Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan river,
preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of
their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. Isaiah had spoken of John
when he said,
“He
is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare
the way for the lord’s
coming! Clear
the road for him! The
valleys will be filled, and
the mountains and hills made level. The
curves will be straightened, and
the rough places made smooth. And
then all people will see the
salvation sent from God.’”
When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of
snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you
live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to
each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means
nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very
stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the
roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be
chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If
you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
“What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And
be content with your pay.”
Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were
eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. John answered their
questions by saying, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon
who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his
slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with
his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the
wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” LUKE 3:3-17 NLT
PREPARATION PROVIDES THE PROOF
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned
to God. Don’t just say to
each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means
nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very
stones. LUKE 3:8 NLT
PREPARATION PROVIDES THE PLAN
The crowds asked, “What should we do?” John replied, “If you have two shirts,
give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are
hungry.” Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked,
“Teacher, what should we do?” He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the
government requires.” “What should we do?” asked some soldiers. John
replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with
your pay.” LUKE 3:10-14 NLT
PREPARATION PRECEDES THE PAYOFF
John answered their questions by saying, “I baptize
you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater
than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie
the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with
fire. LUKE 3:16 NLT