Episode 1600: Signs and Stories

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Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 1,600 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

Laura Doyle: I'm Laura Doyle. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to understand the secret of loving your spouse is key, and one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this The Inspired Stewardship Podcast with my friend Scott Maderer.

Scott Maderer: And that's the advent story. That's what Advent is calling us to do. That should be the story that motivates us, that drives us, that shows up in every moment and every thought and every breath that we take. And those would be the outward signs [00:01:00] of the inward change. That we're called to do. Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling in the Inspired Stewardship Podcast who will learn to invest in yourself. Invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

In today's spiritual foundation episode, I talk about Matthew chapter three, verses one through 12. I talk about how the journey to advent includes repentance, but that's not exactly what we think it is. And also share how what drives us is the story by which we live. Matthew chapter three verses one through 12 says, [00:02:00] in those days, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea.

Proclaiming Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near. This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. Now, John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him. And they were baptized by him in the river. Jordan confessing their sins, but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the coming wrath.

Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance. And 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. Even now, the ax is lying at the root of the [00:03:00] trees. Therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the grainery, but the chaff, he will bo with Unhittable fire.

By now we're getting into Advent it, it's week two and we're starting to get the rhythm of it. Week one is a bit of a shock, a wake up call because we're not really ready. And so we come into the season with that confession. We're not ready. We haven't been ready. We've been paying attention to the wrong things, caught up in our own stories, just getting by, getting ahead.

But now it's week two, right? So we've got our bearings, we remember what Advent is, and we've got our legs [00:04:00] underneath us. Or maybe not. Here comes this passage from Matthew and John comes alongside us to tell us that we still aren't ready. We haven't yet claimed this story is our story. We aren't yet living and dying by the promise.

We haven't become the story and lived it as the sign. Not yet, at least that's what he says. This is an odd text. When you look at it. It's hard to tell what's the temperature, what's going on. It's obvious that something powerful is happening, that John has tapped into a felt need, and he's resonating with the longing and the hearts of the nation.

He starts with good news. The Kingdom of Heaven has come near Rally. Really? That's it. We're near. We're almost there. It's almost here. Now the first word of that passage is repent. [00:05:00] And that often stops us dead in our tracks. We miss the good news that comes after the Kingdom of Heaven has come near because we're tripped up by this word repent.

And maybe now the good news isn't so good after all, maybe it implies that we've done something wrong. Repent seems to say that something's broken. Repent means we gotta be feeling sorry and guilty and confessing all of these horrible things we've done. But maybe that's not exactly what repent means.

Maybe it's not only about the groveling admission of our many failings and inadequacies, but instead it's saying we are willing to live by a different story. Maybe it's not about what we've done wrong in the past, but what we are called to do in the future. Maybe it's an invitation rather than a condemnation.

Maybe John is saying, get on board because what you [00:06:00] long for is within reach, but only if you make a turn. If you change the path you're on, if you follow a new sign, a new hope, a new commandment, and it's right there for the taking. If you'll just turn, just see it. Just live it. And if you take a moment and reflect on that.

First we get this weird aside about what he's wearing and okay, it's a little weird, but it's actually identifying the class that he came from and tells the reader something about who he is and what he believes. But if you come into this, there's crowds showing up, confessing, turning, following into the waters, and being baptized.

It's a wonderful site. Then Matthew says, but he saw the p Pharisees and the Sadducees coming for baptism. Notice he doesn't say that they're standing there judging everyone. They're [00:07:00] looking at everyone with a condescending look. They're looking down their noses at him. They're trying to see what John is doing.

No. Wrong. No they show up. They're not passing judgment. They're coming to participate in the event of baptism. They're caught up in the moment as well. But then call John. Calls them Vipers you. Brooded of vipers, you baby snakes, poisonous snakes. Who warned you to flee the wrath to come, which is hilarious 'cause Who is John?

John has been talking about the wrath to come and they've heard him and they've been called by him to do something different, and they're showing up for the baptism. But then he says something else. He says, it's not just about repentance, it's about bearing fruit, worthy of repentance. He's no longer just saying repent, but he's saying your fruit should show that you've done it.

Your life should show that you've made a change. You should be living differently. Not just thinking [00:08:00] differently, not just saying something different, but proving the repentance by changing who you are. That seems to be what he's saying to the Pharisees and Sadducees. It's not that you're not here, it's that you haven't really changed yet.

You're still part of the system. You are still part of holding people down. You're still part of beating people up. You're still part of judging people. And that's what I'm telling you. You have to give up. You have to live a new story, a different story. And if that's what you claim you want, if that's what you're coming for, that your fruit should show it.

We should see it in the life you live. And that's the advent story. That's what Advent is calling us to do. That should be the story that motivates us, that drives us, that shows up in every moment and every thought and every breath that we take. And those would be the outward signs [00:09:00] of the inward change that we're called to do.

Thanks for listening.

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