The Return of the King (Part 2)

I declare that you will only speak positive words of faith and victory over yourself, over your family, and over your future.

You will not use your words to describe the situation, you will use your words to change the situation.

I declare that you will call in favor, good breaks, healing, and restoration.

You will not talk to God about how big the problems are, but you will talk to your problems about how big your

God is. Oh, one, two, three, four. I declare a thumb war.

Mike Amon wrote No Compromise Radio Ministry, duplex gratia radio. If you're tuning in for the first time, well, welcome.

Where have you been for the past 16 years? I think it's 16, 17 years, something like that. Daily radio.

I kind of cheat a little bit because Monday's a sermon, Friday's a rerun, so I only have three days a week that I have to do this.

The Leech has Two Sisters Give Give, and the podcast has Two Sisters Give Give. Sometimes in the summers we have to do reruns as well, but that's the way life goes.

You can write me if you'd like, mike at nocompromiseradio .com, or if you want to talk to Spencer, info at nocompromiseradio .com.

Most of the time I don't get the nasty ones because Spencer just weeds those out, so it works out perfect for me.

We're also on KAGV and KFGR. I like saying that because it makes me think I'm on real radio versus just a podcast.

Oh, it's a podcast. Why do you call it radio if it's just a podcast? I don't know, maybe because we used to be on the radio when we got the name.

That's why we'll call it duplex gratia podcast. No, no, it's radio. I love radio.

I was probably 10 years old, 1970, listening to COIL, K -O -I -L.

I called in, be the fourth caller or whatever, and I won a little transistor radio, a little dial there.

I could listen to Nebraska football games. Lyle Bremser was the announcer, man, woman, and child.

He's gone. He used to say Johnny the Jet Rogers. I think that was like 69 to 71 or 72 -ish, somewhere right there.

I met Johnny Rogers and I met Richard Glover, the Outland Trophy winner who was the nose guard, because I had a punt, pass, and kick competition.

How far you could punt, and if you try to punt straight. If you punted 40 yards straight, it would be 40 points if memory serves.

If you didn't kick it straight and you were eight yards to the right, you would have your length of the kick 40 minus eight.

You don't want to kick it far, but you'd want to kick it straight. Punt, pass, same thing.

How far could you pass down the middle? And then if you were five yards to the left or right, that would be deducted off your total.

Punt, pass, and kick, and kicking off a tee. For some reason,

I wasn't really that good at football and I didn't mature physically for a long time. I won the competition.

I got first place in the punt, pass, and kick competition, I think when I was probably like 11 years old.

I got to meet the Heisman Trophy winner and the Outland Trophy winner, Johnny Rogers and Richard Glover.

That was fun. What does that have to do with anything? Nothing. This is just radio, so off we go. I'm talking about Jesus the

Messiah in Luke chapter three, because I'm kind of practicing a little bit what I want to say when I preach this on Sunday.

It is a very, very difficult time in the world when

John the Baptist shows up. And that is indicated in Luke chapter three, verses one and two, where you have all these leaders, rogues, gallery, villains,

Pontius Pilate, and Herod, and all kinds of other bad, bad people, politically, and also the state of the high priest is really bad.

You've got the old high priest, still kind of got the title, Annas, and you've got Caiaphas, and they're not good people.

And these are all the people that killed John the Baptist and killed Jesus. And this is the time when God has decided, after 400 silent years, to have the word proclaimed through a forerunner, through the advanced man,

John the Baptist, that the King is going to come. And I said, as we're working through this passage in Luke, that it's good for us to say, yes,

I see the unfolding plan of God develop. I see where redemptive history is coming from. I see how in time and space this is all happening, so that my faith might be certain.

But I also said that it'd be good for us to remember the second coming of Jesus, because the same principles apply for His first as they do for the second in this regard.

What was going on then and the anticipation of the Lord's first arrival can be the same for our anticipation of the

Lord's second arrival. That is to say, if we're concerned about the political religious climate, could that stop the

Lord's return or inhibit it or push it back? And what about the nation's raging? It wasn't going to stop in the first time, and the sovereign

King, the Lord Jesus, is not going to be stopped the second time either.

And so we thought that's a good thing. It builds our faith and gives us comfort and causes us to rejoice. Well, the

Messiah is going to come back soon. What do you do? Here in Luke chapter 3, what do you do? Well, you repent.

Found in verse 3 of Luke chapter 3, and he went,

John the Baptist, into all the region around Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

All right. What are we going to do? We are going to look at this passage and think through several things.

I was just checking my text. I don't know what

I'm talking about. It's a distraction.

I don't know what to do. She's texting me and I'm, how do you talk and text at the same time and thing?

You just ramble on, you know, people say, well, how, when do you edit the show? I mean, once in a while,

Spencer's nice and he edits some, but if we don't edit the show, that would be too professional.

John begins to proclaim truth, and it is a proclamation, keruso, this is to preach, this is to herald.

The King has sent you to herald, and you've got the will of the

King behind you, the power of the King behind you, the name of the King behind you, and so you can be very bold and you proclaim as a herald of the

King to go around and shout out loudly, this is what the King says. And he's preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

I think that's a good way to describe and summarize the ministry of John the

Baptist. Preach, preach, preach, preach, preach to whomever would listen.

Matthew 11, we have some more insight from Jesus about John the

Baptist. What did you go out in the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in King's houses.

What then did you go out to see? A prophet, yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, behold,

I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before the

Lord. Truly, I say to you, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the

Baptist, yet the one who is least in the kingdom is greater than he.

John is recognized by Jesus as a prophet, and this prophet proclaims a baptism for the repentance, a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Now, when you see the word baptism, maybe you're automatically thinking about a Christian baptism, a

New Testament baptism. That's not what we have going on here. This is not a baptism of fire, as well.

It's not a baptism of suffering. It's not even a baptism of, I'm a pagan living back in those days, and I want to renounce my, you know,

I'm a Gentile, and I want to be in the Mosaic Kingdom, Mosaic Kingdom, a

Mosaic economy, and I'm going to be baptized, and it'll be like a proselytized baptism for Gentiles.

It's not that either. This is a very special and unique baptism that we call

John, we call, let's call it John the Baptist baptism, grounded in his prophetic office.

And basically, it's saying, I have a need of forgiveness, especially since the

King is coming. I have need of forgiveness, especially since the

King is coming. Acts 19 helps us when

Paul said this, John the Baptist baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is,

Jesus. Baptism, repentance, I recognize that I'm sinful.

I agree with God that I'm sinful. I agree with God that it's, you know, awful to be sinful, and I need to be cleansed, and I'm looking to the one who's coming, the

King, Jesus, to save me from my sins so that I might have forgiveness granted to me.

This is a forward -looking baptism, John the Baptist looking. I mean, we get baptized and we look backward.

There are dissimilarities as well, but here we're looking through John's eyes in a forward -looking way.

Salvation is going to show up, salvation incarnate, and how do you get people ready for that?

Well, you're going to get them ready by reminding them that they're sinners and that they need to think rightly about their sin, repentance, and they need to be forgiven.

John's baptism was basically having people say, I'm a sinner. I need forgiveness.

Our religion will not save us. We can't save ourselves. We need the promised Messiah. I'm going to get baptized because I really would like to turn from sin, because the

Messiah is coming. One writer said,

John called the people to repentance and then baptized those who confessed their sins and gave indications that they desired to lead a better and different life in the assurance that God grants pardon to those who sincerely repent.

So the baptism is the outward sign and seal that God has forgiven their sins. Now, I might argue with this, that, or the other with what was just quoted there, but I think the idea of I'm calling you to repentance,

John the Baptist says, and you're going to have to recognize you're a sinner, that part I agree with. And again, this is not a proselytized baptism.

This is anyone, Jew and Gentile saying, you know what?

I need forgiveness. The Messiah is here. And when the King comes, I'm going to be in his presence and I need to be forgiven.

And by the way, baptism doesn't forgive. John's baptism didn't forgive people.

John's baptism, when they were baptized, they acknowledged their sense and their need of forgiveness.

Wanted for murder. You ever see a poster like that in the post office? Wanted for murder.

Are they wanted so that they can murder? Because that's the language here in Luke chapter 3, a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

This is not you get baptized and you have your sins cleansed. This is not baptismal regeneration, not even John the Baptist baptismal regeneration.

Baptism doesn't forgive people. Wanted for murder. They're not wanted so that they can murder.

They're wanted because they have murdered. A baptism because of forgiveness. Furthermore, repentance doesn't even save.

Only Jesus saves. Galvin said, repentance is not placed first as some ignorantly suppose as if it were the ground of the forgiveness of sins.

No. I'm a sinner. I need the Messiah to forgive me. I need my sins let go, to be carried off, to be far away.

The Holy One of God is coming and I need to make sure that he will accept me, that he will not be my enemy.

J .C. Ryle, we must carefully bear in mind that no repentance can make atonement for sin. The blood of Christ and nothing else can wash away sin from man's soul.

No quantity of repentance can ever justify us in the sight of God. We are accounted righteous before God only for the sake of our

Lord Jesus Christ by faith and not by our own works or deserving. The idea here is that people needed to be baptized because the sin bearer was on his way.

Now you might want to ask about which comes first, repentance or faith? How do they relate?

We'll talk about that in shows to come. Here there's a preparation that's called for. Get ready.

Acknowledge your sins. Look to the Messiah. Get prepared. Now if we stop and just think for a second, what's true of his first coming can be true of a second coming as well.

The Lord Jesus is going to come back. What should we do?

Well, if you're a Christian, I want you to know you are prepared. You are ready. You are forgiven.

Not because you were sprinkled with water or dunked with water, but because the

Lord Jesus died for your sins and lived for your righteousness, was raised for your justification.

Jude 24, now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

Is it comforting to you to know that Jesus is going to come back to judge the living and the dead? If you're an unbeliever, of course the answer is no.

And you need to think about your sin, repent, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You must be saved.

And you should be afraid. But if you're a Christian, it should be comforting to you that Jesus is going to come back to judge the living and the dead.

How can that be? To use the famous phrase on No Compromise Radio, what in the world? Heidelberg Catechism 52, what comfort is it to you that Christ shall come to judge living and the dead?

Well, what if it's not a comfort? Well, it assumes in Heidelberg Catechism that it is. Answer, that in all my sorrows and persecutions, with uplifted head,

I look for the very same one who before offered himself for me to the judgment of God and removed all curse from me, to come as judge from heaven, who shall cast all his and my enemies into everlasting condemnation, but shall take me with all his chosen ones to himself into heavenly joy and glory.

The judge who is coming isn't your judge anymore. He's your high priest.

He's paid for your sins. He prays for you. He's coming as savior to fulfill promises and reveal his grace.

Jesus has borne our iniquities. He said, it is finished. He's the one that died, yes, is raised again, is at the right hand of God who makes intercession.

So, how is he going to condemn you? Your sins have been paid for. God graciously has forgiven you.

God graciously has taken all your sins and placed them on the sun. What's he going to do?

Bring them back up again for the believer. Judgment day is not something to give us anything except comfort.

Yes, horrible and dreadful to wicked and evil people, but as Belgic Confession says, it is very pleasant and a great comfort to the righteous and elect since their redemption will be accomplished.

They will then receive the fruits of their labor and the trouble they have suffered. Their innocence will be openly recognized by all and they will see the terrible vengeance that God brings upon the evil ones.

It goes on to say, the son of God will confess their names before the God, the father,

God, his father, and the holy angels. All tears will be wiped from their eyes and their cause at present condemned as heretical and evil by many judges and civil officers will be acknowledged as the son of God.

Will be acknowledged as the cause of the son of God. It helps if you can read. And as a gracious reward, the

Lord will make them possess a glory such as the heart of man could never imagine. So we look forward to that great day with longing in order to enjoy fully the promises of God in Christ Jesus our

Lord. And of course, as Christians, we know the Lord is going to return and we'd like to be found living in a godly way.

And so therefore we repent of our repentance, as Luther said, and we want to think rightly about our sin. And we want to say no to sin and yes to righteousness as fruit and evidence and an offering of thanksgiving unto

God. Mike Ebenroth, No Compromise Radio Ministry. You can always write me and say, would you do a show about such and such?

You can do that. I'll never, I'll never do such a show. No, I will sometimes.

In the old days, that just gave me more work to do. Can you do a show about final justification and the nuances between federal vision, covenant nomism, and new perspectives?

They're all essentially the same. So there you go. I don't have to do a show on it.

The Messiah is arriving soon. Leaders can't stop it.

We want to think rightly about our sin, right? And there's a readying of ourselves.

There's something that needs to be happening. I remember talking to my wife and she said,

I wish I would have got to meet Queen Elizabeth. My wife has got a Scottish background and she likes England. She has relatives, one minister of parliament.

And we've met and he's taken us a little behind the scenes tour there of, what do they call the room there where they meet ministers of parliament?

I don't know. They got some funny looking green chairs, I think. I got the tour.

I got the free lunch too, behind the scenes where the ministers of parliament eat. Pretty nice.

Pretty nice. P -U -R -D -Y. Pretty nice. Gonna. To.

I also don't like it when I say to. To. Going to the store. I think

I told you that I was watching some videos of my mother that I hadn't seen for quite some time. And I was watching them at my brother

Pat's house in Omaha a few weeks ago. And Natalie, his daughter, found some old videos.

And I was watching my mother and I thought, no wonder I talk like a hick from Nebraska, because I talk just like my mother.

I remember my father's voice at all. I wish I had a video of him, but I talk just like some

Nebraska Galilean. Hayseed.

How did the Lord ever plant me here in New England? When I moved to New England, I thought it was going to be Brooks Brothers, Hoity Toity, Ivy League.

And it wasn't. Most everybody was wearing... I might've been one of the only people wearing a suit,

I think, when I first started preaching. There were a few others, but not many people dressed up.

I remember one time I had to tell the drummer, he was a young guy, probably under 20, whom

I inherited. I said, if you can't afford a shirt, I'll buy you one.

But these ratty old t -shirts, I don't even know what the t -shirt said. It wasn't the Sex Pistols, but in my mind, that's something like that.

Probably should wear something a little different, different when you're up on the platform, when you're on the stage performing.

I know. I should have driven by my grandmother's old house. What was I thinking?

Oh, bummer. We had Grandma Up The Hill. That was my mom's mom. And we had

Grandma and Grandpa Abendroth. One lived on 64th Street. The other lived on 65th Street in Benson.

High School Benson. They had a nickname. Any guesses on the high school nickname of Benson? We were the

Northwest Huskies. There was the Burke Bulldogs. There was

Central something. Was it Westside Warriors? I don't know.

I can't remember some of these mascots, but it was, hmm.

Council Bluffs? The Benson Bunnies. Probably going to get canceled.

The Messiah is arriving soon. What do you do? So back to the point here on ADD Radio.

I looked up, if you're going to meet the queen, assuming she was still alive, I'm certain this goes true for King Charles, but when you meet the queen, what do you do?

When greeting the queen, men should give a neck bow, tilting their heads only, while women traditionally curtsy.

When addressing the queen, you begin with your majesty, and then in conversation, you refer to her as ma 'am.

During formal dinner, take the queen's lead. Stand when she stands. Stop eating when she eats.

Wait until she sits to take your seat. Never turn your back to the queen. When meeting the queen, there's a no -touch rule.

You should never make the first contact. Only shake her hand if she offers, and if you do, without a tight grip and little motion.

Indicating, initiating conversation is generally discouraged. Also, stay away from personal questions, especially when they're in regard to her grandsons,

Princess William and Harry. Always bring a gift.

Like the video iPod the Obamas gave her in 2009.

What do you do if the king of kings is going to show up? What do you do if the messiah is going to show up? What needs to be done?

How do you give the king a royal welcome? Well, what they would do back in those days is make sure the roads were fine, right?

The king is going to have to travel, and you want to make sure the roads aren't all ruined.

You want to make ready his way and make his path straight and have easy access.

And so, what's going to happen here is we're going to have a quote from Isaiah that talks about that, but behind the concept of a real road is going to need to be fixed so it's easy access for the king.

Really, what's happening is the theme here of repentance still is carrying through, that there's easy access that the king would have to their hearts.

I'm not trying to make this Arminian or Pelagian or anything like that, but you're going to say, okay,

I want my heart prepared for the coming of the messiah.

So, this is just language. This is figurative language. This is metaphorical language of something that, yes, it really would happen.

You'd want to make the roads flat and smooth so the king would come. But the messiah is coming, and so it's to tie in with the last verse here about repentance and baptism and forgiveness.

This is what needs to get done. The king is arriving soon. So, the language here is found in verse 4 and following of Luke 3, as it is written in the words of Isaiah the prophet.

He's quoting chapter 40 here. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the

Lord, make his path straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall become straight and the rough places shall become level ways and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Now, we take this in a way that's in context, figuratively, so we prepare our hearts by taking care of sin and realizing our need for a savior.

Well, my name is Mike Ebendroth. This is No Compromise Radio Ministry. The Lord Jesus is coming back, and it's the same thing for us.

It's the same thing for us where we want to make sure we're ready for the Lord. And if we're Christians, we are ready.

And so, it certainly is the right response out of gratitude to repent of our repentance and think rightly.

And if you're not a believer, you're not ready. And so, you need to trust in the Lord Jesus, believe on the Lord Jesus. Well, my name is

Mike Ebendroth, No Compromise Radio. You can write me, Mike, at nocompromiseradio .com.

Don't forget, our new book is out as well, Discovering Colossians by S. Lewis Johnson, adapted by Mike Ebendroth, and I'm working on a couple other projects.