Do You Stand with Jesus?

3rd Sunday of Advent, 12/15/24 Luke 3:7-18 Do You Stand with Jesus? I. You do, if you possess true repentance II. You do, if you produce fruits of repentance III. You do, if you project spiritual urgency Would you agree that these weeks of December are the most visual weeks of the entire year? It’s likely you do. No other time of year matches this time of year for people displaying visually what they are feeling and thinking. It’s Christmas! The most wonderful time of the year! And the vast, vast majority of people join you in supporting the celebration of Christmas. From the houses in your neighborhood, to every retail outlet, to countless web sites, to local restaurants, and even in professional offices and employment settings, people are in agreement that it’s Christmas and therefore it’s time to display it and celebrate it in some way. In fact, I have yet to see any person or any display that opposes Christmas. I’m sure if I looked hard enough, I might be able to find one, but that just proves my point. There is massive support for Christmas among the people in our lives. But that doesn’t mean everyone supports Jesus. What I’m about to say is obvious to every teen and adult listening to me. There are far too many people who can, want to, and will celebrate Christmas without supporting Jesus. And you know what I mean. They’re OK observing Christmas as long as they can leave Jesus out of it. In a way, that’s what John the Baptist was facing on this day in his life and ministry as recorded here for us by St. Luke. John was a spectacle to be observed, and masses of people did so. First, he was somewhat of a freak. Under the Lord’s command, he was a Nazirite from birth, meaning, he was never to cut his hair, use any alcohol, or come into contact with a dead body. What’s more, only some religious freak would wear what he did every day—a coat made of camel hair (not comfortable at all). And he ate bugs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and perhaps snacked on them before bedtime. Those factors and the message he proclaimed made John “the thing” to see and do. Crowds came out to the wilderness to check him out. Do you see the similarity with our modern Christmas celebrations? But when they did, this is what they got: a “come to Jesus meeting” hosted by John himself. John knew he had a golden opportunity to confront these people with spiritual truth, and he didn’t pass it up. He informed them that the promised Savior was near. In effect, he drilled them with the question, “Are you for him or against him.” In other words, do you stand with Jesus? John presents that same question to you and me this morning. And we might think that our answer is obvious, isn’t it? After all, we’re Christians and we’re here to worship Jesus this morning. But it never hurts to ask. In fact, it’s helpful to ask every day, “Do you stand with Jesus?” Let’s ask it and be led by the power of the Holy Spirit to respond, “Yes! Yes, we do!” Part I. “You gotta see this!” You probably hear or read that encouragement/command just about every day of your life. With our modern devices, it’s easy to see and share events, messages, and information that are out of the ordinary, if not amazing. And we’re drawn to them. We don’t want to miss out. The people who lived during the days described in our text were no different. They didn’t have the devices we do, but there were still amazing things to see and hear. And one of them was John the Baptist. He was a different preacher with a different message. And crowds of people made the trip out in the wilderness to take it all in. What is Advent for you? What is Christmas for you? Is it just something to hear and see? Is it something to do in keeping with the crowds? Do you participate because that’s what’s expected of you? The message of Advent is, “The Lord is near.” Do you pay attention to it or let it slide into your old mail file? The message of Christmas is that the Savior is born. He is Christ the Lord, the Son of God. Is your response, “That’s the most wonderful news I’ve ever heard”? Or is it, “I heard that message before. This year I have other things to pay attention to”? What is Advent to you? What is Christmas to you? Please understand what’s at stake here. Jesus is not just a preferred option this December. He’s not a selection you might choose to ignore so that you can enjoy something else. Jesus is absolutely necessary! Why? How? Because I can have everything this world offers, but if I don’t have Jesus, I really have nothing, nothing but eternal death. My sins and yours make Jesus absolutely necessary. There’s no other option. He’s the only Savior from sin, and he’s all yours by God’s grace. He is God’s gift to you. You do nothing. He does everything. That’s what John was calling for—true repentance, for people to confess their sins and their need for a Savior, and to believe that Jesus is that Savior. That’s living in daily repentance. So, do you stand with Jesus? You do, if you possess true repentance. Part II. You’re not easily fooled. Why do I say that? Because you know that just because someone has Christmas on display, doesn’t mean they’re Christian. It works that way with repentance as well. Just saying you celebrate Christmas doesn’t mean you are Christian or support Christ. So also, just saying you are repentant, doesn’t mean you are. Listen once again to John the Baptist spell it out. “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” In other words, don’t just talk the talk. Walk the walk. And then John goes on to describe what that walk looks like and he does so in different ways depending on an individual’s situation. In other words, he drills down into their daily lives. It’s as if he’s stating, “Don’t just tell God you’re sorry for your sins. Go home and actually live it! Don’t just tell God, ‘You are my God,’ go home and show your love for God by doing the difficult thing like loving your neighbor.” Let’s admit it. That’s not so easy. It’s easy to sit here in a lovely, heated sanctuary on cushioned pews and tell God we love him. It’s another thing to go home and be loving to people who are unloving to us. It’s hard not to think the worst about our neighbors. It’s hard not to want to feel animosity toward people who irritate us. It’s hard to be charitable to people who always seem to need something from us. But that’s what Christians who support Jesus do. They have the power of the risen Lord Jesus in them by faith. They have the Holy Spirit empowering, guiding, and directing them in actions, words, thoughts, and feelings that are holy before God. They produce these fruits of faith just like Tesla produces electric vehicles. It happens! Every day! Do you stand with Jesus? You do, if you produce fruits of repentance. Part III. One more question. What’s your reaction to a deadline? Well, one is to pay attention to it immediately. And I suppose there are a few of you here today for whom that is an apt description. But there are others of us—and I suppose we’re in the majority—who chose to procrastinate. When’s the deadline? I’ll get to it before it passes. I’ll be OK. Don’t worry. John the Baptist warns about procrastinating. He says, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Where’s the ax right now? Is it anywhere near you? Near me? It is if we foolishly think that John is speaking to someone else and not to you. Not to me. It is if we’re convinced someone else needs to repent more than you do. More than I do. So, what should we do? Make sure you stand for Jesus. And in this case, standing for Jesus means you are ready for him to come to you at any time. But how can you be sure you’re ready? By asking yourself what you believe about yourself and what you believe about Jesus. Are you convinced that you are a sinner who deserves God’s wrath and punishment? Do you trust that Jesus is the One who lived for you, died for you, and rose again from the dead to give you forgiveness and eternal life in heaven.? If so, you stand with Jesus. You’re ready for him either to call you home to heaven or for him to appear from heaven on the Last Day. Pretty simple, when you think about it. It doesn’t cost you a thing. But it’s important. It’s the most important preparation you can make. And it’s urgent, because it could happen at any time. Do you stand with Jesus? You do if you project spiritual urgency. Do you stand with Jesus? That’s one of the most important questions you can ask yourself. And ignoring the question won’t make it go away. Recall what John said. The ax is at the root of the trees. And he wasn’t trying to get you to comply by filling you with fear. He’s speaking the truth. None of us knows the time when we will face our Lord Jesus. That means we need to be ready. We need to be ready by standing with Jesus. Are you? You are when you live in daily repentance. That doesn’t mean you need to walk around in sackcloth and ashes all day. But it does mean you live each day knowing your sins and trusting in Jesus for your forgiveness. And it means that your faith in Jesus is on display each day, producing the fruits of faith which show your love for your Lord and your neighbor. Do you stand with Jesus? You do when repentance is a part of your daily life. You do when that repentance shows by the way you live. You do when you know this isn’t a situation that can wait until tomorrow. It’s urgent. Eternally urgent. And you’re right where you need to be, standing with Jesus. Amen.