Sermon #19 Luke Sermons

Title: BAPTIST PREACHING

Text: Luke 3:7-14

Subject: The Kind of Preaching that Characterized

John the Baptist’s Ministry

Date: Sunday Evening – December 19, 1999

Tape # V-60b

Readings: Office: Don Martin Auditorium: Ron Wood

Introduction:

Luke 3:7-14

7. Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

9. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

10. And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

11. He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

12. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

13. And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

14. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

John the Baptist was no ordinary man, in any sense of the word "ordinary." He was a remarkable man, a remarkable believer, and a remarkable preacher. It was impossible to ignore him or pretend he was not around. Though few who heard him believed his message, everyone who heard him was affected by what they heard.

In the eleventh chapter of Matthew our Lord gave his own opinion about John the Baptist. Look at what he says there about this man -- (Matthew 11:7-11).

Matthew 11:7-11

7. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

8. But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

9. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

10. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

11. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

A preacher of such character and influence is a preacher whose example all preachers ought to follow. He sets the pattern for what preaching is and how it is to be done.

What were the leading features of his ministry? What were the primary characteristics of his preaching? These things are clearly set before us in the inspired record given in our text.

Proposition: John the Baptist's work as God's prophet, as a preacher, is to be measured, like every preacher's work is to be measured, not by his traits of personality, oratorical ability, social graces, and theological acumen, but by his message, by what he preached.

In the verses we have read, in those preceding and following, and in the whole account of John's life and ministry, we see that five things stick out as distinct characteristics of the Baptist's preaching.

I. First, and foremost, the first Baptist preacher preached redemption and remission of sins by the blood of Christ.

John came preparing the way of the Lord, preaching the baptism of repentance because of the remission of sins (v. 3). He incessantly pointed sinners to Christ, calling upon all who heard him to trust, love, and follow Christ. Even when he was in prison, about to be sacrificed for his faithfulness, he sent his disciples to Christ, to have the Savior's person and work confirmed to them (Matt. 11).

Turn to John's gospel. In chapter one, John the apostle, speaks in glowing terms about John the Baptist and his preaching.

John 1:15-30

15. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

16. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

17. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

19. And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20. And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

21. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

22. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23. He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

24. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

25. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

26. John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

27. He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

28. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

30. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

John 1:34-37

34. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

35. Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

36. And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

37. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

Blessed is that man whose preaching is full of Christ, who spends his time and uses his opportunity to talk to eternity bound sinners about the precious blood of the Lamb of God. Blessed are they who hear him (Isa. 52:7).

Isaiah 52:7 ¶ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

All who know Christ esteem his blood precious; and all who preach Christ preach his blood precious (1 Pet. 1:18-20).

1 Peter 1:18-20 -- 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Why is the blood of Christ precious? Is there anyone here who does not know? His blood is precious blood because it is…

· His Blood.

· Sin-atoning Blood.

· Eternally Efficacious Blood.

· Divinely Ordained Blood.

· Redeeming Blood.

"E'er since by faith I saw the streams

Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme

And shall be till I die!"

The Baptist's preaching was the preaching of blood atonement by the crucified Lamb of God. Paul's motto was his motto. Indeed, this is the motto of every preacher called and sent of God (1 Cor. 2:2; Gal. 6:14).

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

II. Second, John the Baptist knew that he spoke for God, with God’s power and authority, and therefore preached with a confidence that gave him holy boldness and courage before men.

John the Baptist was a man, not a sissy, or a wimp, but a man. He was not a reed shaken in the wind, bending with the breeze of popular opinion. This was not a pampered pastor who dared not offend those who pampered him. John the Baptist was God's servant. You could tell it when he preached (Lk. 3:7-8).

Luke 3:7-8 7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

He saw the rottenness and hypocrisy of the religious world around him, and denounced it with pointed sharpness. His head was not turned by popularity. He courted no man’s favor and feared no man’s frown. He cared not who might be offended by his message.

The spiritual disease of those standing before him was disparate. He knew disparate disease required disparate measures. John the Baptist lived in disparate times, much like our own. He knew that the day in which he lived demanded disparate plainness of speech.

How sad it is that there are so few like this first Baptist preacher today! These days, the first, primary rule of preaching is -- "DO NOT OFFEND!" Preachers have a castrating fear of giving offense by direct, forthright, plain preaching.

If I would be faithful to your souls, I cannot stand up here and flatter you. If I would do you good, I dare not flinch from exposing your inmost corruption and sin by the Word of God, demanding and pressing upon the claims of Christ, forcing you, if I can, to repentance toward God and faith in Christ. If my object in preaching is to please you, rather than serve your soul’s eternal good, I am not the servant of God.

Luke 6:26 "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

Galatians 1:10 "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."

Because he was God’s servant, John told these people three things which are true of and ought to be declared to all men.

A. They were a generation of vipers, as deceitful as they were vile.

B. They were under and fully deserving of the wrath of God.

C. God did not need them to fulfil himself or make himself happy. -- "God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."

When John the Baptist demanded that those he baptized “bring forth fruits worthy of repentance,” the word used for “bring forth” is the very same word used by the apostle in 1 John 3:4 and 7, when he tells us that people “committing sin” are yet without Christ, and that those “doing righteousness” have been made righteous. The word has the idea of practice, not of acts. Fruits “worthy of repentance,” fruits that show repentance to be genuine are those fruits (produce) formed in the believer, fruits reflected in the believer’s practice of life (Gal. 5:22-23).

Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

A person’s true character is seen, not in isolated acts, but in the habit of his life.

III. John the Baptist spoke plainly and forcibly about the wrath of God and everlasting damnation in hell.

He did not hold back the fact that there is “wrath to come.” He faithfully warned all who heard him that God cut down every unprofitable tree and “cast it into the fire.”

The subjects of divine justice, judgment, wrath, and the everlasting torments of the damned in the fires of hell are always offensive to human nature. Men do not like to hear that they are going to hell They do not mind hearing that other people are going to hell. Just don’t suggest, much less plainly declare, that they or those they love are going to hell. It is the nature of all men to love to hear smooth things, not peril, danger, and punishment. People are willing to pay false prophets good money to tell them what they want to hear.

Isaiah 30:10 "Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:"

But that man who is faithful to God, faithful to the Book, and faithful to your soul will, like John the Baptist, Christ himself, all the prophets of old, and all the apostles warn you, with passion in his soul to “flee from the wrath to come.”

The fear of hell is not the primary motive for repentance and faith in Christ; but you will never seek heaven until you fear going to hell. You will never seek God’s salvation until you fear God’s wrath. You will never flee to the city of refuge until the avenger of justice is on your trail.

Hear me now, and tremble Hell is real. God almighty must and will punish sin. It is that God who swears, “the soul that sinneth, it shall die,” who…

· drove Adam and Eve out of the garden.

· destroyed the world in the flood of his wrath.

· rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

· nailed his on Son upon the cursed tree, and poured out on him all the fires of hell for his people, when he was made to be sin for us.

IV. In his preaching, the Baptist laid the axe to the root of every fruitless the tree.

With earnestness and conviction, he endeavored to destroy every refuge of lies in which sinners seek to hide from God.

A. When the multitudes of religious people stood before him, whose lives were manifestly wicked stood before him, he plainly declared to their faces, in public, that they were hypocrites.

It is vain to say with our lips, “I believe God,” if by our works we deny him. It is worse than vain. Such hypocrisy will gradually harden the heart and sear the conscience.

· A confession of faith without the consecration of faith is hypocrisy.

· Baptism without death and resurrection life in Christ, is a sham.

· Eating the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, if I do not feed upon the Lord’s flesh and blood, is eating an drinking damnation to myself.

To use the words of Inspiration, “FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD!” Such faith is nothing but the faith of devils (James 2:14-26).

James 2:14-26

14. "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15. If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

16. And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

17. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.

19. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23. And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

B. John boldly and plainly denounced the commonly held notion of covenant family salvation.

The Jews, like multitudes today, thought they were certainly saved people, children of God, because they were Abraham’s descendants. John told them that their pedigree was no claim to grace.

Luke 3:8 "Begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."

Saving faith is a personal thing. It is not a family heirloom. When Paul said to the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house,” he was not saying, “If you believe God will save everyone (or anyone) in your house.” He was saying, “If you believe, you will be saved, and if your family believes, they will be saved, as well.”

V. John the Baptist faithfully brought the gospel home to the hearts and lives of his hearers, in the most practical way possible (Luke 3:10-14).

Luke 3:10-14 "And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? (11) He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. (12) Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? (13) And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. (14) And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages."

He told each one who professed faith in Christ by believer’s baptism, to live according to his profession for the glory of God.

A. He said to them all (v. 11), live no longer in selfish, self-centered gratification, but in love, kindness, charity, and generosity.

Luke 3:11 "He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise."

B. John told the converted publicans to be fair and honesty with all men, especially because the publicans were known for both dishonesty and severity (vv. 12-13).

Luke 3:12-13 "Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? (13) And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you."

C. John told those soldiers who were converted by the grace of God to take care not to be violent and abusive with people under their power and to be content with God’s provision

Luke 3:14 "And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages."

D. It should also be noted that John said nothing to indicate anything unlawful about either paying taxes or collecting them, or about serving as a soldier.

Remember, these publicans and soldiers were employs of the Roman Empire, one of the most morally corrupt, idolatrous systems of government the world has ever known. Our business is not with the kings of this world, but with the King of the world. Our concern is not the establishment or governing of kingdoms and nations, but with the kingdom of God.

Application: These five things characterized the Baptist’s preaching.

1. The Preaching Of Blood Redemption By Christ.

2. Courage And Boldness For The Glory Of God.

3. Plain Warnings About The Wrath Of God.

4. Plainness Of Speech In Destroying The Refuges In Which Sinners Would Hide From God.

5. Practical Application.

Oh, may God be pleased to revive preaching, this kind of preaching. Then, perhaps, he will revive his church, in these dark, dark days.

Amen.