Pray Psalm 119.59-62.
I thought about my ways,
And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
I made haste, and did not delay
To keep Your commandments.
The cords of the wicked have bound me,
But I have not forgotten Your law.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.

Sing Psalm 119.59-62.
(Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise)
Though wicked ways constrain and bind my hands in sin,
yet I recall Your Word and turn to You again.
By night I thank You, LORD; my voice to You I raise;
for all Your righteous, holy Word I give You praise.

Read Luke 3.1-9; meditate on verses 7-9.

Preparation
1. What did John require of the people who came to him?

2. What did he say was being thrown into the fire?

Meditation
We recall that John’s ministry was to call people to prepare for the coming of the LORD, that they might see and receive the salvation He brings (Lk. 3.4-6). We might wonder what kind of “preparation” is needed for such a glorious gift. John does not leave us guessing.

John was not a very welcoming preacher: “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (v. 7) Not very friendly to those seekers who had come out to have a look at this strange prophet. He called them to repent of their sins and bring forth fruits that showed the proof of repentance in their souls (v. 8). Mere cultural identity, family heritage, or confession of faith (“We have Abraham as our father”) would not do. People need to repent sincerely. Otherwise, we will be in danger of the wrath of God (v. 9).

As we shall see in the examples that follow (vv. 10-14), repentance involves the denial of all selfish desires and thoughtful consideration of the persons and needs of others. What we must be on guard to repent of is inordinate love of self that goes beyond what is proper for loving others, and instead puts the persons and needs of others at one’s disposal as objects to use for personal aggrandizement. We will not know the salvation of the Lord if self-love is the dominant affection of our soul.

These were hard words, to be sure. Yet they came to John in “multitudes” (v. 7) because they sensed something both about the urgency of his message and their own need. Here was a prophet who meant business, and they were people weighed down by the burden of their sin.

Repentance is the great leveler (v. 5). We all need it if we would be saved (cf. Acts 2.37, 38; 17.30, 31).

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The Church needs John the Baptist, and we need him now! Don’t you wish he’d show up in your church’s pulpit this Sunday morning?

We need to hear his message. We need to stop being entertained and start being taught. And called to repentance and new life in Christ.

Jesus preached this same message: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matt. 7.15-20).

The LORD, through the prophet Jeremiah, preached this message: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jer. 17.9, 10).

And what is this good fruit, the fruit of our doings? It is the fruit that we produce when we are filled with the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5.22, 23). Which sounds an awful lot like living out the Law of God (Ex. 20.1-17; Matt. 22.37-40).

Why is the Church failing? Because people want something to believe in and act upon. Something so grand that they are willing to give their lives for it daily. We do not need to be entertained or made to laugh or hear some sappy story that tugs at our heartstrings. We need a word like John’s: “Brood of vipers!” (Lk. 3.8) That will get our attention! We need to get busy about turning from sin, turning to the Law, and living our lives like Solomon described: “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on” (Prov. 4.14, 15).

When we are bearing “fruits worthy of repentance” (Lk. 3.8) we will be walking God’s way. “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Prov. 4.18).

Hard words bring good results when heard by wise ears. “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel (Prov. 1.5).

For reflection
1. How would you explain the discipline of repentance to a new believer?

2. Why did John need to be so harsh with the people who were coming to him? We need more of that straightforward harshness today. Explain.

3. Is God calling you to repent of any sin? What does He promise if you do?

John affirms, that the solemn declaration, which they made, is not enough, but that, in process of time, their works will make it evident, whether or not they have seriously repented. It ought to be observed, that good works (Titus 3:8) are here called fruits of repentance: for repentance is an inward matter, which has its seat in the heart and soul, but afterwards yields its fruits in a change of life. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Matthew 3.8 and Luke 3.8

Pray Psalm 119.57, 58, 63, 64.
Call on the Lord to prepare you to keep His words today, to show you His favor, empower you for repentance, and use you to encourage your fellow believers to walk in His Word.

Sing Psalm 119.57, 58, 63, 64.
(Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise)
I vow to keep Your Word; You are my portion, LORD.
Let favor fill my heart; have mercy by Your Word!
When I think on my way, I turn my feet to You,
to Your path I shall not delay, Your Word to do.

All those who fear You, LORD, go with me on my way,
all those who keep Your holy Word from day to day.
Around us all the earth declares Your mercy, LORD.
That I might know Your glorious worth, teach me Your Word.

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.