1 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, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
— Luke 3:1-6, ESV

Advent and Christmas are seasonally intertwined.  Personally, I prefer Advent.  Advent is the deeply religious celebration of the first coming of Jesus Christ, with a view towards the second.  Christmas is a commercialized holiday now, focusing more on giving and receiving presents, with an overemphasis on an oversized guy in an ostentatious red suit.  

Kids, close your ears, but I’m not crazy about Santa Claus.  I do appreciate his legend springs from an actual fourth century saint and clergyman, Nicolas of Myra.  But today’s Santa Claus is just a caricature of the historical Pastor.  Now he’s just a big fellow, with a big burly beard, carrying a big sleigh full of gifts.  

So for today’s Advent sermon, I want to shift the focus to a different big fellow, one based at the beginning of Christian history.  We think he, too, was a pretty big guy who spored a big, bushy beard.  We know he dressed in some pretty strange clothes.  But best of all, he came to the world bearing the greatest gifts of all, gifts that will endure forever!

You better watch out, You better not cry,
Better not pout, I’m telling you why:
John the Baptist is coming to town.

He’s making a list and checking it twice,
He already knows you’re naughty, not nice.
John the Baptist is coming to town.

He knows that you’ve been sinning,
He knows if you’re a fake,
He knows that you’ve been bad not good,
So repent for Jesus’ sake.

You better watch out, You better not cry,
Better not pout, I’m telling you why:
John the Baptist is coming to town!

The Gift Giver

“John the son of Zechariah,” or John the Baptist as he is better known, is the gift and gift giver predicted by the prophet Isaiah and presented by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  He was a gift to his parents, who thought they’d never have a child.  He was a gift to his people, for all Israel wanted to see and hear him.  He was a gift to the promised Messiah, paving the way for Him; therefore, John the Baptist is a gift to anyone and everyone who has ever repented and believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

John came along at the perfect time.  All roads led to Rome, Rome controlled Israel, so whatever happened in Israel could be broadcast around the known world.  Population experts claim less than 1% of the people who have ever lived on earth were born before John.  Therefore, 99%, would get to see, hear, or read about the gifts John brought to the world.

John was put in the perfect place.  If God was going to do something significant in the world in that day, He was going to do it in Israel.  That’s exactly where God placed John.  He grew up just north of the capitol, Jerusalem, then located his ministry in the wilderness near the Dead Sea, the capitol of messianic prophecy.  

In the perfect place at the perfect time, John the Baptist offered the perfect gifts.  They did not come in boxes.  They did not have to be wrapped.  They could not be returned to the store.  These gifts are intangible, spiritual, eternal.  And God chose John to be the first person to deliver these perfect gifts.

The Delivery

Gift givers must have a way and means to deliver their gifts.  Santa uses a sleigh.  Most of us use the internet and delivery services like UPS, USPS, Fedex, or others.  Of course, when it is a special gift, you can use special delivery.  This costs extra.  Or, special delivery can be free, if you bring the gifts yourself.

John the Baptist’s gifts were the most special gifts of all.  He had received them himself, for free.  He freely gave them away to others, and he did so in person.  Though the gifts were free, the giving of it required hard work and great sacrifice on the part of John the Baptist.  

John spent sweat equity to be “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness.”  Similarly, it is hard work for anybody to muster up their courage and use their voice to talk about God and the gospel.  The late R.C. Sproul, a smart man, once said it required eight hours of normal energy to muster a single, half-hour gospel sermon.  I believe him.  For me on Sundays it is preaching, lunch, and a coma nap.  

Before John even delivered his special gift with his special voice, he had to make a special sacrifice.  The prophet said the Baptist would “made … paths straight,” “every valley … filled,” “every mountain and hill … low,” “the crooked … straight,” and “the rough places level.”  That sounds like a lot of work, a lot of sacrifice.  But what does it mean?  It means at least two things:

First of all, before John used his voice to deliver the gift, he had to make sure there was nothing in his life that would hinder his voice from being heard.  John had to be holy.  John had to be disciplined.  John had to be committed to the cause for which he spoke.  John had to be, in spite of his gruff exterior, someone you love and respect, so that you would open up your ears, mind, and heart to what he has to say.  

Secondly, John had to pave the way in the other person’s life for them to receive the gift.  Sin had to be confronted, not an easy task.  Obstacles had to be removed, like legalism, works righteousness, unitarianism, and other common heresies.  John had to be a witness, a preacher, a theologian, and an apologist.  Imaging the sacrifice of time that went into preparing himself, and others, to present the gifts that John the Baptist gave. 

As the One who could come after John would say, the One whose sandals John said he was not worthy to untie, you have to take the log out of your own eye before you can take the speck out of someone else’s eye.  In terms of delivering gifts, you have to make sure you have them, first of all.  Then, you must treasure them, safeguard them, uphold them.  This is the only way someone else will want the gifts that you have to give.

John the Baptist fit the bill.  He had the gifts.  He delivered.  He did it right.  So just what was it John the Baptist had to give?  

The Gifts

How many Christmas gifts will you get this year?  How many will you give?  John the Baptist had received three and offered all three to the world.

“The word of God came to John” the Baptist, and he gave the word of God to others.  John had the Old Testament, and he could see himself in it.  John was given special revelation about Jesus Christ, which became the seed of the New Testament.  John had what we now call the Bible in his mind, heart, and soul.  The word of God reveals the will of God, and John boldly gave God’s will to the people by preaching, teaching, and sharing God’s word. 

“A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” was a gift experienced by John the Baptist, so John wanted others to experience it, too.  Baptism is a sacred symbol.  Though not explicitly mentioned in Old Testament writ, it was used in rituals when Gentiles proselytized into Judaism.  In the days of John the Baptist and Jesus, the Essene community used ritual baptisms by immersion as an initiatory and ongoing rite.  Thanks to John and Jesus, baptism is now the required ritual used to publicly profess faith in the New Testament gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

“The salvation of God” is the grand prize given to John the Baptist, who found it in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, Savior of the world.  It was to this cause that John the Baptist committed his life, giving the gospel away to all who would repent and believe in the Lord.  

Have you been gifted with a bedrock belief in the Bible as the word of God?  Would you share this conviction with others, as well as give away actual copies of Holy Scripture as the opportunity allows?  

Have you received the gift of baptism?  Do you recommend it to others for their consideration and participation?  Moreover, have you received the gift from God that baptism actually represents?  

Have you received the gift of salvation?  Have you shared this gift with your family, friends, and others?  Is there any gift any greater in the whole wide world?

Here we stand on this second Sunday of Advent, in the shadow of a big burly fellow with a big bushy beard in strange suit of camel’s hair tied with a leather belt, John the Baptist has come to town.  He is a gift giver.  He gives special deliveries.  He gives the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Like John, God has put you in a particular place at this particular time.  Like John, God expects you to be holy and always on the ready to invite people to come to Christ and Christ’s church.  Like John, all Christians have received the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Now, you be the gift giver to your world!