God Purpose through John the Maverick: Luke 3:2-6
“2) the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3) And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 4) as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight. 5) Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and hill will be brought low; The crooked will become straight, And the rough roads smooth; 6) And all flesh will see the salvation of God.’ ”” Luke 3:2-6
Luke now jumps forward to the start of the public ministry of John the Baptist. He came out of the wilderness with a fiery message of repentance.
According to Matthew, he was dressed in a garment of camels hair and had a leather belt around his waist. He also lived on a diet of locust and wild honey. (See Matthew 3:4) He was a real Maverick! But he quickly gained a wide audience. He focused his ministry by the Jordan River where he was baptizing those who repented.
Luke noted that the people quickly associated John with the prophecy of Isaiah. He then quoted Isaiah 49:3-5. It is helpful to read this both in Isaiah and Luke 3:4-6.
The common people quickly recognized John as the forerunner to the Messiah. His ministry of preaching the Word and calling for repentance started breaking up the fallow ground. God was at work through John in big ways. But not surprisingly, the religious leaders for the most part rejected or a least tried to discredit John.
A quick note, the Old Testament ends with a prophecy of the coming of a prophet like Elijah to prepare the way for the messiah. (See Malachi 4:5-6) The ministry of John the Baptist ended 400 years of relative silence from God.
Here is a point to ponder; whose name was John using for Baptism? Was it the name of the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit? (See Matthew 28:19) This is important!
It had to be in the Name of the Father. Jesus had not yet been revealed and the Holy Spirit had not been given. A strong case can be made that the baptism of John called people to repent from the sins of the body and flesh toward the Father.
Though not popular today, the call for repentance is seen throughout the whole New Testament. It is especially emphasized in the book of Revelation.
As the story moved forward through the gospels, baptism in the Name of Jesus gained momentum. It related more to repentance and forgiveness on the level of the soul. (Acts 2:38) As the healer, Jesus wants to restore the human soul.
Going a step beyond, even John pointed to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. (See Luke 3:16) This relates more to the human spirit and is a baptism of power. (See Acts 1:4-8) Jesus is the One who does this baptism.
Do you see what just happened? Each person of the trinity is applied to the makeup of man. The body, soul and spirit must each be ministered to by God. We need to respond to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Every believer needs repentance, restoration and power.
The book of Acts is the story of catching believers up with all three of these crucial works of God. In Acts 18:24-28, Priscilla and Aquila helped Apollos catch up with the full ministry of God. He was only familiar with the baptism of John the Baptist.
Then in Acts 19:1-10, Paul graciously helped another group of disciples in Ephesus who only knew about the Baptism of John understand the complete gospel of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. They were radically changed when he laid hands on them and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
My observation is that the many modern denominations struggle with the same issue. They wrap their minds, ministry and theology around only one primary member of the trinity.
For example, some denominations stress the Father and focus on repentance. They often stress keeping the Ten Commandments and living good moral lives.
Others are more evangelical and focus primarily on Jesus and the gospel. They call people to confession of sin and forgiveness. They seldom talk about repentance and are inhibited about the Holy Spirit to the point of willful blindness. They are often Bible smart but Spirit void. But they love the gospel.
Others focus on the Holy Spirit to the point of lacking reverence toward the Father. He is almost forgotten. Emotionalism often becomes the pursuit of extreme manifestations of these groups and the Bible and good doctrine can be set aside in favor of the latest fad.
The characteristic of the early church was loving, enjoying and walking in fellowship with all three persons of the trinity. They lived holy lives, had solid doctrine and moved in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was accompanied by many signs and wonders.
They were bold, full of agape love and the fruits of the Spirit. As a result, they were very focused on the Great Commission. God used them to shake the world with the gospel.
My observation of the past few decades is that churches are either becoming cold, stagnant and apostate or they are moving toward revival and awaking in ways that reflect the early church. These are very exciting days.
God is doing something very special! There is a “Spirit led” coming together of the three groups mentioned above. I strive to feed and encourage this process. It has wondrously happened in my own life.
I believe Jesus is preparing His Bride for His soon return. It no longer surprises me where God is working through His Spirit and where He is not.
I no longer trust the name on the sign out front or denominational affiliation. The Spirit of God is using the Word of God to wake up and revive the people of God. I welcome these days with great enthusiasm.
Beware lest you grieve or quench this wonderful work of the Holy Spirit. Rather, ask God for a fresh and deep work in your life through illumination in His Word and a deep and transforming work of the Holy Spirit!
On the other hand, I weep over the apostate church. The enemy is at work in and through these churches is tragic ways. Many are blindly following false teachers and damning doctrines. As Paul in Philippians 3:18-19; “… their end is destruction.”
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“2) the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3) And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 4) as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight. 5) Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and hill will be brought low; The crooked will become straight, And the rough roads smooth; 6) And all flesh will see the salvation of God.’ ”” Luke 3:2-6
Luke now jumps forward to the start of the public ministry of John the Baptist. He came out of the wilderness with a fiery message of repentance.
According to Matthew, he was dressed in a garment of camels hair and had a leather belt around his waist. He also lived on a diet of locust and wild honey. (See Matthew 3:4) He was a real Maverick! But he quickly gained a wide audience. He focused his ministry by the Jordan River where he was baptizing those who repented.
Luke noted that the people quickly associated John with the prophecy of Isaiah. He then quoted Isaiah 49:3-5. It is helpful to read this both in Isaiah and Luke 3:4-6.
The common people quickly recognized John as the forerunner to the Messiah. His ministry of preaching the Word and calling for repentance started breaking up the fallow ground. God was at work through John in big ways. But not surprisingly, the religious leaders for the most part rejected or a least tried to discredit John.
A quick note, the Old Testament ends with a prophecy of the coming of a prophet like Elijah to prepare the way for the messiah. (See Malachi 4:5-6) The ministry of John the Baptist ended 400 years of relative silence from God.
Here is a point to ponder; whose name was John using for Baptism? Was it the name of the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit? (See Matthew 28:19) This is important!
It had to be in the Name of the Father. Jesus had not yet been revealed and the Holy Spirit had not been given. A strong case can be made that the baptism of John called people to repent from the sins of the body and flesh toward the Father.
Though not popular today, the call for repentance is seen throughout the whole New Testament. It is especially emphasized in the book of Revelation.
As the story moved forward through the gospels, baptism in the Name of Jesus gained momentum. It related more to repentance and forgiveness on the level of the soul. (Acts 2:38) As the healer, Jesus wants to restore the human soul.
Going a step beyond, even John pointed to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. (See Luke 3:16) This relates more to the human spirit and is a baptism of power. (See Acts 1:4-8) Jesus is the One who does this baptism.
Do you see what just happened? Each person of the trinity is applied to the makeup of man. The body, soul and spirit must each be ministered to by God. We need to respond to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Every believer needs repentance, restoration and power.
The book of Acts is the story of catching believers up with all three of these crucial works of God. In Acts 18:24-28, Priscilla and Aquila helped Apollos catch up with the full ministry of God. He was only familiar with the baptism of John the Baptist.
Then in Acts 19:1-10, Paul graciously helped another group of disciples in Ephesus who only knew about the Baptism of John understand the complete gospel of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. They were radically changed when he laid hands on them and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
My observation is that the many modern denominations struggle with the same issue. They wrap their minds, ministry and theology around only one primary member of the trinity.
For example, some denominations stress the Father and focus on repentance. They often stress keeping the Ten Commandments and living good moral lives.
Others are more evangelical and focus primarily on Jesus and the gospel. They call people to confession of sin and forgiveness. They seldom talk about repentance and are inhibited about the Holy Spirit to the point of willful blindness. They are often Bible smart but Spirit void. But they love the gospel.
Others focus on the Holy Spirit to the point of lacking reverence toward the Father. He is almost forgotten. Emotionalism often becomes the pursuit of extreme manifestations of these groups and the Bible and good doctrine can be set aside in favor of the latest fad.
The characteristic of the early church was loving, enjoying and walking in fellowship with all three persons of the trinity. They lived holy lives, had solid doctrine and moved in the power of the Holy Spirit. It was accompanied by many signs and wonders.
They were bold, full of agape love and the fruits of the Spirit. As a result, they were very focused on the Great Commission. God used them to shake the world with the gospel.
My observation of the past few decades is that churches are either becoming cold, stagnant and apostate or they are moving toward revival and awaking in ways that reflect the early church. These are very exciting days.
God is doing something very special! There is a “Spirit led” coming together of the three groups mentioned above. I strive to feed and encourage this process. It has wondrously happened in my own life.
I believe Jesus is preparing His Bride for His soon return. It no longer surprises me where God is working through His Spirit and where He is not.
I no longer trust the name on the sign out front or denominational affiliation. The Spirit of God is using the Word of God to wake up and revive the people of God. I welcome these days with great enthusiasm.
Beware lest you grieve or quench this wonderful work of the Holy Spirit. Rather, ask God for a fresh and deep work in your life through illumination in His Word and a deep and transforming work of the Holy Spirit!
On the other hand, I weep over the apostate church. The enemy is at work in and through these churches is tragic ways. Many are blindly following false teachers and damning doctrines. As Paul in Philippians 3:18-19; “… their end is destruction.”
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
