He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.(Luke 3:16-17).

This is a very clear text, but it is sometimes preached inaccurately. The reference to the Holy Spirit and to fire are sometimes treated as if in apposition to one another; that is, as if they are parallel ideas. They are not, as the following context clearly demonstrates. The baptism with the Holy Spirit is represented in the wheat being gathered into God's barn. The baptism with fire is represented in the chaff that is burned up with unquenchable fire. John the Baptist is speaking of God's coming judgment, where He will separate the wheat from the chaff, the saved from the unsaved.

Many songs say things like "Consume me (with your holy fire)..." or treat God's "all-consuming fire" as if this is something to be desired. I imagine that rather than Luke 3, these song writers are thinking of Acts 2 and the "tongues of fire" spoken of there. Yet, the disciples were not "consumed" by the tongues of fire. These tongues of fire just rested on top of them and gave them the ability to speak in other languages. What is more, there is no indication that this was to be a normative experience. There is no other occasion, where there is seen these "tongues of fire," even when the ability to speak in other languages is given to others. Even where God is specifically called a "consuming fire" in Hebrews 12:29, it is not a reference to blessing but God's holy wrath, demanding all to stand in "reverence and awe".

I think it is better to remove the language of "consuming fire" from our songs, for the great majority of biblical references to consuming fire is not of something to be desired but something to be avoided at all cost. It primarily speaks of God's consuming fire of judgment on the wicked. 

Now, if we must speak of fire, rather than "consuming fire," it would be better to speak and sing of "refining fire" (cf. Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:1-18; 1 Peter 1:7; Isaiah 48:10), which is most often a reference to suffering, hardship and testing, whereby God purifies and perfects His people. Yet, even this is not necessarily something that we ought to crave or desire. God WILL refine His people with suffering, but who desires this? Isn't it better to sing dedicatory songs of trust and obedience so that harsh refinement is unnecessary. Refining fire is most often a response not to obedience but to disobedience. It is one explanation for the onset of suffering. Now, there are exceptions, like Job, who suffered not so much for wrongs done but perhaps to deepen his understanding and reverence for God. I daresay that even Job would not voluntarily seek such refinement.

Friends, many Christians have a generalist's understanding of the Bible. That is why they pull words from this text and that, season it with some emotion, and parlay it to any Tom, Dick and Jane Christian, who will give it credibility by popularizing it. Yet, they are disrespecting the Word of God by not respecting the context from which the words are taken. Even though a lot of what is intended may be found in other Scriptures, this accepted practice of treating biblical contexts cavalierly, I am afraid, will become a slippery slope to serious doctrinal error. If you want to see what this kind of slippery slope looks like, just read Judges 17-21, where the Israelites imagined that they were honoring God by worshipping of their idols. Then read 2 Timothy 4:3-5, where Paul prophesies that in the end times the church itself will fall into the same kind of serious error.

Luke 2

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
V 23, reminds that is the first born is a male, it is special
V 25, while they were there Simeon, who received a Word previously declares the Salvation in Jesus
V 36, while there Ana the prophetess spoke a word

Why did God make these ordinances way back 1000 years prior? To point to Jesus. He would be male, he would go to Jerusalem he would be the sacrifice. Knowing this would be, he set the stage in his sovereignty 1000 years prior and then, again, in his sovereignty was able to tell 2 people that they would see the promise in their life. So much is here:
-he knew he would be a male
-he showed his purpose in sacrifice
-he caused his trip to Jerusalem
-he doubled up announcers with prophecy and blessings

He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3-4)

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance... 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" (Luke 3:7-9).

John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps 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 he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Luke 3:16-17).

After all of this, we are told,

And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them (Luke 3:18).

John the Baptist did not mince words when preaching the "good news" (i.e. the Gospel) to the people. His message did not center so much on the love of God but rather the authority and wrath of God. In the preaching of the Gospel, he focused less on forgiveness and more on repentance. He was not afraid of calling names - "You brood of vipers!" He did not shy away from preaching hell fire and brimstone ("unquenchable fire") for those that reject his message.

Now, we could say that John the Baptist was a unique case, a firebrand, an eccentric. After all, who dresses in camel hair and eats locusts these days? 

But then, as I continue to read the history of the early church, this kind of Gospel preaching was not unique to John the Baptist. Jesus would also preach the same strong message, always emphasizing repentance. When John was imprisoned, Jesus took over John's message:

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matthew 4:17).

In fact, this was the preparation that John provided for the message of Christ. John preached a baptism of repentance (Luke 3:3). And Jesus always prefaced His message of faith with the command to repent (e.g. Mark 1:15). Jesus rebuked the religious leaders because they did not "repent and believe" at the preaching of John the Baptist (Matthew 21:32). When Jesus sent out the Twelve, we are told that they were sent out to preach that "people should repent" (Mark 6:12). When Jesus declared His mission, He said, 

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32).

When Jesus told the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, the emphasis was on the significance of repentance. So we read in Luke 15:7,

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

After He was raised, Jesus spoke of the expansion of the Gospel to the nations, emphasizing "repentance":

He told them,“This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations,beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things (Luke 24:46-48).

When we come to the Book of Acts, giving us a record of the early church growth, we see the very same emphasis on repentance:

The apostle Peter preached,

Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (Acts 3:19).

The apostle Paul preached,

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).

First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds (Acts 26:20).

When Peter wrote of God's patience in judgment, so that those predestined to be saved would be saved, he again emphasized repentance:

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

In the Book of Revelation, there are a number of references to repentance, particularly with respect to the refusal to repent by those experiencing the wrath of God (Revelation 9:20,21; 16:9,11). 

I bring up all these passages to demonstrate that repentance is very much part of the Gospel message. Yet, today, so much has been made of the "love of God" and a message that merely says, "Just believe. Accept Christ into your heart, and you'll be saved." Rarely, if ever, is God's wrath for sin mentioned, even though the very passage that speaks of God's love in salvation (John 3:16) also speaks of God's wrath and condemnation for unbelief (John 3:18, 36). And if God's wrath for sin is rarely mentioned, the message of repentance is likewise largely omitted from Gospel presentations. 

If we were counting verses, there are certainly more verses that speak of "believing" for salvation; however, as noted from the sampling I gave, there are also plenty of verses that teach repentance in salvation. So, whether directly stated or indirectly implied, repentance is very much a part of the Gospel message. But, of course, counting verses is not good hermeneutics. We do not pit this many verses against that many verses, for the Scriptures present a unified message, particularly with respect to the Gospel. 

What am I suggesting? We must not neglect the message of repentance when preaching the Gospel. It is not simply accepting Christ that we should preach. We ought also to preach repentance, by which I mean a sorrow over sin, a turning away from any self-justifying work, and a turning to Christ in trust and obedience.

People can only truly believe in Christ if they first recognize their vital need for Him and His absolute authority over their lives. This is captured in repentance. So, dear friends, following Jesus' footsteps, let us proclaim the Gospel in this way: "Repent and believe the Good News!" 

As I was reading a relatively unknown bible figure, Simeon, and his role to encourage Mary and Joseph jumped out at me.

Friends, today as I read the preaching of John the Baptist, as recorded in Luke 3:7-20, I could not help thinking of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. When John preached, "Bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:8), I recall Jesus' words, "You shall know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16). When he counseled the people, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise" (Luke 3:11), I remember Jesus teaching, "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also... Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away" (Matthew 5:40,42). Jesus preached a kingdom ethic, and John, as His forerunner, preached the same. John taught repentance manifested in a changed behavior (Luke 3:8-9). He taught unconventional equitable charity (Luke 3:11). He taught contentment with what you have and against ambition and greed (Luke 3:13-14). He fearlessly rebuked sin among God's people, even of those in high authority (Luke 3:19).

Jesus had this testimony to give about John: "Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28). What an awesome testimony! It is made more so by virtue of it being spoken by Jesus. Now, this does not mean that John the Baptist was the most righteous, for as Luke 7:28 reveals, his greatness was in his prophecying as the forerunner of the Messiah. Even so, with such acclamation from Christ, I am amazed at how few people choose him as their model for life. Many choose Abraham, Moses, David, Job, Daniel, Paul, Peter, Barnabas, and others. But John the Baptist? Yet, he was the one who "prepared the way for the Lord." Would it not be appropriate for another John the Baptist type to prepare the way for the Lord's second coming?

And John the Baptist preached both Jesus' first and second coming when he preached the baptism by the Holy Spirit for believers and fire for unbelievers (Luke 3:16). He preached, "His (i.e. Jesus, "One mightier than I...") winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire" (Luke 3:17; cf. Luke 3:9).

Dear Friends, what sort of people should we be? Let us all seriously evaluate our lives, our attitudes and our behavior. There are so many obstacles to radical faith living - whether they be career, family, or personal ambition. Even if we do not live like John the Baptist, wearing a tunic of camel's hair with a leather belt and eating locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6), we can choose to live his ethic, which was also the ethic of Jesus, which is the ethic of the kingdom of heaven.

I've been living day in and day out without serious consideration of these things. By God's grace, I hope to make a change, even to "bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:8). What I fear the most is my own inability or perhaps unwillingness to make such radical changes to my life. I have discovered that there is no mystical power of God that helps me live a holy and devoted life. He gives me His Word. His indwelling Spirit confirms my salvation, and uses the Word to remind, convict, and lead me. But the actual doing of a right attitude and good deeds are my doing, my "working out my salvation," (Philippians 2:12) in keeping with the grace of God. Therefore, in view God's great mercy toward me, I must plan for godly living, I must discipline myself as I do for anything else (Bible reading, memorization, exercise and diet, etc.), and I must diligently execute such righteous discipline in my life until Christ is formed in me (Galatians 4:19). Here is the charge from the Scriptures:

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things (2 Timothy 2:3-6).