I. Introduction
If someone were to ask you how much you know about the Bible, I suspect most of you would humbly say something like, “Not nearly as much as I should.” And while that may be true, I am confident that virtually all of you know far more about God’s Word than the average church attendee in America today, and infinitely more than those who do not belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here are a few things you know about the Holy Scriptures. The more you are exposed to them and the more you read and study them, the more clearly you grasp their beauty and insight and power. The more you learn of them the more you’re amazed at the ability of the words to reach inside of you and change the way you think about God, the world in which you live, and even yourself. The writer of Hebrews describes the Scriptures well.
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
In Luke 3:1-17, John the Baptist has been preaching repentance. He has warned his hearers that they must prepare their hearts to receive the gospel. That preparation requires them to recognize their sin and subsequently, their hopeless and lost condition. They must understand that they can do nothing to save themselves. Neither their heri-tage, nor their religion, nor all of their so-called good works have any power to save their eternal souls. It is only when they finally come to believe those things that the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will make any sense to them.
As I studied this morning’s text I was struck by the contrast in it. The passage presents us with a clear picture of what the preaching of the gospel will do. As Hebrews tells us, if the Word of God is fully and faithfully preached and taught it will divide. It will cut through and expose all pretense, human pride, and false religion. It will separate fact from fiction and truth from falsehood like nothing else can.
Just like a two-edged sword, it will cut both ways. The very same words that draw the elect toward Jesus Christ will drive others away from Him. The very same words that will cause a Christian to fall on his or her face in awe of God and with humility before Him, will cause others to hate Him and blaspheme His name. The contrast is amazing but it is what happens when the gospel is preached completely and without compromise.
When it is, there are two things that will be inevitable. There will be a reaction and there will be a result. Luke presents us with both inevitabilities in the five verses we’ll look at this morning.
When the gospel is preached it is inevitable that most people will be offended, and both the message and the messenger will be disdained, or ridiculed, or worse. Depending on the time, the place, and the circumstances, it may even cost the messenger his life. John the Baptist was the first to lay down his life for Christ.
Such has been the case from the moment the church was born in Acts 2. It began with the martyrdom of Stephan in Acts 7. Eleven of the twelve apostles were also martyred, John being the only exception. Martyrdom goes on today all over the world. It will not end until the Second Coming. Only God Himself knows how many of His faithful children have already laid down their lives for the truth of the gospel. Only God Himself knows how many of His faithful children will yet do so.
So it is true that things like disdain, ridicule, prison, and even death are inevitable when the gospel is preached without compromise. But the other thing that’s inevitable is this. When the gospel is preached Jesus Christ will be glorified. You can count on it!
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II. Text
Those two inevitabilities are found at the heart of this morning’s message.
*Luke 3:18-22 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
18 So with many other exhortations also he preached the gospel to the people.
19 But when Herod the tetrarch was reproved by him on account of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and on account of all the wicked things which Herod had done,
20 he added this also to them all, that he locked John up in prison.
21 Now it came about when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
We know that preaching a gospel that does not include a call for repentance is a false gospel. It is incomplete. But so too is calling for repentance without preaching the good news that Jesus saves. John the Baptist has pulled no punches. He has called for repen-tance. He has warned his hearers of God’s wrath and the judgment to come. He has “told it like it is.” But he doesn’t leave it there. There is hope. There is the good news. After all, that’s what gospel is all about.
*Luke 3:18
18 So with many other exhortations also he preached the gospel to the people.
Now think about this. We know that a gospel that minimizes or ignores repentance is a false gospel. We know that a gospel that minimizes or ignores sin is also a false gospel. When it comes to the gospel two things are obvious. First, we are sinners and second, we need to change our minds about our sin and turn from it. That’s repentance. So sin and repentance are inseparable. John points out sin. Only then does he preach the gospel and reveal God’s offer of forgiveness of sin.
The reaction of the average person who heard about his or her sin and rejected John’s message may have laughed at him. They may have ridiculed him. They may have been furious at being called sinners. But those things would have probably been the extent of most people’s reaction to John’s preaching. However, when he singled out those in power for their sin, those who lived in the palace, named it, and chastised them for it publicly; the reaction was far more severe.
*Luke 3:19-20
19 But when Herod the tetrarch was reproved by him on account of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and on account of all the wicked things which Herod had done,
20 he added this also to them all, that he locked John up in prison.
That’s all Luke tells us about the reaction to John’s preaching. What he doesn’t tell us is that John’s courage in pointing out sin ultimately led to something far worse than his being imprisoned. It led to his execution. In Mark’s gospel he relates the details.
*Mark 6:17-28
17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her.
18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” (“Who are you to judge?”)
19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so;
20 for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.
21 And a strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee;
22 and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.”
23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom.”
24 And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”
25 And immediately she came in haste before the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me right away the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
26 And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her.
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back the head. And he went and had (John) beheaded in the prison,
28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.
Some family, huh? Who are these people? Herod the tetrarch is Herod Antipas. His father, Herod the Great, had murdered the innocents when Jesus was born. Herodias is actually his niece, being the daughter of his half-brother Aristobulus, and wife of another half-brother Philip. Herodias’ daughter is Salome. (She isn’t named in the gospels but is identified in the writings of Josephus.) The whole thing is like a modern soap opera.
All of these people were well-known among the populace. John was a man of God in every true sense of the word. And, as a man of God, he called sin what it was. So in Mark 6:18 He tells Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” What law or laws is John talking about? The first and most obvious is God’s law against adul-tery found in the Seventh Commandment.
Exodus 20:14
14 “You shall not commit adultery.”
But there is also Leviticus. Leviticus 18 goes into some detail about a number of illicit sexual practices that God expressly forbids. Among them are adultery, incest, bestiality, and homosexuality. But Herod’s sin against God’s Law goes even farther.
Leviticus 20:21
21 “If there is a man who takes his brother’s wife, it is abhorrent; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness.”
There was an exception to this. If a man died and his wife had no children, the dead man’s brother could marry the wife so that she might bear children. But in the case of Herod Antipas and Herodias, her husband (Antipas’ half-brother) was still alive. Not only that, she already had a daughter, Salome. Herod’s sin was compound and blatant. And if all of that wasn’t enough, his wandering eye was now coming to rest on Salome.
Such were the sins that John confronted. He denounced Herod’s sin and called for him to repent. Naturally John’s rebuke fell on Herodias as well. Mark 16:19 says she didn’t like it and wanted John put to death. Herod thought he could appease her by putting John in prison, but that was nowhere near enough for her. Even though Scripture does not explicitly say so, it seems reasonable to assume that Herodias and Salome conspired with each other to trick Herod into having John beheaded.
There is an application here for me as a preacher of God’s Word. It is plain and simple.
Eternal truth must be proclaimed without regard to temporal consequences. Scripture is filled with examples of God’s people faithfully doing just that.
The ones who do that are never “heroes” in this world. Quite to the contrary, they are often considered the dregs of society and a problem to be at best ignored, and at worst eliminated. This is the reality of preaching and teaching God’s Word and presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It has always been so.
Consider for a moment the history of the church. Stephan was the first to die, being stoned to death at the feet of the Pharisee Saul of Tarsus, who would later repent and become the Apostle Paul. The Apostle James was executed by one of Herod Antipas’ nephews, Herod Agrippa. Peter was crucified upside down. His brother Andrew was crucified too.
Secular history and church tradition tell us that Matthew was burned alive. Philip was stoned to death in Asia Minor and his companion Nathanael was crucified. Thomas was murdered with spears in India. Simon was cut in two in Persia. Jude was beaten to death in Turkey and Paul was beheaded in Rome.
Then during the first few centuries after Christ, commonly called the “postapostolic era,” some of God’s choicest saints met their end. Ignatius was martyred in Rome. Polycarp, the pastor of the church at Smyrna, was burned alive. When he was told to publicly renounce his faith in Christ Polycarp refused and said,
“Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior? You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour and after a little is extinguished, but you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But why do you tarry? Do what you will.”
Just prior to the Reformation John Huss was found guilty of heresy. He said the Bible, not the Pope, was the supreme authority in Christianity. He was burned at the stake.
From the beginning the godless of this world have made a sport (often a “spectator sport”) of torturing and murdering God’s people. After the Rapture of the church when the Anti-christ rules this world, it will only get worse. But God’s Word will continue to go forth. It cannot be stopped. So regardless of the reaction to the gospel and God’s truth, His purpose will be established. He said so.
*Isaiah 46:8-10
8 “Remember this and be assured; recall it to mind, you transgressors.
9 “Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’”
So the task before me as one whom God has called to the ministry of the gospel is to preach and teach the truth regardless of the consequences.
John the Baptist did that, and as such he is an example not only to me but to everyone called to preach. Does that let the rest of God’s children off the hook, as it were? Does that mean that this lesson about Christians boldly telling the truth is limited to those called to “full-time” ministry? Of course not! First, if you are a Christian, your ministry is full-time. All of us are called to preach the gospel. Second, we are all surrounded by sin and we are all affected by it. Third, God uses all of His children to accomplish His work in this world.
If there was nothing left for you to do in this world, if God had nothing left for you to accomplish in this life, then I believe you would already be in heaven. Now I may not know much, but I do know that none of you people are in heaven yet. And that alone is proof positive that there are still opportunities for you to engage in fruitful ministry.
Just one more thing about John the Baptist – in human terms neither he nor his ministry would be considered very successful, but never forget what Jesus said about him.
*Matthew 11:11
11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
In the last part of this verse Jesus is talking about you and me. What does He mean by us being greater than John? It has less to do with the personal greatness of the individual, and more to do with the greatness of the opportunity given to the individual. This state-ment by Jesus relates to what theologians often call “progressive revelation.” (We’re responsible for what we know.)
The OT saints were great men of God. But while they prophesied about their Messiah, none of them ever lived to see the fulfillment of His coming. John literally saw the ful-fillment of God’s prophecies. He knew Jesus. He talked with Him. He touched Him. He heard His voice. He looked into Jesus’ face. In this sense God revealed more to John than He had ever revealed to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Daniel, Isaiah, or any of the OT saints. Do you see that?
Now look at the second part of Matthew 11:11. How can you and I be greater than John? The same principle applies. But you say, “I haven’t known Jesus the way John did. I haven’t talked to Him the way John did. I haven’t touched Him or heard His voice or seen His face.”
No, you haven’t. But you have seen something that John the Baptist never saw. As a believer in Jesus Christ you have a complete understanding of something John could only anticipate. You know that the work has already been done. You understand the substitutionary atonement. Your sin has been put on Jesus. Jesus’ righteousness has been put on you. You have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. You have received the Holy Spirit. You are a member of the eternal Church of Jesus Christ. AND…
…you have opportunities before you that John never had. Only you say, “But I’m the least of God’s saints.” All right! Maybe you are. But Jesus said, “…he who is the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than (John).”
What opportunities do you and I have? You and I have the opportunity to tell others about God’s wrath and the judgment to come. You and I also have the opportunity to tell them about Jesus. You and I have the opportunity to speak truth. What a privilege! So why do we so often fail to do it? We can come up with innumerable reasons or excuses, and we often do. But I believe all of our rationalizations can be boiled down to these.
First, we tend to think more about our status and situation in this life than we do in the next. Second, we tend to be more concerned about how we look and sound to others than how we look and sound to God. Third, and I think this is the hardest one for us to admit, we are fearful of the immediate consequences. “I’ll look foolish. I’ll lose a friend. My family will disown me. My neighbors will think I’m a fanatic. People will laugh at me. I might jeopardize my job. I might…I could… What if…” That’s it, isn’t it? It is fear and fear literally paralyzes all of us to one degree or another. And let me be real clear. I am no different than you. I have been held back in my testimony for Christ by every one of those things I just mentioned. Every one!
Do you see why someone like John the Baptist is such a great example for us? John paid the ultimate price for telling the truth and calling sin what it is, but few, if any of us, will ever suffer the fate that John suffered at the hands of Herod Antipas.
Even so, there is always a cost for following Christ. God calls some to pay a little. He calls some to pay a lot. It’s really up to Him, isn’t it? Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus never preached a gospel of health, wealth, prosperity, and joy for this life. That is not what this life is for. This life is for coming to Jesus, receiving Him, and growing up in the grace and knowledge of God and the life to come. What did Jesus say?
John 16:33
33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Being a Christian and living the Christian life in this world is not a job for wimps. It is a job for courage, spiritual strength, perseverance, great faith, and love for God and the lost souls of this world. You and I have none of these qualities in our flesh. They all come from the Spirit. They are gifts from God that He bestows upon us. He knows we are fearful, but He also knows that perfect love overwhelms fear.
*1 John 4:18-19
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
19 We love, because He first loved us.
John the Baptist loved Herod. Does that seem like a strange thing to say? It shouldn’t.
John told Herod the truth because He loved him, not because he hated him. Again, John is a wonderful example. But an even greater example is Jesus Himself. Did Jesus hang on the cross because He hates you or because He loves you with a perfect love? That love cost Jesus something, didn’t it? That love cost John something. That love has already cost many of you something. Down the road it will most likely cost you some more. But please don’t be fearful. Perfect love casts out fear.
*Luke 12:4-9
4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
5 “But I will warn you whom to fear: Fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!
6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? And yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
7 “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.
8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man shall confess him also before the angels of God;
9 but he who denies Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”
Every one of us is called to tell the truth. You may not be a preacher per se, but if you are a Christian you are called to preach. You are called to tell the truth without regard to the temporal consequences. Listen, a sick society requires bold preaching. The sicker the society, the bolder the preaching must be. A sick society needs a doctor, doesn’t it?
Mark 2:17
17 (Jesus said,)… “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
It should be noted that those whom Jesus describes as “healthy” only think they are healthy. Those whom He describes as “sick” know they are sick. Just as was the case with John’s preaching, most of those who heard him thought they were healthy and did not need the truth. Only a few knew they were sick and rejoiced to hear the truth. So it will be with us. Those of you who have come to Christ did so because you knew you were sick. Do you remember what Jesus said to the blind man on the road to Jericho?
*Luke 18:35-42
35 And it came about that as (Jesus) was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging. (Mark identifies him as Bartimaeus.)
36 Now hearing a multitude going by, he began to inquire what this might be.
37 And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 And those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he had come near, (Jesus) questioned him,
41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!”
42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”
Bartimaeus didn’t think he was well. He knew he was sick. Only a few of the people you talk to already know they are “sick.” Point them to the Great Physician.
Well, we’ve talked a lot about the reaction to the truth, but I haven’t said anything about the result, have I?
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III. Conclusion
Look again at the last part Luke 18:42. “…your faith has made you well.” Is that the result of the truth? No it isn’t. The result of the truth is in the next verse.
*Luke 18:43
43 And immediately (Bartimaeus) regained his sight, and began following (Jesus), and glorifying God; and when all the people saw it they gave praise to God.
There is the result of the truth. God is glorified! Jesus Christ is glorified! That’s the point. That’s the reason for the truth. And that’s exactly what the last two verses of today’s text illustrate for us.
*Luke 3:21-22
21 Now it came about when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
So you can readily see what’s going on in Luke 3. John the Baptist preaches. He tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The reaction is that most scoff, laugh, walk away, and some even plot to rid themselves of the messenger. But what is the result of preaching the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
The result is that the Father is glorified in the Son. And for the first time we see the Holy Trinity of God. The Spirit descends upon the Son and the Father audibly voices His approval. What a picture! What an example! What a lesson! May God give all of us the courage, the spiritual strength, perseverance, great faith, and love to tell the truth. Regardless of the reaction, the result will be that God will be glorified in Jesus Christ.
~ Pray ~