Luke 3:7-15
When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.
The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”
He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
“What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”
I recently moved to the north side of Chicago (and by recent, I mean this past September). Along with the change of living arrangements also came the change of church/corps, and after seeking and praying, God confirmed that I should start attending the Irving Park Corps. This next Sunday will be my first time leading worship there, and it’s been great fun to be a part of what God is doing. The Scripture we’ll be focusing on this Sunday is the one above, and as I’ve been preparing myself for the weekend, God has been speaking to me about it quite a bit.
John the Baptist, the guy who was known for wearing camel hair and eating locusts and wild honey (and not to mention getting beheaded), speaks some serious truth here. See, the mark of a true follower of Jesus is a changed life. It’s not just a name that we bear, a necklace we wear, or a t-shirt that we sport. Our lives should be living examples that we follow the risen Lord. That’s why John says, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”
A Biblical term that is associated quite often with a changed life is “fruit.” For instance, in the book of Matthew chapters 5-7, Jesus teaches quite extensively on how people are to live if they call themselves followers of God. And at the very end, Jesus basically says that none of it matters unless you live it out:
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. (Matthew 7:1-21)
So there it is. It’s not complicated or too mysterious to understand. It’s about action, obedience, walking, serving, following, joining, opening, believing, and changing. The cool thing, too, is that Jesus gives us a really good reason for following him. If we read on in Matthew 7, it says:
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
May God give you grace as you continue to follow him and rearrange your life around his.