Prepare the Way of the Lord
Luke 3:1-18[1]
1-2-05
The action in our text this morning begins with a powerful Hebrew statement. Luke 3:2 “...the word of the Lord came to John...” When God wants to strike a holy match and set His people on fire, that is the match He uses—“the word of the Lord came”.[2] Business picks up when the word of the Lord comes. The Greek word in our text is rhema rather than logos. It was not the whole of truth that came to him; but a specific message from God. [3] Just a few words can bring amazing results when it is a word from God. “The word of the Lord came to John.”
I was greatly encouraged when I thumbed through the Bible and looked at times when “the word of the Lord” came. I want to share with you a few highlights of those occasions.
In Gen. 15 Abraham was weary from a battle in which he rescued Lot. He was discouraged because God’s promise to him concerning a son had not come to pass. Since it wasn’t happening he had even come up with an alternate plan. Listen to what he says to God in verse 3, “And Abram said, ‘You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Got any promises from God that has not yet come to pass?
Now watch God light a new fire of hope in the mind and heart of Abraham. Gen 15:4
“Then the word of the LORD came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.’ 5 He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” Isn’t that precious the way God helped and encouraged Abraham’s faith? When I read that passage I see a loving Father tenderly taking his son by the hand and leading him outside the tent and directing his attention to the vast heaven above. Genesis 15:5 He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” From that day forward every time Abraham looked at those stars he was reminded of God’s promise to him. Abraham’s response is in the next verse, “6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Faith is strengthened when “the word of the Lord” comes.
1 Kings 18:1 “After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: ‘Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.’” “The word of the Lord came to Elijah...I will send rain...” Do you remember how Elijah responded to that word? He confronted the prophets of Baal and called the people back to God. Here’s something I like about Elijah. He spoke in faith the word that God had put in his heart. 1 Kings 18:41 “Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.’” (NKJV). Does anybody hear “the sound of abundance of rain” for 2005? I think I may be hearing some holy thunder in the spiritual realm. This is a good example of a true word of faith. Speaking in faith is not me coming up with what I want God to say and then confessing in such a way that He has to do it. Elijah was simply speaking what God had already said to him. It took faith because externally there was nothing happening to verify that word. They ground was just as cracked and dry as it had ever been. There was no one cloud in the sky. But Elijah had this in his heart, the word of the Lord had come to Elijah. His response to “the word of the Lord” was not passive in any way. We see him on the top of Mount Carmel interceding for the rain God had promised. A word from the Lord is a call to spiritual activity, not some apathetic wait and see mentality. Six times he sent his servant to look for some token of God’s answer to prayer. Six times the servant came back with nothing to report. But on the seventh time—if we can just persevere to the seventh time—on the seventh time the servant reported “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” I think the servant may have been a bit apologetic about such a small token of promise. Could you expect a might outpouring based on a tiny cloud the size of a man’s hand? I grew up in the panhandle of Texas and I never saw a “gully washer” rain come from a cloud as small as a man’s hand. Before a huge outpouring of rain the sky would be full of dark, rolling clouds. It doesn’t require much faith when the sky looks like that. Everybody believes its going to rain when the sky is full of thunder clouds. I don’t think this servant was especially excited about that tiny cloud as small as a man’ hand. But that was not all that Elijah had to go on—for earlier “the word of the Lord” had come to Elijah.
Listen to faith-packed words of Elijah to his servant. 1 Kings 18:44 “...Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’” (NKJV) Only a man with a word from the Lord can speak with that kind of confidence. The horrible drought in Israel was broken. The change began in verse 1 “After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah...”
Isa 38:4 “Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: ‘Go and tell Hezekiah, This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.” God wants to say to somebody this morning, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears...and I will deliver you and this city...” Hezekiah needed a physical healing. He had sought God for an answer. Then the word of the LORD came ...” There was healing in that word. Ps 107:20 “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (NKJV) The deliverance was not just for Hezekiah; it affected the whole city. “I will deliver you and this city.”
The coming of the word of the Lord is all through the book of Jeremiah.
It launched his ministry. Jer 1:4 “The word of the LORD came to me, saying,‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” The greatest qualification for ministry is not a Seminary degree, as helpful as that might be. It is not a good personality and great people skills. It’s not musical talent nor oratory ability. All of those can be helpful. But none will replace this one thing, “The word of the LORD came to me...” Do you feel unqualified? Here is the great qualifier “The word of the LORD came to me...”[4]
Is anyone here facing an impossible situation? Jer 32:26 “Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: ‘I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?’” There is power in the word of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were formed. The word of the Lord carries with it it’s own capacity for fulfillment. The angel, Gabriel, said to Mary, “For with God no rhema will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37) Something is lost in translations that simply say “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Whatever God says is full of explosive possibility..
Are you baffled by life’s experiences? Is there something going on in your life that simply does not make sense? Jer 33:1 “While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a second time: 2 ‘This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it--the LORD is his name: 3’Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” Here is God’s free-man “confined in the courtyard of the guard.” It doesn’t make sense. Is the arm of the Lord too short to deliver His servant? No, He is the One who made the earth and established it. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” God can give us answers in 2005 that we didn’t have in 2004. There are plenty of things we do not know. But we know One who has all the answers. Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Our part is to call on the Lord. Are you calling on Him for the answers?
Jonah 3:1 “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’” Aren’t you glad the word of the Lord can come “a second time.” When it came the first time Jonah failed to obey. Here is the amazing grace of God--“Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time...” Did you miss some opportunity in the past? Did you fail to obey a calling? Did you enter into a marriage that failed? Did you run from the will of God rather than to it? Perhaps this is for you. “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time...”
Zech 8:1-8 “Again the word of the LORD Almighty came to me. 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her." 3 This is what the LORD says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."
4 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. 5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there."
6 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?" declares the LORD Almighty. 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. 8 I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God."
Do you know what the word of the Lord did in that passage? It revealed the heart of God toward His people. We stumble along in our efforts to serve God—so much imperfection. How will we ever arrive at our destination? How will we ever be called “the City of Truth” with so much frailty and imperfection? The zeal of the Lord will accomplish it. He will come not because we deserve it but because it is His heart toward us. “This is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem..’” That is His heart toward us.
Now come back with me to our text and appreciate the significance of that one statement in Luke 3:2 “the word of the Lord came to John”.
It came to a man ready to receive it. John had probably been in that wilderness for a full decade. As the son of a priest he could have entered the priesthood when he was 20 years old. He could have been living in comfort and wearing linen garments. He could have been in the temple. But that’s not where John spent those 10 years of preparation. He spent them in a hot, dry dessert.[5] God’s training program is usually more demanding than the status quo. It takes character to carry the anointing of God and faithfully deliver the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord came to a man in the wilderness. The lesson is this: Be where God puts you. The way to success in the world is to know the right people and move in the right circles. The way to success in the kingdom of God is to be available to the Holy Spirit.
What was John’s word? “Prepare the way of the Lord”. Those are the words I heard in my spirit that drew me to this text. As we enter into 2005 how can we prepare the way of the Lord?
1st we must receive the word of the Lord. Before anyone will prepare, that person must be convinced there is something to prepare for. Current events have heightened our awareness of the importance of preparation. So much of the tragic loss of life in Asia could have been avoided with the right preparations. Now people all over the world are trying to determine how a proper warning system can be put in place in that part of the world, should another earthquake of that magnitude occur. This is so often the way we operate. After the event we talk about preparations. But the value of preparation comes when it is done before the event. Jesus gave the parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25. Five were prepared. Five were not prepared. When the bridegroom arrived the five foolish virgins were scurrying to prepare. But timing is everything. The point of the parable is we have to prepare in advance.
John went before Jesus telling them to prepare for His coming. Only those who received that word were ready. Several of Jesus’ disciples had probably been John’s disciples.[6] They had heard the word of the Lord and prepared themselves.
2. We must make the appropriate preparations for the coming of the Lord. I could say that concerning Jesus’ second coming. Our life should be characterized by a holy anticipation of His return.[7] The New Testament makes that abundantly clear. But this morning I want to apply the principle to anytime the Lord is about to manifest Himself in a special way. God is everywhere. He is omnipresent. So in one way He is always there. The Holy Spirit resides in every believer. So in a sense He never leaves us. But there are times when God comes on the scene for special purposes. That happened at Mount Sinai. It happened when Israel crossed the Jordan into the Promise Land. It happened at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. It most certainly happened on the Day of Pentecost. It happened at the revival in Samaria when Phillip preached. It happened at the house of Cornelius and at Philippi and Ephesus and Corinth. It happened in Argentina and at Toronto and Brownsville in resent years. I know about the preparations that went on before that revival. I know about the preparations that those in Brownsville made. It came to a people prepared to receive it.
To prepare the way of the Lord is primarily a matter of preparing our hearts for intimacy with Him. The key preparation John spoke about was repentance—not only a change of mind and attitude but a change of behavior that accompanies that. In verse 8 John told the people to “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” They asked for more specifics. So he gave them the practical application for their individual lives and in doing so showed them why they were not prepared. Luke 3:10 “What should we do then?" the crowd asked. John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." The general issue here is selfishness, stinginess, materialism. Anybody here have two tunics? Anybody have a closet full of tunics?
Verse 12 “Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" 13 "Don’t collect any more than you are required to," he told them.” (Dishonest gain—a little lie here and there—a little leaven in the business dealings)
Verse 14 “Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely-be content with your pay."
Godliness with contentment is great gain.[8] Notice how money is such an issue for these people. Why does John hit covetousness so hard? Because it is the most prevalent of all sins and it will rob us of God’s best. “No man can serve two masters.”[9] It is very, very easy for good people to get caught up in the pursuit of things and miss God’s purpose for their lives.
How do we prepare the way of the Lord? We prepare our hearts through prayer and meditation. We prepare our hearts by dealing with the little foxes that spoil the vine.
I think the Lord is speaking to us about some deep house cleaning—in our hearts. There is probably no one here committing adultery or plotting a murder. But what about the spiritual cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling? Sometimes we’ve got to get a ladder and clean the light fixtures. The house may be generally clean but still there are times we must wash the windows and clean the chimney. This is a time of year that we are usually more aware of those kind of things than at others. Some are cleaning out your garage for the first time this year and its something I really need to do.
Are there any little corners in the heart that need to be prepared? (Perhaps a lack of discipline in some area or an attitude of ingratitude) Is anyone entering the New Year with a bit of unforgiveness toward a brother or sister in the Lord? It’s easy to tolerate things in our hearts that simply should not be tolerated. Those are the kind of obstacles that we deal with when we prepare the way of the Lord.
Invitation
TEXT: Luke 3:1-18
3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar-when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene- 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
"A voice of one calling in the desert, ’Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’" 7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ’We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." 10 "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. 11 John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" 13 "Don’t collect any more than you are required to," he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"
He replied, "Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely-be content with your pay." 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." 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them. (from New International Version)
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] Text which was read at the beginning of the service is available at the end of this manuscript. Bible quotes are in the New International Version unless otherwise indicated.
[2] Consider actually striking a match when this is said.
[3] G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to Luke (Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1992) p.47. Also see Robertson New Testament Word Pictures on this verse.
[4] Campbell, pp. 47-48
[5] Ibid p.47
[6] John 1:35-40 is a strong indication of this.
[7] A good illustration of this can be found in the movie, Elf. Recommend the following sections: Begin at 0:25:40 to 0:26:36 plus 0:27:13 to 31:01 plus 0:31:54 to 0:32:10. See www.elfmovie.com
[8] 1 Timothy 6:6
[9] Luke 16:13
