1 - Exploring Faith : What Should We Do? (Luke 3:1-18)

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09-02-2008 19:18

Jeff Fry
Joined on 07-31-2006
Lichfield, UK
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1 - Exploring Faith : What Should We Do? (Luke 3:1-18)

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What Should We Do?

by Jeff Fry

Luke 3:1-18 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 desert. ³He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴As 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. ⁵Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. ⁶And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" ⁷John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸Produce 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. ⁹The 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. ¹¹John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." ¹²Tax 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. ¹⁴Then 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." ¹⁵The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. ¹⁶John 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. ¹⁷His 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." ¹⁸And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.

Thesis: We must ask ourselves what it is that God calls us to do.

I. Intro

A. Exploring Faith Series

1. In the next few weeks we will explore the Christian faith and ask ourselves some important and fundamental questions to see what answers Christianity offers to these questions.

2. I want to create a safe forum for asking any question that one wants to ask in order to explore the answers that Christianity offers.

3. The answers and explorations may surprise you.

4. We will tackle things like:

a) How do we know what God is like?

b) What does God ask of us?

c) Why does one need faith - aren't I ok just as I am?

d) Isn't being a good person just good enough for God - why do I need faith?

e) Why would someone want to believe or have faith?

f) How does one get started in developing a faith ?

g) What are some blind alleys that could lead one in the wrong way spiritually?

h) What are some of the things in today's world that can steer one off-path spiritually speaking?

i) What are the benefits of having a faith?

j) Are all faiths the same?

B. What should I do?

1. This is an important question in any endeavour and maybe even more important when considering how to develop faith.

a) When one wants to become an accountant he goes to school to become one

b) when one wants to become a glassblower then one finds an internship and learns the trade.

c) But if you want to develop your faith what do you do? That is the question we find the crowd asking John the Baptist in the beginning of the gospel of Luke.

II. What Should We Do?

A. State

1. But first lets make some observations: In Luke 3:1-2 the author (Luke) gives us information about the current rulers of the time to remind us that he is writing a historical document. The events and people in his account happened and he is reporting history. Therefore, John the Baptist really lived and Jesus really lived and walked the earth in a particular place and time.

2. Also, besides the New Testament, there are early non-Christian written references to Jesus.

a) Tacitus (born AD 52-54) , a Roman historian, in AD 112 , Govenor of Asia, alludes to the death of Christ while writing of the reign of Nero.

b) Lucian (of Samosata), a satirist of the second century, he derided Christ and said, "… the man who was crucified in Palestine because He introduced this new cult into the world …"

(1) Jonathan Ross of the ancient world!

c) Josephus (born AD 37), a Jewish historianthose that loved Him at the first did not forsake Him; for He appeared to them alive again in the third day…"(

d) and Pharisee wrote the following about Jesus:

(1) "now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call Him a man, for He was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure … He was the Christ and when Pilate , at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned Him to the cross those that loved Him at the first did not forsake Him; for He appeared to them alive again in the third day…"(Antiquities, xviii. 33)

3. So there was good evidence from unbiased, non-christian sources that Jesus was a historical person.

4. That's important. While people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hutchins can sidestep God by just proclaiming that they don't believe that he exists, they can't sidestep Jesus. He was a real man in a real place at a real time.

5. In Luke 3:2-3 it says

a) " the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. ³He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

b) So, God was using John the Baptist to prepare people for the coming of Jesus

c) And people were coming to see John for spiritual advice. After all his father Zechariah was a great spiritual leader, and most likely he would be one too. So when John said he had heard from the Lord, the people went to hear him.

d) At best this crowd was seeking God and at the very least they were "exploring faith" which is the title of our series!

6. So, what was John's advice to these would-be seekers of God?

a) Was it "all paths lead to God so just be devout in whatever path you take"? I call this the "Any" Method of Spirituality. Many in our day are set on embracing the "big 3 religions" (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) into one religion. This is impossible as there are many areas of disagreement among them - e.g. while Christians and Jews believe in the same God, Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah while Jews vehemently reject this.

b) Was it "Combine whatever faiths work for you into your own, personal spiritual soup and run with that." I call this the "Pick 'n Mix" attitude toward spirituality. Maybe reiki plus Hinduistic yoga is what you find helpful. Then go for it!

c) Maybe it was the "Just be a good person" approach to God? You know "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and do your best to do the right thing". I call this the "Goody Two-shoes" approach to spirituality.

d) Maybe it was the "follow me" approach (ie. John). This is what I call the "Guru" approach to spirituality - when a man sets himself up as the be all and end all of spiritual truth and says to follow him. Jim Jones did this in the late 1970's and it ended in the mass suicide of over 900 people.

7. But in Luke 3:15 John sets out the Christian way to God very clearly .

a) verse 15 says that all the people were gathered around waiting expectantly for his answer and hoping that he would proclaim himself the Messiah. It must have been tempting. If there ever was a time to grab the limelight and have people follow him and be their leader now was the time for John to do it (the people were hungry for it, he was at the prime of his ministry, his preaching was going well and he had a following). Yet, he knows that this would be absolutely destructive. Instead he points the people away from himself and to Christ!

b) He says that he is nothing compared to the Christ who will come.

c) This is a good principle to remember: if we want to find God then Jesus will show us the way to God. And if a friend or someone asks us how they can find God, the answer is simple: follow Jesus. You don't have to have a degree in theology to help someone find faith and you don't have to have all the answers.

(1) In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

(2) To direct yourself or others to someone other than to Jesus is to go in the direction of destruction.

(3) Jesus rightly understood will always lead one into goodness and life but if you open yourselves to other spirits you will be defiled.

B. Illustrate

1. The Medieval Church came off the rails because it lost this focus on Jesus.

a) It took advantage of the ignorance of the people who were unable to read the Latin Bible.

b) It Focused on ritual

c) It focused on money in order to build church buildings in Vatican city Rome

d) Pretty soon it was mainly focused on indulgences which people had to buy in order to obtain forgiveness of sins.

2. This spurred the protestant reformation which returned the people to a focus on Christ and the cross-work of Christ

a) (see pic of Martin Luther pointing the congregation to Christ)

C. Apply

1. That's why you will never here me say "follow me" or " follow this church" .

2. Paul says "follow me as I follow Christ".

3. Christ is our leader, the "head of the church" (Ephesians 5) because only He can lead us to God since He is the son of God.

a) Christ is the best representative of God

b) John 14:9 Jesus says, "… anyone who has seen me has seen the Father [God]…"

c) 1John 2:23 says, "… whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also"

d) 2 John 1:9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

4. Well-known atheists Richard Dawkins who was on the tele not long ago may be able to deny the existence of God, but he can't so easily avoid the historical person of Jesus.

5. In John 10:30 Jesus said, "I and the Father are one".

6. In the coming weeks we will look more closely at Jesus as we explore what it means to have faith in the 21st century.

III. Conclusion

Rev Jeff Fry

Darwin Park Community Church
Lichfield, UK

Filed under: exploring faith, what should we do, luke 3:1-18, martin luther

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DPCC Faith Talks

1 - Exploring Faith : What Should We Do? (Luke 3:1-18)

09-02-2008 19:18

1 - Exploring Faith : What Should We Do? (Luke 3:1-18)

I. Intro

A. Exploring Faith Series

1. In the next few weeks we will explore the Christian faith and ask ourselves some important and fundamental questions to see what answers Christianity offers to these questions.

2. I want to create a safe forum for asking any question that one wants to ask in order to explore the answers that Christianity offers.

3. The answers and explorations may surprise you.

4. We will tackle things like:

a) How do we know what God is like?

b) What does God ask of us?

c) Why does one need faith - aren't I ok just as I am?

d) Isn't being a good person just good enough for God - why do I need faith?

e) Why would someone want to believe or have faith?

f) How does one get started in developing a faith ?

g) What are some blind alleys that could lead one in the wrong way spiritually?

h) What are some of the things in today's world that can steer one off-path spiritually speaking?

i) What are the benefits of having a faith?

j) Are all faiths the same?

B. What should I do?

1. This is an important question in any endeavour and maybe even more important when considering how to develop faith.

a) When one wants to become an accountant he goes to school to become one

b) when one wants to become a glassblower then one finds an internship and learns the trade.

c) But if you want to develop your faith what do you do? That is the question we find the crowd asking John the Baptist in the beginning of the gospel of Luke.

II. What Should We Do?

A. State

2. Also, besides the New Testament, there are early non-Christian written references to Jesus.

a) Tacitus (born AD 52-54) , a Roman historian, in AD 112 , Govenor of Asia, alludes to the death of Christ while writing of the reign of Nero.

b) Lucian (of Samosata), a satirist of the second century, he derided Christ and said, "… the man who was crucified in Palestine because He introduced this new cult into the world …"

(1) Jonathan Ross of the ancient world!

c) Josephus (born AD 37), a Jewish historianthose that loved Him at the first did not forsake Him; for He appeared to them alive again in the third day…"(

d) and Pharisee wrote the following about Jesus:

3. So there was good evidence from unbiased, non-christian sources that Jesus was a historical person.

4. That's important. While people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hutchins can sidestep God by just proclaiming that they don't believe that he exists, they can't sidestep Jesus. He was a real man in a real place at a real time.

5. In Luke 3:2-3 it says

a) " 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."

b) So, God was using John the Baptist to prepare people for the coming of Jesus

c) And people were coming to see John for spiritual advice. After all his father Zechariah was a great spiritual leader, and most likely he would be one too. So when John said he had heard from the Lord, the people went to hear him.

d) At best this crowd was seeking God and at the very least they were "exploring faith" which is the title of our series!

6. So, what was John's advice to these would-be seekers of God?

b) Was it "Combine whatever faiths work for you into your own, personal spiritual soup and run with that." I call this the "Pick 'n Mix" attitude toward spirituality. Maybe reiki plus Hinduistic yoga is what you find helpful. Then go for it!

c) Maybe it was the "Just be a good person" approach to God? You know "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and do your best to do the right thing". I call this the "Goody Two-shoes" approach to spirituality.

d) Maybe it was the "follow me" approach (ie. John). This is what I call the "Guru" approach to spirituality - when a man sets himself up as the be all and end all of spiritual truth and says to follow him. Jim Jones did this in the late 1970's and it ended in the mass suicide of over 900 people.

7. But in Luke 3:15 John sets out the Christian way to God very clearly .

b) He says that he is nothing compared to the Christ who will come.

(1) In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

(2) To direct yourself or others to someone other than to Jesus is to go in the direction of destruction.

(3) Jesus rightly understood will always lead one into goodness and life but if you open yourselves to other spirits you will be defiled.

B. Illustrate

1. The Medieval Church came off the rails because it lost this focus on Jesus.

a) It took advantage of the ignorance of the people who were unable to read the Latin Bible.

b) It Focused on ritual

c) It focused on money in order to build church buildings in Vatican city Rome

d) Pretty soon it was mainly focused on indulgences which people had to buy in order to obtain forgiveness of sins.

2. This spurred the protestant reformation which returned the people to a focus on Christ and the cross-work of Christ

a) (see pic of Martin Luther pointing the congregation to Christ)

C. Apply

1. That's why you will never here me say "follow me" or " follow this church" .

2. Paul says "follow me as I follow Christ".

3. Christ is our leader, the "head of the church" (Ephesians 5) because only He can lead us to God since He is the son of God.

a) Christ is the best representative of God

b) John 14:9 Jesus says, "… anyone who has seen me has seen the Father [God]…"

c) 1John 2:23 says, "… whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also"

d) 2 John 1:9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

4. Well-known atheists Richard Dawkins who was on the tele not long ago may be able to deny the existence of God, but he can't so easily avoid the historical person of Jesus.

5. In John 10:30 Jesus said, "I and the Father are one".

6. In the coming weeks we will look more closely at Jesus as we explore what it means to have faith in the 21st century.

III. Conclusion

a) " the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. ³He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."