Part Three of a 3 part series

 

Luke 3:8 - They justify all manner of spiritual wickedness and in their pride they rule over others, controlling their spiritual journeys and destination,  by claiming Abraham as their father - All denominations do the same today. They claim Martin Luther as their father,  or John Wesley, or The Pope, etc. Therefore,  having taken authority from a man - they believe they have authority over God's people, to with as they please. Truth is - they do have authority over people who follow THEM, as long as those people are not following Christ  - for only Christ has authority over those who are His. Amen. In the dispensation we are currently in  - we have but one authority  - our Father which art in Heaven,  the Father of us all  - therefore we are all siblings, as such we are all equal...though older brothers and sisters take care of younger siblings for a season, not forever. 

Luke 3:9 - Fruit reveals root! Good soil = good fruit, bad soil = bad fruit. The soil is pur heart - our attitude and condition determine if the Word of God will bear fruit in us. The axe too, is the Word of God  - exposing our foundation  - our roots - built on the rock of obedience to Christ and His sayings or built upon the shifting sand of disobedience,  never doing, hearing only. 

To all this, the people ask "WHAT SHALL WE DO THEN"?

Luke 3:11 - His answer involves DOING SOMETHING  - not just sitting in a pew and HEARING something  - it takes no faith or belief to sit and hear a sermon each week - neither does it take any faith to speak a sermon, unless one speaks under the unction and anointing of the Holy Spirit  - but look at John's reply - "He that hath two coats, impart to him that has none, and he that has meat, let him do likewise" - this verse sums up the holy lifestyle of the first century saints depicted in the book of Acts - who even sold land and homes in order to care for their poorer brethren, and orphans and widows. Getting rid of excess possessions on behalf of those less fortunate is a clear indication that our hearts truly belong to Christ.  It is an outward sign of an inward reality  - that is - we no longer sit on the throne of our heart  - Christ does. It is far better to give than receive yet many today are taught to give to receive.  Moderation goes hand in hand with humility  - yet we live in such excess in America  - and other, poorer countries seek to emulate us. Excess is the hallmark of many churches, not modesty and humility  - the bigger the building the prouder we become  - nothing screams success like an audience of thousands sitting in palaces any king of old would be proud of - all of it is far from the modest, holy lifestyle Jesus modeled for us. He did not own a single building nor did he claim one as his to minister in. He even said he had nowhere to lay his head. He was completely unconcerned with material wealth,  or even clothing or food - totally trusting his Father to meet his daily needs. We claim to be his followers yet we teach people to live the opposite of the way he lived. We teach that "gain is godliness" in these modern churches of ours but godliness with contentment is great gain. We are all about our own comfort what with our air-conditioned,  padded pews and luxury cars - insuring we are well fed each and every meal, while our brethren go homeless and hungry all around us. Jesus told us to invite the poor to our feasts - yet again,  we dishonor him by doing the opposite  - inviting only each other and those that can repay us. When will we start living as he taught us to?

In Luke 3:12&13 - more religious leadership come to John, asking what can they do? Again John rebukes their greed and excess - telling them to take what is their due - no more, no less - excess money is to be avoided - unless given by God  - who will then direct us to give it away to others in need. 

In verse 14 soldiers come, seeking orders - Do no violence,  accuse no one falsely  - be content with your wages (what?)  - prosperity teachers erase that last libe, lol - yet, everything John told them was crystallized into one command by Jesus  - "LOVE ONE ANOTHER" - if we obey this single command - we have need of no others - for love does no harm to it's neighbor,  of any kind, hallelujah! But in reality,  because of our heart's penchant to sin and do wickedly - the only way we can do right - is to be baptized into the Holy Ghost and with fire - 

verse 16 - God does not call us to do something impossible for us to do - thank God  - He empowers us and enables us to do his will - and he teaches us what that will is - shedding his love in our hearts and wisdom in our souls by the same Holy Spirit Jesus was filled with.