True Preaching

Luke 3:7-9 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.”
 
ONE walking into John’s church to determine if they liked what he saw and heard would be likely to quickly leave, wouldn’t he? Certainly, too, most church attenders would soon depart if their pastor addressed them as, “You brood of vipers!” In fact, mentioning any aspect of God’s Word that reminds a church attender of their shortcomings and sins is taboo, isn’t it? We want to go to church to be happy and leave church feeling good about ourselves.
    Or do we? Actually, we should want to be awakened to our sins. We should mourn our affronts against God. Yes, we can leave church happy when we repent and know our confessions lead to God’s forgiveness.
    Consider this. Have you ever changed a bad habit if you felt good about it? Change comes when we regret our words and actions that violate God’s law and hurt others. The only way we will seek God’s Word to truly want to change is to be as  hungry and thirsty as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” When you love God, you know the only way to be satisfied in your soul is to listen closely to God’s words.
    Yes, when John called the Jews, “brood of vipers” his harsh words were to awaken the Jews to sin. He knew that some of the Jews who came out to be baptized by him did so only for show. They desired only man’s approval. These Jews were as many people today who come to church each Sunday, unconcerned about their sins. Their lives remain unchanged. They move toward their destruction because they do not hunger for God’s truth.
    And have you considered how Jesus preached in the same manner? The Lord of Love who commands us to “Love one another.” actually preached Matthew 23:33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”
    Why did the prophets, John and Jesus, and then later the apostles make such harsh references to peoples’ sin? Perhaps the best way to answer this is in the apostle John’s words from 1 John 3:8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. Listen and know: Love is the reason for the harsh words. The prophets, the Christ and the apostles used such language to awaken the self-righteous sinners to their souls’ danger. They loved the world so much they couldn’t keep quiet. People need to know there is a problem before they will seek the way to redeem the problem.
    If your soul becomes uncomfortable about your sin when you are listening to a sermon, you are hearing a good sermon. Pay attention to what God is saying to you. Thank the Holy Spirit for opening your heart to feel bad. He is convicting you to thirst for the truth. This kind of desire will lead you to a true heart change for Jesus’ gospel. Submit to the truth and find joy in the Lord.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for your loving preaching. Amen.