Read The Bible The Book Of Luke 3 by Reverend Christie Bature: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The word comes in the wilderness

Luke 3:1

It's not today that politicians started putting their brother, their sister, their family member inside serious positions. Look at Herod and his brother Philip

Luke 3:2

I'm wondering why the Bible took the time to name all these people. There must be an important reason

I think God doesn't want us to miss the timing and the people who were in the places of authority at that time

The word of God didn't come to John in the city. It came to him in the wilderness

Sometimes the word of God won't come to you until you are in the wilderness

It will not come when you are in the place of comfort, the noisy place, the place of revelry, happiness, fullness, joy, plenty, too much jaga jaga

The word of the Lord will come to you in the wilderness

• Lord, let your hand rest upon this sister. She will not cast her young.
• The Lord will sustain the baby in her womb until it's time to be born.
• We decree a healthy mother and a healthy baby in the name of Jesus.

Luke 3:3

God gave him a word. He stepped out and began to preach what God gave him to preach

Those whom the Lord gave a message and who have shifted from what God gave them are preaching something else because something else sounds more popular, more familiar, more interesting, more rewarding

Many of us want the visibility of the city without going into the wilderness to receive a word

Many of us are running with the word somebody else received. It's okay to hear the word somebody else received and start running. But you must position yourself to hear your own word

That way you are authentic. Authenticity is one of the reasons you will get visibility and credibility

How are you authentic? When you hear what God is sending you to do, and you stick with it, and you do it

1 Thessalonians

Living a life that is pleasing to the Lord. Living a life that honors God

Nobody shows up by accident

Luke 3:4, Isaiah 40:3

There was a prophecy about John by Isaiah many years before. Nobody shows up here by accident. There's always a plan already in place before you show up

Jesus was also prophesied. Isaiah prophesied Jesus. David prophesied Jesus Hebrews 10:7, Psalm 40:7

If you are alive, if you are existing, there was a prophecy over you

• Oh God, order my steps to walk into the prophecy that was given before I showed up.
• Walk me into that space, that place of sensitivity and the ability to download what the prophecy about me was, in the name of Jesus.

The prophecy was about John the Baptist. He went into the wilderness, picked up that word, and then began to live it out

Every valley shall be filled

Luke 3:5

This is a prophecy to someone listening. Your paths have been crooked. You have valleys. There are so many mountains in your way. There are rough ways you have had to pass

God did not say some valleys. Every valley shall be filled. If you can memorize these two verses, memorize them

Every valley in your life is filled in the name of Jesus.

Every mountain and hill. It didn't say mountain alone, because somebody will say it's not a mountain, it's a hill. He has taken care of all

Whatever mountain has been standing before you, shout grace to it Zechariah 4:7

• Every mountain before me, grace.
• Every hill before me, grace.
• Become a plain in the name of Jesus.

The crooked shall be made straight. Two perspectives:

1. Every crooked way around you be made straight
2. If you yourself are crooked, every crookedness around you be made straight. Let integrity become your watchword

If you have been shady, shaky, without honor, without integrity, let every crookedness around you, about you, in you be made straight in the name of Jesus. Let your testimony before God and men change.

Let your walk become clean. Let your work become pure and honorable.

The rough ways shall be made smooth

• Every rough way in front of you, poverty, broken relationships, nightmares, emotional turbulence, mental imbalance, losses, grief, depression, shall be made smooth.
• Smoothness to your path, your vision, your hearing, your speech.
• Smoothness to your relationships, your finances, your health, your mental state.

Say it as a confession, not as a hope or a prayer. Don't say "shall be filled". We have already spoken it into being

• Every valley is filled.
• Every mountain and hill is brought low.
• The crooked has been made straight.
• The rough ways are made smooth.
• My way is smooth. My path is smooth. All the bumps have been removed.

Focus on your mountains, any crookedness, any rough way, any valley, and begin to speak

If you have somebody you've been engaged to that is crooked, the Lord will smooth that part. Remove the person from your life so that the one that will honor you will come.

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Reverend Christie Bature

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If there is any crooked human being around you messing you up, let the Lord stretch them out, in the name of Jesus.

Luke 3:6

God is a drama king. He likes to show off with his children

Illustration: the fire and the lions

He didn't put off the fire. He made the fire hotter, put the three Hebrew boys inside, and then showed up in the fire Daniel 3

He threw Daniel into the lions' den. The king had the faith to come back the next day and Daniel was spick and span. Nothing had touched him.

But when they threw the other people in, even before they dropped to the ground, the lions tore them Daniel 6

God is a drama king and he wants to show off on your behalf. All flesh shall see it

Illustration: the parade

A parade. When a parade is happening, people stand and watch. People are fascinated

Those doing the parade dress up in beautiful, loud costumes. Musicians are playing, so that all eyes will be on them

When God has filled your valleys, it will be visible to all.

When he has made your mountains and hills flat plains, when he has made all the crooked around you straight, when the rough ways have been smoothed, everyone will be there to see you

Those that laughed at you will laugh with you. Those that mocked you will be put to shame. Those that stood by you will celebrate with you

Give him the glory. Only he is worthy of the praise. No man on earth should give glory to himself. It's the parade of God's salvation, not the parade of your arriving

The balanced gospel

Luke 3:7

John came crying, prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight, repent. He came confronting. But underneath his confronting, he brought a word of encouragement

Those preachers who every time have only judgment, attack, condemnation and no comfort, it's not a balanced gospel

Yes, confront people. Yes, point them to the right way. Yes, attack their sin

After you do that, bring the hope God brings. Bring the joy. Bring the forgiveness. Bring the acceptance that God gives to his people always

As you obey the Lord and make your life one of glory to him, God says all your valleys shall be filled and all your mountains brought low

God does not call us to serve him in vain or without reward. You make the path of God straight, he makes your crooked path straight

Every time God calls you, sends you, or gives you an assignment, he has prepared a blessing right after your obedience. On the heel of your obedience is the miracle, the blessing, the gift

God doesn't send you so that you can go and make a loss. Profit is coming. Expect it

John was not speaking deception. He was not saying what the people wanted to hear. He said what the Lord sent him to say, and as he said it, people gathered

Don't gather people by fire, by force, by gimmicks, by prophet lying instead of prophesying. Don't gather people with falsehood or lies. They will disperse

The only thing that holds people in a place is truth, because truth doesn't change. It is absolute

If God has sent you, don't put gimmicks inside. Don't try to deceive. Don't try to be funny. Just do what he has said

The multitude came to be baptized. They wanted to be introduced into this way of life, not just pray it from the outside but live it on the inside

The sandwich

First he says prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. He's hitting their sin, their deviation, their wrong leading

Then immediately underneath that, God will make your crooked places straight, fill up all your valleys and smooth your path

When the people were enjoying the comfort of God, he came back again and called them a brood of vipers

This is the balanced gospel. Give the encouragement, then take from them the desire to sin. Give the warning

If all you hear in any church is witches and wizards chasing you, and the pimple on your face is one demon that pinched you there, it's not the complete gospel. It's half

You don't need that kind of place. Go to the place where the full gospel is preached. Your life will be balanced. In those other places your life cannot be balanced

Your life must change, not your skin

Luke 3:8

It is your life that must change, not the rituals you perform. The rituals don't make you right with God if your heart is not in it

Illustration: confession

The Catholic church has an ordinance called confession where people come to the priest and confess their sins

Many of us have become expert at doing the rituals but we don't really mean it

Because there is confession, we go out and continue sinning, thinking all we need to do is go back to the priest and confess. No

Hosea 4

People were weeping but their prayers were not sincere. Somebody can be weeping and you say this person is truly sorry, but the heart is not sincere

It is your life that must change, not your skin, not your acting

Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there. I am a Catholic, I am an Anglican, I am a Pentecostal. No. They are a dime a dozen

God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. What is your life's testimony?

Luke 3:9

The reason God is leveling your mountain and filling up your valleys is so that you will bear good fruit

God loves return on his investment. He's not a bad investor. Every investor wants return

If he has leveled your mountains, filled up your valley, made everything crooked about you straight, smoothed your rough paths, it's because he wants you to produce good fruit

If you don't, you will be hewn down and cast into the fire

Is your life green and flourishing, or withered? Are your leaves brown and dead? If it is dead wood, it is only good for the fire. God is a sure businessman

What shall we do?

Luke 3:10

Those who know they are dead wood need to start asking God, what am I supposed to do?

Ministry has come to a standstill, ask. You've done everything for the relationship and nothing seems to be happening, ask

That child you have prayed and prayed for, ask God, what am I supposed to do?

God is in a hurry to give you answers. He likes you coming into a space that is just the two of you, asking from an honest heart with the right motive

Luke 3:11

Immediately John goes to charity. John goes to giving. See all these people talking nonsense about giving, don't listen to them. Look at where John the Baptist went

He had already told them to make their life straight. Then they asked what should we do, and he went to giving

Look for somebody you can be good to. Be kind to somebody. Reach out to somebody

If you think your own is bad, look very well. You will start giving thanks to God because you will see that your life is far better than somebody else's

Illustration: the homeless addicts

We went out to reach out to homeless addicts. We gave them food, and as many as agreed, we prayed with them

One group had seven or eight of them, one lady amongst them, the rest guys. All their belongings were inside some bags and they were just sitting there

I said, can I pray for you? All of them stood up. When we finished praying, one of them went into his bag and said, look, I have my Bible with me

I was so touched. He's addicted, he's high, but he's staying connected to God

Go be kind to somebody. Give clothes to somebody. Give food to somebody

Don't be a hoarder, be a giver. God didn't call you to be a reservoir. He called you to be a pipe, a conduit, so that things can be flowing through you

Do you know what happens with reservoirs? If you don't empty a reservoir over time, it starts to stink

Luke 3:12, Luke 3:13

The publicans also came. These were not considered people of integrity. They came and asked, what should we do?

He told them no more extortion. Collect only what is required by law

You go to the office of urban development for plan approval for your building and they delay it and delay it and you end up paying more than five times the actual amount. Stop extorting

All of you that collect bribes, we are speaking with the voice of John the Baptist. If you want your mountains to be leveled, stop it

Luke 3:14

The soldiers also came. For everyone, the standard was different according to where they were

If you are a minister of the gospel, your standard will be higher than the layman on the street

Who are the people that collect bribes the most? Our law enforcement agents. They collect bribes from common people on the street

A few days ago, a young man who had just finished university was shot dead by a law enforcement agent

Be expectant

Luke 3:15, Luke 3:16

The people were in expectation. Please always be expectant from God

Don't let anybody tell you that you are doing trade by barter with God. He's the one that told us to expect. Why do you want to change it for me?

Those who say if you serve God and you are expecting reward, you are not serving with a pure heart, are wrong. God told me to serve and said he will reward me

The people were expecting. Remember the crippled man by the temple when Peter said to him, look on us. He looked at them expecting something from them Acts 3:5

Be expectant of reward in this life and in the life to come. That's what Jesus said

The interest of the people was building. They began to wonder, could this John be the Messiah? They wanted to start giving him a title that was not his own

Confess it over your life

Don't forget Luke 3:5 and Luke 3:6. Keep repeating those verses over your life as a confession, not as a prayer

Let us see God leveling mountains, filling up valleys, making crookedness straight and rough paths smooth. And all flesh shall see it

We are invoking the life in his word. The word is alive, it is quick and it is powerful. Use it to your advantage