Title: THE ROAD TO

BETHLEHEM’S SAVIOR

Focus: John the Baptizer calls us to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus to usher in his kingdom for all nations to see and enter into.

Function: To engage the people in self-examination and in committing themselves to Jesus and his influence.

Text: Luke 3:1-20

Advent is about the comings of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the first Sunday of Advent, the scriptures lead us to focus on Christ’s final coming in glory and power. The second and third Sundays of Advent introduce us to scriptures that guide us to reflect upon Christ’s present-day comings in our lives and spheres of influence. The fourth Sunday of Advent turns our attention to Christ’s first coming in the flesh.

Thus we notice that the season of Advent leads us on the road to Bethlehem’s Savior. And when we get to Bethlehem, the church observes a Christmas season of 12 days to celebrate the significance of Christ’s birth and work in our world.

On this second Sunday of Advent, we encounter in the Scriptures John the Baptizer. Shaped by the Scriptures, moved by the Spirit and the word of God, disciplined and hardened by wilderness living, John the Baptizer fearlessly and prophetically confronts us today.

He calls us to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus to usher in his kingdom for all nations to see and to enter into.

As we listen to John’s preaching and sacramental action of baptizing people, we cannot remain neutral. For John engages us in self-examination; and he challenges us to commit ourselves to Jesus and his royal, heavenly influence.

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In his gospel account, Luke places John the Baptizer within the tradition of the O.T. prophets. John fits the bill of Isaiah’s prophecy centuries ago, when God spoke through Isaiah, saying: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘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 mankind will see God’s salvation.’”

I think of John as a trumpeter, who trumpets the coming of the Savior. He is a first class herald announcing good news to the people. I think of John as a “bulldozer.” He enters the scene of history, making a pathway for Jesus to usher in his kingdom. Everything that gets in the way for you and me to welcome Christ and his saving rule in our lives must be flattened or removed.

John, the Baptizer and bulldozer, paves the way for us to follow. In light of John’s message today, we learn that the road to Bethlehem’s Savior calls for four responses from us:

#1. Leave behind all self-reliance: When John spoke to his Jewish countrymen and women, he knew what they were thinking. They claimed that John’s message about repentance and about the coming of God’s kingdom was bunk—not for them. They sought to rely upon their religious heritage. Weren’t they the people of the covenant? Weren’t they circumcised? Did not they have the blood of their father Abraham coursing through their veins? Weren’t they God’s chosen people? In short, they relied upon themselves and their religious heritage.

But John reminds them—and us—that God’s kingdom cannot be entered into and God’s salvation cannot be ours by virtue of our religious heritage or nationality. The road to Bethlehem’s Savior has a stop sign, saying “Leave behind all self-reliance.” Listen: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 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.”

We tend to think that the good news centers on us, on who we are or on what we do: self-reliant, basically good people, and deserving of God’s blessings, including eternal life. Wrong! On the road to Bethlehem’s Savior, we must learn to travel empty-handed. We are beggars, totally dependent upon God’s grace in Jesus Christ.

#2. Leave behind a life of sin and corruption: How shall we meet the Lord Jesus Christ today? With a contrite heart. With acts of repentance; with a life-style of daily conversion; with genuine sorrow for past and present sins; and with a deep awareness that faith in Christ Jesus calls for fruit or acts of repentance. Thus John can say: “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.”

No, John does not teach that we can save ourselves by our bootstraps of good works or moral or ethical acts. Only God in Jesus Christ can save us from the predicament of sin, Satan and death. Rather, John is saying that the road to Bethlehem’s Savior calls for fruit that grows from the tree of faith.

When we set our GPS of trust on Bethlehem’s Savior—resting and relying on him to save us and govern us with his Holy Spirit unto eternal life—we must leave behind the smut of sinful living. The road to Bethlehem’s Savior is marked with road signs that say: “No more littering of willful sins and trashy behavior. Acts of faith that reflect the glory and righteousness of Christ the Savior are now called for.”

Daily dying to our sins or leaving behind a sinful lifestyle does NOT mean that we become hermits, or leave our present jobs. Rather, we seek to commit ourselves to do what is right in the eyes of God.

Thus to the crowds in general, John says: “The man with tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.” And to the hated tax collectors in Israel, John says: “Don’t collect any more than you are required to.” In other words, stop ripping off people. And to Roman soldiers in the midst of the crowd, John does NOT say, “leave the army of Caesar and abolish the military service.” Rather, John says: “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

So let me make it crystal clear: Today the Scriptures calls us to examine ourselves as we travel on the road to Bethlehem’s Savior: Am I the empty-handed beggar who refuses to rely upon myself for salvation? Am I a contrite, genuine repentant sinner seeking to produce fruit or daily acts of righteousness that arise from faith and honor the will of God?

#3. The third response from us on the road to Bethlehem’s Savior is this: Put your trust or faith in Christ Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world: The people in John’s days were expecting a Messiah, a Savior anointed by God to lead the Israelites back to a golden age of national fervor and glory—like in the days of Solomon. They were waiting for someone--so strong and powerful—to drive out the hatred Roman occupiers in the land. Thus they said to John: “Are you possibly the Christ, the Anointed One.”

John, however, is adamant in his reply: “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” In other words, says John, this Jesus who is to come and usher in God’s kingdom and brings salvation for the nations to see and enter into—he is far greater than I. It turns out that Jesus is the eternal Son of God in the flesh—who died for our sins; who conquered the powers of death and hell; and who opened the gateway to eternal life as he rose from the dead.

It is Jesus in whom we are to put our trust. All other so- called “saviors” are fakes or phonies; they are idols. It’s not the god of the Muslims, or the gods of Hindus and Buddhists that can save. It’s not material gods such as money, gold, or wealth that can save. It’s not elected officials, kings or tyrants that can save us from our sins and the wrath of God. It’s only Jesus Christ—the eternal Son of God in the flesh.

Put your trust in him! Why? Listen: “(Jesus’) 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.”

Ah, this Jesus is strong and mighty. He will deal with all the powers of opposition and rebellion against his rule—in heaven and on earth.

He has already done so in principle on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. His death and resurrection testify to his awesome might. He will finish the work of judgment and conquest by establishing his everlasting kingdom when he comes again, at the end of time, when he will judge the living and the dead. Today, on your road to Bethlehem’s Savior, take note of that awesome road sign that says: “Put your life, your faith entirely in Jesus Christ—the eternal Son of God in the flesh.”

One more thing:

# 4. Brace yourself: There is no greater joy and gift from God than to go through life and death with Jesus Christ as our Savior. True! But brace yourself and be prepared: the road of salvation in Christ Jesus is narrow and, at times, rocky and scary to negotiate. Listen to Luke’s closing comment in the passage for today: “But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.” Joel Osteen and many other preachers of a health and wealth, prosperity gospel want you to believe that being a follower of Christ is basically the same as living a glorified American way of prosperity and life. They preach another “gospel,” however, that is no good news at all. Christ crucified is whom we follow.

There will be times of danger; times when we must make unpopular, counter-cultural stances. There are moments we must draw boundary lines. Christians cannot believe whatever they feel their gut is telling them what’s right. Christians cannot engage in activities sanctioned by governments but specified by Scriptures as immoral and sinful. Daily repentance and making sacrifices are part and parcel of going through life and death with Bethlehem’s Savior.

It’s like Jesus said to his disciples just before his death and resurrection: (John 16:20ff)“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So it is with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Brace yourself. Center your life in Jesus Christ; leave behind any self-reliance, and let genuine sorrow lead you to acts of faith and righteousness pleasing to God. These are the signs that mark the road to Bethlehem’s Savior. Pay attention to the signs! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.