Need a Change? (Matthew 3:7-10)

Recently, I heard two female preachers preach on consecutive Sundays. Preachers tend to have favorite angles that they approach the scripture from and these two women preachers were no different.

One of the preachers is a cheerleader in her preaching. She always sees the power of God to transform us and help us lead extraordinary lives in whatever scripture she is preaching. Her preaching is encouraging: "Go Team! You can live the life God has called you to live!" It is inspiring and challenging.  You leave church wanting to walk closer with God -- empowered to do something extraordinary!  And she backs up her words by living a life taking risks and letting God work through her - a life that demonstrates the power of God.  She lives in the power of the resurrection.

The other pastor's angle is quite different. For her, scripture simply exposes what she and others have done wrong.  She believes that we should all try harder to do right, but that we will all fail.  She humbly gives examples from her life - of her failures - confessing them.  The good news to her is summed up in that God still loves us despite our continuing failures.   Every week a different text, but the same sermon.  Christian life for her is trying, failing, and being forgiven.  And then repeat.  She encourages her congregants to confess their sins to each other like she does, accept God's forgiveness, and try harder not to sin.  One might say that she lives in the power of the crucifixion, but hasn't quite gotten to the resurrection yet.  From the outside looking in, really good things have happened in her life.  But to hear her preach, her personal life has been in a state of crisis - her marriage not working quite right, her family relationships strained, etc.
 
Which pastor is demonstrating repentance?  The second is so humble in her sermons - even confessing her own failures. She feels a lot of sorrow.  Surely this is repentance?  Not really!  Repentance is turning around and going a different direction.  It is not accepting failure as a way of life and humbly continuing to fail.  The first pastor is the one who understands repentance.  She believes that God has given us the power to be transformed and she encourages us to live transformed lives - not continuing to live in the patterns of the past, but living extraordinary lives in God's power.

Matthew 3:7-10 ⁷ But when John the Baptist saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruit worthy of repentance. ⁹ Do not presume 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. ¹⁰ Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were the most religious people of the day.  For the most part, they believed the right theology, kept the right rules, did the right good works.  But it was all about controlling God - doing the minimum God required so that God would be forced to bless them.  It was not about letting God grab hold of their lives and transform every part of them.  They wanted God's blessings, but not God.  They had never repented.

Repentance = Turning Around.  Changing.  Transforming.

John tells them that repentance means you bear fruit!  Don't feel sorry that you haven't or aren't.  Sorry isn't repentance.  Believe that God has given you the power to bear fruit.  And go give birth to some fruit this day!!  :-)  If we fail, God will certainly forgive us, but that isn't the fullness of the good news.  The good news is that we don't have to continue in failure.  Jesus came so that we would have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us enabling us to live transformed lives.

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John the Baptist's words to the crowds are also recorded in Luke's book:

Luke 3:7-9 ⁷ John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruits worthy of repentance. 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; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."