All right, well this morning as we continue our way through the Gospel of Luke,
we've already covered now the first two chapters of the book.
And just as a bit of a recap, these are some of the things that Luke has told us about.
The first sign that God was about to do something was the angel Gabriel
appearing to Zechariah in the temple.
And we heard the announcement of John's birth.
Then there was the appearance of the angel to Mary.
And we heard the announcement of the birth of Jesus,
the one who would be the Messiah and the Son of God.
Then there was the miraculous conceptions of both women,
one elderly and one a virgin.
Then we heard about the birth of John and then the birth of Jesus.
We heard the prophetic praise of both Mary and Zechariah.
Luke told us about the circumcision and naming of both John and Jesus.
And then there was the dedication of Jesus as an infant at the temple
and the prophetic words that were spoken about him by Simeon and Anna.
And then last Sunday, we heard about one memorable moment from Jesus' boyhood
when he was 12 years old.
We heard about Jesus' understanding of who he was.
And from there, Luke now fast forwards 18 years
to the events leading up to the public ministry of Jesus.
And things began to unfold in this way.
From Luke chapter 3, let me read the first couple verses for us.
In the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
Herod, tetrarch of Galilee,
his brother Philip, tetrarch of Aeturia and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.
So Luke anchors the chronology of this whole next part of the story
in the historical reigns of several well-known political figures.
We notice that there's been a change of emperor in the Roman Empire.
If we just glance back at Luke chapter 2,
it says,
In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree.
Well, now there's a new Caesar,
and it's Tiberius.
Augustus, he ruled up until about 14 AD and died.
But 10 years prior to this,
he formally adopted his stepson, Tiberius,
making him an heir to the imperial throne.
And Luke tells us that what we're about to read
happened in the 15th year already of Tiberius' rule.
Luke also lets us know who the local rulers were at the time in Israel.
And we notice here, too, that some things have changed.
When Jesus was born,
Herod was king of the whole land of Israel,
though it was under Roman rule.
But not long after Jesus was born,
King Herod died.
Upon his death,
Herod's kingdom was divided up into four parts,
and his sons and daughters became the rulers of each of those parts.
Rome did not grant them the title of king or queen,
but gave them the title of tetrarch,
meaning ruler of a fourth part.
By this time,
the southern region of Judea,
where Jerusalem is,
is now a Roman province,
and it's ruled by the Roman governor,
Pontius Pilate.
And Galilee in the north
is ruled by Herod the tetrarch.
So this is not King Herod,
but King Herod's son,
a man who is named Herod Antipas.
So this kind of sets the political landscape for us.
It helps us know when all this happened,
and who's in power.
And both Herod and Pilate are going to play
a role in what's about to unfold.
So it's good to know a little bit of who they are.
In addition to all this,
Luke sets the landscape on the religious side of things
a little bit,
as far as the temple goes.
He says,
this happened during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas.
And both of these men will also factor into
what happens with Jesus.
So this is kind of a long intro
to what Luke is about to tell us.
But Luke wants us to know precisely
when these things took place.
He wants us to know this stuff that happened
happened at a definite time.
These are real people.
And finally, we come to Luke's main statement
in all of this.
During the reigns of these men
and the high priesthood of these men,
the word of God came to John,
son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.
The word of God came to John.
This is a figure of speech that's often used in the Old Testament
to describe how God would speak to people.
We often read there,
the word of God or the word of the Lord came to
men like Abram,
Samuel,
Nathan,
Solomon,
Elijah,
Isaiah,
Jeremiah,
Ezekiel,
and many more.
And the majority of these references
describe not just how God spoke to people,
but specifically how he spoke to men called prophets.
And these men were then tasked with relaying the word of God
which came to them to the people,
to others.
In fact, I would argue that's the very essence
of what a prophet is in the scriptures.
It's a person to whom the word of God comes.
They begin to hear the voice of God speaking to them
and are responsible then to speak those same words to others.
So this statement of Luke's lets us know
that there was a specific time
when God began to speak to John,
the son of Zechariah,
and then threw him to the people.
He wasn't born a prophet.
The sense we get here is that he didn't become a prophet
until he began hearing the voice of God
all these years later
during the reigns of these men.
And so this is yet another sign that God is at work.
And this one is going to be very visible
compared to some of the other ones
that many did not know about.
Do you remember what Gabriel said about John
to his father Zechariah
even before John was conceived?
Gabriel said that John would go on before the Lord
in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of the parents to their children
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Do you remember what Zechariah prophesied
on the day that they named John
when his tongue was set free
and he was able to speak again?
He said,
So they waited about 30 years.
30 years.
And then finally,
God's word came true.
The word of God came to John.
John began hearing the voice of God
while he was out in the wilderness
and he began speaking the word of God to the people.
Verse 3.
John went into all the country around the Jordan
preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
So John begins traveling around
kind of the lesser inhabited regions of the Jordan River
and as he goes about,
he is preaching.
He is proclaiming the words
that he is hearing from God.
And what does God have to say to people?
Luke sums it up with
a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
And that's a loaded phrase there.
There's a lot in there.
So we're going to unpack it.
We'll go one word at a time.
First of all,
he was preaching a baptism.
In other words,
he was proclaiming that people should come
and be baptized.
The word baptized is a transliteration
of the Greek word baptizo.
And it means to immerse
or to plunge
or to dip
or to wash in water.
And so John was proclaiming
that people should come
and be dipped
into the water of the Jordan River.
And this physical immersion of people
into the water
had a symbolic spiritual meaning.
This baptism signified repentance.
Repentance means
to have a change of mind
or a change of heart.
And it often includes
an element of remorse
or regret for wrongs done.
The Bible frequently speaks
of repenting of sins,
which includes this idea
of confessing
or acknowledging to God
the wrongs that we have done.
So it's not just an intellectual
change of mind
like a change of beliefs.
The call to repent
is a call to personally own
and admit
your sins,
your wrongs
to the Lord.
And I can't emphasize
this relational aspect
of repentance enough.
You know,
this isn't just about
seeing the negative consequences
of our sins
and then resolving
to do something different
or something better.
This is about understanding
that in all our sins,
we are sinning against
God himself.
There's a relational aspect there.
We transgress
against God himself.
And so repentance
is this relational thing.
And some of the most
helpful words here
are the words of Jesus,
which he spoke later on
in Luke.
Luke chapter 17,
verse 3.
Jesus says,
If your brother or sister
sins against you,
rebuke them.
And if they repent,
forgive them.
Even if they sin against you
seven times in a day,
and seven times
come back to you
saying,
I repent,
you must forgive them.
Notice the relational nature
of repentance.
It involves going to the person
that you sinned against
and acknowledging
that you wronged them.
Why would you do that?
Because the relationship
is broken.
And in order to restore it,
you must go to that person.
You must admit the wrong
that you've done
to that person
and seek their forgiveness.
Now this example
of repentance
and forgiveness,
which Jesus
mentions here,
is between human beings.
But now John
is calling people
to repent
of their sins
against God.
And here's
the wonderful good news.
He was preaching
a baptism
of repentance
for the forgiveness
of sins.
So come,
repent
of your sins
against God.
Confess the wrongs
that you have done
to Him.
God is eager.
He is willing
to forgive you
of your sins.
Be dipped
in this water
here,
now,
right there
in the Jordan,
believing
that God
will wash
you clean
of the guilt
of your sins
against Him.
This is what
the baptism
symbolized.
It was an act
that God gave
for people to do,
very tangible,
as they were
confessing,
as they were
repenting.
They'd give
that confession
of their sins
to God
and then John
would dip
them in the water
as a sort
of tangible,
visible,
outward show
of what God
will do
for the person
who repents.
He will wash
them clean.
He will cleanse
them of their guilt.
And so this is
what John is doing.
He's going around
the countryside
of the Jordan River
proclaiming that
people should repent
of their sins
and be baptized
and in so doing
find God's forgiveness.
And Luke
lets us know
that as John
went about
and did this,
an ancient
word of God
spoken through
the prophet Isaiah
was being fulfilled
right in front
of their eyes.
John did all this
as it is written
in the book
of the words
of Isaiah
the prophet.
And then he quotes
the very words
of Isaiah
written some 700
years before this
and these words
come from
Isaiah chapter 40.
A voice of one
calling in the
wilderness.
Prepare the way
for the Lord.
Make straight
paths for him.
Every valley
shall be filled
in.
Every mountain
and hill
made low.
The crooked roads
shall become
straight.
The rough ways
smooth.
And all people
will see
God's salvation.
Now if you go
back in your Bible
to Isaiah
and you look up
this passage
you'll notice
the wording
is a little
different there
and I just
want to address
that briefly.
There are several
reasons for this.
First of all
Luke is writing
this in Greek
but Isaiah
was penned
in Hebrew.
They are two
different languages
and therefore
we expect to see
some differences
because no two
languages have
perfect word
to word
or phrase
to phrase
equivalents
especially when
it comes to
poetry
or figures
of speech
which this
contains.
So that's why
we see a slight
difference
in the wording
especially in the
back half
of the quote.
We see
crooked roads
becoming straight
as a translation
for rough ground
becoming level.
And we see
the it
of Isaiah
40 verse 5
specified
by Luke
as God's
salvation.
These were
translation
decisions
made by those
who produced
the first
Greek translation
of the Old
Testament
known as
the Septuagint
over 100
years before
Jesus was
born.
We also
notice that
Luke feels
free to
paraphrase
and condense
a few lines
of this quote.
He condenses
and paraphrases
Isaiah 40
verse 3
make straight
paths for
him
instead of
make straight
in the desert
a highway
for our
God.
And he also
feels free to
leave out the
first line
of Isaiah
40 verse 5.
He just
goes straight
to and all
people will
see
God's salvation.
And so
that's why we
see some
differences here
if we look
back.
But they
shouldn't
concern us
or alarm us
because there's
natural reasons
for these
differences
both in
language
and in
the way
that people
often refer
to or quote
things that
are written
by others.
In addition
to that we
trust and we
believe that
Luke quotes
this the way
that he does
under the
guidance and
inspiration of
the Holy Spirit.
Let's dig
into the meaning
of these words
though.
Isaiah says
a voice of
one calling
in the
wilderness.
What is it
that Isaiah
was prophesying
700 years
before this?
I mean we
don't have
time to look
at the full
context of
the book of
Isaiah or
even chapter
40.
But to sum
it up Israel
has been
disobedient to
God and God
has promised
to bring the
punishment on
them that he
had foretold in
the law of
Moses.
But Isaiah
40 tells of
how God
will again
in the
future comfort
his people
and reveal
himself to
his people
and save
his people
and restore
them.
And these
words of
Isaiah quoted
by Luke tell
of how it
will begin.
It will
begin with
a voice
calling out
or crying
out in
the wilderness.
Luke's
saying that's
what John
the son of
Zachariah
was.
He was
that voice.
Look at the
details of the
prophecy.
What is the
voice crying
out?
What is the
voice saying?
The message
of the
voice
is prepare
the way
for the
Lord.
Make straight
paths for
him.
to put it
in other
words.
Get ready.
The
Lord
God
himself
is coming.
He's
coming
to us.
Let's
prepare
for his
arrival.
Until the
prophecy
foretold
this voice
calling out
in the
wilderness
telling the
people to
get ready
for the
coming
of the
Lord.
And we
should
notice
back in
Isaiah
where the
prophecy
is stated
the
Lord
is the
divine
name
of
God.
Prepare
the way
for
Yahweh.
And what
follows
this statement
is a
metaphorical
poetic way
of describing
how we
should prepare
for his
arrival.
What
should we
do to
get ready?
And
Isaiah
speaks
with the
language of
road
building.
Prepare
the way
for him.
Make
straight
paths
for him.
If we
glance back
to Isaiah
chapter 40,
the original
quote,
the longer
version in
verse 3,
make straight
in the
desert a
highway
for our
God.
The
Lord God
himself is
coming to
visit us
and so
let's get
the road
ready by
which he
will arrive
to us.
And then
the lines
which follow,
we're back
in Luke
chapter 3
here,
verse 5,
are all
about road
building as
well.
Every valley
shall be
filled in,
every mountain
and hill
made low.
The crooked
road shall
become
straight,
the rough
ways
smooth.
All of
this is
figurative
and poetic
language
which describes
what happens
when you
build a
highway.
The point
of a
highway
is to
make
travel
easy
and fast
from one
place
to another.
And so
rather than
winding the
narrow road
from one
place to
the next,
taking the
easiest path
in the
landscape,
highways are
built in the
most direct
and straight
way possible.
So when you
come to a
dip in the
land or a
valley,
instead of
going around
that dip,
the goal
here is to
make it
faster,
to make it
direct.
So we'll
fill in that
and put the
highway right
through.
if you
want to
travel by
cart or
carriage,
pulled by
an animal
back in
these days,
this is
important.
The road
can only
be so
steep.
You don't
want to
have a
steep valley,
staircase right
in the middle
of the road.
How are you
going to get
down that
with your
animals?
The same
thing applies
when you
come to a
hill or a
mountain.
I mean,
you could
build that
road all
the way
around,
but the
whole point
of a
highway is
for easy,
fast,
direct travel.
And so if
there's a
hill in the
way,
let's flatten
it down.
If there's
a mountain,
let's cut
through it
and make
it low
and level
in the
place where
the road
goes through
because we
don't want
to waste
time getting
from here
to there.
We don't
want to
have a
crooked road
that takes
us farther
out of the
way and
then has to
come all
the way
back.
We want
that road
straight.
Make the
road straight
and make
that road
smooth.
We all
know out
here in
rural Saskatchewan
that those
rough gravel
roads are
just a little
slower and
more difficult
than the
smooth paved
asphalt of
the highway.
All of
this is the
language of
road building
and making
these kinds
of changes
to build
a highway
is a lot
of work.
Why go
to all
this effort?
Why not
just use
the long
and windy
road with
the difficult
sections that
we already
have?
And it
has to do
with the
purpose of
the road.
It has to
do with who's
going to be
traveling on
it.
It has to
do with that
need for
efficient travel
between two
places.
Think about
roads in our
modern times.
roads.
You know
the roads
that just
don't get
a lot of
people traveling
down them?
They're usually
gravel for a
reason.
If it's even
less traveled
than that it
could be a
dirt road and
it could be
almost impassable
in some of
the wet
months.
So the
number of
people that
are going
from here
to there
increases the
importance of
that road or
the goods that
flow along
that road
increases the
importance of
the road and
that's why we
spend hundreds
of millions
of dollars
adding lanes
and paving
and widening
our major
highways between
our major
cities.
But we'll
just let the
local grader
do his best
on that
country road
out by where
all the farms
are.
I remember
when they were
still twinning
some of the
major highways
in northern
Alberta up to
Grand Prairie
it was a
massive project
on some
stretches.
The amount
of dirt that
had to be
moved was
amazing.
There was all
kinds of
heavy machinery
and equipment
and there
were trucks
coming and
going constantly
taking dirt
from where
there was too
much moving
it over to
where there
wasn't enough
trying to
level it out
so that that
second part
of the
twinning
would be
level with
the first.
Why go to
all that
work?
Because the
growing amount
of traffic
on that road
required it.
Industry
which pays
the bills
needs those
major arteries
to move
trees or
oil or
whatever
equipment,
parts,
food,
fuel.
people,
I'm not
an expert
in it by
any means,
but I
loved learning
a little bit
about the
challenges
involved with
punching the
railway through
the Rockies
to the west
coast of
Canada.
Insane
amounts of
work had
to be done
blasting
through solid
rock of
the mountains
and carefully
planned tunnels
and switchbacks.
Why go to
all that
trouble?
Again,
because of the
importance of
connecting that
the western
coast with
the rest
of the
country.
It's a
massive amount
of work,
but the
payoff is
going to
far outweigh
that.
But now
let's look
at the
text.
What's he
talking about?
What's the
importance here?
What's so
significant that
we need to
go about
making massive
changes in
the landscape
to build a
highway?
What's so
important here
is that God
himself is
coming?
God himself
is coming
to his
people.
The days
of kings
and queens
are mostly
behind us,
but we still
use the phrase
once in a
while,
roll out
the red
carpet.
Back in the
day, you
know, if the
king of your
country was
coming to
visit your
little town,
would you
not make
special
preparations?
Would you
not touch
things up a
little bit?
Maybe he's
going to stay
at the
local inn.
Let's do
something about
this lumpy,
dirty, muddy
parking lot.
You know, we're
going to make
that path smooth
for him.
We're going to
fix it up so
that when he
comes, he
doesn't have to
walk and get
his feet all
muddy and
dirty between
his carriage and
the hotel.
Queen Elizabeth
came to
visit in
Regina in
2005 and
my parents
worked downtown
at the time.
My mom
noticed that
they spray
painted the
lawn of the
Sask Hotel
green before
she arrived.
I mean, it
was probably
more like a
liquid dye or
something, but
you know, we
do this sort
of thing to
honor royalty,
people of
great importance
to us.
I mean, can
you imagine
the queen
coming over
from Europe
and then
staying at a
hotel with
all this
crispy brown
grass?
Like, don't
they have
water here?
Fertilizer?
Is this the
best you could
do?
But these
preparations
should go far
beyond that.
This is not
about some
human king or
queen coming.
It's about
God himself
coming to
us.
It's the
Lord.
It's the
Almighty, the
creator of
heaven and
earth.
Prepare the
way for him.
So absolutely,
we should roll
out the red
carpet.
Absolutely, let's
knock that
mountain down.
Let's raise
that valley up.
Let's make a
smooth highway,
direct travel
for him to
arrive on.
But hold on a
second.
What does that
even mean?
In what way
is God
coming?
As we'll see
next week,
John declared
the arrival
of Jesus
because in
Jesus,
God,
the Lord,
has come
to us.
Jesus
himself is
the Lord
incarnate,
enfleshed,
come to
visit,
come to
live among
us.
It's maybe a
different way
than people
were expecting.
So now,
how do we get
ready for him?
How do we make
preparations?
In what sense
are we to
fill in the
valleys and
flatten the
mountains and
straighten the
crooked and
smooth the
rough places?
Well, we need
only to look
down the
page at
what John
told the
people to
do, to
understand what
kinds of
changes Isaiah
is talking
about with
his highway
building
metaphor.
And we see
very quickly
here that
Isaiah and
John are not
talking about
massive changes
to the
landscape in
Israel.
They're talking
about massive
changes to
the landscape
of our
lives.
In other
words,
preparations
need to be
made for
the Lord's
coming, but
they don't
involve changes
to the
earth, but
changes to
our hearts.
This brings
us back to
that key word
that we heard
earlier,
repentance.
There's a
major need
for changes
to be made
to get
ready for
God to
come to
us, to
prepare
ourselves to
welcome the
Lord.
These changes
must start in
here, with a
turning away
from sin and
self toward
God.
truthfully,
moving actual
mountains and
filling actual
valleys would
be easier
because we
have some
pretty tall
mountains in
here.
We have some
pretty low
valleys in
here.
We have some
pretty crooked
things in
here.
Some pretty
rough places
which need
to be
smooth.
But let's
not miss the
last line
quoted of
Isaiah's
prophecy.
A voice is
going to cry
out in the
wilderness for
preparations to
be made, to
get ready for
the coming of
the Lord.
Some massive
changes need to
happen to
welcome him,
and all
people will
see God's
salvation.
All people
will see
God's
salvation.
Isn't that
so obviously
what the
story of
Jesus is
all about?
God's
saving us.
And at the
very center of
his plan to
save us is
this man
whom we're
about to hear
next week,
whom John
is declaring,
Jesus.
never has
God's
salvation been
so visible,
so tangible,
so flesh and
blood, and
yet so
powerful and
divine.
God's
salvation is
not just a
plan hatched
by God
before the
world began.
His salvation
is not just a
concept of
theology.
His salvation
is not some
invisible
intervention that
cannot be
explained at
all or seen
or understood.
God's salvation
is the person
of Jesus
Christ who
all may see.
Think about
this.
He's going to
walk through
their streets,
travel their
country roads.
The young
and the old
will see him.
The rich
and the poor
will see him.
and he's
going to
deliver people
from illnesses
and injuries
and even
birth defects
that have
plagued them
for years
and he's
going to do
even more
than that.
He's going
to save
people from
their sins,
from their
guilt.
All people
will see
God's
salvation.
That's what
Isaiah declared
700 years
before this.
And now
the voice
has come,
Luke saying,
John
was that
voice letting
us know
that the
time is
here.
Next Sunday
we're going
to hear some
of the actual
words of
John as
he was doing
this preaching
of repentance,
as he was
preparing the
people for
the coming
of the Lord.
And let me
warn you,
John's
words,
which as we
heard,
they came
from God.
The word
of God
came to
John.
John's
words are
not for the
faint of
heart.
If you
want to
talk about
hellfire and
brimstone
preaching,
John's
preaching has
some of
that in
it for
sure.
But
alongside of
that is
the greatest
news that
our world
has ever
heard,
which John
declared.
More on
that next
Sunday.
For today,
I wonder
if you can
begin to
imagine
yourself
there in
the land
of Israel
all those
years ago.
Can you
imagine
everybody in
your country
flocking
out to
this remote
place by
the river
to hear
this man
whom they
realized many
was a
prophet?
can you
imagine him
preaching to
you as
you stand
on the
shore?
Can you
imagine him
saying,
come down
here into
the water,
confess your
sins to
God.
You have
sinned against
him.
We all
have,
but God
is eager
and willing
to forgive
you.
repent,
come,
be cleansed,
be washed
of all
your guilt.
God is
merciful.
He is
mighty to
save.
He's about
to come
to us
just as
he said
long ago.
His great
salvation is
about to
appear.
His kingdom
is near.
Would you
go down
into the
water?
would you
confess?
Would you
seek God's
forgiveness?
Would you
be baptized
in the
water?
These
things are
not just
what people
needed to
do way
back then.
This
thing of
repentance
is the
thing that
we all
need to
do.
Even
today,
even
now,
in order
to
prepare
ourselves
to
receive
the
Lord
Jesus.
Have you
repented?
Have you
confessed
your sins
to God?
Have you
sought
his
forgiveness?
Many
of us
in this
room have
done
this.
But if
you haven't,
God is
waiting for
you to
do
this.
Jesus
himself
said that
God is
waiting like
a loving
father
with his
arms wide
open,
waiting for
you to
come
home.
Have you
repented?
Have you
come
home?
all of
this
sweet,
powerful,
wonderful
forgiveness
that's
offered
comes
through
Jesus
Christ.
So I
want to
urge you,
if you
haven't done
this,
don't wait
until it's
too late
to make
your peace
with God.
as we're
going to
hear next
Sunday
from the
words of
John,
there is
a too
late.
There is
a moment
that comes
when God
says,
I've
given you
ample
opportunity
and time
and now
you're going
to get
what you
deserve
because I
am just.
There is
a too
late for
those who
ignore God's
mercy.
And so I
want to
urge you,
just as
John did,
if you
haven't done
this,
repent and
believe the
good news
that God
is eager
and willing
to forgive
you.
He desires
to save.
He desires
us to be
washed clean
as the
baptism points
to.
And so
come to
him,
call out
to him
if you
haven't
done
that
already.
Let's
pray.
Father in
heaven,
we thank
you for
the chance
to know
what happened
in the days
leading up
to your
son revealing
himself to
the whole
nation.
Amen.
for some
of us
it's
maybe not
the message
we want
to hear.
Repent.
But I
pray that
you would
help us,
Lord,
for those
who haven't
done it,
that you
would help
them to
humbly
bow before
you and
come to
you.
and for
those of
us who
have,
Lord,
I pray
that we
would
remember
that we
live
because of
your mercy,
your grace,
your kindness,
your eagerness
to forgive.
love.
We thank
you for
that,
Lord.
I pray
that we
wouldn't be
ashamed of
these words
and this
message,
which was
your message
through John.
Lord,
I even
pray that
we would
be willing
to speak
these words
to the
people around
us.
Lord,
we know
it's not
comfortable,
we know
it's not
popular,
but these
are the
words that
prepare
people,
that get
our hearts
ready
for
salvation's
arrival.
Give us
courage,
Lord,
to speak
them.
I pray
this in
your name.
Amen.