A Heart for the Gospel

A little while ago I wrote a sermon called “The Heart of the Gospel,” and that particular title was drawn out of St. John 8: 1-11 (KJV) where Jesus ministers to us the heart of the Gospel when he is held responsible for holding the corrupt scribes and Pharisees accountable. At the same time, he holds accountable, a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery. In that very moment in Christ’s ministry, he showed us the heart we must have as ministers of the Gospel. Since it is important for us to have the heart of the Gospel, St. Luke 3: 7-18 suggests that it is equally important that we all have a heart for the Gospel. Let us focus our attention on St. Luke 3: 7-18. And it reads:

7 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. 8 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. 9 And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. 15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 John answered, saying unto them all, 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: 17 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 but with fire unquenchable. 18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. (KJV)

May God add a blessing to the readers, hearers, and doers of his holy Word. The title of this sermon is called “A Heart for the Gospel.” This particular passage of scripture is a highlight of a sermon that John the Baptist preached. Observing the words of John the Baptist is critical when it comes to having a heart for the gospel. 1) John the Baptist was the forerunner, in that he was the one whom God ordained to “prepare the way of the Lord” ( Luke 3: 4 KJV). 2). John encourages the nation of Israel to “bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance.” The fruit that John the Baptist is talking about is the hearts of men. In Psalm 4: 3-5, King David said, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” 3) John the Baptist’s gave his entire life to preaching the Gospel. The word “Gospel” simply means “good news.” Specifically, the Gospel message that John the Baptist preached was the good news of Jesus Christ.” Why is the gospel the good news of Jesus Christ? The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, because it is a message about how only the person and work of Jesus Christ brings salvation from sin and its punishment, hell.

Introducing Salvation

Prophecies from hundreds of years prior, foretold of the coming of the prophet who would “prepare the way of the Lord” (see Luke 3: 4, Isaiah 40:3-7 and Malachi 4: 5-6 KJV). Simply put, John’s entire life was spent introducing salvation. That salvation is Jesus Christ. Even his name describes who he is and what he came to do. Originally, the text we are now observing was written in Greek. In the Greek language, Jesus’s name is pronounced Iēsous. In the Hebrew language, his name is pronounced Yeshua, and name Yeshua is an alternative name for Yehoshua. Yehoshua is pronounced in English as Joshua. The names Yeshua and Yehoshua mean Yahweh is Salvation. In Isaiah’s prophecy, the name heaven gave to Christ was Immanuel, and the name Immanuel also describes who he is (see Isaiah 7:4 KJV). The name Immanuel is a Hebrew name that means “God with us.” Forgive me for the etymological rant concerning Christ’s name(s). Those have always been facts that I have found to be interesting.

John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb, and he received the power to carry out this task of preparing the way of the Lord (see Luke 1: 15 KJV). As mentioned before, John told those who were coming to be baptized “to bring forth therefore fruits of repentance” (Luke 3: 8 KJV). So, John’s ministry consists of prophesying the coming of the Lord, and he also admonishes the nation of Israel to posture their hearts so that they would be able to receive the Lord at his coming.

The Baptist’s Sermon

In the introduction of the sermon John the Baptist serves notice to the individuals who were being deceptive and insincere in attending his sermon. This is evident when John frantically yells, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:7-8 KJV). Why does John call certain people in the multitude a “generation of vipers?” John understood there were people in attendance who were not there to understand his message about the coming of salvation personified. In this instance, John is admonishing the multitude to not come to him with personalities of vipers, and instead they must come with fruits (hearts) of repentance (see Luke 3: 8 KJV).

1. Repentance

Often, when people hear the words repent, repentance, or penance, the response that comes to their mind is the act of confession. Confession is healthy and it is required for salvation (see Romans 10:9 and 1 John 1:8-9 KJV). However, In 2 Chronicles 7: 14 (KJV), God provides to King Solomon a holistic form of repentance that is spiritual, theological, and practical. In 2 Chronicles 7: 14 (KJV), God says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 1) God lets us know that those who receive salvation are called unto salvation when he says, “If my people, which are called by my name.” This should humble us, as saints in Christ, in that it offers and provides salvation for us. Salvation is a grace we did not deserve, and its cost was more than our human righteousness could afford. 2) In case we, the children of God, were not humbled by the fact that we were called unto salvation, God plainly told Solomon that his children must maintain a posture of humility in order to receive forgiveness. 3) After we have humbled our hearts and our spirits, God commands his children to pray and seek his face. Colossians 1:15 (KJV) lets us know that Jesus Christ is the expressed image of the invisible God. Therefore, God commands that we exercise humility, prayer, confession, and pursuing Christ. 4) Lastly, God requires that we turn from our wicked ways. I must admonish you that we must do just as God commanded Solomon. If we are careful to do as God commanded Solomon and the nation of Israel, he will keep that very promise that he made long ago by guaranteeing to Solomon that he would “forgive their sins and heal their land.” You know as well as I do that we are all in need of forgiveness and healing individually and collectively. So, when John the Baptist exhorts the multitude to bring fruits (hearts) of repentance, we should be intentional in practicing repentance in the most holistic way on a daily basis.

2. Rebukes Israelite Pride

The second thing John addresses in his gospel message is the pride of Israel. Since the days of the prophet Moses, the Israelite people have been known as God’s people. They have been known as the “chosen” people. When God commissioned Moses to go deliver the Children of Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians, God himself claimed the Israelite people as his own. In Exodus 8: 1, Moses writes, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me” (KJV). Understandably, the Israelites have embraced such a heritage with pride and a royal sense of identity. That is why John the Baptist said these words in his introduction, “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” (Luke 3: 8 KJV). In so many words, John explains to the children of Israel that their identity as the “chosen” or the sons of Abraham holds no value when it comes to salvation. What does have value is the blood of Jesus Christ, and we as human beings can only be covered by the blood of Jesus Christ through true repentance, confession, and submission (obedience & surrender) to the lordship (guidance, leadership, supervision, commandments).

3. Urgency of Hell

Lastly, in John’s Gospel message, there is a great urgency in his warning about the place called hell. The evidence of this urgency is found in his repeated descriptions of hell. The first time he describes the torment of hell in Luke 3:9 (KJV) saying, “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. The second time John mentions the torment Hell is found in Luke 3: 17 (KJV), saying, “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.” The fact the John was repetitive in his descriptions of Hell speaks to the volume and urgency in which he addressed the topic.

I have been a preacher for more than a decade now, and I also have a few years of experience as a public school teacher. From my own personal experience, I have recognized that teachers and students have an understanding that if the instructor continually repeats a fact, it must be important. It is likely that if the fact is important, there will be a test to see if the student understands. That is precisely what God is doing with our hearts when we hear the Gospel. He is examining our hearts. For example, anyone who has been touched by fire or has been on fire for a moment will be desperate for someone to deliver them or save them from the heat. Knowing that we are born into sin, helps us to understand that the torment of hell is exactly what we deserve.

However, God is a gracious and merciful God, in that He provides for us a way of escape through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, anyone who hears of the torment of hell should ask the only sensible question there is, “How can we be delivered from the fire?” or better yet, “Who is able to deliver us from the fire of hell?” The gospel of Jesus Christ emphatically lets us know that Jesus Christ is the savior, and he is the only one able to deliver us from the fire of hell. He is the only way to escape hell. He is the only one who can provide the human race life without impending doom. He is the truth. The knowledge of his person and work is the truth. Sadly, the repeated descriptions of hell are rarely mentioned in churches today. As a result, many humans live as though there is no hell, and they could not be further from the truth. When we go out into the world to which God has commissioned us to witness, we ought not to forget the fullness of the Gospel message; the gospel message preached by John the Baptist, the gospel message preached by Jesus Christ himself.

Let us pray,

Heavenly, Father, thank you for your Word, Jesus Christ. Thank you for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for providing several examples of the Gospel of Christ in the Scripture. Thank you for the gospel message that you gave your servant John the Baptist. Father, help us so that when we will have hearts for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because we are all in need of his saving grace. Give us hearts that are truly repentant. Strengthen us so that we will always reject the poison of pride. Embolden us to warn all those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior about the dangers and the torment of Hell. Thank you for your son Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, the life. He is the only way of safety from eternal punishment unto eternal peace and communion with God. In Jesus name we pray, Amen,