The Gospel of Luke - Week 8

All right, so we're continuing and Luke 3 it might it's funny. Mike asked me which where where we were Which chapter we were innocent. We're going to be in Luke 3 and then you ask how long are we going to be in Luke? It looks like it's going to be a long time. They were going to be in we're going to break it up with it will take some some breaks here and there we got our our summer in the Psalms thing. We started this last year that I think we're going to keep going. So, you know, if if you taking a long time through Luke scares you just think of this it'll take like 15 years to get through the Psalms if we do 10 a year. What time are fireworks at the long time? We're in this for the Long Haul and it's good for us. Actually, it's funny. Right how many of us started on January 1st a year through the bible program anybody? I did not a year. I'm doing it 90 days again. Okay. Nobody find this won't work. I said a lot of people start year Through the Bible reading like a year in the Bible, right? He said what if instead of taking a year to read the whole Bible you pick one book and read that for a year. And just pulled apart all of the pieces and looked at the structures in the words and the meanings and and just spent an entire year in one book of the Bible. I think that's a good plan a good plan. It's a good practice. And that's one of the reasons why we do what we do with our message series. We we like to spend a long time in one place because it gives us the chance to slow down to Think Through what God is saying through the authors of scripture to get cultural context and historical context and really pull all of this stuff. I'm part I'm at basically what we're doing is we're helping each other. Learn how to read the Bible better that that's really what we're doing. So if you want to take a year and read Luke, I just read Luke all year long. That's cool. Do it get after it. Don't feel like you got to cram the whole Bible into 90 days. Like I'm doing that. That's that you shouldn't try to trust me. It's hard. It's really hard to do that don't you shouldn't do that. But but I do want to encourage you to to be in the word. And if and if you want to be in Luke where we're at. I'm all for it. Get after that. Okay? Okay, that's like your free sermon that one of the real show here. I want to set the stage here. I'm hoping we can we can all agree on this statement you if you if you disagree with this statement, we need to talk about it here. Here's the statement writing words are important. It words matter. I can we all agree with that. Can we agree with the idea that is really important that when we say things that we have this common understanding of what those words mean these sounds that we make with our face holes. I heard it a comedian sick to the other day, right? This is sound coming out of my face hole. We have to understand what that means if we're going to have reasonable communication with each other. Correct, if I use some new highly technical word. Let's super lapsarianism. Do you know what that means? No, you don't I I barely know what that means. And so if you don't understand the words that I'm saying if I don't understand the words that you're saying we have a problem. We have the same kind of problems. If you have an understanding of a word that differs from my understanding of the word, I just cause is just as much trouble out here. Here's the thing what happens when this goes on as we get these mistranslations, right? You say something and I hear something else or I say something and you hear something else and Miss translations can be funny. Can we agree mistranslation semi-final to give you a couple examples this this mistranslation was on a sign in a dentist office in Hong Kong, right? So they're translating from Chinese to English. And this is what it says. It says teeth extracted by the latest methodists. Cancel this fresh methodists are in here pulling teeth. That's problem. Right? I know some good Methodist and I don't want them pulling my teeth unless they've got Dental doctor credits by their name is another one. This was on a this was on a toy package. The toy in question is a gun that shoots soap bubbles. Maybe you might my little brother had one of these went when he was little it was you know, it had a fan in it in the fan engage when he pulled the trigger and you put soap on the end and you pull the trigger. It was shoot bubbles. It was kind of cool. So this is on the package. While solution is not toxic, it will not make children edible.

While solution is not toxic, it will not make children edible. So mistranslations can be funny. However, Miss translations can also be very dangerous and they can be destroying two people and cultures so it so it I want to I want to tell you a story here. Jerome you make you might have heard of him st-jerome. Maybe you've never heard of him. St. Jerome is the patron saint of translators. And the reason he's the patron saint of translators is because Jerome undertook this task during his lifetime to translate the Bible into Latin and he wanted to do this from the original text sources, right? He wanted to translate into Latin from the Hebrew from the Greek from the Aramaic rather than using some of the other more recent translation translation of a translation. He want to do a translation from the original sources. and this was a really big deal getting the Bible into Latin it meant that more people could read the Bible more people would have the ability to understand what God was saying to his people through the words of scripture and Jerome did a pretty good job, but there are a couple places where he she didn't do a good job and it caused big problems. For example, maybe give you one here in Exodus. If you remember the story of Exodus, I just went the Israelites came out of Egypt Moses and the ten plagues in the Ten Commandments. Okay in Exodus, there's a telling of this time when Moses is coming down the mountain after having met with God after getting the Ten Commandments written on Stone by God himself and he's coming down the mountain and is he comes down the mountain people start to see it because Moses has been in the presence of God whose face is shining. It's this kind of scary thing because it does Jesus. He's literally I did not that we don't literally do this, but he is physically I'll stay that way. He is physically reflecting the glory of God in his face. And the Hebrew word there is Karan Karan car on and it means Radiance that that's what the the author of Exodus is trying to say that the Moses has a Radiance about him as he comes down the mountain but Jerome messed up the translation and instead of translating car on he translated it as Karen Karen and the problem with that is that Karen means horned?

And this resulted in centuries of these images of Moses with horns on his head. And you might say hey, that's kind of funny how the problem is this led to centuries of This Racist idea of the horned Jew if you go back and look at some of the propaganda from Nazi Germany, you'll see images of people portrayed as Jewish who have these exaggerated features including horn. And this comes from a mistranslation the Jerome made because he got some of the words a little wrong is not the only place he messed up and end this second. The second example is probably the most detrimental thing that he could have done in Matthew chapter 4, we get this picture of Jesus beginning his ministry in Matthew chapter 3 has his his baptism and then he goes and spends 40 days in the wilderness and you can go read it. You should and then in Matthew chapter 4 we get his first public sermon and this becomes the primary message of Jesus Jesus preaching he can go look this UPS Matthew 4:17, I believe and he says repent for the kingdom of God is at hand the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand now Jerome when he's translating this made a mistake when he translated repents. Because when he translated it. He said that Jesus said do penance. Do Penance for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand? And this is led to Millenia of this reinforcement of the idea that you can pay for your sin with pennants of some kind. This is where the whole structure of the Catholic idea of penance come from, right you go to confession and you get in the little box and there's a priest on the other side. And you say forgive me Father for I have sinned. It's a billion days since my last confession and the priest says tell me what you did. Okay, you need to go say 12 Hail Marys and five our fathers and do some community service and the idea there. Is that your actions. Our Penance payments for your sins. And if you will complete the pennant then your sins will be forgiven. This is a problem because that's not in the Bible. The result of a mistranslation it's a reinforcement of this human idea because Jerome made a mistake.

We need to have a clear understanding of God's word if we're going to have a clear understanding of God. how to say that again we need to have a clear understanding of God's word if we're going to have a clear understanding of God, this is one of the reasons why we have English translations of the Bible because God knew that not all of us would be able to read Hebrew and Greek I don't know if you can any of you read Hebrew and Greek. I don't under the point where I can recognize some Greek words. If I see a Greek word in a book and it's one I know is I know what that word is. I know what that word means, but I'm nowhere near being able to read it. It's not how that works. I'm not there yet. That's why I'm very thankful that God loves us enough to give us an English translations. We need to have a clear understanding of God's word for going to have a clear understanding of God. It got a speaking to us and he is we need to be able to understand what he's saying in order for us to have this relationship with him that he desires so last week Chris introduced us to John the Baptist. Thanks Kia. In the word of God comes to John will you receive this in to that that during this. Of time the word of God comes to John and John is in the wilderness and he goes about preaching this the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. Repentance for the forgiveness of sin and end many people come to here at John draws this really big diverse crowd of people you have to remember this is this I think we forget sometimes that there's been a. Of 450 some-odd years between the last Prophecy of the Old Testament and God actively engaging and saying anything to his people the way he did through the prophets. The first time this happens is when Gabriel comes to Mary and appears to Joseph and Zechariah in the temple and tells him that Jesus is going to be born and so it's been a long time since there's been something like this happening and that's a big deal to the Israelites. God is speaking again, God speaks. We should go listen. We should want to hear what he has to say, so when word starts to spread but there's a prophet in the wilderness. We got to go see that we need to go see what this guy has to say. So what does he have to say? Let's look at it so we can read it together Luke 3 starting at verse 7 going to verse 14 Luke 3 7 through 14. He being John he said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the Wrath to come bear fruits in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves. We have Abraham is Our Father for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees every tree there for that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire and the crowd asked him what then shall we do and he answered them Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none and whoever has food is to do likewise Tax Collectors also came to be baptized and said to him teacher what shall we do? And he said to them collect no more than you are authorized to do soldiers also asked him and we'd what shall we do and he said to them do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation and be content with your wages.

These are strong words. This isn't this is an a p a sermon didn't come to John's Church out the Wilderness and sing some happy songs and then get it a nice positive uplifting message. What what is he to you brood of vipers?

But how would you feel if next week you came in? And we we kind of you know, the countdown ends and I stand up and say hey, good morning. How's everybody doing today at great good. Alright, let's let's dive in. Okay, you're all snakes.

What what kind of thing does that do when you when when you hear that the Israelites no different than us. That they're not we like to think that we're better as CS Lewis calls that chronological snobbery, but they're not any different than us. We are in fact, no different than them. They were keeping up with the festivals in the laws because they were supposed to how much I have a question. How much of your life do you do because you're supposed to it's just what you do. I'm supposed to do this. there's there's a lot in our lives that we do just because we're supposed to they trusted in their lineage to buy favor with God. Are we do this all the time? This is a kind of a big deal in the last year or so in the tracing roots and lineages and then some people found that they were not quite as much a particular brand if you will as they had hoped to be and there was much fun being made of these people. You can look it up later. We can talk if you don't know what I'm talking about. But we do that we trust in our lineage we say I'm this type of person. I'm I'm German. I'm Welsh. I'm Irish. I'm Native American. I'm all of this. We trust in our lineage device favor. Or the other thing that the Israelites were doing here that we do also is they lived as if favor with God? Rested in them. I'm the one who's responsible for God's favor. If I do the right things if I say the right things if I come from the right tribe then? God has to show me favor because I've kept all the rules. I've played the game checked all the boxes.

But John doesn't give them the luxury of any of that John calls them a brood of vipers and we recognize that a strong language doesn't make a lot of sense again if I just hold off and called you all snakes. You would go that's weird. I don't know why he's doing that. But the people that John speaking to when he calls them a brood of vipers they've get this because what he's doing is he is calling back to the serpent of Genesis. You brood of vipers you offspring of the serpent in the garden.

He's saying you are the children of the serpent that deceived Eve and caused the fall of humanity.

What sounds like a funny kind of turn a phrase to us? Is he really rough insult to them? Is calling them instead of children at Abraham Children of the devil.

Children of the enemy

this is a rough sermon. It's not an easy thing. What is he telling that she says bear fruit in keeping with repentance. You see our lives bear fruit. And this is this is something that we don't have any control over you can't not to bear fruit. It's not possible. The question is what kind of fruit are you going to Bear? Are you going to bear fruit of repentance or you going to bear fruit of self-righteousness? John says ever even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees every tree there for that does not bear good fruit is cut down. They're trusting and being children of Abraham. What they're saying is Abraham's faith is what will save me. Because I'm I'm a child of Abraham. I can trace my lineage back through the generations to him. I'm okay, maybe you've never run into this concept but this is the idea of a second-hand Faith. This is a faith that isn't yours. It's not of faith that you own. It's the faith of your parents. It's the faith of your spouse. It's the faith of your friends. Sometimes it can be the faith of your pastor. Please don't base yourself on my face. That's not a good plan.

It's a place that you don't own but you're trusting and what God is doing in someone else. to work for you This is a fruit of self-righteousness. I don't need to do what God says because Abraham did it. I don't need to do what God tells me to do because my parents do what I don't need to do what God tells me to do because my spouse doesn't of my pastor doesn't my friends do it.

That's not fruits. of repentance I think of it this way the fruit shows the quality of the tree. And the fruit shows the quality of the tree Maya might my grandmother is from the spent most of her life rather in the northern central part of Washington in north central Washington. There are apple orchards. This is primary Connors for for this part of the country and around her. There are golden delicious apple orchards. You just want to sit down and eat one. Okay, whatever but what they're really good for is applesauce. That's what they're really good for. And so you can tell that these trees are important because of the fruit. They produced people spend a lot of time in the Orchards cultivating these trees you go in and you trim off the suckers of the trees. Why do you do that? Because they will take resources from the fruits. You don't want limbs on there that aren't bearing fruit. So you going to cut him off even more than that and then my grandmother did this Years, you would go at you go in and you thin out the apples because if you have too many apples growing on the trees, they don't grow big enough to get a whole bunch of little apples instead of fewer really big apples. So you have to go in and get to cut off some of the fruits. What do you not do with golden delicious apple orchards? Why because they produce good fruit compare that with crabapple trees. Have you ever been around crabapple trees? Crabapple trees are terrible. They are not pretty they are not pleasant. What are they do they drop these tiny little fruits everywhere and you can't avoid them. They stick onto your shoes. They come into the house. You have to mow more with the lawn mower yet the rake them up. They just are gross and get everywhere and what generally happens to crabapple trees? Take a cut down. Why is a fruit isn't any good? Fruits not useful. This is what John is saying. Do you have good fruits the fruit of repentance? Or do you have bad fruit? True to self righteousness and this message shakes the people who hear it. But this this hard word that John gives causes them trouble in their hearts. And this is good for us because far too often. We feel like church should be a place where I come in and it makes me feel better. That is not the case.

Sometimes we need encouragement. And so we come to church and we find that but a lot of times we need to be shook up a little bit.

And we're afraid for that to happen in church this message that John brings shakes the people and look at what they do verse 10 and the crowds asked him what then shall we do. You just called us Children of the enemy. You said that our lineage and Abraham isn't any good and God could just make more children of Abraham from the Rocks. If you wanted to you said that are fruit might not be good. And if it's not good, we're going to get chop down. What are we supposed to do?

Have you had this experience with God? Have you been in that spot where you have this realization?

of a second-hand faith The realization that your faith is, not your own that maybe you had this realization that you you've got self-righteous fruit. It's not bearing good fruits not bearing the fruit of repentance.

Have you been shook by God?

Are you asking? What am I supposed to do?

Have you ever asked that question? What am I supposed to do? Looks like a verses 11 through 14 because cuz John gives them an answer. Verses 11 through 14 and he answered them Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none and whoever has food is to do likewise. Tax Collectors also came to be baptized and said them teacher what shall we do? And he said to them collect no more than you're authorized soldiers also asked him and we what should we do? And he said to them do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation and be content with your wages. There's three things here. Three things here that show repentance generosity. honesty and contentment

generosity honesty and contentment Look at generosity generosity John tells them after they ask what what are we supposed to do if you have two tunics. Give one to somebody who doesn't have any if you've got food share with someone who doesn't have any. Now this is another one of those moments where words are important. And if you just want to read this in English without diving in any more you'd get kind of the idea of what John is saying, but you wouldn't get the picture because when we think of to Nick, what what what do you what comes to mind if I say? Hey this guy's got a tunic on what comes to mind this kind of roguish thingy, right? Like when kids dress up as shepherds in the Christmas Pageant they get robes and they time together. The thing is but this tunic that John is talking about would have been worn under the cloak next to the skin. basically like underwear John is telling them. You need to share underwear. If you've got more than one pair and somebody doesn't you better give it to him.

But this kind of generosity is different than when we think of generosity, isn't it? Because when we think of being generous we think of sort of a freely sharing what we've got. I'm going to invite some people over to dinner. We're going to give to the food bank and going to donate some money. That's good. That's good. What John is saying? Is that the kind of generosity that is born out of repentance is so deep.

But you give someone some underwear if they don't got any.

That's the kind of generosity that is born out of repentance. It's a deep generosity. It's a generosity that isn't concerned with propriety

How do you know if someone doesn't have any underwear? You kind of got to ask. Not a fun conversation, right? That's not it that's not an easy conversation, but you got to be close enough to them to know.

It's it's not concerned with propriety. What's it concerned with its concerned with the fact that somebody doesn't have something that they need. And then if you have some of that you're willing to give it to them.

This is generosity that we see in the sacrifice of Jesus. Why because Jesus has righteousness that we don't have.

Jesus has Holiness that we don't have. Jesus has relationship with God that we don't have and yet what does he do? He sheds all propriety and hangs beaten and bloodied probably make it on a cross in front of thousands of people and dies a very shameful death why so that we can have his righteousness? And his Holiness and his relationship with God because we don't have it. We have none. This is fruit in keeping with repentance. This is what generosity looks like. secondly honesty

honestly, it is is one of those things. We all kind of innately understand right it basically what does it mean if you don't lie Beyond tell the truth and Chris did a really good job last week of helping us get to this idea the truth and and telling the truth and how often we don't tell the truth and what that means in our lives in the context of what John is saying here. It's interesting because we hear the tax collectors are coming to be baptized Tax Collectors are coming to be baptized. Now what you have to understand is that these Tax Collectors worked for the Roman government. They were Hebrew Israelites. They were Jewish they can trace their lineage back to Abraham, but they worked for the occupying Roman forces to collect taxes for the Empire who had overthrown Israel. That's not a good time. They were seen as traitors by their fellow Jews. I mean, how would you feel like let's let's think most of you probably haven't seen about the movie Red Dawn or the man in the High Castle. It's listed as more relevant rights the man in the High Castle. This is this fictional world where Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan won World War II and occupying the US it would be like an American soldier who lost in the war taking a position as a tax collector for the German government's

We wouldn't look very kindly on that guy.

What must we do? What should we do John? This is what shall we do? What does he tell him? he says

don't collect more than you're authorized to do. You see these Tax Collectors often time would lie about how much tax was owed. They what they would say Hey, you know you owe this much. You need to pay it up or the Romans are going to come. And then they would take that extra and they pocket it. They would keep it for themselves.

There's a there's a famous story in the Bible about a tax collector right Zacchaeus. He was a wee little man. You know, wee little man was he? But you've been Zacchaeus Was a tax collector. He was one of these guys and and Jesus sees him and says Zacchaeus. You come down from there. I can't keep this go any further. It's stuck in my head. Now. I'm coming to your house. I want to have dinner with you. This is a big deal because people didn't hang out with tax collectors and after a little bit of time with Jesus Zacchaeus recognizes what's going on in his heart and says, I'm I'm I'm done. I'm not going to collect wrongly anymore. I'm going to pay back the pay back 10 times everything that I took. That's fruit in keeping with repentance. That's what honesty is. The honesty of repentance is not concerned with gain for self.

The honesty of repentance is not concerned with gain for self almost without fail. That's why we lie because we're trying to gain something for ourselves rather trying to hold on to some fried that we should have lost. We're trying to get something that we don't have. The honesty of repentance is not concerned with the gain for self. But it's concerned with the benefit of the other people.

And then thirdly contentment.

I think it's interesting that we see that soldiers are coming to listen to John because in this. Of time Israel didn't have an army. So what's what's interesting to me is that these wouldn't have been Jewish soldiers. They they likely would have been Roman citizens somebody from outside of Israel a gentile and that's it. That's an interesting thing. I don't know the The Surety of that. I didn't have time to dig all the way into this something. I want to look into because if you've got this Gathering of people this crowd that's this come to hear this guy talk the probably somebody sent some soldiers to keep an eye on that anytime you get a big group of people. You need to have eyes make sure they're not doing something you don't want them to so the soldiers are there and they hear John speaking and it shakes them us to what are we supposed to do? You see the soldiers, especially the occupying Roman forces could demand basically whatever they wanted from. The people that they were occupying they could walk up to them and say hey, I like that coat. Give me your coat. Hey, I'm hungry. I want your lunch. You know what you need to give me some money. They would often take it out of greed. In fact, this was so common that Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount says if somebody asks you to walk a mile with them you walk too and I think that's kind of a nice raised right if I say, I'm going to take a walk. I'm going to go for a mile. You want to come over to my right? That's how we take that but that's not what Jesus was saying very often the Roman soldiers would grab somebody off the street and say hey, here's my pack all their armor all their supplies or Provisions. You're carrying it for the next mile that the law in Rome was that the soldier could can script you to carry their stuff for a mile and then they had to find somebody else and what does Jesus say Jesus said if somebody does that to you carry it to walk 2 miles This is a common thing. And John looks at them. What should we do? John looks at them and says don't extort money. Be content with your wages. Be content with what you have been given. Is he the contentment of repentance rest in knowing that God has provided all this necessary.

We don't find contentment until we can rest knowing that God has given us everything we need. but everything we want Certainly, not everything we deserve cuz that's the thing. Nobody should really be after. But everything we need if you have it. God has given it to you now. That doesn't mean that you can't fight to get more. We spend a lot of time doing that right how many of us would agree that we've got too much stuff? We just have too much stuff. There's not it's not necessary. And yet when you try to start getting rid of that stuff Little dicey, right? We we go through this every year with our kids as we're gearing up for yard sale. We look at the the toy Corner we say holy cow has a lot of toys. Let's get rid of some of these toys Until We Gather them up and we say, okay, we're going to go through the toys. And here we go toy. Do you play with this now? I don't play with that. Okay in the yard sale pile excellent toy. Do you play with this? I don't play that. Okay in the yard sale pile. Do you play with this? That's where that's been. Okay. Do you play with this? No, you don't even know we still had it. I play with it all the time. You just you just told me you didn't have to be

And eventually we got this pile of toys that got in from McDonald's, you know, the ones that nobody wants and the toy corner is still overflowing with toys. This is what we do with all her stuff like parents don't get too far out there because we do the same thing like I should get rid of this one time. I kind of needed it. We should get rid of this but it's sort of sentimental but we don't do anything with it. But you know Aunt Jenny gave that to us and if they see it at the yard sale will be trouble.

We're not content.

For the contentment of repentance. Rs2 knowing that God has provided for us and rest and knowing that God will provide for us and if the house burned down and all of our possessions went up in fire. That would be a sad thing. But God would still provide for us.

It looks at the soldiers to say don't take more. You don't need more don't extort.

Don't control the people be content.

Because God has provided.

No. Does that mean the Christians and only Christians are generous honest and contents? This is an important question because sometimes in the reformed world that we live in we can take this idea of total depravity and we can twist it a little bit and turn it into this thing that ignores the common grace of God. And we take the reality that all of our hearts are bent towards San Antone Lee sin and say that because of that the only time we can do anything that's a nice good is when we are in Christ. And that ignores, and Grace that ignores the image of God in every person that has ever walked on this planet.

No Christians are not the only ones who are generous Christians are not the only ones who are honest Christians are not the only ones who are content and sometimes we're the worst at these things.

Often it's because we're not engaging in a god word repentance. We're engaging in a self word or community-oriented repentance Wrightwood. What do I mean we repent to feel better never done that this is like that I'm getting saved every night at Camp cuz I'm scared.

I'm going to pray a confession of Faith every night before I go to bed just in case. We pray to feel better. I did something really stupid. I pray to feel better. I'm going to repent to feel better chords. We repent to look good to the those around us. We do this all the time.

I'm going to repent so that other people don't think poorly of me or even worse we repents to please God. Isn't that sort of the point? No, that's not the point.

We repent to please God. This is like a child. I have some of these to live at my house sometimes who sees their sibling getting in trouble for something and then kind of saddles up and says, you know, I've never done that. I know they got in trouble for that. I don't do that. That's what this looks like.

So we're making the same mistake that Jerome made we're not repenting we're doing penance.

We don't turn from our sin, which is what actual repentance is. We do Penance we punish ourselves and I'm going to punish myself for this. I'm never doing that again. And I'm I'm eliminating all of this stuff and I'm taking away all of my opportunity to punish ourselves tour we give in on our convictions are this is something that's happening more and more often is that instead of actually turning from our sin. We give in on our convictions and we allow something other than the Bible to tell us what we believe.

Let Me Cave

We outwardly Express grief while still cherishing our sin.

It looks good right age of you. Like poo who's the better repenter the person who's down here bawling their eyes out making giant puddles on the floor wailing gnashing their teeth are the person who sits in the back row. I quietly confesses their sin and depends on God for Grace. White we look at this persuasive, man. That cat knows how to repent. God must love him.

We outwardly Express grief will still inwardly cherishing our sin. That's not repentance. That's penance. God does not care if you cry a river when you repent or if you're quiet. God doesn't care. Cuz he's concerned about what you doing in your heart what you're confessing what you're saying in your heart. Punishing yourself does not do you any good?

allowing The outside either the Church of the culture to punish you does not do any good. I think of Mel Gibson I think Mel Gibson is finally done enough Penance to be accepted back into good social graces what happens he he produces and directs and writes The Passion of the Christ this big movie about Jesus and then he gets drunk and pulled over and videotape saying horrible things. And he becomes a pariah. He can't direct anymore movies. He can't act in any more movies. You can be connected to anything without causing it to explode. What's he doing? He's doing Penance. He's being punished for his sin. And now that he's done enough Penance. He's starting to do movies again starting to show up in things cuz he's paid off his sin. It's not how it works. You see true repentance Bears gospel fruit. And this is what John is saying, John is saying the true repentance Bears gospel fruit. It's a turning from sin by turning to Jesus. It's not giving up one sin for another. And we're getting close to the season of Lent when thousands of people will give up something for Lent.

That's not what it's about. It's not about giving up your pets in. It's about turning from it and turning to Jesus. If you don't turn to Jesus you have not repented.

I'll say that again. If you do not turn to Jesus you have not repented true repentance is forsaking a second-hand faith for a first-hand dependence on God. Says I will not rest on the faith of Abraham. I need my own faith not rest on the faith of my parents. I need my own fate. I will not rest on the faith of anybody but myself I need faith God.

Second hand Faith doesn't do you any good comes Crashing Down. A true repentance brings a first-hand faith. True repentance is the abandonment of any idea that says I get God's favor by my actions. Because of what I do or who I am. God has to love me. That's not how it works. God loves you because of who he is. Because of Who You Are

And true repentance abandons all of those ideas that says I can earn it. I deserve it it should be mine by rights.

And I don't think it's a mistake and I'm going to step back in the text a little bit of a step back to where it where Chris priest a little bit because I don't think it's a mistake that that the words of Isaiah are quoted here and proceed John's hard message because true repentance.

Follows the words of Isaiah. Let me read this to you Verses 4 through 6.

As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet the voice of one crying in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord makes trade his or make his path straight every Valley shall be filled and every mountain and Hill shall be made low and the Crooked shall become straight and the rough places. She'll become level ways and All Flesh shall see the salvation of God true repentance is the beginning of the Sanctified work of the Holy Spirit by which the dark valleys of my heart are filled in with his love all the high mountains of my pride are brought Low by his glory all the Crooked Paths of my mind are made straight by his discipline and all the rough patches of my life are made level by his kindness.

And in this repentance, I see the salvation of God.

It's not a mistake that those words are there.

What shall we do?

What should we do? We need to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And the only way we can do that is by repenting how it works. to bear fruit from a pain since you have to repent

what spray?