Sermon -- 2nd Sunday of Advent (December 8, 2024)

LUKE 3:1-6

THE LORD SENDS REAL HOPE FOR REAL SINNERS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     There are many religions throughout the world.  They generally have two things in common.  The first is this: They all acknowledge that there is a God.  They don’t agree on who God is, what he is like, or what he wants.  But all the religions acknowledge that there is a God.  The second thing all religions agree on is that we should be good.  Exactly how one defines “good” may vary from religion to religion.  But this emphasis on being good is a reflection upon who God is.  God himself is good, and he expects us to be as well.  Because of these two points, many conclude that all religions are the same.

     One of the places Christianity differs from other religions is that the Bible is firmly placed within the events of human history.  Works of fiction are often placed in fabricated worlds.  Superman comes from the planet Krypton.  Star Trek has encounters with Vulcans, Klingons, and Romulans.  Even if the settings are real places, the people and events are made up.  They come with a disclaimer: Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.  

     The Bible is not fiction.  It records the names of real people, many of whom are well known.  It is set in real places, most of which can be found on a map or visited in person.  It records real events, many of which can be corroborated in secular histories.  And it often establishes a date for the people and events it records.  Other religions are more philosophies rather than histories.  The Bible is a record of history, but it is more.  It is the record of God working in history to bring salvation to a world of problems.  The Lord sends real hope for real sinners.

     Today’s Gospel might seem like a boring introduction to the ministry of John the Baptist.  But it is actually the precise work of a historian.  St. Luke pinpoints the life and ministry of John the Baptist to a specific time and place—during the reign of a world leader, of regional governors, and of local dignitaries. 

     “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene—during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness” (Luke 3:1-2).  A tetrarch was one of four rulers who governed his assigned territory.  If you count it up, Luke only mentions three.  Secular history informs us that Herod Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great, had been tetrarch of Judea.  But he proved to be a poor leader, so the Romans came in and took over.  That’s what puts the Roman governor Pontius Pilate over Judea.  Luke did not record that for us, but his original audience would have known the story.  Luke did not waste paragraphs of Scripture explaining what everyone knew.  Luke is remarkably detailed and accurate about these things.  So, why should you care?  Because he is remarkably detailed and accurate about matters of your salvation.  John the Baptist is not a fictional character.  He is a real man who lived in a real world.  And he urged sinners to deal with the reality of their sins.  The Lord sends real hope for real sinners.

     While Luke plants John the Baptist in history, he is more interested in the message of John than in the politics of the day.  “The word of God came to John … in the wilderness.  He went into the whole region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:2-3).  The Lord sent John to prepare the way for the Savior.  In order for people to be eager to receive the Savior, they must recognize their need for that Savior.

     John declared, “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:3)!  The Lord was coming.  The only question is whether he would come in wrath or in mercy, to destroy or to save.  If the Lord were coming to judge and to destroy, they would want to set up barricades and strengthen their defenses.  But Isaiah foretold that when the Lord came, “Everyone will see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6).  Therefore, John preached: “Prepare the way of the Lord!  Make his paths straight.  Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low.  The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth” (Luke 3:4-5).  If the Lord was going to save his people, the people would not want anything to suggest he was not welcome.  To welcome the Savior, they should be sure that nothing would hinder his coming. 

     But the Lord is not usually welcomed by sinners.  Sinners are convinced that God’s Law is bad because it makes us feel bad.  It restricts beliefs and behaviors.  It threatens punishment on all who transgress it.  We might even think that the Law brings death.  But the Law of God is good.  Yes, it threatens punishment on wickedness, but that’s because disobedience to God’s Law is a rejection of God who is good, and it is destructive to your neighbor and to yourself.  Yes, God’s Law is restrictive, but that is to maintain good order.  It is like traffic laws.  Complete freedom would mean you could drive your car wherever you want and however you want.  But laws restrict driving to roads and direct you to obey stop signs and speed limits.  This is for the good of drivers and pedestrians.  And yes, God’s Law limits your beliefs and judges your behavior.  The government does not care if you hate your neighbor as long as you don’t beat him.  God cares if you harbor hatred in your heart for anyone who is created in God’s image.  And God cares if you give the honor due him to anything else.

     The Lord takes an honest look at your heart, and he sees the sin that dwells there.  The Lord declares, “The heart is more deceitful than anything.  It is beyond cure.  Who can understand it?  I, the Lord, am the one who searches the heart and examines the mind, to reward a man according to what he has done, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:9-10).  If you take an honest look at your heart and compare it to God’s Law, you will see that it is not a good heart.  It harbors bitterness, jealousy, lust, and greed.  It resents God because he holds you accountable.  Repent.

     God’s Law reflects God’s goodness.  Our failure to keep the Law reveals our sinfulness.  To insist that we are good enough and nice enough for heaven is to believe fiction.  God’s Law shows our reality—we are guilty before the Lord.  We have earned God’s wrath.  God’s Law can make us feel bad.  It might even make us commit to doing better.  But God’s Law does not change what we are.  And feeling bad about our sins does not take them away.  The Lord, therefore, sends real hope for real sinners. 

     Giving careful attention to God’s commandments allows us to make an honest assessment about ourselves, and there is a blessed relief to that.  Rather than come up with reasons why our sins are not that bad, we can be honest and confess reality: “I am a poor, miserable sinner.  Lord, have mercy upon me.”  The Lord sends real hope for real sinners. 

     John came “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3).  God works repentance in us when his Law crushes our hearts.  But “a broken and crushed heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17).  Those with broken hearts seek relief from guilt.  They will rejoice in John the Baptist’s message.  John prepares the way.  Jesus comes for sinners.  And “everyone will see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6).  The Lord sends real hope for real sinners.

     The Lord does not ignore your sins.  He pays for them.  Jesus Christ does not suspend the punishment for your sins.  He suffered the punishment for you.  Jesus’ torturous and cursed death was no fiction.  Real Roman nails pierced his true flesh to a real wooden cross.  He bore a real curse on behalf of real sinners.  Therefore, the wrath of God and penalty for sins have been dealt with in the death of Jesus Christ.  You receive a full pardon for every offense.  So, you can freely confess that you are a real sinner.  For, you have been given a real hope—forgiveness of sins, new life in God’s kingdom and under God’s tender care, and eternal salvation.  Your guilt has really been removed.  Your death has really been overcome.  Your Savior is really risen and lives.

     When John proclaimed baptism, he was pointing you away from yourself.  John could have declared, “You need to do better.  Prepare the way.  Stop your sinning.  Strive for more decent behavior.  Be kinder to people.”  He wouldn’t have been wrong.  Everyone can admit that they should be better.  And, in fact, all religions teach this.  But where is your hope?  Where is your peace if you try harder and still aren’t any better?  Where is your comfort when God’s Law still shows you are failing to do the good God demands?  John points you away from yourself.  He proclaims a baptism for the forgiveness of sins. 

     The Lord sends real hope for real sinners.  And there is real hope for you in your baptism.  Your hope is not found in what you are doing for God.  It is found in what God has done for you and gives to you.  Jesus Christ has won your salvation, and he gives you the benefits of this salvation in Holy Baptism.  There, he washes away your sins and purifies you from all unrighteousness.  There he cloaks you in his own innocence.  There he creates in you a clean heart and renews in you a right spirit. 

     This right spirit is strengthened by God’s word.  The Holy Spirit causes you to love God’s Law, having convinced you that it is good, right, and beneficial to others.  The Lord continues to sustain you in the true faith and guides you to live according to it.  He continues to foster in you a penitential spirit which puts away sin and strives for holiness.  The Holy Spirit also directs you to rely on Jesus alone for hope and salvation.  He is the only real hope sinners have.

     The Lord sent John the Baptist to preach in a real world of real problems among real sinners.  The Lord did not pretend that things weren’t that bad.  He knows they are.  So, he acted to bring a real rescue from sin and all the problems that come with it.  Jesus Christ has supplied that.  No one else has, will, or can.  Other religions may tell you to be good.  Jesus Christ provides his holiness to you.  He bestows God’s favor upon you.  He opens heaven to you.  There is real hope for real sinners—a real Savior who brings a real salvation, real comfort, and real peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.