Daly Devotions
April 12th, 2012 by Pastor SolleyLuke 3:1-7
3:1 Now 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, 2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4 As 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. 5 Every 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; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 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?
Repentance and wrath are the words that one needs to stay away from today. Yet they are words that are essential for salvation and Godly living. People want to hear about the love of God, the goodness of God, of heaven and eternity in a place where all is good and right. People want to hear that they are good, that within in man is a good nature trying to get out, that there is a little bit of God in all of us and if we only try our best God will be pleased with us. But try and tell them of sin and hell and they reject the message. Try and tell them of their true nature and their need for repentance and they turn away. Yet we find that repentance and wrath are words that they need to hear today, words that they must understand. That God’s wrath will be poured out upon sin and that they are sinners. That if they do not repent, do not change their mind about self and sin, do not turn from sin in repentance and turn to God for salvation and forgiveness that they will be under the wrath of God. If they do not understand this they cannot be saved. Biblical salvation demands repentance and wrath brings out the need for that repentance. They may be words people don’t want to hear but they are words people need to hear. Yesterday I was able to share the gospel with a man who had been in a liberal church. He was not sure that he would go to heaven. But as I shared about sin, judgment, Christ and salvation, he would not make a decision to all upon the Lord. Behind that I am sure is the false preaching he has heard that God loves everyone and we just need to try the best we can. God does love everyone and that is why Jesus Christ came into this world. But we still need to know of the wrath of God that is going to be poured out on sin, and we still need to repent. Two words people need to hear preached today.