Day 5

Scripture to Read: Luke 3:15–17

God used John to boldly preach, and his message was clear: people must repent and follow God. But the people were unsure who John was. We read in Luke 3:15–17, “Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ, 16 John answered and said to them all, ‘As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 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.’” God had John clearly state that the true Messiah was mightier than him and that he was not even worthy to be His foot washer. John also stated how Christ would baptize everyone who followed Him with His Holy Spirit and fire. When we surrender to Christ, His Holy Spirit indwells us, sealing us for eternity as God’s children (Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30). Christ also came with His holy fire. Christ’s baptism of fire both purifies us and gives us the power to crucify our fleshly desires. Just as a fire burns up the worthless chaff, God’s holy fire reveals the garbage in our lives that must be destroyed. God’s power is always transforming us, purifying us to be just like Him (Ephesians 5:1–2).

Challenge & Application

Our Messiah is Jesus, and as His children, how must we live since His Holy Spirit lives in us? How has God revealed the garbage in your life that must be destroyed/crucified each day?

Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!

Devotionals from this week

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Day 1

God will teach us much as we walk through Luke 3. God had Luke write in Luke 3:1–2, “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in t...

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Day 2

God called John to preach repentance to the people, as we read in Luke 3:3–6, “And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make ...

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Day 3

God had Luke record what John was preaching to the Jews of his day. We read in Luke 3:7–9, “So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham ...

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Day 4

Repentance, as we discussed in yesterday’s devotion, leads to bearing God’s fruit. There will always be an action with repentance. So, as God led John to preach to the Jews, we find them asking him what they should do. We read in Luke 3:10–14, “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, ‘Then what shall we do?’ 11 And he would answer and sa...

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Day 5

God used John to boldly preach, and his message was clear: people must repent and follow God. But the people were unsure who John was. We read in Luke 3:15–17, “Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ, 16 John answered and said to them all, ‘As for ...

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Day 6

God used John mightily, and as He did, the spiritual forces of darkness sought to shut John down. We read in Luke 3:18–20, “So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. 19 But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had do...

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Day 7

We close out Luke 3 today and God led Luke to write this in Luke 3:21–23: “Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’ 23 Whe...

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