January
2007
What Shall We Do Then?
Luke 3:7-14
Verses 7-9, “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 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. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
Not many people would be happy if the preacher started his sermon with, “You bunch of poisonous snakes”. John does it and the people are moved to conviction and repentance. Do you know why? We are often mistaken when we come to church and expect to leave feeling good. We often expect the church to meet our needs, to feed us. We want music we like. We want comfortable pews. We expect the service to last only as long as we want it to last. We want sermons that help us to grow, that nourish us. We want to say, “Pastor, what a great service. I got so much out of it.”
That’s when I ask myself, “What did I do wrong?”
Occasionally, someone will say, “Pastor, I didn’t get anything out of the service today.” That’s when I say, “All right! I have finally done something right.”
“What do you mean, Pastor?”
Well, I don’t prepare the order of service or my sermons in order to make people miserable. But worship simply is not what I can get out of it. Worship is what I can give of myself to God. You see, we are not the audience that is to be entertained or fed; we are the worshippers who give to God. If you don’t worship, it is because you came unprepared to worship or you came with the intention of the church catering to your needs.
That’s why John could get away with calling them snakes. A viper is a poisonous snake. The poison in us is sin, pride, self centeredness that makes us think it’s about us instead of what we give to God. John didn’t care that the people got fed or felt good. He was concerned about the poison in them and what they could do to open their hearts in genuine worship of God.
John makes a couple of accusations at the start of this message. First, he tells them that they have come to get baptized, not because they are truly responding to God’s love and want to know Him. They have come because somebody told them that judgment day was coming and you better do something about it. Do you see the focus? It is on me. How can I avoid judgment? How can I come away from this baptism feeling good? It was not about God. It was about them.
Second, he tells them, if you really come seeking God and you say you truly worship Him, them show it. Bring forth fruit that shows you are truly sorry for sin in your life. Some of them were using the argument that they were descendants of Abraham. They had a religious identity and a religious heritage. John said, “That won’t do it.” Race will not get you into Heaven. Heritage will not get you right with God. True repentance! That means repentance in which you are sorry, but you also start living like you meant it. After an encounter with God and believer’s baptism, you cannot continue to live like the world. You cannot meet God and stay the same. A genuine, born again child of God will show evidence in his or her life that they are new creatures.
If that isn’t enough, he tells the people here that real judgment is coming now. We are like trees, he tells them. If you don’t show any fruit in your life, you will be cut down. Fruit here means evidence. You must be different from the world. You must know Christ and grow in Him. You must be filled with His Spirit and carry the fruit of the Spirit in our life.
You have come to be baptized today because you are concerned about what you can get out of it. Your focus is not really God. And if God is not the center of your worship, WATCH OUT!” That is John’s message.
No wonder the people start coming and asking that important question.
The First Group. Verses 10-11, “And the people asked him, saying, what shall we do then? He answered and said to them, He that has two coats, let him impart to him that has none; and he that has meat, let him do likewise.”
When was the last time you came to church with the question on your heart, “What is it that God wants me to do?” Did you ask this question before you came today? Or, “What is it that God wants to say to me in this service?” The people asked for guidance. When you come to church and listen to the message, do you say, “Pastor, I am wanting guidance in my life. Speak to me the message God has laid on your heart and I will do what He says.” The pastor might preach about tithing. Do you start tithing that Sunday? The preacher might preach that we are supposed to love and forgive one another. Do you leave church and ask God to forgive you for treating someone unkindly and start that day seeking reconciliation? The pastor may preach a solid Bible message that truthfully informs us that adultery and sex outside of marriage is sin. Do you leave church and end that relationship immediately?
John replied to this question with a description of righteousness and how we ought to treat relationships. The coat here is an outer tunic. Many people owned and wore two at the same time as they traveled. If they were to see someone without one, they were to share. Food and clothing are examples of the basic necessities of life – not luxuries. The point of his response is that we are responsible to care for one another and that helping the needy is a sign of righteousness
The Second Group. Verses 12-13, “Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.”
John seemed to attract the same kind of people Jesus did. Isn’t that something. The tax collectors, prostitutes, and other known sinners frequently found love and forgiveness from Jesus. But those considered good, religious, and moral people were offended at Jesus’ words. Could that be true here today? Perhaps you see yourself as such a good person that you think the message the pastor preaches is intended for other people. I am a good person. I don’t commit any of those flagrant sins you preach about, Pastor. Well, friend, you are the hardest to reach because you don’t recognize the needs that you have. You will be the one who never asks, “What is it you want me to do?” You come to church every Sunday, but are no different for it.
John’s message to the tax collector’s is honesty and treating people fairly and with respect. Their occupation helped to draw a wedge between them and their own people. Are you guilty from your own actions or your own words of driving a wedge between you and others? Sometimes you have to bend over backwards until it hurts you to show kindness and respect to others. If you continue to treat people harshly, backbite, and say mean-spirited things, you are like the tax collectors – robbing from others instead of being kind and honest.
The Third Group. Verse 14, “And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said to them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.”
Once again, I am surprised at John. The people asked him a good question. “What are we to do?” Instead he tells them what not to do. These men were soldiers. Perhaps they were the soldiers who assisted the tax collectors…because the Greek text implies that they asked the question like this… “and we…what about us…. What are we to do?” Again it is relationships.
Don’t be cruel to people. Don’t rough them up. Don’t take advantage of your position to get what you want from others. Don’t lie or stretch the truth to get what you want. Don’t grumble and complain all the time. Basically, treat people as you would have them treat you.
We often have many opportunities to take advantage of our position to get what we want. As pastor, I may get upset with someone and use my sermon to talk about them. As a deacon, you might threaten someone and say, “well, I’m a deacon and if you do that again, I bring your name to the deacons meeting and we’ll expose you to the whole community.” As a stewardship team member, you might cut a staff member’s salary or refuse to give them a raise…because you don’t like them. You might say, “I never was for that new ministry, so let’s propose that we cut their budget next year….and we’ll make up something to tell the church.”
You can use your authority in such a way that it takes advantage of other people. John tells them to learn to be satisfied, treat people with dignity and respect, and be honest. So, what about you? What is it that God wants you to do? Have you asked God to show you? Are you open to the truth? Do you even want to know? If you did know, what would you do about it?
John tells us that we repent and be baptized. The he gives specific advise on living in proper relationship with those in our lives…friends, family, even strangers. You cannot live in proper relation with God if you do not love your neighbors and treat them with dignity and respect. What is it that God wants you to do today?