Before we pray and focus on these two verses a brief review is in order. You will recall John the Baptist said to all the people, “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.”
I call your attention to John’s warning that Jesus will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. The word “unquenchable” indicates the eternal retribution experienced in hell never ends. Two things immediately come to mind as this truth presses upon our minds.
First, the absolute holiness of God comes into view. Sin is an offense to our most holy God. His just and holy nature compels him to punish sin. In as much as sin is the offense of an infinite God the retribution for sin can never be fully satisfied. Hell is an eternal penitentiary. The appropriate suffering experienced there is unquenchable.
Next, we have a low view of sin. Over time unrepentant men warm up to sin as the conscience becomes seared. We gradually justify what God condemns. Many get to such a sad place the can no longer blush when confronted with their sin.
I should hasten to say as we journey through the gospel of Luke, we shall come to our Lord’s clearest teaching on the suffering that exists in hell. Wheat represents the saved, and chaff represents the lost? Which are you? Only those who confess Christ and thus follow him are saved. I trust you will be of serious mind today.
Now look with me at Luke 3:21-22:
21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
With the reading of these verses, we come to the climax of the ministry of John the Baptist. Remember, John was the forerunner of Messiah. He prepared the way of the Lord, that is, he prepared the people for the arrival of the Messiah. His main responsibility was to literally point out and identify the Messiah.
As John ministered to the people, he told them the day was soon coming when he would identify the Messiah. That day arrived as John saw Jesus coming into view. Immediately John cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.”
The Jewish audience who heard John refer to Jesus in this manner certainly understood the offering of lambs in sacrifice to the Lord. They knew the father of their nation, Abraham, once took his only son Isaac to a mountain to offer him in sacrifice as directed by the Lord. As the two traveled toward the place of sacrifice Isaac famously said, “My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
My friends, Abraham’s words became prophetic and many years later when John the Baptist cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world,” God had indeed provided himself a lamb for a burnt offering.
The Jews not only had the prophetic word of Abraham, but they knew what it was to offer the Passover lamb each year as prescribed by the Lord through Moses. They knew the blood of the Passover lamb delivered them from death in Egypt and set them free from bondage to Pharoah.
Now they turn their gaze upon Jesus as John cries out, “behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.” John’s description of Jesus with this title had to arrest the thinking of the people. This is the Messiah, yet John speaks of his death as the Lamb of God.
John knew Jesus was destined to fulfill the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah who said of the coming Messiah, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter . . . for the transgression of my people was he stricken . . . it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin . . . he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
Thousands upon thousands of times the Jews offered lambs in sacrifice to the Lord under the old covenant. Yet not one of those sacrifices could once for all take away sin. Those sacrifices only pictured the work of Christ as the lamb of God who by his sacrifice would once for all take away the sin of the world.
And so, the Scripture says:
“Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”
Hear me today. The Lord from heaven came into this world and took to himself a human nature in the person of Jesus the Christ. A body was prepared for him that he by the grace of God could taste death for every man. At his baptism, the Son of God openly committed himself to the will of his Father. His baptism was the first step on the journey that led to the cross.
And Jesus being baptized the heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove and rested on him. Then came a voice from heaven, “Thou are my beloved Son; in thee am I well pleased.” Amen.
The Father was pleased that day and Jesus proceeded to obey his Father in every way becoming obedient to death, even the death of the cross. My friends, upon that cross he who knew no sin, he that was the lamb of God without spot or blemish, became our sin bearer. He was slain and has redeemed us to God by his own precious blood.
And one day we shall join the chorus in heaven numbering ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands declaring worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Amen and Amen!
I call your attention to John’s warning that Jesus will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. The word “unquenchable” indicates the eternal retribution experienced in hell never ends. Two things immediately come to mind as this truth presses upon our minds.
First, the absolute holiness of God comes into view. Sin is an offense to our most holy God. His just and holy nature compels him to punish sin. In as much as sin is the offense of an infinite God the retribution for sin can never be fully satisfied. Hell is an eternal penitentiary. The appropriate suffering experienced there is unquenchable.
Next, we have a low view of sin. Over time unrepentant men warm up to sin as the conscience becomes seared. We gradually justify what God condemns. Many get to such a sad place the can no longer blush when confronted with their sin.
I should hasten to say as we journey through the gospel of Luke, we shall come to our Lord’s clearest teaching on the suffering that exists in hell. Wheat represents the saved, and chaff represents the lost? Which are you? Only those who confess Christ and thus follow him are saved. I trust you will be of serious mind today.
Now look with me at Luke 3:21-22:
21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
With the reading of these verses, we come to the climax of the ministry of John the Baptist. Remember, John was the forerunner of Messiah. He prepared the way of the Lord, that is, he prepared the people for the arrival of the Messiah. His main responsibility was to literally point out and identify the Messiah.
As John ministered to the people, he told them the day was soon coming when he would identify the Messiah. That day arrived as John saw Jesus coming into view. Immediately John cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.”
The Jewish audience who heard John refer to Jesus in this manner certainly understood the offering of lambs in sacrifice to the Lord. They knew the father of their nation, Abraham, once took his only son Isaac to a mountain to offer him in sacrifice as directed by the Lord. As the two traveled toward the place of sacrifice Isaac famously said, “My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
My friends, Abraham’s words became prophetic and many years later when John the Baptist cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world,” God had indeed provided himself a lamb for a burnt offering.
The Jews not only had the prophetic word of Abraham, but they knew what it was to offer the Passover lamb each year as prescribed by the Lord through Moses. They knew the blood of the Passover lamb delivered them from death in Egypt and set them free from bondage to Pharoah.
Now they turn their gaze upon Jesus as John cries out, “behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.” John’s description of Jesus with this title had to arrest the thinking of the people. This is the Messiah, yet John speaks of his death as the Lamb of God.
John knew Jesus was destined to fulfill the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah who said of the coming Messiah, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter . . . for the transgression of my people was he stricken . . . it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin . . . he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
Thousands upon thousands of times the Jews offered lambs in sacrifice to the Lord under the old covenant. Yet not one of those sacrifices could once for all take away sin. Those sacrifices only pictured the work of Christ as the lamb of God who by his sacrifice would once for all take away the sin of the world.
And so, the Scripture says:
“Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”
Hear me today. The Lord from heaven came into this world and took to himself a human nature in the person of Jesus the Christ. A body was prepared for him that he by the grace of God could taste death for every man. At his baptism, the Son of God openly committed himself to the will of his Father. His baptism was the first step on the journey that led to the cross.
And Jesus being baptized the heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove and rested on him. Then came a voice from heaven, “Thou are my beloved Son; in thee am I well pleased.” Amen.
The Father was pleased that day and Jesus proceeded to obey his Father in every way becoming obedient to death, even the death of the cross. My friends, upon that cross he who knew no sin, he that was the lamb of God without spot or blemish, became our sin bearer. He was slain and has redeemed us to God by his own precious blood.
And one day we shall join the chorus in heaven numbering ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands declaring worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Amen and Amen!
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