In an episode of the Bob Newhart show, Newhart plays a psychiatrist named Dr. Switzer. This woman comes to him with a problem – she has a fear of being buried alive in a box. She says it makes her anxious to think about it; it makes her life horrible. She can’t even go through tunnels or be in an elevator. She can’t even be in a box – anything “boxy.”
Dr. Switzer (Bob Newhart) says, “So, what you’re saying is, you’re claustrophobic.” The woman agrees with his assessment. So Dr. Switzer says, “Let’s go Catharine. I’m going to say two words to you right now and I want you to listen to them very, very carefully. I want you to take them out of the office and incorporate them into your life.”
She asks if she needs to write them down. Dr. Switzer says, “If it makes you comfortable. Most people can remember them.” He asks if she’s ready. She says, “Yes.” He says, “Ok. Here we are: Stop it!”
The patient is taken aback because the “prescription” is so simple. Dr. Switzer says, “This is not Yiddish, Catharine. This is English. Stop it!”
Catherine says, “So I should just stop being afraid of being buried alive in a box?” Dr. Switzer says, “You got it.”
Catharine has a few other problems she would like to address with Dr. Switzer:
She says, “We’ll, I’ve got self-destructive relationships with men.” Dr. Switzer says, “Stop it!”
She finally says, “I wash my hands a lot.” Dr. Switzer says, “That’s alright.”
She says she’s afraid to drive. Dr. Switzer says, “Well, stop it!”
When it comes to our sinful behaviors, Jesus tells us: “Stop it!” The biblical word for that is “repentance.” Now, we will see in our passage that “repentance” – while meaning to “change one’s mind” – is also going to result in us stopping our sinful behavior. Because changing the mind produces behavior that is worthy of repentance.
Let’s study the preaching of John the baptizer – Luke 3:2-17:
THE COMMANDS JOHN PREACHED – 3:2-3:
The “word of God” came to John. This expression is reminiscent of the OT prophets.
In order for the Jews to be prepared for the kingdom of the Messiah, they had to repent of their sins against Jehovah God and they had to be immersed in water, please observe the text, “for the forgiveness of sins.” Notice that the purpose of the baptism was “for the forgiveness of sins.”
JOHN’S PREACHING WAS PREDICTED BY ISAIAH – 3:4-6:
Isaiah 40:3-5 predicted that there would be one who would cry in the wilderness – cry for Israel to repent – and through that message this person would “make ready the way for the Lord.” The word “Lord” in the OT Hebrew is “Jehovah” (usually written as LORD). Clearly here in Luke, as well as in Matthew 3 and Mark 1, we know that John was preparing the way for Jesus. This shows decisively that Jesus is Jehovah in the flesh. We might say “Jehovah the Son.”
JOHN’S PREACHING ANTICIPATED A COMING WRATH – 3:7-9:
This verb “to come” is actually the verb “to about to happen” and it is in the present tense. In other words, John is warning that the wrath of God was in the process of being implemented very soon on that generation!
It’s like when my dad got angry at one of us kids… He kept a 2” wide brown belt hanging on the back of the dining room chair to use it when he needed it. And if he ever started reaching for that belt, you knew that wrath was “about to happen!”
REPENTANCE INVOLVES SPECIFIC ACTIONS FOR SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS – 3:10-14:
Notice beginning in verse 10 that the crowds knew that there was something they had to do and they had to do something to get right with God. “What shall we do?” John told each group of people what they needed to don in order to be fit for baptism to be prepared for the approaching kingdom.
JOHN’S PREACHING ANTICIPATED ONE COMING WHO WAS GREATER – 3:15-17:
The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:5 that there was only one baptism, so the baptism in the Holy Spirit – which is distinct from baptism in water – is no longer available. It was a sign of the coming of the Messiah (Acts 2, 10).
Baptism in fire was also going to come on some of those who were in John’s audience. The imagery in verse 17 relates to that coming wrath of God, the baptism in fire.
I also want to briefly draw your attention to John’s message to King Herod in verses 19-20. King Herod had been married to the daughter of the king of Arabia. But he was on a trip and stayed with his brother Philip, who was married to Herod’s niece, Herodias. They fell in love so Herod divorced his first wife and married Herodias. John told him that he needed to repent of living in an unscriptural marriage.
What do you think Herod would have to do to get out of that sinful relationship? Do you think it would be acceptable to God for Herod to say, “Ok. I won’t ever do it again.” Would that be “fruit worthy of repentance?” Do you think God would accept Herod saying, “Ok. The OT (Malachi 2:16) says that God hates divorce. I can’t divorce Herodias. So I just need to stay in this unscriptural marriage.” Wouldn’t that be setting one Scripture against another?
What do you honestly think God wanted Herod to do? Wouldn’t he have to get out of that marriage relationship? The “divorce” that God hated was the first divorce. Now Herod is in a relationship that God did not approve. To bear “fruit worthy of repentance,” Herod would have to end that relationship. Whether it was annulled or divorced, whatever he had to do to legally end that relationship, he needed to get right with God. Instead, Herod had the preacher killed because he didn’t like his message.
TO PREPARE FOR THE SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH:
So when it comes to us acting sinfully or living in sin, the message of the Messiah is: “Stop it!”
If you are practicing sexual immorality – stop it!
If you are living in impurity – stop it!
If you are living in sensuality – stop it!
If you are engaging in division behavior – stop it!
If you are guilty of being argumentative – stop it!
If you are living in adultery – stop it!
If you are guilty of outbursts of anger – stop it!
If you are envious of others – stop it!
If you are engaging in drinking intoxicating beverages – stop it!
Whatever sin you are currently doing – stop it! You can’t be saved in your sinful life.
Paul Holland
