4/22/18 On Jordan’s Stormy Banks Luke 3:1-17
Many Messiah’s come up and they didn’t amount to anything.
They tried to kill the Messiahs.
That’s why they said to Jesus “if you’re the Messiah, come down from that cross.”
People gathered around John the Baptist had expectations about John being the Christ.
John answered by saying that he is not worthy to untie the shoes of the true Messiah.
All people in verse 1 had a part in crucifying Jesus.
These people were put here by God to crucify Jesus.
Baptisms by John we’re different from our baptisms today.
We are not in control of any other people in our lives.
Cast yourself on God. If God is for me, who can be against me.
All of the people in verse 1 wanted the power promised to the Messiah.
God tells us why John was called to preach and baptize. John 1:29-33
John understood that Mary gave birth to the son of God.
The expectations of the Messiah and who Jesus actually was are 2 completely different things.
Imagine John watching Jesus grow up and expecting him to be a king, but he was just a lowly carpenter.
John had expectations of the Messiah.
Compare this with the story of Samuel and David.
David was God’s choice like Jesus.
Samuel had expectations of David like John had expectations of Jesus.
God tells John to start baptizing. He will know when the Messiah is baptized.
God works on his time not our time.
Part of faith is waiting on God’s time, not ours.
People were lining up to be baptized because they thought it would be them chosen to be the Messiah.
All knew that the Messiah would be sinless.
If you came to John to be baptized, you were either there to confess your sins and be forgiven or find out if you were the Messiah.
If you had sins, you knew you weren’t the Messiah. There was hope that they would be chosen.
Hordes of terrible people came to find the power of the Messiah. They could not confess their sins because they knew this made them not the Messiah.
John knew this and refused to baptize people who would not confess their sins.
God loves sinners who repent and come to him.
When you stand at the decision to follow Christ, there is a storm in your heart and you are on Jordan’s stormy bank.
You are not the Messiah, you need a Messiah.