Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the one who was more powerful than John, whose sandals we are not fit to carry. Amen.

Lord God, as John the Baptist made people aware of their sinfulness in order to prepare the way for the Christ, grant all of us the courage and faith to expose people’s sins so that your people may bear the fruits of their repentance. Give us the courage to stand firm against the attacks from people’s sinful nature, all so that they may look to the mightier one, Jesus Christ, for their salvation. Amen.

On Monday, after school, Abbey and I went and visited some shut-ins. We talked with the ladies, I had a devotion with them, and I gave them communion. When we were done and walking to the car to go home, I said to Abbey, "Whew, that hard work is done." She just looked at me strangely and said, "Dad, that’s not hard work." My own daughter is questioning what I do for a living. But she was right. Visiting shut-ins or making hospital visits or talking with other members typically is not hard work. It is a joy. It is one of the blessings of God’s ministry.

What is difficult, though, is having to point out sin. Whether that sin is the lack of worship and communing with God by members or doubting God’s goodness when someone ends up in the hospital or not patiently accepting God’s timetable for death for the elderly homebound member. Those are difficult times. It is hard to point out sin. It isn’t easy getting to the root of the problem. People don’t want to hear that they are sinners. Most would rather be apathetic toward their sin and complacent in their faith. They don’t want to have someone tell them they are wrong.

But, friends, that is exactly what we are called to do. That is what John the Baptist had to do. It isn’t fun work. It isn’t easy work. Today we discuss the difficult work of repentance. This difficult work involves listening to God’s warnings. It also involves changing your life.

Two weeks ago, I sent out a letter to all of our "straying sheep" – our members who haven’t been to church in a very long time to worship their God or strengthen their faith in the Lord’s Supper. I have received some criticism for that letter. It was strongly worded. I pointed out that being absent from the Lord’s house, his Word and sacraments can be fatal, just like a little boy who refuses to eat can make himself deathly ill. I mentioned that we may give all kinds of excuses for missing church, abandoning the study of God’s Word or neglecting the Lord’s Supper. But, will God accept any of those excuses on Judgment Day.

After hearing some feedback from people about the letter, I wondered if it was too strong. Could I have come across easier on people? Could I have been nicer? Maybe I could have sent out a special invitation for worship or called people and invited them? But we have done all that! We’ve called people about the change of times of service. We called to invite everyone to our church picnic. Everyone receives our church newsletter and my monthly reports. And still they don’t come.

Being nice doesn’t work. God’s holy law needs to prick people’s conscience. It needs to make us feel guilty for when we have strayed from God’s commands. I may have riled a few people up with my letter … but that’s good. I’m sure John the Baptist riled up people when he called them a "brood of vipers" – which means children of the serpent, the devil. I’m sure he infuriated the people when he said that being one of Abraham’s descendants wasn’t good enough. They needed to have faith, not a connection to a faithful believer. Jesus angered his followers when he said, "Oh, you of little faith." As Christians we are called upon to rile people up. We are to wake people up from their spiritual slumber. We are to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. We afflict with the sternness of the law. We comfort with the glory of the gospel.

People don’t like it when we make them feel uncomfortable. But as nice as it is go get together with all of you for food and fellowship, especially food … and fellowship, I was not called to be your friend. I was called to be your pastor. And sometimes that means ruffling a few feathers. I would rather have a few people upset at me for my actions than have God upset at me for my inaction.

Notice, John wasn’t nice or gentle when he dealt with people. He called sin a sin. If that made people uncomfortable – good. The law should be a good kick in the pants. It should be a 2x4 over the head. It should sting. If it doesn’t, then you are complacent, uncaring, and apathetic.

What really bothers me about the comments I have received from my letter is that I hardly received any. I have received a few emails or phone calls or seen people in church. But not many. That is the disheartening part. If people are upset, at least that means they care.

God calls us to carry out the difficult work of repentance – in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. God doesn’t want to leave his children wallowing in their sin and unbelief. After Adam and Eve sinned, God came to them in the garden. After King David’s sin of murder and adultery, God sent Nathan to lead David back to repentance. When Saul was persecuting Christians, Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus to turn his life around. John the Baptist was sent to prepare people for the coming Savior. Jesus told the story about the shepherd that left his ninety-nine sheep behind to go find that one lost sheep. Time and time again, God demonstrates that we are valuable to him. We are too valuable for God to just shrug us off and start over with someone else.

We are called upon to bring others back into Jesus’ flock. It may not be fun. It may seem uncomfortable. But that is what we are supposed to do. We are to point out the sin of adultery to our child. Point out unscriptural divorce to our parents. Point out sin in our own lives. We are to take the plank out of our own eye.

We call people to repent because we care. God calls people to repent because he cares. The worst parents are those who let their kids run wild and get away with everything. God is a great parent – he sees and hears everything. He holds us accountable for that unkind word, that racial slur, that extra drink, that lustful look, that unholy temper, that word of gossip, etc. These are not mistakes. They are not errors in judgment. They are each a sin against a holy God. They are a slap in his face. They are spitting upon his laws.

And John warns us against that. "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." When the ax is laid at the root of the trees and then raised, the fate of the tree is sealed. The blows will continue until the tree is felled. God does not tolerate trees that do not produce fruit. They are cut down and burned. Those who do not bear the fruits of faith for God will be cut off from God and cast into eternal fire.

John continues in talking about the Christ, "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." When Jesus returns he will separate the believers from the unbelievers as the farmer separates the good grain from the worthless chaff. The believers are the grain that is gathered and treasured. The unbelievers will be burned like chaff. With these warnings, John is reminding us that life is not a game. It is serious business. Jesus seeks to kindle the fire of faith in our hearts. But he also controls the fire of judgment in the end. Either we will be gathered to Jesus forever or we will face the unquenchable fire. Listen to God’s warnings. He’s not kidding around. Now is the time for the difficult work for repentance, first in your own life and then in the lives of others.

People kept going out to John. No doubt it was small in the beginning, but the crowds kept growing. They came from all over. What compelled them to travel out to the wilderness? Certainly it wasn’t his dress or his diet. It must have been his message. It was a powerful message of law and gospel. John called the people to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

Repentance involves a change of mind and heart. It is a change of direction in daily behavior. We recognize sin as our disobedience to God’s commandments. We are truly sorry for our sin. We have the sincere desire to amend our sinful ways. And we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation. That is what repentance is. It is a total change in your life. Repentance is not a one-time act. In his 95 Theses, Martin Luther declared that the entire life of a Christian is to be characterized by repentance. There is no such thing as an impenitent Christian.

It isn’t possible to repent of only some sins. All sins, even those of which we are unaware must be removed. Just as a road would be smoothed and straightened and leveled for an approaching king, so we are to remove every obstacle from our stony, crooked hearts. To go through the motions of being a Christian, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, will not work. This will only increase our guilt before God.

John says that God can make believers out of stones. None of us should ever imagine that God needs us. At the same time, we must never forget that he wants us and that he has done everything necessary for our eternal salvation.

All of us are in need of a Savior, whether we are faithful in attending church or if it is your first time being here in a while. We need a Savior, whether we are long-time members, new Christians, or searching for a Savior. We need Jesus, whether we are John the Baptist, lay people or the pastor.

Last week in Pastor Bauer’s Bible class, someone mentioned how her home church used to change the wording of "On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry," to reflect the name of their town, like "On Racine’s bank, the Baptist’s cry," in order to make it more personal. Pastor Bauer mentioned that it is good to make things more personal. He said that his personal favorite now is, "Chief of sinners though I be, Michael Zarling’s worse than me." He’s probably right. I need a Savior from my sins just as much as the rest of you.

The good news is that Jesus rescues us from our inactivity. He saves us from our apathy. He cares enough to rouse us from our complacency. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The guilt of sin is washed away through Jesus’ blood and the holy waters of baptism. This new creation of God is then led in a new direction in life. Jesus kindles the fire of faith in a person’s heart. John says, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." Jesus gives us the power to do that through his Word and sacraments. Jesus leads us to repent, to turn us around from the pathway to hell and he puts us on the path to heaven.

I have had people tell me that I shouldn’t preach so much law from the pulpit. It makes people feel guilty. I have had people suggest that we not tell people that they are sinners when we make evangelism visits in their homes. There are preachers who are reluctant to speak about judgment. They only speak about love and peace. But, we need to remember that our sinful flesh still needs to hear the warnings of the law, the warnings of judgment.

We need to ponder what Jesus has saved us from if we are to have a true appreciation for what he gained for us on the cross. He has saved us from the eternal fires of hell. He has saved us for the eternal joys of heaven. If we don’t tell prospects that they are sinners deserving of hell who need a Savior, then why should they come to church – they are doing fine without church and without God. In church, if I can’t make you feel the flames of hell licking at your feet, then you won’t truly appreciate the glories of heaven.

Jesus has changed your life. He took you from hell to heaven. From damnation to salvation. From barren trees to productive fruit trees. From worthless chaff to valuable grain. From a brood of vipers to children of our heavenly Father. That is law. And that is gospel. We need both. We need to listen to God’s warnings and let Christ change our lives around. This is the hard work of repentance. Amen.