John.

  Before John was arrested he baptized Jesus.  Jesus came to him wanting to be baptized and praying the Holy Spirit came to dwell in Jesus.  Through the Holy Spirit Jesus was able to minister here on Earth.  This is also the only way that we can do ministry here on Earth as well.  We are sinful human beings.  Jesus never sinned and yet had the Holy Spirit to minister and guide Him.  We are sinful people, yet Jesus, in His mercy sent the Holy Spirit to minister to us in our worship of God with our lives.  What a blessing that is!  Without His ministry to our hearts we are lost. 

  If we are seeking God the best thing to do is to pray to Him.  Pray that He will reveal Himself to us.  He is faithful to do this.  It may not be what we imagine it “should” be, but it will be what it should be.  Something we need to come to grips with is that God is out for His Glory.  He is the only one who deserves it.  When we give our life up we may look like John did.  We may not be the most popular.  But God will Glorify Himself through our lives when we submit to Him.  John did this and so did Jesus.  Their lives took dramatically different paths and ended in the same place.  They both Glorified God with their lives.

Luke 3:15-17

 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.”

  Authority.  What an interesting concept it is to teach with authority.  People are perplexed when it comes to definites.  John the Baptist taught this way.  Jesus also taught this way.  Matthew 7:28-29 talks about this “²⁸ And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ²⁹ for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”  This was how the people felt with John the Baptist.  He taught them so powerfully they were debating if he was the Christ, the Messiah. 

  John squelched those thoughts quickly.  He tells the people who are there following him that he is not the Messiah.  Not only this, they are following a man who is not even worthy to untie the strap of His sandal!  What kind of a man would point to another man?  Not many people would be willing to be lowly like John the Baptist.  Furthermore, not many people would be willing to point to another man when people are giving him the credit and praise.  We can take a LARGE lesson from this.  Our society is centered around the “American dream.”  We focus on the bigger, better, and more expensive thing.  It is very rare that we rid ourselves of the things that are convenient for us for a hardship in which we can serve the Lord.  John did these things.

  Baptism is something the church today practices.  We do this as a visual representation of what Jesus came to do.  This is the purpose.  When I was baptized I wanted to show the people who were at the service visually what had already taken place in my spirit.  When I accepted Christ, He sent the Holy Spirit to come and guide me.  I was Baptized that day with the Holy Spirit.  The physical dunking under water was simply a representation of that.  Nothing more. 

  The Lord will come as John says here.  When He does He will choose who is the wheat and who is the chaff.  Chaff is the outer casing of wheat, which is inedible to humans.  The chaff the Lord will throw into the eternal fire where He is not present.  The wheat, however, will be harvested and used by the Lord to glorify Himself.  Can we see as Christians realize that the Lord has chosen us?  Are we willing to be about His business as John was about His business or are we desiring to be the chaff; which, will result in us being separated from the Christ for all eternity?  This is a choice we all make in our lives. 

Luke 3:10-14

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.”

  Remember that the people that were following John the Baptist were just told that they are not guaranteed to enter heaven just because of their ancestry, they attend church, or who their parents are.  There are many instructions that John gave to us through His ministry here on Earth.  It is vital we takes these lessons and apply them to our lives.  In these verses John references two specific careers, as well as people as a whole.

  Tax collectors in that day were given a certain amount they were to collect.  Anything above and beyond that they collected was their wage.  This was a desired job by many because of the amount of money they were able to make.  John addresses this with advice, “collect no more than you are authorized to do.”  It is very important to look at the context of this because it can be misconstrued.  This does not mean that the Tax collector cannot make any money for his family.  It means that we need to be reasonable with what we are requiring.  If the government is requiring a tax then pay the tax.  If there is more that is necessary to pay for those who collect the tax then so be it.  But if you are collecting and hindering those who you are collecting from, then you need to reevaluate your motivations.

  Soldiers asked something similar, “And we, what shall we do?”  John simply replied “Do no extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusations, and be content with your wages.”  This would seem like common sense, but it was not in this period!  The military had a lot of power.  They were the force behind the leaders for the Roman Empire.  But, again, this can also apply to us.  If we are in a position of power then we are not to abuse that!

  Again, these people were just told that their heritage does not guarantee them fellowship with the Lord.  This is what they desired and thought they had through who they were as a people.  They are confused and ask what they should do.  John the Baptist says to share.  Give to those in need.  If I have extra food or clothing and someone is struggling, then provide for that person.  There are many people who work hard and make a lot of money.  Then there are others who work very hard and make very little money; some to the point of not being able to feed their family.  If that is the case and you want to know the Lord’s will, here it is!  Provide for those families if you have the means. 

  When we are searching for who the Lord is we are given direction.  He will not leave us to stray for long.  These people wanted to follow John because he was clearly sent from the Lord.  They wanted to follow the Lord, most simply did not know how.  John lays this out for them.  This was laid out, however, in the Old Testament commandments!  When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replied “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” Luke 10:27.   These instructions He has given in Luke 3:10-14 are specific ways to accomplish the Love the Lord deserves.  Love His people as you love yourself and He will be honored.  Isn’t that our goal?

Luke 3:7-9

⁷He 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. 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.”

  John, called “the Baptist” is out in the wilderness baptizing those who come to him.  He is living the calling that the Lord has set out for him from before birth.  He is living what the Lord has set before him, which is what he is calling others to do.  “Repent,” “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.”  We know now what we need to do with our lives in order to live as the Lord has told us, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.”  Christian, if you ever wonder what the Lord has for you, this is it:  “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.”  It is very simple.  We will expand on what exactly that means next time, but this point should not be overlooked Christian, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.”

  For those who grew up in a Christian home or going to Church: now let’s be very very clear here.  You will stand in front of God when you die and He will ask why you should be allowed in the Kingdom of Heaven.  If you answer is you went to church as a child, you know the truth; or, you grew up in a Christian home, and your parents go to church, you will be very sad to see that this is NOT the way to Heaven.  The Jews have already tried this v.8 “Abraham is our father.”  “We are Jewish, why wouldn’t God accept us?” they would say.  Because, if you are not devoted to God and those whom He has sent then He is not just to allow you to be with Him forever. 

  For those who go to church on a regular basis: let’s be perfectly clear.  You will stand before God when you die and He will ask why you should be allowed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  If you answer is simply, you go to church every Sunday, you will be very sad when He tells you to go away and that He never knew you.  The Jews tried this, also, already when they said “Abraham is our father.”  You say you are a part of His bride, His Church; however, if you do not know Him now, you will not fellowship with Him then.

  The point is this, no matter where you come from or what your locale is on Sunday, the Lord does not care.  v.9 states that 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.”  You can do and say what you want to but if your life does not reflect that of a repentant one then you will not be allowed to fellowship with and worship God forever.  God can call anyone He wants to His kingdom, v.8. 

  Understand He does not need us and if we are called it is only by His grace.  But, lest you be discouraged, there is a way.  God has provided a way.  He has told us know to have a relationship with Him.  It is His son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).  There is no other way, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  This is pretty exclusive.  So repent and accept Christ.  God is able to forgive us through the death of His son, Romans 8:9-11

Luke 3: 1-6

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, 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 see the salvation of God.’”

  We come to the section where we are no longer talking about what will come, but what has come and has been fulfilled.  Luke was a doctor; therefore, he wrote with detail that the other Gospel writers did not.  What a wonderful thing to know that the Lord uses us individually.  It is not right to think that we are all the exact same and should worship the same, in the same place, like the same music, or even like the same activities.  God created each one of us individually and therefore He will use that to glorify Himself in what way is right.  He knows that, not us.  Because of this detail we heard about the angel that came to Elizabeth and Mary projecting the birth of John and the birth of Jesus.  This was followed by some detail of the childhood of Jesus.  Now we are seeing the life of John and understanding his life was not something of an epiphany; rather, it was prophesied long ago by Isaiah. 

  What is prophesied about him?  “The voice of one crying in the wilderness.  Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”  That is it.  That is all that is said about him.  The rest of the prophesy in Isaiah is about the Man whom he came to prepare the way for.  John was faithful to God and the call to repentance he was to make before the Christ would appear. 

  What we learn about Christ is that no matter how great or how lowly we may seem, the Christ is greater.  Whether we are on the wrong path or in hard place in your life, the Christ is greater.  Not only that, but everyone will see the Christ and know who He is.  We all know who the Christ is.  We will have no excuse when we stand before God for our sin.  The Christ has been prophesied in all of the Scriptures, by all of the prophets.  He came in the form of a man.  We know this.  If we turn to Him for the forgiveness of our sins then He is just to forgive us.  John taught this, he taught the “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”  How wonderful it is to know we can be forgiven!

Luke 2:40-52

⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. ⁴¹ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. ⁴³ And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, ⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, ⁴⁵ and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” ⁴⁹ And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” ⁵⁰ And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. ⁵¹ And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. ⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

  What an interesting bit of information we have here.  My focus has been to understand what we can learn from what the scriptures are teaching us and applying that to our lives, purposefully.  These verses are so filled with wonderful items that there is no way we can dive into everything we see.  SO, what can we take from these verses?  Jesus is God.  What a comfort this is to me in my daily life (as I hope it is to you too).

  First, v.40. 52 show that Jesus was young, fragile, and grew just as every man does.  God can relate to us in our lives.  Young men want to know how it is they are to act or where they fit in, Jesus was young once too.  Jesus did not struggle knowing how He was to act or how to fit in simply because He was committed to worshiping God the Father with everything in His life.  When we truly commit our lives to worshiping God the Father with our lives, we will know how to live our lives, He will show us.  Even though Jesus was a man, He did not sin but He WAS tempted as we are. 

  Mary and Joseph took their family to the Feast of the Passover every year.  We complain at times about going to families homes over holidays and such, can you imagine the trek it was from Nazareth to Jerusalem every year?!  This was not only the custom, but the expectation that the Lord put forth was to participate in the feast.  Mary and Joseph followed this word.

  Jesus also followed the custom by going to the feast at the appropriate age.  When He was there He went and hung out with the priests and religious leaders.  They were “amazed at His understanding and answers” v.47.  Furthermore, Jesus enjoyed being in “His Father’s House.”  Jesus not only followed the Jewish custom, but also enjoyed listening to the teachers, as well as teaching them what He knew (which is clearly more than they knew).  Jesus knew more than them, yet He listened.  Jesus was interested in talking and discussing His Father’s Word.  That was His business.

  Mary Rebuked Jesus.  Jesus was her child here on Earth, God’s only Son.  Jesus was no normal man, yet He SUBMITTED to His parents here on Earth.  As a child there is no excuse for not submitting to your parents.  You claim to follow Christ, then submit to your parents, even when you do not want to.  Do you think the best thing for Jesus was to not be in the temple?  Maybe, maybe not.  Either way, He listened and obeyed His parents. 

  Just food for thought, the Catholic church teaches the worship of Mary (although they will deny such teachings).  If Mary was perfect as Jesus was then why did Mary rebuke Jesus?  One of them would have had to be wrong.  So is Jesus the perfect savior we have followed, who lived a perfect life, died a death He did not deserve, and rose again?  This would mean Mary was wrong to rebuke Jesus.  Therefore, Mary was not perfect and not anywhere close to where Jesus was.  We are not allowed fellowship with God when we sin.  This is why Jesus came.  Jesus had to come for Mary, His mother, too.

Luke 2:36-40

³⁶ And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷ and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸ And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. ³⁹ And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

  Previously we saw an old man, Simeon, who was waiting for the coming of the Lord.  Now, we see an older woman, Anna, who was also waiting for the coming of the Lord.  Anna was known for coming to the temple night and day to worship and fast.  What an example. 

  We look at the prophets and prophetesses in the scriptures with awe and wonder.  What we can take from Anna is an understanding of what was important to God in our lives.  She was devoted to the Lord as was Simeon.  The common ground for both was prayer.  Simeon saw the baby Jesus, took Him into his arms, and prayed a blessing to God about the child.  Anna saw the child and began speaking of Him to everyone who was waiting for the Lord to come. 

  These faithful worshippers of God not only followed when they saw the Lord being brought into the temple; but, they were faithful throughout their lives.  Anna was faithful to follow the Lord with the lot in life that she was given.  She was young, married, and then her husband died.  Through this we are not told of her struggles and trials from that experience.  What we are told about Anna is her devotion and dedication to the Lord in her life, period.  We cannot take a situation in life and assume that the Lord has abandoned us.  Anna came to the conclusion, just as Job did in Job 1:21, “… The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

  If we want to serve the Lord let us take the example of Anna and pray to the Lord with our words.  Let’s also bring praise and worship to the Lord with fasting.  Fasting is not something that we do in a begrudging manor.  Fasting is something we do as a devotion to the Lord through denying ourselves for a period of time.  Life is more than food.  So many days we set our days around food.  Our needs and desires the Lord will take care of as He sees fit.  When we come to know Christ we are deny ourselves, Colossians 1:1-4.  Fasting is a physical example of our spiritual submission to the Lord. 

  As Mary and Joseph leave Jerusalem to return to their town of Nazareth, we have seen three things that are not emphasized within some, if not most, churches today: Blessings, Prayer, and Fasting.  We tend to get into our routine of life and put the Lord on the backburner.  The first things to go are the things listed above.  Lord help us to return to You.  You have not changed, You are constant, we are wavering.  Praise God for who You are and what You have done for us.