Thirty years have passed and we have no information about John, the Baptist from his birth until here. He preached because "the word of the Lord came" to him (v.2). His message was simple. It was a call to repentance that would be evidenced by a change life.
John A. Martin wrote this insight into the quote from Isaiah: "When a king traveled the desert, workmen preceded him to clear debris and smooth out the roads to make his trip easier. In Luke the leveling of the land was a figurative expression denoting that the way of the Messiah would be made smooth because through John a large number of people were ready to receive Jesus' message." (Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament Edition, p.211)
Because they were descendants of Abraham, many believed they were automatically in right standing with God. They just needed, then, to keep up the outward demands of the Law. But John, just like the prophets before him, reminded them that being right with God begins with a personal commitment from the heart.
John preached a coming judgment for those who did not repent and "bear fruits" of a changed life in keeping with their commitment to God. He gave specific examples in verses 10-14 of what that may look like for certain individuals.
When he told them that their belief in "we have Abraham as our father" was not good enough, that got their attention. Just as today, having believing parents, joining a church, going through certain rituals, and doing good deeds will not result in the forgiveness of sin and eternal life. "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13)
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