We are looking at Luke chapter three beginning at verse seven. Luke 3:7-9:
 
“Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
 
     As we consider the content of John’s preaching, we first note how multitudes came to listen to him and to be baptized by him. However, John insisted they participate for the right reason; they could not simply come because it was the popular thing to do; furthermore, take note that John refused to allow the size of the crowd to diminish his message. John the Baptist never catered to a crowd; he was never concerned about losing the ear of his audience because of the clarity of his message.

     Preachers can learn a lot from John the Baptist. Those called to preach the Word of God must never focus on the crowd. Rather, they must focus on faithfully giving out the Word of God. As far as how many want to listen or how big the crowd ends up being no faithful minister of the gospel can allow interest in those things to effect his faithfulness to preach the whole council of God.

     Next, note John’s warning concerning the wrath of God. John says, “who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” With this question John most definitely calls attention to the wrath of God that is coming. In light of God’s certain judgment coming upon a lost world the question needs to be asked: who has warned you to flee the wrath to come?

     I would ask you the same question. Has anyone warned you to flee the wrath of God that most certainly will fall upon the unrepentant? Have you ever allowed this truth to confront your heart? Are you concerned about facing the wrath of God because you are unrepentant?

     Listen carefully to the Word of the Lord found in Isaiah chapter thirteen:
 
6Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: 8And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. 9Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel (fierce) both with wrath and fierce (raging) anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

   The New Testament clearly teaches the wrath of God destined to fall upon the unrepentant. Consider the comforting teaching for believers in Romans chapter five, but listen for the word wrath as I quote this passage. The Bible says:

6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
 
     If you are saved, then you are saved from the wrath to come. Said another way by John the Baptist in John chapter three verse thirty-six: “he that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.”  Think about that. If you are lost the wrath of God hoovers like a threatening storm cloud ready to burst forth upon you with wind and destruction!

    In Revelation chapter fourteen we read of the angel having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,
 
7Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 8And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
 
     My friends, the just and holy wrath of God is real. Has anyone warned you to flee the wrath to come? I hope you are in the ark of safety today. I hope you will flee the wrath of God to come by repenting and confessing the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

     Now look again at verse eight. John insisted they bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. Then he deals with a very dangerous situation. Please notice John refused to allow the people to rest in a false security, a false hope. The crowds he preached to were Jews in his homeland. They were all a physical descendent of Abraham. However, a physical descendent of Abraham counts for nothing unless one repents.

     Likewise, in our day many people possess false hope. Many people think they are going to heaven when they die, but tragically they are lost. Heaven is not their eternal home. Why? Because they are not bringing forth good fruit. There is no fruit of repentance in their life.

    And so, John says, “and now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.” Later in this chapter John the Baptist says that Jesus will thoroughly purge his floor and gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
     My friends, the wrath of a holy God is destined to fall upon all who refuse to repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. How do you stand with God? Are you ready to meet him?  Do you have a repentant heart?
  
     Now listen closely as I finish. There is a reason Jesus endured the cross. Jesus endured the cross to deliver us from the wrath to come. The old hymn says:
 
Christ our Redeemer died on the cross
Died for the sinner, paid all his due
All who receive him need never fear
Yes, He will pass, will pass over you.
 
When I see the blood, when I see the blood, When I see the blood,
I will pass, I will pass over you.
​
Amen!  The blood of Christ delivers all who believe upon him from the wrath to come.

     Please open your Bible to Isaiah chapter forty. I want to read this text in a few moments. The reason we need to visit this passage is to see the connection between the record of the gospels and this amazing prophecy.

     With that said, let me quote from each of the gospels that identify John the Baptist as the fulfillment of Isaiah 40, verse three. Matthew 3:1-3 we read:
 
1In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
 
2And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
 
3For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
 
Mark 1:1-4 says:
 
1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
 
2As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
 
3The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
 
4John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
 
John chapter one says:

6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
 
7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
 
8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light . . .
 
19And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
 
20And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
 
21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
 
22Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
 
23He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
 
Luke 3:3-6:
 
3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
 
4As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
 
5Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
 
6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
 
     All four gospels document the partial fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 40 as it relates to John the Baptist. As is the case with all Bible prophecy, Isaiah’s prophecy is remarkable. Over 700 years before the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of our Lord, Isaiah predicted both events with unexplainable accuracy. May I remind you: only our infinite God knows the future and could make infallible predictions in his written word. Historical events already fulfilled in Bible prophecy serve as a confirmation of the inspiration and authority of Holy Scripture. Only the foolish mock and neglect this book. Only the foolish would neglect so great salvation taught in this book.

     I trust you will listen with a hungry heart as I continue this message.

 
     Now look with me at Isaiah chapter forty, verse one. Isaiah 40, verse one. I am going to pause with brief comments on certain verses as we read this text together.

     Beginning at verse one, the Word of God says:
 
1Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
 
2Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
 
     These two verses speak of a future day when Jerusalem and Israel shall be comforted. The day will come when her warfare is accomplished and her iniquity is pardoned. Now we come to Isaiah’s prediction fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist:
 
3The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
 
4Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
 
     Verse three speaks of the preaching ministry of John who prepared the way of the LORD. Pay close attention to Isaiah’s reference to Jesus as “our God.” My friends, Jesus is the LORD from heaven. John made straight in the desert a highway for our God! As we continue to read this text Isaiah turns his attention to events yet to unfold in history. Verse five says:
 
5And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
 
6The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
 
7The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
 
8The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
 
9O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
 
10Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
 
     This verse speaks of our Lord’s second coming. Now look at verse eleven:
 
11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
 
     And what assurance do we have that the prophecies of Isaiah shall come to pass. The rest of the chapter speaks of the mighty power of the living God who in time will bring every word to pass. Look at verse twelve:
 
12Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
 
13Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
 
14With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
 
15Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
 
16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
 
17All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity . . .
 
21Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
 
22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
 
23That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
 
24Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
 
25To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
 
26Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
 
27Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
 
28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
 
29He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
 
30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
 
31But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
 
     My friends, as we are discovering in Luke chapter three, the Lord God in fulfillment of his word raised up John the Baptist. He worked his will in the earth at our Lord’s first coming and he is working his will in the earth as we approach our Lord’s second coming. 

      Please open your Bible to Luke chapter three, verse one. Our text today is found in verses one through nine. Luke 3, beginning at verse one.
 
    In a moment when we read this text you will immediately notice the detail with which Luke establishes the historical setting existing at the time of these momentous events. As often as possible I like to emphasize in your thinking the fact your Bible is a history book. In fact, it is the authoritative history book of all history books. It is quite shortsighted and altogether deficient to attempt a proper study of history apart from a careful, respectful study of Scripture.

     It has been said that those who are ignorant of history are destined to repeat it. May I say more importantly, those ignorant of the history recorded in the Bible may be destined for much worse. The history of the Bible begins with an authoritative record of the creation, the fall of Adam, the entrance of death and the curse into the very good creation and a subsequent global flood in the days of Noah. Furthermore, the post flood world experienced the judgment of God at the Tower of Babel whereupon mankind’s language was confused. Shortly thereafter God called a man named Abraham with whom he established a covenant through which the whole world would be blessed.

     In time through Abraham the Messiah, Christ the Lord, came as pertaining to the flesh. As seen already in our journey through Luke’s inspired text the forerunner of Messiah was born, and Christ was born of Mary. We come now to the season in which the Father prepares the nation of Israel for the official recognition of Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

     May I ask you: do you trust this history? If you are unwilling to listen, or for any other reason you are ignorant of this history, then you are headed for a lost eternity. Nothing could be more serious than having an attitude of heart that is ready to hear the message of the gospel. Do you scoff and mock the Bible? Do you ignorantly categorize it as a book of myths? Do you turn away in unbelief? Do you esteem the words of men more than the words of God in the Bible?

     I wish I could shake you and wake you to the frightening reality that faces you. Many of you are in the snare of the enemy. Many of you are blinded by his lies and deluded by the deception of false spirituality. Indeed, if the light or the understanding you think you have is actually darkness, then how great is that darkness! Beware my friend. If you refuse to accept the historical record of God’s Son recorded in the pages of Holy Scripture, you will surely perish.
     
     Now look with me at Luke 3:1-9:
 
1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
 
     Notice the historical details Luke records for us. These details are all collaborated by secular historians. Now look at verse two:
 
2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

4As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

5Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

7Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

9And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
 
     Now pause with me and take careful note of the phrase “and the word of God came unto John.” Remember this is John, so named by the angel who appeared to Zacharias announcing the birth of the forerunner of Messiah. This is the man who was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. Although born into the priesthood, John never served in Jerusalem. Rather, as he came of age he separated himself from the flow of normal Jewish life and lived in the wilderness.

     He was in an obscure place until the day the word of God came to him. G. Campbell Morgan, noted Bible teacher in Great Britain who traveled widely as a Bible teacher in the United States between 1919 and 1929, makes this insightful comment on this phrase as it relates to John. He writes:

     “The Greek preposition is epi; and it ought to be rendered, “The Word of God came upon John.” The force of the preposition is that of pressure from above. The word of the Lord came upon him, pressed down upon him from above. Here is the qualification for preaching. The message of God comes upon a man. It is a great thing that he be prepared in every way; but preparation leaves a man unable to preach until the word of the Lord falls upon him. That is the keynote to the marvel of this ministry.” (Unquote)

     We might say John’s experience was like that of Jeremiah the prophet who said, “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” When the word of the Lord presses upon the preacher he cannot forbear. He cannot be silent. He can say, “I’m done with preaching, and I will not speak any more in his name.” But the call of God, you might say the pressure from above stirring the heart like a burning fire, is relentless. The result is the preacher at some point cannot refrain from speaking but must carry the word of God to all who will listen.

     So, John is under the weight of the call of God. He knows the Lord. He has walked with the Lord. In some ways, no doubt, he prepared himself for the day when he would confront his nation with the message of repentance and the news of the imminent arrival of the Messiah. He is devoted to the Lord and is filled with the Spirit. And finally, he is released by the timing of the Lord whom he served. And so Luke says, “the word of God came unto John.”

     I wish I could have heard his first sermon. John didn’t shoot blanks. His preaching hit the mark. From the first time he spoke heaven was behind him. This is the prophet who bridged the Old Testament era to the coming New Testament era. This is the man of whom Jesus would later say of woman there was never born one greater than John the Baptist.

     The word shut-up in his bones flowed with the witness of the Spirit of God as he thundered the message of repentance in all the country round about Jordan. This prophet of God is breaking up the fallow ground and preparing a people ready to receive the coming Messiah. He was fearless and pointed. He preached to the common man, but his message resounded into the halls of the government when he openly rebuked Herod’s adultery with his brother Philip’s wife.

     He demanded fruit unto repentance. He rebuked the idea of following God while harboring unconfessed sin in the heart. John’s Spirit filled preaching insisted men get right with God and prepare to bow the knee to the coming Messiah. John’s fame spread until thousands went out of Jerusalem and Judea to hear him preach and many humbled their heart and immersed themselves in repentance of which his baptism spoke.

     Many mused in their heart as to whether John was the Messiah, however, he quickly dispelled such an idea saying one mightier than I comes whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. We shall see John introduce the Messiah to Israel and to the world in a future message, but now as I close look again at verse nine:

      “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
​

Luke 2:39-52
 
     Please open your Bible to Luke chapter two, verse thirty-nine. Our text today is found in verses thirty-nine through fifty-two. We complete chapter two of our journey through the gospel of Luke with a wonderful insight into the childhood of Jesus.

     Before we read this passage, I need to mention two events in the early childhood of Jesus not mentioned by the gospel of Luke. After our Lord’s dedication in the temple, wise men from the east visited the Christ child while Joseph and Mary were still in Bethlehem. After the wise men departed, the Lord warned Joseph in a dream to take the young child and his mother Mary and flee into Egypt. As you may recall, Herod sought to destroy the baby Jesus. However, the Lord protected his Son and hid him in Egypt until the death of Herod.

     After Herod’s death an angel of the Lord appeared again in a dream to Joseph instructed him to take the young child and his mother back to Israel. When Joseph arrived back in Israel the Lord guided him through another dream to turn aside into Galilee. Luke picks up the narrative at that point in verse 39 saying, “they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
  
     Now look with me at Luke chapter two verse thirty-nine. The Word of God says:
 
39And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
40And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
42And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
 
     Now look with me at verse 40 which says, “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”

    This statement summarizes the first twelve years of our Lord’s life. First, the baby Jesus grew. This speaks of his physical body. He developed just like any healthy child does today. Remember, when the Father sent his Son to come and live among us he prepared him a body (Hebrews 10:5). In the person of the promised Messiah, it pleased the Father that in him should dwell all the fulness of the Divine Nature in bodily form (Colossians 1:19).

    From the moment of his miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, Jesus has been the God-man. He was truly God and truly man when Mary laid him in the manger. He was truly God and truly man through-out his childhood. In his childhood he learned obedience. In that humble estate although God who spoke the worlds into existence, he had to learn his first words as a baby. Humanly speaking he had to learn and grow.

    I’m sure you have heard of childhood prodigies. Some gifted children display very high intelligence and giftedness in childhood. May I say, Jesus was the ultimate childhood prodigy. Remember, he was without sin. As the last Adam he possessed perfect humanity. He was not subject to the curse as it relates to fallen human nature. Death did not work in his human body. Jesus grew to maturity however he never grew old. At age 30 when he began his public ministry Jesus had no blemish in his body, no premature gray hair, etc.

   Next, verse 40 says he waxed strong in spirit and became filled with wisdom. He grew spiritually and mentally. As well, verse 40 says the grace of God was upon him. Certainly, in the context of referring to Jesus, this speaks of God’s favor upon his only begotten Son. If our heavenly Father watches over you and I, how much more did he watch over his only begotten Son? As he grew from childhood toward adolescence there was never a moment when he was out of the Father’s care.

   As we approach Luke’s account of Jesus in the temple at age twelve, there is something we need to pause and reflect upon. At a point in his childhood before we see him in the temple at age twelve, our Lord became aware of who he was. The limitations of his cognizant skills as a young child faded until the consciousness of his identity as the Son of God filled his understanding. There was a point in his physical development when Jesus understood Joseph was not his Father. I don’t think his mother had to tell him that. Clearly by age twelve Jesus understood exactly who his Father was.

   Look with me again at verses 41 through 49:
 
41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
42And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
44But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
45And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
 
    Take careful note of what Jesus said in verse forty-nine. Jesus at the tender age of twelve knew the Father sent him. Already Jesus lived in submission to the will of his Father. In the gospels Jesus speaks of his Father continually. Over one hundred times in the gospel of John alone Jesus references his Father.

    For example, Jesus said: “For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth . . . That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him . . . And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day . . . And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” Amen.
 
     My friends, Jesus grew up before the Father as a tender plant. In time he came to maturity awaiting his appearance to the nation of Israel at the baptism of John the Baptist. He completed his public ministry and proceeded to submit to his Father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane. He went on to the cross where he was smitten of God and afflicted. My friend, the blessed Son of God went to the cross for you. For that purpose he came into the world. Please think about that carefully. 

     Have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior?  If not, put your trust in him today.

Before I read the text, I want to quote from an article on the Wallbuilders website entitled, “Is America a Christian Nation?” It is a lengthy article, so I have time for just a portion which reads as follows:
 
Constitutional law professor Edward Mansfield (1801-1880) acknowledged (the following):
 
In every country, the morals of a people – whatever they may be – take their form and spirit from their religion. For example, the marriage of brothers and sisters was permitted among the Egyptians because such had been the precedent set by their gods, Isis and Osiris. So, too, the classic nations celebrated the drunken rites of Bacchus. Thus, too, the Turk has become lazy and inert because dependent upon Fate, as taught by the Koran. And when in recent times there arose a nation [i.e., France] whose philosophers [e.g. Voltaire, Rousseau, etc.] discovered there was no God and no religion, the nation was thrown into that dismal case in which there was no law and no morals. . . . (in the case of) the United States, Christianity is the original, spontaneous, and national religion.
 
Founding Father and U. S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall agreed. He said:
 
With us, Christianity and religion are identified. It would be strange, indeed, if with such a people our institutions did not presuppose Christianity and did not often refer to it and exhibit relations with it.
 
Christianity is the religion that shaped America and made her what she is today. In fact, historically speaking, it can be irrefutably demonstrated that Biblical Christianity in America produced many of the cherished traditions still enjoyed today, including:
 
A republican rather than a theocratic form of government;

The institutional separation of church and state (as opposed to today’s enforced institutional secularization of church and state);

Protection for religious toleration and the rights of conscience;

A distinction between theology and behavior, thus allowing the incorporation into public policy of religious principles that promote good behavior but which do not enforce theological tenets (examples of this would include religious teachings such as the Good Samaritan, The Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, etc., all of which promote positive civil behavior but do not impose ecclesiastical rites); and

A free-market approach to religion, thus ensuring religious diversity and security for the rights of religious conscience.
 
Consequently, a Christian nation as demonstrated by the American experience is a nation founded upon Christian and Biblical principles, whose values, society, and institutions have largely been shaped by those principles. This definition was reaffirmed by American legal scholars and historians for generations5 but is widely ignored by today’s revisionists.
American Presidents (also) Affirm that America is a Christian Nation
 
Notice a few representative statements on this subject by some of the forty-three previous presidents:
 
The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were. . . . the general principles of Christianity.7 JOHN ADAMS
 
[T]he teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally….impossible for us to figure to ourselves what that life would be if these teaching were removed.8 TEDDY ROOSEVELT
 
America was born a Christian nation – America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.9 WOODROW WILSON
 
American life is builded, and can alone survive, upon . . . [the] fundamental philosophy announced by the Savior nineteen centuries ago.10 HERBERT HOOVER
 
This is a Christian Nation.11 HARRY TRUMAN
 
Let us remember that as a Christian nation . . . we have a charge and a destiny.12 RICHARD NIXON
 
Today our nation is struggling as Christian influence has diminished. On a national level we are not so much governed by the fear of God as was past generations of Americans. Should the Lord delay his coming the only way we can prolong days of freedom in America is to return to the Lord. Now may we pray . . .
 
Now look with me at Deuteronomy chapter six, verse one (read 6:1-15):
 
1Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
2That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
3Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
10And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
11And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
12Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
13Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
14Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;
15(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
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     It is obvious from this reading Israel’s national prosperity depended on obeying the commands of God. The nation was to love the Lord. They were to fear God and to keep his commandments. In so doing they would secure national prosperity and prolong their days in the land.

     America would do well to follow this example. We must beware lest we forget the Lord and serve other gods. Sadly, many within our borders are at war with the concept of the Judeo-Christian ethic upon which the freedoms of the American Republic rests. Thus, since the early 1990s the nation has engaged in an intense culture war that rages on today. Clearly the nation is divided. Today there is no national consensus for civil government upon which Americans are united. This is the fruit of a fundamental change that has occurred in America over the past 100 years or so.

      Ed Vitagliano writes, “For well over a century, secular progressives (the ungodly) in the United States have worked tirelessly to alter the very nature of our Republic. In all of the ways that count the most, they have very nearly succeeded. Moreover, they never asked most Americans for permission to do so . . . Like an invasive virus, this new ideology—alien to our Founding Fathers—spread throughout the bloodstream of American power in the early 1900s. Progressive ideas captured not only law schools—producing critical, progressive U.S. Supreme Court decisions by mid-century—but also many Christian seminaries.”

​     I encourage you to read this booklet (The Progressive Threat to the American Republic). The content of this message will help you discern why we are facing a battle for the future of freedom in America. The better you discern what is going on in America the better equipped you will be to stand up and fight for a free Republic.