Scripture/Sermon of the Day

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?” 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

15 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. 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 granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

I. This morning, John the Baptist reminds me of a drill sergeant, using harsh language to break us down. One translation says: “You brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God’s judgment?” People thought they were “Chosen” — “Children of Abraham.” John said — “You’re nothing special — a dime a dozen — You have about as much value as a pile of rocks!”

The movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” is about a young man, Zack Mayo, who comes from a hard background. His mother committed suicide when he was in high school and he was sent to live with his alcoholic, womanizing father. He decides he wants a better life and after college reports to Naval Aviation Candidate School. But there are problems with Zack’s character — in school he’s caught peddling contraband uniform accessories to his classmates — who can’t afford them. But it doesn’t bother Zach, who just wants to make money.

II. The drill sergeant, Emil Foley, punishes Zack with a weekend of almost-impossible, physically brutal hazing — intending to force Zack to resign. When Zack refuses to quit, Foley dismisses him from the program. Zack breaks down at that point and cries, “DON’T YOU DO IT… DON’T….YOU….I GOT NOWHERE ELSE TO GO!…I GOT NOWHERE ELSE TO ….I GOT NOTHING ELSE….”

III. It is a moment of conversion for Zack. He starts thinking of other people. During the final obstacle-course run, rather than break the base’s course record, Zack stops to encourage his teammate, Casey, to complete the run so she can graduate. You could say that Zack’s emotional and physical breakdown and his confrontation with sergeant Foley, was his baptism by fire — it changed him from the inside.

IV. Last week we looked at an experiment in forced empathy where a woman threw her burrito bowl into the face of the Chipotle assistant manager and instead of going to jail she worked two months at Burger King, to see what it was like to work at a fast-food restaurant. The judge hoped she would feel empathy — would regret what she did and be sorry for humiliating the person she threw her food at. The experiment didn’t work — the woman who threw the food did not feel sorry, but justified in what she did. She still said — “The food was disgusting — I had to do something.”

V. We do not have a conversion — we do not change — until something happens inside of us. You can force a person to go to church — to go to jail — to work at a fast food restaurant — to do just about anything. But it’s not in our power to change another person — or even ourselves —FROM THE INSIDE. As John the Baptist says in our reading today — that’s the work of the Holy Spirit. We can want to repent — we can want to change our hearts and our lives — but we can’t make it happen. Only the Holy Spirit can do that.

VI. In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus is talking to a crowd of people. He tells them stories, he uses hyperbole, he speaks metaphorically, as he often does. Jesus isn’t speaking literally. But people think he is — they think he’s saying they really need to eat him — like cannibalism. In that moment — the crowd mumbles to themselves and say he’s crazy, and they turn and walk away from him.

The disciples are still there — they’re the only ones left. Jesus says to them: “Are you going to walk away too?” Peter said, “We got nowhere else to go. We got nothing else. You have the words of eternal life.”

Just like officer candidate Zack Mayo — the disciples were changing from the inside — by a baptism of fire. They had set the course of their lives with Jesus and were not turning back — they were not turning away. The change in their hearts had already begun and, with God’s help, they would stay the course — even if it lead to their execution — which for many it did.

VII. And WHAT IS THE SIGN that we have received this baptism of fire by the Holy Spirit? A DESIRE AND EXPECTATION that we will more and more in our lives fulfill the one command of Jesus — to love others as he loves us.