Get Real! | Sunday, March 30, 2025

Amen. Praise the Lord! Thank you, Anthony and the worship team. Good morning.

While you guys are standing this morning, if you could take out your Bibles. If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand, and an usher will bring you one. We are continuing our series of studies in the New Testament book of Luke. If you turn about the middle of your Bible and start turning to the right, you'll find the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and then Luke.

We are in chapter 3, verse 7. Luke writes, "Then John the Baptist said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, 'Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.'"

God, I pray that you would speak to us as we stand here today with open Bibles, hopefully open ears, and open hearts. We come before you with expectant hearts, hoping to hear from you. God, continue the work that you desire to do in me and my brothers and sisters this morning. Lord, even as we see in this text the removal of branches that do not bear fruit, may we bear more fruit. Would you make that a reality in my life?

I pray that as my life is brought before your word and as you are working in my life by your Spirit, there would be an evident transformation. May it be evident to me and to others that you are doing a work. God, continue making us more like you. We ask that today in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen."

You can be seated. In our introduction to this character, John the Baptist, last week I shared that John the Baptist is quite a character. I think he's one of the most...

Interesting characters in the Bible certainly add to the intrigue about this figure. Who could it be that would say to a gathered multitude of people who have really made the hard work to come out to him? We are told in the text that John is in the wilderness of Judea by the Jordan River. It’s not like they had four-wheel vehicles to get them out there; it was a trek to come to this guy.

As multitudes come to him, he says, "You bunch of snakes!" That’s his introduction. "You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" This is absolutely not the late 20th-century Peter Drucker-influenced seeker-sensitive model for church growth that John is engaged in here. Yet, we are told in the text that multitudes came out to be baptized by him. This approach is contrary to the methodology of those who, in our day, would be identified as the church growth experts.

These so-called experts have influenced a lot of American churchianity over the last several generations. From the church growth experts, you would be encouraged to never be so confrontational and certainly not to be so offensive. I can imagine the conversation between John the Baptist and the church growth experts. They would be telling him to get real; he cannot possibly expect to get a movement going and attract a whole bunch of people if he is going to criticize them.

They are coming all this way to see him, and he’s calling them a bunch of snakes and asking who warned them to flee from the wrath that is to come. Yet, here in the text, we are told that multitudes are coming to him in droves to be baptized. The obvious question is: why? Why go to the effort? Why are they coming to him in this way?

There may be many ways to answer that question. Certainly, we know from a study of the first century in which John is ministering that there was a heightened anticipation and expectation among the people that the Messiah was going to come. This is the one who they had been told for centuries and taught from the prophets would come to bring redemption and rescue to them as a people.

Nation knew from the prophetic writings that the Messiah, the Anointed One, would show up during a time of trouble and chaos. They were certainly living in the midst of trouble and chaos, so there was a heightened anticipation and expectation that the Messiah was going to come. You can imagine that this was part of what was pushing the multitudes to come out to John.

Another reason for their gathering was the dissatisfaction with the way things were. There was significant discontent with the Roman occupation of the area. The people did not like being under Caesar's control, paying tribute and taxes to Rome. They were dissatisfied with the rule of Herod, who was king at that time, and who was not even Jewish. Additionally, there was major dissatisfaction with the religious administration. We were introduced to the two high priests, Annas and Caiaphas, who were running things at that time.

So, the people were dissatisfied with Roman occupation, with Herod's rule, and with the Annas and Caiaphas administration. Certainly, there was heightened anticipation and dissatisfaction, but I would say more than those two things, the reason that people were coming out to John in the wilderness was because it was a move of God. The movement of these masses of people was a demonstration that God was at work.

Later, Jesus would say in the Gospel of John, chapter 6, that no one comes to Him unless the Father draws them. When someone begins to move in the direction toward God, there is something happening spiritually; God is moving in their life and on their heart. For many years, I have prayed, "God, would you do a work of drawing people to Yourself to hear the message of the Gospel here at this church?" There have been many times over the years that we've prayed for people driving by on a Sunday morning, that they would feel drawn to pull in here, even if they didn't understand why.

I have met many people over the years who have told me, "I was on my way to the store or I was on my way to Starbucks, and I just felt like I should pull in here. I don't even know why."

I know why, because God is drawing you. We were praying to that end. Again, Jesus would say in the Gospel of John 12, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all people to myself." Contextually, I understand that there Jesus is talking about being lifted up on the cross. John gives an editorial note, and he says this: He spoke of the way in which he would die. Certainly, that's true, but I think there's more to it than just that. If Jesus is lifted up and exalted, He has a way of drawing people to Himself.

This understanding has led me for many years to pray, "God, help me to faithfully lift You up, and that You would draw people to Yourself." I am thoroughly convinced that you are here today in part because God drew you to be here. You may say, "No, I'm free. I decided to come here. I made the decision to be here this morning. I do it all by myself. I'm the one who is the decider." You could be doing a lot of other things on a Sunday morning. Certainly, here in San Diego County, you could be doing a lot of other things; many people are.

However, I am convinced that, in some part, and I think in some measurable way, the reason you are here this week is because God did a work of drawing you. He stirred your desire to be here. I am as convinced as many people that we have free will. God has given us free will, or free moral agency, as we would call it, to make decisions. I like to say that God has sovereignly decreed that you have free will. This leads into a whole big theological discussion that Christians have argued about for a long time and will continue to argue about until Jesus comes and clears it up for us.

God has sovereignly decreed that we would have free will. Our culture certainly treats you as if you have free will and holds you accountable for the willful actions and decisions that you make. Christians have believed and taught both Divine sovereignty and human responsibility. We see both in the Scriptures, and many times we see both in the same text of the Bible, right in verses next to each other. This is especially true in what are my favorite verses in Philippians 2:12 and 13. If you've been a part of this church for any length of time, you've heard me talk about them frequently. Paul, in his letter to the...

In the church at Philippi, in Chapter 2, at the end of verse 12, it says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." That's your responsibility: work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The next verse states, "For it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure." So the question is asked: Who is working? Is it you or is it God? The answer is yes. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.

These are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. I think I first came upon them and started to think deeply about them when I was about 18 or 19 years old. They have become, for me, something like life verses—things that I return to quite frequently. They build the core of what I believe about the will and the call of God, which is a very important subject.

The will and the call of God answer the question: How do I discover what God's will is for my life? I have had the privilege, for more than 25 years, to be involved in some sort of Christian leadership or pastoral ministry, first with youth. I heard that question a lot from high schoolers and young adults: What does God want me to do? Over time, I have discovered that this is not just a question that younger people ask. I find that believers, regardless of their age, ask that question at every stage of life: "God, what do You want me to do?" It is such a powerful question, and it leads to a very important point.

Point number one, if you're taking notes this morning: God moves us as He wills us to will to do His will. You're going to have to think about that one a little bit. I will try to explain and unpack it further, but I am convinced that this, which is supported by Scripture like that passage in Philippians 2:12-13, helps us to answer the huge question of how to discover God's will for our lives.

Now, if you've ever asked that question, let me first commend you for asking such a question. Let's recognize that this is not the standard way that we, by our human nature, live. "What do You want me to do, God? What is Your will for me?" A lot of people never ask that question. In fact, many people live as though they...

We are the captain of our own ship; we would say the master of our own destiny, the Lord of our own life. People often say, "I did it my way," or "I do it all by myself." This reminds me of a video I showed about ten years ago. In fact, I have it today to show again.

I do it all by myself. I do it all by myself. I do it all by myself. I was a lot younger then, and so was my daughter, Evangeline. She still has that nature. I don't think I taught her to do that; I think that's just human nature. From the youngest stage, we have this tendency: "I do it all by myself." That was just one morning, but every morning was like that for a long time. Maybe you had a kid like that. I think I have four kids like that, actually. They are just like me, saying, "Me do it. I do it all by myself."

That is human nature. If you start to ask the question, "What does God want me to do? What is God's will for my life?" it indicates that a drastic change is taking place within you. Human nature is to say, "I do it all by myself." It is individualistic, self-willed, self-motivated, and selfish. We live in a culture that promotes and amplifies this as a core tenet of Americanism: individualistic, self-willed, self-motivated, selfish.

One of the greatest indications that a change has taken place internally is when you begin to ask the question that Saul of Tarsus asked immediately after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9. Who is Saul of Tarsus? He is the one we know as Paul the Apostle, who wrote thirteen letters of New Testament literature.

Before he was the Apostle Paul writing letters to the churches, he was Saul of Tarsus, who was bent on proving himself in his own view that the church was against God. Then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. When he met Him, he asked the question, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" Just that word, "Lord," represents a massive shift in his life.

When you start to ask the question, "What does God want me to do?" it indicates that a change has taken place in your life. It shows that your understanding of the rule and the lordship in your life has changed. For a great many people in our culture, when they hear the idea that you live your life as if someone else gets to make decisions about where you're going, they say, "Get real! That's not the way I'm going to live. I do it all by myself. I'm the captain. I'm the master. I'm the Lord."

Yet, Saul of Tarsus met Jesus on the road to Damascus and said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" It has been my observation that the people in my life who have lived their whole lives with the mindset of "I do it all by myself, I do it my way, I'm the master, I'm the captain, I'm the Lord," are the ones who have not had the best outcomes. Interestingly, the people I know who say, "God, what do you want me to do?" tend to have the best outcomes.

All that leads to the major question: How do I discover God's will for my life? Going back to just before I got a start in ministry, I remember reading those words in Philippians chapter 2 and coming to the realization that I believe God moves us into His will first by changing our desires. He stirs us to desire something new. As you begin to accept His rule and yield to His lordship, He has this amazing way of changing and transforming you.

Our desires—this is what it says in Philippians 2:13. The New Living Translation states, "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him." How does that work? I'm not entirely sure; I just know that it does work. I've seen it happen in my own life. The desires I had when I was moving myself, when I was the captain of my own ship, shifted massively when I started to say, "Lord, what do You want me to do?"

The focus, or we might say the delight of my life, shifted. There was a value change. When that value change happens, and you do what the psalmist talks about in Psalm 37, you begin to value something different. You value God. You delight yourself in the Lord, and He gives you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

Now, I think there are at least two ways to read that. One way is to interpret it as: if I delight myself in the Lord, whatever that may mean, He will give me whatever I desire. I haven't experienced that, but I have experienced something quite different. As I started to shift the value and focus of my life, the desires of my life shifted as well. They changed; they were reoriented.

As the focus of your life shifts from yourself to God, He shifts and moves your desires. We begin to desire the things we didn't desire before. We begin to desire what the Lord desires, and then we're presented with a choice: His will or yours. This can be a very challenging place because that human inclination towards "I do it my way" is strong.

Let me tell you, in the humanity of Jesus, we even see this in the Garden of Gethsemane. He said, "Not my will, but Yours be done." That is a phenomenal theological concept to parse and break apart. People spend a lot of time thinking about that whole dynamic. Within the Trinity, there is this human pull in Jesus's humanity to not go to the cross, and He says, "Not my will, but Yours be done."

That can be a struggle. If you've lived in that tension before, you know the struggle. But we are presented now with a choice, and God, who is sovereignly in control, invites us into this process.

Selected and elected to give you free will, He wants you to partner with Him. However, you've got to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12 says, in another translation, the New Living Translation renders it as "work hard to show the results of your salvation, the evidence of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear."

What is amazing to me is the connection between Paul's words in Philippians 2:12 and John the Baptist's words in Luke 3. When Paul says to work hard to show the results and evidence of your salvation, it is very similar to John's command to "bear fruits worthy of repentance." These statements are basically equivalent; they convey the same idea. Work hard to show the results of your salvation and bear fruits worthy of repentance.

Point number two: repentance and faith are internal changes that produce external evidence. The external evidence is an inevitable outcome of the internal change. When repentance happens, what exactly is this repentance? It is a turning from and a turning to. That is what repentance is. It is not merely being sorry or feeling sad. In fact, a great illustration of this is found in the book of Hebrews, which talks about Esau. He wanted the blessing of repentance and obedience, and he sought that blessing with tears, but he found no place for repentance. The tears and the feeling bad for what you've done are not the same as true repentance.

What is repentance? It is a turning from and a turning to. It begins as an internal change but inevitably produces external evidence; it is seen in some way. For some people, this causes great consternation because they assume that this is saying something that I’m not sure it is saying. They object in this way, using the Bible, which is the best way to object. Don't you know that Paul in Ephesians 2 says, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast"? It seems like you're saying that we have to work, and so there is this debate and struggle.

Conflict arises when discussing whether salvation is entirely by God's grace or if human work is involved. This debate is significant and has divided entire church movements, not just individual churches, for hundreds of years. While I cannot resolve the entire debate today, I can share my thoughts on the matter.

Many people, especially in the Western world, desire everything to be perfectly outlined, with clear propositions and a logically flowing document that explains how these concepts work together. However, I must tell you that such a document does not exist. There is much more tension in this discussion because God has sovereignly decided to give us free will and responsibility. These concepts seem paradoxically opposed to one another, yet they are found in the Bible side by side, inseparable.

Salvation is by God's grace—entirely by God's grace and not by works. You cannot work to earn your salvation. Yet, in James 2:20 and 26, it states that faith without works is dead. Many of you may know this if you have been reading your Bible. The great theologian Martin Luther, one of the most important figures in the Protestant Reformation, had a real problem with the book of James. He emphasized that it is all of grace through faith, as the just shall live by faith. However, James asserts that faith without works is dead.

There seems to be, although I don't believe there is, a conflict between these two perspectives. They represent two sides of the same coin. We are saved by grace through faith, without works, but saving faith produces good works. This is exactly what Paul states in Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works."

Lest anyone should boast, verse 10 states that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God ordained beforehand that we should walk in them. Oh my gosh, there is so much of God's working and us working joined together in one sentence. In the Greek, there is no separation; it's one long sentence. He is the king of run-on sentences—Saul of Tarsus, Paul the Apostle. If you're a grammarian, you might have a hard time with his long sentences.

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. John says to the gathered multitudes, "Bear fruit worthy in line with that internal repentance." This demonstration needs to be seen; that's what he's calling for here as they come to him.

Now, you might have noticed I skipped over something very important. He said, "You bunch of snakes! Who warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come?" The modern church growth experts would say you should go right over that one. Many in the American church in the 21st century don't like to talk about the wrath of God because it is disturbing. If there is such a thing as the wrath of God, I think you should very much want to flee from it.

The desire to get away from the wrath of God has led many within the modern church to avoid discussing it, in a sense pretending as though it does not exist. This is kind of like the ostrich with its head in the sand—just pretending that it does not exist. Yet, the Bible speaks quite a bit about the wrath of God. If you're going to talk about the Bible, it will be hard not to talk about the wrath of God. Therefore, if you're not going to talk about the wrath of God, you're probably not going to discuss the whole of the Bible. In fact, you're going to get rid of a lot of the Old Testament, which is probably why many people in our nation today don't talk a lot about the Old Testament. The wrath of God is all through there, and the challenging reality about it is...

The concept called the wrath of God is made very clear in the Bible: it is inescapable. The wrath of God is inescapable without repentance and faith. There is only one way to escape it, and that requires turning from the path I was on to God.

Now, here's the hard part. If it is the wrath of God that I am trying to flee, I don't want to turn to Him; I want to turn away from Him and run. However, if I turn away from Him and run, then I am on the path I was already on, and I am headed right for His wrath. What the Bible says is to turn from the path you are on and turn to God. This turning is called repentance—turning from the path that leads toward the wrath of God to God Himself.

Again, this concept of God's wrath is something we often try to avoid. But Paul, in Romans 1:18, states, "For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." The phrase "the wrath of God is revealed" is in the future tense; it indicates something that is going to happen. It could be said that the wrath of God is going to come with certainty upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness. This is what we would call the bad news, and it is indeed bad news. However, it makes the good news of the Gospel glorious.

Speaking about the wrath of God, I must say that I don't know when it is going to come, and you don't know when it is going to come either. I can tell you this: it hasn't happened yet. Over the years, there have been some who have claimed to know when it would happen, setting a specific date in the future. Then, when that date passes and nothing occurs, it causes many people to conclude that it obviously isn't going to happen. They think, "It hasn't happened like that person said it would."

What is amazing to me is that this is exactly what the Apostle Peter spoke about 2,000 years ago in Second Peter.

Chapter 3 discusses the warning that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lustful desires. They will say, "Where is the promise of His coming?" It is evident that we have not seen this fulfilled. There will be scoffers and mockers in the last days who will claim that since our fathers fell asleep, things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation. They argue that many people have predicted His coming, yet it has not happened. Here we are, thousands of years later.

However, Peter states in 2 Peter 3:5 that they willfully forget that by the word of God, the heavens were of old and the Earth was standing out of water and in the water. The world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. Have any of you heard of Noah's flood before? Peter reminds us that the heavens and the Earth, which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire. There is not another flood coming; that is what the whole rainbow signifies. We have used it for something else in our day, but it was a promise that God would never again judge the world with a flood. Instead, it is reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. The wrath of God will be revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness.

Beloved, do not forget this one thing, Peter says: with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. You may think it has been a long time, but to God, who is in eternity and outside of time, it has not been a very long time. So, why has it gone on for so long? Why are we still here, 2,000 years after Peter warned that scoffers and mockers would come?

Here is the answer in verse 9: the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but He is longsuffering and patient toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance. Why has God not brought His wrath yet? Why has He delayed so long? Because He is gracious and desires as many as possible to come to repentance. In repentance is the only refuge from the wrath of God.

The Lord will come, He says, just like a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, knowing that this is coming, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?

What is Peter saying? He is saying the exact same thing that Paul said in Philippians and that John said in Luke. Therefore, knowing this, bear fruits worthy of repentance, because the wrath of God will come, and it will be inescapable. The prophet Amos, in describing the inescapable nature of the wrath of God, frequently speaks of the time when God's wrath is poured out under the phrase "the day of the Lord's wrath," "the day of the Lord's judgment," or simply "the day of the Lord."

In Amos chapter 5, when he describes the day of the Lord, he says, "The day of the Lord is like darkness." It will be as if you were fleeing from a lion and a bear got you. Then you get into the house, close the door, and a serpent bites you. What is he saying? Amos says that when God's wrath begins to be poured out, it is inescapable. It will be like if a lion was chasing you, and you finally got away from the lion, only to be caught by a bear. You wrestle yourself away from the bear, run away, and get into a house. As soon as you close the door, thinking you are safe, a snake comes and bites you. That is how he describes the inescapable wrath of God. It is a dark day in which you cannot escape.

As the multitudes were fleeing to John in the wilderness, he said to them, "Prove by the way that you live that you have repented from your sins and turned to God." Why? Because turning to God is the only shelter from the wrath of God. He continues with a sobering message, saying, "Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I say to you that God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones." There was likely a pile of stones there.

Even now, the ax is laid to the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. This is a heavy point: saving faith.

Faithful repentance is not genetically transferred to future generations. John the Baptist says to the multitudes, "Don't begin to say we're okay because, don't you know, I'm a PK? I'm a pastor's kid." Or don't think that you can say, "Well, my grandparents were missionaries," as if you're going to get to heaven and say, "Well, don't you know my family tree? Billy Graham was my uncle." That's not going to help. That's what John says. Don't even begin to think, "Well, I'm of the right lineage; you know, Abraham is my father; everything's okay." No, he says God is not going to look at the family tree. He says the axe is laid to the root of the tree. He's looking for what trees produce: fruit. He's looking for fruit, and every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

When I was putting this message together on Friday, I was sitting in my office with the door open, and there were tree trimmers trimming our palm trees and throwing the palm tree branches into the chipper. That is a frightening machine. I worked for a tree trimmer when I was about 15 for a summer, and my job was to take the branches, carry them over to the tree trimmer, and put them into the machine. That thing scared me half to death every time I had to pull branches toward it. I hated that thing.

These are sobering words from the Baptist. The multitudes respond, and we see in verse 10 that the people asked John the Baptist, "What shall we do?" That's a good question. He says it doesn't matter that you have Abraham as your father. If you do not repent and bear fruits worthy of repentance, you will be burned in the fire. They said, "Well, we don't want that, so what should we do?" He answered them, saying, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none, and he who has food, let him do likewise." Then the tax collectors came to him and said, "Teacher, what shall we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed."

For you, likewise, soldiers asked him, "And what shall we do?" He said, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

Now, these are challenging words, but they get very practical and very focused. He speaks to three different groups: there was a general audience that had a question, a group of tax collectors who had a question, and a group of soldiers who had a question. John addresses each one. You might look at this and say, "Well, he didn't address me, so I guess I'm okay. I'm not in that list, so I can overlook this." Well, not so fast.

What this shows us is that the fruit that God is looking for is specific fruit from a specific tree, shall we say. He is talking to a general audience, and generally speaking, all people are selfish. We tend to be greedy and hoard. He addresses that specific problem, saying, "Here's your specific problem: you're greedy, and you need to repent of that." A demonstration that you've changed your mind is that you're no longer acting greedily; instead, you're sharing with other people.

Then, he turns to the tax collectors, a specific group of people identified as sinners during his day. In John's day, people really didn't like tax collectors. I know it's totally different from our experience; April 15th is just a few weeks away. Tax collectors were Jewish citizens employed by the occupying Roman government. The Romans had a set level of tax that they required from the people, and the tax collector would collect that tax. However, they had the ability to charge a little bit more, and whatever that margin was became their profit.

You can imagine that sometimes the temptation was to set that a little higher—charging a little bit more for themselves and a little less for the people, while still paying the good Romans. You can see why they were disliked; they were seen as traitors, becoming rich off the common people.

Finally, he speaks specifically to the soldiers. There is a question: are these Roman soldiers? Probably not. They might be Jewish conscripts aiding the Romans or Herod's detachment of soldiers. When they ask, "What shall we do?" he addresses them directly.

He says you are not to intimidate anybody and do not bear witness falsely. Be happy with what you have. Many of you, some of you sitting here today, have served in the military, so you understand this concept. It is a highly valued principle in the American military: the Uniform Code of Justice and the core values of the training in whatever branch of the military you were in. The idea of intimidating people and using your position as a military officer is simply unacceptable.

However, what is normal and valued in our culture is not necessarily normal throughout all of history. He who had the sword or the gun often used that power however they wanted. John says it ought not to be that way for you. This is going to be different for you. Do not intimidate people, do not bear witness falsely, and do not extract from people whatever you want. Not so for you.

What is he saying here? He is addressing the different spheres of life: the common people, the tax collectors, the soldiers. For every single one of us here today, there are things in your life, in your sphere of influence, in the industry you are in, and in the job that you hold that may be on the margins. They might be a little unethical, perhaps wrong or immoral, but everybody does it. It is overlooked; everyone does it.

So, you adopt a consequentialist form of ethics, or a situational ethic, or a consensus ethic. What is a consensus ethic? It is the idea that if everybody is doing it, it must not be wrong because everyone does it. John says no. God is calling you to be different. He is calling you to change your behavior, even though it is commonplace and accepted to do what is unethical or wrong.

Point number four: repentance looks like doing what is right when no one else does. It is that thing that people say, "Come on, you can't really get real. You can't really be calling me to do what everyone else isn't doing."

Does this mean everybody fudges their expense reports? Everybody is using ChatGPT to do their tests. Everybody is using work time to do personal tasks. It's just that everyone does that. Since everybody does it, the consensus ethic says it's okay, but God says no, it's not.

Repentance looks like doing what is right when no one else does, even when everyone else doesn't. We might just summarize this in one word: integrity. God is looking for wholeness of heart and integrity, and that is a demonstration that you've been changed and transformed by the Spirit and grace of God.

Now, will that work and that integrity save you? No, it's an indication that you've been saved. It's an indication that God's grace and power are working in you, for it is God who works in you to desire and do what is pleasing to Him.

But am I working, or is He working? Well, yes, you're working out your own salvation with fear and trembling. So, it's you working, yes, but it's God who is working in you to will. It's God's working, and it's an indication that you've partnered with God and that He is working in you.

Here's the frightening reality: He says the axe is in the hand, and the inspector is looking for fruit. Who is the inspector? Jesus answers that question for us in John chapter 15: "I am the vine, and you are the branches, and my Father is the vine dresser." He is looking for fruit.

God, would you make my life a fruitful life by Your grace, by Your power? What does fruit look like? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, and many other such virtues are the demonstration of the power of God's Spirit at work in me. God, would you make...

My life is fruitful, not so that I can be saved, but because I'm saved. Amen.

Let's stand and close in prayer.

Lord, this is when Your Word gets real. It is not just something that is an intellectual exercise of us committing these things to heart and mind, but when it challenges us in the way that we live on a day-to-day basis. God, would You, by Your Spirit, work in us to help us to bear much fruit? Would You prune away anything in my life that is not bearing fruit so that I could be more fruitful for Your name's sake?

I pray that that fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control—would be evident to me and evident to others as well. And that You, Lord, when You look, would find much fruit. Make me, make us, make Your church fruitful in these days. We pray this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, Amen.