Bible Text: Luke 3:1-19 | Preacher: Rev. Dr. Lou Saldiveri | Series: Sunday Morning Worship | “When We See a Candle…” Part 2 Isaiah 40:3-5; Luke 3:1-22
Intro: Today is the second Sunday of Advent. The advent calendar reminds us that this Sunday is symbolic of preparation. In particular, it addresses how to prepare for the coming of the King of kings.
Let me give you some background. From the time of the prophet Malachi to John the Baptist, God had been silent with Israel because of their sin and rebellion. Because of their sin and rebellion, they were in the darkness and wilderness. They were learning the deception of sin e.g it satisfies for a moment but leaves us and others empty and damaged.
Let me describe how sin operates in a person’s life when it is not confessed. It is like a man on a boat stranded in the middle of the ocean who runs out of water. He is surrounded all around him by water, but the problem is the water is salt water. When he drinks salt water, the salt actually dehydrates the body and will cause damage and ultimately death. The more salt water he drinks, the more he thirsts for fresh water that really satisfies his thirst.
Since Israel has been drinking and living a sinful lifestyle for more that 400 years, they were thirsting for a fresh word from God. Only the Word of God can satisfy the human soul and restore it back to health.
We live in a culture that continually wants us to be satisfied with what it offers. Many times, it offers cheap substitutes that only satisfy for a moment. When we accept these substitutes, we find that many times they leave us more empty than before because many of the things the culture offers is sin.
Also, we live in a day when we like everything instantly. We want instant gratification and satisfaction. We have forgotten there is a place for delaying gratification and waiting on God. Generally speaking, we have lost the concept of preparation.
John was sent ahead of Jesus to tell people prepare for the kingdom of God.
Prepare For Relief in the Wilderness
Sin leads us into the wilderness
Sin brought the silence of God for 400 years
The wilderness is a dark place and  has all sorts of dangers and pitfalls
God speaks in the wilderness
Preparation for Receiving the King
John the Baptist was a prophet and a herald for the King of kings, Jesus
A herald’s responsibility is to makes sure the road is repaired and there are no obstacles that would hinder the coming of the King
A herald’s responsibility is to prepare the people to receive the King
A prophet’s responsibility is to call people to repentance and to faith in God.
The people’s part in this is to repent for sin
Showing the Real Fruit of of Real Repentance
Yielding to the Holy Spirit
Letting Him Change us from the inside out
Seeing Progress
No Repentance Means We Are Not Prepared to Receive the Grace and Forgiveness of God Through Faith in Jesus
Don’t be self-righteous
Being born to a certain heritage, ethnic group, or into a certain religion or denomination cannot bring forgiveness
Just looking good on the outside while there is no change in our hearts brings no real fruit of repentance and blocks the grace of Jesus
There must be a sorrow for our rebellion and a decision to turn away from sin with the help of the Holy Spirit
For those who don’t know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, if there is no repentance and faith in Christ, there is eternal separation from God for all eternity in a place the Bible calls hell.

Closing: In some sense, a preacher who is faithful to preaching the entire counsel of the Word of God is prophetic. We have the responsibility to call people back to God. For those who have not trusted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior through faith and repentance, a preacher must call people to true repentance. And for those of us who know Christ by faith as our personal Lord and Savior, repentance and confession must be a way of life. You see, sin breaks our fellowship with God even thought it has been paid for once and for all at the Cross of Christ. So, just as we should bath or shower every day to keep our bodies clean, we should be confessing and repenting of sin each and every day to keep our heart and conscience clean before a Holy God.