Luke 3:15-17; 21; 22 (NIV)
15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
It was 4 AM and people were lined up around the block to get into... a Target?! While Target does have business hours during the day, the people who happily stood in line were waiting to get in on the Day after Thanksgiving. You can feel the electricity in the air at times like this. Maybe you’ve sat out side waiting to get concert or movie tickets the very second that they go on sale or the latest gadget the night of it’s releases. There is a buzz, excitement of about what will happen next!
Rewind a couple thousand years to the deserts of the Judea. There is a line, a huge crowd of people. They didn’t have Black Friday. In fact there was nothing on sale at all! But still there was an electricity in the air. 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. What? People were excited about going to hear John? Why? All he did was tell the people what they did wrong! He called the religious leaders, snakes! He called tax collectors, thieves! He called military personal, extortionists! There are a hand full of verses skipped over if you look at the Bible reference for our sermon text. These verse tell how John called out the King Herod for marrying his brother wife. What they don’t tell you is that John ended up losing his freedom as he was locked up, and then later his head. John was a straight shooter. What would make a person who called people out about their sin so popular?
First a word about sin: Everyone has it. That’s not to minimize the destruction that is causes, but for people and more importantly churches to ignore it or over look it is spiritually malpractice. You, along with the rest of mankind, have God’s law inscribed on your heart; it’s called your conscience. When the Law is preached with all of it’s harshness, when we hear clearly what we’ve always known, it’s almost a relief. While not a fun experience, there is something refreshing about honesty. When we hear God’s law, often times we know that there is something wrong, but we don’t know exactly what that might be. Guilt is a ball and chain that pulls us down. The people in your life that you respect aren’t the ones that tell you what you want to hear – it’s the ones who are honest with you.
Back to the expectation and excitement. 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. After hearing about refreshing honesty is, how tempting would it be for John to say – It’s me! You’re right! The wait is over! You are looking at him! John didn’t do that, but many others have. Why would someone lie to themselves and the whole world, to their God, about who they are? It’s because often it’s easier to lie, than to face the truth. But to admit to adulterous thoughts? To admit to greed? To admit to pride or laziness? Never – the lie of sin becomes a way of life. For all the people who flocked to see John, there were many more who were content in their lie. But to those who came and confessed their sin, John offered them a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Be baptized and wash your sins away. How long would you wait in line to be rid of the lie and to live in the truth of God’s forgiveness! That is why the crowds came anxiously waiting.
John has some good news and some bad news for the crowd. Bad new is that I’m not the Messiah – the promised savior. The good news is that I’m the appetizer – the main course is still coming. I’m the preview, the feature presentation will be starting shortly! 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
You think I’m good – I can’t tie the shoelaces of this guy. He is so much greater than me! I baptize you with water – he’ll use the Holy Spirit and fire! John isn’t belittling his ministry or his baptism. He’s emphasizing how great Jesus will be! This is the God man. John baptism conveyed the Holy Spirit just as our does today. The only difference between the baptism that John did and the one that Jesus instituted at his ascension – which we still practice today is that John pointed people to a savior who would come. We baptize sinners into the name of Jesus who has come and gone into heaven. The baptism of Holy Spirit and fire is a clear reference to the day of Pentecost when there was a special outpouring of the Spirit and there were tongues of fire. If you haven’t received a special outpouring of the Spirit that doesn’t’ mean that you’re doing anything wrong – I haven’t received a special outpouring of the Spirit either. It only means that you are fully equipped to do work your heavenly Father’s kingdom right now. You need nothing more that the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.
John the Baptist was a prophet – he spoke for God. I’ve mentioned to you something called prophetic perspective before – how there were prophecies that cover huge gaps in time. John sees the days of Jesus walking the earth and the Last Day all in one sentence when he says, 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. That jump in time isn’t wrong, but it’s not how we speak or write normally. The point of john’s prophecy is that our Savior will come in judgment to rescue the redeemed and to condemn the wicked.
And so the man you’ve all been waiting for... 21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. We talked about baptism already, but why would Jesus be baptized if he wasn’t sinful? Jesus tell us in the gospel of Matthew that he was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. What exactly does that mean? Two things...
First, Jesus was baptized to associate himself with us sinners. He wanted to show that he really was one of us, only without sin. In the book The Deputy the author describes the struggles of a Catholic priest in the Second World War. He tries to stir other priests to speak out against the atrocities against the Jews, even appealing to the Pope. But when his pleas all fall on deaf ears, the priest sews the six-pointed star on his sleeve, identifying himself as a Jew, and then turns himself in to a concentration camp to die with those he’d been trying to save. The catholic priest who stitched a six pointed star on his sleeve and happily walked into the Nazi concentration camp and died.
Second, Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of his public ministry. While that Catholic priest didn’t really accomplish anything by his death – maybe he raised awareness of the plight of the Jews, Jesus’ life lived in our place and Jesus’ death taking our punishment won our eternal life. You and I can be honest without fear because the truth is that Jesus lives and we will live forever with him.
And if there was any doubt in your mind, listen, And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” For all the disappointment that trail behind us, God was well pleased with Jesus. What that has to do with you is that by faith, Jesus perfection is yours. In Jesus God looks at me and says – You are Pastor Fred, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. In Jesus he looks at you and says, I love you; with you I am well pleased.
When you get discouraged and beaten down by your sin, remember your baptism – the objective fact that God loves you and has washed away all of your sins. In Jesus, in baptism God is well pleased with you. Amen.