Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
   sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
   tell of his salvation from day to day.

Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.

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Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen

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In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

⁷ He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” ¹¹ And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” ¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” ¹³ And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” ¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, ¹⁶ John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. ¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰ added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

²¹ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

God meets us in the wilderness to awaken our hearts and prepare us for Christ.

I. The Voice vv 1-6
II. The Call vv 7-14
III. The Truth vv 15-20

Introduction 

1. Have you ever gone through a season when God felt silent or distant? What was that like for you?
2. When you hear the word “wilderness” in the Bible, what comes to mind?

Into the Text

3. Luke lists many powerful people (Tiberius, Pilate, Herod, Annas, Caiaphas), yet the word of God comes to John in the wilderness. Why do you think God often speaks outside the places of power and influence?
4. John quotes Isaiah 40 about preparing the way of the Lord (filling valleys, lowering mountains, straightening paths). What kinds of “valleys,” “mountains,” or “crooked places” need to be worked on in peoples hearts today?
5. John tells three different groups (crowds, tax collectors, soldiers) very practical ways to live out repentance. Why do you think he focuses on everyday actions instead of dramatic religious acts?
6. John says Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, and that He has a winnowing fork in His hand. How do those two pictures (Spirit/fire and wheat/chaff) go together? What hope and warning do you hear in them?
7. Even though John speaks strong words about judgment, Luke says he “preached good news” (verse 18). How can a message that includes judgment still be good news?

Apply the Text 

8. Where in your life right now feels like a “wilderness” (dry, empty, or far from God)? How might God want to speak or work in that place?
9. John told people to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” What is one specific area in your life (money, words, relationships, work, etc.) where God might be calling you to show real change this week?
10. John kept pointing away from himself to Jesus. Who in your life needs to hear you point them to Jesus this week, and how could you do that?