Tag: Luke 3:15-17
Wheat in His Barn!
Scripture reading for March 13th: Numbers 30-33, Psalm 35, Luke 3
Key Scriptures: Luke 3:15-17 “As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but He who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.””
God had raised up John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin as a prophetic voice to prepare the people for Jesus’ ministry. Many asked if John might be the long-awaited “Christ.” John’s answer was a firm “No!” The Christ would be mightier than John and would have a better baptism. John baptized with water, but the Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. He would have the power and wisdom to separate people as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff. ‘Wheat’ would be in His ‘barn’ but the ‘chaff’ burned in unquenchable fire!
Leviticus 31:21-23 “”This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses: only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean.”
Psalm 35:5 “Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away.”
Faith Confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for baptizing me with the Holy Spirit and fire. Guide me in Your path that I might be pure and holy in Your glorious presence, like wheat in Your barn.
Threshing the wheat!
Scripture reading for March 6th: Luke 3, Psalm 47, Proverbs 16
Key Scriptures: Luke 3:15-17 “As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered the all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear His threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
John the Baptist was a fiery preacher who spoke plainly to the people. He was the ‘voice crying in the wilderness’ calling people to repentance in preparation for the coming Messiah. John deflected attention given to him and speculation that He was the One. He spoke of the coming One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. There would be a separation of wheat and chaff. The ‘wheat’ would go into Messiah’s ‘barn’, but the ‘chaff’ would be burned up.
Faith Confession: Lord thank You for baptizing me with the Holy Spirit and placing the fire of Your love and holiness in my heart. Help me to lovingly warn all people of Your gift of the Holy Spirit and the coming judgment.
Proverbs 16:2, 14 “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. . . .”A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it.”