3:7
Now this is the way to preach! None of the seeker-friendly nonsense, just give it to them straight. “You brood of vipers”. I bet no course on preaching recommends this sort of introduction to a sermon, yet it was what John did. Now, of course, we need to remember that what is recorded in the gospels is a greatly cut-down version of the message, maybe even just the sound bites! So Luke is recording the most memorable and key parts of the message. Even so, it is clear that John told them as it was, he was quite prepared to call sin sin, and sinners sinners. We definitely do need more of this direct preaching today. There is also a clear expectation of the “coming wrath”, there is a day of judgement, and it is real. Note also that there were crowds who came out to be baptised. It is also clear from other references in the gospels that John had had quite an effect. So direct preaching can certainly be effective, when it is the message of God.
3:8,9
The Jews relied on their Abrahamic ancestry, thinking that this gave them a special place in God’s plan. In one way it did, but not in the way that they thought. Jesus encountered the same issue (John 8:31-47). And Peter stresses that God does not show favouritism. John makes it clear that repentance is not merely saying sorry, or regretting what we have done, it involves action, “fruit in keeping with repentance”. God is concerned with who we really are, and the gospel is concerned with producing good fruit, and this includes uprooting what is fruitless or corrupt. We should remember that the message of Jesus is entirely consistent with the message of John. Jesus too preached repentance, and He too looked for fruit, and many of His parables concerned producing fruit.
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