Repentance is a change of mind, a change of heart, and change of action. True repentance bears fruit. The first, vital step to saving repentance is to first know who you are.

John the Baptist rightly calls out to men, “you brood of vipers.” We were all, without exception, dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1). Every single person is totally depraved. Therefore, there is no one who is good, no one who is righteous, no one who seeks for God on his own (Ro 3:10-12). Total depravity does not mean that a person is wholly evil to the greatest extent all the time. Rather, it means that sin is totally distributed through every component of human nature (understandings, affections, and will). It is the human condition of fallenness. We sin because we are sinners (R.C. Sproul).

By God’s standard, you are not good.

1. The law of God says man is not good. Through the law comes the knowledge of our sin (Rom 3:20). “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (Jas 2:10).
2. The human conscience convicts us. The conscience bears witness because the work of the law is written on our hearts (Rom 2:15).
3. Man undermines the Scriptures. “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart” (Ps 19:8).
4. Man rejects the gospel. Christ died, was buried, and was raised on the third day for our sins (1 Cor 15:3-4). “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it… We saw His glory” (Jn 1:5, 14). Jesus Christ came to be our substitute, and yet He was unwelcomed. “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Cor 1:18, 25).
5. Man hates Christ, rejects, and doesn’t believe in Him. Christ only loved us and showed us His grace, did nothing wrong, and yet He was hated, even in his death.
6. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). The glory of God is for us to be like Christ. Yet everyone, without exception, has fallen short.

Why is the doctrine of total depravity so important? When you reject God and reject the idea that you are totally depraved, you are claiming to be self-righteous. Self-righteousness is damning. You fall into the danger of comparing yourself to others or being satisfied in merely being ethical. Augustine said, “Deliver me, O Lord, from that evil man – myself!” Self-righteousness can also quickly lead to legalism, in which your heart is corrupt, however righteous you may appear outwardly. God sees through the façade and right through the heart.

When you are self-righteous, you reject your need for a Savior. Self-righteousness hinders you from being sorrowful over your sin, and because of it you will be met with God’s wrath. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18).

We are doomed because we have failed. We must reflect ourselves in the light of God’s truth to know who we truly are before Him. “Until we really know how damned we are, we can’t appreciate how glorious He is. Until we comprehend how doomed we are, we can’t understand how wondrous is His love to redeem us” (John Macarthur).

The fifth verse of the passage describes man’s heart; that is, man’s heart is filled with sin and death, full of pride, crooked, and rough. Last week’s message taught of man’s sinful heart and separation from God (i.e. ravine) along with man’s pride and turning to idols (i.e. mountain and hill). This week’s part 2 of the series will tackle how man’s heart is crooked and a rough road.

The crooked heart is related to deviation, twisting and manipulation (Romans 1:21-23). In essence, man’s sinful heart distorts the truth of God’s Word. Before sin entered the world, God created all things, including man, without sin; thus, was straight. When Adam and Even disobeyed God’s Word, sin and death entered the world, and man’s heart became crooked. The crooked heart is unable to see Jesus for who He truly is (Mark 6:3-5); therefore, they do not believe in Him. When the truth of God’s Word is not taken straightforwardly, they cannot repent and see the salvation of God. Even though the gospel of Christ is clear as day, the self-deceiving heart does not allow an unrepentant heart to see or hear clearly the gospel. But Scripture gives good news as the crooked will become straight.

The crooked are only able to become straight through God’s divine gift of repentance. God alone is able to grant repentance that leads to life (Acts 11:18). We see this effectual grace taking place in the life of Paul as his crooked heart is made straight and remaining at a street named Straight when meeting Ananias (Acts 9:5, 11). The way of salvation through Jesus is straight and narrow (Matthew 7:13-14).

Moreover, man’s heart is also like a rough road; a hardened heart. This rough road also symbolizes man’s idolatry (Jeremiah 2:25). An idolatrous and stubborn heart is unable and unwilling to receive the gospel of Christ (Romans 2:5). However, again, only repentance granted by God is able to soften the hard and rough heart of sinful man. For by God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8) can a man be saved for it is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Pharaoh’s heart, before letting the Jews free, exemplifies the hardness of man’s sinful heart, and that only by the supernatural work of God is able to change the heart to repent and believe. In other words, the rough heart becomes smooth. This illustrates the grace of God that makes the sinner righteous through Christ. As David defeated Goliath with one smooth rock, it is by repenting of our unbelief once by God’s grace are we saved.

In verse 6, Luke mentions all flesh will see the salvation of God. All flesh meaning any man that repents and believes in Jesus Christ for their salvation. The word “see” in this verse is key to understand the repentant heart. This seeing signifies God at work who opens eyes to recognize Jesus Christ, which leads to repentance and faith in Him. It is not enough to be saved by merely recognizing who Jesus is, as the demons also knew who He was, but our response before the Jesus who is alive. The proper response, again, is repentance for the forgiveness of sins and receiving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

Therefore, those that see Jesus Christ continually devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42). Christians understand without devoting to the aforementioned things, we are unable to see Christ, so we practice daily the joy of being with our Lord as He allowed us to repent and see the salvation of God.

Churches often forgo the topic of repentance in lieu of more popular topics, such as love and peace. But repentance is the singularly vital topic in the church. Without repentance, there is no love, peace, sanctification, glorification, or any other aspects of Christianity, because we would still be objects of wrath.

It is only through repentance, that Christians are completely forgiven – no longer at enmity with God and able therefore to call God, “Abba, Father.”

How do we know we are forgiven by repentance of sins? The Scripture says so. What is written is what God says (v.4) so we know that there is no discrepancy between God’s Word and what God says. What was written in the Book is everlasting, just like God. In these verses, Luke quotes from the Book of Isaiah, which was written hundreds of years before by the namesake prophet and shows that what was written is valid and effective by showing the fulfilment of the prophecy. Because God’s Word will remain forever (Mt 24:34-35), we can be sure that if Scriptures says that we’ll be forgiven by repentance, then repentance is indeed the only way of receiving forgiveness. Unlike emotions, the Word is not susceptible to change, and, therefore is the final authority in the matter of truth, including repentance. The authority of Scripture is seen in the way God works in history through promises and prophecies.

In fact, there are more than 400 prophecies in the Bible that have already been fulfilled by the first coming of our Messiah Jesus. These are not coincidences – his prophecies are fulfilled because God is the Author of all History. One can even state that the prophecies that are written in the Scriptures are prophesied by God himself. Take Isaiah 40, when it reads that there is “a voice of one calling, ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord.’” Whose voice is it? It is that of John the Baptist. He was a herald, a front-runner that went before Jesus. He was preparing the way before the King’s arrival, warning people to prepare themselves before His coming. What is the way of the King? It is the Highway of Holiness (Is 35:8).

What is repentance?

It begins with an understanding of our own depraved hearts. Verse 5 depicts the condition of our hearts before repentance, like ravines needing to be filled. According to the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, a ravine is “a long deep hollow worn by a stream or torrent of water; hence, any long deep hollow or pass through mountains.” Our hearts can only be filled with the satisfaction of salvation, carried out through repentance. Before repentance, our hearts are desperately sick and deceitful (Jer 17:9), totally depraved. Total depravity, according to William G.T. Shedd, is the “entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin.” We are spiritually dead, with ravines that need to be filled.

True repentance, then, is not just about emotional response – remorse, guilt – but about the heart change that occurs by reflecting on our ideas, our choices, and actions against God’s standards. In repentance, we are forgiven, freed from sin, found without debt, and experiencing the mercy and grace of God. Our hearts must be filled with the Holy Spirit. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit in all circumstances, even through persecutions. This is not possible naturally, but supernaturally; we are completely healed when our ravines are filled with the Spirit. Only God satisfies the thirsty soul, filling it with that which is good (Ps 107:9). We are instructed to “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mt 4:17). Share with others how you have been forgiven through repentance. If you repent, you will be saved, you will be satisfied, and your spiritual ravine will be filled.

4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.
5 ‘Every ravine will be filled,
And every mountain and hill will be [a]brought low;
The crooked will become straight,
And the rough roads smooth;
6 And all [b]flesh will see the salvation of God.’”

As a coin consists of two sides, salvation also consists of two sides; that is, repentance and saving faith. The negative side of salvation is repentance whereas the positive side is faith. Having repented of sin and placing one’s faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, we publicly declare the inner workings of this supernatural work through water baptism. Christian water baptism is a picture of a person dying to self and being raised unto life in God, which symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. John’s baptism, referenced in today’s message, focuses on the repentance aspect, which was to prepare sinners’ hearts to receive forgiveness of their sins through Jesus, the promised Messiah.

What is biblical forgiveness? Forgiveness means no longer being at enmity with God. God adopts forgiven sinners as His own children (1 Jn. 3:1). The forgiven are no longer the object of God’s wrath. God’s holy wrath, however, must remain on unforgiven sinners leading to judgment and condemnation (Jn. 3:36). Scripture warns the unrepentant not to underestimate the wrath of God. The good news is God quickly forgives and demonstrates His fatherly love because Jesus’ substitutionary death was the propitiation for our sins. Consequently, God does not remember the sins of the forgiven having been washed by the blood of Jesus. Rather, God celebrates the forgiven. This is demonstrated in the parable of the prodigal son. As the son is overwhelmed under the guilt of sin the father celebrates the son who was dead and has come to life (Lk. 15:21-24).

God alone can forgive sin (Acts 4:12). For by grace we have been saved through faith (Eph. 2:8a). Have you been forgiven? If so, how often do we acknowledge the ultimate blessing of being forgiven (Ps. 32:2-5)? In addition of being blessed, we have the pace of God, which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7). More so, we possess the joy of the Lord; that is, an inexpressible joy (1 Pet. 1:8). We must be weary of the many false peace and joys in this life, but in order to possess true peace and joy it can only be given by the Lord. What is your source of joy today? Is it something other than the joy that comes from God’s forgiveness? If it is, it is merely a temporary joy, and we must heed God’s warning to examine our hearts if we are truly forgiven so that we might have the joy of salvation.

Forgiveness of sin cannot only be obtained by repentance. Salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit; however, it is man’s responsibility to confess one’s sin and repent before God. In other words, God’s effectual grace leads the sinner to repent of their sins in order to receive forgiveness. “True repentance is not the work of nature but of grace; not of a man’s own spirit but of the Spirit of Christ… True repentance, which is an evangelical contrition of heart and a fixed resolution of spirit to turn from all sin to God.” (John Colquhoun). “Forgiveness is a two-way process: repentance on the part of offender and pardon on the part of the offended” (Allison Stevens).

Biblical repentance is a continuous way of life for the truly forgiven (Prov. 28:13; 1 Jn. 1:9). “Repentance is not a thing of days and weeks… To be got over as fast as possible.  No, it is the grace of a lifetime, like faith itself…that is not true repentance which does not come to faith in Jesus and that is not true faith in Jesus which is not tinctured with repentance” (C.H. Spurgeon). Christians are assured of their forgiveness by their true biblical repentance rather than by feeling forgiven. “If we confess our sin and ask God for forgiveness through Christ, we can be assured that He forgives us” (R.C. Sproul).

Therefore, we are to proclaim a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins through the gospel our Lord Jesus Christ having personally been forgiven by God. If we have not been forgiven it is no wonder we do not share this good news of salvation to others.

There are various ways to fight sin and resist temptation. One effective way is to remember that God is with you, meaning God is imminent. There is no term in the Bible ‘imminent’ or ‘transcendent’, like there is no word ‘Trinity’ Yet we know God is Father, Son, Holy Spirit, three in one. Similarly, we know God is transcendent and immanent. Transcendent means God is beyond time and space. Imminent means God is present and working in all creation. (Jn 1:14; Col 1:17-18, Mt 28:20). God is here, sustaining all things as the Creator and ruling over all things as Lord.

In Luke 3:1 God speaks to John directly for the first time. Over hundreds of years, God had been silent, there had been no prophets. His silence did not necessarily mean that God was not there, but God was preparing for the right time.

As the Lord came to John, we can learn three things about God’s word in this account.

God’s word is genuine
Whenever the Bible says, it is accurate. This is the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy. The Chicago Statement, “We affirm that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, being free from all falsehood, fraud or deceit.” God is the Creator and from the beginning, since Adam and Even God has been involved in history. Even secular history agrees with the Bible’s account of the history of nations, such as the reign of King Belshazzar (Dan 5:25-28,30-31), which involved God’s miracle and prophecy. Though written by human authors, the Bible is inspired by God, and completely accurate. The accuracy of the Bible is under attack, calling Adam and Eve a story and a myth, knowing that if the Bible is inaccurate in any way, then they can ultimately deny Jesus as the true Savior.

Luke, an exemplary scholar and physician, researched carefully to record the ‘exact truth’ of Jesus Christ. So the Bible can be trusted in the recording of history, but there’s more to it. Actually, Christianity and history cannot be separated. It is through God’s word that history even began (John 1:1-2). So when the word of God comes, history is being made. The Word of God came to John, not to record history, but to make history.

Another evidence for the accuracy of God’s word is the truth and wisdom in life. Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto with the intention of bringing happiness to people. Other’s believe wealth or fame can make them happy. It is abundantly clear that both communism and wealth fail and the Christian can easily attest that true joy is only found in Jesus Christ through the Bible.

God’s word reveals human nature
The word of God reveals the depressing facts about the human condition. The primary purpose of Scripture is to reveal Jesus Christ and His purpose of salvation through his death and resurrection to those who believe. Under this primary purpose, we also realize the fallen condition of man. Sin is the real pandemic. In Luke 3:1-2 we see powerful men, the elite of society. Emperor Tiberius ruled over a vast empire and was worshipped by his citizens. Yet their earthly status doesn’t change the fact that they are sinners. Every one of them died in there sins (Romans 6:23, Hebrews 9:27).

These rulers were also involved, directly and indirectly, in the crucifixion of Jesus. If we think about it, we are also involved in Jesus’ death because of our sin. In a way, these rulers reveal and represent us, saying we are sinners responsible for Jesus’ death.

Therefore, no other man can save us, because all are sinners. Only Jesus can save us (John 14:6). Why is Jesus the only way? Because Jesus is God and man. He is holy God unable to sin, incarnated as man to save us.

God’s word is living
The Word of God came to John the Baptist. God spoke to John, not to the other impressive people. In the past, the God would speak audible to the prophets but we believe that is no longer the case. Why? Because God speaks to us through the Word of God. The written Word is complete and living. The Bible is sufficient. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) The sufficiency of the Scriptures is proven by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Jesus was not weak, he could have called armies of angels, yet He said two swords were enough. (Luke 22:38) This is to fulfill the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) Jesus did all things, as it is written, according to the Scriptures. To Jesus, the Bible is enough for every situation.

How can we hear the Word of God? How can we see God as alive in the Bible? When the word of God came, John the Baptist was in the wilderness. The wilderness is not a pleasant place but a harsh environment, where the Israelites in Exodus complained constantly. John was in the wilderness when the word of God came. John was devoted to God above all else (Matthew 10:37), dependent on God alone, and deserted his love of the world (1 John 2:15-16). Remember these three attitudes to hear God speak as you read the Bible every day.

What makes someone trustworthy? Character, past, and consistency are good indicators of a person’s trustworthiness. A person demonstrates his dependability through his character. One’s past actions are also good gauges of a person’s reliability.  Reliability can be determined by how consistent one is in word and action.

Using these criteria, can we determine that Jesus is trustworthy?

Jesus is our resurrected Lord. Jesus, as a boy, was found in the temple after three days (Lk 2:46). The Word of God puts an emphasis on three days because it is a reminder of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus suffered, died for our sins, and was raised on the third day (Mt 16:21; 1 Cor 15:3-4).

If Jesus had not been raised, then we would still remain in sin, and our faith would be futile (1 Cor 15:17). Jesus is the object of our faith. Without the resurrection, there is no Jesus, and without Jesus, there is no faith. Thank God, then, that Jesus was “delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Ro 4:25). His resurrection is sufficient – sufficient to reconcile us to God, sufficient to atone for our sins, and sufficient to satisfy God fully.

Jesus is the Son of God. “And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers” (Lk 2:47). Because Jesus is the Son of God, He has wisdom and intimate knowledge of God. He has declared that He is the temple of God (Jn 2:18-22). He has the divine authority as Messiah to cleanse the temple. In Luke 2:49 He asks, “Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” Whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father (Jn 14:9). He has the “form of God,” the nature of God (Phil 2:5-7). Jesus affirms that He is indeed the Son of God (Mt 16:16-16). He is divine (Mt 18:20), omnipresent (Mt 28:20), Alpha and Omega (Rev 1:8), eternal (Jn 1:1), and Creator (Jn 1:3). He preserves and sustains all of creation (Col 1:17). He is the giver of life (Jn 5:21) and He is equal with God (Jn 5:17-18). Jesus is Elohim.

Jesus obeyed. Jesus obeyed the law actively and in its entirety (Luke 2:49, 51). He honored His parents. He did not fail like man, but kept the law (Ja 2:10, Mt 19:21-22). He fulfilled the law (Mt 5:17-19). He is the end of law for righteousness (Rom 10:4). As a result, we can also be righteous in Jesus (2 Cor 5:21).

Jesus is humble. Jesus increased in favor with God and man (Lk 2:52). The word favor here is related to grace, like how Mary found “favor with God” (Lk 1:30). God gives grace and shows favor to the humble (Ja 4:6). Jesus humbly came to finish the work of God. He voluntarily took a position of servanthood from His birth. God received His sacrifice and was satisfied.

Through the grace of God we have been given the ability to know Jesus personally, by Scripture and prayer. We know the life of Jesus as it is recorded in the Word of God. Luke gives us a glance into Jesus’ past as a boy so we can know the consistency of His character. Jesus humbly came as God Incarnate, lived a life of obedience to God, suffered on the cross, and was raised on the third day. Jesus does not change; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). He is our resurrected Lord who lives. Jesus is indeed trustworthy, and we can confidently place our trust in the humble, resurrected Son of God, Whose sacrifice was sufficient to satisfy God.

“When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”

Many wonder at the idea of how Jesus grew up from childhood into adulthood (i.e. Jesus’ humanity). Why? Jesus is the God-Man (i.e. truly God and truly Man); known as the hypostatic union. Bruce A. Ware states, “While the glory of Christ’s deity is still fully present and intact, the manifestation of that glory is not allowed full expression, covered as He is, in human nature.”

As the Son of God became man, born of a virgin through the Holy Spirit, Jesus grew up as any other human being yet without sin. Luke gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ development as he leads into an important time at the age of twelve in the passage to follow. As Jesus grew without sin, we need to ask the natural question: How we are to grow like Jesus Christ?

“The Child continued to grow and become strong…” Jesus developed physically like any other human being. Scripture states the caring for the physical body (Matt. 15:32; 1 Tim. 5:23; 1 Cor. 3:16). However, we are not to make it a priority over our spiritual well-being (1 Tim. 4:8; 1 Cor. 9:24-26).

“The Child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit…” (Lk. 1:80). As Jesus developed, He grew physically as well as spiritually. Jesus was being led by the Spirit (Lk. 2:48-49). This is why the cross is so devastating because Jesus became separate from the Father, which never happened prior to His death. He died physically on the cross and His spirit was temporarily separate from the Father as He bore our sins.

As God is spirit, only Christians have a spirit (inner man) that is made alive as God quickens the soul and the Spirit makes His dwelling. A spiritually dead man must be born again (i.e. born of God). After being born again by the Spirit of God, Christians grow in sanctification, exemplified by Christ (2 Cor. 4:16). Believers grow in spirit as Jesus becomes Lord of their lives. Loving and knowing the Lord is the new reality of those that are born of God (Phil. 3:7-8).

There are two ways of growing spiritually: the Word of God (Jn. 14:26; 17:17) and prayer (Matt. 26:41; Phil. 4:6-7). Total surrender of ourselves allows for the Holy Spirit to operate in our hearts (Gal. 2:20). Jesus grew spiritually as He submitted to the Father’s will despite having His own (Lk. 22:42). In other words, we must deny ourselves in order to follow Jesus. C.H. Spurgeon’s quote helps to test whether or not we have died to self and follow the Lord: “If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him, for you are worse than he thinks you to be” (C.H. Spurgeon).

“… increasing in wisdom;” Jesus also grew in knowledge and wisdom (Mk. 12:17; Jn. 8:7). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7) There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Paul Koptak states, “Knowledge is what is gathered over time through study of the Scriptures. It can be said that wisdom, in turn, acts properly upon that knowledge. Wisdom is the fitting application of knowledge. Knowledge understands the light has turned red; wisdom applies the brakes. Knowledge sees the quicksand; wisdom walks around it. Knowledge memorizes the Ten Commandments; wisdom obeys them. Knowledge learns of God; wisdom loves Him.”

Source of wisdom is the Word of God; therefore, we are to revere God’s Word. The wise have on goal in mind, that is, to glorify God alone by grow in God’s Word and obedience to it. What hinders growth in wisdom? Pride (Prov. 11:2). How are we to grow in wisdom? Personal desire, reading and studying the word of God (Ps. 19:7), knowing life is short, and ultimately growing in Christ (1 Cor. 1:30).

“… and the grace of God was upon Him.” Jesus continued to grow in His relationship with the Father. Jesus possessed special grace, which all Christians receive at conversion. Only by the grace given by God does a person grow relationally with the Lord. As children of God, we are fully dependent on God. As dependents, we need His grace in order to grow. God’s grace is sufficient for strength to those that love Him (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

How can we grow in relationship with the Lord? We must acknowledge the gift of Jesus Christ that is given to us by the Father. God’s grace allows the sinner to be honest and transparent in regard to their sin before Him (Lk. 18:13-14). God’s grace produces humility and knowing the Lord brings forth joy. Consequently, those that belong to the Lord joyously and humbly grow in faith and sanctification, following in Christ’s example.