Incarnation: Prophecy, Waiting, & Preparation 12/08/2019

Pastor Pete Hartwig

Sermon Notes

Preparation – Waiting – Getting ready for the birth of Jesus

 

UVA – Clemson –

 

SIRI says: Trounced, soundly defeated, definitively defeated,  Crushed, subjugated  – “siri – the voice of the devil

 

SUBJUGATED: to bring under complete control or subjection; conquer; master, subdue, to make submissive or subservient

 

“First world problem”: We are not fearing life and limb.

 

HIGH church readings – John the Baptist –  getting ready!

 

SLIDE: Matthew 3:1-6, :8 John the Baptist Prepares the Way

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,make straight paths for him.’ John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

 

400 hundred years of silence

John is an OT prophet

Isaiah the prophet

 

Matthew 1:23  “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[a] (which means “God with us”).    (Isaiah 7:14)

 

GQ magazine

 

 

People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

 

CONFESSING THEIR SINS –  getting ready for Jesus

Confession: fess up.  I was on this path and you say to the Spirit off the path.

 

Forgiveness –   Peace is given to us –  Produces JOY!!!

 

My acceptance and freedom in God’s presence leads to a changed heart.

 

 

SLIDE: LUKE 3:1-6 John the Baptist Prepares the Way

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— during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“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.’”

 

 

BIBLICAL HISTORIAN =

 The opening verses of the chapter tell us the names of some who were rulers and governors in the earth, when the ministry of John the Baptist began. It is a melancholy list, and full of instruction. There is hardly a name in it which is not infamous for wickedness. Tiberius, and Pontius Pilate, and Herod, and his brother, and Annas, and Caiaphas, were men of whom we know little or nothing but evil. The earth seemed given into the hands of the wicked. When such were the rulers, what must the people have been?

 

THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS –

 

Annas = He was appointed to the high priesthood about A.D. 6 by Quirinius, governor of Syria. When Jesus was arrested, He was taken for His first mock trial to stand before Annas.  After Pentecost, Annas led other priests in questioning Peter and the other church leaders

 

Caiaphas = The high priest at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. He was the son-in-law of Annas and a leader in the plot to have Jesus arrested and executed. He sat as high priest over the second illegal night trial of Jesus and then over the “trial” of Peter and John in Acts, this event marking the beginning of the persecution of the Body of Christ.

 

Political strategy, corruption and selfishness

 

Political and Religious (same thing)

NO HOPE HERE…

 

The people have been SUBJUGATED by coruption: to bring under complete control or subjection; conquer; master, subdue, to make submissive or subservient

 

What could anyone do?

 

!!! A glimmer of HOPE!!

 

  1. :2 Word of the Lord came to John in the wilderness…

 

 

THE WILDERNESS

 

Difficult , Just enough, Alone, Trust in God, Utter dependence

 

No way to make it –

Stuff you have trusted – faltered

 

 

John’s challenge: repentance (metanoia in Greek)  means literally to change one’s mind, turn around, reorient oneself.

 

Confession isn’t repentance!

 

Repentance is when you walk back towards the path you came off of.

 

Repentance = RETURN!!!

 

 

SLIDE: Feet to Your Faith

SLIDE Luke 3:8-15

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. 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, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

12 Even tax collectors 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 Messiah.

 

Confess, REPENT – get ready!