Welcome to Atheist church

Today’s sermon is from the Gospel of Luke:

"And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying to them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I comes, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people" (Luke 3:15-18).

The people were in great expectation as they listened to John the Baptist preach. They knew something huge was going to happen, not because of a normal expectancy, but because they believed the Scriptures, and the Scriptures cannot be broken (see John 10:35).

Prophecy must come to pass. This is because it is impossible for God to lie--"In him is no darkness at all." The Bible uses the strength of word "impossible" to substantiate that lying is not in the nature of God. They had the "sure word of prophecy" so it was simply a matter of time. The Messiah would one day be manifest to Israel.

Some erroneously expected Him to liberate Israel from the Roman tyranny. Through His leadership they expected God to break the chains of slavery and free them their Roman enemy. Others knew that such was not the case. They had closely studied the Scriptures and knew that the promised Messiah was going to liberate them from the chains of sin and free them from their greatest enemy--death itself.

But when they questioned John as to whether or not he was the promised One, he denied it, and said that One would come who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Then he alluded to Psalm One (and other places), where chaff (husks) are blow away to expose wheat, and then burned because the chaff was useless. This is a terrible picture of how the Justice of God will one day reveal the genuine from the false. On that Day you will clearly see those that love (and obey) the God that gave them life, and those that don’t. See 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9.

Announcements: Something interesting will come up in next week’s blog.

Benediction: If you are in rebellion to God and even denying His existence, may you this week come to your senses, and see what He did for guilty sinners, through the cross.